Recently I came across one of our church leaders, Steve Wohlberg, and his latest YouTube video called “The Sunday Law Crisis”. He has a 5 part series explaining all the points pertaining to this upcoming world crisis. As I watched part of it, my mind drew me to the thought “how presumptuous, how utterly fooled are our leaders”.
However sincere Mr. Wohlberg is, the Lord’s Word will come and not Mr. Wohlberg’s false idea that there will be no major move by the Lord prior to the Sunday Law. The following Scripture is being fulfilled by these leaders–
“And her prophets have daubed them with untempered mortar, seeing vanity, and divining lies unto them, saying, Thus saith the Lord GOD, when the LORD hath not spoken.”(Ezekiel 22:28)
You see the Scriptures point unmistakably to the next coming of the Lord. And that is not coming in the clouds as we are led to believe. Yes, we all hear and speak of Jesus’ SECOND coming, our leaders have us all just waiting for the “second” coming.
Yet when we study the Scriptures, SOP and Rod, we know that this coming is the second “public and visible” coming. But we know there is an invisible secret coming, that the Lord’s three Inspired sources clearly teach us. It’s the one that Satan and his angels have fought with all their might to keep you and I from knowing about.
So let us look at this invisible coming as specifically explained in Malachi chapter 3.
To begin with we see that Malachi 3:1 is a classic example of some confusion that needed the Lord’s messenger to “restore” (the Truth). We will see in all It’s beauty, the Truth shown amid the easy confusion one gets if he does not listen to the Lord’s Rod (Micah 6:9 and 7:14).
Let’s look at Malachi 3:1.
“Behold, I send my messenger, and he will prepare the way before me. And the Lord whom you seek will suddenly come to his temple; and the messenger of the covenant in whom you delight, behold, he is coming, says the LORD of hosts.”
The Spirit of Prophecy in Gospel Workers (1915) page 44 explains —
“Never was there such an evangelist as Christ. He was the Majesty of heaven, but He humbled Himself to take our nature, that He might meet men where they were. To all people, rich and poor, free and bond, Christ, the Messenger of the covenant, brought the tidings of salvation.”
So one can say based on the above that Christ is the messenger of the covenant, right? Not so fast, we read this–
“The minister stands as God’s mouthpiece to the people, and in thought, in word, in act, he is to represent his Lord. When Moses was chosen as the messenger of the covenant, the word given him was, “Be thou for the people to Godward.” [Exodus 18:19.] (Gospel Workers, p. 20)
Then we have our King saying that John the Baptist was the messenger of the covenant spoke of in Malachi 3 (Matt 11:7, 9,10, 14)
So we have three different messengers of the covenant? Who then is real messenger of the covenant in Malachi 3? The one who is to “prepare the way” before Christ suddenly comes to His Temple (Church)?
In 1934 Victor Houteff was asked about this subject. Brother Houteff was sent many questions in his 25 year ministry. Often the questions were of the “prove it”, “How can you escape this wrong idea of yours?”, or “can you clear it?” type of questions. He addressed this particular Malachi quandary of statements.
Question No. 7:
How do you harmonize “Gospel Workers" p. 44, par. 2, with “The Shepherd’s Rod,” Vol. 2, p. 240, par. 2, presented comparatively as follows:
“The messenger is not the Lord Himself,...he is the one who shall prepare the way for the Lord.”--"The Shepherd’s Rod,” Vol. 2, p. 240.
“Christ, the Messenger of the covenant, brought the tidings of salvation.”--"Gospel Workers," p.44.
Answer:
While on page 44, Gospel Workers applies the title “Messenger of the Covenant” to Christ, on page 20 it applies it to Moses. In juxtaposition, these are seen as follows:
When Moses was chosen as the messenger of the covenant, the word given him was, ‘Be thou for the people to Godward.'”—Gospel Workers, p. 20. “Christ, the messenger of the covenant, brought the tidings of salvation.”–Gospel Workers, p. 44. Whereas Gospel Workers applies the term to both Moses and Christ, Christ Himself applies it to John the Baptist.
He said “unto the multitudes concerning John…But what went ye out for to see? A prophet? yea, I say unto you, and more than a prophet. For this is he, of whom it is written, Behold, I send My messenger before thy face, which shall prepare thy way before thee. And if ye will receive it, this is Elias, which was for to come.” Matt. 11:7, 9, 10, 14.
As God had made both spoken and written covenants with His ancient people that He would send them Moses, John, and Christ, they came in fulfillment of those covenants. And each having brought a message, each in his own time was the Messenger of the Covenant. Nevertheless, the words of Malachi make plain that the Messenger of the Covenant is, in the strictest sense, Elijah the prophet (Mal. 3:1-5; 4:5), the last messenger who prepares the way of the Lord. (See Testimonies to Ministers, p. 475.)
In the last analysis, however, the title Messenger of the Covenant belongs to the Holy Spirit. For example, I Peter 3:18-20 states that Christ preached to the antediluvians by the same “Spirit” Who “quickened” Him. But as He preached by the Spirit in the person of Noah, not of Himself, He thereby unfolded the truth that the Holy Spirit is in all His messengers alike.
Thus “holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.” 2 Pet. 1:21. Briefly summarized, the term Messenger of the Covenant means the Holy Spirit (the invisible Christ) in Heaven’s visible representative-be it Moses, John, Christ, Elijah, or some other.
So we see that while the underlying true Messenger of the Covenant is the Holy Spirit, we know that the literal application for our time is Elijah the prophet.
Now, to add further confusion we read —
“This coming is foretold also by the prophet Malachi: “The Lord, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to His temple, even the Messenger of the covenant, whom ye delight in: behold, He shall come, saith the Lord of hosts.” Malachi 3:1. The coming of the Lord to His temple was sudden, unexpected, to His people. They were not looking for Him there. They expected Him to come to earth, “in flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel.” 2 Thessalonians 1:8. (GC, p.424)
Another quandary ? No, let us look at the following.
“..Jesus applied the message of Malachi Three to that of John the Baptist, and named him the Elijah that was to come, but when the Jews, priests, and Levites asked John saying, “Art thou Elias?…he saith, I am not.” (John 1:19, 21.) Shall we here conclude that both Jesus and John violated the truth? What then?
Moreover, the “Gospel Workers” applies Malachi 3:1 to Christ’s first advent, but the same author in “The Great Controversy,” p. 424, par. 3, applies it to Christ’s coming to the most holy place in the heavenly sanctuary in 1844; and on p. 425, is applied to the soon expected purification of the church.
Again, on p. 426, the author states that “…Dan. 8:14; the coming of the Son of man to the Ancient of days, as presented in Dan. 7:13; and the coming of the Lord to His temple, foretold by Malachi, are descriptions of the same event; and this is also represented by the coming of the bridegroom to the marriage, described by Christ in the parable of the ten virgins, of Matthew 25.”
If only one of these applications could be right, then which one should we choose? When the questioner harmoniously unifies the above scattered periods to which Malachi 3:1 is applied, then “The Shepherd’s Rod” will prove to him to be in perfect harmony with “The Great Controversy” and “Gospel Workers.”
Though one statement seems to contradict the other, yet we are compelled to conclude that every one of these inspired applications must be correct. Says the great apostle, “Shall their unbelief make the faith of God without effect? God forbid: yea, let God be true, but every man a liar; as it is written, That Thou mightest be justified in Thy sayings, and mightest overcome when Thou art judged.” (Rom. 3:3, 4.)
The trouble does not lie in the statements themselves, but rather in man’s limited knowledge of the truth therein, which proves that we are in the period of the Laodiceans, — “wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked.”
But the worst part of it all lies in that the Lord is saying to the church of today, “Thou knowest not” your great ignorance in not understanding rightly the Word of truth, and she does not believe Him! The apparent contradictions being discussed in this article are harmonized, in short, as follows:
Any fair Bible student will, without difficulty, perceive at a glance that the perfect fulfillment of Malachi Three is yet future, and is directly applicable to the imminent “purification of the church,” — “temple” — for saith the Lord, “Who may abide the day of His coming? and who shall stand when He appeareth? for He is like a refiner’s fire, and like fullers’ sope.” (Mal. 3:2.)
Though Christ and the “Gospel Workers” apply this scripture to Christ’s first advent, any student of sacred history knows that it did not meet its perfect fulfillment there, for the Jews did not “delight” in Him as prophesied in Malachi 3:1, but instead, they hated Him. Neither did Christ at that time purify His church as described by the prophet.
But by the fact that Christ applied Malachi Three to John the Baptist’s message, and as this scripture did not meet its fulfillment at that time, it proves that John was a type of the Elijah that is to come before the coming of the “great and dreadful day of the Lord” (Malachi 4:5), at which time the prophecy will be fulfilled in its fullness.”(SC, vol.1, no. 4, p.4-5)
Commenting further on Malachi 3 , the restoring Elijah message says more —
This final work for the church, being of such great importance, is still further elucidated in the prophecy of Malachi 3.
Of this impending purge, hope-inspiring and heartening to the righteous, but terrifyingly sorrowful to the wicked, the prophet declares: He “shall suddenly come to His temple [the church or ‘floor’],…but who may abide the day of His coming? and who shall stand when He appeareth? for He is like a refiner’s fire, and like fullers’ sope: And He shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver: and He shall purify the sons of Levi, and purge them as gold and silver, that they may offer unto the Lord an offering in righteousness.” Mal. 3:1-3.
In explanation of this scripture, the denominational publication (published and owned by the denomination as well as endorsed and used by the Sabbath School Department throughout the world in 1929), Isaiah, the Gospel Prophet, Vol. 3, p. 49, says: “Verse 20. [Isa. 59.] ‘The Redeemer shall come to Zion.’ This is not the coming in the clouds, but coming to the church. And when He comes, He will do the work mentioned in Malachi 3:1-3.”
This official exposition of the text shows that in 1929 the denomination taught that the prophecy of Malachi 3, promising a thorough work of purification, is a message to the church.(Tract 4, p.36-37)
“A message to the church”– In 1929 our church (SDA) taught that Malachi 3 was prophesying of our church purification!
This is a classic example of how Satan has infiltrated our church and it’s teachings, we’ve gone from the real truth to false ideas and timelines. The Sunday law has been bandied about and put on such a high pedestal as our next big event to watch for, leaving behind what we originally taught as truth–Malachi 3 predicting the church purification.
But we praise the Lord , restoration has wiped the dusty words clean and we see God’s true prophetic words in their right application to us today for hope of a powerful Holy Spirit filled Gospel proclaiming church to all the world.
So leaders like Steve Wohlberg, however sincere they may be are giving us a false path to follow, false ideas and assumptions to look for. Let us be mindful that the Elijah prophet made clear that the Lord want’s us to —“Hear ye the Rod and Who has appointed it.”(Micah 6:9)
Thus will be the Devil’s deal while the day of God is approaching, and while Elijah is making the announcement of it as the scroll unrolls and while the prophecies concerning the day of God are being unsealed. His work and his interpretation of the prophecies for the great day will identify him as the promised Elijah the prophet (“Testimonies to Ministers,” p. 475), and this will enrage the Devil as never before. Nevertheless, one’s only safety will be in the teaching of Elijah, for there will be no other voice of timely Truth and authority to whom one may turn. Any others will lead their victims blind-folded into perdition. (Gen. Conference Special, p.7-8)
Are we listening to His Rod?
To give you an idea how miserable and lost we are, an SDA sister when shown the Micah 6:9 statement, responded , “The Rod is Christ!” Ok then let’s just have everyone call Christ– “it” (“appointed it”). Let’s get real! If we only take the time to read God’s word as it plainly says we’ll not get tripped up and snared by false ideas.
In closing my dear brothers and sisters, the Word tells us in so many areas, to expect the Lord to come unexpectedly and not how Satan has hoodwinked our leaders to explain. As we have pointed out before– history repeats itself. The Jews were looking for Christ to come another way than He actually did. Same with our standard SDA ideas and expectations today. Let’s be serious and know the –Truth.
Godsloveandlaw's Blog 
June 8, 2019 at 8:22 am |
Just to clarify the reference is TM 475.3 if you are using a quick search, otherwise you end up on a different chapter.
Btw, the editors of the book have added an appendix to this paragraph explaining that the context of what she was saying was that in her writings this prophecy was fulfilled. You can find the appendix in TM 534. What are your thoughts on that?
June 9, 2019 at 5:50 am |
“Prophecy must be fulfilled. The Lord says: “Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord.” Somebody is to come in the spirit and power of Elijah, and when he appears, men may say: “You are too earnest, you do not interpret the Scriptures in the proper way. Let me tell you how to teach your message.”(Testimonies to Ministers, p.475)
The first two original publications of the Testimonies to Minsters this quote was left alone. But in 1962, the General Conference added an asterisk to it saying that Ellen White was talking of herself as the Elijah to come. It was after Victor Houteff died and the SDA church was dealing with an underground movement saying that his writings were inspired and should be followed. So to quiet the speculation they published a 1962 version of the book and added the asterisk telling people to not take her words as they appear.
In other words, they were saying that when she said “somebody is to come” she was saying it was herself who had already came. And when she said “when he appears” she meant “when she appears”. The General Conference once again caught trying to deny the Lord’s message.
June 9, 2019 at 6:58 am |
Yes, thank you. And they also try to say when she put “prophecy must be fulfilled” she really meant “prophecy has been fulfilled”.
June 9, 2019 at 4:27 pm |
Yes that too! They really show who they are working for, yet they know it not, just as our Lord said, ” miserable blind and naked” (Rev. 3)