Why Do You Believe What You Believe?

We are living in a time when every position of truth is going to be attacked. The most dangerous are those in which people do not know they are being attacked. Attacks are made against the law of God. Some believe that the law of God, as well as the whole law of Moses, is just one law; therefore, it is necessary to keep the feast days and other ceremonial commands. Others believe also that the law of God and the law of Moses are just one law, and because Jesus fulfilled it and we are now under grace, there is no need to keep it. All that is necessary is to love God and love your neighbor. This position, spearheaded by Desmond Ford, is one taken by many former Adventists and former Adventist ministers.

This teaching, started by the denial of the investigative judgment, has caused much confusion. True Seventh-day Adventist belief is neither one of these positions. We believe that there are two laws—one which is unchangeable and eternal; the other being temporary and nailed to the cross when Jesus died. Adventism is caught in the crossfire of those who want to keep the feasts and others suggesting that Sabbath is optional—you can keep it if you want; however, many do not because it is not convenient. It is more convenient to go to church on Sunday, which is customary and common. Sadly, there are many former Adventist ministers who also hold this position.

If the Sabbath is optional and a future law is made prohibiting you from keeping it and being penalized by not being able to buy or sell, or forced into prison or even losing your life, would you keep it then? It is necessary to have Biblical evidence for why we believe what we believe, because attacks come from both sides accusing us of error. Many Protestant theologians, in discussing their reasons for Sunday keeping, have had some influence on Seventh-day Adventist ministers. Many have spent years doing research on this subject and can show lots of Bible texts and historical documents to support their position, so it is necessary to know why you believe what you believe.

In the book, Patriarchs and Prophets, 363, it says, “Adam and Eve, at their creation, had a knowledge of the law of God; they were acquainted with its claims upon them; its precepts were written upon their hearts. When man fell by transgression the law was not changed, but a remedial system was established to bring him back to obedience. The promise of a Saviour was given, and sacrificial offerings pointing forward to the death of Christ as the great sin offering were established. But had the law of God never been transgressed, there would have been no death, and no need of a Saviour; consequently there would have been no need of sacrifices.

“Adam taught his descendants the law of God, and it was handed down from father to son through successive generations. But notwithstanding the gracious provision for man’s redemption, there were few who accepted it and rendered obedience. By transgression the world became so vile that it was necessary to cleanse it by the Flood from its corruption. The law was preserved by Noah and his family, and Noah taught his descendants the Ten Commandments. As men again departed from God, the Lord chose Abraham, of whom He declared, ‘Abraham obeyed My voice, and kept My charge, My commandments, My statutes, and My laws.’ Genesis 26:5. To him was given the rite of circumcision, which was a sign that those who received it were devoted to the service of God—a pledge that they would remain separate from idolatry, and would obey the law of God. The failure of Abraham’s descendants to keep this pledge, as shown in their disposition to form alliances with the heathen and adopt their practices, was the cause of their sojourn and bondage in Egypt.”

Notice that disobedience was the cause of the bondage in Egypt and the continual rejection of God’s law made it necessary for the written law to be given at Sinai. “But in their intercourse with idolaters, and their forced submission to the Egyptians, the divine precepts became still further corrupted with the vile and cruel teachings of heathenism. Therefore when the Lord brought them forth from Egypt, He came down upon Sinai, enshrouded in glory and surrounded by His angels, and in awful majesty spoke His law in the hearing of all the people.

“He did not even then trust His precepts to the memory of a people who were prone to forget His requirements, but wrote them upon tables of stone. He would remove from Israel all possibility of mingling heathen traditions with His holy precepts, or of confounding His requirements with human ordinances or customs. But He did not stop with giving them the precepts of the Decalogue. The people had shown themselves so easily led astray that He would leave no door of temptation unguarded. Moses was commanded to write, as God should bid him, judgments and laws giving minute instruction as to what was required.” Ibid., 363, 364.

Many Adventists are not aware that most of what Moses wrote was actually the Ten Commandments spelled out in more detail. For example, Leviticus 18 is simply an amplified explanation of the seventh commandment, leaving the people with no excuse. Moses also explained all of the other commandments in detail. These writings are not ceremonial laws and are just as much a part of the moral law as that written by God Himself.

“Moses was commanded to write, as God should bid him, judgments and laws giving minute instruction as to what was required. These directions relating to the duty of the people to God, to one another, and to the stranger were only the principles of the Ten Commandments amplified … .” Ibid., 364.

The Ten Commandments were amplified, explained and made simple so that everyone would understand the principles.

In Leviticus 11 and Deuteronomy 14 are laws in regard to clean and unclean foods—foods to eat and foods not to eat. This instruction directly relates to the sixth commandment. Killing yourself slowly by unhealthy life practices is just as much breaking that commandment as taking a gun and putting it to your head to kill yourself. If a person lit a cigarette and instantly dropped dead, nobody would smoke. But on the average, for every cigarette smoked, life is shortened between six and ten minutes. Cigarettes slowly kill! This same principle applies to all other unclean foods that are eaten and which shorten life. Disobedience is a violation of the sixth commandment.

“These directions relating to the duty of the people to God, to one another, and to the stranger were only the principles of the Ten Commandments amplified and given in a specific manner, that none need err. They were designed to guard the sacredness of the ten precepts engraved on the tables of stone.” Ibid.

Most of what Moses wrote was simply the principles of the Ten Commandments amplified, so nobody would need to make a mistake. Commandment keepers need to be in harmony with what Moses wrote explaining each of the Ten Commandments.

“If man had kept the law of God, as given to Adam after his fall, preserved by Noah, and observed by Abraham, there would have been no necessity for the ordinance of circumcision. And if the descendants of Abraham had kept the covenant, of which circumcision was a sign, they would never have been seduced into idolatry, nor would it have been necessary for them to suffer a life of bondage in Egypt; they would have kept God’s law in mind, and there would have been no necessity for it to be proclaimed from Sinai or engraved upon the tables of stone. And had the people practiced the principles of the Ten Commandments, there would have been no need of the additional directions given to Moses.” Ibid., 364.

Since the beginning of time there has been a lot of knowledge lost. The Bible talks about two laws—the moral law, which is eternal, and the ceremonial law, which was temporary. There are many Protestants who are confused on this point, believing that the law was given for the first time at Mt. Sinai, but the fact is that the law has been in existence ever since Adam and Eve were created.

Romans 4:15 says, “Because the law brings about wrath; for where there is no law, there is no transgression.” Even children can understand that, but some theologians do not. Sin is simply the transgression of the law, so if there is no law there is no transgression, there is no sin.

Isaiah 43:27 says, “Your first father sinned, And your mediators have transgressed against Me.” Who was the first father? It was Adam. How could Adam have sinned if there was no law before Sinai? There had to be a law in the Garden of Eden or Adam could not have sinned. The penalty for sin is death. Here the confusion gets worse, because our Protestant friends say the law was to just love the Lord and not eat the forbidden fruit.

At one time my father was testing out the first muscle car he had ever owned, a 1956 Oldsmobile, Super 88 with a 4-barrel carburetor and a big 394 cubic inch V-8 engine. Our family was on vacation in Montana, and my father said, “This is wonderful! Montana does not have any speed limits.” Soon there was a little red light flashing behind us, and we pulled over. My father said to the officer, “I thought there was no speed limit in Montana.”

The officer replied, “Yes, there is no speed limit in Montana in the daytime. But at night time the speed limit is 55.” If it had been daytime, the officer could not stop my father, as there was no law to govern his speed, but we were traveling in the night hours, there was a law, and we had broken it.

Before the law was ever given at Mt. Sinai, there is much evidence that all ten of the commandments were in existence. Genesis 2:1-3 says, “Thus the heavens and the earth, and all the host of them, were finished. And on the seventh day God ended His work which He had done, and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had done. Then God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because in it He rested from all His work which God had created and made.”

This passage contains a lot of information. The first point in this passage to notice is that there was no sin in the Garden of Eden at this time; Adam and Eve were innocent. Adam and Eve were not in need of a Saviour, as no transgression had yet occurred. The Sabbath was created and given to mankind as a memorial of creation; it was not added because of transgression.

We talk about the laws of types and shadows, but when we read Genesis 2, does it sound like a shadow of something that is going to come in the future? No, it is a memorial of something that has already happened, the creation of the world. There is nothing shadowy about the seventh day Sabbath. It is not a type of something but a memorial of something that has already happened.

Notice three separate qualities about the Sabbath:

  1. It specifies that on that day, God rested. God does not rest like a human being rests. The Bible says that God never slumbers or sleeps. He does not need to take physical rest.
  2. In addition to resting, God blessed that day. The Sabbath is a day that God has blessed. When you read the record in Genesis 1 and 2, you will find that the Sabbath is the only day that God blessed. He did not bless any other day. The wise man (Solomon) said, in Ecclesiastes 3:14, “I know that whatever God does, It shall be forever: Nothing can be added to it, And nothing taken from it. God does it, that men should fear before Him.”

There are several questions that need to be considered by those wanting to keep another day. Is there any other day besides the Sabbath in the Bible that God has blessed? If some day other than the Sabbath is kept, where does the Bible say that God removed His blessing from the Sabbath?

  1. God did not only rest on the Sabbath, He blessed it and sanctified that day. The word sanctify simply means to make something holy. Holiness is a quality of God; it is something that is God-like. The Sabbath was sanctified or made into a holy day.

Not only is the Sabbath a rest day, a blessed day, but it is a holy day, because God sanctified it. The Sabbath is a holy day. We cannot make anything holy, because we do not have any holiness of our own. The only way we can become holy, and we do have to become holy, is if God makes us holy. God says, “I also gave them My Sabbaths, to be a sign between them and Me, that they might know that I am the Lord who sanctifies them.” Exodus 20:12. The Sabbath is a sign to God’s people that He will make you holy, and those He makes holy He will take to heaven.

In Genesis 4:3 is recorded the story about Cain and Abel. “And in process of time it came to pass, that Cain brought of the fruit of the ground an offering unto the Lord.” In the margin, the literal Hebrew text says, “At the end of the day Cain brought an offering.” Was it the end of the day, the end of the year, the end of the season, the end of the days of the month or the end of the days of the week? Many theologians believe that this was the Sabbath when Cain brought his offering. That was the end of the days of the week.

Ellen White says that Adam and Eve came to the edge of the Garden of Eden to worship every Sabbath. “The Garden of Eden remained upon the earth long after man had become an outcast from its pleasant paths. The fallen race were long permitted to gaze upon the home of innocence, their entrance barred only by the watching angels. At the cherubim-guarded gate of Paradise the divine glory was revealed. Hither came Adam and his sons to worship God.” Patriarchs and Prophets, 62.

In Exodus 5:4 it says, “And the king of Egypt said to them, Moses and Aaron, why do you take the people from their work? Get back to your labor.“ While slaves in Egypt, the Egyptians forced the Israelites to work seven days a week. Moses told the people that the Lord was going to deliver them, but they would have to keep His law. When the Israelites began to keep the Sabbath again, Pharaoh did not like it.

Have you ever thought about the logistics of supplying water, food, restroom facilities, bathing and laundry facilities for over a million people out in the desert? The Israelites looked around and wondered how in the world they would survive in a place like that. They knew they would run out of the food they had brought with them, but they were instructed not to worry, because God was going to rain bread from heaven for them.

In this act they would understand clearly what was involved with keeping the Sabbath. In Exodus 16:4, 5 it says, “The Lord said to Moses, ‘Behold, I will rain bread from heaven for you. And the people shall go out and gather a certain quota every day, that I may test them, whether they will walk in My law, or not. And it shall be on the sixth day that they shall prepare what they bring in, and it shall be twice as much as they gather daily.’ ”

Every day the people gathered what they needed for that day. Jesus said in the Lord’s prayer, “Give us today our daily bread” (Matthew 6:11). God has not promised food for the next month. Gathering food six days was to teach them to trust in the Lord. Anything kept over until the next day spoiled. On the sixth day they were to gather twice as much as they did every other day and then on the Sabbath it did not spoil. Some went out and gathered more than they needed and found that on the next day it had bred worms. Then on the sixth day (Friday), some people gathered only what they needed for that day, not making any preparation for the Sabbath. When they went out to gather on the Sabbath, there was not any.

“And Moses said, ‘Let no man leave any of it till the morning.’ Notwithstanding they did not heed Moses. But some of them left part of it until morning, and it bred worms and stank. And Moses was angry with them. So they gathered it every morning, every man according to his need. And when the sun became hot, it melted. And so it was, on the sixth day, that they gathered twice as much bread, two omers for each one. And all the rulers of the congregation came and told Moses. Then he said to them, ‘This is what the Lord has said: “Tomorrow is a Sabbath rest, a holy Sabbath to the Lord. Bake what you will bake today, and boil what you will boil; and lay up for yourselves all that remains, to be kept until morning.” ’ So they laid it up till morning, as Moses commanded; and it did not stink, nor were there any worms in it. Then Moses said, ‘Eat that today, for today is a Sabbath to the Lord; today you will not find it in the field. Six days you shall gather it, but on the seventh day, which is the Sabbath, there will be none.’ Now it happened that some of the people went out on the seventh day to gather, but they found none. And the Lord said to Moses, ‘How long do you refuse to keep My commandments and My laws? See! For the Lord has given you the Sabbath; therefore He gives you on the sixth day bread for two days. Let every man remain in his place; let no man go out of his place on the seventh day.’ So the people rested on the seventh day.” Verses 19–30.

The children of Israel knew about the Sabbath. This was not something new that was introduced to them at Sinai. They had just been given specific instructions about their food supply and the Sabbath. In fact, when the Ten Commandments were given, the very first word of the fourth commandment was “Remember.” You cannot remember something if you have never heard about it beforehand.

As we have just seen, there is plenty of evidence that the Sabbath existed from creation. It was kept by Adam and Eve; it was also kept by Abel, Enoch, Methuselah, Noah, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. In the first part of the Bible we have also seen that all of the commandments existed before they were given on tables at Sinai.

For example, Eve was the first one to break the first commandment, “You shall have no other gods before Me” (Exodus 20:3). She made the serpent her god—she listened to the serpent instead of God. Adam listened to and obeyed his wife, causing him also to break this commandment.

The second commandment is a prohibition against the use of idols of any kind (Exodus 20:4). “Then God said to Jacob, ‘Arise, go up to Bethel, and dwell there; and make an altar there to God, who appeared to you when you fled from the face of Esau your brother.’ And Jacob said to his household and to all who were with him, ‘Put away the foreign gods that are among you, purify yourselves, and change your garments.’ ” Genesis 35:1, 2. Verse 4 tells that they gave Jacob all of their foreign gods and all of their jewelry, and he buried it. Jacob knew that it was wrong to worship these idols.

The third commandment is, “You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain” (Exodus 20:7). There is a lot of swearing that is reported in the book of Genesis. Genesis 25:32, 33 says: “Esau said, ‘Look, I am about to die; so what is this birthright to me?’ Then Jacob said, ‘Swear to me as of this day.’ So he swore to him …” that day and sold his birthright, the right to become the progenitor of the Messiah. Referring to this it says, in Hebrews 12:16, 17, “Lest there be any fornicator or profane person like Esau, who for one morsel of food sold his birthright. For you know that afterward, when he wanted to inherit the blessing, he was rejected, for he found no place for repentance, though he sought it diligently with tears.” By the way, you do not need to repent if you have not sinned. Esau sinned because he took the name of the Lord God in vain by considering his birthright something that was not worth very much.

There are several references to the fifth commandment in the book of Genesis. In Genesis 9:22–25, it says, “Ham, the father of Canaan, saw the nakedness of his father, and told his two brothers outside. And Shem and Japheth took a garment, laid it on both their shoulders, and went backward and covered the nakedness of their father. Their faces were turned away, and they did not see their father’s nakedness. So Noah awoke from his wine, and knew what his younger son had done to him. Then he said, ‘Cursed be Canaan; A servant of servants He shall be to his brethren.’ ”

Noah and his sons knew the principle of the fifth commandment to honor your father and your mother (Exodus 20:12). A curse was put on the son who did not obey this commandment.

When Cain killed his brother, the Lord called that sin (Genesis 4:7). When Levi and Simeon killed a whole city full of people, they brought the curse of their father on them (Genesis 49). Those are not the only references to the sixth commandment.

There are many references to the seventh commandment (Exodus 20:14) in the book of Genesis, showing that it had validity and the people knew that it was wrong to break it. God burned Sodom and Gomorrah because of their sexual immorality (Genesis 19). The story recorded in Genesis 38 about Judah and Tamar reveals that they knew what they did was wrong and that it deserved the death penalty. In Genesis 21:12–14 Abraham understood when God told him to send Hagar away, that she did not have a right to stay there because Sarah was his wife.

Jacob knew it was wrong to steal (the eighth commandment, Exodus 20:15). When Laban came looking for the gods that Rachel had stolen, Jacob said that if anybody in his camp had stolen the idols, to let him die (Genesis 31:30–34).

When the sons of Jacob answered Hamor and his son Shechem deceitfully, Jacob pronounced a curse on Simeon and Levi for lying to those people in Genesis 34:13 and Genesis 49:5–7. Jacob understood the principle of the ninth commandment (Exodus 20:16) that it was wrong to lie.

Throughout Genesis 37 over and over is recorded a violation of the tenth commandment (Exodus 20:17) referring to coveting. Jacob made a bad mistake in loving Joseph more than his other sons, and as a result, the other brothers became covetous of the love and attention that he received from their father. It says they envied him so much that they decided they would kill him.

Every one of the principles of the Ten Commandments existed during the time of Genesis, clear from creation. It was commonly known that it was wrong to break any of those principles.

When Adam and Eve were created the moral law was written in their hearts. “Though this covenant was made with Adam and renewed to Abraham, it could not be ratified until the death of Christ. It had existed by the promise of God since the first intimation of redemption had been given; it had been accepted by faith; yet when ratified by Christ, it is called a new covenant.” God’s Amazing Grace, 133.

It is the promise of the New Covenant to write the law which existed in the Garden of Eden that was written by God’s own finger on the tablets of stone, and that is the foundation of God’s government in both heaven and earth, in each heart. Then, man will be restored into harmony with his Maker.

[Bible texts quoted are NKJV translation.]

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

Bible Study Guides – Two Laws

July 29, 2012 – August 4, 2012

The People of the Ark

Key Text

“Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith.” Galatians 3:24.

Study Help: Patriarchs and Prophets, 363–373.

Introduction

“[Galatians 3:24 quoted.] … The Holy Spirit through the apostle [Paul] is speaking especially of the moral law. The law reveals sin to us, and causes us to feel our need of Christ and to flee unto Him for pardon and peace by exercising repentance toward God and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ.” Selected Messages, Book 1, 234.

1 THE ETERNAL MORAL LAW

  • What was one of the purposes for which Jesus came into the world? From what does He save us? Matthew 1:21. How can we recognize sin in our life? Romans 3:20; 7:7, 12; Psalm 19:7.

Note: “It was because the law was changeless, because man could be saved only through obedience to its precepts, that Jesus was lifted up on the cross.” The Desire of Ages, 763.

“By His [Christ’s] perfect obedience He has made it possible for every human being to obey God’s commandments.” Christ’s Object Lessons, 312.

“Without the law, men have no just conception of the purity and holiness of God or of their own guilt and uncleanness. They have no true conviction of sin and feel no need of repentance.” The Great Controversy, 468.

  • How did Christ relate to the moral law? Isaiah 42:21; Matthew 5:17–20, 27, 28; Luke 16:17, 18. What did Paul write about the moral law? Romans 2:12, 13, 17, 21–27; 3:31; 8:7.

Note: “Satan is seeking to destroy the force of the Ten Commandments, urging his agents to declare that Christ nailed them to His cross. The cross is an immutable argument of the unchangeable character of the law of God. Christ died in order that a way might be provided for saving the sinner, in meeting the demands of the broken law.” The Signs of the Times, March 12, 1896.

2 WHICH IS WHICH?

  • Which law is called “a schoolmaster,” and why? Galatians 3:24.

Note: “When the mind is drawn to the cross of Calvary, Christ by imperfect sight is discerned on the shameful cross. Why did He die? In consequence of sin. What is sin? The transgression of the law. Then the eyes are open to see the character of sin. The law is broken but cannot pardon the transgressor. It is our schoolmaster, condemning to punishment. Where is the remedy? The law drives us to Christ, who was hanged upon the cross that He might be able to impart His righteousness to fallen, sinful man.” Selected Messages, Book 1, 341.

“What law is the schoolmaster to bring us to Christ? I answer: Both the ceremonial and the moral code of ten commandments.

“Christ was the foundation of the whole Jewish economy. The death of Abel was in consequence of Cain’s refusing to accept God’s plan in the school of obedience to be saved by the blood of Jesus Christ typified by the sacrificial offerings pointing to Christ. Cain refused the shedding of blood which symbolized the blood of Christ to be shed for the world. This whole ceremony was prepared by God, and Christ became the foundation of the whole system. This is the beginning of its work as the schoolmaster to bring sinful human agents to a consideration of Christ the Foundation of the whole Jewish economy.

“All who did service in connection with the sanctuary were being educated constantly in regard to the intervention of Christ in behalf of the human race. This service was designed to create in every heart a love for the law of God, which is the law of His kingdom. The sacrificial offering was to be an object lesson of the love of God revealed in Christ—in the suffering, dying victim, who took upon Himself the sin of which man was guilty, the innocent being made sin for us.” Ibid., 233.

  • What does the Bible say about the ceremonial law? Ephesians 2:15; Colossians 2:14; Hebrews 10:1.

Note: “The ceremonial law was to answer a particular purpose in Christ’s plan for the salvation of the race. The typical system of sacrifices and offerings was established that through these services the sinner might discern the great offering, Christ.” The Faith I Live By, 106.

3 SHADOWS OF THINGS TO COME

  • Why did the ceremonial law—the shadow of future things—come to an end? Colossians 2:16, 17, 20; Hebrews 10:4; 9:11, 12, 15.

Note: “There are many who try to blend these two [legal] systems, using the texts that speak of the ceremonial law to prove that the moral law has been abolished; but this is a perversion of the Scriptures. The distinction between the two systems is broad and clear. The ceremonial system was made up of symbols pointing to Christ, to His sacrifice and His priesthood. This ritual law, with its sacrifices and ordinances, was to be performed by the Hebrews until type met antitype in the death of Christ, the Lamb of God that taketh away the sin of the world. Then all the sacrificial offerings were to cease. It is this law that Christ ‘took … out of the way, nailing it to His cross.’ Colossians 2:14.” Patriarchs and Prophets, 365.

“God’s people, whom He calls His peculiar treasure, were privileged with a two fold system of law; the moral and the ceremonial. The one, pointing back to creation to keep in remembrance the living God who made the world, whose claims are binding upon all men in every dispensation, and which will exist through all time and eternity. The other, given because of man’s transgression of the moral law, the obedience to which consisted in sacrifices and offerings pointing to the future redemption. Each is clear and distinct from the other.” “Ellen G. White Comments,” The Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, vol. 6, 1094.

  • Who was among the first to offer an animal sacrifice, and what did this represent? Hebrews 11:4; John 1:29; Hebrews 9:28.

Note: “The typical service and the ceremonies connected with it were abolished at the cross. The great antitypical Lamb of God had become an offering for guilty man, and the shadow ceased in the substance.” “Ellen G. White Comments,” The Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, vol. 6, 1061.

“Our Saviour, in His life and death, fulfilled all the prophecies pointing to Himself, and was the substance of all the types and shadows signified.” Selected Messages, Book 1, 231.

4 THE BLOOD OF CHRIST IN SYMBOLS

  • Why were animal sacrifices required? Hebrews 9:22; 10:10–14.

Note: “In the plan of redemption there must be the shedding of blood, for death must come in consequence of man’s sin. The beasts for sacrificial offerings were to prefigure Christ. In the slain victim, man was to see the fulfillment for the time being of God’s word, ‘Ye shall surely die’ [Genesis 2:17]. And the flowing of the blood from the victim would also signify an atonement.” The Review and Herald, March 3, 1874.

“The sacrificial offerings were ordained by God to be to man a perpetual reminder and a penitential acknowledgment of his sin and a confession of his faith in the promised Redeemer. They were intended to impress upon the fallen race the solemn truth that it was sin that caused death.” Patriarchs and Prophets, 68.

  • After the children of Israel had suffered under bondage in Egypt, what special service was introduced to be more specific in the representation of Jesus Christ? Leviticus 23:5; I Corinthians 5:7, 8.

Note: “It was Christ’s desire to leave to His disciples an ordinance that would do for them the very thing they needed—that would serve to disentangle them from the rites and ceremonies which they had hitherto engaged in as essential, and which the reception of the gospel made no longer of any force. To continue these rites would be an insult to Jehovah.” “Ellen G. White Comments,” The Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, vol. 5, 1139, 1140.

“He [Christ] kept the moral law, and exalted it by answering its claims as man’s representative. Those of Israel who turned to the Lord, and accepted Christ as the reality shadowed forth by the typical sacrifices, discerned the end of that which was to be abolished.” Selected Messages, Book 1, 231.

  • What was the blood of animals unable to accomplish? Hebrews 7:19; 10:4. How only is complete cleansing obtained? Acts 4:12.

5 DONE AWAY

  • On many occasions in the history of the Jewish nation, what was so very difficult for them to understand? Isaiah 1:11–15. Why? Isaiah 1:6. What did the early Christians therefore understand?

Note: “The Jews had prided themselves upon their divinely appointed services; and they concluded that as God once specified the Hebrew manner of worship, it was impossible that He should ever authorize a change in any of its specifications. They decided that Christianity must connect itself with the Jewish laws and ceremonies. They were slow to discern to the end of that which had been abolished by the death of Christ, and to perceive that all their sacrificial offerings had but prefigured the death of the Son of God, in which type had met its antitype rendering valueless the divinely appointed ceremonies and sacrifices of the Jewish religion. …

“He [Paul] knew that the typical ceremonies must soon altogether cease, since that which they had shadowed forth had come to pass, and the light of the gospel was shedding its glory upon the Jewish religion, giving a new significance to its ancient rites.” Sketches from the Life of Paul, 64, 65.

“[In Acts 15:13–29]. It was his [the apostle James’] sentence that the ceremonial law, and especially the ordinance of circumcision, be not in any wise urged upon the Gentiles, or even recommended to them.” Ibid., 69.

  • While the Jews used the sacrificial system as a license to sin, what type of sacrifices was God really seeking? Psalm 51:17–19; Isaiah 1:16–18.

Note: “Paul did not bind himself nor his converts to the ceremonies and customs of the Jews, with their varied forms, types, and sacrifices; for he recognized that the perfect and final offering had been made in the death of the Son of God. The age of clearer light and knowledge had now come. And although the early education of Paul had blinded his eyes to this light, and led him to bitterly oppose the work of God, yet the revelation of Christ to him while on his way to Damascus had changed the whole current of his life. His character and works had now become a remarkable illustration of those of his divine Lord. His teaching led the mind to a more active spiritual life, that carried the believer above mere ceremonies. …

“He preached the cross of Christ.” Sketches from the Life of Paul, 105.

REVIEW AND THOUGHT QUESTIONS

1 Why do we need to have a clear understanding of the principles of the Ten Commandments?

2 Why did the death of Christ make the entire ceremonial law no longer valid?

3 What are we actually doing if we continue to keep the ceremonial law—including the Passover—after the crucifixion?

4 Whose blood do we need in order to have actual cleansing from sin?

5 Because there are statutes directly connected to the ceremonial law, as well as to the moral law, which ones are we to study and implement today?

Extra Reading

“The Jews had become familiar with the offering of blood, and had almost lost sight of the fact that it was sin which made necessary all this shedding of the blood of beasts. They did not discern that it prefigured the blood of God’s dear Son, which was to be shed for the life of the world.” The Desire of Ages, 589, 590.

“The moral law was never a type or a shadow. It existed before man’s creation, and will endure as long as God’s throne remains. God could not change nor alter one precept of His law in order to save man; for the law is the foundation of His government. It is unchangeable, unalterable, infinite, and eternal. In order for man to be saved, and for the honor of the law to be maintained, it was necessary for the Son of God to offer Himself as a sacrifice for sin. He who knew no sin became sin for us. He died for us on Calvary. His death shows the wonderful love of God for man, and the immutability of His law.” Selected Messages, Book 1, 239, 240.

“The Sabbath commandment was not nailed to the cross. If it was, the other nine commandments were; and we are at liberty to break them all, as well as to break the fourth. I saw that God had not changed the Sabbath, for He never changes.” Early Writings, 33.

“After Christ died on the cross as a sin offering, the ceremonial law could have no force. Yet it was connected with the moral law, and was glorious. The whole bore the stamp of divinity, and expressed the holiness, justice, and righteousness of God. And if the ministration of the dispensation to be done away was glorious, how much more must the reality be glorious, when Christ was revealed, giving His life-giving sanctifying Spirit to all who believe?” Lift Him Up, 147.

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

Does My Flock Love a Lie?

Life is a serious gift from our Creator. It is not to be taken lightly or wasted, for in the day of judgment all must give an account.

Paul, writing from his prison cell, outlines the responsibility and job description of every man who is called to be a minister in the Christian religion. “I now rejoice in my sufferings for you, and fill up in my flesh what is lacking in the afflictions of Christ, for the sake of His body, which is the church, of which I became a minister according to the stewardship from God which was given me for you, to fulfill the word of God, the mystery which has been hidden from ages and from generations, but now has been revealed to His saints. To them God willed to make known what are the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles: which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. Him we preach, warning every man and teaching every man in all wisdom, that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus.” Colossians 1:24–28.

Paul understood his appointment as apostle and a minister to “present every man perfect in Christ Jesus.” His preaching was so powerful that there were people who heard only one sermon that changed their lives, and they will be in the kingdom of heaven because of what they heard. The apostle Paul is not the only one who will be asked about those the Lord put in their path, for since that time there have been thousands, actually millions of preachers who will be answerable.

On judgment day the Lord will ask every preacher, “Where is your flock, the people to whom you have been preaching?” I am well aware that someday the Lord is going to ask me, “Where are the people to whom you preached? Are they here? Are they perfect in Christ Jesus? Are they on My right hand or on the left? Where is your flock?” This puts a huge responsibility on those who minister to others to deliver messages that are sometimes very difficult or not popular.

To the Ephesian elders, Paul said, “Therefore I testify to you this day that I am innocent of the blood of all men. For I have not shunned to declare to you the whole counsel of God.” Acts 20:26, 27.

Have you noticed that we are living in a time when all of the counsel of God is not popular? Paul predicted that would be the case and wrote to a young preacher, Timothy: “For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables.” II Timothy 4:3, 4.

Preachers are human. They want to be popular, and it is just a human desire to want to be accepted, so in order to be popular, many preachers do not preach everything. Many of them understand perfectly well what the Bible says about the seventh-day Sabbath, but they won’t preach it, fearing they may lose more than half of their congregation. I feel sorry for them. As for myself, I decided a long time ago that I would rather preach to six people and have them ready to go to heaven, than preach to 6,000 people and have them lost.

I receive many letters from people who say, “Your church isn’t perfect. You are preaching about perfection, but your people aren’t perfect. Don’t you sin? Don’t the people in your church sin?” God can bring a whole church full of people to perfection in Christ Jesus, for that is what the Bible teaches. The whole object of Paul’s preaching was to “present every man perfect in Christ Jesus.” To reach that goal the whole counsel of God must be preached. This consists of three things:

Doctrines—The apostle Paul taught that there are foundation doctrines as well as more advanced doctrines of which an understanding is needed. He said, “Therefore, leaving the discussion of the elementary principles of Christ, let us go on to perfection, not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works and of faith toward God, of the doctrine of baptisms, of laying on of hands, of resurrection of the dead, and of eternal judgment.” Hebrews 6:1–3.

The Gospel—This is one of the main themes of Paul’s preaching. “I marvel that you are turning away so soon from Him who called you in the grace of Christ, to a different gospel, which is not another; but there are some who trouble you and pervert the gospel of Christ. But even if we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel to you than what we have preached to you, let him be accursed. As we have said before, so now I say again, if anyone preaches any other gospel to you than what you have received, let him be accursed. For do I now persuade men or God? Or do I seek to please men? For if I still pleased men, I would not be a bondservant of Christ.” Galatians 1:6–10.

Practical Godliness—To explain this in the simplest possible language that even a child can understand, I’m going to quote a statement from the book The Ministry of Healing, 365. Ellen White said that, “He [Jesus] came as God’s ambassador, to show us how to live so as to secure life’s best results.” What we call practical godliness is simply, how to live and the condition of the people who are ready to meet Jesus when He comes in the clouds of heaven.

A practical Christian lifestyle is impossible without first knowing the gospel or the doctrines. Paul also wrote Timothy, “But you, O man of God, flee these things and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, gentleness.” I Timothy 6:11. These are the attributes of Jesus to be reflected in His people.

John the revelator describes people who will be ready for Jesus to come in the last days: “Here is the patience of the saints; here are those who keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus.” Revelation 14:12. Notice, these people have a practical experience in endurance and patience, and they keep the commandments.

In Revelation 14:1–5, there is mentioned a special group of people called the 144,000. These are described in some detail. They will live through the final judgments that will come upon the world and will be ready for Jesus to come. If we are going to be perfect in Christ Jesus and ready for His appearing, this is the group of people that we need to especially study. According to Revelation 14:12, they must be commandment keepers.

Look at Revelation 14:5; it says, “And in their mouth was found no deceit [guile], for they are without fault before the throne of God.” Notice this verse carefully. If in your mouth there is no deceit, you will be without fault before the throne of God. This is a fact that can be proven from several different places in the Bible.

In the Old Testament, Zephaniah 3:13 says, speaking about God’s remnant people in the very last days: “The remnant of Israel shall do no unrighteousness and speak no lies, nor shall a deceitful tongue be found in their mouth.” Twice in that one verse it says the remnant will not break the ninth commandment, which says, “You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.” Exodus 20:16.

Facts Concerning the Ninth Commandment

ONE—The devil was the first liar and a skillful one who was able to turn one third of the angels against God and to rebel against His government. In the Garden of Eden, he caused the fall of Eve and Adam by his lies, mixing truth with his error making it more deceptive. The fallen angels have become demons who continue to harass and tempt people on this earth to also lie. Jesus said, “When he [Satan] speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it.” John 8:44.

TWO—God never tells a lie. In fact, “It is impossible for God to lie.” Hebrews 6:18. That is an amazing text when you start to think it through. Anything that God tells you will turn out to be the truth. The devil may say the opposite, making it difficult to discern, but you can be certain that if God is speaking, it is always the truth, because God never tells a lie.

The Bible, written thousands of years ago, is true and dependable. Infidels have continually tried to prove it wrong, but it is still true. It’s impossible for God to lie, and those things that people are skeptical of now will eventually prove to be true.

THREE—A special identifying mark of the 144,000 is that they will be people who tell the truth. There is no deceit in their mouths (Revelation 14:5).

FOUR—This point is not so nice. Every person who is a liar will someday burn up. “All liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.” Revelation 21:8.

This fact is so important that it is repeated three times in the last two books in the Bible. “There shall by no means enter it [the Holy City, New Jerusalem] anything that defiles, or causes an abomination or a lie, but only those who are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life.” Revelation 21:27.

The most scary one of all is found in Revelation 22:15: “Outside are dogs and sorcerers and sexually immoral and murderers and idolaters, and whoever loves and practices a lie.” As I study this, I find out that it is very uncommon to find any human being that doesn’t love a few lies.

We are living in a time when lying has become more common than ever before. And this was predicted in the Bible. Paul said, “Evil men and imposters will grow worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived.” II Timothy 3:13. Notice, these people are going to deceive, and it is going to get worse and worse. They are going to deceive other people. As a liar engages in deceiving others, he also deceives himself.

Let’s consider this to better understand the ninth commandment. Remember, the 144,000 will be keepers of all the commandments, but especially the ninth commandment is emphasized and, according to Zephaniah 3, they are without deceit in their mouths not telling any lies. This is a special qualification of God’s remnant in the last time.

We have been commanded to “not bear false witness against your neighbor.” Exodus 20:16. In the book Patriarchs and Prophets, 309, Ellen White expounds on this commandment.

  1. Make sure that everything you say is absolutely true. We say things often that aren’t true without even thinking about it. I remember my grandfather had a pocket watch and he checked the time three times each day for the exact time. My grandmother and my wife were different than that, and if you asked them the time, it might be given as ten to eight or five to eight, but if you asked my grandfather, he would tell you, “It is 7:56 and a half.” I try to always be approximate when I tell the time, because I realize that people don’t really even know what the time is. Often times we give general answers that are not exactly right in every detail. In those cases we should be careful to make it known that our statements are approximate and not exact, being careful not to bear false witness.
  2. Making a statement with the purpose to deceive.
  3. An intentional overstatement. You may ask the evangelist how many people attended his meeting tonight and he may tell you 150. This could be an overstatement, unless the heads were counted. It is very difficult to look at a crowd and tell exactly how many people are there. An exaggeration breaks the ninth commandment.
  4. The ninth commandment is broken when by a hint or insinuation or expression you convey an erroneous message.
  5. An effort to injure our neighbor’s reputation by misrepresentation or by evil surmising breaks this commandment. A correct statement can be given either a negative or positive twist to change the meaning. Do Christians take things that other people say and do and give it a negative twist? Yes, unfortunately this happens far too often.

Listed along with an effort to injure our neighbor’s reputation by misrepresentation is evil surmising, slander, or tale bearing. Slander is repeating evil information about a person. By the way, slander is not necessarily false. The slander may be true, but do you realize if each one of us knew everything about everybody else, we could all say something about every single person that would be slanderous!

The Wise Man

In the book of Proverbs, the wise man deals many times with this subject in strong terms. Using the terms folly and fools, he says, “The wisdom of the prudent is to understand his way, but the folly of fools is deceit.” Proverbs 14:8. Read through the book of Proverbs noticing everything it says about fools and folly and remembering that the folly of the fool is deceit.

“The thoughts of the righteous are right, but the counsels of the wicked are deceitful.” Proverbs 12:5. “He who speaks truth declares righteousness, but a false witness, deceit.” Verse 17. “Lying lips are an abomination to the Lord, but those who deal truthfully are His delight.” Verse 22.

Proverbs 6:16–19 says there are six things that God hates. Then he says, actually there are seven, and they are listed. Of those seven things that God hates, two of them relate to the ninth commandment.

Solomon explains why people fall into that sin: “Bread gained by deceit is sweet to a man, but afterward his mouth will be filled with gravel.” Proverbs 20:17. “He who hates, disguises it with his lips, and lays up deceit within himself; When he speaks kindly, do not believe him, for there are seven abominations in his heart; Though his hatred is covered by deceit, his wickedness will be revealed before the assembly. Whoever digs a pit will fall into it, and he who rolls a stone will have it roll back on him. A lying tongue hates those who are crushed by it, and a flattering mouth works ruin.” Proverbs 26:24–28.

Dig For a Deeper Meaning

A lie does not have to be spoken audibly. You can live a lie. In fact, your whole life can be a lie acted out—it is still a lie!

Some things really hit a tender nerve, but they need to be said if we are going to present every man perfect in Christ Jesus. All acting is lying. Did you understand that? I was involved in acting as a child. I was selected in school to play the part of the grandfather. Think this through. Was I a grandfather when I was in the eighth grade? No, I was acting out a lie; it was not the truth.

When watching movies or television or some DVDs of a theatrical performance, you are watching people act things out, and you are watching a lie. When I was at Southwestern Adventist College in Keene, Texas, we used to get what we thought were good movies, things like the life of Martin Luther. The actor in the movie who played the part of Martin Luther pretended to be him. Martin Luther had been dead for 400 years, so he was acting out a lie.

Remember that in Revelation 22:15 it said that outside the city is everybody who loves and practices a lie. Those people who watch the lie love it. If they didn’t love the lie, they wouldn’t be watching it. I know what I’m talking about, because I’ve been there and watched many movies. I’m not proud of that fact, but I know what happens when you watch a movie. Many Seventh-day Adventists believe that it is the environment of the movie theater that prohibits the Christian to watch movies, so they are brought into the school settings or other “safe” environments. One of the movies that we watched while I was in high school was about Peter Marshall, a very godly man who immigrated to the United States of America and became the chaplain of the United States Senate. He was one of the most brilliant preachers and orators of the twentieth century. It was clear that he had the gift of communication, but we were watching a lie. The actor was not Peter Marshall who had been dead for ten years, and neither was the actress his wife. So we were watching a lie. Mentally we entered into this thing, loving and practicing a lie. I remember when I got done watching that movie I could hardly sleep that night having entered into that experience.

Ellen White said to those who are preachers to avoid anything theatrical, in gestures, work, preaching or in evangelism. When she was alive, the only way a person could see theatrics was to actually go to a theater. This is what she wrote:

“Among the most dangerous resorts for pleasure is the theater. Instead of being a school of morality and virtue, as is so often claimed, it is the very hotbed of immorality. Vicious habits and sinful propensities are strengthened and confirmed by these entertainments. Low songs, lewd gestures, expressions, and attitudes, deprave the imagination and debase the morals. Every youth who habitually attends such exhibitions will be corrupted in principle. There is no influence in our land more powerful to poison the imagination, to destroy religious impressions, and to blunt the relish for the tranquil pleasures and sober realities of life than theatrical amusements. The love for these scenes increases with every indulgence, as the desire for intoxicating drinks strengthens with its use. The only safe course is to shun the theater, the circus, and every other questionable place of amusement.” Testimonies, vol. 4, 652, 653.

Soon we shall all stand before the judgment bar of God, and the Lord will ask us ministers, “Where’s your flock? Are they all perfect? Are they here, perfect in Christ Jesus?” Will we be able to say, “Yes, here they are”? That will not be the case if you don’t get over watching videos, movies, DVDs and programs on the Internet that some are still watching. It is time to take a careful look into this serious situation. The 144,000 have no deceit in their mouth. They are not watching it, or listening to it, or reading it, or speaking it; they are pure.

One More Thing

“He who says he abides in Him ought himself to walk just as He walked.” I John 2:6. It was in Antioch that men and women were first called Christians, because they continually talked about Jesus and His life. With tear-dimmed eyes and quivering lips, they would tell about His suffering in Gethsemane, how He was scourged and crucified for the human family, offering the invitation to believe on Him as Lord and Saviour, to deliver them from both the guilt and power of sin. They taught that He is in heaven right now interceding for His children and that He is going to come back again to take those who have received Him out of this world. Constantly they spoke about Jesus, His life, death and ministry for His chosen ones. As people listened to this over and over, it seemed like that was all they talked about. The people said they were just like the person they talked about, so they began calling themselves Christians. A Christian is one who is a disciple, a follower of Jesus Christ. They have been called Christians from that day to the present.

Christianity has now been around for about 2,000 years. But why is it that there are hundreds of millions of people in the world who hate all Christians? It is because of hypocrisy—there are many people who profess to be Christians, but they are far from being Christlike. Professing the name Christian, but not being like Christ, is to lie. I may not say anything, but I am acting a lie.

The 144,000 will have no deceit in their mouth. They are truly Christians—like Christ. I’ll confess this to you, that when I first studied this out, it made me scared to call myself a Christian, and I realized that I had a lot of praying to do. In Revelation 12:17, it talks about the followers of Jesus, the last ones left on the earth. It says, “The dragon [the devil] was enraged with the woman [the true church], and he went to make war with the rest of her offspring, who keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.”

Notice the word remnant. Seventh-day Adventists love to call themselves the remnant of Revelation 12:17. The remnant, besides keeping the commandments of God must also have the testimony of Jesus Christ. To call myself a Seventh-day Adventist and part of the remnant means that my life should be in harmony with the Spirit of Prophecy. If I call myself a Seventh-day Adventist and my life is not in harmony with the Spirit of Prophecy, what am I doing? I am acting out a lie. To take it to the final conclusion, if you call yourself a Seventh-day Adventist church and your church is not living out the teachings of the Spirit of Prophecy, your church is acting out a lie.

The Lord is going to have a people that are Christlike, and I want to be one of them. I hope by God’s grace that each one of you can be one of them, too.

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

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

A Cross to Carry

A Cross to Carry

There are many people today who do not want to be called an enemy of God, but they do not want to serve Him either. Unlike Switzerland that claimed neutrality during World War II, it is impossible to be neutral to the Christian religion.

In some places in the world today it is popular to call yourself a Christian. In New Testament times during the first century, the Christian religion was not popular at all; in fact, it was very unpopular to be called a Christian. One would wonder why the Christian religion was so unpopular and shunned by the masses when Jesus did so much good, healing all manner of sickness and diseases and this often in public places.

Jesus explained it this way in the Sermon on the Mount: “Enter by the narrow gate, for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it.” Matthew 7:13, 14.

Notice, He said that most people would take the easy way and go down the broad road. There would be only a few who would tackle the narrow way, which seems more difficult and restricted. “Then Jesus said to His disciples, ‘If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for My sake will find it.’ ” Matthew 16:24, 25. He went on to ask, “What do you really gain and what are you profited if you should gain the whole world, and lose your own soul” (verse 26)?

The statement Jesus made was unpopular and still today is not desired by the masses. Self-denial is not popular. But Jesus said that not only are you to deny yourself, but also you are to take up your cross and follow Him. The cross was an instrument of torture and cruelty and ignominy. Paul explained what it means to take up your cross and follow Jesus: “Those who are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.” Galatians 5:24.

Paul further explains what it means in Galatians 5:19–21. He said, “Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness [licentiousness], idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.”

Those who practice the works of the flesh, as they are outlined here, he says will not inherit the kingdom of God, but those that are Christ’s have crucified the flesh. They have crucified those evil passions and desires of the flesh—their sinful nature. To take up your cross means to crucify the sinful nature, or the flesh.

There is something else that is involved in taking up your cross, and Jesus talked about it in Matthew 10:34–39. He said, “Do not think that I came to bring peace on earth. I did not come to bring peace but a sword. For I have come to ‘set a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law’; and ‘a man’s enemies [foes] will be those of his own household.’ He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me. He who finds his life will lose it, and he who loses his life for My sake will find it.” Notice what Jesus was saying here. He is talking about the conflict that will occur in people’s families because of the Christian religion “a man’s foes will be those of his own household.”

“Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you? If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are.” I Corinthians 3:16, 17 KJV. If a drug that is destroying his body enslaves a person, then he must crucify that craving and stop using the harmful substance if he would be a Christian. It would also be a cross to bear for a man or woman whose spouse is angry and threatening divorce because he or she has chosen to follow the Lord and to be obedient to all His commandments.

There are many promises for those who choose to deny themselves, lift up their cross and follow Jesus. Listed are a few things the Christian receives in return. Notice, first, John 15:11. Jesus said, “These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full.”

He promises peace. He said, “Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.” John 14:27. “The hour is coming, yes, has now come, that you will be scattered, each to his own, and will leave Me alone. And yet I am not alone, because the Father is with Me. These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation, but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.” John 16:32, 33.

Love and joy and peace are promised to all of Jesus’ followers right now in the present life. However, in addition to the promises relating to this present life, He has also made promises for the future life. Concerning those who have taken up their cross and followed Him, He said, “Everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or lands, for My name’s sake, shall receive a hundredfold, and inherit eternal [everlasting] life.” Matthew 19:29. Jesus Christ has made wonderful promises to those who follow Him, and His word is truth on which we can depend.

Now there is something, however, that is very important to understand, since we have been talking about the cross and about the need for the Christian to take up his cross and follow Jesus if he would receive salvation. It is important to understand that God does not make the crosses. God has never made the cross, and it was never something that He intended that any human being should ever have to bear. The Bible is very clear that God does not tempt anyone. Notice what James said, in James 1:13 and 17: “Let no one say when he is tempted, ‘I am tempted by God’; for God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He Himself tempt anyone. … Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning.”

The crosses that we bear in this world are the result of sin, inherited and cultivated sin. Consider the drunken person, for example, or the addict; it is not God’s desire for him to be this way, but because of the subtle influence of the world and the devil and his own sinful nature, he has fallen into an evil habit, which has become an addiction. Neither is there anything burdensome or grievous about God’s commandments. John tells us, “This is the love of God, that we keep His commandments. And His commandments are not burdensome.” I John 5:3.

The cross in the family occurs when a Christian has a desire to keep all of God’s commandments and because the other members of the family do not have the same conviction, they are inspired by Satan to oppose him or her because they love the world and not God. There is no cross in the commandments themselves; we read that they are not burdensome.

The world has chosen to make God’s rest day a common workday. This is something that has happened because the world at present is being ruled mainly by the devil. When a person chooses to follow God and obey Him and follow Him in obedience to all of His commandments, that person will be opposed by the world and by the devil.

The question might be asked, Is it possible to be saved without opposition? The Bible very clearly answers this—No! It is not possible to be saved without opposition. Notice what Paul said: “Yes, and all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution.” II Timothy 3:12. So, although God doesn’t create any of our crosses and it is not His will for us to have any, the devil will always oppose anyone who chooses to follow the Lord making it impossible to follow Him without opposition. If you are not willing to endure opposition, then you cannot be saved. “Woe to the world because of offenses! For offenses must come, but woe to that man by whom the offense comes!” Matthew 18:7.

In God’s mercy He prepares us for the offenses that have to come and gives many promises to those who suffer persecution or trouble or trial because they have chosen to follow Him. Notice what the apostle Paul said about this: “No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it.” I Corinthians 10:13.

Because the cross involves following Jesus up the narrow way, do not ever get the idea that there are no hardships for those who choose the wide easy road of the world. In fact, there is no easy way. There is pain and suffering for the worldly person too, and he will be forced to endure it but without the promise of Jesus when He said, “I am with you always, even to the end of the age [world].” Matthew 28:20. Those who choose not to follow Jesus will not avoid pain and suffering. The Bible says, in Proverbs 13:15, that “the way of the unfaithful is hard.” And in Isaiah 57:21, the Lord says, “There is no peace … for the wicked.”

Remember that Jesus said, in Matthew 7:13 and 14, there are two ways: “Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it.” There is a narrow way and a broad way. Only a few people will choose the narrow way for it is restricted. Most people will go down the broad road because that way seems easier and does not require any self-denial. On that road everyone does what is right in his own eyes disregarding the Lord’s instruction, but there are consequences! In Psalm 37:37 and 38, David said, “Mark the blameless man, and observe the upright; for the future of that man is peace. But the transgressors shall be destroyed together; the future of the wicked shall be cut off.”

There are two paths. One is a narrow path where you must deny yourself, take up your cross and follow Jesus. There you will have joy and peace and the comfort of His presence on your journey and experience, at the end of the path, everlasting life. The other path, the one that Jesus said most people would choose, is the broad path. It begins with ease and pleasure with no self-denial. But Satan is a cruel, hard, taskmaster and just around the corner, out of sight, the path gets harder and harder as you go along, and the farther you travel on that road makes it more difficult to make a U-turn. It involves sickness, heartache, despair and, in the end eternal death.

Concerning the future for those who choose to go up the narrow way, this is what the apostle Paul said: “As it is written: ‘Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those who love Him.’ But God has revealed them to us through His Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of God.” I Corinthians 2:9, 10.

In the book of Isaiah, the prophet outlines the future reward of the righteous. In chapters 11, 35 and again in chapter 65, he outlines the wonderful future for God’s children, a place where there is no sickness, or death, or trouble of any kind. John also describes the future. He said, “I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away. Also there was no more sea. Then I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, ‘Behold the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.’ ” Revelation 21:1–4.

That is the wonderful, exciting and glorious future that is in store for those who choose to go up the narrow way, take up their cross and follow Jesus. Unfortunately, most of the people in the world today are comfortable traveling on the broad road. The Bible clearly predicts over and over that the majority of people in the world will be on Satan’s side of the question at the end. Revelation 13:3 says, “I saw one of his heads as if it had been mortally wounded, and his deadly wound was healed. And all the world marveled and followed the beast.”

In the next verse it says that they worshiped it. That, of course, is contrary to the law of God, the second commandment, but that is what most of the world will be doing. It says, all the world was astonished and they followed the beast—that is, the antichrist—and worshiped it. Then, in verse 14, concerning the beast that comes from the land, it says, “He deceives those who dwell on the earth, by those signs which he was granted to do in the sight of the beast, telling those who dwell on the earth to make an image to the beast who is wounded by the sword and lived.”

Again, in Revelation 16, and this is so important that the prophet emphasizes it over and over again, in the last half of the book of Revelation, that most of the world will be deceived and will go down the broad road at the end. Notice what it says: “I saw three unclean spirits like frogs coming out of the mouth of the dragon, out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet. For they are spirits of demons, performing signs, which go out to the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty.” Verses 13, 14.

The whole world will be deceived. This is incredible and is repeated in Revelation 12, 13, 16, 17, 18 and again in chapter 19. Over and over again, in the last half of the book of Revelation, it says that in the last days the whole world will choose to go down the broad road, except for very few people that the Bible calls “the remnant.” It is hard to imagine that the whole world will be deceived, and they will persecute and oppose God’s people. The remnant will be denied the ability to buy and sell because of an effort to force them to receive the mark of antichrist, the mark that will mark them for destruction, for eternal destruction.

The sign that distinguishes God’s children in the last days, those who chose to be on God’s side of the question, is found in Revelation 14:12. After describing the mark of the beast, the image to the beast, those worshiping it, and the warning not to do that, it identifies who God’s children are during this time. The Bible says, “Here is the patience of the saints; here are those who keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus.” Revelation 14:12.

The sign that you are God’s child has always been the same since the beginning of time. It is the sign of obedience, a determination to obey God and follow Him doing His will. Hebrews 8:10 tells what God promises His followers, His children, through the new covenant. “For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord: I will put My laws in their mind and write them on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people.”

Revelation is a symbolic book. It talks about everybody in the world in the last days receiving a symbolic mark or seal in their forehead. You can read about it in Revelation 14. Satan opposes this because he wants people to receive the mark of antichrist, which is the mark of rebellion that will cause those who receive it to meet with eternal destruction. It is Satan’s plan, first, to deceive the great majority and then to coerce, or force, the rest into submission, thus sweeping the whole world into his net. The Bible predicts that the majority will be deceived and almost the whole world will array itself against God and His people in the last days (Revelation 13:13–17). God gives a warning to those who are about to do this (Revelation 14:9–12). It is a message of warning to help anybody that is willing to listen to be prepared and to not receive the mark of destruction. In the last days, everyone in the world will receive a symbolic mark. Some will receive what is called the seal of God (Revelation 7), and others will receive what is called the mark of the beast (Revelation 13) or the mark of antichrist or the mark of destruction.

The world today is in the process of rejecting God’s last warning message, and people are preparing to receive the mark of rebellion. The second coming of Christ will be completely different than the first coming of Christ. At His first advent, Jesus came as a sin bearer, to bear the sins of the world. But at His second coming, this is not His mission; He is coming as king of kings and Lord of Lords. He is coming to judge the world. When He comes, the whole world will be divided into two camps, those who have the seal of loyalty—the seal of God spoken of in Revelation 7, and those who have the mark of rebellion, the mark of the beast—the mark of antichrist, spoken of in Revelation 13 and 14. Those who have the seal of God will be those who keep His commandments and have the faith of Jesus.

The whole world will be divided into just two groups, two camps. One camp will all be saved and the other will all be lost. In which camp will you be?

(Unless otherwise identified, Bible texts are from the New King James Version.)

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

Christian Patriotism, part 2

Lo, the people shall dwell alone and not be reckoned among the nations, He plainly declared His will that His church should be forever separated from the nations of this earth. But, contrary to His expressed will, and against His solemn protest, Israel set up a kingdom that they might be “like all the nations.” God wanted not only Israel, but that all people on the earth, should know that He is better than all other gods, that He is a better King than all other kings, that He is a better Ruler than all other rulers, that He is a better Lawgiver than all other lawgivers, that His law is better than all other laws, and that His government is better than all other governments. (See Deuteronomy 4:5, 6.)

But Israel would not have it so. Israel would be like all the nations. And so it has been, from that day to this. God has never been allowed by His professed people to reveal Himself to the world as He really is.

“Like all the nations.” The Israelites did not realize that to be in this respect unlike other nations was a special privilege and blessing. God had separated the Israelites from every other people, to make them His own peculiar treasure. But they, disregarding this high honor, eagerly desired to imitate the example of the heathen! And still the longing to conform to worldly practices and customs exists among the professed people of God. As they depart from the Lord they become ambitious for the gains and honors of the world. Christians are constantly seeking to imitate the practices of those who worship the god of this world. Many urge that by uniting with worldlings and conforming to their customs they might exert a stronger influence over the ungodly. But all who pursue this course thereby separate from the Source of their strength. Becoming the friends of the world, they are the enemies of God. For the sake of earthly distinction they sacrifice the unspeakable honor to which God has called them, of showing forth the praises of Him who hath called us out of darkness into His marvelous light. 1 Peter 2:9

With idolaters, religion always has been, and still is, a part of the government. In heathen systems, religion and the governments are always united; while in the true system, the genuine Christian system, they are always separate. And this was the lesson which God taught to Nebuchadnezzar. (See Daniel 3.) In a way in which it was impossible not to understand, the Lord showed to that king that he had nothing whatever to do with the religion, nor with the directing of the worship, of the people. The Lord had brought all nations into subjection to King Nebuchadnezzar as to their bodily service; but now, by an unmistakable evidence, this same Lord showed to King Nebuchadnezzar that He had given him no power nor jurisdiction whatever in their souls’ service. In things between men and God, the king was plainly and forcibly given to understand that he had nothing whatever to do. To the rulers of the Medo-Persian empire, God taught the separation of religion and the state—that with man’s relationship to God, rulers and state can have nothing whatever to do. (See Daniel 6.)

That is divine testimony, published to all the world, that innocence before God is found in the man who disregards any human law that interferes with his service to God. It is also divine testimony that the man who disregards such laws, in so doing does “no hurt” to the king, to the State, nor to society. The lessons in the book of Daniel teach to all people that no religious or ecclesiastical institution or rite has any right to any place in the law. And that when, against right, it is put into the law, it gains no force whatever from that, and is to receive no respect nor recognition whatever.

Our Duty to God and the State

Jesus Christ came to reveal to men the kingdom of God. Of it He said: “My kingdom is not of this world.” John 18:36. Christ says in another place, “Render therefore unto Caesar the things which are Caesar’s and unto God the things that are God’s.” Matt. 22:21. In that time, the head of the Roman Empire was Caesar. He was set before the people as God; the people were required to worship him as God; that system was essentially a union of religion and the State. In view of this, when Jesus said, “Render therefore unto Caesar the things which are Caesar’s and unto God the things that are God’s.” He denied to Caesar, and so to the State, every attribute, or even claim, of divinity. He showed that another than Caesar is God. Thus He entirely separated Caesar and God. He entirely separated between the things which are due to Caesar and those which are due to God. The things that are due to Caesar are not to be rendered to God. The things due to God are not to be rendered to Caesar. These are two distinct realms, two distinct personages, and two distinct fields of duty. Therefore, in these words Jesus taught as plainly as it is possible to do, the complete separation of religion and the State; that no State can ever rightly require anything that is due to God; and that when it is required by the State, it is not to be rendered.

The government under which Jesus lived was corrupt and oppressive; on every hand were crying abuses—extortion, intolerance, and grinding cruelty. Yet the Saviour attempted no civil reforms. He attacked no national abuses, nor condemned the national enemies. He did not interfere with the authority or administration of those in power. He who was our example kept aloof from earthly governments. Not because He was indifferent to the woes of men, but because the remedy did not lie in merely human and external measures. To be efficient, the cure must reach men individually, and must regenerate the heart.

Not by the decisions of courts or councils or legislative assemblies, not by the patronage of worldly great men, is the kingdom of Christ established, but by the implanting of Christ’s nature in humanity through the work of the Holy Spirit. “As many as received Him, to them gave He power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on His name; which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.” John 1:12, 13. Here is the only power that can work the uplifting of mankind. And the human agency for the accomplishment of this work is the teaching and practicing of the word of God. (See Desire of Ages, 509.)

The conduct of Christ, the Example, was totally separate in all things from politics and the affairs of the State. Christianity, therefore, is the total separation of the believer in Christ from politics and all the affairs of the State, the total separation of religion and the State in the individual believer in Christ.

Our Relationship to the State

In Romans 13 and 14 is one of the strongest of the many strong treatises that there are in the Bible upon the total separation of religion and the State—the separation between that which is due to God and that which is due to Caesar. After recognition of the right of the State to be and require subjection and tribute, Paul marked the sphere of men’s relation to the state: “Owe no man anything, but to love one another: for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law. For this, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not kill, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness, Thou shalt not covet; and if there be any other commandment, it is briefly comprehended in this saying, namely, Thou shalt love they neighbor as thyself.” Romans 13:8–10. Now everybody knows, and Paul knew as well as anybody ever knew, that there are other commandments of the very law from which he quoted these. Why did he leave these entirely out (the first four commandments) and say “if there be any other commandment it is briefly comprehended in this saying namely, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself?” Why—the simple reason that he was writing of men’s relationship and responsibility to the powers that be, to the State; and he was laying down the principle that when men have recognized the right of the State to be, have paid the required tribute, and have fulfilled all obligations to their neighbors, there is nothing more for them to render to the State; there is no other commandment in that sphere, and therefore no other duty to be performed toward the powers that be.

Thus the Scripture distinctly sets the limit of the jurisdiction or the requirements of the State, at recognition of right to be, tribute, and the relationship of man to man in working no ill to his neighbor. Beyond this the State has no right to go.

State Not To Control Which Day We Worship On

But the Word of the Lord does not stop here; it positively prohibits the powers that be from touching the relationship or obligation of men to God. “One man esteemeth one day above another; another esteemeth every day alike. Let every man be fully persuaded in his own mind. He that regardeth the day, regardeth it unto the Lord; and he that regardeth not the day to the Lord he doth not regard it.” Romans 14:5, 6. The matter of the observance of a day, the duty to esteem one day above another, is not comprehended in that part of the law which relates to neighbors; nor is it comprised in the duties designated as marking the sphere of the powers that be. It is in that part of the law which, by the words “if there be any other commandment, it is briefly comprehended in this saying, namely, thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself,” is definitely excluded from all cognizance of the powers that be.

The observance of a day, the duty to esteem one day above another, is due solely to God. For “he that regardeth the day, regardeth it unto the Lord,” Romans 14:6, not to men. It is comprehended in that part of the law which details man’s relationship to God alone, and concerning which to God alone every one is to give account himself. (See Romans 14:12.) Therefore, the powers that be, all men, and all combinations of men, are definitely commanded by the Lord to let every man alone in the matter of the observance of a day. On that subject all are commanded to “let every man be fully persuaded in his own mind.” And this, because it is an obligation due solely to God, and “every one of us shall give account of himself to God.” Ibid.

How different are the ways of professed Christians today from the Christianity of the New Testament! The vast mass of professed Christians today, in hunting for another commandment in the sphere of the powers that be, would inevitably write it thus: If there be any other commandment, it is briefly comprehended in this saying, namely, Thou shalt do no work on the first day of the week, commonly called Sunday.

But the Christianity of the New Testament, in defining the sphere of the powers that be, says, “If there by any other commandment, it is briefly comprehended in this saying namely, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself;” and then, as to the observance of a day, commands the powers that be, and all men, and all combinations of men: “Let every man be fully persuaded in his own mind. . . .every one of us shall give account of himself to God . . . Who art thou that judgest another man’s servant?”

The day to be esteemed above others is the Sabbath of the Lord. “Render therefore . . . unto God the things that are God’s.” Matthew 22:21. And any man who does not esteem that day above others, who does not regard it unto the Lord, but esteems every day alike, is responsible to God alone and must render account of it himself to God, and not to man. While the thing that he does is wrong, it is a kind of wrong for which he is responsible to God, and not to the powers that be.

All this also conclusively shows that any movement on the part of the powers that be, or of men or combinations of men through the powers that be, to require the observance of a day or to cause men to esteem one day above another is a plain joining together of what is God’s and what is Caesar’s, is a positive union of religion and the State.

The End

Christian Patriotism, part 1

The complete separation of religion and the State is Christian. Unswerving loyalty to this principle is Christian patriotism. This is not a mere sentiment of side issue of Christianity. It is one of the fundamental principles and chief characteristics of Christianity.

The Bible, not merely the New Testament but the whole Book, is the Book of Christianity. The New Testament is not a revelation new and distinct from the Old; it is the culmination of the revelation begun in the Old Testament.

The Old Testament and the New are one book—one consistent, harmonious revelation of God through Jesus Christ—because Jesus Christ is the revelation of God before the world was made, when the world was made and through all the history of the world from the beginning to end.

The first chapter of Genesis is Christian as certainly as is the first chapter of John. The book of Genesis is Christian as really is the book of Revelation, or any other book in the Bible. We repeat, therefore, that the whole Bible is the book of Christianity, the Book of the Christian religion, the revelation of God through Jesus Christ.

And the separation of religion and the State is one of the great thoughts of this great Book. It is one of the leading principles of that Book which for man is the source of all sound principle.

Many people think that the two or three expressions of Christ as recorded in the New Testament are all that the Bible contains on the subject of the separation of Church and State, and many others are disposed even to argue against these passages and to modify them by other passages from the Old Testament. But separation of religion and the State is one of the original thoughts of the Bible and reaches from the beginning to the end of the Book. Neither the Book nor this subject can be fairly understood in reference to this matter till this is clearly defined in the mind.

We purpose here to give a series of studies of the Bible, from beginning to end, on this great subject of Christian patriotism or the separation of religion and State.

Being one of the great thoughts of the Bible, one of the great thoughts of God and of our Lord Jesus Christ, this subject is of vital importance to men everywhere in their relations to God, and not merely in their relations to the State. It is a principle that is involved in the daily experience of the Christian in his relation to God and not merely an abstract question that man can stand, as it were, apart from and view simply as a speculative question of the relations between religion and the State.

The ways of God are right. His Word is the only certain light, the only sure truth. The principles which He has announced are the only safe principles for the guidance of men. We hope, and shall seriously endeavor, to make each study so plain that every reader can easily see and readily grasp the truth of it in very principle. We shall begin at the beginning.

“The first of all the commandments is, Hear, O Israel… thou shalt love the Lord our God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength. This is the first commandment.

“And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these.” Mark 12:29-31

“On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.” Matthew 22:40. These two commandments exist in the very nature, and circumstances of existence, of any two intelligent creatures in the universe.

When the first intelligence was created and there was not creature but himself; as he owed to his Creator his existence, as he owed to God all that he was or could be, heart, soul, might, mind, and strength; it devolved upon him to render to God the tribute of all this and to love God with all his heart, and all his soul, and all his mind, and all his strength. And this is the first of all the commandments. It is first in the very nature and existence of the first, and of every other, intelligent creature.

But in the second of these would have no place if there were but one intelligent creature in the universe; for then he would have no neighbor. But when the second one was created, the first of all the commandments was first with him equally with the other one; and now the second great commandment exists in the very nature and existence of these two intelligent creatures, as certainly as the first great commandment existed in the nature and existence of the first one.

Each of the two created intelligences owes to the Lord all that he is or has and all that he could ever rightly have. Neither of them has anything that is self-derived. Each owes all to God. There is between them no ground of preference, and this because of the honor which each owes to God; because to each, God is all in all. Therefore, the second great commandment exists as certainly as the first; and it exists in the nature and circumstance of the very existence of intelligent creatures. Consequently, “There is none other commandment greater than these.”

These two commandments, then, exist in the nature of cherubim, seraphim, angels and men. As soon as the man was created, the first of all the commandments was there, even though there had been no other creature in the universe. And as soon as the woman was created, these two great commandments were there. And there was none other commandment greater than these.

Erecting Monuments

“Few realize that, in their lives, they constantly exert an influence which will be perpetuated for good or evil.” Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, vol. 2, 1032.

Approximately twenty years ago, two young men from a church next door to our home came over to “convert” us. We agreed to participate in doctrinal studies with them in hopes of “converting” them to our beliefs.

Early one morning, I was studying Matthew 5 and read, “Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.” Verse 19. Oh yes, these young men are teaching people to break the commandments of God! Shortly after this self-righteous thought entered my mind, another idea, new to me, came to mind. Joan, everything that you do and say is teaching someone to keep or break the commandments of God. This was a startling thought. But Lord, I am a Seventh-day Adventist. I have the truth. I am not teaching error. “The gospel of Christ is the law exemplified in character.” Maranatha, 18. “God’s law is a transcript of His character.” Testimonies, vol. 8, 207. By every thought, word, and action, I was teaching someone to keep or break the commandments. What an unsettling thought that by an un-Christlike character, I might be leading others to break God’s holy Law!

A Lesson from Solomon

“Hundreds of years had elapsed since Solomon caused those idolatrous shrines to be erected on the mount; and, although Josiah had demolished them as places of worship, their debris, containing portions of architecture, were still remaining in the days of Christ. The prominence upon which those shrines had stood was called, by the true-hearted of Israel, the Mount of Offense.

“Solomon, in his pride and enthusiasm, did not realize that in those pagan altars he was erecting a monument of his debased character, to endure for many generations, and to be commented on by thousands. In like manner, every act of life is great for good or evil; and it is only by acting upon principle in the tests of daily life, that we acquire power to stand firm and faithful in the most dangerous and most difficult positions.

“The marks of Solomon’s apostasy lived ages after him. In the days of Christ, the worshipers in the temple could look, just opposite them, upon the Mount of Offense, and be reminded that the builder of their rich and glorious temple, the most renowned of all kings, had separated himself from God, and reared altars to heathen idols; that the mightiest ruler on earth had failed in ruling his own spirit. Solomon went down to death a repentant man; but his repentance and tears could not efface from the Mount of Offense the signs of his miserable departure from God. Ruined walls and broken pillars bore silent witness for a thousand years to the apostasy of the greatest king that ever sat upon an earthly throne. . . .

“It was this prophecy of impending ruin (see 1 Kings 11:11) that had awakened the apostate king as from a dream, and had led him to repent, and to seek to stay, so far as possible, the terrible tide of evil that during the later years of his reign had been rising high and still higher. But at the time of his repentance, only a few years of life remained to him, and he could not hope to avert the consequences of long years of wrongdoing. His course of evil had set in operation influences that afterward he could never fully control.

“Especially was this the case in the training of the children born to him through marriage with idolatrous women. Rehoboam, the son whom Solomon chose to be his successor, had received from his mother, an Ammonitess, a stamp of character that led him to look upon sin as desirable. At times he endeavored to serve God, and was granted a measure of prosperity; but he was not steadfast, and at last he yielded to the influences for evil that had surrounded him from infancy.” Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, vol. 2, 1032, 1033. [Emphasis supplied.]

Idolatry Today

Are you teaching your children to erect monuments of a holy character? If you have begun wrong, take courage.

“To parents who have begun their training wrong, I would say, Do not despair. You need to be soundly converted to God. . . . It is of the highest importance that you bring the attributes of Christ into your own life and character, and educate and train your children with persevering effort to be obedient to the commandments of God. A ‘Thus saith the Lord’ should guide you in all your plans of education.” Child Guidance, 69.

Provide for your children a training that will help them erect the monument of a holy character. It will stand throughout eternity!

Editorial – When God Questions Man

When God asks man a question, that man is required to answer. When God asked Adam in the garden of Eden “Where are you” (Genesis 3:9), Adam had to tell the Lord where he was. When God gave Job a science test (Job 38 and 39), Job said, “I am insignificant, what can I reply to you? I lay my hand on my mouth” (Job 40:3, 4, literal translation). After the Lord had finished speaking to Job, he said, “I repent in dust and ashes” (Job 42:6). But in the future the Lord is going to ask all of us to give an account to Him (Romans 14:12).

“The only question asked in the judgment will be, ‘Have they been obedient to My commandments?’ ” Gospel Workers, 315.

“Christ would have all understand that the end of all things is at hand, that the solemn scenes of the final judgment are soon to take place. In that great day, those whose characters the Judge of all the earth can vindicate will stand before the world glorified and honored. …

“The whole world will then receive sentence. Of all the question will be asked, ‘Have you diligently studied the word of God that you might know the will of God, that you might be enabled to understand the difference between sin and righteousness?’ Sad will be the fate of those who would not come to Christ that they might be cleansed from all unrighteousness. Then sinners see the character of God as it is. And they see, too, the sinfulness of the sins that have drawn souls away from Christ, and placed them under the banner of rebellion, to war against Him who gave His life for them.

“Because Christ was one with the Father, equal with Him, He could make an atonement for transgression, and save man—not in his sins, but from his sins. Those who have despised His grace will see what they have lost by treating with contempt the One who humbled Himself to stand at the head of humanity. They hear the words of condemnation, ‘Depart from Me. By your example you have caused many to err. You have led them astray from the commandments in obedience to which they would have found eternal life.’ ” The Upward Look, 272.

Inspired: “Many will say to Me in that day, Lord, ‘Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name? and in Your name have cast out devils? and in Your name done many wonderful works?’ And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you: depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness’ ” (Matthew 7:22, 23, literal translation).