Pen of Inspiration – Christ’s Mission to Earth

In heaven Satan had declared that the sin of Adam revealed that human beings could not keep the law of God, and he sought to carry the universe with him in this belief. Satan’s words appeared to be true, but Christ came to unmask the deceiver. He came that through trial and dispute of the claims of Satan in the great conflict, He might demonstrate that a ransom had been found. The Majesty of heaven would undertake the cause of man, and with the same facilities that man may obtain, stand the test and proving of God as man must stand it.

Christ came to the earth, taking humanity and standing as man’s representative, to show in the controversy with Satan that he was a liar, and that man, as God created him, connected with the Father and the Son, could obey every requirement of God. Speaking through His servant He declares, “His commandments are not grievous.” [I John 5:3.] It was sin that separated man from his God, and it is sin that maintains this separation.

What a sight was this for heaven to look upon. Christ, who knew not the least moral taint or defilement of sin, took our nature in its deteriorated condition. This was humiliation greater than finite man can comprehend. He was the Majesty of heaven, but in the divine plan He descended from His high and holy estate to take humanity, that humanity might touch humanity, and divinity, combined with humanity, take hold upon divinity.

God was manifest in the flesh. He humbled Himself. What a subject for thought, for deep, earnest contemplation; so infinitely great that He was the Majesty of heaven, and yet He stooped so low without losing an atom of His dignity or glory! Christ stooped to poverty and to the deepest abasement and humiliation among men. [II Corinthians 8:9; Matthew 8:20 quoted.]

Christ submitted to insult and mockery, contempt and ridicule. He heard His message, which was fraught with love and goodness and mercy, misapplied and misstated. He heard Himself called the prince of the devils because He testified to His Sonship with God. The circumstances of His birth were divine, but by His own nation, those who had blinded their eyes to spiritual things, it was regarded as a blot and a stain. But these insinuations and charges were but a small part of the abuse He endured in His life. There was not a drop of bitter woe which He did not taste, not a part of the curse which He did not endure, that He might bring many sons and daughters to God.

When we contemplate the fact that Jesus was on this earth as a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief; that in order to save fallen man from eternal ruin He left His heavenly home, we should lay in the dust all our pride. This fact should put to shame all our vanity, and reveal to us our sin of self-sufficiency. Behold Him making the wants, the trials, the grief and suffering of sinful man His own. Can we not take home the lesson that God endured these sufferings and bruises of soul in consequence of sin?

By taking upon Himself man’s nature in its fallen condition, Christ did not in the least participate in its sin. He was subject to the infirmities and weaknesses of the flesh with which humanity is encompassed, “that it might be fulfilled that was spoken by the prophet Esaias, Himself took our infirmities and bare our sicknesses.” [Matthew 8:17.] He was touched with the feeling of our infirmities, and was in all points tempted like as we are. And yet He was without a spot.

There should not be the faintest misgivings in regard to the perfect freedom from sinfulness in the human nature of Christ. Our faith must be an intelligent faith, looking unto Jesus in perfect confidence, in full and entire faith in the atoning sacrifice. This is essential that the soul may not be enshrouded in darkness. This holy Substitute is able to save to the uttermost, for He presented to the wondering universe perfect and complete humility in His human character, and perfect obedience to all the requirements of God. Divine power is placed upon man, that he may become a partaker of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust. This is why repenting, believing man can be made the righteousness of God in Him.

The purity and holiness of Christ, the spotless righteousness of Him who did no sin, neither was guile found in His mouth, was heaven’s light in contrast with satanic darkness. In Him was a perpetual reproach upon all sin in a world of sensuality and sin.

The enmity referred to in the prophecy in Eden was not to be confined merely to Satan and the Prince of life. It was to be universal. Satan and his angels were to feel the enmity of all mankind. [Genesis 3:15 quoted.] The seed of Satan is wicked men, who resist the Spirit of God, and who call the law, as did their father the devil, a yoke of bondage. “Sin is transgression of the law,” said Christ. “He that committeth sin is of the devil.” [I John 3:4, 8.]

The enmity put between the seed of the serpent and the seed of the woman was supernatural. With Christ the enmity was in one sense natural; in another sense it was supernatural, as humanity and divinity were combined. And never was the enmity developed to such a marked degree as when Christ became a resident of this earth. Never before had there been a being upon the earth who hated sin with so perfect a hatred as did Christ. He had seen its deceiving, infatuating power upon the holy angels, causing them to revolt, and all His powers were enlisted against Satan. In the purity and holiness of His life, Christ flashed the light of truth amid the moral darkness with which Satan had enshrouded the world. Christ exposed his falsehoods and deceiving character, and spoiled his corrupting influence.

It was this that stirred Satan with such an intense hatred of Christ. With his hosts of fallen beings he determined to urge the warfare most vigorously; for there stood One in the world who was a perfect representation of the Father, and in His character and practices was a refutation of Satan’s misrepresentations of the character of God.

It was the purity and sinlessness of Christ’s humanity that stirred up such satanic hatred. His truth revealed their falsehoods. Satan saw God, whom he had charged with the attributes which he himself possessed, revealed in Christ in His true character—a compassionate, merciful God, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to Him in repentance and have eternal life.

Intense worldliness has been one of Satan’s most successful temptations. He designs to keep the minds and hearts of men so completely filled with worldly attractions that there will be no room for heavenly things. He controls the minds of men in their love of the world. The inordinate attachment to earthly things eclipses the heavenly, and puts the Lord out of the sight and understanding of men. False theories and false gods are cherished in the place of the true.

Men are dazed and charmed with the glitter and tinsel of the world. They are so attached to the things of earth that they will commit any sin in order to gain some worldly advantage. Satan thought to overthrow Christ on this point. He thought that the humanity of Christ would be easily overcome by his temptations. [Matthew 4:8, 9 quoted.]

But Christ was unmoved; and He used only the weapons justifiable for human beings to use—the word of Him who is mighty in counsel, “It is written.”

Had there been the least taint of sin in Christ, Satan would have bruised His head. As it was, he could only touch His heel. Had the head of Christ been touched, the hope of the human race would have perished. Divine wrath would have come upon Christ as it came upon Adam. Christ and the church would have been without hope. But Christ “knew no sin.” He was the Lamb “without blemish and without spot.” [II Corinthians 5:21; 1 Peter 1:19.] Manuscript Releases, vol. 16, 115–119.

When God is Silent

The study of the providence of God has been highly recommended to us. We are told that John the Baptist, while living his retired life in the wilderness of Judea, studied the providence of God in nature. We are told that Jesus Christ Himself studied carefully the providence of God during His years at Nazareth. We are also told that He loved to go out into the mountains around Nazareth, into the forests and glens to find places to pray and to study the providence of God. We have an example of this providence in action recorded in Matthew 15.

Jesus was not always easy to understand, at least it seemed so to the disciples. But you have to look at it from His standpoint, too; they were not always easy to teach. It was a very difficult lesson that He needed to teach them at this point in their educational experience, so He set up what appeared to be a five-day seminar. He took them over the hill country from Galilee to the area of Tyre and Sidon, fifty or sixty miles to the northwest. I would estimate that it took them at least two days to go, two days to come back, with one day spent there.

What was this special effort all about? Was it for a woman who had a devil-possessed daughter? Well, yes; but that is only a small part of it. That was the easiest thing that Jesus had to do on this particular journey. His biggest job was not to deal with the devil-possessed daughter of a woman, but to deal with the tradition-possessed minds of the twelve disciples. They thought like Jews; they lived like Jews, and they were Jews. They had imbibed the spirit of the rabbis, who had a particular view of the world with which Jesus had to deal. It was not appropriate for His cause and for His disciples to have the world view of the rabbis.

Preparation before Commission

Just before His return to heaven, Jesus said to His disciples, “But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you; and ye shall be witnesses unto Me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.” Acts 1:8. If Jesus had not done some special educational work for them, they would have choked and sputtered when He said Samaria. When He said, “Unto the uttermost part of the earth,” they would have just been aghast. He had a job to do before they would even consider such a thing.

Now consider the woman. We are told that she was a woman of Canaan. The Canaanites were the oldest race of people who lived in that area. Actually, she probably did not know herself who her ancestors were. Centuries before, the Assyrians, a small but ambitious nation of people, sought to control the whole country. To accomplish this, they first used force and cruelty, believing that if they were mean and cruel enough, nobody would ever dream of rebelling against their power. This did not work, however, and people rebelled anyway. Later in their history, they resorted to the practice of relocating people. By taking them away from their homelands and mixing them all up, they hoped to leave them without sufficient strength in numbers to be able to mount a rebellion. This resulted in the people encountering, and to a large degree assimilating, various types of cultural and religious attitudes.

There had been a great deal of inter-marriage with the different peoples. So if you lived in the area of Tyre and Sidon, like this woman did, and you were referred to as a woman of Canaan, that did not mean very much. It would be very, very difficult for you to be sure whose blood was in your veins; but for certain, it was not the blood of Abraham.

On the other hand, before a Jewish boy learned to read and write, he learned his pedigree. He learned to prove that he was descended from Abraham; so by groups of seven, he memorized the most outstanding ancestors of his ancestral line. He did not try to remember all of them, but enough to show you that he was indeed in line with Abraham. That is what counted. You had to be a son of Abraham. So people with an attitude like this looked at this woman as if she were just a cur, or mongrel. Because of this situation, she was ideally suited to be the subject of this seminar.

The stage was set; the players were there: the pagan, the prejudiced disciples, and the compassionate Saviour, but as we watch the action unfold, we may be at first as puzzled and bewildered as were the disciples.

The woman comes with her first appeal to Jesus. “Lord, have mercy on me; my daughter is grievously vexed with a devil.” Jesus’ first answer to her was silence. So what does the silence mean? The disciples, of course, think his apparent indifference means rejection. They cannot understand why He does not finish the job and get rid of the woman altogether; however, Jesus knew exactly what He was doing in educating them, and worked carefully.

As we see somebody appealing to the Saviour and His answer is silence, we can possibly identify with that because we also have had that experience. Have we not presented some request to the Lord and received silence as an answer? A young college girl was talking to me about some of her problems one day. I asked her, “Have you talked to the Lord about it?”

She answered, “Yes, I have. But it seems like God just doesn’t say anything.” That is not so uncommon. Often when we talk with the Lord the answer appears to be silence. What does the silence mean? This is a question upon which we can reflect with profit.

Why Silence?

Does it mean that God does not hear or care? Does it mean that the answer is no? It certainly cannot mean that He does not hear or care because, after all, He had walked fifty miles or more just to get to this woman to take care of her problem; so He certainly cares. In our case, we know that He died for us; He lives for us, so He does care. Then what does it mean?

Romans 8:26 gives us a clue, “We know not what we should pray for as we ought.”

“The Saviour longs to give us a greater blessing than we ask.” The Desire of Ages, 200. Then why does He not do it? What is holding Him back?

Physical things can be given by surprise, but spiritual things cannot. We can surprise somebody with a gift of money or property or land or personal things. You can put something physical in a person’s hand, but you cannot put something spiritual into someone’s heart by surprise. That is impossible. The heart must want that spiritual gift before it can be given. Because a spiritual gift cannot be given unless it is desired, God sometimes finds it necessary to delay an answer to our prayers because we are carnally minded.

Suppose the pastor of a church says, “Wednesday evening at 7:30 there is going to be prayer meeting and everybody who comes is going to receive a blessing. The Lord has promised it.”

So we go to the pastor and ask, “What did you say that we are going to receive Wednesday night?”

He answers, “A blessing.”

“What can I do with a blessing? Can I eat it?”

“No, you cannot eat it.”

“Can I wear it?”

“No, you cannot wear it.”

“Can I put it in the bank?”

“No, you cannot put it in the bank.”

Suppose that on Sabbath morning the pastor were to say, “We are going to have prayer meeting on Wednesday night and everybody who comes is going to get a new $20 bill.” How many do you think could make it to prayer meeting? Oh, yes, we understand this! We put so much more value on money than we do on what the Lord has promised, and that is the problem that God has to deal with, and one of His ways of dealing with it is with His silence.

“Lord, I need a new pair of shoes.” Silence. “Lord, this is the second time that I am telling You that I need a new pair of shoes.” Silence. “Lord, pardon me for mentioning this the third time, but I need a new pair of shoes.” Silence. “What is the matter with God?” Silence. “I wonder if it could be something the matter with me.” “Now we are getting somewhere,” God says.

Better Answers

God often delays answering our prayers because He wants to give us something better than the temporal things for which we ask. Did He not promise that He would provide all our necessaries if we would “ ‘Seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things will be added unto you?’ So why do you always come to Me with a list of physical things that you want?”

Try recording and make a list of all of the physical things that you ask the Lord for and a list of all of the spiritual things that you ask for. Maybe the list of physical things will be quite a bit longer because we have to talk about shoes, clothes, our house, and all of our other things while God is saying, “Talk about something important. You need the joy of Christ in your life far more than you need new shoes. Why can you not talk about that?”

As we think back to the Cannanite woman, we take notice of His disciples’ confusion on this point. You see, He answered the lady twice and He spoke to the disciples once. When they noticed that He was not answering her, they interpreted it to mean rejection and they said, “Send her away; for she crieth after us.”

But He answered, “I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” However, He did not send her away, and that throws them into confusion which was his intention. The disciples were puzzled!

Weakening Prejudice

It was with this point that He drove His first wedge and opened a crack in that big wall of prejudice. Surely He was not suggesting that this mongrel, this cur, was a lost sheep of the house of Israel—or was He? That was the thought that He wanted to form in their minds.

His second answer to her seemed even worse than the first. He had just been ignoring her as if He did not even see her, but now He stopped and looked at her, and she pleaded again, “Lord, have mercy on me.”

Looking at her, He says, “You are a dog.”

That is even worse than the silence. We wonder that she even held on. We are told that she saw something in His face that He could not hide (see The Desire of Ages, 184) and latched on to it. This Canaanite woman probably had very little education; she may not have known how to read or write, but she could read His face. She saw something there that she latched on to. When Jesus said to her, “You are a dog,” instead of walking away, she replied, “You say I’m a dog and I do not deny it; but if I am a dog, where are my crumbs? You do not look like a man who would starve His dog to death.” “I am not basing my plea on my character; I am placing it on Your character.” As Martin Luther said, “She threw His bag of promises down in front of Him, and He could not step over it.”

She got what she wanted, and the disciples learned something. This was a hard lesson for them, but they learned it. As the Jewish nation hardened itself and raised more and more barriers against the gospel message and the disciples were called upon to move farther and farther out into the Gentile world, they remembered this experience. They remembered that a mongrel cur can be a child of Abraham.

Originally, Paul and the disciples believed, “If ye be Abraham’s seed, then you can approach Christ.” Christ turned it right around. “For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female; for ye are all one in Christ Jesus. And if ye be Christ’s, then are ye Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.” Galatians 3:27-29.

We often experience the silence of God when we pray. Does it mean that He does not hear? Oh, no. Does it mean that He does not care? Oh, no. It means that He wants us to think. He wants us to think about something that we are not thinking about because our mind is so taken up with shoes and socks and all of the physical things of life. “The Saviour longs to give us a greater blessing than we ask; and He delays the answer to our request that He may show us the evil of our own hearts, and our deep need of His grace.” The Desire of Ages, 200. He deliberately chooses to answer us with silence.

“Sometimes answers to our prayers come immediately, sometimes we have to wait patiently and continue earnestly to plead for the things that we need. We are to keep on asking, even if we do not realize the immediate response to our prayers.

“There are precious promises in the Scriptures to those who wait upon the Lord. We all desire an immediate answer to our prayers and are tempted to become discouraged if our prayer is not immediately answered…this is a great mistake. The delay is for our special benefit.” Counsels on Health, 380.

“The God of providence still walks among us. Though His footsteps are not seen, though His positive and direct workings are not recognized or understood, the God of providence is still walking among us making journeys to reach us perhaps.” Reflecting Christ, 98.

Thank God for His providence. Thank Him for His mercy, for His understanding, for His willingness to go anywhere, to do anything to bring any one of us to the salvation of the Lord. Thank God for the fact that every one of us has a page in the book of providence where every detail is numbered. Nothing happens to us except by His permission.

Dr. Ralph Larson completed forty years of service to the Seventh-day Adventist church, as pastor, evangelist, departmental secretary, and college and seminary teacher. Upon retirement, he continued his service, diligently working with and giving counsel to those within the historic movement until his passing on August 19, 2007.

John the Baptist

Ellen White has told us that we should study the lives of John the Baptist and Enoch—prototypes of those living in the last days: “The experience of Enoch and of John the Baptist represents what ours should be. Far more than we do, we need to study the lives of these men,—he who was translated to heaven without seeing death; and he who, before Christ’s first advent, was called to prepare the way of the Lord, to make His paths straight.” Gospel Workers, 51.

The Old Testament ends with Malachi 4:5, 6: “Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord. And he will turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the hearts of the children to their fathers, Lest I come and strike the earth with a curse.”

The great and dreadful day of the Lord is Jesus’ Second Coming. Elijah the prophet will be sent before that event to give an Elijah message. Before Jesus’ first coming, a man came who was also called Elijah. That was not his name, but that is what Jesus called him. Why did He call this man Elijah? The answer is given in Luke 1:15–17.

He would be filled with the Holy Spirit from conception; even before he could reason or think. That was because his parents were filled with the Holy Spirit. Luke 1:6 says, “They were both righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless.” He was a vessel whom God filled. This filling of the Holy Spirit is promised to all, including children. (See Acts 2:38, 39.)

John the Baptist had a great work to do; therefore Gabriel was sent to give explicit instruction to his parents as to how he was to be raised. How wonderful it would be, parents, to have Gabriel tell you how to raise your children! He gave detailed instruction on diet as well as other things. A synopsis of his instruction is found in Luke 1:13–20.

Health Reformer

Of this instruction, Ellen White wrote: “John the Baptist was a reformer. To him was committed a great work for the people of his time. And in preparation for that work, all his habits were carefully regulated, even from his birth. The angel Gabriel was sent from heaven to instruct the parents of John in the principles of health reform.” Temperance, 90, 91.

In all the stories about John the Baptist that are recorded in Matthew, Mark, and Luke, any mention about John and his life specifically state that he had a special diet. He ate locusts and wild honey.

The locusts referred to a locust bean, not a bug. John the Baptist was a vegetarian! (See Testimonies, vol. 3, 62.) That is why the Bible is so specific about what he ate. He is a type of those who will be living before Jesus’ Second Coming.

Health reform is certainly a part of getting ready for Jesus’ Second Coming. We need to clean and purify our bodies and our lives.

“He [John the Baptist] was a representative of those living in the last days, to whom God has entrusted sacred truths to present before the people, to prepare the way for the second appearing of Christ. And the same principles of temperance which John practiced should be observed by those who in our day are to warn the world of the coming of the Son of man.” Temperance, 91.

“Those who are to prepare the way for the second coming of Christ are represented by faithful Elijah, as John came in the spirit of Elijah to prepare the way for Christ’s first advent. The great subject of reform is to be agitated, and the public mind is to be stirred. Temperance in all things is to be connected with the message, to turn the people of God from their idolatry, their gluttony, and their extravagance in dress and other things.” Testimonies, vol. 3, 62.

God’s Communication

Revelation 12:17 tells us that God will communicate with us in the last days. The last church will have the same thing that John the Baptist had. It will have the testimony of Jesus Christ. John the Baptist’s father was a prophet. He received messages from God through the angel. In the last days, God gives messages through a prophet. That is what the testimony of Jesus Christ is.

We have the same work to do that John was given, and with this great responsibility lies a promise. Like John the Baptist’s parents, we have counsel from God, telling us how to raise our children and how we should live, helping us with our diet and our education, telling us where we should live and how to work. God has provided all this through His messenger in her writings such as Counsels on Diet and Foods; Counsels to Parents, Teachers, and Students; and Testimonies for the Church.

John the Baptist is a type, a representative of those living in the last days. The instruction for him was given to someone else who passed it on to him. It came through Gabriel speaking to his father before he was ever born or even conceived. He had to trust in his father’s revelation.

And, so, God has also given us a revelation. True, it has come through a channel, not to us directly, but God has communicated to us in the same way. Oh, how we should value and trust these revelations and appreciate them! The gift of prophecy is one of the signs of the remnant church. This church is entrusted with the Elijah message, the Elijah mission. How fortunate we are! It is only as we make use of the information that God has given to us, as our lives are filled with the Holy Spirit, that we can be representatives of Christ, as was John the Baptist, and be ready for Jesus’ Second Coming.

Heed the Instruction

John would never have accomplished his mission, even though the Lord had spoken to him, unless he heeded the message. He did heed the instruction, and the Lord blessed. (See Luke 1:80.) Will we as a church succeed unless we fulfill the messages that have been given to us through the gift of prophecy?

John the Baptist went to the desert for his education. He did not go to the schools of the Rabbis. He did not gain his instruction from the theological thoughts of the day. He went into the wilderness, and there he prayed, studied the Scriptures, and became taught of God.

“God did not send him to the teachers of theology to learn how to interpret the Scriptures. He called him to the desert, that he might learn of nature and nature’s God.” The Desire of Ages, 101.

In the last days, God is going to mightily use humble people filled with His Spirit. They will be instructed by God through their study of the Bible, as they study the instructions that He has given to add light to the Bible through the Spirit of Prophecy, and through prayer. They will be messengers like John the Baptist. “God can raise up men and fit them to carry this message in the power and the Spirit. Although they are lowly, yet in humble obedience they will learn of God and receive counsel of him.” Review and Herald, August 1862.

It is dangerous to put more and more emphasis on secular education for the finishing of God’s work versus experience and knowledge of the Bible. We need to remember that Jesus was not educated in the schools of the day, and neither was John the Baptist. God can teach people today just as He taught them then.

Separated From Evil Influences

“It was John’s choice to forego the enjoyments and luxuries of city life for the stern discipline of the wilderness. Here his surroundings were favorable to habits of simplicity and self-denial. Uninterrupted by the clamor of the world, he could here study the lessons of nature, of revelation, and of providence. … To him the solitude of the desert was a welcome escape from society in which suspicion, unbelief, and impurity had become well-nigh all-pervading. He distrusted his own power to withstand temptation, and shrank from constant contact with sin, lest he should lose the sense of its exceeding sinfulness.

“But the life of John was not spent in idleness, in ascetic gloom, or in selfish isolation. From time to time he went forth to mingle with men; and he was ever an interested observer of what was passing in the world. From his quiet retreat he watched the unfolding of events. With vision illuminated by the divine Spirit, he studied the characters of men, that he might understand how to reach their hearts with the message of heaven.” Review and Herald, December 17, 1903.

John the Baptist was filled with the Holy Spirit from his very birth. He was a health reformer; he was instructed by the Holy Spirit, but even he who had been raised by God-fearing parents, who themselves were filled by the Holy Spirit, was scared of constant contact with evil. He was afraid he would lose a sense of the exceeding sinfulness of sin.

Do you suppose if John the Baptist was scared of that, that we might be a little afraid of that too? Do you suppose that John the Baptist would have spent time and allowed himself to be influenced by daily watching television or listening to what comes over the radio? Or would he have been scared of what it might have done to him?

Speaking of John the Baptist, Ellen White wrote: “If there was anyone who could remain unaffected by the corrupting influences of the age in which he lived, it was surely he. Yet he did not venture to trust his strength; he separated himself from his friends and relatives, that his natural affections might not prove a snare to him. He would not place himself unnecessarily in the way of temptation nor where the luxuries or even the conveniences of life would lead him to indulge in ease or to gratify his appetite, and thus lessen his physical and mental strength. …

“The forerunner of Christ, did not expose himself to evil conversation and the corrupting influences of the world. He feared the effect upon his conscience, that sin might not appear to him so exceedingly sinful. He chose rather to have his home in the wilderness, where his senses would not be perverted by his surroundings.” Testimonies, vol. 4, 108, 109.

When we are searching for a place to live, it would serve us well to think about the influences that surround our potential homes. John’s example gives ample reasons for us to find homes in the country.

We should not flatter ourselves that we are too strong for any influences to affect us, but we should, in humility, guard ourselves from temptation. Even if we move to the country, if we continue to listen to the radio or watch television, we are subjecting ourselves to evil influences and to temptations.

Humbleness

From John 3:26–30, we read: “And they came to John and said to him, ‘Rabbi, He who was with you beyond the Jordan, to whom you have testified—behold, He is baptizing, and all are coming to Him!’ John answered and said, ‘A man can receive nothing unless it has been given to him from heaven. You yourselves bear me witness, that I said, “I am not the Christ,” but, “I have been sent before Him.” He who has the bride is the bridegroom; but the friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him, rejoices greatly because of the bridegroom’s voice. Therefore this joy of mine is fulfilled. He must increase, but I [must] decrease.’ ”

What a magnanimous attitude! Most of us do not mind starting out small as long as we can climb and climb and climb. But we are not always as humble as was John the Baptist.

“Looking in faith to the Redeemer, John had risen to the height of self-abnegation. He sought not to attract men to himself, but to lift their thoughts higher and still higher, until they should rest upon the Lamb of God. He himself had been only a voice, a cry in the wilderness. Now with joy he accepted silence and obscurity, that the eyes of all might be turned to the Light of life.

“Those who are true to their calling as messengers for God will not seek honor for themselves. Love for self will be swallowed up in love for Christ. …

“We can receive of heaven’s light only as we are willing to be emptied of self. … To all who do this, the Holy Spirit is given without measure.” Testimonies, vol. 8, 333, 334.

The one requirement of being filled with the Holy Spirit is to be emptied of self. The Holy Spirit will come in only as we are humbled, as we are emptied of self. Only then will He come in and fill the void.

When Jesus comes again, He is going to have a people like John the Baptist—people who are health reformers, who are instructed by the Holy Spirit, who are separated, as far as they can be, from evil influences, and who are humble.

As was written of John the Baptist, may it be said of God’s last-day people: “By day and by night, Christ was his study, his meditation, until mind and heart and soul were filled with the glorious vision.

“He looked upon the King in His beauty, and self was lost sight of. He beheld the majesty of holiness and knew himself to be inefficient and unworthy. It was God’s message that he was to declare. It was in God’s power and His righteousness that he was to stand. He was ready to go forth as Heaven’s messenger, unawed by the human, because he had looked upon the Divine. He could stand fearless in the presence of earthly monarchs because with trembling he had bowed before the King of kings.” Testimonies, vol. 8, 331, 332.

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.

The Three Angels’ Messages

 

Today, we can see in God’s merciful messages that which parallels the messages in the days of Noah. The Bible says, “As it was in the days of Noah so shall it be in the last days.” (Luke 17:26.)

The first angel’s message calls us to forsake worldly-mindedness and to dedicate our lives fully to the God of heaven. (See Revelation 14:6, 7.)

The area of flight indicates the worldwide nature of the three angels’ work and the proclamation of their messages to the sight and hearing of all mankind. “I [Ellen White] saw that God was in the proclamation of the time in 1843. It was his design to arouse the people, and bring them to a testing point where they should decide [for or against the truth].” Spiritual Gifts, vol. 1, 133. That is why He sent the Three Angels’ Messages. Every believer is called to have a personal part in the worldwide witness of the Breath of Life.

First Angel

The first angel’s message is the very foundation of the Advent faith. Therefore, it cannot be ignored. It is designed to prepare men and women to make the proper choice and to stand firm in the time of crisis. The time is now to prepare our lives for what is ahead and to look forward to His glorious coming.

Today, God is making His final appeal through the Three Angels’ Messages—there will not be another appeal. “Fear God, and give glory to him; for the hour of his judgment is come: and worship him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters.” Revelation 14:6, 7. We are to give God reverence and loyalty and give full surrender to His will.

We are living in a wretched and sordid condition because of our unbelief, worldliness, unconsecrated lives, and strife that have kept us in this world of sin for so many years. It is time to educate our minds and thoughts to believe in God’s Word and to prepare for the future trials ahead.

We are encouraged to remain firm in our beliefs, allowing nothing to distort us. “When the testing time shall come, those who have made God’s word their rule of life will be revealed. In summer there is no noticeable difference between evergreens and other trees; but when the blasts of winter come, the evergreens remain unchanged, while other trees are stripped of their foliage. So the falsehearted professor may not now be distinguished from the real Christian, but the time is just upon us when the difference will be apparent. Let opposition arise, let bigotry and intolerance again bear sway, let persecution be kindled, and the halfhearted and hypocritical will waver and yield the faith; but the true Christian will stand firm as a rock, his faith stronger, his hope brighter, than in days of prosperity.” The Great Controversy, 602. Our finite minds can never comprehend what Christ has in store for us—it is beyond our imagination.

Jesus died to make atonement for our sins and rose triumphantly from the grave to bring the good news of our salvation. Salvation is a continuous holding fast to the Truth and the absolute conviction of believing which leads to faith. Hebrews 2:17 calls Jesus a “faithful High Priest.”

Several examples in the Bible provide us with a clear picture of what God’s last day people will be like.

“Elijah was a type of the saints who will be living on the earth at the time of the second advent of Christ.” Prophets and Kings, 227.

Paul was an example of true repentance—turning away from persecutor to disciple, a complete reversal. “He himself [Paul], when he saw his true condition, exercised repentance toward God and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ.” Manuscript Releases, vol. 5, 255. He was not able to completely forget the past. He was bothered by it, but it humbled him, and what he achieved thereafter he attributed to God’s amazing grace and power, and what he accomplished far exceeded any other prophet. No one man carried more impressive credentials than the direct authorization Paul had as an apostle. Paul was not one of the twelve, but Christ directly called him.

The children of Israel are also an example to us of how God’s last day people should not be. We should not forget the 40 years of Israel pursuant to disobedience, unbelief, and rebellion that shut out Israel from the Promised Land of Canaan. Although they were left out as a nation and experienced the judgment, they were not left out as individuals.

We who remain faithful and true to our Lord and Saviour can look forward to our salvation. Remember, “We walk by faith, not by sight.” II Corinthians 5:7.

In talking with His disciples before His crucifixion and ascent to heaven, Christ encouraged them with these words: “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. He forewarned them of His departure from them, so that when it occurred, their faith would be strengthened. (See verse 29.) While Jesus was building a mansion for them in heaven, they were to build characters after the Divine similitude, as they were taught by the Holy Ghost. (See verse 26.)

The Bible indicates that as we draw nearer to the end of this earth’s history our loyalty to God will become more pronounced and more important, as found in Revelation 14. Therein lies the anchor to God’s people in the last days—our Anchor, Jesus Christ.

The Lord in His great mercy sent this precious message to His people in the last days. Because there will not be another, it must be brought to the sight and hearing of all people. In these last messages it is our duty to ascertain and acknowledge the full meaning of the three messages as revealed in Revelation 14:6–12, for therein lies the perfect chain of truth.

Many have seen the perfect chain of truth in the Three Angels’ Messages and gladly received them in their order, followed Jesus by faith, and have been kept from being swept away by Satan’s delusions. This glorious gospel will continue as long as there are men and women to be saved. There are still men and women yet to be saved, and that is why our Saviour has not come.

God in His mercy is giving extra time for people to make their most important and final decision in accepting truth. He does not want anyone to be left out; that is how important everyone is to God. God wants to give everyone a fair chance to inherit eternal life.

The year 1844 marks the beginning of the cleansing of the heavenly sanctuary and the work of judgment. The reference here is not to execute the judgment of Christ—that is yet to come when all will receive their reward. “Before the final reward is given, it must be decided who are fitted to share the inheritance of the righteous. This decision must be made prior to the second coming of Christ in the clouds of heaven; for when He comes, His reward is with Him, ‘to give every man according as his work shall be.’ Revelation 22:12. Before His coming, then, the character of every man’s work will have been determined, and to every one of Christ’s followers the reward will have been apportioned according to his deeds.” Christ’s Object Lessons, 310.

The Three Angels’ Messages precede the Second Coming of Christ and reveal that the day of salvation has not passed. There is still time to turn to God and escape the coming wrath.

The Three Angels’ Messages are designed to prepare a people to stand through the time of crisis just before the second coming of Christ.

Remember! These messages are the very foundation of our faith and our belief!

Noah

What parallels can we learn or draw from the story of Noah that are applicable to our time and the Three Angels’ Messages?

Noah’s experience sets a noble example for Christians who are living in these end times and who are preparing themselves for translation to heaven and a new and glorious home in the new earth.

The world conditions at the time of Noah were almost a universal apostasy.

What message did God give the people at that time? We are told that Noah preached for 120 years giving warnings, but to no avail.

“Inspiration declares that when the antediluvians rejected Noah’s words, the Spirit of God ceased to strive with them. So when men now despise the warnings which God in mercy sends them, his Spirit after a time ceases to arouse conviction in their hearts. God gives light to be cherished and obeyed, not to be despised and rejected. The light which he sends becomes darkness to those who disregard it. When the Spirit of God ceases to impress the truth upon the hearts of men, all hearing is vain, and all preaching also is vain.” The Spirit of Prophecy, vol. 4, 232.

There were ten generations of increased corruption that reached a climax in Noah’s day. Even God’s longsuffering had to end. The Divine influence was complete; hence, the Spirit of God had to be withdrawn.

Man cannot without impunity (punishment) reject the warnings which God in His mercy sends them. A message was sent from heaven to the world in Noah’s day. The people rejected it, and because they rejected the warning, the Spirit of God was withdrawn. His notice of Divine intent was to destroy the earth. God announced His plan through Noah.

Noah lived a good life that was in harmony with God’s will. He was a just man “perfect in his ways.” Genesis 6:9. He stood fearlessly and steadfastly against vile mockery while building the ark as God had instructed him to do.

He was not void of judgment or willpower but was strong in conviction and action. This testifies to the consistency of his religion amid the miasma (defilement) of iniquity in which he lived. To be sure, he was of pure descent in that respect, distinct from his contemporaries—men who were of the promiscuous type between the godly and the ungodly.

Not much is known of Noah till he was 500 years old. The Bible tells us that he begat three sons, Shem, Ham, and Japheth. Noah’s life resembled that of his pious ancestors. He walked with God and lived a life in harmony with God’s will. (Genesis 6:9, 10.)

God instructed Noah to build an ark of gopher wood, wood that was light and durable for building a vessel. It was pitch-coated inside and out. There were rooms on all three floors with a window on top. Genesis 6:15 tells us it was 450 feet long, 75 feet wide, and 45 feet high (at 18 inches to the cubit). It was larger than the largest British Man-of-War ship. However, the ark had no mast, sail, or rudder to guide it.

And Noah walked with the Lord.

Second Angel

“And there followed another angel, saying, Babylon is fallen, is fallen, that great city, because she made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication.” Revelation 14:8. Who once was pure has become corrupt. Since this message follows the warning of the judgment, it must be given in the last days.

The first angel continues his ministry when the second angel joins him. In this sense, the second angel’s message accompanies that of the first angel.

“The grand judgment is taking place, and has been going on for some time. Now the Lord says, Measure the temple and the worshipers thereof. Remember when you are walking the streets about your business, God is measuring you; when you are attending your household duties, when you engage in conversation, God is measuring you. Remember that your words and actions are being daguerreotyped [photographed] in the books of heaven, as the face is reproduced by the artist on the polished plate. …

“Here is the work going on, measuring the temple and its worshipers to see who will stand in the last day. [See Revelation 11:1.]” “Ellen G. White Comments,” Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, vol. 7, 972.

We must remember to present ourselves as servants of the living God, because we are being measured.

It is believed that Nimrod founded Babylon. (See Genesis 10:8–12.) From the beginning, the city was emblematic of disbelief in the true God and defiance of His will. Its towers were a monument of apostasy, a citadel of rebellion against God.

The prophet Isaiah identifies Lucifer as the invisible king of Babylon. Prophesying of Him during the millenium, he says: “It shall come to pass in the day that Jehovah shall give thee rest from thy sorrow, and from thy trouble, and from the hard service wherein thou wast made to serve, that thou shalt take up this parable against the king of Babylon [here representing Satan], and say, How hath the oppressor ceased! … Jehovah hath broken the staff of the wicked, the scepter of the rulers; that smote the peoples in wrath with a continual stroke, that ruled the nations in anger, with a persecution that none restrained.” Isaiah 14:3–6, r.v. (See The Great Controversy, 660.) In fact, it would appear that Satan designed to make Babylon the center of his master plan in order to control the human race, even as God proposed to work through the city of Jerusalem. These two cities typified the forces of evil and good in the world. Had God not intervened, Babylon would have succeeded in banishing righteousness from the earth. For this reason, God saw fit to destroy the tower of Babel and to scatter its builders. (Genesis 11:3–9.)

Ever since the fall of ancient Babylon, Satan has sought, through one world power after another, to control the world. Without a doubt, Satan’s most audacious and nearly complete success has been through the papacy during the Middle Ages. But God intervened again, and nations have never been able to cleave together, because they were confounded and confused.

Both literal and mystical Babylon have been recognized as traditional enemies of God’s truth and people.

This message is the last that will ever be given to the world, and it will accomplish its work. “Revelation 18 points to the time when, as the result of rejecting the threefold warning of Revelation 14:6–12, the church will have fully reached the condition foretold by the second angel, and the people of God still in Babylon will be called upon to separate from her communion. This message is the last that will ever be given to the world; and it will accomplish its work. When those that ‘believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness’ (II Thessalonians 2:12), shall be left to receive strong delusion and to believe a lie, then the light of truth will shine upon all whose hearts are open to receive it, and all the children of the Lord that remain in Babylon will heed the call: ‘Come out of her, My people’ (Revelation 18:4).” The Great Controversy, 390. “Men cannot with impunity reject the warnings that God in mercy sends them. From those who persist in turning from these warnings, God withdraws His Spirit, leaving them to the deceptions that they love.” The Acts of the Apostles, 266.

Third Angel

As the ministration of Jesus closed in the Holy Place and he passed into the Holiest, He stood before the Ark of the Covenant containing the Law of God, and He sent another mighty angel with a parchment placed in his hands. As he descended to the earth in power and majesty, he proclaimed a fearful warning with the most terrible threatening ever borne to man.

This message was designed to put the children of God on their guard, showing them the hour of temptation and anguish that was before them. They will be brought into close combat with the beast and his image. Their only hope of eternal life is to remain steadfast. Although their lives are at stake, they must hold fast to the truth.

“And the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive [his] mark in his forehead, or in his hand, The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb: And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever: and they have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name.” Revelation 14:9–11.

The third angel closes his message thus: “Here is the patience of the saints: here [are] they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus.” Verse 12.

Ken Benjaminsen is a retired hospital administrator living in La Crescent, Minnesota. E-mails may be sent to him at: landmarks@stepstolife.org.

Man, Marriage, and God

The Pharisees also came unto him, tempting him, and saying unto him, Is it lawful for a man to put away his wife for every cause? And he answered and said unto them, Have ye not read, that he which made [them] at the beginning made them male and female, And said, For this cause shall a man leave father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife: and they twain shall be one flesh? Wherefore they are no more twain, but one flesh. What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder.” Matthew 19:3–6.

Some years ago my daughter implored me to attend a bridal fashion show with her that was being given at Pacific Union College in Angwin, California. It was not my practice to go to fashion shows, but I went to this one with her. There were a number of young ladies present, as you would expect, and there were some beautiful wedding gowns displayed, as the ladies who still had their wedding gowns—and were still able to wear them—modeled them for us on the platform.

At the end of the program all of the young ladies who were planning matrimony in the near future were asked to stand. To my astonishment, about 100 young ladies promptly stood. As I looked at them, I was saddened by the thought that, according to the statistical evidence, only about half of those marriages would survive. And this led to the next thought: Why?

Humanism

There has never before been a time in the history of the human race when there has been as much counsel on marriage as there is available right now. A small, personal library could probably be filled with books on the subject, but what is wrong with this counsel that is not working? I would suggest that the problem is the philosophy of humanism.

What is meant by humanism? Some humanistic thought would include: there is no God; there has never been a fall of man from a perfect condition to an imperfect condition; there is no standard of right or wrong—except what people think about right or wrong; “socially acceptable” means that other people around you think it should be this way; there is no such thing as sin; whatever most people are doing is called “normal.”

As it pertains to marriage, humanists would see marriage as nothing more or less than a relationship of convenience between two animals—two highly intelligent animals, but animals nonetheless. And they pose the question, Why would you condemn an animal for being an animal? Would you condemn a cat for chasing a mouse? Would you condemn a dog for chasing a rabbit? Would you condemn a man for what he does? That is the way they reason.

Much counsel is being given on the topic of marriage by people who believe such things. How can such beliefs be beneficial to marriage? If marriage is nothing more than a relationship of convenience between two animals, when it ceases to be convenient, one animal walks away. What else would be expected? Why would you blame an animal for being an animal? That is the way they reason. Well, we do not believe that; I am just pointing out why we have to go a different pathway.

Our concept is the Christian concept. Marriage is not a relationship of convenience between two animals. In the first place, humans are not animals. In the second place, marriage is a relationship between Creator God and two of His subjects.

God created marriage. As Jesus said, He made them male and female; He ordained and performed the first marriage, and His involvement does not stop there. He is involved in every marriage that occurs on this earth; if it is entered into properly, it is a covenant between a man, a woman, and the Creator God.

In this article, seven principles regarding marriage will be given.

Responsibility

Spouses are responsible to one another, but even more so are they responsible to the third party in the marriage contract, the Creator God. He is watching and taking notice of everything. He is holding the marriage partners strictly accountable, because nothing is more important or has more potential for benefiting or injuring any human being on this earth than a marriage relationship.

The agony of a divorce or a separation is something that individuals never overcome. It is a lifelong injury that will never be totally healed as long as they live upon this earth. The Lord is fully aware of the tremendous potential for injury—not only to the husband and the wife, but to the children, to all the extended family members, and to all society—when the home breaks down. We should be very careful about the principle of responsibility.

Identity

Second is the principle of identity—that which distinguishes and identifies one from another, that sets apart, is separate from others. A man shall leave his father and his mother and cleave unto his wife. The sovereignty of the new home must be respected by all. A new unit is being established—a new unit of life, a new societal unit, a new unit in the community. This unit has a peculiar unchallengeable sovereignty that no one must invade—that means fathers and mothers.

The mother and father of both spouses should be welcome in the newly established home. But the mother and father are guests in this home, and as guests, they are not to enter into decision-making in any way, shape, or form. Guests do not come into your home and tell you how to raise your children. Guests do not come into your home and tell you how to arrange your furniture or how to manage your finances. Guests are guests, and they must never forget their status as such. Let the sovereignty of the home be carefully recognized by all.

Unity

The next principle is the principle of unity. “They twain shall be one.” A certain bride, I am told, was startled when she heard the minister talking like that in a wedding ceremony, and she interrupted to ask, “Which one?”

The best answer, of course, is neither. In the marriage, a new oneness is being established. It is not the husband one or the wife one; it is a new we that is a totally new one. This leads directly to the question of dominance and leadership. There is one verse in the Bible that practically every man in the whole world knows, and that is the verse that says the man is supposed to be the boss. Well, they need to know a little more than that.

Ephesians 5:22–25 says, “Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands.” That is where most men stop reading. But read the rest of this passage: “… as unto the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church.” Now, gentlemen, read this carefully: “… and he is the saviour of the body. Therefore as the church is subject unto Christ, so [let] the wives [be] to their own husbands in every thing. Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it.” I suggest that in any home where the wife understands that, should the occasion require, her husband would without hesitation lay down his life for her, there will not be very many problems of leadership.

The oneness, the leadership that is called oneness, is a unique, special kind of leadership. It is different from all other leaderships in the world. We would not call the leadership of an employer to an employee oneness. Nor would we use the word oneness when referring to the relationship of a king to his subject or the leadership of a teacher to a student. But the leadership of Christ to the church is special. It is unique; it is not like anything else on earth or in heaven. This is a very special kind of leadership which has to be based on sacrificial love.

Equality

In the Garden of Eden, the dominance of man over woman was not an element in Adam and Eve’s relationship. As two unfallen beings, neither had to be boss; they could work things out together and get along fine. The dominance of male over female is strictly a result of sin, and we who are trying to get rid of sin should also get rid of that which results from sin. Our goal should be to have total equality.

Ellen White wrote: “Woman should fill the position which God originally designed for her, as her husband’s equal.” The Adventist Home, 231.

“Neither husband nor wife is to make a plea for rulership. …

“Do not try to compel each other to do as you wish. You cannot do this and retain each other’s love.” Ibid., 106, 107.

This is the plan of God. We who respect the words, the teachings, and the counsels of God should make it very clear that we are striving to reach that goal.

Privacy

The fourth principle is privacy.

“There is a sacred circle around every family which should be preserved. No other one has any right in that sacred circle. The husband and wife should be all to each other.” Ibid., 177.

I once was acquainted with some young married ladies who made the unfortunate mistake of comparing the adequacy of their husbands as lovers, and pretty soon all of them knew about everything. It was demoralizing. As this is such a frank, plain- spoken generation, we hear people brazenly and boldly talking about things that were better said in private if at all. Such discussion is cheapening and vulgarizing. That is the way we as Christians should feel when we see the tawdry display of sex all about us.

The “sacred circle” does not mean that those who need counseling should not seek counseling. But it does mean that things that are personal and private between a husband and a wife should not be casually talked about with other acquaintances.

Love

The fifth principle is love. The simple application of the golden rule would solve most of the problems that occur in relationships, but we have specific help also from the God of love. “Let the husband render unto the wife due benevolence: and likewise also the wife unto the husband. The wife hath not power of her own body, but the husband: and likewise also the husband hath not power of his own body, but the wife. Defraud ye not one the other, except [it be] with consent for a time, that ye may give yourselves to fasting and prayer; and come together again, that Satan tempt you not for your incontinency.” I Corinthians 7:3–5. Incontinency means lack of self-control. The Greek word dia could be translated to as well as for. Verse 5 perhaps makes more sense when read, “Satan tempt you not to your incontinency.”

What about the aberrations, these strange things we are told are just alternate lifestyles in our time? I Corinthians 6:9, 10 reads: “Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God.” But that should not discourage anyone. Look at the next verse: “And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God.”

The humanists are wrong who tell us that the lifestyle some are living is normal, that nobody can do anything about it. The word of God tells us that some were like that, but they are not like that now. People can change.

Those who turn away from the word of God flounder. There are enormous debates going on in high places as to whether the courts should permit same-sex marriages. There are arguments about having women on male football teams, having male attendants in ladies’ restrooms, and what to do with those who claim to be transgender. The word of the Lord solves all problems.

Harmony

“Be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you.” Ephesians 4:32.

This verse is important to the principle of harmony, the sixth principle.

I was once called into a house where a home had broken up. The husband and wife had already decided what to do with all the furniture and with the children, and then, as a last resort, they sent for me. It would have been nice if I could have been involved earlier, but the evening I arrived, I could feel the tension, and I realized that if I said one wrong word, the situation would blow up. So, I was afraid to say anything. I sat down at the head of a table, asked the husband and wife to sit on either side of the table, and for a full 30 minutes I did nothing at all except read from the New Testament about the forgiveness of Jesus.

Gradually, the two necks began to bend a little bit; the eyes began to go down. Finally I finished reading, and I asked, “Now, with that object lesson before you, which one of you can refuse to forgive the other?” They both shook their heads, not me, not me. That is one home that was saved.

Fidelity

The last principle is fidelity. “Love is a precious gift, which we receive from Jesus. Pure and holy affection is not a feeling, but a principle. Those who are actuated by true love are neither unreasonable nor blind.” Ibid., 50.

True love is not possible unless there is a true man and a true woman. If you want to have true love, you must find a true man or a true woman, a man or a woman who lives by principle. His or her love will be true, because he or she is true.

To illustrate, young man, beware of the girl who lies to her mother and father to go out with you, but says she would never lie to you. When the occasion requires, she will lie to you, because a liar is a liar. Young woman, beware of the boy who cheats in class to get a better grade but says he would never cheat on you. He will, when the occasion arises, because a cheat is a cheat.

Feeling is the flower and fruit; principle is the trunk and the roots of the tree. Feeling is the high-spirited horse; principle is the firm hand on the bridle reins. Feeling is the high-powered automobile; principle is the hand on the steering wheel. Feelings change. Feelings come, and feelings go. That is why we are told so often to not rely on feelings.

“Love is patient and kind. Love knows neither envy nor jealousy. Love is not forward and self-assertive, nor boastful and conceited. She does not behave unbecomingly, nor seek to aggrandize herself, nor blaze out in passionate anger, nor brood over wrongs. She finds no pleasure in injustice done to others, but joyfully sides with the truth. She knows how to be silent. She is full of trust, full of hope, full of patient endurance. Love never fails.” I Corinthians 13:4–8 (Weymouth’s New Testament).

May God bless you all in your homes that they may be the little bits of heaven on earth that God intends for them to be.

Often regarded as the patriarch of historic Adventism, Dr. Ralph Larson completed forty years of service to the Seventh-day Adventist church, as pastor, evangelist, departmental secretary, and college and seminary teacher. Upon retirement, he continued his service, diligently working with and giving counsel to those within the historic movement until his passing on August 19, 2007.

The Filthy Garments

Many people believe that in the end we are all going to the same place, but the Bible does not teach that. Revelation 20:15 says, “And if anyone was not found with his name written in the book of life, he was cast into the lake of fire.”

Revelation 21:27 identifies the ones who will be allowed into the holy city: “There shall in no case enter into it anything or the one doing abomination or making a lie. Rather those having been written in the book of life of the Lamb.”

How do you get your name written in this book? How do you keep your name from being taken out of this book? The tragedy is that in this modern world there are so many in the last generation who will think they are going to be saved, but they will learn at the end that they are lost.

A Prophecy

In this article we will study about our eternal destiny. We will begin with a prophecy concerning the spiritual condition of God’s people just before Jesus comes.

In Matthew 22, we read about the man who did not have on the wedding garment; he was not allowed into the wedding. The prophecy in Zechariah 3 shows that we do not have on the wedding garment. It is a most startling prophecy, because nobody can go to the wedding feast without having on the wedding garment, a garment of character that has no spot or wrinkle.

“And he showed me Joshua the great priest standing before the messenger of Jehovah, and Satan standing at his right hand to oppose him.” Zechariah 3:1. The word Satan is one of the few words in the English language that is a direct transliteration from the Hebrew word satan. The Hebrew name Satan, which means “the adversary,” was given to Lucifer after he fell. He is God’s adversary, and if you are a follower of God, he is your adversary. The different names Satan has in the Bible are significant.

Jesus said that the devil was a liar, but when the devil came to the angels in heaven and to Adam and Eve, he mixed error and truth together. To really be effective at deception, one must tell the truth most of the time. What we see in Zechariah is that the accusation the devil brought was true! “And Jehovah said to Satan, Jehovah gives a rebuke to you, Satan. Jehovah, the one who is choosing among Jerusalem, rebukes you. Is not this a brand that is plucked from the fire?” Verse 2.

Who is this brand that is plucked from the fire? It is you and me. What does it mean when it says that it is “a brand that is plucked from the fire”? That means this is a person who, because of his or her sins, is about to be destroyed, but the Lord says, “I am going to pull you out of the fire.”

Filthy Garments

Joshua had been pulled out of the fire, but notice his condition in verse 3: “And Joshua was clothed in filthy garments.” Now, stop right there. Can you go to the wedding feast in filthy garments? No, you cannot, but this is a description of God’s people. Ellen White wrote much about this. (See Testimonies, vol. 5, 467–476, “Joshua and the Angel.”) Those in filthy garments apply with particular force to God’s people at the end of time, right before probation closes.

We can cover ourselves any way we choose; we can make ourselves look as nice as possible, but God knows what is in the heart, and He tells us that our garments are filthy. You see, all through Scripture, from the fig leaves to the Book of Revelation, garments symbolize character. (See Revelation 19:7, 8.)

This is the crux of what is known as the shaking. The shaking occurs when we realize that we have on filthy garments, and if a miracle does not happen in our lives, we are lost.

“And he answered and said to those standing by him, Take away the filthy garments from him. And he said to him, ‘See I have caused to pass away from you your iniquity, and you shall be clothed in a royal robe.’ ” Verse 4. Taking away the filthy garments means that our iniquity is taken away. (Continue to read through Zechariah 3:7.) God’s children are to have their filthy garments taken away.

Cause of Defilement

What is it that causes God’s people to be clothed in filthy garments? Obviously, a garment that is filthy is a garment that is not pure. It is a garment that is polluted, defiled. In the law of God is spelled out the cause for a man or a woman to become defiled or polluted. That is the first thing that is done in the Bible. The first five books of the Bible explain that explicitly, so we will not make a mistake.

If we are clothed in filthy garments when probation closes, we will be lost. In Revelation 22:11, 12, it says that the one who is filthy is going to stay that way, but those that are saved will have washed their robes in the blood of the Lamb. Revelation 7:14.

Diet

We can be clothed in filthy garments because of the way we eat. Leviticus 11 details the clean and unclean foods, and in verse 44, the Lord said to the children of Israel, “You are not to defile yourselves by eating these things. I am holy so you are to be holy.”

Our Protestant friends may say that this is not in the Ten Commandments, and the law was nailed to the cross. Well, the clean and unclean foods in Leviticus 11 and Deuteronomy 14 have nothing to do with the ceremonial system of the sanctuary. It has nothing to do with the Levitical priesthood.

Isaiah 66:15–17 talks about the time when the Lord is going to come to this world with wrath to judge the people because of their wickedness. It talks about different classes of people that are going to receive God’s wrath, and it mentions that those who are eating swine’s flesh and the mouse are going to receive the wrath of God.

We need to understand that we can be clothed in filthy garments because of what we eat.

Lewdness

Leviticus 18 talks about lewdness, immodesty; it takes in everything having to do with pornography in all its forms—whether dress, music, reading, or whatever it is. Leviticus 18:24 says, “Do not defile yourselves in any of these things, because in all these things the nations are defiled, which I am casting out before you.”

We are living in a time which has become more and more deeply involved in lewdness and immodesty and pornography of all kinds. All such things cause a person to wear filthy garments.

Drama

There was a time when Seventh-day Adventists did not believe in going to the movies.

There are several things wrong with watching drama—whether it is movies in the theater, on the television, or on the video or DVD, or attending a live dramatization in a theater or elsewhere.

Dramatization involves people acting a part. The person who is acting is actually telling a lie. If we watch movies or other drama presentations, we are watching somebody act out a lie. It has become so bad that men take parts where they are acting the part of Jesus Christ. Think about the blasphemy! They take parts as well where they are acting the part of evil spirits.

The movie industry has played a significant part in our society in introducing more and more immodesty of every kind. The people who watch this and who listen to the music with immoral lyrics are clothed in filthy garments.

Restraint

In Exodus 32, God said to Moses, “Your people have corrupted themselves.” “Moses saw the people, that restraint was removed, because Aaron had removed the restraint.” Verses 7, 25.

What restraint was removed? It was the restraint that God ordained should exist between men and women. Men are to keep their hands off women. Ellen White wrote that it is permissible for a preacher, or anyone else, to shake a woman’s hand. But, she cautioned that a woman’s hand should not be held too long or she could be caused to sin. Even the minister or other individuals could sin. (See Testimonies, vol. 5, 598.)

The restraint that God ordained should exist between men and women was removed in the experience in Exodus when they were dancing around the golden calf. It is removed in the dancing that is done today.

Familiarity in speech and in touching is causing God’s people to be clothed in filthy garments.

Honesty

In the Bible, the Lord talks about the stones that we have in our bags. (See Deuteronomy 25:13–15; Leviticus 19:36; Proverbs 16:11; 20:10, 23; Micah 6:11.) In ancient times, when individuals went to buy something, there would be a scale; upon one side of the scale the seller would place his or her weight, and the buyer, on the other side, would place whatever was being bought so the scale would balance. Of course, people who did a lot of buying and selling learned how to work things to their advantage. They had two bags of stones—the heavy bag was used for buying; the bag filled with stones that were light was used for selling.

The Lord counseled that we are not to have two kinds of stones in our bags—a heavy bag and a light bag. We are to have a just weight and a just balance. In other words, we are to be strictly honest.

If we take advantage of one another, we are clothed in filthy garments.

Seven Abominations

Revelation 21:27 tells us that no one will enter into the holy city who works an abomination. An abomination is something that is hated, especially something that God hates. In Proverbs 6:16–19, Solomon identifies seven things God hates: a proud look, a haughty look; a deceitful tongue; hands that shed innocent blood; a heart devising wicked plots or plans; feet that hurry to do evil; a deceitful mouth, a false witness; and one who brings about strife among brethren.

The people involved in these kinds of things have on filthy garments.

Anger, Lust, Hatred

In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus showed that the filthy garment begins in the heart. Even if we do not say or do anything, we have hearts that are filthy and polluted.

For example, in Matthew 5:21, 22, we are told, “You have heard that it was said by them of old time, you shall not murder, but I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother shall be in danger of the judgment.” Jesus was not telling us that we could be angry if we have a cause, but if we do not have a cause we cannot be angry, because almost everybody who gets angry has a cause! (See Thoughts From the Mount of Blessing, 55–57.)

In Matthew 5:27, 28, we are cautioned against lust. Lust has to do with the mind. That is where sin begins. I have heard some people say that we can think whatever we want, just do not do it. That is one of the devil’s lies. Jesus tells us that if we are lusting in our minds, but we do not ever take action, we are still in filthy garments.

Then, in verse 43, Jesus spoke specifically of hatred: “You have heard that it is said of them in old time to love your neighbor and hate your enemies.” Hatred comes from the heart.

If we have a problem with anger, lust, or hatred, we are in filthy garments.

Take Them Away

What does it mean to take the filthy garments away? It means to have our iniquity taken away. It happens at the end of the Day of Atonement.

The Lord says, “In my ways you will go. If my charge you will keep, you will govern my house and keep my courts. You will be men wondered at.” Zechariah 3:8. Those who will be wondering are the people who are not saved, who do not have on the wedding garment.

You see, some of the people who are not saved are claiming today that having on a garment without spot or wrinkle is not possible. But, according to the Bible, there will be some people who have on a garment or character without spot or wrinkle, and they are the only ones going to heaven.

“To the marriage supper of the Lamb will come many who have not on the wedding garment—the robe [Christ] purchased for them with His lifeblood. From lips that never make a mistake come the words, ‘Friend, how camest thou in hither not having a wedding garment?’ Matthew 22:12. Those [thus] addressed are speechless. They know that words would be useless. The truth, with its sanctifying power, has not been brought into the soul, and the tongue that once spoke so readily of the truth is now silent. The words are then spoken, ‘Take them out of My presence. They are not worthy to taste of My supper’ (cf. Luke 14:24).

“As they are separated from the loyal ones, Christ looks upon them with deep sorrow. They occupied high positions of trust in God’s work, but they have not the life insurance policy that would have entitled them to eternal life. From the quivering lips of Christ come the mournful words of regret, ‘I loved them; I gave My life for them; but they persisted in rejecting My pleadings, and continued in sin.’ ” The Upward Look, 301.

Friends, the filthy garments must be removed.

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 – Fear

Fear is one of the most powerful forces in our world. Fear causes people to do all sorts of things that otherwise they would never consider doing. A few days ago, the chief executive of a large financial institution, which would have gone bankrupt if the government of the United States had not decided to bail it out, said in effect that there was nothing intrinsically wrong with their balance sheet or income statement, but that the problem that had developed was a loss of confidence by their customers in the marketplace.

Fear causes governments to spend more money on military build-ups than in helping their poor and underprivileged citizens—they are afraid of the consequences in wartime if they are not prepared. Fear causes people to hoard money and food and all manner of assets or goods, to spend a large share of their income on insurance, to worry, and even sabotage their efforts to solve the real problems in life, to associate together in unions, to get married for fear of loneliness or future insecurity.

What are you afraid of? Fear leads to anxiety—a troubled heart. One of the wonderful effects of the gospel is its ability to deliver the fearful from their fears and anxieties.

When Jesus approached the boat full of his disciples who were terrified because of the storm and because they thought that He was a Spirit apparition, He said, “Be of good courage, it is I myself; do not be afraid.” Matthew 14:27.

What we want to understand is why do we not need to be afraid. Ellen White explains it like this:

“How often the disciples’ experience is ours! When the tempests of temptation gather, and the fierce lightnings flash, and the waves sweep over us, we battle with the storm alone, forgetting that there is One who can help us. We trust to our own strength till our hope is lost, and we are ready to perish. Then we remember Jesus, and if we call upon Him to save us, we shall not cry in vain. Though He sorrowfully reproves our unbelief and self-confidence, He never fails to give us the help we need. Whether on the land or on the sea, if we have the Saviour in our hearts, there is no need of fear. Living faith in the Redeemer will smooth the sea of life, and will deliver us from danger in the way that He knows to be best.” The Desire of Ages, 336.