We Want a King

“Why do the nations rage,
And the people plot a vain thing? 
The kings of the earth set themselves,
And the rulers take counsel together,
Against the Lord and against His Anointed, saying, 
‘Let us break Their bonds in pieces
And cast away Their cords from us.’ ”
Psalm 2:1–3

When Israel demanded that they have a king so that they could be like the nations around them, they were at the time being guided by the wisdom of Samuel, who himself was in direct communication with divine power and being guided by the Holy Spirit.

Samuel was growing old, and his sons that he had appointed as judges, according to 1 Samuel 8:3, “did not walk in his ways; they turned aside after dishonest gain, took bribes, and perverted justice.”

As a result, “all the elders of Israel gathered together … and said to him [Samuel], ‘Look, you are old, and your sons do not walk in your ways. Now make us a king to judge us like all the nations’ ” (veres 4, 5).

Note that there was ostensibly a two-fold reason for their request. First, they did not think that there was anyone as capable as Samuel to replace him. Second, they wanted to be “like all the nations.”

Neither of these reasons was really justified. First, had they trusted fully in God, they would have trusted that He would supply capable and wise guidance after Samuel could no longer lead them. It had not been that long since the Lord removed the corrupt sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, from the scene. In addition, there were many other instances in which the Lord had interceded to correct the ill intentions of those working against His will. Surely they could remember the fate of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram, or the affliction of Miriam, or the way the Lord thwarted the efforts of Balaam to curse their ancestors. They had both oral and written history of these evidences of God’s watch-care over them.

Second, the Lord had made it abundantly clear that they were to be guided by His chosen vessels. Experience should have made them realize that God is too wise to err and too good to withhold any good thing from them that walk uprightly. This is an instance in which the best thing that God wanted for His children—leadership and guidance by a wise and divinely inspired judge—was thwarted by their perverted idea of leadership. So, God allowed them the second best alternative—the desire of their misguided hearts.

Third, they had the wonderful promises that God had given them through Moses, recorded in Deuteronomy 7, particularly verses 6–9:

“ ‘For you are a holy people to the Lord your God; the Lord your God has chosen you to be a people for Himself, a special treasure above all the peoples on the face of the earth. The Lord did not set His love on you nor choose you because you were more in number than any other people, for you were the least of all peoples; but because the Lord loves you, and because He would keep the oath which He swore to your fathers, the Lord has brought you out with a mighty hand, and redeemed you from the house of bondage, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt. Therefore know that the Lord your God, He is God, the faithful God who keeps covenant and mercy for a thousand generations with those who love Him and keep His commandments.’ ”

What was actually occurring when the people made their demand for a king? Scripture tells us in 1 Samuel 8:7, “And the Lord said to Samuel, ‘Heed the voice of the people in all that they say to you; for they have not rejected you, but they have rejected Me, that I should not reign over them.’ ”

This is not the only instance in which God’s people rejected God’s representatives and, in so doing, rejected Him. Take for example when, during their wilderness wanderings, the Israelites rose up against Moses, failing to recognize that Moses was merely executing the divine instructions he had received from the Lord. By rejecting his leading, they were in reality rejecting the Lord.

Very early in their wanderings, the Israelites began reviling Moses and Aaron, wanting to return to Egypt, their unbelief causing them to fear that they would die of starvation.

The full story is in Exodus 16. Shortly after the Lord had made possible their release from Egyptian slavery, enabled their safe crossing of the Red Sea, and sweetened the waters at Marah—three miracles that should have been sufficient to instill unshakable faith in God’s leading, protection, and provision—the children of Israel manifested a complete failure of trust.

“And the children of Israel said to them [Moses and Aaron], ‘Oh, that we had died by the hand of the Lord in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the pots of meat and when we ate bread to the full! For you have brought us out into this wilderness to kill this whole assembly with hunger’ ” (Exodus 16:3).

Moses responded, “ ‘In the morning you shall see the glory of the Lord; for He hears your complaints against the Lord. But what are we, that you complain against us?’ … This shall be seen when the Lord gives you meat to eat in the evening, and in the morning bread to the full; for the Lord hears your complaints which you make against Him. And what are we? Your complaints are not against us but against the Lord” (verses 7, 8).

In response, the Lord, yielding to their perverted appetites and unfounded fears, gave them what they wanted: “I have heard the complaints [murmurings] of the children of Israel. Speak to them, saying, ‘At twilight you shall eat meat, and in the morning you shall be filled with bread. And you shall know that I am the lord your God.’ So it was that quails came up at evening and covered the camp, and in the morning the dew lay all around the camp” (verses 12, 13).

Even as the miracles multiplied, the Israelites continued their murmuring. David wrote of their condition in Psalm 81:11–13: “But My people would not heed My voice, and Israel would have none of Me. So I gave them over to their own stubborn heart, to walk in their own counsels. Oh, that My people would listen to Me, that Israel would walk in My ways!”

Centuries later, when the One who had led them by the cloud by day and the pillar of fire by night appeared in person, the situation was the same, so much so that Christ—that wise and mighty leader during their wilderness wanderings—exclaimed, “Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! … He who hears you hears Me, he who rejects you rejects Me, and he who rejects Me rejects Him who sent Me” (Luke 10:13, 16).

We are given examples of the continued rejection of the Author of our salvation throughout Scripture, but the most amazing examples are in the four gospels, when Christ was manifested in the flesh and giving irrefutable evidence of His divinity. Even after that most undeniable and indisputable miracle of Christ’s tenure on earth, the raising of Lazarus from the dead, the reaction of the religious leaders was not to embrace Jesus as the miracle-working Messiah, but rather to seek to kill not only the Miracle Worker but to kill the object of the miracle as well.

It is interesting to note that during the wilderness wanderings, the religious leaders, Moses and Aaron, were the faithful ones, while the masses were the doubters and unbelievers. By the time of Christ’s incarnation, the roles had reversed. The religious leaders, the scribes and the Pharisees, were the unbelievers and the common people were the ones who, at least at times, recognized Christ as the Messiah.

Is it possible today, as we near the meeting of time and eternity, that both the people and the religious leaders are rejecting Christ and His leadership by rejecting and persecuting those who choose to walk the narrow way? Prophecy predicts such.

“Never is the tempest-tried soul more dearly loved by his Saviour than when he is suffering reproach for the truth’s sake. When for the truth’s sake the believer stands at the bar of unrighteous tribunals, Christ stands by his side. All the reproaches that fall upon the human believer fall upon Christ in the person of His saints. ‘I will love him,’ said Christ, ‘and will manifest Myself to him’ (John 14:21). Christ is condemned over again in the person of His believing disciples.

“When for the truth’s sake the believer is incarcerated in prison walls, Christ manifests Himself to him, and ravishes his heart with His love. When he suffers death for the sake of Christ, Christ says to him, ‘They may kill the body, but they cannot hurt the soul’  (Matthew 10:28). ‘Be of good cheer; I have overcome the world’ (John 16:33). ‘They crucified Me, and if they put you to death, they crucify Me afresh in the person of My saints.’ ” Selected Messages, Book 3, 420, 421.

Persecution of Christ’s followers to the point of death is not the only way that Christ is rejected. Time and time again we are told in inspired writings of the rejection of Christ by the rejection of His representatives. Note this counsel we are lovingly given to provide reassurance to those who are experiencing rejection and disdain, even within their own family, often resulting, unfortunately, in dissuading the faithful one from following the path of truth and righteousness.

“Jesus says, ‘He that loveth father or mother more than Me, is not worthy of Me; and he that loveth son or daughter more than Me, is not worthy of Me. And he that taketh not up his cross and followeth after Me, is not worthy of Me. He that findeth his life, shall lose it, and he that loseth his life for My sake shall find it’ (Matthew 10:37, 38). The words that Christ addressed to His disciples were addressed to us as well as to them. He presents before us the unwearied conflict that we must have on this earth as long as time shall last. We are to place no person before Christ in our affections. If a person who has been convicted by the Spirit of God smothers his convictions, and continues to trample underfoot the commandments of the Lord, and reject the truth of God simply because he sees it will bring disunion into his family relations, he shows that he loves the peace that is not of Christ, but of the world. He prefers to be in harmony with the world rather than to be in unity with Christ. But in order to have the peace of Christ, it is necessary to place Christ and His service first. Those who yield their convictions of truth to please father or mother, sister or brother, husband or wife or children, prove themselves unworthy of Christ. They do not discern His excellency, and therefore they shun the cross. But there is a cross to be lifted by every one who by faith accepts a crucified and risen Saviour.” The Bible Echo, March 19, 1894.

When we review the history of God’s people and their rejection of their divinely inspired leaders and prophets, we tend to shake our head in disbelief. We ask ourselves, “How could they have been so unbelieving?” Inspiration answers that question.

“I saw that many who profess to believe the truth for these last days think it strange that the children of Israel murmured as they journeyed; that after the wonderful dealings of God with them, they should be so ungrateful as to forget what He had done for them. Said the angel: ‘Ye have done worse than they.’ I saw that God has given His servants the truth so clear, so plain, that it cannot be resisted. Wherever they go, they have certain victory. Their enemies cannot get round the convincing truth. Light has been shed so clear that the servants of God can stand up anywhere and let truth, clear and connected, bear away the victory. This great blessing has not been prized, or even realized. If any trial arises, some begin to look back and think they have a hard time. Some of the professed servants of God do not know what purifying trials are. They sometimes make trials for themselves, imagine trials, and are so easily discouraged, so easily hurt, self-dignity is so quick to feel, that they injure themselves, injure others, and injure the cause. Satan magnifies their trials and puts thoughts into their minds that if given way to, will destroy their influence and usefulness.” Testimonies, vol. 1, 129.

Chapter 23 of Christ’s Object Lessons deals with the parable of the wicked vinedressers, who not only killed the servants which the Landowner sent to receive the fruit of the vineyard, but killed the Landowner’s Son as well. The point of the story is not necessarily the greed of the vinedressers, but rather their refusal to submit to the authority of the Landowner. That point is made clear in this statement from page 293: “Christ, the Beloved of God, came to assert the claims of the Owner of the vineyard; but the husbandmen treated Him with marked contempt, saying, We will not have this man to rule over us.”

Are we, in our self-indulgence, saying the same thing as the wicked vinedressers? The fate of those rebellious unbelievers is clear in the parable, and we have their example to show us the results of rebellion and unbelief.

Let us determine here and now that we will indeed let this Man rule over us, regardless of the attitude of family and friends, and obey His commandments, precepts, and testimonies so that our walk on the narrow way, rugged and trying though it may be, will result in the final victory that is promised to the trusting and faithful, who by faith, accept our crucified and risen Saviour.

All Bible quotes NKJV unless otherwise noted.

John R. Pearson is the office manager and a board member of Steps to Life. He may be contacted by email at: johnpearson@stepstolife.org.

The Second Coming of Christ

In this article, we will discover how the glorious appearance of Christ in His Second Coming will affect both the righteous and the wicked before the redeemed begin their long awaited journey to heaven.

When Christ comes the second time, He will come to earth in a cloud, for He is to return in “like manner” as He left the earth. (See Acts 1:9–11.) Sister White describes the great scene with these words: “Soon there appears in the east a small black cloud, about the size of a man’s hand. It is the cloud which surrounds the Saviour and which seems in the distance to be shrouded in darkness. The people of God know this to be the sign of the Son of Man. In solemn silence they gaze upon it as it draws nearer the earth, becoming lighter and more glorious, until it is a great white cloud, its base a glory like consuming fire, and above it the rainbow of the covenant.” The Great Controversy, 640, 641.

How assuring is the promise, given by the angels to the disciples at Jesus’ ascension, that “this same Jesus” would return to take us home with Him. “The disciples had beheld the cloud receive Him. The same Jesus who had walked and talked and prayed with them; who had broken bread with them; who had been with them in their boats on the lake; and who had that very day toiled with them up the ascent of Olivet,— the same Jesus had now gone to share His Father’s throne. And the angels had assured them that the very One whom they had seen go up into heaven, would come again even as He had ascended.” The Desire of Ages, 832.

A Glorified, Triumphant King

There is also an additional factor to recognize. The Savior will be a glorified Christ when He returns. “The glory of Christ’s humanity did not appear when He was upon the earth. He was regarded as a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief. We hid as it were our faces from Him. But He was pursuing the path the plan of God had devised. That same humanity now appears as He descends from heaven, robed in glory, triumphant, exalted.” In Heavenly Places, 358.

The glory revealed in the Second Coming will surpass anything that has ever been beheld by mortal eyes. “Christ will come in His own glory, in the glory of His Father, and in the glory of the holy angels. Ten thousand times ten thousand and thousands of thousands of angels, the beautiful, triumphant sons of God, possessing surpassing loveliness and glory, will escort Him on His way. In the place of a crown of thorns, He will wear a crown of glory—a crown within a crown. In the place of that old purple robe, He will be clothed in a garment of whitest white, ‘so as no fuller on earth can white’ (Mark 9:3). And on His vesture and on His thigh a name will be written, ‘King of kings and Lord of lords.'” Our High Calling, 367. What a majestic description!

Can you imagine seeing countless angels accompany Christ as His glory fills the entire sky? He is no longer to be a man despised. He is now a conquering King! “Jesus rides forth as a mighty conqueror. Not now a ‘Man of sorrows,’ to drink the bitter cup of shame and woe . . . ‘He doth judge and make war.’ And ‘the armies which were in heaven’ (Revelation 19:11, 14) follow Him. With anthems of celestial melody the holy angels, a vast unnumbered throng, attend Him on His way. The firmament seems filled with radiant forms—’ten thousand times ten thousand, thousand and thousands of thousands.’ No human pen can portray the scene; no mortal mind is adequate to conceive its splendor. ‘His glory covers the heavens’ . . . As the living cloud comes still nearer, every eye beholds the Prince of Life. No crown of thorns now mars that sacred head; but a diadem of glory rests on His holy brow. His countenance outshines the dazzling brightness of the noonday sun. ‘And He hath on His vesture and on His thigh a name written, King of kings and Lord of lords.'” The Great Controversy, 641.

Who Shall be Able to Stand?

This display of overmastering power will affect both the wicked and the righteous. At first the saints will be apprehensive, while the wicked become terrified. “Before His presence ‘all faces are turned into paleness;’ upon the rejecters of God’s mercy falls the terror of eternal despair. ‘The heart melteth, the knees smite together . . . and the faces of them all gather blackness.’ Jeremiah 30:6, Nahum 2:10.” Ibid., 641. The righteous cry with trembling: ‘Who shall be able to stand?’ The angels’ song is hushed, and there is a period of awful silence. Then the voice of Jesus is heard, saying: ‘My grace is sufficient for you.’ The faces of the righteous are lighted up, and joy fills every heart. And the angels strike a note higher and sing again as they draw still nearer to the earth.

“The King of kings descends upon the cloud, wrapped in flaming fire. The heavens are rolled together as a scroll, the earth trembles before Him, and every mountain and island is moved out of its place. ‘Our God shall come, and shall not keep silence: a fire shall devour before Him, and it shall be very tempestuous round about Him. He shall call to the heavens from above, and to the earth, that He may judge His people.’ Psalm 50:3, 4.” Ibid., 641, 642.

The difference between the saints and the sinners becomes a reality. While the righteous are filled with joy, the wicked are trying to hide and flee to the mountains, crying for the rocks to fall on them. “And the kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men, and the chief captains, and the mighty men, and every bondman, and every free man, hid themselves in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains; and said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of Him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb: for the great day of His wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand.” (See Revelation 6:15–17.)

The Wicked Cry to Their God

Today the disobedient seem unaware that Satan is preparing them for this final moment. Billions, in these closing hours, are choosing the pagan worship of “mother earth” rather than the worship of the Creator, as their living God. The following quotation reveals how such people will try in vain to escape, calling on their “nature god” to hide them from their Creator. “When the earth is reeling to and fro like a drunkard, when the heavens are shaking, and the great day of the Lord has come . . . the unsaved utter wild imprecations to dumb nature—their god: ‘Mountains and rocks, fall on us, and hide us from the face of Him that sitteth on the throne. (Revelation 6:16).'” That I May Know Him, 356.

The wicked will flee to the same caves, in the mountains, which have recently been vacated by the faithful. “The people, who have braved out their rebellion, will fulfill the description given in Revelation 6:15–17. In these very caves and dens they find the very statement of truth in the letters and in the publications as witness against them. The shepherds who led the sheep in false paths will hear the charge made against them, ‘It was you who made light of the truth. It was you who told us that God’s law was abrogated, that it was a yoke of bondage. It was you who voiced the false doctrines when I was convicted that these Seventh-day Adventists had the truth. The blood of our souls is upon your priestly garments. . . . Now, will you pay the ransom for my soul? . . . What shall we do who listened to your garbling of the Scriptures and your turning into a lie the truth which if obeyed would have saved us?’

“When Christ comes to take vengeance on those who have educated and trained the people to trample on God’s Sabbath, to tear down His memorial, and tread down with their feet the feed of His pastures, lamentations will be in vain. . . . Rocks and mountains cannot screen them from the indignation of Him that sitteth on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb.” Maranatha, 290.

At last, the wicked, beholding the glorified Christ in the clouds of heaven, have awakened to their fate, and their attitudes change. “The derisive jests have ceased. Lying lips are hushed into silence. The clash of arms, the tumult of battle, ‘with confused noise, and garments rolled in blood’ (Isaiah 9:5), is stilled. Nought now is heard but the voice of prayer and the sound of weeping and lamentation. The cry bursts forth from lips so lately scoffing: ‘The great day of His wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?'” The Great Controversy, 642. And such is the end of the wicked who are alive when Christ comes, for they are destroyed by the brightness of His coming.

“And They Also Who Pierced Him”

However, we must not overlook another most amazing prophecy. For there are some, among the wicked dead, who must live again to see the living, glorified Christ. Revelation 1:7 says, “Behold, He cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see Him, and they also which pierced Him.” Did you notice those words, “And they also which pierced Him”? These words refer to those wicked dead who played a part in the rejection and crucifixion of our Lord. These individuals, though dead for two thousand years, are to be raised in a special resurrection to behold the return of Jesus in His glory.

The servant of the Lord describes how these individuals will recall the words of Christ. “With thrilling power come to their minds the Sufferers’ words (speaking of Christ), when, adjured by the high priest, He solemnly declared: ‘Hereafter shall ye see the Son of Man sitting on the right hand of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven.’ Mathew 26:64. Now they behold Him in His glory. . .

“Those who derided His claim to be the Son of God are speechless now. There is the haughty Herod who jeered at His royal title and bade the mocking soldiers crown Him king. . . . The men who smote and spit upon the Prince of Life now turn from His piercing gaze and seek to flee from the overpowering glory of His presence. Those who drove the nails through His hands and feet, the soldier who pierced His side, behold these marks with terror and remorse. . . .

“And now there rises a cry of mortal agony. Louder than the shout, ‘Crucify Him, crucify Him,’ which rang through the streets of Jerusalem, swells the awful, despairing wail, ‘He is the Son of God! He is the true Messiah!'” The Great Controversy, 643, 644.

These resurrected murderers, who mistreated the Lord, will join with the living wicked in calling for the rocks and the mountains to fall on them and hide them from the face of Jesus, because “they remember how His love was slighted and His compassion abused. . . . All the insult and despite offered to Christ, all the suffering caused to His disciples, will be as fresh in their recollection as when the Satanic deeds were done.

“The voice which they heard so often in entreaty and persuasion will again sound in their ears. Every tone of gracious selection will vibrate as distinctly in their ears as when the Saviour spoke in the synagogues and on the street. Then those who pierced Him will call on the rocks and mountains to fall on them and hide them from the face of Him that sitteth on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb.” The Last Day Events, 275.

The Second Coming and the Righteous

We have looked at how the Second Coming will affect the wicked. Now let us consider how the appearance of Christ, in all His glory, will affect the righteous living and the righteous who have died through past ages. First we will consider the righteous who are raised when the trumpet of God sounds.

Inspiration describes the scene like this: “Amid the reeling of the earth, the flash of lightening, the roar of thunder, the voice of the Son of God calls forth the sleeping saints. He looks upon the graves of the righteous, then, raising His hand to heaven, He cries, ‘Awake, awake, awake, Ye that sleep in the dust, and arise!’ Throughout the length and the breadth of the earth the dead shall hear that voice, and they that hear shall live. And the whole earth shall ring with the tread of an exceeding great army of every nation, kindred, tongue, and people. From the prison house of death they come, clothed with immortal glory, crying ‘O death, where is thy sting? O grave where is thy victory?’ 1 Corinthians 15:55. And the living righteous and the risen saints unite their voice in a long, glad shout of victory.” The Great Controversy, 644.

What takes place in the truly born-again individual that makes the resurrection possible? Consider these words carefully with me, for they contain the secret to eternal life. “By the power of the Savior that dwelt in them while living and because they were partakers of the divine nature, they were brought forth from the dead.” Sons and Daughters of God, 359.

What a divine truth to contemplate. Should some of us be laid to rest before He comes, let us so live that we are daily partakers of this divine nature which is so freely offered to all of God’s obedient children. For we read, “The victory of the sleeping saints will be glorious on the morning of the resurrection. . . . The Lifegiver will crown with immortality all who come forth from the grave.” Ibid.

“When our friends go into the grave, they are beautiful to us. It may be our father or our mother that we laid away: when they come forth those wrinkles are all gone but the figure is there, and we know them. . .

“We want to be prepared to meet these dear friends as they come forth in the resurrection morning. Shall we lay hold upon the hope set before us in the gospel that we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is?” In Heavenly Places, 353.

Such assurance is given to all who have been faithful. “The precious dead, from Adam down to the last saint who dies, will hear the voice of the Son of God, and will come forth from the grave to immortal life.” The Desire of Ages, 606.

My heart throbs as I read these precious promises. “For yet a little while, and He that shall come will come, and will not tarry.” Hebrews 10:37. Don’t you feel like saying, “Praise God”? “The child of God will be terror-stricken at the first sight of the majesty of Jesus Christ. He feels that he cannot live in His holy presence. But the word comes to him as to John, ‘Fear not.’ Jesus laid His right hand upon John; He raised Him up from his prostrate position. So will He do unto His loyal, trusting, ones.” That I May Know Him, 360.

Again, I must re-emphasize the important truth that it is only because we become joined with Christ here on earth, that when we die we will come forth from the grave when He calls. This is stated clearly in Maranatha, 302. “Christ became one flesh with us, in order that we might become one spirit with Him. It is by virtue of this union that we are to come forth from the grave—not merely as a manifestation of the power of Christ, but because through faith, His life has become ours. Those who see Christ in His true character, and receive Him into the heart, have everlasting life. It is through the spirit that Christ dwells in us; and the spirit of God, received into the heart by faith, is the beginning of life eternal.” Is that not amazing? Here is the gospel in its fullness.

The Condition of the Resurrected Righteous

Have you ever wondered what the appearance and size of the righteous dead will be like when they are resurrected? That answer is found in inspiration also. “All come forth from their graves the same in stature as when they entered the tomb. Adam, who stands among the risen throng, is of lofty height and majestic form, in stature but little below the Son of God. He presents a marked contrast to the people of later generations; in this one respect is shown the great degeneracy of the race. But all arise with the freshness and the vigor of eternal youth. . . . All blemishes and deformities are left in the grave. Restored to the tree of life in the long-lost Eden, the redeemed will ‘grow up’ (Malachi 4:2) to the full stature of the race in its primeval glory.” The Great Controversy, 644, 645.

“When Christ comes, . . .we shall then be gifted with a higher nature. The bodies of all who purify their souls by obeying the truth shall be glorified. They will have fully received and believed in Jesus Christ.” Selected Messages, vol. 3, 427.

I have discovered another gift that will be bestowed upon the saints of God when He comes. “When Christ comes, we shall then be gifted with a higher nature. The bodies of all who purify their souls by obeying the truth shall be glorified. They will have fully received and believed in Jesus Christ.” Selected Messages, book 3, 427.

It is no wonder that the apostle exclaimed in 1 Corinthians 2:9, “But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love Him.” Let these words of inspiration from 1 Corinthians15:53 be riveted in our mind: “This corruptible must put on incorruption and this mortal must put on immortality.”

Ellen White emphasizes these word in The Great Controversy, 645. “The living righteous are changed ‘in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye.’ At the voice of God they were glorified; now they are made immortal and with the risen saints are caught up to meet their Lord in the air.” “There are the columns of angels on either side . . . then the angelic choir strike the note of victory and the angels in two columns take up the song and the redeemed host join as though they had been singing the song on the earth, and they have been. Oh, what music! There is not an inharmonious note. Every voice proclaims, ‘Worthy, worthy is the Lamb that was slain.” Sons and Daughters of God, 359. I get so thrilled when I read about the coming wonders that I can hardly wait. My heart cry is, “Come, Lord Jesus, come quickly.”

Picture with me the reunion of God’s saints. “Angels ‘gather together His elect from the four winds; from one end of heaven to the other.’ Little children are borne by holy angels to their mother’s arms. Friends long separated by death are united, nevermore to part. . . .” The Great Controversy, 645. (If you are interested in reading more about children in heaven, see Selected Messages, vol. 2, 260 and Early Writings, 19.)

A Big Reunion

We shall know our friends even as the disciples knew Jesus. They may have been deformed, diseased or disfigured in this mortal life, but they will rise in perfect health and symmetry. Yet, in the glorified body, their identity will be perfectly preserved. “Then shall we know, even as also we are known.” 1 Corinthians 13:12.

“He [Jesus] will come to honor those who have loved Him and kept His commandments and to take them to Himself. He has not forgotten them or His promise. There will be a relinking of the family chain.” The Desire of Ages, 632.

What about those we have led to Jesus? “The redeemed will meet and recognize those whose attention they have directed to the uplifted Saviour. What blessed converse they have with these souls! ‘I was a sinner,’ it was said, ‘without God and without hope in the world, and you came to me and drew my attention to the precious Saviour as my only hope.’ . . . Others will say, ‘I was a heathen in heathen lands. You… came to teach me how to find Jesus and believe in Him as the only true God. I demolished my idols and I worshiped God, and now I see Him face to face. I am saved, eternally saved, ever to behold Him whom I love.’..

“Others will express their gratitude to those who fed the hungry and clothed the naked. ‘When despair bound my soul in unbelief, the Lord sent you to me,’ they say, ‘to speak words of hope and comfort, . . . so that I could grasp the hand of Christ that was reached out to save me. . . . You read to me the precious promises of God’s word. You inspired in me the faith that He would save me. My heart was softened, subdued, broken, as I contemplated the sacrifice which Christ had made for me…’

“What rejoicing there will be as these redeemed ones meet and greet those who have had a burden in their behalf! And those who have lived, not to please themselves, but to be a blessing to the unfortunate who have so few blessings—how their hearts will thrill with satisfaction.” My Life Today, 353.

As I recall these wonderful statements, beloved, we must be there. We must be there! Please contemplate this mighty appeal of the Holy Spirit found in Early Writings, 110. “Then only those who are holy, those who have followed fully the meek Pattern, will with rapturous joy exclaim as they behold Him, ‘Lo, this is our God; we have waited for Him, and He will save us.’ And they will be changed ‘in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump.’—that trump that wakes the sleeping saints, and calls them forth from their dusty beds, clothed with glorious immortality, and shouting, ‘Victory! Victory over death and the grave.’ The changed saints are then caught up together with the angels to meet the Lord in the air, nevermore to be separated from the object of their love.

“With such a prospect as this before us, such a glorious hope, such a redemption that Christ has purchased for us by His own blood, shall we hold our peace? Shall we not praise God even with a loud voice, as did the disciples when Jesus rode into Jerusalem? Is not our prospect far more glorious than was theirs? Who dare then forbid us glorifying God, even with a loud voice, when we have such a hope, big with immortality, and full of glory? We have tasted of the powers of the world to come, and long for more. My whole heart cries out after the living God, and I shall not be satisfied until I am filled with all His fullness.”

Make Your Calling and Election Sure

The most important election is the one that is taking place in heaven right now.

The world becomes intrigued every four years with the presidential election in the United States. There is a race, a competition, to influence the people to vote for certain people or parties. The people are bombarded with advertising and solicitations of all kinds and through every available media. Ellen White makes this relevant comment: “An intensity such as never before was seen is taking possession of the world. In amusement, in moneymaking, in the contest for power, in the very struggle for existence, there is a terrible force that engrosses body and mind and soul. In the midst of this maddening rush, God is speaking. He bids us come apart and commune with Him. ‘Be still, and know that I am God’ (Psalm 46:10).” Education, 260.

In God’s election, our vote—that is the life you live—will be the decision-making move.

The most important election is the one that is taking place in heaven right now and has been for 175 years. This is the election that will determine your eternal destiny. It is an election over which God the Father presides and over which Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior, is devoting His intercession 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. (See Daniel 7, Zechariah 3 and Matthew 22.) It is an election in which your vote—that is the life you live—will be the decision-making move. The apostle Peter wrote, “Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election sure: for if ye do these things, ye shall never fall: for so an entrance shall be ministered unto you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ” (2 Peter 1:10, 11).

“Every soul is elected who will work out his own salvation with fear and trembling. He is elected who will put on the armor and fight the good fight of faith. He is elected who will watch unto prayer, who will search the Scriptures, and flee from temptation. He is elected who will have faith continually, and who will be obedient to every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God. The provisions of redemption are free to all; the results of redemption will be enjoyed by those who have complied with the conditions.” Patriarchs and Prophets, 208.

“There is an election of individuals and a people, the only election found in the word of God, where man is elected to be saved. Many have looked at the end, thinking they were surely elected to have heavenly bliss; but this is not the election the Bible reveals. Man is elected to work out his own salvation with fear and trembling. He is elected to put on the armor, to fight the good fight of faith. He is elected to use the means God has placed within his reach to war against every unholy lust, while Satan is playing the game of life for his soul. He is elected to watch unto prayer, to search the Scriptures, and to avoid entering into temptation. He is elected to have faith continually. He is elected to be obedient to every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God, and that he may be, not a hearer only, but a doer of the word. This is Bible election.” Testimonies to Ministers, 453, 454.

God’s word tells us that we are His “elect.” The apostles Peter and Paul made sure that this wonderful truth was never forgotten. We are privileged to still have their letters to the churches, God’s elect, because “. . . the word of God, … lives and abides forever” (1 Peter 1:23).

After the apostle Paul opens his first epistle to the Thessalonians expressing his ardent love and thankfulness for the report of his fellow worker Timothy concerning their faithfulness, he goes on to mention “O, brethren, beloved of God, we recognize and know that He has selected (chosen) you” (1 Thessalonians 1:4 [Amplified Bible]). Are you steadfastly fighting the good fight of faith “to make your calling and election sure (1 Peter 1:10)?”

“The apostle Peter had had long experience in the things of God. His faith in God’s power to save had strengthened with the years, until he had proved beyond question that there is no possibility of failure before the one who, advancing by faith, ascends round by round, ever upward and onward, to the topmost round of the ladder that reaches even to the portals of heaven.

“For many years Peter had been urging upon the believers the necessity of a constant growth in grace and in a knowledge of the truth; and now, knowing that soon he would be called to suffer martyrdom for his faith, he once more drew attention to the precious privileges within the reach of every believer. In the full assurance of his faith the aged disciple exhorted his brethren to steadfastness of purpose in the Christian life. ‘Give diligence,’ he pleaded, ‘to make your calling and election sure: for if ye do these things, ye shall never fall: for so an entrance shall be ministered unto you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.’ ” Acts of the Apostles, 533.

Nomination rivalry of leaders of an established nation can propel the people into sheer madness.

History has recorded that the rivalry between individuals competing for the nomination of leader of an established nation can propel the people into sheer madness. These historical frenzied circumstances would never have occurred if the people of this earth had never chosen to have an earthly ruler instead of the Creator, the Ruler of heaven and earth.

“When they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful, but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened. Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools, and changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man…even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind. (Romans 1:21-25, 28).”

After many years of man’s departure from his Creator, God called out Abraham to be father of all who would have Him alone to be their God. … They worshipped Him, were faithful to Him for a while. Then, again, they rejected him as their ruler. They wanted to be like the nations of the land. They wanted a king.

“The first form of government over men was established by God himself and acknowledged him as the only Sovereign. He made known His will by written commands and revelations, by messages to His chosen servants, by dreams, by signs, and wonders. He would have continued to be their king, had they content with His paternal care. …

“The government of Israel had never been conducted with so great wisdom and success as under Samuel’s sole administration. In no previous ruler had the people reposed so implicit confidence. He had labored with untiring and disinterested zeal for the highest good of the nation. In every transaction he had been governed by justice and benevolence. And not only was his course wholly unselfish, but he was often inattentive to his own dues and rights. Hence, the selfishness manifested by his sons appeared more striking in contrast with the course of their faithful father.

“The arrogance and injustice of these judges caused much dissatisfaction among the people, who were far more troubled by dangers threatening their temporal interests than they had been by the profligacy and sacrilege of Hophni and Phinehas. Ere long many who considered themselves aggrieved presented their complaints to the elders of Israel. A pretext was thus furnished for urging the change which had long been secretly desired.

“Had Samuel been informed on the unjust course of his sons, he would at once have removed them and appointed others more upright in their place. When, however, the complaint against his sons was laid before him, followed immediately by the petition for a king, Samuel saw that the real motive was discontent and pride. He perceived that the desire did not spring from a sudden impulse, but was the result of long deliberation and a determined purpose. …

“Samuel carried this new and, to him, difficult matter to the Lord in prayer, and sought counsel alone from Him. His petitions were heard; ‘and the Lord said unto Samuel, hearken unto the voice of the people in all that they say unto thee; for they have not rejected thee, but they have rejected me, that I should not reign over them. According to all the works which they have done since the day that I brought them up out of Egypt even unto this day, wherewith they have forsaken me, and served other gods, so do they also unto thee.’ The prophet was reproved for grieving at the conduct of the people toward himself as an individual. They had not manifested disrespect for him, but for the authority of God, who had appointed the rulers of his people. …

“It is a hazardous step to place the scepter in the hands of finite man and crown him monarch.” Signs of the Times, July 13, 1882

“It is a hazardous step to place the scepter in the hands of finite man and crown him monarch. God understands the human heart far better than men understand it themselves. A departure from the Lord’s wise arrangement would pervert authority into tyranny and subjection into slavery. Even if a ruler were naturally merciful and benevolent, unlimited power over his fellow-men would tend to make him a despot. Such power God alone is able to use with justice and wisdom. “The Lord had, through His prophets, foretold that Israel would be governed by a king. But it by no means follows that this form of government was according to His will. Though He foresees all things, He often permits men to take their own course when they refuse to be guided by the counsels of infinite wisdom. In this instance, He instructed Samuel to grant their request, but to faithfully warn them of the Lord’s disapproval, and also make known what would be the result of their course: ‘Now therefore hearken unto their voice. Howbeit yet protest solemnly unto them, and show them the manner of the king that shall reign over them.’ …

“But the people were bent upon following their own course. The solemn warnings from God, through His aged prophet, had no effect to turn them from their purpose. They returned the answer, ‘Nay; but we will have a king over us, that we may also be like all the nations; and that our king may judge us, and go out before us, and fight our battles.’

“ ‘Like other nations’–the Israelites did not realize that to be in this respect unlike other nations was a special privilege and blessing. God had separated Israel from every other people to make them His own peculiar treasure. But they, disregarding this high honor, eagerly desired to imitate the example of the heathen. What blindness! What ingratitude! …

“Would that this passage in Israel’s history had no counterpart in the present experience of God’s people! But alas, we see it frequently repeated! A discontented desire for change, a longing to conform to worldly plans and worldly customs, too often controls even professed Christians. As they depart from God, they become ambitious for the gains and honors of the world. Those who stand firm against conformity to the world, discouraging pride, superfluity, and extravagance, and enjoining humility and self-denial, are looked upon as critical, peculiar, and severe. Some argue that by uniting with worldlings and conforming to their customs, Christians might exert a stronger influence in the world. But all who pursue this course thereby separate from the source of their strength. Becoming friends of the world, they are the enemies of God. …” Signs of the Times, July 13, 1882

Article by John Grosboll Director of Steps to Life
Co-authored by Hilde Nunez Contributing Editor

None But These Will Stand

I would like to direct your attention for a few moments to the first part of Matthew 24:35: “Heaven and earth shall pass away.”

In the book The Great Controversy, beginning with chapter 29, page 492, we find a series of eleven chapters which appear to be telling us how heaven and earth are going to pass away—very essential reading for all of us who are in the Seventh-day Adventist movement today.

Our Greatest Danger Today

Six chapters describe the supernatural powers that will be arrayed against us. Four chapters describe the earthly powers that will be arrayed against us, and in those chapters, I suggest that as you read them you take careful notice of the number of times the warning is against false teachers. It appears that, in Ellen White’s view, the greatest danger we face is the false teachers among us and around us in these last days.

Then there is one chapter entitled “The Scriptures a Safeguard,” telling us how we may survive. At the bottom of the first page of this chapter we find these lines: “Those who endeavor to obey all the commandments of God will be opposed and derided.” Think about that for just a moment.

Will they be called dirty names? Yes, they will be called dirty names. Will they be called legalists? Yes, they will be called legalists by people who do not even know what the word means. A legalist is one who thinks he can make it to the kingdom of God doing all of the things that God tells him to do without any help from the Lord Jesus Christ. That is the historic definition of legalist and is the one that we ought to always remember.

Will they be called perfectionists? Another dirty word. Yes, they will be called perfectionists. May I point out that the doctrine of perfectionism is a specific theological doctrine, and you should not misuse that word anymore than a doctor should diagnose appendicitis for a man who has a broken leg.

The doctrine of perfectionism, whenever and wherever it has appeared in the history of all churches, has rested like a three-legged stool on three legs.

The first idea is the teaching that man can, by the power of Christ, live a sinless life. That is the only one of the three that Seventh-day Adventists have ever accepted.

The second one is that man can have instant sanctification; he can become perfect in a moment of time. Seventh-day Adventists have always rejected that, and Ellen White very firmly rejects it.

The third one is that when this instant sanctification has occurred to you, you can know it; you can recognize it, and you can testify to the world that you have become a sinless person. You know how firmly Ellen White rejects that. She often wrote there is no instant sanctification, it is the work of a lifetime, you never lay it aside as finished.

“Those who endeavor to obey all the commandments of God will be opposed and derided.” The Great Controversy, 593. They will be called legalists. They will be called perfectionists. They will be called right-wingers, which is perhaps the most ludicrous of all of these epithets, these dirty words. If you want to check that out, all you have to do is go to a college library or any church school library and examine the books on Bible doctrines that were used in Seventh-day Adventist schools up to the mid-1950s.

You will see that those of us who call ourselves “historic” Adventists and who are scornfully called by others “traditional” Adventists (there is a propaganda technique there you understand quickly), have not deviated one iota to the right of what you see in those books. But those who have gone wildly off to the left are calling us right-wingers! That is about as crazy as anything could possibly be. But we are told that is the way it is going to be.

Fortified with the Truth

Now, how can we handle it? The very last line on page 593 of the Great Controversy is the one upon which I want you to focus your minds. “None but those who have fortified the mind with the truths of the Bible will stand through the last great conflict.” Ron Spear once said, “One of the best ways to study the Bible is to read the Spirit of Prophecy, because every few pages that you read you get loaded up with Bible texts!”

Folks, in the end, we are going to divide over the Spirit of Prophecy. Those who accept the Spirit of Prophecy will go one way, and those who reject it will go another way. Just hold that in your mind.

Fortified. A fort is put where you expect an attack, is it not? I want to ask you to consider the following Ellen White statement most carefully. It is a prediction of what will happen in the future.

“After the truth has been proclaimed as a witness to all nations…” She is referring to Matthew 24:14. “…this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations, and then shall the end come.” We have seen ourselves as the people who had the special task of taking the gospel to every nation, kindred, tongue and people.

Tearing Down the Pillars

But notice this, “After the truth has been proclaimed as a witness to all nations,… there will be a removing of the landmarks, and an attempt to tear down the pillars of our faith.” Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, vol. 7, 985. What might that say to us about our present position in the stream of time? Are we seeing a removing of the landmarks today?

What are these pillars, these landmarks? Depending on how you divide the Three Angels’ Messages, whether you think of them as one or as three, you can count the pillars as five or eight.

We have the landmarks defined for us in the book Counsels to Writers and Editors, 30. “The passing of the time in 1844 was a period of great events, opening to our astonished eyes the cleansing of the sanctuary [Number 1] transpiring in heaven, and having decided relation to God’s people upon the earth, [also] the First and Second Angels’ Messages and the Third. [That is one or three, depending on how you count.]… One of the landmarks under this message was the temple of God, seen by His truth-loving people in heaven, and the ark containing the law of God [Number 3]. The light of the Sabbath [Number 4, if you separate the Sabbath from the Law] of the fourth commandment flashed its strong rays in the pathway.… [Finally] The non-immortality of the wicked is an old landmark. I can call to mind nothing more that can come under the head of the old landmarks.”

What are they?

  • The sanctuary
  • The Three Angels’ Messages
  • The Law
  • The Sabbath
  • Non-immortality of the soul.

Those are the landmarks, and the one under attack most bitterly, most viciously, most unyieldingly at this moment, is the sanctuary.

Attacking the Sanctuary

A gentleman called me from England recently. He asked me for some materials to help him. He said, “One of our prominent church elders has launched a paper attacking the sanctuary with the approval of the conference president.”

One week after that, I had a telephone call from Australia. The caller said, “The conference has given a man freedom to circulate among the churches attacking the sanctuary.” He wanted to know whether I would prepare a response if he sent the tapes to me. He said he would fly all the way to the United States to make videotapes of my response in an attempt to offset what this man, with the approval of the conference, was doing.

That is where we are, folks, and we must bear in mind, and be cautious while still speaking the truth, that the increasing strangeness of the behavior of some of our leaders is equaled only by the sternness of their demand that nobody dare to criticize. I am sorry. I am going to have to speak out against that just the same.

When our conference officials approve of attacks on the sanctuary, I believe it is the sacred duty of every true man of God to speak out and say, “That is wrong. That is hopelessly wrong!”

I want to focus on one thing relative to the sanctuary. A few years ago a certain gentleman came up from the lands down under and sent a lot of Seventh-day Adventist ministers into a flap of confusion by proposing that our Seventh-day Adventist pioneers were so ignorant that they did not even know that Christ went to the throne of God when He went back to heaven in 31 A.D.

A lot of our Seventh-day Adventist ministers, perhaps mostly the younger ones, did not know how to handle that at all. They were really upset and troubled by it. I am going to give you a little Bible study. Unfortunately, this is the only place where you can get this Bible study at the present time.

How Many Thrones?

Where did Christ go in 31 A.D.? Revelation 3:20, 21 tells us how our pioneers understood that. “Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear My voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with Me. [Read carefully]. To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with Me in My throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with My Father in His throne.”

How many thrones are there? Two. My throne and His throne. One is present and one is future. Which is which? He says, “I overcame [past tense] I am set down [past tense] with My Father in His throne. You will, if you overcome, [future tense] sit down with Me in My throne [future tense].” Two thrones, two times, two persons or groups of persons, and two distinctly different situations.

Now let us begin at the beginning: “The Lord said unto my Lord [God the Father said to God the Son], Sit Thou at My right hand, until I make Thine enemies Thy footstool. The Lord shall send the rod of Thy strength out of Zion: rule Thou in the midst of Thine enemies.… The Lord hath sworn, and will not repent, Thou art a priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec.” Psalm 110:1, 2, 4.

A Scripture that is recognized by virtually all conservative commentators as a prediction, or prophecy, about our Lord, says, “And speak unto him, saying, Thus speaketh the Lord of hosts, saying, Behold the man whose name is The BRANCH; and He shall grow up out of His place, and He shall build the temple of the Lord: Even He shall build the temple of the Lord; and He shall bear the glory, and shall sit and rule upon His throne; and He shall be a priest upon His [the Father’s] throne: and the counsel of peace shall be between Them both.” Zechariah 6:12.

Now go to the New Testament and look at Mark 16:19. “So then after the Lord had spoken unto them, he was received up into heaven, and sat on the right hand of God.” In Peter’s Pentecostal sermon he states, “This Jesus hath God raised up, whereof we all are witnesses. Therefore being by the right hand of God exalted [You will find modern translations sometimes translate that as “Therefore, being to the right hand of God exalted.”], and having received of the Father the promise of the Holy Ghost, He hath shed forth this, which ye now see and hear. For David is not ascended into the heavens: but he saith himself, The Lord said unto my Lord, Sit Thou on my right hand [What is he quoting? Psalm 110.], Until I make Thy foes Thy footstool.” Acts 2:32–35.

You see, He is not going to always be sitting on the right hand of God. He is not going to be always a priest sitting on the throne of God. Some day He is going to sit on His own throne.

“Him hath God exalted with His right hand,” again, modern translations frequently put that “to His right hand.” It is an acceptable translation of the Greek. “…to be a Prince and a Saviour, for to give repentance to Israel, and forgiveness of sins.” Acts 5:31.

Before he died, the testimony of Stephen was, “But he, being full of the Holy Ghost, looking up stedfastly into heaven, and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing on the right hand of God, and said, Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of man standing on the right hand of God.” Acts 7:55.

A Priest on His Throne

Let us get the testimony of the apostle Paul: “Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, [And what is He doing there?] who also maketh intercession for us.” Romans 8:34. What kind of a person makes intercession for us? A priest on the throne of God, on the right hand of God. As Zechariah wrote, “A priest on the throne.”

Look at the following texts: “Which He wrought in Christ when He raised Him from the dead, and set Him at His own right hand in the heavenly places.” Ephesians 1:20.

“If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God.” Colossians 3:1.

“Who being the brightness of His glory, and the express image of His person, and upholding all things by the word of His power, when He had by Himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high.” Hebrews 1:3.

“But to which of the angels said He at any time, Sit on my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool.” Hebrews 1:13. What is he quoting? Psalm 110.

“(For those priests were made without an oath; but this with an oath by him that said unto him, The Lord sware and will not repent, Thou art a priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec:).” Hebrews 7:21. What is he quoting? Psalm 110.

There is another reference in Hebrews 7:17: “For He testifieth, Thou art a priest forever after the order of Melchisedec.”

Hebrews 8:1 and onward, “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.” And then he goes on to talk about His priestly ministry there.

“But this man, after He had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God; [Look carefully at verse 13.] From henceforth expecting till His enemies be made His footstool.” Hebrews 10:12, 13. What is he quoting? Psalm 110.

“Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.” Hebrews 12:2,

And, of course, we could add to these Revelation 12:5, the vision of John. “And she brought forth a man child, who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron: and her child was caught up unto God, and to His throne.”

Where Was the Father’s Throne?

Can there be any question that Christ went to the throne of the Father in 31 A.D., and sat down beside the Father as a priest on the throne of the Father, from henceforth expecting until He would sit on His own throne when His enemies are made His footstool? And we shall share that throne with Him. Now that creates a question. Where was the throne of the Father in A.D. 31? We need not speculate. The answer is in Revelation 4:1–5. “After this I looked, and, behold, a door was opened in heaven: and the first voice which I heard was as it were of a trumpet talking with me; which said, Come up hither, and I will shew thee things which must be hereafter. And immediately I was in the spirit: and, behold, a throne was set in heaven, and one sat on the throne. And He that sat was to look upon like a jasper and a sardine stone: and there was a rainbow round about the throne, in sight like unto an emerald. And round about the throne were four and twenty seats: and upon the seats I saw four and twenty elders sitting, clothed in white raiment; and they had on their heads crowns of gold. And out of the throne proceeded lightnings and thunderings and voices: [Now note this] and there were seven lamps of fire burning before the throne, which are the seven Spirits of God.”

The Pioneers Still Speak

Were these seven lamps in the holy place or the most holy place? In the holy place, the first apartment. Where was the throne of God in 31 A.D.? In the first apartment of the heavenly sanctuary. Now where do you think I learned all this? Where do you think I got this Bible study? From the writings of our pioneers.

I have a whole stack of articles written by our pioneers, the first one in 1858. That is going a long way back in Adventist history. A gentleman by the name of F. M. Bragg wrote an article entitled, “Jesus Reigns Upon Two Thrones.” He went through briefly the same material that I have shared with you here. In The Review and Herald, September 12, 1871, J. N. Andrews and J. H. Waggoner comment briefly on it. (J. H. Waggoner was the father of E. J. Waggoner of 1888 fame.)

An article by Uriah Smith talks about these things in some detail. He includes some answers to an objector, a critic, who had tried to say that God was in the Most Holy Place in 31 A.D., and that is where Christ went. I would like for you to notice how he sums up his response to that. This is a little bit different, if I may say so.

After pointing out the strange conclusions that would be forced upon us in so many different ways if we said that God the Father was in the most holy place in 31 A.D., he says this. “To such stupid driveling absurdities are we driven the moment we take the position that Christ entered the most holy place of the heavenly sanctuary when He ascended. Dear Brother Smith, we do not talk like that any more, do we?” The Review and Herald, July 29, 1875 and August 5, 1875.

Signs of the Times, September 18, 1893, a Mrs. M. E. Steward wrote an article entitled, “Our Priest King,” in which she covers the same ground.

Signs of the Times, December 10, 1894, an Elder M. H. Brown writes an article entitled, “The True Tabernacle,” and one of the subtitles is “The Two Thrones.” “Christ occupies that throne with His Father at the present and as Christ rules upon the Father’s throne and is a priest upon His Father’s throne, we know that Christ’s present office and work is that of a priest-king.”

J. Waggoner makes a brief comment on it in the same fashion, Ibid., April 18, 1895. And beginning with The Review and Herald, June 2, 1910, Elder J. N. Loughborough put in four lengthy articles in succession all under the one title, “The Two Thrones.”

In the Australian Signs of the Times, December 23, 1929, an article by William W. Prescott, appeared, entitled, “The Priest Upon the Throne.”

And, of course, in The Great Controversy, 415, 416, you will find Mrs. White briefly summing up the whole thing.

Did our pioneers know where Jesus went in 31 A.D.? They most certainly did! They knew exactly where He went. They knew exactly what He was doing, and their position was just as Biblical as anything could possibly be.

I cannot claim credit for this Bible study. I got it out of the writings of our pioneers. I want to testify to you that our message can stand against any challenge. Our message cannot be faulted. In its essential points, in its broad picture, it is absolutely certain. It will stand against the powers of hell itself.

Never have any questions, any doubts. I would like to appeal to you to remember those words, “None but those who have fortified the mind with the truths of the Bible will stand.” Ibid., 593. You have heard comments on the shaking time and you need to be studying that. Everything that can be shaken will be shaken.

Multitudes, Mrs. White writes, of false brethren will leave us. Companies will throw down the flag and depart from us. Chaff like a cloud will be borne away from the floor where we see only rich wheat. Men that we have admired as brilliant stars will go out in darkness and turn against us. Let us resolve that, by the grace of God, we will let the chaff blow, let the brilliant stars go, let company after company join the foe, nevertheless we will stand though the heavens fall.

Preparing for the Latter Rain, Part III

In this article, the subject under consideration is the third parallel in the attitudes of the people between the first and second advent movements. As a brief review, when the Sanhedrin rejected Christ’s message and was bent upon His death, at the end of the second Passover in the ministry of Jesus, He departed from Jerusalem—from the priests, from the temple, from the religious leaders, and from the people who had been instructed in the law. (See The Desire of Ages, 232.)

The third parallel of the trials and attitudes of the children of Israel will focus on the independent movement that developed when Jesus left Jerusalem after the second Passover. The record is found in John 6 and in chapters 39, 40, and 41 of The Desire of Ages.

The Third Passover

“The Jewish Passover Feast was near.” “ . . . and a great crowd of people followed him because they saw the miraculous signs he had performed on the sick.” John 6:4, 2, NIV.

The setting is at the time of the third Passover. It is interesting to note that Jesus did not go to Jerusalem but stayed in Galilee with the independent movement. All day He ministered to the needs of the crowd. By evening they were hungry, so Jesus miraculously fed them. (Verses 5–13.)

“Seated upon the grassy plain, in the twilight of the spring evening, the people ate of the food that Christ had provided. The words they had heard that day had come to them as the voice of God. The works of healing they had witnessed were such as only divine power could perform. But the miracle of the loaves appealed to everyone in that vast multitude.” The Desire of Ages, 377.

Crown Him King

At this point, we notice a new development taking place in the minds of the disciples and the people.

“All day the conviction has strengthened. That crowning act is assurance that the long-looked-for Deliverer is among them. . . . This is He who will make Judea an earthly paradise, a land flowing with milk and honey. He can satisfy every desire.” Ibid.

“In their enthusiasm the people are ready at once to crown Him king. . . . Consulting together, they agree to take Him by force, and proclaim Him the king of Israel. The disciples unite with the multitude . . . . Let the arrogant priests and rulers be forced to honor Him who comes clothed with the authority of God.” Ibid., 378.

So we see that the people in this independent movement had the same goal of an earthly kingdom as the organization from which Jesus had separated a year earlier. They, too, had little or no understanding of the work of Jesus to remove sin from the heart. The only difference was that they saw themselves, instead of the priests and rulers, in charge of the church.

“Jesus sees what is on foot, and understands, as they cannot, what would be the result of such a movement. . . . Calling His disciples, Jesus bids them take the boat and return at once to Capernaum, leaving Him to dismiss the people.” Ibid.

It is evident that even though these people had left the organization to follow Jesus, they had no better understanding of the nature of Christ’s kingdom than did the priests and rulers in Jerusalem. This startling statement is recorded: “When Christ forbade the people to declare Him king, He knew that a turning point in His history was reached. Multitudes who desired to exalt Him to the throne today would turn from Him tomorrow. The disappointment of their selfish ambition would turn their love to hatred, and their praise to curses. Yet knowing this, He took no measures to avert the crisis.” Ibid., 383.

Christ’s Disciples

Let us consider for a moment who these people were. What was their connection to the organized church in Jerusalem? What was their relationship with Jesus? The disciple John refers to them as “His disciples” three times in the sixth chapter of his gospel. In The Desire of Ages chapter entitled “The Crisis in Galilee,” they are identified seven times as “His disciples.” To be a disciple of Jesus meant that you would be “put out of the synagogue,” according to John 9:22.

The relationship of “these disciples”—5,000 men plus women and children—to the church in Jerusalem is very parallel to that of the independent believers of the second advent movement to the Seventh-day Adventist Church organization headquartered in Silver Spring, Maryland.

Now that we have a better understanding of the relationship of “these disciples” to Jesus, we will take a closer look at their spiritual condition.

“Of those now connected with Him there were many who had been attracted by the hope of a worldly kingdom. These must be undeceived.” Ibid.

Jesus must now go about the work of undeceiving these disciples. The next day we find Him in the synagogue at Capernaum instructing the people as to the true nature of His kingdom. He further explains that they must partake of His nature if they would become His true disciples.

“Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you. Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day. For my flesh is meat indeed, and my blood is drink indeed. He that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, dwelleth in me, and I in him.” John 6:53–56.

“To eat the flesh and drink the blood of Christ is to receive Him as a personal Saviour, believing that He forgives our sins, and that we are complete in Him.” Ibid., 389.

Required Characteristics

“He knew the character of those who claimed to be His disciples, and His words tested their faith. He declared that they were to believe and act upon His teaching. All who received Him would partake of His nature, and be conformed to His character. This involved the relinquishment of their cherished ambitions. It required the complete surrender of themselves to Jesus. They were called to become self-sacrificing, meek and lowly in heart. They must walk in the narrow path traveled by the Man of Calvary, if they would share in the gift of life and the glory of heaven.” Ibid., 391.

In summary, the character that Jesus requires of His disciples includes:

  1. Relinquishment of cherished ambitions,
  2. Complete surrender to Jesus,
  3. Self-sacrificing,
  4. Being meek and lowly in heart, and
  5. Walking in the narrow path of the Man of Calvary.

We can only wonder what might have been the result in the first advent if “His disciples” of the independent movement would have relinquished their cherished ambitions to walk the narrow path traveled by the Man of Calvary. But how much more significant and important is the question, What would happen in the second advent independent movement if all the ministries, churches, and professed believers would relinquish their cherished ambitions? What would happen if they all answered the call to become self-sacrificing, meek, and lowly in heart, to walk the narrow path traveled by Jesus? Would we not see all variances, differences, pride of opinion, envy, jealously, and separation disappear from among us? Would it not bring a spirit of unity and harmony that would prepare the way for the Holy Spirit to come in the latter rain? The Spirit of Prophecy has much to say in reference to this, which will be studied in a later parallel, but we must now return to the story of “His disciples.”

Alienation

How did this multitude that were so miraculously fed the night before react to the straight testimony of Jesus in the synagogue in Capernaum? “The test was too great.” Ibid.

“By the public rebuke of their unbelief these disciples were still further alienated from Jesus. They were greatly displeased, and wishing to wound the Saviour and gratify the malice of the Pharisees, they turned their backs upon Him, and left Him with disdain. They had made their choice . . . . Their decision was never afterward reversed; for they walked no more with Jesus.” Ibid., 392.

Let us with great solemnity consider the result of their decision. It was never to be reversed. Their choice to turn their backs on Jesus was for eternity. None of these disciples would ever repent and return to Jesus. There was never any more light for them.

“And thus in Galilee the current of popular feeling was turned against Him, as, the year before, it had been in Judea. Alas for Israel! They rejected their Saviour, because they longed for a conqueror who would give them temporal power.” Ibid., 393.

The popularity of this independent movement that we observed the evening before during the feeding of the five thousand has now vanished; and it never returned. So we see that, in the first advent, both the organized church and the independent movement rejected Jesus. Then follows this alarming statement in The Desire of Ages: “This was one of the times of purging. By the words of truth, the chaff was being separated from the wheat. Because they were too vain and self-righteous to receive reproof, too world-loving to accept a life of humility, many turned away from Jesus. Many are still doing the same thing. Souls are tested today as were those disciples in the synagogue at Capernaum. When truth is brought home to the heart, they see that their lives are not in accordance with the will of God. They see the need of an entire change in themselves; but they are not willing to take up the self-denying work. Therefore they [souls today] are angry when their sins are discovered. They go away offended, even as the disciples left Jesus, murmuring, ‘This is an hard saying; who can hear it?’ [John 6:60.] . . .

“As those disaffected disciples turned away from Christ, a different spirit took control of them. . . . They sought out His enemies, for they were in harmony with their spirit and work. They misinterpreted His words, falsified His statements, and impugned His motives.” Ibid., 392.

“Many are still doing the same thing. Souls are tested today . . . ,” and they will go away offended, even as the disciples left Jesus. These are solemn statements that warn us that the trials and attitudes we have been studying concerning the independent movement in the first advent are being repeated in the independent movement of the second advent.

“The Sabbath will be the great test of loyalty, for it is the point of truth especially controverted. When the final test shall be brought to bear upon men, then the line of distinction will be drawn between those who serve God and those who serve Him not.” The Great Controversy, 605.

“As the storm approaches, a large class who have professed faith in the third angel’s message, but have not been sanctified through obedience to the truth, abandon their position and join the ranks of the opposition. By uniting with the world and partaking of its spirit, they have come to view matters in nearly the same light; and when the test is brought, they are prepared to choose the easy, popular side. . . . They become the most bitter enemies of their former brethren. When Sabbathkeepers are brought before the courts to answer for their faith, these apostates are the most efficient agents of Satan to misrepresent and accuse them, and by false reports and insinuations to stir up the rulers against them.” Ibid., 608.

This is a very serious prophecy concerning how God views the historic movement today. We need to pray earnestly that God will help us to understand our true condition before Him. We will dwell more upon the significance of this situation concerning the “Present Time” when we study the fifth parallel.

To Whom Shall We Go?

Let us now go back to the synagogue at Capernaum and continue to follow the events of the day after Jesus presented the straight testimony concerning the need for the people to become like Him in character.

“With a yearning heart, Jesus saw those who had been his disciples departing from Him, the Life and the Light of men. . . .

“Without attempting to hinder those who were leaving Him, Jesus turned to the twelve and said, ‘Will ye also go away?’ [John 6:67.]

“Peter replied by asking, ‘Lord, to whom shall we go?’ ‘Thou hast the words of eternal life,’ he added. ‘And we believe and are sure that Thou art that Christ, the Son of the living God.’ [John 6:68, 69.]” The Desire of Ages, 393.

They would not go back to the teachers of Israel who were slaves to formalism. These teachers were in constant contention and were persecuting the disciples for becoming His followers. They would not leave the teachings of Christ, His lessons of love and mercy.

“Peter expressed the faith of the disciples, —‘Thou art that Christ.’ The very thought of losing this anchor of their souls filled them with fear and pain. To be destitute of a Saviour was to be adrift on a dark and stormy sea.” Ibid.

Peter expressed the faith of eleven of the disciples. While their faith faltered during the crowning trial and final test, they did not turn away from Jesus and leave Him in disdain, as did “His disciples” after the sermon in the synagogue at Capernaum. But this was not true of Judas. Judas had remained among them right up to their crowning trial and final test, but after the second cleansing of the temple and the night before the trial and death of Jesus, Judas finally revealed his true character and became the betrayer.

So, in the second advent movement, a Judas element will remain among the faithful believers up to the time just before probation closes. We need to study carefully the last few chapters of The Great Controversy, especially pages 608 to 627. In addition to these references, the Spirit of Prophecy has much more to say about the Judas characteristics existing among the people of God in the closing events of the controversy.

Purpose of Purging

But for the eleven disciples, Jesus had a purpose in the purging of the independent movement in Galilee.

“When Jesus presented the testing truth that caused so many of His disciples to turn back, He knew what would be the result of His words; but He had a purpose of mercy to fulfill. He foresaw that in the hour of temptation every one of His beloved disciples would be severely tested. His agony in Gethsemane, His betrayal and crucifixion, would be to them a most trying ordeal. . . .”

“Compassionate Redeemer, who in the full knowledge of the doom that awaited Him, tenderly smoothed the way for the disciples, prepared them for their crowning trial, and strengthened them for the final test!” The Desire of Ages, 394.

“Before His crucifixion the Saviour explained to His disciples that He was to be put to death and to rise again from the tomb, and angels were present to impress His words on minds and hearts. . . .

“So in the prophecies the future is opened before us as plainly as it was opened to the disciples by the words of Christ. The events connected with the close of probation and the work of preparation for the time of trouble, are clearly presented.” The Great Controversy, 594.

“God will have a people upon the earth to maintain the Bible, and the Bible only, as the standard of all doctrines, and the basis of all reforms.” Ibid., 595.

“When the testing time shall come, those who have made God’s word their rule of life will be revealed. . . . The falsehearted professor [the Judas element] may not now be distinguished from the real Christian, but the time is just upon us when the difference will be apparent. Let opposition arise, let bigotry and intolerance again bear sway, let persecution be kindled, and the halfhearted and hypocritical will waver and yield the faith; but the true Christian will stand firm as a rock, his faith stronger, his hope brighter, than in days of prosperity.” Ibid., 602.

“The Lord whom we serve is able to deliver us. Christ has conquered the powers of earth; and shall we be afraid of a world already conquered?” Ibid., 610.

The three parallels that we have studied so far have reviewed the history of the two advent movements that bring us to the present time. Next month we will study the fourth parallel, which is still future.

To be continued . . .

Maurice Hoppe is Director of Revelation Ministry, which is dedicated to helping people prepare for the soon coming of Jesus. His special emphasis is the closing scenes of this earth’s history, the parallels between the first and second advents, and the need for unity among the people of God. He may be contacted by e-mail at: hoppe@revelationministry.com, or at: P. O. Box 184, Days Creek, Oregon 97429.