eternal life

Pen of Inspiration – A Vivid View of Future Events

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Mrs. White’s presentation of the views given her of the age-long conflict between Christ and His angels and Satan and his angels was a work in which she was, from time to time, engaged from early life to the close of her ministry. Again and again certain of the scenes were portrayed before her in vivid representations. To this she made reference in 1911, “While writing the manuscript of [The] Great Controversy I was often conscious of the presence of the angels of God and many times the scenes about which I was writing were presented to me anew in visions of the night so that they were fresh and vivid in my mind.”—Letter 56, 1900. (Notes and Papers, 134.)

One such scene which was presented to her on several occasions was that of the deliverance of the saints just before the second coming of Christ. An early presentation of this is found in Early Writings, pages 285–288, and it is presented again in the familiar chapter in The Great Controversy, pages 635–652, under the title of “God’s People Delivered.”

In 1911 Elder W.C. White stated, “While mother was writing this book [The Great Controversy], many of the scenes were presented to her over and over again in visions of the night. The deliverance of God’s people, as given in chapter 40, was repeated three times, and on two occasions, once at her home in Healdsburg, and once at the St. Helena Sanitarium, members of her family sleeping in nearby rooms, were awakened from sleep by a clear, musical cry, ‘They come! They come!’ (See The Great Controversy, 636.)

[On Sunday, January 20, 1884, while spending a few days at the St. Helena Sanitarium, Mrs. White penned a letter to two of the leading ministers of the denomination, George I. Butler, president of the General Conference, and S.N. Haskell, a worker of large experience, in which she described one of these presentations which was made to her on Friday night, January 18. That which follows is a vivid description of this experience.— A.L. White.] Manuscript Releases, vol. 2, 207.

Friday night several heard my voice exclaiming, “Look, Look!” Whether I was dreaming or in vision, I cannot tell. I slept alone. The time of trouble was upon us. I saw our people in great distress, weeping and praying, pleading the sure promises of God, while the wicked were all around us, mocking us and threatening to destroy us. They ridiculed our feebleness, they mocked at the smallness of our numbers, and taunted us with words calculated to cut deep. They charged us with taking an independent position from all the rest of the world. They had cut off our resources so that we could not buy or sell, and they referred to our abject poverty and stricken condition. They could not see how we could live without the world. We were dependent on the world, and we must concede to the customs, practices, and laws of the world, or go out of it. If we were the only people in the world whom the Lord favored, the appearances were awfully against us.

They declared that they had the truth, that miracles were among them; that angels from heaven talked with them and walked with them, that great power and signs and wonders were performed among them, and that this was the temporal millennium they had been expecting so long. The whole world was converted and in harmony with the Sunday law, and this little feeble people stood out in defiance of the laws of the land and the law of God, and claimed to be the only ones right on the earth.

They declared, “The angels from heaven have spoken to us,” referring to those whom Satan personated that had died and they claimed had gone to heaven. “You will bear the testimony of the heavenly messengers.” They sneered, they mocked, they derided and abused the sorrowing ones. There was much more but I have not time to write it.

But while anguish was upon the loyal and true who would not worship the beast or his image and accept and revere an idol Sabbath, One said, “Look up! Look up!” Every eye was lifted, and the heavens seemed to part as a scroll when it is rolled together, and as Stephen looked into heaven, we looked. The mockers were taunting and reviling us, and boasting of what they intended to do to us if we continued obstinate in holding fast our faith. But now we were as those who heard them not; we were gazing upon a scene that shut out everything else.

There stood revealed the throne of God; around it were ten thousand times ten thousand and thousands upon thousands, and close about the throne were the martyrs. Among this number I saw the very ones who were so recently in such abject misery, whom the world knew not, whom the world hated and despised. A voice said, “Jesus, who is seated upon the throne, has so loved man that He gave His life a sacrifice to redeem him from the power of Satan, and to exalt him to His throne. He who is above all powers, He who has the greatest influence in heaven and in earth, He to whom every soul is indebted for every favor he has received, was meek and lowly in disposition, holy, harmless, and undefiled in life. He was obedient to all His Father’s commandments. Wickedness has filled the earth; it is defiled under the inhabitants thereof. The high places of the powers of earth have been polluted with corruption and base idolatries; but the time has come when righteousness shall receive the palm of victory and triumph. Those who were accounted by the world as weak and unworthy, those who were defenseless against the cruelty of men, shall be crowned conquerors and more than conquerors.”

[Revelation 7:9–17, quoted: “After this I beheld, and, lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands; And cried with a loud voice, saying, Salvation to our God which sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb. And all the angels stood round about the throne, and about the elders and the four beasts, and fell before the throne on their faces, and worshipped God, Saying, Amen: Blessing, and glory, and wisdom, and thanksgiving, and honour, and power, and might, be unto our God for ever and ever. Amen. And one of the elders answered, saying unto me, What are these which are arrayed in white robes? and whence came they? And I said unto him, Sir, thou knowest. And he said to me, These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. Therefore are they before the throne of God, and serve him day and night in his temple: and he that sitteth on the throne shall dwell among them. They shall hunger no more, neither thirst any more; neither shall the sun light on them, nor any heat. For the Lamb which is in the midst of the throne shall feed them, and shall lead them unto living fountains of waters: and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes.”]

They are before the throne enjoying the sunless splendors of eternal day, not as a scattered, feeble company, to suffer by the satanic passions of a rebellious world, expressing the sentiments, the doctrines, and the counsels of demons. Strong and terrible have become the masters of iniquity in the world under the control of Satan, but strong is the Lord God who judgeth Babylon. The just have no longer anything to fear from force or fraud as long as they are loyal and true. A mightier than the strong man armed is set for their defense. All power and greatness and excellence of character will be given to those who have believed and stood in defense of the truth, standing up and firmly defending the laws of God.

Another heavenly being exclaimed with firm and musical voice, “They have come out of great tribulation. They have walked in the fiery furnace in the world, heated intensely by the passions and caprices of men who would enforce upon them the worship of the beast and his image, who would compel them to be disloyal to the God of heaven. They have come from the mountains, from the rocks, from the dens and caves of the earth, from dungeons, from prisons, from secret councils, from the torture chamber, from hovels, from garrets. They have passed through sore affliction, deep self-denial, and deep disappointment. They are no longer to be the sport and ridicule of wicked men. They are to be no longer mean and sorrowful in the eyes of those who despise them. Remove the filthy garments from them, with which wicked men have delighted to clothe them. Give them a change of raiment, even the white robes of righteousness, and set a fair mitre upon their heads.”

They were clothed in richer robes than earthly beings had ever worn; they were crowned with diadems of glory such as human beings had never seen. The days of suffering, of reproach, of want, of hunger, are no more; weeping is past. Then they break forth in songs, loud, clear, and musical; they wave the palm branches of victory, and exclaim, “Salvation to our God which sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb.”

Oh, may God endue us with His Spirit and make us strong in His strength! In that great day of supreme and final triumph it will be seen that the righteous were strong, and that wickedness in all its forms and with all its pride was a weak and miserable failure and defeat. We will cling close to Jesus, we will trust Him, we will seek His grace and His great salvation. We must hide in Jesus, for He is a covert from the storm, a present help in time of trouble.—Letter 6, 1884, 1–4.

Manuscript Releases, vol. 2, 207–210.

Wrong Expectations End in Disappointment

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There is a common saying that there are no disappointments in heaven, but in this world everyone will meet with them at some time. This is one of the major causes of mental depression, which is a big problem today.

As Jesus left the temple for the last time, He said to the Jews, “See! Your house is left to you desolate.” Matthew 23:38.

As Jesus departed from the temple that day, His disciples were astounded at this and pointed out to Him the massive stones in the walls. We understand that these stones were so huge that we do not even understand how the builders in ancient times managed to deal with stones so big. They must have weighed hundreds of tons and were cut so precisely that they fitted together without the need of any mortar. Seen from a distance, it looked like one solid, white wall of marble.

The temple was considered by many people in ancient times to be one of the wonders of the world. The Bible records that Herod spent an additional 46 years beautifying it. The disciples thought that by pointing out to Jesus the massive stones, He would admire them, but instead, He said to them, “Do you not see all these things? Assuredly, I say to you, not one stone shall be left here upon another that shall not be thrown down.” Matthew 24:2. His disciples believed that He could only mean that the temple would be overthrown at the end of the world (Matthew 24:3), not comprehending that such an awful thing could happen.

A study of history shows that the prophecy of Jesus was fulfilled exactly to the letter in the destruction of Jerusalem that took place less than 40 years later when the temple was destroyed and burned with fire. As the fire spread, it got so hot that the gold melted, causing it to run down the stones. Later, to retrieve all of the gold, the stones were knocked down until there was not a single stone upon another, literally fulfilling Jesus’ prophecy.

Today, there are many ancient artifacts and various ancient buildings around the Mediterranean, but there is no part of the wall of the temple, because nothing of it was left standing. It was completely demolished.

It was only a few days before His crucifixion and His disciples were perplexed by what Jesus had predicted. They approached Him on the Mount of Olives with the questions, “Tell us, when will these things be? And what will be the sign of Your coming, and the end of the age?” Matthew 24:3.

They wanted to know when the temple would be destroyed, when Jerusalem would be destroyed and what sign they would have of His coming and the end of the world. They thought that they were just asking one question, but they were actually asking two. Though Jesus did not tell them everything at that time, He did answer both questions, leaving them enough to figure out, as time passed.

He first pointed out the events leading up to the destruction of Jerusalem (Matthew 24:4–14). History proves that His predictions were accurate and precisely fulfilled.

After the destruction of Jerusalem, Jesus pointed out major events that would take place in earth’s history, before His return again to this world. He predicted a great tribulation for the church (Matthew 24:16).

This was not referring to the tribulation for the world. The great time of trouble for the world is still future, but the great tribulation for the church is in the past. Jesus made this very clear that after the destruction of Jerusalem there would be great tribulation for the church. He said it would be so great for His followers that there had not been anything like it in the past, nor would there be anything like it in the future for His church, or His people.

This prophecy, again, was exactly and precisely fulfilled. For well over one thousand years, Christians suffered persecution such as had never been before. History books tell about the massacre of Saint Bartholomew in France when it is estimated that around thirty thousand lost their lives. We will never know for sure until the Day of Judgment. You can read about the time when the whole nation of the Netherlands was sentenced to death, or the time when in the space of about one year a million people were martyred for their faith in Northern Italy. There are many other accounts of massacres of the faithful during this time. The Society of Friends estimated that fifty, or perhaps even seventy million Christians lost their lives during the Dark Ages because of their faith.

This great tribulation that Jesus predicted, such as had never been and never would be again, specifically referred to the persecution of His followers. Remember, that this does not refer to the great time of trouble such as never was. The great time of trouble for the world is still in the future, but the great tribulation for the church, the greatest tribulation that there has ever been, is already in the past.

Daniel, in his book, and John, in the book of Revelation, have also extensively spoken about these predictions, spoken of by Jesus. These books describe how long the tribulation will last—over a thousand years, twelve hundred and sixty years to be exact. Jesus said it would be cut short for the saints’ sake. As this persecution was to draw to a close, Jesus said there would be a dark day (Matthew 24; Mark 13).

As the 18th century came to a close, so did this period of persecution. Jesus, describing the dark day that would come at that time, said that the sun would not give its light, neither the moon. On May 19, 1780, that was fulfilled.

Jesus also said that the stars would fall from heaven. I am always interested in the order of things in Bible prophecy; it is one of the most intriguing things to study. If the order of things given in Bible prophecy should ever prove to be incorrect, then every skeptic and every scoffer in the world would point that out and say, “See, the Bible predicted this, but it didn’t happen that way; it happened this way.” But they cannot do that. Bible prophecy always turns out to be fulfilled just in the order that the prophets gave it. Jesus said there would be a dark day, and after that, the stars would fall from heaven.

It happened! The stars fell from heaven in November 1833. It was the greatest shower of meteors and meteorites that has ever been recorded. We do not know the exact number, but it has been estimated at 240,000. The shower was so great that night was turned into day on that November evening. The prophecy of Jesus was fulfilled exactly as He predicted.

When they saw these things, Bible students all over the world studied to find out what these signs in the heavens were all about. Looking at the prophecy of Jesus and comparing it with the prophecies in Daniel and in Revelation they concluded that things had been fulfilled right in order, and the next thing to expect would be the second coming of Christ.

These Bible students did not understand everything, but what they did understand they began to preach and the result of this proclamation was that there was a second advent awakening that took place all over the world. People from all different faiths—Protestants, Catholics and other people not connected to any church saw the fulfillment of Bible prophecy. They realized that the next thing to happen was the judgment. This was the beginning of the judgment hour message that was preached.

In those days the believers did not understand exactly what the hour of God’s judgment was. They preached the 2,300 day prophecy from Daniel 8:14 that the hour of judgment would begin in 1843 and 1844.

Actually they were right about the time, but they just did not yet have a correct understanding of the event or what the hour of God’s judgment involved. It was thought that the hour of God’s judgment and the cleansing of the sanctuary meant that Christ would return for the saints, taking them out of this world before destroying the rest of the world with fire.

When 1844 came and Jesus did not come, those expecting Him were extremely disappointed. This was not the first time a disappointment is recorded in Scripture. It happened just six days before the crucifixion and the disciples had proclaimed Jesus to be the Messiah. People were coming down from the Mount of Olives into Jerusalem witnessing to many miracles Jesus had performed there, proclaiming Him to be the Messiah, just as is predicted in the book of Zechariah. It says that the Messiah would come riding on a donkey and the people would say to the daughter of Jerusalem, “Shout! … Your King is coming to you.” Zechariah 9:9. They quoted the Scripture and told about the miracles. There were so many in that crowd and they were so happy. There were some people who could say, “I was blind until Jesus came and now I can see.” There were others who could say, “I was deaf until Jesus came, and now I can hear.” There were yet others who could say, “I was paralyzed and couldn’t walk until Jesus came, and now I can walk.” Lazarus was in that crowd and he could say, “I was dead; I was in a cave tomb for four days and Jesus came, and now here I am alive.”

As the people related all the wonderful things that Jesus had done, they became very, very excited. Even the disciples thought that Jesus would reign as a king in Jerusalem, but instead of that, in less than a week from that happy occasion, they were sorely disappointed as their hopes vanished and they saw Jesus being lifted up on the cross of Calvary.

They did not yet understand the plan of salvation and that sin cannot be taken away unless someone pays the price. The only person able to pay the price was someone who was above the law. You and I are not above the law. The Bible says we are beneath the law; we are below the law. Even the angels are made under the law. Only Jesus is above the law and for that reason He was the only One who could pay the price for sin. The disciples, not understanding, were disappointed. In the same way, those who were expecting Jesus to come in 1844 were disappointed, because it did not happen the way they had thought. They did not perfectly understand the prophecies.

Interestingly, when we study Matthew 24 and 25, we find that Jesus anticipated this. Notice what He says in Matthew 24: Jesus says, “But if that evil servant says in his heart, ‘My master is delaying his coming,’ and begins to beat his fellow servants, and to eat and drink with the drunkards, the master of that servant will come on a day when he is not looking for him and at an hour that he is not aware of, and will cut him in two and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites. There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” Matthew 24:48–51. Then Jesus, talking about the time when He would return said, “Then the kingdom of heaven shall be likened to ten virgins, who took their lamps, and went out to meet the bridegroom.” Matthew 25:1.

Jesus told them a story about a wedding. He described an Eastern marriage. I have never heard of a marriage that took place at midnight, but this is a marriage that didn’t take place until midnight.

The story in Matthew 25 is especially about Christ’s followers—His church, His people, those who will be living in the last days in the evening of this world’s history.

Jesus said, “The kingdom of heaven shall be likened to ten virgins, who took their lamps, and went out to meet the bridegroom.” The bridegroom is Jesus Christ and the people who went out to meet Him are His followers. They are described as ten virgins.

“They all took their lamps.” Matthew 25:3. These are people who have a pure faith, because they are described as virgins. The meaning of lamp, when we are talking spiritually is found in Psalm 119:105. It says, “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.”

The Bible is a lamp, but it does not do any good if it is not lit—if there is no fire coming out of it. Anciently, in order to keep the lamp lit, there was need of oil in the base. Oil is the symbol of the Holy Spirit. Even the Bible will not do you any good if the Holy Spirit does not do its work on your mind. In fact, the apostle Paul says, “But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.” 1 Corinthians 2:14. It is the Holy Spirit that inspired the Bible, and it is also necessary that the Spirit interpret to the reader the things of God.

Without the Holy Spirit working on your mind, you cannot understand the Bible. People often want the church, the theologian or the minister to explain Scripture because they can’t understand it. But what we really need to do is pray and say, “Lord, You have promised!” Jesus promised that if you ask, you will be given the Holy Spirit and you will be enabled to understand God’s word (Luke 11:9).

The main reason people do not want to receive the Holy Spirit is because the first thing that happens when the Holy Spirit starts working on a person’s mind is that person becomes convicted of sin (John 16). People generally do not want to be convicted of sin, but they want some other way out. They want to go to heaven without being convicted of their sins.

Many believe that they do want the Holy Spirit until their hearts become convicted of sin; then they say, “No, go away!” But, if you are willing, as you read God’s Word, to accept the conviction by the Holy Spirit of sin you can then confess, repent and forsake your sins and be ready for heaven.

All of the virgins had lamps—the Bible. They all had oil, the Holy Spirit enabling them to understand it, but notice what happened. Some of the virgins took extra oil. Jesus said five of them were wise and five were foolish. Those who were foolish had their lamps, but no extra oil with them. The wise took extra oil in their vessels with their lamps. But while the Bridegroom was delayed, they all slumbered and slept.

They were expecting the Bridegroom to return, but they didn’t realize there would be such a long delay. They thought it would be 7 o’clock, but it wasn’t. They thought the Lord would return at 8 o’clock but He didn’t. And then they thought 9 o’clock, but He still didn’t come. And then at midnight they heard the cry, “Behold, the bridegroom is coming; go out to meet Him” (Matthew 25:6). Then all those virgins awoke and trimmed their lamps.

Notice, according to this story, it will be in the darkest period of earth’s history that the Bridegroom returns. This does not mean the darkest period intellectually, but the darkest period spiritually and morally. Then all those virgins arose and trimmed their lamps. And the foolish said to the wise, “Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.” But the wise answered, saying, “No, lest there should not be enough for us and you; but go rather to those who sell, and buy for yourselves.” And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the wedding; and the door was shut. Afterward the other virgins came also, saying, “Lord, Lord, open to us!” But he answered and said, “Assuredly, I say to you, I do not know you. Watch, therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour in which the Son of Man is coming” (Matthew 25:8–10).

This is a very solemn story indeed. It tells us that there will be many Christians at the end of the world who will find out they are not ready to meet the Bridegroom.

The people who expected the Bridegroom to come in 1844 were disappointed. They had to go back and study their Bibles to find out what had happened, where they had made their mistake. As they continued to study the Word of God they found out a great deal about why they had been disappointed, what was going to happen and what they needed to do.

In the parable of the virgins is seen a delay. The Bridegroom tarried; the Bridegroom delayed his coming. The Bridegroom is not going to tarry forever and when He comes back at the darkest hour of earth’s history, are you going to be ready?

The story teaches us that a large percentage (50 percent) of people who call themselves Christians will not be ready for the Lord’s return. When the Bridegroom returns in the clouds of heaven they will not be ready with their lamps trimmed; they will be out of oil. It will then be too late to make preparation, for just before the Bridegroom returns, the proclamation is made, “He who is unjust, let him be unjust still; he who is filthy, let him be filthy still; he who is righteous, let him be righteous still; he who is holy, let him be holy still. And behold, I am coming quickly and my reward is with Me, to give to everyone according to his work.” Revelation 22:11, 12.

Christ believes in lawfulness and hates lawlessness. It means that each person is to choose which side of the great controversy he/she is on and that decision involves the law of God.

Whoever sins breaks God’s law and puts himself/herself on the devil’s side (1 John 3:4–8).

While this great controversy is going on it is still possible to change sides. If you find yourself today on the devil’s side, you could decide to change by surrendering your heart and life over to the sovereignty of Jesus Christ and be on His side.

The opposite is also true. If you decide to live a lawless life, breaking God’s law as you please, you will be on the devil’s side of the great controversy (1 John 3).

Right now while there is an opportunity you can change sides, but midnight is coming; the Bridegroom is going to come back and then it will be too late to change. The door of mercy will be shut. At that time you will either be saved already, or you will never be saved.

Make a decision today while there is still time.

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

Bible Study Guides – Life and Death

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June 12, 2011 – June 18, 2011

Key Text

“As righteousness tendeth to life: so he that pursueth evil pursueth it to his own death.” Proverbs 11:19.

Study Helps: The Great Controversy, 544–562; Counsels on Health, 627–630.

Introduction

“It is a solemn thing to die, but a far more solemn thing to live.” Testimonies, vol. 5, 466.

1 LIFE TO ITS FULLEST

  • What does God identify as the key to abundant life? Proverbs 4:10–13, 20–22. How do faith and obedience promote our physical well-being? Proverbs 14:30; 19:23.

Note: “Godliness does not conflict with the laws of health, but is in harmony with them. Had men ever been obedient to the law of Ten Commandments, had they carried out in their lives the principles of these ten precepts, the curse of disease that now floods the world would not be.” Counsels on Health, 627.

  • Why does serving God actually make our life easier? Proverbs 13:14, 15; 14:27. What condition results from rebellion against His wisdom? Proverbs 8:32–36; 11:19.

Note: “God is the fountain of life; and when one chooses the service of sin, he separates from God, and thus cuts himself off from life. He is ‘alienated from the life of God.’ Christ says, ‘All they that hate Me love death.’ Ephesians 4:18; Proverbs 8:36. God gives them existence for a time that they may develop their character and reveal their principles. This accomplished, they receive the results of their own choice. By a life of rebellion, Satan and all who unite with him place themselves so out of harmony with God that His very presence is to them a consuming fire. The glory of Him who is love will destroy them.” The Desire of Ages, 764.

2 AVOIDING SELF-DECEPTION

  • How does Solomon summarize the major issues of life and death? Ecclesiastes 8:5–13.
  • Even if we do not actively commit sin, how may we still be guilty before God?

Note: “In the great Judgment day, those who have not worked for Christ, who have drifted along thinking of themselves, caring for themselves, will be placed by the Judge of the whole earth with those who did evil. They receive the same condemnation.” The Desire of Ages, 641.

  • What basic sign of humility before God and man can help to protect us from being deceived? Proverbs 28:13.

Note: “It is a close test upon the courage of men and women to be brought to face their own sins and to frankly acknowledge them. To say, ‘That mistake must be charged to my account,’ requires a strength of inward principle that the world possesses in but a limited degree. But he who has the courage to say this in sincerity gains a decided victory over self and effectually closes the door against the enemy.” Testimonies, vol. 4, 336, 337.

“[Proverbs 28:13 quoted.] If those who hide and excuse their faults could see how Satan exults over them, how he taunts Christ and holy angels with their course, they would make haste to confess their sins and to put them away. Through defects in the character, Satan works to gain control of the whole mind, and he knows that if these defects are cherished, he will succeed. Therefore he is constantly seeking to deceive the followers of Christ with his fatal sophistry that it is impossible for them to overcome. But Jesus pleads in their behalf His wounded hands, His bruised body; and He declares to all who would follow Him: ‘My grace is sufficient for thee.’ 11 Corinthians 12:9. ‘Take My yoke upon you, and learn of Me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For My yoke is easy, and My burden is light.’ Matthew 11:29, 30. Let none, then, regard their defects as incurable. God will give faith and grace to overcome them.” The Great Controversy, 489.

3 UNDERSTANDING DEATH

  • What must we know about the solemnity of death—both of ourselves and others? Hebrews 9:27; Proverbs 24:11, 12.

Note: “Among the manifold lessons that we may learn from Solomon’s life, none are more plainly taught than the power of influence for good or for ill. However contracted may be one’s sphere, he exerts an influence. That our influence should be a savor of death unto death, is a fearful thought, yet this is possible. One soul misled—forfeiting eternal bliss—who can estimate the loss! And yet one rash act, one thoughtless word, on our part, may exert so deep an influence on the life of another that it will prove the ruin of his soul! One blemish on the character may turn many away from Christ.” The Review and Herald, February 15, 1906.

  • How are we warned against a major form of deception, especially in the last days? Colossians 2:8, 18, 19.

Note: “I was directed to this scripture as especially applying to modern spiritualism. [Colossians 2:8 quoted.] Thousands … have been spoiled through the philosophy of phrenology and animal magnetism, and have been driven into infidelity. If the mind commences to run in this channel, it is almost sure to lose its balance and be controlled by a demon. ‘Vain deceit’ fills the minds of poor mortals. They think there is such power in themselves to accomplish great works that they realize no necessity of a higher power. Their principles and faith are ‘after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ.’ Jesus has not taught them this philosophy. Nothing of the kind can be found in His teachings. He did not direct the minds of poor mortals to themselves, to a power which they possessed. He was ever directing their minds to God, the Creator of the universe, as the source of their strength and wisdom. Special warning is given in verse 18. [Colossians 2:18 quoted.]” Testimonies, vol. 1, 297.

4 A PERIL IN THE LAST DAYS

  • What has God declared through Solomon regarding the state of the dead? Ecclesiastes 9:5, 6.

Note: “The teachers of spiritualism come in a pleasing, bewitching manner to deceive you, and if you listen to their fables you are beguiled by the enemy of righteousness and will surely lose your reward. When once the fascinating influence of the archdeceiver overcomes you, you are poisoned, and its deadly influence adulterates and destroys your faith in Christ’s being the Son of God, and you cease to rely on the merits of His blood. Those deceived by this philosophy are beguiled of their reward through the deceptions of Satan. They rely upon their own merits, exercise voluntary humility, are even willing to make sacrifices, and debase themselves, and yield their minds to the belief of supreme nonsense, receiving the most absurd ideas through those whom they believe to be their dead friends. Satan has so blinded their eyes and perverted their judgment that they perceive not the evil; and they follow out the instructions purporting to be from their dead friends now angels in a higher sphere.

“Satan has chosen a most certain, fascinating delusion, one that is calculated to take hold of the sympathies of those who have laid their loved ones in the grave. Evil angels assume the form of these loved ones and relate incidents connected with their lives and perform acts which their friends performed while living. In this way they deceive and lead the relatives of the dead to believe that their deceased friends are angels hovering about them and communing with them. These they regard with a certain idolatry, and what they may say has greater influence over them than the word of God. These evil angels, who assume to be dead friends, will either utterly reject God’s word as idle tales, or, if it suit their purpose best, will select the vital portions which testify of Christ and point out the way to heaven, and change the plain statements of the word of God to suit their own corrupt nature and ruin souls. With due attention to the word of God, all may be convinced if they will of this soul-destroying delusion … [Ecclesiastes 9:5, 6 quoted].” Testimonies, vol. 1, 297, 298.

5 SOLEMN BUT NOT DREADFUL

  • How can we avoid destruction? Proverbs 21:15, 16.

Note: “We cannot wait until the judgment before we consent to deny self and to lift the cross. We cannot then form characters for heaven. It is here in this life that we must take sides with the humble, self-denying Redeemer. It is here that we must overcome envy, strife, selfishness, love of money, and love of the world. It is here that we must enter the school of Christ, and learn of the Master the precious lessons of meekness and lowliness of mind. And here it must be our aim and earnest effort to be loyal and true to the God of heaven by obeying all of His commandments and thus be fitting up for the mansions that Christ has gone to prepare for all who love God.” The Upward Look, 192.

  • What are some ways to promote true health and happiness in life? Proverbs 3:13–19; I Timothy 4:8.

Note: “There are many amusements that excite the mind, but depression is sure to follow. Other modes of recreation are innocent and healthful; but useful labor that affords physical exercise will often have a more beneficial influence upon the mind, while at the same time it will strengthen the muscles, improve the circulation, and prove a powerful agent in the recovery of health.” Counsels on Health, 627.

“When the mind is free and happy from a sense of duty well done and the satisfaction of giving happiness to others, the cheering, uplifting influence brings new life to the whole being.” The Ministry of Healing, 257.

Review and Thought Questions

1 Name some temporal benefits gained from serving God.

2 What common form of self-deception may be plaguing us?

3 How do many underestimate the solemnity of death?

4 Why is it important to know the doctrine of the state of the dead?

5 How does abundant life involve bearing the cross?

Copyright © 2002 Reformation Herald Publishing Association, 5240 Hollins Road, Roanoke, Virginia. Reprinted by permission.

Keys to the Storehouse — The Price–Is It Too High?

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Price means that which must be given, done, or undergone to obtain something. (Webster’s Dictionary) What is the price of heaven—what must be given, done, or undergone—and is it too high?

“But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.” John 1:12, 13.

What must be given, done, or undergone for you and me to obtain heaven?

“Given”—Have you given of yourself—Is the price too high to give of yourself in the study of the word of God so that your heart may “receive” the only begotten Son of God? Who or what is receiving of the time which God has given to you as a gift and what are you receiving in return? Are you receiving worldliness for God’s gift of time? Are you receiving destruction for the gift of health? What are you receiving for the gift of time—the price of heaven? or the price of eternal life lost?

“Done”— Receiving God’s word into your heart—Is it done? Is your heart so complete in its relationship with Jesus that it can be said, “It is done—finished”? Or is the heart wide open to worldly influences and distractions, which are the price of eternal life lost? Will you receive the words “Well done, thou good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord” [Matthew 25:12]—which is the price of heaven? Or is there an unfinished/undone work—the price of eternal life lost?

“Undergo/undergone”—The old self needs to experience or “undergo” a transformation of self. See Ephesians 4:22–24. Is your “old self” undergoing a transformation? “The old nature, born of blood and the will of the flesh, cannot inherit the kingdom of God. The old ways, the hereditary tendencies, the former habits, must be given up; for grace is not inherited. The new birth consists in having new motives, new tastes, new tendencies.” “Ellen G. White Comments,” The Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, vol. 6, 1101. The new self—the new birth is the receiving of Jesus—the price of heaven; the old self is the price of eternal life lost.

In The Desire of Ages, on page 385, we are told: “The price of heaven is Jesus.”

Jesus is the price you will pay for heaven. It is the giving of your heart—your affection, your life—to receive Jesus. “Heaven is worth everything to us. We must not run any risk in this matter. We must take no venture here. We must know that our steps are ordered by the Lord. May God help us in the great work of overcoming.” Temperance, 114.

Is heaven in your future or is the loss of eternal life your earnings? “It is eternal loss if we gain the whole world, with all its pleasure and glory, and yet lose the soul. Heaven is cheap enough at any cost.” Confrontation, 78.

Father, I pray that I may not shrink from trials, but bear them with patience. I yield my heart fully to the transforming grace of Thy Holy Spirit that I may be able to give, to do, and to undergo all that is needed to receive the price of heaven and not the price of eternal life lost. Amen.

Positions Reversed

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Millions of God’s people have been persecuted and killed, both in ancient and in modern times. But the time is coming when the position of the oppressors and the persecuted will become completely reversed. Those who have been persecuted will receive their eternal inheritance, and those who have been the oppressors will be raised to receive their doom. On which side will you be? Each one of us will either be on one side or the other. How do you know on which side you will be?

The book of Revelation clearly predicts that as we approach the end of the world, the entire world will be deceived, but God’s children will not be deceived. This is spoken of over and over again in the latter chapters of the book of Revelation. Not only will the whole world be deceived, but the book of Revelation tells us that they will be deceived by evil spirits. The devil is the chief evil spirit, and he is the one who deceives the whole world in the last days by means of miracles. Read Revelation 13:13–17 and Revelation 16:13, 14.

People are also going to be induced to build an image to the beast. They will be commanded to worship this image, and if you do not worship this image, it will be decreed that you be killed. In Revelation 13:15, it says, “He was granted power to give breath to the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak and cause as many as would not worship the image of the beast to be killed.”

Verses 16 and 17 continue: “He causes all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on their right hand or on their foreheads, and that no one may buy or sell except one who has the mark or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.”

If you do not worship the beast or receive his mark, you will not be able to buy or sell. This is very serious. When the powers of this world declare that you must worship God by worshiping the image to the beast, you must remember that the Ten Commandments say that you are not to worship any image. In Exodus 20:4–6, it says, “You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth; you shall not bow down to them nor serve them. For I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me, but showing mercy to thousands, to those who love Me and keep My commandments.” This is clear instruction not to worship any image.

When the powers of this earth say that you must worship the image, or be killed, what is God going to do? The answer is given in Revelation 14:9–12: “Then a third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, ‘If anyone worships the beast and his image, and receives his mark on his forehead or on his hand, he himself shall also drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out full strength into the cup of His indignation. He shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb. And the smoke of their torment ascends forever and ever; and they have no rest day or night, who worship the beast and his image, and whoever receives the mark of his name.’ Here is the patience of the saints; here are those who keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus.”

Notice, God says that if you worship the beast and his image and receive his mark, you are going to receive of His wrath, undiluted. In other words, it will be unmixed with mercy. This has never happened before. All judgments of God in the world, up to the present time, have been mingled with mercy.

We are living in the day of mercy, the day of grace, called in the Bible, the day of salvation, as you can read in Isaiah 49:8: “Thus says the Lord: ‘In an acceptable time I have heard You, and in the day of salvation I have helped You; I will preserve You and give You as a covenant to the people, to restore the earth, to cause them to inherit the desolate heritages.’ ”

It is the acceptable time, a day of salvation for the person who has been sinning. When a person is sinning, he has been following the devil, because he who sins is of the devil (I John 3:8). During this time, a person who has been living in sin, following the devil, can decide to repent, to turn around, to be converted, and follow Jesus Christ as his Lord and Saviour.

If we follow Jesus Christ, we are to walk as He walked. He lived a holy life. We are to learn to live the way He lived. We are living in that day of grace, but the day of grace will not last forever.

When the world rejects the third angel’s message, as stated in Revelation 14:9–12, the day of grace will come to an end, and God’s wrath will be poured out. A description of this is found in Revelation 22:11, 12. It says, “He who is unjust, let him be unjust still; he who is filthy, let him be filthy still; he who is righteous, let him be righteous still; he who is holy, let him be holy still. And behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to give to every one according to his work.”

The time is coming when you won’t be able to turn around. You won’t be able to forsake your life of sin and follow the Lord Jesus. Whatever condition you are in, you are going to stay that way. You are either saved or lost, and you are going to stay that way. You might be lost today, but we are not yet living in the time when probation is closed, so you still have the opportunity to turn around. You could choose to turn and follow the Lord Jesus. But when probation is closed, it will be too late for you to turn around. It will be too late to change your mind. You will either be saved or lost. And when that happens, then will be what the Bible calls, “the day of His wrath.”

Remember, the third angel’s message tells us that those who do not listen to this will receive God’s wrath unmixed with mercy, unmingled. What is God’s wrath? In Revelation 15:1 it says, “Then I saw another sign in heaven, great and marvelous: seven angels having the seven last plagues, for in them the wrath of God is complete.” If you reject the third angel’s message, then when probation closes, you will receive the wrath of God, and it is contained in the seven last plagues. “So the first went and poured out his bowl upon the earth, and a foul and loathsome sore came upon the men who had the mark of the beast and those who worshiped his image.” Revelation 16:2.

Those who reject the Three Angels’ Messages will receive the seven last plagues, which are God’s unmingled wrath. They do not just receive the first plague; they receive the second, the third, the fourth, the fifth, the sixth, and when the seventh plague is poured out, life in this world, as we know it, will come to an end.

Notice what it says in Revelation 16, starting with verse 17: “Then the seventh angel [this is the seventh plague] poured out his bowl into the air, and a loud voice came out of the temple of heaven, from the throne, saying, ‘It is done!’ ” Notice, it is over now! “And there were noises and thunderings and lightnings; and there was a great earthquake, such a mighty and great earthquake as had not occurred since men were on the earth. Now the great city was divided into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell. And great Babylon was remembered before God, to give her the cup of the wine of the fierceness of His wrath. Then every island fled away, and the mountains were not found. And great hail from heaven fell upon men, each hailstone about the weight of a talent. Men blasphemed God because of the plague of the hail, since that plague was exceedingly great.” Verses 18–21.

Then the second coming of Christ will occur; the day and hour for the coming of Jesus will be announced from heaven [see “My First Vision,” Christian Experience and Teachings of Ellen G. White (1922), 57–61], and when Jesus comes, it says in the Bible, every eye will see Him (Revelation 1:7). Jesus said to His disciples, before He left them, “If I go away, I am going to prepare a place for you, and I am going to come again, and I am going to receive you to Myself” (John 14:2, 3).

The apostle Paul described this wonderful, exciting event in I Thessalonians 4:16, 17. He said, “The Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord.”

The Bible says, concerning God’s children, that, “They shall neither hunger anymore nor thirst anymore; the sun shall not strike them, nor any heat; for the Lamb who is in the midst of the throne will shepherd them and lead them to living fountains of waters. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.” Revelation 7:16, 17.

In this world, in all ages, the chosen of Jesus Christ have been educated and disciplined in the school of trial. God’s children walk in narrow paths on this earth. Jesus said it is a narrow way that leads to the kingdom of heaven (Matthew 7:14). God’s children, in this world, are purified in the furnace of affliction, and for Jesus’ sake, God’s children have endured opposition and hatred. The children of our Lord have followed Jesus through conflicts, trials terrible, and through self-denial, and they have experienced bitter disappointments. However, by their own painful experience, they have learned the evil of sin and of its power, its guilt, and its woe, and they look upon sin with abhorrence. A sense of the infinite sacrifice that the God of heaven made to cure sin will keep us humble forever. And it will fill our hearts with gratitude and praise for the One Who offered His life on Calvary’s cross to save us from sin and death.

If we are partakers of Christ’s sufferings here, we will be partakers of His glory in the future. The heirs of God, when Jesus comes in the clouds of heaven, will come from hovels, dungeons, scaffolds, mountains, deserts, from the caves of the earth and also from the caverns of the sea. In this world, as Paul says in Hebrews 11, they were destitute, afflicted, and tormented, because they followed Jesus. Millions of people have gone down to the grave, loaded with infamy, because they steadfastly refused to listen to the deceptive claims of Satan that had taken the world captive. By human tribunals they have been judged to be the vilest of criminals, but when Jesus comes, the Bible says, “God Himself is Judge.” Psalm 50:6.

At that time, the decisions of this earth will be reversed. The Bible tells us that the rebuke of His people He will take away. “He will swallow up death forever, and the Lord God will wipe away tears from all faces; the rebuke of His people He will take away from all the earth; for the Lord has spoken.” Isaiah 25:8.

Isaiah 62:12 says, “And they shall call them The Holy People, the Redeemed of the Lord; and you shall be called, Sought Out, a City Not Forsaken.” And also, “Proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all who mourn, to console those who mourn in Zion, to give them beauty for ashes ….” That is talking especially about people who have been burned at the stake. “The oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they may be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that He may be glorified.” Isaiah 61:2, 3.

No longer will God’s children be feeble, afflicted, scattered, oppressed and tormented. From now on, the Bible says in I Thessalonians 4:17, they will “always be with the Lord.” They will stand before the throne of God, clad in richer garments than anyone in this world has ever worn. They will have crowns that are more glorious than any monarch of this world wears. The days of pain and weeping will be forever ended. The King of Glory will have wiped away every tear from every face. Every cause of grief will have been removed. They will wave palm branches and pour forth a song of praise, clear, sweet, and harmonious. In fact, the song of praise they will sing is recorded in the Bible in Revelation 7:10, 12. This is what it says they will sing: “Crying out with a loud voice, saying, ‘Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!’ … saying: ‘Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom, thanksgiving and honor and power and might, Be to our God forever and ever.’ ”

Are you going to be in that throng singing that song? In this world we can only begin to understand the wonderful theme of Redemption. With our finite comprehension, we may consider most earnestly the shame, the glory, the life, the death, the justice, and the mercy that meet in the cross.

With the utmost stretch of our mental powers, we cannot grasp the full significance of the plan of salvation or the cross of Jesus Christ. People in this world dimly comprehend the length and breadth and depth and height of redeeming love. The plan of salvation will not be completely understood, even when we are taken to heaven. It will take eternal ages for us to understand the love, the mercy and grace of God. Your happiness will be constantly increasing. You cannot afford to miss this.

The cross of Jesus Christ will be the science and the song of the redeemed throughout the ceaseless ages of eternity. Never will it be forgotten that He Whose power created and upheld unnumbered worlds in space—the Beloved of God, the Majesty of Heaven, the One Whom cherubim and seraphim delighted to adore, that Person—humbled Himself, to uplift fallen man. He came to this world and bore the guilt and shame of sin and the hiding of His Father’s face, until the woes of a lost world broke His heart and crushed out His life.

As we look upon Christ glorified, we will remember Christ crucified. The idea that the Maker of all the worlds, the arbiter of all destinies, should lay aside His glory and humiliate Himself from love to man, will always excite the wonder and adoration of the universe.

The Bible asks, “What do you conspire against the Lord? … affliction will not rise up a second time.” Nahum 1:9. The plan of salvation will work a permanent cure to the rebellion and disobedience of sin. As the nations of the saved look upon their Redeemer and see the eternal glory of the Father shining in His countenance, as they behold His throne, which is from everlasting to everlasting, and they know that His kingdom is to have no end (Daniel 7), they will break forth into a rapturous song.

We are told in Revelation 5:11–13 what heaven’s inhabitants are going to declare: “I looked, and I heard the voice of many angels around the throne, the living creatures, and the elders; and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands, saying with a loud voice: ‘Worthy is the Lamb who was slain to receive power and riches and wisdom, and strength and honor and glory and blessing!’ And every creature which is in heaven and on the earth and under the earth and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, I heard saying: ‘Blessing and honor and glory and power be to Him who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb, forever and ever!’ ”

The mystery of the cross explains all other mysteries. When we look at the light that streams from Calvary, then the attributes of God that used to fill us with fear and awe begin to appear beautiful and attractive, because we see that mercy and tenderness and parental love blend with holiness, justice and power. While we behold the majesty of God upon His throne, high and lifted up, we will see in His character the gracious manifestations and comprehend, as never before, the significance of that endearing term by which Jesus taught us to address Him Who is in heaven, “Our Father.”

It is going to be seen, in the future, that God the Father, the One Who is infinite in wisdom, could devise no plan for the salvation of fallen man except the sacrifice of His Son. The compensation for this sacrifice is the joy of peopling the earth with ransomed beings, holy, happy and immortal. Jesus asked of His Father, in the Garden of Gethsemane, “O My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as You will.” Matthew 26:39. And, the chief priests, when Jesus was on the cross, spoke the words inspired of them by the devil, “If He is the King of Israel, let Him now come down from the cross, and we will believe Him.” Matthew 27:42. Jesus could have come down from the cross. Jesus could have walked away from the Garden of Gethsemane. He could have left this world to perish in its guilt. But, because He did not walk away, because He did not come down from the cross, because He died on the cross to pay the price of sin, He has the authority and the right to forgive your sins, to cleanse you from all unrighteousness, if you confess them (I John 1:9). He has the right to give to you the gift of eternal life.

If we follow Jesus, we must obey His law; we must follow Him in holy living, but our obedience has nothing to do with merit. All merit for eternal life is of grace, none of works. Paul said, “For by grace you have been saved through faith … not of works, lest anyone should boast.” Ephesians 2:8, 9. It is a gift, but it is a gift that can be given only to those who are fit to receive it.

There are going to be some wonderful consequences of the Saviour’s conflict with the powers of darkness. It is going to be joy to the redeemed, redounding to the glory of God throughout all eternity. The big question is, Are you going to participate in this great salvation?

We do not comprehend what it means, because we do not live very long. How many people do you know who are over a hundred years old? We do not live very long in this world, but if you are saved, if you are redeemed, if you are taken to the Father’s house, you will then be given a life that measures with the life of God. You will be alive, not just a hundred years from now, not just a thousand years from now, not just ten thousand years from now; you will have a life that will never end. Can you comprehend the value of a gift like that? If you are given life that will last forever, that would have more value than you could write down or compute. It has infinite value.

The value of your soul is so great that the Father saw fit to send His Son to this world, to pay the price for your sins so that you could be restored and redeemed. The value of the soul is so great, that the Father is satisfied with the price that is paid. Not only is the Father satisfied with the price that is paid, but Jesus Christ, who died on the cross for your sins, will also be satisfied with the price paid. Notice what it says in Isaiah 53:11, 12: “He shall see the travail [labor] of His soul, and be satisfied. … Therefore I will divide Him a portion with the great, and He shall divide the spoil with the strong, because He poured out His soul unto death, and He was numbered with the transgressors, and He bore the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.”

Jesus will be satisfied. He wants to take you to that place and give to you eternal life. The question is, Will you let Him do it? Will you choose to be His disciple, to follow Him today, in obedience and holy living?

[Bible texts quoted are NKJV translation.]

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

Editorial – True or False Assurance

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“Therefore, brothers, be diligent to make sure of your calling and election.” II Peter 1:10, Literal Translation. Unfortunately, much of the assurance that many Christians have today is a false assurance. Ellen White explained it this way: “Many accept an intellectual religion, a form of godliness, when the heart is not cleansed. Let it be your prayer, ‘Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.’ Psalm 51:10. Deal truly with your own soul. Be as earnest, as persistent, as you would be if your mortal life were at stake. This is a matter to be settled between God and your own soul, settled for eternity. A supposed hope, and nothing more, will prove your ruin.”

“Study God’s word prayerfully. That word presents before you, in the law of God and the life of Christ, the great principles of holiness, without which ‘no man shall see the Lord.’ Hebrews 12:14. It convinces of sin; it plainly reveals the way of salvation. Give heed to it as the voice of God speaking to your soul.” Steps to Christ, 35.

Has your heart been renewed by Divine grace so that the supreme object in your life is to be Christlike, to breathe His Spirit, do His will, and please Him in all things? If not, any assurance that you have is a false assurance and will not stand the test of the judgment.

“Many are leaning upon a supposed hope without a true foundation. The fountain is not cleansed, therefore the streams proceeding from that fountain are not pure. Cleanse the fountain, and the streams will be pure. If the heart is right, your words, your dress, your acts, will all be right. True godliness is lacking. I would not dishonor my Master so much as to admit that a careless, trifling, prayerless person is a Christian. No; a Christian has victory over his besetments, over his passions. There is a remedy for the sin-sick soul. That remedy is in Jesus. Precious Saviour! His grace is sufficient for the weakest; and the strongest must also have His grace or perish.” Testimonies, vol. 1, 158.

“The hope of eternal life is not to be received upon slight grounds. It is a subject to be settled between God and your own soul–settled for eternity. A supposed hope, and nothing more, will prove your ruin. Since you are to stand or fall by the word of God, it is to that word you must look for testimony in your case. There you can see what is required of you to become a Christian. Do not lay off your armor, or leave the battlefield until you have obtained the victory, and triumph in your Redeemer.” Ibid., 163, 164.

“To make our calling and election sure is to follow the Bible plan to closely examine ourselves, to make strict inquiry whether we are indeed converted, whether our minds are drawn out after God and heavenly things, our wills renewed, our whole souls changed.” Manuscript Releases, vol. 19, 351, 352.

Where This World is Headed

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Have you ever been deceived by having a false hope? Jesus taught that many people in the last days will believe they are saved, will but come right up to the end of the world and find out that they are lost for eternity. Don’t let it happen to you! Find out what is involved in gaining eternal life.

Whether a person has life or death in this world depends upon his or her choices. That is true not just for this temporal life alone but also for eternity. Whether a person receives eternal life or eternal death is dependent on the choices made in this life. The apostle Paul said, “It is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment.” Hebrews 9:27 KJV. All in this world, whether they are righteous or wicked, whether they are Christian or non-Christian, whether they are good or bad, will die unless they are still alive when Jesus comes. But this death is not the death about which you need to be concerned. There will be many people who will be resurrected and then die again the second death. The Bible talks clearly about the second death in Revelation 20 and 21.

One wonders why somebody would choose to die the second death. In I John 3:4 KJV, it says that sin is the transgression [or the breaking] of God’s law, and in Romans 6:23, it says, “The wages of sin is death.” Paul here is referring to the second death and not to the first death. The wages of sin is death, that death that will go on forever. A person who suffers the second death will never be alive again; they will be dead forever. They will be blotted out of existence. You can read about that in both the Old and the New Testaments—in Obadiah, Jeremiah and Revelation. There is only one way that you can escape the second death, and that is for your sins to be removed from you. The Bible says that we have all sinned (Romans 3:23) and that the wages of sin is death.

The only way for sin to be removed is to have your guilt transferred to somebody else whose righteousness or innocence could be transferred to you to remove any guilt. The Bible teaches that this is exactly what happens in the plan of salvation. The apostle Paul said, “For He made Him [that is, God made Christ] Who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.” II Corinthians 5:21. Jesus did not know any sin. It says, in I John 3:5, “In Him there is no sin.” He knew no sin. He was righteous, but the One Who was righteous took upon Himself our sins. Our sins were transferred to Him, and His righteousness was transferred to us. This is clearly taught in both the Old and the New Testaments.

If your guilt can be transferred to somebody else, then he has to pay the penalty of your guilt, allowing you to escape the penalty. Notice how truly this is stated: “He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement for our peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned, every one, to his own way; and the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.” Isaiah 53:5, 6. So, the iniquity, the sin, the transgression, the guilt can be transferred. If it could not be transferred, it would be impossible for you to be saved, and you would have to die because the wages of sin is death.

In the beginning, the accusation that Satan brought against the government of God was that He could not be just and also forgive sin. But God can be both just and righteous while also forgiving sin. The death of Christ on the cross proves that God could both forgive sin and also be righteous and just. At the cross, justice and mercy met, the penalty for sin was paid. God can also be merciful and forgive those who accept the sacrifice that was made on their behalf. “Whom God set forth as a propitiation [that is, to pay the price] by His blood, through faith, to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His forbearance God had passed over the sins that were previously committed, to demonstrate at the present time His righteousness, that He might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.” Romans 3:25, 26. Now, there is only one way to be saved, and that is to believe in Jesus Christ.

Hebrews 9:15 makes it very clear that those who lived under the Old Covenant are saved by the same sacrifice as those who live under the New Covenant. In fact, God gave to the children of Israel a picture of the plan of salvation, a picture of the everlasting covenant by which a person can be saved from their sins. This picture is called the Old Covenant, and it is centered in the earthly sanctuary service that was given to the children of Israel to explain in detail the workings of the plan of salvation. Under the Old Covenant, when a person sinned, he brought an animal sacrifice to the sanctuary where he had to place his hands on the head of that sacrifice and confess his sins (Leviticus 4, 5). There had to be repentance and confession of sin. Repentance is being sorry for sin and turning away from it.

David said, “He who covers his sins will not prosper, but whoever confesses and forsakes them will have mercy.” Proverbs 28:13. Once the sins were confessed over the head of the animal, it had to be killed. By this act the lesson was to be learned that the wages or consequence of sin is death. They also understood that the sacrifice was a symbol, or that it pre-figured the fact that some day in the future the seed, a descendant of Eve, was going to come and pay the price of their sins if they would confess and forsake them.

They understood also that the guilt from their sins could be transferred to the animal sacrifice. Paul said that the animal sacrifices could not take away sin, but that it was a symbol for them to understand how it worked. Their guilt was transferred symbolically to the sacrifice. When their guilt was transferred to the sacrifice, and because the wages of sin is death, the sacrifice had to die. They were forgiven and they could be free.

They understood that someday Somebody was going to come Who would be their substitute. Their guilt would be transferred to Somebody else. “The life of the flesh is in the blood and I have given it to you upon the altar to make atonement for your souls; for it is the blood that makes atonement for the soul.” Leviticus 17:11. The blood represented the life, and when the animal was sacrificed, it was a substitute for the life of the sinner. Their sins were transferred in figure, in type, as a symbol to the animal sacrifice. The animal sacrifice became the sin bearer. The animal sacrifice, usually a lamb, was also symbolic of the real substitute that was to come.

Who is the real sin bearer?

“The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, ‘Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!’ ” John 1:29. Jesus is the true sin bearer, the only One Whom your sin can be transferred onto and Who can take it away. Since the blood represents the life, it is the blood that takes away the guilt. In other words, your guilt is transferred to the substitute, and the life of the substitute is sacrificed in the place of your own life. The guilt of your own life is transferred onto His life. Your guilt is transferred from your blood to His blood. In other words, His life, His blood receives the pollution, receives the defilement from your guilt. Remember, God has made Christ to be sin, Who knew no sin (II Corinthians 5:21).

Why is He sin when He didn’t know any sin, and never sinned?

The Bible is very clear, over and over again, that Jesus never sinned. In fact, He once said to the Jews, “Which of you convicts Me [or convinced Me] of sin?” John 8:46. They couldn’t answer. The Bible says over and over again that He did no sin, and there was no sin in Him. But God made Him to be sin, because your guilt was transferred to Him. In Hebrews Paul spoke about this very fact, of how sin is forgiven: “According to the law almost all things are purified [or purged] with blood, and without shedding of blood there is no remission.” Hebrews 9:22. The blood of the sacrifice, which had become defiled by the guilt of the repentant sinner, was taken into the sanctuary, representing the fact that God has a record in His sanctuary of every sin that has ever been committed. The sanctuary then became defiled from the defilement of God’s repentant people, and it had to be cleansed in type, and this cleansing of the earthly sanctuary, in type not in reality, happened once a year on the Day of Atonement. And it was clearly necessary because of the uncleanness of the transgressions, the sins of the children of Israel.

Describing the cleansing of the sanctuary, the Bible says, “So he shall make atonement for the holy place, because of the uncleanness of the children of Israel and because of their transgressions, for all their sins. And so he shall do for the tabernacle of meeting which remains among them in the midst of their uncleanness. … He shall sprinkle some of the blood on it with his fingers seven times, cleanse it, and sanctify it from the uncleanness of the children of Israel.” Leviticus 16:16–19 literal translation. The sanctuary became polluted because of the defilement that had been registered there by the confession of sins throughout the year. Daily, the people were forgiven and their guilt was transferred, by the blood, into the sanctuary. It was appointed that once a year, on the Day of Atonement, they were not just forgiven, but cleansed from all defilement. “For on that day the priest shall make atonement for you, to cleanse you that you may be clean from all your sins before the Lord.” Leviticus 16:30. All year long you could go and confess your sins, sacrificing your lambs, but if you did not participate in the Day of Atonement, you were cut off from the children of Israel. It was absolutely a vital necessity that you not only be forgiven but that you be cleansed, that is, to have your sins taken away from you, and that was symbolized to happen on the Day of Atonement.

Paul says, in Hebrews 8 and 9, that everything that happened in the earthly sanctuary is a symbol or type of what happens in the heavenly sanctuary. When is the heavenly sanctuary cleansed? As was the earthly sanctuary, the heavenly sanctuary also has to be cleansed. Concerning this cleansing we read, “It was symbolic for the present time in which both gifts and sacrifices are offered which cannot make him who performed the service perfect in regard to the conscience. … But Christ came as High Priest of the good things to come, with the greater and more perfect tabernacle not made with hands, that is, not of this creation. Not with the blood of goats and calves, but with His own blood He entered the holy places once for all, having obtained eternal redemption.” Hebrews 9:9, 11, 12 literal translation. Paul goes on to say that just as the earthly sanctuary had to be cleansed, also the sanctuary in heaven has to be cleansed. “Therefore it was necessary that the copies of the things in the heavens should be purified with these.” Verse 23. In other words, it was necessary for the earthly sanctuary to be purified with the animals—the type. But the heavenly things themselves, that is the sanctuary in heaven, the holy places in heaven, with better sacrifices than these—the sacrifice of Christ. “For Christ has not entered the holy places made with hands, which are copies of the true, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us. Not that He should offer Himself often, as the high priest enters the holy places every year with blood of another.” Verses 24, 25 literal translation. The cleansing of the heavenly sanctuary would be cleansed once, not every year as in the earthly system.

Holy places are a more correct translation than either holy place or most holy place as many translations have. Paul says that it is not once a year like it was in the Old Covenant. He makes it very clear, in verse 26, that this will happen in the end of the ages; it is in our time, the last days when the sanctuary is cleansed—when the sins of the people are taken away. When sins have been confessed, they are forgiven, but they are not taken away from you. But the plan of salvation involves not only forgiveness of sins, but having the sins actually taken away from you, or as Peter describes it, blotted out. “Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord, and that He may send Jesus Christ, Who was preached to you before, Whom heaven must receive until the times of restoration of all things, which God has spoken by the mouth of all His holy prophets since the world began.” Acts 3:19–21.

Peter, like Paul, indicates that the blotting out of sin, the taking away of sin, occurs in the end of the world. This was also taught by the prophet, Daniel. Paul says, “And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment.” Notice how Paul links the concept of the cleansing of the heavenly sanctuary with the judgment; then he continues, “So Christ was offered once to bear the sins of many. To those who eagerly wait for Him He will appear a second time, apart from sin, for salvation.” Hebrews 9:27, 28. When Jesus comes a second time, He will not come as the sin bearer. He came the first time to bear your sins to the cross and to pay the price for your sins. John the Baptist said, “Behold! The Lamb of God Who takes away the sin of the world!” John 1:29.

When Jesus comes a second time, He will not be coming as a priest. He will not be coming as a sin bearer. He will be coming as the King of kings, and Lord of lords; He will be coming apart from sin. That simply means that when Jesus comes again, unless your sins have already been taken away from you, you cannot be saved. He is not coming to save you then. He is coming to save the people who have already been saved by His grace. He is not coming to offer sinners an opportunity or a second chance. Those who have rejected the plan of salvation will be lost. Jesus is not coming a second time to offer the plan of salvation. When He comes again it is to take the people home, those who have already accepted the salvation He provided at His first coming. He has nothing else to offer that was not available by His one sacrifice.

The apostle Paul goes into detail about this in Hebrews 10. He says in the first verse that “the law was a shadow” (that is, the Old Covenant) and that it can never, with those animal sacrifices that were offered, make the worshipper perfect. It cannot really take your sins away from you, because if it could, then they would cease to be offered. That is not hard to understand. If, after the Day of Atonement, the people’s sins really were taken away from them, they wouldn’t be sinning anymore, and if they weren’t sinning anymore, they wouldn’t be bringing a sacrifice to the sanctuary, and if they weren’t bringing sacrifices to the sanctuary, there wouldn’t be anything to atone for the next year. But in the Old Covenant it happened every year, because the blood of bulls and goats can’t really take away sin. You can read that in verses 3 and 4. But Paul goes on to show that it is not enough to have your sins forgiven. That was covered by the daily service in the earthly sanctuary. Before you can go to heaven, your sins have to be taken away, or blotted out; they have to be removed from you. And this is done, as Paul says, in the end of the world (Hebrews 9:26).

According to Zechariah 3, it will happen in one day. And when that happens, there will be no more offering for sin (Hebrews 10:15–18). Why? The plan of salvation is over. Some people are already saved; their sins have been taken away. Others are still living in sin, and they will never be saved. When the plan of salvation is over, if you are living in sin, you are lost. When your sins are taken away, then there is no more offering for sin. The plan of salvation is over. You don’t need it anymore. Jesus says, “He who is unjust, let him be unjust still; he who is filthy, let him be filthy still; he who is righteous, let him be righteous still; he who is holy, let him be holy still. And behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to give to everyone according to his work.” Revelation 22:11, 12. If you are righteous, Jesus said, “Let that person be righteous still. He can remain righteous and holy. His sins have been taken away.” But if you are still living in sin, you are unrighteous. Then you are unjust and not holy. You are either unjust or filthy. When this pronouncement is made, you will stay that way, because the plan of salvation is over. You are either saved or it is too late to be saved.

This is where our world is headed. There will be only two classes of people left—those who are saved; those who reflect the image of Jesus (I John 3), and those who are not saved; those who reflect the lawless character of Satan. In which group are you going to be? This world is headed for its climax, and soon it will be too late to change your mind. “Choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods which your fathers served … But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.” Joshua 24:15.

Bible texts are NKJV unless otherwise stated.

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

Inspiration – God has Sacred Claims

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God has sacred claims upon us all. He claims the whole heart, the whole soul, the whole affections. The answer which is sometimes made to this statement is: “Oh, I do not profess to be a Christian!” What if you do not? Has not God the same claims upon you that He has upon the one who professes to be His child? Because you are bold in your careless disregard of sacred things, is your sin of neglect and rebellion passed over by the Lord? Every day that you disregard the claims of God, every opportunity of offered mercy that you slight, is charged to your account and will swell the list of sins against you in the day when the accounts of every soul will be investigated. I address you, young men and women, professors or nonprofessors: God calls for your affections, for your cheerful obedience and devotion to Him. You now have a short time of probation, and you may improve this opportunity to make an unconditional surrender to God.

Obedience and submission to God’s requirements are the conditions given by the inspired apostle by which we become children of God, members of the royal family. Every child and youth, every man and woman, has Jesus rescued by His own blood from the abyss of ruin to which Satan was compelling them to go. Because sinners will not accept of the salvation freely offered them, are they released from their obligations? Their choosing to remain in sin and bold transgression does not lessen their guilt. Jesus paid a price for them, and they belong to Him. They are His property; and if they will not yield obedience to Him who has given His life for them, but devote their time and strength and talents to the service of Satan, they are earning their wages, which is death. Immortal glory and eternal life is the reward that our Redeemer offers to those who will be obedient to Him. He has made it possible for them to perfect Christian character through His name and to overcome on their own account as He overcame in their behalf. He has given them an example in His own life, showing them how they may overcome. “The wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord” [Romans 6:23].

The claims of God are equally binding upon all. Those who choose to neglect the great salvation offered to them freely, who choose to serve themselves and remain enemies of God, enemies of the self-sacrificing Redeemer, are earning their wages. They are sowing to the flesh and will of the flesh reap corruption.

Those who have put on Christ by baptism, by this act showing their separation from the world and that they have covenanted to walk in newness of life, should not set up idols in their hearts. Those who have once rejoiced in the evidence of sins forgiven, who have tasted a Saviour’s love and who then persist in uniting with the foes of Christ, rejecting the perfect righteousness that Jesus offers them and choosing the ways that He has condemned, will be more severely judged than the heathen who have never had the light and have never known God or His law. Those who refuse to follow the light which God has given them, choosing the amusements, vanities, and follies of the world, and refusing to conform their conduct to the just and holy requirements of God’s law, are guilty of the most aggravating sins in the sight of God. Their guilt and their wages will be proportionate to the light and privileges which they have had.

Testimonies, vol. 3, 364–366.

Heaven

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I want to share with you about heaven. I think it is so wonderful that we are preparing for that place, and we are all doing it together.

I am a lover of poetry and I like to use quite a lot of it:

The Master’s here at Sabbath School and e’er we start our day

Let us thank Him for the order of the day

Which helps us walk throughout the day the narrow way.

The Master’s here at Sabbath School and as we read and study and sing

We ask the Master for the very tool that will shape our lives to please the King.

The Master’s here at Sabbath School, let each countenance beam with joy

As we see with Him the mighty dual over evil in each adult, girl and boy.

The Master’s here at Sabbath School and with love, let each one do our part

To invite the Master into Sabbath School and into every life and heart.

There are many puzzling experiences we go through in this life not knowing which way to turn. But we are so thankful that God has promised to lead and guide us each day with the help of the holy angels and the Holy Spirit.

I am sure there are many who have the same kind of longing that I have, a longing to see Jesus return. We are almost home, but before we get there we have a work to do. We are told, “All heaven was represented to me [Ellen White] as beholding and watching upon the Sabbath those who acknowledge the claims of the fourth commandment and are observing the Sabbath. Angels were marking their interest in, and high regard for, this divine institution. Those who sanctified the Lord God in their hearts by a strictly devotional frame of mind, and who sought to improve the sacred hours in keeping the Sabbath to the best of their ability, and to honor God by calling the Sabbath a delight—these [souls] the angels were specially blessing with light and health, and special strength was given them.” Counsels for the Church, 271.

The Lord has given us the Sabbath as a blessing to help us on our way to heaven. I know that you all realize that sometimes the road is a little harder than that which we had planned, but remember, we are almost home.

“We are homeward bound. He who loved us so much as to die for us hath builded for us a city. The New Jerusalem is our place of rest. There will be no sadness in the city of God. No wail of sorrow, no dirge of crushed hopes and buried affections, will evermore be heard. Soon the garments of heaviness will be changed for the wedding garment. Soon we shall witness the coronation of our King. Those whose lives have been hidden with Christ, those who on this earth have fought the good fight of faith, will shine forth with the Redeemer’s glory in the kingdom of God.

“It will not be long till we shall see Him in Whom our hopes of eternal life are centered. And in His presence, all the trials and sufferings of this life will be as nothingness. … Look up, look up, and let your faith continually increase. Let this faith guide you along the narrow path that leads through the gates of the city of God into the great beyond, the wide, unbounded future of glory that is for the redeemed.” Maranatha, 352.

I am looking forward to that day with excitement. From day to day I think of the love of God and His promises and I think there is nothing in this world worth losing heaven for—no, not one thing. The following is something about the joy of heaven:

Knowest thou the joy of a handclasp of the return of a long, lost friend,

Then you begin to know the joy of eternity, the joy that will never end.

Knowest thou the joy of a mother as she clasps her firstborn babe,

Then you begin to know the joy of heaven, the joy that will never fade.

Knowest thou the joy of the birds, the bride and groom as together they start on their journey to trod,

Then you begin to know the joy, the wonderful joy that is found in the love of God.

The joy of this earth is small and short compared to the joy of our Father’s love,

As a drop in the Ocean is the joy on earth compared to the joy we will have up above.

I contemplate that joy and think of it a lot. I often look up at the clouds and think of that little cloud that starts out the size of a man’s fist. And as it gets bigger and closer, we will recognize it as the realization of all our hopes. It is the Second Coming and we will finally see Jesus and hear Him say, “Awake, awake” and the graves all over the world will open up and the dead in Christ shall rise. Oh how wonderful. This is more than any of us dare miss. It is more than anybody who has had the opportunity to know truth dare think of letting it slip by.

If we are to be saints in heaven we must first be saints on earth. “Those who in heaven join with the angelic choir in their anthem of praise must learn on earth the song of heaven, the keynote of which is thanksgiving.” Testimonies, vol. 7, 244.

Thankfulness must be learned and practiced. We need to learn to praise the Lord with our very breath and life, because as we learn these things on earth, we are preparing for eternity. As we come closer and closer to the end of time, the conflict between good and evil will become more severe. And though we often think of the outside conflict that will come, the real conflict occurs throughout day-to-day life. It is with those little annoyances, when you can’t get the screw to turn and you need more patience, when you have an appointment and you have to be there at a certain time and somebody knocks on the door and they talk and you can’t get away, or when you are ready to go some place and the phone rings and somebody needs help. It is at those times when we guard our patience and our thoughts and our words that we are being prepared for eternity.

All of the problems of this earth must be laid aside and then readily accept the providence of God and realize that He is leading us on the way. “The conflict in which you have to take an active part is found in your everyday life. Will you not in times of trial lay your desires by the side of the written word, and in earnest prayer seek Jesus for counsel? Many declare that it is certainly no harm to go to a concert and neglect the prayer-meeting, or absent themselves from meetings where God’s servants are to declare a message from heaven. It is safe for you to be just where Christ has said He would be.

“Those who appreciate the words of Christ will not turn aside from the prayer meeting, or from the meeting where the Lord’s messenger has been sent to tell them concerning things of eternal interest.” Messages to Young People, 140, 141.

Man was made a social creature and we need the association of one another. We need to be together and to attend our prayer meetings and other sacred meetings to receive the needed encouragement in order to do all the things necessary to shape up our lives for eternity, for we are on the road to heaven. “Those who enter heaven must learn on earth the song of heaven, the key-note of which is praise and thanksgiving. Only as they learn this song can they join in singing it with the heavenly choir.” The Signs of the Times, November 20, 1901.

My message to you is that Jesus is coming soon—get ready! As we are getting ready, we want to remember that heaven is not only for us but also for others, and we want others to be with us.

I hope to see each one of you there, and I hope that as we gather around that great white throne we will know one another and continue to develop the relationships we started on earth for eternity.

Jesus is coming in the clouds above.

He has told us about it in His book of love.

The Bible describes this glorious event

By the prophets whom to you He has sent.

The soldiers and Pilate heard Jesus say,

They’d see Him in the glorious day.

He promised the disciples there would be mansions for them,

That He would come back and for them to prepare.

The signs of His coming are described in the book

And we are to watch and to be ready and to look.

The nations will be angry and then overcharged with care.

Peace and safety they will cry but none will be there.

As I see these things happening, my heart overflows

And a longing to see Him in my breast grows.

With an urgency that is hard to describe,

The spirit impresses that I must decide.

Oh to meet Jesus, to be ready that day

For there I am longing and for this I pray.

I know there are mansions above in the sky.

I am planning to go to them and to occupy.

And I hope there is a mansion not far away

Where you will be living and planning to stay.

Oh let us be neighbors in that home up above

Where all is peace and joy and love.

Ruth Grosboll, matriarch of Steps to Life, lived a long life in the service of her Master. She served as a missionary nurse in Myanmar, formerly Burma. In her later years she held the position of receptionist and correspondent at Steps to Life Ministry, blessing many people with her heartfelt encouraging letters. She is sadly missed to this day.

Editor’s Letter – Families Saved

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Every member of the family is equally important to God.

“He [Jesus] came to restore, elevate, purify, and ennoble every current of pure affection, that the family on earth might become a symbol of the family in heaven. In the Christian home the grace of God is to subdue and transform human character, and then the church will become an active, living, working church.” Manuscript 22, 1898.

It is God’s desire that not only the parents be saved, but that each member of the family be ready on the day that Jesus returns. For those of us who are parents, He has given the responsibility to be instruments in His hand to train up our children to be fit citizens for heaven. Someday the Lord is going to ask of parents, “Where is the flock that was given you, Your beautiful sheep?” Jeremiah 13:20, NKJV. Many parents, while claiming God’s promises, are neglecting these heavenly instructions:

  • Our house is to be a house of prayer. (See The Signs of the Times, March 16, 1891.)
  • Everyone in the family must understand that the law of God is the required standard of the home and will be enforced by both the father and the mother. (See Ibid., August 23, 1899.)
  • Religious instruction should be given to children from babyhood by both precept and example. (See Deuteronomy 6:5–9.)
  • The husband and the wife are to be one. (See The Review and Herald, July 8, 1902.)
  • The privacy of the family must be protected. (See The Adventist Home, 177.)
  • We must develop the graces of sympathy and courtesy at home. (See Testimonies, vol. 3, 539.)
  • Manifest a sunny or cheerful disposition. (See Fundamentals of Christian Education, 68.)
  • Show an interest in each member of the family. (See The Review and Herald, February 2, 1886.)
  • Begin your home missionary work the first thing in the morning. (See Ibid., December 23, 1884.)
  • Foster companionship. (See The Adventist Home, 190.)
  • Do not locate your home in “Sodom” like Lot did. (See Genesis 13 and 19.)
  • Teach your children to guard the “avenues to the soul.” (See The Acts of the Apostles, 518.)
  • Teach your children how to manage their finances. (The Adventist Home, 396.)
  • Train your children to do missionary work. (See The Review and Herald, December 24, 1901.)

Those who are co-workers with Jesus will reap the reward to stand on the sea of glass with their families intact. What a privilege and honor it will be to present our families to Him who saved us by His grace!