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Examination of the Books

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The existence of records, or books, in heaven, and their use in the judgment, is plainly revealed. Thus Daniel says, “The judgment was set, and the books were opened.” Daniel 7:10. And John says: “And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened; and another book was opened, which is the book of life; and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.” Revelation 20:12.

It is evident that the utmost importance is attached to the blotting out of the sins of the righteous from these books. When they are blotted out they can never rise up in the judgment against those who committed them; for men give account to God only for those things contained in the books. It is therefore certain that no individual can have his sins blotted out until the close of his probation. But when this work is wrought there must be an examination of the books for this very purpose.

The book of life is to be examined before the resurrection of the just. The words of Daniel render this point perfectly clear: “And at that time shall Michael stand up, the great prince which standeth for the children of thy people; and there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation even to that same time; and at that time thy people shall be delivered, every one that shall be found written in the book.” Daniel 12:1.

We have seen from other texts that the investigation and decision of the judgment, in the cases of the righteous, precedes the advent of the Saviour. We have also seen that there is a time before the coming of Jesus when the sins of the righteous are blotted out from the books of God’s remembrance. This is decisive proof that these books are subjected to examination before the Saviour comes again. But we have now another important fact. The book of life is examined before the deliverance of the saints. Daniel says, “At that time thy people shall be delivered, every one that shall be found written in the book.” Daniel 12:1. The book must, therefore, be examined before the resurrection of the righteous to immortal life. This is another convincing proof that the investigation of the cases of the righteous precedes the first resurrection. This book is referred to in the following passages: Exodus 32:32, 33; Psalm 69:28; 87:6; Isaiah 4:3; Ezekiel 13:9; Daniel 12:1; Luke 10:20; Philippians 4:3; Hebrews 12:23; Revelation 3:5; 13:8; 17:8; 20:12, 15; 21:27; 22:19.

The book of life is the final means of determining the cases of the righteous in the judgment; for all are delivered who are at the time of deliverance found written in it. But before this book is made the final source of appeal, it is itself to be tested by the books of God’s record. For all the names which are entered in this book of life, of those who fail to overcome, are to be blotted out. Yet it is the record of these persons’ lives that is to cause their names to be stricken from the book of life. (See Exodus 32:32,33; Psalm 69:28; Revelation 3:5.) We must, therefore, conclude that before the final examination of the book of life in the case of the righteous, there is a prior examination of the books of God’s record to determine (1) whose record of repentance and of overcoming is such that their sins shall be blotted out, and (2) to ascertain from this book who have failed in the attempt to overcome, and to strike the names of all such from the book of life. When the books of God’s remembrance are thus examined, and the sins of the overcomers blotted out, and the names of those who have not overcome are removed from the book of life, that book becomes the final test, and an examination of its pages concludes the work of investigation preparatory to the deliverance of the saints.

We have seen that though the book of life is the final book of reference to determine who shall have part in the first resurrection, yet it must itself first be examined by the book of God’s remembrance, for the removal of the name of every person who has not completed the work of overcoming.

1.The book called “the book of remembrance” is written expressly for the righteous, and is the book which shall determine, in their cases, the decision of the judgment. This book is particularly referred to in the following passages: “Then they that feared the Lord spake often one to another; and the Lord hearkened, and heard it, and a book of remembrance was written before him for them that feared the Lord, and that thought upon his name. And they shall be mine, saith the Lord of hosts, in that day when I make up my jewels; and I will spare them, as a man spareth his own son that serveth him. Then shall ye return, and discern between the righteous and the wicked, between him that serveth God and him that serveth him not.” Malachi 3:16–18. “Thou tellest my wanderings; put thou my tears into thy bottle; are they not in thy book?” Psalm 56:8.

“Remember me, O my God, concerning this, and wipe not out my good deeds that I have done for the house of my God, and for the offices thereof.” Nehemiah 13:14.

The book of God’s remembrance mentioned in these texts pertains only to the righteous; yet it appears to be a different book from the book of life; for though that book belongs alone to the righteous, it seems to be simply the record of their names (See Luke 10:20; Philippians 4:3; Revelation 3:5; 13:8; 17:8.), while the book of remembrance is the record of their good deeds. (See Malachi 3:16–18; Psalm 56:8; Nehemiah 13:14.) But should we conclude that the book of life is identical with the book of God’s remembrance, it will not essentially change this argument, for it would still follow that the record of the good deeds of the righteous, if it shows that they have overcome all their faults, and perfected the graces of the Spirit of God in themselves, is that which determines that their names shall be retained in the book of life, and their sins blotted out of the books which record them. But if the record be not such as God can accept, then their names must be removed from that book (See Exodus 32:32,33; Psalm 56:28; Revelation 3:5.), and the record of their good deeds also be blotted out to be no more remembered. (See Nehemiah 13:14; Ezekiel 3:20.)

The book of God’s remembrance contains the names of all who enter the service of God and of such only. Yet not every one of these follows on to know Him. Many that set out to overcome do not complete the work. That record, however, will show just how far they advanced in overcoming, and how and when they failed. As it contains simply the good deeds of the righteous, it will show their acts of repentance, confession, obedience, and sacrifice recorded therein. When the work is complete, then this record shows them prepared for the examination of the judgment. This, therefore, is the book out of which the cases of the righteous are to be decided, and from whose record they are to be accounted worthy of that world and the resurrection from the dead.

  1. The justification of the righteous in the judgment must precede the resurrection which is called “the resurrection of the just.” By this designation our Lord speaks of the resurrection of the righteous. (See Luke 14:14.) Paul states that this resurrection shall be at the coming of Christ. (See I Corinthians 15:23, 51–54; I Thessalonians 4:16–18.)

“But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment.

For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned.” Matthew 12:36, 37.

The justification of the judgment must be when the righteous are accounted worthy of a part in the first resurrection. But before they are thus justified in the judgment they give an account of their words. And this being true, it follows that God preserves a record of the words which we speak; also that our evil words are not blotted out until this account has been rendered. But the acquittal and the blotting out do, of necessity, precede the gift of immortality to the righteous at the advent of our Lord.

  1. The decision of the judgment in the case of the righteous must be when the blotting out of their sins takes place. “For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil.” Ecclesiastes 12:14.

God brings the conduct of men into the judgment by means of books of record. They are judged “out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.” Revelation 20:12, 13.

But the sins of the righteous are blotted out before the coming of the Lord. (See Acts 3:19, 20.) And it is manifest that their sins cannot be brought into the judgment after they are thus blotted out. But the righteous are to be judged as really as are the wicked. (See Ecclesiastes 3:17.) It follows, therefore, that their judgment must be at the time of the blotting out of their sins; for then there is an end made forever of the record of their transgressions. Now it is manifest that when this final work is wrought, it will pertain only to those who have fully repented of their sins, and have perfectly accomplished the work of overcoming. This work of blotting out sins brings our Lord’s priesthood to an end. He must be priest till then. He is not needed as priest after that. But when our Lord does blot out the sins of His people, He must present their cases individually before His Father, and show from the “book of remembrance” that they have severally repented of their sins, and have completed their work of overcoming. Then the Father accepts the statement thus made, and the evidence thus presented in the case of each one, and bids the Son to blot out the record of that person’s sins. This is manifestly the very time and occasion at which the righteous are accounted worthy of the resurrection to immortality. Their sins are thus brought into the judgment through their High Priest, and through Him the righteous render account of their sins to the Father. This account being accepted, their sins are blotted out, and themselves pronounced just before God. This is the justification of the judgment.

  1. There is a time for blotting out the names of some from the book of life, and of confessing the names of the others before the Father.

“He that overcometh, the same shall be clothed in white raiment; and I will not blot out his name out of the book of life, but I will confess his name before my Father, and before his angels.” Revelation 3:5.

The time of blotting out names from the book of life precedes the deliverance of the saints. For at the time of that event everyone shall be delivered “that shall be found written in the book.” Daniel 12:1. Thus the fearful threatenings of Exodus 32:32, 33; Psalm 69:28; Revelation 22:19, is executed in the removal of names from this book before the coming of Christ. Those who overcome are the ones who have their sins blotted out. But those who fail to overcome have their names stricken from the book of life. The examination of their record must, therefore, precede both these acts of blotting out, for the express purpose of determining whether they shall have their sins blotted out, or have their names removed from the book of life. We have seen that it is at this very point that the righteous give account of their sins through their High Priest, who, from the book of God’s remembrance, shows that they have repented, confessed, forsaken, and overcome, their sinful course; also that they are thus acquitted and justified in order that they may have a part in the resurrection to immortality. Here is also the very act of the Saviour in confessing the names of His people before His Father and the holy angels, that shall close our Lord’s priesthood and place His people where they shall be forever free from all their sins. For when the book of God’s remembrance is found to prove that the person under examination is an overcomer, it is then the part of the Saviour to confess his name before His Father and the holy angels, and the part of the Father to give judgment that that person’s sins be blotted from the record. Surely it is of some account to us that we have part in the fulfillment of the promise, “I will confess his name before my Father, and before his angels.” Revelation 3:5. (See Matthew 10:32; Luke 12:8.)

  1. The righteous are not done with their sins till they have rendered account in the judgment. (See Ecclesiastes 3:17; 12:14; Matthew 12:36, 37.) The only account that they can render is to show that they have made perfect work of repentance and of overcoming. This must be done before they are blotted out of the record above. Our Advocate with the Father must hold His office till He has saved His people from their sins. (See 1 John 2:1; Matthew 1:21. He cannot close this work till He has seen them accepted in the judgment. Whence it follows that His office of Advocate will constrain Him to confess their names before the tribunal of His Father, and to show that their sins should be removed from the books.
  2. When our Lord has thus finished His work as priest, His people are prepared to stand in the sight of God without an atoning sacrifice. The following texts make this very clear:

“Who is a God like unto thee, that pardoneth iniquity, and passeth by the transgression of the remnant of his heritage? He retaineth not his anger forever, because he delighteth in mercy. He will turn again, he will have compassion upon us; he will subdue our iniquities; and thou wilt cast all their sins into the depths of the sea.” Micah 7:18, 19. The Lord, in the promise of the new covenant, says: “I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sins no more.” Jeremiah 31:34. Paul quoting Jeremiah, says: “Their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more.” Hebrews 8:12. “I, even I, am he that blotteth out thy transgressions for mine own sake, and will not remember thy sins.” Isaiah 43:25. “In those days, and in that time, saith the Lord, the iniquity of Israel shall be sought for, and there shall be none; and the sins of Judah, and they shall not be found; for I will pardon them whom I reserve.” Jeremiah 50:20.

When these prophetic declarations are accomplished, we shall no longer need an Advocate, Intercessor, Mediator, or High Priest. Our sins will never after that exist even in the record of the court of heaven. Our lost innocence will then have been recovered, and we shall then be like to the angels of God, who walk in their original uprightness.

  1. The accomplishment of this work of blotting out the sins of those who overcome is marked by a declaration of awful solemnity:

“He that is unjust, let him be unjust still; and he which is filthy, let him be filthy still; and he that is righteous, let him be righteous still; and he that is holy, let him be holy still. And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be.” Revelation 22:11, 12.

These words virtually announce the close of our Lord’s work as High Priest. They cannot be uttered till He, as our Advocate, has secured the blotting out of the sins of His people at His Father’s tribunal. Yet we have seen that this work of blotting out is accomplished before He comes the second time without sin unto salvation. (See Hebrews 9:27, 28.) The text under consideration is in exact harmony with these facts. The solemn announcement, “He that is unjust, let him be unjust still; . . . and he that is holy, let him be holy still,” is followed by these words: “And behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be.” Revelation 22:11, 12. The final work of our Lord for the removal of His people’s sins does therefore precede His return in the clouds of heaven to reward every man according to his works.

 

Editorial — This Man has a Devil, part 2

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In our first look at this subject we saw how Jesus was considered to be possessed of a demon by earthly relatives. The Apostle Paul was considered insane and thought to be serving the devil. (See Sketches from the Life of Paul 59, 259.) Paul said that he and Apollos were the refuse of the world and the offscouring of all things. He was not just talking about the heathen—at that very time he was being judged by the church in Corinth and they said his speech was contemptible. (See 1 Corinthians 4; 2 Corinthians 10.) The spirit in that church resulted in their losing one of the greatest Christian teachers—Apollos hastily left Corinth because of the strife in the church.

To God’s professed people (the professed church) the Master of the House said, “Behold, I send to you prophets, and wise men, and scribes: and of them you shall kill and crucify; and of them you shall scourge in your synagogues, and persecute from city to city: that upon you may come all the righteous blood shed upon the earth.” Matthew 23:34, 35.

Will the history of the Jews be repeated by modern Israel? “Modern Israel are in greater danger of forgetting God and being led into idolatry than were His ancient people.” Testimonies, vol. 1, 609.

“Those who believe and teach the truths of God’s word in these last days, meet with similar opposition [as Paul in Lystra from the professed people of God] from unprincipled persons who will not accept the truth, and who do not hesitate to prevaricate, and even to circulate the most glaring falsehoods in order to destroy the influence and hedge up the way of those whom God has sent with a message of warning to the world. While one class make the falsehoods and circulate them, another class are so blinded by the delusions of Satan as to receive them as the words of truth. They are in the toils of the arch-enemy, while they flatter themselves that they are the children of God.” Sketches from the Life of Paul, 60. [All emphasis supplied.]

We must face the reality that, in practice, Ellen White has been rejected as a prophet for a long time. While we have professed to believe in her as a prophet, many Adventists not only reject some of the plainest things that she wrote but oppose anybody who is conscientiously trying to live according to these testimonies of God’s Spirit.

In 1888 the Adventist people rejected what could have been the beginning of the latter rain and the loud cry and the final finishing of God’s work on the earth.

Following 1888 the brethren sent Ellen White to Australia, which she said was not God’s will. (See 1888 Materials, 1622.) After thirteen crisis years, there was an attempt to correct the problems at the 1901 General Conference. This 1901 General Conference was in essence reversed at the 1903 General Conference. During this time, the devil was trying to destroy the second Advent movement completely, by attacking it from multiple directions at once with the pantheism crisis, then the Ballenger crisis, which eventually took root in the Adventist church in the 1970’s and 1980’s.

When the Lord sent messengers to Adventism, they were rejected by the majority and all manner of false charges were used to destroy their influence. This has happened many times but just a few cases will suffice to prove the case. In 1904, when the Lord directed through the Spirit of Prophecy in the development of Madison Sanitarium and College, by Sutherland and Magan, the message on educational reform was not accepted. Rather, it was largely rejected by leaders in the General Conference and, consequently most leaders never accepted this institution. (One of the highest officials in this school when it was finally closed by church leaders, told me that its closure was entirely unnecessary.) The Lord sent reformer after reformer to bring Adventism back into harmony with Divine Counsel. Julius Gilbert White was not accepted. B.G. Wilkinson was not accepted. W.D. Frazee was not accepted. Strong opposition and charges were leveled against these reformers. Where did these charges come from—not from Babylon generally, but from the professed remnant of God. Elder Frazee’s father told me privately that the brethren “scorched him.” I heard charges against him at Loma Linda in the late 1970’s and both earlier and later in the south. With such a history—a history of almost constant rejection of every reformer that has appeared in Adventism for over 100 years, what should we expect as we approach the last great crisis? “If they have called the Master of the House Beelzebub how much more those of His household.” Matthew 10:25. This has special meaning in the very last days as we shall see.

 

1901 Rejected, part 1

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“In reviewing our past history, having traveled over every step of advance to our present standing, I can say, Praise God! As I see what the Lord has wrought, I am filled with astonishment, and with confidence in Christ as leader. We have nothing to fear for the future, except as we shall forget the way the Lord has led us, and His teaching in our past history.” Life Sketches of Ellen G. White, 196.

 

Introduction

 

During a visit with fellow Christians who had escaped severe persecution under Communist controlled Eastern Europe, a discussion came about as to the purpose of the 1901 plan that provided for the European General Conference. Because the plan failed, these people suffered great religious persecution and hardship. To them, the 1901 plan was a call for God’s people to “turn (their) eyes upon Jesus.”

During the opening session, Ellen White said that God’s people must be “born again.”

“There must be a renovation, a reorganization; a power and strength must be brought into the committees that are necessary. Let every one of you go home, not to chat, chat, chat, but to pray. Go home and pray. Talk with God. Go home and plead with God to mold and fashion you after the divine similitude.” The General Conference Bulletin, 1903.

A “renovation” was essential for the 1901 plan of reorganization to function. The call to look to Jesus is the very meaning of the Third Angel’s Message. (Testimonies to Ministers, 93.)

“But the work that all heaven was waiting to do as soon as men prepared the way, was not done; for the leaders closed and bolted the door against the Spirit’s entrance. There was a stopping short of entire surrender to God. And hearts that might have been purified from all error were strengthened in wrong doing . . . and said to the Spirit of God, “Go thy way for this time; when I have a more convenient season, I will call for thee.” Letter to J.H. Kellogg from Ellen White, August 5, 1902.

When there was no renovation, the plan of reorganization could not be implemented. The 1901 plan was rejected and it had to be replaced with A.G. Daniells’ plan: “a World General Conference” that destroyed the European General Conference. At a time when our people are suffering great persecution in Eastern Europe, there is a call to look to Jesus with the 1901 plan.

 

The 1901 Plan of Reorganization of the General Conference

 

When Ellen White stepped to the podium on April 2, 1901 on the first day of the General Conference session, she wasted no time in calling for a reorganization.

“What we want now is a reorganization. We want to begin at the foundation, and to build upon a different principle . . .

“According to the light that has been given me—and just how it is to be accomplished I can not say—greater strength must be brought into the managing force of the conference.” The General Conference Bulletin, 1901, 25.

Just how greater strength within the organization was to be accomplished was not understood until two days later when the Committee on Plans presented the formation of a separate Union Conference for the work of the South. The work in the South had unique requirements and a multitude of problems because of the illiteracy, poverty and racial difficulties still being experienced in the post Civil War period. The Committee on Plans felt that the uniqueness of the work would present special management problems making it desirable for the South to organize into a Union Conference. They had also discussed the formation of the American Union Conference, which had been sanctioned and approved by the General Conference in 1897. The European Union Conference had already been formed in 1898. (The General Conference Bulletin, 1901, 67.) In this discussion, it was assumed that both of the conferences would return a tithe to the General Conference. (The General Conference Bulletin, 1901, 67.)

At this time in history, the Australasian and European Union Conferences were under the administration of the General Conference in Battle Creek. The new proposal would bring two additional Union Conferences in America under the General Conference at Battle Creek.

It was during this meeting, that Mrs. White was given the actual plan of reorganization: “I am thankful that there is to be a time when the mists will be cleared away. I hope that this time has begun here. We want the mists here to be cleared away. I want to say that from the light given to me by God, there should have been years ago organizations such as are now proposed. When we first met in Conference, it was thought that the General Conference should extend over the whole world. But this is not in God’s order.” The General Conference Bulletin, 1901, 68.

Heretofore, it was thought that all territory organized into the conferences would be under the administration of the General Conference at Battle Creek. At that time the Foreign Mission Board was still a separate organization from the General Conference and had the responsibility of the mission fields. Many messages had been given in the prior decade on the decentralization of the work at Battle Creek, but it was not understood until this meeting just how this was to be accomplished. Now it was clear [that] the field was to be divided so that the administrative responsibilities would not be centralized in one General Conference committee. To expect one group of men, regardless of the size of that committee, to grasp the problems and supervise the entire organized world field was beyond the capabilities of finite minds.

Ellen White continued: “Conferences must be organized in different localities, and it will be for the health of the different Conferences to have it thus. This does not mean that we are to cut ourselves apart from one another, and be as separate atoms. Every Conference is to touch every other Conference, and be in harmony with every other Conference. God wants us to talk for this, and He wants us to act for this. We are the people of God, who are to be separate from the world. We are to stand as representatives of sacred truth.” The General Conference Bulletin, 1901, 68–69.

The problem of a General Conference that attempted to extend over the whole world was then illustrated by Mrs. White noting several instances of mismanagement she observed on her trip to Battle Creek. There were delays as well as problems resulting from decision making by those without first-hand knowledge of the issues. Also, the centralization of the work had created a dependency at the local level which caused weakness in the work of God. There was a loss of urgency in giving the Three Angels’ Messages, the most important work ever entrusted to a people and the only hope for a perishing world.

The work of the church was not to utilize the management principles of the world by centralization in finite human beings. The work of God was to centralize in Christ, the great General He would direct the various fields of labor “through the Holy Spirit.”

“We want to understand that there are no gods in our Conference. There are to be no kings here, and no kings in any Conference that is formed. ‘All ye are brethren.’ . . . The Lord God of Israel will link us all together. The organizing of new Conferences is not to separate us. It is to bind us together. The Conferences that are formed are to cling mightily to the Lord, so that through them He can reveal His power . . .

“Remember that God can give wisdom to those who handle His work. It is not necessary to send thousands of miles to Battle Creek for advice, and then have to wait weeks before an answer can be received. Those who are right on the ground are to decide what shall be done. You know what you have to wrestle with, but those who are thousands of miles away do not know.” The General Conference Bulletin, 1901, 68–69.

Decentralization was the theme of the reorganization of the General Conference in 1901. The call for “a renovation, a reorganization on an entirely different principle” on April 2, was now made clear on April 4. Christ was to link heads of conferences and institutions. He would do the binding. The 1901 plan was a call to look to Christ.

The clarification of basic principles of organization on April 4, 1901 resulted in the division of the field and the supervision and management of the work of God being placed in different locations. The European General Conference was formed in July, 1901 with L.R. Conradi as the President. A. G. Daniells became president of the General Conference in America. Our most dedicated Adventist Church history substantiates this fact: “Hence, the European field came to be regarded as a self-sufficient continental unit, and it was called ‘The General Conference in Europe,’ while the organization in the land of origin was called ‘The General Conference in America.’ And there was, besides, the Australasian Union Conference.” Origin and History of Seventh-day Adventists, vol. 3, 348.

The action taken at the 1901 session in limiting the General Conference geographically received the approbation of “the God of heaven and His angels” who “walked up and down the aisles” during that meeting. (The General Conference Bulletin, 1901, 463.)

There was no suggestion of a “World General Conference” in the 1901 plan for reorganization.

“The question to be settled is who is God? . . . In his efforts to dethrone God and to put himself in the place of God, Satan has deceived man in the rebellion . . . When the true God is known and acknowledged for what He really is, when He is given the place which belongs to Him in all things, and we take the place which belongs to us, then He is glorified and we are glorified in Him. This means our salvation from sin now and eternally.” The General Conference Bulletin, 1898, 221.

The geographical limitations of the General Conference in Battle Creek were also in alignment with counsel from the servant of the Lord given in August, 1896: “As a people we should study God’s plans for conducting His work. Wherever He has given directions in regard to any point, we should carefully consider how to regard His expressed will. This work should have special attention. It is not wise to choose one man as president of the General Conference. The work of the General Conference has extended, and some things have been made unnecessarily complicated. A want of discernment has been shown. There should be a division of the field, or some other plan should be devised to change the present order of things.” Testimonies to Ministers, 342.

This counsel appeared in The General Conference Bulletin, 315, in 1897 and said our world work should be divided up into three divisions: “The presidency of the General Conference Association, the presidency of the Mission Board, and the presidency of the General Conference work in North America, should be placed on three different men.”

The brethren honestly attempted to respond to this counsel at the 1897 General Conference session by electing three presidents who presided over the General Conference Committee, and the Foreign Mission Board.

In the 1901 plan of reorganization, Christ was to be the “greater strength” to direct and unify the different General Conferences. Mrs. White was elated. The 1901 plan was the very essence of the Third Angel’s Message applied to church government. Leadership was to look to Christ instead of man. Heads of large conferences and various institutions were to stand as equals under Christ in an apostolic form of church government. However, only a few months after the 1901 session problems erupted over management. Edson White’s ministry in the South caused some difficulties with the administration. Nevertheless, his mother was confident that the problems would be resolved. A portion of a letter from Ellen White to her son Edson has been released for publication: “Your course would have been the course to be pursued if no change had been made in the General Conference. But a change has been made, and many more changes will be made and great developments will be seen.” Letter 54, 1901.

Unfortunately, as the months passed by, leadership’s failure to implement the 1901 plan became evident. Her confession is written in a private letter to a friend and confidant: “The result of the last General Conference has been the greatest, the most terrible, sorrow of my life. No change was made. The spirit that should have been brought into the whole work as the result of that meeting was not brought in because men did not receive the testimonies of the Spirit of God. As they went to their several fields of labor, they did not walk in the light that the Lord had flashed upon their pathway, but carried into their work the wrong principles that had been prevailing in the work at Battle Creek.” Letter to Judge Jesse Arthur from Ellen White, Elmshaven, January 15, 1903.

What happened? The cause was revealed to her ten days prior to writing the letter to Judge Arthur. On January 5, 1903 she was considering what might have been done at the last General Conference when she lapsed into a dream.

“The speaker turned to those who had been praying, and said: ‘We have something to do. We must confess our sins, and humble our hearts before God.’ He made heartbroken confessions and then stepped up to several of the brethren, one after another, and extended his hand, asking forgiveness. Those to whom he spoke sprang to their feet, making confession and asking forgiveness . . . The spirit of confession spread through the entire congregation. It was a Pentecostal season . . . Then I aroused from my unconsciousness, and for a while could not think where I was. My pen was still in my hand. The words were spoken to me: ‘This might have been’ . . . disappointment came over me as I realized that what I had witnessed was not a reality.” Testimonies, vol. 8, 104–106.

Pride prevented certain men in responsible positions at the 1901 session from settling their differences so they could look to Christ. As a result, “What Might Have Been” (The 1901 plan of reorganization) was lost to Seventh-day Adventist Church and to the world. Without an upper room experience, the could be no Pentecost. Pride, presumption, and the love of position prevented Christ from leading a people in an apostolic form of church government. The brethren preferred to be like the “Gentiles” who have “their great ones” exercise “lordship” and “authority upon them.” (Mark 10:42.) Christ was rejected as the “Captain” and the “greater strength” of the 1901 plan. A fundamental principle of “the Third Angel’s Message” was disregarded when the delegates were determined to “look to man and expect much help from man.” (Testimonies to Ministers, 93.) The 1901 plan did not fail, but men failed the plan when they failed to look to Jesus as their Captain.

Taken from the book 1901 Rejected by Deone Hanson, pages 2–7.

 

The Great Feasts of the Bible — Pentecost

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In the typical sanctuary service of ancient Israel it was customary for the High Priest to lay aside his pontifical robes and officiate in the white linen of an ordinary priest. So, the Son of God came down to this earth, laid aside His royal robes and garbed Himself with humanity, to offer Himself as a ransom for you and me.

Speaking of this, Paul wrote, “Christ our Passover is sacrificed for us.” 1 Corinthians 5:7. To fulfill the requirements of the Passover, Christ became the priest and the victim. It was thus that He made an atonement for our sins. However in God’s great blueprint for complete salvation, He foresaw the need for some additional steps in order to restore man to his rightful place.

The atonement provided only for forgiveness of past sins. But sin had also separated humanity from Christ. Something must be done to reunite man with his Creator. Therefore, God devised further steps so that this could be accomplished. If such detailed plans were followed precisely, this would make it possible for finite man to comprehend how heaven and earth—now separated—could be reunited in oneness.

Immediately following the yearly Passover Sabbath is the first day of the week. “In the fourteenth day of the first month at even is the Lord’s Passover . . . And the Lord spake unto Moses saying, Speak unto the Children of Israel, and say unto them, When ye be come into the land which I give unto you, and shall reap the harvest thereof, then ye shall bring a sheaf of the first fruits of your harvest unto the priest: and he shall wave the sheaf before the Lord, to be accepted for you: on the morrow after the Sabbath the priest shall wave it.” Leviticus 23:5, 9–11.

Jesus fulfilled this requirement of the wave sheaf. The Passover lamb was scheduled to die during the Passover. It was to be slain on Friday at the ninth hour, but it escaped when the veil of the temple was torn from the top to the bottom. At that precise time Christ, the true Lamb of God, died on Calvary. Then during the Sabbath hours He lay in the sleep of death in the tomb. On the first day He will present the wave sheaf offering, for every divine prediction in the Scriptures must be fulfilled.

Christ became the first fruits by His resurrection. Thus He was able to comply with the stipulations which were laid down by God in the laws of Moses a thousand years before. The first sheaf of grain was to be presented on the first day following the Passover Sabbath, not until this was presented could the harvest be gathered.

Early on the first day of the week, after the crucifixion, it is still dark. The great stone covering the entrance to the tomb is still in place, the Roman seal unbroken. Around the tomb stand the Roman guards joined by a host of evil angels. But there is also a heavenly host surrounding the sepulcher.

Suddenly, the early morning silence was broken. “There was a great earthquake: for the angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled back the stone from the door, and sat upon it.” Matthew 28:2. Instantly all the evil angels flee and the soldiers fall as dead men.

This mighty angel rolls away the enormous stone (it was at least six feet in diameter) as he would a pebble. Then he cried, “Son of God, come forth! Thy Father calls Thee.” Desire of Ages, 780. Immediately, Christ comes forth from the tomb as the angelic host sing with great joy: “Thou hast vanquished Satan and the powers of darkness; Thou hast swallowed up death in victory.” Ibid.

Something else happened while Christ arose. Another startling event has taken place, for an earthquake has opened a multitude of other graves. Individuals that had given their lives as a testimony to God’s truth arise from their graves. These resurrected saints are the Savior’s trophies of victory over the power of death. No longer are they captives of Satan, for they are now redeemed, brought forth from the grave as first fruits of the end time resurrection.

Christ had raised the dead many times while He was here on earth. For there was the son of the widow of Nain and the ruler’s little daughter. There was also Lazarus who had died and was buried four days. But each of these was still subject to death, and they must die again. Unlike them, these resurrected saints, who arose when Christ arose, would never die. They were raised to everlasting life.

Shortly after that event took place, Mary Magdalene came to the tomb. Can you imagine her amazement when she discovered that the tomb was empty? She feared that someone had stolen the body of Jesus. “And they say unto her, Woman, why weepest thou? She saith unto them, Because they have taken away my Lord, and I know not where they have laid Him. And when she had thus said, she turned herself back, and saw Jesus standing, and knew not that it was Jesus. Jesus saith unto her, Woman, why weepest thou? Whom seekest thou? She, supposing Him to be the gardener, saith unto Him, Sir, if thou have borne Him hence, tell me where thou hast laid Him, and I will take Him away. Jesus saith unto her, Mary. She turned herself and saith unto Him, Rabboni; which is to say, Master. Jesus saith unto her, Touch Me not: for I am not yet ascended to My Father: but go to My brethren and say unto them, I ascend unto My Father, and your Father; and to My God, and your God.” John 20:13–17.

Do you comprehend these unforgettable words of Christ? “I ascend to My Father and your Father. To My God and your God.” This is talking about a part of the family of God. Something is about to occur that will reunite heaven and earth. And what is this wonder? Christ is about to ascend to heaven where He will present Himself to the Father as the wave sheaf, the symbol of the first resurrected life of a great harvest to come.

Immediately, Jesus leaves Mary in the garden and goes to heaven. This is why Jesus tells Mary, who is about to embrace His feet in worship, “Touch me not for I have not yet ascended to my Father.” On this resurrection morning, Christ ascended to heaven for the express purpose of conducting a brief visit with the Father in heaven, presenting Himself as the wave sheaf.

Apparently travel in space is no problem with Deity. One moment Jesus is talking to Mary and the next moment He is presenting Himself to the Father in heaven; Himself the first fruit of the eternal resurrection. In this private meeting with the Father the assurance is given that Christ’s sacrifice has been accepted by God Almighty. “He ascended to the heavenly courts, and from God Himself heard the assurance that His atonement for the sins of men had been ample, that through His blood all might gain eternal life. The Father ratified the covenant made with Christ, that He would receive repentant and obedient men, and would love them even as He loves His Son.” The Desire of Ages, 790.

When this short visit with His Father had been accomplished, Christ immediately returned to the earth. During His absence, other women arrived at the tomb. “After He had ascended to the Father, Jesus appeared to the other women, saying, All hail. And they came and held Him by the feet, and worshipped Him. Then said Jesus unto them, Be not afraid: go tell my brethren that they go into Galilee, and there shall they see Me.” The Desire of Ages, 793. Now the time had arrived when He can assure the disciples that He has fulfilled His pledge, “To make a man more precious than fine gold.” Isaiah 13:12.

He sends word by these women to His disciples that they are to meet Him in Galilee where He will instruct them for forty days. Acts records this: “To whom also He showed Himself alive after His passion by many infallible proofs, being seen of them forty days, and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God.” Acts 1:3.

Ten days after Jesus ascension to heaven, the next great event occurred which the Scripture calls Pentecost. It would be at this coming event that the covenant would be ratified with Christ and His church. Why must this be? Has Christ already died for an atonement? Yes. Has Christ arisen in victory over death? Yes. Has He already presented the wave sheaf to His Father? Yes. And has His Father not only accepted this wave sheaf but also given full approval of what He has done? Yes. Then why must there be a Pentecost? Because something more is needed. The church of God must be given divine power to give the gospel to the entire world and this cannot take place until two additional wave loaves are presented to God the Father. Every divine stipulation given in Scripture must be carried out in the plan of salvation.

“And ye shall count unto you from the morrow after the Sabbath, from the day that ye brought the sheaf of the wave offering; seven Sabbaths shall be complete: Even unto the morrow after the seventh Sabbath shall ye number fifty days; and ye shall offer a new meat offering unto the Lord. Ye shall bring out of your habitation two wave loaves of two tenths deals: they shall be of fine flour; they shall be baken with leaven; they are the first fruits unto the Lord.” Leviticus 23:15–17.

What do these two loaves of bread literally represent? These verses draw our attention to a special group of saints who arose with Christ on the resurrection morning. They represent the family of God on earth. They must be reunited with the heavenly family, for they are the pledge of assurance that the resurrection of all the righteous will take place when Christ comes the second time. (See 1 Thessalonians 4:14.)

So as Christ arose from the tomb, He brought forth a multitude of captives from the grave. These were to go into the city of Jerusalem and declare to the honest of heart that Christ indeed had risen from the dead and that they were living proof for they arose with Christ. This was necessary for several reasons. The priests had paid the soldiers who had personally witnessed the resurrection to spread a lying report. “Say ye,” said the priests, “His disciples came by night and stole Him away while we slept.”

Furthermore, the Sadducees had for centuries prepared the people, under the direction of Satan, to believe that there was no such thing as a resurrection. But God never leaves an honest soul in doubt. So for forty days, while Christ prepares His disciples to preach the gospel in all the world, these risen saints go from person to person proving beyond a doubt that Jesus arose from the dead. They declared, Christ is risen and “we be risen with Him.” The Desire of Ages, 786. Thus the prophecy of Isaiah 26:19 was fulfilled: “Thy dead men shall live, together with my dead body shall they arise . . .and the earth shall cast out the dead.”

But more than this, they are an assurance to us who are alive today that God always keeps His promise, and that we shall soon witness a coming resurrection. “For the Lord Himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first.” 1 Thessalonians 4:16.

“Thus will it be when the voice of Christ shall be heard from heaven. That voice will penetrate the graves and unbar the tombs, and the dead in Christ shall arise. At the Saviour’s resurrection a few graves were open, but at His second coming all the precious dead shall hear His voice, and shall come forth to glorious immortal life. The same power that raised Christ from the dead will raise His church, and glorify it with Him, above all principalities, above all powers, above every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in the world to come.” The Desire of Ages, 787.

Christ spent forty days with His disciples before returning to heaven with His trophies. He also knew that time was needed in heaven to prepare for a glorious homecoming. The disciples also would need time to prepare for heaven’s overflow of this great celebration by being united in prayer, at which time heaven will bestow the Holy Spirit in His fullness, ratifying the covenant with His church.

Jesus the divine Counselor is about to return victoriously to heaven’s court with His trophies. For forty days He has authenticated to His disciples that He is their living Saviour. No longer must He be associated with the tomb. Now they must think of Him as glorified before the heavenly universe. Jesus chooses the spot for His ascension. It will be the Mount of Olives upon which His feet will again rest, at the close of the millennium, when He brings the New Jerusalem to this earth. As Jesus bids His disciples good-bye, He slowly ascends from among them and He speaks the last promise: “I am with you always, even unto the end of the world.” Matthew 28:20.

As His disciples watch, a cloud of glory hides Jesus from their sight as the chariots of angels receive the Saviour and carry Him up. The air is filled with the sweetest music as the angel choirs sing. Two angels in the form of men speak: “Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing into heaven? This same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen Him go into heaven.” Acts 1:11.

These are the very same two angels who were sent to guard the tomb at the resurrection and they had also been His personal bodyguards during His life on this earth. Now they longed to welcome Jesus in the clouds, but in love for His disciples, they remained to give the disciples comfort. Meanwhile, the multitude of captives, who arose with Christ at His resurrection, has now joined with their Saviour in the clouds. They will accompany Jesus to heaven as He returns to the Father.

These risen saints are an example of what will happen when the Second Coming takes place. “When He ascended up on high, He led captivity captive.” Ephesians 4:8. As Jesus ascends with His trophies, all heaven is astir in preparation to welcome the Saviour. Jesus leads the way. The multitude of His captives follow Him and the escorting angels cry out, “Lift up your heads, O ye gates; and be ye lift up, ye everlasting doors; and the King of glory shall come in. Who is this King of glory? The Lord strong and mighty, The Lord mighty in battle. Lift up your heads, O ye gates; even lift them up, ye everlasting doors; and the King of glory shall come in. Who is this King of glory? The Lord of Hosts, he is the King of glory.” Psalm 24:8.

Will you look with me at this mighty reception? Heaven’s gates swing wide open as Moses opens the gates of the city of God and the angelic throng sweeps through the city of God amid rapturous music. In the center of Jerusalem stands the mighty throne encircled by the rainbow. Countless sons of God, the representatives of the unfallen worlds, eagerly wait to celebrate Christ’s triumphant return.

Billions of unfallen angels are also in that assembly. This is the same heavenly council before which Lucifer had accused God and the Son. These are the representatives of the sinless worlds over which Satan had thought to establish his dominion. All are eager to celebrate the triumph of their King. But wait. Christ waves them back as He enters the throne.

“Not yet; He cannot now receive the coronet of glory and the royal robe. He enters into the presence of His Father. He points to His wounded head, the pierced side, the marred feet; He lifts His hands, bearing the prints of the nails. He points to the tokens of His triumph; He presents to God the wave sheaf, those raised with Him as representatives of that great multitude who shall come forth from the grave at His second coming.” The Desire of Ages, 834.

Watch as Christ approaches the Father. Sense the joy as God beholds the saints who have been resurrected and presented as trophies. Recall the pledge of God the Father and Christ the Son that took place before sin entered the universe. Recall the covenant promised to redeem sinners. Listen once again to Christ’s cry on the cross. “It is finished.” Now watch as Christ presents His trophies to the Father, one by one.

Then He pleads: “Father, I will that they also, whom thou hast given Me, be with Me where I am.” John 17:24. And so it takes place. The compact is finally finished exactly as predicted a thousand years before. God responds, justice is satisfied and Satan is forever vanquished. Now Christ’s struggling children are accepted in the Beloved, for where Christ is, there His church is also, because, “Mercy and truth are met together; righteousness and peace have kissed each other.” Psalm 85:10.

Behold, the arms of the Father as they encircle His Son and now He gives the command: “Let all the angels of God worship Him.” Hebrews 1:6. “With joy unutterable, rulers and principalities and powers acknowledge the supremacy of the Prince of Life. The angel hosts prostrate themselves before Him, while the glad shout fills all the courts of heaven, ‘Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honor, and glory, and blessing’. Revelation 5:12.” The Desire of Ages, 834.

Listen to the songs of triumph filling the air as music from the angels’ harps strike a higher note. Finally, the lost have been found. “And every creature which is in heaven, and on earth, and under the earth, and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, heard I saying, Blessing, and honor, and glory, and power, be unto Him that sitteth upon the throne, unto the Lamb for ever and ever.” Revelation 5:13.

Words cannot possibly express such joy. Here is the fulfillment of our text in which Jesus said, “Say unto My brethren, I go unto My God and your God.” The family on earth is now united with the heavenly family from which it was once separated by sin. Now they are united as one. The celebration of heaven spills over, down to this very earth, for this is Pentecost. It has finally arrived.

“And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.” Acts 2:1–4.

The universe has now accepted the Saviour. The saving gospel is now beyond question. Believers in Christ will never die. They will only sleep until Jesus comes. Now the Holy Spirit, the third person of the Godhead, fills the heart of each disciple on earth and a Spirit-led church marches to victory. “And I saw, and behold a white horse: and he that sat on him had a bow; and a crown was given unto him: and he went forth conquering, and to conquer.” Revelation 6:1, 2.

When we speak of Pentecost, our memory should recall that Calvary’s atonement had been accepted, that the enemy, death, had been defeated, that Christ had ascended with His risen saints, assuring that a final resurrection is soon to take place. But above all, Pentecost assures us that we are now one with Christ. The joy of heaven’s Pentecost should be our daily experience.

Since Jesus is coming soon, we can repeat the words of Christ with authority that He spoke long ago: “I ascend unto My Father and your Father, to My God and your God.” For the family on earth was finally united with the family of heaven at Pentecost. The joy of Pentecost should be our daily experience.

 

Food For Life — Thanksgiving

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Our Thanksgiving is approaching. Will it be, as it has been in many instances, a thanksgiving to ourselves? Or will it be a thanksgiving to God? Our Thanksgivings may be made seasons of great profit to our own souls as well as to others if we improve this opportunity to remember the poor among us . . .

“There are a hundred ways that can be devised to help the poor in so delicate a manner as to make them feel that they are doing us a favor by receiving our gifts and sympathy. We are to remember that it is more blessed to give than to receive. The attentions of our brethren are most liberal to those whom they wish to honor, and whose respect they desire, but who do not need their help at all. Custom and fashion say, Give to those who will give to you; but this is not the Bible rule of giving. The word of God declares against this way of gratifying self in thus bestowing our gifts, and says, ‘He that giveth to the rich, shall surely come to want.’

“Now a season is coming when we shall have our principles tested. Let us begin to think what we can do for God’s needy ones. We can make them through ourselves the recipients of God’s blessings. Think what widow, what orphan, what poor family you can relieve, not in a way to make a great parade about the matter, but be as a channel through which the Lord’s substance shall flow as a blessing to His poor . . .

“But this does not embrace all your duty. Make an offering to your best Friend; acknowledge His bounties; show your gratitude for His favors; bring a thank offering to God. . . . Brethren and sisters, eat a plain dinner on Thanksgiving Day, and with the money you would spend in extras with which to indulge the appetite, make a thank offering to God.

“Let not any more Thanksgiving days be observed to please and gratify the appetite and glorify self. We have reason for coming into the courts of the Lord with offerings of gratitude that He has preserved our lives another year . . . If a feast is to be made, let it be for those who are in need.

“I think we have something to be thankful for. We ought to be glad and rejoice in God, for He has given us many mercies . . . We want this Thanksgiving to be all that it implies. Do not let it be perverted, mingled with dross; but let it be what its name implies—giving thanks. Let our voices ascend in praise.” Adventist Home, 474, 475.

I, also, would like to give my testimony of thanksgiving to God for His unfathomable, unmeasurable gift of paternal love, in sending His only begotten Son into this ignominious world of shame and heartache, crime and death, to pay the ransom for me. And thank you Jesus, for being willing to come and take all the cruelty and pain that You bore for me, and for shedding Your life blood on Calvary for my sins. Oh God, please, after such a great sacrifice, don’t let me fail to accept the eternal life that was purchased at such an infinite cost by You and Your Son!

 

Holiday Nut Roll

1 c. walnuts, ground

1 c. almonds, ground

1 c. dates, ground

1 c. fine macaroon coconut

3 T. Carob powder

Mix the above together and set aside in a bowl. Put the following in a sauce pan:

1/2 c. orange juice

1/2 c. date sugar

2 T. Tapioca (soak for 1/2 hour in hot water)

Cook till clear and then add 1 teaspoon vanilla and a dash of salt. Let cool and then pour over nut mixture and knead well. Make into long rolls and then roll each in more ground nuts. Refrigerate to chill. When chilled, cut in slices. Delicious!

 

The Prayer Satan is Determined Will Not Be Answered

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When I was nineteen years old, I started making a careful study of Steps to Christ. It details how to become a Christian and then how to live the Christian life. It is a very interesting book. In the second chapter it says that if Satan could be taken to heaven, he would not enjoy it. Not only would he not enjoy it, he would find heaven a place of supreme torture.

That is an interesting point. At least it was to me. I always thought that heaven would be the most wonderful place for anyone. Ellen White went on to say that if the sinner could be taken to heaven, he would not enjoy it either. You see, it is not really an arbitrary decree on the part of God that excludes sinners from heaven. God knows that if He should take sinners there, they would not enjoy it. If God took you to heaven right now, would you enjoy it? Evidently, if God took the majority of the people to heaven right now, they would not enjoy it.

The gospel does not just take away the guilt of our sins. It works a change in our hearts so that we can be taken to heaven and enjoy it. If you could not have happiness in heaven, you will not be happy here in this world, no matter how much you have. When I was pastoring in North Dakota, one of my church members, who had a large farm, told me a story about a man that lived near him. This man owned the largest wheat farm in the United States. He was a very wealthy man.

The area where he lived was along the Red River Valley. For the past four thousand years (since the flood) in the spring time, the Red River has flooded and deposited silt on the soil in the Red River Valley. In the summer time the waters would go back down leaving an almost coal black, alluvial soil that grew bountiful crops.

This man had a very productive farm, and since he was wealthy everyone knew him and thought that he was in a very enviable position. But for some reason, it did not make him happy. One morning he road off in his truck and did not come back. After a while people started looking for him. They found him in a secluded section of his farm, where he had put a gun to his head and ended it all. So, all the riches and possessions he had did not make him happy.

Even heaven would not make you happy unless a change occurs in the heart. This is the change that Jesus prayed for in John 17. He prayed that His followers would be one, would have unity, just as He and the Father are one. (See John 17:22.) It has been almost two thousand years since this prayer was prayed. This is the prayer that the devil is determined will never be answered. But I believe the Father is going to answer Jesus’ prayer, but it has to be answered through you and me.

Have you ever been in a home where there is such unity and harmony that you enjoy being there? As soon as you walk in the door, you can feel that it is a wonderful place. This is the kind of home that all God’s people are to have. When it happens in the homes of God’s people, then it will happen in the church, and as it happens in a local church it will spread around the world.

The devil is at work in every church and family to keep this from ever happening. The devil is a liar. Every time there is a separation or a divorce, in a Christian family, the devil says, See there, it cannot happen. And every time there is fighting in a church the devil says, See there, it cannot happen.

However, the devil is much more deceptive than just stirring things up into contention and fighting. One of the greatest deceptions in the world in the last days will be a false unity. Christian people all over the world will think they are seeing the greatest revival and reformation ever. Most of the world will be involved in this unity: “These are of one mind, and they will give their power and authority to the beast.” How did they get to be of one mind? “I saw three unclean spirits like frogs coming out of the mouth of the dragon, out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet. For they are spirits of demons, performing signs, which go out to the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty.” Revelation 16:13, 14.

Here we should notice some things about this counterfeit unity and how it works. Number One: The counterfeit unity is a unity to the system. In Jesus’ day it was the church organization. The Pharisees decided that anyone that would confess that Jesus was the Christ, would be cast out of the synagogue. (See John 11.)

They could point back to their history and say, “God is the One who ordained our church organization.” That was true, but notice where it went. Caiaphas the High Priest soon said, “Nor do you consider that it is expedient for us that one Man should die for the people and not that the whole nation should perish.” John 11:50. He was saying that they must get rid of Jesus or have their church structure destroyed. Nobody would ever do that again, would they? If any church structure tells you to do something contrary to the Bible or to your conscience and you do it, you have made that structure a god. You are not following God, you are following a system. The first commandment says, “Thou shalt have no other gods before Me.” Exodus 20:3. That was the problem with the leaders of our church in 1888. Ellen White wrote to them in Testimonies to Ministers, in an article called, “Thou Shalt Have No Other Gods Before Me.”

Everything that the angels do is organized, and it is right for God’s people to be organized. But an organization must never take the place of the Bible or your conscience. The elders, the deacons, the officers in the church should be determined never to try to be conscience for anyone in the church. We try to be an encouragement in the church, but we will not be conscience for someone else.

That is what happened in Jesus’ day, and that is what is going to happen at the end of the world. Church organization can be placed above the Bible and the conscience. When that happens it does not matter what the name of that church is, it is wrong. When my brother was a pastor just a few miles from here, people said to him, Why do you not get in harmony with the structure? He said, “I am sorry, I cannot do it with a clear conscience. I am a Protestant and I have to live by my conscience.”

Those same reasons still exist. People ask me, Why cannot you be in harmony with the Conference? Because of my conscience and the Word of God. For us to unite would be a false unity. When you make a church structure a god and it becomes conscience for you, that is a false unity.

Number Two: False unity has the power of the state. There are legislators in countries around the world that think that the way to have unity is to pass laws to bring uniformity. Laws like that are in the works in the United States, Europe, the Pacific Islands, Australia, and China.

Constantine thought the same way, and that is what brought on the Dark Ages. In the Dark Ages, if you had a different religion than the king, you could be killed. Revelation 13:14–17 says that the same thing will take place at the end of the world.

Number Three: Who will people be following? For some people the church system or structure becomes their god or their conscience. For some people it is the state. But for some people it is a person and that is going to be a problem in the last days: “All who dwell on the earth will worship him [the antichrist power], whose names have not been written in the Book of Life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.” Revelation 13:8. If your name is written in the Lamb’s Book of Life, you do not worship this power, false unity or the church structure. Christians believe in obeying all the laws of the state as long as they do not require them to violate the laws of God. If the church structure or the state tells a Christian to do something that is contrary to God’s word, the apostle Peter said, “We ought to obey God rather than men.” Acts 5:29.

There are a number of other things besides the false unity that can prevent unity from happening. Worldly policy will prevent unity. This is the “If you favor me, I will favor you,” policy. And this is unsanctified worldly policy, which displeases God. It is paying favors and admiration for the sake of gain. It is showing a partiality for certain ones expecting to secure advantages through them. It is a hard thing to see one’s own errors, but everyone should realize how cruel is the spirit of envy, rivalry, distrust, fault finding and dissension.

Many people say, Pastor John, worldly policy (politics) is how the whole world runs. It may be, but it is not how the government of God runs. The Bible says that God is no respecter of persons. James 2 says that if we exercise partiality toward the rich instead of the poor we are guilty of sin! Worldly policy will prevent unity because we have our favorites. Jesus took special pains to be friends with people who did not have friends. He did not have favorites.

It is easy to understand how this worldly policy can prevent unity. Many churches are divided into two groups, the “in group” and the rest. Jesus Christ was a friend of the friendless, those who are not in the “in group.” He got in a lot of trouble with some people for this. All the “in group” said this Man is nothing but a drunkard and a winebibber. They said He was a friend of the tax collectors and of sinners.

This is something for us as a church to pray about. Who are the people that you and I know who have no friends? Those are the people we need to be reaching out to because that is what Jesus did. They were all equal in His eyes.

Feelings of contention will prevent unity from developing in the family or in a church. How does it work? This is from an article Ellen White wrote on unity in 1887. She wrote: “The Spirit of God will not abide where there is disunion and contention among believers in the truth. Even if these feelings are unexpressed, they take possession of the heart and drive out the peace and love that should characterize the Christian Church.” Testimonies, vol. 4, 221. Often if we have feelings of contention we think that if we do not talk about them then we are guiltless, but even if we do not talk about it, peace and love will be driven out of the church.

We need to remember that our church is to be a family. Jesus said to the people in His day, “You are all brothers.” Matthew 23:8. We are to consider each other in the church as our brothers and sisters. Primitive Christians addressed each other as “Brother or Sister.” They addressed each other that way because they were members of one family. They had unity and harmony. That custom has fallen out because unity and harmony has disappeared and there is contention and strife. Christians in church now call each other Mr. and Mrs. Will we ever get back to the old greetings of “Brother or Sister”?

I would like to get back to that place. I would like to have a revival and reformation that would cause this to happen again. This reformation is a change in the heart. We have to go to the Lord and say, “Lord, I want all feelings of contention to come out of my heart. I do not want it any more.” We cannot take it out, but the Lord can.

Sister White said about these feelings of contention: “They drive out the peace and love that should characterize the Christian Church. They are the result of selfishness in its fullest sense.” Ibid.

Unity is also kept from happening because we are too severe and sensitive. The same people who are too severe are too sensitive. “We are too severe upon those whom we suppose to be in error, and are very sensitive to the least blame or question in regard to our own course.” Ibid., 222.

What is the problem? I am too severe on the other person and I am so sensitive about myself. Can that be changed? It can if we will surrender to Jesus. He wants to change us completely. The reason for all this contention, worldly policy, and the reason that we are too severe and too sensitive is because we do not have the love of Jesus in our hearts.

“And I have declared to them Your name, and will declare it, that the love with which You loved Me may be in them, and I in them.” John 17:26. So, the reason we have these problems is that we do not have the love of Jesus in our hearts.

Here is another thing that keeps unity from developing within the church. This is a real problem for some individuals, pastors, the wealthy, professional people, and highly educated people. “He was the majesty of heaven, yet He stooped to minister to the humblest having no respect to persons or station. Our Lord after performing the most humiliating office for His disciples [washing their feet] recommended them to follow His example. This was to keep constantly before them the thought that they must not feel superior to the lowliest saint.” Review and Herald, January 18, 1887.

Who is the lowliest saint in our church? People have different ideas who it is. But whoever it is, we are not to feel superior to the lowliest saint, the lowliest believer in Jesus. The Majesty of Heaven came down and washed the feet of His disciples to teach them that they were to serve each other.

The history of the disciples reveals that in a church where feelings of superiority are manifested there will not be unity. That was one of the biggest problems for the disciples. They were in controversy and strife over who was to be the greatest. Jesus kneeled down and washed their feet. He acted the part of a servant of servants. He showed that He did not feel too superior to perform the lowliest humble service for any of His followers. And it is still that way. Jesus said that we are all brothers regardless of how much education, money or experience we have.

What keeps unity from happening? I had a teacher in elementary school that taught us that before you say something, count to ten. The trouble was that I could count to ten too fast. I found that I needed more help than counting to ten. I needed divine help to control my tongue. James 3 says that no man can tame the tongue. It is full of deadly poison and will destroy the unity and harmony in your home and church.

“Be pleasant and cheerful. Remember that love is the power that binds your children to you. Keep your words and actions free from anger. Do nothing that will destroy the harmony of the home. Let the sharp words that you are tempted to speak die unspoken. Such words wound and bruise the hearts of the hearers.” Signs of the Times, September 16, 1903.

“There is to be no sharp speaking, no fretful scolding for angels of God are walking up and down in every room. Little mistakes may be made but words of censure arouse feelings of retaliation and God is dishonored. Any word spoken thoughtlessly or unadvisedly should be retracted on the spot . . .We are to remember that as Christians professing to work in unity, we must not act like sinners whose sinful words and works unless repented of will condemn them.” In Heavenly Places, 182.

There is nothing unchristian about going to someone in the home and saying, I am sorry and I want you to forgive me. The Lord wants us to learn to stop speaking stinging, sharp, fretful words to the people in our homes whom we love and who love us. And when we learn it at home, things will change in the church.

“And the glory which You gave Me I have given them, that they may be one just as We are one.” John 17:22. The glory is His self-sacrificing love. The angels will study this throughout eternal ages. (See The Desire of Ages chapter 1.) That is the mystery that Peter said the angels desire to look into. I am not an angel, but I want to understand and experience it also. If we experience it, we will have to know more than theology, we will know Jesus. We will have to study His life and meditate upon it and say, “Lord, what are You trying to teach me by what You said and what you did?”

God’s glory is His character and it was revealed to Moses. “He said, Show me thy glory. And He [the Lord] said, I will make My goodness pass before thee.” Exodus 33:18, 19. “The Lord God, merciful and gracious, long-suffering, and abundant in goodness and truth . . . Forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, and that will by no means clear the guilty.” Exodus 34:6, 7.

God’s glory is His character. His character is a love for others and that causes Him to sacrifice Himself. The cross of Christ is the extreme example of how far God will go to sacrifice Himself to save someone else. That is what the angels want to understand, and that is what I want to understand.

1 John 3 says that He gave His life for us, so we should be willing to lay down our lives for the brethren. When we get to the point in a church where everyone loves everyone so much that they would lay down their lives for them, then there will be unity.

That is exactly the spirit that Jesus had. Paul says, “While we were yet enemies, God sent His Son.” Jesus did not die for His friends. He died for His enemies, because He chose to and He wanted to. The love that He wants to give us is the same kind of love that He has.

The second thing that will bring unity is, “Perfection of character means perfection of unity.” (See John 17:21.) Some Christians today do not like their pastors or their teachers to talk about perfection, but Jesus taught and preached about it. The Sermon on the Mount ends with, “Be perfect.” That is a command. Would Jesus command you to do something that He would not give you the power to do?

Perfection of character should not have a negative connotation in your mind. We can never have perfect unity among God’s people until we have perfection of character. One of the reasons that there is so much dissension and disunity all over the Christian world today is because of the character of the people who profess to be Christians. Some who profess to be following the Lord live like the devil. It does not make sense, and it does not lead to unity. That is why the devil is so successful in getting people to think that we will get the church directors and governments together and we will unite the whole world under one system and force it to happen. They will force things to happen all right, but it will not be this unity that Jesus was praying for, because there is no glory of God in the way they are going about it.

Number Three: God is leading a people to stand in perfect unity upon the platform of eternal truth. True unity is based on truth. You cannot have a unified people who cannot even figure out whether or not to keep the Ten Commandments. Paul said that the church was the pillar and ground of the truth. If you leave the truth, you have left the true church. 1 Timothy 3:15.

Last of all, if you and I become one with Christ, the result will be that we will be one with each other. We will find that we are close to each other. We have unity and harmony. The Holy Spirit will work in our hearts to create unity and harmony so that people with all kinds of dispositions, temperaments, backgrounds and education, can have unity and harmony and love among them.

It will happen. The only question is, Will it happen to you and me? I am determined that I want to be part of the great unity that is developing around the world. I want to have my heart changed, so that I will have self-sacrificing love inside. Then I will be willing to change on any point to be in harmony with God’s Word. When that happens and I am heart-to-heart with Jesus in His work to save the world, the Holy Spirit will pour the love of God into my heart.

 

Children’s Story — The Lost Bag

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Many years ago, when I was a little girl, the Lord taught me a very important lesson. I have not forgotten it because it made a very big impression on me. You might find the story very funny,but for me it was very serious at that time.

When I was young, my parents did not have much money. We always had enough to eat and clothes to wear, but there was not enough money to buy new clothes very often. Actually, it was very seldom when we would get any new clothes. We usually wore whatever we inherited from cousins or friends.

One day I was happy though. It was New Year’s eve, and that has always been a family evening at my home. We would have a special dinner and then we would worship together. After that we would give each other presents. That night I got a new pair of tights made of a special kind of wool, for winter time. I was so excited that I had gotten something new to wear, something that no one else had used first. It was special for me.

But before long a tragedy happened. That winter was terribly cold, with lots of snow. We lived on a farm in the country, and one day there was so much snow that we couldn’t drive away from our farm with the car. My mother, who worked in the laundry at the SDA college, had to go to work, so my father took her the six kilometers on the tractor.

Since Mommy worked in the laundry, we did not have a washing machine at home, she just always took our clothes with her to work and washed them there. That day our clothes were in the laundry and we needed to get them home. Daddy put them in a big bag and took them home on the tractor. When he reached the farm there was no bag on the tractor any longer. What had happened to it? It must have fallen off somewhere in the snow. Daddy went back to search for it,but he didn’t find anything. What a tragedy! It was especially sad for me because my new tights were missing. Oh, I could have cried. After all this time I had received something new, and now it was lost.

Later that day, after the road was ploughed, my brothers and sister and I started out for school on our bicycles. We had to ride on the same road that father had driven on with the tractor that morning. All the way to school I looked carefully beside the road for the bag, but I did not see it anywhere. One day, two days, three days passed by, but I still could not find the bag, and I decided that someone must have stolen it. A whole week passed by, and I was very sad. Finally, I knelt down and prayed to God. We had already been praying to God that He would help us find the bag, but this was different. I told God how much I wanted my tights back, but I always told Him that if it was not His will, then I would accept it. After that prayer I was much happier. I had accepted whatever would happen and had laid it in the Lord’s hands. The same day, on the way home from school, I had a big surprise. There beside the road, I saw the bag under some small bushes. I was overwhelmed with joy. Quickly, I went home and told Daddy to go and get the bag.

Why hadn’t I seen the bag earlier? For one week we had all been passing by the bag two times a day, but had not seen it. I believe the Lord wanted to teach me a very important lesson, one which I would never forget. When we pray, we should say, “Thy will be done.” Before the Lord answered my prayer, my will had to be surrendered to His will. May the Lord help you always to surrender your will to His.

 

The Investigative Judgment

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“I said in mine heart, God shall judge the righteous and the wicked, for there is a time there for every purpose and for every work.” Ecclesiastes 3:17. The judgment of the great day is an event certain to take place. “He hath appointed a day, in the which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained.” Acts 17:31. What God hath appointed is sure to come in due time. The resurrection of Christ is an assurance to all men of the final judgment. It is not the fact of the judgment, however, but the order of its work, that at this time engages our attention. The work to be accomplished is of immense magnitude. The judgment relates (1) to all the righteous; (2) to all the wicked; (3) to all the evil angels. The number of cases, therefore, to be acted upon at this grand tribunal exceeds our powers of conception. We must not, however, suppose that there will be any difficulty on the part of the Judge in acting upon every case individually. Far from this, “there is a time there for every purpose and for every work.” The judgment, indeed, pertains to an immense number of beings; yet every one of them shall give account of himself to God. Romans 14:12. It will not relate to so vast a number as to make it otherwise than a strictly personal matter. Nor will there be aught of confusion or disorder in that final reckoning. God has plenty of time for the work, and He has no lack of agents to do His bidding. That He has order in this work, the Scriptures clearly teach.

  1. The righteous are to judge the wicked; yet the righteous are themselves to pass the test of the judgment. Whence it follows that the judgment must pass upon the righteous before they can sit in judgment upon the wicked.

This is a very important proposition. That it is truthful we know from the express testimony of the Scriptures.

“Do ye not know that the saints shall judge the world? and if the world shall be judged by you, are ye unworthy to judge the smallest matters? Know ye not that we shall judge angels? how much more things that pertain to this life?” 1 Corinthians 6:2, 3.

“And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them; and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years.” Revelation 20:4.

“I beheld, and the same horn made war with the saints, and prevailed against them; until the Ancient of Days came, and judgment was given to the saints of the Most High; and the time came that the saints possessed the kingdom.” Daniel 7:21, 22.

Here is the exalted work of the saints in the judgment. They are to take part in the examination of the cases of all wicked men and fallen angels. But this is not to be till they have been changed to immortality, and exalted to thrones of glory. They do not, therefore, have their cases decided at the same time with the wicked. We believe the reader will acknowledge the justice of this reasoning. Let us state another proposition:

  1. The trump of God sounds as the Saviour descends from heaven. When the trump is heard, all the righteous are, in the twinkling of an eye, changed to immortality. There can be no examination after this to determine whether they shall be counted worthy of eternal life, for they will then have already laid hold upon it. From this it follows that the examination and decision of the cases of the righteous takes place before the advent of Christ. The resurrection of the righteous to immortality is decisive proof that they have then already passed the test of the judgment, and have been accepted of the Judge. That they are thus raised to immortality the following texts plainly teach:

“So also is the resurrection of the dead. It is sown in corruption; it is raised in incorruption: it is sown in dishonor; it is raised in glory: it is sown in weakness; it is raised in power: it is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body.” “Behold, I show you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed. In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.” 1 Corinthians 15:42–44, 51, 52.

These passages are certainly convincing. The resurrection of the saints is to immortal life, and they are made immortal in the very act of the resurrection. The decision of their cases is, therefore, passed before their resurrection, for the nature of their resurrection is declarative of eternal salvation. But the fact that the decision of the judgment in the case of the righteous precedes the advent is proved by another proposition, as follows:

  1. The righteous are to be raised before the wicked have their resurrection. This shows that the examination of their cases takes place before they are raised, for the final discrimination is made in the very act of raising the just and leaving the unjust to the resurrection of damnation.

 

Second Death

 

“But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection. Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection; on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with Him a thousand years.” Revelation 20:5, 6.

“But they which shall be accounted worthy to obtain that world, and the resurrection from the dead, neither marry, nor are given in marriage; neither can they die any more: for they are equal unto the angels; and are the children of God, being the children of the resurrection.” Luke 20:35, 36.

“If by any means I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead.” (Literally “the resurrection out from the dead ones.”) Philippians 3:11.

“For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive. But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ’s at His coming.” 1 Corinthians 15:22, 23.

There is a resurrection which bears the inspired designation of the “first resurrection.” All who have part in this resurrection are pronounced “blessed and holy.” On them: “the second death hath no power.” This resurrection is out from among the dead. Paul earnestly labored to attain unto it. It is to be at the coming of Christ. Only those who are Christ’s shall have part in it. All that have part in it are the children of God because they are the children of the resurrection to life. These facts clearly prove that the examination of the cases of the righteous precedes their resurrection at the advent of Christ, that event being really declarative of their innocence in the sight of God, and of their eternal salvation. Such as are accepted of God are raised; the others sleep till the resurrection to damnation. These facts are decisive proof that the righteous are judged before they are raised.

But we have a still more explicit statement yet to notice. Says our Lord: “But they which shall be accounted worthy to obtain that world, and the resurrection from the dead,” etc. Then it is certain that the act of accounting worthy to obtain the resurrection from among the dead, and a part in the world to come, does precede the resurrection of the righteous. But this act of accounting men worthy of a part in the kingdom of God is the very act of acquitting them in the judgment. The investigative judgment in the cases of the righteous is, therefore, past before their resurrection. As the resurrection of the just is at the advent of Christ, it follows that they pass their examination, and are counted worthy of a place in the kingdom of God, before the Saviour returns to the earth to gather them to Himself.

It is proved, therefore, that the resurrection of the saints to immortal life is declarative of their final acceptance before God. Whatever investigation is requisite for the final decision of their cases, must take place before the Saviour in mid-heaven utters the word of command to His angels, “Gather My saints together unto Me.” Psalm 50:5; Matthew 24:31. The act of accounting them worthy must precede all this. The saints alone are to be caught up to meet Christ in the air. 1 Thessalonians 4:17. But the decision who these saints are, who shall thus be caught up, rests not with the angels who execute the work, but with the Judge, who gives them their commission. We cannot, therefore, avoid the conclusion that the investigation of the cases of the righteous precedes the coming of the Saviour. Let us now consider an important proposition.

  1. This period of investigative judgment is ushered in by a solemn proclamation to the inhabitants of the earth; and this investigative work embraces the closing years of human probation. This is a very important statement. But it is susceptible of being clearly proved.

“And I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people, saying with a loud voice, Fear God and give glory to Him; for the hour of His judgment is come; and worship Him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters.”

The gospel of Christ is “the power of God unto salvation to everyone that believeth.” Romans 1:16. No other gospel than this can be preached, not even by an angel from heaven. Galatians 1:8. Whence it follows that the angel of Revelation 14:6, 7, preaching the everlasting gospel, represents some part of the great gospel proclamation. It is a part of that preaching which is the power of God unto salvation to everyone that believeth. This fact alone is decisive that this proclamation concerning the hour of God’s judgment must be made while human probation still lasts. Two other solemn announcements follow. And it is evident that the human family is still upon probation, when the third angel declares that “if any man worship the beast . . . the same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God . . . Here is the patience of the saints.” This is a consecutive prophecy as several expressions plainly indicate. And it is to be observed that the Son of Man is seen upon the white cloud after all these solemn proclamations have been made.

 

The Judgment Involves All

 

That this announcement of the hour of God’s judgment precedes the advent of Christ, and is addressed to men while yet in probation, the fourteenth chapter of Revelation clearly proves. That this is not some local judgment is proved by the fact that “every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people” are concerned in it. It is evidently that part of the judgment work which precedes the coming of Christ, and, as has been already shown, this is the work of determining who shall be accounted worthy to have part in the resurrection to immortal life, and we may add, who also of the living shall be accounted worthy to escape the troubles that shall come in the conclusion of this state of things, and to stand before the Son of Man. Luke 20:35; 21:36.

  1. When the sins of the righteous are blotted out they can be no more remembered. They are blotted out before Christ comes. There can be, therefore, no act of calling them to account for their sins after the advent of Christ. Thus we read:

“Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord; and he shall send Jesus Christ, which before was preached unto you.” Acts 3:19, 20.

Mr. Wesley, in his “Notes on the New Testament,” gives a different translation, which may be more accurate:

“Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, that the time of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord, and he may send to you Jesus Christ, who was before appointed.”

Albert Barnes, in his “Notes on the Acts,” speaking of these two translations, says, “The grammatical construction will admit of either.” One of these represents the blotting out to be when the times of refreshing arrive; the other makes it the cause of that refreshing. But neither of them gives the idea that this blotting out takes place when the sinner turns to God. Both of them throw it into the future. Each of them represents it as preceding the Second Coming of the Lord. But this is especially true of the latter translation, which follows the original in using a conditional verb respecting Christ’s advent; not as though that were a doubtful event, but rather as if His coming to the personal salvation of the ones addressed depended upon their having part in the refreshing, and as if that refreshing was to come in consequence of the blotting out of sins.

The sins of the righteous are blotted out before the coming of Christ. They cannot be called to give account of their sins after they have been blotted out; whence it follows that whatever account the righteous render to God for their sins must be before the advent of the Saviour, and not at, or after, that event.

  1. The sins of men are written in the books of God’s remembrance. The blotting out of the sins of the righteous does therefore involve the examination of these books for this very purpose. That the sins of men are thus written is plainly revealed in the Scriptures.

“For though thou wash thee with nitre, and take thee much soap, yet thine iniquity is marked before Me, saith the Lord God.” Jeremiah 2:22. And thus the Lord speaks of the guilt of Israel: “Is not this laid up in store with Me, and sealed up among My treasures?” Deuteronomy 32:34. And Paul speaks in the same manner: “But after thy hardness and impenitent heart treasurest up unto thyself wrath against the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God; who will render to every man according to his deeds.” Romans 2:5, 6. These statements of wrath being treasured up can have reference only to the fact that God takes notice of men’s sins, and that every sin is marked before Him. To this fact all the texts which speak of the blotting out of sins must have reference. Thus David prays that God would blot out his transgressions. Psalm 51:1, 9. And Nehemiah, and David, and Jeremiah pray respecting certain persons that their sin may not be blotted out. Nehemiah 4:5; Psalm 109:14; Jeremiah 18:23. And Isaiah, in prophetic language, speaks of this blotting out as if it were a past event, just as in the next verse he speaks of the new creation, and the final redemption. Isaiah 44:22, 23. And in the previous chapter he speaks in a similar manner of this blotting out as necessary in order that the sins of the people of God may be no more remembered. Isaiah 43:25. These texts plainly imply that the sins of men are upon record, and that there is a time when these are blotted out of the record of the righteous.

 

Editorial — This Man has a Devil, part 1

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The disciples (and all the followers of Jesus when He dwelt among men) would never have come to Jesus had they listened to the leaders of the professed people of God. They would have stayed away and denounced Him as an imposter. (See The Desire of Ages, 213.) “He who had come to break the power of Satan would be denounced as Beelzebub.” The Desire of Ages, 111. The leaders of God’s chosen professed people became the instruments of Satan. (See The Desire of Ages, 36, 206.) They tried, by every means in their power, to keep God’s professed people from the only means of salvation. But to hate Christ was to love death. (Proverbs 8:36.)

When this One was denounced by the leaders as an imposter or as one possessed of the devil, (John 7:19, 20, 25; 8:48, 52; 10:20) He sent out His disciples to speak in His name. He also pronounced a future judgement on those who would reject the message of truth. To reject the truth, or the messenger of truth, is to reject the author of truth, by whom both the message and the messenger are sent. Jesus said, “Whoever will not receive you nor hear your words, when you depart out of that house or city, shake off the dust of your feet. Truly I say to you, it shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah in the day of judgment, than for that city.” Matthew 10:14, 15. And again, “He who receives you receives Me, and he who receives Me receives Him who sent Me. He who receives a prophet in the name of a prophet shall receive a prophet’s reward; and he who receives a righteous man in the name of a righteous man shall receive a righteous man’s reward.” Matthew 10:40, 41. This has universal application: “Most assuredly I say to you, He who receives whomever I send, receives Me; and he that receives Me receives Him that sent Me.” John 13:20.

When the Father sent His Son into the world, His professed people hated and despised the divine revelation. Several times they attempted to kill Him. (See Luke 4:29; John 7:30; 8:58; 10:31.) They expressed their resentment with the worst condemnation that they could conjure up concerning His life, miracles and teachings. They accused Him of working through Satan (Matthew 9:34), and concerning this common epithet against Him they said to Jesus, “Do we not say well that You have a devil?”

Even His closest friends and earthly relatives were so dismayed by His life, His attitude and His relationship to the leaders of the church that they feared He was becoming insane: “They were unable to account for His attitude toward the Pharisees, and there were some who feared that His reason was becoming unsettled. His brothers heard of this, and also of the charge brought by the Pharisees that He cast out devils through the power of Satan. They felt keenly the reproach that came upon them through their relation to Jesus. They knew what a tumult His words and works created, and were not only alarmed at His bold statements, but indignant at His denunciation ofthe scribes and Pharisees.” The Desire of Ages, 321.

We plan to look at the reason for all this later, but first we need to understand that if we are following in the footsteps of Jesus we will face similar situations to what He did. Inspiration says, “The trials of the children of Israel, and their attitude just before the first coming of Christ, have been presented before me again and again to illustrate the position of the people of God in their experience before the second coming of Christ.” Selected Messages, vol. 1, 406.

Christ’s servants just before the second coming of Christ will go through experiences very similar to what Jesus went through when He was here. Their worst enemies will not be from Babylon, Tyre or even from Sodom, but rather their worse enemies will be from God’s professed people. Those who profess to be modern Israel, and who possess not only the Bible but the Spirit of Prophecy, will become their worst enemies.

“While they [the professed people of God—Israel] professed to have great zeal for the honor of God and the good of Israel, they were the worst enemies of both.” Sketches from the Life of Paul, 230. “Paul’s worst enemies were among the Jews, who made the highest claims to godliness . . . The most bitter opposers of truth to-day are found among those who profess to be its defenders.” Ibid., 278.

“The worst enemies we have are those who are trying to destroy the influence of the watchmen upon the walls of Zion.” Testimonies, vol. 5, 294.

“If they have called the Master of the House [who was sinless and had a perfect character] Beelzebub, how much more those of His?” Matthew 10:25.

 

If the Foundations be Destroyed, part 2

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Daniel 8 reveals who and what the little horn power is. It also mentions two armies: 1. The little horn was given an army, (“a host” according to the King James Version), and 2. The army of heaven.

Who is the army of heaven? According to Luke 2 it includes the angels. They are called “the host of heaven.” But the army of heaven is not just the angels. It is also made up of God’s people in the world. Daniel 8 says that God’s army, His host, would be trampled by the little horn power.

Revelation 11 tells us that the Gentiles would trample the worshippers and the court, for forty-two months, and that a time would come to measure the temple, the altar and the worshippers. We are living in that measuring time.

What is the sanctuary spoken of in Daniel 8? This is an important question to answer because our opponents have attacked us on this point for one hundred and fifty years, and we are still being attacked. We are also being attacked from within Adventism on who and what this sanctuary is.

The Lord told His people that they were to build Him a sanctuary so that He might dwell among them. (See Exodus 25:8.) It is God’s presence that makes the building a tabernacle or a temple. The Jews had a problem with this in the days of Christ, and He rebuked them severely. “Woe to you, blind guides, who say, ‘Whoever swears by the temple, it is nothing; but whoever swears by the gold of the temple, he is obliged to perform it [he is guilty].’ ”

Jesus called them fools. He said, “Which is greater, the gold that is the building or the temple that sanctifies the gold?” The temple is not holy because of the gold or because it is a beautiful building. The temple is holy because God’s presence is there.

The Jewish temple in the old covenant is a symbol of the Christian church. (See Ephesians 2:19–22 and The Desire of Ages, 160–162.) It is also a symbol that God wants every human being and every angel to be a temple for the indwelling of the divine Spirit.

“The subject of the sanctuary was the key that unlocked the mystery of the disappointment of 1844. It opened to view a complete system of truth, connected and harmonious.” The Great Controversy, 423. In the old covenant there was an earthly sanctuary. But in the new covenant there is a heavenly sanctuary. (See Psalm 11:4; Jeremiah 17:12; Hebrews 8 and 9; Revelation 1:13; 4:5; 8:3-5; 11:19; 15:4; 14:15, 17; 16:1, 16, 17.)

In the Bible we find two sanctuaries or temples. The earthly sanctuary in the Old Covenant is a type of the heavenly sanctuary in the New Covenant. The reason there was a great disappointment in 1844 is because the people did not understand the Biblical teaching of the sanctuary. They thought that the sanctuary was the earth.

It was like that in the days of Christ. Even the disciples were confused. They did not understand the nature of the kingdom that Christ was going to set up. They were disappointed when Jesus was crucified because they longed and hoped He would set up an earthly, temporal kingdom. They were still in the Old Covenant in their thinking. But the kingdom was a spiritual, eternal kingdom, with its headquarters in heaven.

It was that way with the Adventists in 1844. Their arithmetic was right, the date they set was right, the truth they were preaching was so, but they did not understand the nature of the sanctuary, so they were terribly disappointed. Many people today still do not understand the sanctuary. As we saw stated in part one, our opponents think that in Daniel 8 it is talking about the earthly sanctuary. In this article we will look at the prophecies that pointed to the destruction of Jerusalem, contrasting them with those of Daniel 8.

Daniel 9 contains the seventy-week prophecy. Seventy weeks were cut off for the Jews, beginning in 457 B.C. and ending in 34 A.D. “After the sixty-two weeks, Messiah shall be cut off, but not for himself and the people of the prince who is coming shall destroy the city and the sanctuary.” Daniel 9:26. What sanctuary is this? This is the earthly sanctuary.

“And the end of it shall be with a flood, And till the end of the war desolations are determined. Then He [the Messiah] shall confirm in a covenant with many for one week; But in the middle of the week He shall bring an end to sacrifice and offering. And on the wing of abominations shall be one who makes desolate, Even until the consummation, which is determined is poured out on the desolate.” Daniel 9:26, 27.

In this prophecy a short time after the Messiah is cut off, the earthly sanctuary would be destroyed. Jesus predicted this, “Then Jesus went out and departed from the temple, and his disciples came up to show him the buildings of the temple. And Jesus said to them, ‘Do you not see all these things? Assuredly I say to you, not one stone shall be left here upon another that shall not be thrown down.’ ” Matthew 24:1, 2.

Jesus said that it was going to happen in that generation, not sometime way down at the end of history. “Assuredly, I say to you, all these things shall come upon this generation . . . Your house is left to you desolate.” Matthew 23:36, 38.

“But when you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then know that its desolation is near.” Luke 21:20. Daniel predicted it and Jesus predicted it. The Apostle Paul also predicted it. “In that He says, a new covenant, He has made the first obsolete. Now that which is becoming obsolete and growing old is ready to vanish away.” Hebrews 8:13. It was Jerusalem and the earthly sanctuary that would vanish away a short time after the book of Hebrews was written.

The Apostle Paul attempted to prepare the Christian community for what was going to happen. People were looking to the city of Jerusalem and Paul said in effect, “Do not look there.” “For here we have no continuing city, but we seek the one to come.” Hebrews 13:14. So it is clear when you read Daniel 9:26, 27; Matthew 23 and 24; Luke 21; and the book of Hebrews, that a short time after the crucifixion of Christ, the temple at Jerusalem would be destroyed.

 

The Sanctuary Destroyed Again?

 

“So he came near where I stood, [this is the angel who came to explain the vision to Daniel] and when he came I was afraid and fell on my face; but he said to me, Understand, son of man, that the vision refers to the time of the end.” Daniel 8:17. The vision here is about the twenty-three hundred days, the little horn power and the time of the end. The temple in Jerusalem was destroyed a short time after the crucifixion, but this vision is not about something in the time of Christ and the apostles. This vision is to extend to the time of the end. It could not possibly be talking about the earthly sanctuary, because the earthly sanctuary was not going to extend to the time of the end.

The prophecy about this sanctuary is something that continues until the time of the end. “Look, I am making known to you what shall happen in the latter time of the indignation; for at the appointed time, the end shall be . . . And the vision of the evenings and mornings [the vision of the twenty-three hundred days] which was told is true. Therefore seal up the vision, For it refers to many days in the future.” Daniel 8:19, 26.

Referring to the little horn power Daniel says, “And forces shall be mustered by him, and they shall defile the sanctuary fortress; Then they shall take away the daily sacrifices [the continuance in rebellion. Called the continuance in Daniel 8:12. Sacrifices should not be there], and place there the abomination of desolation.” Daniel 11:31.

“And from the time that the daily [constant rebellion] is taken away, and the abomination of desolation is set up, there shall be one thousand two hundred and ninety days. Blessed is he who waits, and comes to the one thousand three hundred and thirty-five days. But you, go your way till the end [the end of the days]; for you shall rest [stand in your lot in the judgment. See The Great Controversy, 488.].” Daniel 12:11–13. The twelve hundred and ninety days and the thirteen hundred and thirty-five days will extend to the time of the end, or the time of the judgment. Paul makes it very clear in Hebrews 9 that the judgment occurs in the end period of earth’s history.

The continuance and abomination of desolation and the twenty-three hundred days mentioned in Daniel 8, refers to something that will go to the end of time. It could not possibly be talking about the earthly sanctuary because it had been destroyed many hundreds of years before.

The “daily” or “constant rebellion,” that had been constant in the ancient world ever since the days of Cain was taken away and something else called “the abomination that makes desolate” was set up in its place, in 508 A.D.

The sanctuary that is talked about in Daniel could not possibly be the earthly sanctuary. All the lines of evidence are pointing in a different direction. The earthly sanctuary had been destroyed hundreds of years earlier as predicted, long before the prophecies in Daniel 8, 11 and 12 took place. That leaves only one other conclusion, since there are only two sanctuaries that are taught in Scripture: the earthly and the heavenly. It is talking here about the heavenly sanctuary.

What did the little horn power do to this sanctuary? “The place of his sanctuary [the heavenly sanctuary] was cast down . . . How long will the vision be concerning the daily [the daily or constant rebellion] and the transgression of desolation [the abomination of desolation]? The giving of both the sanctuary and the host [the people of God] to be trampled under foot.” Daniel 8:11, 13.

The little horn power is especially pointed out in God’s Word as the power that would cast down the sanctuary, trample it and defile it. What does it mean when it says, “They will cast it down and trample it and defile it?” Revelation 13:16 answers this simply, “Then he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God, to blaspheme His name, His tabernacle [sanctuary or temple] and those who dwell in heaven.”

 

Accountable for all Slain

 

“Therefore indeed. I send you prophets, and wise men, and scribes . . . And some of them you will . . . persecute . . .That on you may come all the righteous blood shed on the earth.” Matthew 23:34, 35.

Jesus told the Jews that they would be accounted guilty of all the righteous blood shed upon the earth. In the end, the God of heaven will accuse Babylon of being guilty of every murder committed in the world. “The light of a lamp shall not shine in you anymore, and the voice of bridegroom and bride shall not be heard in you any more. For your merchants were the great men of the earth, for by your sorcery all the nations were deceived. And in her was found the blood of prophets and saints, and of all who were slain on the earth.” Revelation 18:23, 24.

The Lord says, “You are to blame. The responsibility is at your door for everything.” If the Jews had accepted the Messiah, the whole history of the world would have been different. And if Babylon had kept hold of the gospel, the whole history of the world would be different also.

Babylon is guilty of all the innocent blood in the world. The little horn power (in Daniel 8) is the culmination of, the continuance in rebellion—paganism. That was the universal constant of the ancient world from the time of Cain until in its second phase it developed into the apostasy of the latter times. The antichrist power, the man of sin, is judged by God as responsible for all the innocent blood shed in the latter times.

It is especially noted in prophecy as being responsible for the defiling of the sanctuary. In Revelation 13:6 this power would open its mouth in blasphemy. It will open its mouth in blasphemy against God’s sanctuary. What was this blasphemy? Let us consider two or three major factors in this blasphemy against God’s sanctuary: that cast it down to the ground and trampled on it.

When Jesus came to this world, He offered His life on the cross as a sacrifice for our sins. Ellen White said that after Jesus was resurrected and ascended to heaven He went to the throne of God to be our Mediator. His work as our Mediator in heaven is just as important and vital to our salvation as His death on the cross.

Ellen White says in The Great Controversy, 488, that the devil hates the truths that bring to the minds of God’s people the fact that they have an all-powerful Mediator. He hates truths like those found in Hebrews 4:14–16, “Seeing then that we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.”

We have an all-powerful Mediator who can help, no matter how weak and sinful we are. No matter how much trouble we are in. Jesus said, “All power is given to me.” That means He is able to save perfectly everyone who comes to God through Him. (See Hebrews 7:25.)

One of the significant points of the blasphemy against God’s sanctuary was the removal of the Mediator, and placing instead human mediators. Christ the Mediator was completely removed from the heavenly sanctuary and, in the minds of men, human beings were put in His place. That is blasphemy. Blasphemy against the temple in heaven where there is an all-powerful Mediator.

When men look to human mediators, they do not get the help they need. Then they cannot overcome sin. They invent a theology that allows you to confess and confess and confess. You go and confess and you think you are saved. But there is no power. That is blasphemy. The gospel according to the New Testament presents an all-powerful Mediator. When you come to Him, you receive mercy and grace. That is power to help when you need it.

One of the biggest reasons for the crime and trouble that we have in the world today is because the Mediator has been taken away in many minds. Ellen White is very specific, that God lays at the door of the church the crime in society. (See The Great Controversy, 389.) We have taken away the help and unless you get men’s eyes back on the all-powerful Mediator, there is no help. There is no victory. That is not all, when you take away the divine Mediator, people are going to live in sin because without a divine Mediator to give help, there is no way out from your sin.

Jesus said to His disciples, “Without Me you can do nothing.” John 15:5. I do not know about you, but that is not hard for me to believe at all. Have you ever tried it? It is easy to see from our society that people without Christ go down hill quickly, and crime, wars and every variety of sin increase.

We must be in harmony with the Law of God or we will be lost. There is no truth that is taught more succinctly than this in the sanctuary system. This theme runs throughout the Bible.

Another part of the blasphemy was to remove the Law altogether. The Law says I cannot divorce my wife except for fornication. The kings of Europe, during the Middle Ages, discovered that if they received permission from the right person, they could divorce their wives and marry someone else.

Why was the seventh commandment no longer enforced? Because the Law had been removed and people did not look to the Law of God. They looked to the church to find out what they could do and what they could not do. As one writer said, If you got permission, you could sleep in peace even if you murdered your own father. Daniel 7:25 predicted that the Law of God will be removed. That was blasphemy against the sanctuary in heaven. The Mediator was removed and the Law was removed.

How is God’s sanctuary to be cleansed or restored? To restore it in the mind of men, their eyes must be focused on God and His Law in the sanctuary. The sanctuary cannot be cleansed until the condition of things done by the little horn is remedied. In your mind you must see that that Law is still valid. It has not been changed. But you need more, you need an all-powerful Mediator that you can pray to and get help to bring your life into perfect harmony with that Law. Until that happens the sanctuary cannot be restored.

The sanctuary can only be cleansed, or restored to its rightful state, when God has a group of people that keep perfectly that Law. “Here is the patience of the saints; Here are those that keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus.” Revelation 14:12. The two things that the little horn did to trample the sanctuary, to cast it down, to defile it, have to be restored. The commandments and the High Priestly ministry of Jesus, the One Mediator, have to be restored to their rightful place.

The sanctuary is going to be cleansed. The judgment and the cleansing of the sanctuary involves three stages: first the righteous will be judged, then the wicked during the millennium followed by their execution at the end and finally the scape goat is dealt with at the end of the millennium.

The sanctuary will be cleansed and we will have a part in it. When it is over, either we will be cleansed from our sins, we will be keeping the commandments of God and have the faith of Jesus, or we will be the other part of the cleansing process. Sin will be done away with. God has decided it.

When I look out in the world and see what sin has done, I am glad that God has made that decision. The question now is, Will I be cleansed of sin through the power of the Holy Spirit, through the mediation of Christ? Or will I cling to it and be destroyed when sin is destroyed?

The whole subject of the cleansing of the sanctuary in Daniel 8:10–14 has an extremely serious message for every single person in the world. That is what Adventism is about. We have a job to tell the world. The sanctuary will be restored to its rightful state and we need to decide what side we will be on when that happens.

I want the Law of God restored in my heart and to put my whole trust in Jesus as my Mediator so that my life can be changed. The best of us are not good enough and the worst of us are not so bad that the Lord cannot save us, if we put our trust in our all-powerful Mediator. I invite you to commit your life to Jesus, your all-powerful Mediator, today.