Keys to the Storehouse – Pool of Voices

When it comes to spiritual matters, many tend to walk through life like an ostrich with their heads in the sand, believing they should not be blamed for their ignorance. The modern philosophy is to believe that no matter what you believe or do, it is okay! But how can a real Christian, not just one who makes a profession, believe that? Inspiration reveals the opposite.

“A special signal was first given by the trumpeters to call the attention of the people. Then all were to be attentive and obey the certain sound of the trumpets. There was no confusion of sound in the voices of the trumpets, therefore there was no excuse for confusion in movements. The head officer over each company gave definite directions in regard to the movements they were required to make. None who gave attention were left in ignorance of what they ought to do. If any failed to comply with the requirements God gave to Moses, and Moses to the people, they were punished with death. They had no excuse to offer that they knew not the nature of these requirements, for they would only prove themselves willingly ignorant, and would receive just punishment for their transgression. If they did not know the will of God concerning them, it was their own fault. They had all the opportunity of knowing that others had, therefore their sin was regarded by the Lord the same as if they did hear and then transgressed.” The Signs of the Times, July 29, 1880.

The high points of this statement are:

    • There was no confusion of sound in the voices of the trumpets.
    • There was no excuse for confusion in movements.
    • None who gave attention were left in ignorance of what they ought to do.
    • If any failed to comply with the requirements God gave they were punished with death.
    • They had no excuse to offer that they knew not the nature of these requirements, for they would only prove themselves willingly ignorant and receive just punishment for their transgression.
    • If they did not know the will of God concerning them, it was their own fault.
    • They had all the opportunity of knowing, that others had.
    • Their sin was regarded by the Lord the same as if they did hear and then transgressed.

The “you’re okay, I’m okay” syndrome does not fit into the Christian life. God’s word sounds the trumpet revealing both what is and is not okay. Do not be soothed to death by the devil; reach out to God right now and listen for His voice through His word to direct your path.

O Father, Your Word clearly tells me that I am not okay and that I need Jesus. Thank you for sending your only Son to show me the way, and I ask in His name that my heart be cleansed that I may walk with Thee. Open my ears heavenward so that I can discern the false and know Your voice only. Save me Lord from the devil’s lies. Amen.

Current Events – Union Trouble

“The time is fast coming when the controlling power of the labor unions will be very oppressive.

“The trades unions will be one of the agencies that will bring upon this earth a time of trouble such as has not been since the world began.” Country Living, 9, 10.

“The trades unions and confederacies of the world are a snare. Keep out of them, and away from them, brethren. Have nothing to do with them.” The Adventist Home, 136.

“These unions are one of the signs of the last days. Men are binding up in bundles ready to be burned. They may be church members, but while they belong to these unions, they cannot possibly keep the commandments of God; for to belong to these unions means to disregard the entire Decalogue. …

“Those who claim to be the children of God are in no case to bind up with the labor unions that are formed or that shall be formed. This the Lord forbids.” Maranatha, 182.

Utility crews from several states East of the Mississippi River hit the road this week to volunteer their time and talents in Northeastern states hit hard by Hurricane Sandy. But crews from Alabama got the shock of their lives when other workers in a coastal New Jersey town told them they couldn’t lend a hand without a union card. Crews in Seaside Heights, New Jersey turned them away, saying they couldn’t do any work there because they’re not union employees. Electric repair work for public utilities in New Jersey is dominated by the International Brotherhood Of Electrical Workers, a unit of the politically powerful AFL-CIO. www.dailycaller.com/2012/11/02.

A New Jersey power company denied Friday that it is turning away nonunion volunteer crews who want to travel great distances to help reconnect power supplies severed by Hurricane Sandy. But an Alabama utility is clarifying that it was the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers [IBEW]—not the company—that turned them away. www.dailycaller.com/2012/11/04.

“Amid Sandy’s devastation, a Long Island union sent written demand to Florida utilities: Pay dues or stay home. In a two-page October 29 contract, the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) local 1049 demanded union dues, pay hikes and benefit contributions from Florida electric utilities before its workers would be permitted to help reconnect power to Long Island communities. The demand came as Hurricane Sandy was bearing down on the Northeastern United States, stranding tens of millions without electricity.

“The unions, steeped in international socialism, need to be controlled. In normal times, they hold citizens and their children hostage to their demands. They corrupt politicians and force the taxpayer away from the bargaining table. If they don’t get their evil ways, children suffer and we find criminals being released into the public. But now, in a time of grave emergency, unions are demanding tribute from volunteers and workers who are paid by other utilities. Outrageous. Time to purge the democrats and their unions—return America to prosperity and eliminate political extortion, blackmail and corruption.” www.onecitizenspeaking.com/2012/11/04.

The Disciples’ Message Forgotten

The foundation of the disciples’ message to the whole world was the opening of Christ’s ministry as our High Priest in the Holy Place of the sanctuary in heaven. This message was so powerful that in Acts 17:6 we are told that this message had “turned the world upside down.” Nobody had to go to the earthly sanctuary anymore to offer a sacrificial lamb. They could now go directly to Jesus in the heavenly sanctuary to confess their sins and Jesus would cover those sins with His blood. But by 1844 this message, that had turned the world upside down, was no longer remembered by the church.

What happened to the sanctuary message and why did it have to be restored? We will begin our search for the answer at the ascension of Jesus Christ.

In Revelation chapters 4 and 5 we are shown the throne room of the sanctuary in heaven in 31 A.D. These two chapters should not have a chapter division because they are about the same event. In Revelation 5:6 we get a picture of Jesus coming as a Lamb slain before the Father. We know that this is an accurate interpretation of this verse. The Desire of Ages, 830–835, is a description of this same event, and gives us more details.

When Jesus ascended 40 days after His crucifixion He went in before the Father as a Lamb slain. “He enters into the presence of His Father. He points to His wounded head, the pierced side, the marred feet; He lifts His hands, bearing the print of nails. He points to the tokens of His triumph; … Before the foundations of the earth were laid, the Father and the Son had united in a covenant to redeem man if he should be overcome by Satan. They had clasped Their hands in a solemn pledge that Christ should become the surety for the human race. This pledge Christ has fulfilled.”

Then Jesus was presented to John not as a Lamb slain, but as our High Priest in the Holy Place. John recorded a description of Jesus as our High Priest in the Holy Place of the sanctuary in heaven in Revelation chapter 1:12–16.

“And I turned to see the voice that spake with me. And being turned, I saw seven golden candlesticks; and in the midst of the seven candlesticks one like unto the Son of man, clothed with a garment down to the foot, and girt about the paps with a golden girdle. His head and his hairs were white like wool, as white as snow; and his eyes were as a flame of fire; and his feet like unto fine brass, as if they burned in a furnace; and his voice as the sound of many waters. And he had in his right hand seven stars: and out of his mouth went a sharp two-edged sword: and his countenance was as the sun shineth in his strength.”

On the Day of Pentecost, God sent the Holy Spirit down to the 120 disciples that were assembled in a meeting. The Holy Spirit told them that the inauguration of Jesus as their High Priest had been completed in the sanctuary of the New Covenant in heaven. He then instructed them to go forth and tell the world that sanctuary is now open and waiting to receive their petitions. That was the message that the disciples were to take to the world during the early years of the apostolic church. After Christ’s death and resurrection, nobody had to go to the earthly sanctuary anymore to offer a sacrificial lamb. They could now go directly to Jesus in the Holy Place of the heavenly sanctuary to confess their sins and Jesus said He would secure their pardon.

“The blood of Christ, pleaded in behalf of penitent believers, secured their pardon and acceptance with the Father.” The Great Controversy, 421.

This was the good news proclaimed by the apostolic church. Even the Gentiles later on recognized the power of this message because in Acts 17:6 we are told that this message had “turned the world upside down.” Such was the power of the message of Jesus’ ministry in the heavenly sanctuary.

Satan and the fallen angels saw the power of this message and they saw that this message was going to destroy their kingdom of rebellion. They had to do something to counteract this message. Satan and his angels set about to attack the Christian church and lead it into apostasy. All of the major writers of the New Testament tell about the apostasy that came into the Christian church. It became so bad that by A.D. 538, the papacy took control of the church. In Revelation 13:2 we are told that Satan gave him his power, authority and seat.

Immediately Satan set the Pope up as the head of the church in place of God. The Pope then claimed that he was the mediator between God and man. This was the work of the papacy throughout the Dark Ages. For 1260 years Satan continued his attack on the ministry of Jesus in the Holy Place of the sanctuary in heaven. Even at the present time the people in the Roman Catholic Church are taught to confess their sins to the priests.

The sanctuary message was lost because the people were directed to the priests for their salvation instead of Jesus Christ in the heavenly sanctuary. When the great Second Advent Movement began in the early 1840s, nobody knew about the sanctuary in heaven. They thought that the sanctuary was this earth. The papacy did away with the knowledge of Jesus Christ’s ministry in the sanctuary in heaven by instructing the people to confess their sins to the priests in the church on earth. “It set itself up to be as great as the Prince of the host; it took away the daily sacrifice from him, and the place of his sanctuary was brought low.” Daniel 8:11, NIV.

The good news in Daniel 8:14 is that the sanctuary message would be restored to its rightful place. “And he said to me, for two thousand three hundred evenings and mornings; then the holy place will be properly restored.” NASB.

The restoration of this message has been fulfilled in the Second Advent Movement. In The Great Controversy, 409, we are told, “The scripture which above all others had been both the foundation and the central pillar of the advent faith was the declaration: ‘Unto two thousand and three hundred days; then shall the sanctuary be cleansed.’ Daniel 8:14.” The sanctuary message was to be restored and was to become the foundation and central pillar of the message to the world in the closing scenes of the great Second Advent Movement.

This restoration of this message is paramount because the heavenly sanctuary is the place where Jesus carries out the terms of the New Covenant. When Jesus moved from the Holy Place to the Most Holy Place in the heavenly sanctuary in 1844 to begin the investigative judgment, His faithful followers were thrilled to learn the truth and followed Him into the Most Holy Place. Christ’s disciples in the great Second Advent Movement will again take up the message as did the first disciples.

“The third angel closes his message thus: ‘Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus’ (Revelation 14:12). As he repeated these words, he pointed to the heavenly sanctuary. The minds of all who embrace this message are directed to the most holy place, where Jesus stands before the ark, making His final intercession for all those for whom mercy still lingers and for those who have ignorantly broken the law of God. This atonement is made for the righteous dead as well as for the righteous living. It includes all who died trusting in Christ, but who, not having received the light upon God’s commandments, had sinned ignorantly in transgressing its precepts.” Early Writings, 254.

During the latter rain this message will be at the heart of the call to “come out of her (Babylon).” It is through the ministry of Jesus in the Most Holy Place where they can be freed from sin as they come out of Babylon.

Daniel 8:14 truly is the foundation and pillar of the Advent faith. It is a prophecy fulfilled. The ministry of Jesus in the heavenly sanctuary was a message forgotten during the Dark Ages. It has been restored according to the prophecy of Daniel 8:14 and we must keep it alive, never to be forgotten again.

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

Married to the Wrong Man

Two young ministers, A. T. Jones and E. J. Waggoner, presented messages to the Seventh-day Adventist Church in 1888 on the subject of righteousness by faith. The message was presented at a Minneapolis, Minnesota, camp meeting where all the conference leaders were present, and as the meeting began, a spirit developed that was not welcoming the Jones and Waggoner message. After this camp meeting, Ellen White had opportunity to address the righteousness by faith message: “I have had the question asked, What do you think of this light that these men are presenting? Why, I have been presenting it to you for the last forty-five years—the matchless charms of Christ. This is what I have been trying to present before your minds. When Brother Waggoner brought out these ideas in Minneapolis, it was the first clear teaching on this subject from any human lips I had heard … . I have said to myself, It is because God has presented it to me in vision that I see it so clearly, and they cannot see it because they have never had it presented to them as I have. And when another presented it, every fiber of my heart said, Amen.” Manuscript Releases, vol. 5, 219.

The message given in 1888 was rejected, maybe because of selfishness, perhaps because some of those church leaders had not developed a converted heart and mind, able to be open enough to evaluate the message on its own merit instead of having a closed mind and rejecting it.

Mrs. White stated that, “The present message—justification by faith—is a message from God; it bears the divine credentials, for its fruit is unto holiness. Some who greatly need the precious truth that was presented before them, we fear did not receive its benefit. They did not open the door of their hearts to welcome Jesus as a heavenly guest, and they have suffered great loss. There is indeed a narrow way in which we must walk; the cross is presented at every step. We must learn to live by faith; then the darkest hours will be brightened by the blessed beams of the Sun of Righteousness.” Selected Messages, Book 1, 359.

“The reactions to the emphasis on this vital truth were mixed. At the 1893 general conference session, A. T. Jones, speaking of the reception of the truths set forth at Minneapolis, reported: ‘I know that some there accepted it; others rejected it entirely. You know the same thing. Others tried to stand half way between, and get it that way.’—General Conference Bulletin, 1893, 185.” “A Statement Presenting the Historical Backgrounds,” Ibid., Book 3, 158, 159.

The Jones/Waggoner message was really a message that will help us understand what it takes to be married with Christ. “Christ met and worked with all classes of human beings, seeking to save that which was lost. Will you who shall connect with men of different organisms and different temperaments, put on Christ, and respect one another as you desire to be respected?

“They must not put on their citizen’s dress, but the wedding garment. They have been married to Christ, and the robe of His righteousness is to clothe them. The church is the bride of Christ, and her members are to yoke up with their Leader.” The Gospel Herald, May 28, 1902.

The righteousness by faith message, Mrs. White said, needs to be repeated again before the Second Coming of Christ. “We are now living in a most perilous time, and not one of us should be tardy in seeking a preparation for the coming of Christ. … It will be too late to seek for the righteousness of Christ when the guests are called in and examined. Now is the time to put on the righteousness of Christ—the wedding garment that will fit you to enter into the marriage supper of the Lamb.” The Youth’s Instructor, January 16, 1896.

We need to understand what love is, and if that love develops and comes alive in our lives, we will together be waiting for the Second Coming of our Lord and Saviour. But we need to find the code that will make us penetrate more deeply for the love of God and for Him to penetrate into our hearts and minds, able to have more control over our emotions, our feelings, our ways. Sometimes we want to do things that we should not do, but we should pray that we will be what Christ wants us to be for Him, not what we want to be.

To forfeit our own will is hard, but God will never allow us to do something that we are not capable of doing. He knows our heart, our mind, our capabilities; He knows what we can do and gives the power to do it.

Romans 7:1–7 gives the foundation of the message of this article. Once the foundation is laid, we can start building our building. Christ is the architect and will be the One to employ the workers who will do God’s will.

“Know ye not, brethren, (for I speak to them that know the law,) how that the law hath dominion over a man as long as he liveth? For the woman which hath an husband is bound by the law to her husband so long as he liveth; but if the husband be dead, she is loosed [or free] from the law of her husband. So then if, while her husband liveth, she be married to another man, she shall be called an adulteress: but if her husband be dead, she is free from that law; so that she is no adulteress, though she be married [or capable, allowed to be married] to another man. Wherefore, my brethren, ye also are become dead to the law by the body of Christ, that ye should be married to another, even to Him who is raised from the dead, that we should bring forth fruits unto God. For when we were in the flesh, the motions of sins, which were by the law, did work in our members to bring forth fruit unto death. But now we are delivered from the law, that being dead wherein we were held; that we should serve in newness of Spirit, and not in the oldness of the letter. What shall we say then? Is the law sin? God forbid. Nay, I had not known sin, but by the law: for I had not known lust, except the law had said, Thou shalt not covet.”

Christians, especially Seventh-day Adventists, read these passages and will not quite allow the Holy Spirit to assist us, to amplify the Scriptures, to be able to understand the very large picture of this passage. That was exactly what the Holy Spirit and angels from heaven inspired the minds and the hearts of Jones and Waggoner to present, a message to the people to bring a picture so wide and so open and so big that they could allow the Scriptures to come alive.

Some of the people, perhaps the ones who were really looking for a way to surrender themselves to God and to have a converted life and a connection with the Lord, found the message refreshing, but others who were not willing to give up their own lifestyle or their habits said, “This is nonsense!” So, they rejected it. They believed that the Lord knows why they do what they do and eat and drink what they do and they don’t need to hear any type of message that tells them what to do.

All they want to know and be told is, “God loves me.” Of course He does love us, because He gave His life for us. Is that not obvious, is that not sufficient; isn’t that enough for us to understand the love of God?

An evil spirit was manifested in 1888. It was the type of spirit that crowds or clouds the minds of those who hear to fail in receiving the message. Sister White rebuked it saying that spirit is not from God but is of Satan. So we are going to look at the views and what that message was.

First of all, in these seven verses of Romans 7, we are going to look at four subjects—Number 1 is the flesh. Number 2 is the woman. Number 3 is the law. Number 4 is Christ or the second husband.

The law spoken of in these verses is the law of sin. We are bound to the law, which is sin, and the wages of sin is death (Romans 6:23). By nature we are married to the flesh, and we have no trouble at all satisfying all of the cravings and the desires of our flesh.

So as a Christian bound to the husband, the flesh, we go about satisfying the husband, pleasing our flesh. Since we are married to the flesh, and the law says we are bound together, we are one flesh. For that reason many Christians today have so much trouble and struggle to develop their relationship with the Lord, walking along the narrow path, because they are still married to their first husband.

That is the problem. Because we are selfish, pathetic individuals, we are married to the flesh, and we give the flesh whatever it wants. The Scripture says that those who are walking after the flesh, satisfy the flesh, but not the Spirit. But those who walk after the Spirit satisfy the Spirit and the flesh has no more control over the mind.

Many of us allow the body to control the mind, not the mind to control the body, because we are married to the flesh. When we allow the Holy Spirit to control the mind, this flesh has no more control. Paul “charges the Galatians to ‘walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh.’ Galatians 5:16, 17. … After mentioning the fruits of the Spirit, … he adds, ‘And they that are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts.’ Verse 24.” Counsels on Health, 69.

So we often find ourselves living a miserable life never satisfied, entertaining ourselves and consuming things of the world to fulfill the cravings of the appetite of the flesh while continuing to feel empty.

When Jesus spoke, “If you love Me, keep My commandments” (John 14:15), He was saying, “If you love Me, and we are going to be married together, you will keep the laws of My Father, because of the laws that I am bound to My Father in love. If you love Me, you will keep the commandments.” The law of God is holy (Romans 7:12), and whosoever abides in the law will be holy.

Satan leads us to think that we are no longer under any law, but we are under grace. “It is the sophistry of Satan that the death of Christ brought in grace to take the place of the law. The death of Jesus did not change, or annul, or lessen in the slightest degree, the law of ten commandments. That precious grace offered to men through a Saviour’s blood, establishes the law of God. Since the fall of man, God’s moral government and His grace are inseparable. They go hand in hand through all dispensations. ‘Mercy and truth are met together; righteousness and peace have kissed each other.’ Psalm 85:10.” The Faith I Live By, 89.

Satan offers grace without laws, but that is a very misleading doctrine that has been spread. Isaiah 65 and 66, very clearly state that we are going to keep the Sabbath, which is part of the commandments, and the Bible is very clear that God’s law will still be kept in heaven. Who are they who have the “patience of the saints” (Revelation 14:12) and “keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus Christ” (Revelation 12:17)? These are those who continue to keep the commandments of God.

In Romans 7, Paul is talking about the law of sin. If we are bound to our first husband, then we are married to the flesh. Many Christians desire the marriage Christ offers but are still married to the flesh. They become frustrated, feel unhappy, sad and depressed that they no longer find pleasure in entertainments. They try to find a way to satisfy the cravings of the flesh and retire to being slaves to that type of lifestyle.

How can we be released from that bondage? The Bible gives the answer in verses 3 and 4. When Jesus comes into our lives with compassion, understanding, love, and a willingness to give to us His life, and we say, “I want You in my life. I want to marry You.” The Lord says, “I can’t marry you because you’re married to the flesh; you have another master. I will not share; you must die to the flesh, then we can be one.”

The bottom line is that a lot of Christians today are walking into the world believing they are married to Christ when, in fact, they are not. They are married to themselves, to what they eat and drink, the movies they watch and those with whom they hang out and find their pleasure. The husband that they claim to have is not Christ but the husband of flesh. While living under this bondage it is impossible to bring fruits of righteousness unto God, but only fruits unto death.

The law condemns us, but the love of God gives us freedom in Christ Jesus. The question is: Do you really want that freedom? Do you hunger and thirst for it, or do you want both husbands in your life?

You cannot have two husbands. Either you are married to Christ or you are married to the flesh; you cannot have both. True freedom only comes through deliverance from the law of sin.

Consecrate yourself to God and the spirit of Christ will take control over your life and you will become a collaborator with Christ. To be totally surrendered to Him we will receive peace and protection and know the love of God, the pure agape love from heaven. Only then can you be complete in Him.

We each need to say unto God, “Lord, help me to make once in my life the right decision, the right move that can be this marriage for eternity, and You will be the last husband in my life. [Spiritually speaking, the last husband.] I make that decision to be faithful unto You and obedient unto You. I will not bring shame unto You; I will respect You, and I will obey Your word when You say what to do, because You know what is best in my life.”

There will be trouble; there will be tribulation, but the Bible is very clear: “There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.” Romans 8:1, 2.

Pastor Domingo Nuñez is director of Outreach Ministry for Steps to Life. He is involved in the coordination of world mission projects and he travels extensively, encouraging the many home churches supported by Steps to Life. He may be contacted at: 316-788-5559 or by email at: domingonunez@stepstolife.org.

The Keys that Unlock the Bible

A mission trip to Peru provided an experience that is perhaps the most vivid explanation of how to understand the Bible. As a medical doctor, able to read, write, and speak fluent Spanish, the group with which I traveled decided I could go alone to the most rural church in northern Peru.

In developing nations, the sermon does not end at midday. It is all encompassing, and Sabbath services continue all day. As the guest speaker, it is understood that you will teach the Sabbath School, present the sermon as well as the children’s story, give an afternoon meeting and then vespers, as well as any other possible speaking slot. If you can sing, you will also lead out in the song service and provide the special music.

Finishing vespers after sundown, the church announcements were made. They showed a book that they proposed to study for the following quarter’s prayer meeting. It was The Great Controversy, and they would have to raise money to purchase the books. Plans were made to sell things or work to acquire the books that they so desperately desired to study. Two church members, Cory and Heidi, said they would be willing to do anything for this book that they wanted to study and share with their families and friends. Returning to my hotel room, I arranged for books to be given to them.

During this trip our medical group was at a different place every day, providing free medical care. Three days after my speaking experience, we held a clinic near the church. Hundreds of people from the surrounding villages converged on the area. Many of the surrounding churches had sent members to assist us, and I could see that Cory and Heidi were helping with the hydrotherapy station.

When the opportunity came, I asked them if they had received the books. They had, and they were so excited. Six-year-old Heidi and nine-year-old Cory had already started reading their books and sharing with their families and friends. Heidi had to have her Mom read with her, not so much to share it with her Mom, but that she couldn’t understand some of the larger words in Spanish. Seeing the enthusiasm of these two children made me realize that I did not understand God’s word. I did not love God’s word at all compared to these youngsters who would prefer reading The Great Controversy over playing with toys or their friends. Returning home, I pulled out my copy of this book and reread it, going over several intriguing chapters more than once.

These two children in Peru, who would give anything to just have the opportunity to read about God, taught me the greatest thing necessary to understand the Bible.

Three Keys in Understanding the Bible

Key One – David makes quite a claim in Psalm 119:99: “I have more understanding than all my teachers: for Thy testimonies are my meditation.”

To meditate means to focus on one thing. To meditate on Scripture is different than Eastern religion’s transcendental meditation where the focus is on the word “oom” or a mantra.

Often times we neglect to stop our multi-tasking to spend time with God. We dart our prayers to Him while driving in the car or eating breakfast, which is not wrong as long as we schedule time to give Him our full attention during those intimate moments with Him, meditating on His word in the early hours of the morning.

I was baptized by Doug Tilstra, a very intriguing pastor. While talking to someone, he will not look at his watch or answer his phone, and he is never distracted. His focus is with one person at a time. More than anything else about him, I was moved by his interest in whomever he talks to; they are important and receive his complete focus. One reason we don’t understand the Bible is because we do not seek it at the loss of all other things, like Heidi and Cory. We are too distracted by many other things.

When Jesus visited His friends’ home in Bethel, Martha was so busy getting the food ready that she wasn’t focused on her guest. You can just hear the pathos in Jesus’ voice when He said, “Martha … ,” and He probably paused a little bit as she was still moving around, and then He said one more time, “Martha, thou art careful and troubled about many things: but one thing is needful: and Mary hath chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her.” Luke 10:41, 42.

Mary understood that although there were many good things in life, there was only one that was necessary. Ultimately, at the end of time, only one thing will matter, and that is going to be God and what we have done for others in His name. We have devalued an understanding of the Bible, placing more value on books, people, and academic degrees. We must seek an understanding of Jesus at the loss of all things.

Key Two – David said, “I understand more than the ancients, because I keep Thy precepts.” Psalm 119:100. The ancients were those people with the long beards and were hundreds of years old; the wise people with much experience.

It is not merely meditating on God’s word that gives understanding, not only focusing in on God at the loss of all things, but there needs to be an execution of what we learn. Jesus taught a very important principle in John 7:17. He said, “If any man will do His will, he shall know of the doctrine.” Isn’t it interesting that another key to understanding is in doing it!

While doing some evangelism and presenting the health message in Holland, I said that we cannot always trust the medical literature to steer us in the right direction. True science will always be in harmony with revelation, but we do not always have true science in the journals. It is a matter of time before science will catch up with the Spirit of Prophecy and, eventually, it will. To illustrate my point, I shared an article from the 1935 edition of the Journal of the American Medical Association, which is basically the premier journal for physicians, that stated that smoking cigarettes was good for several health conditions such as asthma.

Smoking is not good for asthma, and we recognize now that the second hand smoke can cause pediatric asthma. I had presented this to show that the medical literature does not always steer us in the right direction when it comes to true laws of health. In regard to matters of health, I have reminded people many times that it is more important what comes out of our mouths than what goes in. I believe in the health message. I’m a physician; I love the message, but we need to deal with the bigger issues first.

I am amused, whenever I present the health message to an Adventist audience, that someone always asks me about mushrooms. Why mushrooms? I can present information that I know about them that are insignificant compared to other unhealthful practices. These audiences are often eating meat, eating at night, drinking alcohol, and I think the mushrooms are at the bottom. Deal with the big issues first. What we don’t seem to understand is that God is not going to give us any more light in whatever area it is until we obey and do what He has asked us in the fundamental areas, like what we say and how we treat people. Those are the major things that need to be taken care of first.

When we obey what we do know, God will help us understand what we don’t know. That’s the key to understanding the Bible.

In Steps to Christ, 110, Ellen White wrote, “Whenever men are not in word and deed seeking to be in harmony with God, then, however learned they may be, they are liable to err in their understanding of Scripture, and it is not safe to trust to their explanations.” That is a very powerful statement. It does not matter how many letters you have after your name; it does not mean anything. In word and deed, to be in harmony with the Master in heaven means everything.

“Successful work for Christ depends not so much on numbers or talent as upon pureness of purpose, the true simplicity of earnest, dependent faith.” The Desire of Ages, 370. I can’t think of any better picture of simplicity and earnest dependent faith than the two children, Heidi and Cory, in Peru.

“For it is written, I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and will bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent. Where is the wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the disputer of this world? Hath not God made foolish the wisdom of this world? For after that in the wisdom of God the world by wisdom knew not God, it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe. … Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men; and the weakness of God is stronger than men. For ye see your calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called.” I Corinthians 1:19–21, 25, 26.

Now I can tell you that I am very thankful that the words are “not many” instead of “not any.” I am educated, and if it said “not any,” then that would exclude me and several other people, but it says “not many.” Very, very few people who are educated, who are mighty or who are wealthy understand what God is all about. Why is that? Highly educated people, with their degrees, tend to trust more in man. People tend to judge the quality as good on their intellect and their degrees. The amazing thing is that this is the reason God chooses the foolish things and the weak things, because when we look at Heidi and Cory, with their fervor and devotion to God, it is God Who gets the glory. Heidi has not gone to Stanford University or Harvard. In fact, she has not yet even gone to school. Whereas, if someone is learned, very intelligent and talented and smooth in their presentation, there is a tendency to give that person the glory. When God chooses children, the weak things of the world, to do things like this, there is no way we can miss the illustration, and it is clear that it is God at work.

Key Three – Once you know God, putting into practice what He has revealed to you, the last step is critical. “Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again.” Luke 6:38.

The best way to learn a subject is to teach it. When I return home from presenting meetings, I can meet someone on the street and can often remember my whole presentation to share with them. The most critical part of understanding the Bible is sharing what we do know with those around us.

There is a very important concept, which I believe is not only important for understanding the Bible but is important to being saved. It is the concept of trust. When I was young, I liked to climb those walls beside the sidewalk that started off low and gradually became a little higher. I would get up on the wall, with my Dad beside me on the pathway, and I would go higher and higher and higher, to eventually a place where the wall was about six feet high and it would end. At the end of the wall, my Dad wanted me to jump down into his arms. My Dad is a pretty big guy, so he would not have any trouble catching me. But as I got older, maybe 5, 6, or 7, I would come to the end of the wall and I would get down myself. Something had changed, and it was not because my Dad was no longer able to catch me. I had become more dependent on myself. A normal part of human nature is to become self-sufficient and independent, but that is lethal to your spiritual life. The more dependent you are on yourself and your own abilities, the less likely you will be saved. Jesus tells us this is critical, not only to understanding the Bible but to salvation itself. “And [He] said, Verily I say unto you, except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven.” Matthew 18:3. Because a child is dependent, it is humble and teachable. It is far easier for God to save little children than you and me.

I praise God that He had mercy upon my soul and sent me two children in Peru to teach me what it really means to understand His word.

“God can teach you more in one moment by His Holy Spirit than you could learn from the great men of the earth.” Testimonies to Ministers and Gospel Workers, 119. That is very impressive!

“Understanding of Bible truth depends not so much on the power of intellect brought to the search as on the singleness of purpose, the earnest longing after righteousness.” The Great Controversy, 599.

You may not have a PhD; you may not have any formal education at all. You may not have gone to school past high school or even elementary school, but you can understand the Bible. In fact, you may be able to understand the Bible much better than those who have gone to school, because you are not dependent upon yourself but are dependent upon Jesus Christ. As you open God’s word, I pray that you will remember the toothless grin of six-year-old Heidi, deep in Peru with her nine-year-old friend Cory, and remember that the key to understanding God’s word is to seek it with all your heart at the loss of all other things and to obey what God reveals to you and to share it with others. Ultimately, although we are not all children, unless we become as little children we will never understand God and His truth and be saved.

Tim Riesenberger is an ER physician in Washington state with a passion to share the gospel both locally within the United States of America and also in foreign mission fields. He may be contacted by email at: landmarks@stepstolife.org.

A Defiled Sanctuary

The book of Revelation is written in sign language or symbolic language to show what must shortly take place (Revelation 1:1). “And the dragon was enraged with the woman, and he went to make war with the rest of her offspring [also translated the remnant of her seed], who keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.” Revelation 12:17.

The dragon is a symbol of an angel that once was one of the leading angels of heaven who fell and has become what we call the Devil, or Satan, a fallen angel. Verse 9 says, “So the great dragon was cast out, that serpent of old, called the Devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was cast to the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.” So, “the dragon was angry with the woman” means Satan is angry with the church.

In the Bible, whole chapters have been written using a woman as a symbol; for example, Ezekiel 16 and 23. Jeremiah 6:2 says, “I have likened the daughter of Zion to a lovely and delicate woman.” Isaiah 51:16 tells us who Zion is: “And I have put My words in your mouth; I have covered you with the shadow of My hand, that I may plant the heavens, lay the foundations of the earth, and say to Zion, ‘you are My people.’ ” Zion is God’s people and is represented by a lovely and delicate woman.

Paul uses the same terminology addressing the church of God in Corinth: “For I am jealous for you with godly jealousy. For I have betrothed you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste [pure] virgin to Christ. But I fear, lest somehow, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, so your minds may be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ.” II Corinthians 11:2, 3.

In both the Old and New Testaments the church is likened to a woman. If the woman is pure, she represents a pure church, but if the woman becomes a prostitute or harlot, that woman is used to represent a corrupt church that is in apostasy. Revelation 17 and 18 describe a great prostitute that, in the last days, affects the whole world.

The woman of Revelation 12 is a pure woman; she is clothed with the sun, and she brings forth a male child that is to rule all nations (verse 5). This is a pure woman, a pure church, and refers to God’s people. “The dragon was enraged with the woman [God’s people in the last days], and he went to make war with the rest of her offspring [the last church], who keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.” Revelation 12:17. “The testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.” Revelation 19:10.

In everyday English a translation of the symbols would read: “And the devil, or Satan, was enraged with the church, or with God’s people, and he went to make war, or try, to destroy the last church, God’s people, who keep the commandments of God and have the spirit of prophecy.”

Years ago, evangelists always said that to find God’s people in the last days, you would need to find a church that keeps all ten of the commandments. And secondly, it must have the gift of prophecy. These qualifications narrow down the choice. Many churches worship on a day different than what has been commanded, and people bow before representations of the virgin Mary holding baby Jesus and images of Jesus hanging on the cross. The commandments prohibit this action and eliminate those churches from being pure. (See Exodus 20:8–11.)

The Seventh-day Adventist Church is not the only church that advocates keeping all of the commandments, and there are also several other churches that claim to have the gift of prophecy.

Paul told the Thessalonian church to “prove all things.” I Thessalonians 5:21. This admonition should be applied in the search for the true church. There is one doctrine found in Daniel 8:14 that, as far as I know, is unique to Adventism. It says, “And he said to me, ‘For two thousand three hundred days; then the sanctuary shall be cleansed.’ ”

Point #1 – Adventists have believed that this text refers to the time of the end, something that is going to happen in the last epochal period of earth’s history, because of what the angel told Daniel: “Understand, son of man, that the vision refers to the time of the end” and “for at the appointed time, the end shall be.” Verses 17 and 19.

Point #2 – The sanctuary is going to be cleansed after this period of time and in the time of the end.

Point #3 – The earthly sanctuary was a type of the real sanctuary in heaven. (See Hebrews 8.) Daniel 8:14 would have to be referring to the heavenly sanctuary, because there is no earthly sanctuary in the time of the end.

Point #4 – This verse would then mean, that in the time of the end the heavenly sanctuary is going to be cleansed. This seems incredible for some people to believe—that there would be something in heaven needing cleansing, but the Bible says that there is—the heavenly sanctuary.

Paul says, “Therefore it was necessary that the copies of the things in the heavens [the earthly sanctuary] should be purified [or cleansed] with these.” Hebrews 9:23. To what do “these” refer?

In chapters 8 and 9 we see that the earthly sanctuary was cleansed with the blood of animal sacrifices. Again, in chapter 10:1–4, Paul says that the blood of bulls and goats that was offered every year could not take away sins. The earthly sanctuary was cleansed with these animal sacrifices, “but the heavenly things themselves [the sanctuary in heaven, of which the earthly sanctuary was a type] with better sacrifices than these.” Hebrews 9:23. The “better” sacrifice refers to the sacrifice Christ made when He died on the cross. It says, in verse 24, “For Christ has not entered the holy places made with hands, which are copies [that is, the earthly sanctuary] of the true, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us.” Paul is saying that the heavenly sanctuary has to be cleansed. But in order for something to be cleansed, it first had to have been defiled, for you don’t purify or cleanse something that is already clean. How is it there is defilement in heaven?

In Daniel 7:9, 10 is a description of the 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 wool. His throne was a fiery flame, its wheel a burning fire; a fiery stream issued and came forth from before Him. A thousand thousands ministered to Him; ten thousand times ten thousand [that is a hundred million] stood before Him. The court was seated, and the books were opened.”

This portrays a judgment scene in heaven, with books. David gives insight into what is recorded in these books. “You number my wanderings; put my tears into Your bottle; are they not in Your book?” Psalm 56:8. God keeps account of all the events of our lives.

Malachi 3:16 says, “Then those who feared the Lord spoke to one another, and the Lord listened and heard them; so a book of remembrance was written before Him for those who fear the Lord and who meditate on His name.” When God’s people meet together and speak together, God doesn’t just hear it, but He has it recorded in a book.

In Matthew 12:35, 36, it says, “A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good things, and an evil man out of the evil treasure brings forth evil things. But I say to you that for every idle word men may speak, they will give account of it in the day of judgment.”

God has a record of every word that we have ever spoken, the good words and also the idle words. God knows a lot more than just our words, though. The psalmist understood this very, very clearly. In Psalm 139:1–4, it says, “O Lord, You have searched me and known me. You know my sitting down and my rising up [He knows what time you go to bed and what time you get up]; You understand my thought afar off. [God understands your thought before you even think it. He knows what you are going to think tomorrow, what you have not even thought yet, and understands.] You comprehend my path and my lying down, and are acquainted with all my ways. For there is not a word on my tongue, but behold, O Lord, You know it altogether.” God knows our thoughts!

The Lord says, in Isaiah 66:18, “For I know their works and their thoughts.” In Jesus’ sermon on the mount, He explained that sin started in the mind; it was possible to commit adultery with a woman in your mind. Murder also starts in the mind; to hate is recorded as murder.

Detailed records of each life, every thought and act, is kept in the throne room of the heavenly sanctuary. Because all have sinned and come short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23), those records have defiled God’s sanctuary. But in the end of time, the sanctuary is going to be cleansed. This will happen in two distinct ways. “Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come [the latter rain] from the presence of the Lord, and that He may send Jesus Christ [the Second Coming], Who was preached to you before, Whom heaven must receive until the times of restoration of all things, which God has spoken by the mouth of all His holy prophets since the world began.” Acts 3:19–21.

Peter says that, in the time of the latter rain, there will be some people whose sins are going to be blotted out. The pollution of their record of sinful thoughts and actions will be gone forever.

The other way the sanctuary will be cleansed is to remove the names of those who remain unrepentant of their thoughts and actions; their names will be blotted out. Moses pled with the Lord for the children of Israel: “Yet now, if You will forgive their sin, but if not, I pray, blot me out of Your book which You have written. And the Lord said to Moses, ‘Whoever has sinned against Me, I will blot him out of My book.’ ” Exodus 32:32, 33. Moses understood that God had a book and that his name, as well as those of the children of Israel, was in there. He could not bear the thought that God would wipe out the nation because of their rebellion, and he consented to be lost, if he could not get the people saved.

The heavenly sanctuary is cleansed in two ways—either the sins are blotted out of the records, leaving the names of the repentant, or the whole record, including the names of the unrepentant, is removed. For 150 years, this is the way that Adventists have explained the cleansing of the sanctuary, but the teaching has not been made practical enough so people can understand it. All through the Bible, the sanctuary or God’s temple has always been a symbol and not just a building.

Ellen White describes the beginning of Christ’s ministry when He first cleansed the temple. She wrote that the sanctuary, the building that the Jews regarded with so much pride, was a symbol of what God wanted to do for every human being. (See The Desire of Ages, 161, 162.)

Paul said, “Do you not know that your body is the temple [sanctuary] of the Holy Spirit Who is in you, Whom you have from God, and you are not your own? For you were bought at a price [and what a price!]; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s.” I Corinthians 6:19, 20. The Corinthian church had a problem with sexual immorality, and Paul wrote to them in this context. He said they could not do as they wished to please their bodies, for the body is supposed to be a temple for the Holy Spirit.

That being the case, and in the last days the temple is going to be cleansed, that would mean our body, our spirit and our mind is to be cleansed. Our thoughts, feelings, words and actions are all to be purified so the Holy Spirit can dwell in our mind. The Holy Spirit cannot dwell with sin, so a cleansing must take place. If we remain in sin we make our body and our mind a temple for the dwelling place for evil angels. “Satan takes the control of every mind that is not decidedly under the control of the Spirit of God.” Testimonies to Ministers and Gospel Workers, 79.

Ellen White said that though it was manifested in a different way, the priests and the religious leaders in the time of Christ were just as much possessed of the devil as the demoniacs. The devil was in control. How is it in your life?

Paul told King Agrippa about his experience on the road to Damascus and the work the Lord told him to do, “to open their eyes, in order to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who are sanctified by faith in Me.” Acts 26:18.

The Corinthians did not know that in worshiping their idols and sacrificing to them they were, in fact, worshiping devils. Today, though they may not be aware, those who are living in sin are under the control of the devil. I John 3:8 says that everyone “who sins is of the devil.”

The cleansing of the temple has an even broader meaning than how it applies to each individual Christian.

In I Corinthians 3:16, 17, Paul says, “Do you [plural word meaning the church] not know that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you? If anyone defiles the temple of God, God will destroy him.” This sentence has a parallel construction, which should be translated with the same verb. Either it should read, “If anyone defiles the temple of God, God will defile him” or “If anyone destroys the temple of God, God will destroy him.” I personally believe the second translation is the more correct one. This is one of the most powerful verses in the New Testament talking about health reform. “If you defile the temple of God, if you destroy it, God will destroy you.” Now he’s talking to the whole church. “If anyone destroys the temple of God, God will destroy him, for the temple of God is holy, which temple you are.”

The cleansing of the sanctuary does not just apply to individuals but it applies to the church as a whole. Some people think that the church is just going to get worse, and then, in some way, when Jesus comes, like pushing a magic button, it will all be cleansed and purified. I call that the “magic button theology,” but it is not found in the Bible.

As the disciples came down from the Mount of Transfiguration, they asked Jesus, “ ‘Why then do the scribes say that Elijah must come first?’ 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.’ ” Matthew 17:10–12.

The Jewish people thought they could prove that Jesus could not be the Messiah, because the Scriptures taught that before the Messiah would come, Elijah the prophet had to come first. Jesus said Elijah has already come, and they didn’t know it. They were looking forward to something to happen in the future that had already been happening.

We are in the identical situation today. The average Adventist is looking forward to the purification of the church in the future, but it has already started and may be almost over. The Bible is very clear that God is going to have a church that has been cleansed and purified before He returns.

Look at Ephesians 5:25, 26. This passage refers literally to husbands and wives; however, Paul uses this relationship of husbands and wives simply as an illustration for the church. He says, “Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her, that He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word.” Now notice that the cleansing of the church, the cleansing of the sanctuary and the purification of the church is all the same thing. It does not occur by a magic button when Jesus comes, but is a process like taking a bath, and it occurs through the word of God.

As the word of God is preached, and we find our life is not in harmony with it, we say, “Lord, change me so my life can be harmony with this book.” The Holy Spirit starts working on our mind and the cleansing process takes place. Verse 27 continues, “that He might present her to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish.”

In Early Writings, 118, Ellen White told us which angel will purify the church. In Revelation 14:9 it says, “A third angel follows them … .” An understanding of the third angel’s message cleanses and purifies the church.

When Jesus returns, He is coming to receive His church. Many will be resurrected who were led by the Holy Spirit and lived up to the light they had, though it may have never been part of the church in this world. But among the people who are alive when Jesus comes again, that live through the time of trouble and will go up with Him, are the people who are in the church that has been cleansed and purified. They will be without any blemish or spot; they will be without fault and holy.

If you have never felt defiled, you had better start praying, for when the Holy Spirit starts working on a person’s mind, they know immediately their condition. One ray of light from the Holy Spirit and the degradation and defilement of the human soul is manifest. You never need to tell somebody that they are defiled, because they already know it, for that is the work of the Holy Spirit.

These texts mean that God is going to take a defiled people and cleanse them till there is no defilement, until they are pure and holy without a single blemish. The people that are taken to heaven will not be going as pardoned criminals but as though they had never sinned. All of their sins will be gone forever and blotted out, for they will be thoroughly cleansed. What a promise, what a thought, to be made clean by Jesus!

Don’t be deceived by the magic button theology, the idea that you can just keep sinning and when Jesus comes, all of a sudden, everything will be turned around, because that is not the way it works. That is not the way you take a bath. Paul said that, “He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word.” This is not something that is to happen in the future, but now. The Jews did not recognize the Messiah, expecting Elijah to come first, and they missed him. Many of us are looking for something to happen in the future, when it is happening right in front of us, and we don’t recognize what’s going on. The church is being purified right now. The sanctuary is being cleansed now, and many will not realize it until it is all over, and probation is closed, and the plagues are falling. Then they will wake up and say, “We didn’t realize this, but now it’s too late.” (See Early Writings, 71.)

“Now is the day of salvation.” II Corinthians 6:2. Don’t put it off, waiting for a national Sunday law to be passed and for the other events to take place. There is no time to delay. The signal to get ready has been given. Make peace with your Saviour and be cleansed today. Plead with Him to reveal your darling sins, the ones you intend to give up one day, so you can lay them on the altar and be saved. Let them go and be cleansed by the Word.

Jesus said to the Jews, “If you do not believe that I am He, you will die in your sins.” John 8:24. I have prayed about this verse many times; not that I will not have to die, but that by His grace I will never die in my sins. To die in sin is a risk that no one can afford to take.

Each person and every church is going through a purification process. Angels pass by any church that refuses to be purified and let that church go. They surround those who desire the cleansing and bring divine help, leaving those who refuse to be left to their own devises.

God is going to have a church. It will be without blemish and holy, a church where God’s love is manifest. We can all be a part of it if we will stop resisting the Holy Spirit and want to be clean.

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

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

Editorial – Essential Training

The time is soon coming when we will not be able to openly work in evangelistic lines as we can do today in America, Europe and many other parts of the world. The reason is because Bible prophecy predicts that both religious and civil liberty will be lost a short time before Jesus comes. (See Revelation 13:14–17.)

“When heavenly intelligences see that men are no longer permitted to present the truth, the Spirit of God will come upon the children, and they will do a work in the proclamation of the truth which the older workers cannot do because their way will be hedged up.” The Adventist Home, 489.

The question needs to be asked, Are our children being trained to give the last message of warning to the world? Our children must learn more than arithmetic, grammar and composition. They are to be trained to give the last message of warning to the world. If you are in an isolated area and your children are going to a public school because there is no church school available, remember Abraham Lincoln—he grew up in a poor home, but he read books every night by firelight until he had read all of the books in the local area. You can enroll your children in a Bible correspondence school so they learn the truth for these last days.

Older people also are to be trained to do a special work when we can no longer work openly in evangelistic lines. What should this training be?

“As religious aggression subverts the liberties of our nation, those who would stand for freedom of conscience will be placed in unfavorable positions. For their own sake, they should, while they have opportunity, become intelligent in regard to disease, its causes, prevention, and cure. And those who do this will find a field of labor anywhere. There will be suffering ones, plenty of them, who will need help, not only among those of our own faith, but largely among those who know not the truth.” Counsels on Health, 506.

I want to address specifically those people reading this magazine and who say in their hearts, “I wish that I could obtain such a training, but I have a family to support and I cannot take off time from my work and go to a school to study to be a medical missionary.”

Can you not obtain books about the subject of health and disease so that you will be prepared to help your fellowmen when the health care system is not able to do it? You could study The Ministry of Healing Training Manual For Medical Missionaries, a study book based on the book, The Ministry of Healing, or The Natural Remedies Encyclopedia or Get Well at Home or When There is No Doctor.