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Keys to the Storehouse – Heart-Wrenching

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  • It is a heart-wrenching experience to know a better way but to have loved ones turn away to the world in which the devil has usurped temporary ownership and has caused much loss of eternal life.
  • It is a heart-wrenching experience to give loved ones freedom of choice because you love them, even though you know it is the wrong road they are choosing to travel.
  • It is a heart-wrenching experience knowing that the decisions they make will turn into disaster, loss of health, or loss of life.
  • It is a heart-wrenching experience knowing that your help is not wanted.

Our Lord knows this heart-wrenching experience much more deeply than we can ever know. We must learn to turn our sorrow and heart-wrenching experiences over to Him. Before we leave this earth, our hearts will be wrung with sorrow and the only thing we will have to cling to is Jesus.

God knows our every tear and when He comes, these tears will be washed away. But until then we must be strong in the Lord and continue to pray for those who have shut their ears and their lives to heavenly wisdom and from heavenly paths.

Jesus stood upon Mount Olivet overlooking Jerusalem and with yearning heart, wept, knowing that many were to suffer and to die an eternal death because they had turned away from Him. We are to follow in our Master’s footsteps, which at times will be filled with heart-wrenching sorrow.

“They that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint” (Psalm 40:31).

Waiting on the Lord is the key to our strength. He says, “Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth” (Isaiah 46:10).

Know that through each heart-wrenching experience, God may be exalted. God tells us to “be strong and of a good courage” (Joshua 1:9). You gain that courage and strength for each day in His presence first thing in the morning and each step throughout the day.

We are also told to “Be strong, and quit yourselves like men” (1 Samuel 4:9). As we are standing in the Lord’s army, the army of Satan will try to distract you, dishearten you and break you through heart-wrenching experiences with family and friends! Are you bracing yourself in the strength of Jesus Christ? “Soon the last prayer for sinners will have been offered, the last tear shed, the last warning given, the last entreaty made, and the sweet voice of mercy will be heard no more.” In Heavenly Places, 312.

Pray to God who loves our families and friends more than we could ever love them. Ask Him to work on the hearts of family and friends to break satanic control over them. Remember, freedom of choice is given to us and is also given to them.

Heavenly Father, my family and friends will not hear of the heavenly paths which you have opened up for their safety. It is so hard to watch them turn away to walk in the paths of this world and to suffer the consequences. Father, the path they have chosen is so very dangerous and ends in eternal death. Please alert them to their danger—they will not listen to me. Save them Lord! Amen.

 

Peace and Security

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This is a study on the overwhelming surprise that is about to overtake the people of this world; what we can do about it, and how we can get ready for it. Our text is I Thessalonians 5:2-6: “For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night. For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape. But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief. Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness. Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober.”

Notice the words “sudden,” “as a thief in the night.” The day of the Lord is coming as a great surprise to the people of this world. Notice the comment on this in Testimonies, vol. 8, 37: “Soon an awful surprise is coming upon the inhabitants of the world.” And again, Testimonies, vol. 8, 28: “We who know the truth should be preparing for what is soon to break upon the world as an overwhelming surprise.” [Emphasis added.]

Now, Paul says that the “brethren are not in darkness.” God’s children walk in the light, so that which surprises the world is not to be a surprise to us. We’re to know what’s coming and get ready for it; but unless we get ready for it, we will be taken in the snare. The reason for knowing what’s ahead is so we can get ready.

There’s a very interesting point in this Scripture we’ve just read, as to the timing of the overwhelming surprise. “When they shall say, Peace and safety, then sudden destruction cometh upon them.” Several of the modern translations put it, “Peace and security.” In the public press these are the two great words. “Peace” and “Security.” Phillips translates it, “You are well aware that the day of the Lord will come as unexpectedly as a burglary to a householder. When men are saying, ‘Peace and security,’ catastrophe will sweep down upon them.” And the New English Bible: “While they are talking of peace and security, all at once calamity is upon them.” Isn’t that what they’re talking about right now, peace and security?

Let me call your attention to the two great world powers that are leading out and will continue to lead out in this talk of peace and security. One is the Pope of Rome, and the other is the United States of America. When we turn to the book of Revelation, we find that the entire thirteenth chapter is devoted to presenting these two great powers. The first part deals with “the beast,” and you and I know that leopard beast represents the papacy. In verse three we read of one of his heads being wounded to death and the deadly wound being healed; and then what? “All the world wondered after the beast.” Doubtless we all thought of that when the Pope made that historic trip to the United Nations where he appeared as the ambassador of what? Peace. Peace—that’s what the world is seeking.

The latter part of the thirteenth chapter of Revelation is devoted to the two-horned beast, and what does that represent? The United States of America. He is pictured in that chapter as joining hands with the Papacy. And that is what is happening right before our eyes. But as the Papacy—watch this point—as the Papacy is taking the lead in the world quest for peace, the United States is in a special sense talking about that word “security.” It’s the great quest of this generation.

Notice how these two fit together and supplement each other. “Security.” What are people thinking of? They’re thinking about this present world. They’re thinking about material possessions. They’re thinking about how they are to be taken care of in sickness and old age. They’re thinking about everything that will contribute to enjoying this present life. And we have now a program that’s supposed to bring to the people of the United States “The Great Society,” another name for “Security.” But the United States is saying that this must be made available, not merely for this nation, but for all the people of the world. It’s a great ambitious program.

The thirteenth chapter of Revelation shows the Papacy and the United States of America joining hands in a great program that is to embrace the world: “All that dwell upon the earth shall worship him,” that is, the papacy. And the two-horned beast is the inspiration to get all the world to do that. The twelfth verse says, “He causeth the earth and them to dwell therein to worship the first beast whose deadly wound was healed.” The reason that people are interested in these two great powers today is that they’re hunting for peace and security. This is leading to combinations in every phase of life. Look at the Common Market in Europe. What’s the basis of it? They want peace and security.

What is the reason for these labor unions; these trade associations? What’s the basis of the ecumenical movement? Why are the churches trying to get together? Peace and security. And they will think that they have solved their problems by having these associations. With the papacy and the United States leading out, the whole world will think (for a very short time) that they either have this or almost have it.

Now, notice God’s answer to all this in the eighth chapter of Isaiah. This is wonderful. The eye of the prophet looking down the ages saw our time. Isaiah 8:9: “Associate yourselves, O ye people, and ye shall be broken in pieces; and give ear, all ye of far countries [Here’s the whole United Nations]: gird yourselves, and ye shall be broken in pieces; gird yourselves, and ye shall be broken in pieces. Take counsel together, and it shall come to nought; speak the word, and it shall not stand: for God is with us.” That is, with the remnant, those who keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus. Now, notice, they are not to be in these combinations. That’s the thing I want you to see. I read:

“For the Lord spake thus to me with a strong hand, and instructed me that I should not walk in the way of this people, saying, Say ye not, A confederacy, to all them to whom this people shall say, A confederacy; neither fear ye their fear, nor be afraid.” Verses 11, 12. What’s driving them? Fear! Fear of want, fear of war, fear of many things. So, with the pope and the United States leading out, there must be combinations. The churches, the trades unions, the nations, the whole world must get together. But God’s people are told in advance, “Say ye not, A confederacy.” Don’t fear their fear, don’t get into that. “Sanctify the Lord of Hosts himself; and let him be your fear, and let him be your dread. And he shall be for a sanctuary,” Verses 13, 14. a place of security.

And so in the sixteenth and seventeenth verses He says, “Bind up the testimony, seal the law among My disciples.” Here is the sealing message, the Sabbath put back in the law. “And I will wait upon the Lord, that hideth His face from the house of Jacob, and I will look for Him.” While all the world is looking to confederacies, binding together in bundles in order to solve human problems and get peace and security, God says to His people, Don’t get into that, look up. Look to the Lord. See how it is echoed in Isaiah 45:22: “Look unto Me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth; for I am God, and there is none else.” Right here we have the answer to the problem. This is the faith that will save God’s people and take us through the overwhelming surprise,—looking to God. And it is the opposite course, looking to man, that makes it impossible for these world combinations to solve their problems. (The Great Society cannot solve the problems of man.) They are beyond human help; as the Spirit of Prophecy says, “They are struggling in vain to place business operations on a more secure basis.” Testimonies, vol. 9, 13. It is impossible for the governments of this world, following the plans they are using, to solve the material problems of men. It’s even more impossible (if we may use such a term), for the papacy to solve the spiritual problems, because the people are educated to look to man instead of directly to Christ.

And so the message for today as He has given it to us in His Book is, “Behold your God.” Notice how Jesus puts it in Luke 21. Pointing past the destruction of Jerusalem and the Dark Ages, He comes to the time of the end. In the twenty-fifth and twenty sixth verses He says, “There shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars.” Have we seen those? Yes. They are past. “And upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring; Men’s hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth.” There’s the fear again. That’s what’s driving them to these confederacies. There are thousands of people today who a few short years ago wouldn’t have considered listening to the Pope, that are ready to follow him now. Why? They are afraid of something that they think is far worse than the papacy.

Jesus says that men’s hearts in these last moments of time will be “failing them for fear and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth.” If we look where they look, we’ll fear their fear and we’ll be drawn into these combinations. We’ll get into situations where we’ll think that the only way out of trouble is to link up one way or another with some of these confederacies. And so what does Jesus say? “When these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh.” Verse 28. [Emphasis Added.]

Soon, very soon, all the people in this world will be divided into just two camps—those who are looking to man, and those who are looking to God; those who are looking around them, and those who are looking up. Right there the line is drawn. Now, the question is this: If God who knows the future sees that all this is coming, what kind of training will He be giving to His people? Will it not be a training to get them to look up, to look to God instead of to man? And how will He do this? Let us study this point.

If we get into difficulty and we find a certain way to solve the problem, and then that problem comes up again and we find the same way to solve our problem, do we not develop a habit as it goes on day after day? And would it not be difficult to change? Suppose I am thirsty. I think, “Where will I get some water?” Somebody says, “There’s a faucet in the kitchen. Just help yourself.” Tomorrow I get thirsty again and I think, “Where will I get a drink? Oh, yes, I got a drink in the kitchen.” So I go again. And after I have done that a number of days, it’s almost automatic, isn’t it?

Now, if we get in the habit of having men solve our problems (whatever our problems are), what will be built into our characters? Dependence on whom? On man. And the devil has set every agency in operation to get us into that place, my dear friends, where whatever our problem is, whether it’s a financial problem, a health problem, an emotional problem, a happiness problem, a religious problem, whatever it is, that there’s some man or combination of men that can solve it all for us—especially if we will spend some money. The bill-boards, the newspaper ads, the radio, the television, are pouring these ideas into the eyes and ears of the multitudes. That’s the brainwashing that is going on. But God is conducting a different kind of school, and if we will listen, He will teach us something entirely different. “Look unto Me and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth.” Isaiah 45:22. And that’s in the little things as well as in the big things.

Now, let me touch on a very practical point. “We are prone to look to our fellow men for sympathy and uplifting, instead of looking to Jesus.” The Ministry of Healing, 486. Yes, our natural tendency is to look to people. A little child does that, and of course the little child should. Did you ever stub your toe and run, crying, “Mama, mama?” Is that all right for a little child to do? But how many “grown-up” people there are, my dear friends, that whatever trouble they get into, all they can think of is to run where? To some human being. And all the “father confessors” are not in the church of Rome. Ah, no! Nearly all the members of the human family, if they know anywhere to look for help, it is to some other human being. But if you and I are going to go through this overwhelming surprise and not be destroyed, we will have to learn the lesson of looking to God instead of men.

And so, watch how God brings us to this lesson: “In His mercy and faithfulness, God often permits those in whom we place confidence to fail us, in order that we may learn the folly of trusting in man, and making flesh our arm.” The Ministry of Healing, 486. How is the only way that God can get us to learn that lesson? Ah, by allowing human beings to fail us. Did you ever get disappointed in some human being? What’s the lesson of it all? “Cursed be the man that trusteth in man, and maketh flesh his arm … blessed is the man that trusteth in the Lord, and whose hope the Lord is.” Jeremiah 17:5, 7.

Soon, as this overwhelming surprise breaks upon the world, as they see that they’ve been led to perdition by the dragon and the beast and the false prophet, in the very act of talking peace and security—oh, what a terrible awakening! And there will be a great terror that will spread from east to west, from pole to pole. The whole world will be in utter confusion. Earthquake, hailstones, terrible storms—all the elements of destruction will be turned loose. But hark! In the midst of all those warring elements hear that song from the remnant, “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore will not we fear, though the earth be removed.” Psalm 46:1, 2. Whatever happens, if men fail us, we’re not building on them. If governments go down, our security is not in them. If the great religious leaders that have led the people to violate the law of God are overthrown, and the whole world breaks up like the French Revolution, our hope is in that Man in the sanctuary, Jesus Christ, who has said, “Look unto Me and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth.”

Now, as I have said, He is training us for that very day. So today if somebody disappoints us, let’s remember what it’s for. If it is a big disappointment, then we have a big lesson; if it’s a little disappointment, we can have at least a little lesson. We are learning step by step not to build on man, but to build on Jesus Christ. And thus we are preparing to stand when great Babylon goes down like a great millstone cast into the depths of the sea. God’s children will stand secure because their anchor holds within the veil.

Dear Father, we thank Thee so much for the wonderful searchlight of prophecy illumining the road ahead. We choose to be those who are taught of God. While all the world is talking of peace and security, give us the true peace that comes in Thee and Thee alone. Give us the true security that is found in Thee and Thee alone. Thus may we be prepared for the disappointments of this world because we are anchored in heaven. For Jesus’ sake. Amen.

This article is reprinted with permission from Pioneers Memorial which assumes no responsibility for the context in which it appears. Pioneers Memorial was founded by the late W. D. Frazee to collect, restore, and distribute the materials of the pioneers of medical missionary work. For more information, you may contact them at: Pioneers Memorial, PO Box 102, Wildwood, GA 30757; 706-820-9755.

The Power of Divine Love

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It was the American poet, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, who penned these words which I find to be so true, “Love gives itself; it is not bought.” The New Dictionary of Thoughts, 369.

The English author, Hanna Moore, agrees with Longfellow when she wrote, “Love never reasons, but profusely gives; gives, like a thoughtless prodigal, its all, and trembles then lest it has done too little.” Ibid., 370.

The great German Reformer, Martin Luther, in his summation on God’s love, says, “Love is an image of God, and not a lifeless image, but the living essence of the divine nature which beams full of all goodness.” Ibid., 369.

Therefore, dearly beloved, “They are the true disciples of Christ, not who know most, but who love most.” Fredrick Spanheim, German Theologian.

Jesus Christ our divine Savior taught specifically, “A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.” John 13:34, 35.

What defines this “New Commandment”? What is it all about and why is it so important to the extent that Jesus says it is the trademark of discipleship?

One of Satan’s main activities among Christians is to destroy love for God and love for one another. He well knows the value and power of divine love. He knows what it can accomplish and what it will do for us individually, so he works determinedly to exterminate this plant of heavenly origin from every Christian’s life and the true church.

This commandment of Jesus to love was not in itself new. It was part of the instructions given to Moses, “Thou shalt not avenge, nor bear any grudge against the children of thy people, but thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself: I am the Lord.” Leviticus 19:18.

This verse contains some divine prohibitions. Firstly, God says, “Thou shalt not avenge.” This is another way of saying, “Thou shalt forgive.” With the spirit of vengeance there can be no peace on the earth. God says, “Vengeance is mine.” Secondly, God commands, Thou shalt not “bear any grudge against the children of thy people.” Here God specifically gives instruction to his people not to cherish anger or keep a record, or reserve of wrongs or hurts done to them by their fellow men.

Christ’s love was revealed by the things He taught and did, which sometimes seemed very unusual. He said, “Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy. But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you.” Matthew 5:43, 44.

“Ye have heard that it hath been said, An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth: But I say unto you, That ye resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also.” Matthew 5:38, 39.

“And if any man will sue thee at the law, and take away thy coat, let him have thy cloak also.” Matthew 5:40.

“For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? Do not even the publicans the same? And if ye salute your brethren only, what do ye more than others? do not even the publicans so?” Matthew 5:46, 47.

“But love ye your enemies, and do good, and lend, hoping for nothing again; and your reward shall be great, and ye shall be the children of the Highest: for he is kind unto the unthankful and to the evil.” Luke 6:35.

“Jesus knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands, and that he was come from God, and went to God; He riseth from supper, and laid aside his garments; and took a towel, and girded himself. After that he poureth water into a basin, and began to wash the disciples’ feet, and to wipe them with the towel wherewith he was girded.” John 13:3–5.

“And, behold, one of them which were with Jesus stretched out his hand, and drew his sword, and struck a servant of the high priest’s, and smote off his ear. Then said Jesus unto him, Put up again thy sword into his place: for all they that take the sword shall perish with the sword.” Matthew 26:51, 52.

Jesus’ love which is eternal and divine cannot be affected by circumstances. It is unchanging and focuses more on the person than the action of the person. We are told by God’s servant that “Christ has borne with the erring through all his manifest perversity and rebellion. His love for the sinner does not grow cold, His efforts do not cease, and He does not give him up to the buffeting of Satan. He has stood with open arms to welcome again the erring, the rebellious, and even the apostate.” Testimonies, vol. 4, 420.

Jesus, preparing himself for Calvary and his ascension back to heaven, was deeply concerned about the spiritual condition of the men he would leave in charge of his church. So, “in this last meeting with His disciples, the great desire which Christ expressed for them was that they might love one another as He had loved them. Again and again He spoke of this. ‘These things I command you,’ He said repeatedly, ‘that ye love one another.’ (John 15:17.) His very first injunction when alone with them in the upper chamber was, ‘A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.’ (John 13:34.) To the disciples this commandment was new; for they had not loved one another as Christ had loved them. He saw that new ideas and impulses must control them; that new principles must be practiced by them; through His life and death they were to receive a new conception of love. The command to love one another had a new meaning in the light of His self-sacrifice. The whole work of grace is one continual service of love, of self-denying, self-sacrificing effort. During every hour of Christ’s sojourn upon the earth, the love of God was flowing from Him in irrepressible streams. All who are imbued with His Spirit will love as He loved. The very principle that actuated Christ will actuate them in all their dealing one with another.” The Desire of Ages, 677, 678.

The apostle John speaks conclusively and emphatically of this love which is so different from anything earthly and human: “Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.” I John 4:10. God, the offended, chose, and continues to choose, to love us, the offenders. He looks beyond our faults and sees our needs.

The measure of this love is the standard found in I Corinthians 13. “Every true Christian will develop in his life the characteristics of this divine love; he will reveal a spirit of forbearance, of beneficence, and a freedom from envy and jealousy. This character developed in word and act will not repulse, and will not be unapproachable, cold, and indifferent to the interests of others. The person who cultivates the precious plant of love will be self-denying in spirit, and will not yield self-control even under provocation. He will not impute wrong motives and evil intentions to others, but will feel deeply over sin when discovered in any of the disciples of Christ.

“Love vaunteth not itself. It is a humble element; it never prompts a man to boast, to exalt himself. Love for God and for our fellow men will not be revealed in acts of rashness nor lead us to be overbearing, faultfinding, or dictatorial. Love is not puffed up. The heart where love reigns will be guided to a gentle, courteous, compassionate course of conduct toward others, whether they suit our fancy or not, whether they respect us or treat us ill. Love is an active principle; it keeps the good of others continually before us, thus restraining us from inconsiderate actions lest we fail of our object in winning souls to Christ. Love seeks not its own. It will not prompt men to seek their own ease and indulgence of self. It is the respect we render to I that so often hinders the growth of love.” Testimonies, vol 5, 123, 124.

“This is the love Jesus brought, and it was a new thing in this world.” The Gospel of John, vol. 4, 1040, by James Montgomery Boice. This love focuses more on who we are than on what we do. It works from the inside out. The fruit of love reveals the true Christian, for if this fruit is absent, regardless of the profession, that person is not a disciple of Christ.

The apostle Paul struggles to provide an understanding of this wonderful love. He calls us to remember: “For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die. But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” Romans 5:6–8.

Paul is emphasizing that this is the utmost that can be expected of human love. It is remotely possible that someone would be willing to sacrifice himself for a dear friend who is sufficiently good and lovable. But so great is the love of God for His erring creatures that Jesus died for us when we were godless and rebellious enemies. By the death of Jesus, God gives proof of His love to us.

Jesus sought for the best way to explain this new commandment. He said, “This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you. Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.” John 15:12, 13. He wanted them to exercise the same love towards one another that He had manifested towards them. He was about to demonstrate the extent of that love and lay down His own life for them. His love exceeded that which He had commended to them: “while we were yet sinners” He died for us.

This brings to light His strange and unfathomable teaching recorded in the Sermon on the Mount: “Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy. But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you.” Matthew 5:43, 44. Christ’s love transcends love for friends; it reaches out constantly to those who have done the greatest amount of evil. It confronts those who have done to us the greatest amount of wrong! Jesus’ love and example dictate to us that we should be as eager to demonstrate the same unchanging, unselfish love towards our fellowmen, in spite of whatever evil or wrong they may have done to us!

The Human Relationship Factor That Prevents Us From Experiencing God’s Love

What is it that prevents us from experiencing the love of God? We find our answer in the book, Our High Calling, page 348: “Love of self excludes the love of Christ. Those who live for self are ranged under the head of the Laodicean church who are lukewarm, neither cold nor hot. The ardor of the first love has lapsed into a selfish egotism. The love of Christ in the heart is expressed in the actions. If love for Christ is dull, the love for those for whom Christ has died will degenerate. There may be a wonderful appearance for zeal and ceremonies, but this is the substance of their self-inflated religion. Christ represents them as nauseating to His taste.”

The greatest challenge to man is to denounce self. It feels good to promote self, for then we can be revengeful, grudging, resentful, unkind, impatient, unloving, and selfish. In this way we can protect ourselves from being hurt or wronged; thus we take measures to prevent such things from ever happening to us. The question then that we need to answer is: Is this the way Christ loves? Does He love with reservation or with stipulated conditions, e.g., “I will love you only if …”? Please remember, Jesus is our paradigm!

Dr. Leo Buscaglia in his book, Loving Each Other, pages 95, 96, highlights the principle of love in this way: “When we give ourselves in love we become our most vulnerable. We are never safe. We become open to disappointment and hurt. In a relationship, individuals come together with separate histories and experiences. They do this in hope of creating new worlds by writing, living out and sharing new experiences together. But this is not easy, since we all interact in the shadow of past fears, expectations and habits; since we are all different, all imperfect, it is seldom possible without encountering conflict.”

In the church, people are brought together with different experiences, viewpoints, and characters, to build loving relationships in Christ that will be a marvel to the world. The church ought to be a microcosm of what the world should be. I believe Jesus had this thought in mind when He called His followers the “salt of the earth” and the “light of the world”!

Dr. Buscaglia continues by stating, “When we feel wronged, we immediately look to the other for blame. We perceive ourselves as victims. Something has been done to us, ‘the innocent.’ We have a right, therefore, to demand justice. We believe justice has been accomplished only when we can hurt those who have hurt us, disappoint those who have disillusioned us, make those suffer who have injured us and given us pain. They must experience our revenge at once and preferably continue to experience it forever. We are certain that wrongs will be righted in this way. Only then will the slate be wiped clean and our pain disappear. After all, we rationalize, it was the other’s fault. … Why then should we be the one to suffer? We seek vengeance for we know that the experience will be sweet. But do we find it so? How many of us have gone to great pains to avenge a wrongdoing, only to find that once we have had our revenge we have accomplished little more than finding ourselves loveless and alone? What satisfaction is there in causing another to suffer if our pain still remains?”

So we see that to be human is so dangerous, for it is only about self-seeking and self-satisfaction. After self has displayed all the selfishness there is, we find ourselves more sad, unhappy, sick and lonely! One author, namely Dr. Gerald Jampolsky states, “Hate, bitterness and vindictiveness are overpowering, self-defeating and intellectually as well as emotionally depleting.” Ibid., 95.

According to Dr. Buscaglia, “When wronged by those we love we seem to devalue years of relationship—a relationship that may have brought us many joys and which required much intellectual and emotional energy to have lasted so long. Still, with a single harsh statement, a thoughtless act, an unfeeling criticism, we are capable of destroying even the closest of our relationships. We quickly forget the good and set out to rationalize scenarios of hate. We do this rather than take up the challenge of honest evaluation and confrontation. We ignore the possibility that in the act of forgiving and showing compassion we are very likely to discover new depths in ourselves and new possibilities for relating in the future. We are too proud. We engage in self-defeating activities which keep us from forgiving; beliefs that if we withdraw and run from the situation we will hurt the other and absence will heal us; the fantasy that in avoidance there can be closure; the naïve hope that in hurting, shaming, blaming and condemning we will be made to feel better. We fail to realize that when we refuse to engage in forgiving behaviors, it is we who assume the useless weight of hate, pain and vengeance which is never ending, and, instead, weighs upon us rather than the wrongdoer.” Ibid., 96, 97.

It is far better to be governed by the love of God, for Divine love has healing power. “The power of love was in all Christ’s healing, and only by partaking of that love, through faith, can we be instruments for His work. If we neglect to link ourselves in divine connection with Christ, the current of life-giving energy cannot flow in rich streams from us to the people.” The Desire of Ages, 825. With this in mind a number of questions come to mind.

What Has Happened To God’s Love In His Church?

“The love of God has been waning in the church, and as a result, the love of self has sprung up into new activity. With the loss of love for God there has come the loss of love for the brethren.” Selected Messages, Book 1, 387. “Selfishness is driving benevolence and the love of Christ from the church.” Testimonies, vol. 5, 205.

When The Church Lacks Love, What Is The Result?

“The church is greatly deficient in love and humanity. Some preserve a cold, chilling reserve, an iron dignity that repels those who are brought within their influence. This spirit is contagious; it creates an atmosphere that is withering to good impulses and good resolves; it chokes the natural current of human sympathy, cordiality, and love; and under its influence people become constrained, and their social and generous attributes are destroyed for want of exercise. Not only is the spiritual health affected, but the physical health suffers by this unnatural depression. The gloom and chill of this unsocial atmosphere is reflected upon the countenance. The faces of those who are benevolent and sympathetic will shine with the luster of true goodness, while those who do not cherish kindly thoughts and unselfish motives express in their faces the sentiments cherished in their hearts.” Testimonies, vol. 4, 63. “There is nothing that can so weaken the influence of the church as the lack of love.” That I May Know Him, 153.

What Is It That Will Make The Church Prosper?

“In order for the church to prosper there must be a studious effort on the part of its members to cherish the precious plant of love. Let it have every advantage that it may flourish in the heart.” Testimonies, vol. 5, 123. “Nothing will so successfully defeat the devices of Satan and his emissaries, nothing will so build up the Redeemer’s kingdom, as will the love of Christ manifested by the members of the church. Peace and prosperity can be enjoyed only as meekness and love are in active exercise.” Ibid., 167.

What Will Be The Product Of Love?

“Nothing can perfect a perfect unity in the church but the spirit of Christlike forbearance. Satan can sow discord; Christ alone can harmonize the disagreeing elements. … When you as individual workers of the church love God supremely and your neighbor as yourself, then there will be no labored efforts to be in unity, there will be oneness in Christ, the ears to report will be closed, and no one will take up a reproach against his neighbor. The members of the church will cherish love and unity and be as one great family. Then we shall bear the credentials to the world that will testify that God has sent His Son into the world.” Reflecting Christ, 200.

What Will Be The Instrument That The Church Will Use To Move The World?

“When those who profess to serve God follow Christ’s example, practicing the principles of the law in their daily life; when every act bears witness that they love God supremely and their neighbor as themselves, then will the church have power to move the world.” Ibid., 298.

“Christ’s most favorite theme was the paternal character and abundant love of God. The curse of every church today is that men do not adopt Christ’s methods.” Testimonies to Ministers and Gospel Workers, 192.

Seriously ponder this question. Are you a true Christian, a true disciple of the meek and lowly Jesus? Are you? Our Savior emphatically affirms, “By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.” John 13: 35.

Jesus says to you today, “This is my commandment, that ye love one another, as I have loved you.” John 15:12. Amen!

Pastor Ivan Plummer ministers through the Emmanuel Seventh Day Church Ministries in Bronx, New York. He may be contacted by telephone at: 718-822-3900.

Heaven is a Good Place

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Jesus said, “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures upon the earth where moth and rust corrupts or disfigures and where thieves dig through or break through and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven where neither moth nor rust corrupts and where thieves do not dig through, neither steal. For where your treasure is, there also your heart will be.” Matthew 6:19–21.

“Satan is constantly at work to present worldly things in so attractive a light that the Christian may be bribed to make the world his first consideration. Should he induce the Christian to seek for worldly treasures, and make things of God of secondary importance, he could readily efface the image of God from the soul. There is continual danger that the things of this world will gain the supremacy and cause us to neglect the things of priceless value.” The Signs of the Times, April 4, 1895.

More time should be spent on the subject of heaven. The devil is presenting all kinds of things in this world in such an attractive light that we are in constant danger of making the things of this world first and more important than the kingdom of heaven.

Jesus said, “Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things will be added unto you.” Matthew 6:33. The devil plans to rob us of our eternal inheritance.

“The great Teacher gives man a view of the future world. He brings it, with its attractive possessions, within the range of his vision. He presents the actual claims of God and heaven. If He can fasten the mind upon its future life and its blessedness, in comparison with the temporal concerns of this world, the striking contrast is deeply impressed upon the mind, absorbing the heart and soul in the whole being. He [Christ] thus removes the things of time and sense from the affections where they have had the supremacy and gives them their place as subordinate to the higher and eternal realities.” Our High Calling, 286.

Jesus presents the attractions of heaven to us to remove the temporal things of this world from our affections where they have had the supremacy. If we lose our vision of heaven, it will be impossible to get ready to go to a place that is out of mind. Constantly imagine the kind of a place it is and the things we will do there.

Firstly, let’s look at some things that will not be in heaven. Some time ago I knew a gentleman who had become a Seventh-day Adventist a short time before he died. His funeral was held in the Lutheran church which was packed with hundreds of people. Almost his whole family and friends were of the Lutheran faith. One of his friends suggested that I talk about heaven and in researching this subject, most of what I found in my Bible were things that would not be there.

No More Trouble

“There the wicked cease [from] troubling; and there the weary be at rest.” Job 3:17.

There will never be any trouble from any wicked person in heaven because they cease from troubling. Here in this world people are in trouble because of what they or others are saying or doing, something contrary to the law of God causing all kinds of trouble, stress, and strife in our world. In heaven, there will be no more trouble.

No More Tears

“He will wipe away every tear from their eyes and death will not be anymore, neither sorrow, neither crying, neither pain will be anymore, because the former things have passed away.” Revelation 21:4. No more sin, no more death, no more sorrow. Just a few days before she died, Ellen White wrote, “All will be a happy, united family, clothed with garments of praise and thanksgiving. Over the scene the morning stars will sing together, and the sons of God will shout for joy, while God and Christ will unite in proclaiming, ‘There shall be no more sin, neither shall there be any more death.’ ” The Adventist Home, 544.

No Violence

“Violence will no longer be heard in your land, wasting nor destruction within your borders; but you shall call your walls Salvation, and your gates Praise.” Isaiah 60:18. It goes on to say how the days of mourning will be ended and the people will all be righteous. It is a wonderful passage of Scripture. There will not be any mourning or any violence, and there will not be any destruction.

No Deformities

There are many deformities in this world. Most of us have fillings in our teeth, wear glasses and have many other kinds of deformities. But in heaven there will only be perfection. Isaiah 35:5, 6, says, “The eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped. The lame man shall leap as a hart [a deer], and the tongue of the dumb shall sing.” The deformities so common in this world will be gone, and no one will ever say again, “I am sick.” “Not, he will say, the inhabitant, I am sick.” Isaiah 33:24. Sickness and deformity will be something of the past. We look forward to the time when those using canes and wheelchairs and crutches will be able to throw them away and be rid of all their deformities.

No Selfishness

The disciples at one time came to Jesus inquiring who would be the greatest in heaven. He answered them in Matthew 18:3, 4 saying, “Truly I say to you, unless you turn and become as little children, you will in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven. Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, he is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.”

There will be no rough, unkind or selfish person in heaven; only those who have the meekness of a little child will be there. “In the family of God in heaven, there will not be found one who is selfish. The peace and harmony of the heavenly courts will not be marred by the presence of one who is rough or unkind. He who in this world exalts self in the work given him to do will never see the kingdom of God unless he is changed in his spirit, unless he becomes meek and lowly, revealing the simplicity of a little child.” Testimonies, vol. 8, 140.

If I recognize myself as rough, harsh, unkind, or selfish, I need to go to the Lord immediately and plead with Him to create in me a new heart and renew a right spirit within me. In heaven there will be no roughness or selfishness.

No Contentions

It is recorded in the Bible that on the night of Jesus’ betrayal there was strife and quarrelling amongst His disciples over which of them would be accounted the greatest. Jesus told them to be at peace with each other. You can read about it in Luke 22:23–27. Many times, whether being serious, or even in a joking manner, we fall into the devil’s temptation of shocking or jarring others, but there will be no contentions or war of words in heaven.

“Heaven is a home where sympathy is alive in every heart, expressed in every look. Love reigns there. There are no jarring elements, no discord or contentions or war of words.” Last Day Events, 296.

Does this mean people will be free to think in heaven? Yes, we will be free to have a different opinion; however, we are not going to have a war about it. Heaven is going to be a place full of individuals with different tastes. Here on earth Christians don’t all wear the same clothes or eat exactly alike because of our different tastes and cultures, and God made us to exercise the power of choice in these matters. There are many good things to choose from, making the world so diverse and interesting, but in heaven there will be no war of words over individual likes or dislikes.

No Tempter

This is really something to anticipate. There will be no tempter in heaven. “No tree of knowledge of good and evil will afford opportunity for temptation. No tempter is there, no possibility of wrong. Every character has withstood the testing of evil, and none are longer susceptible to its power.” Education, 301.

For a thousand years he (Satan) will experience the fruit of the curse which he has caused.

“Limited alone to the earth, he will not have the privilege of ranging to other planets, to tempt and annoy those who have not fallen. During this time Satan suffers extremely. … But he is then to be deprived of his power and left to reflect upon the part which he has acted since his fall, and to look forward with trembling and terror to the dreadful future, when he must suffer for all the evil that he has done and be punished for all the sins that he has caused to be committed.” The Story of Redemption, 416.

This is not only deliverance for the people on the earth, but also for the beings on other worlds who have never fallen. The devil has also tempted the intelligences in all the other worlds, and they will be delighted to not have him around to tempt them anymore.

“I heard shouts of triumph from the angels and from the redeemed saints which sounded like ten thousand musical instruments, because they were to be no more annoyed and tempted by Satan and because the inhabitants of other worlds were delivered from his presence and his temptations.” Early Writings, 290.

No Funerals, No Tears, No Pain

“Pain cannot exist in the atmosphere of heaven. In the home of the redeemed there will be no tears, no funeral trains, no badges of mourning.” Testimonies, vol. 9, 286. I knew of a young man who was in so much pain before he died that he begged his father, “Please get a gun and shoot me; I can’t stand the pain anymore.” Any physician, preacher or anyone having to visit people who are very sick has run into situations where they have witnessed unbearable pain. That experience is seared into the memory for the rest of your life. I have personally experienced many things that I wish I had not witnessed or heard. All this pain and suffering is just a part of the results of sin. We are so familiar with the fact that this earth causes pain from time to time that it is almost impossible to imagine heaven being a place devoid of both physical and emotional pain. No tears, and no funeral trains or badges of mourning because there is no death, no hospitals, and no funeral homes.

This tells us what will not be in heaven, but what is it that makes heaven, heaven?

Jesus is what makes heaven, heaven. When Jesus was here on this earth it was like heaven to be in His presence. Heaven is where Jesus is. The reason the disciples were so troubled when He said that He was going away was because after they got acquainted with Jesus, they found more happiness, more enjoyment in being in His presence, than they had ever had in all their previous lives.

If you want to be ready to go to heaven, you need to get acquainted with Jesus. He is the King of that place, the One whom everybody loves and worships. The wonderfulness of His character is something no human being or angel can really describe. You have to be there in heaven and experience eternal life to fully realize how wonderful He is. But there are several other things that have been promised when we get there.

Rest

Over the years I have met many people who have worked so hard for so long that they are just plain tired. Heaven is a place where people, who are physically and mentally tired, will have time to rest. Those who are weary from the struggles and trials of this world are going to be able to rest. They will no longer be under pressure to go somewhere or do something. That is very comforting to many people who have been struggling under all kinds of pressing circumstances for many years.

Fullness of Joy

David said, “You will teach me (or show me) the path of life: in your presence there [is] fullness of joy; at your right hand [there are] pleasures for ever more.” Psalm 16:11. In the Hebrew text it says, “There is fullness of joys,” plural. There is more than one kind of joy; there are many joys. And fullness of joy is found in His presence. This means that in heaven we will be the happiest of human beings.

Ellen White describes it this way. “If we can meet Jesus in peace and be saved, forever saved, we shall be the happiest of beings!” Manuscript Releases, vol. 21, 343. “The Lord has made every provision for our happiness in the future life.” Marantha, 369. Then we are told that we are not “to measure the conditions of the future life by the conditions of this life.” Ibid.

“Everything in heaven is noble and elevated. All seek the happiness of others. No one devotes himself to looking out and caring for self. It is the chief joy of all holy beings to witness the joy and happiness of those around them.” Testimonies, vol. 2, 239 “One rich tide of happiness will flow and deepen as eternity rolls on.” Ibid., vol. 9, 286.

It is impossible for us to imagine a place of permanent bliss. For the average person, the happiest moments of this life were when they first got married. The Lord uses illustrations to help us understand how happy we are going to be in heaven. In the book, Song of Solomon, the most sensual language is used to describe this bliss. Unfortunately for many, marriage does not stay blissful, but in heaven, that bliss just goes on and on. One rich tide of happiness will flow and deepen as eternity rolls on, and we will be the happiest of beings.

Permanent Dwelling

Just prior to Jesus’ ascension he told his troubled disciples that He was going to leave. He encouraged them by saying, “Let not your heart be troubled. You believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father’s house are many mansions. If it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you, and if I go also, I will prepare a place for you. Again I am coming and I will receive you to Myself, in order that where I myself am, also you might be.” John 14:1–3.

Heaven is a place where you will have a permanent dwelling. The word monai, translated mansions, means places or “places” or “permanent dwellings.” There will not be any trailer parks or mobile homes in heaven. All will have a permanent home that will last forever.

Everyone WIll Be Known

“For we see now through a glass in an indistinct image, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I will know as also I am known.” I Corinthians 13:12. This means that in heaven those who are saved will know the friends that they had here in this world.

“The resurrection of Jesus was a type of the final resurrection of all who sleep in Him. The countenance of the risen Savior, His manner, His speech, were all familiar to His disciples. As Jesus arose from the dead, so those who sleep in Him are to arise again. We shall know our friends, even as the disciples knew Jesus. They may have been deformed, diseased, or disfigured in this mortal life and they rise in perfect health and symmetry; yet in the glorified body their identity will be perfectly preserved.” The Desire of Ages, 804.

“Our personal identity is preserved in the resurrection.” The Faith I Live By, 185. God in His own time will call forth the dead, giving again the breath of life. The same form will come forth, but it will be free from disease and every defect. It lives again, bearing the same individuality of features so that friend will recognize friend.

“The loves and sympathies that God has planted in the soul will find truest and sweetest exercise.” Ibid., 279.

“Every saint connected in family relationship here will know each other there.” Selected Messages, Book 3, 316. In heaven there will be a reunion of friends and loved ones who are now separated by death. There, the saved will be together forever and never separated for more than a week. It is possible that one of your friends, or your family members may decide to stay in the Holy City and you may be taking a trip somewhere in the universe, but never more than a week. Why? Because it says in Isaiah 66:22, 23, “Every Sabbath and every new moon, all flesh is going to come together and worship before Me.” There will be no more “goodbyes” for more than a week.

A Home, Roots

“For those saying these things make it manifest that they seek a fatherland. And if, on the one hand, they had wanted to return to the one they left, they would have had time to return. But now they seek a better one, that is an heavenly. Wherefore God, is not ashamed to be called their God, for He has prepared for them a city.” Hebrews 11:14–16.

Notice, these people are seeking a fatherland, or a country, and God has prepared for them a city. In the Bible, the inheritance of the saved is called a fatherland or a country that also has a city. It has lakes, rivers, woods and mountains. Ellen White saw this in vision: “We entered a field full of all kinds of beasts—the lion, the lamb, the leopard, and the wolf, all together in perfect union. We passed through the midst of them, and they followed on peaceably after. Then we entered a wood, not like the dark woods we have here; no, no; but light, and all over glorious; the branches of the trees moved to and fro, and we all cried out, ‘We will dwell safely in the wilderness and sleep in the woods.’ We passed through the woods, for we were on our way to Mount Zion.” Early Writings, 18. Heaven is a beautiful place. It has everything the heart could possibly desire.

Occupation

What will we do in heaven? Isaiah 65:21, 22 tells us that we are going to build houses. You are already going to have a house in the city, but you are also going to be able to build yourself a country house, inhabit it and plant vineyards and eat the fruit of them. It will never be taken from you. You are not going to build and another inhabit or plant and another eat. It goes on to say, “My elect are going to enjoy the work of their hands for a long time.”

“There [in heaven] every power will be developed. Every capability increased. The grandest enterprises will be carried forward, the loftiest aspirations will be reached, the highest ambitions realized. And still there will appear new heights to surmount, new wonders to admire, new truths to comprehend, fresh objects to study to call forth the powers of mind and soul.” The Review and Herald, July 1, 1915. “All the treasures of the universe will be open to the study of God’s redeemed. Unfettered by mortality, they wing their tireless flight to worlds afar.” The Great Controversy, 677.

In Abraham’s day, looking at the sky without telescopes, it was thought that there were a few thousand stars. Later, with the use of telescopes, we found that there were millions of stars, and today with more sophisticated telescopes we know that there are billions. Every time we build a bigger telescope, we find that there are more.

How many galaxies are there? We have no idea, but in heaven you will be able to go to those places and also do things that Adam and Eve enjoyed doing: build houses and plant vineyards. All the treasures of the universe will be open to your study.

Music

Heaven is a place where we are going to enjoy music. No one will be singing the blues in heaven. A different kind of music will be heard there. “The ransomed of the Lord will return, they will come to Zion with songs.” Notice what kinds of songs. “And everlasting joy upon their heads. They will obtain joy and gladness and sorrow and sighing shall flee away.” Isaiah 35:10.

Isaiah 51:3 also talks about joy and gladness, thanksgiving and the voice of melody. And there will be instruments: “The singers and the players on instruments: will be there.” Psalm 87:7.

When I get to heaven I want to have a music room with different kinds of instruments.

I learned when I was very young that there were all kinds of things I wanted to do that there would not be time to do in this world. I took trumpet lessons for a few years when I was young, but I actually wanted to be able to play a saxophone, the clarinet, the trombone, the piano, and the organ. It was impossible to learn all those instruments in this short lifetime.

In high school I thought it would be interesting to study science, history, biology, chemistry, and physics. Unfortunately, you cannot become a specialist in all those areas because we simply do not live long enough. I decided then that if I only had enough time to look at one of those subjects I had better study theology; I had better study, how to get to heaven so I will have enough time to study all the other interesting things throughout eternity.

Music is something I haven’t had much time to study, but someday I want to be a professional musician. Heaven will be a place where we will all be able to become musicians. “There will be music there, and song, such music and song as, save in the visions of God, no mortal ear has heard or mind conceived.” Maranatha, 361. For those of us who enjoy music, that is an exciting thing to look forward to.

Restoration of the First Dominion

In Micah 4:8, it says that we are going to be restored to the first dominion. When Adam was created, he was made the ruler, the king, or master of the whole world. All animals, birds, fish, and every living creature was under his direct control. “Man will be restored to his lost kingship, and the lower order of beings will again recognize his sway; the fierce will become gentle, and the timid trustful.” Marantha, 353. The wolf will dwell with the lamb, the leopard shall lie down with the kid, the calf and the young lion and fatling together. A little child shall lead them. Why? Once more man will have dominion over the animals and they will do whatever the little child says. The cow and the bear shall feed; their young ones shall lie down together. The lions shall eat straw like the ox. They won’t hurt or destroy in all My holy mountain, says the Lord. (See Isaiah 11:6–9.)

Man will again have dominion over the entire earth. The first dominion will be restored and all other living creatures will obey his will.

Living in God’s Presence

“There shall be no more curse; the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it. His servants shall serve Him, and they shall see His face, and His name shall be upon their foreheads.” Revelation 22:3, 4. In heaven there will be face to face communication with the Father and the Son. If you are alive at His Second Coming and make up part of the 144,000, you will go with Jesus wherever He goes throughout the universe for eternity. It is hard to imagine this, but it’s fun to try.

Youth and Beauty

At the resurrection, “All come forth from their graves the same in stature as when they entered the tomb. … But all arise with the freshness and vigor of eternal youth.” Maranatha, 299. “The mortal, corruptible form, devoid of comeliness, once polluted with sin, becomes perfect, beautiful, and immortal. All blemishes and deformities are left in the grave.” The Great Controversy, 644, 645.

Heaven is a place of youth and beauty. There are people now with defects or blemishes in their appearance that make it hard for them to socialize and live a normal life because of embarrassment. This is often more difficult for a woman than a man, but soon that will all be gone. Everyone in heaven will be beautiful with the healthful vigor of youth.

Sympathy and Love

Never again will it be heard, “Oh, nobody understands me!” Heaven is a place of sympathy and love. “Heaven is a home where sympathy is alive in every heart, expressed in every look. Love reigns there.” Manuscript Releases, vol.9, 105.

Heaven is a Place of Learning

Is there something here on earth that you would like to know and don’t get the opportunity to study? “Heaven is a school; its field of study, the universe; its teacher, the Infinite One.” The Faith I Live By, 360.

Maybe you want to study science or history. Maybe it is the plan of redemption, or how sin entered the universe and how the Lord has dealt with it for the last 6,000 years. What about understanding how the angels work in your own life? Do you want to understand what happened to you that seemed so awful that you said, “Lord, why did you even allow this to happen?” In heaven, “Jesus will lead us beside the living stream flowing from the throne of God and will explain to us the dark providences through which on this earth He brought us in order to perfect our characters.” The Adventist Home, 544. “All that has perplexed us in the providences of God will in the world to come be made plain.” Ibid., 542. This is something to really look forward to.

Inheritance

Hebrews 11:24–27 tells us that Moses chose to suffer with the people of God rather than enjoy the temporary pleasures of sin. He chose that course because he had respect unto the recompense or the amount of the reward—the inheritance. Jesus also referred to this inheritance in Matthew 19:29. He said that “whatever you have lost in this world, when I come again you are going to receive one hundred fold, plus you are going to receive eternal life.” Ellen White also writes about this: “Whatever crosses they have been called to bear, whatever losses they have sustained, whatever persecution they have suffered, even to the loss of their temporal life, the children of God are amply recompensed.” Christ’s Object Lessons, 180. The word amply means plentifully. If we could just grasp that one fact it would change our whole life. We would never be mourning when we lose something here, for He has promised that we will be paid back one hundred fold when the Lord comes.

All that is pure, all that is excellent and lovely is there. The possession of heaven is endless bliss, infinite glory, riches, and knowledge. The character of heaven is perfect love, and holiness, and peace. We know these things now only in part. “Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, neither has entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for them that love Him.” I Corinthians 2:9.

Oh, friend, you have to be there. We need to review these things so that we are not caught up with what this world has to offer. Everything in this world is coming to an end and is going to be destroyed. In heaven your happiness and joy will continually increase for eternity.

To miss out on heaven would be an infinite loss. For one soul to miss out on heaven is worse than missing out on a whole world of material possessions. In all of our relations with our fellow men, in our home, with our families, with our friends, we need to keep in mind at all times that we are all choosing day by day our eternal destiny.

Our mission as Christians is to reflect to others the character of Christ so that they also will be attracted to Jesus and desire to be in the place where He is. If they see Him in us, they will want to be there.

(Literal translation is used in many Bible quotes.)

Pastor John Grosboll is Director of Steps to Life and pastors the Prairie Meadows Church in Wichita, Kansas. He may be contacted by e-mail at: historic@stepstolife.org, or by telephone at: 316–788–5559.

Editorial – The Law of Moses, Part II

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The writings of Paul explain the ceremonial law as contrasted with the moral law, which is the law that defines right from wrong. Paul says, “I would not have known sin [what sin is] except through the law.” (Romans 7:7.) Later in the verse he quotes from the tenth commandment, indicating that except for the law that says you shall not covet, he would not have known that coveting was wrong.

In Galatians 3:19, he asks, “Why was the law given then?” which could be translated, “What purpose then is there for the law [the ceremonial law]?” He immediately answers this question: “It [the ceremonial law] was added because of transgression.” Paul says in Romans 4:15 that where there is no law, there is no transgression. In order for transgression to have occurred, a law had to exist first. What law was transgressed? It was the Ten Commandment law, the moral law which is eternal and unchangeable. What was determined right and wrong in the Garden of Eden is still the same today in harmony with the Ten Commandments, the principles of which have existed from eternity in the past, and will exist through all future eternity. Ellen White corroborates this in the first three sentences of the book, Patriarchs and Prophets, 21, “ ‘God is love.’ I John 4:16. His nature, His law, is love. It ever has been; it ever will be.”

When the moral law was transgressed, another law was added because of the transgression. This law can properly be called the ceremonial law, and included all laws that were added because of transgression. Sin is the transgression of law that is in force. Once the ceremonial law was added, it became sinful to transgress this law. For example, under the ceremonial law it was a sin for Moses not to have his male children circumcised, and he could not take the children of Israel out of Egypt before this was accomplished. (See Exodus 4:24–26.)

In Galatians 3:19 Paul shows the reason for the ceremonial law and when it came into being after transgression. He also shows the time limit of this law, clearly demonstrating its temporary nature, which only lasted until the seed should come to whom the promise had been made. (Genesis 3:15.) He had already explained that the seed was Christ (Galatians 3:16).

From Galatians 3:19 we understand (1) the purpose of the ceremonial law, (2) when it came into existence, (3) the intelligences that ordained it which are different than the moral law, and (4) the fact that it was a law that would only exist for a temporary time—until Christ should come.

Current Events – Religious Freedom Denied

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China

Freedom of religion is supposedly guaranteed in China. However, Beijing’s leaders are deeply suspicious of any organization which does not come under its rigid controls.

Many of China’s 60 million Christians refuse to join the churches that are sanctioned by the Communist Party and instead choose to worship at independent churches, sometimes known as house churches.

A huge church purportedly built with almost £2 million raised from local worshipers in one of China’s poorest regions has been demolished by authorities, the latest flashpoint between religious groups and the officially atheist Communist Party.

The Golden Lampstand Church in the city of Linfen in the northern Shanxi province was destroyed with dynamite and heavy machinery, witnesses and overseas campaign groups said.

Chinese state media dismissed the demolition as part of routine removal of illegal buildings, but critics fear a more political motivation.

Officials have removed crosses from more than 1,200 churches in the eastern province of Zhejiang since early 2014. Many other churches have been demolished in the province.

www.yahoo.com/news/chinese-authorities-demolish-well-known-evangelical-church-061029917.html

Russia

Russia has placed the Jehovah’s Witnesses on its register of banned “extremist” organizations.

The Christian sect’s administrative center near St Petersburg and 395 local organizations were added to the list by the justice ministry on Thursday.

Believers can now be charged for proselytizing or gathering together.

In April [2017], Russia’s Supreme Court decided in favor of the justice ministry’s characterization of members of the Jehovah’s Witnesses as posing “a threat to the rights of the citizens, public order and public security.”

The denomination’s properties, known as Kingdom Halls, will also be seized by the state. The Independent, August 22, 2017

The Lord has shown us how to prepare for the time when these freedoms are taken away. “As religious aggression subverts the liberties of our nation, those who would stand for freedom of conscience will be placed in unfavorable positions. For their own sake, they should, while they have the opportunity, become intelligent in regard to disease, its causes, prevention, and cure. All those who do this will find a field of labor anywhere. There will be suffering ones, plenty of them, who will need help, not only among those of our own faith, but largely among those who know not the truth. The shortness of time demands an energy that has not been aroused among those who claim to believe the present truth.” Counsels on Health, 506.

The Two Churches – Militant & Triumphant

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God will bring His work closer and closer to test and prove every one of His people.’ Some are willing to receive one point; but when God brings them to another testing point, they shrink from it and stand back, because they find that it strikes directly at some cherished idol. Here they have opportunity to see what is in their hearts that shuts out Jesus. They prize something higher than the truth, and their hearts are not prepared to receive Jesus. Individuals are tested and proved a length of time to see if they will sacrifice their idols and heed the counsel of the True Witness. …

“Those who come up to every point, and stand every test, and overcome, be the price what it may, have heeded the counsel of the True Witness, and they will receive the latter rain, and thus be fitted for translation.” Testimonies, vol. 1, 187.

The Church Militant

Some are teaching that the church militant will become the church triumphant at the coming of the Holy Spirit in the latter rain, the refreshing from the presence of the Lord. Other people believe that the church militant changes to the church triumphant when they receive their crown from Jesus at the entrance of the gates to the Holy City. Others are not sure when this transformation occurs.

The importance of a correct understanding of this subject is seen in the influence it has on the type of character preparation individuals make for the closing events. An incorrect belief concerning the beginning of the church triumphant may lead many to make a false preparation for the crowning deception, the final test and the time of Jacob’s trouble. Only when it is too late to make the necessary changes will the tragic results of this belief be realized.

“The church of Christ may be fitly compared to an army. The life of every soldier is one of toil, hardship, and danger. On every hand are vigilant foes, led on by the prince of the powers of darkness, who never slumbers and never deserts his post. Whenever a Christian is off his guard, this powerful adversary makes a sudden and violent attack. Unless the members of the church are active and vigilant, they will be overcome by his devices. …

“The church is to conduct an aggressive warfare, to make conquests for Christ, to rescue souls from the power of the enemy. God and holy angels are engaged in this warfare. Let us please Him who has called us to be soldiers.” The Review and Herald, July 17, 1883.

“Christians are engaged in a warfare. The church militant is not the church triumphant. The followers of Christ, marching toward Zion, must fight at every step. His adversary is the one who once stood in the heavenly courts as the first of the covering cherubs. The beams of glory enshrouding the eternal God, once rested constantly upon him. But, not content with his position, though honored above the heavenly host, he began to covet the glory with which the Father had invested the Son. Lucifer desired to be first in heaven. Thus he introduced sin into the universe. Entering the Garden of Eden after his expulsion from heaven, he succeeded in deceiving our first parents. Ever since he has claimed this world. Declaring that no human being can keep the law of God’s kingdom, he claims all men as his subjects.” The Signs of the Times, June 10, 1903.

The Church Militant

  1. Are Christians engaged in warfare
  2. Is not the church triumphant
  3. Are followers of Christ who are marching toward Zion
  4. Began its warfare in the Garden of Eden

“God’s workers today constitute the connecting link between the former workers, the church of history, and the church that is to be called out (from the world and prepared to meet their Lord). The tide of spiritual life is to flow through the appointed channels, as in the history of the past. From age to age the light which God has for the world has been imparted to the church militant, and God is continuing to impart precious light. All who receive light are to diffuse it to those who sit in darkness. All the excellencies that have come through the belief of the truth from past ages to the present time, are to be treated with the utmost respect. Let not the truth entrusted to our keeping lose its force and power through our careless misuse of body or mind.” Special Testimonies for Ministers and Workers, No. 7, 11.

1. Three time periods of the church militant are here brought to view

 a) The church of history

 b) The church of the present time

 c) The church that is to be called out

2.  The church militant

a) Of the present time is the connecting link between the church militant of history and the church militant that is to be called out

b) Is the recipient of the light God has for the world

c)  Is to diffuse this light to those who sit in darkness

“The church is yet militant in a world that is apparently in midnight darkness, and growing worse and worse. While the requirements of a plain ‘Thus saith the Lord’ remain unheeded by the worldly element in the church, the voices of God’s faithful servants are to be strengthened to give the solemn message of warning. The works that should characterize the church militant and the works of the church that has had the light of truth for this time, do not correspond. The Lord calls upon church-members to clothe themselves with the beautiful garments of Christ’s righteousness. Praise and prayer and thanksgiving should now be heard coming daily from converted hearts and lips.” Review and Herald, April 22, 1909.

The church militant is composed of two groups

1. God’s faithful servants who

a) Give the solemn message of warning

b) Have works that correspond with the light of truth for this time

c) Clothe themselves with the garments of Christ’s righteousness

2.  The worldly element who

a) Do not heed the plain requirements of God

b) Have “had the light of truth for this time” but whose works “do not correspond”

“Whatever may be the needed discipline of the church militant amid the dragon’s wrath against those who keep the commandments of God and have the faith of Jesus, the benediction is pronounced upon all who love and obey God. The words are positive, but mark their significance. The Alpha and Omega does not utter words that will lead any soul to suppose that a profession of faith without willing, genuine love and obedience, will secure to him the entrance into the Holy City and a right to the tree of life. The Lord declares, ‘This people draweth nigh unto Me with their mouth, and honoreth Me with their lips; but their heart is far from Me’ (Matthew 15:8). This is mockery to God, speaking with a mouth of guile.” Manuscript Releases, vol. 14, 90.

This reference gives additional characteristics of the two groups in the church militant

1.  God’s faithful servants

a) Need discipline, even amid the dragon’s wrath

b) Keep the commandments of God

c) Have the faith of Jesus

d) Love and obey God

2.  The worldly element in the church

a) Make a profession of faith, without willing, genuine love and obedience

b) Draw nigh to God with their mouth, but their heart is far from Him

c) Are a mockery to God

“God has a church upon the earth, who are His chosen people, who keep His commandments. He is leading, not stray offshoots, not one here and one there, but a people. The truth is a sanctifying power; but the church militant is not the church triumphant. There are tares among the wheat. ‘Wilt thou then that we go and gather them up?’ was the question of the servant; but the master answered, ‘Nay; lest while ye gather up the tares, ye root up also the wheat with them’ (Matthew 13:28, 29). The gospel net draws not only good fish, but bad ones as well, and the Lord only knows who are His.” The Review and Herald, September 12, 1893.

“Let every one who is seeking to live a Christian life, remember that the church militant is not the church triumphant. Those who are carnally minded will be found in the church. They are to be pitied more than blamed. The church is not to be judged as sustaining these characters, though they are found within her borders. Should the church expel them, the very ones who found fault with their presence there, would blame the church for sending them adrift in the world; they would claim that they were treated unmercifully. It may be that in the church there are those who are cold, proud, haughty, and unChristian, but you need not associate with this class. There are many who are warmhearted, who are selfdenying, selfsacrificing, who would, were it required, lay down their lives to save souls. Jesus saw the bad and the good in church relationship, and said, ‘Let both grow together until the harvest’ (Matthew 13:30, first part). None are under the necessity of becoming tares because every plant in the field is not wheat. If the truth were known, these complainers make their accusations in order to quiet a convicted, condemning conscience. Their own course of action is not wholly commendable. Even those who are striving for the mastery over the enemy, have sometimes been wrong and done wrong. Evil prevails over good when we do not trust wholly in Christ, and abide in Him. Inconsistencies of character will then be manifested that would not be revealed if we preserved the faith that works by love and purifies the soul.” Ibid., January 16, 1894.

More specific details are given in the two paragraphs above concerning the two groups in the church militant:

1.  God’s faithful servants

  • a) Are His chosen people
  • b) Keep His commandments
  • c) Are called wheat
  • d) Are not to sustain the carnally minded
  • e) Need not associate with this class (worldly element)
  • f) Are warm-hearted, self-denying, self-sacrificing
  • g) Are willing to lay down their lives to save souls
  • h) Are striving for the mastery over the enemy
  • i) Preserve the faith that works by love and purifies the soul

2.  The worldly element

  • a) Are called tares
  • b) Are carnally minded
  • c) Are found within the borders of the church militant
  • d) Are not part of the church militant although within her borders
  • e) Are complainers and accusers
  • f) Are those whose actions are not wholly commendable

3.  The wheat and tares grow together until the harvest

Note: That they “grow together” of necessity needs to be understood that they do not work or “associate” together. The characteristics of each group are not compatible.  This prevents a working relationship. God’s people are not to work with those who are “a mockery to God.” It is better understood to mean that they exist together within the borders of the church militant.

4.  The church militant is not the church triumphant

  • a) This point is emphasized in both references
  • b) The reason given in both of these statements is that the “worldly element” is present
  • c) The worldly element (tares) will be removed at the harvest

Note: After this worldly element is removed, the church militant becomes the church triumphant. See The Great Controversy, 644–646, for a clear description of the transition of the people of God from the church militant to the church triumphant. This reference is in the setting of the Battle of Armageddon. Following the first resurrection the people of God are taken from this earth to the Holy City to join the church triumphant which is in heaven.

“The work is soon to close. The members of the church militant who have proved faithful will become the church triumphant. 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 God 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.” The Review and Herald, October 12, 1905.

“The life of Christ was a life charged with a divine message of the love of God, and He longed intensely to impart this love to others in rich measure. Compassion beamed from His countenance, and His conduct was characterized by grace, humility, truth, and love. Every member of His church militant must manifest the same qualities, if He would join the church triumphant. The love of Christ is so broad, so full of glory, that in comparison to it, everything that men esteem as great, dwindles into insignificance. When we obtain a view of it, we exclaim, O the depth of the riches of the love that God bestowed upon men in the gift of His only begotten Son!” Ibid., November 17, 1891.

“The work is soon to close”

1.  This sentence is a reference to the close of probation

2.  The faithful members of the church militant join the church triumphant after the close of probation

3.  If they would join the church triumphant, the members of the church militant must manifest the qualities of

  • a) Grace
  • b) Humility
  • c) Truth
  • d) And love

“What if half the soldiers in an army were idling or asleep when ordered to be on duty; the result would be defeat, captivity, or death. Should any escape from the hands of the enemy, would they be thought worthy of a reward? No; they would speedily receive the sentence of death. And if the church of Christ is careless or unfaithful, far more important consequences are involved. A sleeping army of Christian soldiers–what could be more terrible! What advance could be made against the world, who are under the control of the prince of darkness? Those who stand back indifferently in the day of battle, as though they had no interest and felt no responsibility as to the issue of the contest, might better change their course or leave the ranks at once.” Ibid., July 17, 1883.

SUMMARY

The church militant

1.  Began at the fall of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden

2.  Will continue until “the harvest” (the second coming of Jesus – Revelation 14:14–20)

3.  Is composed of two groups

  • a) God’s “chosen people, who keep His commandments” – “the wheat”
  • b) The “worldly element” – “the tares” – “the carnally minded”

4.  Has “the carnally minded” “within her borders” but she “is not to be judged as sustaining these characters”

5.   Must manifest the same conduct which characterized Christ’s life if they are to join the church triumphant

6.   Are those “who have proved faithful” and these “will become the church triumphant” when they are transported from this earth to heaven

The Church Triumphant

Some are teaching at the present time that the people of God who receive the Holy Spirit in the latter rain will at that time become the church triumphant. In this study we will consider instruction from the Spirit of Prophecy relating to this subject.

“The Lord desires us to realize that it is of great importance that we stand in these last days upon the platform of eternal truth. Those who think that the church militant is the church triumphant make a great mistake. The church militant will gain great triumphs, but it will also have fierce conflicts with evil, that it may be firmly established upon the platform of eternal truth. And every one of us should be determined to stand with the church upon this platform.” Sermons and Talks, vol. 1, 340.

1. God considers it of great importance that His people in these last days stand on the platform of eternal truth

2. The church militant

  • a) Is not the church triumphant
  • b) Will gain great triumphs
  • c) Will have fierce conflicts with evil
  • d) Must be firmly established on the platform of eternal truth

3. It is a great mistake to think that the militant church is the church triumphant

“We need to remember that the church militant is not the church triumphant. The difference between the kingdom of Christ and the kingdom of the world is to be carefully considered, else we shall draw threads of selfishness into the web that we are weaving.” Manuscript Releases, vol. 2, 312.

1. The statement “the church militant is not the church triumphant” is repeated more than ten times in the Spirit of Prophecy

2. In this reference

  • a) The church triumphant is related to the “kingdom of Christ”
  • b) The church militant is related to the “kingdom of this world”

“The Church militant is not the church triumphant, and earth is not Heaven. The church is composed of erring, imperfect men and women, who are but learners in the school of Christ, to be trained, disciplined, educated for this life, and for the future, immortal life. No one of us can in our own strength represent the character of Christ; but if Jesus lives in the heart, the spirit dwelling in Him will be revealed in us; all our lack will be supplied.” The Signs of the Times, January 4, 1883.

1. In this reference, the church militant is again related to this earth

2. It is implied that the church triumphant is in heaven

“The members of the church triumphant—the church in heaven—will be permitted to draw near to the members of the church militant, to aid them in their necessity. Let us ever remember that we are laborers together with God. In this heavenly union we shall carry forward His work with completeness, with singing and rejoicing.” The Southern Watchman, September 8, 1903.

1. This reference plainly states that the “church triumphant” is “the church in heaven”

2. The members of the “church triumphant” in heaven are permitted to aid the members of the “church militant” on earth

3. This working relationship confirms that the church triumphant already exists in heaven

“The church militant is not in this world the church triumphant. From generation to generation, the enemy has been marshaling his forces against God. … But God’s children will not be frightened from their purpose by the proud, presumptuous opposition of evildoers. By faith they see a crown of life awaiting those who are victorious, and they press forward toward the mark for the prize of their high calling in Christ Jesus.” The Review and Herald, July 26, 1898.

1. This reference clearly states that the church triumphant is not in this world

2. God’s children are in the warfare of the church militant in this world

3. By faith they see a crown of life awaiting those who are victorious, and they press toward the mark

Following is a description of the church militant receiving their crown of victory and entering into the church triumphant.

“Before entering the city of God, the Saviour bestows upon His followers the emblems of victory and invests them with the insignia of their royal state. The glittering ranks are drawn up in the form of a hollow square about their King, whose form rises in majesty high above saint and angel, whose countenance beams upon them full of benignant love. … Upon the heads of the overcomers, Jesus with His own right hand places the crown of glory. For each there is a crown, bearing his own ‘new name’ (Revelation 2:17), and the inscription, ‘Holiness to the Lord.’  In every hand are placed the victor’s palm and the shining harp. Then, as the commanding angels strike the note, every hand sweeps the harp strings with skillful touch, awaking sweet music in rich, melodious strains. Rapture unutterable thrills every heart, and each voice is raised in grateful praise: ‘Unto Him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in His own blood, and hath made us kings and priests unto God and His Father; to Him be glory and dominion forever and ever’ (Revelation 1:5, 6).

“Before the ransomed throng is the holy city. Jesus opens wide the pearly gates, and the nations that have kept the truth enter in. …Then that voice, richer than any music that ever fell on mortal ear, is heard, saying, ‘Your conflict is ended.’ ” The Great Controversy, 645, 646.

In this scene, we see that at the entrance to the city of God

  1. The saints receive their crown of victory
  2. Jesus places the crown of glory on the heads of the overcomers
  3. The voice of Jesus is then heard saying, “Your conflict is ended.”
  4. It is at this time that the church militant joins the church triumphant in heaven

“The work is soon to close. The members of the church militant who have proved faithful will become the church triumphant. In reviewing our past history, having travelled over every step of advance to our present standing, I can say, Praise God! As I see what God 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. We are now a strong people, if we will put our trust in the Lord; for we are handling the mighty truths of the word of God.

We have everything to be thankful for. If we walk in the light as it shines upon us from the living oracles of God, we shall have large responsibilities, corresponding to the great light given us of God.” The General Conference Daily Bulletin, January 29, 1893.

1. Only the faithful members of the church militant will join the church triumphant

2. The conditions are

  • a) If we will put our trust in the Lord
  • b) If we walk in the light as it shines upon us from the living oracles of God

“The Church militant is not the Church triumphant. Unless the people of God wage a valiant warfare against every species of sin, they will never pass through the portals of the holy city. And we shall have no second trial. Now is the accepted time, the time in which we are to obtain the education that will enable us to live in the heavenly courts. The whole heavenly universe is watching with the deepest interest to see who in this primary school is practicing the lessons of Christ.” The Review and Herald, December 31, 1901.

“God knows what is best for His people, and He will help them when they fall into difficulty. We wish we had heaven here below, but we have not. The church militant is not the church triumphant. The church militant must wrestle and toil. She must strive against temptations and fight severe battles, because Satan is not dead.” The General Conference Bulletin, April 22, 1901.

“Christians are engaged in a warfare. The church militant is not the church triumphant. The followers of Christ, marching toward Zion, must fight at every step.” The Signs of the Times, June 10, 1903.

“The injunction to each one of us is, ‘Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth’ (Colossians 3:2). The ardent desire of the apostles was to know God, and Jesus Christ, whom He hath sent. Jesus lives; He is before the Father in the heavenly courts, making intercession for those who are still upon the earth in the turmoil and strife of life; for the church militant is not yet the church triumphant.” Ibid., July 24, 1893.

 

The church militant

  1. Must wage a valiant warfare against sin
  2. If they don’t, they will never enter the holy city to join the church triumphant
  3. Will “have no second trial”
  4. Must wrestle and toil
  5. Must strive against temptations
  6. Must fight severe battles
  7. Must fight at every step
  8. Must set her “affection on things above, not on things on the earth”

–    Christ’s work as intercessor ceases at the close of probation (The Great Controversy, 613)

–    The turmoil and strife of life ends after the time of Jacob’s trouble, at the date to kill God’s people (Ibid., 635)

–    The church militant becomes the church triumphant after the above events have taken place (Ibid., 644–646)

Summary

  1. The church militant is not the church triumphant
  2. The church militant is on this earth
  3. The church triumphant is in heaven
  4. The faithful members of the church militant will join the church triumphant when Jesus bestows on them their emblems of victory—the crown of glory, the victor’s palm and the shining harp—at the gates to the holy city.

Maurice Hoppe is Director of the Steps to Life training programs and a member of the Steps to Life Board. The Training Program for Ministers and Church Leaders is a correspondence course that prepares individuals to serve as pastors or Bible workers. Preparing for the Final Conflict is a correspondence course for the laity. Both of these courses teach present truth that will be an anchor for the soul during the storm of opposition and persecution just ahead. He and his wife also have a correspondence course offered through Revelation Ministry. He can be contacted at: mauricehoppe@stepstolife.org.

A Parable from the Leaves

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It is not difficult to discover that in autumn the leaves fall. This is such a common thing, so plain and manifest, that even a child observes it. Neither is it difficult to go a step further, and moralize upon their fall; for the Scripture has set us an example, and in moralizing we have but to repeat the words, “We all do fade as a leaf” (Isaiah 64:6).

It is well for us to remember our frailties. To know our limitations is one secret of power, one of the foundation-stones of success. We are weak; without Him we can do nothing: “We all do fade as a leaf.”

“The voice said, Cry. And he said, What shall I cry? All flesh is grass, and all the goodliness thereof is as the flower of the field: The grass withereth, the flower fadeth: because the Spirit of the Lord bloweth upon it: surely the people is grass. The grass withereth, the flower fadeth: but the word of our God shall stand forever” (Isaiah 40:6–8).

The voice of God cries out to every person gifted with the power of speech: He that hath ears to hear, let him hear; and he that hath voice to cry, let him cry. “Cry,” says the voice of God to us; and when, in wonder and questioning, we ask, “What shall I cry?” there comes this answer to our questioning: “All flesh is grass, and all the goodliness thereof is as the flower of the field: The grass withereth, the flower fadeth: because the Spirit of the Lord bloweth upon it: surely the people is grass.”

And so, if we cry at all as the Word bids us cry, we must declare the weakness and frailty of man. But this is not all the commission. We must not stop here; having said so much, we have only begun. So far there is no whisper of hope, no thought for courage. Obeying the Word that bids us cry, and having given so much of the message, we must proclaim the rest. “The grass withereth, the flower fadeth: but [oh, the glory of its truth!] the word of our God shall stand forever.”

This is the whole message; it is twofold—the weakness and frailty and failure of things earthly, and the power and permanency and steadfastness of the things of God.

It is a suggestion of this twofold message that is given us in the life and death of the leaves. The leaves fade and fall away; and drawing the parallel, we say that we, too, must cease our labors and pass from our places. But this is but one side of the message; there is another, for the message is twofold.

The leaves fade and fall away, it is true, but they leave behind them mighty monuments of their labors. Not one leaf lives through the summer days, but, when it fades, leaves behind that which may stand for years, perhaps ages.

The leaves fade, but there abideth that which, through the leaves, God has built. While the leaves lived, they worked to build up the tree, which remains when the leaves are gone. Gray trunks and naked limbs are the mute testimony of the gigantic task wrought by the leaves.

The work of the leaf is not in vain; something is left behind that shall laugh at the fierceness of the storm, that shall brave the cold of winter, and that shall continue the growth of the tree until its circuit is accomplished.

While we remember that the leaves of autumn fade, let us not forget that the leaves of summer work. And it is the work that is of importance. By their labor they rear the beautiful maples, the stately elms, the giant oaks. By their fading they show us how weak was the instrument through which the Creator worked.

So it may be with us.

We, too, like the leaves, do fade. All the people are but grass; all flesh is like the fading, dying verdure of autumn, and all the goodliness thereof is as the flower of the field. One withers, the other fades; both are alike lost.

But our failure is not the only thing for us to consider. The great question with each of us should be: Have I, in life’s summer days, done with faithfulness the work that God gave me to do? It is the work that is of importance.

Our failure—our dying and passing from the work of life—shows how weak are the instruments that God uses for the accomplishing of His purposes. But what we leave behind, the memories of an unselfish life, the souls helped by us out into a better life—these remain to show what God can do through humble instruments.

What the leaves leave behind must in turn perish and pass away, but not so that which human lives may leave behind. It is our privilege to leave behind us an immortal heritage.

What sort of monument are you building? What kind of memorial are you erecting? If you live as you may, there shall something abide; for “the word of our God shall stand forever,” God will still carry on the work in which for a time He has given us a place. Without us, after our fall, as without the leaves after their fall, His work goes on. Of those who do His work it is said, when the fading time comes, “They rest from their labours; and their works do follow them” (Revelation 14:13).

Faithfully let us work the works of Him that sent us, “while it is day: the night cometh, when no man can work” (John 9:4).

The Youth’s Instructor, December 13, 1900.

Luther and Laodicea

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“Light is sown for the righteous, and gladness for the upright in heart.”

Psalm 97:11 NKJV

 “But the path of the just is as the shining light, that shineth more and more unto the perfect day.”

Proverbs 4:18

On our Christian walk, we are either constantly growing, receiving, learning, gaining new light and understanding, or we are dying, stagnating, losing light and understanding, and locking ourselves into spiritual darkness and eternal death. This principle is exhibited in nature. Is there such a thing as a plant that simply stays at the exact same point of growth? No, it is either growing, or it is dying.

This same instruction God has given throughout inspiration. We could look at this principle throughout history, but we are going to study a little in inspiration from the life and example of Luther and how God views his work and the work of future generations.

Most Christians are familiar with the reformer Martin Luther and his lifelong striving and gaining greater light and truth from the Holy Scriptures. Those things which he understood in his later years were not even thought of or supposed when he first began his quest for truth. He was constantly seeking a better understanding of God’s word, and because of his faithfulness and earnest desire for truth, God opened up tremendous truth to him.

In the message of God to Laodicea as found in Revelation 3:14–22, Laodicea is content with the “knowledge” that she has. She considers herself “rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing” (verse 17).

Is there not a stark contrast between these two principles, these two attitudes? Which one does God value? Which one does He require?

“The Reformation did not, as many suppose, end with Luther. It is to be continued to the close of this world’s history. Luther had a great work to do in reflecting to others the light which God had permitted to shine upon him; yet he did not receive all the light which was to be given to the world. From that time to this, new light has been continually shining upon the Scriptures, and new truths have been constantly unfolding.” The Spirit of Prophecy, vol. 4, 123.

“Luther and his co-laborers accomplished a noble work for God; but, coming as they did from the Roman Church, having themselves believed and advocated her doctrines, it was not to be expected that they would discern all these errors. It was their work to break the fetters of Rome, and to give the Bible to the world; yet there were important truths which they failed to discover, and grave errors which they did not renounce.” Ibid., 180.

Was it safe to stop with the light that was revealed to Luther and his co-laborers? No. They still retained grave errors. Does God want us in error? No. He wants us in the purity of His truth, untainted with error.

“The infinite God, whose throne is in the heavens, condescends to address His people, ‘Come now, and let us reason together’ (Isaiah 1:18); but frail, erring men proudly refuse to reason with their brethren. They stand ready to censure one who accepts any light which they have not received—as though God had pledged himself to give no more light to any one than he had given to them. This is the course pursued by opposers of the truth in every age. They forget the declaration of the Scriptures, ‘Light is sown for the righteous’ (Psalm 97:11). ‘The path of the just is as the shining light, that shineth more and more unto the perfect day’ (Proverbs 4:18). It is a sad thing when a people claiming to be reformers cease to reform.” Ibid., 185.

The following is a powerful and wonderful promise of God, and note the condition for that promise, which begins with the mighty word “if.” “If professed Christians would but carefully and prayerfully compare their views with the Scriptures, laying aside all pride of opinion and desire for the supremacy, a flood of light would be shed upon the churches now wandering in the darkness of error. As fast as His people can bear it, the Lord reveals to them their errors in doctrine and their defects of character. From age to age He has raised up men and qualified them to do a special work needed in their time. But to none of these did He commit all the light which was to be given to the world. Wisdom does not die with them. It was not the will of God that the work of reform should cease with the going out of Luther’s life; it was not His will that at the death of the Wesleys the Christian faith should become stereotyped. The work of reform is progressive. Go forward, is the command of our great Leader—forward unto victory.” Ibid., 186.

Dare I say that it is not the will of God that the work of reform should cease with the going out of Ellen White’s life; it was not His will that at the death of Ellen White the Christian faith should become stereotyped.

What is our attitude? Do we prayerfully compare our views with the Scriptures and lay aside all pride of opinion and desire for supremacy? Or, do we, when new ideas are presented immediately defend our position, our way of thinking. In this respect, I must ask a question here. If I genuinely want to understand something better, will I continually be giving my interpretation, my understanding, or will I be eagerly asking questions of those who know with a genuine desire to understand what is being presented? How do you approach “new light”?

Do you think it dangerous to broach “new light” with candor and a desire to understand the position of what is being presented? I submit to you, according to the Lord, it is dangerous to broach “new light” in any other way, or to refuse to broach it at all.

“We shall not be accepted and honored of God in doing the same work that our fathers did. We do not occupy the position which they occupied in the unfolding of truth. In order to be accepted and honored as they were, we must improve the light which shines upon us, as they improved that which shone upon them; we must do as they would have done, had they lived in our day. Luther and the Wesleys were reformers in their times. It is our duty to continue the work of reform. If we neglect to heed the light, it will become darkness; and the degree of darkness will be proportionate to the light rejected.

“The prophet of God declares that in the last days knowledge shall be increased. There are new truths to be revealed to the humble seeker. The teachings of God’s word are to be freed from the errors and superstition with which they have been encumbered. Doctrines that are not sanctioned by the Scriptures have been widely taught, and many have honestly accepted them; but when the truth is revealed, it becomes the duty of every one to accept it. Those who allow worldly interests, desire for popularity, or pride of opinion, to separate them from the truth, must render an account to God for their neglect.” Ibid., 186, 187.

“Those who received the great blessings of the Reformation did not go forward in the path so nobly entered upon by Luther. A few faithful men arose from time to time, to proclaim new truth, and expose long-cherished error; but the majority, like the Jews in Christ’s day, or the papists in the time of Luther, were content to believe as their fathers believed, and to live as they lived. Therefore religion again degenerated into formalism; and errors and superstitions which would have been cast aside had the church continued to walk in the light of God’s word, were retained and cherished. Thus the spirit inspired by the Reformation gradually died out, until there was almost as great need of reform in the Protestant churches as in the Roman Church in the time of Luther. There was the same spiritual stupor, the same respect for the opinions of men, the same spirit of worldliness, the same substitution of human theories for the teachings of God’s word. Pride and extravagance were fostered under the guise of religion. The churches became corrupted by allying themselves with the world. Thus were degraded the great principles for which Luther and his fellow-laborers had done and suffered so much.” Ibid., 194.

“The church cannot measure herself by the world nor by the opinion of men nor by what she once was. Her faith and her position in the world as they now are must be compared with what they would have been if her course had been continually onward and upward. The church will be weighed in the balances of the sanctuary. If her moral character and spiritual state do not correspond with the benefits and blessings God has conferred upon her, she will be found wanting. The light has been shining clear and definite upon her pathway, and the light of 1882 calls her to an account. If her talents are unimproved, if her fruit is not perfect before God, if her light has become darkness, she is indeed found wanting. The knowledge of our state as God views it, seems to be hidden from us. We see, but perceive not; we hear, but do not understand; and we rest as unconcerned as if the pillar of cloud by day, and the pillar of fire by night, rested upon our sanctuary. We profess to know God, and to believe the truth, but in works deny Him. Our deeds are directly adverse to the principles of truth and righteousness, by which we profess to be governed.” Testimonies, vol. 5, 83, 84.

“Unless the church will follow on in His opening providence, accepting every ray of light, performing every duty which may be revealed, religion will inevitably degenerate into the observance of forms, and the spirit of vital godliness will disappear. This truth has been repeatedly illustrated in the history of the church. God requires of His people works of faith and obedience corresponding to the blessings and privileges bestowed. Obedience requires a sacrifice and involves a cross; and this is why so many of the professed followers of Christ refused to receive the light from Heaven, and, like the Jews of old, knew not the time of their visitation (Luke 19:44). Because of their pride and unbelief, the Lord passed them by, and revealed His truth to men in humble life, who had given heed to all the light they had received.” The Spirit of Prophecy, vol. 4, 200, 201.

God’s words of inspiration are not only rich with warning and rebuke, but filled with treasures and promises for the true and faithful.

“If the followers of Christ were but earnest seekers after divine wisdom, they would be led into rich fields of truth, as yet wholly unknown to them. Whoever will give himself to God as fully as did Moses, will be guided by the divine hand as verily as was the great leader of Israel. He may be lowly and apparently ungifted; yet if with a loving, trusting heart he obeys every intimation of God’s will, his powers will be purified, ennobled, energized; his capabilities increased. As he treasures the lessons of divine wisdom, a sacred commission is intrusted to him; he is enabled to make his life an honor to God and a blessing to the world. ‘The entrance of Thy words giveth light; it giveth understanding unto the simple’ (Psalm 119:130).” Ibid., vol. 3, 417, 418.

Do we live by the principles that governed Luther, seeking new light, new revelations from the word of God, or do we exhibit the principle found in Laodicea, satisfied with our current position, “rich and increased with goods.” My friends, we have studied God’s view of both. It is impossible to hold to both principles. Where are you? Are you with Luther, or are you with Laodicea? Your works will tell the tale, not your words. It is time we deal honestly with our souls, for the night is far spent, and the morning cometh.

(Unless appearing in quoted references or otherwise identified, Bible texts are from the King James Version.)

Brenda Douay is a staff member at Steps to Life. She may be contacted by email at: brendadouay@stepstolife.org.

Corporate Repentance

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Whatever the sins of your fathers have been, no matter what your past has been, remember this: God can save you if you commit your life to Him. Do not let the devil deceive you by getting you to think that your past is so bad that there is no hope for you. That is a delusion of the devil to get you discouraged. There is hope.

Ellen White wrote, “Our divine Lord is equal to any emergency. With Him nothing is impossible” (Luke 1:37). In Heavenly Places, 17. God has promised to save everyone who comes to Christ Jesus. Jesus said, “He that comes to Me, I will in no case cast out” (John 6:37, literal translation). So if you come to Him and are cast out, that would prove Him a liar. Jesus Christ is able to save. The problem is that it takes a full commitment. It is wrong to think you can give half of your heart to the Lord and expect the plan of salvation to work. It will not work.

Every sin you commit, both before and after your child is born, has an effect on the children. This effect ripples down to the third and fourth generations. If you are a father, there comes a time when, as a father, you begin to see your own sins reproduced in your children. It is not a pleasant realization when you see your own sins reproduced in your children. We are told in Manuscript Releases, vol. 9, 236: “Parents have a more serious charge than they imagine. The inheritance of children is that of sin. Sin has separated them from God. Jesus gave His life that He might unite the broken links to God. As related to the first Adam, men receive from him nothing but guilt and the sentence of death. But Christ steps in and passes over the ground where Adam fell, enduring every test in man’s behalf. He redeems Adam’s disgraceful failure and fall by coming forth from the trial untarnished. This places man on vantage ground with God. It places him where through accepting Christ as His Saviour, he becomes a partaker of the divine nature. Thus he becomes connected with God and Christ. Christ’s perfect example and the grace of God are given him to enable him to train his sons and daughters to be sons and daughters of God.”

The next paragraph, a very valuable paragraph for anyone who is a parent or going to be, is having to do with raising children. Where do the children get this sinful nature and in spite of that, how can they become overcomers and be saved? Notice carefully. Ellen White tells us how this is done.

She says, “It is by teaching them, line upon line, precept upon precept, how to give the heart and will up to Christ, that Satan’s power is broken.” Ibid. Satan’s power is broken by teaching the children line upon line, how to give the heart to Christ, how to yield their will to Christ. That is how Satan’s power is broken. Unless the children learn to yield their will to Christ, Satan’s power is not broken.

The heart is the seat of emotions, affections, feelings, passions, and appetite. These must be given over to Christ, both heart and will. The will is the kingly power in a man that is the power to make decisions.

When you yield your will to Christ so that He has control of your mind, and you have given your heart to Him so He has control of your feelings, affections, passions, and emotions, “… Satan’s power is broken.” This yielding of the will is what we need to teach children how to do.

“ ‘As many as received Him, to them gave He power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on His name’ (John 1:12). This is the work, the grand and holy work of parents. They are to keep before their children the great and vital work of receiving Christ, of believing on Christ as their Redeemer, the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world. This is the instruction they are to give to their children.” Ibid. Do not wait until they are grown up or think that they will get instruction in preparation for baptism. Teach them when they are just learning to talk, how to yield to Christ. “All who will accept Christ by living faith will take His life as their pattern.” Ibid.

“After the Fall Christ became Adam’s instructor. He acted in God’s stead toward humanity, saving the race from immediate death. He took upon Him the office of mediator. Adam and Eve were given a probation in which to return to their allegiance, and in this plan all their posterity were embraced. In the fullness of time Christ was to be revealed in human form. He was to assume the position of head of humanity by taking the nature, but not the sinfulness of man.

“Satan is the originator of evil. He swerved from his allegiance to God. Those who persisted in sympathizing with him in his disaffection were, with him, shut out of heaven.

“Implacable hatred against God fills Satan’s mind. Persistently he has used his influence to efface from the human family God’s image, and in its place to stamp his own satanic image. His effort to deceive our first parents was successful. Made in the image of God, the human family lost their innocence, became transgressors, and as disloyal subjects began their downward career. Satan gained control of man’s power of action. Through the senses he influenced the mind.

“Thus it has been from the beginning of the world. Instead of remaining under God’s influence in order that he might reflect the moral image of his Creator, man placed himself under the control of Satan’s influence, and was made selfish. Thus sin became a universal evil. And what a dreadful evil is sin!” Ibid., 237.

The secret to breaking Satan’s power is to teach our children line upon line, precept upon precept. That means to go over it, and over, and over, and over again on how to yield both heart and will to Christ. That is the only hope and the only way of escape your children have.

When you begin to see your own sins reproduced in your children you will not want to see your children repeat all of your own mistakes.

When my son was just a small child, I used to ride a motorcycle. Working in the emergency room at Loma Linda, I saw many motorcycle accidents come in and I decided that motorcycle riding was not a wise thing to do so I quit. I did not want my son seeing me ride and develop the same desire.

The time comes when you are a parent that you do not want your children to make every mistake you have made, and you want their mistakes to be corrected. In other words, what you would like to see is corporate repentance in your family. And this was Jacob’s experience. Remember, Jacob lied to his father. As a result of lying to his father, his brother Esau became so angry that he decided when his father died that he was going to kill Jacob.

Isaac, Rebecca and Jacob were afraid that Esau would not even wait till Isaac was dead to kill his brother. They decided that it would be better if Jacob would flee for his protection. So, Jacob made preparations and fled on foot. He was all alone with his guilty conscience. He knew the reason he was in this trouble was because he had sinned. He was separated from his family never to see his mother again, for by the time he came back 20 years later his mother had already passed away.

At his mother’s suggestion, Jacob went to Laban, his mother’s brother. God did not work a miracle to keep him from reaping the consequences of what he himself had done. While there he was deceived by Laban into marriage with the sister of the one he loved. It was a very cruel deception. Laban suggested the problem could be solved by Jacob taking Rachel, whom he really wanted, as a second wife. Jacob decided to agree to this arrangement but his domestic happiness was destroyed for just about his whole life.

I do not know how to impress on the minds of young people the consequences of unwise decisions. Often young people with the least experience and judgment make decisions that will destroy the rest of their life, or at the least make it much less happy than it could have been if they had not made those unwise decisions.

Ellen White says: “Laban understood the wrong of polygamy, although it was alone through his artifice that Jacob had taken two wives.” The Spirit of Prophecy, vol. 1, 116. Laban was covetous of money and saw that Jacob was such a good manager. By his devious plan he kept Jacob working for him to reap some benefits himself from Jacob’s industrious skill as a shepherd.

Now Jacob found himself married to two wives. The jealousy of the sister-wives and their handmaids resulted in terrible defects in the children. The children of Rachel, Leah and their two handmaids spent more time with each other than with their father. The jealousy they bore toward each other in regard to their positions and relationship with Jacob were the cause of the brother’s problems with jealousy, revenge, and hatred.

Most people know the story of Joseph. One reason his brothers had so much trouble with him was that they all knew Rachel had been Jacob’s favorite wife. Joseph was Rachel’s first-born son, and the other brothers who were older knew that the birthright would be given to him as the first-born son of his favorite wife. This knowledge caused contention and when Joseph related to them his dreams that appeared to indicate that he would have a high position over them, they really got angry.

What happened to Dinah was wrong. What happened with Shechem was wrong. (See Genesis 34.) Shechem should have been punished, but was it righteous to kill a whole city full of people because of the rash sin of a young man? It was a grievous sin.

In Genesis 34:30 it says, “Then Jacob said to Simeon and Levi, ‘You have troubled me by making me obnoxious among the inhabitants of the land, among the Canaanites and the Perizzites; and since I am few in number, they will gather themselves together against me and kill me. I shall be destroyed, my household and I.’ ”

Just before his death, Jacob said, “Simeon and Levi are brothers; instruments of cruelty are in their dwelling place. Let not my soul enter their council; let not my honor be united to their assembly; for in their anger they slew a man, and in their self-will they hamstrung an ox. Cursed be their anger, for it is fierce; and their wrath, for it is cruel! I will divide them in Jacob and scatter them in Israel” (Genesis 49:5–7).

He prayed and interceded with the Lord asking what to do so that his family would be protected. God told Jacob to go back to Bethel, the place he had first slept as he fled from Esau. It was there that he had the dream of the ladder that went up to heaven. The Hebrew word Beth means house, and el is God. So Bethel is house of God.

Jacob decided before they went to Bethel that his family needed to have a corporate repentance. Where there is corporate sin, there needs to be corporate repentance. He gathered his family together and he related to them about what had happened when he had to flee from his brother Esau.

He told his family that because of his sin and what he had done, he was so discouraged and had such a guilty conscience that he laid down to sleep. While he slept, God gave him a dream, and he saw a ladder that went all the way from the earth where he was clear up to heaven. Angels ascended and descended the ladder. God spoke to him in his dream and said, “I will be with you. And I will bring you back to this place.” As Jacob told his whole family the dream he was touched with emotion and it had a softening effect on their hearts. Right there they experienced corporate repentance.

Genesis 35:1–4 says, “Then God said to Jacob, ‘Arise, go up to Bethel and dwell there; and make an altar there to God, who appeared to you when you fled from the face of Esau your brother.’ And Jacob said to his household and to all who were with him, ‘Put away the foreign gods that are among you, purify yourselves, and change your garments. Then let us arise and go up to Bethel; and I will make an altar to God, who answered me in the day of my distress and has been with me in the way which I have gone.’ So they gave Jacob all their foreign gods which were in their hands, and the earrings which were in their ears, and Jacob hid them under the terebinth tree which was by Shechem.”

Look at the steps that were involved in Jacob’s family obtaining corporate repentance.

  1. There was an acknowledgment of what was wrong by the father, the leader. It is not impossible but very difficult for corporate repentance to occur if the leader, the father of the family, is not involved.

An example of that would be the ten tribes. God sent them message after message by the prophet, but they never corporately repented. Finally, they committed the unpardonable sin and they were scattered among the nations. Their tribal identity has subsequently been lost.

Contrary to that, the nation of Judah and Benjamin corporately repented several times. Several good kings listened to the appeals of God’s messengers, the prophets.

The position of the father in the family carries with it awesome responsibility. Jacob, the father, led out in this desire to repent and he appealed to his family to repent also. Telling them his own story softened their hearts and led them in repentance.

  1. An appeal was made to forsake the evil. Jacob told them that the idols they had were foreign gods and not the God of heaven. He said, “Put away the foreign gods that are among you.” Quit worshiping them and purify yourselves.

Concerning those who are expecting, as Christians, to go home with the Lord, the apostle John says that “everyone who has this hope in Him purifies himself, just as He is pure” (1 John 3:3). Jesus said in the Sermon on the Mount, “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God” (Matthew 5:8 NIV). O, you cannot just go on living, doing whatever comes naturally, letting your appetites and passions control your actions. You need to put away the foreign gods and purify yourself. You need to be in control of your life.

“Draw near to God and He will draw near to you” (James 4:8). The prophet Isaiah expressed it this way: “Wash yourselves, make yourselves clean; put away the evil of your doings from before My eyes. Cease to do evil, learn to do good; seek justice, rebuke the oppressor; defend the fatherless, plead for the widow” (Isaiah 1:16, 17).

Walk in God’s way. Many say, We do not have any false gods. “It is as easy to make an idol of false doctrines and theories as to fashion an idol of wood or stone. … With many, a philosophical idol is enthroned in the place of Jehovah. … Though in a different form, idolatry exists in the Christian world today as verily as it existed among ancient Israel in the days of Elijah.” The Great Controversy, 583.

False doctrines, false teachings, become false gods and therefore idols. Idolatry has the effect to make people feel secure, but they are not secure. Have you met somebody who believes “once saved they are always saved”? If you try to show them what the Bible says about the Sabbath, they say, “I am saved. I do not have to worry about that.” That person worships a philosophical idol more than the word of God.

In Genesis 35, not only did they put away their false gods, purify themselves, and change their garments, but notice what it says in verse 4: “So they gave Jacob all the foreign gods which were in their hands, and the earrings which were in their ears; and Jacob hid them under the terebinth tree which was by Shechem.”

Their repentance involved quitting to wear their jewelry. Jewelry itself is not wrong. God gave Lucifer lots of jewelry. It was beautiful, but was part of the reason for his fall. Lucifer was so beautiful that his heart was lifted up because of his beauty (see Ezekiel 28).

God made the jewels, and in heaven when the sin problem is solved, God is going to give His children more jewels than anybody has in this world. The jewels are not the problem but the pride of the wearer is where the error lies. The New Jerusalem, the holy city, is full of gold and precious stones and jewels. The problem is, because of his beauty, Lucifer’s heart became lifted up with pride. And what does the Bible say about the end of pride? It says in Malachi 4 that the days are going to come when it is going to burn like an oven, and all the proud, and all that do wickedly, are going to burn up.

Pride is a huge problem among beautiful women. Thus God has given counsel to all of His children since sin began not to wear jewelry and artificial beauty applications. By the way, how did Jacob know, how did his children know, that they should take this jewelry off and give it to Jacob and not wear it anymore?

The wearing of jewelry ever since the beginning of time has been associated with idolatry and immorality. Prostitutes in general wear lots of jewelry and make-up and color to give them beauty. This is very clear in the Bible. Let’s look at Jezebel, a very evil woman, in 2 Kings 9:30, to see how she was adorned. It says, “Now when Jehu had come to Jezreel, Jezebel heard of it; and she put paint on her eyes … .” Using color around eyes is nothing new. Jezebel did that thousands of years ago.

The use of jewelry and all kinds of ornaments to look beautiful is going to be a special problem among God’s remnant people in the very last days. Isaiah 2:2 says, “Now it shall come to pass in the latter days … .” And then he begins to give a prophecy about what is going to happen. This prophecy continues clear through for several chapters. Then in chapter 3 starting in verse 13: “The Lord stands up to plead, and stands to judge the people. The Lord will enter into judgment … . Because the daughters of Zion are haughty, and walk with outstretched necks and wanton eyes …” (verses 13, 14, 16). Then Isaiah talks about all their different ornaments they wear to make themselves beautiful. This prophecy continues clear through chapter 4, and it says in verses 3 and 4, “And it shall come to pass that he who is left in Zion and remains in Jerusalem will be called holy—everyone who is recorded among the living in Jerusalem. When the Lord has washed away the filth of the daughters of Zion, and purged the blood of Jerusalem from her midst, by the spirit of judgment and by the spirit of burning.”

The filth that the Lord washes away is the pride that He described in chapter 3:16–25. Notice: The wearing of jewelry and artificial adornment is going to be a special problem among God’s remnant people, God’s chosen people, in the very last days of earth’s history. Isaiah predicts this in this prophecy.

Jeremiah talks about it in Jeremiah 4:30: “When you are plundered, what will you do? Though you clothe yourself with crimson, though you adorn yourself with ornaments of gold, though you enlarge your eyes with paint, in vain you will make yourself fair; Your lovers will despise you; they will seek your life.”

Ezekiel talks about it also in Ezekiel 23:40: “Furthermore you sent for men to come from afar, to whom a messenger was sent; and there they came. And you washed yourself for them, painted your eyes, and adorned yourself with ornaments.”

And in the book of Revelation, you have a description of two women, a pure righteous woman who is clothed with the sun (Revelation 12), and a description of a harlot woman, a prostitute who is wearing all manner of gold and precious stones and jewels. In Revelation 17:4 it says, “The woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet, and adorned with gold and precious stones and pearls, having in her hand a golden cup full of abominations and the filthiness of her fornication.”

In Genesis when Jacob’s family had a corporate repentance, they took off their jewelry. At the end of the Bible in the book of Revelation, we see the very same thing again. Two women, one pure, clothed with the sun, not wearing any jewels at all, the other, a prostitute covered with jewelry and expensive clothing.

Here is what the apostle Paul said about it in 1 Timothy 2:9: “In like manner also, that the women adorn themselves in modest apparel, with propriety and moderation, not with braided hair or gold or pearls, or costly clothing, but, which is proper for women professing godliness, with good works.”

In 1 Peter 3:1–5, Peter said, “Wives, likewise, be submissive to your own husbands, that even if some do not obey the word, they, without a word, may be won by the conduct of their wives, when they observe your chaste conduct accompanied by fear. Do not let your adornment be merely outward—arranging the hair, wearing gold, or putting on fine apparel—rather let it be the hidden person of the heart, with the incorruptible beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is very precious in the sight of God. For in this manner, in former times, the holy women who trusted in God also adorned themselves, being submissive to their own husbands.”

My dear friends in Adventism, we talk about having revival and reformation so that the Lord can come, but in the last 30 years, the wearing of jewelry has escalated. It has come in among Adventist people like an overwhelming tide, so much so that we now even have ministers and their wives wearing rings. By the way, when I was a young minister in the North Dakota conference, no minister was ever allowed to baptize a woman who had a wedding ring on. That is the way it used to be and now the ministers themselves and their wives are wearing wedding rings.

Ellen White says the outward appearance is an index to the heart. We cannot read the heart, but we can see what is hanging and dangling on the outside and that is evidence that we are not having revival and reformation but the opposite. We are going deeper into apostasy.

Another example of corporate repentance was after the golden calf apostasy of the children of Israel just six weeks or so after the giving of the Ten Commandments. After Moses came down there was corporate repentance. You can read about that in Exodus 32 and 33.

Exodus 33:4–6 says, “And when the people heard this bad news, they mourned, and no one put on his ornaments. For the Lord had said to Moses, ‘Say to the children of Israel, “You are a stiff-necked people. I could come up into your midst in one moment and consume you. Now therefore, take off your ornaments, that I may know what to do to you.” ’ So the children of Israel stripped themselves of their ornaments by Mount Horeb.”

They corporately repented. Did you notice? They had to put away the golden calf and their false gods, just like Jacob’s children did. In addition to that, they took off all the jewelry that was hanging from their ears and wrists and ankles, and every other kind of adornment.

Friends, if there was ever a time when it would not matter too much for God’s children to wear a little bit of jewelry it would not be on the Day of Atonement when your name comes up and your eternal destiny is going to be decided. We cannot afford to do anything that is contrary to God’s word that might cause us to have pride in our heart and ultimately lose our soul.

We need to pray between the porch and the altar for God’s professed people. Like I say, the jewelry itself is not the problem. When you get to heaven, you are going to have more jewelry than anybody has in this world. That is not the problem. Jewelry itself is not sinful. The problem is the pride it invokes.

The Bible says the heart is deceitful above all things and incurably wicked (Jeremiah 17:9). Pride is like cancer. Some of you have worked in medical situations and are aware of the fact that cancer itself does not hurt. What hurts is the nerve that the tumor is pressing against. There have been many people who were just a few weeks away from death before they even knew they had cancer. Pride is like that. You can be full of it and you do not even know it. Can you afford to take a chance when God tells you in His word not to do something because it could cause pride to develop in your heart?

When I was a child, my father used to kneel down in our family worship and pray that our family would be saved without the loss of one. In other words, my father wanted to have corporate salvation for our family. And by the way, if you are a father, I believe that is a prayer that is appropriate for you to pray, “Lord, I want for my family to be saved as a corporate unit, without the loss of one.”

The Lord wants everyone in your family to be saved. And there are going to be corporate family units that will all be saved. Would it not be nice if your family was one of them?

(Unless appearing in quoted references or otherwise identified, Bible texts are from the New King James Version.)

Pastor John J. Grosboll is Director of Steps to Life and pastors the Prairie Meadows Church in Wichita, Kansas. He may be contacted by email at: historic@stepstolife.org, or by telephone at: 316-788-5559.