persecution

The Many and the Few in Adventism, Part II

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It is very clear in Sketches from the Life of Paul that, when the apostle Paul was thrown in prison in Jerusalem, it was the fault of the leaders of the Christian church. Ellen White makes the following, unbelievable comment. She says that when the apostle Peter was thrown in prison, the church prayed, and the Lord answered their prayers for his release.

Then she says the Lord would have done the same for the apostle Paul, but the church did not pray for the apostle Paul to be released from prison. Why? Because they thought he was preaching dangerous doctrines. What were these dangerous doctrines? The dangerous doctrines were the doctrines that would set the church free from all Judaism, from all of their rules and regulations.

Since she is a prophet, Ellen White goes behind and underneath and lets you know the why. A prophet can say things that we cannot. She says these people believed the apostle Paul was preaching dangerous doctrines. Why? They were trying to go along with Judaism as much as they could. Do you know why that was? It was cowardice and their fear of facing persecution. That is the situation we are in in Adventism today. The vast majority are so afraid that we are going to face persecution, they will not proclaim the Three Angels’ Messages anymore, and they do not want to have anything to do with the people who do proclaim it.

In fact, Ellen White says that before the battle is fought and the victory won, we are going to learn a lot more about the situation that the apostle Paul was in, because we are going to be in a very similar situation. (See Sketches from the Life of Paul, 252, 253. You should read the latter part of this book, if you have never read it.

Persecution Will Come

More and more people are going to say, “Do not do that! We are going to sue you. We are going to put you in prison if you do that. We are going to stop you from doing that.”

“Do you not believe the same thing, too?”

“Oh, yes, we believe the same thing, too, but we just do not believe that you are doing it right.”

I believe in tact. I believe we should be gentle and tender in all of our presentations. We should never act like the devil and put acid in our words. I believe that we should be loving and kind. But the most loving and kind thing you can do is to tell people the truth to save them from hell.

There is a text of Scripture that has come to my mind as I have watched these things developing. I cannot tell you where it is gong to end, but I want to share a verse of Scripture that might tell where you will end. This Scripture has very great import to Seventh-day Adventists today. When people, because of worldly conformity, are afraid to proclaim the Three Angels’ Messages anymore, they are afraid they are going to be persecuted. “He who finds his life will lose it, and he who loses his life for My sake will find it.” Matthew 10:39. That has a great deal to say to Seventh-day Adventists today who are fearful.

There are so many ways that the devil is trying to destroy the work of God today. God’s people are being attacked from many different directions, and the most dangerous thing about it is that people do not even know they are being attacked. Of course, that is how deception works. If you knew you were being attacked, you would be in a much better situation.

The Fear Factor

We find this happening, not just in the United States, but in foreign countries as well, and it is having an absolutely devastating effect on God’s work. The historic Adventist ministers that I talk to all over the country are alarmed. I have a friend who recently went to the Philippines to try to work with this problem there. We have it in South America, and we have it in the United States. Adventists, just like the Jews and the Christians in the days of the apostles, are afraid they will be persecuted. The Jews were against Jesus because, as Caiaphas and the others said in John 11, they were afraid they would be persecuted by the Romans. Fear causes people to do many foolish and irrational things. Fear is deadly.

Have you ever noticed how often, when Jesus came to the disciples, He would open His remarks by saying, “Fear not?” When He came to them and they were frightened of the storm on the sea, He said, “Do not be afraid.” (See Mark 4:36–40.) Why was Jesus always telling them, “Do not be afraid”? A person who is afraid and fearful does irrational things. They do foolish things and they get themselves in a worse situation than they were in to begin with.

We have many Seventh-day Adventists today who are fearful because of what they see coming. First of all, they are afraid to preach the Three Angels’ Messages, because they are afraid they will be persecuted if they do. But they are even more fearful than that. They say, Do you know what? Persecution is coming. Sunday Laws are coming. We are not going to be able to buy and sell. They are going to come and get us. We had better run. We had better get where they cannot find us.

We saw this happen to large groups of people in the early 1990s. There was a great fear that the New World Order was going to come in and take over everything. We were going to lose all of our liberties immediately; people were going to be taken to concentration camps. I am not saying that any of that could not happen; I am saying that you cannot fly out of the world.

Country Living

People said, We are going to become invisible, and we are going to go where they cannot find us. I had a man from the state of New York call me a few years ago when this was all going on. He questioned me a little bit to see if I believed in country living. Yes, I believe in country living. I live out in the country myself.

He said he thought that he should sell his place and move farther out in the country, so I asked him where he lived. He lives several miles from a little, tiny town that has maybe a post office and a gas station in it, a long way from any city of any size. Right now he lives out in the country. He was thinking of moving to a place that was isolated, out in the mountains. There are lots of isolated mountains in New York. We have had people doing this sort of thing all over the world.

Some people in Central America were on fire for Christ just a matter of months ago. They wanted to get involved in getting the Three Angels’ Messages out to the whole country. A group of them would go into the city, and on Sunday mornings, when people came out of church, they would give them literature and talk to them about the Three Angels’ Messages.

They were doing a powerful work. They said, We need to get out printed material, we need to get the message all over. Then somehow, many people got scared. The people who were getting the message out decided they had better flee to some isolated, desolate area. They went to an area that is so isolated and so desolate that right now you cannot reach them by telephone. You could mail them a letter, and after a few weeks, they might get it. They are in a situation now where they are not doing much of anything to get the Three Angels’ Messages to the world.

This world is going to go on until we get the Three Angels’ Messages to all of the world, no matter how bad it gets. If you really want the Lord to come, you had better be sure you know what Ellen White teaches in regard to country living.

We are not living in the time when God’s people are going to be fleeing to the caves and the rocks and the mountains. That time is coming, and it could come very soon, but we are not living in that time right now. If you look up all the references where Ellen White talks about fleeing to these desolate places, to the rocks and the mountains, look at the context of the references. You will see that a large number of them are dealing with the time immediately following the death decree being passed. The death decree has not yet been passed.

Finish the Work First

You know, the Bible does say that everything is beautiful in its time and there is a time for everything. (See Ecclesiastes 3:1–8.) There will come a time when it will be time to flee. Do not worry about it. Do not think that it will not happen. It will happen, and if we are living close to the Lord, we will know when that time comes. Before we flee to a cave, we must take the Three Angels’ Messages to the world. That is our job. That is our responsibility as God’s people.

Five or six years ago, when this scare developed over the New World Order, there were many from the Pacific Islands living in the Los Angeles area who said, It is time to get out of here. It is going to be too dangerous to live here. So they quit their jobs. Some of them moved out so fast that they did not even have time to liquidate their assets and their possessions. They just figured time was too short, and they got on airplanes with their families and a few of their personal belongings, and they flew back to the Pacific Islands, like the Philippines.

There are over 7,000 islands in the Philippines, lots of desolate places. Those islanders and their families fled up to the mountains, because they thought that the New World Order was going to take over everything, and they would just subsist up there for a little while until the Lord came.

Year after year went by, and it began to be very difficult to live up there in the mountains. In the Philippines, they actually call them the mountain people, the mountain Seventh-day Adventists. The children were growing older, and they were living under very difficult and primitive conditions. Some of them decided they had made a mistake. You see, they were not getting the Three Angels’ Messages to either the Philippines or the United States while they were up there in the mountains.

They had no money to buy literature to spread the gospel, because they had no job, no income; they were just subsisting. Now, please do not misunderstand. I am not criticizing them for that. I believe that those people were very, very sincere, but you can be very sincere and make a mistake. In the last two or three years, some of them have been moving down from the mountains and coming back to Los Angeles. Now they have nothing, and they have to start all over again from scratch—find new jobs, find housing, and try to support their families.

Things very similar to this are happening in other parts of the world. Some of the most sincere and conscientious people, because of the delusion in thinking about the right time to do the right thing, have caused great injury to the proclamation of the Three Angels’ Messages.

What would you do? I do not know what church you go to, but suppose that you go to a 15-member home church. What would happen to your church if 60 percent of your members decided to flee to the mountains next month?

Matthew 10:39 says, “He who finds his life will lose it.” We are not to spend the bulk of our time trying to figure out how we can be in a safe place, how we can escape persecution, how we can avoid the trouble. I meet people all the time who are trying to figure out how to do these things. It is interesting to me the way we, as human beings, think. I am not trying to be critical of anybody, but I think we ought to think things through.

The Terrorist Problem

Now we are having the very same thing all over again. We had it with the New Age Movement in the early ’90s; we had it with the Y2K problem, and now we have it with the terrorist problem. There are Adventists all over the country who think the way to prepare and be ready for the time of trouble is to have a generator with a two-year propane supply!

Please do not misunderstand. I am not criticizing anybody who has a generator. I am not against having generators. I think emergency power generators are a good thing, but you can never be ready for the time of trouble just because you have a generator or because you have enough seed for the next two years. I am not against making preparations and being prepared for times of trouble. Over 20 years ago, when we were in Southern California studying public health, we were taught that every family should have an emergency water supply in case something like an earthquake or flood happened to contaminate the public water supply.

Everybody ought to have a little bit of emergency food, but the preparation that we are to make as Seventh-day Adventists is mainly a spiritual work. It is not figuring out a way to be totally self-sufficient and independent of all the rest of the world.

I studied this whole question of being self-sufficient many years ago, before we even had these crises. Did you know that it is impossible for any of us to be totally self-sufficient? Did you know that Ellen White said that the Lord has arranged things so that no man is totally independent of his fellowmen? God has arranged it so that we are all dependent. None of us are totally independent. (See Review and Herald, August 6, 1901.) If being self-sufficient has become the big goal of your life, read Matthew 10:39 again.

Willing to Take the Risk

God has to find somebody who is willing to risk his life to get the Three Angels’ Messages to the world. In the process of doing it, some of us may lose our lives, but we do not have to worry about that. Whether we lose our life or not is not our problem, because when Jesus comes, if we have been faithful to Him, even if we have lost our life for His sake, the One we serve is going to give our life back to us. That is what this text is telling us. If you lose your life for My sake, you will find it.

“Many will get above the simplicity of the work. They will conform to the world, cherish idols, and become spiritually dead.” She says, “The humble, self-sacrificing followers of Jesus will pass on to perfection, leaving behind the indifferent and lovers of the world.” Testimonies, vol. 1, 609.

According to this prophecy there are going to be some Seventh-day Adventist Christians, she calls them the humble, self-sacrificing followers of Jesus, who will pass on to perfection, and the others will be left behind. (See Ibid., 608, 609.) I believe that we are living in the time when this prophecy is in the process of being fulfilled.

Why is there so much division? Because there are some of God’s professed people who are going on; they are still going up the path, who say, I want to go up the path; I want to reach spiritual perfection. There are some who are being left behind; they want to be in conformity to the world; they want to cherish idols, and they become spiritually dead. Only those who keep going up the path will reach spiritual perfection and will be in heaven.

When I was about 19 years old, I read The Great Controversy through again. I came to the place, toward the end of the book, where Ellen White talks about heaven and what a wonderful place it is going to be, where we will be with those who had perfected their characters.

As I read, I wondered, What about those who have not perfected their characters? There is a reason why she left that out and did not say anything about them. The reason is, they are not going to be there. The people who are in that place are going to be people in whom God has perfected their characters. (See Testimonies, vol. 1, 705, 706.) They will pass on to perfection, leaving behind the indifferent and the lovers of the world.

What is the Number One Goal, or Objective, of Your Life?

Is your number one goal to have a character that will be accepted into the mansions of bliss above? Are you attempting to follow the instructions in God’s Book so you will be among that number?

This is part of what the great division in Adventism is about today, because there are some people who have adopted the new belief that God is going to save people in their sins—which is not so, the Bible does not teach that!

You have heard the story about a person who, in Jesus’ time, was considered one of the most wicked people around. Her name was Mary Magdalene. In fact, she was so wicked that the Bible says she had seven devils cast out of her by Jesus. Ellen White makes it very clear that it was not seven devils at one time, it was seven different times that Jesus had to cast the devils out of her. (See Desire of Ages, 568.)

She was such a great sinner that other people thought there was no hope for her. Even her relatives had just about given up on her. Jesus understood all about her situation, and He saw that she was a person who would accept the provisions of salvation which He had come to offer. He made plain to her not just what sin was but how sin could be forgiven and overcome.

She was one of the two people, when Jesus Christ was crucified, who understood what was happening. She was one of the two people who understood that Jesus was dying on the cross for her sins. She chose to forsake and to overcome her sins.

Has your family given up on you? Have you given up on yourself? Jesus has not given up on you, and He can save you, if you will yield your life to Him! You can have perfection of character, even if you are the worst sinner in the world. The Lord can give it to you, if you cooperate with the Holy Spirit. Perfection of character is not something that happens in an instant, it is a process that happens as we live day by day. You do not have to be one of the many. You can be one of the few who are sanctified by the truth and saved by it.

Will you pray to the Lord and say, Lord, I want my heart to be clean? I want, not only to have forgiveness of my sins, but I want to receive power from the Holy Spirit to be purified and to live a new life. I want perfection of character.

Jesus would never tell us to be perfect, as His Father in heaven is perfect, if He did not plan to work that out in our lives. Do you want that miracle to be worked out in your life? Multitudes of Adventists today are being left behind. They may still be going to church every Sabbath, but they are being left behind. Some are still going up the path.

I would like to appeal to you, that you make that commitment to the Lord in your heart. Say, Lord, I want to be one of the few whose character is sanctified by the truth so that I will be ready for Jesus to come. Work this miracle out in my life. He will do it, because it is a command, and every command is a promise.

Bible Study Guides – Conquering the Conflict

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June 2 – 8, 2002

MEMORY VERSE: “For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.” Hebrews 4:15.

INTRODUCTION: “The directions laid down in the Word of God leave no room for compromise with evil. The Son of God was manifested that He might draw all men unto Himself. He came not to lull the world to sleep, but to point out the narrow path in which all must travel who reach at last the gates of the City of God. His children must follow where He has led the way; at whatever sacrifice of ease or selfish indulgence, at whatever cost of labor or suffering, they must maintain a constant battle with self. The greatest praise that men can bring to God is to become consecrated channels through whom He can work.” The Acts of the Apostles, 565, 566.

  1. When Christ came to earth, what was He to do for man? Matthew 1:21; Acts 5:31.

NOTE: “We should meditate upon the Scriptures, thinking soberly and candidly upon the things that pertain to our eternal salvation. The infinite mercy and love of Jesus, the sacrifice made in our behalf, call for most serious and solemn reflection. We should dwell upon the character of our dear Redeemer and Intercessor. We should seek to comprehend the meaning of the plan of salvation. We should meditate upon the mission of Him who came to save His people from their sins. By constantly contemplating heavenly themes, our faith and love will grow stronger. Our prayers will be more and more acceptable to God, because they will be more and more mixed with faith and love. They will be more intelligent and fervent. There will be more constant confidence in Jesus, and you will have a daily, living experience in the willingness and power of Christ to save unto the uttermost all that come unto God by Him.” God’s Amazing Grace, 34.

  1. What kind of an example did Jesus leave? 1 Peter 2:21–24.

NOTE: “In our behalf Christ has made a tremendous sacrifice. He laid aside His royal crown, He laid aside His royal robe, and came to this world, born of humble parentage. Many were not attracted by the humility of His life, and He was despised and rejected of men. He suffered persecution, until at length He was crucified and died a shameful death. What does this mean to us? He came as the Saviour of every sinner that will accept of the divine sacrifice. He united in Himself divinity and humanity, that He might be the connecting link between fallen man and the Father. But will men accept of the conditions? Who of you will become partakers of the divine nature? There should be no delay in accepting Christ.” Peter’s Counsel to Parents, 10, 11.

  1. What should be our reaction to the provision Christ made for us? Philippians 3:12–14.

NOTE: “The warfare against self is the greatest battle that was ever fought. The yielding of self, surrendering all to the will of God, requires a struggle; but the soul must submit to God before it can be renewed in holiness. . . .” God’s Amazing Grace, 313.

  1. What power is at the root of our trials and persecutions? Ephesians 6:12; Job 1:6–12.

NOTE: “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 power and malice of Satan and his host might justly alarm us, were it not that we may find shelter and deliverance in the superior power of our Redeemer. . . . Those who follow Christ are ever safe under His watchcare. Angels that excel in strength are sent from heaven to protect them. The wicked one cannot break through the guard which God has stationed about His people.” The Faith I Live By, 328.

  1. In trials and tribulations, how are Christians to reveal God’s power in their lives? Matthew 5:10–12; Luke 6:22, 23.

NOTE: “Through trial and persecution the glory—the character—of God is revealed in His chosen ones. The believers in Christ, hated and persecuted by the world, are educated and disciplined in the school of Christ. On earth they walk in narrow paths; they are purified in the furnace of affliction. They follow Christ through sore conflicts; they endure self-denial and experience bitter disappointments; but thus they learn the guilt and woe of sin, and they look upon it with abhorrence. Being partakers of Christ’s sufferings, they can look beyond the gloom to the glory, saying, ‘I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.’ Romans 8:18.” The Acts of the Apostles, 576.

  1. From where may we look for persecutions to come? Acts 20:29, 30; Luke 21:16.

NOTE: “We have far more to fear from within than from without. The hindrances to strength and success are far greater from the church itself than from the world. Unbelievers have a right to expect that those who profess to be keeping the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus, will do more than any other class to promote and honor, by their consistent lives, by their godly example and their active influence, the cause which they represent. But how often have the professed advocates of the truth proved the greatest obstacle to its advancement! The unbelief indulged, the doubts expressed, the darkness cherished, encourage the presence of evil angels, and open the way for the accomplishment of Satan’s devices.” Selected Messages, Book 1, 122.

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

  1. For what purpose does God allow persecutions? Hebrews 12:5–8, 11.

NOTE: “In the experience of the apostle John under persecution, there is a lesson of wonderful strength and comfort for the Christian. God does not prevent the plottings of wicked men, but He causes their devices to work for good to those who in trial and conflict maintain their faith and loyalty. Often the gospel laborer carries on his work amid storms of persecution, bitter opposition, and unjust reproach. At such times let him remember that the experience to be gained in the furnace of trial and affliction is worth all the pain it costs. Thus God brings His children near to Him, that He may show them their weakness and His strength.” The Acts of the Apostles, 574, 575.

  1. How long will the saved be faithful? Matthew 10:22; 24:13; Revelation 2:10.

NOTE: “The enemy can never take out of the hand of Christ the one who is simply trusting in His promises. If the soul is trusting and working obediently, the mind is susceptible to divine impressions, and the light of God shines in, enlightening the understanding. What privileges we have in Christ Jesus! We are to watch vigilantly for the coming of the Lord. . . . Every moment is to be faithfully employed. ‘He that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.’” Sons and Daughters of God, 351.

  1. What will the saints be doing who are preparing to spend Eternity with Jesus? Romans 12:2, 21; 1 John 4:4.

NOTE: “Sanctification is not the work of a moment, an hour, a day, but of a lifetime. It is not gained by a happy flight of feeling, but is the result of constantly dying to sin, and constantly living for Christ. Wrongs cannot be righted nor reformations wrought in the character by feeble, intermittent efforts. It is only by long, persevering effort, sore discipline, and stern conflict, that we shall overcome. We know not one day how strong will be our conflict the next. So long as Satan reigns, we shall have self to subdue, besetting sins to overcome; so long as life shall last, there will be no stopping place, no point which we can reach and say, I have fully attained. Sanctification is the result of lifelong obedience.” The Acts of the Apostles, 560, 561.

  1. What kind of church will God have when Jesus comes? Ephesians 5:25–27; Colossians 1:22, 28.

NOTE: “The church of God, hated and persecuted by the world, are educated and disciplined in the school of Christ. They walk in narrow paths on earth; they are purified in the furnace of affliction. They follow Christ through sore conflicts; they endure self-denial, and experience bitter disappointments; but their painful experience teaches them the guilt and woe of sin, and they look upon it with abhorrence. Being partakers of Christ’s sufferings, they are destined to be partakers of His glory. In holy vision the prophet saw the triumph of the people of God. He says: ‘I saw as it were a sea of glass mingled with fire; and them that had gotten the victory . . . stand on the sea of glass, having the harps of God. And they sing the song of Moses the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb.’” Sons and Daughters of God, 74.

  1. How does Scripture compare life on earth with the eternal inheritance? 1 Corinthians 2:9; Isaiah 64:4.

NOTE: “Paul had a view of heaven, and in discoursing on the glories there, the very best thing he could do was to not try to describe them. He tells us that eye had not seen nor ear heard, neither hath it entered into the heart of man the things which God hath prepared for those that love Him. So you may put your imagination to the stretch, you may try to the very best of your abilities to take in and consider the eternal weight of glory, and yet your finite senses, faint and weary with the effort, cannot grasp it, for there is an infinity beyond. It takes all of eternity to unfold the glories and bring out the precious treasures of the Word of God (Manuscript 13, 1888).” “Ellen G. White Comments,” Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, vol. 6, 1107.

  1. What do we need to do in order to receive the reward? Hebrews 10:23, 35–37.

NOTE: “Those who are finally victorious will have seasons of terrible perplexity and trial in their religious life; but they must not cast away their confidence, for this is a part of their discipline in the school of Christ, and it is essential in order that all dross may be purged away. The servant of God must endure with fortitude the attacks of the enemy, his grievous taunts, and must overcome the obstacles which Satan will place in his way.” Messages to Young People, 63.

By Ruth Grosboll

Bible Study Guides – Earth’s Final Days

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March 15, 2009 – March 21, 2009

Key Text

“Come, my people, enter thou into thy chambers, and shut thy doors about thee: hide thyself as it were for a little moment, until the indignation be overpast.” Isaiah 26:20.

Study Help: Testimonies, vol. 6, 404–410; Maranatha, 270–274.

Introduction

“What are the chambers in which they [God’s people] are to hide? They are the protection of Christ and holy angels.” In Heavenly Places, 264.

1 How does Isaiah depict the condition of the earth in the final days? Isaiah 24:1–4.

Note: “The present is a time of overwhelming interest to all living. 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 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.

“The Bible, and the Bible only, gives a correct view of these things. Here are revealed the great final scenes in the history of our world, events that already are casting their shadows before, the sound of their approach causing the earth to tremble and men’s hearts to fail them for fear.” Prophets and Kings, 537.

2 What else does the prophet say about the scenes that will be witnessed in those days? Isaiah 24:17–21. What does Christ say on this point? Luke 21:26.

Note: “The whole earth appears like a desolate wilderness. The ruins of cities and villages destroyed by the earthquake, uprooted trees, ragged rocks thrown out by the sea or torn out of the earth itself, are scattered over its surface, while vast caverns mark the spot where the mountains have been rent from their foundations.” The Great Controversy, 657.

3 What is the cause of the fearful condition of the world in the last days? Isaiah 24:5. Whom will Satan blame?

Note: “The great deceiver will persuade men that those who serve God are causing these evils. The class that have provoked the displeasure of Heaven will charge all their troubles upon those whose obedience to God’s commandments is a perpetual reproof to transgressors. It will be declared that men are offending God by the violation of the Sunday sabbath; that this sin has brought calamities which will not cease until Sunday observance shall be strictly enforced.” The Great Controversy, 590.

4 What will happen to the multitudes who have rejected the present truth for these last days? Isaiah 26:21; 28:21.

Note: “The professed Christian world is advancing, as did the Jewish nation, from one degree of sinfulness to a greater degree, refusing warning after warning, and rejecting a Thus saith the Lord, while crediting the fables of men. The Lord God will soon arise in His wrath, and pour out His judgments upon those who are repeating the sins of the inhabitants of the Noachic world. Those whose hearts are fully set in them to do evil, as were the hearts of the inhabitants of Sodom, will like them be destroyed. The fact that God had long forbearance, patience and mercy, the fact that His judgments have been long delayed, will not make the punishment any less severe when it does come.” “Ellen G. White Comments,” The Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, vol. 4, 1144.

“There will be a law against the Sabbath of God’s creation, and then it is that God will do His ‘strange work’ in the earth. He has borne long with the perversity of the race; He has tried to win them to Himself. But the time will come when they shall have filled their measure of iniquity; and then it is that God will work. This time is almost reached. God keeps a record with the nations: the figures are swelling against them in the books of heaven; and when it shall have become a law that the transgression of the first day of the week shall be met with punishment, then their cup will be full.” Ibid., vol. 7, 910.

5 As trials and persecution thicken, what will the faithful be able to declare? Isaiah 25:1, 4.

Note: “The people of God will not be free from suffering; but while persecuted and distressed, while they endure privation and suffer for want of food they will not be left to perish. That God who cared for Elijah will not pass by one of His self-sacrificing children. He who numbers the hairs of their head will care for them, and in time of famine they shall be satisfied. While the wicked are dying from hunger and pestilence, angels will shield the righteous and supply their wants.” The Great Controversy, 629.

6 On what assurance can God’s people rely during the time of trouble, and on what conditions? Isaiah 33:15, 16.

Note: “If the saints had food laid up by them or in the field in the time of trouble, when sword, famine, and pestilence are in the land, it would be taken from them by violent hands and strangers would reap their fields. Then will be the time for us to trust wholly in God, and He will sustain us. …

“Houses and lands will be of no use to the saints in the time of trouble, for they will then have to flee before infuriated mobs, and at that time their possessions cannot be disposed of to advance the cause of present truth. … It is the will of God that the saints should cut loose from every encumbrance before the time of trouble comes, and make a covenant with God through sacrifice. If they have their property on the altar and earnestly inquire of God for duty, He will teach them when to dispose of these things. Then they will be free in the time of trouble and have no clogs to weigh them down.” Early Writings, 56, 57.

7 What has God promised to His people for the time of trouble? Psalm 46:1–3; Jeremiah 30:7.

Note: “When the protection of human laws shall be withdrawn from those who honor the law of God, there will be, in different lands, a simultaneous movement for their destruction. As the time appointed in the decree draws near, the people will conspire to root out the hated sect. It will be determined to strike in one night a decisive blow, which shall utterly silence the voice of dissent and reproof.

“The people of God—some in prison cells, some hidden in solitary retreats in the forests and the mountains—still plead for divine protection, while in every quarter companies of armed men, urged on by hosts of evil angels, are preparing for the work of death. It is now, in the hour of utmost extremity, that the God of Israel will interpose for the deliverance of His chosen.” The Great Controversy, 635.

8 What will be our only shelter in that time? Isaiah 26:20.

Note: “The great crisis is just before us. To meet its trials and temptations, and to perform its duties, will require persevering faith. But we may triumph gloriously; not one watching, praying, believing soul will be ensnared by the enemy. …

“The Lion of Judah, so terrible to the rejectors of His grace, will be the Lamb of God to the obedient and faithful. The pillar of cloud which speaks wrath and terror to the transgressor of God’s law is light and mercy and deliverance to those who have kept His commandments.” Testimonies, vol. 6, 404.

9 For whom only will Christ’s return be the most joyous event, and why? Isaiah 25:8, 9.

Note: “Those only who are holy, those who have followed fully the meek Pattern will, with rapturous joy, exclaim as they behold Him, ‘Lo, this is our God; we have waited for him, and he will save us.’ [Isaiah 25:9.] And they will be changed ‘in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump,’ [I Corinthians 15:52] that wakes the sleeping saints, and calls them forth from their dusty beds, clothed with glorious immortality, shouting Victory! Victory! over death and the grave. The changed saints are caught up together with them to meet the Lord in the air, never more to be separated from the object of their love.

“To His faithful followers Christ has been a daily companion and a familiar friend. They have lived in close contact, in constant communion with God. Upon them the glory of the Lord has risen. In them the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ has been reflected. Now they rejoice in the undimmed rays of the brightness and the glory of the King in His majesty. They are prepared for the communion of heaven; for they have heaven in their hearts.” Sons and Daughters of God, 360.

10 What will be the song of the redeemed, and why will they be qualified to sing that song? Isaiah 26:1, 2.

Note: “That which will make the character lovely in the home is that which will make it lovely in the heavenly mansions.

“If we manifest the character of Christ here, keeping all the commandments of God, we shall be cheered and blessed with glimpses of the pleasant home in the mansions Jesus has gone to prepare.” The Faith I Live By, 279.

Additional Reading

“The Lord has shown me that great interest should be taken by Sabbathkeepers to keep up their meetings and make them interesting. There is great necessity of more interest and energy being manifested in this direction. All should have something to say for the Lord, for by so doing they will be blest. A book of remembrance is written of those who do not forsake the assembling of themselves together, but speak often one to another. The remnant are to overcome by the blood of the Lamb and the word of their testimony. Some expect to overcome alone by the blood of the Lamb, without making any special effort of their own. I saw that God has been merciful in giving us the power of speech. He has given us a tongue, and we are accountable to Him for its use. We should glorify God with our mouth, speaking in honor of the truth and of His unbounded mercy, and overcome by the word of our testimony through the blood of the Lamb.

“We should not come together to remain silent; those only are remembered of the Lord who assemble to speak of His honor and glory and tell of His power; upon such the blessing of God will rest, and they will be refreshed. If all moved as they should, no precious time would run to waste, and no reproofs would be needed for long prayers and exhortations; all the time would be occupied by short, pointed testimonies and prayers. Ask, believe, and receive. There is too much mocking the Lord, too much praying that is no praying and that wearies angels and displeases God, too many vain, unmeaning petitions. First we should feel needy, and then ask God for the very things we need, believing that He gives them to us, even while we ask; and then our faith will grow, all will be edified, the weak will be strengthened, and the discouraged and desponding made to look up and believe that God is a rewarder of all those who diligently seek Him.

“Some hold back in meeting because they have nothing new to say and must repeat the same story if they speak. I saw that pride was at the bottom of this, that God and angels witnessed the testimonies of the saints and were well pleased and glorified by their being repeated weekly. The Lord loves simplicity and humility, but He is displeased and angels are grieved when professed heirs of God and joint heirs with Jesus suffer precious time to run to waste in their meetings.

“If the brethren and sisters were in the place they should be, they would not be at a loss to find something to say in honor of Jesus, who hung upon Calvary’s cross for their sins. If they would cherish more of a realizing sense of the condescension of God in giving His only beloved Son to die a sacrifice for our sins and transgressions, and of the sufferings and anguish of Jesus to make a way of escape for guilty man, that he might receive pardon and live, they would be more ready to extol and magnify Jesus. They could not hold their peace, but with thankfulness and gratitude would talk of His glory and tell of His power. And blessings from God would rest upon them by so doing.” Early Writings, 114–116.

Why Is Persecution Sleeping? Part II

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A dictionary gives the definition of the word careless as: “without worry; negligent, slovenly; unvalued, disregarded.” To be careless means that I do not care about anybody, that I am negligent in doing that which is necessary to do.

God is not pleased with slothful servants. Slothful persons will not enter the kingdom of God, because they are ungodly; they are not concerned about a hereafter. They are not concerned about anything except themselves, what is theirs, and the right now.

Ellen White wrote: “When life is going on in its unvarying round; when men are absorbed in pleasure, in business, in traffic, in money-making; when religious leaders are magnifying the world’s progress and enlightenment, and the people are lulled in a false security—then, as the midnight thief steals within the unguarded dwelling, so shall sudden destruction come upon the careless and ungodly . . . .” The Great Controversy, 38. [Emphasis supplied.] Those who are careless in their Christian experience today are the ungodly of today.

If careless or ungodly persons are negligent in the things of the world, have they also neglected the things of God? Are they searching for truth? Are they following the counsel, “Study to show thyself approved unto God . . .”? 11 Timothy 2:15. If they have been careless in their position for Jesus Christ, they are in the ungodly group. Where do you stand? Each of us is on one side or the other. Are you with the ungodly or the godly?

Care Less

If we become careless in any aspect of the message that God has given us, we have begotten that care less attitude. The care less attitude occurs in the spiritual life, such as in our witnessing, as well as in the home life. We cannot be careless about anything that we do. If we are, it shows that we do not care about others; we do not care about God. Therefore, we have to tighten the grip that God wants us to have; we must not be careless or indifferent. Mrs. White wrote, “The Lord abhors indifference and disloyalty in a time of crisis in His work.” Prophets and Kings, 148.

To be indifferent in the hour in which we live is a sin against God. A number of Seventh-day Adven-tists are going to have to get off this rail fence, because they are getting splinters, and those splinters are becoming painful. God says, “I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot.” Revelation 3:15. Each of us will have to get on one side of the fence or the other. We will each have to make a choice whether to be cold or hot.

Where is Persecution?

Where is persecution? Why are we not being persecuted today? There is something wrong, friend, with the fact that we are not experiencing persecution.

The devil did his best to persecute and to kill. The blood of the saints during the Reformation watered the seed that was sown. (See The Great Controversy, 78.) One historian wrote that the more the Christians were cut down, the thicker they became. The devil tried to destroy Christ’s followers, but more came. He decided that since he could not beat them he would join them.

Regarding this, Mrs. White wrote: “Thousands were imprisoned and slain, but others sprang up to fill their places. And those who were martyred for their faith were secured to Christ and accounted of Him as conquerors. They had fought the good fight, and they were to receive the crown of glory when Christ should come. The sufferings which they endured brought Christians nearer to one another and to their Redeemer. Their living example and dying testimony were a constant witness for the truth; and where least expected, the subjects of Satan were leaving his service and enlisting under the banner of Christ.

“Satan therefore laid his plans to war more successfully against the government of God by planting his banner in the Christian church. If the followers of Christ could be deceived and led to displease God, then their strength, fortitude, and firmness would fail, and they would fall an easy prey.” The Great Controversy, 42.

Devil in Church

You may think that the devil is not in your church. This is not realistic thinking! Do you know how the devil may come into your church? He may come in through you or another member experiencing depression. He may come in because you are aggravated or provoked about something, or perhaps because you have things on your mind that you should not have. Then the warfare begins. You leave the church services not knowing what was said. You do not remember anything, because in your mind, you were somewhere else. This is how the enemy comes in and the warfare begins.

But God will turn the world upside down for those people who are ready to meet with Him and whose hearts and minds are right—just as He came to His people who stood for Jesus in the past.

Forewarned

Jesus forewarned the people of the coming destruction of Jerusalem, but many did not believe or follow the signs of His warnings. (See Luke 21.) This is going to happen again in the last days. Jesus has told us what to expect, but many—even Seventh-day Adventists—will not believe.

Somehow we have the thinking that God is not going to let horrible things happen to His people. But consider what happened to Jerusalem: “Signs and wonders appeared, foreboding disaster and doom. In the midst of the night an unnatural light shone over the temple and the altar. Upon the clouds at sunset were pictured chariots and men of war gathering for battle. The priests ministering by night in the sanctuary were terrified by mysterious sounds; the earth trembled, and a multitude of voices were heard crying: ‘Let us depart hence.’ . . .
—Milman, The History of the Jews, book 13.

“For seven years a man continued to go up and down the streets of Jerusalem, declaring the woes that were to come upon the city. By day and by night he chanted the wild dirge: ‘A voice from the east! a voice from the west! a voice from the four winds! a voice against Jerusalem and against the temple! a voice against the bridegrooms and the brides! a voice against the whole people!’—Ibid. This strange being was imprisoned and scourged, but no complaint escaped his lips. To insult and abuse he answered only: ‘Woe, woe to Jerusalem!’ ‘woe, woe to the inhabitants thereof!’ His warning cry ceased not until he was slain in the siege he had foretold.

“Not one Christian perished in the destruction of Jerusalem. Christ had given His disciples warning, and all who believed His words watched for the promised sign.” The Great Controversy, 29, 30.

The man who stayed in Jerusalem for seven years sighed and cried for the abominations going on, and he warned, “Get out! The city is going to be destroyed.” History records that this man had the right motives; he wanted to do the right thing. He thought that if he stayed a little bit longer he could help somebody else, even though he knew he was supposed to leave. He was telling other people to get out, but he stayed and was killed.

Many people today are repeating this man’s actions. As they see error creep into their churches, they continue to attend, thinking they can warn others, even though they are aware of God’s warning against going where error is taught: “I was shown the necessity of those who believe that we are having the last message of mercy, being separate from those who are daily imbibing new errors. I saw that neither young nor old should attend their [professed Advent believers] meetings; for it is wrong to thus encourage them while they teach error that is a deadly poison to the soul and teach for doctrines the commandments of men. The influence of such gatherings is not good. If God has delivered us from such darkness and error, we should stand fast in the liberty wherewith He has set us free and rejoice in the truth. God is displeased with us when we go to listen to error, without being obliged to go; for unless He sends us to those meetings where error is forced home to the people by the power of the will, He will not keep us. The angels cease their watchful care over us, and we are left to the buffetings of the enemy, to be darkened and weakened by him and the power of his evil angels; and the light around us becomes contaminated with the darkness.” Early Writings, 124, 125.

Are you not sure on which side you should be? Be on God’s side! Oh, friend, how important your decision is. The devil is within the church, and he has brought paganism within the church.

Different Kind of Persecution

You may say that you do not believe this. Let me tell you that just through Sunday celebration worship services with rock music and pagan rites and rituals, such as Halloween rituals, paganism has been brought into the church.

Ellen White wrote: “Now the church was in fearful peril. Prison, torture, fire, and sword were blessings in comparison with this [compromise with paganism]. Some of the Christians stood firm, declaring that they could make no compromise. Others were in favor of yielding or modifying some features of their faith and uniting with those who had accepted a part of Christianity, urging that this might be the means of their full conversion. That was a time of deep anguish to the faithful followers of Christ. Under a cloak of pretended Christianity, Satan was insinuating himself into the church, to corrupt their faith and turn their minds from the word of truth.

“Most of the Christians at last consented to lower their standard, and a union was formed between Christianity and paganism.” The Great Controversy, 42, 43.

Did you get it, friend? When the devil took the church, after he had killed and maligned and persecuted with the sword, persecution stopped, and he got inside the church around God’s people. Oh, the church was in trouble. Prison, torture, fire, and the sword were a blessing compared to having the devil within the church!

Some people still think that the devil will not get them if they are in the church.

Compromise

Here is what happened—and is still happening today. One group declared that they would not compromise the truth of God’s Word. Another group brought with them their paganistic ideas and thoughts. They did not want to leave paganism. They did not want to leave their idolatry, but they wanted to join the popular Christian movement. In the end, both groups agreed to compromise.

Be cautious of this. In the last days, people will say, “Let us just agree on what we can agree, and let all the other issues go. Do not worry about doctrine; do not worry about teaching. We agree on this point; that is good enough; that is unity.” This is unity of the world. It is ecumenism.

One group in the early church, after persecution ceased and the devil had set up shop in the church, said, “Let us not worry about all the differences that we have. Let us just agree where we can agree and unite.” But then others said, “We do not want to do that.”

Mrs. White wrote that, at last, the majority of the Christians agreed to compromise. So what did the pagans do? They brought back their altars and their images. They brought their idols into the church, because the church was willing to compromise the principles of God’s Word. All they had to do was change the objects they worshipped. They brought in images of Jesus, of Mary, and of the saints, and they began to worship them. Idolatry comes in any time the church compromises.

The majority of the church began to agree with this form of worship. More and more of the care less, ungodly attitude came into the church. However, the true church would not compromise the truth of God’s Word. They declared that, if necessary, they would separate. Why? Because of the paganism and idolatry in the church.

Compromise has opened the door to the enemy. What we need now is unity—but more than unity. Because we believe in the seventh-day Sabbath, it is going to take more than that. We must be unified on the pillars of truth that God has given His last-day people. We must keep the commandments of God and have the faith of Jesus.

Vital Godliness

In The Great Controversy, 48, Mrs. White states, “There is so little vital godliness in the church.”

What is something that is vital? I hear, when I visit patients in the hospital, the term “vital organ.” What does this mean? It refers to an organ that is necessary for life. Vital is something that you must have. There are some parts of the body you can get along without, but there are some parts you cannot. I would not, for example, say that you can get by without your heart or with just a little portion of it. No, it is vital. But there is little of something that is apparently vital to the church—godliness. That which is necessary for God’s church, for His people, to function is missing. We are eliminating God from the church and letting man rule and reign. We are setting God’s laws aside, and we are letting man make the rules and regulations. Vital godliness is not in the church.

So, we may ask, If we are lacking, by the grace of God, should we not remedy it? How do we attain godliness? I am not content to say, “That is right; there is a lack of vital godliness, but that is the way it is.” I believe it can be changed. I believe the lack has to do with you and me. God is still the same God. Christ is still the same Christ. They have not changed one iota, nor will they. Then, as you may recall, the Bible tells us that all who live godly lives are going to suffer persecution. (See 11 Timothy 3:12.)

What We Need

What do we need in the church? Is it more preaching? No, it is not more preaching. It is not more meetings. It is not necessarily reading—not studying but just reading—God’s Word, praying a little more, giving a little more tithes and offerings. The Jews did all of those things, but they did not do them from the right motives of the heart. When they began to do them from the right motives of the heart, God blessed them richly.

When our works come from the right motives, God does great things. We, however, are so satisfied with the little things. We pray for the Lord to give us a soul this year. Well, it is a good thought, but why does our faith stop with only one? If faith were working in our lives, we would be praying for the Lord to give us countless opportunities to witness. But we have lost that vitality, that true godliness.

Conversion Needed

We have such a wavering faith today. This is why, in Acts 3:19, we are told to repent. “Repent ye therefore, and be converted.” The church needs to be converted. How sad it is that, among Seventh-day Adventists who should know the message, who should be studying it and accepting it, there are some who do not know if they are converted.

It is the same thing as saying, “I do not know if I am in a saving relationship with Jesus.” Friend, why are you thinking this way? Jesus said, “I will wash you whiter than snow, though your sins be as scarlet.” (Isaiah 1:18.) “If you confess your sins, He is faithful and just to forgive you and cleanse you from all unrighteousness.” (1 John 1:9.) Ellen White, in her writings, says, “If they [men] confess their mistakes the Lord will forgive their sins, and pardon their transgressions. While they cannot say, We have never sinned, yet if they have the meekness and gentleness of Christ, the Lord will hold them more firmly than they can possibly hold the Lord.” Manuscript Releases, vol. 9, 133. The world will not do that. They will mess you up time and time again. They will crucify you for the same thing for years to come. But Jesus will treat you as though you never sinned.

With that good news in mind, then, if we are to be like Jesus, we must treat others the same way Jesus treats us. We must be as forgiving and as loving as He is. The world teaches all kinds of love, but it has no real concept of true love. We see only a little glimpse as we look to the cross of Calvary where Jesus was nailed because of His love for you and for me. He says, “Repent, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord.” (Acts 3:19.) Friend, the church needs to be refreshed.

The Church

When I refer to the church, let me be very clear. The church is not a certain denomination. It is not the Seventh-day Adventists, the Baptists, the Catholics, or any other religion. The church is God’s people on earth—“Where two or three are gathered together in My name, there am I in the midst of them.” Matthew 18:20. Ellen White wrote: “From the beginning, faithful souls have constituted the church on earth.” The Acts of the Apostles, 11. “All down through the history of the world, faithful souls have constituted the church on earth.” Our High Calling, 172. “The church on earth, composed of those who are faithful and loyal to God . . . .” “Ellen G. White Comments,” Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, vol. 7, 931. “God has a distinct people, a church on earth, second to none, but superior to all in their facilities to teach the truth, to vindicate the law of God.” Testimonies to Ministers and Gospel Workers, 58. No, God’s church is not contained in a building or single religious group. “God has a church. It is not the great cathedral, neither is it the national establishment, neither is it the various denominations; it is the people who love God and keep His commandments.” The Upward Look, 315. This is very clear!

I often hear it said, “The church is moving on.” To what church does this refer? The true church of God will be moving on. It will go on through. But this does not mean the true church is a certain denomination. There are many who believe the Seventh-day Adventist denomination is God’s true church. If it is God’s church, it will speak as does God. If it does not speak as God speaks, it is not His church—regardless of its name or where it is located. God does not speak with a forked tongue; He is “the same yesterday, today, and for ever.” (Hebrews 13:8.)

The church has lost its vitalness, its power. Mrs. White makes it very, very clear in Testimonies, vol. 5, 100: “If the church pursue a course similar to that of the world, they will share the same fate. Nay, rather, as they have received greater light, their punishment will be greater than that of the impenitent.” Some may say that we are doing the best we can; we have a lot of faults and failures, and there is a lot of sin, but we are going on through anyway. However, God says that we cannot enter heaven with one unconfessed sin, although many denominations teach that you can go to heaven with unconfessed sins.

Get Rid of the Disease

Mrs. White considered the Laodicean church and compared it to Adventism. Of the Laodiceans she wrote: “The only hope for the Laodiceans is a clear view of their standing before God, a knowledge of the nature of their disease.” Testimonies, vol. 4, 87. And she declared that Adventists have a disease: “Many Seventh-day Adventists fail to realize the responsibility which rests upon them to cooperate with God and Christ for the saving of souls. They do not show forth to the world the great interest God has in sinners. They do not make the most of the opportunities granted them. The leprosy of selfishness has taken hold of the Church. The Lord Jesus Christ will heal the Church of this terrible disease if she will be healed. The remedy is found in the fifty-eighth chapter of Isaiah.” Review and Herald, December 10, 1901.

If you visit your doctor and, after examining you, he says, “You have a bad disease,” do you say, “Well, thank you, Doc. I will put the check in the mail”? No! You want to know what he means. What is the disease? Will it end in death? What treatments are available? You are not going to stay silent. You will want answers to your questions. All pride disappears. All manliness falls by the wayside. You ask innumerable questions—What is going to happen? What do I have? Can you treat it? Can you cut it out? Can you burn it out? Can you pull it out? How much time do I have to live?

We will go to great lengths to get rid of a disease. Why do we then, as Christians, not take such action spiritually? “God’s servants must, by laboring together with Christ, roll away the curse that has made the church so lukewarm.” “Ellen G. White Comments,” Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, vol. 7, 966. We must work with our Saviour to improve our vitalness. “A becoming zeal is called for by God on our part.” Ibid. God is calling for greater zeal, for excitement and involvement in the cause for right. We should be so excited that we will share the news of salvation with everyone we meet.

To be continued December 2005 . . .

Pastor Kenny Shelton is speaker for the television ministry of Behold the Lamb in Herrin, Illinois. He may be contacted by e-mail at: BTLM@GTE.net, or by telephone at: 1-800-238-2856.

Why Is Persecution Sleeping? Part I

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If you were asked whether or not you wanted to be persecuted, would you be one to say, “Oh, yes, bring it on”? Be careful of your response. May I be so bold as to say, if you respond thus, you probably are not ready for it? I am not trying to judge your heart, but if we seriously study and consider persecution from times past, how many of us will be able to stand firm for truth as have millions of others?

Last Day Church

Jesus talks about His last day church in Matthew 24. “Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name’s sake.” Verse 9. Does Jesus say that everyone is going to love you, that everything is going to be wonderful in this life? No! He says that they are going to deliver you up to be killed. That does not sound like a very nice walk in this life, does it? But Jesus is warning us, because He says that we will have to follow in His footsteps.

“For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be.” Verse 21. In this text, Jesus is telling His people that there is going to be a time of tribulation, or trouble, in this world that has never been. Oh, that sounds like a gloomy picture, but the question is, do we believe it? Are we looking forward to it?

“And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect’s sake those days shall be shortened.” Verse 22. Praise the Lord!

These words were spoken as Jesus was overlooking Jerusalem and foresaw the coming destruction of this city. He knew something big was about to happen. Not only did He apply this prophecy to Jerusalem, but He also applied it to God’s last day people and what they would have to endure.

Are You Prepared?

Friend, are you ready for what is to come? Do you know Jesus? Do you know Him as you should know Him today? Jesus looked through time, and He saw the darkness that would encircle His last day people. I believe He looked at you and at me, and said, “They need some help! Because they need help, I am going to warn them of what is going to take place. I will not only warn them, but I am going to tell them, ‘Lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the world.’ ” Matthew 28:20.

What a blessing it is to know that He will never forsake us. He will never leave us when we are in despair, when we are discouraged, when things are going badly, when we are being fed—as many were in the Dark Ages—to the lions and to the dogs. We can be assured that God will never leave our sides.

What faith it takes, today, to believe this, because when the bottom falls out for us, we want to blame others; we even want to blame God. Think about it. We are always looking for someone to blame. But Jesus, looking down the stream of time, foretold how the leaders of the so-called religious movement will persecute the people of God in the last days.

If, today, you do not have an interest in fellowshipping with God’s people, you will not have the resolve to stand when things get tough. If you do not have a love for Christ, if you are not walking day by day with Him, if your faith is not being increased, if you are not being tested and tried, you will not be able to go through this time of which Jesus speaks. You will not want to go through it; you will not have the strength to go through it. In fact, you will not be able to go through it, because you are not holding the hand of Jesus today.

Walk the Path of Jesus

If you read Foxe’s Book of Martyrs (John Foxe, Zondervan Publishing House, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 1967), it is overwhelming to learn of the events of past ages and to know that Jesus looked down through time and foresaw every one of these events taking place. How His heart must have grieved. How His heart must have ached as He viewed the millions lost, because He knew they would not receive Him. No wonder He wept when he looked over Jerusalem.

Jesus said to His people, “You are going to have to walk the same path that I have walked.” What little I know about the path that He trod, I look at myself and say, “Lord, I am not capable.” And He looks down at me and says, “Kenny, I know you are not. That is why I will be there with you. I will help you.” Friend, you and I alone could not tread that path at all.

Can anyone say, “I am being persecuted”? Now, you may not have what you desire. You may be going through difficult times, but would you say you are being persecuted? If you truly understand what persecution means, and what it does to an individual or to a family, or what real torture is all about, you cannot say that you are being persecuted. You may have been maligned. You may have been hurt. You may have had your heart ripped out, as it were, but you are still walking around and still searching for some answers. God has all those answers for you.

But understand this: The powers of hell are being loosed upon God’s children, because the devil cannot stand you. In reality, he hates you. He does not want you on the face of this earth, because you represent Jesus. But friend, it is interesting to note that you are alive today. If the devil had his way, you would not be in existence. You would never have another Sabbath; you would never again be able to come together with like believers. You would never again have the association of your husband, your wife, your children, family, or friends. But you are here today; you are living because of Jesus.

History Repeats

Persecution for us could occur in the very near future. It is happening in other parts of this earth. But, because we have not directly experienced it, we keep living in this make-believe world thinking that it is not going to happen to us.

Look back over the years of your life. Of the significant things that have happened to you during the past 20 years, how many did you, at one time, think, “This could not happen to me”? But they did happen!

Jesus said that persecution is going to take place. What happened to the faithful, who have been persecuted throughout the ages, will happen again, because history repeats itself.

Falsely Accused

History bears the fact that God’s people were falsely accused. We are referring to the days of Paul and of Nero, who was one of the most barbaric persecutors of the early church. Even then there were people who were doing the work of the devil. Many Christians were killed by wild animals before crowds of spectators in the arenas, while others were tied to posts, covered with flammable materials, and used as human street lamps for Nero’s gardens. It is difficult to imagine a more evil man.

Ellen White wrote: “These persecutions, beginning under Nero about the time of the martyrdom of Paul, continued with greater or less fury for centuries. Christians were falsely accused of the most dreadful crimes and declared to be the cause of great calamities—famine, pestilence, and earthquake. As they became the objects of popular hatred and suspicion, informers stood ready, for the sake of gain, to betray the innocent. They were condemned as rebels against the empire, as foes of religion, and pests to society.” The Great Controversy, 40.

This persecution began when Nero suggested that the Christians were responsible for starting a fire in Rome that burned for nine days, destroying much of the city. Since that time, God’s true and faithful have been accused of being responsible for the tempests of the waters, for violent storms, for famines and earthquakes, and for the disasters in the lands at any given time. “The worldling is ever on the watch to criticize and accuse those who serve God.” Testimonies to Ministers and Gospel Workers, 266.

What If

Consider a recent great calamity. What if the people blamed you for the disastrous events of 9/11 (the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on America at the World Trade Center Towers in New York City, New York, and The Pentagon in Washington, D.C.)? What if they looked around and said, “Brother _____ is responsible; he is preaching something different; he is an oddball in society; we believe he is linked to this terrible event”? Most certainly many people would try their best to get rid of this person, no questions asked. Mob excitement is easy to stir up in the world today. If you are in the wrong place at the wrong time, you had better have on your shield of faith. (Ephesians 6:16.)

At the time of the sniper shootings in the Baltimore, Maryland, and Washington, D.C., areas during the fall of 2002, Pastor Dennis Crystal and I were right in the middle of that area. We had driven here and there, and then the time came when we needed to stop for some gasoline. He looked at me and said, “Brother, it is time to get gas.”

I said, “Yes, it is, and you are driving.” He chuckled along with me. We had prayed that morning for God’s protective care, but we decided that, before we got out of the car to fill it with gasoline, we would pray for His protection again. We knew that God was in control, and we trusted Him.

We must trust God that He is going to take care of us in the midst of traffic, in the midst of natural disasters, in the midst of sniper shootings, in the midst of terror attacks. It does not matter what is going on in the world, for God has said, “I will be with you. I will take care of you. I will meet all of your needs.”

When circumstances seem dark, will you still trust Him? What if your faith is challenged, and you do not back down, so your child is taken from you, and, before your eyes, those who are under the control of the devil cut him or her a little bit here and there with a knife? Then they skin an animal, and while the blood is still dripping from this animal skin, they tie it tightly around your child, put your son or daughter in a public arena, and let hungry dogs or lions loose to attack and devour him or her. Will you then stand firm for your beliefs? Many people throughout the years denounced their faith rather than witness the suffering of their children, and they were still fed to the lions. It would be better, if you were going to be fed to the wild beasts, to go out on the side of Christ rather than on the side of denying Him. What faith that will take!

Pests to Society

As we read previously, from The Great Controversy, Ellen White states that God’s people will be considered “pests to society.” A pest! A fly may pester me to the point where I just cannot do anything until I get rid of it. I do not consider putting it in a cage and trying to keep it alive by feeding it. My only goal is to get rid of it. Why? Because it is a pest.

In the last days, you will be a pest. That is what society will call you. Can you bear that? You cannot, in your own strength; it is an impossibility.

During the days of persecution, life became so difficult that God’s people had to go to the solitary places of the earth. The earth around and under Rome had been riddled with tunnels and passageways, with Jewish catacombs located along the edges of the city. God’s people had to go underground and live in darkness and solitude, because they were hunted down like wild animals.

These were people who loved Jesus with all of their hearts—the kind of people you want to be around, from whom you want to draw strength. They were people who will have a home in heaven, but while still on earth, they made the catacombs of Rome their place to live. Why? They could have said, “We do not follow Jesus. We do not love Him,” and possibly life would have continued on for them without harassment. But they loved Him too much. They were willing to sacrifice all—family, friends, everything.

Sudden Destruction

I would like for you to consider two classes of people today. “But of the times and the seasons, brethren, ye have no need that I write unto you. For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night. For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape. But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief. Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness.” 1 Thessalonians 5:1–5.

Is verse 3, “For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape,” a promise? Is it the truth? Yes, it is the truth. Now notice that it says, “sudden destruction comes upon them.”

Ellen White wrote: “When life is going on in its unvarying round; when men are absorbed in pleasure, in business, in traffic, in money-making; when religious leaders are magnifying the world’s progress and enlightenment, and the people are lulled in a false security—then, as the midnight thief steals within the unguarded dwelling, so shall sudden destruction come upon the careless and ungodly . . . .” The Great Controversy, 38. [Emphasis supplied.] Those who are careless in their Christian experience today are the ungodly of today.

Careless

We think that carelessness is not such a big deal—carelessness in church attendance, carelessness in tithe paying, carelessness in our witnessing. We think it does not matter whether or not we participate in church activities. Somebody else will do it. We are careless in the gifts and abilities God gives to us, talents that we should be using for His honor and for His glory. We have become careless. We have become sleepy. We have become Laodicea, the lukewarm people. And what did God say about those who are lukewarm? He is going to vomit them out of His mouth. (Revelation 3:16.)

God tells us that sudden destruction will come upon the careless and the ungodly. Until I began a study on this subject, I never quite understood the importance of not being careless. There have been times when I have been careless about things. Looking back, I know I should have done things differently, but at the time, I excused myself; I did not feel like doing better. How sad to go on emotional and physical feelings instead of operating on principles! Friend, if you are careless in the things of God, you care less about God.

Too Busy

We cannot say, “God really does not care about this little thing; it is not a big deal to Him.” If it separates us from Him, He cares about it. It does not matter whether or not it is good within itself; if it becomes our god, our idol, it is taking us away from Jesus.

In the past, I have been guilty of making things my god. For many years I worked in a business, made some money, and things seemed to be going right. “The Lord is really blessing,” I said. Yes, the Lord blessed me, or I thought He blessed me. But after conversion came, I looked around, and I said, “Why, that dirty devil.”

Somebody may ask, “How can that happen? God blessed with this and that; He gave you this and that. You helped this; you did all those other things.” Oh, friend, I was too busy doing the good things, and all those good things kept me from Him. The blessings were not coming from God; they were really coming from the devil. The devil will give blessings.

Do you think the devil is not blessing many churches, many ministries, today, with all kinds of things? They appear to have so much and look to be so successful. Do not take for granted that God is doing the blessing, friend. If the church is God’s church, it will speak as God speaks, or it is not God’s last day church.

As I look back, I realize that what I thought were blessings from God actually left no time for Him—no time for real personal study, no time for witnessing, no time to really search the Word, or do what God wanted me to do. Do you think God is going to bless you in a way that actually pulls you away from Him? No way! He wants a balance in our lives.

Ungodly

As soon as you hear someone say, “I could not care less,” stop him or her immediately. That care less attitude has put us in the societal mess that we are in today. In the spiritual realm, in the physical world, we deal with people who care less about anything but themselves.

I thought that I knew the meaning of careless, but when I looked to a dictionary for a definition, it said, “without worry; negligent, slovenly; unvalued, disregarded.” It means that I do not care about anybody; I am negligent in this or that.

If we are careless in the home, if we are careless in the raising of our children, if we are careless with paying our bills, if we are careless in the way we treat others, we are ungodly. There is no use for carelessness in the home or carelessness outside the home, because the Bible says, “Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do [it] with thy might.” Ecclesiastes 9:10.

God is not happy with slothful servants. Slothful persons will not enter the kingdom of God, because they are ungodly, because they are not concerned about a hereafter. They are not concerned about anything except me, mine, and the right now. If careless or ungodly persons are negligent in the things of the world, have they neglected the things of God?

One way we show ungodliness is by being inconsiderate. Many young people, and older people too, are so inconsiderate of anyone else. They knock into people and jump in front of people waiting in line. They do this because they are ungodly. They can claim to be Christians, but Jesus would never do those things. If we see our brothers or sisters doing things like this, we should remind them that they are representing Jesus.

The Loud Cry

I recently had the privilege of meeting with new Sabbath-keepers—whole churches that have turned to the truth in the Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, area. What a glorious experience! These people love Jesus with all of their hearts. During some of the meetings, there were 25 or 30 different pastors in attendance from various areas. How thrilling it was to see people stand up in the pulpit and say, “I love Jesus, and I believe in keeping the seventh day of the week as God’s true and holy Sabbath. I came out of Babylon; I am forsaking those things and am following Jesus all the way.” On their church vans was printed, on one side, “God’s Eleventh Hour Workers,” and on the other side, “Repairers of the Breach.”

One person said, “God has told us that we are to give the loud cry to the world, and wake them up.” Some Seventh-day Adventists scratch their heads and say, “The loud cry; wonder what message that might be? Oh, whatever we do, we just do it loud.” Oh, friend, these new believers know what the message is. They have a desire in their hearts and the Spirit of God is inside them; they speak in such a way that people around them, who believe differently, are not offended.

We are counseled, “Hold that fast which thou hast, that no man take thy crown.” Revelation 3:11. If the loud cry is really in our hearts and in our lives, if we really believe it, as do these people, then we must proclaim it. If we do not, others will.

To be continued . . .

Pastor Kenny Shelton is speaker for the television ministry of Behold the Lamb in Herrin, Illinois. He may be contacted by e-mail at: BTLM@GTE.net, or by telephone at: 1-800-238-2856.

The Sparrow in the Storm

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“A storm is coming relentless in its fury.” Testimonies, vol. 8, 315, How will we make it through this coming storm of unprecedented fierceness? That is what we will look at in this article. Most of the time we realize our utter weakness and helplessness. Without the Lord’s special intervention, we know that we have little strength to stand in times of storm. We sometimes fear that we may be left alone. We feel that we may be like the helpless little sparrow trying to brave the cold blustery winter wind.

In the world, sparrows are not of much value. “Are not tow sparrows sold for a farthing?” You may not feel that you are of much value in this world either. That you, like the little sparrow, are helpless and alone. But, Jesus said, “And one of them shall not fall on the ground without your Father. But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear ye not therefore, ye are of more value than many sparrows.” Matthew 10:29-31. Our heavenly Father has a plan to protect you in the great final storm of life. “For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.” Jeremiah 29:11. Do not fear the coming storm if you are hidden in the sure hiding place.

The final culmination of this coming storm is described as happening during the seventh plague. “And there were voices, and thunders, and lightnings; and there was a great earthquake, such as was not since men were upon the earth, so mighty an earthquake, and so great. And the great city was divided into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell: and great Babylon came in remembrance before God, to give unto her the cup of the wine of the fierceness of His wrath. And every island fled away, and the mountains were not found. And there fell upon men a great hail out of heaven, every stone about the weight of a talent: and men blasphemed God because of the plague of the hail; for the plague thereof was exceeding great.” Revelation 16:18–21. This storm will be louder then any you have ever heard. The thunder will roll through the earth with deafening jolts. Where will you be hiding when the lightening flashes, the thunder rolls and the hail crashes to the earth? Will you have a hiding place?

Job wrote about another aspect of this storm. “Hast thou entered into the treasures of the snow? Or hast thou seen the treasures of the hail, Which I have reserved against the time of trouble, against the day of battle and war?” Job 38:22, 23. Here we see another element of this storm—snow.

On our back porch, we have a bird feeder. In the spring time we have three kinds of birds that come: the little Sparrows, the even smaller Juncos, and the beautiful red Cardinals. The feeder is close to our table and during mealtime we often look out and see the Cardinals and the Sparrows happily eating. One day, late this past winter, the snow was coming down fast and furious, and the wind was blowing. I looked out at the bird feeder and was amazed to see that the birds were flying in, just as much as ever, to get food out of the bird feeder. However, the wind blew so hard that it blew most of the feed out of the bird feeder and the snow came down so fast that it covered up the seed on the patio.

The birds would get up into the bird feeder, flutter their wings and knock the remaining seed down on the patio. Then they would hop down on the snow and eat the seed. There were quite a number of them down there eating. Four times during the snowstorm, I went out and sprinkled a pint of various seeds on the snow. The birds would have it about half eaten before it was covered up with more snow. Then I would sprinkle more seeds. With the cold wind all around them, how lighthearted and happy the birds were. Without stopping to mourn the storm, they ate what was provided and chirped their happy thoughts.

 

Can You Serve Two Masters?

 

The One that made the little birds is the One that arranges for their care in the snow and wind. Jesus told us that we should look at the birds (Matthew 6:26) and think about them. They have a lesson to teach us. A lesson that if well learned will help us through the storm that is coming. If we, with undivided devotion, serve the Master that made us, we have no cause to fear.

“No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon. Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment? Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet, your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they?” Matthew 6:24–26. Look at the birds! Who takes care of them? They do not sew their garments and yet your heavenly Father sees them. They trust the heavenly Father. We can only have this trust if our service is undivided. “No man can serve two masters.” It all comes down to which Master we serve. If you serve the Master that created the birds, He will take care of you just like He takes care of the birds. If we choose to divide our service between God and a different master, we abandon God’s careship. However, the Lord in His great mercy strives with us long, to bring us under His care, because He loves us.

We need His care because a great storm of persecution is coming. “And I beheld another beast coming up out of the earth; and he had two horns like a lamb, and he spake as a dragon. And he exerciseth all the power of the first beast before him, and causeth the earth and them which dwell therein to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed. And he doeth great wonders, so that he maketh fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men. And deceiveth them that dwell on the earth by the means of those miracles which he had power to do in the sight of the beast; saying to them that dwell on the earth, that they should make an image to the beast, which had the wound by a sword, and did live. And he had power to give life unto the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed. And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads: And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.” Revelation 13:11–17.

This beast is a persecuting power because, verse 12 says, “He exerciseth all the power of the first beast before him.” And verse 7 describes the first beast, saying: “It was given unto him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them: and power was given him over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations.” This beast makes war with God’s people. Although he is a persecuting power, he has influence over the whole world through the miracles he performs. After he has the wholeworld awestruck by his miraculous power, then “he hath power to give life unto the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed.” verse 15.

 

Discerning the Signs

 

This is the great storm that even now is starting to break upon us. Have you ever noticed the color of the sky before it hails? It turns an unusual kind of a green. Jesus said to the Pharisees, You look up in the sky and you can see the signs in the sky that foretell the weather. In just the same way you should look at the signs and see that the coming of the Son of man is even at the door. All around us we see the signs of a great storm approaching. Where will you be when the storm strikes?

The time is coming very soon when the warning message to obey God will have been given to the whole world. Everyone will have heard a call of mercy to obey God, worship Him and keep His Ten Commandments. It is going forth even now. Very soon, how soon only God knows, everyone in the world will have heard a call to obey Him. Whoever you obey, he is your master. Everyone will have to choose one or the other; “No man can serve two masters.” But the One that created the birds is able to take care of us, just like He takes care of the little birds and sees that they have food to eat in the storm.

“His hand is not shortened, that He cannot save, nor His ear heavy, that He cannot hear.” Isaiah 59:1. That is not even the question. The question is, are our sins removed? God said, It is your iniquities that are between Me and you, so that I will not reach forth My hand to save you.

We have a prayer hearing and answering God. But if we persistently refuse to receive His invitations of mercy, the time eventually will come when God will stand up and the final pronouncement will be made for every inhabitant on this world. The words will go forth: “He that is unjust, let him be unjust still: and he which is filthy, let him be filthy still: and he that is righteous, let him be righteous still: and he that is holy, let him be holy still. And behold, I come quickly.” Revelation 22:11, 12. Before this pronouncement, everyone will have decided which side they are on and which master they will serve.

 

The Time of Jacob’s Trouble

 

Then the world will be plunged into the most terrible scenes of trouble. Satan himself will plunge this earth into a fearful time of corruption, agony and despair, affecting all the inhabitants of this world. God’s people also will be in a time of trouble, what is called by the prophet Jeremiah, the time of Jacob’s trouble. “For thus saith the Lord; We have heard a voice of trembling, of fear, and not of peace. Ask ye now, and see whether a man doth travail with child? Wherefore do I see every man with his hands on his loins, as a woman in travail, and all faces are turned into paleness? Alas! For that day is great, so that none is like it: it is even the time of Jacob’s trouble; but he shall be saved out of it.” Jeremiah 30:5–7.

Why is Jacob’s trouble used to describe this great time of trouble that is coming on this earth Because we, like Jacob, are great sinners. Through lying and deception, Jacob obtained the birthright that was to be his. Esau wanted the birthright and was angry, so Jacob had to flee for his life. Twenty years later an angel, in a dream, told Jacob to go back to his homeland. Like the little sparrow he had no weapons against the hand of the fowler. He sent his brother gifts. He eventually divided his family into two camps hoping that if one were attacked, the other could escape. As the night approached, he crossed over the brook to spend the night in prayer. He knew God was his only hope. “And Jacob was left alone; and there wrestled a man with him until the breaking of the day. And when He saw that He prevailed not against him, He touched the hollow of his thigh; and the hollow of Jacob’s thigh was out of joint, as He wrestled with him. And He said, Let me go, for the day breaketh. And he said, I will not let thee go, except thou bless me. And He said unto him, What is thy name? And he said, Jacob. And He said, Thy name shall be called no more Jacob, but Israel: for as a prince hast thou power with God and with men, and hast prevailed.” Genesis 32:24.

Jacob knew that he was feeble. He had to run to a hiding place. Someone was coming against him that was stronger than he was. He was like a rabbit being chased by a fox. The rabbits know that they must find a hiding place, or they will get caught. “The conies [little desert rabbits] are but a feeble folk, yet make they their houses in the rocks.” Proverbs 30:26. But Jacob had a problem that even the rabbits do not have—he had sinned against God (his Rock of hiding). He had been deceptive. He had broken the law of God. But knowing the mercy of God, he dared to lean upon His grace and ask for help. We must also go to the one we have sinned against and ask for forgiveness, if we expect to find help and strength in the storm. That is our only hope. Like Jacob, we will find mercy there.

Jacob’s prayer must have been similar to this: “Hear my cry, O God; attend unto my prayer. From the end of the earth will I cry unto Thee when my heart is overwhelmed: lead me to the rock that is higher than I. For Thou hast been a shelter for me, and a strong tower from the enemy. I will abide in Thy tabernacle for ever: I will trust in the covert of Thy wings.” Psalm 61:1–4. Hidden in the Rock, Jacob was safe. Esau could not touch him.

The next morning, as Esau came, Jacob, leaning on his staff, painfully limped out to see his brother. Jacob looked feeble. He had been wrestling with the angel all night. Little did the hardened chief realize that the hiding of his brother’s strength was in his limp. It is better to have a lame joint from the hand of God than to stand in our own strength.

Often God heals us through the pain of trials and suffering. We are very slow to realize that trials, suffering and times of trouble mean benefit to us. We want the “blessing” of no problems, no financial worries, no hard work, no weariness and no pain. But that is not the way life is. When Jesus was on earth, the devil assailed Him from the cradle to the cross but He never faltered. We can walk in His footsteps. There are cruel thorns on the pathway that prick and wound us, but through the power of prayer, we can prevail.

There is a great evil power on this earth and just as the devil moved on Esau’s heart to march against Jacob and destroy him, the devil will move on the wicked to destroy the righteous. That is why the prophet Jeremiah called this the time of Jacob’s trouble. The righteous during this last great time of trouble will have people against them, just as Jacob did. (See Revelation 13:15.)

 

Wrestling with God

 

During that time, if we follow Jacob’s example, we will be saved. It is said of Jacob, “Yea, he had power over the angel, and prevailed: he wept, and made supplication unto Him: He found him in Bethel, and there He spake with us.” Hosea 12:4. Like Jacob, we have sinned. But we need to go to the One we have sinned against, for He is the only One that can give us a protective covering in the storm. God says to each of us: “Let him take hold of My strength, that he may make peace with Me; and he shall make peace with Me.” Isaiah 27:5. Have you reached out your hand in prayer and taken hold of the strong One? Have you agonized long with God in prayer, until every power in your soul was on the stretch? Until your only longing was to be completely transformed into God’s likeness?

Those that are wrestling with God for the victory, as Jacob did, will find a cover in the storm. Like the conies, they will be hidden in the rock. I want to be sheltered by the Rock of ages, the Tower of strength, under His wings. During this storm, the beast power will cause everyone to receive a mark. Anyone who does not receive the mark or the name of the beast or the number of his name will not be able to buy or sell. (See Revelation 13:16, 17.)

Jesus said, If you serve the Master that created the birds, you do not need to worry. We serve a God that owns all the food and raiment in the world. Our only concern should be which god are we serving? Do we worship the Master of earth and sea and sky, the Creator?

 

Satan’s Masterpiece

 

During this time, the greatest deception in the history of the world will be staged. Satan will try to counterfeit the Second Coming of Jesus. Paul warns us of this time, “Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition: who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God.” 2 Thessalonians 2:3, 4.

The man of sin will oppose God. He will try to set himself up as God and cause all to worship him. In other words, he will use trickery. Then Paul says, “Remember ye not, that, when I was yet with you, I told you these things? And now ye know what withholdeth that he might be revealed in his time. For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: [It was already working in Paul’s time] only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way.” 2 Thessalonians 2:5–7. “Letteth” means constrained. This man of sin was being constrained, being held back in Paul’s day, but it was already starting to work.

“And then [meaning when the power restraining the man of sin was removed; which happened in 538 A.D., when the pagan Roman Empire was removed, and there was nothing to hold back the papal church] shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of His mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of His coming. Even him whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders, and with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved. And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie: that they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.” 2 Thessalonians 2:8–12.

This is not the Second Coming of Jesus, but the coming of another power. Jesus talked about this coming, which “is after the working of Satan,” in Matthew 24, “Then if any man shall say unto you, Lo, here is Christ, or there; believe it not. For there shall arise false christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect. Behold, I have told you before. Wherefore if they shall say unto you, Behold, he is in the desert; go not forth: behold, he is in the secret chambers; believe it not.” Matthew 24:23–26.

Imagine the ring of victory in the air as people from all over the world cry, “Christ is come! Christ is come! He is performing miracles!” The deceiver comes as a beautiful majestic being, speaking the words of Scripture. Then in his gentle voice, this false christ assures the world that God’s law has been changed, that the Sabbath has been changed to Sunday. Then the whole world will wonder after the beast.

The devil cannot counterfeit the coming of Jesus. We must know what the Bible says about His coming so we will not be deceived. The following verses give a description of the Second Coming that cannot be duplicated: “For as the lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.” Matthew 24:27. “And He shall send His angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.” Verse 31. “Every eye shall see Him.” Revelation 1:7. “For the Lord Himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.” 1 Thessalonians 4:16, 17. But if you see a coming that is not like this, you are seeing the greatest deception this world has ever seen. If you are not hidden in the Rock, you will be deceived.

“A storm is coming, relentless in its fury.” There is a hiding place. It is safe in the Rock of ages. If you have chosen Him for your Master, then just like the little bird in the storm, you will be safe. Some of God’s people may be martyred. You may be persecuted for your faith, for standing firmly for God’s law. Remember, the words of Jesus, “And I say unto you my friends, Be not afraid of them that kill the body, and after that have no more that they can do. But I will forewarn you whom ye shall fear: Fear Him, which after He hath killed hath power to cast into hell; yea, I say unto you, Fear Him. Are not five sparrows sold for two farthings, and not one of them is forgotten before God? But even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not therefore: ye are of more value than many sparrows. Also I say unto you, Whosoever shall confess Me before men, him shall the Son of man confess before the angels of God: But he that denieth Me before men shall be denied before the angels of God.” Luke 12:4–9.

Do not be afraid of men. Fear God. If you have chosen Him for your Master and you confess Him before men, He will take care of you, just like He takes care of the little sparrows.

 

News Update from the South Pacific

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Burning, Killing, and Going to Court

The following [except for comments in brackets] is taken by permission from the January 1997 issue of The Anchor. This is only a small portion of the account.

Pastor Ahomed and Brother Jonathan Gray were set upon by a group of local men in Madang, Papua New Guinea. A group began stoning Jonathan, as the blows came he prayed that God would help him and as the men dropped their stones Jonathan picked up his bag and walked straight through them returning to the airport building to find that Pastor Ahomed was under attack. A group of men began poking, slapping and threatening to kill him. Jonathan Gray was told by this group that if he ever returned to PNG they would kill him too. Jonathan Gray asked if this person was an SDA to which he replied that he was. [It should be remembered that according to Great Controversy, 628, these professed Seventh-day Adventists will be held guilty of murder in the judgment if this is not made right. Please continue to pray that Jonathan Gray will suffer no permanent injury to his vision from the broken blood vessel in one of his eyes.]

About 300 kilometers from Madang Pastor Kul and the laymen were asked by conference church elders, deacons and others to come out to the main road and tell them more of their work. Hoping for another chance to witness, they accepted this invitation. But it was a trap. The moment Pastor Kul and his laymen were clear of the safety of the house, more Conference supporters materialized from the surrounding bush area, and commenced a vicious attack upon them. Pastor Kul and the laymen were punched, kicked, beaten and chased. One was struck unconscious, and had to be taken to a hospital. Several laymen received gashes to their faces, bleeding noses, and significant bruising all over. Some could not afterwards eat because of painful jaws and teeth, and swollen lips.

Pastor Kul was the central focus of this assault. Throwing sticks at him, they chased him into the little laymen’s church. There around the pulpit, they punched and kicked him to the floor. [In the House of God!] Several laymen rescued him and carried him to the house for safety. By this time, the whole village, including numerous non-Adventists, had gathered around. While the crowd watched, one Conference attacker stood and, pointing to the laymen’s church, defiantly announced, “My name is . . . I am going to burn down this building.” Even the non-Adventists pled with him not to do it, but to no avail. He lit a match, and the church burned to the ground. Many cried, including a host of non-Adventist onlookers. “It is very clear,” they said, “who is on God’s side.” They were not referring to the Seventh-day Adventist Conference church leaders. [If its obvious to non-Adventists, why isn’t it abundantly clear to Adventists?]

Pastor Kul called all who had been attacked to join in prayer and ask God to forgive their persecutors.

[If you have read the letters in last month’s magazine and the one in this magazine you know that the structure (General Conference and subsidiaries) are threatening believers of whom they disapprove with lawsuits.] The plot has been completely lost: The spirit exhibited by our Savior in Mark 9:38-42 is not seen; the registered title deeds holding Association is NOT the “Church.” It is a faceless entity supposedly holding in trust the assets of all Seventh-day Adventists. God recognizes as a church, a congregation of believers from two or three to any number having Jesus in the midst. How dare these hired servants claim the exclusiveness that was one of the mistakes of the Jewish organization at the time of the first advent? Their actions do not exhibit any faith that God can and will provide for the needs of His work! Or do they know the agenda so intimately that they recognize that God is no longer in the house, that He is knocking at the door of individual hearts (Revelation 3) and as in the days after Christ’s ascension, a program of persecution and destruction is in place.

Children’s Corner — Wigton Martyrs

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The story of the Wigton martyrs reveals so much of fiendish cruelty, that every effort has been made to throw discredit upon the story. The more it has been investigated, however, the more apparent is the fiendish cruelty. The most ardent supporter of the Covenanters today would be intensely glad if it could be proved that the Wigton martyrs were not historical. The shameful picture of human degradation presented is an everlasting disgrace to humanity.

The chief figure of the martyrdom was Margaret Wilson, a young woman of eighteen years of age, famed for her nobleness of life, kindness of heart, and sympathetic generosity all in distress.
Very early in life she became a follower of the Lord Jesus Christ, and by her influence her brother and sister also became Christians.

Her father and mother attended the Episcopal Church, as by law they were compelled to do, under the death penalty, but the three children attended the field meetings held by the Covenanters.
Their youth protected them for a time from the fury of the oppressors, and their absence from the parish church was winked at. Whether it was because Mr. Wilson had a little property, or because there were few people to persecute, we cannot say, but one morning Margaret Wilson, aged eighteen, Thomas, aged sixteen, and Agnes, aged thirteen were reported by the curate as defaulters in church attendance.

“Send the dragoons after them,” said the cruel Grierson of Lagg, “and we’ll teach them their duty.”

A friendly hint was given to the Wilsons that the children were to be arrested, and a family council was held. It will surprise us to find the intelligent grasp the children had, not only of the Bible, but of the aims and objects of the Covenanters.

“We judge you not, mother, but were we to attend the curate’s church, it would be sinning against our Lord. He neither teaches the Word of God, nor does he endeavor to live it, as his drunken habits declare. To sit in his church means acknowledging all the King has done, which we cannot do. It sanctions the persecution of the poor Covenanters, whose only fault is they will worship God in as pure a manner as they possibly can. Our hearts are with these hunted men, and we will share willingly in their sufferings.”

And that night, after an affectionate farewell, the three wandered out to the moss hags in search of a hiding place from the dragoons.

When the soldiers arrived at Wilson’s house they were greatly surprised to find the children were not at home.

“Then, if you ever allow them to enter your house, or if you ever send them food, we will take you outside your own door and shoot you,” said the sergeant to the mother. “Tell me where they are hiding.”

“We know not where they are. They left here last night, preferring to endure suffering sooner than agree to the demand they felt certain you would make upon them.”

“We’ll make greater demands than ever when we find them. Let’s be after them, men.”

The dragoons searched all the caves they know, and pierced every thick bush with their sword, and traveled over the moss, but the Wilsons were safe. About a hundred soldiers in all were quartered at Mr. Wilson’s house, at great expense to him. He bore it patiently, even when they fined him. In all he lost 5000 merks.

The cave in which these noble children hid may be seen today by the curious. It has slightly altered its form through frost and rain. It has been formed been formed by two large slabs of stone, like the legs of an A, resting against each other. A small stone covers the mouth of it, and this was covered by some wild brambles and tufts of heather. It was small, wet, and necessarily uncomfortable, but here they spent the whole day, and at night searched for food.

On the death of Charles II, when the country was filled with hopes of a more lenient policy, the young Wilsons were advised by some of their Covenanting friends that they could now go safely home. They were a little timid about going to their parents’ house, and went rather to the house of a widow, about seventy years of age, named Margaret M‘Lauchlan. This woman was the other victim that sealed her testimony with her life.

Whilst at the widow’s house, Margaret Wilson met a man named Patrick Stuart, whom she know well, and who had received much kindness from her father. She inquired about her parents and others, and he gladly gave her all the news he knew. He was exceedingly attentive to her, and when he heard the story of their sufferings in the cave, he invited them to come next evening and partake of refreshments at his house. This they consented to do, trusting him, as to offer hospitality to Covenanters was a crime heavily punished.

There is a tradition to the effect that Patrick had been a suitor for the hand of Margaret, but that she gave him little encouragement. When they came to his home next evening, he renewed his offer of marriage, which she declined. He then asked her to drink to the King’s health, which she promptly refused to do. Without a word of warning or farewell he left the room, went straight to the Wigton authorities, and informed them where the Wilson children were.

Soon a company of dragoons sought them out, and the two girls were arrested and thrown into a horrible place called “The Thieves’ Hole.”

When Patrick informed on the Wilsons, partly through spite, and partly for the reward he recieved, he also informed upon the aged Margaret M‘Launchan, for entertaining the Wilsons. She was arrested soon after the two Wilsons, and thrust into prison.

Their sufferings in prison are part of the horribleness of their persecution. They were only supplied with food once a day, and that was of poor quality and quantity. They had no beds to lie upon, and lay down on the damp cell at nights. No complaint ever came from their lips, however, for they accepted all that came to them as part of the price they had to pay for their witnessing for God.

Now that they had been taken prisoners, it was found rather difficult to get a reasonable charge against them. It required little in those days, however, to be sentenced to death.

They were brought before the infamous Sir Robert Grierson, of Lagg, and charged with being at the battle of Bothwell Bridge, Ayr’s Moss, at twenty field conventicles, and a like number of house conventicles.

“We were never near Bothwell Bridge in our life,” said Margaret Wilson, “and even if we had, we were only twelve and seven years of age when that took place. We were never at Ayr’s Moss either.”

“Then you were at conventicles,” thundered Grierson.

“Yea, we have, and prefer them much to the dead preaching of the curates, whose hearts are blind. But there is nothing worthy of death in worshipping God in a pure manner on the hillside.” “Give them the abjuration oath,” shouted Grierson to an officer in Court.

By this oath the Covenanters were made to abjure a manifesto issued by the Cameronians, in which they renounced the authority of Charles Stuart, condemned the killing of those who differed in judgment, and in which they declared they would stand up for their rights as religious men and women.

All the three women refused to take this oath, as the Court expected.

“To death then, to death,” shouted that monster of iniquity, Grierson, and he then passed sentence.

“Upon the 11th of May ye shall stand to be tied to stakes fixed within the flood mark in the water of Blednock, near Wigton, where the sea flows at high water, there to be drowned.”

In the wildest moments of fear they had never expected such an inhuman sentence. The whole of Wigton was filled with excitement, and Mr. Wilson at once hurried to Edinburgh to intercede with the Privy Council on behalf of his daughters. He managed to get the youngest daughter liberated on paying a fine of 100 merks, the last of the poor man’s money.

Margaret Wilson was besieged in prison by her friends, who used all their powers to get her to take the abjuration oath. The terrible grief of her mother tried her sore, especially when the mother upbraided her for lack of obedience to her parents.

“If my father and my mother forsake me, the Lord will take me up,” she said, with tears in her eyes.

“I did not mean that,” said the mother hysterically, “but the sword hath pierced my soul. Could you not relent so far as to promise to listen to the curate, Sunday by Sunday.”

“That were to acknowledge Prelacy as right, and deny that the hill folk are right.” She was unmovable.

The widow made an appeal to the Privy Council, in which she offered to take the oath of abjuration. She appealed to her age as another reason why she should be left alone.

The Secretaries of State granted a reprieve to the two women, as the Register of the Acts of the Privy council attest, but the reprieve was never put into force. Why this was so has never been satisfactorily explained—save it be that Lagg had no wish to be cheated out of the sport it would be to him to see two women put to death in this novel and barbarous manner.

On the 11th of May, Major Windram with a troop of soldiers came to the Tolbooth of Wigton and demanded the two prisoners.

It was a beautiful May morning, and the crowds of people dressed in their best attire made it look more like a gala than a procession of death.

The sight of the two large stakes erected in the sand, one thirty yards further out than the other, took the colour from the cheeks of more than the prisoners. Women began to weep, and men began to clench their fists and grind their teeth. It required but one man to lead, and they would have torn the soldiers to pieces; but the leader was not there.

“We are called upon this day to give a worthy testimony for our Lord. He hath done us much good and no ill these years we have served Him. This day shall we behold Him in the glory of His risen power, and I do rejoice the end is so near at hand,” said Margaret to the widow, who had now become courageous. The widow was marched out to the stake nearest the sea and there tied securely. It was hoped to break the spirit of the young woman by the sight of the widow’s death. Possibly they were afraid that unless the widow was drowned speedily she would recant, and so spoil their fiendish sport.

Slowly the sea in golden crests crept along the sand and lapped the widow’s feet, as though hungering to devour her.

“Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death I will fear no evil, Thy rod and Thy staff they comfort me,” she said quietly, and her face had a new light in it, as though the sea, gilded with the golden sun, had reminded her of the city of God.

Higher and higher came the water, and the women on the beach turned their heads away as it reached her waist, and at the same time touched the feet of Margaret Wilson.
“The Lord will this day cleave the waters of death asunder for me, and I shall behold the Lamb in his beauty,” she cried out to the weeping mob.

The water had now reached the widows neck, and Lagg and others began to make sport of her as they saw her strain her neck to keep out of the water. A wave passed over her, and the struggle of death began. Margaret Wilson saw the struggles of the widow, and her voice was raised in prayer that God would take Margaret M‘Lauchlan to Himself.

“What thinkest thou of that?” said a soldier to Wilson, pointing to the death struggles of the widow.

“What do I think! I see Christ in one of His members wrestling there. Think you that we are the sufferers? No, it is Christ in us, for He sends none a warfare upon their own charges.”
She then began to sing the 25th Psalm, and those on the beach who had lost their timidity joined her in some of the lines:

“The Lord is good and gracious,

He upright is also;

He therefore sinners will instruct

In ways that they should go.”

The sharp turning of the soldiers smartly silenced them, however.

As the water crept on towards her shoulders, she closed her eyes in prayer. Her mother rushed to the edge of the water, and besought her with tears to say, “God save the King.”
“Pray with me mother that I may not fail at the last moment,” was her reply. And her eyes closed again, and her lips moved. A great hush came over the crowd, which was only broken by the jeers of Grierson.

“God receive my spirit,” said Margaret, as the water once or twice lapped her face. There was the gasping of drowning, and, to the joy of all, a soldier rushed into the water, cut Margaret’s bonds, and brought her to the shore. The people shouted with glee, and the mother wept for joy. It was unheard of mercy, and though Margaret seemed more dead than alive, the remedies they used soon restored her to consciousness.

It was then seen that the mercy was the work of a fiend, and not of a human heart. Lagg’s sport was too soon coming to and end, and he had restored her life to torture her again. Major Windram went forward and began to test her.

“Will you pray for the King?”

I wish the salvation of all men and the damnation of none,” she answered meekly.

“Oh, Margaret, why will you throw away your life,” said her mother in terrible agony.

“Say ‘God save the King, God save the King.’”

“God save him if He will; for it is what I often have prayed for, and do pray for now.

But, mother, you do not understand these monsters.”

“Sir, my daughter hath said it, she hath said it, let her go free,” said the mother, frantically,throwing herself at the Major’s feet.

Margaret had meanwhile closed her eyes in prayer. She knew, instinctively, that they had determined on her death.

“See, my daughter is praying for the King,” said Mrs. Wilson, pointing to her daughter.

“We want none of her prayers,” said the brutal Lagg. “Tender her the abjuration oath, and, if she refuse, let her drink some more of the sea.”

“I am ready for death; I will not take the oath. I trust God may forgive you this murder before your hour of death comes. I am one of Christ’s children, and have done naught worthy of death.”

“Back to the sea, back to the sea with the hag,” cried Lagg, and two soldiers lifted her in their arms, waded in as far as they could, and then flung her headlong into the sea. They then pushed her head under the water with the butt end of their guns.

In this fiendishly cruel manner died two innocent, noble women. This crime has caused several names to stink in the nostrils of the world. Grierson of Lagg will ever be looked upon as a monster more that a man.

The story of the Wigton martyrs spread like fire over the length and breadth of Scotland, and inspired the Covenanters with joy that two of their number had been so faithful. It caused many Royalists to become friends of the Covenanters, afterwards. Three of the children of Major Windram from that hour were Covenanters in heart, and died as such.

If there was a sharpening of weapons amongst the covenaters after this, who can blame them? To defend oneself from such barbarity surely needs no excuse.

Two stones have been erected over the graves of these two women, whose bodies lie in Wigton Churchyard. The memorial in Stirling churchyard will be familiar to many of our readers. A transcription of the Wigton stones may be of interest:

“Here lies Margaret M‘Lauchlan Who was by unjust law sentenced to die by Lagg, Strachan, Windram, And Grahame, and tied to a stake for her Adherence to Scotland’s Reformation,Covenants, National, and Solemn League.”

The other one reads as follows:

“Let earth and stone still witness bear There lies a virgin–martyr here, Murdered for owning Christ supreme Head of His Church, and no more crime But not abjuring Presbytery, And her not owning Prelacy. They her condemned by unjust law; Of heaven nor hell they stood in awe. Within the sea, tied to a stake, She suffered for Christ Jesus’ sake. The actors of this cruel crime Were Lagg, Strachan, Windram, and Grahame.

Neither young years nor yet old age could stop the fury of their rage.”

Bible Study Guides – The Midnight of the World

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October 24, 2010 – October 30, 2010

Key Text

“My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee, that thou shalt be no priest to me: seeing thou hast forgotten the law of thy God, I will also forget thy children.” Hosea 4:6.

Study Help: The Great Controversy, 60–62; The Desire of Ages, 413, 414.

Introduction

“For centuries, truth and error struggled for the mastery.” The Great Controversy, 265.

1 What condition existed in the Dark Ages and why was there little progress in the arts and sciences during this time? Isaiah 60:2; 59:12, 13; Hosea 4:1, 2; Ezekiel 33:32.

Note: “For centuries Europe had made no progress in learning, arts, or civilization. A moral and intellectual paralysis had fallen upon Christendom.” The Great Controversy, 60.

2 What only could be expected from the people when even priests were quite ignorant of the Word of God? Hosea 4:6, 9; Malachi 2:7.

Note: “ ‘The noon of the papacy was the midnight of the world.’—J. A. Wylie, The History of Protestantism, b. 1, ch. 4. The Holy Scriptures were almost unknown, not only to the people, but to the priests. … Fraud, avarice, and profligacy prevailed. Men shrank from no crime by which they could gain wealth or position. The palaces of popes and prelates were scenes of the vilest debauchery. Some of the reigning pontiffs were guilty of crimes so revolting that secular rulers endeavored to depose these dignitaries of the church as monsters too vile to be tolerated. … The condition of the world under the Romish power presented a fearful and striking fulfillment of the words of the prophet Hosea: [Hosea 4:6, 1, 2 quoted]. Such were the results of banishing the word of God.” The Great Controversy, 60.

3 Why did the priests and papal leaders hate the light of God’s Word? John 3:19, 20. What was the eventual result?

Note: “Like the Pharisees of old, the papal leaders hated the light which would reveal their sins. God’s law, the standard of righteousness, having been removed, they exercised power without limit, and practiced vice without restraint.” The Great Controversy, 60.

“For centuries, truth and error struggled for the mastery. At last the evil triumphed, and the truth of Heaven was thrust out. ‘This is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light.’ John 3:19. The nation was left to reap the results of the course which she had chosen. The restraint of God’s Spirit was removed from a people that had despised the gift of His grace. Evil was permitted to come to maturity. And all the world saw the fruit of willful rejection of the light.

“The war against the Bible, carried forward for so many centuries in France, culminated in the scenes of the Revolution. That terrible outbreaking was but the legitimate result of Rome’s suppression of the Scriptures. It presented the most striking illustration which the world has ever witnessed of the working out of the papal policy—an illustration of the results to which for more than a thousand years the teaching of the Roman Church had been tending.” Ibid., 265, 266.

4 What prophecy foresaw that the Lord would have His faithful witnesses even through this time of spiritual darkness? Isaiah 43:5, 6, 10.

Note: “Amid the gloom that settled upon the earth during the long period of papal supremacy, the light of truth could not be wholly extinguished. In every age there were witnesses for God—men who cherished faith in Christ as the only mediator between God and man, who held the Bible as the only rule of life, and who hallowed the true Sabbath. How much the world owes to these men, posterity will never know. They were branded as heretics, their motives impugned, their characters maligned, their writings suppressed, misrepresented, or mutilated. Yet they stood firm, and from age to age maintained their faith in its purity, as a sacred heritage for the generations to come.” The Great Controversy, 61.

5 What example did Rome follow to conceal the writings which would be a testimony against her? Jeremiah 36:22, 23.

Note: “The history of God’s people during the ages of darkness that followed upon Rome’s supremacy is written in heaven, but they have little place in human records. Few traces of their existence can be found, except in the accusations of their persecutors. It was the policy of Rome to obliterate every trace of dissent from her doctrines or decrees. Everything heretical, whether persons or writings, she sought to destroy. Expressions of doubt, or questions as to the authority of papal dogmas, were enough to forfeit the life of rich or poor, high or low. Rome endeavored also to destroy every record of her cruelty toward dissenters. Papal councils decreed that books and writings containing such records should be committed to the flames. Before the invention of printing, books were few in number, and in a form not favorable for preservation; therefore there was little to prevent the Romanists from carrying out their purpose.” The Great Controversy, 61, 62.

6 What kind of persecution did the British Christians receive—and for many years, from what kind of corruption did they manage to escape? Matthew 23:15.

Note: “No church within the limits of Romish jurisdiction was long left undisturbed in the enjoyment of freedom of conscience. No sooner had the papacy obtained power than she stretched out her arms to crush all that refused to acknowledge her sway, and one after another the churches submitted to her dominion.

“In Great Britain primitive Christianity had very early taken root. The gospel received by the Britons in the first centuries was then uncorrupted by Romish apostasy. Persecution from pagan emperors, which extended even to these far-off shores, was the only gift that the first churches of Britain received from Rome. …

“When the Saxons invaded Britain, heathenism gained control. The conquerors disdained to be instructed by their slaves, and the Christians were forced to retreat to the mountains and the wild moors. Yet the light, hidden for a time, continued to burn.” The Great Controversy, 62.

7 As the faithful Christians in England were persecuted by the pagans, what instruction did they follow, and with what result? Matthew 10:22–24.

Note: “Many of the Christians, fleeing from persecution in England, found refuge in Scotland; thence the truth was carried to Ireland, and in all these countries it was received with gladness.” The Great Controversy, 62.

8 Name some of the activities of the courageous missionaries from Ireland.

Note: “From Ireland came the pious Columba and his colaborers, who, gathering about them the scattered believers on the lonely island of Iona, made this the center of their missionary labors. Among these evangelists was an observer of the Bible Sabbath, and thus this truth was introduced among the people. A school was established at Iona, from which missionaries went out, not only to Scotland and England, but to Germany, Switzerland, and even Italy.” The Great Controversy, 62.

9 Describe the contrast seen between the missionaries of Columba and the papal leaders who began their own conquest of Britain. Matthew 10:7–10; 11:8; 23:1–7.

Note: “Rome had fixed her eyes on Britain, and resolved to bring it under her supremacy. In the sixth century her missionaries undertook the conversion of the heathen Saxons. They were received with favor by the proud barbarians, and they induced many thousands to profess the Romish faith. As the work progressed, the papal leaders and their converts encountered the primitive Christians. A striking contrast was presented. The latter were simple, humble, and Scriptural in character, doctrine, and manners, while the former manifested the superstition, pomp, and arrogance of popery. The emissary of Rome demanded that these Christian churches acknowledge the supremacy of the sovereign pontiff. The Britons meekly replied that they desired to love all men, but that the pope was not entitled to supremacy in the church, and they could render to him only that submission which was due to every follower of Christ.” The Great Controversy, 62, 63.

10 To what principle did the believers in Britain cling? Matthew 23:8–10. What reaction did they then have to face?

Note: “Repeated attempts were made to secure their allegiance to Rome; but these humble Christians [in Britain], amazed at the pride displayed by her emissaries, steadfastly replied that they knew no other master than Christ. Now the true spirit of the papacy was revealed. Said the Romish leader: ‘If you will not receive brethren who bring you peace, you shall receive enemies who will bring you war. If you will not unite with us in showing the Saxons the way of life, you shall receive from them the stroke of death.’—J. H. Merle D’Aubigné, History of the Reformation of the Sixteenth Century, b. 17, ch. 2. These were no idle threats. War, intrigue, and deception were employed against these witnesses for a Bible faith, until the churches of Britain were destroyed, or forced to submit to the authority of the pope.” The Great Controversy, 63.

11 While Christian believers in Europe were struggling against papal tyranny throughout these centuries, what could be found in other parts of the world? Zephaniah 3:12, 13.

Note: “In lands beyond the jurisdiction of Rome there existed for many centuries bodies of Christians who remained almost wholly free from papal corruption. They were surrounded by heathenism and in the lapse of ages were affected by its errors; but they continued to regard the Bible as the only rule of faith and adhered to many of its truths. These Christians believed in the perpetuity of the law of God and observed the Sabbath of the fourth commandment. Churches that held to this faith and practice existed in Central Africa and among the Armenians of Asia.” The Great Controversy, 63.

Additional Reading

“ ‘Other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ.’ I Corinthians 3:11. ‘Upon this rock,’ said Jesus, ‘I will build My church’ [Matthew 16:18]. In the presence of God, and all the heavenly intelligences, in the presence of the unseen army of hell, Christ founded His church upon the living Rock. That Rock is Himself—His own body, for us broken and bruised. Against the church built upon this foundation, the gates of hell shall not prevail.

“How feeble the church appeared when Christ spoke these words! There was only a handful of believers, against whom all the power of demons and evil men would be directed; yet the followers of Christ were not to fear. Built upon the Rock of their strength, they could not be overthrown.

“For six thousand years, faith has builded upon Christ. For six thousand years the floods and tempests of satanic wrath have beaten upon the Rock of our salvation; but it stands unmoved.

“Peter had expressed the truth which is the foundation of the church’s faith, and Jesus now honored him as the representative of the whole body of believers. He said, ‘I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven’ [Matthew 16:19].

“ ‘The keys of the kingdom of heaven’ are the words of Christ. All the words of Holy Scripture are His, and are here included. These words have power to open and to shut heaven. They declare the conditions upon which men are received or rejected. Thus the work of those who preach God’s word is a savor of life unto life or of death unto death. Theirs is a mission weighted with eternal results.” The Desire of Ages, 413, 414.

©2005 Reformation Herald Publishing Association, Roanoke, Virginia. Reprinted by permission.

Bible Study Guides – Religious Intolerance

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October 17, 2010 – October 23, 2010

Key Text

“If any man will do his will, he shall know of the doctrine, whether it be of God, or whether I speak of myself.” John 7:17.

Study Help: The Great Controversy, 293–295; Testimonies, vol. 6, 402, 403.

Introduction

“In all ages Satan has persecuted the people of God.” The Acts of the Apostles, 576.

1 When the three Hebrews were miraculously delivered in the time of Daniel, how did the king err, even as he acknowledged God’s greatness? Daniel 3:28, 29.

Note: “It was right for the king to make public confession, and to seek to exalt the God of heaven above all other gods; but in endeavoring to force his subjects to make a similar confession of faith and to show similar reverence, Nebuchadnezzar was exceeding his right as a temporal sovereign. He had no more right, either civil or moral, to threaten men with death for not worshiping God, than he had to make the decree consigning to the flames all who refused to worship the golden image. God never compels the obedience of man. He leaves all free to choose whom they will serve.” Prophets and Kings, 510, 511.

2 In all ages, how have unconverted religionists dealt with dissenters? Acts 4:1–3, 15–18.

Note: “[In the first centuries] it required a desperate struggle for those who would be faithful to stand firm against the deceptions and abominations which were disguised in sacerdotal garments and introduced into the church. The Bible was not accepted as the standard of faith. The doctrine of religious freedom was termed heresy, and its upholders were hated and proscribed.” The Great Controversy, 45.

3 How does God describe the type of scene that fosters religious intolerance and triggers persecution against the faithful? Isaiah 65:2–5.

Note: “The Cain-spirit, which leads men to accuse, condemn, imprison, and put to death their fellow-men, has waxed strong in our world. The transgressors of God’s plain commands are inspired by the spirit of Satan to harm their fellow-men, because they differ from them in religious belief. They disregard God’s law, enacting man-made laws, and trying, by their cruel inventions, to compel men to blaspheme God, as they themselves are doing. But they have been given no right to do this. Those who pass sentence of pain and death upon their fellow-men because of a difference of religion, will have just such sentence passed upon them if they continue to transgress. By their works they bear testimony that should Christ come the second time as He came the first time, they would reject Him and put Him to death.” The Signs of the Times, March 21, 1900.

4 What teachings of Christ strike at the heart of intolerance? Matthew 7:12; John 14:15.

Note: “It is no part of Christ’s mission to compel men to receive Him. It is Satan, and men actuated by his spirit, that seek to compel the conscience. Under a pretense of zeal for righteousness, men who are confederate with evil angels bring suffering upon their fellow men, in order to convert them to their ideas of religion; but Christ is ever showing mercy, ever seeking to win by the revealing of His love. He can admit no rival in the soul, nor accept of partial service; but He desires only voluntary service, the willing surrender of the heart under the constraint of love. There can be no more conclusive evidence that we possess the spirit of Satan than the disposition to hurt and destroy those who do not appreciate our work, or who act contrary to our ideas.” The Desire of Ages, 487.

“The character of God is expressed in His law; and in order for you to be in harmony with God, the principles of His law must be the spring of your every action.” Christ’s Object Lessons, 391.

5 With what words did Christ seek to correct the bitter intolerance found even among His beloved disciples? Luke 9:54, 55.

6 What contrast did He present to those who use force? Revelation 3:20; John 6:66–69.

7 What can we learn from Christ’s methods of reaching hearts and enlisting workers? Revelation 3:18; Matthew 4:17–20.

Note: “Our ministers and teachers are to represent the love of God to a fallen world. With hearts melted in tenderness let the word of truth be spoken. Let all who are in error be treated with the gentleness of Christ. If those for whom you labor do not immediately grasp the truth, do not censure, do not criticize or condemn. Remember that you are to represent Christ in His meekness and gentleness and love. We must expect to meet unbelief and opposition. The truth has always had to meet these elements. But though you should meet the bitterest opposition, do not denounce your opponents. They may think, as did Paul, that they are doing God’s service, and to such we must manifest patience, meekness, and long-suffering.” Testimonies, vol. 6, 120.

8 What attitudes must we steadfastly avoid when discussing sacred truth with those whose views may differ from our own? Luke 11:52–54.

Note: “There are some who indulge in levity, sarcasm, and even mockery toward those who differ with them. Others present an array of objections to any new view; and when these objections are plainly answered by the words of Scripture, they do not acknowledge the evidence presented, nor allow themselves to be convinced. Their questioning is not for the purpose of arriving at truth, but is intended merely to confuse the minds of others.

“Some have thought it an evidence of intellectual keenness and superiority to perplex minds in regard to what is truth. They resort to subtlety of argument, to playing upon words; they take unjust advantage in asking questions. When their questions have been fairly answered, they will turn the subject [and] bring up another point to avoid acknowledging the truth. We should beware of indulging the spirit which controlled the Jews.” Testimonies to Ministers and Gospel Workers, 108.

9 How does the prophet illustrate the manner of preaching the Word during the long period when religious intolerance was predominant? Revelation 11:1–3.

Note: “ ‘They shall prophesy a thousand two hundred and threescore days, clothed in sackcloth.’ Revelation 11:3. During the greater part of this period, God’s witnesses remained in a state of obscurity.” The Great Controversy, 267.

10 Why does the Lord permit such terrible persecution and trials to come upon His people? I Peter 1:7; II Timothy 3:12.

Note: “ ‘The Lord is not slack concerning His promise.’ 11 Peter 3:9. He does not forget or neglect His children; but He permits the wicked to reveal their true character, that none who desire to do His will may be deceived concerning them. Again, the righteous are placed in the furnace of affliction, that they themselves may be purified; that their example may convince others of the reality of faith and godliness; and also that their consistent course may condemn the ungodly and unbelieving.” The Great Controversy, 48.

“In all ages Satan has persecuted the people of God. He has tortured them and put them to death, but in dying they became conquerors. They bore witness to the power of One mightier than Satan. Wicked men may torture and kill the body, but they cannot touch the life that is hid with Christ in God. They can incarcerate men and women in prison walls, but they cannot bind the spirit.” The Acts of the Apostles, 576.

11 What experiences reveal the character of God in His true followers? Matthew 3:11, 12; 20:22.

Note: “Through trial and persecution the glory—the character—of God is revealed in His chosen ones. The believers in Christ, hated and persecuted by the world, are educated and disciplined in the school of Christ. On earth they walk in narrow paths; they are purified in the furnace of affliction. They follow Christ through sore conflicts; they endure self-denial and experience bitter disappointments; but thus they learn the guilt and woe of sin, and they look upon it with abhorrence. Being partakers of Christ’s sufferings, they can look beyond the gloom to the glory, saying, ‘I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.’ Romans 8:18.” The Acts of the Apostles, 576, 577.

12 To what did Paul direct the attention of believers when strengthening their faith for the time of persecution before them? Acts 14:22.

13 When men allow the spirit of Satan to lead them to persecute and attempt to force the conscience, what should we always remember? Matthew 10:28; 5:11, 12.

Additional Reading

“ ‘Remember your church covenant, in which you have agreed to walk in all the ways of the Lord, made or to be made known unto you. Remember your promise and covenant with God and with one another, to receive whatever light and truth shall be made known to you from His written word; but withal, take heed, I beseech you, what you receive for truth, and compare it and weigh it with other scriptures of truth before you accept it; for it is not possible the Christian world should come so lately out of such thick antichristian darkness, and that full perfection of knowledge should break forth at once.’—Martyn, vol. 5, pp. 70, 71.

“It was the desire for liberty of conscience that inspired the Pilgrims to brave the perils of the long journey across the sea, to endure the hardships and dangers of the wilderness, and with God’s blessing to lay, on the shores of America, the foundation of a mighty nation. Yet honest and God-fearing as they were, the Pilgrims did not yet comprehend the great principle of religious liberty. The freedom which they sacrificed so much to secure for themselves, they were not equally ready to grant to others. ‘Very few, even of the foremost thinkers and moralists of the seventeenth century, had any just conception of that grand principle, the outgrowth of the New Testament, which acknowledges God as the sole judge of human faith.’—Ibid., vol. 5, p. 297. The doctrine that God has committed to the church the right to control the conscience, and to define and punish heresy, is one of the most deeply rooted of papal errors. While the Reformers rejected the creed of Rome, they were not entirely free from her spirit of intolerance. The dense darkness in which, through the long ages of her rule, popery had enveloped all Christendom, had not even yet been wholly dissipated. Said one of the leading ministers in the colony of Massachusetts Bay: ‘It was toleration that made the world antichristian; and the church never took harm by the punishment of heretics.’—Ibid., vol. 5, p. 335. The regulation was adopted by the colonists that only church members should have a voice in the civil government. A kind of state church was formed, all the people being required to contribute to the support of the clergy, and the magistrates being authorized to suppress heresy. Thus the secular power was in the hands of the church. It was not long before these measures led to the inevitable result—persecution.

“Eleven years after the planting of the first colony, Roger Williams came to the New World. Like the early Pilgrims he came to enjoy religious freedom; but, unlike them, he saw—what so few in his time had yet seen—that this freedom was the inalienable right of all, whatever might be their creed. He was an earnest seeker for truth, with Robinson holding it impossible that all the light from God’s word had yet been received. Williams ‘was the first person in modern Christendom to establish civil government on the doctrine of the liberty of conscience, the equality of opinions before the law.’—Bancroft, pt. 1, ch. 15, par. 16. He declared it to be the duty of the magistrate to restrain crime, but never to control the conscience. ‘The public or the magistrates may decide,’ he said, ‘what is due from man to man; but when they attempt to prescribe a man’s duties to God, they are out of place, and there can be no safety; for it is clear that if the magistrates has the power, he may decree one set of opinions or beliefs today and another tomorrow; as has been done in England by different kings and queens, and by different popes and councils in the Roman Church; so that belief would become a heap of confusion.’ Martyn, vol. 5, p. 340.” The Great Controversy, 292–294.

©2005 Reformation Herald Publishing Association, Roanoke, Virginia. Reprinted by permission.