book of life

Bible Study Guides – “The Hour of His Judgment”

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May 7-13, 2000

MEMORY VERSE: “And, behold, I come quickly; and My reward is with Me, to give every man according as his work shall be.” Revelation 22:12.

STUDY HELP: The Great Controversy, 423–425.

INTRODUCTION: “Says the prophet: ‘Who may abide the day of His coming? And who shall stand when He appeareth? For He is like a refiner’s fire, and like fullers’ soap: and He shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver: and He shall purify the sons of Levi, and purge them as gold and silver, that they may offer unto the Lord an offering in righteousness.’ Malachi 3:2, 3. Those who are living upon the earth when the intercession of Christ shall cease in the sanctuary above are to stand in the sight of a holy God without a mediator. Their robes must be spotless, their characters must be purified from sin by the blood of sprinkling. Through the grace of God and their own diligent effort they must be conquerors in the battle with evil. While the investigative judgment is going forward in heaven, while the sins of penitent believers are being removed from the sanctuary, there is to be a special work of purification, of putting away of sin, among God’s people upon earth. This work is more clearly presented in the messages of Revelation 14. When this work shall have been accomplished, the followers of Christ will be ready for His appearing.” The Great Controversy, 425.

“The Judgment Was Set and the Books Were Opened”

1 What vision was Daniel given of the judgment? Daniel 7:9, 10.

NOTE: “Thus was presented to the prophet’s vision the great and solemn day when the characters and the lives of men should pass in review before the Judge of all the earth, and to every man should be rendered ‘according to his works.’ The Ancient of days is God the Father.…It is He, the Source of all being, and the Fountain of all law, that is to preside in the judgment. And holy angels, as ministers and witnesses, in number ‘ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands’ (Revelation 5:11,) attend this great tribunal.” The Faith I Live By, 209.

2 What are the books by which we are to be judged? James 2:10–12; Ecclesiastes 12:13, 14; Revelation 20:12; Malachi 3:16.

NOTE: “The books are opened—the book of life and the book of death. The book of life contains the good deeds of the saints; and the book of death contains the evil deeds of the wicked. These books are compared with the statute book, the Bible, and according to that men are judged.” Early Writings, 52. (See also, The Faith I Live By, 210.)

“And Behold I Come Quickly”

3 How are we shown that the decisions of the judgment are made before Christ returns? Revelation 22:11, 12.

NOTE: See Christ’s Object Lessons, 310.

4 What warning are God’s people called to give the world as they preach the everlasting Gospel? Revelation 14:6, 7.

NOTE: “The judgment is now passing in the sanctuary above. For many years this work has been in progress. Soon—none know how soon—it will pass to the cases of the living. In the awful presence of God our lives are to come up in review. At this time above all others it behooves every soul to heed the Saviour’s admonition, ‘Watch and pray: for ye know not when the time is.’ Mark 13:33. ‘If therefore thou shalt not watch, I will come on thee as a thief, and thou shalt not know what hour I will come upon thee.’ Revelation 3:3.” The Faith I Live By, 211.

“One Like the Son of Man”

5 Who did Daniel see appearing before the throne of God in the judgment? Daniel 7:13.

NOTE: “Attended by a cloud of heavenly angels, our great High Priest enters the Holy of Holies, and there appears in the presence of God to engage in the last acts of His ministration in behalf of man—to perform the work of investigative judgment, and to make an atonement for all who are shown to be entitled to its benefits.” The Spirit of Prophecy, vol. 4, 307, 308.

6 How does Paul express the confidence that we may have in the intercession of Jesus on our behalf? Hebrews 4:15, 16.

NOTE: “Jesus does not excuse their sins, but shows their penitence and faith, and, claiming for them forgiveness, He lifts His wounded hands before the Father and the holy angels, saying, ‘I know them by name. I have graven them on the palms of My hands.’ ‘The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.’ [Psalm 51:17.] And to the accuser of His people He declares, ‘The Lord rebuke thee, O Satan; even the Lord that hath chosen Jerusalem rebuke thee. Is not this a brand plucked out of the fire?’ [Zechariah 3:2.] Christ will place His own signet upon His faithful ones, that He may present them to His Father ‘a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing.’ Their names stand enrolled in the book of life, and concerning them it is written, ‘They shall walk with me in white; for they are worthy.’” The Spirit of Prophecy, vol. 4, 310.

“I Will Not Blot Out His Name”

7 What work is required of us if our sins are to be blotted out of the books of record? Acts 3:19.

NOTE: “The conditions of obtaining mercy of God are simple and just and reasonable. The Lord does not require us to do some grievous thing in order that we may have the forgiveness of sin.…but he that confesseth and forsaketh his sin shall have mercy. Repentance includes sorrow for sin, and a turning away from it. We shall not renounce sin unless we see its sinfulness; until we turn away from it in heart, there will be no real change in the life.” The Faith I Live By, 127. (See also The Great Controversy, 483.)

8 What must the grace of God achieve in our lives in order for our names to remain in the Book of Life? Revelation 3:5.

NOTE: “The expression, ‘He that overcometh,’ indicates that there is something for every one of us to overcome. The overcomer is to be clothed in the white raiment of Christ’s righteousness, and of him it is written: ‘I will not blot out his name out of the book of life, but I will confess his name before My Father, and before His angels.’ O, what a privilege it is to be an overcomer, and to have our names presented before the Father by the Saviour Himself!” Sons and Daughters of God, 369. (See also Historical Sketches, 181.)

“His Bride Hath Made Herself Ready”

9 What triumphant proclamation in heaven will announce the end of the judgment? Revelation 19:6–8.

NOTE: “If we knew that in just one year from now, the Lord would come in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory, what a feeling of solemnity would rest upon us! How earnestly we should strive to prepare for His coming, that, clothed in the wedding garment, we might go in unto the marriage supper of the Lamb.” Counsels to Writers and Editors, 109.

“And you that have not sanctified your souls by obeying the truth, do you expect that Christ at His appearing will make you ready? There will then be no atoning blood to wash away the stains of sins. It is while it is called today that you may, if you will, hear His voice, and harden not your heart, as in the day of provocation. It is today that the Spirit of God invites. It is today that the sweet voice of mercy is falling upon your ears. It is today that the heavenly invitation comes to you. It is today that in Heaven everything says, ‘Come.’ And the Spirit and the bride say, ‘Come.’ And whosoever will, let him come and take of the water of life freely.” The Review and Herald, August 17, 1869.

10 How does Paul describe that readiness? Ephesians 5:25–27.

NOTE: “Do you want to find Jesus? He is at the feast. You may find Him here. He has come up to the feast. There are men and women that have brought Him with them; and now we want you to press through, and touch the hem of His garment, that you may receive of the virtue that is found in Him, and triumph in the God of your salvation. The waters of the fountain are freely opened for you; and will you drink? Will you come? Will you obey the gracious invitation? Come, for all things are now ready. Whosoever will, let him come and partake of the waters of life freely.…We make appeals to you, in the name of our Master, to get ready. We make appeals to you to rid yourselves of the pride of the world, the pride, and vanity, and folly, of life. Jesus loves you. Jesus pities you. The angelic host He sends to minister unto you. And now, while all Heaven is interested for you, will you be interested for yourselves? Will you begin to seek God earnestly for your own salvation? Will you work it out with fear and trembling? Will you be careful how you step before God? Will you have the approbation of Him whose arm moves the universe?” The Review and Herald, August 17, 1869.

“Let Him be Holy Still”

11 What solemn pronouncement will mark the close of the judgment? Revelation 22:11.

NOTE: “Jesus is in His holy temple, and will now accept our sacrifices, our prayers, and our confessions of faults and sins, and will pardon all the transgressions of Israel, that they may be blotted out before He leaves the sanctuary. When Jesus leaves the sanctuary, then they who are holy and righteous, will be holy and righteous still; for all their sins will then be blotted out, and they will be sealed with the seal of the living God. But those that are unjust and filthy, will be unjust and filthy still; for then there will be no priest in the sanctuary to offer their sacrifices, their confessions, and their prayers before the Father’s throne. Therefore what is done to rescue souls from the coming storm of wrath, must be done before Jesus leaves the most holy place of the heavenly sanctuary.” Early Writings, 48.

12 How does Paul emphasize the need for us to make our decision for Christ today? 2 Corinthians 6:1, 2.

NOTE: “We believe without a doubt that Christ is soon coming. This is not a fable to us; it is a reality. We have no doubt, neither have we had a doubt for years, that the doctrines we hold today are present truth, and that we are nearing the judgment. We are preparing to meet Him who, escorted by a retinue of holy angels, is to appear in the clouds of heaven to give the faithful and the just the finishing touch of immortality. When He comes, He is not to cleanse us of our sins, to remove from us the defects in our characters, or to cure us of the infirmities of our tempers and dispositions. If wrought for us at all, this work will all be accomplished before that time. When the Lord comes, those who are holy will be holy still. Those who have preserved their bodies and spirits in holiness, in sanctification and honor, will then receive the finishing touch of immortality. But those who are unjust, unsanctified, and filthy will remain so forever. No work will then be done for them to remove their defects and give them holy characters. The Refiner does not then sit to pursue His refining process and remove their sins and their corruption. This is all to be done in these hours of probation. It is now that this work is to be accomplished for us.” Maranatha, 221.

13 How does the Bible picture the distress of those who put off the decision too long? Jeremiah 8:20.

NOTE: “O, that we would remember that it is court week with us, and that our cases are pending! Now is the time to watch and pray, to put away all self–indulgence, all pride, all selfishness. The precious moments that are now by many worse than wasted should be spent in meditation and prayer. Many of those who profess to be keeping the commandments of God are following inclination instead of duty. As they are now, they are unworthy of eternal life. To these careless, indifferent ones, I would say, ‘Your vain thoughts, your unkind words, your selfish acts, are recorded in the book of heaven. The angels that were present at Belshazzar’s idolatrous revelry stand beside you as you dishonor your Redeemer. Sadly they turn away, grieved that you should thus crucify Him afresh, and put Him to open shame.’” Maranatha, 39. (See also See The Great Controversy, 490.)

Bible Study Guides – “Pray For One Another”

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February 24, 2001 – March 2, 2001

Memory Verse

“Wherefore also we pray always for you, that our God would count you worthy of this calling, and fulfil all the good pleasure of His goodness, and the work of faith with power.” 2 Thessalonians 1:11.

Study Help: In Heavenly Places, 93; That I May Know Him, 271.

Introduction

“A truly Christian life will cost us thoughtfulness, searching of the Scriptures, and most earnest, persevering prayer. It will not be prayer without point and purpose, but it will be the intercession of a heart burdened for poor sinners out of Christ. It will be a heart longing to do service for Jesus in personal effort for the saving of souls of men.” Pastoral Ministry, 151.

“I Pray for Them”

1 At the crisis of His life, what example of intercessory prayer did Jesus reveal? John 17:9–19.

note: “Christ declared He sanctified Himself, that we also might be sanctified. He took upon Himself our nature, and became a faultless pattern for men. He made no mistake, that we also might become victors, and enter into His kingdom as overcomers. He prayed that we might be sanctified through the truth. What is truth? He declared, ‘Thy word is truth.’ His disciples were to be sanctified through obedience to the truth.” Review and Herald, July 2, 1889.

2 How are we also included in Christ’s intercessory prayer? John 17:20–24.

note: “He says, ‘Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on Me through their word.’ That prayer was for us; we have believed in the testimony of the disciples of Christ. He prays that His disciples may be one, even as He and the Father are one; and this unity of believers is to be as testimony to the world that He has sent us, and that we bear the evidence of His grace.” Review and Herald, July 2, 1889.

3 What command did Jesus give to His followers? John 13:34. Compare John 15:12, 17; 1 John 4:7.

note: “‘I pray for them: I pray not for the world, but for them which Thou hast given me; for they are Thine. And all Mine are Thine, and Thine are Mine; and I am glorified in them’ (John 17:9, 10). Mark the words. It is Jesus Christ that is praying to His Father, ‘and all mine are thine, and thine are mine; and I am glorified in them.’ Is it truth? Are we Bible believers? Is Christ glorified in us? I want you to consider this. He is speaking of the oneness and that unity that shall exist with Christ and His disciples. In that unity, in that oneness, Christ is glorified in us. Now I would have you consider how very light a matter many of us make of seeking to preserve this unity. Why, this unity with believers in and through Christ is the great strength of the church! The oneness, the love which through their faith and unity exists with God’s people through faith in Christ, is a power. How earnest, how decided, how determined should be our efforts to answer the prayer of Christ that we may have that harmony one with another for which Christ died to perfect; that we may be one with Christ; for, unless we are constantly laboring for this harmony and this unity, we shall certainly fail of answering the prayer of being one with Christ as He was one with the Father.” Sermons and Talks vol. 1, 194.

“If Not, Blot Me Thee, Out of Thy Book”

4 How did Moses express his love for his people? Exodus 32:31, 32.

note: “Moses manifested his great love for the people in his entreaty to the Lord to forgive their sin, or blot his name out of the book which He had written. His intercessions here illustrate Christ’s love and mediation for the sinful race. The Lord refused to let Moses suffer for the sins of his backsliding people. He declared to him that those who had sinned against Him He would blot out of His book which He had written; for the righteous should not suffer for the guilt of the sinner. The book here referred to is the book of records in Heaven, where every name is recorded, and their acts, their sins, and obedience, are faithfully written. When any one commits sins which are too grievous for the Lord to pardon, their names are erased from the book, and they are devoted to destruction. Although Moses realized the dreadful fate of those whose names should be dropped from the book of God, yet he plainly declared before God that if the names of his erring Israel should be blotted out, and be no more remembered by Him for good, he wished his name to be blotted out with theirs; for he could never endure to see the fullness of His wrath come upon the people for whom He had wrought such wonders.” Spirit of Prophecy, vol. 1, 252, 253.

5 How did the Lord reveal to Moses His character of mercy and steadfast love? Exodus 33:19, 20; Exodus 34:6, 7.

note: “Now, indeed, we would expect the prophet to cease pleading; but no, emboldened by his success, he ventures to come still nearer to God, with a holy familiarity which is almost beyond our comprehension. He now makes a request which no human being ever made before: ‘I beseech thee, show me thy glory.’ What a petition to come from finite, mortal man! But is he repulsed? Does God reprove him for presumption? No; we hear the gracious words: ‘I will make all my goodness pass before thee.’ In the history of Moses we may see what intimate communion with God it is man’s privilege to enjoy.” Conflict and Courage, 99.

“When He Prayed for His Friends”

6 What was the turning point in Job’s experience? Job 42:10. Compare Job 16:2.

note: “The Lord turned the captivity of Job when he prayed, not only for himself, but for those who were opposing him. When he felt earnestly desirous that the souls that had trespassed against him might be helped, he himself received help. Let us pray, not only for ourselves, but for those who have hurt us, and are continuing to hurt us. Pray, pray, especially in your mind. Give not the Lord rest; for His ears are open to hear sincere, importunate prayers, when the soul is humbled before Him.” Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, vol. 3, 1141.

7 How did Jesus express this important aspect of prayer? Luke 6:28.

note: “When the believer, in view of all his transgressions, exercises faith in God, believes that he is pardoned because Christ has died as his sacrifice, he will be so filled with gratitude to God that his tender sympathy will be reaching out to those who, like himself, have sinned and have need of pardon. Pride will find no place in his heart. Such faith as this will be a death blow to a revengeful spirit. How is it possible for one who finds forgiveness, and who is daily dependent upon the grace of Christ, to turn away in coldness from those who have been overtaken in a fault, and to display to the sinner an unforgiving spirit? Everyone who has real faith in God will crush pride under his feet.” Manuscript Releases, vol. 15, 198.

8 How did Christ manifest this spirit of sympathy towards His enemies? Luke 23:34. Compare Acts 7:59, 60.

note: “While the soldiers were doing their fearful work, Jesus prayed for His enemies, ‘Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do.’ His mind passed from His own suffering to the sin of His persecutors, and the terrible retribution that would be theirs. No curses were called down upon the soldiers who were handling Him so roughly. No vengeance was invoked upon the priests and rulers, who were gloating over the accomplishment of their purpose. Christ pitied them in their ignorance and guilt. He breathed only a plea for their forgiveness,—‘for they know not what they do.’” The Desire of Ages, 744.

“We Have Sinned”

9 What example of intercession may be seen in the life of Daniel? Daniel 9:3–19.

note: “The prophet Daniel was an example of true sanctification. His long life was filled up with noble service for his Master. He was a man ‘greatly beloved’ (Daniel 10:11) of Heaven. Yet instead of claiming to be pure and holy, this honored prophet identified himself with the really sinful of Israel as he pleaded before God in behalf of his people: ‘We do not present our supplications before Thee for our righteousness, but for Thy great mercies.’ ‘We have sinned, we have done wickedly.’ He declares: ‘I was speaking, and praying, and confessing my sin and the sin of my people.’” The Great Controversy, 470.

10 How did Nehemiah also manifest this humble spirit of intercession? Nehemiah 1:6–11.

note: “…he turned in his affliction to the sure Helper. ‘I prayed,’ says he, ‘before the God of Heaven.’ He knew that all this ruin had come because of the transgressions of Israel; and in deep humiliation he came before God for pardon of sin and a renewal of the divine favor. He addressed his petitions to the God of Heaven, ‘the great and terrible God;’ for such the Lord had shown Himself to be in the fearful judgements brought upon Israel. But with a gleam of hope, Nehemiah continues, ‘that keepeth covenant and mercy with them that love Him and observe His commandments.’ For repentant and believing Israel there was still mercy. Faithfully the man of God makes confession of his sins and the sins of his people.” Signs of the Times, November 29, 1883.

“In their work, Ezra and Nehemiah humbled themselves before God, confessing their sins and the sins of their people, and entreating pardon as if they themselves were the offenders.” Prophets and Kings, 675.

“That Ye May Be Healed”

11 For what especially may we pray? James 5:16.

note: “…the offering of such prayer is a most solemn act, and should not be entered upon without careful consideration. . . .To those who desire prayer for their restoration to health, it should be made plain that the violation of God’s law, either natural or spiritual, is sin, and that in order for them to receive His blessing, sin must be confessed and forsaken. . . .We know that God hears us if we ask according to His will. But to press our petitions without a submissive spirit is not right; our prayers must take the form, not of command, but of intercession.” The Faith I Live By, 315.

12 How is such prayer for healing to be done? James 5:14, 15.

note: “In prayer for the sick it should be remembered that ‘we know not what we should pray for as we ought.’ Romans 8:26. We do not know whether the blessing we desire will be best or not. Therefore our prayers should include this thought: ‘Lord, Thou knowest every secret of the soul. Thou art acquainted with these persons. Jesus, their Advocate, gave His life for them. His love for them is greater than ours can possibly be. If, therefore, it is for Thy glory and the good of the afflicted ones, we ask, in the name of Jesus, that they may be restored to health. If it be not Thy will that they may be restored, we ask that Thy grace may comfort and Thy presence sustain them in their sufferings.’” Ministry of Healing, 229.

“Many have expected that God would keep them from sickness merely because they have asked Him to do so. But God did not regard their prayers, because their faith was not made perfect by works. God will not work a miracle to keep those from sickness who have no care for themselves, but are continually violating the laws of health and make no efforts to prevent disease. When we do all we can on our part to have health, then may we expect that the blessed results will follow, and we can ask God in faith to bless our efforts for the preservation of health. He will then answer our prayer, if His name can be glorified thereby. But let all understand that they have a work to do. God will not work in a miraculous manner to preserve the health of persons who are taking a sure course to make themselves sick, by their careless inattention to the laws of health.” Medical Ministry, 13.

Break Every Yoke

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Do you remember the experience of Moses where the children of Israel had sinned? God said, “Look, let me destroy them. Let them go and I will make of you a new beginning and a new nation and you will be the promised people.”

“And Moses returned unto the Lord, and said, Oh, this people have sinned a great sin, and have made them gods of gold. Yet now, if thou wilt forgive their sin—; and if not, blot me, I pray thee, out of thy book which thou hast written.” Exodus 32:31, 32.

There is a book, friends, which contains the names of God’s people. If God would not forgive the children of Israel for the golden calf, Moses was willing to give up his leadership, and the chance for his descendents to be the promised people and the great nation that is going to receive the covenant. “If you cannot forgive the sin of the children of Israel,” he said, “blot me out of the Book of Life.” Do you know what that means? That means that he was willing to give up his right to heaven.

God then told Moses what His policy is. “And the Lord said unto Moses, Whosoever hath sinned against me, him will I blot out of my book.” Verse 33. Now how many of you have not sinned against God? That is the way to get your name out of the Lamb’s Book of Life, right? We are all sinners. So your name goes into the Book of Life, and your name can go out of the Book of Life if you are a sinner. What hope is there for us if we have sinned against God?

Let us take a look at the Bible, for there we find how to keep our name in the Lamb’s Book of Life. “He that overcometh, the same shall be clothed in white raiment; and I will not blot out his name out of the Book of Life, but I will confess his name before My Father, and before His angels.” Revelation 3:5.

These two Scriptures contain the doctrine of the Investigative Judgment. You get your name in the Lamb’s Book of Life. If you continue in sin, your name will be taken out of the Lamb’s Book of Life. But if you overcome, with God’s help it will be left in the Lamb’s Book of Life. Very simple. Now then, there has to be an investigation of the names in the Lamb’s Book of Life, right?

And it makes a difference, friends, whether you are continuing in sin or whether you overcome. If I took the position that evangelical Seventh-day Adventists take, that you cannot stop sinning, then, of course, I do not want an Investigative Judgment, because if I cannot stop sinning, my name will be blotted out of the Book of Life. So, along with their idea that you cannot stop sinning, they have to do away with the idea of an Investigative Judgment, because if they do not, friends, the people who accept the idea that they cannot stop sinning are all doomed to be lost.

If you believe that you can overcome, then your name will be left in the Lamb’s Book of Life, and you are going to be in a select group of people at the end. “…all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him whose names are not written in the Book of Life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.” Revelation 13:8. Whom shall they worship? The first beast of Revelation 13. Who is that? It is the Papacy and, indirectly, it is the devil.

Now, friends, this select group of people, those who overcome and whose names are left in the Lamb’s Book of Life, are the only ones who will not worship the devil. It is important that your name remain in the Lamb’s Book of Life.

Church Books vs. Heaven’s Books

How do you get your name in the Lamb’s Book of Life? How do you know that it is there? I have actually cringed and felt like standing up and saying, “No, it is not so,” when I have been in Seventh-day Adventist meetings and heard the minister say, “As soon as you are baptized and voted into the Seventh-day Adventist Church, your name is inscribed in letters of gold in the Lamb’s Book of Life.”

No, friends, that is not how you get your name in the Lamb’s Book of Life. I dare say that the majority of the members of the Seventh-day Adventist Church never have their names put in the Lamb’s Book of Life.

“And I intreat thee also, true yokefellow, help those women which laboured with me in the gospel, with Clement also, and with other my fellowlabourers, whose names are in the Book of Life.” Philippians 4:3.

Now, friends, you have to be a fellowlabourer, a true yokefellow, and then you may be assured that your name is in the Lamb’s Book of Life. In other words, it is not a matter of baptism and being voted into the Seventh-day Adventist Church. It is a matter of accepting the invitation of Christ found in Matthew 11:28–30, where He says, “Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you [You must take the yoke of Christ if you hope to have your name inscribed in the Lamb’s Book of Life. You must be a true yokefellow, wearing the yoke of Jesus and no other yoke.] and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”

After Isaiah tells us that what the children of Israel were doing was not what God wanted, he says, “Is not this the fast that I have chosen? to loose the bands of wickedness, to undo the heavy burdens, and to let the oppressed go free, and that ye break every yoke?” Isaiah 58:6. You cannot wear two yokes at a time.

Breaking the Yoke

The yokes that Isaiah calls to be broken are the things that, for many, many years, I did not understand, and I do not believe that most people understand them. I do not believe that the people of the denomination, or the leadership in particular, understand what he is talking about and what this appeal means.

There is more than one yoke. There is the yoke of Christ, and if you are wearing that yoke, then you may be positive and certain that your name is in the Lamb’s Book of Life. If you are wearing any other yoke, you have no assurance at all that your name is in the Lamb’s Book of Life.

Christ says His burden is light. That is the big difference between the yoke and the burden of Christ and that of any other yoke that you can find.

If we continue reading in the book of Matthew, we find that Christ gives a little sermon on the church of His day. “Then spake Jesus to the multitude, and to his disciples, Saying, The Scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat: All therefore whatsoever they bid you observe, that observe and do; but do not ye after their works: for they say, and do not. For they bind heavy burdens and grievous to be borne, and lay them on men’s shoulders; but they themselves will not move them with one of their fingers.” Matthew 23:1–4.

What was the purpose of their life? “But all their works they do for to be seen of men: they make broad their phylacteries, and enlarge the borders of their garments, And love the uppermost rooms at feasts, and the chief seats in the synagogues, And greetings in the markets, and to be called of men, Rabbi, Rabbi.” Verses 5–7.

Yokes of Bondage

Now, friends, this is a description of another yoke. What kind of a yoke? It is a yoke of bondage, of heavy burdens. All other yokes, except the yoke of Christ, are yokes of bondage, of heavy burdens, and these are the yokes that we are called to break in Isaiah 58. Was it a political yoke that they had foisted on the people, or was it a church yoke? They were sitting where? Not on the throne of King David, but in Moses’ seat.

In my reading I came across an address by Ellen G. White. Sometimes I think we should not use her name. I think we ought to say we have an address from the Holy Spirit to the Seventh-day Adventist Church, because that is what she says we have. She says that if you slight the Testimonies and belittle them you have thereby insulted the Holy Spirit. I take this as a message from God. (See Testimonies. vol. 5, 234.)

The Holy Spirit Speaks

In my studies of the early pioneers, the history of the Seventh-day Adventist Church and Ellen G. White, I find that Mrs. White did not go around looking for problems in the church about which she could write testimonies to people. It was her nature to always look on the good side and always give people the benefit of the doubt. She was always on the positive side and she had difficulty writing these kinds of testimonies.

When Sister White writes these things, friends, it is the Holy Spirit speaking, not Sister White. She was not a genius who knew all the things that the brethren were doing and all that was going on in the church. Those things had to be revealed to her by God. So she says, “I write thus fully, because I have been shown that ministers and people are tempted more and more to trust in finite man for wisdom, and to make flesh their arm. To conference presidents, and men in responsible places.” Testimonies to Ministers, 480.[To whom is she talking? To the world? No! She is talking to the leaders in the Seventh-day Adventist Church.] “I bear this message: Break the bands and fetters that have been placed upon God’s people.” Ibid., 480, 481. I am afraid that most baptized Seventh-day Adventists have taken a church yoke on their necks, instead of the yoke of Jesus. I did, and I fully believed, for most of my life, that the yoke of the church and the yoke of Jesus were one and the same.

I believe that most Seventh-day Adventists regardless of the group they belong to, believe that the yoke they have taken is the yoke of Jesus. And when I first read this quote, it did not fit my thinking. It did not fit what I wanted to believe. What I am going to say, friends, may not suit your thinking or your beliefs, either.

“I bear this message: Break the bands and fetters that have been placed upon God’s people.” Ibid. Every Seventh-day Adventist, according to this testimony, is wearing bands and fetters put on them by conference presidents and men in responsible positions. “To you the word is spoken, ‘Break every yoke.’” Ibid. How many? Every one except Christ’s, because you cannot wear the yoke of Christ until you have broken from off your neck every other yoke, whether it be the yoke of the church, the yoke of the American Medical Association, Labor Unions, Fraternal organizations, the Rotary Club, the Kiwanis Club, or you name it. All of these organizations put a yoke upon your neck. Yet we do not perceive this because our thinking is not tuned to it.

Divorces from God

I worked for the Seventh-day Adventist Church for 27 years as a minister. I grew up in the church. Before I went into the ministry, I worked at the Glendale Sanitarium; I worked there when it was really doing sanitarium work. I worked in an academy. I went through our schools, friends, and I did not know that I was wearing a yoke. I thought I was wearing the yoke of Jesus. I had my doubts at times, because the yoke of Jesus was always described as being light, easy. “To you the word is spoken, Break every yoke, [What yoke is she talking about? Well, she tells us.] Unless you cease the work of making man amenable to man.” Ibid.

Have you ever been called to account to the church for what you did? Have they ever come to you and said, “You cannot do this?” or, “You do that!” “Unless you cease the work of making man amenable to man, unless you become humble in heart, and yourselves learn the way of the Lord as little children, the Lord will divorce you from His work.” Ibid.

We are to treat one another as brethren, as fellow laborers. In other words, fellow yokefellows, as Paul calls it, wearing the yoke of Christ, not any other yoke.

“… as men and women who are, with us, seeking for light and understanding of the way of the Lord, and who are jealous for His glory. God declares, ‘I will be glorified in My people.’” Ibid.

Friends, there is going to be a group of people in this world who are going to throw off every other yoke and wear only the yoke of Christ and glorify God. The world is going to be lightened with the message they bring. Is that not what it says?

So, “God declares, ‘I will be glorified in my people;’ but the self-confident management of men has resulted in putting God aside, and accepting the devisings of men.” Ibid.

That is exactly what the Pharisees were rebuked for all the time while Jesus was here. “Ye teach for doctrines the traditions or commandments of men.” (See Matthew 15:9.)

Books of a New Order?

When I was born there was no General Conference working policy. There was no General Conference educational policy. There was no church manual. When people wanted to know what to do, they only had two places to go: the Bible and the Spirit of Prophecy. When I was three years old, the brethren put together the first General Conference Constitution and By-laws and Working Policy. I do not remember the exact number of pages then, but now it is over 500 pages of rules and regulations to be followed by you and the leaders of the church. If time goes on, it will probably expand to a thousand, and the next thing we will have to do is train scribes to interpret it!

We need them right now, because when I used to attend committee meetings where the brethren would be laying plans, I would say, “Do you not know that in the Working Policy it says such and such?” And they would say, “No, we do not,” because nobody can remember 500 pages of rules and regulations, not even the leaders.

A few years back I checked on the educational policies. I went to the local church school, pulled open the teacher’s file and took out the Pacific Union Conference Educational Code. Then I pulled out the supplement, because the rules of men are never adequate and consequently they are always adding to them. I counted 1,000 pages! This was not fine print, like the General Conference Working Policy; this was 1,000 mimeographed pages of rules to govern the colleges and church schools in the Seventh-day Adventist denomination.

When I was nine years old, the first Church Manual was issued. The statement as to the reason for voting a church manual was, “We hope this will stop the headlong plunge of the church into apostasy.” Has it?

The first Church Manual was advisory. It had no authority; nobody had to follow it or pay any attention to it. But in 1946, when I had been in the ministry one year, the General Conference in session gave full authority to the Church Manual. This is a yoke, friends, made by men and put on your neck and on their own necks.

Would you like to know what the apostle Peter and the brethren in Jerusalem had to say about the yoke of the Jewish Church? Acts 15:10 tells us the people in Jerusalem were starting down the same headlong rush to put a yoke other than the yoke of Christ upon the church:

“Now therefore why tempt ye God, to put a yoke upon the neck of the disciples? [How long did it take the early Christian church to start putting a yoke on the neck of the disciples? Why, they had just barely gotten started. A yoke] which neither our fathers nor we were able to bear.” Oh, friends, all human yokes are heavy, difficult. The yoke of Jesus and His burden is light.

You may say, “Well, I do not think I have a yoke on my neck.” Maybe you feel quite comfortable with it because you have gotten so used to it. Or maybe, like I did for many years, you believe that the yoke of the church is the yoke of Jesus. Sometimes I wondered how He ever thought to say that His yoke was easy and light, though, and I used to really puzzle over those two words describing the yoke of Jesus when I had the two confused.

Calling Sin By It’s Right Name

I have been puzzling over this question of yokes for years and years. What was Sister White talking about? I know that we cannot be amenable to mankind. I know that making men responsible to man puts God aside, and that was at least part of the yoke. “For years our physicians have been trained to think that they must not give expression to sentiments that differ from those of their chief. Oh, that they had broken this yoke.” Series B, 28.

The belief that you cannot express an idea that differs with the pastor or the church is a yoke that you must break. I cannot break the yoke from off your neck unless I put it there. And even then, you may not let me remove it. Only you can break a yoke off your neck. These physicians had accepted a yoke which required them to agree with the boss, the head of the Battle Creek Sanitarium and Hospital, even though they differed with him.

Sister White said, “Oh that they had broken the yoke.” Ibid. Have you worn that yoke and kept your mouth shut? Have you accepted that yoke? If so, you had better break it, because they did not, and Mrs. White said, “Oh, that they had called sin by its right name!” Ibid.

Have you ever been quiet when you should have spoken out and called sin by its right name? A yoke you have to break. A yoke the church puts on your neck. I know, because they put it on my neck and when I threw it off, they immediately rushed in to replace it.

Oh, friends, the yoke to keep quiet, to not disagree with your boss, your leader, so you do not call sin by its right name is a yoke you have to break before you can wear the yoke of Christ.

Mrs. White continues, “They would not be regarded in the heavenly courts as men who, though bearing weighty responsibilities, have failed of speaking the truth in reproof of that which has been in disobedience to God’s Word.” Ibid.

A Yoke of Silence

This yoke that the brethren impose upon the necks of the ministry, upon the necks of the laity, and anyone else, is a yoke of silence when it comes to denominational policy and procedure. If you dared to open your mouth, you were a faultfinder, condemner and criticizer.

It was not until the brethren disfellowshipped me that the yoke of the church was actually fully removed. I am not saying you have to be disfellowshipped, but I would like to see Seventh-day Adventists fully remove the yoke of the church from off their neck without being disfellowshipped. All you have to do is to throw off the yoke that has you not disagreeing with the leadership, the one that has you not calling sin by its right name, not reproving things that are contrary to God’s Word.

I cannot support things contrary to the Spirit of Prophecy. The only program that I hope anybody can trust me to support is the one found in the Bible and in the Spirit of Prophecy. That which is found in the Church Manual and Working Policy I cannot support if it is contrary to the Bible and to the Spirit of Prophecy.

So continuing in Series B, and again addressing the people under the Alpha of apostasy, here is what was wrong that caused the church to go into the Alpha of apostasy: “Our physicians have lost a great deal out of their lives because they have [1] seen wrong transactions and [2] heard wrong words spoken, [3] and seen wrong principles followed, and have not spoken in reproof, for fear that they would be repulsed.” Ibid., 29.

The yoke of man silences you so that you will not object to a policy of the church that is contrary to the Spirit of Prophecy.

Anything else that is contrary to the Bible and to the Spirit of Prophecy is a yoke of man who says, “Do not speak out, be a loyal Seventh-day Adventist.” Are you wearing that yoke? Have you refrained from speaking out about something? Have you seen wrong principles followed and not spoken in reproof? It worked on me, friends, for years. I wore a yoke of silence when I should have spoken out, and yet the brethren always thought I was speaking out too much. But I kept quiet too often, friends.

If things need adjusting at the heart of the work, what do we do? Well, friends, if we do not speak out, if we wear this yoke of silence, God will take care of things, but how much better it would be if we did it ourselves. Every wrong within the Seventh-day Adventist Church is going to be taken care of, either by God or by the membership.

Worst Sins are Unrevealed

Sister White states: “The abominations for which the faithful ones [These are the ones who did not wear the yoke of silence.] were sighing and crying were all that could be discerned by finite eyes, but by far the worst sins, those which provoked the jealousy of the pure and holy God, were unrevealed. The great Searcher of hearts knoweth every sin committed in secret by the workers of iniquity. These persons come to feel secure in their deceptions and, because of His long–suffering, say that the Lord seeth not, and then act as though He had forsaken the earth. But He will detect their hypocrisy and will open before others those sins which they were so careful to hide.” Testimonies, vol. 5, 211.

The sad thing I have observed is that people take the yoke off from their necks that is imposed by the Adventist Church, and run right over to some other group and put that yoke on their necks. The only yoke I am interested in you having around your neck, is the yoke of Jesus, so your name will be in the Lamb’s Book of Life.

The yoke of Jesus has no stress, no tension, no frustration. It is a yoke of victory. It is a yoke of being an overcomer. It is a yoke that is easy and the burden is light. Oh, yes, it promises you persecution, but it says you will be able to “Rejoice, and be exceeding glad when man shall persecute you and say all manner of evil against you falsely.” (See Matthew 5:12.)

When you wear the yoke of Christ, then and then alone, you are God’s free man. If you are not wearing the yoke of Christ, then you are in bondage. You cannot be God’s free man until you become Christ’s servant. You must! God will not place the yoke upon your neck. You must willfully choose to take the yoke of Christ. He says, “Take My yoke.” He does not say, “Accept it and I will put it on your neck.” He says, “Take up the cross.” He does not say, “Lean over and I will put it on your back.”

No yokes can be forced on your neck. You may die resisting it, but you do not have to accept any yoke.

The Final Warning

“The Final Warning,” is a chapter in The Great Controversy that we need to study and restudy. If you take the yoke of Christ, understand that you are enlisting the opposition of the hosts of darkness. Your life will become very interesting. You will probably not have another boring day. “Evil angels will assail him, alarmed that his influence is taking the prey from their hands. …Evil men, rebuked by His example, will unite with them in seeking to separate him from God by alluring temptations.” The Great Controversy, 610.

You want a lot of the luring of temptations? You just put on the yoke of Christ.

“When these do not succeed, then a compelling power is employed to force the conscience.” Ibid.

You have an interesting life ahead of you, never a dull moment.

Mrs. White tell us: “It is the first and highest duty of every rational being to learn from the Scriptures what is truth, and then to walk in the light and encourage others to follow his example.” Ibid., 598.

We had better get busy on the first and highest duty of every rational being.

“We should day by day study the Bible diligently, weighing every thought and comparing Scripture with Scripture. With divine help we are to form our opinions for ourselves, as we are to answer for ourselves before God.” Ibid. I beg of you, throw off every other yoke and put on the yoke of Christ because your life depends on it; your eternal life depends upon it. Soon, very soon, your name will be called in the Investigative Judgment and it is either going to be blotted out of the Lamb’s Book of Life, or it is going to stay.

The Judgment

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For nearly six thousand years of sin this world has stood as a dark blot in the universe of God. And yet through it all the light of His mercy has shone clear and bright, and the work of redemption has gone steadily forward. And when this work shall be finished, there will have been gathered from the dwellers of all the ages a host of those who have been true to God, who shall people this earth according to the original plan of the Creator.

When the warfare between good and evil is ended, the sharpest line of demarkation [sic] will be drawn “between him that serveth God and him that serveth Him not” (Malachi 3:18). This will be a clean world, with the stains of sin and the blot of sinners forever removed.

It is therefore evident that a time must come when the cases of all who have lived shall come in review, and their future destiny be finally settled. This is the time of judgment so many times mentioned in the word of God. Paul says that “we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ” (Romans 14:10).

This judgment will not be arbitrary. The God of heaven knows the character of every human being, and when his life work is ended He could pass upon his future for weal or woe without the formalities of a future judgment. But the evil outcome of sin must be complete as an object lesson to unfallen worlds. God’s righteousness has been called in question by Satan. It must be revealed in the closing up of this world’s history. Throughout the ages of eternity God’s justice and mercy, as manifested in His dealings with Satan and sinners, must stand vindicated, hence the final judgment will be very real, and its scenes hosts of heavenly angels and the redeemed of earth will participate.

Of this great day we read that God “hath appointed a day [time or period], in the which He will judge the world in righteousness by that Man whom He hath ordained [Jesus Christ]; whereof He hath given assurance unto all men, in that He hath raised Him from the dead” (Acts 17:31).

The judgment cannot, therefore, take place at the death of each individual, as some suppose, for a “day,” or set time, has been fixed when this work shall be undertaken. And Paul, in his powerful argument before Felix, “reasoned of righteousness, temperance, and judgement to come” (Acts 24:25). [Emphasis supplied.] Hence in the days of Paul the judgment had not taken place, nor was it then in session.

The Books of Heaven

In order that the investigation of the judgment may be unquestioned and complete, the lives of all men are written in the books of heaven. From the records found in these books will the future of all who have lived on this earth be decided.

Concerning the books of record and the throngs that take part in this great assize, we read, “Thousand thousands ministered unto Him, and ten thousand times ten thousand stood before Him: the judgment was set, and the books were opened” (Daniel 7:10).

Of the fate of the millions who have lived and died John writes, “And the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works” (Revelation 20:12).

The Book of Life

In the foregoing text reference is made to “the book of life.” This to the Christian is the most important volume in all the universe of God. It is the roster of all the faithful of all the ages. In it are written the names of all who have undertaken the service of God. No other names are entered upon its pages.

Day by day the guardian angel bears to heaven the record of those whose names are written in the book. Their sins are recorded upon the debit side. As sins are confessed and wrongs made right, “pardon” is written opposite the transgression.

And so, the life record grows. Happy is the mortal whose debits of sin are balanced by the “pardons” of forgiveness. Awful is the fate of him who starts in the service of God, but falters in his course. For him the record of the “book of life” will not be clear. The debit side will not be balanced by the “pardons” of the credit side. The names of such will be blotted out of the book of life in God’s great judgment day.

Although our names may be once written in the book of life, they may, in the day of judgment, be stricken from its pages. Of the one who does not continue in well doing, John writes, “God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book” (Revelation 22:19).

Only those whose names are retained in the book of life can enter the gates of the New Jerusalem. “There shall in no wise enter unto it [the New Jerusalem] any thing that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination, or maketh a lie: but they which are written in the Lamb’s book of life” (Revelation 21:27).

The names of all the overcomers will be retained in this wonderful book. “He that overcometh, the same shall be clothed in white raiment; and I will not blot out his name out of the book of life, but I will confess His name before my Father, and before His angels” (Revelation 3:5).

Counted with Sinners

“The righteous may turn from their service of God, lose the reward for all the service they have rendered, and at last be numbered among the sinners. Right doing is our normal service. No balancing up between right and wrong will be made, and no general average will be struck. A godly life will give us a home in heaven. A failure to overcome will bring punishment for every sin committed.

“The foregoing conclusion is evident from the statement in Ezekiel 3:20: ‘When a righteous man doth turn from his righteousness, and commit iniquity … he shall die in his sin, and his righteousness which he hath done shall not be remembered.’

“In the judgment the names of such will be stricken from the book of life, and they will be called upon to answer for their sins with the rest of the wicked.”

From the foregoing it will be seen that the judgment for which the book of life is the basis has to do only with those who have undertaken the service of God. This investigative judgment must take place before Jesus comes, for at His coming He brings the reward for the overcomers, and fulfills all the promises made to them. Hence their cases must then have been decided.

Of the great final reward our Lord has sent us word through the prophet John: “Behold, I come quickly; and My reward is with Me, to give every man according as his work shall be” (Revelation 22:12).

The righteous receive their reward when Jesus comes, and their judgment takes place first, while that of the wicked takes place at a later period. Hence Peter, in prophetic view of the consummation of the Christian’s hope, exclaims, “For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God? And if the righteous scarcely be saved, where shall the ungodly and the sinner appear” (1 Peter 4:17, 18)?

John, viewing this same scene, writes, “And the nations were angry, and Thy wrath is come, and the time of the dead, that they should be judged, and that Thou shouldest give reward unto Thy servants the prophets, and to the saints, and them that fear Thy name, small and great” (Revelation 11:18).

The foregoing texts have to do with the judgment and reward of the saints. It takes place during the last days of anger, strife, and commotion among the nations of earth. It is the investigative judgment of all the dead who have ever started in the service of God, and will determine who have been overcomers in the warfare with sin and Satan.

The cases of the living righteous will come up for review as probation ceases. And when completed, the fiat will go forth, “He that is unjust, let him be unjust still: and he which is filthy, let him be filthy still: and he that is righteous, let him be righteous still: and he that is holy, let him be holy still” (Revelation 22:11). The days of repentance are past, the righteous are sealed for the kingdom of God, and the judgment of the wicked will follow to determine what their punishment shall be.

The Judgment

On the subject of the judgment, C. P. Bollman comments as follows:

“In the investigative judgment ‘God [the Father] is Judge Himself,’ as declared in Psalm 50:6. In the plan of salvation the Son undertook ‘to present faultless before the presence of His [the Father’s] glory with exceeding joy’ (Jude 24) a sufficient number of the children of Adam to fill this earth according to the original plan of God.

“Therefore, as the closing act of His priesthood, Christ presents His work to the Father for His approval. The book of life is opened, and each name passes in review before the Father, and those who have proved true, and are presented by the great Advocate, are accepted by the Father as fit subjects of the eternal kingdom.

“At this judgment the saints are not present, except by the record of their lives and in the person of their Advocate, who says, ‘Behold, I have graven thee upon the palms of My hands’ (Isaiah 49:16).

“With the conclusion of the investigative judgment our Lord’s service as a priest ceases. Then is fulfilled that which is written in the second Psalm: ‘Ask of Me, and I shall give Thee the heathen for Thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for Thy possession. Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron; Thou shalt dash them in pieces like a potter’s vessel’ (Psalm 2:8, 9).

“For six thousand years the earth has groaned under the burden of sin. She has not enjoyed her sabbaths as she would had sin not entered. Therefore, when the Lord comes, ‘the whole land shall be devoured by the fire of His jealousy: for He shall make even a speedy riddance of all them that dwell in the land’ (Zephaniah 1:18).

“ ‘Behold, the Lord maketh the earth empty, and maketh it waste. … The land shall be utterly … spoiled: for the Lord hath spoken this word’ (Isaiah 24:1, 3).

“ ‘I beheld, and, lo, there was no man, and all the birds of the heavens were fled’ (Jeremiah 4:25).

“And here it may be said of the whole earth, even as it was of Palestine, ‘Then shall the land enjoy her sabbaths, as long as it lieth desolate’ (Leviticus 26:34).

“This condition continues for a thousand years. The wicked are all dead—slain at the second coming of Christ. The righteous have been taken to heaven, there to reign with Christ a thousand years. During this time the saints sit upon the thrones of judgment; for it is at this time that judgment is given to the people of God. (See Revelation 20:4.)

“If it is asked why to human beings is given such a part in the judgment, we reply, Unquestionably that there may be no lingering doubt in any mind of the righteousness of God. The judgment will leave no question in the mind of any created intelligence as to the justice of divine government. ‘For there is nothing covered, that shall not be revealed; neither hid, that shall not be known. Therefore whatsoever ye have spoken in darkness shall be heard in the light; and that which ye have spoken in the ear in closets shall be proclaimed upon the housetops’ (Luke 12:2, 3).

“ ‘Some men’s sins are open beforehand, going before to judgment; and some men they follow after’ (1 Timothy 5:24). The sins of those who have turned to the Lord with sincere repentance and confession, go before and are blotted out in the investigative judgment. But the sins that men have clung to, though concealed from their fellow men, are known to God, and in judgment of the wicked they will stand revealed to all loyal intelligences.

“In that day the Christian mother will know why her idolized son is not saved. The God-fearing wife will know why her professedly pious companion is not in the kingdom of heaven.”

The next event is the coming of the Lord from heaven. The text proceeds, “And, behold, I come quickly” (Revelation 22:12). The cases of all the righteous have been settled. Jesus comes to earth, the righteous dead are raised, the living who are tried and true are changed, and all are caught up in the clouds in the air and wing their way to the New Jerusalem in the home of God. The apostle Paul loved to dwell upon these scenes of the triumph of the saints. He writes, “For the Lord Himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord” (1 Thessalonians 4:16, 17).

There will be two resurrections. The first is of the righteous when Christ comes, of which John writes, “Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power” (Revelation 20:6).

The second resurrection is of all the wicked of all the ages. “But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished” (verse 5). This positively implies that at the end of the thousand years the wicked will be raised.

Judgment of the Wicked

During this thousand years the righteous will be in the courts of heaven engaged with the Father, the Son, and the myriads of holy angels, in the judgment of wicked men and fallen angels. We read, “And I saw thrones, and they [the saints] sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: … and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years” (Revelation 20:4). This thousand years of judgment covers the period between the two resurrections—that of the righteous and that of the wicked.

The saints have a prominent part to act in the judgement of the wicked. In Daniel’s vision of the future of God’s people, he saw the time when “judgment was given to the saints of the Most High; and the time came that the saints possessed the kingdom” (Daniel 7:22).

And Paul, in reproving those of the Corinthian church who went to law against the brethren, writes, “Do ye not know that the saints shall judge the world? and if the world shall be judged by you, are ye unworthy to judge the smallest matters? Know ye not that we shall judge angels [the angels who sinned and were driven out of heaven]? how much more things that pertain to this life” (1 Corinthians 6:2, 3)?

The Executive Judgment

In the end of the thousand years, at the conclusion of the judgment of the wicked, the New Jerusalem comes down from heaven (Revelation 21:2), to become the capital city of the new earth.

Then the wicked dead are raised and come up around the city. And then from His throne, high and lifted up, the great Judge, the Son of God, to whom the Father has committed all judgment (John 5:22), announces the decisions of the heavenly court.

First addressing those upon His right hand, the position of favor, that is, inside the city, He says, “Come, ye blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world” (Matthew 25:34).

Then turning to those outside the city, He utters the fearful sentence, “Depart from Me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels” (verse 41).

Then follows the execution of the sentence. Filled with madness, the wicked array themselves against the city as though to take it by force. The prophetic record of the scene, as presented to John in vision, says, “And they went up on the breadth of the earth, and compassed the camp of the saints about, and the beloved city: and fire came down from God out of heaven, and devoured them” (Revelation 20:9). This is the second death spoken of in Revelation 20:6.

But of the righteous it is written, “When the wicked are cut off, thou shalt see it” (Psalms 37:34, last part). “Unto you that fear My name shall the Sun of righteousness arise with healing in His wings; and ye shall go forth, and grow up as calves of the stall. And ye shall tread down the wicked; for they shall be ashes under the soles of your feet in the day that I shall do this, saith the Lord of hosts” (Malachi 4:2, 3).

“Then, O my Lord, prepare

My soul for that great day;

O, wash me in Thy precious blood,

And take my sins away.”

A Few More Years Shall Roll,
Horatius Bonar, 1842.

Past, Present, and Future, James E. White, ©1909, 393–402.

Bible Study Guides – The Judgment

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October 11, 2003 – October 17, 2003

Memory Verse

“For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether [it be] good, or whether [it be] evil.” Ecclesiastes 12:14.

Suggested Reading: Christ’s Object Lessons, 312–319

Introduction

“God’s law reaches the feelings and motives, as well as the outward acts. It reveals the secrets of the heart, flashing light upon things before buried in darkness. God knows every thought, every purpose, every plan, every motive. The books of heaven record the sins that would have been committed had there been opportunity. God will bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing. By His law He measures the character of every man. As the artist transfers to the canvas the features of the face, so the features of each individual character are transferred to the books of heaven. God has a perfect photograph of every man’s character, and this photograph He compares with His law. He reveals to man the defects that mar his life, and calls upon him to repent and turn from sin.” The Signs of the Times, July 31, 1901.

1 What impressive scene was shown to Daniel in vision? Daniel 7:9, 10.

note: “Christ would have all understand the events of His second appearing. The judgment scene will take place in the presence of all the worlds; for in this judgment the government of God will be vindicated, and His law will stand forth as ‘holy, and just, and good.’ Then every case will be decided, and sentence will be passed upon all.” Review and Herald, September 20, 1898.

2 What did Paul say as to an appointed time of the judgment? Acts 17:31. Compare Romans 2:16; 14:10.

note: “Before any can enter the mansions of the blessed, their cases must be investigated, and their characters and their deeds must pass in review before God. All are to be judged according to the things written in the books and to be rewarded as their works have been. This judgment does not take place at death. Mark the words of Paul: [Acts 17:31 quoted]. Here the apostle plainly stated that a specified time, then future, had been fixed upon for the judgment of the world.” The Great Controversy, 548.

“[Daniel 7:13 quoted.] . . . The coming of Christ here described is not His second coming to the earth. He comes to the Ancient of days in heaven to receive dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, which will be given Him at the close of His work as a mediator. It is this coming, and not His second advent to the earth, that was foretold in prophecy to take place at the termination of the 2300 days in 1844. Attended by heavenly angels, our great High Priest enters the holy of holies, and there appears in the presence of God . . . to perform the work of investigative judgment, and to make an atonement for all who are shown to be entitled to its benefits.” The Faith I Live By, 209.

3 What worldwide message announces the judgment? Revelation 14:6, 7.

note: “It will be noticed that when the time comes for this message to go to the world proclaiming the judgment, the announcement is, ‘The hour of His judgment is come.’ This investigative judgment is the cleansing of the heavenly sanctuary, which was typified by the day of atonement in the yearly round of the earthly sanctuary. This ‘hour’ of God’s judgment, by a very sure line of prophecy, is shown to have begun in 1844. At this time Christ passed from the holy apartment of the heavenly sanctuary into the most holy, and ‘the judgment was set, and the books were opened.’ See Daniel 9:24–27. [See also Daniel 7:10.] Thus the time for the judgment to begin is made clear.” Sabbath School Lesson Quarterly, Pacific Press Publishing Association, Mountain View, California, April 1912, 8.

4 When the judgment begins, what are opened? From what are the dead judged? Revelation 20:12. Compare Jeremiah 17:10.

note: “There is an unerring register kept of all sins committed. All man’s impiety, all his disobedience to Heaven’s commands, are written in the books of heaven with unerring accuracy.” “Ellen G. White Comments,” Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, vol. 4, 1171.

5 What is written in the “book of life”? Revelation 3:5; 21:27.

note: “They [God’s people] will be constant to principle. They will do their work, not to secure a great name or great wages, not for the purpose of weaving self into all their works, and of appearing to be somebody in the world, but to be right in everything in the sight of God. They will not be half as anxious to do a big work as to do whatever they have to do with fidelity and with an eye single to the glory of God. Such men are great in the sight of God. Such names are registered in the Lamb’s book of life as the faithful servants of the most high God.” Counsels on Health, 285.

6 What is written in “the books”? Ecclesiastes 12:14; 11:9. Compare 11 Corinthians 5:10.

note: “[The law of God] is so brief that we can easily commit every precept to memory, and yet so far-reaching as to express the whole will of God, and to take cognizance, not only of the outward actions, but of the thoughts and intents, the desires and emotions, of the heart. Human laws cannot do this. They can deal with the outward actions only. A man may be a transgressor, and yet conceal his misdeeds from human eyes; he may be a criminal—a thief, a murderer, or an adulterer—but so long as he is not discovered, the law cannot condemn him as guilty. The law of God takes note of the jealousy, envy, hatred, malignity, revenge, lust, and ambition that surge through the soul, but have not found expression in outward action, because the opportunity, not the will, has been wanting. And these sinful emotions will be brought into the account in the day when ‘God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil’ (Ecclesiastes 12:14).” Selected Messages, Book 1, 217.

7 When the investigative judgment is finished, and the subjects of Christ’s kingdom are determined, what announcement is made? Revelation 22:11.

note: “When the third angel’s message closes, mercy no longer pleads for the guilty inhabitants of the earth. The people of God have accomplished their work. They have received ‘the latter rain,’ ‘the refreshing from the presence of the Lord,’ and they are prepared for the trying hour before them. Angels are hastening to and fro in heaven. An angel returning from the earth announces that his work is done; the final test has been brought upon the world, and all who have proved themselves loyal to the divine precepts have received ‘the seal of the living God.’ Then Jesus ceases His intercession in the sanctuary above. He lifts His hands and with a loud voice says, ‘It is done.’ . . . Every case has been decided for life or death. Christ has made the atonement for His people and blotted out their sins. The number of His subjects is made up.” The Great Controversy, 613, 614.

8 What takes place when Jesus ceases His intercession in the sanctuary above? Revelation 22:12; 1 Thessalonians 4:16, 17.

note: “When the work of the investigative judgment closes, the destiny of all will have been decided for life or death. Probation is ended a short time before the appearing of the Lord in the clouds of heaven. . . .

“The righteous and the wicked will still be living upon the earth in their mortal state—men will be planting and building, eating and drinking, all unconscious that the final, irrevocable decision has been pronounced in the sanctuary above. . . . Silently, unnoticed as the midnight thief, will come the decisive hour which marks the fixing of every man’s destiny, the final withdrawal of mercy’s offer to guilty men.” The Great Controversy, 490, 491.

9 How long will the saints reign with Christ in heaven, and what will they be doing during that time? Revelation 20:4; 1 Corinthians 6:2, 3.

note: “After the saints are changed to immortality and caught up together with Jesus, after they receive their harps, their robes, and their crowns, and enter the city, Jesus and the saints sit in judgment. The books are opened—the book of life and the book of death. The book of life contains the good deeds of the saints; and the book of death contains the evil deeds of the wicked. These books are compared with the statute book, the Bible, and according to that men are judged. The saints, in unison with Jesus, pass their judgment upon the wicked dead. . . . This, I saw, was the work of the saints with Jesus through the one thousand years in the Holy City before it descends to the earth.” Early Writings, 52, 53.

10 Who executes the decisions reached during the thousand years? John 5:26, 27.

note: “Christ has been made our judge. The Father is not the judge. The angels are not. He who took humanity upon Himself, and in this world lived a perfect life, is to judge us. He only can be our judge. . . . ” My Life Today, 335.

11 What acknowledgement will finally be made by all whose lives have passed in review before God? Philippians 2:9–11; Revelation 15:3.

note: “Every question of truth and error in the long-standing controversy has now been made plain. The results of rebellion, the fruits of setting aside the divine statutes, have been laid open to the view of all created intelligences. The working out of Satan’s rule in contrast with the government of God has been presented to the whole universe. Satan’s own works have condemned him. God’s wisdom, His justice, and His goodness stand fully vindicated. It is seen that all His dealings in the great controversy have been conducted with respect to the eternal good of His people and the good of all the worlds that He has created. . . . With all the facts of the great controversy in view, the whole universe, both loyal and rebellious, with one accord declare: ‘Just and true are thy ways, thou King of saints’ (Revelation 15:3).” God’s Amazing Grace, 373.

12 By what is every life tested in the investigative judgment? Ecclesiastes 12:13, 14; Romans 2:12, 16.

note: “He who becomes a partaker of the divine nature will be in harmony with God’s great standard of righteousness, His holy law. This is the rule by which God measures the actions of men. This will be the test of character in the judgment.” Christ’s Object Lessons, 314.

These lessons are adapted from the Sabbath School Lesson Quarterly, Pacific Press Publishing Association, Mountain View, California, April 1912.

How to Get Your Name in the Book, Part I

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The parable of the ten virgins, as read in Matthew 25:1–13, is one of the stories Jesus told that shows us very clearly that not everybody who thinks they are going to be saved will actually be saved. That should cause solemn contemplation for all of us. You see, all of the virgins, at the beginning of the evening, thought they were going to the wedding supper, but they did not all get there.

It is a common belief among many churches that we are all going to the same place, but the Bible teaches differently. We need to face up to the fact that there really is a heaven to win and there is also a hell to shun. Read Revelation 20:15: “And if anyone was not found having been written in the book of life, he was cast into the lake of fire.” Not everybody is going to the same place. This verse identifies one place. The other place is identified in Revelation 21:27: “There shall in no case enter into it [that is, the holy city] any thing that is defiled or the one doing an abomination or the person who lies, rather, those who have been written in the book of life of the Lamb.” An abomination is something that is abhorrent and, in this case, especially something that is abhorrent to God. God abhors everything that is impure, unclean, polluted, or unrighteous; three things are mentioned in this text.

So, Revelation 20:15 says that if you are not written in the book of life, you are going to be cast into the lake of fire. Revelation 21:27 says that nobody who has not been cleansed from his pollution or defilement will enter into the city; only those whose names are written in the book will enter.

Two Options

In this article, we will first study how to get your name in the book, and, second, what to do so that it does not get blotted out of the book. There will be many people who come up to the end, thinking that they are going to be saved.

“To the marriage supper of the Lamb will come many who have not on the wedding garment—the robe [Christ] purchased for them with His lifeblood. From lips that never make a mistake come the words, ‘Friend, how camest thou in hither not having a wedding garment?’ (Matthew 22:12). Those [thus] addressed are speechless. They know that words would be useless. The truth, with its sanctifying power, has not been brought into the soul, and the tongue that once spoke so readily of the truth is now silent. The words are then spoken, ‘Take them out of My presence. They are not worthy to taste of My supper’ (cf. Luke 14:24).” The Upward Look, 301.

Jesus described this for us in the Sermon on the Mount. This is a verse of Scripture read in almost every meeting of a Prophecy Seminar, because this is a verse that was written especially for those living in the last days. “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter into the kingdom of heavens, but the one who does the will of My Father who is in the heavens. Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name? In Your name we have cast out demons, and in Your name we have performed many miracles.’ And then I will confess to them, ‘Never at any time have I known you.’ ” Matthew 7:21–23.

Can you imagine what a shock that would be? These are Christians! They have called Jesus “Lord.” They come up to the Day of Judgment and say, “Lord, we know that we are saved, because we have the Holy Spirit. We were prophesying in Your name. We were working miracles in Your name. We were casting out demons in Your name. We know that we are saved.” But He says, “No. I have never known you.”

Have you ever considered that many people will receive much light and power in the last days from the devil? You see, these people have the light and the power. They could work miracles. They could prophesy. They could cast out demons. But Jesus says to them, “Then I will confess to them, ‘Never at any time have I known you, depart from Me you who practice lawlessness.’ ” In other words, you who break My law, you are not a subject of My kingdom because you break My law.

Oh, if we could just grasp the full force of that, we could, in the Christian world, quit arguing about which day to go to church and a lot of other things. Some Protestant churches today are so mixed up that they cannot figure out whether or not they should hire homosexual pastors. We could quit arguing about all kinds of things that are going on in the Christian world today if we would just realize that Jesus said, “When I come again, if you have been breaking My law, you are going to be rejected.”

In Luke 13, we read about Jesus going through the various cities and villages teaching, making His way towards Jerusalem (verse 22), and then it says, in verses 23–28, “And a certain one said to Him, ‘Lord, are there few who will be saved?’ And He said to them, ‘Struggle to enter through the narrow gate, because I say to you, many will seek to enter in and will not be strong enough. From what time the Master of the house has risen up and shut the door, and you began to stand outside and to knock on the door, saying, “Lord, open to us,” and, answering, He will say to you, “I do not know you, where you are from.” Then you will begin to say, “We ate before You, and we drank, and You taught in our streets.” And He will say to you, “I do not know you, where you are. Depart from Me, all those working iniquity.” There will be weeping and gnashing of the teeth, when you see Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, and all the prophets in the kingdom of God.’ ”

All those outside the wedding banquet will be wondering at those that have on the wedding garment without spot and wrinkle. But they, all the people that said, “You cannot keep God’s Law,” are going to be outside. They are going to see the people that, through the power of the Holy Spirit, did keep His Law.

First Shall Be Last

“They shall come from the east and the west, from the north and the south, and shall sit down in the kingdom of God. But, behold, they are last who shall be first, and the first shall be last.” Verses 29, 30.

This has always been a very scary passage of Scripture to me, because I had the great privilege of growing up in a Seventh-day Adventist home. But the Bible says, “The first shall be last.”

So, how do you know that you will not meet with disappointment? Oh, you have to have your name in the book. How do you get your name written in the book?

Missionary Spirit

Luke 10:17 is one of the few verses in the New Testament that has a textual variation, and the best scholars cannot figure out for sure which reading is right, but we will find out when the Lord comes. There are some manuscripts that say that Jesus sent out 70, and there are some manuscripts that say He sent out 72, but I have decided I do not need to be in that controversy. So, we read:

“They came back with joy, saying, ‘Lord, even the demons are subject to us through Your name.’ And He said to them, ‘I beheld Satan as lightning falling from heaven. Behold I have given you authority to trample upon serpents and scorpions and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means injure you: [one of the most wonderful promises in the Bible] however, do not rejoice because the spirits are subject to you, but rejoice because your names have been written in the heaven.’ ” Luke 10:17–20.

Jesus said, “Do not be glad because you can work miracles. What you really need to be glad about is that your name is written in heaven.” You see, what your eternal destiny is makes all the difference.

As I have gone through the Bible, this is just one of the passages that talks about those whose names are written in the book of life. Another such text is Philippians 4:3 where Paul wrote: “And I entreat thee also, true yokefellow, help those women which laboured with me in the gospel, with Clement also, and [with] other my fellowlabourers, whose names [are] in the book of life.”

One of the important things that I have noticed is that the people written about in the Bible, whose names are written in heaven, are missionary workers. Do not ever forget that!

The Spirit of Christ is a missionary spirit. He left the throne of glory, laid aside His kingly robe, and laid down the scepter of absolute power. He laid aside His crown, and He came down to this world. Ellen White said, “Christ, at an infinite cost, by a painful process, mysterious to angels as well as to men, assumed humanity. Hiding His divinity, laying aside His glory, He was born a babe in Bethlehem.” The Upward Look, 90. It is a mystery that we will never fully comprehend, even in heaven!

In Luke 19:10, it says, “The Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.” The Spirit of Christ is the missionary spirit, and if we do not have the Spirit of Christ, we are none of His. (Romans 8:9.) We must never forget that.

If you have no burden on your soul for those that are lost, you had better start praying, because you do not have the Spirit of Christ. If you do not have the Spirit of Christ, you are not His; your name is not in the book. No one is written down in the books of heaven as a Christian who does not have a missionary spirit. (See Review and Herald, April 13, 1886.)

Confess Christ

How do we get our names written in the book? “Therefore whoever shall confess Me before men, I also will confess him before My Father who is in the heavens. But whoever will deny Me before men, I also will deny him before My Father who is in the heavens.” Matthew 10:32, 33.

If you want your name to be written down, Jesus said, “You need to confess Me before men.” If you are living in the United States, and have lived in the United States all of your life, perhaps the full significance of that statement does not reach your mind, because you are living in a land where there is religious liberty, to the present time.

Peter denied Christ when Jesus was at His trial. Have you ever tried to figure out what in the world drove him to do that? It was fear; he was afraid. Millions of people, even today, are not confessing Christ because of fear. Sometimes these fears are quite justified. We have church members who, because they have confessed Christ and chosen to be His disciples, have been divorced by their spouses. Sometimes confessing Christ costs something. There are people who have been driven away from home because they have confessed Christ.

Cost of Confession

In thousands of cities in the Roman Empire, for 300 years after the days of Christ, when those in charge decided they wanted to get rid of the Christians, they would set up a heathen altar in the center of the city, put a fire on it, and place some incense off at the side. They would then require everybody in town to march past the altar, pick up some incense, and throw it onto the fire. As the people did this, they were to exclaim, “The Caesar is the Lord.”

This was done deliberately because the leaders knew that a Christian could not and would not say that. When a Christian would come by the altar, he or she would say, “Christ is Lord.” Then the Christian would be separated from the others and martyred. We will learn one day how many people were martyred because they would not deny the name of Christ.

Several years ago while I was in England, I was taken to Cardiff, Wales, where the remains of a Roman garrison have been made into a museum. An amphitheater was even there. The amphitheater was where the Romans played. That was where they had their sports, and the Romans had some very cruel sports. The Romans enjoyed watching leopards, lions, and other ferocious animals kill and eat human beings. That was part of their entertainment. One of the signs at the amphitheater recorded that, in 309 a.d., two Roman soldiers who had become Christians were killed.

When Jesus said, “If you confess Me before men, I will confess you in heaven,” that cost something. It has cost millions of people their temporal lives.

Obedience Required

When you and I are willing to confess Jesus as our Lord and Saviour—that is what we do when we are baptized—then we are allowing Him to be the boss in our lives, and we are declaring that we will obey Him.

Jesus asked, in Luke 6:46, “Why do you call Me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and you do not do what I say?”

We must confess Jesus as our Lord and as our Saviour from sin. Unless we are willing to maintain that confession, even if it costs us our lives, we are not yet converted. The Lord might allow us, just as He has allowed a number of other people, to come to a situation where we have to choose between whether we are going to confess Jesus and die or deny Jesus and live.

This was the experience of Peter. He denied Jesus so that he could live, but later on, as recorded in Acts 3, 4, and 5, he confessed Jesus boldly. He was beaten, but he declared, “We are still going to preach; as long as we have breath, we are going to preach.” (See Acts 5:42.)

A Spiritual Religion

Read Romans 10:8–13: “But what does it say? ‘The word is near to you, in your mouth and in your heart’ (that is, the word which we preach) [quoting there from Deuteronomy]: Because if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus, and you believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart is belief unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession unto salvation. For the Scripture says, ‘Every one who believes on Him shall not be ashamed.’ For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek, for the same Lord is rich unto all who call upon Him. For ‘every one who calls upon His name shall be saved.’ ”

I love the Christian religion because it is the most spiritual of all religions. You do not become a Christian simply by going through a ritual or a ceremony. You become a Christian when, with your heart, your spirit, and your mind, you confess and say, “I choose for Jesus Christ to be the Lord of my life. He has promised to be my Saviour from sin.”

“If you make that choice,” the Lord says, “if you choose Me as your Lord and as your Saviour from sin, I am going to save you someday at the end of the millennium.”

Wonderful Promise

One of the most wonderful promises in all of the Spirit of Prophecy is given at the end of The Great Controversy. Ellen White there tells what the devil is going to see. The devil is still fighting, but at the end, “He sees that his hellish plots have been powerless to destroy those who have put their trust in Jesus. As Satan looks upon his kingdom, the fruit of his toil, he sees only failure and ruin.” The Great Controversy, 669. He is going to see that all of his plots, all of his machinations, all of his temptations, all of his cruelties, all of his seductions, everything that he has put on the line to win the great controversy has been powerless to destroy one person who put his or her trust in Jesus.

If you have not already made the decision to surrender all to Him, I hope you make that decision today so that your name can be written in the book. If you have chosen Him as the Lord of your life and you trust Him to save you from the guilt and power of your sins, then your name is written in the book. Your name can be written in the book today, just like the thief on the cross. When confession is made, salvation is assured.

It is wonderful! I love to dwell upon this point; it is so wonderful because every single person could be saved. No one has to be one of the foolish virgins. Every single one of us could be saved.

Name Retained

After you make the decision to choose Jesus as your Lord and Saviour, there is something else you need to do.

Revelation 3:5 says, “Blessed is he who overcomes. He shall be clothed in white raiment and I will not blot his name out of the book of life.” This text implies that you could have your name blotted out of the book, but if you overcome, your name will not be blotted out. You will be given white raiment.

In Exodus 32:33, we read that the Lord told Moses, “The one who has sinned against Me is going to be blotted out of My book.” So, in addition to having your name written in the book of life, during the time of the judgment, your name must be retained in the book of life and not erased or blotted out. What can you do so that your name will be retained in the book of life and not blotted out?

Overcome

Revelation 3:5 gives the answer to that question. If your name is going to be retained in the book of life, you must be an overcomer, a conqueror. There are three things you must overcome: (1) You have to overcome what the Bible calls the world. (See 1 John 5.) (2) You have to overcome the devil. (See James 4.) (3) You have to overcome the flesh, the sinful nature. (See Romans 6, 8; Galatians 5.) You have to overcome those three things.

After hearing Adventist preachers preach about those things, and then seeing their congregations become discouraged, saying, “What am I going to do?” I decided that I would not tell people to overcome, unless we had done a study on how to do it. I believe we all see from the Bible that we have to overcome if we are going to have our names retained in the book of life, but the question is, How?

The Power

The power to overcome, of course, comes from the Lord. You and I do not have power to overcome on our own. Only the Lord has power to overcome, and we must receive this power from the Lord if we are going to overcome. The Lord has plenty of power, and this is a great comfort to me.

Ellen White wrote that Jesus has made ample provision: “For all the natural weaknesses Jesus has made ample provision, that they may be overcome through His grace.” Testimonies on Sexual Behavior, Adultery, and Divorce, 91. [Emphasis added.]

“Christ was crucified to save the world. For his enemies, for a race in rebellion against God, our Saviour suffered the most excruciating agonies that human flesh could endure. He has made ample provision for sinners, that they need not perish. In the light of his death-agony on the cross, we may know that whosoever will truly repent and receive him as a personal Saviour will receive everlasting life.” Review and Herald, September 24, 1908. [Emphasis added .]

Do you know what the English word ample means? It means, “plenty.” It is not a situation where there is not quite enough; there is plenty. Jesus has ample power to save the person that is the most degraded, to save the person that is the most defiled, to save the person that is in the bottom of the pit of sin. Jesus has plenty of power.

Why, since He has plenty of power, is not everyone an overcomer? If there is plenty of power, why were there foolish virgins? Because the entire plan of salvation is a cooperative process. God is the only One that can make it happen, but God will not make it happen unless you and I cooperate.

To be continued . . .

[Bible texts quoted are literal translation.]

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

How to Get Your Name in the Book, Part II

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What must we do so that the power of God will be revealed in our lives, enabling us to be overcomers? There are a number of points I wish to give you. I will give you the texts, and you can study them on your own.

Walk in the Spirit

We must learn how to walk in the Spirit, not after the flesh. Study Romans 6, 7, and 8. We should study these three chapters together. We will never understand this subject unless we study all three of them together. Study also Galatians 5.

Ellen White wrote that, “The power of evil had been strengthening for centuries, and the submission of men to this satanic captivity was amazing. Sin could be resisted and overcome only through the mighty agency of the Third Person of the Godhead, who would come with no modified energy, but in the fullness of divine power. It is the Spirit that makes effectual what has been wrought out by the world’s Redeemer. It is by the Spirit that the heart is made pure. Through the Spirit the believer becomes a partaker of the divine nature. Christ has given His Spirit as a divine power to overcome all hereditary and cultivated tendencies to evil, and to impress His own character upon His church.” The Desire of Ages, 671.

Since Christ’s crucifixion and resurrection, the power of sin has been developing and working in the human race for centuries. Sin can be overcome only in the power of the Third Person of the Godhead. Who is the Third Person of the Godhead? It is the Holy Spirit. So we must learn how to walk in the Spirit.

Learn to Fight

We must fight! Now, this is unpopular today. A lot of people want an easy religion, where they just call on the name of the Lord then relax, and He does everything. This is not Bible religion. Study the first several verses of Hebrews 12. Study 1 Corinthians 9:24–27.

Unfortunately, the Bible translators use what is known as euphemisms to soften the message sometimes, because the biblical language is so strong. Most Bible translations have softened 1 Corinthians 9:24–27.

In this passage, Paul is talking about fighting with his own sinful nature. He says, “I fight, not like somebody that is beating the air,” and then he uses a very strong word. It is a word that is used when you beat somebody up and make him all black and blue with bruises. That is, literally, how this word is used in the Greek; somebody is taken and, in street language, is beaten to a pulp. Paul uses this word, and says, “This is what I do to my body, to my flesh, to my sinful nature; I am strict with it.”

Hebrews 12:4 says, “You have not yet resisted unto blood, fighting, striving, struggling against sin.”

Do not think that you will overcome and be saved if you are not making any effort. You have to be like Jacob and say, “Lord, only You can save me, but I am never going to quit trying.” (See Genesis 32:25, 26.)

Lay Aside Sin

In the first verses also of Hebrews 12, Paul says that we are to “lay aside every weight, and the sin that so easily besets or entangles us.” Every person has one or more easily besetting or entangling sins.

We are not all the same. Everybody does not have exactly the same besetting sin, but everybody has at least one besetting sin with which to struggle and overcome. “If you cling to any besetting sin, you will find the gateway too narrow for you to enter. Your own ways, your own will, your wrong habits and unchristlike practises [sic], must be given up if you would keep the way of the Lord.” The Signs of the Times, June 22, 1904.

Paul says, “Lay aside every weight.” He is using a figure of speech from the runners’ world. The idea is that a runner straps the weights onto his legs and runs with them every day. But when it is actually time for a race, the weights are left off, and the runner feels like he is running on air.

Paul says, “Lay aside the weight. It is not practice time; you are in the race now; lay aside every easily entangling sin.” Oh, friend, for the sake of your own soul and salvation, please spend some time studying that phrase and praying about it. What is the easily entangling sin that you need to lay aside? If you are going to lay aside an easily entangling sin, allow me to give you a crude illustration so you will have something to start thinking through.

I have dealt with a number of people whose easily entangling sin is alcoholic beverages. Now, if that is a person’s easily entangling sin and if he wants to lay that aside, it would be very unwise for him to decide to go to witness to people in the bars and taverns. In fact, that person should try to stay away from any place where alcoholic beverages are being used.

My wife and I have attended many parties where alcoholic beverages were used. It did not bother me, because I have never drunk, and I am not tempted by alcohol. I can witness to people in a situation like that, and it is not troublesome for me. But if using alcohol is your besetting sin, you better not go to a party like that. You better do your witnessing somewhere else.

You see, whatever is your besetting sin, you need to do everything humanly possible to not put yourself in the way of temptation. If you put yourself in the way of temptation, that is presumption. Should you deliberately place yourself in such a position, the Lord will have to work a miracle to get you out of there undefiled.

Pray Without Ceasing

In 1 Thessalonians 5:17 Paul says, “Pray without ceasing.” Do you remember the time when the disciples were trying to cast a demon out of a boy, but they could not do it? Jesus said to them, “Oh, faithless generation. How long am I going to endure you? Bring him to me.” Mark 9:19. Then Jesus cast out the devil, and, afterwards, the disciples came to Him, asking: “Lord, why could we not cast him out?” Verse 28. Jesus said to them, “Because of your unbelief. Truly, truly I say to you, this kind does not go out except by prayer.” Verse 29.

If you have a besetting sin that you cannot overcome, you need to go to your closet, fast, and pray, “Lord, I am not going to quit struggling. I am not going to quit praying, until You give to me the victory over this.”

Memorize Promises

Memorize your Bible, especially the promises. Read Psalm 119:9, 11: “How can a young man cleanse his way? By taking heed according to Your word.” “Your word I have hidden in my heart, that I might not sin against You!”

Music as a Weapon

Use Christian song—not “Christian” rock and roll or rap or hip hop—as a weapon when you are tempted. Paul says we should do this: “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.” Colossians 3:16. Use the words from Christian songs as a weapon against temptation.

Did you know that Jesus did this? Ellen White wrote:

“With a song, Jesus in His earthly life met temptation. Often when sharp, stinging words were spoken, often when the atmosphere about Him was heavy with gloom, with dissatisfaction, distrust, or oppressive fear, was heard His song of faith and holy cheer.” Education, 166.

Then, “Let praise and thanksgiving be expressed in song. When tempted, instead of giving utterance to our feelings, let us by faith lift up a song of thanksgiving to God. . . . Song is a weapon that we can always use against discouragement.” The Ministry of Healing, 254.

“If you sit in heavenly places with Christ, you cannot refrain from praising God. Begin to educate your tongues to praise him, and train your hearts to make melody to God; and when the evil one begins to settle his gloom about you, sing praise to God. When things go crossways at your homes, strike up a song about the matchless charms of the Son of God, and I tell you, when you touch this strain, Satan will leave you.” Review and Herald, August 5, 1890.

Follow Health Message

If you want to overcome, you must follow the health message that God has revealed in inspired writings. This is so important that I could write a whole article just on this point to show why, if you do not follow health reform, you will not be an overcomer. But, for now, consider the following:

“Let the young men and young women determine to love God supremely and to do His commandments. Under circumstances the most trying, let them remain faithful to duty—especially in their attitude toward the principles of health reform. Instead of being half-hearted reformers, let them make a whole hearted reformation, in all things practicing chastity and temperance. Let none begin to reform, and then stop. Resolve to overcome the wicked one.” Messages to Young People, 9, 10.

I wish I could find an English translation that translates 1 Corinthians 3:16, 17 correctly. The reason these translations do not translate it correctly is because of one word that can mean two things. This word can mean either “to defile something” or it can mean “to destroy something.” This passage gives a parallel statement, and since it is a parallel statement, whichever way it is translated should be the same both times. Translators almost never do this.

One translation can be: “. . . that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost, and whoever defiles it, God will defile him.” Most people do not like the idea of God defiling somebody, so they do not translate it that way. The only other way to translate it yet keep it parallel, as it is written, is this: “Anyone who destroys his body, God will destroy him.” This, I believe, is the correct translation.

If you are not following the health message and you are deliberately doing something that is destroying your body, what does the text say that God is going to do to you? He is going to destroy you! If you want to be an overcomer, you must follow the health message.

Mrs. White also counsels that James 1:16–27 provides for us “God’s great remedy for the diseases of the body and soul. It is God’s health reform prescription. The whole chapter is a practical one. I advise all to follow the instruction; for if they take heed to it day by day, they will triumph at last with the overcomers.” Manuscript Releases, vol. 8, 1.

Weep Not

In Nehemiah 8:9, Ezra told the people of Israel not to weep. In the book carrying his name, it is recorded that, “Many of the priests and Levites and heads of the fathers’ houses, old men who had seen the first temple, wept with a loud voice when the foundation of this temple was laid before their eyes.” Ezra 3:12. They were weeping because of their problems and because the second temple was not nearly as beautiful as the first. They were told, “Do not weep. Do not allow yourself to be sad, because the joy of the Lord is your strength.” Nehemiah 8:10.

This is something it would be good to individually study further. If you want to be an overcomer, you need to study about being thankful and having the joy of the Lord.

Ellen White says, “A praise meeting should be held, a simple service of thanksgiving to God. There would be much more power in our camp meetings if we had a true sense of the goodness, mercy, and long-suffering of God, and if more praise flowed forth from our lips to the honor and glory of His name. We need to cultivate more fervor of soul. The Lord says: ‘Whoso offereth praise glorifieth Me.’ Psalm 50:23.” Testimonies, vol. 6, 62.

“Well now, commence to praise God. And praise Him with heart and soul and voice. The devil does not want you [to], because you would be a living witness to them that you had drunk of the living waters, and he does not want you to praise God.” Sermons and Talks, vol. 1, 213. The joy of the Lord is your strength.

Avoid Temptation

Do not deliberately walk into temptation, or, if I could state it in even more simple language, do not look at or listen to sin.

“The sinners in Zion are afraid; Fearfulness has seized the hypocrites: ‘Who among us shall dwell with the devouring fire? Who among us shall dwell with everlasting burnings?’ He who walks righteously and speaks uprightly, He who despises the gain of oppressions, Who gestures with his hands, refusing bribes, Who stops his ears from hearing of bloodshed, And shuts his eyes from seeing evil: He will dwell on high; His place of defense will be the fortress of rocks; Bread will be given him, His water will be sure.” Isaiah 33:14–16. This passage is talking about the time when the sinners in Zion will be terrified because Jesus is coming. Verse 17 continues, “You are going to see the King in His beauty, and you are going to see the land that is very far off.”

Do you know what “the land that is very far off” is? It is that land that is over 600 light years away. Who are the people who will see this? Some of their characteristics are mentioned, and one of the characteristics given is that these people stop their ears; they do not allow their ears to hear evil. Neither do they allow their eyes to watch bloodshed. They will not look at it; they will not listen to it.

Our people are being destroyed spiritually because of what they are looking at on television and on videos, reading in magazines, and listening to musically. They are listening to sin. They are looking at sin. And then they wonder why they cannot overcome sin!

All Powerful

The Lord has plenty of power so that the weakest and the most sinful can overcome. The question is, are you and I going to cooperate? Pray and ask the Lord to help you to cooperate, for if you are going to be inside the city, your name must be written in that book. For that to happen, you must confess Jesus as your Lord and Saviour. If your name is not going to be blotted out of that book in the Day of Judgment, you must overcome, so you may be clothed with the change of garment.

You must realize your absolute dependence upon God, that you have no power of your own. You have no ability or strength to overcome the world, the devil, or the flesh except you look to Him and choose to cooperate with Him.

Pray that the power of the Third Person of the Godhead may be exercised in your life, that you might not only be born of the Spirit, but that you might walk in the Spirit, not fulfilling the lust of the flesh, not loving the world, and not falling for the temptations of the evil one that seem so enticing to the sinful human nature.

[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 my telephone at: 316-788-5559.

Bible Study Guide – Important Prophecies for the Last Days

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December 20, 2009 – December 26, 2009

Key Text

“Many shall be purified, and made white, and tried; but the wicked shall do wickedly: and none of the wicked shall understand; but the wise shall understand.” Daniel 12:10.

Study Help: The Great Controversy, 635–652; Early Writings, 236, 237.

Introduction

“Daniel is standing in his lot and in his place. The prophecies of Daniel and of John are to be understood. They interpret each other.” “Ellen G. White Comments,” The Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, vol. 7, 949.

1 What will happen when Michael (Jesus) stands up to leave the heavenly sanctuary? Daniel 12:1.

Note: “An angel returning from the earth announces that his work is done; the final test has been brought upon the world, and all who have proved themselves loyal to the divine precepts have received ‘the seal of the living God.’ [Revelation 7:2.] Then Jesus ceases His intercession in the sanctuary above. …

“When He leaves the sanctuary, darkness covers the inhabitants of the earth. In that fearful time the righteous must live in the sight of a holy God without an intercessor. The restraint which has been upon the wicked is removed, and Satan has entire control of the finally impenitent. God’s long-suffering has ended.” The Great Controversy, 613, 614.

“The ‘time of trouble, such as never was’ [Daniel 12:1], is soon to open upon us; and we shall need an experience which we do not now possess and which many are too indolent to obtain. It is often the case that trouble is greater in anticipation than in reality; but this is not true of the crisis before us. The most vivid presentation cannot reach the magnitude of the ordeal. In that time of trial, every soul must stand for himself before God.” Ibid., 622.

2 What criteria determines whether our names shall be found in the book of life? Revelation 3:5. How do we know that there will be no second chance? Luke 13:23–25; Revelation 20:15.

Note: “I want to be among that number who shall have their names written in the book, who shall be delivered. I want the overcomer’s reward. The masterly temptations of Satan will overpower many who now profess to believe the truth. Their unworthy course of action, their denial of Christ, will make it necessary for God to blot their names from the book of life. But O, may it not be so with us!” The Review and Herald, March 26, 1889.

“When we become children of God, our names are written in the Lamb’s book of life, and they remain there until the time of the investigative judgment. Then the name of every individual will be called, and his record examined, by Him who declares, ‘I know thy works.’ [Revelation 3:15.] If in that day it shall appear that all our wicked deeds have not been fully repented of, our names will be blotted from the book of life, and our sins will stand against us.” “Ellen G. White Comments,” The Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, vol. 7, 987.

3 What promise is given to the “wise” and why? Daniel 12:3, 10; Matthew 13:43. What was Daniel instructed to do? Daniel 12:4, first part.

Note: “Honored by men with the responsibilities of state and with the secrets of kingdoms bearing universal sway, Daniel was honored by God as His ambassador, and was given many revelations of the mysteries of ages to come. His wonderful prophecies, as recorded by him in chapters 7 to 12 of the book bearing his name, were not fully understood even by the prophet himself; but before his life labors closed, he was given the blessed assurance that ‘at the end of the days’ [Daniel 12:13]—in the closing period of this world’s history—he would again be permitted to stand in his lot and place. It was not given him to understand all that God had revealed of the divine purpose. …

“As we near the close of this world’s history, the prophecies recorded by Daniel demand our special attention, as they relate to the very time in which we are living. With them should be linked the teachings of the last book of the New Testament Scriptures. Satan has led many to believe that the prophetic portions of the writings of Daniel and of John the revelator cannot be understood.” Prophets and Kings, 547.

4 What knowledge has increased since 1798? Daniel 12:4, last part.

Note: “But since 1798 the book of Daniel has been unsealed, knowledge of the prophecies has increased, and many have proclaimed the solemn message of the judgment near.” The Great Controversy, 356.

“The book of Daniel is now unsealed, and the revelation made by Christ to John is to come to all the inhabitants of the earth. By the increase of knowledge a people is to be prepared to stand in the latter days.” Selected Messages, Book 2, 105.

“The time has come for the light given him [Daniel] to go to the world as never before. If those for whom the Lord has done so much will walk in the light, their knowledge of Christ and the prophecies relating to Him will be greatly increased as they near the close of this earth’s history.” “Ellen G. White Comments,” The Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, vol. 4, 1174.

5 At the end of which prophetic period did the time of the end begin? Daniel 12:5–7. What events transpire in this time?

Note: “Already the Lord’s restraining power is being withdrawn from the earth, and Satan is seeking to stir up the various elements in the religious world, leading men to place themselves under the training of the great deceiver, who works with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in the children of disobedience. Already the inhabitants of the earth are marshaling under the leading of the prince of darkness, and this is but the beginning of the end.

“The law of God is made void. We see and hear of confusion and perplexity, want and famine, earthquakes and floods; terrible outrages will be committed by men; passion, not reason, bears sway. The wrath of God is upon the inhabitants of the world, who are fast becoming as corrupt as were the inhabitants of Sodom and Gomorrah. Already fire and flood are destroying thousands of lives and the property that has been selfishly accumulated by the oppression of the poor. The Lord is soon to cut short His work and put an end to sin.” Testimonies, vol. 8, 49.

6 What did Christ predict would follow the long period of papal persecution? Mark 13:24, 25. What warning did He add? Matthew 24:37–39; Luke 21:34–36.

Note: “In the Saviour’s conversation with His disciples upon Olivet, after describing the long period of trial for the church,—the 1260 years of papal persecution, concerning which He had promised that the tribulation should be shortened,—He thus mentioned certain events to precede His coming, and fixed the time when the first of these should be witnessed: ‘In those days, after that tribulation, the sun shall be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light.’ Mark 13:24. The 1260 days, or years, terminated in 1798. A quarter of a century earlier, persecution had almost wholly ceased.” The Great Controversy, 306.

“Who reads the warnings given by the fast-fulfilling signs of the times? What impression is made upon worldlings? What change is seen in their attitude? No more than was seen in the attitude of the inhabitants of the Noachian world. Absorbed in worldly business and pleasure, the antediluvians ‘knew not until the Flood came, and took them all away.’ Matthew 24:39. They had heaven-sent warnings, but they refused to listen. And today the world, utterly regardless of the warning voice of God, is hurrying on to eternal ruin.” Testimonies, vol. 9, 14.

7 What assurance was given to Daniel concerning his visions? Daniel 12:8–10.

Note: “As the message of Christ’s first advent announced the kingdom of His grace, so the message of His second advent announces the kingdom of His glory. And the second message, like the first, is based on the prophecies. The words of the angel to Daniel relating to the last days were to be understood in the time of the end.” The Desire of Ages, 234.

8 What blessing belongs to the true believers under the threefold message? Daniel 12:12; Revelation 14:13.

Note: “There are living upon our earth men who have passed the age of fourscore and ten. The natural results of old age are seen in their feebleness. But they believe God, and God loves them. The seal of God is upon them, and they will be among the number of whom the Lord has said, ‘Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord.’ [Revelation 14:13.]” “Ellen G. White Comments,” The Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, vol. 7, 982.

9 What event takes place at the commencement of the seventh plague? Daniel 12:2.

Note: “In the midst of the angry heavens is one clear space of indescribable glory, whence comes the voice of God like the sound of many waters, saying: ‘It is done.’ Revelation 16:17.

“That voice shakes the heavens and the earth. There is a mighty earthquake, ‘such as was not since men were upon the earth, so mighty an earthquake, and so great.’ Verses 17,18. The firmament appears to open and shut. The glory from the throne of God seems flashing through. The mountains shake like a reed in the wind, and ragged rocks are scattered on every side. …

“Graves are opened, and ‘many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth … awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt.’ Daniel 12:2. All who have died in the faith of the third angel’s message come forth from the tomb glorified, to hear God’s covenant of peace with those who have kept His law. ‘They also which pierced Him’ (Revelation 1:7), those that mocked and derided Christ’s dying agonies, and the most violent opposers of His truth and His people, are raised to behold Him in His glory and to see the honor placed upon the loyal and obedient.” The Great Controversy, 636, 637.

10 After this special or partial resurrection, how many living saints will there be on earth? Revelation 7:4.

Note: “The sky opened and shut and was in commotion. The mountains shook like a reed in the wind and cast out ragged rocks all around. The sea boiled like a pot and cast out stones upon the land. And as God spoke the day and the hour of Jesus’ coming and delivered the everlasting covenant to His people, He spoke one sentence, and then paused, while the words were rolling through the earth. The Israel of God stood with their eyes fixed upward, listening to the words as they came from the mouth of Jehovah and rolled through the earth like peals of loudest thunder.” Early Writings, 285, 286.

“The living saints, 144,000 in number, knew and understood the voice, while the wicked thought it was thunder and an earthquake.” Testimonies, vol. 1, 59.

Additional Reading

“The Scriptures describe the condition of the world just before Christ’s second coming. James the apostle pictures the greed and oppression that will prevail. He says: ‘Go to now, ye rich men. … Ye have heaped treasure together for the last days. Behold, the hire of the laborers who have reaped down your fields, which is of you kept back by fraud, crieth: and the cries of them which have reaped are entered into the ears of the Lord of Sabaoth. Ye have lived in pleasure on the earth, and been wanton; ye have nourished your hearts, as in a day of slaughter. Ye have condemned and killed the just; and he doth not resist you.’ James 5:1–6.

“This is a picture of what exists today. ‘Judgment is turned away backward, and justice standeth afar off: for truth is fallen in the street, and equity cannot enter. Yea, truth faileth; and he that departeth from evil maketh himself a prey.’ Isaiah 59:14, 15.” Testimonies, vol. 9, 91.

“The duty of old and young must be set forth in simple, positive language because our lot is cast in perilous times when it seems that truth must be overborne by falsehood and satanic delusions. In the time of testing and trial the shield of Omnipotence will be spread over those whom God has made the depositaries of His law. When legislators shall abjure the principles of Protestantism, so as to give countenance and the right hand of fellowship to Romanism, then God will interpose in a special manner in behalf of His own honor and the salvation of His people.

“The principles necessary for our youth to cultivate must be kept before them in their daily education, that when the decree shall go forth requiring all to worship the beast and his image, they may make the right decisions, and have strength to declare, without wavering, their confidence in the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus, even at the very time when the law of God is made void by the religious world. Those who waver now and are tempted to follow in the wake of apostates who have departed from the faith, ‘giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils,’ [I Timothy 4:1] will surely be found on the side of those who make void the law of God, unless they repent and plant their feet firmly upon the faith once delivered to the saints.

“If we are living amid those fearful perils described in the word of God, should we not be awake to the realities of the situation? Why keep so silent? Why make of the least importance the things that are of the greatest interest to every one of us? The Bible should be our dearest treasure and should be earnestly studied and zealously taught to others. How can this marvelous indifference continue upon those who have had light and knowledge?” Testimonies, vol. 5, 525.

©2005 Reformation Herald Publishing Association, Roanoke, Virginia. Reprinted by permission.

Bible Study Guides – The Officers and Workmen for the Sanctuary

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May 23, 2010 – May 29, 2010

Key Text

“For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.” Hebrews 4:15, 16.

Study Help: The Great Controversy, 418–422.

Introduction

“Over the ephod was the breastplate, the most sacred of the priestly vestments. This was of the same material as the ephod. It was in the form of a square, measuring a span, and was suspended from the shoulders by a cord of blue from golden rings. The border was formed of a variety of precious stones, the same that form the twelve foundations of the City of God. Within the border were twelve stones set in gold, arranged in rows of four, and, like those in the shoulder pieces, engraved with the names of the tribes. The Lord’s direction was, ‘Aaron shall bear the names of the children of Israel in the breastplate of judgment upon his heart, when he goeth in unto the holy place, for a memorial before the Lord continually.’ Exodus 28:29. So Christ, the great High Priest, pleading His blood before the Father in the sinner’s behalf, bears upon His heart the name of every repentant, believing soul. Says the psalmist, ‘I am poor and needy; yet the Lord thinketh upon me.’ Psalm 40:17.” Patriarchs and Prophets, 351.

1 What family did God choose to be Priests of the Tabernacle? Exodus 28:1, 4.

Note: “After the dedication of the tabernacle, the priests were consecrated to their sacred office. These services occupied seven days, each marked by special ceremonies. On the eighth day they entered upon their ministration. Assisted by his sons, Aaron offered the sacrifices that God required, and he lifted up his hands and blessed the people. All had been done as God commanded, and He accepted the sacrifice, and revealed His glory in a remarkable manner; fire came from the Lord and consumed the offering upon the altar. The people looked upon this wonderful manifestation of divine power with awe and intense interest. They saw in it a token of God’s glory and favor, and they raised a universal shout of praise and adoration and fell on their faces as if in the immediate presence of Jehovah.” Patriarchs and Prophets, 359.

2 Who were designated as helpers to Aaron and his sons? Deuteronomy 10:8, 9.

Note: “By divine direction the tribe of Levi was set apart for the service of the sanctuary. In the earliest times every man was the priest of his own household. In the days of Abraham the priesthood was regarded as the birthright of the eldest son. Now, instead of the first-born of all Israel, the Lord accepted the tribe of Levi for the work of the sanctuary. By this signal honor He manifested His approval of their fidelity, both in adhering to His service and in executing His judgments when Israel apostatized in the worship of the golden calf. The priesthood, however, was restricted to the family of Aaron. Aaron and his sons alone were permitted to minister before the Lord; the rest of the tribe were entrusted with the charge of the tabernacle and its furniture, and they were to attend upon the priests in their ministration, but they were not to sacrifice, to burn incense, or to see the holy things till they were covered.” Patriarchs and Prophets, 350.

3 How was the High Priest to be dressed? Exodus 28:2–43.

Note: “Anciently the priests were required to have their garments in a particular style to do service in the holy place, and minister in the priest’s office. They were to have garments in accordance with their work, and God distinctly specified what these should be. The laver was placed between the altar and the congregation, that before they came into the presence of God, in the sight of the congregation, they might wash their hands and their feet. What impression was this to make upon the people? It was to show them that every particle of dust must be put away before they could go into the presence of God; for he was so high and holy that unless they did comply with these conditions, death would follow.” Gospel Workers (1892), 162, 163.

4 What was around the hem of the Priest’s garment? Exodus 28:34.

Note: “I was shown what did take place in heaven at the close of the prophetic periods in 1844. As Jesus ended His ministration in the holy place and closed the door of that apartment, a great darkness settled upon those who had heard and rejected the message of His coming, and they lost sight of Him. Jesus then clothed Himself with precious garments. Around the bottom of His robe was a bell and a pomegranate, a bell and a pomegranate. A breastplate of curious work was suspended from His shoulders. As He moved, this glittered like diamonds, magnifying letters which looked like names written or engraved upon the breastplate. Upon His head was something which had the appearance of a crown. When fully attired, He was surrounded by angels, and in a flaming chariot He passed within the second veil.” Early Writings, 251.

5 What did he wear over his heart? Exodus 28:15–30.

Note: “Over the ephod was the breastplate, the most sacred of the priestly vestments. This was of the same material as the ephod. It was in the form of a square, measuring a span, and was suspended from the shoulders by a cord of blue from golden rings. The border was formed of a variety of precious stones, the same that form the twelve foundations of the City of God. Within the border were twelve stones set in gold, arranged in rows of four, and, like those in the shoulder pieces, engraved with the names of the tribes. The Lord’s direction was, ‘Aaron shall bear the names of the children of Israel in the breastplate of judgment upon his heart, when he goeth in unto the holy place, for a memorial before the Lord continually.’ Exodus 28:29. So Christ, the great High Priest, pleading His blood before the Father in the sinner’s behalf, bears upon His heart the name of every repentant, believing soul. Says the psalmist, ‘I am poor and needy; yet the Lord thinketh upon me.’ Psalm 40:17.” Patriarchs and Prophets, 351.

6 What was added to the breastplate to aid in decision making? Exodus 28:30.

Note: “At the right and left of the breastplate were two large stones of great brilliancy. These were known as the Urim and Thummim. By them the will of God was made known through the high priest. When questions were brought for decision before the Lord, a halo of light encircling the precious stone at the right was a token of the divine consent or approval, while a cloud shadowing the stone at the left was an evidence of denial or disapprobation.” Ibid., 351.

7 Who is our High Priest today? Hebrews 4:14–16.

Note: “Jesus cares for each one as though there were not another individual on the face of the earth. As Deity He exerts mighty power in our behalf, while as our Elder Brother He feels for all our woes. The Majesty of heaven held not Himself aloof from degraded, sinful humanity. We have not a high priest who is so high, so lifted up, that He cannot notice us or sympathize with us, but one who was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.” God’s Amazing Grace, 78.

8 What is the book where the names of the faithful ones are written? Philippians 4:3; Revelation 13:8; 20:15.

Note: “Christ will clothe His faithful ones with His own righteousness, that He may present them to His Father ‘a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing.’ Ephesians 5:27. Their names stand enrolled in the book of life, and concerning them it is written: ‘They shall walk with Me in white: for they are worthy.’ Revelation 3:4.” The Great Controversy, 484.

9 What promise may we claim? Revelation 3:4, 12, 22.

Note: “While Jesus is pleading for the subjects of His grace, Satan accuses them before God as transgressors. …

“Jesus does not excuse their sins, but shows their penitence and faith, and, claiming for them forgiveness, He lifts His wounded hands before the Father and the holy angels, saying, ‘I know them by name.’ … Their names stand enrolled in the book of life, and concerning them it is written, ‘They shall walk with me in white: for they are worthy.’ Revelation 3:4.” The Faith I Live By, 212.

10 Besides being in the Book, where else are our names written? Isaiah 49:16.

Note: “Jesus does not excuse their sins, but shows their penitence and faith, and, claiming for them forgiveness, he lifts his wounded hands before the Father and the holy angels, saying, ‘I know them by name. I have graven them on the palms of my hands’ [Isaiah 49:16]. ‘The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise’ [Psalm 51:17]. And to the accuser of his people he declares, ‘The Lord rebuke thee, O Satan; even the Lord that hath chosen Jerusalem rebuke thee. Is not this a brand plucked out of the fire’ [Zechariah 3:2]? Christ will clothe his faithful ones with his own righteousness, that he may present them to his Father ‘a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing’ [Ephesians 5:27]. Their names stand enrolled in the book of life, and concerning them it is written, ‘They shall walk with me in white; for they are worthy’ [Revelation 3:4].” The Great Controversy (1888), 484, 485.

Additional Reading

“In the breastplate of the high priest there were many stones, but each stone had its special light, adding to the beauty of the whole. Every stone had its special significance, bearing its important message from God. There were many stones, but one breastplate. So there are many minds, but one Mind. In the church there are many members, each having his peculiar characteristics, but they form one family.” Evangelism, 379, 380.

“There I beheld Jesus, a great High Priest, standing before the Father. On the hem of His garment was a bell and a pomegranate, a bell and a pomegranate. Those who rose up with Jesus would send up their faith to Him in the holiest, and pray, ‘My Father, give us Thy Spirit.’ Then Jesus would breathe upon them the Holy Ghost. In that breath was light, power, and much love, joy, and peace.” Early Writings, 55.

This quarter’s lessons were prepared by Ruth Grosboll prior to her passing in January, 2010.