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SDA Roots, part 2

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In the previous article, two major events were noted that are important to the student of Bible prophecy. First was the taking of the pope prisoner by the French army and the second was the discovery of the Rosetta stone which confirmed the authenticity of the ancient Bible records.

“So the very people who thought to exterminate the Bible were, all unconsciously to themselves, used to bring about a fulfillment of prophecy in taking away the dominion of the papacy at the end of the 1260 years, and also discovered the key to the very writings which confirm the truthfulness of the Scriptures they tried so hard to destroy.” The Great Second Advent Movement, 8, by J. N. Loughborough.

Before 1798, expositors of Bible prophecy knew the beginning date for the seventy weeks of Daniel 9 but did not see the connection between the seventy weeks and the 2300 days of chapter 8. As a result they did not have a beginning date for the 2300 days.

“As this knowledge was ‘sealed up’ until the Lord’s appointed time came for its opening up to the understanding of His people, so just as truly when the ‘time of the end’ came, many were to ‘run to and fro’ through the Scriptures, searching out these things.” Ibid., 85.

“Nothing in this old earth is more powerful than a prophetic truth whose time has come. When Rome was ruling the Western world, a large group of contemporary students of prophecy recognized and proclaimed the identity and fate of the fourth prophetic world empire. When Rome was in process of tenfold division, another cluster of expositors left the written record of their perception, and their fears, of the coming Antichrist. When the papal Little Horn had unveiled its real character and identity, a great host of Reformers in many lands gave their witness to this advancing and then present fulfillment of prophecy—so powerfully that it brought on the Counter Reformation with its clever counter system of interpretation. When the 1260 years were ending, this solemn fact was also proclaimed on both sides of the Atlantic as then in process of fulfillment, while men awaited the next great event.

“And now when the judgment hour was approaching, with the ending of prophetic time, and the time of the cleansing of the sanctuary and the imminence of the advent had come, suddenly the witness was heard in different continents and many lands, giving startlingly similar testimony and exposition of prophecy thereon.” The Prophetic Faith of Our Fathers, vol. 3, 741, 742.

The following is a list of some of those who arrived at basically the same conclusions regarding the 2300 days, about the same time: William Miller, New York; A. J. Krupp, Pennsylvania; David Mcgregor, Maine; Edward Irving, England; A. Mason, Scotland; L. H. Kelber, Stuttgart, Germany; Laucunza, Spain; Hentzepeter, Holland; Rau, Bavaria; and there were many more.

“Is it not a wonderful coincidence that so many writers, without any knowledge of one another, came to the same conclusion about the same time?” Midnight Cry, June 15, 1842.

 

Decline in Europe

 

The momentum of the proclamation of the 2300-day prophecy in England and Europe declined rapidly due to the serious divergences as well as the similarities among the expositors of that prophecy. This resulted in the breakdown of the great Advent Awakening. But with the loss of momentum in the Old World there developed a rapid advance of it in America. The heralds of the advent in Europe failed to go on to perfection but they supplied the literature for those in America that did proclaim with “a loud voice” the message of the imminent appearing of Christ.

“Around the turn of the century [1800], during and following the world-shaking events and repercussions of the French Revolution, there was an unprecedented general turning to Bible prophecy on the part of an impressive number of thoughtful students of the Word among all leading Protestant faiths. And where one sermon on the theme was published, many more were evidently given orally, without ever getting into print. It seemed as if men had entered a new epoch in searching the pages of the two leading books of prophecy—Daniel in the Old Testament and Revelation in the New—the one obviously the complement of the other.

“It was as though a baffling seal of mystery and restricted understanding of its latter portions had at last been broken. As men of all persuasions on both sides of the Atlantic began poring over these pages as never before, comparing part with part and checking them with history, light began to dawn on certain heretofore mysterious symbols, and greater understanding came on some of its cryptic phrases concerning the last events of the age. And this investigation continued with increasing momentum for several decades.” The Prophetic Faith of Our Fathers, vol. 4, 56.

There were five major factors leading to the decline in the Old World.

  1. There was a diversity of opinion regarding the number 2300. Is it 2300 or 2400?
  2. Did the 2300 years end in 1844 or 1867? (Assuming that the 1260 and 1335 years had the same starting date).
  3. There was a wide diversity of view as to the cleansing of the sanctuary. Some believed it meant the restoration of the Jews to Palestine, among other views.
  4. The “judgments” of God to be poured out upon the Papacy and Mohammedanism was the message to be proclaimed.
  5. The Catholic Futurist and Preterist counterinterpretations broke the unity of the Protestant’s interpretation when some of them accepted the Catholic view.

When the early expectations of the advent in 1843 did not materialize, certain rationalistic theologians denied that the prophecies connected with this event were inspired. They further stated that the little horn was Antiochus Epiphanes. Rationalistic higher criticism was introduced to lead people away from the truth regarding the authenticity of the Scriptures and this led to the breakdown of the historical school of interpretation in the Old World. By turning men’s minds away from the Scriptures, Satan attempted to negate the great Second Advent message, so that people would be lulled to sleep and ultimately lost.

Following the events that brought in “the time of the end,” the prophecies of Daniel that had been previously sealed were now opened to the minds of those proclaiming the nearness of Christ’s Second Coming. The extent of the quest and activity of these pious men was without a parallel in history. Books and sermons began to pour from them with which nothing could be compared in sheer numbers. This was recognized as a sign of the times and was considered to be a fulfillment of prophecy.

 

Signs of the Times Discerned

 

“The signs of the times, the obvious nearness to the end, and the second coming of Christ to wind up human affairs and vindicate the right and punish wrong, as well as the imminent introduction of the millennium—these were the themes that men studied and upon which they wrote and discoursed most earnestly. Again and again they were led to record their conviction that they were manifestly entering the final epoch in the affairs of mankind.” Ibid., 58.

In Matthew 24, Jesus referred to the great tribulation that should be shortened. (This was accomplished in part by the decree of Maria Theresa and the Acts of Toleration, in France [1773-1776] to save the church in the wilderness from extinction.) He also said that signs (the dark day, the falling of the stars) would follow, indicating the nearness of His coming.

Then Jesus said, “Now learn a parable of the figtree: When his branch is yet tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer is nigh; so likewise ye, when ye shall see all these things, know that it is near, even at the doors. Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled. Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away.” Matthew 24:32–35.

Here we are brought to the time for this parable and the judgment hour message of Revelation 14:6, 7, to be proclaimed to the world. The time had arrived to arouse the world to the fact that Jesus’ coming was at the door.

At the beginning of the nineteenth century many expositors were proclaiming that the time of the end had arrived. There was definite interest in both the Old and New World in the prophesied signs of the nearness of the Second Advent and millenium.

There was general acceptance that under the sixth seal (Revelation 6:12–17) three events would occur in sequence—a great earthquake, a dark day and a unique falling of the stars. These were to be tokens of the approaching advent.

 

World Events Influence Proclamation

 

“There are transition hours in the course of world events when history seems to change its fundamental course, when it takes on an acceleration, a significance, and a direction previously unknown, as a new concept or revolutionary idea moves mankind forward to new attainments. However, the greatest advances connected with these transition times have not always been merely mechanical or material. Oftentimes they have been intellectual and spiritual, though at times all these factors have converged, as at the opening decade of the eighteenth and the early decades of the nineteenth century.

“It was a time characterized by new and heretofore undiscovered forces, by a new understanding of the times, by the rechanneling of pent-up energies; by new concepts of the world, of power, of society, of freedom, of progress; also often by a new sense of spiritual responsibility, and by new convictions of divine destiny. And strange as it may at first seem, these concepts were to a surprising degree derived from a profound conviction that the destined hour of fulfillment of a great prophetic time and truth, long foretold in Holy Writ, had now come.” Ibid., 82.

Professor K. S. Latourette, of Yale University, lists a number of factors that deeply influenced the religious developments of the nineteenth century. 1. Man’s increased knowledge of the physical universe, which both helped and hindered Christianity. For some, it caused them to believe the Bible to be obsolete and to remove God out of the individual’s experience. 2. The invention of machinery, steamship, railroad and telegraph made possible the more rapid spread of Christianity. This brought about the Industrial Revolution that drastically changed society. 3. Rationalism, Romanticism and the beginnings of evolution all occurred during this period. 4. Nationalism was on the increase. 5. The unprecedented worldwide spread of Christianity by increased immigration of large segments of people from the Old World to the New as well as within the Old.

“Prophecy was the motivating force in much of the religious thought and activity of America in the opening decades of the nineteenth century, according to history professor Oliver W. Elsbee, of Bucknell University. The common conviction held by religious leaders of various denominations regarding the prophetic significance of the time in which they were living, was expressed in pamphlets, periodical articles, and books, as well as in sermons preached before church groups or missionary societies.” Ibid., 85.

By 1833, “The Lord was raising up His messengers or ministers in various parts of the world, who from 1833 to 1834 sounded the cry of Christ’s coming near, ‘even at the doors;’ and these taught the parable of the fig-tree, pointing to these signs of His coming, even as He had instructed them to do. This message, either by the living teacher or through the agency of the printed page, went to every missionary station in the world, and to every seaport on the earth.” The Great Second Advent Movement, 98.

 

Similarities to the Reformation

 

The spread of the interest in and proclamation of the 2300 days and the Second Advent may be compared with the rise of the Reformation in the sixteenth century.

“Germany did not communicate the truth to Switzerland, nor Switzerland to France, nor France to England. All these countries received it from God, just as one part of the world does not transmit the light to another part; but the same shining globe communicates it directly to all the earth. Christ, the day spring from on high, infinitely exalted above all mankind, was, at the period of the Reformation, as at the establishment of Christianity, the divine fire which gave life to the world. In the sixteenth century, one and the same doctrine was at once established in the homes and churches of the most distant and diversified nations. The reason is, that the same Spirit was everywhere at work producing the same faith . . .

“The advent proclamation arose in a similar manner to that above traced in the Reformation. Men were moved out simultaneously in more than four times as many parts of the world, with no knowledge of, or any communication of sentiment with, one another, and began the proclamation of the same Scripture truths, not simply in four nations of the earth, but to the whole civilized world.” Ibid., 99, 100.

In His time and in His manner the God of heaven will carry out His plan for the proclamation of the Gospel of Salvation to a sin-sick world. Men may cause delay because they do not desire to do as the Lord asks them, but nevertheless someone will obey the Divine commands. “And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.” Matthew 24:14.

In the next article we will take a look at some of the leading men, around the world as well as in America, who were responsible for the development of the Second Advent Movement, leading up to 1844, that swelled to a great crescendo in America.

 

The Door of the Sheep Fold

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In the Garden of Eden, after Eve was beguiled by the serpent and ate the forbidden fruit, God made a solemn pronouncement. Directly addressing the devil He said, “I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise His heel.” Here God delineates the two groups that exist in the world today. One is the seed of the woman, the other the seed of the devil.

Who are the descendents (the seed) of Eve? All the world are her physical descendents, but, by far, not all are her spiritual descendents. Her descendents are those who follow in her steps, repenting of their sins, and keep God’s commandments. This is His church as represented by the woman in Revelation 12:17, whose seed “keep the commandments of God and have the faith of Jesus.”

Who then are the devil’s seed? John identifies them clearly in 1 John 3:8: “He who sins is of the devil.” Sin is breaking the law of God. If you are living in sin, you are proclaiming to the whole world that you are the devil’s child.

So, we see that this whole issue hangs on one principle. Do you keep or break the commandments of God? This is the dividing line between the two groups, and there is no mixing. You must either be the seed of the woman or the seed of the serpent. You can never be fifty percent the seed of the serpent and fifty percent the seed of the woman. It is one or the other. Ellen White said it this way: “There must be open and avowed enmity between the church and the serpent; between her seed and his seed.” Signs of the Times, August 26, 1889.

It looks very simple then; there are two groups, the woman’s seed—the church—and the seed of the devil. However, it can appear much more complicated than that. In John 10, Jesus illustrated this, using sheep to symbolize His people. The seed of the serpent are those who want to be in the church as part of the professed people of God, but do not enter through the door. Jesus said about them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, he who does not enter the sheepfold by the door, but climbs up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber.” John 10:1.

What does the sheepfold represent and what is its function? In Heavenly Places, 324 says, “The Lord can carry forward His work without our cooperation. He is not dependent on us for our money, our time, or our labor. But the church is very precious in His sight. It is the case which contains His jewels, the fold which encloses His flock, and He longs to see it without spot or blemish or any such thing.”

The fold is the church, and its function is to protect the flock. But what happens when wolves, in sheep’s clothing, sneak over the wall and get in with the sheep? Do the sheep know that they are wolves? No, because they are in sheep’s clothing, and appear just like all the other sheep. These then are the tares. They are not part of God’s people (the wheat), but they are in sheep’s clothing, and so the sheep cannot tell any difference.

We need to learn a lesson from this. Just because you are in the house does not mean you are a member of the family. Take my home for instance. Each member of my family has a key to the door, and when we go in and out, we use the key to unlock the door. But, what if a burglar comes to my home, and crawls through the window to steal from us. Is he in the house? Yes, but is he a part of the family? Of course not, he is a robber and a thief. The same is true for those who enter the fold by climbing over the wall. They are thieves, robbers, wolves in sheep’s clothing and tares.

 

Wolves Take Over the Fold

 

It is a dangerous situation when wolves in sheep’s clothing get into the fold. They may have on sheep’s clothing, but they still bite. Here is how inspiration describes them: “All the way along in the history of the Third Angel’s Message there have been found among the believers men who have done much harm to God’s cause. These men are spots in our feasts of charity; tares among the wheat; wolves among the sheep, ready to bite and devour.” Review and Herald, May 12, 1903. The sheep in that fold are then scattered and the wolves take over the fold, or the tares take over the field.

That is what happened in Jesus’ day. In John 9, we can read the context in which Jesus told the parable of the sheepfold. It tells the story of how Jesus healed a blind man on the Sabbath. Because this man acknowledged Christ as his healer, the Pharisees disfellowshipped him—cast him out of the fold. Ellen White comments on this in Signs of the Times, December 4, 1893: “And in no gentle manner they thrust him out of the synagogue. The sheep was cast out of the fold for being a living witness to the power of Christ. Many have been cast out of the church whose names were registered upon the Book of Life. Wolves in sheep’s clothing were ready to cast out of the fold and devour one who was entitled to the Lord’s pasture . . . But Jesus, the true Shepherd, sought him, and gave him a place within the fold.” How did Jesus give him a place in the fold? Did He go to Caiaphas and say, “There is a man over here whose sight I restored and your subordinates disfellowshipped him. I want you to put his name back on the church books.” That is not the way Jesus gave him a place in the fold. We need to rethink who and what the church is, because it says here that Jesus gave this man a place within the fold.

This was not the last time someone like this was disfellowshipped wrongly. You and I have a responsibility to sheep that have been mauled by wolves and have been cast out of the fold. We need to care for them and give them a place in the fold. “With proper labor, many souls might have been added to the church who are driven from the fold into the wilderness of unbelief.” Manuscript Releases, vol. 2, 274.

 

Entering Through the Door

 

In the Day of Judgment, the only people who will be saved are those who entered through the door. The ones who climbed over the wall will be lost. What is this door? Jesus said, “I am the door of the sheep. All who ever came before Me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not hear them. I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture.” John 10:7–9.

It is important to belong to the church, to be in the fold, but it will not do any good to get into the fold unless you go through the door. If you go through the door, you will be saved. If you climb over the wall, you may be in the fold, but you will be lost. You are a thief and a robber. Jesus said, “I am the Door,” and then He says, “I am the good Shepherd and the Shepherd goes through the door.” (See verses 2, 11 and 14.) There is a double symbol here. Both the door and the shepherd represent Jesus. How does that work? Think it through carefully for a moment. If there is a door and the good shepherd goes through that door, then there must have been a time before the shepherd goes through the door and a time after he has entered the fold.

How can this be applied to the life of Christ? It cannot refer to His divinity, because Jesus assures us that there has never been a time when He was not in close fellowship with the Father—when He was not divine. John 1:1 says, “In the beginning . . . the Word was God.” You cannot go before the beginning.

The symbolism must then refer to the humanity of Christ. There was a time when Jesus left His throne in heaven and came to this world and became incarnate. He took upon Himself human flesh and human nature like ours, uniting His divinity with our humanity. This is a mystery that we will study throughout all eternity. He became one flesh with us, so that we could become one spirit with Him. He went through the door. He united His divinity to our humanity. That is how He became the good shepherd who could reach down to the bottom of the sin problem, pick up a lost sheep and take him back to the fold.

What does it mean for us to go through the door? Just as Jesus united His divinity with our humanity, so our humanity must be united with His divinity in order for us to be saved. We must become partakers of the divine nature and be born again. (See 2 Peter 1.) When you are born again, you receive the divine nature, receiving a new mind, and a new spirit. Paul said, “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.” 2 Corinthians 5:17.

Ellen White describes this experience in these words: “The old nature, born of blood and the will of the flesh, cannot inherit the kingdom of God. The old ways, the hereditary tendencies, the former habits, must be given up; for grace is not inherited. The new birth consists in having new motives, new tastes, new tendencies. Those who are begotten unto a new life by the Holy Spirit, have become partakers of the divine nature, and in all their habits and practices they will give evidence of their relationship to Christ.” The Signs of the Times, November 16, 1891.

Without this process occurring in your life, you cannot be saved. You may have been baptized with water, you may have your name on the church books, but if you have not gone through the door, you cannot be saved. You are just as lost as the people on the outside of the fold. If we have not entered through the door, then we must have climbed over the wall, and that is the problem in Adventism. Too many people have gone over the wall and they are the wolves in sheep’s clothing. It is because of this that there is so much backbiting and so many sheep are getting mauled and turned out of the fold.

 

Hearing and Following Christ’s Call

 

In John 10:2–5 we read, “But He who enters by the door is the Shepherd of the sheep. To Him the doorkeeper opens, and the sheep hear His voice; and He calls His own sheep by name and leads them out. And when He brings out His sheep, He goes before them; and the sheep follow Him for they know His voice. Yet they will by no means follow a stranger, but will flee from him, for they do not know the voice of strangers.”

Jesus calls His own sheep by name and they follow Him, because they know His voice. What alarms me is that there are so many people in Adventism that for one reason or another do not recognize the Shepherd’s voice. If you are one of His sheep, you will recognize His voice. When He speaks through the testimonies of His Spirit, sends special messengers to the remnant, and speaks through the prophets and the apostles, the sheep will recognize His voice.

Not only do the sheep recognize His voice, but He leads them out and they follow Him and not strangers. They will not even listen to strangers, but will flee from them. What voices are you and your children listening to? It is amazing to me, that some of our people listen to so many voices. They read different books and magazines, watch many videos and television programs, and listen to radio programs. When their children go out into the world, they come to us and ask, “What happened?” What has happened is that their children have been listening to the voice of a stranger for twenty years.

As I prayed about this, I said, “Lord, if I am one of Your sheep, I want to hear Your voice. Please help me to hear Your voice.” When I read the Bible and the writings of Ellen White, I hear His voice, but I have to do more than hear. The sheep hear His voice and follow. We must also obey the instructions that are given.

If we hear Christ’s voice and obey, we can have assurance that we will be saved. “My sheep hear My voice and I know them, and they follow Me. And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand. My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of My Father’s hand.” John 10:27–29.

“The soul that has given himself to Christ is more precious in His sight than the whole world. The Saviour would have passed through the agony of Calvary that one might be saved in His kingdom. He will never abandon one for whom He has died. Unless His followers choose to leave Him, He will hold them fast.” The Desire of Ages, 480.

The plan of salvation is simple. We do not have to be a theologian, have a high I.Q. or have a college education; we only need to hear His voice and obey Him. When we hear His voice speaking through the prophets and apostles, and the special messenger to the remnant, and we follow, He says, “I will put you in my hand. My Father who gave you to Me is greater than all and nobody can snatch them out of My Father’s hand.” What a wonderful assurance!

 

Recognizing Christ’s Voice

 

How can we know that we are listening to Christ’s voice and not that of a stranger? By studying God’s Word and the Spirit of Prophecy, we learn the truth and are able to differentiate between it and error. Are you having your devotions every day? Are you praying and asking the Lord to help you to have His truth so implanted in your heart that you will not be deceived by the errors that you encounter every day?

There are a lot of people in Adventism that have not listened to the Shepherd’s voice enough so that they can tell the difference between His voice and a stranger’s voice. If we are in that situation, we will be lost. Deceptions will come that are so severe that we will not be able to stand unless we are firmly grounded in God’s Word. Truth and error will look so similar that unless our minds are guided by the Holy Spirit we will be led to accept error.

Friends, now is the time for us to choose to go through the door, to be changed, fully and completely, by the transforming power of Christ. You can, if you are willing to submit all. I invite you, today, to follow Christ through the door into the sheepfold. Enter the hand of Christ where you will be safe. Unless you choose to leave, He will hold you secure and nothing can pluck you out of His hand.

 

SDA Roots, part 1

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The Reformation spread quickly during the sixteenth century in Europe. Rome became concerned over the spreading “heresy” and determined to stop it. The persecutions inflicted were not as effective as she had hoped. The more pressure that was put upon the Protestants to yield to her demands, the more they increased. So another approach was initiated.

“The Papacy suffered a major setback throughout the Reformation. The help of the monastic orders was sought, but they were so decadent that they had lost the respect of the people. The Dominicans and Franciscans, peddling relics and indulgences, had become the butt of ridicule and mockery. At this crisis Loyola and his companions offered their services, to go wherever the pope should designate, as preachers, missionaries, teachers, counselors, reformers. A new order was created, authorized in 1540, which infused a new spirit and spread rapidly over Europe. Like a wounded giant, Romanism arose in desperation to recover her lost prestige and enlarge shrunken territory.

“From 1540, then, the Counter Reformation may be dated. Within fifty years the Jesuits had planted stations in Peru, Africa, the islands of the East Indies, Hindustan, Japan, and China, and before long in the Canadian forests and the American colonies. Their members secured important chairs in universities. They became counselors and confessors to monarchs, and were the most able of all Catholic preachers. By 1615 they had a membership of thirteen thousand. Thus through the Jesuits, the Counter Reformation, next to the Protestant Reformation itself, became the most memorable movement in the history of modern times.” The Prophetic Faith of Our Fathers, Vol. II, 464.

By 1565 Catholicism had reached a low ebb and it was on the defensive, as Protestantism became victorious in one stronghold after another. In 1566 Pius V revived the Inquisition, the Index, and the Company of Jesus once more assumed the offensive. All this included the Marian persecutions in England, the wars in France against the Huguenots, the burning of heretics by the Inquisition in Spain, the attempt to exterminate the Protestants in the Netherlands and the invasion of the Spanish Armada in 1588. Protestant books were placed on the Index to be destroyed. In addition to these engines of destruction, Rome used polemics against the Protestants, and in an attempt to stem the tide she began a mission program to the heathen.

 

Deceiving Doctrines

 

None of these things had any lasting effect on stopping the Reformation. Then the Jesuits came up with an idea that was calculated to have a confusing effect upon those who had been influenced by the reformers. The main thrust of the idea was aimed at the reformer’s prophetic interpretations of Daniel and Revelation, particularly dealing with the antichrist. Luther and others had said that the antichrist of Daniel was the Papacy. To take the heat off the Papacy, the Jesuit, Francisco Ribera of Salamanca in Spain and Robert Bellarmine of Rome put forth a futuristic interpretation of Bible prophecy.

Ribera assigned the first few chapters of Revelation to ancient Rome and the rest to just before the Second Advent. Bellarmine insisted that the prophecies of Daniel and Revelation had no application to the papal power, and that the year-day principle did not apply to the prophecies.

“Protestantism and Catholicism now stand face to face in opposition over the prophecies, each with its weapons of argument drawn. The issues having been clearly enunciated, the battle is begun between the distinctively Protestant and papal interpretations, the two positions being irreconcilable. Stalwarts in the Protestant ranks arose to defend and perfect the Historical School of interpretation, though some compromisers adopted the Catholic countertheories —particularly the Preterist scheme.” Ibid., 506.

The foundation for the interpretation of the time prophecies of the Bible is the year-day principle. Thomas Brightman (1562–1607), a Puritan scholar, confuted Ribera’s Futurism and stressed the year-day principle for interpreting the prophecies of Daniel and the Revelation.

As previously stated there were some Protestants that compromised with the Catholic views on the prophecies. These included Hugo Grotius a Dutch jurist, statesman, historian and theologian and Henry Hammond, called the “Father of English Biblical Criticism.” These men, among others, adopted the Catholic Preterist theory. According to this view, the prophecies of Revelation were descriptive of the victory of the early church as fulfilled by the downfall of the Jewish nation and the overthrow of Pagan Rome, thus limiting them to the first six centuries after Christ and implicating Nero as the antichrist.

“By the middle of the sixteenth century the Protestant Reformation had taken firm root in all countries north of the Alps, with the exception of France and the Netherlands. Thus Europe, for the most part, seemed lost to the Holy See. But the Catholic Counter Reformation began, with a program of reform in the Roman church, along with the formation of new religious orders. The church set about recovering the lands from which it had been driven. Its two chief instruments were the Jesuits and the Inquisition, and a third was the Council of Trent.” Ibid., 526.

Between 1555 and 1580 the Reformers were broken up into three groups—Lutherans, Calvinists and Socinians, thus weakening the Protestant position. Eventually Calvinists and Lutherans began persecuting one another; thus the Jesuits regained Poland. Religious wars developed in France and the Netherlands and a strong Catholic reaction soon followed. While the Protestants were losing power, the Catholic Counter Reformation was gaining strength. By the end of the sixteenth century Catholicism had regained almost half of Europe. While in this territory Protestantism was split into two groups, Protestant and Reformed. For some time it seemed that Catholicism would reign supreme again, but it was not to be so. There still remained the cornerstone of individual liberty in men’s hearts that could not be completely subdued. If necessary, men would fight for this freedom despite all odds.

 

Protestants Agree on Prophecies

 

During the Post-Reformation period of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, hundreds of Protestant commentaries, large and small, began to appear throughout Europe and England and now for the first time in the North American continent. In spite of some of the differences of interpretation on the part of some of the writers, there was surprising agreement on the essentials.

Throughout the seventeenth century men all over the world were focusing their attention upon the prophecies of Daniel with emphasis upon the 1260 and 2300-day prophecies. For the first time, the 70 weeks were connected to the 2300-day prophecy. Various interpretations were advanced regarding the beginning and ending dates of these prophecies, but the year-day principle of prophetic interpretation had been firmly established in the Protestant world. During the eighteenth century, the interest in and propagation of Biblical interpretation continued to grow and develop in England and Germany especially. The Huguenots in France also held the prophetic banner high. It is obvious to us now that the Lord was preparing the way for the Great Advent Movement of the nineteenth century.

“The Eighteenth century . . . was a climactic period, witnessing the recognized close of one of the greatest of the prophetic time periods. It was a century of extreme contrasts. The seeds of the Jesuit Preterist counterinterpretation sprang up and began to bear their evil fruit of acceptance among German rationalists, and thence to similar groups in England and America. Furthermore, no sooner had premillennialists repudiated the false Augustinian theory of a post millennium, than postmillennialism, introduced among Protestants by a Protestant, swept like a scourge over a large percentage of the churches. And coupled to this was the tragedy of bitter reaction against all Christianity, false and true, as the insidious principles of infidelity and atheism reached their climax in the French Revolution (1793).

“On the other hand, the ending of the 1260 year-day period took place—anticipated for a full century by a line of expositors who believed France might be the instrument to accomplish it. Prophetic students on three continents watched for and recognized the fulfillment, which they duly attested. Prophetic interpretation in the hands of able men in Britain, France, and Germany—and now in America—continued to advance. Errors were corrected, and new principles were discerned. The great Lisbon earthquake was seen as a sign that the approaching end was clearly recognized. And just before the close of the century men in two different lands independently arrived at the identical conclusion that the 70 weeks of years are the first part of the 2300 year-days. Such were the prophetic highlights of this new century.” Ibid., 640, 641.

Isaac Newton (1642–1727), one of the greatest mathematical and philosophical minds of his time, applied the same exactness to prophetic interpretation as he did to the sciences. His understanding of Daniel’s prophecies is manifested by his writings on that subject. For the most part he is correct in his interpretation as evidenced by understanding that the cleansing of the Sanctuary was still future. He also stated that the starting date for the 2300 days was 457 B.C.

There were many others in various parts of the world that were following the same line of thought regarding the prophecies. Men such as John Fletcher (1729–1785) in Switzerland, defended the year-day principle, among other teachings that dealt with prophetic interpretation. John Gill (1697–1771) in England, supported the historic position on the prophecies of Daniel. Johann Bengel (1687–1752) of Germany, taught that the beast was the Papacy and that the crucifixion occurred in the midst of the 70th week. John Petrie (1718–1792), also of Germany, believed that the 70 weeks were a part of the 2300-day prophecy.

The two common denominators that stand out among the Post-Reformation Protestant witnesses are that the Papacy is the predicted antichrist and that the year-day principle was to be applied to the prophecies. From the Renaissance on, prophetic exposition continued to steadily unfold and expand.

With the close of the eighteenth century, it is seen that the two major focal points of that period are the Reformation position that the Papacy is the antichrist and that the French Revolution was a turning point in the absolute controlling power of the Papacy. Although Protestant Historicists differed considerably as to the beginning of the 1260-day period of antichrist, they were all united upon the fact that 1260 years had been allotted him and that that period was drawing to a close. When the French Revolution occurred, it was looked upon as the stroke that brought the Papacy down. It gave a new concept of the freedom from bondage to the Roman Catholic Church.

“And if the papal system received a heavy blow in the theological and prophetic fields through the Reformation, it received an even greater stroke in some ways, through the emancipation of reason by the French Revolution. The shackles of superstition were stricken from the wrists and ankles of humanity, and mankind was seemingly delivered out of Catholicism’s hand.” Ibid., 795.

 

A New Era in Human History

 

Not only was the period of the eighteenth century remarkable for these “emancipating events” but it was also a turning point in modern history as well. Just before, during and after this time great advances were made in the harnessing of steam power and the first experiments were done with the electric light and power, which contributed greatly to the Industrial Revolution that brought about profound changes in all aspects of human thought and activity.

Political, religious and intellectual freedom lay at the foundation of all the other advances, including communication and transportation. Freedom of speech and the press resulted in religious revivals and worldwide missions, followed by the establishment of Bible and tract societies. Reformation and development followed in the fields of education, health and temperance.

“So at this turn of the century may be found the beginning of all those far-reaching influences that molded the succeeding century, and which are continuing to operate. But the implications reach not only forward into the future but back into the past. Another discovery was made in thatera—the finding of the Rosetta stone in Egypt in 1799, the deciphering of which became the magic key that unlocked the secrets of Biblical archeology. This not only cleared away many of the mists that had hung like a pall over the early ages of history, but gave us a greater and richer understanding of the Bible and its prophecies. And this, in turn, has provided an antidote for the virus of rationalism projected by the French Revolution.

“Such focusing of vital events, and the bringing forth of new wonders, all having their common beginning around the end of the eighteenth century, indicate beyond peradventure that an old epoch had come to its end and a new era had begun, just as prophecy had predicted.” Ibid., 796.

Next time we will continue our journey through the annals of history watching the unfolding of God’s plan for the continuation of the Reformation and the establishment of the Great Second Advent Movement.

 

Editorial — When the Cloud Breaks

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Preparation for the Latter Rain

 

Jesus said, “I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness but shall have the light of life.” John 8:12. “We shall be guided as with a light from heaven when we have a vital connection with God.” Signs of the Times, August 22, 1895. But, “it is an easy matter to idle away, talk and play away the Holy Spirit’s influence.” To “walk in the light is to keep moving onward in the direction of light.” 1888 Materials, 1211.

If we are walking in all the light available to us, if we are living according to the light God has given us, then we will receive the latter rain when it is poured out. “Those who follow in the light need have no anxiety lest that in the outpouring of the latter rain they will not be baptized with the Holy Spirit. If we would receive the light of the glorious angel that shall lighten the earth with his glory, let us see to it that our hearts are cleansed, emptied of self, and turned toward heaven, that they may be ready for the latter rain. Let us be obtaining a fitting up to join in the proclamation of the angel who shall lighten the earth with his glory [the loud cry]. Let us be colaborers with Christ. Now is the time for us to let self die, to crucify the flesh, with the affections and lusts, to deny the cravings of appetite and passion. The minds of many are channels for impure thoughts. They do not have a realizing sense of the offensive character of sin. I call upon you to clear the King’s highway.” Signs of the Times, August 1, 1892.

But with many Christians there is not the vital connection with God, there is not a clearing of the King’s highway. The result is that the life comes under a cloud and only when this cloud breaks and the person is again walking in the light can he be in a condition to receive the Holy Spirit. “I looked over the large congregation assembled in the tent, and thought, If all who have a knowledge of the truth were carrying its sanctifying influence into their home-life . . . But all here—ministers, parents, and children—needed a work done for them which they did not realize. There was a manifest lack of the Spirit of God. I hoped to see the clouds break; for I knew many would never see their true spiritual condition until they should begin to return unto the Lord with full purpose of heart, with repentance, and confession of sins. Some even of those who were preaching the word were as destitute of the Spirit of God as were the mountains of Gilboa of dew and rain.” Review and Herald, October 21, 1884.

Fellow-Christian, are you walking today in Sonlight or under a cloud that is bringing you into darkness? Are you searching your heart as with a lighted candle asking the Holy Spirit to reveal to you any sin in your life that needs to be repented of and confessed?

“I was shown that God’s people dwell too much under a cloud. It is not the will of God for His people to live in unbelief.” Spiritual Gifts, vol. 4, 148.

The reason that some are under a cloud is because of carelessness in Sabbath-keeping: “Although they may rest from physical toil upon the Sabbath, their tongues speak out what is in their minds; hence these words concerning cattle, crops, losses, and gains. All this is Sabbath breaking. . . . Ministers . . .should kindly and solemnly reprove those who engage in worldly conversation upon the Sabbath and at the same time claim to be Sabbathkeepers . . . the angels were turning from those who failed to appreciate the sacredness of God’s sanctified day, and were removing from them their light and their strength. I saw them overshadowed with a cloud, desponding, and frequently sad. They felt a lack of the Spirit of God.” Testimonies, vol. 2, 703–705.

Others are under a cloud because of lack of faith, habits of negative thinking, anxiety and depression. (See Messages to Young People, 363.) We must all come out from under these clouds if we are to be ready for the latter rain. “We cannot exert a correct influence when we are under a cloud of anxiety and depression. We must reach out the hand of faith, and grasp the hand of our Redeemer. We must not wait for the latter rain. It is coming upon all who will recognize and appropriate the dew and showers of grace that fall upon us. When we gather up the fragments of light, when we appreciate the sure mercies of God, who loves to have us trust Him, then every promise will be fulfilled.” Manuscript Releases, vol. 1, 177. [All emphasis supplied.]

 

The Origin Of Sunday Observance

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The apostle Paul made a prediction in 2 Thessalonians that a gigantic apostasy would take place within the Christian church before the Second Coming of Christ. He said, “Now, brethren, concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering together to Him, we ask you, not to be soon shaken in mind or troubled, either by spirit or by word or by letter, as if from us, as though the day of Christ had come. Let no one deceive you by any means; for that Day will not come unless the falling away comes first, and the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition.” 2 Thessalonians 2:1–3. The words “falling away” come from the Greek word “apostasia,” from which we get the English word “apostasy.” It means a falling away or a departure from the truth.

The apostle Paul warned that there will be a great apostasy before the second coming of Christ. As you read on, you will notice in verse five that he said, “Do you not remember that when I was still with you I told you these things?” He had taught these things to the Christian churches, and he was not alone in giving this warning call. Peter, too, had predicted the same gigantic apostasy which would sweep through the church. (See 2 Peter 2.)

The apostle Paul also referred to this apostasy in his last interview with the elders at Ephesus. In Acts 20:29–31, where the discussion is recorded, notice several interesting details about what Paul predicted was going to take place. “For I know this, that after my departure savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock. Also from among yourselves men will rise up, speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after themselves. Therefore watch, and remember that for three years I did not cease to warn everyone night and day with tears.”

We see in this passage of Scripture that the greatest danger for the Christian church was not the opposition from the pagan world outside, but from the apostasy which would take place inside. It would come from disciples speaking perverse things to draw disciples away after them. We know that the person who speaks the truth as it is in Jesus will draw disciples to Jesus and not to himself. To draw disciples to oneself, one must pervert the truth and apostatize. No true Christian pastor will ever attempt to draw away disciples to himself.

There is another consideration that made this danger even more perilous. Do you know who these words were spoken to? They were spoken to the bishops, the Christian ministers or elders of the church. Paul said, “Of your own selves,” that is from among the men who had been chosen to guide and care for the church of Christ, there would be those who would pervert their calling in order to build up themselves and gather disciples around themselves.

As we read the letters of the apostles in the New Testament, we see them constantly watching this spirit, checking its influence and guarding against its workings. As stated in 2 Thessalonians 2:7, the mystery of iniquity was already working. There were at that very time elements abroad which the apostle Paul could see would develop into all that the Scriptures had predicted, and scarcely were the apostles dead when this evil actually appeared in the church.

The historian said about this: “No sooner were the apostles removed from the stage of action, no sooner was their watchful attentions gone and their apostolic authority removed, than this very thing appeared of which the apostle had spoken. Certain bishops, in order to make easier the conversion of the heathen, to multiply disciples, and by this increase their own influence and authority, began to adopt heathen customs and forms.” The Great Empires of Prophecy, 377, by Alonzo T. Jones.

How did this great apostasy begin? It started as a gigantic evangelistic campaign. It was in the interest of evangelism that apostasy began. “In order to make easier the conversion of the heathen, to multiply disciples,” they lowered the standard for church fellowship. Within twenty years of the apostles’ death, the perversion of the truth of Christ had become widespread.

Mosheim writes concerning the developments in Christendom in the second century: “It is certain that to religious worship, both public and private, many rites were added, without necessity, and to the offence of sober and good men.”

The reason for this is stated. “The Christians were pronounced atheists, because they were destitute of temples, altars, victims, priests, and all that pomp in which the vulgar suppose the essence of religion to consist. For unenlightened persons are prone to estimate religion by what meets their eyes. To silence this accusation, the Christian doctors thought it necessary to introduce some external rights, which would strike the senses of the people, so that they could maintain themselves really to possess those things of which Christians were charged with being destitute—though under different forms.” Ecclesiastical History, century 2, part 2, chap. 4, par. 1, 3.

To do this, “was at once to accommodate the Christian worship and its forms to that of the heathen, and was almost at one step to heathenize Christianity. No heathen element or form can be connected with Christianity or its worship, and Christianity remain pure.” The Great Empires of Prophecy, 378. In Old Testament times whenever God’s people attempted to combine any of the forms of idolatry or heathenism with the worship of the true God they were charged by the prophet with committing spiritual adultery. (See Ezekiel 16, 23; Hosea.)

The heathen religions, in the early part of the second century, were almost all centered around sun worship. They worshipped at the dawning of the day facing towards the east. And this was one of the first pagan customs that entered the Christian church. Christians began to meet at the rising of the sun, on what was later called Easter Sunday, and they would say, “This is the time when Christ was resurrected, and we will teach the people that we meet at the rising of the sun, not to worship the sun, but to worship the One who was raised at sunrise.”

Mosheim again says, “Before the coming of Christ, all the Eastern nations performed divine worship with their faces turned to that part of the heavens where the sun displays his rising beams . . . Nor is this custom abolished even in our times, but still prevails in a great number of Christian churches.” Ecclesiastical History, century 2, part 2, chap. 4, par. 7.

The path of compromise, once you start down it, seems like it never ends. In addition to this, the day of the sun was adopted as a festival day, and the people were taught to fast on the Sabbath. Consider the effect this would have on little children growing up, if every Sabbath there was nothing to eat, but on Sunday, a child could have all he pleased. Which day would he learn to love and look forward to?

The forms of sun worship were practiced to such a degree in the “Christian” churches, that before the end of the second century the heathen themselves accused these apostate Christians with worshipping the sun. We know this because one of the Christian fathers, who wrote about A.D. 200, considered it necessary to make a defense of this practice. Here is what he said: “Others again, certainly with more information and greater or veri-similitude believe that the sun is our god . . . The idea no doubt has originated from our being known to turn toward the east in prayer. But you, many of you, also under pretense sometimes of worshipping the heavenly bodies, move your lips in the direction of the sunrise. In the same way if we devote Sunday to rejoicing, from a far different reason than sun worship, we have some resemblance to those of you who devote the day of Saturn to ease and luxury.” Apology, chap. 16, by Tertullian. His argument is, in effect, you do the same thing, and you originated it too, so why are you blaming us?

As these customs spread and such half-pagan disciples were multiplied, so did the number of pagan practices introduced in the church. It was the custom of the Jewish Christians to remember the death and resurrection of Christ during the Passover season. Passover, which was on the fourteenth day of the first month of the Jewish year, would fall on different days of the week each year. Rome, however, and from her all the Western Empire, adopted the day of the sun as the day of this celebration. Rome ruled that the celebration must always be on a Sunday. It was on this point that the bishop of Rome made one of the first claims at absolute power in his attempt to compel obedience.

We do not know precisely when this practice began, but it was practiced in Rome as early as the time of Sixtus the First, who was the bishop of Rome from A.D. 119 to 128. It was promoted by his successor, Antecedus, who was bishop of Rome A.D. 157–158. Here is what the historian has to say about him: He “would neither conform to that [Eastern] custom himself, nor suffer any under his jurisdiction to conform to it, obliging them to celebrate that solemnity on the Sunday next following the fourteenth of the month.” History of the Popes Under Pius and Anicetus, by Bower.

By the close of the second century, Victor, the bishop of Rome from 192 to 202 A.D., wrote a letter to the Asiatic Christian clergy “commanding them to imitate the example of the Western Christians with respect to the time of celebrating the festival of Easter. The Asiatics answered this lordly request through Polycrates, bishop of Ephesus, who declared in their name, with great spirit and resolution, that they would by no means depart, in this manner from the custom handed down to them by their ancestors.” Ecclesiastical History, century 2, part 2, chapter 4, par. 11, by Mosheim.

As a result, Victor began to use the weapon of excommunication, broke communion with them, pronounced them unworthy of the name of brethren and excluded them from all fellowship with the Church of Rome.

By the end of the second century, and even more in the third century, it was difficult to distinguish between paganism and this kind of Christianity. During this time, pagan philosophy came in with full force. A school of pagan philosophy, called the Eclectics, sprang up in Egypt. They were called Platonists, and they regarded Plato as the one person above all others who had attained the nearest to truth. It was from these philosophers that a system of allegorizing and mystification of Scripture evolved.

One of the earliest professed Christians to espouse this philosophy, was Clement of Alexandria. He became the head of such a school in Alexandria, Egypt, and later further developed the same philosophical theology. The city of Alexandria, with Rome, are the two cities, in the ancient world, which come up over and over again when you study the history of Sunday observance.

These allegorizers threw great obscurity over the sacred writing and developed a system so that one could find whatever he pleased in any passage of Scripture. By their allegorical rules, the scripture could be made to support any doctrine that was ever invented by the wildest fancy of an ultra fanatic. This philosophy did immense harm to Christianity. “For it led the teachers of it to involve in philosophic obscurity many parts of our religion, which were in themselves plain and easy to be understood; and to add to the precepts of the Saviour, not a few things, of which not a word can be found in the Holy Scriptures . . . It recommended to Christians various foolish and useless rites that suited only to nourish superstition, no small part of which we see religiously observed by many even to the present day.” Ecclesiastical History, century 2, part 2, chap. 1, par. 12, by Mosheim. This allegorizing alienated many in the following centuries from Christianity itself and it produced a mixed variety of religion consisting of a combination of Christian and Platonic principles.

We will here include one example of allegorical interpretation of the Scriptures. These so called Christians, who had drunk deeply of Pagan philosophy, invented the eight-day theory when they studied about Noah and the flood. They said that because eight people were saved in the ark, then Sunday is the eighth day, and therefore we should keep Sunday. They saw in this account of the flood, in Genesis, an argument for keeping Sunday. If you interpret by allegory everything in the Scripture, and you do not just take it for what it says, there is no telling where you may end up.

During the time of Constantine, the new developments in Paganism and the apostate, paganized, sun worshiping form of Christianity merged. In Constantine the aspirations of the former emperors for a universal religion and the philosophy of Origin and the ambition of the self-exalted bishops were all realized and accomplished and a new, imperial, “universal” religion was created.

Milman wrote about it in this way: “The reign of Constantine the Great forms one of the epochs in the history of the world. It is the era of the dissolution of the Roman empire; the commencement, or rather consolidation, of a kind of Eastern despotism, with a new capital, a new patriciate, a new constitution, a new financial system, a new, though as yet imperfect, jurisprudence and, finally, a new religion.” History of Christianity, book 3, chap. 1, par. 1, by Milman. “The epoch thus formed was the epoch of the papacy; and the new religion thus created was the papal religion.” The Great Empires of Prophecy, 395, by Alonzo T. Jones. This was the beginning of that dark and dismal age which oppressed Europe for well over one thousand years.

Another historian says this about the reign of Constantine: “It is the true close of the Roman empire, the beginning of the Greek. The transition from one to the other is emphatically and abruptly marked by a new metropolis, a new religion, a new code, and, above all, a new policy. An ambitious man had attained to imperial power by personating the interests of a rapidly growing party. The unavoidable consequences were a union between the Church and the state, diverting of the dangerous classes from civil to ecclesiastical paths, and the decay in materialization of religion.” Intellectual Development of Europe, chap. 10, par. 24, by Draper.

Before the council of Nicea, in A.D. 325, the bishops in the Donatist controversy had given special dignity to the bishop of Rome declaring that Easter should be kept on the same day and on a Sunday by all the churches in the world. This union of Church and state, the exaltation of the bishop of Rome, the veneration of Sunday, and other pagan customs was not accompanied by a revival or reformation of Christianity, but by the very opposite effect.

It was at this time, in A.D. 321, that the first Sunday law was proclaimed by Constantine. Notice that there is nothing Christian about this law. There is no mention of the resurrection of Christ or the fourth commandment. Here is what it said: “Constantine, Emperor Augustus, to Helpidius: On the venerable day of the sun, let the magistrates and people residing in cities rest, and let all workshops be closed. In the country however, persons engaged in agriculture may freely and lawfully continue their pursuits; because it often happens that another day is not so suitable for grain sowing or for vine planting; lest by neglecting the proper moment for such operations the bounty of heaven should be lost. (Given the 7th day of March, Crispus and Constantine being consuls, each of them for the second time.)” God Predicts Your Future, 268, by John Grosboll.(Originally from History of the Christian Church, vol. 3, par. 5, note 1.)

Did you note that there is no reference to any Scriptural reasons for keeping Sunday, and what was it called? The venerable day of the sun.

At every step taken in adopting the forms of sun worship and the adoption of the observance of Sunday, those who remain faithful to Christ and to the truth of the pure Word of God protested the popular disloyalty. These Bible believing Christians observed the Sabbath of the Lord according to the commandment, as a sign by which the Lord, the Creator of the heavens and the earth is distinguished from all other gods. (See Hebrews 4 and Exodus 31.) Therefore, these Christians protested every phase and form of sun worship.

When the church tried to enforce Sunday by a law of the state, this protest became stronger than ever. And in order to accomplish her original purpose, it became necessary for the apostate Christian church to secure legislation ending all exemption and prohibiting the observance of the Sabbath so as to quench that powerful protest. This was done by the council of Laodicea in Canon 29, around the year 364 A.D. (The exact year cannot be established.) Here is what this Canon said: “Christians shall not Judaize and be idle on Sabbath.” Notice the word Judaize. A thousand years later, even to the present day, if you read a document written by a Jesuit and it talks about Judaizing, it is almost every time referring to the keeping of the seventh-day Sabbath. This term came to be used against anyone who kept the seventh-day Sabbath.

“Christians shall not Judaize and be idle on Saturday, but shall work on that day, but the Lord’s day they shall especially honor, and, as being Christians shall, if possible, do no work on that day. If however, they are found Judaizing, they shall be shut out from Christ.” Council of Laodicea, Canon 29.

During the time of Theodosius, by a law in A.D. 386, those older changes effected by the emperor of Constantine were more rigorously enforced and in general, civil transactions of every kind were strictly forbidden on Sunday. Whoever transgressed was considered guilty of sacrilege.

This Sunday law banned work, but as the people of that apostate Christian church did not have enough religion to devote the day to pious and moral exercises, the effect of the law was only to enforce idleness. Enforced idleness multiplied opportunities for dissipation and the consequence was that the circuses and the theaters were crowded every Sunday. This was not what the bishops wanted, so they complained that with such competition the theater was vastly more frequented than the church. So the next step taken was to force the circuses and the theaters to close on Sunday and other special church days so that there would be no competition.

In the circuses and the theaters there were large numbers of church members employed, and rather than giving up their jobs they worked on Sundays. The bishops complained that these men were compelled to work and prohibited to worship. They pronounced it persecution and demanded more Sunday laws for “protection,” and so in A.D. 401, another law was enacted which prohibited plays to be performed on Sunday or feast days.

However, there was still a problem. They found out that just closing the circus did not get people to church. The next logical step then was to compel them to be religious and devoted. The theocratical bishops had supplied a theory that exactly met the demand of the case. Augustine, the Bishop of Hippo said this: “Many must often be brought back to their Lord, like wicked servants, by the rod of temporal suffering, before they attain the highest grade of religious development.” The Correction of Donatists, chap. 6, by Augustine. Of this theory, the historian justly observes: “It was by Augustine, then, that a theory was proposed and founded, which . . . contained the germ of that whole system of spiritual despotism of intolerance and persecution, which ended in the tribunals of Inquisition.” History of the Christian Religion and Church, vol. 2, sec. 2, part 3, division 1, by Neander.

You see friends, Sunday legislation contains within it the philosophical basis for religious persecution. Do not ever forget that. Whenever Sunday legislation is enacted, persecution is sure to follow.

The Lord predicted this very thing hundreds of years before it happened in Daniel 11: “For the ships from Cypress [or Kittum] shall come against him; therefore he shall be grieved, and return in rage against the holy covenant, and do damage. He shall return and show regard for those who forsake the holy covenant.” Daniel 11:30. What is God’s covenant that he will be enraged against? “So He declared to you His covenant which He commanded you to perform, the Ten Commandments; and He wrote them on two tablets of stone.” As you read in Hebrews 8:10, in the new covenant, God’s law is written in the heart.

We have just seen who this power is which would rise up against God’s law. The time came when the Roman church became so furious against God’s holy covenant that it eventually considered any person who kept the fourth commandment, enjoining the observance of the seventh-day Sabbath, or the second commandment, which prohibited the worship of idols, worthy of death—death by the most cruel means that could be devised.

In Daniel 11:33 we read that during this great tribulation, God’s people would, “fall by the sword and flame, by captivity and plundering.” In spite of all the horrible tortures inflicted on these faithful ones, it was impossible to force them to keep Sunday and work on Sabbath. It was impossible to totally quench the desire of truehearted Christians to obey God, to follow His Word and do His will. There were many groups, throughout the world during this time, that kept God’s law and taught it to others.

Let us look at the stories of some of these people:

One of the most famous of all the theologians, during this time, was a man by the name of Lucian, who lived from 250–312 A.D. One of the great biblical scholars, he was a Gentile and has been belittled in recent times by Cardinal Newman as a Judaizer. Why was he called a Judaizer? Because he kept the Sabbath. And why did he keep the Sabbath? “Why should Lucian observe Saturday as sacred? It was the general custom.” Truth Triumphant, 57, by Benjamin Wilkinson. This was written in the fourth century. Notice what Socrates said was happening at that time: “For although almost all churches throughout the world celebrate the sacred mysteries on the Sabbath of every week, yet the Christians of Alexandria and at Rome, on account of some ancient tradition, have ceased to do this.” Ecclesiastical History, book 5, chap 22, by Socrates.

This is very interesting! A historian in the fourth century says that the Christian churches throughout the world observe the mysteries on Sabbath, except in two places—Alexandria and Rome.

Look at what Sozomen, a historian contemporary to Socrates said: “The people of Constantinople, and almost everywhere, assembled together on the Sabbath, as well as on the first day of the week, which custom is never observed at Rome or at Alexandria.” Ecclesiastical History, book 7, chap. 19, by Sozomen.

There were communities of Asyrian Christians throughout India, who were faithful in their evangelical missionary life, and who assembled for worship on the Sabbath day. When priests from Rome entered India a thousand years later, papal hatred stigmatized the persecuted church as Judaizers. See Truth Triumphant, 298, 299.

Cosma, who resided near Babylon, widely read for his explorations in the first half of the sixth century, says that there was an infinite number of churches with their clergy and a vast number of Christian people among the Bacterians, Huns, Persians, Greeks, Eadlemites and the rest of the Indians who kept the Sabbath.

The historian A.C. Flick wrote about the Sabbath keeping Christians of the Celtic church (which was located in Wales, Scotland and Ireland). The Celtic church observed Saturday as their sacred day of rest and that reputable scholarship has asserted that the Welsh sanctified it as such until the twelfth century. See Truth Triumphant, 163.

“Widespread and enduring was the observance of the Seventh-day Sabbath among the believers of the Church of the East and the St. Thomas Christians of India who were never connected with Rome. It also was maintained among those bodies which broke off from Rome after the council of Chalcedon; namely, the Abysinians, the Jacobites, the Marinites, and the Armenians.” Truth

Triumphant, 298. “The Armenians in Hindustan . . . have preserved the Bible in its purity, and their doctrines are, as far as the author knows, the doctrines of the Bible. Besides they maintain the solemn observance of Christian worship, throughout our empire, on the seventh day.” Christian Researchs in Asia, by Buchanan, 266.

Here is another historical account about a group of people in Bulgaria. “Bulgaria, in the early season of its evangelization had been taught that no work should be performed on the Sabbath. Pope Nicholas I, in the ninth century, sent the ruling prince of Bulgaria a long document saying in it that one is to cease from work on Sunday, but not on the Sabbath.

“The head of the Greek church, offended at the interference of the papacy, declared the pope excommunicated. The Greek patriarch also sent a circulatory letter to some leading bishops of the East, censoring the Roman Catholic Church for several erroneous doctrines, especially emphasizing its rebellion against past church councils and compelling its members to fast on the Seventh-day Sabbath.” Truth Triumphant, 232.

Two hundred years later the Pope sent three legates to Constantinople with counter charges. Among others the following charge was made by the Pope against the Greek Church: “because you observe the Sabbath with the Jews.” Ibid. The Christian churches of the eastern part of the Roman empire, the Goths, the Waldensians and the Armenians, the Syrians and the Celtic churches, established by Patrick, all sanctified Saturday as the Sabbath.

There is evidence stacked upon evidence that Christians in the British Isles, the Waldenses in Italy, the Albigenses in France, the Christians in Bulgaria, the Armenians in Turkey, the Syrian churches in Palestine, the St. Thomas Christians in India, the Abysinian Christians in Africa, and the Christians in China, Afghanistan and southern Russia, all were Sabbath-keeping Christians, until they were forced to go underground and their most staunch leaders and defenders were killed by the inquisition in the fourteenth century.

Why then do the majority today keep Sunday? It is because most of the ancient Sabbath-keepers were tortured and killed just as predicted in Revelation 17:6, where John saw a woman “drunken with the blood of the saints, and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus.”

Someday, if you are saved, you are going to meet and get acquainted with millions of people who died for the Sabbath. If you have been a Sabbathkeeper, you are going to have a wonderful fellowship with these people. Would you want to say to those who were burned at the stake, or had their heads chopped off, or were hanged, or languished in dark dungeons, “Well, I was afraid to keep the Sabbath because I might have lost my job”? Could you say, “I was afraid that somebody might make fun of me,” or “I was afraid that I might be unpopular if I kept the Sabbath”? We would be ashamed to be around them with such excuses! Very soon, they are going to be raised to life. We want to be with them! In that day, we will want to be found a Sabbath-keeper, to be among that group who have kept God’s Holy Covenant.

Babylon the Great City

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We are living in a time when churches and nations are attempting to unite as at no other time in history. It is hoped by many that through gaining unity, war and poverty and many other awful things going on in our world will be eliminated. The promoters of this unification process have been planning and working for the unification of the world for several generations. A carefully planned but rather covert crusade is working to bring this world-unification about. Various facets of this intricate and comprehensive plan can be seen in the educational system, the political and military system, the economic system, the large religious bodies of the world, the media, the medical and legal fraternity, the various secret societies, the money and banking conglomerates, the combinations of the working classes for the protection of their interests and the entertainment industry.

Most of the players in this crusade have little or no idea about what is really going on or what they are actually participating in. The scope of what is happening in our world is so intricate and globally pervasive that not even the thought leaders of the world and the most powerful people comprehend the whole picture. Only by a study of Bible prophecy is it possible to partially unravel to the human mind what is taking place in the world today and get a glimpse of the total picture.

First of all, we know from Bible prophecy that we are living in the last days of this world’s history, described in Daniel 11 as “the time of the end.” In the book of Revelation the great unification of the world during the last of this great epochal period is plainly foretold. The following details are clearly specified:

  1. Almost all of the world will be deceived. Satan “deceives the entire inhabited world.” Revelation 12:9. “And the whole earth wondered after the beast.” (Some translators prefer to translate the verb thaumazo in the previous verse as, “the whole earth worshipped the beast” or “the whole earth followed the beast.”) Revelation 13:3. “All who dwell on the earth shall do him [the beast power] homage, whose names are not in the book of life.” Revelation 13:8. “He [the two-horned beast] deceives those who dwell on the earth.” Revelation 13:14. “And I saw out of the mouth of the dragon and out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet three unclean spirits like frogs; for they are the spirits of demons doing signs to go forth to the kings of the earth and the whole inhabited world to gather them together to battle of that great day of God the Almighty.” Revelation 16:12–14. “Those that dwell on the earth were made drunk with the wine of her fornication.” Revelation 17:2. “All nations have drunk the wine of the wrath of her fornication.” Revelation 18:3. “Your merchants were the great ones of the earth, because by your sorcery all the nations were led astray [or deceived].” Revelation 18:23.

This deception will involve miracles. Ellen White was given a view of that which in her time was mostly in the future: “We are coming right upon the time when Satan is to work with all manner of bewitching influences, and those who are charmed with them now, or give them the least countenance now, will be all ready to be swept right in to act a part with the devil then. Evil angels are working all the time upon the hearts of men. Satan is working with everyone who is not under the control of the Spirit of God. It is the lying wonders of the devil that will take the world captive, and he will cause fire to come down from heaven in the sight of men. He is to work miracles; and this wonderful, miracle-working power is to sweep in the whole world. It is now just beginning.” Selected Messages, vol. 2, 51.

  1. The texts above show that the person who deceives the whole world in the last days is the devil (Revelation 12:9); however, he works through human agents and organizations. He will work through a union of three major human powers: the dragon power, the beast power and the false prophet.

 

The Beast

 

There are twenty to twenty-five identifying marks of the beast power given in Daniel 7, Revelation 13, 2 Thessalonians 2 and 1 John 4. A few principle items will suffice.

  1. This power would arise among the powers that divided up to become the Roman Empire. (Daniel 7:8.)
  2. It would not become an independent political power (a “horn” or “beast” or kingdom) until three of the ten horns (the Ostrogoths, the kingdom of Odoacer and the Vandals) were uprooted. The earliest date that can be given for this is when the Ostrogoths were defeated and driven from Rome in 538 A.D.
  3. This power was to intend to change times and law. (Daniel 7:25.)
  4. It was to be a persecuting power. (Daniel 7:25; Revelation 13:7.)
  5. It was to persecute, not atheists or criminals but, the saints or holy people of God. (Daniel 7:25; Revelation 13:7.)
  6. It was to be a superpower—to exercise power and authority over all nations. (Revelation 13:7; Daniel 7:20.)
  7. It was to be a religious power because men would worship it. (2 Thessalonians 2:4; Revelation 13:3, 8.)
  8. It was to continue until the second advent of Christ—so it is obvious that it is in the world today. (Daniel 7:26, 27; Revelation 19:20; 16:12–14; 2 Thessalonians 2:7, 8.)
  9. It had roots that go all the way back to the apostles. (2 Thessalonians 2:7.)
  10. This power was to persecute the saints for 1260 prophetic days or literal years.
  11. This persecution would be cut short for the elect’s sake. (Matthew 24:22.)
  12. This power was to receive a deadly wound—it would appear to receive such a deadly blow as to destroy it, but it would recover from this deadly wound and afterwards the whole world would follow it again! (Revelation 13:3.) This occurred in 1798 when France (sometimes called the eldest son of the papacy) took the pope prisoner. The pope died in a prison in France and there was no papacy for a number of months.
  13. This deadly wound has now been healed and the entire world is wondering after the papacy again.
  14. This power was to blaspheme (revile, defame or speak evil of) the following three: God’s name, His tabernacle (or sanctuary in heaven) and those who dwell in heaven. (Revelation 13:6.)

When all of these identifying marks are put together it is impossible to conclude that this beast power represents any other than the papacy of Rome.

My brother Marshall explained it to non-Adventists in his prophecy seminar this way: What religious power had its roots in Paul’s day, became involved with politics after the demise of the Caesars, began to persecute people on religious grounds, and had its headquarters among the countries of Europe? As we think about it, there is only one religious-political power of the Dark Ages that even remotely fits this description, (and it fits every detail) and that is the Papacy of Rome.

Did the Papacy of Rome become a political ruler after the breakup of the pagan Roman Empire? Let a Catholic historian answer this question: “Long ages ago, when Rome, through the neglect of the Western emperors, was left to the mercy of the barbarous hordes, the Romans turned to one figure for aid and protection, and asked him to rule them . . . and thus . . . commenced the temporal sovereignty of the popes. And meekly stepping to the throne of Caesar, the vicar of Christ took up the scepter to which the emperors and kings of Europe were to bow in reverence through so many ages.” James P. Conroy, American Catholic Quarterly Review, April 1911.

 

The Dragon

 

If the beast power is the papacy, then who and what is the dragon? The dragon is the power that gave to the papacy its power, throne and great authority. It is obvious from the study of history that this power must refer to the pagan or heathen Roman Empire.

That which was started by Constantine and continued by Theodosius was completed by Justinian. Justinian first made a law in 532 A.D., which was to take effect in 533, that was to unite all in one faith. “Whether they were Jews, Gentiles or Christians, all who did not within three months profess and embrace the Catholic faith, were by the edict ‘declared infamous, and as such excluded from all employments both civil and military; rendered incapable of leaving anything by will; and all their estates confiscated, whether real or personal.’ As a result of this cruel edict, ‘Great numbers were driven from their habitations with their wives and children, stripped and naked. Others betook themselves to flight, carrying with them what they could conceal, for their support and maintenance; but they were plundered of what little they had, and many of them inhumanly massacred.’ ” Bower History of Latin Christianity, Book III, Chap. 1 Par. 5, quoted in The Two Republics, by A.T. Jones, 545.

However, this was just the legislative decree giving the papacy his unlimited power and authority. (The throne or seat of government of the papacy [Revelation 13:2] had already been bestowed by Constantine.)

Justinian was persuaded by the Catholic clergy to wage war on all Christians who did not acknowledge the supremacy of the pope over all churches, pastors and individual Christians. “The conquest of Italy by the Greeks was, to a great extent at least, the work of the Catholic clergy. . .The overthrow of the Gothic kingdom was to Italy an unmitigated evil . . . In their overthrow began the fatal policy of the Roman See, fatal at least to Italy. . . which never would permit a powerful native kingdom to unite Italy, or a very large part of it, under one dominion.

Whatever it may have been to Christendom, the Papacy has been the eternal, implacable foe of Italian independence and Italian unity.” Milman, History of Latin Christianity, vol. 1 b. 3, ch. 4.

There had been three nations which had not acknowledged the supremacy of the pope over all, and these three nations were the kingdom of Odoacer which had been destroyed by 493 A.D, the nation of the Vandals (destroyed by Justinian’s armies in 534 A.D.) and the Ostrogoths (driven from Rome by Justinian’s armies in 538 A.D.)

The dragon then represents the pagan Roman Empire and this is a most suitable symbol, for the Roman Empire is where paganism reached the zenith of its development. The religion of paganism is the worship of nature but in its fullest development it becomes the worship of the greatest intellects in God’s creation, or bluntly, the worship of evil spirits. It is impossible to fully develop this thesis in a magazine article, but any research into the nature of idolatry, whether in ancient Egypt or Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece or Rome, will reveal that idolatry in its fullest development involves intercourse with and worship of evil spirits.

The Bible supports this conclusion. Paul said, “But that which the nations sacrifice they sacrifice to demons and not go God.” 1 Corinthians 10:20. When Paul was called to preach, the Lord told Him that he was to turn the people from the power of the devil to the power of God. (Acts 26:18.) Spiritualism from its development in Eden, in Genesis, has always claimed to make men and women into gods, and the leaders of heathen religions had God-like power over the consciences, minds and bodies of the adherents of those religions. Behind all of this apparent transformation of human beings into gods, was the arch-fiend who controlled the leaders of these religions andthrough them the people.

 

The False Prophet

 

The third power through whom Satan will deceive the world in the last days is the False Prophet. This is a most carefully chosen symbol. A prophet is a person who has received a special gift of prophecy from the Holy Spirit. (Ephesians 4; 1 Corinthians 12.) If a church claims to be led by prophets and live by the teaching of prophets, it will be a church claiming the Bible as its ultimate source of authority, since the Bible was written by prophets, and this is what gives it its authority. A church that lives by tradition or man-made commandments does not even claim to be controlled or ruled by prophets. What power in the world claims to be controlled and led by prophets—claims to receive their religion from the Bible—yet is attempting to influence men and women to receive the mark of the beast? (See Revelation 19:20.) The only group that this can indeed refer to is the Protestant world which is indeed seeking to lead people to receive the mark of papal authority—Sunday observance.

This goes back a long time. The Protestant churches were at one time accepted by God and were progressing in their knowledge of Biblical truth. But the time came when they, as entire churches, rejected the teaching of the First Angel’s Message, and as a result, the Lord rejected them. Those who accepted the truth in all these different bodies were called out to finish God’s work on the earth.

Ellen White described it like this, “Ministers laid aside their sectarian views and feelings and united in proclaiming the coming of Jesus. Wherever the message was given, it moved the people . . .Thousands were led to embrace the truth preached by William Miller, and servants of God were raised up in the spirit and power of Elijah to proclaim the message . . . many who were united with the churches received the healing message; they saw their backslidings, and with bitter tears of repentance and deep agony of soul, humbled themselves before God. And as the Spirit of God rested upon them, they helped to sound the cry, ‘Fear God, and give glory to Him; for the hour of His judgment is come.’ The preaching of definite time called forth great opposition from all classes, from the minister in the pulpit down to the most reckless,heaven-daring sinner . . . these shepherds stepped in between the truth and the people, and preached smooth things to lead them from the truth. They united with Satan and his angels, crying, ‘Peace, peace,’ when there was no peace. Those who loved their ease and were content with their distance from God would not be aroused from their carnal security . . . Ministers who would not accept this saving message themselves hindered those who would have received it . . . Angels were watching with the deepest interest the result of the heavenly message, and when the churches turned from and rejected it, they in sadness consulted with Jesus. He turned His face from the churches . . . Satan and his angels triumphed, and cast it in the face of Christ and His holy angels, that His professed people had so little love for Jesus that they did not desire His second appearing.

“The believers in this message were oppressed in the churches . . . As the churches refused to receive the First Angel’s Message, they rejected the light from heaven and fell from the favor of God . . . As the time passed, those who had not fully received the light of the angel united with those who had despised the message, and they turned upon the disappointed ones with ridicule. Angels marked the situation of Christ’s professed followers. The passing of the definite time had tested and proved them, and very many were weighed in the balance and found wanting. They loudly claimed to be Christians, yet in almost every particular failed to follow Christ. Satan exulted at the state of the professed followers of Jesus.

“He had them in his snare . . . As the people of God united in the cry of the second angel, the heavenly host marked with the deepest interest the effect of the message. They saw many who bore the name of Christians turn with scorn and derision upon those who had been disappointed. As the words fell from mocking lips, ‘You have not gone up yet!’ an angel wrote them. Said the angel, ‘They mock God.’ I was pointed back to a similar sin committed in ancient times. Elijah had been translated to heaven, and his mantle had fallen upon Elisha. Then wicked youth, who had learned from their parents to despise the man of God, followed Elisha, and mockingly cried, ‘Go up, thou bald head; go up, thou bald head.’ In thus insulting His servant, they insulted God and met their punishment then and there. In like manner, those who have scoffed and mocked at the idea of the saints’ going up, will be visited with the wrath of God, and will be made to feel that it is not a light thing to trifle with their Maker . . .Those who rejected and opposed the light of the First Angel’s Message, lost the light of the second, and could not be benefited by the power and glory which attended the message, ‘Behold, the Bridegroom cometh.’ Jesus turned from them with a frown; for they had slighted and rejected Him . . . I saw Jesus turn His face from those who rejected and despised His coming, and then He bade angels lead His people out from among the unclean, lest they should be defiled.” excerpts from Early Writings, 232–249. All emphasis supplied.

In The Great Controversy, Ellen White describes the same experience as follows: “But as ministers and religious leaders decided against the advent doctrine and desired to suppress all agitation of the subject, they not only opposed it from the pulpit, but denied their members the privilege of attending preaching upon the second advent, or even of speaking of their hope in the social meetings of the church. Thus the believers found themselves in a position of great trial and perplexity. They loved their churches and were loath to separate from them; but as they saw the testimony of God’s word suppressed and their right to investigate the prophecies denied they felt that loyalty to God forbade them to submit. Those who sought to shut out the testimony of God’s word they could not regard as constituting the church of Christ, ‘the pillar and ground of the truth.’ Hence they felt themselves justified in separating from their former connection. In the summer of 1844 about fifty thousand withdrew from the churches . . .

“The first angel’s message of Revelation 14, announcing the hour of God’s judgment and calling upon men to fear and worship Him, was designed to separate the professed people of God from the corrupting influences of the world and to arouse them to see their true condition of worldliness and backsliding. In this message, God has sent to the church a warning, which, had it been accepted, would have corrected the evils that were shutting them away from Him. Had they received the message from heaven, humbling their hearts before the Lord and seeking in sincerity a preparation to stand in His presence, the Spirit and power of God would have been manifested among them. The church would again have reached that blessed state of unity, faith, and love which existed in apostolic days, when the believers ‘were of one heart and of one soul,’ and ‘spake the word of God with boldness,’ when ‘the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved.’ Acts 4:32, 31; 2:47 . . . But the churches generally did not accept the warning.

“In refusing the warning of the first angel, they rejected the means which Heaven had provided for their restoration. They spurned the gracious messenger that would have corrected the evils which separated them from God, and with greater eagerness they turned to seek the friendship of the world. Here was the cause of that fearful condition of worldliness, backsliding, and spiritual death which existed in the churches in 1844 . . .

“The unfaithfulness of the church to Christ in permitting her confidence and affection to be turned of the marriage vow . . .

“The woman (Babylon) of Revelation 17 is described as ‘arrayed in purple and scarlet color, and decked with gold and precious stones and pearls, having a golden cup in her hand full of abominations and filthiness . . . and upon her forehead was a name written, Mystery, Babylon the Great, the mother of harlots.’ Says the prophet: ‘I saw the woman drunk with the blood of the saints, and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus.’ Babylon is further declared to be ‘that great city, which reigneth over the kings of the earth.’ Revelation 17:4–6, 18. The power that for so many centuries maintained despotic sway over the monarchs of Christendom is Rome.

“The purple and scarlet color, the gold and precious stones and pearls, vividly picture the magnificence and more than kingly pomp affected by the haughty see of Rome. And no other power could be so truly declared ‘drunken with the blood of the saints’ as that church which has so cruelly persecuted the followers of Christ. Babylon is also charged with the sin of unlawful connection with ‘the kings of the earth.’ It was by departure from the Lord, and alliance with the heathen, that the Jewish church became a harlot; and Rome, corrupting herself in like manner by seeking the support of worldly powers, receives a like condemnation . . .

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

“Many of the Protestant churches are following Rome’s example of iniquitous connection with ‘the kings of the earth’—the state churches, by their relation to secular governments; and other denominations, by seeking the favor of the world. And the term ‘Babylon’—confusion—may be appropriately applied to these bodies, all professing to derive their doctrines from the Bible, yet divided into almost innumerable sects, with widely conflicting creeds and theories.

“Notwithstanding the spiritual darkness and alienation from God that exist in the churches which constitute Babylon, the great body of Christ’s true followers are still to be found in their communion. There are many of these who have never seen the special truths for this time. Not a few are dissatisfied with their present condition and are longing for clearer light. They look in vain for the image of Christ in the churches with which they are connected. As these bodies depart further and further from the truth, and ally themselves more closely with the world, the difference between the two classes will widen, and it will finally result in separation.

“The time will come when those who love God supremely can no longer remain in connection with such as are ‘lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof.’ “The Great Controversy, 376–390.

This three-fold union of Spiritualism (pagan religions are included in this term), the Papacy, and Protestant churches, who seek to shut out the testimony of God’s Word and cling to doctrines originating with the Papacy, sacrifice the truth and approval of God in order to form an unlawful alliance with the world, make up, what the latter part of the book of Revelation refers to as, Mystical Babylon. Babylon will be made up of a union of these three great powers: Spiritualism, the Papacy and Apostate Protestantism.

Ellen White describes this as follows, “Through the two great errors, the immortality of the soul and Sunday sacredness, Satan will bring the people under his deceptions. While the former lays the foundation of spiritualism, the latter creates a bond of sympathy with Rome. The Protestants of the United States will be foremost in stretching their hands across the gulf to grasp the hand of spiritualism; they will reach over the abyss to clasp hands with the Roman power; and under the influence of this threefold union, this country will follow in the steps of Rome in trampling on the rights of conscience.” The Great Controversy, 588.

“By the decree of enforcing the institution of the Papacy in violation of the law of God, our nation will disconnect herself fully from righteousness. When Protestantism shall stretch her hand across the gulf to grasp the hand of the Roman power, when she shall reach over the abyss to clasp hands with Spiritualism, when, under the influence of this threefold union, our country shall repudiate every principle of its Constitution as a Protestant and Republican government, and shall make provision for the propagation of papal falsehoods and delusions, then we may know that the time has come for the marvelous working of Satan, and that the end is near.” Testimonies, vol. 5, 451.

To be continued.

 

Editorial — This Man Has a Devil, part 3

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In the closing paragraph of the editorial, “This Man Has a Devil, Part 2,” December 1997, we concluded: “With such a history—a history of almost constant rejection of every reformer that has appeared in Adventism for over 100 years, what should we expect as we approach the last great crisis? ‘If they have called the master of the house Beelzebub (Devil), how much more shall they call those of His household.’ Matthew 10:25. This has special meaning in the very last days as we shall see.”

The rejection of the Messiah by the Jewish nation was clearly predicted by the Old Testament prophets, but (perhaps mercifully) was not understood by the saints of God generally until after it happened. The same is true of the destruction of Jerusalem and God’s people in the last days. However, this time it will be more dangerous not to understand the prophecies until after they are fulfilled, because in our time probation is going to close. And it will close suddenly, silently and at a most unexpected time. (1888 Materials¸ 754.)

“So in the prophecies the future is opened before us as plainly as it was opened to the disciples by the words of Christ. The events connected with the close of probation and the work of preparation for the time of trouble, are clearly presented. But multitudes have no more understanding of these important truths than if they had never been revealed.” Great Controversy, 594.

What is this future that is opened before us as plainly as it was opened to the disciples? Part of it is that the very same type of experiences which Jesus and Paul endured, will be endured by the true church before the end. And when I say the true church, I do not mean the professed people of God—those who are Seventh-day Adventists by profession—but those who are both professors and doers of the word and not just hearers. “God is honored, not so much by the great number, as by the character of those who serve him. He appreciates moral worth. He draws the dividing line between those who bear his name by profession, and those whose character shows them to be his children. Those who have the fear of God will listen to his counsels, and obey them. They will not be content with spurious theories, nor build upon false principles to secure the friendship of the world.” The Signs of the Times, June 30, 1881. Just as in the time of Christ and the Apostle Paul, the greatest opposition to the true church will come from the professed people of God. The following references will document the truthfulness of this.

“The Third Angel’s Message will not be comprehended, the light which will lighten the earth with its glory will be called a false light, by those who refuse to walk in its advancing glory.” Review and Herald, May 27, 1890. This statement was not written to Protestants or Catholics, but to Seventh-day Adventists, as you can easily see if you study the context. So, it is Adventists who will call the loud cry a “false light.”

“There is to be in the churches a wonderful manifestation of the power of God, but it will not move upon those who have not humbled themselves before the Lord, and opened the door of the heart by confession and repentance. In the manifestation of that power which lightens the earth with the glory of God, they will see only something which in their blindness they think dangerous, something which will arouse their fears, and they will brace themselves to resist it. Because the Lord does not work according to their ideas and expectations, they will oppose the work. ‘Why,’ they say, ‘should not we know the Spirit of God, when we have been in the work so many years?’ ” Review and Herald, December 23, 1890. Notice, it will be people who have been “in the work” for many years—this is sometimes called the “organized work.” Some who are looked up to as leaders will oppose the loud cry.

“As the professed people of God [Seventh-day Adventists by profession] depart from Him and lose the simplicity of the faith, the words of His messengers seem to them unnecessarily harsh and severe. They cherish prejudice and unbelief, and finally place themselves fully on Satan’s side. His suggestions seem pleasant and palatable; they are controlled, in spirit and opinion, by the arch-deceiver, and having permitted him to direct their thoughts, they soon permit him to direct their actions.” Sketches from the Life of Paul, 229.

 

Christ or Caiaphas

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“Why should ye be stricken anymore? Ye will revolt more and more: the whole head is sick, and the whole heart faint. From the sole of the foot even unto the head there is no soundness in it; but wounds, and bruises, and putrefying sores: they have not been closed, neither bound up, neither mollified with ointment. Your country is desolate, your cities are burned with fire: your land, strangers devour it in your presence, and it is desolate, as overthrown by strangers. And the daughter of Zion is left as a cottage in a vineyard, as a lodge in a garden of cucumbers, as a besieged city. Except the Lord of hosts had left unto us a very small remnant, we should have been as Sodom, and we should have been like unto Gomorrah. Hear the word of the Lord, ye rulers of Sodom; give ear unto the law of our God, ye people of Gomorrah.” Isaiah 1:5–10.

Recently my eyes caught the following headline: “Time to close down the smaller churches.” Yes, the time has come. That is what the North American Division says in an issue of Plus Line Access, a special eight-page newsletter for Seventh-day Adventist Church leaders and pastors in the United States and Canada. The problems are spelled out and the solution is simple enough: Close the local churches. What are the problems? Any one of four is sufficient for the Conference President to close a church and pocket the key:

  1. Weekly attendance is low. The congregation does not have lots of members, and usually most of the members are aged. Such churches should be loosed so the pastor can dedicate his energies to more populous areas.
  2. Newly started churches do not get above thirty or forty members within a couple of years.
  3. The church is not sending in enough tithe to the conference office.
  4. A church becomes controlled by an independent ministry that is unsupportive of Seventh-day Adventist churches and its leadership. Such churches are like a cancer among other churches. The above four points include almost every small denominational congregation that is below thirty or forty members.

Why are the leaders so anxious to close down the small churches? The reasons are obvious, yet profound in their significance.

  1. It is invariably the smaller churches that will be the most conservative. They are the ones which stand as fortresses in defense of our historic beliefs and standards.
  2. It is the delegates from the small churches, which lead out in opposing apostasy at Conference constituency meetings.
  3. It is the delegates from smaller churches, which are the most dangerous to the agenda of getting worldly leaders elected and re-elected in the Conference.
  4. It is the smaller churches that want New Theology pastors transferred out.
  5. By eliminating the small churches, the way is cleared for the Conference leadership to more rapidly take its churches into modernism.
  6. By disbanding local churches, the members will have to join a larger church, where, because they are in the minority, they will have less influence over Board and Committee actions.

This Division-wide plan was disclosed in the January 1996 issue of the publication sent to church leaders and pastors throughout the North American Division. You were not supposed to know about this plan yet.

Our concern is the plan to close the churches of the faithful. Once these little flocks are scattered,leadership will have more control over that which remains. But there is an interesting question. What will be done with those padlocked buildings? In some incidences they will remain closed until a Conference evangelist comes along and brings in New Theology trained members.

But the temptation will be great to sell the buildings, which local church members in earlier years paid for. For over a decade Conference funds have been drying up, as the faithful have been crowded out by New Theology pastors. Throwing off these small churches will help subsidize Celebrations, Youth Congresses, Festivals and other activities intended to hold the shallow, who think more of entertainment than they do of serious study in the inspired books or in missionary work.

I must confess that as I read this amazing disclosure of what the North American Division plans to do, I felt a real heartbreak pain within me. This is what is called “institutional planning” and such a decision to close down the smaller churches demands an answer. Is such a plan ordained by God and baptized by the Holy Spirit? Or has Satan so infiltrated his leaders into God’s ranks that it is now possible to seriously wound the very small remnant that Isaiah saw that were left within God’s remnant church?

This article was taken largely from a sermon presented in 1963 by Elder Arthur L. Bietz, who was faced with a situation within his church regarding Conference leadership involved in institutional problems.

Please notice the parallel between then and now, and you decide where you should take a stand regarding such directives that are handed down from today’s structure.

I want you to be able to use your imagination to catch the meaning, the drama, the heart throb, the intensity of this situation for these are days of crisis, days of tremendous meaning.

In some ways, Caiaphas is one of the most tragic figures of the New Testament. Yet in another way he is a man of tremendous splendor. A man who was loved and probably in some respects greatly adored. The historical facts are that the people stood in awe before him, for he was indeed the symbolization of the great heritage of Israel. He embodied everything that Israel had fought for, all that Israel had prayed for, and theirs was indeed a glorious heritage.

Caiaphas had been chosen by the children of Israel as a “custodian,” of the great religious institution, but now something had happened.

Suddenly, the world, that then was, found itself polarized in two centers; on the one side stood Caiaphas, the high priest, on the other side stood Jesus Christ, the Son of God. The loyalties had congealed and the crisis was on.

This was a tragedy with a degree of splendor in it, for Caiaphas was a very notable person, with an impressive personality. Indeed, he was the most powerful man in Judaism at the time of Christ. He had not only the ecclesiastical power, but he also held the civil authority.

People have always responded to those who stand in authority. There is something splendid, something awe inspiring, about a man in this position. The children of Israel looked to Caiaphas for guidance.

Caiaphas was feared by some, greatly respected by others. Do not ever think for a moment that this man was despised, for he was not. He was the symbol embodying all religious leadership at that time. He had under him some twenty thousand priests over whom he was the absolute head and they moved under his command. They were the spiritual leaders of the nation who are now suddenly faced with a desperate situation.

Caiaphas, on the one side, leads a great religious institution with a marvelous religious heritage, while opposing him stands Jesus Christ. One or the other must go. Who shall be crucified? Can you feel the drama in your own life and heart? Where would you have stood before these two opposing powers? Would you have cast your vote with the recognized religious institutional authority? Or would you have accepted Jesus Christ?

Caiaphas who headed the religious parades in all the Jewish festivals and on the annual Day of Atonement caused all Israel to tremble before his presence. This was the high priest, their representative before God. It was to him that God would speak and bring His message of forgiveness to the people. He stood between God and the people as their representative.

When Jesus spoke to Caiaphas, He did not speak with the respect or the esteem that the people thought he should give a religious leader. This is why one of the very devout Jews struck the Lord in the face. That was a tense moment. This was a day of choice, a day of salvation. It was a day when human hearts and minds were hanging in eternal destiny. Where would you have cast your vote?

“And when He had thus spoken, one of the officers which stood by struck Him with the palm of his hand, saying, Answerest thou the high priest so?” John 18:22. Our Lord, the one whom we worship, is struck with a forceful blow. I can see our Lord weaving as the blow struck Him. Then came the words, “You do not speak to our religious leader like that.”

Caiaphas had only one purpose and that was to save the religious institution that he represented. He said, “We must save the church.” Yet, on the other hand there stood the Son of God, who also came to save the church. Two forces are represented; both want to help save the church.

But Jesus had often spoken concerning the heartlessness of the religious leaders of His time. He did not mince words. Jesus had said, “They make up heavy yokes and packs and pile them on men’s shoulders.” About Himself Jesus had said, “My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”

On another occasion, Jesus said of Caiaphas’ institutional leadership, “You shut the door of the kingdom of heaven in men’s faces.” Can’t you just see the high priest stand up in disbelief and shout, “This is blasphemy, I am the high priest and I am the head of the religious organization that opens the kingdom of God to mankind. But this man Jesus comes and says that we shut the door in the face of the people!”

Christ had also said that Caiaphas and the religious leaders were more interested in power and prestige and status than in the shepherding of the flock. Although there were twenty thousand religious priests paid out of the temple taxes, Jesus said, “Look at the people. There is nobody interested in people. All are serving the religious institution, but they have no shepherds.” That really stepped on some toes. Preachers do not like to hear that they are not doing their job correctly.

There is an old Negro spiritual that goes something like this: “Were you there when they crucified my Lord? Were you there? Oh sometimes it causes me to tremble, yes, tremble. Were you there when they crucified my Lord?” Were you? Are you there today contemplating that great sacrifice and following in the steps of Christ? We have before us the destiny of our souls.

Jesus revealed the motives of the Jewish leaders when He said, “Everything they do is done for show. Places of honor at the feasts and the chief seats at the synagogue are taken by your leaders and they do it for show.”

Jesus even dared to expose the corruption in the financial structure of their organization. He said, “You eat up the properties of the widows while you say long prayers for appearance sake. But you are going to receive a severe sentence.”

Jesus also had something to say about their mission program. He said, “You travel over sea and land to win one convert and when you have won him, you make him twice as fit for hell as you are yourselves.”

Such a situation could not go on any longer. This had to come to a showdown and everyone knew it. All the people in Jerusalem and the surrounding territories recognized the moment of destiny had come. And so we will have to stand before the Almighty God and before religious institutions and give an answer.

Christ said, “You are not at all ministers of spiritual insight or spiritual values. You are blind. You are blind guides of the blind. You are falling into the ditch and the people are falling into the ditch with you. You swear by the sanctuary. You swear by the gold. You swear by the altar. You strain at a gnat, yet you gulp down a camel. The organization of the temple is more important to you than God. You are tombs covered with whitewash, full of dead men’s bones.”

Was it any wonder that these two had to meet when Christ had said, “All of your religious organization, all of your twenty thousand priests ministering in the temple, all of your financial structure and your spiritual leadership is absolutely blind and your organization, house and institution has become desolate, for God is not in it.”

For the Jews, the temple symbolized their entire religious heritage. It was very dear to the people, yet Jesus said, “It is forsaken of God.” The temple house is needed but there needs to be a loving family within it. The institution, the organization is necessary, but only as a means in helping to shepherd the people. If you have lost contact with the needs of the hearts of the people, your house is desolate.

This is a terrible indictment. Finally the high priest speaks to those who have gathered to make a decision about this man who claims to be God. He says, “You know nothing whatsoever. You do not use your judgment. The trouble with you is that you do not have good judgment. It is more to your interest that one Man should die for the people than that the whole nation should be destroyed.” And thus, the decision is made. But where would you have stood? The decision has to be made. It was religious institutionalism versus a personal human being, Christ our Saviour. It was an organizational religionism versus the gospel. It was organization versus a Person. It was vested interest against Christ, for the earthen vessel had become more the object of devotion than the treasure within the vessel. And herein lies the universal tendency of human beings toward idolatry.

Man wishes to make himself secure within religious institutions and therefore he hides himself from the presence of God. Laodicea thinks that she has everything, but Jesus Christ stands outside the door and knocks and knocks. But the question is as alive today for you and for me as it was two thousand years ago, because Caiaphas is very much alive in every one of us.

The issue is before us today and you will have to make your own decision, if you have not already made it. Antiorganizationalism is of the rudest of follies, because we need order and organization. But when the organization becomes the means as well as the end of our devotion, then we have crucified once again our Saviour Jesus Christ. It can happen today just as verily as it happened then.

Tell me, what could have happened if Caiaphas, the high priest, had said, “Look, we are confronted with God. Let us accept Him?” What a help and inspiration for the repenting souls that could have been. If he could have only said, “Let us use this institution, this money, everything in order to glorify God, but let it be God who is the center.” Unquestionably this is what the Seventh-day Adventist Church needs now. All institutionalism becomes corrupt with itself. It begins to build and build until we have forgotten the purpose of its building and we seek security in everything except God Himself.

When the Holy Spirit comes into our lives, let us remember that there will be a unity of our hearts, the binding of mind to mind, of heart to heart and spirit to spirit. Institutionalism can provide us with an outward uniformity, but only the baptism of the Holy Spirit can give us an interior union of our spirits.

Oh, that God would help us to understand that religious institutionalism can become the greatest tool of the devil. Dr. Henry P. Van Dolson who wrote in The United Church Herald, states, “The Holy Spirit has always been troublesome to officialdom and to institutionalism because He is unruly, unpredictable and radical. The call to the ministry is to be alert, to discover every moment of the living, confounding, uncontrollable Spirit of God in what someone has called His Sovereign Unpredictability. We want security but we do not want to be shaken out of our false securities. When our false securities are shattered and we stand helpless before a superior person who vitalizes our lives, suddenly we recognize ourselves to be under the guidance of the Spirit of God. When you are under the guidance of the Spirit, you cannot control it. And, of course, institutionalism is built on control. So there is an everlasting problem here.”

This is what Caiaphas had to face. How can you attack an institution and still retain it? How can you shatter that which you love? I happen to be one who has been reared in the Seventh-day Adventist Church and all my tenderest emotions and feelings are tied into Adventism. This can also become my greatest curse and damnation, because I begin to trust in it instead of the living God. If I begin to think that the structure is what makes me a Christian instead of a personal friendship with my God and the baptism of the Holy Spirit, my faith is resting on an institution instead of the Lord.

I think I can say concerning institutions that I love none better than Adventism. I was nurtured in it. I was cradled in it. I loved it. But this can also be my damnation unless I know that all of this is but for one purpose and that is to bow my head and my mind before the living Jesus and say, that unless Christ lives within the institution, it has become only desolation and hostility—nothing but empty institution.

Oh, that God would help us today to once again understand the issues clearly and make right choices. The people two thousand years ago had to make a tremendous choice and their choice was a devastating decision effecting their eternal destiny. If you have never gone through such an experience, you do not know what I am talking about. But those of you who know what I am speaking about realize the gravity of such a situation. It has shaken you completely until you have experienced a kind of death. The very thing in which you have trusted has been shattered before you and you will never be the same again, because the basis of your life now is Jesus Christ and only Jesus Christ.

“God has a church. It is not the great cathedral, neither is it the national establishment, neither is it the various denominations; it is the people who love God and keep His commandments. ‘Where two or three are gathered together in My name, there am I in the midst of them.’ Matthew 18:20. Where Christ is even among the humble few, this is Christ’s church, for the presence of the high and holy One who inhabiteth eternity can alone constitute a church.” The Upward Look, 315.

 

Spiritism in the Adventist Church, part 1

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The close links of Spiritism with the New Theology are rarely perceived by most Seventh-day Adventists. Many have failed to recognize that the sin-and-live theology is the most pervasive form of Spiritism in the world and the church. It was the sin-and-live theology that was presented to Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden by Satan. Eve was told that if she disobeyed God by eating of the tree, she would not surely die, but would still live. Today, using all the cunning and sophistries accumulated in six thousand years of experimentation, Satan is presenting, in the most winning and persuasive way, the same concept that men and women can continue to sin until Jesus comes, and still be saved in the kingdom of heaven. As he makes his presentations, he is able to express the majority of his sophistries in truly dramatic ways though his servants. The final deception will be “confirmed” through his own impersonation of Christ. He will pretend loving and winning sentiments that only the very elect will resist.

Satan cannot bring himself to acknowledge the law of God. This law represents the very character of God. It is the transcript of that character. This is the character that Satan has maligned and has claimed is arbitrary and unloving. Therefore it is on this point alone that we can tell the difference between Satan’s army and Christ’s ambassadors. While the servants of Christ will point men and women to the sacred law of God and to the power of victory over sin that Christ provides through His death and ministry, the ambassadors of Satan will deny the saving power of Christ.

“The prophet Isaiah brings to view the fearful deception which will come upon the wicked, causing them to count themselves secure from the judgments of God: ‘We have made a covenant with death, and with hell are we at agreement; when the overflowing scourge shall pass through, it shall not come unto us: for we have made lies our refuge, and under falsehood have we hid ourselves.’ In the class here described are included those who in their stubborn impenitence comfort themselves with the assurance that there is to be no punishment for the sinner; that all mankind, it matters not how corrupt, are to be exalted to heaven, to become as the angels of God. But still more emphatically are those making a covenant with death and an agreement with hell, who renounce the truths which Heaven has provided as a defense for the righteous in the day of trouble, and accept the refuge of lies offered by Satan in its stead—the delusive pretensions of Spiritualism.” The Great Controversy, 560–561.

One has only to walk through the cemetery of any churchyard in the Christian world to realize the truth of this statement. It is almost impossible to find a tombstone which reads “Gone to hell.” Most seem to have made their way to heaven. There are many such assurances as “At home with the Lord,” “With Jesus,” or “Resting in Peace” engraved on many gravestones. It would seem that death brings instant sanctification, and that somehow, irrespective of how profligate the life may have been, the individual is instantaneously ready for the kingdom of heaven. However, such thinking is truly a covenant with death. The idea of Universalism, that all will be saved no matter what abominations they committed, is a fatal deception. The vast majority of supposed Christians will be shocked when, in the second resurrection, they recognize that that resurrection is not unto life but unto eternal destruction. While most Seventh-day Adventists do not espouse Universalism, nevertheless, a casual attitude to occasional sin will result in eternal loss by many expecting to be saved.

We believe that it is impossible for human beings to recognize the preparation that Satan has put into the deception of mankind. That satanic preparation is at least partially unveiled in the book, The Great Controversy.

“Satan has long been preparing for his final effort to deceive the world. The foundation of his work was laid by the assurance given to Eve in Eden: ‘Ye shall not surely die.’ ‘In the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.’ Little by little he has prepared the way for his masterpiece of deception in the development of Spiritualism. He has not yet reached the full accomplishment of his designs; but it will be reached in the last remnant of time. Says the prophet: ‘I saw three unclean spirits like frogs; . . . they are the spirits of devils, working miracles, which go forth unto the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty.’ Except those who are kept by the power of God, through faith in His word, the whole world will be swept into the ranks of this delusion. The people are fast being lulled into a fatal security, to be awakened only by the outpouring of the wrath of God.” The Great Controversy, 561–562.

Satan has made an all-out effort to take control of the minds of people through the use of alcohol, mind-expanding and destroying drugs, music, permissive sexual relations, and pornographic and sadistic literature. While some of these things are not used by most members of the church, many are trapped by television and the misuse of the computer. These are mesmerizing the minds of men and women, and driving them deeper and deeper into carnal security while they are moving headlong into eternal destruction. We must not ignore the efforts of Satan to control every form of education. It is almost impossible today to carry on any course in a secular institution, and often in the institutions of the church, which is not undergirded by paganistic, spiritualistic, humanistic, New Age or evolutionary principles, all designed to deceive, and to derail the lives of unsuspecting human beings.

Spiritism reaches its greatest subtlety when Satan seeks to deceive those who are dedicated to Christ, who are members of the remnant. “As Spiritualism more closely imitates the nominal Christianity of the day, it has greater power to deceive and ensnare. Satan himself is converted, after the modern order of things. He will appear in the character of an angel of light. Through the agency of Spiritualism, miracles will be wrought, the sick will be healed, and many undeniable wonders will be performed. And as the spirits will profess faith in the Bible, and manifest respect for the institutions of the church, their work will be accepted as a manifestation of divine power.” The Great Controversy 588.

The above statement was written especially for the fallen churches of Protestantism. As Seventh-day Adventism is drawn deeper and deeper into the ecumenical web, it faces the same dilemma, and the same consequences. People who have not fortified their minds with the Word of God, who have not taken the Bible, and the Bible only as their basis of practice, and who have listened to the sophistries of men rather than the pure word of truth, are drawn unsuspectingly into the deadly web of Satan.

No matter how subtle the attempt of Satan, no matter how perfectly he has laid his plans, there is no excuse for being deceived, no excuse for failing to stand firm, for the power of God is available to every human being without exception. The power of Christ is able to destroy every attempt of the evil one to undermine the confidence of our faith, and to lead us from the fold of Christ. We have been promised that He will not allow us to be taken out of His hand against our will. (John 10:28.) We know that He will never leave us nor forsake us (Hebrews 13:5), and therefore, with those assurances, and providing we never forsake Him, our victory is assured.

There has been no time in the history of the world when vigilance has been more necessary than in these last moments of probationary time. Our appeal is for every reader to daily consecrate himself to God and to the finishing of His work through witnessing to those who otherwise are moving in the pathway of death. The God of heaven patiently and longingly is waiting for His people to reflect His character so that Jesus might come to take us home to live with Him. “When the character of Christ shall be perfectly reproduced in His people, then He will come to claim them as His own.” Christ’s Object Lessons, 69.

 

Spiritism and Celebration

 

Our first intimation of the movement now referred to as the “Celebration” movement within the Adventist Church goes back to the beginning of the 1980s when a pastor Eion Giller began what some people thought was an unusually Pentecostal type of worship form in the Hillview Church near Avondale College. Of course this association with the Pentecostal movement was denied, but nevertheless there were some of the evidences of it: the expressive activities commonly associated with that movement.

The next alarm was sensed by Colin when, on a tour of Europe in 1987, he was told of charismatic Adventists in France and then met about a dozen of them when the Hartland Bible Conference was being held in the Central Church in Rome. It was at that point that we wrote the chapter on Pentecostalism in the book, Keepers of the Faith, and in so doing we were able to get a warning out prior to the movement becoming an established movement within the Seventh-day Adventist Church.

But with the introduction of such churches as the Colton Church in the Southeastern Conference, and the Milwaukee Church, Portland, in the Oregon Conference, and the Buffalo Church in the New York Conference (by the way, initially under the leadership of Dr. Eion Giller), and of the Cherrybrook Church in Sydney, it was clear that not a small effort was going to be made to bring the elements of the charismatic movement and its sister, Pentecostalism, into the church.

We were alarmed when the church leaders at the General Conference level were to repeatedly declare they could not evaluate this form of worship; that they had to wait and see, for they did not have sufficient information to make a decision. It would seem that such was rather a means of allowing the movement to develop to such an extent that there would be no way of turning it back. Those with spiritual discernment saw from the very beginning that this was nothing short of the Pentecostal and spiritualistic movement that we as a church had fought against constantly over the decades. But now it was becoming more and more a part of the church. The usual denials began to flood in when churches began to move in this direction.

The pastors were urging their churches toward Celebration services, while assuring them that it wasn’t Pentecostal or charismatic, but those who looked at what was taking place had not the slightest doubt that this was the Pentecostal movement being subtly and not-so-subtly introduced into the Seventh-day Adventist Church. Eventually, numerous churches began to be pressured in this direction. Some eagerly accepted this form of “worship”; others with some reservations accepted it. Still others were forced into it with many of the members clear on what was taking place, yet apparently impotent to do anything about it. The tragedy is that so many leaders, even perhaps somewhat opposed to it, keep denying the extent of this movement. There are hundreds of Seventh-day Adventist churches that have started on the pathway of the charismatic movement. Some have not reached the maturity that some of the early ones have, but they certainly have begun the pathway and we can be certain that Satan will bring them more and more into the full-fledged charismatic movement as he is able.

The whole presentation has been subtle. Colin overheard a dialogue at the General Conference session where men who were obviously supportive, and maybe leaders in the charismatic movement, were stating that the word “Celebration” had now acquired a negative connotation and that perhaps we should not use the term. This, of course, was meant to derail the efforts of faithful Adventists from identifying the charismatic movement when it came into the church. But no matter whether it is called Celebration or not, it is still the intrusion of Satan’s charismatic movement. Leaders and laity alike should have been forewarned. The counsel is clear.

“The things you have described as taking place in Indiana, the Lord has shown me would take place just before the close of probation. Every uncouth thing will be demonstrated. There will be shouting, with drums, music, and dancing. The senses of rational beings will become so confused that they cannot be trusted to make right decisions. And this is called the moving of the Holy Spirit.

“The Holy Spirit never reveals itself in such methods, in such a bedlam of noise. This is an invention of Satan to cover up his ingenious methods for making of none effect the pure, sincere, elevating, ennobling, sanctifying truth for this time. Better never have the worship of God blended with music than to use musical instruments to do the work which last January was represented to me would be brought into our camp meetings.” Selected Messages, vol.2, 36.

“I will not go into all the painful history; it is too much. But last January the Lord showed me that erroneous theories and methods would be brought into our camp meetings, and that the history of the past would be repeated. I felt greatly distressed. I was instructed to say that at these demonstrations demons in the form of men are present, working with all the ingenuity that Satan can employ to make the truth disgusting to sensible people; that the enemy was trying to arrange matters so that the camp meetings, which have been the means of bringing the truth of the Third Angel’s Message before multitudes, should lose their force and influence. . . .

“The Holy Spirit has nothing to do with such a confusion of noise and multitude of sounds as passed before me last January. Satan works amid the din and confusion of such music, which, properly conducted, would be a praise and glory to God. He makes its effect like the poison sting of the serpent.” Ibid., 37.

It will be noted from these statements that this movement is not under the power of the Holy Spirit, but under the power of another spirit—Satan. Therefore it is only right that faithful Adventists do not attend such churches. Our counsel is that such members look for churches where the pastors preach present truth and where they have the stirring, soul-searching messages that God has designed for this time, with the inspiring hymns of dedication, and they teach the members to lovingly serve their fellow men and train them to witness of the great message of salvation.

It is of the greatest danger for us to go deliberately into Satan’s territory. Neither one of the authors is willing to attend, knowingly, a Celebration church because of the knowledge that these churches are of Satan. We should not even allow curiosity to lead us in that direction. If Celebration is coming to your church, you have a responsibility to speak out, to urge and to counsel. But if there is no response to your counsel, and the majority of the people are determined to go with it, or lock-step follow the recommendations of the pastor in that direction, you have no alternative but to leave that church and to look for another place to worship. If there are no churches in the area, you are forced into a branch Sabbath School if that is possible, or even into home worships. This is not denying your membership of the Seventh-day Adventist Church. On the contrary, it is a very important indication that you will not move away from the truth and that you are being a faithful Seventh-day Adventist.

Those who are parents of children must be especially careful. They have a responsibility not to allow their children to go to such services, for they may be led away from salvation under the influence of Satan. Colin had the tragic experience the Sabbath before Christmas, 1990, to attend with his wife and family a church in Perth, Australia. The children were sent to the Primary and Kindergarten Sabbath School respectively. You can imagine Colin’s and his wife, Cheryl’s, consternation when the children of these divisions gave special music and they sang a rock Christmas carol with much jumping about and clapping and celebration-type behavior. Of course, their children had not learned this song, but as might be expected, they were trying to do what the other children were doing. How tragic such an experience is. Parents now must carefully evaluate that the Sabbath School to which they are sending their children is a fit place for them to learn the wonderful messages of God.

In August, 1989, Russell attended a church in Melbourne, Australia. He had known the church in earlier times and was surprised to find it only about one-third full.

The following week there was a transformation. The church was full. The difference was astounding. After Sabbath School a young man, dressed extremely casually, lounged on the lectern and invited the congregation to sing some choruses projected on a screen. After about ten minutes of singing, an elder came up and made an announcement. Thereafter another ten minutes of the singing of projected choruses ensued. At this point the “pastoral prayer” was announced. For the first time it dawned on Russell that we were already twenty minutes into the “divine service” and the song leader was the young pastor. The singing, interrupted once more by a children’s story and the offering, had a duration of fifty minutes. The final ten minutes of the service were devoted to a short homily by the pastor, a special item and benediction. Russell had received his first introductory lesson in Celebration.

At the conclusion of the service one senior member remarked to Russell, “It’s wonderful when this young pastor comes, he brings all these young people with him and fills up our church. They come from all over Melbourne and follow him wherever he preaches.” Some may have thought that these young people were being spiritually fed, but Russell concluded that they were on starvation rations.

We are spending large sums of money to train our ministers in the Celebration methodology. In the Ministries Department of the seminary there is a strong training program encouraging Celebration type services. Many of our pastors and leaders from Australia and New Zealand have been taken on tours to the United States where they not only visit the more “advanced” charismatic churches of Adventism, but they attend and dialogue with pastors from non-Adventist charismatic and Pentecostal churches. It is hard to imagine that God’s sacred money could be used to train our ministers away from the great purpose of God and towards the banner of Satan.

The tragedy is that few of the laity are rising up to ask for an absolute halt. In 1991 a four-day worship seminar was held mainly for ministers in the United States. Many pastors attended it, including some from Australia. There is only one answer to this. In spite of leaders frequently saying they are waiting to see the results, they are indeed supporting these changes in worship form. Do such leaders have a right to continue as the guardians of the flock? They have betrayed their trust and they have allowed their ministry to come under the power of another spirit.

Colin could not have helped but notice some of the seminars offered by the Potamac Conference in Convention ‘91, November 1 and 2, that were promoting New Age philosophy. For example, “What you see is what you are, Christians can use meditation and visualization for peak mental health—learn how!”

In the same set of seminars, participants could attend “Batman’s Action-packed perspective of Sabbath School programming. Action—one of Batman’s trademarks. Today young people need to learn by doing, not just hearing. What is active learning and how can you use it to reach your kids? In this seminar you will hear and do activities which you can use with your Juniors, Earliteens and Youth on the following Sabbath!”

Any faithful Seventh-day Adventist will be distressed by the use of a worldly television program such as Batman as a basis for training for Sabbath School class teachers. Is it any wonder then that one of the other seminars was, “How my Sunday School can help your Sabbath School.” Or that we have another seminar by a non-Adventist presenter, “Growing kids spiritually in an unspiritual world. How come young people of the Baptist Church have such strong denominational loyalty, faith and values? Why are they so much stronger than our kids?”

To every perceptive Adventist the reason is simple. We are no longer presenting the challenges of the Three Angels’ Messages to our young people; we are no longer training them in selfless service for God and man; we are presenting to them the egocentric concepts of the world, rather than the power of God. One is also alarmed to see our great university churches, whether it be Loma Linda University Church, Pioneer Memorial Church at Andrews University, or the Sligo Church at Columbia Union College, all moving at least in one service to the Celebration format.

For example, the Pioneer Memorial Church at Andrews University put out its little brochure, “Sabbath Sunburst Celebration Saturday mornings at 8:45 a.m. Come fellowship with the Son, let Him burst across your horizon. A new dimension for your Sabbaths. Praise. Music. Fellowship. The spirit of worship, the song of encounter, the simplicity of celebration. Or choose the 11:20 service and experience the grandeur of traditional worship—the same inspirational preaching at both.”

With tragic clarity our young people are being thrown into the arms of Satan’s counterfeit and few seem to know it. Colin was concerned at the report that he received while in Brisbane at the end of 1991, where the congregation had sung the pagan hymn, “Let us break bread together on our knees.” But as the people were leaving for foot washing the pastor continued to sing, according to some who were witnesses there, “Let us break God together on our knees.” Brother Lin Harmon made this comment, “At that juncture my wife and I segregated and went home as did some others.” What a tragedy that men and women are forced to go home because of the intrusion of erroneous Catholic doctrines within the church.

Nor can one remain unmoved by the service at the La Sierra University Church the end of October, 1991. Here the program contained the ecumenical words on the front of the program, “A liturgy celebration unity in diversity.” There is no such thing as unity in diversity. Unity is in truth, unadulterated and uncontaminated. After reading some good scriptures and singing some good hymns, the program tragically moved into human words. For example, “In Thee, in me,” translated from the Sanskrit by Mohandas Gandhi. The pantheistic spiritualism of Gandhi came through very quickly in the words used in this liturgical service. “In Thee, in me, in all persons, there dwelleth the one God.”

Any Christian knows that God does not invade humanity without their permission. Revelation 3 portrays Christ as standing at the door of our hearts and knocking, and if we open the door He will come in. But pantheism believes that God is in everything and in every human being. It was this pantheism of Kellogg that God declared to be spiritualism, and yet this liturgy could be presented. Other messages were presented from John Donne, the sixteenth century English poet, “No man is an island.” Life Together by Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Strength to Love by Martin Luther King, Jr., the Peaceable Kingdom by Stanley Hauer was, but strangely no words from God’s end-time prophet. The folk who gave Colin the program left when a woman danced an extended liturgical dance during the divine service hour. How can it be that God’s church has fallen so far and so fully into these idolatrous practices? We are repulsed by the paganism of the Israelites and the Jews and yet we ourselves have walked headlong into the same paganistic practices.

Not only is the Celebration movement seen in the use of rock and hypnotic music, but it is seen in the entertainment that is flooding into our church with comedians holding services on Sabbath such as was held on the Friday evening at the Arco Center in Sacramento the end of October, 1991. Also “clown ministry” and “miming” are in common use today in church worship.

The spiritual becomes the profane; the holy becomes corrupted; the sanctified becomes secular. How tragic are the consequences of these activities. And yet many blindly move forward saying that this is the leading of God to help our youth stay in the church. Is it any wonder that we in the Western world are losing three-quarters of our youth from the Adventist Church? Is it any wonder that we are finding our youth growing up into self-centered, pleasure seeking young people who know not the principles of the truth and who are unready for the mighty work that God has called them to fulfill?

Now is surely a day to call our people back to true worship, the worship of the God of heaven, not the worship of the false god of Satan.

 

Editorial — When Christians Work for the Devil

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It has often been the case that the most dedicated Christians end up working for the devil! We rarely glimpse our own weaknesses and narrowness of mind. We can feel it when we are on the receiving end of some other “Christian” doing the work of the devil, but rarely do we have the gift to see ourselves as we are seen (and felt).

It took Servetus three hours to die, by burning (with green wood), and this was instigated, at least in part, by John Calvin. Melanchthon wrote to the instigators of this murder, and said that “the church will always owe a debt of gratitude to you for putting the heretic to death!”

If we are going to heaven we must repent and quit doing the work of the devil. Don’t you agree A transformation must come in our speech and actions. Ellen White said about this subject: “Do not strive to have your own way. If other people do not agree with you, do not make a mountain [out] of a mole-hill and feel that you can no longer be united with them in the Lord Jesus. Do not lose your affection and love for those who do not wholly agree with you. Let not the little differences that arise be made an occasion to break up the unity that should exist among brethren. This is the work of Satan. When you quarrel with your brethren, when you are selfish and are jealous if you do not get your own way, you show that you are not meek and lowly.

“Do not allow your individuality to become prominent. If differences arise, do not insist on having your own way, thereby creating strife. Let your individual preferences be unexpressed, when you see that they would create discord. “Unless some question of vital importance is involved, be ready to yield your own opinion rather than to create a dispute. Even though you may by argument gain your point, yet you may place a burden upon someone else, far outweighing the advantage you think you will gain. It is hard to heal the wounds caused by harsh words.

“Often you may preserve peace by guarding the tongue. Never introduce into your conversation matters that will create strife, hurting your own soul and the souls of others. Keep your differences to yourself. Tell them only to God.

“Do not let Satan mold and fashion you. He ever stands ready to put evil insinuations into your mind. He seeks to justify himself in his course of rebellion against God, by demonstrating that human beings upon the earth can no more keep the law of God than could he and his angels in heaven.

‘Ye are not your own.’ The Lord Jesus has a right to your wholehearted and faithful, persevering energies. ‘For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.’ 1 Corinthians 6:19, 20. “The home is a school, where all may learn how they are to act in the church. When all are members of the royal family, there will be true politeness in the home life. Each member of the family will seek to make it pleasant for every other member. The angels of God, who minister to those who shall be heirs of salvation, will help you to make your family a model of the heavenly family. “Let there be peace in the home, and there will be peace in the church. This precious experience, brought into the church, will be a means of creating a kindly affection one for another. Quarrels will cease. True Christian courtesy will be seen among church members. The world will take knowledge of them that they have been with Jesus and have learned of Him. What an impression the church would make upon the world, if all the members would live Christian lives.

“Much may be gained by self-discipline in the home life. If the husband and wife show respect for each other, a healthful, wholesome atmosphere will pervade the home. Let each make life as pleasant as possible for the other. Cultivate respect in the speech. Preserve unity and love. Satan will have no power over those who fully control themselves in the home.” Manuscript Releases, vol. 19, 67–70.