Daniel

Bible Study Guides – The Eastern Question (continued)

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November 27, 2004 – December 3, 2004

Memory Verse

“And they that understand among the people shall instruct many: yet they shall fall by the sword, and by flame, by captivity, and by spoil, [many] days.” Daniel 11:33.

Suggested Reading: Stephen N. Haskell, Story of Daniel the Prophet, (1904), TEACH Services, Inc., Brushton, New York, 1995, 224–245.

Introduction

“The accession of the Roman Church to power marked the beginning of the Dark Ages. As her power increased, the darkness deepened. Faith was transferred from Christ, the true foundation, to the pope of Rome. . . . A deviation from his requirements was sufficient cause for the severest punishment to be visited upon the bodies and souls of the offenders.” The Great Controversy, 55.

“Amid the gloom that settled upon the earth during the long period of papal supremacy, the light of truth could not be wholly extinguished. In every age there were witnesses for God—men who cherished faith in Christ as the only mediator between God and man, who held the Bible as the only rule of life, and who hallowed the true Sabbath. How much the world owes to these men, posterity will never know. They were branded as heretics, their motives impugned, their characters maligned, their writings suppressed, misrepresented, or mutilated. Yet they stood firm, and from age to age maintained their faith in its purity, as a sacred heritage for the generations to come.” Ibid., 61.

1 After a league (agreement) was made by the Jews with Rome, how were the growth and work of that power referred to in Daniel 11:23? Compare Daniel 8:25.

note: “In the year 161 b.c., the Jews were being continually attacked by the Syrians, with whose force they were unable to cope. Being informed that the Romans were always ready to support weak nations against the oppression of kings, whose power gave them umbrage, it was thought necessary to make an alliance with that people. Ambassadors sent to Rome for this purpose were well received by the senate, and a decree was passed, by which the Jews were declared friends and allies of the Romans, and a defensive league was made with them.

“At this time the Romans, who were still a small people, were rapidly coming to the front, working deceitfully, or with cunning, as the word implies, and by rapid strides they arose to the height of their power. Thus Rome became strong with a small people.” International Sabbath School Quarterly, Pacific Press Publishing Company, Oakland, California, January 1, 1904, 29.

2 How was Rome to enter upon the “fattest places of the province”? Unlike her predecessors, what was she to do? From whence, and for how long a time, was Rome to forecast devices? Daniel 11:24.

note: “Verse 24—‘He [Rome] shall enter peacefully even upon the fattest places of the province; and he shall do that which his fathers have not done, nor his fathers’ fathers [receive large acquisitions of territory through peaceful means, by legacy of other kings]; he shall scatter among them the prey, and spoil, and riches; yea, and he shall forecast his devices against [from] the strongholds [from the fortress of the seven-hilled city], even for a time.’

“ ‘Even for a time.’ This, doubtless, is a prophetic time, which should be computed as follows: A time, 1 year, or 360 days; each day for a year gives 360 years, during which, according to this prediction, the empire was to be governed from the city of Rome. The next verse [verse 25] introduces the battle of Actium, which was fought between Egypt and Rome, in the year b.c. 31. Exactly 360 years from that date Constantine moved the seat of the Roman Empire to Constantinople, a.d. 330.” Quarterly, 29.

“Rome’s method of conquest, first promising peace then confiscating ‘the fattest places,’ is brought to our notice in verse 24. Under the pretense of offering protection, they gradually moved in to steal the liberties of the world.” Roy Allan Anderson, Unfolding Daniel’s Prophecies, Pacific Press Publishing Association, Mountain View, California, 1975, 147.

“Before the days of Rome, nations entered upon valuable provinces and rich territory by war and conquest. Rome was now to do what had not been done by the fathers or the fathers’ fathers, namely, receive these acquisitions through peaceful means. The custom was now inaugurated of kings leaving their kingdoms to the Romans by legacy. Rome came into possession of large provinces in this manner.” Uriah Smith, Daniel and the Revelation, Southern Publishing Association, Nashville, Tennessee, 1944, 259.

3 What is meant by the expression, “at the time appointed”? Daniel 11:29.

note: “Verse 29—‘At the time appointed [a.d. 330, see last clause of verse 24] he [Rome] shall return, and come toward the south; but it shall not be as the former, or as the latter.’ The triumphs of former days were not repeated. The removal of the seat of government from Rome to Constantinople, under Constantine the Great, in a.d. 330, is recognized as the signal of the downfall of the Roman Empire.” Quarterly, 29, 30.

“Recognizing that a ‘time’ in prophecy equals a year of 360 days, it is interesting to note that from 31 b.c., the year in which Egypt capitulated, until Constantine moved his seat of government from the city of Rome to Constantinople in a.d. 330, makes exactly 360 years.” Anderson, 147.

4 To what period in Roman history has this prophecy brought us? Daniel 11:29.

note: “[The prophecy has brought us] to the rise of the papacy, which henceforth stands for Rome.” Quarterly, 28.

5 What was to stand on the part of the papacy? What were they to do to the “sanctuary of strength”? What was to be taken away? What was to be established in its place? Daniel 11:31. Compare Daniel 8:11.

note: “The breakup of the empire of the Caesars opened the way for the establishment of the papacy, which did indeed ‘pollute the sanctuary of strength.’ Verse 31. In other words, papal worship corrupted the true understanding of Christ as our Intercessor in the heavenly sanctuary. Many teachings such as the doctrine of transubstantiation undermined the doctrine of the finished sacrifice of Christ on the cross. Roman Catholicism claims that ‘Christ is offered every day on our altars.’

“The prominent powers of Europe exchanged their paganism for another type of paganism under the name of Christianity. . . . In place of the continual ministry of Christ a human priesthood was established which claimed the power to forgive sins and open the gates of heaven to the transgressor.” Anderson, 148.

“ ‘Sacrifice’ is a word erroneously supplied. It should be ‘desolation.’ The expression denotes a desolating power, of which the abomination of desolation is but the counterpart, and to which it succeeds in point of time. It seems clear therefore that the ‘daily’ desolation was paganism, and the ‘abomination of desolation’ is the papacy.” Smith, 270.

6 What was the papacy to do to those who wickedly departed from the covenant? Daniel 11:32, first part.

note: “Those who forsake the book of the covenant, the Holy Scriptures, who think more of the decree of popes and the decisions of councils than they do of the word of God—these shall he, the pope, corrupt by flatteries. That is, they shall be led on in their partisan zeal for the pope by the bestowment of wealth, position, and honors.” Smith, 278.

7 Who were to perform marvelous acts of self-sacrifice and heroism in behalf of the true faith? Who were to hold up the torch of truth during the long, dark night of papal rule? Daniel 11:32, last part, 33.

note: “At the same time a people shall exist who know their God, and these shall be strong, and do exploits. These were Christians who kept pure religion alive in the earth during the Dark Ages of papal tyranny, and performed marvelous acts of self-sacrifice and religious heroism in behalf of their faith. Prominent among these stand the Waldenses, the Albigenses, and the Huguenots.” Smith, 278, 279.

1260 years—from a.d. 538 to 1798? While the people of God were thus going down beneath the hand of persecution, what were they to receive? How long were some of the saints of God to be permitted to fall by persecution? Daniel 11:34, 35.

note: “The same hatred that prompted the cry, ‘Crucify Him! crucify Him!’ the same hatred that led to the persecution of the disciples, still works in the children of disobedience. . . . The history of truth has ever been the record of a struggle between right and wrong. The proclamation of the gospel has ever been carried forward in this world in the face of opposition, peril, loss, and suffering.” The Acts of the Apostles, 85.

“At times God allows His children to suffer, even to the point of death, that their characters may be purified and made fit for heaven. Even Christ ‘learned . . . obedience by the things which he suffered’ (Hebrews 5:8).” Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, vol. 4, 874.

[Questions 1–8 were adapted from International Sabbath School Quarterly, Pacific Press Publishing Company, Oakland, California, January 1, 1904. The balance of these lessons have been written by Mike Baugher, John J. Grosboll, and Maurice Hoppe.]

note: The last verses of Daniel 11 have captured the interest of many scholars over the years and continue to generate interest for those who want to understand Bible prophecy. The study of this chapter may not disclose an understanding of every point, but true study always produces a blessing. As the scroll continues to unroll, more and more information is revealed concerning last-day events. Because of the lack of precise understanding we will bypass the last of Daniel 11 and move into Daniel 12.

9 When will the events in the latter part of Daniel 11 reach a culminating crisis point? Daniel 12:1.

note: “ ‘At that time shall Michael stand up, the great Prince which standeth for the children of thy people: and there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation even to that same time: and at that time thy people shall be delivered, everyone that shall be found written in the book.’ Daniel 12:1.

“When the third angel’s message closes, mercy no longer pleads for the guilty inhabitants of the earth. The people of God have accomplished their work. They have received ‘the latter rain,’ ‘the refreshing from the presence of the Lord,’ and they are prepared for the trying hour before them.” Great Controversy, 613.

10 What happens when Michael stands up? Daniel 11:2,3; Revelation 19:1-4.

note: “Then I saw Jesus lay off His priestly attire and clothe Himself with His most kingly robes. Upon His head were many crowns, a crown within a crown. Surrounded by the angelic host, He left heaven. The plagues were falling upon the inhabitants of the earth. Some were denouncing God and cursing Him. Others rushed to the people of God and begged to be taught how they might escape His judgments. But the saints had nothing for them. The last tear for sinners had been shed, the last agonizing prayer offered, the last burden borne, the last warning given. The sweet voice of mercy was no more to invite them. When the saints, and all heaven, were interested for their salvation, they had no interest for themselves. Life and death had been set before them. Many desired life, but made no effort to obtain it. They did not choose life, and now there was no atoning blood to cleanse the guilty, no compassionate Saviour to plead for them, and cry, ‘Spare, spare the sinner a little longer.’ All heaven had united with Jesus, as they heard the fearful words, ‘It is done. It is finished.’ The plan of salvation had been accomplished, but few had chosen to accept it. And as mercy’s sweet voice died away, fear and horror seized the wicked. With terrible distinctness they heard the words, ‘Too late! too late!’ ” Early Writings, 281.

11 What pronouncement is made when Michael stands up? Revelation 22:11.

note: “An angel returning from the earth announces that his work is done; the final test has been brought upon the world, and all who have proved themselves loyal to the divine precepts have received ‘the seal of the living God.’ Then Jesus ceases His intercession in the sanctuary above. He lifts His hands and with a loud voice says, ‘It is done;’ and all the angelic host lay off their crowns as He makes the solemn announcement: ‘He that is unjust, let him be unjust still: and he which is filthy, let him be filthy still: and he that is righteous, let him be righteous still: and he that is holy, let him be holy still.’ Revelation 22:11. Every case has been decided for life or death. Christ has made the atonement for His people and blotted out their sins. The number of His subjects is made up; ‘the kingdom and dominion, and the greatness of the kingdom under the whole heaven,’ is about to be given to the heirs of salvation, and Jesus is to reign as King of kings and Lord of lords.” Great Controversy, 613, 614.

12 From the quotation below, underline and number the things that will happen after Michael stands up.

note: “When the third angel’s message closes, mercy no longer pleads for the guilty inhabitants of the earth. The people of God have accomplished their work. They have received ‘the latter rain,’ ‘the refreshing from the presence of the Lord,’ and they are prepared for the trying hour before them. Angels are hastening to and fro in heaven. An angel returning from the earth announces that his work is done; the final test has been brought upon the world, and all who have proved themselves loyal to the divine precepts have received ‘the seal of the living God.’ Then Jesus ceases His intercession in the sanctuary above. He lifts His hands and with a loud voice says, ‘It is done;’ and all the angelic host lay off their crowns as He makes the solemn announcement: ‘He that is unjust, let him be unjust still: and he which is filthy, let him be filthy still: and he that is righteous, let him be righteous still: and he that is holy, let him be holy still.’ Revelation 22:11. Every case has been decided for life or death. Christ has made the atonement for His people and blotted out their sins. The number of His subjects is made up; ‘the kingdom and dominion, and the greatness of the kingdom under the whole heaven,’ is about to be given to the heirs of salvation, and Jesus is to reign as King of kings and Lord of lords.” Ibid.

“When He leaves the sanctuary, darkness covers the inhabitants of the earth. In that fearful time the righteous must live in the sight of a holy God without an intercessor. The restraint which has been upon the wicked is removed, and Satan has entire control of the finally impenitent. God’s long-suffering has ended. The world has rejected His mercy, despised His love, and trampled upon His law. The wicked have passed the boundary of their probation; the Spirit of God, persistently resisted, has been at last withdrawn. Unsheltered by divine grace, they have no protection from the wicked one. Satan will then plunge the inhabitants of the earth into one great, final trouble. As the angels of God cease to hold in check the fierce winds of human passion, all the elements of strife will be let loose. The whole world will be involved in ruin more terrible than that which came upon Jerusalem of old.” Ibid., 614.

Knowing the Time, Part I

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In Romans 13:11–14, we read: “And, knowing the time, that already it is the hour for you to awake out of sleep; for now our salvation is nearer than when we believed. The night is far gone, the day has drawn near. Therefore let us cast off the works of darkness, and let us be clothed with the weapons of light. Let us walk becomingly, as in the day, not with carousing and drunkenness and sexual orgies and sensuality, not with strife and jealousy. But clothe yourself with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not make provision for the flesh that you should do its lusts.” That is quite a Scripture!

Paul says that now is the time. It is the hour already for you to awake out of sleep. Do you know the time? Do you know that now is the time? Now is the time to wake up, because we do not have very much time left.

Knowing the Time in the World

I would like for you to consider just two things. The first thing is knowing the time in the world. I will not take the space to prove this, although it can be proven. If we compare Daniel 7 and Daniel 11, we will see that the great time of persecution of God’s saints, which was to last 1,260 years, was to extend until the time of the end. When that period was over, then the world was going to enter the period called, in Daniel’s prophecy, the time of the end. Most Bible writers call it the latter days or the last days.

That period of time (1,260 days) came to an end in 1798. We, then, have been in the last days or in the time of the end for over 200 years. The last days—the time of the end—is the last epochal period of this world’s history. At the end of that time, probation will close, and Jesus will come, and that will be the end of this age, the end of the world, as we know it. We are not at the beginning of the time of the end; we are at the end of the time of the end.

Increased Travel

Daniel said, in Daniel 12:4, that at the time of the end two things would happen.

He said that many are going to travel to and fro. In other words, it is going to be a time of great travel. Are we living in a time of the greatest travel since the beginning of the world? There has never, ever been a time like today. Never!

Society thought we were living in a time of great travel when I was a boy, because we had airplanes. I traveled half way around the world when I was about seven years old. But let me tell you, it was absolutely nothing compared with today.

When I was boy, I used to go with my father to the Stapleton Airport in Denver, Colorado. My father was a businessman, and at times he would need to travel by plane. While waiting for my father to depart, I would look out the airport windows, and would usually see four or five airliners waiting there—DC7s and a few Lockheed Electras. Those planes could hold between 40 and 50 passengers. That was the total number of airplanes generally at Stapleton at any one time, and I was there many times.

How is it today? At the new Denver International Airport, there are between 50 and 100 airplanes at any given time, and those planes do not hold just 40 or 50 passengers, like they did when I was a boy. They hold 100, 200, or more passengers!

We are living in a time when there is more travel. I have done a little traveling myself, and I have been in the airports of London and Paris, New York, Boston, Washington, D.C., Dallas, and Los Angeles. If you go to any one of these places, you will see people from all over the world.

There has never before been a time like this. We are living in the time of the end. In the time of the end, travel is going to be increased.

Increased Knowledge

The second thing mentioned, in Daniel 12:4, is that in the time of the end there is going to be a great increase of knowledge. It says, “Knowledge shall be increased.” Are we living in a time when there has been an explosion of knowledge?

Some of you are too young to remember how things used to be, just a short time ago. Do you realize that just a few years ago, if you had a cataract in your eye and you had it removed, that after the surgery you would be sandbagged? Sandbags would be placed around your head, and you would have to lie in a hospital bed, sometimes for up to two weeks or more. But do you know how it is done today? I recently took a close relative of mine to have a cataract removed, and it was an outpatient procedure. We walked in, got it done, walked out, and went home—pretty much business as usual the rest of the day. That is just one example; there are hundreds of other examples.

A second example of increased knowledge is our cars, our airplanes, and our machines. Computers now monitor these things, indicating to us when service, repairs, or changes are needed. I am old enough to remember when it was not that way. Things were mechanical, and we thought we had a great increase of knowledge then, but now things are electrical, and everything is connected to a computer.

I remember telling people 20 years ago that we were living in an age of an explosion of knowledge—that there would soon come a time when, through the computer, we would be able to access central data banks and find out whatever we wanted that is known to man. We have been doing that now for several years.

Earthquakes

Third, in Matthew 24, Jesus said that in the last days there would come a time when there would be great earthquakes. Have you noticed the increase of earthquakes lately?

We used to live in southern California, and, while residing there, we were always apprehensive of earthquakes. While traveling in southern California recently, I was shown a newspaper that identified the different areas where earthquakes had occurred in the last several weeks—there were over 60 places! We do not even hear about those earthquakes on the news, because the news does not report the little ones.

If you want to do an interesting study, look on the Internet for the web site that is just about earthquakes. Do you know when the incidents of earthquakes started increasing? About 1800. The time of the end is going to be the time of earthquakes. They started increasing at the time of the end. It is interesting to note that the number of earthquakes stayed about the same for many hundreds of years—for over a thousand years—until about 1800; then, for a reason no one can explain, they started increasing. Why? Jesus said that in the time of the end there would be earthquakes. Since 1950, the number of occurrences has skyrocketed. So much so that between 1980 and 1990 there were as many serious major earthquakes as the world had experienced between a.d. 526 and 1797. That is a period of almost 1,300 years. Somebody may challenge that in old times they did not record them all, but they did record them when something major happened. They did not have seismographs, but they recorded the big ones, when buildings started falling down. It is one of the signs that we are living right near the end.

Rumors of War

Another sign, the fourth, which Jesus gave, was that there would be “wars and rumors of wars.” We do not need to expound on this. World War I was going to be the war to end all wars. Did it end all wars? No, the United States was in another world war within 20 years after it ended. Since World War II, there has been a war somewhere in the world all the time—some coup d’état, revolution, or war somewhere in the world.

Peace Movement

The fifth sign of knowing the time in the world you can study out for yourselves. Bible prophecy tells us that in the last days there is going to be a great, international religious peace movement. Predicted both in Isaiah 2 and Micah 4, it is not a true revival or a true religion. Read Micah 4:1–6 carefully, and you will see that is the case. They are going to be preparing for war at the same time they are talking peace.

Hearts Fail for Fear

And, then, number six. In Luke 21, Jesus said that the time of the end will be a time when men’s hearts will fail them for fear. Are we living in a time when men’s hearts are failing them for fear? People are afraid. One thing of which they are afraid is what is happening to the worldwide economy—not just the United States, not just Europe, but the economy of the world. The worldwide economy is shaky today, and economists are scared to death. People are saying that we are out of the recession, but we are deeper in debt than ever before.

We are concerned about the environment. We are destroying our environment. One reason for concern is the natural disasters.

Have you heard on the news of the concern regarding Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming? A certain part of the park has been closed off, because the experts are saying that this area in the park could blow at any time. If it blows, it will be the biggest volcanic explosion in history, and it will be heard hundreds of miles away.

At the huge crater, where the ground is lifting, the temperature is rising and has now risen so much that all the fish are dead and there is nothing living directly around it. Just a few inches under the soil, the temperature is 200 degrees. If it completely blows, the scientists are telling us that the entire United States will be completely covered with five inches of ash, and there will be no living thing within about a 600-mile radius—everything will die. It could bring on a miniature ice age; it could destroy crops all through the Midwest.

I am not saying it will be as bad as predicted; nobody knows. But the people who have studied this phenomenon are scared. Jesus said, “Men’s hearts would be failing them for fear because of the things that are coming on the earth.” Do you realize the economic consequences of something like that? If it occurs, just that one thing alone could cause a worldwide depression.

And then, of course, there is terrorism. Everybody knows about terrorism today—not just the United States. They know about it in Spain. They know about it in London. They know about it in the Middle East. They know about it in South America. Terrorism! And, of course, there is crime, crime, crime.

Pestilences

Number seven. Jesus said that in the last days there would be pestilences. We are experiencing pestilences like never before in world history. One example is cancer. Oh! Somebody may say that cancer has been around for hundreds of years. Of course it has, but in 1945, do you know how many people were getting cancer? One in fifteen. In 1945 (if you read the Spirit of Prophecy), the number getting cancer had skyrocketed from what it had been in the past. Do you know what the numbers are today? One in three. Is that a pestilence? It is a pestilence, friends.

Then we have the new pestilences such as Mad Cow Disease. If you have ever read the book Deadly Feasts (Richard Rhodes, Touchstone, New York, New York, 1998), you know that Mad Cow Disease is a ticking time bomb. It is a disease that, in the future, could absolutely decimate Western Europe, the United States, and many other countries of the world. Some people think this disease is even more dangerous than AIDS. Whether or not it is I do not know. It is one of those illnesses that has a long lapse from the time a person is exposed until symptoms develop. In addition to AIDS, we have the plague or the pestilence of all the old diseases that we thought had been cured.

For example, when I was in graduate school—less than 30 years ago—we were told that the disease of smallpox would be completely eradicated, because it is a disease peculiar only to human beings. We were told that vaccinations would be available to everyone, and this would eliminate it. It would die out and would be known only in the history books. Well, this we did not succeed in doing!

We are discovering that the diseases we were so confident in knowing how to control, we cannot control. For example, have you heard in the news that we now have new bugs or new microorganisms? They are actually the old ones, but they are now resistant to our drugs. This is serious. If an elderly person gets a staph infection that does not respond to drugs, they will be in a very critical situation.

Days of Lot

In Luke 17:27–30, Jesus said that in the last days it is going to be like it was in the days of Lot. You have read the story of Sodom and Gomorrah in the Book of Genesis. You have probably read what Ezekiel said about it in Ezekiel 16:49, 50, what Jude said about it, and what Peter said about it in 11 Peter. Jesus told us that this is the way the world is going to be in the last days when the Son of man is revealed.

I studied this subject a few years ago, and what I found was shocking. Do you realize that never before in the history of the world has homosexuality been accepted worldwide, until our time? It was accepted in Sodom, and it was accepted among the Canaanites. In Leviticus 18, we find that that is one of the reasons why the Canaanites were destroyed. It was accepted in the ten tribes of Israel, and that is one of the reasons why they were destroyed, sent out as wanderers among the nations. At a later time, it was accepted in the city of Rome, and that is one of the reasons why Rome was destroyed. It later was accepted in the nation of France, and that is one of the reasons for the French Revolution. But in the last days, it will not be a country or a city only that accepts it; it will be accepted by the whole world. We do not realize how true prophecy always is. When it says worldwide, it means worldwide.

A few days ago my wife and I were visiting with our nephew who is serving in the United States armed forces. He told me something I did not know. You think you can never get shocked, but then you learn something new. He told me that among the Muslims in Afghanistan, where he served, and throughout the neighboring countries, homosexuality is rampant. He said that they do not want the Christians to find out about it; they try to keep it secret. The United States military has to instruct the soldiers to be careful in certain situations. The prophecy of Jesus has been fulfilled exactly. We are living right at the time of the end.

When homosexuality becomes accepted, study the story of Sodom; study the story of the ten tribes; study the story of the Canaanites; study the story of Rome; study the story of France. God is not going to let that go on, friends. It is going to end.

Great Unbelief

Number nine. In the last days, according to the Book of Revelation, according to the words of Jesus in Matthew 24:24, there will come a time of gross darkness of the greatest deceptions ever to come on the world. We are living in that time.

And, finally, number ten. According to 11 Peter 3:3–7, the last days will be a time of great unbelief. The unbelief will be so great that it says that those living will deny that the heavens came into existence by the Word of God. That is exactly what has happened in the last few years—and all of it has happened since 1798. The theory of evolution to explain how we got here without God has been developed. We want a reason explaining how we got here without God. It says, in 11 Peter 3, that they would say that “since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning.” Do you realize that that is a word-for-word description of the theory of Uniformitarianism on which modern geology is based?

In 1979, my family and I traveled to the East Coast of Pennsylvania to visit my brother who was pastoring there. During Christmas time we went to the Smithsonian Institute, and while we were there, we split up to go to different places, because we could not see it all, and different people wanted to see different things. I decided that I wanted to see the geology building, which is where they tell you that this item is this many millions of years old and that item is that many millions of years old.

I visited every single exhibit to see what evidence they had for the age of each item. Do you know what evidence they had? They had only one piece of evidence for everything. This is the Uniformitarian Theory. Peter predicted the Uniformitarian Theory long before these people believed they invented it. The Bible predicted that it would be in the last days.

To be continued . . .

[Bible texts quoted are literal translation.]

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

Editorial – Pre-Advent or Investigative Judgment

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I [Ellen White] have been shown that many who profess to have a knowledge of present truth know not what they believe. They do not understand the evidences of their faith. They have no just appreciation of the work for the present time. When the time of trial shall come, there are men now preaching to others who will find, upon examining the positions they hold, that there are many things for which they can give no satisfactory reason. Until thus tested they knew not their great ignorance. And there are many in the church who take it for granted that they understand what they believe; but, until controversy arises, they do not know their own weakness. When separated from those of like faith and compelled to stand singly and alone to explain their belief, they will be surprised to see how confused are their ideas of what they had accepted as truth. Certain it is that there has been among us a departure from the living God and a turning to men, putting human in place of divine wisdom.” Testimonies, vol. 5, 707.

Friend, how is it with you? Do you know what you believe? Do you know what the landmark doctrines of Adventism are, and can you substantiate them from the Scriptures?

Here are the landmark doctrines: “The passing of the time in 1844 was a period of great events, opening to our astonished eyes the cleansing of the sanctuary transpiring in heaven, and having decided relation to God’s people upon the earth, [also] the first and second angels’ messages and the third, unfurling the banner on which was inscribed, ‘The commandments of God and the faith of Jesus.’ One of the landmarks under this message was the temple of God, seen by His truth-loving people in heaven, and the ark containing the law of God. The light of the Sabbath of the fourth commandment flashed its strong rays in the pathway of the transgressors of God’s law. The nonimmortality of the wicked is an old landmark. I [Ellen White] can call to mind nothing more that can come under the head of the old landmarks.” Counsels to Writers and Editors, 30, 31.

Another term for the cleansing of the sanctuary in heaven is the judgment or the investigative judgment. Can you substantiate this from the Bible alone?

This doctrine is under attack both within and without God’s professed remnant people.

Any judgment, even in human courts, has three phases: the first or investigative phase is when hearings and court trials occur; the second phase is the sentencing; the third phase is the execution of the sentence. If you are acquitted in the first phase, you do not have to participate in receiving the second and third phases of the judgment. The same is true of God’s judgment.

Before Jesus comes, it will be determined who will be saved and who will be lost. (See Revelation 22:11, 12.) If you have not been acquitted in the first phase of the judgment, you will be sentenced during the millennium. (See Revelation 20:1–6.) The sentence will be executed upon you after the end of the millennium. (See Revelation 20:7–15.)

Contrary to what our adversaries thrust against us, the Bible clearly predicts a pre-advent or investigative judgment. In fact, the Bible even tells us who the prosecuting attorney is in this judgment. It is the devil. (See Zechariah 3:1–10.) The defending advocate of His people is Jesus Christ. (See Zechariah 3 and 1 John 2:1.)

If you are a beginning Bible student and want to study scriptures that clearly teach a pre-advent investigative judgment, following is a list of Scriptures to help you get started: (1) Daniel 7. Notice especially the language in verses 9, 10, 25, and 26. (2) Daniel 8. The continuance in rebellion and the depopulating or desolating rebellion are descriptions of the first major rebellion against God’s Law, which was paganism or heathenism and was continual for the first 4,500 years of human history. The second rebellion, the desolating rebellion, is a description of the apostasy of the latter times, which began to develop in the days of the apostles and became worldwide in scope 500 years later. It will continue until the Second Advent of Christ. (3) Zechariah 3; (4) Isaiah 2, 3, and 4; (5) Micah 4; (6) Matthew 22:1–14; (7) Hebrews 8, 9, 10, and 12; and (8) Revelation 11.

Obstacles, Pt. I

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In Zechariah 4:7, it was predicted that a great mountain was going to become a plain: “Who [art] thou, O great mountain? before Zerubbabel [thou shalt become] a plain: and he shall bring forth the headstone [thereof with] shoutings, [crying], Grace, grace unto it.” Read the following two Scriptures and then see if you can figure out to what all three of these Scriptures are referring, because they are actually all talking about a very similar subject that we will study in this article.

Read next about a prediction of the work of John the Baptist who was to come to prepare the way for the Messiah. This passage was written 700 years before the time of John the Baptist. The New Testament says, and John the Baptist himself says, that he came to fulfill this prophecy: “The voice of one crying in the wilderness: Prepare the way of Jehovah; make straight a way in the desert, a highway for our God. Every valley shall be lifted up and every mountain and hill shall be brought low.” Isaiah 40:3, 4. Now, about what is that talking? Then verse 4 continues: “And it shall be the steep ground for a level place, and the rough places shall become a plain.”

This almost sounds like the construction of an interstate highway, where the mountains and the valleys are smoothed out so the road is straight and level, and travelers may drive their vehicles over 70 miles per hour on it.

Jesus talked about this very same principle in Matthew 21. Skeptics and non-believers, to criticize Christians and to try to prove that the Bible is not true, have used this passage. All they have proved, though, is that they do not know what the Bible is saying. “And early in the morning, He returned to the city, and He was hungry. And seeing one fig tree in the way, He came to it and found nothing on it but leaves. And He said to it, ‘Let no fruit grow on you from now on forever.’ And immediately the fig tree was withered away. And the disciples, seeing, were astonished, saying, ‘How quickly the fig tree has dried up!’ And Jesus, answering, said to them, ‘Truly, I say to you, if you have faith and do not doubt, not only what is done to the fig tree shall you do, but also if to this mountain you shall say, “Be removed and be cast into the sea,” it shall be done. And all things whatsoever you ask in prayer, believing, you shall receive.’ ” Matthew 21:18–21.

Spiritual Mountains

Skeptics and scoffers have said to Christians that they have never seen or heard of any mountains being cast into the sea. They will argue that the Rocky Mountains are still where they were, and the Sierras are still where they were. Mount Everest and the Himalayan Mountains are still where they were. The Andes are still where they were. They say that even though Jesus said that if we believe and pray, then the mountains are going to be cast into the sea, they do not believe, because the mountains are all still there, and they have never seen this happen. The problem is, they do not know what the Bible is really saying.

Jesus was not talking about literal mountains, just as Zechariah 4:7 was not talking about a literal mountain. Isaiah 40 was not talking about a literal road; John the Baptist never built highways.

Well, then, what are these texts talking about? They are talking about the obstacles—the difficulties, the trials that are in front of you that are like a mountain. You cannot get over it or around it or through it, and you are stuck. So, what are you going to do? The Bible is full of stories where God has illustrated the experience of His children in past ages who were hemmed in with all kinds of obstacles, trials, and troubles.

Jesus was talking about a spiritual mountain or difficulty or obstacle in your life. He was not talking about the Rocky Mountains or the Andes Mountains. He was talking about the spiritual obstacles in front of you that you do not know how you will get around. You do not know how you are going to overcome them. He said, “If you will pray and believe, these apparent impossibilities that are in front of you can be removed.”

Obstacles of the Christian

What are the obstacles that face the Christian? The Christian is faced with both external and internal obstacles. We will first look at the external obstacles. They are the easiest ones. The internal obstacles are the harder ones.

The external obstacles that the Christian faces are first of all what the Bible calls “the world.” The New Testament has a lot of discussion about this. 1 John 2:15–17 gives the obstacle that the Christian has in the world: “Do not love the world, neither the things that are in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. Because everything that is in the world—the lust (that is, the craving) of the flesh and the craving of the eyes and the ostentatiousness (or the pride of life)—is not from the Father but is of the world. And the world passes away and the craving of it, but the one doing the will of God remains forever.”

So, the external obstacle is of the world, and what is in the world? It is the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life. Incidentally, these three temptations are the three temptations that the devil brought to Jesus, as recorded in Matthew 4.

The lust of the flesh is the sensual temptation, temptations in regard to sexual passions and appetites for food and drink and other substances that are sinful. Now, it is not a sin to eat and drink, but you can sin eating and drinking.

Presumption

Then the second temptation, the lust of the eyes, is the desire to make a display. Remember what the devil did to Jesus? He told Him, “Come up here on the temple and cast Yourself down. The Lord will protect You. He has announced Your Messiahship. Everybody will believe You, because You will be known all over the world as the One who jumped off the temple and did not get killed.” That is the temptation to presumption.

Sensual temptation is the first temptation; the devil comes to everyone with that. It is usually successful, but if the devil does not succeed in getting you to fall for sensual temptations, then he is going to come to you with the second temptation of presumption.

Ellen White wrote that when the devil comes to people with the temptation of presumption, he is successful nine times out of ten! (See Testimonies, vol. 4, 44.) We do not have a very good average when we are dealing with temptations of presumption.

Presumption is when people claim the promises of God, but they do not fulfill the conditions. It is one of the most common sins in the Christian world today. There are millions of Christians who claim God as their Father; who claim Jesus as their Saviour; but they are not doing the will of God. They say, “We are going to heaven,” but the Bible says that they are not.

Jesus said, “Not everyone that says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ is going to enter the kingdom of heaven, but he that does the will of My Father in heaven. Many will come to Me in that day and they will say, ‘Lord, Lord, You have made a mistake! We know that we are saved, because we have cast out demons in Your name. We have prophesied in Your name. We have performed many miracles in Your name.’ Then I will say unto them, ‘I never knew you.’ ” (Matthew 7:21–23.)

Can you imagine what a shock that will be? to be a Christian, to go to church every week, to come right up to the day of judgment, and say, “Lord, I know I am saved,” and have Him respond, “No, I never knew you.” “I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness.” Verse 23, last part.

This is the besetting sin of the Christian world today. People think they can be saved while they are breaking God’s Law. The Bible does not teach that.

So, the temptations from the world are lust of the flesh, lust of the eyes, and the pride of life (that is, the love of the world). I am always amazed at how easy it is for us to fall on the temptation of love of the world. The devil promised Jesus the whole world. He would not take it. But there are people that will fall for just a little piece of real estate—not a piece the size of Wichita or the size of Kansas. If the devil offered you all of the city of Wichita, Kansas, would you be willing to give up eternal life to get the whole city? If he offered you all of Kansas, would you be willing to give up eternal life to get the whole state?

Jesus said, “What does it profit a man if he should gain the whole world and lose his own soul?” Mark 8:36. A lot of people are falling for that one today, just as in Jesus’ day. So, the world is the first external temptation.

The Devil

The second external temptation that Christians face is the same one that Jesus faced, and that is the devil. The devil comes to every Christian, every man and every woman, every boy and every girl. The devil comes with various temptations to get you in some way to break the Law of God, because he knows that if you do that, you are on his side. The Bible says, in 1 John 3:8, that everyone who sins is of the devil. And sin is defined in 1 John 3:4: “Sin is the transgression of the law.”

So, if the devil can entice you, seduce you, terrify you, some way get you to sin, you are on his side of the great controversy. That is his whole goal. You are going to lose your soul if you stay there on his side.

Those are the external temptations: the world, with sensuality, presumption, and the love of things, and, then, the devil.

Internal Obstacles

Next we must consider the really bad obstacles that the Christian has to face, and those are the internal obstacles.

If you are not a Christian, you can become a Christian today. In a Christian religion, you do not have to do penance; you do not have to do all kinds of things like that to become part of the body of Christ. You become a Christian by surrendering your will, your mind, to Jesus Christ. If you surrender to Him, and acknowledge Him as your Saviour from sin and as the Lord of your life, then you become a Christian, even if you have not yet been baptized. You can choose to do that right now.

Jesus said, in Luke 6:46, “Why do you call Me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and you do not do what I say?” So, you cannot call Him Lord and not obey, but if you are a Christian, you have a goal. What is your goal? In 1 John 3:2, we read, “Beloved, now are we the children of God; and it is not yet apparent what we shall be, but we know that when He shall appear, we shall be like Him; we shall see Him as He is.” When Jesus appears, we are going to be like Him, so what is your goal, if you are a Christian? Your goal is to be Christlike. Jesus called it the narrow way that leads to eternal life. (See Matthew 7:14.)

Christlike

Let us think this through. If your goal is to be Christlike but there is something inside of you that is not Christlike, what is your problem? You have an obstacle. Your goal is to go to heaven and have eternal life, but you are not there yet. You have an obstacle that you have to overcome to get there.

You see, anything in your character that is not Christlike is an internal obstacle that you must overcome if you are going to be ready for Jesus to come. Do you understand that concept? It is discussed in 1 John 3:1–3, and it says, in verse 3, “Every man that has this hope in him purifies himself, even as he is pure.”

If there is something in your character that is not Christlike, that is an internal obstacle that you have to overcome if you are going to be ready for Jesus to come. And those, of course, are the far more serious obstacles that the Christian has to meet. The internal obstacles are far more difficult and far more serious than the external obstacles.

You see, God has the ability to remove obstacles. God has the ability to take away the devil’s power on the outside, but it would not do any good to take away the external obstacles if the internal obstacles were not removed first. Just think that one through. That is why, before God removes the devil’s power over you on the outside, which will happen when you are taken to heaven, He must first remove the devil’s power over you on the inside.

Those are the obstacles that the Christian has to overcome. Incidentally, not only are there obstacles for individual Christians, but there are obstacles for groups of Christians, for churches. Churches have obstacles to meet too.

Church Obstacles

One of the great obstacles for the church is the obstacle of false teaching, or heretical doctrines. Jesus talked about this a great deal, including in Matthew 24. He said that many false prophets were going to arise, and they were going to deceive many. Whenever you see revival or reformation happening in any church, you will find the devil trying to push off onto that church all kinds of heretical and fanatical doctrines. It never fails.

Do you know from where the greatest obstacles for the church come? Ellen White wrote, “We have far more to fear from within than from without. The hindrances to strength and success are far greater from the church itself than from the world.” Selected Messages, Book 1, 122. From where is our greatest danger, our greatest opposition, going to come? It is going to come from professed believers, from other Christians. “How often have the professed advocates of the truth proved the greatest obstacle to its advancement!” Ibid.

“If we hope to wear the crown, we must expect to bear the cross. Our greatest trials will come from those who profess godliness. It was so with the world’s Redeemer; it will be so with his followers. . . . The opposition which Christ received came from his own nation, who would have been greatly blessed had they accepted him. In like manner the remnant church receive opposition from those who profess to be their brethren.” Review and Herald, August 28, 1883.

Does the greatest opposition come from your enemies? No, it comes from the people whom you think are your friends. That is where it is the most dangerous too.

More Trouble

One other question that needs to be addressed before we look at how to deal with these obstacles is a question that many people have in their minds, especially people who have newly become Christians. This is a very perplexing question to many new Christians. Have you ever thought, or heard someone say, “I have given my life to Christ. I have chosen to follow Him, and now I am in more trouble than I have ever been before in my life. When I was out in the world and I was practicing all the sins of the world, I was not having a tenth of the trouble I am having now that I have decided to follow the Lord. What is this?” People are tempted to think that if God is all-powerful, and if He is really leading them, then why are they experiencing so much trouble?

There is a reason for it, and it really is true. When you decide to follow the Lord, you do have more trouble than you had before. Let me explain how that happens and why that happens.

“Trial is part of the education given in the school of Christ, to purify God’s children from the dross of earthliness. It is because God is leading His children that trying experiences come to them. Trials and obstacles are His chosen methods of discipline, and His appointed conditions of success.” The Acts of the Apostles, 524.

So, what are the appointed conditions of success? They are trials and obstacles, because there is no other way that God can get you from where you are now to where you need to be. Did you know that God never sends to us a trial that we do not need? Now, that is a hard statement. People can hardly believe that. They can hardly believe that God does not allow trials to come to us that we do not need. They say, “Lord, something is wrong here. Preacher, I do not have enough faith to believe this.” Maybe some of you do not have enough faith to believe it, but that is what inspiration says.

“God’s care for His heritage is unceasing. He suffers no affliction to come upon His children but such as is essential for their present and eternal good. He will purify His church, even as Christ purified the temple during His ministry on earth. All that He brings upon His people in test and trial comes that they may gain deeper piety and greater strength to carry forward the triumphs of the cross.” Ibid., 524, 525.

Trials and obstacles are God’s chosen methods of discipline and the appointed conditions of success, and if you are going through severe trials and obstacles, that means that God has something wonderful in store for you when you get past them. Study your Bible; study the great men of the Bible. I will give you a few examples, which you can study on your own.

Joseph

The man Joseph is one of the greatest men ever written about in the Bible. He became the Prime Minister of the strongest nation in the world, and he became known worldwide as the savior of the people. Before God exalted him to that high position, did he have to go through some trials, some really severe trials?

Yes, first of all he was sold as a slave, and was taken away from his family when he was about 17 years of age. He was taken to a foreign land where he had to learn a new language, new culture, and new customs. Then, when he became successful, his master’s wife accused him to his master. She first tried to commit adultery with him. He would not do it, so then she accused him to his master, and he was wrongly thrown in jail. As a slave, he had no way to get out of jail, and he spent years there. He would have been in that jail for the rest of his life if the Lord had not delivered him.

Does that sound like a pretty hard trial? That is perhaps a harder trial than some of us have been through. You see, the greater the future and the destiny that God has for you, the greater the trial that He may allow you to go through to get there.

David

Consider the man David. David is one of the greatest men in the Bible, even though he made some very serious mistakes. Did God allow David to go through a period of trial before He allowed him to become the king of Israel, probably the greatest king that Israel ever had? Yes, David was on the run for his life for about ten years. He was a fugitive, running from here to there, always in danger of being killed. You can read the story in the books of Samuel.

Daniel

Daniel, also one of the greatest men ever to be recorded in Holy Scripture, was taken captive when he was around 17 years of age too. He was taken to a foreign country where he decided that he was not going to drink alcoholic beverages or eat unclean foods. He risked his life for his convictions when he was just a young man. Read the story in Daniel 1.

But that was just the beginning of the trials and tribulations that Daniel had. Some of the hardest trials he had came when he was an elderly man. He was the Prime Minister of the greatest nation in the world, and the other officials of the government became jealous of him. They decided they would get rid of Daniel, and they determined that the only way to get rid of him, because they could not find any fault in him, was through his religion. So they had a law made that if an individual worshiped anybody other than the king for 30 days, he would be thrown into the lions’ den.

Daniel had to make a decision. He had always worshiped God publicly in the window of his house, three times a day, and he was tempted to say, “Well, I will close the window today when I pray, and they will not be able to see me.” That was the temptation the devil brought to him. “I will go to my closet, and I will still pray three times a day to the God of heaven, but I will close and lock the door and nobody will hear me. Nobody will be able to arrest me, because they will not know.” But that had not been his practice, and he knew that that would give the impression that he was being obedient. He was not willing to even give the impression that he would worship anybody but the God of heaven, even if it meant being thrown into the lions’ den. God had not told him that He would deliver him! But He did.

God has not told you in advance what He is going to deliver you from either. When you see the obstacle, all you can see is the obstacle. It looms before you just like the lions’ den. Oh, friend, whatever the obstacle, God knows how to deliver you at the right time. But God could never have delivered Daniel from the lions’ den if Daniel had not been faithful, and God cannot deliver you when you meet an obstacle unless you are faithful.

To be continued . . .

[Bible texts quoted are literal translation.]

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

Yielding Brings Ruin

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We need to have the story of Jesus written in our hearts. God has promised, under the new covenant, to write His Law into our hearts and minds—our hearts representing our affections, and our minds representing our intellectual aspects. We need to believe and to love His Law and the story of Jesus, and it needs to be more dear and precious to us than life itself. “They overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives to the death.” Revelation 12:11. We need to come to the place that we would give our life for Christ’s sake because we love Him that much, and we do not want anything to separate us from Him.

This was the experience Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego had when they refused to bow down to Nebuchadnezzar’s image. We also need that experience, for things are happening all around us—increase of crime, wars and rumors of wars, and the judgments upon the land. (See Matthew 24.) The United States is speaking like a dragon.

But, we are not to be fearful. The Bible says in 1 John 4:18 that perfect love casts out all fear. We need that perfect love to cast out all fear! There is a tendency to become frightened about what the Bible tells us is going to occur in the last days. It is comforting to know that Jesus is coming again soon to redeem us. But, the Bible also speaks of a “time of trouble,” which may not appear very comforting to us. It is natural for us to be afraid. “And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not troubled; for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet.” Matthew 24:6. We are not to be troubled or to fear or have apprehension for the future, because we know that Christ will carry us through. If we are planted on the Rock, nothing can shake us. We are to lift up our heads, because our redemption draws near.

“We have nothing to fear for the future except we forget how the Lord has led us in the past.” Life Sketches of Ellen G. White, 196. It is important that we remember the past, because what happened in the past is applicable to us today. “These things . . . were written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the ages have come.” 1 Corinthians 10:11. That is us! We must study history so we will not be led astray in the future. It only makes sense that if someone else has gone through an experience we are to go through, that we look and see how the situation was handled. It is well to learn from previous mistakes, failures, and successes. We do not need to worry about the future if our soul is right with God.

Beware of Men

In Matthew 10:17-19, Jesus, giving instruction to His disciples before sending them out to witness, said to them, as well as to us, what they were going to encounter: “But beware of men, for they will deliver you up to councils and scourge you in their synagogues. You will be brought before governors and kings for My sake, as a testimony to them and to the Gentiles. But when they deliver you up, do not worry about how or what you should speak. For it will be given to you in that hour what you should speak.” These things happened over and over again. Many people have gone through these experiences, and we will face such things, too, but we are not to be frightened, for Jesus will be with us.

Protestant Reformation

During the Protestant Reformation, the Papacy tried many different tactics to destroy it. Persecution did not work, but one scheme was almost successful. If God had not intervened, the Protestant Reformation would have failed, because they were on the very verge of accepting the bait.

When Luther was brought before the Diet, he boldly declared that nothing was going to shake him. He said, “Here I take my stand; I can not do otherwise. God be my help.” (See Christ’s Object Lessons, 78.) The Diet was baffled. Here was one man, one lone monk with no backing, standing before all the great men of the empire, and they could not shake him. We need to stand as Luther, as the three worthies, and as Daniel stood. We dare not swerve our allegiance to God.

Shortly after Luther’s experience came one of the grandest moments for the Protestant Reformation, namely the “Protest of the Princes.” Instead of one man standing before the Diet, some of the most powerful princes in the empire stood on the offensive, not on the defensive. (See The Great Controversy, 197-210.)

Peace prevailed for a few years, but then came one of the most formidable obstacles to the Protestant Reformation—the Augsburg Diet in 1529 and 1530. The elector and princes were going to what seemed certain death. Their heads and morale were hanging low. It was then that Luther composed the song, A Mighty Fortress. It was timely and uplifted their spirits. It would be well for us to memorize that song.

Charles V had returned. He had vanquished Italy, and he controlled almost all of Europe. The pope had given him the order, “Crush Lutheranism.” He marched to Augsburg with that sole purpose. The princes and the elector knew it was dangerous, but Luther encouraged them. He said, “Go ahead, confess Christ before the great men in this world.” The Papists met them with warm friendship. They were trying to get them to yield to compromise, but that did not work. Next, they threatened persecution and death. That did not work either. Then they tried the most successful inducement and the most to be feared. The Romans said, “We will send three of our theologians, and you send three of yours. We will try to come to an agreement.” This was the newest and most formidable of the dangers. This plan almost crushed the Protestant Reformation.

Luther Begs to Be Excused

First, the Romanist party made amazing compromises and concessions. The Protestants put together a confession of 21 points. There were only three that the Protestants and Romanists were wrangling over. The Roman party made it appear that they had won the Reformation. They knew that if they could get the Protestants to yield once, they would eventually yield on everything. Unfortunately, the Protestants agreed at first, but Luther, from his hideout, wrote letters. From one letter we read: “I learned that you have begun a marvelous work, namely, to reconcile Luther and the pope, but the pope will not be reconciled, and Luther begs to be excused.” The Reformation was saved. He knew that when they began to yield, they stepped off the platform to sure ruin. Yielding will always bring ruin. We cannot compromise!

Whenever the church has yielded to compromise, the result has always been a lost battle. The early church was pure in the days of the apostles, but it compromised, and now we have the Roman Catholic Church. Compromise is spiritual suicide on the installment plan. We cannot pull down the banner even a little bit. Compromise may appear to look good, but it is not. That is what resulted in the Dark Ages. The Waldenses compromised, and many lives were lost. The Bohemians compromised, and their nation was bathed in blood. This sad history is for us to ponder.

We read from The Great Controversy, 607: “As the movement for Sunday enforcement becomes more bold and decided, the law will be invoked against commandment keepers. They will be threatened with fines and imprisonment, and some will be offered positions of influence, and other rewards and advantages, as inducements to renounce their faith. But their steadfast answer is: ‘Show us from the word of God our error the same plea that was made by Luther under similar circumstances. Those who are arraigned before the courts make a strong vindication of the truth, and some who hear them are led to take their stand to keep all the commandments of God.” The early Christians let down the standard to convert pagans, and it resulted in converting the church to paganism.

We, too, are going to have to answer for our faith. We must stand firm. Our God is A Mighty Fortress. He will uphold us and give us strength. We must say, as did Luther, “Here I take my stand; I can not do otherwise. God be my help.” The Great Controversy says that if Luther had yielded in one point, Satan would have won the victory. Neither can we yield in one point.

Dare to be a Daniel

Daniel was thrown into the den of lions because he prayed with his windows open, as he always did. (Daniel 6:10.) He did not compromise on one point, and God shut the lions’ mouths. Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego could have bowed down to tie their shoes, but that would have been compromising. They knew very well that to not bow could result in their deaths, but they stood firm, even though the greatest man in the world opposed them. (Daniel 3:12-19.) Their steadfast adherence to right converted Nebuchadnezzar. It is encouraging to know that if we stand for the right, souls may be converted. Before these experiences, Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were tested on the point of appetite. Because they stood firm on the Word of God then, they were able to stand the more severe trials.

We must set our faces as firm as a flint now, if we are to stand later. “If you have run with the footmen, and they have wearied you, then how can you contend with horses? And [if] in the land of peace, [in which] you trusted, [they wearied] you, then how will you do in the floodplain of the Jordan?” Jeremiah 12:5. Right now we are deciding if we are going to stand as did Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego or if we are going to bow down as all the other Hebrews did. We are choosing under which banner we are going to be arraigned. We are either with Luther, saying, “Here I take my stand; I can not do otherwise. God be my help”; or we are compromising.

Little Things

Some people excuse themselves, saying, “God understands.” God does understand your situation, and He tells you in His Word what you need to do. The devil is in the business of giving excuses, not God. We read in Romans 1:20 that we are all without excuse. There is no excuse if it goes against God’s Word. Daniel and his three friends stood firm in the little things. Because they had proved faithful in that which was least, they could be trusted with that which was more. “What if Daniel and his companions had made a compromise with those heathen officers and had yielded to the pressure of the occasion by eating and drinking as was customary with the Babylonians? That single instance of departure from principle would have weakened their sense of right and their abhorrence of wrong. Indulgence of appetite would have involved the sacrifice of physical vigor, clearness of intellect, and spiritual power. One wrong step would probably have led to others, until, their connection with Heaven being severed, they would have been swept away by temptation.” The Sanctified Life, 23. It is the little things in life that make up the sum of life’s big things.

Too many times we think that little things do not matter much. But little choices set us upon the path that we are going to take. If you bend a tree when it is young, it will grow bent. There are some funny looking trees, because they were bent that way when they were saplings. By compromising in little things, we prepare ourselves to compromise in big things.

Compromise and indifference in a religious crisis is one of the sins that God hates the most. We cannot flatter ourselves that we will stand when we are forced by law to disregard the Sabbath if we do not keep the Sabbath now. It is not just in the Sabbath; it is in everything of our lives. “It is the grossest presumption for mortal man to venture upon a compromise with the Almighty in order to secure his own petty temporal interest.” Testimonies, vol. 4, 249. God says what he means, and He means what He says. Right now, in the little things, we are determining our destination. “It is as ruthless a violation of the law to occasionally use the Sabbath for secular business as to entirely reject it, for it is making the Lord’s commandments a matter of convenience.” Ibid. It is just the same to compromise in any other point. It is always the principle.

Solomon compromised. This was what led to his ruin. He knew that polygamy was against God’s Law, but it was a very common practice. The first wife he took appeared to be converted, but eventually he set up an idol to another god, which he and his children worshipped—because he took one wrong step. If we, like Solomon, take that one wrong step down, it will be much easier to take the next one. We are developing habits that determine where we are going to stand. One little compromise in sin will eventually crowd out all the good.

Do you think that the Jews at their first departure from the right had any intentions of crucifing the Son of God? No, none whatsoever. But they took the one wrong step, and it led to that terrible sin. The fall of any person can be traced back to one departure from the right. We cannot, even in the slightest thing, compromise. It will not work. God considers it the grossest presumption to compromise in the smallest thing.

Compromise is the most dangerous thing we can do for our souls. In the history of the Israelites, there are many examples of failure, but, fortunately, there are encouraging examples also—Daniel and his three companions, Joseph, and others.

There is a song with these words: “Dare to be a Daniel, Dare to stand alone! Dare to have a purpose firm! Dare to make it known!” We must dare, like Daniel, to stand for the right no matter what. We cannot depart in the slightest, because it will lead to us going all the way renouncing everything and being lost.

Right now we are deciding if we are going to be numbered on the Lord’s side. If we know to do right, and do not do it, we will be weighed in the balances of the sanctuary and found wanting. Different people have different temptations and problems. It may not be the Sabbath issue for you; it could be something else. We dare not depart slightly; we must stand firm as a rock. The record says of Jesus that “He steadfastly set His face to go to Jerusalem.” Luke 9:51. That is what we must do—set our face steadfastly to go to the New Jerusalem. We must not allow anything to hinder us. We must not compromise in the slightest, because it will be our ruin if we do. Many pleasing allurements and inducements may be held out to us, but we cannot compromise. We must, as did Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, stand erect, not allowing anything to sway us.

Cody Francis is engaged in worldwide evangelism through Mission Projects International and pastors the Remnant Church of Seventh-day Adventist Believers in the Seattle, Washington, area. His gospel service began with Steps to Life in Wichita, Kansas. Cody and his wife, Mandy, have one daughter and live in western Washington. He may be contacted by e-mail at: cody@missionspro.org.

If the Foundations be Destroyed, Part IV

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Our heavenly Father has told us that the natural man receives not the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him. The Bible further tells us that spiritual things are spiritually discerned and that the Holy Spirit teaches us. (See 1 Corinthians 2:14.) We should daily plead and ask that the Holy Spirit will be our divine teacher and watcher to guide our minds that we may have an answer for every man who asks of us for the reason of the hope we have. We should, as well, pray that God will help us to be on firm footing, so the devil will not be able to sweep our feet away by the winds of doctrine that are blowing around us.

Identifying Marks

One of the texts that is under attack today, and that is being denied, is Revelation 13:18. It is one of two texts in Revelation that calls for wisdom, the other being Revelation 17:9. Revelation 13:18 says, “Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number [is] Six hundred threescore [and] six.” We know that this number is an identifying mark of the papacy and especially of the pope himself, but it is only one of many.

Through a study of three Bible chapters (Revelation 13, 11 Thessalonians 2, and Daniel 7) I found 44 identifying marks of the papacy. There could be well over 100 identifying marks of the papacy given in the Bible, as my study did not include Daniel 8 and 11 or Revelation 17 and 18, but this text gives only one.

I do not think we should make a big issue about having numerous identifying marks, but I am always concerned when we start to compromise on what the founders of the Seventh-day Adventist Church have discovered. They laid a foundation, and we know from Psalm 11:3 that, “If the foundations be destroyed, what can the righteous do?” What should we do? What do we need to do? We need to stick with the original foundation. So, in this article, we will study Revelation 13:18 and this number of the beast.

A Parallel

Daniel 3 is a parallel to Revelation 13; an image is described in both chapters. Daniel 3 is a real, live illustration of what is going to happen to God’s people at the very end of time when the image to the beast is established. They are going to go through the same experience as did the three Hebrews.

You may wish to read Daniel 3 again to refresh your memory of how King Nebuchadnezzar set up an image, and all the world was commanded to worship the image. Your study of this chapter should reveal that the people were not just giving their homage to a statue; they were giving their allegiance to Nebuchadnezzar – the one who had set himself in the place of God and who wanted to be worshiped. It was not enough for Nebuchadnezzar to see everybody bow down; he wanted them to give him their allegiance. It is going to be the same way at the end of time.

Take notice of the first verse. It says, “Nebuchadnezzar the king made an image of gold, whose height [was] threescore cubits, [and] the breadth thereof six cubits.” What is “threescore cubits”? It is sixty cubits. And then there is “six cubits.” Are you starting to see a pattern of sixes here? How many instruments were used in verse 5? There were six of them. Indeed we have a parallel between Daniel 3 and Revelation 13!

In Babylon, the number six was one of the favorites of the sun god. You will notice, in the figure on this page, that these amulets contain the triple sixes. Whichever way you add them, horizontally or vertically, they add up to 666.

Donation of Constantine

Let us trace the history of this number and how it entered into papal Rome. We know that the Catholic Church adopted all its practices out of paganism. Constantine, in the fourth century, gave the Pope a statute which bears an inscription that reads, in Latin, Vicarius Filii Dei. Today, it is still in the Vatican in Rome. The English translation of those words is, “The Vicar [or Representative] of the Son of God”; the actual full Latin of the inscription is “Vicarius Filii Dei on Earth.” The Donation of Constantine in the fourth century to the papacy of this title, which, by the way, was a forged document, was retained by the papacy for six centuries.

We will now follow the history of this throughout the Catholic Church’s own writings. The Donation of Constantine is the most famous forgery in European history. Its “original” was discovered in the Pseudo-Isadorian Decretals, which are now also recognized to be forgeries – a complete fabrication of Church history in the ninth century. Parts of the Donation of Constantine were later incorporated into most of the medieval collections of Catholic canon law. Did you take note of that? They were instituted into Catholic canon law.

For centuries, this forged document, the Donation of Constantine, was held to be genuine. The Catholic Church continued to use it for hundreds of years. As one example of Constantine’s Donation being incorporated into Catholic canon law, it was incorporated into Anselm’s Cardinal Deusdedsit’s in a.d. 1087 and into Johannes Gratian’s Decretum in a.d. 1148, also known as Concordia Discordantium Canonum. The Decretum was intended as a collection of everything that Gratian could find which could give historical precedent to the teaching of papal primacy, and therefore the authority of tradition, which could then carry the force of law in the Church. It had such success that it became the standard work of the law of the Roman Church and, thus, the basis of all canon law and Scholastic theology.

Gratian’s Decretum

“In this work [Gratian’s Decretum] the Isidorian forgeries were combined with those of the other Gregorian (Gregory VII) writers . . . and with Gratian’s own additions. His work displaced all the older collections of canon law, and became the manual and repertory, not for canonists only, but for the scholastic theologians, who, for the most part, derived all their knowledge of Fathers and Councils from it. No book has ever come near it in its influence in the Church, although there is scarcely another so chokeful of gross errors, both intentional and unintentional (Johann Joseph Ignaz von Döllinger, The Pope and the Council (Boston: Roberts, 1870), pp. 76−77, 79, 115−116).” William Webster, “Papal Forgeries,” <http://po67.ezboard.com/fthetruth11187frm2.showMessage?topicID=1028.topic> (May 18, 2007).

In his writings, Gratian stated that the blessed Peter in the earth is the Vicar of the Son of God, so the Church retained this. In the Catholic Encyclopedia, it states that Gratian is the true founder of the science of canon law. Popes who have claimed infallibility made some of the statements presented here. They would read through this man’s work (Gratian, founder of Catholic canon law) and would say that it was without flaw, and continued to use the forgery for centuries. Again Pope Pius V, appointed in a.d. 1566, commissioned to prepare a new edition of the Corpus Jurus, which is the Catholic canon law, and its gloss (comments of canonists). (See The Catholic Encyclopedia, vol. VI, 392.)

It must be admitted that the work of Gratian was as near perfection as was then possible. For that reason, it was adopted at Bologna and soon elsewhere, as the textbook for the study of canon law. Today the Church will deny that this work was ever valid. They tell us that they are infallible, but Gratian’s words are still found in their encyclopedias, in their canon law, and in the Corpus Jurus.

Religion of Human Nature

Ellen White, the prophet of the Lord, sanctioned the book Daniel and Revelation (Uriah Smith, Pacific Publishing Association, 1897). She said that the book should be circulated throughout the world: “Daniel and Revelation, Great Controversy, Patriarchs and Prophets, and Desire of Ages should now go to the world. The grand instruction contained in Daniel and Revelation has been eagerly perused by many in Australia. This book has been the means of bringing many precious souls to a knowledge of the truth. Everything that can be done should be done to circulate Thoughts on Daniel and Revelation. I know of no other book that can take the place of this one. It is God’s helping hand.” The Publishing Ministry, 356. Uriah Smith’s book, Daniel and Revelation, was the first to be published containing the words Vicarius Felii Dei adding up to the number 666.

Before we look at some Seventh-day Adventist sources, I would like to show you a few things from other writings.

Lucius Ferraris, in about 1755, revised this canon law of the Catholic Church in his book, Prompta Bibliotheca. (Vol. VI, 43, col. 2, Rome, 1890.) He quotes from the Donation of Constantine, including the phrase Vicarius Felii Dei. On the fifth line of the original article, it says, “blessed Peter in the earth is the vicar of the Son of God – Vicarius Felii Dei.” This was later revised, and each one of the revisions also contains that same title within it as an official title of the pope. The revision in 1890 still contained the title, Vicarius Felii Dei.

In the February 19, 1894, issue of The Signs of the Times, an article written by Ellen White, entitled “Romanism the Religion of Human Nature,” was published. In part, it says, “Popery is a religion of human nature, and the mass of humanity love a doctrine that permits them to commit sin, and yet frees them from its consequences.” Popery is the religion of human nature!

The Bible says, in Revelation 13:18, “Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man.” It is a number of a man. That is why you read, in Daniel 7:8, that the fourth beast had eyes like the eyes of a man. In 11 Thessalonians 2:3, he is called the “man of sin.” So, I am convinced that the number 666, since it can be traced in many ways, does represent humanity, and I believe that is only a part of it.

The following quote is from a 1911 newspaper. I found it in newspaper achives.com, which contains 39 million copies of newspapers dating back to 1756. Wondering whether or not anyone else was talking about Vicarius Filii Dei, I did a search on this website. In the Sandusky Register (Sandusky, Ohio) of March 13, 1911, a Pastor Russell, a non-Adventist, was asked what the words on the pope’s triple mitre – Vicarius Filii Dei – mean. He answered from the Bible that those words are the pope’s official title and that they add up to the number 666, meaning he is the antichrist.

The Challenge

The story begins at Loma Linda University Hospital, Loma Linda, California, in 1941, where a night nurse was taking care of the General Conference Treasurer, J. L. Shaw. The nurse could tell one night that his patient was troubled, and when asked why he was so restless, he replied: “I am very worried. For many years we have been preaching that the Pope has the title Vicarius Filii Dei, which adds up to 666, and now we have been challenged officially by the Catholic Church to prove this allegation by producing not some Protestant testimony, but reliable Catholic sources.”

Then Elder Shaw told how it all started with Elder [Francis D.] Nichol, who had written an article in The Signs of the Times that stated that someone in Rome saw the title Vicarius Filii Dei on the Pope’s tiara. No sooner was this published, than Elder Nichol was challenged by an editor of a Jesuit paper (by letter and by editorial) who wrote that Adventists for years had maintained that the Pope had this undocumented title, and now the Catholic Church demanded proof be presented or we desist from preaching such preposterous assumptions. Elder Nichol, who was known as a great defender of the faith, did not take this challenge lightly. He immediately wrote to scholars around the world to share with him any information they might have on this subject. He received no response.

Eventually, it was put into the hands of a special General Conference committee. Francis Nichol was a member of a committee of many scholars who wrote the Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary. The committee had been working on this for a long time, but could not find any official paper from the Catholic Church stating that the pope’s official title was Vicarius Filii Dei. This night nurse decided that he was going to go to the General Conference and ask if he could help in this search. Upon receiving permission to join in the search, he commenced an exhaustive research in the religious deck of the Library of Congress.

Joined in the search by a fellow student from Washington Missionary College (now Columbia Union College), who spoke Italian, it was learned that some years previous to this time a minister in Huntington, Indiana, was able to get a photocopy of an article that appeared in the April 18, 1915, issue of Our Sunday Visitor (the largest Catholic weekly in America), which stated that the Pope’s tiara had the title Vicarius Filii Dei. When this information was presented to the General Conference Committee, they were informed that one of their influential members insisted that this source was unreliable, because in the very next issue of Our Sunday Visitor, the editor published a denial indicating that he was mistaken about what was mentioned in the previous issue regarding the Pope’s title. In order to check on this alleged denial, it was necessary to review the back copies of Our Sunday Visitor which were available only at the publishing house in Indiana.

So the night nurse, along with his college buddy, dressed in black suits and traveled to Huntington, Indiana. Arriving at the publishing house of the paper, their entrance was denied, as it was just closing for the weekend. However, they pleaded with the doorman and told him they were seminarians doing a research paper, and they needed some help. The doorman ushered them to the secretary to the editor, where they once again explained their situation. The secretary, noting that they were both Latino seminarians in black suits, took them to the vault where they were able to look through bound volumes of back issues of the publication only to discover that the particular volume for which they were searching was missing.

When asked about the missing volume, the secretary responded that there had been a lot of problems with that volume, so it was kept in a secret vault. They asked if she would allow them to look at that year’s volume, and she complied with their request. The secretary retrieved from the vault a stack of papers with this particular issue of interest being at the very top. By coincidence, the young man’s birth date was April 18, 1915, the date of the publication, and when he told the secretary, she said she would love to make his day by giving him the original copy of the publication.

The two young men returned to the General Conference with the original copy of Our Sunday Visitor that states, “The letters inscribed in the pope’s mitre are these: Vicarius Filii Dei which is the Latin Vicar of the Son of God.” (See http://biblelight.net/vicarious-filii-dei-documentation.htm.)

In the November 15, 1914, issue of Our Sunday Visitor, the following was printed in response to a reader’s question: “The title of the Pope of Rome is Vicarius Filii Dei. This is inscribed on his mitre; and if you take the letters of his title which represent Latin numerals and add them together, they come to 666.” The author, who repeated the claim later in 1915, withdrew it. Among the errors he said he made was to mix up tiaras.

Denials

Notice what was happening. The Catholic Church began to deny the fact that the statement was ever written. Though the magazine itself discussed the topic again in September 1917 and August 1941, it never denied the claim published in the 1915 article that the title appeared on the mitre. Critics of the Seventh-day Adventist’s interpretation of the comment have argued that if there was some secret Catholic title that it was denying, it would have been unlikely to publish the secret in a magazine widely read by peoples of all faiths.

So, first of all they said that there was a mix-up on the tiaras. Then they argued that if the question asked about papal tiaras was such a secret, why then would the present author have proceeded to answer a question he was not asked about supposedly secret mitres? When questioned, the magazine wrote to the Seventh-day Adventist Church to inform them that the contributing priest had gotten his facts wrong.

The Seventh-day Adventist Church no longer regards the magazine article as anything other than an error and no longer promotes belief in the claim that Vicarius Filii Dei is a papal title. The Seventh-day Adventist Church abandoned its quest for the evidence after years of searching; however, some minority groups within the church still hold onto the belief that such a tiara with a title existed. (See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vicarius_Filii_Dei.) Well, I believe such a tiara did exist.

Search Continued

Now, the two men who went to Our Sunday Visitor also went to the Jesuit University in Washington, D.C. Again, both dressed in black, as if they were from the seminary, and they said, “We need some help.” They were told that help would be given with whatever they needed. They then shared that they were doing a research paper and wanted to know if Vicarius Filii Dei was an official title of the pope. They were told that there was someone who could talk to them about it, and they were ushered into a man’s office who was an expert on canon law. The gentleman, a Monsignor, referred them to a man named Dr. Johannes Quasten, whom they could not see that day, but they were assured they would be called when he was available. A few days later they received the anticipated call and rushed to Dr. Quasten’s office, where they repeated the purpose of their visit their quest to learn whether or not the pope’s official title was Vicarius Filii Dei. Dr. Quasten responded verbally, but also, upon request, in writing. “Dr. Quasten pulled out his pen and in his own handwriting wrote on official Catholic University stationary the following: ‘The title Vicarius Christi, as well as the title Vicarius Filii Dei is very common as the title of the Pope’ and signed his name.” <http://biblelight.net/vicarius-filii-dei-documentation.htm> May 20, 2007.

Bible Commentary

These two young men went directly back to the General Conference Committee, got two notaries to sign it, seal it, and date it. These two men risked their lives to get that information in 1941. Because of the two strong evidences of support they secured, the Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary came out very strongly with the fact that Vicarius Filii Dei is the official title of the pope.

“This interpretation [that 666 stood for Vicarius Filii Dei, meaning ‘vicar of the Son of God,’ one of the titles for the pope of Rome] was based on the identification of the pope as the Antichrist, the historic Reformation concept. The principal exponent of this interpretation was Andreas Helwig (c. 1572-1643; See L. E. Froom, The Prophetic Faith of Our Fathers, vol. 2, pp. 605-608). Many since his day have adopted this interpretation. Inasmuch as this commentary identifies the beast as the papacy, it also accepts this view as being the best thus far presented, though recognizing that there may be more implied in the cryptogram than this interpretation provides.

“Regarding the title Vicarius Filii Dei, the Catholic journal Our Sunday Visitor, of April 18, 1915, reported in answer to a query, ‘What are the letters supposed to be in the Pope’s crown, and what do they signify, if anything?’ ‘The letters inscribed in the Pope’s mitre are these: Vicarius Filii Dei, which is the Latin for Vicar of the Son of God.’ . . . The issue of November 15, 1914, admitted that the Latin numerals added together total 666. . . . The Catholic Encyclopedia distinguishes between the mitre and the tiara by describing the tiara as a non-liturgical ornament and the mitre as one worn for liturgical functions. Whether the inscription Vicarius Filii Dei appears on the tiara or the mitre is really beside the point. The title is admittedly applied to the pope, and that is sufficient for the purposes of prophecy.” Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, vol. 7, 823, 824.

2002 Bible Study Guide

In the Seventh-day Adventist General Conference Adult Sabbath School Bible Study Guide for April, May, June 2002, Great Apocalyptic Prophecies, 85, 86, the following note is presented: “Vicarius Filii Dei (Vicar of the Son of God). Since the Reformation, this papal title has been used to calculate the number 666. But there are several questions that should make us cautious. First, it is not clear that this title is an official one.” As shown previously, this information was received from doctors of canon law. We have seen the evidence. “Second, there is no clear indication in Revelation 13 that the number is based on the numerical value of the letters of a name.” The Catholic Church supports that view, but we cannot! “The phrase ‘it is the number of a man’ (vs. 18, NIV) could be translated ‘it is the number of [humanity]’; that is, of humans separated from God. Third, those who insist in counting the numerical value of letters confront the problem of deciding which language will be used. Because the text does not identify any language, the selection of a particular one will be somewhat arbitrary. At the present time, the symbolism of intensified rebellion, six used three times, and total independence from God seem to be the best option. Time will reveal the full meaning of the symbol.” <www.ssnet.org/qrtrly/eng/02b/> May 20, 2007.

It should concern us that there is a compromise on these issues. What is next? Is a complete denial going to come out in one of the church’s publications? It is going to lead to an effect upon Protestants today; they are going to forget about history; they are going to forget what it means to be a real Protestant.

The Catholic Church, over the past few years, has made numerous pronouncements in defense of religious liberty. Does this truth affect in any way what Revelation 13 says? Does it impact how we witness regarding Rome? Does the Catholic Church love religious freedom? That is not what Revelation 13 tells us, nor is that what the Spirit of Prophecy tells us. The Bible and the Spirit of Prophecy tell us that the papacy never changes. It is the same cruel, despotic power that it was during the Dark Ages.

“Protestants are losing the mark of distinction that distinguished them from the world, and they are lessening the distance between themselves and the Roman power. They have turned away their ears from hearing the truth; they have been unwilling to accept light which God shed upon their pathway, and are therefore going into darkness. They speak with contempt of the idea that there will be a revival of the past cruel persecution on the part of Romanists and those who affiliate with them. They do not recognize the fact that the word of God fully predicts such a revival, and will not concede that the people of God in the last days shall suffer persecution . . . .” The Signs of the Times, February 19, 1894.

The Future

From Revelation 13:16, 17, we read: “And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads: And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.” We will not be able to buy or sell if we do not have those qualifications. In Nebuchadnazzer’s day, he not only wanted people to bow down, he wanted people to reverence him, to pay him homage. In the Dark Ages, when people were asked, “Do you accept the pope as the vicar of the Son of God on earth?” what would happen if they said, “No”? It was a death decree. I believe it is going to be the same today, because it says that we cannot buy or sell unless we have the mark or the name of the beast or the number of his name. “Vicar of the Son of God” means that the pope has absolute control over everything – governments and churches.

Ellen White tells us that, “Under one head – the papal power – the people will unite to oppose God in the person of His witnesses.” Testimonies, vol. 7, 182. A time will come when we will be required to give our allegiance to the pope. But, “I saw as it were a sea of glass mingled with fire: and them that had gotten the victory over the beast, and over his image, and over his mark, [and] over the number of his name, stand on the sea of glass, having the harps of God.” Revelation 15:2. These are the people who will not accept that the pope is the ruler of the world.

Pope Benedict XVI has made an appeal to all churches to recognize him as the head of all churches, including Protestantism. (See http://www.ekklesia.co.uk/content/news_syndication/article_060612pope.shtml.) An appeal by the Pope to non-Catholic Christians to recognize papal primacy risks reinforcing divisions between churches, according to an Italian Protestant theologian. “Pope Benedict asserted that Jesus himself had entrusted the leadership of the Church to his apostle Peter.

“ ‘Peter’s responsibility thus consists of guaranteeing the communion with Christ,’ said Pope Benedict. ‘Let us pray so that the primacy of Peter, entrusted to poor human beings, may always be exercised in this original sense desired by the Lord, so that it will be increasingly recognised [sic] in its true meaning by brothers who are still not in communion with us.’ ” This is what the pope is calling for.

Do you want to recognize that the pope is the vicar, the one who takes the place of Christ on earth? The Bible tells us that there is only one head of the church, and that is Christ Jesus. (Ephesians 5:23.) If we are going to make it to the end, Jesus must be all in all in us.

Pastor Mike Bauler serves as pastor of the Historic Message Church in Portland, Oregon. He may be contacted by e-mail at: mbauler@earthlink.net.

Bible Study Guides – The Prophetic Vision

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October 21, 2007 – October 27, 2007

Key Text

“I have also spoken by the prophets, and I have multiplied visions, and used similitudes, by the ministry of the prophets.” Hosea 12:10.

Study Help: Early Writings, 13-20; Testimonies, vol. 1, 58-61, 21-35.

Introduction

The Seventh-day Adventist Bible Dictionary defines the prophetic vision as follows: “A supernatural means by which God communicates His will to His servants the prophets (Isaiah 1:1; etc.). . . . A vision may come in waking moments (Daniel 10:7; Acts 9:3, 7), by day (Acts 10:3) or night (Genesis 46:2), or it may come as a dream (Numbers 12:6). The Bible makes no sharp distinction between visions and dreams, except possibly that dreams come during hours of slumber. In vision the prophet becomes oblivious of his natural surroundings and the Spirit of God so controls the sensory areas of his brain that the prophet seems literally to see, hear, and feel what is presented to him in vision. A vision may contain instruction for God’s people or reveal facts about the future that will enable God’s people to live more intelligently in the present. In vision the prophet sometimes seems to be transported over considerable distances (see Ezekiel 3:12-15; 8:3; 40:2; cf. 11 Corinthians 12:2-4.)” “Vision,” 1134, 1135.

Throughout Ellen G. White’s ministry of 70 years (1845-1915), revelations came to her in visions of the day and visions of the night. The light thus communicated to her by God she embodied in her oral addresses and in numerous periodical articles, hundreds of personal, written testimonies, and in her many published books.

1 In general, how did God communicate His messages to the prophet? Numbers 12:6. Compare Genesis 15:1; Ezekiel 8:3, 4.

note: “The Lord God speaking to Aaron and Miriam from the pillar of cloud, says, ‘Hear now My words: If there be a prophet among you, I the Lord will make Myself known unto him in a vision, and will speak unto him in a dream.’ [Numbers 12:6.]

“This then is the manner in which the Lord spoke through the prophets. By the power of His Spirit he takes complete possession of the mind, impressing upon its tablets those things which He is pleased to reveal. Then when restored to the natural state, the chosen person could speak or write out those words of instruction for others’ benefit. Events passed before the mind in vision like a moving panorama. These in the normal state brought up again by the aid of the Spirit of God are conveyed to others.” George I. Butler, Review and Herald, May 12, 1874.

2 How did Daniel describe his experience in connection with one of his visions? Daniel 10:7, 8, 15-18.

note: “In Jesus he [Peter] saw One who held all nature under His control. The presence of divinity revealed his own unholiness. Love for his Master, shame for his own unbelief, gratitude for the condescension of Christ, above all, the sense of his uncleanness in the presence of infinite purity, overwhelmed him. While his companions were securing the contents of the net, Peter fell at the Saviour’s feet, exclaiming, ‘Depart from me; for I am a sinful man, O Lord.’ [Luke 5:8.]

“It was the same presence of divine holiness that had caused the prophet Daniel to fall as one dead before the angel of God. He said, ‘My comeliness was turned in me into corruption, and I retained no strength.’ So when Isaiah beheld the glory of the Lord, he exclaimed, ‘Woe is me! for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips: for mine eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts.’ Daniel 10:8; Isaiah 6:5. Humanity, with its weakness and sin, was brought in contrast with the perfection of divinity, and he felt altogether deficient and unholy. Thus it has been with all who have been granted a view of God’s greatness and majesty.” The Desire of Ages, 246. [Emphasis added.]

3 How is the experience of another prophet described? Numbers 24:2-4.

note: “Balaam owed the preservation of his life to the poor animal that he had treated so cruelly. The man who claimed to be a prophet of the Lord, who declared that his eyes were open, and he saw the ‘vision of the Almighty,’ [Numbers 24:4] was so blinded by covetousness and ambition that he could not discern the angel of God visible to his beast.” Patriarchs and Prophets, 442. [Emphasis added.]

4 How does Paul describe his experience while in one of his visions? 11 Corinthians 12:1, 2.

note: “Paul had a very humble opinion of his own advancement in the Christian life. He says: ‘Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect.’ He speaks of himself as the ‘chief’ of sinners. [Philippians 3:12; 1 Timothy 1:15.] Yet Paul had been highly honored of the Lord. He had been taken in holy vision to the third heaven and had there received revelations of divine glory which he could not be permitted to make known.” Testimonies, vol. 5, 223, 224.

5 Describe Ellen G. White’s experience while in open vision during the early years of her prophetic ministry.

note: There were many who witnessed Ellen White in vision. G. I. Butler, president of the General Conference while Mrs. White was in mid-life, in a series of articles for the Review and Herald reported physical phenomena paralleling the experience of Daniel.

“They [the visions] generally, but not always, occur in the midst of earnest seasons of religious interest while the Spirit of God is specially present, as those can tell who are in attendance. The time Mrs. White is in this condition has varied from fifteen minutes to one hundred and eighty. During this time the heart and pulse continue to beat, the eyes are always wide open, and seem to be gazing at some far-distant object, and are never fixed on any person or thing in the room. They are always directed upward. They exhibit a pleasant expression. There is no ghastly look or any resemblance of fainting. . . .

“While she is in vision, her breathing entirely ceases. No breath ever escapes her nostrils or lips when in this condition. This has been proved by many witnesses, among them physicians of skill, and themselves unbelievers in the visions, on some occasions being appointed by a public congregation for the purpose. . . . When she goes into this condition, there is no appearance of swooning or faintness, her face retains its natural color, and the blood circulates as usual. Often she loses her strength temporarily and reclines or sits; but at other times she stands up. She moves her arms gracefully, and often her face is lighted up with radiance as though the glory of heaven rested upon her. She is utterly unconscious of everything going on around her while she is in vision, having no knowledge whatever of what is said and done in her presence.” Review and Herald, June 9, 1874.

6 What purpose was served by the physical phenomena in connection with the visions of Mrs. White?

note: “Some of the instruction found in these pages was given under circumstances so remarkable as to evidence the wonder-working power of God in behalf of His truth. Sometimes while I was in vision, my friends would approach me, and exclaim, ‘Why, she does not breathe!’ Placing a mirror before my lips, they found that no moisture gathered on the glass. It was while there was no sign of any breathing that I kept talking of the things that were being presented before me. These messages were thus given to substantiate the faith of all, that in these last days we might have confidence in the Spirit of Prophecy.” Selected Messages, Book 3, 38, 39. [Emphasis added.]

7 During what hours did Daniel receive the vision described in Daniel 7? Daniel 7:1, 2, 13.

note: “The Spirit of the Lord rested upon Daniel and his fellows, and the secret was revealed to Daniel in a night vision.” The Youth’s Instructor, September 1, 1903.

“In the hours of that night Ellen White was given a significant and solemn vision and was able to sleep but little.” Arthur L. White, Ellen G. White, vol. 3, The Lonely Years 1876−1891, Review and Herald Publishing Association, Washington, D. C., 310.

8 Name another prophet who received visions at night. Acts 16:9. Compare Genesis 46:2-4.

note: “There are many dreams arising from the common things of life with which the Spirit of God has nothing to do. ‘There are also false dreams, as well as false visions, which are inspired by the spirit of Satan. But dreams from the Lord are classed in the word of God with visions and are as truly the fruits of the spirit of prophecy as visions. Such dreams, taking into the account the persons who have them, and the circumstances under which they are given, contain their own proofs of their genuineness.’ ” Testimonies, vol. 5, 658.

9 How did the Lord in prophetic vision reveal to Ezekiel truths concerning the restored temple? Ezekiel 40:2-4.

note: “As inquiries are frequently made as to my state in vision, and after I come out, I would say that when the Lord sees fit to give a vision, I am taken into the presence of Jesus and angels, and am entirely lost to earthly things. I can see no farther than the angel directs me. My attention is often directed to scenes transpiring upon earth.

“At times I am carried far ahead into the future and shown what is to take place. Then again I am shown things as they have occurred in the past. After I come out of vision I do not at once remember all that I have seen, and the matter is not so clear before me until I write, then the scene rises before me as was presented in vision, and I can write with freedom. Sometimes the things which I have seen are hid from me after I come out of vision, and I cannot call them to mind until I am brought before a company where that vision applies, then the things which I have seen come to my mind with force. I am just as dependent upon the Spirit of the Lord in relating or writing a vision, as in having the vision. It is impossible for me to call up things which have been shown me unless the Lord brings them before me at the time that he is pleased to have me relate or write them.” Spiritual Gifts, vol. 2, 292, 293.

10 In what form were messages imparted to Zechariah? Zechariah 1:8-10; 4:1-7. To John the Revelator? Revelation 1:10-20. Compare Revelation 12.

note: In symbols, many facets of truth could be imparted in a brief representation. The Word of God abounds in symbolic representations. To the mind of Ellen White there were often opened by symbols or figures events of consequence and meaning to the church. For example, the growth of modern spiritualism was shown to her as a fast-moving train plunging ahead with “lightning speed to perdition.” It seemed to her that “the whole world was on board.” See Early Writings, 263. Sometimes the symbolic would blend into the real. See her first vision in Early Writings, 13-20, or Testimonies, vol. 1, 58-61.

11 To what point was Ezekiel on one occasion seemingly conveyed in vision? Ezekiel 8:1-12.

note: Frequently in Mrs. White’s experience she seemed to be taken to some distant place where she saw and heard what was occurring. While in Moss, Norway, in 1887, she seemed to be at the Saint Helena Sanitarium in California and witnessed what took place as the guests settled their accounts.

In Counsels on Health, 412, 413, she describes a seeming visit to the Battle Creek Sanitarium where she saw how the work was done and heard the conversation of the helpers.

On the night of April 16, 1906, she seemed to be on an eminence and viewed the great San Francisco earthquake that occurred two days later. Read her vivid description in Testimonies, vol. 9, 92, 93.

12 Before one challenges the method by which God reveals the light, how important is it to read the prophetic messages and ask, Is this light or darkness? Isaiah 46:9, 10.

note: “The question is asked, How does Sister White know in regard to the matters of which she speaks so decidedly, as if she had authority to say these things? I speak thus because they flash upon my mind when in perplexity like lightning out of a dark cloud in the fury of a storm. Some scenes presented before me years ago have not been retained in my memory, but when the instruction then given is needed, sometimes even when I am standing before the people, the remembrance comes sharp and clear, like a flash of lightning, bringing to mind distinctly that particular instruction. At such times I cannot refrain from saying the things that flash into my mind, not because I have had a new vision, but because that which was presented to me perhaps years in the past has been recalled to my mind forcibly.” Selected Messages, Book 1, 37.

Editorial – Ellen White’s Counsel Regarding the Controversy over the “Daily,” Pt I

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[Editor’s Note: Historically—in the 1840s and afterward—Seventh-day Adventists have believed that the daily in Daniel 8, 11, and 12 refers to paganism in contrast with “the abomination that makes desolate” (Daniel 11:31) or the papacy; that both terms identify persecuting powers; that the word for daily—correctly meaning “continual or continually or continuance”—refers to the long continuance of Satan’s opposition to the work of Christ through the medium of paganism; that the taking away of the daily and the setting up of “the abomination that makes desolate” represents the action of papal Rome replacing pagan Rome and that this even is the same as that described in 11 Thessalonians 2:7 and Revelation 13:2; and that this replacing of paganism with the papal religion as the official religion of the most prominent country in Europe at that time (France) occurred in a.d. 508.]

Around the turn of the twentieth century, a new view of the daily surfaced in Adventism. This new view was promoted by W. W. Prescott (college president and later vice-president of the General Conference, chairman of the Review and Herald Publishing Association board, editor of the Review and Herald, and later field secretary of the General Conference) and A. G. Daniells (General Conference president at that time). The new view was that the daily, or continual, referred to the continual priestly ministry of Christ in the heavenly sanctuary and to the true worship of Christ in the gospel age; that the taking away of the daily represents the substitution by the papacy of compulsory unity in a visible church in place of the voluntary unity of all believers in Christ, and the replacing of Christ, the invisible head, by the pope, a visible head, and an earthly priestly hierarchy in place of direct access to Christ by all believers; of a system of salvation by works ordained by the visible church in place of salvation by faith in Christ; and the confessional and the sacrifice of the mass in place of the mediatorial work of Christ as our great high priest in the courts of heaven. Those holding this view have no adequate explanation of the 1290 days in Daniel 12 unless they adopt futuristic interpretations. It was concerning this second view held by Prescott and Daniells that the following testimony by Ellen White was written. (See Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, vol. 4, 842, 843, 880, 881 for source material about the above two views.)

“At this stage of our experience we are not to have our minds drawn away from the special light given [us] to consider at the important gathering of our conference. And there was Brother Daniells, whose mind the enemy was working; and your mind and Elder Prescott’s mind were being worked by the angels that were expelled from heaven. Satan’s work was to divert your minds that jots and tittles should be brought in which the Lord did not inspire you to bring in. They were not essential. But this meant much to the cause of truth. And the ideas of your minds, if you could be drawn away to jots or tittles, is a work of Satan’s devising. To correct little things in the books written, you suppose would be doing a great work. But I am charged, Silence is eloquence.” Manuscript Releases, vol. 20, 17.

To be continued . . .

Ellen White’s Counsel Regarding the Controversy over the “Daily” Part II

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Ellen White’s testimony regarding the view held by Prescott and Daniells of the daily, begun in Part I of this Editorial [October 2007], continues:

“I am to say, Stop your picking flaws. If this purpose of the devil [to divert your minds that jots and tittles should be brought in which the Lord did not inspire you to bring in] could only be carried out, then [it] appears to you [that] your work would be considered as most wonderful in conception. It was the enemy’s plan to get all the supposed objectionable features where all classes of minds did not agree. And what then? The very work that pleases the devil would come to pass. There would be a representation given to the outsiders not of our faith just what would suit them, that would develop traits of character which would cause great confusion and occupy the golden moments which should be used zealously to bring the great message before the people. The presentations upon any subject we have worked upon could not all harmonize, and the results would be to confuse the minds of believers and unbelievers. This is the very thing that Satan had planned that should take place—anything that could be magnified as a disagreement.

“Read Ezekiel, chapter 28. Now, here is a grand work, where strange spirits can figure. But the Lord has a work to [be] done to save perishing souls; and the places which Satan, disguised, could fill in, bringing confusion into our ranks, he will do to perfection, and all those little differences will become enlarged, prominent.

“And I was shown from the first that the Lord had given neither Elders Daniells nor Prescott the burden of this work. Should Satan’s wiles be brought in, should this ‘Daily’ be such a great matter as to be brought in to confuse minds and hinder the advancement of the work at this important period of time? It should not, whatever may be. This subject should not be introduced, for the spirit that would be brought in would be forbidding, and Lucifer is watching every movement. Satanic agencies would commence his work and there would be confusion brought into our ranks. You have no call to hunt up the difference of opinion that is not a testing question; but your silence is eloquence. I have the matter all plainly before me. If the devil could involve any one of our own people on these subjects, as he has proposed to do, Satan’s cause would triumph. Now the work without delay is to be taken up and not a [difference] of opinion expressed.

“Satan would inspire those men who have gone out from us to unite with evil angels and retard our work on unimportant questions, and what rejoicing [there] would be in the camp of the enemy. Press together, press together. Let every difference be buried. Our work now is to devote all our physical and brain-nerve power to put these differences out of the way, and all harmonize. If Satan could with his great unsanctified wisdom be permitted to get the least hold, [he would rejoice].

“Now, when I saw how you were working, my mind took in the whole situation and the results if you should go forward and give the parties that have left us the least chance to bring confusion into our ranks. Your lack of wisdom would be just what Satan would have it. Your loud proclamation was not under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit.” Manuscript Releases, vol. 20, 17, 18.

To be continued . . .

Editorial – Ellen White’s Counsel Regarding the Controversy over the “Daily” Part III

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“I [Ellen White] was instructed to say to you [A. G. Daniells] that your picking flaws in the writings of men that have been led of God is not inspired of God. And if this is the wisdom that Elder Daniells would give to the people, by no means give him an official position, for he cannot reason from cause to effect. Your silence on this subject is your wisdom. Now, everything like picking flaws in the publications of men who are not alive is not the work God has given any of you to do. For if these men—Elders Daniells and Prescott—had followed the directions given in working the cities, there would have been many, very many, convinced of the truth and converted, able men that [now] are in positions where they never will be reached.

“All the world is to be regarded as one great family. And when you have such a fountain of knowledge to draw from, why have you left the world to perish for years with the testimonies given by our Lord Jesus Christ? True religion teaches us to regard every man and woman as a person to whom we can do good.

“This has been in print many years: ‘A Balanced Mind,’ testimony to Elder Andrews. The mind may be cultivated to become a power to know when to speak and what burdens to take up and to bear, for Christ is your teacher. And I feared greatly for you [when I saw you] exalting your wisdom and pursuing a course to bring in differences of opinion. The Lord calls for wise men who can hold their peace when it [is] wisdom for them to do so. If you would be a whole man, you need sanctification through Jesus Christ. Now there is a work just started, and let wisdom be seen in every minister, in every president of [a] conference. But here was a work for you to take hold of years ago where you were needed to lift your voice for this very work. Christ gave all His people special directions what they shall do and the things they shall not do. And there is a little time left us to work out the righteousness of the Lord.

“You can understand the way of the Lord. I saw your purpose of carrying things after your own devising after you were placed as president. You had thought you would do wonderful things, which would be a work God had not placed in your hands to do. Now, your work is not to oppress but to release every necessity possible if the Lord has accepted you to serve. But you have very early given evidence that wisdom and sanctified judgment have not been manifested by you. You blazed out matters that would not be received unless the Lord should give light.

“I have been instructed that such hasty movements should not have [been] made [such] as selecting you as president of the conference even another year. But the Lord forbids any more such hasty transactions until the matter is brought before the Lord in prayer; and as you have had the message come to you that the work of the Lord resting upon the president is a most solemn responsibility, you had no moral right to blaze out as you did upon the subject of the ‘Daily’ and suppose your influence would decide the question.” Manuscript Releases, vol. 20, 18, 19.

To be continued . . .