worship

Six Days Shalt Thou Labor

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In Exodus 20:8–11 we read: “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work: but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord thy God; in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates: For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day, and hallowed it.”

The Sabbath is the memorial of creation. It is the day in which God rested from all His work and saw that it was good. As we worship God on the day that He has designated, we acknowledge that He is the living God that made the heavens, the earth, the sea, and the fountains of waters—it acknowledges that we accept God as the Creator.

As I studied the fourth commandment more closely, I noticed that God’s command was not only for us to rest from labor on His holy day, but also, as it states in verse nine, “Six days shalt thou labor and do all thy work.” Rarely do I hear much said on this part of the fourth commandment, yet, I believe it was no accident that God admonished us to be physically active.

In Genesis 2:2, 3, the Bible says, “And on the seventh day God ended His work which He had made; and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had made. And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it: because that in it He had rested from all His work which God created and made.” Three times the Bible uses the word work, denoting that the Lord was active on the first six days of the week.

God’s work included the creation of all living things, of which Adam was the crowning act. Adam was the first man and God placed him in a garden. “In this garden were trees of every variety, many of them laden with fragrant and delicious fruit. There were lovely vines, growing upright, yet presenting a most graceful appearance, with their branches drooping under their load of tempting fruit of the richest and most varied hues. It was the work of Adam and Eve to train the branches of the vine to form bowers, thus making for themselves a dwelling from living trees covered with foliage and fruit. There were fragrant flowers of every hue in rich profusion. In the midst of the garden stood the tree of life, surpassing in glory all other trees. Its fruit appeared like apples of gold and silver, and had the power to perpetuate life.” Patriarchs and Prophets, 47. [All emphasis supplied.]

“. . . But God placed Adam in a garden. This was his dwelling. The blue heavens were its dome; the earth, with its delicate flowers and carpet of living green, was its floor; and the leafy branches of the goodly trees were its canopy. Its walls were hung with the most magnificent adornings—the handiwork of the great Master Artist.” Ibid., 49.

“To the dwellers in Eden was committed the care of the garden, ‘to dress it and to keep it.’ Their occupation was not wearisome, but pleasant and invigorating. God appointed labor as a blessing to man, to occupy his mind, to strengthen his body, and to develop his faculties. In mental and physical activity Adam found one of the highest pleasures of his holy existence.” Ibid., 50.

God appointed Adam his labor. He was the caretaker, or groundskeeper, of the most beautiful garden on earth. His brain, his heart and all his strength were brought into his labors. “When in counsel with the Father before the world was, it was designed that the Lord God should plant a garden for Adam and Eve in Eden and give them the task of caring for the fruit trees and cultivating and training the vegetation. Useful labor was to be their safeguard, and it was to be perpetuated through all generations to the close of earth’s history.” Child Guidance, 345. God appointed Adam labor or physical exercise as a safeguard. Exercise is one of the eight laws of health and one of God’s true physicians, which if consistently practiced, will help keep our bodies in a healthful condition and our minds alert.

Not only did Adam exercise in the garden of Eden, he also practiced all the eight natural remedies. He practiced good nutrition, because the Bible says in Genesis 1:29, “And God said, Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in the which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat.” He also drank pure, fresh water, because the Bible says in Genesis 2:10, “And a river went out of Eden to water the garden . . .” He ate an abstemious diet of natural foods (raw foods), for the Bible says in Genesis 2:9, “And out of the ground made the Lord God to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight and good for food.” He trusted in divine power, because the Bible says in Genesis 2:21, 22, “And the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam, and he slept: and he took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh . . . And the rib, which the Lord God had taken from man, made he a woman, and brought her unto the man.” Thus, God provided “an help meet for him.” Adam enjoyed daily sunshine, for the Bible says in Genesis 1:16, “And God made two great lights; the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night.” He enjoyed the fresh air also, because the Bible says in Genesis 1:8, “And God called the firmament Heaven [the atmospheric heavens]. And as God did, Adam also rested on the Sabbath day from all his labors. The Bible says in Genesis 2:2, 3: “And on the seventh day God ended His work which He had made . . . And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it: because that in it He had rested from all His work which God created and made.” “Pure air, sunlight, abstemiousness, rest, exercise, proper diet, the use of water, trust in divine power—these are the true remedies. Every person should have a knowledge of nature’s remedial agencies and how to apply them.” The Ministry of Healing, 127.

Our first parents experienced great vitality as they exercised in the open air and sunshine. They ate no animal food (dairy, cheese and butter), no eggs or junk food, but the natural, raw products provided by God in the garden. “Adam and Eve, in their untainted purity, delighted in the sights and sounds of Eden. God appointed them their work in the garden, ‘to dress it and to keep it.’ Each day’s labor brought them health and gladness, and the happy pair greeted with joy the visits of their Creator, as in the cool of the day He walked and talked with them. Daily God taught them His lessons.” The Ministry of Healing, 261.

Adam was created upright and glowed in health. He was as obedient to God in following the laws of His being as he was the ten commandments. We, too, should follow Adam’s example of loyalty to his Maker by obeying all the laws (physically and spiritually) that God has given us. Ellen White gave the following counsel many years ago, “To those who desire prayer for their restoration to health, it should be made plain that the violation of God’s law, either natural or spiritual, is sin, and that in order for them to receive His blessing, sin must be confessed and forsaken.” The Ministry of Healing, 228.

Adam and Eve fell by indulgence of appetite in eating what God had commanded them not to. Their sin had its effect and the result was a curse upon all life. The Bible says, “Thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee; and thou shalt eat the herb of the field; In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return . . . Therefore the Lord God sent him forth from the garden of Eden, to till the ground from whence he was taken.” (Genesis 3:18, 19, 23). Adam’s physical labor, or exercise, must now increase—for in the “sweat of thy face” he must now till the ground.” God had planted the first garden in Eden, and now Adam must plant the second. Now he would have to plow, sow and raise the crops himself.

Yet there was still a blessing attached to this.

“Exercise in the open air should be prescribed as a life-giving necessity. And for such exercises there is nothing better than the cultivation of the soil. Let patients have flower beds to care for, or work to do in the orchard or vegetable garden. As they are encouraged to . . . spend time in the open air, cultivating flowers or doing some other light, pleasant work, their attention will be diverted from themselves and their sufferings.” The Ministry of Healing, 265.

Since man no longer had access to the tree of life to sustain him eternally, God added to his diet the herb of the field (vegetables) which are filled with chlorophyll, vitamins, minerals, enzymes, and the more recently discovered phytochemicals—powerful cancer fighting chemicals, and increased his exercise. But there was still a blessing attached to the transition for Adam. The added vegetables and increased exercise would benefit his health, add years to his life, and ward off disease. Remember, exercise in the fresh air is God’s prescription.

Let us look at some facts about exercise. Did you know there are over 600 muscles in the body and without exercise they would lose their tone and elasticity, toxins would build up, and depression and illness would set in? Did you also know that the strongest muscle for its size is our heart and it needs exercise too? It beats 2.5 billion times in an average life time, driving five quarts of blood every minute to every cell in the body to cleanse and nourish it. Every part of our body depends on regular physical activity. By exercising, the body responds with better circulation and increased blood flow, sending more blood with nutrients and oxygen to our vital organs. Better circulation will lead to an overall improvement of your whole being: diabetics are helped by burning the extra glucose, overweight people will drop pounds, arthritics notice improvement, lung congestion is alleviated, endorphins (mood elevating hormones) are released to fight depression, stress is reduced, hypertension can be alleviated, and the entire system is strengthened and invigorated.

In fact, the U.S. has classified lack of exercise as a major health risk. “A large proportion of all the infirmities that afflict the human family, are the results of their own wrong habits, because of their willing ignorance, or of their disregard of the light which God has given in relation to the laws of their being. It is not possible for us to glorify God while living in violation of the laws of life. The heart cannot possibly maintain consecration to God while lustful appetite is indulged. A diseased body and disordered intellect, because of continual indulgence in hurtful lust, make sanctification of the body and spirit impossible.” Counsels on Diets and Foods, 44.

Exercise is also necessary for a healthy lymphatic system. Our bodies cleanse the cells in a watery fluid called lymph and unlike the heart, the lymph system has no pump. It depends on motion or exercise, a milking effect, to move the toxins along to the organs like the bowel for elimination. When the system gets overloaded with toxins, adverse reactions can occur within our bodies—such as swollen tonsils and appendices. However, you may not need to cut them out, but only to cleanse the body by changing the diet. Eat simple foods such as fruits and vegetables, drink plenty of pure water, and get outdoor exercise. Also, a high fiber (vegetarian) diet is vital to the bowel and its function of detoxification and elimination. A short fast is the quickest way to detoxify the body.

Continuing with the body, when you think of bones, do you tend to think of them as solid mass? Well they are not. They are living, breathing, porous structures that contain blood vessels which keep the blood flowing through the bone. The more we exercise, the stronger our muscles and bones become and the more calcium is utilized to prevent osteoporosis.

Life depends on the flow of blood in our bodies. One half of the people who die each year die from circulatory problems resulting from a high fat diet and lack of exercise. Exercise greatly increases the effectiveness with which the heart delivers oxygen and other vital nutrients to all the areas of the body. With this increase in efficiency, vital blood pathways are cleaned out and overall circulation is enhanced. This ensures optimum performance of all the organs and keeps them functioning properly—safeguards as God intended.

Cultivating the soil or brisk walking accelerates the heart’s action and increases circulation and oxygen to the whole body. The idea is to get aerobic (oxygen) exercise. Today you have many aerobic sports such as walking, jogging, bicycling, swimming, stair steppers and treadmills. We used to believe that in order to get sufficient exercise we had to beat our bodies for an hour and a half or until we were dripping with sweat. Not true! Science has reported that 25 minutes of accelerating your heart rate is all that you need. The key is consistency.

Consistency was the advice that the Lord gave to us in the fourth commandment. He stated, “Six days shalt thou labor and do all thy work.” Our creator gave the right instructions thousands of years ago and science is confirming it in the twentieth century. If they keep looking hard enough perhaps they will find the other laws of health that were given to Adam in the garden of Eden. God certainly provides for His people!

Ellen White wrote decades ago, “When the weather will permit, all who can possibly do so ought to walk in the open air every day, summer and winter . . . A walk, even in winter, would be more beneficial to the health than all the medicine the doctors may prescribe . . . There is no exercise that will prove as beneficial to every part of the body as walking. Active walking in the open air will do more for women, to preserve them in health if they are well, than any other means. Walking is also one of the most efficient remedies for the recovery of health of the invalid. The hands and arms are exercised as well as the limbs.” Healthful Living, 130.

The fourth commandment not only emphasizes exercise, but commands us to cease from work and to rest on the seventh day—the day God blessed and sanctified. With His own finger He wrote, “But the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord thy God: in it thou shall not do any work.” Exodus 20:10.

It is during periods of rest and sleep that the body repairs itself, re-generates itself, and prepares for renewed activity. It is every bit as essential for life as air, food and water. Its primary purpose is the regeneration of nerve energy and, by it, the vitality of the body is restored. Let us understand that rest is not synonymous with sleep. The Sabbath day is a day to cease from our work, a time to rest, but not a day to sleep away.

What is rest? It is a period of inactivity during which the body can restore expended energy. There are four kinds of rest.

  1. Physical rest: Sitting or lying down and relaxing.
  2. Sensory Rest: By quietness and refraining from using the eyes, which curtails a great drain of energy.
  3. Emotional rest: By withdrawing from the ups and downs caused by personal interaction.
  4. Mental rest: This is obtained by detaching the mind from all intellectual demands or activity. Like taking morning walks, sitting in a Jacuzzi, or reading scripture. We need both physical and mental rest.

As God’s peculiar people we are pilgrims passing through a strange land, because our home will be Eden restored. “Adam and Eve fell through intemperate appetite. Christ came and withstood the fiercest temptation of Satan, and, in behalf of the race, overcame appetite, showing that man may overcome. As Adam fell through appetite, and lost blissful Eden, the children of Adam may, through Christ, overcome appetite, and through temperance in all things regain Eden.” Counsels on Diets and Foods, 70.

In the book The Great Controversy, Ellen White beautifully portrays through the written word the scene on the great resurrection day. She writes: “The Son of God redeemed man’s failure and fall; and now, through the work of the atonement, Adam is reinstated in his first dominion.

“Transported with joy, he beholds the trees that were once his delight—the very trees whose fruit he himself had gathered in the days of his innocence and joy. He sees the vines that his own hands have trained, the very flowers that he once loved to care for. His mind grasps the reality of the scene; he comprehends that this is indeed Eden restored, more lovely now than when he was banished from it. The Saviour leads him to the tree of life and plucks the glorious fruit and bids him eat. He looks about him and beholds a multitude of his family redeemed, standing in the Paradise of God. Then he casts his glittering crown at the feet of Jesus and, falling upon His breast, embraces the Redeemer. He touches the golden harp, and the vaults of heaven echo the triumphant song: ‘Worthy, worthy, worthy is the Lamb that was slain, and lives again!’ The family of Adam take up the strain and cast their crowns at the Saviour’s feet as they bow before Him in adoration.” The Great Controversy, 647, 648.

“Upon the heads of the overcomers, Jesus with His own right hand places the crown of glory. For each there is a crown, bearing his own ‘new name’ (Revelation 2:17), and the inscription, ‘Holiness to the Lord. . . .’ There they behold the Paradise of God, the home of Adam in his innocency. Then that voice, richer than any music that ever fell on mortal ear, is heard, saying: ‘Your conflict is ended.’ ‘Come, ye blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.’ Now is fulfilled the Saviour’s prayer for His disciples: ‘I will that they also, whom Thou hast given Me, be with Me where I am.’ ‘Faultless before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy.’ (Jude 24), Christ presents to the Father the purchase of His blood, declaring: ‘Here am I, and the children whom Thou hast given Me.’ ‘Those that Thou gavest Me I have kept.’ Oh, the wonders of redeeming love! The rapture of that hour when the infinite Father, looking upon the ransomed, shall behold His image, sin’s discord banished, its blight removed, and the human once more in harmony with the divine!’ ” Ibid., 646.

The Garden of Eden is the Paradise of God—it is where God’s throne will be forever. The Bible says, “And he shewed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb. In the midst of the street of it, and on either side of the river, was there the tree of life, which bare twelve manner of fruits and yielded her fruit every month: and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.” Revelation 22:1, 2. Here we have a picture of the new earth where the throne of God, the river of life, and the tree of life are each present. The Bible also states in Revelation 2:7 that, “He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God.” If the tree of life is by God’s throne, and the tree of life is in Paradise, then God’s throne must be in Paradise—the garden of Eden.

“The Garden of Eden remained upon the earth long after man had become an outcast from its pleasant paths. The fallen race were long permitted to gaze upon the home of innocence, their entrance barred only by the watching angels. At the cherubim-guarded gate of Paradise the divine glory was revealed. Hither came Adam and his sons to worship God. Here they renewed their vows of obedience to that law the transgression of which had banished them from Eden. When the tide of iniquity overspread the world, and the wickedness of men determined their destruction by a flood of waters, the hand that had planted Eden withdrew it from the earth. But in the final restitution, when there shall be a ‘new heaven and a new earth’ (Rev. 21:1), it is to be restored more gloriously adorned than at the beginning.” Patriarchs and Prophets, 62.

“For, behold, I create new heavens and a new earth: and the former shall not be remembered, nor come into mind . . . And they shall build houses, and inhabit them; and they shall plant vineyards, and eat the fruit of them. They shall not build, and another inhabit; they shall not plant and another eat: for as the days of a tree are the days of my people, and mine elect shall long enjoy the work of their hands. They shall not labour in vain, nor bring forth for trouble; for they are the seed of the blessed of the Lord, and their offspring with them. And it shall come to pass, that before they call, I will answer; and while they are yet speaking, I will hear. The wolf and the lamb shall feed together, and the lion shall eat straw like the bullock: and dust shall be the serpent’s meat. They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain, saith the Lord.” Isaiah 65:17, 21–25. Did you notice the words: “plant,” “build,” “work,” and “labour”? In the new earth we will be exercising in the open air and working in our gardens and vineyards growing wonderful vegetarian food (organic raw food)! Figs, pomegranates, almonds, grapes and much, much more. What a feast I long for!

“For as the new heavens and the new earth, which I will make, shall remain before me, saith the Lord, so shall your seed and your name remain. And it shall come to pass, that from one new moon to another, and from one Sabbath to another, shall all flesh come to worship before me, saith the Lord.” Isaiah 66:22, 23.

Have you ever noticed, according to Isaiah 66, that we will be worshipping God not only from one Sabbath to another (every week), but also from one new moon to another (every month)? In the earth made new we will be celebrating and enjoying the fruit of the tree of life, which “bear twelve manner of fruits, and yielded her fruit every month.” But this time we will be eating it with Adam and Jesus and enjoying the Sabbath for eternity.

“Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work: But the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord thy God.” Exodus 20:11.

For more information: Modern Manna Ministries
517 S. Central Avenue
Lodi, CA 95240
209-334-3868

I am a Jealous God

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The second commandment is a very powerful commandment.

It says, “You shall not make for yourself an idol, or any likeness of what is in heaven above, or that is on the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth: You shall not worship them, or serve them: for I the Lord your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquities of the fathers on the children, to the third and fourth generations of those who hate me; But showing loving kindness to thousands, to those who love me, and keep my commandments.” Exodus 20:4–6 (NAS).

There are negative consequences to idol worship that not only affect you, but generations that come after you. To those who are faithful to God He blesses with loving kindness for thousands of generations.

The heart of this commandment is that God is a jealous God (Deuteronomy 5:9).

We usually think of jealousy in negative terms, but there is also a good jealousy. Jealousy is defined in the dictionary as being intolerant of a rival or unfaithfulness; hostile toward a rival or one believed to enjoy certain advantages. An example of bad jealousy would include King Saul toward David (I Samuel 18:5–9) and the elder brother, in the parable of the prodigal son, who did not want to share because of jealousy of his younger brother (Luke 15:11–32). It would be a good thing to guard jealously the nation’s freedom. It is also good to be jealous for your health and integrity. The Bible says, “Contend for the faith that was once delivered to the saints.” Jude 1:3. It is a good thing to be jealous for the truth and for marriage. Marriage is a covenant between two people, an emotional attachment and commitment to one another that should never be stolen. It is right to be jealous over that covenant of love.

Often in both the Old and New Testament, God relates to His church as a husband relates to his wife. God has the exclusive right to His church which He will not give up without a fight.

Contrary to popular opinion, God does have a holy anger. When Elijah confronted wicked Ahab and Jezebel who had taken young men and young women of the nation, causing them to be temple prostitutes in the name of worshipping God by means of Bel, Elijah said God is not happy, and He is turning off the rain. The rain turned off for three and a half years (I Kings 17:1)! This caused great suffering to the people because of the effects of the famine; however, I would like to suggest to you that the horrible effects of famine were more merciful than what the continued idolatry of Ahab and Jezebel had on the nation.

God destroyed a whole nation, Pharaoh and his army, and all the first born in Egypt in the midst of the siege at the exodus. Lives were sacrificed to deliver Israel.

Herod also, who took the head of John the Baptist and the life of the apostle James, was eaten by worms. See Mark 6:21–27; Acts 12:1, 2, 21–23.

Jesus, speaking to the church of Thyatira under the symbol of Jezebel, says that you have this wicked woman and I am telling you what I am going to do with her. I am going to throw her on a bed of suffering and I am going to destroy her children with pestilence. See Revelation 2:20–23. God has a jealous anger for His church!

My wife and I have a Chihuahua named Tori. Chihuahuas see themselves as German Shepherds. A few years ago we moved out into the country and right across from our property is a big field which is dangerous to get to because of the busy highway between. One day as we got out of the car, Tori spotted a big reaping machine, a big combine. Having never seen one before, Tori decided she would get that thing, but between her and the combine was the road. I watched as Tori, with all of her energy, headed out towards that combine, at the same time watching a big Mack truck coming down the road. My sense told me that I was not going to catch that dog. I love my wife and I knew that if the dog got hurt, she was really going to be hurt so I knew I had to act immediately, so with all the strength I had and everything in me I screamed at that dog. It was powerful enough that it terrorized the dog, causing it to stop. With two big emotions I picked it up and was so glad it was not crushed but also mad that it could have been killed. I screamed at my dog; it was a jealous response to save the dog’s life and I was so happy to be able to give it back to my wife because I loved her.

The first commandment points out whom to worship, the second tells how to worship God, the third explains the name and its sacredness and the fourth tells when to worship. The result of violating that second commandment caused great trouble for Israel and also for the Christian church. In the wilderness thousands of people died because of building the golden calf (Exodus 32) and the book of Deuteronomy records many more instances where the Jewish people were cursed because of idolatry. In Jesus’ day some people actually made an idol out of their temple.

Jesus said to the woman at the well in John 4:23, 24: “The hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth.” There are great mysteries that surround God that are not understood and never will be, but God does have a throne of fire and when He has been seen, He seems to have the form of a man but the Bible says He is also spirit; He is everywhere. There is nowhere you can run from the presence of God. He must be worshipped in spirit and in truth.

Worship is a big issue which is found in Genesis, Exodus and also in Revelation. The second commandment says that you shall not make to yourselves an idol. You shall not means no!

What is an idol? It is an image that is worshipped as a god. The ancient sanctuary had angels embroidered on the curtain and other illustrations but you will never find the Israelites bowing down to the angels. They were illustrations. God does not prohibit illustrations. He does prohibit taking some object and using it to venerate Him. An idol can be any object that becomes a person’s compassionate devotion. Some people make idols out of their children and some men make goddesses out of their wives. Some worship their automobiles and lots of others worship their homes or even themselves.

The Scripture continues in Exodus 20:4–6, “or any likeness of what is in heaven above, or the earth beneath, or in the water under the earth.” No fish gods, no flying bird gods, nothing in the earth beneath, or on the earth or in heaven. Some different translations say, “You shall not worship or serve them.” NASB. “You shall not bow down [submit or yield, bend the head or body in submission, to give an act of service, to obey] yourselves to them.” KJV. “You shall not bow down or worship [to honor or reverence a divine being] them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous [demanding complete devotion] God.” NIV.

Why is God jealous? Is it just arbitrary or does He have a reason? Deuteronomy 4:39 says, “Know therefore today and take it to your heart that the Lord He is God in heaven above and the earth below and there is no other.” The truth is, there is no other God. God is not going to share with anything or let you embrace some false god. Our very life is dependent upon being unified with the One who created us. The devil, wanting to be God, has caused the mess in this world. This will only be resolved at the final judgment.

Jesus had something to say about this when the devil came to him with the three temptations in the wilderness. At the last temptation, the devil said that all these things I will give you and bypass the cross, if you will fall down and worship me. Jesus said to him to go Satan, for it is written that you should worship the Lord your God and serve Him only (Matthew 4:9, 10).

Paul said, “But I say that the things that the Gentiles sacrificed, they sacrificed to demons, and I do not want you to become sharers with demons. You cannot drink the cup of the Lord with the cup of demons. You cannot partake of the table of the Lord at the table of demons.” I Corinthians 10:20, 21. Then he says in verse 22, “Do we provoke the Lord to jealousy?” So what he is saying is that all of this idol worship is really backed up by demonic forces. The Bible does talk about the things they can’t see, can’t hear and also the images which proves that there are unseen powers. God is not going to share His church with these demons. God does have a righteous indignation, but you do not want to arouse God’s jealous righteous indignation. God’s jealous love and jealous anger come out of His great love for us.

What if God said it doesn’t matter; go ahead and bow down to anything you want to and worship nothing. What would that say about Him? The fact that He is passionate about us tells us that He loves us. The greater the love, the greater the anger when it is violated. All this flows from God’s love, and His love for us is birth to his jealousy. His jealousy gives birth to His holy anger and His holy anger gives birth to His mercy because He is not willing for any to perish. God looks at His anger and says it is justified, but I cannot let them go, so I bring in mercy. He brings in His grace, all of which is the result of His love.

The apostle John revealed in the book Revelation what the Christian church would go through as a result of idolatry: “And the rest of mankind who were not killed by these plagues did not repent of the works of their hands.” Revelation 9:20.

This idolatry all came from the Tower of Babel. Nimrod died and Semaramis marvelously gets impregnated by a beam of light from the sun. This is what she told everybody and her baby was a miraculous baby, Tamuz. She soon had everybody worshipping her and, of course, Nimrod was in the sun. We have this mother/son cult which was an attempt to counterfeit the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ. This idol worship spread all over the world and Semaramis took the name, the Queen of Heaven. The Bible has something to say about this. Abraham was called out of that mess in order to preserve the truths about God and his method of worship.

We find that in Jeremiah 7:18, 19 it says, “The children gather wood, and the fathers light the fire, and the women knead the dough, to make cakes to the queen of heaven, and to pour out drink offerings to other gods, that they may provoke me to anger. Do they provoke me to anger? declares the Lord: but are they not harming themselves to their own shame?” Yes, it provokes the Lord, but here it says they are really doing themselves the disservice.

Ezekiel, a contemporary of Jeremiah, said that Israel was about to go down the tube. Babylon surrounds Jerusalem and Ezekiel is taken in vision on a tour of the temple where the God of heaven should be worshipped, but where Israel, with their backs toward the temple of the Lord and their faces toward the east, were worshipping the sun. “Yet you will see greater abominations which they are committing. Then He brought me to the entrance of the gate of the Lord’s house which is towards the north and behold women were sitting there weeping for Tamuz.” Ezekiel 8:13–16.

Would the New Testament church succumb to idolatry? In the book of Revelation two women are represented. In Revelation 12 one woman is chased by a dragon. She represents God’s church. She is clothed with the sun, standing on the moon, a crown of 12 stars on her head. The church represented here keeps the commandments of God and has the faith of Jesus. These commandments are those which were given at Sinai and they are described here in the context of the heavenly sanctuary and the Ark of the Covenant.

The other woman presented in Revelation 17 is described as the harlot. She is called Babylon; she has great mysteries and a cup full of fornication which she has with the kings of the earth. She is called an adulterer because she was supposed to be the bride of Christ but has prostituted herself to the world. Just so in the Christian community there will be those who are faithfully keeping God’s commandments and having the faith of Jesus, as well as those who are unfaithful and who made their league with the world. Both of these will call themselves Christian.

In the United States of America we have seen a huge shift towards idolatry. Evangelicals and Protestants and some Sabbath keepers have shifted from God centered worship to human centered worship, and the very essence of Christianity is being sacrificed in order to gain numbers.

Some mainline Protestant churches are basically abandoning the Bible for humanistic teaching, philosophy and psychology, which has caused their numbers to go down because there was not anything there. If you take the Bible out of the church, you do not have anything to keep the people.

Some of these mega churches began to say, “We think we can get crowds if we do this right.” They set out to do it. In fact, one of the large churches was the Mecca of thousands of Protestant Evangelical ministers across the United States, including many Sabbath keeping ministers, who said they are going to teach us how to do evangelism. Recently this large church, to their credit, said that, “We are telling you we were wrong; it doesn’t work; we did get a crowd but our people are not growing spiritually.”

One writer said concerning this particular church that it has been one of the most influential churches in America for the last 30 years. Hanging outside the pastor’s door was this sign: What is our business? Who is our customer? What does the customer consider of value? What about this customer driven method? This changes Jesus’ directions to His disciples from teaching them to obey all that He had commanded them, to find out what they want. That is a major shift!

To human centered worship, I ask if this is like Aaron and the golden calf all over again? The impact has been astounding. Everywhere you go you see the Protestant, Evangelical churches and some Sabbath keeping churches absorbed in drama, disco music, clowns and puppets and anything else Madison Avenue and Hollywood have to offer become the cutting edge. Church growth has become the in, and whirly methods have become the means. However, the truth is that God demands to be worshipped on His own agenda and not ours. Church was not created for us to have a party; it was created for people to hear the Word of God so that their lives would be transformed.

There are many people who love Mary and there is no doubt that she was a godly woman and we are grateful that God chose her, but we have never ever seen such veneration of Mary as we have seen today. People are seeing images of Mary on garage doors and underpasses and people are going there by the thousands to kiss whatever looks like her. They are sincere and they mean well. This practice has been given great support from Pope John, who believed he owed his life to Mary for saving him from the bullet that was fired at him; however, the Bible does not teach that Mary is to be venerated or worshipped.

I love the apostles and I praise God for saints, but when it comes down to my theology I want to hear what Jesus has to say and not the councils of the church, or the opinion of the learned, but give me the Word of God. Luke 11:27, 28 tells when Jesus was teaching and a woman thought this was just marvelous: “And it came about, while He said those things, one of the women in the crowd raised her voice, and she said to him, Blessed is the womb that bore you, and the breasts at which you were nursed.” Jesus did not hesitate but immediately responded and would not accept it. He said just because Mary bore me and just because I nursed at her breasts does not make her something special. On the contrary, Blessed are those who hear the word of God and observe. None of us, including Mary, are blessed unless we do the will of God.

The Council of Trent shaped the modern Roman Church. To the Virgin Mary, they pray in these words, “Oh Mother of God, queen of heaven, command thy son to have mercy on us.” The right use of images, says the Council of Trent, is to honor them by bowing down before them even though the Bible says do not bow down before them (Exodus 20:4, 5). The Bible portrays Mary as being humble and obedient, even calling herself the handmaid of the Lord (Luke 1:38); however, the Pope officially gave Mary the title, Queen of Heaven, and established a feast day honoring her. The Bible says that Mary knew she needed a Savior: “My spirit has rejoiced in God my Saviour.” Luke 1:47. The papacy says no, she was immaculately conceived, meaning she was conceived sinless, without original sin, and that she is all holy, meaning she lived a sinless life. You see, goddesses do not need salvation!

Cardinal Gibbons said, quoting Isaiah 49:15, “Can a woman forget her infant so as not to have pity on the fruit of her womb; even so Mary will not forget us.” The actual text says in the Catholic New Jerusalem Bible, “Can a woman forget her suckling child that she should not have compassion on the son of her womb? yes, these may forget but yet I [the Lord talking about Himself] will not forget you. Behold I have engraved you on the palms of my hand.” Verse 16.

Many religions scoff at the idea of idol worship, but the Hindu religion, which is a classic example of pagan religion, blatantly admits that they worship idols, believing it to be a good thing. They accept it with open arms as a simple way of expressing one’s devotion and love to God, but that is exactly what the second commandment forbids. God commands that you do not use an idol or an image to express your worship to Him. God responds personally to those who are devoted to Him.

A huge phenomenon occurred in 1995 when one night a man had an idea. He was impressed that he should go to his idol and give it some milk. When he did, the milk disappeared and pretty soon people everywhere were giving their idols milk, and milk was drying up all over India. People thought it was a hoax and some reporters out of New York said, “On Thursday, September 1, 1995, the news swept around the world of extraordinary miracles of milk drinking Hindu statues. Never before in history had a simultaneous miracle occurred on such a global scale. Television, radio, newspapers eagerly covered this unique phenomenon and even skeptical journalists held their milk filled spoons to the gods and watched humbly as the milk disappeared.”

You can bring any image you want in here made of plaster of Paris and plastic and take a hammer and knock them down and they will fall down. You can take a piece of wood and carve it up and everybody knows that these things cannot see or hear, but there is another supernatural force that you cannot see that surrounds these things. I was listening to Catholic Radio in Lansing, Michigan, discussing this incident and how wonderful Mary was. They talked about the statues of Mary crying tears and bleeding and were so excited about this. Every time I turn around there is a new miracle of weeping, crying, bleeding or something coming from a statue of Mary. Catholics call them miracles, and many people are coming to see.

The Hindu teaching is that the idols are not just a symbol, but the belief is that the idol represents something, a form with which the mind can be connected and concentrated upon. The ultimate reality is beyond the senses; it is what you cannot see.

The Roman Catholic teaching is: “That the honor which is given them (the images of saints and relics) is referred to the objects which they represent so that through the images which we kiss and which we uncover our heads and kneel, we adore Christ and venerate the saints whose likeness they are.” This is the same concept as the Hindus. We know this image is not Jesus; this is not a saint; we know that, but we are doing this in order to venerate Christ.

The second command says do not use images in the act of worship. We have a jealous God and He demands exclusive rights to your worship. You can say you will worship any way you want; go ahead, but that does not mean God will accept your worship. Worshipping God is about His agenda and not yours or mine. The Israelites thought they could worship the way they liked but God will not share His church with anyone or anything in heaven above or earth beneath.

What would happen if after your honeymoon your wife comes in with a picture of your wedding and says, That is so beautiful! You know, I have decided what I will do. I have three old boyfriends and we had great times together and those are memories I don’t want to give up. I have three pictures that are smaller and I will set them over here. I am sure you won’t mind. Will you mind?

This did not happen, but just suppose I walked into my house one day and there was my lovely wife with my picture and she was looking at my picture and kissing it saying, I love you so much! I walked in and I saw this and felt pretty good and said, Honey, your prince is home. She said, Oh yeah; I really love you and then she continues kissing my picture. I said, Honey, it is me, in the flesh, but she keeps kissing my picture and saying, Oh, I just love you so much! What would I do with that picture?

Our God is a jealous God and He is not going to put up with you just kissing His picture. He wants you to worship Him in spirit and in truth.

Pastor Jay Gallimore’s sermon was taken from the Ten Commandment Weekend, 2008 series aired on 3ABN.org. For more information contact www.3ABN.org.

The Principles of Worship

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With the many different styles of worship in our society today, the question has arisen: What is acceptable worship to God and what is the best way to worship Him?

The word worship, derived from an old English word, means to give honor or respect to a personage, especially to God. The first part comes from the word worth; to give worth to something, worthiness and respect. On the Sabbath we attend church to give God honor and respect and spend the day in worship with Him.

Worship, when rendered to another god or a created being, is called idolatry. Such worship Peter refused (Acts 10:25, 26). In the book of Revelation we see that John bowed down to the angel who refused to be worshiped.

From ancient times all civilizations had some form of worship. They may not have worshiped the God of heaven, but they did have worship and worship ceremonies. In Egypt, the Pharaohs worshiped snakes, the Nile and many other objects of creation. Even as horrific as it was, some forms of worship involved human sacrifices.

Today, in modern worship there are different types of worship where people adore things or people, called adoration, and there is worship of saints, called veneration, and there are also contemporary worship services known as celebration services. It is believed that by bringing music and contemporary things into Christian worship, the young people will stay in the church. I have attended some contemporary services where the Bible was not opened throughout the whole service. In some cases the worship is very light and informal and the speakers crack jokes, resulting in much laughter. That type of church service is more like a social club designed to gather with people and have a good time. Leaving such a service as that leaves one devoid of any spiritual meat to contemplate through the following week and nothing to contemplate in making a closer relationship with God. Once I attended a service where the preacher talked about a recent football game, which provided no spiritual food.

There are many examples in the Bible of worship. God’s people worshiped in their own peculiar style as well as did the heathen. During the time of Ahab and Jezebel, God’s people fell into Baal worship. At the time Nebuchadnezzar ruled the Babylonian kingdom, he had a vision of an image describing all of the kingdoms that would come after him. He wanted his kingdom to last forever and wasn’t happy to be told that his kingdom would come to an end, so he made a golden image and demanded everybody to worship that image, representing his kingdom which he believed should endure forever.

Later Belshazzar, with his rulers, feasted and praised the gods of wood, stone, silver and gold in place of the God of heaven.

Daniel was thrown into the lion’s den because he refused to stop praying or worshiping his God for even a few days.

As you read through the Bible you can learn about the patriarchs and prophets, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob who set up altars to God. Moses was told to take off his sandals, because the place on which he was standing, near the burning bush, was holy ground.

There were very specific and explicit instructions given to Moses in regard to the performance of the sanctuary services that were implemented in the wilderness. In the New Testament, it is recorded that Jesus worshiped on the Sabbath day and tells of Him standing up to read from Isaiah, the prophet (Luke 4:16, 17).

In the book of Acts, the apostle, Paul, whose many letters to the churches that he ministered to and make up most of the New Testament, met and worshiped with the believers on the Sabbath day.

Worship is the theme of the book of Daniel and also the book of Revelation where three angels were sent to give the last message of warning to the world to worship God who made heaven and the earth. Within those messages there is also warning against worshiping the beast and his image.

It is very important to understand the important principles of whom to worship, what to worship and how to worship.

Music

In Ephesians 5:19 it says, “Speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord.” Music is mentioned over and over again in the book of Psalms as an act of worship. “Singing, as a part of religious service, is as much an act of worship as is prayer.” Christian Education, 63. Songs that praise and give devotion to God should be selected and never music that is devoid of beauty and power.

“Those who make singing a part of divine worship should select hymns with music appropriate to the occasion, not funeral notes, but cheerful yet solemn melodies. The voice can and should be modulated, softened, and subdued.” The Signs of the Times, June 22, 1882. In some churches music is selected that is so loud that it is impossible to hear that still quiet voice. Such does not show reverence toward God.

Prayer

“O come, let us worship and bow down: let us kneel before the Lord our maker. For he is our God; and we are the people of his pasture, and the sheep of his hand.” Psalm 95:6, 7. Part of worship is to kneel before God in prayer. There are other times to be in communication with heaven when it is inconvenient and even dangerous to kneel with eyes closed, e.g., while driving a car or going walking, but there are several examples in the New Testament written by Paul describing bowing down on our knees before God as part of public worship. Prayer and kneeling are principles of worship and to bow reverently with eyes closed is an act of submission, allowing the mind to concentrate on the prayer without being distracted. Public prayers need to be spoken clearly and plainly so all listening will benefit from the words, and when children are present prayer should be short so they are not wearied.

Listening and Reverence

“Let all the earth keep silence before Him.” Habakkuk 2:20. This brings in the aspect of listening and of reverence in the house of God. “When the benediction is pronounced, all should still be quiet, as if fearful of losing the peace of Christ. Let all pass out without jostling or loud talking, feeling that they are in the presence of God, that His eye is resting upon them, and that they must act as in His visible presence. Let there be no stopping in the aisles to visit or gossip, thus blocking them up so that others cannot pass out. The precincts of the church should be invested with a sacred reverence. It should not be made a place to meet old friends and visit and introduce common thoughts and worldly business transactions. These should be left outside the church. God and angels have been dishonored by the careless, noisy laughing and shuffling of feet heard in some places.” Testimonies, vol. 5, 493, 494.

When we enter into the presence of God, no matter where that is, an atmosphere of reverence should prevail.

Observing Personal Boundaries

In one church service I attended the pastor encouraged the congregation to go around and greet everyone and hug everyone and kiss the ladies if they could get away with it. That surely does not sound right for this culture. Some people read the verse that says to greet others with a holy kiss and in some countries men do greet each other with a kiss on each cheek (II Corinthians 13:12), but where did that come from? Some earlier commentaries say that this custom was usually men greeting men and the women greeting women in this manner, that being the culture. In our culture greetings should be in a different context which should also correlate with the whole Bible. If you read I Corinthians 7:1, it says, “It is good for a man not to touch a woman.” There needs to be balance here; the Bible does not contradict itself and the cultural context must be considered. Though it is not good that men kiss the ladies in church, they do not want to be so cold and formal that visitors feel unwelcome without being greeted with a smile or handshake. Paul tells us in Romans 12:10 that we are to be “kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love; in honour preferring one another.” There is always a balance in these things, showing friendship but also respecting personal boundaries.

No Idolatry

Christ should be the theme of our conversation. “And I, brethren, when I came to you, came not with excellency of speech or of wisdom, declaring unto you the testimony of God. For I determined not to know any thing among you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified.” I Corinthians 2:1, 2. The theme of all the apostles preaching and discussion in the New Testament was Christ and so should it be the theme of our own worship.

“The science of salvation is to be the burden of every sermon, the theme of every song. Let it be poured forth in every supplication. Let nothing be brought into the preaching of the Word to supplement Christ, the Word and power of God.” The Voice in Speech and Song, 337.

Christ is the only name given by which we are saved; He is our salvation. Christ should be in every worship service. He should always be the theme of all worship.

Offering

“So let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly, or of necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver.” II Corinthians 9:7. When Abraham returned from the battle, rescuing Lot and the inhabitants of Sodom and Gomorrah, he gave an offering and tithe to God for all that He had done. This instruction of giving tithes and offerings was also given to the children of Israel. There is also the example in the New Testament of Jesus commending the widow who gave her two mites, which was all that she had. Her contribution, because it was all her wealth, was far more than all the others who gave.

Hebrews chapter 10 tells us that we are not saved by the blood of bulls and goats, but we are saved through the blood of Christ. The Lamb of God has already paid that price by His sacrifice so today it is no longer necessary to offer these sacrifices.

Worship God in Truth

“But if I am delayed, I write so that you may know how you ought to conduct yourself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth.” I Timothy 3:15.

Where we worship God should be a place of truth. We are also told of the importance of worshiping God. The Bible talks about assembling together in Hebrews 10:25. It says, “Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some; but exhorting one another: and so much the more as ye see the Day approaching.” In Matthew 18:20 it says, “For where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them.” It is important to worship God in His house on His day. We need that fellowship and communion with one another to strengthen and encourage us in our spiritual walk. Those who go to church only on New Year’s Day, Christmas and Thanksgiving, or even less than that, miss the blessing promised that where people are gathered together in His name He will be among them (Matthew 18:20).

John Wesley once said, “Sir, if you wish to serve God, you can’t serve Him alone. You must find companions or make them. The Bible knows nothing of solitary religion.” We are meant to associate together and to help each other on the way to the kingdom of heaven.

Praise and Thanksgiving

Praise is a key component of worship. We need to remember to praise the Lord and thank Him for all of the things He has done for us. “I will bless the Lord at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth.” Psalm 34:1. This does not say that I will bless the Lord when I feel good or when things are going good or bad. It does not say that I will bless the Lord when I am rich or poor. It does not say I will bless the Lord when I have everything or when I am in trouble. It says all of the time, no matter what condition you are in.

In Psalm 42:5 it says, “Why are you cast down, O my soul? and why are you disquieted within me? Hope in God, for I shall yet praise Him for the help of His countenance.” This praise is repeated several times.

There are many verses in the book of Psalms that praise the Lord. “Whoso offers praise glorifies Me: and to him who orders his conduct aright I will show the salvation of God.” Psalm 50:23. God likes to be praised. We can join David when he said, “I will praise You; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; marvellous are Your works; and that my soul knows very well.” Psalm 139:14.

“Where the church is walking in the light, there will ever be cheerful, hearty responses and words of joyful praise.” Testimonies, vol. 5, 318. Ellen White also said, “Have we not reason to talk of God’s goodness and to tell of His power? When friends are kind to us we esteem it a privilege to thank them for their kindness. How much more should we count it a joy to return thanks to the Friend who has given us every good and perfect gift. Then let us, in every church, cultivate thanksgiving to God. Let us educate our lips to praise God in the family circle. … God’s goodness in hearing and answering prayer places us under heavy obligation to express our thanksgiving for the favors bestowed upon us. We should praise God much more than we do. The blessings received in answer to prayer should be promptly acknowledged.

“We grieve the Spirit of Christ by our complaints and murmurings and repinings. We should not dishonor God by the mournful relation of trials that appear grievous. All trials that are received as educators will produce joy. The whole religious life will be uplifting, elevating, ennobling, fragrant with good words and works.

“Let the peace of God reign in your soul. Then you will have strength to bear all suffering, and you will rejoice that you have grace to endure. Praise the Lord; talk of His goodness; tell of His power. Sweeten the atmosphere that surrounds your soul. … Praise with heart and soul and voice, Him who is the health of your countenance, your Saviour, and your God.” God’s Amazing Grace, 325.

We have many things to praise God and to thank Him for. One favorite quote comes from the book, The Ministry of Healing, 251. It says, “Nothing tends more to promote health of body and of soul than does a spirit of gratitude and praise. It is a positive duty to resist melancholy, discontented thoughts and feelings—as much a duty as it is to pray. If we are heaven-bound, how can we go as a band of mourners, groaning and complaining all along the way to our Father’s house?” This goes along with the text in Proverbs 17:22: “A merry heart doeth good like a medicine.”

“Forgetting our own difficulties and troubles, let us praise God for an opportunity to live for the glory of His name. Let the fresh blessings of each new day awaken praise in our hearts for these tokens of His loving care. When you open your eyes in the morning, thank God that He has kept you through the night. Thank Him for His peace in your heart. Morning, noon, and night, let gratitude as a sweet perfume ascend to heaven.” Ibid., 253.

There are so many reasons for which to be thankful and to give praise to the Lord for what He has done for us. If nothing else, you can be thankful that there is a God in heaven who cares about you and listens to you—that is something to be really thankful for!

Whatever trial you may be going through you often do not have to look very far to find someone who is in a worse situation. Not too long ago I read about a lady journalist who was laid off from her job. She drew unemployment which soon ran out, along with her savings, causing her to lose her apartment. About that same time, her father died and she inherited a motor home which then provided her with a place to live. She parked her motor home in a business parking lot until she was asked to leave and then made a temporary arrangement with some people whom she knew to park her motor home in their back yard while searching for work, putting up notices in coffee shops and online.

Anyone who has a roof over their head, a job, clothes and shoes, has something to be thankful for. It may not be the best, but it is more than many other people have in this world.

When I visited the Philippines, I saw that there were some very wealthy people there and then there were the very poor. In the city, most of the poor have crude, corrugated iron shacks which become very muddy when it rains. If you have a place to live, be thankful. Be thankful if you have a family.

A story is told of a Christian lady and her friend who enjoyed bike riding. One day as they were riding on a bike trail she was about a minute ahead of her friend who heard a commotion up ahead. As her friend caught up she saw that a cougar had attacked her and had her by the face. She was struggling to free herself from the mountain lion without success. Eventually, others arrived and threw rocks at the cougar which finally ran off. Surprisingly, the woman survived the attack with minimal scarring. She relates now with Daniel who was thrown into the lion’s den and survived. She now praises God for her own deliverance from the cougar.

A private plane crashed in the desert in Arizona, bursting into flames upon impact. Surviving the crash and in flames, both the parents rolled on the ground to extinguish the flames. The woman had massive burns and it was uncertain for several weeks if she would come out of the coma and survive. Though her husband was also severely burned, he was not as badly burned as she was and a vigil was held by that mother’s bedside every day to talk to and encourage her. While lying there in the hospital, she resolved to survive and return home to her family. In time, she left the hospital still with bandages over her burns. Simple chores that normally took little time were now mammoth tasks, but she was thankful to be alive.

A young mother gave birth to her second daughter. Three days later she was running a high temperature and it was discovered that she had some sort of bacterial infection. As a result of this, she underwent many surgeries during which both of her hands and legs were amputated, because they had turned black. Her survival was uncertain, but she was determined to be there for her baby. With sheer determination, very soon she, with prosthetic arms and legs, was back home caring for her two daughters, remaining cheerful and thankful to be alive and an encouragement to others in far less difficult situations.

One lady came to grief when her chimpanzee got loose while attempting to get the 200-pound animal back into its cage. The chimp was a bit upset and started to fight with her, literally ripping off her face. Her fingers, her hand and her teeth, eyes, nose and mouth were all gone. When help arrived, the chimpanzee was shot and all were amazed to find the lady who was in such a terrible condition still breathing. Even with such horrific injuries and also blind, this poor lady hung on to life to be there for her daughter. She insisted that though she had been damaged physically, she was still the same person inside and wanted acceptance in spite of her appearance.

Considering what others have endured, most of us have nothing to complain about. Lord, forgive me for complaining about anything. I have all of my limbs, my face and my hands. No matter what situation you are going through, there is always something to be thankful for. Stories like these inspire me with God’s faithfulness, knowing that there is a better place where those horrible things will no longer happen. It also gives a proper perspective on life. Whatever problems or difficulties you face, there is still something to be thankful for, if you still have life. We all have troubles, disappointments and hard experiences to go through, but in spite of all of those things, if we look beyond to the big picture, there is always something for which to give praise and thanks.

Each of us has been blessed abundantly. The greatest thing we have to be thankful for is Jesus. We should be thankful that there is something beyond this fragile life of which there are no certainties and Someone who is going to make all things better. If we are ready for His kingdom, our bodies will be repaired and we will live for eternity. Jesus was willing to leave heaven and to sacrifice His life so that we may have eternal life. That is the number one thing that we can be thankful for every day. Heaven is a real place worth considering and something we do not often grasp.

Because of His great love for us and the hope He gives to all who choose to accept His invitation, God deserves all of our worship. Let us honor Him with reverence, praise and thanksgiving for He has blessed us above all things, way more than we are worthy.

A network engineer, Jana Grosboll lives in Derby, Kansas. 

The True Object of Worship

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I am the Lord thy God. … Thou shalt have no other gods before Me,” or “beside Me” (Exodus 20:2, 3 Revised Version), is the first of the ten commandments. …

Just as the Decalogue is the summary of the Scriptures, the first commandment is the summary of the whole law. In principle it prohibits all kinds of idolatry and everything in the nature of false worship. Jesus gave a summary of man’s whole duty when He said to the tempter who offered Him the dominion of the world for an act of worship, “Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and Him only shalt thou serve” (Matthew 4:10).

It was idolatry, or false worship, that excluded man from Paradise, and the passport to paradise restored is the worship of and obedience to the only true God. “Blessed are they that do His commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city” (Revelation 22:14).

Because He is the Creator, the supreme right of the Lord in this world is the recognition of His sovereignty and the reverent obedience of His subjects. The first and greatest of all the obligations of man is to his Creator, in whom “we live, and move, and have our being” (Acts 17:28). In the first commandment, therefore, is the foundation of the whole law, the basis of all the commands that follow.

The Decalogue, like the Lord’s prayer, begins at the place of all beginnings—with God. That is where the Bible begins—“In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth” (Genesis 1:1). The New Testament begins at the same place: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God” (John 1:1). The Gospel of John is just as truly the beginning of the New Testament as is the book of Matthew.

Evidence of Divinity

The Lord does not leave us without proof of His divinity and supremacy over all other gods. He issues two challenges to false gods, which they are unable to meet. The first and greatest evidence of Deity is the power to create, and Jehovah challenges all other gods to prove their right to be worshiped by exhibiting the power of creation. (See Psalms 95:3, 5, 6; 96:8–10; 86:8–10; Isaiah 45:18–22; Jeremiah 10:10–15.)

It is because Jehovah is the Creator that the sinless inhabitants of heaven worship Him. In vision the revelator saw these creatures “fall down before Him that sat on the throne, and worship Him that liveth forever and ever, and cast their crowns before the throne, saying, Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for Thou hast created all things, and for Thy pleasure they are and were created” (Revelation 4:10, 11). There is no other true basis of worship. No created being has a right to worship or receive worship from another creature. Since no creature has creative power, the Creator alone is the true and only God.

The Lord also issues another challenge to false gods as a proof of His divinity and the right to command and receive worship, namely, His ability to see and foretell the future. (See Isaiah 41:21–24; 48:3–6.) Only the members of the Godhead can foresee and forecast future events. All prophecy originates with the Father and is revealed to man by the Son through the agencies of the Holy Spirit, the angels, and the prophets. (See 1 Peter 1:10, 11; 2 Peter 1:19–21; Revelation 1:1.)

The angel Gabriel, the most exalted creature in the heavenly host, refused to receive worship from the prophet John, because he himself was likewise a creature. He told him to “worship God” (Revelation 19:10). Paul and Barnabas indignantly refused worship and divine honors from the people of Lystra because of a miracle they had performed in their midst. “They rent their clothes, and ran in among the people, crying out, And saying, Sirs, why do ye these things? We also are men of like passions with you, and preach unto you that ye should turn from these vanities unto the living God, which made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and all things that are therein” (Acts 14:14, 15). In accepting worship, Satan or any of his followers exalt themselves to the place of God.

Polytheism Condemned

The first command is a condemnation of, and a warning against, polytheism, or the worship of many gods. “There be gods many, and lords many” (1 Corinthians 8:5),  said Paul. It has been estimated that the Greeks worshiped thirty thousand gods. The Babylonians “praised the gods of gold, and of silver, of brass, of iron, of wood, and of stone” (Daniel 5:4). The gods of the Egyptians were almost innumerable. The Romans had so many gods that in the city of Rome they built a temple called the Pantheon, or the temple of all the gods. They were so numerous that the priests of the temple could not name or enumerate them all. Modern India is said to have more than 330,000,000 gods, and they are almost as numerous in China. The Israelites had just been delivered from a nation where polytheism and pantheism reigned supreme, and from which the Jews were never completely delivered till after their return from Babylonian captivity. The promised land was filled with nations that were polytheistic in their worship, and whose gods became a snare to the children of Israel. Polytheism is the religion of the vast majority of the inhabitants of the modern world, and the first commandment of the Decalogue is just as applicable and up to date as when given thirty-five hundred years ago. The law of God is universal. It belongs to the whole human race in all ages. Even in countries where idols or graven images are no longer worshiped as such, gods in other forms constitute an idolatry no less displeasing to Jehovah.

Idolatry Defined

The apostle Paul defines idolatry as the exchanging of “the truth of God for a lie” and the worshiping and serving of “the creature rather than the Creator” (Romans 1:25, R.V.), or “more than the Creator.” “They had bartered the reality of God for what is unreal and had offered divine honors and religious service to created things, rather than to the Creator,” is the Weymouth translation. In other words idolatry in its broad meaning is false worship of every kind. Any object of adoration and worship that takes the place of God or comes between us and God is an idol.

Creature worship is just as popular and universal now as when paganism reigned supreme. It began at the dawn of human history when man first sinned. Adam set up an idol in his heart when he served and obeyed Satan instead of the Creator by eating of the forbidden fruit. That was the beginning of idolatry and false worship on the earth. Self and Satan took the place of God. Creature worship supplanted Creator worship.

Idolatry in many forms became prevalent among the descendants of Adam and Eve. It was the great sin of the antediluvian world. It was reintroduced after the deluge by the great rebel Nimrod. Babylon became the cradle of the idolatrous and spurious worship that has come down to modern times. The counterfeit religion of Satan is still divinely called “Babylon the Great, the Mother of Harlots and Abominations of the earth” (Revelation 17:5).

Modern Idolatry

For the vast majority of earth’s inhabitants there has been no change in the forms of pagan idolatry. The same gods without change even in names are being worshiped in heathen and pagan lands. In countries influenced by the gospel the old gods are still present but in different forms and under new names. The only graven images known to many of us are those seen in museums or exhibited by missionaries returned from heathen lands. There is not the least danger of our worshiping images in these forms of gross idolatry, but the devil is cunning and deceptive. He has hidden the identity of the old gods in new and attractive garments, and they are worshiped with as much fervor and devotion as were the gods in days of yore.

The instinct to worship was divinely planted in human nature. It is not even necessary to command worship, for all races of mankind, whether their civilization be high or low, have had deities and forms of worship. Voltaire declared that “if there were no God, it would be necessary to invent Him.” And Theodore Parker truthfully said, “Yet, if he would, man cannot live all to this world. If not religious, he will be superstitious. If he worship not the true God, he will have his idols.” Job recognized the universal instinct to worship and the inherent principle of idolatry in fallen man when he said: “If I have made gold my hope, or have said to the fine gold, Thou art my confidence; if I rejoiced because my wealth was great, and because mine hand had gotten much; If I beheld the sun when it shined, or the moon walking in brightness; And my heart hath been secretly enticed, or my mouth hath kissed my hand: This also was an iniquity to be punished by the judge: for I should have denied the God that is above” (Job 31:24–28).

In this text gold and wealth in which men trust is reckoned as idolatry, along with the worship of the heavenly bodies. The god of gold is one of the chief gods of modern idolatry. The ancient name of this god was “mammon,” and Jesus declared, “Ye cannot serve God and mammon” (Matthew 6;24; Luke 16:13). Today the rule of gold is more powerful than the golden rule in the lives of the majority of human beings.

The Lord is “a jealous God” (Exodus 20:5) who refuses to share worship with any other god. The worship of the true God cannot be mixed with the worship of false gods. An ancient proverb declares that “when the half-gods go, the gods arrive.” When we dismiss all the lesser gods, the great God Himself arrives to claim our allegiance and worship. With Him it is all or none. He accepts no halfhearted service. We must seek and serve Him with all the heart. The promise is, “The Lord is with you, while ye be with Him; and if ye seek Him, He will be found of you; but if ye forsake Him, He will forsake you” (2 Chronicles 15:2). We are then told that the Jews “sought Him with their whole desire; and He was found of them: and the Lord gave them rest round about” (verse 15). Jesus laid down the same principle when He said, “He that is not with Me is against Me; and he that gathereth not with Me scattereth abroad” (Matthew 12:30).

Excerpts from The Ten Commandments, by Taylor G. Bunch, 25–32. (The Review and Herald, 1944.)

Bible Study Guides – How Shall We Worship?

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September 4, 2011 – September 10, 2011

Key Text

“O worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness: fear before him, all the earth.” Psalm 96:9.

Study Help: The Great Controversy, 436–438; Testimonies, vol. 5, 491–500.

Introduction

“In order to serve Him aright, we must be born of the divine Spirit. This will purify the heart and renew the mind, giving us a new capacity for knowing and loving God. It will give us a willing obedience to all His requirements. This is true worship.” The Desire of Ages, 189.

1 WHAT IS TRUE WORSHIP?

  • Define true worship. Psalm 24:3, 4; John 4:23, 24; I Chronicles 16:29.

Note: “Although God dwells not in temples made with hands, yet He honors with His presence the assemblies of His people. He has promised that when they come together to seek Him, to acknowledge their sins, and to pray for one another, He will meet with them by His Spirit. But those who assemble to worship Him should put away every evil thing. Unless they worship Him in spirit and truth and in the beauty of holiness, their coming together will be of no avail. Of such the Lord declares, ‘This people draweth nigh unto Me with their mouth, and honoreth Me with their lips; but their heart is far from Me.’ Matthew 15:8, 9.” Prophets and Kings, 50.

“Religious instruction means … that you are to show in your life that Jesus is everything to you, and that His love makes you patient, kind, forbearing, and yet firm in commanding your children after you, as did Abraham.

“Just as you conduct yourself in your home life, you are registered in the books of heaven. He who would become a saint in heaven must first become a saint in his own family.” The Adventist Home, 317.

  • How serious a matter is it to ignore or neglect God’s requirements? Matthew 15:8, 9; 7:21–23.

2 WHEN SHALL WE WORSHIP?

  • What should be the practice of every individual and family? Psalm 29:2.

Note: “If ever there was a time when every house should be a house of prayer, it is now. …

“And yet, in this time of fearful peril, some who profess to be Christians have no family worship. They do not honor God in the home; they do not teach their children to love and fear Him.” Child Guidance, 517.

“In many cases the morning and evening worship is little more than a mere form, a dull, monotonous repetition of set phrases in which the spirit of gratitude or the sense of need finds no expression. The Lord accepts not such service. But the petitions of a humble heart and contrite spirit He will not despise. The opening of our hearts to our heavenly Father, the acknowledgment of our entire dependence, the expressions of our wants, the homage of grateful love—this is true prayer.” Ibid., 518.

“In every family there should be a fixed time for morning and evening worship. How appropriate it is for parents to gather their children about them before the fast is broken, to thank the heavenly Father for His protection during the night, and to ask Him for His help and guidance and watch care during the day! How fitting, also, when evening comes, for parents and children to gather once more before Him and thank Him for the blessings of the day that is past!” Ibid., 520.

  • What other time of worship is so important to us? Psalm 19:14.

Note: “When the Sabbath commences, we should place a guard upon ourselves, upon our acts and our words, lest we rob God by appropriating to our own use that time which is strictly the Lord’s. We should not do ourselves, nor suffer our children to do, any manner of our own work for a livelihood or anything which could have been done on the six working days. … God requires not only that we refrain from physical labor upon the Sabbath, but that the mind be disciplined to dwell upon sacred themes. The Fourth Commandment is virtually transgressed by conversing upon worldly things or by engaging in light and trifling conversation. …

“Fathers and mothers should make it a rule that their children attend public worship on the Sabbath, and should enforce the rule by their own example.” Child Guidance, 529, 530.

3 WHERE SHALL WE WORSHIP?

  • In Leviticus 23:3, what distinct phrase does God use to describe His seventh day, the Sabbath of rest?
  • What can we learn from the Scriptures as to where we should worship? Matthew 18:20; Acts 2:46.
  • What should we remember about the place in which we worship our Creator? Psalm 111:9; Genesis 28:17, last part.

Note: “True reverence for God is inspired by a sense of His infinite greatness and a realization of His presence. … The hour and place of prayer are sacred, because God is there. …

“Well would it be for old and young to ponder those words of Scripture that show how the place marked by God’s special presence should be regarded. ‘Put off thy shoes from off thy feet,’ He commanded Moses at the burning bush, ‘for the place whereon thou standest is holy ground’ Exodus 3:5. …

“The God of heaven is not, like the gods of the heathen, confined to temples made with hands; yet He would meet with His people by His Spirit when they should assemble at the house dedicated to His worship.” Prophets and Kings, 48, 49.

“The house is the sanctuary for the family, and the closet or the grove the most retired place for individual worship; but the church is the sanctuary for the congregation. There should be rules in regard to the time, the place, and the manner of worshiping. …

“Do not have so little reverence for the house and worship of God as to communicate with one another during the sermon. …

“There should be a sacred spot, like the sanctuary of old, where God is to meet with His people. That place should not be used as a lunchroom or as a business room, but simply for the worship of God.” Child Guidance, 541–543.

4 HOW SHALL WE WORSHIP?

  • What instructions are given to us regarding the manner of worshiping our Lord? Hebrews 12:28; I Peter 1:15, 16; Exodus 19:10.

Note: “Unless correct ideas of true worship and true reverence are impressed upon the people, there will be a growing tendency to place the sacred and eternal on a level with common things, and those professing the truth will be an offense to God and a disgrace to religion. They can never, with their uncultivated ideas, appreciate a pure and holy heaven, and be prepared to join with the worshipers in the heavenly courts above, where all is purity and perfection, where every being has perfect reverence for God and His holiness. …

“When the worshipers enter the place of meeting, they should do so with decorum, passing quietly to their seats. … Common talking, whispering, and laughing should not be permitted in the house of worship, either before or after the service. Ardent, active piety should characterize the worshipers.” My Life Today, 285, 286.

“Do not have so little reverence for the house and worship of God as to communicate with one another during the sermon. …

“When the word of life is spoken, you should remember that you are listening to the voice of God through His delegated servant. Do not lose these words through inattention; if heeded, they may keep your feet from straying into wrong paths.” Messages to Young People, 266.

  • Along with having a correct state of mind and action as we come before our God, what else is necessary? Exodus 19:14.

Note: “All should be taught to be neat, clean, and orderly in their dress, but not to indulge in that external adorning which is wholly inappropriate for the sanctuary. There should be no display of the apparel; for this encourages irreverence. The attention of the people is often called to this or that fine article of dress, and thus thoughts are intruded that should have no place in the hearts of the worshipers. … The parading of bows and ribbons, ruffles and feathers, and gold and silver ornaments is a species of idolatry and is wholly inappropriate for the sacred service of God. … All matters of dress should be strictly guarded, following closely the Bible rule. Fashion has been the goddess who has ruled the outside world, and she often insinuates herself into the church. The church should make the word of God her standard, and parents should think intelligently upon this subject.” Testimonies, vol. 5, 499.

5 WHY SHOULD WE WORSHIP?

  • Who is blessed in the act of worship? Psalms 29:1, 2, 11; 138:1–3, 7, 8; Isaiah 57:15; Psalm 22:3.

Note: “Our God is a tender, merciful Father. His service should not be looked upon as a heart-saddening, distressing exercise. It should be a pleasure to worship the Lord and to take part in His work. … He is their best friend; and when they worship Him, He expects to be with them, to bless and comfort them, filling their hearts with joy and love. … He desires that those who come to worship Him shall carry away with them precious thoughts of His care and love, that they may be cheered in all the employments of daily life, that they may have grace to deal honestly and faithfully in all things.” Steps to Christ, 103.

“The hour and place of prayer and the services of public worship the child should be taught to regard as sacred because God is there. And as reverence is manifested in attitude and demeanor, the feeling that inspires it will be deepened.” Child Guidance, 539.

  • Who else joins us in our worship? Hebrews 1:6; Revelation 4:8, 11; 5:11, 12; 7:9–17.

Note: “There are invisible agencies observing every word and deed of human beings. In every assembly for business or pleasure, in every gathering for worship, there are more listeners than can be seen with the natural sight.” Christ’s Object Lessons, 176.

PERSONAL REVIEW QUESTIONS

1 How is worship to be much more than simply a form that you repeat?

2 How often should you worship?

3 Is worship confined to only certain areas?

4 Can you come before God in any way you like?

5 What does worship do?

Copyright © 2002 Reformation Herald Publishing Association, 5240 Hollins Road, Roanoke, Virginia. Reprinted by permission.

Children’s Story – The Right Decision

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It was the beginning of vacation when Mr. Davis, a friend of my father, came to see us, and asked to let me go home with him. I was much pleased with the thought of going out of town. The journey was delightful, and when we reached Mr. Davis’ house everything looked as if I were going to have a fine time. Fred Davis, a boy about my own age, took me cordially by the hand, and all the family soon seemed like old friends. “This is going to be a vacation worth having,” I said to myself several times during the evening, as we all played games, told riddles, and laughed and chatted merrily as could be.

At last Mrs. Davis said it was almost bedtime. Then I expected family prayers, but we were very soon directed to our chambers. How strange it seemed to me, for I had never before been in a household without family worship. “Come,” said Fred, “mother says you and I are going to share the bed,” and I followed him up two pair of stairs to a nice little chamber which he called his room; and he opened a drawer and showed me a box, and boat, and knives, and powder-horn, and all his treasures, and told me a world of new things about what the boys did there. He undressed first and jumped into bed. I was much longer about it, for a new set of thoughts began to rise in my mind.

When my mother put my portmanteau (a leather trunk that opens into two halves) in my hand, just before the coach started, she said tenderly, in a low tone, “Remember, Robert, that you are a Christian boy.” I knew very well what that meant, and I had now just come to a point of time when her words were to be minded. At home I was taught the duties of a Christian child; abroad I must not neglect them, and one of these was evening prayer. From a very little boy I had been in the habit of kneeling and asking the forgiveness of God, for Jesus’ sake, acknowledging His mercies, and seeking His protection and blessing.

“Why don’t you come to bed, Robert?” cried Fred. “What are you sitting there for?” I was afraid to pray, and afraid not to pray. It seemed that I could not kneel down and pray in front of Fred. What would he say? Would he not laugh? The fear of Fred made me a coward. Yet I could not lie down on a prayerless bed. If I needed the protection of my heavenly Father at home, how much more abroad. I wished many wishes—that I had slept alone, that Fred would go to sleep, or something else; I hardly knew what. But Fred would not go to sleep.

Perhaps struggles like these take place in everyone’s mind when he leaves home and begins to act for himself, and on his decision may depend his character for time, and for eternity. With me the struggle was severe. At last, to Fred’s cry, “Come on, come to bed,” I mustered courage to say, “I will kneel down and pray first; that is always my custom.” “Pray?” said Fred, turning himself over on his pillow and saying no more. His propriety of conduct made me ashamed. Here I had long been afraid of him and yet when he knew my wishes he was quiet and left me to myself. How thankful I was that duty and conscience triumphed.

That settled my future course. It gave me strength for time to come. I believe that the decision of the “Christian boy,” by God’s blessing, made me the Christian man; for in after years I was thrown amid trials and temptations which would have drawn me away from God and from virtue, had it not been for my settled habit of secret prayer.

Let every boy who has Christian parents, read and think about this. You have been trained in Christian duties and principles. When you go from home do not leave them behind you. Carry them with you and stand by them, and then in weakness and temptation, by God’s help, they will stand by you. Take a manly stand on the side of your God and Saviour, of your father’s God. It is by abandoning their Christian birthright that so many boys go astray, and grow up to be young men dishonoring parents, without hope and without God in the world.

M.A. Vroman, Sabbath Readings for the Home Circle, A. B. Publishing, Ithaca, Michigan, 1905, 29–31.

Current Events – Worship in Public Venues

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Amendment I to the Constitution of the United States of America:

“Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.”

“When the state shall use its power to enforce the decrees and sustain the institutions of the church—then will Protestant America have formed an image to the papacy, and there will be a national apostasy which will end only in national ruin.” Last Day Events, 134.

Sovereign Grace City Church in Brooklyn, New York, used to meet for worship every Sunday at P.S. 282, a public school that charged an affordable rent of $1,084 per month for Sunday morning access. But lately Sovereign Grace has changed worship locations nearly every week. The moves were not random: They were a result of a decision by the city to ban religious organizations from renting public school buildings for worship services. www.nytimes.com/2012/02/06.

Despite some legal setbacks, pastors and church supporters in New York City aren’t giving up the fight on what they say is their right to hold worship services in public schools on weekends, even if that means getting arrested.

On Thursday [January 12, 2012], approximately 200 people gathered in the Bronx to hold a prayer rally and protest against the city’s decision to ban religious services from taking place in its public schools on weekends. www.christianpost.com, May 31, 2012.

The United States Supreme Court recently sided with New York City officials who say letting churches worship in school buildings violates the separation of church and state. But Charlotte-Mecklenburg [South Carolina] Schools [CMS] doesn’t plan to change its practice of letting churches rent space after hours. …

CMS leaders acknowledged the ruling, but said they don’t believe it precludes CMS from continuing to count houses of worship among the “educational, recreational, civic and cultural activities” considered acceptable.

http://obsyourschools.blogspot.com/2012/01, May 31, 2012.

Two decisions by the United States Supreme Court provide for the use of public school buildings by churches, religious and political groups on a viewpoint-neutral basis, if the public school districts are already renting their facilities after hours to other community groups. The subsidy involved in use of public schools by religious organizations, however, continues to create concern, confusion, and litigation. The law on the limits of church use is not completely settled. While schools are not permitted to discriminate against religious groups because they are religious, schools can create regulations that impact church use of school buildings. One appellate court, the 2nd Circuit, ruled in 2011 that a school board’s prohibition of hosting a particular type of activity, religious worship services, was constitutional.

Since public school districts often have the least expensive rental rates available in a community, rental to churches often involves what many of us consider taxpayer subsidy of congregations. Start-up churches often take advantage of low school rental to establish themselves. They obtain a prominent site for a new church, collect church donations on public property, and use their savings to eventually buy their own tax-free buildings. No wonder many taxpayers are concerned! ffrf.org/faq/state-church/churches-meeting-at-public-schools/ May 31, 2012.

Fearful Warning

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The lesson that lies in the apostle Peter’s denial of Jesus is both eye-opening and powerful. Not only does it serve as a warning against self-reliance, but it tells us that if we are not truly rooted and grounded in the faith and do not rely on Jesus for salvation, rather than on ourselves, we will incur the same kind of denial that Peter suffered.

There is another who has been in denial regarding the power of God for thousands of years.

Revelation 12 gives a history of the Great Controversy in 17 succinct verses. In verses 7–12 it says, “And there was war in heaven: Michael and His angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels, and prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven. And 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. And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of His Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night. And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death. Therefore rejoice, ye heavens, and ye that dwell in them. Woe to the inhabiters of the earth and of the sea! for the devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a short time.”

Several references are herein made to the fact that Satan’s power is short-lived, at least in terms of eternity.

  • He lost his special place in heaven, a consequence of both his literal and his spiritual downfall.
  • He is going to be overcome—at least by some.
  • He knows that he has a short time.

In Isaiah 14:12, 13, the story of Lucifer’s fall begins: “How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations! For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north.”

“Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised in the city of our God, in the mountain of his holiness. Beautiful for situation, the joy of the whole earth, is mount Zion, on the sides of the north, the city of the great King.” Psalm 48:1, 2.

Satan wanted to sit on the sides of the north like God, just as Isaiah 14:13–15 tells us: “ ‘I will also sit on the mount of the congregation on the farthest sides of the north; I will ascend above the heights of the clouds, I will be like the Most High.’ Yet you shall be brought down to Sheol [hell].” Isaiah 14:13–15, NKJV.

Jesus Himself gave us some hints as to the nature of Satan in John 8:44 (International Standard Version) when He was debating with the Pharisees over their paternity. When they told Him that He was a child of fornication, He responded: “You belong to your father the devil, and you want to carry out the desires of your father. He was a murderer from the beginning and has never stood for the truth, since there is no truth in him. Whenever he tells a lie he speaks in character, because he is a liar and the father of lies.” Here Christ references two commandments that Satan had broken: the sixth and the ninth.

In Genesis 3:15, Jesus said to Satan, “I will put enmity between thee [the serpent] and the woman [the church], and between thy seed [the children of Satan, his evil angels and those he has enlisted on his side on this earth] and her seed [Christ].” When these words were spoken to Satan by Christ in the Garden of Eden he should have given up his quest for supremacy right then and there. That he did not give up clearly shows that he was in absolute denial. And clearly he continues to be in that state of denial today. Throughout scripture his eventual fate is told time and time again, sometimes very directly, as in Genesis 3:15, and sometimes indirectly.

Paul makes it clear who the Seed of the church is. He wrote, “Now to Abraham and his Seed were the promises made. He does not say, ‘And to seeds,’ as of many, but as of one, ‘And to your Seed,’ who is Christ.” Galatians 3:16, NKJV

“It [the Seed of the woman, Christ] shall bruise thy [Satan’s] head, and thou [Satan] shalt bruise His [Christ’s] heel.” Genesis 3:15, last part. This is a fairly direct statement that Satan is going to lose his power and lose the Great Controversy. However, his demise is also predicted in less direct ways.

In Psalm 89:34–37, it says, “My [God’s] covenant will I not break, nor alter the thing that is gone out of My lips. Once have I sworn by My holiness that I will not lie unto David. His seed shall endure for ever, and his throne as the sun before Me. It shall be established for ever as the moon, and as a faithful witness in heaven.”

It is easy to conclude from this that Satan’s kingdom must eventually end.

Daniel, who has given so much wonderful prophecy, wrote in Daniel 2:44, 45: “And in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed: and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever. Forasmuch as thou sawest that the stone was cut out of the mountain without hands, and that it brake in pieces the iron, the brass, the clay, the silver, and the gold; the great God hath made known to the king what shall come to pass hereafter: and the dream is certain, and the interpretation thereof sure.”

In Daniel 7:14, again the promise is made, “And there was given Him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages, should serve Him: His dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and His kingdom that which shall not be destroyed.”

Here again, if Satan were not in a state of hopeless denial, he would realize that the Lord’s kingdom is not going to be destroyed but rather is going to prevail. Therefore, his kingdom would have to end.

In Daniel 7:27, there is another statement which says, “And the kingdom and dominion, and the greatness of the kingdom under the whole heaven, shall be given to the people of the saints of the most High, whose kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and all dominions shall serve and obey him.”

Then there is the wonderful promise in Nahum 1:9: “What do ye imagine against the Lord? He will make an utter end: affliction shall not rise up the second time.”

In Luke 1:31–33, when the angel spoke to Mary about her impending delivery, Satan’s ultimate fate was once again given indirectly: “And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name Jesus. He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto Him the throne of His father David: And He shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever, and of His kingdom there shall be no end.”

In the parable of the sheep and the goats in Matthew 25:41, Christ clearly states the ultimate end of Satan: “Then shall He say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from Me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels.”

In Revelation 20:1–3 it says, “And I saw an angel come down from heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand. And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years, and cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal upon him, that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years should be fulfilled: and after that, he must be loosed a little season.”

In Revelation 20:10, it says, “And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night forever and ever.”

In spite of all the warnings given throughout Scripture that the seed of the woman—that is, Christ and His followers who constitute the church—will prevail, Satan continues in his effort to lead men astray. Unfortunately, he has achieved a great degree of success. Why is this?

In the New King James Version of the Bible, it is stated this way: “The coming of the lawless one is according to the working of Satan, with all power, signs, and lying wonders, and with all unrighteous deception among those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved. And for this reason God will send them strong delusion, that they should believe the lie, that they all may be condemned who did not believe the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.” II Thessalonians 2:9–12.

The International Standard Version translates it a little differently. “The coming of the lawless one will be accompanied by the power of Satan. He will use every kind of power, including miraculous signs, lying wonders, and every type of evil to deceive those who are dying, those who refused to love the truth that would save them. For this reason, God will send them a powerful delusion so that they will believe the lie. Then all who have not believed the truth, but have taken pleasure in unrighteousness, will be condemned.”

Both of these translations put the definite article in front of the word lie: that they “believe the lie.” That lie is that we can be saved in our sins and therefore do not need to heed the many, many Scriptural injunctions regarding dying to self and perfection of character. There is probably no more fearful warning in all of Scripture than this one.

Let’s look for a moment at an interesting little piece of mythology concerning the siege of Troy, which shows in type exactly what Satan is attempting today to conquer mankind. According to legend, the Greeks had maintained a ten-year siege of that ancient city, but they had never been able to take it. So they came up with a remarkable strategy designed to finally penetrate its heavily fortified walls. They constructed a huge wooden horse and left it outside the city walls and then they stopped their siege and retreated.

The citizens of Troy were convinced that the Greeks had given up and that they had left this huge wooden horse as a token of their acknowledgment of the power of their enemies. The Trojans, however, were curious about this horse and decided to bring it inside the gates of the city to remain as a monument to their victory over the Greeks. Although they did not really defeat the Greeks, they were not subdued by them. (Similarly, we will not defeat Satan—that is left to Jesus—but we cannot be subdued by him.) Therefore, they were going to keep this horse as a monument to their invincibility. Little did they know that, inside the horse, soldiers were waiting for the right opportunity to come out and open the gates so that the Greek army that was outside could come inside and capture the town.

In a similar manner, the Roman church has developed a clandestine tactic to penetrate the Protestant churches, even further than they have already done, and bring them under the full control of the Vatican. Although this may seem somewhat unlikely, note the following explanation:

“Throughout Christendom, Protestantism was menaced by formidable foes. The first triumphs of the Reformation [having] past, Rome summoned new forces, hoping to accomplish its destruction. At this time the order of the Jesuits was created, the most cruel, unscrupulous, and powerful of all the champions of popery. Cut off from earthly ties and human interests, dead to the claims of natural affection, reason and conscience wholly silenced, they knew no rule, no tie, but that of their order, and no duty but to extend its power. The gospel of Christ had enabled its adherents to meet danger and endure suffering, undismayed by cold, hunger, toil, and poverty, to uphold the banner of truth in face of the rack, the dungeon, and the stake. To combat these forces, Jesuitism inspired its followers with a fanaticism that enabled them to endure like dangers, and to oppose … the power of truth [with] all the weapons of deception. There was no crime too great for them to commit, no deception too base for them to practice, no disguise too difficult for them to assume. Vowed to perpetual poverty and humility, it was their studied aim to secure wealth and power, to be devoted to the overthrow of Protestantism, and the re-establishment of the papal supremacy.

“When appearing as members of their order, they wore a garb of sanctity, visiting prisons and hospitals, ministering to the sick and the poor, professing to have renounced the world, and bearing the sacred name of Jesus, who went about doing good. But under this blameless exterior the most criminal and deadly purposes were often concealed. It was a fundamental principle of the order that the end justifies the means. By this code, lying, theft, perjury, assassination, were not only pardonable but commendable, when they served the interests of the church. Under various disguises the Jesuits worked their way into offices of state, climbing up to be the counselors of kings, and shaping the policy of nations. They became servants to act as spies upon their masters. They established colleges for the sons of princes and nobles, and schools for the common people; and the children of Protestant parents were drawn into an observance of popish rites. All the outward pomp and display of the Romish worship was brought to bear to confuse the mind and dazzle and captivate the imagination, and thus the liberty for which the fathers had toiled and bled was betrayed by the sons. The Jesuits rapidly spread themselves over Europe, and wherever they went, there followed a revival of popery.” The Great Controversy, 234, 235.

If you have ever stepped into the den of the dragon, you may have had an experience similar to this. Many years ago, I attended a Christmas Eve midnight mass in a very large Catholic Church. It was an amazing show. The church was highly decorated with glitter, gold and beautiful paintings, and candles burning everywhere. Incense was burning, and the priest was arrayed in gorgeous robes. There was also chanting. It was a very impressive service. As Sister White wrote, it all meant “to confuse the mind, and dazzle and captivate the imagination.”

“His [Satan’s] policy is deception from first to last, and his steadfast purpose is to bring woe and wretchedness upon men, to deface and defile the workmanship of God, to mar the divine purposes of benevolence and love, and thus cause grief in heaven. Then by his deceptive arts he blinds the minds of men. …

“When error in one garb has been detected, Satan only masks it in a different disguise, and multitudes receive it as eagerly as at the first.” Ibid., 284, 285. What disguise is Satan using now to lead men from the truth?

Ignatius Loyola and Martin Luther were contemporaries. Martin Luther was just eight years older than Loyola, but the two men could not have had more different influences upon world history. Luther turned decidedly toward dependency on Christ as his personal Saviour. Loyola depended solely on himself. Luther was led by the Holy Spirit; Loyola was led by Satan.

In the book, The Omega Rebellion (Remnant Publications, Coldwater, Michigan, 1982), written by Rick Howard, a Seventh-day Adventist minister, is this statement: “Loyola longed for supernatural experiences, believing them to be evidence of God’s presence and power. Deceived, he turned to the writings of the Roman Catholic mystics and saints, longing for God to reveal Himself in everything, all the time. He desired God’s presence on his terms, and Satan made sure he would think he found him. … Loyola’s experience was mysticism, and he taught all those enlisted in the Jesuit order, which he founded.” (Emphasis added.)

Believing that God is in everything is nothing other than pantheism—the basis for New Age religion and the current phenomenon called “the emerging church.”

“In the emerging Church, due emphasis will be placed on both theological rootage and contemporary experience, on celebration in worship and involvement in social concerns, on faith and feeling, reason and prayer, conversion and continuity, the personal and the conceptual.” [Ian Mobsby, Emerging and Fresh Expressions of Church, Moot Community Publishing, London, 2007, 20, 21.]

Please note the subtle but fatal mixture of truth with error in that statement. Note also the complete lack of a call for repentance and confession.

Let’s look at the different forms of worship practiced or promoted in the “emerging church.” Meant to bring the practitioner to a higher state of consciousness, they are nothing other than different forms of spiritual formation. If they were called by their original names, they would in all likelihood be rejected by most Adventists. When they are called “spiritual formation” they are embraced as the latest and greatest way to know God.

As noted earlier, Loyola thought that by entering into the realm of mysticism he would find God. What he actually found was an open channel of communication with evil spirits, which he assumed to be a revelation of God. He combined the techniques of mystics and monks from centuries earlier into what he called “spiritual exercises.” In the book, The History of Protestantism, by J. E. Wylie [Hartland Publications, Rapidan, Virginia, 2002], Loyola’s work is compared with the magicians who strove to rival Moses. A Jesuit who had gone through these exercises remarked that, “Loyola’s book on this subject was truly written by the finger of God and delivered to Ignatius by the Holy Mother of God.” Adventists, however, know exactly that Satan is the one who wrote it for him.

The object of these exercises was to render the members of this order absolutely obedient to their superiors, who in turn were equally submissive to those above them, and they to those above them, until it finally got to the Jesuit general at the top of the hierarchy. The first Jesuit general elected by those under him was indeed Ignatius Loyola.

Once converted, it did not matter what one’s superiors demanded of him, even if it was immoral or illegal. They believed that the end justifies the means. When fully committed, they believed that by contemplating holy things while the body was engaged in sinning, the soul remained free from sin. So, in a nutshell, a Jesuit believes that he can commit murder, tell lies, abuse children, or perform any other abominable act, and justify his actions by thinking about what he believes to be holy things while he is sinning. One thing is absolutely clear from this and that is that spiritual exercises can destroy the conscience.

These same exercises are taught in spiritual formation classes and seminars, only in a more subtle form. One of these exercises is meditation, often called “meditative prayer” or “contemplative prayer.” New Agers, Hindus, and other Eastern religions practice these techniques. In fact, some professedly Christian teachers believe that Christians are depriving themselves if they do not learn the ways of other religions. Rick Warren, the author of the best-seller, The Purpose Driven Life [Zondervan, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 2002], wrote, “In the wider ecumenism of the spirit being opened for us today, we need to humbly accept the learnings of particular religions. What makes a particular practice Christian is not its source, but its intent.” Apparently Mr. Warren believes that the Bible alone is not sufficient to teach us to grow spiritually. We need the help of Eastern mystics.

Contemplative prayer sounds innocent enough to the average Christian. It may sound like intimate communion with God to ponder His majesty, His power, His love, His providences, contemplating all the wonderful attributes of God and meditating on His word. Unfortunately, this is not what is taught in spiritual formation classes. One teacher of contemplative prayer describes it this way: “When one enters the deeper layers of contemplative prayer, one sooner or later experiences the void, the emptiness, the nothingness … the profound mystical silence … the absence of thought.” William Johnston, Letters to Contemplatives, Maryknoll, NY: Orbis Books, 1992, 13.

What is taught by spiritual formation instructors and contemplative prayer is just the opposite of what it sounds like. The purpose is to so completely empty the mind that one enters into a sort of self-induced hypnotic state. A repetitive mantra is used to achieve this emptiness, much like that employed by practitioners of Eastern religions and occult practices. A mantra is a word or a phrase, maybe even a scripture or a portion of a scripture that is repeated over, and over, and over. In Matthew 6:7, Jesus said of this practice, “But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking.”

It is mind-boggling that Christians can be induced to do the very thing that Jesus commanded them not to do, all the while believing that they are having a close encounter with God.

Another aspect of spiritual formation is called “The Silence.” What one author wrote about it doesn’t just border on blasphemy; it is blasphemy. “I turned from the world about me to the world of consciousness that lies within. I shut out all memories of the past, create no images of the future. I concentrate on my being, on my awareness. I slide deep into the very recesses of my soul to a place of utter repose. I know, I know that this is Immortal Self, this is God. This is me. I am, I always was, I always will be.” U. S. Andersen’s, Three Magic Words, Wilshire Book Company, Chatsworth, California, 2011, 319.

Is that not what Satan told Eve when he tempted her to sin? What utter deception. This is the ultimate form of idolatry, making God to be whatever you imagine Him to be, even yourself. This certainly sounds like the original lie told in the Garden of Eden. I cannot help but think of the words of Paul to the Romans in Romans 1:25 where he wrote, “Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen.”

Keep in mind that these techniques taught in “Christian” seminars are the very techniques used by mystics and Buddhists. If you were to trace back to the source of nearly all of the spiritual formation seminars conducted, you would find that Catholic priests, especially Jesuits, are at the root. Just as the Greeks used the Trojan horse to overthrow the citizens of Troy, the Jesuits are using a spiritual Trojan horse to overthrow the foundation and pillars of Christianity.

One of the diabolical ideas introduced by spiritual formation is that a Christian must experience “the silence” to have genuine spiritual growth. This leaves the feeling with those who have experienced it that they have reached a higher plane than those who have never learned the spiritual exercises.

Another quote from Rick Howard’s book, The Omega Rebellion, states: “Roman Catholic doctrine teaches that supernatural manifestations experienced when the disciple enters the mystical state called the silence, where the presence of God is experienced, are absolutely required for there to be any genuine Christian growth, for that is where God’s grace is received, according to their theology.” Howard, 114.

Another aspect of spiritual exercises is hypnosis. We know enough about the dangers of allowing someone to control our minds that we don’t need to dwell on this one very much. Basically, in hypnotism, the subject is yielding complete control of his mind to someone else, who has likewise yielded his mind to the control of Satan.

Now let’s discuss what is termed “utter repose” or “ecstasy.” Remember the words of Andersen that we read: “I slide deep into the very recess of my soul to a place of utter repose.” Here is a clue as to what the person encounters when practicing the contemplative prayer and entering “the silence,” the self-hypnotic state. When the individual has an experience of utter repose or ecstasy, he abandons Christian reasoning. Notice that I said “Christian reasoning.” Because human reasoning is quite fallible, we can get in serious trouble if we rely on human reasoning without the aid of Scripture. Christian reasoning involves a conscience affected by a knowledge of Scripture and the divine will.

Do I need to tell you that to depend on feelings is dangerous ground? Remember that Satan can affect our feelings. That’s something that I have discovered time and time again while giving Bible studies. The person I’m studying with so often talks about his feelings and how he has had a wonderful feeling after a Bible study. I don’t ever want to quash that feeling, but it is a dangerous thing to rely on feelings as an evidence of spiritual growth. We know that we walk by faith and not by sight—by faith and not by feeling.

One proponent of spiritual formation, when listening to a preacher explain that the Bible was to be our sole and ultimate authority, responded this way, “No, no, no. The ultimate authority in my life is not the Bible. It is not confined between the covers of a book. It is not something written by men and frozen in time. It is not from a source outside of myself. My ultimate authority is the divine voice in my soul.” How much trouble do you think you can get into if that is all you rely on?

I once had a very interesting discussion with someone I love very dearly, but who was very much opposed to my becoming a Seventh-day Adventist. I expressed my belief that the Bible contains the truth and contended that if you want to know what to do to have eternal life, the Bible will tell you. If you want to know the ultimate reference to determine right from wrong, it is the Bible. I was told very adamantly, “No, I know what’s right and wrong.” I tried to explain that no one has an innate ability to know absolutely what is right and wrong in every circumstance.

If a child is brought up smoking cigarettes and drinking coffee, that’s going to be normal to him and he will not see anything wrong with it. And of course, children are brought up doing things much worse than that. Unless you have some external, objective reference, you are not going to know what is right and wrong. That reference has to be the inspired word of God—the Bible. Although it was indeed written by men, it was written by men who were inspired by the Holy Spirit, and it does indeed contain the truth.

Well, clearly the spiritual formation movement is poised to take over Christendom. It all ties in with the warning given in Revelation 13:3, “And I saw one of his heads as it were wounded to death, and his deadly wound was healed: and all the world wondered after the beast.”

Since the deadly wound was inflicted in 1798 when the papacy was temporarily overthrown, the deadly wound has been healing. The counter-reformation launched at the Catholic church’s Council of Trent, along with the relentless working of the Jesuits, has once again made the Vatican the most powerful organization on the planet.

In the past, the papacy made physical war with the saints. An estimated 50 million martyrs were slain for refusing to accept the pope as supreme and for refusing to submit to Catholic doctrines and practices. In modern times, the strategy is different. Protestants are being overthrown by stealth, infiltration, deception, political involvement and whatever means Rome can use, especially this new Trojan horse—spiritual formation.

Do not ever forget that the papacy does not confine itself to religious affairs. The Vatican desires the same position it held during the dark ages—supreme power over the nations and their governments.

Just as the mystery of iniquity was at work in Paul’s day to bring the papacy into power, it is at work now. Spiritual formation is providing a powerful medium for the three unclean spirits of Revelation 16 to gain entry to the multitude who open themselves up to devils when they enter “the silence.”

History is being repeated. Just as the great falling away took place in the early church, resulting in the exaltation of the papacy, once again just before the Second Coming of Christ, a falling away is in progress.

In II Thessalonians 2:3, 4, we read, “Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition; who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God, sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God.”

The temple of God is the church. It is not some brick and mortar structure. It is not a rebuilt temple in literal Jerusalem.

Note what Paul wrote to the Ephesians in Ephesians 2:20–22: “And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief corner stone; in Whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord: in Whom ye also are builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit.”

Peter alluded to the same concept in I Peter 2:5: “Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ.”

Popular teaching today is that the antichrist will appear after the saints have been raptured. He will then, supposedly, make a covenant with literal Israel, and the temple will be rebuilt in Jerusalem. What many do not know is that this is an interpretation of the Jesuit, Francisco Ribera, who, in the 16th century, designed this theory to get the papacy off the hook. The reformation was in full swing and the Catholic Church was losing members by the thousands, who were convinced that Rome was the seat of antichrist. By removing the final week of Daniel’s seventy-week prophecy given in Daniel 9:24–27, and throwing it somewhere into the future, Ribera was able to divert attention away from the papacy to some future individual.

This futurist interpretation of Daniel and Revelation has been embraced by the majority of Christians, leaving them vulnerable to Satan’s great deceptions. Focus has been taken off the pope as antichrist, leaving little fear of what the Vatican is planning. By accepting these Jesuit fables, Protestant Christians have placed themselves in a very precarious position.

It is because of a lack of individual study and consecration to Christ that multitudes are being deceived. Herein lies the reason why spiritual formation is so widely accepted.

In I Peter 5:8, Peter wrote, “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary, the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour.”

As we read in the beginning from Revelation 12:12, “Woe to the inhabiters of the earth and of the sea! for the devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a short time.”

He knows that his time is short, but do we realize the same? The meeting of time and eternity is drawing nigh. Let us be so familiar with scripture that we can recognize Satan’s deceptions, even in their most subtle form and be hid with Christ in God so that we will not be among those who are devoured by the roaring lion.

John Pearson is the office manager and a board member of Steps to Life. After retiring as chief financial officer for the Grand Canyon Association, Grand Canyon, Arizona, he moved to Wichita, Kansas, to join the Steps team. He may be contacted by email at: johnpearson@stepstolife.org.

New Age Worship

by

Genesis 3 is a summary of principles introducing us to the beginning of what is called the New Age. Any philosophy on spiritual things that is not based upon the word of God leads in the wrong direction. It may include some truths from the Bible, like believing the truth of creation and a healthy diet, but without a firm foundation, that knowledge mixed with error can only produce an incorrect and false spirituality that will not last.

In the beginning God created the world and all that is in it. He made a beautiful garden to be a home for our first parents, Adam and Eve, and in the midst of the garden He planted the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Of all the trees in the garden, this tree was the only one that God held back from them, prohibiting them from eating of it. All of the others were to be for their food.

At the end of each creation day God declared His work “good.” Jesus, while on earth spoke with a rich young ruler who came to Him asking, “ ‘Good Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?’ Jesus said to him, ‘Why do you call Me good? No one is good but One, that is, God.’ ” Luke 18:18, 19. When God said, at the end of each day of creation week, that what He saw was good, He meant that the things He made were like God but not God. The moon, the stars and all that was created were good. Everything created for man right down to the smallest mote in the sunbeam had, as they came from the Creator’s hand, the character of God impressed upon them. But though these things were like God, they were not God.

The New Age belief and pagan spirituality make created things, like the sun, moon and the forces of nature, gods to be worshiped instead of the creator God. From the tree of knowledge of good and evil Satan was able to introduce this seed of error craftily mixed with an element of truth.

Today, Eastern religions have become very popular presenting a diagram of the spiritual notion of the balancing of forces, half black and half white—some good in the bad and some bad in the good. This would mean that there is some bad in God and some good in Satan, but this is a deception. There was no poison in the garden home; there was no sin and there was nothing evil. The tree of knowledge of good and evil was put there as a test for Adam and Eve to choose to whom they would give their allegiance. Sin came about by the blending of truth with error. There was a preacher in the Garden of Eden, a preacher of unrighteousness, and as he preached his message to Eve she started to believe the principles of New Age—new philosophies that God did not create.

The serpent said unto the woman, “Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?” Genesis 3:1. It was a certainty, that as a result of transgressing the will of God, there would be death, but the seed of doubt was planted there, it took root and germinated.

Paul says, “For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” Romans 6:23. This is a very clear statement. By eating that fruit offered by Satan, our first parents transgressed God’s law; they stole what was not theirs and committed murder. By that simple act they caused the death of billions of their descendants. Every imaginable sin has now come into this world as a result of that first indiscretion. How simple it seems; how horrid the results!

Satan well knows that for sin or error to be attractive and effective it has to be connected with truth. Sin and its results, devoid of any truth, would stand out in all of its unattractiveness and horror without anything to attract the unsuspecting person. That is why yin and yang exist, the black has some white and the white has some black creating a very cunning and deceptive belief.

Genesis 3:1 says, “Now the serpent was more subtle than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?” In other words, did God say that? Seriously, is that what He said? Are you sure He said that? Here, with all of his subtle cunning, Satan created doubt in the mind of Eve as to what instruction God had actually given.

Then Satan outright contradicts what God had said: “And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die.” Verse 4. In Genesis 3 verses 1 and 4, we see the beginning of New Age, the beginning of the teaching of false and erroneous doctrines; a false philosophy resulting in a false system of religion. As we see in Genesis 3:1, the idea of questioning or inculcating doubt in the certainty of God’s word is the foundation of New Age and false religion.

We have been told that man was made a little lower than the angels (Hebrews 2:7), but New Age says that man is an angel. God says He created man, but the New Ager says man is god! The whole belief that man “shall not surely die” (Genesis 3:4) as a result of his transgression of God’s command implying doubt in connection with the truth, is the foundation of false religion and the New Age.

From this idea of not really dying, we have a myriad of false concepts that have come into the world—soul migration, reincarnation, and other different types of beliefs of what happens to you when you die and that there is some other consciousness or some kind of life. Even some people who claim to believe in the Bible tend to believe that there is some after-life that is separated from consciousness in this form.

The Bible says, “For the living know that they shall die: but the dead know not any thing.” Ecclesiastes 9:5. They experience no more hatred or variance for there is no more consciousness because there is no more memory in the grave where they go. The Bible is very clear in Ecclesiastes 9 that whatever you have to do, do it while you are alive for there will not be another opportunity in the grave. This being the truth, how then do so many have the idea that there is so much light after death and that the soul goes on and on? Unbelief mixes truth with error becoming a faulty foundation bearing doubt in the clear word of God.

Within this foundation of truth and error there is really no penalty for sin for “you will not surely die.” Not only is there no penalty for sin, but the soul lives on in some kind of life after death. In Genesis 3:5 it says, “For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods.” That is the ideal illumination, eyes opened. By partaking of this secret truth Satan claims that the mysteries of the world will be revealed, bringing out that which is already in you by partaking of his spiritual exercises and various practices and “you shall be as gods.” However, unless God Himself has revealed them, those mysteries of the world belong with God alone.

What the devil actually says here is that by your transgression of God’s instruction, you will not die and your eyes will be opened. You will mix both good and evil and by this method you will become like God. It is no wonder Jesus said that Satan was “a liar, and the father of it.” John 8:44.

Martial Arts

All martial arts widely practiced in the East and other various places are connected with religion and usually the religion of the town from which it came. The postures and stances are forms of worship. When entering the traditional school, it is necessary to first bow to the creator of the skies, which is usually a picture on the wall of the person who developed that particular type of martial art. The picture is always situated on the eastern wall. After bowing in that direction, to the place of the rising sun, you then bow to the senior student or the teacher. After bowing to these three, you make a triangle and place it upon the floor, bowing down and placing your forehead into this triangle. The forehead is the location in the brain where the frontal lobe is situated. This is the place of all reasoning and from here all decisions are made. By bowing into the triangle, the will is submitted to the leader or picture of the leader and also to the instructor. This routine is by no accident and is very significant.

New Age religion, like paganism, encompasses the worship of the solar system—the sun and stars. As well as the animals, the powers of man, including his sexual power is worshiped as in the ancient Baal worship. The serpent is revered, considering it to be the greatest creature and believing it to be one of the highest forms of divinity.

In many religions today various portions or principles can be found that were forbidden in the book of Genesis.

The foundation of New Age is contraindicated in the Bible. The eyes of many have been taken away from worshiping God to worshiping His creation, the sun, moon and the stars.

God has revealed His character, His good, in His creation. A study of the human body with its healing and restorative powers, all reveal the character of God demonstrating His love and compassion. Even when we transgress He wants to bring us healing. His creation has no power of its own, but so many direct their worship to mere objects instead of the Source of all power.

Many say they simply use items to enhance their worship with God, but who is it that has the right to dictate worship? Who is it who dictates what is right and what is wrong; is it the creature or the Creator? Who is able to argue with God? Job tried! He did not sin, but he tried to dialog with God Who made him realize his place. Job became quiet realizing the majesty and creative power of God as He started showing him all these mysteries and various things He had created in the world (Job 38; 39). Job came to the conclusion that he had to close his mouth at the wisdom and manifold power of God (Job 40:4, 5).

We cannot tell God what we need to do in order to worship Him. Cain thought he could adjust his sacrifice to the fruit of his own labor (Genesis 4:3), from the sacrificial lamb that God had instructed. He found out the hard way that it was not accepted (verse 5). It is interesting that the result of Cain’s disobedience was to kill his brother, whose offering God accepted. This same attitude has existed throughout the generations, resulting in religious persecution up to today where hatred is still exhibited against those who continue to worship God in the manner He has commanded.

God is not happy when we endeavor to make up our own rules when it comes to worship. Paul says, “For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness.” Romans 1:18.

As we recognize the qualities and power that God has put in His creation, we are to fall on our knees and recognize His greatness and glory and direct our praise to Him, not bow down and worship beasts and things whether they be living or just representations of them. By worshiping the creature we “hold the truth in unrighteousness.” It says, “Because that which may be known of God is manifest [made clear or made evident] in them; for God hath shewed it unto them. For the invisible things of Him [the things we cannot see, the spiritual things, the things that are not able for our eyes to see clearly] from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse.” Romans 1:19, 20.

We are to examine creation in order to understand the Creator and God has left us no excuse. There was a time when everyone knew who God was. Adam and Eve knew who God was; they saw Him face to face and their children saw the angels with the flaming swords guarding the entrance to the garden so that they would no longer have access to the tree of life. Our first ancestors had much evidence of divine power and understood these things. But, “when they knew God, they glorified Him not as God [they did not give Him praise and reflect His character], neither were thankful; but became vain [self-centered] in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened.” Verse 21. They had the truth and they held it in unrighteousness, their own imagination, which became vain or unprofitable, or outside of what God had said. How insulting to God for man to praise the stars, the gold and silver, fall down and worship things able to be burned and destroyed instead of the One who gave them for man’s enjoyment and for him to see His manifold love and return to Him the deserved blessings for being a good Father.

Man would rather cut down a tree, cutting it up into pieces and from that tree build a house. He would then build a fire and take some of the wood to warm himself. Out of another piece he would make some implements of very different furniture, and then take a part of it and make a god and fall down and worship it. How ignorant is man to think that a piece of wood or stone has any power, yet he will fall down and say, “This is my god, hear me!” (See Isaiah 44:14–17.)

Many today are under the same delusion of pagan worshipers, “Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools.” Romans 1:22.

All of the pagan mystery religions are based upon the concept of giving you wisdom. Darwinism, Buddhism and the various other religions of the East all claim to give the highest form of wisdom. The books of these various teachings are seen as fruit to be desired to make one wise, but they all result in transgression against the law of God.

James says, “If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally.” James 1:5. All wisdom comes from God through His word. We are to meditate upon God’s word. It is not to meditate in the way that New Age teaches to blank out the mind, resisting all thoughts and impressions to the reciting of some poem, or some cone or mantra or looking at nature.

Eastern meditation is clearly not meditating on God’s word, but emptying the mind, disallowing the prompting of the Holy Spirit’s conviction of sin, which is the only means of revealing our need of a Saviour. The vacant mind makes it susceptible to the deception of the evil one who promises the false wisdom. We are told to meditate on God’s word, which will develop the mind, allowing the Holy Spirit to convict us of sin. It is very dangerous to block out the impressions that come from the Holy Spirit.

The New Age belief is very dangerous, but the majority of people allow their children to watch cartoons and various television shows that teach its principles in a far more effective way than any temple or book can do. If you research the authors and the creators of these things, you will find that they are New Age advocates following these religions. “For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he.” Proverbs 23:7.

This philosophy is pervading the whole earth, flooding it from many different channels, and we must be vigilant and fight against it. God is not the forces of nature—He created them! God is not the sun, moon and the stars. God is not internal energy—God is the creator of all these things! Each is to have its proper place but never an object of worship. It is in vain that man says, “I’m god too, so I’m going to take this stone and make my image, made in the image of a man. I will take this gold and make an image of a calf and worship it. I will make an image of Buddha and worship it.” Others keep those trinkets, claiming they don’t actually worship them but just have them to help them find God. That is like Aaron, supposedly in charge of the Israelites while Moses was on the mount receiving the tables of commandments, while trying to excuse himself for building the golden calf in the wilderness said that he just threw the chains and the bracelets inside the oven and the big calf jumped out!

When confronted with truth, don’t run in a different direction. There is only one way to find wisdom and one way of salvation and that is through Jesus Christ who was in the image of God. Laying aside His divinity He took on human nature that we might be partakers of His glory. We were originally made in the image of God and by Satan’s deception inherited the image and character of Satan, but we have all been invited to receive Christ’s robe of righteousness and once more reflect the image of God physically, mentally and spiritually.

We are to be restored and live godly by the power of God under the principle of purity.

John R. Cofer is currently engaged in establishing training schools under the name, The Schools of the Prophets for the youth. He and his wife, Maria, have established a digital media company to create and promote video media teaching the unique message of Adventism using social media such as Facebook and Youtube. He can be contacted by email at: landmarks@stepstolife.org.