Jesus

Ready for His Appearing

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Even though, in the Millerite movement of 1844, there was a spirit of love that we have never seen since, Ellen White said that they were not yet ready for the Lord to come. They had unreserved consecration. They had received the Holy Spirit and were born-again Christians. They were ready to die and to come up again in the first resurrection. They sought the Saviour’s approval every day and they were serving Jesus with an undivided heart. They were without question the saints of God in their generation. They were perfect in the same sense that Noah and the other Bible characters were described in the Bible as being perfect. Yet, they were not ready for Christ’s return.

To answer the question, “What was it they lacked and needed to be ready?” we need to first study the atonement. Even though the investigative judgment and the atonement take place at the same time in the most holy place of the heavenly sanctuary, they are not the same thing. Ellen White wrote, “Attended by heavenly angels, our great High Priest enters the holy of holies [in 1844] and there appears in the presence of God to engage in the last acts of His ministration in behalf of man—to perform the work of investigative judgment and to make an atonement for all who are shown to be entitled to its benefits.” The Great Controversy, 480.

In 1977 an Anglican clergyman by the name of Geoffrey Paxton wrote a book called The Shaking of Adventism. In his book he states that we are in a life and death struggle as to the nature of the gospel. A friend of mine said, “Laodicea has been a long time in a life and death struggle as to the nature of the gospel and she has lost.” The reason he said that is because of what we have in recent years published in our official writings concerning the atonement.

The atonement is an exceedingly important subject. Ellen White wrote in 1906: “The sanctuary question is the foundation of our faith.” Manuscript Releases, vol. 4, 248. She also said, “We are in the great day of atonement, and the sacred work of Christ for the people of God that is going on at the present time in the heavenly sanctuary should be our constant study.” Testimonies, vol. 5, 520.

The word atonement has more than one meaning in Inspired writings and the failure to distinguish between the different ways this word is used is one of the reasons for the confusion of voices in Adventism today about this subject. The three meanings of the word atonement I have found in the Inspired writings are as follows:

  1. A sacrifice, or an attainment of a penalty, or reparation, or compensation, or payment of a debt, or paying a price, or giving a ransom.

If you are a Christian, then you know that Jesus accomplished all of these things on the cross. When we use the word atonement in that sense we understand that Jesus made a full, complete and perfect atonement on the cross. So the first meaning of atonement is connected with the cross and the death of Jesus.

Several statements about this are as follows:

“Christ made a full and complete sacrifice, a sacrifice sufficient to save every son and daughter of Adam who should show repentance toward God for having transgressed His law, and manifest faith in our Lord Jesus Christ.” Testimonies, vol. 2, 664.

“On the cross of Christ, the Saviour made an atonement for the fallen race.” The Signs of the Times, December 17, 1902.

“He planted the cross between heaven and earth, and when the Father beheld the sacrifice of His Son, He bowed before it in recognition of its perfection. ‘It is enough,’ He said. ‘The atonement is complete.’ ” The Review and Herald, September 24, 1901.

“Type met antitype in the death of Christ, the Lamb slain for the sins of the world. Our great High Priest has made the only sacrifice that is of any value in our salvation. When He offered Himself on the cross, a perfect atonement was made for the sins of the people.” Lift Him Up, 319.

That is the first meaning of atonement: a sacrifice, a ransom to pay a debt and Jesus fully paid the debt on the cross of Calvary.

However, in Inspired writings, that is not the only meaning or the main meaning of the word atonement.

  1. A second meaning of the word atonement: mainly to receive forgiveness of sins. Very clearly in Bible and Spirit of Prophecy writings, atonement refers to receiving forgiveness of sins or pardon. In Leviticus 4:27–31: “If anyone of the common people sins unintentionally by doing something against any of the commandments of the Lord in anything which ought not to be done and is guilty, or if his sin which he has sinned comes to his knowledge, then he shall bring as his offering a kid of the goats, a female without blemish, for his sin which he has sinned. And he shall lay his hand on the head of the sin offering, and kill the sin offering at the place of the burnt offering. Then the priest shall take some of its blood with his finger, put it on the horns of the altar of burnt offering, and pour all the remaining blood at the base of the altar. He shall remove all its fat, as fat is removed from the sacrifice of the peace offering; and the priest shall burn it on the altar for a sweet aroma to the Lord. So the priest shall make atonement for him, and it shall be forgiven him.”

Notice that once the sacrifice has been made, a priest is involved who, with the blood or flesh of the sacrifice, makes an atonement for you and then you are forgiven. However, before this forgiveness could be given there was an important step. “And it shall be, when he is guilty in any of these matters, that he shall confess that he has sinned in that thing.” Leviticus 5:5.

A person had to make specific confession, and then it says, “He shall offer the second as a burnt offering according to the prescribed manner. So the priest shall make atonement on his behalf for his sin which he has committed, and it shall be forgiven him.” Leviticus 5:10.

Over and over again the Bible says that the priest will make atonement, and when the priest makes atonement you will be pardoned or forgiven. Once forgiven there is no more guilt. Many people in our world suffer various damaging sicknesses as a result of their guilt. It was not God’s will for the Israelites to wait until the end of the year. The people could come any day to confess their sins and receive atonement, but they had to have the services of a priest in order to have forgiveness.

  1. A more profound meaning of the word atonement, a third meaning, is found in Leviticus 16:29, 30. “This shall be a statute forever for you: In the seventh month, on the tenth day of the month, you shall afflict your souls, and do no work at all, whether a native of your own country or a stranger who dwells among you. 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.”

This was not the same atonement that they received during the year. On this Day of Atonement they would be cleansed and their sins would be removed and they would no longer be sinners.

“In the typical system, which was a shadow of the sacrifice and priesthood of Christ, the cleansing of the sanctuary was the last service performed by the high priest in the yearly round of ministration. It was the closing work of the atonement—a removal or putting away of sin from Israel. It prefigured the closing work in the ministration of our High Priest in heaven, in the removal or blotting out of the sins of His people, which are registered in the heavenly records.” The Great Controversy, 352.

Ellen White wrote in 1846: “I believe the Sanctuary to be cleansed at the end of the 2300 days is the New Jerusalem Temple, of which Christ is a minister. The Lord shew me in vision, more than one year ago, that Brother Crosier had the true light, on the cleansing of the Sanctuary.” A Word to the Little Flock, 12.

In 1846 the other churches were saying to Crosier that the atonement was all done at the cross. He says, “But again, they say that the atonement was made and finished on Calvary, when the Lamb of God expired. So men have taught us, and so the churches and world believe; but it is none the more true or sacred on that account, if unsupported by Divine authority. Perhaps few or none who hold that opinion have ever tested the foundation on which it rests.” The Law of Moses, 41.

All of the Adventist pioneers understood the same thing. James White described it in about 1872 or 1874. He said concerning Jesus, “He dwelt among men full of grace and truth, lived our example, died our sacrifice, was raised for our justification, ascended on high to be our only Mediator in the sanctuary in Heaven where, with His own blood, He makes atonement for our sins, which atonement so far from being made on the cross, which was but the offering of the sacrifice, is the very last portion of His work as priest, according to the example of the Levitical priesthood.” Fundamental Principles of Seventh-day Adventists, 4. Crosier, James White and all of the Adventist pioneers believed this.

In 1889 it was written this way: “Christ was raised for our justification and ascended on high to be our only mediator in the sanctuary in heaven where, through the merits of His shed blood He procures pardon and forgiveness.” It sounds just about the same but is not quite the same.” Adventist Year Book of Statistics, 1889, 147.

In 1894 we describe it like this: “Where, through the atoning merits of His shed blood He secures pardon and forgiveness.” Fundamental Principles of Seventh-day Adventists, 147. This does not sound too bad but it is not the same—we had changed it.

In the 1931 Seventh-day Adventist Year Book the definition was really changed. In fact neither the word atonement nor anything like it ever appears. It states: “He died for our sins on the cross, was raised from the dead, and ascended to the Father where He ever lives to make intercession for us.” Intercession does have to do with the investigative judgment but the intercession is not the atonement. Atonement is not even mentioned.

All four of these statements were unofficial, but the General Conference Committee in 1950 passed a resolution that no change be made in the 1931 statement except by the General Conference in session when adequate notice of such intention had been published. So to summarize this was how it was changed:

  1. In 1872 we said, With His own blood He makes atonement.
  2. In 1889 we said, Through the merit of His blood He secures pardon.
  3. In 1894 we said, Through the atoning merits of His blood He secures pardon.
  4. In 1931 we said, He ever lives to make intersession for us.

Things got worse. In 1957 a book was published called Questions on Doctrines, and on page 354 it stated: “When, therefore, one hears an Adventist say, or reads in Adventist literature—even in the writings of Ellen G. White—that Christ is making atonement now, it should be understood that we mean simply that Christ is now making application of the benefits of His sacrificial atonement He made on the cross.”

According to that, Christ is not even making atonement for us up in heaven anymore. It was all done at the cross and He is just applying benefits. This is a 180 degree turn from where our pioneers stood. Adventists were called a cult and one reason was because the other churches said that the atonement was all over at the cross and our pioneers said “No, it was not.” The atonement has not been completed yet. It is being conducted in the sanctuary in heaven right now. Some of our leaders thought we ought to make peace with these people; so they tried to state our beliefs in a way that would be acceptable to them.

The following is what appeared in Ministry Magazine, in February, 1957. You need to know before you read this statement that this is a lie. It said, “The sacrificial act on the cross is a complete and final atonement for man’s sin.” That is a lie!

What does God say about this? “The ministration of the priest throughout the year in the first apartment of the sanctuary, ‘within the veil’ (Hebrews 6:19) which formed the door and separated the holy place from the outer court, represents the work of ministration upon which Christ entered at His ascension. It was the work of the priest in the daily ministration to present before God the blood of the sin offering, also the incense which ascended with the prayers of Israel. So did Christ plead His blood before the Father in behalf of sinners, and present before Him also, with the precious fragrance of His own righteousness, the prayers of penitent believers. Such was the work of ministration in the first apartment of the sanctuary in heaven.” The Great Controversy, 420, 421.

“For eighteen centuries this work of ministration continued in the first apartment of the sanctuary. The blood of Christ, pleaded in behalf of penitent believers, secured their pardon and acceptance with the Father, yet their sins still remained upon the books of record. As in the typical service there was a work of atonement at the close of the year, so before Christ’s work for the redemption of men is completed there is a work of atonement for the removal of sin from the sanctuary. This is the service which began when the 2300 days ended.” Ibid., 421. (Emphasis added.)

Notice, the atonement involves not just applying benefits for something that was done 2000 years ago. It involves a continuing work of atonement, which is going on at this time to remove sin from God’s people.

Another statement on this: “As anciently the sins of the people were by faith placed upon the sin offering and through its blood transferred, in figure, to the earthly sanctuary, so in the new covenant the sins of the repentant are by faith placed upon Christ and transferred, in fact, to the heavenly sanctuary. And as the typical cleansing of the earthly was accomplished by the removal of the sins by which it had been polluted, so the actual cleansing of the heavenly is to be accomplished by the removal, or blotting out, of the sins which are there recorded.” Ibid., 421, 422. [Emphasis added.]

Why is it so important that we understand sanctuary truths? There is a story about an argument in which two young men got into about whether or not they needed to keep the Sabbath. One argued that it didn’t matter, but the other one said, “If you are right and I am wrong, it doesn’t matter because I will be able to go to heaven anyway. But if I am right and you are wrong you won’t be going to heaven.”

Some people say that it does not matter what we are studying here. Well, if we are wrong, it doesn’t matter. We will be able to go to heaven anyway. If the Adventist pioneers were right, the people who have rejected this teaching are not going to make it because this teaching involves understanding how you can be ready for Jesus to come. This is the reason that the people in 1844 were not ready for Jesus to come. They were ready to die and to be raised in the first resurrection but they were not ready to be translated. Why? Because they had not received the atonement. If they were not ready to be translated because they had not received the atonement, will you be ready to be translated if you have not received the atonement?

There are three meanings to the atonement. It is described sometimes in the Spirit of Prophecy for the ransom that is paid—which Jesus paid on the cross. It is used other times to describe forgiveness of sins, the work of the daily or the first apartment of the sanctuary. It is also used to describe the work of the Day of Atonement when you are cleansed from all of your sins. Many times Ellen White and the pioneers used the atonement in the context of the removal of sins.

We are told that the sanctuary was the very center of Christ’s work on behalf of men and it concerns every soul living upon the earth. (The Great Controversy, 488.) It is in the sanctuary in heaven where the cases of all people are going to be decided.

The investigative judgment will determine whether you will be part of the atonement in which your sins are removed or blotted out.

In Revelation 3:17, last part, in the message to the Laodicean church, Jesus revealed to us our real problem: “You do not know that you are wretched.” The Bible tells us what makes a person wretched. In Romans 7:24, it says, “O wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death?” Paul recognizes that he is wretched and wants to be delivered from that state. He has sin within that he has never overcome. He is in bondage to it. Read the whole chapter of Romans 7 that describes the problem with Laodicea—you do not know that you are wretched. You think that everything is okay. However, you can never meet the Lord in peace and go to heaven while in a wretched condition.

Ellen White wrote, “The sanctuary question is the foundation of our faith.” Manuscript Releases, vol. 4, 248. We are in the great Day of Atonement. This should be our constant study.

The final atonement removes your sins from you. When the final atonement is over, those who receive of that atonement are no longer forgiven sinners anymore—they are no longer sinners. This final atonement removes sin from every person who is saved. The final atonement is made for the dead first and finally for the living.

The problem today is that God’s professed people are not at all ready to receive the final atonement. Let’s suppose that it is time for the final atonement, but I have a sin in my life that I don’t want to overcome. Will it do any good for Jesus to remove all my sins if I sin again the next day? In order to be ready to receive the final atonement, a person has to have quit sinning. This is described in the Old as well as in the New Testament.

You will want the following Scripture fulfilled in your life. “Behold, the stone that I have laid before Joshua; upon one stone shall be seven eyes: behold, I will engrave the graving [inscription] thereof, saith the Lord of hosts, and I will remove the iniquity of that land in one day.” Zechariah 3:9 KJV. That is the final atonement. Your sins will be taken away and blotted out. You will no longer be a sinner.

The plan of salvation involves a complete restoration from everything that has been ruined and lost by sin. It will not be complete for you until your sins are removed.

Ellen Write wrote about the fact of our self-deception. Many are being preached into heaven. You cannot live for the devil all of your life and then the last two minutes of your life ask the Lord to save you. That is not how the plan of salvation works. It did not even work that way for the thief on the cross. The thief on the cross was sanctified before he died. Ellen White said, “What is it that constitutes the wretchedness, the nakedness, of those who feel rich and increased with goods? It is the want of the righteousness of Christ. In their own righteousness they are represented as clothed with filthy rags, and yet in this condition they flatter themselves that they are clothed upon with Christ’s righteousness. …” Our High Calling, 349. Could any deception be greater than this?

Do not deceive yourself. In order to be ready for the final atonement, you must be clothed in the righteousness of Christ. God is preparing a people today that will be translated. Those people have to be ready and willing to have all of their sins removed.

(Unless appearing in quoted references or otherwise identified, Bible texts are from the New King James Version.)

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

Inspiration – The Transfiguration

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The faith of the disciples was greatly strengthened at the transfiguration, when they were permitted to behold Christ’s glory and to hear the voice from heaven testifying to His divine character. God chose to give the followers of Jesus strong proof that He was the promised Messiah, that in their bitter sorrow and disappointment at His crucifixion, they would not entirely cast away their confidence. At the transfiguration the Lord sent Moses and Elijah to talk with Jesus concerning His sufferings and death. Instead of choosing angels to converse with His Son, God chose those who had themselves experienced the trials of earth.

Elijah had walked with God. His work had been painful and trying, for the Lord through him had reproved the sins of Israel. Elijah was a prophet of God; yet he was compelled to flee from place to place to save his life. His own nation hunted him like a wild beast that they might destroy him. But God translated Elijah. Angels bore him in glory and triumph to heaven.

Moses was greater than any who had lived before him. He had been highly honored of God, being privileged to talk with the Lord face to face, as a man speaks with a friend. He was permitted to see the bright light and excellent glory that enshrouded the Father. The Lord through Moses delivered the children of Israel from Egyptian bondage. Moses was a mediator for his people, often standing between them and the wrath of God. When the anger of the Lord was greatly kindled against Israel for their unbelief, their murmurings, and their grievous sins, Moses’ love for them was tested. God proposed to destroy them and to make of him a mighty nation. Moses showed his love for Israel by his earnest pleading in their behalf. In his distress he prayed God to turn from His fierce anger and forgive Israel, or blot his name out of His book.

When Israel murmured against God and against Moses because they could get no water, they accused him of leading them out to kill them and their children. God heard their murmurings and bade Moses speak to the rock, that the people might have water. Moses smote the rock in wrath and took the glory to himself. The continual waywardness and murmuring of the children of Israel had caused him the keenest sorrow, and for a little time he forgot how much the Lord had borne with them, and that their murmuring was not against him, but against God. He thought only of himself, how deeply he was wronged, and how little gratitude they manifested in return for his deep love for them.

It was God’s plan to bring often His people into strait places, and then in their necessity to deliver them by His power, that they might realize His love and care for them, and thus be led to serve and honor Him. But Moses had failed to honor God and magnify His name before the people that they might glorify Him. In this he brought upon himself the Lord’s displeasure.

When Moses came down from the mount with the two tables of stone and saw Israel worshiping the golden calf, his anger was greatly kindled, and he threw down the tables of stone and broke them. I saw that Moses did not sin in this. He was wroth for God, jealous for His glory. But when he yielded to the natural feelings of his heart and took to himself the honor which was due to God, he sinned, and for that sin God would not suffer him to enter the land of Canaan.

Satan had been trying to find something wherewith to accuse Moses before the angels. He exulted at his success in leading him to displease God, and he told the angels that he could overcome the Saviour of the world when He should come to redeem man. For his transgression, Moses came under the power of Satan—the dominion of death. Had he remained steadfast, the Lord would have brought him to the Promised Land, and would then have translated him to heaven without his seeing death.

Moses passed through death, but Michael came down and gave him life before his body had seen corruption. Satan tried to hold the body, claiming it as his; but Michael resurrected Moses and took him to heaven. Satan railed bitterly against God, denouncing Him as unjust in permitting his prey to be taken from him; but Christ did not rebuke His adversary, though it was through his temptation that the servant of God had fallen. He meekly referred him to His Father, saying, “The Lord rebuke thee” (Jude 1:9).

Jesus had told His disciples that there were some standing with Him who should not taste of death till they should see the kingdom of God come with power (Mark 9:1). At the transfiguration this promise was fulfilled. The countenance of Jesus was there changed and shone like the sun. His raiment was white and glistening. Moses was present to represent those who will be raised from the dead at the second appearing of Jesus. And Elijah, who was translated without seeing death, represented those who will be changed to immortality at Christ’s second coming and will be translated to heaven without seeing death. The disciples beheld with astonishment and fear the excellent majesty of Jesus and the cloud that overshadowed them, and heard the voice of God in terrible majesty, saying, “This is My beloved Son; hear Him” (Mark 9:7).

Early Writings, 162–164.

The Excellency of Christ

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But what things were gain to me, these I have counted loss for Christ.” Philippians 3:7 NKJV. The life and teachings of the apostle Paul reflect a relationship with Jesus Christ that is so deep and so profound, so all encompassing, that it is a thrill to read the inspired words.

What things do we count to be gained in this life? There are the obvious things that people feel are a gain to them, perhaps their reputation, or even church position. What was Paul referring to in his own experience? To find out, we need to turn back to earlier verses in this chapter.

“Finally, my brethren, rejoice in the Lord. For me to write the same things to you is not tedious, but for you it is safe. Beware of dogs, beware of evil workers, beware of the mutilation! For we are the circumcision, who worship God in the Spirit, rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh, though I also might have confidence in the flesh. If anyone else thinks he may have confidence in the flesh, I more so: circumcised the eighth day, of the stock of Israel [generations of Seventh-day Adventists going back], of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of the Hebrews; concerning the law, a Pharisee [one of the conservative branch]; concerning zeal, persecuting the church [attacking the independents]; concerning the righteousness which is in the law, blameless [or so he thought]. But what things were gain to me, these I have counted loss for Christ. Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ.” Philippians 3:1-8 NKJV

Paul is saying that in comparison, to possessing Christ, to having Him as his Saviour, his Lord and King, all else fades into oblivion. And the things that he once put confidence in, that he thought were gain, these he now counts but loss.

“Yea, doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord.” Philippians 3:8. [All emphasis supplied.] He says not only that he counts all things which he once considered gain to him as loss for Christ, but moving on now to a greater arena, Paul points us to the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus.

Because of the impact of rationalism, modernism, relativism and all of the other philosophies upon our society, we live in a world where people are starving in their hearts. They are turning to the occult and to spiritualism. They are turning inwardly to self to try to find something beyond, but the genius of Christianity is that all things are promised to the believer. There is a greater life, a holier existence, a higher, more elevated plain upon which life can be lived, and an invincible, overwhelming power made available to men through Jesus Christ.

“Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things.” Philippians 3:8. It will be those who have experienced this by faith who will successfully negotiate the perils of the last days, standing for the law of God at the cost of liberty, property and even of life.

Because of the conviction that struck him as Stephen was being stoned, Paul took up the cross where Stephen had laid it down. The wonder and the beauty of Christ transfixed and transformed his heart. This vision never left Paul. When he was shipwrecked, when he was set upon by robbers, when the Jews worked to undermine his work, one look at the cross of Calvary reconsecrated and reinvigorated him, empowe

ring him to continue carrying on the message of Jesus Christ, even to Rome.
Under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, as Paul pondered the cross, he saw that Christ was the Lamb of God that takes away the sin of the world. As Paul saw Him to be the foundation of the Jewish economy and that all the promises of God are found in Him, suddenly all of his supposedly bright future vanished in the face of the glory of the knowledge of Christ Jesus his Lord. The Sanhedrin no longer held the interest for him that it once did. The driving force within him to take this knowledge of Christ to every person in the known world drove him on and on. Hated, reviled and persecuted, he pressed on. Finally, standing alone before Nero, when all men forsook him, he had something which was beyond anything that this world could offer; and in the wonder, the glory and the beauty of that, all else faded into insignificance.

Therefore Paul says, “I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ.” Philippians 3:8

What a statement! In the Greek, the word used for dung means human excrement. Paul did not want anything to interfere; and anything that came close to interfering with the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus his Lord he counted as but refuse, that he might win Christ.

What does it mean to “win Christ”? It means everything. It means eternity. It means fellowship with the saved, fellowship with those who have never fallen, fellowship with God Himself. It means to be able to sit on His throne and to commune with Him, to understand the deep things of God. Jesus Christ is the pearl of great price. Everything else has to go, for in finding Him, we find everything else. He must be supreme, and nothing must jeopardize that relationship. All of the life is then negotiated and mediated through Him.

“And be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith.” Philippians 3:9 NKJV

The thing that transfixed Paul was the realization that the very righteousness of God Himself could be his by faith.

He then goes on to say, “That I may know Him, and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed unto His death.” Philippians 3:10 NKJV

Christianity is a religion not only of love but of power. Paul wanted to know the power of Christ’s resurrection. Inspiration tells us that when Jesus came forth from the grave, it was by his own power. This power of the resurrection may be ours, for we are told that we will come forth from the grave, should we die before Christ returns, by virtue of the indwelling Christ.

Paul could never forget the part that he played in the stoning of Stephen and in the persecution of the church of Christ. Paul had persecuted the church of Christ, the body of his Lord, and he felt that he was the chief of sinners. Now he could not covet enough to know what the fellowship of His sufferings was. He wanted to be made conformable to the death of Christ, which is why he said, “I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave Himself for me.” Galatians 2:20

“If by any means I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead. Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect: but I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus.” Philippians 3:11, 12

A very interesting construction. Christ Jesus had apprehended him for something and he wanted to apprehend that himself. So he and Christ were working together to apprehend the same thing.

“Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 3:13, 14

This work, forming a union with Christ, is a very, very interesting one. As Jesus left the upper room with His disciples, knowing that He was facing the hour of supreme crisis in His life on this earth, with eternity at stake, He sought to explain His mission to the world and the spiritual relationship His disciples were to sustain with Him. The moon was shining, revealing a flourishing grape vine beside them. Jesus drew the attention of the disciples to this grape vine and said to them, “I am the true vine, and My Father is the husbandman. Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit. Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you. Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in Me.” John 15:1-4

One of the most precious concepts in all of the Scripture is that of abiding in Christ. Ellen White commented on this with these words, “A union with Christ by living faith is enduring; every other union must perish. Christ first chose us, paying an infinite price for our redemption; and the true believer chooses Christ as first and last and best in everything. But this union costs us something. It is a union of utter dependence, to be entered into by a proud being. All who form this union must feel their need of the atoning blood of Christ. They must have a change of heart. They must submit their own will to the will of God. There will be a struggle with outward and internal obstacles. There must be a painful work of detachment as well as a work of attachment.” Testimonies, vol. 5, 231

Salvation is a gift which we must receive, but it costs us everything. It is the pearl of great price, and so it is with the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus our Lord; it is a gift that can only come to us by the agency of the Holy Spirit, but it costs us everything. We must count all things but loss in order to receive this gift.

Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews, a good man from all outward appearances and one of the wealthiest men in Palestine, came to Jesus by night. He came by night because he did not want to have people see him identified with this lowly Teacher who, as yet, did not have recognition from the Sanhedrin. Approaching Jesus, he said, “Rabbi, we know that art a Teacher come from God.” John 3:2. He did not recognize Him as his Lord and Saviour and Master but only as a teacher.

Ellen White tells us that Jesus knew that what this man needed was not the discussion of a theory but a new birth. He needed this work of detachment and attachment to Him as the Saviour of the world and an attachment to Him as the Saviour of the world. Jesus said to him, “Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. Nicodemus saith unto Him, How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter the second time into his mother’s womb, and be born?” John 3:3, 4

Nicodemus took it literally, but Jesus was talking about a spiritual birth. A struggle is involved in birth, which is why it is referred to a labor. In ancient times, giving birth would often take the mother’s life. It is a struggle for the baby to be born. Even so in spiritual things, the spiritual new birth is a painful work.

Ellen White says of detachment and a work of attachment, “There must be a painful work of detachment as well as a work of attachment. Pride, selfishness, vanity, worldliness—sin in all its forms—must be overcome if we would enter into a union with Christ. The reason why many find the Christian life so deplorably hard, why they are so fickle, so variable, is that they try to attach themselves to Christ without first detaching themselves from these cherished idols.” Testimonies, vol. 5, 231

This is why people whom we thought would be faithful to the very end, suddenly flip and are no longer walking in the narrow way. They have not been born again; the painful work of detachment has not taken place in their heart as the Word of God is applied. That is why Jesus said to His disciples, “Ye are clean through My word; ye have been purged.” The grape vine’s tendrils, as it grows, can have a tendency to go down toward this earth; but those tendrils have to be pruned off so that it can reach up toward heaven, toward the light. The pruning is a painful process, but it must take place because no man can serve two masters. There cannot be a divided heart. Christ will not co-exist with sin and with this world. There must be a detaching from the cherished idols and the formation of this attachment with the union with which Christ’s believers become one in Christ. But one branch cannot be sustained by another, the nourishment must be obtained through vital connection with the Vine. We must feel our utter dependence upon Christ. We must live by faith in the Son of God. That is the meaning of the injunction ‘‘abide in Me.”

A mere assent to this union while the affections are not detached from the world, the pleasures and dissipation, only emboldens the heart in disobedience. “God makes no compromise. Until the heart is surrendered unconditionally to God, the human agent is not abiding in the True Vine and cannot flourish in the Vine, and bear rich clusters of fruit. God will not make the slightest compromise with sin. If He could have done this, Christ need not have come to our world to suffer and die. No conversion is genuine which does not change both the character and the conduct of those who accept the truth. The truth works by love and purifieth the soul.” Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, vol. 5, 1144

Ellen White draws on this concept of Paul in Philippians, chapter 3, in the book The Great Controversy. In describing the day of the Lord, she speaks of a mighty earthquake that shakes the entire earth. God’s people, hidden in the forest and solitary retreats in the mountains, are being threatened with utter destruction by a universal death decree. Throngs of evil men are about to rush upon them when suddenly, from the throne of God, a rainbow spans the heavens and seems to encircle each praying company. The murderous throngs are arrested. Though it is midnight, the sun appears, shining in its strength. Signs and wonders follow. Everything in nature is turned out of its course; streams cease to flow. Hail stones the weight of a talent are pulverizing the cities of the earth. Graves are opened and a special resurrection takes place. All who have died in the faith of the three angel’s messages come forth from the tomb glorified. Lightnings envelope the earth. Above the terrific roar of thunder, voices, mysterious and awful, declare the doom of the wicked. The day of the Lord has come, and through a rift in the clouds there beams a star whose brilliance is increased fourfold in contrast with the darkness. The star speaks hope and joy to the faithful but severity and wrath to the transgressors of God’s law. And now this statement, where it all comes together, “Those who have sacrificed all for Christ are now secure.” The Great Controversy, 638

They knew what it was to count all things but loss. They knew the voice of their Redeemer when conviction came and the Holy Spirit said the time has come to speak and no longer be silent. The time has come to move with the message. They sacrificed all for Christ and now they are secure, hidden, as in the secret of the Lord’s pavilion. Yes, the message of Paul comes down to us, a message glorious and wondrous in its beauty. Only those who understand what it means to behold Christ and to be transformed into the image of His glory, having been detached from everything in this world, will be secure when the day of the Lord comes. Their voices are raised in triumphant song, “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore will not we fear, though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea; though the waters thereof roar and be troubled, though the mountains shake with the swelling thereof.” Psalm 46:1-3

Holiness is what binds the faithful as one together with their Lord and with one another—wholeness for God, complete surrender to Him. In the greatest hour of earth’s history, as Jesus comes in the clouds of heaven, those who have made that supreme surrender, who know what it has meant to count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus their Lord, can now look up at the Lord and say, “Lo, this is our God. We have waited for Him and He will save us.” Isaiah 25:9

The End

The Rending Of The Robe

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In the Scriptures, our robe, or our clothing, is used as a symbol of our character. We see this in the experience of Adam and Eve. They had a robe of light, representing a righteous character. When they sinned and lost that covering, they made some fig leaf garments to replace it. These artificial garments have become synonymous with righteousness by works, but they are not acceptable.

In place of the garment of leaves, the Lord prepared a garment for them from the skin of an animal. This garment, which cost the life of the innocent animal, was symbolic of the garment of Christ’s righteousness, which cost the life of His own Son and which all must wear who will be saved. In Revelation 19:7-8, we find our clothing referred to as our works. “Let us be glad and rejoice and give Him glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and His wife has made herself ready. And to her it was granted to be arrayed in fine linen, clean and bright, for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints.” As acts are repeated, they become habits, and those habits become character.

You can read in Ephesians 5 concerning the church, that the church will be arrayed in linen, a garment of character that will be without spot or wrinkle, without blemish. Speaking of Armageddon, we read: “Behold I am coming as a thief. Blessed is he who watches, and keeps his garments, lest he walk naked and they see his shame” Revelation 16:15. If your garment is torn or becomes spotted or wrinkled, you will not be ready for Armegeddon.

In the Old Testament, there is one robe that was a special symbol, and that was the robe worn by the high priest. Speaking of this robe, we are told: “The pattern of the priestly robes was made known to Moses in the mount. Every article the high priest was to wear, and the way it should be made, were specified. These garments were consecrated to a most solemn purpose. By them was represented the character of the great antitype, Jesus Christ.” The Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, vol. 5, 1104

Because it represented Christ’s character, under no condition was this robe to be torn or rent. The penalty for failing to comply with this requirement was death. The Jews, however, had gotten together and had written a church manual that contained rules differing from those in the Bible. According to their church manual, there was one exception to God’s rule. In the case of blasphemy, in order to show his horror, the high priest was allowed to tear his robe. It is quite obvious that Caiaphas placed a higher value on the church manual than on the Bible. By the way, in those days you could not even be a high priest unless you were willing to go along with the church manual. That was a prerequisite.

So, when Caiaphas tore his robe, though his action was approved of by the church manual, according to God’s Word, he was deserving of death. Of course, nothing like this could ever happen again, could it?

“We want to understand the time in which we live. We do not half understand it. We do not half take it in. My heart trembles in me when I think of what a foe we have to meet, and how poorly we are prepared to meet him. The trials of the children of Israel, and their attitude just before the first coming of Christ, have been presented before me again and again to illustrate the position of the people of God in their experience before the second coming of Christ.” Selected Messages, book 1, 406

The condition of Israel then, according to Ellen White, was representative of our experience just before the second coming of Jesus Christ. Jesus told the people of His day, “You have made the commandments of God of no affect by your tradition.” Matthew 15:6

Have you ever heard of a “duly appointed leader”? Or have you ever heard the phrase, “properly constituted church authority”? Was Caiphas a duly appointed leader? Well, who is a duly appointed leader? This is something that we need to understand.

“For thus rending his garment in pretended zeal, the high priest might have been arraigned before the Sanhedrin. He had done the very thing that the Lord had commanded should not be done. Standing under the condemnation of God, he pronounced sentence on Christ as a blasphemer. He performed all his actions toward Christ as a priestly judge, as an officiating high priest, but he was not this by the appointment of God, the priestly robe he rent in order to impress the people with his horror of the sin of blasphemy covered a heart full of wickedness. He was acting under the inspiration of Satan.” The Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, vol. 5, 1105

Was he duly appointed? He was not appointed by God. Who was directing his actions? Do God and the devil ever work in partnership? No! Never! The Bible is very clear on that. First Corinthians 10:20-21 says, “You can not drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of devils.” It does not say you should not; it says you cannot. You can have it one way or the other but not both.

“Under a gorgeous priestly dress, he was fulfilling the work of the enemy of God.” Ibid.

Is it properly constituted church authority to do the work of the devil? Now notice the next sentence.

“This has been done again, and again.” Ibid.

Let me ask you this question. How much authority did Caiphas have?

“With Caiaphas the Jewish high priesthood ended. This proud, overbearing, wicked man proved his unworthiness ever to have worn the garments of the high priest. He had neither capacity, nor authority from heaven.” Manuscript Releases, vol. 12, 387

How much authority did he have? Though he had what they called properly constituted authority, he had no authority from heaven.

“He had not one ray of light from heaven to show him what the work of the priest was, or for what the office had been instituted. Such ministration could make nothing perfect, for in itself it was utterly corrupt. The priests were tyrannous and deceptive, and full of ambitious schemes. The grace of God had nought to do with this.” Ibid., 388

“Oh,” but someone says, “he was the high priest.” Well, let us just look at that for a moment. Was he the high priest? Now remember, it was several years before A.D. 34. Was Caiaphas the leader of God’s people? No, no he was not. “Virtually Caiaphas was no high priest.” The Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, vol. 5, 1101

Was he the high priest or was he not the high priest? He was not the high priest, though he may have been so by profession. Do you see why we say that there is a difference between the professed church and the true church? There is a difference, and in a time of apostasy, there is a great difference. We have been trying to teach people this for a few years now, but it is so ingrained that unless the Holy Spirit works on their minds, they never understand the point. Profession and reality are not necessarily the same thing.

How is it with you today, friend? Is your character in harmony with your profession? If it is not, your profession is telling a lie and you can never go to heaven, although you call yourself a Seventh-day Adventist. If the things you profess to believe are not a reality in your life, your life is a lie because your character is not in harmony with your profession.

“He [Caiaphas] was uncircumcised in heart. With the other priests he instructed the people to choose Barabbas instead of Christ.” Manuscript Releases, vol. 12, 388

When Caiaphas asked Jesus if He was really the Christ and Jesus replied that He was, Caiaphas tore his robe. Why did Caiaphas tear his garment? He did it deliberately, and he did it for a reason. It was a custom among the Jews that whenever one of your relatives had died, you would tear your clothes as a way of expressing extreme sorrow and grief. The Lord had prohibited the priests from doing this, but, as was pointed out earlier, they had found a way around God’s clear command.

The experience Christ was subjected to was repeated many times during the Protestant Reformation. First, the Protestant Reformers were excommunicated, or disfellowshipped, from their churches. When this did not stop the Reformation, they were placed in prison. Finally, when other measures had failed to suppress their activities, it was determined that they must die. The men who were responsible would maintain that they certainly hated to treat them so, but they were left no choice. This is what Caiaphas was telling Jesus. He was saying, in essence, “I’m going to have to kill you because of your theological errors, but I’m so sorry about it.” The trouble with such a statement was that Caiaphas was not really sorry at all. Ellen White makes this very clear.

“So perverted had the priesthood become that when Christ declared Himself the Son of God, Caiaphas, in pretended horror, rent his robe, and accused the Holy One of Israel of blasphemy.” The Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, vol. 5, 1104

It is wrong to pretend under any circumstance, but the worst kind of pretense is when you pretend to be pious, and that is the kind of pretension this was—he was pretending to be in terrible sorrow and shock, and it was not even so. This made the act even more wicked than it would have been otherwise.

By the way, have any of you ever received any letters that begin something like, “I’m so sorry to have to inform you,” and then go on to explain the unpleasant action they have been forced to take? Friend, you had better never tell someone you are sorry if it is not really the truth, because God hates pretense.

Caiaphas also showed that he did not realize, if he ever knew, what his robe represented. It represented the character of the One standing before him. It was terrible blasphemy for him to tear his robe because Christ’s character had not been torn; it had never been defiled.

When he tore his robe, he said, in effect, we will not have this Man to rule over us. What had he done? He separated himself—remember now, he was a representative of the whole Jewish nation—from God.

God has given to you and me the power of choice, but I want to tell you, He honors our power of choice. People say, “Well the church is going through.” Do you believe that we have the power of choice? Did Caiaphas have the power of choice? Certainly he did, but he made a choice, and God honored his choice. I want to tell you, friend, God honors people’s choices.

“In Christ the shadow reached its substance, the type its antitype. Well might Caiaphas rend his clothes in horror for himself and for the nation; for they were separating themselves from God, and were fast becoming a people unchurched by Jehovah. Surely the candlestick was being removed out of its place.” Ibid., 1109

What were they doing? They were become a people unchurched. Do you want a synonym for that? That means they were disfellowshipping themselves. By this act, Caiaphas was separating, or divorcing himself from God; and everyone who followed his example, yielding to his influence, was doing the same thing. Because of this choice, millions of people lost their lives.

By the way, they still went to church; they went to the building; they said the same prayer; they went through the same service. They still had the same organization; they still had the same bank account; they still had the same name; but they were disfellowshipped, and they did not even know it.

If they had been striving to be in harmony with God’s will and to obey Him, Caiaphas would have been killed for the crime he had committed; but they decided instead to follow him.

What was God’s response?

“When Caiaphas rent his garment, his act was significant of the place that the Jewish nation as a nation would thereafter occupy toward God. The once favored people of God were separating themselves from Him, and were fast becoming a people disowned by Jehovah.” The Desire of Ages, 709

God accepted the choice that Caiaphas made; and God is watching the choices that you and I are making, the choices that every minister is making and the choices that every church is making God is going to respond in keeping with the decision of each person.

Here is what happened when Jesus died on the cross:

“It was not the hand of the priest that rent from top to bottom the gorgeous veil that divided the holy from the Most Holy Place. It was the hand of God. When Christ cried out, ‘It is finished,’ the Holy watcher that was an unseen guest at Belshazzar’s feast pronounced the Jewish nation to be a nation unchurched.” The Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, vol. 5, 1109

Do you realize that this was some time before A.D. 34?

When Caiaphas rent his garment, there was more than one rending that took place. We have been looking at the outward rending of the garment of the high priest and its spiritual significance. It was a symbolic act of the separation, the divorcing of God’s people from Himself. When was this act completed? It was completed when the priest said, “We have no king but Caesar.” John 19:15

The Church is to be the bride, the wife of Christ; but if that church chooses to depart from the Lord and to form an alliance with the state, it has said in effect, we will no longer have the Lord to be our ruler. You cannot have two masters; it is impossible. No church or religious group can go to the state for the enforcement of their religious teachings without having left the Lord, and God will recognize that choice.

Are you aware that the Spirit of Prophecy says that there are three things the Lord will do when the church goes to the state for assistance in enforcing her decrees? First, He says that He will not hear their prayers. If that was the only thing to happen, that would be so serious that it should shake us to the bottom of our foundation. Second, she says that He will take the Holy Spirit away from them. Without the Holy Spirit you are lost. The third thing that the Lord will do is write them in the book of heaven as unbelievers. See Selected Messages, book 3, 299-302. If you are written in heaven as unbelievers, you are not even part of the church. You have torn the garment; you have separated yourself from the Lord.

There is a true rending of the garment.

“Christ mourned for the transgression of every human being. He bore even the guiltiness of Caiaphas, knowing the hypocrisy that dwelt in his soul, while for pretense he rent his robe. Christ did not rend His robe, but His soul was rent. His garment of human flesh was rent as He hung on the cross, the sin-bearer of the race. By His suffering and death a new and living way was opened.” The Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, vol. 5, 1105

Jesus had an inner rending of His soul, and, friend, we are to enter into that experience if we are going to be saved.

“Blow ye the trumpet in Zion, and sound an alarm in My holy mountain: let all the inhabitants of the land tremble: for the day of the LORD cometh, for it is nigh at hand;…Therefore also now, saith the LORD, turn ye even to Me with all your heart, and with fasting, and with weeping, and with mourning: and rend your heart, and not your garments, and turn unto the LORD your God: for He is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and repenteth Him of the evil. Joel 2:1, 12, 13

“And I will pour on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem the Spirit of grace and supplication; then they will look on Me whom they pierced. Yes, they will mourn for Him as one mourns for his only son.” Zechariah 12:10

what are these verses talking about? Oh, friend, when Jesus hung on the cross, it was your sin that pierced Him; and it was my sin that pierced Him. The past, the present and the future are all alike to God. God saw you, and that is why Jesus came and died on the cross. When he hung on the cross, His heart was pierced; it was torn for you. The tearing of His flesh, His hands and His feet is just a symbol or a type of the real pain that was in His heart. The pain in His heart was so great, Ellen White says in the Desire of Ages, that the physical pain was hardly felt. We do not realize how bad sin is until we come to Calvary, and even then we cannot fully comprehend it.

Have you ever met parents who had only one child and that child died? The Lord says, that is the way My people are going to mourn in the last days. They are going to mourn as parents mourn who have lost their only child and grieve for Him as one grieves for a firstborn.

“Many today who claim to be Christians are in danger of rending their garments, making an outward show of repentance, when their hearts are not softened nor subdued. This is why so many continue to make failures in the Christian life. An outward appearance of sorrow is shown for wrong, but their repentance is not that which needs not to be repented of. See 2 Corinthians 7:10. May God grant to His church true contrition for sin. Oh that we might feel the necessity of revealing true sorrow for wrong-doing!” Review and Herald, June 12, 1900

Did you know that there was one garment that was not torn that day? Jesus had on an outer garment that the Bible says was without seam. As it had no seam, the soldiers decided not to tear it. Prophecy said that it would not be torn; it said they would cast lots for it. Do you realize the significance of this?

“Christ’s seamless garment is a representation of the unity that should exist in the church.” Manuscript Releases, vol. 5, 371

You are never going to have unity with just profession; but if you have a group of people who have had the true rending of the heart and not the garment, you are going to have a true unity. One of the most exciting things that I am finding as I travel is that all over the world God is drawing together faithful, Historic Seventh-day Adventists—just little groups here and there—and they are having the most marvelous experience of unity that I have ever seen. There is no question that God is going to have a united movement at the end. The only question is, Am I going to be part of it?

The devil is determined that this unity will never happen, but it is going to happen anyway. I would consider it the greatest privilege of my life if I could just have a little part in it. How about you?

That seamless robe represents the unity that is to exist among Christ’s true believers, and it must never be torn. We must always think of that seamless robe in all of our dealings with each other. We are not to tear it. The body of Christ is one body, and when one part suffers, all of the rest suffer. Oh, friend, Christ’s seamless robe represents the unity that is to exist among His true followers until the end of time. Do you want to be a part of it?

The End

The Seed of the Woman

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Perhaps the most powerful gospel sermon that was ever preached on the subject of the “Women’s Seed” was preached by the Lord Himself and is recorded in Genesis 3. This sermon is of great importance for us in the times in which we are living because it addressed the issues that we are facing today.

“Now the serpent was more subtle than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said unto the woman, yea, hath God said, he shall not eat of every tree of the garden? And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden: but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, he shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die. And the serpent said unto the woman, ye shall not surely die: for God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.” Genesis 3:1-5

Though we will see more dimensions as we progress, in these few verses, the parameters are set for the rest of the Bible.

“Yea, hath God said, ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?”

Did you notice what happened? The devil used what is known as a covert negative. A covert negative is the insinuation of a doubt while seeking to appear otherwise.

“And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden.”

Eve did something that we have been warned never to do—she parleyed with the enemy. Ellen White tells us that the devil, through the serpent, hypnotized her. He used conversational hypnosis, otherwise known as NLP.

God has given to us a commission to proclaim the everlasting gospel, not to parley with the enemy. The enemy, however, seeks to engage us in negotiation, and, like the woman, we parley with him, allowing him to gain control over our minds.

“But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die. And the serpent said unto the woman, ye shall not surely die.” Now the devil directly challenges the word of God.

He continues, “For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.” In other words, you, rather than God, will determine what is good and evil. This is the philosophy presented by Nietsche in his book, Beyond Good and Evil. He presents the concept that it is possible for a person to develop a personal lifestyle established upon his own norms of good and evil and without regard to the definition of good and evil laid down by the Lord. This is the original lie that the serpent told Eve. Even though today this idea is no longer questioned by the majority of people in the world, it is spiritualism, which, like a dark fog, is settling over all society. There is scarcely an aspect of human life, whether it be government, religion, law or culture, that is not affected.

“And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat. And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons.” Genesis 3:6,7

Having accepted Satan’s assertions as truth, they were now allied to him—one in nature.

“And they heard the voice of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day: and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God amongst the trees of the garden.” Verse 8

They had never responded this way before. This was their first experience in hiding from God.

“The Lord God called unto Adam, and said unto him, Where art thou?” Verse 9

This same question has come ringing down through time. Where art thou modern man? Where are you in your thinking? Where are you in relationship to My word? Where are you in relationship to My presence? Where art thou?

“And he said, I heard Thy voice in the garden and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself.” Verse 10

Man hides himself from God because of the sense of his nakedness and his fear of appearing in the presence of His Creator unclothed by the garment of Christ’s righteousness. It is to meet this great need that the three angels’ messages focus on the proclamation of the righteousness of Christ, which is to be received by faith.

“And He said, Who told thee that thou wast naked? Hast thou eaten of the tree, wherof I commanded thee that thou shouldest not eat?” verse 11. Have you partaken of spiritualism? Have you fallen into the trap of the devil?

“And the man said, The woman whom Thou gavest to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I did eat.” Verse 12

The spirit of accusation, which leads to the fracturing of human relationships, something never before known, now brought division between Adam and his wife. Today, under the impact of spiritualism, human relationships are being broken apart, unraveling the very fabric of society. Ellen White tells us that this process will continue to grow worse until we will see a situation in this world which will exceed that which brought about the reign of terror in France. See Education, 228

“The Lord God said unto the woman, What is this that thou hast done? And the woman said, The serpent beguiled me, and I did eat. And the Lord said unto the serpent, Because thou hast done this, thou art cursed above all cattle, and above every beast of the field; and upon thy belly shalt thou go, and dust shalt thou eat all the days of thy life.” Verses 13,14

Now comes the fist gospel sermon ever preached. Notice that, in addressing Adam and Eve, God directs his words to the serpent. “And I will put enmity [hatred, or hostility] between thee and the woman, and between they seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.” Verse 15

In these few words, the Lord laid down the great parameters for the struggle that would take place in the working out of the great controversy—the unending warfare that would exist between the seed of the woman and the seed of the serpent until the close of time.

Ellen White, commenting on this, says, “his [the devil’s seed will war against the righteous, and the wicked will endeavor to exterminate the good from the face of the earth….Whenever a soul takes a decided stand for truth, the head of the serpent is bruised by the seed of the woman, and the serpent can bruise but the heel of the seed.” Youth’s Instructor, October 11, 1894

“The enmity referred to in the prophecy in Eden was not to be confined merely to Satan and the prince of life, it was to be universal….The seed of Satan is wicked men, who resist the Spirit of God, and who call the law, as did their father the devil, a yoke of bondage.” Manuscript Releases, vol. 16, 117

“He that committeth sin is of the devil.” 1John 3:8

Here the distinction is clearly made. The seed of the woman are those who keep the commandments of God and have the testimony and faith of Jesus. The seed of the wicked one, the devil, are those who call the law a yoke of bondage and who commit sin. This is the cleavage point. Incidentally, that is also the cleavage point between Israel and Babylon, as we will shortly see.

“The enmity that exists in the heart against evil has no natural existence [Now, this is a very important point.] but is an enmity that has been created through the agency of the Holy Spirit….He [Satan] originates traditions, and through his maxims he succeeds in assimilating to his own nature the nature of those who do not yield allegiance to the law of God.” Signs of the Times, June 11, 1894

We do not have a natural hatred against evil, but this hatred against evil has been put in our hearts by the Holy Spirit.

Notice how Satan works by introducing traditions and maxims to conform all who do not yield allegiance to the law of God, to his own nature.

“It is God alone that can continually put enmity between the seed of the woman and the serpent’s seed. After the transgression of man, his nature became evil. There was peace between Satan and fallen man. Had there been no interference on the part of God, men would have formed an alliance against heaven….There is no native enmity between fallen angels and fallen men….Fallen angels and fallen men join in companionship.” Gospel Herald, July 1, 1898

In the outworking of these principles, we see a separation, but also unity. On the one hand, we see the seed of the woman in harmony with God, with His law and the unfallen beings throughout the universe. In contrast, there develops a harmony between fallen man and fallen angels. Jesus wants us to recognize these distinctions, which is why, when the Jewish leaders confronted Him seeking to engage Him in a debate, he said, “Ye are of your father the devil.” See John 8. They were the seed of the serpent, and Jesus clearly identified them as such.

How different from this clear demarcation between right and wrong is the present concept of Christian love. This idea has captured the thinking of American society, completely divesting love of the control placed upon it by an awareness of the holiness of God.

The modern approach to love is really the result of merging Buddhism with Christianity. The Buddhist view of love is primarily oriented to human beings and the elimination of hatred. It seeks to teach beautiful concepts of love while denying the fall and need of a Saviour from sin. While it sounds like a beautiful concept, and is one with which most people would heartily agree, it is spiritualistic in nature and does not reckon with the reality of Scripture. Today these concepts have infiltrated all our psychology, entirely altering the culture of the western world. But what did God say to Adam and Eve? I will put hatred between thy seed and her seed.

The true Christian view of love recognizes that God’s love does not naturally exist in the human heart. Jesus, the Saviour, is needed. In the pure, holy love that He gives in the gift of His holiness, righteousness is supreme, and results in supreme love to God and impartial love to man. Christian love, centered in Christ and regulated by the law of God, is in complete harmony with the Scriptures.

Genuine love is ever antagonistic to the spirit of Satan, for there is an unreconcilable conflict between Satan and Christ. Jesus said, “ye shall be hated of all men for my name’s sake.” “I came not to bring peace but a sword.” Matthew 10:22,34

If all of humanity were to accept Christ and come into harmony with the principles of heaven, the most wonderful love would exist. It would be a heaven on earth, but true everlasting peace can only be achieved through surrender to Christ and His principles.

The Buddhistic concept of love is a tolerance of everything but the truth as it is in Jesus. It is, therefore, especially opposed to the proclamation of any message which warns against false religion, such as the exposure of the man of sin. It is one of the foremost antagonists of the love of Christ as manifested in the gift of His righteousness. It gives evidence of its hostility to the Lord and His truth by striving to turn the soul’s loyalty from Christ while seeking to destroy the operation of the Holy Spirit in the soul, which works in the heart of man, inspiring hostility against Satan and his seed.

God is a being of holiness, and God’s holiness involves hostility against sin. He commits Himself to act in the defense of the presence of holiness in humanity, which is why again and again, as at the Red Sea when with a strong arm He delivered Israel, God has acted in behalf of His people. In doing so, He is praised as a holy God because he has acted in complete harmony with the purity of His righteous character. It is this holiness of which we are to be partakers.

“For they verily for a few days chastened us after their own pleasure; but He for our profit, that we might be partakers of His holiness. Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord.” Hebrews 12:10,14

This helps us to understand some of the passages in the Psalms that are so perplexing to our society. “The foolish shall not stand in Thy sight; Thou hatest all workers of iniquity.” Psalm 5:5
Is God not a God of love? How, then, can the Scriptures say, “Thou hatest all workers of iniquity”?

God is a God of love, but His holiness involves a righteous hostility against sin and against the seed of the serpent.

True peace and true love is found only in the new birth and in surrender to Christ. “I have not sat with vain persons, neither will I go in with dissemblers. I have hated the congregation of evildoers; and will not sit with the wicked.” Psalm 26:4,5

Who are dissemblers? They are the people who profess what they really do not have in their heart. These people are going into the congregation of the Lord professing one thing, while their hearts are quite out of harmony with their profession. By their actions, they are seeking to deceive.

Notice, also, the concept of separation from the wicked, which is foundational to the holiness of God. We are to worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness, and holiness involves complete separation from all evil.

There is a very interesting development brought to view in the parable of the wheat and the tares, as given in Matthew 13.

“Another parable put he forth unto them saying, The kingdom of heaven is likened unto a man which sowed good seed in his field: but while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat, and went his way.” Verses 24,25

The Spirit of Prophecy tells us that the tares represent a class who are the fruit of embodiment of error, as reflected in false principles. The enemy that sowed them is the devil. Neither God nor His angels ever sowed a seed that would produce a tare. The tares are always sown by Satan, the enemy of God and man. The sowing of tares in the professed church of Christ is an act of revenge Satan commits against Christ. Jesus pointed it out in this parable so that the true church members could be warned that Satan would sow his tares—infiltrators and destroyers—among the pure wheat seed of Christ.

Surely, this is true of our time, for while we were asleep, a crop of tares has sprung up in the structure. I was at the seminary when there was a great flowering of tares that seemed to suddenly appear. All of them were in harmony in their belief that the law of God could not be kept.

“The servants said unto him, Wilt thou then that we go and gather them up? But he said, Nay; lest while ye gather up the tares, ye root up also the wheat with them.” Verse 27

The Lord has such a regard for the protection of even one soul that He does not want even one soul to be lost. Because the fabric of life might be involved and some of the wheat might be destroyed in the process of removing the tares, he says, “Let both grow together until the harvest: and in the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather ye together first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them: but gather the wheat into my barn.” Verse 30

Here is demonstrated the separation and unity that comes at the time of the harvest just before the close of probation.

Later, the disciples came to Jesus seeking for a clearer understanding of the tares. This concept of the tares troubled them. In explaining the parable to them Jesus, clearly delineated along the same parameters that He had in Genesis 3:15.

“Then Jesus sent the multitude away, and went into the house: and His disciples came unto them, he that soweth the good seed is the Son of Man; the field is the world; the good seed are the children of the kingdom; but the tares are the children of the wicked one.” Verses 36-38

“The enemy that sowed them is the devil. [The devil, at work in the professed church, sowed the tares.] The harvest is the end of the world; and the reapers are the angels. As therefore the tares are gathered and burned in the fire; so shall it be in the end of this world. The Son of man shall send forth His angels and they shall gather out of his kingdom all things that offend, and them which do iniquity, and shall cast them into a furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth. Then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Who hath ears to hear, let him hear.” Verse 39-43

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

Once again, at the end of time, we see manifest the hatred that as to exist between the seed of the woman and that of the serpent. The remnant of the seed of the woman are the last in the long line of those who kept the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus. The seed of the serpent, which are the tares, have hostility against the truth of obedience to God’s law. The devil working through them, attacks the wheat, seeking to destroy the seed of the woman who keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.

This raises a question, What happens when you have a situation where there gets to be so many tares that they are choking out the good seed?

Jesus was faced with this same problem in His day. In The Desire of Ages. Chapter 33, we are told that when Jesus came preaching, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel,” he first labored in Judea. “If the leaders in Israel had received him, he would have honored them as His messengers to carry the gospel to the world, but Israel knew not the time of her visitation.” As the jealousy and distrust of the Jewish leaders ripened into open hatred, the Sanhedrin rejected Christ’s message and the leaders sought to turn the hearts of the people away from Him as well. Jesus was dealing with tares who were bent on his death. Therefore, Jesus departed from Jerusalem, leaving behind the temple, the religious leaders and the people who had been instructed in the law. Instead, he turned to another class, in another field, to proclaim His message and to gather out those who should carry the gospel to all nations.

“As the light and life of men was rejected by the ecclesiastical authorities in the days of Christ, so it has been rejected in every succeeding generation. Again and again the history of Christ’s withdrawal from Judea has been repeated.” Desire of Ages, 232

But I ask you, Where was the good seed? The tares were not the good seed; they were never the true church. The Spirit of Prophecy tells us that Caiaphas had not one ray of light from God, they had no thought of separating themselves from the established church, but the religious leaders would not tolerate the light, and those who bore it were forced to seek another class who were longing for the truth. There were so many tares they could no longer function in the Roman Catholic Church.

Today, few are listening for the voice of God and are ready to accept truth in whatever guise it may be presented. Too often, those who follow in the steps of the Reformers are forced to turn away from the churches they love in order to declare the plain teaching of God’s Word. They are, however, the wheat, the seed of the woman. They are the church. The tares are not the church of God; they are the servants of the devil. They are the seed of the wicked one who war against the seed of the woman.

And so, this great message that the Lord preached in the Garden of Eden comes ringing down to our day, clearly defining who the true church really is. It is the remnant of the seed of the woman, those who keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.

We must never ever forget this principle because it is essential to our salvation to understand who the seed of the woman really is. We must know the great cause to which we are committed if we are to be prepared to sacrifice our life for it.

The End

The Initial Steps Toward Unity

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The messenger of the Lord to the remnant church has told us explicitly that unless we press together, we will be destroyed in the storm that is coming. See Signs of the Times, October 31, 1900. Unity is not something that is just nice to study about; it has to do with your survival.

“Our only hope of reaching heaven is to be one with Christ.” Upward Look, 141. Therefore, the most important unity that we need to seek is to be one with Jesus. Unless we are one with Christ, we have no chance of being saved. If we are one with Jesus, Ellen White continues, “then, in and through Christ, we shall be one with one another.” Ibid. As we come closer to Christ, we come closer to one another.

The Christian world today is seeking for unity, but they do not know how to find it. One of these days very soon, they will believe they have finally achieved it and that the whole world is in unity. See Maranatha, 209. The whole world is going to think that they are in unity, but their harmony will be with the Antichrist.

Unity is a primary subject of Jesus’ prayer in John 17; how we might be one with him. If I am not in harmony with Jesus on something, who do you think should change his mind? The Bible is crystal clear on this subject. “For I am the Lord I do not change.” Malachi 3:6. “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever.” Hebrews 13:8. What Jesus said when He was here almost 2,000 years ago, is still what He thinks; it is still what He believes; it is still what He is like. He is the same; His character has not varied. So, if I want true unity with Jesus I must study what He is like, as recorded in his word. Then, as we come into unity with Jesus, we will come into unity with each other.

Coming into unity is like a jigsaw puzzle—it has more than one piece and we cannot look at all the pieces at once. Right now, however, we will look at one of the initial pieces, a first step toward coming into unity.

You cannot imitate or emulate someone if you do not know what they are like. Therefore, we want to study to understand what Jesus is like. Though I do not spend a lot of time giving my opinions when preaching, I am going to share one of my personal opinions with you. As I have studied the life of Jesus, it does not appear to me that there are very many Seventh-day Adventists who know what Jesus is really like.

There are many people coming to historic Adventist preachers and saying: “You should not do that, or you should not say that; it is not Christlike.” When I hear that, the first question that comes into my mind is simply this: How do you know that it is not Christlike? I personally believe that there are many Seventh-day Adventists telling us those things who have no idea what Jesus is like.

In Hebrews 1, we see a text that graphically tells us in just a few words, something about what Jesus is like. “But unto the son He saith [This is the Father speaking to the Son and He addresses Him as God—One equal in authority with the Father.] ‘Your throne, O God, is forever and ever; a scepter of righteousness is the scepter of Your kingdom. You have loved righteousness.’” Hebrews 1:8-9. Jesus loves what? Righteousness!

We cannot generate love. Love is a precious gift that we receive from Jesus. See Ministry of Healing, 358. If we are to become like Jesus, coming into unity and harmony with Him, we must learn to love righteousness just as He does.

A few years ago I read a story of a beautiful young lady who experienced an automobile accident. Not having her seat belt on, she was thrown through the windshield of her car. Though she survived, her face was badly disfigured. As a result of her change in appearance, her husband divorced her. He had married a beautiful face and when that face was no longer there, there was nothing to hold the marriage together.

What is called love in the world today is often nothing short of selfishness. There are many people who have been married for years but who have never really loved each other. They have gotten married because of what the other person could do for them, and that is not godly love at all.

It took me a long time to learn that I did not have the ability to generate love of any kind, not even for my wife. But, Jesus’ heart is full of love, and He wants you to have that love. His final request in his last prayer, recorded in John 17, is that He would be in his followers and that this love would be in them.

Jesus loves righteousness, and if we ask him for this precious gift of love, he will give it to us. See Romans 8:32.

What is righteousness? Sometimes the easiest way to explain an idea is to express it in opposite terms. What is unrighteousness? In 1 John 5:17, we are told that all unrighteousness is sin. And, what is sin? “Sin is the transgression of the law.” 1John 3:4. Then what is righteousness? It is being in harmony with the law.

Did you know that there are things Jesus hates? Though there are some people who do not seem to believe this anymore, Hebrews 1:9 (last part) tells us that Jesus not only loves, but that He hates as well. So, if you are really going to be like Jesus Christ, you are not only going to have love in your heart, but you also have hatred there. Notice what it says in Hebrews 1:9 “You have hated lawlessness.” (NKJV)

Another text that also reveals this hatred is Psalm 87:10, “You who love the Lord hate evil.”

Some people think that they should just put up with everything, but Jesus is not like that. Jesus is not like that. Jesus and His father have decided that lawlessness is something that they are going to obliterate because they hate it. If you love Jesus, you will also hate lawlessness, especially when you realize that it was this lawlessness—this sin—that caused Jesus to go to the cross. You cannot love Jesus and something that caused Him to go to the cross. That is why Ellen White tells us that, even though those who teach people to break God’s laws may consider themselves Christians, God considers that they hate Him.

The first angel’s message says to fear God.

What does it mean to fear God? For one thing, it means to hate evil. “The fear of the Lord is to hate evil.” Proverbs 8:13. This idea that we can just live a good life, setting a good example, is not enough. If we are really going to be Christlike, we must not only love righteousness, but we must hate lawlessness. We will never achieve Christian unity until we hate lawlessness as much as we love righteousness.

So, what are you to do in a world of evil, among people who profess to follow the Lord, but are not living righteously. The first step that must be taken before we can have Christian unity is that someone is going to have to stand up and attack the evil? It is not enough just to teach the truth; not enough just to set a good example. It is not enough to be loving and kind; you must attack evil. Now we will see the evidence for this from the Bible and the Spirit of Prophecy.

In about the 1920s, Julius Gilbert White wrote a manuscript called The Alpha and the Omega of Apostasy. In this book he accurately describes a departure from truth that was then taking place in Adventism, and that I have seen during my whole lifetime. The result of this departure from truth is the great apostasy that we see in the church today; the greatest apostasy that has ever been seen in the 6,000 years of this world’s history, except perhaps at the time of the flood.

“Those who reject the apostasy [he is speaking to Adventists] will be severely charged with criticism because they will protest against it. [Have you ever been accused of being too critical?] A great effort has been made for a long time to eliminate ‘criticism.’” The Alpha and the Omega of Apostasy, 57

What is it that he says has been going on for a long time? “A great effort has been made for a long time to eliminate criticism.” Remember now, this was written in the 1920s. This plot of the devil was laid a long time ago.

“It [criticism] has been terribly condemned far and near in sermons, articles, conventions, institutes, camp meetings and conferences. Honest protest has been stifled and suppressed by branding it ‘criticism’ and then condemning it. A distinction must be made between ‘protest and criticism.’ For if not, no voice can be raised against wrong! Pernicious criticism is a wicked thing, and ought to be confessed and forsaken. Criticism of men is that bad. But there is another side to this question of criticism.

“If men have gone so far in criticism that they criticize the work of the Spirit of God and the messages from the Spirit of God and denounce those who are maintaining those messages as having the spirit of the devil, that would come terribly close to being a sin against the Holy Spirit and would call for alarm and utter humiliation and abasement before such men should dare lift up their heads and ask God for the gift of His Holy Spirit in the latter rain.

“This criticism of the work of the Spirit of God is more heinous and disastrous to ourselves and to the work of God than is criticism of men.

“If leaders so criticize the Spirit of Prophecy that men are moved by the Spirit of God to protest against such apostasy, there must be a distinction made between such protest and evil criticism. When men are in the wrong and do not see it and God sends brethren to counsel them and they persist in denouncing such counsel as unjust criticism, they are indeed in a great delusion, and it is most difficult for God to reach them.

“According to Inspiration, there will be various voices in the church from this time forward till after the shaking is over. There will be false reformations that will sweep in thousands; there will be great worldliness and there will be those who ‘sigh and cry’ over the condition of the church as God sees it, and these will reprove and warn and ‘will not hold their peace to obtain the favor of any.’ (See Testimonies, vol. 5,209).” Ibid., 58,59

Ellen White here describes two groups of people. One group of people put a cloak over the existing iniquity, but another group will not hold their peace for anyone. They are going to protest. Now, if you would like to know who is sealed and who is not, you need to read the rest of the chapter.

There have been times in the past when God has sent people to attack evil. Concerning these people, Ellen White says, “They have ever been received with distrust and suspicion.” Testimonies, vol. 3, 261. Anciently, when Elijah was sent with a message from God, the people did not heed the warning. They thought him unnecessarily severe.

Today, someone says, “Do you have to state it so strongly?” Yes, I do, in order to have a clear conscience.

“They [children of Israel] even thought that he must have lost his senses.” What did they think about Elijah? They thought he had gone crazy! Why? “Because he denounced them, the favored people of God, as sinners and their crimes as so aggravated that the judgments of God would awaken against them.” Ibid. (All emphasis supplied.) Many people have never noticed this.

Is there to be an Elijah message to the church just before the end? Do you know what the Elijah message is? It is a lot different than what many people have thought. Very soon the judgements of God are going to fall on apostate Seventh-day Adventists and it is going to be worse than you can imagine. It is necessary to preach a message that will shake people right down to their toes and make them realize that if they do not change their ways they will be in worse trouble than they can imagine.

“Oh,” somebody says, “Pastor John, Jesus would never do anything like that.” Well, did Jesus approve of what Elijah did or not? Who was inspiring Elijah to denounce them? Many people think that anybody that does anything like that is the devil’s instrument, but according to the Spirit of Prophecy, Elijah was the Lord’s instrument. He denounced them because he was Christlike and was filled with the Holy Spirit.

“They abhorred not the sins which had brought them under the chastening rod, but hated the faithful prophet, God’s instrument, to denounce their sins and calamity.” Review and Herald, September 23, 1873

“But,” someone will say, “don’t you realize that we must respect our leaders?” Well, let me tell you, Elijah did not. “The prophet, as God’s messenger, had reproved their sins, and denounced the judgments of God because of their wickedness. Elijah, standing alone in conscious innocence, firm in his integrity, surrounded by the train of armed men, shows no timidity, neither does he show the least reverence to the king. The man whom God has talked with, who has a clear sense of how God regards man in his sinful depravity, has no apology to make to Ahab, nor homage to give him. Elijah, now as God’s messenger, commanded, and Ahab obeyed at once the command, as though Elijah was monarch, and he subject.” Ibid., September 30, 1873

There is a time when a rebuke must be given; and when God’s people are in apostasy, if God’s messengers do not stand up and rebuke it and reprove it, we will lose our own souls.

There was a time in the New Testament when there was perfect unity. It says in Acts 2:1 that they were all of one accord in one place. That is going to happen again. I long for it and want to be part of it, but do you know that that unity which they enjoyed would never have come to pass without the cross and the resurrection? Now the cross and the resurrection would not have done for the disciples what it did if they had not been acquainted with Him first for three years and gotten to know what He was like. But, they would never have gotten acquainted with Jesus and found out what he was like if it had not been for the ministry of John the Baptist. The ministry of John the Baptist was the initial step that finally brought that unity three and a half years later. What we are studying now is one of the initial steps that finally results in unity.

When John the Baptist came, the angel told his father that he would come in the spirit and power of Elijah. So, what did John the Baptist do? “John denounced the corruptions of the Jews, and raised his voice in reproving their prevailing sins.” Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, vol.5, 1089.

From time to time, someone will say, “Your preaching is not Christlike because Jesus would speak in a calm, soft voice; He would never raise His voice like you Historic Adventist preachers do.”

But, John the Baptist did not speak in a soft, quiet voice—he raised his voice and shouted it out. “Amid discord and strife, a voice was heard from the wilderness, a voice startling and stern.” Desire of Ages, 104

Stern is another adjective that Ellen White uses quite often in regard to both Elijah and John the Baptist; they were stern in their preaching. When they were stern, were they Christlike or not? Were they filled with the Holy Spirit, or were they filled with another spirit? The Bible says that John the Baptist was full of the Holy Spirit from his mothers womb. “With the spirit and power of Elijah he denounced the national corruption, and rebuked the prevailing sins. His words were plain, pointed, and convincing.” Ibid.

We want to have unity. Who is it in the last days who is going to have unity? Well, let us consider what took place at the first advent of Christ, which is a type of our day, and find out who came into unity then. It was the people who listened to John the Baptist, accepted his rebuke and reproof, reformed their lives and followed Jesus. Three and a half years later they were in a condition of perfect harmony. Do you think there is any parallel between then and our time?

Before Gethsemane, one of the last things Jesus told His disciples was that when the Holy Spirit comes, He will reprove, that is, rebuke. See John 16. If you are receiving the Holy spirit into your life, you will be rebuked; but if you persist in rejecting that rebuke, you will eventually lose the Holy Spirit.

Who is it today that is going to come into unity? Is it those who are fighting the messengers that God has sent to denounce the apostasy and make a call to repentance? Will it be the people who are following the New Theology, who are stepping off the platform of truth, or is it the people who are listening to the messages of rebuke from the Spirit of Prophecy and reforming their lives?

The people who are going to come into unity in Adventism today are the people who allow the Holy Spirit to rebuke them in any way God chooses. It is the Historic Seventh-day Adventists, those who stand on the three angel’s messages and accept all of the Spirit of Prophecy, who believe the fundamental truths that the Lord revealed to our spiritual forefathers. These are the only people who are going to come into unity.

You can trust the One who loved you enough to be nailed to the cross for you, that He will not rebuke you more than you need. This does not mean, however, that you may not need a lot.

Sometimes we meet someone who says, “I know that there are problems and that there is apostasy, but you are never going to get reformation by talking about the problems all time. You should talk more about positive things.”

Listen to this: “They treated the warnings of the Spirit of God as a matter of indifference, as though that voice were human in place of divine. What there was to make any demonstration of on there part they could not see. If they had done wrong, why dwell upon it so much?” Special Testimony to the Battle Creek Church, 1 (published in 1882)

This is what they were thinking in their minds: “Just go on; let it all drop, and say as little about it as possible.” Ibid. Have you ever heard it said; “You are talking about this all the time; you should not talk about it so much. Talk about it as little as possible. Talk about positive things. Teach people how to develop their character and how to have love and how to be patient and kind; don’t be rebuking all the time”? That is what they thought in Battle Creek.

Do you know who Ellen White says would be pleased if they did that? The next sentence tells us. “This is the very thing the enemy of souls wants them to do.” Ibid. It was the devil! The problem, friends, is not going to be solved unless we face the issue straight on and attack it. Evil must be opposed.

Somebody has to attack what is going on today, and it has to be a firm unflinching attack. It must not be some mild little talk; it must be like Elijah, like John the Baptist.

Ellen White says, concerning the rebuke that was given to the children of Israel, “This firmness was essential; in no other way could the existing evils have been rebuked….The messengers of the Lord are never to fear the face of man, but are to stand unflinchingly for the right.” Conflict and Courage, 202

Inspired writings tell us that when Elijah rebuked Israel, he was angry. Yet, he was filled with the Holy Spirit when he was angry. He was also Christlike when he was angry.

“Never seek to cover sin; for in the message of rebuke, Christ is to be proclaimed as the first and the last, He who is all in all to the soul.” Selected Messages, book 1, 380

Friend, are you going to be one of those who come into unity? If you are, you will have to be humble enough to accept rebuke from whomever God chooses to send.

Anytime God sends anyone to reprove the evil, people do not like it and the messengers of reproof are accused of being the cause of the division. Have you ever heard anyone accuse Historic Adventists of being the cause of the division? Elijah was accused of being a troubler of Israel.

“God’s plan for the salvation of men, is perfect in every particular. If we will faithfully perform our allotted parts, all will be well with us. It is man’s apostasy that causes discord, and brings wretchedness and ruin.” Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, vol. 2, 999

So, what is the real cause of the lack of unity in Adventism today? It is not the people who are calling for repentance, but the apostasy that is responsible for the discord; and the only Adventists who will ever have unity again are those who will fight apostasy. Brothers and Sisters, we will never have unity until we are willing to stand up and fight the apostasy.

What is the purpose of rebuke? When we look at the preaching of John the Baptist and the early preaching of Jesus, as recorded in Matthew 3 and 4, we see that the burden of both Jesus and John the Baptist was repentance. See Matthew 4:17. The purpose of the rebuke is that we may repent, and it is only when people are willing to repent that they are able to come into perfect unity.

The End

Keys to the Storehouse – Insight – Contradictions

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Upon coming up out of the water, Jesus bowed in prayer on the river bank. A new and important era was opening before Him. He was now, upon a wider stage, entering on the conflict of His life. Though He was the Prince of Peace, His coming must be as the unsheathing of a sword. The kingdom He had come to establish was the opposite of that which the Jews desired.

THE CONTRADICTIONS OF HIS LIFE
He Who was the foundation of the ritual and economy of Israel would be looked upon as its enemy and destroyer.
He Who had proclaimed the law upon Sinai would be condemned as a transgressor.
He Who had come to break the power of Satan would be denounced as Beelzebub.
No one upon earth had understood Him, and during His ministry He must still walk alone.
Throughout His life His mother and His brothers did not comprehend His mission. Even His disciples did not understand Him. He had dwelt in eternal light, as one with God, but His life on earth must be spent in solitude.
As one with us, He must bear the burden of our guilt and woe.
The Sinless One must feel the shame of sin.
The peace lover must dwell with strife,
The truth must abide with falsehood,
Purity must abide with vileness.
Every sin, every discord, every defiling lust that transgression had brought, was torture to His spirit.
Alone He must tread the path;
alone He must bear the burden.
Upon Him Who had laid off His glory and accepted the weakness of humanity the redemption of the world must rest. He saw and felt it all, but His purpose remained steadfast.
Upon His arm depended the salvation of the fallen race, and He reached out His hand to grasp the hand of Omnipotent Love.

Father: Thank you for the gift of Jesus. Thank you Jesus for the gift of life and for what You endured for me and for Your mediation in the Most Holy Place right now. By Your grace I choose to let go of this world and to follow Thee. Amen.

Gethsemane

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Because of our sinful human nature, we often find it difficult to understand what the Godhead has experienced to make possible our salvation. We need to pray that the Holy Spirit may guide us to comprehend the breadth, the length, the depth and the height of the love of God which passes knowledge, enabling us to taste the fullness of God (Ephesians 3:18).

Let us begin by refreshing our minds with a familiar text found in Matthew 16:24: “… Jesus said unto His disciples, If any man will come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me.” May these words of Christ lead us into a deeper meaning of what is expected of each of us.

I invite you to come with me and join our Lord with His disciples as they walked through the streets of old Jerusalem on their way to the Garden of Gethsemane. Jesus has just instituted the Lord’s Supper in the upper room and as we join with them, we notice that Christ is continuing to teach these profound truths. He explains that the blood that He is about to shed for everyone is to be remembered by the juice of the vine, and the bread is to represent His broken body.

As we near the eastern gate of the city He sums these eternal truths with the words, “I am the bread of life” (John 6:35). With His disciples our hearts thrill within us to hear these living words from the lips of the Master. Shining above us is the Passover moon in all its fullness. The sky is cloudless and around us in every nook and cranny are the pilgrim’s tents, now hushed in silence as we pass through Jerusalem’s gate. We and the disciples soon discover that prophetic time is running out, for something tremendous is about to happen.

Arriving at the entrance to the garden, Christ suddenly becomes strangely silent. He has been here many times to pray, sometimes all night long, but this time we notice something is different. Jesus is beginning to experience an unheard-of agony. Why? What has happened? Up to this moment He has continually walked with God His Father. He could always say, “He that sent Me is with Me: the Father hath not left Me alone” (John 8:29). But now something strange is taking place. God His Father is beginning to separate Himself from His son. Christ is being numbered with the transgressors. He is to bear the guilt of all humanity. Jesus, Who had never sinned, is to bear the guilt of all. He is to bear the weight of the sins of all the world.

As these sins are being placed upon Jesus, He finds Himself being shut out from the presence of His Father. As a man, He is now beginning to experience the dreadfulness of sin. He now sees and feels that these sins that He is now bearing are so great that they are completely separating Him from His Father. Furthermore, as He feels the wrath of God against these sins, His human nature is forced to cry out aloud, “My soul is exceeding sorrowful, even unto death” (Matthew 26:38).

The disciples are amazed to hear such words from the Master. They look at Him and behold a marked change. His face has always been filled with joy, but now it is filled with sadness. The teaching Christ has suddenly become the silent Christ. We notice that each step He takes has become difficult. His body sways as if to fall and He groans aloud because of the sins of the world which are being thrust upon Him. Twice His disciples reach out to support Him or He would have fallen to the ground.

Finally, we reach the inner garden. Here Jesus stops to choose three of His closest disciples, Peter, James and John. He especially chooses these because they had witnessed His transfiguration. As a man now in such a terrifying position, Jesus longs for friendship and for help. These disciples had seen the glory that He had shared with His Father. They had heard the Father’s voice when He said, “This is My beloved Son, in Whom I am well pleased” (Matthew 17:5, last part). Now He longs for His close friends to repeat these words, revealing again the Father’s love for Him. He longs for their companionship in prayer. He pleads, Spend a night with Me in prayer. “Tarry ye here; watch with Me” (Matthew 26:38).

Now the struggle begins in earnest as Satan tries to overwhelm Him. He feels so alone, for God has completely separated Himself from His Son because of the sins Christ now bears. Jesus is faced with a horrible situation. He is surrounded by legions of evil angels. You and I would be frightened if we were suddenly confronted with one of the devil’s angels, but Christ is overwhelmed. Thousands of demons are causing Jesus to experience the very same condition that the lost will face when they come up in the second resurrection and find that they are completely in the power of the devil and His angels.

As a man, it is more than Christ can handle. He falls prostrate to the ground as He realizes that the separation from His Father is like a mighty gulf, broad and deep. It terrifies Him. His body actually shakes with fear. Although Jesus has never sinned, He is now in a different position than during His entire life, for Satan is thrusting every sin of the world upon Him. Prophecy describes His suffering in these words: “Awake, O sword, against my shepherd” (Zechariah 13:7).

My brother and sister, our minds cannot begin to comprehend a fraction of the suffering of Jesus Christ. If in any way you should possibly doubt this, may I remind you that in heaven to come, we shall never exhaust the study of what Christ experienced in Gethsemane so that you and I might live. Christ has now become the surety for sinful man. This means He has become our Substitute. In other words, all penalty which we should suffer for our sins He must now suffer.

Up to this moment He has always been an intercessor for others, pleading in their behalf, giving them courage and strength, a living example of the love of God, but now He Himself longs for an intercessor. The condition He now faces is like a man having a terrible dream who, when he awakes, discovers that it is not a dream at all; it is for real. It is like watching a loved one waiting to die on their deathbed. The anticipation of such an event is heartrending, but when death actually occurs, the final separation is overwhelming. Christ feels He cannot endure such separation from His Father.

He now remembers that some three years before, while in the wilderness, he had met Satan face to face. Although He was weak and emaciated from 40 days of fasting and was about to die, He had no fear, for God His Father was with Him. Then, with God’s power, He had conquered the devil, but now He is alone. God has completely separated Himself from Him. He now understands fully that sin and God cannot exist together. Oh, friend, would to God that we would realize this tremendous fact. Jesus now realizes that if He fails in this encounter with Satan, all will be lost. Every believing saint since Creation will be without hope and He Himself will be lost forever — if He should lose this battle. Never again would He be able to say that He was able to save to the uttermost (Hebrews 7:25), and more important, He Himself would be eternally separated from the Father.

It is now that the demons press the battle. Legions of these spirits surround Him and with all the satanic power that the devil and his angels can invent, they scream at Him saying, “What is to be gained by this sacrifice? Don’t You realize that the sins that You now carry are so great that God will never accept You again? And just look at the ingratitude of the people You love. They have rejected You. They are even now seeking to destroy You. Within an hour all will forsake You.” These intimate facts pierced His soul like a sword while the devil continued to press the point: “Look, those Whom You have created with Your own hands are demanding Your blood. The weight of the sins You now carry is crushing Your heart, causing this terrible pain.” As Christ hears these demon words He clings to the cold ground as if it will help Him. Alone, the chilling dew falls upon His prostrate form and from His lips comes the cry, “O My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from Me: nevertheless not as I will, but as Thou wilt” (Matthew 26:39).

Christ in His humanity longs for sympathy. In this supreme moment he gropes for comfort. If only His disciples are praying for Him as the malignancy of sin is crushing out His very life. Terrible is the temptation to let the sinner bear his own sins. Where can He go for help? What can He do? He remembers these disciples and perhaps they can help Him. He arises painfully and staggers a few feet only to find them all asleep. Listen as He calls to Peter: “What! Could you not watch with Me for one hour” (verse 40 NKJV)?

At this point permit me to pause for a few moments in this description of Christ’s agony, for I must ask you a question: Have you by any chance imagined what our coming to Gethsemane experience will be like? Could it be that some of us are asleep today when the most evil of all storms is to burst upon us? Let me read from Inspiration, Testimonies, vol. 2, 205: “By these sleeping disciples is represented a sleeping church, when the day of God’s visitation is nigh. It is a time of clouds and thick darkness, when to be found asleep is most perilous.” But praise God, we are told in Early Writings, pages 269, 270, that not all will be sleeping: “I saw some, with strong faith and agonizing cries, pleading with God. …

“As the praying ones continued their earnest cries, at times a ray of light from Jesus came to them, to encourage their hearts and light up their countenances. Some, I saw, did not participate in this work of agonizing and pleading. They seemed indifferent and careless. They were not resisting the darkness around them, and it shut them in like a thick cloud.” Could it be that you and I are failing to take advantage of this little time of peace that God is giving us to prepare? Or are we like the disciples of old?

Now let me take you back again to the moment when Jesus called to Peter and awakened him with the words, “Sleepest thou? Couldest thou now not watch with Me one hour?” At these words all of the disciples were awakened and could hardly recognize the face of Jesus because it had become so utterly changed by His anguish. Yet in such agony Jesus tries to excuse them. “The spirit truly is ready, but the flesh is weak” (Mark 14:38, last part).

Amazingly this is only the beginning of this dreadful ordeal. Inspiration now states that Christ is seized with a superhuman agony. Fainting and exhausted, He staggers back to His spot of prayer, only to discover that His suffering has intensified and there is no one to help Him. Alone “His sweat was as it were great drops of blood falling to the ground” (Luke 22:44). No other man in the entire world has ever experienced such unrestrained agony. What a change! Just a few days before He had cleansed the temple, unafraid of the soldier’s swords and of the stubborn will of the church rulers who were filled with malice and hatred, planning to kill Him. Yet He was unafraid. Why? Because His Father was with Him. But now He is like a battered reed bent in an angry storm. He is now in the hour of the power of darkness. And for the second time He cries aloud, “O My Father, if this cup may not pass away from Me, except I drink it, Thy will be done” (Matthew 26:42). Once again, as a human, He turns to His disciples for help, only to find them sleeping. They have permitted Satan to stupefy them with his devilish power, putting them to sleep.

Christ now awakens them, trusting that they will help Him, but instead, the disciples are terrified. Never have they beheld such a face! Never have they seen anyone so marked with blood and agony! Rather than helping Jesus, the disciples themselves are filled with fear. Prophecy has stated, “His visage was so marred more than any man, and His form more than the sons of men” (Isaiah 52:14). Sad to say, for the second time His disciples had failed Him.

Once again He staggers back to His retreat and falls prostrate to the cold ground. The awful moment has now finally come. He is overcome by Satan’s darkness. Yet in this awful moment His love for His disciples is so strong that He prays not for Himself but that their faith fail not. What a Savior! Christ now faces the final test. It is not too late; He can go back to heaven into His Father’s open arms and feel the peace, the comfort, and the love that He longs for. He can let the transgressor perish. Why should He suffer? For the third time Jesus cries aloud, “O My Father, if this cup may not pass from Me, except I drink it, Thy will be done” (Matthew 26:44).

Christ now understands the full depth of sin. He sees the transgressor before the law as helpless and perishing. For the first time, as a man, he fully senses the power of sin. The woes of a doomed world arouse His love for the lost. Alone He makes the final decision. He will save man at any cost to Himself. He will accept the baptismal blood. He will make possible eternal life to all who will take up their cross and follow Him. He will die even to save just one soul. Such is His love for the individual. He will become the Lamb of God and take away the sins of the world. Immediately, He experiences death for you and for me and falls dying to the ground. Where are His disciples in this final moment to encourage and strengthen Him, to bathe that blood-stained brow that is marred more than any man has ever experienced? (See The Desire of Ages, 693.) But this is not all. He must be tested beyond death. This might be incomprehensible for you and for me to understand, but the devil must never be able to claim that if he could have tempted Jesus just a few minutes longer the Savior would have given up.

For a moment, let us turn from this tremendous decision to save us and go up to heaven and see what is happening there. Inspiration states that God has suffered with His Son. This means that every pain and every anguish, every piercing depth of agony – all has been also suffered by the Father. As the angels surround the throne, they behold the agony of God the Father. There is silence in heaven. Not a harp is touched. In amazement the angels watch as the Father separates Himself from His Son, permitting Christ to become the sin bearer. The angels are filled with wonder. They now see that, bearing our sins, Jesus has become offensive to God. No wonder the Scripture says, “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son” (John 3:16).

Now let me take you back to the garden. Thousands of demons have converged upon Christ as He falls to the ground. But watch. God in heaven now commands the angel Gabriel, who was given the place that Lucifer had occupied before his banishment from heaven, to immediately go to Jesus and give Him added strength so that He does not die for He must be tempted beyond death. This angel comes not to take away the cup of death but to strengthen Him that He may drink it. Watch as Gabriel brings assurance to Jesus of His Father’s love and tells Him, “God, Your Father is more powerful than Satan and because of the decision that You have made to die as the Lamb of God, You have gained the victory over Satan. The kingdoms of this world will eventually be given to the saints. The redeemed will shine in the universe as the stars of heaven.” Praise God! Christ believes the angel. He believes by faith that God still loves Him. Instantly He becomes calm and serene as a God-like peace captures His blood-stained face. Christ has now tasted death for every sinner. Jesus has gained the victory by faith. The angel lifts Christ’s head to his bosom and points Him to the open heavens. Jesus hears that sweet music of heaven and knows that His Father loves Him. Hope and comfort once more fill His heart. By faith He knows that His Father loves Him.

Beloved, are we ready for our Gethsemane to come? Do we really understand what the words, “Take up his cross daily, and follow Me” (Luke 9:23 NKJV) mean. Believe me, each of us who by God’s grace is determined to gain victory over sin will soon personally experience our own Gethsemane. We too shall soon live without an intercessor. Our past sins will overwhelm us. We shall feel forsaken of God and surrounded by devils. We will personally experience what it means to be alone. Our friends will forsake us and flee from us like the disciples fled from Christ. Religious forces will unite against us as the arm of the state joins in a confederacy with the church to do away with us. We will be betrayed by loved ones just as Judas betrayed His Lord with a kiss. Some of us will be in prison bound as Christ was, falsely accused, abused, and adjured before God to admit that we are His commandment keepers, knowing full well that in standing up for Jesus this will be our death warrant. Many will hear the verdict, Execute! Inspiration has stated, “Those who apostatize in time of trial will, to secure their own safety, bear false witness, and betray their brethren. Christ has warned us of this, that we may not be surprised at the unnatural, cruel course of those who reject the light.” The Desire of Ages, 630. “Those who are true to God will be menaced, denounced, proscribed. They will be ‘betrayed by parents, and brethren, and kinfolks, and friends,’ even unto death” (Luke 21:16). Prophets and Kings, 588.

“Some who profess righteousness will, like Judas, betray their Lord into the hands of His bitterest enemies.” Testimonies, vol. 5, 690. “As trials thicken around us, both separation and unity will be seen in our ranks. Some who are now ready to take up weapons of warfare will in times of real peril make it manifest that they have not built upon the solid rock; they will yield to temptation. Those who have had great light and precious privileges, but have not improved them, will, under one pretext or another, go out from us. Not having received the love of the truth, they will be taken in the delusions of the enemy; they will give heed to seducing spirits and doctrines of devils, and will depart from the faith.” Testimonies, vol. 6, 400, 401.

Now beloved, if you think that I have over-emphasized what our coming Gethsemane will mean to us, then listen to this: “The ‘time of trouble, such as never was,’ (Daniel 12:1) is soon to open upon us; and we shall need an experience which we do not now possess, and which many are too indolent to obtain. It is often the case that trouble is greater in anticipation than in reality; but this is not true of the crisis before us. The most vivid presentation cannot reach the magnitude of the ordeal. In that time of trial, every soul must stand for himself before God.” The Great Controversy, 622.

Unlike what occurred with Christ, Who, in the garden made the final decision to die on Calvary’s cross to save you and me, we, who have also made the decision to die rather than sin, will be saved by divine intervention. Praise the Lord! The living saints will be translated without death. God has promised in Revelation 15:2, 3: “I saw as it were a sea of glass mingled with fire: and them that had gotten the victory over the beast, and over his image, and over his mark, and over the number of his name, stand on the sea of glass, having the harps of God. And they sing the song of Moses the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying, Great and marvellous are Thy works, Lord God Almighty; just and true are Thy ways, Thou King of saints.”

Beloved, by God’s grace I plan to sing that song of Moses and of the Lamb on the sea of glass, a song which the angels can never sing. What about you? Would you determine now before God to join me that together we can sing this song of victory over sin?

May this be our prayer: Dear God, we are determined by Thy mighty power to overcome every sin now so that we may so live ready for Jesus to come and stand with Him on that sea of glass and sing the song of victory.

For more than fifty years, Lawrence Nelson served the Seventh-day Adventist Church as a church pastor, evangelist, and then in Conference, Union, and General Conference leadership. When God laid upon him the responsibility to “tell it like it is” to alert the people how the church was leading them into the worldwide ecumenical movement, he was forbidden to preach in any church within the Oregon Conference. Elder Nelson passed to his rest on April 18, 2012.

PROPHETIC PARALLELS – Christ’s Church “Then”. . . and Christ’s Church Now Ch.6

By Terry S. Ross

prophetic parallels - greenChapter 6 – “Let Not Your Heart Be Troubled . . . “

“Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto Myself; that where I am, there ye may be also. And whither I go ye know, and the way ye know” (John 14: 1- 4).

Here Jesus was saying, “For your sake I came into the world. I am working in your behalf. When I go away, I shall still work earnestly for you. I came into the world to reveal Myself to you, that you might believe. I go to the Father to co- operate with Him in your behalf.” The object of Christ’s departure was the opposite of what the disciples feared. It did not mean a final separation. He was going to prepare a place for them, that He might come again, and receive them unto Himself.

While He was building mansions for them, they were to build their character after His divine example. There are not many ways to heaven. Each one may not choose his own way. Christ says, “I am THE way… no man cometh unto the Father, but by Me” (John 14: 6).

Many today demonstrate either by word, action, or both that they believe there is more than one way to heaven. The leaders are using their influence to try to convince others that it really doesn’t matter how we worship God. Remember, Cain had this same attitude. These same folks are also saying that we need not worry so much about our character because Jesus understands we are only human. Unfortunately, most people will continue to believe this lie. Jesus DOES understand our humanity! And the problem isn’t with Jesus, it’s with us. We need to understand His divinity! Those who do and who choose to trust Jesus all the way will find the ONLY way to heaven. We will discover eventually that all of these “poor me” arguments to excuse sin are in vain. What good will have been accomplished at the end of time? It will be forever too late when people see that God sets very high standards in regard to repenting and turning from sin. We cannot afford to allow this to be our experience. We have all that is necessary for ours to be a success story in the books of heaven. All we need is a sanctified choice— we need our will to be sanctified— and a right relationship with Jesus. If you will do your part, Jesus has given His life to prove, beyond a shadow of a doubt, He will do His part. What good will it have been to have attended church or anything else if it’s all been wasted because we did not take the time to find out what God says, not what men say, is the vital part to play in our own salvation? Won’t you determine just now that you will cast your lot with Christ no matter what any man says? Won’t you promise yourself, right this moment, that you will take God and not man at His word? Those who in the end are to be saved for eternity will be those who trusted God with all their minds, bodies, and souls. It is a law of the universe that if we choose to place our confidence in man instead of God and if we choose to doubt God’s ability to bring us all the way to a perfected character, then our doubts will be realized. It is all the way with Christ or none of the way with Him. Did Jesus say in Matthew 5: 48, “Be ye halfway perfect . . .”? No! Those who only make a halfway effort will lose heaven all the way.

Just before Jesus’ crucifixion He earnestly and perseveringly sought to prepare His disciples for the storm of temptation that was soon to beat upon them. He would have them hid with Him in God.

It was education time in the ancient conference church of Jesus’ day and this education Christ came to impart to His disciples. These independent minsters were to take this education to their church and laity alike, but they were not prepared for the approaching storm that was to commence within the church structure. The message Jesus gave to these men to share would cause them much trouble but, nonetheless, it was the message they were to give if they would remain faithful. These same messages of warning and education are being brought again at the Lord’s command, for the last time. Only those, as in Jesus’ day, who heed the messages will be protected in the end.

“I am the way . . . “ as Christ was speaking these words, all present felt a sacred awe as they listened with rapt attention to His words. Their hearts were more decidedly drawn to Him; and as they were drawn to Christ in greater love, they were drawn to one another.

Much emphasis is placed on unity these days within Christian circles. Certainly Jesus prayed for His people to have unity and all heaven is waiting for this to take place. Christ calls for unity. BUT HE DOES NOT CALL FOR US TO UNIFY IF WRONG PRACTICES ARE PART OF THE “DEAL.” The God of heaven draws a sharp contrast between pure, elevating, ennobling truth, and false, misleading doctrines. He calls sin and impenitence by their right name. He does not gloss over wrongdoing with a coat of untempered mortar. I urge our brethren to UNIFY UPON A TRUE SPIRITUAL BASIS. All this talk of unity will have no value in the sight of God if it isn’t based on His high standards. Unity in itself is against God’s kingdom if it’s based on any other foundation than to hold up truth and the pure principles of the heavenly kingdom. God will some day soon have this unity among His true people. Will you and I be in this group? No man can make us do otherwise if this is where we choose to be.

The Saviour was deeply anxious for His disciples to understand for what purpose His divinity was united to humanity. He came to the world to display the glory of God, that men might be uplifted by its restoring power. God was manifested in Him that He might be manifested in them. JESUS REVEALED NO QUALITIES, AND EXERCISED NO POWERS, THAT MEN MAY NOT HAVE THROUGH FAITH IN HIM. His PERFECT HUMANITY is that which all His followers may possess, if they will be in subjection to God as Jesus was.

Love for the pure truth of God is the glue that alone will bring this binding together of which so many speak. This unity will ONLY come to those who honestly have the eternal interests of God’s government in mind. ONLY those who protect God’s throne while on this earth of sin will share in His glory in the world made new. This class is the ONLY one which will survive the great controversy between Christ and Satan.

All who will go to work, trusting not in what they themselves can do, but in what God can do for and through them, will certainly realize the fulfillment of His promise, “Greater works than these shall he do, because I go unto my Father” (John 14: 12).

Oh, friend! Do you believe that Jesus has enough power to overcome all the sin in your life? Do you believe that Jesus is your only hope if you are to be an overcomer? Do you believe overcoming sin is as vitally important as it is? If you don’t, then consider these verses:

“Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God?” (1 John 5: 5).

“To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God” (Rev. 2: 7).

“He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; He that overcometh shall not be hurt of the second death” (Revelation 2: 11).

“To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with Me in My throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in His throne” (Revelation 3: 21).

“He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son.” (Revelation 21: 7)

It is obvious, from the testimony of God’s word, that overcoming is something all Christians must do in order to be saved! But how many times have you heard this preached from the pulpit?

Do you believe that Jesus will help you cease from liking whatever sin it is that you may be holding on to? Are you tired of playing church? If you can answer “yes” to these questions, brother or sister, there is hope! But you and I must be willing to put it all on the altar of the Lord. We must be willing to agonize, if need be, in order to overcome. As Christ overcame through this same agonizing in the garden, so we too must travel this road. Remember, God is not building for just a moment but for eternity. Remember what the definition of “the true church” is. It is those who have a living relationship with Jesus. In Revelation 14: 12 and Revelation 12: 17 we read about the identifying traits of the remnant church— those who are the last church who will go through to the end when Jesus comes. We need to understand this much more than we seem to.

The last church will “keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus” (Revelation 12: 17). Revelation 19: 10 says “… for the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.” And we’ve already discussed prophecy and prophets in the first chapter.

But that is not all that this means. The last church also will have the faith OF Jesus Christ. What does it mean to “have the faith OF Jesus Christ”? It means that the people who comprise the last church— the only church that’s going through— WILL HAVE THE SAME FAITH THAT JESUS HAD. This faith is much more than a profession of belief. This faith believes with the total soul. It’s THE faith that the entire universe possesses. This is the only faith that entrusts itself completely and totally to the Heavenly Father. This faith has total trust, it has made an absolute commitment, and is in complete partnership with the Creator. This faith is the secret ingredient, and the only one, that will ensure total victory. This living faith will, for eternity, bar sin from ever returning to God’s expansive domain. Remember, the Bible says that God “will make an utter end, affliction shall not rise up the second time” (Nahum 1: 9). This means that sin will never again rise up in God’s universe and Jesus will never have to go to the cross again. Therefore, only those who obtain this faith will be trusted with the responsibilities of the faithful ones in heaven.

The wonderful news is that all of heaven is active in giving us all the help we need to make the faith of Jesus our own. We must want it more than anything else. We must want it enough to lay down our own lives— our own wants and desires— for the Father, for “he that loseth his life for My sake,” Jesus said, “shall find it” (Matthew 10: 39).

When Jesus told the disciples that He was going away to prepare a place for them, they were unacquainted with the Saviour’s UNLIMITED RESOURCES AND POWER. He said to them, “Hitherto have ye asked nothing in My name” (John 16: 24). He explained that the secret of their success would be in asking for strength and grace in His name. He would be present before the Father to make requests for them. The prayer of the humble suppliant He presents as His own desire in that soul’s behalf. Every sincere prayer is heard by heaven. It may not be fluently expressed; but if the heart is in it, it will ascend to the sanctuary where Jesus ministers, and He will present it to the Father without one awkward, stammering word, beautiful and fragrant with the incense of His own perfection.

If we are honestly seeking to follow God’s will, although we may not know how to ask properly, Jesus takes our personal requests upon Himself and presents them in such a manner that the Father is pleased to grant us the blessing sought. Jesus said to ask “In My name.” In Christ’s name His followers are to stand before God. Through the value of the sacrifice made for them, they are of value in the Lord’s sight. Because of the imputed righteousness of Christ they are accounted precious. For Christ’s sake the Lord pardons those that fear Him. He does not see them as vile sinners. He recognizes in them the likeness of His Son, in whom they believe.

The Lord is disappointed when His people place a low estimate upon themselves. He desires His chosen heritage to value themselves according to the price He has placed upon them. God wanted them, else He would not have sent His Son on such an expensive errand to redeem them. He has a use for them, and He is well pleased when they make the very highest demands upon Him that they may glorify His name. They may expect great things if they have faith in His promises.

But to pray in Christ’s name means much. IT MEANS THAT WE ARE TO ACCEPT HIS CHARACTER, MANIFEST HIS SPIRIT, AND WORK HIS WORKS. The Saviour’s promise is given on condition. “If ye love Me,” He says, “keep my commandments” (John 14: 15 and John 15: 10,14). He saves men, NOT IN SIN, BUT FROM SIN; and those who love Him will show their love by obedience.

True obedience comes from the heart. It was heart- work with Christ. And if we consent, He will so identify Himself with our thoughts and aims, He will so blend our hearts and minds into conformity to His will, that when obeying Him we shall be but carrying out our own impulses. The will, refined and sanctified, finds its highest delight in doing His service. When we know God as it is our privilege to know Him, our life will be a life of continual obedience. Through an appreciation of the character of Christ, through communion with God, sin will become hateful to us.

AS CHRIST LIVED GOD’S LAW IN HUMANITY, SO WE MAY DO if we will take hold of Him for strength. It is true that we are not to be proud and selfish. We are to esteem others better than ourselves, as well. But the fact that heaven paid such a high price for our redemption should help us to realize that we are valued highly in the eyes of the Father. Have you ever had a friend who you knew valued you? Perhaps you have been through a lot together and your friendship has stood the test. As a matter of fact, as you reflect on some of your hard times together, you come to realize that these times helped to cement your relationship even more. This is how God feels about you, my friend. It is hard to explain the love of God, but He has proven to us this love is real.

The Father is not looking for people who have learned to follow a set of do’s and don’ts. The majority of church members have been taught that God is lurking around somewhere, everywhere, just waiting to pounce on them when they sin or make mistakes. With this belief, is it any wonder that the requirements of God seem negative to most Christians? What the Father is really “lurking around” for is to find someone to appreciate Him, just as we would appreciate a true friend who has done much for us. God will have a people who finally realize their best Friend has paid the supreme sacrifice because He so much wants them to be with Him. With this belief intact, they will understand rightly that they are so much in His debt, they will literally do anything for Him. And this is exactly what they will be doing for eternity. Eternity with God will be living with your best Friend forever!

Those who are saved out of this last generation will understand this love relationship better than any other generation before it. True obedience never comes from a heart that HAS to do what the Lord says. True obedience comes from a heart that WANTS to do what the Lord says because that heart wants to please its best Friend.

When for the truth’s sake the believer stands at the bar of unrighteous tribunals, Christ stands by his side. All the reproaches that fall upon him, fall upon Christ. Christ is condemned over again in the person of His disciple. When incarcerated unjustly for Christ’s sake in prison walls, Christ lavishes the heart with love.

When the battle really heats up, as it surely will, the Lord promised to bring needed help. We are not to be concerned about this, because circumstances may separate us from every earthly friend, but no circumstance, no distance, can separate us from the heavenly Comforter. Wherever we are, wherever we may go, He is always at our right hand to support, sustain, uphold, and cheer.

Already many of us are seeing examples of how family members and many in the “church” follow the mandates of the leadership to shun or ignore true and faithful ones who stand for a plain “thus saith the Lord.” We are now seeing a glimpse of our own future, brothers and sisters. The treatment of those who would stand for Bible truth is a prelude of much worse abuses to come. But Jesus promised that though these things would happen and all would forsake us, as they forsook Him, He would NEVER leave us.

In teaching His disciples, Jesus had opened before them a vast tract of truth. BUT IT WAS MOST DIFFICULT FOR THEM TO KEEP HIS LESSONS DISTINCT FROM THE TRADITIONS AND MAXIMS OF THE SCRIBES AND PHARISEES. THEY HAD BEEN EDUCATED TO ACCEPT THE TEACHING OF THE RABBIS AS THE VOICE OF GOD, AND IT STILL HELD A POWER OVER THEIR MINDS AND MOLDED THEIR SENTIMENTS. Earthly ideas and temporal concerns still had a large place in their thoughts. They did not understand the spiritual nature of Christ’s kingdom, though He had so often explained it to them. Their minds had become confused. They did not comprehend the value of the Scriptures Christ presented. Many of His lessons seemed almost lost upon them.

Nothing, absolutely nothing has changed since two thousand years ago. The trouble in Christ’s day and the trouble in our own is the same. The following key words are very interesting. The word “maxim” in this previous paragraph means rules of conduct written in precise form. I thought about this in terms of the “church manual” and church creeds that are used by many organized churches today. The word “scribe” means official writers, copyists, editors. I immediately thought of the many Christian publishing houses we have today. The word “Pharisees” is the term for the church leaders in Christ’s day who insisted on the validity of the tradition of the Elders. I immediately thought about church committees who enforce “commandments of men” by opinion or popular vote, putting man’s opinion above God’s requirements. The word “sentiment” means a mental attitude or response to a person, subject, or idea based entirely on feeling instead of reason. Using this understanding of these key words, let’s restate what was said in the above paragraph about Jesus teaching His disciples:

Jesus had opened before His independent ministers a vast amount of truth. But it was most difficult for them to keep His lessons distinct from church traditions as well as the church manual and creed. It was also hard to keep His lessons distinct from what the Christian publishing houses had published and from what the denominational headquarters said. They had been educated by these same people to accept the teaching of their church as the voice of God, and this voice still held a power over their minds and molded their feelings. Of course, here we are speaking of things which go against God’s word, not those which support it.

After the upper room experience, the disciples had a better grasp on things, but the above demonstrates all too well just the situation in which most church- goers find themselves. Most are placing their confidence in the wrong place— what man has written ABOUT Scripture rather than what the Scriptures actually say. Most churchgoers are confused and are having a difficult time taking God at His word. Christians have been educated by their church leaders to accept whatever they say as the voice of God. Two thousand years ago the disciples and the general populace of the “church” had some real problems with

Jesus because they had been educated by their church leaders to believe that theirs was the voice of God. When Jesus tried to show them the truth, they were confused and upset that Jesus had such an apparent disregard for that which was sacred to them. Nonetheless, Jesus forged ahead with the work of re- educating those who would listen. The church headquarters was on one side, and Jesus on the other. The church was telling the people that Christ was a liar and an imposter. They were telling the people that they were the only ones who could correctly interpret God’s word for them. Of course, the people automatically equated “the church” with the church leaders because of the way they had been taught by these men. Their sentiments — their feelings — had been molded in such a fashion as to effectively block the work of Christ.

Today, the exact same thing is happening throughout the ranks of Christianity. The sentiments of the people are the same as in former days. The confusion is also the same, as well as the effectiveness of the various church leaders. But in former times, not all the people stayed confused. There were some who finally took Jesus at His word. These are the ones who went through, not the church leadership. These are the ones who made up the REAL church. It was this group who was saved and biblical history dictates these facts. The leadership is NOT the church! God’s church is made up of people who follow HIM; not traditions and maxims of “scribes” and “pharisees” who claim to teach Bible truth, but who are merely parroting what they have been taught and who are teaching for God’s commands the traditions and ideas of men. Men who protect and defend church manuals above

God’s express word. It was not Christ’s purpose to be at odds with the very system He had raised up. Christ came to save the lost and make salvation sure for all those who would accept His truth. But here’s where the rub comes in. Christ ended up at odds with the ancient conference church because it stood directly in the way of His real purpose, which was saving people. The conference of His day was leading the people contrary to His Father’s will and therefore not to heaven, but to hell. This left Christ with no choice but to oppose this corrupt church.

Most of us who find ourselves in the exact position of those in Christ’s day have not purposed in life to be at odds with the system that Christ has raised up. We want to do the same work that Christ did and has called us to do which is bringing the truth of salvation to the people. But the church is standing directly in the way of truth. The modern church, like the ancient one, is often guilty of leading people contrary to the Father’s will and hence not to heaven, but to hell. This leaves us with no choice but to oppose this corrupt “church”. They may be proclaiming “the church is going through,” but as in the days of old, they mean that the conference is going through. Frankly, we know better because the principles of God have not changed since two thousand years ago. We understand that the same history WILL, without a doubt, bring the same result. I realize the process of which I speak is sometimes painful and upsetting. It’s hard for us to change and come to some of these realizations. As the disciples said, “This is an hard saying; who can hear it?” (John 6: 60). But Jesus understands this all too well and will help us if we seek His help. If we don’t, we will never understand that we have many lessons to learn, and many to unlearn. God and heaven alone are infallible. Those who think that they will never have to give up a cherished view, never have occasion to change an opinion, will be disappointed. As long as we hold to our own ideas and opinions with determined persistency in opposition to a thus saith the Lord, we cannot have the unity for which Christ prayed.

Whether we like it, whether we admit it, whether we choose to deal with it or not, we are living in the mirror image of Christ’s day. The situation is the same, and our choices, as in the days of old for those in the church in Christ’s day, will determine not so much IF the church is going through to the end, but IF we are in THE church that does! Dear friends, I would never ask you to take my word for this. That’s what led most of the people in Christ’s day into trouble and what is causing the trouble now— people taking a man’s word. The Bible says that the way to prove things is “to the law and to the testimony” (Isaiah 8: 20). The Bible also says, “Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world” (1 John 4: 1). “If any man will do His will, he shall know of the doctrine, whether it be of God, or whether I speak of myself” (John 7: 17). We must be diligent searchers of Scripture so that we are not deceived.

Please don’t take anyone’s word, but rather “study to show yourself approved” (2 Timothy 2: 15). This is our only safety. We can have confidence that Jesus is still leading and through the Holy Spirit, will guide us into all truth if this is our desire.

The Comforter is called “the Spirit of truth” (John 15: 26). His work is to define and maintain the truth. He first dwells in the heart as the Spirit of truth, and thus He becomes the Comforter. There is comfort and peace in truth but no real peace or comfort can be found in falsehood. IT IS THROUGH FALSE THEORIES AND TRADITIONS THAT SATAN GAINS HIS POWER OVER THE MIND. BY DIRECTING MEN TO FALSE STANDARDS, HE MIS- SHAPES THE CHARACTER. Through the Scriptures the Holy Spirit speaks to the mind and impresses truth upon the heart. Thus He exposes error, and expels it from the soul. It is through the Spirit of truth, working through the word of God, that Christ gathers His chosen people to Himself.

Can you comprehend these words, brothers and sisters? Through His holy word, Jesus shows us how deception comes. He is showing us not only how and why the church of His day rejected Him but how and why we are living in the parallel time.

Through false teachings Satan gains his power over the mind. This is exactly what happened in the church structure in Jesus’ day and why it didn’t survive. What I’m concerned most about is that most people do not realize two things that are of prime importance: God’s promises to any person, or any organization, or any nation are always based on obedience. The person who expects a particular promise of God to come true for him is expected to fulfil his end of the contract. Also, you have to realize what God’s church is. How will we know what His church is?

Well this study is a good place to find out. The inspired words telling the history of our forefathers show what the identifying characteristics of God’s church are.

Why do you suppose Jesus was so particular in having these things written? Why do you think the Bible plainly says these things were written down for those “upon whom the ends of the world are come”? (see 1 Corinthians 10: 11). These are not cunningly devised fables or just bedtime stories to tell our children. Our very existence depends on our acceptance of God’s word as it is written. It is not God who is trying to deceive us, but men. What we find hard to accept is that we have far more to fear from within the church than without. It is INSIDE the church system we find the enemy at work. And if we look at the past with candor, honestly seeking for truth, we will learn the lessons Christ desires us to know.

The power of evil has been strengthening for centuries, and the submission of men to this Satanic captivity is amazing. Sin can be resisted and overcome only through the mighty agency of the third person of the Godhead, who would come with no modified energy, but in the fullness of divine power. It is the Spirit that makes effectual what has been wrought by the world’s Redeemer. It is by the Spirit the heart is made pure. Through the Spirit the believer becomes a partaker of the divine nature. CHRIST HAS GIVEN HIS SPIRIT AS A DIVINE POWER TO OVERCOME ALL HEREDITARY AND CULTIVATED TENDENCIES TO EVIL AND TO IMPRESS HIS OWN CHARACTER UPON HIS CHURCH.

It has now been sixty centuries and the days in which we live are worse then when Jesus was here. Did the church of two thousand years ago that claimed to be THE church take on Christ’s character? Did the church headquarters? Was THAT church, which made the exact same profession that the modern- day churches are making, really THE church? Is the same question directed at the churches today any less valid simply because it lays at our own door? Who and what is God’s church— the church that refuses the high standards of heaven or those who accept t h e c h a r a c t e r o f C h r i s t a n d b e c o m e overcomers— worshiping God as He has directed (like Abel)? Christ has promised the gift of the Holy Spirit to His church, and the promise belongs to us as much as to the first disciples. But like EVERY OTHER PROMISE, IT IS GIVEN ON CONDITION. There are many who believe and profess to claim the Lord’s promises; they talk about Christ and about the Holy Spirit, yet receive no benefit. They do not surrender the soul to be guided and controlled by the divine. We cannot “use” the Holy Spirit. The Spirit is to use us. Through the Spirit God works in His people “to will and to do of His good pleasure” (Philippians 2: 13). BUT MANY WILL NOT SUBMIT TO THIS. THEY WANT TO MANAGE THEM- SELVES, this is why they do not receive the heavenly gift— the genuine Holy Spirit. I’m afraid that often there is a counterfeit “holy spirit” people claim to receive and their life testifies that this spirit is not of God. Do not be deceived by those who make a great show of their religion. Understand that for every true manifestation of God there is a counterfeit put out there by Satan. Only to those who wait humbly upon God, who watch for His guidance and grace, is the Spirit given. The power of God awaits their call and reception.

HIS PROMISED BLESSING, CLAIMED BY FAITH, BRINGS ALL OTHER BLESSINGS IN ITS TRAIN. It is given according to the riches of the grace of Christ, and He is ready to supply every soul according to the capacity to receive.

Those who claim to be “Christians” but who continue to allow self to rule on the throne of their life instead of God will come to an unfortunate end. Their kingdom will perish. It is only by having the faith of Jesus (perfect trust in God) that God’s true and faithful can and will receive the blessings of the Early and Latter Rain (see Joel 2: 23 and James 5: 7 regarding the Early and Latter rain).

When the Early Rain falls, all other blessings follow it. God’s people will realize the gift of character perfection (which is merely Christian maturity in its fullness) and become a reflection of the character of Jesus. They will share in the experience of the overcomer and will at last be free indeed! The fruits of the Spirit will be seen in the character, not one characteristic listed in Galatians 5: 22 will be missing. Heaven’s work for this people will be accomplished; God has promised, this WILL happen! There’s no question about it. The question is, will you and I choose to be a part of this experience?

In the blessing of the Latter Rain the Holy Spirit will combine His power with the messages the three angels of Revelation 14 proclaim, giving them convincing persuasion on the heart of the recipient. Those who have been totally engaged in the work of the Early Rain will be privileged at the time of the Latter Rain to bring others to the feet of Jesus. During Pentecost thousands were converted in a day! These scenes are to be repeated, and with greater power. The outpouring of the Holy Spirit on the day of

Pentecost was the former rain, but the Latter Rain will be more abundant. The Spirit awaits our call and reception. Christ is again to be revealed in His fullness by the Holy Spirit’s power. Men will discern the value of the precious pearl (Matthew 13: 46), and with the apostle Paul they will say, “What things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ. Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord” (Philippians 3: 7- 8).

Israel had been represented as a vine which God had planted in the promised land (Isaiah 5: 1- 7). The Jewish people based their hope of salvation on THE FACT OF THEIR CONNECTION WITH ISRAEL. But Jesus says, “I am the real Vine. Think not through a connection with Israel you may become partakers of the life of God, and inheritors of His promise.” Through Jesus alone is spiritual life received. Remember these verses:

“Therefore say I unto you, The kingdom of God shall be taken from you [the Jews], and given to a nation bringing forth the fruits thereof [true Christians]” (Matthew 21: 43).

“And I say unto you, That many shall come from the east and west, and shall sit down with Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, in the kingdom of heaven. But the children of the kingdom [the Jews who reject their Messiah] shall be cast out into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth” (Matthew 8: 11- 12).

“Know ye therefore that they which are of faith, the same are the children of Abraham” (Galatians 3: 7).

“And if some of the branches be broken off [the Jews who reject their Messiah], and thou [Christians], being a wild olive tree, wert grafted in among them, and with them partakest of the root and fatness of the olive tree; For if God spared not the natural branches [the Jews], take heed lest he also spare not thee” (Romans 11: 17, 21). This verse is a very strong warning to us today. God is telling us that if the Jews were cast away because of their disobedience, then we can also be cast away.

“And think not to say within yourselves, We have Abraham to our father: for I say unto you, that God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham” (Matthew 3: 9).

“Bring forth therefore fruits worthy of repentance, and begin not to say within yourselves, We have Abraham to our father: for I say unto you, That God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham” (Luke 3: 8).

And He did— the Gospel went out to the Gentiles and true Christians are now “modern or spiritual Israel.”

Today there are teachers out there teaching that the Jews are still God’s chosen people and always will be. The Bible doesn’t agree with them, as evidenced by the above verses. But don’t take my word for it, look it up for yourself.

The Jews based their hope of salvation on the fact that their church had been handpicked by God. It is true that God had handpicked their church. It was also true this same God was now standing directly in front of them— He was Jesus— telling them plainly that they were lost unless they followed Him. Today, Christians (modern Israel, spiritually speaking) are claiming that their salvation is sure because their church was handpicked by God. It is also true that this same God is now for the last time, through His word, standing directly in front of US, telling US plainly that we are lost unless we follow Him and obey His teachings— His commandments. It is only by following Jesus that we are saved, not by following any other person or any other group. Our connection with “Israel” will not get us into heaven, only our connection with Jesus.

Many were attracted by the beauty of this Vine (Jesus), and declared its heavenly origin. But to the leaders in Israel it appeared as a root out of dry ground. They took the plant, and bruised it, and trampled it under their unholy feet. Their thought was to destroy it forever. But the heavenly Husbandman never lost sight of His plant. After men thought they had killed it He took it, and replanted it on the other side of the wall. The vine- stock was to be no longer visible. It was hidden from the rude assaults of men. But the branches of the Vine hung over the wall. They were to represent the Vine. Through them grafts might still be united to the Vine. From them fruit has been obtained. There has been a harvest which the passers- by have plucked.

After the church of His day bruised, beat, and killed the Vine Stock (Jesus), the Father took Him back unto Himself and Jesus commissioned His independent ministers to bring His message of life to all who would listen. First to the Jews and then to the Gentiles was this message given. All who studied these things and believed the independent ministers who stood for truth, came into the light of truth. Those who were faithful were saved, although the “church” — the recognized corporate structure was lost. Though He was about to be removed from them, their spiritual union with Him was to be unchanged. “The connection of the branch with the vine,” He said, “represents the relationship you are to sustain to Me.”

The Christian is engrafted into the living vine, and fiber by fiber, vein by vein, he grows into the vine stock. The life of the vine becomes the life of the branch. So the soul dead in trespasses and sins receives life through connection with Christ. By faith in Him as a personal Saviour the union is formed. The sinner unites his weakness with Christ’s strength, his emptiness to Christ’s fullness, his frailty to Christ’s enduring might. Then he has the mind of Christ. The humanity of Christ has touched our humanity, and our humanity has touched divinity. Thus through the agency of the Holy Spirit man becomes a partaker of the divine nature. He is accepted in the Beloved.

We are accepted by the Father only if we, by our own choice, are grafted into His Vine, Jesus Christ. When this happens, the life of the Stock becomes the life of the branch. The fruit comes from the Stock and is exemplified in the branch. Christ’s victory becomes our own. This union with Christ, once formed, must be maintained.

Christ said, “Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in Me” (John 15: 4). This is no touch- and- go, no off- and- on connection. The branch becomes a part of the living vine. The communication of life, strength, and fruitfulness from the root to the branches is unobstructed and constant. Separated from the vine, the branch cannot live. “You cannot live apart from Me,” said Jesus. “The life you have received from Me can be preserved only by continual communion. Without Me you cannot overcome sin, or resist one temptation.”

When anyone preaches a message that is anything short of what upholds TOTAL VICTORY through the power of Jesus Christ, utilizing justification and sanctification, you may know that he is a false shepherd. The generation that is now in power in the churches, to a great extent, is of that generation that has always rebelled against authority. It is destroying the moral fiber of Christianity. It believes, “if it feels good, do it!” The power has shifted from one that paid attention to the high standards of God’s moral government to few or no standards— that of the world. This is why the leaders are acting from man- made policy instead of God’s holy principles. But I can assure you on the authority of the word of God that entrance into God’s kingdom will never be based on church committee vote! Whether or not we take God’s standards seriously, He does! This and this alone will determine our entrance into His kingdom, or our banishment from His kingdom. God HATES sin, and He is NOT going to allow anyone off this planet alive who will continue to pollute His work. He sets before us life and death. It may not be popular with the “now” generation, but soon enough it will be realized that the “now” generation will be the extinct generation. I do not wish to be a part of the “now” generation, how about you? Wouldn’t you rather be popular with God than with man?

So long as the soul is united to Christ, there is no danger that it will wither or decay. When we live by faith in the Son of God, the fruits of the Spirit will be seen in our life; not one will be missing.

The precious news of true Christianity is, it matters not what background we have. It makes no difference who our parents are or what they stood for or didn’t stand for. It is not important if they have German, Irish, Italian, Hispanic, or African blood running through their veins. If we give ourselves over to Christ, the victory that He has gained for us will be ours. Excuses for our lack of faith will cease to find expression. What will be witnessed instead is a consistent and practical godliness as we exercise our faith. This will be seen by those who are searching and see Jesus in us.

“Every branch in Me that beareth not fruit, He taketh away” (John 15: 2). While the graft is merely outwardly united with the vine, there will be no vital connection. Then there will be no growth or fruitfulness. So there may be an apparent connection with Christ, without a real union with Him by faith. A profession of religion places people in the church, but the character and conduct show whether they are in connection with Christ. If they bear no fruit, they are false branches. Their separation from Christ involves a ruin as complete as that represented by the dead branch.

Many, many Christians have been taught that the fruits spoken of in John 15: 2 are indicated by the number of people we have influenced into being baptized into the “church.” This is incorrect. The fruits spoken of are primarily the fruits of the Spirit found in Corinthians 13 and Galatians 5: 22- 26, and the fruits of obedience. Personal character development with all the fruits of the Spirit, active and vibrant, is the evidence that we are co- laborers with Christ. This love is the evidence of our discipleship. “By this shall all men know that ye are My disciples,” said Jesus, “if ye have love one to another.” When men are bound together not by force or self- interest, but by love, they show the working of an influence that is above every human influence. Where this oneness exists, it is evidence that the image of God is restored in humanity, that a new principle of life has been implanted. It shows that there is power in the divine nature to withstand the supernatural agencies of evil, and that the Spirit of God subdues the selfishness inherent in the natural heart.

The love for the truth and love for the salvation of souls creates the unity among His people that Christ prayed for. This Satan hates, and his agents— those who refuse this love and the converting power of the Gospel— will intensify persecution until Jesus returns. Some of the most flagrant demonstrations of hatred can and will come from those within the “church.”

Love, manifested in the church, will surely stir the wrath of Satan. Christ did not mark out for His disciples an easy path. “If the world hate you,” He said, “ye know it hated Me before it hated you. If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you. Remember the word that I said unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord. If they have persecuted Me, they will also persecute you; if they have kept My saying, they will keep yours also. But all these things will they do unto you for My name’s sake, because they know not Him that sent Me” (John 15: 18- 21). THE GOSPEL IS TO BE CARRIED FORWARD BY AGGRESSIVE WARFARE, IN THE MIDST OF OPPOSITION, PERIL, LOSS, AND SUFFER- ING. BUT THOSE WHO DO THIS WORK ARE ONLY FOLLOWING IN THE MASTER’S STEPS. Now are you sure you want to be “just like Jesus”? Many do not as yet comprehend or quite believe that there was war in heaven (Revelation 12: 7). They do not realize that the way to eternal bliss is blocked by the devil and that we will have to overthrow him as Christ did to seize the promised land. There is no other way for this last generation but through this terrible struggle. We especially who have been spoiled by “civilization” are at a great disadvantage. If we are to gain the eternal prize at all it will only be by aggressive warfare in the midst of opposition, peril, loss, and suffering. Of course, the weapons used by Christians will be “the sword of the spirit” — God’s word. But praise the Lord! He has traveled this road before us and He knows the way to safety. If you want Him to guide you through this wilderness on to the promised land, you must be willing to follow Him wherever He leads. Are you willing? It is His purpose that the highest influence in the universe, emanating from the Source of all power, shall be ours. We are to have power to resist evil, power that neither earth, nor death, nor hell can master, power that will enable us to overcome as Christ overcame.

Christ designs that heaven’s order, heaven’s plan of government, heaven’s divine harmony, shall be represented in His church on earth. Thus in His people He is glorified. Through them the Sun of Righteousness will shine in undimmed luster to the world. Christ has given to His church ample facilities, that He may receive a large return of glory from His redeemed, purchased possession. He has bestowed upon His people capabilities and blessings that they may represent His own sufficiency. His true church, endowed with the righteousness of Christ, is to be the storehouse in which the riches of His mercy, His grace and His love, are to appear in full and final display. Christ looks upon His people in their purity and perfection, as the reward of His humiliation, and the supplement of His glory. Christ is the great Center, from whom radiates all glory.

If you are convinced that what you are reading is something God would have you understand as truth, then this has to be read as more than just a statement of purpose. It is also a promise of the church Christ will present before the universe and to the Father. We must decide if we will be a part of this church or not. This is our opportunity to do something in return for Him who gave us His all. Those who submit fully to Jesus will be to Him the long awaited reward— the bride He has waited for. Then all His suffering and sacrifice will have been worth it. His heart will be satisfied.

As a consecrated High Priest He intercedes for His people. As a faithful Shepherd He gathers His flock under the shadow of the Almighty, in the strong and sure refuge. For Him there waits the last battle with Satan, and He goes forth to meet it.

In the faithful of the Lord— the one and only true church of God— lies the last great battle between Christ and Satan.

Those who develop a pure love for Christ will not desert Him when it costs them something. To the contrary! They firmly and resolutely engage in the warfare with one purpose— to vindicate the character of God.

Copyright © 1999 Servants of the Saviour
Terry & Cathy Ross

Chapter 7 – Calvary ⇒

PROPHETIC PARALLELS – Christ’s Church “Then”. . . and Christ’s Church Now Ch.4

By Terry S. Ross

prophetic parallels - greenChapter 4 – “No Respecter of Persons . . .”

“Then Peter opened his mouth, and said, Of a truth I perceive that God is no respecter of persons…” (Acts 10: 34).

“And there were certain Greeks among them that came up to worship at the feast: The same came therefore to Philip, which was of Bethsaida of Galilee, and desired him, saying, Sir, we would see Jesus. Philip cometh and telleth Andrew: and again Andrew and Philip tell Jesus.” (John 12: 20- 22).

At this time Christ’s work bore the appearance of cruel defeat. He had been victor in the controversy with the priests and Pharisees, but it was evident that He would never be received by them as Messiah. The final separation had come. To His disciples the case seemed hopeless. But Christ was approaching the culmination of His work. The great event which concerned not only the Jewish nation, but the whole world, was about to take place.

When Christ heard the eager request, “We would see Jesus,” echoing the hungering cry of the world, He was encouraged and said, “The hour is come, that the Son of man should be glorified.” In the request of the Greeks He saw the result of His great sacrifice.

Jesus had labored faithfully and yet it certainly appeared as if His work had been in vain. The church He had come to— the same church He had raised, protected, honored with His presence— had rejected Him. After years in the service of salvation, He stood almost alone. Even His closest friends had little encouragement to offer. But in the words “we would see Jesus,” Christ caught the glimmer of hope that in future days would shine more brightly. These few words Jesus understood.

Jesus was willing to sacrifice Himself so that others might be saved. This is the type of service that is acceptable to the Father. Our work must be of the same nature for it to receive heaven’s blessing. As with Jesus, we must be willing to lay it all on the line for the cause of truth. We must willingly place even our reputation into the hands of God and labor for His glory rather than for our own. We must say the words, “We would see Jesus.” This is what constitutes true service to God and for others.

The grain of wheat that preserves its own life can produce no fruit. It abides alone. Christ could, if He chose, keep Himself from death. But should He do this, He must abide alone. He could bring no sons and daughters to God. Only by yielding up His life could He impart life to humanity. Only by falling into the ground to die could He become the seed of that vast harvest— the great multitude that are redeemed to God out of every nation, kindred, and tongue, and people (Revelation 7: 9).

With this truth Christ connects the lesson of self- sacrifice that all should learn: “He that loveth his life shall lose it; and he that hateth his life in this world shall keep it unto life eternal” (John 12: 25). All who would bring forth fruit as workers together with Christ must first fall into the ground and die. The life must be cast into the furrow of the world’s need. Self- love, self- interest must perish. The law of self- sacrifice is the true law of self- preservation.

We can choose to keep to ourselves, but heaven requires more. Jesus did not have to elect to die for us. Having made that choice He would have saved Himself tremendous trouble, pain, suffering, and rejection. But Christ loved us with a love that is very difficult for us to grasp. After all, we are not that great a prize except in the eyes of heaven, and then only because of what Jesus did. We may think we are remarkable, we may think we are of great importance, but when it boils right down to it, we are moles on the otherwise perfect body of the heavenly universe.

It is only in Christ that we have any value. We have hope only because Jesus cast His own life into the furrow of the world’s field and died that there might be a harvest of souls. By giving up His own life Jesus demonstrated the true Spirit of Christianity.

We aren’t merely speaking of giving one’s life at the end of the road but rather on a daily basis. “Not my will, but thine” must be the watch words of our daily experience. Many have died a martyr’s death. We have some kind of romantic or heroic attachment to this kind of end and I think to some degree this is understandable. But what Jesus wants more than anything else is that “daily death” which is so elusive to many of us. The miracle to be demonstrated is not so much the martyr’s dramatic sacrifice, but it is the sacrifice in the kitchen— giving up what we WANT to eat for what is healthier for us; at work, in our conversations, in our treatment of others. In other words, in our everyday life. It is by dying daily that the life and death of Christ is honored in its highest expression. To make manifest to the Lord our greatest appreciation, He would have us, as He did, cast ourselves to the ground and die. To do this is placing ourselves as fruits unto salvation. Then the words “We would see Jesus” will change. They will become, “We have seen Jesus!”

Among the CHIEF RULERS many believed on Him; but because of the Pharisees they did not confess Him, LEST THEY SHOULD BE PUT OUT OF THE SYNAGOGUE. THEY LOVED THE PRAISE OF MEN RATHER THAN THE APPROVAL OF GOD. To save themselves from reproach and shame, they denied Christ, and rejected the offer of eternal life. (See John 9: 22; 7: 13; 12: 42- 43.)

Alas for those who knew not the time of their visitation! Slowly and regretfully Christ left forever the precincts of the Temple.

Take heed to these words! You who are in the pews, in the pulpits, in high denominational positions. If you love the praise of men over the approval of God; if you are denying the truth from fear of the leadership or of being put out of the “synagogue,” you are in danger of making decisions that will cause you to be lost— eternally lost! I do believe that there are those who firmly stand for truth. I do believe that some are holding the lines behind the scenes. But I also know that if these do not get their priorities in order very soon, they will understand too late!

God means just what He says. Please do not trade this opportunity that Christ extends for some temporary praise you might receive from men who cannot save you. If God has called you to lead, then lead, but do so only by following Jesus down the blood- stained path. This is where the true glory lies. Do not trade the glory of heaven for the glitter of this world. It is far past time that those who are going to stand for the cause of Christ stand together! Now is the time of our salvation! Our visitation is today! Do not make the mistake our forefathers made and send Jesus out of the sanctuary of your heart in order to maintain some kind of political status in your church. It’s not worth it!

Christ’s words to the priests and rulers, “Behold, your house is left unto you desolate” (Matthew 23: 38), struck terror to their hearts. They affected indifference, but the question kept rising in their minds as to the import of these words. An unseen danger seemed to threaten them. Could it be that the magnificent temple, which was the nation’s glory, was soon to be a heap of ruins? They pointed to those walls as apparently indestructible, but listen to Jesus’ words: “Verily I say unto you, There shall not be left here one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down” (Matthew 24: 2).

Many churches are shouting “The church is going through, the church is going through” (meaning the conference or corporate body is going through), but the Bible is clear on the issue. Two thousand years ago the “church” was telling the laity that nothing could destroy it, no matter what— that it was the only place to find Bible truth. Jesus expressed the complete opposite. The question is, who are you going to believe? The majority of the church in Jesus’ day went along with their leaders and were lost! How long is it going to take for us to learn that God is no respecter of persons? Any person, any nation, and, yes, any church organization that rejects God, God will reject.

“And ye shall hear of wars and rumors of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet” (Matthew 24: 6). Prior to the destruction of Jerusalem, men wrestled for dominance. Emperors were murdered. Those supposed to be standing next to the throne were slain. There were wars and rumors of wars. “All these things must come to pass,” said Christ, “but the end [of the Jewish nation as a nation] is not yet. For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes; in divers places. All these are the beginning of sorrows” (Matthew 24: 6- 8).

Christ was telling His disciples that as the rabbis see these signs, they would declare them to be God’s judgments upon the nations for holding in bondage His chosen people. They would say the signs pointed to the Messiah they were still looking for. Jesus warned them not to be deceived, because these signs were the beginning of God’s judgments on the Jewish nation. The people had looked to themselves. They had not repented and been converted that they should be healed. THE SIGNS THAT THEY WOULD SEE AS TOKENS OF THEIR RELEASE FROM BONDAGE WERE SIGNS OF THEIR DESTRUCTION.

Jesus, speaking to His disciples, was trying to give them a glimpse into their future as it pertained to what the corporate church would be saying. He knew that the church would have their eyes on the events, but because they rejected His truth, they would not see the personal danger the events would point to (the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 A. D.).

Those of us who care to look are also staring prophecy right in the face, although most will reject it, as in days of old. Please don’t be surprised or naive as to how this works. Jesus spoke plainly in the common vernacular of His day. He warned them openly and they refused to see it. So why should we be shocked as we witness the exact repeat of this? It is commonly accepted that Matthew 24 has a dual application and this is right and true. Are we willing to take the truth at face value or will we reject it?

Can you not see what is about to take place? I know that this seems impossible but maybe it will give you a better understanding of what the disciples endured. This is no trick, but the truth! As Jesus was warning those who would listen in His day, He is now warning all who will listen in our day. If you will read Matthew 24, you will discover that the very first thing that Jesus says concerns the destruction of the apostate church system.

“And Jesus went out, and departed from the temple: and His disciples came to Him for to shew Him the building [structure] of the temple. And Jesus said unto them, See ye not all these things? Verily I say unto you, There shall not be left here one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down” (Matthew 24: 1- 2).

Jesus was saying, “Brothers, I want you to know for certain that the ‘church’ is not going through to the end!” The word “verily” in the above passage means “for certain” or “for a truth” or “You don’t have to doubt what I’m saying. It WILL happen!”

Then Jesus told them, “Take heed that no man deceive you” (Matthew 24: 4). Why did He tell them this? Jesus knew that their church had a firm hold on them and He purposely was bringing these men to a point of decision. By what Christ was revealing, He knew He was placing them in a position of having to choose between Him or the recognized corporate church.

He went on to disclose to them that the conference church would try to convince them of the opposite of what He had just said and that many would claim to be working for God by using this falsehood.

The things that Christ shared with His disciples in Matthew 24 were to warn them of two things. There is indeed a dual application to this passage, but maybe not until these last days have we understood what it is, because Jesus is even now trying to warn you and me of the very same dangers. Jesus said that they should beware of certain things as they viewed events in the world. BUT THE INSIGHT WE HAVE MISSED UNTIL NOW IS THAT JESUS ALSO WANTED HIS DISCIPLES TO BEWARE OF THE ACTIONS THE APOSTATE CHURCH WOULD TAKE. Here was their larger danger! The next passage will make this warning even clearer:

“Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for My name’s sake, And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another” (Matthew 24: 9- 10).

Christians have suffered all this. Fathers and mothers have betrayed their children. Children have betrayed their parents. FRIENDS DELIVERED THEIR FRIENDS UP TO THE SANHEDRIN— THE PERSECUTORS WROUGHT OUT THEIR PURPOSE BY KILLING STEPHEN, JAMES, AND OTHER CHRISTIANS. Brothers and sisters, I hope you can see the plain truth in the above statement. Matthew 24 reveals what happens to Christians and these things were done by the recognized corporate (conference) church!

“Oh, I don’t think so!” some poor soul may still be saying. Then answer this simple question, What was the religion of these fathers and mothers who were betraying their children? What was the religion of these children who were betraying their parents? What was the religion of the “friends” who delivered their friends? And if you still haven’t arrived at the truth yet, who were the Sanhedrin? And if you’re still confused, who killed Stephen? Through His servants, the disciples, and those who would accept Christ through their witness, God gave the Jewish people a last opportunity to repent. He manifested Himself through them in their arrest, in their trial, and in their imprisonment. Yet their judges pronounced on them the DEATH SENTENCE. They were men and women of whom the world was not worthy, and by killing them the JEWS crucified afresh the Son of God. SO IT WILL BE AGAIN.

Those who have eyes to see and ears to hear, please allow this to sink in deeply. History is indeed repeating itself almost to the letter. Today God has raised up faithful servants to warn the professed leaders and laity alike of the impending doom that is sure to come. Most, instead of repenting and reforming, will end up persecuting these true messengers and will ultimately, at some point in time, be guilty of murder, as were their ancient counterparts.

On every occasion when persecution takes place, those who witness it make decisions either for Christ or against Him. Those who manifest sympathy for the ones wrongly condemned, show their attachment for Christ. Others are OFFENDED BECAUSE THE PRINCIPLES OF TRUTH CUT DIRECTLY ACROSS THEIR PRACTICE. Many stumble and fall, apostatizing from the faith (you notice I’m not saying from the “church”) they once advocated. Those who apostatize in time of trial will, to secure their own safety, bear false witness, AND BETRAY THEIR BRETHREN. CHRIST HAS WARNED US OF THIS, SO THAT WE ARE NOT SURPRISED AT THE UNNATURAL, CRUEL COURSE OF THOSE WHO REJECT THE LIGHT.

Christ has left clear instruction and warning of how things will be in the last great struggle— that struggle which we have, even now, entered. There is a shaking taking place in all the churches. A polarization is taking place of those who stand for Christ and Bible truth, and those who just want to treat the church as though it is a country club. There are those who seriously want to know what their responsibility before God is, and those who want to have a good time. There is also a class who appear to be very scholarly. They make a great show of their intellectual knowledge. But what they are doing is merely building on false theories and incorrect assumptions made by other men before them. Thus they perpetuate their misinterpretation of Scripture and compound error.

All the players, to a large extent, are in place. Do you believe the words Jesus speaks, or are you in the group that will be deceived? Your own destiny will be determined by which group you choose to be in.

In the prophecy of Jerusalem’s destruction Christ said, “Because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold. But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved. And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come” (Matthew 24: 12- 14). The abounding iniquity of that day finds its counterpart in our generation. So with the prediction in regard to the preaching of the gospel. Before the fall of Jerusalem, Paul, writing in the Spirit, declared that the Gospel was “preached to every creature which is under heaven” (Colossians 1: 23). So now, before the coming of the Son of man, the everlasting Gospel is to be preached “to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people” (Revelation 14: 6). God has always given men warning of coming judgments.

Those who had faith in His message FOR THEIR TIME, AND WHO ACTED OUT THEIR FAITH, in obedience to His commandments, escaped the judgments that fell upon the disobedient and unbelieving. So Christ’s disciples were given warning of the DESTRUCTION OF JERUSALEM. Those who watched for signs of the coming ruin, fled from the city and escaped the destruction. So now we are given the same warning of Christ’s return and of the destruction to fall upon the world. Those who heed the warning will be saved.

“So, you see, Terry, Jesus is speaking about the destruction of the world, not of the conference.” Yes, that would be right as far as it goes, but Jesus has clearly pointed out that in the final phase of this planet’s history is also involved the destruction of the apostate structure. Jesus is plainly telling His disciples that the “church” will be preaching the destruction of the world and not realize that its doom comes first!

Those who watch for the Lord’s coming are not waiting in idle expectancy. The expectation of Christ’s coming makes men concerned and they will respect God’s judgments upon transgression. This expectation is to awaken them to the great sin of rejecting His offers of mercy. Those who are watching for the Lord are purifying their souls by obedience to what the Bible says, with vigilant watching combined with earnest toil. Because they know that the Lord is at the door, their zeal is quickened to cooperate with the Lord in working for the salvation of souls.

While expecting the Lord’s return, we are not to sit back in the pews and be bench- warmers. Those who are in tune with God’s last day program will be busy for souls. They will have a realization of the coming judgment and they will be in preparation for the coming event. They will be actively engaged in the sanctification process by allowing God to purify their souls through obedience to the truths as presented in God’s word. They will possess a faith that is not passive, but energetic and at work. They will understand the truth for their present day and will be acting upon that truth.

But Christ brings to view another class: The evil servant says in his heart, “My lord delayeth his coming” (Matthew 24: 48). The evil servant does not say that Christ will not come. He does not scoff at the idea of His second coming. But in his heart and BY HIS ACTIONS AND WORDS HE DECLARES THAT THE LORD’S COMING IS DELAYED. HE BANISHES FROM THE MINDS OF OTHERS the conviction that the Lord is coming quickly. His influence leads men to presumptuous, careless delay. They are confirmed in their worldliness and stupor. Earthly passions and corrupt thoughts take possession of the mind. The evil servant eats and drinks with the drunken, unites with the world in pleasure- seeking. He derides his fellow- servants, accusing and condemning those who are faithful to their Master. He mingles with the world. Like grows with like in transgression.

Many of these people are in the church claiming to love Jesus. They know deep down that something is not right— they can “feel” that the needed preparation in their own lives is being delayed; they are anxious that the day of the Lord’s visitation may come unexpectedly and their chance will pass them by. These ones will change “tomorrow.” But when the scorner, the rejecter of truth, has become presumptuous, and when the lifestyle is carried on without regard to principle, and when the student is eagerly seeking knowledge of everything but his Bible, Christ comes unexpectedly, “as a thief” (2 Peter 3: 10).

Now is the time to engage in the preparation needed! The time is far spent and the tomorrows are running out! Most will delay one day too long! Deep down you know, dear friend. Right now as the Holy Spirit speaks to your heart, won’t you give it to Him? What do you have to lose except your sins and a trip to the fiery abyss? The Lord loves you so much that He gave His life for you. If this were not true, why then is He speaking to your heart right now? He wants you to live with Him, forever.

Everything in the world is in agitation. The signs of the times are ominous. Coming events cast their shadows everywhere. The Spirit of God is withdrawing from the earth, and calamity follows calamity by sea and by land. There are tempests, earthquakes, fires, floods, murders of every kind. Who can read the future? Where is security? There is no assurance in anything that is human or earthly. Rapidly are men arranging themselves under the banner they have chosen. Restlessly are they waiting and watching the movements of their leaders. There are those who are waiting and watching and working for the Lord’s appearing. Another class are falling into line under the leadership of the first great apostate, Lucifer. FEW BELIEVE HEART AND SOUL THAT WE HAVE A HELL TO SHUN AND A HEAVEN TO WIN. The crisis is stealing rapidly upon us.

Oh, how I would like to say that this is a description of the world only, but it only too accurately describes the makeup of the “church.” The polarization is taking place and we are living in the days of the shaking and all that can be shaken will be shaken. God means that the tares will be shaken out of His true church. Many poor souls are being willingly deceived. Let me ask you this question: When the Jews killed Jesus, how many of them were in the “church?”

Many people are waiting for this mass exodus of tares leaving the church to be some kind of sign that they are all right with God because they’re still with the organization. But in the days of Christ when the “church” killed Him, the only exodus was that of those who followed Christ! Most of the members stayed with the conference church— the church that killed Christ! So, those who are waiting for the shaking to shake out the “dissidents” from the church may find themselves in the EXACT SAME POSITION the people who stayed with their leaders in Christ’s day found themselves.

The majority of Christians don’t realize that when people leave the faith— if they are not living by the principles the Bible teaches— they leave God’s true church! It matters not, as graphically demonstrated by the destruction of Jerusalem, where people are physically; what matters is where they are spiritually. Our ancient counterparts who followed popular opinion and followed their leaders ALL LEFT THE TRUE CHURCH BECAUSE THEY HAD ALL LEFT THE FAITH.

The same crisis that stole a march on the people two thousand years ago is with us again. It is no longer gradually coming our way, we are IN it! I have one more question to ask. Are you sure you are in the church— God’s true church? God’s true church knows no denominational boundaries; it is made up of those who are studying their Bible and who have a living, breathing relationship with Him. God’s people are described very well in these two verses: “And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ” (Revelation 12: 17).

“Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus” (Revelation 14: 12).

Are you in God’s church? I pray that you are.

Copyright © 1999 Servants of the Saviour
Terry & Cathy Ross

Chapter 5 – A Servant of Servants ⇒