Sabbath – Page 8 – Steps to Life

Editorial – Types and Shadows, Part IV

October 25, 2018 by John J. Grosboll

In the last three editorials, we have studied Colossians 2:14–17. Last month we learned that theology has been used numberless times to gain control of other people’s minds and finally to control them entirely. There are still people today with the same Gnostic attitude attempting to gain control of the church of God by dictating various practices for believers to follow in regard to eating, drinking, working, dressing, feast days, methods of Sabbath observance, ad nauseum.

Concerning this, Paul said, “Let nobody give judgment of you, wishing in humility of mind and worship of angels, which he has seen [some Greek manuscripts read ‘which he has not seen’; we will not discuss this difference here], pushing into without cause, being puffed up by his fleshly mind, and not holding onto the Head, out of whom all the body, through the joints and ligaments, having been supplied and having been joined together, will grow with the growth of God. If you have died with Christ from the elements of the world, why, as living in the world, are you subject to ordinances [or decrees; the same root as in verse 14]—‘Do not touch, do not taste, do not finger,’ which things are all unto perishing in the process of being used— according to the commandments and teachings of men [Gnostics]? Which things have a reputation for wisdom in self-imposed worship [the word for worship could also be translated ‘man-made religion’] and humility of mind and severe treatment of the body, not in any honor for the indulgence of the flesh.” Colossians 2:18–23. The last clause of verse 23 shows us clearly that this man-made religion has no value in controlling physical passions.

Previously, in stating that these religious observances were shadows of things to come, if we allow the Bible to interpret itself, the fact that these religious observances were shadows of things to come would have to refer to the Jewish ceremonial system with its animal sacrifices and yearly sabbaths and feast days (see Leviticus 23) and monthly feast days (see Hebrews 8:1–5; 10:1–4).

Many people have not noticed, when reading Colossians 2:17, that the verb, “is,” has been added. It is very common in both Hebrew and Greek texts for the translator to feel forced to add a form of the verb “to be” (such as “is,” “was,” “will be,” “are,” or “were”) to aid the English reader in understanding what is being read. The problem comes when, in order to aid readability, the meaning of the text is changed, which is what perhaps has been done in Colossians 2:17. If we did not add any words and gave the text a free translation to aid readability, it would read approximately as follows, beginning with verse 16: “Therefore do not let anybody judge you in eating or drinking or in respect of a feast or a new moon or of Sabbaths, (which are a shadow of things coming), except the body of Christ.” Or, if we were to paraphrase the text to simplify its meaning, so that all could immediately understand, the paraphrase would read approximately as follows: “Do not let anybody but the body of Christ judge you concerning your religious practices, which are symbols of the future.”

The believers are not to allow individuals (Gnostics) to usurp the teaching authority of the church—the body of Christ—itself. They are not to allow the practices of the old covenant or any type of man-made religion (human rules which had never been agreed to by the apostles and the elders of the church) to usurp the authority of the church—the body of Christ—which was instructed by the apostles themselves and which, as a body, had authority, as long is it abided by the foundational teachings of the prophets, apostles, and Jesus Christ, the chief Cornerstone.

The Seven Churches, Part XI: The Church of Laodicea

October 24, 2018 by Marshall Grosboll

“And to the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write, ‘These things says the Amen, the Faithful and True Witness, the Beginning of the creation of God: “I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. I could wish you were cold or hot. So then, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of My mouth. Because you say, ‘I am rich, have become wealthy, and have need of nothing’—and do not know that you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked—I counsel you to buy from Me gold refined in the fire, that you may be rich; and white garments, that you may be clothed, [that] the shame of your nakedness may not be revealed; and anoint your eyes with eye salve, that you may see. As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten. Therefore be zealous and rep ent. Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me. To him who overcomes I will grant to sit with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.” ’ ” Revelation 3:14–22.

The Last Church

In our study of the seven churches, we have come to the last church—Laodicea. God has some straight things to say to the Laodicean church! How wonderful it is to be living in the last days, right before Jesus comes! With the added privilege of living during this time, however, comes added responsibility. God holds us responsible for more than He does any other generation.

The message to Laodicea begins with, “I am Jesus, the Faithful and True witness.” The words, “I am Jesus,” are not actually given, but before the messages to the previous churches, Jesus is identified as the One speaking. The very first verse of Revelation says, “I, Jesus, have sent My angel to testify to you.”

Jesus wants us to know that what He is declaring in this message is true and accurate. It is not exaggerated; God neither overlooks nor does He exaggerate. It is a true account of the condition of God’s people in the last days. Of course, God’s account of each of the seven churches is faithful and true, but He felt the need to especially remind the last church of that fact. Because His counsel to it is so stern, He wanted to make sure that His people would not take it lightly.

Those Before

To bring everything into perspective, we will briefly review the first six churches. The first church, the church of Ephesus, was representative of the Christian churches during the apostolic era. They were faithful, diligent, and theologically correct, but they had lost their first love. They had that love once; the disciples had it at the time Jesus left, but they lost it before the church was through, and God had to remove their candlestick.

Ephesus, in some ways, was like Laodicea, although Laodicea is worse. Ephesus had left their first love. They were the church which thought they could never be moved, because they were the apostolic church. But God cautions not to think that we can never be removed, because He can remove our candlestick.

Ephesus was followed by the church of Smyrna, the persecuted church. Persecution brought back the love that Ephesus had lost. It weeded out those who had lost their first love. Smyrna is one of only two churches about which God had nothing bad to say; He had only good things to say about it. God is not all negative, by any means. He is a faithful and true witness. He does not call out only the evil deeds. The message that came from God for the church of Smyrna was only encouragement and nothing else. God said to that church, “You are doing well. You think that you are poor, because you have been stripped of earthly goods, but actually, you are rich. I am pleased with you. I am happy with what you are doing.” Would you like God to say that about you?

The church of Smyrna was just the opposite of the church of Laodicea. God had not one good thing to say about Laodicea. The church of Laodicea thought they were rich, but God said that they were poor. The church of Smyrna thought they were poor, but God said that they were rich.

144,000 Represented

Now, the church of Smyrna was like God’s people who come out of the church of Laodicea. It typified the 144,000. Persecution had refined and purified the church of Smyrna. The 144,000 will be refined and persecuted. “Then one of the elders answered, . . . ‘Who are these arrayed in white robes, and where did they come from?’ . . . ‘These are the ones who come out of the great tribulation, and washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.’ ” Revelation 7:13, 14. Again, not one bad thing was said about them.

Remember the ten virgins, representing those, in the last days, who are waiting for Jesus to come? They thought they were all waiting for Jesus, but what were they really doing? They were sleeping. (Matthew 25.) However, some of them awakened, trimmed their lamps, and made ready for the Lamb. Those who had extra oil, who had been diligent Bible students, the Lord used.

In Revelation 14:5, it is written, “In their mouth was found no deceit, for they are without fault before the throne of God.” This is how the Bible describes the 144,000 who come out of the church of Laodicea. These people will be of like character to those of the church of Smyrna that came out of the church of Ephesus. Oh, how wonderful it would be to have God say this about each one of us! If we are faithful, this can be said about us.

What is it that helps us to gain this experience? The trials and troubles that come our way help us to learn to look to the Lord and trust in Him. As we experience trials and troubles, just remember that God is getting us ready to be among the most privileged people who have ever lived. Only two people have ever gone out of this world alive, without dying first—Elijah and Enoch. But there will be saintly people alive, when Jesus returns, who will live forever. These people are approved of God, “for they are without fault before the throne of God.” This is God’s purpose and His will for each one of us.

Blessings to Perdition

The church of Pergamos followed the church of Smyrna. This church came about when Constantine, the emperor of Rome, declared himself to be a Christian. Then the church became very, very popular, but with popularity, the church became worldly.

What a shame it is that, when God gives us peace and ease and blessings, we, so many times, use these very blessings to our perdition. You would think that, when God gives us blessings, we would use them for our salvation. But too many times we use the very blessings God gives to us to forget Him and be lost. Have you ever known people, with lots of trials and troubles, who looked to God, prayed, became Christians, and found happiness? God took away their troubles, blessed them financially, blessed them with good health, but then, sometimes, they became so engrossed with their money, their pleasures, or their families, that they forgot all about God. It is not long until such people end up unhappy, like they were before, but too proud to repent to God.

Such people think they have too much going for them to spend time with and for the Lord. They do not need to follow Him; that is for the poor or the ugly or the weak. They can make it in the world, you see. What a shame that the very blessings God gives to us are sometimes used for our demise! That is what the children of Israel did.

God, speaking to Jeremiah, said, “I remember you, The kindness of your youth, The love of your betrothal, When you went after Me in the wilderness, In a land not sown. Israel [was] holiness to the Lord.” Jeremiah 2:2, 3. This was in the days when Israel was poor, living in tents.

Verse 6 continues, “Neither did they say, ‘Where [is] the Lord, Who brought us up out of the land of Egypt, Who led us through the wilderness, Through a land of deserts and pits, Through a land of drought and the shadow of death, Through a land that no one crossed And where no one dwelt?’ ” When they were in Egypt, God said that they were holy, but when God brought them into a land flowing with milk and honey, a land of plenty and prosperity, what happened? They completely forgot Him.

“I brought you into a bountiful country, To eat its fruit and its goodness. But when you entered, you defiled My land And made My heritage an abomination. The priests did not say, ‘Where [is] the Lord?’ And those who handle the law did not know Me; The rulers also transgressed against Me.” Verses 7, 8.

Well, that is what happened to Pergamos. They became rich and prosperous, and God did not have much good to say about them.

The next church, Thyatira, was in existence during the Dark Ages. God did not hold those people as responsible as He did the others, we are told, in Revelation 2, because they did not have Bibles. The Bibles had been taken away. God just told them to hold fast to what they had. In that church, the papal leaders were likened to Jezebel.

Reformation

Then we come to the church of Sardis, the period of the reformation. Except for Laodicea, God has the least good to say about this church! We look back to this period as a great and wonderful time, but the Bible says, regarding that church, “You have a name that you are alive, but you are dead.” Revelation 3:1. The church of Sardis had some wonderful leaders, but the church did not follow them, so the reformation did not accomplish what God purposed. It fell short, and the beast’s wound was healed.

Second Reformation

This was followed by the second reformation—the age of Wesley, Whitefield, the Quakers, and others. During this time of the church of Philadelphia, many people fled to America to escape persecution.

There was some persecution in America’s beginning. Roger Williams had to flee to Rhode Island because of persecution. Nevertheless, for the most part, they did not have as much persecution as did the sixteenth-century reformers. Not one good church escaped persecution, but no church suffered as much persecution as the church of Sardis. Yet, even in comparative prosperity, which the church experienced, at times, the church of Sardis developed a character that God approved. I do not know of any other time in the Bible where that happened.

God had not one bad thing to say about them. This was a time of revival and reformation. When Wesley preached, 10,000, 15,000, 20,000 people came to hear him, especially in America, but in Eng-land too. The people would leave their jobs to listen to him speak. The same thing happened with Whitefield.

This was a time when the missionary societies were started, sending missionaries all over the world. The Bible societies were organized and began translating the Bible in all languages. People gave offerings—this is when serious mission offerings began. This is a time when prayer meetings and evangelistic meetings began. This was a time of Baptist lay preachers and Methodist circuit riders. So this takes us to the last church, the church of Laodicea. This is the church upon which God pours out His special blessings, because He is getting a church ready, a special people ready for the Second Coming.

A Church Ready

What are God’s requirements of His church when Jesus comes again? Ephesians 5:25, 26 says, “Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her, that He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word.” He has been going through a great washing process for 2,000 years with seven different churches. We are in the last church, the church of Laodicea, culminating with the 144,000.

We could almost say that the 144,000 are an eighth church, which comes out of Laodicea, but they certainly are not like Laodicea! God does not list the 144,000 as a church, however. The list of churches ends with Laodicea. Nevertheless, the Bible says there will be a remnant—a remnant out of Laodicea, a remnant out of the churches.

What is the church going to be like when God is done washing it, purifying it? We are told, in verse 27, “That He might present her to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish.” That is what God says about the 144,000.

The Greatest Work

This last church has the greatest work of history to do. This work is outlined in Revelation 14:6, 7. In verse 6, we read, “I saw another angel flying in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach to those who dwell on the earth . . . .” To whom are they to preach? “Every nation, tribe, tongue, and people”—Chinese, Africans, South Americans, Caucasians, Russians—to everyone.

The devil would like to close every avenue he can to keep the gospel from going throughout the world, but the Lord has allowed for many inventions to take place in these last days—things like radio, television, and mass publishing—that go right into areas that are “closed” to Christianity. Most people in countries such as Russia and China have shortwave radios, and many hear the gospel on them. God has people in those countries, people who are willing to risk their lives for the gospel.

Before the communist revolution in China, God helped the Seventh-day Adventist Church to become firmly established in China. All through that vast country, from Mongolia to Shanghai to Hong Kong, churches were firmly established for almost 50 years before the revolution. The church has continued, but not because of Americans or missionaries, because missionaries have not been allowed to enter China since 1947. Some of the missionaries who were there at that time went to jail for the next 30 years. Some of them died there.

The Chinese work continues, just as it does in Viet Nam and Cambodia, and all other countries, because God has faithful, national people there who are true to Him and who, at the risk of their lives, continue to hold worship services where they can preach the gospel.

The devil does everything he can to close up the work, but he cannot close out the gospel. And so, the Bible says, the gospel is to go “to every nation, tribe, tongue, and people—saying with a loud voice, ‘Fear God and give glory to Him, for the hour of His judgment has come; and worship Him who made heaven and earth, the sea and springs of water.’ ” Verses 6, 7.

God’s Requirements

God gives special blessings to the last church in order to fulfill this commission, in order to become holy, in order to give the gospel to the world. But with increased blessings come increased responsibilities. When God gives greater privileges, He requires more.

Jesus said, “That servant who knew his master’s will, and did not prepare [himself] or do according to his will, shall be beaten with many [stripes]. But he who did not know, yet committed things deserving of stripes, shall be beaten with few. For everyone to whom much is given, from him much will be required; and to whom much has been committed, of him they will ask the more.” Luke 12:47, 48.

This is why the church of Pergamos was told, “I do not require so much of you.” He required something; they had to overcome. Those who overcome will be saved. He also counseled to hold on to what you know, and to do what you know. This is why we should not question people, because we do not know how much light they have received. There may be people who are not nearly living up to the light we have, who are better Christians than we are! We cannot judge people. Some people say that their mother, their father, their grandmother, and their grandfather were good Christians, but these people did not do everything God requires them to do. Why not? Because God may not have required it of these forefathers.

We, however, are living closer to Jesus’ Second Coming than have our parents. We are living much closer than have our grandparents. Jesus did not come in their day. They were not among the 144,000. And so, today, God is requiring more, and He is giving more. We cannot go by what our fathers or our forefathers did.

More Required

God requires more of the last church. We look at the counsel to the last church, and we see that not one good thing is said. Someone may say, “My, this is a terrible church!” Well, if you compare it to some of the other churches, it is probably better than some, from a human perspective. But the others did not have as great privileges or as much knowledge.

Look at what the Lord has given to the last church. Revelation 3:14 says, “To the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write, ‘These things says the Amen, the Faithful and True Witness.’ ”

Two things are implied in “the Faithful and True Witness”:
(1) What God is going to say about Laodicea is correct and faithful and true. It is not exaggerated.
(2) Beyond this, God is renewing His witness, His testimony to the church in the last days.

In Revelation 12:17, we read: “The dragon was enraged with the woman, and he went to make war with the rest of her offspring, who keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.” The Greek word, loipoy, which is here translated as rest, also means remnant. This means “the last part,” which actually is implied in the Greek.

Testimony of Jesus

“The testimony of Jesus Christ,” the witness of Jesus, is rather a technical term in prophecy. We find, in Revelation 19:10, as well as in Revelation 22 and other places in the Bible, that the testimony of Jesus Christ is the Spirit or the gift of prophecy.

God promised different gifts to the church. In 1 Corinthians 12, various gifts of the Spirit are given. There is the spirit of discernment and the spirit of working miracles. The spirit of helpfulness is an interesting gift, which God talks about in Romans 12. There is the spirit of administration, which may not have been a miraculous gift, but it is a gift of ability which God gives people. There is a spirit of being able to speak in other languages. Then there is a spirit of prophecy. This spiritual gift is going to be renewed in the last days, we are told in Revelation. God says to this last church, I am “the Faithful and True Witness.” He renews His witness in the last days. God continues, “the Beginning of the creation of God.” Revelation 3:14.

In the Beginning

The beginning of the creation of God, as given in Genesis 1 and 2, is when the Sabbath was made. “So the evening and the morning were the sixth day. Thus the heavens and the earth, and all the host of them, were finished. And on the seventh day God ended His work which He had done; and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had done. Then God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because in it He rested from all His work which God created and made.” Genesis 1:31–2:3. In fact, the Sabbath, as we are told in the fourth commandment, is the memorial of the creation: “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day [is] the Sabbath of the Lord your God: . . . For [in] six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that [is] in them, and rested the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and hallowed it.” Exodus 20:8–11.

It is interesting that it does not just say to remember the Sabbath day, but to remember also that “the seventh day [is] the Sabbath,” and “to keep it holy.” God does not say, “Make a sabbath,” or “Keep one day a week.” He is as specific as He can be. It is the Sabbath, and “you shall do no work,” because in six days He created everything, and on the seventh day He rested from His works.

The Sabbath is the commemoration of the creation. It is what God has given to us to help us remember that He is the creator. Evolution is wrong, and all false religions are wrong. We cannot make up our own philosophy or religion or any- thing else. God is the creator. Everything here is created, and we are creatures.

If only people had kept the Sabbath and kept the meaning of the Sabbath, there would not be all the false religions we have today. The Sabbath teaches people about creation.

When more than in the last church do we need the teaching of the Sabbath? We have the teaching of the creation and the Creator and the memorial of creation, restored on earth. That is done by the seventh church, the church of Laodicea.

To be concluded . . .

Pastor Marshall Grosboll, with his wife Lillian, founded Steps to Life. In July 1991, Pastor Marshall and his family met with tragedy as they were returning home from a camp meeting in Washington state, when the airplane he was piloting went down, killing all on board.

Bible Study Guides – The Time of Trouble, Part IV – The First Four Plagues and Jacob’s Trouble

October 23, 2018 by Maurice Hoppe

July 31, 2005 – August 6, 2005

Memory Verse

“And I heard a great voice out of the temple saying to the seven angels, Go your ways, and pour out the vials of the wrath of God upon the earth.” Revelation 16:1.

Suggested Reading: Revelation 15:5–16:9; Patriarchs and Prophets, 195–203; Prophets and Kings, 605, 606; Early Writings, 279–282.

1 Describe the destructive power that will be exercised when the plagues begin to fall. For Old Testament type, see Exodus 11:4–6; 12:29, 30; 11 Samuel 24:14–16. How many angels carried out this work of destruction?

note: “A single angel destroyed all the first-born of the Egyptians and filled the land with mourning. When David offended against God by numbering the people, one angel caused that terrible destruction by which his sin was punished. The same destructive power exercised by holy angels when God commands, will be exercised by evil angels when He permits. There are forces now ready, and only waiting the divine permission, to spread desolation everywhere.” The Great Controversy, 614.

2 What effect has the final warning had on the wicked who have risen up against it? Revelation 12:17; 13:14–17.

note: “I was pointed down to the time when the third angel’s message was closing. The power of God had rested upon His people; they had accomplished their work and were prepared for the trying hour before them. They had received the latter rain, or refreshing from the presence of the Lord, and the living testimony had been revived. The last great warning had sounded everywhere, and it had stirred up and enraged the inhabitants of the earth who would not receive the message.” Early Writings, 279.

3 With whom is the devil enraged? What accusations and persecution will result? Matthew 24:9; Revelation 12:17; 14:12. For biblical examples of the similar experience of God’s people in the past, see 1 Kings 18:17; Acts 21:28; 24:6.

note: “Those who honor the law of God have been accused of bringing judgments upon the world, and they will be regarded as the cause of the fearful convulsions of nature and the strife and bloodshed among men that are filling the earth with woe. The power attending the last warning has enraged the wicked; their anger is kindled against all who have received the message, and Satan will excite to still greater intensity the spirit of hatred and persecution.” The Great Controversy, 614, 615.

4 What specific judgments are being referred to in this setting? Revelation 16:1–9.

note: “Says the revelator, in describing those terrific scourges: ‘There fell a noisome and grievous sore upon the men which had the mark of the beast, and upon them which worshiped his image.’ The sea ‘became as the blood of a dead man: and every living soul died in the sea.’ And ‘the rivers and fountains of waters . . . became blood.’ [Revelation 16:2–4.] . . .

“In the plague that follows, power is given to the sun ‘to scorch men with fire. And men were scorched with great heat.’ Verses 8, 9. The prophets thus describe the condition of the earth at this fearful time: ‘The land mourneth; . . . because the harvest of the field is perished. . . . All the trees of the field are withered: because joy is withered away from the sons of men.’ [Joel 1:10–12.]” The Great Controversy, 628.

5 What time frame is specified as to when these four plagues will begin to fall? Revelation 19:1, 2; 15:1.

note: “When Christ ceases His intercession in the sanctuary, the unmingled wrath threatened against those who worship the beast and his image and receive his mark (Revelation 14:9, 10), will be poured out.” The Great Controversy, 627.

“An angel returning from the earth announces that his work is done; the final test has been brought upon the world, and all who have proved themselves loyal to the divine precepts have received ‘the seal of the living God.’ Then Jesus ceases His intercession in the sanctuary above. He lifts His hands and with a loud voice says, ‘It is done;’ and all the angelic host lay off their crowns as He makes the solemn announcement: ‘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.’ Revelation 22:11.” Ibid., 613.

6 What specific point in time will these four plagues precede? For Old Testament prophecy, see Isaiah 26:20, 21; 51:21–23.

note: “The plagues upon Egypt when God was about to deliver Israel were similar in character to those more terrible and extensive judgments which are to fall upon the world just before the final deliverance of God’s people.” The Great Controversy, 627, 628.

7 What would happen to this world if these four plagues were universal? For Old Testament prophecy, see Joel 1:10–12, 17–20; Amos 8:3.

note: “These plagues are not universal, or the inhabitants of the earth would be wholly cut off. Yet they will be the most awful scourges that have ever been known to mortals.” The Great Controversy, 628, 629.

8 What element is now absent from these four judgments that was present in the judgments that fell before the close of probation? James 2:12, 13.

note: “The pleading blood of Christ has shielded the sinner from receiving the full measure of his guilt; but in the final judgment, wrath is poured out unmixed with mercy.” The Great Controversy, 629.

9 What is God going to do for His people at this time? See Old Testament prophecy, in Isaiah 33:15, 16; 41:17.

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.” The Great Controversy, 629.

10 What will the world and the churches not know, and what will they continue when Christ ceases His ministration in the heavenly sanctuary? Revelation 22:11. See also Luke 13:34, 35; Mark 13:32–36.

note: “When God’s presence was finally withdrawn from the Jewish nation, priests and people knew it not. Though under the control of Satan, and swayed by the most horrible and malignant passions, they still regarded themselves as the chosen of God. The ministration in the temple continued; sacrifices were offered upon its polluted altars, and daily the divine blessing was invoked upon a people guilty of the blood of God’s dear Son and seeking to slay His ministers and apostles. So when the irrevocable decision of the sanctuary has been pronounced and the destiny of the world has been forever fixed, the inhabitants of the earth will know it not. The forms of religion will be continued by a people from whom the Spirit of God has been finally withdrawn; and the satanic zeal with which the prince of evil will inspire them for the accomplishment of his malignant designs, will bear the semblance of zeal for God.” The Great Controversy, 615.

11 Because of these fearful judgments and the continuing Sabbath/Sunday controversy, what do the religious and secular authorities decide needs to be done with those who refuse to comply with the Sunday law? For New Testament type, see John 11:47–50; Revelation 13:15–17.

note: “As the Sabbath has become the special point of controversy throughout Christendom, and religious and secular authorities have combined to enforce the observance of the Sunday, the persistent refusal of a small minority to yield to the popular demand will make them objects of universal execration. It will be urged that the few who stand in opposition to an institution of the church and a law of the state ought not to be tolerated; that it is better for them to suffer than for whole nations to be thrown into confusion and lawlessness. The same argument eighteen hundred years ago was brought against Christ by the ‘rulers of the people.’ ‘It is expedient for us,’ said the wily Caiaphas, ‘that one man should die for the people, and that the whole nation perish not.’ John 11:50. This argument will appear conclusive; and a decree will finally be issued against those who hallow the Sabbath of the fourth commandment, denouncing them as deserving of the severest punishment and giving the people liberty, after a certain time, to put them to death. Romanism in the Old World and apostate Protestantism in the New will pursue a similar course toward those who honor all the divine precepts.” The Great Controversy, 615, 616.

12 What condition does the death decree bring on God’s people? Jeremiah 30:5–7; Genesis 32:24–30.

note: “The people of God will then be plunged into those scenes of affliction and distress described by the prophet as the time of Jacob’s trouble. ‘Thus saith the Lord: We have heard a voice of trembling, of fear, and not of peace. . . . 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 . . . .’ Jeremiah 30:5–7.” The Great Controversy, 616.

13 What should the people of God do to prepare for the “time of Jacob’s trouble”? Romans 13:1–14.

note: “Yet he [Jacob] leaves nothing undone on his own part to atone for the wrong to his brother and to avert the threatened danger. So should the followers of Christ, as they approach the time of trouble, make every exertion to place themselves in a proper light before the people, to disarm prejudice, and to avert the danger which threatens liberty of conscience.” The Great Controversy, 616.

14 During the “time of Jacob’s trouble,” who will try the people of God to the uttermost? What will be severely tested? For Old Testament type, see Zechariah 3:1. See also 1 Peter 1:7; 5:8; Revelation 12:12.

note: “As Satan accuses the people of God on account of their sins, the Lord permits him to try them to the uttermost. Their confidence in God, their faith and firmness, will be severely tested. As they review the past, their hopes sink; for in their whole lives they can see little good. They are fully conscious of their weakness and unworthiness. Satan endeavors to terrify them with the thought that their cases are hopeless, that the stain of their defilement will never be washed away. He hopes so to destroy their faith that they will yield to his temptations and turn from their allegiance to God.” The Great Controversy, 618, 619.

15 What will happen to anyone who has an unconfessed sin on his or her record in the “time of Jacob’s trouble”? For biblical type, see Hebrews 12:16, 17. See also Revelation 22:11, 12; 1 Timothy 5:24, 25.

note: “Had not Jacob previously repented of his sin in obtaining the birthright by fraud, God would not have heard his prayer and mercifully preserved his life. So, in the time of trouble, if the people of God had unconfessed sins to appear before them while tortured with fear and anguish, they would be overwhelmed; despair would cut off their faith, and they could not have confidence to plead with God for deliverance.” The Great Controversy, 620.

16 What will be required of God’s people in the “time of Jacob’s trouble”? When is the preparation for this to be done? Revelation 2:10; 11 Corinthians 6:2.

note: “The season of distress and anguish before us will require a faith that can endure weariness, delay, and hunger—a faith that will not faint though severely tried. The period of probation is granted to all to prepare for that time. Jacob prevailed because he was persevering and determined.” The Great Controversy, 621.

17 Who will succeed as did Jacob? Ephesians 6:10–13, 18.

note: “His victory is an evidence of the power of importunate prayer. All who will lay hold of God’s promises, as he did, and be as earnest and persevering as he was, will succeed as he succeeded. Those who are unwilling to deny self, to agonize before God, to pray long and earnestly for His blessing, will not obtain it. Wrestling with God—how few know what it is! How few have ever had their souls drawn out after God with intensity of desire until every power is on the stretch.” The Great Controversy, 621.

Editorial – Types and Shadows, Part II

October 23, 2018 by John J. Grosboll

In Colossians 2:14–17, Paul speaks about a law. This passage, garbled in some Bible translations and often used by theological opponents of Seventh-day Adventists as proof texts as to why Christians do not need to keep the Sabbath, requires detailed review.

For this law, Paul gives a number of clear specifications and descriptions: (1) He says that Jesus has “wiped away that which was against us,” called the (2) “handwriting of the decrees or ordinances.” (3) These decrees or ordinances “were contrary to us.” The Greek word used means to be opposed, hostile, contrary, in opposition or opposition to someone or something. (4) This law was taken out of our midst and (5) nailed to the cross. (6) He disarmed or despoiled the rulers and authorities, exposing them and publicly triumphing over them in the cross. (7) Therefore, do not let anyone judge you in food, (8) in drink, (9) in respect of a feast, (10) of a new moon, (11) or of Sabbath or Sabbaths, (12) which things are a shadow of things about to be, (13) but the body is of Christ. (Verses 18–23 help provide contextual understanding of these verses.)

We will consider each of these specifications:

(1) According to the New Testament, it was the ceremonial law, not the moral law, which was against us. For example, Peter refers to the ceremonial law (circumcision symbolized the whole law) as a yoke which neither our fathers nor we were able to bear. (Acts 15:10.) Paul refers to it as a yoke of bondage. (Galatians 5.) The moral law, or Ten Commandments, is never referred to as a yoke of bondage but is described as a law of liberty. (James 2:10–12.)

(2) The Ten Commandments are never referred to in Scripture as being handwritten. This one fact alone proves conclusively that Paul is not here referring to them. The Ten Commandments were written by the finger of God, and not by human hand. (Exodus 24:12; 31:18.)

(3) The ceremonial law was declared by the apostles to be “contrary to us,” but the moral law is described as being given to us because God loves us, and it is not burdensome to keep. (1 John 5:3; Deuteronomy 33:2, 3.)

(4) The Ten Commandments are described as impossible to ever be taken away (Luke 16:17; Psalm 89:34), but this law is taken away. We know, therefore, that this law cannot be the Ten Commandment Law.

(5) The New Testament is definite about which law was nailed to the cross. Paul says, in Galatians 3, that there was a law added because of transgression. As explained in the previous editorial, there could not even be transgression without the moral law. The law added, because of transgression, was the ceremonial law, which was only to exist until the coming of Christ. Also, Paul says that this added law was commanded through messengers, or angels, in the hand of a mediator. He says that a mediator is not of one, but God is one. This again proves that he was not talking about the Ten Commandment Law, because it was not given through angels or messengers, nor ordained in the hand of a mediator. This law was given by God Himself, not through messengers, and it existed before there was a mediator or a need for one. (Galatians 3:19, 20.) Therefore, the law that was nailed to the cross would have to be the ceremonial law.

(7) Colossians 2:16 begins with the word, “therefore.” The context is clear that Paul is talking about the ceremonial law, not the Ten Commandments. “Therefore,” shows that what he says next continues to refer to the ceremonial law.

(8–11) Each of these descriptions would have to be referring to the ceremonial law. To make this fact absolutely certain, Paul says, in verse 17, “which things are a shadow of things to come.” The ceremonial ordinances, whether new moons, feast days, or yearly sabbaths (these yearly sabbaths were “beside the sabbaths of the Lord,” Leviticus 23:4–38), were all shadows of things to come, but the seventh day Sabbath was never a shadow of things to come. It was a memorial of creation, as distinctly stated in Exodus 20:8–11.

The Lord’s Day

October 17, 2018October 17, 2018 by John J. Grosboll

We know from the New Testament that God has a rest day, a special day of the week that He calls His own. John writes, “I was in the Spirit on the Lord’s Day, and I heard behind me a loud voice, as of a trumpet.” Revelation 1:10. Long after the cross, it is evident from this verse that God does have a special day, a day that belongs to Him, a day that is called “the Lord’s Day.”

To find out the origin of this day we must go back to the beginning of the Bible, to the time of Creation, before there had ever been any transgression of God’s law and when there was no need for a plan of salvation. Genesis 2:1–3 says: “Thus the heavens and the earth, and all the host of them, were finished. And on the seventh day God ended His work which He had done, and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had done. Then God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because in it He rested from all His work which God had created and made.”

Genesis 1 and 2 say that God created this world in six days. The evening and the morning were the first day, the second day and so on. During each one of these days, in creation week, God created some aspect of the world or solar system. But at the end of Creation week, God created a special holy day to commemorate what He had made. This day He called a rest day or the Sabbath day and in that day God set an example for us by resting. The Bible says that He blessed the day and made it holy.

The book of Revelation teaches that only God is holy. (Revelation 15:4.) No man or group of men can make a holy day, because only a holy being can make a day holy. Thus only God could sanctify the Sabbath and make it a holy day.

The Sabbath Reviewed at Sinai

The moral duty of all mankind to keep the Sabbath was reviewed by God, for all of His people, when He came down on Mount Sinai and spoke His moral law (the Ten Commandments). He then wrote His Law down on tables of stone and He commanded His people to keep it through all generations.

At Sinai, the Sabbath was not introduced as a new day that the Israelites were to begin keeping. We can be sure of that fact when we read the fourth commandment in Exodus 20:8. It says, “Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy.” The Lord says, “Remember,” because His special day goes all the way back to the creation of the world.

It is interesting that the only commandment that people want to lose sight of is the only one that God said to, “Remember.” In the heart of God’s law, it says, “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord your God. In it you shall do no work: you, nor your son, nor your daughter, nor your man servant, nor your maid servant, nor your cattle, nor your stranger who is within your gates. For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and hallowed it.” Exodus 20:8–11.

The Origin of Our Week

The weekly cycle of seven days comes directly from Creation week. The heavenly bodies control all the other measurements of time. The year is dependent on the revolution of the earth around the sun. The month has to do with lunar cycles. The seasons have to do with the revolution and rotation of the earth. Only the weekly cycle has no natural origin, and so only can point back to the Creation week when the Sabbath was instituted.

Some people wonder if the seventh-day that God made holy is really the same day as the seventh-day in our weekly cycle, as we know it now. Has the weekly cycle been changed in the six thousand years since Creation? The answer is simple to find if we look at the Jewish people. They have been keeping the Sabbath from Christ’s day until the present time. Obviously, it is impossible that millions of people scattered all over the world could all of a sudden, in one week, forget which day of the week it was and all start keeping another day. The probability of that is far beyond impossible.

Another proof that shows that the weekly cycle has not been changed is the way that many of the languages name the seventh day of the week. Take for instance what the Italians call the seventh day. It is called “Sabato.” Similarly in Spain, it is called “Sabado.” In Russia, it is called “Subbota.” And in Poland it is called “Sobota.” All these names mean Sabbath or Rest Day. Except for those languages that have adopted the pagan names for the days of the week, the seventh day is still called “The Sabbath,” even today, just the way God named it in the beginning.

In addition to that, the crucifixion of Christ establishes, beyond any reasonable doubt, which day the Sabbath is according to the commandment. The account in Luke tells us this: “Now, behold, there was a man name Joseph, a council member, a good and just man. This man went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. Then he took it down, wrapped it in linen, and laid it in a tomb that was hewn out of rock, where no one had ever lain before. That day was the Preparation, and the Sabbath drew near. And the women who had come with Him from Galilee followed after, and they observed the tomb and how His body was laid. Then they returned and prepared spices and fragrant oils. And they rested on the Sabbath according to the commandment.” Luke 23: 50–56.

So it was that as Friday, the preparation day ended and the Sabbath was drawing near, that they prepared the body of Jesus and put it in the tomb. After they did that, they rested the next day, the Sabbath, according to the commandment. Then it says, “Now on the first day of the week, very early in the morning, they, and certain other women with them, came to the tomb bringing the spices which they had prepared.” Luke 24:1. That day was resurrection Sunday, as the whole Christian world knows.

The Biblical record shows Good Friday, resurrection Sunday, and the Sabbath “according to the commandment,” which they kept, was the day in between. Since the whole Christian world acknowledges Good Friday and resurrection Sunday, it is impossible for any candid reader of the Bible to make a mistake as to which day is the Sabbath.

The Sabbath Changed?

However, some people ask, “In the New Covenant was not the Lord’s day changed from the seventh day of the week to the first day of the week?” The Bible clearly answers. Jesus did not change it. The apostles did not change it. Nowhere does the Bible authorize a change. Jesus and the apostles kept the seventh day holy not only before, but also after the cross, and there is no record of its change in the Bible before or after Jesus’ death. Jesus said, “And it is easier for heaven and earth to pass away than for one tittle [a small part of a letter] of the law to fail.” Luke 16:17.

Father O’Brien, a Catholic author, in his book, The Faith of Millions, copyright 1974, says: “Let me address myself to my dear non-Catholic reader. You believe that the Bible alone is a safe guide in religious matters. You also believe that one of the fundamental duties enjoined upon you by your Christian faith is that of Sunday observance. But where does the Bible speak of such an obligation? I have read the Bible from the first verse of Genesis to the last verse of Revelation and have found no reference to the duty of sanctifying the Sunday. The day mentioned in the Bible is not the Sunday, the first day of the week, but the Saturday, the last day of the week.” The first day of the week is mentioned in the Bible nine times, but nowhere is it mentioned as a Christian Sabbath or as a holy day or day of worship.

Nailed to the Cross?

Many have confused God’s holy Sabbath day with the yearly Sabbaths that were kept by the Israelites in the Old Covenant, and think that, somehow, it was also annulled when Jesus died. But a careful study of the Bible shows that, in contrast to the weekly Sabbath, the ceremonial sabbaths were added because of transgression and pointed forward to the life and ministry of Christ. One of those yearly Sabbaths was the Passover Sabbath. These ceremonies pointed forward to Christ’s ministry and death and were called “a shadow of things to come.” Colossians 2:17. The Passover Sabbath came on the fourteenth day of the first month of the Jewish year, the day that Jesus was crucified. The Bible says that “Christ, our Passover, was sacrificed for us.” 1 Corinthians 5:7. When Jesus died, these ceremonial Sabbaths had no more significance because they had been fulfilled.

The seventh day Sabbath has nothing to do with Jewish ceremonies. It was established before there were any Jews or any Jewish ceremonies or before the plan of salvation had even been introduced. It was made before sin even came into the world. The Bible never calls it the Jewish Sabbath. Rather it calls it the seventh day Sabbath, the Lord’s day. Jesus acknowledged that the Sabbath that was kept by the Jews was the Lord’s day, His holy day, and it was made for all mankind—and not just for the Jews. “And He said to them, ‘The Sabbath was made for man,and not man for the Sabbath. Therefore the Son of Man is also Lord of the Sabbath.’ ” Mark 2:27, 28.

The Jews kept the Sabbath because they were God’s people, in those days, and, as God’s people, they kept God’s day. The Sabbath can be kept legalistically like the Pharisees did but when it is kept the way Jesus kept it, it is a great blessing to mankind. Calling Sunday the Lord’s day cannot make it holy or make it God’s rest day any more than calling a piece of cut glass a diamond can make it so, even if it looks just the same. Calling it such may confuse people, but it will never change the truth.

Adolph Hitler said that if you repeatedly tell a lie, especially a big one, eventually people will believe it. In this case he told the truth. God and man kept the Sabbath in Eden. It was kept by Abraham according to Genesis 26:5. It was kept by Christ according to Luke 4:16. All the apostles kept it. There is not one instance recorded in the New Testament of an apostle keeping Sunday nor is there one instance of an apostle not keeping the Sabbath. Instead, the Bible records over eighty Sabbaths that the apostle Paul kept.

Revelation tells us that there will be a day that will be kept by God’s people in the last days, and this is a distinguishing mark of those people who will not receive the mark of the beast. “Here is the patience of the saints; here are those who keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus.” Revelation 14:12.

The “saints” keep God’s commandments. No one can be described as a person who keeps God’s commandments if they break one, and the Sabbath is one of God’s commandments. James 2:10 says that if you keep the whole law and offend in one point, you are guilty of all. Therefore, God’s people in the last days, who will not receive the mark of the beast, will be Sabbathkeepers.

All of this evidence is sure to stimulate some questions; for example, “How then did the Christian world begin to keep Sunday instead of Sabbath?” The change came after the apostles death when the Christian church went into great apostasy and changed their religious practices contrary to Bible teachings. Students of religious history that have studied this subject know that it was in the city of Rome where Sunday appears to have been first kept, possibly just decades after the death of the apostles. (It was kept at an early date in Alexandria, Egypt, also.) At that time, it was decided that it would be a good idea to celebrate the festival of Ishtar with the pagans in Rome. This pagan holiday was held about the same time as the Passover (the time of the year when Christ died and was resurrected.) We now call this day Easter. You might recognize the resemblance in the names Ishtar and Easter.

The yearly Sunday observance was gradually followed by a weekly Sunday observance, also in honor of the resurrection. The pagan world already kept this day in honor of the Sun, so the Christians felt that it would be easier to make converts of the pagans if they too kept the day holy. So the Christian world had two holy days—Sabbath and Sunday. However, as time went on, fewer and fewer continued to keep the Sabbath, and more and more began to worship only on Sunday.

Finally, in A.D. 321, the Emperor Constantine passed a Sunday law, before he became a Christian. In this Sunday law, the “holy day” was not called a Sabbath but the “venerable day of the Sun.” (The Sun was the god of the pagan religion and Sunday was the day on which the Sun was worshipped.) From there the practice of Sunday keeping was spread throughout Christendom.

Protestants and Sunday-keeping

This history is not unknown to the Protestant leadership. Doctor Binney of the Methodist Church wrote, “It is true there is no positive command in the Bible for keeping holy the first day of the week.” Dr. Edward T. Hiscox, author of the Baptist Manual, said, “There was and is a commandment to keep holy the Sabbath day, but that Sabbath was not Sunday. It will, however, be readily said and with some show of triumph that the Sabbath was transferred from the seventh to the first day of the week with all its duties, privileges, and sanctions.

“Earnestly desiring information on this subject, which I have studied for many years, I asked,Where can the record of such a transaction be found? Not in the New Testament, absolutely not. There is no Scriptural evidence of the change of the Sabbath institution from the seventh to the first day of the week. Of course, I quite well know that Sunday did come into use in early Christian history as a religious day as we learned from the Christian fathers and other sources. What a pity, that it comes branded with the mark of paganism and christened with the name of the Sun god.”

There is no evidence in the Bible for the change of the fourth commandment. That is purely a human invention that has no Biblical support whatsoever. The Lord has a day that He says is His. He is the Lord of the Sabbath day, the seventh day of the week.

Many people today think that it is unimportant to obey God exactly. They think that His requirements can be adjusted or changed to suit their own thinking or the practices of society. But the Bible is very clear about our obligation to keep the whole law, and it predicts that in the last days a great controversy will occur over the Sabbath commandment.

Everyone must decide whether they will obey God exactly or whether they will seek to make human adjustments to divine commands. The final test in this world will involve Satan’s claim, “That the law which was spoken by God’s own voice is faulty, that some specification has been set aside . . . It is the last great deception that he will bring upon the world. He needs not to assail the whole law; if he can lead men to disregard one precept, his purpose is gained. For ‘whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all.’ James 2:10. By consenting to break one precept, men are brought under Satan’s power. By substituting human law for God’s law, Satan will seek to control the world. This work is foretold in prophecy. Of the great apostate power which is the representative of Satan, it is declared, ‘He shall speak great words against the Most High, and shall wear out the saints of the Most High, and think to change times and laws: and they shall be given into his hand.’ Daniel 7:25.

“Men will surely set up their laws to counterwork the laws of God. They will seek to compel the consciences of others, and in their zeal to enforce these laws they will oppress their fellow men.

“The warfare against God’s law, which was begun in heaven, will be continued until the end of time. Every man will be tested. Obedience or disobedience is the question to be decided by the whole world. All will be called to choose between the law of God and the laws of men. Here the dividing line will be drawn. There will be but two classes. Every character will be fully developed; and all will show whether they have chosen the side of loyalty or that of rebellion.

“Then the end will come. God will vindicate His law and deliver His people. Satan and all who have joined him in rebellion will be cut off. Sin and sinners will perish, root and branch, (Malachi 4:1)— Satan the root, and his followers the branches. The word will be fulfilled to the prince of evil, ‘Because thou hast set thine heart as the heart of God; . . . I will destroy thee, O covering cherub, from the midst of the stones of fire . . . Thou shalt be a terror, and never shalt thou be any more.’ Then ‘the wicked shall not be: yea, thou shalt diligently consider his place, and it shall not be;’ ‘they shall be as though they had not been.’ Ezekiel 28:6–19; Psalms 37:10; Obadiah 16.” The Desire of Ages, 763.

Will Freedom Survive?

May 7, 2020October 16, 2018 by Russell Standish

Paul wrote in 1 Timothy 4:1: “Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils.” What a warning to every Seventh-day Adventist, that, in the last days, there will be those who have heard and proclaimed the faith, have been convicted by it, but who will allow themselves to be seduced by fables and will accept the doctrines of devils.

“This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy. Without natural affection, truce-breakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good.” 2 Timothy 3:1–3. Can you imagine Christians despising those who are good? But we know that they are not true Christians, but only professors of truth, because verse 5 tells us that they have “a form of godliness” but they deny the power thereof. They profess to be servants of Christ, but actually they are “traitors, heady, high-minded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God.” 2 Timothy 3:4.

How are we commanded to deal with people like this? God says, “From such turn away.” 2 Timothy 3:5. We are not to have any part with those who do not practice their profession. God’s warning is very plain. If we socialize with these sort of people, we will eventually become like them. “For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.” 2 Timothy 4:3, 4.

What a pitiful representation of those who claim to be a part of the company that believes the truth. And yet, these prophecies are fulfilled in our ears. I hear so many people today in churches of every color and stripe that state, “Why do we worry about doctrine?” That is the cry of the ecumenical movement. They say, “Let us just preach the love of Jesus. The greatest doctrine in Scripture is Jesus’ love.” Every doctrine is vital; for the center of each doctrine is the love of Jesus. How can we preach the Sabbath if we do not love the One who is the Lord of the Sabbath? How can we believe in the state of the dead if we do not follow the One who is the resurrection and the life? How can we study the sanctuary message and that doctrine if we do not believe in our High Priest and Mediator?

Christ is the center of every doctrine. If we destroy the doctrines of Scripture, then we have destroyed our knowledge of the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Doctrines are essential because the doctrines lead us to the foot of the cross, to Jesus Christ. It is the devil who would destroy the doctrines of Scripture. That is the reason why it is stated here that “they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.” They will not endure sound doctrine.

We are living in extremely serious times and as Seventh-day Adventists, we need to be alert. Paul’s warning to the Thessalonians is very appropriate for us today: “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 5:4, 5. The signs of the times give us startling proof that the day of Christ’s return is very near. Multiple events make it daily more clear that the closing scenes of earth’s history are upon us.

The Pope’s Letter

On July 6, 1998, Pope John Paul II issued an official apostolic letter entitled, “Dies Domini” (The Day of the Lord). This letter, which received a great deal of media publicity, was a call by the Pope for Catholics to come back to faithful Sunday keeping.

The Pope’s letter began with these words, “The Lord’s day—as Sunday was called from apostolic times . . . ” (This is the first falsehood of a continual line that is found in this letter.) As proof for this supposition, the Pope refers us to Revelation 1:10, the only reference to “the Lord’s day,” in the Bible. It is the Pope’s contention that the Lord’s day spoken of here is Sunday. But the Bible never says that. The text simply states, “I was in the Spirit on the Lord’s day . . . ”

We are on a weak and faulty foundation when we rely on the mind of man to decide a matter which is not clear to us, for God has commanded us that the Bible is its own interpreter. This verse is interpreted clearly for us in Luke 6:5. “And He [Jesus] said unto them, That the Son of man is Lord also of the Sabbath.” Which day is the Lord’s day? It is plain and clear. The Son of man is Lord of the Sabbath day, not the first day of the week, the devil’s counterfeit, Sunday. The only day that God hallowed is confirmed also in Matthew 18 and Matthew 12:8: “For the Son of man is Lord even of the Sabbath day.”

Clearly, without any possibility of dispute, the Scripture testifies that the Sabbath is the Lord’s day. But here, in the very initial words of this apostolic letter, the Pope states that the Lord’s day was called Sunday from apostolic times. If that were true, we should be able to search the Scripture and find the evidence there, because many of the apostles authored Scripture. All of them were written decades after the death of Jesus Christ. Instead we find that in the eight brief mentions that are made of the first day of the week, in the New Testament, not once is it called the Lord’s day! The Sabbath is mentioned sixty times, and never once was it referred to as “the former Sabbath that we kept,” or “the old Sabbath.” It is always used in the setting of a sacred day which was still being observed. The apostles knew nothing of Sunday being the Lord’s day.

The Psalmist and Sunday

If that were not enough, at the commencement of the second paragraph, the Pope makes a statement that any elementary school child, reared in a Christian home, would not be so foolish as to make. He wrote, “Rightly then, the Psalmist cry is applied to Sunday. ‘This is the day which the Lord has made; we will rejoice and be glad in it.’ Psalm 118:24.”

Did the Psalmist ever conceive that the day on which he was rejoicing was Sunday? It never entered his mind. But here the Pope is saying, “Rightly, the Psalmist cry is applied to Sunday.” Wrongly it is applied to Sunday! It is astonishing to see that the Pope, who was considered a very fine Roman Catholic theologian before he became Pope, reaching to such lengths of elementary reasoning in an attempt to prove his point. And he was not working alone. This letter is a product of the best theological minds in the Vatican.

What a disgrace to see how the Pope has been applauded by Protestants around the world. The Anglicans said what a wonderful letter it was, and in England he received the same response. The South Pacific Division Record reported that one of the senior lecturers in theology at Avondale College commented on the “wonderful scholarship” of the Pope’s letter! There is only one reason I would give the Pope an “F” for his scholarship in this and that is because you cannot give him anything lower. There is no scholarship at all!

The Pope Explains Sunday Laws

There are other ominous matters in this apostolic letter which we need to give attention to. One such statement is: “Wherefore also in the particular circumstances of our times, Christians will naturally strive to insure that civil legislation respects their duty to keep Sunday holy.” What does he mean? Was he merely saying, “Every convicted Sunday keeper should have the right to follow his convictions?” If that were all that the Pope was saying, we would not contend with it. We believe that every man has the right of religious liberty. However, the Pope did not have religious liberty in mind at all.

Earlier on the same page, he tries to underestimate what happened in centuries past in the Roman Catholic Church. “When through the centuries she has made laws concerning Sunday rest, the church has had in mind above all the work of service and worship.” In other words, “Our laws were only made to give a time of rest for workers and families.” Then you ended at the stake if you did not obey! He forgets to mention the millions of people who lost their lives standing against the evil of the devil’s counterfeit “sabbath.”

He goes on to say, “In this matter, my predecessor, Pope Leo XIII, in his encyclical Rerum Novarum, spoke of Sunday rest as a worker’s right, which the state must guarantee.” (Pope Leo XIII, was the Pope, at the end of the nineteenth century, who stated that it was diabolical doctrine to preach religious liberty.) From these statements it is clear—religious liberty is certainly not what the Pope has in mind.

Why an Apostolic Letter Now?

What was the atmosphere in which the Pope sent out this letter full of Biblical falsehoods and scholarship of the poorest type? Many people have been studying this letter, without seeing it in the context of his prior letter that was sent out on May 28, 1998. That letter was sent out in order to inject into the Roman Catholic Canon law some additional penance. Every one of these new laws deals with punishment! And that is the context in which this letter follows.

Those of us who are well acquainted with Revelation 13:15–17, know that the time is nigh when persecution will come to those who are faithful to the law of God, who desire to worship God in holiness on His holy day.

One of these new Canons, number 1436 states: “Whoever denies a truth which must be believed with divine and Catholic faith or who calls into doubt or who totally repudiates the Christian faith and does not retract after having been legitimately warned is to be punished as a heretic or an apostate with a major excommunication. A cleric moreover can be punished with other penalties not excluding these positions. In addition to these paces, whoever obstinately rejects the teaching that the Roman Pontiff or the College of Bishops exercising the authentic magisterium have set forth to be held definitively or who affirms what they have condemned as erroneous and does not retract after having been legitimately warned, is to be punished with an appropriate penalty.”

Why did the Roman Catholic Church have to create this new Canon law in May, 1998, just prior to the issuing of this apostolic letter on Sunday, which is calling for civil legislation in the matter of Sunday worship? It is time for us to WAKE UP! We are at the end of earth’s history. Prophecy is being fulfilled and everything is in place. In the United States everything is in place for the enactment of Sunday laws and penalties of a severe nature.

Another new Canon, which was enacted, was Canon 1371. It states: “The following are to be punished with a just penalty: [We know how much justice there was in the penalties meted out during the Dark Ages.] Apart from the case mentioned in Canon 1364, a person that teaches a doctrine condemned by the Roman Pontiff or by an ecumenical council or obstinately rejects the teachings mentioned in Canon 750 or in Canon 752 when warned by the apostolic See or by the ordinary, does not retract, a person who in any other way does not obey the lawful command or prohibition of the apostolic See or the ordinary or superior and after being warned persists in disobedience.”

Did you notice how vague was the designation of those who would be punished? Nowhere does it say, “Those who are faithful to the Catholic faith” or “members of the Roman Catholic Church.” It says only “whoever denies” or “a person” who does these things will receive these punishments. A person means any person. It has not defined that these laws and punishments are applicable to Roman Catholics and Roman Catholics alone.

And did you notice how vague the penalties were? Such words were used as: “punished as a heretic,” “punished with an appropriate penalty” and “punished with a just penalty.” There is no limit placed upon the punishments. However, we do not have to study very far into Catholic history to see what it means to be “punished as a heretic.” Just read the stories of the Waldenses or the Reformers, and you can clearly see what the Papacy calls “an appropriate penalty.” It is time to awake! These things are happening before our eyes and we need to know where we are.

A New View for Catholicism

In this letter, the Pope takes a new view on Sunday keeping that Catholicism has never taken before. In his first statement he asserted that Sunday has been known as the Lord’s day from apostolic times. The Roman Catholic Church has never before proclaimed that their sabbath, Sunday, commenced in apostolic times. That is an absolute denial of what, for For example read the Catechism of Catholic Doctrines, which has the primature of the Catholic Church and was edited by a Roman Catholic priest, Peter Greerman. There a question and answer dialogue is given about Sunday keeping.

“Question: What is the Sabbath day?

“Answer: Saturday is the Sabbath day.

“Question: Why do we observe Sunday instead of Saturday?

“Answer: We observe Sunday instead of Saturday because the Catholic Church, in the Council of Laodicea 336 A.D., transferred the solemnity from Saturday to Sunday.”

Another example from a different priest’s catechism asks the question, “Have you any other way of proving that the church has power to institute festivals?”

“Answer: Had she not such power, she could not have done that in which all modern religionists agree with her. Here are Bible believing Protestants who claim to base their religion on the Bible and the Bible alone, sola Scriptura, and yet they are following that which the Roman Catholic Church has instituted. That is the pagan sabbath of Sunday. Had not she had such power she could not have done that which all modern religionists agree with her, she could not have substituted the observance of Sunday, the first day of the week, for the observance of Saturday, a change for which there is no Scriptural authority.”

Over two and a half centuries passed, beyond apostolic time, before the introduction, by the Roman Catholic Church, of Sunday observance. But now the Pope is taking a new route. He is appealing to those beguiled Protestants who believe that Sunday was kept by the apostles. He wants to have the Protestants of America concur with the Sunday legislation.

Christ, Our Only Safety

Reader, do you see the signs that Jesus is coming very soon? Is it now time for us to ponder what Jesus did to save us from our sins? It is only as we contemplate that amazing mystery that we can possibly be drawn so close to Jesus in love, that we will stand in the mighty test.

I know of no passage of Scripture, in either the Old Testament or New Testament, that so wonderfully brings home to me what Jesus did in order that I might be saved, than Psalm 22. As I read this chapter, I am drawn to Christ in love because of the love that He first had for me. Because of this love, I want to keep His commandments and be prepared to meet Him. (John 14:15.)

These are Christ’s words found in Psalms 22:1–19: “My God, My God, why has Thou forsaken Me? Why art Thou so far from helping Me, and from the words of My roaring? “O My God, I cry in the daytime, but Thou hearest not; and in the night season, and am not silent. “But Thou art holy, O Thou that inhabitest the praises of Israel.

“Our fathers trusted in Thee: they trusted, and Thou didst deliver them.

“They cried unto Thee, and were delivered: they trusted in Thee, and were not confounded.

“But I am a worm, and no man; a reproach of men, and despised of the people. All they that see Me laugh Me to scorn: they shoot out the lip, they shake the head, saying, He trusted in the Lord that He would deliver Him: let Him deliver Him, seeing He delighted in Him.

“But Thou art He that took Me out of the womb: Thou didst make Me hope when I was upon My mother’s breasts.

“I was cast upon Thee from the womb: Thou art My God from My mother’s belly.

“Be not far from Me; for trouble is near: for there is none to help . . .

“I am poured out like water, and all My bones are out of joint: My heart is like wax; it is melted in the midst of My bowels.

“My strength is dried up like a potsherd; and My tongue cleaveth to My jaws; and Thou hast brought Me into the dust of death.

“For dogs have compassed Me: the assembly of the wicked have inclosed Me: they pierced My hands and My feet.

“I may tell all My bones: they look and stare upon Me.

“They part My garments among them, and cast lots upon my vesture.

“But be not far from Me, O Lord: O my strength, haste Thee to help Me.”

Each time I read that passage I feel so ashamed, for it was my sins that caused His suffering. My heart goes out in love to my Savior. I just so much want to meet Him face to face and thank Him for His matchless gift. I know that anything that I say in gratitude will be very, very inconsequential compared with what I ought to say, but maybe throughout eternity, I will be able to add to my gratitude as I express it to my Savior.

Jesus is coming soon! What we have just studied in these two apostolic letters and the alteration of course the Papacy is now taking, is evidence beyond dispute that everything is coming to the climax of Scripture. I pray, dear reader, that you will be ready, with your family, to meet our dear Savior when He comes.

The Ten Commandments, Part I: Hear, Listen, Keep, and Do

October 14, 2018 by Mike Baugher

When we refer to the Ten Commandments, we generally think of the Book of Exodus, chapter 20. However, in this series, I would like to study with you chapter 5 of the Book of Deuteronomy where the law is given again by Moses to the children of Israel, just before they cross over into the Promised Land. Forty years earlier, while they were camped at Mount Sinai, God came down in awful grandeur and spoke the Ten Commandment Law to the children of Israel. That law was to govern every moral aspect and attitude of their lives until they died. In conjunction with that, statutes and judgments were handed down to Moses, written down, and put into the side of the ark in the Most Holy Place of the sanctuary. The Ten Commandments were housed in the interior part of the ark.

Morality and the Law

There is the letter of the law and the spirit of the law, and then there is the morality that makes the law work. It is our morality that allows us to have freedom under the law. The less morality that a people have, the less freedom those people enjoy. That may sound like a strange statement, because many people think that if they are involved in immorality—which is no morality—they have all the freedom they could ever want, but, in fact, they are in slavery. This is why James calls the royal law, the Ten Commandment Law, the law of liberty.

Many of you will recall that just a few years ago there were reports concerning presidential scandals in the United States. As the scandals began to unfold in the news media, the reporters took polls to ascertain how the public was responding to the scandals. Interestingly, after the first couple of days, the report came back, “Do not tell us any more. We have heard enough. Leave us alone. We do not care what the President has done.” It seemed that the more information that was provided to the public, the higher were the ratings of the President. All the while, the reality was that the freedom in morality was vanishing. The less morality the people have, the less freedom they can enjoy and still have a civilization.

Do Not Indoctrinate

Too many of us have the idea that if something does not affect us directly, it does not concern us. This, I think, can be said of many, many issues of life. How did we come to a position where we accept this kind of thinking? It goes back a long way and a lot is involved. We cannot go through all the various stages and steps that brought us to this place, but the gist of it is that it started with the principle taught to young people that directs: Expose them to the ideas, but whatever you do, do not indoctrinate them. Give them the idea, and let them then make their own decisions. Let them do what they want to do. If they want to stay up late at night, let them stay up late at night. If they do not want to help with the chores, do not force them to help with the chores. Do not indoctrinate them.

In many areas, this is the popular thinking of today, especially, it seems, in regard to the bringing up of children. It has produced a generation that does not care about anything that does not directly affect them on a personal level.

Keep the Light Burning

The light is rapidly going out for the United States. The only hope that we have is to keep the light burning brightly in our own lives and then to try to share that light with others around us so they will see the light. That is basically Steps to Life’s mission. That is why the study of the Scriptures is so vitally important, because it contains for us light that we can, in turn, share with other people.

We know that we are in the last days, because the signs given to us in the Bible indicate that we are in that period of time when darkness is prevailing upon the earth. From what we read and hear concerning the daily events around the world, and as we look out on the horizon of society, we cannot doubt that we are living in the final time period of earth’s history. Therefore, it is important for us, as Seventh-day Adventists, to go back to the Bible—our foundation of morality and our foundation of freedom. There we find what God would have us to be and have us to do, so we can, with peace in our hearts, be ready to meet Jesus when He comes.

What to Say

This was the burden of Moses as he stood upon the mountain, knowing that he had lost the blessing of entering into the Promised Land. God had already told him, “Do not talk to Me anymore about this issue. It is over; it is settled. You are not going over.” So Moses had a burden. He searched for the words to say to those with whom, for the past 40 years, he had been in the wilderness. He wanted to share wisdom and encouragement, assuring that many would be in the kingdom of heaven with him when the saints would be resurrected. (He did not know that he was soon going to be raised and taken to heaven.)

“And Moses called all Israel, and said unto them, Hear, O Israel, the statutes and judgments which I speak in your ears this day, that ye may learn them, and keep, and do them. The Lord our God made a covenant with us in Horeb. The Lord made not this covenant with our fathers, but with us, [even] us, who [are] all of us here alive this day. The Lord talked with you face to face in the mount out of the midst of the fire. (I stood between the Lord and you at that time, to shew you the word of the Lord: for ye were afraid by reason of the fire, and went not up into the mount).” Deuteronomy 5:1–5.

This is the second Sabbath message delivered by Moses. In this message, similar words are repeated over and over to try to emphasize the point. There are some people who become tired of hearing the same thing over and over again, but there is a need to repeat these things, because sin has clouded their minds. These words, spoken once in the Garden of Eden to Adam and to Eve, would never have been forgotten. We, on the other hand, can have things said to us and two minutes later ask, “What was it you said?”

We Quickly Forget

I was visiting with someone in my office recently, and as we stepped through the doorway, he said, “Oh, I think I left my water bottle in your office.” He turned around, went back into the office, did not see it, but then discovered he was holding it in his hand. The frailty of our minds necessitates the repetition of things. We cannot remember like we should. The lot of humanity has a tendency to forget all too quickly the leading of God.

Look back on your own life. You know that there were times when God met you right where you were. He performed a miracle for you right when you asked. Yet, when faced with another trial, on down the road, you have a tendency to forget that there even is a God in heaven. “Is God really here?” you question. “Is He really going to take care of me?”

There is a familiar hymn that describes the kind of experience God wants us to have: “Sing them over again to me, Wonderful words of life; Let me more of their beauty see, Wonderful words of life. Words of life and beauty, Teach me faith and duty; Beautiful words, wonderful words, Wonderful words of life.” P. P. Bliss, “Sing Them Over Again to Me,” The Church Hymnal, Review and Herald Publishing Association, Takoma Park, Washington, D.C., 1941, 574.

This is the kind of experience that God wants us to have. This is the kind of experience that Moses desired for the children of Israel.

Four Steps

Notice how Moses began: “Hear, O Israel, the statutes and judgments which I speak in your ears this day, that ye may learn them, and keep, and do them.”

There are four steps given here that we are to apply to our walk with the Lord, so we will not develop the “I do not care” attitude. The first step is to have open ears. The second step is to learn what we hear. The third step is to keep what we hear and what we learn. And the fourth step is to do it. These steps are very essential for the Christian life, because they form the very foundation of all that we are to become through sanctified living.

Open Ears

First, Moses says that we are to have open ears, so we can hear. You see, if we have open ears, we also have open minds. There is nothing more dangerous to our spiritual well-being than to have closed minds.

How often have we gone to an individual to try to clarify an issue, but he or she has closed his or her mind, not wanting to hear? That closed mind is indicative that there are other areas of difficulty and problem. The way that God works in our hearts and minds is that our minds are to be open continuously, to hear all the counsel that comes and to then measure that counsel by the Word of God. If it fits with the Word of God, it needs to be incorporated into our lives. This is why the Bereans were so much nobler than those in Thessalonica. The Bible says that they received the word with all readiness of mind. They were willing to listen to what the apostle Paul had to say, but they did not leave it there. They received the word with all readiness of mind; then they “searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so.” Acts 17:11.

Let me tell you something. If someone comes to you with a particular message, when you begin to search and study the Scriptures in regard to this message, the promise is that the Holy Spirit will bring conviction as to whether it is true or whether it is false. This is what happened to those in Berea. “Therefore many of them believed.” Verse 12.

That is the kind of experience God wants us to have. So, we are to have open ears, which are indicative of open minds.

Learn What We Hear

We know that God had called Israel to a teaching ministry. That was the great gift that God gave to the entirety of Israel. Oh, He had His prophets; He had His pastors, but the great gift that God had given to Israel was that of teaching. The very first step in teaching is to find those who have open ears to hear the word. When Israel failed, God gave this teaching ministry to the church, and that teaching ministry is still to be operational today.

Ezekiel 12:2 says: “Son of man, thou dwellest in the midst of a rebellious house, which have eyes to see, and see not; they have ears to hear, and hear not: for they [are] a rebellious house.” God wanted them to have open hearts and minds, so He could, through the prophets, pour His truths into them. Then they, in turn, could go out and teach what they learned to all the surrounding nations. But instead of having open minds, they rebelled and turned away. They closed their eyes and ears, because they were convinced that they would be all right if they followed their own way.

“Let Him Hear”

Jesus speaks to this problem, in Matthew 11:15, when He says: “He that hath ears to hear, let him hear.” Jesus uses this same theme throughout all of His teaching. It was a little catch phrase to those who were listening to Him speak. He used it to get their attention.

If you have heard Pastor Kenny Shelton, of Behold the Lamb Ministries, speak, you probably remember him asking, during his sermon, the question, “Are you listening?” This device is similar to what Jesus used to capture the attention of the people. Usually what is spoken next is of tremendous importance, and Pastor Shelton wants to make sure the people hear it, as did Jesus.

Many times, throughout the gospels—in Matthew, Mark, and Luke—when Jesus taught a parable, He ended it by saying, “He that hath ears to hear, let him hear.” Mark 4:9; Luke 8:8; 14:35. (See also Matthew 13:9, 43; Mark 4:23; 7:16.) Then, of course, in Revelation we find the same phrase in the messages to the seven churches. Direct, stern counsel is given in those seven messages, and seven times the words are repeated: “He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.” Revelation 2:7, 11, 17, 29; 3:6, 13, 22.

It is important that we have open ears, which open the minds to hear. The cleverest thing that the devil can do to God’s church is to get them to close their minds to truth. If he can accomplish this, he then has them right where he wants them, because by closing their minds, he has very effectively closed them out of the kingdom of heaven. Now that is an awesome thought, but it is a true thought. Just stop and think it through for a moment. If you have a closed mind, is that godly? No. A godly mind is an open mind. A closed mind is a devilish mind, and a devilish mind is going to be closed out of the kingdom of heaven, because communication between heaven and earth cannot take place.

We need to hear, and then we need to learn what we have heard, to become acquainted with what God has told us.

“In a special sense Seventh-day Adventists have been set in the world as watchmen and light bearers. To them has been entrusted the last warning for a perishing world. On them is shining wonderful light from the word of God. They have been given a work of the most solemn import—the proclamation of the first, second, and third angels’ messages. There is no other work of so great importance. They are to allow nothing else to absorb their attention.

“The most solemn truths ever entrusted to mortals have been given us to proclaim to the world. The proclamation of these truths is to be our work.” Testimonies, vol. 9, 19.

In order for us to fill this important position, we need to hear, and then we need to learn the lessons so that we can pass them on to others.

Jesus Was a Learner

Jesus was a learner. In studying His life, we read, in the Book of Luke, how He was born in Bethlehem’s manger, and then his parents fled with Him to Egypt to spare His life. After that, there is a period of silence. Ellen White tells us that, during these years, Jesus learned the Scriptures from His mother. (See The Desire of Ages, 70.) During those formative years, Jesus learned the great principles of God’s Word. The next reference to Jesus finds Him in Jerusalem during the Passover. When His parents began to make their way back to their home in Nazareth, they had to retrace their steps, looking for Him, and they discovered Him at the temple, confounding the Doctors of the Law concerning the things of God’s Word.

Jesus was a learner. He heard the words from His mother, which were words of life, the principles of Scripture. When it was time for Him to be called upon to share the things He learned, He did it in a marvelous way. Jesus has left for us an example.

Learn the Lessons

“Untried character is not reliable. We are to be tried by temptation in order that we may learn to seek wisdom from God, and to flee to the stronghold in time of trouble. He alone will be successful in resisting temptation who finds help and grace from God. Individually we stand as did our first parents—face to face with manifold temptations that solicit mind and heart. All heaven is watching with intense interest, to see whether we will look unto Jesus and submit ourselves to his will, or whether in the temptation we shall follow the inclinations of the natural heart and the solicitations of the evil one. O, how often you have lost the battle because you have acted independent of him who has made you his own by creation and by redemption!” The Youth’s Instructor, September 26, 1895.

How does that happen? Because we have not learned the lessons that God has for us.

“Restrain every hasty speech that struggles for utterance. Before you speak that fretful, impatient word, stop and think of the influence that, if spoken, it will exert upon others. Remember that the ears of children are quick to hear every word and to mark every intonation of the voice. Remember, too, that angels hear the words you speak. You are a spectacle to the world, to angels, and to men. Follow a course that will be an honor to Jesus, a course that will bring holy angels to your side. Let your home life be such that Christ can enter your dwelling as an abiding guest. Let it be such that people will take knowledge of you that you have been with Jesus, and have learned of him.” The Southern Watchman, January 19, 1904.

These are the things that God wants us to learn, so we can develop a character that will rightly represent the life of Christ to others. This is the sequence that Moses was outlining to the children of Israel. Remember, Moses had what we might call a vested interest in the children of Israel. He loved them. He desired, more than anything else, for them to be unified and all together in the kingdom of heaven. But what happens to most people, most of the time, happened to them as well.

Keep It

Many people will listen, and they will learn and remember what they hear. Many can even repeat back what they have heard. Some attendees at evangelistic meetings will have others ask them, “What are those Seventh-day Adventists teaching?”

The attendees will reply, “They are teaching that the seventh day is the Sabbath, and the text they are using is found in Exodus 20.” They heard it; they learned it; they can repeat it.

God wants the truths we learn to be in our hearts, so we will keep them. What does it say in Psalm 119:11? “Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee.” That is why the Ten Commandment Law, through the power of the Holy Spirit, is to be written on our hearts. Jesus said, “If ye love me, keep my commandments.” John 14:15.

You cannot keep anything that is spiritual unless you love it. Jesus did not say, “If you love Me, hear My commandments.” He did not say, “If you love Me, learn My commandments.” We have to hear; we have to learn, but we also have to keep.

Keepers are Doers

“Some are hearers of the word but not doers. They receive the heavenly benefits, but feel no responsibility to advance the cause of truth and save souls by their personal efforts. The divine command is two-fold, to not only be hearers, but doers, of the word. We are to receive the word ourselves and impart to others the precious light we have received. As we accept the truth, we virtually pledge ourselves to be workers with Christ . . . .” The True Missionary, February 1, 1874.

Here, Ellen White is telling us that we, at the time we accept these words, enter into a covenant with God that involves more than just being hearers. We “pledge ourselves to be workers with Christ, and to be consecrated to his service, and no longer live to do our will, and serve ourselves, but to be faithful servants of the Master to whom we have yielded ourselves servants to obey. The commission of Christ to his disciples was, to go and preach the gospel to every creature.” Ibid. Then she says, “We have a world-wide message.” Ibid.

So, in this whole process that Moses was trying to get across to the children of Israel, they were to hear; they were to learn; they were to keep; and they were to do. If we put those all together, the process that God has ordained, which should take place in our lives, results in character transformation for us. Character transformation does not come from just hearing or from learning. Character transformation comes when all of the four steps are incorporated and put into process, so they can do something for us and for others as well.

God was giving to the children of Israel, and is giving to us, the calling to share this message.

Deuteronomy 5:2–4 says, “The Lord our God made a covenant with us in Horeb. The Lord made not this covenant with our fathers, but with us, [even] us, who [are] all of us here alive this day. The Lord talked with you face to face in the mount out of the midst of the fire.”

Tribalism, Corporatism, Congregationalism

There may be some who question the need to review these happenings from times of old, but we need to remember that each new generation has to hear, has to learn, has to keep, and has to do. It is an experience that each generation needs to have for themselves.

When the people were gathered to hear Moses’ message to them, he said, “The Lord our God made a covenant with us in Horeb.” An interesting dynamic is coming into play here—the dynamic of tribalism or corporatism. The people hearing this needed to feel a part of something larger than just their group. The accountability of those who were hearing Moses’ spoken words at Horeb was not as great as the accountability of those who had originally listened at Sinai. Those of the current generation may not even have been old enough to comprehend what had happened at Sinai. They could sense something great was transpiring there, as far as their parents were concerned, but many of them did not have the ability to grasp that God Himself was speaking to them out of the cloud.

Now Moses is telling them, “Listen, what you, in this generation, need to understand is that you, the children of Israel, entered into a covenant with God at Sinai.” That means that there was a much larger feeling of congregation than what is sometimes understood.

Importance of Congregation

Let us consider this in today’s terms. There are times when we cannot meet together in a congregational setting. God honors us when we meet at home, but I do not believe that God is going to bless us if we have the opportunity to meet together as a church and we neglect that opportunity. The Word of God teaches that we are to come together to worship. (See, for example, Matthew 18:20; Hebrews 10:25; Acts 2:42; Psalm 66:16.)

Here, I believe that a tribal concept applies. Even though you may be a young member of a tribe, you are just as much a part of the benefit, the blessing, and the curse of the whole tribe, as if you were an adult, because the time will come when you will grow into adulthood. Then, as a part of the tribe, you will buy into the program as a whole, and you will own it as a tribe.

Bigger Than the Individual

Moses was trying to get across to the children of Israel that this thing was bigger than anyone of them individually.

“The Lord talked with you face to face in the mount out of the midst of the fire.” That did not happen in fact, but corporately, tribally, it did. They were a part of the whole group.

This is why, I believe, when the apostle Paul was working so desperately for the Jewish people, he said, “All Israel shall be saved.” Romans 11:26. There is something that is corporate. There is something that is tribal, which is bigger than just the individual. God wants to deal with us on a congregational level.

I realize that we are not saved congregationally or tribally. We are saved individually. But there is something to be said about the congregational aspect that we read about in the Old Testament. In the New Testament, it is called the church—God’s called-out ones who are gathered congregationally in a hall.

Frequent Review

We need to understand these things. This is why, in Deuteronomy 6:6–9, we are told: “And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart: And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children.” Children buy into the corporate structure and will be taught and raised up so that when they are adults, they are able to have a part in the whole concept of the congregation. “. . . and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up. And thou shalt bind them for a sign upon thine hand, and they shall be as frontlets between thine eyes. And thou shalt write them upon the posts of thy house, and on thy gates.”

Those things were to be repeated over and over again, including the covenant that God had made with the children of Israel. I do not know of anyone, including myself, who has fulfilled the fullness of this instruction. The Jews, in later years, took this to an extreme, and turned it into a system of works. The Lord does not want that to happen. But the point here is that we are to be willing to have every aspect of our being constantly instructed and love to have it so. We must have an altogether different experience, if we are going to come through this life as God desires.

The Lord wants us to have open ears so we can hear; He wants us to learn; He wants us to keep; and He wants us to do. If we do these four things, we will be part of a tribal concept, a congregational concept where God can pour out His blessing upon His people. When we have such an experience, then we are going to have an attitude of caring rather than an attitude of “I do not care,” and God is going to be able to work for us and through us.

In the next article of this series, we will begin going through the commandments that God gave on Sinai. We will note the differences in the commandments, as recorded in Exodus 20 and in Deuteronomy 5, and find out why those differences exist.

To be continued . . .

Pastor Mike Baugher is Associate Speaker for Steps to Life. He may be contacted by e-mail at: mikebaugher@stepstolife.org, or by telephone at: 316-788-5559.

Aim High

October 5, 2018 by Kenny Shelton

I know little about guns, but I remember that, as a child at home, we would occasionally shoot a BB gun. My brother, Ronnie, was the best BB shooter, probably because he practiced more. In using some of the guns that are available today, a person has to learn to aim a little higher to hit the intended target, because of the way they project.

So often, in this life, we aim low. We are afraid, by faith, to aim high. We may ask God, every day, “Lord, send me one soul to whom I may witness.” This is a wonderful prayer, and we should continue praying it, but friends, why not say, “God, I want more than one today; let me be Your witness for dozens or maybe for hundreds”? Why not aim high? If you ask Him for one, He can give you ten. If you ask for ten, He can give you even more! Do not aim so low. Aim high, because there is something better. The Bible says, “Without a vision, the people perish.” (Proverbs 29:18.) Without hope, we are a most miserable people.

If I did not have the hope of tomorrow, of spending eternity with the Lord, I would feel like giving up, at times. How about you? There are times when feelings and emotions flood in and circumstances overwhelm—circumstances that may make me say, “Why continue on?” But, you know, there is a hope instilled within my heart that keeps me keeping on. Then is when I know that I need to take aim, a higher aim, because that is what God wants for my life today.

In Adventism, today, it seems that we are perishing a little bit. I know there is good here and there, and I am convinced that, to the very end of time, the Holy Spirit is promised to God’s last day church. Now, think about that. The Holy Spirit is promised to the true church until the end of time. Where the Holy Spirit is, there things will be happening. There cannot be a lifeless church, if the Holy Spirit is there. There cannot be a church in existence that could be doing what God would have it do, without the power of the Holy Spirit. We cannot do it alone. Men can work hard; they can have meetings, but without the Spirit, their works have no effect. Their efforts are not lasting; they will not take hold.

The True Church

It is easy for us to identify the true church of today. I do not say this boastingly, because God’s Word identifies it, for anyone who wants to open His Book and read about it in Revelation 12:17: “And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.”

It is easy to identify God’s last day, true church. Will it have a name written on the outside? I doubt it. But God’s last day people will be known by specific, identifying marks, and it is much more than mere lip service. If you have been raised in Adventism, you know that it is easy to have lip service, because you continually hear the gospel, if you are consistent in your churchgoing. But it is not until it is heartfelt and the born again experience is realized that it really takes root and holds real meaning for you.

To identify, in a very real way, God’s last day church, look at those around you who are on fire for the Lord. Look at those with whom the devil is angry.

In verse 9, it says, “The great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.” When reading verse 17, where it says that the “dragon was wroth,” or angry, we know, from verse 9, that the dragon refers to the devil. So, the devil is angry. He is furious. It is important to understand why he is furious. The devil does not really care whether or not you pay tithe. He does not care whether or not you attend church every week. He does not care whether or not you claim, “I am a Christian.” He does not care whether or not you witness. But he really becomes angry when you get on fire—when you want to talk about Jesus, when you want to tell others, “This is what Jesus has done for me . . . .”

If a church is working, the devil will be present to disrupt it. Where there is unity, he will cause disunity. He will use whatever means he can to upset the members. He will use little things, little differences of opinion that, I say, do not amount to a hill of beans.

Where do you think the dragon wants to work, and where does he work the hardest? He works among those of whom he is afraid, those who will rightly represent Jesus Christ, not just in word but in deed.

Woman Represents Church

So, “the dragon was wroth with the woman.” Some may wonder whom the woman represents. In the Old Testament, God compares the church to a woman. “I have likened the daughter of Zion to a comely and delicate [woman].” Jeremiah 6:2. (See also Isaiah 54:5, 6.)

There will be only two churches at the end of time. In Revelation 12, Christ speaks of the pure woman, the pure church, the one that is like Jesus, the one without spot and wrinkle. Then, in Revelation 17, the harlot is described.

Godly Jealousy

When Scripture says, “The devil was angry with the woman,” to which woman is this text referring? It would have to be God’s true church, if the devil is angry with the church. God’s true church is not a building; it is not a ministry; it is not a conference church; it is not an independent church. The woman in Revelation 12:17 represents God’s people—we say God’s church—His true and faithful people.

God talks about the pure woman; then He talks about the harlot. He talks about His people when they are serving Him, and He talks about His people when they are in apostasy. He refers to those things.

The Bible says, “Study to shew thyself approved unto God.” 11 Timothy 2:15. So, to help get this straight in your mind, read 11 Corinthians 11:2: “For I am jealous over you with godly jealousy.” The word jealousy may denote the feeling that is felt by an apprehension of departure from fidelity on the part of those whom we love; or it may denote a fervid and glowing attachment. Paul loved the Corinthians, and he feared that they were in danger of being seduced from the simplicity of the gospel.

Do you realize that there is a difference between human jealousy and godly jealousy? Godly jealousy is a jealousy that has God’s honor at heart. (For example, see 1 Kings 19:10.) Our human jealousy is of the devil. “All selfishness comes from Satan.” Lift Him Up, 292. We must be careful to guard ourselves from such jealousy. Self is the greatest enemy any of us will ever have, because selfishness affects the choices we make.

If you ask someone, “Why did you do this?” he or she may respond, “Because I wanted to.”

“Why did you eat this?”

“Because it is what I like to eat,” he or she tells you.

It all has to do with self—even becoming jealous of someone.

Two Identifying Marks

11 Corinthians 11:2 continues: “For I have espoused you to one husband, that I may present [you as] a chaste virgin to Christ.” Once again, Christ refers to His church as His people. The devil is angry at the true church, and he has gone to make war with the remnant. The remnant refers to those few who are standing for truth just before Jesus comes, those few that are faithful to the end. Inspiration is quite clear that a very small number are going to stand the test. (See Last Day Events, 180.) A lot of people will profess Christ, but when the going gets tough, most of them will get going.

With whom is Satan angry? He is angry with those who keep the Commandments of God. You may hear churches or people say, “Let us not worry about keeping God’s Ten Commandments,” or “Yes, we believe in all of the Ten Commandments, except for the fourth one.” Dear friends, we must remove that kind of thinking from our minds. The Bible is very clear that the devil is angry with those who keep all of the Commandments of God. That is why the majority of the world does not keep them.

Do you see why the majority of the world today is living by situational ethics, in which absolute standards are considered less important than the requirements of a particular situation? The standards used may vary from one situation to another, and may even contradict one another. People think that in a given situation, something is all right to do, if they need or want to do it, even though it may not normally be okay.

Satan is mad at those who keep the Commandments of God. He likes for us to profess to be commandment keepers while breaking them in thought or action, because that is damaging to the cause of Christ.

Satan is also angry with those who have the testimony of Jesus Christ. What is the testimony of Jesus Christ? Revelation 19:10 tells us very plainly that “the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.”

If a group states, “We go to church on Sabbath,” that is wonderful, but they are still missing one of the identifying marks. In the Seventh-day Adventist Church today, if you hear a preacher say, “Yes, we keep the commandments,” but you see him and his congregation take their Spirit of Prophecy books and throw them into the trash can, would you think they are God’s last-day, remnant church? How may I be so bold? Because the Bible is so bold as to say that the remnant has these two identifying marks. That is clear for us today. It is easy to identify the true church.

What Motivates You?

What are some of the things that motivate you in this life? What, day by day, are some of the things that motivate you to do what you do? What are some of the things that motivate you to be a Christian? There are many Christians who are not motivated. There are many people who are not motivated to do anything. They just want to sit and do nothing or fill their minds with rubbish. A born again Christian will be a motivated individual. If we are not motivated, someone needs to encourage us to become motivated.

Grandpa Shelton wanted to know how motivated my brothers and I were when he gave us two shovels, on a day when we would rather have been out in the pond swimming, and put us in the grain bin to shovel corn. We were not too motivated, young as we were, to be in that old, windowless, hot barn, shoveling corn. But as Christians, we have to be motivated, no matter what tasks we are given.

One Step at a Time

One time, I was clearing glass and tin cans from under a house. In earlier years, someone must have used that spot as his or her trash disposal dump. As I shoveled and removed the trash, it was not long before I could almost stand up underneath the floor joists. But I began to get discouraged, because it seemed that the more I shoveled, the more trash there was. I knew, when I filled the five-gallon bucket and emptied it, that I was removing something, but there seemed to be more trash there. I said, “Something has got to motivate me here. I am getting a little discouraged.” Then a simple thought came to me: “If I take this one piece of glass, shovel it into the bucket, and then go empty the bucket, that piece of glass will not be here when I return.” When I dumped it out onto the trash pile, it was not coming back to be cleared again. I needed to realize that every time I removed a bucketful, it was one less bucketful I would have to take, and eventually the job would be completed. It would be done right.

That is the way it is in everything we do. We need to take each job, each challenge, one step at a time. It is that way even in our Christian growth. It is one step at a time, not a dozen steps at a time.

What motivates us in the spiritual realm of things? Maybe some of you are thinking that you do not really need to be motivated. But there is not a single person who, at times, does not need to be motivated. You will have a dirty house if you are not motivated, but perhaps your motivation to clean your house comes from knowing that you may at any time have unexpected guests. Most of you keep your house clean and your dishes washed, because you are motivated. No one has to tell you to do that. But when children are young, a lot of times the parents have to motivate them to complete their chores.

Definite Aim

The success in this life and in the life to come depends on being motivated, with a definite aim in mind. Friends, where do you want to spend eternity? What, in this life, would you like to see accomplished for God while you are here? Are you aiming low when you should be aiming high? When you are aiming low, friend, you are aiming for hell. You have to aim high, because God is high and uplifting. He wants to do great things for you and for me.

Drawing Power

Another question to consider is, What is the drawing power that has brought you to the present point in your life? Something has worked in every one of our lives to bring us to where we are today, but we are not to stay where we are now. God does not want us to become stale and stagnant, because then we are not motivated to go on or to go higher or to exercise more faith. God has another purpose in mind for each of us.

What is the drawing power in our lives? The power we each need in our lives is described in 11 Timothy 3:10: “But thou hast fully known my doctrine, manner of life, purpose, faith, longsuffering, charity, patience.”

Do you fully know the doctrine? Perhaps you have been cautioned to avoid attending a certain church or listening to a certain speaker, because all they teach is doctrine. We need doctrine! Doctrine is simply a teaching. If we did not have teaching, everyone would believe whatever they wished. Spiritual things are spiritually discerned, and we all need that spiritual discernment, that doctrine. Those who do not have spiritual discernment easily fall for erroneous teachings, simply because they do not compare “line upon line.” (Isaiah 28:10.)

God wants us to have good, sound doctrine, because there is truth. There is a truth about heaven and hell. There is a truth about which day should be held sacred and upon which we are to worship. There is a truth about the sanctuary. There is a truth about what happens when we die. There is a truth about whether or not there is a rapture. It makes a difference. There is a truth about whether or not the plagues are going to fall. There is a truth about probation, which is soon to close . . . and then what? These are truths that God has put in His Word. There is a truth that there is an enemy and that he is alive and well, working among the last day people who keep the Commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus.

The Purpose

If you wonder why people treat you like they sometimes do and why it seems as though everything you do goes wrong, maybe it is because the enemy has targeted you as someone he must discourage and try to destroy. He has realized that you love Jesus, and he is attempting to stop your witness. What is your manner of life, your purpose? We each have a purpose.

I keep a quote from Ellen White’s writings in my Bible, and I read it often; I am trying to learn from it. You may wonder why I have not yet learned it, if I read it often. Our problem is that we read something once, and we think we have learned it. But have we experienced it? Has it made a difference in our lives? We can read our Bibles from Genesis to Revelation, but what is the purpose? Are the truths we read changing our lives? We have to read with a purpose in mind.

The quote from which I am trying to learn is this:

“There is a counterfeit Christianity in the world as well as a genuine Christianity. The true spirit of the man is manifested by the way in which he deals with his fellow man.” The Upward Look, 66.

There is a true Christianity and there is a false Christianity, and we can tell them apart by how we treat our fellow man. Why? Because the motives are different.

Do our motives play a part? “Every action derives its quality from the motive which prompts it, and if the motives are not high, and pure, and unselfish, the mind and character will never become well balanced.” The Youth’s Instructor, April 7, 1898. Motives. Why do you do what you do?

Work From Principle

Sometimes, when you do not feel like doing what you know to be right, what do you do? Do you remember the motto, “Work from principle”? If you do not feel spiritual in the morning when you wake up, let principle motivate you; get your Bible and read it. If you do not really feel like praying, let principle motivate you, and begin praying. If you are tempted to skip church on Sabbath morning, let principle motivate you. I tell you, it works for hundreds and thousands.

Everything we do must be supported by high, pure, and unselfish motives. Do not do something just because your best friend wants you to do it, or your family pressures you to do it. Do it because, from the time you have devoted to Bible study and prayer, you really feel motivated to action. You really desire to do it.

If you want to be like Jesus, you need to daily behold the Lamb of God. Counterfeit Christians will not answer God’s call, when He calls them into action. I challenge you to remember that the true spirit of man is manifested by the way in which he treats his fellow man. What will you see in every person you meet in the coming days? Are you going to see the color of the skin? Are you going to muse whether they are wealthy or poor? Will you see a soul for whom Christ died—one whom He loves just as much as He loves you?

When we see each person as an individual whom Jesus loves, that person becomes valuable to us. That is what He requires of us. Unless we have the same kind of love for others that Jesus has in His heart for each of us, heaven will never be our home. Remember, every person you see is a person for whom Christ died; they are valuable. The world may not value them, but you and I should, as a child of God. If we do this, we will be motivated to labor and help where we can in times of need. We need to come to a point in our lives where we never meet a person whom we do not want to see in heaven.

May God help us to aim high—higher than we have ever before imagined!

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.

Editorial – Types and Shadows, Part I

October 5, 2018 by John J. Grosboll

Many people are being confused by teachers who are telling them that, since the cross, they are free from the law and no longer need to keep it. If this is so, then keeping the Sabbath is immaterial. Of the many arguments developed to promote the false teaching that the Sabbath is not important, one of the most fundamental is the confusion between the moral law and the ceremonial law so that texts referring to one are applied to the other. But God has, in His Word, made a clear and broad distinction between these two laws.

First, God referred to the Ten Commandments as a separate and distinct law from all ceremonial laws. (See Exodus 24:12.)
Second, much of what Moses wrote is not ceremonial at all, but a more complete explanation of the Ten Commandments. For example, Leviticus 18 and 20 contain a fuller explanation of the meaning and scope of the seventh commandment.
A third, fundamental principle is the fact that “no lie is of the truth.” 1 John 2:21. In other words, the truth can never contradict itself; it must always harmonize and agree with itself. Ellen White wrote, concerning this principle, “All truth, whether in nature or in revelation, is consistent with itself in all its manifestations.” Patriarchs and Prophets, 114. If a Bible student discovers what appears to be a contradiction in any Bible verse concerning what the Bible teaches about the law, that person simply does not yet understand the truth, because the truth will have no contradictions against itself.

Aside from these often ignored three points, biblical evidence confirms that there are two laws—one unchangeable and eternal and the other temporary, ceasing at the cross of Christ. For lack of space, we will list briefly the points and allow the reader to study each one in more detail.

The moral law existed at creation. The Sabbath is specifically mentioned as coming into existence at the end of creation week. (Genesis 2:1–3.) Paul is very explicit that there can be no transgression without a law, that Adam did sin, and that sin is not reckoned or accounted where there is no law. Even though the law was not formally given until Sinai, it existed at creation. (Romans 4:15; 5:12, 13.) A careful study of Genesis and the first part of Exodus will show that the people of those days knew each one of the precepts of this law.

The ceremonial law did not exist at creation. It was “added because of transgression.” Galatians 3:19. Without the Ten Commandment Law, there could not be a transgression, and the ceremonial law was added after man had broken the moral law and become a sinner. (See also Romans 7:7.)

The moral law is spoken of in the Bible as unchangeable. It was called God’s covenant and included only what God spoke to the people. (Deuteronomy 4:13; 5:22.) It is something that God will never alter or change. (Psalm 89:34.) Jesus said, concerning this law, that it would be easier for heaven and earth to pass away than for even part of a letter to fail. (Luke 16:17.) It would certainly appear to be absolutely impossible for Jesus to make a more emphatic pronouncement that this law is unchangeable! As long as this earth is in existence and as long as the heavens exist above, this law will be in existence, unchanged. (The Sabbath commandment is the longest commandment in the Decalogue—55 words—and not part of even one letter of one of those words can be changed.)

The ceremonial law is spoken of, in the Bible, not only as something that was changed by the coming of the Messiah (Hebrews 7:12) but also as a law that was no longer in effect since His coming. (See Colossians 2:14–17; Ephesians 2:15. Several lines in both of these references show that they are speaking about the ceremonial law.)

Bible Study Guides – The Final Warning, Part 1

October 4, 2018 by Maurice Hoppe

June 19, 2005 – June 25, 2005

Memory Verse

“And after these things I saw another angel come down from heaven, having great power; and the earth was lightened with his glory. And he cried mightily with a strong voice, saying, Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and is become the habitation of devils, and the hold of every foul spirit, and a cage of every unclean and hateful bird.” “And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues.” Revelation 18:1, 2, 4.

Suggested Reading: Selected Messages, Book 3, 413–428.

1 What is the relationship of the message of Revelation 18:1, 2, 4 to the second angel’s message of Revelation 14:8?

note: “ ‘I saw another angel come down from heaven, having great power; and the earth was lightened with his glory. And he cried mightily with a strong voice, saying, Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and is become the habitation of devils, and the hold of every foul spirit. . . .’ ‘And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues.’ Revelation 18:1, 2, 4.

“This scripture points forward to a time when the announcement of the fall of Babylon, as made by the second angel of Revelation 14 (verse 8), is to be repeated, with the additional mention of the corruptions which have been entering the various organizations that constitute Babylon, since that message was first given, in the summer of 1844. A terrible condition of the religious world is here described.” The Great Controversy, 603.

2 When people place contempt upon God’s Word and His people, what are they also doing? John 1:14, 10, 11; 6:63, 64, 66.

note: “In defiance of the warnings which God has given, they will continue to trample upon one of the precepts of the Decalogue, until they are led to persecute those who hold it sacred. Christ is set at nought in the contempt placed upon His word and His people. As the teachings of spiritualism are accepted by the churches, the restraint imposed upon the carnal heart is removed, and the profession of religion will become a cloak to conceal the basest iniquity.” The Great Controversy, 603, 604.

3 What two messages united with the third angel’s message constitute the final warning? Revelation 18:1, 2, 4.

note: “Of Babylon, at the time brought to view in this prophecy, it is declared: ‘Her sins have reached unto heaven, and God hath remembered her iniquities.’ Revelation 18:5. She has filled up the measure of her guilt, and destruction is about to fall upon her. . . . Hence the movement symbolized by the angel coming down from heaven, lightening the earth with his glory and crying mightily with a strong voice, announcing the sins of Babylon. In connection with his message the call is heard: ‘Come out of her, My people.’ These announcements, uniting with the third angel’s message, constitute the final warning to be given to the inhabitants of the earth.” The Great Controversy, 604.

4 What is the issue to which the whole world is to be brought? Revelation 13:16; 14:12.

note: “Fearful is the issue to which the world is to be brought. The powers of earth, uniting to war against the commandments of God, will decree that ‘all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond’ (Revelation 13:16), shall conform to the customs of the church by the observance of the false sabbath. All who refuse compliance will be visited with civil penalties, and it will finally be declared that they are deserving of death. On the other hand, the law of God enjoining the Creator’s rest day demands obedience and threatens wrath against all who transgress its precepts.” The Great Controversy, 604.

5 What will all receive who yield to the laws to worship on Sunday? Revelation 14:9–11.

note: “With the issue thus clearly brought before him, whoever shall trample upon God’s law to obey a human enactment receives the mark of the beast; he accepts the sign of allegiance to the power which he chooses to obey instead of God. The warning from heaven is: ‘If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand, the same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of His indignation.’ Revelation 14:9, 10.” The Great Controversy, 604, 605.

6 How far-reaching will the Sunday/Sabbath controversy be in this world? Revelation 14:6, 8; 16:13, 14.

note: “But not one is made to suffer the wrath of God until the truth has been brought home to his mind and conscience, and has been rejected. There are many who have never had an opportunity to hear the special truths for this time. The obligation of the fourth commandment has never been set before them in its true light. He who reads every heart and tries every motive will leave none who desire a knowledge of the truth, to be deceived as to the issues of the controversy. The decree is not to be urged upon the people blindly. Everyone is to have sufficient light to make his decision intelligently.” The Great Controversy, 605.

7 What is the great final test that is to be brought to bear upon men? Revelation 14:9, 10; 13:14–17.

note: “The Sabbath will be the great test of loyalty, for it is the point of truth especially controverted. When the final test shall be brought to bear upon men, then the line of distinction will be drawn between those who serve God and those who serve Him not. While the observance of the false Sabbath in compliance with the law of the state, contrary to the fourth commandment, will be an avowal of allegiance to a power that is in opposition to God, the keeping of the true Sabbath, in obedience to God’s law, is an evidence of loyalty to the Creator. While one class, by accepting the sign of submission to earthly powers, receive the mark of the beast, the other choosing the token of allegiance to divine authority, receive the seal of God.” The Great Controversy, 605.

8 In the reference above, what will the true people of God receive in this conflict? Revelation 7:2, 3.

note: “The day of God’s vengeance is just upon us. The seal of God will be placed upon the foreheads of those only who sigh and cry for the abominations done in the land. Those who link in sympathy with the world are eating and drinking with the drunken and will surely be destroyed with the workers of iniquity. ‘The eyes of the Lord are over the righteous, and His ears are open unto their prayers: but the face of the Lord is against them that do evil.’ [Psalm 34:15, 16.]” Testimonies, vol. 5, 212.

9 Describe the attitude and work of those who receive the seal of God. Ezekiel 9:4; Revelation 7:2–4; 14:1–5.

note: “In the time when His wrath shall go forth in judgments, these humble, devoted followers of Christ will be distinguished from the rest of the world by their soul anguish, which is expressed in lamentation and weeping, reproofs and warnings. . . . Their righteous souls are vexed day by day with the unholy works and conversation of the unrighteous. They are powerless to stop the rushing torrent of iniquity, and hence they are filled with grief and alarm. They mourn before God to see religion despised in the very homes of those who have had great light. They lament and afflict their souls because pride, avarice, selfishness, and deception of almost every kind are in the church.” Testimonies, vol. 5, 210.

10 Who will not receive the seal of God? See the prophecy of Ezekiel 9:9.

note: “The class who do not feel grieved over their own spiritual declension, nor mourn over the sins of others, will be left without the seal of God. The Lord commissions His messengers, the men with slaughtering weapons in their hands: ‘Go ye after him through the city, and smite: let not your eye spare, neither have ye pity: slay utterly old and young, both maids, and little children, and women: but come not near any man upon whom is the mark; and begin at My sanctuary. Then they began at the ancient men which were before the house.’ [Ezekiel 9:5, 6.]

“Here we see that the church—the Lord’s sanctuary—was the first to feel the stroke of the wrath of God. The ancient men, those to whom God had given great light and who had stood as guardians of the spiritual interests of the people, had betrayed their trust. They had taken the position that we need not look for miracles and the marked manifestation of God’s power as in former days. Times have changed. These words strengthen their unbelief, and they say: The Lord will not do good, neither will He do evil. He is too merciful to visit His people in judgment. Thus ‘Peace and safety’ is the cry from men who will never again lift up their voice like a trumpet to show God’s people their transgressions and the house of Jacob their sins. These dumb dogs that would not bark are the ones who feel the just vengeance of an offended God.” Testimonies, vol. 5, 211.

11 What power will move upon the people of God to give them the strength to give the final warning? For New Testament type, see Acts 2:1–4.

note: “Many reformers, in entering upon their work, determined to exercise great prudence in attacking the sins of the church and the nation. They hoped, by the example of a pure Christian life, to lead the people back to the doctrines of the Bible. But the Spirit of God came upon them as it came upon Elijah, moving him to rebuke the sins of a wicked king and an apostate people; they could not refrain from preaching the plain utterances of the Bible—doctrines which they had been reluctant to present. They were impelled to zealously declare the truth and the danger which threatened souls. The words which the Lord gave them they uttered, fearless of consequences, and the people were compelled to hear the warning.” The Great Controversy, 606.

12 List the four powers that are involved in this controversy, as identified in the following two paragraphs, and match these with the powers that are named in Revelation 16:13, 14.

note: “The sins of Babylon will be laid open. The fearful results of enforcing the observances of the church by civil authority, the inroads of spiritualism, the stealthy but rapid progress of the papal power—all will be unmasked. By these solemn warnings the people will be stirred. Thousands upon thousands will listen who have never heard words like these. . . .

“The church appeals to the strong arm of civil power, and, in this work, papists and Protestants unite. As the movement for Sunday enforcement becomes more bold and decided, the law will be invoked against commandment keepers. They will be threatened with fines and imprisonment, and some will be offered positions of influence, and other rewards and advantages, as inducements to renounce their faith.” The Great Controversy, 606, 607.

13 Like the Pharisees of old, how will the popular ministry respond to the final warning? For New Testament type, see John 7:23; 10:19–21; 11:57; 15:20; Luke 6:7, 10, 11; Matthew 26:47, 50.

note: “As the people go to their former teachers with the eager inquiry, Are these things so? the ministers present fables, prophesy smooth things, to soothe their fears and quiet the awakened conscience. But since many refuse to be satisfied with the mere authority of men and demand a plain ‘Thus saith the Lord,’ the popular ministry, like the Pharisees of old, filled with anger as their authority is questioned, will denounce the message as of Satan and stir up the sin-loving multitudes to revile and persecute those who proclaim it.” The Great Controversy, 607.

14 What is one way the truth will come before thousands who would otherwise not hear about it? For New Testament type, see Luke 21:12, 13.

note: “Those who are arraigned before the courts make a strong vindication of the truth, and some who hear them are led to take their stand to keep all the commandments of God. Thus light will be brought before thousands who otherwise would know nothing of these truths.” The Great Controversy, 607.

“We must know the reasons of our faith. The importance and solemnity of the scenes opening before us demand this, and on no account must the spirit of complaining be encouraged. . . .

“We may have to plead most earnestly before legislative councils for the right to exercise independent judgment, to worship God according to the dictates of our conscience. Thus in His providence God has designed that the claims of His holy law shall be brought before men in the highest authority.” Selected Messages, Book 3, 415.