Issue: 2011 July

Keys to the Storehouse – Ye Know Not What Ye Ask

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When you ask the Lord for patience, are you sure you know what you are asking for? How is patience gained? “Be still and know that I am God” (Psalm 46:10). Is it not through trials and tribulations? To wait is the test for many who are impatient.

When you ask the Lord for the honor of standing with Him, do you understand what is involved? He may require you to stand and endure the reproaches of others even when you are right.

Have you ever wanted something so badly that you asked the Lord over and over for it only to find that when you received it, you found it to be a real disaster for your life?

Do you ask to serve the Lord in other areas while not fulfilling those duties before you right now? “Those who overlook the life duties lying directly in their pathway, who neglect mercy and kindness, courtesy and love, to even a little child, are neglecting Christ. …

“James and John presented by their mother a petition requesting that they might be permitted to occupy the highest positions of honor in Christ’s kingdom. The Saviour answered, ‘Ye know not what ye ask’ (Mark 10:38). How little do many of us understand the true import of our prayers! Jesus knew the infinite sacrifice at which that glory must be purchased, when He, ‘for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame’ (Hebrews 12:2). That joy was to see souls saved by His humiliation, His agony, and the shedding of His blood.” The Sanctified Life, 56.

“Jesus asked them, ‘Can ye drink of the cup that I drink of? and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with? And they said unto him, We can’ (Mark 10:38, 39).

“How little did they comprehend what that baptism signified!” Ibid., 57.

Jesus said to them, “ ‘Ye shall drink indeed of My cup, and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with’ [Matthew 20:23], Christ declared—before Him a cross instead of a throne, two malefactors His companions at His right hand and at His left. James and John were to be sharers with their Master in suffering—the one, destined to swift-coming death by the sword; the other, longest of all the disciples to follow his Master in labor and reproach and persecution.” The Acts of the Apostles, 542.

Are you able to drink of the cup? Do you know for what you are asking?

“How little do the young suffer, or deny self, for their religion. To sacrifice is scarcely thought of among them. … Self must be gratified, pride must be indulged. They forget the Man of sorrows, who was acquainted with grief. The sufferings of Jesus in Gethsemane, his sweating as it were great drops of blood in the garden, the platted crown of thorns that pierced his holy brow, do not move them. They have become benumbed. Their sensibilities are blunted, and they have lost all sense of the great sacrifice made for them. …

“Said the angel, ‘If such should be ushered into the city of God, … they would have no sense of how dearly that inheritance was purchased for them. They would never realize the matchless depths of a Saviour’s love. They have not drank of the cup, nor been baptized with the baptism. … Those only who have partaken of the sufferings of the Son of God, and have come up through great tribulation, have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb, can enjoy the indescribable glory and unsurpassed beauty of heaven.’ ” Spiritual Gifts, vol. 2, 252, 253. [Emphasis author’s.]

Father, I do not know how to come in or go out or even how to pray. I just know that I would like my name to be written in the book of life. I ask that Your will be done and that You help me to drink of the cup that will prepare my heart for heaven.

Lifestyle – Perfect Circulation

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We know that “the life of the flesh is in the blood.” Leviticus 17:11. “In order to have good health, we must have good blood; for the blood is the current of life. It repairs waste and nourishes the body. When supplied with the proper food elements and when cleansed and vitalized by contact with pure air, it carries life and vigor to every part of the system. The more perfect the circulation, the better will this work be accomplished.” The Ministry of Healing, 271. Because of this, we must do everything possible to produce good blood and not do anything that will hinder circulation.

Hindrances to Healthy Circulation:

  • Excess fat in the diet and therefore in the blood causes the blood cells to become sticky and clump together. This interferes with the ability of the red blood cells to carry oxygen to the body and encourages them to block blood vessels, especially small vessels and capillaries that are the most affected. See Healthful Living, 67.
  • Sugar also thickens the blood, clogs the system, and hinders oxygen levels. See Testimonies, vol. 2, 369, 370.
  • Overeating puts a very heavy load on the stomach, robs the body of oxygen in order that the heavy load can be digested, and then further comprises oxygen levels as the heavy load of digested food enters the blood circulation. See Christian Temperance and Bible Hygiene, 51.
  • A sedentary life lessens circulation, endangering abundant health. Exercise and fresh air both stimulate the respiratory and cardiovascular systems, bringing much needed oxygen, nutrition and life to every cell in the body. See Testimonies, vol. 1, 562.
  • Poorly clad extremities interfere with good circulation. “Perfect health depends upon perfect circulation. … When the extremities, which are remote from the vital organs, are not properly clad, the blood is driven to the head, causing headache or nosebleed; or there is a sense of fullness about the chest.” Testimonies, vol. 2, 531.
  • Lack of trust in God and a sense of freedom from wrong. “If the mind is free and happy, under a consciousness of rightdoing and a sense of satisfaction in causing happiness to others, it will create a cheerfulness that will react upon the whole system, causing a freer circulation of the blood and a toning up of the entire body. The blessing of God is a healer, and those who are abundant in benefiting others will realize that wondrous blessing in their hearts and lives.” Testimonies, vol. 4, 60, 61.
  • Anything that hinders full, pure respiration hinders circulation. This could range from lack of deep breathing, poor posture, tight clothing, inhibition or damage to the lungs from smoking, air pollution, un-hygienic surroundings, or poor ventilation in buildings. See Child Guidance, 363, 364, 425; Healthful Living, 171–173.

“Thus an insufficient supply of oxygen is received. The blood moves sluggishly. The waste, poisonous matter, which should be thrown off in the exhalations from the lungs, is retained, and the blood becomes impure. Not only the lungs, but the stomach, liver, and brain are affected. The skin becomes sallow, digestion is retarded; the heart is depressed; the brain is clouded; the thoughts are confused; gloom settles upon the spirits; the whole system becomes depressed and inactive, and peculiarly susceptible to disease.” The Ministry of Healing, 273. In order to have health, we must work with our bodies to provide, not hinder, perfect circulation.

Our Past History – First Angel

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In Ellen G White’s book, Life Sketches of Ellen G. White, 196, she says, “We have nothing to fear for the future, except as we shall forget the way the Lord has led us, and His teaching in our past history.”

With this in mind, let us study a subject that is very broad and complex, namely, the Three Angels’ Messages. For some of you this study may only be a reminder with nothing new discerned, yet to be reminded of our sacred history is a matter that should never be dreaded. “We have nothing to fear for the future, except as we shall forget the way the Lord has led us, and His teaching in our past history.” Because these messages are very broad, in this study we will reflect only upon the first angel.

In Revelation 14:6, the Bible says, “And I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people.” I want to briefly emphasize the phrase another angel.

Throughout the book of Revelation the apostle John sees angels. Angels are directing traffic, blowing trumpets, pouring out plagues, and proclaiming messages. However, the angel in Revelation 14:6 is distinct from every angel preceding it. What is so unique about this angel? First of all, the word angel refers to a messenger. It can refer to a heavenly messenger such as in Matthew 13:41. Or it can refer to a human messenger such as in Matthew 11:10.

The Greek word for messenger is the same as angel. In Revelation 14:6, this angel has the everlasting gospel to preach, and since the preaching of the gospel is mentioned, the angel must therefore represent human messengers. In Mark 16:15, Jesus says, “Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.” Notice also Ephesians 3:10: “To the intent that now unto the principalities and powers in heavenly places might be known by the church the manifold wisdom of God.” The responsibility of preaching the gospel has been given to the church. Therefore, the angel John sees in Revelation 14:6 refers to a movement in which the church would proclaim a message. This is what makes this angel unique. It is the first angel in Revelation that has a message to preach to every nation, kindred, tongue, and people. And what is the message of the first angel?

Revelation 14:7 says, “Saying with a loud voice, Fear God, and give glory to Him; for the hour of His judgment is come: and worship Him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters.”

The message of the first angel is a message of the judgment hour. This message began to be proclaimed by William Miller in the early 1830s. The movement became known as the Millerite movement and later on as the Advent movement. The scripture that laid the foundation for this movement was Daniel 8:14, which says, “Unto two thousand and three hundred days; then shall the sanctuary be cleansed.”

Here we have a prophecy that the sanctuary is to be cleansed at the end of 2,300 days. Because this is a symbolic prophecy, the time is also symbolic. The Bible tells us that a symbolic day represents a year. “After the number of the days in which ye searched the land, even forty days, each day for a year, shall ye bear your iniquities, even forty years, and ye shall know my breach of promise.” Numbers 14:34. “And when thou hast accomplished them, lie again on thy right side, and thou shalt bear the iniquity of the house of Judah forty days: I have appointed thee each day for a year.” Ezekiel 4:6.

Notice how in both of these passages a prophetic proclamation is being given, and in both cases, each day corresponded to a year. So, the 2,300 days of Daniel 8:14 represents 2,300 years, and at the end of that time the sanctuary was to be cleansed.

The mystery that first perplexed William Miller was concerning the time in which the 2,300 years began. Once this was attained, he could know when the end of the time would be. The answer was unfolded when the meaning of Daniel 9:24 was discovered. It says, “Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people and upon thy holy city … .” I want to emphasize the word determined. The root meaning of this word is to cut or to divide. Therefore, the literal translation of Daniel 9:24 is, “Seventy weeks are cut from thy people … .” The question that naturally arose was: What was the 70 weeks cut off from? Well, the only other time given that did not include a beginning date was the time prophecy of Daniel 8:14, the 2,300 days. The angel Gabriel informed Daniel of the 2,300 days, but he never told him when it was to begin. Therefore, Gabriel returns to finish informing Daniel of this vision. In Daniel 9:23, the Bible says, “At the beginning of thy supplications the commandment came forth, and I am come to shew thee; for thou art greatly beloved: therefore understand the matter, and consider the vision.”

Notice how Gabriel told Daniel to “consider the vision.” What vision was he talking about? Well, the last vision Daniel had was the vision that introduced the 2,300 day prophecy. In Daniel 8:16, Gabriel is commanded to make Daniel understand this vision. However, verse 27 informs us that Daniel did not understand it, because he fainted as it was being explained to him. So after several years, the angel returned to finish explaining the vision. Thus he picks up where he left off, namely, with the time of the prophecy. He tells Daniel that seventy weeks are cut from his people. The only time that the seventy weeks can be cut from is the 2,300 days. And in Daniel 9:25, Gabriel gives the starting point for this time. It says, “Know therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem unto the Messiah the Prince shall be seven weeks, and threescore and two weeks: the street shall be built again, and the wall, even in troublous times.”

From the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem is when the 2,300 literal years were to start. All William Miller needed to do now was find the actual year this commandment was given. In Ezra 6:14 the answer is given. It says, “And they builded, and finished it, according to the commandment of the God of Israel, and according to the commandment of Cyrus, and Darius, and Artaxerxes king of Persia.” Notice this threefold commandment. The last king to finalize the commandment was Artaxerxes. Therefore, Miller concluded that the year that Artaxerxes gave the commandment was the official year to begin the countdown. In what year did Artaxerxes give his commandment?

In Ezra 7:7 we read, “And there went up some of the children of Israel, and of the priests, and the Levites, and the singers, and the porters, and the Nethinims, unto Jerusalem, in the seventh year of Artaxerxes the king.” So, in the seventh year of Artaxerxes the commandment was finalized, and history reveals that the seventh year of Artaxerxes was 457 B.C. With this date in mind, Miller and his associates eventually realized that the 2,300 literal years would end in the year A.D. 1844.

This was only a few years away from the time in which this discovery was made. Therefore, the Millerites proclaimed the message of a coming judgment in 1844. However, instead of proclaiming the cleansing of the heavenly sanctuary, the Millerites proclaimed the cleansing of the earth, which they thought was the sanctuary. Nevertheless, this message was in harmony with the judgment hour message proclaimed by the first angel of Revelation 14. Both constituted the early Advent movement of the 1830s and 1840s.

Now, this is the first angel that preached the everlasting gospel, but it is not the last. The message of judgment was to be followed by two other messages, and all were to be proclaimed together. In part two we will study the second angel’s message, and after that, the hope of the third angel. But for now, remember, “We have nothing to fear for the future, except as we shall forget the way the Lord has led us, and His teaching in our past history.”

Demario Carter is currently working as a Bible worker for Steps to Life. He may be contacted by email at: bibleworker@stepstolife.org.

The Mighty Angel of Revelation 10

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After the end of the 1,260 years, the termination of the 2,300 years and the great increase in the circulation of the Scriptures, we enter the time of the end when Jesus will return to this earth the second time. All of these things are calling the attention of the world to the opening of the great second-advent movement and the final judgment of the world just prior to His return to earth.

Prophecy does not identify any dates for events after October 22, 1844. But there is much information, which helps us to understand this period of time—the beginning of the second-advent movement to the end of the millennium.

The first text about the great second-advent movement is found in Revelation 10:1–3, 5–7:

“Then I saw another mighty angel coming down from heaven. He was robed in a cloud, with a rainbow above his head; his face was like the sun, and his legs were like fiery pillars. He was holding a little scroll, which lay open in his hand. He planted his right foot on the sea and his left foot on the land, and he gave a loud shout like the roar of a lion. When he shouted, the voices of the seven thunders spoke. …

“Then the angel I had seen standing on the sea and on the land raised his right hand to heaven. And he swore by him who lives for ever and ever, who created the heavens and all that is in them, the earth and all that is in it, and the sea and all that is in it, and said, ‘There will be no more delay! But in the days when the seventh angel is about to sound his trumpet, the mystery of God will be accomplished, just as he announced to his servants the prophets.’ ”

Notice the mighty angel in verse 1 was robed in a cloud, with a rainbow above his head; his face was like the sun, and his legs were like fiery pillars. Compare this description with the one given in Revelation 1:13, 15, 16 at the time when Jesus was inaugurated as our High Priest in the sanctuary in heaven.

“Among the lampstands was someone ‘like a son of man,’ dressed in a robe reaching down to his feet and with a golden sash around his chest. … His feet were like bronze glowing in a furnace … . His face was like the sun shining in all its brilliance.”

The weight of evidence from the comparison of these scriptures says that the Mighty angel in Revelation 10 is none other than Jesus Christ.

Another evidence that this is Jesus is found in verse 6: “And he swore by him who lives forever and ever, who created the heavens … and said, ‘There will be no more delay!’ ”

Only One who was equal with the Creator could make an oath with Him. Jesus is the only One who is equal with the Ancient of Days. The following reference is specific concerning this angel’s identification:

“The mighty angel who instructed John was no less a personage than Jesus Christ.” “Ellen G. White Comments,” Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, vol. 7, 971.

These statements leave us in no doubt as to who is in charge of the whole second-advent movement and guiding it with His supreme power and authority. This is a very comforting message for all true believers.

In Revelation 10:2, He was holding a little scroll, which lay open in his hand. The book being open means that the contents of the book can be read and understood. Daniel was informed in chapter 12:9 that the words were closed up and sealed until the time of the end. This refers to that portion of the book of Daniel that speaks about the sanctuary in heaven and events transpiring in the last days. The following statement is quite informative:

“The book that was sealed was not the book of Revelation, but that portion of the prophecy of Daniel which related to the last days. The Scripture says, ‘But thou, O Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book, even to the time of the end: many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased’ (Daniel 12:4).” Selected Messages, Book 2, 105.

The most important part of the book of Daniel that was sealed was that part of chapter 8 referring to the attack of the small horn against the ministry of Jesus in the sanctuary in heaven during the 1,260 years and following to the present time.

The following is an explanation of the significance of Jesus planting “his right foot on the sea and his left foot on the land.”

“The mighty angel who instructed John was no less a personage than Jesus Christ. Setting His right foot on the sea, and His left upon the dry land, shows the part which He is acting in the closing scenes of the great controversy with Satan. This position denotes His supreme power and authority over the whole earth. …

“The angel’s position, with one foot on the sea, the other on the land, signifies the wide extent of the proclamation of the [first angel’s] message. It will cross the broad waters and be proclaimed in other countries, even to all the world.” “Ellen G. White Comments,” Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, vol. 7, 971.

In Revelation 10:6 it says, “There will be no more delay!” This angel, who is Christ, is announcing that there will be no more delay.

“This time, which the angel declares with a solemn oath, is not the end of this world’s history, neither of probationary time, but of prophetic time, which should precede the advent of our Lord. That is, the people will not have another message upon definite time. After this period of time, reaching from 1842 to 1844, there can be no definite tracing of the prophetic time. The longest reckoning reaches to the autumn of 1844.” Ibid.

God is telling us that there will be no more time prophecies like the 70 weeks, the 2,300 years and the 1,260 years.

“ ‘And the angel which I saw stand upon the sea and upon the earth lifted up his hand to heaven, and sware by Him that liveth forever and ever, … that there should be time no longer’ [Revelation 10:5, 6]. This message announces the end of the prophetic periods.” Manuscript Releases, vol. 17, 9, 10.

These statements have reference to the three great time prophecies of the Bible, the seventy weeks, the 1,260 years and the 2,300 years. The time periods represented by these three prophecies had to be completed before the great controversy between Christ and Satan could be brought to a conclusion. Now that the last of these three time periods was completed, the great controversy could now move on to its conclusion without the restraint of time periods.

Here is another statement that gives light on when this phrase was proclaimed.

“When the book was opened, the proclamation was made, ‘Time shall be no longer.’ (See Revelation 10:6.) The book of Daniel is now unsealed, and the revelation made by Christ to John is to come to all the inhabitants of the earth.” Selected Messages, Book 2, 105.

This means that the book of Daniel is unsealed in the book of Revelation and can be proclaimed with power and understanding, that the message will not be delayed by the waiting for any more time prophecies to be fulfilled.

The following statement makes an interesting correlation between the angel (Christ) in Revelation 10 and the first angel’s message:

“The message of Revelation 14, proclaiming that the hour of God’s judgment is come, is given in the time of the end; and the angel of Revelation 10 is represented as having one foot on the sea and one foot on the land, showing that the message will be carried to distant lands, the ocean will be crossed, and the islands of the sea will hear the proclamation of the last message of warning to our world.” Manuscript Releases, vol. 17, 9.

This statement indicates that Christ, Himself, is directing the proclamation of the first angel’s message. The first angel’s message was given by the early advent preachers in the 1830s and early 1840s; therefore the events of Revelation 10 occurred at the same time before October 22, 1844. It was at this time that the last message of warning began to be proclaimed to the world.

In Revelation 10:7 we read, “But in the days when the seventh angel is about to sound his trumpet, the mystery of God will be accomplished.” What is the “mystery of God”?

I believe that the mystery of God is the same as the gospel of salvation. In Colossians 2:2, 3 and 6, it says, “My purpose is that they may be encouraged in heart and united in love, so that they may have the full riches of complete understanding, in order that they may know the mystery of God, namely, Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. … So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in Him.”

The mystery of God could be called the gospel. Look at Romans 16:25: “Now to him that is of power to stablish you according to my gospel, and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery, which was kept secret since the world began.” KJV Also read Ephesians 6:19: “And for me, that utterance may be given unto me, that I may open my mouth boldly, to make known the mystery of the gospel.” KJV

This is the message contained in the little scroll which lay open in his hand. Other names used for the gospel or new covenant include the following:

  • New covenant, Abrahamic covenant, Second covenant, Covenant of grace, See Patriarchs and Prophets, 371
  • Everlasting Covenant, See Genesis 17:7 and Patriarchs and Prophets, 370
  • Covenant of redemption, See The Signs of the Times, August 24, 1891
  • Covenant of peace, See Isaiah 54:9, 10 and Education, 115
  • Plan of salvation, See Patriarchs and Prophets, 63
  • The gospel and plan of redemption, The Signs of the Times, August 24, 1891

What is very interesting is that the new covenant is another name for the gospel. The mystery of God is the new covenant made by God the Father and His Son Jesus from times eternal. This is the subject of the first angel’s message that is to go to all the world.

Christ has come down to this earth, represented as a mighty angel to announce to the world that the time has come for this covenant to be completed.

Let us read in Revelation 10:7 what the angel (Jesus) said had already been done concerning the mystery of God: “But in the days when the seventh angel is about to sound his trumpet, the mystery of God will be accomplished, just as he announced to his servants the prophets.”

Jesus is saying in this phrase that He has already given the prophets information concerning the finishing of the gospel or the new covenant promises. Actually, in Bible prophecy we find that there are at least ten announcements explaining the accomplishment of the mystery of God that Christ has already given through His servants the prophets. This is probably the most widely publicized event in the whole great controversy between Christ and Satan.

The vision of the angel and the scroll in Revelation 10 is the first of these announcements. The angel (Christ) coming down to this earth and placing his right foot on the sea and his left foot on the land is the first announcement about the finishing of the mystery of God which is the gospel or new covenant.

We need to remind ourselves that the new covenant, the mystery of God, also called the gospel, is the very foundation of all Christianity.

We have already noticed that this angel came down to direct the proclamation of the first angel’s message in the 1830s and early 1840s. The first angel’s message, then, is the second announcement that we will study.

There are many angels mentioned in the Revelation. Let us turn in our Bibles to the first angel’s message in Revelation 14:6, 7. It is referred to as the first angel because in verse 8 a second angel is mentioned, and in verse 9 a third angel is seen with another message for the world.

“Then I saw another angel flying in midair, and he had the eternal gospel to proclaim to those who live on the earth—to every nation, tribe, language and people. He said in a loud voice, ‘Fear God and give Him glory, because the hour of His judgment has come. Worship Him who made the heavens, the earth, the sea and the springs of water.’ ”

There are three points in this message that we want to consider at this time:

  1. he had the eternal gospel (the new covenant) to proclaim
  2. the hour of His judgment has come
  3. he calls upon the people to worship their Creator

This first angel’s message was to be a part of a great religious awakening.

“A great religious awakening under the proclamation of Christ’s soon coming is foretold in the prophecy of the first angel’s message of Revelation 14. An angel is seen flying ‘in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people.’ ‘With a loud voice’ he proclaims the message: ‘Fear God, and give glory to Him; for the hour of His judgment is come: and worship Him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters’ [verses 6, 7].” The Great Controversy, 355.

This is the angel that is being directed by the angel (Christ) in Revelation 10:1. Notice the character of the messenger and the message that is described in the following statement:

“The fact that an angel is said to be the herald of this warning is significant. By the purity, the glory, and the power of the heavenly messenger, divine wisdom has been pleased to represent the exalted character of the work to be accomplished by the message and the power and glory that were to attend it. And the angel’s flight ‘in the midst of heaven,’ the ‘loud voice’ with which the warning is uttered, and its promulgation to all ‘that dwell on the earth,’—‘to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people,’—give evidence of the rapidity and world-wide extent of the movement.” Ibid.

There is also evidence in this statement concerning the time it is to be given.

“The message itself sheds light as to the time when this movement is to take place. It is declared to be a part of the ‘everlasting gospel;’ and it announces the opening of the judgment. The message of salvation has been preached in all ages; but this message is a part of the gospel which could be proclaimed only in the last days, for only then would it be true that the hour of judgment had come.” Ibid., 355, 356. [Emphasis author’s.]

Remember that this gospel was also called the new covenant along with eight other names. Two times in this statement it comments on this message being part of the gospel. We learned in previous studies that the gospel is about the new covenant and the new covenant sanctuary in heaven in which Jesus carries on His ministry of removing the confessed sins of God’s people.

The weight of evidence is that the judgment was a part of the new covenant plan from the very time it was formed by God the Father and the Son. Both Revelation 10 and Revelation 14 make reference to the finishing of the gospel.

In Revelation 10:7 it says, “The mystery of God will be accomplished.” This means that the new covenant plan of redemption will now be completed.

The first angel in Revelation 14:7 says, “The hour of His judgment has come.” The judgment is the last event in the new covenant plan of salvation to be completed. The announcement of the judgment is also a part of the first angel’s message.

There are three phases of a judgment or trial. They are:

  1. investigative phase
  2. executive phase (sentencing)
  3. execution phase

In the United States court system, a jury trial consists of these three phases.

  1. First there is an investigation of the charges filed against the individual on trial. The jury is apprised of all the evidence in the case and then presents a verdict of innocence or guilt. If innocent, the individual is released and set free. This is the investigative phase of the trial.
  2. If the individual is found guilty, then the trial moves to the second phase. In this phase the jury evaluates the severity of the crime and assigns a just punishment. This is known as the executive or sentencing phase of the judgment.
  3. The third phase in the trial is the execution of the sentence assigned—that is, applying the sentence to the individual.

The Bible judgment has these three phases. In the great judgment conducted by the God of heaven, which is in progress at the present time, these three phases of the trial are followed as in a jury trial.

In the book of James it says that the standard in the judgment will be the law of liberty or the ten commandments. “Speak and act as those who are going to be judged by the law that gives freedom.” James 2:12.

In Ecclesiastes 12:13, 14, Solomon gives counsel concerning our preparation for the judgment and the standard to be used. He said,

“Here is the conclusion of the matter: Fear God and keep His commandments, for this is the whole duty of man. For God will bring every deed into judgment, including every hidden thing, whether it is good or evil.”

The Day of Atonement services were conducted in the Most Holy Place of the sanctuary on earth. The Most Holy Place is also called the second apartment.

“In this way he will make atonement for the Most Holy Place because of the uncleanness and rebellion of the Israelites. When Aaron has finished making atonement for the Most Holy Place, the Tent of Meeting and the altar, he shall bring forward the live goat.” Leviticus 16:16, 20.

“Once a year, on the great Day of Atonement, the priest entered the Most Holy Place for the cleansing of the sanctuary. The work there performed completed the yearly round of ministration.” The Great Controversy, 419.

In the heavenly sanctuary, the cleansing is a counterpart to the Day of Atonement in the earthly sanctuary. That is the removal of sin from the Most Holy Place in the sanctuary in heaven. This is the first part of a jury trial, the determination of guilt or innocence.

The counterpart of the Day of Atonement in the earthly sanctuary began in the heavenly sanctuary on October 22, 1844, when Christ moved from the Holy Place to the Most Holy Place in heaven to begin the investigative judgment. (See Daniel 7:9, 10, 13.)

“This is the service which began when the 2,300 days ended. At that time, as foretold by Daniel the prophet, our High Priest entered the most holy, to perform the last division of His solemn work—to cleanse the sanctuary.” Ibid., 421.

In order to cleanse the heavenly sanctuary, an examination of the books to determine who is entitled to the benefits of His atonement must take place.

“There must be an examination of the books of record to determine who, through repentance of sin and faith in Christ, are entitled to the benefits of His atonement. The cleansing of the sanctuary therefore involves a work of investigation—a work of judgment.” Ibid., 422.

The eternal destiny of those who are found innocent in the investigative judgment is a wonderful place. Revelation 22:14 says,

“Blessed are those who wash their robes [keep the commandments], that they may have the right to the tree of life and may go through the gates into the city.”

Those who are found guilty in the investigative judgment are destroyed in the battle of Armageddon during the second coming of Jesus. Then they are subject to the second and third phases of the judgment. Revelation 20:5 says, “The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were ended.”

All the wicked are destroyed at the commencement of the 1,000 years. It is during this time that the saints are determining the sentences of the wicked.

The saints are taken to heaven at the beginning of the millennium and the earth has no human life on it for the next 1,000 years. The sentencing (executive) phase of the judgment takes place during this 1,000 year period.

“During the thousand years between the first and the second resurrection the judgment of the wicked takes place.” Ibid., 660.

The Bible says that the judges are the ones who are pronounced innocent in the investigative judgment.

Revelation 20:4, 6 says, “They came to life and reigned with Christ a thousand years. … They will be priests of God and of Christ and will reign with Him for a thousand years.”

Paul wrote to the church in Corinth reminding them that they would at some point in time be judges. In I Corinthians 6:2, 3, it says, “Do you not know that the saints will judge the world? … Do you not know that we will judge angels?”

“In union with Christ they [the righteous] judge the wicked, comparing their acts with the statute book, the Bible, and deciding every case according to the deeds done in the body. Then the portion which the wicked must suffer is meted out, according to their works; and it is recorded against their names in the book of death.” Ibid., 661.

The third phase of a jury trial is the execution phase in which the sentences are carried out or applied.

“The wicked will be raised from the dead and appear before God for the execution of ‘the judgment written.’ Thus the revelator, after describing the resurrection of the righteous, says: ‘The rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished.’ Revelation 20:5.” Ibid.

All of the wicked will be raised at the end of the 1,000 years for the execution of the judgment. The third phase of the judgment in the Bible is recorded in Revelation 20:7–15. These verses are not written in the order the events take place; therefore they may seem a little confusing to some. These verses in chronological order would read as follows:

Revelation 20:7–9, first part: “When the thousand years are over, Satan will be released from his prison and will go out to deceive the nations in the four corners of the earth … to gather them for battle. In number they are like the sand on the seashore. They marched across the breadth of the earth and surrounded the camp of God’s people, the city He loves.”

Verses 11–13: “Then I saw a great white throne and Him who was seated on it. Earth and sky fled from His presence, and there was no place for them. And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Another book was opened, which is the book of life. The dead were judged according to what they had done as recorded in the books. The sea gave up the dead that were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead that were in them, and each person was judged according to what he had done.”

Verse 9, last part: “But fire came down from heaven and devoured them.”

Verses 14 and 15: “Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. The lake of fire is the second death. If anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.”

Verse 10: “And the devil, who deceived them, was thrown into the lake of burning sulfur, where the beast and the false prophet had been thrown. They will be tormented day and night for ever and ever.”

In summary, the three phases of the proclamation of the eternal gospel and the judgment announced by the first angel are:

  1. The investigative phase – October 22, 1844, to the close of probation
  2. The sentencing (executive) phase – during the 1,000 years
  3. The execution phase – the handing down and executing the sentences after the 1,000 years are ended.

This has been a brief review of the three phases of the judgment as announced by the first angel and as directed by the mighty angel of Revelation 10:1.

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

Maurice Hoppe is retired and volunteers at Steps to Life. His primary responsibility is working with the Training Program for Ministers and Church Leaders and the Training Program for Lay Workers. He also conducts a Bible Correspondence School from his home with emphasis on Bible prophecy. He may be contacted at: mauricehoppe@stepstolife.org.

Acceptance with God

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I recently received a call from the man whom the Lord had used 15 years ago to open my eyes to the truth of the gospel. During our conversation, he asked me if I knew whether or not I had been accepted by God. I had to stop and think a bit, for that thought had never occurred to me.

As I pondered, Satan filled my mind with thoughts of my sinfulness, and I truly wondered if I had been accepted as the purchase of God or not.

My friend then directed me to an article in the book, Christ Our Righteousness, by E. J. Waggoner, one of the pioneers of Seventh-day Adventism. Thus began my search for more of the treasure hidden in the word of God.

During my search, I thought about those times when I had seen people accept Satan’s lie that only if we are good enough can we expect the Lord to accept us. I thought of one instance in which a faithful member of the church was involved in an automobile accident. She had been ill and was taking prescription medication that adversely affected her mental activity. Unwisely, she decided to run an errand in her car, during which she drifted across the center line on the road and collided head-on with two bicyclists, who suffered serious injuries. As a result of this accident, the woman completely lost her faith. She maintained that if God really loved her, if He had really accepted her, He would not have let such a thing happen.

When adversity occurs in our lives, we have two choices. We can murmur and complain, accusing God of not loving us, or we can look for His loving hand moving within the circumstances that seem so adverse to us. Often, we are prone to question our relationship with God and are tempted to think that God doesn’t love us. If He did, why would He have let this happen?

I would assert that either because of adverse events occurring in their lives or because they don’t think they are “good enough,” there are probably thousands who have been professed Christians for years who are still doubting their acceptance with God. Indeed, many people hesitate to make a start to serve the Lord because they fear that God will not accept them.

For those who ask “Has God accepted me?” or, “Will God receive me if and when I come to Him?” I would answer with a question, as Christ often did when questioned by His doubters: Will you accept, or receive, that which you have bought?

In this electronic age, it is common to do a lot of shopping over the Internet, and the minute that the “complete transaction” button is clicked, we begin looking forward to receiving and accepting that which we have bought. And when it finally arrives, we accept it. There is no room for question. We bought it. It’s ours. We accept it without question.

The fact that we bought the goods and paid money for them is sufficient proof, not only that we are willing, but that we are anxious to receive whatever it is that we have purchased. If we did not want it, we would not have bought it in the first place. Moreover, the more we paid, the more anxious we are to receive it. If the price we paid was great and we had almost given our life to earn it, then there can be no question but that we will accept the purchase when it is delivered to us. Our only concern is that the goods might be lost in transit.

Now let us apply this simple, natural illustration to the case of the sinner coming to Christ. In the first place, we know that He has indeed bought us.

“What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.” I Corinthians 6:19, 20.

We have indeed been bought, but what price was paid? The price that was paid for us was Christ’s own blood—His very life. This is a truth that virtually all of the New Testament writers confirmed.

In Acts 20:28, we read in Paul’s statement to the Ephesians whom he had called to Miletus, “Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which He hath purchased with His own blood.”

And in I Peter 1:18, 19, Peter wrote, “Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers; but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot.”

Paul stated this truth a bit differently in Titus 2:14, where he wrote that Christ “gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from all iniquity.”

In his letter to the Galatians, Paul mentioned again that Christ “gave Himself for our sins, that He might deliver us from this present evil world, according to the will of God and our Father.” Galatians 1:4.

Did He buy only those who profess Christ, or just those who have proven themselves worthy? According to His own words, He bought the whole world of sinners. In His conversation with Nicodemus, He said, as recorded in John 3:16, “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son.” Jesus also said in John 6:51, “The bread that I will give is My flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.” In this fascinating chapter, by the way, we see how the entire independent movement, except for twelve individuals, abandoned their Saviour and returned to the structure. Although they were accepted by Christ, they chose to reject His acceptance and continue down the road of error and falsehood where the organized church was leading them (verses 59–66). [Emphasis supplied.]

In Romans 5:6, 8, Paul makes it clear that Christ died for the ungodly while we were yet sinners. There is no need to think that we have to prove ourselves “worthy” to be among those for whom Christ paid an infinite price.

And the price paid was indeed infinite, was it not? All heaven was poured out to save us. Therefore we can know—not just believe, but know—that He very much desires that which He bought. He has His heart set on obtaining it, and He will not be satisfied without it.

In Hebrews 12:2, we are told that Jesus’ mind was on “the joy that was set before Him,” which gave Him all the strength that was necessary to endure the cross. So focused was He on that joy that the shame that He knew He was to endure was not even worthy of His consideration.

Long before Christ’s first advent, the Holy Spirit inspired the Old Testament writers to testify of the Saviour’s willingness to accept His purchase. In Isaiah 53:11, we read that “He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied.”

The remainder of that verse tells us why we don’t need to be burdened by sin any longer: “By his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for He shall bear their iniquities.” Christ Himself accepts us as His and in so doing, He accepts the guilt of our sins as well. [Emphasis supplied.]

You may think, as I once did, “But I am not worthy.” That means that you are not worth the price paid and therefore you fear to come to Christ lest He will repudiate the purchase. You might be justified in that thinking if the bargain was not sealed and the price was not already paid. However, consider this: if He refused to accept you on the grounds that you are not worth the price, He would not only lose you but also the price paid. In your own experience, even though the goods for which you have paid might not be worth what you gave for them, you yourself would not be so foolish as to throw them away. You would rather get some return for your money than get nothing. You would prefer to sell them in a garage sale for pennies on the dollar rather than to toss them out.

In addition, we really do not need to worry about the question of worth. When Christ was on earth “checking out” His purchase, He “needed not that any should testify of man; for He knew what was in man.” John 2:25. He made the purchase with His eyes open, and He knew the exact value of that which He bought. He is not at all disappointed when we come to Him and He finds that we are worthless. We do not need to worry over the question of worth. If He, with His perfect knowledge, was satisfied to make the bargain and seal the deal, we should be the last ones to worry about the details of worthiness.

The most wonderful reason of all that we should not question our worth in the transaction is that He bought us for the very reason that we are not worthy. His omniscient eye saw in us great possibilities and He bought us, not for what we were then and are now worth, but for what He could make of us. He says in Isaiah 43:25, “I, even I, am He that blotteth out thy transgressions for Mine own sake.” We have no righteousness; therefore He bought us, “that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him.” II Corinthians 5:21. And in Colossians 2:9, 10, Paul states, “For in Him dwelleth all the fullness of the Godhead bodily. And ye are complete in Him, which is the head of all principality and power.” [Emphasis supplied.]

In Ephesians, Paul gives a fairly succinct version of this whole process of redemption.

“And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins; wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience: among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others. But God, who is rich in mercy, for His great love wherewith He loved us, even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved) and hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus: that in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus” [emphasis supplied]. Ephesians 2:1–7.

Earlier in Ephesians, Paul noted that we are to be “to the praise of the glory of His grace.” Ephesians 1:6. This we could not be if we were originally worth all He paid for us. There would in that case be no glory to Him in the transaction. He could not, in the ages to come, show in us the riches of His grace. But, when He takes us, worth nothing, and at the last presents us faultless before the throne, it will be to His everlasting glory. And then there will not be any to credit worthiness to themselves. Throughout eternity, the sanctified hosts will unite in saying to Christ: “Thou art worthy … for Thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by Thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation; and hast made us unto our God kings and priests … Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing.” Revelation 5:9, 10, 12.

Surely, all doubt as to acceptance with God ought to be set at rest. But … but it is not. The evil heart of unbelief still suggests doubt. Some are prone to say, “I believe all this, but … .” Please, stop right there; if we believed, we would not say “but.” When people add “but” to the statement that they believe, they really mean “I believe, but I don’t believe.”

Some persist, “Perhaps you are right, but hear me out. What I was going to say is, I believe the Scripture statements that have been quoted, but the Bible says that if we are children of God we shall have the witness of the Spirit and will have the witness in ourselves, and I don’t feel any such witness; therefore I can’t believe that I am Christ’s. I believe His word, but I don’t have the witness.” Let’s relieve that difficulty in believing by digging deeper into God’s word.

As to our being Christ’s, we can settle that ourselves. We have seen what He gave for us. Now the question is, Have we delivered ourselves to Him? If we have, we may be absolutely sure that He has accepted us. If we are not His, it is solely because we have refused to deliver to Him that which He has bought. We are, in effect, defrauding Him. He says, “All day long I have stretched forth My hands unto a disobedient and gainsaying people.” Romans 10:21. Paul here refers to Isaiah 65:2: “I have spread out my hands all the day unto a rebellious people, which walketh in a way that was not good, after their own thoughts.”

Christ begs us to give Him that which He has bought and paid for, yet we refuse and charge Him with not being willing to receive us. But if from the heart we have yielded ourselves to Him to be His children, we may be assured that He has received us.

Now, as to our believing His words, yet doubting if He accepts us because we don’t feel the witness in our hearts, I still insist that we don’t believe. If we did, we would have the witness. Listen to His word in I John 5:10: “He that believeth on the Son of God hath the witness in himself: he that believeth not God hath made Him a liar; because he believeth not the record that God gave of His Son.” To believe the Son is simply to believe His word and the record concerning Him.

“He that believeth on the Son of God hath the witness in himself.” We can’t have the witness until we believe, and as soon as we believe, we have the witness. How is that? Because our belief in God’s word IS the witness! God says so: “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” Hebrews 11:1. Our belief is the substance of that for which we so earnestly hope and the evidence of our witness.

If we should hear God say with an audible voice that we are His child, we would consider that sufficient witness. Well, when God speaks in His word, it is the same as though He spoke with an audible voice, and our faith is the evidence that we hear and believe.

This is such important a matter that it is worth careful consideration. Let’s read a little more of the record in God’s word. First, in Galatians 3:26, we read that we are “all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus.” This is a positive confirmation concerning our belief in the witness. Our faith makes us children of God. But how do we obtain this faith? “Faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” Romans 10:17.

From my personal experience, I can testify that when I read God’s word aloud, it oftentimes becomes more firmly implanted in my mind than when I read silently. Have you ever read a paragraph silently without concentrating on it, only to discover when you’ve finished that you have no idea what you just read? By reading aloud, I am forced to concentrate more carefully on what I’m reading, and my mind doesn’t wander. I hear the Word as well as read it. I absorb it through my eyes and my ears.

As we read God’s word, how do we obtain faith in it? Just by believing and knowing that God cannot lie (Titus 1:2). We would certainly not call God a liar to His face, but isn’t that just what we are doing when we don’t believe His word? All we have to do to believe is simply to believe!

Have you ever had an experience in your life when you had to force yourself to act on what you knew to be true, even though it seemed initially not to be what you should do? I certainly have—and more than once.

One very windy day I was walking with my dog through the forest. As I was walking, I was going over my Scripture cards, reading them aloud to try to get them to stick in my memory. Usually my dog would run around sniffing all the wonderful smells on the forest floor. After a while, I realized that my dog was nowhere to be seen. I called and called, but with the sound of the wind blowing through the trees, my voice didn’t carry very far, and my dog couldn’t hear me.

I began to ponder how I could break the news to my grandson, who had given me the dog, that it had become lost in the forest. Then it suddenly dawned on me that not only was my dog lost, but so was I! I had not paid any attention to where I had been walking and did not recognize anything around me.

My intuition told me that the road and my car should be just over the next ridge. So I climbed the hill and looked down the other side, expecting to see just that. But, there was nothing but more forest. So I dropped down the hill and climbed up the next ridge. Again, nothing but forest ahead.

Then it dawned on me that when I left my car, the sun was coming from behind me. Therefore to get back to my car, I needed to change my direction of travel, completely contrary to my intuition, and walk facing the sun. After doing that, I reached the road in about ten minutes. I walked up the road about a quarter of a mile and there by my car was my dog, patiently waiting for me.

All I had to do to get where I wanted to go was to believe and act on what I knew to be the truth, even though it seemed contrary to my intuition.

Paul alludes to this depth of faith in Romans 10:8–11: “The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach; That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised Him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on Him shall not be ashamed.”

All this is in harmony with the record given throughout Paul’s writings. “The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God; And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ.” Romans 8:16, 17.

This Spirit which witnesses with our spirit is the Comforter that Jesus promised in John 14:16. And we know that Its witness is true, for It is the “Spirit of truth.” Verse 17.

How does It bear witness? It bears witness by bringing to remembrance the Word which has been recorded. It inspired those words, and, therefore, when It brings them to our remembrance, it is the same as though It were speaking them directly to us.

We can confirm that from Scripture. In II Peter 1:21: “Holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.” And in I Corinthians 2:13, Paul tells us that he speaks the things that the Holy Ghost teaches.

The Spirit presents to our minds the record that we know is true, for God cannot lie. We can bid Satan and his evil intentions to be gone, because we believe the record in God’s word that we are His children, fully accepted in Him through Christ and His atoning sacrifice.

Then the glorious truth breaks more fully upon the soul. The repetition of the words makes it a reality to us. He is our Father. We are His children. What absolute joy that thought gives us! So we see that the witness which we have in ourselves is not a simple impression or an emotion. God does not ask us to trust so unreliable a witness as our feelings. He who trusts his own heart is a fool, the Scripture says in Proverbs 28:26. But the witness that we are to trust is the unchangeable word of God, and this witness we may have through the Spirit in our own hearts. “Thanks be unto God for His unspeakable gift.” II Corinthians 9:15.

This assurance does not mean that we can relax in our diligence and settle down contentedly, as though we had gained perfection. We must remember that Christ accepts us not for our sake, but for His own sake—not because we are perfect, but that in Him we may go on to perfection. He blesses us not because we have been so good that we have deserved a blessing, but in order that in the strength of the blessing we may turn away from our iniquities (Acts 3:26).

In John 1:12, we are told, “But as many as received Him, to them gave He power [emphasis supplied] to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on His name.”

To everyone that believes in Christ, the power—the right—the privilege—is given to become the sons of God, to be accepted in the Beloved. It is by the “exceeding great and precious promises” of God through Christ that we are made “partakers of the Divine nature.” II Peter 1:4.

John Pearson is part of the Steps to Life team. He can be contacted by email at: johnpearson@stepstolife.org.

The Opportunity of a Lifetime

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We live in a day of technology such as was not even imagined just a few years ago. Years ago we never dreamed that we would have so much access to so much information that is available today. Study methods were so different; copies were made of things we wanted to remember. My grade school teacher had a whole box full of cards that she studied.

My parents copied important statements in notebooks, and in the last few months, while going through my mother’s things, I found a whole book of quotations about heaven that my father recorded from his devotional reading, many of them while a soldier in Burma and India during World War 11. We are just pilgrims and strangers in this world, and if you lose your vision of heaven, you are lost and will just start living for this world and whatever is down here.

There are some things, especially about future events, that are important enough that, even if they are studied out before, are beneficial to review. What is referred to as “the little time of trouble,” is bigger trouble than that of which you have ever seen or heard. It is called “the little time of trouble” because it is not nearly as bad as the big time of trouble that is coming right after it. We often study about the great time of trouble described in Daniel 12:1, which occurs after the close of probation. The progression of events and life do not go just from peace and safety to the great time of trouble in one great leap.

If you had just learned to swim and could swim across the pool, it would not mean you could swim the English Channel. Before that could be possible, there would have to be a period of training. Just so, the great time of trouble! To be equipped and able to endure this time, it would be necessary to first go through a little time of trouble.

In many places in the New Testament, it talks about the trouble that is coming upon this world. Jesus talked about it. Paul talked about it. Peter talked about it. James talked about it. John talked about it. Over and over again the Bible talks about the fact that in the last days there are going to be troublous times. Ellen White was shown in vision, in 1847, about this little time of trouble that was going to come. This is recorded in the book Early Writings, 32, 33.

It is a wonderful privilege we have as Seventh-day Adventists to have access to the Spirit of Prophecy. In the vision given to Ellen White in Topsham, Maine, while she was in a prayer meeting with a group of believers, she describes what she saw. In vision she was taken to heaven. This was the same experience as Ezekiel and John. Though their bodies remained on the earth, while in vision, their minds are taken to anywhere in the universe.

Mrs. White had been taken to heaven many times in vision, but this time she was taken to where God’s sanctuary is; the veil was lifted, and she was taken into the Holy Place. She describes what she saw there. She saw a table of showbread, seven golden candlesticks, and an altar of incense, but then she says the veil was lifted, and she was allowed to go into the Most Holy Place. This is very interesting, because in the Old Covenant, women were not even allowed in the sanctuary, and Ellen White was a woman and allowed to go into the Most Holy Place. She was a prophet.

In the Most Holy Place in the sanctuary in heaven she saw the ark. In the earthly sanctuary there were two cherubs made from pure gold placed above the mercy seat. However, in heaven real cherubs, real angels, stand at either end of the ark facing each other just like it was in the earthly sanctuary. While still in vision, the Lord lifted the lid on the ark, and she was allowed to look inside and see the Ten Commandments written on tables of stone. (See Early Writings, 32, 33.)

She was astonished when she saw the tables of commandments. On one table were the first four and on the second table were the last six. The first four commandments deal with our relationship with God, and the other six deal with our relationship to our fellow man. She noticed that the commandments on the first table were brighter than the last six, but then she was most astonished that the Sabbath commandment had a halo of light over it more than all of the rest. The Sabbath commandment is the most important commandment of the law. We are not depreciating any other commandment; breaking any commandment will keep a person out of heaven, but the Sabbath is the most important commandment of the law. The reason the devil wants to change the Sabbath is to cause men to forget God. The Sabbath causes men to remember Him. The very first word in the fourth commandment is “remember” [Exodus 20:8].

“Remember the sabbath day to keep it holy.”

In the book Early Writings, 33, she says, “I saw that the holy Sabbath is, and will be, the separating wall between the true Israel of God and unbelievers; and that the Sabbath is the great question to unite the hearts of God’s dear, waiting saints.

“I saw that God had children who do not see and keep the Sabbath.” Ibid. How many children does God have who do not see and keep the Sabbath? There could easily be many millions. What is going to happen to these children of God who do not see and keep the Sabbath? When probation closes, there is no more a Mediator in the heavenly sanctuary. As long as Jesus is presenting Himself as our High Priest, our sins of ignorance are covered and forgiven. Sins of ignorance are those of which we are unaware. But what about those children He says are His who do not see and keep the Sabbath?

Some people have a very simplistic view of the Ten Commandments, but they cover the entire moral duty of man and involve the thoughts and the feelings and the affections of the heart (Hebrews 4:12). In the beginning of The Ellen G. White 1888 Materials, it says that before probation closes, all of these things must be revealed to us, and then we must change so that our life is in perfect harmony with God’s law. But right now God has children out there in the world who are His children; they are breaking the Sabbath every week, and they don’t know about it.

Well, what is going to happen to them? Every command of God is a promise (see Thoughts from the Mount of Blessing, 76). It is fair to say then that when God commands something, you accept that command as a promise. The Holy Spirit will enable you to start keeping the Sabbath. So what is going to happen to those children that God has in the world who are not keeping the Sabbath now because of ignorance? Mrs. White says, “I saw that God had children who do not see and keep the Sabbath. They have not rejected the light upon it. And at the commencement of the time of trouble, we were filled with the Holy Ghost as we went forth and proclaimed the Sabbath more fully.” Early Writings, 33. Before probation closes, those whom God claims as His will be made aware of the Sabbath, as it will be proclaimed more fully at the commencement of the time of trouble.

Now, when Ellen White wrote this statement, some Adventist people were confused, thinking that “the time of trouble” refers to when Michael stands up, the close of probation when the plagues begin to fall and there is no Mediator. So what good would it do to proclaim the Sabbath more fully after that?

What did the statement mean: “At the commencement of the time of trouble, we were filled with the Holy Ghost as we went forth and proclaimed the Sabbath more fully”? Ellen White had to write an explanation, and it is recorded in “An Explanation,” Early Writings, 85.

“This view was given in 1847 when there were but very few of the Advent brethren observing the Sabbath, and of these but few supposed that its observance was of sufficient importance to draw a line between the people of God and unbelievers. Now the fulfillment of that view is beginning to be seen. ‘The commencement of that time of trouble,’ here mentioned does not refer to the time when the plagues shall begin to be poured out, but to a short period just before they are poured out, while Christ is in the sanctuary. At that time, while the work of salvation is closing, trouble will be coming on the earth, and the nations will be angry, yet held in check so as not to prevent the work of the third angel. At that time the ‘latter rain,’ or refreshing from the presence of the Lord, will come, to give power to the loud voice of the third angel, and prepare the saints to stand in the period when the seven last plagues shall be poured out.” Ibid., 85, 86.

The time of trouble that she referred to is just before probation closes, when the latter rain and the loud cry of the third angel are given. During that period of time, everybody in the whole world will learn about the commandments of God, the law of God, and the Sabbath, and everybody in the world will make a decision and be on one side or the other.

What is going to happen during this little time of trouble that takes place just before probation closes and how do we get ready for it? Many people have made the whole focus of their life a physical preparation for a time like this. However, while physical preparation is all right, it is the spiritual preparation that is most important. If you have the spiritual preparation, the Lord can get you through whatever kind of situation in which you find yourself. But if you do not have the spiritual preparation, all the physical preparation in the world is not going to help you.

During the little time of trouble that is coming, God’s children are going to be scattered to many countries as a result of persecution. There are a lot of people who think the way to get ready for it is to get a place that is way out in the country where there is an independent water supply, independent electricity, and to be totally self-sufficient and able to grow your own garden. I am not saying that God has not sent somebody to do something like that. But what are you going to do in a situation like that if, after you have all this in place, you have to flee to Mexico, or Canada or South America or somewhere else because of persecution? It has been predicted that God’s children will be scattered into many countries.

It is most important to prepare spiritually for the times that are coming on this earth before Jesus comes. “When the reasoning of philosophy has banished the fear of God’s judgments; when religious teachers are pointing forward to long ages of peace and prosperity, and the world are absorbed in their rounds of business and pleasure, planting and building, feasting and merrymaking, rejecting God’s warnings and mocking His messengers—then it is that sudden destruction cometh upon them, and they shall not escape.” Patriarchs and Prophets, 104.

I remember so well in 1989 when the Iron Curtain fell. Articles appeared in the national magazines and people were just rejoicing and adoring Ronald Reagan [40th president of the United States] and Pope John Paul 11, giving them the credit for bringing the barrier down. The national magazines even claimed there was no longer need of a military; now there will be peace! Paul said, “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.” 1 Thessalonians 5:3. Only a few short years later, in 1991, we were in war again. The peace did not last very long, and we found out right away that we were still in need of the military, and it has been evident more and more since that time.

We have been warned that the people are not going to fear; they are going to believe that they have nothing to worry about with God’s judgments and that the religious teachers will be pointing forward to long ages of peace and prosperity. For this reason, the little time of trouble is going to take most of the world by surprise, except those who believe the prophecies and are aware of what is happening. They will think they are getting together for a millennium of peace. They will think they are going to get together for a great celebration, a great rejoicing. (See Maranatha, 317.) People will be urged to join the millennium of peace that has already started. All that is needed is to be in harmony with the Sunday Law and all will be harmonious.

“The people are dreaming of prosperity and peace. ‘Escape for thy life,’ is the warning from the angels of God; but other voices are heard saying, ‘Be not excited; there is no cause for alarm.’ The multitudes cry, ‘Peace and safety,’ while Heaven declares that swift destruction is about to come upon the transgressor. On the night prior to their destruction [the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah], the cities of the plain rioted in pleasure and derided the fears and warnings of the messenger of God; but those scoffers perished in the flames; that very night the door of mercy was forever closed to the wicked, careless inhabitants of Sodom. God will not always be mocked; He will not long be trifled with. ‘Behold, the day of the Lord cometh, cruel both with wrath and fierce anger, to lay the land desolate: and He shall destroy the sinners thereof out of it.’ Isaiah 13:9. The great mass of the world will reject God’s mercy, and will be overwhelmed in swift and irretrievable ruin. But those who heed the warning shall dwell ‘in the secret place of the most High,’ and ‘abide under the shadow of the Almighty.’ His truth shall be their shield and buckler [Psalm 91:1, 4].” Ibid., 167.

At the beginning of the time of trouble, God’s people will proclaim the Sabbath more fully, and it is going to everybody in the world in a very, very short time. We do not know exactly how long it will be. With our telecommunications today, very soon it will be possible to communicate to every person in the world in about 24 hours. God is making the necessary preparations, so it is going to close down very, very fast.

While God’s people are proclaiming the Sabbath more fully to the world, the religious teachers are going to be telling the people not to listen to the Adventists, because there will be a long period of peace and prosperity. The devil will make sure that happens for a period of time and the world will be convinced and will scoff at the warnings of God. You have to be willing to have some opposition if you are going to be on God’s side of the great controversy as we approach the end, because people will scoff.

At the end of the world, whole nations will be destroyed, but first, just cities or local regions will be affected. “Calamities will come—calamities most awful, most unexpected, and these destructions will follow one after another. If there will be a heeding of the warnings God has given, and if churches will repent, returning to their allegiance, then other cities may be spared for a time. But if men who have been deceived continue in the same way in which they have been walking, disregarding the law of God and presenting falsehoods before the people, God allows them to suffer calamity, that their senses may be awakened.

“The Lord will not suddenly cast off all transgressors or destroy entire nations; but He will punish cities and places where men have given themselves up to the possession of Satanic agencies.” Evangelism, 27. Recently, there have been many cities destroyed by floods and earthquakes. Daily you can read of disasters taking place all over the world.

“Strictly will the cities of the nations be dealt with, and yet they will not be visited in the extreme of God’s indignation, because some souls will yet break away from the delusions of the enemy, and will repent and be converted, while the mass will be treasuring up wrath against the day of wrath.” Ibid.

So, there are going to be calamities or, what we call today, natural disasters. Tornadoes, earthquakes, floods, hurricanes, all manner of great fires, all manner of natural disasters are going to occur, and at the same time that there are these natural disasters, there’s going to be what we call “political trouble” that will be developing.

“The world is stirred with the spirit of war. The prophecies of the eleventh of Daniel have almost reached their final fulfillment.

“Soon strife among the nations will break out with an intensity that we do not now anticipate.” Maranatha, 174.

There had already been a tremendous slaughter in Russia in 1905, but for several decades before World War I in 1914, leading statesmen in Europe were very concerned about a general war breaking out in the last part of the nineteenth century. When World War I broke out, the world was changed forever.

World War I was the most awful war the world had ever seen up until that time. As a result, the entire army was almost totally destroyed. Before the war, the Czar of Russia had an army of about two and a half million soldiers, but since his army was practically destroyed, the Czar was left almost powerless. A revolution erupted; the Czar and his family were all killed in cold blood, which led to a communist takeover of over half of the world and lasted until the 1970s. World War I destabilized the whole world and World War II destabilized it even further.

Ellen White said that, “Soon grievous troubles will arise among the nations—trouble that will not cease until Jesus comes. As never before we need to press together, serving Him who has prepared His throne in the heavens and whose kingdom ruleth over all. God has not forsaken His people, and our strength lies in not forsaking Him.” Maranatha, 25.

Concerning this period just before the war broke out, Ellen White wrote, “The present is a time of overwhelming interest to all living. Rulers and statesmen, men who occupy positions of trust and authority, thinking men and women of all classes, have their attention fixed upon the events taking place about us. They are watching the strained, restless relations that exist among the nations. They observe the intensity that is taking possession of every earthly element, and they realize that something great and decisive is about to take place—that the world is on the verge of a stupendous crisis.” Maranatha, 174. That stupendous crisis has started and will not cease until Jesus comes; it will never again be stable like it has been in the past. Now, during this period of time while there are grievous troubles among the nations, natural disasters and calamities, and strife among the nations, the Three Angels’ Messages and the Sabbath message must go to the whole world. It may be that this will not be fully understood until the time comes when the Lord gives us the message. We know from a number of statements that God is going to give His people special messages and truth that we have not understood before, right at this period of time, right at the end of time.

At the right time, if we are ready, she says, “… we were filled with the Holy Ghost as we went forth and proclaimed the Sabbath more fully.” The Review and Herald, July 21, 1851. Being in a condition to receive the Holy Spirit is of paramount importance to us as we approach the end of time, for without it, it will be impossible to go out with power and spread the final message.

In The Great Controversy, 589, 590, it says that God is going to allow the devil to bring disasters upon the people of this world, because they are disobedient to this law. Tornadoes, earthquakes, fires and other terrible disasters will be blamed on Sabbath-keepers for refusing to reverence Sunday worship and honoring the resurrection of Christ. Those who stand true to God at that time will be brought before rulers and interrogated before courts.

Jesus said, “You will be brought before governors and kings for My sake, as a testimony to them and to the Gentiles. But when they deliver you up, do not worry about how or what you shall speak. For it will be given to you in that hour what you should speak; for it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father who speaks in you.” Matthew 10:18–20.

Being brought before a court today, with the technology now available, may give opportunity to bear witness to more people in one day than in a whole previous lifetime. At that time we are told that “when brought into trial the Holy spirit will bring to their remembrance the very truths that will reach the hearts of those who shall come to hear.” Maranatha, 45. In order for that to happen, there must have been some prior studying. “The servants of Christ are to prepare no set speech to present when brought to trial for their faith. Their preparation is to be made day by day, in treasuring up in their hearts the precious truths of God’s word, in feeding upon the teaching of Christ.” Ibid.

“The time will come, when we shall be brought before councils and before thousands for His name’s sake, and each one will have to give the reason of his faith.” Ibid., 252. Men and women will be standing alone to answer for their faith.

Are you ready to give an answer as to why you believe what you believe? “Every position of truth taken by our people will bear the criticism of the greatest minds; the highest of the world’s great men will be brought in contact with truth, and therefore every position we take should be critically examined and tested by the Scriptures.” Ibid.

The Scriptures are explicit. Our faith is not built on implicit evidence. It is built on explicit evidence. Explicit evidence is what the Bible actually says and not what you think it means. “Now we seem to be unnoticed, but this will not always be. Movements are at work to bring us to the front, and if our theories of truth can be picked to pieces by historians or the world’s greatest men, it will be done.” Ibid.

The most difficult speech to give is one that you have to give to a hostile audience, to those who do not like what you believe and would love to prove you wrong. Though the audience at that time will be hostile, it will be a marvelous opportunity for those who are ready to witness for Jesus. “The Lord Jesus will give the disciples a tongue and wisdom that their adversaries can neither gainsay nor resist. Those who could not by reasoning overcome satanic delusions, will bear an affirmative testimony that will baffle supposedly learned men. Words will come from the lips of the unlearned with such convincing power and wisdom that conversions will be made to the truth. Thousands will be converted under their testimony.” Ibid. Isn’t that exciting?

Thousands of people will hear the message for the first time, and though the majority will reject it, there will be someone listening who responds to the prompting of the Holy Spirit.

“The time is not far off when the people of God will be called upon to give their testimony before the rulers of the earth. Not one in twenty has a realization of what rapid strides we are making toward the great crisis in our history. … There is no time for vanity, for trifling, for engaging the mind in unimportant matters.

“Kings, governors, and great men will hear of you through the reports of those who are at enmity with you, and your faith and character will be misrepresented before them. But those who are falsely accused will have an opportunity to appear in the presence of their accusers to answer for themselves.

“They will have the privilege of bringing the light before those who are called the great men of the earth, and if you have studied the Bible, if you are ready to give an answer to every man that asketh you of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear, your enemies will not be able to gainsay your wisdom.

“You now have an opportunity to attain to the greatest intellectual power through the study of the word of God. But if you are indolent, and fail to dig deep in the mines of truth, you will not be ready for the crisis that is soon to come upon us. O that you would realize that each moment is golden. If you live by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God, you will not be found unprepared.

“You know not where you may be called upon to give your witness of truth. Many will have to stand in the legislative courts … .” Ibid., 253.

A legislative court is different than a judicial court. A judicial court is the court in which we usually stand. A legislative court is either a court in the capitol of the state or the country where the laws are made. A legislative court of the United States is its Congress, its House of Representatives, and its Senate. However, there are legislative courts in each state that make laws for that state. Mrs. White goes on to say, “Many will have to stand in the legislative courts; some will have to stand before kings and before the learned of the earth, to answer for their faith.

“Those who have only a superficial understanding of truth will not be able tclearly to expound the Scriptures, and give definite reasons for their faith. They will become confused, and will not be workmen that need not to be ashamed. Let no one imagine that he has no need to study, because he is not to preach in the sacred desk. You know not what God may require of you.” Ibid.

Are you getting ready? This is going to be the greatest opportunity of your life. If that promise is going to be fulfilled, you will need to know what the Bible says.

If your argument is established on the word of God, no matter how wise the opposition is, truth will still stand and if you have faith, if you have been a student of the Bible, it will be the greatest opportunity of your life.

[Bible texts quoted are NKJV translation.]

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

Editorial – The Standard, Part II

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Just as an inaccurate standard of time or length or weight will produce serious consequences, an inaccurate moral standard will produce serious moral consequences.  “A wrong conception of the character, the perpetuity, and the obligation of the divine law has led to errors in relation to conversion and sanctification, and has resulted in lowering the standard of piety in the church. Here is to be found the secret of the lack of the Spirit and power of God in the revivals of our time.” A New Life [Revival and Beyond], 10.

“The law of God is an agent in every genuine conversion. There can be no true repentance without conviction of sin. The Scriptures declare that ‘sin is the transgression of the law,’ [1 John 3:4] and that ‘by the law is the knowledge of sin’ [Romans 3:20]. In order to see his guilt, the sinner must test his character by God’s great standard of righteousness. … Without true repentance, there can be no true conversion. Many are deceived here, and too often their entire experience proves to be a deception. This is why so many who are joined to the church have never been joined to Christ.” The Spirit of Prophecy, vol. 4, 297.

“In the closing work of God in the earth, the standard of His law will be again exalted.” Prophets and Kings, 186.

In 1886, Ellen White wrote a letter to leading Adventist ministers about the importance of uplifting the standard of God’s law. Following are excerpts from that letter: “I [Ellen White] want to speak to the ears of our people in America in every church. Awake from the dead, and Christ will give you life. Souls are perishing for the light of truth as it is in Jesus. We are standing upon the very borders of the eternal world. … There must be intensity brought into our faith and in the proclamation of truth. I tell you, a new life is proceeding from satanic agencies to work with a power we have not hitherto realized. And shall not a new power from above take possession of God’s people? The truth, sanctifying in its influence, must be urged upon the people. There must be earnest supplications offered to God, agonizing prayer to Him, that our hopes as a people may not be founded on suppositions, but on eternal realities. We must know for ourselves, by the evidence of God’s Word, whether we are in the faith, going to heaven or not. The moral standard of character is God’s law. Do we meet its requirements?” Selected Messages, Book 2, 382, 383.

The law of God—the only true, infallible standard of character in our world “is the standard of the character they must attain in order to be among God’s family in the heavenly courts.”  The Review and Herald, March 22, 1898.