Issue: 2001 January

Facing the Crisis With a Surrendered Will

by

Let me begin with a true story told by Pastor Kenneth Oster, the Seventh-day Adventist in charge of mission work in Ethiopia during the time when the Communists invaded and overthrew the government. They were determined to destroy Christianity. Elder Oster tells how the native pastor of the church in Addis Ababa was faced with tremendous problems as he tried to shepherd his flock.

Arrested for Christ

Little did he realize the hatred of the Communist invaders toward Christianity and their determination to crush every person’s belief in God. One day as the pastor prepared to visit his members, he heard a loud knock. As he opened the door he faced two Soviet police who commanded him to go with them to the KGB Headquarters. When they reached the building, he was locked in a room for some four hours.

Then a KGB officer, together with a medical doctor who carried a small bag and was leading a dog, entered the room. The doctor opened the bag and took out a Bible. Then he asked the pastor, “Do you believe this to be God’s Book?”

The pastor answered, “I surely do.”

Then he was commanded to read the sixteenth chapter of Mark out loud. When he got to verse 9, which reads, “Now when Jesus was risen early the first day of the week…” the doctor said, “Stop!” He then asked the pastor, “Do you really believe that Jesus, who was crucified, who died and was buried, was resurrected and is alive today?”

The pastor answered, “Most assuredly, I do.”

Then he was commanded to read on. When he reached verses 17 and 18, which read, “And these signs shall follow them that believe; In My name shall they cast out devils, they shall speak with new tongues, they shall take up serpents, and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them.…”

“Stop,” cried the doctor. “Do you actually believe what you just read?”

“Yes, I do,” he replied.

Test of Faith

Then the doctor opened the bag again and took out a small vial. Calling the dog to him, he sprinkled several drops of the fluid from the bottle on the dog’s tongue. Then he opened the door and told the dog to get out, but before the dog reached the door, it fell over dead. Now the doctor turned to the pastor and continued: “Tell me, do you actually believe that your God can save you from this deadly poison that I just gave the dog?”

“Yes,” the pastor replied, “if God wills.”

Now the doctor took a teaspoon and filled it to the brim and commanded the pastor to open his mouth. He thrust the spoon filled with the deadly poison into the pastor’s mouth, and he and the KGB officer watched to see the pastor die immediately.

Victory in Jesus

Five seconds passed. Ten seconds, and then the doctor took out his watch. One minute. Two minutes. Five minutes. In amazement the doctor turned to the KGB officer, took out his Communist membership card, tore it to bits and said, “I no longer believe in Communism. I now believe in Jesus Christ.” Oh, what a victory in the power of Christ! What a God we serve!

I have been reading a new book entitled, Seven Conditions for Receiving the Latter Rain. The author, has graciously granted me permission to share some of the information with you.

Let us begin with a most important question. What is God’s will for us? Both the Bible and the Spirit of Prophecy teach that it is possible, by God’s grace, to be totally committed, spirit-filled Christians, so we may overcome sin completely in this life.

What a glorious design! God’s will for us is that we sin not. Reading in 1 John 2:1 we are told, “My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.” Only those Christians who receive wholeheartedly the straight testimony of Jesus contained in Revelation 3:14-22 and overcome every besetting sin, reflecting the image of Jesus fully, will receive the Latter Rain.

The Counsel of the True Witness

“Those who come up to every point, and stand every test, and overcome, be the price what it may, have heeded the counsel of the True Witness, and they will receive the Latter Rain, and thus be fitted for translation.” Testimonies, vol. 1, 187. Did you notice the counsel of the True Witness? First: Come up to every point. Second: Stand every test. Third: Overcome every sin, be the price what it may.

Of course, this is not all the straight testimony and the counsel of the True Witness. We need to remember there is also the gold of faith and love, the white raiment, or the robe of Christ’s righteous character, and the eye salve, which is the spiritual discernment of the Holy Spirit. The straight testimony calls sin by its right name and appeals to God’s people to repent and to forsake all sin and to come up to the standard.

As we strive to attain such an achievement, let us ever keep in mind that victory over sin is to come first. Then the gifts of the Spirit and the outpouring of the Latter Rain come after. This matter has been made very plain in Inspiration.

“I was shown that if God’s people make no efforts on their part, but wait for the refreshing to come upon them and remove their wrongs and correct their errors; if they depend upon that to cleanse them from filthiness of the flesh and spirit, and fit them to engage in the Loud Cry of the Third Angel, they will be found wanting. The refreshing or power of God comes only on those who have prepared themselves for it by doing the work which God bids them, namely, cleansing themselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.” Ibid., vol. 1, 619.

The Secret to Attaining Holiness

Did you catch the meaning that we are to perfect holiness? Please do not be alarmed. You may be surprised to discover there is a secret to attaining holiness. Such a victory comes by the continual surrender of the will to Christ. Such surrender of the will is a continual deepening of self-denying; a surrender today is not adequate for tomorrow. The surrender of the soul to God must go deeper and deeper until we come to the point that, like Christ, we will say, “Not my will, but Thine, be done,” (See Luke 22:42.) even to the point of death.

Often we will have to fall upon our knees in despair saying, “Father, help my unbelief and make me willing.” Christ, our Example, knew the meaning of total surrender. Many of God’s children, who love the Lord, have not learned the lesson of continual deepening surrender. It is to be renewed day by day. They will discover that they do not know victory.

“Some who come to God by repentance and confession, and even believe that their sins are forgiven, still fail of claiming, as they should, the promises of God. They do not see that Jesus is an ever-present Saviour; and they are not ready to commit the keeping of their souls to Him, relying upon Him to perfect the work of grace begun in their hearts. While they think they are committing themselves to God, there is a great deal of self-dependence. There are conscientious souls that trust partly to God, and partly to themselves. They do not look to God, to be kept by His power, but depend upon watchfulness against temptation, and the performance of certain duties for acceptance with Him. There are no victories in this kind of faith. Such persons toil to no purpose; their souls are in continual bondage, and they find no rest until their burdens are laid at the feet of Jesus.” Selected Messages, Book 1, 353. [Emphasis added.]

Believing Satan’s Lie

Today God is raising up a remnant that keeps the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus. (See Revelation 14:12.) But have we succumbed to the deceptions of the adversary? Do we, like the great majority of the professed Christians today, believe Satan’s lie that we cannot overcome? Beware, beware, it is being preached from some of our pulpits today. It is the father of lies who says that we cannot overcome.

For, beloved, we can overcome, and we can overcome entirely through the merits of Him “…who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him.” 2 Corinthians 5:21. God has the power to give us victory. “Exact obedience is required, and those who say that it is not possible to live a perfect life throw upon God the imputation of injustice and untruth.” Manuscript Releases, vol. 1, 369.

If we believe that we cannot overcome, we are then echoing the voice of the adversary. Christianity is to be a life of overcoming. To many the thought of victory is as a rope of sand, intellectually accepted but never experienced. If we do not believe in victory and have never seen a clear demonstration of God’s power to save, then, I am sorry to say, we will not be able to receive the Latter Rain.

False Theology

Some of God’s people believe that at Christ’s Second Coming He will miraculously give us the victory over sin. As I prepared this article, a pastor of one of our large nearby churches preached that God would change our characters when He comes so that we would never sin again. Beloved, this is a false belief! This is a lie! The miracle of victory over sin is for today, and every day, that we might be a spectacle both to men and to angels.

“Satan is also watching his chances to lead astray. He will present attractions that will lead our minds from God. But shall we not watch his devices, and be constantly seeking the aid of God to keep us from Satan’s allurements? … We must not lay off the armor for one moment. You will hear the cry, ‘Only believe.’ Satan believed and trembled. We must have a faith that works by love and purifies the heart. The idea prevails that Christ has done all for us, and that we can go on transgressing the commandments and will not be held accountable for it. This is the greatest deception that the enemy ever devised. We must take our position that we will not violate the commandments at any cost, and be in that spiritual condition that we can educate others in spiritual things.” Manuscript Releases, vol. 3, 97.

Restored to Eden’s Perfection in This Lifetime

Such counsel helps us to see our tremendous need. “The work of overcoming is to be the study of every soul who enters the kingdom of God.” Review and Herald, August 1, 1893. God will never be satisfied with anything short of perfection. Man was created perfect in the beginning, and God’s plan of redemption is designed to restore His children to that original perfection where they will once again reflect His image.

This restoration, which begins with the new birth, is a purifying, refining process that God can accomplish only when He has the confidence and the cooperation of the individual. It is possible to stop sinning, but not without suffering and dying to self, which is the sinful nature. If we really long to be rid of every trace of sin, we should welcome suffering if it is the necessary discipline God must use to set us free and make us perfect in Christ.

“Let the recording angels write the history of the holy struggles and conflicts of the people of God; let them record their prayers and tears; but let not God be dishonored by the declaration from human lips, ‘I am sinless; I am holy.’ Sanctified lips will never give utterance to such presumptuous words.” Acts of the Apostles, 561, 562.

Growing in Grace Through Trial

So, beloved, never should we forget that God’s way is the best. The trusting Christian does not look upon suffering and sorrow with an attitude of self-pity or resentment. He faces life’s conflicts as God-given opportunities to grow in grace. I am not suggesting here that the Christian perfection may be attained merely through sorrow and suffering, but because we came into the world with the fallen sinful nature, the process by which we are restored to an intimate fellowship with God requires the death of our very nature.

We must never forget that a sinful nature cannot cease sinning; consequently, God’s provision for victory over sin is a transformation of our nature. In order to possess the divine nature, we are required to crucify the flesh, and believe me, this is a more serious and painful process than many of us realize. We need to recognize that trials are one of God’s means in the perfection of our characters.

These trials are also for God’s glory, that He may show to others the power of the gospel as we respond to these trials with the same meekness and strength of Jesus. Remember the Ethiopian pastor who had such a faith experience with Christ that he believed in witnessing for God even when forced to drink deadly poison? He remembered that God promised: It will not hurt you.

“Conflicts and trials are the very means ordained or suffered of God to perfect the Christian character unto eternal life.” 1888 Materials, vol. 2, 489. If we would be ready for any test that God may send our way, we must prepare for victory by shutting every door of temptation.

By Beholding, We Become

“It is a law both of the intellectual and the spiritual nature that by beholding we become changed. The mind gradually adapts itself to the subjects upon which it is allowed to dwell. It becomes assimilated to that which it is accustomed to love and reverence. Man will never rise higher than his standard of purity or goodness or truth. If self is his loftiest ideal, he will never attain to anything more exalted. Rather, he will constantly sink lower and lower. The grace of God alone has power to exalt man. Left to himself, his course must inevitably be downward.” The Great Controversy, 555. [Emphasis added.]

So you can see, it is an impossibility to live the life of an overcomer while we participate in watching, reading or listening to that which is contrary to the Word and to the principles of God. Far too many Christians have a double standard and are considered by God to be double minded. For complete victory, we must rise up to a newness of life. Once we have done this, then a work for us is as follows.

We are to seek after God, setting our minds upon themes of heavenly origin and not only our thoughts, but also our lives, are to be taken up with God and with the work that He has for us to do. The admonition for God’s people is that we are to experience victory over sin. How? By beholding “…the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.” John 1:29.

Continued Effort with Christ’s Power Brings Victory

Here are the facts: Continued effort, combined with Christ’s power, is the means of our victory. Let me try to make this clear. Inspiration declares that he who truly and fully abides in Christ does not sin. “‘Whosoever abideth in Him sinneth not: whosoever sinneth hath not seen Him, neither known Him.” 1 John 3:6. Again, “‘Whosoever abideth in Him sinneth not.’ Here is the true test.” Steps to Christ, 61.

Keep in mind that the words “sinneth not” have to do with a complete victory over sin. “We know that whosoever is born of God sinneth not; but he that is begotten of God keepeth himself, and that wicked one toucheth him not.” 1 John 5:18.

Now notice carefully, “The Son of God came to our world in human form to show man that divinity and humanity combined can obtain the victory over sin…. ‘Whosoever abideth in Him, sinneth not; whosoever sinneth hath not seen Him.’… God calls for complete consecration, and anything short of this He will not accept.” Signs of the Times, February 1, 1899.

Such an experience will make us perfect in Christ. The word perfect means complete, whole, accomplished, finished, sound, upright or undefiled. “…that ye may stand perfect and complete in all the will of God.” Colossians 4:12. That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works.” 2 Timothy 3:17.

“The warfare against self is the greatest battle that was ever fought. The yielding of self, surrendering all to the will of God and being clothed with humility, possessing that love that is pure, peaceable, and easy to be entreated, full of gentleness and good fruits, is not an easy attainment. And yet it is his privilege and his duty to be a perfect overcomer here.” Testimonies, vol. 3, 106, 107.

This means that we are to form characters free from sin. Note, “Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin…. Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof.” Romans 6:6, 12.

“Brothers and sisters, we need the reformation that all who are redeemed must have, through the cleansing of mind and heart from every taint of sin…. We are to form characters free from sin—characters made righteous in and by the grace of Christ…. Our hearts are to be cleansed from all impurity in the blood shed to take away sin.” Counsels on Health, 633, 634.

It is Better to Die than to Sin

This requires a personal decision. “It is better to die than to sin.…” Testimonies, vol. 4, 495. We must grow spiritually until we continually have the determination to cease to sin. Does not God’s Word declare, “What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound? God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein?” Romans 6:1, 2.

“As we behold Christ, pierced for our sins, we shall see that we cannot break the law of God and remain in His favor; we shall feel that as sinners we must lay hold of the merits of Christ and cease to sin.” Selected Messages, Book 1, 312.

Why No Latter Rain?

Now let me ask you a question, beloved. Why has the Latter Rain not fallen yet? The reason is because we, the remnant people, are not ready. We have not totally surrendered ourselves and forsaken all sin. “When the character of Christ shall be perfectly reproduced in His people, then He will come to claim them as His own.” Christ’s Object Lessons, 69.

When will we, as a people, come to the place where we will believe the clear, explicit Bible and Spirit of Prophecy teaching concerning perfection and overcoming? When will we put aside our unbelief and lack of faith? When will we lay aside our half-hearted dedication and go all the way with God? How much longer is God going to wait for His people to become the victorious people so that He can pour out the Latter Rain?

We need to pray about this; for such a glorious day for God’s people will happen very, very soon and then, and only then, will we receive the Latter Rain and arise to give the Loud Cry and finish the work. We must not take these things lightly but repent with all of our hearts and seek most earnestly for the complete unbroken victory over sin, which it is our privilege to have.

True Christian Love

Soon, very soon, there will be a victorious people spreading the Loud Cry to every country of the world. Are you going to be one of them? I hope so. The Latter Rain will be poured out only upon a victorious people. Now I trust that you have made the decision to be victorious over sin by surrendering your will to divinity. The next step to be reached is to become a loving person, for God is love.

The English word “love” is altogether inadequate to express the depth and meaning expressed by the Greek word agape. Agape is true Christian love, which is not merely an emotional experience that comes to us unbidden and unsought; it is a deliberate principle of the mind and a conquest and achievement of the will. It may be described as a love bringing into play the higher powers of the mind and intelligence.

It is this kind of love that the Christian is to exercise, even toward his enemies. That is, the Christian is to treat his enemies with proper respect. We are therefore bidden to love our enemies, and why? So that we should be like God. And what is the typical action of God that is cited? God sends His rain on the just and the unjust and on the evil and on the good.

That is to say, no matter what a man is like, God seeks nothing but his highest good. Agape is the spirit that says, “No matter what any man does to me, I will never seek to harm him. I will never set out for revenge. I will always seek nothing but his highest good.” Now to make such a commitment it will take man’s all to achieve such Christian love. It takes not only his heart, it takes his mind and his will as well.

Today we are living in an age when the real meaning of love is no longer understood. The type of love that much of the human race displays is an emotional love based on selfishness. But true love is seen in good works. “He that hath My commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth Me: and he that loveth Me shall be loved of My Father, and I will love him, and will manifest Myself to him.” John 14:21.

True Love is a Living, Working Power

This is the only true test of character in doing the will of God, that we give the best evidence that we love God and Jesus Christ whom He hath sent. The oft-repeated words of love for God are of no value unless that love is made manifest in the life practice. Love for God is not a mere sentiment. It is a living, working power.

“The man who does the will of his Father who is in heaven shows to the world that he loves God. The fruit of his love is seen in good works.” Signs of the Times, May 19, 1898. So the real meaning of love is a faith that works and is seen in the fruits of a Christian life. God demonstrates such love for us. “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” John 3:16.

God’s great love for the world is beyond our comprehension. His love for us is so great that He gave His only Son for our redemption. Such a love is unsurpassed. Love unexampled, unfathomable, immeasurable. The beloved disciple John tells us not to love the world. (See 1 John 2:15.) But he does tell us, in this same chapter, to “walk, even as He walked.” Verse 6.

If we follow closely His example, we, too, must love the people of this present evil world love them to such an extent and in such a way as to give ourselves for them as He did. It was an unlovable people whom Christ loved so much. They are no more lovable today than they were when Christ gave Himself for them.

Who has not walked down skid row of any major city and witnessed the drunkard and the derelict? Who has not seen these wrecks of humanity, degraded by drugs and drinking to a level below the brute, with a complete loss of all moral and physical control? These wretched souls sit or lie in their own filth. The stench of alcohol and excrement poison the atmosphere about them.

Loving the Unlovely?

Love them? Did you say, love them? We naturally feel repelled by them and want to turn from them in disgust. Yet, we thank God mainly that we are not like other men, while at the same time we are void of the love that gives a helping hand. The unlovely and the unlovable qualities of the world show up in many ways. It is found in religious belief, denominational affiliation, cultural differences, family background and national disparity. We join the national tendency to dislike those who are separate from us.

Christ was not unaware of the unlovely characteristics of the world into which He sent His disciples. He expressly had these conditions in mind when He commanded His followers, “Go your ways: behold, I send you forth as lambs among wolves.” Luke 10:3. Our mission, then, is to love with agape love. As God loves us, we must love mankind.

To love the unlovable, though, will take a miracle, and only God can work that miracle in us. There must be an entire renunciation of self. Only Christ can accomplish this work for us with our consent.

“Lord, take my heart; for I cannot give it. It is Thy property. Keep it pure, for I cannot keep it for Thee. Save me in spite of myself, my weak, unchristlike self. Mold me, fashion me, raise me into a pure and holy atmosphere, where the rich current of Thy love can flow through my soul.” Christ’s Object Lessons, 159.

We must understand that God uses love to expel sin from the heart. According to the Scriptures, faith works by love to purify the soul. It is the love of Christ that constrains and moves the Christian to a life of self-denial, righteousness and obedience to God’s law.

Ellen White explains this so beautifully. “Love is power. Intellectual and moral strength are involved in this principle, and cannot be separated from it…. Love cannot live without action, and every act increases, strengthens, and extends it. Love will gain the victory….” Testimonies, vol. 2, 135.

“There can be no perfection of Christian character without that faith that works by love, and purifies the soul.” Review and Herald, October 18, 1898. Now this faith helps us to walk in love, for it is love and love alone, finding satisfaction in God, that satisfies the heart’s hunger and prevents all coveting. Love is really not a rule but a motive. Love does not tell the Christian what to do but how to do it.

Love must go to the Law of God to learn the divine will. Love is a principle. We are to become imitators of God as beloved children. That is to say, we are to walk in love just as Christ loved us and gave Himself for us. The source of Christian love is the Holy Spirit. As His control and transforming action increases in the life, the more clearly is the fruit of love discerned. The implanting of a loving attitude toward God and man, by the indwelling of the spirit, is related to the believer’s hungering and thirsting to know God.

Ingredients Within the Spectrum of Love

“Only by love is love awakened. To know God is to love Him.…” The Desire of Ages, 22. The spectrum of love has many ingredients. As we look at the Bible, you will see this demonstrated.

Patience. “…let patience have her perfect work.” James 1:4.

Kindness to godliness, brotherly kindness, generosity: “…It is more blessed to give than to receive.” Acts 20:35.

Humility, “…charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up.” 1 Corinthians 13:4.

Courtesy: “doth not behave itself unseemingly.…” 1 Corinthians 13:5.

Unselfishness: “…love thy neighbor as thyself.…” Leviticus 19:18.

Good temper: “…is not easily provoked.…” 1 Corinthians 13:5.

Guilelessness: “…thinketh no evil.” 1 Corinthians 13:5.

Sincerity: “Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth.” 1 Corinthians 13:6.

“The divine love emanating from Christ never destroys human love, but includes it. By it human love is refined and purified, elevated and ennobled. Human love can never bear its precious fruit until it is united with the divine nature and trained to grow heavenward.” The Adventist Home, 99. How beautiful! The power of the gospel is the cross and the power of the cross is love. Herein is found another key to victory as it is written, “…love is the fulfilling of the law.” Romans 13:10. So you can see that God is ready to test our love for Him by the way we treat one another.

Take notice. “When the Latter Rain is poured out, the church will be clothed with power for its work; but the church as a whole will never receive this until its members shall put away from them, envy, evil-surmisings, and evil-speaking. Those who cherish these sins know not the blessed experience of love; they are not awake to the fact that the Lord is testing and proving their love for him by the attitude they assume toward one another. Christ says to us, ‘A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another….’ When this commandment is obeyed, envy, evil–speaking, evil–surmising, and evil– thinking will not be indulged; they will have no part in the formation of character.” Review and Herald, October 6, 1896.

Such an experience will make the remnant people a loving people filled with brotherly love and in full unity and harmony. “The Spirit can never be poured out while variance and bitterness toward one another are cherished by the members of the church. Envy, jealousy, evil surmising,[sic] and evilspeaking [sic] are of Satan, and they effectually bar the way against the Holy Spirit’s working.” Testimonies, vol. 6, 42. (Emphasis added.)

Let us praise God that His remnant will be a surrendered and a loving people. To love with Christ’s love means to manifest unselfishness at all times and in all places by kind words and pleasant looks. These cost those who give them absolutely nothing, but they leave behind a fragrance that surrounds the soul. Their effect can never be estimated. Not only are they a blessing to the receiver but to the giver, for they react upon him. Genuine love is a precious attribute of heavenly origin which increases in fragrance in proportion as it is dispensed to others.

God’s Special Gift for His Last Day Church, Part II

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“Now as they came down from the mountain [this was coming down from the Mount of Transfiguration,] Jesus commanded them, saying, ‘Tell the vision to no one until the Son of Man is risen from the dead.’ And His disciples asked Him, saying, ‘Why then do the scribes say that Elijah must come first.’” Matthew 17:9, 10.

Looking for Elijah

You see, the Jews were looking for the Elijah who had talked to Ahab and Jezebel to come down from heaven. That had not happened. “Jesus answered and said to them, ‘Indeed, Elijah is coming first and will restore all things. But I say to you that Elijah has come already, and they did not know him but did to him whatever they wished. Likewise the Son of Man is also about to suffer at their hands.’ Then the disciples understood that He spoke to them of John the Baptist.” Matthew 17:11–13.

Can you imagine a greater tragedy than this? God sends to you, His chosen people, a special messenger, somebody who is more than a prophet. Since the days of Moses there had never been anybody like this with the people of God. Yet you do not know who it is, so you miss the blessing God has for you. The religious leaders turned their backs on him. They would not listen.

This is what happened to the Jews. I do not want this to happen to me or to you. “‘But what do you think? A man had two sons, and he came to the first and said, “Son, go, work today in my vineyard.” He answered and said, “I will not.” but afterward he regretted it and went. Then he came to the second and said likewise. And he answered and said, “I go, sir,” but he did not go. Which of the two did the will of his father?’ They said to Him, ‘The first.’ Jesus said to them, ‘Assuredly, I say to you that tax collectors and harlots enter the kingdom of God before you. For John came to you in the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him.…’” Matthew 21:28–32.

They did not believe the special messenger whom God sent. Jesus said the harlots and the tax collectors were going to be saved before they would be, because they believed. It is a dangerous thing, a very dangerous thing, to reject a messenger whom God sends. It is supremely dangerous, because you are turning your back on the Lord Himself. That is the way God accounts it.

Rejecting the Lord

Do you remember when the children of Israel came to Samuel, the prophet, and said, “We want a king”? And Samuel went to the Lord, and he wept all night. He said, “Lord, they have rejected me.” And the Lord said, “No, they have not rejected you. They have rejected Me.” (See 1 Samuel 8.) What we are talking about is so deadly serious; I must convey to you how serious it is.

If I reject a messenger whom God sends, I have turned my back on the Lord Himself. I will never be right with the Lord again unless I repent. This is serious! “…John came to you in the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him, but tax collectors and harlots believed him, and when you saw it, you did not afterward relent [repent] and believe him.’” Matthew 21:32.

What did God mean when He said “I will send you Elijah the prophet?” (See Malachi 4:5.) He meant, as the angel said to Zacharias concerning John the Baptist, “‘He will also go before Him in the spirit and power of Elijah.’” Luke 1:17. In the spirit and the power—not the same body, not the same person that talked with Ahab and Jezebel, but an Elijah prophet.

The Lord promised that we would have an Elijah prophet again in the end times, because the Lord knew these perilous times would come. He knew what would happen to the world on account of the theories of higher criticism that would destroy the faith in the Christian churches. He knew what would happen in the scientific world because of the theory of evolution. It would destroy confidence in the Bible. He knew what would happen to the world because of the development of modern spiritualism.

So God promised His children a special messenger; He promised to send them Elijah the prophet. God considered this so important that in the book of Revelation, when He is talking about the end of the world, the end times of world history, God says, “I am going to have a people, a remnant, and if you want to find My remnant in the last days, My remnant are going to have two characteristics.” Notice what they are in Revelation 12:17. It says, “And the dragon [the devil] was enraged with the woman, and he went to make war with the rest of her offspring [the remnant of her seed], who keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.” Revelation 19:10 tells us that the testimony of Jesus Christ is the Spirit of Prophecy. We are living in a time when God is in the process of calling millions of people to become a part of this remnant.

Spiritual Gifts will Continue

Ephesians 4 makes it clear to us that the gifts of the Spirit exist until we come into the unity of the faith, into the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ unto a perfect man. (Verse 13.) Now that has not yet happened. That will not happen until the church is ready for Jesus to come in the clouds of heaven. So we know from that Scripture that spiritual gifts are to continue until the Second Coming, including the gift of prophecy.

Some people are terribly mixed up about spiritual gifts. They think that the main spiritual gift is talking in tongues. But if you look at spiritual gifts in Romans 12 or in 1 Corinthians 12 or in Ephesians 4, you will find that tongues is just one of many gifts, and it is never even mentioned as the most important one. The most important gifts are the gifts of apostleship and of prophecy.

Let us compare Revelation 12:17 with Revelation 19:10, and let me just write it with what the words mean. The dragon is the devil; the woman is the church; and the rest of her offspring, or the remnant of her seed, are the last church. The testimony of Jesus is the Spirit of Prophecy. So it would read like this:

“And the devil was enraged with the church, and he went to make war with the last of the church who keep the commandments of God and have the Spirit of Prophecy.” Ibid. So God’s last people in the world will be keeping the commandments. They will be a Sabbath–keeping church because that commandment is right in the heart of the Ten Commandments, and they will have the gift of the Spirit of Prophecy.

In 1988 while I was preaching in Australia, I was given some material by someone I met there. (Everywhere I go people give me things, and I appreciate that very much. It helps me get a lot of information easily without doing the research myself.) The material I was given was documentation about something that had occurred on a radio program in Australia. I do not know what religious topic was being studied on this radio program, but it was probably about the antichrist. The documentation I was given is a photostat of a letter. I do not know the writer. I have no way of authenticating the letter, but it is very interesting that he sent this letter to the radio station.

Thoroughly Infiltrated

In the letter the writer said, “I am a teacher in a Church of England, or an Anglican, School.” He indicated he was an SJ, which means that he belonged to the Society of Jesus, commonly called the Jesuits. So he was a Jesuit priest who apparently was working under cover in an Anglican School as a teacher. He wrote, “There is a church spoken of in Revelation 12:17 and 19:10.”

I thought that was interesting, that the Jesuits know that there is a church described in Revelation 12:17 and 19:10. And then the next statement he made is very revealing. He said, “We [Who is “we”? the Jesuits.] have thoroughly infiltrated that church.” Which church? The church that keeps the commandments of God and has the Spirit of Prophecy! Maybe that will help explain why there are some things happening in the world that some people have a hard time understanding.

Do not think that is the only church that has been infiltrated. But it was interesting to me to find out that even the Jesuits know that there is such a church, and they know who it is, because it says it is the people who keep the commandments and have the Spirit of Prophecy.

More than a Prophet

I want to tell you; I am so happy to tell you; I am not the least bit embarrassed to tell you; God has sent His people not only a prophet, but also somebody who is more than a prophet, a special messenger. If we would listen to this special messenger, we would be guided back to all the truth in God’s Word.

God is going to have a perfect church. To have a perfect church, the members have to be adhering to everything in the Bible. We cannot come up to the Day of Judgment, when Jesus comes in the clouds of heaven, and say, “Oh, Lord, I did not see that text. I am sorry, Lord, I was not living according to that, because I just did not notice it.”

The Lord knows that you and I are living 6,000 years from the Garden of Eden, and we all, compared with our forefathers, have very feeble minds. So the Lord chose to send us a special messenger to lead us back to Bible truth. There is a text in Isaiah 55 that says, “My ways are not like your ways.” Oh, no? God’s ways are not like our ways.

1 Corinthians 1:19–24 shows how different God’s ways are from our ways. Look at this. This is really something! “For it is written: ‘I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, And bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent.’ Where is the wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the disputer of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of this world? For since, in the wisdom of God, the world through wisdom did not know God, it pleased God through the foolishness of the message preached to save those who believe. For Jews request a sign, and Greeks seek after wisdom; but we preach Christ crucified, to the Jews a stumbling block and to the Greeks foolishness, but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.”

Let us look at the power and the wisdom of God, which is supremely higher than anything that we would figure out or imagine. Notice what it says, “Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men. For you see your calling, brethren, that not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called. But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty; and the base things of the world and the things which are despised God has chosen, and the things which are not, to bring to nothing the things that are, that no flesh should glory in His presence.” Verses 25–29.

And when God chose to send His people in the last days a special messenger, He chose to send somebody who would not only be a prophet, but who would be more than a prophet. A special messenger who, if they would listen, would lead them back to the truths of the Bible, so they would be ready for the coming of Christ. Because when Christ comes, He is coming to receive a perfected church—not a backslidden church, not an apostate church, a perfected church—and not a lukewarm church, either.

The Weakest Vessel

So, we read in the Bible that God chose to use an instrument that would be so weak that we would be forced to recognize, if we were willing to recognize, that this was the power and the wisdom and the might of God. God chose to send His message through the weakest of the weak.

Now who are the weak? Please do not be insulted, ladies, but in the Bible Peter does say that the wife is the weaker vessel. (See 1 Peter 3:7.) I did not say that; please do not be offended. It is in the Bible.

So if God said He was going to send a message through the weakest of the weak, who would it have to be? It first of all would have to be a woman. But it would not be just a woman. There are some women who are much stronger than other women. It would have to be a woman who was weak. Not just weak as a woman but a weak woman.

Somebody might say, “Pastor John, that is impossible. If God was going to send somebody who was going to be more than a prophet, obviously He would send a man. John the Baptist was a man. Moses was a man. God would have to send a man.” Some people do not believe in women prophets.

Have you ever checked that out in the Bible? In both the Old Testament and the New Testament there were women who were chosen as prophets. It did not even matter what their status was as women. Sometimes men judge women by a woman’s status. But whatever her family status was, I have found that there were women in all different family relations or status, and God still chose them as prophets.

For instance, in the New Testament in the book of Acts it says Philip had four daughters who were prophets and these daughters were virgins. (See Acts 21:8, 9.) So can a virgin be a prophet? Yes. But would you have to be a virgin to be a prophet? No, because in both the Old and the New Testament there are recorded married women who were prophets. Sometimes it even records their husbands’ names.

So, according to both the Old and New Testament, you could be a virgin and be a prophet or you could be married and be a prophet. And then, there were women who were prophets whose husbands had died. Just because their husbands had died and they were widows did not disqualilfy them from being a prophet. In fact, when Jesus was born, they brought Him into the temple and one of the persons who came and held Him, adored Him and admired Him, was Anna, a prophetess. (See Luke 2:36, 37.)

Anna was a widow, but she was a prophetess. Since she was a prophetess, the Lord had given her special instruction. She knew, when she looked at this Baby, that this Baby was the Messiah. She was a prophet. The Lord showed her that. So there is much information in the Bible about women prophets.

The Lord said, “I am going to choose the weakest of the weak.” The person whom God chose as a special messenger to His people in the last days was a person 17 years of age who was so weak the she could not write without her hand shaking. She had been in an accident when she was about nine years of age. A girl had become angry with her and had thrown a rock, and that rock had hit her in the nose and she had a deformed nose for the rest of her life.

There are many fine blood vessels in the nose, so when the rock hit her in the nose, the blood gushed out, and she lost so much blood that she had to be carried home. She was so weak from loss of blood that she could not go back to school. After some months, she was able to go back to school but when she tried to write, her hand would shake so bad, she could not write. So she had to quit school. She was not expect to live very long. The first thing her father would ask when he came home was, “Is Ellen still alive?” That is the way she grew up. “Is Ellen still alive? Is she still here?”

She only had a second—or maybe a third–grade education. That is the person whom God chose, because He was going to do something to show the difference. He was going to show that the foolishness of God was wiser than men and the weakness of God was more mighty than men. That woman, at 17 years of age, received her first vision. After she received her first vision, a number of times she had very serious medical problems and again it was thought she would die—soon.

Given a Death Sentence

One such time she went to see a physician. There were three ladies there waiting to see the physician. She was the third one. The first one went to see the physician; the second one went to see the physician, and then Ellen went to see the physician. He said, “All three of you have heart trouble, but (he said to Ellen) your heart is far worse than the others.’” She was not expected to live because of heart disease.

She only lived about 60 more years after that, but that is a miracle. The Lord healed her of that. Another time she had cancer. Because of the cancer, she should have died. But the Lord healed her of that. She was not supposed to live. She could not write. She was too weak. She was too timid. The Lord allowed these things to happen so men would find out that He was the One in charge. This person had a special message.

She said to the Lord, at first, “I could never address anybody in public! I cannot write; my hand shakes.” How much did she write? She wrote more pages of manuscript than any other woman in recorded history—over 100,000 pages! That from somebody who was shaky, with a second, or third grade education, who, at the age of 17, was supposed to die in a few months from tuberculosis.

To be continued…..

Editorial – The Incurable Wound of God’s People

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Jeremiah 30 talks about the time of Jacob’s trouble, and the promise that God’s people (the 144,000) will be delivered. The Bible speaks of three times of trouble, which are described as greater than anything before or after. Jacob’s trouble is one of these. The prophet says, “Alas for that day is great so that none is like it, it is even the time of Jacob’s trouble but he shall be saved out of it.” Jeremiah 30:7.

During this time, Jesus says,  “I make a full end of all nations” Jeremiah 30:11.  He will break the yoke of Babylon from off the neck of His people, (See Jeremiah 30:8; See also Isaiah 14:3-6) and will restore health to His people and heal them of their wounds. (See Jeremiah 30:17.)

God’s people need to be healed of their wounds because their wound is incurable (See Jeremiah 30:12), there is no medicine that will heal their wound because it is so grievous. (See 30:12, 13.) What is this grievous, incurable wound?  It is not a physical wound, but a spiritual wound—the wound of sin. (See Jeremiah 30:14, 15.)

Although all sin is incurable without the blood of Christ and repentance, inspired writings specifically speaks of some sins as incurable. Could it be that these sins are afflicting God’s people in the last days?  The reason they are incurable is not because the blood atonement of Christ will not cleanse the sinner from them, but because the victim of these sins will almost never humble himself to take the cure that God has provided.  We can only be saved in God’s appointed way. Here is a brief list:

  1. Pride and self-sufficiency: There is nothing so offensive to God or so dangerous to the human soul as pride and self-sufficiency. Of all sins it is the most hopeless, the most incurable. Christ’s Object Lessons, 155.
  2. Rebellion: It would not have been safe to suffer any who united with Satan in his rebellion to continue to occupy heaven. They had learned the lesson of genuine rebellion against the unchangeable law of God, and this is incurable…. Lift Him Up, 19.
  3. Pride of opinion: The sin that is most nearly hopeless and incurable is pride of opinion, self-conceit. This stands in the way of all growth. 2 Mind, Character and Personality, 726.
  4. Envy: Men often confess and forsake other faults, but there is little to be hoped for from the envious man. Since to envy a person is to admit that he is a superior, pride will not permit any concession. If an attempt be made to convince the envious person of his sin, he becomes even more bitter against the object of his passion, and too often he remains incurable. 5 Testimonies, 56.
  5. Bigotry and prejudice: The most cruel, and the most incurable thing is bigotry and prejudice and it lives just as firmly in human hearts today as when Christ was upon the earth. 1888 Materials, 800, 801.
  6. Men who have large opinions of themselves: Men who have large opinions of themselves are often in error, but they will not confess this. Envy and jealousy are diseases which disorder all the faculties of the being. They originated with Satan in Paradise. After he had started on the track of apostasy, he could see many things that were objectionable. After he fell he envied Adam and Eve in their innocency. He tempted them to sin, and to become like himself, disloyal to God. Those who accept of his attributes will demerit others, misrepresent and falsify in order to build up themselves. These persons are generally incurable, and as nothing that defileth can enter heaven, they will not be there. They would criticize the angels. They would covet another’s crown. They would not know what to do, or what subjects to converse upon unless they could be finding some errors, some imperfections, in others. The Paulson Collection, 358, 359.

“There are existing evils in the church that no human power can heal…. All misapprehension produces unkindness, consciously or unconsciously, and then unkindness provokes retaliations, and strife propagates itself.” 18 Manuscript Releases, 348.

To the church and the church member who is incurable, Jesus is making the same plea as He did 1900 years ago: “Would you be made whole?”