Issue: 2006 September

Children’s Story – The Surprise Package Company

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There once was a group of children who were friends and who played together. While on vacation from school one day, they were wondering just what to do.

“I know,” Johnny said, “let’s ride our bikes.”

“Oh, we rode bikes yesterday,” said Sally.

Then Janice spoke up, “Let’s see if we could play a trick on mean old Mr. Brown.”

“Oh, no, that wouldn’t be right!” said Johnny. “My mom said that he only seems mean because he has a lot of pain in his lame leg. It would be cruel to play tricks on him.”

The children were quiet for a long while thinking. Suddenly Janice jumped up, “I know! What if we play good tricks?”

“What do you mean good tricks?” the others asked.

“Well, we could do something nice and nobody would know who did it.” Janice continued.

“Hey, yes!” Judy exclaimed. “It could be like a mystery, and we could leave a little note with a surprise message!”

“It could be like a club. What will we call it?” Sally asked.

“How about ‘The Surprise Package Company’?” Peter joined in.

“Hey, way cool!” the others agreed.

And so “The Surprise Package Company” was born. The children began to think about things that they could do to be helpful and kind. “You know little Georgie has been in the house sick with the mumps. Let’s make up a little gift for him, put a “The Surprise Package Company” card on it, and leave it at his door. We’ll knock and run away, and his mom will find it.” So they each went home to search for some little toy or book to give to little Georgie. Soon they were back. One had a box of nearly new crayons. One had a coloring book. Sally had some stickers. They put the things into a little box and wrapped it with a piece of left over birthday wrap. Janice made the card as she could print real neat. Then they delivered the box and watched from behind a bush as Georgie’s mom picked it up and, smiling, took it inside the house.

The next afternoon they pulled the weeds out of a neighbor’s garden, and they left a “The Surprise Package Company” card right where the neighbor would see it.

The more they did good tricks, the more projects they thought of. They were having so much fun making other people happy! They took flowers from their gardens to an elderly lady and left them where she would find them. They put some money together and bought a few cookies to take to mean old Mr. Brown, and saw him smile as he read the card.

One day, they got a surprise! Someone had been watching them as they went about doing their good tricks, and one day they each received an invitation to a lovely picnic. The invitations were addressed to: “The Surprise Package Company”!

When we help others, we make ourselves happy! That is how God’s universe was set up, so everyone would help others, and no one ever would be selfish. I invite you to try doing some good tricks!

The Ten Commandments, Part XV – When Gain is Loss

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“Neither shalt thou steal.” Deuteronomy 5:19.

It is interesting how so few words are able to define so broad a responsibility!

Notice how the second table of the law is linked together: “Honour thy father and thy mother, . . . Thou shalt not kill. Neither shalt thou commit adultery. Neither shalt thou steal.” Verses 16–19. [Emphasis supplied.] If you break one point, you have broken the whole law.

This linkage occurs because the second part of the law is linked together as man’s responsibility to man. It is linked together with the first table of the law so it becomes one whole. This is why James says, “For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one [point], he is guilty of all.” James 2:10. If you break one link in the chain, you have broken the entire chain. It will be of no value to you if you break one link.

This eighth commandment is brief, yet it covers many areas of which we normally do not think. The violation of this commandment calls for a different penalty for its violation than do the rest of the commandments for their violation.

All of the previous commandments called for the death penalty under Mosaic Law. This commandment does not call for the death penalty, but for restoration. It calls for the restoration of light goods many times over.

In Old Testament times, there was not even a prison sentence if a person was caught violating this commandment, because Israel did not operate in that way. There were basically three penalties for the violation of the law: (1) death by stoning, (2) restoration, and (3) a fine. These three penalties certainly kept the prison population to a minimum!

But even though, in the Mosaic Law, there was a lesser penalty for this violation, do not for a moment think that a lesser penalty will be applied when the tribunal of heaven reviews one’s life in the judgment. If our sins have not been confessed, if our sins have not been forgiven, the death penalty will be meted out in the final end of all things.

When the Bible says, “Thou shalt not steal,” yet someone violates this command, it is still sin in the eyes of God. The Bible makes it very clear that “the wages of sin [is] death.” Romans 6:23.

Universal Application

As we consider the universal application of the Ten Commandments, the eighth commandment is recognized as a universal law all over the world, by all people, everywhere. They may not recognize or acknowledge the one true God of heaven, but they recognize the truth that says that another person’s property belongs to him or her and another person should not tamper with it. From the most civilized to the most heathenish, this law is recognized as contributing to the betterment of the society in which we live.

“Thou shalt not steal.” On the surface, this short statement commands respect for another’s property. This is part of God’s plan for character development, because, as we are observant and obedient to His law, as we recognize the prohibitions that are there, it does something for us as well as something for society. We develop character.

More Than Superficial

Romans 7:14 tells us “that the law is spiritual” and that it has depth below the surface. The law is more than just prohibitions written on tables of stone; it has a spiritual side as well.

To say that the law has a spiritual side means that it deals with the thoughts and the intents of the heart, not just the outward acts. This is the direction that the Law of Moses actually goes as well. This is the direction that God’s Law goes—from the outward to the inward, from the act to the thoughts.

So when the commandment says, “Thou shalt not steal,” the spiritual depth says, by its very nature, that there is more here than just a physical act. The question we have to ask ourselves is, Just how far does it go? An insight as to the nature of this commandment may be gathered from the writings of Ellen White.

Speaking of the eighth commandment, she says: “Both public and private sins are included in this prohibition. The eighth commandment condemns manstealing and slave dealing, and forbids wars of conquest. It condemns theft and robbery. It demands strict integrity in the minutest details of the affairs of life. It forbids overreaching in trade, and requires the payment of just debts or wages. It declares that every attempt to advantage oneself by the ignorance, weakness, or misfortune of another is registered as fraud in the books of heaven.” Patriarchs and Prophets, 309.

When this counsel was written, there were still many places in the world where the slave trade flourished. Whether you realize it or not, there are still many places in the world today where the slave trade is still perpetuated.

Right here in the United States the slave trade is still in operation! More than 50,000 children a year disappear; many of those children disappear into the slave trade. The people who steal them force them into bondage of prostituting themselves, both boys and girls. It is estimated that one million children are enslaved in prostitution in Asia. (Carol Smolenski, “Sex tourism and the sexual exploitation of children,” Christian Century, November 15, 1995.) When Mrs. White talks about the eighth commandment, her counsel applies to the slave trade; it is very applicable today.

Only those who are allowing their characters to be transformed by the power of the Holy Spirit are in tune with the law. They begin to allow their characters to develop so these things will no longer take place.

We in the United States are facing a time when every principle of our Constitution will be disregarded. Men and women will lose their sense as to what is right and what is wrong, and the slave trade of which Mrs. White was speaking will come back in some degree of application again. As we read the Spirit of Prophecy, she makes it very plain that slave trade will come back with the Sunday law. (See, for example, Christian Service, 155–158.) How this will happen I do not know, but there will be people, when the Holy Spirit is withdrawn, who will think that it is a good thing to have a slave or two. This is why the Law of God is so important as we come into the last days. It is God’s revealed will and what He expects of His people in the last days.

What Precedes

If the world had followed the Law of God all along, we would not have the writings of history to remind us about slavery, manstealing, and wars of conquest. In regard to wars of conquest, of which Mrs. White says this commandment applies, I believe there are preludes that lead us into accepting wars of conquest. One of those avenues that leads us into wars of conquest is competitive sports.

When you have on your spiritual glasses, the spirit that surrounds competitive sports is the same spirit that generates wars of conquest. It is the spirit of the strong prevailing over the weak; this is the spirit of competition. This is the spirit of any type of conquest over another. Consider the names of certain groups that are contesting with other groups. There are names such as the Warriors, the Raiders, the Trojans, and on and on the list goes. These names hearken back to these wars of conquest. A certain mentality is developed through these kinds of things.

Stewardship

The Law of God is very comprehensive, because it is spiritual. A study of the Bible reveals that the ownership of material goods is not really ownership at all; it is really stewardship. We may own a piece of property; we may have a title deed to a piece of property, but, in reality, it is only secondary ownership. God is really the Owner. He is, as the Bible says, the “possessor of heaven and earth.” Genesis 14:22.

God declares that “all the earth is mine.” Exodus 19:5. And the Psalmist says, “The earth [is] the Lord’s, and the fulness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein.” Psalm 24:1. All belongs to God, so, in reality, man is only a tenant, or a steward, with a definite obligation to the real Owner. Most of the world does not recognize that God owns everything, that they are just tenants or stewards.

Once you realize, for instance, that although you may have title to a car, that car really does not belong to you, it belongs to God, it lessens the sting when someone comes along and pilfers it and takes some of your goods.

Changes Not

Another aspect of this commandment that says, “Thou shalt not steal,” is given in Malachi 3:6: “For I [am] the Lord, I change not; therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed.” Are you glad that God’s purposes for you have never changed? Are you thankful that His purpose is that you will be in the kingdom of heaven, and that is the reason you are not consumed?

“Even from the days of your fathers ye are gone away from mine ordinances, and have not kept [them]. Return unto me, and I will return unto you, saith the Lord of hosts. But ye said, Wherein shall we return?” Verse 7. How are we going to come back to God? We do not even think that we have been away from Him! The question comes back, “Will a man rob God? Yet ye have robbed me. But ye say, Wherein have we robbed thee? In tithes and offerings. Ye [are] cursed with a curse: for ye have robbed me, [even] this whole nation.” Verses 8, 9.

One of the greatest violations that man can ever perpetrate, as far as this commandment is concerned, is when he begins to take things from God that do not belong to him.

I have often found it interesting when people say, “I pay my tithe.” No, you do not pay your tithe. What you really do is return to God that which belongs to Him. You have just been given stewardship over it. You do become a thief when you take God’s material and appropriate it for yourself. If it were possible to list by degrees the violation of this commandment, being a robber of God would be at the top of the list.

Personal Violation

There are responsibilities that we have to our fellow man because we recognize this commandment that God has given to us. Stealing is taking property from another, over which he has been given the stewardship of God. In doing this, there indeed is a violation between one person and another, but do you realize that there is even a greater violation involved in this commandment than just taking someone else’s property? It goes far beyond that into the realm of the spiritual.

If you take something that does not belong to you, you are taking something that God has placed into the stewardship of another person. In doing this, you effectually are saying that God does not know what He is doing, that you really know more about the stewardship of God than God knows, because He gave that property to the wrong person when He should have given it to you. In reality, you put yourself in the place of God when you steal something from someone else.

When such things happen, a whole series of events are set in motion. You do not really understand it unless you see it from God’s perspective. This is why the impact of what James says becomes so dynamic: “If you have broken one, you have broken them all.”

There are only three ways in which we can come into possession of anything: (1) by a gift, (2) by labor, working for it, and (3) by stealing it. The first two are legal and right—when you receive a gift, when you labor and purchase possessions—but the last one is wrong, and it is considered sin.

Gambling

Another aspect that applies to this commandment is a form that is so popular today that most people do not see anything wrong with it. Many Christians, including many Seventh-day Adventists, find themselves engaged in this activity. It encompasses betting, lotteries, or any other type of con games. Seventh-day Adventists and other Christians get involved with this because people are always wanting to get something for nothing, never realizing that such forms of acquisition come under the prohibition of this commandment and, as such, are forms of theft. Literally billions and billions of dollars are acquired in this way each year. A Christian has to be so careful that he or she does not get caught up in it.

As one writer put it: Gambling stands in about the same relation to stealing as dueling does to murder. Just because a man is willing to risk his life in an encounter does not make it right for him to take another man’s life. Nor does the fact that a man is willing to risk his own property in a game of chance make it right for him to take another man’s property without the equivalent in payment. There is nothing considerate or brotherly in a gambling transaction. Men gamble simply as a result of their feverish desire for quick and easy gain, at any cost, even their own souls.

Overreaching

In her statement, Ellen White addressed another aspect of theft that forbids what is called “overreaching in trade.” Everybody likes a bargain, and I am no exception. I like a bargain too. But we do overstep our bounds when we beat someone down on their price by haggling over some article of merchandise.

Proverbs 20:14 talks about this issue: “[It is] naught, [it is] naught, saith the buyer: but when he is gone his way, then he boasteth.” In other words, it is worth nothing. “That piece of junk,” the buyer insists, “is not worth a red cent.”

In other words, someone learns about an item that is for sale, but when he talks to the owner about it, he runs it down. He tells how bad it is, outlines all the faults that it has, and then offers a low price.

Not everybody who puts an ad in the paper for something to sell has a lot of money in the bank. The item for sale may not be just something extra they want to get rid of. Usually, people, when they put an ad in the paper, are pressed to the wall. They need to raise some funds, and they need every dollar they can get out of the item for sale. When you come along and begin to haggle and try to beat them down on their price, if they are in a pinch, they may sell the item for the lowered price because they need the money. But do you know what takes place in a situation like this? You have just stolen someone else’s stewardship from them.

We dishonor God, as Christians, when we engage in such conduct. There is nothing wrong with asking a person what their price is or if they can take less for the item. But our every action must be above board. It is not necessary to steal openly in order to transgress the law. To buy something for a lower price and sharp trading is just as much stealing as selling something for more than it is worth or by misrepresenting it.

The ’60s

Some of you remember the 1960s. I can remember that time. If you are too young to remember, perhaps you have heard or read about those times. In the early 1960s, the Cold War between two super powers, the United States and Russia, was at its height. It was also a time of the race for outer space between these two nations. The question was, Which one would be first to put a satellite into space, a human being into orbit, or land on the moon?

During the heat of this space race, NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration) was faced with a lot of problems. One of the problems they encountered was the need for a ballpoint pen the astronauts could use, one that would write in zero gravity—that condition experienced when the capsules were flying around in that atmosphere.

In typical American fashion, ingenuity prevailed. After a considerable amount of research and development, an astronaut pen was developed at the cost of approximately one million dollars, and, believe me, it worked in outer space! It enjoyed a certain amount of success as a novelty item here on the earth. Interestingly, the Soviet Union was faced with the same problem. They solved the problem also. Their solution? They used a pencil.

This seems a bit like the situation that we face when we consider the eighth commandment! It seems so easy: “Thou shalt not steal,” yet we find that it is tremendously complex in a number of ways.

Complex or Simple

Many times we make things out to be very, very complex. We go through all kinds of effort in an attempt to try to solve the problem, and yet it is very simple. The commandments can be expanded and magnified. That is what Jesus intended to teach when He came.

When we really get serious about our life and its relationship to God, the questions change. Instead of asking, What is the minimum requirement, the least that I can do to be saved, we ask, How much can I do for God? How much am I willing to hear what God says? How far am I willing to go to follow Him?

So, when we really study this commandment and want to hear what God might be saying, we find that there is a lot more to this than just “Thou shalt not steal.” If you really want to get serious about what being a Christian is all about, you begin to see how easily the commandment begins to become complicated.

Time and Energy

Can stolen time and energy cause us to be thieves? Yes, they can. It does not have to be that we rob God or another person. We can rob in many ways other than just taking someone’s possessions. Consider some instances.

In the work place, when we have a job to do, if we are not diligent in our work, giving labor for what we are given, we are stealing, just as surely as though we were putting our hands in the cash box.

It is possible for married people to spend so much time in their own pursuits, in their professions, in their hobbies, in what they want to do, that they, in effect, steal time and attention that rightfully belongs to the spouse. Likewise, people can spend so much time on their jobs, in their hobbies, or even at church, that they, in effect, steal the time and the attention that rightfully belongs to their children.

It is this kind of theft for which many will be held accountable in the judgment. The reason is that the Questioner is going to inquire, “Where is the little flock I gave you?”

Business Fairness

Suppose a business owner has a successful business operation. The company is making money. The public likes its product. Then it comes time to decide, as it does ever so often, what to do about employee wage increases. How much should the employees be paid during the coming year? There can be a myriad of answers to this question, but two distinctly different ones are these: (1) pay them what they are worth; after all, they are the ones that help the business to succeed, or (2) pay them as little as possible so more profit stays with the business owners.

When employers pay as little as they can, when they give the minimum amount with which they can get away, they have, in effect, stolen from the employee. And in the process, they have stolen from the family’s well being. They have stolen the education possibilities from that employee’s children. They have stolen that family’s hopes, and, in the process, they have become the loser.

No Bad Trade

The Book of James deals with this issue. The most important question to ask on the job is not, What am I getting paid? The most important question to ask is, What am I becoming here?

At first thought, it can be looked at as a warning, and it is. Do not make a bad trade. Do not trade your soul, your honesty, and your integrity for some material stuff. This concept is also a promise, because when we make the right choice, we advance in the plan that God has for us.

Every time we could take something, and we do not, it does something for us spiritually. This law has much broader application than just the taking of things. It has to do with the heart. We should ask ourselves, How am I relating to all the various issues of life? Am I dealing fairly and squarely in every area of life? Not only in terms of recognizing someone else’s stewardship, but also questioning whether or not I am giving the proper time in the work place—not only as an employee, but as an employer. Am I recognizing my responsibilities in my family and in my home? Am I recognizing my responsibilities in the community?

I Owe, I Owe

What about owing a bill? Many people owe bills, and the promise is always there, “I am going to pay it. I have it in the back of my mind. I am going to pay the bill. I will pay the bill.” But it never happens.

What about just paying bills on time? Perhaps a bill comes due the first of the month, but I do not get it paid until the end of the month. Does this commandment apply to this situation? It most certainly does. Why? Because in not paying a bill on time, funds are withheld from the treasury of the person or business collecting the money. That money could either be invested or gaining interest, but you have taken from their resource.

Christians are under the obligation of the Law of God to pay their bills on time. God will hold us accountable for those things.

Away With It

Whenever we do wrong, whenever we think we have gotten away with something, whenever we think that no one has seen us, mark it down. Someone is keeping record—not only of the act itself but also of the thoughts and the intents of the heart.

As we continue this series on the Ten Commandments, we will come to one that deals with the thoughts and the intents of the heart. God’s Law is very comprehensive. God’s Law is very complete. I hope that your interest has been sparked to study the Law of God from a different perspective and in more depth than you have in the past.

Each one of us is either becoming more like Jesus or more like the devil, and that end result ultimately rests with how we relate to the Law of God.

To be continued . . .

A retired minister of the gospel, Pastor Mike Baugher may be contacted by e-mail at: landmarks@stepstolife.org.

Good News for Pharisees and Sadducees

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Have you ever played the game called follow-the-leader? Boys and girls have played it for years. I can remember leading the other children in the neighborhood through the swimming pool with their clothes on, through the mud, off the highest steps of the porch, and in, through, or off any other ridiculous place I could think of. They came right along behind, because we were playing follow-the-leader.

Even though follow-the-leader is considered a childhood game, most of us continue to play it in one way or another. The entire advertising industry is built on this tendency of human beings to follow the leader, to do what they see someone else, some leader, doing.

Sheep are notorious for following the leader. At a slaughterhouse in New York City, New York, a goat was trained to jump into the chute as soon as the gate opened. The sheep always followed. Just before the slaughtering section, there was a little side door. When the goat reached that point, he jumped out, the side door slammed shut behind him, and the sheep kept going to their death. The goat went back for another group of followers. The people at the slaughterhouse had come up with an appropriate name for the goat—Judas! The game of follow-the-leader repeatedly ended up tragically, at least for the sheep.

Following Religious Leaders

At the time of Christ, people followed religious leaders. There were two main groups, the Pharisees and the Sadducees. The leaders were off course, and the people followed. Both leaders and people went astray. Jesus told a parable about this follow-the-leader syndrome, perhaps one of the shortest parables He ever told. It is found in Luke 6:39, 40. “He also told them this parable: ‘Can a blind man lead a blind man? Will they not both fall into a pit? A student is not above his teacher, but everyone who is fully trained will be like his teacher.’ ” Perhaps we could paraphrase it this way: “The followers will invariably be like their leaders, and rarely will a follower rise above his leader.”

We could mention one name—Hitler—to give a classic example of the danger of people blindly following the leading of other people. And the German people are no more gullible than the rest of us. All of us are prone to follow leaders. Sometimes the most self-centered leader is the one who attracts the most self-centered followers.

The tragedy in the days of Christ was that a whole nation perished because they went blindly following their religious leaders instead of studying Scripture for themselves. The great danger we face as a church today is that we will depend upon other people. This is one of the primary reasons for disunity. We are not in the habit of studying Scripture for ourselves. Many study a lot of the teachings of various leaders, but not so many study the Scripture for themselves.

I would like to assure you that this is not an attack on organized church leadership. People often choose for leaders those who have no official leading position in an organized church structure. This is rather a warning against following anyone, regardless of his occupation. We are to be followers of Christ. No leader is to be followed blindly, even though most people who do so would not admit to blindness. The proper function of a leader is to help people to see for themselves.

We need leaders. God believes in leadership. According to Scripture, even heaven has its system of leadership. But the function of the leader is to lead the people to know Jesus for themselves. The purpose of leadership is not to hand truth to people for them to accept without any further investigation. There is an old adage that says, “You can give a man a fish, and you will feed him for a day. You can teach a man to fish, and you will feed him for a lifetime.”

Paul was a mighty leader in the early church. He was not blind, and he taught the truth he received from God. But the Bereans checked it out for themselves. They had the perfect combination. Their lesson to us is this: If we are in the habit of checking truth for ourselves, we will not be misled.

Who They Were

The Pharisees and Sadducees at the time of Christ were only representatives of the entire nation. The people who followed the Sadducees became like their leaders. The people who followed the Pharisees became pharisaical. We are not just having a history lesson when we look at these religious leaders from the time of Christ. Their characteristics are still present in the church today, both in leaders and followers, for those on every level of the church who are spiritually blind.

In terms of behavior, the Pharisees were the conservatives and the Sadducees were the liberals. The Pharisees observed many more rites and ceremonies and traditions than did the Sadducees. But both groups were legalists, because both had their attention on their performance instead of upon God.

The Pharisees were traditionalists, according to Mark 7 and Matthew 15, and were very loyal in their support of that which had been handed down from the fathers. The Sadducees were the intellectuals who loved to discuss hard questions, such as the status of marriage in heaven. The Pharisees were perfectionists. The Sadducees were imperfectionists.

The Sadducees did not believe in resurrection from the dead, physically or spiritually. They did not believe in the power of God worked out in the life. They did not accept the judgment and believed that only the first five books of the Scriptures were inspired. Among the Sadducees were some of Jesus’ worst enemies.

The Pharisees and Sadducees were violently opposed to each other. The Jewish nation at the time of Christ had much theological discord. The people lined up behind the leaders, some following Pharisees, some following Sadducees.

Neither the Pharisees nor Sadducees were converted to the teachings of Jesus. Neither group could offer a realistic hope of salvation to the weak person. Neither group had time for the harlots and thieves and publicans. Both groups misinterpreted Scripture, misinterpreted the law, misinterpreted prophecy, and misinterpreted the kingdom of heaven that Jesus taught. The principle that man can save himself by his own righteousness was the principle of both groups, even though they had a great theory of justification, and the blood of the lambs flowed freely at their sacrificial services.

Jesus called both groups hypocrites because of their external religion. The essence of Jesus’ teaching, which was self-surrender, found no acceptance in their thinking or experience. Neither group had experienced the supernatural work of the Spirit upon the heart. They had never experienced the new capacity for knowing God, which is not even present in the unconverted heart. That is why there was so little meaningful Scripture study, so little truly private prayer, so little relationship with God. The capacity was not even there. While these hypocrites were meticulous Sabbath keepers and tithe payers and health reformers, there was so little on the inside that responded to the truths of God’s Word, that they ended up tying the Scriptures to their wrists and foreheads in an attempt to substitute for what they lacked on the inside. There was no room for God’s Word in their hearts. Self was the center of their focus. Nobody is more selfish than a Pharisee. And the new birth, which would have brought about the death of the Pharisee, because it changes the heart, was threatening to those who were interested only in changing the outside.

Reasons They Disliked Jesus

The religious leaders did not like Jesus because He received sinners, the open sinners whom they despised.

They did not like Jesus because He was more interested in the true meaning of the Sabbath than in the external regulations they had invented.

They did not like Jesus because He did not observe their traditions, fasts, washings, and ceremonies.

They did not like Jesus because He was not impressed with their external goodness.

They did not like Jesus because of His teaching of self-surrender, the very thing they feared more than anything else.

They did not like Jesus because He did not live up to their expectations as the Messiah.

They did not like Jesus because He did not treat them with the respect they craved.

And, most of all, they did not like Jesus because of the condemnation they felt in His presence.

The Pharisees and Sadducees were victims of salvation by works, and, in spite of the meticulous appearance they tried to maintain before the crowds, they all had their hidden problems. This made them uneasy in the presence of Jesus, whose purity was a rebuke to their sins. They did not like Jesus because they did not want to give up on the idea of saving themselves.

Another reason why they did not like Jesus was the manner of His coming. They had expected that the religious leaders would be the first to herald the coming of the Messiah. To be passed by, to be informed of His birth by ignorant shepherds and heathens from another country was more than their pride could take. They refused to accept that God could be trying to communicate to them through these channels. Once they had made their position public, they were too proud to retract it and continued to the end to deny the testimony of their own senses.

Their motivation for being religious was an attempt to gain the temporal blessings that came as a result of moral living. They liked to see the grasshoppers stopped at the fence line when they had paid their tithe. They liked the respect of the people. And although they were at swords’ points with one another, they finally united in the end at the crucifixion of Jesus. Both groups were legalists; both groups were against Jesus, and both groups were wrong.

It is true that they had a limited acceptance of Jesus. They did not reject Him altogether, in spite of the fact that they did not like Him. They believed Him to be a prophet. They accepted Him as a miracle-worker and healer. They accepted Him as a great teacher. But they did not accept Jesus as Saviour, Lord, and God. Lordship is where they drew the line. And their limited acceptance led to total rejection in the end. The people, who were following blindly along, also ended up rejecting Jesus, in spite of the tremendous evidence that He was exactly whom He claimed to be. The people were sometimes astonished at the lack of acceptance Jesus found with their leaders, but they continued in the end to follow the leaders they had chosen.

Could it be possible to be in the camp of the Pharisees or Sadducees today? Is it still possible to be a conservative legalist, who hopes to get into heaven by his own works? Is it possible to be a great defender of the traditions that have been handed down from the fathers and still to miss recognizing and accepting the living Christ? Or is it possible to be a Sadducee today, who finds his security in a liberal standard of conduct, who does not believe in the resurrection from being spiritually dead, and who does not accept that God has power for him to overcome sin? Is it possible today to join those who discard their belief in the judgment and who are selective as to which of the inspired writings they will accept? Is it possible to hold a theory of righteousness by faith in Jesus when it comes to justification, but to reject the righteousness by faith that is worked out in the life, in favor of trying hard in your own strength?

Whether you find yourself a Pharisee or Sadducee today, the picture looks pretty black. It looks like bad news right down the line. But there is good news for the Pharisees and Sadducees of today, just as there was good news for the Pharisees and Sadducees in the days of Jesus.

Jesus Loves Pharisees Too!

The good news for Pharisees and Sadducees is that they are loved by Jesus just as much as every other sinner in this world is loved. “While Jesus ministered to all who came to Him, He yearned to bless those who came not. While He drew the publicans, the heathen, and the Samaritans, He longed to reach the priests and teachers who were shut in by prejudice and tradition. He left untried no means by which they might be reached.” The Desire of Ages, 265. Christ is able to save Pharisees and Sadducees and all of the people who have been followers of these leaders and have partaken of their spirit. Jesus is still seeking to bring each one to know Him personally, to come to Him personally, and to accept personally His gift of salvation.

What is the good news for the Pharisees? The good news is that being a Pharisee is not the unpardonable sin. The disease of hypocrisy is not incurable. Jesus has the power available to change even the Pharisee and Sadducee so that they are righteous inwardly as well as outwardly. You can join the exceptions to the rule. You might join one of the leading Pharisees who came for a nighttime visit with Jesus to discuss the subject of religion, but who went away to experience the new birth of which Jesus told him in their interview. He found the vital relationship with God and gave of his riches to support the early church after the crucifixion of Jesus.

You might join a man named Simon, who held a feast to pay Jesus back for healing him of his leprosy. But he ended up accepting Jesus at his own feast and became a follower of Jesus.

You can join the friendly scribe who came to Jesus for the purpose of trapping Him and humiliating Him before the people, but who saw in Jesus’ words a wisdom beyond his own. And Jesus said to him, “You are not far from the kingdom of God.” Mark 12:34.

At the end of Jesus’ ministry here on earth, when the Pharisees and Sadducees had finally united in their enmity against Him, the Sanhedrin was gathered together to determine how to rid themselves of this Jesus. After the discussions had continued for some time, Caiaphas rose to his feet. With a sneer on his face, he said to the leaders who were assembled there, “ ‘You know nothing at all! You do not realize that it is better for you that one man die for the people than that the whole nation perish.’ He did not say this on his own, but as high priest that year he prophesied that Jesus would die for the Jewish nation, and not only for that nation, but also for the scattered children of God, to bring them together and make them one.” John 11:49–52.

That is the good news for Pharisees in one sentence: It is better for you that one man die for the people. Listen, friendly scribe who comes to ply Jesus with questions, It is better for you that one Man die for the people. Listen, Nicodemus, who comes under cover of darkness, It is better for you that one Man die for the people. Listen, Simon, the leper, It is better for you that one Man die for the people.

Listen, Pharisee and Sadducee, wherever you are today. You can give up on the double life, give up your external performance covering your inner emptiness, and come to Jesus for the free gift of salvation. It is expedient for you, it is good news for you, that one Man should die for the people.

And one Man did die. Ever since that time, it has been good news. If you are playing follow-the-leader, you will miss the good news. But you can be an exception and follow Jesus today.

Domingo Nunez is Director of Outreach Ministry for Steps to Life. He may be contacted by telephone at: 316-788-5559, or by e-mail at: domingonunez@stepstolife.org.

Watchmen Unto the House of Israel, Part II

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Like Cain, God’s church today is saying, “Am I my brother’s keeper?” Genesis 4:9. Abel, Adam’s son, was dead, but it was of no concern to Cain, his brother, for he had killed him. As Abel was dead, the world is dead in trespasses and sins, but even though their voices are crying out to us, just as God said, regarding Abel, “The voice of thy brother’s blood cries unto me from the ground” (verse 10), are we concerned?

The church, God’s watchman in this world, is helping to kill those who need guidance. The unconverted, the Gentiles, are saying, “Watchman, what of the night?” Isaiah 21:11. By their poor example of righteousness and holiness, the church is killing the world. The apostle Paul, speaking to the Corinthians, in 1 Corinthians 14:8, said: “For if the trumpet makes an uncertain sound, who will prepare for the battle?” Peter states, in 1 Peter 2:9–12, “But ye [are] a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light: Which in time past [were] not a people, but [are] now the people of God: which had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy. Dearly beloved, I beseech [you] as strangers and pilgrims . . . .” We do not belong here; we are strangers and pilgrims, yet we are operating as though this world is our home. Too many of us are behaving as though we live here and are not going anywhere. This world is not our home! Peter says, “Dearly beloved, I beseech [you] as strangers and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul; Having your conversation” or your lifestyle “honest among the Gentiles.”

It is said that businessmen are not happy anymore to do business with Seventh-day Adventists, because we are not filled with fear. We bargain down their prices to the minimum or below the minimum. We should be a people of righteous statute. When people hear about Adventists, they should be honored to be in our presence; they should be honored to deal with us, because we are of a royal stock. We are children of the heavenly King. But, alas, this is not so. Satan has made his inroad on us, and we have lost our identity. We have become comfortable. We are like other Gentiles. We curse like them; we eat like them, and we sin like them. When people look at us, they see no difference. When they speak to us and need guidance, we cannot give guidance, because we ourselves need guidance.

“Having your conversation honest among the Gentiles: that, whereas they speak against you as evildoers, they may by [your] goods works, which they shall behold, glorify God in the day of visitation.” Verse 12. I am saying that people do not necessarily come to church because of what we say to them, but because of what they see in us.

Observers

I can never forget about what Ellen White wrote regarding Nicodemus and Jesus. Nicodemus came to Jesus by night. (See John 19:39.) “For a time Nicodemus did not publicly acknowledge Christ, but he watched His life, and pondered His teachings. In the Sanhedrin council he repeatedly thwarted the schemes of the priests to destroy Him.” The Desire of Ages, 176. Although Nicodemus was convinced that night that Jesus was the Saviour of the world, he did not show it right away. Mrs. White says, “Nicodemus hid the truth in his heart, and for three years there was little apparent fruit.” Ibid. Why was that? It was because he was a Pharisee, a learned man. He was watching Jesus.

After his interview with Him, Nicodemus was observing Jesus to see if what He said corresponded with how He lived. And after three years of observation, Nicodemus was satisfied that what Jesus said corresponded with His life. She states that, “After the Lord’s ascension, when the disciples were scattered by persecution, Nicodemus came boldly to the front. He employed his wealth in sustaining the infant church that the Jews had expected to be blotted out at the death of Christ. In the time of peril he who had been so cautious and questioning was firm as a rock, encouraging the faith of the disciples, and fur-nishing means to carry forward the work of the gospel. He was scorned and persecuted by those who had paid him reverence in other days. He became poor in this world’s goods; yet he faltered not in the faith which had its beginning
in that night conference with Jesus.” Ibid., 177. Praise God that Nicode-mus’ name is written in the Lamb’s book of life.

There are many intelligent people whom we have come across, there are many people to whom we have witnessed, and they are convinced in their hearts. Sometimes they may not tell us, but they are convinced about what we say—that the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord, that the sanctuary is true, that health reform is right. But they are privately watching us. They will not tell us, but they watch when we start the Sabbath. In our homes, they watch what we eat.

God has called us to be a peculiar people, holy in lifestyle, showing His glory and praise to the Gentile world. We are not to be giving the world an uncertain sound. To give an uncertain sound means to give confusion, when people not knowing which way to go are depending on us for guidance in the dark hour of earth’s history. The people are depending on the watchmen, God’s true church that keep the commandments of God and have the faith of Jesus.

Uncertainty and Confusion

Today, however, among God’s people there is great uncertainty and confusion over many things. As a result, the world is perishing in darkness for want of guidance. Consider some areas of uncertainty and confusion in the Adventist church today.

There is confusion on the fact that Jesus is coming back for a church without spot or wrinkle. Many who are struggling with sin question that if Jesus is our example, then why did He not sin? Jesus led a sinless life, and He is our example, that we should follow in His steps.

Another significant problem in the church is the issue of worldly music in the church. People are confused as to what type of music we are to play in the house of God. Why are we confused? God does not want reggae music in His house. God does not want rap in His house either. God is not asking for rock and roll or the blues. There will be no such music in heaven.

What about health reform?

What about the Holy Spirit? There are those who are teaching that the Holy Spirit is not a person. Confusion! What does the Bible have to say about the Holy Spirit? That He is the third person of the Godhead. “Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.” Mat-thew 28:19. (See also Romans 8:16; 1 Corinthians 2:11–14; Acts 5:3, 4.)

What about the Spirit of Prophecy? Many Adventist ministers do not believe in the Spirit of Prophecy at all. They say that it is your personal opinion, that it is devotional; use it if you want. And because they do not believe, the church does not believe.

What about the sanctuary? Many Adventist ministers do not believe in the doctrine of the sanctuary. These are the people who are preaching in the pulpits Sabbath after Sabbath! “Watchman, what of the night?”

What about dress reform? I am so disturbed when I attend church and see my sisters dressed a certain way—as if to say we have no guidance. I do not believe our sisters should dress in a way that exposes them. A godly woman dresses godly. We have guidance on that.

What about Seventh-day Adventists worshipping on Sunday? Oh, yes. I have been in churches where you can worship on Saturday, if that is your choice, or you can worship on Sunday, if that is your choice. Confusion! “Watchman, what of the night?” Which day is the Sabbath? Whichever—it is up to you! Is that what we teach as a people? Is that what we believe as a people?

Purpose Driven

Everybody seems tired of worship, so the celebration style of worship is coming into the churches. Many do not know why, but allow me to give you an idea about why this celebration style of worship is in our churches. In my office, I have a copy of the book, The Purpose Driven Life. (Rick Warren, Zondervan, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 2002.) Have you heard about it? Rick Warren is senior pastor of the Saddleback Church in Lake Forest, California, a wealthy suburb of greater Los Angeles. The church has an enormous membership. In the past seven years alone its congregation has taken in 9,100 new members! Today, I hear Adventists saying that we need mega churches. We need churches that seat 5,000 or 10,000 people. This is not, however, what the Spirit of Prophecy counsels.

We are not here to entertain people. The church must move away from being an entertainment center.

Warren or White?

Warren is remarkably gifted in the use of words and phrases, and his latest book, The Purpose Driven Life, has sold over 23 million copies.

The leaders of the Seventh-day Adventist denomination have decided that this book is the book that all of its members should study with extreme care. So, if we are to read Rick Warren’s book, what about the Spirit of Prophecy books that we are throwing away?

I was visiting at my brother’s home in Florida some time ago, and as he was showing me around his new home, we went into his library where he showed me a couple of the older Spirit of Prophecy editions. He told me that while he was attending a seminar at an Adventist school, these books were being thrown away in the garbage, so he said, “Give them to me.”

While the Spirit of Prophecy books that were given to guide us are being thrown away, a Sunday worshipper’s books are being advocated. Do not take me wrong. I am not saying that some Sunday worshippers cannot write good things. What I mean is that we must understand what this book says.

40 Day Guide

In it, Mr. Warren states that the current objective is to get each local church—talking about our denominational leaders—to carefully go through the book in study groups, very slowly, over a period of 40 days during lent. This is what the denominational leaders are saying to the local church leaders, so all of the churches can buy Rick Warren’s book and go through it in 40 days during lent, culminating in a grand Easter celebration. Does that sound like anything Catholic to you? We keep getting closer to the world, to its forms, ceremonies, celebration, and teachings.

“Those who will be heirs of God, and joint heirs with Christ to the immortal inheritance, will be peculiar. Yes, so peculiar that God places a mark upon them as His, wholly His. Think ye that God will receive, honor, and acknowledge a people so mixed up with the world that they differ from them only in name?” Testimonies, vol. 1, 287.

Let me define what lent is, if you do not know. Lent is a period of six and one-half weeks from Ash Wednesday to Easter Sunday. During lent, for 40 days, excluding Sunday, fasting is recommended for all Catholics. Lent readies the faithful for celebrating the Pascal mystery after a period of closer attention to the Word of God and more ardent prayer. (Catholic Encyclopedia, www.catholicity.com.)

The Purpose Driven Life is more than a book. On page 9 of his book, Rick Warren states that it is a guide to a 40-day spiritual journey that will enable you to discover the answer to life’s most important question, What on earth am I here for? He asserts that, by the end of this journey, you will know that purpose for your life.

Your Purpose

Why are you here on earth? What is God’s plan for your life? According to Warren’s book, it does not include obedience to the Ten Commandments. In Chapter 35, “God’s Power in Your Weakness,” he says that the reader need not concern himself about his weaknesses and imperfections, that it is true that we can learn to live with many of our weaknesses and drawbacks, but we do not have to stay with them all. There are flaws and mannerisms we all probably should rise above and overcome. Warren uses Romans 7 in a way that will lead to false conclusions. Paul modeled vulnerability in all his lectures. He openly shared his failures: “When I want to do good, I do not, and when I try not to do good, I do it anyway.” (Romans 7:19.)

In Chapter 36, “Made for a Mission,” Warren carefully instructs the reader that he should totally ignore all preparations for Christ’s Second Coming and, of course, the final judgment. When the disciples wanted to talk about prophecy, he writes, Jesus quickly switched the conversation to evangelism. That is what Warren says. Jesus wanted them to concentrate on their mission in the world. Sounds good, does it not? But deceptive. Warren is intimating that Jesus was saying, in a sense, that the details of His return are none of your business. What is your business is the mission He has given you; focus on that.

From another Saddleback brochure, we learn that 40 days of The Purpose Driven Life was publicly endorsed and used in a large number of denominations, including: Assembly of God, Baptist, Church of God, Evangelical Free, International Pentecostal Holiness, Seventh-day Adventist, Presbyterian, Lutheran, Nazarene, and I could go on.

Church Growth

Now, this is the crux of the issue: In church growth seminars, pastors, including Seventh-day Adventist pastors, are being taught how to bring in more people off the streets and get them to join the church in droves. How is this done? Church growth seminars teach that doctrine should not be emphasized. That is why in the churches today you do not hear such things. Several years ago, for a couple of weeks, there was a Sabbath School quarterly that talked about the mark of the beast. I was in a church the Sabbath that lesson was studied, and the assistant pastor was teaching the class. He was saying that the mark of the beast could be anything! He said the mark of the beast could be your name; you could be the mark of the beast!

I said to him, “My brother, let me say this to you. We have no reason to apologize for what we believe. We know what the mark of the beast is; the Bible makes it abundantly clear, and we have no reason to apologize.” But we are confused, and it is because of where our ministers are being taught, where they are going and coming back with one voice to re-educate God’s people: Do not focus on standards! And as I see today in the church, wear anything you want to wear; eat anything you want to eat; listen to any kind of music; it does not make a difference as long as you are in the church. As long as you are called Seventh-day Adventist, that is fine.

Religious Marketing

Warren says that music, sociability, and excitement are key factors in bringing in and holding multitudes, not religious beliefs. Do not teach the doctrines, because when you teach the doctrines, it will run away the people. People want a convenient religion. Give the people what they want.

The Willow Creek (Willow Creek Community Church, South Barrington, Illinois) philosophy is that baptism and revival are really religious marketing, and when I studied into this, I discovered that this church and this minister employ a consulting firm called CMS. This firm markets the church for them.

Place for Holy Spirit

So what about the Holy Spirit? Jesus did not tell us to employ consulting firms. Jesus said, “It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you.” “When he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, [that] shall he speak: and he will show you things to come.” John 16:7, 13. Are the consulting firms the Holy Spirit? CMS, the consulting firm that the Willow Creek Community Church employs, has an impressive list of clientele, including: the Quakers, Isuzu Motors, the City of West Covina, Saddleback Valley Community Church, Presbyterians, etc. A full-service custom marketing and communications agency headquartered in Covina, California, CMS’ consulting services are varied, but their focus is to give the people what they want. That is the strategy they use.

Music

To better understand, consider music. You should be made aware of the fact that Rick Warren calls his church the flock that likes to rock. He is referring to the music at Saddleback. According to Warren, every possible type of music is good. Now, remember that this is a man who is teaching Seventh-day Adventist ministers. Do you understand why different types of music are coming into this church? Do you understand the praise and worship? In one church I attended, I saw a lady on the stage starting to do some bodily things. Do you know what I mean?

According to Warren, every possible type of music is good, as long as it has Christian words. There is no such thing as Christian music; there are only Christian lyrics. It is the words that make a song sacred, not the tune. That is what he says. You must match your music to the kind of people that your church wishes to reach. The music you use positions your church in your community; it defines who you are. It will determine the kind of people you attract, the kind of people you keep, and the kind of people you lose. That is what Warren says. Now you can better understand why your local church is changing on Sabbath morning.

Warren says that God loves all kinds of music because He invented it all. But that is not true. Rick Warren says that we should use drums, clashing cymbals, loud trumpets, tambourines, and stringed instruments. Is that what we have in the Adventist churches today? How sad!

I want you to understand that the hour is late. The time in which we live is a momentous and stupendous one. Earl Nightingale, founder of the achievement-learning company Nightingale-Conant, once stated that we are living in a changing world. Great, solemn, and eternal events are taking place that point to one magnificent occasion.

Because the world knows us as a people of prophecy, the question comes to us again, “Watchman, what of the night?” The night of this current world is not very encouraging.

An Awakening

From the Sunday Observer (Jamaica), April 24, 2005, it was reported that Pope Benedict XVI said that he is determined to unite Christians of whatever stripe, and that his final attack will be to reconstitute the full and visible unity of all Christ’s followers.

Not many people understand why Benedict XVI chose the name Benedict. He took the name Benedict XVI because the Order of St. Benedict had sworn with a solemn oath to destroy the Sabbath-keeping, Bible-teaching churches and schools in Europe.

One Sabbath I visited with a pastor who had met, several years ago in Columbia, a former priest who used to work at the Vatican. This former priest had just become a Seventh-day Adventist, and he told that the Seventh-day Adventists had a bitter enemy in the Vatican—Joseph Ratzinger.

Today, Joseph Ratzinger is the pope, and he is resolved that Adventist Sabbath keepers will either cooperate or be annihilated. I believe Adventists are up for an awakening. We need to determine what we are about. Are we watchmen on the walls of Zion? Will we stand for Jesus no matter what? We have a decision to make today. If you have been fooling around with your Christianity, today is your opportunity. You can recommit yourself and get right with God.

Yes, as watchmen, we must be able to say, “The morning cometh”—the morning of hope, the morning of peace, the morning of deliverance. “Watchman, what of the night?”

Pastor Ivan Plummer ministers through the Emmanuel Seventh Day Church Ministries in Bronx, New York. He may be contacted by telephone at: 718-882-3900.

Prophecies on God’s Church in the End Time, Part I

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As we read the Three Angels’ Messages, we see that they are for all people, for every nation in the world. What is important for Germany is important for America also, and for all the other countries of the world. Therefore, I want to present the issues we are facing in Germany today, and you need to decide if you have the same problems in your part of the world too.

The end time is marked with a terrible situation, as has never before been. God has given specific guidance for His people during this time through the Spirit of Prophecy. We need to look very closely at it, and study the statements God gave for the time of Ellen White, herself, and the statements that apply specifically for us in our time. In this study, we must be very careful to use all of her statements in the place and time she made them. She made statements that had not such a significant meaning as for our time. In our time, these statements have a much deeper meaning and importance. She wrote, “Every jot and tittle is essential and must appear at an opportune time.” Selected Messages, Book 1, 57.

Jesus had much to tell His disciples, and He said, “I have yet many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now.” John 16:12. So it is with the Advent people. Ellen White had many things to tell us, and we need to find out what she had for us personally, in a special sense, as a people of the end time. We need to understand the visions she had, such as the one when she saw the Adventist people traveling on a small path to the heavenly Jerusalem, as recorded in Early Writings, 14–16:

“While I was praying at the family altar, the Holy Ghost fell upon me, and I seemed to be rising higher and higher, far above the dark world. I turned to look for the Advent people in the world, but could not find them, when a voice said to me, ‘Look again, and look a little higher.’ At this I raised my eyes, and saw a straight and narrow path, cast up high above the world. On this path the Advent people were traveling to the city, which was at the farther end of the path. They had a bright light set up behind them at the beginning of the path, which an angel told me was the midnight cry. This light shone all along the path and gave light for their feet so that they might not stumble. If they kept their eyes fixed on Jesus, who was just before them, leading them to the city, they were safe. But soon some grew weary, and said the city was a great way off, and they expected to have entered it before. Then Jesus would encourage them by raising His glorious right arm, and from His arm came a light which waved over the Advent band, and they shouted, ‘Alleluia!’ Others rashly denied the light behind them and said that it was not God that had led them out so far. The light behind them went out, leaving their feet in perfect darkness, and they stumbled and lost sight of the mark and of Jesus, and fell off the path down into the dark and wicked world below. Soon we heard the voice of God like many waters, which gave us the day and hour of Jesus’ coming. The living saints, 144,000 in number, knew and understood the voice, while the wicked thought it was thunder and an earthquake. When God spoke the time, He poured upon us the Holy Ghost, and our faces began to light up and shine with the glory of God, as Moses’ did when he came down from Mount Sinai.

“The 144,000 were all sealed and perfectly united. On their foreheads was written, God, New Jerusalem, and a glorious star containing Jesus’ new name. At our happy, holy state the wicked were enraged, and would rush violently up to lay hands on us to thrust us into prison, when we would stretch forth the hand in the name of the Lord, and they would fall helpless to the ground. Then it was that the synagogue of Satan knew that God had loved us who could wash one another’s feet and salute the brethren with a holy kiss, and they worshiped at our feet.

“Soon our eyes were drawn to the east, for a small black cloud had appeared, about half as large as a man’s hand, which we all knew was the sign of the Son of man. We all in solemn silence gazed on the cloud as it drew nearer and became lighter, glorious, and still more glorious, till it was a great white cloud. The bottom appeared like fire; a rainbow was over the cloud, while around it were ten thousand angels, singing a most lovely song; and upon it sat the Son of man. His hair was white and curly and lay on His shoulders; and upon His head were many crowns. His feet had the appearance of fire; in His right hand was a sharp sickle; in His left, a silver trumpet. His eyes were as a flame of fire, which searched His children through and through.”

While Mrs. White did not look upon the Adventists of her time in this vision, she identifies that the Adventists were living right before the coming of Christ. It is true that Ellen White believed she would be among the 144,000, but God had a different plan.

Midnight Cry

A hundred years have passed since this vision when God put words in her mouth to show us what we, in the future, should expect before Christ can come back to receive us. This quotation shows plainly that the people in the end time, just before the coming of Christ, will walk with Him in the light of the Midnight Cry. Do you know what the Midnight Cry is? Do you know that the parallel is the ten virgins? The five foolish virgins expected the Lord to come, just as did the five wise virgins. The difference between the groups is that one group had not enough oil in their lamps. Their lamps went out, and they knew that they could not go to the bridegroom without light.

What is this light? This is the message that God’s people need to give to the world, and this lamp needs to burn until Christ comes. There were people in those days that did not just fall asleep physically, but this group was asleep spiritually. This is a very deadly sleep.

The Midnight Cry is a call to move toward the Lord. Did the Adventists of the first generation need to come out? From where did they come out? From what did they need to come out?

We are also called to come out, but we really do not know what it means to come out. We think it means that we just have to separate from some apostate church. That is an important and necessary step, but that is not all of it. In the future, we will see and experience what it means to come out.

Maybe some of us will say, as Mrs. White wrote, “It could not have been God who led us this far.” What will happen to them? They will fall from the path to the evil and dark world below them.

144,000

The 144,000 are spoken of in this vision. A large group will go away from the 144,000. Do we see this happening today?

The 144,000 will meet the Lord. They will all have been sealed and perfectly united. That does not only mean united in some organization. I am doubtful that it at all refers to an organizational structure. This union refers to a spiritual union.

This little company of 144,000 is described in Early Writings, 88, 89: “I asked the angel if there were none left. He bade me look in an opposite direction, and I saw a little company traveling a narrow pathway. All seemed to be firmly united, bound together by the truth, in bundles, or companies. Said the angel, ‘The third angel is binding, or sealing, them in bundles for the heavenly garner.’ This little company looked careworn, as if they had passed through severe trials and conflicts. And it appeared as if the sun had just risen from behind a cloud and shone upon their countenances, causing them to look triumphant, as if their victories were nearly won.”

Loud Cry

Ellen White wrote that the Loud Cry from the first Adventist generation will be repeated, just as the fall of Babylon will be repeated, in a special sense. “The message of the fall of Babylon, as given by the second angel, is repeated, with the additional mention of the corruptions which have been entering the churches since 1844.” Ibid., 277. Ellen White speaks of the total fall of Babylon. In her time, the Catholic Church had been a fallen church already, and the majority of the Protestant churches had been falling. The call came to the faithful children of God, “Come out of her.” This call to the faithful church of God will be repeated in a special sense, even though this call has been given since 1844.

“The glory of God rested upon the patient, waiting saints, and they fearlessly gave the last solemn warning, proclaiming the fall of Babylon and calling upon God’s people to come out of her that they might escape her fearful doom.

“The light that was shed upon the waiting ones penetrated everywhere, and those in the churches who had any light, who had not heard and rejected the three messages, obeyed the call and left the fallen churches. Many had come to years of accountability since these messages had been given, and the light shone upon them, and they were privileged to choose life or death. Some chose life and took their stand with those who were looking for their Lord and keeping all His commandments. The third message was to do its work; all were to be tested upon it, and the precious ones were to be called out from the religious bodies. A compelling power moved the honest, while the manifestation of the power of God brought a fear and restraint upon their unbelieving relatives and friends so that they dared not, neither had they the power to, hinder those who felt the work of the Spirit of God upon them.” Ibid., 277, 278.

Come Out

It had been shown to Mrs. White that when the churches in her day were founded, they were pure, but later on they collected many defilements. To those churches the call of God goes, “Come out of them, my people.”

“Babylon is said to be ‘the mother of harlots.’ By her daughters must be symbolized churches that cling to her doctrines and traditions, and follow her example of sacrificing the truth and the approval of God, in order to form an unlawful alliance with the world. The message of Revelation 14, announcing the fall of Babylon must apply to religious bodies that were once pure and have become corrupt. Since this message follows the warning of the judgment, it must be given in the last days; therefore it cannot refer to the Roman Church alone, for that church has been in a fallen condition for many centuries. Furthermore, in the eighteenth chapter of the Revelation the people of God are called upon to come out of Babylon. According to this scripture, many of God’s people must still be in Babylon. And in what religious bodies are the greater part of the followers of Christ now to be found? Without doubt, in the various churches professing the Protestant faith. At the time of their rise these churches took a noble stand for God and the truth, and His blessing was with them. Even the unbelieving world was constrained to acknowledge the beneficent results that followed an acceptance of the principles of the gospel.” The Great Controversy, 382, 383. [Emphasis in original.]

This call, “Come out of her, My people,” is the same call which the angel from Revelation 18 brings to the world in calling the faithful from the apostate churches to unite them with Himself. This angel is not some heavenly being. Ellen White said that this angel should be you—you and me. We shall give the call, “Come out of her, My people.” (See The Great Controversy, 611; Testimonies, vol. 5, 383.)

Complete Fall

What makes this fall of Babylon complete? “Revelation 18 points to the time when, as the result of rejecting the threefold warning of Revelation 14:6–12, the church will have fully reached the condition foretold by the second angel, and the people of God still in Babylon will be called upon to separate from her communion.” The Great Controversy, 390.

What church has accepted the Three Angels’ Messages? Yes, the Seventh-day Adventist Church. No other church has accepted these messages. Then, if just this one church has accepted all of these messages, what church can be spoken of as rejecting these messages?

Mrs. White further states that the result of rejecting the Three Angels’ Messages means that a spirit of lies will control those churches. This spirit of lies is described in 11 Thessalonians 2:12. “When those that ‘believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness’ (11 Thessalonians 2:12), shall be left to receive strong delusion and to believe a lie, then the light of truth will shine upon all whose hearts are open to receive it, and all the children of the Lord that remain in Babylon will heed the call: ‘Come out of her, My people’ (Revelation 18:4).” Ibid.

Are there lies among the Seventh-day Adventists which may be a mark of this satanic spirit of lies? God warned His people through Ellen White very severely. God warned His people before the lies of Satan came, and here we have some quotations that contain those warnings. God warns His people of their unification with the world. God warns beforehand of the lie that we have a great influence on the people of the world if we link up with them. When God says that we are in danger of becoming a synagogue of Satan, He is warning us of devilish controversy—a controversy with the world, a controversy with the other churches.

In his lies, Satan suggests that, “If you link yourselves with the world, you will have more advantages. Maybe you could hinder the persecution somehow.” Whoever is following those lies is directly following Satan. We cannot say we have not been warned.

Church with Great Light

In Testimonies, vol. 8, 249, Ellen White speaks of the Seventh-day Adventists. She describes this church that has received great light, but she also tells about the defiled condition in which they are. She describes it as a church that did not heed the call of God.

“ ‘Because when I called, none did answer; when I spake, they did not hear: but they did evil before Mine eyes, and chose that in which I delighted not.’ ‘God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie,’ ‘because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved,’ ‘but had pleasure in unrighteousness.’ Isaiah 66:3, 4; 11 Thessalonians 2:11, 10, 12.”

God called, “Come out of her, My people,” but they connected themselves with the churches from which they were supposed to come out. They did what was evil before His eyes. Therefore, God shall send them strong delusions that they shall believe a lie. Again it is talking about Seventh-day Adventists.

“The second angel’s message of Revelation 14 was first preached in the summer of 1844, and it then had a more direct application to the churches of the United States, where the warning of the judgment had been most widely proclaimed and most generally rejected, and where the declension in the churches had been most rapid. But the message of the second angel did not reach its complete fulfillment in 1844. The churches then experienced a moral fall, in consequence of their refusal of the light of the advent message; but that fall was not complete. As they have continued to reject the special truths for this time they have fallen lower and lower. Not yet, however, can it be said that ‘Babylon is fallen, . . . because she made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication.’ [Revelation 14:8.] She has not yet made all nations do this. The spirit of world conforming and indifference to the testing truths for our time exists and has been gaining ground in churches of the Protestant faith in all the countries of Christendom; and these churches are included in the solemn and terrible denunciation of the second angel. But the work of apostasy has not yet reached its culmination.

“The Bible declares that before the coming of the Lord, Satan will work ‘with all power and signs and lying wonders, and with all deceivableness of unrighteousness;’ and they that ‘received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved,’ will be left to receive ‘strong delusion, that they should believe a lie.’ 11 Thessalonians 2:9–11. Not until this condition shall be reached, and the union of the church with the world shall be fully accomplished throughout Christendom, will the fall of Babylon be complete. The change is a progressive one, and the perfect fulfillment of Revelation 14:8 is yet future.” The Great Controversy, 389, 390. [Emphasis in original.]

Before the coming of Christ, a condition will be reached as described with the union of the church with the world, all over the world, throughout Christendom. Not until this union of the church with the world, throughout all of Christendom, will the fall of Babylon be complete. And only when the fall of Babylon is complete will the second Loud Cry come—this special loud cry which is given in all churches, including the last church which God has on earth.

No Unity with World

“The world must not be introduced into the church, and married to the church, forming a bond of unity. Through this means the church will become indeed corrupt.” Testimonies to Ministers and Gospel Workers, 265.

The ecumenical bonds have different names in the different parts of the world. In Germany, it is called the Workshop of Christian Churches. Regardless what the name may be, they all are the same bond with Satan. Through these bonds, the church will indeed be defiled, corrupted, as stated in Revelation 18.

Small Company

This little group which has been described, this small end-time church, is found and sealed through the third angel. They are going on a narrow path and are bound in groups through the truth—the truth which is believed and lived, as shown in the third angel’s message.

In Matthew 7:13, 14, Jesus said, “Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide [is] the gate, and broad [is] the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: Because strait [is] the gate, and narrow [is] the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.”

How many will find the strait gate? The last generation which will meet Jesus—144,000. Is it a large number? Can you calculate how many would be from your area? In Berlin, we once calculated that there might be 10 or 12 people who would possibly be part of this number. We know what that means. We have to make such an effort to be among that number. It will cost all our energy; even though we will not be among the 144,000 because of our strength, it will cost all of our effort to get eternal life.

Parallel Development

How does God view the Advent movement? “The Lord has bestowed great blessings upon His church. Justice demands that she return these talents with usury. As the treasures of truth committed to her keeping have increased, her obligations have increased. But instead of improving upon these gifts and going forward unto perfection, she has fallen away from that which she had attained in her earlier experience. The change in her spiritual state has come gradually and almost imperceptibly. As she began to seek the praise and friendship of the world, her faith diminished, her zeal grew languid, her fervent devotion gave place to dead formality. Every advance step toward the world was a step away from God. As pride and worldly ambition have been cherished, the spirit of Christ has departed, and emulation, dissension, and strife have come in to distract and weaken the church.” Testimonies, vol. 5, 240, 241.

There is a parallel development of the modern angel and ancient Israel just before the coming of Christ. Ellen White wrote: “We want to understand the time in which we live. We do not half understand it. We do not half take it in. My heart trembles in me when I think of what a foe we have to meet, and how poorly we are prepared to meet him. 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.

“The alliances made by the Israelites with their heathen neighbors resulted in the loss of their identity as God’s peculiar people. They became leavened by the evil practises [sic] of those with whom they formed forbidden alliances. Affiliation with worldlings caused them to lose their first love, and their zeal for God’s service. The advantages they sold themselves to gain, brought only disappointment, and caused the loss of many souls.

“The experience of Israel will be the experience of all who go to the world for strength, turning away from the living God. Those who forsake the mighty One, the source of all strength, and affiliate with worldlings, placing on them their dependence, become weak in moral power, as are those in whom they trust.” “Ellen G. White Comments,” Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, vol. 4, 1155, 1156. Those who are trying to come together with the other churches for a worldly advantage are exactly the fulfillment of this prophecy, of this danger.

“Satan’s snares are laid for us as verily as they were laid for the children of Israel just prior to their entrance into the land of Canaan. We are repeating the history of that people.” Testimonies, vol. 5, 160.

To be continued . . .

Dr. Korinth is a physician living in Berlin, Germany. He is very active in speading the Three Angels’ Messages throughout Europe. He and his family have a printing press in their home and have had tracts translated in most of the different European languages. He is a promoter of home churches and is very interested in working with other historic Seventh-day Adventist groups worldwide. He may be contacted by e-mail at: hkorinth@mefag.de.

Behold, the Bridegroom Cometh, Part II

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A key text for people who are living in the last years of time, approaching the end of everything in this world as we know it, is Revelation 12:12: “On account of this, rejoice, O heavens, and those who dwell in them! Woe to the earth and the sea! Because the devil has come down to you having great wrath, knowing that he has but a short time.”

Among different Bible students and scholars, there is a difference of opinion as to what exact time this text in Revelation 12 applies. I am not interested in getting into a controversy about it. I will mention the two positions, and you can study this whole chapter and try to figure it out for yourselves. Some people believe that this applies particularly to 31 a.d., after the resurrection of Jesus. I have no real argument with those people. I personally believe that this Scripture has more particular application to 1798, the end of the 1260 day period. Study it out for yourself and make your own decision. Whichever way it is, we are living in that time now.

With a Whisper

“The devil has come down to you having great wrath, knowing that he has but a short time.” What does this text predict? This text predicts that as we approach the last years of earth’s history, the controversy between Christ and Satan is going to become more fierce and intense.

Ellen White wrote: “The Lord Jesus Christ came to dispute the usurpation of Satan in the kingdoms of the world. The conflict is not yet ended; and as we draw near the close of time, the battle waxes more intense.” Review and Herald, April 14, 1896. Then she discussed how Satan will personate Jesus Christ and how he will work upon the human imagination. The devil is cunning; even though he has great wrath, sometimes he comes with a whisper.

How does the devil get to your imagination? He can get to it through billboards, magazines, radio, television, novels, plays, videos—all of those are ways the devil can use to introduce things into your imagination and to start working on it. You need to be careful what you are looking at, what you are listening to, and what your imagination is dwelling upon.

After Ellen White says that the battle will wax more intense, she continues: “He will exercise his power, and work upon the human imagination.” Ibid. The devil wants to work on your imagination and on my imagination. We sometimes may not even know we are being tempted. We may think that we are just daydreaming, that we are just enjoying a little reverie, but the devil is working on the imagination.

A special warning is given for the young people: “Through the pleasures and ambitions of the world, the enemy is working to draw the youth into his ranks, and he has much success. As we approach nearer to the close of time, he will invent every possible attraction to draw their minds into worldly channels.” Ibid., February 1, 1912.

Attack upon Marriage

Another sign that the end of this earth is near is the severe attack we see upon marriage. Divorce seems to be used as the solution to a myriad of issues.

A young lady who was contemplating divorce once asked me for counsel. In her situation, I could only tell her, “Jesus said that if you divorce your spouse and marry somebody else, for some reason other than adultery, you are in adultery.” She did not like my answer. She divorced her husband and married somebody else anyway. That is one of the signs of the times.

Ellen White wrote, “A woman may be legally divorced from her husband by the laws of the land, and yet not divorced in the sight of God and according to the higher law. There is only one sin, which is adultery, which can place the husband or wife in a position where they can be free from the marriage vow in the sight of God.” Manuscript Releases, vol. 1, 159.

When Jesus comes again, there will be many people who have remarried after divorce, with no biblical grounds. It is a problem that we are facing all over the world. It is one of the signs of the times.

Fashionable Sins

Speaking about a certain class of people, Ellen White said, “Those who cannot sustain their position by the Scriptures are stubbornly determined that it shall be sustained at all hazards, and with a malicious spirit they attack the character and motives of those who stand in defense of unpopular truth. Though very unbelieving in regard to the sure word of prophecy, they manifest the utmost credulity in accepting anything detrimental to the Christian integrity of those who dare to reprove fashionable sins. This spirit will increase more and more as we near the close of time.” The Spirit of Prophecy, vol. 4, 292.

If you study history, you will learn that in every period of history in this world there have been certain sins in different cultures that have been acceptable. There are sins today that are acceptable in Adventism. When some of us have decided that we have to write, preach, teach, and say what God says about these fashionable sins, people get angry. There is hatred of those who reprove fashionable sins.

There are sins that were fashionable in other periods of time that are not fashionable today. People fall into fashionable sins because they are looking around at other people, and they may not even realize something is sin, because everybody is doing it.

When we lived in Keene, Texas, my son attended the Keene Adventist Elementary School. One evening when we were talking, I was admonishing him about certain things that he should not do, and he said to me, “But dad, everybody is doing it.”

I was ready for that! I said, “Son, what if all those people who are doing that burn up some day? Would you like to burn up with them?”

There was a time, during Old Testament times, when one of the fashionable sins was the practice of polygamy. Was it a sin? Of course it was a sin. That is not fashionable right now, although today we have consecutive polygamy—we marry and divorce, marry and divorce. We have multiple spouses; we just have them one at a time.

One of the fashionable sins in Adventism today is lewdness. Do you know what lewdness is? Maybe I should use a simpler word: immodesty. Ellen White says that lewdness defiles the conscience. (Patriarchs and Prophets, 454.) Concealed Sin

“As we near the close of time, Satan will work with masterly activity to undermine principle, and corrupt moral character. Sin is committed by many who think their crime is effectually concealed. But there is One who says, ‘I know thy works.’ ‘There is nothing covered, which shall not be revealed; and hid, which shall not be known.’ [Revelation 2:2; Matthew 10:26.] When the mind is infatuated with the idea of sin, there will be deception practiced; lies will be told; for those who commit such sins will not be slow to lie as well. But all sin shall be revealed.” Review and Herald, May 24, 1887.

“The small sins will swell into the greater sins. Impure thoughts, private, impure actions, unrefined, low, and sensual thoughts and actions in the marriage life, the giving loose reins to the baser passions under the marriage vow will lead to every other sin, the transgression of all the commandments of God.” Ibid.

We need to face up to the divine counsel in the Spirit of Prophecy. Impure thoughts lead to impure actions. God has given you the right to eat. He gave Adam and Eve the right to eat, but did He give them the right to eat anything they pleased at any time? No. There was one tree of which God said, “Do not eat.” (Genesis 2:17.)

Whether you are a man or a woman, God has given you the right to get married. That is honorable. The Bible says that marriage is honorable, but just as it is not right for a person to eat anything, any time, any way, so the marriage privileges can be abused.

If you are concerned as to whether or not you and your spouse are living in a way that is honorable and glorifying to God, obtain the book, Testimonies on Sexual Behavior, Adultery, and Divorce, by Ellen White. In it her counsel and advice is very, very specific.

Lose to Win

Matthew 24:10, 11 has some specific counsel as to what will happen as we approach the end of time: “And then shall many be offended and shall betray one another and shall hate one another. And many false prophets shall arise and shall deceive many.” These verses say, “many.” How many are these many? Ellen White states very specifically that the majority will forsake us. (Testimonies, vol. 5, 136.)

What is going to happen? She says, “We are living in these last days, when lukewarmness and apostasy abound.” Manuscript Releases, vol. 7, 171. “The development of those who are not of the truth, will become of more frequent occurrence, as we near the close of time. Many will show that they are not one with Christ, that they are not dead to the world, that they may live with him; and frequent will be the apostasies of men who have occupied responsible positions. To be dead with Christ, means to be dead to all sin,—dead to the pleasures, the enjoyments, the profits, the honors, of the world; and, if we are partakers of Christ’s self-denial and suffering, we shall lose nothing by it, for we shall be partakers with him of his glory. It is at the peril of our souls that we prove unfaithful.” Review and Herald, September 11, 1888.

Remember that whatever we lose when we follow Jesus is not really a loss. As we approach the end, we are going to lose everything, from a worldly standpoint. But if we have faith, that is going to be a very exciting time. When it seems as though everyone around us has forsaken us and we lose everything for Jesus’ sake, then we know, if we have faith, that we are going to gain everything.

The day that we lose everything and the day that we gain everything is not the same day. There will be some time when it will appear, from a worldly point of view, that we have lost out on everything completely. Our friends or our relatives who are not in the faith, who are not walking up the narrow road, will think we are absolutely crazy. Some of us have had some experiences like that already.

Accuser of the Brethren

Revelation 12:12 says that as we approach the end of time, “On account of this, rejoice, O heavens, and those who dwell in them! Woe to the earth and the sea! Because the devil has come down to you having great wrath, knowing that he has but a short time.”

Verse 10 says, “And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Now has come salvation and power, the kingdom of our God and the authority of His Christ, because the accuser of our brethren has been cast out, the one accusing them before our God day and night.”

The devil is the accuser of the brethren. You can study about that in Zechariah 3. He stood at the right hand of Joshua to oppose him. Ellen White writes, “Satan studies every indication of the frailty of human nature, he marks the sins which each individual is inclined to commit, and then he takes care that opportunities shall not be wanting to gratify the tendency to evil.” The Great Controversy, 555.

As we approach the close of time, she writes that, “Satan commenced his work as an accuser in heaven. This has been his work ever since the fall, and it will be his work in a special sense as we approach nearer to the close of time.” Review and Herald, September 22, 1896. We are going through this right now.

What To Do

What should we do since we are in this situation? Divine counsel has been given. I do not see God’s people doing this very much, but we should start doing it: “Now and onward till the close of time the people of God should be more earnest, more wide-awake, not trusting in their own wisdom, but in the wisdom of their Leader. They should set aside days for fasting and prayer. Entire abstinence from food may not be required, but they should eat sparingly of the most simple food.” Ibid., February 11, 1904.

This is a very interesting statement. If Ellen White were not inspired, she would not have known to write this. But, you see, we are living in a time when we are the weakest generation there has ever been. There are people all around us who have diabetes and various other health problems, which make it difficult to easily fast. They have to be very careful. I have friends who are on insulin, and they cannot just decide that they are not going to eat anything for a day. They have to be careful.

We are facing a crisis in the church and in the world that we have never before faced. We are not going to make it through these last years successfully unless we have special divine help. I believe that because, as I have prayed, I have been impressed that unless I have special divine help from the Lord, I am not going to make it. Jesus said to the disciples, when they could not cast out the devil, “This kind does not go out except by prayer and fasting.” Matthew 17:21.

We will be opposed, in a very short time, by a monolithic worldwide church led by the antichrist. How are we going to make that? It is written in The Great Controversy, 384, that, “The Protestant churches have much of antichrist in them, and are far from being wholly reformed from . . . corruptions and wickedness.” The Seventh-day Adventist church is a Protestant church, and many Adventists will be right along with this worldwide church. We are not going to make it through this time unless we devote some days to fasting and prayer.

What is Happening

A most startling statement is given in Manuscript Releases, vol. 13, 379. This is a prediction of what is going to happen in the last years. I believe that we are living in the last years, and I believe this is being fulfilled right in front of our eyes. This quotation explains to me why Adventists are exclaiming, “What is going on? I cannot believe that this is happening.” But it is happening.

“In His Word the Lord declared what He would do for Israel if they would obey His voice. But the leaders of the people yielded to the temptations of Satan, and God could not give them the blessings He designed them to have, because they did not obey His voice but listened to the voice and policy of Lucifer.”

What was the problem? God promised His people, “If you obey My voice, I will do these things for you.” But she continued, “God could not give them the blessings He designed them to have, because they did not obey His voice but listened to the voice and policy of Lucifer.”

That is the setting for the statement that applies to us: “This experience will be repeated in the last years of the history of the people of God, who have been established by His grace and power. Men whom He has greatly honored will in the closing scenes of this earth’s history pattern after ancient Israel.” Ibid.

Who are the people of God in the last years of earth’s history that have been established by God’s grace and power? Seventh-day Adventists.

What happened to Israel? God said, “If you obey My voice, I will do this for you.” They did not obey His voice but listened to the voice and policy of Lucifer. This is why so many things are happening today. People wonder why the Vatican flag was in the Parade of Nations at the General Conference Session. What is happening? Why are Catholic priests giving testimony and monsignors addressing the leaders of the Seventh-day Adventist Church? What is happening?

What did Ellen White say would happen in the last years? The experience of leaders of God’s people not obeying His voice but listening to the voice of Lucifer, she said, would be repeated. Just like it happened in ancient Israel, she said, “Men whom He has greatly honored will in the closing scenes of this earth’s history pattern after ancient Israel.”

We are in the closing scenes of this earth’s history, and that is why we see things happening in the church that cause us to say, “What is happening?” We cannot understand it. We cannot believe it. It is so confusing that we cannot make any sense out of anything. That is what is happening.

True or False

One more thing that is going to happen as we approach the end is:

“Falsehood will be so mingled with truth, that only those who have the guidance of the Holy Spirit will be able to distinguish truth from error.” Manuscript Releases, vol. 7, 359.

This statement is an excellent one to follow after the quotation about listening to the voice of Lucifer. You see, when you listen to the voice of Lucifer, that does not mean that you are not going to hear truth. The devil knows what the truth is, and the devil can teach you a lot of truth. By the way, everything that the antichrist believes is not a lie. Much of what the antichrist teaches is the truth.

Does the antichrist power believe that Jesus died on the cross for your sin? They teach it. Do they believe that you should pray? Yes. They are even teaching now—they did not teach this in the Dark Ages—that you should read your Bible. They believe in missions.

I was given an official Catechism of the Catholic Church. I have looked through it, and it is actually quite amazing, the tremendous amount of truth it contains. But, of course, it is mixed up; it is the tree of knowledge of good and evil.

The Book of Revelation predicts that the whole world is going to be deceived by the devil at the end of time. Do not think that all they will believe are lies. A lot of what they believe will be the truth. That is what will make it so deceptive. There will be truth mingled with error, and you will not be able to figure it out unless you have the help of the Holy Spirit.

This perhaps helps you to understand why we need to be praying every day. This is why we pray before we preach. This is why we pray before we study God’s Word. This is why we pray, “Lord, help us to understand the truth,” before we study our Bibles at home.

The devil stands beside some people when they are studying the Bible. He teaches them lots of things—a lot of truth mixed up with error. We cannot tell the error unless the Holy Spirit is working in our mind s. When we understand this, we no longer have self-confidence. Instead, we ask the Lord to keep us. We surrender our lives totally to Him because we recognize that only He can keep us from being deceived.

Lust of the Flesh

What is happening as we approach the end of time, the last years of earth’s history? Ellen White wrote, in the January 2, 1900, Review and Herald, “Many who profess to believe the word of God do not seem to understand the deceptive working of the enemy. They do not realize that the end of time is near; but Satan knows it; and while men sleep, he works. The lust of the flesh, the lust of the eye, and the pride of life are controlling men and women. Satan is at work even among the people of God, to cause disunion. Selfishness, corruption, and evil of every kind are taking a firm hold upon hearts.”

The day of probation is not over yet. If selfishness, corruption, the lust of the eye, the lust of the flesh, and the pride of life has a firm hold on your heart, if you cry out to the Lord Jesus, He can set you free from the devil’s firm hold.

From the few things we have addressed in this article, you know that the Lord Jesus can save you if you make a complete surrender and dedication to Him. I hope you understand that it is necessary to make a total surrender to the Lord, because if you do not, the devil is going to get you.

We are living in the shaking period, in the last years of earth’s history. There is going to be a group of people that will be ready when Christ returns. I want to be one of those people. If you want to be one of those people also, make a covenant with the Lord right now; pray, “Lord, I want to make a covenant with You. Whatever I lose in this world, whatever opposition I have, I want to be one of the people that is ready when Jesus comes. Lord, if there is anything in my life that is wrong, please point it out to me. I want every wrinkle, every spot, to come out of my character. Lord, I am really serious about being saved.”

[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.

Editorial – Unity and Dissonance, Part V

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In approaching the end of the world, God’s people must remember that we need to counsel with one another and with the Lord at each step of advance. On the other hand, we must know that there is a time when the Lord forbids us to counsel with our “brethren.” Inspired counsel and examples are given to us about this subject.

“Do not refuse to unite with your brethren, fearing that if you put yourself on an equality with them you will not be able to do all that your own judgment might suggest. God’s workers are to counsel together. Ministers, physicians, or directors are walking in false paths when they regard themselves as a complete whole; when they feel no need of counsel from men of experience, who have been led by the Lord, who, as they have moved forward in self-denial to advance the work, have given evidence that they were led and controlled by the Holy Spirit and were thus enabled to speak and plan and act wisely and understandingly.” Medical Ministry, 46, 47.

“I [Ellen White] have no confidence in the smartest men that ever lived unless they are under the control of God. They may have natural capabilities and talents, but unless they are guided by the Holy Spirit, they will be controlled by some one else.” Australasian Union Conference Record, July 28, 1899.

“Unless our eyes, our ears, our tongues, are under the control of the Holy Spirit, and guided by divine power, they cannot be trusted.” Review and Herald, August 13, 1895.

“If changes are to be made, we must know what counsel to give and what changes to make, and how to present every line of work intelligently. Decided changes are to be made in every one of our churches in America, but everything cannot be introduced now. The working of the Holy Spirit must be seen, and this Spirit is not to be controlled by any human plans or methods. There are plans to be established in every church. God will work Himself, and men must cooperate.” Manuscript Releases, vol. 15, 51.

“One man’s mind, one man’s judgment, is not to be a controlling power. . . . ‘Counsel together, counsel together,’ has been repeated to me by the heavenly angels for the past forty-five years. At the same time you must constantly feel the need of higher counsel. Do not fail to seek wisdom from God. Unless you do go to God for wisdom, and understand for yourselves the way of the Lord, you will not be able to understand things clearly. You must have the enlightenment of the Holy Spirit to give you clear views of Jesus and His love.—Letter 34, 1891.” Manuscript Releases 311, 24.

“If it were possible, the enemy would clog the wheels of progress, and prevent the truths of the gospel from being circulated everywhere. With this object he leads men to feel that it is their privilege to control the consciences of their fellow-men according to their own perverted ideas. They dismiss the Holy Spirit from their counsels, and then, under the power and name of the General Conference, they invent regulations through which they compel men to be ruled by their own ideas and not by the Holy Spirit.” The Ellen G. White 1888 Materials, vol. 4, 1527.

To be continued . . .