judgment

Judgment Is Upon Us, Are We Prepared For It?

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In the Bible we find that God has, at different times, given life and death warnings. Moses came to Egypt and had a message from God—”Let My people go.” They rejected the message; and Pharaoh replied, “Who is God that He should tell us that?” As a result, they first lost their cattle, then their crops, and eventually their first born. Finally, they lost their army and Pharaoh himself.

Jeremiah came to Israel with a life and death message, calling them to repent and to return to the true worship of God. They wanted to hear love spoken and thought that his message was too straight; they cast him into a miry pit. Because they rejected Him, God could not protect them; and although they claimed to be worshiping Him, going through the motions of religion, their city was completely destroyed.

Then there was John the Baptist who came with a message of repentance to Israel. They rejected the message, and what happened? Again, Jerusalem was destroyed and lay in ruins for many years. The Jewish people were scattered all over the world.

So at various times, God has had life and death messages that have been given to various groups, individuals, and nations. But twice in this world’s history, He has had a life and death message for the whole world. The first one came through Noah. “Then the Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. And the Lord was sorry that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved in His heart. So the Lord said, ’I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth. Both man and beast, creeping things, and birds of the air, for I am sorry that I have made them.’” Genesis 6:5–7. Conditions then must have been something like today. The Bible says that every imagination of man’s heart was evil continually.

God said that it had become unbearable to allow this to go on in the universe, and he decided that He was going to put a check on sin. But God is merciful; He did not do it overnight. “And the Lord said, ‘My Spirit shall not strive with man forever, for he is indeed flesh; yet his days shall be one hundred and twenty years.’” Ibid., verse 3. In I Peter 3, we find that this power that pled with men was the same power that raised Jesus from the dead and that was manifested at Pentecost. It was not just human power; it was the power of the Holy Spirit. The Bible tells us that when God sends a warning message the second time, it will again be as in Noah’s time. There will be many scoffers. “Knowing this first, that scoffers will come in the last days, walking according to their own lusts, and saying, ‘Where is the promise of His coming? For since the father fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of Creation.’ For this they willfully forget that by the Word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of water and in the water, by which the world that then existed perished, being flooded with water. But the heavens and the earth which now exist are kept in store by the same Word, reserved for fire until the Day of Judgment and perdition of ungodly men.” II Peter 3:3–7. Notice it says that they willfully forget. In other words, they choose to ignore the evidence by which they might have a knowledge of the flood. The world today is being kept in store by this same power; but this time it is not to be destroyed by water but by fire—the fire at Jesus’ Second Coming.

Now there were scoffers in Noah’s day, and there are scoffers today. But scoffers did not change the facts then, nor will they today. God has given evidence by which, if people are interested, they can find that the Bible is true. Even if the whole world disbelieves God’s Word, His Word is still going to come true!

Now, if the judgment has come, and if it is going to be preached, someone must know that it has begun. Somewhere in the Bible there must be a time pointed out as to when the judgment is going to begin. Paul tells us in Acts 17:31, “He has appointed a day on which he will judge the world in righteousness.” God has had to put the date for the judgment some place in the Bible, and we want to find it.

Daniel 7 gives us an approximate date for the beginning of the judgment, though it does not give us an exact time. “I watched until thrones were put in place, and the Ancient of Days was seated; His garment was white as snow, and the hair of His head was like pure wool. His throne was a fiery flame, its wheels a burning fire; a fiery stream issued and came forth from before Him. A thousand thousands ministered to Him; ten thousand times ten thousand stood before Him. The court was seated, and the books were opened.”” Daniel 7:9, 10.

Now if you will continue on to verses 11–13, you will see that this is not yet the end of the world. “I watched then [after the court had been seated] because of the sound of the pompous words which the horn was speaking.” We find in Revelation that while the horn reigned for 1,260 years, at which time it received a deadly wound, yet it would be healed and all of the world would wonder after the beast. So Daniel hears the horn speaking after the judgment has set.

There is a principle that every prophecy builds on the one before it. The prophecy of Daniel 8 covers much of the same history as Daniel 7. It begins with the rule of Medo-Persia and relates the fall of that kingdom before Alexander the Great. After giving more details about the rule of Greece, it goes over the reign of the little horn power. When it comes to the end of the little horn power, it also goes into the judgment; but this prophecy gives us something a little more specific. “And he said unto me, ‘For two thousand three hundred days then the sanctuary shall be cleansed.’” Daniel 8:14. The Jews knew what that terminology meant. The cleansing of the sanctuary was a term that had reference to the Day of Atonement, which was a period of judgment for the Jews. Because we are dealing with prophetic time, we know this to be a time period of two thousand three hundred literal years. This places the judgment a great distance into the future.

“Now it happened, when I, Daniel, had seen the vision and was seeking the meaning, that suddenly there stood before me one having the appearance of a man. And I heard a man’s voice between the banks of the Ulai, who called, and said; ‘Gabriel, make this man understand the vision.’ So he came near where I stood, and when he came I was afraid and fell on my face; but he said to me, ‘Understand, son of man, that the vision refers to the time of the end.’” Verses 15–17. We know that the time period stretches to the time of the end; but without a starting point, this still is not very specific.

Gabriel was told to explain the vision to Daniel, but he was not able to finish because Daniel fainted. Upon his recovery, however, Daniel kept praying and the angel came back. “Now while I was speaking, praying, and confessing my sin and the sin of my people Israel, and presenting my supplication before the LORD my God for the holy mountain of my God, yes, while I was speaking in prayer, the man Gabriel, whom I had seen in the vision at the beginning, being caused to fly swiftly, reached me about the time of the evening offering. And he informed me, and talked with me, and said, ‘O Daniel, I have now come forth to give you skill to understand. At the beginning of your supplications the command went out, and I have come to tell you, for you are greatly beloved; therefore consider the matter, and understand the vision.’” Daniel 9:20–23.

To what vision is Gabriel referring? The vision in chapter 8! This is the vision which Gabriel started to explain, but Daniel became sick before he finished explaining about the 2,300 days. “Go finish your explanation,” God said. “You did not finish.”

The only part of that vision which had not been explained was the part dealing with time. Naturally, Gabriel does not go back and talk about the powers of Greece and Medo-Persia; he starts right in where he left off, explaining the 2,300 days. “Seventy weeks are determined for your people and for your holy city, to finish the transgression, to make an end of sins, to make reconciliation for iniquity, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal up vision and prophecy, and to anoint the Most Holy. Know therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the command to restore and build Jerusalem until Messiah the Prince, there shall be seven weeks and sixty-two weeks; . . . . Then He shall confirm a covenant with many for one week; but in the middle of the week He shall bring an end to sacrifice and offering.” Verses 24–27.

Now there is an unfortunate mistranslation here. The word determined is from the word chathak. In Hebrew it literally means, cut off. The reason the translators did not translate it that way is because, failing to go back to the previous vision, they could not determine from what it was cut off. Seventy weeks must be cut off from some larger period of time. There is only time period in the vision of the beginning and that is the 2,300 days, or years. Now he said, 70 weeks are cut off from this 2,300-day period. Seventy weeks is 490 literal years. If you cut 490 from 2,300, there are 1,810 years left. In other words, of the 2,300 years, 490 were given especially to the Jewish people.

The 490-day period began with the decree to restore and rebuild Jerusalem. This took place in 457 B.C. It then extended until A.D. 34. At that time, Stephen was stoned and persecution broke out in Jerusalem, scattering the followers of Jesus everywhere. It was then that the gospel began to go to the Gentiles. By the way, as 1844 follows 1798, it also fits the prophecy of Daniel 7.
Other than the prophecy in Daniel 8 and 9, there is no prophecy in all of the Bible that reveals a date for the judgment to begin. Daniel 7 gives the approximate date for the judgment to begin, but Daniel 8 is the only one that gives the time.

“As it was in the days of Noah, so will it be also in the days of the Son of Man.” Luke 17:26. In Noah’s day, those who heeded God’s warning, though very few in number, were saved, while those who scoffed at the message were lost. The Bible says that there is coming a judgment. It also tells us that the judgment message will be preached with a loud voice. I believe, according to Bible prophecy, that the judgment has already begun. When it is ended, the destiny of all mankind will have been decided. When the judgment is over, the pronouncement will be made, “He who is filthy, let him be filthy still; he who is righteous, let him be righteous still; he who is holy, let him be holy still. ‘And behold, I am coming quickly.’” Revelation 22:11, 12.

This has not yet taken place, but the time is rapidly approaching when all decisions relative to salvation will have been irrevocably made. Remember, the flood did not come immediately after Noah entered the ark and the door was closed. There were still seven days, but probation was closed. Everyone had made his final decision. “As the days of Noah were, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. For as in the day before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and did not know until the flood came and took them all away.” Matthew 24:37, 39.

When probation closes, no one is going to know on earth; but their destiny will be fixed. People did not know that their destiny had been fixed when Noah entered the ark, but it had been fixed. In Noah’s day, God gave them 120 years. The final judgment message has already been being proclaimed for a longer period than that, but God is still waiting. Do you know why He is waiting? He is waiting for us, because He loves us so much. Not everyone has made a decision yet, and God wants to give us a little more time. “The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.” II Peter 3:9.

Today, God’s message is going to all the world. Where you and I will be a million years from now depends on what we do with God’s message today. In Noah’s day, every person who was saved had to make a choice to be in the ark. They did not have to make a choice to be outside, as that is where they already were. There is not a man nor woman who has to make a decision to be lost; we are already lost. If you would be saved, however, you have to make a decision to follow God. It is not something that just comes naturally. You have to say, “Lord, I am going to follow You all the way.”

The Six-Question Test

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All of those who are chosen (Matthew 22:14) to enter the kingdom of heaven will be able to give the correct answer to each one of the following six questions that are found in order in Selected Messages, vol. 3, 419. Some of them can be answered with a simple yes or no.

These are questions or inquiries that Ellen White says each one of us should ask ourself.

1 To whom do I belong?

On the surface this appears to be an easy question for a Christian to answer, but delve a little deeper and the answer might be surprisingly different. Christians will always say that they belong to the Lord, but John says, “He who sins is of the devil.” I John 3:8. It matters not what we claim. If we continue to live in sin, the Bible says that we belong to the devil.

The devil has only one rule under his government—to break the law of God. He does not care which part is broken. Jesus had a controversy with the Jews on this very point. They claimed God as their father, but Jesus said, “You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it.” John 8:44. The character of the Jews mirrored the devil. Jesus pointed out two commandments that the devil broke from the beginning; he was a murderer and also he was a liar. As Jesus was speaking, the Jews were contemplating murdering Him. While telling lies about Him, accusing Him of casting out the evil spirits by the prince of spirits—Beelzebub—they took up stones to stone Him. This confrontation occurred right after the feeding of the five thousand when the whole area of Galilee, in addition to Judea, had turned against Christ. (See John 6.) False reports were spread about Him all over the country, and so much hatred was stirred up against Jesus that His life was in danger. Their actions proved that God was not their father, but they were of the devil.

Angels of God do not get into any argument with the devil over those who are living in sin, for the devil rightly claims them as his children. But praise God that probation has not closed yet, and these people caught in Satan’s web can still repent and choose to turn around and follow the Lord. However, those who continue in sin will develop a character like the devil.

“For whatever is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith.” I John 5:4. “We know that whoever is born of God does not sin; but he who has been born of God keeps himself, and the wicked one does not touch him.” Verse 18. “Whoever has been born of God does not sin, for His seed remains in him; and he cannot sin, because he has been born of God. In this the children of God and the children of the devil are manifest: Whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is he who does not love his bother.” I John 3:9, 10. The evidence that proves who is a child of God and who is a child of the devil is the way a person lives.

“You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world. They are of the world. Therefore they speak as of the world, and the world hears them. We are of God. He who knows God hears us; he who is not of God does not hear us. By this we know the spirit of truth and the spirit of error.” I John 4:4–6.

2 To whom do I owe allegiance?

In Romans 6:15–23, it says, “What then? Shall we sin because we are not under law but under grace? Certainly not! Do you not know that to whom you present yourselves slaves to obey, you are that one’s slave whom you obey, whether of sin leading to death, or of obedience leading to righteousness? But God be thanked that though you were slaves of sin, yet you obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine to which you were delivered. And having been set free from sin, you became slaves of righteousness, I speak in human terms because of the weakness of your flesh. For just as you presented your members as slaves of uncleanness and of lawlessness leading to more lawlessness, so now present your members as slaves of righteousness for holiness. For when you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness. What fruit did you have then in the things of which you are now ashamed? For the end of those things is death. But now having been set free from sin, and having become slaves of God, you have your fruit to holiness, and the end, everlasting life. For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

Notice, there are some people who are unconverted and slaves of sin and they will tell you they cannot overcome certain sins. That is true. They are slaves of sin. The Bible is very clear that we of ourselves cannot overcome unless the Lord works a divine miracle in our life. In Isaiah 43:27, we are told, “Your first father sinned.” So, because of that, we have a fallen, sinful nature and of ourselves we cannot give our allegiance to God, even though we owe it to Him. As it says, there was a time when you were perfectly free from righteousness, but you were slaves of sin. But now, when you become a Christian, you’ve become slaves of righteousness and set free from sin.

Jesus said, “Whoever commits sin is a slave of sin.” John 8:34. “A slave does not abide in the house forever [meaning eternal life], but a son abides forever. Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed.” Verses 35, 36. The work of the gospel is to set sinners free from their sins and then their allegiance would be given to the One who set them free.

3 Is my heart renewed?

Jesus referred to this subject when he had his secret meeting with Nicodemus. He said, “Unless one is born again,” or unless you are born from above, “he cannot see the kingdom of God.” John 3:3. Nicodemus could not figure that out and became sarcastic. He said, “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born?” Verse 4.

Jesus replied in stronger language, explaining it more clearly. He said, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.” Verse 5. To be born again is to have a renewal of the heart.

The born again experience is spoken of as a necessity for salvation in both the Old and New Testament. David, because of his adultery with Bathsheba and the consequent killing of her husband, Uriah the Hittite, and afraid that he had committed the unpardonable sin, pled with God to “Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.” He said, “Do not cast me away from Your presence, and do not take Your Holy Spirit from me.” Psalm 51:10, 11.

David wanted to be born again. He realized that his heart was wicked. To preach in prison to a rapist, or a person incarcerated for capital murder, those people do not question their need to be born again; they know that they are sinners. However, people who have not been involved in some criminal activity, comparing their spirituality against other people, are often inclined to say, “Well, I’m OK. I could improve a little, but I’m no worse than …”

The Bible says in Jeremiah 17:9, “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked; Who can know it?” The Hebrew word used there means incurable. The carnal heart is so bad that it cannot be cured without a divine miracle. A person with this wicked heart and a weak will and sinful mind cannot keep the law of God and live a righteous life. He cannot go to heaven in that condition. He must be born again and become a new creation. Paul said, “If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.” II Corinthians 5:17. This is a very important question for each of us to ask of ourself, Have I been born again?

It’s not enough that my wife or husband has been born again, or my parents or my children, or anybody else. The question is, Have I been born again? We are not saved as groups; we are saved as individuals. Each individual must ask himself these questions: Am I born again? Has my heart been renewed? Say like David, “I need a new spirit, I need a new heart. Lord, create me anew.” He realized that he could not just make an improvement, but that he needed a new heart, a converted heart and a new spirit. He needed God to create in him something that he did not have. Conversion is being a new creation and not just an improvement of the old self. It is a new creation that happens by divine power and until that happens, Christianity doesn’t work.

Many people think it is too hard to be a Christian because it seems to them that there are so many things they can’t do. The carnal heart is in opposition to God’s ways, but with a new heart, the things they used to hate, they will now love, and what they used to love, they hate. Paul describes it this way: “You put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts, and be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness.” Ephesians 4:22–24.

Notice, he talks about a new spirit, a new man, a new person. Look at Romans 12:2: “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.” Has your spirit, your mind been renewed? Titus 3:3–7 says, “We ourselves were also once foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving various lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful and hating one another. But when the kindness and the love of God our Saviour toward man appeared, not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour, that having been justified by His grace we should become heirs according to the hope of eternal life.” The regeneration here mentioned means to bring something to life again. The question needs to be asked, Is my heart renewed?

4 Is my soul reformed?

It is not enough to stop after a revival. A revival has to do with the renewing of the heart, being born again, but reformation, which is a reforming or a changing of the life follows it. Reformation is to follow revival to be beneficial. In the book of Isaiah 1:16–18, it says, “Wash yourselves, make yourselves clean; put away the evil of your doings from before My eyes. Cease to do evil, learn to do good; seek justice, rebuke the oppressor; defend the fatherless, plead for the widow. [That could be translated, Go to court for the widow (people who are in trouble, like widows and orphans, need somebody to defend them before the law to see that they get what they need).] ‘Come now, and let us reason together,’ says the Lord. ‘Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall be as wool.’ ”

Paul, in his letter to the Ephesian church, addresses having a reformation in their lives. He said, “Therefore, putting away lying, ‘Let each one of you speak truth with his neighbor,’ for we are members of one another. ‘Be angry and do no sin’: do not let the sun go down on your wrath, nor give place to the devil. Let him who stole steal no longer, but rather let him labor, working with his hands what is good, that he may have something to give him who has need. Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers.” Ephesians 4:25–29. He talks about forsaking all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, evil speaking, and malice, and then he says, in verse 32, “Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God in Christ forgave you.” It is not enough for the heart to be renewed; it must be followed by a reformation in the life to live with a Christlike character. Through the power of the Holy Spirit it is possible to live a new life, one that is Christlike, in harmony with the law of God. “That you may walk properly toward those who are outside, and that you may lack nothing.” I Thessalonians 4:12.

Reformation is essential, because the world at large is studying and watching how Christians live. One reason that evangelism is so powerless to bring people into the church today is because of how people perceive professed Christians. If they are not Christlike, they see a contradiction and have no attraction to the church. The world is watching!

When the Lord has a people who reflect the character of Christ, He will use them to finish His work in a very short time. In the upper room before Pentecost, there were only 120 faithful followers, and within 20 years there was a church right in Rome itself. Within approximately 25 years after that time, the apostle Paul said the gospel had been preached to every creature, all over the world. There were no airplanes, cars or trains, and the ships then did not have diesel engines to take them across the water at 30 miles-an-hour like we have today. There were no telephones, Internet or newspapers or the means of mass communication that we now have available. Besides that, the believers in the early church were poor, yet look at what they accomplished in 20 to 25 years—the gospel was taken to the whole world.

It will happen again, and next time it is going to happen a lot faster. The day of God’s preparation has been going on for 150 years plus. But when God has a people who are ready, it won’t take 20 or 25 years to finish the work. Ellen White says, “When divine power is combined with human effort, the work will spread like fire in the stubble.” Last Day Events, 207. In another place, she says, it will be fast, like the lightning going between the heavenly creatures that Ezekiel saw in his visions. But before that can happen, God has to have a people who have not only been renewed in their hearts, but their lives have been reformed to reflect the character of Jesus. As you study the life of Jesus, you will become like Him.

5 Have my sins been forgiven?

As Seventh-day Adventist Christians, we understand that salvation from sin is a two-step process. First, there is forgiveness of sin, then later on, as most people in the Protestant world don’t understand, there is the removal of sin.

“For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.” Matthew 6:14, 15.

To many people this is one of the most awful texts in the Bible. Elder W. D. Frazee, a Seventh-day Adventist minister, used to tell a story about a family with whom he was studying that struggled with forgiveness. Their little daughter had been enticed into the woods where she was killed. The culprit was in the state prison, and they found it impossible to forgive him for his crime.

The problem is that you and I did not make the rules. Jesus said, “If you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.” The majority of people never have to deal with an experience anywhere near that bad, but to some people, this is one of the hardest texts in the Bible to apply, because it seems impossible to forgive some people for what they have done.

Notice the example of Jesus: “When they had come to a place called Calvary, there they crucified Him, and the criminals, one on the right hand and the other on the left. Then Jesus said, ‘Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do.’ And they divided His garments and cast lots.” Luke 23:33, 34.

The whole universe was watching this. Actually, it appears when you read the Greek texts, it is very possible that this was something Jesus said over and over again. “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.”

The desire to get even or take revenge on those who have done you wrong is the spirit of Satan. Those guilty persons who have harmed another must stand before the Lord and give an answer for what they have done. If they are going to be in the kingdom of heaven, they will have to have their sins forgiven and make restitution. Actually, their salvation is not your problem. Your problem is, can you forgive them? The promise of forgiveness to us is only as we forgive others. This principle is in the Lord’s prayer (Matthew 6:12). I know that this is one of the hardest things that any preacher has to deal with, situations where somebody has been wronged so terribly that he just has a natural desire to kill the one or ones causing the pain or to get even. In heaven, before the fall of man, Satan became jealous of Christ and decided that he had been wrongly treated. His spirit of revenge has been passed on to the inhabitants of this world. Once it gets a hold of your mind, eventually you will want to kill the person that has wronged you. The choice must be made either to continue in revenge or find forgiveness, leaving justice with the Lord who is righteous and will deal with it in His way and in His time. In Mark 11:25, we are told, “Whenever you stand praying, if you have anything against anyone, forgive him, that your Father in heaven may also forgive you your trespasses.”

Peter came to Jesus asking how long he should forgive his brother, possibly seven times! Peter thought that he was being very generous, because the Pharisees taught that you should forgive only three times. Peter had learned that Jesus went way beyond anything the Pharisees did, so he thought he’d be really generous and suggest seven times. How shocked he was when Jesus replied not seven times, but seventy times seven!

Then Jesus told the story about the unforgiving servant who had been forgiven a large debt by the king, but did not offer the same grace to those who were indebted to him. “His master was angry, and delivered him to the torturers until he should pay all that was due to him. So My heavenly Father also will do to you if each of you, from his heart, does not forgive his brother his trespasses.” Matthew 18:24–35. The way that the human mind works is that we either forgive the person, or eventually we will want to kill him. Our sins must be confessed and forsaken if we want them to be forgiven (Proverbs 28:13).

6 Will my sins be blotted out when the time of refreshing shall come?

It is not enough to have outward sins forgiven. Sin actually has to be taken away. This is a second step that has to happen before it is safe to allow a person into heaven. God is not just going to forgive the outward act of sins, but He will blot out the sins by cleansing the heart. Once a sin has been confessed and no unforgiveness is harbored against another, the sin is forgiven immediately. But the blotting out, or cleansing of sins, is a process that must take place before entering heaven where sin does not exist. David’s prayer in Psalm 51 referred to this. He said, “Lord, I want You to blot out, I want You to obliterate, take away my transgressions.” He realized that he was in such a bad shape, that he had something inside that had to be taken away and destroyed. That must be the heart cry of all who are waiting for Jesus to come and take them to His kingdom.

“Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord.” Acts 3:19. Sins will be blotted out during the times of refreshing that occur just before the close of probation and the coming of the Lord.

I have reached the conclusion that no human being understands exactly what the blotting out of sins means, but whether you understand what it means or not, you can experience sanctification day by day as you receive power from above to overcome habitual sins. Daily studying the life of Christ and following His example you will discover that what you once loved you will now hate, and what you once hated, you will now love. Those whose sins are blotted out will be ready to receive the seal of the living God and enter into the New Jerusalem.

(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.

Conviction vs. Preference

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As a young attorney, David C. Gibbs Jr. could hardly believe his ears as the pastor relayed how his church was being sued by the state for operating its ministry. As he reviewed the legal documents, Dr. Gibbs was astonished that such a thing could happen in modern America. From that very first case through the present day, God has blessed Dr. Gibbs’ commitment to legally help churches, pastors, and Christians free of charge. The ministry has grown substantially through God’s blessing over the last 40 years as attorneys, legal assistants, and other ministry workers have joined the team of “legal missionaries.”

Shared here are excerpts from his book, Conviction vs. Preference, by Attorney David C. Gibbs Jr., Christian Law Association, Conneaut, Ohio 44030. These are actual incidents that have occurred during court proceedings.

When a Christian stands to defend his beliefs in a court room, his testimony becomes quite critical, for the court has said a man cannot hold his beliefs if he cannot describe them. A belief is not a hunch. It is not a feeling or an “it seems to me.”

There are people who have gone to the witness stand and after stating what they believe are asked, “Well, why do you believe that? Can you show me that in the word of God?” Some do not even know if what they believe is there, but reply with “it sort of seems to me.” The problem the court has with a “well, it seems to me,” is that feelings change rapidly and as a consequence, a hunch or a feeling, or an “it seems to me” will not be honored.

In a court of law, a defendant must be able to state his beliefs from the Bible orally. The court does not expect eloquence, but it does expect the defendant to be able to explain his or her beliefs in a simple and concise manner. It also requires knowledge of those beliefs. This becomes important because often we like to hide behind a title. We may claim to be a “separated fundamentalist” or “a Christian,” which are descriptive terms that may have to be described more fully. In the matter of beliefs and believers, the court realized there must be a test to determine which beliefs are upheld and which beliefs will not be honored and protected by the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.

In 1972, the court came down with such a test. Ironically, that test case involved Christian education. An Amish man who lived in the state of Wisconsin by the name of Jonas Yoder told the state that he would no longer send his children to the state school. The state of Wisconsin advised him that he must, to which he replied, “I don’t think you hear me. I am not going to send my children to your school.” Mr. Yoder was threatened with being sued if he refused to comply but still he refused. He was warned that if he was sued and if the state won the case, he could go to jail. His only response was that he would not send his children to the school. Even under the threat of losing his children, he refused to change his mind, explaining that his religious beliefs prohibited him from complying with the demand.

Mr. Yoder did not fare very well in court. He lost the case and was told that now that he had had his day in court, he must comply with the ruling. He still refused, never altering his position and he found out something very interesting. After losing his appeal, his case went to the U. S. Supreme Court, where Mr. Jonas Yoder was told that the First Amendment protected him and he was not required to send his children to the state school. This case laid down the test that was to be used for all subsequent cases to determine which beliefs are to be protected by the First Amendment and which are not.

The first definition the court made was, “Every religious belief is one of two types. It is either a conviction or a preference.”

Most Christians carelessly use the word conviction. In reality, the test of whether or not a matter is a conviction is a very severe one and not to be taken lightly. It will be seen here that most of us possess only preferences.

WHAT IS A PREFERENCE?

A preference is a belief that is held with such intensity that a person can go into full time service in the name of that belief. He can be a minister of the gospel, a Christian schoolteacher or a missionary. He might even give all of his wealth to it and the court decides he still has only a preference. His belief may energize him to stand on a street corner and witness and proselytize, but it would still only be a preference. If a belief can change under some circumstances, the court calls it a preference. True conviction cannot be changed!

  1. Peer Pressure

The court has found that peer pressure causes many people to change their beliefs. A minister may study the word of God and believe that there is something he knows he must do. He resolves in his heart to make that change, but when he shares it with his friends or other ministers or his congregation, they convince him to tone it down a bit so others can cooperate with him. Little by little he bends, proving that what he first said was a preference. He preferred it, he wanted to do it and even resolved to do it, but he changed. The court says that if you can change the belief, it is a preference.

Bear in mind that if a person can ever show from the word of God where something they do is wrong then they must change it. In the context of this topic it refers to peer pressure causing good men to change. In that case the belief is a preference.

  1. People Pressure

People pressure causes many people to change their beliefs. When a man knows what he believes is right and allows the pressure of others to cause him to bend, the court calls the belief a preference. The court is well aware that the family is probably the strongest influence of change in a person’s life. The court says if “family pressure” will cause you to change, your beliefs are preferences.

  1. Lawsuit Pressure

Lawsuit pressure causes many people to change their beliefs. There have been many men who say, “I am for this, but I am not going to get sued over it because the news media makes us into villains.” Defending a ministry against a lawsuit can be very expensive. There are some great victories that are publicized but not many are interested in those who have churches of about 100 that are reduced to 20, or a man with a church of 350 to 400 reduced to 60. If you avoid taking a stand that will cause you to get sued because you do not want to see your church membership drop and that causes you to change your beliefs, then your belief was a preference.

  1. Jail Pressure

Jail pressure causes many people to change their beliefs. Jails today are thought by some to be like holiday inns but they are horrible places. The incarcerated are isolated from their Christian influence, friends and family. They are told when to go to bed, when to get up, when to eat, how to eat, when to stand, when to sit, when to go to the restroom. And they are thrown into the middle of often-brutal men who normally relish the thought of breaking a Bible-toter.

Would you go to jail for a matter of your faith? Throughout history great men of faith have gone to jail and nobody understood why they went. The court says if you change your beliefs for fear of going to jail, then your beliefs are preferences.

You may believe you could go to jail but would you, as a man, watch your wife go to jail? Levi Whisner, in Ohio, faced that threat and made plans for who was going to take care of their children while he and his wife were incarcerated.

  1. Death Pressure

Death pressure causes most people to change their beliefs. The court will ask if you are prepared to die for your belief. The court says that for a belief to be a conviction it will not change, even in the face of death. Why? What creates a conviction? For a Christian it is only one thing. He believes that his God requires it of him.

Only a belief that is God-ordered is a conviction. Therefore the court must first decide if your belief is a conviction or a preference. Only a conviction is protected by the Constitution.

WHAT IS A CONVICTION?

  1. A conviction is something that you purpose in your heart, as a fabric of your belief system. It is one that you will not change due to any circumstance. It says, “When you believe that your God has required something of you, you will withstand all of the tests put to you.” It has been said that a man is never made by a crisis. The crisis exposes the man for what he already is.

There are parallels to this in the history of the three Hebrew children in the book of Daniel. When taken into captivity, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego purposed in their hearts not to defile themselves. It was something about which they determined with resolve.

  1. A conviction must be pre-determined. When Nebuchadnezzar erected his golden image and commanded that all the people bow when the instruments played, these three men stood erect. A question might be asked at this point, where were all the other Hebrews? There were more than three Hebrews in Babylon who must have been in compliance with the King’s orders, for only these three Hebrews, who had predetermined what they would do, remained standing.
  2. A conviction is a personal belief. The court says that if you require others to stand with you to maintain your beliefs, then your beliefs are preferences and not convictions. There have been preachers willing to stand on their belief only if they have the backing of a certain college or group to stand with them. That doesn’t go over in a court, for your belief must be a personal conviction regardless of what anyone else thinks or does. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego did stand together, but in reality they stood alone. Their decision was made more difficult when going against other Hebrews who buckled under the pressure of impending death.
  3. A conviction is non-negotiable. When they were brought before the king, Nebuchadnezzar did a strange thing. He broke the law by giving them a second chance. They said to the king that they did not have to be careful how they answered him. They had resolved that they were not going to bow and that was not going to change. They told the king that this was a matter of faith and non-negotiable.

The court says if you can discuss the negotiation of your faith, it is a matter of preference. Why? How do you negotiate what is God ordered? Recall what the three Hebrews said because it illustrates the last point the court chose. “King, we believe that our God can deliver us, but even if you throw us into that furnace and God does not deliver us, we are not going to bow” (Daniel 3:16–18).

  1. A conviction is not contingent on victory. The court said if you must be assured of victory before you stand, your beliefs are preferences and not convictions. That is a test the court is beginning to follow because many are more concerned about winning than about standing. Bear this in mind. In the Christian faith we do not fight for victory; we fight in victory. The battle was won at the cross of Calvary and we stand in that victory.

When Levi Whisner went to trial and lost, he still won. When he appealed and lost, he won. When he went to the Supreme Court of the state of Ohio and the judges unanimously said he was right, he was right all along. A court does not tell us whether we are right or wrong. We are right as long as we honor the word of God. Levi recognized that. He stood in this country when no other man saw the issue. He stood for all of us. He stood with no one beside him. When all the tests of preference and conviction were applied, he passed.

THE ULTIMATE TEST OF CONVICTION

The court recognizes a problem because people sometimes do not tell the truth. In the courtroom I have seen some men who have been incredibly casual with the truth. The court decided there must be a way to know whether what is being claimed is the truth, if it is preference or conviction. Real convictions will have already passed the other preference tests: peer pressure, people pressure, lawsuit pressure, jail pressure and death pressure.

  1. A conviction will be demonstrated by a person’s lifestyle. The court said you do not have the right to say you have a conviction unless it can be seen that the conviction is lived with some degree of consistency. When the court begins to apply that test, good Christian people often become quite uncomfortable.

The word of God says in James that faith is dead without corresponding works. It is like a body with no spirit and is meaningless, because the thing that gives it vibrancy and life is absent. The court will examine the evidence of your faith in action in order to prove it is a conviction.

For example, it may be claimed that children ought to be sent to a Bible based Christian school, believing it to be the only desirable place for them to receive an education that will equip them for life. However, if you do not send your child to a Christian school, then have your child be the best witness he can be in the public school. The court said that is a classic example of a preference statement.

The court is looking for consistency

If we say that something is a matter of conviction, the source of those beliefs is the word of God. We teach a child that it is a sin to disobey the word of God. The court says the opposite of conviction must be a sin and you must act on that belief or else it is not a conviction.

We really cannot take exception to being required to be consistent because that is in line with our beliefs. If the Bible requires it, it is God ordered. If it is God ordered and we choose not to do it, it is a sin. A Christian believes that disobedience to what God has ordered is the classic definition of sin.

According to the court, stating that something is a conviction, you must be prepared to say that its opposite is a sin. If you say you have a conviction about Christian education, then you must be prepared to say that to not give a child a Christian education is a sin. If you say that you have a conviction about a certain lifestyle, then you must say the opposite is a sin, or it is not a conviction. When a person says he ought to do some things, but wants to be more tolerant and a little more open minded, the court determines it a preference.

In the courtroom you must be able to define what you believe. You must tell the court whether you hold your beliefs as preferences or convictions and be able to explain to the court that the opposite of these convictions is a sin. What happens if you don’t tell them it is a sin? The following is dialogue that I have personally witnessed:

“Pastor, do you believe that every child must receive a Christian education?”

“Yes I do.”

“Well, Pastor, do you hold that as a conviction of your faith?”

“Yes I do.”

“Pastor, have you ever told your people that not giving your child a Christian education is a sin?”

“No I have not done that.”

“Why have you not done that Pastor?”

“I just have not gotten around to it.”

“How long have you been getting around to it?”

“Oh, a couple of years.”

Then the pastor was asked: “Pastor, is it not that the reason you have not said that is because you were afraid of the effects? You were afraid that the public school teachers in your congregation would leave? You were afraid that the people who do not agree with Christian education in your church, and are good givers might be offended. You were afraid of what the repercussions would be. Is that not the truth as to why you did not say that?”

One must bear in mind the pastor has taken an oath of affirmation to tell the truth in front of the whole world. Half of his congregation is sitting in that courtroom and he must now answer that question truthfully. If you say that you have a conviction make sure that you do.

Otherwise the court becomes a very painful place in which to be trapped. Unfortunately, I have seen it happen to many Christians.

  1. A conviction is consistent to itself. In this matter of lifestyle consistency, the court says that consistent practice means reasonably consistent, not perfect. One judge said to me, “Your people do not have to be perfect, but they are becoming very perfect at being imperfect. I would like you to see if we could match up the two L’s—Life and Lip.” A good part of every court case is about whether what you say with your mouth is consistently being practiced with your life. Let us examine how easily we form convictions that can be challenged in court.

It is a conviction of Christians that pornography should not be viewed, that obscenity should not be spoken, that nudity should not be viewed. It is a conviction that unrighteous themes should not be exalted. Most would agree that these are the convictions of a Christian because the Bible requires it. Is it a sin to do otherwise? Yes. These are things that most of us believe, yet I have seen the following happen:

In a courtroom people have been asked,

“Do you own a television?”

“Yes I do.”

“How much did that television cost?”

“Two to three hundred dollars.”

“Where do you keep that television?”

“In the living room or family room.”

“Why do you keep it there?”

“We keep it there so people can see it.”

“Is it not true that if you do not plug in that television and turn it on, it does not work? That television cannot do anything until you turn it on, and it is your choice whether or not you watch it?”

“Yes, this is true.”

“On this television do you ever see or hear obscenity, or do you ever hear someone curse or swear?”

“Yes!”

“Is there any nudity?”

“Yes!”

“Do you ever see unrighteous themes exalted on television?”

“All the time.”

“Do you ever see righteous themes debased?”

“Yes.”

“Yet you have no problem watching those? Do you have no problem paying hundreds of dollars to have an instrument that allows all of those things that you say you are against in the most traveled portion of your house, and you say you even have to turn it on before it can do anything to you?”

Do you see the inconsistency? That person just showed the court through his lifestyle that the convictions he mouthed were not consistently practiced. Bear in mind that you don’t have to believe anything, but if you are going to say that you believe something, and that it is a conviction, then you must live it and at such a level that when the court looks at your life, they can see consistency.

If a man stood with an alcoholic drink and told you he did not believe in drinking alcohol and then guzzled it down he would appear to be a hypocrite. But that is exactly what happens in the courtroom when people say one thing, but they do another. The court will go into all of the areas of life, including the use of your finances, and the use of your time, to see if you are living your beliefs with visible consistency.

Your life is the truest test of your convictions. Many Christians live lives that defy their stated beliefs, being against sin in some forms that they readily accept in another form. They denounce the actions of some that they allow to be acceptable in themselves.

The problem we face here is that convictions are being tested and for most of us that scrutiny will verify that many of our so-called convictions are merely preferences. Most of us claim that we would die for beliefs that we are not even consistently living for in other areas of our lives. We have convictions for morality in the school that we do not enforce in our own living rooms. This proves that most of our beliefs are only preferences that we personally find comfortable and convenient.

The greatest tragedy is not the inconsistency before the court, but the insult before Christ. Far too often we bow before the altar of self-serving living and bring a reproach upon the Saviour who bought us with the price of His own blood. It is a sad commentary on our love and commitment to Him that we have very few beliefs that could stand up to the serious examination of this world. The greatness of the New Testament church was that the believers were not only willing to die for their beliefs, but their accusers could find no fault or inconsistency in them. Oh, that the world could say the same about us. Someone has said, “Your walk talks and your talk talks, but your walk talks louder than your talk talks.”

Perhaps it is time to place ourselves on trial to see if we really believe what we say we believe. Are we really living consistently by the things that we say are convictions? Whether or not you are ever brought to a courtroom and put on trial by men, you are on trial every day before your God. He demands holy living and consistency of life, not just in simplicity of word. Anyone can say he believes in certain things, but as a child of God we ought to live like it. God help us to make it so.

The Close of Probation

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Probation is going to close suddenly, when we least expect it, and it will be too late then to decide to be saved. Even when an event is expected and does not happen exactly the way you thought it would, it can easily be missed.

This was the experience of the Jewish nation. They were diligent students of the Old Testament and knew of a Messiah that would come. Prophecy had foretold His birthplace and where His headquarters would be, yet they completely missed it. This experience is going to be repeated by those claiming to be the people of God when they discover that probation has closed. The only security is to be ready at all times. Jesus said, “Be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.” Matthew 24:44. Time for the second coming of Jesus has far exceeded the expectation of most Seventh-day Adventists, and we are in more danger than ever before that it will come as a surprise.

In Daniel chapter 5 is recorded the story of a Babylonian king, Belshazzar, who witnessed the closure of Babylon’s probation. There have been many people, my own maternal grandfather included, who ridiculed the authenticity of the Bible account of this king. In the twentieth century, archeologists found evidence that showed that a man named Belshazzar did in fact exist; he was a grandson to Nebuchadnezzar and second in line in the kingdom. This history gives insight to why Belshazzar told Daniel that he would make him the third ruler in the kingdom if he would give the interpretation of the message written on the wall by the fingers of a man’s hand.

When my grandmother became a Seventh-day Adventist, my grandfather was very upset, particularly that the church she attended worshiped on what he considered the wrong day. He became so upset that he decided to prove my grandmother wrong. At the library, he researched history books on everything he could find about the change of the Sabbath to Sunday issue. To his great chagrin he discovered that he was wrong, along with the rest of the Christian world, and my grandmother was right. So one Sabbath morning to the surprise of his family, he dressed in his suit and tie and from that time he worshiped with her.

The truth is the truth, whether anybody believes it or not. Belshazzar’s existence was a fact, even though for many years there was no record of him other than that of the Bible. There are yet many mysteries to be revealed. If there is something in the Bible or the Spirit of Prophecy that you do not understand, don’t throw away your faith, for in time it may be revealed.

My grandfather also believed that there was no such thing as a Hittite. He had learned in the German schools that they were a mythological tribe or nation made up in the Bible. However, in the twentieth century, archeologists dug up more evidence proving the Biblical account. Not only did the Hittites exist, but they were a very powerful nation for hundreds of years. Today, many of those skeptical ideas have been proven wrong. The archeologists have proved the authenticity of the Bible and the skeptics are wrong. You can believe the Bible accounts. In fact, when archeologists are looking for some particular thing they go to the Bible to discover the area where they should dig.

However, that aside, the biggest evidence for belief that the Bible is true is not because of history or archeology. When you surrender your life to Jesus Christ and make Him your Lord and Saviour and ask Him for the Holy Spirit, He will give it to you. The Holy Spirit will cause you to be born again, and the result will be that you begin to live a new life, one that you can never live on your own. You will be a new creation. A changed life with the indwelling of the Holy Spirit is indisputable evidence of a loving God and the truth of the Bible.

Belshazzar’s probation closed suddenly. He was celebrating and had made a great feast. His wives and concubines and a thousand of his lords were in attendance. He sent for the sacred vessels that Nebuchadnezzar had taken from the temple in Jerusalem so that he and his guests could drink from them while praising his gods. “In the same hour the fingers of a man’s hand appeared and wrote opposite the lampstand on the plaster of the wall of the king’s palace; and the king saw the part of the hand that wrote.” Daniel 5:5.

Notice, it was “the fingers of a man’s hand” that wrote. When you and I write, we write by hand. We take hold of the pen with our fingers and write with the hand. It is called handwriting. However, God does not write with His hand. There are three specific times mentioned in the Bible where God wrote something.

  • God wrote the Ten Commandments with His finger.
  • Jesus stooped and wrote with His finger in the sand when the woman was taken in adultery.
  • A hand appeared, and a finger wrote on the wall.

Belshazzar was terrified. “Then the king’s countenance changed, and his thoughts troubled him, so that the joints of his hips were loosened and his knees knocked against each other.” Verse 6. The wise men and soothsayers were called and were offered many gifts if they could interpret the writing but none were able and, to the astonishment of his lords that were present, Belshazzar was scared to death.

The queen mother who remembered Daniel was called and she knew what to do in this situation. She said to Belshazzar: “O king, live forever! Do not let your thoughts trouble you, nor let your countenance change. There is a man in your kingdom in whom is the Spirit of the Holy God. And in the days of your father, light and understanding and wisdom, like the wisdom of the gods, were found in him; and King Nebuchadnezzar your father—your father the king—made him chief of the magicians, astrologers, Chaldeans, and soothsayers. Inasmuch as an excellent spirit, knowledge, understanding, interpreting dreams, solving riddles, and explaining enigmas were found in this Daniel, whom the king named Belteshazzar, now let Daniel be called, and he will give the interpretation.” Verses 10–12.

Daniel, his name meaning God is my judge, was summoned to interpret the writing and was offered many gifts in return. “Then Daniel answered, and said before the king, ‘Let your gifts be for yourself, and give your rewards to another; yet I will read the writing to the king, and make known to him the interpretation. O king, the Most High God gave Nebuchadnezzar your father a kingdom and majesty, glory and honor. And because of the majesty that He gave him, all peoples, nations, and languages trembled and feared before him. Whomever he wished, he executed; whomever he wished, he kept alive; whomever he wished, he set up; and whomever he wished, he put down. But when his heart was lifted up, and his spirit was hardened in pride, he was deposed from his kingly throne, and they took his glory from him. Then he was driven from the sons of men, his heart was made like the beasts, and his dwelling was with the wild donkeys. They fed him with grass like oxen, and his body was wet with the dew of heaven, till he knew that the Most High God rules in the kingdom of men, and appoints over it whomever He chooses. But you his son, Belshazzar, have not humbled your heart, although you knew all this. And you have lifted yourself up against the Lord of heaven. They have brought the vessels of His house before you, and you and your lords, your wives, and your concubines, have drunk wine from them. And you have praised the gods of silver and gold, bronze and iron, wood and stone, which do not see or hear or know; and the God who holds your breath in His hand and owns all your ways, you have not glorified. Then the fingers of the hand were sent from Him, and this writing was written.’ ” Verses 17–24.

It should be remembered that life comes from God; He holds your very breath in His hand. He holds your spirit and your heart does not just go on beating by itself. People think they inherit just so much vital force when they are born and will live until it gives out, causing them to die. No, without the direct interposition of God, we would all die instantly. No man or woman keeps himself or herself alive. In vision, Ellen White saw some of these things, and she did not know how to write it. We do not understand the power of God for it is a mystery. If He moved His finger, all the inhabitants of the earth would be as though they never were.

Daniel, with holy boldness, told the king, “And this is the inscription that was written: MENE, MENE, TEKEL, UPHARSIN. This is the interpretation of each word. MENE: God has numbered your kingdom, and finished it; TEKEL: You have been weighed in the balances, and found wanting [or lacking]; PERES [that’s UPHARSIN]: Your kingdom has been divided, and given to the Medes and the Persians.” Verses 26–28.

It is from this story that we get the expression, “weighed in the balances and found wanting.” Where are the balances? The balances are in God’s sanctuary in heaven. Many times in the Spirit of Prophecy, Ellen White speaks of these balances or scales in the sanctuary.

But what is being weighed in the balances in heaven? In Testimonies, vol. 3, 370, we are told: “God is weighing our characters, our conduct, and our motives in the balances of the sanctuary. It will be a fearful thing to be pronounced wanting in love and obedience by our Redeemer.”

In rebuking Elkanah’s other wife, Peninnah, her rival wife, Hannah, the mother of Samuel said, “Talk no more so very proudly; let no arrogance come from your mouth, for the Lord is the God of knowledge; and by Him actions are weighed.” I Samuel 2:3.

“All the ways of a man are pure in his own eyes, but the Lord weighs the spirits.” Proverbs 16:2.

“When he opened the third seal, I heard the third living creature say, ‘Come and see.’ So I looked, and behold, a black horse, and he who sat on it had a pair of scales in his hand.” Revelation 6:5. This indicates that all are being weighed, and when probation closes, the weight will determine eternal destiny.

No one is saved by works. They are saved only by faith in Christ by His grace, but you can be lost by your works. What is being weighed? “Angels are watching the development of character and weighing moral worth. All our words and acts are passing in review before God. It is a fearful, solemn time.” Testimonies, vol. 1, 242.

“God’s eye is upon you; He reads every motive and weighs you in the balances of the sanctuary.” Ibid., vol. 5, 154. “Satan is now seeking to hold God’s people in a state of inactivity, to keep them from acting their part in spreading the truth, that they may at last be weighed in the balance and found wanting.” Ibid., vol. 1, 260. It is the devil’s plan to have you preoccupied with the things of this world, though some be important, and be inactive in spreading the truth. The Bible does not teach that you can do nothing for Christ and still go to the kingdom of heaven.

Another is found in Testimonies to Ministers, 440. “Men are weighed in the balance and found wanting when they are living in the practice of any known sin.” “The moral worth of every soul is weighed in the balance of the heavenly sanctuary.” That I Might Know Him, 255.

We need to understand how God weighs things. In Luke 21:1–4, it says, “And He looked up and saw the rich putting their gifts into the treasury, and He saw also a certain poor widow putting in two mites. So He said, ‘Truly I say to you that this poor widow has put in more than all; for all these out of their abundance have put in offerings for God, but she out of her poverty put in all the livelihood that she had.’ ”

God weighs differently than man does. If you consider the percentage of the widow’s income that she gave, it was far greater than all the others. Jesus weighed the motive that caused her to give all she had. Why would a widow put so much money into God’s work that she would be dependent on a miracle to provide for her necessities? She gave sacrificially because she loved God’s work. In The Desire of Ages, 615, Ellen White says, “It is the motive that gives character to our acts, stamping them with ignominy or with high moral worth.” God weighs motives. Man cannot read the heart of man as God does, so man can never be sure of the true motive.

Ellen White wrote: “The Lord is coming; the alarm must be sounded. The people who profess the truth are unready. Should their probation close now, they would be weighed in the balance, and found wanting. Some have not made earnest efforts to overcome; they have not realized the danger of continuing in sin, and have become almost content where they are. …

“Many who nominally assent to the truth will fail to enter the kingdom of God, because they do not in their daily life practice that which they profess.” The Review and Herald, November 13, 1883.

It is dangerous to be complacent and be comfortable in sins; probation is going to close at an undisclosed time, and you must not be living in sin when probation closes or you will be in the same situation as Belshazzar.

Job was a person who when weighed by God was found to be a perfect man. Job 29:12–17 says, “I delivered the poor who cried out, the fatherless and the one who had no helper. The blessing of a perishing man came upon me, and I caused the widow’s heart to sing for joy. I put on righteousness, and it clothed me; my justice was like a robe and a turban. I was eyes to the blind, and I was feet to the lame. I was a father to the poor, and I searched out the case that I did not know. I broke the fangs of the wicked, and plucked the victim from his teeth.”

“Have I not wept for him who was in trouble? Has not my soul grieved for the poor?” Job 30:25. Notice what he says in Job 31:6: “Let me be weighed on honest scales, that God may know my integrity.” “If I have despised the cause of my male or female servant when they complained against me, what then shall I do when God rises up? When He punishes, how shall I answer Him?” Verses 13, 14. “If I have kept the poor from their desire, or caused the eyes of the widow to fail, or eaten my morsel by myself, so that the fatherless could not eat of it (but from my youth I reared him as a father, and from my mother’s womb I guided the widow); if I have seen anyone perish for lack of clothing, or any poor man without covering; if his heart has not blessed me, and if he was not warmed with the fleece of my sheep; if I have raised my hand against the fatherless, when I saw I had help in the gate; then let my arm fall from my shoulder, let my arm be torn from the socket.” Verses 16–22.

“If I have rejoiced at the destruction of him who hated me, or lifted myself up when evil found him (indeed I have not allowed my mouth to sin by asking for a curse on his soul); if the men of my tent have not said, ‘Who is there that has not been satisfied with his meat? (But no sojourner had to lodge in the street, for I have opened my doors to the traveler.’ ” Verses 29–32.

Job lived the kind of life God approved, and when he was put on the scale, God said to the devil, “He is a perfect man.” God judges people by their character. Job is an example of the kind of man who was daily ready for his probation to close.

Another man whose outcome was opposite to Job when weighed by God was Achan. His story can be found in Joshua 7:10–13 and 19–26. When the children of Israel took over Jericho God told them that they were not to take anything. It was a divine victory and they were not to keep any of the spoil for themselves. It was the first city to be taken and the spoil was to be a tithe that belonged to God. But Achan became covetous and took some gold, some silver, and it says, in the King James Bible that he took a “Babylonish garment,” a garment from the land of Shinar.

While ever there was open sin in the camp the Lord could not bless the Israelites. Achan’s sin was directly responsible for the thirty-six men who died when the army attempted to take Ai. Joshua, rooting out the sin in the camp, narrowed things down until the lot fell on Achan, who then confessed of his sin. “Then Joshua, and all Israel with him, took Achan the son of Zerah, the silver, the garment, the wedge of gold, his sons, his daughters, his oxen, his donkeys, his sheep, his tent, and all that he had, and they brought them to the Valley of Achor. And Joshua said, ‘Why have you troubled us? The Lord will trouble you this day.’ So all Israel stoned him with stones; and they burned them with fire after they had stoned them with stones. Then they raised over him a great heap of stones, still there to this day.” Joshua 7:24–26. Achan will not be in the kingdom of heaven. He was weighed in the balance and found wanting. The items he stole did him no good in this life and cost him eternal life. Is there something in this world that you covet that prevents you from loving God with all your heart, soul, and mind? Jesus said, “For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? or what will a man give in exchange for his soul? For the Son of Man shall come in the glory of His Father with His angels, and then He will reward each according to his works.” Matthew 16:26, 27. Are you rich toward God?

Another man who lost his soul was the covetous rich man. In Bible times, and up until a hundred years ago, retirement was almost unheard of and was only invented in the twentieth century, mainly in the 1930s. I only know of one person in the Bible who retired, and that was the rich man, the rich farmer in Luke 12. He had so much grain he decided to pull down his barns and build greater barns. “And I will say to my soul, ‘Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years; take your ease; eat, drink, and be merry.’ But God said to him, ‘Fool! This night your soul will be required of you; then whose will those things be which you have provided?’ So is he who lays up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.” Luke 12:19–21.

If probation closed and you were weighed in the balances today, which way would the scales tip? Soon you will be weighed and the result will determine your eternal destiny.

Luke 16:10–13 says, “He who is faithful in what is least is faithful also in much; and he who is unjust in what is least is unjust also in much. Therefore if you have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon [money or property], who will commit to your trust the true riches? And if you have not been faithful in what is another man’s, who will give you what is your own? No servant can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.”

One thing is certain, every character will be weighed in the balances of the sanctuary and it will be the motives that determine true character.

Are you rich toward God? Can you say today, like Job said, I wish I could just be weighed in a balance and then God would know that I have integrity. Now is the time to get ready; do not waste another minute. Go to the Lord, and say, “Lord, I want to be ready for the weighing time when probation closes. I want to be ready. I don’t want to be found wanting, lacking in love, lacking in obedience, lacking in character.” Jesus died on the cross so that He would have the right to forgive your sins, to wipe out all of your guilt, and take you to heaven. However, He cannot take any to heaven who are not fit to be in the presence of holy beings.

Search your heart and pray as did David, “Search me, O God, and know my heart; try me, and know my anxieties; and see if there is any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.” Psalm 139:23, 24.

(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.

Heavenly Celebrations

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Scripture and Inspiration tell us of great celebrations that take place in heaven, all a part of different phases of the plan of redemption or the new covenant. An understanding of the setting of these celebrations, their purposes and how they relate to us here on earth will enable us to more fully understand God’s wonderful plan for man’s redemption. Some of them have already taken place and some are to take place in the future. To understand these celebrations we need to understand the covenant God made with man.

“The covenant of grace was first made with man in Eden, when after the Fall there was given a divine promise that the seed of the woman should bruise the serpent’s head. To all men this covenant offered pardon and the assisting grace of God for future obedience through faith in Christ. It also promised them eternal life on condition of fidelity to God’s law. Thus the patriarchs received the hope of salvation.” Patriarchs and Prophets, 370.

The covenant was a plan by the Father and the Son to free the fallen race from sin and restore mankind to the kingdom of glory. Obedience and freedom from sin are requirements for us to return to that kingdom.

“This same covenant was renewed to Abraham in the promise, ‘In thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed’ (Genesis 22:18). This promise pointed to Christ.” Ibid.

“Though this covenant was made with Adam and renewed to Abraham, it could not be ratified until the death of Christ. It had existed by the promise of God since the first intimation of redemption had been given; it had been accepted by faith; yet when ratified by Christ, it is called a new covenant. The law of God was the basis of this covenant which was simply an arrangement for bringing men again into harmony with the divine will, placing them where they could obey God’s law.” [Emphasis author’s.] Patriarchs and Prophets, 370, 371.

This new covenant is called by different names—Abrahamic covenant, plan of salvation, plan of redemption, among others. In Revelation 14:6 in the first angel’s message it is called the everlasting or eternal gospel because it was made between the Father and the Son, two eternal beings.

This covenant is wholly a product of divine creation. John 3:14–17 states: “Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, that everyone who believes may have eternal life in Him. For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through Him.” Because of the love of God and His Son for the pinnacle of their creation, they formed this covenant so that whoever believes and follows its terms and conditions can be restored to the kingdom of glory.

We are told that there is a sanctuary connected with this covenant. “ ‘Now of the things which we have spoken this is the sum: We have such an High Priest, who is set on the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens; a Minister of the sanctuary, and of the true tabernacle, which the Lord pitched, and not man’ (Hebrews 8:1, 2). Here is revealed the sanctuary of the new covenant.” The Great Controversy, 413.

Another statement confirms this: “The term ‘sanctuary,’ as used in the Bible, refers first, to the tabernacle built by Moses, as a pattern of heavenly things; and, secondly, to the ‘true tabernacle’ in heaven, to which the earthly sanctuary pointed. At the death of Christ the typical service ended. The ‘true tabernacle’ in heaven is the sanctuary of the new covenant.” Ibid., 417.

The weight of evidence shows that the foundation of the Christian faith is this covenant, and its terms are carried out by Christ in the sanctuary in heaven. The two are interlocked. Everybody who is saved will have their name pass through that sanctuary and have his or her sins confessed and atoned for by the blood of Christ.

“The plan of salvation had been laid before the creation of the earth; for Christ is ‘the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world’ (Revelation 13:8); yet it was a struggle, even with the King of the universe, to yield up His Son to die for the guilty race. But ‘God so loved the world, that He gave His only-begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life’ (John 3:16). Oh, the mystery of redemption! the love of God for a world that did not love Him! Who can know the depths of that love which ‘passeth knowledge’ (Ephesians 3:19)? Through endless ages immortal minds, seeking to comprehend the mystery of that incomprehensible love, will wonder and adore.” Patriarchs and Prophets, 63.

There are seven celebrations which take place over a period of time in heaven involving this covenant.

Celebration No. I. The Institution of the Covenant with Adam and Eve in heaven.

The whole universe is intensely interested in the carrying out of this great plan of salvation. All heaven watched with great anxiety as Satan, in the guise of a beautiful serpent, engaged Eve in conversation. With great sorrow they watched Eve and then Adam eat of the forbidden fruit. The angels loved Adam and Eve and they offered to pay the penalty for their transgression. They were so anxious to have the covenant ratified that we could be saved that they were willing to give their lives.

“The angels prostrated themselves at the feet of their Commander and offered to become a sacrifice for man (but they were created beings and could not meet the requirements of that covenant). …

“Christ assured the angels that by His death He would ransom many, and would destroy him [Satan] who had the power of death. He would recover the kingdom which man had lost by transgression, and the redeemed were to inherit it with Him, and dwell therein forever. Sin and sinners would be blotted out, nevermore to disturb the peace of heaven or earth.” Patriarchs and Prophets, 64, 65.

With that good news the first celebration took place. “Then joy, inexpressible joy, filled heaven. The glory and blessedness of a world redeemed outmeasured even the anguish and sacrifice of the Prince of life. Through the celestial courts echoed the first strains of that song which was to ring out above the hills of Bethlehem ‘Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men’ (Luke 2:14). With a deeper gladness now than in the rapture of the new creation, ‘the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy’ (Job 38:7).” Ibid.

All heaven is interested in the recovery of mankind to Eden. Thus the first celebration in the universe was connected with the great plan of salvation. This time of rejoicing, this celebration, was based on promises that the covenant would be ratified and on the promise that by confession and separation from sins the blood of Christ would atone for them.

Celebration No. II. The Birth of Jesus

Angels came to earth to announce the birth of Jesus.

“Above the hills of Bethlehem are gathered an innumerable throng of angels. They wait the signal to declare the glad news to the world. Had the leaders in Israel been true to their trust, they might have shared the joy of heralding the birth of Jesus. But now they are passed by.” The Desire of Ages, 47. These leaders of the church were looking for a Saviour to deliver them, not from sin, but from the control of the Pagan Roman Empire. So the angels passed them by.

“In the fields where the boy David had led his flock, shepherds were still keeping watch by night. Through the silent hours they talked together of the promised Saviour, and prayed for the coming of the King to David’s throne. ‘And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid. And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord’ (Luke 2:10, 11). …

“The heavenly messenger had quieted their fears. He had told them how to find Jesus. With tender regard for their human weakness, he had given them time to become accustomed to the divine radiance. Then the joy and glory could no longer be hidden. The whole plain was lighted up with the bright shining of the hosts of God. Earth was hushed, and heaven stooped to listen to the song – ‘Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men’ (Luke 2:14).” Ibid., 47, 48.

The same song that the angels sang at the institution of the covenant 4,000 years earlier they sang again to these shepherds.

“Oh that today the human family could recognize that song! The declaration then made, the note then struck, will swell to the close of time, and resound to the ends of the earth. When the Sun of Righteousness shall arise, with healing in His wings, that song will be re-echoed by the voice of a great multitude, as the voice of many waters, saying, ‘Alleluia: for the Lord God omnipotent reigneth’ (Revelation 19:6).” Ibid.

This song will be the theme of the new covenant from the beginning to the end of the execution of the plan of salvation.

“The story of Bethlehem is an exhaustless theme. In it is hidden ‘the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God’ (Romans 11:33).” Ibid.

Celebration No. III. Opening of the Holy Place

After Jesus had provided His blood by His sacrifice on Calvary, He ascended to heaven. The story of this celebration is found in Revelation 4:2–6 and 9–11: “At once I was in the Spirit, and there before me was a throne in heaven with someone sitting on it. And the one who sat there had the appearance of jasper and carnelian. A rainbow, resembling an emerald, encircled the throne. Surrounding the throne were twenty-four other thrones, and seated on them were twenty-four elders. They were dressed in white and had crowns of gold on their heads. Before the throne, seven lamps were blazing.” Here is described the Father sitting on His throne surrounded by 24 of the highest officials in the government of heaven. The seven lamps in the earthly sanctuary were found in the first apartment of the holy place.

“There are cherubim and seraphim. The commanders of the angel hosts, the sons of God, the representatives of the unfallen worlds, are assembled. … all are there to welcome the Redeemer. They are eager to celebrate His triumph and to glorify their King.” The Desire of Ages, 834.

“Also before the throne there was what looked like a sea of glass, clear as crystal. In the center, around the throne, were four living creatures. … Day and night they never stop saying: ‘Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty, who was, and is, and is to come.’ Whenever the living creatures give glory, honor and thanks to Him Who sits on the throne and Who lives for ever and ever, the twenty-four elders fall down before Him Who sits on the throne, and worship Him Who lives for ever and ever. They lay their crowns before the throne and say: ‘You are worthy our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for You created all things, and by Your will they were created and have their being.’ ” Revelation 4:6–11.

The scene continues into chapter 5. In the first four verses John tells about a little book in the hand of the one sitting on the throne. No one can be found who can open it. John begins to weep because he wants to know what is in that book. Then the scene changes in verse five:

“Then one of the elders said to me, ‘Do not weep! See, the Lion of the tribe of Judah [Jesus], the Root of David, has triumphed. He is able to open the scroll and its seven seals.’ Then I saw a Lamb, looking as if it had been slain, standing in the center of the throne” (verses 5, 6).

Jesus had ascended to the holy place of the heavenly sanctuary after His resurrection. This celebration was all about receiving Jesus and His appearance reminds John of the crucifixion—of the Lamb slain on the cross.

The Desire of Ages picks up this story of Revelation 4 and 5 beginning at page 833. “All heaven was waiting to welcome the Saviour to the celestial courts. As He ascended, He led the way, and the multitude of captives set free at His resurrection followed. The heavenly host, with shouts and acclamations of praise and celestial song, attended the joyous train.

“As they drew near to the city of God, the challenge is given by the escorting angels –

‘Lift up your heads, O ye gates;

And be ye lift up, ye everlasting doors;

And the King of glory shall come in’ (Psalm 24:7).

“Joyfully the waiting sentinels respond,

‘Who is this King of glory?’

“This they say, not because they know not who He is, but because they would hear the answer of exalted praise –

‘The Lord strong and mighty,

The Lord mighty in battle!

Lift up your heads, O ye gates;

Even lift them up, ye everlasting doors;

And the King of glory shall come in’ (verses 8, 9).

“Then the portals of the city of God are opened wide, and the angelic throng sweep through the gates amid a burst of rapturous music.” The Desire of Ages, 833.

All heaven is celebrating that Jesus has come home. This is quite a contrast from when He left the earth and a few disciples gathered to watch Him ascend, not really understanding what was taking place. God desires that His church on earth be celebrating in harmony with His church in heaven.

“There is the throne, and around it the rainbow of promise. There are cherubim and seraphim. The commanders of the angel hosts, the sons of God, the representatives of the unfallen worlds, are assembled. … all are there to welcome the Redeemer. They are eager to celebrate His triumph and to glorify their King.” Ibid., 834.

The scene changes again and the celebration now seen is the inauguration of Jesus as High Priest in the sanctuary of the new covenant in heaven following His ascension in A.D. 31. Notice what happens:

“But He waves them back. Not yet; He cannot now receive the coronet of glory and the royal robe. He enters into the presence of His Father. He points to His wounded head, the pierced side, the marred feet; He lifts His hands, bearing the print of nails. He points to the tokens of His triumph; He presents to God the wave sheaf, those raised with Him, as representatives of that great multitude who shall come forth from the grave at His second coming. He approaches the Father, with whom there is joy over one sinner that repents; who rejoices over one with singing. Before the foundations of the earth were laid, the Father and the Son had united in a covenant [of grace] to redeem man if he should be overcome by Satan. They had clasped Their hands in a solemn pledge that Christ should become the surety for the human race. This pledge Christ has fulfilled. When upon the cross He cried out, ‘It is finished’ (John 19:30). He addressed the Father. The compact had been fully carried out. Now He declares: Father, it is finished. I have done Thy will, O My God. I have completed the work of redemption. If Thy justice is satisfied, ‘I will that they also, whom Thou hast given Me, be with Me where I am’ (John 19:30; 17:24).

“The voice of God is heard proclaiming that justice is satisfied. Satan is vanquished. … The Father’s arms encircle His Son, and the word is given, ‘Let all the angels of God worship Him’ (Hebrew 1:6).” Ibid.

The disciple John was enamored with the scene. The appearance of Jesus has changed from that of a Lamb looking as if it had been slain to that of a high priest.

“I turned around to see the voice that was speaking to me. And when I turned I saw seven golden lampstands (the holy place of the heavenly sanctuary) and among the lampstands was someone ‘like a son of man,’ dressed in a robe reaching down to his feet and with a golden sash around his chest. His head and hair were white like wool, as white as snow, and His eyes were like blazing fire. His feet were like bronze glowing in a furnace, and His voice was like the sound of rushing waters. His face was like the sun shining in all its brilliance.” Revelation 1:12–16.

Jesus no longer appears like a Lamb slain. When He went in before the Father, He was changed and inaugurated as High Priest and now had the authority to take and open the book that no one, according to verses 1–4, could open.

“He went and took the scroll from the right hand of Him who sat on the throne. And when he had taken it, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb. [The highest officials in the government of heaven now bow down before the newly inaugurated High Priest. In this inauguration ceremony Jesus has been elevated above all the leaders of the universe except God the Father.] … And they sang a new song: ‘You are worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals, because You were slain, and with Your blood You purchased men for God from every tribe and language and people and nation. You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to serve our God, and they will reign on the earth.’ ” Revelation 5:7–10.

Now that the covenant is established, anyone can go to Jesus in the Most Holy Place of the heavenly sanctuary, confess his sins, dedicate himself to Christ and receive eternal life through the atoning blood of Christ.

“Then I looked and heard the voice of many angels, numbering thousands upon thousands, and ten thousand times ten thousand. They encircled the throne and the living creatures and the elders. In a loud voice they sang: ‘Worthy is the Lamb, who is slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and praise!’ Then I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all that is in them, singing: ‘To Him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be praise and honor and glory and power, forever and ever!’ ” Revelation 5:11–13.

The whole universe now praises God the Father and Jesus the Lamb for establishing the great plan of salvation, the new covenant. This is undoubtedly the greatest celebration thus far in the great controversy between Christ and Satan in carrying out the plan of salvation.

“With joy unutterable, rulers and principalities and powers acknowledge the supremacy of the Prince of life. The angel host prostrate themselves before Him, while the glad shout fills all the courts of heaven, ‘Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honor, and glory, and blessing’ (Revelation 5:12).

“Songs of triumph mingle with the music from angel harps, till heaven seems to overflow with joy and praise. Love has conquered. The lost is found. Heaven rings with voices in lofty strains proclaiming, ‘Blessing, and honor, and glory, and power, be unto Him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb forever and ever’ (Revelation 5:13).

“From that scene of heavenly joy, there comes back to us on earth the echo of Christ’s own wonderful words, ‘I ascend unto My Father, and your Father; and to My God, and your God’ (John 20:17). The family of heaven and the family of earth are one. For us our Lord ascended, and for us He lives. ‘Wherefore He is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by Him, seeing He ever liveth to make intercession for them’ (Hebrew 7:25).” The Desire of Ages, 834, 835.

The next celebration is even greater in glory and magnificence than this one.

Celebration No. IV. Opening of the Most Holy Place, the Investigative Phase of the Judgment and the Wedding of the Lamb

In The Great Controversy, 426, we are given information about this fourth celebration.

“In the summer and autumn of 1844 the proclamation, ‘Behold, the Bridegroom cometh’ (Matthew 25:6), was given. … The coming of the bridegroom, here brought to view, takes place before the marriage.”

Daniel 7:9, 10 and 13 talks about this great celebration: “As I looked, ‘thrones were set in place, and the Ancient of Days took his seat. His clothing was a white as snow; the hair of his head was white like wool. His throne was flaming with fire, and its wheels were all ablaze. A river of fire was flowing, coming out from before him. Thousands upon thousands attended him; ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him. The court was seated, and the books were opened. In my vision at night I looked, and there before me was one like a son of man, coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days and was led into his presence.’ ”

This passage describes the coming of the Bridegroom to the wedding. In The Great Controversy, 427, it states: “Christ, as stated by the prophet Daniel, will receive from the Ancient of Days in heaven, ‘dominion, and glory, and a kingdom’ (Daniel 7:14).”

We know that the Bridegroom came to the Ancient of Days on October 22, 1844, but the wedding does not take place until after the close of probation.

“He ‘shall sit and rule upon His throne; and He shall be a priest upon His throne.’ Not now ‘upon the throne of His glory;’ the kingdom of glory has not yet been ushered in. Not until His work as a mediator shall be ended will God ‘give unto Him the throne of His father David,’ a kingdom of which ‘there shall be no end’ (Luke 1:32, 33).” Ibid., 416.

We now understand that the period of the investigative judgment is a preparation time for the wedding. At its close Jesus will receive the New Jerusalem, the capital of His kingdom, “prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.” Revelation 21:2.

“The marriage represents the reception by Christ of His kingdom. The Holy City, the New Jerusalem, which is the capital and representative of the kingdom, is called ‘the bride, the Lamb’s wife.’ Said the angel to John: ‘Come hither, I will show thee the bride, the Lamb’s wife.’ ‘He carried me away in the spirit,’ says the prophet, ‘and showed me that great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God’ (Revelation 21:9, 10.” Ibid., 426.

Daniel 7:14 tells us, “He was given authority, glory and sovereign power; all peoples, nations and men of every language worshiped him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and his kingdom is one that will never be destroyed.”

“At the appointed time the Bridegroom came, not to the earth, as the people expected, but to the Ancient of Days in heaven, to the marriage, the reception of His kingdom. ‘They that were ready went in with Him to the marriage: and the door was shut’ (Matthew 25:10).

“They were not to be present in person at the marriage; for it takes place in heaven, while they are upon the earth. The followers of Christ are to ‘wait for their Lord, when He will return from the wedding’ (Luke 12:36).” The Great Controversy. 427.

At the second coming, Jesus will gather His people to attend the wedding banquet. “He will receive the New Jerusalem, the capital of His kingdom, ‘prepared as a bride adorned for her husband’ (Daniel 7:14; Revelation 21:2). Having received the kingdom, He will come in His glory, as King of kings and Lord of lords, for the redemption of His people, who are to ‘sit down with Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob,’ at His table in His kingdom (Matthew 8:11; Luke 22:30), to partake of the marriage supper of the Lamb.” Ibid., 426.

“ ‘He shall bear the glory’ (Zechariah 6:13). To Christ belongs the glory of redemption for the fallen race. Through the eternal ages, the song of the ransomed ones will be: ‘Unto Him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in His own blood … to Him be glory and dominion for ever and ever’ (Revelation 1:5, 6).” Ibid., 416.

What a wonderful Saviour we have Who gives us this picture of what is happening and to share with us the joy that is taking place in heaven. Our hearts can be part of these celebrations, as we understand the word of God and the Spirit of Prophecy. There are three more celebrations to come. Are you preparing your heart to be part of them? A future article will provide details of those glorious events.

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

Maurice Hoppe is Director of the Steps to Life training programs and a member of the Steps to Life Board. The Training Program for Ministers and Church Leaders is a correspondence course that prepares individuals to serve as pastors or Bible workers. Preparing for the Final Conflict is a correspondence course for the laity. Both of these courses teach present truth that will be an anchor for the soul during the storm of opposition and persecution just ahead. He and his wife also have a correspondence course offered through Revelation Ministry. He can be contacted at: mauricehoppe@stepstolife.org.

Question & Answer – Who Judges the Wicked?

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Do ye not know that the saints shall judge the world? and if the world shall be judged by you, are ye unworthy to judge the smallest matters” (1 Corinthians 6:2)?

“Then I saw thrones, and Jesus and the redeemed saints sat upon them; and the saints reigned as kings and priests unto God, and the wicked dead were judged, and their acts were compared with the statute book, the word of God, and they were judged according to the deeds done in the body. Jesus, in union with the saints, meted out to the wicked the portion they must suffer, according to their works; and it was written in the book of death, and set off against their names. Satan and his angels were also judged by Jesus and the saints. Satan’s punishment was to be far greater than that of those whom he had deceived. It so far exceeded their punishment that it could not be compared with theirs. After all those whom he had deceived had perished, Satan was to still live and suffer on much longer.” Spiritual Gifts, vol. 1, 212, 213.

“After the saints are changed to immortality and caught up together with Jesus, after they receive their harps, their robes, and their crowns, and enter the city, Jesus and the saints sit in judgment. The books are opened—the book of life and the book of death. The book of life contains the good deeds of the saints; and the book of death contains the evil deeds of the wicked. These books are compared with the statute book, the Bible, and according to that men are judged. The saints, in unison with Jesus, pass their judgment upon the wicked dead. ‘Behold ye,’ said the angel, ‘the saints, in unison with Jesus, sit in judgment, and mete out to the wicked according to the deeds done in the body, and that which they must receive at the execution of the judgment is set off against their names.’ This, I saw, was the work of the saints with Jesus through the one thousand years in the Holy City before it descends to the earth.” Early Writings, 52, 53.

Evidence of a Christian

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“For the Lord sees not as man sees; for man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.” I Samuel 16:7 ESV

Man cannot read the heart of another. The only evidence people have to identify a Christian is by their conduct and outward appearance. Before He left this earth Jesus said to His disciples: “You shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” Acts 1:8.

The Bible has not left those who desire to represent Him to others in ignorance as to how they should behave and present themselves to be a witness for Him.

The Christian’s Speech

Jesus was on trial. “Now Peter sat outside in the courtyard. And a servant girl came to him, saying, ‘You also were with Jesus of Galilee.’ But he denied it before them all, saying, ‘I do not know what you are saying.’ And when he had gone out to the gateway, another girl saw him and said to those who were there, ‘This fellow also was with Jesus of Nazareth.’ But again he denied with an oath, ‘I do not know the Man!’ And after a while those who stood by came to him and said to Peter, ‘Surely you also are one of them, because your speech betrays you.’ ” Matthew 26:69–73.

They knew he was a follower of Jesus by the way he spoke. In an attempt to prove to them he was not connected in any way, “Then he began to curse and swear …” (verse 74). That seemed to be the end of the matter. By cursing and swearing he gave evidence he was none of Christ’s, for a disciple of Jesus does not use those words.

A friend of mine worked for a time as an auto mechanic at the Ford dealership in Fargo, North Dakota. The shop where he worked had many other auto mechanics. One day, another mechanic came to him enquiring about his religion. He had noticed that when a wrench slipped and he hit his knuckles, he refrained from swearing and cussing like the others. His speech betrayed who he was.

People should be able to tell from the way you talk that you are a Christian. We live in a world where people are very careless with their choice of language, discussing and saying all sorts of things that should never be said. Though people cannot read your heart, by listening to you talk, they should be able to determine that you are a Christian. Ellen White wrote: “A large share of life’s happiness is dependent upon our manners and actions toward others. The sharp word must be left unspoken. The passionate words must be quenched in the love of Jesus Christ; for if this dross is not cleansed from the soul, there is no hope of eternal life. The selfish temper, and tirade of passionate words is placed in the same dark list with swearing.” The Voice of Speech and Song, 144.

Do people say when you are not around, “I know that person is a Christian because he or she never loses his/her temper or says the sharp word”? Is it evident to others that you are a Christian?

Concerning our speech, Jesus said in Matthew 10:32, 33, “Therefore whoever confesses Me before men, him I will also confess before My Father Who is in heaven. But whoever denies Me before men, him I will also deny before My Father Who is in heaven.”

How do you confess Christ? “He who would confess Christ must have Christ abiding in him. He cannot communicate that which he has not received. The disciples might speak fluently on doctrines, they might repeat the words of Christ Himself; but unless they possessed Christlike meekness and love, they were not confessing Him. A spirit contrary to the spirit of Christ would deny Him, whatever the profession. Men may deny Christ by evilspeaking, by foolish talking, by words that are untruthful or unkind. They may deny Him by shunning life’s burdens, by the pursuit of sinful pleasure. They may deny Him by conforming to the world, by uncourteous behavior, by the love of their own opinions, by justifying self, by cherishing doubt, borrowing trouble, and dwelling in darkness. In all these ways they declare that Christ is not in them.” The Desire of Ages, 357.

We are told in Testimonies, vol. 5, 305: “There is in human nature a tendency to run to extremes and from one extreme to another entirely opposite.”

It is easily seen when other people go to extremes, but how hard is it to recognize when we do it ourselves! There is in human nature a tendency to go off the road into the ditch on one side and then pass over, never stopping in the middle, into the ditch on the other side. Ellen White said, “Many are fanatics. They are consumed by a fiery zeal which is mistaken for religion, but character is the true test of discipleship.” Ibid.

The Christian’s Appearance

People judge whether or not we are Christians by the way we dress. There was a sister who talked to Ellen White about the reform dress and how she was doubting the testimonies of the church because of comments that were made to her about the reform dress. Ellen White said, “This was because the persons who carry matters to extremes had been cautioned not to make the dress question a test of Christian fellowship. What influence do these things have to undermine the confidence in my testimonies! It is not the testimony that is at fault, but perverse human nature.” Pamphlet 104, 12.

Dress is one of the areas where people have a tendency to go to extremes, although people do judge whether you are really a Christian by your outward appearance.

The Christian’s Judgment

People make judgments about others on how they spend time in recreation and amusement. This is another area where people tend to go to extremes one way or another.

Ellen White wrote in Testimonies, vol. 1, 565: “There are persons with a diseased imagination to whom religion is a tyrant, ruling them as with a rod of iron. Such are constantly mourning over their depravity and groaning over supposed evil. Love does not exist in their hearts; a frown is ever upon their countenances. They are chilled by the innocent laugh from the youth or from anyone. They consider all recreation or amusement a sin and think that the mind must be constantly wrought up to just such a stern, severe pitch. This is one extreme. Others think that the mind must be ever on the stretch to invent new amusements and diversions in order to gain health. They learn to depend on excitement, and are uneasy without it. Such are not true Christians. They go to another extreme.”

The Christian’s Diet

How we eat and drink affects what others think of our Christianity. Diet is another area in which people have the tendency to go to terrible extremes, either on one side or the other. If I never ate foods that I have been told not to eat, what foods could I eat? The answer is, “Nothing!” That is not an exaggeration.

In the 1950s I ran into Seventh-day Adventists who said, “We have to get back to the Eden diet.” And the Eden diet did not include vegetables, so they were eliminated from their diet. Shortly after that I heard, “You should never use sugar.” So sugar is gone. I was very fortunate, by the way, that I had a very wise mother who didn’t go off on all these tangents. Then in the 1970s, they said, “The one class of food that you can’t eat is fruit.” So fruit’s gone. By then it was 1971 and I had a church member who told me he was going to quit eating bread and anything that contained wheat.

I have heard lately that a lot of people in our community have decided not to eat wheat, and that’s fine if you replace it with something else. Prevention Magazine came out with a whole series of articles to help people quit eating bread. The titles of these articles were, “Do Not Eat Bread.” All kinds of horror stories were cited. A few years later a physician came out with a diet to help people lose weight and said, “What you must do is avoid all foods that are high in carbohydrates.” Well, if you do that, you eliminate all legumes and all grains from your diet.

Then again in the 1970s, there was a fellow by the name of Pritikin that came out with a new diet that was supposed to cure almost every disease. He said that you must not eat foods high in fat, like nuts, and seeds, avocados, and no oil or salt.

Now let’s just go down the list. If you are not going to eat any vegetables, no sugar, no fruit, no oil, and no salt, no wheat, and no high carbohydrate food, no nuts, no seeds, and no oil, what are you going to eat?

Ellen White wrote: “Because it is wrong to eat merely to gratify perverted taste, it does not follow that we should be indifferent in regard to our food. It is a matter of the highest importance.” Counsels on Heath, 118.

It is also a matter of the highest importance that we do not go to extremes one way or the other. She said, “No one should adopt an impoverished diet. Many are debilitated from disease and need nourishing, well-cooked food. Health reformers, above all others, should be careful to avoid extremes. The body must have sufficient nourishment.” Ibid.

She also said: “Do not go to extremes in regard to the health reform. Some of our people are very careless in regard to health reform. But because some are far behind, you must not, in order to be an example to them, be an extremist. You must not deprive yourself of that class of food which makes good blood. Your devotion to true principles is leading you to submit yourself to a diet which is giving you an experience that will not recommend health reform. This is your danger. When you see that you are becoming weak physically, it is essential for you to make changes, and at once. Put into your diet something you have left out. It is your duty to do this.” Letter 37, 1901.

Some people have gone to such extremes in regard to diet that it has become a disgrace and their religion has become disgusting to other people.

Ellen White wrote to this person: “Do not have a meager, poor diet. Do not let any one influence you to have the diet poverty-stricken. … The great backsliding upon health reform is because unwise minds have handled it and carried it to such extremes that it has disgusted in place of converting people to it.” Counsels on Diet and Foods, 211, 212.

The Christian’s Recreation and Amusement

On July 4, in Dalhart, Texas, during the dust storms of 1934, a pastor named Joe Hankins of the First Baptist church decided that in spite of the dust, they needed a revival. So they went into the church, dusted off the seats, and started a revival, with about a hundred young people plus the other church members. The pastor started by asking what was wrong with card playing and dancing. He then preached against them both. At the close of the sermon, about a hundred young people came up and signed a pledge, vowing never to dance or play cards. So, where did this Pastor Hankins get the idea a Christian shouldn’t play cards or dance? The Baptist Church was not alone with those teachings. The Methodist church also was opposed to card playing, dancing and gambling.

John Wesley formulated a list of general rules for the members of his society because he believed they needed concrete standards as well as ideals. So the Methodist church taught the same as the Baptist church taught. Their ideas came from the Bible. It is not that the church is against recreation and amusement. A child is not expected to simply work all the time. They could not endure it. Every child should have access to recreation and amusement, but like every other choice in the world, there are good and bad kinds of recreation and amusement that require a choice to be made. How do you tell which recreation and amusement is all right and which is not?

Paul said, “Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things.” Philippians 4:8.

The first requirement of recreation and amusement is, “Is it true?” Are you looking at television, or videos, or Internet or things that are not true? Many people are looking at things that do not even meet the first requirement for a Christian, yet they want to be known by Christ’s name. This is not to condemn the Internet or television, but you want to make sure that what you are looking at is true. A documentary and a drama are two completely different things. Are you looking at what is right or are you looking at people committing sin? Study for yourself and apply the principles of Philippians 4:8.

The Christian’s Dress and Adornment

Christian dress and adornment have caused many people, Christians and non-Christians alike, great consternation. Ezekiel 28 is about Lucifer or Satan. He is described here as being the real king of Tyre, which was one of the wicked cities of antiquity. “You were in Eden, the garden of God; every precious stone was your covering: the sardius, topaz, and diamond, beryl, onyx, and jasper, sapphire, turquoise, and emerald with gold. The workmanship of your timbrels and pipes was prepared for you on the day you were created. You were the anointed cherub who covers; I established you; you were on the holy mountain of God; you walked back and forth in the midst of fiery stones. You were perfect in your ways from the day you were created, till iniquity was found in you.” Verses 13–15.

Verse 17: “Your heart was lifted up because of your beauty; you corrupted your wisdom for the sake of your splendor.” Covered with all manner of precious stones, Lucifer became proud. Malachi says that the day is coming when all the proud will be stubble (Malachi 4:1). Pride is at the root of the sin problem.

Consider the great harlot woman “who sits on many waters” (Revelation 17:1) and how she is dressed. “The woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet, and adorned with gold and precious stones and pearls, having in her hand a golden cup.” Verse 4. She is covered with jewelry.

Jewelry itself is not the problem. God made the jewels. The redeemed will walk on golden streets and live in a city that has foundations made of precious stones and gates made of pearl. They will have access to more jewels and precious stones than anybody in this world.

But before anyone walks the streets of gold, pride has to be eradicated. The Bible gives us counsel that because of our fallen human nature, we all struggle with pride. So while on this earth we need to lay those things aside.

God told Jacob to go up to Bethel and dwell there. “And Jacob said to his household and to all who were with him, ‘Put away the foreign gods that are among you, purify yourselves, and change your garments. Then let us arise and go up to Bethel; and I will make an altar there to God, who answered me in the day of my distress and has been with me in the way which I have gone.’ So they gave Jacob all the foreign gods which were in their hands, and the earrings which were in their ears; and Jacob hid them under the terebinth tree.” Genesis 35:2–4.

In Exodus the Lord told Moses: “ ‘You are a stiff-necked people. I could come up into your midst in one moment and consume you. Now therefore, take off your ornaments, that I may know what to do to you.’ So the children of Israel stripped themselves of their ornaments.” Exodus 33:5, 6.

“ ‘I will punish her for the days of the Baals to which she burned incense. She decked herself with her earrings and jewelry, and went after her lovers; but Me she forgot,’ says the Lord.” Hosea 2:13.

“Do not let your adornment be merely outward—arranging the hair, wearing gold, or putting on fine apparel—rather let it be the hidden person of the heart, with the incorruptible beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is very precious in the sight of God.” I Peter 3:3, 4.

In the New Testament, the apostles forbid the wearing of gold or expensive clothing. Notice what Paul said about it: “In like manner also, that the women adorn themselves in modest apparel, with propriety and moderation, not with braided hair or gold or pearls or costly clothing, but, which is proper for women professing godliness, with good works.” I Timothy 2:9, 10.

Probably the biggest problem with our clothing in Christendom today and especially in western countries like the United States is simply the lack of it. The Bible describes someone as naked and shameful if they do not have enough clothes on.

Ellen White wrote: “I had an interview with a sister who wore gold, and yet professed to be looking for Christ’s coming. We spoke of the express declarations of Scripture against the wearing of gold. But she referred to where Solomon was commanded to beautify the temple, and to the statement that the streets of the city of God were pure gold. She said that if we could improve our appearance by wearing gold, so as to have influence in the world, it was right. I replied that we were poor fallen mortals, and instead of decorating these bodies because Solomon’s temple was gloriously adorned, we should remember our fallen condition, and that it cost the suffering and death of the Son of God to redeem us. This thought should cause in us self-abasement. Jesus is our pattern. If He would lay aside His humiliation and sufferings, and cry, ‘If any man will come after Me, let him please himself, and enjoy the world, and he shall be My disciple,’ the multitude would believe and follow Him. But Jesus will come to us in no other character than that of the meek, crucified One. If we would be with Him in Heaven, we must be like Him on earth. The world will claim its own; and whoever will overcome, must leave what belongs to it.” Life Sketches of Ellen G. White, 113, 114.

Millions of people are being ruined because of the clothes they wear. “Showy, extravagant dress too often encourages lust in the heart of the wearer and awakens base passions in the heart of the beholder. God sees that the ruin of the character is frequently preceded by the indulgence of pride and vanity in dress. He sees that the costly apparel stifles the desire to do good.” Testimonies, vol. 4, 645.

The Christian’s Diet

God is so interested in all that we eat and drink that we need not be ignorant in this regard. Genesis 1:29 says, “God said, ‘See, I have given you every herb that yields seed which is on the face of all the earth, and every tree whose fruit yields seed; to you it shall be for food.’ ” That was the original diet of the human race. However, when man sinned, his diet was changed. “Both thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you, and you shall eat the herb of the field.” Genesis 3:18. A more precise translation would say, “You shall eat the green herb of the field.”

When I first started studying nutrition back in the 1950s, I thought that God had left the human race in such abject ignorance about vitamins, resulting in so many health problems. Millions of people lost their eyesight and had all kinds of problems because they did not get certain vitamins. No one knew anything about vitamins in 1950 and as I studied I wondered why God left the human race in such ignorance. Well, obviously He didn’t. We just did not pay careful attention to what He said. He told us what to eat in Genesis 3:18. If everybody had regularly eaten the green herb of the field, which includes foods like spinach, broccoli, turnip greens, mustard greens, kale and other foods, there would have been far less suffering from diseases caused by vitamin deficiencies. God did not tell us about vitamin A in Genesis 3:18. He just told us what to eat.

In Genesis 9 after the flood man was given permission to eat flesh food, though not all flesh food. Leviticus 11 and Deuteronomy 14 explain the distinction between clean and unclean flesh foods.

Many people believe that the health law was for the Jews and was done away with at the cross. In a dream, Peter saw the sheet filled with all kinds of unclean animals lowered down. “And a voice came to him, ‘Rise, Peter; kill and eat.’ But Peter said, ‘Not so, Lord! For I have never eaten anything common or unclean.’ ” Acts 10:13, 14. Clearly, Peter had not been given instruction since the resurrection that he could now eat anything he wanted. He continued to abstain from unclean foods. This dream, by the way, actually had nothing to do with eating. It was an object lesson to explain to Peter that the gospel was to go to the Gentiles as well as to the Jews.

Then in Acts 15:20, it says, “But that we write to them [the Gentiles] to abstain from things polluted by idols, from sexual immorality, from things strangled, and from blood.” The Gentiles were taught that certain flesh meats were never to be eaten.

Both the Old and New Testaments give instruction about eating the wrong thing. For everything that God has given instruction, there is a reason that man does not immediately discover. For several thousand years man did not understand why God said in Genesis 3:18, that after the fall it was necessary to eat the green herb of the field and he suffered the consequences.

The Lord is going to have a people in the last days who, by faith live according to Bible principles and reflect the One Who left the glories of heaven to walk on this earth to show them the way of salvation. They will stand out against the crowd and be identified as Christians in all their actions.

Will you be a Christian?

(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.

Editorial – What Really Counts?

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“For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad.” 2 Corinthians 5:10. One of these days, the things that have seemed to matter to people are going to suddenly change. When the judgment begins, the only thing that will really matter then is, “Do I have on the wedding garment? Am I ready?” “In the day of final judgment, when every man shall be judged according to the deeds done in the body, nothing will seem to have existence but character and the law of God. Man will be stripped of everything but the character he has formed.” Review and Herald, February 12, 1901

“His eyes were as a flame of fire, which searched His children through and through. Then all faces gathered paleness, and those that a God had rejected gathered blackness. Then we all cried out, ‘Who shall be able to stand? Is my robe spotless?’ Then the angels ceased to sing, and there was some time of awful silence.” Maranatha, 289.

We will either be ready or we will not, and it will be too late to change then.

“When we become children of God, our names are written in the Lamb’s book of life, and they remain there until the time of the investigative Judgment. Then the name of every individual will be called, and his record examined by Him who declares, ‘I know thy works.’ If in that day it shall appear that all our wicked deeds have not been fully repented of, our names will be blotted from the book of life, and our sins will stand against us. If the professed believer becomes self-confident, if in word or spirit he breaks the least precept of God’s holy law, he misrepresents Jesus, and in the Judgment the awful words will be spoken, ‘blot out his name from the book of life; he is a worker of iniquity.’ But the Father pities the self-distrustful, God-fearing soul, harassed though he may be with doubts and temptations. Jesus pleads for him, and confesses his name before the Father and His holy angels.” Signs of the Times, August 6, 1885

“Satan will work to quench the light God has for every soul, by casting his shadow across the pathway to intercept every ray of heavenly light. He knows that his time is short. The people of God must cleave to God, else they will lose their bearings. If they cherish hereditary and cultivated traits of character that misrepresent Christ, while professedly His disciples, they are represented by the man coming to the gospel feast without having on the wedding garment, and by the foolish virgins which had no oil in their vessels with their lamps. We must cleave to that which God pronounces to be truth, though the whole world may be arrayed against it.” Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, vol. 4, 1179

Sometimes people think that getting ready has to do with right theology; and while wrong theology can certainly result in wrong actions and, therefore, in a person being lost, theology is not really the determining factor. “Those whom Christ commends in the Judgment, may have known little of theology, but they have cherished His principles.” The Desire of Ages, 638

What are these principles that Ellen White is speaking about? “Christ is ever showing mercy, ever seeking to win by the revealing of His love. He can admit no rival in the soul, nor accept of partial service; but He desires only voluntary service, the willing surrender of the heart under the constraint of love. There can be no more conclusive evidence that we possess the spirit of Satan than the disposition to hurt and destroy those who do not appreciate our work, or who act contrary to our ideas.” Ibid., 487

How do we relate to those who do not appreciate us, or who act contrary to our ideas? James and John wanted to call down fire from heaven on the Samaritans. (See Luke 9:54.) “Oh,” someone says, “I would never do that;” but, “the tongue is so set among our members that it defiles the whole body, and sets on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire by hell.” James 3:6

There will be many professed Christians in the day of judgment who will be able to profess to having done great things in the cause of God but who will find out that their words have barred them from eternal life.

The End

Supper is Ready

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The Bible is very clear on the fact that each man, woman and child has a case pending at the bar of God. In fact, in II Corinthians 5:10, it says, “We must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad.” In examining my own life I recognize my need of receiving the mind of Jesus. We live in a generation where minds are so filled with worldliness that the glorious future that we have in Christ is rarely considered or contemplated. Without the mind of Christ we are, in essence, a thoughtless people. With all the uncertainty in the world today we are in desperate need of the mind of Christ, which comes with His peace that surpasses all understanding.

Everyone likes to eat. Many of us have heard it said, “Don’t be late for dinner. Supper will be ready at such and such a time. Don’t be late.” Are you ready for supper? What would be the outcome if you were called to appear right now before the judgment seat? At a time he least expected, Belshazzar was weighed in the balances and found wanting. He wasn’t ready for supper.

The judgment is not some imaginary concept. It is a reality. No matter how much you may try to avoid this fact by your lifestyle, the truth remains the same. We have to give an account of our lives. “Because He has appointed a day on which He will judge the world in righteousness by that Man [Christ] Whom He has ordained. He has given assurance of this to all by raising Him from the dead.” Acts 17:31.

This is something to think about. If you were to appear before the judgment seat of Christ at this moment, what would be said of your life? How have you lived your life? How have you spent your time, every precious moment of every day?

“And it shall come to pass at that time, that I will search Jerusalem with lamps, and punish the men who are settled in complacency, who say in their heart, ‘The Lord will not do good, nor will He do evil.’ ” Zephaniah 1:12.

It will come as a terrible shock to those who think there is no judgment and are settled in their carnal security and wake up too late when the Lord searches His people with candles to see if there be any faithful among them.

There are three phases of the judgment process. The first phase is an investigation. This procedure is not only in the heavenly courts but also in earthly governments. When someone is charged with a crime, there is first an investigation or search for evidence concerning that crime. Jesus said that when He returns, He is coming back with His reward. Prior to His return He will investigate each case, “search Jerusalem with lamps,” to see if there be any who remain faithful, or if we are found wanting. After the investigation the innocent are set free and the guilty go on to the sentencing phase. Those who receive the guilty sentence move on to the third phase, the execution of the sentence that has been pronounced. We can be sure that whatever sentence has been handed down, it will surely be carried out.

The investigative phase of God’s judgment is already taking place in the heavenly courts. One day soon, no one knows how soon, that investigation will come to an end and the probation time given to man to repent will close. Will you be ready for supper?

For a man to be judged guilty there must be a law in place that he has broken. God’s law of Ten Commandments is the standard in this judgment. Notice what Paul says in Romans 2:12, 16: “For as many as have sinned without law will also perish without law, and as many as have sinned in the law will be judged by the law. … in the day when God will judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ, according to my gospel.”

There are many in heathen lands, even to this very day who have never heard or learned of God’s law, the Ten Commandments. But the Bible is clear that the Spirit of God still moves and works upon those individuals’ hearts and the actions that they live out according to their conscience will either accuse or excuse them and by that they are brought under judgment.

Even atheists, those who believe that there is no God or do not believe His Word or trust in His law, have the law written on their hearts by His Spirit and will come under the judgment. They have a conscience and know the difference between right and wrong, leaving them no escape. The law will also judge those who know the law of God, His standards and requirements. There is no escaping the One who knows all. So it behooves us that our lives come into harmony with the law of God. To survive the judgment we must be clothed with the righteousness of Jesus.

We have not been left ignorant about the state of the world just before the coming of Jesus. As we see the signs approaching and as we look at how things are in society with the increase in crime and natural disasters abounding, it should cause us to be all the more eager to be ready to meet Jesus. Instead, many of us focus our energy in becoming more settled in our lives on this earth. This earth is not our home. We are looking forward to a new earth, and new heavens, under which righteousness will dwell.

We are told in Revelation 22 that in the end there will be only two classes of people, those who are faithful to God’s government and those who are not. This declaration is going to be made before Jesus comes. In the days of Noah when Noah and his family had entered into that ark, the angel of the Lord closed the door. At that moment those who were left outside were unaware that their probation had closed. Being too busy with their worldly plans they had neglected to get ready for supper, and they were lost. Seven days later the flood came and they were all destroyed.

This same situation is going to happen at the end of time. In Revelation 22:11, the words call out, “He who is unjust, let him be unjust still.” Tragically, those who are declared unjust by Jesus when He finishes the judgment will remain unjust. In other words, there is no longer hope of their being converted, no hope of their being born again and no hope of their inheriting the gift of eternal life. They have chosen to be “unjust still” and no other power in heaven could shake them from their lethargy. The Bible goes on to read, similarly, “… he who is filthy, let him be filthy still.” Those who neglect to become clean in the time of probation will remain unclean and filthy when it closes. But, praise God, right now there is still hope.

There is another group in which each soul should desire to be. “… he who is righteous, let him be righteous still.” This is not referring to self-righteousness, for no man can boast of being righteous. It is by accepting the righteousness of Christ and living His life, dying daily to self, that any can be righteous. It is the work of the Holy Spirit guiding and directing the life that a sinner becomes a child of God. It is God Who declares him righteous and holy. He has put on Christ’s robe of righteousness, reflecting the character of Jesus. This is the condition of all who are ready for this supper.

Jesus would have come long before today, but He wants us to be ready. Therefore He delays His return in mercy that none might be eternally lost. Revelation 7:1–3 says, “After these things I saw four angels standing at the four corners of the earth, holding the four winds of the earth, that the wind should not blow on the earth, on the sea, or on any tree. Then I saw another angel ascending from the east, having the seal of the living God. And he cried with a loud voice to the four angels to whom it was granted to harm the earth and the sea, saying, ‘Do not harm the earth, the sea, or the trees till we have sealed the servants of our God on their foreheads.’ ”

There was a time when four angels were about to release the four winds of the earth, which would have resulted in total chaos. Christ was about to come and the plagues of God were about to fall upon humanity. But Christ, our high priest, looking down upon His remnant people, saw that they were not ready. So He pleaded with His Father, “ ‘My blood, Father, My blood, My blood, My blood!’ ” Early Writings, 38. The Father bathes His Son in exceeding bright light and He sends another angel out to bid the four angels to hold: Wait a minute; they are not ready; they are not sealed with the seal of God. They are not prepared, Father. They are not ready. Today we still see those winds of strife to a great degree lingering because of God’s mercy.

What is the seal of God? Before Jesus returns, all living creatures will receive either the seal of God or the mark of the beast. The seal of God assures the recipient of eternal life, while the mark of the beast identifies the recipient with the archenemy of God. We want the seal of God. In Exodus chapter 31, verse 13, the Bible says, “Speak also to the children of Israel, saying: ‘Surely My Sabbaths you shall keep, for it is a sign [a mark, or symbol, or seal] between Me and you throughout your generations, that you may know that I am the Lord Who sanctifies you [makes you holy].’ ”

“ ‘Therefore the children of Israel shall keep the Sabbath, to observe the Sabbath throughout their generations as a perpetual covenant. It is a sign between Me and the children of Israel forever: for in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, and on the seventh day He rested and was refreshed.’ ” Verses 16, 17.

The Sabbath contains the seal of God. When we want to understand what the seal of God is, we will be drawn to the Sabbath. But keep in mind that we are not just talking about going to church on Saturdays. That is not what it means to keep the Sabbath holy.

God’s messenger has told us, “We should take this lesson to ourselves. Again, the destroying angel is to pass through the land.” In Heavenly Places, 150. That is a prophecy. History will repeat what happened when the destroying angel passed through the land of Egypt before the slaves were set free. “There is to be a mark placed on God’s people and that mark is the keeping of His holy Sabbath.” Ibid.

It does not end there. Exodus 20:8 says, “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.” Again, it is not just a matter of coming to church Saturday after Saturday; it is a call to live a holy life because no one can keep the Sabbath holy unless he or she has been made holy. “No other institution which was committed to the Jews tended so fully to distinguish them from surrounding nations as did the Sabbath. God designed that its observance should designate them as His worshipers. It was to be a token of their separation from idolatry, and their connection with the true God. But in order to keep the Sabbath holy, men must themselves be holy.” The Desire of Ages, 283. Holiness is the standard. It is impossible to live like a saint on Sabbath and live like the devil for the rest of the week. That is not going to cut it. Every single day is to be lived in harmony with God and His requirements. We must possess the robe of Christ’s righteousness. Man is not made righteous because he keeps the Sabbath, rather man keeps the Sabbath because he receives the righteousness of Christ by faith. Then he is given the Sabbath as a sign to be distinguished as God’s true servant. Being sealed with the seal of God has to do with being made holy. And those who live holy lives will be sealed.

“It [the Sabbath] points to Him [Jesus] as both the Creator and the Sanctifier. It declares that He who created all things in heaven and in earth, and by whom all things hold together, is the head of the church, and that by His power we are reconciled to God. For, speaking of Israel, He said, ‘I gave them My Sabbaths, to be a sign between Me and them, that they might know that I am the Lord that sanctify them,’—make them holy (Ezekiel 20:12). Then the Sabbath is a sign of Christ’s power to make us holy. And it is given to all whom Christ makes holy. As a sign of His sanctifying power, the Sabbath is given to all who through Christ become a part of the Israel of God.” The Desire of Ages, 288. It is not a matter of coming to church, but how you are living throughout the week. How do you treat your neighbors? Are you having daily devotions? How are you treating your family members? How are you treating your enemies? What are you thinking? What holds the affections of your heart captive and what do you think about? All of these things are involved in keeping the Sabbath holy.

To be prepared or ready for this supper, we recognize, first of all, that we must have the seal of the living God placed upon our foreheads, or else the wrath of God will be poured out upon us, but it is not enough for us to have merely head knowledge of these truths. James 4:17 says, “Therefore, to him who knows to do good and does not do it, to him it is sin.” The Spirit of God is working upon our hearts and if we should refuse to do what we know is right, then we have actually become a transgressor of the law. It is not how much you know; it is a matter of what you do with that knowledge.

Keeping the Sabbath

The following statement is very thought provoking: “Not all who profess to keep the Sabbath will be sealed. There are many even among those who teach the truth to others who will not receive the seal of God in their foreheads. They had the light of truth, they knew their Master’s will, they understood every point of our faith, but they had not corresponding works.” Testimonies, vol. 5, 213, 214. They knew it all, but they lacked the power that could change their lives.

“These who were so familiar with prophecy and the treasures of divine wisdom should have acted their faith. They should have commanded their households after them, that by a well-ordered family they might present to the world the influence of the truth upon the human heart.” Ibid., 214.

Here we are told that there are many who are teaching and preaching, and know everything concerning present truth, and yet their homes are out of order. This causes us to recognize the importance of the family. We are all part of some family, even if it is a single person family.

Preparation In the Home

Men, we are called to be the priest of our home. How do we interact with the members of our families? Each situation is different but godly principles remain the same and the Spirit of God is able to meet every situation. We need to examine ourselves. Husbands, do you love your wives as Jesus loved the church and gave His life for it? Fathers, are you living up to God’s standards in your family? Are you caring for your children and your spouse? Mothers, do you show respect and honor towards your husband setting an example for your children? Children, are you honoring and obeying your mother and father? How is it in your home? Is it a place where angels long to linger? A well-ordered loving family has greater influence and speaks louder than any message that could be preached from the pulpit.

The grace of Christ is needed in every home. Many homes do not begin on a solid foundation. Broken families are the cause of fragmented and wretched societies where degradation abounds. Young men and women should secure their relationship with their Maker before thinking of starting a new family. Christ must be the center, the foundation, of all relationships for a healthy and happy home.

Preparation For Life’s Work

Not only must we be prepared in the home, but we must prepare also in our field of labor for the Lord.

“Then the King will say to those on His right hand, ‘Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: for I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in; I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me.’ Then the righteous will answer Him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You drink? When did we see You a stranger and take You in, or naked and clothe You? Or when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?’ And the King will answer and say to them, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.’ ” Matthew 25:34–40.

Though the home life is essential, are you preparing to work in the Lord’s field? “God could have reached His object in saving sinners without our aid; but in order for us to develop a character like Christ’s, we must share in His work.” The Desire of Ages, 142.

To be saved is not a matter of just coming to church and settling down on the dregs of our Christian experience. We must be active in the cause of God. In order to enter into His joy, the joy of seeing souls redeemed by Jesus’ sacrifice, we must participate in His labors for their redemption.

“The fifty-eighth chapter of Isaiah contains present truth for the people of God. Here we see how medical missionary work and the gospel ministry are to be bound together as the message is given to the world. Upon those who keep the Sabbath of the Lord is laid the responsibility of doing a work of mercy and benevolence. Medical missionary work is to be bound up with the message, and sealed with the seal of God.” Evangelism, 516, 517.

“All who love God will show that they bear His sign by keeping His commandments. They are the restorers of paths to dwell in. … Thus genuine medical missionary work is bound up inseparably with the keeping of God’s commandments, of which the Sabbath is especially mentioned, since it is the great memorial of God’s creative work. Its observance is bound up with the work of restoring the moral image of God in man. This is the ministry which God’s people are to carry forward at this time.” Testimonies, vol. 6, 265, 266.

We need to understand how to unite the medical missionary work with that of giving the gospel. The medical missionary work is called the right arm of the gospel and it is the gospel in practice. What good is it for you to know the theories of truth and yet fail to live it out?

Ellen White, in Welfare Ministry, 35, 36 says, “I saw that it is in the providence of God that widows and orphans, the blind, the deaf, the lame, and persons afflicted in a variety of ways have been placed in close Christian relationship to His church; it is to prove His people and develop their true character.”

This is a test, and passing it will determine whether you will be ready for supper. “Blessed are they which are called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb.” Revelation 19:9 KJV. Many are called but few are chosen (Matthew 22:14). We want to be among those who are chosen, those who are faithful and who understand that we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ. The result of this will cause us to search out Christ in order that we may have His life, because if we have to appear before God on our own, the Bible says, “All our righteousnesses are as filthy rags.” Isaiah 64:6 KJV. In other words, our best is still not good enough. Self must die, traditions that are contrary to the will of God must be put away. We must have the life of Christ; He offers us this life freely, His own righteousness.

Conversion must take place every day. Examine your heart to know whether you are of the faith if you want to partake of this supper.

In vision, Ellen White was given this word concerning the marriage supper: “In my dream a sentinel stood at the door of an important building, and asked every one who came for entrance, ‘Have ye received the Holy Ghost?’ A measuring-line was in his hand, and only very, very few were admitted into the building. ‘Your size as a human being is nothing,’ he said. ‘But if you have reached the full stature of a man in Christ Jesus, according to the knowledge you have had, you will receive an appointment to sit with Christ at the marriage supper of the Lamb; and through the eternal ages, you will never cease to learn of the blessings granted in the banquet prepared for you.

“ ‘You may be tall and well-proportioned in self, but you can not enter here. None can enter who are grown-up children, carrying with them the disposition, the habits, and the characteristics which pertain to children. If you have nurtured suspicions, criticism, temper, self-dignity, you can not be admitted; for you would spoil the feast. All who go in through this door have on the wedding garment, woven in the loom of heaven. … Within this door nothing can enter that could possibly mar the happiness of the dwellers by marring their perfect trust in one another. You can not join the happy family in the heavenly courts; for I have wiped all tears from their eyes. You can never see the King in his beauty if you are not yourself a representative of his character.’ ” The Review and Herald, April 11, 1899.

May we each have on that wedding garment when Christ returns so that He may take us with Him to heaven to participate in the great supper of the Lamb.

All quotes are NKJV unless otherwise noted.

Demario Carter is currently a Bible worker for Steps to Life. 

Editorial – Some Things to Study

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As we approach the near coming of Jesus there are important subjects with which you need to be well acquainted to be ready for the swiftly coming future events.

  1. The reasons for your faith. “We shall have to stand before magistrates to answer for our allegiance to the law of God, to make known the reasons of our faith.” Testimonies, vol. 6, 128.
  2. Bible predictions about the closing events in this world’s history. “And the youth should understand these things. They should know the things that will come to pass before the closing up of the world’s history.” Ibid., 128, 129.
  3. The Books of Daniel and Revelation. “There is need of a much closer study of the word of God; especially should Daniel and the Revelation have attention as never before in the history of our work.” Testimonies to Ministers and Gospel Workers, 112.

“The unfulfilled predictions of the book of Revelation are soon to be fulfilled. This prophecy is now to be studied with diligence by the people of God, and should be clearly understood. It does not conceal the truth; it clearly forewarns, telling us what will be in the future.” Notebook Leaflets, vol. 1, 96.

  1. The judgment. “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.

“With what care should everyone come to the study of the Scriptures! With what a determination to know all that it is possible for him to know of the reasons of every point of the faith. Especially should he study the sanctuary question, and the first, second and third angel’s messages.” Manuscript Releases, vol. 10, 171.

  1. Health Reform. “God calls upon us to stand upon the broad platform of temperance in eating, drinking, and dressing. Parents, will you not awaken to your God-given responsibilities? Study the principles of health reform, and teach your children that the path of self-denial is the only path of safety.” Ibid., vol. 20, 9.