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Children’s Story – God’s Light from the Heavens

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James and Ellen White were still newlyweds when one day James suggested a trip. He thought they should travel to see some longtime friends in Topsham, Maine. Happily Ellen agreed. Early the next Friday, with the family horse hitched to the sleigh, they set out gliding cheerily on their way. It was important to them to get an early start, as they wanted to arrive in plenty of time before the hours of the Sabbath began that evening. They understood how special, how holy and how important the Sabbath is to Jesus, their best friend.

Sabbath morning, and being well rested after their travel, they journeyed to the Curtiss home for a Bible study. Upon arrival they were pleasantly surprised to find among those gathered, an old friend, a retired sea captain by the name of Joseph Bates.

Captain Bates had heard Ellen relate her visions before, but he was not entirely convinced that the visions were from God. You see, at that time there were other people claiming to have visions and communications with angels. These other visions were very different from the ones Ellen had. Not only that, but they did not agree with what the Bible taught. However, because of these false claims, people were very wary of those claiming to have visions. In fact, some preachers even told their church members that God no longer spoke to His people through visions like He did with Abraham, Daniel, Joseph, Isaiah and others.

But there were some dedicated Bible students who believed that God was still speaking to His people by visions. After all, the Bible, speaking of the last days, says, “And it shall come to pass in the last days, says God, that I will pour out of My Spirit on all flesh; your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your young men shall see visions, your old men shall dream dreams.” Acts 2:17. Besides, they were sure that when so much error was being taught, the Lord would not leave His people without messages from heaven to warn and guide His faithful followers.

Captain Bates was an honest man who was sincerely seeking the truth. And that day, God had a special gift in store for him. As the group was studying and praying, the Lord gave Ellen a vision. Captain Bates studied her intensely. He felt that here was his opportunity to find out the truth about these visions. As she moved about the room while in vision, a bright smile was on her face, and then, to his surprise and astonishment he heard her speaking. Now that isn’t so strange, is it? But the startling thing was not that she was speaking but that while she spoke she did not breathe! Think of it, speaking without breathing!

Softly, and with music in her voice, she was describing what she saw—a vision of the heavens.

“I see four moons,” she said. Then she went on to describe different planets including one with beautiful colored rings around it.

“She’s looking at Jupiter!” exclaimed Captain Bates who, being a sea captain, was very familiar with the heavens, as back in those days, before all of the satellite instruments we have today, ship’s captains depended heavily on the stars when charting their courses.

Ellen continued speaking. “That’s Saturn she’s describing!” he proclaimed excitedly. And still later, “Now she’s viewing Uranus!” Though Ellen had not named any particular planet, Captain Bates knew by her descriptions exactly which ones she was describing.

A little later she began describing “the opening heavens,” an entrance into a heavenly region beyond, glorious with light. Captain Bates was very excited. He jumped up, eyes dancing. “How I wish Lord William Rosse was here!” Lord William Rosse was a very famous English astronomer. Captain Bates continued, “I wish he could hear that woman talk astronomy, and hear her description of the ‘opening heavens.’ It’s ahead of anything I ever read on the subject.”

Now you may think there is nothing unusual about Ellen being able to describe the planets and the heavens. After all, many people have studied and know much about the heavens today. But, as always, the Lord had planned this and arranged things long before they happened. Some time before this meeting, Captain Bates had visited with Ellen, trying to discuss astronomy with her. He found her totally unfamiliar with the topic. In fact, she confessed that she had never opened a book on astronomy in her life. (Remember, she barely had a third grade education.)

So that day, when he listened and watched her in vision as she accurately described so much in the heavens, Captain Bates knew that the knowledge was directly from the Lord. He was thoroughly convinced. He knew that the Lord had given Ellen White this special vision in his presence so that he would know without a doubt that the Lord was with Ellen, and that it was the Lord giving her the visions.

Today, let us remember that the Lord will always lead and guide His faithful, honest-seeking ones. We may not always know how, when or where, but if we obey all the light we already have, He is sure to give us more in His time and in His way.

Keys to the Storehouse – A Controversy or a Smile

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A controversy is a dispute or a difference in opinion. The greatest controversy ever is the difference of opinion between God’s word and the devil’s word.

This dispute caused a rebellion against the Creator and resulted in Satan and his followers being evicted from heaven. This warfare was transferred to this earth when Adam and Eve sinned and continues through all whom Satan is able to deceive. His objective is to get men to reject, in one way or another, God’s word. He wants you to rebel!

Though the great controversy is rampant, few realize their danger, as they have been anesthetized by worldly allurements. The devil is at war, daily claiming his victims and deceiving the masses. The controversy between God’s word, which is good, and the devil’s word, which is evil, has been shoved under a rug and all seems calm—for now!

Look around! God’s holy word, which was preserved through the ages at such a cost of suffering is but little valued. In Western society Bibles are everywhere, but little valued. Even in the church, God’s word is exchanged for the traditions of men and very few have total confidence in a “Thus saith the Lord.” Where is your confidence?

By rejecting the truth we reject its Author. Nothing excites Satan more than to see God’s word in this state of rejection. In the case of most people there is no controversy and Satan is smiling.

God forbids dishonest practices, coveting, lying, but this has become the normal behavior of most people who really think that because it is just a little lie or a little dishonesty it does not matter. Most people have reduced God to Santa Claus and they really expect Him to reward bad behavior. This is a lie and one that makes Satan smile at the deception.

In the modern church there is often no distinction between a professed Christian and the ungodly. Church members love what the world loves while at the same time professing the name Christian. They don’t know it, but they are on Satan’s side and he has no controversy with them. He simply smiles!

Why would he have a controversy with the professed Christian who is walking contrary to God’s word? The road on which they travel may appear to be smooth and comfortable, but see how happy the devil is when Christians walk by faith in God’s word! He quickly sharpens his weapons against those faithful few and readies himself for all out war.

When the battle heats up, God’s faithful ones refuse to step off the narrow path to compromise, which angers the devil. But too many take a detour, hoping for a little peace while avoiding the controversy. This peace only lasts for a moment before the devil smiles. “A smile was upon his [Satan’s] countenance, which made me [Ellen White] tremble, it was so full of evil and satanic slyness. This smile is the one he wears just before he makes sure of his victim, and as he fastens the victim in his snare, this smile grows horrible.” Early Writings, 152.

Is Satan smiling as he fastens you in his snare or does he have a controversy with you? Flee to the Word to confirm that you are following the right path and have not taken a detour to destruction. The choice is yours; which would you prefer, the affirming smile of a loving Saviour or the satanic sly smile of the enemy of souls? “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour.” I Peter 5:8.

Father: Draw me to Your Word that I may continue to do battle on the side of right in this controversy with the devil and his word. Give me spiritual discernment that I may endure to the end with You at my side and one day soon receive Your smile of approbation and not that horrible smile from Satan that leads to destruction. Amen.

Health – Rebounding Exercise

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There are so many ways people can exercise, but one of the easiest and most adaptable exercises can be done on a good rebounder. The benefits are just amazing. First I would like to share with you an excerpt from the book, Cancer, Step Outside the Box, by Ty M. Bollinger, Infinity 510 Squared Partners, 4th Edition, 300, 301. He says:

“What is rebounding? One excellent choice of exercise is rebounding (jumping) on the mini-trampoline. You can rebound several times a day while listening to the radio or watching TV [television].

“Research has led many scientists to conclude that jumping on a mini-trampoline is possibly the most effective exercise yet devised by man, especially because of the effect rebounding has on the lymph system. The human body needs to move. The lymph system bathes every cell and carries nutrients to the cell while removing toxins such as dead and cancerous cells, heavy metals, infectious viruses, and other assorted wastes. But unlike the blood (which is pumped by the heart), the lymph is totally dependent on physical exercise to move.

“Lymphocytes (the primary cells of the lymph system) make up roughly 25 percent of all white blood cells in the body. Like other white blood cells, they are produced in the red bone marrow. Lymphocytes constantly travel throughout the body, moving through tissues or through the blood or lymph vessels. There are two major classes of lymphocytes: T-cells and B-cells. The letter ‘T’ refers to the thymus, where those lymphocytes mature. The letter ‘B’ refers to the bone marrow, where that group of lymphocytes matures.

“T-cells carry out two main defensive functions: They kill invaders and orchestrate or control the actions of other lymphocytes involved in the immune process or response. In addition, T-cells recognize and destroy any abnormal body cells, such as those that have become cancerous.

“Like T-Cells, B-cells are also programmed to recognize specific antigens on foreign cells. When stimulated during an immune response (such as when foreign cells enter the body), B-cells undergo a change in structure. They then produce antibodies, which are protein compounds. These compounds bind with specific antigens of foreign cells, labeling those cells for destruction.

“You can see that B-cells and T-cells are key players in our immune response. But without muscular contraction, adequate exercise, and movement, these lymphocytes are not able to do their job, because the lymph doesn’t flow. Thus, the body’s cells are left stewing in their own waste products and starving for nutrients, a situation which contributes to cancer and other degenerative disease, as well as premature aging. Rebounding has been shown to increase lymph flow by up to thirty times!

“Also, all of the body’s cells become stronger in response to the increased ‘G forces’ during rebounding, and this cellular exercise results in the self-propelled lymphocytes being up to five times more active!

“Rebounding on a mini-trampoline directly strengthens the immune system, increases lymph flow, and oxygenates the blood. Unlike jogging on hard surfaces which puts extreme stress on certain joints such as the ankles and knees eventually damaging them, rebounding affects every joint and cell in the body equally. Plus, there are no cars, dogs, and bad weather to worry about.” (All emphasis added.)

Now that we know a little about why rebounding is so good for our bodies, let’s look at two tables which compare rebounding and jogging.

Rebounding/Jogging Vs Traditional Jogging
Tables A and B contain research performed by Victor L. Katch, Ph. D., Dept. of Physical Education, University of Michigan at Ann Arbor.

Table A
Total Calories Burned Comparing Traditional Jogging @ 5 MPH to Rebounding.
Lbs Body Weight 12 Minutes Jogging
@ 5 MPH		 12 Minutes
Rebounding
100 47 58<
105 49 60
110 52 63
115 54 65
120 56 67
125 59 70
130 61 72
135 64 75
140 66 77
145 68 79
150 71 82
155 73 84
160 75 86
165 78 89
170 80 91
175 82 93
180 85 96
185 87 >98
190 89 100
195 92 103
200 94 105

 

Rebounding offers a less stressful means of reducing body fat and simultaneously firming body tissues. Running in place on the rebounder burns calories effectively. This table shows, according to a person’s body weight, how many calories from running on the rebounder may be expended per specified period of time in minutes.
TABLE B
Total Calories Spent Per Minutes of Running on a Rebounding/Jogging Trampoline
Lbs. Body Weight 90 100 110 120 130 140 150 160 170 180 190
1 Min. 2.9 3.4 3.9 4.4 4.9 5.4 6.0 6.5 7.0 7.5 8.0
5 Min. 14.5 17.0 19.5 22.0 24.5 27.0 30.0 32.5 35.0 37.5 40.0
10 Min. 29.0 34.0 39.0 44.0 49.0 54.0 60.0 65.0 70.0 75.0 80.0
15 Min. 43.5 51.0 58.5 66.0 73.5 81.0 90.0 97.5 105.0 112.5 120.0
20 Min. 58.0 68.0 78.0 88.0 98.0 108.0 120.0 130.0 140.0 150.0 160.0

Everyone should start with the gentle “health bounce” which means your feet remain in contact with the mat while the body moves up and down. The health bounce is sufficient to obtain all the benefits of rebounding while gently strengthening the entire body. … It is recommended that you do your rebounding with bare feet so you do not slip

Adults can start with 5 minutes of rebounding and increase their time as their fitness level improves. Seniors can start with two minutes several times per day, with at least 30 minutes between rebounding sessions. It is necessary for older people to start gradually in order to give the connective tissue holding the internal organs in place time to strengthen. This prevents the possibility of “prolapsed organs”—the only contraindication to rebounding reported in the medical literature. Therefore increase your rebounding time gradually.

Inactive seniors find that gently jumping on a mini-trampoline gives them renewed vigor and zest for life. Hyperactive children are reported to calm down after a few days of rebounding. Rebounding is for everyone and people can use the rebound mini-trampoline whenever they have a few minutes during the day.

You can find much information by looking on the Internet or at the library under Rebounding Health Benefits. Much of the information above can be found at: www.healingdaily.com/exercise/rebounding-for-detoxification-and-health.htm

Rebounding can be a blessing for your health. Don’t take my word for it; take time to research and may God bless you as you jump to health.

Questions and Answers – Attending Sabbath Funerals

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In Life Sketches of Ellen G. White (1915), 252, Sister White describes the death and burial of her husband, James.

“The next morning he [James] seemed slightly to revive, but about noon he had a chill, which left him unconscious. At 5 P.M., Sabbath, August 6, 1881, he quietly breathed his life away, without a struggle or a groan.

“The shock of my husband’s death—so sudden, so unexpected—fell upon me with crushing weight. In my feeble condition I had summoned strength to remain at his bedside to the last; but when I saw his eyes closed in death, exhausted nature gave way, and I was completely prostrated. For some time I seemed balancing between life and death. The vital flame burned so low that a breath might extinguish it. At night my pulse would grow feeble, and my breathing fainter and fainter till it seemed about to cease. Only by the blessing of God and the unremitting care and watchfulness of physician and attendants was my life preserved.

“Though I had not risen from my sick-bed after my husband’s death, I was borne to the Tabernacle on the following Sabbath to attend his funeral. [Emphasis added.] At the close of the sermon I felt it a duty to testify to the value of the Christian’s hope in the hour of sorrow and bereavement. As I arose, strength was given me, and I spoke about ten minutes, exalting the mercy and love of God in the presence of that crowded assembly. At the close of the services I followed my husband to Oak Hill Cemetery, where he was laid to rest until the morning of the resurrection.

“My physical strength had been prostrated by the blow, yet the power of divine grace sustained me in my great bereavement. When I saw my husband breathe his last, I felt that Jesus was more precious to me than He ever had been in any previous hour of my life. When I stood by my first-born, and closed his eyes in death, I could say, ‘The Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord’ [Job 1:21]. And I felt then that I had a comforter in Jesus. And when my latest born was torn from my arms, and I could no longer see its little head upon the pillow by my side, then I could say, ‘The Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord.’ And when he upon whose large affections I had leaned, with whom I had labored for thirty-five years, was taken away, I could lay my hands upon his eyes, and say, ‘I commit my treasure to Thee until the morning of the resurrection.’ ”

Though this experience is not advocating for Sabbath funerals, it is clearly seen that it is not wrong. You will notice that there was a whole week for the preparations to be made for the burial before the actual funeral service and the body interred.

Often in Western culture, family and friends bury or cremate the dead in a private service, and then later hold a memorial service, which is often held on Sabbath so many are able to attend.

Current Events – Labor Unions

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The work of the people of God is to prepare for the events of the future, which will soon come upon them with blinding force. In the world gigantic monopolies will be formed. Men will bind themselves together in unions that will wrap them in the folds of the enemy. A few men will combine to grasp all the means to be obtained in certain lines of business. Trades unions will be formed, and those who refuse to join these unions will be marked men. Letter 26, 1903.” Country Living, 10.

“The trades unions will be one of the agencies that will bring upon this earth a time of trouble such as has not been since the world began. Letter 200, 1903.” Ibid.

In the United States of America, 23 states currently have right-to-work laws, with the majority of them in the Southeast and through the Great Plains. Right-to-work laws restrict the financial and political power of unions, which is why the issue is generally fought along partisan lines. The ability to create such a provision was created as part of the 1947 Taft-Hartley Act.

Right-to-work states basically believe that the right to live includes the right to work, and that the exercise of the right to work must be protected and maintained free from undue restraints and coercion. Therefore, in these states the right of persons to work will not be denied because of membership or nonmembership in any labor union or labor organization or association.

Contrary to the right-to-work states’ fundamental beliefs, a major large labor organization in the United States has stated that labor unions are a fundamental institution for democracy and economic development.

In January 2012, the United States President signed three union-friendly Executive Orders. The Executive Orders expressly noted the need for “strong labor unions” to support a strong middle class, and the “need to level the playing field for workers and the unions that represent their interests.”

Labor unions, however, are not active only in the United States. For example, the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC), a worldwide union network based in Brussels, Belgium, represents 175 million workers in 155 countries and territories and has 311 national affiliates. An Internet visit to LabourStart provides daily news of labor union activity throughout the world. A recent visit there carried news from 37 countries.

Resources:

Inspiration – The Fall of Satan

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Satan was once an honored angel in heaven, next to Christ. His countenance, like those of the other angels, was mild and expressive of happiness. His forehead was high and broad, showing great intelligence. His form was perfect; his bearing noble and majestic. But when God said to His Son, “Let us make man in our image” [Genesis 1:26], Satan was jealous of Jesus. He wished to be consulted concerning the formation of man, and because he was not, he was filled with envy, jealousy, and hatred. He desired to receive the highest honors in heaven next to God.

Until this time all heaven had been in order, harmony, and perfect subjection to the government of God. It was the highest sin to rebel against His order and will. All heaven seemed in commotion. The angels were marshaled in companies, each division with a higher commanding angel at its head. Satan, ambitious to exalt himself, and unwilling to submit to the authority of Jesus, was insinuating against the government of God. Some of the angels sympathized with Satan in his rebellion, and others strongly contended for the honor and wisdom of God in giving authority to His Son. There was contention among the angels. Satan and his sympathizers were striving to reform the government of God. They wished to look into His unsearchable wisdom, and ascertain His purpose in exalting Jesus and endowing Him with such unlimited power and command. They rebelled against the authority of the Son. All the heavenly host were summoned to appear before the Father to have each case decided. It was there determined that Satan should be expelled from heaven, with all the angels who had joined him in the rebellion. Then there was war in heaven. Angels were engaged in the battle; Satan wished to conquer the Son of God and those who were submissive to His will. But the good and true angels prevailed, and Satan, with his followers, was driven from heaven.

After Satan and those who fell with him were shut out of heaven, and he realized that he had forever lost all its purity and glory, he repented, and wished to be reinstated in heaven. He was willing to take his proper place, or any position that might be assigned him. But no; heaven must not be placed in jeopardy. All heaven might be marred should he be taken back; for sin originated with him, and the seeds of rebellion were within him. Both he and his followers wept, and implored to be taken back into the favor of God. But their sin—their hatred, their envy and jealousy—had been so great that God could not blot it out. It must remain to receive its final punishment.

When Satan became fully conscious that there was no possibility of his being brought again into favor with God, his malice and hatred began to be manifest. He consulted with his angels, and a plan was laid to still work against God’s government. When Adam and Eve were placed in the beautiful garden, Satan was laying plans to destroy them. In no way could this happy couple be deprived of their happiness if they obeyed God. Satan could not exercise his power upon them unless they should first disobey God and forfeit His favor. Some plan must therefore be devised to lead them to disobedience that they might incur God’s frown and be brought under the more direct influence of Satan and his angels. It was decided that Satan should assume another form and manifest an interest for man. He must insinuate against God’s truthfulness and create doubt whether God did mean just what He said; next, he must excite their curiosity, and lead them to pry into the unsearchable plans of God—the very sin of which Satan had been guilty—and reason as to the cause of His restrictions in regard to the tree of knowledge.

Early Writings, 145–147.

God’s Endless Grace – Pastor Kang’s Near Death Experience & Ministry Alert

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Pastor David Kang’s Near Death Experience and Heaven-sent Commission from God

One very late evening, Pastor David Kang’s heart burst. [David Kang is Pastor and Founder of Light for Life US Ministry, Fort Lee, New Jersey.] His life was clinging on the precipice of death. However, after a very sudden “open heart surgery,” God saw fit to grant His servant more time on this earth.

On the evening of December 30, 2011, after returning from a month long evangelistic meeting in Korea and China, Pastor Kang thought he was suffering from a mild form of pneumonia. As the night progressed, he found it increasingly difficult to breathe, and the sharp pain in his chest became unbearable. Then he coughed up blood. He was experiencing the symptoms of a sudden heart attack.

Pastor Kang has tirelessly labored without rest for the past twenty years, doing God’s work, and as a result, he has received much criticism. He has also been the center of many malicious rumors that have weighed heavily on him as he continued his work. Finally, his body has paid the toll.

After initial tests in Athens, Georgia, a clogged artery was discovered and cleared. While thinking there must be another reason to cause the problem in the heart, a more serious problem was discovered. The septum, the dividing wall between the right atrium and the left atrium, had ruptured. This necessitated emergency open-heart surgery. While the ambulance hastily pressed onwards toward Emory Hospital in Atlanta, a search immediately began for a surgeon who had experiential knowledge with the needed surgery.

God had prearranged for such a surgeon to be on call that night. On the way to the operating room, Pastor Kang was told to prepare not to see his family again, as the surgery only had a success rate of 25 percent. Suddenly the true meaning of genuine prayer was valued. Pastor Kang humbly entrusted his soul into God’s hands, recognizing himself as a helpless and feeble sinner that had repented of his sins and trusted in his loving Saviour. A usual eight-hour surgery was completed in four hours, and four days later he awoke, realizing that his life had been spared. A few days later it was discovered that his whole heart was beating normally. There had been only a one percent chance of that happening.

Pastor Kang has been saved, by the providence of God, to go again into the world with a new commission to fulfill.

A Ministry Alert

To the faithful supporters of Light for Life US Ministry:

As you may already know, a small group of people is currently trying to defame and sabotage this ministry. These individuals are trying to swindle the funds and your gracious donations for their own purposes. I, Pastor Kang, am working with the CHINA ministry through the Light for Life office in New Jersey. Therefore, please send any monetary aid or questions to the office in New Jersey. I pray that you will not be confused on this issue.

Brethren, I plead for your understanding and assistance. Our evangelistic work in China and in Korea is ever growing and advancing more and more each day by the grace of God! In this very crucial and difficult time in our ministry, we humbly beseech you for your loving prayers and financial support. Thank you very much.

Your eternally grateful brother in Christ,

David Kang,
Pastor and Founder of Light for Life US ministry

Light for Life US Ministry
242 Main Street Fort Lee, NJ 07024
Phone: 1-888-881-1004

God’s Forbearance

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There are three texts of Scripture I would like to tie together in order that an understanding of God’s forbearance may be appreciated and attained.

  • Romans 2:4: “Or despisest thou the riches of His goodness and forbearance and long-suffering; not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance?”
  • Romans 3:25: “Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in His blood, to declare His righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God.”
  • II Peter 3:15: “And account that the long-suffering of our Lord is salvation; even as our beloved brother Paul also according to the wisdom given unto him hath written unto you.”

The long-suffering of God is not salvation, but it makes salvation possible. Both Peter and the apostle Paul maintain that in spite of the attitude of ungodly persons toward salvation and accounting the Lord’s delay as proof that His promise would never be fulfilled, it is rather an evidence of the Savior’s merciful patience. He waits that all who will, may have the opportunity to accept salvation.

This leads me to point out concretely that God is indeed a long-suffering God and that this will always be a distinct characteristic of the personhood of God. Even though His long-suffering may find its limit with some of His creatures, yet He will always, throughout eternity, be long-suffering.

I will hasten to present two areas of God’s long-suffering:

  1. God is long-suffering, will always be long-suffering as long as eternity lasts. For as a divine attribute it is a part of God’s nature. It therefore devolves upon us His followers to be like Him!
  2. God will not always be long-suffering!

Study Area #1

God is long-suffering, will always be long-suffering as long as eternity shall last. When I speak of God, it must be understood as speaking of the Father, Jesus Christ the Son, and the Holy Spirit. In the context of our topic the fruit of the Holy Spirit, long-suffering, has already been established as one of the graces of the Holy Spirit that grows on the tree of love—love being the fruit of the Holy Spirit. Therefore, since the Holy Spirit must control the believer in Christ, it stands true that the believer must possess that long-suffering that is of heavenly origin—a divine attribute.

“The Hebrew uses the expression ‘erik’ aph, which means literally ‘long of face,’ and then also ‘slow to anger,’ while the Greek expresses the same idea by the word makrothumia. It is that aspect of the goodness or love of God in virtue of which He bears with the froward and evil in spite of their long and continued disobedience. In the exercise of this attribute the sinner is contemplated as continuing in sin, notwithstanding the admonitions and warning that come to him. It reveals itself in the postponement of the merited judgment.” Systematic Theology, by Louis Berkhof, Eerdman’s Publishing, Michigan, 72, 3.

Scriptural References To Support This Doctrine Are:

  • “And the Lord passed by before him, and proclaimed, The Lord, The Lord God, merciful and gracious, long-suffering, and abundant in goodness and truth.” Exodus 34:6
  • “But thou, O Lord, art a God full of compassion, and gracious, long-suffering, and plenteous in mercy and truth.” Psalm 86:15
  • “Or despisest thou the riches of His goodness and forbearance and long-suffering; not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance?” Romans 2:4
  • “What if God, willing to shew His wrath, and to make His power known, endured with much long-suffering the vessels of wrath fitted to destruction.” Romans 9:22
  • “Which sometime were disobedient, when once the long-suffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was a preparing, wherein few, that is, eight souls were saved by water.” I Peter 3:20

“And account that the long-suffering of our Lord is salvation; even as our beloved brother Paul also according to the wisdom given unto him hath written unto you.” II Peter 3:15

Spirit of Prophecy Also Supports This Doctrine:

“In every age, for the sake of those who have remained true, as well as because of His infinite love for the erring, God has borne long with the rebellious, and has urged them to forsake their course of evil and return to Him.” Prophets and Kings, 324.

“The long-suffering of God is wonderful. Long does justice wait while mercy pleads with the sinner.” Christ’s Object Lessons, 177.

“The law requires righteousness—a righteous life, a perfect character; and this man has not to give. He cannot meet the claims of God’s holy law. But Christ, coming to the earth as man, lived a holy life, and developed a perfect character. These He offers as a free gift to all who will receive them. His life stands for the life of men. Thus they have remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God.” The Desire of Ages, 762.

“The forbearance of God caused Hophni and Phinehas to harden their hearts and to become still bolder in transgression.” Patriarchs and Prophets, 582. The Scripture declares in Ecclesiastes 8:11, “Because sentence against an evil work is not executed speedily, therefore the heart of the sons of men is fully set in them to do evil.”

“Our God is a God of mercy. With long-sufferance and tender compassion He deals with the transgressors of His law.” Prophets and Kings, 275.

“The forbearance of God has been very great—so great that when we consider the continuous insult to His holy commandments, we marvel.” Ibid., 276.

“It [the coming of the Lord] will not tarry past the time that the message is borne to all nations, tongues, and peoples. Shall we who claim to be students of prophecy forget that God’s forbearance to the wicked is a part of the vast and merciful plan by which He is seeking to compass the salvation of souls?” Evangelism, 697.

Thus we see the eternal nature of the Almighty revealed. God purposes to be a long-suffering God to His creatures throughout eternity. He says to Moses, as recorded in Exodus 34:6, “The Lord, The Lord God.” This expresses the Deity, the Almighty Eternal One who is always gracious, always merciful, always long-suffering and abundant in goodness and truth.

Study Area #2

God will not always be long-suffering!

Scriptural References To Support This Doctrine Are:

  • “Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the Lord thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me.” Exodus 20:5
  • “Keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, and that will by no means clear the guilty; visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, and upon the children’s children, unto the third and to the fourth generation.” Exodus 34:7
  • “And the Lord said unto Moses, How long will this people provoke Me? and how long will it be ere they believe Me, for all the signs which I have shewed among them? I will smite them with the pestilence, and disinherit them, and will make of thee a greater nation and mightier than they. And Moses said unto the Lord, Then the Egyptians shall hear it, (for Thou broughtest up this people in Thy might from among them;) And they will tell it to the inhabitants of this land: for they have heard that thou Lord art among this people, that thou Lord art seen face to face, and that thy cloud standeth over them, and that thou goest before them, by day time in a pillar of a cloud, and in a pillar of fire by night. Now if thou shalt kill all this people as one man, then the nations which have heard the fame of thee will speak, saying, Because the Lord was not able to bring this people into the land which He sware unto them, therefore He hath slain them in the wilderness. And now, I beseech Thee, let the power of my Lord be great, according as Thou hast spoken, saying, The Lord is long-suffering, and of great mercy, forgiving iniquity and transgression, and by no means clearing the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation. Pardon, I beseech Thee, the iniquity of this people according unto the greatness of Thy mercy, and as Thou hast forgiven this people, from Egypt even until now. And the Lord said, I have pardoned according to thy word.” Numbers 14:11–20
  • “For the Lord shall rise up as in mount Perazim, He shall be wroth as in the valley of Gibeon, that He may do His work, His strange work; and bring to pass His act, His strange act.” Isaiah 28:21
  • “The Lord is slow to anger, and great in power, and will not at all acquit the wicked: the Lord hath His way in the whirlwind and in the storm, and the clouds are the dust of His feet.” Nahum 1:3
  • “For if the word spoken by angels was stedfast, and every transgression and disobedience received a just recompence of reward; How shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation; which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed unto us by them that heard Him.” Hebrews 2:2, 3
  • “And the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand, the same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb.” Revelation 14:9, 10

There are many more scriptural passages that strongly support the teaching that God will not always be long-suffering. This needs proper understanding lest there be misunderstanding. Scripture shows that while God by His very nature is long-suffering and will always be long-suffering, yet He will not always be long-suffering to the unrepentant rebellious sinner. God by His righteousness and justice must reward sin and its originator, as well as all sinners who side with the originator of sin. This, however, does not mean that His nature has changed; He is still a long-suffering God. In His rewarding the originator of sin as well as sinners, He is demonstrating respect for His creatures’ right to choose—their power of choice. The Scriptures state in Romans 6:23, “For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” Also, in Deuteronomy 30:19, “I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live.”

Spirit of Prophecy References On This Doctrine:

“God is long-suffering, not willing that any should perish; but His forbearance has a limit, and when the boundary is past, there is no second probation. His wrath will go forth and He will destroy without remedy.” “Ellen G. White Comments,” The Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, vol 7, 946.

“The end of God’s forbearance with those who persist in disobedience is approaching rapidly.

“Ought men to be surprised over a sudden and unexpected change in the dealings of the Supreme Ruler with the inhabitants of a fallen world? Ought they to be surprised when punishment follows transgression and increasing crime? Ought they to be surprised that God should bring destruction and death upon those whose ill-gotten gains have been obtained through deception and fraud? Notwithstanding the fact that increasing light regarding God’s requirements has been shining on their pathway, many have refused to recognize Jehovah’s rulership, and have chosen to remain under the black banner of the originator of all rebellion against the government of heaven.

“The forbearance of God has been very great—so great that when we consider the continuous insult to His holy commandments, we marvel. The Omnipotent One has been exerting a restraining power over His own attributes. But He will certainly arise to punish the wicked, who so boldly defy the just claims of the Decalogue.

“God allows men a period of probation; but there is a point beyond which divine patience is exhausted, and the judgments of God are sure to follow. The Lord bears long with men, and with cities, mercifully giving warnings to save them from divine wrath; but a time will come when pleadings for mercy will no longer be heard, and the rebellious element that continues to reject the light of truth will be blotted out, in mercy to themselves and to those who would otherwise be influenced by their example.” Prophets and Kings, 276.

“God waits long for the sinner to repent. He manifests a wonderful forbearance. But He must at last call the transgressor of His law to account.” “Ellen G. White Comments,” The Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, vol. 3, 1147.

“In His dealings with the human race, God bears long with the impenitent. He uses His appointed agencies to call men to allegiance, and offers them His full pardon if they will repent. But because God is long-suffering, men presume on His mercy. ‘Because sentence against an evil work is not executed speedily, therefore the heart of the sons of men is fully set in them to do evil’ [Ecclesiastes 8:11]. The patience and long-suffering of God, which should soften and subdue the soul, has an altogether different influence upon the careless and sinful. It leads them to cast off restraint, and strengthens them in resistance. They think that the God who has borne so much from them will not heed their perversity. If we lived in a dispensation of immediate retribution, offenses against God would not occur so often. But though delayed, the punishment is none the less certain. There are limits even to the forbearance of God. The boundary of His long-suffering may be reached, and then He will surely punish. And when He does take up the case of the presumptuous sinner, He will not cease till He has made a full end.

“Very few realize the sinfulness of sin; they flatter themselves that God is too good to punish the offender. But the cases of Miriam, Aaron, David, and many others show that it is not a safe thing to sin against God in deed, in word, or even in thought. God is a being of infinite love and compassion, but He also declares Himself to be a ‘consuming fire, even a jealous God.’ Deuteronomy 4:24.” The Review and Herald, August 14, 1900.

“Men are prone to abuse the long-suffering of God, and to presume on His forbearance. But there is a point in human iniquity when it is time for God to interfere; and terrible are the issues.” Selected Messages, Book 2, 372.

“God’s judgments will be visited upon those who are seeking to oppress and destroy His people. His long forbearance with the wicked emboldens men in transgression, but their punishment is nonetheless certain and terrible because it is long delayed.” The Great Controversy, 627.

“The forbearance of God was very great toward the children of men; but when they stubbornly persisted in their impenitence, He removed from them His protecting hand. They refused to listen to the voice of God in His created works, and in the warnings, counsels, and reproofs of His word, and thus He was forced to speak to them through judgments.” Patriarchs and Prophets, 588.

For us living in the period of the end of this world, what will be the sign that the limit of God’s forbearance is reached? “By the decree enforcing the institution of the papacy in violation of the law of God, our nation will disconnect herself fully from righteousness. When Protestantism shall stretch her hand across the gulf to grasp the hand of the Roman power, when she shall reach over the abyss to clasp hands with spiritualism, when, under the influence of this threefold union, our country shall repudiate every principle of its Constitution as a Protestant and republican government, and shall make provision for the propagation of papal falsehoods and delusions, then we may know that the time has come for the marvelous working of Satan and that the end is near.

“As the approach of the Roman armies was a sign to the disciples of the impending destruction of Jerusalem, so may this apostasy be a sign to us that the limit of God’s forbearance is reached, that the measure of our nation’s iniquity is full, and that the angel of mercy is about to take her flight, never to return.” Testimonies, vol. 5, 451.

This will be the visible sign for us here on earth to know that God’s longsuffering for the unrepentant sinner is reached. There will also be a sign in the courts of heaven that establishes that God’s forbearance has ended; this, of course, is the invisible sign for us.

“When the third angel’s message closes, mercy no longer pleads for the guilty inhabitants of the earth. The people of God have accomplished their work. They have received ‘the latter rain,’ ‘the refreshing from the presence of the Lord,’ and they are prepared for the trying hour before them. … Christ has made the atonement for His people and blotted out their sins. …

“When He leaves the sanctuary, darkness covers the inhabitants of the earth. In that fearful time the righteous must live in the sight of a holy God without an intercessor. The restraint which has been upon the wicked is removed, and Satan has entire control of the finally impenitent. God’s long-suffering has ended. The world has rejected His mercy, despised His love, and trampled upon His law. The wicked have passed the boundary of their probation; the Spirit of God, persistently resisted, has been at last withdrawn. Unsheltered by divine grace, they have no protection from the wicked one. Satan will then plunge the inhabitants of the earth into one great, final trouble. As the angels of God cease to hold in check the fierce winds of human passion, all the elements of strife will be let loose. The whole world will be involved in ruin more terrible than that which came upon Jerusalem of old.” The Great Controversy, 613, 614.

How Can We Apply This?

  • As God is long-suffering, so we must always possess this divine grace.
  • As God bears long with the unrepentant sinner, so we also should bear patiently with each other.
  • As God cut off His long-suffering from the unrepentant sinner by virtue of the sinner’s right to choose, so we as children of God must show respect to the unrepentant and their right to choose to persist in sin. While showing them love, we must leave them in the hands of God who only can read the heart!
  • That we as God’s professed people can, by our continuing in sin, disobedience and rebellion, most surely grieve the Holy Spirit and terminate our chance for eternal salvation.

Christ, God’s dear Son, who became our Redeemer, was cut off because He became sin for us. Thus a statement was made at Golgotha’s hill! What was that statement? What really happened at Calvary?

Calvary demonstrated that there is a limit to the long-suffering of God. Sin calls into operation the long-suffering of God, but God’s love dictates that sin must be forever destroyed!

“But the mercy of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting upon them that fear Him, and His righteousness unto children’s children; To such as keep His covenant, and to those that remember His commandments to do them.” Psalm 103:17, 18.

Today it is so important that we all remember that, “The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some men count slackness; but is long-suffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up.” II Peter 3:9, 10.

Today, if you hear His voice harden not your hearts, for today is the day of salvation; tomorrow might be too late!

Pastor Ivan Plummer ministers through the Emmanuel Seventh Day Church Ministries in Bronx, New York. He may be contacted by telephone at: 718-882-3900.

Boaz in the Sanctuary

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David knew that to find God he would have to look in the sanctuary. In these last days, we should feel an urgency to understand the significance of the sanctuary message. The deeper we delve into God’s word the more hidden treasure is discovered. This could not be truer than the sanctuary, which provides a never-ending study that keeps enhancing both God’s character and His beauty.

In Revelation 3:11, 12, we are told: “Behold, I come quickly: hold that fast which thou hast, that no man take thy crown. Him that overcometh will I make a pillar in the temple of my God, and he shall go no more out: and I will write upon him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, which is new Jerusalem, which cometh down out of heaven from my God: and I will write upon him my new name.”

In a nutshell, that is the Advent message. Those who overcome will become like a pillar. Revelation 14:1 says, “And I looked, and, lo, a Lamb stood on the mount Sion, and with Him an hundred forty and four thousand, having His Father’s name written in their foreheads.” It is in the forehead that the frontal lobe is located, the seat of the thinking process. That is where God’s seal is placed. God wants to write His name in our foreheads.

We are told in Psalm 29:9: “The voice of the Lord maketh the hinds to calve, and discovereth the forests: and in His temple doth every one speak of His glory.” We know that glory means God’s character. Everything God has, and is, utters His character and is reflected in the sanctuary.

Both the earthly sanctuary and the temple Solomon built (I Chronicles 6:10) were constructed to reflect the heavenly temple.

In Exodus 27, 35 and 38, seven things included in the construction are mentioned: fine twined linen, the white fence, 60 pillars of brass, sockets of brass, hooks and fillets of silver, pins of brass and their cords, and something called a chapiter.

The chapiter was the capstone of the pillar. Made of silver, it sat right on top, becoming the head of the pillar. Similarly, the head is a capstone to the body. The head is also a representative of the thinking process.

In building the sanctuary, it was directed that each of the 603,550 men was to give a half shekel of silver for the service of the sanctuary (Exodus 38:26). From their gifts, 1,775 pieces of the silver shekels were used as “hooks for the pillars, and overlaid their chapiters” (verse 28). That may seem insignificant, but if you divide the 1,775 pieces of silver by 60 pillars, you will see that each pillar cost 29.58 pieces of silver. Rounding that number shows that the cost of each pillar was 30 pieces of silver, the price of a man. Jesus Christ was sold for 30 pieces of silver.

It says, in Job 22:25, 26, “Yea, the Almighty shall be thy defence, and thou shalt have plenty of silver. For then shalt thou have thy delight in the Almighty, and shalt lift up thy face unto God.” So Job said that we shall have plenty of silver and the Almighty is our defense. Silver is a symbol of strength.

“The words of the Lord are pure words: as silver tried in a furnace of earth, purified seven times.” Psalm 12:6. So should the words of the Christian be pure as silver. “And He shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver: and He shall purify the sons of Levi, and purge them as gold and silver, that they may offer unto the Lord an offering in righteousness.” Malachi 3:3, 4.

The chapiter was a symbol of the thinking process, as were the words, “Holiness to the Lord” (Exodus 39:30), that were written on the front of the high priest’s hat, which was on his forehead—meaning righteousness. “Then shall the offering of Judah and Jerusalem be pleasant unto the Lord, as in the days of old, and as in former years.” Malachi 3:4. God wants to see righteousness. He wants to see purity, and He will purify us through the trials.

Psalm 66:10–13 says, “For Thou, O God, hast proved us: Thou hast tried us, as silver is tried. Thou broughtest us into the net; thou laidst affliction upon our loins. Thou hast caused men to ride over our heads; we went through fire and through water: but thou broughtest us out into a wealthy place. I will go into Thy house with burnt offerings: I will pay Thee my vows.” “God is faithful, Who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape.” I Corinthians 10:13. He makes it possible to endure any temptation and will never give you more than you can handle.

“The tongue of the just is as choice silver: the heart of the wicked is little worth.” “Take away the dross from the silver, and there shall come forth a vessel for the finer. … A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in pictures of silver.” Proverbs 10:20; 25:4, 11.

That is good news! But have you ever been driving along with your family, praising God for the good worship service you heard that morning, and then someone driving cuts in front of you and there go your words? What happened? You find that your tongue is not bridled. There are many Christians regularly attending church who cannot bridle their tongue. Our words should be “fitly spoken like apples of gold in pictures of silver.” Can you picture that?

Are your words like apples of gold? Have you ever tasted a really good apple? I remember a time when I was in the state of Washington and a friend gave me a case of apples to take back home on the plane. He said, “You have got to taste these apples.” And I responded that an apple is an apple. I really don’t like apples, because when you taste a bad one, you do not want any more.

The case of apples had been freshly picked and I was encouraged to just eat one. I had to be coaxed into trying it, but when I bit into it, oh, it was so good! I wanted to have the whole case of apples!

I was told, “Before, you haven’t tasted a good apple.”

When you taste a good apple, you will know it. It is like tasting a good mango or watermelon. Our words should be “like apples of gold.”

“The tongue of the just is as choice silver.” Now would you rather have a tongue of silver or a tongue of brass? Silver has a much higher value than brass, and gold is of more value than silver, but our words should be like silver.

Paul said, “Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 2:5. Jesus always spoke with a tongue of silver when addressing the people and also the children. He knew exactly what to say to get His point across and even the times He had to rebuke, we are told He did it with tears.

“Jesus became a man that He might mediate between man and God. He clothed His divinity with humanity. He associated with the human race, that with His long human arm He might encircle humanity, and with His divine arm grasp the throne of Divinity. And this, that He might restore to man the original mind which he lost in Eden through Satan’s alluring temptation; that man might realize that it is for his present and eternal good to obey the requirements of God. Disobedience is not in accordance with the nature which God gave to man in Eden.” “Ellen G. White Comments,” The Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, vol. 7, 926.

It is the desire of Jesus to restore your mind. So when someone says, “You’ve lost your mind,” say, “Amen.” You ought to lose it to have the mind of Christ. He wants to give it to you.

Located in front of the Holy Place, on the porch of Solomon’s temple, were two pillars. The chapiters on the top of these pillars were decorated with pomegranates. The pillar on the right side was called the name Jachin and the pillar on the left was called the name Boaz. (See I Kings 7:20, 21.)

The name Boaz means in him is strength. Boaz was the kinsman to Naomi. Kinsman means redeem, revenger, to purchase, ransom, redeemer, buy back. Boaz was a representative of buying back—redeeming. (Read the story of Ruth—Ruth 1–4.) Our nearest kinsman is Jesus. Just as Rahab had a son, Boaz (see Matthew 1:5), who redeemed—type, Mary had a son Who really redeems—antitype. This is just one beautiful gem to be found when digging into the Word for hidden treasure.

The name Jachin means will establish. The root word means to set up, establish, fix, prepare a point, render prosperous, faithfulness, fasten, prepare, make, make provision, stand or tarry. Boaz was in a sense to redeem, but Jachin means that as you have been redeemed and bought back, becoming part of the family of God, He will fasten you so that you will not be moved. He will give you victory, and you will be prosperous in all of those things that God wants you to be. David said He will plant you by the rivers and you will bear fruit (Psalm 1:3). God wants to make you steadfast like the tree that never loses its leaves but just keeps producing fruit. That steadfastness can only be achieved by allowing Christ to buy you back and plant you by His side.

The price has already been paid on the cross of Calvary. So what is the problem? Have you not accepted the gift that God has for you?

Not accepting the gift would be like placing a special order for a car and paying for it in advance, but when it is delivered, the dealer decides he will drive it for a while before giving it to you. When you go to get it, he asks if he could drive it for another month because he likes the way it drives, the leather seats, the sound system and the sunroof. No, that would be totally unacceptable, for the car is yours. You paid for it.

How do you think Jesus feels when He says, “I paid for you. I bought you. You are mine.” He is coming to claim His own, but some say, “Well, let me hold on to self a little bit longer, Jesus, just a little bit longer.” What sort of condition would His property be in when He comes back if you hold on to self? Can you imagine Adam, who was around 16 feet tall, when he is raised up at the resurrection and sees what his dwarfed descendents look like? Will he ask, “Who are you? What happened? You are so small!” Sin has done that!

The Latin word for the pomegranates that were around the chapiter means apple with seeds. We know there are many seeds in pomegranates. More than one person has counted 650 seeds in just one pomegranate. Pomegranates are a rich source of anti-oxidants and have anti-cancer properties. The seeds contain estrone, which is a phytoestrogen especially beneficial for women. They are also helpful in cases of diarrhea, sore throats, fevers and bladder disorders. Tapeworms cannot live in the same environment as pomegranates. Eating too much can cause purging and excess perspiration. God has put amazing medicinal properties in plants.

“Thus saith the Lord, As the new wine is found in the cluster, and one saith, Destroy it not; for a blessing is in it: so will I do for my servants’ sakes, that I may not destroy them all.” Isaiah 65:8. Not only does freshly squeezed fruit juice taste delicious but it is blessed with healing properties.

Why pomegranates around the chapiter? It says in Psalm 126:6, “He that goeth forth and weepeth, bearing precious seed, shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him.” In the Hebrew, it says, “has a seed basket.” Farmers know that a seed basket is a basket that carries seeds. Even a little child knows that. So what is our seed basket? The majority of people in the United States of America have a seed basket in their house. Remember, the red juice of the pomegranate represents blood. The life of the flesh is in the blood, and we know that the blood has life properties.

The word of God is a seed. Every promise is a seed. It says in II Peter 1:3, 4, “According as His divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him that hath called us to glory and virtue: whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises.” God’s word contains promises. The Bible is the seed basket and the seeds are the promises ready to be claimed by all who choose to believe.

Luke clearly says that, “The seed is the word of God.” Luke 8:11. Paul says, “Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth forever.” I Peter 1:23. We are to be born again.

The gospel, the whole experience from conversion and the new birth leading to the Christian walk and sanctification, is represented in the seeds of the pomegranate.

  • God’s word gives us new birth (I Peter 1:23)
  • It gives us light (Psalm 119:130)
  • It guides our pathway (Psalm 119:1, 5)
  • It keeps us from sinning (Psalm 119:11)
  • It is a comfort in affliction (Psalm 119:50)
  • It causes us to rejoice (Jeremiah 15:16)
  • It cleanses (John 15:3)
  • It sanctifies (John 17:17)

There is plenty of power in God’s word. You need to saturate your mind with the word of God. God’s word is power.

Pillars with hooks of silver surrounded the tabernacle. In Psalm 119:41 is seen the word vau (the sixth letter of the Hebrew alphabet). Verses 41 through 48 speak about commandment keeping. God is saying that vau, the sixth letter, represents commandment keeping. For example, “So shall I keep Thy law continually for ever and ever.” Verse 44. “And I will delight myself in Thy commandments, which I have loved.” Verse 47. “My hands also will I lift up unto Thy commandments, which I have loved; and I will mediate in their statutes.” Verse 48. God is talking here about obeying His word, obedience to His commandments all through the Word. So the sixth letter here, these hooks, were vau, hooks, on which sat the fence.

On the hooks, that are on the pillars, hang the fence of white linen. White represents righteousness, hanging on obedience. It is impossible to have righteousness without obedience. When righteousness is put on, God’s voice will be heard and His will obeyed from a heart full of love and gratitude which is empowered by the Holy Spirit because of the sacrifice Jesus has made on the cross of Calvary.

The fillet is an arm that extends from one pillar to the next. In the Hebrew this means a rod or rail or connecting post of the pillars. The root word of this means to delight, to deliver, to join. The pins and stakes hold up the fence and make the line very tight. God tells us here that He wants us to be pillars, joined together with one another in unity, grounded in His truth. Those being swayed with every wind of doctrine tend to move about, and when anything new comes around they latch onto it. Bit by bit truths are let go of and eventually the Bible itself is rejected. It is necessary to be grounded in truth, in Jesus Christ, in His truth that He has given to us in these last days.

The root word for the cords means a remnant. When you look at the whole fence and everything around the sanctuary, it speaks of a commandment keeping people—the remnant who have the word of God in their forehead, who are daily claiming victories, who are given promises, who are reading their Bibles, and who have the faith of Jesus.

Are you part of that remnant? The sanctuary reveals a group of people who are commandment keepers who cannot be moved and who have settled in the truth. They cannot be moved intellectually or spiritually. They know His word because they are studying it; they are God’s people. This does not mean they are in a certain church. It just means they are lining up with God, having victories, keeping His commandments while helping and witnessing to people.

We need to pray for the angels to take us to the places we need to be for those divine appointments, because the angels know who are really searching for truth. Can you believe there are people crying out for truth but no one has come around to them? We could be the one God uses to reach their heart. Like the pillars connected by the fillets or arms, we are to reach out, connect to, hold on to, and save another one into His kingdom. The Bible says there is rejoicing in heaven over even one sinner who repents (Luke 15:10). We are here to help that one sinner. I pray that this year we will be praying for souls, for just one whom we could reach. It can be through a magazine. It could be through a tract. It could be through the Bible. It could be just an acquaintance, that one person for whom we are praying, “Lord, just give me one.” We cannot have any starless crowns in heaven. Just give me one star; just help me find one.

God is faithful and will bring that person into your path. Will you be ready to rescue him? Just like the earthly sanctuary was a place of rescue, the sanctuary in heaven is a place of rescue. Let’s encourage each other for victories. Let’s start claiming the promises. Just as Boaz had these pomegranates, the seeds, around his head, let’s start claiming the promises.

God’s word is power, and I believe it’s the best education book you can ever find. It exceeds the wisdom of all the popular colleges. Here is the infinite educator, and knowledge is available to all that seek. All who take to heart the instruction found therein, instructing their children and applying the principles, will find their homes and their churches restored and be a haven of rest while here on this earth.

Brad Neeley is Administrative Assistant of M.E.E.T. Ministry, Huntingdon, Tennessee. He is a master gardener, lecturer and Bible instructor with over ten years in Christian ministry.

Heaven

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I want to share with you about heaven. I think it is so wonderful that we are preparing for that place, and we are all doing it together.

I am a lover of poetry and I like to use quite a lot of it:

The Master’s here at Sabbath School and e’er we start our day

Let us thank Him for the order of the day

Which helps us walk throughout the day the narrow way.

The Master’s here at Sabbath School and as we read and study and sing

We ask the Master for the very tool that will shape our lives to please the King.

The Master’s here at Sabbath School, let each countenance beam with joy

As we see with Him the mighty dual over evil in each adult, girl and boy.

The Master’s here at Sabbath School and with love, let each one do our part

To invite the Master into Sabbath School and into every life and heart.

There are many puzzling experiences we go through in this life not knowing which way to turn. But we are so thankful that God has promised to lead and guide us each day with the help of the holy angels and the Holy Spirit.

I am sure there are many who have the same kind of longing that I have, a longing to see Jesus return. We are almost home, but before we get there we have a work to do. We are told, “All heaven was represented to me [Ellen White] as beholding and watching upon the Sabbath those who acknowledge the claims of the fourth commandment and are observing the Sabbath. Angels were marking their interest in, and high regard for, this divine institution. Those who sanctified the Lord God in their hearts by a strictly devotional frame of mind, and who sought to improve the sacred hours in keeping the Sabbath to the best of their ability, and to honor God by calling the Sabbath a delight—these [souls] the angels were specially blessing with light and health, and special strength was given them.” Counsels for the Church, 271.

The Lord has given us the Sabbath as a blessing to help us on our way to heaven. I know that you all realize that sometimes the road is a little harder than that which we had planned, but remember, we are almost home.

“We are homeward bound. He who loved us so much as to die for us hath builded for us a city. The New Jerusalem is our place of rest. There will be no sadness in the city of God. No wail of sorrow, no dirge of crushed hopes and buried affections, will evermore be heard. Soon the garments of heaviness will be changed for the wedding garment. Soon we shall witness the coronation of our King. Those whose lives have been hidden with Christ, those who on this earth have fought the good fight of faith, will shine forth with the Redeemer’s glory in the kingdom of God.

“It will not be long till we shall see Him in Whom our hopes of eternal life are centered. And in His presence, all the trials and sufferings of this life will be as nothingness. … Look up, look up, and let your faith continually increase. Let this faith guide you along the narrow path that leads through the gates of the city of God into the great beyond, the wide, unbounded future of glory that is for the redeemed.” Maranatha, 352.

I am looking forward to that day with excitement. From day to day I think of the love of God and His promises and I think there is nothing in this world worth losing heaven for—no, not one thing. The following is something about the joy of heaven:

Knowest thou the joy of a handclasp of the return of a long, lost friend,

Then you begin to know the joy of eternity, the joy that will never end.

Knowest thou the joy of a mother as she clasps her firstborn babe,

Then you begin to know the joy of heaven, the joy that will never fade.

Knowest thou the joy of the birds, the bride and groom as together they start on their journey to trod,

Then you begin to know the joy, the wonderful joy that is found in the love of God.

The joy of this earth is small and short compared to the joy of our Father’s love,

As a drop in the Ocean is the joy on earth compared to the joy we will have up above.

I contemplate that joy and think of it a lot. I often look up at the clouds and think of that little cloud that starts out the size of a man’s fist. And as it gets bigger and closer, we will recognize it as the realization of all our hopes. It is the Second Coming and we will finally see Jesus and hear Him say, “Awake, awake” and the graves all over the world will open up and the dead in Christ shall rise. Oh how wonderful. This is more than any of us dare miss. It is more than anybody who has had the opportunity to know truth dare think of letting it slip by.

If we are to be saints in heaven we must first be saints on earth. “Those who in heaven join with the angelic choir in their anthem of praise must learn on earth the song of heaven, the keynote of which is thanksgiving.” Testimonies, vol. 7, 244.

Thankfulness must be learned and practiced. We need to learn to praise the Lord with our very breath and life, because as we learn these things on earth, we are preparing for eternity. As we come closer and closer to the end of time, the conflict between good and evil will become more severe. And though we often think of the outside conflict that will come, the real conflict occurs throughout day-to-day life. It is with those little annoyances, when you can’t get the screw to turn and you need more patience, when you have an appointment and you have to be there at a certain time and somebody knocks on the door and they talk and you can’t get away, or when you are ready to go some place and the phone rings and somebody needs help. It is at those times when we guard our patience and our thoughts and our words that we are being prepared for eternity.

All of the problems of this earth must be laid aside and then readily accept the providence of God and realize that He is leading us on the way. “The conflict in which you have to take an active part is found in your everyday life. Will you not in times of trial lay your desires by the side of the written word, and in earnest prayer seek Jesus for counsel? Many declare that it is certainly no harm to go to a concert and neglect the prayer-meeting, or absent themselves from meetings where God’s servants are to declare a message from heaven. It is safe for you to be just where Christ has said He would be.

“Those who appreciate the words of Christ will not turn aside from the prayer meeting, or from the meeting where the Lord’s messenger has been sent to tell them concerning things of eternal interest.” Messages to Young People, 140, 141.

Man was made a social creature and we need the association of one another. We need to be together and to attend our prayer meetings and other sacred meetings to receive the needed encouragement in order to do all the things necessary to shape up our lives for eternity, for we are on the road to heaven. “Those who enter heaven must learn on earth the song of heaven, the key-note of which is praise and thanksgiving. Only as they learn this song can they join in singing it with the heavenly choir.” The Signs of the Times, November 20, 1901.

My message to you is that Jesus is coming soon—get ready! As we are getting ready, we want to remember that heaven is not only for us but also for others, and we want others to be with us.

I hope to see each one of you there, and I hope that as we gather around that great white throne we will know one another and continue to develop the relationships we started on earth for eternity.

Jesus is coming in the clouds above.

He has told us about it in His book of love.

The Bible describes this glorious event

By the prophets whom to you He has sent.

The soldiers and Pilate heard Jesus say,

They’d see Him in the glorious day.

He promised the disciples there would be mansions for them,

That He would come back and for them to prepare.

The signs of His coming are described in the book

And we are to watch and to be ready and to look.

The nations will be angry and then overcharged with care.

Peace and safety they will cry but none will be there.

As I see these things happening, my heart overflows

And a longing to see Him in my breast grows.

With an urgency that is hard to describe,

The spirit impresses that I must decide.

Oh to meet Jesus, to be ready that day

For there I am longing and for this I pray.

I know there are mansions above in the sky.

I am planning to go to them and to occupy.

And I hope there is a mansion not far away

Where you will be living and planning to stay.

Oh let us be neighbors in that home up above

Where all is peace and joy and love.

Ruth Grosboll, matriarch of Steps to Life, lived a long life in the service of her Master. She served as a missionary nurse in Myanmar, formerly Burma. In her later years she held the position of receptionist and correspondent at Steps to Life Ministry, blessing many people with her heartfelt encouraging letters. She is sadly missed to this day.