Issue: 2001 July

The Last Invitation, Part II

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Let us consider four ways you and I can fall into the same condition as the man in the wedding parable of Matthew 22. He thought he was right, but he was wrong. There are three things that we must guard against.

How do You Measure Yourself?

1 Many professed Christians are falling right here: “For we dare not make ourselves of the number, or compare ourselves with some that commend themselves: but they measuring themselves by themselves, and comparing themselves among themselves, are not wise.” 2 Corinthians 10:12.

You will notice, at the outset of this text, Paul talks about these people as commending themselves. They commend themselves based on what they see in others. They are measuring themselves with a totally different measuring device than God has given them. There are two things by which the true Christian should measure his life: The Law of God and the life of Jesus.

In the life of Jesus you see a revelation of the Law of God. But if we are measuring ourselves among ourselves, we are opening ourselves up to possible deception, believing that we are better than we are, that we are right, when in fact, by the very act, we are wrong. If we are going to measure up to the full stature of a man or of a woman in Christ Jesus, we had better use the measuring rule by which God is measuring us.

We will not come short of the measure, if we follow His rule and the Law of God, if we pattern our lives after the life of Jesus Christ.

2 In Romans 10:2, Paul is talking to and about Israel, and he says, “For I bear them record that they have a zeal of God, but not according to knowledge.” Knowledge is essential to be ready for the marriage supper of the Lamb—a rightknowledge, the knowledge that is found in God’s Word, the knowledge that is rightly interpreted to us by the Holy Spirit, which we receive when we have a willingness to do God’s will. We do not receive God’s Spirit apart from a willingness to do God’s Will.

Without God’s Spirit we will be misled; we will wrest the Scriptures unto our own destruction. “For they being ignorant of God’s righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God.” Romans 10:3.

They have a zeal; they are working for God, but they are not working with God. There is a distinct difference, brothers and sisters. There are many people working for God but not with God. If you have a question about that, all you have to do is turn to Matthew 7:21–23, and you will find there a group described who work for God but not with God.

Establishing Our Own Righteousness

3 Paul, in Romans 10:3, identifies a group as “being ignorant of God’s righteousness.” What did they do? They established their own righteousness. Brothers and sisters, this should alarm us. This is speaking of the professed people of God, those within His house of worship who are taking His righteousness and twisting it this way and bending it that way and making it their own righteousness. How do you do that? How do we establish our own righteousness within the sanctuary of God’s righteousness?

We compromise His righteousness. What God tells us to do, we only go part way with Him, and that is our own righteousness, because God’s righteousness is perfect and whole and complete. Anything short of that is ours. You can even add to God’s righteousness, and it becomes your own righteousness. Many churches that profess to be Christian are doing that today. They are adding to what God has said. Rome is foremost in this, but many churches are following her lead.

What righteousness will they have when they get to the marriage supper of the Lamb? They will have their own, and their own is not enough. They will be cast out. You can add to the righteousness of God, or you can subtract from the righteousness of God; either way, or both, what you have left is your own righteousness and a profession of godliness.

Satan is concerned about us. He wants us to be derailed from a full readiness to enter into that marriage supper some day. He wants to derail us, and he can, brothers and sisters, if he can get us measuring ourselves among ourselves or by compromising the righteousness of God by adding or subtracting from it.

We Are Not Saved by being in the Right Place

4 “Trust ye not in lying words.” This is God Himself speaking through Jeremiah. “Thus saith the Lord…Trust ye not in lying words, saying, The temple of the Lord, The temple of the Lord, The temple of the Lord, are these.…Behold, ye trust in lying words, that cannot profit. Will ye steal, murder, and commit adultery, and swear falsely, and burn incense unto Baal, and walk after other gods whom ye know not; And come and stand before Me in this house, which is called by My name, and say, We are delivered to do all these abominations?” Jeremiah 7:34, 8–10.

We can be deceived, brothers and sisters, by believing that we are right, just because we are in the right place. You see, we are not saved by being in the right place alone. We are saved, and will be saved, by being in the right place, doing the right things, for the right reasons. No mere physical connection with the truth will save us, whether that connection is in the church or with the Word of God itself.

Merely memorizing the Word of God is not salvation. Salvation is righteousness, God’s righteousness within us. It is having this Word taken by God’s Spirit and put upon our hearts. There is salvation. I can memorize the Word; I can know it from Genesis to Revelation and be lost. No mere physical connection will save us, and we should never trust in such things.

Our anchor, our security, is in the Lamb of God, the Lamb that taketh away the sins of the world. He is able to make us worthy. He is able to get us ready. He is able, if we are willing. Oh, God has made all things ready, and all we have to do is cooperate with Him, and He will make us ready too.

You may be wondering, just what is the wedding garment? We have already alluded to it, but it is a wonderful thing to see it in the Word of God. “I will greatly rejoice in the Lord, my soul shall be joyful in my God; for He hath clothed me with the garments of salvation, He hath covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decketh himself with ornaments, and as a bride adorneth herself with her jewels.” Isaiah 61:10.

Without His Righteousness

There it is. The wedding garment is two in one: it is the garment of salvation; it is the garment of righteousness. Whose righteousness? Jesus’ righteousness. And I want you to note, you cannot possess the one without the other. You cannot have salvation without His righteousness. They go together.

There are some people who believe that you can have salvation without His righteousness. Believe—that is what we hear. Only believe! God says, “Faith without works is dead.” James 2:20. It is the work of His righteousness that He wants to see in us. It comes by way of faith. So the garment is a robe of righteousness.

Now what is righteousness? If you were to define righteousness, what would you say? It is doing what is right. We have a God Who created us; Who does everything right, at the right time, in the right way, for the right reason. As His creation, He wants us to be right.

Jesus echoed these thoughts in Matthew 6:33 in the Sermon on the Mount, when He said, “Seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness.” They go together, brothers and sisters, you cannot go into the kingdom of God without His righteousness.

He Wants YOU There

We saw a man who tried to circumvent the rules in the parable in Matthew 22. He tried to get into the kingdom of God with his own righteousness. It does not work. God is up front with us. He is telling us all the facts, because He wants us there at the marriage supper. He wants to put a place setting right there for you and for me. There may even be a little plaque there with our names. It is going to happen as verily as we are here, because what God says will happen, will happen.

The righteousness of Christ comes in two parts, but it makes up one whole. The robe is in two pieces, but it is in one. Let me explain. The righteousness of Christ is first imputed to us through the righteousness that Jesus lived out in the flesh in this world. He lived a perfect life. He was tempted in all points like as we are, yet without sin. He imputes that righteousness on us, when we confess our sins and receive the invitation of the Gospel. We confess our sins; we forsake all that we know is wrong before Him, then He imputes His righteousness upon us.

Now, where do we stand in the sight of God when we have that experience? We are perfect, perfect in Jesus’ righteousness. But now God wants to do something more for us than merely forgive us, because He knows that we must continue to walk in and grow in the Gospel truth. So God has a part of His righteousness that is called the imparted righteousness. That imparted righteousness makes us whole.

The imputed and the imparted cannot be separated. There are some people who are trying to separate those two. You cannot do it. It is like the garment of salvation and the garment of the robe of righteousness. They go together. It is like seeking the kingdom of God first and His righteousness. You cannot separate the kingdom and His righteousness. You cannot separate salvation and His righteousness.

If you have imputed righteousness, you have imparted righteousness, or access to imparted righteousness. And thereby you and I, by the grace of God and the power of His Spirit, are able to maintain justification. That is how He keeps us justified, through the sanctifying influence of His Spirit and His Word and our cooperation with it.

Righteousness Within Is Manifested Outwardly

“Righteousness within is testified to by righteousness without. He who is righteous within is not hard-hearted and unsympathetic, but day by day he grows into the image of Christ, going on from strength to strength. He who is being sanctified by the truth will be self-controlled, and will follow in the footsteps of Christ until grace is lost in glory. The righteousness by which we are justified is imputed; the righteousness by which we are sanctified is imparted. The first is our title to heaven, the second is our fitness for heaven.” Messages to Young People, 35.

You see, God wants to take us beyond the title; He wants to give us the fitness. He wants to take us beyond saving us from the penalty of sin, into the area of saving us from the power of sin. God wants a people who shine in this world, and we are only going to shine if we have on the full garment. It is an inward/outward experience. It can never go outward/inward. If you have the true experience, it is an inward/outward experience.

It is an experience that takes us beyond the right day to worship, to keeping it in the right way. 2 Corinthians 5:17 says, “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.” Paul said it this way: “This one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 3:13, 14.

You see, God helps us forget the past, when He imputes His righteousness unto us. When we confess our sins and, by His grace, forsake them, then the impartation of His righteousness gives us power to maintain that condition.

I want to make it clear how we are to be ready for the marriage supper of the Lamb. In Zechariah 3:3-4, is an illustration on how Christ’s righteousness becomes our righteousness. “Now Joshua was clothed with filthy garments, and stood before the angel.” [This is how you and I stand before God without His righteousness. All our righteousness is as filthy rags.] “And he answered and spake unto those that stood before him, saying, ‘Take away the filthy garments from him.’ And unto him he said, ‘Behold, I have caused thine iniquity to pass from thee, [This is justification by faith in action.] and I will clothe thee with change of raiment.’”

Praise the Lord! Whose work is this? It is God’s work. It is our submission, our choice to cooperate. God says, I will do the work, be submissive, be obedient and I will clothe thee with a change of raiment. Behold, all things become new. This is the righteousness of Christ that becomes our righteousness through a transaction.

What did Joshua give? His own righteousness which was filthy rags. You see, not only unrighteousness, but all my righteousness I need to give God, and He will give me His righteousness. It is an exchange; it is a transaction. Jesus alludes to it very strongly in the message to Laodicea in Revelation.

I Counsel Thee, Laodicea

Laodicea is the last period of Christian experience on the face of this earth. It is the last church, the last remnant of time for God’s people just before Jesus comes. There are some problems in Laodicea, to say the least, but Jesus says to Laodicea, “I counsel thee, [Here is the invitation.] to buy of Me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see.” Revelation 3:18.

Do you see the transaction? He wants us to buy of Him. That means that there is an exchange occurring. We just saw in Zechariah 3, that exchange is the exchange of our righteousness for His righteousness. Do you see that? Now notice what is going to enable us to make that transaction. He says, “Buy of Me gold tried in the fire.” What is gold tried in the fire? It is faith that works by love under fire.

You see, only God can give you that kind of faith. It is a faith that works by love in the fire of temptation; in the fire of trial, it will be victorious. That kind of love, that kind of faith, God gives to us. When we are motivated with the kind of faith that comes by looking at Calvary and seeing what Christ did for us, it warms our hearts, so now we are motivated with that kind of faith. We are able to receive the white raiment; we are able to make that exchange.

When we receive that righteousness, it anoints our eyes with eyesalve, so we can see spiritual things for what they are. There are very few professed Christians, even in the Seventh-day Adventist Church, who have anointed eyes, who have spiritual eyesight to see the true issues that are transpiring today in this world.

If we never have that anointing of our eyes, we will never be able to see spiritual things. We will never put on His robe of righteousness fully and completely unless we have a faith that works by love in the midst of the fire. We are almost at the expected end.

Jesus says, “Behold, I stand at the door and knock.” Revelation 3:20. Is that an invitation? That is what I do colporteuring. I knock at the doors, and what I am basically doing is inviting those who come to the door to have the Word of God. That is all that God is doing with you and me. He is knocking. “Behold, I stand at the door and knock: if any man hear My voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with Me.” There is the qualifying factor for getting ready for the marriage supper of the Lamb. If we are going to sup with Him some day at His table and be served by Him, we must sup with Him now. We do that by being a laborer, together with God, in the salvation of our souls first, then in the souls of others. Paul said, “For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part, but then shall I know even as also I am known.” 1 Corinthians 13:12. Face to face with Jesus! We can be there, because He made it possible.

Watchman, Beware! – Part II

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We Have Not Been Called to Convert

After all, we have not been called to convert people; God has not been calling us to convert people. No! It says we are to preach the message and to publish the message. That is what God has been telling us.

We put our ad in the Fresno Bee awhile ago, and a Roman Catholic priest wrote us a letter, dated April 4, 2000.

Look at the reasoning he gives for opposing this message, this ad. He says, “I am a Catholic priest who was engaged in interface dialog for many years. It always pains me to see the promotion of an anti-ecumenical divisive spirit such as displayed in your organization’s recent full-page advertisement published in the Fresno Bee.”

Brothers and sisters, when I read letters like this, I say to myself, what would the people today do to Christ if He were to come back to earth? Crucify Him again? He said it pains him—it gives him a lot of pain—because this is not ecumenical. But if you read the Bible, forget about the Spirit of Prophecy for a moment, let us just consider the Bible, where can we find the spirit of ecumenism in the Bible? The Bible says, to each one of us, to call God’s people to come out of her (Babylon) (See Revelation 18:4.) That is not being ecumenical. I think it is just the opposite.

Heritage Denied

And yet, the next day the Seventh-day Adventist pastor of a church of about 1,400 members, put a letter in the Fresno Bee. Now, by the way, this pastor happens to be a friend of mine. He has stayed in my home in the past. He has preached in my church before, and he is fully bilingual. He is the pastor of the English church in Fresno.

In the letter he said, “Oh, do not be alarmed. That is not a Seventh-day Adventist. We are the Seventh-day Adventists in Fresno. Those people are from Florida, and they are being sued already by our church.”

I do not understand it, my brothers and sisters. But do you know what? Praise the Lord!

To offset a letter like that, we got another letter from an ex-Roman Catholic Monsignor. He has not only accepted the Sabbath already, but he also spoke out on the radio program that we had a few weeks ago in South Florida. He said that he knew that something was wrong with his church. After 40 years working under the Roman Catholic Church as a priest and as a Catholic Monsignor, he knew something was wrong.

This man said that he read the ad a couple of years ago in the L. A. Times, and that for two years he was debating inside of his heart whether he was going to accept this or not. A couple of months ago he decided to give me a call. He had read The Great Controversy that we sent him.

He came on the radio program in Spanish, he is from Spain, and he publicly said that he has not only accepted the Sabbath, but he is also willing to start working with us. We have to pray for that man. He was revealing things on the radio program that shocked me! I thought we were talking plainly, but he was revealing things that made us tremble.

He said, “The sad part is that even the Seventh-day Adventist Church which God has called to give this message, does not realize that they are being used as an instrument of the Vatican by persecuting people like you.” That was a monsignor talking on the radio. His name is Raphael also. So now there are two Raphael’s giving the message in America!

Persecution About to Begin

The time is not far, brothers and sisters, when we are going to see a world criminal court being implanted on this earth. Look what the Roman Catholic newspaper, April 13, 2000, came out with in Florida. “Pope Urges United Nations to Promote Holistic Vision of Development.” There are pictures of John Paul II with the Secretary of the United Nations, and it says, “John Paul II greets United Nations Secretary General.” Then, at the Vatican on June 15, 2000, he opened a worldwide conference seeking to establish the first permanent global criminal court.

Do you know where the central criminal court is going to be? In Rome. They are not hiding it any more. They know that they even have the Seventh-day Adventist structure on their side. You can imagine who they are going to be trying.

The question that I want to put to you is, Do you see the urgency, brothers and sisters, to wake up the people? Wake up not only the media. I praise the Lord that the men in the media have been telling me, “As we see the development of this nation trying to repudiate the principles of our Constitution, we are going to be standing on your side very soon.” Men in the media! We are praying for those men. They are waiting to see the final development of all these things that are taking place today.

Suppressing the Message

And while this is happening, the church, the structure, the organization that God raised up to give this message, is trying to suppress the message. It is like in Jesus’ time. It is a mystery. No wonder Jesus was trying to draw His people away from the structure.

The disciples were trying to bring Jesus to the structure. Look at the structure! Look at the building! Look at the beauty of the building! It is the same thing today. Look at the structure. Look at Loma Linda. Look at White Memorial. Look at the Review and Herald. The same thing.

Christ Jesus is trying to tell us, “No, forget about the structure. Come to Me. Follow Me. I am the way. I am the life. I am the gate. Follow Me.” We are so far off, brothers and sisters. We have to ask the Lord each day for discernment. It is so deep, the apostasy, today.

In the Catholic newspaper, April 27, 2000, it says, “Pope calls for a New World Order. Surrounded by a multitude of Jubilee Year Pilgrims, Pope John Paul celebrated the holiest day of the Christian Calendar with a call for a New World order.” The pope is speaking more clearly than ever.

Who do you think the leader of that New World Order is going to be? The pope, of course. That has been their aim for many years. They have been waiting to give the last strike against people.

Remember when the pope went to Israel not too long ago? (March 2, 2000.) Two years ago we read his famous letter on the Sunday, Dominus Dei Domini. Now John Paul II, at Mount Sinai, calls for a return to universal moral law.

How Long Before We Wake?

What is the universal moral law to which he is trying to return? You know, brothers and sisters, when I read all these things happening today, I ask myself, How long are God’s people going to wait to wake up and give this message like never before?

People have been asking me, “Are you not afraid, seeing that even in Florida the Catholic Church leads? According to them, there are several agencies that they need to be watching in America. On the top of the list is the Eternal Gospel Church.

Do you know what, brothers and sisters? The Bible tells us that we should not fear man, but we should fear God. (See Ecclesiastes 12:13.) As long as we do God’s work and God’s will and surrender ourselves to Him every day, we have nothing to fear. All these threats are nothing. It does not matter.

That is why I can tell you, with a clear conscience, yes, we have to be wise as serpents. We are to take some precautions, you know. But the Lord is the one who has to be in control of our life.

God is in control. He has to be in control. In the meantime, we have to do His will, His work. Forget about what His enemies are trying to do to destroy us.

A few days ago I was given material from my brother who was researching the possibility of an environmental Sabbath. Remember 1992? There was a big meeting in Brazil, and the participants set aside an environmental Sunday for that weekend. This brother gave me some information that I was kind of skeptical of at the beginning, but he also gave me a phone number and he said, “I want you to call.” I guess he noticed that I was not too sure what he was telling me was the truth.

So he said, “If you want, you can call yourself.” The name of the organization was International Organization for Standardization. Have you heard of that? It is some kind of governmental agency that has to do with the calendar and the time, sun timing, and all those things. So I called them and I said to them, “Is it true that you have a web site in which you are presenting the idea of trying to implement a new calendar in America?”

The man said, “Well, if you want to check all our information, I can give you the web site.”

I said, “Okay, give me the web site.”

A New Calendar

So they gave me the web site, and I found that they are trying to bring in a world calendar. You see, most of the countries already have Sunday as the seventh day and Monday as the first day of the week. Spain and most of the Latin American countries are like that.

But they are trying to introduce the idea that Monday is the first day officially and Sunday is the seventh day. Even though we can go to the Bible and prove that Sunday is the first day, many people do not care about the Bible, you know.

Under this calendar—remember this is a government agency—it says, this PFC calendar object displays the days of the week, Monday through Sunday. According to the International Organization of Standardization, IOS, Monday is the first day of the week. The purpose for this extension is to allow the calendar object to comply with standardization.

And then it presents the new calendar. I was told by the brother who gave me all of this information, that the idea of the Y2K “scare” thing was just a smoke screen. They wanted time to have this calendar established.

It was interesting to see, on the web site of this governmental agency, that piece of information.

In The Keys of This Blood, Malachi Martin says (paraphrasing) that the Pope has to use whatever must be used to bring in this New World Order—even fixing the timetable. In the End Game, according to Malachi Martin, the End Game follows a new calendar.

Martyrs for Christ

You know, he died from a heart attack in 1999. I believe that this man was maybe revealing too many things that he knew were coming, things that the establishment did not want him to reveal. He died unexpectedly.

I had the ex-Catholic Jesuit priest, Alberto Rivera, on my radio program a couple of times, and we became quite close to each other. We shared information for a few years. One day his wife called me. She was crying; she was desperate. She said, “I am calling you to let you know what they did to my husband.”

I said, “What are you talking about?”

She said, “My husband was killed. He was poisoned a couple of days ago.”

I said, “What are you talking about? Who did it?”

She said, “Who else?”

I said, “But do you know where he was poisoned?”

She said, “We had an idea but . . .”

I said, “Well, if you had an idea, then why do you not start a legal action in this?”

“No, no, you do not understand”, she said. “You do not know; you do not understand yet how hard it is in the situation that we are in. I am just letting you know to please take care of yourself. I am going away to another state.”

This lady has been hiding since then. It is sad to see such happenings in a free country. This man was revealing too much.

If I can just accomplish one thing for you as you read this article, it would be that you feel the urgency of the hour, the need to see this work proclaimed unto the ends of the earth. If God does not give you the calling to go yourself, at least try to see the need for support that this work might move forward.

Tried for God’s Glory

I want to review with you a statement that I think is more relevant today than it was 100 years ago when Sister White wrote it. This is a matter of religious freedom. This is a matter of God’s Word being involved. She said, “We are not doing the will of God if we sit in quietude, doing nothing to preserve liberty of conscience.” Testimonies, vol. 5, 714.

Some sincere brethren have asked me, “Is it worth it to be involved in this lawsuit?”

Sometimes I answer; sometimes I stay quiet. But I have not started a lawsuit. I am being taken to court. It is different. When I think about Jesus, He could very well have prevented my being taken to court. But He did not prevent it. He Himself went to court.

And Paul not only allowed himself to be taken to court, but he appealed to the highest court. So, I do not know how we see all this, but God is telling us that we are not doing the will of God if we sit in quietude and say, “Okay, so they took you to court.”

You know they give you 20 days to answer, and one man even called me to say, “Do not worry about that. Throw that in the garbage.”

If you throw the summons in the garbage, like he was telling me, you will be picked up by an officer after the 20 days, because you will be in violation of the law. You have to answer this type of a thing. It is not a matter of choice. And we are called to preserve liberty of conscience.

We know that there is going to be trouble later; we know that. But can you think of how many people are going to come into the knowledge of the message by doing what God tells us to do?

Great Loss to be Suffered

Let me share this quote from Testimonies, vol. 5, 715, 716. It says, “If the leading men in our conferences [I want you to pay attention to this because this is a clear picture of what is going on today within the leadership of the conferences. They are not only denying the message but also persecuting the people who are giving the message.] do not now accept the message sent them by God, and fall into line for action, the churches will suffer great loss. [We have seen that for many years.] “When the watchman, seeing the sword coming, gives the trumpet a certain sound, the people along the line will echo the warning, and all will have opportunity to make ready for the conflict.”

Are we willing to come into line with the watchman to give the warning that God has for mankind? Or are we going to entertain ourselves and appease our conscience by saying, “Well, that is God’s work. Let me try to work out my salvation by myself or my little group, my little church, my little ministry?”

Again, the calling of God is more than that. “The people along the line will echo.” We need people who will be willing, for God’s sake, to come along the line and echo the cry of the watchman. All have an opportunity to make ready for the conflict.

“But too often the leader has stood hesitating, seeming to say: Let us not be in too great haste. [Let us pray first. I have heard people pray for seven years already, trying to start doing something, and they are still praying. Do you know what? The time of probation will close and we will still be praying, trying to get into line and do the watchman’s work.] There may be a mistake.” Ibid., 715.

“Well, we will see.” I had a man, not too long ago say to me that he took the whole afternoon, and after he reviewed the Earth’s Final Warning ad, he said, “You know what? I have to admit it to you. This is the first time I have read it all. It is 99 percent the Word of God.” The other 1 percent, of course, is quoting from the Catholic Church, so we put it over on a different page.

How long do we have to do God’s work? How long? Look at what it says:

“‘There may be a mistake. We must be careful not to raise a false alarm.’ The very hesitancy and uncertainty on his part is crying: “Peace and safety.” Do not get excited. Be not alarmed. There is a great deal more made of this religious amendment question than is demanded. This agitation will all die down. Thus he virtually denies the message sent from God, and the warning which was designed to stir the churches fails to do its work. The trumpet of the watchman gives no certain sound, and the people do not prepare for the battle. Let the watchman beware lest, through his hesitancy and delay, souls shall be left to perish, and their blood shall be required at his hand.” Ibid., 715, 716.

Brothers and sisters, Jesus spoke very clearly. The last sign, the specific sign that will bring the end to this world, is the publishing of this gospel. God is waiting for a people to be ready, yes, to be translated to heaven, but those people have to do a work in this earth. If we do not do it, who is going to do it? If we do not do it now, when are we going to do it? God help us to be faithful to the calling of the great watchman, who is Christ. We are just fellow watchmen with Him. God bless you as you prepare to meet thy God.

Principles of Protestantism

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The root word of Protestantism is protest, which means “to express strong dissent or objection.” Do Protestants today know the protest of their forefathers? Are Protestants today still standing in protest? During the Reformation, our forefathers stood for and died for the principles of Protestantism. Can you do the same? Do you know the principles of Protestantism?

The Bible alone is the foundation of faith

Protestants took the position that the Bible, and the Bible alone, constituted the rule of faith and doctrine, that the word of God is the only unerring guide for human souls, and that it is unnecessary and harmful to take the words of priests and prelates instead of the word of God. The Bible alone is the religion of true Protestantism.

All men may read and understand the Bible

The Protestant Reformers believed that the Bible was written for all mankind, and with the aid of the Holy Spirit, everyone could read and understand God’s Word.

Truth is progressive — Accept all new truth

Protestant Reformers believed that truth is progressive, and all should be ready to accept new light as it shines from God’s Word.

“The Puritans had joined themselves together by a solemn covenant, as the Lord’s free people, ‘to walk together in all His ways made known or to be made known to them.’…Here was the true spirit of reform, the vital principle of Protestantism.…John Robinson…said: ‘Brethren, . . I charge you before God and His blessed angels to follow me no farther than I have followed Christ. If God should reveal anything to you by any other instrument of His, be as ready to receive it as ever you were to receive any truth of my ministry; for I am very confident the Lord hath more truth and light yet to break forth out of His holy word.’.…‘Remember your church covenant, in which you have agreed to walk in all the ways of the Lord, made or to be made known unto you. Remember your promise and covenant with God and with one another, to receive whatever light and truth shall be made known to you from His written word; but withal, take heed, I beseech you, what you receive for truth, and compare it and weigh it with other scriptures of truth before you accept it; for it is not possible the Christian world should come so lately out of such thick antichristian darkness, and that full perfection of knowledge should break forth at once.’”
The Great Controversy, 291, 292.

Church has no authority against the Scriptures

“In the presence of the monarch and the leading men of Sweden, Olaf Petri with great ability defended the doctrines of the reformed faith against the Romish champions. He declared that the teachings of the Fathers are to be received only when in accordance with the Scriptures. …Christ said, ‘My doctrine is not Mine, but His that sent Me’ (John 7:16); and Paul declared that should he preach any other gospel than that which he had received, he would be accursed (Galatians 1:8). ‘How, then,’ said the Reformer, ‘shall others presume to enact dogmas at their pleasure, and impose them as things necessary to salvation?’…He showed that the decrees of the church are of no authority when in opposition to the commands of God, and maintained the great Protestant principle that ‘the Bible and the Bible only’ is the rule of faith and practice.” Ibid.,243.

Stood for freedom of speech

The Reformers believed in the right to teach and preach their convictions of truth. They denied the power of the church to try to control what they could preach.

Freedom to worship according to your conscience

The Protestant Reformers believed all men have the right to freedom of conscience, the freedom for all to worship according to the dictates of their own conscience.

Protesting the Principles of Rome

Bible interpreted by the leaders

“The mistake made by the Roman Catholic is that he reads the Bible in the light of the priests and rulers of the church, the early fathers, or other Catholic expositors.” Review and Herald, August 13, 1859. “The Roman Church reserves to the clergy the right to interpret the Scriptures.” On the ground that ecclesiastics alone are competent to explain God’s word, it is withheld from the common people.” The Great Controversy,596.

Human traditions above the commands of God

“The spirit of the papacy,—the spirit of conformity to worldly customs, the veneration for human traditions above the commands of God,—is permeating the Protestant churches…” The Spirit of Prophecy, vol. 4, 390.

Rome’s plans reach far into the future

“The Protestant churches are in great darkness, or they would discern the signs of the times. The Roman Church is far-reaching in her plans and modes of operation.” Signs of the Times, June 30, 1898.

Rome will use oppression to further it’s cause

“It was a fundamental principle of the [Jesuit] order that the end justifies the means. By this code, lying, theft, perjury, assassination, were not only pardonable but commendable, when they served the interests of the church.” The Great Controversy, 235.

Rome never changes

“It is the boast of Rome that she never changes. The principles of Gregory VII and Innocent III are still the principles of the Roman Catholic Church.” Ibid., 581.

America, a Protestant Nation

America was founded upon religious freedom. Many of our forefathers came to the shores of America fleeing from Roman oppression.

Fleeing from Papal religious intolerance

“Those who first found an asylum on the shores of America rejoiced that they had reached a country free from the arrogant claims of popery and the tyranny of kingly rule. They determined to establish a government upon the broad foundation of civil and religious liberty.” Signs of the Times, November 1, 1899.

Government founded on Religious Liberty

“Among the Christian exiles who first fled to America and sought an asylum from royal oppression and priestly intolerance were many who determined to establish a government upon the broad foundation of civil and religious liberty. Their views found place in the Declaration of Independence, which sets forth the great truth that ‘all men are created equal’ and endowed with the inalienable right to ‘life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.’…Freedom of religious faith was also granted, every man being permitted to worship God according to the dictates of his conscience. Republicanism and Protestantism became the fundamental principles of the nation. The Great Controversy,441.

Our greatest fear is to forget the past

Have Protestants forgotten the cruelty of Roman oppression, the slaughter of thousands of Christians? Have Protestants forgotten that Rome never changes? She may work in secret, but her plan is still the same—to take control of government power and rule with oppression. Take a look at a very recent Apostolic letter (decree) from Pope John Paul II, given May 28, 1998, and instituted into the Code of Canon Law of the Catholic Church.

“Canon 1436:

  1. Whoever denies a truth which must be believed with divine and catholic faith, or who calls into doubt, or who totally repudiates the Christian faith, and does not retract after having been legitimately warned, is to be punished as a heretic or an apostate with a major excommunication; a cleric moreover can be punished with other penalties, not excluding deposition.
  2. In addition to these cases, whoever obstinately rejects a teaching that the Roman Pontiff or the College of Bishops, exercising the authentic Magisterium, have set forth to be held definitively, or who affirms what they have condemned as erroneous, and does not retract after having been legitimately warned, is to be punished with an appropriate penalty.”

It is now time for Protestant churches to take a stand, before it is too late, and protest any concessions with Rome or Roman principles.

The greatest fear of the future is to forget the past.

Satan’s Last Attempt to Thwart God’s People, Part II

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Spiritualism Coming In Among our People

When Christians are deceived by Satan, they think that something wonderful has happened. That is why it is so deceptive. In 1903, Ellen White said that in her days a strain of spiritualism was coming in among the people. (See Manuscript Releases, vol. 21, 173.) That was the time of the Kellogg crisis, the pantheism crisis, the alpha of deadly heresies, which, Ellen White said, would go on and later the omega would be manifested.

She said there is a strain of spiritualism coming in among our people. This is the first part, the first phase of the attack. Ellen White said that this spiritualism would “undermine the faith of those who give place to it, leading them to give heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils.” (Ibid.)

Now, I wonder, these people who are giving heed to these seducing spirits and doctrines of devils, what are they thinking or doing? What is going on in their minds?

I am so thankful that the Spirit of Prophecy opens up the secrets of the arch deceiver, so we can understand what is happening. Do you know what it means to be under the seducing spirits and doctrines of devils? Do you know what happens when you are under that influence?

Where Are Your Affections?

I was very interested in the way Ellen White described it. She said it produces a change in the state of your affections. People who have a change in the state of their affections have changed leadership.

If you told them that they were under the influence of seducing spirits and doctrines of devils, they would say, “Why, no! No! I am an Historic Adventist. I believe everything that you believe.”

What has happened to your affections? Have they changed? Are your affections pure and holy in the sight of God, so you would not have a guilty conscience, if Jesus should come today?

Let us see what the prophet wrote: “I have seen the arch-deceiver tempting several of our ministers, teachers, and medical workers, presenting fanciful theories to them in a most subtle and charming manner, to wean their affections from those whom they should love and cherish.” Ibid.

Now who are the people that you should love and cherish? If you are married, have you taken vows to love and cherish anybody? Yes, you have. You have made a solemn covenant in the presence of witnesses and in the presence of God. It is the devil’s business to wean your affections, to get you to place your affections on somebody else.

Do you know how deceptive this gets? Here is what happens. “He [that is the devil] shows them charming pictures of women whom they have found congenial, suggesting that in the future life they will be united to the one who is so congenial and whom they will ever love throughout the ages of eternity.” Ibid.

The people to whom this counsel was written did not leave their wives or their husbands, but there had been some change in their affections. It is still a violation of the marriage vow, and the person that has a change in his affections like that is on a direct road to hell. They are not converted. They do not belong to Jesus Christ at all. She says, “My message to our teachers is, if you hold such views you need to be taught the first principles of truth. You need to stand where you know that you are not departing from the faith and giving heed to seducing spirits and doctrines of devils. When you break the spell that is upon you, and become teachable, you will escape Satan’s snare.…To all who are thus tempted I would say, I want to see you standing free before God. I want to see you sound in the faith, holding the beginning of your confidence firm unto the end. Leave every false issue alone.” Ibid.

Oh, friends, the devil wants to wean your affections away from those you should love and cherish and get them on somebody else. If he can do that, he already has you. He does not need to wait for a Sunday law for you. He already has you, right now.

Uniting with Babylon

Then there is another design; another way he attacks to deceive God’s people. People do not want to have to stand for something that is unpopular, and they do not want to be alone. They want to be united with others so much that they want to fraternize with Babylon. People do not like to call it Babylon anymore. Adventists have forgotten who Babylon is, and so they go and associate with Babylon.

Oh, friend, it is under cover now, so I cannot say very much about it, but there is plenty of evidence that God’s professed people, secretly, are in the process of uniting with the Papacy. I can tell you that it is going to happen. I am not saying that it has been completed now, but I know that it is going to happen, because prophecy predicts that it will happen. We know that it will happen.

“Now as He drew near, He saw the city and wept over it, saying, ‘If you had known, even you, especially in this your day, the things that make for your peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes.’” Luke 19:41, 42.

People do not really know what is best for their peace. If you want to be at peace with God, you see to it that you are standing in favor of, and taking a bold and uncompromising stand for, the Three Angels’ Messages.

In commenting on this text in Luke 19:41, 42, Ellen White said, “When the Saviour saw in the Jewish people a nation divorced from God, He saw also a professed Christian Church united to the world and the Papacy.” Review and Herald, October 8, 1901.

Who was that professed Christian Church united to the world and the Papacy? If you continue reading that Review and Herald article, you will see very clearly that she is talking about Seventh-day Adventists. Uniting with the Papacy is the first part of the attack.

The Final Attack

Let us look at the second and final part of the attack, which will seem very long but actually will be very short.

We know the devil has deceived the great majority already, for we have people today who want to sue others for openly and publicly proclaiming the Three Angels’ Messages. There are people who no longer know who Babylon is. And when Seventh-day Adventist Churches start having Sunday worship services, they have been deceived.

After the majority are deceived, then the final attack will be on the remnant, the ones who are not deceived, to force them into submission. That will be the Sunday law crisis. The Sunday law crisis will result from the great apostasy we see occurring in Christendom today. It is predicted in Revelation 13 that the leading churches in the United States are going to unite on those doctrines that are held by them in common. Do we see that happening? Yes, we do.

When they unite, they are going to have power to influence the government and get it to do what they want. The government will be forced to submit to the wishes of the church, because the church will have enough of a majority that they will be able to elect whomever they want. They will influence the government to enforce their decrees.

When they do that, Ellen White says, “Then Protestant America will have formed an image of the Roman hierarchy, and the infliction of civil penalties upon dissenters will inevitably result.” The Great Controversy, 445.

There are three ways in which the churches will influence the government to enforce their decrees:

The Judicial Process

1 The churches will, through the judicial process, force the courts to make happen what they want to happen. That is the first step. Of course, that is forbidden in Scripture. (See Paul’s instructions to the Corinthians in 1 Corinthians 6.)

Mrs. White tells us that those who ignore this Bible counsel will be written in the courts of heaven as unbelievers. God is very clear on that point. Are you really part of the church if you are written in the books of heaven as an unbeliever? She also says God will take away from them His Holy Spirit. Will the Latter Rain be poured out on people who are doing something like that? Absolutely not. (See Selected Messages, vol. 2, 299.)

When you try to force, you cannot always get what you want to happen, therefore, since the first step quite often does not work, you have to go to step two.

The Legislature

2 The second step is to go to the legislature and get different laws passed. That will result in a national Sunday law.

The Executive Branch

3 Use the executive branch of the government to enforce what you have legislated. That means using the police, jails, fines and so forth. “The ‘image to the beast’ represents that form of apostate Protestantism which will be developed when the Protestant churches shall seek the aid of the civil power for the enforcement of their dogmas.” Ibid.

Receiving the Wrath of God

If you read history, there is one thing about the Third Angel’s Message, in Revelation 14:9–12, that stands out crystal clear. In the Third Angel’s Message, two groups are described. One group is going to receive the mark of the beast and, as a result, the wrath of God. But there is another group described who are called the saints of God. (See verse 12.) The saints of God keep the commandments.

What about those who receive the mark of the beast; what is their problem? They do not keep the commandments, and they receive the wrath of God. The Bible says that nobody who obeys the truth receives the wrath of God. But the people who receive the wrath of God are those who obey unrighteousness. (See Romans 2:8.)

“All unrighteousness is sin.” 1 John 5:17. And “sin is the transgression of the law.” 1 John 3:4. So nobody receives the wrath of God unless they obey unrighteousness or unless they sin, unless they break God’s law. Since the people who receive the mark of the beast will receive the wrath of God, it is evident that the mark of the beast involves the breaking of God’s law. And the mark of the beast involves a deliberate, intentional change in God’s law.

What is the area of God’s law that prophecy predicts the antichrist power would deliberately attempt to change and that the whole world would follow after? It is the area of God’s law that deals with time, according to Daniel 7:25. That is the very area that the antichrist power claims they have changed.

The Papacy Speaks

Here is a statement from them in answer to the question as to what day is to be observed in obedience to the fourth commandment: “During the old law Saturday was the day sanctified, but the church, instructed by Jesus Christ and directed by the Spirit of God, had substituted Sunday for Saturday so now we sanctify the first not the seventh day. Sunday means and now is the day of the Lord.” Catholic Catechism of Christian Religion.

So in their own words, the change of the Sabbath is the sign, or the mark, of authority of the Roman Church. It is the sign, or the mark of the beast power. It is the sign, or the mark, of the antichrist power. Protestants acknowledge the same. Here is what one Protestant paper says about that: “To me it seems unaccountable that Jesus, during three years’ discussion with His disciples, often conversing with them upon the Sabbath question, discussing it in some of its various aspects, freeing it from its false (Jewish Traditional) glosses, never alluded to any transference of the day; also, that during the forty days of His resurrection life, no such thing was intimated. Nor, so far as we know, did the Spirit, which was given to bring to their remembrance all things whatsoever that He had said unto them, deal with this question. Nor yet did the inspired apostles, in preaching the gospel, founding churches, counseling and instructing those founded, discuss or approach the subject. Dr. E. T. Hiscox, report of his sermon at the Baptist Minister’s Convention, in “New York Examiner,” November 16, 1893.

So there is no biblical evidence. There is no evidence from the apostles. There is no evidence from Jesus. It is the sign, the mark, of the authority of the papal power. When people reject the Bible Sabbath and accept Sunday worship knowing this, and as Sunday observance and the movement for the enforcement of Sunday observance grows stronger, as it is doing right now, those who understand the claims of the fourth commandment and choose to observe the false instead of the true Sabbath, thereby pay homage to that power by which alone Sunday worship is commanded—the Papacy.

Forming an Image to the Beast

In the very act of enforcing a religious duty by secular power, the churches would themselves form an image to the beast. So the enforcement of Sunday keeping in the United States would be an enforcement of the worship of the beast and his image.

Force, of course, is the last resort of every false religion. We have the promise that as we draw near this final attack, God’s grace will be given in every way proportionate to the trials suffered to come upon us. Is that not wonderful encouragement?

“My grace,” the Lord said to Paul, “is sufficient for you.” (See 2 Corin-thians 12:9.) Ellen White wrote, “Angels will be sent to our rescue.…If we do not deliberately go into temptation, God will sustain us when the temptation comes.” Signs of the Times, September 2, 1897. If we have enough faith for the times in which we are living, we will be sustained. The most exciting times in world history are right before us, because the signs are all there that Bible prophecy is about to be fulfilled in rapid succession, and Jesus is coming soon.

But we have a work to do to see to it that we are not deceived, that the devil does not change the state of our affections so that we are not ready for Jesus to come. The devil is working. In Patriarchs and Prophets, in the chapter, “Apostasy at the Jordan,” (453–461 onward.) Mrs. White talks about this and gives approximately 20 ways in which the devil tempts people to break the seventh commandment. She says that just as he did with Israel right before they entered the Promised Land, he is going to do with us just before we enter the Promised Land. I want to tell you, friend, it is happening all over the world.

Breaking the Seventh Commandment

The devil is seeking to bring about a change in the state of our affections, because if he can do that, he has got us. Do not accept all of the devil’s lies. The devil tells people, “You can do it, and then later on people will forgive you, and you can be rebaptized and join the church again.” Watch out! The devil is talking to you! There are going to be plenty of people who come to the marriage supper but are not allowed in.

There are many, many people who make their final separation from God’s people, but they go to church every week. They get divorced, and then they remarry, when they had no biblical grounds. Friends, God has not changed, but the devil has come in to deceive the people. This is one of the main areas where he is deceiving the conservative Adventists.

“Satan often finds a powerful agency for evil in the power which one human mind is capable of exerting on another human mind. This influence is so seductive that the person who is being molded by it is often unconscious of its power. God has bidden me speak warning against this evil, that His servants may not come under the deceptive power of Satan. The enemy is a master worker, and if God’s people are not constantly led by the Spirit of God, they will be ensnared and taken. For thousands of years Satan has been experimenting upon the properties of the human mind, and he has learned to know it well. By his subtle workings in these last days, he is linking the human mind with his own, and imbuing it with his thoughts; and he is doing this work in so deceptive a manner that those who accept his guidance know not that they are being led by him at his will.” Our High Calling, 110.

They still go to church. They still think that they are Seventh-day Adventists. “The great deceiver hopes so to confuse the minds of men and women, that none but his voice will be heard.” Ibid.

Spiritualism Prepares the Way

Oh, friends, we are looking forward to the final phase of the attack. Do not be deceived and get taken over by the devil in the preliminary phase before the final attack even happens. “Little by little he has prepared the way for his masterpiece of deception in the development of spiritualism.” The Great Controversy, 561.

Where spiritualism is involved, it involves changing the state of a person’s affections. That is how the devil uses spiritualism in the Adventist Church; he changes the state of a person’s affections. “He has not yet reached the full accomplishment of his designs; but it will be reached in the last remnant of time.” Ibid.

Oh, friend, I believe that we are living in that last remnant of time, where we see the devil reaching the full accomplishment of his designs. He is bringing spiritualism right in among Seventh-day Adventists and deceiving them in such a skillful way that they do not even know anything is happening.

Be ready for the attack. It is Satan’s last attempt to thwart God’s purpose. God has something wonderful for you, friend. The Lord wants to deliver you from all attachment to sin. He wants to restore the state of your affection so that you love God with all your heart, soul and mind and your neighbor as yourself.

Oh, friend, the devil is after you. Do you want to keep this from happening? Do you want to seek divine strength and help for the attack? See if the state of your affections has been changed. If it has, when the attack comes, you will not make it. To make it, you are going to have to be ready.

The devil is trying to destroy us all before it even happens. Do you want the Holy Spirit to work in your heart and in your mind so that you will be ready to survive the devil’s attack on your soul? Are you praying? Are you studying? You must be praying, “Lord, work in my heart by Your Holy Spirit so that my heart will be pure and holy, so the state of my affections will be acceptable in Your sight.”

Editorial – The Weight of Evidence

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Some Christians believe that everything should be absolutely proved, or they will not have anything to do with it. One Christian stated that it would not be fair if God had not given us a perfect Bible!

People had similar troubles in Ellen White’s time. Look at her response to a physician: “In your letter you speak of your early training to have implicit faith in the testimonies and say, ‘I was led to conclude and most firmly believe that every word that you ever spoke in public or private, that every letter you wrote under any and all circumstances, was as inspired as the Ten Commandments.’

“My brother, you have studied my writings diligently, and you have never found that I have made any such claims, neither will you find that the pioneers in our cause ever made such claims.” Selected Messages, Book 1, 24.

“We have many lessons to learn, and many, many to unlearn. God and heaven alone are infallible. Those who think that they will never have to give up a cherished view, never have occasion to change an opinion, will be disappointed. As long as we hold to our own ideas and opinions with determined persistency, we cannot have the unity for which Christ prayed.” The Review and Herald, July 26, 1892.

She is not claiming infallibility for herself, nor claiming infallibility for the words in the Bible either.

“The Lord speaks to human beings in imperfect speech, in order that the degenerate senses, the dull, earthly perception of earthly beings may comprehend His words. Thus is shown God’s condescension. He meets fallen human beings where they are. The Bible, perfect as it is in its simplicity, does not answer to the great ideas of God; for infinite ideas cannot be perfectly embodied in finite vehicles of thought. Instead of the expressions of the Bible being exaggerated, as many people suppose, the strong expressions break down before the magnificence of the thought, though the penman selected the most expressive language through which to convey the truths of higher education. [Notice the strong expressions are not exaggerations, but actually understatements because we do not have speech sufficient to express the thought.] It is not the words of the Bible that are inspired, but the men that were inspired. Inspiration acts not on the man’s words or his expressions but on the man himself, who, under the influence of the Holy Ghost, is imbued with thoughts.” Selected Messages, Book 1, 21.

Somebody may ask, how am I to believe if there is not something perfect upon which to place my faith?

Jesus is perfect and you can place your faith in Him, but everything in this world, including human language, is imperfect. God expects us to make our decisions, not on perfect knowledge, which we will never have in this world, but rather on the weight of evidence. If you are waiting for perfect knowledge you will never be saved: The unbelief that demands perfect knowledge will never yield to the evidence that God is pleased to give. He requires of His people faith that rests upon the weight of evidence, not upon perfect knowledge.” Testimonies, vol. 3, 258.

“Those who desire to doubt will have plenty of room. God does not propose to remove all occasion for unbelief. He gives evidence, which must be carefully investigated with a humble mind and a teachable spirit, and all should decide from the weight of evidence. God gives sufficient evidence for the candid mind to believe; but he who turns from the weight of evidence because there are a few things which he cannot make plain to his finite understanding will be left in the cold, chilling atmosphere of unbelief and questioning doubts, and will make shipwreck of faith.” Ibid., vol. 5, 675, 676.

“‘But there are some things that are not explained.’ Well, what if everything is not explained? Where is the weight of evidence? God will balance the mind if it is susceptible to the influence of the Spirit of God; if it is not, then it will decide on the other side. They will come just exactly where Judas came; they will sell their Lord for thirty pieces of silver or something else. They will sacrifice everything to unbelief.” Sermons and Talks, vol. 1, 145.