Archives: Articles

IssueM Articles

Does the Bible Prove the Investigative Judgment?

by

A Free Seventh-day Adventist:

  • Believes that the second coming of Christ is imminent.
  • Keeps the seventh-day Sabbath of the fourth commandment, just as God wrote it, and is, therefore, a Seventh-day Adventist.
  • Is not a member of a conference church, but is a member of a Seventh-day Adventist church that is part of a Free Seventh-day Adventist church organization.
  • Will soon be called upon to preach, without notes, the investigative judgment in the courts, halls of government, before kings and magistrates all around the world.

For decades, the Seventh-day Adventist church has been losing the majority of its young people. While not a new phenomenon, this was not true when my father was a young man. Nearly 150 years ago, Mrs. White told us that the time would come when the majority of the church would forsake God’s people, so we shouldn’t be surprised to see this migration away from Adventism.

One of the main reasons given by the young people and even older people for leaving the Seventh-day Adventist church is that they no longer believe that Ellen White had the gift of prophecy, and, therefore, do not trust her writings.

A second reason is that people do not believe in the doctrine of the investigative judgment. Mrs. White wrote extensively about the doctrine of the investigative judgment, so if you don’t believe in the investigate judgment, then you would have to believe Mrs. White is a false prophet because she wrote that the investigative judgment is a Biblical doctrine. They make the sweeping conclusion that the doctrine of the investigative judgment cannot be proven from the Bible alone.

I have been a minister in God’s service for more than 60 years, and have preached a number of sermons on the investigative judgment from the Bible alone. It is a preposterous assertion and totally untrue to believe that the doctrine cannot be proven by the Bible alone.

Let’s Look at Their Proof

One text is cited as the super argument that absolutely proves you cannot prove the investigative judgment from the Bible. Found in the book of John, let’s see what John the Beloved wrote.

“ ‘Most assuredly [that’s absolutely for sure], I say to you, he who hears My word and believes in Him who sent Me has everlasting life, and shall not come into judgment, but has passed from death into life.’ ” John 5:24

John recorded Jesus’ words, and many people today will respond, “See. Jesus said if I hear His words and believe in Him, then I go straight to everlasting life. I am a Christian; there is no judgment for me.”

Three Phases

In the courts of this world, judgment is administered in three phases.

  • Investigation and Trial – The police gather evidence against you, and then, in cooperation with the district attorney’s office, and based on the evidence, you are charged with the crime. There are two positions to a trial, the prosecution and the defense. It is the prosecution’s responsibility to argue the evidence against you either to a judge or a jury. The defense’s responsibility is to attempt to show that you are innocent by creating reasonable doubt, or offering evidence that that can clear you or show that someone else could be responsible for the crime. If the defense is successful in creating sufficient reasonable doubt or to prove that you did not commit the crime, and the judge or jury finds you innocent of all charges, then you are free to walk away. But, if the defense fails in its attempts to lead the judge or jury away from you, you will be found guilty.
  • Sentencing – Having been found guilty, you will be ordered to appear in court on a specific day, and the judge will hand down your sentence—according to sentencing guidelines established in the laws of the city, county, state, or federal court in which the case was prosecuted. Every jurisdiction has its own regulations.
  • Execution of Sentence – Once you have been sentenced, depending on the crime, you may receive the proverbial slap on the wrist, a fine and/or a short period of incarceration, or you may receive life in prison or even the death penalty.

In God’s Judgment

Those who are found guilty of breaking God’s law are sentenced to receive the death penalty. “For the wages of [penalty for] sin is death.” Romans 6:23, first part

The Bible is clear: the penalty for breaking God’s law is death.

This means that we are all born under the penalty of death. We are born sinners, lost from the moment of our birth. Some say, we were not sinners until we have reached several years of age. But the Bible says “Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin my mother conceived me.” Psalm 51:5. “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” Romans 3:23

We are all under the death sentence. Can you and I pay our sentences? Yes, we can. We can die and never wake up. Mrs. White writes that when Adam and Eve sinned, the angels mourned. The plan of salvation hadn’t yet been explained to them, so they knew that every descendant of Adam and Eve would have to die.

But Jesus told the hosts of heaven about the plan of salvation; how He would pay the price for what Adam and Eve had done, making a way for them and all their descendants to be saved from the penalty for sin. Jesus made the law, so He was above the law. He would not let His children pay the price, and so He came to this world.

Jesus said, “If you believe in Me, you will not come into condemnation.” In other words, you and I, if we believe in Jesus and surrender our lives to Him, we will never reach the sentencing nor the execution phases of judgment because in the investigative judgment, Jesus pleads our case before the Father, offering His life, His blood for our sinfulness, covering us with His robe of righteousness.

John 5:24 does not teach that there is no judgment. It just teaches that if you believe in Jesus as your personal Saviour, surrendering to Him, you will not face judgment nor receive condemnation. The price for your sins has already been paid, and in the investigative judgment you will be acquitted.

Let’s Be Clear

If you do not accept Jesus as your personal Saviour, you are lost. You will go to judgment, you will receive your sentence, and you will die forever. The apostle Peter said, “There is no other name under heaven given among men whereby we must be saved.” Acts 4:12

The Bible talks about the judgment from Genesis to Revelation. The concept of judgment is one of the major subjects of the Bible, but it is an unpopular subject. As a sinner, I do not want to be held accountable for what I’ve done. I want a religion that says Jesus paid it all, so I don’t need to worry about anything. However, that’s not Bible religion. The fact that Jesus came to pay the price for my sins so that I wouldn’t have to does not mean that there will be no investigation of my life and character; only that if I believe in Jesus and I put my trust in Him, I will be acquitted.

God is Not on Trial

Neither God, the angels, nor the people in unfallen worlds are on trial. They have never broken God’s laws. Because the people of this world are the only ones who have broken God’s law, we are on trial.

In the book The White Truth written by John J. Robinson, published in 1981, it says, “Two unsophisticated men were sightseeing abroad. When in Paris they decided to visit the Louve. As they viewed the famed art treasures, they were not impressed with the value of the priceless oil paintings. Standing before an especially noted masterpiece, one said to the other, ‘Imagine that being worth a million dollars. I don’t see what is so special about it. You’d certainly never catch me paying a fortune for it.’ The guard, overhearing the conversation, quietly stepped up to the man, touched him on the elbow and said, ‘I couldn’t help but overhear your conversation. I would like to say, sir, that these paintings are not on trial, but those who come to see them are.’ ” Do you get the point?

“So with God’s prophets. Daniel was not on trial in the lion’s den. Babylon/Medo Persia was. Jeremiah was not on trial in the pit. Zedekiah was. Paul, standing with chains before Agripa, was not on trial. The king was. Jesus, that greatest of prophets and King of kings standing accused before the praetorian, was not on trial. Pilot and his accusers were.” Ibid.

We need to get it straight in our thinking—who is on trial and who is not.

The word Daniel means “God is my judge.” In Daniel 2, we see that there will be four universal world kingdoms. Verses 41–44 tell us that the fourth kingdom will be divided.

“And in the days of these kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom which shall never be destroyed; and the kingdom shall not be left to other people; it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand forever.”

When God sets up His kingdom, earthly kingdoms will be gone. God’s kingdom will last forever.

To Be a Citizen

Sinners cannot be citizens of the future kingdom of glory unless they first become a citizen of the kingdom of grace now. The kingdom of grace did not exist until Adam and Eve sinned, but it was established on the very day they disobeyed God (Genesis 3:15). The kingdom of grace is a temporary kingdom and exists here in this world alone. Its purpose is to deal with the sin problem and make a way of escape here and now. When the investigative judgment is completed, there will be no further need for forgiveness of sin and the kingdom of grace will no longer be needed. The kingdom of glory will take its place here on earth, just as it has been established in heaven and in the unfallen worlds for millennia. In the kingdom of glory everyone there will be keeping God’s law all the time.

In the Kingdom of Glory

While we do not know the exact date, and are told that we are not to speculate or endeavor to determine the date, we actually know the exact time when the kingdom of grace ends and the kingdom of glory begins.

“During that time [see Daniel 11], Michael shall stand up.” Daniel 12:1, literal translation.

Right now, we are living during the reign of the antichrist, but soon Jesus will stand up and begin His reign. What happens when Jesus stands up? The investigative judgment is finished, and we see Jesus take His rightful place as King of the universe in His kingdom of glory (Revelation 22:11, 12). At the beginning of His kingdom, there will be a time of trouble such as never was since there was a nation, even to that time (Matthew 24:21). And during that time God’s people will be delivered, every one whose name is written in the book of life (Revelation 21:27).

Beasts, Heads, and Horns

In Daniel 7, the prophet dreams of four beasts. These four beasts have seven heads and ten horns. Daniel first sees a lion, then a bear, followed by a leopard with four heads and two sets of wings. Lastly, he sees a terrible beast, like nothing he has ever before seen in nature. This beast has ten horns. As Daniel observed the ten horns, he saw a small horn, an 11th horn, rising up among the ten that uprooted three of the ten horns.

“I was considering the horns, and there was another horn, a little one, coming up among them, before whom three of the first horns were plucked out by the roots. And there, in this horn, were eyes like the eyes of a man, and a mouth speaking pompous words.” Daniel 7:8. The margin says, “mouth speaking great things.” Daniel became upset when he saw this.

“I was grieved in my spirit within my body, and the visions of my head troubled me. I came near to one of those who stood by, and asked him the truth of all this. So, he told me and made known to me the interpretation of these things.” Verse 15

Saints are Holy People

People in the Roman Catholic church and many Protestant churches are terribly confused by who a saint is. I have been privileged for most of my life to study and read biblical languages. In Greek, a saint is defined as a “holy person.” Paul says, “Therefore the law is holy, and the commandment holy and just and good.” Romans 7:12. By this description of the law then, the people who obey God’s law, who live their lives in harmony with it, are “holy, just, and good” people—saints. Now, let’s go back to Daniel’s dream.

“ ‘I was watching; and the same horn was making war against the saints, and prevailing against them.’ ” Daniel 7:21

Who is this little horn making war against? The saints. Who are the saints? Those who keep the commandments of God. But this little horn power didn’t just make war, he overcame the people of God—for a time. What breaks the power of the little horn? The Ancient of Days comes.

God, the Ancient of Days, will decide our cases.

“The judgement was made in favor of the saints of the Most High, and the time came for the saints to possess the kingdom.” Verse 22, last part

“ ‘The ten horns are ten kings who shall arise from this kingdom. And another shall rise after them; He shall be different from the first ones, and shall subdue three kings.

“ ‘He shall speak pompous words against the Most High, shall persecute the saints of the Most High, and shall intend to change times and law. Then the saints shall be given into his hand for a time and times and half a time.

“ ‘But the court shall be seated, and they shall take away his dominion, to consume and destroy it forever.

“ ‘Then the kingdom and dominion, and the greatness of the kingdoms under the whole heaven, shall be given to the people, the saints of the Most High. His kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and all dominions shall serve and obey Him.’ ” Verses 24–27

There Will be a Judgment

How can it be missed? Daniel 7 is clear that there is to be a judgment. As we further study this chapter’s prophecy, we know that this judgment will begin sometime after 1798. It tells us who will be judged innocent, and therefore, will be acquitted. It also tells us who will be condemned in this judgment.

“ ‘I watched till thrones were put in place, and the Ancient of Days was seated; His garment was white as snow, and the hair of His head was like pure wool. His throne was a fiery flame, its wheels a burning fire; a fiery stream issued and came forth from before Him. A thousand thousands ministered to Him; ten thousand times ten thousand stood before Him. The court was seated, and the books were opened.’ ” Verses 9, 10

God’s will concerning the rebellious subjects He has in this world is going to be fulfilled. When God passes the final verdict, where are you going to be?

“Most assuredly, I say to you, he who hears My word and believes in Him who sent Me has everlasting life, and shall not come into judgment, but has passed from death into life.” John 5:24

May we know how serious and how solemn life really is, that we are under the death sentence unless we choose to accept Jesus as our Lord and Saviour so that He may remove our sins.

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

Cold Water

by

In the early 1800s, Vincent Priessnitz, while watching his grazing flock, noticed a wounded doe, injured by hunters, wade into the calm backflow waters of a mountain brook. The following gives us a history of how his curiosity changed his life.

“He wondered as the doe limped away and disappeared in the forest. That night he decided there must be a reason for a wounded animal to seek water to lave [wash, bathe] its wounds. Perhaps instinct was stronger than reason. He would return the next day. He did.

“Sure enough the doe returned to the eddying water at about the same time. It stood silently, without a move, and then after a while limped to the bank and disappeared in the deep foliage of the forest once more. For two weeks, Priessnitz returned daily to his vantage point and watched the wounded doe return and bathe its injured leg in the brook. Each day the deer walked better and finally scampered out of the water on the last day to return no more.

“Before his very eyes he had seen a badly injured deer healed with cool sparkling brook water. Priessnitz never forgot that experience.

“Some years later Priessnitz was injured severely hauling cord wood. Night stole upon him, as did a heavy snow storm. His team bolted through a gulch. The load slipped and his ribs were crushed.

“But while he lay there he had time to reflect on what to do. A doctor was out of the question on a night like that. No help was forthcoming. Somehow, he managed to get home.

“No, he could not soak his injured ribs in water as the deer had done with its leg. He conceived the idea of wrapping the injured ribs with pieces of his torn shirt soaked in cold water. This relieved him. He continued to apply cold wet wrappings, and, in due course, his ribs were free from pain and healed.

“The news of his accomplishment spread. When a neighbor became injured he called for the young man who healed with water. Requests for aid became more frequent and further from home, and his experience grew apace.

“He gave the matter of his discovery, which had meant so much to himself and others much thought. He tried various applications with varying degrees of success. Empirically, by trial and error, he evolved a method or system of cold-water treatment that brought help to thousands.

“He opened a modest place where people could stay. In a matter of months, it became the haven of the sick. His fame spread to every corner of the globe. He treated prince and pauper alike. The medical big wigs of the day protested and closed his doors. To his patients, called to the center of the square, he said, ‘be undismayed. If they will not let me use water we shall find a cure in air.’

“He was persecuted and prosecuted. By trickery and scheming the medical fraternity sought to discredit him. The people who had been healed were evidence against any wrong doing he was accused of. The final gesture was the claim that the water was drugged. The State found he used only pure mountain water.

“To end all persecution the State decreed that no one should ever molest him, that he be permitted to heal the sick as he had been doing.

“Grafenberg became a shrine for the ill. People traveled to it from all over the world. Some of the best records we have came from the pen of Americans who crossed the ocean to take the ‘cure.’

“In 1842, twelve hundred patients from all over the world visited and were cared for at his institution at Grafenberg. During the years 1849, 1850, and 1851, the number of patients rose to as high as fourteen hundred, and came from as many as thirty different countries, such was his fame. …

“Priessnitz’s work was absorbed by other systems which followed as the Kneipp and Bilz system and so on, until we find at the turn of the twentieth century an American Hydro-therapy fostered by the genius of the late John Harvey Kellogg of Battle Creek Sanitarium fame. …” The Cold Water Cure, pg i, ii, by Vincent Priessnitz, 1843.  Reprinted by Kessinger Publishing’s Rare Reprints.

There are instances in the Spirit of Prophecy where water treatments were used.

“I am generally up hours before any other member of my family. On rising I build my fire, take a bath in cold water before the fire, and then, after my praying season, take my pen in hand and, from two o’clock until seven, write many pages. We have family prayers just before breakfast, which is at half past seven. I generally retire at seven o’clock in the evening.” Manuscript Releases, Vol. 14, 259

“If you feel that you must eat at night, take a drink of cold water, and in the morning, you will feel much better for not having eaten.” Counsels on Diet and Foods, 177

“Do not sit in a meeting with cold feet. If the feet are cold, wash them in cold water, and then dry them thoroughly. You will find that the blood will thus be called from the head to the limbs.” Sermons and Talks, Vol. 2, 142

Amazing what a little water can do. Praise God for all of His blessings!

Reprinted from the August 2017 LandMarks

A Story About Nothing

by

This story is about nothing — nothing at all. That’s what you brought into the world with you when you were born. Just nothing. Zero.

There was a man in Italy who added a great deal of money to his first zero, and he became a rich man with a lot of zeros after the number one. He had an expensive car and much more. He also had in his car a little New Testament which he had stuffed out of sight in his glove compartment, because he didn’t know what to do with it.

Think of that! The eternal word of God, showing the way to everlasting joy with the answer to all the sins and sorrows of life and death, and he didn’t know what to do with it! He knew how to handle money and how to make more. He knew how to get a beautiful house and how to meet important people, but he didn’t know God’s simple way of salvation. How poor can a rich man be?

Then came the car accident. The ambulance was called, and there was nothing he could do but wait. His injuries were not severe, but he knew very well that he could have been killed. His hand reached for the ownership papers of his car, and his fingers came up with that little New Testament. For the first time, he opened it and read that verse about “nothing.”

“We brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out.” 1 Timothy 6:7

“I felt as if I had been struck by lightning!” he said later. He realized that if he had been killed, all his possessions would be reduced to the original zero. Nothing would be left for eternity. Not a single penny of all his riches would be his the moment after his death.

But after death there is something that would still be his. His sins! These you cannot get rid of after death. They must be gotten rid of before death or they will stand against you in the last judgment. Will you please, at this moment, picture this awful truth—standing before God in your sins!

However, the awful debt of my sins has been paid by the One who loves me and died for me on Calvary. His blood cleanses and redeems me from all sin as I accept His gift of eternal life. When I choose salvation, as I live for Him I accept that I am His child.

“As many as received Him, to them He gave His power to become the sons [and daughters] of God to them that believe in His name.” John 1:12

The rich man in the car accident began to read the Bible earnestly, and he soon accepted the Lord Jesus as his Saviour and shortly afterwards was baptized. Will you also receive this loving Saviour as your own? “Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.” 2 Corinthians 6:2

Messages of God’s Love, by Bible Truth Publishers, Addison, IL  60101

What I Do Not See

by

Everywhere we look in this world, we see examples of God’s love and creative power, beautiful even though they are marred by sin. For example, I can look out the window of my office at Steps to Life and see green grass, blue sky, a hedge row of trees. But, between the glass in my window and the hedge row of trees, what don’t I see?

I can see the gravel in the road between my house and the ministry office building, but what I don’t see, unless I look very carefully and closely, is the nest of the killdeer. These intriguing birds build their nest in rocks, and their eggs are colored and marked in such a way that they blend right in with the rocks that make up their resting place until the eggs hatch.

Gnats. Those annoying tiny insects that fly around all the time. You can hear them when they fly close to your ear, but unless they land on your arm or are joined together in a flying platoon, you can’t see them. They are attracted to moisture like puddles of water, garbage cans, overripe fruit. They are also attracted to us—our perspiration, tears from our eyes, our body heat.

I can look out my window on any given day and see the trees swaying in the wind. I don’t see the wind, but I can observe its effect on everything outside.

If I have my window open, particularly in the morning as the sun comes up, I can’t always see just where they are, but I can hear the meadowlarks singing to welcome the day. This is my favorite bird song.

I can smell the rain, even when it isn’t raining yet right where I am.

I can watch the clouds as they drift across the sky, barely able to perceive their movement because they drift both in the direction the wind blows them, but also changing shape. One minute I might see a dog in the clouds, but in another, an elephant or bear.

If I leave the building and walk around campus, I might see some ducks or geese floating around our pond. I can see them, but I cannot see their feet moving much quicker than their movement around the pond might suggest.

Steps to Life owns several acres of ground. I can see a couple through my office window. What I don’t see are all the various insects that live on and in the ground. It is estimated that each acre of ground is home to around 400 million insects of all different varieties and species, and that is a conservative estimate. It depends on the type of soil and the region where you live.

All of this made me think about heaven. I cannot see heaven right now, but the Bible and the Spirit of Prophecy paint magnificent word pictures for me so that I can imagine it, even in my sin-marred imagination.

I think of the Holy Spirit. I cannot see Him, but I can see the effect He has on me and others who allow Him to perform His transformative work in our lives.

I cannot see the angels, but I am alive today because they have protected me many times that I know of, and I’m sure many more times about which they will tell me later.

I have not seen Jesus, but I know that He left heaven to save me, and you. One day, we will see His face and hear His voice, but until then, we can look around this world and see, hear, touch, and smell, all the miraculous things He has given us to remind us of His love.

Did You Know?

If you live in the Amazon Rainforest, you might be sharing your little acre with as many as 70,000 different species of insects.

Who Do We Think We Are?

by

One night not long ago, I woke up with the thought of balloons, and promptly went back to sleep. But the thought of balloons followed me for several days. I thought about helium-filled balloons being let loose to float up and around in the sky. I wondered what happened to them, and my brother told me that they eventually go high enough that they implode.

That started me thinking about the Tower of Babel. I couldn’t really make a spiritual connection between balloons and the Tower of Babel, so I dropped the balloons and focused on the Tower of Babel.

I don’t know how high the people building the Tower of Babel thought they could go, but their purpose was clear. So, let’s take a short look at why they built it.

The Flood happened because mankind had become so evil that God regretted creating them (Genesis 6:5–7). Think about that! A merciful, patient, and loving Father, driven to regret by the actions of His children.

While the Bible isn’t specific concerning the length of time, most religious scholars accept that the tower was built more than 200 years, or approximately three generations, after the Flood. These people knew of the Flood by word of mouth, passed down from one generation to the next; but it was still a significant event in their history.

Many of the descendants of Noah followed his example and obeyed God’s commandments, but some apostatized. They were unbelieving and rebellious, even disbelieving in the existence of God, attributing the Flood to natural causes. Convicted on a daily basis by the righteous conversation and godly lives of those who loved and followed God, these enemies of God decided to separate themselves from the faithful.

They journeyed until they found a large plain, and there they built a city and ultimately, the Tower of Babel. The Bible says they built their city in the Plain of Shinar located in present-day Iraq, but just exactly where in the Plain, we do not know.

They intended to dwell there together and not be scattered all about. They also reasoned that if they built the Tower high enough, if another flood came, they could save themselves by climbing to its upper reaches. They believed that the world would honor them and look upon them as gods, and they would rule over all the people.

The tower was designed to exalt its builders and intended to make God’s promise to never destroy the world again with a flood of none effect. Who did they think they were? They built a tower with the intention of turning the attention of the world to themselves and their idolatry, and away from God. They intended to be worshiped as gods.

They built their tower to a great height, but God would not allow them to complete their work. He sent two angels to confound their language and all work stopped. All the people of Babel spread out across the land.

God then sent lightning from heaven and broke off the top of the tower, as an expression of His wrath, and to show rebellious mankind that He is supreme (The Story of Redemption, 72–74).

Dear Lord, help us to take to heart the Bible stories that You have especially included in Your book so that we can remember that You are Supreme in this universe, so that we can be drawn nearer to You, becoming more Christlike in character.

Jesus Rescues the Sabbath

by

The Sabbath was hallowed at creation. As ordained for man, it had its origin when “the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy.” Job 38:7. Earth was in harmony with heaven. “God saw everything that He had made, and, behold, it was very good”; and He rested in the joy of His completed work. Genesis 1:31

Because He had rested on the Sabbath, “God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it” (Genesis 2:3)—set it apart to a holy use. It was a memorial of the work of creation, and thus a sign of God’s power and love.

All things were created by the Son of God. “All things were made by Him; and without Him was not anything made that was made.” John 1:3. And since the Sabbath is a memorial of the work of creation, it is a token of the love and power of Christ.

The Sabbath brings us into communion with the Creator. In the song of the bird, the sighing of the trees, and the music of the sea, we still may hear His voice who talked with Adam in Eden. And as we behold His power in nature, we find comfort, for the Word that created all things is that which speaks life to the soul. He “who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.” 2 Corinthians 4:6

“Look unto Me and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth: for I am God, and there is none else.” Isaiah 45:22. This is the message written in nature, which the Sabbath is appointed to keep in memory. When the Lord told Israel to hallow His Sabbaths, He said, “They shall be a sign between Me and you, that ye may know that I am the Lord your God.” Ezekiel 20:20

The people of Israel had knowledge of the Sabbath before they came to Sinai. On the way, the Sabbath was kept. When some profaned it, the Lord reproved them, “How long refuse ye to keep My commandments and My laws?” Exodus 16:28

The Sabbath was not for Israel merely, but for the world. Like the other precepts of the Decalogue, it is of imperishable obligation. Of that law Christ declares, “Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in nowise pass from the law.” Matthew 5:18. So long as the heavens and the earth endure, the Sabbath will continue as a sign of the Creator’s power. And when Eden shall bloom on earth again, God’s holy rest day will be honored by all beneath the sun. “From one Sabbath to another” the inhabitants of the glorified new earth shall go up “to worship before Me, saith the Lord.” Isaiah 66:23

But in order to keep the Sabbath holy, men must themselves be holy. Through faith they must become partakers of the righteousness of Christ. When the command was given to Israel, “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy” (Exodus 20:8), the Lord said also to them, “Ye shall be holy men unto Me.” Exodus 22:31

As the Jews departed from God and failed to make the righteousness of Christ their own by faith, the Sabbath lost its significance to them. Satan worked to pervert the Sabbath, because it is the sign of the power of Christ. The Jewish leaders surrounded God’s rest day with burdensome requirements. In the days of Christ its observance reflected the character of selfish and arbitrary men rather than the character of the loving heavenly Father. The rabbis virtually represented God as giving laws impossible for men to obey. They led the people to look on God as a tyrant, and to think that the Sabbath made men hardhearted and cruel. It was the work of Christ to clear away these misconceptions. Jesus did not conform to the rabbis’ requirements, but went straight forward, keeping the Sabbath according to the law of God.

A Sabbath Lesson

One Sabbath, as the Saviour and His disciples passed through a field of ripening grain, the disciples began to gather the heads of grain and to eat the kernels after rubbing them in their hands. On any other day this would have excited no comment, for a person passing through a field, an orchard, or a vineyard, was at liberty to gather what he desired to eat. See Deuteronomy 23:24, 25. But to do this on the Sabbath was held to be an act of desecration. Gathering the grain was a kind of reaping, the rubbing of it in the hands a kind of threshing.

The spies at once complained to Jesus, “Behold, Thy disciples do that which is not lawful to do on the Sabbath day.” Mark 2:24

When accused of Sabbathbreaking at Bethesda, Jesus defended Himself by affirming His Sonship to God, declaring He worked in harmony with the Father. Now that the disciples were attacked, He cited Old Testament examples of acts performed on the Sabbath by those who were in the service of God.

In the Saviour’s answer to His accusers there was an implied rebuke for their ignorance of the Sacred Writings: “Have you not read what David did when he was hungry, he and those who were with him: how he entered the house of God, and took and ate the bread of the Presence, which it is not lawful for any but the priests to eat?” “And He said unto them, The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath.” “Or have you not read in the law how on the Sabbath the priests in the temple profane the Sabbath, and are guiltless? I tell you, something greater than the temple is here.” “The Son of man is Lord of the Sabbath.” Luke 6:3, 4, RSV; Mark 2:27, 28; Matthew 12:5, 6, 8, RSV

If it was right for David to satisfy his hunger by eating the bread set apart to a holy use, then it was right for the disciples to pluck grain on the Sabbath. Again, the priests in the temple performed greater labor on the Sabbath than on other days. The same labor in secular business would be sinful, but they were performing rites that pointed to the redeeming power of Christ, and their labor was in harmony with the Sabbath.

The object of God’s work in this world is the redemption of man. Therefore that which is necessary to do on the Sabbath in the accomplishment of this work is in accord with the Sabbath law. Jesus then crowned His argument by declaring Himself the “Lord of the Sabbath”—One above all questions and all law. This infinite judge acquitted the disciples of blame, appealing to the very statutes they were accused of violating.

Jesus declared that in their blindness His enemies had mistaken the object of the Sabbath. He said, “If ye had known what this meaneth, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice, ye would not have condemned the guiltless.” Matthew 12:7. Their heartless rites could not supply the lack of that integrity and tender love which characterize the true worshiper of God.

Jesus Deliberately Heals on the Sabbath

Sacrifices were in themselves of no value. They were a means, not an end. Their object was to direct men to the Saviour, to bring them into harmony with God. It is the service of love that God values. When this is lacking, mere ceremony is an offence to Him. So with the Sabbath. When the mind was absorbed with wearisome rites, the object of the Sabbath was thwarted. Its mere outward observance was a mockery.

On another Sabbath, Jesus saw in the synagogue a man who had a withered hand. The Pharisees watched, eager to see what He would do. The Saviour did not hesitate to break down the wall of traditional requirements that barricaded the Sabbath.

Jesus told the afflicted man to stand forth, and asked, “Is it lawful to do good on the Sabbath or to do evil? to save life, or to kill?” Mark 3:4. It was a maxim among the Jews that failure to do good when one had opportunity, was to do evil; to neglect to save life was to kill. Thus Jesus met the rabbis on their own ground. “But they were silent. And He looked at them with anger, grieved at the hardness of heart, and said to the man, ‘Stretch out your hand.’ He stretched it out, and his hand was restored.” Verse 5, RSV

When questioned, “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?” Jesus answered, “What man of you, if he has one sheep and it falls into a pit on the Sabbath, will not lay hold of it and lift it out? Of how much more value is a man than a sheep! So it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath.” Matthew 12:10–12, RSV

Greater Care Shown Animals

The spies dared not answer Christ. They knew He had spoken the truth. Rather than violate traditions, they would leave a man to suffer, while they would relieve a brute because of the loss to the owner if it were neglected. Greater care was shown for dumb animals than for man. This illustrates the working of all false religions. They originate in man’s desire to exalt himself above God, but result in degrading man below the brute. Every false religion teaches its adherents to be careless of human needs, sufferings, and rights. The gospel places a high value on humanity as the purchase of the blood of Christ, and teaches a tender regard for the wants and woes of man. See Isaiah 13:12.

The Pharisees were hunting Jesus’ life with bitter hatred, while He was saving life and bringing happiness to multitudes. Was it better to slay upon the Sabbath, as they were planning to do, than to heal the afflicted, as He had done?

In healing the withered hand, Jesus condemned the custom of the Jews, and left the fourth commandment standing as God had given it. “It is lawful to do well on the Sabbath days,” He declared. By sweeping away senseless restrictions, Christ honored the Sabbath, while those who complained of Him were dishonoring God’s holy day.

Those who hold that Christ abolished the law teach that He broke the Sabbath and justified His disciples in doing the same. Thus they are taking the same ground as did the caviling Jews. In this they contradict Christ Himself, who declared, “I have kept My Father’s commandments, and abide in His love.” John 15:10. Neither the Saviour nor His followers broke the Sabbath. Looking upon a nation of witnesses who were seeking occasion to condemn Him, He could say unchallenged, “Which of you convicts Me of sin?” John 8:46, RSV

“The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath,” Jesus said. The Ten Commandments, of which the Sabbath forms a part, God gave to His people as a blessing. See Deuteronomy 6:24. Of all who keep “the Sabbath from polluting it,” the Lord declares, “even them will I bring to My holy mountain, and make them joyful in My house of prayer.” Isaiah 56:6, 7

“The Son of man is Lord also of the Sabbath.” For “all things were made by Him; and without Him was not anything made that was made.” John 1:3. Since Christ made all things, He made the Sabbath. By Him it was set apart as a memorial of creation. It points to Him as both Creator and Sanctifier. It declares that He who created all things is the Head of the church and that by His power we are reconciled to God. He said, “I gave them My Sabbaths, to be a sign between Me and them, that they might know that I am the Lord that sanctify them”—make them holy. Ezekiel 20:12. The Sabbath is a sign of Christ’s power to make us holy. And it is given to all whom Christ makes holy, as a sign of His sanctifying power.

To all who receive the Sabbath as a sign of Christ’s creative and redeeming power, it will be a delight. See Isaiah 58:13, 14. Seeing Christ in it, they delight themselves in Him. While it calls to mind the lost peace of Eden, it tells of peace restored through the Saviour. And every object in nature repeats His invitation, “Come unto Me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” Matthew 11:28

From Heaven With Love, 185–191

The Woman Clothed in Purple

by

Cain and Abel, Babylon and Jerusalem, the Harlot and the Bride—these represent the two opposing models of worshiping God that appear repeatedly throughout the Scriptures. The first model is built upon the desire to obtain salvation through works, while the second rests on justification by faith in Christ. In my previous article, I wrote about the mysterious global superpower known as the papacy. Let us now take a closer look at this religious-political power. Where does this system, headquartered in Rome, fit within the biblical framework of these two contrasting models of worship?

Babylon

We know that the very nature of the papacy is the union of church and state, of throne and altar, of kingdom and priesthood, of religion and politics. But is the papal model of the church in harmony with God’s will as revealed in Scripture? The answer is no. In prophetic language, the union of religion and politics—of church and state, of Christianity with paganism—is described as harlotry. The prophet Ezekiel wrote: “Because you have gone astray as a harlot after the Gentiles, because you have become defiled by their idols” (Ezekiel 23:30). The papal model of church–state union traces back historically to the Tower of Babel. Nimrod established the world’s first empire in which religion and state were fused into one.1 The concept of merging state and religion—where the monarch and the high priest were united as one—was an unquestioned principle of antiquity. The monarch was, in effect, the absolute ruler over the consciences of his subjects.

The Revolutionary Principle

Yet in the course of history, there arose a Man who overturned this tyrannical principle. He introduced a truth that later became the foundation of all genuine freedom. That principle is expressed in these words: “Render therefore to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s” (Matthew 22:21). Jesus Christ—fully man and fully God—brought to a corrupted humanity an idea from another dimension: the principle of freedom of conscience. He declared this revolutionary truth at a time when the image of the Roman emperors appeared on every coin, inscribed with their imperial title: Pontifex Maximus—the high priest. Without this principle, there would have been no John Locke and no modern constitutionalism with its foundational idea of the separation of church and state.2 The words of Jesus became, for the early Christians and for all Bible-believing Christians who cherish freedom, the foundation for practicing the principle of separation of church and state.

The model of the church represented by the papacy is not—and cannot be—in harmony with God’s revealed will.

Two Women

The book of Revelation is a remarkable book of the Bible—it is the revelation of Jesus Christ Himself. And although its content may at first seem frightening and alarming, full of mysterious symbols and bloodthirsty beasts, its message is not given to terrify us or leave us in ignorance.3 Therefore, it is extremely important to understand the astonishing and terrifying vision contained in this book. It is a vision of two contrasting women—the Bride and the Harlot. The Bride—a pure woman—is the Church of God, the mother of the Messiah and of the faithful remnant—the end-time Church. The Harlot—the adulteress—is the mother of harlots. She is the church that commits spiritual adultery with the kings of the earth, using their power to persecute God’s people. The Bride and the Harlot—within the context of the great conflict between good and evil, Christ and Satan—represent a vision worthy of careful attention.

The Bride

The Bible uses various metaphors to explain the nature of the Church. At times, the Church is compared to the human body, of which Christ is the head (Colossians 2:10). Another metaphor presents the Church as a temple (Ephesians 2:21). In Revelation chapter twelve, there is yet another metaphor of the Church, emphasizing the unity of Christ and His Church in the context of monogamous marriage (Genesis 2:24). Just as a husband and wife become one, so believers must be spiritually united with one another and with Christ. This metaphor is the Bride—a pure woman awaiting her Bridegroom (2 Corinthians 11:2). Jesus likened His coming to the coming of the bridegroom for his bride (Matthew 25:6). The Apostle Paul also used the metaphor of the Bride to describe the Church (Ephesians 5:25). The Bride is the Church that has not defiled itself with harlotry—that is, with unholy unions with politics and paganism—but remains faithful to her Bridegroom, Christ.4

The Harlot

“ ‘Come, I will show you the judgment of the great harlot who sits on many waters, with whom the kings of the earth committed fornication, and the inhabitants of the earth were made drunk with the wine of her fornication.’ So, he carried me away in the Spirit into the wilderness. And I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet beast which was full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns. The woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet, and adorned with gold and precious stones and pearls, having in her hand a golden cup full of abominations and the filthiness of her fornication. And on her forehead a name was written:

“ ‘Mystery, Babylon the Great, the mother of harlots and of the abominations of the earth.’

“I saw the woman, drunk with the blood of the saints and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus. And when I saw her, I marveled with great amazement” Revelation 17:1–6.

I would like to strongly emphasize that the biblical Harlot does not represent individual people, so there is no reason for anyone to feel personally offended. The Harlot is a politico-religious system. This concerns the system itself, not the individuals who fall under its influence. Many who are part of this system are unaware of the depth of its apostasy. I recognize that today, in an era of widespread ecumenism and political correctness, emphasizing these ancient biblical truths is not always easy. Especially since most Protestants now reject the biblical truths found in Revelation 17 as, to put it mildly, insufficiently ecumenical (it was different in the past). Nevertheless, love for one’s neighbor and commitment to truth calls each of us not to compromise or yield to the spirit of the times.

The Woman Clothed in Purple

The Apostle John was shocked when he saw the Harlot. Instead of representing the Church of God, the woman was dressed like a prostitute and was drunk with the blood of the martyrs. When John described the vision of the Harlot, he lived in a time when the state persecuted the Church. Therefore, the sight of a church immersed in apostasy, using the state to persecute Christ’s followers, was a terrifying and shocking vision.

The Marriage Metaphor

As Jacques B. Doukhan writes, “The marriage metaphor helps us understand this contrast. The Old Testament, as we have noted, often presents Israel as God’s bride and compares its unfaithfulness to adultery or prostitution. John’s Revelation employs the same language. The identity of the Harlot is clear. She is neither a pagan power nor a political power. In the biblical tradition, the Harlot of Revelation embodies the unfaithfulness of God’s people, and, in the broader perspective of the New Testament, represents a church that has entered into unlawful alliances with the rulers of the world. Revelation identifies the Harlot as Babylon.”5

The Mystery of the Woman Riding the Beast

If the Harlot represents a church that has entered into unlawful alliances with the rulers of the world, this is confirmed by the name written on her forehead. It reads: “Mystery, Babylon the Great.” Naturally, this name must refer to the dominant characteristic of the Babylonian empire, which was the union of religion and state, of throne and altar, of kingdom and priesthood.6 Thus, the primary characteristic of the woman riding the beast is her unlawful, adulterous alliance with secular authorities. In the Catholic Church, the beginning of the fourth century marks the start of the union between church and state. It might have seemed that the Church had triumphed over paganism and was entering an era of glory and triumph.

However, the birth of this church–state union led to ecclesiastical despotism and the persecution of all who held views differing from the officially approved doctrine. It was also a time when pagan, occult, and mystery cults merged with Christianity. The union of the Church with state and paganism resulted in the greatest apostasy in Christianity.

From this arose a godless politico-religious alliance, which later developed into a political-religious power in the form of the papacy. This system established a theocratic totalitarian regime in medieval Europe, brutally persecuting all who sought to live according to the dictates of their own conscience.

The Babylonian Model

It must be clearly emphasized that the construction of the Tower of Babel was a religious endeavor undertaken by a political community gathered on the plain of Shinar. The builders of the tower aimed to reach the heavens through their own effort: “Come, let us build ourselves a city, and a tower whose top is in the heavens; let us make a name for ourselves, lest we be scattered abroad over the face of the whole earth” (Genesis 11:4). Thus, the Tower of Babel represented the unity of state and religion.7 At the same time, the construction of the Tower of Babel represents a reliance on human effort to achieve salvation. This stands in complete contrast to the path of salvation that God consistently revealed since the time of Abel. Human effort plays no role in salvation, for it is a gift from God: “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast” (Ephesians 2:8, 9). Let us now take a closer look at some of the distinctive characteristics of the Harlot, as described by the Apostle John in Revelation 17.

The Harlot Seated Over Many Waters

The politico-religious system represented by the Harlot has gained influence over nearly the entire world and, through political alliances, affects the governments of nations and rules over human minds. As we read: “The waters which you saw, where the harlot sits, are peoples, multitudes, nations, and tongues” (Revelation 17:15).

The Harlot With Whom the Kings of the Earth Commit Adultery

The Roman Catholic Church has always sought to establish its ideal of a political community. This ideal has consistently been the union of church and state. The history of the Roman Catholic Church, beginning with Constantine the Great, is a record of ongoing alliances between the Church and the state, all aimed at using secular authority as an instrument in the hands of the Church. For this reason, the papacy has consistently and fiercely opposed the principle of the separation of church and state.8 Recent history confirms the age-old ambitions of the papacy. Perhaps the most striking examples are the godless alliances with the fascist governments of Spain, Italy, Germany, and Croatia. In 1929, the papacy signed a concordat with Benito Mussolini’s fascist government, thereby reestablishing the papal state—the Vatican. In 1933, a concordat was also signed with Nazi Germany.9 The Vatican also collaborated with regimes in South American countries, suppressing the principle of the separation of church and state everywhere, and thereby encouraging both authorities and local populations to persecute Protestants.10 An example that the Roman Catholic Church is willing to form alliances with any significant political power is the so-called Holy Alliance, concluded between Pope John Paul II and U.S. President Ronald Reagan in 1982.11 It is worth noting that the Vatican currently maintains diplomatic relations with the majority of the world’s nations. “The harlot with whom the kings of the earth commit adultery” (Revelation 17:2) has always involved cooperation and mutual support—that is, an alliance between church and state.

The Wine of Fornication

The Harlot influences the inhabitants of the earth through “a golden cup full of abominations and the filthiness of her fornication” (Revelation 17:4), or “the wine of her fornication” (verse 2). But what is this “wine of her fornication”? The wine of fornication represents false religious doctrines that have their roots in paganism.12 Regarding Roman Catholic doctrines, Cardinal John Henry Newman wrote: “The use of temples, and these dedicated to particular saints, and ornamented on occasions with branches of trees; incense, lamps, and candles; votive offerings on recovery from illness; holy water; asylums; holydays and seasons, use of calendars, processions, blessings on the fields; sacerdotal vestments, the tonsure, … turning to the East, images at a later date, … are all of pagan origin, and sanctified by their adoption into the Church.”13

Most Roman Catholic doctrines may appear to originate from the Bible, but in reality, they stand in stark contradiction to Scripture, the teachings of Christ, and the apostles. The wine of fornication of the Babylonian Harlot also includes many other false doctrines, such as the sacrificial–liturgical ceremonial, auricular confession, the division of the faithful into clergy and laity, infant baptism, the replacement of the biblical Sabbath with Sunday observance, the veneration of deceased “saints,” their relics and images, Marian devotion, the primacy and infallibility of the pope, clerical celibacy, doctrines concerning the immortality of the soul, purgatory, and hell, the acceptance of apocryphal books, equating Tradition with the Bible, the introduction of the rosary, the system of sacraments and indulgences, and many others.14 It also represents the condemnation of religious freedom, freedom of conscience, and freedom of speech and the press—continuing in this stance until the end of the 19th century.15 The papacy officially recognized freedom of conscience, religion, and the press only during the Second Vatican Council.16 As a result of intoxicating the inhabitants of the earth with the wine of fornication, the truth of salvation through Christ by God’s grace has been trampled underfoot by the Roman Harlot—a politico-religious institution of the papacy.

A Church Full of Splendor

The Harlot is dressed in purple and scarlet, adorned with gold, precious stones, and pearls. The apostate Church is thus distinguished by wealth, vanity, and pride. The colors associated with this woman continue to be the colors of Catholic hierarchy today. Purple is now the color of bishops’ vestments, while scarlet is the color of cardinals’ robes. Regarding the wealth of the Roman Church, it must be remembered that much of it was obtained through the confiscation of the property of Inquisition victims, the sale of indulgences, as well as money laundering, corrupt banking practices, and connections with the mafia. In summary, the Roman Catholic Church is a global institution of unprecedented wealth.17 All this ecclesiastical splendor, however, has nothing to do with the gospel of Christ, who rejected both earthly glory and crown, as well as worldly wealth. His Kingdom is not of this world (John 18:36).

Babylon the Great, the Mother of Harlots

The papal system of governance is a continuation of the absolute power once represented by ancient pagan despotisms such as Babylon and the Roman Empire.18 It is unfortunate, however, that the designation “the mother of harlots” also points to other churches, including some Protestant ones, that imitate this “mother” in seeking support from the state. Leading in this practice are particularly fundamentalists aligned with the religious right.

The Harlot Drunk with the Blood of the Saints

The gravest transgression of the papacy in the temporal realm, however, is its criminal past. The unimaginable suffering, torment, and brutal torture of the Middle Ages and later periods were inflicted by the papal system on those who sought to serve God according to their conscience. The dark and bloody pages of the Inquisition remain an everlasting disgrace for an institution that arrogated to itself the right to be Christ’s representative.

Millions were tortured in monastic dungeons, burned alive at the stake, or simply slaughtered by sword and fire, merely because they held different religious convictions and refused to submit to Roman tyranny. How can one even assess such systemic ecclesiastical terror over centuries in comparison with the German Nazi concentration camps—especially when we realize that the papacy supported the Nazi regime responsible for these crimes?19

We are left to trust that God will soon execute righteous judgment on the Babylonian Harlot. The history of this world is rapidly drawing to a close, and the great Harlot will be judged. Therefore, God calls His people, who remain within the Roman system, to flee from this spiritual Babylon, saying: “Come out of her, My people, lest you share in her sins, and lest you receive of her plagues” (Revelation 18:4. See verses 5–8). This is the solemn call of Jesus to all sincerely believing Catholics.

Marcin Watras lives with his wife and two children in Katowice, Poland. He is interested in the philosophy of religion and trends in society.

Endnotes:

  1. Dave Hunt, Kobieta jadąca na bestii, publishing house Fundacja Świadome Chrześcijaństwo 2024, p. 51
  2. Jan W. Klif, And The Emperor Sat On The Throne, youtube.com/watch?v=6dOPvOgWdJM, accessibility: September 17, 2025
  3. Jacques B. Doukhan, Kod Apokalipsy, publishing house Znaki Czasu 2007, p. 9
  4. Raoul Dederen, Handbook of Seventh-Day Adventist Theology, Hagerstown 2000, pp. 547, 548
  5. Jacques B. Doukhan, Kod Apokalipsy, publishing house Znaki Czasu 2007, p. 161
  6. Dave Hunt, Kobieta jadąca na bestii, publishing house Fundacja Świadome Chrześcijaństwo 2024, p. 46
  7. , p. 47
  8. , pp. 48–51
  9. , p. 51
  10. Jonatan Dunkel, Apokalipsa, publishing house Orion plus 2001, p. 101
  11. Carl Bernstein, “The Holy Alliance: Ronald Reagan and John Paul II,” Time, February 24, 1992, https://content.time.com/time/subscriber/article/0,33009,974931,00.html, accessibility: September 18, 2025
  12. Jonatan Dunkel, Apokalipsa, publishing house Orion plus 2001, p. 223
  13. John Henry Newman, An Essay on the Development of Christian Doctrine, p. 374, newmanreader.org/works/development/chapter8.html, accessibility: September 21, 2025
  14. Andrzej Maszczak, Wyklady seminaryjne księgo Daniela, publishing house Znaki Czasu 2001, p. 184
  15. Jonatan Dunkel, Apokalipsa, publishing house Orion plus 2001, pp. 194, 195
  16. Deklaracja o wolności religijnej Dignitatis humanae, https://laboratoriumwolnosci.pl/slownik/deklaracja-o-wolnosci-religijnej-dignitatis-humanae/, accessibility: September 21, 2025
  17. Dave Hunt, Kobieta jadąca na bestii, publishing house Fundacja Świadome Chrześcijaństwo 2024, pp. 67–69
  18. Andrzej Maszczak, Wyklady seminaryjne księgo Daniela, publishing house Znaki Czasu 2001, p. 184
  19. , p. 170

The Man Who Would Not Give Up, Part 2

by

When the time came for Jacob to return to the land of his father, he approached the country of his birth with trepidation, anticipating the welcome he would receive from his twin brother, Esau, who was on his way to meet Jacob with 400 armed men. To help soften his brother’s heart, Jacob sent him expensive gifts. He did everything he could, but he knew that it was not enough.

Jacob had learned something, friend, that you and I need to learn. He was shrewd and knew how to make business deals, but he was in a situation now where those skills were useless. There was no business deal that he could make that would get him out of this. He knew that unless the Lord intervened, it would be all over.

Plea for Help

So, Jacob went to the Lord in prayer: “O God of my father Abraham and God of my father Isaac, Jehovah. You said to me, ‘Return to your land and to your kindred, and I will deal well with you: I am not worthy for any of your mercies which you have done with your servant.’ ” Genesis 32:9, 10

Jacob had divided his family into two camps, thinking that if the people in one camp were killed, those in the other camp would be able to flee from danger. Then he had crossed over the Jordan.

His plea to God continues: “Deliver me, please, from the hand of my brother, from the hand of Esau; because I am terrified lest he should come and strike me and the mother with the children. And now, You said, ‘Indeed, I will deal well with you, and I will make your descendants, your seed, as the sand of the sea, which cannot be numbered for multitude.’ ” Verses 11, 12

Only these few verses of Scripture are recorded, so we do not know the entire contents of his prayer. He was, no doubt, praying there for hours, pleading with the Lord. From these verses, you can understand the gist of his prayer. “Lord, You promised. You are the One who told me to come back here, and You said that You would deal well with me. You said that my descendants would be like the sand of the sea, which could not be numbered for multitude. Now we are all about to get killed.”

“He arose in that night and took his two wives, his two concubines, and his eleven sons and passed over the Brook Jabbok.” Verse 22

Jacob continued to pray into the night hours. He was alone, totally unprotected, having sent his family and everything that made life dear to him a distance away. In describing the region where he was praying, Ellen White wrote: “It was in a lonely, mountainous region, the haunt of wild beasts and the lurking place of robbers and murderers. Solitary and unprotected, Jacob bowed in deep distress upon the earth. It was midnight.” Patriarchs and Prophets, 196

Midnight came, and his mind was still filled with doubts and questionings: “Maybe the Lord cannot fulfill His promises to me, because I am such a bad sinner. I am a crook and a liar. Maybe, even though He promised this to me, it will not happen, because I am so sinful, and now all my children, my wives, and everything will be killed, because of what I have done.”

If you are a father, you can understand Jacob’s anguish. For most fathers, it would be easier to die themselves than to watch their children be killed. This is why, during the Dark Ages, to torture the Waldenses, the agents of Rome would kill their sons before them, cut off their heads, and tie them to the necks of their fathers, then march the fathers to their own deaths.

Bless Me

Suddenly, as Jacob was praying, “There wrestled with him a man until the breaking of day. And He saw that He did not prevail against him, and He touched the hollow of his thigh; and the hollow of Jacob’s thigh went out of joint as He was wrestling with him. And He said, ‘Send Me away, because the dawn is coming.’ And he [Jacob] said, ‘I cannot send You away unless You bless me!’ ” Verses 24–26

You see, when his thigh was touched, Jacob realized instantly that he was dealing with a supernatural being, with Someone from heaven. He was not dealing with another man; an average man would not be able to touch your hip and throw it out of joint. Yes, Jacob knew who he was struggling with.

“So He said to him, ‘What is your name?’ He said, ‘Jacob.’

“And He said, ‘Your name shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel; for you have struggled with God and with men, and have prevailed.’

“Then Jacob asked, saying, ‘Tell me Your name, I pray.’ And He said, ‘Why is it that you ask about My name?’ And He blessed him there.” Verses 27–29

The Meaning

What is the meaning of this story? During this night, Jacob struggled with the Lord Jesus. Jacob called the name of this place Peniel, which means “The Face of God,” because he said, “I have seen God face to face, and I am still alive.” Verse 30

What lesson can we learn from this? Have you ever met someone who has wrestled hard to overcome sin in his or her life, and he or she says, “I can never do it; I guess I will just have to be lost”? Jacob wrestled as hard as he could to overcome. At first, he thought he was fighting Esau, one of Esau’s men, or a robber or a murderer who was going to kill him. He was determined to overcome, but he found that he could not. If you have a besetting sin in your life, you cannot overcome it any more than Jacob could overcome, unless you are blessed.

Confess and Forsake

Over and over again that night, it came to Jacob’s mind that he had stolen from his brother, and he had lied to and deceived his father. He recognized that he was going through all of this because of his sins. But in the midst of it all, even though he thought he would be killed, he continued to fight.

While those sins kept coming to his mind, he also thought to himself, “But I have repented. I have told the Lord over and over again for 20 years that I am sorry, and I want to be forgiven. I am not that man anymore. The Lord has promised me.”

The promise is very clear in the Bible. “He who hides his rebellions, his transgressions, will not prosper. But the one who confesses and forsakes them will obtain mercy.” Proverbs 28:13. Jacob’s transgressions were rebellions. They were deliberate transgressions against the Law of God; they were not sins of ignorance.

Although the book of Proverbs had not yet been written in Jacob’s time, he knew the principle. He knew that if a person confessed and repented of his sins, God had promised mercy. And he kept saying, as he was fighting, “Lord, I have repented. I have confessed. I have tried to do everything I know to make it right. I am not living like that anymore.”

This experience was also recorded by Hosea: “He wept and pleaded.” Hosea 12:4. For what was he pleading? He wanted the assurance that his sins were pardoned and that they would not be held against his account. He continued to weep and plead until, it says, “He had power over the Angel and prevailed.”

This is quite a statement, that a human being would have power over an angel! This was the Angel of the covenant. Jacob was fighting with Jesus Christ Himself!

No Excuse for Sin

This is the story of a sinful human being who, in humility, self-surrender, and repentance, prevailed with the Majesty of heaven. He did not use either divine promises or the character defects of his brother to excuse his own sin. Remember this. A confession is not an excuse; there is no excuse for sin.

“Satan is jubilant when he hears the professed followers of Christ making excuses for their deformity of character. It is these excuses that lead to sin. There is no excuse for sinning. A holy temper, a Christlike life, is accessible to every repenting, believing child of God.” The Desire of Ages, 311

There is no excuse for sin and Jacob did not make excuses for his sin. He did not say, “Lord, I sinned because so and so did this wrong.” Many believe this constitutes a confession, but it is an excuse and unacceptable to God. Jacob came to the knowing he needed to be cleansed.

Time to Come

This story about Jacob and the Angel—called “Jacob’s Time of Trouble”—when a helpless, unworthy person claimed God’s promise of mercy to repentant sinners, is used in the Bible as a symbol of future events.

“Because thus Jehovah said, ‘A voice of trembling we have heard of dread, and not of peace. Ask now, and see, if a male bears a child. Wherefore do I see every male with his hands upon his loins as a woman giving birth to a child, and they have turned all faces into paleness? Alas! Because that day is great, so there is none like it; it is even the time of Jacob’s trouble, but he shall be saved out of it.’ ” Jeremiah 30:5–7

If you look at the whole context of this prophecy, you will understand that this is a prophecy about the end of time. We are approaching the time when the plan of salvation is going to be completed.

Hebrews teaches that Christ is our High Priest. He is an all-powerful mediator. Even if you are the worst and weakest of sinners, you have an all-powerful Mediator who, if you call upon Him, can help you. He specializes in helping people who are considered helpless, and this is what the strongest of Christians have to learn, too. This is what Jacob had to learn.

Time of Jacob’s Trouble

Christ’s work as mediator in man’s behalf is almost done. Jesus will soon stand and say, “He who is unjust, shall be unjust still; and he who is filthy, let him be filthy still; and the righteous one, let him do righteousness still; and the holy one, let him be holy still. And behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to render to every one according as his work shall be.” Revelation 22:11, 12

Soon after this pronouncement is made, the time of Jacob’s trouble will begin, because the plan of salvation will be over. It is the end of probation. Soon after this pronouncement is made, if you are still hanging onto some sin, filthy and unjust, you will stay that way forever. If you are righteous and holy, you are going to stay righteous and holy forever.

Bible prophecy tells us, in Revelation 13:15, that a time is coming when all those living on the earth will have to choose either the mark of the beast or the seal of God. Those who choose to worship and obey God will find that a death decree has been enacted against them. Just like Jacob, in danger of losing his life and the lives of his family at the hands of Esau, those who love God must rely on Him to save their lives. Was Jacob in danger of losing his life? Yes, he was. Every member of his family was in danger of losing his or her life.

Jacob knew that if the Lord had not worked a miracle on Esau’s heart, he and his family would have lost their lives. He knew that the only way he would be saved was by the mercy of God; and this is the only way you and I will also be saved.

Repent and Confess

Almost driven to despair, Jacob began to plead for deliverance. Imagine having to wrestle with someone from midnight until almost dawn! But Jacob did not give up. God’s people will face this same experience during the last days in their final struggle with the powers of evil (Jeremiah 30:5–7). It will seem to each person that his or her case is hopeless. God’s people will have a deep sense of their shortcomings. This is the feeling the devil tries to impress upon people until they are tempted to lose all hope. The devil wants us to believe that our hold on God is broken. But God’s people will, like Jacob, hold fast to the hand of God, pleading His promised mercy, confessing and repenting from their sins.

My dear friend, right now is the time when we must remove sin from our records. With all our heart, filled with humility, we must see the Lord and tell Him that we want to be through with sin. Repentance means that a person is sorry for his or her sins—sorry enough to stop repeating them. Confess the sin. If it is a private sin, confess it to the Lord. If you have injured someone, go to him or her and make it right. Jacob had to make things right with Esau.

Just think of coming to the end of the world and realizing the devil can point at you and say, “This sin you have concealed; you have never repented of it; you have never confessed it!” If this is true, what will happen? You will lose salvation. Now is the time to make sure there is nothing on your record for which you have not repented and confessed.

Remember, the other person’s sin does not excuse your sin. You can never say to the Lord, “I sinned because he sinned.” He does not accept this, or any, excuse. No matter what another person may do, you are not responsible for it, but you are responsible for what you say and do.

Assurance of Salvation

Are you going to be as persevering in your Christian walk as Jacob was in his struggle with Jesus? If you are willing to continue the fight, then you are absolutely guaranteed that you will be saved, just like Jacob.

Mrs. White penned a very encouraging statement about Jacob’s experience. “Jacob’s history is an assurance that God will not cast off those who have been betrayed into sin, but who have returned unto Him with true repentance. It was by self-surrender and confiding faith that Jacob gained what he had failed to gain by conflict in his own strength. God thus taught His servant that divine power and grace alone could give him the blessing he craved.” Patriarchs and Prophets, 202, 203. Jacob learned that he could not do it on his own and we must learn this, too.

“Thus it will be with those who live in the last days. As dangers surround them, and despair seizes upon the soul, they must depend solely [only] upon the merits of the atonement. We can do nothing of ourselves. In all our helpless unworthiness we must trust in the merits of the crucified and risen Saviour.” Ibid., 203. Acknowledging that we are unworthy, we place our trust in His merits. If we do this, we are given the promise: “None will ever perish while they do this.” Ibid.

What good news! If you realize that you are helpless and you put your complete trust and confidence in Him, you cannot perish, because you serve an all-powerful Mediator.

“The long, black catalogue of our delinquencies is before the eye of the Infinite. The register is complete; none of our offenses are forgotten. But He who listened to the cries of His servants of old, will hear the prayer of faith and pardon our transgressions. He has promised, and He will fulfill His word.” Ibid.

Greatest Need

Many people believe that we need more talent, education, money, or manpower to finish God’s work and have the victory over evil. But these things are not the instruments by which the great controversy will be won.

“The greatest victories to the church of Christ or to the individual Christian are not those that are gained by talent or education, by wealth or the favor of men. They are those victories that are gained in the audience chamber with God, when earnest, agonizing faith lays hold upon the mighty arm of power.” Ibid.

Do not say, “We need more money; we need more education; we need more talent; we need more manpower.” It would be nice to have all of those things, but what we need more than anything else is to go to the audience chamber and pray, “Lord, I am not going to quit asking until a change happens in my life.”

When God sees that you are serious, a change will happen in your life. If we lay hold of His promises, He will say to us, “I will give them one heart, and I will put a new spirit within them, and take the stony heart out of their flesh, and give them a heart of flesh, that they may walk in My statutes and keep My judgments and do them; and they shall be My people, and I will be their God.” Ezekiel 11:19, 20. Claim this promise and say, “Lord, I must have a change in my heart or I am lost, and I am not going to give up. I am going to keep asking. I am going to cooperate with the Holy Spirit, and I am going to plead with you for this until I have it.”

John Knox went to the Lord and prayed, “Lord, if You don’t give me Scotland, I am just going to die.” He kept praying, and Scotland became a Protestant country as the result of one man’s prayers. Just think what could happen if people went to the Lord and said, “Lord, I am like Jacob. I am helpless. I am vile, and I am wretched. I know I must have a change in my heart or I will be lost, so I am not going to quit asking. I am coming to You, because I have a great need. I want to be ready for heaven, and I want You to change my heart and my life.” God would gladly hear and answer such a prayer! He heard Jacob’s cry for help, and He is no respecter of persons. (Acts 10:34).

[Bible texts quoted are literal translation.]

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

Criticism

by

The Spirit of Prophecy recommends to us the beautiful suggestion to take time day by day to immerse ourselves in the life of Jesus and His teachings, as found in the record of His life here on earth in the books of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. What a wonderful picture of Jesus they have given to us. As we open these pages, we are transported to stand beside His disciples and listen to Him as He speaks to them and to the multitude:

“Whoever comes to Me, and hears My sayings and does them, I will show you whom he is like: He is like a man building a house, who dug deep and laid the foundation on the rock. And when the flood arose, the stream beat vehemently against that house, and could not shake it, for it was founded on the rock.

“But he who heard and did nothing is like a man who built a house on the earth without a foundation, against which the stream beat vehemently, and immediately it fell. And the ruin of that house was great.” Luke 6:47–49

A Terrible Tragedy

Just a few miles from Eden Valley in Colorado, in the Big Thompson Canyon, a terrible tragedy occurred in 1976. Heavy rain in the Rocky Mountains sent a terrific torrent of water down the Big Thompson River. In some places, the water rapidly flowed as ten-foot walls down the canyon. Caused by a stalled thunderstorm, the area received 12–14 inches (including 7.5 inches that fell in one hour) of rainfall near Estes Park.

At that time, 600 people lived full time in the Canyon. On that day, an estimated 2,500-3,500 additional people were in the area or camped along the river to celebrate the anniversary of Colorado’s statehood on August 1.

The flood damaged or destroyed 418 homes, 152 businesses, an additional 138 other buildings, and swept away 400 vehicles. U.S. Route 34 was partially washed away. In total, 144 died, 250 were injured, with five missing.

Considered one of the deadliest floods in Colorado’s history, the widespread damage was estimated to be $40 million ($226 million in today’s money).

I have been up and down Thompson Canyon many times. There are many beautiful spots to build a home down by the stream as it winds its way between the canyon walls. Month after month, year after year, it was safe; until it wasn’t.

But, Jesus is able to keep us safe when we make Him the foundation of our life. That is what our opening scripture tells us.

“We are each of us building for ourselves a structure which will one day be scrutinized by the Judge of the whole earth. This structure is our individual character; and every act of our lives, every thought and word, is a stone in the building. The words of Inspiration warn us, ‘Take heed how ye build.’ See to it that the foundation is sure. If we build on the Rock Christ Jesus, the structure will grow into symmetrical proportions, and will be a fair and holy temple for God.” The Signs of the Times, July 14, 1887

“Here are brought before us two classes—the hearer and the doer. There is one that hears and does not; there is one that hears and does. This is he that not only hears but is a doer of the Word of the Lord: and this is the class that is building on the Rock. We want to be among the class that is riveted to the eternal Rock, and not of that class that is building upon the sand. For in these two classes of builders brought to view here, the one is laying his foundation in the sand, the other on the rocks. And the question comes home to us, How are we building?” Sermons and Talks, Vol. 1, 13

If you really want to be safe, build on the Rock.

“The great principles of the law, of the very nature of God, are embodied in the words of Christ on the mount. Whoever builds upon them is building upon Christ, the Rock of Ages. In receiving the word, we receive Christ. And only those who thus receive His words are building upon Him. ‘Other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ.’ 1 Corinthians 3:11. ‘There is none other name under heaven, given among men, whereby we must be saved.’ Acts 4:12. Christ, the Word, the revelation of God—the manifestation of His character, His law, His love, His life—is the only foundation upon which we can build a character that will endure.” Thoughts from the Mount of Blessing, 148, 149

Who does Jesus say builds on the Rock? The man who hears and does. Who does He say builds on the sand? The man who hears and does not. In what ways are these two individuals alike? They both hear. So, Jesus is not talking about infidels and heathen. He’s talking about the people that hear His word, and they either obey or they don’t. The rock builders are building and preparing for the storm ahead that is coming upon this world and in this church. God has given me such an opportunity and privilege to say to you the things that will help you be ready by building on the Rock, so let’s study the life of Christ and His teachings a little more deeply to see how we can be ready for what is coming. You can be. I want to study a little more now from the life and teachings of Jesus to see if we can find help in being made ready for what’s ahead.

Starting in Matthew 9, we find Jesus passing by the Jewish Internal Revenue office, and there he saw Matthew, the tax collector. He said to him, “Matthew, I need you. Come with Me” (verse 9). Matthew left his very lucrative government job and became one of Christ’s disciples. He was so happy to be with Jesus, that he invited many of his friends, the publicans and other characters of poor repute to a party. But look at verse 11:

“And when the Pharisees saw it, they said to His disciples, Why does your Teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?”

Finding fault with Jesus, the Pharisees complained to the disciples.

“At that time, Jesus went through the grain fields on the Sabbath. And His disciples were hungry, and began to pluck heads of grain and to eat.

“And when the Pharisees saw it, they said to Him, ‘Look, Your disciples are doing what is not lawful to do on the Sabbath.’ ” Matthew 12:1, 2

Now, finding fault with the disciples, the Pharisees complained to Jesus about the disciples.

“It was their policy to accuse Christ to the disciples, and the disciples to Christ, aiming their arrows where they would be most likely to wound. This is the way in which Satan has worked ever since the disaffection in heaven; and all who try to cause discord and alienation are actuated by his spirit.” The Desire of Ages, 275

I was much impressed by the apparent conscientiousness, the sanctimonious, critical faultfinding exhibited by the Pharisees. Let’s look at what the prophet to the remnant has to say about the origins of faultfinding and complaining.

“If Satan can excite criticism among any of the Lord’s professed people, then it is communicated like leaven from one to another. Give the spirit of criticism no quarter, for it is Satan’s science. Accept it, and envy, jealousy, and evil surmisings of one another follow.” Selected Messages, Book 3, 351

“Satan plants his seeds of unbelief, of picking flaws, and of finding fault, when you should be diligently listening to the message which God is addressing to every one of you. He wants you to hear and obey, and so escape the snares which Satan has set for your feet.” The Review and Herald, July 19, 1887

The Pharisees were not the originators of criticism. For 4,000 years before the Jews became a people, this criticizing and faultfinding had been used in full force to the point that it was already threadbare with repeated use. Complain to the leader about the mistakes, real or imaginary, of the disciples. Complain to the disciples about the mistakes, real or imaginary, of the leadership. Who started it?

Before the history of man began, Lucifer sold the idea to one-third of the heavenly host. Consider this, if Lucifer could convince holy, perfect beings to criticize and find fault, how do you think he does here among mortal men?

“Oh,” Lucifer said, “but I just want to improve things.” He said, “We are holy beings. We don’t need rules to make and keep us holy. We can use our own minds to make the right choices.” With feigned earnestness and sincerity, and in a backhanded way, he was criticizing and finding fault with God and spreading the criticism around through the angels. So, how did Lucifer make heaven better using this strategy? He didn’t, of course. Ultimately, it drove a wedge between them and God, Jesus, and all the remaining host of heaven; and he and one-third of the angels were thrown out of heaven forever.

Will criticizing and finding fault make us or the circumstances in our church any better? No, it won’t. So, what can we do about it?

What Would Jesus Do?

Jesus never allowed the criticism focused toward His disciples to bring the slightest wedge between Him and them.

“Having loved His own who were in the world, He loved them to the end.” John 13:1, last part

He wants us to have that same relationship with one another.

Note:

When buffalo roamed the vast expanse of America, wolves would harass the herd in search of food. Wise enough not to take on a mature buffalo, the wolves would search for a calf and attempt to snatch it away from its mother. But this was not as easy an effort as it might seem. To protect the herd’s cows and calves, the bull buffalo would encircle them, facing out toward the circling wolves, with their great, bushy heads and big horns ready to defend against an attack. One after another, the wolves would trot around the circle trying to find an opening between the massive defenders to break through. However, many times, the wolves would leave still hungry and the herd completely safe.

This is how we must be. In times of criticism and fault-finding from without, we must press together and not allow ourselves to be drawn away, creating an opening through a wedge that can be driven in among us.

“There is no encouragement given for unbelief. The Lord manifests His grace and His power over and over again, and this should teach us that it is always profitable under all circumstances to cherish faith, to talk faith, to act faith. We are not to have our hearts and hands weakened by allowing the suggestions of suspicious minds to plant in our hearts the seeds of doubt and distrust.” Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, Vol. 7, 928

To Our Leaders.

Do not allow the enemy to work upon your mind in planting seeds of suspicion, doubt, and distrust concerning the helpers. And to our students and helpers in any line, do not allow the enemy to plant in your mind seeds of suspicion, doubt, and distrust concerning the leaders. The Pharisees were the most sanctimonious, punctilious people, careful to follow the rules down to the minutest detail; it made it easy for them to find fault in others struggling to do what is right.

I am speaking of those helpers in the many different lines of service—health reform, medical practice, sanitarium work, medical missionary work, Christian education, dress reform, and Sabbath-keeping. We are often so careful and conscientious, that we allow ourselves to become critical of those who do not perform just as we think they ought. Then we carry our criticism of the helpers to the leaders, or find fault with the leaders, sharing our disgruntled feelings to the helpers. It is then we become like the Pharisees, like Satan, the one who began it all.

Friends, we need to be like ducks. You surely have heard the saying, “like water off a duck’s back.” The criticisms, fault-finding and resulting gossip should be allowed to flow right off of us like water running off the duck’s waterproof feathers. We must be well equipped with the oil of love that when the rain of faultfinding and criticism comes, it just runs off. The more our attitude is like this, the less we will hear the harsh, critical words.

On the other hand, the more the enemy finds that our ears are open to hearing criticism—whether either of those who are helping or those being helped—the more our ears are open to listening to criticisms and pious suggestions, and even references against someone who ought to do something differently, the more you will hear it.

We must learn to have confidence in Jesus and in our brethren. Confidence can be broken, I know. Someone could say, “Brother Frazee, you might get fooled.” In fact, it has happened a time or two during my life. But I would rather be fooled while believing my brethren love me than to miss a blessing by being suspicious of someone who does really love me.

“We are not to have our hearts and hands weakened by allowing the suggestions of suspicious minds to plant in our hearts the seeds of doubt and distrust. ‘Beware, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief in departing from the living God.’ Hebrews 3:12.” Ibid.

To Sum Up.

Where do we build? On the Rock. Not on something, but on Someone. We build our spiritual foundation on the solid Rock, Jesus Christ. When we face the coming storms of the future, strife, the floods of wrath and violence, we can with confidence stand strong because we did not build on a shifting foundation, but He who is the rock of love, having faith in God and in His church, having confidence in one another.

People will still make mistakes; they will disappoint and betray, criticize and find fault, but if we keep our eyes fixed on Jesus, He will give us confidence that He—the same One who took those 12 imperfect men and finally brought them through to the place where they could receive the fullness of the Holy Spirit—will do the same for us today.

I want to be a part of that, don’t you?

Pastor W. D. Frazee was a Seventh-day Adventist evangelist, minister, and author. In 1942, he began a faith ministry that would become the foundation for establishing the Wildwood Medical Missionary Institute, now Wildwood Lifestyle Center and Hospital. In 1996, he was laid to rest, awaiting the Lord’s return.

Peter – upon this rock

by

“Thou art Christ, the Son of the living God. And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Bar-jona; for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but My Father which is in Heaven.’ …

“Jesus saw, in this acknowledgment, the living principle that would animate the hearts of His believers in coming ages. …

“Jesus continued: ‘And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build My church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.’ The word Peter signifies rolling stone. Christ did not refer to Peter as being the rock upon which He would found His church. His expression, ‘this rock,’ applied to Himself as the foundation of the Christian church. [Author’s emphasis]

“… It is the same Stone to which reference is made in Luke 20:17, 18: ‘And He beheld them, and said, What is this then that is written, The Stone which the builders rejected, the same is become the head of the corner? Whosoever shall fall upon that Stone shall be broken; but on whomsoever it shall fall, it will grind him to powder.’

“… Christ is the rock upon which the church is built, and, in His address to Peter, He referred to Himself as the rock which is the foundation of the church. He continues:

“ ‘And 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.’ The Roman church makes a wrong application of these words of Christ. They claim that He addressed them specially to Peter. Hence, he is represented in works of art as carrying a bunch of keys, which is a symbol of trust and authority given to ambassadors and others in high positions. The words of Christ: ‘I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven,’ were not addressed to Peter alone, but to the disciples, including those who compose the Christian church in all ages. …

“But the Roman Catholic church claims that Christ invested Peter with supreme power over the Christian church, and that his successors are divinely authorized to rule the Christian world. In still another place, Jesus acknowledges the same power to exist in all the church that is claimed to have been given to Peter alone, upon the authority of the text previously quoted.” The Spirit of Prophecy, Vol. 2, 272–274