I trudged through the desert and took in the scene
Of the barren hills and the dry ravine.
Some men think this is all rocks and sand,
But let me inform you that there is rich, fertile land.
The thing that is lacking out there in the hills
Is not some more humus nor minerals and pills.
Oh, if only they’d receive more showers of rain;
Then they could raise the fruit and the grain.
I returned to the country where the fruit tree yields,
And the cattle graze on rich green fields.
I ate of the bountiful food supply,
And I thanked the Lord, for rain from the sky.
Then my mind wandered to the scene at the well,
To the woman whom Jesus her life history did tell.
I could know of the yearning in that dear lady’s heart,
For the water that Jesus promised to impart.
Could there be such a difference between the lives of men,
As the dry barren desert and the watered glen?
Could it be that those who have the Spirit of God
Are as fruitful and green as the watered sod?
In awed suspense I bowed my head.
Oh Lord, send us rain, my poor heart said.
Send us Thy Spirit, the rain from above;
And keep us rich in the water of Thy love.
— Ruth Grosboll
Issue: 2003 October
Time To Decide
In this life, many decisions have to be made. Sometimes we do not have a long time to make the decision. Often we have already made preliminary decisions, before the time comes to make a final decision.
Before a pilot or captain in an airliner takes off, many preliminary decisions are made. You have perhaps seen printouts being made so a pilot can study the weather along his or her flight route. And, of course, there are checklists to go through and instruments to check. Each step requires that preliminary decisions be made. But after a while, when the plane is on the runway rolling towards take off, the time comes when a final decision has to be made.
When that final decision is made, it is a go or no-go decision. As the end of the runway approaches, the decision must be made to take off or to abort the take off. So in all affairs of life; there come times when we have to make final decisions.
Last Chance
The Bible recognizes this fact and has a lot to say about it. One of the things that the Bible says about these final decisions is that very often when a person is making his final decision, he does not know it. God has arranged things this way so that people will make a decision based on what is really in their hearts and not on some external circumstance.
We see a number of stories in the Bible where something like this took place. For example, in Acts 24:25, we see the apostle Paul talking to a heathen ruler by the name of Felix. Felix actually was a very wicked man, but he was offered, like all other wicked people, salvation. The Lord was willing, if he was willing to repent and turn around, to forgive his sins and give him another chance so that he could have eternal life through the sacrifice of His Son, Jesus.
Paul preached to Felix about this, but notice his response. In Acts 24:25, it says, “Now as he [Paul] reasoned about righteousness, self-control, and the judgment to come, Felix was afraid and answered, ‘Go away for now; when I have a convenient time I will call for you.’ ”
Felix was impressed that he was a wicked man and that he needed to repent of his sins and follow the Lord. But he loved his sins so much that he thought he wanted to enjoy them a while more. You know, there are many people in this world that have one or more darling sins, and they love those sins. They know they cannot go to heaven when they are committing those sins. But they say, I will enjoy them for a little while more, and then I will turn around; I will forsake sin at some future time. This is evidently what Felix was feeling. He said, It is not convenient for me right now to get ready for the judgment. There are some things in my life that I want to do first.
Do you know, that was Felix’s last opportunity for salvation. He made his final choice right then. He deliberately passed up his last chance for eternal life, because there were some darling sins in his life, and he wanted to hold on to them for a while longer. He did not want to get ready for the judgment right then.
Another story in the Bible tells about one of the most wicked men who had ever lived, yet the apostle Paul made an appeal to him. He was given the opportunity for salvation, but he too passed it up, and that was his last chance. He never had another opportunity. Paul talks about this meeting that he had with Nero, the Caesar. He says, “At my first defense no one stood with me, but all forsook me. May it not be charged against them. But the Lord stood with me and strengthened me, so that the message might be preached fully through me, and [that] all the Gentiles might hear. Also I was delivered out of the mouth of the lion.” 11 Timothy 4:16, 17.
Nero was afraid to kill the apostle Paul right at that time. When he listened to the message, his heart was so under conviction that he could not condemn him, although he did condemn him to death later. But Nero, on that occasion, passed up his last chance for salvation.
The Bible talks about many people that passed up their last chance for salvation. Jesus told a story one time about the rich man and Lazarus, in Luke 16:19–31. This rich man was a person who believed that he belonged to the true church and that he would have salvation in the end. In the story Jesus told, the man not only did not have salvation but he had passed up his last chance for salvation. Never again would he have another opportunity to be saved.
A fact that every person needs to think about seriously is that every one of us at some time has our last chance to accept salvation. If we do not accept it at that point, we will never accept it. It will not be offered to us again, because we read, in Proverbs 1:24–33, “Because I have called and you refused, I have stretched out my hand and no one regarded, Because you disdained all my counsel, And would have none of my rebuke, I also will laugh at your calamity; I will mock when your terror comes, When your terror comes like a storm, And your destruction comes like a whirlwind, When distress and anguish come upon you. Then they will call on me, but I will not answer; They will seek me diligently, but they will not find me. Because they hated knowledge And did not choose the fear of the Lord, They would have none of my counsel [And] despised my every rebuke. Therefore, they shall eat the fruit of their own way, And be filled to the full with their own fancies. For the turning away of the simple will slay them, And the complacency of fools will destroy them; But whoever listens to me will dwell safely, And will be secure, without fear of evil.” The Lord says, You turned away. You would not listen. The result is that you are going to reap the consequences of your own ways.
Time is Limited
The prophet Isaiah makes an appeal to people to not turn away. In Isaiah 55:6, 7, he says, “Seek the Lord while He may be found, Call upon Him while He is near. Let the wicked forsake his way, And the unrighteous man his thoughts; Let him return to the Lord, And He will have mercy on him; And to our God, For He will abundantly pardon.”
There is a time when you may find salvation, but that time does not last forever. It is time limited, and at some point, if you turn your back on the Lord and you keep turning your back on the Lord, you will do it for the last time.
We are living in that age of the world when this is true, not just for individuals but for the entire world. Every one in the world will make a decision; they will make a final decision to go one way or the other. The whole world will be divided into two classes. Each class will be identified by a special mark.
Special Messages
Because of the seriousness of the time in which we live, a time when people would make a final decision that would result in eternal life or eternal death, God in the Bible gave special messages just for people that live in the last generation.
These special messages are recorded in symbolic language in Revelation 14:6–12. These symbolic messages are likened to angels whom fly in the midst of heaven, to take these messages to every single person in the world.
What is involved in accepting or rejecting the Three Angels’ Messages? A person’s acceptance or rejection of these messages will determine his or her eternal destiny.
Message of Judgment
Notice what it says in the first angel’s message, Revelation 14:6, 7. “Then I saw another angel flying in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach to those who dwell on the earth—to every nation, tribe, tongue, and people—saying with a loud voice, ‘Fear God and give glory to Him, for the hour of His judgment has come; and worship Him who made heaven and earth, the sea and springs of water.”
There are several vital points in the first angel’s message. First of all, it says that this angel has “the everlasting gospel to preach to those who dwell on the earth.” Nothing can save you, friend, except the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. “There is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.” Acts 4:12.
What is the gospel? The gospel has two parts. You can read about it in Romans or Galatians, or you can read about it in the stories of Jesus. The first part is the blood of Christ, which cleanses a person from the guilt of sin and offers a pardon. But it is not enough to be pardoned. It is not enough to be forgiven. It is not enough to drink the blood. It is also necessary to eat the bread, to receive the life of Christ into our lives.
Jesus talked about this in John 6. We receive His life by receiving the Holy Spirit and putting to death the carnal or sinful nature, as Paul said in Romans 6:2. We are to die to sin. Paul told the Galatians that as many as are Christ’s, they have crucified the flesh with the passions and affections. (Galatians 5:24.)
Oh, friend, have you had this experience? Have you experienced the gospel? No matter what else you have; no matter how much you know; no matter what you do; unless you have died to self, unless you have received the Holy Spirit and you are dead to sin and are following in obedience to the Lord Jesus Christ, your religion will end up being in vain.
The gospel is not just a belief system; it is a way of life whereby a person receives the Holy Spirit and lives and walks in newness of life, in harmony with God’s Law. As you can read in 1 John 3 or John 8 or Romans 8, you must receive the whole gospel, if you are going to survive the last generation.
Most of the world’s population will not survive. The vast majority will be deceived and lost, because they believe in what they see more than they believe in God’s Holy Word. But this message of the first angel is not just about the gospel. It is also an announcement that while the gospel is being preached, the hour of God’s judgment is come. God is judging the world!
Law of Liberty
Friend, we are living in the time when that is happening. One of the most important things to understand about the judgment is how you are going to be judged. It says in James 2 that we are to be judged from the law of liberty. What this law is, is made very clear and plain in the very same passage. The sixth and the seventh commandments are quoted, and it is that law, called the law of liberty, by which we will be judged.
It is not hard to understand that the Ten Commandments are called the law of liberty. For instance, if everyone kept just the eighth commandment that says, “You shall not steal,” everybody would be free. You would not have to lock your house, your car, or anything else—if there were no thieves in the world. God’s Law brings liberty.
The judgment is on the basis of God’s law. That is, God’s Law is the standard for the judgment. Your life in the judgment will be compared with the Law of God. If your life is in harmony with God’s Law, you will receive the gift of salvation. But if it is not in harmony with God’s Law, as you read in Revelation 22:15, then you will not be saved at all.
We are living in that most stupendous, serious time in earth’s history when people’s lives are being compared with the Law of God.
A Second Angel
The first angel’s message is followed by another angel, a second angel. God knew in advance that the great majority of the people in this world would not harmonize their lives with His Law, and He predicted what will happen. Remember this was written almost 2,000 years ago, but it is happening in our time.
In Revelation 14:8, we read: “And another angel followed, saying, ‘Babylon is fallen, is fallen, that great city, because she has made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication.’ ”
Who is that? Well, it refers to her as a woman. A woman in Bible prophecy represents a church, as you can see in 11 Corinthians 11 or Jeremiah 6, or the Song of Solomon, or Ephesians 5 or many other Scriptures. A woman represents a church. But this is not a pure church. This is a harlot, a fallen church. This is also called a city, a city that rules over the kings of the earth.
In addition, this city, this church, this woman, this harlot is referred to as a power that rules over the nations and makes all nations drink of her wine, of her teachings. It is talking about spiritual wine, but what is spiritual wine? The Bible tells us in Isaiah 29:9, 13, 14: “Pause and wonder! Blind yourselves and be blind! They are drunk, but not with wine; They stagger, but not with intoxicating drink.” “Therefore the Lord said: ‘Inasmuch as these people draw near with their mouths And honor Me with their lips, But have removed their hearts far from Me, And their fear toward Me is taught by the commandment of men, Therefore, behold, I will again do a marvelous work Among this people, A marvelous work and a wonder; For the wisdom of their wise [men] shall perish, And the understanding of their prudent [men] shall be hidden.’ ”
We see here that spiritual wine involves teaching people to worship God, to serve God according to the commandments of men. That is the wine of Babylon. If you drink this wine and follow it, you will receive the wrath of God, because as Jesus said, in Matthew 15, people through the traditions of men make the commandments of God of none effect. They say they are keeping it, but if you look at what the commandment says, by the time they have kept the commandments of men, the traditions of men, they have broken the commandments of God. You see, you cannot keep both.
Come Out of Her
So what is the result? The result is recorded in Revelation 18:1–4. “After these things I saw another angel coming down from heaven, having great authority, and the earth was illuminated with his glory. And he cried mightily with a loud voice, saying, ‘Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and has become a dwelling place of demons, a prison for every foul spirit, and a cage for every unclean and hated bird! For all the nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication, the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her, and the merchants of the earth have become rich through the abundance of her luxury.’ And I heard another voice from heaven saying, ‘Come out of her, my people, lest you share in her sins, and lest you receive of her plagues.’ ”
A terrible condition of the religious world is here described. As a result of drinking this wine—the traditions, the commandments of men—the world has sinned against the Lord. Concerning Babylon, it says, “Come out of her, my people, lest you share in her sins, and lest you receive of her plagues.”
Sin, 1 John 3:4 tells us, is breaking God’s Law. By the commandments of men the commandments of God are made of none effect. If you associate with a group of people who are deliberately breaking any one of the Ten Commandments, eventually you are going to participate with them. If you participate with them in sin, you will participate with them also in receiving the plagues of God which are going to be poured out on Babylon, as you can read in Revelation 15 and 16.
One Final Warning
If the warning of the second angel is not enough to wake a person up, there is one final warning. This final warning will separate the wheat from the tares. It will separate the whole religious world into two classes. This final warning is the warning of the third angel given in Revelation 14:9–12. “Then a third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, ‘If anyone worships the beast and his image, and receives [his] mark on his forehead or on his hand, he himself shall also drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out full strength into the cup of His indignation. He shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb. And the smoke of their torment ascends forever and ever; and they have no rest day or night, who worship the beast and his image, and whoever receives the mark of his name.’ Here is the patience of the saints; here [are] those who keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus.”
Notice that the third angel warns people against worshiping the antichrist power. That is the beast power described in Revelation 13:1–10, the same as the little horn power described in Daniel 7 or the man of sin described in 11 Thessalonians 2. Also, men are prohibited, forbidden in this message to worship the image of the antichrist or to receive the mark of the antichrist.
The identifying mark of the antichrist power is spelled out very explicitly in Daniel 7:25. It (the antichrist power) will attempt to change times and laws. The one who receives this mark will end up, it says, receiving the wrath of God. God does not pour out His wrath on anybody without due cause. But the mark of the antichrist involves a deliberate breaking of the Law of God.
Obey Unrighteousness
In Romans 2:8, it is made very plain that the people that receive the wrath of God are those that obey unrighteousness—not those that do what is right or follow God’s Word. To receive the wrath of God, a person must first obey unrighteous-ness. But what is unrighteousness? “All unrighteousness is sin.” 1 John 5:17.
So obeying unrighteousness means sinning, and sinning is transgressing God’s Law. (See 1 John 3:4.) If you put these three texts together, you can see very clearly that receiving the mark of the beast involves sinning against God, breaking His Law—breaking His Law as mentioned in Daniel 7:25, a deliberate attempt to change times and law. Read the Ten Commandments in Exodus 20:3–17. See what it says about time, and examine and see how the religious world today has changed the times that God has given.
You cannot change something that God has given. You cannot adjust something that God has given. The Bible says do not change or add or take anything away from what God has done lest ye be found to be a liar. (See Deuteronomy 12:32; Proverbs 30:6.)
In contrast to the people that receive the mark of the beast, right at the end of the third angel’s message there is revealed the people that listen to the message and are saved. Who they are and how they are described is seen in Revelation 14:12: “Here is the patience of the saints; here [are] those who keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus.”
There you have it, friends; it is spelled out in Revelation over and over again. The ones that lose out at the end are those that break God’s Law. The ones that are accepted and receive the gift of eternal life and get to go through the gates into the city are those that keep God’s Law.
The question is, What are you going to do with that information? Are you going to accept it, repent of your sins and say, Lord, create in me a new heart? Are you going to miss your last chance? The choice is yours.
Pastor Grosboll is Director of Steps to Life Ministry and pastor of the Prairie Meadows Church in Wichita, Kansas. He may be contacted by e-mail at: historic@stepstolife.org or by telephone at: 316-788-5559.
Preparing for the Latter Rain, Part I
It is the latter rain that provides the power to give the final warning to the world during the time of the Sunday laws and Satan’s impersonation of Christ. These will be the crowning trial and final test, which are soon to break upon us.
Just before the disciples were to face their crowning trial and final test, Jesus offered this prayer in their behalf: “Holy Father, protect them by the power of your name—the name you gave me—so that they may be one as we are one.” “Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth.” John 17:11, 17, NIV.
Even with the crisis of His trial and crucifixion just a few hours away, the thought uppermost in the mind of Jesus was the unity of His disciples. It was the central theme of His prayer. Then He prayed for all believers. “My prayer is . . . for those who will believe in me . . . that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you . . . that they may be one as we are one. . . . May they be brought to complete unity . . . .” John 17:20–23, NIV.
My friends, Jesus was praying for us. Today, as our crowning trial and final test are just before us, Jesus is praying for us. And what is the burden of His prayer? It is for His family on earth to be in complete unity. A unity that parallels His relationship with the Father.
Jesus spent three years of ministry on this earth to help the fallen human race reach this high standard of purity and unity that we might be restored into the presence of the Father.
Five Parallels
In this series of articles, we will study five major events in the ministry of Jesus that reveal the trials and attitudes of the children of Israel and their relationship to Jesus and the truths He taught. How did they respond to the work of Jesus to bring them into unity with the Father? We will find that there is a parallel to each of these five events in the second advent movement today. These five parallels provide us with an overview of how God sees the whole second advent movement. Our study of these events and the reactions of the people will help us better understand our present condition as God sees it. These studies will reveal what we need to do to receive the latter rain and be prepared for our crowning trial and final test.
The Temple Cleansing
The first event we will examine is found in John 2:11–25. The time is the first Passover of Jesus’ ministry. The place is the temple in Jerusalem. John explains a most surprising and unprecedented event that took place during this Passover. “In the temple courts he found men selling cattle, sheep and doves, and others sitting at tables exchanging money. So he made a whip out of cords, and drove all from the temple area, both sheep and cattle; he scattered the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables. To those who sold doves he said, ‘Get these out of here! How dare you turn my Father’s house into a market!’ ” John 2:14–16, NIV.
To help us keep these five parallels in their order, I am going to use an Advent Time Line. The first event is the first cleansing of the temple. We will identify it as “1F” under the Passover of 28 a.d.
Purpose of the Cleansing
Why did Jesus interrupt the largest, most sacred and important religious meeting of the Jewish church? What was His purpose? “In the cleansing of the temple, Jesus was announcing His mission as the Messiah, and entering upon His work. . . . In cleansing the temple from the world’s buyers and sellers, Jesus announced His mission to cleanse the heart from the defilement of sin,—from the earthly desires, the selfish lusts, the evil habits, that corrupt the soul.” The Desire of Ages, 161.
And then we find this interesting application of Malachi 3:1–3 to the first cleansing of the temple. “ ‘The Lord, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to His temple, . . . and who shall stand when He appeareth? for He is like a refiner’s fire, and like fullers’ soap: and He shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver: and He shall purify the sons of Levi, and purge them as gold and silver.’ Malachi 3:1–3.” Ibid.
In cleansing the temple, Jesus did three things.
- Christ announced His mission as the Messiah.
- He entered upon His work for the next three years.
- He announced His mission to cleanse the heart from the defilement of sin.
Resulting Attitudes
What was the reaction of the people to this most unusual action of Jesus? We find that three general attitudes were revealed. Ellen White says of the priests and rulers—the leaders of the church: “For a time they [the priests and rulers] were convinced that Christ was a prophet; and many believed Him to be the Messiah. The Holy Spirit flashed into their minds the utterances of the prophets concerning Christ. Would they yield to this conviction?
“Repent they would not. . . . Because Christ discerned their thoughts they hated Him. His public rebuke was humiliating to their pride, and they were jealous of His growing influence with the people. They determined to challenge Him . . . .” The Desire of Ages, 162.
So we see that the attitude of the priests and rulers was to challenge Jesus. Then she writes of a large second group. “They looked with amazement on the works of Jesus, and were convicted that in Him the prophecies concerning the Messiah were fulfilled. . . . The people were comparatively innocent. They were impressed by the divine authority of Jesus; but with them the influence of the priests and rulers was paramount. They regarded Christ’s mission as an innovation, and questioned His right to interfere with what was permitted by the authorities of the temple. They were offended because the traffic had been interrupted, and they stifled the convictions of the Holy Spirit.” Ibid., 163, 164.
So we see that the great majority of the people yielded to the will of the priests and rulers. In contrast to these leaders and the large group of people, she tells of a small group of faithful believers who remained behind to talk with Jesus.
“When they [the priests and rulers] fled, the poor remained behind; and these were now looking to Jesus, whose countenance expressed his love and sympathy. With tears in His eyes, He said to the trembling ones around Him: Fear not; I will deliver thee . . . .
“The people pressed into Christ’s presence with urgent, pitiful appeals: Master, bless me. . . . Everyone was healed from whatever disease he had. . . .
“At the crucifixion of Christ, those who had thus been healed did not join with the rabble throng in crying, ‘Crucify Him, crucify Him.’ Their sympathies were with Jesus . . . . They knew Him to be their Saviour . . . . They became agents of God’s mercy, and instruments of His salvation.” Ibid., 163.
To summarize this event, we find that three basic attitudes developed in response to the work of Jesus in the first cleansing of the temple that represented cleansing the heart from sin.
- The priests and rulers rejected Christ’s work and decided to challenge Him.
- The majority of people were convicted that Jesus was the Messiah, but with them the influence of the priests and rulers was paramount.
- A small group of faithful believers knew Jesus to be their Savior and received the cleansing He offered.
Temple Cleansing Parallel
Now we may ask ourselves, what event in the second advent movement is a parallel to the first cleansing of the temple? There are two similar statements that give us the answer. We will consider just one of them at this point.
“When Jesus began His public ministry, He cleansed the temple from its sacrilegious profanation. Almost the last act of His ministry was to cleanse the temple again. So in the last work for the warning of the world, two distinct calls are made to the churches; the second angel’s message, and the voice heard in heaven, ‘Come out of her, my people.’ [Revelation 18:4.]” The Ellen G. White 1888 Materials, vol. 2, 725, 726.
The first distinct call that Sister White mentions is the second angel’s message, which is parallel to the first cleansing of the temple. We will consider the second distinct call in a later parallel. When was this first distinct call—the second angel’s message—first given? “The second angel’s message of Revelation 14 was first preached in the summer of 1844.” The Great Controversy, 389.
This places “the first distinct call” at the beginning of the second advent movement. Now that the second angel’s message has been identified as the first cleansing of the second advent movement, and the time of its proclamation has been identified, we will add this event to the Second Advent Time Line as “1S.”
First Angel’s Purpose
Why was there a cleansing of the second advent movement (church) at the very beginning? To understand this we first need to know the purpose of the first angel’s message. “The first angel’s message, ‘Fear God, and give glory to Him; for the hour of His judgment is come’ [Revelation 14:7], pointed to Christ’s ministration in the most holy place, to the investigative judgment . . . .” The Great Controversy, 424. “While the investigative judgment is going forward in heaven, while the sins of penitent believers are being removed from the sanctuary, there is to be a special work of purification, of putting away of sin, among God’s people upon earth.” Ibid., 425.
That the first angel’s message was a call to cleanse the heart from sin is further emphasized by the application of Malachi 3 to this judgment hour message. “ ‘The Lord, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to His temple, even the Messenger of the covenant, whom ye delight in: behold, He shall come, saith the Lord of hosts.’ Malachi 3:1. The coming of the Lord to His temple was sudden, unexpected, to His people. . . . ‘Who may abide the day of His coming? And who shall stand when He appeareth? For He is like a refiner’s fire, and like fullers’ soap: and He shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver: and He shall purify the sons of Levi, and purge them as gold and silver.’ Malachi 3:2, 3.” Ibid., 424, 425.
There are two points revealed here that show a parallel purpose between the first cleansing of the temple and the opening of the second advent movement. In the first advent, Jesus announced His mission to purify the heart from sin. In the second advent, under the first angel’s message, there is a special work of purification and putting away of sin. Ellen White applies Malachi 3:1–3 to both advent movements. In The Desire of Ages, 161, she uses this text in reference to Jesus coming to cleanse the temple. In The Great Controversy, 425, she uses it in reference to Jesus coming to cleanse the heavenly sanctuary.
Attitudes Parallel
Now let’s look at the attitudes of the people toward the first angel’s message that resulted in the need for the second angel’s message. We will again look at three groups of people.
The first group to be considered will be the ministers and religious leaders. “But as ministers and religious leaders decided against the advent doctrine and desired to suppress all agitation of the subject, they not only opposed it from the pulpit, but denied their members the privilege of attending preaching upon the second advent, or even of speaking of their hope in the social meetings of the church.” The Great Controversy, 376.
So we see that in the first cleansing of the churches in the second advent movement, the ministers and leaders opposed and rejected the message. In the next reference we see the attitudes of a second and by far the larger group of people. “Multitudes, trusting implicitly to their pastors, refused to listen to the warning; and others, though convinced of the truth, dared not confess it, lest they should be ‘put out of the synagogue.’ [John 12:42.] The message which God had sent for the testing and purification of the church revealed all too surely how great was the number who had set their affections on this world rather than upon Christ.” Ibid., 380.
So we see that in this cleansing the great majority of the people followed the leading of the ministers as they did in the first advent movement. The third group of people are the faithful believers. Their attitude is seen in the following statement: “They loved their churches and were loath to separate from them; but as they saw the testimony of God’s word suppressed and their right to investigate the prophecies denied they felt that loyalty to God forbade them to submit. Those who sought to shut out the testimony of God’s word they could not regard as constituting the church of Christ, ‘the pillar and ground of the truth.’ [1 Timothy 3:15.]” Ibid., 376.
To summarize these attitudes, we find that ministers and leaders decided against the advent doctrine and opposed it and that multitudes trusted the ministers and refused to listen to the warning. The faithful believers felt that loyalty to God forbade them to submit to the ministers and could not regard those who tried to shut out God’s word as constituting the church of Christ.
So we see that these cleansings of the church in the first and second advent movements are parallel, even to the attitudes of the people involved. Very few were willing to be purified from sin and come into unity as Jesus is with the Father.
A Cleansing Message
“The first angel’s message . . . was designed to separate the professed people of God from the corrupting influences of the world. . . . In this message, God has sent to the church a warning, which, had it been accepted, would have corrected the evils that were shutting them away from Him.” Ibid., 379.
The purpose of the first angel’s message was to remove sin from among the people of God. Just as Jesus cleansed the temple at the beginning of His ministry to announce His mission to cleanse the heart from sin, so the first angel’s message was to cleanse the second advent church from sin at the beginning of the second advent movement.
“Had they received the message . . . the Spirit and power of God would have been manifested among them. The church would again have reached that blessed state of unity, faith, and love which existed in apostolic days, when the believers ‘were of one heart and of one soul’ [Acts 4:32] . . . .” Ibid.
The objective of the first angel’s message was to purify a people to receive the latter rain as the disciples purified themselves so they could receive the Holy Spirit in the early rain on the day of Pentecost. The second advent church is still in need of completing this work of putting away sin and coming into unity with Christ 159 years after 1844. We have been wandering in the wilderness four times longer than Israel did on their way to the promised land.
“If God’s professed people would receive the light as it shines upon them from His word, they would reach that unity for which Christ prayed, that which the apostle describes, ‘the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.’ [Ephesians 4:3.]” Ibid.
Here is presented the condition on which our eternal destiny rests. Will we receive the light of God shining from His word that calls for a unity like that of the disciples on the day of Pentecost?
“In refusing the warning of the first angel [Revelation 14:6, 7], they rejected the means which Heaven had provided for their restoration. They spurned the gracious messenger that would have corrected the evils which separated them from God, and with greater eagerness they turned to seek the friendship of the world.” Ibid., 380.
It was the rejection of the first angel’s message to put away sin and purify the heart that called forth the second angel’s message—the first cleansing of the second advent movement—in the summer and fall of 1844.
In our next article we will study the second parallel in our series of five.
Maurice Hoppe is Director of Revelation Ministry which is dedicated to helping people prepare for the soon coming of Jesus. His special emphasis is the closing scenes of this earth’s history, the parallels between the first and second advents, and the need for unity among the people of God. He may be contacted by e-mail at: hoppe@revelationministry.com or at: P. O. Box 184, Days Creek, Oregon 97429.
The Last Days of Noah
The world is in gross darkness. The people know not what truth is. We are indeed living in the last days, the remnant portion of the history of this world. There are biblical, biographical parallels from which we can learn lessons. They help us see what we must be and can be, in this day and age, as God’s people. Ellen White wrote, “History will repeat itself.” The Signs of the Times, February 22, 1910. Those are no idle words. Those words have been inspired, and they were for you and me.
As we look back over the past, we see how men and women reacted to similar circumstances that we find ourselves in today, and the way they reacted is the way that we can react in harmony with God’s will. We can learn lessons; we can become strengthened and inspired by looking at their lives.
Without Him, We can do Nothing
Jesus made a statement that we should never forget. On the way to Gethsemane, He said to His disciples, “I am the vine, [ye are] the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.” John 15:5.
Jesus is the source of all true reform. If we are seeking to reform without Jesus or by merely making a profession in Jesus, we will be on the road to fanaticism. It is as simple as that. If we are going to have our lives transformed and reformed to harmonize with the light that He has given to us, we are going to have to be walking in full agreement with Him. We are going to have to know Him as a personal Saviour. We are going to have to know His voice speaking to our hearts. We are going to have to receive the grace that He wants to give to us, individually. We are going to have to know that experience. Without Jesus, no amount of knowing what we must be or can be is worth anything.
It will lead us into either the road of fanaticism or of presumption, one of the two. We do not want to be fanatical. We surely do not want to presume upon our God who has been so gracious to give to us such wonderful light in which to walk.
Jesus said, “Come unto me, all [ye] that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke [is] easy, and my burden is light.” Matthew 11:28–30.
Invitation Still Extended
Jesus Christ is giving this invitation at this very moment, at this very hour. You see, the door of probation has not yet closed; this invitation is still extended. It is the voice of Jesus from the Most Holy Place, and He says, “Come unto Me.”
Some day, this invitation will no longer be given. Men and women will seek to hear it, but it will no longer be spoken. God is very earnest with us, because He sees in the near future that the door is going to close.
God inspired Ezekiel to write the following words for the children of Israel, the professed people of God in his day. “Though these three men, Noah, Daniel, and Job, were in it [the land], they should deliver [but] their own souls by their righteousness, saith the Lord God.” Ezekiel 14:14. It is amazing how God can zoom in and focus on the individual. Has God changed? No, He has not changed. The same holds true for us within His professed body that we call the church today.
Noah’s Day
Ezekiel refers to Noah, Daniel, and then Job. In this article we will concentrate on Noah. We will look at what God expects of us today and what He expected of men and women in Noah’s time. As we look at Noah’s experience, we see what we can become, by the grace of God. What Noah was in his day, we can be in our day.
By the sixth chapter of Genesis, approximately 2,000 years of mankind’s history had transpired. At this point, we come to Noah’s time. “And it came to pass, when men began to multiply on the face of the earth, and daughters were born unto them, That the sons of God saw the daughters of men that they were fair; and they took them wives of all which they chose. And the Lord said, My spirit shall not always strive with man, for that he also [is] flesh: yet his days shall be an hundred and twenty years. There were giants in the earth in those days; and also after that, when the sons of God came in unto the daughters of men, and they bare [children] to them, the same [became] mighty men which [were] of old, men of renown.” Genesis 6:1–4.
The time in which Noah lived revealed only two classes of people, the sons of God and the daughters of men. God had a professed people in that day. A mingling began to take place between these two classes. An apostasy was taking place among God’s people. When we have an intermingling, we lose Bible truth; we experience a compromise of truth. Eventually we compromise the truth so much that we do not understand what is truth anymore. That is what we see happening today.
Paul says, “Because that, when they knew God, they glorified [him] not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened.” “Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever.” Romans 1:21, 25.
Denying the Power
The antediluvians were people who lived before the flood. These people turned from God to serve themselves, but they continued to profess to be Christians, believers in God.
We know that the days in which Noah lived were evil. But let us draw a parallel to our day. “This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof . . . .” 11 Timothy 3:1–5.
About whom was this speaking? The people in the church, the professed Christians in the last days. It says they have a form of godliness. The world does not have a form of godliness. Why has this happened in these last days? They have become just like the people in Noah’s day. It happened the same way! When they intermingled they became just like the world.
The Parallel to Our Day
“And God saw that the wickedness of man [was] great in the earth, and [that] every imagination of the thoughts of his heart [was] only evil continually.” Genesis 6:5. Not only did God see this in the unbelieving world, but also He began to see it constantly among His professed people.
“And it repented the Lord that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart.” Verse 6.
Sin touches the heart of our heavenly Father—not just a whole world of sin, but one man in sin grieves our Father’s heart. That is what is being revealed here. Tremendous sorrow is here brought to view. Jesus is grieving over the sin of men—not only a world, but also one man.
We see that wickedness continually grew. It was a wicked world, a wicked time. It became so bad that even God repented that He had created man. Those were the times, as we just read in 11 Timothy 3, that parallel with our day. The world has become exceedingly wicked.
A Perfect Man
What was Noah’s experience? Singular to say the least. “But Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord.” Genesis 6:8. We know that grace is unmerited favor. Noah did not earn this grace, but he walked in it.
“Noah was a just man.” Verse 9. He was a just man in an unjust world. What does just mean? Righteous. He was a righteous man in an unrighteous world.
“Little children, let no man deceive you: he that doeth righteousness is righteous, even as he [speaking of Jesus] is righteous.” 1 John 3:7. To be righteous is to do righteousness—right doing, doing what is right for the right reason at the right time.
Noah, living in a world of injustice, was just. Living in a world of unrighteousness, was righteous. Why? Because he chose to do what was right as God revealed it to him. What else was his experience? Noah was “perfect in his generations.” Genesis 6:9. He was a perfect man.
The word perfect means wholeness. To be holy is to be whole, wholehearted. That is perfection. A perfect man is a wholehearted man, 100 percent consistent. In a world that was totally inconsistent with God, Noah was 100 percent consistent.
As we look at the life of this man—living in a similar time and under similar conditions as do we—it should encourage us to know we can live the life that God has set before us today. If God helped Noah live like that, He can help us live like that.
“And Noah walked with God.” Verse 9. He walked with God! How did Noah walk with God? “Can two walk together, except they be agreed?” Amos 3:3. The inference is that if you are going to walk together, you are going to be in perfect agreement. Agreement is another word for covenant. What was in the ark in the most holy place? The Law of God. God’s Law is His covenant. If we are walking in perfect agreement with Him, we are in perfect harmony with His Law.
Condemning the World
Noah was a commandment-keeper. Paul talks about Noah. Remember, this man lived this kind of experience in a very polluted and contaminated environment. “By faith Noah, being warned of God of things not seen as yet, moved with fear, prepared an ark to the saving of his house; by the which he condemned the world, and became heir of the righteousness which is by faith.” Hebrews 11:7.
Noah condemned the world. How do we condemn the world? Do we condemn the world by going to them and saying, You are not doing what God says and cursed be you? That is how some Christians believe that you condemn the world. How did Noah condemn the world in his day? He simply did what God told him to do.
Noah walked with God by faith! “For we walk by faith, not by sight.” 11 Corinthians 5:7. He did not see God; God did not talk to him audibly. God did talk to him in visions and dreams; but Noah did not see Him.
Another parallel that we have with Noah is that he was given a warning message to give to the world. Notice how Noah gave his message. “While Noah was giving his warning message to the world, his works testified of his sincerity. It was thus that his faith was perfected and made evident. He gave the world an example of believing just what God says.” Patriarchs and Prophets, 95. He gave an example. That means that he lived everything that God told him.
If you were to walk over to the ark back in Noah’s day and look at the workmanship that Noah was doing on the ark, what would you see? Carelessness? No! Noah was very careful in what he did. He was working for God, and everything that he did, he did in an excellent manner. Everything was in its place. Everything was done carefully and thoroughly.
But here is something more interesting. When you left the ark and went back home to eat lunch at Noah’s place, what do you think you found? Neatness and orderliness. Noah was walking with God constantly! Wholeness, wholeheartedly! That means everywhere, all the time.
Called by God
Noah was everything God intended for him to be at all times, and God is calling us to be such a people. He honored God’s truth everywhere and in everything he did. Are we living up to the truth in all that we do everywhere? “Belief in the near coming of the Son of man in the clouds of heaven will not cause the true Christian to become neglectful and careless of the ordinary business of life.” Testimonies, vol. 4, 309.
That entails everything that we do around our houses. “Their work will not be done carelessly and dishonestly, but with fidelity, promptness, and thoroughness. Those who flatter themselves that careless inattention to the things of this life is an evidence of their spirituality and of their separation from the world are under a great deception. Their veracity, faithfulness, and integrity are tested and proved in temporal things. If they are faithful in that which is least they will be faithful in much. I have been shown that here is where many will fail to bear the test. They develop their true character in the management of temporal concerns.” Ibid.
That is called practical godliness. You allow God to work in your hearts, and the truth becomes everywhere evident in your life—not only when in church or out witnessing to others, but if someone comes into our home, they would see the truth everywhere evident. If we are going to walk with God, we are going to be like God. He is a God of order. He is a God of carefulness, a God of thoroughness.
Standing Alone
Noah stood alone, and there is coming a day when you and I will have to stand alone. “It was not multitudes or majorities that were on the side of right. The world was arrayed against God’s justice and His laws, and Noah was regarded as a fanatic.” Patriarchs and Prophets, 96.
We have already found that, if we are walking with Jesus, we are not a fanatic. If we are a reformed Christian walking with Jesus, we will look, from the world’s standpoint, like a fanatic, but from heaven’s standpoint we are walking with God.
“But Noah stood like a rock amid the tempest. Surrounded by popular contempt and ridicule, he distinguished himself by his holy integrity and unwavering faithfulness.” Ibid. Wholeheartedness is revealed here, though he stood alone.
Let us look at the parallel of Noah’s time and our time. Jesus spoke the words, “But as the days of Noe [Noah] [were], so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark, And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.” Matthew 24:37–39.
In these verses, Jesus makes the parallel with our day. He says, What it was in Noah’s day, it will be in the last days just before I come. And we saw the wickedness there, the apostasy, the compromise, the presumption, the rebellion, the injustice, and the violence—all of it to the point that it grieved God that He had even created man on the face of this earth. Jesus said, Before I come again, the world will be exactly like it was in the days of Noah.
Message of Warning for the World
This is where the parallel takes on reality. In Revelation 14:6–12 we find a message of warning that God gives to this world. We know this message as the Three Angels’ Messages. Noah had a message of warning, and we have one. Do our lives warn people? If this message is not only being given but also being lived, our lives will be a warning to people.
Two classes of people are brought to view in Revelation 14:11, 12. There are those who receive the mark of the beast and those who keep the commandments of God. We just saw that Noah, in his day, was walking with God and keeping God’s Law. He was in harmony with God’s will. God is going to have a people on the face of this earth in the last days who are going to be walking in harmony with His Law. They are going to be contrasted against those who rebel against God’s Law, who rebel against God’s light. Let us never forget that in Noah’s day there were professed followers of God who were taken in the flood. There will be professed Seventh-day Adventists who receive the last plagues. There is a correlation here that should alarm us.
The center of controversy in Noah’s day was the Law of God. We know that the fourth commandment especially is going to be one of the outstanding features of the controversy of the last days.
In Revelation 14, we are told of a small remnant, a little company who choose to follow God. In fact, Ellen White uses the phrase “little company.” (See Testimonies, vol. 9, 231.) That should alarm a denomination of nine million members! A little company in Noah’s day was one little household of eight persons. It is hard to understand. But God says, As in the days of Noah, so shall it also be in the days of the coming of the Son of man.
History Repeated
History is going to be repeated. God said it would be just like it was in the days of Noah. As you survey the world, you can see that history has repeated itself; we indeed live in a world just like Noah’s world. We have a church just like Noah’s professed church.
On one hand you have a small company that chooses to follow God, and on the other hand you have the rest of the world, following one another. Just like it was in the days of Noah—the little company, the ones that are in the ark, will be saved. That is all that God reveals to us. It is sad, yet it can be joyous, because we can be a part of the little company.
Serving God Wholeheartedly
God wants us to be like Noah. “Thus did Noah; according to all that God commanded him, so did he.” Genesis 6:22.
Noah was wholehearted, not only in regard to the building of the ark, but in all that God asked him to do. When God revealed light to him on a subject, he walked right into that light, and he kept going in the light. That is how Noah walked with God, and that is how Noah found grace in the sight of God. “And the Lord said unto Noah, Come thou and all thy house into the ark; for thee have I seen righteous before me in this generation.” Genesis 7:1.
God is looking at what we are doing with the light. Do we acknowledge the light? Are we walking in it? God sees us. He sees us as we really are. If we are not living the message, we cannot be giving the message, because, if we are giving a message but not living it, we would be giving a wrong message. The only way we can live the message is to have it in our hearts and in our lives.
Do You Know Him?
Are there things that you need to put in order in your heart and in your home to measure up to Noah’s experience? The days of Noah were a solemn period of history, but the time in which we live is even more solemn, because it is the end of everything. In Noah’s time, there was a continuation, a second chance for the little company. This time there is no continuation; the door of mercy will be forever closed.
“We are living in the most solemn period of this world’s history. The destiny of earth’s teeming multitudes is about to be decided. Our own future well-being and also the salvation of other souls depend upon the course which we now pursue. We need to be guided by the Spirit of truth.” The Great Controversy, 601.
Craig Meeker directs the Bible Correspondence School for Steps to Life Ministry. He may be contacted by e-mail at: craigmeeker@stepstolife.org.
Why Has the Latter Rain Not Fallen?
The church of Ephesus (Revelation 2:1, 2), when it first began, really labored for the Lord. They were filled with the Holy Spirit, and thousands were being converted to the truth. But the devil entered that church and started meddling with things, and slowly their focus began to shift. At first they were zealous for advocating the truth; they hated false doctrine, but a change took place in this church. Jesus said they had lost their first love. (Verse 4.) He told them, If you do not repent, I am going to uproot your candlestick, and it is going to go out in darkness. (Verse 5.) They lost their love for one another, and they lost their burden for souls.
Focus Lost
Have we lost our burden for souls? When our eyes are not fixed upon those outside of the fold, our focus shifts. We start turning on one another, and we begin bickering and fighting among ourselves. We have lost our focus, our goal; we have lost our aim; and we become a self-centered people. We become more zealous as selfishness arises in our hearts. We become more zealous for the truth every single day, but the Jews were very zealous for their truth, too. (See John 8.) They could explain the truth inside and out, but Jesus really did not care about their theology. Jesus wanted to know one thing only, and that was, Do you love Me? He said, If you had loved the Father, you would love Me too, because I proceeded from the Father, but you are seeking to kill Me. (Verses 42, 40.) Jesus was saying, Yes, you are very zealous for your work; you encompass land and sea to make one convert (See Matthew 23:15), but do you love Me? Do you love Me enough to accept what I say?
What made the church of Ephesus so successful at the first? What made Jesus’ witness so successful? The Bible says, “The Spirit of the Lord [is] upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised.” Luke 4:18. The Spirit of the Lord was upon Jesus. Did He go about saying, I will just be an example; that is how I will do My witnessing? No! When the Spirit of the Lord was upon Him, He did not just sit and let people go by Him who were perishing in darkness—He did something about it. He witnessed to them; He preached to them; He healed the brokenhearted; He released those who were in bondage to sin.
Bottled Up Truth
What are we doing? We have a lot of truth bottled up in our minds; truth that, if shared, will save lives. But it will not do any good if it is just bottled up in our minds. We might be zealous about getting some truth out and sharing it with others within our own church; we want to make sure that they know exactly what we know; but what about the people who are perishing in darkness?
Jesus did not witness through His own power but through the power of the Holy Spirit. He utilized no other power than we may possess. Jesus wants to give us the Holy Spirit; He wants to fill our hearts with the Holy Spirit, but our focus must be right.
In John 4, the story is given about Jesus as He sat beside Jacob’s well, waiting for someone to give Him a cup of cool water. There He met a woman, and after dialoging with her, she came to realize that this was not just an ordinary person with whom she was talking—it was the Messiah. Because the Spirit of the Lord was upon Jesus, it had an influence upon her. It brought conviction upon her mind; there was power in what Jesus was saying. As a result, she went back into the city and brought the whole city out to see the Messiah. “She proved herself a more effective missionary than His own disciples.” The Ministry of Healing, 102. Did she have any training? No, but she yielded to the conviction of the Holy Spirit, and she became a powerful medium to bring souls to Christ.
“The disciples saw nothing in Samaria to indicate that it was an encouraging field. Their thoughts were fixed upon a great work to be done in the future.” Ibid. Is that what we are doing? Are we waiting on some big work to be done sometime in the future when the latter rain is poured out?—Oh, we are going to become soul winners then! Let us not make the mistake that the disciples made, because they did not see that right around them was a harvest to be gathered. That same thing is happening all around us right now. There are many people to be won to Christ, but what are we doing about it? “Through the woman whom they despised a whole cityful were brought to hear Jesus. She carried the light at once to her countrymen.” Ibid.
Can We Be Filled?
Can we have this experience of being filled with the Holy Spirit? Jesus was filled with the Holy Spirit. (See Luke 4:1.) We have examples of others, such as Stephen, who were also filled with the Holy Spirit. (See Acts 7:55.) The Bible says, “A great number [in Antioch] believed, and turned unto the Lord. Then tidings of these things came unto the ears of the church which was in Jerusalem: and they sent forth Barnabas, that he should go as far as Antioch. Who, when he came, and had seen the grace of God, was glad, and exhorted them all, that with purpose of heart they would cleave unto the Lord. For he was a good man, and full of the Holy Ghost and of faith: and much people was added unto the Lord.” Acts 11:21–24. Each one of us can be filled with the Holy Spirit, but we will not be filled with the Holy Spirit, if our focus is wrong.
What will the Holy Spirit do for our witnessing? “Ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.” Acts 1:8. The believers assembled in Jerusalem needed the Holy Spirit to help them witness. They needed the Holy Spirit, because they were to take the gospel to the entire world. This group of people who received the early rain power went out and started churches. That church became full of the Holy Spirit, and like fire, it went around the world. Every single person heard the gospel in his lifetime. There are five billion more people on this planet now than there was then. Do you think it is important that we receive the Holy Spirit?
We are not going to go to heaven unless we receive the Holy Spirit. Here is our greatest need! Why have we not received the Holy Spirit? The Bible tells us, “Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater [works] than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father. And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do [it].” John 14:12–14.
Jesus said that if we believe on Him and His works, we will do them also. What were the works of Jesus? He was preaching to the poor in heart; He was delivering those who were captive in sin. The same works that He did, we will do also, if we are filled with the Holy Spirit. The Spirit of Prophecy comments on this promise: “Christ did not mean that the disciples would make more exalted exertions than He had made, but that their work would have greater magnitude. He did not refer merely to miracle working, but to all that would take place under the agency of the Holy Spirit. . . .
“Wonderfully were these words fulfilled. After the descent of the Holy Spirit, the disciples were so filled with love for Him and for those for whom He died, that hearts were melted by the words they spoke and the prayers they offered. They spoke in the power of the Spirit; and under the influence of that power, thousands were converted.” The Acts of the Apostles, 22.
How important it is that we receive heaven’s greatest gift for us! When the early church was filled with the Holy Spirit, they were filled with love for Him and for those for whom He died. We may think we love the Lord, but that love is only superficial, if we do not have a love for those who are perishing in darkness. The same works that Jesus did, we can do also, with the power of the Holy Spirit.
A Willing Giver
How willing is God to give us the Holy Spirit? “If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children: how much more shall [your] heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him?” Luke 11:13. If He is so willing to give, why have we not received this gift? Ellen White tells us, “The lapse of time has wrought no change in Christ’s parting promise to send the Holy Spirit as His representative. It is not because of any restriction on the part of God that the riches of His grace do not flow earthward to men. If the fulfillment of the promise is not seen as it might be, it is because the promise is not appreciated as it should be. If all were willing, all would be filled with the Spirit. Wherever the need of the Holy Spirit is a matter little thought of, there is seen spiritual drought, spiritual darkness, spiritual declension and death. Whenever minor matters occupy the attention, the divine power which is necessary for the growth and prosperity of the church, and which would bring all other blessings in its train, is lacking, though offered in infinite plenitude.” The Acts of the Apostles, 50.
Friends, we are talking about life and death issues here. We are talking about either going to heaven or hell—one way or the other. We have to get serious about eternal life and about what God wants to give us. He is willing, but we are not ready to receive it.
Be Willing
Christ’s favorite theme was the gift of the Holy Spirit. “Christ, the Great Teacher, had an infinite variety of subjects from which to choose, but the one upon which He dwelt most largely was the endowment of the Holy Spirit.” Selected Messages, Book 1, 156. What is our focus? Upon what are we dwelling? Do we have one favorite subject on which we just keep hammering? If Christ is our example, we can receive the Holy Spirit, and we can finish the work that God has given us to do. Christ’s favorite theme was the endowment of the Holy Spirit, and that is where our focus should be, so we can receive the Holy Spirit. We are not going to heaven without it.
We must be willing to be led by the Spirit. Mark 1:12 says that the Holy Spirit came upon Christ and drove Him into the wilderness. He was out there with the beasts of the field in a wilderness area. How desirable would that be? But that was where the Spirit led Him, and that is where He was going to remain until He was told otherwise. Jesus could have died out there in the wilderness, on His fast. Do you realize that? He was right where the Holy Spirit led Him, and He would have stayed right there until the Holy Spirit led Him some where else. Are we willing to be led by the Spirit of God in any place, in any direction? “If all were willing, all would be filled with the Spirit.” Are we willing to be led by the Spirit of God? When we pray for the Holy Spirit, we better expect that things are going to happen in our lives. We better be ready to be convicted of sin; we better be ready to be led wherever the Holy Spirit leads us and to do what He impresses us through His Word to do.
Occupied with Minors
So what is the problem? The heart is not completely surrendered; the will has not been merged in God’s will; therefore, we are not filled. “Wherever the need of the Holy Spirit is a matter little thought of, there is seen spiritual drought, spiritual darkness, spiritual declension and death. Whenever minor matters occupy the attention, the divine power which is necessary for the growth and prosperity of the church, and which would bring all other blessings in its train, is lacking, though offered in infinite plentitude.”
Are we in spiritual drought, darkness, declension and death? Do minor matters occupy our minds, or do we have the eternal reality of what is ahead of us? If minor matters are occupying our minds, the Holy Spirit cannot enter.
Persistently Pray
We must be praying. Ellen White wrote, “Why do we not hunger and thirst for the gift of the Spirit?” The Acts of the Apostles, 50. “For the baptism of the Spirit every worker should be pleading with God. Companies should be gathered together to ask for special help, for heavenly wisdom, that they may know how to plan and execute wisely.” Testimonies, vol. 8, 22. Is not the Spirit of God to come today in answer to earnest, persevering prayer and fill men with power for service? Why then is the church so weak? Because we are not asking, pleading, persevering for the Holy Spirit. If we want to be led by the Spirit, we must persistently ask. (See Luke 11:1–13.) We have to stay upon our knees until we receive the promised blessing. We are not going to receive the Holy Spirit if we are spending two minutes on our knees then getting up and going about our duties. We have to spend quality time with the Lord.
“By your fervent prayers of faith you can move the arm that moves the world.” The Adventist Home, 264. That is a wonderful promise. “We should pray as earnestly for the descent of the Holy Spirit as the disciples prayed on the day of Pentecost. If they needed it at that time, we need it more today.” Testimonies, vol. 5, 158. We must be persistent in our asking.
We Must Gain Victory
Self must be laid aside. In Steps to Christ, 43, we are told that the fight against self will be our greatest battle, but it must be overcome. “There is no limit to the usefulness of one who, putting self aside, makes room for the working of the Holy Spirit upon his heart and lives a life wholly consecrated to God.” The Ministry of Healing, 159. Have we set self aside? Self must be dead.
“I am crucified with Christ.” Galatians 2:20. We must be crucified, cleansed from sin and selfishness. “I saw that none could share the ‘refreshing’ unless they obtain the victory over every besetment, over pride, selfishness, love of the world, and over every wrong word and action. We should, therefore, be drawing nearer and nearer to the Lord and be earnestly seeking that preparation necessary to enable us to stand in the battle in the day of the Lord. Let all remember that God is holy and that none but holy beings can ever dwell in His presence.” Early Writings, 71. Are we gaining the victory over self, over our besetting sins? We will never know that we have a besetting sin if we do not take time to examine ourselves.
We do not really know ourselves, and the Bible says that we need to examine ourselves (11 Corinthians 5), and if we do not find anything, then we are to go to the Lord, like David said in Psalm 139:23, 24: “Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts: And see if [there be any] wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.” We need to ask the Lord to show us the defects in our characters to which we may be blind. We have to gain the victory over every besetment of sin through God’s grace and power.
Is our pride dead? We fight with our pride all of the time. We get offended; we do not like what someone says to us; they look a little odd at us—and our pride wells up. When pride gets control of our lives, there can only be strife, dissension, and every evil work. We need to start claiming the promise that says, “Great peace have they which love thy law: and nothing shall offend them.” Psalm 119:165. Our pride and selfishness, our love of the world must be dead.
David prayed, Lord, guard the door of my lips. (Psalm 141:3.) We must ask the Lord to guard the door of our lips and give us pure motives. When evil-speaking happens, it occurs in the mind first, and we have to ask the Lord to help us with that.
If money-making is our main goal in this life, if the things of this world are eclipsing our view of Christ, we better come back to the cross, pick it up, and deny ourselves and follow Him. (See Matthew 16:24; Mark 8:34; Luke 9:23.) If we are not spending time in prayer and Bible study and self-examination, if we are getting up in the morning and all we have on our minds is what the day holds as far as worldly attainments for us, we have lost our focus. We better ask the Lord to help us get our focus on His Word every morning, seeking first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, then everything else will be added unto us. (See Matthew 6:33.) That is the promise. We must take the time; we must have victory over every wrong word, motive, and action.
Active Witnesses
We must be active witnesses if we are going to receive the Holy Spirit. Do not think that when the latter rain power comes that you will then automatically know how to win souls for Christ. That will not happen, because you have already proved yourself unfaithful and have not qualified yourself for the duty that God has given.
When we have an entire, whole-hearted consecration for the service of Christ, God will recognize the fact by an out-pouring of His Spirit without measure. But this will not occur while the largest portion of the church are not laborers together with God. (See Review and Herald, July 21, 1896.) Yes, we can hold our banner high, stating that we are the commandment-keeping people of God. We can go to church every single Sabbath and think that we are in harmony with God, but nothing will ever happen. We will die within the church.
Qualify for Service
We must qualify ourselves. “How few have qualified themselves in the science of saving souls! How few understand the work that should be done in building up the church, in communicating light to those who sit in darkness.” Review and Herald, February 14, 1893.
How do we qualify ourselves? We get trained, and then we use the training we have learned. If we are not using it, it is slowly dying. All vain thoughts must be put away. In 11 Corinthians 10:5, 6, we are told, “Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ; And having in a readiness to revenge all disobedience, when your obedience is fulfilled.” “The soul of the prophet [John the Baptist], emptied of self, was filled with the light of the divine. . . . Christ could say, ‘I seek not Mine own will, but the will of the Father which hath sent Me.’ John 5:30. To Him it is declared, ‘Thou hast loved righteousness, and hated iniquity; therefore God, even Thy God, hath anointed Thee with the oil of gladness above Thy fellows.’ Hebrews 1:9. The Father ‘giveth not the Spirit by measure unto Him.’ [John 3:34.] So with the followers of Christ. We can receive of heaven’s light only as we are willing to be emptied of self. We cannot discern the character of God, or accept Christ by faith, unless we consent to the bringing into captivity of every thought to the obedience of Christ. To all who do this the Holy Spirit is given without measure.” The Desire of Ages, 180. We may have all of our theology right, but unless we consent to be under the direction of the Holy Spirit and bring every thought into captivity to Him, we cannot even discern the character of God.
“The descent of the Holy Spirit upon the church is looked forward to as in the future; but it is the privilege of the church to have it now. Seek for it, pray for it, believe for it. We must have it, and Heaven is waiting to bestow it.” Review and Herald, March 19, 1895.
Mike Bauler pastors the Historic Message Church in Portland, Oregon. He may be contacted by e-mail at: mbauler@molalla.net.
Where God Is Working
The third chapter of 1 Corinthians is rapidly becoming one of my favorite books in the New Testament. It is really one of the great books in the Bible about who and what the church is. Verse 2 of the first chapter says, “To the church of God which is at Corinth, to those who are sanctified in Christ Jesus . . . .” We see that the church in Corinth were those people in that city who were sanctified in Christ Jesus.
One of the most astounding verses in the entire Bible is found in the third chapter. In fact, verse 9 was the verse that my brother Marshall used for his very last sermon. It says, “For we are God’s fellow workers.”
If you study the Spirit of Prophecy writings carefully, you will find out that this was one of Ellen White’s favorite verses and that she used it over and over again to show how we become workers together with God. There is no higher privilege that any person could have than to actually be a fellow laborer, a fellow worker with God!
Where Is God Working?
If you want to be a fellow worker with God, do you think it might be important for you to find out where God is working? Ever since the beginning of time, God has been working. The inspired writings always focus the attention on where God is working.
When I studied ancient history, I found out that there were many things going on during Abraham’s time, but inspiration does not go into any of that. It focuses all the attention on where God is working. If you want to be a fellow worker with God, you need to find out where God is working.
Even though Adam had many children, inspiration focuses only on a holy line of men through whom God was working. Seth had a son named Enos, and in his time, the Bible says that men began to call on the name of the Lord. That is where God was working. Then, in the seventh generation from Adam, Enoch was born. That is where God was working, and the people who chose to be fellow workers with God worked in cooperation with Enoch. After Enoch, there was Noah, and if you had been living in Noah’s time and you wanted to be a fellow worker with God, you would have been working with Noah.
By the time there had been 20 generations, the whole world had already rejected God twice. God looked over the world, and he found a man whose name was Abraham. He said to Abraham, “I am going to fulfill the plan of salvation through you and through your seed [Christ].” (See Genesis 12:3, 7; Galatians 3:8, 16.)
Conditional Promises
As you study the Bible record, you will find a certain characteristic in common among all those through whom God was working. In speaking of Abraham, God clearly identified what it is that qualifies a person to be a co-laborer with Him. “Abraham obeyed My voice and kept My charge, My commandments, My statutes, and My laws.” Genesis 26:5. Abraham was obedient.
At the time that God brought the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt, He made them a wonderful promise: “Now therefore, if you will indeed obey My voice and keep My covenant, then you shall be a special treasure to Me above all people; for all the earth [is] Mine.” Exodus 19:5.
Did this promise have conditions? God made a covenant with them. He said, “If you do this, I will do this for you; you will be My special people.” There have always been conditions.
Have you ever heard people say that there are unconditional promises? I decided to check this out in inspired writings, and when I looked in the writings of Ellen White, she says that all of God’s promises and threatenings are conditional. (See Evangelism, 695.) Do not let anyone tell you, unless they can show you from inspired writings, that any promise is unconditional.
Consequences of Disobedience
Israel wandered in the wilderness for 38 years longer than they had to because they were not obedient, and they rebelled. Finally, when they entered Canaan, they went into apostasy again and started worshiping idols. This went on for hundreds of years. During this time, the tabernacle was still with them, and they kept the yearly feast days.
Do you know where the tabernacle was located during all the period of the judges? It was located in Shiloh, in the land of Ephraim. Many people have almost forgotten that Ephraim was the center of divine worship for over three hundred years. The people of that time thought that it would always be that way. Look what it says about this in the Psalms. “Moreover He rejected the tent of Joseph, And did not choose the tribe of Ephraim, But chose the tribe of Judah, Mount Zion which He loved.” Psalm 78:67, 68.
Why did God reject Ephraim and remove the tabernacle from Shiloh? “The ark remained at Shiloh for three hundred years, until, because of the sins of Eli’s house, it fell into the hands of the Philistines, and Shiloh was ruined.” Patriarchs and Prophets, 514
The leaders of God’s people fell into apsotasy and sin. As a result, the Lord told Eli, “You are not going to be a priest for Me. Your descendants are not going to be My priests forever.”
They were descendants of Aaron—God’s people, but the Lord said, “You are no longer going to be priests.” He rejected Ephraim as the religious center—something that they thought could not happen, happened. “The sanctuary service was finally transferred to the temple at Jerusalem, and Shiloh fell into insignificance. There are only ruins to mark the spot where it once stood. Long afterward its fate was made use of as a warning to Jerusalem.” Ibid.
A few hundred years later the people of Jerusalem thought the same thing. The temple there was the center of divine worship, and they believed that this was where God was working. Hundreds of years after the worship had been transferred from Shiloh, the Lord, through Jeremiah, said: “ ‘Will you steal, murder, commit adultery, swear falsely, burn incense to Baal, and walk after other gods whom you do not know, and [then] come and stand before Me in this house which is called by My name, and say, “We are delivered to do all these abominations”? Has this house, which is called by My name, become a den of thieves in your eyes? Behold, I, even I, have seen [it],’ says the Lord. ‘But go now to My place which [was] in Shiloh, where I set My name at the first, and see what I did to it because of the wickedness of My people Israel. And now, because you have done all these works,’ says the Lord, ‘and I spoke to you, rising up early and speaking, but you did not hear, and I called you, but you did not answer, therefore I will do to the house which is called by My name, in which you trust, and to this place which I gave to you and your fathers, as I have done to Shiloh. And I will cast you out of My sight, as I have cast out all your brethren—the whole posterity of Ephraim.’ ” Jeremiah 7:9–15.
As you look at history, you see that God cannot work with people who are living in sin. If you want to be a fellow worker with God, you cannot link up and work with people who are living and working in sin. With God, character is what counts, and God is working with people who listen to His voice and who obey.
We are told of Israel: “Their calamities did not come because they kept the law of God, but because they disregarded that law. God had told them that if they did not obey His commandments, He could not keep His covenant with them. The history of the Israelites is portrayed for our warning. They had great light and exalted privileges; yet they did not live up to that light nor appreciate their advantages, and their light became darkness. They walked in the light of their own eyes, instead of following the leadings of God. Their history is given for the benefit of those who live in these last days, that we may avoid following the same example of unbelief.” The Signs of the Times, July 19, 1899.
Working Through His Son
Where was God working in the time of Jesus? When Jesus was brought to the temple to be dedicated, Ellen White says that the priest did not recognize anything unusual. Commenting on this experience, she says, “So it is still. Events upon which the attention of all heaven is centered are undiscerned, their very occurrence is unnoticed, by religious leaders, and worshipers in the house of God.” The Desire of Ages, 56.
The attention of all heaven was focused on Christ’s birth! And down here in this world the people who claimed to be God’s true people did not even know it had taken place. How could you be a laborer together with God if you did not even know where God was working?
So, during the time when Jesus was here, where was God working? God was working through His Son to bring salvation to a lost world. If you had wanted to be a laborer together with God, you had to connect yourself with Jesus and work with Him.
Be Not Deceived
The New Testament writers predict that a terrible change is going to take place among those who profess to be Christians. Paul speaks, addressing the elders from the church of Ephesus: “Therefore take heed to yourselves and to all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood. For I know this, that after my departure savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock. Also from among yourselves [church leaders] men will rise up, speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after themselves.” Acts 20:28–30.
Speaking of this same great apostasy, Paul wrote: “Let no one deceive you by any means; for [that Day (the day of Christ) will not come] unless the falling away comes first, and the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition, who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God or that is worshiped, so that he sits as God in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God.” 11 Thessalonians 2:3, 4.
Peter talked about this apostasy, too. “But there were also false prophets among the people, even as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Lord who bought them, [and] bring on themselves swift destruction. And many will follow their destructive ways, because of whom the way of truth will be blasphemed.” 11 Peter 2:1, 2. [Emphasis supplied.] The word blasphemy means to speak evil of something. As a result of this new teaching, the real way of truth will be evil spoken of.
Notice that both Peter and Paul say that false prophets will secretly bring in destructive heresies. Whenever you find a book that is written to which the authors do not want to put their name, you ought to remember these texts.
Paul identifies this element as the mystery of lawlessness. This apostasy will, therefore, involve the breaking of God’s law and result in the way of truth being evil spoken of. Did this happen?
Keeping His Law
“The history of God’s people during the ages of darkness that followed upon Rome’s supremacy is written in heaven, but they have little place in human records. Few traces of their existence can be found, except in the accusations of their persecutors. It was the policy of Rome to obliterate every trace of dissent from her doctrines or decrees. Everything heretical, whether persons or writings, she sought to destroy. . . . Before the invention of printing, books were few in number, and in a form not favorable for preservation; therefore there was little to prevent the Romanists from carrying out their purpose.” The Great Controversy, 61, 62.
If you were living in that time and you wanted to be a fellow worker with God, it made all the difference in the world whether or not you understood that God was working with people who were keeping His Law. If you did not understand this principle, you could not be a fellow laborer with God. Do you realize, friends, that there have been millions of people who have believed that they were working with the Lord but who were working with the devil the whole time?
We find that all of the sixteenth century Reformers upheld God’s Law. They did not all understand the binding claims of the fourth commandment, but they did not reject it. There is a great difference between not understanding truth and rejecting it. Martin Luther preached a great deal on the Ten Commandments and believed in them. God was leading a people on step by step.
Today’s Work
When you study sacred history, you find that in the latter part of the eighteenth century and the early part of the nineteenth century, simultaneously, all over the world, God started raising up people from all the various Christian churches with the message that Jesus was coming soon. The great second advent movement emerged. We are not able in our limited space here to go into detail about what happened in the second advent movement, but out of that movement there was a group of people that eventually formed who were called Millerites, Adventists, and later Seventh-day Adventists.
As this group studied, they discovered the messages of the three angels of Revelation 14. Having learned the meaning of the sanctuary message in the books of Hebrews and Daniel, they realized that the Day of Judgment was to begin on October 22, 1844. This is not a message that the apostle Paul preached, because it would not have been true during his lifetime. The apostle Paul taught that the judgment was still in the future. (See Acts 24:25.) Martin Luther did not preach it either. But here is a message that the hour of God’s judgment has come. You cannot preach that the hour of God’s judgment has come unless you know it has started. But how do we know for sure that it has started? There is only one way that I know of that we know that the hour of God’s judgment has started and that is from Daniel 8 and 9.
Now, do you understand why the devil has made our understanding of Daniel 8 and 9 a focal point of attack? If he can destroy a person’s confidence in that truth, that person can no longer preach the first angel’s message. And remember, the second and third angels’ messages are built upon the first. You cannot preach the third unless you preach the second, and you cannot preach the second unless you preach the first. And if you do not understand Daniel 8:14 about the 2300 days, you are no longer a Seventh-day Adventist.
Where is God working today? God is working today with the people who are proclaiming the Three Angels’ Messages. That is where God is working today. If you want to be a fellow laborer with God today, you have to join up with the people who are doing this.
Let me ask you this question. How can you preach the second angel’s message if you do not know who Babylon is according to Revelation 18:1–5? In order to be a fellow laborer with God today, you have to know this message.
The third angel’s message is a warning against the beast, his image, and his mark. Notice how the message concludes. “Here is the patience of the saints; here [are] those who keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus.” Revelation 14:12. If you are not even sure that you can really keep the commandments of God, how can you be a fellow laborer with God and preach Revelation 14:12? Have you noticed that it does not say that here are those who are trying to keep the commandments? It says they keep them. You cannot be a fellow laborer with God and be involved in His last work for the world if you cannot proclaim the message, and you certainly cannot proclaim the message if you do not believe it is true. Do you see how dangerous this idea is when people say that you are going to keep sinning until Jesus comes?
If you want to know where God is working, the first thing you want to look for is a group of Seventh-day Adventists who really keep the commandments and do not play around and say, “Well, we are doing the best we can.” Listen, friends, the best you can do is not good enough, unless you are keeping the commandments by the power of God. If you give your life to the Lord, He has the power to give you so that you can keep them. If you fail to keep them, when Jesus comes He will be able to show you millions of people who had the same besetting sins that you had, and He will say, “I gave all of these people power to overcome.” What are you going to say then? I want to tell you, you are going to be speechless.
Four Characteristics
The people described in Revelation 12:17 not only keep the commandments but they have the testimony of Jesus. Revelation 19:10 says that the testimony of Jesus is the Spirit of Prophecy. Seventh-day Adventists believe that Ellen White fulfilled this prophecy of giving the gift of prophecy to God’s remnant people. If you want to find the people who God is working through, you want to look for a people who have, believe, and obey the Spirit of Prophecy. That eliminates the large portion of those who make a profession of waiting for the Lord to come.
Revelation 14:12 points out that God’s people not only keep the commandments but they have the faith of Jesus. You will never find somebody who has the first qualification and does not have the third one, because you cannot keep the commandments unless you do have the faith of Jesus. People who have the faith of Jesus will be a sanctified people.
There is another characteristic that, unfortunately, disqualifies many that qualify according to the first three characteristics. Revelation 14:6 tells us that God’s last people will be giving His last message to the world. “Then I saw another angel flying in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach to those who dwell on the earth—to every nation, tribe, tongue, and people.” If you want to find the people through whom God is working and if you want to be a fellow laborer with God, you need to find the people who are determined to take the Three Angels’ Messages to every single person in the world.
When you find those people, you will know what group to work with; you will know how to be a co-laborer with God, because that is where God is working. He is working with the people who have these four characteristics: they keep his commandments; they have the spirit of prophecy and live by it; they have the faith of Jesus; and they are taking the gospel to every single person in the whole world.
No Halfway Business
The catastrophe that I see taking place in Adventism today is that the great majority of Adventists are going to destruction, and when I try to warn them, they say, “You say that we are in total apostasy.” Looking at the destruction of Jerusalem, we get just a little idea of what is ahead for Adventism. The only way that you are going to avoid being part of that destruction is if you are a coworker with God, working where God is working, obedient to His Law.
The gospel is not a halfway business. Either you have to get into it all the way, or you might as well get out. Soon time will be no more, and when it is all over, I want to know that I have given it everything I have. I want all of my money, my time, my talents, everything I have, to be used in the finishing of God’s work. How about you?
This article is reprinted from LandMarks, January 1994.
Pastor Grosboll is Director of Steps to Life Ministry and pastors the Prairie Meadows Church in Wichita, Kansas. He may be contacted by e-mail at: historic@stepstolife.org or by telephone at: 316-788-5559.
Editorial – What are you doing today? Part II
Last month I began a list of things each of us can begin to do today for the Lord. The list continues this month with action number five.
5 Contact your fellow church members about supporting missionaries and mission work.
“Why should not the members of a church, or of several small churches, unite to sustain a missionary in foreign fields? If they will deny themselves, they can do this. My brethren and sisters, will you not help in this great work? I beseech you to do something for Christ, and do it now.
“God will put His Spirit upon those who will do something, and do it now.” (Australasian) Union Conference Record, July 21, 1899.
6 Be faithful in the responsibilities God has allowed to come your way today.
“Steady progress in a good work, the frequent repetition of one kind of faithful service, is of more value in God’s sight than the doing of some great work, and wins for His children a good report. . . .
“Do something; do it now. Remember that the angel bearing the closing message of mercy to this world flies swiftly.” Bible Training School, March 1, 1912.
7 Reach for the hand that needs your help.
“Oh, why not go to the wounded sheep, and bind up their bruises, and lead them to the Healer and the Shepherd of souls? Why not bind these weak ones by the cords of love and sympathy to your hearts, and make it hard for them to fall from their steadfastness, instead of pushing them away from you by evil surmising and evil speaking? Why not be a co-worker with Christ? Why not stand ready to grasp the hand that is stretched out for your help? Here are souls that are to be saved, and how earnestly you should labor for their salvation. This work has been long neglected. Why not do it now in the fear of the Master? Seek the lost, gather in the weak ones, help them by your faith and love, that they may gain victory after victory, and that where they are feeble they may become strong and whole.” The Signs of the Times, April 1, 1889.
8 Decide today to go forward.
“Elder _____’s mind must grow with the work, or he must be replaced by some one who will take a more extensive view of what needs to be done to warn the world. Do something, do it now. Let the pull-back principle go, and the go-forward principle come in. The angel with the third message flies swiftly.” The Paulson Collection of Ellen G. White Letters, 379.
“Our time for work is short. We have not a moment to lose. Let us do something for Christ, and do it now.” Review and Herald, December 17, 1901.
“In the name of the Lord, I call upon my brethren to do something to strengthen the publishing interests and to help establish other lines of work in the South, and to do it now. Soon it will be too late to do anything. Soon our opportunities to work will have passed by forever. The plagues of God are already beginning to be poured out upon the earth. The evidences before us indicate that God’s Spirit is being withdrawn from the earth. Only a little while longer shall we be permitted to labor, and then in heaven it will be said, ‘It is done.’ ‘He that is unjust, let him be unjust still: and he which is filthy, let him be filthy still: and he that is righteous, let him be righteous still: and he that is holy, let him be holy still.’ ” Ibid., May 27, 1902.