God

Children’s Story – Kant and the Robbers

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John Kant was Professor and Doctor of Divinity at Cracow. Kant was a pious man, with a spirit peculiarly gentle and guileless, and he at all times would have preferred to suffer injustice rather than exercise it. For many years he had conscientiously followed his duties as spiritual teacher of the place to which he had been appointed by God. His head was covered with the snow of age, when he was seized with an ardent desire to revisit the scenes of his youth in his native country, Silesia. The journey appeared fraught with peril to one at his advanced age; but he set his affairs in order, and started on his way, commending himself to the care of God. Kant rode slowly along, attired in his black robe, with long beard and hair, according to the fashion of the time. Then he pursued his way through the gloomy woods of Poland, which scarcely a sunbeam could pierce; but there was a light in his soul, for God’s Spirit irradiated it.

One evening, as he was thus journeying along, holding communion with God, and taking no heed of objects beside him, on reaching an opening in the thick forest, a tramping noise was suddenly heard, and he was instantly surrounded by figures, some on horseback and some on foot. Knives and swords glittered in the moonlight, and the pious man saw that he was at the mercy of a band of robbers. Scarcely conscious of what passed, he alighted from his horse, and offered his property to the gang. He gave them a purse filled with silver coins, unclasped the chain from his neck, took the gold lace from his cap, drew a ring from his finger and took from his pocket his book of prayer, which was clasped with silver. Not till he had yielded all he possessed, and seen his horse led away, did Kant intercede for his life.

“Have you given us all?” cried the robber, threateningly. “Have you any more money?”

In his alarm and terror, the trembling doctor answered that he had given them every coin in his possession; and on receiving this assurance, he was allowed to proceed on his journey.

Quickly he hastened onward, rejoicing at his escape, when suddenly his hand felt something hard in the hem of his robe. It was his gold, which,having been stiched within the lining of his dress, had thus escaped discovery. The good man, in his alarm, had forgotten the secret store. His heart, therefore, again beat with joy; for the money would bear him home to his friends and kindred; and he saw rest and shelter in prospect, instead of a long and painful wandering, with the necessity of begging his way. But his conscience was a peculiarly tender one, and he suddenly stopped to listen to its voice. It cried in disturbed tones: “Tell not a lie! Tell not a lie!” These words burned in his heart. Joy, kindred, home, were all forgotten. Some writers on moral philosophy have held that promises made under such circumstances are not binding, and few men certainly would have been troubled with such scruples on that occasion. But Kant did not stop to reason. He hastily retraced his steps, and entering into the midst of the robbers, who were still in the same place, said meekly:—

“I have told you what is not true; but it was unintentional—fear and anxiety confused me; therefore, pardon me.”

With these words, he held forth the glittering gold; but, to his surprise, not one of the robbers would take it! A strange feeling was at work in their hearts. They could not laugh at the pious man. “Thou shalt not steal,” said a voice within them. All were deeply moved. Then, as if seized by a sudden impulse, one went and brought back his purse; another restored the book of prayer; while still another led his horse toward him, and helped him to remount it. Then they unitedly entreated his blessing; and solemnly giving it, the good old man continued his way, lifting up his heart in gratitude to God, who brought him in safety to the end of his journey.

The End

What Inspiration Says About – Conditional Promises

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1. Could the SDA Church become corrupted?

“If the church pursue a course similar to that of the world, they will share the same fate. Nay, rather, as they have received greater light, their punishment will be greater than that of the impenitent.” Testimonies, vol. 5, 100.

“Jerusalem is a representation of what the church will be if it refuses to walk in the light that God has given. Jerusalem was favored of God as the depositary of sacred trusts. But her people perverted the truth, and despised all entreaties and warnings. They would not respect His counsels. The temple courts were polluted with merchandise and robbery. Selfishness and love of mammon, envy and strife, were cherished. Everyone sought for gain from his quarter. Christ turned from them, saying: ‘Jerusalem, Jerusalem, how can I give thee up? How often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not!’ Matthew 23:37.” Testimonies, vol. 8, 67.

“If most earnest vigilance is not manifested at the great heart of the work to protect the interests of the cause, the church will become as corrupt as the churches of other denominations.” Testimonies, vol. 4, 513.

2. What is coming in among God’s people?

“But O, sad picture! those who do not submit to the influence of the Holy Spirit soon lose the blessings received when they acknowledged the truth as from Heaven. They fall into a cold, spiritless formality; they lose their interest in perishing souls: they have ‘left their first love.’ And Christ says unto them, ‘Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick out of his place, except thou repent.’ He will take his Holy Spirit from the church, and give it to others who will appreciate it.

“There is no greater evidence that those who have received great light do not appreciate that light, than is given by their refusal to let their light shine upon those who are in darkness, and devoting their time and energies in celebrating forms and ceremonies. Thoughts of the inner work, the necessary purity of heart, are not entertained. The absence of harmony with God becomes apparent. The light grows dim, goes out; the candlestick has been removed.” Review and Herald, July 16, 1895.

3. What causes this wickedness?

“I have been shown that the spirit of the world is fast leavening the church. You are following the same path as did ancient Israel. There is the same falling away from your holy calling as God’s peculiar people. You are having fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness. Your concord with unbelievers has provoked the Lord’s displeasure. You know not the things that belong to your peace, and they are fast being hid from your eyes. Your neglect to follow the light will place you in a more unfavorable position than the Jews upon whom Christ pronounced a woe.” Testimonies, vol. 5, 75, 76.

“God gives men the light, but many are filled with a self-sufficient, masterly spirit; and they strive by carrying out their own ideas to reach a height where they will be as God. They place their mind first, as if God must serve with them. Herein lies the danger in this: Unless God shall in some way make these men understand that He is God, and that they are to serve Him, human inventions will be brought in that will lead away from Bible truth, notwithstanding all the cautions that have been given.” The Upward Look, 131.

4. Upon what will we be judged?

“In the balances of the sanctuary the Seventh-day Adventist church is to be weighed. She will be judged by the privileges and advantages that she has had. If her spiritual experience does not correspond to the advantages that Christ, at infinite cost, has bestowed on her, if the blessings conferred have not qualified her to do the work entrusted to her, on her will be pronounced the sentence: ‘Found wanting.’ By the light bestowed, the opportunities given, will she be judged.” Testimonies, vol. 8, 247.

“The church cannot measure herself by the world nor by the opinion of men nor by what she once was. Her faith and her position in the world as they now are must be compared with what they would have been if her course had been continually onward and upward. The church will be weighed in the balances of the sanctuary. If her moral character and spiritual state do not correspond with the benefits and blessings God has conferred upon her, she will be found wanting. The light has been shining clear and definite upon her pathway, and the light of 1882 calls her to an account. If her talents are unimproved, if her fruit is not perfect before God, if her light has become darkness, she is indeed found wanting. The knowledge of our state as God views it, seems to be hidden from us. We see, but perceive not; we hear, but do not understand; and we rest as unconcerned as if the pillar of cloud by day, and the pillar of fire by night, rested upon our sanctuary. We profess to know God, and to believe the truth, but in works deny Him. Our deeds are directly adverse to the principles of truth and righteousness, by which we profess to be governed.” Testimonies, vol. 5, 83, 84.

5. What will happen if we do not repent?

“The patience of God has an object, but you are defeating it. He is allowing a state of things to come that you would fain see counteracted by and by, but it will be too late. God commanded Elijah to anoint the cruel and deceitful Hazael king over Syria, that he might be a scourge to idolatrous Israel. Who knows whether God will not give you up to the deceptions you love? Who knows but that the preachers who are faithful, firm, and true may be the last who shall offer the gospel of peace to our unthankful churches? It may be that the destroyers are already training under the hand of Satan and only wait the departure of a few more standard-bearers to take their places, and with the voice of the false prophet cry, ‘Peace, peace,’ when the Lord hath not spoken peace. I seldom weep, but now I find my eyes blinded with tears; they are falling upon my paper as I write. It may be that ere long all prophesyings among us will be at an end, and the voice which has stirred the people may no longer disturb their carnal slumbers.” Testimonies, vol. 5, 77.

“Will the churches heed the Laodicean message? Will they repent, or will they, notwithstanding that the most solemn message of truth—the third angel’s message—is being proclaimed to the world, go on in sin? This is the last message of mercy, the last warning to a fallen world. If the church of God becomes lukewarm, it does not stand in favor with God any more than do the churches that are represented as having fallen and become the habitation of devils, and the hold of every foul spirit, and the cage of every unclean and hateful bird. Those who have had opportunities to hear and receive the truth and who have united with the Seventh-day Adventist church, calling themselves the commandment-keeping people of God, and yet possess no more vitality and consecration to God than do the nominal churches, will receive of the plagues of God just as verily as the churches who oppose the law of God. Only those that are sanctified through the truth will compose the royal family in the heavenly mansions Christ has gone to prepare for those that love Him and keep His commandments.” Manuscript Releases, vol. 19, 176.

“A sin-hating God calls upon those who claim to keep His law to depart from all iniquity. A neglect to repent and to render willing obedience will bring upon men and women today as serious consequences as came upon ancient Israel. There is a limit beyond which the judgments of Jehovah can no longer be delayed. The desolation of Jerusalem in the days of Jeremiah is a solemn warning to modern Israel, that the counsels and admonitions given them through chosen instrumentalities cannot be disregarded with impunity.” Prophets and Kings, 416, 417.

“A blessing or a curse is now before the people of God—a blessing if they come out from the world and are separate, and walk in the path of humble obedience; and a curse if they unite with the idolatrous, who trample upon the high claims of heaven. The sins and iniquities of rebellious Israel are recorded and the picture presented before us as a warning that if we imitate their example of transgression and depart from God we shall fall as surely as did they. ‘Now all these things happened unto them for ensamples: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come.’” Testimonies, vol. 1, 609.

“These are no idle tales, but truth. Again I ask: On which side are you standing? ‘If the Lord be God, follow Him: but if Baal, then follow him.’ 1 Kings 18:21.” Testimonies, vol. 8, 68.

6. Could God pass the SDA Church by?

“The Lord says, ‘Shall I not visit for these things?’ Jeremiah 5:9. Because they failed of fulfilling God’s purpose, the children of Israel were set aside, and God’s call was extended to other peoples. If these too prove unfaithful, will they not in like manner be rejected?” Christ’s Object Lessons, 304.

“The words of God to ancient Israel have a solemn warning to the church and its leaders today. Of Israel the Lord said, ‘I have written to him the great things of My law; but they were counted as a strange thing.’ Hosea 8:12. And to the priests and teachers He declared, ‘My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge; because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee; . . . seeing thou hast forgotten the law of thy God, I will also forget thy children.’ Hosea 4:6.

“Shall the warnings from God be passed by unheeded? Shall the opportunities for service be unimproved? Shall the world’s scorn, the pride of reason, conformity to human customs and traditions, hold the professed followers of Christ from service to Him? Will they reject God’s word as the Jewish leaders rejected Christ? The result of Israel’s sin is before us. Will the church of today take warning?

“‘If some of the branches be broken off, and thou, being a wild olive tree, wert graffed in among them, and with them partakest of the root and fatness of the olive tree; boast not. . . . Because of unbelief they were broken off, and thou standest by faith. Be not highminded, but fear; for if God spared not the natural branches, take heed lest He also spare not thee.’ Romans 11:17-21.” Christ’s Object Lessons, 306.

“If the church refuses to hear the voice of the Heavenly Merchant man, refuses to open the door, then Christ will pass on, and it will be left destitute of His presence, destitute of true riches, but saying in self-righteousness, ‘I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing’ Revelation 3:17.” Manuscript Releases, vol. 11, 291.

7. Will God always have a faithful people, who will serve Him?

“The Lord Jesus will always have a chosen people to serve Him. When the Jewish people rejected Christ, the Prince of life, He took from them the kingdom of God and gave it unto the Gentiles. God will continue to work on this principle with every branch of His work. When a church proves unfaithful to the work of the Lord, whatever their position may be, however high and sacred their calling, the Lord can no longer work with them. Others are then chosen to bear important responsibilities. But, if these in turn do not purify their lives from every wrong action, if they do not establish pure and holy principles in all their borders, then the Lord will grievously afflict and humble them and, unless they repent, will remove them from their place and make them a reproach.” The Upward Look, 131.

8. Who are God’s true denominated people?

“Who are these? God’s denominated people—those who on this earth have witnessed to their loyalty. Who are they? Those who have kept the commandments of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ; those who have owned the Crucified One as their Saviour.” SDA Bible Commentary, vol. 7, 981.

9. Who can we trust to take us through to the end?

“The church is built upon Christ as its foundation; it is to obey Christ as its head. It is not to depend upon man, or be controlled by man. Many claim that a position of trust in the church gives them authority to dictate what other men shall believe and what they shall do. This claim God does not sanction. The Saviour declares, ‘All ye are brethren.’ All are exposed to temptation, and are liable to error. Upon no finite being can we depend for guidance. The Rock of faith is the living presence of Christ in the church. Upon this the weakest may depend, and those who think themselves the strongest will prove to be the weakest, unless they make Christ their efficiency. ‘Cursed be the man that trusteth in man, and maketh flesh his arm.’ The Lord ‘is the Rock, His work is perfect.’ ‘Blessed are all they that put their trust in Him.’ Jeremiah 17:5; Deuteronomy 32:4; Psalms 2:12.” Desire of Ages, 414.

“The word of finite man is fallible. Human laws, that are supposed to take the place of the law of God, are not to be respected. Henceforth the nations are to be in a very uncertain state. Kings and rulers will be involved in greater perplexities than they have ever thought possible, and this because they are disobedient to the word of the Lord, and work entirely contrary to his principles. The question now comes home to all who have their Bibles, Are we prepared to follow the word of God? ‘If any man will come after me,’ says Christ, ‘let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.’ You cannot depend upon priests, rulers, human lawmakers; for, as in Christ’s day, they teach for doctrines the commandments of men. They know not the Scriptures, nor the power of God. Man made theories are placed above a plain ‘Thus saith the Lord.’ But the searching of the soul has come. Are we obedient to the law of God? Will every soul look up in faith, and answer to God, as did Elisha, ‘As the Lord liveth . . . I will not leave thee’? Whatever may come, persecution, reproach, falsehood, or anything that shall arise—will not leave the source of my strength.” The Youth’s Instructor, April 28, 1898.

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The Hellish Torch of Satan

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Author’s introductory note: I have spent much time thinking about how to make the material unmistakably clear, and how to avoid giving shocks that the reader could not endure. There has been a need for a comprehensive statement of the grim realities of Calvinistic theology in a simple and concise form, so that our people could gain an understanding of the real nature of the issues between Calvinism and Adventism without reading a large number of books.

The book The Reformed Doctrine of Predestination by Lorraine Boettner was written as a defense of the doctrines of Calvinism with statements from recognized leaders in Calvinistic thought. The author has granted permission to anyone to make use of the materials he gathered.

All statements by Boettner himself, that appear in this article, are identified by the letter “B” and a page number. Statements by other theologians that are quoted in his book are identified by that theologian’s name, plus a “B” and a page number indicating the place in Boettner’s book where the statement is found. All emphasis is mine.

Without making any comparisons between Seventh-day Adventist theology and Calvinistic theology we will limit ourselves to taking a clear hard look at the central pillars of Calvinistic theology. Prepare yourself for a series of shocks. May the righteous God add His blessing to this attempt to defend His character and honor His Name.

– Ralph Larson

What is the hellish torch of Satan? How can we recognize it, and how can we recognize the torches of false prophecy that are kindled from it? This is surely an urgent need, and fortunately we need not be in doubt. An abundance of information has been supplied to us. What could be more hellish than to ascribe to a righteous and holy God the very attributes of Satan? Nothing, of course. That would be the supreme evil, which nothing could possibly surpass. But has such a thing happened? Indeed it has. Satan’s hellish torch has been set before us with unmistakable clarity, both in the inspired writings, and in the bold and brazen declarations of those who are holding the hellish torch aloft.

As our first package of evidence, our first unit of thought, we ask you to consider what Ellen White has to say about Satan’s attempt to create a rebellion that would drive God from His throne. Madness? Yes—but this entire article is about madness.

“Satan’s method of misrepresenting the character of God is to attribute to Him his own characteristics.” 1888 Materials, 1062.

“Satan has misrepresented the character of God. Our good and gracious Lord has been presented before the people clothed with the attributes of Satan.” 1888 Materials, 386.

By whom has this been done? Who has presented God in this manner to the people? Not Satan himself. He does not preach to the people personally—he has to use human agents. Who have these human agents been? Please be patient. The answer will become clear as we go along.

“Satan has misrepresented the character of God. He has clothed Him with his own attributes. He has represented Him as a being of inflexible sternness.” Signs of the Times, April 15, 1889.

“The Creator has been presented to [men’s] minds as clothed with the attributes of the prince of evil himself—as arbitrary, severe, and unforgiving—that He might be feared, shunned, and even hated by men.” In Heavenly Places, 8.

“The cruelty inherent in [Satan’s] own character is attributed to the Creator; it is embodied in systems of religion.” Great Controversy, 569.

“Satan had declared that God knew nothing of self-denial, of mercy, of love, but that He was stern, exacting, and unforgiving.” Review and Herald, March 9, 1897.

“By the same misrepresentation of the character of God as he had practiced in heaven, causing Him to be regarded as severe and tyrannical, Satan induced man to sin.” Great Controversy, 500.

So Satan has represented God as a Satanic god who is:

· Arbitrary

· Severe

· Tyrannical

· Cruel

· Exacting

· Unforgiving

· Stern

· Knowing nothing of self-denial, mercy, or love.

All of these are the attributes of Satan himself! But these are only accusations. How could Satan prove them? What evidence could he set forth in support of these accusations against God? Again we ask you to be patient. This question will be clearly answered before we are through. But we must recognize that some have already accepted as true these accusations against God, because these horrible teachings are described as having been “embodied in systems of religion.” Can it be true? Could there actually be churches that have accepted as true, Satan’s accusations against God, that He is arbitrary, cruel, unforgiving, tyrannical, and so on? Keep those words in mind as we go on to our next package of evidence, our next unit of thought. This will consist of a series of statements from Calvinistic theologians about the arbitrary decrees of the God whom they worship. (Arbitrary means for no reason other than one’s own will.)

The Satanic God of Calvinism

All things happen because he makes them happen.

1. “God did from eternity . . . ordain whatever comes to pass.” Westminster Confession, B, 13.

2. “He hath foreordained whatever comes to pass.” The Shorter Catechism, B, 17. (To ordain something means to order it. This is not at all the same as to permit. That which is ordained is ordered and established as an act of one’s will. Notice the all-inclusive language as we go on.)

3. “Nothing can come to pass apart from His sovereign will.” B, 30.

4. “Nothing can come to pass contrary to what He expressly decrees.” B, 14.

5. “God has an eternal plan in which is predetermined every event that comes to pass.” B, 23.

6. “His decree . . . extends . . . to every event in human history.” B, 13.

7. “All things, without exception, indeed, are disposed by Him.” B, 31. (You are probably already gasping and thinking, ” Surely this means only good things,” but this is not the case. It includes bad things as well.)

8. “He gives peace and fruitful seasons, prosperity and happiness, or He sends the desolations of war, famine, drought, and pestilence.” B, 37.

Is this staggering? It should be. The Satanic god of Calvinism orders, ordains, foreordains, decrees, expressly decrees, and predetermines everything that happens, whether it be good or whether it be evil. As we struggle to comprehend the enormity of these statements, let us remember that these words express the desire, the intention, the purpose, the will of the Calvinistic god. It is not that he permits or allows them. They happen because he wants them to happen and makes them happen.

And what has he wanted to happen? Everything that has happened. Satan’s rebellion in heaven. All of the wars that have brought death to hundreds of millions. All of the plagues that have devastated nations. All of the religious persecutions with their torturing of innocent people. All of the floods. All of the earthquakes. All of the hurricanes and typhoons. All of the famines. The slaughter of several million Jews in Europe. All of the world’s false religions. All of the human sacrifices of paganism. All of the vices in all of the world. All of the crime in all of the world. He wanted them all to happen and ordered them all to happen. The above listings are not just words. They are unspeakably gruesome experiences, such as people being herded into a deep trench, machine gunned, and then buried by a bulldozer; people standing in line to be hanged and then burned in a gas oven, people being stretched on the rack, burned at the stake, fed to wild animals in the Roman arena, and so on. And as we think about these horrifying things, we must remember that according to the Calvinistic doctrines that we have just read, each individual incident of torture was ordained and decreed by the Satanic god of Calvinism.

Does this mean that every individual robbery, every kidnapping, every murder, every rape, every fraud, every deception, every lie, every broken promise, every ruined marriage,—each was individually caused to happen by the Satanic god of Calvinism? That is precisely what it means.

We do not Overstate the Case

In our next package of evidence, our next unit of thought, we will see that the Satanic god of Calvinism is not content with causing huge catastrophes that bring suffering and death to millions. He also personally supervises every individual crime on earth. His attention is given to creating suffering on the smallest scale as well as on the largest scale.

“The foreordination of God extending to all events both great and small.” B, 17.

10. “God is seen as the great and mighty King who . . . directs the course of history even down to its minutest details.” B, 13.

11. “A divine ordering of the whole course of history to the veriest detail.” B, 14.

12. “History in all its details, even the most minute, is but the unfolding of the eternal purposes of God.” B, 25.

13. “God’s providential control extends to all events, even the most minute.” B, 21.

14. “Minute enough to concern itself with the smallest details . . . nothing, however small, however strange, occurs without His ordering.” Warfield, B, 23.

15. “His all-wise providence hath before appointed what bough (the sparrow) shall perch upon; what grains it shall pick up; where it shall lodge and where it shall build; on what it shall live and where it shall die.” Toplady, B, 37.

So this Calvinistic god orders, directs, purposes, and controls every human action, whether it be good or whether it be evil. We remind the reader again that this is not permission. He does not just permit these things to happen. He makes them happen. Human beings perform incredibly cruel, vile, and evil actions because this god wants them to, and orders them to. They have no choice. They must do what he ordains, commands, and controls. We have been reading thus far about human actions, but the picture of the Calvinistic god is not yet complete. His will controls the inner being as well as the outer being. This will be our next package of evidence, our next unit of thought. According to Calvinistic doctrines:

He Controls all Thoughts, Feelings and Impulses

16.”Not only the works we do outwardly, but even the thoughts we think inwardly . . . there is no such thing as chance or fortune.” Melancthon, B, 15.

17. “God is the Sovereign Ruler who governs even the intimate thoughts and feelings and impulses of men.” B, 342.

18. “It is He that . . .creates the very thoughts and intents of the soul.” B, 31.

This Includes Even Sinful Thoughts and Sinful Actions

19. “Plainly the fall of Adam and all other sins . . . were in [His] plan.” B, 24.

20. “Even the fall of Adam, and through him the fall of the race, was not by chance or accident, but was so ordained in the secret counsels of God.” B, 234.

21. “Even the sinful acts of men are included in [His] plan.” B, 24.

22. “That the sinful acts of men have their place and a necessary place in [His] plan is plainly seen in the course of history.” B, 252.

23. “He also perfectly controls all the depraved and impious affections of the wicked, and turns them as He pleases.” B, 230.

24. “When we get the larger view we see that even the sinful acts of men have their place in the divine plan.” B, 239.

25. “All evil forces are under His absolute control.” B, 239.

26. “The murderer is kept in life and is indebted to God for the strength to kill his victim, and also for the opportunity.” B, 239.

27. “Unless sin occurs according to the divine purpose and permission of God, it occurs by chance.” B, 240. (The possibility of sin occurring by chance is here introduced only to be firmly rejected, for we read on the next page:)

28. “Over sin as over all else, God reigns supreme.” B, 241.

Thus there is no escape from the hideous reality that these statements place before us. The god of Calvinism is the god of sin. He is a Satanic god who causes, creates, and perfectly controls every thought, every feeling, every impulse, and every action of every man and every woman, even including the most sinful, degenerate, depraved and degraded. Do you worship the god of Calvinism? I do not.

According to this theology, or this demonology, if you prefer, you may have thought that you decided what church you would attend this week, but you didn’t. The Calvinistic god decided that for you, by creating the thoughts and impulses of your mind. While he was making that decision for you, he was also placing in the drunkard’s mind the impulse to seek more strong drink; he was putting into the dope peddler’s mind the impulse to seek more victims for his drugs; he was putting into the murderer’s mind the impulse to kill again, he was guiding the murderer in the choice of a victim and the choice of weapons, and was providing him the opportunity to strike, because he wanted it to happen. It was part of his decree, part of his plan.

Think of this when you read in the newspaper that a man in another state has raped a teenage girl, then took an ax and chopped off both of her arms below the elbow; or that a woman has shut her two small children into a car and run the car into a lake so that they were drowned. And then remember that according to Calvinistic theology both the man and the woman did these things because the Satanic god of Calvinism ordered and decreed it, putting the thoughts and the impulses into their minds. They had no choice.

I question whether we can really internalize all of these unbelievable things in a single attempt, so I am going to ask you to please turn back and read again the above statements of Calvinistic theology, beginning with number 16.

Although this is getting ahead of the logical progression of our case, we pause here to set forth a spin-off from this horrible doctrine as presented by Dr. Edward Heppenstall in a class for ministers conducted at the Southeastern California Conference office in December, l962. He provided copies of his notes to the ministers, in which we find on page 3:

“It is by the wisdom, not by the impotence of God, that no believer is ever perfect here below. The Lord so conducts the saints in this life that there should always remain something to either freely give them when they ask, or to pardon them mercifully when they confess to Him.”

Consider carefully: The Lord so conducts our lives that there will always be something to forgive us for. We are never perfect here below because He is too wise to let us be perfect. Therefore we sin because He wants us to sin.

Where do these ideas come from? From the Satanic god of Calvinism. But we haven’t seen the entire picture yet. It gets much, much worse as we proceed. Here is our next package of evidence, our next unit of thought.

The Satanic God and the Non-Elect

According to Calvinistic theology, the Satanic god decided before the world was created that some persons would never be permitted to repent and be saved. These are called the non-elect. We have seen, in the previous section, that the Satanic god makes these persons sin. They have no choice in the matter. We will now see that the Satanic god sternly judges and condemns them for the very sins that he has made them commit.

1. “Eternal life is foreordained for some and eternal death for others.” Calvin, B, 15.

2. “It was foreordained . . . who should be condemned.” Luther, B, 15.

3. “The Reformed faith has held to the existence of an eternal, divine decree which . . . separates the human race into two portions and ordains one to everlasting life and the other to everlasting death.” B, 83.

4. “By the decree of God, for the manifestation of His glory, some men and angels are predestined to everlasting life, and others are foreordained to everlasting death.” B, 84.

5. “In matters pertaining to his salvation, the unregenerate man is not at liberty to choose between good and evil.” B, 62.

6. “He at the same time, and by the same means, or ordination, withholds from them the opportunity and power of believing and being saved.” Cunningham, B, 91.

7. “The doctrine of absolute Predestination of course logically holds that some are foreordained to death as truly as some are foreordained to life.” B, 104.

8. “We believe that from all eternity God has intended to leave some of Adam’s posterity in their sins.” B, 104.

So Calvinism’s Satanic god predestines the non-elect to be lost, giving them no choice, creates their sinful thoughts and sinful actions, giving them no freedom, judges and condemns them for the sin that he has forced them to commit, permitting them no repentance, then punishes them for the sin that he has forced them to commit.

And what of the punishment? This is our next package of evidence, our next unit of thought.

Calvinism’s Satanic God Tortures the Non-Elect Forever

1. “[Predestination] brings us into contact, on the one side, with a subject so awful and overwhelming as the everlasting misery of an innumerable multitude of our fellow men.” Cunningham, B, 7.

2. “[Predestination] extends . . . to every event in human history from the creation to the judgment, and includes all the activities of saints and angels in heaven and of reprobates and demons in hell.” B, 13.

3. “The final torments of the wicked . . . are indescribably awful . . . In the next world the wicked, with all restraint removed, will go headlong into sin, blaspheming and cursing God, growing worse and worse as they sink deeper and deeper into the bottomless pit.” B, 79. (Remember that they curse and blaspheme because the Satanic god makes them do it. They have no freedom and no choice. Even the Calvinists admit the awfulness of this doctrine.)

4. “Calvin admits that this doctrine arouses very perplexing questions in the minds of some, for, says he, ‘they consider nothing more unreasonable than that of the common mass of mankind, some should be predestined to salvation, and others to destruction.’ ” B, 85.

5. “It may seem absurd to human wisdom that God should harden, blind, and deliver up some men to a reprobate sense; that he should first deliver them over to evil, and (then) condemn them for that evil; but the believing, spiritual man sees no absurdity at all in this.” Luther, B, 106. (This has to be one of Luther’s most utterly incomprehensible statements.)

6. “It is hard for us to realize that many of those right around us (in some cases our close friends and relatives) are probably foreordained to eternal punishment.” B, 125.

7. “Yet Calvinism is nearer to the facts, however harsh and forbidding those facts may seem.” B, 49.

8. “This doctrine of the total inability of man is terribly stern, severe, forbidding.” B, 80.

9. “This is admittedly an unpleasant doctrine.” B, 108.

10. “Calvinists do not shrink from discussing (this doctrine); yet naturally, because of its awful character, they find no satisfaction in dwelling upon it.” B, 124.

11. “It may be asked, Why does God save some and not others? But that belongs to His secret counsels.” B, 96.

12. “His reasons for saving particular ones while passing by others have not been revealed to us.” B, 97.

13. “Let it be remembered that we are under no obligation to explain all the mysteries connected with these doctrines.” B, 124.

14. “The condemnation of the non-elect is designed primarily to furnish an eternal exhibition, before men and angels, of God’s hatred for sin, or in other words, it is to be an eternal manifestation of the justice of God.” B, 121.

We must remember that the decree of the Satanic (Calvinistic) god, made before the world began, was that some would be foreordained to eternal torture. This would include persons of all ages, from infancy to maturity. Their torturing will never cease, but will go on forever and forever and forever. As long as the Satanic (Calvinistic) god lives, he will continue to take delight in the agonies of his helpless, suffering victims. And as the surpassing outrage to reason, the author of our book supplies this line: “No injustice is done to the non-elect.” B, 113.

Be prepared for the fact that Calvinistic writings abound in ludicrous self-contradictions, which are an insult to the intelligence of the reader. In Boettner’s book it is argued, for example:

· That although their god creates, directs, and controls every impulse, thought and action of man, nevertheless the will of man is totally free.

· That although their god creates and controls the sinful thoughts and sinful actions of man, that nevertheless their god is not the author of sin.

· That although their god creates, directs, and controls every thought and impulse of man, nevertheless man is totally responsible for his own sinning.

· That although their god tortures forever the helpless non-elect whom He has forced to sin, that this is no injustice to the non-elect.

· That although before the world was created God predestined who would be saved, in such a manner that their salvation had no dependence upon either their choices or their behavior, nevertheless Christ had to die for their salvation, etc., etc.

Unfortunately, the writings of those Seventh-day Adventist ministers who are trying to bring Calvinistic doctrines into our church also abound in ludicrous self-contradictions, but that is a subject for another article.

Is it no injustice to the non-elect to foreordain them to be lost, with no possibility of escaping their doom? Is it no injustice to force them to sin? Is it no injustice to punish them for sins that they are forced to commit? Is it no injustice to torture them—men, women, and children— forever and forever, throughout all eternity?

Is not this the hellish torch of Satan? Reading these statements makes us feel as if we were taking a guided tour through the bottomless pit. If this is not clothing God with the attributes of Satan, what could fulfill these words? Can anything worse be imagined than a god who deliberately creates human beings for no other purpose than to supply his torture chamber with victims? And who keeps these agonizing victims alive so that the torturing may go on forever? Would not the cruelest human whom the world has ever seen, eventually weary of the torturing and let the struggling, screaming victims die?

But the Satanic god of Calvinism will never tire of hearing the screams of the damned—the persons who were created without their will, were predestined to damnation without any choice, were never given any chance to repent, and whose very sins were created by the creator’s will. A million years of torturing will be followed by another million years of torturing, and another and another and another—forever.

And the end is not yet. Let us pause to remember that according to the Calvinistic doctrine of unconditional election, those who are saved have absolutely nothing to do with their salvation. They are saved because they were predestined to be saved, and nothing that they could do, or that anyone else could do, would have any bearing on their salvation in any way whatever. That is the meaning of the term unconditional.

Then Why did Christ Die?

Why did Christ endure the agonies of a slow and torturous death? According to Calvinistic theology, His death had nothing to do with anyone’s salvation—that had been decided before the world was created, by the decree of predestination. The Calvinists may answer that God planned it that way, as part of the plan of salvation—but this is no answer, for there was no need for such a plan to be made. It is just another ludicrous self-contradiction. Their Calvinistic god may have planned for his son to be tortured and die, but according to their own reasoning, this had nothing to do with anyone’s salvation. We repeat, the salvation of “the elect” had been settled by the decree of predestination before the world was created. The death of Christ on the cross could neither add anything to that decree nor take anything away from it. We are confined to the conclusion that the Satanic god of Calvinism slaughtered his own son for the same reason that he tortures the non-elect throughout all eternity—simply because he is a fiend, a monster, who delights in such torture.

We draw back in horror from such a conclusion, but we cannot escape it. We have just seen an abundance of statements that the Satanic god of Calvinism decided before the world began who would be saved, and that every act, thought, and feeling of every human being is directed by the Satanic god, even including their sins. Why, then, did men spit in the face of Christ? Because they were so directed by Calvinism’s Satanic god. They had no choice. Why did they put a crown of thorns upon His brow? Why did they flog Him? Why did they nail Him to a cross? Let the Calvinistic theologian answer:

“The murderer is kept in life, and is indebted to God for the strength to kill his victim, and also for the opportunity.” B, 239. This is Calvinism. This is the hellish torch of Satan. This is not theology, it is demonology.

This is one of the systems of religion that Ellen White made reference to when she wrote that Satan had clothed God with his own attributes, and that this was embodied in systems of religion. It is beyond question embodied in the Calvinistic system of religion. We are not suggesting that all the members of Calvinistic churches are fully aware of these horrors of their own theology, but the theologians obviously are aware of them. They set the horrors forth proudly, and boast about them. Boettner’s book abounds in Calvinistic self-congratulation about the doctrines that clothe their god with the very characteristics of Satan. We must now consider the very centerpiece of Satan’s accusations.

The Centerpiece

Consider Satan’s problem. In order to convince the universe that God is not a God of love, but is actually arbitrary, cruel, exacting, stern, severe, tyrannical, and unforgiving, a God who knows nothing about self-denial, mercy, or love, Satan needed to present some evidence in support of these charges. The universe had never seen any such faults in the character of God. The very opposite was true in regard to every point of accusation, even including forgiveness. Satan himself had been offered forgiveness, as the universe well knew. Unless Satan could produce some evidence to support his accusations, they would be summarily dismissed as manifestly ridiculous, having no substance of reality at all. Satan desperately needed some evidence, some ground of accusation. What could it be? What could he do?

At last he thought of something that would become the centerpiece of his accusations against the character of God. Let Ellen White describe it to us, and notice how Satan’s accusations against God are clustered about the centerpiece, that God had given a law that His subjects could not obey. “Here is the evidence,” Satan had proclaimed. Notice Ellen White’s response:

“Since the fall of Adam, men in every age have excused themselves for sinning, charging God with their sin, saying that they could not keep the commandments. This is the insinuation Satan cast at God in heaven.” Review and Herald, vol. 4, 303.

Notice the accusation, then notice the evidence. And “charging God with their sin.” This would make God the author of sin. Does it sound like the statements we have been reading from Calvinistic theologians? And even from a Seventh-day Adventist theologian?

“Satan represents God’s law as a law of selfishness. He declares that it is impossible for us to obey its precepts.” Desire of Ages, 24.

Again, notice the accusation, and then notice the evidence.

“[Satan] has clothed the character of God with attributes that are satanic . . . he has pictured Him as a being full of revenge, as a lawgiver whose law is beyond the power of man to keep.” Review and Herald, vol. 3, 464.

Yet again, notice the accusation, then notice the evidence.

“Satan had represented [God] to man as arbitrary, stern, and unforgiving. All the misery and suffering he had brought upon man, he charged to God. He declared that man could not keep the law, and that God was arbitrary and cruel in demanding of him something that he could not do.” Youth’s Instructor, 446.

And still again, notice the accusation, then notice the evidence. “Satan declared that it was impossible for the sons and daughters of Adam to keep the law of God, and thus charged upon God a lack of wisdom and love. If they could not keep the law, then there was fault with the lawgiver. Men who are under the control of Satan repeat these accusations against God, in asserting that men cannot keep the law of God.” Signs of the Times, vol. 3, 264. Once more, notice the accusation, then notice the evidence.

Look now at the total list of Satan’s accusations against the character of God: God’s character is alleged to be faulty, lacking in love, cruel, lacking in wisdom, selfish, stern, unforgiving, arbitrary, and satanic. Now look at the evidence that Satan put forth in support of every one of these accusations. It does not vary. It stays the same in every case. Like the monotonous ringing of a bell, the same message of Satan is intoned over and over again.

· God has given a law that His subjects cannot obey, therefore God is cruel.

· God has given a law that His subjects cannot obey, therefore God is selfish.

· God has given a law that His subjects cannot obey, therefore God is stern.

· God has given a law that His subjects cannot obey, therefore God is severe.

· God has given a law that His subjects cannot obey, therefore God is arbitrary.

· God has given a law that His subjects cannot obey, therefore God is unforgiving.

· God has given a law that His subjects cannot obey, therefore God is satanic.

· God has given a law that His subjects cannot obey, therefore His character is faulty.

· God has given a law that His subjects cannot obey, therefore He is lacking in wisdom.

· God has given a law that His subjects cannot obey, therefore He is lacking in love.

This is beyond question the centerpiece of Satan’s false accusations against God, and this accusation is being echoed by many who stand in Seventh-day Adventist pulpits today.

Ellen White foretold it with unerring accuracy: “Many will stand in our pulpits with the torch of false prophecy in their hands, kindled from the hellish torch of Satan.” Testimonies to Ministers, 409.

Can we question who these ministers are who have kindled their torches from the hellish torch of Satan? We cannot question if we believe in the Spirit of Prophecy. Look again at Ellen White’s words:

“Men who are under the control of Satan repeat these accusations against God, in asserting that men cannot keep the law of God.” Signs of the Times, vol. 3, 264.

Under the Control of Satan

Perhaps we should reflect a bit about this. Let us not make the mistake of thinking that it is a difficult thing to get one’s self under the control of Satan. You don’t have to work at it. And the condition is not always evidenced by crude physical demonstrations of one kind or another. Please notice:

· The mind: “Either God or Satan controls the mind.” Review and Herald, vol. 1, 455.

· The world: “The world at large are under the control of Satan.” Great Controversy, 47.

· The people: “All who are not decided followers of Christ are servants of Satan.” Great

Controversy, 508.

· The churches: “[Satan] has gained control of the apostate churches.” Testimonies, vol. 5, 472.

And what of our church? It cannot be denied that some within our church have been at times under the control of Satan. We need only think of the apostates who have left us, in order to recognize the truth of that statement. They were not faithful one day and apostate the next day. There was a long process during which their minds were coming more and more under the control of Satan, before they made their final departure from the truth. And during that time they were as poison to all who felt their influence. Bit by bit they were coming under Satan’s control. For documentation on this point, and for specific examples, read Special Testimonies, Series B.

It is even so today. The hellish torch of Satan has been manifestly set forth before us in the statements of the Calvinistic theologians, who are uniting with Satan in clothing God with Satanic attributes.

And we now have a simple and accurate means of recognizing and identifying the men who are described by God’s chosen messenger as standing in our pulpits, having their torches kindled from the hellish torch of Satan. It is sobering indeed to remember Ellen White’s testimony that they would be, not a few, but “many.” And their identifying characteristic will be that they are uniting with the Calvinistic theologians and with Satan himself in declaring that God is selfish, arbitrary, and cruel because He gave to us a law that we cannot obey.

Bit by bit they have accepted the doctrines of Calvinism, and bit by bit they have come to be under Satan’s control. Men may claim that they can say it is impossible to obey God’s law without accusing God, but Ellen White says, “No, you can’t.” Read her solemn warning again:

“If they could not keep the law, then there was fault with the lawgiver.” Signs of the Times, vol. 3, 264.

And it would thus be proven that Satan’s accusations against God were true. If men have not clearly understood this, Satan has. He has reaffirmed the accusation again and again.

· In the beginning: “In the opening of the great controversy, Satan had declared that the law of God could not be obeyed.” Great Controversy, 761.

· In heaven: “This is the insinuation Satan cast at God in heaven.” Review and Herald, vol. 4, 303.

· In Adam’s time: “Satan had pointed to Adam’s sin as proof that God’s law was unjust, and could not be obeyed.” Desire of Ages, 117.

· In Enoch’s time: “Satan was urging upon men the belief . . . that it was impossible for men to obey the divine statutes.” Patriarchs and Prophets, 89.

· In Christ’s time: “[Satan] hoped to establish the claim put forth when he rebelled in heaven, that the requirements of God were unjust, and could not be obeyed. Even Israel, he declared, did not keep the law.” Desire of Ages, 29.

· In our time: “Satan represents God’s law of love as a law of selfishness. He declares that it is impossible for us to obey its precepts.” Desire of Ages, 24.

· For all time: “The Saviour’s life of obedience maintained the claims of the law; it proved that the law could be kept in humanity, and showed the excellence of character that obedience would develop. All who obey as He did are likewise declaring that the law is ‘holy, just, and good.’ On the other hand, all who break God’s commandments are sustaining Satan’s claim that the law is unjust, and cannot be obeyed. Thus they second the deceptions of the great adversary, and cast dishonor on God. They are the children of the wicked one, who was the first to rebel against God’s law.” Desire of Ages, 309.

· “The children of the wicked one:” “Men who are under the control of Satan repeat these accusations against God, in asserting that men cannot keep the law of God.” Signs of the Times, vol. 3, 264. Why, then, should we be surprised at these words?

So how shall we relate to the ministers among us who are throwing Satan’s accusations at God? By all means show enough Christian love for their souls to speak to them and warn them, and if possible place a copy of this article in their hands. We must remember that some of our younger ministers have been taught Calvinism in the academy, in college, and at the theological seminary. We trust that our righteous God will keep this in mind as He deals with them. I would not want to be in their position. My personal appeal to all of them would be to be done with this madness before it is too late. There is mercy with the Lord.

And How Shall We Deliver Our Own Souls?

First: let us by no means join them in their foolhardy enterprise, making accusations against God, clothing God with the attributes of Satan. Let us resolve that we will have nothing to do with the Satanic god of Calvinism, or with any of his false teachings. Let us leave this Satanic monster-god in the bottomless pit where he belongs, and renew our loyalty to the holy and righteous God of Adventism.

Second: let us not expose ourselves to the deadly error of those who are falsely accusing God. We cannot afford to listen to such preaching or such teaching, or take such poison into our systems. Our God has warned us through His chosen messenger:

“Error is never harmless. It never sanctifies, but always brings confusion and dissension. It is always dangerous.” Counsels to Writers and Editors, 47.

“Error is falsehood and deception. Those who partake of it must suffer in consequence, as did Adam and Eve in Eden.” Upward Look, 125.

“There is in error and unbelief that which bewilders and bewitches the mind.” Selected Messages, vol. 1, 46.

“God is displeased with us when we go to listen to error, without being obliged to go, for unless He sends us to those meetings where error is forced home to the people by the power of the will, He will not keep us. The angels cease their watchful care over us, and we are left to the buffeting of the enemy, to be darkened and weakened by him and the power of his evil angels, and the light around us becomes contaminated with darkness.” Early Writings, 124.

None of us are strong enough to take risks like these. We must worship without exposing ourselves to deadly error, even though it be at the cost of inconvenience, time, and money. It will not be for long. “Yet a little while and he that shall come will come, and will not tarry.” Hebrews 10:37.

Summary:

The Unveiling of the Monster-god

· The first veil is removed: We see a god who orders, ordains, decrees, expressly decrees, and predetermines, everything that comes to pass without exception. We ask, What about sin? The unveiling just proceeds.

· The second veil is removed: We see a god who applies all of the above words to the small details of the personal life, the minute, the most minute, the smallest details, the veriest details, who ordains what bough the sparrow shall perch upon, what grains it shall eat, where it shall build its nest, and where it shall die. We ask again, What about sin? The unveiling proceeds.

· The third veil is removed: We now learn that this god ordains, predetermines, and actually creates every thought, every feeling, every impulse of the soul. We cry out, What about sin? What about sin!? The answer is finally given as the fourth veil is removed.

· The fourth veil is removed: Brazenly, boldly, and with unmistakable clarity, the Calvinistic theologians tell us that sin, like everything else, is ordained, predetermined, ordered, and controlled, because it has a necessary place in their god’s plan. This is specifically applied to even the experience of the murderer.

· The fifth veil is removed: We now gaze upon a god who creates some people for torture, and only for torture, and that he will never stop torturing them throughout the ceaseless ages of eternity. The torturing will go on forever and forever and forever.

· The sixth veil is removed: But this time not by the Calvinistic theologians. It is removed by God’s chosen messenger, Ellen White. She tells us that it is Satan’s purpose to clothe the true God with his own attributes, and falsely accuse Him.

· The seventh veil is removed: Again by Ellen White, and we learn that the centerpiece of Satan’s accusations against God is that He has given a law that His people cannot keep.

Conclusion

The monster-god of Calvinism is a craven, contemptible, despicable, and loathsome creature, and the theology that has created him is a river of raw sewage. And it seems that even the fumes from this river are intoxicating. We are forced to recognize that, tragically, some of our own ministers and church leaders have lingered on the banks of this river until they have become intoxicated, and are not only drinking from the river of raw sewage, but are urging us to join them in drinking from it. Why should we, who have been privileged to drink from a fountain that has flowed to us directly from the throne of God, turn from that fountain to drink from a river of raw sewage? Can you think of any good reason? I cannot. May God deliver us.

The End

When God is Silent

by

The study of the providence of God has been highly recommended to us. We are told that John the Baptist, while living his retired life in the wilderness of Judea, studied the providence of God in nature. We are told that Jesus Christ Himself studied carefully the providence of God during His years at Nazareth. We are also told that He loved to go out into the mountains around Nazareth, into the forests and glens to find places to pray and to study the providence of God. We have an example of this providence in action recorded in Matthew 15.

Jesus was not always easy to understand, at least it seemed so to the disciples. But you have to look at it from His standpoint, too; they were not always easy to teach. He had a very difficult lesson that He needed to teach them at this point in their educational experience. To teach them this particular lesson, He set up what appeared to be a five—day seminar. He took them over the hill country from Galilee to the area of Tyre and Sidon, fifty or sixty miles to the northwest. I would estimate that it took them at least two days to go, two days to come back, with one day spent there.

What was this special effort all about? Was it for a woman who had a devil-possessed daughter? Well, yes; but that is only a small part of it. That was the easiest thing that Jesus had to do on this particular journey. His biggest job was not to deal with the devil-possessed daughter of a woman but to deal with the tradition-possessed minds of the twelve disciples. They thought like Jews; they lived like Jews, and they were Jews. They had imbibed the spirit of the rabbis, which had a particular view of the world that Jesus had to deal with. It was not appropriate for His cause and for His disciples to have the world view of the rabbis. The Jews had a saying, “Just as the best of serpents should be crushed, even so, the best of Gentiles should be slain.” This was an opinion that all of His disciples held. Before He could use them as missionaries to the Gentile world, Jesus had to get a new idea into their minds.

Preparation before Commission

Just before His return to heaven, Jesus said to His disciples, “But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you; and ye shall be witnesses unto Me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.” Acts 1:8. If Jesus had not done some special educational work for them, they would have choked and sputtered when He said Samaria. When He said, “Unto the uttermost part of the earth,” they would have just been aghast. (Out there was where those curs, those mongrels, those horrible Gentiles lived.) He had a job to do before they would even consider such a thing.

We have now the woman to consider. We are told that she was a woman of Canaan. The Canaanites, were the oldest race of people who lived in that area. Actually, however, she probably did not know herself who her ancestors were. Centuries before, the Assyrians, a small but ambitious nation of people, sought to control the whole country. To accomplish this, they first used force and cruelty, believing that if they were mean and cruel enough, nobody would ever dream of rebelling against their power. This did not work, however, and people rebelled anyway. Later in their history, they resorted to the practice of relocation people. By taking them away from their homelands and mixing them all up, they hoped to leave them without sufficient strength in numbers to be able to mount a rebellion. This resulted in the people encountering, and to a large degree assimilating, various types of cultural and religious attitudes.

Many years later, when Cyrus permitted the Jews from Babylon to go back to Jerusalem, secular historical tell us that he did the same thing for many other people. Under his rule, if you could still remember and if you had a desire to do so, you were allowed to return to your ancestral homeland. This resulted in another great transmigration of people all over the vast area. There had been a great deal of inter-marriage with the different peoples. So if you lived in the area of Tyre and Sidon, like this woman did, and you were referred to as a woman of Canaan, that did not mean very much. It would be very, very difficult for you to be sure whose blood was in your veins; but for certain, it was not the blood of Abraham.

On the other hand, before a Jewish boy learned to read and write, he learned his pedigree. He learned to prove that he was descended from Abraham; so by groups of seven, he memorized the most outstanding ancestors of his ancestral line. He did not try to remember all of the but enough to show you that he was indeed in line with Abraham. If you called upon him to tell you who he was, he would not just say, “I am Joseph, ” or “I am David.” He would say, “I am Joseph, son of, son of, son of, son…” all the way back to “son of Abraham.” That is what counted. You had to be a son of Abraham. So people with an attitude like this looked at this woman as if she were just a cur, or mongrel. Because of this situation, she was ideally suited to be the subject of this seminar.

The stage is set; the players are there: the pagan, the prejudiced disciples, and the compassionate Saviour. But as we watch the action unfold, we may be at first as puzzled and bewildered as the disciples were.

The woman comes with her first appeal to Jesus. “Lord, have mercy on me; my daughter is grievously vexed with a devil.” Jesus’ first answer to her is silence. So what does the silence mean? The disciples think, of course, that it means rejection. That is what they understand his apparent indifference to mean. They cannot understand why He does not finished the job and get rid of the woman. But Jesus knows what He is doing, and He works carefully in this educational situation.

Now as we look on and see somebody appealing to the Saviour and His answer is silence, we possibly can identify with that because we have had that experience, have we not? Have we not presented some request to the Lord and received silence as an answer? A young college girl was talking to me about some of her problems one day. I asked her, “Have you talked to the Lord about it?”

She answered, “Yes, I have. But it seems like God just doesn’t say anything.” That is not so uncommon. I think that it is really quite common that we talk to the Lord about something and the answer appears to be silence. What does the silence mean? This is a question that we can reflect upon with profit.

Why Silence?

Does it mean that God does not hear? Does it mean that He does not care? Does it mean that the answer is no? Well, certainly it cannot mean that He does not hear. We know that He hears. Certainly it does not mean that He does not care, whether we are looking at this situation or our own situation. After all, He had walked fifty miles or more just to get to this woman to take care of her problem; so He certainly cares. In our case, we know that He died for us; He lives for us, so He cares. So it cannot mean that He does not hear; it cannot mean that He does not care. Well, does it mean that the answer is no? Not necessarily. What, then, does it mean?

We may get a clue from Romans 8:26 where we are told, “We know not what we should pray for as we ought.” In The Desire of Ages, 200, we find these words: “The Saviour longs to give us a greater blessing than we ask.” The Saviour wants to give us something bigger and better than we are asking for. Well, why does He not do it? What is holding Him back?

We need to think about that for a moment. Physical things can be given by surprise, but spiritual things cannot. We can surprise somebody with a gift of money or property or land or personal things. We even have surprise parties where everything is a total surprise to somebody. And that works. You can put something physical in a person’s hand, but you cannot put something spiritual into someone’s heart by surprise. That is impossible. The heart must be wanting that spiritual gift before it can be given. I think that if you will just do a little thinking about it, you will see that this is true. How can you give a spiritual gift of peace or happiness or joy or anything like that to somebody whose heart is just far, far away and not concerned about peace or happiness or joy? It cannot be done. Because a spiritual gift cannot be given unless it is desired, God sometimes finds it necessary to delay an answer to our prayers. You see, we are carnally minded.

Here is a simple illustration. Suppose the pastor of a church says, “Wednesday evening at 7:30 there is going to be prayer meeting and everybody who comes is going to receive a blessing. The Lord has promised it.”

So we go to the pastor and ask, “What did you say that we are going to receive Wednesday night?”

He answers, “A blessing.”

“What can I do with a blessing? Can I eat it?”

“No, you cannot eat it.”

“Can I wear it?”

“No, you cannot wear it.”

“Can I put it in the bank?”

“No, you cannot put it in the bank.”

Suppose that on Sabbath morning the pastor were to say, “We are going to have prayer meeting on Wednesday night and everybody who comes is going to get a new $20 bill.” Do you think that you could make it to prayer meeting? On, yes! We understand this. We would be there, everyone of us, young and old. We put so much more value on money than we do on what the Lord has promised, and that is a problem. That is a problem that God has to deal with, and one of His ways of dealing with it is with His silence.

“Lord, I need a new pair of shoes.” Silence. “Lord, this is the second time that I am telling You that I need a new pair of shoes.” Silence. “Lord, pardon me for mentioning this third time, but I need a new pair of shoes.” Silence. “What is the matter with God?” Silence. “I wonder if it could be something the matter with me.” “Now we are getting somewhere,” God says.

Better Answers

You see, God delays the answer to our prayer because He wants to give us something better than we ask. Why do we always have to talk about shoes?” He asks. “Why can’t we talk about something important? Did I not promise you that I would take care of all things? Did I not say, ‘Seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things will be added unto you?’ Why do you always come to Me with a list of physical things that you want?”

Record, or try to remember all of your praying for a week, making a list of all of the physical things that you ask the Lord for and a list of all of the spiritual things that you ask for. I suspect that the list of physical things will be quite a bit longer because we have to talk about shoes, clothes, our house, and all of our other things. All the while, God is saying, “Talk about something important. You need the joy of Christ in your life far more than you need new shoes. Why can you not talk about that?”

As we move along, we take notice of His disciples’ confusion on this point. You see, He answered the lady twice and He spoke to the disciples once. When they noticed that He was not answering her, they interpreted it to mean rejection and they said, “Send her away; for she crieth after us.”

He said, “I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” That throws them into confusion and this is what He wanted to do. You see, His body language, if we want to call it that, and His speech did not agree. “I am only sent unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel. Therefore, I am not sending her away.” What? “What is He saying?” the disciples mutter one to another. He should be saying, “I am only sent to the lost sheep of the house of Israel; therefore I am sending her away.” That would make sense. But He says one thing with His body language and He says something else with his words; so they begin to puzzle, and that is what He wants.

Weakening Prejudice

It was with this point that He drove His first wedge and opened a crack in that big wall of prejudice. “He is surely not suggesting to us that this mongrel, this cur, is a lost sheep of the house of Israel, is He? Or is He? Could that be what He is saying?” This is the thought that He wanted to be forming in their minds.

We now come to His second answer to her, and it seems even worse than the first. He had just been ignoring her as if He did not even see her, but now He stops and looks at her and she pleads again, “Lord, have mercy on me.”

Looking at her, He says, “You are a dog.”

Well that is even worse than the silence. We wonder that she even held on. We are told that she saw something in His face that He could not hide (see The Desire of Ages, 184), so she latched on to that. If you have ever worked among third-world people, you may have discovered something. They may not have the greatest education, but it is very difficult to fool them. They are very shrewd judges of human nature. They read your face, your eyes, your actions. This Canaanite woman probably had very little education; she may not have known how to read or write, but she could read His face. She saw something there that she latched on to. So when Jesus said to her, “You are a dog,” instead of walking away, she replied, “You say I’m a dog and I do not deny it; but if I am a dog, where are my crumbs? You do not look like a man who would starve His dog to death.”

Jesus answered, “Okay, okay, you win.” What else could He do when she said, “I am not basing my plea on my character; I am placing it on Your character?” As Martin Luther said, “She threw His bag of promises down in front of Him, and He couldn’t step over it.”

Well, she got what she wanted and the disciples learned something. This was a hard lesson to learn, but they learned it. As the Jewish nation hardened itself and raised more and more barriers against the gospel message and the disciples were called upon to move farther and farther out into the Gentile world, they remembered this experience. They remembered that a mongrel cur can be a child of Abraham.

Originally, Paul and the disciples believed, “If ye be Abraham’s seed, then you can approach Christ.” Christ turned it right around. “For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female; for ye are all one in Christ Jesus. And if ye be Christ’s, then are ye Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.” Galatians 3:27-29

We often experience the silence of God when we pray. Does it mean that He does not hear? Oh, no. Does it mean that He does not care? Oh, no. It means that He wants us to think. He wants us to think about something that we are not thinking about because our mind is so taken up with shoes and socks and all of the physical things of life. “The Saviour longs to give us a greater blessing than we ask; and He delays the answer to our request that He may show us the evil of our own hearts, and our deep need of His grace.” The Desire of Ages, 200. He deliberately chooses to answer us with silence.

“Sometimes answers to our prayers come immediately, sometimes we have to wait patiently and continue earnestly to plead for the things that we need. We are to keep on asking, even if we do not realize the immediate response to our prayers.

“There are precious promises in the Scriptures to those who wait upon the Lord. We all desire an immediate answer to our prayers and are tempted to become discouraged if our prayer is not immediately answered…this is a great mistake. The delay is for our special benefit.” Counsels on Health, 380

“The God of providence still walks among us. Though His footsteps are not seen, though His positive and direct workings are not recognized or understood, the God of providence is still walking among us making journeys to reach us perhaps.” Reflecting Christ, 98

Thank God for His providence. Thank Him for His mercy, for His understanding, for His willingness to go anywhere, to do anything to bring any one of us to the salvation of the Lord. Thank God for the fact that every one of us has a page in the book of providence where every detail is numbered. Nothing happens to us except by His permission.

Editorial – What God Has Joined, part 2

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Although, in extreme cases, separation is at times necessary, we note that this course was something that even the prophet of God left to the judgment of those who were in these trying situations—she did not advocate the separation of that which God had joined together and she gave serious warnings to anyone who would do this even when there was question as to whether the persons involved had a biblical right to marry in the first place.

Example 1: “Your letter has been received and read. I have had acquaintance with several such cases and have found those who felt conscientious to do something in similar cases to the one you mention. After having stirred things up generally, and torn to pieces, they had not wisdom to put things together to make matters better. I found that those who were so zealous to tear things down did nothing to build them up in right order. They had the faculty to confuse, distress, and create a most deplorable condition of things, but not the faculty to make them better.

“You have asked my counsel in regard to this case; I would say that unless those who are burdened in reference to the matter have carefully studied a better arrangement, and can find places for these where they can be comfortable, they better not carry out their ideas of a separation. I hope to learn that this matter is not pressed and that sympathy will not be withdrawn from the two whose interests have been united. I write this because I have seen so many cases of the kind, and persons would have great burden till everything was unsettled and uprooted and then their interest and burden went no further. We should individually know that we have a zeal that is according to knowledge. We should not move hastily in such matters, but look on every side of the question; we should move very cautiously and with pitying tenderness, because we do no know all the circumstances which led to this course of action.

“I advise that these unfortunate ones be left to God and their own consciences, and that the church shall not treat them as sinners until they have evidence that they are such in the sight of the Holy God. He reads hearts as an open book. He will not judge as man judgeth.” Manuscript Releases, vol. 1, 164, 165

Example 2: “I have just read your letter concerning Will E. I regard the matter in the same light that you do, and think it a cruel, wicked thing that the father of Will E. Should take the course that he is taking; but I have not dared to answer his letters. If anything can come from me through you to him, I would say that his case cannot be improved by leaving the present wife. It would not better the case to go to the other woman in the question….

“I have not written to Will E., but know that if the father would repent before God and do his first works, and cease to consider himself as one that can help his son, he would ask himself the question, ‘Is my name written there, on the page white and fair?’ He might well begin to humble himself before God, and leave Will Wales with God.

“Let the father and brother make diligent work for themselves. They both need the converting power of God. May the Lord help these poor souls to remove spot and stain from their own characters, and repent of their wrongs, and leave Will E. with the Lord.

“I am so sorry for the man, for his course is in such a shape that it will not answer to be meddled with, for there are difficulties upon difficulties. I would say that the Lord understands the situation, and if Will E. will seek Him with all his heart, He will be found of him. If he will do his best, God will pardon and receive him.

“’Oh, how precious it is to know that we have One who does know and understand, and will help the ones who are most helpless. But the rebuke of God is upon the father and the brother who would drive to destruction and perdition one who stands in the sight of God under no worse condemnation than themselves, and yet they will so use their gifts of speech as to dishearten, discourage, and drive Will E. to despair.

“‘Will E. may hope in God and do the best he can to serve God in all humility of mind, casting his helpless soul upon the great Sin Bearer. I have not written a word to either father or son. I would gladly do something to help poor Will E. to make things right, but this cannot be done as matters are now situated, without someone’s being wronged.

“I understand perfectly the situation between Will E. and his first wife….and I knew how the case would terminate; for Will E. cannot endure to be a slave, his identity lost in a wife who made herself his judge in conscience, in his duty, and in his work generally.” Testimonies on Sexual Behavior, Adultery, and Divorce, 225-227