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Q&A – Do we need to follow the example of Daniel?

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Some Christians say that we are under grace and do not need to follow the example of Daniel in diet. Is this true?

We are under God’s grace. When you understand what is included in the meaning of grace you will then follow God’s Word without allowing others to influence your thinking.

John 1:12, 13 tells us that, “As many as received him [Jesus], to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name; Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.”

To those who received or associated themselves with Jesus, He gave power to become the sons of God. When you associate yourself with Christ, He gives you that power to become a child of God reflecting God’s character in all areas of your life. The following is a most wonderful explanation of what is included in the meaning of grace.

“He who receives Christ by living faith has a living connection with God, and is a vessel unto honor. He carries with him the atmosphere of heaven, which is the grace of God, a treasure that the world cannot buy.” “Ellen G. White Comments,” The Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, vol. 1, 1097.

Jesus walked in the atmosphere of heaven and did the will of the Father in all areas of His life. It was because Daniel and his three friends lived in that atmosphere and walked with God that they were so blessed.

If we are truly walking in that same atmosphere, which is the grace of God, we will want to do all that the Lord asks us to do. God desires us to be healthy, and through His Word He gives counsel and examples such as the experience of Daniel and his three friends.

God tells us that we are His temples and the Spirit of God dwells in us. While under His grace, walking in this atmosphere, we would want to do everything we can to keep these temples from being defiled. See I Corinthians 3:16, 17. When we read healthful counsel in His Word, knowing that the grace of God would not lead us against His Word, we will say, as did Paul, “We ought to obey God rather than men.” Acts 5:29.

Now that we understand that being under grace is carrying the atmosphere of heaven with us, reflecting God’s character in all areas of our life, we will choose to continue to walk in that atmosphere.

Contrary to having freedom to do anything we want and disregard God’s counsel on how to live, eat or dress, it is because of His grace that we choose to obey Him. We can begin right here and now to walk in those heavenly places, discarding worldly counsel and accepting God’s Word. Our body is the temple of the Holy Spirit. It would be wise to do all we can to maintain it in a healthy condition to give God the honor and glory He deserves.

If you have a Bible question you wish to have answered, please write to Steps to Life or e-mail it to: landmarks@stepstolife.org.

Keys to the Storehouse – A goodly Pearl

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Did you know that a beautiful pearl is formed as a result of an irritant? It is just amazing how such a beautiful thing that is so well sought after was formed because of an irritant. This again is evidence that with God all things are possible (Matthew 19:26) and His ways are most inspiring and impressive!

When an irritant becomes lodged in the soft tissue that lines the oyster shell, to protect itself, the oyster produces a coating to encase the irritant. This coating, called nacre, or Mother of Pearl, builds up in many thin layers creating an iridescent cover over the irritant and the resulting creation is a real gem, a most beautiful pearl.

Because of sin we are just like that irritant; however, when God looks upon us He does not see the irritant, but what we would look like through the redeeming layers of Christ’s love, a goodly pearl. Very soon, the Merchantman is coming for His goodly pearls to take us home to live with Him forever.

“Christ, the heavenly merchantman seeking goodly pearls, saw in lost humanity the pearl of price. In man, defiled and ruined by sin, He saw the possibilities of redemption. Hearts that have been the battleground of the conflict with Satan, and that have been rescued by the power of love, are more precious to the Redeemer than are those who have never fallen. God looked upon humanity, not as vile and worthless; He looked upon it in Christ, saw it as it might become through redeeming love. He collected all the riches of the universe, and laid them down in order to buy the pearl. And Jesus, having found it, resets it in His own diadem. ‘For they shall be as the stones of a crown, lifted up as an ensign upon His land.’ Zechariah 9:16. ‘They shall be Mine, saith the Lord of hosts, in that day when I make up My jewels.’ Malachi 3:17.” Christ’s Object Lessons, 118.

Jesus is seeking His goodly pearls; He is the heavenly Merchantman seeking for us. God sees in us a goodly pearl through the merits of Jesus. A pearl is something precious. You and I are precious. Our hearts which have been the battleground in the conflict with Satan have been rescued by the power of the love of God and are more precious to Him than are those who have never fallen.

Jesus paid a high price, giving up all heaven to come to this earth to willingly sacrifice his life for us in order to purchase the goodly pearls, you and me. He paid for us with His own blood, to rescue us from the devil’s clutches and to restore us to His kingdom, resetting us as precious jewels in His own diadem.

Oh Lord, I want to be that goodly pearl. I choose not to be an irritant any longer. Just as that little irritant in the oyster is covered by layers of Mother of Pearl, cover me with those layers of Christ’s agape love over and over again so that I may come forth as a goodly pearl. I want to be ready for the Merchantman when He comes to collect His goodly pearls. Amen.

Turn this Key to the Storehouse and those layers of love will begin to cover you.

Pen of Inspiration – Danger in Rejecting Light

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Then opened he their understanding, that they might understand the scriptures” [Luke 24:45]. Before this opening of their understanding, the disciples had not understood the spiritual meaning of what Christ had taught them. And it is necessary now that the minds of God’s people should be opened to understand the Scriptures. To say that a passage means just this and nothing more, that you must not attach any broader meaning to the words of Christ than we have in the past, is saying that which is not actuated by the Spirit of God. The more we walk in the light of the truth, the more we shall become like Christ in spirit in character and in the manner of our work, and the brighter will the truth become to us. As we behold it in the increasing light of revelation, it will become more precious than we first estimated it from a casual hearing or examination. The truth, as it is in Jesus, is capable of constant expansion, of new development, and like its divine Author it will become more precious and beautiful; it will constantly reveal deeper significance, and lead the soul to aspire for more perfect conformity to its exalted standard. Such understanding of the truth will elevate the mind and transform the character to its divine perfection. …

It is not God that puts the blinder before the eyes of men or makes their hearts hard; it is the light which God sends to his people, to correct their errors, to lead them in safe paths, but which they refuse to accept—it is this that blinds their minds and hardens their hearts. They choose to turn from the light, to stubbornly walk in sparks of their own kindling, and the Lord positively declares that they shall lie down in sorrow. When one ray of light which the Lord sends is not acknowledged, there is a partial benumbing of the spiritual perceptions, and the second revealing of light is less clearly discerned, and so the darkness will constantly increase until it is night to the soul. Christ said, “How great is that darkness!”

It is an astonishment to the whole universe that men do not see and do not acknowledge the bright beams of light that are shining upon them; but if they close their hearts to the light, and pervert the truth until it is interpreted to be darkness, they will imagine that their own criticism and unbelief is light, and will not confess their opposition to the ways and works of God. By pursuing a course like this, men who might have stood fast to the end, will place their influence against the message and messenger that God sends. But in the day of judgment, when the question is asked, “Why did you intercept yourself, your judgment and influence, between the people and the message of God?” they will have nothing to answer. …

As the prophet looked down the ages, and beheld the ingratitude of Israel, as he was shown in vision their unbelief, he also saw that which brought him joy of heart, and gave him a vivid sense of the goodness of God to Israel. He said, “I will mention the loving kindnesses of the Lord, and the praises of the Lord, according to all that the Lord hath bestowed on us, and the great goodness toward the house of Israel, which he hath bestowed on them according to his mercies, and according to the multitude of his loving kindnesses. For he said, Surely they are my people, children that will not lie: so he was their Saviour. In all their affliction he was afflicted, and the angel of his presence saved them: in his love and in his pity he redeemed them; and he bare them, and carried them all the days of old” [Isaiah 63:7–9]. But through their own course of rebellion the blessing of God toward Israel was turned away from them. That which they had sown in questioning and unbelief, they had to reap. The record says, “But they rebelled, and vexed his Holy Spirit: therefore he was turned to be their enemy, and he fought against them” [Isaiah 63:10]. May the Lord forbid that the history of the children of Israel in departing from God, in refusing to walk in the light, in refusing to confess their sins of unbelief and rejection of his messages, should be the experience of the people claiming to believe the truth for this time. For if they do as did the children of Israel in the face of warnings and admonitions, the same result will follow in these last days as came upon the children of Israel. The apostle admonishes, “To day if ye will hear his voice, Harden not your hearts, as in the provocation, in the day of temptation in the wilderness: When your fathers tempted me, proved me, and saw my works forty years. Wherefore I was grieved with that generation, and said, They do always err in their heart; and they have not known my ways. So I sware in my wrath, They shall not enter into my rest” [Hebrews 3:7–11]. Now comes the warning of the apostle, sounding down along the lines to our time: “Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God. But exhort one another daily, while it is called To day; lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin. For we are made partakers of Christ, if we hold the beginning of our confidence steadfast unto the end” [Hebrews 3:12–14]. …

Those who have faith in the messages of God will reveal it in their spirit, words, and actions. We are not to sit down and present excuses for unbelief; we are to realize our error, and be zealous and repent. The record says, “I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love. Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick out of his place, except thou repent” [Revelation 2:4, 5].

When the Lord sends light to his people, he means that they shall be attentive to hear and ready to receive the message.

The Review and Herald, October 21, 1890.

Children’s Story – The Potatoes

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A teacher struggled with knowing how to teach her kindergarten students to get along. It was so bad that she decided to let her class play a game. The children were instructed to bring to class the next day a plastic bag containing potatoes. Each potato was to be given the name of a person that the child did not like, so the number of potatoes each child carried in his sack varied and reflected the number and names of his enemies. Some had two potatoes, some three, while some others had up to five potatoes.

The children were required to carry the potatoes with them in the plastic bag wherever they went for one entire week.

At first the children thought it was fun carrying around these potatoes with names on them, but as the days passed by they tired of the game and began to get sick of carrying around their burdens, especially when an unpleasant aroma wafted from the plastic bag as their potatoes started to rot. There were many complaints, especially from the children who had to carry up to five potatoes, making their bags heavy. At the end of the week there was much relief when the game finally ended.

The teacher asked the children, “How did you feel while carrying the potatoes with you for one week?” The children shared their frustrations of the trouble that they had to go through carrying the heavy and smelly potatoes. Then the hidden meaning behind the game was told to the children.

She said, “Carrying rotten potatoes with you constantly is exactly what happens when you carry hatred for somebody inside your heart. The stench of hatred pollutes your heart as well as your body. You carry it with you wherever you go and it affects everything you do. If you cannot tolerate the smell of rotten potatoes for just one week, can you imagine what it is like to have the stench of hatred in your heart for your whole lifetime?”

We must throw out any hatred and evil thoughts we might be harboring in our hearts against anyone so that we do not carry the stench of anger for our whole lifetime. Carrying hatred causes grumpiness and anger and makes the one carrying it hard to get along with. As Jesus forgives us, we also are to forgive others.

Joseph’s brothers threw him into a pit and then sold him into slavery (Genesis 37). You can read all of the terrible things that happened to him, yet he never carried any anger or hatred. Though he was thrown into prison and falsely accused by Potipher’s wife, Joseph harbored no hatred, anger or revenge and was still able to happily help those around him in the prison, warming the hearts of all connected with him. Many years later when reunited with his brothers, though he had been treated so cruelly, he repaid them with forgiveness and compassion. There was not a hint of hatred in his heart.

Jesus tells us in Matthew 6:14, 15: “For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you: But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.”

Sometimes it is very hard to forgive someone who has done or said something evil against you, but never let another person’s bad actions infect the peace you have available in Jesus.

Forgiveness may be something we give to other people, but it is really a gift to ourselves. Holding onto anger and unforgiveness destroys both health and happiness, causing wretchedness that no one enjoys being around. Each day brings new opportunities for us to forgive and forget.

God is willing to create a new heart and to renew a right spirit in all who ask Him and remove that root of bitterness that so many carry with them.

The Essential Character Traits of the Saved

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The most important things for us to think about are practical things for our lives. There are many character traits that the Bible commends very highly that are important and necessary, but particularly one that I would call the essential character trait. It is singled out as a defining mark of the people of God throughout history and in the last days. What is this essential character trait?

All character traits can blend into one in the exemplification of our Savior’s life.

In Revelation 13:10 it says, “He that leadeth into captivity shall go into captivity: he that killeth with the sword must be killed with the sword. Here is the patience and the faith of the saints.” John has just described in symbolic terms the Dark Ages and the persecutions that were to take place during that era. He then described the closing of that era. He says, “The one that kills with the sword will be killed with the sword; the one that leads into captivity will be led into captivity.” Then he looks away from the persecution and the difficulties of the ages and he says, “Here is the patience and the faith of the saints.”

The description of the people that give the Three Angels’ Messages and experience these messages in the last days is found in Revelation 14:12 which says, “Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus.”

One essential character trait of the saved is faith. I have often wondered about the meaning of the verse in Philippians 4:5. Paul was a prisoner while he was writing this book; however, his theme for this book was to rejoice. Jails are not usually a place of rejoicing but Paul, as a prisoner, rejoiced. Paul says in Philippians 4:4, 5, “Rejoice in the Lord alway: and again I say, Rejoice.” Paul insists on the importance of rejoicing. Then he says, “Let your moderation be known unto all men. The Lord is at hand.”

What does Paul mean? Elsewhere in the Bible the word moderation can be translated patience or gentleness. I believe this is the only place it is translated moderation. Here Paul is in prison and he says, “Rejoice in the Lord always, and again I say, Rejoice; and let your moderation be known unto all men.” Doesn’t it make a lot more sense for him to say, “Let your rejoicing, your moderation, your gentleness, your patience be made known unto all men in all things?”

Patience is the specifically singled out character trait necessary for the saved and Paul says it is to be known by all men.

Patience is a learned characteristic. In Romans 15:4, 5 it states, “For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope. Now the God of patience and consolation grant you to be likeminded one toward another according to Christ Jesus.” God is a God of patience. Peter tells us in II Peter 3:15, “We account the patience of God to be salvation.” Without the patience of God there would be no salvation and this is something He wants His people to exhibit. The greatest call to patience that God has given was in the life of Jesus. We never find a time in which Jesus became impatient with those around Him. In circumstances to teach lessons, as in the driving out of the money changers, etc., He exhibited an attitude of authority, but not impatience. He desired God’s glory to be seen but He was not giving way to irritation.

Jesus had many opportunities to exhibit impatience in His life. He had at least four older brothers and two older sisters, and His brothers were constantly giving Him some trouble. There were opportunities to manifest impatience with the priests, the rulers and the leaders as they were tracking Him and trying to find fault. There would have been opportunity to manifest impatience with the dullness of His disciples and their incomprehension of what was going to take place, but Jesus’ patience was never ruffled.

Considering the word ruffled I think of a bird getting its feathers out of order or something like that. Jesus never allowed His feathers to get ruffled. Peter tells us how to learn patience in I Peter 2:20, 21. He says, “For what glory is it, if, when ye be buffeted for your faults, ye shall take it patiently? but if, when ye do well, and suffer for it, ye take it patiently, this is acceptable with God. For even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps.” We are to follow Jesus’ direct example in patience. In verse 20 He says that if you are at fault and you suffer patiently for it, what is that? But if you do well, and you suffer for it patiently, that is acceptable to God because even Jesus gave us an example of this and we are to follow in His steps. Jesus is to be our example in everything, and as pointed out here, He is to be our example in patience.

How serious is impatience? “The man who yields to impatience is serving Satan.” Testimonies, vol. 4, 607. “Would that you could understand that all this impatience and irritability must be overcome, or your life will prove an utter failure, you will lose heaven, and it would have been better had you never been born.” Ibid., 84. That is a very strong statement!

We can manifest impatience by a raised voice or unkind words or by becoming irritated at something or someone by never opening the mouth. Often it is better to keep the mouth shut, but in some instances that still manifests impatience. In I Corinthians 13:5 it says that, “Love is patient” or “love is not easily irritated or provoked.” That is something worth contemplating. Patience is waiting without worrying, not being on pins and needles worrying about what may never happen. Sometimes rushing without waiting on God can be a manifestation of impatience.

Abraham, who had proved to be so faithful to God, became impatient. He and Sarah wanted a child; they had waited for maybe 50 years. Abraham was 86 and Sarah was 76, long past the age of child- bearing. God had promised that they would receive what they had been hoping and praying for, but their patience ran out and they decided to help God. Sarah came up with the plan that her handmaid could bear the promised child for her. Here we see an important principle. Whenever we decide to help God out it always causes problems. Abraham and Sarah did not wait on the Lord to fulfill His promise in His time and in His manner. As soon as Hagar conceived, her relationship with Sarah changed. No longer did she see herself as just the handmaid, and Sarah’s behavior also changed to one of irritation and impatience.

Waiting is never easy. Waiting for years is especially not easy. God asks us to wait on Him. This waiting is necessary to develop an experience in our lives to teach us patience. In Gethsemane Jesus said to His disciples, “Tarry ye here and pray” (Mark 14:34, 38). Before he ascended to heaven He said to “tarry in Jerusalem” (Luke 24:49). Jesus says to “go ye” (Mark 14:13), and He also says to wait. As Jesus was ascending into heaven He told the disciples to “go ye into all the world; but first tarry ye in Jerusalem.” Jesus wanted them to realize that no matter how big the task, there was a more essential task of waiting upon God for His power and blessing to make it take place. Throughout the Psalms, over and over again, it says to “wait on the Lord.”

We need to wait on God and to trust in the fulfillment of His promises. There is a time for action but we also need to learn to patiently wait with God.

To find out why there is so much impatience today, it would be beneficial to identify our own impatient triggers and guard against them. Some people are adversely affected by loud noises, or continual noises, or bumper to bumper traffic. There does not need to be anybody else in the car for you to get impatient. You can be silent and still be impatient. It could be others’ tardiness or maybe our will is crossed that triggers impatience.

Most of us are very good at justifying the reasons for our impatience e.g., that guy cut me off in a line of traffic! But that is not the real reason for the impatience; it was just the stimulus that led to it.

When we are impatient, what are we doing? Abraham and Sarah became impatient waiting for the promised heir because they took their eyes off God. Impatience is a form of discontent of the situation around us. We are impatient with someone because we are discontent with what they said or what they did. We are impatient with the bumper-to-bumper traffic because we are discontent with the situation we are in. We are impatient waiting on God’s promise because we want it now. Impatience is a manifestation of discontentment. So what is the root cause of impatience? In Isaiah 26:3 it says, “Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee.”

Perfect peace is perfect contentment. Patience is having complete peace and trust in God at all times. Impatience is losing that contentment, peace and trust in God. When somebody says something and we want to respond with impatient words, it means that, in reality, somebody has done something or said something that we are discontent with. Impatience is a lack of complete trust in God.

We live in an impatient society. In the ’80s there was an interview with a president in which a reporter asked this former president, “Do you think this will have an effect on the state of affairs?” This former president said, “We as Americans have many virtues; patience is not one of them. The Russians think in terms of decades, the Chinese think in terms of centuries and we think in terms of months or maybe a year.” Statistics show that if people have to wait too long at a store, 50% of them will not go back to that store.

Sometimes we think that this is just the way I am, I was born this way; some are born patient and others impatient, and that is true to an extent. Some are born with more placid natures than others and some do have a tendency to be more impatient; but, can patience be learned? Not only can it be learned, but it must be learned. This is one of the characteristics of those who are waiting for the Lord to come. “Here is the patience of the saints.” Revelation 14:12.

There is another story in the Bible of a very impatient man who became very patient. While still living in Pharaoh’s palace, Moses was out riding one day and he saw an Egyptian beating one of his Israelite people. He was so angry that he murdered the Egyptian. Afterwards he said we have a job to do; we have to free the captive people of Israel, so let’s start it right now. We are told that Moses was naturally impatient before God took him to the university of patience where he graduated after 40 years working with sheep. This was to prepare him for the next 40 years leading the children of Israel through the wilderness. The Bible records that Moses was meek above every man upon the face of the earth. This is a real testimony to the power of God to bring forth meekness out of impatience.

Many have heard the statement or quip that says, “I want patience, and I want it now!” This statement is not totally wrong. Read the following statement: “Some of us have a nervous temperament, and are naturally as quick as a flash to think and to act; but let no one think that he cannot learn to become patient. Patience is a plant that will make rapid growth if carefully cultivated.” My Life Today, 97. If you want patience to rapidly grow in your life, then you need to carefully cultivate it. Ellen White continues: “By becoming thoroughly acquainted with ourselves, and then combining with the grace of God a firm determination on our part, we may be conquerors, and become perfect in all things, wanting in nothing.” Ibid.

How can we carefully cultivate the plant of patience that it may make that rapid growth in our lives? The patience chapters in the Bible are found in Hebrews 12 and James 5. “… let us run with patience the race that is set before us.” Hebrews 12:1. “Behold, we count them happy which endure. Ye have heard of the patience of Job, and have seen the end of the Lord; that the Lord is very pitiful, and of tender mercy.” James 5:11. Job is an example of patience. The two Bible characters named in the Bible as examples of patience are Abraham and Job.

There are seven points in the Bible on how to learn patience. “Be patient therefore, brethren, unto the coming of the Lord. Behold, the husbandman waiteth for the precious fruit of the earth, and hath long patience for it, until he receive the early and latter rain.” James 5:7. The Father has patience.

God’s original occupation for man was farming. God knew that mankind would have a problem with patience so He gave them something to help them. This does not mean that we all need to become farmers to become patient but there is strong evidence that gardening and other similar activities are beneficial for man. Could it be that God wants us to learn patience by working with the soil? You have to learn patience when planting a garden and be even more patient when planting an orchard, as there are never immediate results. God has given us this activity to help us to learn patience.

Most farmers today have to go into debt just to buy their seeds, and then their entire year’s livelihood as well as the repayment of their loan depends upon that crop. In any other occupation there are other ways to make income if something goes wrong but when you are farming and there is no rain, the only thing you can do about it is to learn to wait upon God. Job was involved in agriculture and livestock on a big scale with 500 yoke of oxen (equivalent to 250 tractors) that were plowing.

In II Peter 1:5, 6 it says: “And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge; And to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness.” Temperance comes before patience. If you have ever experienced being hungry you will know that it is a little bit more difficult to be patient during those times. When you become very hungry it is very difficult to eat slowly, because you are even impatient to eat the good food. Also when you become very tired, it is easy to become impatient, something you often see with children. Adults are just grown up children and when we become tired, overworked and hungry or when we eat the wrong types of food, that affects our mental state, giving us a tendency to become impatient.

In Job’s experience, though he was not feasting himself, the Bible says that Job prayed and offered sacrifices for his children in case they cursed God while they were feasting. Job understood the principle of temperance in order to be patient. We do not know how long of a time period the story of Job spans, but we do know that when his friends arrived they sat silently for at least a week. Basically the whole book of Job is a test on patience. All of Job’s friends accused him of doing wickedly. Nobody wants to listen to their friends tell them how bad they are while suffering with sickness and in great pain, but notice what Job says in Job 16:1, “Then Job answered and said, I have heard many such things: miserable comforters are ye all.” That was an understatement. The point made here is that Job patiently listened even though he did not want to listen to them. One way we can learn patience is by listening even though we do not want to listen.

The second point necessary in learning patience is temperance.

The third point is listening.

The fourth point is found in Job 42:10: “And the Lord turned the captivity of Job, when he prayed for his friends: also the Lord gave Job twice as much as he had before.” The Lord turned Job’s captivity when he prayed for his miserable comforters, his friends. Would you feel like praying for somebody who had just spent days or weeks trying to convince you that you were a wicked person? Patience is learned as others who have wronged you are forgiven. The very crux of all of Job’s friends was: “We don’t know what you have done, but the very fact that you are suffering this entire calamity is proof positive that you have sinned.” He was wrongly accused again and again. Job had much opportunity to learn patience.

God has instructed us that gardening, temperance, listening even when we do not want to, forgiving when others wrong us or doing good and suffering for it or being wrongly accused teaches patience. Look in Job 19:25–27 to see why Job could endure here: “For I know that my redeemer liveth, and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth: And though after my skin worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God: Whom I shall see for myself, and mine eyes shall behold, and not another; though my reins be consumed within me.” Job saw his Redeemer by faith and hoped for what he did not see. We need to hope for what we do not see.

Job certainly went through some trials! When we think we have a bad day, consider Job and see that our day is not as bad as Job’s day was. Job 13:15 says, “Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him.” Trusting in God through trials will develop patience. No trials, no patience!

Moses endured with the children of Israel for 40 years. He had practice with the sheep for the first 40 years, but the sheep were easy in comparison with the people of Israel. The secret of Moses’ success was that every time he was wrongfully accused, He went into the tabernacle, fell on his face and sought counsel before the Lord. When accused of bringing the Israelites out into the desert to die, he does not say, “Look, I did not do this,” but he went and he fell on his face before the Lord. Before he responded to his accusers he made it a matter of prayer. Tragically, due to one manifestation of impatience and lack of faith toward the end of his life he was prohibited from leading his people into the Promised Land.

Impatience is serious. Moses realized he had done wrong striking the rock when told to talk to it and pled for forgiveness and that his sentence would be reversed but the Lord said, “Don’t ask me another time.” If Moses had not repented it would have cost him eternity. Once impatient words are spoken their damage is done and cannot be taken back.

There are disastrous consequences with impatience. Where Moses failed, Jesus overcame. Where Moses failed, the final generation who will be saved will, at last, overcome. The final generation will not get to the borders of the Promised Land and be guilty of impatience. They will have overcome. In Revelation 14:5, in speaking of that final generation, it says there shall be no guile in their mouths. God is going to have a patient people. When we come to the close of the third angel’s message, God says, “Here is the patience of the saints.” Revelation 14:12. Patience will be manifested under every circumstance by this group of people who will have been bombarded by the devil with every imaginable trial.

“Here is the patience of the saints.” In order to be among that group we have to allow God to develop patience in our characters now.

Lest we become discouraged, in Messages to Young People, 136, it says: “Under its [the Holy Spirit’s] influence the hasty temper is subdued, and the heart is filled with patience and gentleness.

“Hold firmly to the One who has all power in heaven and in earth. Though you so often fail to reveal patience and calmness, do not give up the struggle. Resolve again, this time more firmly, to be patient under every provocation. And never take your eyes off your divine Example.”

God wants to teach us patience. Though we fall ever so many times, let us never give up the struggle. Let us strive to demonstrate our patience and that it be known to all men that God may say of us, “Have you seen my servant Job?” In the final generation He can say, “Here is the patience of the saints.”

May the Lord grant to each of us a patient-building experience now so that we can be among the patient saints of the final generation.

Cody Francis is currently engaged in public evangelism for Mission Projects International. He also pastors the Remnant Church of Seventh-day Adventist Believers in Renton, Washington. He may be contacted by e-mail at: cody@missionpro.org.

Thou Shalt Not Kill

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God says that if you will obey my voice and keep my commandments you will be a special treasure to me above all of the people of the earth. He said if you would do those things, it will be well with you. He asks that you and I walk with Him, follow Him in all that we do.

The Ten Commandments are ten great eternal principles that never change. Those are principles that God gave to guide, direct and to lead your life. They must not be viewed as rules. They are laws, they are principles but they are not rules. Many people have a tendency to look upon the Law of God as rules. When you view God’s law as a rule, it causes you to become legalistic and you will always be looking at other people to see if they measure up to the rule. Jesus and the Pharisees had conflict because of their persistence in coming to Him with some rule that they had made up regarding one of the commandments. Jesus would then give a principle which made them so mad that eventually they figured out how they could kill Him.

The sixth Commandment is, “Thou shalt not kill.” Exodus 20:13.

Genesis 9:6 says, “Whoso sheddeth man’s blood, by man shall his blood be shed: for in the image of God made he man.” This tells us that God made man in His own image and that means that you are special. There is not another individual anywhere in the vast universe of God who is just like you. You are one of a kind, unique!

If the life of an individual who is not saved or does not know Jesus Christ is taken, then that person is eternally lost. Throughout eternity there will never be another person like that one. This is a tremendous loss. You should not take something that you cannot restore and you cannot restore a life.

God is not interested in cloning. He creates. Man clones because he cannot create. God is not interested in having a bunch of people running around that look alike, speak alike, or act alike. God is interested in you being a distinct, special individual just the way He made you. David talked about this in Psalm 139:16: “Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed; and in your book they were all written, the days fashioned for me, when as yet there was none of them.” David said that God knew you before you were ever born. Life, for that reason, is special.

The last six commandments relate to loving your neighbor, whether it be your parents or the neighbor next door. In Romans 13:9 it says, “You shall not commit adultery, You shall not murder, You shall not steal, You shall not bear false witness, You shall not covet; and if there is any other commandment, it is all summed up in this, namely, You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”

The neighbors next door, no matter how ornery or difficult they may be, are special and there is nobody else like them. God brought them into existence and therefore you and I need to treat them with respect and love because they are special.

The law was not given to give you power to overcome or to help you. It was given to show you a direction on how you should live and which way you should go. In Hebrews 7:19 it says, “For the law made nothing perfect, on the other hand, there is a beginning of a better hope, through which we draw near to God.” There is something to help you and me because the law was not given to make anything perfect. The law is going to tell you that you are guilty. There is a better hope offered to you and to me.

In Romans 5:20 it says, “Moreover the law entered that the offence might abound (in other words, it points out sin). But where sin abounded, grace abounded much more.” Unfortunately, many people do not understand grace or what is involved in grace. Remember the rich young ruler who came to Jesus? He said, “Good Master, what do I have to do to inherit eternal life?” Jesus said to him: “If you would enter into life, keep the commandments.” And the young man responded saying that he had done that from his youth, “what lacketh I yet?” Jesus said if you want to be perfect, go and sell all that you have and give it to the poor and come and follow me (Luke 18:18-22).

What would you do if the Lord told you to go home and sell everything that you have and come and follow Him? Jesus was homeless, and did not know where the next meal was coming from and He said, I am not very well liked and the establishment would like to kill me, but sell everything you have and follow Me. How many of you would? Why would Christ ask that young man to do that? Because it was the only way that this young man would understand grace. All his life he had everything he wanted. He was not dependent on anybody. He was very wealthy and he turned away because he had great possessions. The only way he could understand grace was when he was totally dependent upon God. So with you and me; we have to be in a position where we are totally dependent upon the Lord.

What does the sixth Commandment mean when it says, “Thou shalt not kill”? In the original translation it says, “Thou shalt not murder.” The Hebrew meaning for the word kill or murder also means premeditated. That means I thought about it and then took that person’s life.

There are certain emotions that you and I have and if we do not take care of them they can cause us to commit murder. Let’s look at a few of these.

Envy—This can cause you to murder somebody. Do you remember the case in the Bible of Ahab? Right beside the palace was a vineyard owned by Naboth. Ahab was envious because he wanted that vineyard. He went to Naboth and told him that he would trade another piece of land for it, but he wanted that vineyard. Naboth told him that it had been in his family for many generations and that he did not want to sell. Ahab then offered him more than the vineyard was worth, but he would not sell it. He was so envious that he went home and moped and sulked and went on about it until Jezebel asked him what the problem was and then she took care of it. They murdered Naboth. Read about it in I Kings 21. Envy can cause murder. If you have a problem with envy, you need to look at it very, very carefully.

Hatred—If you hate your neighbor, if you hate your parents, or your brother or sister, you have an emotion that can get you into trouble and cause you to commit murder. Remember the experience of King Saul? He hated David. He did everything he could think of to take his life. Even when time and time again, it was shown him clearly that David was loyal and that he was not trying to take the kingdom, but Saul hated him so much that he continually attempted to take his life. If you hate, it can cause you to commit murder.

Anger—Uncontrolled anger can put you in situations where you will take a person’s life. If you cannot control getting angry, then you need to look at it and do something with that anger because that is dangerous. Cain killed his brother Abel because he was angry because God showed respect to Abel’s sacrifice but not his own. Anger must not be permitted to rule our lives.

Revenge—Revenge is wanting to get back for something that happened to me. I am not happy when hearing something on the news about somebody killing another person because others want to take revenge. When Samson’s wife was killed by the Philistines he said that he would go out and revenge himself and went out and killed over 1,000 of them. The spirit of revenge cannot be allowed to lead or guide the life.

I will never forget a time when I was holding a meeting and a lady atttended, with her was a young man, probably in his 30s. As we got acquainted one night I asked her about him. She said, “Brother Cox, that man killed my father. I went to the prison and told him I forgave him.” She told me she studied with him and brought him to Jesus Christ. When he got out of prison, he has been like a son to me ever since. This lady did not permit revenge to rule her life.

The Scripture does not tell us to be hateful, revengeful or angry. It says that you and I are to be kind, tenderhearted, loving one another (Ephesians 4:32).

Outside of shooting them or stabbing them, there are many different ways to kill people. In 1971 there was a song written called Killing Me Softly with His Song. Over the centuries, the preferred method for killing people was to poison them. Remember Nero who poisoned his mother who died rather quickly. Napoleon was poisoned for months before he died. In fact, poison still kills today and in many cases it is self-inflicted. What would you say to the Lord if He were to ask you, “Why did you commit murder?” You would say, “I did not murder anybody.” He would say, Yes, you committed suicide by slowly poisoning yourself by using tobacco. Every cigarette that you smoked took 11 minutes from your life. You committed suicide. How are you going to answer the Lord?

What about drugs? How do you answer the Lord when you are taking poisons and putting them into your body? The average age of a drug addict is 30 years of age. The same is true with alcohol—it does not kill you quickly; it just pickles you over time.

These poisons that are being used today we find almost acceptable and that it is all right to smoke and to chew and to use alcohol. This is not acceptable with God. To say that you just cannot quit, then you are saying that the grace of our Lord is not capable. Are you trying to say that if you turn your life over to God that He can’t take care of you and take you off those things? Would you tell God that, when He is there ready to help you?

We are talking about what God wants us to be and what we ought to be. There are some people who dig their grave with their teeth. There are women who are loving, kind and sweet wives who are absolutely fantastic cooks. The foods they fix are fabulous and they do that for their husbands, day in and day out. He sits and enjoys it and eats, not realizing that it is absolutely killing him. Look at 1 Corinthians 6:19, “Do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, which you have of God, and you are not your own?” The statement is very true that the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach. But if you prepare a wonderful meal day in and day out, and set that before him, you are asking for real problems; you are going to kill him.

I was invited to speak at a retirees’ convention. When I got up to speak and looked out across the audience of about 200 to 300 people I couldn’t believe what I saw. Ninety percent of the people in that audience were women. All of the husbands were dead. When I went through school, I worked as an orderly in a hospital and I noticed a rather strange phenomenon because a day or two before Thanksgiving or a day or two before Christmas the patient load in that hospital was way down. You could walk down that hall and there was vacant room after vacant room. The evening of Thanksgiving Day or Christmas Day when you walked back through those halls every room was full and there were patients in the halls and it is because of what we eat. There has to be limits. The sin of this age is probably the gluttony of people. We need to stop that because it is killing us.

Cannibalism—When you come home from church and you sit down at the table for dinner and you eat roasted pastor or roasted brother or sister in the church you are practicing cannibalism, which is murder. Next time you think you are going to start in criticizing a pastor or a brother or sister, write down on a little pad that you just committed murder. You are not to kill. That is like that song Killing Me Softly with His Words. Step by step I put them to death. God simply says, “Whoever hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has inherited eternal life” (I John 3:15). It is impossible to hate a brother or a sister and still make it into God’s kingdom.

The Bible says that hate, anger, revenge and envy and all those emotions come out from your heart. In Matthew 15:19–21 it says, “For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies.” All of that comes out of the flesh. In order to keep from being that way, you cannot be on the throne. You do not have any choice about being on the throne because you were born there. Little babies can get on that throne quite easily; they are born that way. The choice to be made is whether or not you will get off it. God gave you a will so that makes it possible for you to make a decision that you will not ruin your life.

If you stay on the throne, then there are certain things that are inherited and called the works of flesh. Look in Galatians 5:19–21. It says, “Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousy, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, envy, murders, drunkenness, reveling, and such like: of the which I tell you before, just as I also told you in time past, that they who do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.” You are born into this world only flesh. You need to make a decision of whether you are going to stay on the throne or let Christ reign there. Each must make that decision.

God has given each person a mind that is very smart. Your mind is a big filing cabinet which takes everything in that you hear, taste, see or touch and files it away perfectly so that anytime you want to you can pull it out and think about it. There is a lot in there you have not thought about for a long time, but if the right word is said or the right thing is done, it is immediately brought forth.

I was born in Chicago and lived the first nine years of my life there. I had never been back as far as spending any time there. I wanted to go back to the community where I was raised. I just wanted to go back and see what was there. I could not believe it, but when I walked back into the community all of the sounds and smells just flooded my soul. They were there after all of these years. Your mind files everything away very carefully.

If you are on the throne and running your own life, then you will put things into your mind that should not be there. These are the works of the flesh. You will watch the television and watch programs that encourage violence, hatred, murder, pornography and all of that will be stored in your mind. Then, you can think about it any time you want to. That produces what the Scripture calls emotions. The Bible says that when it comes to the emotions, you and I have to be very careful because it says, “Out of the heart … [Mark 7:21-23].” Heart refers to the emotions. It says to, “Keep your heart with all diligence for out of it springs the issues of life” [Proverbs4:23]. What does that mean? It means that your emotions cause actions—cause you to do certain things. That is why it says to watch your emotions, take care of them because that will cause you to do certain things.

If you permit envy or anger or hatred or any of those things to dwell in your life, those emotions could cause you to commit murder. The only way you can take care of this is by making the decision to put Jesus Christ on the throne.

When you make the decision to put Jesus Christ on the throne, He then makes the decision as to what goes into your mind, because He is in control. Therefore, He is the One who is calling the shots and I am going to read those things that are good and right. The Scripture says that whatsoever things are lovely, pure and of a good report, think on these things and that produces the fruits of the Spirit (Philippians 4:8). It says, “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law” [Galatians 5:22, 23]. Those begin to operate in my life. That is how the Holy Spirit comes in and takes control of your life and changes it.

You must make the decision whether you are going to let the Lord run your life or you are going to run your own life. If you are going to run your own life, then I will assure you that the works of the flesh will be present, but if you turn it over to Christ, then the Holy Spirit will come into your life and He will do His work in your life. The only way that takes place is at the foot of the cross. Day by day I have to come to Him at the foot of the cross and turn my life over to Him and let Him work in my life.

Are you willing to put Christ on the throne and let Him control your life and let Him do His work in your life so that the fruits of His Spirit might be manifested in you?

Kenneth Cox’s sermon was taken from the Ten Commandment Weekend, 2008 series aired on 3ABN. For more information contact www.3ABN.org.

The Purpose of the Church

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It is such a privilege to worship God in truth. There are many Christians now days who tell people that they are worshiping God; however, not in truth but in fallacies. I am so happy that we are united in the truth of Jesus Christ.

What is God trying to accomplish through His church especially in these last days? If you travel to China, you will not find any really organized system of churches. The government’s religious department is their general conference. Many churches are shared by Sabbath keepers and Sunday keepers. As a matter of fact, all of those local churches are governed by their own members and they gather the offerings and use them as they see fit. Tithe money is gathered and then used at the discretion of the local members. It is very interesting that the finances that are gathered from their own pockets for the usage of God’s work is spent in a more proper manner than many of the churches here in the United States.

A large amount of money gathered in this country is usually used to decorate their own churches, to build mega churches, crystal churches with nice pews, furnish better carpets and to pay better money to their pastors. The monies are also used to buy Cadillacs, BMWs and Mercedes for their leaders. But in China, even though there is nonsystematic church organization, God’s money is used more efficiently.

What is the purpose of the church? We gather together in the church on Sabbath because we believe in Jesus Christ as our Saviour, we believe in the Biblical Sabbath and we believe in many other Biblical truths. We are united in the truth in our hearts and minds and worship the same God. That qualifies you and me as a church. What is God trying to accomplish through us, especially now days?

We find something very interesting in Ephesians 5:25, 26. It says, “Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it; That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word.”

The water and the word are synonyms in this phrase. The Apostle Paul says that the washing of water symbolizes the Word of God. God called us from the world and gathered us as a church of God, in unity of the truth of the Word of God so that He can cleanse us and then we can reflect something. That is why Jesus Christ prayed in John 17:17, “Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.” There is only one way to cleanse us; only one way to prepare our character according to God’s pattern is through the cleansing of His Word.

When we accept Jesus Christ, we accept His truth. Accepting Him into our hearts as our Saviour is accepting His principles, His words. When we compare ourselves, our faults, our philosophies, our understandings and our characters with the Word of God, we find errors and shortcomings. We find our idols, our sins, our selfishness and our pride. We find things that are not in harmony with God’s character. So, what do we do? We forsake those things that we think are not in balance with God and we accept God’s principles and God’s truth. That is how we accept Jesus Christ as our Lord and Saviour, our Master, King and our High Priest. We accept Him as our Lord. He has gathered us as His church so He can cleanse us through His Word.

When I was in high school I went through a ceremony. There was a female high school and about 500 high school girls were sitting on the one side of the big stadium and I was sitting on the other side. There was a big game played out in the ground. All of a sudden I heard some beautiful music and drums and I began to see one huge picture right in front of my eyes. These 500 girls were each holding a piece of a picture— the nose, the eye or the ear, etc., and they all held their pieces up and they all fit together like a big puzzle. All of a sudden they lifted it up and it was one big picture of the president of South Korea at that time. It was fascinating and I was much impressed.

We reflect the image of Jesus Christ individually and yet as a church, there is no one individual who is able to reflect the perfectness of Jesus Christ. When we, as a church, are united in the truth, then certainly as a church we can reflect the image of Jesus Christ perfectly. Sister White has told us that when we receive the latter rain, we are going to go out to proclaim the seventh day Sabbath more fully. Later on she said that when we are filled with the Holy Spirit, the Latter Rain, we will go out and reflect the image of Jesus Christ fully.

What is the Sabbath? Sabbath is the resting experience. So the rest still remained for the people of God. When Adam was created, the first thing he had done was to participate in God’s rest, rest in God’s creative power. God had just made the world with no imperfection. When God creates new hearts and new minds, we become quickened. No matter what I have done, when I sincerely place my heart on the altar and say, “Lord, I confess all of my nonsense. Forgive me and cleanse my heart with Thy truth. If there is anything in my heart that I am holding with reservations, please help me to understand and show me. I do not want to hold anything back from you. I am thine Lord.” As long as I understand and admit that I am wrong and that I am a sinner and confess my sins in entirety, not holding anything back, God will re-create me in perfectness. I believe that He will wash me with his Truth, His Word and that He can accept me as a perfect person.

The righteousness He is going to give me is going to be a perfect righteousness. I believe that before you and I become truly righteous, God has to plant the seed of righteousness within our hearts, which is the motivation and desire to become righteous. It is the heavenly manna, the bread of life coming from heaven. We cannot create it for it is part of God. That is why it is righteousness by faith. We can only receive it by faith. When Abraham and Sarah believed in God’s promise, a life was produced—Isaac, a living thing, a living thing, the righteousness of God, came out of their dead bodies.

As long as we are in sincere repentance and give ourselves entirely to God, He will re-create our hearts and His creation is perfect. That does not mean that I am perfectly matured yet. As far as maturity is concerned, even after you and I go to heaven we are going to keep on growing throughout eternity. We can be perfect in each stage of our life. When God makes us righteous, we can think righteous and plan righteous; we can treat each other righteously. He washes us with His powerful Word in which He created the worlds. I believe that same Word spoken by God through the Holy Spirit in the Bible has the power of creation. If we truly take it in and eat it and digest it we can glean the power and promises of God. His Word, the truth, can make you and me righteous and perfect.

When I was young I thought that my father did not love me. I was the only begotten son in my family and he did not want to spoil me and he knew how to discipline. Sometimes I thought that my father did not like me. He did not give me big allowance money; just a little. As I began growing up, I realized that he had many other obligations. In my ignorance I began to spread rumors about my old father. Oh, my father is a miser; he is tight with his money and then I began to realize that he was not. He was a good man and he was a merciful man who loved me so much, but I had spread wrong rumors among my friends against my own father. When I grew up my father was still giving me a monthly allowance and I said, “Dad, you don’t have to give it to me. You can give it to my sisters, as they need it more, or you can use it for electrical bills or other things needed.” As I began to grow up, I began to understand my father.

One day I was sleeping in my room and it was kind of cold and I felt chilly so I wanted to pull the comforter over my head and yet I could not. All of a sudden I felt warmth all over my body. I did not know what was going on but I felt so warm. I opened my eyes a little bit and I just realized that someone had pulled the comforter over my head and then was going out. I looked at his back and it was my dad. All of a sudden that morning I realized my father loved me—he did not hate me.

Friends, as we become more mature in the Holy Spirit in our Christian experiences and through hardships, trials and tests, we begin to understand more of the love of God. Then we understand that He allows all of these difficulties and pain and sufferings in our lives so that He can cleanse us so that He can perfect us and present us a glorious church. When we go through the sufferings, pain and tests, we learn to be obedient to God. Our God is merciful. He is a wonderful God. He has been wonderful to me. That does not mean that I have not gone through some valleys of trials and pain. Oh yes, I have gone through those valleys and then I began to realize that God has a tremendous purpose to make us pure and holy, individually, and then He is going to unite us in the truth. Truth is God and God is the truth. So through truth, through doctrines in the Word of God, the Bible, we are united. Then we are to reflect Jesus Christ perfectly as a team.

Ephesians 5:27 tells us “That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish.” He is going to present His church to Himself first before anything else, holy and without blemish. When God creates us, we are perfect. When we give ourselves to Him in confession of sin, He creates us anew. We have a new life and new thoughts, new motivations and new feelings and emotions. Our moral character is made up of new thoughts and feelings combined (Testimonies, vol. 5, 310). He is going to present us as a glorious church.

What does it mean to be a glorious church? In I Timothy 3:15 it says, “But if I tarry long, that thou mayest know how thou oughtest to behave thyself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth.”

“The church of the living God” contains two things: the pillar and the ground (foundation) of the church. The church must have ground. Without a ground you cannot build a church. And even if you have the ground, without the pillars you cannot hold up. So it must have two things: the ground, which is the foundation and then the pillars, which is the truth. We need to be grounded in the truth and we need to support this church as pillars.

What is the sealing? The definition of sealing in the Spirit of Prophecy is the settling into the truth so that we will not be moved. That is talking about the foundation and the pillars. We are supposed to be grounded. Lay that foundation strong so that we can be set and built on the solid ground of truth and not be moved and become a strong church.

In I Timothy 3:16, God is going to do something with this church. What is it? The Apostle Paul illustrates the purpose of the church through the life of Jesus Christ. This is what it becomes, a glorious church. “And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory.” This is a glorious church. This means this church is going to be ascended and enraptured in glory when Jesus Christ comes and will return to Eden to the stage where Adam and Eve were created in the first place. You and I are going to be a glorious church. We are going to be translated alive. We have a great opportunity to become living saints, alive without tasting death. I have such joy in my heart every time I think of it.

Jesus Christ came in the form of human flesh. He went through the sufferings and conflicts and learned to become perfect, to become obedient. He experienced life the same way that you and I are going to and He overcame the situations and conditions as well. He learned to become obedient, the Son of His Father. Jesus came in the flesh and became righteous in His spirit. As stated in I Timothy 3:16, “He was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit.”

The work of the church is to cooperate with God to become a glorious church. Individually and then in unity we should become a glorious church.

There is a controversial verse which is a conditional verse found between chapters 7 and 8 in the Book of Romans. In Roman 7:25, it says, “I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then with the mind I myself serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin.” In other words, he said that in my mind I serve the law of God but in my flesh I serve the law of sin. I do not know how long you have been a true Christian in the Lord, believing the truth, sealed by the Holy Spirit and living by the truth or living God’s Word by faith. It does not matter how many years we have been sanctified by the truth, we cannot deny the fact that still there are times we feel the promptings of sin, promptings of our past habits, etc. That is not our desire or intention to have these promptings but they just come up.

One quiet morning, not long ago, I was praying at home. Our house is a very quiet place in the country surrounded by many trees. I was praying to God during my studies and all of a sudden an urge or prompting came into my mind. It was some bad memories of someone that just came to me; I did not intend to think about that person but it just all of a sudden came into my mind. I then realized that without giving myself entirely to God every morning and every moment of every day, I am not perfect. Without the Holy Spirit present in my mind all day, I cannot present myself as a righteous offering, a temple of God where the Holy Spirit can reside. We need to understand that in our body we serve sin. This does not mean that we practice or commit sin, but it means that there is a trace of sinful records in our own bodies and in our own brains, yet in our minds we serve God. In our renewed minds and consciences our desire is to serve God. That is why we need to be delivered daily from our own bodies. That is why in Roman 8:1 it says, “There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.” If we follow after the flesh then we cannot overcome, but if we follow after the Spirit of God who resides in our hearts then we are able to serve the Lord. Sin is a habit and righteousness is a habit, which is why we need to make righteous habits. We are not talking about righteousness by works, but without the works nobody can be saved.

In I Timothy 3:16 it is talking about the mystery of godliness. God works perfectness and He works His righteousness. God works His mystery of creation through the gospel.

In Isaiah 60:1–4 it says, “Arise, shine; for thy light is come, and the glory of the Lord is risen upon thee. For, behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the people: but the Lord shall arise upon thee, and his glory shall be seen upon thee. And the Gentiles shall come to thy light, and kings to the brightness of thy rising. Lift up thine eyes round about, and see: all they gather themselves together, they come to thee: thy sons shall come from far, and thy daughters shall be nursed at thy side.”

God is going to bring people toward His church if the church becomes the glorious church reflecting the image of Jesus Christ fully and preaching the Sabbath more fully. What does it mean more fully? Sabbath is an experience; it is not just resting on a certain day. We call ourselves Sabbath keepers because Sabbath is not just a day but an experience in God’s creation. Before God translates His church to heaven He will prove a point that His plan of salvation is so powerful it can change wicked human beings into a glorious church. He has to prove a point.

Salvation is turning the clay into a perfect human being reflecting the image of God. Through the plan of salvation God is using His creative work. That is the gospel. The gospel is not only forgiving our past; it is saving us from our current sin so that we are not going to be governed by our own fallen flesh, but we are going to be governed by the Holy Spirit.

Keeping the Sabbath is an experience. God creates His character within us. This begins with our confession and repentance so He can clean us through His Word. I recognize that I have been eating, drinking, dressing, behaving and speaking the wrong way and misrepresenting God. I have been misunderstanding God’s character and His ways so God is going to cleanse me, little by little into perfectness through the cleansing of His word. That is creation! When we stand before God, we, the remnant church, the remnant of the woman who keep God’s commandments, will have the testimony of Jesus Christ. The testimony of Jesus Christ is receiving visions and words directly from God. That is the testimony of Jesus Christ. That is the work of a prophet. The church is a prophet for the world which can only find the truth through the church. Church in a way is a prophet. We must have the testimony of Jesus Christ and we must have a direct relationship with God through the Holy Spirit.

We need to understand what it means to surrender. Sometimes we are so disappointed and in despair because we can’t do it. That is why we need to be cleansed by the Word of God. We need to learn the gospel as creation and we must be willing to receive the righteousness from Jesus Christ. We must humble ourselves and admit that we are but clay and that there is nothing we can do as far as righteousness is concerned. We need to submit ourselves to God as clay in the potter’s hand so that He can mold us anew.

One day Michelangelo brought in one big rock into his workroom and began to chip away at it. After two or three months his servants went into his workroom and they were astonished by beholding a beautiful statue of Moses. They said to Michelangelo, “Master, this is so beautiful, so brilliant. How did you do it? It was just a chunk of rock and now you have transformed it into this beautiful statue of Moses.” Michelangelo said, “All that I have done is to chip away the parts that did not belong to Moses.”

God is at work in your life and in mine chipping away through the knife of the gospel, through the knife of the Word of God. The two-edged sword pierces our thoughts and mind, cutting away those things that do not belong to the image of Jesus Christ. We need to cooperate with Jesus Christ every day.

I want Jesus to come soon so the sufferings, pains and trials in this world will cease. We need to become a glorious church of God so He can present us before the universe. Let us arise and shine because the glory of God has rested upon us. It is not something we have prepared by our own efforts, but God’s glory rested upon us. That is creation! Then we will be able to shine in the world; even our children are going to come to us.

Many children are turned off by their parents’ rigid religion, stubbornness, and legalistic mindset. God deals with us with such a freedom and liberty. He never forces anyone into heaven. How many are trying to force their children into heaven, into righteous behavior. It should be the work of righteousness. God’s gospel is very simple; it is creation. We need to pray for our children so that we can, in cooperation with God, create a spiritual environment without forcing them, but by wooing them like the Holy Spirit woos us every day. God’s glories are to rest upon us and we will become a glorious church and will shine to the world. That is the purpose of the church.

Colossians 1:26–28 says, “Even the mystery which hath been hid from ages and from generations, but now is made manifest to his saints: To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory: Whom we preach, warning every man, and teaching every man in all wisdom; that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus.”

This mystery of God is being manifested through you and me to the church and the Gentiles will see the glory of God. This is the first angel’s message which says to, “Fear God and give glory to Him” [Revelation 14:7]. “Christ in you, the hope of glory” [Colossians 1:27], that creative power in us is our hope.

Pray to the Lord to re-create your heart. God is a wonderful God. Tell the Lord that you open your heart to Him and ask Him to come into your heart with His Spirit to help you. He will give you new thoughts, new emotions, new feelings and a willingness to follow His will. He is going to make us a glorious church.

Pastor David Kang is Director of Light for Life Ministry operating out of Hartwell, Georgia. His sermons are broadcast weekly on New York and Virginia Korean television stations. Pastor Kang also frequently travels to Asia where he trains pastors who often work “underground.” Pastor Kang may be contacted at: www.lightforlife.org.

Where God is Working

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The third chapter of I Corinthians is rapidly becoming one of my favorite books in the New Testament. It is really one of the great chapters in the Bible about who and what the church is. Verse 2 of the first chapter says, “To the church of God which is at Corinth, to those who are sanctified in Christ Jesus.” We see that the church in Corinth were those people in that city who were sanctified in Christ Jesus. I Corinthians 3:9, I believe, is the most astounding verse in the whole Bible: “For we are God’s fellow workers.”

If you study the Spirit of Prophecy writings carefully, you will see that this verse is also one of Ellen White’s favorites and she used it over and over again to show how we become workers together with God. There is no higher privilege that any person could have than to actually be a fellow laborer—a fellow worker with God!

Ever since the beginning of time, God has been working. As you study the inspired writings, they always focus the attention on where God is working. It is important to know this to be one of His fellow workers.

When I studied ancient history, I found out that there were many things going on during Abraham’s time. Inspiration does not go into any of these things, but focuses all the attention on where God is working. Even though Adam had many children, inspiration focuses only on a holy line of men through whom God worked. Seth had a son named Enos, and in his time, the Bible says that men began to call on the name of the Lord. That is where God was working. Then, in the seventh generation from Adam, Enoch was born. That is where God was working, and the people who chose to be fellow workers with God worked in cooperation with Enoch. After Enoch, there was Noah; and if you had been living in Noah’s time and you wanted to be a fellow worker with God, you would be working with Noah.

By the time there had been twenty generations, the whole world had rejected God twice. God looked over the world and found a man whose name was Abraham. He said to Abraham, “I am going to fulfill the plan of salvation through you and through your seed [Christ].”

As you study the Bible record, you will find a certain characteristic in common among all those through whom God was working. In speaking of Abraham, God clearly identified what qualified a person to be a colaborer with Him. “Abraham obeyed My voice and kept My charge, My commandments, My statutes, and My laws.” Genesis 26:5. Abraham was obedient.

When God brought the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt, He made them a wonderful promise: “Now therefore, if you will indeed obey My voice and keep My covenant, then you shall be a special treasure to Me above all people; for all the earth is Mine.” Exodus 19:5.

This promise had conditions. God made a covenant with them. He said, “If you do this, I will do this for you; you will be My special people.”

Some say that there are unconditional promises, so in checking this out in the inspired writings of Ellen White, she says all of God’s promises and threatenings are conditional. See Maranatha, 61.

Israel wandered in the wilderness for thirty-eight years longer than they had to because they were not obedient and they rebelled. Finally, when they entered Canaan, they went into apostasy again and started worshiping idols which lasted for hundreds of years. During this time the tabernacle was still with them, and they continued to keep the yearly feast days.

During the period of the judges, the tabernacle was located in Shiloh, in the land of Ephraim. Many people have almost forgotten that Ephraim was the center of Divine worship for over three hundred years and the people of that time thought that it would always be that way.

Look what it says about this in the Psalms: “Moreover He rejected the tent of Joseph, and did not choose the tribe of Ephraim, but chose the tribe of Judah, Mount Zion which He loved.” Psalm 78:67, 68.

Why did God reject Ephraim and remove the tabernacle from Shiloh? “The ark remained at Shiloh for three hundred years, until, because of the sins of Eli’s house, it fell into the hands of the Philistines, and Shiloh was ruined.” Patriarchs and Prophets, 514.

As a result of the leaders of God’s people falling into apostasy and sin, the Lord told Eli, “You are not going to be a priest for Me. Your descendants are not going to be My priests forever.”

They were descendants of Aaron—God’s people; but the Lord said, “You are no longer going to be priests” and Ephraim was rejected as the religious center—something that was thought could not happen, happened. “The sanctuary service was finally transferred to the temple at Jerusalem, and Shiloh fell into insignificance. There are only ruins to mark the spot where it once stood. Long afterward its fate was made use of as a warning to Jerusalem.” Ibid.

A few hundred years later the people of Jerusalem thought the same thing. The temple there was the center of Divine worship, and they believed that this was where God was working. Hundreds of years after the worship had been transferred from Shiloh, the Lord, through Jeremiah, said, “ ‘Will you steal, murder, commit adultery, swear falsely, burn incense to Baal, and walk after other gods whom you do not know, and then come and stand before Me in this house which is called by My name, and say, “We are delivered to do all these abominations.” ‘Has this house, which is called by My name, become a den of thieves in your eyes? Behold, I, even I, have seen it,’ says the Lord. ‘But go now to My place which was in Shiloh, where I set My name at the first, and see what I did to it because of the wickedness of My people Israel. And now, because you have done all these works,’ says the Lord, ‘and I spoke to you, rising up early and speaking, but you did not hear, and I called you, but you did not answer, therefore I will do to this house which is called by My name, in which you trust, and to this place which I gave to you and your fathers, as I have done to Shiloh. And I will cast you out of my sight, as I have cast out all your brethren—the whole posterity of Ephraim.’ ” Jeremiah 7:9–15.

As we look at history, we see that God cannot work with people who are living in sin. If you want to be a fellow worker with God, you cannot link up and work with people who are living and working in sin. With God, character is what counts; and God works with people who listen to His voice and who obey.

We are told of Israel:

“Their calamities did not come because they kept the law of God, but because they disregarded that law. God had told them that if they did not obey His commandments, He could not keep His covenant with them. The history of the Israelites is portrayed for our warning. They had great light and exalted privileges; yet they did not live up to that light nor appreciate their advantages, and their light became darkness. They walked in the light of their own eyes, instead of following the leadings of God. Their history is given for the benefit of those who live in these last days, that we may avoid following the same example of unbelief.” The Signs of the Times, July 19, 1899.

Where was God working in the time of Jesus? When Jesus was brought to the temple to be dedicated, Ellen White says that the priest did not recognize anything unusual. Commenting on this experience she says, “So it is still. Events upon which the attention of all heaven is centered, are undiscerned, their very occurrence is unnoticed, by religious leaders, and worshipers in the house of God.” The Desire of Ages, 56.

While the attention of all heaven was focused on Christ’s birth, in this world the people who claimed to be God’s true people did not even know it had taken place. How can you be a laborer together with God if you do not even know where God is working?

While on earth, God worked through His Son to bring salvation to a lost world. If you wanted to be a laborer together with God then, you had to connect yourself with Jesus and work with Him.

The New Testament writers predict that a terrible change is going to take place among those who profess to be Christians. Paul speaks, addressing the elders from the church of Ephesus: “Therefore take heed to yourselves and to all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood. For I know this, that after my departure savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock. Also from among yourselves [church leaders] men will rise up, speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after themselves.” Acts 20:28–30.

Speaking of this same great apostasy, Paul wrote: “Let no one deceive you by any means: for that Day [the day of Christ] will not come unless the falling away comes first, and the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition, who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God or that is worshiped, so that he sits as God in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God.” II Thessalonians 2:3, 4.

Peter talked about this apostasy, too. “But there were also false prophets among the people, even as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Lord who bought them, and bring on themselves swift destructive ways … because of whom the way of truth will be blasphemed.” II Peter 2:1, 2. [Emphasis supplied.] The word blasphemy means to speak evil of something. As a result of this new teaching, the real way of truth will be evil spoken of.

Notice that both Peter and Paul say that false prophets will secretly bring in destructive heresies. Whenever you find a book that is written to which the authors do not want to put their name, you ought to remember these texts.

Paul identifies this element as the mystery of lawlessness. This apostasy will, therefore, involve the breaking of God’s law and result in the way of truth being evil spoken of. Did this happen?

“The history of God’s people during the ages of darkness that followed upon Rome’s supremacy is written in heaven, but they have little place in human records. Few traces of their existence can be found, except in the accusations of their persecutors. It was the policy of Rome to obliterate every trace of dissent from her doctrines or decrees. Everything heretical, whether persons or writings, she sought to destroy. … Before the invention of printing, books were few in number, and in a form not favorable for preservation; therefore there was little to prevent the Romanists from carrying out their purpose.” The Great Controversy, 61, 62.

If you were living in that time and you wanted to be a fellow worker with God, it made all the difference in the world whether or not you understood that God was working with people who were keeping His law. If you did not understand this principle, you could not be a fellow laborer with God. Do you realize, friends, that there have been millions of people who have believed that they were working with the Lord but were working with the devil the whole time?

We find that all of the sixteenth century Reformers upheld God’s law. They did not all understand the binding claims of the fourth commandment, but they did not reject it. There is a great difference between not understanding truth and rejecting it. Martin Luther, as well as John Huss, preached a great deal on the Ten Commandments and believed in them. God was leading a people on step by step.

When you study sacred history, you find that in the latter part of the eighteenth and the early part of the nineteenth century, simultaneously, all over the world, God started raising up people from all the various Christian churches with the message that Jesus was coming soon. Out of that great Second Advent Movement emerged a group of people known first as Millerites. Later, they became known as Adventists and finally, Seventh-day Adventists.

As this group studied, they discovered the messages of the three angels of Revelation 14. Having learned the meaning of the sanctuary message in the books of Hebrews and Daniel, they realized that the Day of Judgment was to begin on October 22, 1844. This is not a message that the apostle Paul preached, because it would not have been true during his lifetime. The apostle Paul taught that the Judgment was still in the future. See Acts 24:25. Martin Luther did not preach it either. But here is a message that the hour of God’s Judgment has come. You cannot preach that the hour of God’s judgment has come unless you know it has started. But how do we know for sure that it has started? There is only one way that I know of how you know that the hour of God’s judgment has started, and that is from Daniel 8 and 9.

Now, do you understand why the devil has made our understanding of Daniel 8 and 9 a focal point of attack? If he can destroy a person’s confidence in that truth, that person can no longer preach the first angel’s message. Remember, the second and third angels’ messages are built upon the first. You cannot preach the third unless you preach the second, and you cannot preach the second unless you preach the first and if you do not understand Daniel 8:14 about the twenty-three hundred days, you are no longer a Seventh-day Adventist.

God is working today with the people who are proclaiming the Three Angels’ Messages. If you want to be a fellow laborer with God today, you have to join up with the people who are doing this.

The second angel’s message cannot be preached if you do not know who Babylon is according to Revelation 18:1–5.

The third angel’s message is a warning against the beast, his image, and his mark. Notice how the message concludes: “Here is the patience of the saints; here are those who keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus.” Revelation 14:12. If you are not even sure that you can really keep the commandments of God, how can you be a fellow laborer with God and preach Revelation 14:12? Have you noticed that it does not say that here are those who are trying to keep the commandments? It says they keep them. You cannot be a fellow laborer with God and be involved in His last work for the world if you cannot proclaim the message, and you certainly cannot proclaim the message if you do not believe it is true. The idea that “you are going to keep sinning until Jesus comes” is very dangerous.

If you want to know where God is working, look for a group of Seventh-day Adventists who really keep the commandments and do not play around and say, “Well, we are doing the best we can.” Listen, friends, the best you can do is not good enough, unless you are keeping the commandments by the power of God. If you give your life to the Lord, He has the power to give you so that you can keep them. If we fail to keep them when Jesus comes, He will be able to show us millions of people who had the same besetting sins that we had, and He will say, “I gave all of these people power to overcome.” There will be no satisfactory excuse then.

The people described in Revelation 12:17 not only keep the commandments but they have the testimony of Jesus. Revelation 19:10 says that the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy. Seventh-day Adventists believe that Ellen White fulfilled this prophecy of giving the gift of prophecy to God’s remnant people. If you want to find the people through whom God is working, you want to look for a people who have, believe and obey the spirit of prophecy. That eliminates the large portion of those who make a profession of waiting for the Lord to come.

Revelation 14:12 points out that God’s people not only keep the commandments but they have the faith of Jesus. You will never find somebody who has the first qualification and does not have the third one because you cannot keep the commandments unless you do have the faith of Jesus. People who have the faith of Jesus will be a sanctified people.

There is another characteristic that, unfortunately, disqualifies many who qualify according to the first three characteristics. Revelation 14:6 tells us that God’s last people will be giving His last message to the world. “Then I saw another angel flying in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach to those who dwell on the earth—to every nation, tribe, tongue, and people.” If you want to find the people through whom God is working and if you want to be a fellow laborer with God, you need to find the people who are determined to take the Three Angels’ Messages to every single person in the world.

When you find those people, you will know what group to work with; you will know how to be a co-laborer with God, because that is where God is working. He is working with the people who have these four characteristics: they keep His commandments; they have the spirit of prophecy and live by it; they have the faith of Jesus; and they are out to take the gospel to every single person in the whole world.

The catastrophe that I see taking place in Adventism today is that the great majority of Adventists are going to destruction, and when given a warning they say, “You say that we are in total apostasy.” Looking at the destruction of Jerusalem, we get just a little idea of what is ahead for Adventism. The only way to avoid being part of that destruction is to be a coworker with God, working where God is working, obedient to his law.

The gospel is not a halfway business. Either you have to get into it all the way or you might as well get out. Soon time will be no more, and when it is all over, I want to know that I have given it everything I have. I want all of my money, my time, my talents, everything I have, to be in the finishing of God’s work. How about you?

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.

Editor’s Letter – John Chrysostom

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John Chrysostom is looked upon today as one of the fathers of the Christian church. However, when he was alive, he was expelled from his bishopric in Constantinople, suffered much misery and ignominy and died in banishment in A.D. 408. Why was he so unpopular during his lifetime?

Following are a few things that John Chrysostom taught:

1 He said that it was improper for Christians to wage war because Christ compels not, drives not away, oppresses not but gives to each His free will saying, “If any man will.”

2 From Matthew 13, he taught that the tares (heretics) are not to be rooted out and no violence is to be employed in heavenly things. He said that wicked teachings of heretics must be reprehended and anathematized, but the men we must spare.

3 He taught that we are not to confess our sins to anyone except to God alone.

4 From Matthew 23, he taught that with human doctrines we serve God in vain, and that there is no other testimony of the truth and no other certain test of heresy, than the Holy Scriptures, and no other way by which we may know which is the Christian church.

5 He taught that when the Roman Empire shall be put down, then shall antichrist come. The abomination of desolation in Matthew 24 was understood by him to refer to antichrist. He said that the antichrist would occupy the holy place of the church under the name of Christ. From II Thessalonians 2 he taught that when the Empire would be made waste and vacant, then antichrist shall occupy it, and endeavor to draw to him the kingdom of God and men.

6 Also from Matthew 24, he said that when antichrist does the works of Christ and, in the sight of Christians, performs all the offices of Christ, we should not be moved because Satan can transform himself into an angel of light. What wonder then, that his servants assume the garb of servants of righteousness, and a semblance of Christianity.

7 He said further concerning Matthew 24, that the Jewish abomination is to be understood as having reference not only to the Jewish war, but in a spiritual sense, also to antichrist, who, in the last time, shall sit in the holy place. Since the Lord knew what great destruction would come in the last days, He commanded that the Christians who are in Christendom, if they would always continue in the true faith, should resort only to the Holy Scriptures; for, if they would look to other things, they would be offended and corrupted, and not understand what the true church is, and in that way fall into this horrible abomination, which sits in the holy place of the church.

See Martyr’s Mirror, 166, 167.

Bible Study Guides – The Midnight of the World

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October 24, 2010 – October 30, 2010

Key Text

“My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee, that thou shalt be no priest to me: seeing thou hast forgotten the law of thy God, I will also forget thy children.” Hosea 4:6.

Study Help: The Great Controversy, 60–62; The Desire of Ages, 413, 414.

Introduction

“For centuries, truth and error struggled for the mastery.” The Great Controversy, 265.

1 What condition existed in the Dark Ages and why was there little progress in the arts and sciences during this time? Isaiah 60:2; 59:12, 13; Hosea 4:1, 2; Ezekiel 33:32.

Note: “For centuries Europe had made no progress in learning, arts, or civilization. A moral and intellectual paralysis had fallen upon Christendom.” The Great Controversy, 60.

2 What only could be expected from the people when even priests were quite ignorant of the Word of God? Hosea 4:6, 9; Malachi 2:7.

Note: “ ‘The noon of the papacy was the midnight of the world.’—J. A. Wylie, The History of Protestantism, b. 1, ch. 4. The Holy Scriptures were almost unknown, not only to the people, but to the priests. … Fraud, avarice, and profligacy prevailed. Men shrank from no crime by which they could gain wealth or position. The palaces of popes and prelates were scenes of the vilest debauchery. Some of the reigning pontiffs were guilty of crimes so revolting that secular rulers endeavored to depose these dignitaries of the church as monsters too vile to be tolerated. … The condition of the world under the Romish power presented a fearful and striking fulfillment of the words of the prophet Hosea: [Hosea 4:6, 1, 2 quoted]. Such were the results of banishing the word of God.” The Great Controversy, 60.

3 Why did the priests and papal leaders hate the light of God’s Word? John 3:19, 20. What was the eventual result?

Note: “Like the Pharisees of old, the papal leaders hated the light which would reveal their sins. God’s law, the standard of righteousness, having been removed, they exercised power without limit, and practiced vice without restraint.” The Great Controversy, 60.

“For centuries, truth and error struggled for the mastery. At last the evil triumphed, and the truth of Heaven was thrust out. ‘This is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light.’ John 3:19. The nation was left to reap the results of the course which she had chosen. The restraint of God’s Spirit was removed from a people that had despised the gift of His grace. Evil was permitted to come to maturity. And all the world saw the fruit of willful rejection of the light.

“The war against the Bible, carried forward for so many centuries in France, culminated in the scenes of the Revolution. That terrible outbreaking was but the legitimate result of Rome’s suppression of the Scriptures. It presented the most striking illustration which the world has ever witnessed of the working out of the papal policy—an illustration of the results to which for more than a thousand years the teaching of the Roman Church had been tending.” Ibid., 265, 266.

4 What prophecy foresaw that the Lord would have His faithful witnesses even through this time of spiritual darkness? Isaiah 43:5, 6, 10.

Note: “Amid the gloom that settled upon the earth during the long period of papal supremacy, the light of truth could not be wholly extinguished. In every age there were witnesses for God—men who cherished faith in Christ as the only mediator between God and man, who held the Bible as the only rule of life, and who hallowed the true Sabbath. How much the world owes to these men, posterity will never know. They were branded as heretics, their motives impugned, their characters maligned, their writings suppressed, misrepresented, or mutilated. Yet they stood firm, and from age to age maintained their faith in its purity, as a sacred heritage for the generations to come.” The Great Controversy, 61.

5 What example did Rome follow to conceal the writings which would be a testimony against her? Jeremiah 36:22, 23.

Note: “The history of God’s people during the ages of darkness that followed upon Rome’s supremacy is written in heaven, but they have little place in human records. Few traces of their existence can be found, except in the accusations of their persecutors. It was the policy of Rome to obliterate every trace of dissent from her doctrines or decrees. Everything heretical, whether persons or writings, she sought to destroy. Expressions of doubt, or questions as to the authority of papal dogmas, were enough to forfeit the life of rich or poor, high or low. Rome endeavored also to destroy every record of her cruelty toward dissenters. Papal councils decreed that books and writings containing such records should be committed to the flames. Before the invention of printing, books were few in number, and in a form not favorable for preservation; therefore there was little to prevent the Romanists from carrying out their purpose.” The Great Controversy, 61, 62.

6 What kind of persecution did the British Christians receive—and for many years, from what kind of corruption did they manage to escape? Matthew 23:15.

Note: “No church within the limits of Romish jurisdiction was long left undisturbed in the enjoyment of freedom of conscience. No sooner had the papacy obtained power than she stretched out her arms to crush all that refused to acknowledge her sway, and one after another the churches submitted to her dominion.

“In Great Britain primitive Christianity had very early taken root. The gospel received by the Britons in the first centuries was then uncorrupted by Romish apostasy. Persecution from pagan emperors, which extended even to these far-off shores, was the only gift that the first churches of Britain received from Rome. …

“When the Saxons invaded Britain, heathenism gained control. The conquerors disdained to be instructed by their slaves, and the Christians were forced to retreat to the mountains and the wild moors. Yet the light, hidden for a time, continued to burn.” The Great Controversy, 62.

7 As the faithful Christians in England were persecuted by the pagans, what instruction did they follow, and with what result? Matthew 10:22–24.

Note: “Many of the Christians, fleeing from persecution in England, found refuge in Scotland; thence the truth was carried to Ireland, and in all these countries it was received with gladness.” The Great Controversy, 62.

8 Name some of the activities of the courageous missionaries from Ireland.

Note: “From Ireland came the pious Columba and his colaborers, who, gathering about them the scattered believers on the lonely island of Iona, made this the center of their missionary labors. Among these evangelists was an observer of the Bible Sabbath, and thus this truth was introduced among the people. A school was established at Iona, from which missionaries went out, not only to Scotland and England, but to Germany, Switzerland, and even Italy.” The Great Controversy, 62.

9 Describe the contrast seen between the missionaries of Columba and the papal leaders who began their own conquest of Britain. Matthew 10:7–10; 11:8; 23:1–7.

Note: “Rome had fixed her eyes on Britain, and resolved to bring it under her supremacy. In the sixth century her missionaries undertook the conversion of the heathen Saxons. They were received with favor by the proud barbarians, and they induced many thousands to profess the Romish faith. As the work progressed, the papal leaders and their converts encountered the primitive Christians. A striking contrast was presented. The latter were simple, humble, and Scriptural in character, doctrine, and manners, while the former manifested the superstition, pomp, and arrogance of popery. The emissary of Rome demanded that these Christian churches acknowledge the supremacy of the sovereign pontiff. The Britons meekly replied that they desired to love all men, but that the pope was not entitled to supremacy in the church, and they could render to him only that submission which was due to every follower of Christ.” The Great Controversy, 62, 63.

10 To what principle did the believers in Britain cling? Matthew 23:8–10. What reaction did they then have to face?

Note: “Repeated attempts were made to secure their allegiance to Rome; but these humble Christians [in Britain], amazed at the pride displayed by her emissaries, steadfastly replied that they knew no other master than Christ. Now the true spirit of the papacy was revealed. Said the Romish leader: ‘If you will not receive brethren who bring you peace, you shall receive enemies who will bring you war. If you will not unite with us in showing the Saxons the way of life, you shall receive from them the stroke of death.’—J. H. Merle D’Aubigné, History of the Reformation of the Sixteenth Century, b. 17, ch. 2. These were no idle threats. War, intrigue, and deception were employed against these witnesses for a Bible faith, until the churches of Britain were destroyed, or forced to submit to the authority of the pope.” The Great Controversy, 63.

11 While Christian believers in Europe were struggling against papal tyranny throughout these centuries, what could be found in other parts of the world? Zephaniah 3:12, 13.

Note: “In lands beyond the jurisdiction of Rome there existed for many centuries bodies of Christians who remained almost wholly free from papal corruption. They were surrounded by heathenism and in the lapse of ages were affected by its errors; but they continued to regard the Bible as the only rule of faith and adhered to many of its truths. These Christians believed in the perpetuity of the law of God and observed the Sabbath of the fourth commandment. Churches that held to this faith and practice existed in Central Africa and among the Armenians of Asia.” The Great Controversy, 63.

Additional Reading

“ ‘Other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ.’ I Corinthians 3:11. ‘Upon this rock,’ said Jesus, ‘I will build My church’ [Matthew 16:18]. In the presence of God, and all the heavenly intelligences, in the presence of the unseen army of hell, Christ founded His church upon the living Rock. That Rock is Himself—His own body, for us broken and bruised. Against the church built upon this foundation, the gates of hell shall not prevail.

“How feeble the church appeared when Christ spoke these words! There was only a handful of believers, against whom all the power of demons and evil men would be directed; yet the followers of Christ were not to fear. Built upon the Rock of their strength, they could not be overthrown.

“For six thousand years, faith has builded upon Christ. For six thousand years the floods and tempests of satanic wrath have beaten upon the Rock of our salvation; but it stands unmoved.

“Peter had expressed the truth which is the foundation of the church’s faith, and Jesus now honored him as the representative of the whole body of believers. He said, ‘I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven’ [Matthew 16:19].

“ ‘The keys of the kingdom of heaven’ are the words of Christ. All the words of Holy Scripture are His, and are here included. These words have power to open and to shut heaven. They declare the conditions upon which men are received or rejected. Thus the work of those who preach God’s word is a savor of life unto life or of death unto death. Theirs is a mission weighted with eternal results.” The Desire of Ages, 413, 414.

©2005 Reformation Herald Publishing Association, Roanoke, Virginia. Reprinted by permission.