Issue: 2002 July

Freedom to Choose

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“God never asks us to believe, without giving sufficient evidence upon which to base our faith. His existence, His character, the truthfulness of His word, are all established by testimony that appeals to our reason; and this testimony is abundant. Yet God has never removed the possibility of doubt. Our faith must rest upon evidence, not demonstration. Those who wish to doubt will have opportunity; while those who really desire to know the truth will find plenty of evidence on which to rest their faith.” Steps to Christ, 105.

“To those who refuse the precious rays of light which would illuminate the darkness, the mysteries of God’s word remain such forever. From them the truth is hidden. They walk blindly, and know not the ruin before them.” The Desire of Ages, 588.

You are Responsible

“God gives sufficient light and evidence to enable man to distinguish truth from error. But He does not force man to receive truth. He leaves him free to choose the good or to choose the evil. If man resists evidence that is sufficient to guide his judgment in the right direction, and chooses evil once, he will do this more readily the second time. The third time he will still more eagerly withdraw himself from God and choose to stand on the side of Satan. And in this course he will continue until he is confirmed in evil, and believes the lie he has cherished as truth. His resistance has produced its harvest (Manuscript 126, 1901).” “Ellen G. White Comments,” Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, vol. 6, 1112.

“The perception and appreciation of truth, He [Jesus] said, depends less upon the mind than upon the heart. Truth must be received into the soul; it claims the homage of the will. If truth could be submitted to the reason alone, pride would be no hindrance in the way of its reception. But it is to be received through the work of grace in the heart; and its reception depends upon the renunciation of every sin that the Spirit of God reveals.” The Desire of Ages, 455.

Light or Darkness

“And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved.” John 3:19, 20.

“The word of the Lord comes to us all who have not resisted His Spirit by determining not to hear and obey. This voice is heard in warnings, in counsels, in reproof. It is the Lord’s message of light to His people. If we wait for louder calls or better opportunities, the light may be withdrawn, and we left in darkness. . . .

“It pains me to say, my brethren, that your sinful neglect to walk in the light has enshrouded you in darkness. You may now be honest in not recognizing and obeying the light; the doubts you have entertained, your neglect to heed the requirements of God, have blinded your perception so that darkness is now to you light, and light is darkness. God has bidden you to go forward to perfection. Christianity is a religion of progress. Light from God is full and ample, waiting our demand upon it. Whatever blessings the Lord may give, He has an infinite supply beyond, an inexhaustible store from which we may draw. Skepticism may treat the sacred claims of the gospel with jests, scoffing, and denial. The spirit of worldliness may contaminate the many and control the few; the cause of God may hold its ground only by great exertion and continual sacrifice, yet it will triumph finally.” Selected Messages, Book 1, 28.

“Light makes manifest and reproves the errors that were concealed in darkness; and as light comes, the life and character of men must change correspondingly, to be in harmony with it. Sins that were once sins of ignorance, because of the blindness of the mind, can no more be indulged in without incurring guilt. As increased light is given, men must be reformed, elevated, and refined by it, or they will be more perverse and stubborn than before the light came.” Gospel Workers, 162.

“Many are the ways by which Satan works through human influence to bind his captives. He secures multitudes to himself by attaching them by the silken cords of affection to those who are enemies of the cross of Christ. Whatever this attachment may be, parental, filial, conjugal, or social, the effect is the same; the opposers of truth exert their power to control the conscience, and the souls held under their sway have not sufficient courage or independence to obey their own convictions of duty.

“The truth and the glory of God are inseparable; it is impossible for us, with the Bible within our reach, to honor God by erroneous opinions. Many claim that it matters not what one believes, if his life is only right. But the life is molded by the faith. If light and truth is within our reach, and we neglect to improve the privilege of hearing and seeing it, we virtually reject it; we are choosing darkness rather than light.

“‘There is a way that seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.’ Proverbs 16:25. Ignorance is no excuse for error or sin, when there is every opportunity to know the will of God.” The Great Controversy, 597, 598.

No Excuse

“By giving heed to the teachings of God’s word, men may rise from the lowest depths of ignorance and degradation to become sons of God, associates of sinless angels.” Review and Herald, August 19, 1884.

“He [Jesus] came in humility, in order that the humblest being upon the face of the earth could have no excuse because of his poverty or ignorance, and say, Because of these things I cannot obey the law of Jehovah. Christ clothed His divinity with humanity, that humanity might touch humanity; that He might live with humanity, and bear all the trials and afflictions of man. He was tempted in all points like as we are, yet without sin. In His humanity He understood all the temptations that will come to man.” Sermons and Talks, Book 2, 111, 112.

“Jesus is mighty to save his people from their sins. Light from heaven has illumined our pathway. Sin has been revealed to us by the word and the spirit of truth, that we may not be found transgressors of the divine precepts; and there is no opportunity to plead the excuse of ignorance. The command is, ‘Depart from iniquity.’ [11 Timothy 2:19.]” Review and Herald, March 27, 1888.

“The times of ignorance God winked at, but now, with the blazing light of truth shining all around us, with warnings, with reproofs, with increasing light if we will but open our eyes to see it, there is no excuse of any, even the weakest child of God, that they should not disperse light to the world. The four angels are holding the four winds that a special work may be accomplished: the saints of God are to be sealed in their foreheads. Brethren, how long before you will be ready for the seal of God? Every step you advance upon the path which God forbids, toward your own pleasure and in sin, is a step nearer your destruction. Every act of disobedience to the word of the Lord is exposing you to irreparable loss. Every moment of ease, of self-indulgence, secured by you in neglecting the divine admonitions and call to duty in earnest work for the Master, is placing you under the power and control of the prince of darkness.” Review and Herald, June 7, 1887.

Easily Entrapped

“Many are deceived today in the same way as were the Jews. Religious teachers read the Bible in the light of their own understanding and traditions; and the people do not search the Scriptures for themselves, and judge for themselves as to what is truth; but they yield up their judgment, and commit their souls to their leaders. The preaching and teaching of His word is one of the means that God has ordained for diffusing light; but we must bring every man’s teaching to the test of Scripture. Whoever will prayerfully study the Bible, desiring to know the truth, that he may obey it, will receive divine enlightenment. He will understand the Scriptures. ‘If any man willeth to do His will, he shall know of the teaching.’ John 7:17, R. V.” The Desire of Ages, 459.

“Notwithstanding the Bible is full of warnings against false teachers, many are ready thus to commit the keeping of their souls to the clergy. There are today thousands of professors of religion who can give no other reason for points of faith which they hold than that they were so instructed by their religious leaders. They pass by the Saviour’s teachings almost unnoticed, and place implicit confidence in the words of the ministers. But are ministers infallible? How can we trust our souls to their guidance unless we know from God’s word that they are light bearers? A lack of moral courage to step aside from the beaten track of the world leads many to follow in the steps of learned men; and by their reluctance to investigate for themselves, they are becoming hopelessly fastened in the chains of error. They see that the truth for this time is plainly brought to view in the Bible; and they feel the power of the Holy Spirit attending its proclamation; yet they allow the opposition of the clergy to turn them from the light. Though reason and conscience are convinced, these deluded souls dare not think differently from the minister; and their individual judgment, their eternal interests, are sacrificed to the unbelief, the pride and prejudice, of another.” The Great Controversy, 596.

“Those to whom the message of truth is spoken seldom ask, ‘Is it true?’ but, ‘By whom is it advocated?’ Multitudes estimate it by the numbers who accept it; and the question is still asked, ‘Have any of the learned men or religious leaders believed?’ Men are no more favorable to real godliness now than in the days of Christ. They are just as intently seeking earthly good, to the neglect of eternal riches; and it is not an argument against the truth, that large numbers are not ready to accept it, or that it is not received by the world’s great men, or even by the religious leaders.” The Desire of Ages, 459, 460.

Accept or Reject Christ

“The prophets of God were hated by apostate Israel because through them their hidden sins were brought to light. Ahab regarded Elijah as his enemy because the prophet was faithful to rebuke the king’s secret iniquities. So today the servant of Christ, the reprover of sin, meets with scorn and rebuffs. Bible truth, the religion of Christ, struggles against a strong current of moral impurity. Prejudice is even stronger in the hearts of men now than in Christ’s day. Christ did not fulfill men’s expectations; His life was a rebuke to their sins, and they rejected Him. So now the truth of God’s word does not harmonize with men’s practices and their natural inclination, and thousands reject its light. Men prompted by Satan cast doubt upon God’s word, and choose to exercise their independent judgment. They choose darkness rather than light, but they do it at the peril of their souls. Those who caviled at the words of Christ, found ever-increased cause for cavil, until they turned from the Truth and the Life. So it is now. God does not propose to remove every objection which the carnal heart may bring against His truth. To those who refuse the precious rays of light which would illuminate the darkness, the mysteries of God’s word remain such forever. From them the truth is hidden. They walk blindly, and know not the ruin before them.

“Christ overlooked the world and all ages from the height of Olivet; and His words are applicable to every soul who slights the pleadings of divine mercy. Scorner of His love, He addresses you today. It is ‘thou, even thou,’ who shouldest know the things that belong to thy peace. Christ is shedding bitter tears for you, who have no tears to shed for yourself. Already that fatal hardness of heart which destroyed the Pharisees is manifest in you. And every evidence of the grace of God, every ray of divine light, is either melting and subduing the soul, or confirming it in hopeless impenitence.

“Christ foresaw that Jerusalem would remain obdurate and impenitent; yet all the guilt, all the consequences of rejected mercy, lay at her own door. Thus it will be with every soul who is following the same course. The Lord declares, ‘O Israel, thou hast destroyed thyself.’ ‘Hear, O earth: behold, I will bring evil upon this people, even the fruit of their thoughts, because they have not hearkened unto My words, nor to My law, but rejected it.’ Hosea 13:9; Jeremiah 6:19.” The Desire of Ages, 587, 588.

America’s Twin Towers Toppling

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Our Days are Numbered

In the United States of America, the keepers of national security and national prosperity of the most powerful nation in the world, the Pentagon and the World Trade Center, have been attacked. We may be witnessing what could very well accelerate the shift of public trust from civil government power for security, to the church or religious power. History shows that when a nation suffers imponderable reverses and the civil government is perceived to be impotent to deal with the crisis, it turns to religion as a “city of refuge.” The same historical fact also reveals that when this happens, national religious bigotry blossoms very rapidly and persecution is not far behind.

Or it may precipitate the Third World War, if the United States resorts to “righteous” retaliation, justified, as it may seem to many. Violence breeds violence. But no military might can match or cope successfully with suicidal missions of religious convictions. When men are taught the terrible lie that death is the entrance to heaven or that a soul survives the body, what is there to stop desperate men from committing suicide as the ultimate release, or killing others as a means of gaining heaven, if the ones being destroyed are perceived as “enemies of the truth.”

Scapegoats

Finding and punishing the perpetrators of such a history-making travesty of this magnitude hardly ever gets traced back to the real masterminds. Were the true masterminds of St. Bartholomew’s Massacre in France ever brought to justice by the world’s tribunal? It was called by historian Henry White, in the Massacre of St. Bartholomew, the “. . . blackest in the black catalogue of crime, most horrible among the fiendish deeds of all the dreadful centuries . . . .” The Great Controversy, 271, 272. The king of France, then, will be blamed for “the butchery [that] continued for two months” where “seventy thousand of the very flower of the nation perished.” But who was behind it all? “The king of France, urged on by Romish priests and prelates, lent his sanction to the dreadful work. A bell, tolling at dead of night, was a signal for the slaughter. Protestants by thousands, sleeping quietly in their homes, trusting to the plighted honor of their king, were dragged forth without a warning and murdered in cold blood.” Ibid., 272. There will be scapegoats and fall guys galore, but never the ones who hatched, developed and engineered the scheme—not till the day when all the secrets of man are revealed in Heaven. All real wars, since the fall of man, have had a religious agenda in the background although not acknowledged as such by contemporary historians. Those who did acknowledge this fact were, and continue to be, discredited, not because they were inaccurate, but because they chronicled the truth. The same masterminds behind these religious wars of conquest are responsible for such misinformation campaigns as “the Reformation led by Luther was a rebellion against church authority.”

The papacy that has survived all individual popes, and the Roman Catholic Church, the “mother of harlots” (Revelation 17:5) has slowly returned to world prominence, quietly solidifying its worldwide power as prophesied in Revelation 13. All other world religions and denominations, including the Seventh-day Adventist Church, and historic Adventists as well, are splintering through internal dissension and intrigue over minor issues rendered major by spiritual myopia. Talk about the enemy from within! Sometimes we do not even need our enemies to vex us. We can discomfit each other and hand the victory to them.

“If We Lose Our Freedom, We Lose Our Nation”

A cryptic statement made by an U.S. Senator reflects the brave, yet confounded, spirits of officials at the highest echelons of government, over these well-coordinated “terrorist attacks.” It is an honest yet fearful admission of helplessness to say, “there were security lapses.” Post-war U.S. invincibility is now a myth, even as the Jews believed that Jerusalem’s walls were impregnable. Titus and his Roman horde desolated Jerusalem for at least six months in a.d. 70, literally leaving not “one stone upon another,” (Matthew 24:2) as Jesus tearfully prophesied 40 years prior.

But the “attack against freedom” to which many of our nation’s leaders referred to as “begging for retaliation against its cowardly perpetrators” was not on the incomparably more vital religious liberty issue—the ultimate freedom—but “freedom from fear of being attacked by terrorists.” Their declaration had more to do with losing temporal life and its advantages, financial wealth and stability—not freedom to worship God according to dictates of conscience as currently guaranteed by the First Amendment. It is always those things, opportunities, and the people who matter most that are taken for granted and ignored—until they are suddenly yanked away without a moment’s notice.

This is a foretaste and a forewarning of how the element of surprise has never failed. It will be the same strategy used in the final national crisis, which will also be the final and ultimate religious crisis.

“Marvelous in her shrewdness and cunning is the Romish Church. She can read what is to be. She bides her time, seeing that the Protestant churches are paying her homage in their acceptance of the false Sabbath, and that they are preparing to employ the very means which she herself employed in by-gone days. . . . The Christian world will learn what Romanism really is, when it is too late to escape the snare. She is silently growing into power. Her doctrines are exerting their influence in legislative halls, in the churches, and in the hearts of men. Throughout the land she is piling up her lofty and massive structures, in the secret recesses of which her former persecutions will be repeated. She is stealthily and unsuspectedly strengthening her forces to further her own ends when the time shall come for her to strike. All that she desires is vantage ground, and this is soon to be given her. In the near future we shall see and shall feel what the purpose of the Roman element is. Whoever shall believe and obey the word of God will incur reproach and persecution.” The Spirit of Prophecy, vol. 4, 397.

Thesis, Antithesis, Synthesis

Definitions: Thesis: create the problem. Antithesis: manufacture and propose the solution. Synthesis: control the situation. This simple formula has been used in micro scale and macro scale for generations, increasing merely in sophistication and deadly affectivity. It began in heaven as the “mystery of iniquity.” The Problem: the Son of God was in the way of Lucifer’s ambition to be greater than the Creator. The Solution: create doubt in the minds of the angels by making it appear that he was working for their interest, ultimately resulting in rebellion. The Situation: Lucifer thought he finally had control of the situation until he and one-third of the rebellious angels were cast from heaven down to earth. What he attempted to accomplish in heaven, he simply repeated with more devilish cunning in the Garden of Eden, with devastating success. Since then he has been successful in destroying untold millions through the generations by this method employed by his agents on earth, both civil and religious.

The Decline of America’s Image of Invincibility

From the worldly point of view, the twin symbols of the United States’ might and wealth—the Pentagon in Washington, D.C., nerve center of military power, and the World Trade Center in New York, symbol of economic and financial strength, have been exposed as frightfully vulnerable. All the high-flying, budget-busting “star wars” and “missile shield technology” projects of the past and present administrations suddenly look so pitifully puny and futile. But according to The Great Controversy, page 441, America’s secrets of power and prosperity as one of the world’s greatest nations, are the principles known as Protestantism and Republicanism. The true basis of America’s success and prosperity will not be appreciated by the vast majority till they lose it—in the coming days.

Freedom Attacked, Freedom Defended

One of President George W. Bush’s earliest statements following the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001, was, “Freedom itself was attacked . . . Freedom will be defended.” O, that the leaders of this nation knew on what true freedom is based, as did past leaders such as James Madison, Patrick Henry, Abraham Lincoln, George Washington, Ulysses Grant, and others. All the current brave talk and rhetoric, in spite of inspiring human endeavors crossing political party lines and race and religious differences, to collectively deal with the crisis, will not erase one stark fact—the ultimate enemy will come from within. It will be the least suspected, for it will present itself, as it has in past generations, culminating during the Dark Ages, as Christ’s representative on earth!

All world empires, beginning with ancient Babylon, ultimately crumbled when their time was up, according to the unfailing prophetic timetable of Daniel and Revelation. They fell by Divine fiat, through a fundamental flaw from within, which the enemy recognized and used to their advantage. The last and final world-wide spiritual Babylon will fall as did its type—by forsaking God and replacing His immutable, unchangeable law of Ten Commandments with man-made laws that ultimately counterfeit the seventh-day Sabbath memorial of creation with Sunday Sabbath, and enforcing it as a law of the land. This is the final apostasy that comprises the national crisis, which leads to national destruction.

Why New York?

God’s prophet of the end was shown, in vision, the fiery destruction of fire-proof buildings in New York, Chicago, San Francisco, Los Angeles, and other major cities of the United States. Here are some excerpts:

“February 15, 1904: ‘When I was last in New York, I was in the night season called upon to behold buildings rising story after story toward heaven. These building were warranted to be fireproof, and they were erected to glorify the owners. Higher and still higher these buildings rose, and in them the most costly material was used. . . .

“‘As these lofty buildings went up, the owners rejoiced with ambitious pride that they had money to use in glorifying self. . . . Much of the money that they thus invested had been obtained through exaction, through grinding the faces of the poor. In the books of heaven, an account of every business transaction is kept. There every unjust deal, every fraudulent act, is recorded. The time is coming when in their fraud and insolence men will reach a point that the Lord will not permit them to pass, and they will learn that there is a limit to the forbearance of Jehovah.

“‘The scene that next passed before me was an alarm of fire. Men looked at lofty and supposedly fireproof buildings, and said, “They are perfectly safe.” But these buildings were consumed as if made of pitch. The fire engines could do nothing to stay the destruction. The firemen were unable to operate the engines.’” Life Sketches of Ellen G. White, 413.

“I have no light in particular in regard to what is coming on New York, only I know that one day the great buildings there will be thrown down by the turning and overturning of God’s power.” Ibid., 412. (See also Testimonies, vol. 9, 12, 13.)

While the foregoing testimonies refer to the time when the enactment and enforcement of the Sunday Law take place in the United States, what happened to the twin towers of the World Trade Center in New York is a clear sampling of what is yet to come—a great terror, an overwhelming surprise, a blinding force! The most powerful machinery to wound and kill human beings is being prepared.

Note the following statement: “Transgression has almost reached its limit. Confusion fills the world, and a great terror is soon to come upon human beings. The end is very near. We who know the truth should be preparing for what is soon to break upon the world as an overwhelming surprise. . . .“ Maranatha, 138.

“The work of the people of God is to prepare for events of the future, which will soon come upon them with blinding force.” Ibid., 182.

“The Lord is removing His restrictions from the earth, and soon there will be death and destruction, increasing crime, and cruel, evil working against the rich who have exalted themselves against the poor. Those who are without God’s protection will find no safety in any place or position. Human agents are being trained and are using their inventive power to put in operation the most powerful machinery to wound and to kill. . . .” Ibid., 137.

Troubles Will Increase

Over 100 years ago, the Spirit of Prophecy warned: “Satan delights in war; for it excites the worst passions of the soul, and then sweeps into eternity its victims steeped in vice and blood. It is his object to incite nations to war against one another; for he can thus divert the minds of the people from the work of preparation to stand in the day of God.

“Satan works through the elements also to garner his harvest of unprepared souls. He has studied the secrets of the laboratories of nature, and he uses all his power to control the elements as far as God allows. . . . It is God that shields His creatures, and hedges them in from the power of the destroyer. But the Christian world has shown contempt for the law of Jehovah; and the Lord does just what He has declared that He would do, He withdraws His blessings from the earth, and removes His protecting care from those who are rebelling against His law, and teaching and forcing others to do the same. Satan has control of all whom God does not especially guard. . . .

“Even now he is at work. In accidents and calamities by sea and by land, in great conflagrations, in fierce tornadoes and terrific hailstorms, in tempests, floods, cyclones, tidal waves, and earthquakes, in every place and in a thousand forms, is Satan exercising his power. He sweeps away the ripening harvest, and famine and distress follow. He imparts to the air a deadly taint, and thousands perish by the pestilence. These visitations are to become more and more frequent and disastrous. Destruction will be upon the inhabitants of the world. The beasts of the field will groan, and the earth will languish.

“And then the great deceiver will persuade men that those who serve God are causing these evils. The class that have provoked the displeasure of Heaven will charge all their troubles upon the faithful few whom the Lord has sent to them with messages of warning and reproof. It will be declared that the nation is offending God by the violation of the Sunday Sabbath, that this sin has brought calamities which will not cease until Sunday observance shall be strictly enforced, and that those who present the claims of the fourth commandment, thus destroying reverence for Sunday, are troublers of the nation, preventing its restoration to divine favor and temporal prosperity. Thus, the accusation urged of old against the servant of God will be repeated, and upon grounds equally well established.“ The Spirit of Prophecy, vol. 4, 406, 408.

Scenario of What is to Come

So what does the future hold? The following listing gives you a brief, general scenario of what lies ahead according to prophecy. These events are not listed in any suggested chronological order.

  1. Troubles, crimes, calamities and disasters, both domestic and worldwide, increase. (See Review and Herald, November 17, 1910; Ibid., February 26, 1914.)
  2. Immorality, infidelity, and spiritualism increase; anti-typical spiritual Sodom and Gomorrah and atheistic Egypt reinstated. (See Maranatha, 153; Counsels on Health, 615.)
  3. Economy deteriorates. (See Signs of the Times, August 24,1904; The Upward Look, 362.)
  4. Religious fervor picks up; mainstream preachers go on the offensive to get people to return to church and “old, traditional” values are revived. (See The Publishing Ministry, 38, 39; The Spirit of Prophecy, vol. 4, 415.)
  5. Political leaders, at a loss for political answers, turn to religion. (See The Publishing Ministry, 38, 39.)
  6. Political and religious leaders join hands in an attempt to solve problems. (See The Great Controversy, 450.)
  7. Spiritualistic and miraculous manifestations increase. (See Early Writings, 85; Maranatha, 156.)
  8. Calamities increase. (See Christian Service, 155.)
  9. Religious fanaticism increases; more suicidal attacks by extremists; more mass suicides; bombings and public disturbances renewed with more violent color and religious discrimination and prejudice. (See Evangelism, 610, 611.)
  10. Every principle of the United States’ Constitution is repudiated. (See Testimonies, vol. 5, 451.)
  11. Mainstream churches now join together in reversing themselves on their former position of anti-nomism; they now urge the nations to keep the Ten Commandments, where the fourth commandment is Sunday, not the seventh-day Sabbath. Moribund state Sunday Laws are revived. (See The Great Controversy, 573.)
  12. Sunday Law passes in Congress in the United States. Other nations and governments follow suit shortly. (See The Ellen G. White 1888 Materials, vol. 2, 477, 478.)
  13. The Latter Rain poured out on the prepared saints—their sins are blotted out as well as the sins of all who accept the final message—this is the judgment of the living. (See The Great Controversy, 611; Review and Herald, April 21, 1891.)
  14. The Final Loud Cry of Revelation 18 goes forth throughout the world. Many miracles follow. (See The Spirit of Prophecy, vol. 4, 429, 430.)
  15. Standard after standard will be left to trail in the dust as company after company from the Lord’s army join the foe and tribe after tribe from the ranks of the enemy unite with the commandment-keeping people of God. (See Testimonies, vol. 8, 41.)
  16. The Sunday Law will now be enforced, first, by inducements and fines. (See The Great Controversy, 607.)
  17. All faithful Sabbath-keepers throughout the world suffer persecution in varied forms and in different degrees. (See Early Writings, 33, 34.)
  18. Sunday Law now enforced by death penalty. There are many martyrs, as a witness. As a result, more people are converted. (See The Great Controversy, 615, 616.)
  19. The seal of God is placed upon foreheads of the faithful. (See Early Writings, 38.)
  20. Probation closes. (See The Great Controversy, 490.)
  21. Holy Spirit fully withdrawn from the earth; Jesus casts down the censer and declares, “It is done,” signaling the end of the Investigative Judgment. Four winds of strife let loose. (See Early Writings, 279, 280; The Great Controversy, 614.)
  22. Seven last plagues begin to fall. God finally announces, “It is done.” (Revelation 16:17.) To the living saints it is like “voice of many waters,” to the living wicked, it sounds like terrible “thunder.” (See Revelation 19:6; Last Day Events, 272.)
  23. This voice of God opens up the graves for the Special Resurrection of two classes of people:
    • Those faithful of the Advent Movement who died in the faith of the Third Angel’s Message, keeping the Sabbath holy, and
    • Those who pierced Jesus’ side at the cross and the most violent persecutors of God’s people. (See Early Writings, 285; The Great Controversy, 637.)
  24. The 144,000, who have lived through six of the seven last plagues under the protection of the heavenly angels, and the specially resurrected saints now hear the voice of God
    • Announcing the day and hour of Jesus’ coming, and
    • Delivering the everlasting covenant to them that kept the law when the world made it void. (See The Great Controversy, 640.)
  25. Midnight Deliverance—the final anti-type of the midnight deliverance of ancient Israel at the Passover in Egypt. The universal death decree has gone into effect. Some try to slay God’s people but their swords fall like straw. (See Early Writings, 284, 285.)
  26. In the east, God’s living Israel, the church triumphant, see the unmistakable sign of Jesus’ appearing—a “black cloud, about half the size of a man’s hand.” (See The Great Controversy, 640.)

Message of the Hour

What we desperately need now is genuine and thorough repentance over our sins of self-righteousness (Laodiceanism) and Christ’s unity among brethren! Stop magnifying the faults of others! Never pass judgment on others based on your own personal convictions and opinions. Help one another overcome weaknesses and acquire good habits through education and example. Encourage and motivate one another to carry forward the work and message of the third angel in love, patience, longsuffering, tact, consistency, and mercy.

Remember ancient, literal Israel—the type of modern, spiritual Israel, the Seventh-day Adventist people? As God’s people, they were far from perfect, even as is modern Israel! But whenever one of them sinned, whatever sin it was, and repented, the priest did not condemn him. A divine remedy for forgiveness of sins by confession and offering of an animal sacrifice as the symbolic substitute and surety was available through the sanctuary services. After the blood was spilt and obtained, the priest interceded in the holy places for the repentant sinner. The same is true for spiritual Israel today through a much better hope, the sacrifice of Christ on the cross, and His all-powerful mediatorial work as our great High Priest during this anti-typical Day of Atonement! In and through Christ alone there is complete justification and perfect, progressive sanctification by living faith that works by love and purifies the soul from sin. This is the amazing, enabling, empowering, sin-destroying, saving grace of Christ!

Secrets of Unity

“The secret of unity is found in the equality of believers in Christ. The reason for all division, discord, and difference is found in separation from Christ. Christ is the center to which all should be attracted; for the nearer we approach the center, the closer we shall come together in feeling, in sympathy, in love, growing into the character and image of Jesus. With God there is no respect of persons.” Selected Messages, Book 1, 259.

“But spiritual success comes only to those who have learned meekness and lowliness in the school of Christ.

“We should remember that the world will judge us by what we appear to be. Let those who are seeking to represent Christ be careful not to exhibit inconsistent features of character. Before we come fully to the front, let us see to it that the Holy Spirit is poured upon us from on high. When this is the case, we shall give a decided message, but it will be of a far less condemnatory character than that which some have been giving; and all who believe will be far more earnest for the salvation of our opponents.” Counsels to Writers and Editors, 72.

“Every association of life calls for the exercise of self-control, forbearance, and sympathy. We differ so widely in disposition, habits, education, that our ways of looking at things vary. We judge differently. Our understanding of truth, our ideas in regard to the conduct of life, are not in all respects the same. There are no two whose experience is alike in every particular. The trials of one are not the trials of another. The duties that one finds light are to another most difficult and perplexing.

“So frail, so ignorant, so liable to misconception is human nature, that each should be careful in the estimate he places upon another. We little know the bearing of our acts upon the experience of others. What we do or say may seem to us of little moment, when, could our eyes be opened, we should see that upon it depended the most important results for good or for evil.” The Ministry of Healing, 483.

“We cannot afford to let our spirits chafe over any real or supposed wrong done to ourselves. Self is the enemy we most need to fear. No form of vice has a more baleful effect upon the character than has human passion not under control of the Holy Spirit. No other victory we can gain will be so precious as the victory gained
over self.

“We should not allow our feelings to be easily wounded. We are to live, not to guard our feelings or our reputation, but to save souls. As we become interested in the salvation of souls we cease to mind the little differences that so often arise in our association with one another. Whatever others may think of us or do to us, it need not disturb our oneness with Christ, the fellowship of the Spirit. [1 Peter 2:20 quoted.]” Ibid., 485.

Unconverted Christians

The truly heart-converted Christian is known by his fruits—the very first of which is meekness, learned from the school of Christ. Jesus said, “Come unto Me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden.” Matthew 11:28. Working out our own salvation by our own self-righteousness is going to wear out our life forces in a very short time. “Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall.” Proverbs 16:18. He who struts around like a peacock today will be nothing but a feather duster tomorrow. Premature spiritual and physical death is the result, but Jesus came to give life, and to give it more abundantly, hence, He pleads, “Take My yoke upon you, and learn of Me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.” Matthew 11:29. Meekness and lowliness of heart—not appearance nor words—is the condition for the divine rest that our Gentle Shepherd promises to the rest-less, stressed-out yet proud Christian.

“Where the Spirit of God is, there is meekness, patience, gentleness, and longsuffering; there is a tenderness of soul, a mildness which savors of Christ. But these fruits are not manifested by the unconverted. The more real need there is for this class to humble themselves before God, the less sense they have of their real standing, and the more self-confidence they assume. The more they claim to be led by God, the more overbearing they are to all around them, the more incapable of receiving any reproof, the more impatient of contradiction, and the less they feel the need of counsel. Instead of being meek and gentle, easy to be entreated, full of mercy, love, and good fruits, they are exacting and tyrannical; instead of being swift to hear and slow to speak [or write], they are slow to hear and swift to speak.

“They are unwilling to learn of anyone. The temper is fiery and vehement. There is a set determination, a fierceness in the very looks and deportment. They speak and act as though they would take the work out of God’s hands and pass judgment themselves upon those whom they consider in the wrong.

“A true disciple of Christ will seek to imitate the Pattern. His love will lead to perfect obedience. He will study to do the will of God on earth, as it is done in heaven. He whose heart is still defiled with sin cannot be zealous of good works; and is not careful to abstain from evil, is not vigilant and watchful over his own motives and conduct, is not jealous over his unruly tongue; he is not careful to deny self and lift the cross of Christ. These poor, deceived souls fail to keep the first four precepts of the decalogue, defining the duty of man to God, neither do they keep the last six commandments, defining the duty of man to his fellow men. [See Ecclesiastes 12:13, 14; John 14:15; Romans 14:10.]

“The fruits of the Spirit, ruling in the heart and controlling the life, are love, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, bowels of mercies, and humbleness of mind. True believers walk after the Spirit, and the Spirit of God dwells in them.—Manuscript 1, October 9, 1878, ‘Church Difficulties.’” This Day With God, 291.

[All Emphasis Supplied.]

To Pledge Allegiance

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Did you know that God requires our allegiance and that there is a special sign that shows our allegiance? Why, someone may ask, would there be a sign of loyalty to God? Surely He knows already whether or not we love Him! What kind of a sign is it? Is there a battle going on? Are there different sides to be taken? Is there a need for a sign showing which side a person is on?

Adam and Eve, in the Garden of Eden, displayed the sign of their allegiance by their choice to partake of the forbidden fruit. Perhaps it seemed arbitrary for God to pick a tree and tell them not to eat of it. It certainly did not fit into their logic. But signs of loyalty are, of necessity, arbitrary or they would not be a sign at all. Colors for flags are arbitrarily chosen and a meaning assigned to them.

Many stories have been told of patriots who have risked their lives to keep the flag flying high. The sight of the U.S. flag still bravely flying through the night at Fort McHenry, in spite of the fierce attack upon it, inspired Francis Scott Key to write the “Star Spangled Banner.” The flag could have been hauled down and a white one signifying surrender raised in its place, and the fighting would have stopped. But the courageous soldiers were not willing to give up that flag for the sake of peace. They were willing to give up life itself to remain true to their pledge of allegiance.

A flag is only a piece of cloth. There is very little real monetary value in it. Why would people risk their lives to keep a particular piece of cloth waving in the breeze above their fort? It is because the flag represents something of far more value than just the threads in the cloth. That flag proclaimed boldly to the world what they stood for. To pull it down would have signified a change in their allegiance, and they were not willing to give up their liberty.

Looking for a Sign

There was a young man a few years ago, a runaway, who found himself looking for a sign. He wanted a sign that would show him that someone loved him. He was an independent sort of fellow. He found that as he lived with his loving parents that rebellion was growing in his heart. He didn’t want to put up with the restrictions they placed on him. He didn’t like the way they always seemed to interfere in his affairs. Finally, one night, he decided he had had enough. He walked out.

He did not allow himself to think of the agony he would be leaving behind in the hearts of his parents. He was determined to have a good time. He found a job and life seemed to be going well. He had plenty of friends and no one to interfere.

After a while, however, life in the fast lane began to seem empty. He was unable to suppress thoughts of his parents. They began to seem more and more dear to him. He wondered how they were faring and tried to imagine what they thought about him. He could picture his father’s furrowed brow and almost hear his strong voice. He imagined a disapproving look on his mother’s face. “They will probably never want to see me again,” he thought.

Thoughts of home came more and more frequently until he finally decided to write a letter and see if they cared to see him again or not. Soon after writing the letter the young man boarded a train. The destination was home. He was dreadfully nervous. As he rode, he clenched and unclenched his fists. His jaw worked nervously. His stomach seemed to be tied in a knot. On the train he found himself seated by an elderly gentleman.

The older man noted the nervousness of the young man and finally struck up a conversation with him. Before long he had heard the whole story. The young man ended with, “I don’t know if they’ll ever want me back again after the way I have treated them. I can hardly stand to find out the answer.”

Sign of Love

As the train rounded a bend in the tracks, the young man suddenly stiffened. “Please, sir,” he said. “My home is just around the next bend. It is right by the tracks. I wrote to my folks and told them I would be riding by today, and that if they wanted me back to put something white in the yard. If they did not, I would know that I should just ride on by and never trouble them again. I just cannot bear to look. Please, sir, would you look for me?” The man readily agreed.

Suddenly his excited voice broke into the rhythmical clicking of the tracks. “Look, boy, look!” he nearly yelled.

The boy lifted his head. Tears sprang to his eyes and rolled down his cheeks. Every white thing in the house must have been out in that yard. The clothesline, the bushes, the trees were draped with white sheets. Snow could have done little more!

Those two parents would not have let anything stop them from showing their long lost son the sign of allegiance and love he had requested. Never did they question what the neighbors would think. It did not matter if people thought they had lost their minds. What a reunion that must have been!

Those parents had to decide whether or not to utilize their son’s choice of what the sign would be. At any other time, white sheets in the yard would have been of no value, but because he had requested it, it was meaningful. The message the son had sent was essentially, “If you love me, hang out a white sheet.”

Which Team Are You On?

A sign of allegiance is often used in physical education class in school. Each time basketball is played, new teams are chosen. All the students are dressed alike in uniforms and confusion can reign, because it is difficult to tell who is on which team. Without some kind of distinction, teammates might end up playing against themselves.

To solve this problem, “pinnies” are usually provided for all the members of one team to wear. Then it is easy to tell who is a teammate and who is not. The pinnies become a sign telling to which team the player is loyal. These pinnies are arbitrarily chosen. On any other occasion they would be quite meaningless, but on the basketball court, they represent who is on which team. Anyone wanting to be on the team with the pinnies must be willing to wear one.

The Christian life is something like the basketball team mentioned above. It isn’t always easy to tell whose side we are on. The Bible says that Satan and his teammates will disguise themselves so that they look as if they are on God’s side (2 Corinthians 11:13–15). In fact, so deceptive is Satan that many of his followers do not even know they are following him. They think they are on God’s side (Matthew 7:21–23). That is why God has done something like what a physical education teacher does. He has given us a sign by which we might know on which team we are.

The sign of our allegiance to God goes far deeper than a display of emotions, or saying a few words that anyone could repeat, or wearing a lapel pin. God says more than “If you love Me, honk your horn.”

Follow the Blueprint

The story has been told of a man who bought some land and asked his son to manage and develop it into a farm for him while he traveled. He showed his son the blueprint for the layout of the proposed farm.

The son looked over the plans with admiration. The barns would be spacious, well built, and conveniently located. The house would be a comfortable one with a lovely view. The soil looked rich, and it would have its own water supply from a well. As they strolled across the acres together, blueprint in hand, he could almost envision the finished farm nestled there among the hills. What a haven of rest it would be! It was a good plan he decided. It would be a farm with which anyone could be happy and proud. But, knowing of his son’s independent ways, the father stipulated one thing. He would hire his son to build it on condition that he build it exactly as he specified.

Happily the son agreed to take the responsibility for it and to do the best he could. He agreed to follow exactly the blueprint his father had given him.

The father left, and the son immediately set to work to develop the farm. He took hold of the project energetically, and gradually things began to take shape.

As he worked, he often consulted the plans his father had given him. Repeatedly he was impressed by his father’s wisdom in the decisions he had made. Often he remarked about how good they were. He carried them out exactly as his father had specified down to the smallest details.

More Convenient

The day came, however, when the well was to be dug. As he looked at the plans, a puzzled expression appeared on his face. “I wonder,” he mused, “why Father put the well so far from the house? It will be such a long walk to go clear out there by the barn. He must not have realized what a difficulty that will be. Perhaps it’s been a long time since he had to carry the water in himself!” After considering it for some time, he finally decided to change the location of the well. He was certain that his father would be pleased with his decision when he understood why the change had been made.

Finally the farm was finished. Crops were planted and the fields became a lush green. The place looked like a peaceful dream when Father finally returned. The son met him with a proud smile. “See, Father,” he said with a wave of his hand, “it’s done exactly as you said. Is it not beautiful?”

Actions Reveal Motives

Again the two ambled across the acres looking at the farm. At each place the father would stop and express his pleasure at what had been done. Finally, they got to the spot where the well should have been. A puzzled expression passed over the elderly gentleman’s face. “Why, where’s the well?” he questioned. “I thought it would have been right here. Did I make a mistake?”

“Oh, no,” the son replied. “The well is right over there by the house.”

“By the house?” the father asked again. “I thought I planned for it to be out here by the barn.”

“Oh, yes, now I remember,” the son replied. “I noticed that. I thought it would be inconvenient to have it so far from the house, so I had them make just a minor change and dig it over there instead.”

The father looked sorrowfully at his son. “I thought you said you made everything the way I wanted it. You promised me that you would. But now I find that you did not. You did not make anything the way I wanted it. Not one thing.”

“Father!” the younger man nearly exploded. “How can you say that? I did everything the way you wanted except for the well. But I thought this would be better than the other plan. I changed only one thing. How can you say I did not do anything at all the way you wanted it?”

“It is really quite simple, Son,” the father explained. “That well is significant. It tells me that the only reason you built the rest of the farm as I specified is that you liked it that way. You happened to think my plans were good plans on the rest of the farm. But if your ideas disagreed with mine, then you followed your own way. You actually built the whole farm the way you wanted it, not the way I wanted it.”

It was a quiet pair that finished the tour of the farm. The son had little to say. His father’s words had made a deep impression. The well was indeed a sign of whether or not he loved and trusted his father enough to follow his requests even if he did not fully understand or agree with them. He had not set out with the intention of proving his lack of loyalty to his father, but his decision had revealed the hidden motives in his heart. His actions had shown what his motives had been even though the son himself had not understood his own heart.

God also makes it clear to us that our actions display the hidden motives of our hearts, even when we don’t understand them ourselves. Many times the Holy Scriptures remind us that a tree is known by its fruit. A good pear tree, at the right time, will be covered with pears. The pears reveal what kind of tree it is. So the fruits of our lives reveal where our loyalties really are and whether or not we are abiding in Jesus.

An Unusual Sign

The Bible tells the story of a battle in which Israel was involved. After the war a most unusual sign was used to determine who was friend or foe.

The Ammonites had declared war on Israel. They were determined to get control of some land they were accusing Israel of having taken from them. Israel began looking for a leader, and finally decided to make a man named Jephthah captain over their armies.

As Jephthah took control of the situation, he first tried negotiating with the Ammonites. He reminded the king of the history of how the land was actually obtained in the first place. When it was apparent that the Ammonites were going to fight anyway, Jephthah recruited all the help that he could. With a prayer in his heart and making a solemn vow to God, he led his army to battle.

When the war was finished, Jephthah had won a resounding victory. Jephthah was then made a judge over Israel.

A strange thing happened after the war, however. Things were just beginning to settle back to normal when a messenger from the tribe of Ephraim, one of the tribes of Israel, gave Jephthah a terrible message.

“Why did not you call us to help you fight the Ammonites?” they challenged. “Since you did not, we are going to burn your house down on top of you.” This was no idle threat. The men of Ephraim were irate. They had banded together to attack the city of Gilead, where Jephthah lived. It is very likely that they were jealous because they had not been able to enrich themselves with the spoil from the battle with the Ammonites.

Jephthah responded immediately, defending his actions and setting the record straight. He reminded them that he had called them to come and help him fight the Ammonites at a time when he needed them desperately. They had flatly refused to help! “Since you did not come,” he continued, “I had no choice but to take my life in my hands. We had to go and fight the Ammonites with a much smaller army than we needed, but the Lord was with us. What grounds do you have for fighting against me?” he questioned. He probably would have felt justified in attacking the Ephraimites because of their refusal to help in a time of need.

The Ephraimites were unimpressed. They were prepared for war. Jephthah quickly marshaled his men, the Gileadites, to defend themselves against the Ephraimites. Again Jephthah was victorious. The Ephraimites fled for their lives.

When the Ephraimites fled, the Gileadites strategically placed themselves at the river crossings where the Ephraimites would have to cross to get back to their homes. Before allowing any man to cross the river they would ask, “Are you an Ephraimite?”

Naturally, no Ephraimite would want to answer “yes” for fear of losing his life, so even if the answer was “no” the Gileadites had one more question that had to be answered before anyone was allowed to cross the river.

It was a very simple question, but the answer would invariably reveal the true identity of the person being questioned. The man would be asked to repeat the word Shibboleth, a word meaning river. The Ephraimites had a little quirk in their speech that was either a difference in dialect, or a minor speech impediment like a lisp that they had inherited. They could not pronounce the sound sh. Instead of saying Shibboleth, an Ephraimite would always say Sibboleth. By this ingenious but simple test, any Ephraimite crossing the river would be identified. The test worked. The Ephraimites were not allowed to escape.

If you think about the sign that the Gileadites were looking for, it is a very unusual and significant one. The Ephraimites were not destroyed because they said Sibboleth. The problem was not that they had a lisp. The word Sibboleth only revealed who they were. They were destroyed because of who they were. They were destroyed because of what they had done. (See Judges 11; 12.)

True Allegiance to God

A sign of allegiance to God is not something we do in order to win His favor. It is not something to earn salvation. It is something that reveals who we are. It is something that reveals whether or not we have been born again. It reveals whether or not we are willing to follow Him. It is something that reveals whether or not we are abiding in Him, just as fruit reveals whether or not a branch is abiding in the vine. (See John 15.)

What does God look for as the sign of allegiance and love to Him? “I am the Lord your God; walk in my statutes, and keep my judgments, and do them; And hallow my sabbaths; and they shall be a sign between me and you, that ye may know that I am the Lord your God.” Ezekiel 20:19, 20.

The Sabbath is the one commandment we must accept solely by faith in Jesus’ authority. Keeping it does not save us, but it demonstrates our true allegiance. Today, during the judgment, God is again bringing His people back to full obedience. Though we are not held accountable until we have an opportunity to know the truth (James 4:17), out of love for us God is again teaching us these forgotten principles, that we may not inadvertently become followers of the lawless beast. Will you show your allegiance and love to God?

Reprinted from https://www.StepstoLife.org

(April 1, 2002).

Light

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When you were a little child were you afraid of the dark? Many little children are afraid of the dark. Are you still afraid of the dark today—of spiritual darkness? You do not need to fear spiritual darkness, if you understand what the Bible says about spiritual light.

“Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, ‘I am the light of the world. He who follows me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.’” John 8:12. This is a divine promise. If we follow Jesus, the Light of the world, we will not be in the dark. We will have light that will result in having eternal life.

“In Him was life, and the life was the light of men.” John 1:4. What is this light that we receive when we follow Jesus? One of the types of spiritual light is the light of prophecy.

We Can Know the Future

“And so we have the prophetic word confirmed, which you do well to heed as a light that shines in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts; knowing this first, that no prophecy of Scripture is of any private interpretation, for prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit.” 11 Peter 1:19–21. So Bible prophecy is a light; it is like a “light that shines in a dark place.”

That is why we have prophecy seminars. That is why we study the books of Daniel and Revelation, which were written especially for the last days—so we will understand the light given for the times in which we are living, so we will understand history, the present time, and also the future. The past, the present, and the future are all outlined in prophecy. If you study prophecy, you will not be surprised by what is coming on the world.

“But concerning the times and the seasons, brethren, you have no need that I should write to you. For you yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so comes as a thief in the night. For when they say, ‘Peace and safety!’ then sudden destruction comes upon them, as labor pains upon a pregnant woman. And they shall not escape. But you, brethren, are not in darkness, so that this Day should overtake you as a thief. You are all sons of light and sons of the day. We are not of the night nor of darkness.” 1 Thessalonians 5:1–5.

The apostle Paul is telling us that the people of this world, those who do not understand Bible prophecy, are going to go along and, all of a sudden, the second coming of Christ is going to occur; this world will end, and it will come as an overwhelming surprise to them.

People will be going on about their daily lives as usual. Jesus said that there would be marrying and giving in marriage. He said that it would be like it was in the days of Lot. People will be planting, building, working, planning, eating, carousing, and having a good time. It will be as the days of Noah. He and his family entered the ark, and unexpectedly, to those outside of the ark, the rain and the flood came and destroyed them all. (See Matthew 24:37–39; Luke 17:26–30.)

We Need Not Be Surprised

Paul says that is not going to happen to you, not to the Christian, because you are a child of the light. You have Bible prophecy, and you know what is coming. It will not come on you as a thief.

Prophecy is a light. In Revelation 19:10, we read, “The testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.” And Jesus is the Light of the world, so what He tells His prophets is light, because it comes from Him. Something else in the Bible is referred to as spiritual light. This is plainly stated in the book of Proverbs.

“For the commandment is a lamp; and the law is light; and reproofs of instruction are the way of life.” Proverbs 6:23. The law, God’s law, is a light.

Physical and Spiritual Darkness

Some years ago I was working with an evangelist who told me an experience he had during World War II. Back in those days there were no freeways, just two lane roads. He was pulling a trailer with his car at night, and it was very dark. He said, “We were going along about 50 or 55 miles an hour when suddenly all the lights of my car went out. I could not see a thing.” That is a frightening position in which to find one’s self.

When I was returning to college one time with a friend, he tried to pass a road grader, that was plowing snow, on the right hand side. From behind the snowplow we could see right through the snow it was throwing to the side of the road. We could see the road ahead clearly. But once my friend started to pass, and we were under the snow being thrown, in about a split second the car was covered with a foot or more of snow, and we could not see a thing. There we were with the road grader just about 3 feet from us on the left and on the right hand side a drop off of about 200 feet! I am thankful to the Lord that He helped us get our car stopped before we ran into something.

It is dangerous to be in a car, going pell-mell down the road, and all of a sudden to be unable to see. That is similar to what happens to people when they do not have the law. They do not have any light; they are in the dark because the law is light.

What does the law do for your home? It can save your marriage. Read the seventh and the tenth commandments. (See Exodus 20:14, 17.) What does the law do for your relationship with your family, with your parents? Read the fifth commandment. It can save it! (See Exodus 20:12.) What does the law do for your relationship with God? (See Exodus 20:3–7.) There are some people who are so busy making a living that they work seven days a week and have no time for God. In fact, right now there are people admitted into hospitals around the world who overworked for so many years that their bodies finally could not take it. But that does not have to happen to you. If you read the fourth commandment in the law, there is provision for your rest.

Sabbath, a Rest

God said, “One day a week you do not have to work.” In fact, in the law the Lord gave instruction that nobody had to work—not just the men. Men, you know how we are. We would probably rest on the Sabbath and allow our wives to work. But God knew what we were like, and he drew a line for the women as well as for the men. He directed that our cooking for Sabbath should be done on Friday and that we should not be doing housework or any secular things on the Sabbath. That is the day to rest.

The children are included also. Read the fourth commandment. (See Exodus 20:8–11.) It includes your son, your daughter and all your servants. It includes everybody in human society.

The law is a light. God’s word is a light, a spiritual light that keeps you from trouble. That is what light always does in darkness—it shows you where to go; it keeps you out of danger. God’s word is like a light.

The psalmist talks about this. “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.” “The entrance of Your word gives light; it gives understanding to the simple.” Psalm 119:105, 130. The word of God gives people light so that they understand where they came from, why they are here, and where they are going.

Light has Come!

That is what light does. It reveals where you are, where you have come from and where you are going. We are living in a time described in Isaiah 60, a chapter that actually is a prophecy concerning the last days. “Arise, shine; For your light has come! And the glory of the Lord hath risen upon you. For behold, the darkness shall cover the earth. And deep darkness the people; But the Lord will arise over you, And His glory will be seen upon you.” Isaiah 60:1, 2. What is this deep darkness that covers the earth and the people? They do not have the light of God’s word.

We are living in a time, the Bible says, when there is darkness all over the earth and gross darkness on the people. People do not know that they are designed to live forever and that they can be sons and daughters of God. They do not know their origin. They think they came from a monkey or a mollusk or something. They do not know how they got here. They do not know why they are here. And they certainly do not know where they are going.

They are in the dark. But Jesus said, “I am the light of the world. If you follow me you will not be in the dark. You will be able to see where you are going.” John 8:12. Are you in the light? If you are studying God’s word and His law, you will have light. You will know where you came from, why you are here, and where you are going.

The Bible tells us that the path the righteous people walk in will be a path of light. “The path of the just is like the shining sun, that shines ever brighter unto the perfect day.” Proverbs 4:18. Follow the light and, as you follow, it will grow brighter and brighter.

What does it mean to walk in the light? We talk about it; we read Bible texts saying that the path of the just is as a shining light that gets brighter and brighter, but what does it mean in simple language to walk in the light?

Do not Hide Light

“But even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing, whose minds the god of this age has blinded, who do not believe, lest the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine on them. For we do not preach ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord, and ourselves your bond-servants for Jesus’ sake. For it is the God who commanded light to shine out of darkness, who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.”
11 Corinthians 4:3–6.

Notice, the light has to do with the knowledge of God, and this knowledge of God is shining in the face of Jesus Christ. It is the light of the gospel, of the glory of God, and of the knowledge of God. What is this light that shines in the face of Jesus Christ? Let us see what the Bible says.

The apostle John writes a great deal in all of his writings about this subject. “This is the message which we have heard from Him and declare to you, that God is light and in Him is no darkness at all. If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.” 1 John 1:5–7.

So nobody will misunderstand, he makes it even plainer and simpler than that: “Again, a new commandment I write to you, which thing is true in Him and in you, because the darkness is passing away, and the true light is already shining. He who says he is in the light, and hates his brother, is in darkness until now. He who loves his brother abides in the light, and there is no cause for stumbling in him. But he who hates his brother is in darkness and walks in darkness and does not know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded his eyes.” 1 John 2:8–11.

What does it mean to walk in the light? It means that all the hatred, the bitterness, the animosity, the strife, and the negative emotions have been taken out of my heart, and I love my brother. I do not hate him any more. That proves that I am walking in the light. In fact, when Jesus was here, he said, “You have heard that you are to love your neighbor and hate your enemy, but I say to you, you should love your enemy.” Matthew 5:43, 44.

We Should Love Light

If we are walking in the light, we will love our brother. “We know we have passed from death to life, because we love the brethren. He who does not love his brother abides in death. Whoever hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him. By this we know love, because He laid down His life for us. And we also ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. But whoever has this world’s goods, and sees his brother in need, and shuts up his heart from him, how does the love of God abide in him? My little children, let us not love in word or in tongue, but in deed and in truth.” 1 John 3:14–18.

That is the test. It is a test that we each are to apply to our heart and ask ourselves the question, do I not only love my brother but also do I love in deed as well as in tongue or word? It is the test that the apostle John brings to bear upon our hearts over and over again when we read his writings. He says, “This is the way you can tell whether you are walking in the light or whether you are actually in darkness.”

The light of the knowledge of God that shines in the face of Jesus Christ, that Paul talked about, is the light of self-sacrificing love. Have you seen the light? You see the light when you study the life of Christ. His whole life was a revelation of self-sacrificing love. As you study it, you are looking at the spiritual light.

Most people in Christ’s day and most people today refuse to walk in the light. They may see the light. They may like the light. They may say they are the children of the light. But they will not walk in it.

Keep up With the Light

Just a few days before Jesus’ crucifixion He said, “A little while longer the light is with you. Walk while you have the light, lest darkness overtake you; he who walks in darkness does not know where he is going. While you have the light, believe in the light, that you may become sons of the light.” John 12:35, 36.

Jesus cautioned that if you do not walk in the light you have, the light will go away, and you will be left in darkness. In other words, the light is moving. Have you ever been around a moving light? If the light is moving, you have to walk in it. Otherwise, if you stay where you are, eventually you will be in the dark.

The righteous walk in the path where the light gets brighter and brighter until the perfect day. But what if you will not walk? What if you say, “I have the light now. I will stay right here!” What happens then?

“The days are fast approaching when there will be great perplexity and confusion. Satan, clothed in angel robes, will deceive, if possible, the very elect. There will be gods many and lords many. Every wind of doctrine will be blowing. Those who have rendered supreme homage to ‘science, falsely so called,’ will not be the leaders then. Those who have trusted to intellect, genius, or talent will not stand at the head of rank and file. They did not keep pace with the light.” Testimonies, vol. 5, 80.

Light Will Depart

Did you see the problem? The light was shining, but they did not keep pace with it, and it went out. How is it in your life? If you know the truth and you do not follow it, Jesus said the light will go out, and you will be in the dark.

When Jesus came, there was a greater flood of spiritual light poured upon the world than at any previous time, but the majority of the people rejected the light. Do you know that the same thing that happened in Jesus’ day has been happening ever since?

Ellen White wrote: “The Spirit of God is departing from many among our people. Many have entered into dark, secret paths, and some will never return. They will continue to stumble to their ruin. They have tempted God, they have rejected light. All the evidence that will ever be given them they have received, and have not heeded. They have chosen darkness rather than light, and have defiled their souls.” The Ellen G. White 1888 Materials, vol. 3, 1335.

“As the light and life of men was rejected by the ecclesiastical authorities in the days of Christ, so it has been rejected in every succeeding generation. Again and again the history of Christ’s withdrawal from Judea has been repeated. When the Reformers preached the word of God, they had no thought of separating themselves from the established church; but the religious leaders would not tolerate the light, and those that bore it were forced to seek another class, who were longing for the truth. In our day few of the professed followers of the Reformers are actuated by their spirit. Few are listening for the voice of God, and ready to accept truth in whatever guise it may be presented. Often those who follow in the steps of the Reformers are forced to turn away from the churches they love, in order to declare the plain teaching of the word of God. And many times those who are seeking for light are by the same teaching obliged to leave the church of their fathers, that they may render obedience.” The Desire of Ages, 232.

If you walk in the light, you are not just looking at the light, you are starting to do the same things yourself. You are starting to follow in the same path of light. The One who is the Light will walk with you and never forsake you. Do you want to have that experience of walking in the light, walking according to the commandments of the Lord, walking according to the light of Bible prophecy, following the example of Jesus in your life so that you will love your brethren, even your enemies? You know, friends, we have to be walking in the light, if we are going to go to heaven. There will not be a single person in heaven that has turned his back on any light that God has shown him. The only people there will be walking in all the light they had. Ask God to help you walk in the light.

[Bible texts quoted are literal translation.]

Editorial – Hardships

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In August 1868, Ellen White had a dream that is recorded in Testimonies, vol. 2, 594–597. In this dream, part of a large body of people began a journey in heavily loaded wagons. The road ascended. On one side was a high, smooth, white wall; on the other side was a precipice. As the road grew both narrower and steeper, they, for safety, abandoned the wagons and traveled on by horseback with only a portion of their luggage. But the path grew still narrower, and finally they cut the luggage from the horses and continued. When the road became too dangerous for traveling by horseback, a hand seemed to take the bridle and guide them over the perilous way at the places where it seemed they would lose their balance. The road eventually became so narrow that they left the horses behind and traveled on by foot single file, each following in the footsteps of another. Finally it was decided that to travel safely they would have to take off their shoes and then also their stockings, and they journeyed on with bare feet.

At this point in relating the dream, Ellen White said: “We then thought of those who had not accustomed themselves to privations and hardships. Where were such now? They were not in the company. At every change some were left behind, and those only remained who had accustomed themselves to endure hardships. The privations of the way only made these more eager to press on to the end.” Ibid., 595.

Many are not in the revival and reformation movement that were with us a few years ago. The dream partly related above explains why. We have not yet come to the last change! Will you still be in the revival and reformation movement next year? Will you still be in it when Jesus comes?

Hardships have always been, and always will be, a part of evangelism: “The opening labors of the Christian church were attended with hardships and bitter griefs, and the successors of the early apostles find that they must meet with trials similar to theirs; privations, calumny, and every species of opposition meet them in their labors. They must be men of stanch moral courage and of spiritual muscle.” Gospel Workers, 1892, 71, 72.

“The Christian life is compared to the life of a soldier, and there can be no bribes presented of ease and self-indulgence. The idea that Christian soldiers are to be excused from the conflicts, experiencing no trials, having all temporal comforts to enjoy, and even the luxuries of life, is a farce. The Christian conflict is a battle and a march, calling for endurance. Difficult work has to be done, and all who enlist as soldiers in Christ’s army with these false ideas of pleasantness and ease, and then experience the trials, it often proves fatal to their Christianity. God does not present the reward to those whose whole life in this world has been one of self-indulgence and pleasure.” Manuscript Releases, vol. 14, 27, 28.