Bible Study Guides – Problems to Overcome Part 2

July 18 – 24, 2021

Key Text

“He also that received seed among the thorns is he that heareth the word; and the care of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, choke the word, and he becometh unfruitful” (Matthew 13:22).

 Study Help: Counsels on Stewardship, 133–140.

Introduction

“All money lovers … will one day cry in bitter anguish: ‘Oh, the deceitfulness of riches! I have sold my soul for money.’ ” Testimonies, vol. 3, 544, 545.

Sunday

1 DECEPTION

1.a. How does Satan often pervert the heart and the mouth of people who take business advantages? Jeremiah 6:13; Acts 5:3, 4.

 1.b. How earnestly did King David struggle against deceit? Psalms 52:2, 3; 101:7; 120:2; Proverbs 30:8.

 1.c. As faithful stewards must often be in contact with deceitful people, what prayer should they send up to the throne of grace? Psalm 43:1, last part.

1.d. How does God often permit a deceitful person to be the victim of his or her own tricks? Psalm 7:14–16.

Monday

2 DISHONESTY

2.a. How is a dishonest person described? Proverbs 6:12, 13, 14, 16–19.

2.b. How does the Lord consider those who are dishonest in their financial transactions? Deuteronomy 27:17–19; Proverbs 11:1; 20:23.

Note: “The accounts of every business, the details of every transaction, pass the scrutiny of unseen auditors, agents of Him who never compromises with injustice, never overlooks evil, never palliates wrong. …

“Against every evildoer God’s law utters condemnation. He may disregard that voice, he may seek to drown its warning, but in vain. It follows him. It makes itself heard. It destroys his peace. If unheeded, it pursues him to the grave. It bears witness against him at the judgment. A quenchless fire, it consumes at last soul and body.” Education, 144, 145.

2.c. What will happen to gain that is acquired dishonestly? Proverbs 13:11; 15:27; 21:6.

Note: “This is a question that demands consideration by every parent, every teacher, every student—by every human being, young or old. No scheme of business or plan of life can be sound or complete that embraces only the brief years of this present life and makes no provision for the unending future. Let the youth be taught to take eternity into their reckoning. Let them be taught to choose the principles and seek the possessions that are enduring—to lay up for themselves that ‘treasure in the heavens that faileth not, where no thief approacheth, neither moth corrupteth;’ to make to themselves friends ‘by means of the mammon of unrighteousness,’ that when it shall fail, these may receive them ‘into the eternal tabernacles’ (Luke 12:33; 16:9 RV).” Education, 145.

Tuesday

3 INJUSTICE

3.a. What is the command regarding partiality? Leviticus 19:15.

Note: “Do not show partiality to one or more, and neglect other of your brethren because they are not congenial to you. Beware lest you deal harshly with those who you think have made mistakes, while others, more guilty and more deserving of reproof, who should be severely rebuked for their unChristlike conduct, are sustained and treated as friends.” The Review and Herald, March 12, 1895.

3.b. What does the faithful steward relate to disadvantaged persons? Psalm 82:2–4.

Note: “God requires that His people should not allow the poor and afflicted to be oppressed. If they break every yoke and release the oppressed, and are unselfish and kindly considerate of the needy, then shall the blessings promised be theirs. If there are those in the church who would cause the blind to stumble, they should be brought to justice; for God has made us guardians of the blind, the afflicted, the widows, and the fatherless. The stumbling block referred to in the word of God does not mean a block of wood placed before the feet of the blind to cause him to stumble, but it means much more than this. It means any course that may be pursued to injure the influence of their blind brother, to work against his interest, or to hinder his prosperity.

“A brother who is blind and poor and diseased, and who is making every exertion to help himself that he may not be dependent, should be encouraged by his brethren in every way possible. But those who profess to be his brethren, who have the use of all their faculties, who are not dependent, but who so far forget their duty to the blind as to perplex and distress and hedge up his way, are doing a work which will require repentance and restoration before God will accept their prayers. And the church of God who have permitted their unfortunate brother to be wronged will be guilty of sin until they do all in their power to have the wrong righted.” Testimonies, vol. 3, 519, 520.

Wednesday

4 POOR COMPANY

4.a. While the Lord is our great Counselor, from whom may we seek counsel on this earth? Proverbs 13:20.

Note: “The only safe course for the youth is to mingle with the pure, the holy, and thus natural tendencies to evil will be held in check. By choosing for their companions such as fear the Lord, they will seldom be found disbelieving God’s word, entertaining doubts and infidelity. The power of a truly consistent example is very great for good.” In Heavenly Places, 172.

4.b. What is the benefit of not counselling with ungodly persons? Proverbs 14:7; 2 Thessalonians 3:6.

Note: “Let the youth choose the influence of, and become associated with, men and women of bad principles and practices, … and they are polluted. Silent and unconscious influences weave their sentiments into their lives, become a part of their very existence, and they walk on the very brink of a precipice and sense no danger. They learn to love the words of the smooth tongued, the honeyed words of the deceiver, and are restless, uneasy, and unhappy unless they are carried to the pinnacle of someone’s flattery. … To walk in the counsel of the ungodly is the first step toward standing in the place of sinners and sitting in the seat of the scornful.” In Heavenly Places, 172.

“It is wrong for Christians to associate with those whose morals are loose. An intimate, daily intercourse which occupies time without contributing in any degree to the strength of the intellect or morals is dangerous. If the moral atmosphere surrounding persons is not pure and sanctified, but is tainted with corruption, those who breathe this atmosphere will find that it operates almost insensibly upon the intellect and heart to poison and to ruin. It is dangerous to be conversant with those whose minds naturally take a low level. Gradually and imperceptibly those who are naturally conscientious and love purity will come to the same level and partake of and sympathize with the imbecility and moral barrenness with which they are so constantly brought in contact.” Testimonies, vol. 3, 125.

Thursday

5 THE FUTILITY OF ACQUIRING RICHES

5.a. How much of our earthly riches do we retain when we die? Psalm 49:16, 17; Ecclesiastes 5:13–15; 1 Timothy 6:7.

5.b. What can we take with us to the great judgment of humanity? Matthew 16:26; Proverbs 11:4.

 Note: “The redeemed will be welcomed to the home that Jesus is preparing for them. There their companions will not be the vile of earth, liars, idolaters, the impure, and unbelieving; but they will associate with those who have overcome Satan and through divine grace have formed perfect characters. Every sinful tendency, every imperfection, that afflicts them here has been removed by the blood of Christ, and the excellence and brightness of His glory, far exceeding the brightness of the sun, is imparted to them. And the moral beauty, the perfection of His character, shines through them, in worth far exceeding this outward splendor. They are without fault before the great white throne, sharing the dignity and the privileges of the angels.

“In view of the glorious inheritance that may be his, ‘what shall a man give in exchange for his soul’ (Matthew 16:26)? He may be poor, yet he possesses in himself a wealth and dignity that the world could never bestow. The soul redeemed and cleansed from sin, with all its noble powers dedicated to the service of God, is of surpassing worth; and there is joy in heaven in the presence of God and the holy angels over one soul redeemed, a joy that is expressed in songs of holy triumph.” Steps to Christ, 126.

Friday

PERSONAL REVIEW QUESTIONS

1    What are the results of a deceptive communication?

2    How does dishonesty affect the one who deceives?

3    How do faithful stewards treat others in their financial dealings?

4    Who is the faithful steward’s financial counselor?

5    What should remind us of the temporal nature of material wealth?

Copyright 2011, Reformation Herald Publishing Association, 5240 Hollins Road, Roanoke, Virginia 24019-5048, U.S.A.

Bible Study Guides – “IF IT WERE POSSIBLE, THEY SHALL DECEIVE THE VERY ELECT”

MEMORY VERSE: “For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall show great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect.” Matthew 24:24.

STUDY HELP: The Great Controversy, 624, 625.

INTRODUCTION: “Satan’s superstitions will assume new forms. Errors will be presented in a pleasing and flattering manner. False theories, clothed with garments of light, will be presented to God’s people. Thus Satan will try to deceive, if possible, the very elect. Most seducing influences will be exerted; minds will be hypnotized.” Testimonies, vol. 8, 293.

“BEHOLD, I HAVE TOLD YOU BEFORE”

  1. What warning against impersonation does Christ give? John 10:1–5. (See Matthew 24:5, 24.)

NOTE: “He has power to bring before men the appearance of their departed friends. The counterfeit is perfect; the familiar look, the words, the tone, are reproduced with marvelous distinctness. Many are comforted with the assurance that their loved ones are enjoying the bliss of heaven, and without suspicion of danger, they give ear ‘to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils.’” The Great Controversy, 552.

“These evil angels, who assume to be dead friends, will either utterly reject God’s word as idle tales, or, if it suit their purpose best, will select the vital portions which testify of Christ and point out the way to heaven, and change the plain statements of the word of God to suit their own corrupt nature and ruin souls.” Testimonies, vol. 1, 298.

“The apostles, as personated by these lying spirits, are made to contradict what they wrote at the dictation of the Holy Spirit when on earth. They deny the divine origin of the Bible, and thus tear away the foundation of the Christian’s hope and put out the light that reveals the way to heaven.” The Great Controversy, 557.

“Satan is a cunning foe. And it is not difficult for the evil angels to represent both saints and sinners who have died, and make these representations visible to human eyes. These manifestations will be more frequent, and developments of a more startling character will appear as we near the close of time.” Review and Herald, April 1, 1875.

  1. What will be the greatest deception of all? 2 Corinthians 11:14. (Compare Matthew 24:5, 23–27.)

NOTE: “As the crowning act in the great drama of deception, Satan himself will personate Christ. The . . . great deceiver will make it appear that Christ has come. In different parts of the earth, Satan will manifest himself among men as a majestic being of dazzling brightness, resembling the description of the Son of God given by John in the Revelation. Revelation 1:13–15. The glory that surrounds him is unsurpassed by anything that mortal eyes have yet beheld. The shout of triumph rings out upon the air: ‘Christ has come! Christ has come!’ The people prostrate themselves in adoration before him, while he lifts up his hands and pronounces a blessing upon them, as Christ blessed His disciples when He was upon the earth. His voice is soft and subdued, yet full of melody. In gentle, compassionate tones he presents some of the same gracious, heavenly truths which the Savior uttered; he heals the diseases of the people, and then, in his assumed character of Christ, he claims to have changed the Sabbath to Sunday, and commands all to hallow the day which he has blessed. He declares that those who persist in keeping holy the seventh day are blaspheming his name by refusing to listen to his angels sent to them with light and truth. This is the strong, almost overmastering delusion.” The Great Controversy, 624.

  1. What Bible verses protect us against a current impersonation? Ecclesiastes 9:5, 6.

NOTE: “Statues weep human tears and blood, the young prophesy, religious communities sprout up, messengers receive warnings, Mary raises up an army of the devout and reported apparitions of Mary appear at a frequency never before seen in all recorded history.The Thunder of Justice, Ted and Maureen Flynn, 4. The 55,000 strong Marian Movement of Priests began in 1972. “The current Marian times had their beginning in 1830 when Our Blessed Mother appeared to Catherine Laboure in the convent at Rue de Bac in Paris. . . .Sixteen years after Rue de Bac, on September 19, 1846, Our Blessed Mother appeared to children at LaSalette in the French Alps . . . In 1858, Our Blessed Mother appeared to a peasant girl, Bernadette Soubirous at Lourdes, France. . . . Mary’s next major apparition was at Fatima, Portugal, in 1917 to three children. . . . In 1961, Mary appeared in Garabandal, Spain. . . . In 1973, at Akita, Japan, Mary repeated that message. . . . In Medjugorje, in former Yugoslavia, six children in a rural village have been seeing Mary daily and receiving messages from the Blessed Mother since 1981.” The Thunder of Justice, 7, 8.

“Mary” claims to be the Virgin of Revelation [see Revelation 12:1] and to explain the Book of Revelation. She says the Red Dragon is Marxist atheism, the first beast of Revelation 13 is secular freemasonry and the two-horned beast is ecclesiastical freemasonry. The number 666 represents the date when freemasonry began through Islam! The apparition speaks of the mark of the beast and the Three Angels’ Messages. (Thunder of Justice, 100 – 102.) She even speaks of the appearance of Satan in human form. The remedy for the ills of the world, proposed on page 389, is restoration of Sunday observance. (Sunday is equated with the Sabbath, and the book reminds the reader that, in Old Testament times, Sabbath desecration was punishable by death.)

“ALL THAT DWELL ON THE EARTH SHALL WORSHIP HIM”

  1. What move to establish a single worldwide worship is foretold in God’s Word? Revelation 13:8, 12.

NOTE: “Those religious bodies who refuse to hear God’s messages of warning will be under strong deception and will unite with the civil power to persecute the saints. The Protestant churches will unite with the papal power in persecuting the commandment-keeping people of God.” Last Day Events, 145.

“When Protestant churches shall unite with the secular power to sustain a false religion, for opposing which their ancestors endured the fiercest persecution, then will the papal sabbath be enforced by the combined authority of church and state. There will be a national apostasy, which will end only in national ruin.” Last Day Events, 134.

“When the leading churches of the United States, uniting upon such points of doctrine as are held by them in common, shall influence the state to enforce their decrees and to sustain their institutions, then Protestant America will have formed an image of the Roman hierarchy, and the infliction of civil penalties upon dissenters will inevitably result.” The Great Controversy, 445.

  1. What penalties will be imposed on those who refuse to conform to this worship? Revelation 13:15–17.

NOTE: “We ought now to be heeding the injunction of our Savior: ‘Sell that ye have, and give alms; provide yourselves bags which wax not old, a treasure in the heavens that faileth not.’ It is now that our brethren should be cutting down their possessions instead of increasing them. We are about to move to a better country, even a heavenly. Then let us not be dwellers upon the earth, but be getting things into as compact a compass as possible. The time is coming when we cannot sell at any price. The decree will soon go forth prohibiting men to buy or sell of any man save him that hath the mark of the beast.” Testimonies, vol. 5, 152.

“We Ought to Obey God Rather Than Men”

  1. What should be the Christian’s attitude towards earthly governments? Romans 13:1–7; Titus 3:1.

NOTE: “He who obeys the divine law will most truly respect and obey the laws of his country. He who fears God will honor the king in the exercise of all just and legitimate authority.” The Great Controversy, 278.

  1. What principle will on occasion overrule our duty to obey the laws of our country? Acts 4:19; Acts 5:29.

NOTE: “When the laws of men conflict with the word and law of God, we are to obey the latter, whatever the consequences may be . . . it is our duty in every case to obey the laws of our land, unless they conflict with the higher law which God spoke with an audible voice from Sinai, and afterward engraved on stone with His own finger.” Testimonies, vol. 1, 201, 361.

  1. Of what may those be accused who obey God rather than men? 1 Kings 18:17; Acts 17:6.

NOTE: “It is the same policy which has been pursued in all ages. Elijah was declared to be a troubler in Israel, Jeremiah a traitor, Paul a polluter of the temple. From that day to this, those who would be loyal to truth have been denounced as seditious, heretical, or schismatic. Multitudes who are too unbelieving to accept the sure word of prophecy will receive with unquestioning credulity an accusation against those who dare to reprove fashionable sins. This spirit will increase more and more. And the Bible plainly teaches that a time is approaching when the laws of the state will so conflict with the law of God that whosoever would obey all the divine precepts must brave reproach and punishment as an evildoer.” The Great Controversy, 459.

“UNDER THE SHADOW OF THE ALMIGHTY”

  1. What precious promises are for those who put their trust in the Lord? Psalm 91:1–4; Psalm 32:7.

NOTE: “The truth of God received into the heart is able to make you wise unto salvation. In believing and obeying it you will receive grace sufficient for the duties and trials of today. Grace for tomorrow you do not need. You should feel that you have only to do with today. Overcome for today; deny self for today; watch and pray for today; obtain victories in God for today. Our circumstances and surroundings, the changes daily transpiring around us, and the written word of God which discerns and proves all things, these are sufficient to teach us our duty and just what we ought to do, day by day.” Testimonies, vol. 3, 333.

  1. If we are called to testify for our faith what promise may we claim? Matthew 10:19.

NOTE: “As the Spirit of God illuminates the minds of His servants, the truth will be presented in its divine power and preciousness. Those who reject the truth will stand to accuse and oppress the disciples. But under loss and suffering, even unto death, the Lord’s children are to reveal the meekness of their divine Example. Thus will be seen the contrast between Satan’s agents and the representatives of Christ. The Savior will be lifted up before the rulers and the people. . . . The servants of Christ were to prepare no set speech to present when brought to trial. Their preparation was to be made day by day in treasuring up the precious truths of God’s word, and through prayer strengthening their faith. When they were brought into trial, the Holy Spirit would bring to their remembrance the very truths that would be needed.” Desire of Ages, 354, 355.

  1. What promises are we given of food and protection? Isaiah 33:15–16; Psalm 37:3; Psalm 111:5; Matthew 6:26.

NOTE: “In the last great conflict of the controversy with Satan those who are loyal to God will see every earthly support cut off. Because they refuse to break His law in obedience to earthly powers, they will be forbidden to buy or sell. It will finally be decreed that they shall be put to death. See Revelation 13:11–17. But to the obedient is given the promise, ‘He shall dwell on high: his place of defense shall be the munitions of rocks: bread shall be given him; his waters shall be sure.’ Isaiah 33:16. By this promise the children of God will live. When the earth shall be wasted with famine, they shall be fed. ‘They shall not be ashamed in the evil time: and in the days of famine they shall be satisfied.’ Psalm 37:19.” Desire of Ages, 121.

  1. What promise do we have of protection during the plagues? Psalm 91:4–10; Psalm 34:6.

NOTE: “The people of God will not be free from suffering; but while persecuted and distressed, while they endure privation and suffer for want of food they will not be left to perish. That God who cared for Elijah will not pass by one of His self-sacrificing children. He who numbers the hairs of their head will care for them, and in time of famine they shall be satisfied.” The Great Controversy, 629.

  1. Who will protect us? Psalm 91:11, 12; Psalm 34:7.

NOTE: “While the wicked are dying from hunger and pestilence, angels will shield the righteous and supply their wants . . . Could men see with heavenly vision, they would behold companies of angels that excel in strength stationed about those who have kept the word of Christ’s patience. With sympathizing tenderness, angels have witnessed their distress and have heard their prayers. They are waiting the word of their Commander to snatch them from their peril.” The Great Controversy, 629, 630.

  1. What promise of Jesus may we especially depend on? Matthew 28:20, last part.

NOTE: “With intense interest the loyal angels and the inhabitants of the unfallen worlds are watching the controversy going on on this earth. Soon the conflict will be forever ended. Soon Christ will come to take to Himself those who have fought the good fight of faith.” Bible Training School, October 1, 1902.

“The world is enshrouded in the darkness of error. Satan and his angels are urging on their warfare against the truth. We must have help. But the help we need will not come from human beings. We must look to Him who has said, ‘Lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world.’ Claim this promise. There stands among you the Mighty Counselor of the ages, inviting you to place your confidence in Him.” Signs of the Times, January 3, 1906.

Bible Study Guides – “SHOULD NOT A PEOPLE SEEK UNTO THEIR GOD?”

MEMORY VERSE: “Regard not them that have familiar spirits, neither seek after wizards, to be defiled by them: I am the LORD your God.” Leviticus 19:31.

STUDY HELP: The Great Controversy, 551–562.

INTRODUCTION: “We have an enemy who is ever seeking whom he may devour; and it is his purpose to draw away men’s confidence in God, to make them dissatisfied with their condition in life, and to lead them to seek to know what God has veiled from them, and to despise what he has revealed in his holy word. He controls the minds of evil men, and the spirits of devils become the counselors of those who reject the wisdom of God. But shall we who have a holy God, infinite in wisdom, go unto wizards, whose knowledge comes from a close intimacy with the enemy of our Lord? Shall we be among those who turn ‘after such as have familiar spirits, and after wizards, to go a whoring after them,’ and thus prove false to our best friend until His face be set against us? We are living in an age of peril, in an age of apostasy; evil men and seducers are waxing worse and worse, Satan is working with all ‘deceivableness of unrighteousness,’ and the servants of God must make no concessions to the enemy.” Signs of the Times, August 19 1889.

“HE DOETH GREAT WONDERS”

  1. What warnings did Jesus give about deceptions in the last days? Matthew 24:4–5, 11, 23–26.

NOTE: “These deceivers will come, and, while claiming to be doing a special work for God, while professing to have advanced piety, to be sanctified, to see visions, and to have dreams, they will be doing the work of the enemy, and be found breaking the commandments of God. We should be on our guard, and bring these pretenders to the test; ‘to the law and to the testimony; if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them.’ Shall we take heed to the solemn warnings of Christ, of Paul, and of John upon this point, and not be deceived by the subtle devices of the enemy, for Christ has said that the signs and wonders wrought by these deceivers will be so great that if it were possible they shall deceive the very elect.” Signs of the Times, July 4, 1895.

  1. Are miracles always evidence of the power of God? Revelation 13:13–14.

NOTE: “Christ said, ‘Take heed that no man deceive you. For many shall come in My name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many.’ Many false messiahs will appear, claiming to work miracles, and declaring that the time of the deliverance of the Jewish nation has come. These will mislead many. Christ’s words were fulfilled. Between His death and the siege of Jerusalem many false messiahs appeared. But this warning was given also to those who live in this age of the world. The same deceptions practiced prior to the destruction of Jerusalem have been practiced through the ages, and will be practiced again.” Desire of Ages, 628.

  1. What will be the culminating act in the work of deception? 2 Corinthians 11:14.

NOTE: “Rebellion and apostasy are in the very air we breathe. We shall be affected by them unless we by faith hang our helpless souls upon Christ. If men are so easily misled now, how will they stand when Satan shall personate Christ, and work miracles? Who will be unmoved by his misrepresentations then, professing to be Christ when it is only Satan assuming the person of Christ, and apparently working the works of Christ? What will hold God’s people from giving their allegiance to false christs? ‘Go not after them.’” Notebook Leaflets, 58.

“AND ROSE UP TO PLAY”

  1. What example of pagan worship are we shown among the people of God? Exodus 32:1–8.

NOTE: “The manner in which the meetings…have been carried on, with noise and confusion, does not commend them to thoughtful, intelligent minds. There is nothing in these demonstrations which will convince the world that we have the truth. Mere noise and shouting are no evidence of sanctification, or of the descent of the Holy Spirit. Your wild demonstrations create only disgust in the minds of unbelievers. The fewer of such demonstrations there are, the better it will be for the actors and for the people in general. Fanaticism, once started and left unchecked, is as hard to quench as a fire which has obtained hold of a building. Those who have entered into and sustained this fanaticism, might far better be engaged in secular labor; for by their inconsistent course of action they are dishonoring the Lord and imperiling his people. Many such movements will arise at this time, when the Lord’s work should stand elevated, pure, unadulterated with superstition and fables. We need to be on our guard, to maintain a close connection with Christ, that we be not deceived by Satan’s devices. The Lord desires to have in His service order and discipline, not excitement and confusion.” General Conference Daily Bulletin, April 23, 1901.

  1. Which Bible verses are used to justify dancing, shouting, clapping and the use of secular musical styles in church worship? 2 Samuel 6:14–16; Ezra 3:11 (See also Exodus 32:17, 18); Psalm 47:1; Psalm 150:3–5.

NOTE: “The things you have described as taking place in Indiana, the Lord has shown me would take place just before the close of probation. Every uncouth thing will be demonstrated. There will be shouting with drums, music and dancing. The senses of rational beings will become so confused that they cannot be trusted to make right decisions . . . A bedlam of noises shocks the senses and perverts that which, if conducted aright, might be a blessing. The powers of satanic agencies blend with the din and noise to have a carnival, and this is termed the Holy Spirit’s working. . . . Those things which have been in the past will be in the future. Satan will make music a snare by the way in which it is conducted.” Last Day Events, 159. (Written in 1900.)

  1. What verses are used to justify the introduction of glossolalia into church worship? 1 Corinthians 14:2–19.

NOTE: “Some of these persons have exercises which they call gifts and say that the Lord has placed them in the church. They have an unmeaning gibberish which they call the unknown tongue, which is unknown not only by man but by the Lord and all heaven. Such gifts are manufactured by men and women, aided by the great deceiver. Fanaticism, false excitement, false talking in tongues, and noisy exercises have been considered gifts which God has placed in the church. Some have been deceived here. The fruits of all this has not been good. ‘Ye shall know them by their fruits.’ Fanaticism and noise have been considered special evidences of faith. Some are not satisfied with a meeting unless they have a powerful and happy time. They work for this and get up an excitement of feeling. But the influence of such meetings is not beneficial. When the happy flight of feeling is gone, they sink lower than before the meeting because their happiness did not come from the right source.” Testimonies, vol. 1, 412.

“FOR THE LIVING TO THE DEAD?”

  1. What clear condemnation does the Bible give of attempts to communicate with the dead? Isaiah 8:19–20; Deuteronomy 18:10–11.

NOTE: “Nearly all forms of ancient sorcery and witchcraft were founded upon a belief in communion with the dead. Those who practiced the arts of necromancy claimed to have intercourse with departed spirits, and to obtain through them a knowledge of future events. . . . This same belief in communion with the dead formed the cornerstone of heathen idolatry. The gods of the heathen were believed to be the deified spirits of departed heroes. Thus the religion of the heathen was a worship of the dead. This is evident from the Scriptures.” Patriarchs and Prophets, 684.

  1. How are we shown that Saul’s resorting to a medium was forbidden? 1 Samuel 28:3. (Compare verse 9.)

NOTE: “Saul had a full knowledge of the character of necromancy. It had been expressly forbidden by the Lord, and the sentence of death was pronounced against all who practiced its unholy arts. During the life of Samuel, Saul had commanded that all wizards and those that had familiar spirits should be put to death; but now, in the rashness of desperation, he had recourse to that oracle which he had condemned as an abomination.” Patriarchs and Prophets, 676.

  1. What warning are we given of the deceptions of evil spirits in the last days? Revelation 16:14.

NOTE: “Those who oppose the teachings of spiritualism are assailing, not men alone, but Satan and his angels. They have entered upon a contest against principalities and powers and wicked spirits in high places. Satan will not yield one inch of ground except as he is driven back by the power of heavenly messengers. The people of God should be able to meet him, as did our Savior, with the words: ‘It is written.’ Satan can quote Scripture now as in the days of Christ, and he will pervert its teachings to sustain his delusions. Those who would stand in this time of peril must understand for themselves the testimony of the Scriptures. Many will be confronted by the spirits of devils personating beloved relatives or friends and declaring the most dangerous heresies. These visitants will appeal to our tenderest sympathies and will work miracles to sustain

their pretensions. We must be prepared to withstand them with the Bible truth that the dead know not anything and that they who thus appear are the spirits of devils.” Great Controversy, 559–560.

“THOU SHALT NOT BOW DOWN THYSELF TO THEM”

  1. How does God regard the attempt to create a likeness of Him? Isaiah 40:18–20; Psalm 115:4–9.

NOTE: “God leads His people on, step by step. He brings them up to different points calculated to manifest what is in the heart. Some endure at one point, but fall off at the next. At every advanced point the heart is tested and tried a little closer. If the professed people of God find their hearts opposed to this straight work, it should convince them that they have a work to do to overcome, if they would not be spewed out of the mouth of the Lord. Said the angel: ‘God will bring His work closer and closer to test and prove every one of His people.’ Some are willing to receive one point; but when God brings them to another testing point, they shrink from it and stand back, because they find that it strikes directly at some cherished idol. Here they have opportunity to see what is in their hearts that shuts out Jesus. They prize something higher than the truth, and their hearts are not prepared to receive Jesus. Individuals are tested and proved a length of time to see if they will sacrifice their idols and heed the counsel of the True Witness. If any will not be purified through obeying the truth, and overcome their selfishness, their pride, and evil passions, the angels of God have the charge: ‘They are joined to their idols, let them alone,’ and they pass on to their work, leaving these with their sinful traits unsubdued, to the control of evil angels. Those who come up to every point, and stand every test, and overcome, be the price what it may, have heeded the counsel of the True Witness, and they will receive the latter rain, and thus be fitted for translation.” Testimonies, vol. 1, 187.

  1. What sad picture was Ezekiel shown of the state of God’s church and its leaders? Ezekiel 8:5–16. (Compare Revelation 3:15–17.)

NOTE: “Many have a form of godliness, but in their daily life deny the power thereof. They have ceased to be convicted of their sins or alarmed at their state. They say in their hearts, ‘The church is flourishing. Peace and spiritual prosperity are within her borders.’ The words of the prophet may well apply to these selfdeceivers, ‘They have chosen their own ways, and their soul delighteth in their abominations. I also will choose their delusions, and will bring their fears upon them.’” Review and Herald, November 7, 1882.

  1. What work must take place to prepare the church for the coming of her Lord? Hebrews 12:26–27. (Compare Amos 9:9.)

NOTE: “We have been inclined to think that where there are no faithful ministers there can be no true Christians, but this is not the case. God has promised that where the shepherds are not true He will take charge of the flock Himself. God has never made the flock wholly dependent upon human instrumentalities. But the days of purification of the church are hastening on apace. God will have a people pure and true. In the mighty sifting soon to take place we shall be better able to measure the strength of Israel. The signs reveal that the time is near when the Lord will manifest that His fan is in His hand, and He will thoroughly purge His floor.” Testimonies, vol. 5, 80.

Satan’s Third Brigade

The devil has three brigades. The first brigade is the persecutors. Whenever God’s work is becoming prominent anywhere, at anytime, and the people are learning what the truth is and turning away from error, Satan’s first brigade comes on with persecution.

If that does not work, he brings in his second brigade, which is the dividers. They come in among the people of God and try to divide them one from another, and thus destroy them.

Satan’s third brigade is even more subtle. We read about it in Selected Messages, Book 2, 19.

“If Satan sees that the Lord is blessing His people and preparing them to discern his delusions, he will work with his master power to bring in fanaticism on the one hand and cold formalism on the other, that he may gather in a harvest of souls. Now is our time to watch unceasingly.” [All emphasis supplied.]

When does the devil bring in fanaticism? Whenever God is blessing His people. And certainly He is blessing the historic Adventist movement today. If you could go with me, in a time machine, back to the fall of the year 1977 when I moved to Loma Linda, California, and first became aware of the problems that were ravishing the church, you would not believe how lonely I felt. I was like a fence post in the middle of a field, standing all by myself, so far as I knew. Soon, however, I discovered that there were others who were standing for the truth and they too were being put through the fire.

Yes, the devil has tried his first brigade on us. Many have been persecuted, pushed out of their churches and put through kangaroo court proceedings of various kinds. But the devil’s first brigade has not succeeded in destroying us. The devil tried to scare us, but he found that historic Adventists do not scare easily. And so tremendous things have been tried: false accusations, false articles, false books (books that are full of false accusations of one kind or another), but it did not work.

Meanwhile our work was growing more and more and more. Books, magazines, television programs, radio programs, campmeetings and revival meetings all over the world. And so the devil had to fall back on his second brigade, the dividers. And these he has sent with full force, and all too often we have allowed divisions to come among us.

When people ask me about these divisions, I remind them of the Reformation. Those strong-minded men who became reformers had a difficult time getting along all the time, also. There are painful moments in our experience as we read that there were in their experience.

For example, when Martin Luther went to Zurich, Switzerland, to discuss the Lord’s Supper with Zwingli. Poor, dear Brother Martin, went up to the desk, which was a large table between them, and took a piece of chalk and wrote, “This is My body.” Then he backed off and he said, “It does not say ‘Represents it!’ It says, ‘This IS My body.’”

Poor Brother Martin, have you never read where Jesus said, “I am the vine”? He did not say, I represent the vine. Have you never read where Jesus said, “I am the way”? He did not say, I represent the way and so on down the line. That was the way Jesus talked. But there is the problem, you see. It takes a very strong-minded man to lead a ministry, to take all of the opposition, to take all of the guff, and that kind of man is not easily persuaded on any point.

Bring in the Third Brigade!

So we must bear in mind that although division has hurt us, and we must learn to get along if we all plan to be in heaven together, there is something that is even more serious than division. That is the devil’s third brigade. And I must tell you that the third brigade could stop us. The fanatics could kill this movement, because they almost killed the Reformation. Let me show you.

“In every age Satan has sought to impair the efforts of God’s servants by introducing into the church a spirit of fanaticism.” Acts of the Apostles, 348.

In The Great Controversy, in the chapter entitled “The Progress of Reform in Germany,” Sister White tells a particular story about Martin Luther that well illustrates the question we are considering.

At this time, Luther had made his stand before the Emperor and the Diet, and the Elector had put him in the castle at Wartburg, high in the mountains, to keep him safe from the death decree that had been issued against his life. He was there for about a year, and during that year two things were happening. The progress of the cause was going forward because various men had stepped in to fill Luther’s position. At the same time, Satan was looking on and realized that his first brigade, the persecution by the Emperor and the Pope, had not been successful. There had been much division and it had been very painful, but it was not stopping the work and so he said, “It is time to call my third brigade. Let us send in the fanatics.” And the fanatics gathered on all sides. They even invaded Wittenburg. People with strange ideas about this and strange ideas about that, apparently all very deeply convinced that they had the truth. But, friend, sincerity does not help if you do not have the truth.

Luther, hearing the news at Wartburg, decided that persecution or no persecution, death threat or no death threat, he was going to return. And so he went back to Wittenburg. We are told that after much effort he was able to stem the tide of fanaticism.

“But Satan was not idle. He now attempted what he has attempted in every other reformatory movement to deceive and destroy the people by palming off on them a counterfeit in place of the true work.…From the professed friends of the Reformation had arisen its worst enemies. [Worse than the Emperor; and even worse than the Pope.] They brought the Reformation to the verge of ruin.” The Great Controversy, 186, 187.

This is my authority for telling you that if this historic movement is ever stopped, it will not be stopped by persecution, it will not be stopped by division, but it could be stopped by the fanatics who are hitting us unmercifully on every side. Ellen White goes on to say that it was nothing but the firm rock-like stand of Luther that saved the Reformation: “Fearlessly did Luther defend the gospel from the attacks which came from every quarter. He stood firm as a rock against the fanaticism that sought to ally itself with the Reformation.” Ibid., 193.

It was the same in the early Advent movement. After the movement of William Miller, which was remarkably free of fanaticism, when the Bible conferences were going on for the next four or five years, and the message we lovingly describe as “the truth” was being studied out, Ellen White was called to her work. She tells us herself that her very first work was to fight off the fanatics. Although she was little more than a youth, her first work was to travel in Maine, then Vermont, and much later into Wisconsin and meet people with their wild ideas. Probably they were very earnest people. Only in a few rare cases does she accuse anyone of insincerity, but oh, the nonsense they wanted to get into the movement.

Sister White knew what it was like to fight fanaticism. She knew the intensity of the battle and she knew something else. She knew it was going to be acted on all over again in the final days of the movement! Here are just some of the warnings she gives about fanaticism.

“Fanaticism will appear in the very midst of us.” Selected Messages, Book 2, 16.

“Every phase of fanaticism and erroneous theories claiming to be the truth will be brought in among the remnant people of God.” Ibid., 14.

“Fanaticism will come in as it always has when God works.” Manuscript Releases, vol. 5, 245.

“Every conceivable, fanciful and deceptive doctrine will be presented by men who think that they have the truth.” Selected Messages, Book 2, 25.

“In the last days it will be like it was in 1844 as far as fanaticism is concerned.” The Review and Herald, January 28, 1909.

“Fanaticism once started and left unchecked is as hard to quench as a fire which has obtained hold of a building.” Mind, Character and Personality, 43.

“I was instructed that fanaticism similar to that which we were called to meet after the passing of time in 1844 would come in among us again in the closing days of the message. And then we must meet this evil just as decidedly now as when we met it in our early experience.” Selected Messages, Book 1, 221.

Are you a little surprised to read an article such as this from the pen of Ralph Larson, the gentle, kind old man? Well, I want to be gentle and I want to be kind, but I am going to be fair! Fanaticism could destroy us and I am going to take a stand against it. Sister White said fanaticism is like fire in a building. It is harder to quench when the whole building is in flames than when the fire is first ignited. And so, today, it is past time that we take a stand against fanaticism in our midst. We must call heresy by its right name and we must call fanaticism by its right name.

The Basis of All Fanaticism

Fanaticism has many different names, but they all have something in common which runs like a thread through them. We read in Selected Messages, Book 2, 14: “The devisings of men’s minds will invent tests that are no tests at all. That when the true test shall be made prominent, it shall be considered on a par with the man-made tests that have been of no value.”

“God will send us direct and practical tests, to teach us, if we will be taught, the benefits of faith. He has no use for man-made tests. The tests that He has given are sufficient.” The Pacific Union Recorder, October 20, 1904.

“Satan will lead men to manufacture false tests and thus seek to obscure the value of and make of non-effect the message of truth.” The Review and Herald, May 29, 1888.

What is the real test we should be focusing on today? “The commandment of God that has been almost universally made void is the testing truth for this time.” Ibid.

After referring to the Sabbath, Sister White stated: “This is the Lord’s test. Let us not descend from it to man-made tests.” Manuscript Releases, vol. 3, 56.

“‘Ye shall not add to the word nor diminish from it.’ The Lord guarded against the adding of man-made tests which would bring in confusion.” Letters to Sanitarium Workers in Southern California, 10.

“There will be brought in a vast amount of man-made tests that have not the least bearing upon the word given us of God to prepare a people to stand with the whole equipment of the heavenly armor on without leaving one piece.” Manuscript Releases, vol. 7, 91.

Examples of Man-Made Tests

What are the man-made tests that historic Adventists are being faced with today? The following is just a partial list.

The Feast Days

We are being called to tests on the Feast Days. We are being told today that if we do not keep the Passover, Pentecost, Feast of Tabernacles and so on we are going to be lost. Strange as it may seem, this is unsettling and troubling to good sincere people because it is wrapped in packages of sophistry that appears to be very convincing. (Sophistry is that which appears to be logical but it is not logical.)

It is not easy to know how to relate to someone who comes to you, apparently with great earnestness and with great sincerity and zeal and assures you most solemnly that two plus two, properly understood, equals seventy-five. Let me explain. A certain brother put out information calling on everyone to keep the feast days. When I published an article in Land Marks in which I called attention to some of the errors with these type of teachings, he responded with an open letter. I’ll reproduce just a few lines from his letter here, so that you may evaluate the logic of his conclusions for yourself.

Here are his words. “We are all familiar with the story of Moses and Pharaoh. Most of us have thought, until recently, that the Feast of the Passover was given to the Jews at that time. However, Abraham kept the feast four hundred thirty years before Moses.”

What! Abraham kept the Passover? How could a man, who claims to believe the Spirit of Prophecy, send out a letter of this type and even sign his name to it?

Look carefully at these inspired quotations which so clearly tell us when the Passover was instituted. “The observance of the Passover began with the birth of the Hebrew nation on the last night of their bondage in Egypt. The Hebrews went out from Egypt an independent nation.” The Desire of Ages, 76.

“On that night so terrible to the Egyptians and so glorious to the people of God was the solemn ordinance of the Passover instituted.” The Spirit of Prophecy, vol. 1, 217.

“The Jews had been strictly enjoined to celebrate the Passover. This had been instituted at the time of their deliverance from Egypt.” The Review and Herald, November 4, 1902.

Now do you understand what I mean when someone solemnly assures you that two plus two equals seventy-five? How do you deal with that kind of a mind? I sent him the quotations that I have just listed and, so far, he has not responded. So, that was just one example of how we are being challenged to face a test about the Feast Days.

The Name of God

We are being called to face a test about the name/names of God. There are at least three variations on the name of God being endorsed and embraced by certain groups among us today. And all of them assure us that if we do not pronounce it their way, we will all go to hell. There is no hope whatever for our salvation if we do not say it right and they say it three different ways?

Beloved, if I may say so, of all the strange stuff, this is the most weird that we have ever come across. The Jewish people stopped pronouncing the name of God at least five hundred years before Christ. And the orthodox Jew, today, will not pronounce the name of God. He will refer to the deity saying “Hashem” which means “The Name.” He will not pronounce the sacred name. It has not been pronounced for probably twenty-five hundred years. Yet there are people coming among us today who say, “We know exactly how that name should be pronounced and if you do not say it like we say it, you are going to hell.”

Dear hearts, what happens to the human mind? They will with great triumph, pull out a verse from the Psalms which says “My name is Yaw” and place that under your nose. David, who wrote that, put down the Y or J and he put down the H, but he did not put the A in there. There were no vowels in the Hebrew alphabet. They had only consonants.

How did they get along? Well, they got along just like you and I do with abbreviations. When you see Mt. Lassen, does anyone have to tell you what it means? It means Mount Lassen, of course. However, if you had never learned that, as a child, you could look at Mt. for a thousand years and never know it said Mount.

The Hebrew alphabet was entirely like that and that is the way they read all of their words. About seven to eight hundred years after Christ, they finally decided to invent some vowels and put them underneath the letters so that you could follow along if you did not know from memory.

So, just think, if there has been no one around for twenty-five hundred years to speak the name and tell you how it sounds and if the people who wrote the name did not even have vowels, how can someone come along in our time and say, “I know! You say it like I say it or you are going to hell.” Dear people, what goes on in the human mind? And what is surprising is that this is troubling our people.

The Godhead

Another man-made test deals with the Godhead. Is the Holy Spirit God? Most people do not argue about whether the Father is God, but they argue about whether the Spirit is God. Here are just a few lines from the Spirit of Prophecy. “The Spirit being God knoweth the mind of God;” “The three powers of the Godhead;” “The Spirit in all the fullness of the Godhead;” “The Third Person of the Godhead, the Holy Spirit;” “The three powers of the Godhead, the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.” Manuscript Releases, vol. 3, 36; Review and Herald, July 18, 1907; Evangelism, 615; Australian Union Conference Record, October 7, 1907.

There are also those who are trying to chip away at the divinity of Christ. Consider this strong rebuke: “That doctrine that denies the absolute Godhead of Jesus Christ denies also the Godhead of the Father.” Signs of the Times, June 27, 1895.

Dual Application of Prophecy

Then we have a lot of “dual application of time prophecies.” When people approach me and say, “Would you not be interested in learning about a dual application of this prophecy?” I say, “No thanks, give me the tenth application. That is where my interest lies. Give me the fifteenth, the twentieth, the thirtieth, the fortieth, the fiftieth, the hundred and fiftieth, that is where my interest lies.”

Am I bewildering you? If an historic time prophecy can be re-applied, can it be re-applied twice or again and again and again? I do not know why not. So tell me about the twentieth one, that is where I want to plug in.

Then to a lesser degree, there are smaller items such as kneeling in prayer. I want to believe that these folk who come in and challenge us when we do not kneel for a benediction are sincere, dedicated, earnest, consecrated people, but I have a little trouble over this point. Almost invariably, when they detect that you are not buying their reasoning, they get furiously angry with you and are ready to denounce you as a false minister, a false prophet, a child of Satan, etc. It just makes me wonder, is this the spirit of Christ?

I have to share with you the bitter pill. There have been, and there are now, many thousands of earnest, sincere, dedicated, historic Seventh-day Adventists who in view of all the warnings that we have about error, have found it necessary to worship separately in little groups here and there. Inevitably, there come in among them people professing to be just like they are and, of course, they embrace them. They take them right in and pretty soon they start telling them, “You will surely be lost if you do not keep the Passover.” Or, “You will surely be lost if you do not pronounce the name of God right.” Or, “You will surely be lost if you think there are three divine beings who have the fullness of the Godhead, when Jesus and the Holy Spirit were not really God,” and so forth and so on down the list. They point out irrelevant texts and pile them around the issue, until, by their confused logic, they have convinced some that they are speaking the truth.

Dear friend, as we have read, God has no use for man-made tests. The Sabbath is the test that we are all going to be called upon to pass. All man-made tests will divert the mind from the great and important doctrines that constitute present truth. Let us not descend from the Sabbath to man-made tests. The truth is pure; the truth is wonderful. The tests of God are like they ought to be. They do not need to be improved upon.

We know that the truth will prevail, the only problem is that we must hold fast to it. This message is going to go through. The only question is whether I will go through with it. And that is what we all need to be thinking about day-by-day. Let us accept the test of God and let us reject all man-made tests.

Watch out for the devil’s third brigade—fanatics.

The Star of the New Evangelization of America, Part III

Editor’s Note: In the last two parts (Part I and Part II) of this series we have looked at the role spiritualism will play in the last days, especially as it relates to Adventism. This month we will examine, in detail, the Marian phenomena and how we should relate to it.

Thousands of Supernatural Apparitions

Satan has been preparing the world for a master deception for quite some time. Mary apparitions have been reported for centuries, and, more recently, the phenomena is steadily increasing. “Spiritualism is about to take the world captive. There are many who think that Spiritualism is upheld through trickery and imposture; but this is far from the truth. Superhuman power is working in a variety of ways, and few have any idea of what will be the manifestations of Spiritualism in the future.” Signs of the Times, May 28, 1894. Is it any wonder, then, that all over the world major Mary apparitions and pilgrimages are increasing each year? “Since the first recorded supernatural appearance of Mary to a third-century pagan lawyer turned Christian named Gregory Thaumaturgus.…thousands of apparitions of the Virgin…have been claimed.…Hundreds of visions have been reported in the twentieth century alone, although only a few have ever received official ‘approval’ by the Catholic Church.” Searching for Mary, 6.

The December 30, 1991, Time magazine reported that “the late 20th century has become the age of the Marian pilgrimage” to shrines established to commemorate the many sightings of the Virgin Mary in recent years. Perhaps the two most famous shrines are at Lourdes, France, and Fatima, Portugal. But, “there are thousands of shrines of Our Lady in every country of the world.” Shrines to our Lady, 5. Shrines are usually built at locations where an apparition has appeared. Especially in the twentieth century, Mary apparitions have been reported and shrines erected in Portugal, Ireland, Rwanda, Venezuela, Italy, Yugoslavia, Korea, Mexico, Japan, and many other countries, drawing millions of visitors every year.

A major U.S. newspaper, the San Francisco Chronicle, on December 25, 1998, featured the following headline: Virgin Mary Fervor Grows As More Sightings Reported. The Chronicle cited that the three major reasons for the added Marian fervor are the approach of the millennium, the strong devotion of Pope John Paul II to Mary, and the continuing influence of events at Medjugorje, a Bosnian village where the mother of Jesus supposedly appeared in 1981. In Carthage, Missouri, 50,000 were estimated for the 21st annual observance of Marian Days. (Scope, August 12, 1998.) Then, “in Conyers, Georgia, 100,000 people gathered on a farm to hear a middle-aged housewife named Nancy Fowler channel messages from the Virgin Mary.” Ibid.

On the feast of Guadalupe, about two dozen Mexican farm workers and their families gather around a large shade tree at a Yuba City housing project. They claim to see an image of Mary in a large knothole and have candles and poinsettias at the base of the tree. The Chronicle continues: “This rising devotion to Mary cuts across lines and denominational boundaries.” (See The Great Controversy, 445.)

Blood, Tears, and Roses

In Thornton, California, 50,000 devoted pilgrims from all over the country arrive, many in motor homes, in hopes of seeing a repeat performance of the “moving statue of Mary.” Many others have reported statues of the Virgin shedding tears of blood. “In the small town of Naju, located near the southwestern tip of the Korean peninsula, Our Lady began giving urgent messages and signs to Julia Kim. On June 30, 1985, Our Lady’s statue, owned by Julia, began weeping tears, and on October 19, 1986, it began weeping tears of blood. Until January 14, 1992, the statue wept for a total of exactly 700 days. The tears of blood were tested and found to be human blood. Now the statue has been giving off odors of fragrant oil.…Julia is surrounded by the sweet fragrance of roses. Also, when she kisses a rosary or simply holds it in her hands for a few seconds, it becomes fragrant.” Our Lady of Naju Web Site. In Stockton, California, my hometown, two statues recently transported from the Philippines sporadically emitted a “palatable fragrance of sweet-scented oil.” The Record, May 5, 1999.

Outside California City, in the Mojave Desert, a Mexican-born mystic and visionary named Maria Paula, has drawn crowds numbering in the thousands since 1989. “The crowds come on the thirteenth of every month for prayer and to witness Maria Paula’s reception of an apparition and a message from the Virgin Mary. Pilgrims have reported sun miracles, visions, healings, and numerous other miraculous phenomena.” Searching for Mary, 169.

In Corpus Christi, Texas, a $12.00 statue of the Virgin “turned its head, opened its eyes, and took mincing steps.” The Star Tribune, June 6, 1998. About 50 people a minute visit the site where a subway worker’s child noticed a water stain on the floor of Mexico City’s Hidalgo Metro station, a likeness to the nation’s most powerful religious symbol—the beloved Virgin Mary of Guadalupe. (The Denver Post, June 14, 1997.)

The Great Chastisements

“Medjugorje (‘between the hills’) has become well known in Bosnia-Hercegovina, and the world, because of six young people who claim to have seen visions of the Madonna. Beginning on June 24, 1981, the Blessed Mother appeared to and later told the visionaries God had sent her to our world to help us convert our hearts and lives back to Him.” Medjugorje Web Site. Visions and apparitions at Medjugorje—sometimes called The New Fatima—are continually being reported.

In Fatima, Portugal, on July 13, 1917, the Virgin reportedly imparted three secrets to three shepherd children. The second secret included the Virgin’s desire that the pope consecrate Russia to her immaculate heart, thus securing the conversion of that nation. [Interesting how communism was defeated through the conspiracy of Pope John Paul II and President Ronald Reagan! Beware, beloved, for while in Mexico, the same pope consecrated the Americas to Mary, calling for solidarity!] “Fatima’s third secret, still unrevealed, has been kept under lock and key at the Vatican since the late 1950s and has been the subject of much speculation since its existence was first made known. It is widely supposed that the secret concerns a coming worldwide cataclysm and the approach of the end-times.” Searching for Mary, 10, 11.

Garabandal, Spain—A Masterful Deception

From 1961 through 1965, in Garabandal, Spain, four young girls experienced more than two thousand apparitions of the Virgin Mary over a four-year period. These particular visions and apparitions are a perfect example of the devil’s ability to perform masterful delusions and lying wonders—a prelude of what is to come. On July 1, 1961, a shining, winged angel spoke to the children and told them that the following day they would see the Blessed Virgin. The next day the Virgin appeared with two angels and continued to appear throughout the month. “Each time the girls went into ecstasy, during which they exhibited extraordinary physical changes: they became insensitive to pinpricks, extreme noise and bright lights, and their slight bodies could hardly be lifted from the ground by two strong men.…The Virgin would pass the infant Jesus to one of the girls to cuddle, or remove her crown and let the girls try it on.…The girls received out-of-body experiences during which they claimed they were taken on spiritual journeys through the heavens by the Virgin. Many eyewitnesses declared on oath that they had observed the girls seeming to fly over the ground at great speed when Our Lady was calling them to her.” Shrines of Our Lady, 153.

According to Conchita Gonzales, one of the four children: “On an unspecified date in the future…the Great Miracle…will take place in a grove of pines near Garabandal. Everyone who is in the area will see it; the sick who are present will be cured, sinners will repent, and Russia will be converted. The second phase of the miracle is to establish a permanent, miraculous sign in the groves of pines. The sign will be capable of being photographed and touched, its divine origin will be beyond question, and it will last until the end of time. The final leg of the prophecy, the Chastisement, is a global catastrophe held in reserve by God in the event the Warning and Miracle don’t have their intended effects.” Searching for Mary, 11, 12.

Calamities Will Increase

In Bayside, N.Y., “The Lourdes of America,” Jesus and Mary are reported to speak to the world through a seer named Veronica Lueken. Warnings of impending doom are presented of a massive world monetary depression and Russian plans of attack. Mary warns of increasing natural disasters through the elements of nature, and that these judgments from God—His chastisements—are increasing because the world has violated His moral law—the Ten Commandments.

Again, compare the words of the “demon” Mary (a demon masquerading as Mary) with the words of E. G. White: “Satan works through the elements also to garner his harvest of unprepared souls. He has studied the secrets of the laboratories of nature, and he uses all his power to control the elements as far as God allows.…While appearing to the children of men as a great physician who can heal all their maladies, he will bring disease and disaster, until populous cities are reduced to ruin and desolation. Even now he is at work. In accidents and calamities by sea and by land, in great conflagrations, in fierce tornadoes and terrific hailstorms, in tempests, floods, cyclones, tidal waves, and earthquakes, in every place and in a thousand forms, Satan is exercising his power….These visitations are to become more and more frequent and disastrous.The Great Controversy, 589, 590.

A category-five tornado in Salt Lake City, a first of its kind, causing millions of dollars in damage; the worst hurricane to hit Texas in over ten years; 72 tornadoes in one day in Kansas and in Oklahoma City; one of the ten most deadly earthquakes in history, killing forty thousand in Turkey—such calamities as these are becoming “more frequent and disastrous.”

So in the future, as these calamities increase and Sunday worship is urged upon us, we can expect nominal SDA ministers [whose testimonies will be seconded by the demon spirits (see The Great Controversy, 590, 591)] in “responsible positions taking a course directly opposite to that pursued by Nehemiah.…In churches and in large gatherings in the open air, ministers will urge upon the people the necessity of keeping the first day of the week. There are calamities on sea and land: and these calamities will increase, one disaster following close upon another; and the little band of conscientious Sabbath-keepers will be pointed out as the ones who are bringing the wrath of God upon the world by their disregard of Sunday.” And it will also be asserted “that this sin has brought calamities that will not cease until Sunday observance shall be strictly enforced; and that those who present the claims of the fourth commandment, thus destroying reverence for Sunday, are troublers of the people, preventing their restoration to divine favor and temporal prosperity.” Review and Herald, March 18, 1884; The Great Controversy, 590. Obviously, these leaders are practitioners of the omega!

The Thunder of Justice

I remember the first time I read The Thunder of Justice, written by two Catholics who are very active in the Marian Movement, how alarmed I was by their frequent use of Adventist terms. The book, which focuses on prophetic, end-time events, appears to be the Catholic’s version of The Great Controversy. In fact, it uses the very language of Ellen G. White—the language with which SDAs are familiar. This book attempts to counterfeit the Three Angels’ Messages and to give all the glory to the Virgin Mary. Some terms used in this false Spirit of Prophecy are “the little flock,” “the remnant,” Mary’s message to “recite and keep the Ten Commandments,” and that she is “the prophetess of the last days.”

The Thunder of Justice tells us that the demon Mary prophesied that rockets will hit New York in the near future. (The Thunder of Justice, 344.) Interestingly, Ellen White has foretold of a time when New York will suffer a great fire: “I was in the night season called upon to behold buildings rising story after story toward heaven….The scene that next passes before me was an alarm of fire. Men looked at the lofty and supposedly fireproof buildings and said: ‘They are perfectly safe.’ But these buildings were consumed as if made of pitch. The fire engines could do nothing to stay the destruction. The firemen were unable to operate the engines.” Testimonies, vol. 9, 12, 13.

I have often wondered why SDAs are not more alarmed by the inroads of spiritualism and Satan’s use of Mary in his efforts to deceive the world, and us also. The demon Mary claims to be the “Mother of the Second Advent,” and that she is preparing us for Christ’s Second Coming. Friends, that is the work of our church! For we are the true church that has been called to give the Elijah message to the world! But the “demon” Mary insists: “I am the Virgin of Revelation.” I am the “woman clothed with the sun who does battle with the dragon and his powerful army of evil.” The Thunder of Justice, 90, 99.

The audacity of the “demon” Mary to take the symbolic vision given to John in Revelation 12, which is a symbol of God’s true church, and incorrectly apply it to herself! The false Mary also elaborates on the Holy Spirit’s role in the last days: “On the feast of Pentecost, May 22, 1988, the message from Our Lady to the Marian Movement of Priests was clear: ‘The Holy Spirit will come to establish the glorious reign of Christ.…What will come to pass is something so very great that it will exceed anything that has taken place since the beginning of the world.’” Ibid., 309, 310. Friends, are we not waiting for the outpouring of the Spirit?—that “time when the events of the day of Pentecost shall be repeated with even greater power than on that occasion…and [a time] to maintain such a close connection with Him that they may be partakers of the latter rain when it shall be poured out.” Review and Herald, July 20, 1886.

The “demon” Mary also says that the apostles, “Saint Peter and Saint Paul, having come down from Heaven, shall preach in the whole world and designate a new Pope. A great light will flash from their bodies and will settle upon a cardinal who is to be Pope. Christianity, then, will spread throughout the world. He is the holy Pontiff, chosen by God to withstand the storm. At the end, he will have the gift of miracles, and his name shall be praised over the whole earth. Whole nations will come back to the church and the face of the earth will be renewed. Russia, England, and China will come into the church.” The Thunder of Justice, 353.

I do not know whether this scenario will happen or not, for Satan is the “father of lies.” But Ellen White has warned us that “the apostles, as personated by these lying spirits, are made to contradict what they wrote at the dictation of the Holy Spirit when on earth. They deny the divine origin of the Bible [the Roman Catholic Church denies that the Bible is the sole authority of God’s word and defends the founding fathers and their traditions], and thus tear away the foundation of the Christian’s hope.” The Great Controversy, 557.

The comparisons continue with Mary’s counterfeit message that she “will bring you to the full understanding of Sacred Scripture.…Above all, I will read to you the pages of its last book [Revelation], which you are living.” The Thunder of Justice, 90. Then, believe it or not, on page 100 of the same book, she quotes the Three Angels’ Messages from Revelation 14!!! Dearly beloved, “Knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed.” Romans 13:11.

Demons Will Appear Before Our Eyes

“I saw that Satan has power to bring before us the appearance of forms purporting to be our relatives or friends who sleep in Jesus. It will be made to appear as if these friends were actually present, the words they uttered while here, with which we were familiar, will be spoken, and the same tone of voice that they had while living will fall upon the ear. All this is to deceive the world and ensnare them into the belief of this delusion.

“I saw that the saints must have a thorough understanding of present truth, which they will be obliged to maintain from the Scriptures. They must understand the state of the dead; for the spirits of devils will yet appear to them, professing to be beloved relatives or friends, who will declare to them unscriptural doctrines. They will do all in their power to excite sympathy and will work miracles before them to confirm what they declare. The people of God must be prepared to withstand these spirits with the Bible truth that the dead know not anything, and that they who thus appear are the spirits of devils [including the relative of Jesus—the Virgin Mary—his mother!]…This delusion will spread, and we will have to contend with it face to face; and unless we are prepared for it, we will be ensnared and overcome. But if we do what we can on our part to be ready for the conflict that is just before us, God will do His part, and His all-powerful arm will protect us. He would sooner send every angel out of glory to make a hedge about faithful souls, than have them deceived and led away by the lying wonders of Satan.” Early Writings, 262.

Please read the chapter in The Great Controversy entitled The Scriptures a Safeguard, 593–602! Seventh-day Adventists have been given the truth on the state of the dead. We have been entrusted with the most precious light ever given to mortals to save us from the masterful, spiritualistic deceptions of Satan in these last days. Scripture support is abundant in defense of this truth that unmasks the lie perpetrated by Satan in the beginning that “ye shall not surely die.” The only defense for Seventh-day Adventists during the omega—when deceased loved ones, the apostles, the demon Mary, etc. begin making their false appearances, is a “thus saith the Lord.”

The Scriptures a Safeguard

And will it be Mary who will introduce, through the almost overpowering delusion, her son, the false Christ, to the world—”the crowning act in the drama of deception”? “In his assumed character of Christ, he claims to have changed the Sabbath to Sunday, and commands all to hallow the day which he has blessed. He declares that those who persist in keeping the seventh day are blaspheming his name by refusing to listen to his angels sent to them with light and truth.” Our cry must be “it is written:” “For the living know that they shall die: but the dead know not anything;” “the dead praise not the Lord, neither any [including Mary] that go down into silence;” for “his breath goeth forth, he returneth to his earth; in that very day his thoughts perish.” Ecclesiastes 9:5; Psalms 115:17; 146:4.

The words of Job address this subject quite clearly: “If a man die, shall he live again? All the days of my appointed time will I wait, till my change come. Thou shalt call and I will answer thee.” Job 14:14, 15. And John 5:28 and 29 tells us that it is the voice of Christ that wakes the sleeping saints on resurrection morn: “Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear His voice, And shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation.”

Mary, the beloved mother of Jesus, “is both dead and buried, and [her] sepulchre [no one knows its location] is with us unto this day.” Contrary to Roman Catholic teaching, Mary, like David, “is not ascended into the heavens.” Acts 2:29, 34. In fact, David himself wrote in Psalms 17:15 “As for me, I will behold Thy face in righteousness, when I awake, with Thy likeness.” Such words also apply to Mary!

Jesus spoke of death as sleep. In John 11:11 and 14, Christ stated: “Our friend Lazarus sleepeth, but I go to awake him out of sleep…Then Jesus said unto them plainly, Lazarus is dead.” In sound sleep one is wholly lost to consciousness; time goes by unmeasured; and mental activity is suspended for the time being. “Blessed rest for the weary righteous! Time, be it long or short, is but a moment to them. They sleep; they are awakened by the trumpet of God to a glorious immortality.” Great Controversy, 550.

The Sound of the Trumpet

There are three portions of Scripture that specifically mention a trumpet blast just prior to the Second Coming of Christ. And when these Scriptures are compared, they clearly reveal the exact time a deceased person will regain consciousness. The first trumpet verses are in 1 Corinthians 15:51-55: “Behold, I show you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump; for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.” Only God has immortality (see 1 Timothy 6:16), and no mortal will receive the gift of immortality until the last trumpet sounds at the Second Coming of Christ!

The second trumpet” verses say: “For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent [precede] them which are asleep. For the Lord Himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first; Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the lord. Wherefore comfort one another with these words.” 1 Thessa-lonians 4:15-18. Here again the Scriptures confirm that no man receives his immortality until he is awakened by the trumpet of Christ at the Second Coming.

The third trumpet verses actually address the magnitude of spiritualism and Satan’s lying wonders before the Second Coming of Christ: “Wherefore if they shall say unto you, Behold, he is in the desert; go not forth: behold, he is in the secret chambers; believe it not. For as the lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. Immediately after the tribulation of those days…He shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.” Matthew 24:26, 27, 29a, 31. Careful examination of the three paragraphs above place the trumpet sounds at the time of the Second Coming—when the resurrected saints will receive their eternal reward of immortality, and not before! Praise God, the Scriptures are our safeguard!

The Origin of Man’s Consciousness in Death

The doctrine of consciousness after death, of the spirits of the dead being in communion with the living, has no foundation in the Scriptures, and yet this theory is affirmed as truth. The doctrine of man’s consciousness in death, especially the belief that spirits of the dead return to minister to the living, has prepared the way for modern spiritualism. Nearly all forms of ancient sorcery and witchcraft were founded upon a belief in communion with the dead. Modern spiritualism is founded upon the first lie by which Satan beguiled Eve in Eden: “Ye shall not surely die.”

And it was the Roman Catholic Church that originated and perpetuated the teaching of the Assumption—that Mary was assumed into heaven before her body saw corruption in the grave. “At the end of her life on earth, the Church teaches, Mary was ‘assumed’ body and soul, into heaven. This teaching was first proclaimed by St. Gregory of Tours in the sixth century. An earlier tradition has it that all the Apostles witnessed her death, but that when her tomb was opened years later it was found to be empty. The doctrine of the Assumption was defended in the Middle Ages by St. Albertus Magnus and St. Thomas Aquinas. It has been adhered to by Christians from the earliest times, and eventually, on 1 November 1950, Pope Pius XII declared the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin to be an article of faith. It is celebrated annually on 15 August.” Shrines of Our Lady, 6.

“Through the false doctrine [of the immortality of the soul] the way has been opened for the spirits of devils to deceive the people in representing themselves as the dead. Satanic agencies personate the dead [even the mother of Jesus Christ], and thus bring souls into captivity. Satan has a religion, he has a synagogue and devout worshippers. To swell the ranks of his devotees he uses all manner of deception. The signs and wonders of Spiritualism will become more and more pronounced as the professed Christian world rejects the plainly revealed truth of the word of God and refuses to be guided by a plain ‘Thus saith the Lord,’ accepting instead the doctrines and the commandments of men.” Signs of the Times, May 28, 1894.

Two Astonishing Letters

While writing this article, I received two amazing letters that I want to share with you. The first letter came from a woman in Puerto Rico who informed me that a statue of the Virgin Mary or “La Virgen del Rosaria del Pozo” is going to be built in the town of Sabana Grande. The statue’s size will be greater than that of the Statue of Liberty in New York. Here is what she wrote:

“Dear brethren of Modern Manna:

“I talked to Pastor Vierra about reaching the town of Sabana here in Puerto Rico. In May, 1953, the ‘Virgin’ appeared near a well (always wearing a rosary), to three children, two girls and a boy—still living. Thousands of people visited the island, 24 hours a day. Many ‘miracles’ happened, most of them healings of all kinds (See Great Controversy, 588.) Since then, this town celebrates a ‘Virgin Marathon,’ when around 200,000 to 300,000 people come to adore the Virgin. They celebrate mass and everything else. Now they are planning the ‘Ciudad Mystica’ (Mystic City), in order to attract people from all over the world. Enclosed is the newspaper story about it. Maranatha!”

It is interesting to note that the artists rendition of the new statue in the newspaper I received from Puerto Rico had the Virgin Mary decked with the colors white and blue—the very colors of Mother Earth as previously mentioned by New Ager, Peter Lemesurier. Mary is often portrayed in pictures and statues as dressed in these colors.

The second letter I received was initially sent to Pastor Bill Hughes in Florida from an SDA minister from Ghana, West Africa. It reads:

“Dear Pastor:

“On the 12th of August, 1999, I decided to go to a certain village and share the word of God with them [and] more particularly what is bound to happen before Jesus comes. Before that, it appeared in our daily paper that the Virgin Mary has appeared bod`ily in Togo, a country which shares the common border with Ghana and millions of people went to Togo to see the Virgin Mary. I thank God and you for clearly opening my eyes because I read it in one of your books sent to me—Is the Virgin Mary Dead or Alive? Chapter 19 clearly talks about how Satan will manifest himself through the Virgin Mary, and this has really motivated me to carry the message across whether rain or shine.”

Demons Will Urge Sunday-keeping

Before I close, I want to make another vital point. We read and hear much about the Sabbath vs. Sunday issue. This one papal error is trumpeted ever so loud and clear. Ads are run and books written, small and large, that expound on this subject with clarity and precision. But what is usually overlooked is the fact that wonder-working demons, in the form of dead humans, even the Virgin Mary, are going to urge upon the world Sunday-keeping, and that the violation of God’s moral law is the cause of the chaos and calamities that are increasing.

Once again, quoting from The Great Controversy: “The miracle-working power manifested through spiritualism will exert its influence against those who choose to obey God rather than men. Communications from the spirits will declare that God has sent them to convince the rejecters of Sunday [Reader, that may be you!] of their error, affirming that the laws of the land should be obeyed as the laws of God. They will lament the great wickedness in the world and second the testimony of religious teachers that the degraded state of morals is caused by the desecration of Sunday. Great will be the indignation excited against all who refuse to accept their testimony.” Great Controversy, 588, 589.

It would be worth your while to research the Spirit of Prophecy, vol. 4 . On page 406 it contains an extremely vital point: “As the spirits will profess faith in the Bible and express regard for Sunday, their work will be accepted as a manifestation of divine power.” Later in The Great Controversy, in the chapter entitled The Time of Trouble, the prophet warns us that as the “crowning act in the drama of deception, Satan himself will personate Christ.” That he will heal the diseases of the people and claim “to have changed the Sabbath to Sunday,” and will command all to hallow the day which he has blessed. Great Controversy, 624.

But, have you ever considered that before he appears to give support to this claim, the demon Mary, along with other demons impersonating well-known deceased Christians and infidels, will have already been advocating Sunday-keeping? Has anyone ever warned you of this? Is it possible that a false Ellen White might appear and contradict her very own writings, as the false Apostles of Christ will theirs? Are you prepared, beloved? Spiritualism is the means the devil will use to persuade the world and the churches into accepting the false sabbath! That is exactly why God has expressly warned us that “through the two [not one] great papal errors, the immortality of the soul and Sunday sacredness, Satan will bring the people under his deceptions.” Great Controversy, 588. Spiritualism will put the teeth into the Sunday issue!

Remember the past, dear friends, the alpha of apostasy resulted, within one devastating year, in the destruction of two major SDA institutions—Battle Creek Sanitarium and the Review and Herald Publishing Company! Never forget the prophet’s words: “The omega will follow, and will be received by those who are not willing to heed the warning God has given.” Selected Messages, Book 1, 200. A fearful woe is upon them! For if any form of spiritualism, like the warning given against pantheism, is accepted, it will result in the sweeping away of the structure! (See Special Testimonies, Series B, No. 2, 54, 55).

Friends, please take a close look at the Spirit of Prophecy, vol. 4. You will find the chapter entitled “Spiritualism” immediately preceding the chapter entitled “The Aims of the Papacy.” I believe the Lord deliberately linked the two chapters together to clearly magnify the fact that through spiritualism and its imposters, such as the Virgin Mary, the aims of the papacy will be accomplished—the enforcement of Sunday worship!

Watch, Pray, and Warn

Please, watch and pray, beloved, for soon: “The Protestants of the United States will be foremost in stretching their hands across the gulf to grasp the hand of spiritualism; they will reach over the abyss to clasp hands with the Roman power; and under the influence of this threefold union, this country will follow in the steps of Rome in trampling on the rights of conscience.” Great Controversy, 588.

Friends, the church and the world must be warned! Remember, Satan will not give one inch when we labor to expose his most powerful tool—spiritualism. Oh, how we have seen this prophecy fulfilled at Modern Manna since the publishing of Is the Virgin Mary Dead or Alive? But, thank God for Jesus and the heavenly messengers that have been promised to guard us from evil. All of those who are looking for the soon coming of our Lord have been commanded by Almighty God to scatter earth’s final message to warn the world—the Three Angels’ Messages that unmask the threefold union. We must scatter the Mary book wherever possible while there is still a remnant of time.

In the very near future, legislation may be passed that will classify the little God-given book as hate literature. What we must do, we must do quickly! And, please, do not only watch, but pray for the courage to proclaim the message and to stand for the truth when champions are few, knowing that the final warning will enrage the wicked against us. Soon the loud cry will be given with the power of the latter rain: “‘Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and is become the habitation of devils, and the hold of every foul spirit, and a cage of every unclean and hateful bird.’ The message of the fall of Babylon, as given by the second angel, is repeated, with the additional mention of the corruptions which have been entering the churches since 1844.” Early Writings, 277. The omega is coming! Maranatha!

Bible Study Guides – The Scriptures a Safeguard

May 12-18, 2002

MEMORY VERSE: “And that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works.” 2 Timothy 3:15–17.

INTRODUCTION: None of us can have a secure hope of being ready for Jesus to come, of being ready for that final redemption unless we become earnest students of the Bible. “Those who endeavor to obey all of the commandments of God . . . can stand only in God. In order to endure the trial before them, they must understand the will of God as revealed in His Word; they can honor Him only as they have a right conception of His character, government, and purposes, and act in accordance with them. None but those who have fortified the mind with the truths of the Bible will stand through the last great conflict. To every soul will come the searching test: Shall I obey God rather than men? The decisive hour is even now at hand. Are our feet planted on the rock of God’s immutable word? Are we prepared to stand firm in defense of the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus?” The Great Controversy, 593, 594.

1 How many people in this world will the devil and his angels deceive in the last days? Revelation 12:9. (See also Revelation 13:3, 14; 16:13, 14; 17:2, 15; 18:3, 23; 19:20.)

NOTE: “Heresies are now arising among the people of God, and they will continue to arise. As we near the end of time, falsehood will be so mingled with truth, that only those who have the guidance of the Holy Spirit will be able to distinguish truth from error. We need to make every effort to keep the way of the Lord. We must in no case turn from His guidance to put our trust in man. The Lord’s angels are appointed to keep strict watch over those who put their faith in the Lord, and these angels are to be our special help in every time of need. Every day we are to come to the Lord with full assurance of faith, and to look to Him for wisdom. The ministers who teach the truth for this time are to strengthen their hearts by studying the word of God. ‘It is the spirit that quickeneth,’ Christ said, ‘the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit and they are life.’ (John 6:63).” Manuscript Releases, vol. 7, 359.

2 How may the devil’s deceptions be unmasked? Matthew 4:3, 4; Psalm 119:104.

NOTE: “The efficiency of the cross guards the redeemed race from the danger of a second fall. The life and death of Christ effectually unveils the deceptions of Satan, and refutes his claims. The sacrifice of Christ for a fallen world draws not only men, but angels, unto Him in bonds of indissoluble union.” Bible Echo, July 15, 1893.

“In the warfare ensuing, Satan for a time seemed to hold the advantage. He could lie; God could not lie. He could move in a thousand crooked and deceiving ways to gain a desired object; God must pursue the straightforward course of truth and righteousness. For a time Satan triumphed in an apparent victory. But God would unmask the enemy and reveal him in his true character. Christ, in taking the nature of man, was divinity clothed in humanity. He came as the light of the world, to shine upon and scatter the thick darkness of Satan’s deceptions and reveal his workings to the children of men. Christ practiced the most rigid self-denial in resisting the manifold temptations of the adversary. He conquered Satan in the long fast of the wilderness, and when he came to Him as an angel of light, offering the dominion of the world in exchange for His worship; He made sacrifices that will never be required of man, as man can never attain to His exalted character. His whole earthly life was a demonstration of perfect submission to His Father’s will. The course of Christ and that of Satan present the complete contrast of the life of an obedient with that of a disloyal son.” The Spirit of Prophecy, vol. 3, 77, 78.

3 Why is it that Christians are so often surprised into sin? Psalm 119:11, 105, 130.

NOTE: “Temptations often appear irresistible because, through neglect of prayer and the study of the Bible, the tempted one cannot readily remember God’s promises and meet Satan with the Scripture weapons. But angels are round about those who are willing to be taught in divine things; and in the time of great necessity they will bring to their remembrance the very truths which are needed. Thus ‘when the enemy shall come in like a flood, the Spirit of the Lord shall lift up a standard against him.’ Isaiah 59:19.” The Great Controversy, 600.

4 What has Jesus promised us for the hour of temptation? John 14:26; Matthew 10:19.

5 Which believers are promised deliverance from all sin and the power over sinful habit? John 8:30–36.

6 How does this promise of freedom from sin distinguish the children of God (the true church) from the children of the devil (the synagogue of Satan)? 1 John 3:4–10.

7 Does the Word of God contain sufficient instruction to bring the Christian to spiritual perfection? 2 Timothy 3:16, 17; Ecclesiastes 12:13, 14; 3:14.

8 Why is it not a good habit to be in a hurry when studying the Word of God? 1 Timothy 4:13–16.

NOTE: “As our physical life is sustained by food, so our spiritual life is sustained by the word of God. And every soul is to receive life from God’s Word for himself. As we must eat for ourselves in order to receive nourishment, so we must receive the Word for ourselves. We are not to obtain it merely through the medium of another’s mind. We should carefully study the Bible, asking God for the aid of the Holy Spirit, that we may understand His word. We should take one verse, and concentrate the mind on the task of ascertaining the thought which God has put in that verse for us. We should dwell upon the thought until it becomes our own, and we know ‘what saith the Lord.’” The Desire of Ages, 390.

9 Which Christians will find themselves unable to understand the Word? John 8:43, 44. Compare Hosea 14:9.

NOTE: “They profess to be followers of Christ, but they do not know Him by an experimental knowledge. They do not practice religion. They do not seek to be Christians in the same way in which they would learn a trade. They profess to believe advanced truth; but it is evident that they keep it in the outer court; for it has no sanctifying power on life and character. They do not realize how much is at stake; for the salvation of their own souls and that of others is imperiled. They do not realize that in order to be a savor of life unto life they must be under spiritual discipline and training, learning in the school of Christ. Without this spiritual discipline, they become inefficient, ignorant, and undeveloped, and see no necessity for the spiritual training and knowledge which would qualify them to hold positions of influence and usefulness. If they do not consecrate themselves wholly to God, becoming learners in His school, they will do haphazard work that will result in injury to the church.” Fundamentals of Christian Education, 255.

“The great educating book is the Bible, and yet it is little read or practiced. O that every individual would seek to make of himself all that he could, improving his opportunities to the very best of his ability, purposing to use every power which God has given him, not simply to advance his temporal affairs, but to advance his spiritual interests. O that all might search diligently to know what is truth, to study earnestly that they might have correct language and cultivated voices, that they might present the truth in all its elevated and ennobling beauty. . . . The fear of the Lord is the beginning of all wisdom; and when God is not depended upon, the result of education is only to elevate ungodliness.” Ibid., 256, 258.

10 Who does God promise to enable to understand His Word? James 1:5; John 16:13; Matthew 7:7, 8.

NOTE: “The more we look at the promises of the Word of God, the brighter they grow. The more we practice them, the deeper will be our understanding of them. Our position and faith is in the Bible. And never do we want any soul to bring in the Testimonies ahead of the Bible.—Manuscript 7, 1894.” Evangelism, 256.

“The Word of God is sufficient to enlighten the most beclouded mind, and may be understood by those who have any desire to understand it.” Ibid., . 256, 257.

“It is through the exercise of the faculty of faith that we are enabled to receive and practice the Word of God. No excuse can be accepted, no plea of justification received for the failure to know and understand the will of the Lord.” Fundamentals of Christian Education, 341.

“The Holy Spirit has been given to us as an aid in the study of the Word.” Ibid., 433.

“We should search the Scriptures diligently in order that we may have an understanding of the claims that Christ has upon us, and that we may have right views of the truth. Our wills must be subdued, and brought into harmony with the will of God.” Lift Him Up, 238.

11 What symbol did Jesus use to show the indispensable nature of Bible Study? John 6:53, 58, 63.

NOTE: “In every command and in every promise of the Word of God is the power, the very life of God, by which the command may be fulfilled and the promise realized. He who by faith receives the word is receiving the very life and character of God.” Christ’s Object Lessons, 38.

“The great work to be done . . . is to win souls to Christ. Men must see Jesus on the cross, they must look and live. It is not your ideas they must feed upon, but it is the flesh and blood of the Son of God. He says, ‘My flesh is meat indeed’ (John 6:55).” Selected Messages, Book 1, 178.

12 What great treasure, that Adam and Eve lost in the Garden of Eden, is restored to those who study the Bible? Revelation 22:14.

NOTE: “The relation of the Word to the believer is a vital matter. Appropriating the Word to our spiritual necessities is the eating of the leaves of the tree of life that are for the healing of the nations. Study the Word, and practice the Word, for it is your life.”—Ellen G. White Letter 4, 1902.” Counsels on Sabbath School Work, 44.

“In His life on earth, Christ could have made disclosures which would have eclipsed and assigned to oblivion all human discoveries. He could have opened door after door to mysterious things, and many revelations of eternal realities would have been the sure result. He could have uttered words which would have been as a key to unlock mysteries that would have captivated the minds of generations to the close of time. But Christ does not open the numerous doors at which human curiosity has been striving to obtain entrance. He does not spread for men a feast that would prove deleterious to their highest interests. He came to plant for men, not the tree of knowledge, but the tree of life.” Selected Messages, Book 2, 33.

Do You Really Love Jesus? – Part III

Although there are many others, the “Tamper” Accusation is one of the last areas of attack on the Spirit of Prophecy. This one is the most dangerous, because it is the most subtle. Many of those who make this charge profess to believe, 100 percent, in the authority of Ellen White. They may not make an attack undermining her authority, they may not say some things were only her opinions, or claim only in vision or the Bible and the Bible only—all of the other things we looked at, they may not do.

Even though they agree that the authority of the Spirit of Prophecy is equal with the authority of the Bible, they say that some things in Ellen White’s published books were not written by her. Have you ever heard that? That is what we want to examine. Let us briefly overview a few points in relation to this theory.

Republication and Changes

Just like every other attack on the Spirit of Prophecy, you could make the same attack on the Bible.

There are two primary supports for the tamper charge: There were changes in things that were republished and there are alleged contradictions between earlier Spirit of Prophecy writings and later Spirit of Prophecy writings, and contradictions between the Bible and the Spirit of Prophecy writings.

It is true that there were changes; that fact is true. Does anybody claim that there are contradictions in the Bible? Many people do. “Those who take only a surface view of the Scriptures will, with their superficial knowledge, which they think is very deep, talk of the contradictions of the Bible, and question the authority of the Scriptures.” Selected Messages, Book 1, 20. That is the exact same thing some people are doing with the Spirit of Prophecy—talking of contradictions and questioning its authority.

Jesus says, “If I bear witness of Myself, My witness is not true.” John 5:31. But in John 8:14 we read, “Jesus answered and said unto them, Though I bear record of Myself, yet My record is true.” The two statements appear to the superficial Bible student to be contradictory. If you study it out you will find that “bear record” and “bear witness” means the same thing. A skeptic could use that to say there are contradictions, not only in the Bible, but in what Jesus said. That is just one example of many in the Bible.

Skeptics and Infidels

“In the very same way that they treat the writings in my published articles and in my books, so do skeptics and infidels treat the Bible.” Selected Messages, Book 1, 19.

What do skeptics and infidels say about the Bible? They say there are contradictions in it. The same way these skeptics and infidels treat the Bible, people are treating the Spirit of Prophecy.

“From various sources I have been receiving letters containing statements regarding supposed inconsistencies in the Testimonies and reasons why they cannot be regarded as reliable.” Loma Linda Messages, 176.

One alleged contradiction occurs between Spirit of Prophecy, vol.1, 29, and Patriarchs and Prophets, which was the later revised and updated version of the first volume in the Spirit of Prophecy series.

In the first reference it says that Satan “repented of his rebellion,” but in the second reference it says, “He nearly reached the decision to return, but pride forbade him.” Patriarchs and Prophets, 39. So people say, See, that is a contradiction. The answer for that claim is actually very easy. The Spirit of Prophecy, vol. 1 quote is from Chapter 3, “Temptation and Fall.” Satan had already been cast out of heaven; he was here on the earth and then he repented of his rebellion. However, in the Patriarchs and Prophets quote, Satan is still in heaven; he almost reached his decision to repent but pride forbade him. The two quotes are not talking about the same time or the same event—so there is not the least bit of a contradiction. As is so often the case, the problem involves not understanding the context of the two statements.

Examining the Charges

Let us examine the charges for the alleged unauthorized changes in the Spirit of Prophecy. It is true; there were things which Mrs. White wrote that were republished later, and in the republication there were some things added, some things taken out, some things revised. The same thing is true in the Bible. Let us look at all three cases found in the Bible: things added, things left out, and wording changed or variation in wording.

“Then took Jeremiah another roll, and gave it to Baruch the scribe, the son of Neriah; who wrote therein from the mouth of Jeremiah all the words of the book which Jehoiakim king of Judah had burned in the fire.” Jeremiah 36:32.

Jeremiah’s writings had been burned, but they were rewritten. They were redone, but “there were added besides unto them many like words.” Many words were added, when the inspired writings were redone.

1 Corinthians 5:9, gives one of several examples of things left out of the Bible. Paul is writing to the Corinthians. We call it Corinthians, book 1, or first Corinthians. In actual fact, it is really at least 2 Corinthians, and what we call 2 Corinthians is at least 3 Corinthians, because, if you will notice in 1 Corinthians 5:9, Paul says, “I wrote unto you in an epistle” or in a letter. He had already written to them once, at this point in time, but for whatever reason God did not see fit to preserve that letter and have it part of the Bible. It was not included.

There are other examples in the Bible of things being rewritten and slightly revised, of things added and of things left out. See 2 Samuel 22 and Psalm 18. The two are basically identical but a little different. Other examples are Psalm 14 and Psalm 53; 2 Peter 2 and the book of Jude.

Let us look at Deuteronomy 5, and by all means, do not miss this one. This is the strongest rebuke in the entire Bible to the tamper charge. What does the name, Deuteronomy, mean? the second book of the law, the second or repeated legislation. Deuteronomy is a repeat of what was already stated in Exodus, especially, and some of Leviticus and Numbers. It is a republication, we might say, although it was not published on printing presses.

In Deuteronomy 5 we even have the repeat of the Ten Commandments—which originally were written by God’s own finger in tables of stone because they are eternal, unchanging. Deuteronomy 5:7 begins the Ten Commandments almost word for word, but not exactly, as Exodus 20, until you get to verse 15, in the fourth commandment. Verse 12 begins the fourth commandment, but notice what it says in verse 15. Instead of saying the fourth commandment was given because God created the earth in six days and rested on the seventh, it says: “And remember that thou wast a servant in the land of Egypt, and that the Lord thy God brought thee out thence through a mighty hand and by a stretched out arm: therefore the Lord thy God commanded thee to keep the Sabbath day.”

Is that what the fourth commandment said, which is the heart of the Ten Commandments and contains the Seal of God? No, very clearly, it is quite different. If there is anything that should never be changed, it would be the Seal of God that He wrote with His own finger in stone, representing its eternal and unchangeable nature! The skeptic would say, somebody must have been tampering with the book of Deuteronomy here! In fact, it must have been somebody who did not like the Sabbath, because they worded it in such a way as to make it sound like it was a Jewish Sabbath, as though it was given to the Jews when they came out of Egypt and that is why God commanded them to keep the Sabbath day.

That would make it a pretty sinister motive, would it not? We can attribute just about the most sinister motive there is to tampering with Deuteronomy 5:15. But then we would have to ask when was it tampered with?

In the Septuagint—which is the Greek translation of the Old Testament translated a few hundred years before Christ—this verse appears the way it is here. So it would have to have been tampered with before Christ came to this earth. The same is true with the Hebrew manuscripts that were around before Christ came to this earth.

What Does Jesus Say?

So, if this was tampered with before Christ came, let us see what Christ had to say about it. In Matthew 4:4 is the story of when Christ was led out into the wilderness and was tempted by Satan. Jesus said, in verse 4, “‘It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.’”

How much? every Word. “It is written.” Where was it written? Was the New Testament written at this point in time? No! He was quoting from the Old Testament. From what book in the Old Testament was He quoting? Deuteronomy! The only place in the Old Testament He could have been quoting is Deuteronomy 8:3. In Matthew 4:7 He again quotes from Deuteronomy: “It is written again, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God.’” That is from Deutero-nomy 6:16. The third time: “‘It is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and Him only shalt thou serve.’” The Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, vol. 5, 315, says that Matthew 4:10 is a quotation from the Septuagint of Deuteronomy 6:13.

Did Jesus decide to undermine the authority of the book of Deuteronomy because somebody might have tampered with it? No. He quoted from it three times. “It is written,”—and He even said that we are to live by “every word.” This means Deuteronomy as well as the rest of Scripture.

It is interesting also that these three quotes from Deuteronomy are the first recorded in the Bible of Jesus quoting Scripture. Jesus did not fall for the tamper accusation, and Jesus is our perfect Example. We will not be in danger if we follow His example.

Now there are some things in the book of Deuteronomy that are not in Exodus, Leviticus or Numbers, the previous books. There are some things in the previous books that are not in Deuteronomy. There are some things that are revised, not worded the same, and there are some things that are basically unchanged.

Further Clarification

It is the same with the Spirit of Prophecy. In the later books, some things have been added; some things have been left out; some things have been revised, and some things are about the same.

“My mind has been exercised upon the question of the Testimonies that have been revised. We have looked them over more critically. I cannot see the matter as my brethren see it. I think the changes will improve the book. If our enemies handle it, let them do so.” Selected Messages, Book 3, 97.

Oh, some people say, maybe that was not written by Ellen White; maybe that was written by the tamperers. Well we will look at that more as we continue.

Wiser than God?

“Regarding the testimonies, . . . Some matters must be withheld because some persons would make an improper use of the light given. Every jot and tittle is essential and must appear at an opportune time. In the past, the testimonies were carefully prepared before they were sent out for publication. And all matter is still carefully studied after the first writing.” Selected Messages, Book 1, 57.

Some things were left out because some people would make an improper use of them. Unfortunately, some people now are making an improper use of the fact that they were left out—thinking that their own foolishness is wiser than God’s wisdom on what should or should not have been left out or revised.

C. White wrote, “Sister White was responsible for leaving out or adding to matters…in the later editions of our books.…She had many times direct instruction from the angel of the Lord regarding what should be omitted and what by At should be added in new editions.” Selected Messages, Book 3, 452, Appendix C.

Does anyone reading this think that they have a better idea than direct instructions from the angel as to what should have been left out or put in?

God Cares About the Small Things

Let me give you another example that helps to disprove the tamper accusation. Mrs. White was given a vision of a situation before it actually occurred. Ballanger was trying to change some of the Seventh-day Adventist doctrines in a magazine that was published under the title, The Sentinel. Regarding the situation with Ballanger and the Salamanca vision, she writes, “Those in counsel pointed to certain passages, declaring that this must be cut out, and that must be changed.” Testimonies to Ministers, 469.

Now this was not publication of her inspired writings. This was just a Seventh-day Adventist magazine, but she was given this very important vision before the incident occurred. Because of the vision, she was able to stop the action.

Another vision Sister White had revealed that one of her helpers stole her hairnet. When the helper became afraid of getting caught, she burned it to eliminate the evidence. God gave Mrs. White a vision about who stole it and He even showed her that it had been burned. (See Campfire Junior Stories by Arthur White.) If God gave a special vision for something as insignificant as a hairnet, would He not give a special vision if somebody was tampering with the Spirit of Prophecy?

Pulling the Wool Over the Eyes of God?

“The Lord has preserved this Holy Book by His own miraculous power in its present shape.…Men should let God take care of His own Book,…as He has done for ages.” Selected Messages, Book 1, 15, 17. If God can take care of the Bible, can He take care of the Spirit of Prophecy? Yes, He can.

There have been some translations of the Spirit of Prophecy that may not be the most accurate. Some things may have been left out of them, but the same could be said about the Bible. There are some translations of the Bible that are not very good. With the Bible we can go back and study the original language—the Hebrew or Greek. With the Spirit of Prophecy we can go back ro the original language—English.

There have also been books, published since 1915, which contain typographical errors or minor punctuation changes. Punctuation was not inspired, nor was it inspired in the Bible. Most of the recent books were published from letters and manuscripts, for which the handwritten or signed manuscript is on file, so we know they are valid. There are two things to watch out for in these compilations that were published since Ellen White passed away. First is the ellipsis (…). When an ellipsis is used, you need to study the quote in its original context to see if something has been omitted relevant to its meaning. Second, the headings are not inspired. Last Day Events, 51, is just one example. It says, “A New Denomination Not Needed.” That is not inspired; Ellen White did not write that. The Bible also has headings; many Bibles have headings at the top of the page or down through the sections of the Bible. They are not inspired.

Reports Are Not True!

“After the matter for the Testimony is prepared, every article must be read by me.” Ibid., Book 3, 98. “What I write by hand is copied out by faithful helpers. Before any of this matter is printed, it is read over and closely examined by me.” Manuscript Release, 8, 21, 22. “I read over all that is copied, to see that everything is as it should be. I read all the book manuscript before it is sent to the printer.” Selected Messages, Book 3, 90. “The reports that are circulated, that any of my helpers are permitted to add matter or change the meaning of the messages I write out, are not true.” Ibid, Book 1, 50.

“And now to all who have a desire for truth I would say: Do not give credence to unauthenticated reports as to what Sister White has done or said or written.” She says, “If you desire to know what the Lord has revealed through her, read her published works.” Testimonies, vol. 5, 696. [Emphasis supplied.]

Throughout all the people who support the tamper accusations, there is not general agreement on what was supposedly tampered with and what was not.

“They feel at liberty to reject any portion that does not agree with them. That is the foundation for all these fanaticisms and winds of doctrines that are going around. One or more of these deceptions, especially the tamper accusation, is employed. When there is something in the Spirit of Prophecy that is so clear that they cannot harmonize it with what they believe and are teaching, they just say, oh, that was tampered with, or that was uninspired, or that was lesser light or any one of these theories that are undermining the authority of the Spirit of Prophecy.

It is funny how those who believe every word in the Spirit of Prophecy books, and who do not try to teach anything that contradicts the Spirit of Prophecy, are not the ones running around saying it has been tampered with. It is the ones who are wanting to reject something in the Spirit of Prophecy who are undermining it. Strange how that works.

Making of No Effect

Revelation 22:18, 19 presents a very solemn warning. This warning applies to the Bible and the Spirit of Prophecy. “For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book; And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the Book of Life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book.”

Is there any warning in these two verses that if somebody actually did succeed in adding something to the Bible, and if you believed it, you would be lost? No. God promises us that no one will be lost for believing everything in the Bible: “Brethren, cling to your Bible, as it reads, and stop your criticisms in regard to its validity, and obey the Word, and not one of you will be lost.” Selected Messages, Book 1, 18. The warning of Revelation 22:18,19 is to the person who would add or take away from God’s word. So, if no one did add to or take away things from the Spirit of Prophecy, but I am claiming that tampering was done, then I am taking away from the Spirit of Prophecy. I am the one to whom the warning applies! But if I implicitly believe everything that is in the Bible and in the Spirit of Prophecy, then the warning does not apply to me—regardless of whether or not someone else tried to add or take away from God’s Word.

In Genesis 3, we often talk about the devil’s first lie, “Ye shall not surely die.” But how often do we notice in verse 1 what the devil said to pave the way for his first lie? The very first thing out of that archfiend’s mouth was, “Yea, hath God said…” casting doubt on God’s Word!

“It was through making the word of God of none effect that sin was brought into the world.” Selected Messages, Book 1, 345. That is how serious it is. We are all here in this sinful world because the devil undermined the authority of God’s Word, and somebody believed it.

Satan’s Last Deception

“The very last deception of Satan will be to make of none effect the testimony of the Spirit of God. . . Satan will work ingeniously, in different ways and through different agencies, to unsettle the confidence of God’s remnant people in the true testimony.” Ibid., Book 1, 48.

We have looked at many of these ingenious ways. Testimonies, vol. 5, 675, says, “The testimonies are rejected, and many excuses which are untrue are offered to others as the reason for refusing to receive them.”

“It is God’s plan to give sufficient evidence of the divine character of His work to convince all who honestly desire to know the truth. But He never removes all opportunity for doubt. All who desire to question and cavil will find occasion.” Selected Messages, Book 1, 72.

If you are trying to find something in the Spirit of Prophecy that is evidence that it has been tampered with, you will find it. But that does not mean it is true. You can do the same thing with the Bible.

“I pity those who have set their feet in the path of doubt and unbelief. I would gladly help them if I could, but the experience of the past gives me little hope that they will ever come to the light. No amount of evidence will convince men of the truth so long as they are unwilling to yield their pride, subdue their carnal nature, and become learners in the school of Christ.” Ibid.

“Let not those who seek to hedge up my way and destroy the influence of my words deceive themselves with the belief that they are doing God service. They are serving another master, and they will be rewarded according to their work. Rebellion will exist as long as Satan exists.” Ibid.

What do the tamper accusation, and all the other accusations, do? They destroy the influence of her words.

“They have professed to believe the visions, but have acted contrary to them. Their example and influence have raised doubts in the minds of others. It would have been better for the cause of present truth had they both opposed the gifts. Then the people would not have been deceived, and would not have stumbled over these blind teachers.” Testimonies, vol. 1, 234. (See also Upper Look p. 115)

“All who believe that the Lord has spoken through Sister White, and has given her a message, will be safe from the many delusions that will come in these last days.” Selected Messages, Book 3, 84.

You will not find one quote that says all who believe the Spirit of Prophecy has been tampered with, or any of these other accusations, will be safe from the many delusions.

I appeal, with tears, to anyone who may have accepted or taught accusations on the authority of the Spirit of Prophecy, even if accepted and taught honestly, to repent, to confess, and do your best to correct the wrong impressions left on the minds of others. Merely ceasing to promote error is not enough. A stand must be taken on the side of truth which is as much or more public as the stand which was previously taken on the side of error. Your decision will prove if you really love Jesus.

The Crisis in Adventism

The warfare against God’s law, which was begun in heaven, will be continued until the end of time. Every man will be tested. Obedience or disobedience is the question to be decided by the whole world. All will be called to choose between the law of God and the laws of men. Here the dividing line will be drawn. There will be but two classes. Every character will be fully developed; and all will show whether they have chosen the side of loyalty or that of rebellion. Then the end will come.” The Desire of Ages, 763.

What is the last great crisis that is facing the world? Not the symptoms, but what is the fundamental issue? It is the Law of God. “That the law which was spoken by God’s own voice is faulty, that some specification has been set aside, is the claim which Satan now puts forward. It is the last great deception that he will bring upon the world. He needs not to assail the whole law; if he can lead men to disregard one precept, his purpose is gained. … By consenting to break one precept, men are brought under Satan’s power.” Ibid.

When Jesus was on earth, the disciples asked what was going to be the sign of the end of the age. “And Jesus answered, and said to them, Take heed that no man deceive you. For many shall come in My name, saying, I am Christ and will deceive many.” Matthew 24:4. The first thing that Jesus said to His disciples was a warning about being deceived. This was so important that Jesus repeated the warning at least three times in Matthew 24.

Who was it that Jesus warned could be deceived? He said, “For there shall arise false christs and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; inasmuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive, the very elect.” Matthew 24:24. Jesus warned the elect against being deceived. Who are the elect? They are the godly. They are the church. They are the Seventh-day Adventists.

The devil has a special plan for deceiving Seventh-day Adventists. He is causing a great crisis in Adventism, because he wants to deceive those who have been given the greatest light—the elect.

This clear warning has been given to Seventh-day Adventists. “In the last vision given me I was shown the startling fact that but a small portion of those who now profess the truth will be sanctified by it and be saved.” Testimonies, vol. 1, 608, 609.

That is not good news to me. I grew up in the Adventist Church. I went entirely through the Adventist educational system. All my friends, when I was growing up, were part of the Adventist Church. Those are my best friends today, scattered all over the world. It is startling to read that only a few of those who now profess the truth will be sanctified by it and be saved. The great majority of Seventh-day Adventists will be deceived by the devil’s sophistries. I repeat God’s warning because I do not want you to be one of the many people who are going to be lost.

What will be the test for those who will be among the faithful who stand strong despite the devil’s greatest deceptions? “To stand in defense of truth and righteousness when the majority forsake us, to fight the battles of the Lord when champions are few—this will be our test.” Testimonies, vol. 5, 136.

What is the great crisis for Adventism?

“Satan hopes to involve the remnant people of God in the general ruin that is coming upon the earth. As the coming of Christ draws nigh, he will be more determined and decisive in his efforts to overthrow them. Men and women will arise professing to have some new light or some new revelation whose tendency is to unsettle faith in the old landmarks.” Testimonies, vol. 5, 295.

This great crisis in Adventism is predicted in Matthew 24. “And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold.” Matthew 24:12. The antichrist power teaches people to break part of God’s law. Revelation and 11 Thessalonians 2 show clearly that almost the whole world is going to be deceived.

God’s people are going to be living in the midst of an ocean of lawlessness. In that environment, Jesus said that the love of many will grow cold. This does not take place suddenly. You do not go from a position of spiritual health and strength, filled with the Holy Spirit, then immediately turn and be ready for ruin and destruction. It happens over a period of time.

The message to the Laodiceans is that they need to repent, because they are lukewarm. They are no longer hot. Their love has grown cold. This is the great crisis in Adventism. Many are in the process of going from hot to cold, but sadly, they do not realize the change, because they do not feel any different today than they felt yesterday. How does the devil work it so that someone can go from hot to cold and not even know anything has happened? That is the insidiousness and the subtleness of the crisis in Adventism.

The story is told of a Seventh-day Adventist minister in California who lost his life in a tragic vehicle accident. When the autopsy was performed, the physicians found that he was full of cancer. He would have died in a short time anyway, but neither he nor his wife knew it.

Why did he not know about it? Because the cancer, itself, does not hurt. The results of cancer can hurt as a nerve is eaten up, or pressure from a tumor pushes on something and causes unbearable pain. The cancer itself does not hurt. You can be full of it and not know that you are sick.

Safeguard Against Deceptions

If you have the truth and the devil is trying to involve you in the ruin that is coming upon the world, how is he going to do it? “It is not alone those who openly reject the Testimonies, or who cherish doubt concerning them, that are on dangerous ground. To disregard light is to reject it …

Many are going directly contrary to the light which God has given to His people, because they do not read the books which contain the light and knowledge and cautions, reproofs, and warnings.” Testimonies, vol. 5, 680, 681.

Many people go directly contrary to God’s instructions because they do not read. Your pastor, Sabbath School teacher, and elder cannot teach you everything in the Bible and the Spirit of Prophecy. God holds us responsible when we do not take advantage of the light available to us. God expects you to learn on your own.

As we approach the end, there will be people who will say, “I am a Seventh-day Adventist. I believe the Bible. I believe the Spirit of Prophecy.” But they will be involved in the ruin coming on the entire world because they are not following God’s instruction. They do not read. They choose not to understand.

We are living in the most deceptive time in this world’s history. How will you know if you are deceived? (Remember that no one who is realizes it.) If you do not want to be deceived you must study for yourself. No one can do it for you. If you are not studying, watching, and praying for yourself, the devil will bring a deception for you, and cause you to lose confidence in the truth.

We are living in a time of unbelief and doubt. All throughout Adventism, and especially on Seventh-day Adventist college campuses, skepticism is running rampant. The devil is using his cleverly developed methods to secure his end. He rarely makes a frontal attack, because he is a deceiver. To gain control of us, he starts to chip away at our belief, to undermine our confidence in the inspired writings.

We are no match for the devil. We are not as intelligent as he is, or as old. The devil knows that the only way we can escape is by reading the inspired writings, believing them, and acting upon them. (See James 2.)

The chapter called “Snares of Satan,” in the book The Great Controversy, shows how the devil tries to rob people of their faith. We have had one attack after another in Adventism on this point. For instance, in 1976 an Adventist scholar wrote a book called, Ellen G. White, Prophetess of Health. Many intellectual Adventists lost their confidence in Ellen White on the basis of this book. This book asks a lot of questions to bring in doubt.

We need to learn that if we involve ourselves in asking questions that no one can answer, we will eventually lose our faith, become skeptics, and lose our souls. This was the devil’s first tactic after he rebelled in heaven. He planted doubt in the minds of his fellow angels by asking questions.

Ellen White warned us that this is one of the principal deceptions of the devil.

“It is a masterpiece of Satan’s deceptions to keep the minds of men searching and conjecturing in regard to that which God has not made known and which He does not intend that we shall understand.” The Great Controversy, 523.

Mysteries in the Bible

Seven mysteries are mentioned in the New Testament. One of the seven mysteries is the incarnation—God manifested in flesh. That is spoken of as a great mystery in 1 Timothy 3:16. When an inspired writer says that something is a great mystery, it is something we are never going to be able to explain fully. Yet, I get letters from Seventh-day Adventists who want me to explain the Godhead, and every detail about the nature of Christ. They want the unexplainable explained for their finite minds.

The early church, between the second and sixth centuries, wanted the same thing. Large church councils were called over and over again, to try to settle the controversy. In the end, fighting broke out, and there was actually war over the issue. All this took place because people were trying to explain what God had not revealed.

The devil uses philosophical and scientific arguments that are pleasing to the mind to lead many astray. Friend, if the devil can rob you of your faith and confidence in inspired writings, he will prevail. You may not know that he has won, because you will be deceived, but you will still be lost. He leads many people to think that if they can ask a question that cannot be answered, they have gained some point. These people put their own finite mind above the infinite mind of God.

Many today are like the Greeks, who required a rational explanation for everything, or like the Jews, who wanted a sign before they would believe. But faith is not based on demonstration. It is based on evidence.

“The Word of God, like the character of its Author, presents mysteries that can never be fully comprehended by finite beings. But God has given in the Scriptures sufficient evidence of their divine authority. His own existence, His character, the truthfulness of His Word, are established by testimony that appeals to our reason; and this testimony is abundant. True, He has not removed the possibility of doubt; faith must rest upon evidence, not demonstration; those who wish to doubt have opportunity; but those who desire to know the truth find ample ground for faith.” Education, 169.

Evidence

The Word of God is the only thing in this world that you can really depend upon all the time. Are you asking, “What is the evidence?” If so, study carefully the following two evidences from the Bible.

The first is the evidence that God Himself is the One true God. He gives this as a challenge in Isaiah 44, 45, and 46. He supports His claim with the evidence that He can do something that no one else can ever do. He says, “Remember the former things of old: for I am God, and there is none else; I am God, and there is none like Me. Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all My pleasure.” Isaiah 46:9, 10. God says that not only has He created everything that exists, He also knows the end from the beginning, and can reveal the future.

Several months ago we held a Prophecy Seminar in Wichita and we went over these things the first night. A young woman came to this Prophecy Seminar. Her mother, who was a Christian, upon learning that her daughter was attending our meetings, became worried that she might be becoming involved with a cult. I am sure she had heard some of the things that Seventh-day Adventists are called today. The mother said, “I should go and be sure that my daughter is not becoming a cultist.”

The mother came about the sixth or seventh session. By that time we were studying the Sabbath and the Law of God and what prophecy said about it. The mother listened carefully the first night. She could not find anything cultic in the messages she heard from the Bible. She came every single night after that. After several nights, she realized that there was a message in Bible prophecy that she could see was being fulfilled all over the world. The prophecy was true, and the evidence was overwhelming. In many seminars I have conducted, I have heard people from many religions come to the same conclusion; the evidence is overwhelming that Bible prophecy is true.

There is a confirmation of the truthfulness of God’s Word that is far more profound than simply prophecy or the ability to foretell the future. This powerful evidence is found in Romans 8:16: “The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit that we are the children of God.” Romans 8:16. The evidence that Jesus is the Messiah, the gospel is true, the Bible and Ellen White’s works are inspired comes as you study. The Holy Spirit comes into your life and changes your heart. Then the Lord can use you to win others who do not know Him, even if they do not know anything about prophecy. If you have been changed, and can share your testimony with others, you can be a mighty witness for the Lord.

The Holy Spirit’s Power

What changes does the Holy Spirit make when He comes into your heart? First, the Holy Spirit gives you power to witness. “But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.” Acts 1:8.

The Holy Spirit gives you power to overcome sin. “That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit.” Romans 8:4, 5. (See also Romans 8:1–14.)

Sometimes people say, “I have a besetting sin and I cannot overcome it.” Of course, you cannot overcome it. No one can overcome a besetting sin in their own power. When the Holy Spirit comes into your life, he gives you the power to overcome. Your thoughts will be pure, your language will be pure and your actions will be in harmony with God’s law. You will begin to love God with all your heart, soul, and mind, and your neighbors as yourself. You will be a different person. Then you become a powerful witness.

Are you having that experience? Is the Holy Spirit inside? Or is the Holy Spirit outside, pleading with you to give your heart in surrender to Jesus, not only as your Savior, but as the Lord of your life? The Holy Spirit is with all who have not committed the unpardonable sin.

Jesus told His disciples that up to that time the Holy Spirit had just been with them, but in the future it was going to be different. “The Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth Him; but ye know Him; for He dwelleth with you and shall be in you.” John 14:17.

What is your condition today? Is the Holy Spirit just with you? Or is the Holy Spirit in you? If the Holy Spirit is in you, you will be living a sin-free life, bearing witness to the gospel. It will have a powerful effect on other people. That is the most powerful sign that God’s Word is true, that Ellen White is a prophet, that Jesus is the Christ, and that He is coming soon to take the faithful home. [Emphasis supplied.]

[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.

Bible Study Guides – The Final Warning, Part 111

July 3, 2005 – July 9, 2005

Memory Verse

“Though Noah, Daniel, and Job, [were] in it, [as] I live, saith the Lord God, they shall deliver neither son nor daughter; they shall [but] deliver their own souls by their righteousness.” Ezekiel 14:20.

Suggested Reading: The Great Controversy, 622–625, 479–490.

Introduction

In this lesson, we will study pages 622 to 625 of The Great Controversy. Although these pages are found in the chapter entitled “The Time of Trouble,” which explains the events associated with the close of probation and following, these few pages are also about events and issues that occur before probation closes.

exercise: See how many words or phrases you can find in these pages that refer to events or issues before the close of probation. There are at least 18.

1 What test is referred to in the following statement? Exodus 20:8–11; Revelation 14:9–12. See The Great Controversy, 602, 605, 608, 613.

note: “Those who exercise but little faith now, are in the greatest danger of falling under the power of satanic delusions and the decree to compel the conscience. And even if they endure the test they will be plunged into deeper distress and anguish in the time of trouble, because they have never made it a habit to trust in God. The lessons of faith which they have neglected they will be forced to learn under a terrible pressure of discouragement.” The Great Controversy, 622.

2 What are the people of God to do at the present time, and what are they not to do? For biblical counsel, see Job 22:21; Ephesians 6:18; Philippians 4:6; 1 John 2:15–17.

note: “We should now acquaint ourselves with God by proving His promises. Angels record every prayer that is earnest and sincere. We should rather dispense with selfish gratifications than neglect communion with God. The deepest poverty, the greatest self-denial, with His approval, is better than riches, honors, ease, and friendship without it. We must take time to pray. If we allow our minds to be absorbed by worldly interests, the Lord may give us time by removing from us our idols of gold, of houses, or of fertile lands.

“The young would not be seduced into sin if they would refuse to enter any path save that upon which they could ask God’s blessing. If the messengers who bear the last solemn warning to the world would pray for the blessing of God, not in a cold, listless, lazy manner, but fervently and in faith, as did Jacob, they would find many places where they could say: ‘I have seen God face to face, and my life is preserved.’ Genesis 32:30.” The Great Controversy, 622.

3 What period of time is still before us? What will each one have to do during that time? Daniel 12:1; Ezekiel 14:14, 20.

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

4 While Christ is still making atonement for us in the heavenly sanctuary, what are God’s people to do? Colossians 1:28.

note: “Now, while our great High Priest is making the atonement for us, we should seek to become perfect in Christ. Not even by a thought could our Saviour be brought to yield to the power of temptation. . . . Satan could find nothing in the Son of God that would enable him to gain the victory. He had kept His Father’s commandments, and there was no sin in Him that Satan could use to his advantage. This is the condition in which those must be found who shall stand in the time of trouble.” The Great Controversy, 623.

5 What are the people of God to do in their lives while the sanctuary is still open? For New Testament teaching, see Hebrews 4:14–16.

note: “It is in this life that we are to separate sin from us, through faith in the atoning blood of Christ. Our precious Saviour invites us to join ourselves to Him, to unite our weakness to His strength, our ignorance to His wisdom, our unworthiness to His merits. God’s providence is the school in which we are to learn the meekness and lowliness of Jesus. . . . It rests with us to co-operate with the agencies which Heaven employs in the work of conforming our characters to the divine model. None can neglect or defer this work but at the most fearful peril to their souls.” The Great Controversy, 623.

6 What will reach its culmination in the time of trouble? Revelation 12:12.

note: “The apostle John in vision heard a loud voice in heaven exclaiming: ‘Woe to the inhabiters of the earth and of the sea! for the devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a short time.’ Revelation 12:12. Fearful are the scenes which call forth this exclamation from the heavenly voice. The wrath of Satan increases as his time grows short, and his work of deceit and destruction will reach its culmination in the time of trouble.” The Great Controversy, 623.

7 Who will go forth to the kings of the earth, and what two things will they do? Revelation 16:13, 14, 16.

note: “The spirits of devils will go forth to the kings of the earth and to the whole world, to fasten them in deception, and urge them on to unite with Satan in his last struggle against the government of heaven. By these agencies, rulers and subjects will be alike deceived. Persons will arise pretending to be Christ Himself, and claiming the title and worship which belong to the world’s Redeemer. They will perform wonderful miracles of healing and will profess to have revelations from heaven contradicting the testimony of the Scriptures.” The Great Controversy, 624.

8 What will be the crowning act in Satan’s drama of deception? 11 Corinthians 11:14.

note: “In the last days he will appear in such a manner as to make men believe him to be Christ come the second time into the world. He will indeed transform himself into an angel of light. But while he will bear the appearance of Christ in every particular, so far as mere appearance goes, it will deceive none but those who, like Pharaoh, are seeking to resist the truth.” Testimonies, vol. 5, 698.

“As the crowning act in the great drama of deception, Satan himself will personate Christ. . . . Now the great deceiver will make it appear that Christ has come. In different parts of the earth, Satan will manifest himself among men as a majestic being of dazzling brightness, resembling the description of the Son of God given by John in the Revelation. Revelation 1:13–15.” The Great Controversy, 624.

9 Describe the strong, almost overmastering delusion that takes place under the crowning act of Satan. Matthew 24:24; Mark 13:22.

note: “The glory that surrounds him is unsurpassed by anything that mortal eyes have yet beheld. The shout of triumph rings out upon the air: ‘Christ has come! Christ has come!’ The people prostrate themselves in adoration before him, while he lifts up his hands and pronounces a blessing upon them, as Christ blessed His disciples when He was upon the earth. His voice is soft and subdued, yet full of melody. In gentle, compassionate tones he presents some of the same gracious, heavenly truths which the Saviour uttered; he heals the diseases of the people, and then, in his assumed character of Christ, he claims to have changed the Sabbath to Sunday, and commands all to hallow the day which he has blessed. He declares that those who persist in keeping holy the seventh day are blaspheming his name by refusing to listen to his angels sent to them with light and truth. This is the strong, almost overmastering delusion.” The Great Controversy, 624.

10 Why will the true people of God not be misled by the appearance of Satan as Christ? Revelation 12:17; 14:12; 19:10.

note: “But the people of God will not be misled. The teachings of this false christ are not in accordance with the Scriptures. His blessing is pronounced upon the worshipers of the beast and his image, the very class upon whom the Bible declares that God’s unmingled wrath shall be poured out.” The Great Controversy, 625.

11 What Scriptural instruction is given that all may be able to discern between the appearance of Satan as Christ and the true coming of Jesus? Matthew 24:26, 27, 31; 25:31; Revelation 1:7; 1 Thessalonians 4:16, 17; Revelation 19:11–16.

note: “And, furthermore, Satan is not permitted to counterfeit the manner of Christ’s advent. The Saviour has warned His people against deception upon this point, and has clearly foretold the manner of His second coming. ‘There shall arise false christs, and false prophets, and shall show great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect. . . . Wherefore if they shall say unto you, Behold, He is in the desert; go not forth: behold, He is in the secret chambers; believe it not. For as the lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.’ Matthew 24:24–27, 31; 25:31; Revelation 1:7; 1 Thessalonians 4:16, 17. This coming there is no possibility of counterfeiting. It will be universally known—witnessed by the whole world.” The Great Controversy, 625.

12 Who only will be shielded from this powerful delusion that takes the world captive? See New Testament instruction in Ephesians 1:13; 4:15, 16; 11 Timothy 3:16, 17.

note: “Only those who have been diligent students of the Scriptures and who have received the love of the truth will be shielded from the powerful delusion that takes the world captive. By the Bible testimony these will detect the deceiver in his disguise. To all the testing time will come. By the sifting of temptation the genuine Christian will be revealed.” The Great Controversy, 625.

Bible Study Guides – The Impending Conflict, Part 11

May 29, 2005 – June 4, 2005

Memory Verse

“And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.” Revelation 12:17.

Suggested Reading: Testimonies, vol. 5, 98–105, 711–718.

1 In the final conflict, how will Satan appear? What kind of work will he and his spirits do? 11 Corinthians 11:13, 14; 1 Timothy 4:1, 2; Mark 13:5, 22, 23.

note: “As spiritualism more closely imitates the nominal Christianity of the day, it has greater power to deceive and ensnare. Satan himself is converted, after the modern order of things. He will appear in the character of an angel of light. Through the agency of spiritualism, miracles will be wrought, the sick will be healed, and many undeniable wonders will be performed. And as the spirits will profess faith in the Bible, and manifest respect for the institutions of the church, their work will be accepted as a manifestation of divine power.” The Great Controversy, 588.

2 List three groups that Satan brings under his deceptions. Revelation 16:13, 14.

note: “The Protestants of the United States will be foremost in stretching their hands across the gulf to grasp the hand of spiritualism; they will reach over the abyss to clasp hands with the Roman power; and under the influence of this threefold union, this country will follow in the steps of Rome in trampling on the rights of conscience.” The Great Controversy, 588.

3 What objective does this coalition hope to achieve? Revelation 16:14, 16; 1 Thessalonians 5:3. See Old Testament type in Jeremiah 8:11; Ezekiel 13:10.

note: “Church members love what the world loves and are ready to join with them, and Satan determines to unite them in one body and thus strengthen his cause by sweeping all into the ranks of spiritualism. Papists, who boast of miracles as a certain sign of the true church, will be readily deceived by this wonder-working power; and Protestants, having cast away the shield of truth, will also be deluded. Papists, Protestants, and worldlings will alike accept the form of godliness without the power, and they will see in this union a grand movement for the conversion of the world and the ushering in of the long-expected millennium.” The Great Controversy, 588, 589.

exercise: See if you can match the four groups identified in the two references above with those described in Revelation 16:13, 14.

4 Who is the instigator of the many wars that are occurring around the world today? For the teaching of Jesus, see John 8:44. See also Revelation 12:9. For Old Testament type, see Isaiah 14:4–6, 12, 16, 17.

note: “Through spiritualism, Satan appears as a benefactor of the race, healing the diseases of the people, and professing to present a new and more exalted system of religious faith; but at the same time he works as a destroyer. His temptations are leading multitudes to ruin. . . . Satan delights in war, for it excites the worst passions of the soul and then sweeps into eternity its victims steeped in vice and blood. It is his object to incite the nations to war against one another, for he can thus divert the minds of the people from the work of preparation to stand in the day of God.” The Great Controversy, 589.

5 Who works through the elements to cause as much destruction as possible? For Old Testament example, see Job 1:9–19; 2:6, 7.

note: “Satan works through the elements also to garner his harvest of unprepared souls. He has studied the secrets of the laboratories of nature, and he uses all his power to control the elements as far as God allows. When he was suffered to afflict Job, how quickly flocks and herds, servants, houses, children, were swept away, one trouble succeeding another as in a moment. It is God that shields his creatures and hedges them in from the power of the destroyer. . . . Satan has control of all whom God does not especially guard. He will favor and prosper some in order to further his own designs, and he will bring trouble upon others and lead men to believe that it is God who is afflicting them.

“While appearing to the children of men as a great physician who can heal all their maladies, he will bring disease and disaster, until populous cities are reduced to ruin and desolation. Even now he is at work. In accidents and calamities by sea and by land, in great conflagrations, in fierce tornadoes and terrific hail-storms, in tempests, floods, cyclones, tidal waves, and earthquakes, in every place and in a thousand forms, Satan is exercising his power. He sweeps away the ripening harvest, and famine and distress follow. He imparts to the air a deadly taint, and thousands perish by the pestilence. These visitations are to become more and more frequent and disastrous. Destruction will be upon both man and beast. ‘The earth mourneth and fadeth away,’ ‘the haughty people . . . do languish. The earth also is defiled under the inhabitants thereof; because they have transgressed the laws, changed the ordinance, broken the everlasting covenant.’ Isaiah 24:4, 5.” The Great Controversy, 589, 590.

6 Who does the great deceiver persuade the people of the world to perceive as the cause of all the wars, disease, and natural disasters that are occurring in the world? For Old Testament type, see 1 Kings 18:17, 18.

note: “And then the great deceiver will persuade men that those who serve God are causing these evils. The class that have provoked the displeasure of Heaven will charge all their troubles upon those whose obedience to God’s commandments is a perpetual reproof to transgressors. It will be declared that men are offending God by the violation of the Sunday sabbath; that this sin has brought calamities which will not cease until Sunday observance shall be strictly enforced; and that those who present the claims of the fourth commandment, thus destroying reverence for Sunday, are troublers of the people, preventing their restoration to divine favor and temporal prosperity. Thus the accusation urged of old against the servant of God will be repeated and upon grounds equally well established: ‘And it came to pass, when Ahab saw Elijah, that Ahab said unto him, Art thou he that troubleth Israel? And he answered, I have not troubled Israel; but thou, and thy father’s house, in that ye have forsaken the commandments of the Lord, and thou hast followed Baalim.’ 1 Kings 18:17, 18. As the wrath of the people shall be excited by false charges, they will pursue a course toward God’s ambassadors very similar to that which apostate Israel pursued toward Elijah. . . .

“Communications from the spirits will declare that God has sent them to convince the rejecters of Sunday of their error, affirming that the laws of the land should be obeyed as the law of God. They will lament the great wickedness in the world, and second the testimony of religious teachers that the degraded state of morals is caused by the desecration of Sunday. Great will be the indignation excited against all who refuse to accept their testimony.” The Great Controversy, 590, 591.

7 What has been Satan’s policy since the war in heaven began? Matthew 24:24.

note: “While claiming for himself perfect loyalty to God, he urged that changes in the order and laws of heaven were necessary for the stability of the divine government. Thus while working to excite opposition to the law of God and to instill his own discontent into the minds of the angels under him, he was ostensibly seeking to remove dissatisfaction and to reconcile disaffected angels to the order of heaven. While secretly fomenting discord and rebellion, he with consummate craft caused it to appear as his sole purpose to promote loyalty and to preserve harmony and peace.” Patriarchs and Prophets, 38.

“Satan’s policy in this final conflict with God’s people is the same that he employed in the opening of the great controversy in Heaven. He professed to be seeking to promote the stability of the divine government, while secretly bending every effort to secure its overthrow. And the very work which he was thus endeavoring to accomplish he charged upon the loyal angels.” The Great Controversy, 591.

8 How has the Roman church been carrying out this same policy all through its history? Daniel 7:20, 21, 25; 8:23–25; 11:36–39.

note: “The same policy of deception has marked the history of the Roman Church. It has professed to act as the vicegerent of Heaven, while seeking to exalt itself above God and to change His law. Under the rule of Rome, those who suffered death for their fidelity to the gospel were denounced as evil-doers; they were declared to be in league with Satan; and every possible means was employed to cover them with reproach, to cause them to appear in the eyes of the people and even to themselves as the vilest of criminals.” The Great Controversy, 591.

Comment: This work of the papacy was described by the prophet Daniel in Daniel 7:25.

9 In the final conflict, upon which we are now entering, how will Satan try to destroy God’s people? 1 Peter 2:12; 3:16; Revelation 12:10.

note: “So it will be now. While Satan seeks to destroy those who honor God’s law, he will cause them to be accused as law-breakers, as men who are dishonoring God and bringing judgments upon the world.” The Great Controversy, 591.

10 Describe the difference between the way the God of heaven works with people and the way Satan works. Exodus 34:6, 7; 1 John 4:16; John 14:15, 23; 7:37; Matthew 11:28–30; Revelation 13:15, 16.

note: “God never forces the will or the conscience; but Satan’s constant resort—to gain control of those whom he cannot otherwise seduce—is compulsion by cruelty. Through fear or force he endeavors to rule the conscience and to secure homage to himself. To accomplish this, he works through both religious and secular authorities, moving them to the enforcement of human laws in defiance of the law of God.” The Great Controversy, 591.

11 From the above reference and the one below, whom does it say that Satan works through to accomplish his objectives? For New Testament type, see John 19:1–16.

note: “The church has received warning after warning. The duties and dangers of God’s people have been plainly revealed. . . . No man can tell how far he may go in sin when once he yields himself to the power of the great deceiver. Satan entered into Judas Iscariot and induced him to betray his Lord. Satan led Ananias and Sapphira to lie to the Holy Ghost. Those who are not wholly consecrated to God may be led to do the work of Satan, while yet they flatter themselves that they are in the service of Christ.” Testimonies, vol. 5, 103.

12 How will the popular ministry respond to those who honor the Bible Sabbath in the controversy over the law of God? For Old Testament type, see Jeremiah 26:7–11.

note: “Those who honor the Bible Sabbath will be denounced as enemies of law and order, as breaking down the moral restraints of society, causing anarchy and corruption, and calling down the judgments of God upon the earth. Their conscientious scruples will be pronounced obstinacy, stubbornness, and contempt of authority. They will be accused of disaffection toward the government. Ministers who deny the obligation of the divine law will present from the pulpit the duty of yielding obedience to the civil authorities as ordained of God. In legislative halls and courts of justice, commandment keepers will be misrepresented and condemned. A false coloring will be given to their words; the worst construction will be put upon their motives.” The Great Controversy, 592.

13 How will the Protestant churches respond to those who honor the law of God in place of their Sunday laws? For New Testament type, see Acts 18:5–7, 12–16.

note: “As the Protestant churches reject the clear, Scriptural arguments in defense of God’s law, they will long to silence those whose faith they cannot overthrow by the Bible. Though they blind their own eyes to the fact, they are now adopting a course which will lead to the persecution of those who conscientiously refuse to do what the rest of the Christian world are doing, and acknowledge the claims of the papal Sabbath.” The Great Controversy, 592.

14 What course will the secular rulers and legislators follow in this controversy over the law of God? For New Testament type, see Acts 16:16–24.

note: “The dignitaries of church and State will unite to bribe, persuade, or compel all classes to honor the Sunday. The lack of divine authority will be supplied by oppressive enactments. Political corruption is destroying love of justice and regard for truth; and even in free America, rulers and legislators, in order to secure public favor, will yield to the popular demand for a law enforcing Sunday observance. Liberty of conscience, which has cost so great a sacrifice, will no longer be respected. In the soon-coming conflict we shall see exemplified the prophet’s words: ‘The dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.’ Revelation 12:17.” The Great Controversy, 592.