The Pen of Inspiration – Our Failure to Fulfill the Saviour’s Commission, Part II

Christ loves the human race; and in every action of His life He has expressed this love. He calls upon men to love one another as He has loved them. His saving power and love are ever to be the theme of those who believe in God. Just before His ascension, He gave to His disciples the commission, “Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world.” [Matthew 28:19, 20.]

Executor of the Saviour’s Will

Thus was given to the disciples a most precious trust. They were to be the executors of the will in which Christ has bequeathed to the world the treasure of eternal life. They realized the responsibility of their work. They knew that they held in their hands the bread of life for a famishing world, and they went everywhere preaching the word. The love of Christ constrained them, and they could not forbear breaking the bread of life to all who were in need. The last words of the Saviour were constantly sounding in their ears.

In the trust given to the first disciples, each believer has a share. Each one is to be an executor of the Saviour’s will. Each one has been given sacred truth to give to the earnest seeker. Every believer is to be a laborer together with God.

I appeal to all who claim to believe the truth, to realize the importance of the message God has given us to bear to the world. In city after city self-sacrificing work must be done. Province after province must be enlightened. The truth is to go forth as a lamp that burneth. Those who profess to know God and Jesus Christ whom He hath sent, must not fall into the cold, selfish practices of the world. Their zeal must not die. They must not allow spiritual declension, with all its baleful influence, to come in. Church-members are in great danger of forgetting the peculiar benefits and blessing which have been given them, and the responsibility which rests upon them,—in danger of turning away from Christ and allowing their thoughts to run in worldly channels for the sake of gain.

Form of Godliness

The gospel will not sustain a final defeat; it will triumph. But for years it has been evident that selfishness, under the form of godliness, has been entering the Church. The perverse ways of Satan have taken the place of the ways of God. Unholy difference of opinion, under the garb of zeal for religion, has taken the place of Christian charity. By their bigotry, professed Christians have violated the principles which should ever be sacredly cherished. Criticism and denunciation have taken the place of sympathy and forbearance. An inquisition has been set up among those who should be free from all overbearing.

God calls for the extinction of this satanic devising. The love of Christ in the heart forbids all oppression. Remember His words to the disciples when they desired Him to permit them to call down fire from heaven upon those who did not give Him due honor. “He turned, and rebuked them, and said, Ye know not what manner of spirit ye are of.” [Luke 9:55.] Those who work for the Redeemer must cultivate Christian love. But for years, some, even among those who claim to believe present truth, have acted in an oppressive manner, cherishing in the heart that fearful, hateful thing which has led them to exclude their brethren from their fellowship and their councils, because they supposed them wanting in some respects, as though the Lord has made them judges of character. The spirit has been entertained which presumes to limit the Holy One in the judicial working of His grace. In the place of coming close to those for whom the Lord has seen fit to work, men have stood apart, saying, “I am holier than thou. I cannot connect with you in religious service. Your ways and my ways do not agree.”

The Lord Jesus Christ is our judge and our lawgiver. Let those in God’s service turn from everything that will mar their usefulness. A hasty temper, a lack of patience, an inclination to speak hastily,—these are things against which the Lord’s servants must guard. They must remember that He who has appointed them their work, says to them, “Be ye clean, that bear the vessels of the Lord.” [Isaiah 52:11.]

Numbering Israel

Be very careful how you attempt to number Israel. Not to you nor to any other man has God given this work. You make a great mistake when you put your human measurement upon any of your brethren. You cannot read the heart. It is probable that the one with whom you find fault is more righteous in the sight of God than you are. “Not the hearers of the law are just before God, but the doers of the law shall be justified.” “For there is no respect of persons with God. For as many as have sinned without law shall also perish without law: and as many as have sinned in the law shall be judged by the law, . . . in the day when God shall judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ, according to my gospel.

“Behold, thou art called a Jew, and restest in the law, and makest thy boast of God, and knowest His will, and approvest the things that are more excellent, being instructed out of the law; and art confident that thou thyself art a guide of the blind, a light of them which are in darkness, an instructor of the foolish, a teacher of babes, which hast the form of knowledge and of the truth in the law. Thou therefore which teachest another, teachest thou not thyself? thou that preachest a man should not steal, dost thou steal? thou that sayest a man should not commit adultery, dost thou commit adultery? thou that abhorrest idols, dost thou commit sacrilege? Thou that makest thy boast of the law, through breaking the law dishonorest thou God? for the name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles through you, as it is written. For circumcision verily profiteth, if thou keep the law: but if thou be a breaker of the law, thy circumcision is made uncircumcision. Therefore if the uncircumcision keep the righteousness of the law, shall not his uncircumcision be counted for circumcision? and shall not uncircumcision which is by nature, if it fulfill the law, judge thee, who by the letter and circumcision dost transgress the law? For he is not a Jew, which is one outwardly; neither is that circumcision, which is outward in the flesh: but he is a Jew, which is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter; whose praise is not of men, but of God.” [Romans 2:13, 11, 12, 16–29.]

This instruction is for those who are living amid the perils of these last days. Be careful how you measure your brother. Take heed to yourself, and put no occasion of stumbling in your brother’s way. “Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of His good pleasure.” [Philippians 2:12, 13.]

Let us make diligent efforts to serve God. We need to reach a higher standard. The truth must not be kept in the outer court. Bring its principles into the inner sanctuary of the soul. Make Christ the guide of every action. Separate from the soul all selfishness. Hate it; for it is the destroyer of peace and godliness. “Whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by Him.” [Colossians 3:17.] The grace of our Saviour is the grand, healing influence which conforms the life to the life of God.

Review and Herald, January 7, 1902.

Restoring the Temple – Beverages, Part II

Tea and coffee are stimulating. Their effects are similar to those of tobacco; but they affect in a lesser degree. Those who use these slow poisons, like the tobacco user, think they cannot live without them, because they feel so very bad when they do not have these idols. . . . Those who indulge a perverted appetite, do it to the injury of health and intellect. They cannot appreciate the value of spiritual things. Their sensibilities are blunted, and sin does not appear very sinful, and truth is not regarded of greater value than earthly treasure.

“Tea and coffee drinking is a sin, an injurious indulgence, which, like other evils, injures the soul. These darling idols create an excitement, a morbid action of the nervous system; and after the immediate influence of the stimulants is gone, it lets down below par just to that degree that its stimulating properties elevated above par.” Counsels on Diet and Foods, 425.

Stupefied Transgressor

“Satan sees that he cannot have so great power over minds when the appetite is kept under control as when it is indulged, and he is constantly working to lead men to indulgence. Under the influence of unhealthful food, the conscience becomes stupefied, the mind is darkened, and its susceptibility to impressions is impaired. But the guilt of the transgressor is not lessened because the conscience has been violated till it has become insensible.

“Since a healthy state of mind depends upon the normal condition of the vital forces, what care should be exercised that neither stimulants nor narcotics be used! . . . Tea and coffee are fostering the appetite for stronger stimulants. And then we come still closer home, to the preparation of food, and ask, Is temperance practiced in all things? are the reforms which are essential to health and happiness carried out here?

“Every true Christian will have control of his appetites and passions. Unless he is free from the bondage of appetite, he cannot be a true, obedient servant of Christ. The indulgence of appetite and passion blunts the effect of truth upon the heart.” Ibid., 426, 427.

Losing Battle with Appetite

“Intemperance commences at our tables, in the use of unhealthful food. After a time, through continued indulgence, the digestive organs become weakened, and the food taken does not satisfy the appetite. Unhealthy conditions are established, and there is a craving for more stimulating food. Tea, coffee, and flesh meats produce an immediate effect. Under the influence of these poisons, the nervous system is excited, and, in some cases, for the time being, the intellect seems to be invigorated and the imagination to be more vivid. Because these stimulants produce for the time being such agreeable results, many conclude that they really need them, and continue their use. But there is always a reaction. The nervous system, having been unduly excited, borrowed power for present use from its future resources of strength. All this temporary invigoration of the system is followed by depression. In proportion as these stimulants temporarily invigorate the system, will be the letting down of the power of the excited organs after the stimulus has lost its force. The appetite is educated to crave something stronger, which will have a tendency to keep up and increase the agreeable excitement, until indulgence becomes habit, and there is a continual craving for stronger stimulus, as tobacco, wines, and liquors. The more the appetite is indulged, the more frequent will be its demands, and the more difficult of control. The more debilitated the system becomes, and the less able to do without unnatural stimulus, the more the passion for these things increases, until the will is overborne, and there seems to be no power to deny the unnatural craving for these indulgences.

Only Safe Course

“The only safe course is to touch not, taste not, handle not, tea, coffee, wines, tobacco, opium, and alcoholic drinks. The necessity for the men of this generation to call to their aid the power of the will, strengthened by the grace of God, in order to withstand the temptations of Satan, and resist the least indulgence of perverted appetite, is twice as great as it was several generations ago.” Ibid., 427, 428.

Conflict Between Truth and Self-Indulgence

“The facts relative to Korah and his company, who rebelled against Moses and Aaron, and against Jehovah, are recorded for a warning to God’s people, especially those who live upon the earth near the close of time. [Numbers 16.] Satan has led persons to imitate the example of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram, in raising insurrection among the people of God. Those who permit themselves to rise in opposition to the plain testimony, become self-deceived, and have really thought that those upon whom God laid the burden of His work were exalted above the people of God, and that their counsels and reproofs were uncalled for. They have risen in opposition to the plain testimony which God would have them bear in rebuking the wrongs among God’s people. The testimonies borne against hurtful indulgences, as tea, coffee, snuff, and tobacco, have irritated a certain class, because it would destroy their idols. Many for a while were undecided whether to make an entire sacrifice of all these hurtful things, or reject the plain testimonies borne, and yield to the clamors of appetite. They occupied an unsettled position. There was a conflict between their convictions of truth and their self-indulgences. Their state of indecision made them weak, and with many, appetite prevailed. Their sense of sacred things was perverted by the use of these slow poisons; and they at length fully decided, let the consequence be what it might, they would not deny self. This fearful decision at once raised a wall of separation between them and those who were cleansing themselves, as God has commanded, from all filthiness of the flesh and of the spirit, and were perfecting holiness in the fear of the Lord. The straight testimonies borne were in their way, and caused them great uneasiness, and they found relief in warring against them, and striving to make themselves and others believe that they were untrue. They said the people were all right, but it was reproving testimonies which made the trouble. And when the rebellious unfurl their banner, all the disaffected rally around the standard, and all the spiritually defective, the lame, the halt, and the blind, unite their influence to scatter and sow discord.

Roots of Intemperance

“Great efforts are made to put down intemperance; but there is much effort that is not directed to the right point. The advocates of temperance reform should be awake to the evils resulting from the use of unwholesome food, condiments, tea, and coffee. We bid all temperance workers Godspeed; but we invite them to look more deeply into the cause of the evil they war against, and to be sure that they are consistent in reform.

“It must be kept before the people that the right balance of the mental and moral powers depends in a great degree on the right condition of the physical system. All narcotics and unnatural stimulants that enfeeble and degrade the physical nature tend to lower the tone of the intellect and morals. Intemperance lies at the foundation of the moral depravity of the world. By the indulgence of the perverted appetite, man loses his power to resist temptation. . . .

“Health, character, and even life, are endangered by the use of stimulants, which excite the exhausted energies to unnatural, spasmodic action.” Ibid., 428–430.

The Ten Commandments, Part XII – It Will Go Well With You

In this series on the Ten Commandments, we have previously studied the first four commandments (Exodus 20:3–11), and we are ready to begin the second table of the Ten Commandment Law. The first table deals with the vertical relationship between God and us. The second table of the law deals with the horizontal relationship between our fellowmen and us. As mentioned in a previous article, the first table of the law came into practical application when God created Adam. The second table of the law came into practical application when God created Eve. The second table of the law is a very important aspect as we deal with our horizontal relationships.

The first table tells us how we are to worship God; the six commandments of the second table teach us how we are to treat one another. So often, religious people concentrate on the first table. Many theological discussions take place about how we are to worship God, but there are not many that make the application as to how we are to treat one another. It is part of God’s plan to regulate human relationships so we will be able to appreciate and love one another, as we love God and ourselves.

The first commandment of the second table reads: “Honour thy father and thy mother, as the Lord thy God hath commanded thee; that thy days may be prolonged, and that it may go well with thee, in the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee.” Deuteronomy 5:16.

Reading this commandment in Exodus 20, we see that it is a little bit different, just as the Sabbath commandment is a little bit different between Exodus 20 and Deuteronomy 5. “Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee.” Exodus 20:12. Do you see the difference? The difference is that Deuteronomy 5 says that if you honor your father and your mother, not only are your days going to be prolonged, but also it will go well with you.

Falling Apart

In my ministry as a pastor, I have observed that a lot of fracturing is taking place in families today. Once stable and strong relationships are no longer as strong as they once were. There is a little saying, “The family is falling apart at the seams,” and, certainly, this is true.

What is the reason for this dissolution? The reason is that we are in violation of the fifth commandment. As we go through this study, we hopefully will be able to better understand what is involved with this commandment that says, “Honor thy father and thy mother.”

Respect for parental authority and obedience to parental law is the foundation of all order and organization. The fifth commandment deals with this. Another old saying that holds an abundance of truth is this: “As goes the home, so goes society, the nation, and the world.”

The family is the most important and fundamental unit in society and in government. In a speech given over two years ago, President George W. Bush, the forty-third president of the United States of America, emphasized the importance of the family and the home, and the significance that it consist of one man and one woman, a husband and a wife. He is determined to see that this is established and set, even going so far as endorsing a Constitutional Convention to pass an Amendment to the Constitution to establish it. This belief is in harmony with Scripture.

Families today are falling apart. I do not believe that there has been a time in earth’s history when there have been such large Social Service Departments to take care of homes that are falling apart at the seams.

Obedience to Lawful Authority

The first commandment of the second table, or the fifth commandment of the ten, is in a special position in the order of the total ten. Surely this placement is no accident, but divinely placed. Family relationships constitute the beginning of all human relationships that are set forth in the second division of God’s Law. In its broadest application, it deals with obedience to all lawful authority, in that formative part of life when characters are molded and destinies are determined.

Considering the nature of parenthood, parents, in many ways, stand in the place of God to their children until they reach the age of accountability. Then the children can transfer their accountability to God because He is ultimately the One to whom they are responsible in the final end of all things. Yet, there is still the force of the commandment that says to “Honor your father and your mother all the days of your life, so it will go well with you.”

In the earlier years of a child’s life, the parent is to that child what God is to the parent—the Lawgiver, the Overseer, and the Provider. The fact that the attitude of the child toward the parent determines his attitude toward God in later years gives the fifth commandment a double significance.

A Broader Application

When the home life is Christ-centered, the children are almost certain to fulfill both tables of the law and to respect both divine and human authority. This commandment has not just a literal application to mom and dad, but it has a spiritual application that forms the attitudes and the characters of how people relate to life from childhood to adulthood.

If children are brought up in a home where proper parental authority is exercised and where good and righteous commandments from the parents are handed down to the children, they will incorporate those into their lifestyles. They are going to relate to all other issues of authority in their lives in the right way.

This is why the commandment says, “Honor thy father and thy mother, so that it will go well with you.” Not only will it “go well with you,” but also your days will be prolonged. This is a promise from God! This is the first commandment with a promise.

Another evidence of the importance of this commandment is the fact that parenthood is a co-partnership with God in the work of creation. Reproduction is a form of creation. What greater honor could God bestow upon human beings than to share with them the power to perpetuate His creative works? If you stop and think about this, you realize that parenthood is an awesome responsibility. This is something that is not being taught to young people today.

Holy Function of Parenthood

One of the reasons, I personally believe, that God called the Seventh-day Adventist Church into existence was to bestow upon its members insights and situations where they could teach their children how to become better parents. It had to start at some point in time.

If you actually look at what was transpiring in the days when God called the Seventh-day Adventist Church into existence, you will see that parenthood and the kinds of relationships between fathers and their children that would give a right example to the children was almost nonexistent. So the children grew up with a very warped understanding of what it meant to be a parent.

So God gave counsels for us so the next generation, having exercised those counsels, could put them into practice and be better equipped to be parents. If the fifth commandment was understood, as God wanted it to be understood, not only would it affect children, but it would affect parents as well.

The realization of the holy function of parenthood will place marriage on a moral elevation that is seldom recognized in this world of sin. It will give sacredness to family relationships that will ennoble and dignify the marriage institution.

Human Relationships

While the law is divided into two tables of Ten Commandments, it is really still one law, the Law of God. Even though the second table deals with human relationships, its commands are nevertheless the commands of God, and we need to understand that the commands of God do not deal with just the first four commandments. They deal with the last six commandments also.

When we are called to give an account in the judgment, according to Matthew 25, one of the questions that will be asked is, “How have you related to those around you?” This commandment establishes that on a firm foundation.

Whole Duty of Man

Since this command is the command of God, it carries the same penalty for violation. Violation or transgression of the Law of God, the Bible says, is sin, and the wages of sin is death. (1 John 3:4; Romans 6:23.) Anytime we sin against man, we also sin against God who created man. Our ultimate responsibility, then, is to be obedient to God as defined in these ten principles.

Ecclesiastes 12:13 says, “Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this [is] the whole [duty] of man.” If we could really understand the first commandment and the fifth commandment, our lives would be revolutionized. We would have greater insight. We would have greater courage. We would have greater determination in our service to God and in our service to our fellowman. This is the whole duty of man.

A Matter of Being Perfect

Because the true relationship between parents and their children is based on the relationship between God and the human family, children should honor their parents, who symbolize God to them during the earlier years of their lives. While no parents in this world of sin are entirely perfect, they are usually more perfect than their children, if for no other reason than maturity. If parents are not a notch above their children in terms of maturity and righteousness, they have disqualified themselves as parents. They should always be better than their children because they have to set an example to their children.

Under most circumstances, parents are usually more perfect than their children, and that is a reason they deserve respect and courtesy from their children. Children owe their very existence to their parents. I have heard children say, “Well, I did not ask to be born.” No, they did not, but if they can ever get beyond this stage of development, they will appreciate life for what it is. They will find meaning and purpose in service, not only to God, but also to their fellowman.

My father once told me, “If you can just get a child past 17 years of age and keep him or her stabilized, he or she will usually come out on the other end pretty well.” There is a lot of wisdom in that.

One of the best ways to keep a child stabilized is to be an honorable parent. It is quite a responsibility, but a number of people do not even understand what it means to be a parent, let alone an honorable parent. In spite of this, children still owe their very existence to their parents; they are made in their image, inherit their characteristics, and depend upon them for things that sustain life.

Included with Honor

How could there be a more binding obligation of honor than that which children owe to their parents? Honor involves much more than just being obedient and doing the parent’s will. It includes affection as well.

Do you realize that there are many residents in nursing homes who never have a visitor? Oh, how I wish that was not the case. I wish that every child who has a parent in a nursing home would go to visit him or her on a regular basis.

Honor includes affection. Honor includes respect. Honor includes human reverence. Honor means to hold in high esteem because of recognition of superiority. Can you see how God placed these concepts in this commandment?

Magnify the Law

Jesus came, the Bible says, to magnify the law and to make it honorable. (Isaiah 42:21.) In the days of Jesus, there was no honor, no recognition, and no reverence of parents when they became old. They were just put away. There was given no high esteem or recognition of superiority.

Parenthood has been established by God and is, therefore, divinely ordained. He has placed this command concerning parents in the Ten Commandments because it is something that God foresaw as a need for the human family.

Family Government

As God’s representatives, parents are given divine authority to rule the family government.

Many people have problems with the Federal Government or their State Government. They do not want this or any other authority over them. Do you know why? Because they never had the proper government at home as a child. They were never taught the proper relationship to authority at home.

The lack of regard for authority, whether parental, civil, or divine, is the greatest evil of this modern world. One reason for this is the fact that ministers have preached for so long that the law was nailed to the cross. The prevalent message has been, we do not have to keep the commandments anymore; they were nailed to the cross. Now, after decades and decades of time, people believe this message, and we are reaping the results of this erroneous preaching.

There was a time when the Ten Commandments were strongly upheld and believed by the Protestant world. Every missionary sent out to other lands had the desire to not only present God but also to present the plan of salvation and God’s requirements of His people. They taught that the Ten Commandments were binding upon every soul in the world because that would be the standard of the judgment.

Then Seventh-day Adventists began to preach that the law is still binding, and specifically so as it is centered in the fourth commandment that says, “Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy.” When the Protestant preachers, who had been upholding the law all these years, heard this preaching and felt the guilt and condemnation that came from their breaking the Sabbath day, they began to search for an answer, some solution that would soothe their own conscience and allow them to continue on as they always had. The only solution, the only answer, they had was that the law has been done away with, nailed to the cross. Truth was replaced with error. And as this philosophy began to be accepted, we can see that the next generation began to slip, and the words of the apostle Paul rang out loud and clear: “This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, . . . .” 11 Timothy 3:1, 2. In what time are we living? We are living in the last days.

We must guard ourselves very carefully that we do not find ourselves beholding and becoming like the maxims of the world, following the world’s traditions where we are taught that God’s Law no longer makes a difference; we should just do the nice thing. Situational ethics reign. We must guard ourselves against that, so we do not fulfill the prophecy we just read, given by the apostle Paul.

Respect for All

While the fifth commandment applies primarily to the honoring of parents by their children, in a broader sense it includes respect for all that are in positions of leadership and authority. Children should be taught to respect their schoolteachers. This is something that is on the skids today. The teachers know it, and the children know it. When children at large get into trouble at school today, they tell their teachers that they do not have to mind them because this is what their mothers tell them.

What example is shown to such a child? What is the home setting of such a child? This is the child that will ultimately find himself or herself incarcerated behind bars. Any sociological investigation will reveal that most individuals are in prison today because they have had faulty parental guidance in their formative and early years. They have not learned to honor authority and respect the laws.

Children should be trained to respect their teachers because, in fact, the teachers stand in the place of the parents while they have the children under their tutelage. Teachers also have superior knowledge and experience in thought, speech, attitude, and conduct. Honor is to be shown to whom honor is due, which includes all who are superior in position, in experience, and senior in age.

Hoary Heads

The Bible speaks of the hoary head, the white hairs. “Thou shalt rise up before the hoary head, and honour the face of the old man, and fear thy God: I [am] the Lord.” “The hoary head [is] a crown of glory, [if] it be found in the way of righteousness.” Leviticus 19:32; Proverbs 16:31. There is something that comes with white hair—more than wrinkles. There is wisdom that comes just by virtue of length of life.

Children need to understand this, but in many instances we do not see this concept being practiced in the world. We do not see it being taught in the school. We do not see it being worked out in business, in government, or in the church. Instead, there seems to be an “anything goes” policy. No honor is given to anything or anyone.

Rebellious Music

Much of the music that young people are allowed to listen to today is music that incites rebellion against not only parental authority but also any authority. That is totally contrary to the experience that God desires to bring into the lives of people.

Music with words that incite rebellion is usually accompanied by a rhythm that thrills the flesh. Many of the young claim that they do not listen to the words; in fact, they cannot even hear the words, but they do like the music. Do not think for a moment that the devil is not at work. He is attacking the fifth commandment because he knows that if God can get His point across, if He can successfully bring a reformation in the homes and in the families through the power of His Holy Spirit, the devil’s power is broken. The devil knows this, so he is working overtime and double time against the two commandments that bridge the law between the divine and the human—the Sabbath and the home.

If importance of the commandments could be rated, these two commandments should have more importance than the others because with these two there, the others are going to be naturally and automatically understood and obeyed.

The Cornerstone

Home government is the cornerstone of all government. The peace and prosperity of all people depend upon the recognition of all constituted authority, and this comes through the proper discipline in the home. There are times that a child needs to be told no and under no circumstances should it turn into a yes.

You know of situations, as do I, where a child is told no, but the child whines or cajoles until the parent finally changes it to, “just this once,” or “okay, under these circumstances.” This is the very worst thing that can ever happen.

Parents, even if you have made a mistake in saying no, you had better bite the bullet and let it remain no. If you give in to your child, your position of authority drops down a notch or two in your child’s mind. The honor your position deserves has been compromised. Do not think for a moment that the devil will not take advantage of such a situation. When you say no, mean no!

Power of Example

Parents should remember that a good example is always more powerful for good than just saying yes or no. The honor parents receive from their children depends to a large extent on their own conduct and their own discipline.

Through His messenger, Ellen White, God has given counsel to parents on the raising of children in books such as, Child Guidance and Fundamentals of Christian Education. The Adventist Home was also given as counsel for the adult sector. God has shown how we are to order our lives so that the whole movement can move together. That is what God intended should take place—reform not only from the standpoint of the young people, but also from the standpoint of the older people.

Parents need to remember that they must provide a proper example. The more honorable parents are, the more honor they will receive from their children.

Train up a Child

The promise is given, “Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.” Proverbs 22:6. This text not only has a positive promise, but it has a negative promise as well. If you train up a child in the wrong way, when he is old, he is not going to depart from it either.

Statistics show us that the greatest time of reaping for souls is when people are young. The older an individual grows, the less likely it is that there is going to be any change because they become so set in their ways. This is why we are told that today is the day of salvation. (Luke 19:9.)

If you train up a child to go in the right way, when he is old, he is not going to depart from it. I have seen children who have been raised in God-fearing homes go over “Fool’s Hill.” Sometimes, years later, the Holy Spirit is able to draw these wanderers back to the path of salvation because their roots are in God’s Law. I have seen it happen over and over again.

On the other hand, I have watched undisciplined children who have been allowed to grow up as wild animals. They have not been disciplined or taught how they should relate to people or have respect and honor for their teachers and people in positions over them. When these children go out into the world, many of them will be lost to the kingdom because they were never taught how to respect or to honor anything or anybody but themselves. They have no roots in the law that the Holy Spirit can draw upon to bring them back into the fold.

It takes hard work to love and to train children. Nobody knows that any better than God does. In an effort to provide the right kind of foundation for our homes, He wrote His Law on tables of stone with His own finger and said, “These principles are going to last for eternity.”

Heaven on Earth

In this age, when nothing seems secure and love is empty, parents need to make the home as attractive, secure, and filled with God’s love as possible. The home can be a little heaven on earth when its atmosphere is filled with love and fellowship. This is why the apostle Paul concludes, in 1 Corinthians 13—that we are instructed to read every day—“The greatest of these is love.”

When love is the controlling principle in the home, it will be the most wonderful place in the world, and the children will delight to honor their parents, not only as they are being raised by them but as they enter into their elder years as well. The promise will be sure. It will be fulfilled as they move down through the years that if you honor your father and your mother, it will go well with you.

To be continued . . .

A retired minister of the gospel, Pastor Mike Baugher may be contacted by e-mail at: landmarks@stepstolife.org.

Fear Not, Part II

Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.” Luke 12:32. In Part I of our study on the phrases of this text, we learned that, in order to “fear not,” we must experience the perfect love of God. We must ask for this love by spending time on our knees, talking with God, and we must care for the gift of this love by studying the character of God until His attributes, His love, become a part of us. As we grow in God’s love, we will attain peace.

Little Flock

Jesus calls us a “little flock.” If we look at the history of God’s people, we will find that they have always been in the minority. The throngs flock to worldly pleasures. Remember, it says in Hebrews 11:25 that Moses chose “rather to suffer affliction with the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season.” We must choose to belong to the few. We are not to worry about who is the greatest or who has the biggest church. After all, if we are on the Lord’s side, we are in the majority.

There are two good angels to every bad angel, and there is the universe beyond which is peopled with faithful beings. “When Satan became disaffected in heaven, . . . through their sympathy with him one third of the angels lost their innocence, their high estate, and their happy home.” Testimonies, vol. 5, 291. “Worlds are peopled by his power, and yet the humblest creatures of the earth are the objects of his love and care.” The Signs of the Times, December 12, 1878.

When Jesus was here on earth in human form, he had only a “little flock.” Even the nation and church which He had blessed and established turned Him down. They called Him a deceiver. (Matthew 27:63.) They even said that he had a devil. (John 7:20.) But Jesus was calm, undisturbed by criticism and not elated by praise, because He knew His heavenly Father. He knew that His cause was just and true, and that truth would triumph.

If we know that what we believe is true and that our belief is founded on the eternal principles given to us from our Heavenly Father, it will not make any difference how many or how few believe as do we. We can stand as firmly as Jesus did, even if it is only a “little flock.” Numbers never make a thing right; the principle is, Is it truth? The majority may be able to sway crowds, but only God can control the events.

Our Example

When Jesus was here, He spoke to crowds and even fed thousands by His miracles. People flocked to Him for healing. But He had only a faithful few that actually followed Him. Of His 12 disciples, even one of them betrayed Him, and the rest fled from the mob when He was captured in the Garden of Gethsemane. No one stood with Him at His trial. One of the disciples even denied he knew the man, Christ Jesus. (Matthew 4:23, 25; 14:21; 15:38; 26:47–49, 56, 69–72.) Through all of this, He triumphed.

As His followers, can we expect to be accepted by any great number? Only 120 were faithful in following His instructions at the time Jesus returned to heaven. (Acts 1:15.) It was only a “little flock,” but He did a mighty work with only a “little flock.” There were times when He did a mighty work with only one person.

In the end of time, God will have a “little flock,” and I do hope to be one of them.

Good Pleasure

Now we come to the phrase in Luke 12:32 that says, “It is your Father’s good pleasure.”

Ellen White tells us of the suffering that God has experienced and is going through as the result of sin: “Those who think of the result of hastening or hindering the gospel think of it in relation to themselves and to the world. Few think of its relation to God. Few give thought to the suffering that sin has caused our Creator. All heaven suffered in Christ’s agony; but that suffering did not begin or end with His manifestation in humanity. The cross is a revelation to our dull senses of the pain that, from its very inception, sin has brought to the heart of God. Every departure from the right, every deed of cruelty, every failure of humanity to reach His ideal, brings grief to Him. When there came upon Israel the calamities that were the sure result of separation from God,—subjugation by their enemies, cruelty, and death,—it is said that ‘His soul was grieved for the misery of Israel.’ ‘In all their affliction He was afflicted: . . . and He bare them, and carried them all the days of old.’ Judges 10:16; Isaiah 63:9.” Education, 263.

After reading of the suffering that our heavenly Father has gone through to redeem us from this world of sin and degradation, we should deem it a great privilege to bring even a little joy to His heart.

To Give

In our human experiences, we enjoy giving gifts to those we love and experiencing the thrill they have in receiving those gifts. And if the gift is something useful that the receiver will use for a while, seeing them use it may extend our joy.

Our key text says, “It is your Father’s good pleasure to give.” [Emphasis supplied.] “To give” is a great demonstration of Acts 20:35 that tells us, “It is more blessed to give than to receive.” It brings the Father pleasure to give to His “little flock.”

“Our Heavenly Father gave Christ to our world as a sin-bearer, in order that he who would believe in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. Having made so priceless a donation to men, will he not with Christ freely give us all things? In the gift of his Son, all heaven was opened up, that its priceless treasures might enrich men and women of faith. The love of God has been revealed to the hearts of believers, that they should diffuse the light of heaven, and not spend their time and money in lands and their cultivation, and in taking pleasure in the things which their imaginations might picture as being desirable, as did the inhabitants of the Noachic world.” Review and Herald, January 8, 1895.

The Kingdom

God’s eye is ever watching over us to help us to prepare for the day when He can say to us, “Enter into the joy of thy Lord.” (Matthew 25:21.) How great that joy is, we cannot comprehend, but, if faithful, we will be able to experience it someday soon.

Can you imagine, God giving us “the kingdom”? How great that kingdom is, we do not even know. But we are told that we will sit on the throne with Jesus, for it says, in Revelation 3:21, “To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne.” You may wonder to yourself, Can a God that rules the world and holds the stars in space and governs the unnumbered inhabited planets say to human beings such as you and I, “Come, sit with Me on My throne”?

When Jesus departed from this earth, He left with us a promise that has been held dear to the saints ever since: “Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father’s house are many mansions: if [it were] not [so], I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, [there] ye may be also.” John 14:1–3.

Redemption of the Saints

Jesus is coming again, and the best way I know how to describe His coming and the kingdom of God is to quote from the writings of Ellen G. White. The description she gives is thrilling, and I cannot improve upon it.

But first, let us read 1 Thessa-lonians 4:15–17: “For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive [and] remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep. For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive [and] remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.”

“Soon appeared the great white cloud, upon which sat the Son of man. When it first appeared in the distance, this cloud looked very small. The angel said that it was the sign of the Son of man. As it drew nearer the earth, we could behold the excellent glory and majesty of Jesus as He rode forth to conquer. A retinue of holy angels, with bright, glittering crowns upon their heads, escorted Him on His way. No language can describe the glory of the scene. The living cloud of majesty and unsurpassed glory came still nearer, and we could clearly behold the lovely person of Jesus. He did not wear a crown of thorns, but a crown of glory rested upon His holy brow. Upon His vesture and thigh was a name written, King of kings, and Lord of lords. His countenance was as bright as the noonday sun, His eyes were as a flame of fire, and His feet had the appearance of fine brass. His voice sounded like many musical instruments. The earth trembled before Him, the heavens departed as a scroll when it is rolled together, and every mountain and island were moved out of their places. ‘And the kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men, and the chief captains, and the mighty men, and every bondman, and every freeman, hid themselves in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains; and said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of Him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb: for the great day of His wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?’ [Revelation 6:15–17.] Those who a short time before would have destroyed God’s faithful children from the earth, now witnessed the glory of God which rested upon them. And amid all their terror they heard the voices of the saints in joyful strains, saying, ‘Lo, this is our God; we have waited for Him, and He will save us.’ [Isaiah 25:9.]

“The earth mightily shook as the voice of the Son of God called forth the sleeping saints. They responded to the call and came forth clothed with glorious immortality, crying, ‘Victory, victory, over death and the grave! O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?’ [1 Corinthians 15:55.] Then the living saints and the risen ones raised their voices in a long, transporting shout of victory. Those bodies that had gone down into the grave bearing the marks of disease and death came up in immortal health and vigor. The living saints are changed in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, and caught up with the risen ones, and together they meet their Lord in the air. Oh, what a glorious meeting! Friends whom death had separated were united, never more to part.” Early Writings, 286, 287.

What an experience that will be to see Jesus come and know that we will be with Him forever!

Strive for the Strait Gate

It is recorded, in Luke 13:24, that Jesus said, “Strive to enter in at the strait gate.” In this parable, He is talking about the kingdom of God, for which it is surely worth striving. Following are additional descriptions of that kingdom:

“All the treasures of the universe will be open to the study of God’s redeemed. Unfettered by mortality, they wing their tireless flight to worlds afar—worlds that thrilled with sorrow at the spectacle of human woe and rang with songs of gladness at the tidings of a ransomed soul. With unutterable delight the children of earth enter into the joy and the wisdom of unfallen beings. They share the treasures of knowledge and understanding gained through ages upon ages in contemplation of God’s handiwork. With undimmed vision they gaze upon the glory of creation—suns and stars and systems, all in their appointed order circling the throne of Deity. Upon all things, from the least to the greatest, the Creator’s name is written, and in all are the riches of His power displayed.” The Great Controversy, 677, 678.

“And as the redeemed shall ascend to Heaven, the gates of the city of God will swing back, and those who have kept the truth will enter in. A voice, richer than any music that ever fell on mortal ear, will be heard saying, ‘Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.’ Then the righteous will receive their reward. Their lives will run parallel with the life of Jehovah. They will cast their crowns at the Redeemer’s feet, touch the golden harps, and fill all Heaven with rich music.” The Signs of the Times, April 15, 1889.

“Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.” Luke 12:32. What a wonderful promise! It would be well worth it for each of us to make first things first and to prepare for the kingdom of heaven.

Ruth Grosboll is an employee of Steps to Life. A retired registered nurse, she worked for many years with her husband in the mission field. She may be contacted by e-mail at: ruthgrosboll@stepstolife.org or by telephone at: 316-788-5559.

Take Heed Lest You Fall, Part I

In 1 Corinthians 10:12, we read, “Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall.” You know, the devil would like people to become self-secure, to feel comfortable and satisfied. The Laodicean message attempts to shake people out of that feeling. God does not have to exaggerate to do it; it is a true message. There were some churches, as you know, about which God had nothing negative to say. But the last church has a special tendency to temptation—believing that, because they know “truth” or because they have more light than people of previous ages, they somehow are “good.” But Paul has a warning, and it is, “Let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall.”

I have always been interested in what Paul thought about himself. He said, “I am the chief of sinners.” (1 Timothy 1:15.) After preaching to others, he commented, “I have to keep myself under subjection lest I should be a castaway after helping other people to be saved.” (1 Corinthians 9:27.) In another place, he said, “Forgetting those things which are behind, I press forward to those things which are ahead.” (Philippians 3:13, 14.) It is so easy for us to reach the point where we are feeling pretty good about ourselves, but Paul says, “Take heed when you think you are standing. You may think you have the truth; you may think you are in the right church; take heed, lest you fall.” You may claim to be saved, or think you are saved, or know the time and date that you were saved. You may be planning on standing with the saved, but Paul says to “take heed lest you fall.”

Who is Able to Stand?

Revelation 6:14–17 tells about some people who were standing and what is going to happen to many people who once stood: “The sky receded as a scroll when it is rolled up, and every mountain and island was moved out of its place. And the kings of the earth, the great men, the rich men, the commanders, the mighty men, every slave and every free man, hid themselves in the caves and in the rocks of the mountains, and said to the mountains and rocks, ‘Fall on us and hide us from the face of Him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb! For the great day of His wrath has come, and who is able to stand?’ ”

Who then is able to stand? David tells us, in Psalm 24:4, that only he who has clean hands and a pure heart. Only he, as it is told in Revelation 14, who is without fault before the throne of God, who is clothed with the robe of righteousness. We read in Revelation and in Hebrews 12:25–29 about how the earth is going to be shaken. It says, “See that you do not refuse Him who speaks.” That is the Holy Spirit, of course. That is the Lord through His holy word. Do not refuse Him who speaks. We are told in Proverbs 28:9 that he “who turns away his ear from hearing the law, Even his prayer [is] an abomination.”

At times the Lord may send people to us, and we may turn away from these people, because we think they do not come in the right spirit, or they do not say things right or do things right. Have you ever thought about the people who were swimming around the ark and all of the excuses they had for not going inside the ark? Noah was too harsh, or he was too negative, or he used the Spirit of prophecy in a wrong way. They all had their reasons, but it did not matter. They were all swimming out there with one another.

Paul warned, “Do not refuse Him who speaks. For if they did not escape who refused Him who spoke on earth, much more [shall we not escape] if we turn away from Him who [speaks] from heaven, whose voice then shook the earth; but now He has promised, saying, [‘Yet once more I shake not only the earth, but also heaven.’] Now this, [‘Yet once more,’] indicates the removal of those things that are being shaken, as of things that are made, that the things which cannot be shaken may remain. Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us have grace, by which we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear. For our God [is] a consuming fire.” Hebrews 12:25–29. The Bible says that everything that can be shaken will be shaken.

Rooted and Grounded

We try so hard to win souls. That is a work God has given to us. We plant the seeds, and we try to help everyone to be in heaven. We want to help our spouses, our children, our church members, our Sabbath School members, the person on the street, the person for whom we work. We want to help everyone who will listen to be in heaven. We want to help all to accept the free grace, the free gift of eternal life that Jesus has promised, but after people accept this gift, God requires them to grow and their roots have to go down deep.

Do you remember the parable that Jesus gave about sowing seeds and how some seeds sprung up quickly but they had no roots, and when the wind, the storm, and the blasting heat came, they were uprooted? They withered and were destroyed. That represents everyone who hears the word and allows other things to crowd it out and who do not become rooted and grounded. The Lord is looking for new converts. He is looking for new people who have never before heard the gospel. He is looking for children; He is looking for adults, but He wants everyone to send their roots down deep and to become rooted and grounded.

Are You Secure?

None of us are standing very secure, if we have not grown some over the last month, over the last two months, over the last year. If we are still losing our tempers, as we were a year ago, we are on shaky ground. If we are still becoming impatient, if we are still becoming irritable, if we are still falling into the same sins that we have been falling into time and time again, we are on shaky ground. We need to be overcoming; we need to be falling on the Rock and being broken. There is coming a time, before Jesus returns, when everybody who has been a Christian, but who has not been growing, is going to be shaken out of the faith.

Only those who have deep roots are going to stand. Everything that can be shaken will be shaken. I have asked people, Is there anything that could get you to turn away from the Lord, anything at all in the world? Is there a sickness, a death, a discouragement, financial difficulty, or prosperity—anything that could cause you to lose your hold on the Lord? Lack of friends or good friends turning against you or rumors or character defamation or anything? Is there anything that could get you to turn away from the Lord? Are there people in whom you put great confidence that, if they turn against you or lose their faith, could cause you to lose your faith? Is there anything that could cause you to turn away from the Lord?

We may not know, of course. We may have a lot more confidence in ourselves than what the Lord has. He may see things we do not. But if there is anything that could cause you to be lost, Satan is going to try to tempt you on that point. There is coming a time when everything that can be shaken will be shaken, and when that day comes, it will be too late to become rooted so we cannot be shaken.

Do you remember when the bridegroom came and all of the virgins awoke? (Matthew 25.) How much time did they have then to go and get extra oil? No time; it was too late. Now is the time we have—the only time we have—to be overcoming our besetting sins.

Idol Worship

Look at 1 Corinthians 10:12 and 14. It says, “Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall.” “Therefore, my beloved, flee from idolatry.” Paul is here writing to Christians. They were not worshipping idols anymore. It is interesting that from then until now, except for paganism and some cultures, the devil does not tempt people with literal idols anymore. The Catholic Church still has idols, and in Africa there are places with idols, but for the most part, the devil does not tempt Protestants with idols. Have you ever been tempted to kneel down and worship a graven image? I cannot ever remember being tempted in the slightest to kneel down and kiss an image’s foot or to burn incense to an image or pray to an image. Have you?

To what was Paul referring? The early Christian church never seemed to have been plagued with literal idols and images. Those things came in after they merged with paganism. It has never been a problem with most Protestants, and it did not seem to be an issue in the early Christian church. But Paul said, “Flee from idolatry.”

Are there things that we could be clinging to today that we just do not recognize as idols? If there are idols today that are tempting Christians, that they are worshipping, is it possible to hold onto those idols and to remain a Christian at the same time?

Arsenal of Temptations

Paul tells us, in the first 12 verses of 1 Corinthians 10, about the experience of the children of Israel. He says, in verses 1 and 2, “Brethren, I do not want you to be unaware”—to be ignorant—“that all our fathers were under the cloud, all passed through the sea, all were baptized . . . .” These people were like you and me. They were set apart by baptism. They ate the same spiritual food. They heard Moses teach day after day, and they heard Joshua, and they heard Aaron. They heard the thunder from the mount. They drank the same spiritual drink, but even the literal water they drank came from that rock which represented Jesus. And they ate angel’s food, food that had such perfect nutrition they never got sick. In the wilderness, they never got sick! They had clear minds that could think spiritual thoughts; their minds were keen. They could pray clearly. They had fresh air, exercise, perfect food, and pure water, right from the Water of Life. “But with most of them God was not well pleased, for [their bodies] were scattered in the wilderness. Now these things became our examples, to the intent that we should not lust after evil things as they also lusted. And do not become idolaters as [were] some of them. As it is written, [‘The people sat down to eat and drink, and they rose up to play.’] Nor let us commit sexual immorality, as some of them did, and in one day twenty-three thousand fell; nor let us tempt Christ, as some of them also tempted, and were destroyed by the serpents; nor complain, as some of them also complained, and were destroyed by the destroyer. Now all these things happened to them as examples, and they were written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the ages have come.” Verses 5–11.

The devil had a whole arsenal of temptations; some things worked on some people and different things worked on others. Some were caught up in games and playing; some were caught up in lusting after things that God had not given them to eat; some were caught up in sexual fantasies and immorality. Some were caught up with a lack of faith and with tempting Christ. When the manna withdrew, they began to complain and murmur. God was not well pleased with most of them.

Like Israel

We are like Israel. Israel had the truth—they had the truth. There was no doubt in their minds that they had the truth. They were there before Mount Sinai, and they heard the thunderous roar, and they heard God speak the Ten Commandments.

They did not have any question about keeping the Sabbath. The manna came six days a week, and on the sixth day, twice as much came. On the seventh day, it did not come at all. They had no problems with the Sabbath. There were a few who broke the Sabbath, but, by and large, they knew very well which day was the Sabbath. They were Sabbath keepers, and they knew it was God’s day.

There were idolaters all around who were worshipping the sun on Sunday, but the children of Israel were Sabbath keepers, and they worshiped the true God. They were not heathen as were the other people; they worshiped Jehovah. They had all the evidences; they had the gift of prophecy; they had the miracles of God all around them. They had the truth.

They were God’s children, and they knew they were God’s children. They were standing on truth, and they were going to Canaan—just like we are.

Only Two

But do you know the rest of the story? There were only two people, out of this vast number, who made it to Canaan. I think if you had told those people, after they crossed the Red Sea, that only two of them were going to make it into Canaan, they would have probably stoned you. They would have been certain that you were not telling the truth. They may have agreed that there might be a few who would fall by the wayside—but certainly the majority would make it. And if it were not a majority, it would certainly be a strong minority. But it was a very small minority—only two of God’s people—who entered the Promised Land!

Paul says, “These things were written for our admonition, on whom the ends of the world have come.” I believe, with all my heart—just as much as the children of Israel believed—that Seventh-day Adventist believers comprise the movement that God has raised up for the last days and that He has entrusted us with truth for the world today. I have not a single question. God has given us the Spirit of Prophecy; He has given us the truth, and we know the truth. We can always be learning more depths of truth, but we have the truth. There is not a question whatsoever in my mind which day is the Sabbath. Is there in your mind? I know which day is the Sabbath; it is as clear as can be in the Bible. I have seen the Lord work; I have seen miracles. We have the prophecies; they fit together as a hand in a glove. There can be no question on the part of the true church, and God’s true church is going through.

But we have been warned, time and time again. If we believe Ellen White is a prophet, she has warned us many times. We are warned in the Bible over and over again. In Testimonies, vol. 1, page 609, Ellen White wrote that only a very few of those who claim to be Seventh-day Adventists are going to be saved. In Testimonies, vol. 2, pages 401 and 402, she repeats the same thing. She says: “But a small number of those now professing to believe the truth would eventually be saved—not because they could not be saved, but because they would not be saved in God’s own appointed way.” Ibid., 445.

Overcomers

If there is one thing God wants to teach us in the Laodicean message and throughout the Bible, it is that it is not enough just to keep the law like the Jews kept it. We must be converted in our hearts. We must come to the place where we love the Lord with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength, and love our neighbors as ourselves. We
must overcome our besetting sins; we must become like Jesus. We must be clothed with the robe of righteousness. We must have an individual and personal work of gaining an experience with Jesus. We must not go on day after day, week after week, year after year falling, falling, falling. We must be overcomers!

I am so thankful we have an Advocate who forgives our sins when we fall, but God wants to do more than just forgive our sins. He wants to make us overcomers. He wants us to be more than just forgiven sinners; He wants us to be people who overcome.

For Our Example

Some things that made the children of Israel fall are written as examples for us. Several things are listed in 1 Corinthians 10, but in Psalm 106, three specific things are given that aided in the fall of the children of Israel and are written for our examples.

“He [God] saved them from the hand of him who hated [them],”—that was the Egyptians—“And redeemed them from the hand of the enemy. The waters covered their enemies; There was not one of them left. Then they believed His words; They sang His praise.” Verses 10–12. Oh, they believed then! And they sang then; they sang His praise. They were so happy and so full of faith, but they soon, it says in verse 13, “forgot His works.” Oh, how easy it is to have a religious experience on Sabbath or during a week of prayer or during a camp meeting. But how soon, it says, they “forgot His works.”

Their minds began to be occupied with other things. “They did not wait for His counsel.” Verse 13. How many times we run ahead of the Lord! We cannot wait; we become impatient. We pray, but we are not willing to wait for God to answer our prayers. We feel we have to go on; we become irritated, and we can become upset.

Lust of Appetite

The children of Israel “lusted exceedingly in the wilderness, And tested God in the desert. And He gave them their request.” Verses 14, 15. Do you remember for what they lusted? It was not something bad, especially. They were not lusting for pig. They knew better than that; that was wrong. They were not lusting for camel or rabbits or mice; they were not lusting for snakes or alligators or crabs. They were lusting for things that God had said are good food to eat—perhaps not the best, but permissible food to eat. They lusted for quail.

The Bible presents that vegetarianism is better than meat eating, and that is true, but they were not lusting for something that was bad or unclean. Beyond that, they were lusting for other things on which, certainly, God never placed any restrictions—onions, leeks, cantaloupe, and things that they did not have out there in the desert. They began to lust for these things, things that God had not provided for them. They were probably thinking, How were they going to live on this manna? After all, did they not need to have variety in their diet?

The children of Israel decided that they could not live on just manna. As time went by, they came to loathe the manna. But God kept sending it. Do you think God would send something that was really that bad? The Bible says that it was sweet; they could fix it in a variety of ways—they could bake it; they could eat it raw. But they came to the place where they literally hated it. I do not doubt that some came to the place where they were about ready to vomit if they ate another bite. They probably thought, We have got to have something else or we are going to die! Our bodies reject this stuff, and we are growing thinner every day. If we do not get something different pretty soon, we are going to be buried here in the wilderness.

Leanness to the Soul

Well, it says that God gave them their request. But do you know what else He sent them? Continuing in Psalm 106:15, it says, He “sent leanness into their souls.” And do you know what happened? They did die in the wilderness. Every one of those people who ate the quail died in the wilderness. They all died eating perfectly good food—food that was technically permissible. I do not know that He sent them any leeks or onions, but He did send them the quail. They all died. He sent leanness to their souls.

There are people who want to know what they can eat and still squeak into heaven. They want to know what is technically and legally permissible so they would not actually be sinning or transgressing but doing what they could get by with!

Do you know what God wants us to say? “Lord, what would please You the most? I want to learn to eat such a diet that will please You the most, that my mind will be the clearest and I can serve You to the best of my ability.” God will bless that. But to the person who says, I have got to have something else, God will say, Go ahead, but you know what will come with it—leanness to the soul.

Diet was one of the shortcomings of the children of Israel. They did not eat unclean food, but they were not satisfied with what God said was the best.

Symbol of Jehovah

When Moses went up on the mountain, he was up there a lot longer than the children of Israel had anticipated. How long could it possibly take to climb up a mountain and come back down again? But he did not come back on the first day or the next, and there was thundering and lightning on the top of the mount. They thought per-haps he had been killed—struck by a bolt of lightning or something. Time went on, day after day after day, even week after week, and soon over a month of time had passed! For over a month the people had been waiting, sitting around with very little to occupy their time.

The adults as well as the children were growing restless! Can you imagine? There were no recreational activities in the desert, and it was becoming boring! What in the world was there to do?

The people went to Aaron and declared that they had to do something! As for Moses, they could not imagine what happened to him, but they could not stay stagnant forever.

“Aaron said to them, ‘Break off the golden earrings which [are] in the ears of your wives, your sons, and your daughters.’ ” Exodus 32:2. Well, that was a step in reformation! “So all the people broke off the golden earrings which [were] in their ears, and brought [them] to Aaron. And he received [the gold] from their hand, and he fashioned it with an engraving tool, and made a molded calf. Then they said, ‘This [is] your god, O Israel.’ ” Verses 3, 4.

They believed they really were still worshipping Jehovah. As we consider some of the things the children of Israel did, we wonder how they could do such things! In this situation, they did not think that they were rejecting Jehovah. The golden calf was simply a symbol of Jehovah; that was what they had grown up with in Egypt.

In fact, today, if you talk to Catholics who worship idols, do you think any one of them would admit to worshipping an idol? They will tell you that the idols are only symbols to which they kneel down; they are not the real things. And that is what the children of Israel had, a symbol.

Verse 5 continues: “So when Aaron saw [it], he built an altar before it. And Aaron made a proclamation and said, ‘Tomorrow is a feast to . . . .’ ” To whom? Was it a feast to the golden calf? Whom were they going to worship? In your Bibles, if you have a King James Version or a New King James Version, the next word, Lord, is spelled in all capital letters. What does that mean in Hebrew? Jehovah. “Let us have a feast to Jehovah!”

Do you think they had rejected Jehovah? No way! They must have figured that if they were going to enjoy themselves, at least they should do it in the name of God, and worship the Lord while doing it.

They were making great progress! They had gotten rid of their jewelry, and now they were going to have a great feast to Jehovah.

“Then they rose early on the next day,”—they could not waste any time—and “offered burnt offerings . . . .” After all, that is what God had told them to do. I want you to notice that they were following the Lord in their actions here. God had told them to offer burnt offerings, had He not? They were doing what God had said. This was a holy convocation. “And brought peace offerings;”—they needed peace offerings! All these offerings were not Egyptian offerings. The calf may have been Egyptian, but their worship was totally to Jehovah. The peace offerings were not from Egypt; the Egyptians did not have peace offerings.

To be continued . . .

Pastor Marshall Grosboll, with his wife Lillian, founded Steps to Life. In July 1991, Pastor Marshall and his family met with tragedy as they were returning home from a camp meeting in Washington state, when the airplane he was piloting went down, killing all on board.

Strive to be Among Them, Part II

A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh.” Ezekiel 36:26.

“The youth especially stumble over this phrase, ‘a new heart.’ They do not know what it means. They look for a special change to take place in their feelings. This they term conversion. Over this error thousands have stumbled to ruin, not understanding the expression, ‘Ye must be born again.’ [John 3:7.]

“Satan leads people to think that because they have felt a rapture of feeling, they are converted. But their experience does not change. Their actions are the same as before. Their lives show no good fruit. They pray often and long, and are constantly referring to the feelings they had at such and such a time. But they do not live the new life. They are deceived. Their experience goes no deeper than feeling. They build upon the sand, and when adverse winds come, their house is swept away. . . .

“When Jesus speaks of the new heart, He means the mind, the life, the whole being. To have a change of heart is to withdraw the affections from the world, and fasten them upon Christ. To have a new heart is to have a new mind, new purposes, new motives. What is the sign of a new heart?—a changed life. There is a daily, hourly dying to selfishness and pride (The Youth’s Instructor, September 26, 1901).” “Ellen G. White Comments,” Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, vol. 4, 1164.

The 144,000

The hundred and forty-four thousand have overcome as Jesus overcame. They have learned to handle life’s problems just like Jesus handled life’s problems. They have walked as carefully as Jesus walked through this world.

“Walk continually in the light of God. Meditate day and night upon His character. Then you will see His beauty and rejoice in His goodness. Your heart will glow with a sense of His love. You will be uplifted as if borne by everlasting arms. With the power and light that God imparts, you can comprehend more and accomplish more than you ever before deemed possible.” The Ministry of Healing, 514.

The hundred and forty-four thousand have submitted their wills so completely that they have overcome every sin and every evil temper, and they now are preparing their characters to go through Jacob’s trouble.

“ ‘To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with Me in My throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with My Father in His throne.’ [Revelation 3:21.] We can overcome. Yes; fully, entirely. Jesus died to make a way of escape for us, that we might overcome every evil temper, every sin, every temptation, and sit down at last with Him.” Testimonies, vol. 1, 144.

The Character of Christ

“ ‘When the fruit is brought forth, immediately he putteth in the sickle, because the harvest is come.’ [Mark 4:29.] Christ is waiting with longing desire for the manifestation of Himself in His church. When the character of Christ shall be perfectly reproduced in His people, then He will come to claim them as His own.” Christ’s Object Lessons, 69.

“A character formed according to the divine likeness is the only treasure that we can take from this world to the next. . . . To everyone engaged in this work Christ says, I am at your right hand to help you.

“As the will of man co-operates with the will of God, it becomes omnipotent.” Ibid., 332, 333.

“By His perfect obedience He has made it possible for every human being to obey God’s commandments. When we submit ourselves to Christ, the heart is united with His heart, the will is merged in His will, the mind becomes one with His mind, the thoughts are brought into captivity to Him; we live His life. This is what it means to be clothed with the garment of His righteousness.” Ibid., 312.

Martyrs in the Last Days

“It is not always safe to ask for unconditional healing. . . . He knows whether or not those for whom petitions are offered would be able to endure the trial and test that would come upon them if they lived. He knows the end from the beginning. Many will be laid away to sleep before the fiery ordeal of the time of trouble shall come upon our world.—Counsels on Health, 375 (1897).” Last Day Events, 255.

“ ‘They shall put you out of the synagogues: yea, the time cometh, that whosoever killeth you will think that he doeth God service.’ John 16:2.

“Every individual in our world will be arrayed under one of two banners.

“The two armies will stand distinct and separate, and this distinction will be so marked that many who shall be convinced of truth will come on the side of God’s commandment-keeping people. When this grand work is to take place in the battle, prior to the last closing conflict, many will be imprisoned, many will flee for their lives from cities and towns, and many will be martyrs for Christ’s sake in standing in defense of the truth.

“By the decree enforcing the institution of the papacy in violation of the law of God, our nation [the United States] will disconnect herself fully from righteousness. . . .

“As the approach of the Roman armies was a sign to the disciples of the impending destruction of Jerusalem, so may this apostasy be a sign to us that the limit of God’s forbearance is reached, that the measure of our nation’s iniquity is full, and that the angel of mercy is about to take her flight, never to return. The people of God will then be plunged into those scenes of affliction and distress which prophets have described as the time of Jacob’s trouble. The cries of the faithful, persecuted ones ascend to heaven. And as the blood of Abel cried from the ground, there are voices also crying to God from martyrs’ graves, from the sepulchers of the sea, from mountain caverns, from convent vaults: ‘How long, O Lord, holy and true, dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth?’ [Revelation 6:10.]

“When the fifth seal was opened, John the Revelator in vision saw beneath the altar the company that were slain for the Word of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ. After this came the scenes described in the eighteenth of Revelation, when those who are faithful and true are called out from Babylon.

“Christ will restore the life taken; for He is the Life-giver: He will beautify the righteous with immortal life.” Maranatha, 199.

Beasts of Revelation 13

At Satan’s personation, referred to in The Great Controversy, 624, the whole world wonders after the beast of Revelation 13. As we study carefully the Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, vol. 7, 976, 977, we see that the image to the first beast will be made when the Sunday laws are passed, and every Seventh-day Adventist will be tested by either rejecting or accepting the message.

With the acceptance by the second beast of Revelation 13, the United States of America, comes enforcement of that image which brings national ruin. At this point, the books have been opened and the judgment has been set.

“I beheld till the thrones were cast down, and the Ancient of days did sit, whose garment [was] white as snow, and the hair of his head like the pure wool: his throne [was like] the fiery flame, [and] his wheels [as] burning fire. A fiery stream issued and came forth from before him: thousand thousands ministered unto him, and ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him: the judgment was set, and the books were opened.” Daniel 7:9, 10.

The warning of the third angel’s message of Revelation 14:9–12 has been rejected by the world. The weak, the old, and the young who have been faithful, loyal, and obedient to the Commandments of God, without a single compromise with sin, have been laid to rest, waiting for the resurrection. They have kept the Sabbath fully according to Isaiah 58:13, 14: “If thou turn away thy foot from the sabbath, [from] doing thy pleasure on my holy day; and call the sabbath a delight, the holy of the Lord, honourable; and shalt honour him, not doing thine own ways, nor finding thine own pleasure, nor speaking [thine own] words: Then shalt thou delight thyself in the Lord; and I will cause thee to ride upon the high places of the earth, and feed thee with the heritage of Jacob thy father: for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken [it].”

Representatives in All Churches

Possibly thousands of martyrs will have paid the supreme sacrifice for defending present truth. Many people from other churches will be part of this group.

“The Lord has His representatives in all the churches. These persons have not had the special testing truths for these last days presented to them under circumstances that brought conviction to heart and mind; therefore they have not, by rejecting light, severed their connection with God. Many there are who have faithfully walked in the light that has shone upon their pathway. They hunger to know more of the ways and works of God. All over the world men and women are looking wistfully to heaven. Prayers and tears and inquiries go up from souls longing for light, for grace, for the Holy Spirit. Many are on the very verge of the kingdom, waiting only to be gathered in.” Testimonies, vol. 6, 70, 71.

Final Generation

The hundred and forty-four thousand are the Enochs of the final generation. They have prepared their characters, their minds, and their bodies for this hour so they can pass through Jacob’s trouble without failing. They can walk through the fire that is described in 11 Peter 3:10: “But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up.”

This verse has a dual application for the end of time and the end of the millennium. They walk through the fire as did the three worthies in Daniel’s time. And let us remember that Jesus was in that fire with them.

They are now ready to be God’s witnesses of what God does in fallen human beings.

All rebellion has been removed and Jesus can now take them through the universe throughout the ages. Man can overcome as Jesus overcame.

“God’s ideal for His children is higher than the highest human thought can reach. . . . There is no excuse for sinning. A holy temper, a Christlike life, is accessible to every repenting, believing child of God.

“The ideal of Christian character is Christlikeness. As the Son of man was perfect in His life, so His followers are to be perfect in their life.” The Desire of Ages, 311.

Nahum 1:9 tells us that sin will never rise again. The hundred and forty-four thousand are traveling through the universe as perfect examples of what God can do when man merges his will with God’s will.

“When our will is swallowed up in the will of God, and we use His gifts to bless others, we shall find life’s burden light. He who walks in the way of God’s commandments is walking in company with Christ, and in His love the heart is at rest.” The Desire of Ages, 331.

Willing to be Made Willing

For 6,000 years, according to the population of each generation, there have been only a few in every generation that have been willing to be made willing to obey all of God’s requirements in the commandments. There may have been billions of people living in the time of the flood, but only eight made it into the ark. Also, in Sodom, we find that only three were willing to be rescued from the fire with which God consumed that city. Jesus said, “For many are called, but few [are] chosen.” Matthew 22:14.

Also, from Isaiah 1:9, we know that there will be only a very small remnant that God can trust. There will be two classes that are savable at the end. First are those who have been redeemed from all rebellion. Many will be like the thief on the cross. Rebellion has been extinguished so completely that Jesus has justified them; the Holy Spirit has sanctified them, and they are safe to save. The second group is the hundred and forty-four thousand. A third group is the rebellious of all the divisions of people in the world that will be destroyed by the brightness of His coming.

“And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming.” 11 Thessalonians 2:8.

The identification of the hundred and forty-four thousand is that they have no guile and they are considered by God as virgins. This means that they have no deceptions, and their understanding of present truth is absolutely pure. God considers them absolutely perfect—not what they have done, but what God has done in them. Their wills have been swallowed up in the will of God. Their characters have been so perfectly formed after the great pattern of Jesus that they handle every situation as Jesus would.

“But after that the kindness and love of God our Saviour toward man appeared, Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost; Which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour; That being justified by his grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.” Titus 3:4–7.

50 Statements—Living Saints

Christian Experience and Teachings, 58, 96, 178; The Desire of Ages, 632; Early Writings, 15, 35, 240, 273, 287; The Faith I Live By, 351; Last Day Events, 272; Life Sketches, 65, 103; Lift Him Up, 379; Maranatha, 287, 288, 305, 308; My Life Today, 352; Patriarchs and Prophets, 477; A Sketch Of The Christian Experience And Views Of Ellen G. White (1851), 11, 18; Spiritual Gifts, vol. 1, 143, 188, 208; Spiritual Gifts, vol. 2, 31; Spiritual Gifts, vol. 3, 83; The Story of Jesus, 177; The Story of Redemption, 411; Testimonies, vol. 1, 59, 184; The Upward Look, 311; A Word To The Little Flock (1847), 14, 20; The Day-Star, January 24, 1846, Letter from Sister Harmon, Portland, Maine, December 20, 1845; Review and Herald, July 21, 1851, December 31, 1857; The Signs of the Times, April 8, 1889; The Watchman, October 3, 1905; The Little Remnant Scattered Abroad, vol. 1, April 6, 1846; The Little Remnant Scattered Abroad, vol. 3, April 7, 1847; The Youth’s Instructor, August 1, 1852, April 1, 1854, August 1, 1856; Manuscript Releases, vol. 3, 106; Ellen G. White: The Early Years, vol. 1, 1827–1862, by Arthur L. White (1985), 57, 207, 261, 270.

Elder Ron Spear served as field secretary for the Review and Herald, working at the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists. In the early 1980s, Ron Spear felt impressed that God was calling him to begin publishing a magazine that would feature the fundamental truths of the Seventh-day Adventist Church. The first issue of Our Firm Foundation came out in the fall of 1985. Many readers have said that the magazine reflects the spiritual values and content of the “old” Review and Herald. Hope International publishes many books, tracts, and study helps on doctrine, health, and current issues facing the church. Elder Spear may be contacted through Hope International by telephone at: 309-343-1844, or by e-mail at: office@hopeint.org.

Sinful Independence, Part I

God’s love is infinite—so great that I cannot understand it, but it is wonderful to meditate upon it. Have you meditated recently about why God made this world? Ellen White penned an interesting statement about why God created this world: “Infinite love—how great it is! God made the world to enlarge heaven. He desires a larger family of created intelligences (MS 78, 1901).” “Ellen G. White Comments,” Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, vol. 1, 1081. How interesting! God made this world because He wanted to enlarge His family of created intelligences.

From that statement, we know that in heaven there is a family. We, if we are God’s children, are destined to become a part of that family. In this great family of heaven, each one has individual responsibility; each one has freedom, but no one in heaven misuses that freedom to act independently, because all are held together by cords of humility towards self and love towards one another.

Jesus says, “Come unto me, all [ye] that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” Then He says, “ I am gentle”—the Greek word praos means gentle, lowly, or humble. Matthew 11:28, 29. This is the way Jesus is. He is not proud.

God Not Independent

There is perfect harmony in heaven, with each one maintaining his own identity, uniqueness, and function, but with no one acting independently. Are you aware of the fact that even God does not act independently? Following are a few examples.

We could not create the world. Only God could do that; He created the world. But when He created Adam, God left it up to Adam to give names to all the animals. He wanted Adam to cooperate with Him in His work of creation.

Not only that, but God created the minimum number of people to populate the earth. Then He told them to be fruitful and multiply and subdue the earth they were to populate. God would not have had to do that. God could have created several million perfect people, but He did not do it.

Choices

I suppose all of us who are parents can look back and think of many failures we have made, but, in spite of that, God has never taken this responsibility away from the human family.

As it was on the earth when Adam and Eve were created, so it was in heaven with the angels. God did not create a hierarchy or a dictatorship. He created a family. In Revelation 12:7, we are told that there was war in heaven. There never could have been a war in heaven if it had been a dictatorship or a hierarchy with an absolute totalitarian government, such as some that we have in this world. It never could have happened. The reason war happened was because the angels had total freedom.

When war broke out in heaven, as we read in Revelation 12:7, God could simply have banished Satan from heaven on the spot, and he would have had to go. But God did not do that. What did He do? God allowed the angels, as far as possible, to decide the issue. Every angel in heaven had to choose on which side he was going to be, and then he had to be willing to fight.

We do not know how angels fight. All we know is that war occurred in heaven, and Michael and His angels fought with the dragon, and the dragon fought with his angels. In other words, there was no neutral ground, and there is still no neutral ground. Jesus said, in Matthew 12:30, “He that is not with me is against me; and he that gathers not with me scatters abroad.” There is no neutral ground in this world; you are on one side or the other. The angels had to choose; every angel had to choose. And we are on one side or on the other side. We are going to have to get on one side or the other; every angel had to get on one side or the other. God allowed the angels to make up their minds and to decide the issue for themselves.

Family Council

Even after this war, when Satan was cast out of heaven, he was allowed to return to heaven to represent the earth at the councils in heaven. You can read about that in chapters one and two of Job. In those chapters, God presented Job’s fidelity and challenged Satan’s claim to represent the earth. Satan did not represent all the inhabitants of the earth, for God said, “Have you considered my servant Job? He is a perfect man [Job 2:3]; you are not representing him.”

Evidently the angels allowed the devil to remain in heaven; that is, he was allowed to come to heaven whenever they had a meeting with the representatives of the different worlds. He came as a representative of this world. But that time of tolerance ended at the time of the cross.

Representation Changed

We read from The Desire of Ages, 761, that when Jesus was crucified, “Satan saw that his disguise was torn away. His administration was laid open before the unfallen angels and before the heavenly universe. He had revealed himself as a murderer. By shedding the blood of the Son of God, he had uprooted himself from the sympathies of the heavenly beings. Henceforth his work was restricted. Whatever attitude he might assume, he could no longer await the angels as they came from the heavenly courts, and before them accuse Christ’s brethren of being clothed with the garments of blackness and the defilement of sin. The last link of sympathy between Satan and the heavenly world was broken.” So after Jesus was crucified on the cross, the devil was not allowed to return to the heavenly courts and stand outside and await the angels as they went to and fro.

How did that happen? The angels decided that Satan could no longer visit heaven as the representative of this earth, because, after the cross, only Jesus was allowed to be the representative of this planet. Are you happy about that?

After the angels decided that only Jesus was to represent this planet and that the devil was not allowed as a representative of this planet to come to any meeting, how were they going to keep him out? Have you ever thought about that? We do not know all the particulars, but Ellen White wrote, “All the angels that are commissioned to visit the earth hold a golden card, which they present to the angels at the gates of the city [the Holy City] as they pass in and out.” Early Writings, 39. Evidently the angels have been issued identification cards! They each have golden cards, and when they leave and are commissioned to go to this earth, upon their return, they have to present their card before they are allowed entrance back into heaven.

The devil has many, many angels, and they all can appear as angels of light, but they do not have the right card. They do not have the gold identification card.

Judgment

Today, there is a judgment going on in heaven. We have seen that God does not act independently. The angels of heaven do not act independently. Does God need a judgment? No, He does not need a judgment. He has known who will be saved and who will be lost from the foundation of the world. (See Ephesians 1:4; Isaiah 46:10.)

But even though God knows this, and He can make a correct judgment in just saying that it is all over, the angels do not know it, nor do the inhabitants of the unfallen worlds know. They do not have all the knowledge God has, so they have to keep records, and they have to review them. God could do it in a moment, but the angels need more time, and God is willing to spend the extra time and effort, so all the angels and all the inhabitants of the unfallen worlds can see that the right decision is made.

Heaven is built on the principle of cooperation and unity. That has always been the way it is. If you want to study into this, it is one of the fundamental reasons that, in the inspired writings of Ellen White, competitive sports are condemned, because they are based on a wrong fundamental principle. They do not play football in heaven. Are you aware of that? They do not play baseball either. They do not play those kinds of things, because those games are based on a different principle than the one on which they operate in heaven. Heaven is built on the principle of cooperation and unity. It has always been this way, and it will always be this way in the future through all ceaseless ages of eternity.

Independence

You know, from reading the story in Revelation 12, that there came a time when one of the angels decided that he was going to be independent. This is described in Isaiah 14, also in Ezekiel 28, and it is described briefly in Revelation 1. Lucifer began an independent organization, and this was sinful.

I want you to understand why it was sinful. It was sinful independence because it worked apart from God and His plans and organization. Independent ministry and self-supporting work were never part of God’s original plan. Are you aware of the fact that if Seventh-day Adventists had always followed the writings of the messenger that God sent to the remnant church, there never would have been such a thing as self-supporting work?

There was one who came along in the perfect environment and perfect government of heaven and acted, independently, in competition and opposition to the regular, established government and ministry, which had been in operation for ages. When that spirit of independence came to earth, this world entered into the darkness and misery of sin.

Temptation of Independence

Do you understand that the first great temptation to Adam and Eve was the temptation to be independent?

Genesis 3:4 says, “And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die.” Because, the serpent continued, in verse 5, “For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.” Can God do anything He wants? Yes, God can do anything He wants; He is above law. The angels are not above law; Adam and Eve were not above law; you and I are not above law. The first temptation was one of independence, claiming that Eve would be able to do whatever she pleased. She could be just like God.

The temptation was that Eve would be wise enough, if she ate of this fruit, to act independently, knowing good and evil herself without having to depend on God for guidance. There are still millions of people today who believe that lie. As a result of Eve’s choice, this earth became a part of the independent government of Satan, which made things rather confusing on this planet. Nearly the whole earth became loyal to Satan’s independent government.

Who is Really Independent

Those who remained loyal to God became, themselves, independent of the rebellion that existed on the earth. On the earth, the great mass of the population was independent from God and was, instead, loyal to Satan’s independent government or ministry. So those that were loyal to God were independent of Satan’s rebellion, but, because they were so few in number, they looked like the offshoot. Do you follow? The people that were loyal to God were few in number. Noah, for example, apparently was all alone. The rest of the world was independent of God and was following the philosophy of Satan and his leading and guiding.

Who was really independent? Who was really sinfully independent? Was Noah sinfully independent? The whole world was sinfully independent. They were following the leading of the devil. Noah was the only one who was not independent—just the opposite of the way it looked; he was dependent on God. But because such a few people were loyal to God, it looked like they were the ones that were independent. The others looked like they were all united; they were the establishment.

It has been that way over and over again—that the appearance was the exact opposite of the reality. God is in the business in this sinful world of training people and getting them ready for heaven. How is God going to get us ready for heaven?

Spirit of Submission

How do the heavenly beings operate up there? They love each other, and they have humble cooperation with each other. There is no competition or independence up there. God’s plan has always been for humble cooperation. That is why Jesus selected the disciples whom He selected. He had to select disciples who were teachable, who were humble. God is trying to teach each one of us the character traits of humility and submission. Those character traits do not seem to be easy for us to learn! Have you noticed? It does not seem easy for human beings to learn the character traits of humility and submission, but we all have to learn them, or we cannot be saved, because this is the character of heaven.

Every experience of life is to instill within us these precious traits of character, so we can fit into the society that Satan forfeited because of pride and independence. You see, pride is the opposite of humility, and independence is the opposite of submission. The Bible has a lot to say about submission, but we do not like to read it.

Have you read Romans 13 lately? It says that we are to submit to the civil government. When we decide that we are not going to obey the laws of the land, that we are not going to pay taxes, that we are not going to get liability insurance on our cars, or whatever else the government requires, this is a violation of Romans 13. Are you aware of that?

There are Seventh-day Adventists who seem to be proud that they are independent of the civil government, but that is not what the Bible teaches. People say, Oh, but the government is wicked. Let me tell you, our government is no more wicked than the government of Nero, and that is to whom Paul was referring when He wrote Romans 13. He told the very people living in probably the most wicked city in the whole world that they were to obey the civil government.

We are to submit. Why? Oh, friend, if we do not learn the lesson of submission, we can never be saved. We can never be saved with a proud, independent spirit—never.

Ephesians 6 talks about being submissive to employers. The kind of employers about whom Paul speaks is not the same kind about which we think. They actually had lords and servants in those days. Two-thirds of the Roman Empire was in slavery and not free; about one-third was free. Yet in Ephesians 6:5, he talks about being submissive to these people.

People say, Oh, you mean I have to be submissive to them? Well, yes; if we are going to develop the spirit of heaven, we have to learn the lesson of submission. How are we going to learn the lesson of submission if we do not ever submit to anybody? Someone says, Yes, but I am a Christian; I am free; I am a sovereign; I am not going to submit to anybody. Friend, that is not the spirit of heaven.

Husbands like to remind us that the Bible says that the wife is to submit to the husband. (Ephesians 5:22.) But the previous verse talks about both husbands and wives submitting to each other. It talks about all of us submitting to each other. In both 1 Peter and Hebrews, it talks about submitting and being in submission to the leaders in the church.

In 1 Peter 5:5, we are told even that the younger are to be in submission to those that are older. Why is that? For the simple reason that the older people have more experience, and, therefore, younger people should submit to their judgment. Now the older people will make mistakes in judgment; sometimes they did in Bible times, but they will make mistakes fewer times than people who do not have that experience. So, the Bible says to submit to those who are older, and then it says that all are to be in submission to each other.

None of us can go to heaven if we have a proud, independent spirit. We will never be admitted. We have to learn the lessons of submission given in the Bible—submission to the leaders in the church, submission to leaders in the family, submission to civil government, submission to employers.

No Further

Revelation 14 talks about the 144,000. The last part of verse 4 tells us that the 144,000 are people who have learned the lesson of submission. It says, “These are they which follow the Lamb whither-soever he goeth. These were redeemed from among men, [being] the firstfruits unto God and to the Lamb.” Notice that these are followers; they follow the Lamb wherever He goes. They are in submission to His authority, period. And they will follow Him—they do not just submit until they go so far and then say that they are not going any further.

Have you ever met somebody like that? Perhaps you have studied the Bible with someone, and they accept everything until you get to some doctrine that cuts so hard across their practice that they say, “I have accepted everything so far, but I cannot go that far.” I have seen it happen with tithing, with the Sabbath, with the state of the dead, with jewelry, and all different kinds of things. Some people will go to a certain point, and then it cuts so hard across their belief, their thinking, or their practices, that they say, No, I cannot go any further.

Followers

The 144,000 are people that go wherever the Lord leads. They do not say that they are just going so far; they follow wherever He goes. Do you want to be a person like that? If you do, then you have to learn the lesson of submission.

However, if you look at the first part of Revelation 14:4, you will see that the 144,000 appear to be independent, just as it was in the days of Noah. “These are they which were not defiled with women; for they are virgins.”

Women in Bible prophecy represent churches. The 144,000 are those who have not been defiled by women. They have not been defiled with Babylon, who is the great harlot defiling the whole world, as you can read in Revelation 14, 17, and 18. They have not been defiled with false religion. They have not been defiled with false religious philosophy that is prevalent throughout the world, because they are independent from manmade tradition. They will be thought to be a crazy and fanatical offshoot that is independent from the entire rest of the world. But the reason they are independent of the rest of the world is because the world is on the wrong side. They are loyal and faithful to God, and they are in the minority.

The Bible says that these people are followers. In this world, very often the reality is exactly the opposite from appearance. From the beginning of sin, those who have remained submissive and dependent upon God by following the Lamb wherever He goes have found themselves out of step and independent from the world—like Noah. When the rest of the world remained independent of God, can you imagine what people said? They said, “That man Noah is so aloof from counsel; he is so independent.” But actually Noah and his cohorts were the only ones in the world that were not independent. They were dependent on God. They were loyal and faithful to Him.

Loyalty

In the Book of Numbers, the experience of the organized church in the days of Moses is recorded. When the unfaithful spies returned from surveying the Promised Land, they got together and said, “Let us select another leader, and go back to Egypt.” (See Numbers 14:2–4.) It was probably the first great nominating committee in the organized church! They decided to select another leader instead of the one that God had chosen for them. Caleb and Joshua remonstrated with them and tried to talk some sense into them, because they were making the wrong decision (verses 9 and 10), and the situation became very heated.

Caleb and Joshua, in this instance,—now think this through—became independent from the organized church. That sounds awful; but is that what happened? Caleb and Joshua became independent of the organized church, and the people in the organized church said, “This Caleb and Joshua are not accepting the leader that we are choosing, and they are not accepting the decisions that we are making, so we are going to disfellowship them.” Do you know how they were going to disfellowship them? They said, “We are going to stone you.” That is the ultimate in disfellowshipping! That is permanent.

Here is the question: Who was right? Was it those who remained loyal to the church and the church organization? Or was it those who appeared to be independent and were, therefore, to be disfellowshipped? It is easy to give the answer when looking back at the Bible account, but it is not so easy when you are in an identical situation yourself. This situation was not solved at that time, even though the Lord Himself intervened so that Caleb and Joshua were not stoned.

This feeling in the church (this is the church—they are called the church in the wilderness by Stephen in Acts 7:38, and they were organized) continued. Feelings are some of the most difficult things with which any teacher or pastor must deal. Feelings become very deep-rooted in individuals, and quite often the only way they can be changed is by divine intervention. Sometimes God has to send some terrible experiences for people to get their feelings changed.

As I have studied these things, I have prayed, “Lord help me to become submissive, so I do not have to go through judgments to get my feelings changed.” Have you ever prayed a prayer like that?

Representative Government

Several chapters later, in Numbers 16:1, 2, Moses himself, and also Aaron, are accused of being independent. At that time, the children of Israel had a representative form of government. A representative church government is one where a number of churches each select delegates, and the delegates come together in what we call a conference and make decisions for the sisterhood of churches. Actually, that is all a conference is ever supposed to be.

If you have ever been to a constituency meeting, you know that a vote is taken at the end of the meeting. The constituency meeting is the only group that has the authority to act for the sisterhood of churches. A resolution is made at the end of every constituency meeting authorizing the conference committee to act on behalf of the constituents until the next constituency meeting. This is one reason a constituency meeting should be held at least every 12 months.

Of the children of Israel, 250 leaders, or representatives of the people, came together in a conference. These leaders, it says in the Hebrew Bible, were men of renown. Have you ever heard it said that when the leadership of the church gets together, it is as the voice of God? This is what the children of Israel thought too. These leaders accused Moses and Aaron of being independent from the church and taking too much upon themselves without the approval of the church. They said, “God has chosen this church, and, surely, when the entire church through its appointed representatives decides on something, it is as the voice of God to the people.”

To be continued . . .

[Bible texts quoted are literal translation.]

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

Editorial – Unity and Dissonance, Part II

In last month’s editorial, it was shown that Satan’s practice of blame, which he has always used, will be used at the end of time. It will be used upon the faithful people of God—first by the leaders in the professed remnant church and then later by the world at large. We will now investigate this in the form of questions and answers:

  1. At the end of time, from where will the worst opposition to God’s faithful people come?

Answer: “The opposition which Christ received came from his own nation, who would have been greatly blessed had they accepted him. In like manner the remnant church receive opposition from those who profess to be their brethren.” Review and Herald, August 28, 1883.

“The work which the church has failed to do in a time of peace and prosperity she will have to do in a terrible crisis under most discouraging, forbidding circumstances. The warnings that worldly conformity has silenced or withheld must be given under the fiercest opposition from enemies of the faith. And at that time the superficial, conservative class, whose influence has steadily retarded the progress of the work, will renounce the faith and take their stand with its avowed enemies, toward whom their sympathies have long been tending. These apostates will then manifest the most bitter enmity, doing all in their power to oppress and malign their former brethren and to excite indignation against them. This day is just before us. The members of the church will individually be tested and proved. They will be placed in circumstances where they will be forced to bear witness for the truth. Many will be called to speak before councils and in courts of justice, perhaps separately and alone.” Testimonies, vol. 5, 463. (See also The Great Controversy, 608.)

  1. What will be one of the initial attacks against God’s faithful people by their professed brethren?

Answer: One of the initial attacks, which has already occurred many times in the last few years, is that God’s faithful people should be accountable to the church organization and that these believers are offshoots because they are not accountable to the church organization. It is asserted that they believe that the church organization has no right to control their operations in any way. This type of attack has existed since before the days of Madison, an independent school co-founded by E. A. Sutherland and P. T. Magan near Nashville, Tennessee (1904), but we will only document since that time.

“The Lord does not set limits about His workers in some lines as men are wont to set. In their work, Brethren Magan and Sutherland have been hindered unnecessarily. Means have been withheld from them because in the organization and management of the Madison school, it was not placed under the control of the conference. But the reasons why this school was not owned and controlled by the conference have not been duly considered.” Special Testimonies, Series B, No. 11, 31, 32.

“In the matter of the Madison school, there has been a standing off from them because they were not under the ownership and control of some Conference. This is a question that should sometimes be considered, but it is not the Lord’s plan that means should be withheld from Madison because they are not bound to the conference. The attitude which some of our brethren have assumed toward this enterprise shows that it is not wise for every working agency to be under the dictation of conference officers. There are some enterprises under certain conditions, that will produce better results if standing alone.” Manuscript Releases, vol. 8, 202.

To be continued . . .