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Christ Our Righteousness

The Three Angels’ Messages The Sanctuary

The Immutable Law of God

The Non-Immortality of the Soul

The Seventh-day Sabbath Christ Our Righteousness




The Seventh-day Sabbath Christ Our Righteousness




The Seventh-day Sabbath

November 2001November 2001Volume 16, Number 11Volume 16, Number 11

A Time of Probation

for Churches

A Time of Probation

for Churches

2 Our Firm Foundation

editorial

September 11, 2001, will go downin American history as the dateof one of the greatest of all

tragedies for our nation up to thistime. America and the world willnever be the same again. Two of ourown commercial jetliners, hijackedby demon-inspired terrorists,crashed into the World TradeCenter’s twin towers in Manhattan,New York City. Two other planeswere hijacked and crashed as well,one of which crashed into thePentagon, the headquarters of theUnited States’ Defense Department.The impacts, with their resultingfires, and the collapse of the build-ings, brought instant death tothousands of Americans, disintegrat-ing frightened passengers and officeworkers in flames and rubble—toawait the final judgment.

As Americans sat shocked andparalyzed before their television sets,watching the trauma played out inthe smoking ruins of the multi-billion-dollar World Trade Center,we were reminded of 1941 and PearlHarbor, when 2,500 service men andcivilians died in the three-hourJapanese attack.

The world is stirred with thespirit of war! From now on therewill be no more peaceful momentsamong the children of men—“Men’shearts failing them for fear, and forlooking after those things which arecoming on the earth.” Luke 21:26.

The powers of darkness aremaking a last effort to gain posses-sion of the souls of all mankind.“For we wrestle not against fleshand blood, but against principalities,against powers, against the rulers ofthe darkness of this world, againstspiritual wickedness in highplaces.” Ephesians 6:12.

Listen to Isaiah describe thewickedness of our world today: “Forour transgressions are multiplied

before thee, and our sins testifyagainst us: for our transgressionsare with us; and as for our iniqui-ties, we know them; in transgressingand lying against the LORD, anddeparting away from our God,speaking oppression and revolt,conceiving and uttering from theheart words of falsehood. Andjudgment is turned away backward,and justice standeth afar off: fortruth is fallen in the street, andequity cannot enter.” Isaiah 59:12–14.

How solemn and unprecedentedare the scenes which the remnantSeventh-day Adventist Church willsoon pass through! This tragedy is awake-up call to all Seventh-dayAdventist leaders, pastors, and laity,for it has catapulted us anothergiant step toward the very end oftime in this present world. Probationis about to close! What did the angelsay?

“I was pointed to the remnant onthe earth. The angel said to them,‘Will ye shun the seven lastplagues? Will ye go to glory andenjoy all that God has prepared forthose who love Him and are willingto suffer for His sake? If so, ye mustdie that ye may live. Get ready, getready, get ready. Ye must have agreater preparation than ye nowhave, for the day of the Lord cometh,cruel both with wrath and fierceanger, to lay the land desolate andto destroy the sinners thereof out ofit. Sacrifice all to God. Lay all uponHis altar—self, property, and all, aliving sacrifice. It will take all to enterglory. Lay up for yourselves treasurein heaven, where no thief canapproach or rust corrupt. Ye must bepartakers of Christ’s sufferings hereif ye would be partakers with Himof His glory hereafter.’ ” 1

As I write I am reminded ofanother very important vision of ourprophet. It is recorded in Testimonies,

vol. 9, 11-17, and was also publishedin the July 2001 issue of Our FirmFoundation. You will find some othersobering statements in the compilationin this issue entitled “What EllenWhite Saw a Century Ago.”

As I read her words, I cannothelp but wonder whether SisterWhite was shown the destruction ofthe Word Trade Center’s twin towers.

Now, dear Seventh-day Adven-tists, not only are we seeing porten-tous signs in the world, but alsosadly we are seeing them in ourbeloved church.

We are told by our prophet that“the very last deception of Satanwill be to make of none effect thetestimony of the Spirit of God,” 2 andthat just before probation closes,drums, celebration-type music, anddancing would come into ourchurches. 3 Also, there would be onegreat final apostasy, called theOmega, just before the end. 4 Thefulfillment of these prophecies isnow before us.

The words of Jeremiah apply toour Laodicean condition: “Mybowels, my bowels! I am pained atmy very heart; my heart maketh anoise in me; I cannot hold my peace,because thou hast heard, O my soul,the sound of the trumpet, the alarmof war. . . . For my people is foolish,they have not known me; they aresottish children, and they have noneunderstanding: they are wise to doevil, but to do good they have noknowledge.” Jeremiah 4:19, 22.

May we hasten to yield our heartsand minds fully to God while the lastmoments of probation linger. �

Ron Spear, Executive Editor

References:1 Early Writings, 66–67, emphasis supplied.2 Selected Messages, book 1, 48.3 See ibid., book 2, 35–37.4 See ibid., book 1, 193–205.

A Greater Preparation

3Volume 16, Number 11

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table of contentsVolume 16, Number 11 November 2001

28 Christians, Are We?Tom WatersWhat was the sin of Eli? How can we avoid it?

17 Will the Real Adventist Please Stand Up!Ron SpearWhat one thing is the driving force in your life?

9 What Ellen White Saw a Century AgoEllen G. WhiteDid God show Sister White the recent tragedies inNew York City?

12 The Destiny of the Seventh-day Adventist ChurchColin StandishEight key questions regarding a vital topic

4 A Time of Probation for ChurchesBob JorgensenDoes the Seventh-day Adventist Church stillrepresent God’s chosen people?

24 Separation From the WorldEllen G. White“It is safer to be joined to the Lord, and lose the favorand friendship of the world.”

It is the mission of Hope Internationaland the editors of Our Firm Foundation toclearly present Christ and His truth. Thedays that yet remain of this world arefew, and what we do we must do quickly.We must boldly proclaim the historictruths of Adventism that place us on sofirm a foundation in the midst of thistroubled world. –Editors

Executive Editor: Ron Spear

Administrative Editor: Bill Humeniuk

Managing Editor: Harvey Steck

Layout & Design: Kevin Patterson

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Defending the Faith . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

The Garden of the Heart . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20

News Watch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22

Letters to the Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31

departments


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This is the first in a three-part seriesof articles on the subject of the church.Much misunderstanding exists as towhat different groups believe, and whichview is correct. This series attempts toset forth answers to these difficulties.

—The Editors

n Seventh-day Adventism thereappears to be several directionsof thought that have been

developing. One of these is thethought that developments ofapostasy in the organized confer-ence church have surely reached thepoint where God has fully spewedthe church out of His mouth, andthat He has no further use for it.Another view is that no matter howgreat the apostasy gets in theorganized conference church, it willalways be God’s one and only truechurch, and that those who deter-minedly stay with it will eventuallybe saved. Some of us who have beencaught up in the fray are accused ofbeing Judaizers, along with manyother unflattering terms, because,though we agree there is greatapostasy and worldliness in the

church, we do not agree that theorganized church has becomeBabylon, or that apostasy hascaused God to close the door ofprobation on the organized confer-ence church yet.

Statements have been made thatseem to assume that we view theconference leadership as being thechurch. However, in reality theconference leadership is only a partof the church—and a small part atthat. The Seventh-day AdventistChurch has over 12 million mem-bers, but only a small fraction of thisnumber are elected officials oremployees of the denomination.

The positions and responsibili-ties of conference leadership couldbe considered as being a part of theexercise of the gift of “governments.”“Governments” are given for theperfecting of the church, just as areprophecy, teaching, and so forth. Butlike the other gifts, “governments”can be perverted and misused bythose who are in positions ofresponsibility and leadership. Themisuse of such gifts usually resultsin serious and subtle, yet extensive,

departure and apostasy from God.Yet the misuse of such gifts of theSpirit—even in such a widespreadmanner—does not automaticallycause the rejection by God of thewhole church.

In this three-part series we willaddress several of the many issuesrelating to this controversy about thechurch: “The Application of theVineyard”; “The Close of Probationfor Churches”; “The Chosen Peopleand the Fullness of the Time”; “TheSeventh-day Adventist Church andthe Sealing.”

The Application of the Vineyard

In Matthew 21 is recorded aparable that Jesus told of a vineyardin which a householder set up avineyard and put husbandmen incharge of it. There were vines in thevineyard that were to be cared for,and fruit to be yielded and har-vested. There was a winepress andalso a tower. It was walled in with ahedge. In the time of harvest thehouseholder sent servants to receivethe fruits of the vineyard. However,the servants were beaten, stoned,

A Time of Probationfor Churches

B o b J o r g e n s e nB o b J o r g e n s e n

A Time of Probationfor Churches


and killed. He sent other servants,and they were treated likewise. Hefinally sent his son, but he too waskilled. Jesus made an application ofthis parable to the Jewish nation asGod’s church on earth, and Heshowed that the ensuing result ofrejecting and murdering the Sonwould be that the kingdom of Godwould be taken from Israel andgiven to another group of people.

There are several points thatneed to be noted carefully. First, inthat parable the vineyard repre-sented God’s people, or Hischurch. 1 The husbandmen whowere left in charge of it were theleaders of Israel. The tower was thetemple, which was the center of thereligious services committed to thenation. In spite of the merchandis-ing and criminal activities goingon in the temple it was stillclaimed by Jesus as belonging, notto the leadership (who were indark apostasy and rebellion), butrather to His Father. He called it“My Father’s house.” John 2:16. Itwas not until a matter of hoursbefore His death that Jesus spokeof the temple as “your house,”which was to be left desolate. Itwas then no longer His Father’shouse. Yet it was the Father’s houseall through the centuries of darkapostasy and rebellion that pre-ceded those final moments ofChrist’s ministry and death. Inspite of the fact that the husband-men were in charge of the vineyardand were going contrary to thedirections of the master, it was stillthe master’s vineyard. Anyone whowould say that it belonged to thehusbandmen would be taking theside of treason and disloyalty.

The application to Israel isapparent. Though, like an airplanethat has been hijacked, the nationwas under the leadership andoppression of men in rebellionagainst God; though at the time ofChrist’s birth the office of high priestwas often gained by fraud, bribery,and murder; yet God claimed thenation as His chosen people,declaring that out of that nation aLight would shine. Those who wereseeking the Light were often directed

to that nation. The wise men (whoprobably had a better understandingthan the leaders of Israel) weredirected by God first to go to Jerusa-lem to come in contact with thesacred writings and the templeestablishment. After a period of timethere, they were directed to go on toBethlehem.

All of these developmentsdepended upon the existence of arecognized nation and a religiousidentity in an organized form thatGod pointed to as His chosenpeople and His church on earth. Wewould expect that no one wouldargue with the assessment given byInspiration that at that very time theJewish nation had become theagency of Satan to pervert andmislead people from the truth. God

simply illustrated that He could stillfulfill His purpose, in part at least,within the very nation of Israel.Inspiration also tells us that at thetime of the birth of Christ the heightof the deception of sin had beenreached—more within Israel than inany other nation.

We would call attention toanother point: The rejection andmurder of the servants that weresent did not close probation for thehusbandmen and the vineyard. Itwas the rejection and murder of theSon that finally closed the probationof the Jewish church. It is veryimportant to understand the differ-ence between the rejection of theprophets and the rejection of theSon. Without the rejection of the Son,Israel could conceivably havecontinued on for many more yearsrejecting and killing the prophets—yet their probation would still haveremained open. However, it was therejection and murder of the Son thatsealed their fate. That was the “laststraw,” as we sometimes say.

But what made it the last straw?Did God’s patience wear out? Wasthe rebellion getting too close to Himto allow it to continue? Did God justarbitrarily “drop the curtain,” as itwere, and say, “Enough is enough”?Some other aspects of the fullness ofthe time will be discussed later, butit must clearly be emphasized herethat it was not so much a failure ofthe patience of God, but rather theloss of ability on the part of Israelthat sealed their fate.

When God closed the door andthe temple curtain was rent in two,God was saying to the world thatIsrael had ruined their capability tobe of any further value in thedevelopment of truth and in theworking out of God’s plan. Byofficially rejecting Christ and mur-

dering Him, they had placed theirnation where it was an impossibilityfor them to develop any more truth.And here every Jew remains whodoes not accept the Son of God ashis Saviour. He must accept Christas the Messiah in order to progressinto an understanding of the NewCovenant and the three angels’messages. Much that to us is simpleand basic gospel truth is hidden inmystery and darkness to every Jewuntil he faces the reality of hishistory and accepts Christ as hisMessiah. It is simply a matter of factthat the “organic” function of thehuman mind of the person and thechurch that rejects Christ as theMessiah is totally unprepared tounderstand and participate in thedevelopments of truth that cameafter A.D. 31.

The fullness of the time hereincludes the fact that a final, ulti-mate, testing truth has arrived. It isthe time of visitation. 2 Previously, allother truths pointed to and preparedthe way for this development of

Inspiration also tells us that at the time of the birth of

Christ the height of the deception of sin had been

reached—more within Israel than in any other nation.


truth. In symbols and ceremoniesIsrael had held the promise of thefullness of time in terms of a finaltesting truth to arise from withintheir midst. To have closed theirprobation previous to the arrival ofthis final development would havedestroyed the whole plan of salva-tion and given Satan the victory.This will be discussed more fully inthe section called “The ChosenPeople and the Fullness of theTime.”

In the light of these consider-ations, I would like to emphasizethat we do not dispute the statementfound in The Desire of Ages, 232:

“The Sanhedrin had rejectedChrist’s message and was bent uponHis death; therefore Jesus departed

from Jerusalem, from the priests, thetemple, the religious leaders, thepeople who had been instructed inthe law, and turned to another classto proclaim His message, and togather out those who should carrythe gospel to all nations.”

Rather, such statements actuallyserve to illustrate the very emphasisthat we are making in this re-sponse—namely, that when themajority of the leadership rejects theimportant truths, God works withother classes within His church. Inancient Israel when the ecclesiasticalauthorities rejected Jesus, He turnedto another class—not to anothernation or another group. It was notat this time that the gospel wasgiven to the Gentiles, but rather toanother class of Israel. Even whentalking to non-Israelites He empha-sized that “salvation is of the Jews.”John 4:22. He did not mean by thisthat the leadership had the clearestlight from Heaven, or that they wereeven walking in the truth—rather,He was confirming that the oraclesof truth, and the development of

Heaven’s purpose was still takingplace within Israel.

The Close of Probation forChurches

Recently, there have been discus-sions in which the idea of a close ofprobation for churches has beenquestioned or denied. The idea of arole for the denominated Seventh-day Adventist Church as far as anyfurther usefulness in the develop-ment of God’s plan, has beenrejected by some. Yet, it seems to methat some important statements andconsiderations are being overlooked.

A concept that is described in theSpirit of Prophecy is that there is anaccount kept with nations, andwhen the account, or cup, is full,

then its probationary time comes toan end, and judgments take place.One of the many places where thisconcept is discussed is in the notedsection of Testimonies, vol. 5, thatdeals with the sealing of God’speople. This section, though writtenprior to 1898, still deserves somevery careful analysis. It gives a last-day application of a prophecy thatwas written in Old Testament times.On page 208 we find this thought:“With unerring accuracy the InfiniteOne still keeps an account with allnations. While His mercy is ten-dered with calls to repentance, thisaccount will remain open; but whenthe figures reach a certain amountwhich God has fixed, the ministry ofHis wrath commences. The accountis closed. Divine patience ceases.There is no more pleading of mercyin their behalf.”

This idea of an account (time ofprobation) which is maintained fornations is also discussed in manyother passages—such as in The GreatControversy, 627. We should befamiliar with the fact that the loud

cry message is actually an an-nouncement that our country hasfilled up its cup, which closes itsprobation. It is when the nationalSunday legislation is passed that thelimit of God’s forbearance will bereached, and national apostasy willbe followed by national ruin. Seesuch statements as the following:“As the approach of the Romanarmies was a sign to the disciples ofthe impending destruction ofJerusalem, so may this apostasy be asign to us that the limit of God’sforbearance is reached, that themeasure of our nation’s iniquity isfull, and that the angel of mercy isabout to take her flight, never toreturn.” 3

Let us consider the experience ofBabylon in the time of Belshazzar inwhich the words were written by thehand of an unseen Watcher on thewalls of the palace in burning lettersof fire: “Thou art weighed in thebalances, and art found wanting.”Daniel 5:27. This meant simply thatBabylon’s probation had come to anend, and that the scepter of powerhad passed to another nation. Whenprobation for a nation comes to anend, when its cup of iniquity hasbeen filled, it simply means that Godwithdraws His protection, favor,and blessing, and that nation is leftto reap the results of their sin andapostasy. This usually takes theform of destruction or subjugation toanother nation.

We are also told that an account(time of probation) is kept withfamilies 4 and with individuals. Anaccount is kept with cities as well. Itwas when the men of Sodom tried torape the angels who visited theircity that their cup was filled, andthen judgments came upon them.Their probation had closed. 5

Israel had a standing as a nationand also as a church. Certainly wewould not question whether or notthey experienced a close of proba-tion as a nation. They are referred toas a nation divorced from God. 6

Interestingly, and significantly, theyare referred to also as a nationunchurched. “It was not the hand ofthe priest that rent from top tobottom the gorgeous veil that

Israel had a standing as a nation and also as a church.

Certainly we would not question whether or not they

experienced a close of probation as a nation.


divided the holy from the Most HolyPlace. It was the hand of God. WhenChrist cried out, ‘It is finished,’ theHoly Watcher that was an unseenguest at Belshazzar’s feast pro-nounced the Jewish nation to be anation unchurched. The same handthat traced on the wall the charac-ters that recorded Belshazzar’sdoom and the end of the Babyloniankingdom, rent the veil of the templefrom top to bottom, opening a newand living way for all, high andlow, rich and poor, Jew and Gentile.From henceforth people might cometo God without priest or ruler.” 7

When Christ was crucified, theJewish nation became unchurched—meaning that it had lost its status asa church in God’s eyes. It was nolonger His church—His chosenagency for the development oftruth—His special depositary for theoracles. A new movement nowbecame God’s visible church. It hasalways been this way. When Godcloses the probation of a church, Hepoints people to a new movement asHis church. Thus, when probationclosed for the Jewish church at thecrucifixion of Christ, immediatelythe attention of true seekers of truthbegan to be directed to the newapostolic church which rapidlygained prominence through theDivine—the Holy Spirit—workingand intervening.

Thus it was with the Protestantchurches in 1844. By rejecting theproclamation of the first angel’smessage, they closed and sealedtheir destiny. God at that very timewas raising up a new movement,drawing attention to it as the newdepositary of truth and the oraclesof God. The ministry of a prophetmarked God’s designation of thenew movement as being His chosenpeople—the visible church of Godon earth. This movement is whatbecame known as the Seventh-dayAdventist Church.

Interestingly, we are clearly toldthat the Seventh-day AdventistChurch will be “weighed in thebalance”—which means that itdefinitely has a probationary statusand will come to a time when theaccount will be settled. Notice how

the statement reads: “In the balancesof the sanctuary the Seventh-dayAdventist Church is to be weighed.She will be judged by the privilegesand advantages that she has had. Ifher spiritual experience does notcorrespond to the advantages thatChrist, at infinite cost, has bestowedon her, if the blessings conferredhave not qualified her to do thework entrusted to her, on her will bepronounced the sentence: ‘Foundwanting.’ By the light bestowed, theopportunities given, will she bejudged.” 8 This was written in 1903,several years after 1898, but itrepeats a theme that was empha-sized in an earlier period when thecommentary on the sealing waspublished in Testimonies, vol. 5, 207–216.

That same passage in theTestimonies, speaks of a time ofvisitation (a reminder of Israel’sexperience as God’s church andchosen nation), of rapidly swellingfigures (indicating an account, atime of probation, a filling up of thecup), and signs of approaching ruin.It speaks of the little company in thechurch when the danger anddepression of the church is thegreatest. It speaks of a time whenGod’s presence has left the church,and of overflooding worldlinessthroughout the membership of thechurch. At this time the sealing willcommence in the church, followedby the beings with slaughteringweapons carrying out the judgmentsof God. Let us remember that thesealing renders a person’s destinysecure for all eternity.

In the section on the sealing andthe Seventh-day Adventist Churchwe will look more fully at thecharacteristics of what is takingplace in the church in the time

described in Ezekiel 9. Perhaps itwill help us see that just as Israelwas preserved, in spite of rebellionand apostasy, to bring forth theMessiah, so the Seventh-day Adven-tist Church was brought intoexistence and will be preserved, inspite of apostasy and rebellion, toinitiate the sealing of God’s faithfulpeople. Until that sealing com-mences, until the separating of thewheat and tares takes place, we areunwarranted in concluding that theprobation of the Seventh-dayAdventist Church has closed. Andlet us keep in mind that the move-ment that finally emerges followingthe embattled Seventh-day AdventistChurch is a purified movement—thefirst in history ever to be free of anytares.

Any new group that attempts tosupersede the Seventh-day AdventistChurch and yet still contains wheatand tares together, would simplyperpetuate apostasy, rebellion, andwould undoubtedly arrive at furtherdepths of apostasy than what wealready have—but in a shorterlength of time. In fact, it would haveto either totally disqualify the wholeAdvent movement since 1844, or elsedisqualify itself, since all it would bedoing is repeating the accomplish-ments of the Advent movementpreviously. Furthermore, to super-sede the Advent movement of 1844–2001 it would need to providesimilar, if not greater, credentials interms of the ministry of prophecy, ofprovidential interpositions, andcompel worldwide recognition on agreater scale than that of the Adventawakening of the 1840s—which wehave been told was the purest andgreatest since Pentecost. 9

Many statements clearly refer to aprobationary status for the Seventh-

Let us keep in mind that the movement that finally

emerges following the embattled Seventh-day Adventist

Church is a purified movement—the first in history ever

to be free of any tares.


Final ConflictFinal Conflict

day Adventist Church, and thepossibility of filling up its account.See for example in Testimonies, vol. 5,529: “It is time that we were closelyexamining our hearts to see whetheror not we are in the faith and in thelove of God. If there is not anawakening among us who have hadso great light and so many privi-leges, we shall sink to ruin and ourfate will be worse than that ofChorazin and Bethsaida; ‘for,’ asChrist said of those cities, ‘if themighty works, which were done inyou, had been done in Tyre andSidon, they would have repentedlong ago in sackcloth and ashes.’Matthew 11:21.”

Also see Testimonies, vol. 8, 67:“Jerusalem is a representation ofwhat the church will be if it refusesto walk in the light that God hasgiven. Jerusalem was favored of Godas the depositary of sacred trusts.But her people perverted the truth,and despised all entreaties andwarnings. They would not respectHis counsels. The temple courtswere polluted with merchandise androbbery. Selfishness and love ofmammon, envy and strife, werecherished. Everyone sought for gainfrom his quarter. Christ turned from

them, saying: ‘O Jerusalem, Jerusa-lem,’ how can I give thee up? ‘Howoften would I have gathered thychildren together, even as a hengathereth her chickens under herwings, and ye would not!’ Matthew23:37.”

There are some today who feelthat they are God’s new movement,that they have a “present truth”—that they are now His church, thatsupersedes the Seventh-day Adven-tist Church, that they are the pureand true remnant who are giving theloud cry and experiencing the powerof the latter rain. It would seem thatwe need to more earnestly study thepassage found in Early Writings thatclearly describes what qualifies as“present truth.” 10 In Life Sketches,196, we have been told that we neednot fear for the future unless weforget how the Lord has led, andHis teaching, in our past history.

Surely, if we are to be honestwith ourselves, we must acknowl-edge that there is as much or moreconfusion among all the variousministries, home churches, andindependent groups as is to befound in the organized church. Ihave never heard so many strangeteachings and winds of doctrine

being promoted in the organizedchurch as are now taking place inthe other channels. There is muchignorance regarding how the Lordhas led, and what the pillars oftruth have been. Is it not presump-tuous for us to feel or claim thatprobation has now closed for theSeventh-day Adventist (organized)Church, and that our group or ourministry is the superseding repre-sentative of the true remnantchurch? Surely, we must studymore diligently and take a morecareful survey of all aspects beforemaking any such bold assump-tions. �

Next month in part two of this serieswe will cover the topic of “The ChosenPeople and the Fullness of the Time.”

References:1 See Prophets and Kings, 15–22.2 See The Desire of Ages, 235, and many other

similar references.3 Testimonies, vol. 5, 451. See also Signs of

the Times, June 12, 1893; and so forth.4 See Patriarchs and Prophets, 165; Signs of the

Times, September 11, 1884; and so forth.5 See Patriarchs and Prophets, 159.6 See The Acts of the Apostles, 145.7 The Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commen-

tary, vol. 5, 1109.8 Testimonies, vol. 8, 247.9 See The Great Controversy, 401.10 Early Writings, 63.

This book contains a selection of 18 chapters from The GreatControversy. It is perfect for handing out to a lost world! Beauti-ful full-color cover with an eye-catching design. It illuminatesthe final problems of the crisis soon to break upon an unsus-pecting world!

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In the light of the recent terroristattacks in the United States, how solemnare the words of the Lord’s messengerwritten a century ago! We share withour readers this sampling of what sherecorded, sent to us by Bob Jorgensen.We encourage each one to prayerfullystudy to know our duty for the hour inwhich we are living.

The Editors

n the night I was, I thought, in aroom but not in my own house. Iwas in a city, where I knew not,

and I heard explosion after explo-sion. I rose up quickly in bed, andsaw from my window large balls offire. Jetting out were sparks, in theform of arrows, and buildings werebeing consumed, and in a very fewminutes the entire block of buildingswas falling and the screeching andmournful groans came distinctly to myears. I cried out, in my raised posi-tion, to learn what was happening:Where am I? And where are ourfamily circle? Then I awoke. But Icould not tell where I was for I was inanother place than home. I said, OhLord, where am I and what shall I do?It was a voice that spoke: “Be notafraid. Nothing shall harm you.” 1

I have seen the most costly structuresin buildings erected and supposed to be

What Ellen White Saw a Century Ago

E l l e n G . W h i t e

fireproof. And just as Sodom perishedin the flames of God’s vengeance, sowill these proud structures becomeashes. . . . The flattering monuments ofmen’s greatness will be crumbled in thedust, even before the last great destructioncomes upon the world. 2

The destruction by fire of thestately buildings supposed to befireproof is an illustration of how in ashort time earth’s architecture will lie inruins. 3

Men will continue to erect expen-sive buildings, costing millions ofmoney; special attention will be calledto their architectural beauty, and thefirmness and solidity with which theyare constructed; but the Lord hasinstructed me that despite the unusualfirmness and expensive display, thesebuildings will share the fate of the templein Jerusalem. 4

New York City

His message must be given inGreater New York. The people mustbe shown how it is possible for God,by a touch of His hand, to destroythe property they have gatheredtogether against the last great day. 5

I have no light in particular inregard to what is coming on New

York, only that I know that one daythe great buildings there will be throwndown by the turning and overturningof God’s power. . . . Death will comein all places. This is why I am soanxious for our cities to be warned. 6

On one occasion, when in NewYork City, I was in the night seasoncalled upon to behold buildingsrising story after story toward heaven.These buildings were warranted tobe fireproof, and they were erected toglorify their owners and builders. . . .

The scene that next passedbefore me was an alarm of fire.Men looked at the lofty andsupposedly fireproof buildings andsaid: “They are perfectly safe.” Butthese buildings were consumed as ifmade of pitch. The fire enginescould do nothing to stay the destruc-tion. The firemen were unable tooperate the engines. 7

Other Statements

The ungodly cities of our worldare to be swept away by the besomof destruction. In the calamities thatare now befalling immense buildingsand large portions of cities, God isshowing us what will come uponthe whole earth. He has told us,“Now learn a parable of the fig tree;When his branch is yet tender, and

What Ellen White Saw a Century Ago

I


putteth forth leaves, ye know thatsummer is nigh: so likewise ye,when ye shall see all these things,know that it [the coming of the Sonof man] is near, even at the doors.”Matthew 24:32–33. 8

Already His judgments havebegun to fall upon the inhabitants ofthe land. He can touch the largestso-called fireproof buildings, and intwo or three hours they are as noth-ingness, burned to the ground. 9

Other Things Ellen White Said

O that God’s people had a senseof the impending destruction ofthousands of cities, now almost givento idolatry. 10

We shall see troubles on allsides. Thousands of ships will be

hurled into the depths of the sea. Navieswill go down, and human lives will besacrificed by millions. Fires will breakout unexpectedly, and no human effortwill be able to quench them. Thepalaces of earth will be swept awayin the fury of the flames. Disasters byrail will become more and more frequent;confusion, collision, and death without amoment’s warning will occur on thegreat lines of travel. The end is near,probation is closing. Oh, let us seekGod while He may be found, callupon Him while He is near! 11

The world over, cities are becominghotbeds of vice. On every hand are thesights and sounds of evil. Every-where are enticements to sensualityand dissipation. The tide of corrup-tion and crime is continuallyswelling. Every day brings therecord of violence—robberies,murders, suicides, and crimesunnamable.

Life in the cities is false andartificial. The intense passion for

money getting, the whirl of excite-ment and pleasure seeking, the thirstfor display, the luxury and extrava-gance, all are forces that, with thegreat masses of mankind, areturning the mind from life’s truepurpose. They are opening the doorto a thousand evils. Upon the youththey have almost irresistiblepower. 12

But erelong there will be suchstrife and confusion in the cities,that those who wish to leave themwill not be able. We must be prepar-ing for these issues. This is the lightthat is given me. 13

The work of the people of God isto prepare for the events of thefuture, which will soon come uponthem with blinding force. In the

world gigantic monopolies will beformed. Men will bind themselvestogether in unions that will wrapthem in the folds of the enemy. A fewmen will combine to grasp all themeans to be obtained in certain linesof business. Trades unions will beformed, and those who refuse to jointhese unions will be marked men. 14

There are not many, even amongeducators and statesmen, whocomprehend the causes that underliethe present state of society. Thosewho hold the reins of governmentare not able to solve the problem ofmoral corruption, poverty, pauper-ism, and increasing crime. They arestruggling in vain to place businessoperations on a more secure basis. 15

Through spiritualism, Satanappears as a benefactor of the race,healing the diseases of the people,and professing to present a new andmore exalted system of religious faith;but at the same time he works as a

destroyer. His temptations are leadingmultitudes to ruin. Intemperancedethrones reason; sensual indulgence,strife, and bloodshed follow. Satandelights in war, for it excites the worstpassions of the soul and then sweeps intoeternity its victims steeped in vice andblood. It is his object to incite the nationsto war against one another, for he canthus divert the minds of the peoplefrom the work of preparation to standin the day of God.

Satan works through the ele-ments also to garner his harvest ofunprepared souls. He has studiedthe secrets of the laboratories ofnature, and he uses all his power tocontrol the elements as far as Godallows. . . .

While appearing to the childrenof men as a great physician whocan heal all their maladies, he willbring disease and disaster, untilpopulous cities are reduced to ruinand desolation. Even now he is atwork. In accidents and calamities bysea and by land, in great conflagra-tions, in fierce tornadoes and terrifichailstorms, in tempests, floods,cyclones, tidal waves, and earthquakes,in every place and in a thousandforms, Satan is exercising his power.He sweeps away the ripening harvest,and famine and distress follow. Heimparts to the air a deadly taint, andthousands perish by the pestilence.These visitations are to become moreand more frequent and disastrous.Destruction will be upon both manand beast. 16 �

References:1 Manuscript Releases, vol. 11, 361. All empha-

sis has been added by the compiler. Note:According to sources at the Ellen G. WhiteEstate, the correct wording here is “explo-sion after explosion,” not “expression afterexpression,” which is a transcription error.

2 Selected Messages, book 3, 418–419.3 This Day With God, 152.4 The Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commen-

tary, vol. 5, 1098.5 Manuscript Releases, vol. 3, 311.6 Review and Herald, July 5, 1906.7 Testimonies, vol. 9, 12–13.8 Counsels on Health, 268.9 The Publishing Ministry, 190.10 Evangelism, 29.11 Messages to Young People, 89–90.12 Country Living, 5–6.13 Ibid., 11.14 Ibid., 10.15 Testimonies, vol. 9, 13.16 The Great Controversy, 589–590.

There will be such strife and confusion in the cities, that

those who wish to leave them will not be able. We must

be preparing for these issues.

11Volume 16, Number 11 See page 3 for shipping and sales-tax information.

“Sanctify the Lord God in yourhearts: and be ready always to givean answer to every man that askethyou a reason of the hope that is inyou with meekness and fear.”1 Peter 3:15. We need to be able togive an answer for our faith. Mark-ing your Bible can give you the edgeyou need. It takes work, but therewards are worth all the effort.

We pray that you will be blessedby these studies. As you mark them,may you be encouraged to spendmore time in God’s Word and tosearch out the hidden things of God.Always be sure to look for opportu-nities to share them with others.

The Editors

Bible Marking Directions

• On a blank page in the front orback of your Bible, write the studytitle, the code, and the first reference.This month’s entry would appear asfollows: What Was Accomplished at theCross? (WAC) Romans 5:10.

• Turn to the first verse and writethe code, the comment (if you wishto use the comments), and the nextreference beside it. If the comment islong, you can write it at the top orbottom of the page, with an asteriskor the code of the study to refer youto it.

• Turn to the next text and repeatthe process until you come to theend. Beside the last text, write thestudy code and “End.”

• Go through the study to checkfor broken links.

• Share the study with someone!

How to mark your Bible and be ready to share your faith

defending the faithLISA EPPERLY

Pho

to:

© C

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s

For more information on Bible marking, or for a greater selection ofstudies, go to http://www.biblemarking.com or refer to “Mark Your Bible!”in the August 2001 issue of Our Firm Foundation.

Romans 5:10—We were recon-ciled to God.

Hebrews 2:13—We are broughtback to our Father’s house.

Zechariah 13:7—God showedhow much He abhors sin.

Ephesians 1:7—Jesus earned theright to forgive our sins. See alsoHebrews 9:22.

1 John 1:7—To obtain forgive-ness, we must walk in the light.

2 Corinthians 5:14–15—He gaveus the choice to serve Him out oflove for Him.

Romans 5:6–9—He took ourplace and paid the penalty of thesecond death that we deserve.

John 17:3–4—Jesus came to showus His Father. He justified God, Hislaws, and His government, beforethe whole universe.

Philippians 2:6–8—He demon-strated that the Godhead was

What Was Accomplished at the Cross?

humble and willing to serve.

Isaiah 53:3–5—He proved thatGod loves us so much that He waswilling to endure anything.

Hebrews 5:8—He demonstratedobedience to the point of death.

Luke 23:29–31— Those who donot accept Jesus’ death for their sinswill experience hell and the seconddeath. See Revelation 20:13–15.

Matthew 5:17–18—He fulfilledthe demands of the law, therebyvindicating the law.

Psalm 85:10—He demonstratedthe righteousness and mercy of God.

John 13:1—He loved us morethan He loved Himself.

Revelation 5:8–9—Don’t youwant to join the redeemed in prais-ing Jesus for what He has shown usby His death?

Revelation 7:9–10—You can ifyou choose.

What did Jesus accomplish by His death on the cross? He paid the pricefor our sins, didn’t He? Yes, but that is just a superficial answer. Over adozen things were accomplished by His death. While this study does notassume to cover all of them, we pray you will be blessed as you study eachof the following points and ask the Lord what impact it should have onyour life.


A few months ago, we asked thequestion, “Is it time for a newdenomination?” 1 Our conclu-

sion was: No, in spite of our insub-ordination as a people, it is notGod’s plan for us to organize thetrue and faithful Seventh-dayAdventists into a new organization.

We believe that a thorough studyof the words of Inspiration leads tothe conclusion that God will purifyHis church and prepare His peoplefor translation by the sifting andshaking process.

Experience Not a Safe Guide

We must never make crucialdecisions solely on the basis of whatwe observe or what we experience.Two personal experiences haveconvinced me of the importance ofholding to the Word alone:

In the late 1940s and early 1950s,I heard evangelists boldly thunderthat Communism would not be amajor player in end-time eventsbecause Revelation 13 allowed foronly two superpowers at the end of

C o l i n S t a n d i s h

time—the Papacy and America. Butwhen Communism engulfed almosthalf the population of the world, ourevangelists lost their nerve and ceasedpreaching this message. Yet in 1980 Iwas impressed to preach this messageonce again, because I believed theWord of God which “faileth not”—though I could see no evidence ofthe collapse of Communism. But, asyou know, my faith in the Word hassince been wholly validated.

Then as we came to the end ofthe 1980s, the media was ignited bythe news that Saddam Hussein ofIraq was planning to rebuildBabylon. But, according to Jeremiah51:61–62, Babylon will never berebuilt. I began to preach thatHussein would never achieve hisgoal—little knowing that the GulfWar would end his dream.

Looking at the state of ourbeloved church, we see no way forits purification and triumph. Humanwisdom dictates that the rampagingdecline in the teaching of presenttruth will be followed by yet deeper

apostasy. Such wisdom would alsoforecast that the worldliness andwickedness so prevalent in ourchurch today will continue to erodeevery fiber of morality for which theSeventh-day Adventist movementonce stood.

However, we pay scant attentionto what human wisdom dictates, forwe are men and women of the Book.We demand a plain “Thus saith theLord.” From inspired sources, wefind no basis for forming a newdenomination. Rather, we see theangels hard at work, separating thewheat from the tares, and siftingand shaking the house of Israel.Fiery trials and winds of strife willblow away every speck of chaff.Only the pure grain will remain inGod’s sieve—the church—that Hewill have perfectly purified.

Key Questions

I wish to present eight questionsthat I believe hold the key to thedestiny of the Seventh-day AdventistDenomination:

C o l i n S t a n d i s h

The Destinyof theSeventh-dayAdventist Church

The Destinyof theSeventh-dayAdventist Church


1. Is there still a faithful remnantwithin the Seventh-day AdventistChurch?

God has always had a faithfulremnant. Sometimes we say that theSeventh-day Adventist Church is theremnant church because its membersare the remnant. However, this is afalse premise. The remnant are thosewho do not engage in iniquity (seeZephaniah 3:13), and those whokeep the commandments of God andhave the testimony of Jesus Christ.See Revelation 12:17. They are notthe remnant of the world, but theremnant of God’s church.

“Except the LORD of hosts had leftunto us a very small remnant, weshould have been as Sodom, and weshould have been like untoGomorrah.” Isaiah 1:9. (See Romans9:27–29 for a New Testamentapplication of Isaiah’s prophecy.)We—the members of the Seventh-day Adventist Church—would longhave been left to our rebellion had itnot been for the faithful remnant inthe church.

Ellen White tells us that theacceptance of the wine of Babylonwould “convert the church intoBabylon.” 2 This wine, of course, isthe exaltation of Sunday over thetrue Sabbath and the immortality ofthe soul, along with related heresies.Sister White makes it clear that theSeventh-day Adventist Church is notBabylon because it does not embracethese errors.

It therefore stands to reason thatif the worldwide body were ever toendorse Sunday sacredness ornatural immortality—or even tomake these beliefs optional, as theWorldwide Church of God recentlydid with the Sabbath—this would bean official sellout to Babylon, andwould doubtless require the faithfulto leave. Because the church has nottaken this step—either in practice, orby the vote of a worldwide GeneralConference—one cannot claiminspired support for the idea that itis now time to abandon corporateAdventism and start a new organi-zation.

We cannot deny the widespreadwickedness so evident in God’schurch; yet there is still a remnant

of godly leaders, ministers, work-ers, and laity who give evidence oftheir unwavering loyalty to Godand to His truth. Let me share acouple of statements from Inspira-tion: “You will take passages inthe Testimonies that speak of theclose of probation, of the shakingamong God’s people, and you willtalk of a coming out from thispeople of a purer, holier peoplethat will arise. Now all thispleases the enemy. We should notneedlessly take a course that will

make differences or create dissen-sion.” 3 “When anyone is drawingapart from the organized body ofGod’s commandment-keepingpeople, when he begins to weigh thechurch in his human scales andbegins to pronounce judgmentagainst them, then you may knowthat God is not leading him.” 4 Yes,God still has a faithful remnantwithin the Seventh-day AdventistChurch structure.

2. Is the Seventh-day AdventistChurch still the fold of God?

The servant of the Lord clearlydeclares that the Seventh-dayAdventist Church is God’s fold:

“The church on earth is greatlybeloved by God. It is the foldprovided for the sheep of Hispasture.” 5

While God has provided thechurch as a fold for His sheep, wemust sadly recognize that wolves—false shepherds—have come over thewall and have scattered the sheepand driven some of them out. Thosewho are faithful do not lose theirsalvation if they are wrongfully castout of the fold, for Christ will notforget who His faithful sheep are.The church is still the fold of God,and He has promised to bring thefaithful back into the fold:

“Woe be unto the pastors thatdestroy and scatter the sheep of mypasture! saith the LORD. Thereforethus saith the LORD God of Israelagainst the pastors that feed mypeople; Ye have scattered my flock,and driven them away, and havenot visited them: behold, I will visitupon you the evil of your doings,saith the LORD. And I will gather theremnant of my flock out of allcountries whither I have driventhem, and will bring them again totheir folds; and they shall be fruitful

and increase. And I will set upshepherds over them which shallfeed them: and they shall fear nomore, nor be dismayed, neither shallthey be lacking, saith the LORD.”Jeremiah 23:1–4; see also Ezekiel34:12–14.

Yes, the Seventh-day AdventistChurch is still the fold of God.

3. In light of the apostasy existingin the Seventh-day Adventist Church, isit still the church militant?

Some would have us believe thatthe church cannot be the churchmilitant if open sin is allowed to existuncorrected. However, let us considerthe Biblical record. Israel remainedGod’s chosen people and the deposi-tary of truth throughout centuries ofthe most grotesque apostasy—including idolatry, human sacrifices,and much more. By Jesus’ time thespirit of rebellion and apostasy wasrooted even more deeply; yet Christstill declared to the Samaritan woman:“Salvation is of the Jews.” John 4:22.Despite incredible corruption in thetemple precincts, Jesus still called thetemple “My Father’s house.” John2:16. He likewise stated to the Jewishleaders in the parable of the wickedhusbandmen: “The kingdom of Godshall be taken from you, and givento a nation bringing forth the fruits

When anyone is drawing apart from the organized body

of God’s commandment-keeping people . . . then you

may know that God is not leading him.


thereof.” Matthew 21:43. You cannottake from someone what they nolonger possess.

Sister White says: “Has God noliving church? He has a church, butit is the church militant, not thechurch triumphant.” 6 Later on inthe same chapter she describes someof the uncorrected apostate condi-tions existing within the churchmilitant: “False doctrine is one of thesatanic influences that work in thechurch, and brings into it those whoare unconverted in heart. . . . Insteadof the unity that should exist amongbelievers, there is disunion. . . . Menarise speaking perverse things todraw away disciples after them-selves.” 7 How does God then regardthe church? “Although there areevils existing in the church, and willbe until the end of the world, the

church in these last days is to be thelight of the world that is pollutedand demoralized by sin. The church,enfeebled and defective, needing tobe reproved, warned, and counseled,is the only object upon earth uponwhich Christ bestows His supremeregard.” 8

“Let everyone who is seeking tolive a Christian life, remember thatthe church militant is not the churchtriumphant. Those who are carnallyminded will be found in the church.. . . It may be that in the church thereare those who are cold, proud,haughty, and un-Christian, but youneed not associate with this class.There are many who are warm-hearted, who are self-denying, self-sacrificing, who would, were itrequired, lay down their lives tosave souls. Jesus saw the bad andthe good in church relationship, andsaid, ‘Let both grow together untilthe harvest.’ Matthew 13:30.” 9

The church militant will bedefective until the close of probation.

Yet we are promised: “The work issoon to close. The members of thechurch militant who have provedfaithful will become the churchtriumphant.” 10

Yes, the Seventh-day AdventistChurch is still the church militant.

4. Is the Laodicean message able toprepare a people for the kingdom ofheaven?

When we review the Laodiceanmessage, which has primary appli-cation to the Seventh-day AdventistChurch, there is no question that thechurch is “wretched, and miserable,and poor, and blind, and naked.”Revelation 3:17.

Yet in His great love God givesthe antidote: “Gold tried in the fire,that thou mayest be rich; and whiteraiment, that thou mayest be clothed,

and that the shame of thy nakednessdo not appear; and . . . eyesalve, thatthou mayest see. As many as I love, Irebuke and chasten: be zealoustherefore, and repent.” Verses 18–19.

In spite of the threat to spew usout of His mouth, Jesus is stillknocking at the door of our hearts.See verse 20.

If God’s people accept theLaodicean message, they will betaken to heaven: “Those who comeup to every point, and stand everytest, and overcome, be the price whatit may, have heeded the counsel ofthe True Witness, and they willreceive the latter rain, and thus befitted for translation.” 11

Yes, the Laodicean message willpurify a people to be translated toheaven.

5. Will the shaking and the siftingpurify God’s church?

The book of Hebrews tells us thatGod’s church will be terriblyshaken: “And this word, Yet once

more, signifieth the removing ofthose things that are shaken, as ofthings that are made, that thosethings which cannot be shaken mayremain.” Hebrews 12:27.

This shaking is frighteninglythorough: “Soon everything that canbe shaken will be shaken, that thosethings that cannot be shaken mayremain.” 12

The heresies that come into thechurch cause the shaking:

“God will arouse His people; ifother means fail, heresies will comein among them, which will sift them,separating the chaff from thewheat.” 13

“I asked the meaning of theshaking I had seen, and was shownthat it would be caused by thestraight testimony called forth by thecounsel of the True Witness to theLaodiceans. This will have its effectupon the heart of the receiver, andwill lead him to exalt the standardand pour forth the straight truth.Some will not bear this straighttestimony. They will rise up againstit, and this will cause a shakingamong God’s people.” 14

A large proportion of God’sprofessed people will be swept outof the church: “When the law ofGod is made void the church will besifted by fiery trials, and a largerproportion than we now anticipate,will give heed to seducing spiritsand doctrines of devils.” 15

Who will be shaken out?—“Thecareless and indifferent, who did notjoin with those who prized victoryand salvation enough toperseveringly plead and agonize forit, did not obtain it.” 16

The angels of God perform thesifting. If humans were to take itupon themselves to call those whomthey believed to be faithful out of theSeventh-day Adventist Church,surely they would make manymistakes.

Yes, the shaking and sifting willpurify a people unto the Lord.

6. Are the faithful sifted out of thechurch while the wicked stay in?

“For, lo, I will command, and Iwill sift the house of Israel amongall nations, like as corn is sifted in a

God will arouse His people; if other means fail, heresies

will come in among them, which will sift them,

separating the chaff from the wheat.


sieve, yet shall not the least grainfall upon the earth.” Amos 9:9.

The servant of the Lord says:“The church may appear as about tofall, but it does not fall. It remains,while the sinners in Zion will be siftedout—the chaff separated from theprecious wheat.” 17

Note that the chaff and tares—orthe wicked and unfaithful—aresifted out, while not one grain ofwheat falls to the ground. The Bibleis very plain that at the end of timethe shaking will drive out thewicked as God cleanses His church,but the faithful will remain inJerusalem: “And it shall come topass, that he that is left in Zion, andhe that remaineth in Jerusalem, shallbe called holy, even every one that iswritten among the living in Jerusa-lem: when the Lord shall havewashed away the filth of the daugh-ters of Zion, and shall have purgedthe blood of Jerusalem from themidst thereof by the spirit of judg-ment, and by the spirit of burning.”Isaiah 4:3–4.

It is also noted that while theterrible judgments of God are pouredout upon the unfaithful in His church,the faithful are still in Jerusalem, evenwhen the glory of the Lord hasdeparted. See Ezekiel 9:3–5.

The Spirit of Prophecy is veryclear that the end-time shaking willremove the apostate majority fromprofessed Adventism:

“The shaking of God blowsaway multitudes like dry leaves.Prosperity multiplies a mass ofprofessors. Adversity purges themout of the church. As a class, theirspirits are not steadfast with God.They go out from us because theyare not of us; for when tribulation orpersecution arises because of theWord, many are offended.” 18

“As the storm approaches, alarge class who have professed faithin the third angel’s message, buthave not been sanctified throughobedience to the truth, abandon theirposition and join the ranks of theopposition.” 19

“At the eleventh hour the Lordwill gather a company out of theworld to serve Him. There will be aconverted ministry. Those who have

had privileges and opportunities tobecome intelligent in regard to thetruth, and yet who continue tocounterwork the work God wouldhave accomplished, will be purgedout.” 20

Thus, unlike the first five ques-tions, this question must be an-swered with an emphatic, NO—thefaithful are not sifted out while thewicked remain in the church.

7. Is the Seventh-day AdventistChurch still the depositary of God’struth?

“God is leading out a people. Hehas a chosen people, a church onthe earth, whom He has made thedepositaries of His law. He hascommitted to them sacred trust andeternal truth to be given to theworld. He would reprove andcorrect them.” 21

“God has called His church, asHe called ancient Israel, to stand asa light in the earth. By the mightycleaver of truth—the messages of thefirst, second, and third angels—Hehas separated a people from thechurches and from the world, tobring them into a sacred nearness toHimself. He has made them thedepositaries of His law, and hascommitted to them the great truths ofprophecy for this time. Like the holyoracles committed to ancient Israel,these are a sacred trust to be com-municated to the world.” 22

Just as ancient Israel was thedepositary of the law, and truthcould be found in the Jewish faith,so it is true today in the Seventh-dayAdventist Church.

Yes, saving truth can still befound in the Seventh-day AdventistChurch.

8. Is the call out of Babylon a call toleave the SDA Church?

“God has a church, a chosenpeople; and could all see as I haveseen how closely Christ identifiesHimself with His people, no suchmessage would be heard as the onethat denounces the church asBabylon.” 23

“Again I say, The Lord hath notspoken by any messenger who callsthe church that keeps the command-ments of God, Babylon. True, thereare tares with the wheat; but Christsaid He would send His angels tofirst gather the tares and bind themin bundles to burn them, but gatherthe wheat into the garner. I knowthat the Lord loves His church. It isnot to be disorganized or broken upinto independent atoms. There is notthe least consistency in this; there isnot the least evidence that such athing will be. Those who shall heedthis false message and try to leaven

others will be deceived and pre-pared to receive advanced delusions,and they will come to nought.” 24

“We see the unbelief, and thestout resistance of some who havehad great light, and althoughevidence has been piled uponevidence, they have kept themselvesin stubborn resistance. The Lord hassent messages of warning andentreaty, messages of reproof andrebuke, and they have not been invain. But we have never had amessage that the Lord woulddisorganize the church. We havenever had the prophecy concerningBabylon applied to the Seventh-dayAdventist Church, or been informedthat the ‘loud cry’ consisted incalling God’s people to come out ofher; for this is not God’s planconcerning Israel.” 25

“My brother, I learn that you aretaking the position that the Seventh-day Adventist Church is Babylon,and that all that would be saved

Just as ancient Israel was the depositary of the law, and

truth could be found in the Jewish faith, so it is true

today in the Seventh-day Adventist Church.


must come out of her. You are notthe only man the devil has deceivedin this matter. For the last fortyyears, one man after another hasarisen, claiming that the Lord hassent him with the same message; butlet me tell you, as I have told them,that this message you are proclaim-ing is one of the satanic delusionsdesigned to create confusion amongthe churches.” 26

There is not the slightest hint inthe Bible or the Spirit of Prophecythat the Seventh-day AdventistChurch will become Babylon.Indeed, the evidence is all in theother direction.

Israel and Judah were calledharlots, whores, and adultererswhen they joined the ecumenicalmovements of their day, yet theywere never called Babylon. And sotoday: though our church hasmoved into the frightening abandon-ment of its call to be separate fromthe world, and many members andorganizations are embracing theecumenical agenda, God does notcall it Babylon. Yes, it can be calledapostate Israel. And in that sense itis more culpable 27 than Babylonbecause of the great light it has had.Just as wicked Judah was allowed toremain while the faithful heraldedthe birth and ministry of our Saviourduring His first advent, so wickedmodern Israel is allowed to remaintoday because it contains a very

small, faithful remnant who areproclaiming the three angels’messages.

My great burden is that all willnow reexamine their relationshipwith God, His truth, and Hisrighteousness. This is the time tomake our calling and election sureand to join the ranks of those whoare sighing and crying for theabominations done in the church.

“In the time when His wrathshall go forth in judgments, thesehumble, devoted followers of Christwill be distinguished from the rest ofthe world by their soul anguish,which is expressed in lamentationand weeping, reproofs and warn-ings. While others try to throw acloak over the existing evil, andexcuse the great wickedness every-where prevalent, those who have azeal for God’s honor and a love forsouls will not hold their peace toobtain favor of any. Their righteoussouls are vexed day by day with theunholy works and conversation ofthe unrighteous. They are powerlessto stop the rushing torrent ofiniquity, and hence they are filledwith grief and alarm. They mournbefore God to see religion despisedin the very homes of those who havehad great light. They lament andafflict their souls because pride,avarice, selfishness, and deceptionof almost every kind are in thechurch.” 28

It would be tragic if one ofSatan’s most successful deceptionsagainst the elect would be to con-vince them that the Seventh-dayAdventist Church, as we know ittoday, were to be so unredeemablethat we must abandon it. My earnestprayer is for all to follow God’splain path to His kingdom. �

References:1 See Our Firm Foundation, August 2001, 4;

see also Testimonies, vol. 5, 211-212.2 See Selected Messages, book 2, 68; see also

Testimonies to Ministers, 61–62.3 Selected Messages, book 1, 179.4 Ibid., book 3, 18.5 Signs of the Times, October 31, 1900.6 Testimonies to Ministers, 45.7 Ibid., 47–48.8 Ibid., 49.9 Review and Herald, January 16, 1894.10 Evangelism, 707.11 Testimonies, vol. 1, 187.12 Ibid., vol. 9, 15–16.13 Ibid., vol. 5, 707; see also ibid., 80.14 Ibid., vol. 1, 181.15 Selected Messages, book 2, 368; see also Tes-

timonies, vol. 4, 89.16 Ibid., vol. 1, 182.17 The Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commen-

tary, vol. 7, 911.18 Testimonies, vol. 4, 89.19 The Great Controversy, 608.20 Manuscript Releases, vol. 20, 320.21 Selected Messages, book 2, 66.22 Signs of the Times, January 25, 1910.23 Testimonies to Ministers, 20.24 Selected Messages, book 2, 68–69.25 Review and Herald, October 3, 1893.26 Testimonies to Ministers, 58–59.27 American Heritage College Dictionary, 337,

“Deserving of blame or censure as beingwrong, evil, improper, or injurious.”

28 Testimonies, vol. 5, 210.

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Will the Real AdventistPlease Stand Up!

Will the Real AdventistPlease Stand Up!

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e have entered into acrisis hour in our beloved

Seventh-day AdventistChurch, for now every wind ofdoctrine is blowing through ourchurches. “That we henceforth be nomore children, tossed to and fro, andcarried about with every wind ofdoctrine, by the sleight of men, andcunning craftiness, whereby they liein wait to deceive.” Ephesians 4:14.

It is now very evident that thedevil has come down with greatwrath, for he knows he has a veryshort time. “And to the angel of thechurch in Pergamos write; Thesethings saith he which hath thesharp sword with two edges.”Revelation 2:12.

It is time that each of us asSeventh-day Adventists examineourselves, whether we are in thefaith. The doctrines given to us byGod through our pioneers and ourprophet Ellen White—the sanctuarymessage, and the three angels’messages of Revelation 14:6–12—have separated us from the churchesof Babylon. We now have more than12 million souls claiming to beSeventh-day Adventists by baptismand church membership.

We need to ask now, How manyof us keep the Sabbath according to

R o n S p e a r

Isaiah 58:13–14? “If thou turn awaythy foot from the sabbath, fromdoing thy pleasure on my holy day;and call the sabbath a delight, theholy of the LORD, honourable; andshalt honour him, not doing thineown ways, nor finding thine ownpleasure, nor speaking thine ownwords: then shalt thou delightthyself in the LORD; and I will causethee to ride upon the high places ofthe earth, and feed thee with theheritage of Jacob thy father: for themouth of the LORD hath spoken it.”How many understand how keep-ing the Sabbath is related to thesanctuary message, which is soclearly presented in Scripture andsupported by the Spirit of Prophecy?

How many understand why weare the remnant church? How manyunderstand the 2,300-day prophecyof Daniel 8:14, the great disappoint-ment of 1844, and the 1,260-yearprophecy of Daniel and Revelation,which reveals the Pope and thePapacy as the antichrist power?

How many believe that they canovercome sin, and that God hasenough power to keep them fromsinning, that perfection of characteris a requirement for eternal life, andthat there has been only a smallremnant in every generation who

have accepted this qualification andhave experienced victory overtemptation, having perfected theircharacters by the power of the HolySpirit? These qualifications are theonly way God can be sure we aresafe to save, and that we will neverbring sin into His new creation.

Overcoming all sin by the powerof the Holy Spirit is the only wayGod can be absolutely sure that weare safe to save. “And unto theangel of the church of theLaodiceans write; These things saiththe Amen, the faithful and truewitness, the beginning of thecreation of God; I know thy works,that thou art neither cold nor hot: Iwould thou wert cold or hot.”Revelation 3:14–15.

The tragedy is that many of ourpastors, leaders, and laity believethat the experience of overcomingwill be given to Seventh-day Adven-tists at the time of the Sunday lawand the latter rain. This is a decep-tion of Satan, reminding us onceagain that only a small number havebeen safe to save in every genera-tion. “Except the LORD of hosts hadleft unto us a very small remnant,we should have been as Sodom, andwe should have been like untoGomorrah.” Isaiah 1:9.

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Why? We turn for the answer tothe pen of Inspiration:

“There is no greater evidence thatthose who have received great lightdo not appreciate that light, than isgiven by their refusal to let theirlight shine upon those who are indarkness, and devoting their timeand energies in celebrating formsand ceremonies. Thoughts of theinner work, the necessary purity ofheart, are not entertained. Theabsence of harmony with Godbecomes apparent. The light growsdim, goes out; the candlestick hasbeen removed. There is muchexercising of man-made authority bythose to whom God has not givenHis wisdom because they did notfeel the need of the wisdom fromabove.” 1

So from Inspiration we canunderstand why we are so power-less to carry out the gospel commis-sion to its completeness.

Now we must ask anotherquestion—Who are the real Seventh-day Adventists?

In answering this question wemust ask another: Who were the realIsraelites in Elijah’s day at MountCarmel? Remember, Elijah thoughthe was the only one who hadremained faithful, but God said “No,there are 7,000 who have neverbowed the knee to Baal.” See1 Kings 19:14, 18. Therefore, Godrecognized only the 7,000 out of allthe Israelites at that time as His truebelievers, His faithful churchmembers. They were the people wholoved God and kept His command-ments. 2

Remember, when Jesus metNathaniel, He said: “Behold anIsraelite indeed, in whom is noguile!” John 1:47. Nathaniel’s

natural lineage went back toAbraham; but he had more than theheritage of being an Israelite. In hisspiritual life he had overcome andgained the victory over guile (decep-tion), by the power of the HolySpirit. Jesus knew he was a Jew, butHe called him an Israelite, indicat-ing he was a member of the truespiritual Israel.

Thereby we see that Jesus wastelling us that there are two types ofIsraelites: 1) those in the flesh orlineage of Abraham, Isaac, andJacob, and 2) the spiritual Jews whowere born of the Spirit of God andwere obedient to all of the com-mandments of God.

Paul also deals with this problemof an Israelite of the flesh and anIsraelite of the Spirit: “Behold, thou

art called a Jew, and restest in thelaw, and makest thy boast of God.”Romans 2:17. “Thou that makest thyboast of the law, through breakingthe law dishonourest thou God? Forthe name of God is blasphemedamong the Gentiles through you, asit is written. For circumcision verilyprofiteth, if thou keep the law: but ifthou be a breaker of the law, thycircumcision is madeuncircumcision.” Verses 23–25. “Forhe is not a Jew, which is oneoutwardly; neither is that circumci-sion, which is outward in the flesh:but he is a Jew, which is oneinwardly; and circumcision is thatof the heart, in the spirit, and not inthe letter; whose praise is not ofmen, but of God.” Verses 28–29.

A Jew who did not keep the lawby the power of the Holy Spirit wasuncircumcised in his heart: “For weare the circumcision, which worshipGod in the spirit, and rejoice inChrist Jesus, and have no confidence

in the flesh. Though I might alsohave confidence in the flesh. If anyother man thinketh that he hathwhereof he might trust in the flesh, Imore.” Philippians 3:3–4. What weunderstand then is that Jesus andPaul were telling us that the Jews ofAbraham’s lineage who were notborn of the Spirit, and were notobedient to God’s gospel portrayedin the Old Testament, were no betterin God’s eyes than the Gentiles. Onthe other hand, truly convertedGentiles who were obedient to thetrue gospel were considered byHeaven to be true Israelites.

Can we, therefore, apply thesesame principles to ourselves?

What about the promise of Godto ancient Israel? We know that Godwill not fulfill those promises to theIsrael of the flesh—the godless Jewswho have now formed a nationcalled Israel. They can only begrafted back in, according to Romans9 and 11. Consider these versesespecially:

“For they are not all Israel, whichare of Israel: neither, because they arethe seed of Abraham, are they allchildren: but, In Isaac shall thy seedbe called. That is, they which are thechildren of the flesh, these are not thechildren of God: but the children ofthe promise are counted for the seed.”Romans 9:6–8; see also verses 27–28.

“What then? Israel hath notobtained that which he seeketh for;but the election hath obtained it, andthe rest were blinded (according asit is written, God hath given themthe spirit of slumber, eyes that theyshould not see, and ears that theyshould not hear;) unto this day. . . .Well; because of unbelief they werebroken off, and thou standest byfaith. Be not highminded, but fear: forif God spared not the naturalbranches, take heed lest he also sparenot thee. Behold therefore the good-ness and severity of God: on themwhich fell, severity; but toward thee,goodness, if thou continue in hisgoodness: otherwise thou also shalt becut off.” Romans 11:7–8, 20–22.

So now, the true Seventh-dayAdventists—Israelites indeed—arethose who are obedient to all of thecommandments of God, by the Holy

Who were the real Israelites in Elijah’s day at Mount

Carmel? . . . God recognized only the 7,000 out of all

the Israelites at that time as His true believers, His

faithful church members. They were the people who

loved God and kept His commandments.


Spirit. They have overcome all guile(deception). They have crucified theflesh through the Holy Spirit. Theyhave the humility and power ofChrist.

When we look prayerfully andcarefully into our own hearts andlives, we must ask, Are we notfollowing men—placing our confi-dence in pastors and leaders who arenot preaching and living the presenttruth as it is in Jesus, the Scriptures,and the Spirit of Prophecy? “Thussaith the LORD; Cursed be the man thattrusteth in man, and maketh flesh hisarm, and whose heart departeth fromthe LORD.” Jeremiah 17:5. Are westriving to reach that experience ofbeing complete overcomers by theHoly Spirit’s power? Are we weepingbetween the porch and the altar for

the sins of the world and for the sinsof our beloved church?

“The crisis is fast approaching.The rapidly swelling figures showthat the time for God’s visitation hasabout come. Although loath to punish,nevertheless He will punish, and thatspeedily. Those who walk in the lightwill see signs of the approachingperil; but they are not to sit in quiet,unconcerned expectancy of the ruin,comforting themselves with the beliefthat God will shelter His people in theday of visitation. Far from it. Theyshould realize that it is their duty tolabor diligently to save others, lookingwith strong faith to God for help. ‘Theeffectual fervent prayer of a righteousman availeth much.’ James 5:16.

“The leaven of godliness has notentirely lost its power. At the time

Steps to Higher GroundWaters, Tom

Are we “real, living Christians,” or “comparative Christians,”only measuring ourselves with those around us. Could it be thatmuch of our discouragement and failure comes from fightingour battle with self on our terms, not God’s? Are we “living byfaith,” or controlled by circumstances and feelings? God’spractical answers to these questions applied to our individualexperience will lead us to renew our commitment with our

spouse and turn our hearts to the needs of our children.As we make these commitments with Christ, the devil will rise up to

oppose us and try to devour our experience. The closing message warns of fiveof his most effective tactics. Let us fasten our faith upon the One who hascalled us and will enable us to take these “Steps to Higher Ground.”

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when the danger and depression ofthe church are greatest, the littlecompany who are standing in thelight will be sighing and crying for theabominations that are done in theland. But more especially will theirprayers arise in behalf of the churchbecause its members are doing afterthe manner of the world.” 3

May the true Israelites—the realSeventh-day Adventists—now pleasestand up and prepare for the comingcrisis. It will come as an overwhelm-ing surprise to all Seventh-dayAdventists who have not been born ofthe Spirit. �

References:1 Review and Herald, July 16, 1895.2 See The Acts of the Apostles, 11; The Upward

Look, 315.3 Testimonies, vol. 5, 209–210.


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This month we share with you thenext in a series of articles that discusshow we can cultivate Christian charactertraits in the hearts of our children. “TheGarden of the Heart,” in the February2001 issue of Our Firm Foundation,laid the foundation for this series. It isavailable upon request.

The Editors

In this series, we have studied anumber of character traits thatChristian parents should seek to

develop in their children. With each,I have given a practical definition ofthe trait we will study. I think it ishelpful if we define these words—which are so familiar to us—inpractical terms and with illustrationsthat help us see how we can cultivatethese character traits in our children.

Simply stated, patience is waitingcalmly for the desired end. Thismeans that our children learn towait patiently and calmly whenmother is busy—not pulling on herskirts yelling, “Mother! Mother!”This means they sit quietly waitingfor their meal—not banging on thetable or screaming.

Notice what the Scriptures sayabout this character trait: “But letpatience have her perfect work, thatye may be perfect and entire,wanting nothing.” James 1:4. God’sWord describes patience as beingvitally important to the Christianexperience. If patience has herperfect work, the individual willbecome Christlike, perfect, andentire—wanting nothing. Thismeans that all the othercharacteristics of Christ will bedeveloped along with patience. Ihope we can understand that wecannot develop and cultivate ourchild’s patience and leave outhonesty, meekness, kindness, self-dignity, or respect. These all must be

worked together into the soil of theheart of the child.

Impatience Is Natural

The human heart, without therenewing power of God, is by natureimpatient. Some of us seem to have amore amiable personality thanothers, but most of us find, when webecome parents, that we are lackingin patience. Our children are nodifferent; their hearts are naturallyimpatient, and they want what theywant now.

Even in infancy you can begin tosee the weed of impatience growing.Crying is the only way that babieshave to communicate, but all parentsknow that their children havedifferent types of cries. There is thecry of real need, which should bemet as soon as possible according tothe need. Then there is a verydifferent cry of impatience. Babiesoften cry impatiently, and as theyget a little older and they can talk,they come to their mother yelling,“Hurry up, Mommy! Hurry! Hurry!”

From babies to toddlers toparents to grandparents—we allsuffer with the same thing. We allneed the renewing grace of God inour lives to help us overcome thisdefect, and as parents it is ourresponsibility to help our childrenlearn the precious lesson of patience.I will give you several practicalsuggestions on how you cancultivate patience in your children.

Develop Order and Regularityin the Home

Many parents face impatience,both within themselves and withtheir children, because there is noorder or regularity in the home. Themost basic way we can begin tocultivate patience in our children isto have a home schedule. Manyparents have said to me, “We havewritten numerous schedules, andthey do not work.” I have written afew myself, and they were noteffective because I did not work theschedules. You see, we like to writea schedule that looks good on paper,but we do not like to make anychanges in our practical life tofollow the schedule, because itrequires discipline. Our adult mindfinds many reasons andcircumstances to deviate from theschedule, and so our children do thesame. If the phone rings, it takesprecedence. When somebody dropsin, that takes precedence. And so wefind that our lives become chaotic.

I would encourage you to startwith a foundational, basic schedule:a time for personal worship, familyworship, meals, chores, andrecreation. Does that mean that youwrite on your schedule that at 10:00o’clock we have to fold the clothes,at 10:30 we have to take a walk, andat 10:45 we have to do this?—No,begin with a basic schedule and setaside the blocks in between your

CultivatingPatience


routine daily activities for school orwork time (depending on the age ofyour child) and your free time. Forthe work time, think of activities thatyou can do along with your child toimprove the house, yard or garden,and during this time you can beteaching your child important,practical lessons. During free timehelp your children decide onappropriate activities to occupy theirtime. We teach our children how tomake right choices by giving themonly right things to do. In otherwords, we do not say to ourchildren, “It is play time now. Go dowhat you would like,” because oftenthey end up getting into somethingthat we do not want them to do.Instead, we might say, “Okay, nowit is time to go outside. Would youlike to swing, or play in thesandbox, or ride your bicycle?” Givethe children directions withappropriate activities from whichthey can choose.

Let Others Make Choices

Another way our familycultivates patience, especially in achild who is enthusiastic and wantshis opinions to be heard, is to taketurns, letting different familymembers make choices about theday’s activities. For example, thefather might choose the type ofrecreation that evening, or themother might choose the story thatwill be read. In this way, the childsees that, although he so often likesto make the choices, he is not theonly one who has opinions, and hecan wait his turn to have theprivilege of deciding a familyactivity.

Train the Child Not toInterrupt

We can cultivate patience in ourchildren by teaching them not tointerrupt when we are involved inan important conversation oractivity. Our children are by naturevery energetic, and when they havesomething to say, they want Mommyand Daddy to listen right away.However, we can help our childrenlearn patience by teaching them howto act when we cannot be

interrupted. First of all, tell yourchildren, “When Mommy or Daddyis busy (and define what busy is),we want you to stand and waitpatiently. I will let you know, byraising my hand, that I know youare there.” After you have explainedyour expectations, then practicethem with your children. You mightsay, “Emily, I want you to come hereand just pretend you havesomething to tell Mommy that isvery important. Then Mommy willput up her hand. That tells you thatI know you are there, and you canwait patiently until Mommy turnsand says, ‘Yes, Emily, what do youneed?’ ” This role-playing helpsthe child clearly grasp exactlywhat you expect of her. The nexttime Emily rushes in ready to tellme something, and I hold up myhand, she will remember, Yes, Ican be patient.

Now, I want to make somethingvery clear: I am not talking aboutparents who are so consumed withlife that they have no time for theirchildren, and they constantly putthem off until the children mustbecome more and more vocal inorder to get just a little of theirparents’ attention. If we want ourchildren to be patient, we ourselvesmust have realistic goals. We shouldgive them so much of our time eachday that when we have thoseoccasional times of occupation, theycan learn how to be patient andwait for a few minutes until we canattend to their needs.

As my children have grownolder and are now youth, I can justturn and give them eye contact, andthey know that I realize that theyhave a need and that I will makeevery effort to meet that need asquickly as I can within a realistictime frame.

If you have older children, youmay find that when they come up toyou and you put up your hand, theymay wait for 15 or 30 seconds andthen walk away—because they havethought of something else they wantto do. (Young children have one-track minds, but older children oftenthink of something else they wouldrather be doing than waiting for

you.) This is not really patience, andwhen I see my children start to dothis, I will just motion for them tostay, or I will say, “I want you tostay here until I am done.” Then Ifinish up as quickly as possible sothat I can listen to what they have tosay. This encourages patience in theolder children.

In this study we have looked atseveral simple, practical ways thatyou can help your childrendevelop the lovely trait of patience.There are many other ways, but Itrust that as you begin toimplement these, the Lord will leadand guide you as you seek to trainyour children for the right—for theLord. �

Next month we will discuss howto cultivate perseverance.

In this series Alane pre-sents the important role ofthe parent as the gardener ofthe heart. Then 18 differentcharacter qualities are dis-cussed, showing some of thecommon pitfalls, as well ashow to practically plant andcultivate the right seeds ofcharacter.

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CultivatingChristianCharacter

inChildren

Alane Waters


Adventist’s Anti-PapalBillboard Stirs Up CatholicOpposition

News Items: “A billboard proclaim-ing the pope is the Antichrist hasunleashed the wrath of the Catholiccommunity, sparked a debate overFirst Amendment rights, and led todeath threats against the manbehind the message.

“The red, white and blue sign,located along Interstate-5 just northof Medford, Oregon, reads, ‘ThePOPE Is The ANTICHRIST, FreeProof,’ and provides a websiteaddress for more information. . . .

“Larry Weathers, a 50-year-oldbarber from the small town ofTalent, sponsored the sign. He sayshe has no intention of taking itdown, despite a flurry of deaththreats. . . .

“Weathers has been flooded withreaction—both negative and posi-tive—since an editorial publishedthis week in the Catholic Sentinelurged the public to call for the sign’sremoval.” WorldNetDaily.com, July28, 2001.

“After receiving hundreds ofangry phone calls, a southernOregon billboard company will notrenew a contract for a sign that callsthe pope the Antichrist.

“The sign, on Interstate 5 nearthe small town of Gold Hill, willstay up until May 2002, when thecontract expires, says Steve Croft,general manager of sales forMedford-based Outdoor MediaDimensions. . . .

“Croft and Park say the sign,which appeared in May, will needto stay up until next spring becausethe contract with Rogue ValleyHistoric Seventh-day AdventistChurch is legally binding. . . .

“The controversy apparentlyhastened a corporate shake-up atOutdoor Media Dimensions. Anemployee reports that the regionalsales manager, Jeff Herson, has beenfired and the firm bought by anundisclosed Seattle company. . . .”

Referring to the church group’sleader, the article states: “Weathersis part of a loose association of

news watchALAN ESSELBACH

renegade Seventh-day Adventistswho believe the papacy is leading aplot to undermine modern liberties.. . .

“Nationwide, dozens of congre-gations calling themselves ‘HistoricSeventh-day Adventists’ cling toanti-Catholic beliefs that mainlineAdventists cast aside decades ago.

“One leader in the movementestimates a U.S. following of about400,000.” Catholic Sentinel, August 3,2001.

Columbia Union CollegeCourt Victory Troubling

News Item: “The 4th Circuit U.S.Court of Appeals ruled last weekthat the Establishment Clause of theFirst Amendment does not permitMaryland to exclude ColumbiaUnion College, a Seventh-dayAdventist college, from its Sellingergrant program. This paves the wayfor CUC to obtain some $800,000 ingrant funds on an annual basis,restricted only by the requirementthat they not be used for sectarianpurposes.

“In its ruling, the 4th Circuitupheld the lower court decisionfinding that CUC was ‘not perva-sively sectarian.’ It found little riskthat direct financial aid to CUCwould result in monies aiding a‘sectarian’ purpose. It also rejectedthe legal principle that direct aid notbe given to ‘pervasively sectarian’organizations. . . .

“This ruling is a sharp repudia-tion of the historic principle thatdirect aid not flow to religiousschools and colleges. While it mayresult in more aid becoming avail-able to religious schools in the shortrun, the long term implications aretroubling. If religious schools are notreally all that religious, then whyshould their religious freedom beprotected? Why should they havethe right to use religious criteria inhiring and admissions policies? . . .Liberals in Congress are insistingthat if faith-based organizationswish more government money, theymust forfeit the right to use religiouscriteria in hiring. If that principlewere applied today, our colleges and

hospitals would no longer be able toprefer Seventh-day Adventists inhiring. Unless they could weanthemselves away from governmentfunds—a practical impossibility inboth cases—they would eventuallylose their religious distinctiveness.”Pacific Union Conference Department ofPublic Affairs & Religious Liberty,Church State Newsflash, July 3, 2001.

Private Schools in CaliforniaThreatened by Gender Law

News Item: In California “the StateBoard of Education shoehorned intoCalifornia’s legal code a newdefinition of gender. According toTitle 5 of the state code, ‘gender’ nolonger means male or female, butinstead ‘a person’s actual sex orperceived sex and includes aperson’s perceived identity, appear-ance, or behavior, whether or notthat identity, appearance, or behav-ior is different from that traditionallyassociated with the person’s sex atbirth.’. . .

“California may be the first stateto shape-shift its legal code to snareprivate schools in the net of ‘sexualcorrectness.’ The state’s Code ofRegulations, revised in April,effectively adds transsexuals andtransvestites to the list of protectedstudents and employees in Califor-nia schools—public, private, andreligious. . . .”

California’s Board of Education“has decided that there can be nodiscrimination on the basis ofgender at any ‘local agency.’ A localagency is defined as ‘a schooldistrict, governing board, or countyoffice of education or a local publicor private agency which receivesdirect or indirect funding or anyother financial assistance from thestate or federal government toprovide any school programs oractivity.’

“ ‘Direct and indirect’ taxpayerfunding that turns private schoolsinto ‘local agencies’ currently flowsinto many private religious schoolsin the state, according to RohnRitzema of the Association ofChristian Schools International.”World, June 16, 2001.


“ ‘The law recognized thatprivate schools contract to provideeducational programs and activitieswith our money,’ Joanne Lowe,Deputy General Counsel for the stateeducation board, told WORLD. ‘Ifthey take our money, they have toplay by our rules, and our rules arenondiscrimination.’ ” Ibid.End-time Perspective: There will bea heavy price to pay by any Adven-tist organization that damages itsseparation from the state by accept-ing any monies or surplus propertyfrom the government. Let us alwaysbe vigilant advocates of the separa-tion of church and state.

Russians Impressed by thePope

News Item: “Russians seem to befavorable to a papal visit after seeingextensive media coverage of JohnPaul II’s trip to Ukraine, where localprelates say the Holy Father greatlyadvanced the cause of unity betweenEast and West.

“President Vladimir Putin hasalready said he is open to a papalvisit, though he is cautious so as notto offend the Orthodox Church,according to the Italian newspaperAvvenire.

“Last month, for the first time, apapal visit captured the attention ofRussian television and newspapers.Live coverage—and positive mediacommentaries—tracked John PaulII’s visits to Kiev and Lviv inUkraine. . . .

“According to a survey pub-lished last week by Interfax Russiannews agency, 63% of Russians saidthey want to see John Paul II. Only17% are opposed to the visit. . . .

“For years the Communist pressportrayed the Holy Father as anauthoritarian and despotic head of aforeign hostile power. Instead,Russians saw a frail elderly man,who appeared modest and respect-ful. . . .

“Meanwhile, Catholic-Orthodoxrelations will change for the better inUkraine, says Cardinal LubomyrHusar, who contends that therigidity of the Orthodox hierarchydoes not reflect the thinking of itsfaithful. . . .”

Cardinal Husar “said thatUkraine and its Church mustbecome a bridge between East andWest. He added that the future ofChristianity in his country lies inecumenism.” National CatholicRegister, July 15–21, 2001.

Presbyterians Favor GayMinisters

News Items: “Leaders of the Presbyte-rian Church (USA) [PCUSA] havevoted overwhelmingly [317–208] tooverturn a ban on ordaining homo-sexuals as ministers of the church. . . .

“The measure will now be sentto the church’s regional governingbodies, or presbyteries, for consider-ation and must be passed by amajority of them over the next yearbefore it can take effect.

“If the proposal is ratified,individual churches would deter-mine whether or not to allow gayand lesbian clergy. Iwon News(Reuters), June 16, 2001.

“An even bigger issue is simulta-neously in question: salvation ofhumanity through Jesus Christ.

“The very essence of Christianitywas debated at the annual denomi-national conference as some del-egates proclaimed Jesus is one wayto salvation—but not the only way.The significance of this issue cannotbe overstated, as Presbyterianismhas historically been considered thebastion of conservative Christiantheology. . . .

“In the end, an acceptable resolu-tion affirming Jesus as ‘uniquelySavior’ was approved by nearly 80percent of the Assembly’s commis-sioners—about 550 delegates repre-senting presbyteries in the UnitedStates and around the world. But thedebate has left more conservativemembers of the church wonderingwhere their denomination is head-ing.” WorldNetDaily.com, July 1, 2001.

“Conservatives, meanwhile, haveformed a Confessing Church Move-ment within the PCUSA (CT, June 11,p.15). The movement adheres to threebasic beliefs: Jesus alone is the way ofsalvation; the Bible is God’s revealedWord; and marriage is the onlyappropriate relationship for sexualintercourse. By implication, joining

churches indicate they will not installministers who do not adhere to thebeliefs. By the end of June, the Con-fessing Movement had signed up 538of 11,200 PCUSA congregations.”Christianity Today, August 6, 2001.

“According to Agape Press, thelatest statistics from the PresbyterianChurch (USA) paint a picture of adenomination in rapid decline. Inwhat the denomination notes as thebiggest decline in membership since1994, close to 35,000 names weredropped from the membership roleslast year. Other vital church statis-tics such as baptisms reflect thattrend.” Crosswalk.com (Religion TodayNews), May 8, 2001.End-time Perspective: The Adventistchurch tends to follow in the wakeof the other denominations inwrestling with spurious errors—only lagging somewhat behind.Could these issues become para-mount in our church’s future?

Americans Believe Satan NOTReal

News Item: Nearly three-quarters ofAmericans do not believe that Satan isreal. Even many professed Christiansdisbelieve in his existence. Only aboutone in five Catholics, Episcopalians,and Methodists think he is real.

In other survey findings: “69% ofAmericans believe God is ‘the all-powerful, all-knowing perfect creatorof the universe who still rules theworld today’; 41% believe the Bibleis totally accurate in all it teaches;40% believe Jesus lived a sinless lifeon Earth.’ ” 32% believe in prosely-tizing those of other faiths inpersonal evangelism. NationalCatholic Register, July 8–14, 2001.End-Time Perspective: No wonderSatan is so effective, even amongChristians, when his existence isdisbelieved or unappreciated. “Besober, be vigilant; because youradversary the devil walks about likea roaring lion, seeking whom hemay devour. Resist him, steadfast inthe faith.” 1 Peter 5:8–9, NKJV.

Now, if we lived lives of greatervictory and example, would morepeople believe in the sinless life ofJesus and the validity of His HolyScriptures? �


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he hand of our God is uponall them for good that seekhim; but his power and his

wrath is against all them thatforsake him.” Ezra 8:22. Such werethe words spoken by Ezra, theHebrew priest and scribe, to the kingof Persia. Ezra was about to returnto Jerusalem with authority for therebuilding of the city, and theenforcement of the law of God. Hewas accompanied thither by a bodyof his countrymen to assist in thework. Before them was a journeywhich would occupy severalmonths. They were to take withthem their wives and children, andtheir substance, besides largetreasures for the temple and itsservice. Ezra was aware that en-emies lay in wait by the way toattack, plunder, and destroy himand his company; yet he asked from

the king no armed force for theirprotection.

Before setting out on the journey,he assembled his companions—men, women, and little children—“at the river of Ahava,” (verse 21),where a solemn fast was pro-claimed, prayer offered to God forHis blessing upon the undertaking.Says Ezra: “I was ashamed torequire of the king a band of soldiersand horsemen to help us against theenemy in the way: because we hadspoken unto the king, saying, Thehand of our God is upon all themfor good that seek him; but hispower and his wrath is against allthem that forsake him.” Verse 22.And in recording the events thatfollowed he adds: “So we fasted andbesought our God for this: and hewas intreated of us.” Verse 23.“Then we departed from the river of

Ahava on the twelfth day of the firstmonth, to go unto Jerusalem: and thehand of our God was upon us, andhe delivered us from the hand of theenemy, and of such as lay in wait bythe way. And we came to Jerusa-lem.” Verses 31–32.

Ezra and his companions haddetermined to fear and obey God,and to put their trust wholly in Him.They would not form a connectionwith the world in order to secure thehelp or friendship of the enemies ofGod. Whether they were with themany or the few, they knew thatsuccess could come from God only.And they had no desire that theirsuccess should be attributed to thewealth or influence of wicked men.Ezra would run the risk of trustinghis cause with God. He well knewthat if they failed in their importantwork, it would be because they had


“T

Separation From theWorld

Separation From theWorld



not complied with the requirementsof God and therefore He could nothelp them.

The Scriptures furnish abundantevidence that it is safer to be joinedto the Lord, and lose the favor andfriendship of the world, than to lookto the world for favor and support,and forget our dependence uponGod. It was because they wereconvinced of this truth that the Jewshad refused to allow their adversar-ies to unite with them in the work ofbuilding the temple. They saw in thepropositions of those idolaters adevice of Satan to beguile God’speople into union and fellowshipwith His enemies.

The Lord Himself has estab-lished a separating wall between thethings of the world and the thingswhich He has chosen out of theworld and sanctified to Himself. Theworld will not acknowledge thisdistinction; they claim that it isneedless. The servants of mammonmake every effort to break down thebarriers, and destroy the line ofdemarcation between the holy andthe profane. Many of the professedfollowers of Christ are determined tobreak it down, and to maintainconcord between Christ and Belial.But God has made this separation,and He will have it exist. In both theOld and the New Testaments theLord has positively enjoined uponHis people to be distinct from theworld, in spirit, in pursuits, inpractice, to be a holy nation, apeculiar people, that they may showforth the praises of Him who hathcalled them out of darkness into Hismarvelous light. The east is notfarther from the west than are thechildren of light, in customs, prac-tices, and spirit, from the children ofdarkness.

This distinction will be moremarked, more decided, as we nearthe close of time. It is not a profes-sion of faith, or a name registered inthe church book, that constitutes uschildren of God. We must have avital connection with Christ; wemust be one with Him, imbued withHis Spirit, partakers of the divinenature, crucified to the world withits affections and lusts, renewed in

knowledge and true holiness. Paulwrote to the Colossians: “Ye aredead, and your life is hid withChrist in God.” Colossians 3:3. Thisis true of all real followers of Christ.They walk in humble obedience tothe requirements of God. While inthe world, they are the light of theworld.

“As many as are led by the Spiritof God, they are the sons of God.”Romans 8:14. They are livingexamples of Christianity. They arecalled Christians because theyrepresent Christ in life and charac-ter. They cannot follow the customsor practices of the world; for theseare from beneath, and are of thewicked one. Those who followChrist will have the principles ofholy love in their hearts. They willcherish the faith that works by loveand purifies the soul.

There is an element called lovewhich would teach us to praiseand flatter our associates, and notto faithfully tell them of theirdangers and warn and counselthem for their good. This love isnot Heaven-born. Our words andactions should be serious andearnest, especially before thosewho are neglecting their soul’ssalvation. If we profess to be sonsand daughters of God, we shouldpursue such a course toward theunbelieving that our souls will beclear of their blood when we meetthem in the great day of finalreckoning. If we unite with them inlightness, trifling, pleasure-seeking,or in any pursuit which willbanish seriousness from the mind,we are constantly saying to themby our example, “Peace, peace; benot disturbed. You have no causefor alarm.” This is saying to thesinner, “It shall be well with thee.”

There is an element called love which would teach us to

praise and flatter our associates, and not to faithfully

tell them of their dangers and warn and counsel them

for their good. This love is not Heaven-born.

Oh, how many ease-loving soulsthere are among us, who virtuallyunite with sinners, and while intheir society say and do nothing toawaken conviction, nothing todisturb their carnal security! Manywho profess to be sons and daugh-ters of God, and call themselves thelight of the world, reflect no light

upon its darkness. If these half-hearted, slothful, pleasure-lovingprofessors of Christ were what theyprofess to be, how much good theymight do! It is their privilege to walkin the light of Christ’s countenance,to learn His commandments and dothem, and by precept and examplereflect light upon those who are inthe darkness of error. But notpartaking of the Spirit of Christ, theydo not apprehend and enjoy theprivileges of children of God; theyare so far separated from Jesus thatwith their limited conceptions anddarkened understanding theycannot comprehend heavenly things,and do not love to meditate uponthem. They do not enjoy the pres-ence of God; they know not thepower of His grace

Those who persist in neglectingthe only salvation that can deliverfrom the ruin of this fallen state,have no prospect before them betterthan that of the beasts that perish.This consideration should leadeveryone who loves and fears Godto be faithful to His trust, to walk inthe light, gathering strength andwisdom day by day, that His lightmay shine forth clear and bright todirect sinners to the Lamb of God.By neglect of the salvation presentedin the gospel, the world is becomingmore and more hardened. Satan’spower increases; his deceptionsbecome more captivating, hisdelusions stronger. Christians must


now come to the front; the help ofevery soul is needed. All should lettheir light shine forth, not merely inprofession, but in good works. Theyshould be heavenly guides, setting anexample of faithfulness, of self-denial,of prompt, decided, vigorous action topush the triumphs of the cross.

A genuine Christian experienceunfolds day by day, bringing to itspossessor new strength and earnest-ness, and leading to constantgrowth in spiritual life. But theChristian world abounds withprofessors of religion who aremerely religious dwarfs. Many seemto have graduated as soon as theylearned the rudiments of the Chris-tian faith. They do not grow in grace

or in the knowledge of the truth.They do nothing, either with theirmeans or their influence, to build upthe cause of God. They are drones inthe hive. This class will not longstand where they are. They will beconverted and advance, or they willretrograde. The perils of the lastdays will test the genuineness of ourfaith. Slothful servants will be foundunder the black banner of thepowers of darkness.

The message borne to the peopleby the faithful servants of God willnot be calculated to lull them tocarnal security. They will havewords to speak to stir them toaction. We call upon those who areimitating Meroz to arouse. Go towork; do something for the salvationof souls, something to advance thecause of God; and do it now. Youhave but little time in which to labor.The Lord has given to every man hiswork according to his ability. Tomeet the claims of God, you willhave to make personal effort; and inthis work you will need the re-sources of an ever-growing Christian

experience. Your faith must bestrong, your consecration complete,your love pure and sincere, yourzeal ardent, tireless, your courageunshaken, your patience unwearied,your hopes bright. Upon everyone,old or young, rests a responsibilityin this matter.

Parents, I entreat you, for Christ’ssake, for the sake of your dearchildren, teach them that God hasclaims upon them, and that theymust be fully prepared for whateverwork they may find to do. Educate,train them to have the eye single tothe glory of God. In order to grow ingrace, they must become acquaintedfor themselves with the reasons ofour faith. Teach them to be learners

in the school of Christ, to obtain aknowledge of the Scriptures, todiligently employ every means ofgrace, that their love may aboundmore and more, that they mayapprove things that are excellent.

Everyone who shall be foundwith the wedding garment on, willhave come out of great tribulation.The mighty surges of temptation willbeat upon all, and unless they areriveted to the eternal Rock, they willbe borne away. Do not think thatyou can safely drift with the current.If you do, you will surely become thehelpless prey of Satan’s devices. Bydiligent searching of the Scriptures,and earnest prayer for divine help,prepare the soul to resist temptation.The Lord will hear the sincereprayer of the contrite soul, and willlift up a standard for you againstthe enemy. But you will be tried;your faith, your love, your patience,your constancy will be tested.

Not all the names that standregistered in the church books willat last appear in the Lamb’s book oflife. There are tares among the

wheat. There are betrayers, accusers,traitors, in the camp. These willwound, misrepresent, and falselyaccuse you. They are false brethren,meddlesome and indiscrete, stum-bling blocks to others. They aredoing a work for Satan far moresuccessfully than if they were notconnected with the church. Somewho have not spiritual discernmentwill fail to distinguish between thefalse and the true, and will highlyesteem those who have no connec-tion with God. Those who have beenindifferent and neglectful, and havefailed to grow in grace and in theknowledge of the truth, will bedeceived. They do not comprehendthe first principles of doctrine andexperience, which secure to man theperfection of Christian character.

Our duty, our safety, our happi-ness and usefulness, and oursalvation, call upon us each to usethe greatest diligence to secure thegrace of Christ, to be so closelyconnected with God that we maydiscern spiritual things, and not beignorant of Satan’s devices. Thosewho are willing to be instructed willheed the counsels and warnings ofthe Spirit of God. The Lord givesthese admonitions and reproofs inmercy. When His professed peoplemove in blindness, yield to tempta-tion, and lose their hold upon Him,He sends them a message of reproof,of warning, of counsel; if they refuseto be corrected, if they rise up inrebellion, and cast reproach uponthe messenger whom He sends, theyreject not the messenger, but theLord. When the people refused tolisten to the counsel of Samuel theprophet, the Lord said unto him:“They have not rejected thee, butthey have rejected me.” 1 Samuel 8:7.

Some have a heart of unbelief,and in their self-confidence and self-deception they cannot see theirerrors. They are blind to their defectsand their dangers. Did they see theirsins and errors, and still continue inthem, the Lord would give them upto blindness of mind and hardnessof heart, to follow their own ways,and be ensnared and ruined.Anciently when any neglected orrefused to heed the words of reproof

Not all the names that stand registered in the church

books will at last appear in the Lamb’s book of life.

There are tares among the wheat. There are betrayers,

accusers, traitors, in the camp.


and warning sent them of God, Hisprotection was removed from them,and they were left to be deceivedand deluded to their own ruin. Onlythose who, with tears of contrition,listened to the voice of God andgave heed to the warning, escapedthe tempter’s snare.

Those who refuse to receivereproof and to be corrected, willmanifest enmity, malice, and hatredagainst the instrument that God hasused. They will leave no meansuntried to cast stigma upon the onewho bore to them the message. Theywill feel as did Ahab toward Elijah,that God’s servant is the one who isthe hindrance, the curse. Said Ahab:“Art thou he that troubleth Israel?”1 Kings 18:17. But Elijah threw backthe imputation: “I have not troubledIsrael; but thou, and thy father’shouse, in that ye have forsaken thecommandments of the LORD, and thouhast followed Baalim.” Verse 18.

He who can read the hearts ofmen as an open book, sees that

which shortsighted mortals fail todiscover. Finite wisdom cannotdiscern the necessity for sharprebukes, for urgent warnings andentreaties. Those who are themselvesdeceived in men and in theirpurposes, will pronounce againstthe messages of reproof which Godsends, and will undertake to inter-pret the matter to suit their ownideas. They turn aside the counsel ofGod, that it shall not do the workwhich He designed. Those whohave confidence in them are misled,and through their influence theycast aside the warning which Godsends them, and then Satan standsready with his delusions to ensnaretheir souls. The Lord would havesaved them from the ruin if they hadlistened to His voice. Those whoshould have helped them, but whoonly injured them, must render anaccount at the bar of God. They haveinfluenced souls to doubt, to disbe-lieve, to disregard, and finally rejectand bitterly oppose His work. Souls

purchased with the blood of Christare lost, because of the unfaithful-ness of those who profess to standas sentinels for God.

God’s Word represents but twogreat classes among men. Said Jesusto His disciples: “If ye were of theworld, the world would love hisown: but because ye are not of theworld, but I have chosen you out ofthe world, therefore the world hatethyou.” John 15:19. There are but twoclasses of religious teachers. Of oneclass the apostle John declares:“They are of the world: thereforespeak they of the world, and theworld heareth them.” 1 John 4:5. Ofthe other class he says: “We are ofGod: he that knoweth God hearethus; he that is not of God heareth notus.” Verse 6.

“Whatsoever is born of Godovercometh the world: and this isthe victory that overcometh theworld, even our faith.” 1 John 5:4. �

Review and Herald, January 8, 1884.

Both large and small editionsof the Study Bible include:

• Insightful comments from the Spiritof Prophecy throughout

• Standard marginal references• Spirit of Prophecy Scripture Index• Bible concordance• Subject index to Bible commentary

The small edition also includes thefollowing additional features:

• The Fourfold Gospel narrative• Words of Christ in red• Chronological tables and over 65 maps• Bible studies and book introductions• Full-color illustrations in Daniel and

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TheStudyBible

Selected commentary from theSpirit of Prophecy throughout!


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ave you thought recentlyabout what it means tocarry the lovely name of

“Christian” in the world today?Paul the apostle reminds us that weare surrounded by “so great a cloudof witnesses.” Hebrews 12:1. Whatdo they see in you and me? Thepeople of the world, without know-ing how to speak the words, aresaying: “We would see Jesus. We arehungering and thirsting to seeJesus.” Are we showing them Jesus?Are we really the Christians that weprofess to be? Or when people lookat us do they think: “Those peoplearen’t that different from the others Isee who profess Christianity. I don’tnotice any difference in how theyconduct their business, how theytreat their wives, or in the way thatthey train their children.”

The world is longing to see Jesusreflected in the people who claim tofollow Him. For too long peoplehave heard about the Cross, but tomany it has lost its meaning becausethe cross that they have seen in youand me has not been the Cross ofChrist. When they see self crossed inyou and me, so many times they seethe self that clamors—the flesh thatcries out to be heard.

If unseen observers were watch-ing you in your home, what wouldthey see? We say we are Christians.We carry the lovely name of ourSaviour, but what would anyobservers have heard this past weekas they listened to our conversations

T o m W a t e r s

on the telephone, and how we speakto our wives, to our husbands, andto our children? What would theythink if they saw us retire at night,and then drag ourselves out of bedin the morning with just enoughtime to throw on our clothes and geton with the day’s work—totallyforgetting our Saviour? What wouldany observers say about our Chris-tianity, brothers and sisters? Wouldthey see Christ, the hope of glory, inus? Would they say: “I want thiskind of gospel—a gospel that savesme from myself”? Or would theysay: “I see the same selfishness that Istruggle with in my own life. Whywould I want their Christianity?”

Paul could say in Philippians1:21: “For to me to live is Christ.”What a powerful statement! Paulwas saying, For me to live my dailylife is simply to allow Christ to livewithin me, because “I am crucifiedwith Christ: nevertheless I live; yetnot I, but Christ liveth in me: and thelife which I now live in the flesh Ilive by the faith of the Son of God.”Galatians 2:20. Paul’s Christianitywas alive with the freshness ofChrist. What about yours and mine?

We profess to believe that Christcan live through us, and that He isthe power unto salvation to every-one that believes in Him. However,unfortunately, we are so often likethe people described in Ezekiel33:31: “And they come unto thee asthe people cometh, and they sitbefore thee as my people, and they

hear thy words, but they will not dothem: for with their mouth they shewmuch love, but their heart goeth aftertheir covetousness.” (All emphasissupplied unless otherwise noted.)Are we sitting before the Lord today,claiming to be His people, singing,“Oh, How I Love Jesus,” when ourlives show that we are seeking firstthat which pleases us alone? Withour mouths we profess the love ofJesus, but with our lives we hold onto our selfishness.

A Close Connection

I remember one day when I wassitting at my desk making thenecessary calls to close a real estatetransaction. That morning I hadprayed: “Lord, I want to be keptthrough this day. Remind me byyour Holy Spirit if I begin to wan-der, if I begin to slip away from thepath of holiness.” As I picked up thephone to make the last call thatwould finalize the deal, the HolySpirit did just what I had asked Himto do—in that still small voice, Godwas prompting me to come apart fora few moments and revitalize myconnection with Him. But as I feltthe impression, I pushed it back. Ireasoned: “Lord, I have just onemore call to make, and I will bedone. I can take time then.” So Ipicked up the phone and dialed thenumber. I am sure God knew whatwas going to happen on that phonecall, and He had wanted to prepareme; but I resisted His call.

Christians, Are We?Christians, Are We?


During that phone call, thetransaction began to fall apart.Things were not going the way Iwanted and expected them to go,and the flesh began to agitate and tostart to rise up inside. I began to tryto work through it in my ownstrength, and by the end of theconversation I was disappointedand frustrated.

Just then my wife came in andsaid: “Honey, could I have a fewminutes of your time?” She neededto work through a little situation shewas having with the children. I hadtold her many times before: “Youcan come to me anytime. My familyis my priority.” Yet at that momentwas my heart prepared for my wifeto come to me?—No, because I hadpushed away the impression of theHoly Spirit, and I had begun tooperate in the flesh—not in theSpirit. I did not want to deal withwhat my wife wanted to share withme. Self was not subdued. I told mywife, “Honey, I think you need tohandle this situation by yourself. Itis a good experience for you. You donot need to come to me with every-thing.” I took my self-pity andfrustration out on my innocent wife.

There were others listening as Ichided and reproved my wife forsomething she had not done. Threeyounger sets of eyes and ears wereobserving my behavior. This situa-tion affected my entire family. Ithank God that the Holy Spirit wasable to break through my selfish-ness, and to help me realize what Ihad done. As a family we sat downtogether and talked about what hadjust happened and how I had let goof the Lord. There, before my family,I confessed and repented of my lackof reliance upon the Lord. The Lordis so good! He is able to bringvictory out of defeat if we are willingto cooperate. Through this experienceeach of us went deeper in our under-standing of the importance of re-sponding to God’s calls to our heartsand what it means to truly repent.

The Wise and the Foolish

In Matthew 25 we read thefamiliar parable of the ten virgins.Jesus said: “Then shall the kingdomof heaven be likened unto tenvirgins, which took their lamps, and

went forth to meet the bridegroom.And five of them were wise, and fivewere foolish.” Matthew 25:1–2. Haveyou ever asked yourself, “Am I awise or a foolish virgin?”

What was the difference betweenthese two groups?—The five whowere wise went in through the doorto receive an everlasting reward, butthe five who were foolish were leftoutside. I want to remind you thatthe five who were foolish knocked atthe door. They expected to be let in.Christ’s Object Lessons says of the tenvirgins: “All claim to be Christians.All have a call, a name, a lamp, andall profess to be doing God’s service.All apparently wait for Christ’sappearing. But five are unready. Five

will be found surprised, dismayed,outside the banquet hall.” 1

If all of the virgins claimed to beChristians, as we do, how do weknow whether we are among thewise or the foolish? The answer isstated very well in the same refer-ence: “It is in a crisis that characteris revealed.” 2 Do you know what acrisis is? It is any difficult situationin which our character is revealed—a trial in which we are tempted tolet self rise up. It can be a flat tirewhen you have to be at the airportin ten minutes. It can be a glass ofwater spilled on a new sofa. Howwe react in a crisis reveals the classto which we belong.

God’s Word tells us that whenthe great controversy is ended, sinwill never rise up again—through-out the ceaseless ages of eternity.None will enter heaven who wouldviolate the peace and happiness ofthat place. In the large and smallcrises of life, our characters arebeing revealed. We can know that ifself rises up when we face thesecrises we are not wise virgins. Thewise virgins have experienced thetransformation of the grace of Christ

upon their hearts; for them, the crisisreveals only the lovely character ofChrist.

Facing the Crisis

One morning, as we were drivingto the church where we wereconducting meetings, my family waspracticing a song we were planningto sing for the sacred service. As wepracticed, I felt that we were off alittle on our timing in one smallsection. When I suggested that wechange the way we were singingthat section, my wife said that shefelt that the timing was correct as wewere singing it. Now, I want to askyou, Was that a crisis?—Yes, it was.I must decide, Would I allow self to

rise up? Would I force my will uponmy wife and family as to whetherwe would count two beats or four? Ihad to decide right then and therewhether I was going to allow thegrace of God, which is as free as theair we breathe, to soften and subduemy heart. I allowed the gospel ofChrist to keep me! It was a decisionof faith.

It is in a crisis that our charactersare revealed, over and over again. Iremember one winter, the first daythat we needed to plow snow off thedriveway. As I went out to get intoour wood-hauling, snow-plowingtruck, I had this thought: “Put thechains on the tires.” I did not acceptthis impression as coming from theLord because it did not really fitwith what I wanted to do right then.I thought: “Lord, there are only threeor four inches of snow on theground; I really do not need thechains. All I am going to do is justpush this little bit of snow off thedriveway. I pushed six or eightinches off last year without thechains.”

As I climbed into the truck, I wasthinking: “I’ll save time this way. I

Was my heart prepared for my wife to come to me?—No,

because I had pushed away the impression of the Holy

Spirit, and I had begun to operate in the flesh—not in

the Spirit .


have so many other things to do, Ireally do not have time to put thechains on the tires.” I began to plowup the driveway slowly. I reachedthe end of the driveway withoutdifficulty, and then I turned thetruck around and began to comeback. As the road started to slopedownward, the whole truck began toslide right off the driveway. At thatmoment I realized why the Lord hadimpressed upon me to put on thechains. I had failed to remember thatthere was a solid layer of ice underthe snow. As a result I found myselfsitting with two wheels on thedriveway and two wheels just a few

feet from the garden fence and withthe plow stuck sitting at an angle ina different direction. I crawled out ofthe truck to look over the whole sadsituation. The plow was twisted atsuch an angle that it was impossibleto unhook it from the truck. My onlyoption was to put the chains on thetruck and see whether it could pullitself out of this predicament. First, Itried just one chain on the wheelthat I thought would do the job thebest, but when I tried to pull for-ward, the truck only slid fartherdown, coming to a stop six inchesfrom the garden fence.

At this point there was a crisisbuilding. I jumped out of the truckagain and struggled for a while,trying to disconnect the plow, butwith no greater success than previ-ously. Back underneath the truck Iworked to put the chains on themost difficult-to-reach wheels, whilemy back sank into a snowdrift. As Ilay there in that strange position, ahuge chunk of snow and ice brokeloose and fell right down my neck.At that moment I was in a crisis!What would not have been a crisisan hour earlier in the day, was nowa crisis. Right then that still, smallvoice entreated my conscience once

again, saying: “Do not let go. I wantto keep you through this. You willunderstand why later.” Praise God,He gave me the grace to hold on! Istayed there and finished the task—asthe subduing grace of God pushedaway the wave of self that had beentrying to create a crisis inside of me.

When the job was done, I wentinside to join my family at the dinnertable. As we were eating one of thechildren said to me, “Daddy, we werewatching you out of the window.That was a very big trial, wasn’t it?”

I asked, “Children, did you knowit was a trial for me because of theexpression you saw on my face, or

because of the circumstances thatyou saw me in?” I wanted to knowwhether I had shown any anger andfrustration at the situation; if so, Ihad not passed the test.

They said: “Daddy, we saw it inthe circumstances. We know thatyou had the victory.” Praise God!

I wish that my children had theopportunity to see Jesus in me eachand every day of their lives, but,friends, the Lord wants to help usnow—whether we are eighty yearsold or five years old—to begin to letHis character shine through us. Hewants to show our husband or wifethat there is, indeed, power in thegospel that we profess. He wants toshow our children that the wordswe speak from the pulpit are not justwords that we mouth, but rather thepower of God unto salvation toeveryone that believeth. Do youwant that experience? It does nothappen by accident, but it can beour experience, as we are kept byHis Spirit moment-by-moment. Wedo not have a once-dead-to-self -always-dead-to-self religion. God’sWord teaches us that true Christian-ity is the experience of a daily deathto self and a resurrection into thenewness of life.

Finding Rest

As you consider your life, youmay be thinking: “No, I am not aChristian. Christ’s character is notreflected in my life. No one knowswhat it is like in my marriagebehind closed doors. No one knowsthe example my children see in me.”Do not become discouraged, brothersand sisters. Satan would have usdespair, but Jesus is saying to us:“Come unto me, all ye that labourand are heavy laden, and I will giveyou rest. Take my yoke upon you,and learn of me: for I am meek andlowly in heart: and ye shall find restunto your souls.” Matthew 11:28–29.

Have we been willing to do this?How many of us take time to come tothe Burden Bearer? We think we areso busy that we do not have time forthe Saviour. We may read a quickdevotional page and bow on ourknees for five minutes in the morning,but we do not take time to be holy.Jesus invites us to give our burdens toHim, but it takes a commitment to takethe time to become acquainted withour Saviour. The devil wants to keepus so distracted and preoccupied withall the busyness of life that we neverlearn to really know Jesus. It takes aconscious commitment to seek first theKingdom of God and His righteous-ness.

Inspiration tells us that Jesusfound His strength morning bymorning: “As a man He supplicatedthe throne of God till His humanitywas charged with a heavenly currentthat should connect humanity withDivinity. Through continual commun-ion He received life from God, that Hemight impart life to the world. Hisexperience is to be ours.” 3

Do you want that experience? Doyou want to be a living Christian? Iwould like to leave you with thisthought taken from the book Mountof Blessing: “It is the love of self thatdestroys our peace.” 4 God’s grace issufficient to help each one of usovercome our worst enemy—self.Will you accept the peace Heoffers—through death to self? �

References:1 Christ’s Object Lessons, 412.2 Ibid.3 The Desire of Ages, 363.4 Thoughts From the Mount of Blessing, 16.

Do not become discouraged, brothers and sisters. Satan

would have us despair, but Jesus is saying to us: “Come

unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I

will give you rest.”

31Volume 16, Number 11 31Volume 16, Number 11

letters to the editorHave a letter to share?contact [email protected] or see page 3 for our mailing address.

I am writing to tell you about theletter I received from a pastor inGhana, West Africa. [The writer hadhelped Lyla Miller send old Our FirmFoundation magazines to Africa.] Inever expected to receive a letter, but Ihave answered it and expect to keepthe correspondence up. If I can helpthis pastor and his church or work inany way, like sending him books orliterature, I will do it.

Thank you so much for what youare doing. I would encourage anyonereceiving this magazine to send it onto others. I feel that I have really beenblessed from God and your organiza-tion already, just by receiving this firstletter.

May God bless you and Our FirmFoundation.

MR, USA

Thank you so much for the Our FirmFoundation magazine. Through theyears I have found it always to be the“straight message,” not yielding to anyman. It is an encouragement to knowthat there are still the “7,000” who willnot/cannot bow the knee to the present-day Baal. Our prayers are with you thatthe Heavenly Father will continue tobless your faithful work!

C, via e-mail

I will start this e-mail by telling youthat you publish the best Adventistmagazines and articles available to-day! It has helped me to maintain acloser relationship with Jesus and tohave a rock-solid foundation. As anordained elder of the Seventh-dayAdventist Church, I appreciate thestraight testimony that you present inyour articles.

JS, via e-mail

From Overseas

We are a very busy church here inMalawi, Africa. Last time I wrote toyou I asked you to send us a packageof Earth’s Final Warning magazines.

These are very powerful maga-zines to be used in our evangelisticcrusades as handouts. This year we

had 20 crusades in our districts, andmore than 400 souls were baptized.Thousands more accepted Christ andare today in baptismal classes. Weneed your hands in supplying uswith handouts, Bibles, and maga-zines.

My work in the church is doingmedical missionary work. I use thetraining I took at Hartland Institute inVirginia, and I work day and night,wherever the church calls me.

We have so many people beinghealed of cancer, T.B., diabetes, stom-ach ulcers, rheumatism, and so forth,using God’s natural remedies.

Apart from this, my work dealswith writing pamphlets on health forhandouts. Some of these materials areused in hospitals. Some go to thechurches to be used in evangelisticcrusades. It is a very big work for mealone. I have no income and am notemployed by our organization.

With so many requests for mywork, many people wanted to knowif a health school had been opened,but this needs someone who is will-ing, and who hears God’s call to joinhands with me. Prayers are very im-portant. Right now, as I am writingthis letter, we have American evange-lists conducting a very big, 21-daycrusade in a stadium here using theirown expenditures. Many thousandsand thousands come nightly. We ex-pect thousands to be baptized.

JN, Malawi

May the grace of the Lord be withyou. I am hereby begging, if you cansend me books of the Word of God. Iam a person who likes witnessing invillages and doing Bible studies in thechurch. But I have no materials likebooks to use. I am a church elder ofthe local SDA church. I do not knowthe Word of God very well. My faithis not very strong. Send me books thatcan help my faith be strong in Jesus. Iwant to know more about God andJesus. And send me tracts so that I cangive to the people I witness to.

I shall be very glad if you willsend me some books. I am looking for-

ward to receiving some from you.SM, Zambia

I acknowledge the receipt of thebooks and magazines you sent me. Ithank God for the effort you are doingin furthering the gospel commission.I also thank Hope International for thetwo videotapes.

All the magazines are already dis-tributed to people and a lot of the recipi-ents have appreciated the contents,which are reviving their souls. I myselfhave been revived by the books Laodicea,Her Authority, Organization, and Destiny,and Issues Clarified. I thank God for youpeople and what you are doing. Maythe Almighty Father continue shower-ing blessing upon you for the noblecourse of blowing the trumpet on thewalls of Zion and making it give a cer-tain sound.

Kindly brethren, continue laboringin the Lord’s vineyard, for God shallreally reward you.

MN, Zambia

I thank you for the April copy of OurFirm Foundation you mailed to me. It ledme to a deep heart-searching, and ad-monished me to put away evil traits ofsinful indulgence in preparations tomeet the Lord. The one area I ask you topray for me in is the point of health re-form. I also believe that once one hasconquered in the area of appetite, hewill be able to conquer any temptationfrom the devil. I would like to subscribeto Our Firm Foundation, but my financialcapability is lower than the price. How-ever, I will send what I can.

I am also interested in the bookPreparing for Eternity compiled by RonSpear.

CM, South Africa

Greetings in the name of the Lord!I am very happy that I visited yoursite. I am moved by the enlighteningwords that I have been reading.

The Lord is using you in His min-istry. May He continue to do so. Godbless you and I will include your min-istry in my prayers.

CG, Philippines

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Hope InternationalCAMP MEETING 2001

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Agatha ThrashCan We Survive theFinal Health Crisis?

Is Mental Preparation or PhysicalPreparation for the Time of TroubleMost Important?

Elijah and John the Baptist Hadthe Same Food

Ray DeCarloThe Marriage of the Lamb, Part 1

The Marriage of the Lamb, Part 2

Russell StandishThe Certainty of theTime Prophecies

Sister White, Protestantism,and the Papacy

Colin StandishThe Praise of Christor the Praise of Men?

The Pastor or the Bible?

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Dr. Sung Min ImExodus

What Is Your Identity?

Hal MayerMethods Used to Promote Error

Bill HumeniukCooking Seminar (Bill and Becky)

Laodicea, Do You ReallyKnow God?

Ron SpearWill the Real SDAPlease Stand Up?

Cody FrancisAre SDA’s Preparingfor the Mark of the Beast?

Clark FloydThe Person in Romans 7 and You

All Who Live Godly in ChristJesus

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