Issue: 2011 May

Testimony – Trudel’s Story

by

The year was 1945 and the end of World War II was nearing. Like many others whose lives were war-torn and shattered, Gertrude (Trudel) Kowarsch dreamed of escaping with her family to Western Germany. She and her husband, Willie (testimony in LandMarks, January 2011), owned a 100-acre farm in Eastern Germany about 60 miles from the Polish border. Willie was serving as a medic in the German army and had been sent to the Russian front. Trudel was a Red Cross nurse.

One day an urgent letter came from Willie.

“The Russians have destroyed the railroad lines; the German army cannot get supplies, warm clothes or food. We are cold and hungry, and we are unable to hold back the Russians any longer. Prepare to flee with our four children to Western Germany. Willie”

Shortly before Trudel received Willie’s letter, their nine-month-old daughter, Heidi, was recovering from ear surgery at a hospital in a nearby city. Using the train to visit was dangerous, because airplanes were constantly bombing the crowded trains. Every time Trudel visited Heidi, she appeared to be hungry, so she started taking her food.

Trudel told the nurse in charge that she had decided to take her baby home but was advised that it would be another four or five days before Heidi would be released. Sharing her concerns with her family, Trudel, also a nurse, believed she could care for her baby better, so she and her sister devised a plan to sneak Heidi out of the hospital. After riding the train back into the city, Trudel slipped into Heidi’s room. She listened until the sound of the boots of the German Secret Police guard on duty faded away, and then with Heidi in her arms, ran out of the hospital door, and hid her in the baby carriage that was waiting with her sister in the bushes.

That night, the Russians bombed the hospital, leaving nothing. “Praise the Lord,” Trudel said. “I had my Heidi. God had impressed me to go at the right time.”

One February evening in the dead of winter, just a few weeks after Willie’s letter, a German Secret Police officer came to Trudel’s house asking why she was still there with her children. He informed her that the Russians were near and that she would need to leave by 6:00 a.m. the next morning or they would be overtaken.

It was 20 degrees below zero. Where could a woman go with four little children and a horse, and how could she feed them all on their way? She did not know what to do. But then she remembered that her pastor had offered that they would be welcome in his home in the event they had to flee.

Just then two horse-drawn wagons full of German soldiers arrived at Trudel’s home asking for shelter and food, so she asked them to take her and her children to Weisswasser to the home of the pastor.

It was in Weisswasser that the soldiers were to report to the army, so they were happy to help. Surely this was an answer to prayer!

The trip to Weisswasser was very traumatic for Trudel and her children. Everything imaginable was on the highway—people, bicycles, motorcycles, a few cars, horses, buggies, mules and oxen. The police would say, “Don’t stop—just go, go, go!” The wounded or dead were pushed out of the way into the ditch.

Along the way they saw a farmer who had stopped his buggy for his mother to go into the woods. He was ordered to go or be shot. As he drove away, his mother came out of the woods crying, “Wait, wait!”

All at once she fell back onto the snow and the police pushed her into the ditch.

Tears came to Trudel’s eyes. Her children saw all these things and said, “Mama, let’s go home; let’s go home. We want to go home.” But they could never return home.

Finally they reached their destination, but not without hardship. Trudel’s oldest daughter, Renate, was on the first wagon of soldiers and Trudel was on the second wagon with the other children. When the wagons stopped, Renate could not get off. Her legs were frozen, so they carried her into the house and rubbed her legs with snow. They rubbed and prayed and some life came back into her legs, but even today she still suffers problems with her legs.

There was still not enough food to eat, but they were with the pastor and his family, sharing a special time of fellowship with such sweet people. This was not to last. The police came and said that mothers with small children would have to leave. That evening Russian airplanes threw out pamphlets saying, “Tonight we bomb the bomb factory.” It was right across from where the pastor lived.

There was nowhere to go, and Trudel decided to stay in the pastor’s home. They lay on their beds ready for whatever would come. They heard the planes flying low, heavily loaded with their bombs. They kept coming and then going, around and over the house. Inside the house the occupants were kneeling and praying, but nothing happened. Then, all of a sudden, the house shook with a big explosion breaking the windows—it was like an earthquake. Later they learned that the planes were misdirected and dropped their bombs in the woods outside the city. If the factory had been bombed, the whole city would have been gone. There was much praise to the Lord for His goodness.

The Russians were getting closer and closer, and again the police came with the warning to leave.

The marketplace was full of people waiting for trucks to take them away. As they enquired of the Lord the pastor had a better idea. He suggested that they wait on the side street. But there were even fewer trucks there than in the marketplace!

Acting on such a strong impression, they waited, and sure enough, it wasn’t long until a truck came that was big enough to fit the baby carriage in the back. An offer was made to take Trudel and her children wherever she wanted to go, but about ten miles before they reached the city, the driver said that that was as far as he could go. Trudel pled with the driver to take them to a warm place, but he said, “Sorry lady, just following orders. I’m not allowed to go into the city. You’ve got to get out now.”

Trudel wondered how she could walk the rest of the way to the city with four frozen and sleepy children who were all crying; they were so cold and tired and hungry.

Leaving the farm, Trudel had only been allowed to take 50 pounds with her, so she filled a handbag with food and put it in the baby carriage with Heidi. But now the empty handbag had been thrown into the ditch. The cries of the children tore at her heart. The food was gone and the journey they had undertaken seemed hopeless. Trudel sat down by the side of the road and cried, too. “Children, I can’t go on any longer. I’m tired, just like you are.”

All at once, she felt a tap on her shoulder. It was her seven-year-old daughter, Renate. “Mommy,” she said, “Why don’t you pray to Jesus? He will help us.” Trudel thought about how they had always prayed together and how she had told them Bible stories. She looked up at her little girl and said, “Okay! You know how to pray.” It wasn’t five minutes after Renate prayed until another truck came by.

The driver enquired why she was out there with her children. Wearing her Red Cross emblem, she asked to go to the Red Cross building. On arriving there, they soon discovered that the bomb had destroyed the whole building. So the truck driver took them to a restaurant that had been made into just one huge room. It was full of people with everybody lying on the floor—children, parents, grandparents, everyone. There did not appear to be any more room for them, and as Trudel decided to leave, an elderly man waved at them. He had room on his blanket for them to lie down. He went and got milk for the children; then helped Trudel get them settled down to sleep.

“Where are you planning to go?” the man asked.

“To the city of Leizzig,” she replied.

“That place has already been bombed,” he told her. “There is nothing there.”

“But, I’ve already bought the tickets,” she exclaimed.

Suddenly their conversation was interrupted. Renate awoke with a high fever and vomiting. The man immediately started helping to clean her up, objecting when Trudel told him that that was her job.

“I’m doing fine,” he replied. “Are you still going somewhere with this sick child?”

“Yes, the train leaves tonight at 2:00 a.m.,” Trudel answered.

“Okay,” he said, “we’ll see about that. You just lie down and sleep and I’ll call you and wake you up in time.”

Trudel fell asleep, and when she woke up, it was already morning.

“Why didn’t you wake me up?” she asked him.

“I knew you couldn’t take that sick child out to the train station in the middle of the night.”

“What should I do now?” Trudel sighed.

A few minutes later, Renate woke up, her fever was gone, and she seemed perfectly fine. The kind man bought breakfast for the children and offered to take them to the marketplace, so they gathered their few belongings and went with him. Heidi was still in bad shape from her ear surgery, so he talked to the man in charge of the trucks about getting them on sooner.

They didn’t have to wait long for a truck, and, as before, it was big enough to hold the baby carriage. As the truck pulled off, Trudel shouted, “Slow down, I want to thank that nice gentleman.” She looked out the window and there was no one in sight. “Quick, go around the corner,” she said. “He must have gone around the corner.” When Trudel realized there was nobody there, she felt sure that the nice man must have been an angel sent to help them.

The truck driver stopped at a restaurant, so Trudel could take care of the children. The sweetest old couple owned the restaurant and welcomed them as family and gave them a meal. Again, the Russian airplanes dropped pamphlets threatening to bomb the city. The owner told them they would have to leave.

Reluctantly leaving the elderly couple, Trudel and her children started walking down the road, pushing Heidi in the baby carriage. Soon a truck came along which picked them up. They had only gone about ten miles away from the restaurant when they saw the airplanes dropping bombs—it was like thunder and lightning, and the truck driver had a hard time steering his truck. More than a million people were killed that day. Praise the Lord; they were safe again!

The truck driver knew of a Red Cross train, which would be traveling to the city of Cam in Bavaria, so he took them to the train station. Before even boarding the train, the siren blew, warning them of approaching Russian bombers, so they ran into the bunkers for protection, knowing that if a bomb did fall on the bunkers, they could not escape. Everyone was terrified, and many were crying and screaming. Finally Trudel begged them all to kneel down and pray.

Two planes came and went and nothing happened, so the siren blew again indicating that it was safe to leave the bunkers. Trudel then suggested that no one leave before thanking God for His protection and blinding the pilots’ eyes from seeing the train station in the broad daylight.

Trudel and her children waited to board the train. Some mothers went into the train looking for seats while their children waited outside and some children went inside looking for seats while their mothers stayed outside with the baby carriages. All of a sudden the train started to pull away. Mothers screamed for the train to stop. Children screamed in anguish for their mothers, but the train did not stop. Trudel immediately took a rope and tied her three children to Heidi’s baby carriage. She was not about to lose any of them.

When the next train arrived Trudel and the children were able to get seats. Not very many miles down the tracks, shooting suddenly broke out. Everybody was out of their seats, hiding and screaming. Trudel knelt down with her children, right there on the train, and prayed. The bullets made holes everywhere and feathers from the beds were flying.

One old man who thought it safer outside the train, though Trudel cried for him to stay inside believing that God could protect him, ran behind a big tree, but the airplane people saw him. They shot at him, and he jumped all around the tree attempting to avoid the bullets but he finally succumbed to a heart attack and died.

The passengers had to leave the train and go into the woods so the dead and wounded could be removed from the train and it could be cleaned. There, Trudel and her children met a little girl seven years old who was wounded; her mother had been killed in the train and her father had been killed in the war in Russia. She also became part of Trudel’s family. Doctors and nurses went from car to car listing the casualties and were amazed to find that nobody was injured in the carriage where Trudel was praying. On the rest of the train there were 42 dead and over 120 injured.

It had been almost four weeks since Trudel Kowarsch and her four children began their journey across Germany. Arriving in the next city, Trudel, her children, and the little orphaned girl were offered a place to stay with a farmer and his family. In return they helped the farmer’s wife in the house and also out in the fields.

One day while working outside, Russian planes swooped down on them but there was no time to run for the bushes. Instead, they got down and prayed. As they prayed, the planes opened fire into the bushes. If they had run there, they surely would have been killed.

It came time for Trudel and her children to leave the farm and go on to the city of Cam. The lovely farmers offered to keep the little girl whose parents had died.

Meanwhile, Trudel’s husband, Willie, had been wounded a second time and taken to France where he learned of his wife’s flight to Western Germany. When he recovered, he joined his family in Cam where they had finally reached safety.

Picking up their lives again they worked the next seven years in a farming community before migrating to the United States of America.

Trudel had finally realized her dream. All of her children were able to get an education: Renate, a home health nurse; Deiter, a home builder; Willford, a pastor; Heidi, a nurse; Heinz, a pastor and Esther a physical therapist. Trudel, too, went to school and trained for home nursing, which she still does.

Trudel has received many written letters of appreciation for her unselfish care for other people. They include a surgeon in Houston, Texas, where she worked at a hospital; a state representative in Georgia; and the brother of a patient in Chattanooga, Tenessee, who called her his sister’s “guardian angel.”

“We all go through life and meet many people,” he said, echoing the sentiments of many. “Few do we ever really remember. … But I think the most vivid and lucid recollection I have of Gertrude (Trudel) Kowarsch is her 100 percent patience and compassion for her fellowman.”

To God be the glory for the things He has done through this faithful child of His.

Submitted by Trudel’s daughter, Heidi (Kowarsch) McFarland. She can be contacted by email at: heidihoho@charter.net.

See also Willie’s Story (LandMarks, January 2011).

Would you like to share how the Lord has worked in your life? Because of space, not all submissions can be published, but we would love to hear from you. Please write or email us at: landmarks@stepstolife.org.

The Two Witnesses

by

The setting in Revelation 11 for the two witnesses is the 1,260-year time period, and the release of the two witnesses and their rise to prominence in the world has more to do with the second-advent movement than with the Dark Ages. It is during the great second-advent movement that the Bible has received so much attention and wide circulation. Let us read the prophecy of the two witnesses.

“I was given a reed like a measuring rod and was told, ‘Go and measure the temple of God and the altar, and count the worshipers there.

But exclude the outer court; do not measure it, because it has been given to the Gentiles. They will trample on the holy city for 42 months.

And I will give power to my two witnesses, and they will prophesy for 1,260 days, clothed in sackcloth.’

These are the two olive trees and the two lampstands that stand before the Lord of the earth.

If anyone tries to harm them, fire comes from their mouths and devours their enemies. This is how anyone who wants to harm them must die.

These men have power to shut up the sky so that it will not rain during the time they are prophesying; and they have power to turn the waters into blood and to strike the earth with every kind of plague as often as they want.

Now when they have finished their testimony, the beast that comes up from the Abyss will attack them, and overpower and kill them.

Their bodies will lie in the street of the great city, which is figuratively called Sodom and Egypt, where also their Lord was crucified.

For three and a half days men from every people, tribe, language and nation will gaze on their bodies and refuse them burial.

The inhabitants of the earth will gloat over them and will celebrate by sending each other gifts, because these two prophets had tormented those who live on the earth.

But after the three and a half days a breath of life from God entered them, and they stood on their feet, and terror struck those who saw them.

Then they heard a loud voice from heaven saying to them, ‘Come up here.’ And they went up to heaven in a cloud, while their enemies looked on.

At that very hour there was a severe earthquake and a tenth of the city collapsed. Seven thousand people were killed in the earthquake, and the survivors were terrified and gave glory to the God of heaven.” Revelation 11:1–13.

This is a very interesting description of the two witnesses. Two times the 1,260-year time period is mentioned: in verse 2, “They will trample on the holy city for 42 months.” And in verse 3 this same time period is mentioned as 1,260 days or years: “And I will give power to my two witnesses, and they will prophesy for 1,260 days, clothed in sackcloth.” As used in prophecy, a month is equal to 30 days. Thirty times 42 months equals 1,260 days or years.

There is an explanation of these verses in The Great Controversy, 266, as follows: “The periods here mentioned—‘forty and two months,’ and ‘a thousand two hundred and threescore days’—are the same, alike representing the time in which the church of Christ was to suffer oppression from Rome. The 1,260 years of papal supremacy began in A.D. 538, and would therefore terminate in 1798.”

We see that the setting for the two witnesses is the Dark Ages of papal oppression. This was one more attack by Satan to destroy the knowledge of the plan of redemption, the new covenant ministry of Christ in the sanctuary.

Many ask what it means to be “clothed in sackcloth.” This is explained in a reference from The Great Controversy, 267: “When the Bible was proscribed by religious and secular authority; when its testimony was perverted, and every effort made that men and demons could invent to turn the minds of the people from it … then the faithful witnesses prophesied in sackcloth.”

The two witnesses (verse 3) are not directly identified in this chapter. There are several symbols used to represent them. Two symbols are found in verse 4: “These are the two olive trees and the two lampstands that stand before the Lord of the earth.” In verse 6 is another symbol in which they are personified as men: “These men have power to shut up the sky so that it will not rain during the time they are prophesying.”

There is one more symbol, and it is found in verse 10: “The inhabitants of the earth will gloat over them and will celebrate by sending each other gifts, because these two prophets had tormented those who live on the earth.”

Let us make an observation about these symbols. When the two witnesses are represented as “these men,” it indicates that they have a human aspect to them. And when they are represented as “prophets,” they are understood to be under divine inspiration.

We are told in the introduction of The Great Controversy, v, vi: “The Ten Commandments were spoken by God Himself, and were written by His own hand. They are of divine, and not of human composition. But the Bible, with its God-given truths expressed in the language of men, presents a union of the divine and the human. Such a union existed in the nature of Christ, who was the Son of God and the Son of man. Thus it is true of the Bible, as it was of Christ, that ‘the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us.’ John 1:14.”

As Christ was both human and divine, so the Bible and the Spirit of Prophecy are a combination of the human and the divine. As Jesus was God’s representative of truth to the people in the first advent, so the Bible and the Spirit of Prophecy stand in the place of Christ to witness to the truth in the second advent. The way people relate to the Bible and Spirit of Prophecy is just the way they would treat Jesus if He were here in person. It is possible that they could be a symbol of the Scriptures, for it says in Revelation 11:4, “These are the two olive trees, and the two lampstands that stand before the Lord of the earth.”

In The Great Controversy, 267 there is a statement so specific that it settles their identity beyond question. “Concerning the two witnesses the prophet declares further: ‘These are the two olive trees, and the two candlesticks standing before the God of the earth.’ ‘Thy word,’ said the psalmist, ‘is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.’ Revelation 11:4; Psalm 119:105. The two witnesses represent the Scriptures of the Old and the New Testament. Both are important testimonies to the origin and perpetuity of the law of God. Both are witnesses also to the plan of salvation.”

We now understand that Revelation 11:1–13 is a description of the way the Bible was treated during the 1,260 years of papal oppression and what God is going to do with the Bible at the end of that time period.

The next verse, Revelation 11:5, is very specific about how to deal with those who try to harm the Old and New Testaments, the Bible: “If anyone tries to harm them, fire comes from their mouths and devours their enemies. This is how anyone who wants to harm them must die.”

What does the phrase mean “fire comes from their mouths”? We know that “from their mouths” is a symbol for speaking. The phrase “fire comes from their mouths” means that anyone who harms them will be destroyed by fire.

Revelation 20:9, 10 tells us how this prophecy will be fulfilled: “They marched across the breadth of the earth and surrounded the camp of God’s people, the city he loves. But fire came down from heaven and devoured them. And the devil, who deceived them, was thrown into the lake of burning sulfur, where the beast and the false prophet had been thrown.”

This shows the importance of reverence for the Bible. True Christians will show much respect and reverence for the Bible, both the Old and New Testaments. The following statement from The Great Controversy, 268 will be very helpful to read:

“The meaning of this fearful denunciation is set forth in the closing chapter of the Revelation: ‘I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book: and if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book.’ Revelation 22:18, 19.

“Such are the warnings which God has given to guard men against changing in any manner that which He has revealed or commanded. These solemn denunciations apply to all who by their influence lead men to regard lightly the law of God.”

Returning to our main text, the next verse in Revelation 11 presents even more interesting symbolism: “These men have power to shut up the sky so that it will not rain during the time they are prophesying; and they have power to turn the waters into blood and to strike the earth with every kind of plague.” Verse 6.

Let us turn back to the Old Testament and read about an event that happened in the time of Elijah, where the word of God literally shut up the sky so that it did not rain for three and a half years.

In I Kings 17:1, it says, “Now Elijah the Tishbite, from Tishbe in Gilead, said to Ahab, ‘As the Lord, the God of Israel, lives, whom I serve, there will be neither dew nor rain in the next few years except at my word.’ ”

There is a comment from the book Prophets and Kings, 120, 121 about this event: “To Elijah was entrusted the mission of delivering to Ahab Heaven’s message of judgment. He did not seek to be the Lord’s messenger; the word of the Lord came to him.”

We see in this statement that it was the “word of the Lord” that shut up the skies so it would not rain for three and a half years. The word of God has power, even over the elements.

The word of God has power to turn water to blood also. There is an event recorded in the Old Testament in which the word of the Lord turned water to blood and a prophecy in the New Testament, which says that this will happen again. In Exodus 7:19 it says, “The Lord said to Moses, ‘Tell Aaron, “Take your staff and stretch out your hand over the waters of Egypt—over the streams and canals, over the ponds and all the reservoirs”—and they will turn to blood. Blood will be everywhere in Egypt, even in the wooden buckets and stone jars.’ ”

There is another description of this event found in Patriarchs and Prophets, 265: “Moses and Aaron were directed to visit the riverside next morning, where the king was accustomed to repair. … Here the two brothers again repeated the message to him, and then they stretched out the rod and smote upon the water. The sacred stream ran blood, the fish died, and the river became offensive to the smell. The water in the houses, the supply preserved in cisterns, was likewise changed to blood.”

In the New Testament the prophecy that water will again turn to blood is recorded in Revelation 16:3, 4: “The second angel poured out his bowl on the sea, and it turned into blood like that of a dead man, and every living thing in the sea died. The third angel poured out his bowl on the rivers and springs of water, and they became blood.”

In these events we understand that the word of the Lord is very powerful. It is very important that the sinner show reverence, respect and obedience to the Bible, lest it pronounce these severe judgments upon him.

The next four verses, Revelation 11:7–10, describe a very interesting event using many symbols: “Now when they have finished their testimony, the beast that comes up from the Abyss will attack them, and overpower and kill them. Their bodies will lie in the street of the great city, which is figuratively called Sodom and Egypt, where also their Lord was crucified. For three and a half days men from every people, tribe, language and nation will gaze on their bodies and refuse them burial. The inhabitants of the earth will gloat over them and will celebrate by sending each other gifts, because these two prophets had tormented those who live on the earth.”

“When they shall have finished [are finishing] their testimony,” means that toward the end of the 1,260-year time period a beast coming up out of the abyss will attack the Bible. “The period when the two witnesses were to prophesy clothed in sackcloth, ended in 1798. As they were approaching the termination of their work in obscurity, war was to be made upon them by the power represented as ‘the beast that ascendeth out of the bottomless pit.’ …

“But another power—the beast from the bottomless pit—was to arise to make open, avowed war upon the word of God.” The Great Controversy, 268, 269.

The symbolism is a little difficult to understand at this point, but there are some explanations in The Great Controversy that will make things clear so that we may understand the prophecy. In verse 8 a couple of clues are given to help us find out who the beast represents and what the abyss is.

“Their bodies will lie in the street of the great city, which is figuratively called Sodom and Egypt.” Revelation 11:8.

This verse is saying that the beast coming out of the abyss will manifest characteristics similar to Sodom and Egypt. Egypt is known for its defiance of God, especially at the time of the exodus. “Of all nations presented in Bible history, Egypt most boldly denied the existence of the living God and resisted His commands. No monarch ever ventured upon more open and highhanded rebellion against the authority of Heaven than did the king of Egypt. When the message was brought him by Moses, in the name of the Lord, Pharaoh proudly answered: ‘Who is Jehovah, that I should hearken unto His voice to let Israel go? I know not Jehovah, and moreover I will not let Israel go.’ Exodus 5:2, A.R.V. This is atheism, and the nation represented by Egypt would give voice to a similar denial of the claims of the living God and would manifest a like spirit of unbelief and defiance. ‘The great city’ is also compared, ‘spiritually,’ to Sodom. The corruption of Sodom in breaking the law of God was especially manifested in licentiousness. And this sin was also to be a pre-eminent characteristic of the nation that should fulfill the specifications of this scripture.” Ibid., 269.

The time of the beast to rise up is made quite clear in the following statement: “According to the words of the prophet, then, a little before the year 1798 some power of satanic origin and character would rise to make war upon the Bible. And in the land where the testimony of God’s two witnesses should thus be silenced, there would be manifest the atheism of the Pharaoh and the licentiousness of Sodom.” Ibid.

We still don’t have an answer as to who the beast represents. So let’s look further into the information given in Revelation 11:9–11:

“And they of the people and kindreds and tongues and nations shall see their dead bodies three days and an half, and shall not suffer their dead bodies to be put in graves. And they that dwell upon the earth shall rejoice over them, and make merry, and shall send gifts one to another; because these two prophets tormented them that dwelt on the earth. And after three days and an half the Spirit of life from God entered into them, and they stood upon their feet; and great fear fell upon them which saw them.” (KJV)

The Great Controversy gives us an explanation of these verses and the history that is a fulfillment of these events.

“This prophecy has received a most exact and striking fulfillment in the history of France. During the Revolution, in 1793, ‘The world for the first time heard an assembly of men, born and educated in civilization, and assuming the right to govern one of the finest of the European nations, uplift their united voice to deny the most solemn truth which man’s soul receives, and renounce unanimously the belief and worship of a Deity.’—Sir Walter Scott, Life of Napoleon, vol. 1, ch. 17. ‘France is the only nation in the world concerning which the authentic record survives, that as a nation she lifted her hand in open rebellion against the Author of the universe. Plenty of blasphemers, plenty of infidels, there have been, and still continue to be, in England, Germany, Spain, and elsewhere; but France stands apart in the world’s history as the single state which, by the decree of her Legislative Assembly, pronounced that there was no God, and of which the entire population of the capital, and a vast majority elsewhere, women as well as men, danced and sang with joy in accepting the announcement.’—Blackwood’s Magazine, November, 1870.

“France presented also the characteristics which especially distinguished Sodom. During the Revolution there was manifest a state of moral debasement and corruption similar to that which brought destruction upon the cities of the plain. And the historian presents together the atheism and the licentiousness of France, as given in the prophecy: ‘Intimately connected with these laws affecting religion, was that which reduced the union of marriage—the most sacred engagement which human beings can form, and the permanence of which leads most strongly to the consolidation of society—to the state of a mere civil contract of a transitory character, which any two persons might engage in and cast loose at pleasure. … Sophie Arnoult, an actress famous for the witty things she said, described the republican marriage as “the sacrament of adultery.” ’—Scott, vol. 1, ch. 17.” The Great Controversy, 269–271.

I would like to go back to Revelation 11:8 and make a brief comment about the last part of the verse: “Their bodies will lie in the street of the great city, which is figuratively called Sodom and Egypt, where also their Lord was crucified.”

In The Great Controversy, 271 it states, “ ‘Where also our Lord was crucified” [Revelation 11:8]. This specification of the prophecy was also fulfilled by France. In no land had the spirit of enmity against Christ been more strikingly displayed. In no country had the truth encountered more bitter and cruel opposition. In the persecution which France had visited upon the confessors of the gospel, she had crucified Christ in the person of His disciples.” Ibid., 271.

“It was in 1793 that the decrees which abolished the Christian religion and set aside the Bible passed the French Assembly. Three years and a half later a resolution rescinding these decrees, thus granting toleration to the Scriptures, was adopted by the same body.” Ibid., 287.

In Revelation 11:13 there is a symbolic description of the effect this legislation had on the nation of France: “At that very hour there was a severe earthquake and a tenth of the city collapsed. Seven thousand people were killed in the earthquake, and the survivors were terrified and gave glory to the God of heaven.” [Most commentators believe the quote ‘seven thousand people’ are the nobility that were destroyed by the French revolution.]

“Those who had chosen the service of rebellion were left to reap its fruits until the land was filled with crimes too horrible for pen to trace. From devastated provinces and ruined cities a terrible cry was heard—a cry of bitterest anguish. France was shaken as if by an earthquake. Religion, law, social order, the family, the state, and the church—all were smitten down by the impious hand that had been lifted against the law of God.” Ibid., 286.

After the action of the French assembly was rescinded, a wonderful change for the better took place for the two witnesses. It is recorded in Revelation 11:11, 12: “But after the three and a half days a breath of life from God entered them, and they stood on their feet, and terror struck those who saw them. Then they heard a loud voice from heaven saying to them, ‘Come up here.’ And they went up to heaven in a cloud, while their enemies looked on.”

“Since France made war upon God’s two witnesses, they have been honored as never before. In 1804 the British and Foreign Bible Society was organized. This was followed by similar organizations, with numerous branches, upon the continent of Europe. In 1816 the American Bible Society was founded. When the British Society was formed, the Bible had been printed and circulated in fifty tongues. It has since been translated into many hundreds of languages and dialects. …

“But toward the close of the eighteenth century a great change took place. Men became dissatisfied with the results of rationalism and realized the necessity of divine revelation and experimental religion. From this time the work of foreign missions attained an unprecedented growth.”

“The improvements in printing have given an impetus to the work of circulating the Bible. The increased facilities for communication between different countries, the breaking down of ancient barriers of prejudice and national exclusiveness, and the loss of secular power by the pontiff of Rome have opened the way for the entrance of the word of God. For some years the Bible has been sold without restraint in the streets of Rome, and it has now been carried to every part of the habitable globe.” Ibid., 287, 288.

And today we see the continuing expansion of the circulation of the Bible throughout the world in the printed and electronic media. Thus we see the prophecy of the two witnesses being fulfilled at the present time to meet the needs of the people in the great second-advent movement. What a blessing this has been in the proclamation of the Three Angels’ Messages!

Everyone today who is within reach of the Scriptures has the privilege and responsibility of learning about the Three Angels’ Messages, the Investigative Judgment and the Second Coming of Jesus.

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

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

From Trials to Triumph

by

As long as God’s church is in existence, there will be trials and tribulations. Why is this oppression and persecution part of life on earth? “The warfare against God’s law commenced in heaven. Satan was determined to bring God to his ideas, his way, to force Him to change the law of His government. This was the cause of the war in heaven. Satan worked upon the sympathies of the angelic host by his deceptive attitude, but he was expelled from heaven, and now he is determined to carry out on this earth the plans [he] instituted in heaven. If he can persuade man to be disloyal to the law of God, he will feel that he is revenged upon God. He strives to instill into the minds of men his masterly deceptions, thus perverting judgment and justice, trampling down the law of God. This work—the conflict between truth and error—lies at the foundation of the trials and tribulations that the children of God will experience. This is the ‘trial of their faith.’ ” Manuscript Releases, vol. 12, 37.

The Lord never said that such difficult events could be avoided. It is very clear in Scripture that we must go through trials and tribulations as we prepare for the heavenly kingdom. “My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations; Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience. But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.” James 1:2–4. Indeed we each may become the type of individual that will walk with the Lord and do His work. We will not be discouraged or stressed as we turn everything over to Him.

“If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him. But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed. For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord. A double minded man is unstable in all his ways.” Verses 5–8. Because of doubt, man has no faith.

Perhaps you have seen the bumper sticker on some cars that declares, “When life gives you a lemon, make lemonade.” This statement is so true. There are many people in the New and Old Testaments of the Bible who learned, through the trials in their lives, to make lemonade out of lemons. They went from victims to victors in the Lord. They were able to face the most difficult trials and to gain victory through Jesus. The word of God is full of examples where something sweet was made from something that was bitter.

The book of James tells us that just as persons in the Bible triumphed, we too may have victory. There are several steps in life that we need to follow so we can be victorious. Four points to help turn our trials into triumphs are: 1. Count, 2. Knowing, 3. Let and 4. Ask. We need to understand these four points that are included in James 1:2–8, and discipline ourselves to follow them during every trial or tribulation.

  1. Count

“My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations.” James 1:2. In other words, learn to say: “Thank You, Lord, for the trials that I am going through.” “Thank You for these difficult moments that I am experiencing right now.” Count those as joy moments. This may seem easy to say when we do not have anything going wrong in our lives. When everything is unstable in our lives, we may question why we should find joy moments and praise God for the learning experience. James assumes, in this passage, that we will experience trials. He tells us to count this all joy when we fall into various trials. He does not say if or but; he says, when we have them to count them joy. As Christians, we will experience trials, just as the Christians, right after Christ died, faced trials and tribulations. History is going to repeat itself.

The disciples were very aware of the situation after Christ died. They had also witnessed the Master going through His trial, persecution, and death. Remember, Jesus said that whosoever, of his own free will, wants to follow Him, should take hold of his own cross, deny himself, and know that to follow Him would bring trials, tribulations, and persecutions. (See Mark 8:34.) They had a fear of persecution. They realized that the only way to completely overcome fear was to turn themselves completely over to the Lord.

We need to pray to God, asking Him to turn our fear into faith. Ask God to turn the insecurities in your life and in yourself to security and trusting in Him. The Lord never told His disciples or us that it would be a free ride in the Christian walk.

“The Word does not say that we are to count it all joy when we fall under temptation, but when we fall into temptation. It is not necessary to fall under temptation, for temptation comes upon us for the trying of our faith. And the trying of our faith worketh patience, not fretfulness and murmuring. If we put our trust in Jesus, He will keep us at all times, and will be our strength and shield. We are to learn valuable lessons from our trials. Paul says, ‘We glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience; and patience, experience; and experience, hope …’ (Romans 5:3–5).” That I May Know Him, 279. [Emphasis supplied.]

In John 16:33, the Scriptures give a discussion Jesus had with the disciples: “These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.” Jesus never promised a free ride. He desired for us to find peace in the world, as long as we give our lives to Him and trust Him. Then we will find peace. He tells us that there is no question that we will have persecutions, trials and tribulations while we are here in this world. After Jesus was crucified, Paul also talked to the Christians. “Confirming the souls of the disciples, and exhorting them to continue in the faith, and that we must through much tribulation enter into the kingdom of God.” Acts 14:22. We must go through these tribulations, because the kingdom of God awaits us. We must overcome trials as proof to all that God’s obedient children worship Him at all times. We must determine to willingly follow Christ.

“We must be willing to be despised and trodden under foot here. We are soon to be exalted to a home in glory, a treasure in the heavens. Praise the Lord, we will go through and behold Him whom our souls admire. Press, press … to the mark of the prize. Have faith in God. Endure trials; be patient in tribulations. Pray, pray much. Keep the victory above the powers of darkness.” Manuscript Releases, vol. 19, 131.

Trials come upon us in many different ways. Some of those ways could include accidents, the death of a loved one, illness, or losing something material. Trials could come upon us because of disagreements or with persecutions from a best friend or somebody else, even a church member. There are different types of trials, including moments when you feel disappointment with somebody or some circumstance. For the most part, all of those hard times and trials come because we are Christians.

We read in I Peter 4:12: “Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you.” Don’t think that this trial is not for you, because it is for you—to fix you or to change you! Some people call this “bad luck.” It has nothing to do with luck. It occurs because we are Christians, and as such, we need to face one trial or persecution at a time.

“Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution.” II Timothy 3:12. We will suffer persecution because we are determined to live a godly life with Christ. Satan is very angry with us, and he is going to use anybody he can, even our families, to give us a hard time. Those who are loyal and obedient to God will be persecuted.

In Acts 5:41, we are told, “And they departed from the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for his name.” Some of us can disengage ourselves from the world and from leaders. But, because we do this, they will say that we are declaring war against them, and they will cause us much trouble and persecute us. Are we willing to go through shame for the sake of our God? Jesus suffered trial and shame for us. Did He have the victory? Yes, He did, because after His death, His Father resurrected Him and restored all to Him.

Jesus wants us to develop the same kind of love that He has for His Father. Such love will conquer every problem or situation we may experience. Knowing this, what should be our response as Christians? “Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you: But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ’s sufferings; that, when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy.” 1 Peter 4:12, 13. The disciples understood this. Many people, who fall into frustrating times, scream, fuss and complain. During these times our Lord is trying to tell us to settle down and to trust Him through these trials. We must believe that He is working on us through the trials and preparing us for the kingdom of heaven. Trials and tribulations are the methods that Jesus uses to shape us for heaven.

“Don’t go to others with your trials and temptations; God alone can help you. If you fulfil the conditions of God’s promises, the promises will be fulfilled to you. If your mind is stayed upon God, you will not go from a state of ecstasy to the valley of despondency when trial and temptation come upon you. You will not talk doubt and gloom to others. … You will not do this, for you will have an anchor to the soul both sure and steadfast.” The Review and Herald, February 27, 1913.

In Revelation 14:12, we are told, “Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus.” The disciples were ready to face shame and persecution. Paul was the persecutor to begin with, but when he accepted Christ and was converted, he was the one who was persecuted. He saw the picture and accepted his commission. This same commission is for us to do to finish the work.

The attitude that we put into the commission given to us will definitely make the difference. “There are many in the church who at heart belong to the world, but God calls upon those who claim to believe the advanced truth, to rise above the present attitude of the popular churches of today. Where is the self-denial, where is the cross-bearing that Christ has said should characterize his followers? The reason we have had so little influence upon unbelieving relatives and associates is that we have manifested little decided difference in our practices from those of the world. Parents need to awake, and purify their souls by practicing the truth in their home life. When we reach the standard that the Lord would have us reach, worldlings will regard Seventh-day Adventists [us] as odd, singular, straight-laced extremists. ‘We are made a spectacle unto the world, and to angels, and to men’ [1 Corinthians 4:9].” The Review and Herald, January 9, 1894.

“And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience.” Roman 5:3. Philippians 2:17 says, “Yea, and if I be offered upon the sacrifice and service of your faith, I joy, and rejoice with you all.” The Lord is happy to suffer for us. Are we ready to lose our lives and, at the same time, to rejoice over it? Each of us must be totally converted for the Lord. We must determine in our hearts to face whatever is ahead of us and to trust and obey Him. “For the same cause also do ye joy, and rejoice with me.” Verse 18. There are trials in life that we must endure.

“Wherein ye greatly rejoice, though now for a season, if need be, ye are in heaviness through manifold temptations: That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ: Whom having not seen, ye love; in whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory.” I Peter 1:6–8.

All of these things will refine us and purify our characters. We will be like gold refined by fire. This is the process through which we need to go. We need to develop this willingness to turn everything over to the Lord and allow God to work on us in refining and convicting us. He will show us that through Him we can face any trial. Trials become victories in Jesus’ name. We must be willing to surrender to the Lord, to be tested, and to rejoice in the Lord through all these trials and frustrations. We must develop a joyful attitude.

  1. Knowing

“Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience.” James 1:3. To develop patience, we need to be tested. Are we willing to be tested, or are we afraid we will fail the test? We must willingly open up ourselves for the testing of the Lord. In that way, we will develop patience to be citizens of the kingdom of heaven.

The right knowledge concerning the value of trials makes it possible to have a joyful attitude. All trials and strife test our faith. Faith will bring out the best in us. Just as fire purifies gold, the Lord wants to purify us. God tells us through the Scriptures that nothing polluted or contaminated will enter into the kingdom of heaven. In I Peter 1:7, we are assured, “That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ.” We have been given the privilege to inherit the kingdom of heaven.

A problem that we have is that when crisis develops, trials come and problems arise, we try to speed up and move the issue out of the way, to get out of it as fast as we can. But God tells us to stay calm and deal with the problem challenging us. By doing this, we allow patience to be developed in ourselves. May we all learn to deal with these trials. Once we learn to deal with these trials without losing self-control, we develop patience, trust, and obedience.

“For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory.” II Corinthians 4:17. We should send up a prayer and ask the Lord to help us, not by removing the situation in front of us, but by helping us to learn patience and how to deal with the challenge. Trials will bring out the best in us, and we will mature in the Lord as we learn to overcome. We develop faith and patience in the Lord.

In the book of Job, we can read about all of the trials Job went through, and through all of these trials, he did not lose his self-control. Even though everything he possessed was taken away, one at a time, he made a statement to the world by his attitude. That is the attitude we must have. We must have the willingness in our hearts to allow the Lord to work in us. It is very important, when trials enter our lives, that we praise God and realize we have been given another opportunity to develop patience.

“And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience; And patience, experience; and experience, hope.” Romans 5:3, 4. Hope is the motivation that will get us through the trials to triumph, knowing that our Lord is coming to take us home.

  1. Let

“But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.” James 1:4. When we have experienced and overcome all of the trials and tribulations in our paths, the Lord will declare that there is nothing missing in us. When we see our Lord face to face, the only thing we will be able to say is, “Praise to the Lord.”

To allow victory to take place over problems, the Lord wants to see self-control in us. Too often we want to get our trials and difficulties over quickly. There are times when it is best to humbly and patiently walk with them, saying, “Praise God! He is working on me.”

“Christ left His high command, took upon Himself the nature of man, and came to the earth to stand at the head of the fallen race, in order to show that humanity could withstand the temptations of Satan. He became the Head of humanity, to be assaulted with temptations on every point as fallen human nature would be tempted, that He might know how to succor all who are tempted. On this earth He worked out the problem of how to live in accordance with God’s standard of right. Bearing our nature, He was true to God’s standard of righteousness, gaining the victory over Satan. He was tempted in all points like as we are, yet He was without sin.” The Upward Look, 172.

When patience has no opposition or opportunity, the Lord is working. Sometimes we get to the point where we say that we have nowhere else to go or that we can do nothing more. If we have faith in the Lord and patience, there will be a way out and an answer from the Lord. We must never let any doubts into our minds. We must be fully convinced that God will take care of every situation. Allowing these things to take place will develop maturity in us, and we will become very mature Christians for the Lord. We will develop solid characters and solid faith and nothing will shake us. This is the type of faith, character, and determination each of us must have for the Lord.

If we do not do these things, we are not allowing God to take complete control of our lives. When we say that we do not want to give up something, we are not moving forward. Day after day the same things will come into our minds. When we become Christians, we will not hold anything back that will block our growth. We will let go of it all.

  1. Ask

We must learn to trust and to have faith with no doubts in the power of the Lord. Solomon asked for wisdom and understanding. (See I Kings 3:7–12.) We should ask the Lord for whatever we need. Ask the Lord for patience, for understanding, and for wisdom to deal with everything. We do not want to quit or to become cowards, but we must persevere, be strong, and be conquerors of each situation for the name and honor of Jesus Christ.

The wisdom that was given to Solomon was given him because of the way he asked. He asked unselfishly, requesting nothing for himself. We need to follow Solomon’s example and ask for wisdom, as did he. We need to ask for that faith. We need to ask the Lord to give us whatever we lack. Whatever our problems are or whatever our pressures may be, ask the Lord. We will learn to convert trials and tribulations into victories for the Lord. We need to have this conviction in our hearts with no doubting that the Lord will help. God can do it.

“When trials come, remember that they are sent for your good. … When trials and tribulations come to you know that they are sent in order that you may receive from the Lord of glory renewed strength and increased humility, so that He may safely bless and support and uphold you. In faith and with the hope that ‘maketh not ashamed’ [Romans 5:5], lay hold of the promises of God.” My Life Today, 185.

Pastor Domingo Nuñez is director of Outreach Ministry for Steps to Life. He is involved in the coordination of world mission projects and he travels extensively, encouraging the many home churches supported by Steps to Life. He can be contacted at: 316-788-5559 or by email at: domingonunez@stepstolife.org.

Babylonian Captivity

by

In the first chapter of Daniel is described a scene of captivity. After the reign of Solomon, the kingdom was divided. The nation of Israel was made up of ten tribes, and the nation of Judah made up two tribes. Comparing the history of both nations, Israel was more rebellious and was eventually destroyed by the Assyrians. Judah was also destroyed, but before that, while under the rule of Jehoiakim, the city was besieged by Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon, who took many captives among whom were the royal seed. It was the purpose of the king to educate these young men, the princes, and turn them into Babylonians.

Before the coming of Christ, the people of God are going to face another captivity, one of economic boycott, social restraint, and political and religious pressure that will be applied to enforce the mark of the beast.

Are you ready for captivity? Do you know what it means to be under captivity, under the control of another nation? Like it or not, many of us will face this captivity. Under his rule, the last day spiritual king of Babylon will do all in his power to try to change your body, your mind, and your soul.

The Bible says in Daniel 1:3, “And the king spake unto Ashpenaz, the master of his eunuchs, that he should bring certain of the children of Israel, and of the king’s seed, and of the princes.” When Babylon besieged Judah, they captured the young people, but not just any young people; they were the king’s seed and their princes.

Satan’s primary attack in these last days is also against the best. Are you a child of the King of the universe? Satan wants to capture the children of God, those who are the apple of His eye. The Bible says that if it is possible, Satan will deceive the very elect (Matthew 24:24). The more devotion and dedication you give to God and the more faith you put in God’s hand, the more danger you present to the devil and the greater persecution you may face. But you should have no fear, because perfect love casts out all fear (1 John 4:18).

Daniel 1:4 tells us what kind of children Nebuchadnezzar sought: “Children in whom was no blemish, but well favoured, and skilful in all wisdom, and cunning in knowledge, and understanding science, and such as had ability in them to stand in the king’s palace, and whom they might teach the learning and the tongue of the Chaldeans.” The blemish here mentioned is physical blemish, without even a bad odor in their mouth.

“The erect form, the firm, elastic step, the fair countenance showing that the blood was uncorrupted, the undimmed senses, the untainted breath—all were so many certificates of good habits, insignia of the nobility with which nature honors those who are obedient to her laws.” Reflecting Christ, 121. These young men were a picture of health, were physically fit, and mentally equipped. And although that text does not mention their spiritual condition, it was also in excellent condition. These young men were captured because Satan hated them because they were physically, mentally, and spiritually well-balanced and strong.

You may be physically fit, but if you are spiritually weak, Satan does not want to bother capturing you, because you are already captured. You might be mentally strong and skillful in knowledge and science, yet, if you are spiritually weak, Satan does not want to bother you because you are already weak, and he wants you to stay that way. His target is anyone of any age who is totally dedicated to God.

Notice what the king planned to do with these young people. The very first thing attempted was to teach them a new language, the Chaldean language, the Babylonian language. The Bible states in Matthew 12:34, “For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh.” That means the words that you speak express your heart or your mind, so your words are closely related to your mind.

Every language reveals the character or personality of that culture. In order to speak Chinese and communicate properly, you have to speak with a Chinese mentality. If you speak Spanish, it must be with a Spanish mentality, not with a Korean or American mentality. By teaching these young men the language of the Chaldeans, they were being educated to have a Babylonian mind, to think like a Babylonian.

Then the king provided for them food. “And the king appointed them a daily provision of the king’s meat, and of the wine which he drank: so nourishing them three years, that at the end thereof they might stand before the king.” Daniel 1:5.

Food is to build the body, and the young captives were offered a Babylonian diet. I can imagine on that beautiful Babylonian table a big pig with an apple in its mouth surrounded by the wines of Babylon. This kind of diet was not healthy according to God’s word. Praise God for the stand of Daniel! He purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself. This decision was not made when he arrived in Babylon but before he got there. To stand strong as did Daniel, before going into captivity, you had better make that purpose and decision.

A study of the life of Jesus reveals that there were two places He must enter at the end of His life. Calvary is always remembered, but there was also the Garden of Gethsemane. Gethsemane was the place of His decision. Calvary was the hill of His sacrifice and His action. One place was to make a decision; the other place was to carry out that decision. So before you go to Calvary, you had better go to Gethsemane. Daniel went to his own Gethsemane. As he crossed the desert, he prayed, “God, no matter what is going to happen to me, I am not going to defile myself before You. God help me.”

Every person must make that decision day by day, choosing to follow Jesus all the way with grace and power, because character cannot be built overnight. When captivity comes, character will be tested. Where are you standing; on the Rock or on the sand (Matthew 7:24, 26)?

The king provided mental education—Babylonian mind. The king provided physical education—Babylonian diet. “Now among these were of the children of Judah, Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah: Unto whom the prince of the eunuchs gave names: for he gave unto Daniel the name of Belteshazzar; and to Hananiah, of Shadrach; and to Mishael, of Meshach; and to Azariah, of Abednego.” Daniel 1:6, 7.

What was the purpose of the name changes? What was wrong with Daniel and Hananiah and Mishael and Azariah? They were good names. Dan means judge. El means God. So every time Daniel is spoken, it reminds that God is judge. Daniel’s name was changed to Belteshazzer, meaning Bel is god. Mishael means who is like God; Meshach means who is like Venus. Hananiah means God is grace. Shadrach means command of Aku. Azariah means helped by God; Abednego means servant of Nabu.

The new Babylonian names reflect the names of Babylonian gods. A person’s name refers to character. Having a Babylonian god in the new names indicates that the Babylonian nation wanted them to have the Babylonian character and worship Babylonian gods. Changing their names was an attempt to change their spiritual condition from worshiping the true God to worshiping idols made by man’s hand.

The Babylonians tried to change three things of their captives: mental, physical and spiritual. When Satan attacks, he attacks your body, mind, and soul, which encompasses everything! That is exactly what Satan tried to do in the Garden of Eden. In Genesis 3:4 the Bible says, “And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die.” He told Eve that even if she would commit sin, she would not die. If you cannot die, you are immortal. His claim was that even though she may sin, she would be immortal. Satan was lying to her about immortality of the soul. Today immortality of the soul is called spiritualism. Right there in the Garden of Eden Satan introduced to Eve spiritualism. But not only that—“For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened and ye shall be as gods.” Verse 5. Eating is related to the physical body. Eye opening experience is connected to receiving a new understanding, which deals with the mental. That word gods is related to spiritual.

Satan was telling Eve, I have something better for your body. I have something better for your mental condition. I have something better for your spiritual condition. All three things he offered to her, and she listened to the serpent.

“And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food [physical], and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise [mental], she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat.” Verse 6. What happened to her spiritual condition? She lost it. Satan had attacked all three areas—physical, mental, and spiritual.

If Satan gets your body, he has your mind. If he has your mind, he’s got your soul, because they are all connected. Your body is the house of the mind; the mind is the house of the soul. He attacks all three. This is the very reason why Jesus came to this world, to restore man physically, mentally and spiritually—three areas—and also, socially.

“And Jesus increased in wisdom [which is mental], stature [which is physical], and in favour with God [which is spiritual] and man [which is social]” (Luke 2:52). Jesus had a perfectly balanced education—intellectually, physically, socially, and spiritually.

These are the four basic needs of man. In this world, everyone has these four—physical, mental, spiritual and social—and each individual starts out with their cup empty. It is imperative to know what is needed to fill these empty spaces.

Usually the felt need is not so much spiritual, but physical and social. People usually forget about the mental and the spiritual needs even though they also are searching for something. That is why people turn to New Age, yoga or meditation and all of the strange religions that are in the world today. People know that they are missing something in their life but are often unaware of the greatest thing that they are missing—God.

One time when doing evangelistic crusade meetings, a free massage and free blood pressure check were offered to attendees. The crusade meeting leaders went to where the people were, set up the tables and chairs and put up a sign saying, “Free Massage.” In no time, that place was flocked with people. When you show concern about a person’s body, they are open to hear what you have to say about their soul. The people are open to listen to causes when they are suffering from high blood pressure. The usual causes are high fat intake, high protein, cholesterol, unclean food, no exercise, alcohol, tobacco, soda, sugar, and things like this. Their body is clogged up with junk, and when you tell them, they listen. After their blood pressure check, they receive a massage.

A massage feels good, so while the individual was feeling good, they would be given literature on health, present truth, the Sabbath, and the Three Angels’ Messages that they could take to their home, and every time they looked at it they would think of that good massage. When invited to the meeting, the people would come.

In one small town, there was a man who owned the biggest hotel. He was so impressed by the work that was being done that he asked, “Where are you having meetings every night?” When told that the meeting was in a nearby hall, he said, “That hall is not good enough for you; come to my hotel.” The hotel was right next to the park, so after completing the medical missionary work, the meeting was opened at the hotel and it was packed with people. They wanted to hear the message, the gospel. Jesus gives us a perfect example how to work for the people for their body, mind, and soul, and their social well-being.

In Matthew 9:35 the Bible says, “And Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues [teaching is dealing with mental], and preaching the gospel of the kingdom [which is spiritual], and healing every sickness and every disease among the people [which is physical].” Jesus gave us the example of working with all three—mental, spiritual and physical. Balanced education prepares us to give a balanced ministry, which is so important, because it helps the people to really obey God’s commandments.

In Mark 12:30 the Bible says, “And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment.” Heart is referring to your thoughts and your feelings. The heart encompasses everything. “Love the Lord thy God … with all thy soul” is for spiritual, “and with all thy mind” is for mental, “and with all thy strength” is for physical. You are to keep God’s commandments with your body, your mind, and your soul—with everything. Satan is trying to destroy your body, destroy your mind, and destroy your soul. God is trying to restore your mind, restore your body, and restore your soul.

This is the great controversy, and as you are working for the people, all those areas must be covered. Every church should be a place of education, training, nurturing and guiding. People should be able to come to church and get healing. It should not be an unusual thing to have a clinic right next to a church.

The church should be a center of missionary effort. Church should not be a day care center for lukewarm Christians; it is not a place of babysitting sleepy church members. All church members should become living, active, moving agents of God.

To get ready for the coming of Christ, all aspects of your life have to be prepared. I understand there is no way to have a perfect body without any problems. Sometimes you may be diseased, but as far as possible you are to keep your body healthy. Some individuals may be slow in thinking, forgetful, not clear, not focused, not intelligent yet, by the grace of God, the Bible says, as you fear God, you begin to have the wisdom of God (see Psalm 111:10). So we can, by the grace of God, increase physically, mentally, and spiritually.

“And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.” 1 Thessalonians 5:23. Here are those three things again—mind, soul and body. Why are those three things being repeated over and over again? What was previously read in Genesis about the life of Christ, and now in the writings of Paul, are those three things mentioned again and again and again. The Bible says you are to “be preserved blameless.” In other words, the condition of your body, soul, and mind should be preserved. The word preserved means keeping it in good condition until Jesus comes.

There is no way you can think or believe that you can just continue in the life of corruption, in a life of iniquity until Jesus comes. The Bible says He is able to preserve you blameless until the coming of Christ. It is clear on this point. “Faithful is he that calleth you, who also will do it.” Verse 24. It is not you that does it. God is faithful; if He has called you to become blameless, preserved, whole, sanctified, dedicated to God and to love God with all your soul, mind, and heart, He is able to do it for you.

“The very best you can do will not merit the favor of God. It is Jesus’ worthiness that will save you, His blood that will cleanse you. But you have efforts to make. You must do what you can on your part.” Testimonies, vol. 1, 167.

“No man can of himself work out his own salvation, and God cannot do this work for him without his cooperation. But when man works earnestly, God works with him, giving him power to become a son of God.” Manuscript Releases, vol. 21, 38.

You must allow Him to do it. You must surrender your heart, your mind, your soul, and your body—everything to Him. When Jesus died, He died to purchase your body. Jesus died to purchase your mind. Jesus died to purchase your soul. He paid the price to buy every part of you.

Notice the message that needs to go out to the world in these last days, the Three Angels’ Messages. “And I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven having the everlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people saying with a loud voice [this is the message that needs to go to every nation, kindred, tongue, and people, and notice the message], Fear God, and give glory to him; for the hour of his judgment is come: and worship him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters.” Revelation 14:6, 7.

Observe how verse 7 encompasses the three areas of body, mind, and soul. It is interesting to observe that the “fear God” message is connected to your mental development, because the Bible says that fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom (Psalm 111:10). And also the “give glory to Him” message is connected to your physical health, because 1 Corinthians 10:31 says, “Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God.” The “worship Him that made” message certainly refers to the spiritual connection with your Creator. You can easily observe the elements of balanced education in the first angel’s message.

Notice what the mark of the beast is trying to do in the last days to God’s people in Revelation 14:9: “And the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, If any man worship …” What is that? Spiritual. In other words, in the last days people will follow the beast spiritually. And the Bible continues to say, “… worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead … .” What do you have in your forehead? Mind. People will follow the beast, not only spiritually, but they will also follow him mentally and receive the mark of the beast in their forehead or in their hand. In the Bible, hand represents physical. People will follow the beast physically.

There are two different types of education competing against each other in the last days. There is God’s balanced education: physical, mental, and spiritual. But Satan, by his education of mental, physical, and spiritual, is the worldly way of developing the body, the mind, and the soul. God is calling you to go back to the old paths, to His way, which is the good way, the narrow way, the way of salvation (Jeremiah 6:16).

When you get ready for these last day events, you must get ready physically, mentally, and spiritually. Otherwise the mark of the beast is calculated in such a way that it will get you wherever you are weak; whether you are weak spiritually, whether you are weak mentally, or whether you are weak physically, he will get you. You have to put on the full armor of God (Ephesians 6:11).

Are you hearing the word of God? You must examine your life daily to see if you are developing physically or if you are damaging your body. Are you working just too hard and not getting enough rest, or are you eating or drinking something that you know is damaging your body? You need to examine, and make sure every day to seek and to develop to the glory of God.

Are there certain things in your house that are not helping you mentally? These may include a novel, some magazines, or video games. Are you holding on to certain things that are destroying your mind; certain kinds of music, certain television programs that you are watching, or allowing your imagination to grasp? Things like this are destroying your mind.

If you are serious about the Second Coming, if you are serious about the Three Angels’ Messages, if you are serious about loving God with your body, mind, and soul, consider Jesus on the cross, bleeding, as He cried out, “My child, I gave all for you; give all for Me.”

Whatever is destroying your life today, if you are truly serious about it, you must hold it up before Jesus, and say, “Jesus, help me to give this up. If it is tobacco, help me to stop, today. If it is wine, help me to stop this very day. If it is certain magazines, help me to burn them. If it is music, help me to break them and put them in the trash. If myself is an idol, if I worship myself, and I spend more money on myself, oh God, please help me to worship You. Tear away any idols from my heart, and let God’s throne sit at my heart, that I may worship and follow only Christ.”

Who knows, perhaps God is not sending people to your fellowship because you are not ready to preach the Three Angels’ Message. You are not ready physically; you are not ready mentally, and you are not ready spiritually. There are people out there waiting to come to Jesus, but God does not want to discourage those people by your poor example. They are too precious to be discouraged in these last days. If you are serious about the love of Christ, surrender all to Jesus.

As Jesus is cleansing the sanctuary in heaven, let God cleanse your heart first. Let God then cleanse your family. Let Him cleanse your church so that you are ready to cry aloud, “Fear God, give glory to Him, for the hour of His judgment is come, and worship Him,” and when you make this cry, it will be powerful.

Thank God for the Bible and for Jesus Christ who is trying to restore us physically, mentally, and spiritually. Now is the time to submit all to Him.

Wheat and Tares

by

The parable of the wheat and the tares found in Matthew 13 is one of the few parables that Jesus explained right after it was told. A review of this parable is found in Christ’s Object Lessons, 70–74.

“Another parable He put forth unto them, saying, ‘The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field; but while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat and went his way. But when the grain had sprouted and produced a crop, then the tares also appeared. So the servants of the owner came and said to him, “Sir, did you not sow good seed in your field? How then does it have tares?” He said to them, “An enemy has done this.” The servants said to him, “Do you want us then to go and gather them up?” But he said, “No, lest while you gather up the tares you also uproot the wheat with them. Let both grow together until the harvest, and at [or during] the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, ‘First gather together tares and bind them in bundles to burn them, but gather the wheat into my barn.’ ” Matthew 13:24–30. NKJV.

The harvest is the little period of time just before the end of the year. Jesus explains this beginning in verses 36–43: “Then Jesus sent the multitude away and went into the house. And His disciples came to Him, saying, ‘Explain to us the parable of the tares of the field.’ He answered and said to them: ‘He who sows the good seed is the Son of Man. The field is the world, the good seeds are the sons of the kingdom, but the tares are the sons of the wicked one. The enemy who sowed them is the devil, the harvest is the end of the age, and the reapers are the angels. Therefore as the tares are gathered and burned in the fire, so it will be at the end of [or during] this age. The Son of Man will send out His angels, and they will gather out of His kingdom all things that offend, and those who practice lawlessness, and will cast them into the furnace of fire. There will be wailing and gnashing of teeth. Then the righteous will shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears to hear, let him hear!’ ” (NKJV)

Notice it says in verse 41 that He is going to send His angels and they are going to gather out of His kingdom. What is His kingdom? This is a parable, not just about the natural world but more specifically the spiritual world. When Jesus says that the field is the world, He is talking about the spiritual world—the church. The angels are going to gather out of the church, out of His kingdom, all things that offend and those who practice lawlessness.

Everybody is going to be bound in a bundle, one that will be burned up or one that will be taken to heaven. Right now we are living in this harvest time. It is during this time that the tares and the wheat are separated by the angels.

Some think that we just have to put up with or endure anything in the church because the wheat and the tares have to grow together. That is not what Jesus said.

“Christ has plainly taught that those who persist in open sin must be separated from the church, but He has not committed to us the work of judging character and motive.” Christ’s Object Lessons, 71.

The parable of the tares cannot be used to tolerate open sin. The person who persists in open sin is to be separated from the church. A tare is a person who has sin in the heart but is not in open sin.

Another misunderstanding of this parable is that the righteous and the wicked will be together until Jesus comes and then the angels will do the separating. But let’s read what is going to happen before that time. Before Jesus comes the tares will have been bound in bundles, even though they may not be separated from the wheat or have been burned.

“The evil servant says in his heart, ‘My lord delayeth his coming’ [Matthew 24:48]. He does not say that Christ will not come. He does not scoff at the idea of His second coming. But in his heart and by his actions and words he declares that the Lord’s coming is delayed. He banishes from the minds of others the conviction that the Lord is coming quickly. His influence leads men to presumptuous, careless delay. They are confirmed in their worldliness and stupor. Earthly passions, corrupt thoughts, take possession of the mind. The evil servant eats and drinks with the drunken, unites with the world in pleasure seeking.” The Desire of Ages, 635.

A study of the book of Revelation reveals a great harlot that is drunk causing the rest of the world to also be drunk. To eat and drink with the drunken is to get involved with the ecumenical movement. The people who call themselves Seventh-day Adventists and get involved with the ecumenical movement are eating and drinking with the drunken. The evil servant who eats and drinks with the drunken will smite his fellow servants (Matthew 24:49). Those who eat and drink with the drunken will also smite their fellow servants. This has happened in some countries where fellow church members have burned houses. Here in the United States of America some have been smitten by being taken to court and sued with an attempt made to put them in prison. Those same people who are involved in the ecumenical movement are smiting their fellow servants. “He smites his fellow servants, accusing and condemning those who are faithful to their Master. He mingles with the world. Like grows with like in transgression. It is a fearful assimilation. With the world he is taken in the snare.” Ibid., 635.

“There is One who said that the tares were not to be plucked up by human hands lest the wheat be rooted up also. Let both grow together until the harvest. Then the Lord sends forth His reapers to gather out the tares and bind them in bundles to burn, while the wheat is gathered into the heavenly garner. The time of the judgment is a most solemn period, when the Lord gathers His own from among the tares. Those who have been members of the same family are separated. A mark is placed upon the righteous.” Testimonies to Ministers and Gospel Workers, 234. One is taken and one is left.

“The tares and wheat are now commingled, but then the one hand that alone can separate them will give to everyone his true position. … Those who have sought an excuse to avoid the cross of separation from the world will, with the world, be taken in the snare. They mingled with the tares from choice.” Ibid., 235.

If you attend a church where the preacher is not preaching the Three Angels’ Messages but something else, then you have a preacher who is a tare. If you attend a church like that, then you are mingling with the tares by choice.

“Like drew to like in transgression.” Ibid. Those who mingle with the tares by choice will become like them.

We are not referring here to mingling with somebody who is outwardly keeping the commandments but have some secret sin in their heart, but a tare that has gone to seed; a tare because the sin has become open. “Like drew to like in transgression. It is a fearful assimilation. Men choose to stand with the first rebel, who tempted Adam and Eve in Eden to disobey God. The tares multiply themselves, for they sow tares, and they have their part with the root of all sin—the devil.” Ibid.

This parable of the wheat and tares is really serious and one that we need to study asking the Lord to help us to understand, because it has to do with people who think they are going to be saved, but when they come to the end they find out they are in the wrong bundle.

When Ellen White wrote the following statement; it was prophetic, but I do not think it is a prophecy today—it is happening right before our eyes. “There are to be but two classes in our world, the obedient and the disobedient. …

“I see perplexities on every side. As character develops, man and woman will take their position, for varied circumstances brought to bear upon them will cause them to reveal the spirit which prompts them to action. Every one will reveal the character of the bundle with which he is binding himself. The wheat is being bound up for the heavenly garner. The true people of God are now bound up for the heavenly garner. The true people of God are now pulling apart, and the tares are being bound in bundles ready to burn.” The Ellen G. White 1888 Materials, 995.

“The true people of God are pulling apart from the tares—there is a separation that is taking place. Decided positions will be taken. Satan will move upon minds that have been indulged, upon men who have always had their own way, and anything presented to them in counsel or reproof to change their objectionable traits of character is considered faultfinding, binding them, restraining them, that they cannot have liberty to act themselves. The Lord in great mercy has sent messages of warning to them, but they would not listen to reproof. Like the enemy who rebelled in heaven, they do not like to hear, do not correct the wrong they have done but become accusers, declaring themselves misused and unappreciated.”

“Now is the time of trial, of test, of proving. Those who, like Saul, will persist in having their own way will suffer, as he did, loss of honor and finally the loss of the soul. God has a people, and they will be a tried people, but the people will be humble. They are under the guidance of the Holy One in thought, in word, in deed.” Ibid., 995, 996.

“Dark hours of trial are before the church because they have not obeyed the warnings and reproofs and counsel of God. What a bewitching power comes upon human minds to do contrary to the oft repeated will of God, and close the eyes and stop the ears, when Jesus is calling to them to hear His voice. He says, ‘My sheep hear My voice’ [John 10:27].

“That night in that boat was to the disciples a school where they were to receive their education for the great work which was to be done afterwards. The dark hours of trial are to come to every one as a part of his education for higher work, for more devoted, consecrated effort. The storm was not sent upon the disciples to shipwreck them, but to test and prove them individually. Before the great trouble shall come upon the world such as has never been since there was a nation, those who have faltered and who would ignorantly lead in unsafe paths will reveal this before the real vital test, the last proving, comes, so that whatsoever they may say will not be regarded as voicing the True Shepherd. The time of our educating will soon be over. We have no time to lose in walking through clouds of doubt and uncertainty because of uncertain voices.” Ibid., 1002.

Ellen White says the people who “would ignorantly lead in unsafe paths will reveal this before the real vital test.” They will reveal that human weakness before the great time of trouble comes so that God’s people will know not to listen to what they have to say. That has been going on for several years already. We need to know to whom we are listening. If you persistently listen to a preacher who is preaching error, the time will come when you will believe it. That is how the mind works—Adolf Hitler understood that if you tell something often enough, people eventually believe it. The Communists also understood that principle and many soldiers were brainwashed in the concentration camps during the Korean War by being subjected to being told on the loudspeaker over and over again, day and night, the same lies. We need to know to whom we are listening. Jesus said, “My sheep hear My voice.”

We have been told, “The time of our educating will soon be over. We have no time to lose in walking through clouds of doubt and uncertainty because of uncertain voices.” Ibid.

“Can we not discern the signs of the times? Can we not see how earnestly Satan is at work binding the tares in bundles, uniting the elements of his kingdom, that he may gain control of the world? This work of binding up the tares is going forward far more rapidly than we imagine. Satan is opposing every obstacle to the advancement of the truth. He is seeking to create diversity of opinion and to encourage worldliness and avarice. He works with the subtlety of the serpent and, when he sees it will do, with the ferocity of the lion. The ruin of souls is his only delight, their destruction his only employment; and shall we act as though we were paralyzed?” Testimonies, vol. 5, 383, 384.

Prior to World War 11, several hundred or almost 1,000 non-Adventists would attend evangelistic meetings when they were advertised. Today very few will attend. The time will come where it will appear impossible in places like Europe and the United States to save souls. But the message must keep going forward. God is working things out, and near the end there will be an influx of people who were before prevented from hearing the truth.

The hearts of men today are becoming very hardened in the United States so that we cannot even get the response in evangelism that we had 25 years ago.

“The time will come when the sensual, the proud, the careless in heart, those who are opposed to the truth, will have to be separated from the Office. Darkness will close about them, and soon, very soon the cry will come from unfeigned lips, ‘The harvest is past, the summer is ended, and my soul is not saved’ [Jeremiah 8:20]. They are gathering in bundles with the tares, to be consumed by the fires of the last day.” The Bible Echo, September 18, 1899.

This refers to God’s people who are working in God’s institutions. They will be bound in bundles with the tares so that eventually they will have to be separated. In which bundle will you be?

“ ‘The end of time is close upon us. The world’s inhabitants are being bound in bundles to be burned. Shall you be bound up with the tares?’ ‘Do you realize that every year thousands and thousands and ten times ten thousand souls are perishing, dying in their sins? The plagues and judgments of God are already doing their work, and souls are going to ruin because the light of truth has not been flashed upon their pathway.’ ” The General Conference Bulletin, April 1, 1897. [Emphasis author’s.]

It is one thing when we do not know when there are wheat and tares in the church, but if the tares go to seed, into open sin, the church has the responsibility to deal with it. This does not mean those persons cannot come to church—it may be that the Lord may convert their hearts, but they cannot be accepted as church members while still in open sin. “Christ requires personal faithfulness of his servants, and we are to show that we have no fellowship with the secret, hidden things of darkness. The wheat is not to sow itself among the tares; for although we may not practice the works of some of the members of the secret orders, in joining them we are registered in heaven as partakers of their evil deeds, responsible for their works of evil, and bound up in bundles with them as tares.” The Review and Herald, January 10, 1893.

That is a very interesting statement. There was a person who came to me requesting baptism after attending a prophecy seminar. He said he was a Mason and could not understand why he could not be a Seventh-day Adventist and at the same time be a Mason. He said whatever they did wrong he was not doing it. We need to understand how the Lord sees things and makes His decision on where our names are. According to this statement, if we join these secret orders, then in heaven we are accounted as partakers with them in their evil deeds. We are bound up with them as bundles to be burned.

According to this statement if we join these secret orders, then in heaven we are accounted as partakers with them in their evil deeds. We are bound up with them as bundles to be burned.

The secret societies are involved in open sin. Some of the highest officials in many of these secret societies are Luciferians—they worship Lucifer and break the first commandment. You may think you are a commandment keeper and keep the Sabbath, but in the books of heaven it is recorded that you are a partaker of those people in the society.

Some of the most prominent secret societies in the world are associated with the ecumenical movement. Soon the ecumenical movement is going to be responsible for enforcing the worship of the beast and causing most of the world to receive the mark of the beast. If you are a member of the organization doing that, you will be held responsible for supporting them. Remember, “In joining them we are registered in heaven as partakers of their evil deeds, responsible for their works of evil, and bound up in bundles with them as tares.” Ibid.In the revival and reformation movement today there has been a necessity worldwide to organize churches that are independent from conferences that are part of the ecumenical movement. This is not just happening in the United States; it is happening in Germany, Australia and all over the world; it is very serious. I firmly believe from studying these types of statements that the people who are involved in this ecumenical movement will not only have to get out but will need to confess and forsake their sins in that regard or they will lose their souls.

Mrs. White wrote to Elder and Mrs. J. A. Burden who were involved in the establishment of Loma Linda [University Medical Center, Loma Linda, California, United States]. She said, “In the time of the harvest the Lord will say to His reapers, ‘Gather ye together first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them, but gather the wheat into My barn’ [Matthew 13:30]. God has a people on the earth who will see the evil of every phase of oppression, and will refuse to unite with the enemy in carrying out his plan.” Manuscript Releases, vol. 7, 58.

I would like to be one of those people who sees the evil and refuses to unite with the enemy. God is going to have a people who will discern every phase of oppression and refuse to cooperate in working out His plan. What about those who don’t see this? She wrote:

“There is little wisdom in binding about the work in any line. God has not given His sanction to any branch of His work’s being bound about. But unbelief has strengthened, and those who have not been sanctified through the truth will be subjects of Satan’s temptations. They will be his most successful allies to criticize, speak evil, and work unrighteousness. There are now those who will show just what they will do under temptation and in an emergency. They cannot be depended upon. [She is talking about Seventh-day Adventists.] The Lord has given them great light but they choose Barabbas rather than Christ. This is being enacted in our very midst. They crucify afresh the Son of God, and put Him to an open shame. But the unsetting Sun of Righteousness is to shine forth, and those who have worked to counterwork what God has appointed will be gathered in bundles with the tares.” Ibid., vol. 19, 383, 384.

We must separate from the bundles that are being bound with tares. If we have been involved with any of these things, preaching or teaching publicly something that we find out is wrong, it will need to be confessed. If we have been involved in a secret society or the ecumenical movement, a confession is needed. Public sins are to be publicly confessed. Secret sins are not to be confessed publicly but to the Lord alone.

There is a good example of this in the last chapter of the gospel of John. Peter publicly denied his Lord three times. The disciples had known what Peter had done. So when Jesus and the disciples were all together, Jesus asked Peter three times, “Do you really love me?” Peter confessed and said he was truly sorry, but he had to affirm his faith and trust in God the same number of times he denied Him. (See John 21:15–17.)

“Every open sin should be as openly confessed. Wrong done to a fellow being should be made right with the one who has been offended. If any who are seeking health have been guilty of evilspeaking, if they have sowed discord in the home, the neighborhood, or the church, and have stirred up alienation and dissension, if by any wrong practice they have led others into sin, these things should be confessed before God and before those who have been offended.” The Ministry of Healing, 229.

Speaking of Peter’s experience, Ellen White said, “The gospel makes no compromise with evil. It cannot excuse sin. Secret sins are to be confessed in secret to God; but, for open sin, open confession is required.” The Desire of Ages, 811.

This topic is very serious. We cannot go on thinking that it will go away if we ignore it. Public sin must be confessed publicly, not simply spoken to the Lord in private.

If we want to be ready for Jesus to come, we need to go to the Lord and say, “Lord, have I been involved in open sin that I need to publicly make right?” An open sin that is flagrant among Seventh-day Adventists today is that they have taken their fellow Christians to court and sued them. “These men cast aside the counsel God has given, and do the very things He has bidden them not to do. They show that they have chosen the world as their judge, and in heaven their names are registered as one with unbelievers.” Selected Messages, Book 3, 299.

Do you want God to not hear your prayers because you are suing your fellow believers? “They insult His holy name, and He will leave them to the buffetings of Satan until they shall see their folly and seek the Lord by confession of their sin.” Ibid.

I am not concerned about the lawsuit, really, but I am concerned that there is no confession, no repentance, no making things right, and if that does not happen, they will be written in the books of heaven as unbelievers, and God will not hear their prayers until they confess this sin—this is not a private sin. When you go to court that is a matter of public record. We are living in a very serious time.

The tares are being bound in bundles, and when Jesus comes they will be burned. The good news is that while probation is still open you can be set free; confess your sins and tell the Lord you will have no part of that anymore. You can be free—you can be with the wheat. But don’t deceive yourself. There are a lot of people today who call themselves Seventh-day Adventists who are directly linked up with church organizations or secret societies that are bound up with tares.

My dear friends, if you do not want to be bound with the bundles of tares and burned with the tares when Jesus comes, you have to take heed to these statements and understand what is involved with being bound with the tares, being a member of an organization that is in open sin.

“For years I [Ellen White] have been given special light that we are not to center our work in the cities. The turmoil and confusion that fill these cities, the conditions brought about by the labor unions and the strikes, would prove a great hindrance to our work. Men are seeking to bring those engaged in the different trades under bondage to certain unions. This is not God’s planning, but the planning of a power that we should in no wise acknowledge. God’s word is fulfilling; the wicked are binding themselves up in bundles ready to be burned.” Maranatha, 180.

How are they doing this? They are part of the labor unions. I hear people say that they will not be able to make a living if they leave the labor union. It would be better for every one of us, even if we could not make a living, to be poor our whole lives than to be bound up with the tares. When you follow the Lord, He will open up the way so you will have what you need.

“These unions are one of the signs of the last days. Men are binding up in bundles ready to be burned. They may be church members [Seventh-day Adventists], but while they belong to these unions, they cannot possibly keep the commandments of God; for to belong to these unions means to disregard the entire Decalogue.

“ ‘Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind; and thy neighbour as thyself’ (Luke 10:27). These words sum up the whole duty of man. They mean the consecration of the whole being, body, soul, and spirit, to God’s service. How can men obey these words, and at the same time pledge themselves to support that which deprives their neighbors of freedom of action? And how can men obey these words, and form combinations that rob the poorer classes of the advantages which justly belong to them, preventing them from buying or selling, except under certain conditions?” Selected Messages, Book 2, 143.

If you are a member of an organization that is in open sin and you are supporting that organization with your money, time and influence, it is written in the books of heaven that you are a partaker of their evil deeds.

When Jesus comes, we will all be bound with one bundle or the other. We have been counseled that we should not even be going to honest people in the world for advice about God’s work, because even if they are honest, but not under the control of heavenly angels, they are under the control of the devil though they are unaware. (See Selected Messages, Book 3, 300.) The last message to go to the world, the third angel’s message, separates every last person into one bundle or the other. “Fearful is his work. Awful is his mission. He is the angel that is to select the wheat from the tares, and seal, or bind, the wheat for the heavenly garner.” Early Writings, 118.

It is interesting that as apostasy has developed in Adventism, we find ministers in churches who do not want to preach the Three Angels’ Messages anymore. That should be a warning sign. There is no middle ground, only two classes. Right now there are people whom the Bible describes as being in the valley of decision. In the end there will be only two classes.

Study this parable, because it reveals that we are all going to be in one bundle or the other. Every decision being made, in thoughts, feelings, and actions, is preparing us to be bound in one bundle or the other. Day by day our destiny is being determined and our characters weighed in heaven to see in which bundle we belong.

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

Editorial – Tradition

by

The Roman Catholic belief is that tradition is equally valid with the scriptures of the Old and New Testaments but the Protestant position is that only writings inspired by God are valid as authority in matters of faith and religion. What is your position?

In an attempt to prove that tradition has authority, it is common for Roman Catholics to quote II Thessalonians 2:15: “Therefore brethren, stand fast and hold the traditions which you were taught, either by word or our epistle.” This text is supposed to support the authority for oral tradition (“by word”) and written tradition (“an epistle from us”). These churches had received instruction both orally and in written form from the apostles and they recognized, as we also recognize today, that this instruction was inspired of God and had divine authority. Peter refers to the writings of Paul as inspired Scripture (II Peter 3:15, 16) and the rule of the early church was that if the writing was from an apostle then it had divine authority and was part of Scripture. But if the writing was not from an apostle, then it did not have divine authority and was not part of Scripture. The only question then and the only question now is, Is this epistle or book from an apostle of Jesus Christ or not?

Today, it is impossible to know for sure whether what is called “apostolic tradition” is actually from the apostles or whether it is a product that has been corrupted during the last 1900 years. This same problem existed in Jesus’ day. There was a multitude of ancient tradition that was held to be authoritative, but Jesus did not espouse the use of any tradition as authoritative in religious matters. This is why New Testament Protestant Christians today do not espouse the use of any tradition as authoritative—because there is no proof of divine source. In Jesus’ day, the method used to show that a writing was divinely inspired was to attach the name of a prophet as the author, or attach the writing to a book of the Bible, just as later it became a practice to claim that some tradition or written document had an apostolic source.

Jesus had the following to say about these traditions: “This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me. But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.” Matthew 15:8, 9.

Paul taught that following tradition could deprive one of eternal life (see Colossians 2:8). All traditions, customs and teachings from any source must be tested by the inspired word of God.