Issue: 2005 September

Restoring the Temple – Healthful Cookery

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Cooking may be regarded as less desirable than some other lines of work, but in reality it is a science in value above all other sciences. Thus God regards the preparation of healthful food. He places a high estimate on those who do faithful service in preparing wholesome, palatable food. The one who understands the art of properly preparing food, and who uses this knowledge, is worthy of higher commendation than those engaged in any other line of work. This talent should be regarded as equal in value to ten talents; for its right use has much to do with keeping the human organism in health. Because so inseparably connected with life and health, it is the most valuable of all gifts.” Counsels on Diet and Foods, 251.

“The cook fills an important place in the household. She is preparing food to be taken into the stomach, to form brain, bone, and muscle. The health of all members of the family depends largely upon her skill and intelligence. . . .

Every Woman’s Duty

“There are very many girls who have married and have families, who have but little practical knowledge of the duties devolving upon a wife and mother. They can read, and play upon an instrument of music; but they cannot cook. They cannot make good bread, which is very essential to the health of the family. . . . To cook well, to present healthful food upon the table in an inviting manner, requires intelligence and experience. The one who prepares the food that is to be placed in our stomachs, to be converted into blood to nourish the system, occupies a most important and elevated position. . . .

“Our sisters often do not know how to cook. To such I would say, I would go to the very best cook that could be found in the country, and remain there, if necessary, for weeks, until I had become mistress of the art,—an intelligent, skillful cook. I would pursue this course if I were forty years old. It is your duty to know how to cook, and it is your duty to teach your daughters to cook. . . .

“In order to learn how to cook, women should study, and then patiently reduce what they learn to practice. People are suffering because they will not take the trouble to do this. I say to such, It is time for you to rouse your dormant energies, and inform yourselves. Do not think the time wasted which is devoted to obtaining a thorough knowledge and experience in the preparation of healthful, palatable food. No matter how long an experience you have had in cooking, if you still have the responsibilities of a family, it is your duty to learn how to care for them properly.

Not Just for Women

“Many who adopt the health reform complain that it does not agree with them; but after sitting at their tables I come to the conclusion that it is not the health reform that is at fault, but the poorly prepared food. I appeal to men and women to whom God has given intelligence: Learn how to cook. I make no mistake when I say ‘men,’ for they, as well as women, need to understand the simple, healthful preparation of food. . . . If they have the knowledge, they can use it to good purpose.” Ibid., 252, 253.

Study Health Journals

“Those who do not know how to cook hygienically should learn to combine wholesome, nourishing articles of food in such a way as to make appetizing dishes. Let those who desire to gain knowledge in this line subscribe for our health journals. They will find information on this point in them. . . .

“Without continually exercising ingenuity, no one can excel in healthful cookery, but those whose hearts are open to impressions and suggestions from the Great Teacher will learn many things, and will be able also to teach others; for He will give them skill and understanding.

Develop Individual Talent

“It is the Lord’s design that in every place men and women shall be encouraged to develop their talents by preparing healthful foods from the natural products of their own section of the country. If they look to God, exercising their skill and ingenuity under the guidance of His Spirit, they will learn how to prepare natural products into healthful foods. Thus they will be able to teach the poor how to provide themselves with foods that will take the place of flesh meat. Those thus helped can in turn instruct others. Such a work will yet be done with consecrated zeal and energy. If it had been done before, there would today be many more people in the truth, and many more who could give instruction. Let us learn what our duty is, and then do it. We are not to be dependent and helpless, waiting for others to do the work that God has committed to us.

Cooking Schools

“There should be cooking schools, where instruction is given on the proper preparation of food. In all our schools there should be those who are fitted to educate the students, both young men and women, in the art of cooking. Women especially should learn how to cook.” Ibid., 253, 254.

Health Reform and Good Cooking

“One reason why many have become discouraged in practicing health reform is that they have not learned how to cook so that proper food, simply prepared, would supply the place of the diet to which they have been accustomed. They become disgusted with the poorly prepared dishes, and next we hear them say that they have tried the health reform, and cannot live in that way. Many attempt to follow out meager instructions in health reform, and make such sad work that it results in injury to digestion, and in discouragement to all concerned in the attempt. You profess to be health reformers, and for this very reason you should become good cooks. Those who can avail themselves of the advantages of properly conducted hygienic cooking schools, will find it a great benefit, both in their own practice and in teaching others.” Ibid., 255.

Cause of Disease

“For want of knowledge and skill in regard to cooking, many a wife and mother daily sets before her family ill-prepared food, which is steadily and surely impairing the digestive organs, and making a poor quality of blood; the result is, frequent attacks of inflammatory disease, and sometimes death. . . .

“We can have a variety of good, wholesome food, cooked in a healthful manner, so that it will be palatable to all. It is of vital importance to know how to cook. Poor cooking produces disease and bad tempers; the system becomes deranged, and heavenly things cannot be discerned. There is more religion in good cooking than you have any idea of. . . .

“Scanty, ill-cooked food depraves the blood by weakening the blood-making organs. It deranges the system, and brings on disease, with its accompaniment of irritable nerves and bad tempers. The victims of poor cookery are numbered by thousands and tens of thousands. Over many graves might be written: ‘Died because of poor cooking;’ ‘Died of an abused stomach.’

“It is a sacred duty for those who cook to learn how to prepare healthful food. Many souls are lost as the result of poor cookery. It takes thought and care to make good bread; but there is more religion in a loaf of good bread than many think.” Ibid., 256, 257.

Why Is Persecution Sleeping? Part I

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If you were asked whether or not you wanted to be persecuted, would you be one to say, “Oh, yes, bring it on”? Be careful of your response. May I be so bold as to say, if you respond thus, you probably are not ready for it? I am not trying to judge your heart, but if we seriously study and consider persecution from times past, how many of us will be able to stand firm for truth as have millions of others?

Last Day Church

Jesus talks about His last day church in Matthew 24. “Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name’s sake.” Verse 9. Does Jesus say that everyone is going to love you, that everything is going to be wonderful in this life? No! He says that they are going to deliver you up to be killed. That does not sound like a very nice walk in this life, does it? But Jesus is warning us, because He says that we will have to follow in His footsteps.

“For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be.” Verse 21. In this text, Jesus is telling His people that there is going to be a time of tribulation, or trouble, in this world that has never been. Oh, that sounds like a gloomy picture, but the question is, do we believe it? Are we looking forward to it?

“And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect’s sake those days shall be shortened.” Verse 22. Praise the Lord!

These words were spoken as Jesus was overlooking Jerusalem and foresaw the coming destruction of this city. He knew something big was about to happen. Not only did He apply this prophecy to Jerusalem, but He also applied it to God’s last day people and what they would have to endure.

Are You Prepared?

Friend, are you ready for what is to come? Do you know Jesus? Do you know Him as you should know Him today? Jesus looked through time, and He saw the darkness that would encircle His last day people. I believe He looked at you and at me, and said, “They need some help! Because they need help, I am going to warn them of what is going to take place. I will not only warn them, but I am going to tell them, ‘Lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the world.’ ” Matthew 28:20.

What a blessing it is to know that He will never forsake us. He will never leave us when we are in despair, when we are discouraged, when things are going badly, when we are being fed—as many were in the Dark Ages—to the lions and to the dogs. We can be assured that God will never leave our sides.

What faith it takes, today, to believe this, because when the bottom falls out for us, we want to blame others; we even want to blame God. Think about it. We are always looking for someone to blame. But Jesus, looking down the stream of time, foretold how the leaders of the so-called religious movement will persecute the people of God in the last days.

If, today, you do not have an interest in fellowshipping with God’s people, you will not have the resolve to stand when things get tough. If you do not have a love for Christ, if you are not walking day by day with Him, if your faith is not being increased, if you are not being tested and tried, you will not be able to go through this time of which Jesus speaks. You will not want to go through it; you will not have the strength to go through it. In fact, you will not be able to go through it, because you are not holding the hand of Jesus today.

Walk the Path of Jesus

If you read Foxe’s Book of Martyrs (John Foxe, Zondervan Publishing House, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 1967), it is overwhelming to learn of the events of past ages and to know that Jesus looked down through time and foresaw every one of these events taking place. How His heart must have grieved. How His heart must have ached as He viewed the millions lost, because He knew they would not receive Him. No wonder He wept when he looked over Jerusalem.

Jesus said to His people, “You are going to have to walk the same path that I have walked.” What little I know about the path that He trod, I look at myself and say, “Lord, I am not capable.” And He looks down at me and says, “Kenny, I know you are not. That is why I will be there with you. I will help you.” Friend, you and I alone could not tread that path at all.

Can anyone say, “I am being persecuted”? Now, you may not have what you desire. You may be going through difficult times, but would you say you are being persecuted? If you truly understand what persecution means, and what it does to an individual or to a family, or what real torture is all about, you cannot say that you are being persecuted. You may have been maligned. You may have been hurt. You may have had your heart ripped out, as it were, but you are still walking around and still searching for some answers. God has all those answers for you.

But understand this: The powers of hell are being loosed upon God’s children, because the devil cannot stand you. In reality, he hates you. He does not want you on the face of this earth, because you represent Jesus. But friend, it is interesting to note that you are alive today. If the devil had his way, you would not be in existence. You would never have another Sabbath; you would never again be able to come together with like believers. You would never again have the association of your husband, your wife, your children, family, or friends. But you are here today; you are living because of Jesus.

History Repeats

Persecution for us could occur in the very near future. It is happening in other parts of this earth. But, because we have not directly experienced it, we keep living in this make-believe world thinking that it is not going to happen to us.

Look back over the years of your life. Of the significant things that have happened to you during the past 20 years, how many did you, at one time, think, “This could not happen to me”? But they did happen!

Jesus said that persecution is going to take place. What happened to the faithful, who have been persecuted throughout the ages, will happen again, because history repeats itself.

Falsely Accused

History bears the fact that God’s people were falsely accused. We are referring to the days of Paul and of Nero, who was one of the most barbaric persecutors of the early church. Even then there were people who were doing the work of the devil. Many Christians were killed by wild animals before crowds of spectators in the arenas, while others were tied to posts, covered with flammable materials, and used as human street lamps for Nero’s gardens. It is difficult to imagine a more evil man.

Ellen White wrote: “These persecutions, beginning under Nero about the time of the martyrdom of Paul, continued with greater or less fury for centuries. Christians were falsely accused of the most dreadful crimes and declared to be the cause of great calamities—famine, pestilence, and earthquake. As they became the objects of popular hatred and suspicion, informers stood ready, for the sake of gain, to betray the innocent. They were condemned as rebels against the empire, as foes of religion, and pests to society.” The Great Controversy, 40.

This persecution began when Nero suggested that the Christians were responsible for starting a fire in Rome that burned for nine days, destroying much of the city. Since that time, God’s true and faithful have been accused of being responsible for the tempests of the waters, for violent storms, for famines and earthquakes, and for the disasters in the lands at any given time. “The worldling is ever on the watch to criticize and accuse those who serve God.” Testimonies to Ministers and Gospel Workers, 266.

What If

Consider a recent great calamity. What if the people blamed you for the disastrous events of 9/11 (the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on America at the World Trade Center Towers in New York City, New York, and The Pentagon in Washington, D.C.)? What if they looked around and said, “Brother _____ is responsible; he is preaching something different; he is an oddball in society; we believe he is linked to this terrible event”? Most certainly many people would try their best to get rid of this person, no questions asked. Mob excitement is easy to stir up in the world today. If you are in the wrong place at the wrong time, you had better have on your shield of faith. (Ephesians 6:16.)

At the time of the sniper shootings in the Baltimore, Maryland, and Washington, D.C., areas during the fall of 2002, Pastor Dennis Crystal and I were right in the middle of that area. We had driven here and there, and then the time came when we needed to stop for some gasoline. He looked at me and said, “Brother, it is time to get gas.”

I said, “Yes, it is, and you are driving.” He chuckled along with me. We had prayed that morning for God’s protective care, but we decided that, before we got out of the car to fill it with gasoline, we would pray for His protection again. We knew that God was in control, and we trusted Him.

We must trust God that He is going to take care of us in the midst of traffic, in the midst of natural disasters, in the midst of sniper shootings, in the midst of terror attacks. It does not matter what is going on in the world, for God has said, “I will be with you. I will take care of you. I will meet all of your needs.”

When circumstances seem dark, will you still trust Him? What if your faith is challenged, and you do not back down, so your child is taken from you, and, before your eyes, those who are under the control of the devil cut him or her a little bit here and there with a knife? Then they skin an animal, and while the blood is still dripping from this animal skin, they tie it tightly around your child, put your son or daughter in a public arena, and let hungry dogs or lions loose to attack and devour him or her. Will you then stand firm for your beliefs? Many people throughout the years denounced their faith rather than witness the suffering of their children, and they were still fed to the lions. It would be better, if you were going to be fed to the wild beasts, to go out on the side of Christ rather than on the side of denying Him. What faith that will take!

Pests to Society

As we read previously, from The Great Controversy, Ellen White states that God’s people will be considered “pests to society.” A pest! A fly may pester me to the point where I just cannot do anything until I get rid of it. I do not consider putting it in a cage and trying to keep it alive by feeding it. My only goal is to get rid of it. Why? Because it is a pest.

In the last days, you will be a pest. That is what society will call you. Can you bear that? You cannot, in your own strength; it is an impossibility.

During the days of persecution, life became so difficult that God’s people had to go to the solitary places of the earth. The earth around and under Rome had been riddled with tunnels and passageways, with Jewish catacombs located along the edges of the city. God’s people had to go underground and live in darkness and solitude, because they were hunted down like wild animals.

These were people who loved Jesus with all of their hearts—the kind of people you want to be around, from whom you want to draw strength. They were people who will have a home in heaven, but while still on earth, they made the catacombs of Rome their place to live. Why? They could have said, “We do not follow Jesus. We do not love Him,” and possibly life would have continued on for them without harassment. But they loved Him too much. They were willing to sacrifice all—family, friends, everything.

Sudden Destruction

I would like for you to consider two classes of people today. “But of the times and the seasons, brethren, ye have no need that I write unto you. For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night. For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape. But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief. Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness.” 1 Thessalonians 5:1–5.

Is verse 3, “For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape,” a promise? Is it the truth? Yes, it is the truth. Now notice that it says, “sudden destruction comes upon them.”

Ellen White wrote: “When life is going on in its unvarying round; when men are absorbed in pleasure, in business, in traffic, in money-making; when religious leaders are magnifying the world’s progress and enlightenment, and the people are lulled in a false security—then, as the midnight thief steals within the unguarded dwelling, so shall sudden destruction come upon the careless and ungodly . . . .” The Great Controversy, 38. [Emphasis supplied.] Those who are careless in their Christian experience today are the ungodly of today.

Careless

We think that carelessness is not such a big deal—carelessness in church attendance, carelessness in tithe paying, carelessness in our witnessing. We think it does not matter whether or not we participate in church activities. Somebody else will do it. We are careless in the gifts and abilities God gives to us, talents that we should be using for His honor and for His glory. We have become careless. We have become sleepy. We have become Laodicea, the lukewarm people. And what did God say about those who are lukewarm? He is going to vomit them out of His mouth. (Revelation 3:16.)

God tells us that sudden destruction will come upon the careless and the ungodly. Until I began a study on this subject, I never quite understood the importance of not being careless. There have been times when I have been careless about things. Looking back, I know I should have done things differently, but at the time, I excused myself; I did not feel like doing better. How sad to go on emotional and physical feelings instead of operating on principles! Friend, if you are careless in the things of God, you care less about God.

Too Busy

We cannot say, “God really does not care about this little thing; it is not a big deal to Him.” If it separates us from Him, He cares about it. It does not matter whether or not it is good within itself; if it becomes our god, our idol, it is taking us away from Jesus.

In the past, I have been guilty of making things my god. For many years I worked in a business, made some money, and things seemed to be going right. “The Lord is really blessing,” I said. Yes, the Lord blessed me, or I thought He blessed me. But after conversion came, I looked around, and I said, “Why, that dirty devil.”

Somebody may ask, “How can that happen? God blessed with this and that; He gave you this and that. You helped this; you did all those other things.” Oh, friend, I was too busy doing the good things, and all those good things kept me from Him. The blessings were not coming from God; they were really coming from the devil. The devil will give blessings.

Do you think the devil is not blessing many churches, many ministries, today, with all kinds of things? They appear to have so much and look to be so successful. Do not take for granted that God is doing the blessing, friend. If the church is God’s church, it will speak as God speaks, or it is not God’s last day church.

As I look back, I realize that what I thought were blessings from God actually left no time for Him—no time for real personal study, no time for witnessing, no time to really search the Word, or do what God wanted me to do. Do you think God is going to bless you in a way that actually pulls you away from Him? No way! He wants a balance in our lives.

Ungodly

As soon as you hear someone say, “I could not care less,” stop him or her immediately. That care less attitude has put us in the societal mess that we are in today. In the spiritual realm, in the physical world, we deal with people who care less about anything but themselves.

I thought that I knew the meaning of careless, but when I looked to a dictionary for a definition, it said, “without worry; negligent, slovenly; unvalued, disregarded.” It means that I do not care about anybody; I am negligent in this or that.

If we are careless in the home, if we are careless in the raising of our children, if we are careless with paying our bills, if we are careless in the way we treat others, we are ungodly. There is no use for carelessness in the home or carelessness outside the home, because the Bible says, “Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do [it] with thy might.” Ecclesiastes 9:10.

God is not happy with slothful servants. Slothful persons will not enter the kingdom of God, because they are ungodly, because they are not concerned about a hereafter. They are not concerned about anything except me, mine, and the right now. If careless or ungodly persons are negligent in the things of the world, have they neglected the things of God?

One way we show ungodliness is by being inconsiderate. Many young people, and older people too, are so inconsiderate of anyone else. They knock into people and jump in front of people waiting in line. They do this because they are ungodly. They can claim to be Christians, but Jesus would never do those things. If we see our brothers or sisters doing things like this, we should remind them that they are representing Jesus.

The Loud Cry

I recently had the privilege of meeting with new Sabbath-keepers—whole churches that have turned to the truth in the Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, area. What a glorious experience! These people love Jesus with all of their hearts. During some of the meetings, there were 25 or 30 different pastors in attendance from various areas. How thrilling it was to see people stand up in the pulpit and say, “I love Jesus, and I believe in keeping the seventh day of the week as God’s true and holy Sabbath. I came out of Babylon; I am forsaking those things and am following Jesus all the way.” On their church vans was printed, on one side, “God’s Eleventh Hour Workers,” and on the other side, “Repairers of the Breach.”

One person said, “God has told us that we are to give the loud cry to the world, and wake them up.” Some Seventh-day Adventists scratch their heads and say, “The loud cry; wonder what message that might be? Oh, whatever we do, we just do it loud.” Oh, friend, these new believers know what the message is. They have a desire in their hearts and the Spirit of God is inside them; they speak in such a way that people around them, who believe differently, are not offended.

We are counseled, “Hold that fast which thou hast, that no man take thy crown.” Revelation 3:11. If the loud cry is really in our hearts and in our lives, if we really believe it, as do these people, then we must proclaim it. If we do not, others will.

To be continued . . .

Pastor Kenny Shelton is speaker for the television ministry of Behold the Lamb in Herrin, Illinois. He may be contacted by e-mail at: BTLM@GTE.net, or by telephone at: 1-800-238-2856.

The Ten Commandments, Part IV: Idol Worship is Bad News

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“You shall not make for your self a carved image [an idol]—any likeness of what is in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the water under the earth.” (Deuteronomy 5:8.)

The created is not to become the object of worship. The sun, the moon, and the stars in the heavens have been made objects of worship. The creatures of the earth and the creatures in the water have been made objects of worship, but God said, “No!” The reason is spelled out in the next verse, which says, “For I, the Lord thy God, [am] a jealous God.” Deuteronomy 5:9. (What it means for God to be a jealous God was discussed in the first article of this series.)

The second commandment is enforced by a threatened penalty and sustained by a precious promise. “I the Lord thy God [am] a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth [generation] of them that hate me, And shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me and keep my commandments.” Verses 9, 10.

Sins of the Parents

This is a very troubling statement to many people. They feel that it is an arbitrary decree, but it is not. It is the unalterable, eternal law of heredity and environment that the sins and the faults of the parents are handed down to their children and, in many ways, cannot be escaped.

Many children who have grown up in an alcoholic home hate alcoholism. But the environment, the setting, the passions, and the attitudes are passed on to those children, and, usually, 80 percent of children who grow up in alcoholic homes will become alcoholics. It is just the way it works. We grow up in a home with certain kinds of attitudes—whatever those attitudes may be—and those things are handed down to us, to our children, and to our children’s children. This is why the old story of the Hatfields and the McCoys is perpetual. The hatreds are passed on from generation to generation, and, many times, the current generation does not even realize why they have the hatreds.

The Christian call is for us to come to God’s Word, learn what He asks and requires of us, and then look at ourselves in the mirror of His Law. Are we then to ask, “What is my life all about? I see that I am a sinner, but I am incapable of dealing with this issue. Am I to be eternally lost? Should I just fall down in a pool of discouragement and say, ‘There is no help for me’?” No! In 11 Corinthians 5:17, we read: “If anyone [is] in Christ, [he is] a new creation.” We have another chance by being born again and growing up into the full stature and the measure of a person in Christ Jesus, as we are told in Ephesians 4:15.

This life changing experience can happen at the age of 12 years, or it can happen at 80 years. Even in older years, we can still go through this process of changing and maturing in the person of the Lord Jesus Christ. If you are young, God will allow the miracle to grow slower. If you are old, He will pour a lot of “fertilizer” on it, and you will grow very quickly. God has an answer for everything!

These sinful tendencies, which parents have passed on to the children, will be passed on and on, unless Christ intervenes in the lives. This is one of the reasons we hear little sayings such as, “He is acting just like his father,” or, “She is following in her mother’s footsteps.” But it does not have to be that way.

Idol of Fashion

Fashion, in its broadest sense, embraces idolatry. The word fashion means, “to conform to the prevailing modes, practices, and customs of the world.” Worldly fashions have to do chiefly with garments and ornaments with which the body is clothed and bedecked. Usually, we find that all exhibitions of pride and dress, which are contrary to the Word of God, constitute a species of idolatry, and God’s Word declares it so. This is why we, as Seventh-day Adventists, have special counsel relative to the areas of fashion, dress, and adornment. Those things constitute a species of idolatry, which is a transgression of the second commandment.

It is upon the Ten Commandments that hang all the law and the prophets. This second commandment is very profound. Women, as well as men, can be slaves to the idol of fashion. Your adornment should not be an outward thing; it should not be a display of ornaments and articles of dress.

Casebook/Codebook

When I attended Walla Walla College in Walla Walla, Washington, I had a professor by the name of Alden Thompson. Several years after I graduated, he wrote a book entitled, God’s Word: Casebook or Codebook? Codebook meaning that the Bible is just a code of laws and prohibitions, a code of “Thou shalt nots.” Casebook meaning the case histories of how God relates to the sinner through all the failings and difficulties that man encounters. Both aspects are found in the Bible. It is indeed a codebook, and it is indeed a casebook as well!

Nothing New

While studying recently, in the Book of Exodus, I came across something very interesting, in regard to the concept of casebook. Let us see if we can figure out what it was that was so displeasing to God, as we read this passage: “And when the people saw that Moses delayed to come down out of the mount, the people gathered themselves together unto Aaron, and said unto him, Up, make us gods, which shall go before us; for [as for] this Moses, the man that brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we wot not what is become of him.” Exodus 32:1.

What struck my interest is the next recorded event: “And Aaron said unto them, Break off the golden earrings, which [are] in the ears of your wives, of your sons, and of your daughters, and bring [them] unto me.” Verse 2.

When I read this, I thought, “Surely there is nothing new under the sun!” Idolatry is a perpetual kind of thing that keeps reaping generation after generation after generation. I do not know about you, but I was very dismayed when I first saw an earring in a male’s ear. Then they began showing up in women’s noses; I have witnessed women with multiple earrings from the tops to the bottoms of their ears. From this text in Exodus, take note that this kind of ornamentation is a form of idolatry.

One Sin Leads to Another

“And all the people brake off the golden earrings which [were] in their ears, and brought [them] unto Aaron. And he received [them] at their hand, and fashioned it with a graving tool, after he had made it a molten calf: and they said, These [be] thy gods, O Israel, which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt. And when Aaron saw [it], he built an altar before it; and Aaron made proclamation, and said, To morrow [is] a feast to the Lord.” Verses 3–5. Here was this object, fashioned by their hands, and they held it up before the children of Israel as that which represented Jehovah God! Is it not almost incomprehensible? Yet it took place.

“And they rose up early on the morrow, and offered burnt offerings, and brought peace offerings;”—you can imagine—“and the people sat down to eat and to drink, and rose up to play.” Verse 6. One thing leads to another. If you break one of the commandments, you have broken them all. “He who willfully breaks one commandment, does not, in spirit and truth, keep any of them. ‘Whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all.’ James 2:10.” Thoughts from the Mount of Blessing, 51.

“And the Lord said unto Moses, Go, get thee down; for thy people, which thou broughtest out of the land of Egypt, have corrupted [themselves]: They have turned aside quickly out of the way which I commanded them: they have made them a molten calf, and have worshipped it, and have sacrificed thereunto, and said, These [be] thy gods, O Israel, which have brought thee up out of the land of Egypt. And the Lord said unto Moses, I have seen this people, and, behold, it [is] a stiffnecked people: Now therefore let me alone, that my wrath may wax hot against them, and that I may consume them: and I will make of thee a great nation. And Moses besought the Lord his God, and said, Lord, why doth thy wrath wax hot against thy people, which thou hast brought forth out of the land of Egypt with great power, and with a mighty hand? Wherefore should the Egyptians speak, and say, For mischief did he bring them out, to slay them in the mountains, and to consume them from the face of the earth? Turn from thy fierce wrath, and repent of this evil against thy people. Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, thy servants, to whom thou swarest by thine own self, and saidst unto them, I will multiply your seed as the stars of heaven, and all this land that I have spoken of will I give unto your seed, and they shall inherit [it] for ever. And the Lord repented of the evil which he thought to do unto his people. And Moses turned, and went down from the mount, and the two tables of the testimony [were] in his hand: the tables [were] written on both their sides; on the one side and on the other [were] they written. And the tables [were] the work of God, and the writing [was] the writing of God, graven upon the tables. And when Joshua heard the noise of the people as they shouted, he said unto Moses, [There is] a noise of war in the camp.” Exodus 32:7–17.

Do you know what was taking place? They were shouting and singing and dancing. Verse 18 continues, “And he said, [It is] not the voice of [them that] shout for mastery, neither [is it] the voice of [them that] cry for being overcome: [but] the noise of [them that] sing do I hear.”

Then it goes on to tell how they not only became involved in the breaking of the second commandment but also got involved in singing and drinking and dancing, finally stripping off their clothes! “Moses saw that the people [were] naked; (for Aaron had made them naked unto [their] shame among their enemies.)” Verse 25.

The second commandment is very deep. It is so deep that we will deal with more aspects of it in another article. God has a message for His people, as far as the second commandment is concerned. It was not just for the Old Testament Jews, because we can see that many of the issues to which the second commandment speaks are very relevant to us today. It is only as we come up to the standard to which God calls us that we will find His acceptance.

To be continued . . .

Rendering to God His Own, Part II

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It has ever been the effort of Satan to have the system of tithing made to appear in the light of a burden. He has striven to limit the investigation of the purposes of the system to its obligation as a commanded duty. To the unconverted heart a demand for a stipulated amount to be contributed regularly to the cause appears as an arbitrary and unnecessary exercise of power.

“Some will pronounce this one of the rigorous laws binding upon the Hebrews. But this was not a burden to the willing heart that loved God. It was only when their selfish natures were strengthened by withholding that men lost sight of eternal considerations and valued their earthly treasures above souls. There are even more urgent necessities upon the Israel of God in these last days than were upon ancient Israel. There is a great and important work to be accomplished in a very short time. God never designed that the law of the tithing system should be of no account among His people; but, instead of this, He designed that the spirit of sacrifice should widen and deepen for the closing work.” Testimonies, vol. 3, 396.

“The moral law enjoined the observance of the Sabbath, which was not a burden except when that law was transgressed and they were bound by the penalties involved in breaking it. The tithing system was no burden to those who did not depart from the plan. The system enjoined upon the Hebrews has not been repealed or relaxed by the One who originated it. Instead of being of no force now, it was to be more fully carried out and more extended, as salvation through Christ alone should be more fully brought to light in the Christian age. . . . The gospel, extending and widening, required greater provisions to sustain the warfare after the death of Christ, and this made the law of almsgiving a more urgent necessity than under the Hebrew government. Now God requires, not less, but greater gifts than at any other period of the world.” Ibid., 392.

Giving Proportionate to Blessings

And because of this the Lord has laid down a principle that is to govern in all decisions concerning tithing. “The principle laid down by Christ is that the gifts and offerings should be in proportion to the light and blessings enjoyed. He has said: ‘For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required.’ ” Ibid.

“It is the spirit of covetousness which leads men to keep for gratification of self means that rightfully belong to God, and this spirit is as abhorrent to Him now as when through His prophet He sternly rebuked His people, saying, ‘Will a man rob God? Yet ye have robbed Me.’ [Malachi 3:8.] . . . The spirit of liberality is the spirit of heaven. This spirit finds its highest manifestation in Christ’s sacrifice on the cross. In our behalf the Father gave his only-begotten Son; and Christ, having given up all that He had, then gave Himself, that man might be saved. The cross of Calvary should appeal to the benevolence of every follower of the Saviour. The principle there illustrated is to give, give. . . . On the other hand, the spirit of selfishness is the spirit of Satan. The principle illustrated in the lives of worldlings is to get, get. Thus they hope to secure happiness and ease, but the fruit of their sowing is misery and death.

“Not until God ceases to bless His children will they cease to be under bonds to return to Him the portion that He claims. Not only should they render the Lord the portion that belongs to Him, but they should bring also to His treasury, as a gratitude offering, a liberal tribute. With joyful hearts they should dedicate to the Creator the first fruits of their bounties—their choicest possessions, their best and holiest service. Thus they will gain rich blessings. God Himself will make their souls like a watered garden whose waters fail not. And when the last great harvest is gathered in, the sheaves that they are enabled to bring to the Master will be the recompense of their unselfish use of the talents lent them.” The Acts of the Apostles, 339, 340.

Unlimited Effort Demanded

If the true purpose of God was understood, then the hearts of the people would be drawn to God in gratitude for his considerate care and the tender love shown in his provision for their safety and salvation. Through his servant God reasons with His people in this way: “It should not be a lamented fact that there are increasing calls to give. God in his providence is calling His people out from their limited sphere of action, to enter upon greater enterprises. Unlimited effort is demanded at this time when moral darkness is covering the world. Many of God’s people are in danger of being ensnared by worldliness and covetousness. They should understand that it is His mercy that multiplies the demands for their means. Objects that call benevolence into action must be placed before them, or they cannot pattern after the character of the great Exemplar.” Testimonies, vol. 9, 254, 255.

“Our Redeemer, who knew man’s danger in regard to covetousness, has provided a safeguard against this dreadful evil. He has arranged the plan of salvation so that it begins and ends in benevolence. Christ offered Himself, an infinite sacrifice. This, in and of itself, bears directly against covetousness and exalts benevolence.

“Constant, self-denying benevolence is God’s remedy for the cankering sins of selfishness and covetousness. God has arranged systematic benevolence to sustain His cause and relieve the necessities of the suffering and needy. He has ordained that giving should become a habit, that it may counteract the dangerous and deceitful sin of covetousness. Continual giving starves covetousness to death. Systematic benevolence is designed in the order of God to tear away treasures from the covetous as fast as they are gained and to consecrate them to the Lord, to whom they belong. . . .

“If riches increase, men, even those professing godliness, set their hearts upon them; and the more they have, the less they give to the treasury of the Lord. Thus riches make men selfish, and hoarding feeds covetousness; and these evils strengthen by active exercise. God knows our danger and has hedged us about with means to prevent our own ruin. He requires the constant exercise of benevolence, that the force of habit in good works may break the force of habit in an opposite direction.” Ibid., vol. 3, 548.

Character Revealed

“It is in a crisis that character is revealed. When the earnest voice proclaimed at midnight, ‘Behold, the bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him,’ and the sleeping virgins were roused from their slumbers, it was seen who had made preparation for the event. Both parties were taken unawares; but one was prepared for the emergency, and the other was found without preparation. . . .

“The ten virgins are watching in the evening of this earth’s history. All claim to be Christians. All have a call, a name, a lamp, and all profess to be doing God’s service. All apparently wait for Christ’s appearing. But five are unready. Five will be found surprised, dismayed, outside the banquet hall.

“At the final day, many will claim admission to Christ’s kingdom, saying, ‘We have eaten and drunk in Thy presence, and Thou hast taught in our streets.’ ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Thy name? and in Thy name have cast out devils? and in Thy name done many wonderful works?’ But the answer is, ‘I tell you, I know you not whence ye are; depart from Me.’ Luke 13:26, 27; Matthew 7:22. In this life they have not entered into fellowship with Christ; therefore they know not the language of heaven, they are strangers to its joy. . . .

“Saddest of all words that ever fell on mortal ear are those words of doom, ‘I know you not.’ The fellowship of the Spirit, which you have slighted, could alone make you one with the joyous throng at the marriage feast. In that scene you cannot participate. Its light would fall on blinded eyes, its melody upon deaf ears. Its love and joy could awake no chord of gladness in the world-benumbed heart. You are shut out from heaven by your own unfitness for its companionship.” Christ’s Object Lessons, 412, 413.

Yield Obedience

It is vital that man shall yield obedience to the law of tithing, and for this reason Satan has sought to impress upon his evil angels the necessity of so influencing commandment keepers as to weaken their faith in the promises of God, and to develop the natural tendency to selfishness common to fallen man. He is represented by the servant of the Lord as thus instructing his angels:—“Go, make the possessors of lands and money drunk with cares. If you can make them place their affections upon these things, we shall have them yet. They may profess what they please, only make them care more for money than for the success of Christ’s kingdom or the spread of the truths we hate. Present the world before them in the most attractive light, that they may love and idolize it. . . . Present every plausible excuse to those who have means, lest they hand it out. Control the money matters if you can, and drive their ministers to want and distress. This will weaken their courage and zeal. . . . Make covetousness and love of earthly treasures the ruling traits of their character. As long as these traits rule, salvation and grace stand back.” Early Writings, 266, 267.

“As Satan sees that his time is short, he leads men on to be more and more selfish and covetous, and then exults as he sees them wrapped up in themselves, close, penurious, and selfish. If the eyes of such could be opened, they would see Satan in hellish triumph, exulting over them and laughing at the folly of those who accept his suggestions and enter his snares. . . . Every selfish, covetous person will fall out by the way. Like Judas, who sold his Lord, they will sell good principles and a noble, generous disposition for a little of earth’s gain. All such will be sifted out from God’s people.” Ibid., 268, 269.

When the enemy shall come in like a flood, the promise is that the Lord will raise up a standard against him. So, to counteract the effort of Satan to develop selfishness, God presents the principles embodied in the parable of the talents, these to be worked out in the life, thus developing a character that cannot be molded along evil lines. In the parable of the talents man is presented as a steward, a coworker, with God: “The idea of stewardship should have a practical bearing upon all the people of God. The parable of the talents, rightly understood, will bar out covetousness, which God calls idolatry. Practical benevolence will give spiritual life to thousands of nominal professors of the truth who now mourn over their darkness. It will transform them from selfish, covetous worshipers of mammon to earnest, faithful co-workers with Christ in the salvation of sinners.” Testimonies, vol. 3, 387.

Servants of the Master

One servant, in the parable, confessed that he had hid the talent entrusted to him, and his counterpart is seen all through the ranks of Sabbath keepers today. “This unprofitable servant was not ignorant of God’s plans, but he set himself firmly to thwart the purpose of God, charging Him with unfairness in requiring improvement upon the talents entrusted to him. This very complaint and murmuring is made by a large class of wealthy men professing to believe the truth. Like the unfaithful servant they are afraid that the increase of the talent that God has lent them will be called for to advance the spread of truth; therefore they tie it up by investing it in earthly treasures and burying it in the world, thus making it so fast that they have nothing, or next to nothing, to invest in the cause of God. They have buried it, fearing that God would call for some of the principal or increase. When, at the demand of their Lord, they bring the amount given them, they come with ungrateful excuses for not having put the means lent them by God out to the exchangers, by investing it in His cause to carry on His work.

“He who embezzles his Lord’s goods not only loses the talent lent him of God, but loses eternal life.” Ibid., 386, 387.

“Christians forget that they are servants of the Master; that they themselves, their time, and all that they have belong to Him. Many are tempted, and the majority are overcome, by the delusive inducements which Satan presents to invest their money where it will yield them the greatest profit in dollars and cents. There are but few who consider the binding claims that God has upon them to make it their first business to meet the necessities of His cause and let their own desires be served last. There are but few who invest in God’s cause in proportion to their means. Many have fastened their money in property which they must sell before they can invest it in the cause of God and thus put it to a practical use. They make this an excuse for doing but little in their Redeemer’s cause. They have as effectually buried their money in the earth as had the man in the parable. They rob God of the tenth, which He claims as His own, and in robbing Him they rob themselves of the heavenly treasure.” Ibid., 398.

To such professed Christians the servant of the Lord speaks in decisive tones: “I have been shown that many of our people are robbing the Lord in tithes and in offerings, and as the result His work is greatly hindered. The curse of God will rest upon those who are living upon God’s bounties and yet close their hearts and do nothing or next to nothing to advance His cause.” “The only means which God has ordained to advance His cause is to bless men with property. . . . Well, says one, the calls keep coming to give to the cause; I am weary of giving. Are you? Then let me ask: Are you weary of receiving from God’s beneficent hand? Not until He ceases to bless you will you cease to be under bonds to return to Him the portion He claims. He blesses you that it may be in your power to bless others. When you are weary of receiving, then you may say: I am weary of so many calls to give. God reserves to Himself a portion of all that we receive. When this is returned to Him, the remaining portion is blessed; but when it is withheld, the whole is sooner or later cursed.” Ibid., vol. 5, 151, 150.

To be concluded . . .

The Black and White Christian, Part I

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Included in the category of black and white Christians is a very large percentage of people who profess the Christian religion. It includes an even higher percentage of those who are historic Seventh-day Adventists. There are also, in this category, a very large number of Roman Catholics and people of other religions.

Expectations

The Pharisees had terrible trouble when they got into discussions with Jesus. They would ask questions, expecting certain answers, but when they would ask Question A, expecting either Answer B or Answer C, they were given Answer R. The reason they were expecting certain answers was because they were black and white in their thinking. They considered an issue to be either black, of the devil, or white, of the Lord. Only these two alternatives were possible. When Jesus answered the question, He showed that there were other possibilities of which they had never even thought.

This is a very common problem, not just with the Pharisees, but with Christians as well. It has been a common problem all through Christian history, and it is a problem today.

An Example

Let us look at an example from Matthew 19:3: “And they came to Him, the Pharisees, testing him, and saying, ‘Is it allowed, or is it permitted, for a man to divorce his wife for any cause?’ ” If you have studied the nature of this question and that about which they were speaking, you know that this question caused endless disputes among the Jews, because their rabbis taught that a man could divorce his wife for any reason. They defended this view from the Bible.

Biblical Defense

This is always one of the biggest problems in dealing with black and white Christians; they defend their positions from the Bible. They are so sure that they are right; it is difficult to even talk to them or reason with them. They know they are right, because they read it in the Bible.

The Pharisees read their answer right out of the Bible. Deuteronomy 24 is the Scripture they used to defend their beliefs. It says, “When a man takes a wife and marries her, and it happens that she does not find favor in his eyes because he has found some uncleanness in her . . . .” Verse 1. What has he found in her? The Hebrew word is `ervah. The translators have had great difficulty trying to decipher the meaning of this word.

The linguists have given us five different possibilities for translation of the word, ‘ervah. Following are the various definitions of this Hebrew word from those who specialize in the study of languages:

  1. a situation or condition of nakedness;
  2. the pudenda—the secret parts or the sexual parts of a person, especially when naked;
  3. something that is shameful or something that is filthy;
  4. any physical defect; or
  5. ignominy or something that is dishonorable.

The Pharisees knew this word, and they argued about its meaning. Some of the rabbis held the position that if, after his marriage, a man found any defect in the woman whom he married—anything in her body, anything physically that he thought was defective, anything that he did not like—he could divorce her. In this case, the man was able to write a bill of divorcement, put it in his wife’s hand, and send her out of his house. This was the position of many of the Pharisees, based on their understanding of this word, ‘ervah.

The Pharisees were involved in endless arguments over this condition. There were some Pharisees who said, “No, this is an extreme position. You are making this text say something very extreme. It does not mean that just because the person does something you do not like, you can get rid of them.” But other Pharisees said, “Oh, no, this is what the word means. It means you can divorce the woman for anything you find to be defective.” They were involved in endless controversy over this.

Perfect Test Question

Of course, this was a perfect test question to present to Jesus. Either way He answered would involve Him in instant controversy with the opposition, because there were two sides to this issue, as there are in most controversies, and there were a number of opinions in between, as there are in most controversies. The Pharisees thought that they would instantly entangle Jesus in their religious controversies, because they thought in black and white. “Lord, which is it? Is it this way, or is it that way? Is it black, or is it white? Which is it?”

“In answering, Jesus said, ‘Have you not read that the One who created them from the beginning made them male and female,’ and, He said, ‘For this cause a man shall leave his father and his mother and shall cleave to his wife, and they shall be the two unto one flesh’? So then, they are no longer two but one flesh. Therefore, what God has yoked [or joined] together, let not man separate.” Matthew 19:4–6. This, friends, is a clear, simple, unequivocal explanation of the question.

What is the answer to their question? Can a man divorce his wife for any cause? Jesus answered the question with more than, “No.” A man is not to divorce his wife, period. Is that what you see in Jesus’ response? Is there an exception? Yes, there is an exception. The one exception is if she commits adultery against her husband. But the rule given is not to divorce at all.

Objections

The Pharisees thought for certain that Jesus was a false teacher, because He was contradicting what Moses wrote in Deuteronomy 24:1. They thought they had Him! They could show to all the people that Jesus did not agree with Moses, and everyone knew that Moses was from God. They thought they had Him, and they were going to pin Him to the wall! They were going to quote the Scripture to prove that He was wrong.

Continuing in Matthew 19:7, the Pharisees said to Jesus, “Why, therefore, did Moses give commandment to give a writing of divorcement and to put her away?” Notice Jesus’ answer to them: “Moses, because of the hardness of your hearts, allowed you to divorce your wives, but from the beginning it was not like this. And I say to you that whoever shall divorce his wife, except for the cause of fornication, and shall marry another, commits adultery.” Verses 8, 9.

Jesus is here teaching that some things are in the Bible because of the hardness of hearts. God allows us to do some things, not because it is His will, but because of the hardness of our hearts. If we really want to find the answer to what God’s plan is for our lives, we need to go back to the beginning of this world when God revealed His plan for humanity.

In the Beginning

Let us review a few of the things that happened at the beginning. Later, we will look at a few more things from the Book of Genesis. By way of introduction, think about these few facts.

In our world today, people are so confused that in Protestant churches there are those who cannot decide whether or not there should be clergy who are homosexuals. Now, think this through. When we look back to the beginning, how many people did God create? He created two, a man and a woman. He did not create two men, nor did He create two women, so there was no provision made at the beginning for homosexuality. (See Genesis 1:27; 2:20–22.) By looking back to the beginning, we can reason out what God’s will is and what His plan is. He did not make two men; He did not make two women; He did not provide for homosexuality.

Not only that, but as a result of sin, there have been men who have had more than one wife. We call that polygamy. There have also been, even in America, women who have had more than one husband. We call that polyandry. Did God make provision for either polygamy or polyandry when He created the world? God did not make two wives for Adam—or three or four or six; He made just one.

It is not essential to have all of the rest of the Bible to figure out what God’s plan is. God made for Adam one wife. Did God provide for divorce at the beginning? Did the Lord say, “Well, Adam is going to get tired of this one wife after a few hundred years, so We need to create two or three?” No, He made no provision for divorce. God created for Adam only one wife. He created for Eve only one husband. He made no provision for polygamy, polyandry, homosexuality, or divorce at the creation of the world. Those were not part of the divine plan.

Jesus reminded the Pharisees, “If you want to find out what God’s will is, you have to go back to the beginning. Moses allowed you to do some things that were wrong because of the hardness of your hearts.”

Ezekiel 20:25 records the words God spoke: “Also I gave to them statutes that were not good, and judgments where they should not live in them.” Why? Jesus explained that it was because of the hardness of their hearts. You see, there are a lot of things recorded in the Bible which men did that were not right. Even godly men made mistakes and did things that were not right.

God’s Plan

How can you find out what is right? You look first of all, Jesus said, at the beginning. What was God’s plan, which He revealed in the beginning? This is one escape for us, one way to keep away from this black and white thinking which is so common in our society and among Christians today. One way to escape is to go back to the beginning and say, “How did God plan for me to live my life? When He created the world, what did He reveal as His plan?”

Steps to Life is currently recording a series of studies on the subject of health for its television broadcast. In this series, I have returned, over and over again, to the theme of God’s original plan. When you are trying to figure out how God wants you to live, so you will have good health, the quickest way to find out is to go back to the beginning of the world and study how God planned then for man and woman to live.

Have you ever heard someone say, “God wanted us to eat meat; that is why he created cattle”? Oh, really? Do you know that, in the very first chapter of the Bible, God considered your diet important enough to put down what He wanted the human race to eat? In Genesis 1:29, God specified this diet in detail. The fact that, later, people ate all other kinds of things does not change what Genesis 1:29 says, and it does not change what the ideal diet is. Just so no one will be confused, we need to be sure to include the fact that, after sin entered the world, God did change man’s diet.

I have studied nutrition, and there are many things that are of great interest to me regarding the diet God gave to Adam and Eve. One of the things I have learned is that the first diet in Eden was a very low sodium diet. After sin entered, God added foods to their diet whereby they would get more salt, because they were going to have to earn their bread by the sweat of their face. (Genesis 3:19.)

If you want to understand what God’s original plan was for exercise, for diet, for health, for living, for social structure, and for family structure, it is all right there in the first few chapters of the Bible. Those chapters are loaded with information that we need to study on how to live.

Another Lesson

Another lesson from God’s plan, when studying the Garden of Eden, is where God placed the man and the woman. Did He place them inside a building, or did He place them outside a building? He placed them outside. We should learn from that! One of the biggest causes of all kinds of health problems we have today is that we are so much indoors; we are rarely outdoors. Even invalids in wheelchairs should be taken outside for a brief period of time each day.

In lands where women have been taught the custom of purdah—the wearing of the berka robe, hood, and veil common in Muslim countries, whereby the body is covered except for a slit for the eyes—those women suffer terrible health problems, especially during childbirth, as a result of maldevelopment of their skeletons. Their bodies were never exposed to the sunlight all the time they were growing and maturing. As a result, they have terrible, terrible problems.

We need to study the original condition in which God placed man and woman, and we need to learn from it. In fact, Ellen White instructed men and women to, “Get outside; get outdoors every day.” (See Medical Ministry, 225, 232.)

There are a lot of things that we can learn from going back to the beginning. This is how Jesus directed the people who asked, “Can we divorce our wives for any cause?” He said, “Go back to the beginning.” God made no provision for Adam to divorce his wife. He made no provision for polygamy, polyandry, homosexuality, or any of those things. Jesus said, “If you want to find out what God’s plan is, go back to the beginning.” Going back to the beginning can save us from a lot of black and white thinking.

By What Authority

The cleansing of the temple is described in Matthew 21:12–17. After the temple was cleansed, verse 23 says, “And He, coming into the temple, the chief priests and the elders of the people came to Him as He was teaching, saying, ‘By what authority do You do these things, and who gave You this authority?’ ” They wanted to know what He was doing, chasing people out of the temple. They wanted Him to prove that He had lawful authority to do this.

This was a question that caused endless dispute then and, for some interesting reason, is causing endless dispute today. People frequently want to know, “Do you have a right to preach?” As you are no doubt aware, there are many Seventh-day Adventist churches in which I cannot preach, because I do not have any right, authority, or invitation to preach in them. Of course, I am not forcing myself into places where I am not invited.

Jesus was in a very similar dilemma. He had been shut out of the synagogue. In fact, the leadership had already decided that if anyone chose to follow Him, they would be disfellowshipped from the Jewish commonwealth or synagogue. It is very clear in the Gospel of John that they had made this decision a few months before this event. They hoped that they would be able to prove that Jesus had no authority to do what He was doing; therefore, He was a false teacher. They were going to discredit Him among the people.

The same thing happens today. People come to us at Steps to Life, saying, “What authority do you have to do what you are doing? You do not have any authority to build a church. You do not have any authority to organize a church. You do not have any authority to ordain a deacon or an elder or a minister. You do not have any authority to baptize.” All of those questions and statements are based on the same kind of thinking.

Look at Jesus’ answer. When, as a teenager, I first studied this text, I thought Jesus was playing a trick on them. But as I studied more, I found He was not playing a trick at all. He was giving them a very straightforward answer to their question, and there, actually, was nothing tricky about it.

In verses 24–27, we read what was happening and what Jesus was doing. It says, “And Jesus, answering, said to them, ‘I will ask you also one thing, which if you tell Me, I also will tell you by what authority I do these things. The baptism of John, whence was it? Was it of heaven or of men?’ They reasoned with themselves saying, If we shall say, ‘Of heaven,’ He will say to us, ‘Why, therefore, did you not believe him?’ But if we say, ‘Of men,’ we fear the multitude, for they all hold John as a prophet. And answering Jesus they said, ‘We do not know.’ He said to them also, ‘Neither do I tell you by what authority I do these things.’ ”

Providence of God

What was Jesus doing? He was taking them back in the providence of God. Do you believe the providence of God has worked in the second advent movement? Do you believe the providence of God has worked in your church? Do you believe that the providence of God has worked in your family? Do you believe that the providence of God has worked in your life? Can you look back and see that God has led you? I hope you can.

If you cannot look back and see that God has been leading in your life, you had better surrender your life to Him right now. Pray, “Lord, I want you to lead and guide and direct me on a plain path, so I can see that You are directing the way I should go.” This is what God wants to do for you. He wants to lead you on a path that is plain enough for you to see that He is guiding and directing you. When you look back, if you have surrendered your life to Him every day, you should be able to see that God has been directing and guiding in your life. You should be able to see that God has been leading and guiding and directing in what has been happening in the second advent movement.

So Jesus took them back a few years in the providence of God.

Self-supporting Work

I developed a sermon, about 15 years ago, based on this passage of Scripture, entitled, “Has God Authorized Self-supporting Work?” Has God authorized people who are working for Him but who are not working with the organized conference? Some people cannot understand that. The way to figure it out is to go back in the providence of God and see how God has been leading in the second advent movement. Has God directed that this should happen or not?

Jesus took them back in the providence of God to the baptism of John the Baptist. He said, “John the Baptist was baptizing thousands of people in the Jordan River.” “They came,” it says in Matthew 3:5, “from Jerusalem, and they came from beyond the Jordan”—that is, on the east side where the two and one-half tribes settled—and were baptized by John the Baptist. So, Jesus said to them, “John the Baptist was baptizing these people. Was God leading in this or was it just the leadership of men?”

Think through the answer for a moment. If you believe that the ministry and the baptism of John the Baptist was merely human, that God was not leading, would you believe that Jesus was the Messiah? Absolutely not! But if you believe the ministry and the baptism of John the Baptist was something inspired of heaven, would you believe that Jesus was the Messiah? Yes, you would, because John the Baptist testified publicly that he was. He said, “I have seen the Spirit of God descending like a dove and lighting on this Person. I did not know Him, but the One that sent me to baptize, He told me, ‘Upon whom you see the Spirit of God descending, and remaining upon Him, that is the One that baptizes with the Holy Spirit.’ And I have seen and I am bearing testimony that this is the Son of God.” John 1:32–34.

So, if you believe that the baptism of John the Baptist was inspired by heaven, what would you believe about Jesus? You would believe that He was the Son of God, and that was the authority by which He was doing these things. The evidence was overwhelming, even to these people.

The whole multitude believed that John the Baptist was a prophet. They could not deny it, but they did not like John the Baptist, because he was an independent worker. He was not under their authority. He was not credentialed by them. He was not educated by them. He did not have permission from them, so they did not like him.

They could not deny the work of John the Baptist, but they did not want to acknowledge it either, so they said, “We cannot tell.” Jesus said, “Then I do not tell you either by what authority I do these things, if you do not know.” That is the answer we have to give to some people too.

To be continued . . .

[Bible texts quoted are literal translation.]

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

The Seven Churches, Part XII: The Church of Laodicea

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Those from among you Shall build the old waste places; You shall raise up the foundations of many generations; And you shall be called the Repairer of the Breach, The Restorer of Streets to Dwell In.” Isaiah 58:12.

The Law of God is likened unto a wall in the books of Jeremiah and Ezekiel. In Isaiah, we are told that a part of the wall has been broken down. It has been broken down for a long time, for many generations. However, God says that there is going to come a group of people who will restore this wall. They are going to build it again, but with this promise comes a condition: “If you turn away your foot from the Sabbath, [From] doing your pleasure on My holy day, and call the Sabbath a delight . . . .” Verse 13. In other words, do not be like the Jews who mournfully went about doing God’s will. Oh, no! The Sabbath is to be a joy and delight, because we are doing God’s work. Doing God’s work should be the most wonderful thing in the world.

Notice that it is God’s work we are to do on this day—not our own work. This is what Jesus did on the Sabbath. He healed the sick. He preached the gospel. He fellow-shipped. But He did not go out and build homes or buy clothes. So it is; we are to do God’s work on the Sabbath, not do our own ways, “Nor finding your own pleasure.” Verse 13. Would you say that “your own pleasure” would include sports of every kind? “Nor speaking [your own] words.” Ibid.

There is going to be a people who restore this great commemoration, which God established at creation. The seal, the sign, God says in Ezekiel 20:20, that we are His people, is going to be restored.

The church of Pergamos did not have the Bible. God told them that He would not hold them responsible for anything more than what they knew. Very few of them knew about the Sabbath. The Waldenses knew, and they kept the Sabbath, but the average child growing up in the average home at that time never, in his or her entire lifetime, heard about the Sabbath. They never saw a Bible. Did God hold them responsible for what they did not know? No! What a fair, just, and good God! How glad we should be that God does not hold people accountable for things they do not know or ever could know.

More is Less

We have the Bible. We have the opportunity to study it and to know what it says. Today, God’s gospel is being preached around the world. Today, He holds us accountable for more. This is the trouble with Laodicea. They have more; they know more, but they do not do more.

God says, to the church of Laodicea, “I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. I could wish you were cold or hot.” Revelation 3:15. Is the charge against Laodicea that they are so sinful? That they are terribly, terribly bad? Does God say, “You murderers”? No. Does He charge, “You thieves”? No. Does He accuse, “You swear”? No. Does He proclaim that they are so terribly bad? No. He says that they are lukewarm, and this is worse than being terribly bad. You see, to make an appearance of being righteous without being converted is actually worse than being totally bad.

Someone may think, then, that they might as well go out and be bad. Well, this is true! If you are satisfied with just a lukewarm state, you might as well, but I do not want to be either terribly bad or lukewarm, because I will be lost either way, and I want to be saved. God is the True Witness. (Revelation 3:14.) You may have your own ideas; you may have intelligence; you may think you know so much, but God is the Creator, and He truly knows!

Faithful and True

Being lukewarm is worse than being totally bad. In my ignorance and human wisdom, I say, “God, how could this be? I would not want my children to be totally bad. I would much rather my children be lukewarm than totally bad. Spare my children from being totally bad in this drug-infested day and age, with homosexuality and all the other sins. No, no, let them at least be lukewarm and have a form of religion.” But God says, “No! I know more than you do. Remember, I am the Faithful and True Witness. I tell the truth. It is better to be totally bad than to be lukewarm.”

This should keep us from ever judging the drunkards on the street or any other people whom we might think are bad! We might be worse than they, if we only knew ourselves. God says, “I am the Faithful and True Witness.” When we give an appearance of righteousness without being converted, we deceive others and ourselves. The person staggering down the street drunk is not fooling anyone. He is who he is. He is showing everyone that he is drunk. Everyone can see it; everyone knows it. But the Christian who has an appearance of Christianity, without being totally converted, fools everyone.

Good on the Outside

This is what makes it so difficult for people to keep the Sabbath. They may observe a preacher who is not keeping the Sabbath—but he seems so great and so good, and he does so many wonderful things and preaches such good sermons. It makes it difficult for them to keep the Sabbath, because they look at this man who is making a profession of religion, and they see that he is not keeping the Sabbath. Of course, we cannot judge a person, but we are to be fruit inspectors. (Matthew 7:16, 20.)

Such situations make it difficult for some people; it fools them. The more some individuals do missionary work and other good things, without obeying God, the more they fool other people. And millions of people are being fooled today, not by the drunk on the side of the street, but by preachers who—on the outside—are living good, conscientious lives, but—on the inside—are not keeping the Ten Commandments. More than that, when we make an appearance of righteousness without having Jesus within, we allow Satan to come in and deceptively use us.

Control or Truth

This is the way the Jewish leaders were in the days of Jesus. Did they have an appearance of righteousness? Oh, did they ever! The people thought, when the leaders spoke, that it was the voice of God. They had degrees in religion, and they knew the Bible from A to Z. They knew all the rules and regulations, and never would they consider breaking a commandment. They knew it all; they acted it all on the outside, and they crucified Jesus.

In reading the account of Laodicea, I find a perfect description of the Pharisees in Jesus’ day. When I study about the Pharisees in Jesus’ day, I find a perfect illustration of the Laodiceans. In fact, Ellen White wrote: “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.

As we consider the people of Jesus’ day, were they more interested in church control or in the truth? Oh, church control, for sure. What about when John the Baptist began his preaching? Did they search the Word, comparing Scripture with Scripture, to confirm what John the Baptist was saying? Did they tell him they were happy for the words he was speaking, or did they come to him and say, “John, who gave you the authority to preach? What degrees do you have? Who gave you the permission?” What did they do? Which way was it, the first or the second? It was the second. God was not pleased with that. May He save us from that experience.

Lukewarm or Bad

In Matthew 11:21, 22, we read about a lukewarm, Laodecian people in Jesus’ day. “Woe to you, Chora-zin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the mighty works which were done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes. But I say to you, it will be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon in the day of judgment than for you.” The people of Chorazin and Bethsaida were Sabbath-keeping, tithe-paying Jews; today, many would call them Christians. Although they were not Christians, they professed to be God’s true people. They went to church every week, and history tells us that they even had church schools. They were highly educated. The people of Tyre and Sidon were noted for their idolatry; they worshipped idols. They were heathen in every sense of the word. In fact, the Old Testament tells us, in Ezekiel 28, that Satan was the king of Tyre. You cannot get much worse than that, can you?

What does God say? “Listen, you people who are reading the Bible in Chorazin and Bethsaida. You are worse than these devil-worshippers of Tyre and Sidon.” Is it worse to be lukewarm than to be totally bad?

Accountability

He goes on to say, “And you, Capernaum, who are exalted to heaven, will be brought down to Hades; for if the mighty works which were done in you had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day. But I say to you that it shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom in the day of judgment than for you.” Verses 23, 24.

Capernaum had a beautiful temple where people worshipped. Jesus preached there, in the beginning of His ministry. He cast out demons there. (Mark 1:21–26.) It was a great center of the Lord’s work in the area near Galilee. The people were faithful churchgoers. Some were involved in witnessing. You might say that they were actually better than some of the other Jews.

They had more light than did those in any other city, but they did not live up to their privileges. God held them accountable for more. Because they did not live up to their privileges, they came under the delusions and deceptions and control of Satan without even knowing it.

And God said, in verse 24, that it will be more tolerable for the land of Sodom than for the people of Capernaum in the Day of Judgment. The word Sodomite comes from the word Sodom. They were homosexuals, and God destroyed them with fire because of their abominable sin of homosexuality. Yet, He says that in the judgment it will be more tolerable for those terrible people who had become a whole nation of homosexuals in Sodom, than for those of Capernaum.

Is being lukewarm worse than being totally bad? It is the worst thing possible, because we deceive ourselves, and we deceive others. We come under the control of Satan just the same as if we were drinking alcohol or using illegal drugs.

Recognize Our Need

If we are not under God’s control, under whose control do we eventually come? If we come under Satan’s control while we are doing the outward works of religion, we are in the worst possible condition in which anyone could be, because we need to realize our need, so we do not fool others.

How can God help us? Jesus said, “Those who are well have no need of a physician.” He was talking to the Pharisees and Sadducees. Did these people have need of healing? Yes, they did, but they did not realize it. Those who think they are well do not realize they have any need, only “those who are sick. But go and learn what [this] means: ‘I desire mercy and not sacrifice.’ For I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance.” Matthew 9:12, 13.

Oh, I never want to get so good, in my own eyes, that I do not need Jesus, that I do not need repentance, that I do not need His message, that I get upset if someone brings to my attention something that I need to do or to change. I pray that God spares the church from ever reaching the place where they become upset if messages of warning and reproof are given to them.

Not Indispensable

God says, “Because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of My mouth.” Revelation 3:16. There are only two churches that God warns of moving them out of the way, and they are the two churches that thought they could never be moved. One was the church of Ephesus, which was started by the apostles. They thought they could never be moved. But God says that we are not to fool ourselves; no one is indispensable.

The Jews thought they were indispensable. It is a most dangerous philosophy to come to the place where we think we—or whatever we are associated with—are indispensable. God is not dependent upon us.

This is the philosophy that led the Jews to crucify Jesus, because they figured that if they could put Him out of the way, God could not do away with them, because, eventually, what they did had to be right. This is rather mixed up reasoning, but they had the philosophy that if they really condemned and crucified someone, sooner or later it would be found to have been the right thing to do, because they were the true church and they could never be done away with. Who could question what they did?

What circular reasoning! But it is amazing how many people believe this way. The Catholic Church believed it for 2,000 years. In 1870, at the first Vatican Council, the Catholic Church declared themselves to be infallible. They proclaimed that they had never erred nor could they ever err. Holding that philosophy, you can burn people at the stake and, after having done it, accept the action as being right, because the church cannot err; it is a true church. So all you must do is have someone condemned and burned and that person is bad forever, because the church cannot make a mistake. Is this not strange reasoning?

It is my prayer that God will spare His church from any taint of this crooked kind of reasoning.

Bear Good Fruit

Many people today are asking, Is God dependent upon the Laodicean church to finish His work? God is going to have a people who go through. The last message is the final message God has to give to the earth. There is no other.

Matthew 3:9, 10 contains a message that shook up the Jewish nation. It is the same message that needs to shake up the church today. God intends for it to be given to the present day church. “Do not think to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as [our] father.’ For I say to you that God is able to raise up children to Abraham from these stones. And even now the ax is laid to the root of the trees. Therefore every tree which does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.” Notice, it does not say, “every tree, except the last tree.” It says, “every tree,” period, “which does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.” There is one way for God’s last church, as presently organized, to go through, and that is to bear good fruit. There is no other way. There is one way for you, in your church, to go through to the end, and it is to bear good fruit.

The Elijah Message

This was, by the way, the Elijah message. It was the message Elijah brought to the children of Israel, and it was the message that John the Baptist repeated. We read, in Luke 1:17, that the message John the Baptist gave was the Elijah message: “He will also go before Him in the spirit and power of Elijah, ‘to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children,’ and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.” In Matthew 17:12, 13, Jesus recognized it as the Elijah message: “ ‘But I say to you that Elijah has come already, and they did not know him but did to him whatever they wished. Likewise the Son of Man is also about to suffer at their hands.’ Then the disciples understood that He spoke to them of John the Baptist.”

Do you know who else is going to give the Elijah message to the world? We learn, from Malachi 4:5, 6, that the Elijah message has to come to God’s last church. It says, “Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet Before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord. And he will turn The hearts of the fathers to the children, And the hearts of the children to their fathers, Lest I come and strike the earth with a curse.”

Last Day Elijah Message

This message must come again, right before the great and dreadful day of the Lord. I consider the following quotes to be from the Elijah prophet, brought to God’s last people, who, today, have so many privileges.

“A carnal security and ease in Zion prevail. Peace, peace, is sounded in her borders, when God has not spoken peace. They have forfeited the terms of peace; there is reason for an alarm to be sounded in all ‘my holy mountain.’ The sinners in Zion should be afraid, in a time when they do not expect it, sudden destruction will surely come upon all who are at ease.” Review and Herald, December 23, 1890.

Is there a condition? There are conditions, and Ellen White says that they have been forfeited.

“The Holy Spirit strives to make apparent the claims of God, but men pay heed only for a moment, and turn their minds to other things: Satan catches away the seeds of truth; the gracious influence of the Spirit of God is effectually resisted. Thus many are grieving away the Holy Spirit for the last time, and they know it not.” Ibid.

When the Holy Spirit was grieved away from the children of Israel for the last time, they did not know it. They went on sacrificing their sacrifices and going about their daily activities. They did not know their time of probation had come and gone.

“The words spoken by Christ of Jerusalem are, ‘Your house is left unto you desolate.’ [Matthew 23:38.] What anguish of soul did Jesus feel when all his appeals, his warnings and reproofs, were resisted! At the time he brought them home to the soul, impressions were made; but self-love, self-sufficiency, love of the world, came in and choked the good seed sown. Pride of heart prevented his hearers from humbling themselves before God, and confessing their sin in resisting his Holy Spirit, and reluctantly it left them. On the crest of Olivet, as he beheld the city, he wept over it, saying, ‘If thou hadst known, even thou, at least in this thy day, the things which belong unto thy peace!’ [Luke 19:42.] Here he paused; he was loath to utter the irrevocable sentence. O that Jerusalem would repent! When the fast westering sun should pass out of sight, her day of mercy would be ended. Jesus closed his sentence, ‘But now they are hid from thine eyes.’ On another occasion he lamented the impenitence of the chosen city: ‘O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, which killest the prophets, and stonest them that are sent unto thee; how often would I have gathered thy children together, as a hen doth gather her brood under her wings, and ye would not! Behold, your house is left unto you desolate.’ [Luke 13:34, 35.] The Lord forbid that this scene should now be repeated in the experience of God’s professed people! ‘My Spirit,’ he says, ‘shall not always strive with man.’ [Genesis 6:3.] The time will come when it must be said of the impenitent, ‘Ephraim is joined to his idols; let him alone.’ [Hosea 4:17.]

“Will the church see where she has fallen?” Ibid.

There Will Be a People

We need to read all of inspiration, not just the parts we want to read. God is no more dependent upon any human organization today than He was in the days of Jesus or than He was in the days of Ephesus. He says specifically in His counsel, “I will spew you, Laodicea, out of My mouth, unless you repent.”

Oh, yes, the message is going through, and there is a people going through. But we need to understand that God, if He needs to, will take people off the streets and make them His people, replacing every one who thinks they are His people. There is not a soul on this earth upon whom God is dependent! We are dependent upon Him. Oh, He loves us. He wants us to be saved more than anything else in the world. He died for us. He will do anything to help us be saved, but He is not dependent upon us. There is a difference.

Message to Laodicea

God will do anything to help us be saved, but unless we are converted, we will be lost, no matter what our profession. This is the message to Laodicea. The message to Laodicea is that the Laodiceans are in a lost condition. The trouble is, they think they are saved. It says, in Revelation 3:17–19, “Because you say, ‘I am rich, have become wealthy, and have need of nothing,’—and do not know that you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked—I counsel you to buy from Me gold refined in the fire, that you may be rich; and white garments, that you may be clothed, [that] the shame of your nakedness may not be revealed; and anoint your eyes with eye salve, that you may see. As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten. Therefore be zealous and repent.”

Be Zealous and Repent

“ ‘Be zealous and repent,’ is the admonition of Jesus to the Laodicean church. There is something to repent of. Worldly-mindedness, selfishness, and covetousness have been eating out their spiritual life. . . .

“The gold of faith and love, the white raiment of a spotless character, and the eye-salve, or the power of clear discernment between good and evil,—all these we must obtain before we can hope to enter the kingdom of God. But these precious treasures will not drop upon us without some exertion on our part. We must buy,—we must be ‘zealous and repent’ of our lukewarm state. We must be awake to see our wrongs, to search for our sins, and to put them away from us.

“Those who have set their affections upon earthly treasures, have a work to do to overcome their love of the world. Many are not giving heed to the admonition of the True Witness. They desire the blessings which he offers, but do not seek them with earnestness proportionate to their value. While striving for the possessions of earth, what zeal and energy they manifest! What cool calculations they make! They plan and toil early and late, and sacrifice their ease and comfort to obtain a treasure that must soon pass away. A corresponding zeal on their part to obtain the gold, the white raiment, and the eye-salve, would place them in possession of these heavenly treasurers, and of everlasting life in the kingdom of God.

“Jesus is saying, ‘Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.’ [Revelation 3:20.] But many have so much rubbish piled up at the door of the heart that they cannot admit Jesus. Some have difficulties between themselves and their brethren to remove; others have evil tempers, pride, covetousness; with others, love of the world bars the entrance. All this must be taken away, before they can open the door and welcome the Saviour in.

“How precious is the promise, ‘I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.’ Oh, the love, the wondrous love of God! After all our lukewarmness and sins he says, Return unto me, and I will return unto thee, and will heal all thy backslidings.” Review and Herald, September 4, 1883.

Oh, friend. Do not be one of those who is lukewarm. Be zealous and repent. You can overcome. Accept the way of escape, which Jesus died to make available for you, that you may overcome every fault, resist every temptation, and sit down at last with Him on His throne.

Pastor Marshall Grosboll, with his wife Lillian, founded Steps to Life. In July 1991, Pastor Marshall and his family met with tragedy as they were returning home from a camp meeting in Washington state, when the airplane he was piloting went down, killing all on board.

Editorial – Types and Shadows, Part IV

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In the last three editorials, we have studied Colossians 2:14–17. Last month we learned that theology has been used numberless times to gain control of other people’s minds and finally to control them entirely. There are still people today with the same Gnostic attitude attempting to gain control of the church of God by dictating various practices for believers to follow in regard to eating, drinking, working, dressing, feast days, methods of Sabbath observance, ad nauseum.

Concerning this, Paul said, “Let nobody give judgment of you, wishing in humility of mind and worship of angels, which he has seen [some Greek manuscripts read ‘which he has not seen’; we will not discuss this difference here], pushing into without cause, being puffed up by his fleshly mind, and not holding onto the Head, out of whom all the body, through the joints and ligaments, having been supplied and having been joined together, will grow with the growth of God. If you have died with Christ from the elements of the world, why, as living in the world, are you subject to ordinances [or decrees; the same root as in verse 14]—‘Do not touch, do not taste, do not finger,’ which things are all unto perishing in the process of being used— according to the commandments and teachings of men [Gnostics]? Which things have a reputation for wisdom in self-imposed worship [the word for worship could also be translated ‘man-made religion’] and humility of mind and severe treatment of the body, not in any honor for the indulgence of the flesh.” Colossians 2:18–23. The last clause of verse 23 shows us clearly that this man-made religion has no value in controlling physical passions.

Previously, in stating that these religious observances were shadows of things to come, if we allow the Bible to interpret itself, the fact that these religious observances were shadows of things to come would have to refer to the Jewish ceremonial system with its animal sacrifices and yearly sabbaths and feast days (see Leviticus 23) and monthly feast days (see Hebrews 8:1–5; 10:1–4).

Many people have not noticed, when reading Colossians 2:17, that the verb, “is,” has been added. It is very common in both Hebrew and Greek texts for the translator to feel forced to add a form of the verb “to be” (such as “is,” “was,” “will be,” “are,” or “were”) to aid the English reader in understanding what is being read. The problem comes when, in order to aid readability, the meaning of the text is changed, which is what perhaps has been done in Colossians 2:17. If we did not add any words and gave the text a free translation to aid readability, it would read approximately as follows, beginning with verse 16: “Therefore do not let anybody judge you in eating or drinking or in respect of a feast or a new moon or of Sabbaths, (which are a shadow of things coming), except the body of Christ.” Or, if we were to paraphrase the text to simplify its meaning, so that all could immediately understand, the paraphrase would read approximately as follows: “Do not let anybody but the body of Christ judge you concerning your religious practices, which are symbols of the future.”

The believers are not to allow individuals (Gnostics) to usurp the teaching authority of the church—the body of Christ—itself. They are not to allow the practices of the old covenant or any type of man-made religion (human rules which had never been agreed to by the apostles and the elders of the church) to usurp the authority of the church—the body of Christ—which was instructed by the apostles themselves and which, as a body, had authority, as long is it abided by the foundational teachings of the prophets, apostles, and Jesus Christ, the chief Cornerstone.