Archive for July, 2012

Fishers Of Men

July 28, 2012

Note: Due to the involved studies I am in now, with regard to the “special  resurrection”,  I request your prayers, that this very deep subject comes to clear light for us as truth believers. I am hopeful this will be published within a week or two.

One of the first things our Lord said when He began His ministry was “Come, follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men” (Matt. 4:19). We notice that Peter and Andrew “left their nets” and followed our Lord. This showed our Lord had “called” and they answered immediately with all their heart. In these very last hours, our Lord is calling many but are we answering? The reason for the call is that not only does He want us saved, but that He want’s us to go out and “fish” for our wayward brothers and sisters.

As with so much Scripture, the above words have a double application. They were true and applied to the people after our Lord spoke them and now, today,  they are true, yet in a different sense,  during the current anti-typical Elijah message. Let’s look at the application for us to today, it’s present truth application.

As any good fisherman knows there is much need for preparation. He must have all the necessary supplies and bait. He must also learn a very important asset–patience. Personally speaking I was never much of a fisherman because of this needed asset. If the fish didn’t bite within 15 or 20 minutes, I was bored. In our work to reach our brothers and sisters however, this asset is most precious.

If we reach out to them to let them know the precious message of the hour and they seem somewhat dis-interested, we should be patient and wait and watch for any new signs that they are willing to engage. Remember our Lord specifically said that we, the Laodicean church are in need of eye salve. This means we, the great majority within our church are not  “seeing” properly because we don’t feel we need any more truth.

 We know from the prior posts that the ones who we seriously need to “fish” for are right there in our own churches! So how can we reach out to them today? Let’s look at some good ideas applicable for today’s world.

1) Attend church functions and get to know your brothers and sisters in the church. Ask them if they want to do a bible study. Keep in mind that because we are so close to the church judgment, we should try and study “present truth” as much as we can. Nothing is more “present” than the Elijah message. Most will need help to know what it is, due to the fact that they have not been taught it in the church.

2) Get involved on Facebook, and join a “present truth” SDA group. We have a growing site called Truth Tellers. We are actively spreading our Lord’s last message, the Elijah message. We started with about 100 and it has grown to about 300 from all around the world, praise the Lord!https://www.facebook.com/eugene.j.rush?ref=brem#!/groups/268904846461984/

3) Pray frequently for the Lord to help guide others to you.He knows  those who will need your attention and possibly be a study partner. The Lord’s words say that the “Spirit of Truth” will guide us, if we will honestly seek the truth.

To continue with the fishing analogy, we must have some good “bait”. That would be good solid teachings for them. Because the Lord is so close to coming down in a surprise visit, we can explain that EGW prophesied that a prophet would come after her. Our quotes would be (Testimonies for the Church, P. 475) and (1 Selected Messages, p. 412). His clear identifying mark will be that he interprets Scripture and foretells with his message , of the great and dreadful day soon to come. He speaks predominately to the SDA church, the Laodicean church.

Also keep in mind, there are quite a few brethren, who are at the ready to help in the present truth studies. Here are just a few. Feel  free to contact them for a private study.

1) Brother B.Albert (BG) Graham  ibdavidsson2@yahoo.com

2)Brother Jim Kakouri   jimkakouri@hotmail.com   (direct phone in London, England  is  011-44-785-399-6570) (His direct website is http://sighandcrywemust.weebly.com/index.html )

3)Yours truly, bro. Rob  palmguy@dc.rr.com

Back to the fishing analogy. When we as fishermen today cast our line, it must be in an acceptable area. This means that if we go out into babylon and try to catch some fish, we are doing the exact opposite of what the original Elijah did. He did not even think of going out to the heathen and spreading God’s message. In Elijah’s day, God was concerned with His own people. Elijah’s  purpose  was to “fish” among his own people, to save them from idol worship and the wrath of God. Like wise we are to go among our own people today, as we are doing the anti-typical work of Elijah. Yes, there will come a God appointed time when we will fish among babylon in the near future, but God has not appointed it now because the Elijah message must go forth first because of the next to come  beginning phase of the church judgment. The Lord’splan is our plan, amen.

Men and women are waiting right there in our churches for someone to guide them. Just as the true men of God have always stepped to the forefront and lead the people to the truth, so too we as last day leaders must not forget our brethren. We must go out and be– fishers  of men. May the Lord guide us as we go out and bring in some catches.

In Christ, bro. Rob

Posted in Witnessing | 2 Comments »

God’s Want Ad

July 21, 2012

There  has been an ad placed by our Lord around the world, in every city and village,  it reads as follows.

WANTED: Men and Women, willing to enlist in a group that will soon go into all the world to do a once-in-a-lifetime  job. The job will be an experience that none have ever had. It will ensure that you never die.

QUALIFICATIONS: You must have read and studied  ALL the Scriptures , the old as well as the new, and applied the teachings to your life. The 10 Commandments must be your life’s rules to live by daily. The last messenger I sent, Elijah in anti-type, brought  My last message and must have been  studied , understood and obeyed.

JOB DUTIES:  Upon enlistment I will give you the powers to do the following:  Heal the sick, speak in tongues, stop weapons from doing damage, raise the dead, speak powerfully all the necessary Scriptures to each and every soul I bring to you. Stop any violent person from violence toward you, with the raising of your hand. Enable you to lead many souls in the direction I will show you. To complete My mission to bring a great multitude out of the false religions  into My pure church.

TOTAL JOB OPENINGS AVAILABLE: 144,000.

LASTING BENEFITS : Eternal life. Countless days of pure joy. No sickness, no “bad” days. A personal dwelling place for you of indescribable beauty in an extraordinary beautiful land. Countless discussions with Me and loving fellowship throughout eternity. Universe travel. Unlimited projects to work on that bring satisfaction and contentment. My Spirit brings you a fullness of life. You will never grow tired of being with Me  and the vast hosts of My creation.

REFERENCES RECOMMENDED:  My servant Ellen White– ” Let us strive with all the power that God has given us, to be among the 144,000 (Review and Herald, march 9, 1905)

My servant Isaiah– ” It shall come to pass in that day, that the LORD shall set His hand again the second time to recover the remnant of His people who are left, from Assyria and Egypt, from Pathos and Cush, from Elam and Shinar, from Hamath and the islands of the sea. He will set up a banner for the nations, and will assemble the outcasts of Israel, and gather together the dispersed of Judah, from the four corners of the earth.” (Isaiah 11:11-12)

“”And it shall come to pass that he who is left in Zion and remains in Jerusalem will be called holy–everyone who is recorded among the living in Jerusalem.” (Isaiah  4:3)

“The remnant will return, the remnant of Jacob, to the Mighty GOD. For though your people, O Israel, be as the sand of the sea, a remnant of them will return: the destruction decreed shall overflow with righteousness. For the LORD GOD will make a determined end in the midst of the land.”   (Isaiah  10:21)

“And it shall come to pass in that day that the remnant of Israel, and such as have escaped of the house of Jacob, will never again depend on him who defeated them, but will depend on the LORD, the Holy One of Israel, in truth.” (Isaiah 10:20)

“Your watchmen shall lift up their voices, with their voices shall they sing together; for they shall see eye to eye when the LORD brings back Zion. (Isaiah 52:8)

My servant Jeremiah — “Therefore, behold, the days are coming,” says the LORD, “that they shall no longer say, ‘As the Lord lives who brought up the children of Israel from the land of Egypt, but, ‘As the Lord lives who brought up and led the descendants of the house of Israel from the north country and from all the countries where I had driven them.’ And they shall dwell in their own land.” (Jeremiah 23:7-8)

“Behold, a whirlwind of the LORD has gone forth in fury– A violent whirlwind!  It will fall violently on the head of the wicked. The anger of the LORD will not turn back until He has executed and performed the thoughts of His heart. In the latter days you will understand it perfectly.(Jeremiah 23:19-20)

“You are My battle-ax and weapons of war: For with you I will break the nations in pieces; With you I will destroy kingdoms; With you I will break in pieces the horse and it’s rider; With you I will break in pieces the chariot and it’s rider.” (Jeremiah 51:20-21)

My servant Ezekiel– “For thus says the Lord: “Indeed I Myself will search for My sheep and seek them out. As a shepherd seeks out his flock on the day he is among his scattered sheep, so will I seek out My sheep and deliver them from all the places where they were scattered on a cloudy and dark day. And I will bring them out from the peoples and gather them from the countries, and will bring them to their own land; I will feed them on the mountains of Israel, in the valleys and in all the inhabited places of the country.” (Ezekiel 34:12-13)

My servant Micah — ” The Lord’s voice cries to the city– Wisdom shall see your name: “Hear ye the rod! Who has appointed it?” (Micah 6:9)

My servant Zephaniah — ” I will gather those who sorrow over the appointed assembly, who are among you, to whom its reproach is a burden. Behold , at that time I will deal with all who afflict you; I will save the lame, and gather those who were driven out; I will appoint them for praise and fame in every land where they were put to shame. At  that time  I will bring  you back, even at the time I gather you; for I will give you fame and praise among all the peoples of the earth, when I return your captives before your eyes,” says the LORD.”  (Zephaniah 3:18-20)

 As of this moment the applications are still in front of each and every believer. Even those in babylon right now can come and become converted before the Lord comes to the earth to begin judgment for the living. It is because our Lord has set a time-table for mankind, that He cannot wait for ever for His people to become truly converted. He must take the reins into His own hands (Test. to Ministers, p.300). As soon as the 144,000th person is counted, then it is that the final events will be rapid ones.

Let us not waste time, we must respond to His ad, and do so quickly. The rewards are too great for us to pass  it by. No other people in all of earth’s history have this chance–but us! Remember, our Lord has a strong rebuke for us, His last Laodicean church. We are seen as rich yet we are poor, blind and naked. We can indeed put enslave on by listening to His final message to us–the Elijah message. It tells us “how” to be among the 144,000.

I want to be a part of this great company, don’t you?

Posted in Who are the 144K? | 2 Comments »

Recovering from Backsliding

July 14, 2012

One of the most tragic and sad situations of our Christian walk, is that of –backsliding. A verse in Bible reminds me of this folly. “As a dog returns to his vomit, so a fool repeats his folly” (Proverbs 26:11). Wikipedia describes backsliding as follows ” Backsliding, also know as falling away, is a term used within Christianity to describe a process by which an individual who has converted to Christianity reverts to his pre-conversion habits and/or lapses or falls into sin, when a person turns from God to pursue his own desire.”  Let’s look into this backsliding and how with God’s power we can recover from it.

Backsliding comes in basically three stages. 1) A temporary slip or fall. Meaning we make a spiritual mistake and fall into temptation but quickly realize our transgression and repent and turn from that sin(s). 2) We slip and fall often and repeatedly, off and on. Our walk is strong, then weak and we seem to have stages of success then just as sure stages of failure. 3)  We slip and stay fallen for extended periods.

The last stage (3) is most dire spiritually. We won’t dwell much on that,  as it really is a situation where one has made no real commitment and repeated prayer and fasting is a must!

As we are well aware, only those who “overcome” will be allowed to sit on the throne with our Lord in heaven(Rev. 3:21) That means that while we will have occasional slips and falls, we must in fact overcome them. Our cherished sins are to be no more.But what do we do when we slip and fall? Let’s look at the 2nd case scenario.

The 2nd case people are most likely to be the “grace abusers”. Definitely these would include the outlandish believing  “once saved always saved” crowd.  Grace abuse is described in (Romans 6:1) “What shall we say then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase?”  Those who repeatedly fall often think that grace will cover them, in effect they do not claim the Lord’s power to help them overcome sin.

I have often heard and read where people use the standard worn out line “Oh, we’ll never stop sinning and the Lord accepts us anyway.” If that’s the case why did He say –we must overcome? The ones who claim that their weaknesses are incurable, will never be able to say that they –overcame. So we see that those we repeatedly slip and fall, are in need of serious alignment of their spiritual values. Let us never forget the equally used quote, but this one is spot on– The Lord saves us from our sins, not in our sins.

Our prophetess made a clear statement in regards to overcoming. “Let no one say, I cannot remedy my defects of character. If you come to this decision, you will certainly fail of obtaining everlasting life” (Christ’s object lessons, p.331).

These people need to “hit the books”,  start a serious undertaking in studying the Scriptures, Ellen White, and our last prophet–Victor Houteff. They need to receive the Spirit of Truth. As the parable teaches, they must be planted in “good ground” (ie. inspired truth) instead of walking halfway in their walk with the Lord. As we have learned from prior studies, our Lord will begin judgment for the living in his church soon(before the plaques come), we can’t afford to be found partly converted.

Let us now look at the most spiritually  “healthy” case,  the 1st case scenario. In ( 1 John 1:8) we read ” If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us.” Our walk will never be perfect until our Lord comes and transforms us. For those of us who will remain alive in the very near future, we will see our Lord’s promise.  “For I will take you from among the nations, gather you out of all countries, and bring you into your own land. Then I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean; I will cleanse you from all your filthiness and from all your idols.” (Ezekiel 36:24-25)

The implication from our Lord’s above words is that , though we think we are clean, we are not fully. It will only be once we arrive back in God’s kingdom, the holy land in Israel, that we will be made fully clean in God’s sight. For those of you who have missed the posts on the future kingdom to be set up, see “Thy Kingdom Come, part 1 and 2.

Please do not mis-interpret the Lord’s words above. When we are to be fully clean, that means we will be cleansed from sins we have even though we are not fully aware of them. We shouldn’t say ” I can have some idols and do a few sins here and there, because the Lord understands and will clean them in the future”. No, it does not mean that. This would be a contemptible attitude and calls upon our Lord to ever expand His grace. Again,  (Romans 6:1) applies.

The occasional slip or fall (into sin) must not degenerate into a often slip or fall. Our Lord made that clear in (John 5:14). “… See, you are well again, stop sinning or something worse may happen to you.”  The falls can become so frequent that things begin to unravel. The devils then influence us so thoroughly that we backslide into case number 3.

Speaking of the devil, let’s discuss his active role in backsliding. As we’ve mentioned in our post under God’s light, we showed that the ones who are actively walking daily in His Commandments and truth shine the brightest. As the Angels and devils see this, some are noticed more than others. The devils focus primarily on the bright shining ones, as these are the ones they despise and want to corrupt.

So it stands to reason that the cleaner and straighter your walk with the Lord, the more and harder will be the temptations. But this can be met fully with the Lord’s power. That is key.

Ellen White, in describing the “shaking”  of our church describes the devils and their dark influence on those staying true to the Lord. “I saw some, with strong faith and agonizing cries, pleading with God. Their countenances were pale and marked with deep anxiety, expressive of their internal struggle…Evil angels crowded around, pressing darkness upon them to shut Jesus from their view, that their eyes might be drawn to the darkness that surrounded them, and thus they be led to distrust God and murmur against Him.”(Early Writings, page 269)

In these very last days, the devils, at Satan’s command, want nothing more than to make those who are converted to backslide, the more the better is their goal. Recently I slipped and fell. I reverted back to an old cherished sin. I did it and quickly realized my mistake. I felt real bad. I knew better yet I submitted to stumbling.

But the next day, after coming clean and repenting of my sin, our merciful Lord gave me a vision. In it I saw myself laying on the ground looking up to the Lord who was standing above me. His arm was stretched out, to grasp my hand and raise me back up. It brought tears and I was so moved by this vision. Our Lord was letting me know, He forgave me.

This is the kind of merciful Lord we serve. A King who understands that the devils have put many stumbling rocks in our path and we may slip and fall occasionally. Our walk is precious to Him and He wants us to “overcome”. Are we going to get right back up after stumbling and steer away from that crooked path? Yes, we must.

In closing,  let us realize our dear Lord’s words when we stumble “My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. And if anyones sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.” (1 John 2:1-2)

Posted in Backsliding, Christian walk | 4 Comments »

Sighing and Crying, Part 2

July 7, 2012

The Lord’s last message foretold in Scripture, as we know, is the promised Elijah and his message (Mal.4:5). To come “before the great and dreadful day of the Lord”. At the very heart of this message is the specific instructions, that we must sigh and cry for all the abominations done in our midst (our own life and the church). But what exactly is sighing and crying? Let’s look deeper into this very important subject.

Before we establish from Scripture and SOP why we must do this, let’s look at the perfect example –our Lord’s example. In studying His short life here on earth, we see that His life was indeed filled with “sighing and crying”. We are told in (Isaiah 53:3) the following “He is despised and rejected of men, a Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief.” He was often sighing, as he rebuked the pharisees and others for their sins and their hypocrisy. We also remember His weeping for  the stubborn rebellion of His people as He entered the city(Luke 19:41).

His life was not one of “looking the other way” at sin and hypocrisy. He dealt with it , in His midst. We who are striving to be like Him should certainly be like Him in this regard. In fact we shall see we are required to. Not because He is forcing us to, but because He sees that we do indeed love righteousness and truth, and validate it by our sighing and crying for sins. In other words, our conversion to living for Him is seen as real.

So with that, let us show the basis for this important commandment. As we are aware,  the inspired words come through the prophets. In this case, a clear command came through from  our dear prophetess-Ellen White. In Testimonies to Ministers, page 445, she said  that Ezekiel vision(Chapter 9)  and John’s vision (Rev. 7:1-4) were the same, in regards to the sealings of God that were to be done and completed BEFORE the winds were let loose. She also identified what those particular winds represented the Sunday law(with it’s subsequent times of trouble) (Test. for the Church, Vol. 5, p. 152).

So we see that the solemn chapter 9 of Ezekiel must be read, seriously studied and heeded now before the nations arise to begin to implement the Sunday law. It specifically says “..and the Lord said unto him (angel clothed in linen with a writer’s inkhorn) “Go through the midst of the city, through Jerusalem, and put a mark on the foreheads of the men who sigh  and cry over all the abominations that are done within it.” (Ezekiel 9:4).

EGW also said the following ” Study the 9th chapter of Ezekiel, these words will be literally fulfilled; yet the time is passing and the people are asleep. (Manuscript Releases, Vol. 1, p.260)

If we read further in Ezekiel 9, we find the disastrous consequents of those who don’t sigh and cry. So serious and solemn is this  that our Lord will do something unbelievable. Ezekiel reveals it from the Lord  “And I will do among you what I have never done, and the like of which I will never do again, because of your abominations (Ezekiel 5:9).

So it is clear that the Elijah message is so serious for us. We cannot be found turning away from it. Right now as we are being shown these instructions, we must heed them.

Let’s now look at some examples of sighing and crying, or the lack of. Recently I sat down with a leader among our church and we discussed “church”. I mentioned  that I thought it was wrong to leave the doors wide open to the sanctuary right after Sabbath school. There is hustling and bustling, noises, chatter, laughing, all coming right into the holy sanctuary. I told him it would be a good idea to keep the doors closed and have the door man watch them and help open for those entering.

His response to me was far from sighing and crying over this lack of reverence in God’s house. Instead he said the following “well, if you feel we’re not doing things right, maybe you can find a better church.”–Wow! Instead of seeing that this was an opportunity to show holy reverence to our Lord in HIS SANCTUARY, he basically was justifying lack of reverence as acceptable. Will he be found to be sighing and crying? All I can say is I fear for him.

Many of the abominations of which will cause us to sigh and cry are done right there in the sanctuary.  Ezekiel 9:11  says “Therefore as I live”, says the LORD  GOD. “surely, because you have defiled My sanctuary with all your detestable things and with all your abominations, therefore I will diminish you; My eye will not spare nor will I have pity.”

Think about this for a minute, if our Lord detested the abominations done in His sanctuary back in Ezekiel’s time, can we seriously think He has changed now?  “For I am the Lord, I do not change” (Mal 3:6)  That which is holy then is STILL holy today.

Some of the things that we can be aware of in His sanctuary are the following.

1) Paying our Tithes in the sanctuary on the Sabbath. See this link https://godsloveandlaw.com/2012/09/29/tithes-and-offerings-part-2-of-2/

2) Proper respectful dress. A while back I was in the foyer before service and saw a young lady walking around with a dress so short, you could almost see her underwear! She pranced around several times, then as she was walking by me , the Lord compelled me to stop her.We stepped off  to the side and  I said quietly to her ‘You know , you might want to dress a little more modestly , in God’s house next time.” She nodded and continued on her way. She was young, maybe 20, and I pray this was  wake up call for her.

3) Proper  silence in the sanctuary. That doesn’t mean we never say anything, but we watch closely our conversations, and keep to the bare  minimum. This includes cell phones, laptops, or other devices that we indulge in in the sanctuary. I recently saw a small child on the cellphone playing some worldly game all plainly seen in the sanctuary. Can the Lord be pleased with this?

4) Proper arrival to church. I recently sighed over a friend who walked into church with about 10 minutes left for the service.  I didn’t say anything to him but it sure bothered me. It showed great dis-respect or lack of preparation. If you were scheduled to meet the president of the US at an appointed time, would you show up an hour or more late? Almost all of us would never do that. Is the Lord less important?

5) Refrain from buying or selling on the Sabbath, this includes within the church on the Sabbath. As we mentioned before, peddling of God’s word is a big problem in our church. Travelling preachers or singers or speakers, often have CD’s or DVD’s for sale in the foyer after or even during service. We should sigh about this for sure.

6) Participating in “extra” events on the Sabbath. Recently our church picked the LORD’s day, let me repeat, the LORD’s day, to honor our members high school and college graduates. The last time I checked we are to honor our LORD on the Sabbath–not ourselves!  To some this may sound petty, but believe me, as surely as I live it is NOT petty to our Lord.

7)Keeping our conversations on the Sabbath focused on the Lord and His word.We should shun worldly business, events, gossip, etc. See (Isaiah 58:13)

The above are just some of the abominations that we must be aware of, in order to sigh and cry.

The opposite action of sighing and crying is to ignore it or worse, accept it and put a cloak over it by justifying it. When a sigher or crier comes to you, how do you respond? Do you pat them on the back and say ” Don’t worry about it, the Lord understands, He loves us and will work it out.” Is that sighing and crying for the abominations done in the midst? No, it surely is not. It is cloak covering.

Here are more words from EGW making clear the issue of sighing and crying. ” At the time when the danger and depression of the church are the greatest, the little company who are standing in the light, will be sighing and crying for the abominations that are done in the land…In a time when His wrath shall go forth in judgments, these humble devoted followers Christ will be distinguished from the rest of the world by their soul anguish, which is expressed in lamentation and weeping, reproofs and warnings. While others try to throw a cloak over the existing evil, and excuse the great wickedness everywhere prevalent, those who have a zeal for God’s Honor and a love for souls, will not hold their peace to obtain favor of any. (Test. for the Church, Vol. 5 P. 209-210)

“The class who do not feel grieved over their own spiritual declension, nor mourn the sins of other, will be left without the seal of God. (Test. for the Church, Vol. 5, p.211)

“… if wrongs are apparent among His people, and if the servants of God pass indifferent to them, they virtually sustain and justify the sinner, and are alike guilty and will just as surely receive the displeasure of God; for they will be mad responsible for the sins of the guilty.” (Testimonies for the Church, Vol. 3, p. 265,266)

In closing,  we must make a choice, do we sigh and cry as we are told to, with real conviction of the wrong and evilness of sin. Or do we ignore the Lord’s final message to us, thinking that we don’t need it. I plead with all,  to prayerfully consider these words you’ve read and take it seriously. Our days are near ending, and the Lord will settle the books with us. Will we be weighed in the balance and found wanting, or found an obedient servant of the Lord?

Posted in Christian walk, Church, Ezekiel, God's sealings, Sighing and Crying | 6 Comments »