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Keeping Pace with the Light

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“…the path of the just is like the shining sun, That shines ever brighter unto the perfect day.” Proverbs 4:18. Notice, this verse does not say the room of the just, but the path of the just. As you walk that path, if you stay on it, the light is going to become brighter and brighter. But it is also true, friend, that if you do not keep walking on the path, the light is going to become darkness, because the light is moving.

What is Present Truth?

The Bible talks about present truth. (See 2 Peter 1:12.) There are some truths that are timeless, but there is some truth that is present truth, and what is present truth today, is not exactly the same as present truth was a hundred years ago.

I believe that very soon God’s servants are going to have to preach things that they never thought they would have to preach. We are in a situation very similar to the Jews in the time of Christ. The devil had manipulated them into a situation, through what they had been taught, so that they were ready to reject the truth. They had developed a series of criteria which they believed Jesus would meet if He was the Messiah. Interestingly enough, they based these expectations on the Old Testament. Jesus did not, however, meet their criteria. It is interesting to note, in the study of history, that almost every time prophecy is fulfilled, it is not fulfilled in the way that was expected.

Seventh-day Adventists have wondered what Ellen White meant when she said, “I was shown the startling fact that but a small portion of those who now profess the truth will be sanctified by it and be saved.” Testimonies, vol. 1, 608. Very soon we are going to find out what she meant.

Refusing to Follow the Light

This concept that spiritual light is moving and the person who does not keep walking in the light finds himself in the dark, explains many spiritual phenomena that are happening all around us that otherwise would be very confusing. A few years ago, two Seventh-day Adventist ministers came to question me. One of them said something like this: “Do you believe that the Seventh-day Adventist Church organization was ordained by God? Well, do you or do you not?” Let me ask you some questions: Do you believe that the Jewish church organization was ordained by God or that He had a hand in setting it up? Yes, He did. Was there a time that the Jews were in the light? Yes, there was. The Jews had been called by God and chosen as His special people. They had been in the light. They had the same spirit of prophecy. They had all of the Old Testament, that is the spirit of prophecy. But, when the light moved, they did not move with it. God had more light for them, but they would not accept it. They stayed put, and as a result, they were left in the dark.

Jesus is the light of the world. I want you to notice Revelation 14:4 and what it says about the 144,000. “…These are the ones who follow the Lamb wherever He goes.” When the Light (Jesus) moves, the 144,000 follow. The problem today is that when the Light moves there are so many people who do not follow it; they stay put. They are left in the dark and are then spiritually blind. There was a time when they were in the Light; but the Light moved, and they did not move with it. “As the Light and Life of men was rejected by the ecclesiastical authorities in the days of Christ, so it has been rejected in every succeeding generation.” The Desire of Ages, 232.

Did you notice that she said this has taken place in every succeeding generation? Again and again the history of Christ’s withdrawal from Judea has been repeated.” When the Reformers preached the Word of God, they had no thought of separating themselves from the established church; but the religious leaders would not tolerate the light.…” Ibid.

What happened? The religious leaders refused to walk in the light. “…and those that bore it were forced to seek another class, who were longing for the truth.” Ibid. Everyone who does not love the truth is going to be deceived and lost.

“Few are listening for the voice of God, and ready to accept truth in whatever guise it may be presented. Often those who follow in the steps of the Reformers are forced to turn away from the churches they love, in order to declare the plain teaching of the Word of God.” Ibid.

Did you know that there are many people who no longer believe that this statement can apply today? Have you ever heard people say, “Well, the cycles have to stop somewhere, and they stopped in 1863 because that is when we incorporated”? The trouble with that statement is that the book where Mrs. White gives this warning, The Desire of Ages, was not even written until l898.

Disfellowshipped and Persecuted

We are living in a time that a few years ago no one expected to see. We believed that when persecution came, it would come from outside of the church. We failed to understand what Ellen White meant when she said that we have far more to fear from within than from without. (See Selected Messages. Book 1, 122.) Who would have thought that, in Adventism, the apostasy would become so great that in many places it would become spiritually dangerous to even attend the local Seventh-day Adventist Church because error was being “forced home to the people.” (See Early Writings, 125.) We were not expecting the true and faithful Seventh-day Adventists to be disfellowshipped and persecuted by their former brethren all over the world, as is taking place today. But when we go to the inspired writings, we see all of this prophesied—we just did not understand it!

People have come to believe that these things would not happen until after the national Sunday law. Friends, that is a dangerous deception, as we are beginning to see. The national Sunday law does not initiate the shaking; it brings the shaking to a climax! Those who are waiting until the Sunday law test comes to take a bold, unyielding stand for the truth are simply preparing to receive the mark of the beast.

You see, when anyone rejects the light of truth that God has given to this people, he has turned his back on the light and goes out into darkness. He may still call himself a Seventh-day Adventist, but if he does not believe the First Angel’s Message and the truth of the Investigative Judgment beginning in 1844, he has gone into darkness. You cannot, with safety, go to his church and listen to him preach. When a person rejects the truth of the great day of atonement that began in 1844 and says that instead of afflicting the soul (see Leviticus 16:29, 30) it is time to celebrate, he has gone out into darkness.

If a preacher says that you will sin until Jesus comes, he has accepted Satan’s fatal sophistry (see The Great Controversy, 489), and you dare not go and listen to him preach lest you be deceived and lose your own soul.

Finally, if you are not hearing the historic doctrines of Adventism preached in your church, if you are hearing the same kinds of sermons that you could hear in any other church, then you are endangering your soul if you do not do one of two things. Either find a historic Seventh-day Adventist congregation or start a home church where you can teach the truth, at least to your own family.

Our opportunities for learning and knowing God’s last message to a perishing world and being prepared for what is coming on the world, are very limited at best. We dare not allow ourselves and our families to be exposed to either heretical preaching or “peace and safety” messages that come just before destruction.

Ring-leaders in Apostasy

“I saw that we have no time to throw away in listening to fables. Our minds should not be thus diverted, but should be occupied with the present truth, and seeking wisdom that we may obtain a more thorough knowledge of our position, that with meekness we may be able to give a reason of our hope from the Scriptures. While false doctrines and dangerous errors are pressed upon the mind, it cannot be dwelling upon the truth which is to fit and prepare the house of Israel to stand in the day of the Lord.” Early Writings, 125.

Every Sabbath, after church, you should be more fitted to stand in the day of the Lord than you were before you entered the church that morning. But the prophet wrote sadly, “Those who have been regarded as worthy and righteous prove to be ring-leaders in apostasy and examples in indifference and in the abuse of God’s mercies. Their wicked course He will tolerate no longer, and in His wrath He deals with them without mercy.

“It is with reluctance that the Lord withdraws His presence from those who have been blessed with great light and who have felt the power of the word in ministering to others. They were once His faithful servants, favored with His presence and guidance; but they departed from Him and led others into error, and therefore are brought under the divine displeasure.…

“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 the truth, they knew their Master’s will, they understood every point of our faith, but they had not corresponding works. 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.

“By their lack of devotion and piety, and their failure to reach a high religious standard, they make other souls contented with their position. Men of finite judgment cannot see that in patterning after these men who have so often opened to them the treasures of God’s Word, they will surely endanger their souls. Jesus is the only true pattern. Everyone must now search the Bible for himself upon his knees before God, with the humble, teachable heart of a child, if he would know what the Lord requires of him. However high any minister may have stood in the favor of God, if he neglects to follow out the light given him of God, if he refuses to be taught as a little child, he will go into darkness and satanic delusions and will lead others in the same path.…

“What are you doing, brethren, in the great work of preparation? Those who are uniting with the world are receiving the worldly mold and preparing for the mark of the beast.” Testimonies, vol. 5, 212–216.

Friends, it is a dangerous thing to fail to advance in the opening providence of God. The Light is moving. Are you moving with it, or are you in the dark?

The Narrow Path

Early in her experience, Ellen White saw a vision about this light. You can read this vision in Early Writings, 15-20. In other places in her writings, she speaks about the light that was set up at the beginning of the path that the Advent Company was traveling that shone all of the way up to the Holy City. This path is narrow; and if you do not have light on the path, you are going to stumble and fall off.

What was that light that was set up at the beginning? Sister White says that it was the Midnight Cry. The Midnight Cry was based on the Bible prophecies of Daniel 8 and 9 and Revelation 14:6, 7—the message of the 2300 days, the sanctuary and the investigative judgment. The devil knows that if we reject these truths, we will stumble and fall off of the path. It is amazing how successful the devil has been in leading us to reject them.

We have been told that, “When the power of God testifies as to what is truth, that truth is to stand forever as the truth. No after suppositions contrary to the light God has given are to be entertained.” Selected Messages, Book 1, 161. Yet, there are Adventist teachers and ministers today who no longer believe these truths.

Friend, if you are in the situation where you listen to this error, you are in the dark; you are going to lose your way. The Lord is not going to work a miracle to save you; you have turned your back on the light. This idea that you can have a spirit of free inquiry and ask any question you want to is not according to the Scriptures. Jesus rebuked people for their doubt. If these truths are not being upheld in your church, your church is in the dark.

The Christian’s Journey

Ellen White describes a very impressive dream. “…I dreamed of being with a large body of people. A portion of this assembly started out prepared to journey. We had heavily loaded wagons. As we journeyed, the road seemed to ascend. On one side of this road was a deep precipice; on the other was a high, smooth, white wall, like the hard finish upon plastered rooms. As we journeyed on, the road grew narrower and steeper. In some places it seemed so very narrow that we concluded that we could no longer travel with the loaded wagons. We then loosed them from the horses, took a portion of the luggage from the wagons and placed it upon the horses, and journeyed on horseback. As we progressed, the path still continued to grow narrow. We were obliged to press close to the wall, to save ourselves from falling off the narrow road down the steep precipice. As we did this, the luggage on the horses pressed against the wall and caused us to sway toward the precipice. We feared that we should fall and be dashed in pieces on the rocks. We then cut the luggage from the horses, and it fell over the precipice. We continued on horseback, greatly fearing, as we came to the narrower places in the road, that we should lose our balance and fall. At such times a hand seemed to take the bridle and guide us over the perilous way. As the path grew more narrow, we decided that we could no longer go with safety on horseback, and we left the horses and went on foot, in single file, one following in the footsteps of another. At this point small cords were let down from the top of the pure white wall; these we eagerly grasped, to aid us in keeping our balance upon the path. As we traveled, the cord moved along with us. The path finally became so narrow that we concluded that we could travel more safely without our shoes, so we slipped them from our feet and went on some distance without them. Soon it was decided that we could travel more safely without our stockings; these were removed, and we journeyed on with bare feet.

[One of the most interesting points of this dream is that several changes were made. They began with heavily loaded wagons, then changed to horses with a portion of the luggage, to horses with no luggage, to single file on foot, to removing their shoes, and finally to removing their stockings.]

The Cords of Faith

“We then thought of those who had not accustomed themselves to privations and hardships. Where were such now? They were not in the company. At every change some were left behind, and those only remained who had accustomed themselves to endure hardships. The privations of the way only made these more eager to press on to the end. Our danger of falling from the pathway increased. We pressed close to the white wall, yet could not place our feet fully upon the path, for it was too narrow. We then suspended nearly our whole weight upon the cords, exclaiming: ‘We have hold from above! We have hold from above!’ The same words were uttered by all the company in the narrow pathway. As we heard the sounds of mirth and revelry that seemed to come from the abyss below, we shuddered. We heard the profane oath, the vulgar jest, and low, vile songs. We heard the war song and the dance song. We heard instrumental music and loud laughter, mingled with cursing and cries of anguish and bitter wailing, and were more anxious than ever to keep upon the narrow, difficult pathway. Much of the time we were compelled to suspend our whole weight upon the cords, which increased in size as we progressed.

“I noticed that the beautiful white wall was stained with blood. It caused a feeling of regret to see the wall thus stained. This feeling, however, lasted but for a moment, as I soon thought that it was all as it should be. Those who are following after will know that others have passed the narrow, difficult way before them, and will conclude that if others were able to pursue their onward course, they can do the same. And as the blood shall be pressed from their aching feet, they will not faint with discouragement; but, seeing the blood upon the wall, they will know that others have endured the same pain.

Trusting Wholly Upon God

“At length we came to a large chasm, at which our path ended. There was nothing now to guide the feet, nothing upon which to rest them. Our whole reliance must be upon the cords, which had increased in size until they were as large as our bodies. Here we were for a time thrown into perplexity and distress. We inquired in fearful whispers: ‘To what is the cord attached?’ My husband was just before me. Large drops of sweat were falling from his brow, the veins in his neck and temples were increased to double their usual size, and suppressed, agonizing groans came from his lips. The sweat was dropping from my face, and I felt such anguish as I had never felt before. A fearful struggle was before us. Should we fail here, all the difficulties of our journey had been experienced for nought.

“Before us, on the other side of the chasm, was a beautiful field of green grass, about six inches high. I could not see the sun; but bright, soft beams of light, resembling fine gold and silver, were resting upon this field. Nothing I had seen upon earth could compare in beauty and glory with this field. But could we succeed in reaching it? was the anxious inquiry. Should the cord break, we must perish. Again, in whispered anguish the words were breathed: ‘What holds the cord?’ For a moment we hesitated to venture. Then we exclaimed: ‘Our only hope is to trust wholly to the cord. It has been our dependence all the difficult way. It will not fail us now.’ Still we were hesitating and distressed. The words were then spoken: ‘God holds the cord. We need not fear.’ These words were then repeated by those behind us, accompanied with: ‘He will not fail us now. He has brought us thus far in safety.’

“My husband then swung himself over the fearful abyss into the beautiful field beyond. I immediately followed. And, oh, what a sense of relief and gratitude to God we felt! I heard voices raised in triumphant praise to God. I was happy, perfectly happy.

“I awoke and found that from the anxiety I had experienced in passing over the difficult route, every nerve in my body seemed to be in a tremor. This dream needs no comment. It made such an impression upon my mind that probably every item in it will be vivid before me while my memory shall continue.” Testimonies, vol. 2, 594–597.

The light, friends, is moving. Are you keeping up with the providence of God? Are you aware that the road we are traveling is getting narrower? Have you noticed it? How are you going to stay on the path and keep up with the providence of God? The only way is to have faith. Those cords represent faith.

A few years ago a good friend of mine told me that he was sorry that I had worked so many years for the Adventist denomination and now had to give up all of my retirement benefits. Let me tell you, if you stay on the road all the way to the end, you are going to give up much more than your retirement benefits, but what is that compared with what you will gain?

Oh friends of mine, how much time are you spending in prayer? If you are energetic enough to get up and pray, God will hear and answer.

“Where there is no active labor for others, love wanes, and faith grows dim.” The Desire of Ages, 825. You must not only study your Bible and pray you must be actively involved in missionary work. If you are not, ask the Lord to show you what to do to become involved in some type of outreach program spreading the Third Angel’s Message.

When you come to this place in your experience, will you have a faith that will hold you? Do you want the Lord to let down a cord of faith today so that you can get a hold from above? If so, make a commitment that from this day forward, you will faithfully walk in the light as God sheds it upon your pathway.

Arise, Shine, Part II

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This article is taken from a sermon by Pastor Stephen Lewis. The coloquial phraseology was retained in the transcript.

In Acts 7, we read that Stephen was preaching with power. He was about to be killed, and he knows it, but it was alright because he was so filled with the power of God that he started giving the church their final cry. People in the crowd were being convicted. Saul was in the crowd watching, and he was convicted, brothers and sisters! Stephen was giving the church what you are getting today, a final warning, It is time to repent!

“When they heard these things, they were cut to the heart, and they gnashed on him with their teeth, but he, being full of the Holy Ghost, looked 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 7:54–6. When Jesus stood at this time it was a sign of probation closing on the children of Israel and that is why you see, from chapter 8 on, the gospel going to the Gentiles.

What does it mean? It means God has now closed probation on those who would not represent Him and now the gospel is given to the Gentiles to learn and to proclaim. But who went out and gave this final message? It was the remnant people, Peter and James and John. The Gentiles were not giving it. Paul was an Adventist; he was just a deluded Adventist. He had been brainwashed from some of the things he had learned in the seminary. I can hear you exclaiming, “Wait a minute, what are you saying?” I am saying what the prophet says, that is why Jesus had to take him to the desert for two or three years. He had to “unlearn” him, reorient his thinking, because the scholars had messed up his head.

Stephen’s Light Must be Our Light

The way Stephen was, we must be. In other words, when probation closes on this earth there will be physical signs on the people of God, and those who are rejecting God are going to see the physical sign on the people of God, but the people of God will not notice it on themselves.

Acts 6:15 tells us how Stephen looked. When they looked at Stephen at this point, his face was like a light. It was the same way that Moses’ face looked when he came down off the mount with the Ten Commandments, his face was so lit up that the people could not look upon him. They turned and they said, “Veil his face until he finishes talking to us, we cannot bear the light.” (See Exodus 34:29–35.) The light was the glory of God coming out of him. Stephen was so full of the Holy Spirit that the light in him became visible.

This is why people hate the Three Angel’s Message; this is why you do not see three angels everywhere on all of the Seventh-day Adventist papers anymore. This is why you do not see three angels hanging in front of many of the churches; and you do not see three angels clearly defined, because these three angels are a peculiar message that the Stephens of today must preach in order for the world to radiate Jesus. Notice what it says in Revelation 14:6: “And I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people.” He says every kindred, nation, and tongue. When you talk about kindreds, nations, tongues and people, that includes all of us, brothers and sisters.

And God says with a loud voice, “…Fear God, and give glory to Him; for the hour of His judgment is come:” Revelation 14:7. In other words, Satan is pointing at God; he is saying God’s law cannot be kept, and God is sitting on the witness stand and He’s saying, ” Wait a minute…” He is looking for somebody to point to who will have the glory of God in them. You see, brothers and sisters, when you fill yourself up with the Word of God and you surrender every earthly attribute to Jesus as He asks for it, eventually there will be a light that will come out of you! This light has been longed for in mankind!

Jesus is about to come and you can keep playing if you want to, but somebody is going to be ready when the light comes! Because the light must come before probation closes on the world and those who get the light will give the final cry to the world.

Going to Babylon

Let me tell you something. It does not phase me when I get cancelled from speaking appointments and when people start lying about me saying, “He is saying this and saying that,” because Satan is afraid of the Adventist message. I am not a biblical scholar, everything I preach comes straight out of the Spirit of Prophecy, and the old pillars, the pioneers. Ellen White said we should study the writings of our pioneers, not all these new books! (See Counsels to Writers and Editors, 28.) She says study, and she says study the writings of our pioneers. Why? Because they founded this movement. We are so far off now you can pick up anything in some of our bookstores—”Life of Billy Graham.” What does Billy know? T.D. Jakes loses a hundred pounds. So what? We do not need to go to Jakes! What is wrong with us?

What have we become as a people? How is it that rather than eat whole grain and get it first hand we are eating meat and getting it second hand? That is the same thing when you watch the gospel people who are taking the Spirit of Prophecy and preaching it to their first day congregations. It is an indictment to those of us who are trying to be like them! You will never hear this type of message in one of those churches. It is a clear ring when the trumpet is sounded and it is important that the trumpet be sounded and be unique. Why? Because ten days prior to the Day of Atonement there was a certain sound, and when that sound was blasted, the church knew that it was time to get ready! (See Leviticus 23:24.)

When we ring this sound through the world, with a high pitch of holy angels exploding it everywhere it goes, the world will be drawn to us. Our choirs cannot do what their choirs can do; we cannot do it. Our preachers cannot do what their preachers can do; we can practice, but we cannot do it. God will not allow it! We must win with truth and nothing but the truth! When you preach the truth and nothing but the truth, you can stutter it and people will be convicted. When the truth is preached, anyone can understand it.

Peter was sitting there. Jesus was looking around; He was saddened. Why? Because He was about to die. He said, “All of you are going to scatter; you are all going to leave when the Shepherd is smitten,” and Peter said, “No not me!” Jesus looked around the room; He is looking for a preacher, and He though, “Nobody will be there to rebuke him when he denies Me;” so He went to the animal kingdom and He caused the rooster to preach the Word! He gave Peter the ability to understand that tone, and he is rebuked, (See Mark 14:27–30.) When thee truth is preached, a donkey can do it! It has a different ring.

We have heretics in our church. We have something that the world does not have. Why are we trying to be like them? Why are we afraid of what people will think about us? Forget what they think; stand for the power of God!

Oh God of heaven! Please pour out Your Spirit! Please, dear God of heaven! Our people are lost! Please Lord, help us today. When there is a crusade, the people do not even see the need of being there. They do not even realize the promise of reaping what you sow. If they just go, they are going to reap someone else in their family by showing up to a meeting somewhere. They say, “I am too tired!” What are they really too tired of? God? Do not act like you are going home from church to pray. Do not act like you are going home to study. You are lost! If the gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost. You have no concern; it is just not easy to make a sacrifice for your own salvation. We are in trouble! Do you think Jesus is coming to the crusades? You say you love God, then why would you not want to be where He is?

God gave me a job to present the message. After I do that, I have done my part, but what about your part? What about you?

This is where we are spiritually; you cannot help yourself—you are lost! And you can get as mad as you want to get, but in the heat of your rage I want you to pull out a piece of paper and mark down how much time you spend with God every morning. I want you to mark down how much you read your Bible. I want you to mark down how much time you spend reading the Spirit of Prophecy. I want you to mark down the last time your heart was heavy and your eyes were wet with tears because you understood that a soul might be lost.

The Main Attraction in Town

It has been a long time, and yet God comes through for you every time. But it seems everything else we do is so much more important than these souls that Jesus left heaven to die for. The devil gives us a thousand excuses as to why we cannot do what is most important. The Holy Spirit, during the hours of a crusade, is the main attraction in your town! It is nowhere else except there, unless you are doing the same thing somewhere else. Even if you are at home praying, the main attraction is the meeting, because He said, “Go ye therefore!” (See Matthew 28:19.) It was God who spoke, brothers and sisters.

And here was Stephen; the light was glowing about him. Today, God is calling forth someone who will have that light. Jesus said the Son of man came to seek and to save that which was lost. What was lost? “And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and man became a living soul.” Genesis 2:7. Adam and Eve were clothed with the light of righteousness. (See Review and Herald, January 26, 1897.)

The same light that was around Stephen’s head; the same light that was around Moses, covered the whole bodies of Adam and Eve. That was their clothing! The minute they sinned it was like taking a bb gun and shooting a light bulb. The minute the bb hits the bulb, Boom! the light goes out. The Bible says “…the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked, and they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons.” Genesis 3:7.

Before sin, Adam had the ability to look into plant life and know exactly what was there. He could look at a flower and understand how the white would just melt into the red and yellow. He understood all nutritional value and everything that made up every piece of fruit. (See Christian Education, 207.) A fig leaf is a small leaf; there are a lot of leaves larger than a fig leaf that you can use to try to cover yourself. Why the fig leaf? Because figs have healing propensities. Figs are full of magnesium. Magnesium is used to make electricity. Adam was trying to light himself up again. He wanted to glow.

A works religion will not do, Adam. Adam was hoping, trying to spark the leaves and God said, “Adam? Where are you and your light project? Adam, what are you doing? Adam, where are you?” (See Genesis 3:9.)

Many of us are going to find ourselves scrambling and running when it is too late, trying to light ourselves up, trying to get what was lost. Jesus came, and after He died and resurrected, the light became available to everybody! “I am the light of the world; if you leave the world alone and grab onto Me, you will light up!” (See John 8:12.)

Do the Seventh-day Adventists have a message or what? This is not my message; this is in our books! This is what we used to get every single Sabbath and every Wednesday night. We would come to church all the time and when the church could not be open, we would be at each other’s houses, not just talking small talk and laughing as we eat and drink! We would be in the Word. Ellen White says that some of the socials of her day were all night prayer meetings. (See Manuscript Releases, vol. 5, 242.) People would get together and they would start praying and studying and praying and all of a sudden the glory of God would come into the house and they would be ‘slain in the Spirit;’ they would fall down. (See Spiritual Gifts, 27, 28; Christian Experience and Teachings, 130; Life Sketches, 261, 1888 and Life Sketches, 127, 1915; Manuscript Releases, vol. 5, 239.)

There were no drums, no tambourines, no bass guitar, none of that, just prayer and the Word. They did not even have electricity, but they had the light that the Holy Ghost brought.

Coming for His Bride

Look at how far we are. We are coming to the point where Jesus is going to see who really loves Him. Revelation 19:8 says that when Jesus gets ready to come, He is coming for a bride. If you know brides like I know them, before a bride walks down the aisle, everything has already been prepared—no more trying to get the dress fixed and the flowers ordered. No, no, no! The minute that door opens and that bride stands there with the veil over her face, it is done. When Jesus comes to get His bride, she is going to be dressed, according to Revelation 19:8, in fine, white linen. The Bible says that white linen is the righteousness of the saints, not the righteousness of Christ. You see, “You loved Me so much, and you rejected the things of this world every time I asked you to; and you took ridicule and suffering, and you sacrificed for Me so much that now it is not My righteousness anymore, I am giving it to you—it is yours!” And this is what is going to happen with the remnant first—they are going to have the light! And at that time, the Bible says in Isaiah 59:16, “And He saw that there was no man, and wondered that there was no intercessor…” Jesus has left the Most Holy Place—there is no intercessor!

That is why, if you look at Isaiah 59:1, 2 it gives a two fold message. It says God’s hand is not shortened, He is not slack, but it is your iniquities that have separated you.” Well, brothers and sisters, the time is going to come when God’s ear will not hear you because of your life style. Right now He will hear you no matter what your life is like, but the time will come when there will be no intercessor. “…therefore His arm brought salvation unto Him; and His righteousness, it sustained Him.” Isaiah 59:16. Christ had to stand without a mediator and His own righteousness had to sustain Him. He is going to give that to you! And even though it is His, He says, “No, it is yours; it will not leave. You are sealed now.”

At that time the remnant are going to go to the world with the mighty message. Now those who are not sealed are going to continue in their forms of worship. As a matter of fact, Mrs. White says that when probation closes on the church, Satan is going to cause them to really have a prayer meeting. The church is going to get serious all of a sudden. They are going to have time to pray and time to agonize, but she says, there is no more intercessor. (See Great Controversy, 614, 615.)

Notice what we are told is going to happen. “Arise, shine, for thy light is come, and the glory of the Lord is risen upon thee. For behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the people: but the Lord shall arise upon thee, and His glory shall be seen upon thee.” Isaiah 60:1.

Your Children Will be Saved

You are going to be bright, preaching with power, and it says, at that time “…the Gentiles shall come to thy light, and kings to the brightness of thy rising. Lift up thine eyes round about, and see all they gather themselves together, they come to thee: thy sons shall come from far, and thy daughters shall be nursed at thy side.” Ibid, 3, 4. Your children will be saved, if you just live right! Let the light come upon you! When you have the power, that light will draw people. Why? Because the light is Jesus and He says, “…if I be lifted up, I will draw all men unto Me.” John 12:32. “Then thou shalt see, and flow together, and thine heart shall fear, and be enlarged, because the abundance of the sea shall be converted unto thee, and the forces of the Gentiles shall come unto thee.” Isaiah 60:5.

God is going to draw people, if we let the light shine, but the light cannot shine with darkness. The light cannot work with Satan.

Ellen White says, “God does nothing in partnership with the devil.” (See Testimonies, vol. 4, 229; Ibid, vol. 5, 671.) Nothing! I want to share a vision with you, and I pray that the Father gives you understanding as you read.

Too Late, Too Late!

“Then I saw Jesus lay off His priestly attire and clothe Himself with His most kingly robes. Upon His head were many crowns, a crown within a crown. Surrounded by the angelic host, He left heaven. The plagues were falling upon the inhabitants of the earth. Some were denouncing God and cursing Him. Others rushed to the people of God and begged to be taught how they might escape His judgments. But the saints had nothing for them.…”

” When the saints, and all heaven, were interested for their salvation, they had no interest for themselves. Life and death had been set before them. Many desired life, but made no effort to obtain it. They did not choose life, and now there was no atoning blood to cleanse the guilty, no compassionate Saviour to plead for them, and cry, ‘Spare, spare the sinner a little longer.’ All heaven had united with Jesus, as they heard the fearful words, ‘It is done. It is finished.’ The plan of salvation had been accomplished, but few had chosen to accept it. And as mercy’s sweet voice died away, fear and horror seized the wicked. With terrible distinctness [around the world] they heard the words, ‘Too late! Too late!’

Can you imagine? Too late! Lord, I do not want to hear those words! With terrible distinctness, with all the other sounds in the world, they heard the words, “Too late.”

“Those who had not prized God’s Word were hurrying to and fro, wandering from sea to sea, and from the north to the east, to seek the Word of the Lord. Said the angel, ‘They shall not find it. There is a famine in the land; not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but for hearing the words of the Lord. What would they not give for one word of approval from God…!’”

What would they not give for just one word of approval from God. One more time God, but, it is ‘too late!’ When all heaven was interested, you were too caught up doing your own thing. Too late!

“Day after day have they slighted salvation, prizing earthly riches and earthly pleasure higher than any heavenly treasure or inducement. They have rejected Jesus and despised His saints. The filthy must remain filthy forever.

“Many of the wicked were greatly enraged as they suffered the effects of the plagues. It was a scene of fearful agony. Parents were bitterly reproaching their children, and children their parents, brothers their sisters, and sisters their brothers. Loud, wailing cries were heard in every direction,” [Look what was being said!] ‘It was you who kept me from receiving the truth which would have saved me from this awful hour.’ The people turned upon their ministers with bitter hate and reproached them, saying, ‘You have not warned us.’ Early Writings, 281, 282.

Those Who Know “The Truth” are condemned

When I first read this, I thought it was talking about the first day preachers! No! It was you who knew the truth, who decided to let our young people dance and party, rather than teach them that that type of music came from spiritualism, rather than tell them the truth, that demons come and that angels leave with that type of worship, no matter how sincere you are!

It was you, who kept calling our young people to federation after federation and congress after congress only to lift up Satanic music, with unconverted people standing up, showing off as they sing, shaking their hips back and forth. They do not have devotion, they do not know our message, and yet it was you who would not tell the young people the truth!

Oh, yes, it is going to be heard! Let me tell you something, we are sending our young people to hell! We are insulting our young people. We are acting like our young people cannot come together unless we let them act the fool!

Let us start talking to God. We need to look at our hearts right now. Ask God right now, “Do I really belong to You, Lord, or have I sold out to some crutch in my life?

I am not afraid to back up what I say about this music! I have all the Biblical stats, Spirit of Prophecy stats, scientific stats and historical stats. You have nothing but fluff! And I would be happy to gather all the young people, and anyone who thinks I am wrong, and sit down and talk about it. Nobody has been able to show me yet; it is easier to try to silence me. If you cannot stop the Truth, kill the messenger! But it will not work! If a rooster has to start crowing, it is going to crow, and you are going to understand it. If a donkey has to come, the Lord will send them running through the city— “Where did all these donkeys come from? And they are preaching the same thing!” How can a dumb stupid donkey preach the truth and a sensible human be stuck in error?

Right now we need to make a decision; we have looked into the past, and we must admit that we are unworthy, that we are sinners, that we love sin! But this day the light has come. Do you want that light to be breathed in you? Do you want it to shine out of you? Do you want to be trusted to take this final message to the world? Are you concerned with what God thinks, and not with what people think? Now is the time for salvation.

I See

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David the Psalmist says, “I will praise Thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvellous are Thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well.” Psalm 139:14. We are fearfully and wonderfully made, created by a God who is infinite in goodness.

One of the most wonderful gifts we have received is the ability to see. The eyes are a marvelous mystery to man. We cannot fully understand how they work.

Medical journals tell us about the eye: The photographic camera is patterned after it, but it is only a feeble approach to the eye itself. The sensitivity of the retina is adjusted to the intensity of the light, and the eye adjusts itself automatically to the varying amounts of light and to the distances near and far. It creates its own transparent skin to separate it from the outer world but to shut out no light. This covering will allow oxygen to pass through it and into the eye, but will not let it escape. It will allow carbon dioxide to escape, but will not allow it to enter. The eye imparts to the brain a perfect picture of everything in front of it with all of the vivid colors and teeming activities, and does it continuously so that the least motion is detected. These pictures are impressed upon the brain so vividly that the record of them remains as long as life lasts. The eye is an amazing thing!

The eye gives us the ability to see in color. God could have given us eyesight to see only in black and white. That would have been all right, but, oh, how much more wonderful is color! Color only comes by way of light. In other words, light produces color.

The Sight of Light

Is it necessary to have physical eyesight in this life to have physical life? Is eyesight necessary for spiritual life? The answer to both questions, interestingly enough, is that everyone who is blind is dependent upon those who see. This is true in the physical world as well as in the spiritual world.

What does God say is needful for us to have sight—physical sight or spiritual sight? “For with Thee is the fountain of life: in Thy light shall we see light.” Psalm 36:9. Light is necessary for sight.

What is God’s light that gives us sight? Psalm 119:105 tells us, “Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.” God’s Word, if we choose to believe it, is a light that gives us sight.

There is no sight in unbelief. Jesus said, “I am the Light of the world.” John 8:12. In John 1:14 we are told that “The word was made flesh, and dwelt among us.…Jesus, the Light of the world, came to give sight to those who know they are blind and who desire to see. “And Jesus said, For judgment I am come into this world, that they which see not might see; and that they which see might be made blind.” John 9:39.

There are some people who believe they can see when, in fact, they cannot. Jesus came to open the eyes of those who know that they are blind. Is it not wonderful that as you read through God’s Word, a picture builds before you of what is necessary for our salvation? God’s Word, indeed, is light to those who believe it.

What actually brings condemnation to mankind? “And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men love darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved.” John 3:19, 20.

Choosing Darkness

If we, and every human being in the world, are condemned at last, we will not be condemned because we chose darkness. We will be condemned because we did not choose the light. To reject light is to reject Him who is the light of the world. It does not get any simpler than that. The gospel is good news, because it is so simple that even the little ones can understand it, if it is rightly told to them.

Isaiah 59 gives us a tremendous description of how heaven looks at this world and what it sees. It is a description of our world in the dark. “Therefore is judgment far from us, neither doth justice overtake us: we wait for light, but behold obscurity; for brightness, but we walk in darkness. We grope for the wall like the blind, and we grope as if we had no eyes: we stumble at noonday as in the night; we are in desolate places as dead men.” Verses 9, 10.

That is a description of this world, spiritually speaking. It is a description of the world that lies in darkness; that is what sin brings. Sin shuts the light away. “We roar all like bears, and mourn sore like doves: we look for judgment, but there is none; for salvation, but it is far off from us. For our transgressions are multiplied before Thee, and our sins testify against us.…” Verses 11, 12.

Sin brings darkness. Darkness brings blindness. Blindness brings transgression. It is a cycle that continues from generation to generation to those who choose to love darkness rather than light.

When we combine Psalm 119:105, “Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path,” with John 17:17, “Sanctify them through Thy truth: Thy word is truth,” what we see is simply that God’s Word is light, that light equals truth, and that truth gives us sight into the reality of the eternal world.

Ah, to See!

This, too, is a cycle. It can be a cycle as much as sin, darkness, blindness are a cycle. We can choose to have light and truth and sight and reality. We can choose that because the gospel is an alternative to sin.

God has allowed the light of His grace to cover this world through the life and death of His Son, that He might bring the light to a darkened world. The gospel of Jesus Christ is light; it is salvation, and it is reality.

Psalm 34:8 tells us another truth about light. “O taste and see that the Lord is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in Him.” Spiritual sight is not a profession, it is an experience. You can have a profession and be blind. You can have an experience and see.

Tasting is trusting, believing the Word. When we believe the Word, the Word becomes light to us. Then we can see where God wants us to walk.

To be satisfied with a profession or a form of godliness is to choose blindness. Let us look at what the blindness of the leaders in Israel, in Jesus’ day, caused them to do.

Out of Focus

What did they do in their blindness? “Howbeit,” Jesus said, “in vain do they worship Me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.” “Making the Word of God of none effect through your tradition, which ye have delivered: and many such like things do ye.”
Mark 7:7, 13.

They put men’s laws in the place of God’s laws. Only blindness will do that! Only darkness would attempt to do such a thing. They put tradition above God’s Word. Spiritual blindness distorts our priorities and puts things totally out of focus.

“Woe unto you, ye blind guides, which say, Whosoever shall swear by the temple, it is nothing; but whosoever shall swear by the gold of the temple, he is a debtor! Ye fools and blind: for whether is greater, the gold, or the temple that sanctifieth the gold? And, Whosoever shall swear by the altar, it is nothing; but whosoever sweareth by the gift that is upon it, he is guilty. Ye fools and blind: for whether is greater, the gift, or the altar that sanctifieth the gift?” Matthew 23:16–19.

Did they have distortion in regard to their priorities? Oh, yes, they were totally out of focus, and yet they proclaimed themselves to be the children of God, the chosen of God, the light of the world, but their priorities were all upside down. Is it any different in our day?

What Possesses You?

In our day, among professed Christians, men are satisfied with a profession of truth rather than a possession of truth. You and I will never walk through one of those tall gates into the city of God without allowing the truth to possess us. You can hold this truth and walk around with the Bible that has all this light in it; you can put it in your mind; you can memorize it, but if it never gets to your heart, if it never possesses you, you are in the darkness. Possessing truth will take you from darkness into light.

Men today are satisfied with merely professing the truth, not allowing the truth to possess them. Men are satisfied with hearing God’s Word rather than doing it. They are satisfied with following religious leaders more than with following Jesus. That is a sad thing.

I do not care who the man is, he is not Jesus. One of the great distortions of our day is that we find Christians who profess the truth, who are defending a name and a church more than the truth. Is that a distortion of priority? Yes, it is. When we start compromising the truth, while defending an organization or a church, we are in darkness.

The Invitation

The message to Laodicea brings us up to date, as it were, because we are in the midst of the period of Laodicea. Laodicea has some serious priority problems. Laodicea has some serious eyesight problems. Jesus says to Laodicea, “Thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked.” Revelation 3:17.

Laodicea says, I can see. God says, You are blind. Whom are we to believe, our leaders or God, our own understanding or God’s understanding? Do we have needs? Yes, we have tremendous needs. The description says we are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked. Those are not complimentary statements. Yet, we are patting ourselves on the back for all the wonderful progress we think we have made in regard to the Three Angels’ Messages. Something is wrong with this picture.

Jesus gives a solution, because Jesus always has a solution. He has a solution for every problem that you and I have, no matter what sin it is. In verse 18 He says, “‘I counsel thee to buy of Me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich. And white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear. And anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see.’” You notice that He never forces us—He invites us. The gospel is an invitation from God in heaven who loves us supremely and who is looking out for only our best, our highest good. He will not force our choice, but He will counsel us. He will woo us because He loves us. The “gold tried in the fire” is faith that works by love in the midst of the fire, the fire of temptation, the fire of trial. The white raiment is the wonderful righteousness of Jesus. Truly, to receive Jesus is to receive His righteousness, and it is in receiving His righteousness, imputed and imparted, that we become like Him. His name alone will not save us. His name alone will not transform us, but His righteousness will. Jesus wants us to see—not in black and white, but in color, in reality—the things, that without faith, we cannot see.

Working In Harmony

What is the eyesalve that He wants to give us to help us see? It is His Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit gives us the ability to see. “Howbeit when He, the Spirit of truth, is come, He will guide you into all truth.…” John 16:13. We have learned that truth is God’s Word, and God’s Word is light. This truth is reality, reality from the heavens of light. So He leads us into all truth, “for He shall not speak of Himself; but whatsoever He shall hear, that shall He speak: and He will shew you things to come.” Ibid.

One–Two–Three

The Holy Spirit always works in harmony with God’s Word, with God’s truth. They always go together, always! John 16:8 tells us that God wants us, through His Holy Spirit, to see three things clearly. “And when He is come, He will reprove [convince] the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment.”

First God wants us to clearly see what is sin. We have already seen that sin brings darkness, darkness brings blindness, and blindness brings sin. God wants the Holy Spirit to show us sin so we can understand what sin is, because He does not want us to be blind. Does that mean that He is going to show us sin in everybody else? No. He wants to help each of us to see our own sin so we will not be blind.

The second thing the Holy Spirit is to help us see clearly is righteousness. How is God going to show that to us? By His Holy Spirit, by His Word, and by His truth.

If we are separating ourselves from those, we cannot expect to see clearly. Even if we pray for the Holy Spirit, if we are not bringing our minds into contact with God’s will, we will not see clearly. There is always balance in salvation.

The third thing God wants us to see clearly is the judgment. He wants us to see that we will have to give a personal account to Him of what we have done in this earth. He wants everybody to understand that it is a personal account. We are not saved in groups. We are not saved in families. We are saved as individuals, and we will be judged as individuals. He wants us to understand our personal responsibility to Him.

Receiving Sight

How can a person, who recognizes that they are spiritually blind, receive their sight? We have alluded to it in some degree, but I want you to notice a few things. Let us look at a man who was physically blind, and then healed, and see what we can learn in regard to spiritual healing of our blindness.

“And they came to Jericho: and as He went out of Jericho with His disciples and a great number of people, blind Bartimaeus, the son of Timaeus, sat by the highway side begging. And when he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out and say, Jesus, thou Son of David, have mercy on me. And many charged him that he should hold his peace: but he cried the more a great deal, Thou Son of David, have mercy on me. And Jesus stood still, and commanded him to be called. And they call the blind man, saying unto him, Be of good comfort, rise; He calleth thee. And he, casting away his garment, rose, and came to Jesus. And Jesus answered and said unto him, What wilt thou that I should do unto thee? The blind man said unto Him, Lord, that I might receive my sight. [I want to see. I want to see the color. I want to see what You made.] And Jesus said unto him, Go thy way; thy faith hath made thee whole.” Mark 10:46–52.

Immediately he began to see! Immediately! What did he do after he could see? He “followed Jesus in the way.” Verse 52.

Are You Blind?

What can we learn about spiritual blindness in the physical healing of Bartimaeus? One thing about Bartimaeus, he knew that he was blind. That is number one. We have to recognize that we are blind. We have to know we are sick before we seek a physician. We must know and recognize that we are spiritually blind, that we need help.

Number two, as he cried out to Jesus, he believed that Jesus could heal him. When he cried out, the people said, Shhhh, shhhh. Shhhh, keep it quiet; do you not understand this is a man of God? What did Bartimaeus do? He cried out all the more!

Bartimaeus was determined. He wanted to see, and he knew and believed in his heart that Jesus could heal him. Nothing anybody said could change that faith. He was determined, and we must be determined if we want to see, spiritually. We must show God that we do want to see and that when we receive our spiritual sight, we will follow Him.

Taking Responsibility

I want you to notice, also, that Bartimaeus was being personally responsible. He did not ask anybody else to go to Jesus for him. His faith was laying hold of the Great Healer, personally. It must be personal; there is no proxy salvation! My wife cannot stand in for me, and I cannot stand in for her. It is personal. If we are going to see, then we must address Him personally.

Jesus said unto him, “Go thy way.” I know that he obeyed that command. How do I know? Because he was healed. He obeyed the command because he believed the word spoken to him.

Do we, when we confess our sins before God and in our heart forsake those sins, believe God when He says, I forgive you? We can, because He does. He is a God who is faithful, a God of His Word.

Notice in verse 51, Bartimaeus comes to Jesus. Is it evident that this man is blind? Yes. What does Jesus ask him when he comes over to Him? “What wilt thou that I should do unto thee?” Why does Jesus ask such a question? Because He wants us to personally bring our needs to Him. He wants us to verbally tell Him what are our needs. Does He know what you need right now? Does He know your sickness? Yes, physical or spiritual, He knows all about you, but we are to come to Him by faith and let Him know our needs. That is the way that we regain our spiritual eyesight—just like Bartimaeus regained his physical eyesight.

Compromising the Light

Bartimaeus had spiritual eyesight before he regained his physical eyesight. We can have the same spiritual eyesight. God’s program does not change. He is not dealing with dispensational salvation. He does not do one thing one time and then say, this is how we are going to do it next time. It is always the same. He says, I never change. I am the same yesterday, today and forever. (See Malachi 3:6; Hebrews 13:8.) How He saved Abraham is how He is going to save you and me—if we believe and allow Him to give us sight to see, because no one is walking through the gates into the Holy City without spiritual eyesight.

The light, we have already seen, is the most important factor to give us sight. Light and sight go together. A warning is given about compromising the light. This warning deals with losing our sight and how that could happen. “Yielding to temptation begins in permitting the mind to waver, to be inconstant in your trust in God. If we do not choose to give ourselves fully to God then we are in darkness. When we make any reserve we are leaving open a door through which Satan can enter to lead us astray by his temptations. He knows that if he can obscure our vision, so that the eye of faith cannot see God, there will be no barrier against sin.” Thoughts from the Mount of Blessing, 92. So we can lose our spiritual eyesight by compromising the light.

Mark 8:22–25 shows us that God wants us to see clearly, not dimly. “And He cometh to Bethsaida; and they bring a blind man unto Him, and besought Him to touch him. And He took the blind man by the hand, and led him out of the town; and when He had spit on his eyes, and put His hands upon him, He asked him if he saw ought. And he looked up, and said, I see men as trees, walking. After that He put His hands again upon his eyes, and made him look up: and he was restored, and saw every man clearly.”

Through the Eyes of Jesus

That is what Jesus wants us to see. He wants us to see men clearly. He does not want us to see men as trees, as just objects to pass by. He wants us to see men in their needs, so we can be used of God to help them. It takes spiritual eyes to see men like that.

What will God’s people eventually see? “Look upon Zion, the city of our solemnities: thine eyes shall see Jerusalem a quiet habitation, a tabernacle that shall not be taken down; not one of the stakes thereof shall ever be removed, neither shall any of the cords thereof be broken.” Isaiah 33:20.

The New Jerusalem is a city that shall never pass away, never come to an end. It is a city that the redeemed shall some day see on the horizon as they approach it with Jesus. Can you see it on the horizon? We are told that there is One waiting in the city. When Jesus comes the second time, He comes with every angel from that city. There is only One person left there. It is God the Father, all alone, waiting, waiting, waiting for you. Only spiritual eyes will see that wonderful city some day. I want to have those eyes, because someday I want to see that city, and I do not want to see it from the outside in the second resurrection. I want to see the city on the inside, nevermore to leave.

I Shall See the King

Paul says, “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.” 1 Corinthians 2:9. But there is more to see! “Thine eyes shall see the king in His beauty: they shall behold the land that is very far off.”

Some day Jesus will be a reality to these human eyes. Some day, with our spiritual sight and His righteousness, we will be able not only to see the city but also to see the King. We are told in the inspired writings that some day Jesus is going to put a crown, personally, upon the head of every redeemed soul. (See The Spirit of Prophecy, vol. 4, 464.) That means you and me, if we choose to make our calling and election sure by allowing God to help us to see and to maintain our sight.

God would have us see clearly sin, righteousness, and judgment. May we each recognize our spiritual blindness and seek God’s healing hand.

Freedom to Choose

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“God never asks us to believe, without giving sufficient evidence upon which to base our faith. His existence, His character, the truthfulness of His word, are all established by testimony that appeals to our reason; and this testimony is abundant. Yet God has never removed the possibility of doubt. Our faith must rest upon evidence, not demonstration. Those who wish to doubt will have opportunity; while those who really desire to know the truth will find plenty of evidence on which to rest their faith.” Steps to Christ, 105.

“To those who refuse the precious rays of light which would illuminate the darkness, the mysteries of God’s word remain such forever. From them the truth is hidden. They walk blindly, and know not the ruin before them.” The Desire of Ages, 588.

You are Responsible

“God gives sufficient light and evidence to enable man to distinguish truth from error. But He does not force man to receive truth. He leaves him free to choose the good or to choose the evil. If man resists evidence that is sufficient to guide his judgment in the right direction, and chooses evil once, he will do this more readily the second time. The third time he will still more eagerly withdraw himself from God and choose to stand on the side of Satan. And in this course he will continue until he is confirmed in evil, and believes the lie he has cherished as truth. His resistance has produced its harvest (Manuscript 126, 1901).” “Ellen G. White Comments,” Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, vol. 6, 1112.

“The perception and appreciation of truth, He [Jesus] said, depends less upon the mind than upon the heart. Truth must be received into the soul; it claims the homage of the will. If truth could be submitted to the reason alone, pride would be no hindrance in the way of its reception. But it is to be received through the work of grace in the heart; and its reception depends upon the renunciation of every sin that the Spirit of God reveals.” The Desire of Ages, 455.

Light or Darkness

“And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved.” John 3:19, 20.

“The word of the Lord comes to us all who have not resisted His Spirit by determining not to hear and obey. This voice is heard in warnings, in counsels, in reproof. It is the Lord’s message of light to His people. If we wait for louder calls or better opportunities, the light may be withdrawn, and we left in darkness. . . .

“It pains me to say, my brethren, that your sinful neglect to walk in the light has enshrouded you in darkness. You may now be honest in not recognizing and obeying the light; the doubts you have entertained, your neglect to heed the requirements of God, have blinded your perception so that darkness is now to you light, and light is darkness. God has bidden you to go forward to perfection. Christianity is a religion of progress. Light from God is full and ample, waiting our demand upon it. Whatever blessings the Lord may give, He has an infinite supply beyond, an inexhaustible store from which we may draw. Skepticism may treat the sacred claims of the gospel with jests, scoffing, and denial. The spirit of worldliness may contaminate the many and control the few; the cause of God may hold its ground only by great exertion and continual sacrifice, yet it will triumph finally.” Selected Messages, Book 1, 28.

“Light makes manifest and reproves the errors that were concealed in darkness; and as light comes, the life and character of men must change correspondingly, to be in harmony with it. Sins that were once sins of ignorance, because of the blindness of the mind, can no more be indulged in without incurring guilt. As increased light is given, men must be reformed, elevated, and refined by it, or they will be more perverse and stubborn than before the light came.” Gospel Workers, 162.

“Many are the ways by which Satan works through human influence to bind his captives. He secures multitudes to himself by attaching them by the silken cords of affection to those who are enemies of the cross of Christ. Whatever this attachment may be, parental, filial, conjugal, or social, the effect is the same; the opposers of truth exert their power to control the conscience, and the souls held under their sway have not sufficient courage or independence to obey their own convictions of duty.

“The truth and the glory of God are inseparable; it is impossible for us, with the Bible within our reach, to honor God by erroneous opinions. Many claim that it matters not what one believes, if his life is only right. But the life is molded by the faith. If light and truth is within our reach, and we neglect to improve the privilege of hearing and seeing it, we virtually reject it; we are choosing darkness rather than light.

“‘There is a way that seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.’ Proverbs 16:25. Ignorance is no excuse for error or sin, when there is every opportunity to know the will of God.” The Great Controversy, 597, 598.

No Excuse

“By giving heed to the teachings of God’s word, men may rise from the lowest depths of ignorance and degradation to become sons of God, associates of sinless angels.” Review and Herald, August 19, 1884.

“He [Jesus] came in humility, in order that the humblest being upon the face of the earth could have no excuse because of his poverty or ignorance, and say, Because of these things I cannot obey the law of Jehovah. Christ clothed His divinity with humanity, that humanity might touch humanity; that He might live with humanity, and bear all the trials and afflictions of man. He was tempted in all points like as we are, yet without sin. In His humanity He understood all the temptations that will come to man.” Sermons and Talks, Book 2, 111, 112.

“Jesus is mighty to save his people from their sins. Light from heaven has illumined our pathway. Sin has been revealed to us by the word and the spirit of truth, that we may not be found transgressors of the divine precepts; and there is no opportunity to plead the excuse of ignorance. The command is, ‘Depart from iniquity.’ [11 Timothy 2:19.]” Review and Herald, March 27, 1888.

“The times of ignorance God winked at, but now, with the blazing light of truth shining all around us, with warnings, with reproofs, with increasing light if we will but open our eyes to see it, there is no excuse of any, even the weakest child of God, that they should not disperse light to the world. The four angels are holding the four winds that a special work may be accomplished: the saints of God are to be sealed in their foreheads. Brethren, how long before you will be ready for the seal of God? Every step you advance upon the path which God forbids, toward your own pleasure and in sin, is a step nearer your destruction. Every act of disobedience to the word of the Lord is exposing you to irreparable loss. Every moment of ease, of self-indulgence, secured by you in neglecting the divine admonitions and call to duty in earnest work for the Master, is placing you under the power and control of the prince of darkness.” Review and Herald, June 7, 1887.

Easily Entrapped

“Many are deceived today in the same way as were the Jews. Religious teachers read the Bible in the light of their own understanding and traditions; and the people do not search the Scriptures for themselves, and judge for themselves as to what is truth; but they yield up their judgment, and commit their souls to their leaders. The preaching and teaching of His word is one of the means that God has ordained for diffusing light; but we must bring every man’s teaching to the test of Scripture. Whoever will prayerfully study the Bible, desiring to know the truth, that he may obey it, will receive divine enlightenment. He will understand the Scriptures. ‘If any man willeth to do His will, he shall know of the teaching.’ John 7:17, R. V.” The Desire of Ages, 459.

“Notwithstanding the Bible is full of warnings against false teachers, many are ready thus to commit the keeping of their souls to the clergy. There are today thousands of professors of religion who can give no other reason for points of faith which they hold than that they were so instructed by their religious leaders. They pass by the Saviour’s teachings almost unnoticed, and place implicit confidence in the words of the ministers. But are ministers infallible? How can we trust our souls to their guidance unless we know from God’s word that they are light bearers? A lack of moral courage to step aside from the beaten track of the world leads many to follow in the steps of learned men; and by their reluctance to investigate for themselves, they are becoming hopelessly fastened in the chains of error. They see that the truth for this time is plainly brought to view in the Bible; and they feel the power of the Holy Spirit attending its proclamation; yet they allow the opposition of the clergy to turn them from the light. Though reason and conscience are convinced, these deluded souls dare not think differently from the minister; and their individual judgment, their eternal interests, are sacrificed to the unbelief, the pride and prejudice, of another.” The Great Controversy, 596.

“Those to whom the message of truth is spoken seldom ask, ‘Is it true?’ but, ‘By whom is it advocated?’ Multitudes estimate it by the numbers who accept it; and the question is still asked, ‘Have any of the learned men or religious leaders believed?’ Men are no more favorable to real godliness now than in the days of Christ. They are just as intently seeking earthly good, to the neglect of eternal riches; and it is not an argument against the truth, that large numbers are not ready to accept it, or that it is not received by the world’s great men, or even by the religious leaders.” The Desire of Ages, 459, 460.

Accept or Reject Christ

“The prophets of God were hated by apostate Israel because through them their hidden sins were brought to light. Ahab regarded Elijah as his enemy because the prophet was faithful to rebuke the king’s secret iniquities. So today the servant of Christ, the reprover of sin, meets with scorn and rebuffs. Bible truth, the religion of Christ, struggles against a strong current of moral impurity. Prejudice is even stronger in the hearts of men now than in Christ’s day. Christ did not fulfill men’s expectations; His life was a rebuke to their sins, and they rejected Him. So now the truth of God’s word does not harmonize with men’s practices and their natural inclination, and thousands reject its light. Men prompted by Satan cast doubt upon God’s word, and choose to exercise their independent judgment. They choose darkness rather than light, but they do it at the peril of their souls. Those who caviled at the words of Christ, found ever-increased cause for cavil, until they turned from the Truth and the Life. So it is now. God does not propose to remove every objection which the carnal heart may bring against His truth. To those who refuse the precious rays of light which would illuminate the darkness, the mysteries of God’s word remain such forever. From them the truth is hidden. They walk blindly, and know not the ruin before them.

“Christ overlooked the world and all ages from the height of Olivet; and His words are applicable to every soul who slights the pleadings of divine mercy. Scorner of His love, He addresses you today. It is ‘thou, even thou,’ who shouldest know the things that belong to thy peace. Christ is shedding bitter tears for you, who have no tears to shed for yourself. Already that fatal hardness of heart which destroyed the Pharisees is manifest in you. And every evidence of the grace of God, every ray of divine light, is either melting and subduing the soul, or confirming it in hopeless impenitence.

“Christ foresaw that Jerusalem would remain obdurate and impenitent; yet all the guilt, all the consequences of rejected mercy, lay at her own door. Thus it will be with every soul who is following the same course. The Lord declares, ‘O Israel, thou hast destroyed thyself.’ ‘Hear, O earth: behold, I will bring evil upon this people, even the fruit of their thoughts, because they have not hearkened unto My words, nor to My law, but rejected it.’ Hosea 13:9; Jeremiah 6:19.” The Desire of Ages, 587, 588.

Out of the Darkness of Error

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For while one saith, I am of Paul; and another, I [am] of Apollos; are ye not carnal? Who then is Paul, and who [is] Apollos, but ministers by whom ye believed, even as the Lord gave to every man? I have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase. So then neither is he that planteth any thing, neither he that watereth; but God that giveth the increase. Now he that planteth and he that watereth are one: and every man shall receive his own reward according to his own labour. For we are labourers together with God: ye are God’s husbandry, [ye are] God’s building. According to the grace of God which is given unto me, as a wise masterbuilder, I have laid the foundation, and another buildeth thereon. But let every man take heed how he buildeth thereupon.” 1 Corinthians 3:4–10.

In the Corinthian church, they were having a bit of a controversy. Paul had raised up the church at Corinth; he had evangelized and started a church. Apollos was chosen by the church to do follow-up work by continuing to sow seeds and to water, or nurture, the church. Some church members were claiming to be of Paul and others were claiming to be of Apollos. Paul said, “You are yet carnal.” Paul was trying to make it very clear to the Corinthian church that no matter who did the sowing of the seed, all people are under the control of God. He said they were still carnal, because they were still looking to man.

Paul had sown seeds; Apollos had sown seeds, but the One that gave the increase, the One that transformed the characters of the Corinthian believers was God. It was His grace, shed in their hearts, that made that transformation. Not one soul will be converted unless the Holy Spirit is working on their heart, and that is what Paul is trying to get across to the brethren in Corinth.

Under God’s Control

Paul goes over the principle, time and again, that we do not own ourselves. We are only under the control of God. “For we are labourers together with God: ye are God’s husbandry, [ye are] God’s building.” We need to understand that when God sheds light upon our paths we are then made stewards of the truth that God has given us. Paul states, “Let a man so account of us, as of the ministers of Christ, and stewards of the mysteries of God.” 1 Corinthians 4:1. If God has worked within us, we are then made stewards of what He has done for us. We are made stewards to share it with other people “. . . according to the grace of God which is given unto me . . . .” When God gives us something, He then makes us stewards over that, and we will be held accountable in the Day of Judgment for what He has given us. What a precious opportunity God has given us to become laborers with Him, but what a weighty responsibility! The grace and the truth that He has given us make us want to become laborers together with Him, to sow the seeds of truth.

We are told, in 1 Corinthians 3:9, that we are God’s husbandry, or farmer. A farmer tills the ground, preparing it for planting; then he plants and waters. Those tasks are also our responsibility. We are to go out and sow the seeds of truth that God has given us.

God’s Building

In the verses given above, Paul was talking about our work, about the foundation that we lay, and upon what it is laid—whether earthly possessions such as gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, or stubble. These texts are useful when studying health principles with people: “Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and [that] the Spirit of God dwelleth in you? If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which [temple] ye are.” Verses 16, 17. The context in which Paul was speaking is our work. How can we defile our soul temples, our bodies, where God’s Spirit is to dwell? We defile it by not sowing seeds of truth, by locking up all of the grace and all of the truth inside, and not giving it to other people.

Think of the responsibility that we have, with all of the truth that we have been given. We can be like the Laodiceans, rich and increased with goods and feeling we are in need of nothing, not even knowing that we are poor, blind, and naked. We do not even understand our true condition. Keep these texts in mind—your body is God’s building.

Glorify God

Again Paul shows that God possesses us. “What? Know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost [which is] in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?” We do not own ourselves; God owns us by creation and by redemption. “For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.” 1 Corinthians 6:19, 20.

Consider Jesus for a moment. How did He glorify His Father? “And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent. I have glorified thee on the earth: I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do.” John 17:3, 4. Paul was telling the Corin-thians that they had accepted another Jesus. People can know some type of Jesus, but it does not mean that they know the only true God and Jesus Christ whom He sent. In Acts 4:13, it says that “they took knowledge of them [the disciples], that they had been with Jesus.” By their very acts, their words, and by the expressions on their faces, the people knew that they had been with Jesus. They were showing the true Jesus to the world through their characters because of what God had done for them in their lives. So Jesus says, “This is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent. I have glorified thee on the earth: I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do.”

A Work

The time of this statement was right before Jesus went to the cross. What work is it that He had finished? John 17:8 tells us, “For I have given unto them the words which thou gavest me; and they have received [them], and have known surely that I came out from thee, and they have believed that thou didst send me.”

At the end of your life, can you say with Jesus, “I have finished the work that You have given me to do; I have done everything in my power to spread the gospel, to reflect Your character; I have done everything, by God’s grace, by the grace that has been given me; to reflect Your character and glorify Your name, and I have also spread the gospel truth”?

Live the Truth

If this is Jesus’ work, what is our work? “Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth. As thou hast sent me into the world, even so have I also sent them into the world. And for their sakes I sanctify myself, that they also might be sanctified through the truth. Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word.” John 17:17–20. This is our responsibility as a church. Jesus has given us a commission that we give to others the words that have been given to us. What a responsibility we have of sharing this truth! Jesus said that we have to be sanctified through the truth in order for that truth to have any effect when we give it to other people. It has to be a living reality in our lives; we have to be living it out every day, because the truth that we give to others will have no power if we are not living it ourselves.

“That they all may be one; as thou, Father, [art] in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me.” Verse 21.

Do you know what the world is looking for today? An unbeliever told me that they are looking for some people who live out the truth. There is nothing this world needs more today than a manifestation of the love of God in those who are claiming to be His people. We need to pray, asking the Lord to fill us with that kind of love. We must be living out that truth in our lives, sanctified by the truth that we know, or it will not do a bit of good, because we will be holding the truth in unrighteousness.

People in the world are looking at us, watching us. Paul says we are epistles known and read of all men. (11 Corinthians 3:2.) Are they taking knowledge that we have been with Jesus? Have we spent time with Him on our knees? The truth that we read every day—are we living it out in our lives? That is what the world wants to see.

From Darkness into Light

“Every truly converted soul will be intensely desirous to bring others from the darkness of error into the marvelous light of the righteousness of Jesus Christ.” Review and Herald, July 21, 1896.

That is a wonderful quote, but it is a hard one, because it shows whether or not we are truly converted. We have to ask ourselves, “Am I truly converted to the Lord, or am I connected to the vine but have no vital fluid running through it to bear fruit?” How do we know? If we are truly converted, we will be intensely desirous to bring others out of the darkness of error into the righteousness of Christ. This will take a searching of heart.

When I first came to the Lord, I could not help but share with others. I could not help it! I did not care who they were, what was their status, or what they looked like—I wanted to share with them! Why? Because I knew what God had done for me in my life. I have to ask myself if I am as intensely desirous now as I was then. Has that intensity lessened, or has it grown greater? It should grow day by day so that every truly converted soul will be intensely desirous of bringing others out from the darkness of error into the marvelous light of the righteousness of Christ.

Mrs. White continues: “The great outpouring of the Spirit of God, which lightens the whole earth with His glory . . .” Do you remember what His glory is? It is His character. It is going to be fully exhibited in His people, and it will fill the whole earth. That is what people are waiting for today—a people who will shine forth with the light of truth that will lighten the entire earth. “. . . His glory will not come until we have an enlightened people, that know by experience what it means to be laborers together with God.” Ibid.

Waiting for the Latter Rain

Do we have an experience of bringing souls out of darkness? We can all say that we are waiting for the Latter Rain, and we can say that we want it, but it will not come unless we have an enlightened people that know by experience what it means to be laborers with God. First of all, we need to be converted, and if we are converted, we will be intensely desirous of bringing others out of the darkness. We will do that by leading them step by step out of darkness into His marvelous light through God’s Word. It will not come, however, unless our people are enlightened and are sharing in the experience of bringing others out of darkness.

“When we have entire, whole-hearted consecration to the service of Christ, God will recognize the fact by an outpouring of his Spirit without measure; but this will not be while the largest portion of the church are not laborers together with God.” Ibid.

If we have that burden for souls, we will start bringing people out of the darkness of error into the marvelous light of Christ. What a responsibility we have! “God cannot pour out His Spirit when selfishness and self-indulgence are so manifest; when a spirit prevails that, if put into words, would express that answer of Cain—‘Am I my brother’s keeper?’ (Genesis 4:9).” Ye Shall Receive Power, 310. We can labor all we want, we can pass out literature and do all of the things that God wants us to do, but we must ask ourselves, “Am I truly converted? Am I intensely desirous for souls? Does selfishness and self-indulgence defile the soul temple?” It most certainly will, because “if the truth for this time, if the signs that are thickening on every hand, that testify that the end of all things is at hand, are not sufficient to arouse the sleeping energy of those who profess to know the truth, then darkness proportionate to the light which has been shining will overtake these souls.” Ibid.

Where are we?

Are we at the end of time? The signs are definitely thickening around us, and they should arouse the sleeping energies. We can become so accustomed to disasters and everything else that they just become a part of life, but we need
to look at these occurrences in a different light. We need to be thinking about the fact that Jesus is coming soon. Do we have selfishness and self-indulgence manifested in our lives? Have we backslidden a little bit? Are we still as intensely desirous of sharing God’s truth as when we first came to the Lord?

If we do not share the light that has shown upon our pathways, it is going to go out in darkness. Jesus said, in Luke 8:16–18, that if we have hidden our light under a bushel, it will go out, and it will be taken from us. “There is not the semblance of an excuse for their indifference that they will be able to present to God in the great day of final reckoning. There will be no reason to offer as to why they did not live and walk and work in the light of the sacred truth of the Word of God, and thus reveal to a sin-darkened world, through their conduct, their sympathy, and their zeal, that the power and reality of the gospel could not be controverted.” Ibid.

My Prayer

I pray that we can have a true experience and true conversion in the Lord every day, and that the love that has been implanted in our hearts by God will be a well of water, springing up into everlasting life for those weary people in this world who are suffering under the bondage of sin. We can have this experience, and I pray that as we look back to our beginnings with the Lord, we will ask ourselves, “Am I as intensely desirous now as I was then?”

I pray that we each may have this experience, so we can have the out-pouring of the Latter Rain power to finish the work and go home. Are you not sick of this world? The signs are thickening around us, so let us work, for the night is coming when no one is going to be able to work. Let us not hear the words from our neighbors, “You knew these things and you did not tell us.” (See John 9:4; Review and Herald, August 15, 1907.) What excuse are we going to give in the day of final reckoning? Are we going to say, “Oh, yes, I could have given them a book, but I was too afraid of what they would think about me; I was afraid I would offend them; I was afraid I would not have good relations with them”? Friends, it is better that we tell them now than at that time when it will be too late.

“God has appointed His children to give light to others, and if they fail to do it, and souls are left in the darkness of error because of their failure to do that which they might have done, had they been vitalized by the Holy Spirit, they will be accountable to God. We have been called out of darkness into His marvelous light, in order that we may show forth the praises of Christ.” Review and Herald, December 12, 1893.

Mike Bauler pastors the Historic Message Church in Portland, Oregon. He may be contacted by e-mail at: mbauler@molalla.net.

A Finished Work – The Power

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In this series, we have been studying about a finished work as typified in the conquest of Canaan. We have seen the challenge of a finished work [December 2005] that still lies before us today. We reviewed the method of a finished work [January 2006], and the need to explicitly follow God’s directions. We studied the march of a finished work [April 2006], and the need to march in unity if the work is going to be finished today. We have to march shoulder to shoulder.

A Mindset

John 4 is a very instructive passage of Scripture. In fact, Ellen White tells us that this is the most important discourse that Jesus gave. (See Testimonies, vol. 3, 217.) So this is a very important passage for us to study.

In John 4:3–6, 8, we read where Jesus had come to Jacob’s well, and He was weary. Jesus and His companions had been traveling almost all of the morning, and He was tired from the journey. Not only was He tired, but, apparently, He was also hungry, because the disciples had gone away into the city to buy food. As Jesus was resting there by the well, a woman came. This Samaritan woman, who was probably looking the other way, was just going to draw water and go on her way, but Jesus spoke to her, asking a favor of this woman. Throughout the course of the conversation, Jesus was able to turn a common, casual conversation into spiritual truth and led her to make a decision. It seems this took just a matter of five or ten minutes. The woman went away, but Jesus knew where she was going. She was going to tell the entire city that she had found the Messiah, the Christ, the Anointed One. (Verses 7, 9–26, 28, 29.)

The disciples returned with food and urged Him to eat, but Jesus was thinking about this woman who had just made a decision. He was thinking about the people of the city that were on their way to meet Him right then, and He said, “I have meat to eat that ye know not of. . . . My meat is to do the will of him that sent me, and to finish his work.” Verses 32, 34.

Jesus, by faith, saw a finished work in the example of this Samaritan woman and the Samaritan town. He said, “Even though I am tired, even though I am hungry, I have forgotten all about it by looking at a finished work.”

Is a finished work so much our desire that even if we have walked many hours, and we are weary and hungry, we will say, “You know, I do not even want to eat, because I am thinking about the work being finished”?

This was Jesus’ mindset. A finished work was His goal, and this must be the goal set before us as well. We must always remember what the goal is toward which we are marching.

By God’s Power

The children of Israel had come to the borders of the Promised Land, and God had given them the explicit direction, “March into the Jordan.” (Joshua 3.) They followed those explicit directions from the Captain of the Host.

Would they have been effectual without God’s power being displayed? Absolutely not. If God’s power had not been manifested for them as they marched into the Jordan, they would have been drowned. They would have been carried away by the torrent. But at the very moment the feet of the priests bearing the Ark of the Covenant stepped into the Jordan, the Jordan stopped. By God’s power the Jordan was stopped.

The directions next given were that they were to march around Jericho. Could all of their marching have conquered that city? No, not without the power of God. Without the display of God’s power in tearing down the walls of Jericho, Canaan would have never been conquered. Following the directions of God was not enough; they had to rely solely upon the power of God.

I do not know how the walls came down. I imagine that angels tore them down, or maybe the Lord used sound waves as the people shouted, or an earthquake. Although I do not know exactly how it happened, I do believe it was a miracle that the walls came down, and that the city was surrounded and conquered without a fight.

We must always remember, in our work today, that if the work is going to be finished, it is through God’s power alone that it will be finished—just as it was God’s power alone that conquered Canaan.

We could give Bible studies to every single person in this world, but would that alone be enough? No, that alone would not be enough. We could give literature to every single person in the world, but would that alone be enough? No. We could give everyone a massage, or something recommended by the health message, but would that alone be enough? As important as this is and as much as we need to be doing that, we must realize that we are but clay. We are but dust and ashes. It does not matter what we do; without the power of God directing and supporting our efforts, the work will not be finished.

The Gospel Commission

“Then opened he their understanding, that they might understand the scriptures, And said unto them, Thus it is written, and thus it behoved Christ to suffer, and to rise from the dead the third day: And that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. And ye are witnesses of these things. And, behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you: but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from on high.” Luke 24:45–49.

These are the last words, recorded in the gospel of Luke, which Jesus spoke to His disciples. Were the disciples given a big work? Oh, yes! Jesus said, “This gospel of repentance and remission of sins is going to be preached in all nations, beginning in Jerusalem.” He gave to them what we call the Great Commission.

Did Jesus tell them to start right then? I do not know about you, but that would be my temperament; I would want to start immediately, but Jesus said, “Tarry until you are endued with power from on high.”

How much more do we need that power from on high in our work today? Ellen White wrote: “Those who today believe in Christ, need more than Pentecostal power, inasmuch as He has given them a large, open field in which to work.” The Ellen G. White 1888 Materials, vol. 4, 1793. The disciples needed the power of Pentecost, but today, as the challenges have grown greater and the giants have grown taller, we need more than Pentecostal power.

Our Need

“The work ought to have moved forward with a hundredfold more power than it has.” Manuscript Releases, vol. 18, 144. Ellen White said that not just do we need more than Pentecostal power, but our work should have been moving forward with a hundred times more power.

If that was true then, do you think it is true today? We might even need 200 times more power today. But in everything we can do, as important as it is, we must realize that without God’s power being displayed, not even one soul is going to be converted. There might be some that accept the message, there might be some that are baptized, but without God’s power truly working, not one soul will be converted. I do not just want baptisms; I want conversions!

God’s Promise

God has promised that the Pentecostal power is going to come. Oh, how I look forward to that time! The Old Testament prophets are full of promises about the power that is going to accompany the work. Those prophecies were given as God desired to do the work through the nation of Israel, but because of their rejection of God’s plans and of His Son, those promises could not be fulfilled.

Ellen White gives many statements describing the power of God that is going to come in the latter rain. She states that, “There will be thousands converted to the truth in a day, who at the eleventh hour see and acknowledge the truth and the movements of the Spirit of God.” The Ellen G. White 1888 Materials, vol. 2, 754.

“Let the full light of His life stream into the souls of those who are in darkness. Under the direct power of the gospel thousands have been converted in a day.” Colporteur Ministry, 153. Not only are thousands going to be converted, but thousands are going to step into the light and become eleventh hour workers!

Quoting the promise in Amos 9:13 about the harvester overtaking the planter— “Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that the plowman shall overtake the reaper, and the treader of grapes him that soweth seed”—Mrs. White says: “These conversions to truth will be made with a rapidity that will surprise the church, and God’s name alone will be glorified.” Selected Messages, Book 2, 16. Do you want to be surprised? I want to be surprised. I studied for a year and a half before I was baptized. I want to see conversions come with such rapidity that I am surprised at how quickly they occur.

A Greater Power

Speaking of the Day of Pentecost, Ellen White tells us, “These scenes are to be repeated, and with greater power. The outpouring of the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost was the former rain, but the latter rain will be more abundant.” Christ’s Object Lessons, 121. More abundant than Pentecost! How often were believers added to the church after Pentecost? Daily! “And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved.” Acts 2:47.

This is going to happen again with even more power than then. There are going to be conversions—not just every year or every few months, but daily. Ellen White says, “The power which stirred the people so mightily in the 1844 movement will again be revealed. The third angel’s message will go forth, not in whispered tones, but with a loud voice.” Testimonies, vol. 5, 252.

Every City

“During the loud cry, the church, aided by the providential interpositions of her exalted Lord, will diffuse the knowledge of salvation so abundantly that light will be communicated to every city and town. The earth will be filled with the knowledge of salvation. So abundantly will the renewing Spirit of God have crowned with success the intensely active agencies, that the light of present truth will be seen flashing everywhere.” Review and Herald, October 13, 1904.

“In the visions of the night a very impressive scene passed before me [Ellen White]. I saw an immense ball of fire fall among some beautiful mansions, causing their instant destruction. I heard someone say: ‘We knew that the judgments of God were coming upon the earth, but we did not know that they would come so soon.’ Others, with agonized voices, said: ‘You knew! Why then did you not tell us? We did not know.’ On every side I heard similar words of reproach spoken.

“In great distress I awoke. I went to sleep again, and I seemed to be in a large gathering. One of authority was addressing the company, before whom was spread out a map of the world. He said that the map pictured God’s vineyard, which must be cultivated. As light from heaven shone upon anyone, that one was to reflect the light to others. Lights were to be kindled in many places, and from these lights still other lights were to be kindled.

“The words were repeated: ‘Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savor, wherewith shall it be salted? it is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden underfoot of men. Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid. Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.’ Matthew 5:13–16.

“I saw jets of light shining from cities and villages, and from the high places and the low places of the earth. God’s word was obeyed, and as a result there were memorials for Him in every city and village. His truth was proclaimed throughout the world.” Testimonies, vol. 9, 28, 29.

We do not have memorials to God in every city and village today, but this is a promise. When God’s power takes hold of the church, there will be memorials to Him in every city and village.

Message Carried

“Servants of God, with their faces lighted up and shining with holy consecration, will hasten from place to place to proclaim the message from heaven. By thousands of voices, all over the earth, the warning will be given. . . .

“The message will be carried not so much by argument as by the deep conviction of the Spirit of God.” The Great Controversy, 612.

The arguments will have been presented. The people have received the literature. They have been given Bible studies. They have attended the evangelistic meetings. They have heard or experienced whatever method brought them the truth of the gospel, and when God’s power is poured out in the latter rain, they will be convicted and take their stand.

Preparation for that Day

Do you want to see that day? Oh, how I long to see that day! We must work and do everything we can right now, but we need to keep our eyes on the time when God’s power is going to be poured out. We must be preparing for that event.

“I know that a work must be done for the people, or many will not be prepared to receive the light of the angel sent down from heaven to lighten the whole earth with his glory. Do not think that you will be found as vessels unto honor in the time of the latter rain, to receive the glory of God, if you are lifting up your souls unto vanity, speaking perverse things, in secret cherishing roots of bitterness. The frown of God will certainly be upon every soul who cherishes and nurtures these roots of dissension and possesses a spirit so unlike the spirit of Christ.” Testimonies to Ministers and Gospel Workers, 468, 469.

A work must be done for us. We are not ready for God’s power to be poured out most fully. If God’s power, His Spirit, was poured out and we still had a vestige of pride or selfishness in our hearts, we would be saying, “Look at what we are doing.”

God wants to give us His Spirit, His power, but He cannot do it until a work is done for us.

Moving Forward

“The work that God has begun in the human heart in giving His light and knowledge must be continually going forward. Every individual must realize his own necessity. The heart must be emptied of every defilement and cleansed for the indwelling of the Spirit. It was by the confession and forsaking of sin, by earnest prayer and consecration of themselves to God, that the early disciples prepared for the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on the Day of Pentecost. The same work, only in greater degree, must be done now. Then the human agent had only to ask for the blessing, and wait for the Lord to perfect the work concerning him. It is God who began the work, and He will finish His work, making man complete in Jesus Christ. But there must be no neglect of the grace represented by the former rain. Only those who are living up to the light they have will receive greater light. Unless we are daily advancing in the exemplification of the active Christian virtues, we shall not recognize the manifestations of the Holy Spirit in the latter rain. It may be falling on hearts all around us, but we shall not discern or receive it.” Ibid., 507.

God’s power is going to be displayed again. We have a work to do, not just in this world, but also in our hearts. When we individually take hold of that work, when we individually are cleansed from every defilement, God is going to give us more and more of His power, until the third angel’s message swells into the loud cry. The knowledge of truth will then be diffused to every land and city and village.

One Family

In the Democratic Republic of Congo, one family moved to a “dark area”—an area void of Seventh-day Adventist Christians. One family, not a whole team of workers, moved there, and within three or four years, I visited the church and the congregation that they had built up. A church of over 100 members had been raised up in those few years!

Now we may say, “That is Africa. They realize their need more.” This is true; it is Africa, but when this family moved to the “dark area,” they learned that the Baptist Church leaders had warned the entire community against them. There was so much prejudice that the local residents would not even look them in the eye or shake their hands.

The father of this family needed to go on a mission one day, and he enlisted the assistance of two young men to go with him. They were to carry some of his things. He later learned that the purpose they had in accompanying him was so they could throw his things by the roadside and return to the village. Those two men are converted now.

From the prejudice, God was able to do a work with just one family. And the work did not stop there, because they put up a sign beside the road that said, “Independent Seventh-day Adventist Church.” This is a major road. Perhaps five to ten vehicles go by the sign in a day, but that is a major road in this part of the country. Perhaps I should clarify that these vehicles are trucks—the equivalent of a grain truck—with about 40 people riding on the top, ten feet up off the ground! As people from the surrounding area traveled this road, they would see the sign, and some of them would stop to find out more information.

This family began to minister to the people there. One lady requested prayer, so they walked the six or eight miles to her village during the night. They prayed all night for her, then walked back to their home the next morning. Then a man was healed through their efforts, and the entire village opened to them. A church was planted there. The Baptist minister became a leader in that church.

The good news of the gospel began to spread, and when I visited there, four churches had been raised up, from one family that had moved to this “dark area.” Within five months of my visit, six more groups of worshippers were meeting every Sabbath and studying for baptism. In one village, 300 to 400 people were interested in studying the message.

God’s Power Displayed

God’s power is certainly being displayed! While visiting there, I talked to people who had been fetish priests; that is like being witch doctors. They had been converted and had given up their livelihood to accept the Lord and to follow His truth. That is the greatest power of God being displayed!

I also talked to a man who was a sorcerer. He said he had been guilty of killing people through his trade. Through this one family, he accepted Christ as his Saviour.

Many other lives are being changed, displaying evidence of the power of God. All this because one family was willing to enter into a “dark area,” and in just a few years, God was able to do a mighty work.

Used of God

God wants to use our families. Do we want to be used by Him? Do we want God’s power to be displayed through us? Do we want to be that channel? Maybe we are only one family in an area, but as we consecrate ourselves to God and as we seek for power from on high, He can do with us just as He is doing in Africa.

Are we willing to comply with the conditions? Are we willing to seek that power? Are we willing to tarry in Jerusalem? Are we willing, as were the disciples? It took them ten days of repenting and of confessing, ten days of humbling their hearts before God and seeking that their lives might be right with Him, ten days to be cleansed of every defilement before God could pour the Holy Spirit upon them.

The same work, only in a greater degree, must be done today. I want to see that time when thousands are converted in a day. I want to see that time when the knowledge of truth and of salvation is spread so abundantly that it goes to every city and village in this world. I want to see the time when there is more than Pentecostal power. I want to see the time when the message is carried not so much by argument, but by the power of His Spirit.

If we are going to see the time of the latter rain, we must individually be doing the work that the disciples did. Are you willing to do it? Pray that the Lord will make us each willing, that we might receive that power from on high.

Link to the next article in this series…

Cody Francis is currently engaged in public evangelism for Mission Projects International. He also pastors the Remnant Church of Seventh-day Adventist Believers in Renton, Washington. He may be contacted by e-mail at: cody@missionspro.org.

Watchmen Unto the House of Israel, Part I

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A parable is told in a book written by a prominent Seventh-day Adventist Church historian. He states that the church is like unto a fat woman returning from a shopping spree. My mind’s eye grapples with a woman as a beast, sweating profusely, with arms full of precious packages, standing before a door. Our parabolic friend faces a crisis. She is unable to open the door to enter her house to put down her bundles. If she reaches for the door handle, she will drop and ruin some of her packages, but if she continues to cling to her packages, she will never pass through the doorway. Her predicament is a “Catch-22” in that no matter what choice she makes she loses something. The only question is, which option represents the greater loss?

There she stands, sweating, frustrated, and venturing towards constructive thought from time to time, but not too much thought, lest it cause pain or force her into action. She is torn between two alternative desires—one to enter and rest, and the other to keep hold of all her packages. Torn by conflicting motivations she is unable to act on either. The result is more sweat and indecision as she stands within an arm’s reach of her goal. Now let us look at the interpretation of this parable.

Simple Symbolism

Like many of the parables in Matthew 13, this one demands an explanation. Fortunately, the symbolism is really quite simple. The woman may be likened unto the Seventh-day Adventist Church, which, in its maturity, has grown rich and increased with goods and has need of nothing. The many packages may be likened unto the church’s structures and institutions of which the Adventists have a super abundant supply in at least four different wrappings—educational, ecclesiastical, medical, and publishing. The door may be likened unto the way of the kingdom of heaven, with the door handle being the mechanism of entrance into the kingdom. In other words, the handle symbolizes the Adventist evangelistic mission to the world.

The parable dynamics are also quite self-evident. The aim of the woman is to enter the kingdom of heaven through the doorway. She stands on the brink of ultimate victory, but here is the catch: she has been trapped by her own success. Through scrimping, saving, and sacrificing, she has accumulated a large number of institutions and structures. In fact, she has so many that her chief advisors spend a large and critical bulk of their time attending board meetings and trying to solve the increasingly insurmountable problems of these institutions in a rapidly shifting complex social society and system.

These problems, however, do not tempt the woman to lay down the packages because, as time has passed, she has increasingly gained her identity through the size, number, variety, and quality of her packages. She has become addicted to packages and package holding. The threats facing her packages have actually had the opposite effect on our lady friend. She chooses to grasp the threatened packages all the more tightly. Ever more of her energies and attentions are spent tending the growing number of packages. Thus she sweats; thus her inability and even unwillingness to let them go and reach for the door handle. The end result is that the packages inhibit her entrance.

The Paradox

There is a crucial paradox in all of this. After all, the sole function of the church structures and institutions is to facilitate the fulfillment of mission. Yet, in our lady friend’s case, they have just the opposite effect. There is something definitely wrong when the church falls into the role of furthering the mission of semi-ultimatum institutions rather than those institutions furthering the mission of the church. As Robert S. Folkenberg, then president of the Carolina Conference of Seventh-day Adventists, Charlotte, North Carolina, pointed out in the June 1989 Ministry magazine, “There is nothing wrong with institutions and structures within themselves, but these entities need to be examined from time to time to make sure they are serving their intended purpose efficiently. After all,” he states, “with the passage of time there is a kind of dysfunctional gravity that tends to pull organizations down from their original purpose.” (“Church Structure—Servant or Master?” Review and Herald Publishing Association, Hagerstown, Maryland, 4–9.)

In other words, the preservation of the structure and/or institution gradually overtakes mission as the predominate concern. Significant! Israel was called to be a light in a world of darkness. The prophet Isaiah describes thus, in Isaiah 60:2, “For, behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the people: but the Lord shall arise upon thee, and his glory shall be seen upon thee.”

The apostle Paul talks about the condition of the Israelites and the life they lived among the Gentiles: “This I say therefore, and testify in the Lord, that ye henceforth walk not as other Gentiles walk, in the vanity of their mind, Having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them,” talking about the Gentiles, “because of the blindness of their heart.” Ephesians 4:17, 18.

We see here that the Gentiles are enshrouded in darkness, and, without Jesus, they have no hope. In God’s providence, Israel was to be the light to the Gentiles. This is why the prophet Isaiah says of them, “Arise, shine; for thy light is come, and the glory of the Lord is risen upon thee. For, behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the people: but the Lord shall arise upon thee, and his glory shall be seen upon thee. And the Gentiles shall come to thy light, and kings to the brightness of thy rising.” Isaiah 60:1–3.

The Seventh-day Adventist Church needs to arise and shine unto the world. You will agree with me, I am sure, that this world presently is covered in darkness. We are called to reflect the glory of Jesus, which is His character, to this world covered in darkness. The people of the world will come to the church because of the glory of Jesus that they see displayed in its members. They will not necessarily come because of the beautiful church buildings. As a matter of fact, some of their places of worship are better buildings than those in which we worship. They will not necessarily leave their beautiful buildings to come to ours. They will not necessarily come because of our padded pews or our air-conditioned churches. They will come because they see the love of Jesus and His righteousness in the lives of its professors. When they look at us, they see the love of Jesus radiant in us, and this draws them to us.

Purpose of the Watchmen

So, the prophet declares that God is saying to His last day church, “Arise, shine. Arise like a watchman and warn the world.”

Isaiah also says in his book, “Prepare the table, watch in the watchtower, eat, drink: arise ye princes [and] anoint thy shield. For thus hath the Lord said unto me, Go, set a watchman, let him declare what he seeth. And he saw a chariot [with] a couple of horsemen, a chariot of asses, [and] a chariot of camels; and he hearkened diligently with much heed.” Isaiah 21:5–7.

What is the job of a watchman? In ancient times, sentinels were often stationed on the walls of cities where, from points of vantage, they could overlook important posts to be guarded and give warning of approaching enemies. The safety of all within the cities depended upon their faithfulness. At designated intervals they were required to call to one another to make sure that all were awake and that no harm had fallen upon any. The cry of warning was borne from one to another, each repeating the call until it echoed around the city.

Required Duties

According to Isaiah, the watchman has several required duties: (1) The watchman is to watch! (2) The watchman is to declare whatever he sees. If he sees a lion coming, he is to call out, “A lion is coming.” If he sees a bear coming, he is to sound the alarm, “A bear is coming.” If he sees a bear coming, he is not to call it a chicken. The problem is that the watchman sometimes is not saying what he really is seeing. He is declaring a different thing, but God is dependent upon the watchman to say what he sees. It is very critical. (3) The watchman is to listen carefully. The watchman must know the time of night, for the people are waiting for direction and guidance.

Ellen White tells us that, “God has appointed the church as a watchman, to have a jealous care over the youth and children, and as a sentinel to see the approach of the enemy and give warning of danger.” Counsels to Parents, Teachers, and Students, 165. All of us are watchmen. “But,” she continues, “the church does not realize the situation.” Ibid. This is the reason why many of us who begin to speak as watchmen in the church are thrust out. The church is not prepared to have the truth spoken.

Mrs. White goes on to say, “She [the church] is sleeping on guard.” Ibid. When a watchman is sleeping while on guard there is trouble. There is no safety. “In this time of peril, fathers and mothers must arouse and work as for life, or many of the youth will be forever lost.” Ibid. She is warning that many of our young people will be forever lost if we do not each faithfully stay on our watch.

Warn the Wicked

Another duty of the watchman is to “warn the wicked from his way”: “ When I say unto the wicked, O wicked [man], thou shalt surely die; if thou dost not speak to warn the wicked from his way, that wicked [man] shall die in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at thine hand. Nevertheless, if thou warn the wicked of his way to turn from it; if he do not turn from his way, he shall die in his iniquity; but thou hast delivered thy soul.” Ezeikel 33:8, 9. I would submit to you that wicked people are not only in the world. When we talk about wicked people, quite often our minds first think of those in the world. We say the world is filled with wicked people, but there are a number of wicked people in the church. We, as watchmen, have a job to warn them all.

“Son of man, I have made thee a watchman unto the house Israel: therefore hear the word at my mouth, and give them warning from me. When I say unto the wicked, Thou shalt surely die; and thou givest him not warning, nor speakest to warn the wicked from his wicked way to save his life; the same wicked [man] shall die in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at thine hand. Yet if thou warn the wicked, and he turn not from his wickedness, nor from his wicked way, he shall die in his iniquity; but thou hast delivered thy soul. You have done your job. You have delivered thy soul.” Ezekiel 3:17–19.

The Greatest Work

We quite often want to keep silent, because we do not want to offend our brethren! But consider the following counsel from the Lord’s servant: “Whatever the danger, Christ’s followers must avow their principles. They should scorn concealment. They cannot remain uncommitted until assured of safety in confessing the truth. They are set as watchmen, to warn men of their peril. The truth received from Christ must be imparted to all, freely and openly.” The Desire of Ages, 355. What is our job? Our job as Seventh-day Adventists is to warn men of the peril that is coming.

“What is a watchman for, unless it be to watch for evil and give the warning?” Testimonies, vol. 1, 314. “In a special sense Seventh-day Adventists have been set in the world as watchmen and light bearers.” Ibid., vol. 9, 19. We are set in the world as watchmen, and we are not to apologize for our job, because “To them has been entrusted the last warning for a perishing world.” Ibid. In other words, if we do not give the warning, people are going to perish. “On them is shining wonderful light from the word of God.” Ibid. There is no other church, no other religion, no other denomination that has the message that we as a people have. We have been favored by God, but, alas, we have become ashamed of our position.

“They have been given a work of the most solemn import—the proclamation of the first, second, and third angels’ messages. There is no other work of so great importance. They are to allow nothing else to absorb their attention.” Ibid. Now, I know that your job is important; your family is important; but, believe me, if you are not involved in leading people to know the Lord, you are not doing the most important work of a watchman.

Mission

Mission is what the Seventh-day Adventist Church is all about. It was raised up for that purpose. Mission is the only reason for the denomination’s existence, yet Adventists are in danger in places—especially North America, Western Europe, and Australia—where the work is dying instead of growing. We are in danger of becoming just another nice, comfortable denomination or social club—go to church, hear a sermon, close the church at 12:00 noon, and go home or to the park, the beach, or the golf course. This is not the mission for which this church was raised up. We are called to warn people that impending doom is coming!

Some churches have become what I call man’s tenet churches. In such churches, there is no evangelism, no telling someone about Jesus; it seems they selfishly want to just keep what they have to themselves. As a matter of fact, some churches do not want anyone else to come into their church for fear that they will come in and upset the status quo. They are in the wrong place! Now is not the time for settling down. This world is not our home.

Tarrying Time Problem

What is the problem? Jesus has not come. Because there is a tarrying time, because the Bridegroom is delayed, the virgins have fallen asleep. Beyond this, some Seventh-day Adventists have begun to wonder if Jesus will ever come. Continuing time has sprung the fruits of secularism, disorientation, and institutionalism in the church. The church has become an entity—everything except a soul-winning entity.

The extension of time has mothered every problem currently faced by the Seventh-day Adventist Church, and yet time goes on and Jesus has not come. He is waiting for us to perform our duty as watchmen.

Keep Not Silent

A watchman is not to hold his peace. God declares: “I have set watchmen upon thy walls, O Jerusalem, [which] shall never hold their peace day nor night: ye that make mention of the Lord, keep not silence.” Isaiah 62:6. Yet, sometimes, as we speak the truth and what God puts upon our hearts, there are those who begin to verbalize their dissatisfaction, and the watchmen become quiet. Then Satan rejoices when the watchmen resign and look for another job.

Jesus advised that if everyone speaks well of us, we need to be cautious. “Woe unto you, when all men shall speak well of you! for so did their fathers to the false prophets.” Luke 6:26. Do not work to be loved by everyone in the church. Make sure that your name is written down in the books of heaven.

One Voice

Seventh-day Adventists have been given special messages that have not been entrusted to any other denomination, such as the messages of the three angels, the sanctuary, health reform, dress reform, and the non-immortality of the soul. In the face of ridicule, hostility, and isolation, we must not be afraid or ashamed to proclaim these sobering, life-saving truths.

One of the problems that keeps us from sharing these messages, however, is that we are not united in what we believe. How can we be, when some of the church’s ministers are trained in the schools of Babylon? Today, the ministers are trained everywhere except where they are supposed to be trained. If a minister of the Seventh-day Adventist Church is trained in a Catholic institution, he cannot give us Adventism. We must not purposely allow ministers to attend non-Adventist institutions to be trained. God’s people have need of one voice. If the ministers are trained in the schools of Babylon, can they be faithful watchmen?

In order for God’s watchmen to perform effectively and warn the world, they must see eye-to-eye. We read, in Isaiah 52:8, “Thy watchmen shall lift up the voice; with the voice together they shall sing: for they shall see eye to eye, when the Lord shall bring again Zion.” As watchmen, we must not be speaking different things. We must not have different points of view on baptism or on health reform or on the sanctuary. We must speak with one voice.

The people in the church need to be guided correctly. It has nothing to do with my opinion or your opinion. It has to do with God’s Word, and preparing a people for the coming of the Lord. So we must see eye-to-eye. We must see things the same.

Why is it important that we see things eye-to-eye? Because the world is covered in darkness and is crying out to us, asking, “Watchman, what of the night? Watchman, what of the night?” Isaiah 21:11. What answers are we giving to the world? The people of the world are asking the watchman, What of the night of sadness, the night of sorrow, of loneliness, the night of evil and wickedness, the night of violence and crime, the night of injustice and oppression? The night is a very lonely time. Many people die in the night; many are fearful of the night, and they ask, “Watchman, what of the night?”

World Wants to Know

The world wants to know. The heads of state want to know. They need answers to the significant changes taking place in the world. Mrs. White tells us: “Rulers and statesmen, men who occupy positions of trust and authority, thinking men and women of all classes, have their attention fixed upon the events taking place about us. They are watching the strained, restless relations that exist among the nations. They observe the intensity that is taking possession of every earthly element, and they recognize that something great and decisive is about to take place—that the world is on the verge of a stupendous crisis.” My Life Today, 229.

Yes, people want to know. They need answers to the tsunami that destroyed a quarter of a million people. They need answers to the election of Pope Benedict and the role he will play in world events. They need answers to the position of the United States in world affairs. They need answers to the epidemic and pandemic nature of AIDS and other such deadly diseases. They need answers to the mergers that are taking place all over the world, to the decline in morality, the unrest among nations, and the destruction of our planet and environment.

Our Answer

“Watchman, what of the night?” How will it end? What is our answer to the world? Jesus Christ, in Luke 21:25–27, said, “And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring; Men’s hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken. And then shall they see the Son of man coming in a cloud with power and great glory.”

“Satan works through the elements also to garner his harvest of unprepared souls. He has studied the secrets of the laboratories of nature, and he uses all his power to control the elements as far as God allows. . . .

“While appearing to the children of men as a great physician who can heal all their maladies, he will bring disease and disaster, until populous cities are reduced to ruin and desolation. Even now he is at work. In accidents and calamities by sea and by land, in great conflagrations, in fierce tornadoes and terrific hailstorms, in tempests, floods, cyclones, tidal waves, and earthquakes, in every place and in a thousand forms, Satan is exercising his power. He sweeps away the ripening harvest, and famine and distress follow. He imparts to the air a deadly taint, and thousands perish by the pestilence. These visitations are to become more and more frequent and disastrous.” The Great Controversy, 589, 590.

This is all the work of Satan. The end is near, and people looking on are asking, “Watchman, what of the night?” Satan is doing his work! “Destruction will be upon both man and beast. ‘The earth mourneth and fadeth away,’ ‘the haughty people . . . do languish. The earth also is defiled under the inhabitants thereof; because they have transgressed the laws, changed the ordinance, broken the everlasting covenant.’ Isaiah 24:4, 5.”

“Satan is working in the atmosphere; he is poisoning the atmosphere, and here we are dependent upon God for our lives—our present and eternal life. And being in the position that we are, we need to be wide awake, wholly devoted, wholly converted, wholly consecrated to God. But we seem to sit as though we were paralyzed. God of heaven, wake us up!” Selected Messages, Book 2, 52.

“Famines will increase; pestilences will sweep away thousands. Dangers are all around us from the powers without and satanic workings within, but the restraining power of God is now exercised.” Manuscript Releases, vol. 19, 382, 383.

Soon the full force of Satan’s power will be let loose. With all of the inquiries from the people of the world, what is our response to be? “The watchman said, The morning cometh, and also the night: if ye will inquire, inquire ye: return, come.” Isaiah 21:12.

But we learn from Isaiah 56:10, 11 that, “His watchmen [are] blind: they are all ignorant, they [are] all dumb dogs, they cannot bark; sleeping, lying down, loving to slumber. Yea, [they are] greedy dogs [which] can never have enough, and they [are] shepherds [that] cannot understand: they all look to their own way, every one for his gain, from his quarter.”

We have become settled in this world and are unconcerned about the people who need help. The world is dying for the light of God’s truth while God’s people, His watchmen, are focusing on matters of minor importance.

To be continued . . .

Pastor Ivan Plummer ministers through the Emmanuel Seventh Day Church Ministries in Bronx, New York. He may be contacted by telephone at: 718-882-3900.

Keys to the Storehouse – Between the Mountain and the Multitude

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God does not want any of us to become hermits or monks, but many of us have disappeared from the public eye to hibernate into our own little corners. The reality is that we will suffocate in our own little corners and our prayers will be smothered and die.

“The life must be like Christ’s life—between the mountain and the multitude. He who does nothing but pray will soon cease to pray, or his prayers will become a formal routine. When men take themselves out of social life, away from the sphere of Christian duty and cross bearing; when they cease to work earnestly for the Master, who worked earnestly for them, they lose the subject matter of prayer and have no incentive to devotion. Their prayers become personal and selfish. They cannot pray in regard to the wants of humanity or the upbuilding of Christ’s kingdom, pleading for strength wherewith to work.” Steps to Christ, 101.

How is your prayer life? Are you sustaining a loss?

“We sustain a loss when we neglect the privilege of associating together to strengthen and encourage one another in the service of God. The truths of His word lose their vividness and importance in our minds. Our hearts cease to be enlightened and aroused by their sanctifying influence, and we decline in spirituality. In our association as Christians we lose much by lack of sympathy with one another. He who shuts himself up to himself is not filling the position that God designed he should. The proper cultivation of the social elements in our nature brings us into sympathy with others and is a means of development and strength to us in the service of God.” Ibid.

What has happened to our spirituality? We need to get out of our comfort zone, open our hearts and move our feet and do the Lord’s work.

Following is good advice in order to be refreshed: “If Christians would associate together, speaking to each other of the love of God and of the precious truths of redemption, their own hearts would be refreshed and they would refresh one another. We may be daily learning more of our heavenly Father, gaining a fresh experience of His grace; then we shall desire to speak of His love; and as we do this, our own hearts will be warmed and encouraged. If we thought and talked more of Jesus, and less of self, we should have far more of His presence.” Ibid., 101, 102.

 

Heavenly Father: Get me out of my corner of death where I am smothering. I am not allowing Your light to shine through me onto others who are also perishing. My life is losing that distinctive affection and excitement of reaching out to others. Please Lord forgive me; restore unto me the joy of Thy salvation before others perish because of my lack. Help me to live, as Christ did, “between the mountain and the multitude.” Amen.

 

Faces Lighted Up

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Sometimes when we study a topic and do what we believe to be sufficient research, we think that we have the subject matter down pat, perfectly understood. Then the Lord will tell us to get back to that subject, and He shows us other angles from which that same topic can be viewed, and we begin to realize that God’s truth is much deeper than we can ever imagine. Every aspect of truth about which we may be aware today has a much deeper depth to it than our simple minds are capable of grasping. But we do thank God for His mercy, and, in His goodness, He allows us to get glimpses of the depth of His mind by the little things He allows us to see.

1 Corinthians 10:11 tells us that certain things happen as examples: “They are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come.” Experiences pertaining to ancient Israel, both the good and the bad, were meant to be examples for us. Lessons were wrapped up in those things from which we can learn. Many times we talk about the bad things that took place with ancient Israel and their journey to the land of Canaan, but there were good things too. There were good things as well as bad things involving the leaders. Consider the good leaders such as Joshua, Moses, and the prophets. They did some marvelous things. God used them in certain ways and made Himself manifest through them in ways we do not often stop to study. Are these examples unto us too?

Good Examples Too

For example, when Moses returned from Mount Sinai where he received the Ten Commandments, his face was lighted up! Is it possible that this is an example? Or are we just to consider the fact that when he came down to the camp the noise from the Israelites sounded to Joshua as though they were in war, but to Moses as though they were in apostasy. Is it possible that it is not just the bad that God wants us to see, but also the good?

Let us look in our Bibles at the incidence involving Moses’ face being lit up.

“And he was there with the Lord forty days and forty nights; he did neither eat bread, nor drink water. And he wrote upon the tables the words of the covenant, the ten commandments. And it came to pass, when Moses came down from mount Sinai with the two tables of testimony in Moses’ hand, when he came down from the mount, that Moses wist not that the skin of his face shone while he talked with him. And when Aaron and all the children of Israel saw Moses, behold, the skin of his face shone; and they were afraid to come nigh him. And Moses called unto them; and Aaron and all the rulers of the congregation returned unto him: and Moses talked with them. And afterward all the children of Israel came nigh: and he gave them in commandment all that the Lord had spoken with him in mount Sinai. And [till] Moses had done speaking with them, he put a veil on his face. But when Moses went in before the Lord to speak with him, he took the veil off, until he came out. And he came out, and spake unto the children of Israel [that] which he was commanded. And the children of Israel saw the face of Moses, that the skin of Moses’ face shone: and Moses put the veil upon his face again, until he went in to speak with him.” Exodus 34:28–35.

The Scriptures make it quite clear; this was not just a light on Moses’ face, but Moses’ skin, the skin of his face, shined. Can you imagine that? It was as though you were looking straight at the sun when you were looking on another human being’s face, and the light was emanating from his or her skin. This meant that the glory of God, with which Moses came in contact, basically penetrated his skin, and it remained there to the extent that, the Scriptures tell us, when the children of Israel came to meet him they were afraid of him. Moses knew nothing; he had no idea why they would not approach him, until they revealed to him the problem. Then, in his compassion and meekness, he took action to cover his face, so he could communicate with them and give them the information that God so graciously had imparted for them.

What is the meaning of this for us? What I want to share with you is that, both symbolically and literally, there is a message for us today wrapped up in Moses’ example.

Wonderful Possibilities

We often take for granted all the wonderful things the Lord has in store for us at the end time. Because we have been so exposed to the sins and folly of our age, we tend to bypass the fact that marvelous things await us in the Word of God. Ellen White put it this way: “Wonderful possibilities are open to those who lay hold of the divine assurances of God’s word. There are glorious truths to come before the people of God. Privileges and duties which they do not even suspect to be in the Bible will be laid open before them. As they follow on in the path of humble obedience, doing His will, they will know more and more of the oracles of God.” Testimonies, vol. 8, 322.

One of these wonderful possibilities is that some, if not all of us, will one day have the experience of Moses. Can you imagine that? The skin will be shining. The faces of the children will appear as bright stars to their friends. The adults may be looking like the sun or the moon to their families, friends, and even enemies. Remember what we are told in Exodus about Moses—his friends were afraid. They were pained by what they saw and could not look upon his face. It was too bright to them.

The Book of Corinthians reveals what was symbolically wrapped up in all of this: “But if the ministration of death, written [and] engraven in stones, was glorious, so that the children of Israel could not steadfastly behold the face of Moses for the glory of his countenance; which [glory] was to be done away: How shall not the ministration of the spirit be rather glorious?” 11 Corinthians 3:7, 8.

Before we read on, just consider for a moment. We are being told that there are two different manifestations of the glory. What Moses had portrayed was basically in connection with the glory pertaining to the Lord.

“For if the ministration of condemnation [be] glory, much more doth the ministration of righteousness exceed in glory. For even that which was made glorious had no glory in this respect, by reason of the glory that excelleth. For if that which is done away [was] glorious, much more that which remaineth [is] glorious. Seeing then that we have such hope, we use great plainness of speech: And not as Moses, [which] put a vail over his face, that the children of Israel could not steadfastly look to the end of that which is abolished: But their minds were blinded: for until this day remaineth the same vail untaken away in the reading of the old testament; which [vail] is done away in Christ. But even unto this day, when Moses is read, the vail is upon their heart. Nevertheless when it shall turn to the Lord, the vail shall be taken away. Now the Lord is that Spirit: and where the Spirit of the Lord [is], there [is] liberty. But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, [even] as by the Spirit of the Lord.” Verses 9–18.

What message is the Lord trying to convey to us? That what happened in the time of Moses was basically the type or an example of what is going to happen in the New Testament era. That which took place in the Old Testament was only a measure of the manifestation of the glory of God—a measure when compared with what will happen later on, which will exceed what happened in the past. What we need to understand, with the help of the Spirit of Prophecy, is that the phenomena of Moses’ lighted face is not going to be limited to the Law of God transferring from stone to the flesh. This same law, which God made personally available to His people anciently with His personal presence, enabled this man Moses to be lit up. His own skin shone, and the Scripture is telling us that in the New Testament era something more is going to happen, because that same law is not going to be in stone but will be inside the hearts of human beings with the help of the Holy Spirit. When that happens, do you not think that it is going to make itself manifest in the features of those who have the law now placed inside?

Experience of Pioneers

An illustration from the past is given to us by Ellen White, which reveals that the early Adventists under the Millerite movement had their faces lit up! It is an example of what will happen in the end of time. “Those who were obedient to the message stood out free and united. A holy light shone upon them. They renounced the world, sacrificed their earthly interests, gave up their earthly treasures, and directed their anxious gaze to heaven, expecting to see their loved Deliverer. A holy light beamed upon their countenances, telling of the peace and joy which reigned within.” Early Writings, 249, 250.

Were you aware that Adventists had this experience in the early, historical days? And why did they have this experience? Inspiration tells us why; each person had made a total surrender. They were not playing church. They had an experience with God that far surpassed what we claim to have. Because God was pleased with them, He made his glory shine forth from their countenances.

They were just under the former rain, and we are preparing for something more than that, the Latter Rain. Is it possible that the glory that shall shine forth from us will exceed what the early pioneers had? Is it possible that when the enemies of God look upon His people who have made a total surrender to Him, they will be able to see such brightness as to find themselves in pain to look upon these people, because they themselves may not be willing to make a surrender? Is it possible?

From Joel 2, we may begin to understand the possibility of what can really happen and what can cause it to happen: “Blow ye the trumpet in Zion, and sound an alarm in my holy mountain: let all the inhabitants of the land tremble: for the day of the Lord cometh, for [it is] nigh at hand; A day of darkness and of gloominess, a day of clouds and of thick darkness, as the morning spread upon the mountains: a great people and a strong; there hath not been ever the like, neither shall be any more after it, [even] to the years of many generations. A fire devoureth before them; and behind them a flame burneth: the land [is] as the garden of Eden before them, and behind them a desolate wilderness; yea, and nothing shall escape them. The appearance of them [is] as the appearance of horses; and as horsemen, so shall they run. Like the noise of chariots on the tops of mountains shall they leap, like the noise of a flame of fire that devoureth the stubble, as a strong people set in battle array. Before their face the people shall be much pained: all faces shall gather blackness.” Verses 1–6.

I wondered, Why? The only time I could correlate to this situation was what happened to the children of Israel in the time of Moses. Somehow the glory of Moses caused his brethren to be very uncomfortable. I believe Joel is prophesying that when God gets His real army together, they will bring discomfort. By their appearance, by God manifesting Himself through them, the wicked will be caused discomfort.

Relating what she had been shown in vision, Ellen White penned: “When God spoke the time, He poured upon us the Holy Ghost, and our faces began to light up and shine with the glory of God, as Moses’ did when he came down from Mount Sinai.” Early Writings, 15. [Emphasis added.] History will be repeated. What happened in Moses’ day, will happen again. What we saw prophesied in the Book of Corinthians happened in the time of the Millerite movement, and that prophecy will find itself repeated even in the end time. Notice, however, that only those who have made a total surrender to God will hear the voice of the Master revealing the day and hour.

The Character of God

“The Ten Commandments are called in the New Testament the royal law of liberty. In obeying the divine precepts, men will assimilate to the divine character; for the character of God is expressed in his holy law.” The Signs of the Times, October 17, 1895.

“The ten holy precepts spoken by Christ upon Sinai’s mount were the revelation of the character of God.” Sons and Daughters of God, 53.

The Ten Commandments reveal God’s character. If God gets a people, therefore, who have made a total surrender—they are not afraid to make the kind of changes that the rest of the world does not want to make; they are not afraid to give up the things of this world; they are not afraid to commit themselves to the requirements of God’s Law and the Testimony of Jesus—then what they have ahead of them are marvelous blessings from God, things that we cannot even imagine.

We are only skimming the surface. Yes, we know we will have power, but have we known that our faces, the skin of our faces, will shine? Yes, we know the day will come when we will be changed, and we will be like Him, but this is speaking in the context of having incorruptible bodies. We are dealing with time before that occurs, because when the voice of the Lord reveals to His people the day and the hour, that is before Jesus comes!

The world will have a perfect replica of the Master in His people before He comes. They will not only see Him in the words and works, but they will also see Him in the glory that will rest upon them, the glory of God. “When God spoke the time, He poured upon us the Holy Ghost, and our faces began to light up and shine with the glory of God, as Moses’ did when he came down from Mount Sinai.”

Ellen White leaves no room to doubt that there will be a repetition of what transpired on Mount Sinai with Moses. What a privilege! I cannot imagine anyone who would not want to have a part in this experience, who would not want to know that the glory of God will rest on them on this side of the heavenly border.

“Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ: By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.” Romans 5:1, 2. Rejoice in the hope of the glory of God! Whenever we read verses such as these, we generally place the time at the Second Coming. But based upon what we have seen thus far, it is going to be made available to people even before Jesus bursts through the clouds. This glory of God will be made available to us even before Christ comes. What a privilege! What an opportunity! No wonder the devil has caused so much havoc in the Adventist world.

We just read about peace in Romans; now read Colossians 3:15: “Let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful.” Why is this so important to us? What did Ellen White say concerning the Millerites when the light of Christ or the glory of God rested upon them? She said that a holy light beamed upon their countenances telling of the peace and joy which reigned within.

Inner Peace

We do not have peace unless we have Christ. Every Adventist who was involved in the Millerite movement had Christ within. It was not just by word or theory; it was an experience. The very same thing will be the case of those who will have the glory of God rest upon them in these last days. They will have the peace and the joy of the Lord in their hearts. Not only that, but the Law of God will be perfectly reflected, because they will have the character of God fully established within them. So, the glory of God will basically be a reflection of God through the presence of His Spirit within His people who have made a total surrender to Him.

Ellen White made this statement: “Happiness drawn from earthly sources is as changeable as varying circumstances can make it; but the peace of Christ is a constant and abiding peace. It does not depend upon any circumstances in life, on the amount of worldly goods or the number of earthly friends. Christ is the fountain of living water, and happiness drawn from Him can never fail.” Reflecting Christ, 263.

So, we have either a temporary happiness or a permanent happiness. We are assured of permanent happiness if we do God’s will, because Christ will come and live in us. We talk about how much we love Jesus and how we have Jesus in our hearts, but do we have peace and joy? Why is the glory of God not reflecting from us? It is because we have not made a total surrender. God has many gifts and blessings reserved just for us, if only we would totally surrender our lives to Him.

Experience of the Saints

“And after six days Jesus taketh Peter, James, and John his brother, and bringeth them up into an high mountain apart, And was transfigured before them: and his face did shine as the sun, and his raiment was white as the light.” Matthew 17:1, 2. This very thing will be the experience of the saints. Their faces will be shining, as did Moses’. You see, Jesus had it, but Jesus’ shining face was described “as the sun.” How could it have been described any other way, when He is the source of peace, the source of joy, the source of light, the source of life? He is the fullness of the manifestation of the character of God.

“Servants of God, endowed with power from on high with their faces lighted up, and shining with holy consecration, went forth to proclaim the message from heaven.” Early Writings, 278, 279. This will be the experience of those in the last days who will be going forward to proclaim the Three Angels’ Messages. With faces lighted up, they will proclaim the Law of God. No wonder Joel said, “Before their face the people shall be much pained: all faces shall gather blackness.” The people cannot deny that these are not ordinary people. They have met Somebody!

Continuing with the quote: “Souls that were scattered all through the religious bodies answered to the call, and the precious were hurried out of the doomed churches, as Lot was hurried out of Sodom before her destruction.” Ibid., 279.

Can you see that this quote is referring to the Loud Cry? Note that the first part of the reference says the “servants of God,” not every member of the church. Only those who have qualified will have “their faces lighted up.” It amazes me to hear churches proclaiming that the Loud Cry is now being given. Their faces are not lighted up! Those lighted up faces in the time of the early Advent movement Ellen White said indicated that the people had experienced the peace and joy, because they had made a total surrender.

Like Him

“Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.” 1 John 3:2. Does this verse not now take on a whole new meaning for us? We shall be like Him. We shall be like Him not only in character, but also in appearance. And then we will go a step further than just having our faces lit up; we shall be transformed. Oh, how much we shall be like Him!

Pastor Patrick Herbert is the senior pastor of the Tucker-Norcross Adventist Church and Director of the Gilead Institute of America, a medical missionary evangelistic training institution located in Norcross, Georgia. He holds a Doctorate in religion and speaks and writes on a wide range of religious and health topics. He may be contacted by e-mail at: gilead.net@usa.net.

Keeping Up with the Light

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The path of the just is like the shining sun, that shines ever brighter unto the perfect day.” Proverbs 4:18. Notice, this verse does not say the room of the just, but the path of the just. As you walk that path, if you stay on it, the light is going to become brighter and brighter. But it is also true, friend, that if you do not keep walking on the path, the light is going to become darkness, because the light is moving.

The Bible talks about present truth. (See II Peter 1:12.) There are certain things that can be preached at one time that cannot be preached at another time. There are some truths that are timeless, but there is some truth that is present truth. What is present truth today is not exactly the same as it was 100 years ago.

I believe that very soon God’s servants are going to have to preach things that we have never thought we were going to preach. We are in a situation very similar to the Jews in the time of Christ. The devil had manipulated them into a situation, through what they had been taught, so that they were ready to reject the truth. They had developed a series of criteria which, if Jesus was the Messiah, they believed He would meet. Interestingly enough, they based these expectations on the Old Testament. Jesus did not, however, meet their criteria. It is interesting to note, in the study of history, that almost every time prophecy which is fulfilled is not fulfilled in the way expected.

Seventh-day Adventists used to wonder what Ellen White meant when she said, “I was shown the startling fact that but a small portion of those who now profess the truth will be sanctified by it and be saved.” Testimonies, vol. 1, 608. Very soon we are going to find out.

This concept that spiritual light is moving and the person who does not keep walking in the light finds himself in the dark explains many spiritual phenomena that are happening all around us that otherwise would be very confusing. A few years ago, two Seventh-day Adventist ministers came to question me. One of them asked something like this: “Do you believe that the Seventh-day Adventist Church organization was ordained by God? Well, do you or don’t you?” Well, let me ask you some questions? Do you believe that the Jewish church organization was ordained by God, or that He had a hand in setting it up? Was there a time when the Jews were in the light? Yes, there was. The Jews had been called by God and chosen as His special people. They had been in the light. They had, friends, the spirit of prophecy. They had all of the Old Testament; that is the spirit of prophecy. But when the light moved, they did not move with it. God had more light for them, but they would not accept it. They stayed put and, as a result, they were left in the dark.

Jesus is the light of the world. I want you to notice Revelation 14:4 and what it says about the 144,000. “These are the ones who follow the Lamb wherever He goes.” When the light (Jesus) moves, the 144,000 follow. The problem today is that when the light moves, there are so many people who do not follow it; they stay put. They are left in the dark and are then spiritually blind. There was a time when they were in the light; but the light moved, and they did not move with it. “As the light and life of men was rejected by the ecclesiastical authorities in the days of Christ, so it has been rejected in every succeeding generation.” The Desire of Ages, 232. Did you notice that she said that this has taken place in every succeeding generation? “Again and again the history of Christ’s withdrawal from Judea has been repeated. When the Reformers preached the Word of God, they had no thought of separating themselves from the established church; but the religious leaders would not tolerate the light.” Ibid. What happened? The religious leaders refused to walk in the light. “And those that bore it were forced to seek another class, who were longing for the truth.” Ibid. Everyone who does not love the truth is going to be deceived and be lost.

“Few are listening for the voice of God, and ready to accept truth in whatever guise it may be presented. Often those who follow in the steps of the Reformers are forced to turn away from the churches they love, in order to declare the plain teaching of the Word of God.” Ibid. Did you know that there are many people who no longer believe that this statement can apply today? Have you ever heard people say, “Well, the cycles have to stop somewhere, and they stopped in 1863 because that is when we incorporated”? The trouble is, friends, The Desire of Ages was not even written until 1898.

We are living in a time that a few years ago no one expected to see. We believed that when persecution came, it would come from outside of the church. We failed to understand what Ellen White meant when she said that we have far more to fear from within than from without. (See Selected Messages, Book 1, 122.) Who would have thought that in Adventism the apostasy would become so great that in many places it would become spiritually dangerous to even attend the local Seventh-day Adventist Church because error was being “forced home to the people”? (See Early Writings, 125.) We were not expecting the true and faithful Seventh-day Adventists to be disfellowshipped and persecuted by their former brethren all over the world, as is taking place today. But when we go to the inspired writings, we see all of this prophesied—we just did not understand it. People have come to believe that these things would not happen until after the National Sunday Law. Friend, that theory is a dangerous deception. The National Sunday Law does not initiate the shaking; it brings the shaking to a climax! Those who are waiting to take a bold, unyielding stand for the truth until the Sunday law test comes are simply preparing to receive the mark of the beast.

You see, when anyone rejects the light of truth that God has given to this people, he has turned his back on the light and goes out in darkness. He may still call himself a Seventh-day Adventist, but if he does not believe the First Angel’s Message and the truth of the Investigative Judgment beginning in 1844, he has gone into darkness. You cannot, with safety, go to his church and listen to him preach. When a person rejects the truth of the great Day of Atonement that began in 1844 and says that instead of afflicting the soul (Leviticus 16:29, 30) it is time to celebrate, they have gone out into darkness. If a preacher says that you will sin until Jesus comes, he has accepted Satan’s fatal sophistry (See The Great Controversy, 489.), and you dare not go and listen to him preach lest you be deceived and lose your own soul. Finally, if you are not hearing the historic doctrines of Adventism preached in your church, if you are hearing the same kinds of sermons that you could hear in any other church, then you are endangering your soul if you do not either find a Historic Seventh-day Adventist congregation, or start a home church where you can teach the truth, at least to your own family.

Our opportunities for learning and knowing God’s last message to a perishing world and being prepared for what is coming on the world are very limited at best, and we dare not allow ourselves and our families to be exposed to either heretical preaching or “peace and safety” messages that come just before destruction. “I saw that we have no time to throw away in listening to fables. Our minds should not be thus diverted, but should be occupied with the present truth, and seeking wisdom that we may obtain a more thorough knowledge of our position, that with meekness we may be able to give a reason of our hope from the Scriptures. While false doctrines and dangerous errors are pressed upon the mind, it cannot be dwelling upon the truth which is to fit and prepare the house of Israel to stand in the day of the Lord.” Early Writings, 125.

Every Sabbath after church, you should be more fitted to stand in the day of the Lord than before. But the prophet wrote sadly, “Those who have been regarded as worthy and righteous prove to be ring-leaders in apostasy and examples in indifference and in the abuse of God’s mercies. Their wicked course He will tolerate no longer, and in His wrath He deals with them without mercy.

“It is with reluctance that the Lord withdraws His presence from those who have been blessed with great light and who have felt the power of the word in ministering to others. They were once His faithful servants, favored with His presence and guidance; but they departed from Him and led others into error, and therefore are brought under the divine displeasure. …

“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. 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.

“By their lack of devotion and piety, and their failure to reach a high religious standard, they make other souls contented with their position. Men of finite judgment cannot see that in patterning after these men who have so often opened to them the treasures of God’s Word, they will surely endanger their souls. Jesus is the only true pattern. Everyone must now search the Bible for himself upon his knees before God, with the humble, teachable heart of a child, if he would know what the Lord requires of him. However high any minister may have stood in the favor of God, if he neglects to follow out the light given him of God, if he refuses to be taught as a little child, he will go into darkness and satanic delusions and will lead others in the same path. …

“What are you doing, brethren, in the great work of preparation? Those who are uniting with the world are receiving the worldly mold and preparing for the mark of the beast.” Testimonies, vol. 5, 212–216.

Friends, it is a dangerous thing to fail to advance in the opening providence of God. The light is moving. Are you moving with it or are you in the dark? Early in her experience, Ellen White saw a vision about this light. You can read this vision in Early Writings, 15–20. In other places in her writings, she speaks about the light that was set up at the beginning of the path that the Advent company was traveling that shone all of the way up to the Holy City. This path, friends, is narrow, and if you do not have light on the path, you are going to stumble and fall off.

What was that light that was set up at the beginning? Sister White says that it was the Midnight Cry. The Midnight Cry was based on the Bible prophecies of Daniel 8 and 9, and Revelation 14:6, 7—the message of the 2300 days and the sanctuary and the Investigative Judgment. The devil knows that if we reject these truths, we will stumble and fall off the path. It is amazing how successful the devil has been in leading people to reject them.

We have been told that, “When the power of God testifies as to what is truth, that truth is to stand forever as the truth. No after suppositions contrary to the light God has given are to be entertained.” Selected Messages, Book 1, 161. Yet there are Adventist teachers and ministers today who no longer believe these truths. Friend, if you are in the situation where you listen to this error, you are in the dark; you are going to lose your way. The Lord is not going to work a miracle to save you; you have turned your back on the light. This idea that you can have a spirit of free inquiry and ask any question you want to is not according to the Scriptures. Jesus rebuked people for their doubt. Friend, if these truths are not being upheld in your church, your church is in the dark.

In Testimonies, vol. 2, 594–597, Ellen White describes a very impressive dream. “I dreamed of being with a large body of people. A portion of this assembly started out prepared to journey. We had heavily loaded wagons. As we journeyed, the road seemed to ascend. On one side of this road was a deep precipice; on the other was a high, smooth, white wall. … As we journeyed on, the road grew narrower and steeper. … We concluded that we could no longer travel with the loaded wagons. We … took a portion of the luggage from the wagons and placed it upon the horses, and journeyed on horseback. As we progressed, the path still continued to grow narrow. … We then cut the luggage from the horses, and it fell over the precipice. We continued on horseback. … A hand seemed to take the bridle and guide us over the perilous way. As the path grew more narrow, we … left the horses and went on foot, in single file. … At this point small cords were let down from the top of the pure white wall; these we eagerly grasped. … The path finally became so narrow that we concluded that we could travel more safely without our shoes, so we slipped them from our feet. … Soon it was decided that we could travel more safely without our stockings; these were removed, and we journeyed on with bare feet.”

One of the most interesting points of this dream is that several changes were made. They began with heavily loaded wagons, then changed to horses with a portion of the luggage, to horses with no luggage, to single file on foot, to removing their shoes, and finally to removing their stockings. Notice that “at every change some were left behind, and those only remained who had accustomed themselves to endure hardships. The privations of the way only made these more eager to press on to the end. … We pressed close to the white wall, yet could not place our feet fully upon the path, for it was too narrow. We then suspended nearly our whole weight upon the cords, exclaiming: ‘We have hold from above!’ ” Ibid.

The light, friends, is moving. Are you keeping up with the providence of God? Are you aware that the road we are traveling is getting narrower? Have you noticed it? How are you going to stay on the path and keep up with the providence of God? The only way is to have faith. These cords represent faith. A few years ago a good friend of mine told me that he was sorry that I had worked so many years for the Adventist denomination and now had to give up all of my retirement benefits. If you stay on the road all the way to the end, you are going to give up much more than retirement benefits.

Oh friend, how much time are you spending in prayer? If you are energetic enough to get up and to pray, God will hear and answer.

“Where there is no active labor for others, love wanes, and faith grows dim.” The Desire of Ages, 825. You must not only study your Bible and pray, you must be actively involved in missionary work. If you are not, ask the Lord to show you what to do to become involved in some type of outreach program spreading the Third Angel’s Message.

We did not follow the path to the end of the vision. The time came, however, when the path disappeared and all that was left were the cords that had been let down from above. When you come to this place in your experience, will you have a faith that will hold you? Do you want the Lord to let down a cord of faith today so that you can get a hold from above? If so, determine that from this day forward you will faithfully walk in the light as God sheds it upon your pathway.

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