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Bible Study Guides – Our Warfare

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December 26, 2010 – January 1, 2011

The Church Militant

Key Text

“Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.” Ephesians 6:10.

Study Help: The Great Controversy, 505–510; Early Writings, 104–107.

Introduction

“While professing to be Christians, many have the mold of the world upon them, and their affections are not set upon God.” “Ellen G. White Comments,” The Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, vol. 7, 938.

1 Why should we take a warning from the failures of ancient Israel? Romans 15:4.

Note: “Satan’s snares are laid for us as verily as they were laid for the children of Israel just prior to their entrance into the land of Canaan. We are repeating the history of that people. Lightness, vanity, love of ease and pleasure, selfishness, and impurity are increasing among us. There is need now of men who are firm and fearless in declaring the whole counsel of God; men who will not sleep as do others, but watch and be sober.” Testimonies, vol. 5, 160.

2 What should every believer be doing continually, and why? I Corinthians 10:12; Ephesians 6:10, 11.

Note: “As we approach the close of time, as the people of God stand upon the borders of the heavenly Canaan, Satan will, as of old, redouble his efforts to prevent them from entering the goodly land. He lays his snares for every soul.” Patriarchs and Prophets, 457.

3 Through whom does Satan introduce his most dangerous snares? Acts 20:30.

Note: “Do not forget that the most dangerous snares which Satan has prepared for the church will come through its own members who do not love God supremely or their neighbor as themselves. Satan is continually striving to wedge himself in between brethren. He seeks to gain control of those who claim to believe the truth, but who are unconverted; and when he can influence these, through their own carnal nature, to unite with him in trying to thwart the purposes of God, then he is exultant.” Testimonies, vol. 5, 477.

4 Who are Satan’s primary targets? Why? Isaiah 9:16.

Note: “Satan’s chief work is at the headquarters of our faith. He spares no pains to corrupt men in responsible positions and to persuade them to be unfaithful to their several trusts. He insinuates his suspicions and jealousies into the minds of those whose business it is to do God’s work faithfully. While God is testing and proving these helpers, and fitting them for their posts, Satan is doing his utmost to deceive and allure them, that they may not only be destroyed themselves, but may influence others to do wrong and to injure the great work. He seeks by all the means in his power to shake the confidence of God’s people in the voice of warning and reproof through which God designs to purify the church and prosper His cause.” Testimonies, vol. 4, 210, 211.

5 How does Satan attempt to affect the work of truth? Galatians 3:1.

Note: “It is Satan’s plan to weaken the faith of God’s people in the Testimonies. Next follows skepticism in regard to the vital points of our faith, the pillars of our position, then doubt as to the Holy Scriptures, and then the downward march to perdition. When the Testimonies, which were once believed, are doubted and given up, Satan knows the deceived ones will not stop at this; and he redoubles his efforts till he launches them into open rebellion, which becomes incurable and ends in destruction.” Testimonies, vol. 4, 211.

6 Why is human wisdom insufficient to distinguish truth from error? Matthew 11:25; I Corinthians 2:5.

Note: “Every conceivable deception will be brought to bear upon those who have not a daily, living connection with God. In our work no side issues must be advanced until there has been a thorough examination of the ideas entertained, that it may be ascertained from what source they have originated. Satan’s angels are wise to do evil, and they will create that which some will claim to be advanced light, will proclaim as new and wonderful things; and yet while in some respects the message is truth, it will be mingled with men’s inventions and will teach for doctrines the commandments of men. If there was ever a time when we should watch and pray in real earnest, it is now. There may be supposable things that appear as good things, and yet they need to be carefully considered with much prayer, for they are specious devices of the enemy to lead souls in a path which lies so close to the path of truth that it will be scarcely distinguishable from the path which leads to holiness and heaven. But the eye of faith may discern that it is diverging from the right path, though almost imperceptibly. At first it may be thought positively right, but after a while it is seen to be widely divergent from the path of safety, from the path which leads to holiness and heaven.” Testimonies to Ministers and Gospel Workers, 229.

7 How can we prove that honesty does not protect from deception? Revelation 3:17; I Corinthians 15:33.

Note: “The message to be borne to His [God’s] people by ministers whom He has called to warn the people is not a peace-and-safety message. It is not merely theoretical, but practical in every particular. The people of God are represented in the message to the Laodiceans as in a position of carnal security. They are at ease, believing themselves to be in an exalted condition of spiritual attainments. [Revelation 3:17 quoted.]

“What greater deception can come upon human minds than a confidence that they are right when they are all wrong! The message of the True Witness finds the people of God in a sad deception, yet honest in that deception. They know not that their condition is deplorable in the sight of God.” Testimonies, vol. 3, 252, 253.

8 Under what conditions is a person able to discern the truth? Matthew 16:17; John 7:17; Philippians 3:14, 15.

Note: “Christ places the salvation of man, not upon profession merely, but upon faith that is made manifest in works of righteousness. Doing, not saying merely, is expected of the followers of Christ. It is through action that character is built. ‘As many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.’ Romans 8:14.” Thoughts from the Mount of Blessing, 149, 150. [Author’s italics.]

9 What does Jesus declare of many who profess His name? Luke 9:55. Explain one way that this may be manifested.

Note: “Some have felt no spirit of freedom when they met for worship. They were afraid upon the Sabbath to speak out their real feelings and faith, expecting that he [Brother B] would criticize what they would say. There has been death in the meetings and but little freedom.

“Brother B desires that others should look up to him as a man who can explain the Scriptures, but I was shown that he is deceived and does not understand them. He has started upon a wrong track in seeking to get up a new faith, an original theory of faith. He would uproot and misplace those waymarks which show us our correct bearings, that we are near the close of this earth’s history. He may flatter himself that he is being led of the Lord, but it is surely another spirit.” Testimonies, vol. 3, 440.

10 Why must we constantly be watchful of the motives of our heart? Jeremiah 17:9; Proverbs 3:7.

Note: “Man must cooperate with the heavenly agencies; he must use his God-given abilities to their utmost in earnest endeavor to keep his own soul from being degraded by sin; but he must not trust in his own finite strength, for it will be as a broken staff, a bruised reed. With his human endeavor he must mingle faith in a divine Deliverer, and express his dependence upon God in prayer. … We are to unite prayer with watchfulness, and thus lay hold upon His mighty power, feeling our insufficiency to cope with self and the powers of darkness.” The Signs of the Times, May 15, 1893.

11 How and through whom may Satan scatter darkness and confusion in the church? Romans 16:17; I Thessalonians 5:14.

Note: “Satan, by his skillful and wicked strategy, led our first parents from the Garden of Eden—from their innocence and purity into sin and unspeakable wretchedness. He has not ceased to destroy; all the forces which he can command are diligently employed by him in these last days to compass the ruin of souls. He seizes every artifice that he can use to deceive, perplex, and confuse the people of God.

“He has used you as his agent to scatter darkness and confusion, and he finds that you work admirably in his hands. You are the very instrument that he can handle with good effect to hurt, discourage, and tear down. You are not zealous to put your shoulder under the load with the people of God; but when they would move, you throw yourself as an additional load to prevent them from doing what they might do in advancing in the right direction.” Testimonies, vol. 3, 455, 456.

12 With what class of believers does Satan have considerable success? James 1:8; Ephesians 4:14.

Note: “While professing to be Christians, many have the mold of the world upon them, and their affections are not set upon God. They are double minded, making an attempt to serve God and mammon at the same time; but the world’s Redeemer has declared, ‘Ye cannot serve God and mammon’ (Matthew 6:24). By trying to serve two masters, they are unstable in all their ways, and cannot be depended upon. To all appearances they are serving God, while at the same time in heart they are yielding to the temptation of Satan and cherishing sin.” “Ellen G. White Comments,” The Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, vol. 7, 938.

Review and Thought Questions

1 What will Satan do as we approach the close of time?

2 Where does Satan concentrate his main efforts?

3 Why must we watch and pray now more than ever before?

4 What reveals that a person is led by the wrong spirit?

5 What attitude leaves us most open to deception?

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

A Manner of Madness, The Lack of a Love for Truth

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“They received not the love of the truth , that they might be saved. And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie.” II Thessalonians 2: 7-8.

Madness (to use the older term) comes in many ways. We hear of phobias, fixations, obsessions, delusions, and other mental disorders without number. From Alzheimer’s disease to schizophrenia, they have been analyzed, classified, and treated, until there is quite a body of literature on the subject. We learn that some mental impairments are caused by physical problems, such as birth defects or brain injuries. Others are to some degree self-inflicted through the use of liquor or drugs. Others seem to be an outgrowth of dire living situations or experiences.

In our previous article we learned about the hideous monster-god of Calvinism who ordains, decrees, creates and supervises every thought, impulse, and action of all persons on earth, whether they be good or whether they be evil. We felt inclined to agree with John Wesley, who said of the Calvinistic theologians of his day, that they made God worse than Satan. We also learned that Satan has endeavored to clothe God with his own attributes by making false accusations against Him, and that the centerpiece of those false accusations was the allegation that God had given a law that His subjects could not obey. He hoped by this means to convince the universe that God is arbitrary, cruel, harsh, unforgiving, etc.

We were required to recognize that Satan’s accusation, that God has given a law that His subjects cannot obey, is now being taught as truth at our theological seminary, in our colleges, and in many of our churches throughout the land. This is astonishing, and the methods by which this was brought about are even more astonishing. They remind us of our text, and of some sobering statements by Ellen White. From these we learn that there is a particular and peculiar manner of madness that begins with having no love for the truth and ends with an inability to distinguish truth from error. It seems that a dislike for the truth can cause God to withdraw His protection, and then Satan moves in upon the mind with all of his mighty power, bringing serious mental derangement. Consider this evidence:

“Light rejected becomes, to the rejector, blacker than the darkness of midnight.” Review and Herald, June 3, 1902.

It must have been this principle that caused Isaiah to write: “Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil, that put darkness for light, and light for darkness.” Isaiah 5:20.

Could it be that they were afflicted by this peculiar form of madness? We read of some of the leaders of Israel: “By rejection of evidence they lost their spiritual insight, and could not discern between good and evil, between truth and error, between light and darkness.” Review and Herald, May 18, 1893.

Ellen White comments further: “The mind that cherishes sentiments that tend to destroy faith in the foundation that has made us what we are, becomes confused, and cannot discern between truth and error.” Bible Training School, March 1, 1915.

“He who deliberately stifles his conviction of duty because it interferes with his inclinations will finally lose the power to distinguish between truth and error.” Great Controversy, 378.
This would surely be a tragic condition. It must be a recognition of this principle that caused Ellen White to write: “I question whether genuine rebellion is ever curable.” The Australian Years, 286.

Before anyone can be helped in spiritual matters, there must be a sense of need. God has promised that “If any man will do His will, he shall know of the doctrine.” John 7:17. But how can God help the one who simply does not want to do His will? The truth has been made known to him but it is not welcome. He wishes that it were not so. This is the beginning of what ends in a terrible mental problem, a madness that is defined as an inability to distingish truth from error.

It happened to some Jewish leaders. It has happened to some of our leaders. Remember the Kellogg tragedy? Dr. John Harvey Kellogg had one of the most brilliant minds among us, but he became enamored with the ancient falsehood of pantheism. A. G. Daniells, who had worked in India, and knew pantheism when he saw it, tried hard to help Kellogg, but found that he could not reach him. Kellogg had developd a distaste for the Spirit of Prophecy, and he had clearly lost the ability to distinguish between truth and error. It happened to other leaders as well, calling forth from Ellen White in 1901 the anguished question:

“Are there men at the heart of the work men who cannot distinguish between truth and error?” Mind, Character, and Personality, 717.

It could even happen to a General Conference president. Elder G.I. Butler wrote and published in the Review an article arguing that there are different degrees of inspiration, an idea that is sometimes advanced in our time. It was also being taught in Battle Creek college. This called forth from Ellen White: “Have God’s people put out their eyes, that they cannot distinguish between the sacred and profane?” 1888 Materials, 258.

She was referring to a General Conference president. And she was referring to another when she wrote of president O. A. Olsen: “When Elder Olsen linked himself with these men, he perverted his spiritual eyesight, and saw things in a strange light . . . His clear discernment between right and wrong has become injured.” Manuscript Releases, vol. 17, 182.

What does all of this say to us? It tells us with unmistakable clarity that among all of the other kinds of mental impairment that afflict men’s minds, there is a particular, peculiar form of madness that begins with “They received not the love of the truth,” and ends with “They cannot distinguish between truth and falsehood.” Brilliance of intellect is no defense against it, nor is power, position, or higher education. It can strike in any place where truth is known but not appreciated. Lack of protection from God leaves the individual alone to contest the massive intellectual powers of Satan, which have never been equalled or even approximated by the greatest intellectual powers of any man.

This type of madness can be quite specific. It does not mean that the individual becomes unable to function normally in other ways. But in spiritual matters, dealing with the eternal truth of God, his behaviour will be erratic, bizarre, and wildly out of harmony with reality. He may set forth ridiculously false propositions, and steadfastly maintain that they are true. He may even try to rewrite the facts of history to make them fit his theories, make false statements about the Bible or the Spirit of Prophecy, or even re-write the Spirit of Prophecy.

While doing these strange things, he may appear to be earnest and sincere, since he actually does not know when he is telling the truth and when he is not telling the truth. He may set forth ludicrous self-contradictions in his written materials, apparently having no awareness at all of what he has done. And perhaps most astonishing of all, he will publish his ridiculous misrepresentations of fact and sign his name to them, seemingly unconcerned that his distortions of fact, self-contradictions and untruths will eventually be uncovered and exposed. This is probably one of the more dependable means of identifying such a mental problem. Men in their right minds who set out to deliberately deceive us would doubtless be more careful to employ disguises of various kinds, in order to avoid being caught in their misrepresentations. These poor people seem to manifest no such caution or concern.

This should help us to understand our present situation in the Seventh-day Adventist church. For quite a few years now we having been gazing in dumfounded astonishment at the things that are being said, written and done by some of our church leaders. We have found it unbelievable, yet undeniable. Utterly horrendous misrepresentations of fact have been issuing from our Seventh-day Adventist publishing houses and appearing in our church papers for several years. Protests have been utterly fruitless.

I have personally made a supreme effort to call the attention of our church leaders to some of the worst misrepresentations that have appeared. During the years 1981–1986 I engaged in careful and thorough research in our historical records, and found 1200 statements by our pioneers and church leaders to reaffirm that our Lord had come to this earth in the human nature of fallen man. Of these statements, 400 had been published by Ellen White. This was in startling contrast to the claim, made in the book Questions On Doctrine, that our church had never believed such a thing.

In 1986 I presented my findings in manuscript form to both of our major publishing houses. Both refused to print it. So I published it at my own expense, and then sent free copies of it to all of our church adminstrators in North America. This included one hundred Genaral Conference officers, and the three leading officers in every Union and local conference in this division. I also sent free copies to every minister in Australia and New Zealand.

In the book I offered a reward of $1000.00 to any person who could produce from Ellen Whites’s writings a single statement that Christ had come in the human nature of the unfallen Adam, as was claimed to be her teaching in the book Questions On Doctrine. This offer was met with a thunderous, ear-shattering silence. It soon became clear that there was a firm determination to simply “stonewall” the facts and defend the falsehood.

Conditions have not improved since then. It is now 1996. On every side we see ominous indications of the approaching end. Departures from the truth are becoming worse and worse, and books containing glaring falsehoods are continuing to roll off the presses. Meanwhile the efforts of church leaders are being exerted only to silence the voices that are calling for fidelity to the truth. We can no longer realistically hope for any kind of reform, and so silence is no longer appropriate. You need to know, and you have a right to know, what is being done in our church in defiance of the truth, and by whom.

I will therefore place before you a list of five names. All of these persons have Doctor of Philosophy degrees. Three of them have been seminary professors, and two have been college teachers. They have all written books in defense of Calvinistic falsehood. These books have been printed in our denominational publishing houses, and sold in our Adventist Book Centers. The names are Dr. Leroy Edwin Froom, Dr. Edward Heppenstall, Dr. Desmond Ford, Dr.Helmut Ott, and Dr. Roy Adams.

As I said, they have all written books in defense of Calvinistic falsehood. What I shall share with you today, therefore, is in no sense of the word rumor or hearsay. It is a matter of record. I am personally convinced that these authors and publications fit the inspired description of that peculiar mental problem that begins with “They received not the love of the truth,” and ends with “They are not able to distinguish between truth and error, right and wrong, light and darkness.” I invite you to draw your own conclusions.

Dr. Leroy Edwin Froom was the leader in the ill-fated dialogues with Walter Martin and his Calvinistic colleagues in the 1950s. He put together the materials for the book, Questions On Doctrine, and followed with another volume called Movement of Destiny. His particular style is the “quotation wrap-around,” in which he writes long sentences with his own words, and includes in them tiny snippets of quotations from the writings of Ellen White, sometimes as small as two or three words. He who traces these small snippets to their sources, and examines their context, will experience a series of shocks. We submit an example.

On page 497 of Movement of Destiny Dr. Froom presents a paragraph on the human nature of Christ over which he places this heading: Took Sinless Nature Before the Fall

Beneath this heading he arranges a series of brief quotations from Ellen White, including this line:

“He did not in the least participate in its sin.”

If you look at those two lines for a moment, you will surely have some questions. What sin was there in the sinless nature of Adam before his fall that Christ might have participated in? None whatever. There was no sin of any kind in Adam before his fall. Why, then, did Ellen White write a senseless statement like that? What was the matter with Ellen White? Deeply perplexed, we go to the source, and discover that as Ellen White wrote it, the statement actually looked like this:

In taking upon Himself man’s nature in its fallen condition, Christ did not in the least participate in its sin.” Signs of the Times, June 9, 1898. (Emphasis supplied)

We gaze at this in disbelief. This is the ultimate violation of context. The writer has been represented as having said the exact opposite of what she actually did say. This was done by a scholar with a Doctor of Philosophy degree, a seminary professor. And this is not an isolated example. It is typical. In my book, The Word Was Made Flesh, I devote 33 pages to exposing, point by point, the wrongful manipulations of evidence in the paragraph presented by Dr. Froom. I also present conclusive evidence that the statement given to Walter Martin, that our church had never believed that Christ came to earth in the human nature of fallen man, was a methodological monstrosity and a historical fraud. And Dr. Froom put this out over his own signature. How could it happen?

Did not Ellen White tell us how it could happen? I am convinced that she did.

Dr. Edward Heppenstall served for many years as chairman of the Systematic Theology department of our theological seminary at Andrews University. He wrote several books in defense of Calvinistic falsehoods. His specialty was self contradiction, sometimes between two different books, and sometimes within a single book.

Contradictions between two different books.

In 1975 Southern Publishing Association published a book called Perfection, The Impossible Possibility. Dr. Heppenstall wrote a section in it. In this section there are twenty-one statements that it is impossible, even by the power of God, for Christians to stop sinning. Here is a sample:

“The Bible rejects every possibility of our reaching sinless perfection in this life.” Ibid., 73.

In 1974 The Review and Herald Publishing Association had published a book written entirely by Dr. Heppenstall entitled, Salvation Unlimited. In this book there are fifteen firm statements that it is possible, by the power of God, for Christians to stop sinning. Here is a sample:

“We need to commit ourselves to that love from God and from His Son that issues in our deliverance from all that is sinful. Let us give full scope to His incomparable love and law in our lives. The power of the Holy Spirit within us is sufficient to make us like Him, to keep His commandments, and to know Him whom to know is life eternal.” Ibid., 236.

Contradictions within a single book.

In 1977 the Review and Herald published the book, The Man Who Is God, written entirely by Dr. Heppenstall. In this volume Dr. Heppenstall lays caution aside and goes all out in defense of Calvinistic falsehoods. And he repeatedly contradicts himself. If we present a series of questions related to his subject matter to this book, we are confronted by a bewildering array of self-contradictory answers.

1. Was Christ conceived as all men are? Yes, page 60. No, page 135.

2. Was Christ born as all men are? Yes, pages 24, 25, 125. No, pages 126, 135.

3. Was Christ born with the same flesh and blood that we have? Yes, pages 36, 86, 91, 136. No, page 137.

4. Is sin a thing of the flesh? Yes, page 137. No, page 138.

5. Did Christ have advantages in meeting temptation that we do not have? Yes, pages 132-133. No, pages 86, 90-91.

6. Was Christ born into the same state or condition that we are? Yes, pages 24, 91, 98. No, pages 126, 129, 132-133.

7. Is this state or condition into which all men are born actually guilt? Yes, page 146. No, page 121.

8. Did Christ take human nature as it was before Adam’s fall? Yes, page 155. No, page 121.

9. Is Christian character perfection possible? Yes, pages 120, 125, 166. No, page 147.

10. Is original sin a matter of man’s nature? Yes, pages 108, 118, 132, 135. No, pages 107, 109, 122.

Three times I have heard Dr. Heppenstall make the statement, “We must not let Ellen White veto the scriptures.” I submit that when a man publishes a book exalting Calvinistic falsehoods, containing incredible self-contradictions, then accuses Ellen White of vetoing the scriptures because she disagrees with him, that he is not a well man. He has the affliction that Ellen White and the Apostle Paul have described for us. He has lost the ability to distinguish between truth and error.

Dr. Desmond Ford taught at Avondale College and Pacific Union College. On October 27, 1979, he made a public attack on the sanctuary doctrine. I was one of those who were asked to analyze his arguments and send a written report to the General Conference. The first thing that I noticed was that he now admitted that he had been disbelieving the sanctuary doctrine for many years, although he had firmly denied this when others had suspected it of him. I discovered, as I went through his presentation, that his particular specialty was the employment of artificial, manufactured, falsified evidence. He made false statements about the Scriptures, the Spirit of Prophecy, and other sources as well. I counted twenty-six arguments against the sanctuary doctrine in his presentation. Of these, I reckoned twenty–three to be totally fictitious, and the other three to be half truths. I was reminded that when a half truth is presented as if it were an entire truth, it can have the effect of an untruth.

Dr. Ford alleged that: The word “cleanse” is not in Daniel 8:14 and Leviticus 16 in Hebrew, (it is); that modern translations do not use “cleanse,” (some do); that in his own commentary he refused to relate Daniel 8:14 to Leviticus 16, (he did not see his Daniel, p. 175); that most versions translate Hebrews 9:12 as “most holy place,” (they do not); that bulls and goats were sacrificed only on the day of atonement, (they were not, see Leviticus 4); that the high priest had no distinctive work in the holy place, (he did, see Exodus 30:7 and Hebrews 7:26-27); that Adventists invented the concept of a movable throne, (we did not, see Daniel 7:9-10, Revelation 4:2-3, and Ezekiel 1); that Ellen White said the day of atonement began in 31 AD, (she did not, see Great Controversy, 409, Patriarchs and Prophets, 350, and Early Writings, 251); that she made double applications of the earthquake prophecies in Revelation, (she did not, see Great Controversy, 304 and 637). Other problems were as grievous as these, but are too technical for this paper.

A man who does things like this is either being deliberately dishonest, which I do not want to believe, or he suffers from the affliction described by Ellen White and the Apostle Paul—he has lost the ability to distinguish between truth and untruth. He apparently believes his own fictions to be true.

Dr. Helmut Ott teaches at Southern College. In 1987 he published a book called Perfect In Christ. It would be better entitled Sinning In Satan. The purpose of the book is to prove that Ellen White taught that overcoming sin in this life is impossible, and that God does not expect that of us. He maintains that this is the correct understanding of Ellen White’s writings. Inasmuch as she had written the opposite not less than 4500 times, his project required some enormous distortion, twisting, and misrepresentation of her words, as well as of the Scriptures. Here is a sample of Dr. Ott’s work, in reference to the robe of Christ’s righteousness:

“Clothing is never an integral part of those wearing it. It is some-thing that is put upon someone, an outward cover intended to make a person look appropriate.” Ibid., 22.

Compare Revelation 19:7-8: “Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to him, for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready. And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints.”

But now let us permit Ellen White to speak for herself: “The wedding garment represents the character which all must possess who shall be accounted fit guests for the wedding.” Christ’s Object Lessons, 307.

“By the wedding garment in the parable is represented the pure, spotless character which Christ’s true followers will possess.” Christ Object Lessons, 310.

“By His perfect obedience He has made it possible for every human being to obey God’s commandments. When we submit ourselves to Christ, the heart is united to His heart, the will is merged in His will, the mind becomes one with His mind, the thoughts are brought into captivity to Him; we live His life. This is what it means to be clothed in the garment of His righteousness.” Christ’s Object Lessons, 312. (Emphasis supplied)

And the other side of the picture is this: “The righteousness of Christ will not cover one cherished sin.” Christ’s Object Lessons, 316.

We tremble for those who read and believe Dr. Ott’s book and continue sinning, confident that they will be covered by the robe of Christ’s righteousness. We tremble even more for Dr. Ott. How well Ellen White wrote: “Religious teachers have led souls to perdition, while professing to guide them to the gates of Paradise.” Christ’s Object Lessons, 640.

Dr. Roy Adams has taught at the theological seminary of the Far East, where I once taught, and is now an associate editor of the Review. In 1994 he published a book entitled The Nature Of Christ. It is the most wildly erratic and irresponsible of the books that we have examined. In his attempts to exalt and defend the falsehoods of Calvinism, he literally stops at nothing. He rewrites portions of the history of our church into pure fiction,and even dares to rewrite the words of Ellen White, to make them serve the purposes of Calvinistic falsehoods. He grossly misrepresents the views of those who are trying to be faithful to the Adventist faith, reviles them, and makes wildly false accusations. And his book is highly reccomended to us by the president of the General Conference, Robert Folkenberg.

The spirit in which Dr. Adams writes is well demonstrated by his reviling. He applies these words to us: Sour, festering, self-appointed, infected with the virus of judgmentalism and suspicion, disease, martyr complex, seasoned controversialists, spirit of accusation, outraged, aghast, scandalized, pathetic, self confessed expert, misguided, wrongheaded, steeped in their cherished position, impenetrable to any theological logic, irresponsible, almost dishonest, deluded self-appointed gurus, disgruntled, pious self-appointed prophets, turncoats, charlatans and scoundrels. He applies these descriptive terms to our reasoning: Mumblings, innuendos, broken faith with the church, specious theology, perfection-istic agitation, petty, picayune, disgusting, speciousness, repetitive, exasperating, subtle spin, overblown, vacuousness, subtle legalism, anger, irritation, anger to new heights, radical articulation, fuss, ingenious theological gymnastics, willfulness, mischief, dishonesty, far-fetched explanations, artificial and contrived, totally fabricated, thoughtlessly, narrow, shallow, facile admonitions, simplistic pietism, shrill, provincial, manipulative, like Jim Jones and David Koresh, dogmatism, trap of perfectionistic legalism, frustration, heated, quoted piously, specious reasoning, vehement, inordinate insistence, maliciously accusing, sharpened tongues, navel-gazing, and self flagellation.

The crescendo of vituperation reaches its climax in a viciously false accusation against Robert Wieland and Donald Short: “Look at the Middle East today. (There was war there.) Look at Northern Ireland. Look at Yugoslavia. Look at Sudan. Yet this is what people like Wieland and Short wish on us.” Ibid., 106.

This is too contemptible to deserve comment, but it may well remind us of Ellen White’s prediction that when apostasy in our church has reached its climax, our greatest enemies will be the false brethren who once walked among us. And what is the crime that we have committed, that has called forth such venomous language? Simply that we want to remain faithful to Adventism, and not change our faith to Calvinism. Visualize a court scene in which faithful Seventh-day Adventists are being put on trial for their faith. The prosecuting attorney calls Dr. Adams to the witness stand. Need we question what hatred and false accusations will pour forth from his lips?

We have said that Dr. Adams even presumes to rewrite Ellen White’s words in order to make them serve the purposes of Calvinism. He was displeased by the following statement by Ellen White in Christ’s Object Lessons, 69.

“When the character of Christ shall be perfectly reproduced in His people, then He will come to claim them as his own.”

Dr. Adams “rephrased” it like this: “When the spirit of unselfish love and labor for others will have fully ripened in the character of His people, then He will come to claim them as His own.”

The words “character of Christ” have been removed, and the words “spirit of unselfish love and labor for others” have been put in their place. Why? Is there something wrong with the character of Christ being reproduced in His people? And what of the thousands of other references in Ellen White’s writings that testify to character perfection by the power of God? Will Dr. Adams undertake to rewrite them all? Do we need to have the Spirit of Prophecy rewritten for us? And is Dr. Adams qualified to rewrite the Spirit of Prophecy? What do you think?

Dr. Adams writes on page 120 of his book: “The people I most admire—whether within the Adventist church or out of it . . . are those who never dwell on the subject of perfection or sinlessness.”

That clearly excludes Ellen White. And it forcefully reminds us of that strange manner of madness, that mental impairment, that is described for us by Ellen White and by the Apostle Paul, the madness that begins with “They received not the love of the truth,” and ends with “They are unable to distinguish between truth and error, right and wrong, light and darkness.”

We are clearly approaching the long awaited crisis in Seventh-day Adventist history. We observe that the hatred toward the truth manifested by these afflicted persons grows more intense as they go along. We cannot doubt that there will be more. We must prepare ourselves to encounter worse manipulation of evidence, more ludicrous self-contradictions, more brazen falsifications of evidence, greater violence to the Spirit of Prophecy, and more viciously and maliciously false accusations.

Under these circumstances, it is imperative that we take a clear-eyed look at the situation. Let us not deceive ourselves that these strange actions are only human error. They go far, far beyond that definition. Men who do things like this are either dishonest persons who are deliberately trying to deceive us, or they are suffering from the self-induced mental impairment, the manner of madness, that the inspired writers have warned us about. We have to believe one or the other, and neither is a happy choice. Whichever view is correct, the result is certain to be some very difficult times ahead of us. Only in the power of God and by the grace of God can we hope to survive.

“The prudent man foreseeth the evil.” Proverbs 27:12.

Th evil looms largely and clearly ahead of us. How imperative then that we know the truth, love the truth, and learn to trust God even in the most forbidding circumstances. We must learn to “put not your trust in princes.” We must not follow a multitude to do evil, and we must never let ourselves lose sight of the final result of this great conflict. The truth will ultimately triumph, and triumph gloriously. We must triumph with it. May God bless you.

The End

What Inspiration Says About – Being Deceived

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Be not deceived; many will depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits and doctrines of devils. We have now before us the alpha of this danger. The omega will be of a most startling nature.” Selected Messages, vol. 1, 197.

“Christ sees the wickedness on the earth today. He sees that the sins of Noah’s and Lot’s time are being repeated. What terrible revelations of crime are being made. Everything seems to be stirred with an intense activity from beneath. Excitement is continually kept up. Feasting, buying, and selling, are brought into the churches. The watchman cries, ‘The morning cometh, and also the night.’ The night symbolizes prevalence of error, misinterpretation and misapplication of Scripture. Every species of delusion is now being brought in. The plainest truths of God’s word are covered with a mass of man-made theories. Deadly errors are presented as the truth to which all must bow. The simplicity of true godliness is buried beneath tradition.” Bible Echo and Signs of the Times, February 1, 1897.

“Those temptations are most dangerous which come from the professed servants of God, and from our friends. When persons who are uniting with the world, yet claiming great piety and love, counsel the faithful workers for God to be less zealous and more conservative, our answer must be an appeal to the Word of God. When they plead for union with those who have been our determined opposers, we should fear and shun them as decidedly as did Nehemiah.” The Signs of the Times, January 3, 1884.

“Christ had foretold that deceivers would arise, through whose influence ‘iniquity’ should ‘abound,’ and ‘the love of many’ should ‘wax cold’ (Matt. 24:12). He had warned the disciples that the church would be in more danger from this evil than from the persecution of her enemies. Again and again Paul warned the believers against these false teachers. This peril, above all others, they must guard against; for by receiving false teachers, they would open the door to errors by which the enemy would dim the spiritual perceptions and shake the confidence of those newly come to the faith of the gospel.” Reflecting Christ, 344.

The Sure Consequence of Imbibing Error

“We are living in the perils of the last days. It is not safe to be careless and indifferent now. With humble hearts and perfect submission to the will of God, we should pray earnestly to be kept from error and that we may be guided into all truth. Truth sanctifies. Error corrupts. The soul can be kept pure and strengthened only by walking in the light as Christ is in the light.” Second Advent Review and Sabbath Herald, December 2, 1875.

“Error is falsehood and deception. Those who partake of it must suffer in consequence, as did Adam and Eve in Eden. It is the privilege of all to search with prayerful, eager interest for the truth. Truth is the tree of life, the leaves of which the human family are to eat and live.” The Upward Look, 125.

“It is a fact widely ignored, though never without danger, that error rarely appears for what it really is. It is by mingling with or attaching itself to truth that it gains acceptance. The eating of the tree of knowledge of good and evil caused the ruin of our first parents, and the acceptance of a mingling of good and evil is the ruin of men and women today.” Education, 230, 231.

“Error is never harmless. It never sanctifies, but always brings confusion and dissension. It is always dangerous. The enemy has great power over minds that are not thoroughly fortified by prayer and established in Bible truth.” Counsels to Writers and Editors, 47.

Danger of Not Going to a Church of True Believers

“I then saw the third angel. Said my accompanying angel, ‘Fearful is his word, awful is his mission. He is the angel that is to select the wheat from the tares, and seal or bind the wheat for the heavenly garner.’ These things should engage the whole mind, the whole attention. Again I was shown the necessity of those who believe we are having the last message of mercy, being separate from those who are daily receiving or imbibing new error. I saw that neither young nor old should attend the assemblies of those who are in error and darkness. Said the angel, ‘Let the mind cease to dwell on things of no profit.’ ” Manuscript Releases, vol. 5, 425.

“In order to live in the light, we must come where the light shines. It is not well for the people of God to lose the privilege of associating with those of like faith with themselves; for the truth loses its importance in their minds, their hearts cease to be enlightened and vivified by its sanctifying influence, and they lose spirituality. They are not strengthened by the words of the living preacher.” Second Advent Review and Sabbath Herald, November 14, 1882.

“I was shown the necessity of those who believe that we are having the last message of mercy, being separate from those who are daily imbibing new errors. I saw that neither young nor old should attend their meetings; for it is wrong to thus encourage them while they teach error that is a deadly poison to the soul and teach for doctrines the commandments of men. The influence of such gatherings is not good. If God has delivered us from such darkness and error, we should stand fast in the liberty wherewith He has set us free and rejoice in the truth. God is displeased with us when we go to listen to error, without being obliged to go; for unless He sends us to those meetings where error is forced home to the people by the power of the will, He will not keep us. The angels cease their watchful care over us, and we are left to the buffetings of the enemy, to be darkened and weakened by him and the power of his evil angels; and the light around us becomes contaminated with the darkness. Early Writings, 124, 125.

“Those who do not feel the necessity of seeking the assembly of the saints, with the precious assurance that the Lord will meet with them, show how lightly they value the help that God has provided for them. Satan is constantly at work to wound and poison the soul; in order to withstand his efforts we must breathe the atmosphere of heaven. We must individually get hold and keep hold of Christ.” SDA Bible Commentary, vol. 7, 934.

“No longer should our people go to Battle Creek as they have been doing. Infidelity has been sown there in words in false statements, in unsanctified influence of mind over mind. God is dishonored, we are to prepare to accept the situations God may prepare for us. Never before did the matter appear as the Lord presents it today. False theories, repeated again and again, appear as falsely inviting today as did the fruit of the forbidden tree in the Garden of Eden. The fruit was very beautiful, and apparently desirable for food. Through false doctrines many souls have already been destroyed. Some will never see the light and come to their senses. The Lord God of Israel now declares, ‘If the Lord be God, serve Him; and if Baal, serve him. Choose ye this day whom ye will serve.’” Loma Linda Messages, 165.

“We shall be called to meet those who, notwithstanding definite reproof and warning through the Testimonies have gone on in an evil course. We are bidden of God to hold ourselves separate and distinct from these men who have not given heed to His warnings. Some of them will seek to enter our churches, but we are to give no place to them. If they are converted, they will bear a different testimony. But I have a positive warning in reference to men who have departed from the faith. Let not our churches be opened for them; for they will deceive, if possible, the very elect.” (To S. N. Haskell, November 11, 1908.) Manuscript Releases, vol. 7, 196.

“Every truly honest soul will come to the light of truth. ‘Light is sown for the righteous.’ (Psalm 97:11) And no church can advance in holiness unless its members are earnestly seeking for truth as for hid treasure.” The Great Controversy, 522.

“There are men whose character and life testify to the fact that they are false prophets and deceivers. These we are not to hear or tolerate.” Testimonies to Ministers, 294.

“Satan will bring his temptations, and if he is to be resisted we must pray to God for deliverance. If there ever was a time that we needed to pray, it is in these last days. The Word is no more bound than it was when Christ was upon the earth. We shall have Satan and evil men to combat, but we also shall have messengers of light to help us. It is for us to gather upon our pathway all the rays of light, and not listen to error, for if we do we shall be turned away from truth. We have no time to listen to fables. Christ’s prayer was, ‘Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth’ (John 17:17). We want the truth and we want to give Him all our powers, that when He comes His benediction will rest upon every one of us and we shall receive the reward.” Manuscript Releases, vol. 3, 98.

Necessity of Opposing False Teachers

“False teachers may appear to be very zealous for the work of God, and may expend means to bring their theories before the world and the church; but as they mingle error with truth, their message is one of deception, and will lead souls into false paths. They are to be met, and opposed, not because they are bad men, but because they are teachers of falsehood, and are endeavoring to put upon falsehood the stamp of truth.” Advent Review and Sabbath Herald, September 12, 1893.

“The Word of God contains the truth, but when this Word is misapplied and made to strengthen error, we must meet this danger without hesitation. We must call upon our people to turn from such theories, to receive them not, to remember how they have received, and heard, and hold fast, and repent. We call upon them to keep their spiritual eyesight clear and to receive not the elaborate, uncalled-for explanations of the Scriptures offered by some, because these explanations would undermine the pillars of our faith. Reverence the Word, but not its misapplication to substantiate error.” Manuscript Release, vol. 760, 16.

Fatal Consequence of Improper Education

“The education that consists in the training of the memory, tending to discourage independent thought, has a moral bearing which is too little appreciated. As the student sacrifices the power to reason and judge for himself, he becomes incapable of discriminating between truth and error, and falls an easy prey to deception. He is easily led to follow tradition and custom.” Education, 230.

“Physicians, have you been doing the Master’s business in listening to fanciful and spiritualistic interpretations of the Scriptures, interpretations which undermine the foundations of our faith, and holding your peace? God says, ‘Neither will I be with you any more, unless you awake, and vindicate your Redeemer.’” Selected Messages, vol. 1, 196.

Whose Authority Will You Obey?

“The word of God is to be our counselor. It is only those who render perfect and thorough obedience to God that he will choose. Those who follow the Lord are to be firm and straightforward in obeying his directions. Any deviation to follow human devising or planning disqualifies them for being trustworthy. Even if they have to walk as did Enoch,—with God alone,—his children must separate from those who do not obey him, who show that they are not in vital connection with him. The Lord God is a host; and all who are in his service will realize the meaning of his words to Zerubbabel, ‘Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, saith the Lord of hosts.’ ” The Youth’s Instructor, April 28, 1898.

“But ‘every plant, which My heavenly Father hath not planted, shall be rooted up.’ In place of the authority of the so-called fathers of the church, God bids us accept the word of the eternal Father, the Lord of heaven and earth. Here alone is truth unmixed with error. David said, ‘I have more understanding than all my teachers: for Thy testimonies are my meditation. I understand more than the ancients, because I keep Thy precepts.’ (Ps. 119:99, 100) Let all who accept human authority, the customs of the church, or the traditions of the fathers, take heed to the warning conveyed in the words of Christ, ‘In vain they do worship Me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.’ ” The Desire of Ages, 398.

“But God will have a people upon the earth to maintain the Bible, and the Bible only, as the standard of all doctrines and the basis of all reforms. The opinions of learned men, the deductions of science, the creeds or decisions of ecclesiastical councils, as numerous and discordant as are the churches which they represent, the voice of the majority—not one nor all of these should be regarded as evidence for or against any point of religious faith. Before accepting any doctrine or precept, we should demand a plain ‘Thus saith the Lord’ in its support.

“Satan is constantly endeavoring to attract attention to man in the place of God. He leads the people to look to bishops, to pastors, to professors of theology, as their guides, instead of searching the Scriptures to learn their duty for themselves. Then, by controlling the minds of these leaders, he can influence the multitudes according to his will.” The Great Controversy, 595.

Error’s Bewitching Power

“There is in error and unbelief that which bewilders and bewitches the mind. To question and doubt and cherish unbelief in order to excuse ourselves in stepping aside from the straight path is a far easier matter than to purify the soul through a belief of the truth, and obedience thereto. But when better influences lead one to desire to return, he finds himself entangled in such a network of Satan, like a fly in a spider’s web, that it seems a hopeless task to him, and he seldom recovers himself from the snare laid for him by the wily foe.” Selected Messages, vol. 1, 46.
“My mind is sad beyond expression because the enemy has obtained victories over the minds and hearts and wills of those whom the Lord has been admonishing, saying, ‘This is the way, walk ye in it.’ God has been warning them for years, but they would not receive His words and take heed to them; they would not make their works perfect before Him. Some of those who claim to have been teaching the truth present before God a very ragged practice, which He does not accept. They determined to follow their own will and way, and they have been led by the enemy of all righteousness. Satan has been playing the game of life for their souls, and has been stealing away from them the Lord’s entrusted gifts, putting in their place his evil sentiments, to be worked out in scientific problems. He has blinded the spiritual eyesight, and deceptive, delusive imaginings are taking the place of the word of life and truth. Some in exalted positions of responsibility are sustaining error in the place of truth. Satan makes his delusions most attractive, clothing error in the garments of truth, so that it seems the most desirable thing to possess. The minds of many whom we would naturally suppose would see things clearly, are blinded as with a bewitching sophistry of error. If the terribly bewitching, fascinating story is not interrupted, those who are listening to it will become infidels in their belief. There is no safety in their present experience. They need to be convicted and converted by eating the word of God, believing it just as it reads, interpreting it correctly, not weaving the messages sent by God to save His people, into their own sophistries, making them speak in favor of fables that undermine the foundation established by the Lord for His commandment-keeping people.” Special Testimonies, Series B, No. 7.

“Everywhere error will be presented for truth; and unless we have a living connection with God, and are diligent in searching the Scriptures, there is danger of being misled. Voices will be heard on every side, saying, ‘Come with us; we have the truth.’ Jesus is the true Shepherd. His sheep hear His voice, and follow Him; but a ‘stranger will they not follow, but will flee from him: for they know not the voice of strangers.’ But unless we are ever on our guard, there is constant danger of listening to strange voices.” The Signs of the Times, October 29, 1885.

“There is no nook or corner of the world, however secluded, where error and sin have not found their way. Error is often presented in a specious garb, so that it requires more than human wisdom to detect the falsehood under the pretension of truth. If error was never mingled with truth, it would not be so subtle in its influence upon the mind. If error stood forth alone in its true, hideous form, souls would not be deceived. But there are many who see attractions in error, and will eagerly feast upon it, although it poisons the mind. Error always injures the soul and deforms the character. Error may, at first sight, appear plausible, but its tendency is to corrupt the heart, and to ensnare its victims. We often hear it stated that it matters not what one believes if his life is only right. But the life is molded by the faith. If light and truth, are within our reach, and we neglect to improve the privilege of hearing and seeing the truth, we virtually reject it, and choose darkness rather than light. Said Christ to the Jews, Ye will not come to me, that ye might have life.” Second Advent Review and Sabbath Herald, December 2, 1875.

Occupy the Mind With Truth, Contend for Truth

“And now opposition has to be encountered. In the world they were gliding along peaceably, but now they have to stem the current of popular opinion. As they turn from the maxims and customs of popular professors of religion, the conflict begins in earnest. They must contend for the faith once delivered to the saints, or be carried away from light, away from truth, into error and darkness, to final ruin.” General Conference Daily Bulletin, January 28, 1893.

“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.

Unity

“We have a testing message to give, and I am instructed to say to our people, ‘Unify, unify.’ But we are not to unify with those who are departing from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits and doctrines of devils. With our hearts sweet and kind and true, we are to go forth to proclaim the message, giving no heed to those who lead away from the truth.” Manuscript 31, 1906; Selected Messages, book 3, 412.

“Our church members see that there are differences of opinion among the leading men, and they themselves enter into controversy regarding the subjects under dispute. Christ calls for unity. But He does not call for us to unify on wrong practices. The God of heaven draws a sharp contrast between pure, elevating, ennobling truth and false, misleading doctrines. He calls sin and impenitence by the right name. He does not gloss over wrongdoing with a coat of untempered mortar. I urge our brethren to unify upon a true, scriptural basis.” Manuscript 10, 1905; Selected Messages, vol. 1, 175.

Satan’s Objective

“Satan is now using every device in this sealing time to keep the minds of God’s people from the present truth, and to cause them to waver. I saw a covering that God was drawing over His people to protect them in the time of trouble; and every soul that was decided on the truth, and was pure in heart, was to be covered with the covering of the Almighty. Satan knew this, and he was at work in mighty power to keep the minds of as many people as he possibly could wavering and unsettled on the truth . . . I saw that Satan was at work . . . to distract, deceive, and draw away God’s people, just now in this sealing time. I saw some who were not standing stiffly for present truth. Their knees were trembling, and their feet sliding because they were not firmly planted on the truth . . .

“Satan was trying his every art to hold them where they were, until the sealing was past, until the covering was drawn over God’s people, and they left without a shelter from the burning wrath of God, in the seven last plagues.” Sons and Daughters of God, 342.

The End

Letters to the Churches, The Heavenly Ministration of Christ

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“Letters have been coming in to me, affirming that Christ could not have had the same nature as man, for if He had, He would have fallen under similar temptations. If He did not have man’s nature, He could not be our example. If He was not a partaker of our nature, He could not have been tempted, as man has been. If it were not possible for Him to yield to temptation, He could not be our helper. It was a solemn reality that Christ came to fight the battles as man, in man’s behalf. His temptation and victory tell us that humanity must copy the Pattern; man must become a partaker of the divine nature.” Review and Herald, February 18, 1890.

We were appalled to learn that in some way these evangelical clergymen have had enough influence over our leaders to cause the Voice of Prophecy and Signs of the Times to trim their sails to “avoid charges that have been brought against them by evangelicals.” This is terrifying news. These organs are instruments of God, and it is unbelievable that the leaders should permit any outside influence to affect them. In this great sin against the denomination has been committed that can be blotted out only by deep repentance of the guilty parties, or in lieu of this, that the men concerned, quietly resign from holy office.

Our members are largely unaware of the conditions existing, and every effort is being made to keep them in ignorance. Orders have been issued to keep everything secret, and it will be noted that even at the late General Conference session (1958), no report was given of our leaders’ trafficking with the evangelicals and making alliances with them. Our officials are playing with fire, and the resulting conflagration will fulfill the prediction that the coming Omega “will be of a most startling nature.”

Seven times, I have asked for a hearing, and I have been promised one, but only on condition that I meet privately with certain men and that no record be given me of the proceedings. I have asked for a public hearing, or if it is to be a private one, that a tape recording be made, and that I be given a copy. This has been denied me. As I cannot have such a hearing, I am writing of these messages which contain, and will contain what I would have said at such a hearing. Can the reader surmise the reason why the officers do not want the hearing I ask?

I am a Seventh-day Adventist, and I love this message that I have preached for so long. I grieve deeply as I see the foundation pillars being destroyed, the blessed truths that have made us what we are, abandoned.

According to the minutes of the Board of Trustees at the White Estate, it was on the first day of May, 1957, when two men, members of the committee which had been appointed to write the book which came to be known as Questions on Doctrine, were invited by the board to meet with them to discuss a question that had received some consideration at a meeting the previous January. It concerned statements made by Mrs. White in regard to the atonement now in progress in the sanctuary above. This conception did not agree with the conclusions reached by the leaders of the denomination in counsel with the evangelicals.

At these conferences with the evangelicals, they objected to our teaching on the Investigative Judgment which Dr. Barnhouse characterized as “the most colossal, psychological, face-saving phenomenon in religious history.”

Dr. Barnhouse reported that he and Mr. Martin heard the Adventist leaders say flatly, that they repudiated all such extremes. This they said in no uncertain terms. Some of their earlier teachers taught that Jesus’ atoning work was not completed on Calvary, but instead that He had been carrying on a second ministerial work since 1844. The Adventist leaders also stated that they did not believe this teaching.

About the time when the two men first visited the vault, a series of articles appeared in the Ministry, which claimed to be “the Adventist understanding of atonement, confirmed and illuminated and clarified by the Spirit of Prophecy.” In the February issue, 1957, the statement occurs that the “sacrificial act on the cross (is) a complete, perfect and final atonement for man’s sin.” This pronouncement is in harmony with the belief of our leaders as Dr. Barnhouse quoted them. It is also in harmony with a statement signed by a chief officer in a personal letter: “You cannot, Brother Andreasen, take away from us this precious teaching that Jesus made a complete and all-sufficient atoning sacrifice from the cross. . . . This we shall ever hold fast, and continue to proclaim it, even as our dear venerated forefathers in the faith.

It would interesting if the writer would produce proof of his assertion. The truth is that our forefathers believed and proclaimed no such thing. They did not believe that the work on the cross was complete and all sufficient. They did believe that a ransom was there paid, and that this was all-sufficient; but the final atonement awaited Christ’s entrance into the most holy in 1844. This the Adventists have always taught and believed, and this is the old and established doctrine, which our venerated forefathers believed and proclaimed. They could not teach that the atonement on the cross was final, complete and all sufficient, and yet believe that another atonement, also final, occurred in 1844. Such would be absurd and meaningless. Paying the penalty for our sins was, indeed, a vital and necessary part of God’s plan for our salvation, but it was by no means all. It was, as it were, placing in the bank of heaven, a sum sufficient and in every way adequate for any contingency, and which could be drawn on by and for each individual as needed. This payment was “the precious blood of Christ, as of the lamb, without blemish and without spot.” I Peter 1:19. In his death on the cross, Jesus “paid it all;” but the precious treasure becomes efficacious for us only as Christ draws upon it for us, and this must await the coming into the world of each individual; hence, the atonement must continue as long as people are born. Hear this:

“There is an inexhaustible fund of perfect obedience accruing from His obedience. How is it, that such an infinite treasure is not appropriated? In heaven, the merits of Christ, His self-denial and self-sacrifice, are treasured up as incense, to be offered up with the prayers of His people.” General Conference Bulletin, vol. 3, 101, 102, Fourth Quarter, 1899.

Note the phrases: “inexhaustible fund,” “infinite treasure,” “merits of Christ.” This fund was deposited at the cross, but not “used up” there. It is “treasured up” and offered up with the prayers of God’s people. And especially since 1844 is this fund drawn on heavily as God’s people advance to holiness; but it is not exhausted, there is sufficient and to spare. Here again, “He, who through His own atonement, provided for them an infinite fund of moral power, will not fail to employ this power in their behalf. He will impute to them His own righteousness. . . . There is an inexhaustible fund of perfect obedience accruing from His obedience. . . as sincere, humble prayers are sent to the throne of God, Christ mingles with them the merits of His own life of perfect obedience. Our prayers are made fragrant by this incense. Christ has pledged Himself to intercede in our behalf and the Father always hears His Son.” Ibid.

When we pray, this very year of 1959, Christ intercedes for us and mingles with our prayers “the merits of His own life of perfect obedience. Our prayers are made fragrant by this incense . . . and the Father always hears His Son.”

Contrast this with the statement in Questions on Doctrine, 381: “(Jesus) appeared in the presence of God for us. . . . But it was not with the hope of attaining something for us at that time or at some future time. No! He had already obtained it for us on the cross.” [Emphasis his.] Note the picture: Christ appears in the presence of God for us. He pleads, but He gets nothing. For 1800 years He pleads, and gets nothing. Does He not know that He already has it? Will no one inform Him that it is useless to plead? He Himself has “no hope” of getting anything now or at any future time, and yet He pleads, and keeps on pleading? What a sight for the angels! And this is representative of Adventist teaching! This is the book that has the approval of Adventist leaders and is sent out to the world to show what we believe. May God forgive us.

Thank God this is not Adventist doctrine! Hear this from Sister White, as quoted above: “Christ has pledged Himself to intercede in our behalf and the Father always hears His Son.” This is Christianity and the other is not!

Shall we remain silent under such conditions? Asks Sister White.

“For the past 50 years every phase of heresy has been brought to bear upon us . . . especially concerning the ministration of Christ in the heavenly sanctuary. . . . Do you wonder that when I see the beginning of a work that would remove some of the pillars of our faith, I have something to say? I must obey the command, ‘Meet it.’” Series B, No. 2, 58.

Again: “The enemy of souls that has sought to bring in the supposition that a great reformation was to take place among Seventh-day Adventists, and that this reformation would consist in giving up doctrines which stand as the pillars of our faith, and engaging in a process of reorganization. Were this reformation to take place, what would result? The principles of truth that God in His wisdom has given to the remnant church would be discarded. The fundamental truths that have sustained the work for the last fifty years would be accounted as error. A new organization would be established. Books of a new order would be written. A system of intellectual philosophy would be introduced. . . . Nothing would be allowed to stand in the way of the new movement.” Ibid., 54, 55.

“Shall we keep silent for fear of hurting their feelings? . . . Shall we keep silent for fear of injuring their influence while souls are being beguiled?. . . My message is: No longer consent to listen without protest to the perversion of truth.” [Emphasis ours.] Ibid., 9, 15.

Ellen White makes definite pronouncements in regard to the atoning work of Christ now in progress in the heavenly sanctuary. For example, “At the termination of the 2300 days, in 1844, Christ entered the most holy place of the heavenly sanctuary, to perform the closing work of atonement, preparatory to His coming.” The Great Controversy, 422. “Christ had only completed one part of His work as our Intercessor to enter upon another portion of the work, and He still pleaded His blood before the Father in behalf of sinners.” Ibid., 429. At “the opening of the most holy place in the heavenly sanctuary in 1844, (as) Christ entered there to perform the closing work of the atonement, they saw that He was now officiating before the ark of God, pleading His blood in behalf of sinners.” Ibid., 433.

“Christ is represented as continually standing at the altar, momentarily offering up the sacrifice for the sins of the world. . . . A Mediator is essential because of the continual commission of sin. . . . Jesus presents the oblation offered for every offense and every shortcoming of the sinner.” Manuscript 50, 1900.

These statements are definite. It was at the end of the 2300 days, in 1844, that Christ entered the most holy “to perform the closing work of the atonement.” He had ONLY COMPLETED ONE PART OF HIS WORK as our Intercessor” in the first apartment. Now He “enters upon another portion of the work.” He pleads “His blood before the Father.” He is “continually standing at the altar.” This is necessary “because of the continual commission of sin.” “Jesus presents the oblation for every offense and every shortcoming of the sinner.” This argues a continuing, present atonement. He offers up “momentarily.” “Jesus presents the oblation offered for every offense.” “He ever liveth to make intercession for them..” Hebrews 7:25.

It is presumed that when the two men stated that they had “become acutely aware of E. G. White statements which indicated that the atoning work of Christ is now in progress in the sanctuary,” that they had read the quotations here given and perhaps others. In view of this knowledge, what did they suggest should be done? Would they change their former erroneous opinions and harmonize with the plain words of the Spirit of Prophecy? No, on the contrary, they “suggested to the trustees that some footnotes or Appendix notes might appear in certain of the E. G. White books clarifying very largely on the words of Ellen White, our understanding of the various phases of the atoning work of Christ.” Minutes 1483.

The claim which Questions on Doctrine makes, that she means what she does not say, effectively destroys the force of all she has every written. If we have to consult an inspired interpreter from Washington before knowing what she means, we might better discard the Testimonies altogether. May God save His people. [Months later when the vote was taken by the White Estate Board, the request mentioned above was not granted.]

The men who visited the vault on May 1, stated clearly that they had discovered that Mrs. White taught plainly “that the atoning work of Christ is now in progress in the heavenly sanctuary.” On the other hand, the Ministry of February, 1957, stated the very opposite. It said that the “sacrificial act on the cross (is) a complete, perfect and final atonement for men’s sins.” Questions on Doctrine attempts to reconcile these opposing views by stating that whether one “hears an Adventist say, or reads in Adventist literature—even in the writings of Ellen G. White—that Christ is making atonement now, it should be understood that we mean simply that Christ is now making application,” etc., 354, 355. It is clear that if the atonement on the cross was final, there cannot be a later atonement also final. When we therefore, for one hundred years, have preached that the day of atonement began in 1844, we were wrong. It ended 1800 years before. The hundreds of books we have published; the more than a million copies of Bible Readings we have sold; the millions of handbills we have distributed saying that it was “court week in heaven,” were all false doctrine; the Bible instruction we have given the children and the young ministry and which they have imbibed as Bible truth, is a fable. Uriah Smith, Loughborough, Andrews, Andross, Watson, Daniells, Branson, Johnson, Lacey, Spicer, Haskell, Gilbert, and a host of others stand convicted of having taught false doctrine; and the whole denomination whose chief contribution to Christianity is the sanctuary doctrine and Christ’s ministry, must now confess that we were all wrong, and that we have no message to the world for these last days. In other words, we are a deceived and deceiving people. The fact that we may have been honest does not alter the fact that we have given a false message. Take away from us the sanctuary question, the Investigative Judgment, the message of the 2300 days, Christ’s work in the most holy, and we have no right to exist as a denominated people, as God’s messengers to a doomed world. If the Spirit of Prophecy has led us astray these many years, let us throw it away.

But no! Halt! God has not led us astray. We have not told cunningly devised fables. We have a message that will stand the test and confound the undermining theories that are finding their way in among us. In this instance, it is not the people that have gone astray except as they have followed the leaders. It is time that there be a turn-about.

It is now more than four years ago that the apostasy began to be plainly evident. Since that time there has been a deliberate attempt to weaken the faith in the Spirit of Prophecy, as it is clear that as long as the people revere the gift among us, they cannot be led far astray. The time for action has come. The time to open up the dark corners has arrived. There must no longer by any secret agreements, no compact with other denominations who hate the law and the Sabbath, who ridicule our most holy faith. We must no longer hobnob with enemies of the truth, no more promise that we will not proselytize. We must not tolerate leadership which condones tampering with the writings entrusted to us, and stigmatizes us as belonging to the lunatic fringe, those who dare disagree with them. We must no longer remain silent. To they tents, Oh Israel!

The World Class Straw Man, part 2

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In the previous issue, we drew attention to the astonishing distortion of Seventh-day Adventist history that is being attempted in the recent publication, The Nature of Christ, by Roy Adams, associate editor of the Review. In this volume, we who are trying to cling to the historic faith of our church in regard to the human nature of Christ and in regard to the doctrine of sanctification are charged with many faults. It is represented that we are neither following the Bible and Spirit of Prophecy nor yet the mainstream of historic Adventist theological opinion. It is alleged that we are rather following the individual and erroneous thinking of A. T. Jones and E. J. Waggoner, as amplified and promoted by M. L. Andreason.

In our last article, we presented part of the mass of historical evidence that negates this incredible fantasy and described it as a “world-class straw man.” We promised that in this article we would examine some of the bundles of straw that were used in the erection of the structure.

The Reviling Straw Bundle

Adams represents himself as attempting to write with no ill will toward those whom he accuses. Was this attempt successful? Let the reader decide. He applies the following terms to us, either directly or indirectly:

Sour, festering, self-appointed, infected with the virus of judgmentalism and suspicion, disease, martyr complex, seasoned controversialists, spirit of accusation, outraged, aghast, scandalized, pathetic, self-confessed expert, misguided, wrong-headed, steeped in their cherish position, impenetrable to any theological logic, irresponsible, almost dishonest, deluded self-appointed prophets, turn-coats, charlatans, and scoundrels.

He applies the following descriptive terms to our reasoning:

Mumblings, innuendoes, broken faith with the church, specious theology, perfectionistic agitation, petty, picayune, disgusting, speciousness, repetitive, exasperating, subtle spin, overblown, vacuousness, subtle legalism, anger, irritation, anger to new heights, radical articulation, fuss, ingenious theological gymnastics, willfulness, mischief, dishonesty, far-fetched explanations, artificial and contrived, totally fabricated, thoughtlessly, narrow, shallow, facile admonitions, simplistic pietism, shrill, provincial, manipulate, like Jim Jones and David Koresh, dogmatism, trap of perfectionistic legalism, frustration, heated, quoted piously, specious reasoning, vehement, inordinate insistence, maliciously accusing, sharpened tongues, navel-gazing, and self-flagellation.

Can you feel the warm Christian love in this language? For some reason, I cannot. But should this surprise us? By no means. We have been forewarned:

“Men of talent and pleasing address, who once rejoiced in the truth, employ their powers to deceive and mislead souls. They become the most bitter enemies of their former brethren. When Sabbath-keepers are brought before courts to answer for their faith, these apostates are the most efficient agents of Satan to misrepresent and accuse them, and by false reports and insinuations to stir up the rulers against them.” The Great Controversy, 608.

We are not yet seeing the entire fulfillment of this prediction, but it is certainly coming into view, both in Adam’s book and in the tragic Issues book, which he applauds. This is a foretaste of what we must be prepared to endure in the last days.

We are reminded of Christ’s warning against reviling others, in Matthew 5:22, and of His own example in refusing to bring a railing accusation against Satan himself (Jude 9). We remember also that Adams repeatedly refers to Andreason and the Historic Adventists of our time as persons who are intensely angry. We ask, where in our writings can there be found language that can be remotely compared to the venom of Adams’ irritation?

And why? What is our crime? Simply that we wish to cling to the purity of our historic faith. For this we must needs be buried under an avalanche of personal abuse and false accusation, which reaches its climax on page 106 of Adams’ book:

“Human society cannot move forward unless people are prepared to leave the past behind. Wherever a people or a society finds this impossible, there is bloodshed and backwardness. Look at the Middle East today. Look at Northern Ireland. Look at Yugoslavia. Look at Sudan. Yet this is what people like Wieland and Short wish on us.”

The sheer enormity of this viciously false accusation makes comment unnecessary, but it may be taken as a sampling of what we can expect from false brethren in the future. We note, in passing, the great difference between Adams’ thinking about the past and the thinking of Ellen White when she wrote: “We have nothing to fear for the future, except as we shall forget the way the Lord has led us, and His teaching in our past history.” Selected Messages, Book 3, 162.

The Casuistry Straw Bundle

The word casuistry may be simply defined as subtle and evasive reasoning, deception by degrees. It is a technique that is used to avoid the resistance that might be aroused by more bold and direct deception. In his attempt to make it appear that M. L. Andreason was a disciple of Jones and Waggoner, Adams encounters a problem. The writings of Andreason do not support such a theory. Adams inadvertently reveals this in the following ingenious statement:

“Why M. L. Andreason did not more openly flaunt his connection with these two luminaries is not quite clear to me.” (Translation: Adams found no support for his theory in Andreason’s writings.)

But the lack of evidence did not deter him. He continued to enlarge on his theory by alleging that there is a fundamental theological similarity between the position of Jones and Waggoner regarding sanctification and the position of Andreason. What he does not tell his readers is that there is a much stronger similarity between Andreason’s views and those of Ellen White, as well as other church leaders.

Adams next endeavors to show that Andreason got his concept of the “final generation” who will stand without a Mediator in the last days, not from Ellen White, who originated the idea, but from some unidentified persons who, after World War I, were speculating bout the nearness of Christ’s return. The result is a classic demonstration of casuistry, making it appear that evidence exists where in fact it does not exist. Notice the carefully leading and manipulative statement on page 39:

(Andreason) “did not participate in these deceptions”

“He despised the fantastic speculations”

“Their manifest failure must have impressed him”

“leading him to articulate a theological reason for their delay”

“Andreason’s theology developed against the background of those controversies and was shaped by them.” [All emphasis supplied.]

This is an insult to the reader’s intelligence. It could be argued with equal logic that Adams’ theology was shaped by the thinking of Wieland and Short. Adams would undoubtedly pronounce that kind of reasoning utterly nonsensical—and so do we. And are we to suppose that Andreason had never read Ellen White’s description of that “final generation” in her well known The Great Controversy, 613–634; in Patriarchs and Prophets, 195–203; and in Testimonies for the Church, vol. 5, 467–476? This would be rather peculiar in view of Adams’ own characterization of Andreason as a “self-confessed expert” on the writings of Ellen White.

Continuing his attempt to separate Andreason from the Spirit of Prophecy, Adams alleges that on the matter of character perfection, Andreason “followed in Ballenger’s footsteps.” He thus attempts to discredit Andreason by linking him with a man who later apostatized. We who knew Andreason would consider it preposterous to describe him as following in any man’s footsteps. But in any case, Ellen White’s views on this point, written and published at least 4500 times, were essentially the same as Ballenger’s before his apostasy, as well as Andreason’s and the other leaders of the church. Then to paint us with the same brush, Adams adds that the views of the Historical Adventists of our time on this subject are “virtually identical to that held by Andreason and Ballenger.” This has all the logical strength of an argument that because Ballenger believed in God and in the Second Coming of Christ, we who now believe those doctrines are followers of Ballenger.

Having used this casuistry to condition his reader’s minds, Adams then proceeds to openly picture Andreason as dishonest. (Pages 52, 53.) I had heard Adams make this charge against Andreason in a public meeting and wondered what could be its basis, since I had known Andreason as a man of sterling character and strict integrity. I am astonished at Adams’ “evidence.” It consists of nothing more than Andreason’s understanding of Ellen White’s use of the word passions, and is presented as if she only used the word in one way. In our The Word Was Made Flesh, we provide a seven-page word study of Ellen White’s uses of the terms “passions” and “propensities” (which Adams dismisses with a sneer.)

The evidence makes it clear that Ellen White did not always use these terms in the same sense or with the same identical meaning. Consider:

“He had all the strength of passion of humanity.” In Heavenly Places, 155.

“. . . not possessing the passions of our human, fallen nature.” Testimonies, vol. 2, 509.

This is in accordance with her own recognition that:

“Different meanings are expressed y the same word. There is not one word for each distinct idea.” Selected Messages, Book 1, 20.

In our word study, we record 28 uses of the word passions by Ellen White and draw conclusions that are in harmony with the evidence. We will refer the reader to The Word Was Made Flesh for details, but will here simply state that we regard Adams’ accusation against Andreason as grossly unfair, far beyond the boundaries of responsible scholarship, and altogether unchristian. I find it mind-boggling that Adams, who professes to have suffered great personal distress over Andreason’s alleged dishonesty, applauds the Issues book with its manifold misrepresentations.

Continuing in this unpraiseworthy work, Adams paints Andreason as a “self-confessed expert” on Ellen White’s writings (page 52) and tells us that Andreason “claims to be an authority on her writings.” (Page 67.) Such braggadocio would be impossible to harmonize with the modest and unpretentious character of Andreason, as we knew him. We therefore, sought for the basis of these accusations and were amazed to find that it was nothing more than this line from a letter Andreason had written to Elder Figuhr:

“In my more than sixty years of official connection with the denomination, one of my chief aims has been to inspire confidence in the Spirit of Prophecy. The last two hears I have spoken on the subject 204 times.” (Page 52.)

What kind of a mentality would construe this earnest and innocent statement to be boastful self-exaltation? And what kind of a mentality would refer to Andreason’s legitimate concerns about the discussions between Walter Martin and some of our leaders like this:

“Almost certainly one reason for Andreason’s reaction was that he had not been consulted.” Page 45.

To complete his hatchet job on the character of a great and good man, Adams purports to have found a deathbed confession of wrongdoing by Andreason. The document, however, is undated and unsigned. No committee of scholars and no court of law would tolerate it as evidence for a single moment. But it was apparently good enough for Adams’ work of character assassination.
“Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness.” Isaiah 5:20.

The Sneer Straw Bundle

Since reference has been made to our 365 page research report, The Word Was Made Flesh, we will here mention our mystification at Adams’ failure to deal with the evidence there presented. We found and recorded 1200 statements published by our church leaders during the one hundred years 1852–1952 that Christ came to this earth in the human nature of fallen man. Four hundred of them were from the inspired pen of Ellen White. This is manifestly the evidence that Adams has to overthrow in order to maintain his position. But instead of addressing this material as a scholar should, he by-passed it and selected a modest thirty page tract by Joe Crews as his target.

How does he deal with the mass of evidence presented in The Word Was Made Flesh? Only by sneers. Here are the nine sneers that he directs at our fully and carefully documented research:

  • “. . . startling allegation . . . patently unfounded.” Page 20.

 

  • “. . . claims on its title page . . .” page 21

 

  • “. . . counters again and again. . .” page 22

 

  • “. . . assumption. . .” page 26

 

  • “. . . ingenious theological gymnastics. . .” page 53

 

  • “. . . labored, forced, and unconvincing. . .” page 69

 

  • “. . . gone to great lengths. . .” page 72

 

  • “. . . far-fetched . . . ingenious . . . totally fabricated. . .” page 72

 

Not a shred of evidence is offered in support of any of these sneers. May we respectfully suggest that it will take more than sneers to overthrow the 1200 statements that are brought together in our research report?

The Breathtaking Straw Bundle

We come now to the two most astounding propositions that Adams puts forth in his rewriting our history. They are so bold and brazen as to be utterly breath taking. In the first, he soberly assures us that the Christological problem that we have been grappling with since 1957 is actually imaginary. Here are his words:

 

  • “I don’t run into many Adventists defending a prelapsarian position.

 

  • “And in all the samplings I’ve done in preparation for this book, I’ve not seen a single instance in which one of our concerned or disaffected brethren has managed to produce a direct prelapsarian statement from a contemporary Adventist author.” Page 27.

 

  • May we respectfully recommend the following sources:

 

  • Ministry, September, 1956

 

  • Questions on Doctrine, page 650

 

  • Movement of Destiny, L. E. Froom, page 497

 

  • Christ Our Substitute, Norman Gulley

 

  • The Man Who is God, Edward Heppenstall

 

  • Perfect in Christ, Helmut Ott

 

We find it difficult to understand why Adams, with his position of advantage at the heart of our work, would have trouble laying his hand on any of these sources, not to mention materials published in the Review. But if that proposition is astonishing, the next is stunning:

“We believe—and have always believed—that Christ did take upon Himself the form and nature of fallen human beings.” Page 27.

When you have recovered your breath, you may have some questions. Why, then, was Andreason so bitterly denounced and so ruthlessly dealt with? Why was the opposite view affirmed in Questions on Doctrine? Why is this not being taught at our seminary and in our colleges? Why is it so difficult to find a pastor who believes it? And why does Adams’ own book vilify those who believe it?

Here is a suggestion. Show that statement to your pastor, your conference president, or your college Bible teacher. Watch his reaction, and draw your own conclusions. Someone is wildly out of touch with reality. In our final article, we will examine some specific differences between Adams and the Spirit of Prophecy. Meanwhile, let us remember the words of James Russell Lowell:

“Though the cause of evil prosper, yet ‘tis truth alone is strong;
Though her portion be the scaffold, and upon the throne be wrong;
Yet that scaffold sways the future, and behind the dim unknown,
Standeth God within the shadow, keeping watch above His own.”

Water As A Flood!

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“And the serpent cast out of his mouth water as a flood after the woman, that he might cause her to be carried away of the flood.” Revelation 12:15 The devil could not scare us. He tried.

There was an attempt to remove from church and Sabbath School offices all church members who were defending the truth. There was a barrage of maledictions and false allegations from church officialdom. These allegations have ranged from comparing us the butchers of Auschwitz and Dachau, who murdered millions of Jews, to describing us as a cancer on the body of the church which must be cut out. There has been disfellowshipping of both independent ministry leaders and church members.

How have the Historic Adventists reacted?

Quite calmly. There has been no panic, no indication of fear. Some have been moved to take an even more active role in defense of our faith than they had previously taken. Others have greatly increased their financial support of ministries that they believe to be teaching the truth. Most have made a thoughtful and firm decision that if they are forced to make a choice between surrendering their church membership or surrendering the truth, they will cling to the truth. They are fully confident that the God of truth will preserve their names in the records of heaven.

The devil could not scare us. It just did not work. So what weapon does he have left? Confusion.

If he cannot scare us, his best hope is to confuse us. He is casting out of his mouth water as a flood for the purpose of confusing us.

Since waters sometimes represent people, as in Revelation 17:15, the prophecy in Revelation 12 has at times been understood to represent people with weapons of persecution in their hands. May we suggest that it might also mean people with weapons of deceit in their hands? As we are presently learning, deceit and persecution often go together.

The Historic Seventh-day Adventists have taken alarm at the flood of false Calvinistic teachings that have invaded the church. (We do not refer to the teachings of John Calvin himself, but rather to the corrupted Calvinism of our day, which teaches, among other things, the Satanic doctrine that it is impossible, even through the power of God, for anyone to stop sinning.)

In order to escape from this false teaching, Historic Adventists have sought security and safety by gathering together in camp meetings, seminars, and independent worship services. This has been effective and successful, and the Historic Adventist movement is growing very rapidly.

But now a new danger is threatening us, a new flood from the mouth of the serpent. It is a flood of new interpretations of prophecy and doctrinal challenges. Ellen White was right. She wrote of this period as a time when “every wind of doctrine will be blowing.” Testimonies, vol. 5, 80

Within the last few months, I have been called upon to answer questions about:

  • A revived Brinsmead theology.
  • A revived doctrine of Arianism that Christ is not God fully.
  • Arguments that we must keep Passover, Pentecost, and the Feast of Tabernacles.
  • Two different pronunciations of the name of God, each alleged to be vital to our salvation.
  • The judgment of the living and the “five angels’ messages.”
  • A revived doctrine of perfectionism (not to be confused with the true doctrine of sanctification).
  • Reinterpretations of prophecies that seem to go on forever.

 

There are times when I grow weary of the tedious labor of pointing out the problems in the various arguments, but I have gained comfort and encouragement from this counsel: “Faith grows by conflict with doubt and difficulty and trial.” Our High Calling, 361

So—let us not complain about all of these challenges to our faith, but think of them as learning opportunities. When we see how our beliefs can successfully meet attacks from every side, our confidence will be more firmly established and our faith strengthened.

In this article we will examine one of the oldest challenges—Arianism. The name cones to us from a certain Arius who lived from A.D. 256 to A.D. 336 and was a presbyter (elder) in Alexandria. He taught that Christ was not co-existent with the Father but was a lesser, created (or begotten) God.

The doctrine has reappeared at various times in the history of Christianity. It was advocated for a time by certain of our pioneers who brought it into Adventism from their previous religious backgrounds. These included J.N. Andrews, Uriah Smith, and apparently James White; but the Arian doctrine was firmly rejected by Ellen White.

The Biblical evidence in favor of our position shows that early references attributed to God are found in the plural form:

  • Genesis 1:26: “Let us make man in our image.”
  • Genesis 3:22; “Behold, the man has become like one of Us.”
  • Genesis 11:7: “Come let Us go down.”

In Isaiah 48, the One who identifies Himself as the Redeemer and the First and the Last (compare revelation 1:11) says in verse 16: “The Lord God, and His Spirit, have sent Me [the Redeemer].”

Here we find, unmistakably, three. The three appear again in Matthew 3:16-17 where we read that Jesus was in the water, the Holy Spirit was descending upon Him, and the voice of God spoke from heaven.

In Ephesians 3:14, Paul mentions the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, and in verse 16 he adds a reference to the Spirit.

Some may respond at his point that they are not challenging the idea of three persons but are only denying that Christ always co-existed with the Father in full equality with Him. We may find help with this question by looking at such Scriptures as these: “For in Him [Christ] dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily.” Colossians 2:9 “Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God.” Philippians 2:6 KJV In John 8:58, we find Jesus testifying to the Jews: “Before Abraham was, I am.”

The Jews understood Him. We cannot doubt that. They recognized the words with which God had announced Himself to Moses: “And God said to Moses, I am that I am.” Exodus 3:14 KJV

And so they took up stones to stone Him. They knew what he meant. We may use this a convenient point of transition from the biblical evidence to the Spirit of Prophecy evidence by considering Ellen White’s comment on John 8:58: “Silence fell upon the vast assembly. The name of God, given to Moses to express the idea of the eternal presence, had been claimed as His own by the Galilean rabbi. He had announced Himself to be the self-existent One, he who had been promised to Israel, ‘whose goings forth have been from of old, from the days of eternity.’ [Micah 5:2, margin.]” The Desire of Ages 469,470

Before leaving the Desire of Ages, let us turn to page 530: “In Christ is life, original, unborrowed, underived.”

Returning to the language of John 8:58, we add further comments form Ellen White found in Evangelism, 615: “Christ is the pre-existent, self-existent Son of God….In speaking of His pre-existence, Christ carries the mind back through dateless ages. He assures us that there never was a time when He was not in close fellowship with the eternal God. He to whose voice the Jews were then listening had been with God as one brought up with Him.

“He was equal with God, infinite and omnipotent….He is the eternal, self-existent Son.”

“He is the eternal, self-existent Son, upon whom no yoke had come.” Manuscript Releases, vol. 12, 395

“It was the Source of all mercy and pardon, peace and grace, the self-existent, eternal, unchangeable One, who visited His exiled servant on the isle that is called Patmos.” Manuscript 81, 1900

“From all eternity Christ was united with the Father.” Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, vol. 5, 1115

“Christ was God essentially, and in the highest sense. He was with God from all eternity, God over all, blessed forevermore.” Review and Herald, April 5, 1906

“The world’s Redeemer was equal with God. His authority was as the authority of God. He declared that he had no existence separated from the Father….He assures us that He and the Father are one. Review and Herald, January 7, 1890

In a profound description of the three members of the Godhead, Ellen White writes: “The Father is all the fullness of the Godhead bodily, and is invisible to mortal sight.

“The Son is all the fullness of the Godhead manifested.

“The Comforter that Christ promised to send after he ascended to heaven is the Spirit in all the fullness of the Godhead. There are three living persons of the heavenly trio. These powers will co-operate with the obedient subjects of Heaven in their efforts to live the new life in Christ.” Special Testimonies, Series B, no. 7, 62, 63 [All emphasis supplied.]

So the fullness of the Godhead is in each of the three, although each relates to us in a different manner. In Evangelism, page 616, we read: “The eternal heavenly dignitaries—God, and Christ, and the Holy spirit—arming them (the disciples) with more than mortal energy,…would advance with them to the work and convince the world of sin.”

And in Evangelism, 617, we read: “We are to cooperate with the three highest powers in heaven,—the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost,—and these powers will work through us, making us workers together with God.”

The opponents of our doctrine of the Trinity advance arguments such as these:

1. The word trinity does not appear in the Bible. We are not aware that anyone has made such a claim. Neither do the words advent, Adventist, moral law, ceremonial law, millenium, incarnation, etc., appear in the Bible. Trinity simply means three, and there are certainly three members of the godhead mentioned in Scripture. The word is not important.

Why does the Bible often refer to the one true God?

God does not always tell us His reasons for what He says or what he does. We have the fact before us that the same Bible which clearly refers to the three persons in the Godhead also insists on their unity in references to the one true God. That is the “given” with which we have to do, whether or not we can explain it.

There are explanations that do occur to us. The Israelites lived among people who believed in a vast number of gods who not only disagreed with one another but often committed crimes and even waged war against one another. This could well be the reason for the biblical statements about the unity, the oneness, of God. There may be other reasons as well.

In any case, we had best accept the Scripture testimony as it is given to us and recognize that there are three persons in the Godhead who function in total agreement as one.

3. But Jesus often spoke of His subordination to and dependence on the Father. True, but these are references to His earthly condition, when He walked on earth as a man, having laid aside all of His godly powers.

“Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: but made Himself of no reputation and took upon Him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men.” Philippians 2:6, 7

The words “made himself of no reputation” in verse 7 are, in literal Greek, “He emptied Himself.” Thus, He did not work miracles while on earth by means of His own divine powers but with power supplied to Him from the father. We must not take words that describe his earthly pilgrimage and project them either into His past or His future.

4. Why does Paul, in Colossians 1:15, call Him “the firstborn of every creature”? Does this not mean that He was born first?

Not necessarily. This is how Strong’s Concordance defines the Greek word protos that Paul used in this verse: “Foremost in time, place, order, or importance….best, chief.”

We may understand this to mean first in importance, without doing any violence to Scripture.

5. Why do the Scriptures refer to Christ as the “only begotten” Son of God?

Because He was conceived of the Holy Spirit in the womb of Mary and began His life in earth by the normal birth process. No other individual was “begotten ” as He was. Thus the word only is relevant and appropriate.

6. Is not a trinity concept found in paganism?

Of course. Let us remember that Satan had been exiled from heaven and knew about the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. He knew that his counterfeit needed to be complete. And does not the existence of the counterfeit strongly imply the existence of the genuine? Men counterfeit $5.00 bills and $10.00 bills but not three or seven dollar bills because there is no genuine. Would Satan counterfeit a trinity if no trinity existed?

We complete this study with a heightened awareness of the principle set forth by Ellen White:

“Faith grows by conflict and doubt and difficulty and trial.” Our High Calling, 361

Every comparison of truth with error adds to the luster of the truth. Our message—the historic Seventh-day Adventist message—is a body of truth revealed to us by the Creator-God; and it can successfully meet every test and every challenge that is brought to bear upon it. But will we, personally and individually, stand as firmly as the truth stands?

In order to do so, we must not only be familiar with the truth but also have an awareness of the methods most commonly used by those who, either through ignorance or guile, are seeking to introduce error among us.

Mingling truth with error.

We are much more likely to swallow poison if it is not clearly labeled as poison but rather mixed with wholesome food. (See The Great Controversy, 587.)

The papers on my desk which are challenging our faith seem to have a common factor. They typically begin with Scriptures and Spirit of Prophecy quotations that are wholesome and good but have little or no relevance to the idea being promoted. Thus we are disarmed, and our minds are prepared to accept error.

Confusing statements and interpretations.

A statement tells us the thought of the writer. An interpretation tells us the thought of the interpreter. Some seem to feel that a multiplicity of interpretations can become equal to a statement. This is not correct. Ten, one hundred, or one thousand times zero is still zero.

The Greeks had a word for it, eisegesis. To study a phrase, having due regard for both its immediate and its general context, until we can hear everything that the passage is saying to us is exegesis. The opposite is eisegiesis, which is putting our own thoughts into the Scriptural passage. In the material before me, I frequently find statements made and either Bible or Spirit of Prophecy references given to support them. But when I examine the quotations, they do not say what is claimed for them. We must carefully and systematically check every reference and take nothing for granted.

Exegetical blindness.

This is the opposite of the “reading into” problem of eisegesis described above. This is a stubborn refusal to accept the obvious meaning of a statement. We see this problem in the attempts that are made to explain that Ellen White’s words, such as original, unborrowed, underived, self-existent, etc. actually mean the opposite of what they say. Using similar methods, we could prove that Sunday is the true Sabbath, that tithe is 50% of profits, that pork is a wholesome food, etc. We cannot place confidence in such methods.

Describing contradictions as new light.

We read in Selected Messages, book 1, 161: “When the power of God testifies as to what is truth, that truth is to stand forever as the truth. No after suppositions contrary to the light God has given are to be entertained.”

And in Testimonies, vol. 5, 295: “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. Their doctrines will not bear the test of God’s Word, yet souls will be deceived.”

The Messiah Complex.

This is a term used by psychologists to describe persons who yearn to be spiritual leaders but are not necessarily qualified for that work. In evangelism, we become well acquainted with them. They attend the meetings, see the audience, and are consumed with desire to give that audience some message of their own. Some of the messages are too bizarre to be believable. Others are more sophisticated and deceptive. We have to explain to all with this particular complex that (1) they did not hire the auditorium nor put out the advertising, and (2) the people did not come to hear them. The people came to hear the advertised speaker.

We sometimes have the same problem in our seminars and camp meetings. Persons come with agendas of their own. When time is given for the audience to ask questions, these persons seize the opportunity to make long speeches, or by a succession of questions try to lead the people into a subject other than what has been presented from the desk. This is, at best, discourteous and at worst, unchristian. Some are so aggressive that we have no choice but to deal with them firmly, reminding them that the meeting was not appointed for purposes of debate, nor yet for the purpose of providing them with an opportunity to make speeches.

We have here studied only one of the strange theories that are presently being urged upon us. We have previously examined others and will no doubt have to examine more. The apostle Paul warns us not to be ignorant of the devil’s devices. Satan’s purpose in promoting these concepts should be clear to anyone. He did not succeed in frightening us, so he is trying to confuse us and make us appear ridiculous in the eyes of others.

Let us not let him get away with it. We can escape the “waters as a flood” if we give heed to Paul’s counsel in 2 Timothy 2:15, 16: “Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. But shun profane and vain babblings: for they will increase unto more ungodliness.”

The End

Inspiration – Mingling Error With Truth

by

In the days of King Josiah a strange appearance could be seen opposite the temple of God. Crowning the eminence of the Mount of Olives, peering above the groves of myrtle and olive trees, were unseemly, gigantic idols. Josiah gave commandment that these idols should be destroyed. This was done, and the broken fragments were rolled down the channel of the Kedron. The shrines were left a mass of ruins.

But the question was asked by many a devout worshiper, How came that architecture on the opposite side of the Jehoshaphat ravine, thus impiously confronting the temple of God? The truthful answer must be made: The builder was Solomon, known as the wisest king that ever wielded a scepter. These idols bore testimony that he who had been honored and applauded for his wisdom, became a humiliating wreck. He was thrice called the beloved of God. Pure and elevated in character, his piety and wisdom were unexampled. But Solomon did not go on from strength to strength in the pure and true life. It was his ambition to excel other nations in grandeur. To do this, he allied himself by marriage with heathen nations, and in the place of keeping loyal to the true and living God, he allowed his wives to draw him away from God. To please them, he built altars where they might worship their idols. Thus the leaven of idolatry became mingled with Solomon’s religious principles. Tares were sown among the wheat.

Solomon knew that God had chosen Israel, and had made them the depositaries of the true and sacred faith. God had erected a wise barrier between them and the rest of the world, and only by jealousy guarding the ancient landmarks could they preserve their high and distinct character. Why, then, did Solomon become such a moral wreck? He did not act on correct principles. He cultivated alliances with heathen kingdoms. He procured the gold of Ophir and the silver of Tarshish; but at what a cost!

Solomon mingled error with truth, and betrayed sacred trusts. The insidious evils of paganism corrupted his religion. One wrong step taken, led to step after step of political alliance. The polygamy so common at that time was directly opposed to the law of Jehovah. But this evil was tolerated in Palestine, and the Israel of God mingled in marriage with Phoenicia, Egypt, Edom, Moab, and Ammon, nations that bowed at idolatrous shrines, practising [sic] licentious and cruel rites, greatly dishonoring to God. These Solomon countenanced and sustained. His once noble character, bold and true for God and righteousness, became deteriorated. His profligate expenditure for selfish indulgence made him the instrument of Satan’s devices. His conscience became hardened. His conduct as a judge changed from equity and righteousness to tyranny and oppression. He who had offered the dedicatory prayer when the temple was consecrated to God, he who prayed for the people, that their hearts might be undividedly given to the Lord, was in his later years following a course entirely contrary to right. The life once wholly dedicated to God, had been given to the enemy.

Solomon tried to incorporate light with darkness, Christ with Belial, purity with impurity. But instead of converting the heathen to the truth, he allowed pagan sentiments to be incorporated with his religion. He became an apostate. God was no longer to him the only true and living God, a ruling Providence. Solomon was a religious wreck.

In the days of Christ, the ruins of the groves erected by Solomon for his wives might still be seen. By the true-hearted in Israel this place was named the Mount of Offense. Solomon little thought that those idol shrines would outlast his reign, continuing even till Shiloh came and looked upon the melancholy sight.

This case is placed on record as a warning to all who profess to serve God. Let those who know the word of the living God beware of cherishing the errors of the world. These Satan presents in an attractive guise; for he seeks to deceive us, and destroy the simplicity of our faith. If these errors are introduced, they will obscure the precious landmarks of truth.

God has given men and women talents. None of these gifts are to be perverted to Satan’s service. We need to guard jealously the simplicity of our faith. Let none who know the truth employ their mental faculties in any work that leads away from right principles. Thus they prostitute their powers, which are gifts from the Heavenly Father, and bring upon themselves spiritual weakness and inefficiency. We can not with safety tamper with the leaven of false, dishonoring doctrines. Think of Solomon’s history, and do not mingle error with the truth.

The safeguards of our peace are to be preserved by watchfulness and much prayer. Great care is to be shown in the choice of associates, lest instead of leading them, we are led into evil, and imperil our souls. We must do nothing to lower the standard of our religious principles. Let there be a decided reformation. Let nothing be done to weaken the faith or mar the soul. Let our reward be the clean hands, the pure heart, the noble purpose.

The Review and Herald, March 10, 1910.