Issue: 2020 May

Children’s Story – The Fourth Man in the Boat

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It was in Venezuela, a country in the northern part of South America. One of our missionaries, his assistant, and a boy to help care for the boat were passing up a large river in the mission boat. When they came to a fork in the river, they did not know which way to go. They decided to try the right-hand branch of the river.

They had not gone far when they found that they could go no farther. They returned to the fork, and took the left branch. They passed up this branch until it began to grow dark. Then they cast anchor and lay down in the boat to sleep.

The next morning, they continued their journey up the river until they reached a town where they were to hold meetings.

After the meetings were over, they returned to the fork of the river. Here they stopped at a house, and were given permission to stay all night. The missionary and his assistant went up to the house, leaving the boy to look after the boat.

“Where is your companion?” the owner of the house asked.

“He is at the boat, but he will soon be up,” the missionary answered, thinking that the man was speaking of the boy.

“But where is the other one?”

“There are only three of us.”

“I saw four men in the boat when you went up,” he continued. “Your helper here was at the front, steering the boat; you were at the side, leaning over to watch; and the boy was on the other side, taking the depth of the river.”

“Where was the fourth man?” I asked.

“He was standing right by your side, and was dressed in white.”

Then he described how my two helpers and I were dressed. I knew by this that he had observed carefully and correctly. He told us that this part of the river was very dangerous.

With gratitude I thanked God that He had saved us from dangers that we knew not of. He had fulfilled to us His promise, “The angel of the Lord encampeth round about them that fear Him, and delivereth them” (Psalm 34:7).

Eagles, Selections from the True Education Series, ©1976, 59, 60.

Inspiration – Our Mighty Helper

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It is our privilege to say with Paul, “I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave Himself for me” (Galatians 2:20.) And yet how many are making laborious work of walking in the narrow way of holiness. To many the peace and rest of this blessed way seems no nearer today than it did years in the past. They look afar off for that which is nigh; they make intricate that which Jesus made very plain. He is “the way, the truth, and the life” (John 14:6). The plan of salvation has been plainly revealed in the word of God, but the wisdom of the world has been sought too much, and the wisdom of Christ’s righteousness too little. And souls that might have rested in the love of Jesus, have been doubting, and troubled about many things.

You must trust Jesus for yourselves, appropriate the promises of God to yourselves, or how can you teach others to have humble, holy confidence in Him? You feel that you have neglected duties, that you have not prayed as you should. You seem at a distance from God, and think that He has withdrawn from you; but it is you who have separated from Him. He is waiting for you to return. He will accept the contrite heart. He has assured us that He is more willing to give the Holy Spirit to them that ask Him than parents are to give good gifts to their children. We are polluted with sin; but it is possible for us to be healed from its leprosy. We are to look to the “Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world” (John 1:29).

The important future is before us; and to meet its trials and temptations, and to perform its duties, will require great faith, energy, and perseverance. But we may triumph gloriously. Not one waiting, watching, praying, believing soul will be ensnared by the devices of the enemy. All heaven is interested in our welfare, and awaits our demand upon its wisdom and strength. If any of us are not saved, it will be because we have chosen the service of Christ’s great adversary and the companionship of those who are his followers.

The Lord is willing to do great things for us. We shall not gain the victory through numbers, but through the full surrender of the soul to Jesus. We are to go forward in His strength, trusting in the mighty God of Israel.

You should never be surprised, you should never be without your armor on. Be prepared for any emergency, for any call of duty. Act promptly. God would have you minute men. Many times workers are too precise, too calculating. While they are getting ready to do a great work, the opportunity for doing a good work passes unimproved. The worker moves on as though the whole burden rested upon himself, a poor, finite man, when Jesus is ready to carry him and his burden too. Brethren, trust self less, and Jesus more. He is willing to save the souls for whom we labor. Because He lives to intercede for us, we shall see of His great power. He “is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think” (Ephesians 3:20). Jesus wants us to ask for help; He wants us to cast our helpless souls on Him; and He will give us according to our faith.

People who are self-sufficient, and feel that so much depends upon themselves, give Jesus no room to work, and but little credit when He does work. They trust in their own ability, forgetting the words of Christ, “Without Me ye can do nothing” (John 15:5). The man that is self-righteous, and wise in his own eyes—rich and increased in goods, having need of nothing—cannot ask in faith, and receive, because he trusts in himself, and feels no lack. His works testify that he labors out of Christ. It is those who feel themselves sinful before God, poor and helpless, that Jesus loves to help; for they will appreciate His aid. They have a longing desire to do the Master’s work, and, knowing that the power is not of themselves, they take hold of the mighty arm of God, and by faith claim His promises.

God is not pleased when His servants remain weak, wanting in courage, in faith, in hope, in love, and consequently inefficient laborers in His cause. God has given men reasoning powers, not to remain inactive or to be perverted to earthly and sordid pursuits, but that these powers may be developed to the utmost, and used in His service, to advance the interests of His kingdom.

A high standard of purity and nobility of character is set before the Christian, and he can attain to this excellence only through the aid of Christ. But many suffer grief, pain, and disappointment, because they are unwilling to fill the humble place which God’s providence assigns them, where they will remain unnoticed and unknown. They love the supremacy, and their anxiety leads them to work against their brethren, fearing that others will be preferred above themselves. Envy, malice, jealousy, and distrust are cherished, and Jesus cannot dwell where these traits are entertained. He invites those who are ambitious of preferment to come to Him, and at the foot of the cross of Calvary learn His meekness and lowliness of heart. If any are qualified for high positions of trust, the Lord will lay the burden, not on them, but on those who have tested them, and can understandingly urge them forward.

The followers of Christ should not praise and flatter one another; for Satan will do a plenty of this work, and if persons have a high opinion of their own ability, it will prevent them from learning in the school of Christ. Let none censure and condemn others; for in doing this they are co-laborers with him who is the accuser of the brethren, who would steal from their hearts every particle of love for one another. Christians will not seek to tear one another down in order to build up self, but all will endeavor to strengthen and encourage one another.

We should make it our daily care to cultivate sympathy and affection for one another. This is the fruit that grows on the Christian tree; it does not produce the briers and thorns of hatred and strife. The harsh, unsympathetic words we sometimes hear spoken, and the hardheartedness we see manifested, are wholly satanic, and this spirit must be supplanted by the spirit of Christ. Jesus bids us, “Love one another, as I have loved you. … By this shall all men know that ye are My disciples, if ye have love one to another” (John 13:34, 35). He is our mighty Helper; and if He abides in our hearts, we shall manifest His spirit. We shall love one another; we cannot help it; for He is love.

Gospel Workers, 456–460.

Christian Contemporary Music

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Is it Christian and is it contemporary? In reality it is neither.

In Ezekiel 28:13 we find a description of Lucifer, who later became Satan. It reads: “Thou hast been in Eden the garden of God; every precious stone was thy covering, the sardius, topaz, and the diamond, the beryl, the onyx, and the jasper, the sapphire, the emerald, and the carbuncle, and gold: the workmanship of thy tabrets and of thy pipes was prepared in thee in the day that thou wast created.”

From this verse we see that Lucifer had built-in percussion in his voice. Tabrets were a kind of drum used in ancient times during secular dance music—never in the temple. Pipes signify the ability to sing multiple parts at the same time. He was the master musician of heaven and well knew how to use his abilities. Of course, he also is well capable of perverting his abilities. So, we can see that a lot of so called Christian contemporary music is neither Christian nor contemporary since it was created by the prince of darkness long before this world began.

Unfortunately, if someone today is going to present a talk or paper on any given subject, that individual must prove that he/she has the qualifications to speak on that subject. Since I am going to speak to the subject of Christian Contemporary Music, I must present my credentials for doing so.

My mother had a degree in music from a prestigious music college and began teaching piano to me at age five. After taking lessons from her for more than ten years, she recognized that I needed more advanced teaching and arranged that I study under the concert pianist for the Tacoma, Washington, symphony orchestra. I also had lessons in pipe organ and trumpet and voice lessons which enabled me to sing in three different a Capella choirs. Over the years I collected an extensive library on the subject of music, its structure, and its usage in Scripture, and have been very interested in what the Spirit of Prophecy has to say about it. Throughout the Scriptures, there are 505 texts that deal with music in one manner or another.

Where I lived in northeast Ohio for 30 years is significant as well as the fact that I have been to Haiti on two different occasions. During those 30 years in northeast Ohio I was a pediatric anesthesiologist in a large pediatric hospital. Almost no one knows more about consciousness or unconsciousness, including altered states of consciousness, than an anesthesiologist for it is important to understand what happens in the brain during these times.

Christian contemporary music acquires its rhythms from music that has a “rock” beat. A “rock” beat places the emphasis on the second and fourth beat of the measure instead of the usual emphasis on the first and third beat of the measure. These rhythms were brought to this country from the Voodoo of West Africa by the slaves that were brought to this country from the 1600s through the 1800s. The majority of these slaves came in through the port of New Orleans. New Orleans was a “bawdy’’ city with many brothels and night clubs of unsavory reputation. Each business attempted to attract clients. Many had their own bands which had picked up on these African rhythms. This is not only my reasoning.

The National Geographic, April 2007 edition, in a 4-page spread-out clearly shows the evolution of “rock” and “rap” music. I also have in my possession a photograph of a chart produced by Mick Jagger and his “Rolling Stones” showing the exact same thing.

As the African rhythms evolved, we find the birth of Jazz.  This may be crude, but it is unfortunately the necessary truth and can be checked out on Wikipedia. Since so much perverted sex has been involved in these rhythms you would only expect “Jazz” to come from the same venue also. The word Jazz is derived from the slang word for the male ejaculation called Gizz pronounced like “Jazz” with the sound of a short “i” as in the word “it”.

As these African rhythms evolved, they developed into what is called “rhythm and blues.” All these various rhythms had the same strong emphasis on the second and fourth beats of each measure. The emphasis was always by the overpowering beat of a drum.

By the time we get to the late ‘40s and early ‘50s, such performers as Elvis Presley, Bill Haley and the Comets, and others, became popular. This is where northeast Ohio comes in. The following information was acquired right out of the Akron public library. There was a disc jockey by the name of Alan Freed, who around 1948–1950 became very popular playing ONLY rhythm and blues music. About that time, Alan received a job offer from station WGAR in Cleveland, a 50,000-watt clear channel station that covered 38 states and half of Canada.

In Cleveland, Ohio, there is a street by the name of East Prospect Avenue. In the ‘50s from East Ninth to East Thirtieth there was nothing but little beer joints, sleazy night clubs, and places for prostitution. Alan Freed frequented these places so much so that he knew most of the “ladies of the evening” on a first name basis. Every profession has its own colloquialisms that are unique to that profession and prostitution in Cleveland at that time was no different. There were TWO words that were used by the prostitutes … and they were NOT used together as they are today in “Rock and Roll.”

To “rock” meant to jump into bed with the prostitute and perform the illegitimate sex act. To “roll” was derived from the old expression, “to ‘roll’ a drunk.” To roll a drunk was derived from when someone would notice some drunk lying in a doorway with an empty bottle of booze next to him while he was oblivious to everything. The inebriated person would be turned over and his pockets would be searched to steal whatever he might have left. It would then be said that the drunk had been rolled. The prostitutes of East Prospect Avenue in Cleveland had picked up this term and applied it to the “John” (the prostitute’s client) by taking his money from him for services rendered.

Alan Freed also picked up on these terms. In early 1953 he got the idea to have a jam session composed of half a dozen of these new bands that had taken to playing the relatively new kind of music known as “rhythm and blues.”  As the session began to take shape it was scheduled to be held in the Aragon Ballroom in Cleveland which is still there today.  Alan had decided to hold the session on March 21, 1953. Notice the date – the spring equinox. People involved in this kind of music are frequently involved in the occult as well. The spring equinox is of particular significance to people who dabble in astrology and spring fertility rites, such as the Druids.

About a month before this grand, first-time jam session was to take place Alan was about to go live one evening for his disc jockey program. As the microphone went live, Alan yelled into the “mic” … “Ladies and gentlemen, we are going to ‘rock’ and we are going to ‘roll’ all night long,’’ and the term “Rock and Roll” was coined. This is why the Rock and Roll hall of fame is in Cleveland, Ohio, and not in New York or Hollywood.

The term “Rock and Roll” came right out of illicit sex and prostitution and whatever else goes along with that lifestyle. So, the next time some young man decides to say to another about some good-looking young lady, “wow, she rocks,” it would be wise to consider just what he is saying. No self-respecting young lady would want that to be said about her.

Now to Haiti. My wife and I went there in 1983 and 1984 with an interdenominational medical team of about 25. About the third night after we arrived, we heard the drums start up and they went on incessantly for hours into the night. A couple of days later we learned that there had been a Voodoo ritual up on the mountainside, and that a young man had been gruesomely sacrificed. This of course was illegal, and when the secret police hunted down the perpetrators they were dealt with just as viciously.

The book, Dark Sunrise, printed by The Review and Herald in 1957 was written by a lady and her husband who had been missionary teachers in Haiti for nine years. In it are three chapters containing much information about Voodoo and its music. I will at this time quote some from this book, as it is the best source from someone who lived there for many years.

“Ceremonial drums are constructed in accordance with a ritual born many generations ago in the heart of Africa. Upon completion they are dressed for baptism in white net and lace and are baptized in the name of the loa (Voodoo god) to whom they are thus dedicated. From then on, they are considered not simply the mysterious agents that call down spirits and keep them earth-bound; they are actually worshiped as gods. It is believed that the drum has a will of its own, and that if for some reason it disapproves of the drummer’s attitude or tactics, it will refuse to respond to him. As for the gods, food offerings are placed for the drums, to strengthen them for the performance of duty. They are put to sleep at night with much tender regard, and nearby are placed magic charms to protect them from harm. When the spirits come, they often pay elaborate homage to the drums, for without them they would be seriously handicapped in making their earthly visits. Externally they enter on water and fire, but they are led to the inner consciousness of men on a drumbeat.

“Each of the three drums had a definite and particular beat, different from the other two, yet all beats integrated to form a whole rhythm pattern, a rhythm that suffused the atmosphere with mysticism and a quality of seductive subtlety that seeped into the consciousness of the dancers until it became part of their being, and they in turn became part of a larger, fuller rhythm pattern—the heartbeat of Haiti. It was a steady rhythm, maintained without interruption that eventually took on a substantial character, a sort of magnet that drew all motion around itself like an enveloping cloak. Other activity came and went—the chants, the prostrating, the greetings to the gods—but the drumming went on relentlessly, its tone and intensity rising and falling, but always above and beyond all else, unifying sound and movement into a continuous whole.” Dark Sunrise, p. 238, 239.

I have personally seen the site of one of these Voodoo rituals. Describing it once to an audience, a little black lady from Haiti stood up and confirmed what I had said as the absolute truth. Different spirits are called up on the beat of a drum. The Voodoo priest has spent years learning his trade and he knows which particular beat or rhythm to use in order to call up a particular spirit demon. When this kind of devil music is brought into one of our churches, the people do not have the slightest idea which spirit demon they might be calling up to possess them.

On our second visit to Haiti, we went to the Adventist church on the campus of our school and college near Port-au-Prince. The music was beautiful.  A couple sang a Mozart aria. Of course, it was in the official language of Haiti, which is French. At the end of the service a 50-voice choir sang some of the most beautiful music I have ever heard.  Later that afternoon as my wife and I were walking across the campus we saw the young man who sang in the duet coming towards us. As he came near, I stopped him and asked why the people in Haiti sing such beautiful music in their churches while in the United States the churches are bringing in this “rock style music” and just adding some “Jesus” words to it. His answer was, “Very simple … we know where it came from!”

As an anesthesiologist I know that human brains function with different wave patterns. There are Alpha and Beta and Delta and Theta waves. Each shows what level of activity is going on in the person’s brain. Alpha waves are relatively slow … in the range of 2-7 waveforms per second. This activity is found during deep sleep and also during the altered state found during a trance, such as during hypnosis. This waveform is also induced in a matter of seconds when music containing an overpowering “rock’’ beat is incorporated.

In making this presentation, I am accused of just not liking this style of music. However, “like” has nothing to do with it. There are many things in my carnal nature that I like which I no longer choose to do. If “like” was the criterion for everything that we do we would certainly be in a sad state, for it is written in Jeremiah 17:9, “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it’’? It is not safe to trust in one’s own feelings, likes, or dislikes.  One must base all choices on a “thus saith the Lord.”

The time has come for the watchmen on the wall to stand up and give the trumpet a certain sound. It is time that we stand up and walk out of any place where the music of the devil is being performed. Heaven help us.

 Gene Swanson was an Adventist pediatric anesthesiologist in a large pediatric hospital. He retired in Montrose, Colorado, before he passed away.

We Want a King

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“Why do the nations rage,
And the people plot a vain thing? 
The kings of the earth set themselves,
And the rulers take counsel together,
Against the Lord and against His Anointed, saying, 
‘Let us break Their bonds in pieces
And cast away Their cords from us.’ ”
Psalm 2:1–3

When Israel demanded that they have a king so that they could be like the nations around them, they were at the time being guided by the wisdom of Samuel, who himself was in direct communication with divine power and being guided by the Holy Spirit.

Samuel was growing old, and his sons that he had appointed as judges, according to 1 Samuel 8:3, “did not walk in his ways; they turned aside after dishonest gain, took bribes, and perverted justice.”

As a result, “all the elders of Israel gathered together … and said to him [Samuel], ‘Look, you are old, and your sons do not walk in your ways. Now make us a king to judge us like all the nations’ ” (veres 4, 5).

Note that there was ostensibly a two-fold reason for their request. First, they did not think that there was anyone as capable as Samuel to replace him. Second, they wanted to be “like all the nations.”

Neither of these reasons was really justified. First, had they trusted fully in God, they would have trusted that He would supply capable and wise guidance after Samuel could no longer lead them. It had not been that long since the Lord removed the corrupt sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, from the scene. In addition, there were many other instances in which the Lord had interceded to correct the ill intentions of those working against His will. Surely they could remember the fate of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram, or the affliction of Miriam, or the way the Lord thwarted the efforts of Balaam to curse their ancestors. They had both oral and written history of these evidences of God’s watch-care over them.

Second, the Lord had made it abundantly clear that they were to be guided by His chosen vessels. Experience should have made them realize that God is too wise to err and too good to withhold any good thing from them that walk uprightly. This is an instance in which the best thing that God wanted for His children—leadership and guidance by a wise and divinely inspired judge—was thwarted by their perverted idea of leadership. So, God allowed them the second best alternative—the desire of their misguided hearts.

Third, they had the wonderful promises that God had given them through Moses, recorded in Deuteronomy 7, particularly verses 6–9:

“ ‘For you are a holy people to the Lord your God; the Lord your God has chosen you to be a people for Himself, a special treasure above all the peoples on the face of the earth. The Lord did not set His love on you nor choose you because you were more in number than any other people, for you were the least of all peoples; but because the Lord loves you, and because He would keep the oath which He swore to your fathers, the Lord has brought you out with a mighty hand, and redeemed you from the house of bondage, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt. Therefore know that the Lord your God, He is God, the faithful God who keeps covenant and mercy for a thousand generations with those who love Him and keep His commandments.’ ”

What was actually occurring when the people made their demand for a king? Scripture tells us in 1 Samuel 8:7, “And the Lord said to Samuel, ‘Heed the voice of the people in all that they say to you; for they have not rejected you, but they have rejected Me, that I should not reign over them.’ ”

This is not the only instance in which God’s people rejected God’s representatives and, in so doing, rejected Him. Take for example when, during their wilderness wanderings, the Israelites rose up against Moses, failing to recognize that Moses was merely executing the divine instructions he had received from the Lord. By rejecting his leading, they were in reality rejecting the Lord.

Very early in their wanderings, the Israelites began reviling Moses and Aaron, wanting to return to Egypt, their unbelief causing them to fear that they would die of starvation.

The full story is in Exodus 16. Shortly after the Lord had made possible their release from Egyptian slavery, enabled their safe crossing of the Red Sea, and sweetened the waters at Marah—three miracles that should have been sufficient to instill unshakable faith in God’s leading, protection, and provision—the children of Israel manifested a complete failure of trust.

“And the children of Israel said to them [Moses and Aaron], ‘Oh, that we had died by the hand of the Lord in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the pots of meat and when we ate bread to the full! For you have brought us out into this wilderness to kill this whole assembly with hunger’ ” (Exodus 16:3).

Moses responded, “ ‘In the morning you shall see the glory of the Lord; for He hears your complaints against the Lord. But what are we, that you complain against us?’ … This shall be seen when the Lord gives you meat to eat in the evening, and in the morning bread to the full; for the Lord hears your complaints which you make against Him. And what are we? Your complaints are not against us but against the Lord” (verses 7, 8).

In response, the Lord, yielding to their perverted appetites and unfounded fears, gave them what they wanted: “I have heard the complaints [murmurings] of the children of Israel. Speak to them, saying, ‘At twilight you shall eat meat, and in the morning you shall be filled with bread. And you shall know that I am the lord your God.’ So it was that quails came up at evening and covered the camp, and in the morning the dew lay all around the camp” (verses 12, 13).

Even as the miracles multiplied, the Israelites continued their murmuring. David wrote of their condition in Psalm 81:11–13: “But My people would not heed My voice, and Israel would have none of Me. So I gave them over to their own stubborn heart, to walk in their own counsels. Oh, that My people would listen to Me, that Israel would walk in My ways!”

Centuries later, when the One who had led them by the cloud by day and the pillar of fire by night appeared in person, the situation was the same, so much so that Christ—that wise and mighty leader during their wilderness wanderings—exclaimed, “Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! … He who hears you hears Me, he who rejects you rejects Me, and he who rejects Me rejects Him who sent Me” (Luke 10:13, 16).

We are given examples of the continued rejection of the Author of our salvation throughout Scripture, but the most amazing examples are in the four gospels, when Christ was manifested in the flesh and giving irrefutable evidence of His divinity. Even after that most undeniable and indisputable miracle of Christ’s tenure on earth, the raising of Lazarus from the dead, the reaction of the religious leaders was not to embrace Jesus as the miracle-working Messiah, but rather to seek to kill not only the Miracle Worker but to kill the object of the miracle as well.

It is interesting to note that during the wilderness wanderings, the religious leaders, Moses and Aaron, were the faithful ones, while the masses were the doubters and unbelievers. By the time of Christ’s incarnation, the roles had reversed. The religious leaders, the scribes and the Pharisees, were the unbelievers and the common people were the ones who, at least at times, recognized Christ as the Messiah.

Is it possible today, as we near the meeting of time and eternity, that both the people and the religious leaders are rejecting Christ and His leadership by rejecting and persecuting those who choose to walk the narrow way? Prophecy predicts such.

“Never is the tempest-tried soul more dearly loved by his Saviour than when he is suffering reproach for the truth’s sake. When for the truth’s sake the believer stands at the bar of unrighteous tribunals, Christ stands by his side. All the reproaches that fall upon the human believer fall upon Christ in the person of His saints. ‘I will love him,’ said Christ, ‘and will manifest Myself to him’ (John 14:21). Christ is condemned over again in the person of His believing disciples.

“When for the truth’s sake the believer is incarcerated in prison walls, Christ manifests Himself to him, and ravishes his heart with His love. When he suffers death for the sake of Christ, Christ says to him, ‘They may kill the body, but they cannot hurt the soul’  (Matthew 10:28). ‘Be of good cheer; I have overcome the world’ (John 16:33). ‘They crucified Me, and if they put you to death, they crucify Me afresh in the person of My saints.’ ” Selected Messages, Book 3, 420, 421.

Persecution of Christ’s followers to the point of death is not the only way that Christ is rejected. Time and time again we are told in inspired writings of the rejection of Christ by the rejection of His representatives. Note this counsel we are lovingly given to provide reassurance to those who are experiencing rejection and disdain, even within their own family, often resulting, unfortunately, in dissuading the faithful one from following the path of truth and righteousness.

“Jesus says, ‘He that loveth father or mother more than Me, is not worthy of Me; and he that loveth son or daughter more than Me, is not worthy of Me. And he that taketh not up his cross and followeth after Me, is not worthy of Me. He that findeth his life, shall lose it, and he that loseth his life for My sake shall find it’ (Matthew 10:37, 38). The words that Christ addressed to His disciples were addressed to us as well as to them. He presents before us the unwearied conflict that we must have on this earth as long as time shall last. We are to place no person before Christ in our affections. If a person who has been convicted by the Spirit of God smothers his convictions, and continues to trample underfoot the commandments of the Lord, and reject the truth of God simply because he sees it will bring disunion into his family relations, he shows that he loves the peace that is not of Christ, but of the world. He prefers to be in harmony with the world rather than to be in unity with Christ. But in order to have the peace of Christ, it is necessary to place Christ and His service first. Those who yield their convictions of truth to please father or mother, sister or brother, husband or wife or children, prove themselves unworthy of Christ. They do not discern His excellency, and therefore they shun the cross. But there is a cross to be lifted by every one who by faith accepts a crucified and risen Saviour.” The Bible Echo, March 19, 1894.

When we review the history of God’s people and their rejection of their divinely inspired leaders and prophets, we tend to shake our head in disbelief. We ask ourselves, “How could they have been so unbelieving?” Inspiration answers that question.

“I saw that many who profess to believe the truth for these last days think it strange that the children of Israel murmured as they journeyed; that after the wonderful dealings of God with them, they should be so ungrateful as to forget what He had done for them. Said the angel: ‘Ye have done worse than they.’ I saw that God has given His servants the truth so clear, so plain, that it cannot be resisted. Wherever they go, they have certain victory. Their enemies cannot get round the convincing truth. Light has been shed so clear that the servants of God can stand up anywhere and let truth, clear and connected, bear away the victory. This great blessing has not been prized, or even realized. If any trial arises, some begin to look back and think they have a hard time. Some of the professed servants of God do not know what purifying trials are. They sometimes make trials for themselves, imagine trials, and are so easily discouraged, so easily hurt, self-dignity is so quick to feel, that they injure themselves, injure others, and injure the cause. Satan magnifies their trials and puts thoughts into their minds that if given way to, will destroy their influence and usefulness.” Testimonies, vol. 1, 129.

Chapter 23 of Christ’s Object Lessons deals with the parable of the wicked vinedressers, who not only killed the servants which the Landowner sent to receive the fruit of the vineyard, but killed the Landowner’s Son as well. The point of the story is not necessarily the greed of the vinedressers, but rather their refusal to submit to the authority of the Landowner. That point is made clear in this statement from page 293: “Christ, the Beloved of God, came to assert the claims of the Owner of the vineyard; but the husbandmen treated Him with marked contempt, saying, We will not have this man to rule over us.”

Are we, in our self-indulgence, saying the same thing as the wicked vinedressers? The fate of those rebellious unbelievers is clear in the parable, and we have their example to show us the results of rebellion and unbelief.

Let us determine here and now that we will indeed let this Man rule over us, regardless of the attitude of family and friends, and obey His commandments, precepts, and testimonies so that our walk on the narrow way, rugged and trying though it may be, will result in the final victory that is promised to the trusting and faithful, who by faith, accept our crucified and risen Saviour.

All Bible quotes NKJV unless otherwise noted.

John R. Pearson is the office manager and a board member of Steps to Life. He may be contacted by email at: johnpearson@stepstolife.org.

A People Preparing

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In Luke 1:17, the angel said to Zacharias concerning his son, John the Baptist, “He will go before Him [the Messiah] in the spirit and power of Elijah … to prepare a people who are prepared for the Lord.” Jesus told His disciples that “Elijah has come already, and they did not know him” (Matthew 17:12), meaning John the Baptist was the Elijah prophet for the first advent.

“Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful [or terrible or awesome] day of the Lord. And he will turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the hearts of the children to their fathers, lest I come and strike the earth with a curse” (Malachi 4:5, 6). Here again it is predicted that before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord, God is going to send to us Elijah the prophet.

Again in the New Testament is predicted that before the coming of Christ in the last days, God’s people are going to have the gift of prophecy. Paul wrote, “I thank my God always concerning you for the grace of God which was given to you by Christ Jesus, that you were enriched in everything by Him in all utterance and all knowledge, even as the testimony of Christ was confirmed in you, so that you come short in no gift, eagerly waiting for the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ, who will also confirm you to the end, that you may be blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is faithful” (1 Corinthians 1:4–9, first part). Notice that the people waiting for Jesus to come will fall short in no gift; the testimony of Christ will be confirmed in them.

It is predicted again in Revelation the 12th chapter that God’s last day people are going to have the gift of prophecy. “And the dragon was enraged with the woman, and he went to make war with the rest of her offspring [the remnant of her seed], who keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus Christ” (verse 17). The testimony of Jesus according to Revelation 19:10 is the spirit of prophecy. The dragon according to Revelation 12:9 represents the devil. A woman, all through Bible prophecy, in both the Old and New Testaments, represents a church. A pure woman represents a pure church and a harlot woman represents an apostate church.

Whole books of the Bible have been written with this symbolism; for example, the entire book Song of Solomon is a compacted, symbolic prophecy about Christ and the church. The first part of the book of Hosea is a prophecy concerning Christ and His church that has gone astray and committed harlotry. Ezekiel 23 is devoted to the church, where Israel and Judah are likened to two women who apostatized from the Lord.

The same symbolism is used in the New Testament. Paul said to the Corinthian church, “I have betrothed you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste [pure] virgin to Christ” (2 Corinthians 11:2). In Ephesians he again uses the marriage relationship as a symbol of the relationship between Christ and His church (Ephesians 5:25–27). Revelation talks about the bride of the Lamb who has made herself ready for the marriage dressed in fine linen, clean and bright (Revelation 19:7, 8).

In the book of Revelation two women are represented, the harlot woman (Revelation 17) and the pure woman (Revelation 12). It says, “The dragon was enraged with the woman” (Revelation 12:17). Translating these symbols this would read: “The devil was enraged with the church, and he went to make war with the remnant [the last church], who keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus [the spirit of prophecy].” According to Bible prophecy, God’s last day people will be a commandment keeping people. In the Hebrew language the fourth commandment with the Sabbath at its heart is the longest commandment of all, with 55 words. James says, “Whoever shall keep the whole law, and yet stumble in one point, he is guilty of all” (James 2:10). The commandments are not ten laws, but one law.

James makes it clear what law he refers to by quoting the sixth and seventh commandments (James 2:11), and God refers to the ten commandments as one law all by itself (Exodus 24:12). Concerning this ten commandment law, in Deuteronomy 4:13, Moses told the children of Israel: “He [God] declared to you His covenant which He commanded you to perform, the Ten Commandments; and He wrote them on two tables of stone.” The commandments are called God’s covenant. In Psalm 89:34, God says, “My covenant I will not break [profane], nor alter the word that has gone out of My lips.”

When Jesus was on earth, He made the strongest statement possible about the ten commandments. He said, “It is easier for heaven and earth to pass away than for one tittle (just part of a letter of the Hebrew alphabet, the smallest stroke in a Hebrew letter) of the law to fail” (Luke 16:17). This was spoken by the One who created the heavens and the earth and upholds them all by the power of His word. (See Hebrews 1:2, 3.) This means the One who has all power and authority would destroy the entire universe before He would allow a part of a letter of His law to fail. How audacious for any created being to think that the law is not important after Jesus makes a statement that strong. It is inconceivable that anyone could try to insult the Lord not only to change part of a letter but to change the longest commandment in the heart of the whole law.

In the book of Joel, it says, “And it shall come to pass afterward that I will pour out My Spirit on all flesh; your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions. And also on My menservants and on My maidservants I will pour out My Spirit in those days. And I will show wonders [signs] in the heavens and in the earth: blood and fire and pillars of smoke [timeroth]” (Joel 2:28–30). The Hebrew word timeroth is smoke that comes up in a column and spreads out like a palm tree, a description befitting an atom bomb explosion. Twenty-five hundred years ago before atom bombs were invented, the Lord knew what would happen in the last days.

“The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the coming of the great and terrible day of the Lord” (verse 31). Before Jesus returns, certain things are going to happen, a dark day, blood and fire and columns of smoke like palm trees. But during that time the Lord said He would pour out His Spirit in prophecy. He said your sons and daughters are going to prophesy.

“It shall come to pass that whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved. For in Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there shall be deliverance, as the Lord has said, among the remnant whom the Lord calls” (verse 32). When these things happen there will be deliverance and salvation in Mount Zion. Notice what it says in Isaiah 51:16, last part: “Say to Zion, ‘You are My people.’ ” Zion is God’s people.

There will be deliverance in Mount Zion and in Jerusalem and in the remnant whom the Lord shall call (Joel 2:28–32). The remnant are the people who keep the commandments of God and have the spirit of prophecy (Revelation 19:10). When you determine who these people are, join them, for they have the truth that will open the doors of heaven to you.

“Elijah the prophet” appeared in the person of John the Baptist to prepare a people for the first coming of the Lord. The purpose of the Elijah prophet the second time is to prepare a people for His second coming.

Now is the time to take advantage of the writings of this “Elijah” prophet, the special messenger for the remnant church whose writings will help us be ready for the second coming of Christ.

No one eats a pickup load of food in one day, but over a year, the food you eat would fill that pickup. The same principle applies for spiritual knowledge. By reading just a few pages of spiritual food each morning and night you can easily read 1500 pages in a year. At that rate, in a few years you will have done quite a bit of reading. The more you read, the more you will enjoy the spiritual feast and keep coming back for more and still more.

Every wonderful gift the Lord gives to His people the devil perverts into something many people think is awful. People are often afraid to read the Spirit of Prophecy thinking God just wants to take things away from them, like not being able to eat what they want to eat, or do something they want to do, or wear the kinds of clothes they want to wear, or enjoy their entertainment. But He wants to replace the things that harm with habits that will benefit. Wouldn’t it be best to know now the changes that can be made so we will be fit for a holy atmosphere in heaven when Jesus returns?

Ellen White tells us that if we were to study our Bibles well enough, there would be no need of her writings. Interestingly, the man Elijah did not write any books like Isaiah or Jeremiah or Ezekiel. Elijah told Ahab his purpose: “I have not troubled Israel, but you and your father’s house have, in that you have forsaken the commandments of the Lord” (1 Kings 18:18). Elijah’s purpose was to call people back to worship God and keep His commandments. This was also the purpose of John the Baptist and is the purpose of the writings of Ellen White. Those who despise these writings designed to draw the reader to the word of God actually despise the Bible also because the purpose of each is the same—to prepare a people to meet their Lord.

Jesus told a parable of ten virgins (Matthew 25:1–13). The Elijah message, to get ready to meet the Lord, must be given before the virgins go out to meet the bridegroom because it was at midnight that the bridegroom came and only the faithful ones who had made the preparation of extra oil went into the banquet hall to the marriage feast.

When the ministry of John the Baptist began, the 70 weeks of Daniel’s prophecy were just about completed. This was to signal the Jews that the Messiah was about to come. The Elijah prophet was not sent to the Romans or the Greeks or the Egyptians; the Elijah prophet was sent to God’s professed people. In the same way, when the Elijah prophet came again, it came to those people who were looking for Christ to come the second time. The Elijah prophet arose among the people who were expecting the Bridegroom to come in the year 1844. God rose up his last day prophet, Ellen G. White.

People want to know if Ellen White passes the Bible test of a prophet because Jesus said, “Beware of false prophets” (Matthew 7:15). Notice, He did not say to beware of all prophets, but of false prophets. The test to see if a person has the true gift of prophecy is found in Isaiah 8:19, 20. It says, “And when they say to you, ‘Seek those who are mediums [familiar spirits], and wizards, who whisper and mutter,’ should not a people seek their God? Should they seek the dead on behalf the living? To the law and to the testimony! If they do not speak according to this word, it is because there is no light in them.”

Care must always be taken that the Scripture is not taken out of context. The Scripture here is not talking simply about preachers or teachers, but the test of a prophet. There are many preachers and teachers today who have still not come to the light of the true Sabbath of the fourth commandment who are preaching truth as they know it. Many of the Protestant reformers in the 16th century were also unaware of the true Sabbath, for they had not yet come to that knowledge. Also, none of those early Protestant reformers, Martin Luther, John Calvin, William Tyndale, to name a few, claimed to be prophets. The Lord used these faithful preachers to bring great blessings to the people of their time who were seeking for truth.

Isaiah’s test of a prophet is to see by which spirit that person is influenced. A false prophet is one who does not teach according to all the law and the testimony. A human teacher can make mistakes. That does not mean there is no light in what he says. We are given Scripture and the Spirit of Prophecy to check out what we hear, and only believe what we find in inspired writings. “Truth, whether in nature or in revelation, is harmonious with itself in all its manifestations.” Testimonies, vol. 8, 258.

A true prophet under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit is guided and directed by angels in heaven. Their message never contradicts what has already been established as the word of God. It will be in harmony with the law and the testimony.

Ellen White’s writings do not contradict the Bible. In fact, Ellen White says her work includes much more than that of a prophet. (See Selected Messages, Book 1, 32.) There have been three times that I have known of since the history of the world that God has sent to His people somebody who was more than a prophet. The first time was Moses. The second time was John the Baptist. Jesus said that he is more than a prophet (Matthew 11:9; Luke 7:26). The third time is Ellen White.

The book of Numbers reveals another test. The Lord, speaking to Miriam and Aaron, “Then He said, ‘Hear now My words: If there is a prophet among you, I, the Lord, make Myself known to him in a vision; I speak to him in a dream. Not so with My servant Moses; He is faithful in all My house. I speak with him face to face’ ” (Numbers 12:6–8, first part).

There are only a few cases in the Bible where we have record of the Lord speaking to a prophet in a vision and a dream. The most detailed description in all the Bible of this is Daniel’s vision (Daniel 10:1–17). Daniel said, “How can this servant of my lord talk with you, my lord? As for me, no strength remains in me now, nor is any breath left in me” (verse 17). Daniel asks, How is it possible for me to even be talking to you when there is no breath in me? Here is described the condition of a true prophet while in vision.

The word of any person claiming to be a prophet cannot be accepted unless they have had public visions and dreams that can be documented because of this Bible test. It must be seen that the prophet in a vision be not breathing.

Some experienced divers have trained themselves to hold their breath for a little over 3 minutes. To hold their breath much longer than that would cause you to eventually pass out and could cause brain damage.

Ellen White in vision did not breathe for periods of over 4 hours and many times in public she had visions that lasted up to 30 minutes. In the book, Prophet Of the End, Rene Noorbergen, documents some of these occurrences.

The work of a prophet must bear good fruit. In Matthew chapter 7 verses 15–20, Jesus says, “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous [plundering] wolves. You will know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes from thornbushes or figs from thistles? Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad [rotten] tree bears bad [evil] fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Therefore by their fruits you will know them.”

We are going through the shaking period in earth’s history and the history of the church. We are told that every wind of doctrine would be blowing. Ellen White has told us that the path of truth will lie so close beside the path of error that only by the Holy Spirit will you be able to tell the difference. When you look in her writings you see a balance which is absolutely astonishing, a balance to keep you from going off on tangents.

The writings of the Spirit of Prophecy produce good fruits in the church. When the members take heed of the counsel therein the church comes into harmony and into unity; it comes into line. The members all follow their great Leader and have the same goals. All kinds of problems in the church are solved.

“Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world. By this you know the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is of God, and every spirit that does not confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is not of God. And this is the spirit of the Antichrist, which you have heard was coming, and is now already in the world” (1 John 4:1–3).

This is an interesting test. Every single spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is of God. And every spirit that does not confess that Jesus is come in the flesh is not of God. John goes on to say that this is the way you will know it is the antichrist. The antichrist teaches that Jesus did not come in the flesh. In fact, it teaches that Jesus’ mother Mary was born from an immaculate conception whereby she did not inherit any original sin, therefore Jesus did not inherit any original sin; He was immaculate.

This is a principle teaching of the antichrist and is taught in almost all the Protestant churches. It has even found its way into the Seventh-day Adventist Church. But a true prophet will confess that Jesus came in the flesh. Now in the flesh is a technical term that refers to coming in a fallen nature, coming in the likeness of sinful flesh (Romans 8). God sent His own son in the likeness of sinful flesh. Do not say that He came in sinful flesh, which neither Scripture nor Ellen White believe. The Scripture says, He came in the likeness of sinful flesh, but it also says that in Him is no sin (1 John 3:5). A true prophet will teach this. Ellen White does teach this.

I found a book in which one of our pioneers documented over 100 predictions Ellen White made that had already come to pass in his lifetime. Jeremiah said, “When the word of the prophet comes to pass, the prophet will be known as one whom the Lord has truly sent” (Jeremiah 28:9). Ellen White made many predictions some of which are coming to pass today.

The purpose of the Spirit of Prophecy is to prepare a people for the coming of the Lord. Our work is to get the three angels’ messages to the world. When they accept it and they have the Spirit of Prophecy, they can become part of God’s last day people.

Ellen White predicted that as we draw close to the end of time, the devil’s temptations on appetite would become more severe and more difficult to overcome. That could not be more apparent today.

In 1973, when I started going to the School of Health at Loma Linda University, we were taught in a basic nutrition class that in the United States at that time, we were having an epidemic of obesity. Our instructor said there was a higher percentage of grossly overweight people in the U.S. than in any other country in the world. In fact, it was so bad that there was slightly over 40 percent of Americans significantly overweight. Today it is far worse, with between 60 to 70 percent overweight. Health practitioners are concerned, knowing that the consequence of this obesity will be the skyrocketing incidents of diabetes, cancer, and all kinds of degenerative disease that could absolutely overload the functioning of the health care delivery system.

We are living in solemn times. We don’t know yet what is going to happen during the time of trouble, but we have been told that unless you are under the Lord’s care, it is going to be more awful than one can imagine. Everything that we think we have in place is going to break down. We’re living in the time just before that time and our only protection is that which comes from the Lord. If we had time to do the research, I believe that we would find thousands of predictions that Ellen White made that have been fulfilled but there are certainly hundreds.

Since World War II, the idea of the fast food industry has developed. Today, with fast food outlets open 24/7, you can eat anything you want any time of the day or night, unlike sixty years ago when restaurants were only open during mealtimes. Now, at 9:30 at night or even later, you often see cars lined up, waiting to get their late evening snack. That snack is not apples or oranges or grapes, but burgers and French fries, the very things that are making our country sick.

We are living in the sickest generation, and it has seriously affected our church. We ought to be preparing for heaven, changing our tastes to a heavenly diet, but many are suffering with preventable diseases the same as those in the world. We are a sick generation.  Ellen White said that if Jesus does not come, the human race would become extinct. Seventh-day Adventists have had the health message for over 150 years, but so few are prepared to put these principles into practice. God’s remnant people are the last people that God will have in this world. Concerning the second advent movement, He says, “Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will by no means pass away” (Matthew 24:35).

At the end of time there will only be two groups of people: the remnant and those in spiritual Babylon. They will either be part of the second advent movement, or they will be in Babylon. The Lord has given us precious truth and it is this knowledge that is designed to get you out of this world. When you tell others about it, it can get them out of this world – alive. Study the overwhelming evidence, for it is precious truth for this last generation, not for us to hold onto jealously, but to share with others.

The world is going to end soon and when everything comes to pass and Jesus returns, I want to be one of the remnant. Do you? “In Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there shall be deliverance, as the Lord has said, among the remnant whom the Lord calls” (Joel 2:32).

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

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

Editorial – The Day of Atonement

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A correct understanding of Daniel 8:14 shows us that we are living in the day of atonement. Under the old covenant, the Passover was celebrated every year, but under the new covenant, there is only one Passover—the death of Christ on the cross (1 Corinthians 5:7) which will never be repeated.

In the same way, under the old covenant there was a day of atonement every year, but in the new covenant there is only one day of atonement, which takes place during the time of the end (see Daniel 8:14–17). This day of atonement was also called the cleansing of the sanctuary, because on that day the sanctuary and the people were all to be cleansed from their sins (see Leviticus 16:16–20, 30–33).

Notice, we are not speaking here about receiving a pardon for sin. Obtaining a pardon and being cleansed from sin are not the same thing. To be cleansed from sin means that all sin within you (the Bible teaches that men have sin within—see Isaiah 6) has been removed. This is what must happen to every person who is saved at last. For almost all of mankind this blotting out of sin occurs after death, and in the resurrection they awake with the divine likeness, just as Adam and Eve were created (see Psalm 17:15).

The big question, however, is, Are you prepared to have this done for you? Following is a meditation on this that was made in 1886:

“If there ever was a time when serious reflection becomes every one who fears God, it is now, when personal piety is essential. The inquiry should be made, ‘What am I, and what is my work and mission in this time? On which side am I working—Christ’s side or the enemy’s side?’ Let every soul now humble himself or herself before God, for now we are surely living in the great Day of Atonement. The cases even now of many are passing in review before God, for they are to sleep in their graves a little season. Your profession of faith is not your guarantee in that day, but the state of your affections. Is the soul-temple cleansed of its defilement? Are my sins confessed and am I repenting of them before God, that they may be blotted out? Do I esteem myself too lightly? Am I willing to make any and every sacrifice for the excellency of the knowledge of Jesus Christ? Do I feel every moment I am not my own, but Christ’s property, that my service belongs to God, whose I am?” Last Day Events, 72, 73.