Question & Answer – Why did Jesus choose Judas, of all people, to be one of his disciples?

Judas was not one who Jesus personally called to be a disciple. He had called the others and was instructing them of the work that was to be before them and preparing them for ordination when Judas urged himself to be part of the inner circle. He made great profession of devotion to Jesus and proposed to become one of His disciples, even insisting that he was willing to follow Him wherever He went (Matthew 8:19). Christ knew that Judas was possessed of the demon of selfishness and his main object in seeking a connection with Christ was to obtain temporal advantages through Him. Jesus referenced His own poverty, contrasting His condition of having nowhere even to lay His head with the foxes that had holes and the birds that had nests.

This “was designed to cut off any hope Judas might cherish of securing earthly gain by becoming a follower of Christ. Judas was a man of acknowledged executive ability, and possessed of no small influence. For these reasons the disciples were anxious that he should form one of their number. They commended him in the highest terms to Jesus, as one who would greatly assist him in his work. They were therefore surprised that He received him so coolly; but the Saviour read the heart of Judas, and knew, even then, the part he was to act in his future betrayal and execution. Still, Jesus wished to connect this man with Himself, that he might learn his divine mission, and gain moral strength to overcome the defects in his character, and experience an entire change of heart that would ensure his salvation.” The Spirit of Prophecy, vol. 2, 202, 203.

Unfortunately for Judas, he held on to his selfish nature and his carnal heart was never broken to realize the love that had been offered to him. He was covetous; he loved money. Jesus “kept him by His side, where He could counteract the influence that he might exert against His work.” The Review and Herald, May 12, 1903.

Though Judas had a strong love for money, he was not always corrupt enough to do such a deed but he had fostered the evil spirit of avarice until it had become the ruling motive of his life and he eventually sold his Lord for thirty pieces of silver (see Matthew 26:15). The money did him no good.

“The history of Judas presents the sad ending of a life that might have been honored of God.” Conflict and Courage, 317.

Inspiration – The Day of the Lord at Hand

We are near the close of time. I have been shown that the retributive judgments of God are already in the land. The Lord has given us warning of the events about to take place. Light is shining from His word; yet darkness covers the earth, and gross darkness the people (Isaiah 60:2). “When they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them; … and they shall not escape” (I Thessalonians 5:3).

The children of light are scattered among the children of darkness, that the contrast may be seen by all. Thus are the children of God to “show forth the praises of Him Who hath called you out of darkness into His marvelous light” (I Peter 2:9). The divine love glowing in the heart, the Christ like harmony manifested in the life, will be as a glimpse of heaven granted to men of the world that they may see and appreciate its excellence.

Like will attract like. Those who are drinking from the same fountain of blessing will draw nearer together. Truth dwelling in the hearts of believers will lead to blessed and happy assimilation. Thus will be answered the prayer of Christ that His disciples might be one even as He is one with the Father. For this oneness every truly converted heart will be striving.

With the ungodly there will be a deceptive harmony that but partially conceals a perpetual discord. In their opposition to the will and the truth of God they are united, while on every other point they are rent with hatred, emulation, jealousy, and deadly strife.

The pure and the base metal are now so mingled that only the discerning eye of the infinite God can with certainty distinguish between them. But the moral magnet of holiness and truth will attract together the pure metal, while it will repel the base and counterfeit. …

That evil servant who said in his heart, “My Lord delayeth His coming” (Matthew 24:48), professed to be waiting for Christ. He was a “servant,” outwardly devoted to the service of God while at heart he had yielded to Satan. He does not, like the scoffer, openly deny the truth, but reveals in his life the sentiment of the heart—that the Lord’s coming is delayed. Presumption renders him careless of eternal interests. He accepts the world’s maxims and conforms to its customs and practices. Selfishness, worldly pride, and ambitions predominate. Fearing that his brethren may stand higher than himself, he begins to disparage their efforts and impugn their motives. Thus he smites his fellow servants. As he alienates himself from the people of God he unites more and more with the ungodly. He is found eating and drinking “with the drunken” (Matthew 24:49)—joining with worldlings and partaking of their spirit. Thus he is lulled into a carnal security and overcome by forgetfulness, indifference, and sloth.

The very beginning of the evil was a neglect of watchfulness and secret prayer, then came a neglect of other religious duties, and thus the way was opened for all the sins that followed. Every Christian will be assailed by the allurements of the world, the clamors of the carnal nature, and the direct temptations of Satan. No one is safe. No matter what our experience has been, no matter how high our station, we need to watch and pray continually. We must be daily controlled by the Spirit of God or we are controlled by Satan.

The Saviour’s instructions to His disciples were given for the benefit of His followers in every age. He had those in view who were living near the close of time, when He said: “Take heed to yourselves” (Luke 21:34). It is our work, each for himself, to cherish in the heart the precious graces of the Holy Spirit. …

Actions reveal principles and motives. The fruit borne by many who claim to be plants in the Lord’s vineyard shows them to be but thorns and briers. A whole church may sanction the wrong course of some of its members, but that sanction does not prove the wrong to be right. It cannot make grapes of thorn berries. …

Many who should stand firm for righteousness and truth have manifested weakness and indecision that have encouraged the assaults of Satan. Those who fail to grow in grace, not seeking to reach the highest standard in divine attainments, will be overcome.

This world is to the Christian a land of strangers and enemies. Unless he shall take for his defense the divine panoply and wield the sword of the Spirit he will become the prey of the powers of darkness. The faith of all will be tested. All will be tried as gold is tried in the fire. …

Oh, what can I say to open blind eyes, to enlighten the spiritual understanding! Sin must be crucified. A complete moral renovation must be wrought by the Holy Spirit. We must have the love of God, with living, abiding faith. This is the gold tried in the fire. We can obtain it only of Christ. Every sincere and earnest seeker will become a partaker of the divine nature. His soul will be filled with intense longing to know the fullness of that love which passes knowledge; as he advances in the divine life he will be better able to grasp the elevated, ennobling truths of the word of God, until by beholding he becomes changed and is enabled to reflect the likeness of his Redeemer.

Excerpts from Testimonies, vol. 5, 99–105.

Keys to the Storehouse – Go Forward–Never Backward

Many times in our busy lives we forget about Lot’s wife, who also was very busy—so busy that her affections, instead of being directed toward God, were tied with silken cords of affection to people and things.

“The angels of God visited Sodom to bring forth Lot that he should not perish in the overthrow of the city. They bade him bring his family, his wife, and the sons and daughters who had married in wicked Sodom, and they told him to flee from the place …

“And Lot went out and warned his children. … But he seemed to his sons-in-law as one who mocked. … They had great possessions, and could not believe it possible that beautiful Sodom, in a rich and fertile country, would be destroyed by the wrath of a sin-avenging God.

“Lot returned sorrowfully to the angels, and repeated the story of his failure. Then the angels commanded him to arise, and take his wife, and the two daughters who were yet in his house and leave the city. But Lot was sad; the thought of leaving his children and his wife, for she refused to go without them, almost broke his heart. They would all have perished in the terrible ruin of Sodom, had not the Lord, in His great mercy, sent his angels to the rescue.

“Lot was paralyzed by the great calamity about to occur; he was stupefied with grief at the thought of leaving all that he held dear on earth. But as he lingered, the angels of God laid hold upon his hand, and the hands of his wife and two daughters, and brought them out of the city …

“Lot pleaded to remain; he distrusted God. Living in the wicked city had weakened his faith and confidence in the justice of the Lord. … He was continually pleading for himself, and this unbelief caused the destruction of his wife.

“She looked back to Sodom, murmuring against the dealings of God, and was changed to a pillar of salt, that she might stand as a warning to all those who disregard the special mercies and providences of Heaven. After this terrible retribution, Lot no longer dared to linger by the way, but fled into the mountains, according to the directions of the angels.

“The case of Lot should be a warning to all those who wish to live a godly life, to separate themselves from all influences calculated to lead them away from God” (see Genesis 19). The Review and Herald, November 14, 1882. [Emphasis added.]

Though Lot’s wife was led out of the city by angels, the city was still in her heart. As she longed for that which she had left behind, she looked back one last time and it cost her her life. Would you, like Lot, be stupefied with grief or look back as did his wife leaving behind your possessions at the command of the Lord? Ask God to search your heart right now. Pray: “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.” Psalm 139:23, 24.

Remember Lot’s wife. Go forward!

“There can be no compromise between God and the world, no turning back to secure earthly treasures.” Patriarchs and Prophets, 167.

Heavenly Father: You have said to me: “If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above … Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth. For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God.” Colossians 3:1–3. Give me strength to look forward toward heaven and not back to the things of this earth. Amen.

A Real Déjà Vu

Perhaps at some time we have all experienced a feeling of being in a familiar place, or going through the exact scenario that we have gone through before, or beholding for the first time a situation that we have already seen. Psychologists term this phenomenon, the experience of perceiving a new situation as if it had already occurred, déjà vu. Déjà vu is a French term that literally means already seen.

While déjà vu may be an illusion or a strong sense of familiarity, there is a real déjà vu that the church of God is now experiencing and is not a figment of one’s imagination. In Ecclesiastes 1:9 we are told: “The thing that hath been, it is that which shall be; and that which is done is that which shall be done: and there is no new thing under the sun.” The thing that has been in the past is that which shall be in the future. The technical word for this is a parallel. The prophet of God tells us, “The trials of the children of Israel, and their attitude just before the first coming of Christ, have been presented before me again and again to illustrate the position of the people of God in their experience before the second coming of Christ—how the enemy sought every occasion to take control of the minds of the Jews, and today he is seeking to blind the minds of God’s servants, that they may not be able to discern the precious truth.” Selected Messages, Book 1, 406.

When God repeats something to you it is significant. The trials and the attitudes of the people of God before the first coming of Christ will be experienced before the second coming of Christ. Those things that have been shall be again.

What was the attitude of the church structure toward Jesus and His ministry? At the first Passover Jesus cleansed the temple of all the profanation that was conducted there. Then at the second Passover, He tried to appeal to the Jewish leaders but received a certain attitude and response. John chapter 5 verse 16 says, “And therefore did the Jews persecute Jesus and sought to slay Him, because He had done these things on the Sabbath day.”

I have heard it said that even today if Christ were on earth to conduct His labors, many people would consider Him to be unchristlike. Yet He was the very Son of God, the Messiah Himself; but He was so hated by the Jews that they actually wanted to kill Him. He was considered an outcast, an outlaw, breaking their man-made traditions by healing the paralytic at the pool of Bethsaida on the Sabbath. Jesus deliberately chose that place and time to draw out the intentions of the Jewish leaders.

“In order to maintain their own power, these leaders determined to break down the influence of Jesus. His arraignment before the Sanhedrin, and an open condemnation of His teachings, would aid in effecting this; for the people still had great reverence for their religious leaders.” The Desire of Ages, 205. They wanted to maintain their own power and not lose their positions and authority.

The Bible is clear about where their inspiration came from. Jesus Himself said, “You are of your father, the devil.” John 8:44 NASB. Inspiration magnifies this in The Desire of Ages, 205: “But the plans which these rabbis were working so zealously to fulfill originated in another council than that of the Sanhedrin.”

We don’t take these things to heart like we should. As Seventh-day Adventists we think we are ready for heaven because we know the truth. But the prophet of God says that not all who profess to keep the Sabbath will be sealed. There are many, even among those who teach the truth to others, who will not receive the seal of God on their foreheads. They had the light of truth, they understood their Master’s will, understood every point of our faith, but they did not have corresponding works. So it’s not a matter of what we know; it is a matter of what we are doing with the knowledge we have.

The prophet goes on to say, “After Satan had failed to overcome Christ in the wilderness, he combined his forces to oppose Him in His ministry, and if possible to thwart His work. What he could not accomplish by direct, personal effort, he determined to effect by strategy. No sooner had he withdrawn from the conflict in the wilderness than in council with his confederate angels he matured his plans for still further blinding the minds of the Jewish people, that they might not recognize their Redeemer. He planned to work through his human agencies in the religious world, by imbuing them with his own enmity against the champion of truth. He would lead them to reject Christ and to make His life as bitter as possible, hoping to discourage Him in His mission. And the leaders in Israel became instruments of Satan in warring against the Saviour.” Ibid., 205, 206.

The things that have been, the things that were in the past with the leaders in the first advent, are being repeated today. “It is Satan’s plan to weaken the faith of God’s people in the Testimonies.” Testimonies, vol. 5, 672.

Satan is still aiming to fulfill that plan. “Next follows skepticism in regard to the vital points of our faith, the pillars of our position, then doubt as to the Holy Scriptures, and then the downward march to perdition. When the Testimonies, which were once believed, are doubted and given up, Satan knows the deceived ones will not stop at this; and he redoubles his efforts till he launches them into open rebellion, which becomes incurable and ends in destruction.” Ibid.

That statement was written in 1875, approximately 12 years after the church officially organized. Early in the experience of the remnant church, the devil was weaving himself in to cause division and souls to lose their faith. In 1879, the prophet said, “For years the Lord has been presenting the situation of the church before you. Again and again reproofs and warnings have been given. October 23, 1879, the Lord gave me a most impressive testimony in regard to the church in Battle Creek. … I had no confidence in the course which many were pursuing, for they were doing the very things which the Lord had warned them not to do.” Ibid., 63.

This laid the foundation for what occurred in 1888. In Testimonies, vol. 2, 441, we read, “Like ancient Israel (déjà vu!) the church has dishonored her God by departing from the light, neglecting her duties, and abusing her high and exalted privilege of being peculiar and holy in character. … and Christ has departed.”

“Many who have a form of godliness, whose names are on church books, have a spotted record in heaven. The recording angel has faithfully written their deeds.” The Review and Herald, May 5, 1885. In Testimonies, vol. 8, page 67, after that great disappointment in 1888, Ellen White said, “Jerusalem is a representation of what the church will be if it refuses to receive and walk in the light that God has given. Jerusalem was favored of God as the depositary of sacred trusts. But her people perverted the truth, and despised all entreaties and warnings.” That is what took place then and what is taking place now. People are not really studying the Bible and the Spirit of Prophecy as they should.

The truth is being perverted before our eyes and we don’t even recognize it. We are told: “Christ turned from them, saying, ‘O Jerusalem, Jerusalem,’ how can I give thee up? ‘How often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not’ (Matthew 23:37)!” Ibid. If He was sorrowing and weeping in 1898, how much more He must sorrow and weep today?

Year after year God appealed to His people warning them to get them on the right track but year after year they only got worse and after rejecting the many warnings their hearts became hardened. That was in 1898. “That these men should stand in a sacred place, to be as the voice of God to the people, as we once believed the General Conference to be—that is past. What we want now is reorganization. We want to begin at the foundation, and to build upon a different principle.” The General Conference Bulletin, April 3, 1901. It was attempted at that time to have that reorganization with A.G. Daniells being made the president, but two years later it was decided to discontinue the reform that was attempted in 1901.

“The enemy of souls has sought to bring in the supposition that a great reformation was to take place among Seventh-day Adventists, and that this reformation would consist in giving up the doctrines which stand as the pillars of our faith, and engaging in a process of reorganization. Were this reformation to take place, what would result? The principles of truth that God in His wisdom has given to the remnant church, would be discarded. Our religion would be changed. The fundamental principles that have sustained the work for the last fifty years would be accounted as error. A new organization would be established. Books of a new order would be written. A system of intellectual philosophy would be introduced. The founders of this system would go into the cities, and do a wonderful work. The Sabbath of course, would be lightly regarded, as also the God who created it.” Selected Messages, vol. 1, 204, 205.

What has happened in the past is happening today. In 1914, the year in which World War I commenced, Germany selected men to fight in the army, forcing these men to bear arms and to kill, even upon God’s holy day. G. F. Schubert, who was the president of the Eastern German Union of Seventh-day Adventists wrote to a minister of the war in Germany. He said, “At this time, even though we stand on the platform of the Holy Scriptures, and do our best to bring the principles of Christianity into our lives and thus observe the day of rest given by God, Saturday, and avoid any work on this day, we, nonetheless, consider ourselves obligated at the present serious military time, and under these circumstances to defend our fatherland with weapons in hand even on the Sabbath.” Letter from G. F. Schubert, President of the Eastern German Union of Seventh-day Adventists, to the Minister of Military Affairs at the Prussian Military Ministry of War in Berlin, Charlottenburg, August 4, 1914.

One of the things the prophet of God said would begin to take place is that our brethren would begin to lightly regard the Sabbath.

When the Jewish leaders in the days of Christ rejected Jesus, John wrote, “After these things Jesus went over the sea of Galilee, which is the sea of Tiberius. And a great multitude followed Him, because they saw His miracles which He did on them that were diseased. And Jesus went up into a mountain, and there He sat with His disciples.” John 6:1–3. This was after He was rejected in chapter 5 by the Jewish leadership. Here we find Him going over to Galilee, and it is here that Jesus has a following. More detail is provided in The Desire of Ages, 232: “The jealousy and distrust of the Jewish leaders had ripened into open hatred, and hearts of the people were turned away from Jesus.

“The Sanhedrin had rejected Christ’s message and was bent upon His death; therefore Jesus departed from Jerusalem [the church headquarters], from the priests, the temple, the religious leaders, the people who had been instructed in the law, and turned to another class to proclaim His message, and to gather out those who should carry the gospel to all nations.”

Because of the rejection of truth by the leaders, Jesus departed from the organized church and gathered a following that was independent of the organization. In other words, He had a little independent following. Now what happened to the independent movement in the days of Jesus? John 6:66 tells what happened: “From that time many of His disciples went back, and walked no more with Him.”

So we find that in the days of Jesus, even those whom you could call independent, who were called out, even they did not go all the way through. Even they turned back and walked no more with Christ. This is when Christ presented to them Who He was, the Bread that came down from heaven. Many of His disciples went back, unable to follow through with their conviction. He told them that if they eat of His flesh and drink of His blood, they would have eternal life (John 6:53). But these were truths that the people did not understand and they could not accept. As a result they turned away. This rejection took place among the people of God.

“When Jesus presented the testing truth [truth that weeded out the false] that caused so many of His disciples to turn back, He knew what would be the result of His words; but He had a purpose of mercy to fulfill.” The Desire of Ages, 394.

Notice in John 6:67: “Then said Jesus unto the twelve, Will ye also go away?” You see how small that movement became? And Jesus says, “Are you also going to turn back?” And then the answer comes from Peter in verse 68: “Lord, to whom shall we go? Thou hast the words of eternal life.”

The prophet of God explains the reason for the testing truth. She says, “He foresaw … His agony in Gethsemane, His betrayal and crucifixion, would be to them a most trying ordeal. … But Jesus brought about this crisis while by His personal presence He could still strengthen the faith of His true followers.

“Compassionate Redeemer, Who in the full knowledge of the doom that awaited Him, tenderly smoothed the way for the disciples, prepared them for their crowning trial, and strengthened them for the final test!” The Desire of Ages, 394.

This testing truth concerning the identity of Jesus was designed by God, not only to separate false followers from the true, but to prepare the true followers for the final test. There is a parallel of this in the Second Advent movement.

On February 2, 1902, the Battle Creek Sanitarium was burned to the ground. The repeated rejections of the entreaties and warnings of God led to judgment upon the work at the heart of the church. Later that same year in December, the Review and Herald publishing house was also destroyed by fire. So again another judgment was sent to God’s people to arouse and awaken them. I am afraid that we still have not been awakened.

In 1904, God decided to use brothers Magan and Sutherland to start an independent ministry that was not dependent upon the dictates of the conference. Concerning that ministry, the following council was given: “When my advice was asked in reference to the Madison school, I said, Remain as you are. There is danger in binding every working agency under the dictation of the conference. The Lord did not design that this should be.” She counseled: “Remain as you are.” Manuscript Releases, vol. 8, 202, 203.

Since 1904, there have arisen various ministries independent of the Seventh-day Adventist Church organization, some of which are supportive of it. Not only have there arisen various ministries independent of the conference, but various independent movements, including the Seventh-day Adventist Reform Movement in 1916, the True and Free Seventh-day Adventists, Davidian Seventh-day Adventists and their Branch Davidians, Seventh-day Adventist Kinship International, Sabbath Rest Advent Church, General Assembly of Free Seventh-day Adventists, International Association of Free Seventh-day Adventists, Creation Seventh-day Adventist Church, to mention just a few.

It is interesting that all these movements and ministries claim to believe in the Bible and the Spirit of Prophecy. They profess to believe present truth and teach present truth, but for some reason, when examining these various ministries and independent movements, we begin to realize the sad fact that what we see is that which is properly termed confusion. There is division, confusion and no unity and we wonder how could this be when all profess to believe in the same Bible and the Spirit of Prophecy. In many of these groups is seen a facade of godliness. All adhere to strict health-reform and uphold the Sabbath yet there is division, even among independents. The result of the independents in Jerusalem in the past will be repeated today. Being part of an independent ministry or movement is no guarantee that you will endure to the end and be saved.

Salvation is an individual thing; no one will be saved in a group. Just as the majority of Christ’s followers turned away from Him in Galilee, so will the majority of those who profess Adventism turn away from the truth concerning Christ, His mission and His priesthood. . (See The Kress Collection, 65, or Manuscript Releases, vol. 7, 174.)

We find the doctrine of the investigative judgment is often considered to be false, and the teaching that Christ is in the most holy place conducting the final work of the atonement is not being taught. Many preach that the atonement was done at the cross and all you have to do is come to Jesus and believe. There is no affliction of soul or of denying self. You can live as you want, continue in sin, and still have assurance of heaven because God loves you. This is not the movement that God originated but what it has degenerated into by whittling away at the foundation of truth.

Why is there a turning away from the truth that God once gave to His people? The prophet of God tells us why. “As the storm approaches, a large class who have professed faith in the third angel’s message, but have not been sanctified through obedience to the truth, abandon their position and join the ranks of the opposition.” The Great Controversy, 608. Notice it says “a large class.” Just as it was with the Jewish leaders, a large class rejected Jesus and even in Galilee among that independent group, a large class turned away. Why? They “have not been sanctified through obedience to the truth” … and “are going to abandon their position.”

Remember, Jesus, in Galilee, presented to the people a testing truth, many of whom, after they received that testing truth, turned back, and walked no more with Him. So it is with us. That testing truth was first to weed out the false followers, to separate the false from the true, and prepare the true followers for the final test. We know that every day we go through tests, but the prophet of God says, “The time is not far distant when the test will come to every soul. The mark of the beast will be urged upon us. Those who have step by step yielded to worldly demands and conformed to worldly customs will not find it a hard matter to yield to the powers that be, rather than to subject themselves to derision, insult, threatened imprisonment, and death.” Testimonies, vol. 5, 81.

The problem? Little by little they yielded to worldly demands. Step by step they conformed to worldly customs and as a result, they will find it easy to yield to the powers that be. They will not pass the testing truth prior to the great final test. And here we are, friends, thinking that the great, final test will be an easy matter. We must not yield to worldly demands. Many Christians are still watching things on television and listening to things that disturb and pollute the mind and are not getting ready for heaven. Many want to dress like the world and talk like the world, yielding step by step, compromising until they will find themselves leaving and turning back from Christ.

Belonging to a group will not save you. Salvation is an individual thing and each must have a personal and deep walk with Christ. Each must conduct a thorough heart search daily and surrender to the voice of the Spirit, rather than following personal inclination. “Consecrate yourself to God in the morning; make this your very first work. Let your prayer be, ‘Take me, O Lord, as wholly Thine. I lay all my plans at Thy feet. Use me today in Thy service. Abide with me, and let all my work be wrought in Thee.’ … Surrender all your plans to Him, to be carried out or given up as His providence should indicate.” Steps to Christ, 70.

Jesus said, “Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.” Matthew 7:13.

The prophet of God has magnified this for us. “Soon God’s people will be tested by fiery trials, and the great proportion of those who now appear to be genuine and true will prove to be base metal.” Testimonies, vol. 5, 136. “Today a large part of those who compose our congregations are dead in trespasses and sins. They come and go like the door upon its hinges. For years they have complacently listened to the most solemn, soul-stirring truths, but they have not put them in practice. Therefore they are less and less sensible of the preciousness of truth.” Testimonies, vol. 6, 426.

“God now calls upon you to repent, to be zealous in the work. Your eternal happiness will be determined by the course you now pursue. Can you reject the invitations of mercy now offered? Can you choose your own way? Will you cherish pride and vanity, and lose your soul at last? The word of God plainly tells us that few will be saved, and that the greater number of those, even, who are called will prove themselves unworthy of everlasting life. They will have no part in heaven, but will have their portion with Satan, and experience the second death.” Ibid., vol. 2, 293, 294.

“This work of preparation is an individual work. We are not saved in groups. The purity and devotion of one will not offset the want of these qualities in another. Each case must bear individual inspection. Each of us must be tested, and found without spot or wrinkle or any such thing.” The Signs of the Times, May 29, 1884.

Déjà vu! This has taken place in the past and will take place again in the future. It is not an illusion, a figment of our imagination; this is something that is real, an experience that is happening now. Understanding that separation from Christ is the cause of division and strife in families and churches, we must look to the only solution—union with Christ.

Let us be determined to be among that number who are saved, regardless of the temporal cost. Let us hold firm to Jesus Christ.

This article came from a sermon delivered by Demario Carter, a speaker at Steps to Life camp meeting in 2014.

Sunday Law

Did You Know? ‘Sunday Law’ barred people from working on Sunday.

We read the words of Jesus in Matthew 24:12: “And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold.” Iniquity is unrighteousness, the breaking of God’s law. Daily news reports tell us the iniquity is increasing.

The Great Controversy behind all worldly controversies is between Christ and Satan over the law of God. Prophecy tells us that the fourth commandment will be nullified by the United States. “When the final test shall be brought to bear upon men, then the line of distinction will be drawn between those who serve God and those who serve Him not. While the observance of the false sabbath in compliance with the law of the state, contrary to the fourth commandment, will be an avowal of allegiance to a power that is in opposition to God, the keeping of the true Sabbath, in obedience to God’s law, is an evidence of loyalty to the Creator. While one class, by accepting the sign of submission to earthly powers, receive the mark of the beast, the other choosing the token of allegiance to divine authority, receive the seal of God.” The Great Controversy, 605.

God’s people choose to obey all of His commandments and “… sin will become hateful to us.” The Desire of Ages, 668. “All true obedience comes from the heart. It was heart work with Christ. And if we consent, He will so identify Himself with our thoughts and aims, so blend our hearts and minds into conformity to His will, that when obeying Him we shall be but carrying out our own impulses. The will, refined and sanctified, will find its highest delight in doing His service. When we know God as it is our privilege to know Him, our life will be a life of continual obedience. Through an appreciation of the character of Christ, through communion with God, sin will become hateful to us.” Ibid.

The Ten Commandments define this “line of distinction” between those who serve and obey God and those who do not serve and obey Him, especially the commandment referring to the day of worship. Jesus tells us, “When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand:) Then let them which be in Judea flee, into the mountains.” Matthew 24:15, 16.

A decree will be issued against the people of God which will “… be very similar to that issued by Ahasuerus against the Jews in the time of Esther. The Persian edict sprang from the malice of Haman toward Mordecai. Not that Mordecai had done him harm, but he had refused to show him reverence which belongs only to God. The king’s decision against the Jews was secured under false pretenses through misrepresentation of that peculiar people. Satan instigated the scheme in order to rid the earth of those who preserved the knowledge of the true God. But his plots were defeated by a counterpower that reigns among the children of men. Angels that excel in strength were commissioned to protect the people of God, and the plots of their adversaries returned upon their own heads. The Protestant world today see in the little company keeping the Sabbath a Mordecai in the gate. His character and conduct, expressing reverence for the law of God, are a constant rebuke to those who have cast off the fear of the Lord and are trampling upon His Sabbath; the unwelcome intruder must by some means be put out of the way.

“The same masterful mind that plotted against the faithful in ages past is still seeking to rid the earth of those who fear God and obey His law. Satan will excite indignation against the humble minority who conscientiously refuse to accept popular customs and traditions. Men of position and reputation will join with the lawless and the vile to take counsel against the people of God. Wealth, genius, education, will combine to cover them with contempt. Persecuting rulers, ministers, and church members will conspire against them. With voice and pen, by boasts, threats, and ridicule, they will seek to overthrow their faith. By false representations and angry appeals they will stir up the passions of the people. Not having a “Thus saith the Scriptures” to bring against the advocates of the Bible Sabbath, they will resort to oppressive enactments to supply the lack. To secure popularity and patronage, legislators will yield to the demand for a Sunday law. Those who fear God cannot accept an institution that violates a precept of the Decalogue. On this battlefield comes the last great conflict of the controversy between truth and error. And we are not left in doubt as to the issue. Now, as in the days of Mordecai, the Lord will vindicate His truth and His people.

“By the decree enforcing the institution of the papacy in violation of the law of God, our nation will disconnect herself fully from righteousness. When Protestantism shall stretch her hand across the gulf to grasp the hand of the Roman power, when she shall reach over the abyss to clasp hands with spiritualism, when, under the influence of this threefold union, our country shall repudiate every principle of its Constitution as a Protestant and republican government, and shall make provision for the propagation of papal falsehoods and delusions, then we may know that the time has come for the marvelous working of Satan and that the end is near.

“As the approach of the Roman armies was a sign to the disciples of the impending destruction of Jerusalem, so may this apostasy be a sign to us that the limit of God’s forbearance is reached, that the measure of our nation’s iniquity is full, and that the angel of mercy is about to take her flight, never to return. The people of God will then be plunged into those scenes of affliction and distress which prophets have described as the time of Jacob’s trouble.” Testimonies, vol. 5, 450, 451.

“The Sunday movement is now making its way in darkness. The leaders are concealing the true issue, and many who unite in the movement do not themselves see whither the undercurrent is tending. Its professions are mild and apparently Christian, but when it shall speak it will reveal the spirit of the dragon. It is our duty to do all in our power to avert the threatened danger. We should endeavor to disarm prejudice by placing ourselves in a proper light before the people.” Ibid., 452.

The Sunday Law In La Crosse, Wisconsin

It is very interesting to read the history of the Sunday movement which took place in La Crosse, Wisconsin, my home town, in 1886, 129 years ago. From The Morning Chronicle of Friday, November 5, 1886, we read: “To the citizens of La Crosse: Notice is hereby given that the police force of this city have been instructed to strictly enforce the observance of the ‘Sunday Law,’ and they will hereafter arrest each and every person found violating said law, regardless of the nature of the business carried on. This in accordance with chapter 186, section 4595, revised statutes of Wisconsin, which reads as follows.

“ ‘Any person who shall keep open his shop, warehouse, or workshop, or shall do any manner of labor, business, or work, except only works of necessity and charity, or be present at any dancing or public diversion, show or entertainment, or take part in any sport, game or play, on that day of the week shall be punished by a fine of not exceeding ten ($10) dollars; and such day shall be understood to include the time between the midnight preceding and the midnight following said day. D. F. Powell, Mayor.’

“Mayor Powell informs The Chronicle that the above step has been rendered necessary by a notice served upon him by Lawyer Higbee, signed Thomas M. Rosse, W. D. Thomas, Gilbert Shepard, George W. Case., H. G. Miller, H. B.Smith and D. B. Cheny, Jr., who have ordered the mayor to prosecute twelve violators of the Sunday law, whose names are given in the notice. Mayor Powell says that he considers the Sunday law, as it now stands on the statute books, too contracted and indefinite for a progressive people. He hopes to convince the citizens of La Crosse by forcing them to obey it, that the Sunday law should be amended.

“Some people will say that the mayor has taken this step on account of some feeling over the late election, but this is not true. He states last Saturday night that he had been pressed very hard to enforce the Sunday law against saloons, and had made up his mind, first, not to discriminate against any class; and, second, to give the Sunday law in its entirety a fair trial from top to bottom, from beginning to end. It is stated on the streets that the chief of police has orders to swear in twenty-five extra policemen for service next Sunday, and to arrest every man who does any sort of labor, either for himself or any person or corporation.

“Police didn’t waste any time as shortly after [Saturday] midnight they made their first arrest, ordering the editor of the La Crosse Chronicle, Ellis B. Usher, to appear in court after employees were found working on that paper’s Sunday edition. Usher would not be alone in court. Others found violating the Sunday Law included street car drivers, mill workers, tannery workers, the superintendent of the gas works, the engineer of the electric light works, a porter and shoe shine boy from the Cameron House Hotel, [and] a ferry operator …”

And so, this is how the Sunday Law was enforced in La Crosse.

www.markofbeast.net/page3.htm gives the most recent updates of Sunday Law News. Here is an interesting quotation from another page entitled “Sunday – The Perfect Deception.” This is what a Protestant minister stated: “Great! I would welcome a Sunday law, so that we could have one day a week where we can rest. We need a day of rest.” So we can see how the world is divided into two classes; those who keep all of God’s commandments and those who keep only nine because they are convinced that the Sabbath has been changed from the seventh day to the first day of the week.

The mark of the beast is in the forehead or hand. Now apply this to the Sabbath. Exodus 20:8: “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy….” Where do we remember? In our foreheads (our minds). Exodus 20:9, 10: “Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work: But the seventh day is the sabbath of the Lord thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates.”

With what do we work? Our HANDS! Are you seeing this important truth? Those who make a free will decision in their minds to give their allegiance to the beast (the Roman Catholic Church) and keep their Sunday sabbath instead of “remembering” and keeping God’s seventh day Sabbath will receive the mark of the beast in their foreheads. Those who simply bow under economic pressure of not being able to “buy or sell” will receive the mark in their hand.

And just look at the state of the world today. Look at the economic troubles of the nations with unemployment and debt. Look at how people rely so much on the lifestyles they have built up— entertainment, food, having a good time. Satan is bringing about a position in this world where people will welcome the mark of the beast with open arms in order to continue buying and selling.

Do those who keep Sunday as Sabbath have the mark of the beast now? No, because Sunday needs to be enforced by law in order to become the mark. God still has many of His people within the Roman Catholic Church and the other fallen churches, and is calling His people out of these Sunday keeping churches. “And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues.” Revelation 18:4.

When the National Sunday Law is enforced in America and throughout the world, then we will have a big decision to make. Do we reject that law, no matter how bad it gets and keep God’s Law and receive His seal? Or do we accept the Sunday law of the Papal church and receive the beast’s mark? Friend, very soon we will all have a choice to make, and some are already making that choice, because Sunday laws have already been passed in certain places. No matter how much pressure you are put under, eternity is waiting for you if you just trust in God and keep His commandments, including the seventh day Sabbath commandment, and keep the faith of Jesus Christ.

Keep your eyes open to this truth and worship Him Who made the heavens, the earth, the sea, and all that is in them (see Revelation 14:7). Is there any significance to receiving the mark in the forehead or hand? Yes there is, which we can see from the following Old Testament scripture:

“And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart: And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up. And thou shalt bind them for a sign upon thine hand, and they shall be as frontlets between thine eyes.” Deuteronomy 6:6–8. [Emphasis added.]

“Therefore shall ye keep all the commandments which I command you this day, that ye may be strong, and go in and possess the land, whither ye go to possess it.” “Therefore shall ye lay up these my words in your heart and in your soul, and bind them for a sign upon your hand, that they may be as frontlets between your eyes.” Deuteronomy 11:8, 18. [Emphasis added.]

What does it mean to bind God’s Words, His law upon our hands and foreheads? God did not mean to literally write the law on their hands and heads. He wanted His Commandments in their minds to stop them from sinning. The forehead or front of the brain is where thoughts are formed and decisions are made.

The hand represents actions. Having the mark of God’s law in their hands and foreheads meant that all decisions and actions would be in line with God’s law. “This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, saith the Lord: I will put my laws into their hearts, and in their minds will I write them.” Hebrews 10:16. [Emphasis added.]

God would “seal” His law, His Ten Commandments, in the hearts and minds of His people, that they would not be deceived into receiving the mark of the beast. “Bind up the testimony, seal the law among my disciples.” Isaiah 8:16. [Emphasis added.]

Remember, Bible prophecy reveals that there will be only two groups of people during the end times: one will have the seal of God, His name written in their forehead, while the other will have the mark of the beast. To understand this further, we need to find out the truth about the name of God.

“And the Lord descended in the cloud, and stood with him there, and proclaimed the name of the Lord. And the Lord passed by before him, and proclaimed, The Lord, The Lord God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth, Keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, and that will by no means clear the guilty; visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, and upon the children’s children, unto the third and to the fourth generation.” Exodus 34:5–7. [Emphasis added.]

When God proclaimed His name to Moses on Mount Sinai, it was not particular words to be called but He proclaimed His character – merciful, gracious, forgiving, longsuffering. Jesus confirmed this in John 17:6: “I have manifested Thy name unto the men which Thou gavest me out of the world: Thine they were, and Thou gavest them me; and they have kept Thy word.” Jesus’ whole life displayed God’s character. The group in Revelation that have God’s name in their foreheads reflect God’s character that controls their thoughts and actions. In the same way, the other group have given their thoughts and actions to the beast and receive its mark in their actions.

The Catholic Church claims that it was by her authority that the Sabbath was changed from the seventh day of the week, Saturday, to Sunday. In a letter dated November 11, 1895, it says, “Of course … the change was her act …. and the act is a mark of her ecclesiastical power and authority in religious matters.” (Signed by H.F. Thomas, Chancellor for Cardinal Gibbons, in a letter dated Nov. 11, 1895.) [Emphasis added.]

“The church is above the Bible, and this transference of Sabbath observance is proof of that fact.” (The Catholic Record of London, Ontario, September 1, 1923.) [Emphasis added.]

“Sunday is a time when all Christians discover the Eucharist form that their life is called to have … the Cardinal stressed how the way in which we celebrate Sunday determines the way in which we live the rest of the week, since it is the mark of Christian identity.” (Cardinal O’Malley, Archbishop of Boston, Sanctifying celebration, the family in the Lord’s Day, June 1st, 2012.) [Emphasis added.]

If the beast is the Roman Catholic Church, she makes clear her “mark” of authority—to change the fourth commandment from the seventh day (Saturday) to the first day (Sunday). The Roman Catholic Church is also identified as the little horn power in Daniel 7:25 that “thinks to change times and law.”

The Mark of the Beast

If you read Revelation 13:16, 17, you will see that the mark of the beast is connected to buying and selling. There is a great spiritual war between Christ and Satan. Satan is the great deceiver, and through his miracles and wonders (Revelation 13:13, 14), he manages to deceive virtually the whole world, including professed Christians. He deceives the masses by transforming himself into an “angel of light” (II Corinthians 11:14). Satan has a counterfeit for just about everything found in the word of God.

In Revelation 13 we find a certain law being enforced that is connected to buying and selling. If you keep this “law” of Satan and receive the mark, then you will be able to “buy and sell.” The fourth commandment states: “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work: But the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates: For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day, and hallowed it.” Exodus 20:8–11. [Emphasis added.]

Within the fourth commandment is a command to refrain from all business transactions or “work” on the Sabbath—the seventh day. Satan has introduced a counterfeit Sabbath day through the Roman Catholic Church—Sunday, and when the time is right, he will have the Sunday law enforced, so that only those who accept the false sabbath can continue to “buy and sell.” John Paul II, Dies Domini, 1998 wrote, “Therefore, also in the particular circumstances of our own time, Christians will naturally strive to ensure that civil legislation respects their duty to keep Sunday holy.”

Virtually the whole professed Christian world has embraced this false sabbath (Sunday), and are ripe to be deceived by the evil one into taking the mark of the beast. It must be noted that worshiping on Sunday will only become “the mark of the beast” when it is enforced by civil law. Pope Francis, through his interest in saving the environment, is already pushing for a family day, which means closure of businesses on Sunday, the spurious Sabbath.

God’s people will find safety only in having the whole of God’s law, His own character, securely hidden in their hearts, and the faith of Jesus Christ (Revelation 14:12).

With this impending threat against being able to buy and sell, Ellen White wrote, “The Lord has shown me repeatedly that it is contrary to the Bible to make any provision for our temporal wants in the time of trouble. I saw that if the saints had food laid up by them or in the field in the time of trouble, when sword, famine, and pestilence are in the land, it would be taken from them by violent hands and strangers would reap their fields. Then will be the time for us to trust wholly in God, and He will sustain us. I saw that our bread and water will be sure at that time, and that we shall not lack or suffer hunger; for God is able to spread a table for us in the wilderness. If necessary He would send ravens to feed us, as He did to feed Elijah, or rain manna from heaven, as He did for the Israelites.

“Houses and lands will be of no use to the saints in the time of trouble, for they will then have to flee before infuriated mobs, and at that time their possessions cannot be disposed of to advance the cause of present truth. I was shown that it is the will of God that the saints should cut loose from every encumbrance before the time of trouble comes, and make a covenant with God through sacrifice. If they have their property on the altar and earnestly inquire of God for duty, He will teach them when to dispose of these things. Then they will be free in the time of trouble and have no clogs to weigh them down.” Early Writings, 56.

We can prepare now for the coming time of trouble by asking God to show us our sins so that we may overcome them and have a character like Jesus. Only then will we be able to receive the full outpouring of the Holy Spirit to give the loud cry and endure. Be faithful to the law of love as spoken by our Savior: “By this shall all men know that ye are My disciples, if ye have love one to another.” John 13:35. “Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.” John 15:13.

Jesus said, “If you love Me, keep My commandments.” John 14:15 NKJV. “By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and keep His commandments. For this is the love of God that we keep His commandments: and His commandments are not grievous [or burdensome].” I John 5:2, 3.

The Christian’s Hope

“Commit thy works unto the Lord, and thy thoughts shall be established.” Proverbs 16:3.

“Christ in you, the hope of glory.” Colossians 1:27.

“Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ.” Titus 2:13.

“For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope.” Romans 15:4.

In ten simple precepts, the gospel, the new covenant, is given. In these perfect Ten Commandments is revealed to us the law of the kingdom of heaven. We can come apart from the world when we surrender our lives to obey this perfect law of liberty that Jesus designed to give us life.

May we all be faithful to our Savior is my prayer.

Dennis Hallingstad volunteers at Steps to Life and is the husband of Judy Hallingstad who is an integral part of the LandMarks team.

The Dead and The Almost Dead

Since the days of Adam to our own time, our great enemy, Satan, has been exercising his power to oppress and destroy. Now he is preparing for his final campaign against the church in an effort to deceive the world.

We have been told, “The enemy is preparing for his last campaign against the church. He has so concealed himself from view that many can hardly believe that he exists, much less can they be convinced of his amazing activity and power. They have to a great extent forgotten his past record; and when he makes another advance move, they will not recognize him as their enemy, that old serpent, but they will consider him a friend, one who is doing a good work. Boasting of their independence they will, under his specious, bewitching influence, obey the worst impulses of the human heart and yet believe that God is leading them.” Testimonies, vol. 5, 294.

Never forget that Satan is the father of lies. He deceived Eve in the Garden of Eden and has become bolder with his success in fooling the nations ever since then. “Satan is preparing his deceptions, that in his last campaign against the people of God they may not understand that it is he.” Testimonies, vol. 1, 341.

How did we get into such a situation that many people believe the devil is really a friend to help them?

The devil has been around for a long time and he has mastered the art of controlling the majority of the human race. “Satan is a diligent student of the Bible, and much better acquainted with the prophecies than many religious teachers. He has ever kept well-informed concerning the revealed purposes of God, that he might defeat the plans of the Infinite.” The Spirit of Prophecy, vol. 2, 87.

The devil does not come to the Christian parading some atheistic philosophy. He has great success in quoting the Bible, but with the slightest twist. He came to Jesus quoting the Bible and claiming to be an angel sent from heaven to help Him out. “Satan knows better than many professed Christians what is written, for he is a diligent student of the Bible, and he works to pervert the truth, and lead men into the paths of disobedience.” The Signs of the Times, August 28, 1893. He is an expert in misinterpretation and presents things in such a way that you will think you still believe the Bible while not practicing its principles.

In the message of Jesus to the church at Sardis (“I know your works …” Revelation 3:1) was imbedded the first angel’s message, “the hour of God’s judgment is come” (Revelation 14:7 literal translation). It is in the heavenly sanctuary where God’s judgment takes place. The first angel’s message is the announcement of a present day event. The fact that God is going to judge His people constitutes Bible truth all the way back from the time of Moses. The devil has known at least since that time that the day would come when that event would take place.

Moses wrote about it in Deuteronomy 32:36: “For the Lord will judge His people.” David wrote about it in Psalm 135:14: “For the Lord will judge His people …” In both the Old and New Testaments, the future tense is always used in referring to this subject. Luke wrote in Acts 17:31, “… because He has appointed a day on which He will judge the world in righteousness by the Man whom He has ordained. He has given assurance of this to all by raising Him from the dead.”

Because Jesus Christ has risen from the dead, we can know that there is an impending judgment. On another occasion when Paul had only one opportunity to speak to the heathen ruler, Felix, he talked about three things, one of which was a coming judgment. (See Acts 24:25.)

Notice what Paul wrote to the church at Corinth in II Corinthians 5:10: “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad.”

Ellen White wrote about the judgment, which is brought to light in the three angel’s messages. She said, “The interests of the cause of present truth demand that those who profess to stand on the Lord’s side shall bring into exercise all their powers to vindicate the advent message, the most important message that will ever come to the world.” Sermons and Talks, Book 1, 385. The advent message, of course, is the three angels’ messages of Revelation 14:6–12. It is a message about God’s judgment and it is here right now. If you study the first angel’s message carefully in Revelation 14:6, 7, you will see that the hour of God’s judgment begins while the gospel is still being preached. The exact time the judgment began can be determined by studying the prophecies in the book of Daniel.

The devil’s plan has always been to deceive the world, to overthrow the church of God, and to cause all to be lost. He has followed closely the history of the world since the beginning of time, knowing full well that time was limited. He knew what Moses wrote; he knew what was in the Psalms; he knew what Daniel and Paul wrote. He understood perfectly the meaning of the three angels’ messages delivered to John on the Isle of Patmos. So he has invented his own alternate interpretation of them to deceive the people. The only defense against his deception is to be careful and diligent Bible students and be settled into the truth of the Word.

The crafty enemy of souls started setting traps thousands of years ago so that the message of the judgment and the warning to get ready would be rejected or ignored and that the church would be in a comatose state. The message to the church at Sardis reveals the startling announcement that the devil would be amazingly successful in this plot. In fact, he would be so successful that only a few people in the church at Sardis would be saved. Of all the letters to the seven churches, the letter to the church of Sardis is one of the saddest. Revelation 3:1–6: “And to the angel of the church in Sardis write, ‘These things say He who has the seven Spirits of God and the seven stars: “I know your works, that you have a name that you are alive, but you are dead. Be watchful, and strengthen the things which remain, that are ready to die, for I have not found your works perfect before God. Remember therefore how you have received and heard; hold fast and repent. Therefore if you will not watch, I will come upon you as a thief, and you will not know what hour I will come upon you. You have a few names even in Sardis who have not defiled their garments; and they shall walk with Me in white, for they are worthy. He who overcomes shall be clothed in white garments, and I will not blot out his name from the Book of Life; but I will confess his name before My Father and before His angels. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.” ’ ”

Never forget that the devil put his lies into operation to set his traps thousands of years ago. When a mouse gets caught in a trap, it kills the mouse. When the church gets caught in a trap, it does not receive the message that we are living in the judgment hour and it dies. Ellen White wrote many times on the importance of this message:

“The warning to the Sardis church is applicable at this time.” The Review and Herald, November 2, 1886.

“To the church of the present day this message is sent. I call upon our church members to read the whole of the third chapter of Revelation, and to make an application of it.” The Review and Herald, August 20, 1903.

“The message that God gave to the churches in Ephesus and Sardis are applicable to those who in this age have had great light but have not opened the door of the heart to the knock of Christ. The Lord has shown plainly that He has a controversy with His people. The fires that have lately raged in New York and other cities were no accident. It was the hand of omnipotent power. The Spirit of God is withdrawing from the world because the warnings of heaven have not been heeded. We need to beware, for a similar condition of things is coming in amongst us as a people.” Manuscript Releases, vol. 4, 321. (Written in 1902.)

“Among those to whom this message [to the church in Sardis] was sent, there were those who had heard and been convicted by the preaching of John the Baptist, but who had forsaken the faith in which they once rejoiced. There were others who had received the truth from Christ’s teaching, and who were once ardent believers, rejoicing in the faith, but who had lost their first love, and were without spiritual strength. Because they did not hold the beginning of their confidence firm unto the end, they were believing as men without faith. They quibbled about matters of no special importance which were not given by the Lord as tests, and dwelt upon their differences of opinion till these differences became as mountains, separating them from Christ and from one another, destroying unity and love.” Manuscript Releases, vol. 6, 242, 243.

We are admonished to avoid getting caught in the trap of becoming so occupied arguing about unimportant things while salvation issues are lost to sight. This trap devised by the devil kills the church, blinding it from the most important message ever given to man—to prepare to meet God when He returns to redeem the faithful or face Him when it is too late and give an account and be lost.

Satan’s traps have caught the majority of the inhabitants of this world. Most of the Christian world today, hundreds of millions of people who claim to be Christians, do not know that we are living in the hour of God’s judgment, yet that is the most important message to be given to the world.

One very successful trap the devil has used in the past involved a promise of higher, more spiritual Christianity. Claiming to be more spiritual, Gnostic Christianity contained the deadly poison of the serpent, resulting in sensuality, but it lacked the development of Christian perfection. Gnostic Christianity had its roots in Greek philosophy, which had its roots in the ancient philosophies of Egypt and Babylonia, and therefore is rightly called in the book of Revelation, Babylon.

The Greek philosophy of Gnostic Christianity was very dangerous because it was mixed with a lot of Bible truth. People believing in this philosophy claimed that they believed the Bible, called themselves Christians and prayed to God in the name of Jesus. They claimed that the highest goal of their life was to receive the Holy Spirit but unfortunately for them the spirit they received was another spirit.

People believe today that Gnostic Christianity has disappeared. Actually it did disappear as a sect by the sixth century, but the doctrines of Gnostic Christianity did not disappear. These doctrines are present today and are presently being taught all over North America and the Christian world by both the Roman Catholic and the Protestant churches. Some of these doctrines have resulted in many Christians not being susceptible to present truth, rejecting the messages in Revelation 14.

God has sent a crucial message of warning to the world and many people scoff at it. Books have been published saying there is no need to fear the mark of the beast because Christians will be raptured away before any trouble starts. Others are not concerned, believing that when they die, they either go straight to heaven or to hell, thus avoiding judgment.

When the Protestants came out of the blackness of Babylon, they did not come to the light of all Bible truth in one generation. The two most prominent reformers, Martin Luther and John Calvin, broke away from the teachings of Babylon, making some advance steps. However, both John Calvin and Martin Luther were highly educated and versed in the teachings of a man by the name of Augustine. Today, both Protestants and Roman Catholics can trace their theology back to him. For at least nine years before Augustine became a member of the Roman Church, he was a Gnostic Christian. During his own lifetime he was correctly accused of bringing the doctrines of Gnosticism into the Christian church. Augustine was probably the leading theologian responsible for Greek philosophy being brought into the Christian church.

Because Martin Luther and John Calvin were highly trained and educated in the writings and teachings of Augustine, it should not be surprising that they brought some of this Greek philosophy and some of the poisonous Gnostic doctrines with them into the Protestant church. Remember, Greek philosophy has its roots in ancient Babylonia. There were many Gnostic sects, but there is one Gnostic sect that is mentioned by name in the book of Revelation, the Nicolaitans. Both times when mentioned by Jesus in Revelation 2, He says He hates their deeds (verses 6, 15).

During the fourth century, Martin Luther and John Calvin espoused two doctrines already in the church, derived from Greek philosophy, using them to try to fight Catholicism. One of these was the doctrine of eternal security, commonly called “once saved always saved.” That belief does not come from the Bible but directly from Greek philosophy. Both Martin Luther and John Calvin believed these doctrines. However John Calvin became the greater champion of the second—the doctrine of predestination.

The doctrine of eternal security is the idea that salvation at some point becomes locked in and makes you eternally secure. The person that believes he is saved and eternally secure and that nobody can take away his or her salvation will have no need to heed the warning that “the hour of God’s judgment is come” (Revelation 14:7). The Bible states that we all are sinful and need a continual daily dependence on Jesus. If a person is convinced that his salvation is eternally secure he may lean back and relax and eventually die spiritually. That is exactly what happened to the church in Sardis.

The second doctrine that was promoted predominantly by John Calvin is predestination. A person believing he or she was predestined to be saved will never heed the judgment hour message. It is a trap. Jesus did say, “Nobody can pluck you out of My hand” and you are safe as long as you do not choose another Master, but do not ever think that your salvation is eternally secure and can never be taken away. That promise is conditional on obedience to God and resisting anything else that would be a master over you.

The Bible itself was used in an attempt to prove the philosophy of once saved always saved. It is still happening today. The common texts used are Ephesians 1:13; John 10:28; Romans 8:1; Hebrews 10:14; I Corinthians 3:13–15. But this doctrine does not come from the Bible. It was brought into the church by Augustine, resurrected and taught a thousand years later by Martin Luther and John Calvin and has become mainline Protestantism.

However, there are also many texts that refute this doctrine: Hebrews 6:4, 5; Hebrews 10:26–31; Romans 8:12, 13; Matthew 10:22; and Galatians 5:21.

One of the key points of the doctrine of predestination emphasizes God’s sovereign will and teaches total depravity so that a person cannot make a choice until God regenerates him. Common texts used to try to prove that belief are Ephesians 2:1–5, Romans 8:7, and the most popular of all, the book of Romans chapter 9.

An important concept to understand is that no group of people has ever earned an exclusive right to the kingdom promises, either Jew or Gentile—no group and no church. The fact that Christ stated plainly that the covenant promises could be taken from the Jewish church and transferred to “a nation bearing the fruits of it” is powerful proof that predestination is not a Biblical teaching. In Matthew 21, the Jews were not predestined that they had to be God’s people forever. In Matthew 21:43, it says, “Therefore I say to you, the kingdom of God will be taken from you and given to a nation bearing the fruits of it.”

Ellen White wrote, “The Lord Jesus will always have a chosen people to serve Him. When the Jewish people rejected Christ, the Prince of life, He took from them the kingdom of God and gave it unto the Gentiles. God will continue to work on this principle with every branch of His work. When a church proves unfaithful to the word of the Lord, whatever their position may be, however high and sacred their calling, the Lord can no longer work with them. Others are then chosen to bear important responsibilities. But, if these in turn do not purify their lives from every wrong action, if they do not establish pure and holy principles in all their borders, then the Lord will grievously afflict and humble them and, unless they repent, will remove them from their place and make them a reproach.” The Upward Look, 131.

The Bible does not teach either the doctrine of eternal security (once saved always saved) or the doctrine of predestination. The Jews were not predestined that they would always have to be the people of God. People are so confused about this that they still believe the nation of Israel are God’s chosen people. To be caught in Satan’s trap and believing in these doctrines will blind you to the truth of the final warning given to the world before the return of Jesus in the clouds of heaven. We need to face reality. No one is saved yet. Jesus is going to save us if we stay loyal to Him and never choose another Master but we are still living in a world where Satan believes he reigns supreme. He lays temptations and for us in every direction.

The texts used to promote the doctrine of predestination are as follows: John 6:37, 44; Matthew 11:27; John 5:21; Romans 8:29, 30; Ephesians 1:5; Revelation 17:8. But the honest seeker for truth must also consider the texts that refute this doctrine: Acts 14:1; John 7:16, 17; Matthew 23:37; II Peter 3:9; I John 2:2; Luke 13:24.

In Revelation 2 Jesus said he hated these Gnostic doctrines of the Nicolaitans that originated from Babylon. The question for you and me today is, “Do you hate what Jesus hates?” If you love what He loves, then you will hate what He hates.

Salvation is not complicated. John 20:31 says, “… these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in His name.” If you have belief, you will have life. Life comes when you hear the gospel and have faith in the promises it contains. Paul wrote, “I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, ‘The just shall live by faith.’ ” Romans 1:16, 17.

The devil is skillful. He has many traps. As time runs out Satan becomes more desperate for a bigger catch. In this article, we have touched very briefly on one major trap that the devil devised so that the church living in the time when the judgment hour was preached would feel no need of the final warning and reject it. The judgment hour message is the most important message there is because your response to it will determine your eternal destiny. The three angels’ messages are true; they are infallible; and they need to be studied, memorized, and meditated upon. Pray that the Lord will help you have the experience therein mentioned so that you will be ready for the final judgment.

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

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

Editorial – Weighed and Wanting

“The Lord is soon to come; there must be a refining, winnowing process in every church, for there are among us wicked men who do not love the truth. There is need of a transformation of character. Will the church arise and put on her beautiful garments, the righteousness of Christ? It is soon to be seen who are vessels unto honor.”

Malachi 3:18–4:2, first part, is quoted and then she writes, “Here are brought plainly to view those who will be vessels unto honor; for they will receive the latter rain. Every soul that continues in sin in the face of the light now shining upon our pathway, will be blinded and accept the delusions of Satan. We are now nearing the close of this world’s history. …

“Time, precious time, has been lost in wanderings and backslidings from God. Every character is to be weighed in the balances of the sanctuary; if the moral character and spiritual advancement do not correspond with the opportunities and blessings, ‘wanting’ [Daniel 5:27] is written against the name. …

“All who claim to be children of God should seek daily to understand why they believe by searching the Scriptures for themselves. Those who humbly study the character of Jesus will reflect his image more and more. 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. …

“Trials are to come upon God’s people and the tares are to be separated from the wheat. But let not Ephraim envy Judah any more, and Judah will no more vex Ephraim. Kind, tender, compassionate words will flow out from sanctified hearts and lips. It is essential that we be united, and if we all seek the meekness and the lowliness of Christ, we shall have the mind of Christ, and there will be unity of spirit.”

Taken from The Review and Herald, March 19, 1895.