Archive for June, 2016

The Meaning of Hosea Chapter One and Two, Part 1 of 2

June 25, 2016

hosea

When the Lord promised to send His final messenger to our church, one of the greatest things we find is the understanding of long-held mysteries of the Bible. One of those mysteries we now understand is the often confusing story of Hosea. All too often the people are told that Hosea chapter one and two is a “real” story. That Hosea really did go out and marry a whore. This idea stems mostly from our protestant friends, those who also tell us the Sabbath has been done away with. However we as SDA have some private ideas on this story from our leaders as seen here –https://www.adventistbiblicalresearch.org/materials/bible-ot-texts/hosea-12

But let us  look at the story and find out the real spiritual meaning as brought to us by the final prophet, Victor T. Houteff. We shall see a pleading story from God to us His remnant church, a story that shows the depth of His love for us and the desperation that exists in bringing her back to Him.

 

 

Let us now break this story down and study it from our prophet’s interpretation.

Hos. 1:2 — “The beginning of the word of the Lord by Hosea. And the Lord said to Hosea, Go, take unto thee a wife of whoredoms and children of whoredoms: for the land hath committed great whoredom, departing from the Lord.”

   We immediately see that this wife and these children symbolize God’s people departing from Him, and that such a wicked act, He calls whoredom.

Hos. 1:3, 4 — “So he went and took Gomer the daughter of Diblaim; which conceived, and bare him a son.  and the Lord said unto him, Call his name Jezreel; for yet a little while, and I will avenge the blood of Jezreel upon the house of Jehu, and will cause to cease the kingdom of the house of Israel.”

   God’s reason for thus naming Hosea’s first visionary son, was to signify that in a little while He was to avenge the blood of Jezreel upon the house of Jehu, who was then the king of Israel.  Then declared the Lord:

Hos. 1:5 — “And it shall come to pass at that day, that I will break the bow of Israel, in the valley of Jezreel.”

   To break the bow would mean to break the nation’s military strength.  The history of this is recorded in 2 Kings 10, 11.

Hos. 1:6 — “And she conceived again, and bare a daughter.  And God said unto him, Call her name Lo-ruhamah: for I will no more have mercy upon the house of Israel; but I will utterly take them away.”

   This child’s name was to denote the complete destruction of the house of Israel, the ten-tribe kingdom.  This destruction, we know, was accomplished by the king of Assyria, who scattered the people throughout the cities of the Medes.  The history of this is found in 2 Kings 18:11 — “And the king of Assyria did carry away Israel unto Assyria, and put them in Halah and in Habor by the river of Gozan, and in the cities of the Medes.”

Hos. 1:7 — “But I will have mercy upon the house of Judah, and will save them by the Lord their God, and will not save them by bow, nor by sword, nor by battle, by horses, nor by horsemen.”

   The Lord promised to spare the house of Judah from the invasion of the king of Assyria.  The history of this incident is recorded in 2 Kings 19:35 — “And it came to pass that night, that the angel of the Lord went out, and smote in the camp of the Assyrians an hundred fourscore and five thousand: and when they arose early in the morning, behold, they were all dead corpses.”

Hos. 1:8, 9 — “Now when she had weaned Lo-ruhamah, she conceived, and bare a son.  Then said God, Call his name Lo-Ammi: for ye are not My people, and I will not be your God.”

   The name of the third child was to signify that though Israel and Judah were God’s chosen people, the day was fast approaching in which they would no longer be called His people.  The fulfillment of this phase of the prophecy brings us to the Christian era.

Hos. 1:10 — “Yet the number of the children of Israel shall be as the sand of the sea, which cannot be measured nor numbered; and it shall come to pass, that in the place where it was said unto them, Ye are not My people, there it shall be said unto them, Ye are the sons of the living God.”

   In spite of the calamities that were to overtake the children of Israel, they were to become very numerous.  And when they are thus greatly multiplied, they are again to be called the sons of God.  And so here we see a prophecy of the rebellion of God’s people and God’s rejection of them, as well as their repentance and re-acceptance by Him. (Timely Greetings, vol. 2, no.6, p.13-17)

Let us here for a moment discuss the titles “Judah” and “Israel.”  When superficially read these titles are as a rule misconstrued and made to mean the identified Jews.  But we must not be superficial readers and thinkers.  Let us be deep Bible students.  Now, everyone knows that the identified Jews of today are but a handful — certainly not as the sands of the sea.  The innumerable children of Israel, therefore, cannot be the unbelieving Jews of today.  Besides, theidentified Jews of today are not the descendants of the ten-tribe kingdom, but of the two-tribe kingdom.  Who, then, is this multitude of people referred to in Hosea’s prophecy?

 

   We must not overlook the fact that the Gospel of Christ divided the house of Judah into two sects — Jewish and Christian, that the Christian church for about four years after the resurrection of Christ consisted practically only of Jews.  Plainly, then, the original Christians were full-blooded Jews, — the Christian church is only a branch of the Jewish church, but they and their descendants have, through the years, lost their racial identity. 

Then, too, the descendants of both Israel and Judah who through the years of captivity lost their identity as did the Jews who embraced Christianity, according to prophecy must also have greatly multiplied.  Plainly, then, many who are taken as Gentiles, are but unidentified descendants of ancient Judah, Israel, and the Jewish Christians.  The Christian church herself is, as we have seen, a Jewish-Christian church.

   These descendants of Jacob, who were assimilated by the Gentile nations, therefore, were to multiply as the sand of the sea.  They are the ones who, after becoming Christians, are again called the sons of the living God.

   Of those who first embraced the Christian faith, the Apostle Peter speaks thus: “Which in time past were not a people, but are now the people of God: which had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy.” 1 Pet. 2:10.

   And the Apostle John says: “But as many as received Him, to them gave He power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on His name.” John 1:12.

 

   Now we see that the prophecy of Hosea 1 begins with the house of Israel and Judah, and brings us down through the stream of time to the Christian era.  For light on the church in the Christian period, we turn to–

Hos. 1:11 — “Then shall the children of Judah and the children of Israel be gathered together, and appoint themselves one head, and they shall come up out of the land: for great shall be the day of Jezreel.”

   The Word of God, therefore, definitely declares that the subjects of the torn-down kingdoms — Judah and Israel — as Christians, along with the Gentiles that have joined them, will gather together and appoint themselves a king.

   In a similar symbolism, the prophet was told that after many days of obscurity and wandering, “shall the children of Israel return, and seek the Lord their God, and David their king [evidently David is the “one head” whom they appoint], and shall fear the Lord and His goodness in the latter days.” Hos. 3:5. (Timely Greetings, vol. 2, no.6, p.13-17)

 

(Next week we’ll finish the Hosea prophecy with chapter two and a summary about it’s lesson for us today)

Color code– Scripture  and  Victor Houteff

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Finished by Electronic Equipment

June 18, 2016

Computer two

In the fast closing hours of our Seventh-day Adventist probation, the Lord has pulled out all stops. And one of the main ways His final message of hope and salvation to us is– Electronic equipment.

The Lord sent our final prophet to pen these words–

“God’s servants shall have no time or desire for the cares of this world, for there is a city prepared for them whose builder and maker is God.  As we have just enough time to get ready for translation, we must not let the enemy steal our precious moments.  Because the work is so broad, its expansion so vast, and its importance so great, God has inspired modern science to invent, and build speedy equipment to quickly finish His work.  “But thou, O Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book, even to the time of the end: many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased.  Many shall be purified, and made white, and tried, but the wicked shall do wickedly; and none of the wicked shall understand; but the wise shall understand.” (Dan. 12:4, 10.)(SRod, vol. 2, p.229)

Just imagine how far we have come in the last 25 years. The world has been so intertwined with the mass communication of electronics, that in the year 2000, we remember that some well-known computer experts were predicting a literal shut down of the world, with the predicted date change mal-function of the 2000th year.

The computers, cell phones, advanced copiers, and all the other electronic items have truly revolutionized our world. But just as we see  from the inspired Daniel quote, “knowledge shall be increased.” And indeed it has!

But let us step back and ponder this a little. We all know  that the world and the souls in it belong to God. Yes, Satan has commandeered it temporarily but God has not abandoned His people. This being so, who do we think inspired the pioneers like Bill Gates and Steve Jobs to come up with all their brilliant ideas? You got it, our ever-loving and all-seeing–King of Kings!

And the reason the computer and electronic age has so developed is for the primary reason–to get His message out to all who are willing. And the next step we as present truth believers know well, is the securement of His elect– the 144,000.

It truly is a marvel that the message of Elijah has gone so far and wide via electronics. Yet despite this very few have taken the time to devote to “study to show yourself approved unto God ..”(2 Tim. 2:15). Nevertheless the Lord has set the table, who will come and eat the bread of life?

But let us not lose track that a good 25 years of the Lord setting the table of electronics before us comes with a condition. That is that this message is literally at our fingertips and we have no excuse to plead ignorance. The solemn words of the prophet come to us again–

“And just as soon as this message reaches every church member, just that soon will the purification take place.” (Timely Greetings, vol.1, no.12, p.26).

We also notice that the world’s electronic build up started in direct correlation to the Lord’s final message, which begin in 1929-1930 with the first volume of the Shepherd’s Rod.

Wikipedia states — “Television became available in crude experimental forms in the late 1920s. After World war two an improved form became popular in the United States and Britain, and television sets became commonplace in homes, businesses, and institutions. During the 1950s, television was the primary medium for influencing public opinion.”

Today, the TV has been very instrumental in furthering His final message. Not so much for actual TV programming but for the use of DVD’s and other medium which uses the TV for playback abilities.

Those striving to become one of His end time servants have little time for worldly TV. Their all-consuming passion is to be about the Lord’s business in His vineyard.

So with this mass electronic spread, we can see that the message is being given through it, so that every member of God’s remnant church shall have no excuse. It is there, available to be read, seen and heard.

CD’s have also played a big role in spreading the message. Computer websites are numerous and people from all over the world can go on and order Tracts, CD’s, DVD’s, and other literature. YouTube videos are plenty today as well, describing the final message of the Lord. For this very reason has the Lord allowed advanced electronics to become so central in our world today!

I think of a  vision of the Lord looking at his subject upon judgment and they say ” I did not know about your final message, Lord.” And the Lord asks if they had a computer and of course, in most cases, the answer is yes. The message is all over that computer they just don’t want to see it. Instead news, work, worldly games, friends and relatives, shows and other entertainment comprise almost all  their computer time.

On our Facebook group Truth Tellers, we are providing message updates and studies and those with computers, cell phones and handhelds, regularly view and partake in this medium. Praise the Lord for this avenue because most of them are from the far away countries, which  only electronic media makes possible. The poor often cannot afford a computer or laptop but usually have a cell phone and can access our site.

There’s been a long time denial of the Elijah message in our church and through the pulpit, and as such our Lord’s inspired electronic media has provided  one of the main sources of His message of hope for His remnant. However at the same time,  His warnings of the upcoming “judgment for the living” that begins in the house of God first is solemnly given.

“For it is time for judgment to begin with God’s household; and if it begins with us, what will the outcome be for those who do not obey the gospel of God?” (1 Peter 4:17)

“God does not send judgments upon His people without first warning them to repent. He uses every means to bring them back to obedience and does not visit their iniquity with judgments until He has given them ample opportunity to repent.” (Testimonies, vol.4, p.179)

This electronic media will no doubt stay an important tool for the Lord once the Loud Cry begins. From Israel there shall be much of the Lord’s activity and no doubt live TV coverage. Satan, no doubt will counter the Lord’s final message to the world and with electronic media will likewise try to influence the masses.

It shall be as our prophetess says, “The Great Controversy”. And the Lord’s method of choice to a large degree will be–  Electronic Equipment.

 

Posted in Warning our brethren, Witnessing | 3 Comments »

Let Us Kneel

June 11, 2016

Jesus praying

Many of us as Seventh-day Adventists are aware of the prayers we make during our Sabbath service. For the most part, with the exception of the “garden of prayer” portion of the service, we all stand when we are led by the speaker  to ask for payers.

But what does our Biblical history through Scriptures show?

In Ephesians 5:1-2 we read–

“Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children; and walk in love, just as Christ also loved you and gave Himself up for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God as a fragrant aroma.”

One of the ways we can imitate God is through the prayer actions of our Lord and His prophets.

“And when he came to the place, he said to them, “Pray that you may not enter into temptation.”And he withdrew from them about a stone’s throw, and knelt down and prayed,..”(Luke 22:40-41).

The Spirit of prophecy sheds light on our subject —

“Both in public and in private worship, it is our privilege to bow on our knees before the Lord when we offer our petitions to Him. Jesus, our example, “kneeled down, and prayed.” [Luke 22:41.] Of His disciples it is recorded that they, too, “kneeled down, and prayed.” [Acts 9:40; 20:36; 21:5.]

Paul declared, “I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.” [Ephesians 3:14.] In confessing before God the sins of Israel, Ezra knelt. [See Ezra 9:5.] Daniel “kneeled upon his knees three times a day, and prayed, and gave thanks before his God.” [Daniel 6:10.] {Gospel Workers p.178.2}

Now, to be clear, there is no command in the Scriptures to bow down on our knees to pray. Yet if we truly want to show honor and respect we can know that this act of holy reverence can only be pleasing to our Lord.

In Ecc. 12:13 we read–

“Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man.”

Many of us are well familiar with the holy 10 Commandments, but how many of us spend time thinking of “fearing the Lord”? This means ways we can show holy reverence and deep respect for His awesome power and might.

Daniel was a man who was highly favored of the Lord. One of the keys no doubt was his holy reverence in “kneeling” three times a day in prayer to the Lord. Are we to aspire to such elevated heights to please the ONE whom is worthy? We should be at least trying.

Our prophetess spoke quite firmly about this issue —

“I have received letters questioning me in regard to the proper attitude to be taken by a person offering prayer to the Sovereign of the universe. Where have our brethren obtained the idea that they should stand upon their feet when praying to God? One who has been educated for about five years in Battle Creek was asked to lead in prayer before Sister White should speak to the people.

But as I beheld him standing upright upon his feet while his lips were about to open in prayer to God, my soul was stirred within me to give him an open rebuke. Calling him by name, I said, “Get down upon your knees.” This is the proper position always.” (Selected messages, vol. 2, p.311)

“We are living in perilous times. Seventh-day Adventists are professedly  the commandment-keeping people of God; but they are losing their devotional  spirit. This spirit of reverence for God teaches men how to approach their  Maker–with sacredness and awe through faith, not in themselves, but in a  Mediator. Thus man is kept fast, under whatever circumstances he is placed. 

Man must come on bended knee, as a subject of grace, a suppliant at the  footstool of mercy. And as he receives daily mercies at the hand of God, he  is ever to cherish gratitude in his heart, and give expression to it in the  words of thanksgiving and praise for these unmerited favours.

Angels have been  guarding his pathway through all his life, and many of the snares he has been  delivered from he has not seen. And for this  guardianship and watchcare by eyes that never slumber and never sleep, he is to recognise in every prayer the service of God for him.” (NBL p.121.)

David, another man after God’s heart said —

“O come, let us worship and bow down: let us kneel before the Lord our Maker”(Psalms 95:6).

One of the certain times we should kneel and pray is when the pastor or speaker comes up to preach the sermon.

“When the minister enters, it should be with dignified, solemn mien. He should bow down in silent prayer as soon as he steps into the pulpit, and earnestly ask help of God. What an impression this will make! There will be solemnity and awe upon the people.

Their minister is communing with God; he is committing himself to God before he dares to stand before the people. Solemnity rests upon all, and angels 493 of God are brought very near. Every one of the congregation, also, who fears God should with bowed head unite in silent prayer with him that God may grace the meeting with His presence and give power to His truth proclaimed from human lips.

When the meeting is opened by prayer, every knee should bow in the presence of the Holy One, and every heart should ascend to God in silent devotion. The prayers of faithful worshippers will be heard, and the ministry of the word will prove effectual. The lifeless attitude of the worshippers in the house of God is one great reason why the ministry is not more productive of good.”(Testimonies, vol. 5, p.492-493)

 

To summarize, this issue really is a “search your heart” issue and the Lord is leaving it up to us to know our reverence. Many times we pray but may be driving in the car or at another place where kneeling is not possible or inappropriate. But when it is, our first and best action is to  kneel before the MOST HIGH and offer up our petitions. After all our great leaders of the past did it and the KING Himself did it.

 

Posted in Prayer | 2 Comments »

The Dad is Stumped (Part 2 of 2)

June 4, 2016

Man thinking

Last week we showed the first part of the study, and so far we see that Art has been quite perplexed as to his son’s revealing Scriptures and SOP.

Johnny: Do you remember where we showed that the Lord is to have a conquering  church?

Art: Yes, that was from our prophetess.

Johnny: But how can this be Dad, when right now we have our own beloved church allowing abortions upon demand ,and people with non-Biblical perverted lifestyles  ministering in our churches, for example?

Art: Son, we are still sinful people and the Lord is to work upon us as we walk through our Christian experience.

Johnny: That’s true Dad, but the word says there will be a church purification before the Loud Cry.

Art: I never heard of such a thing show me where you get that? My understanding is that there will be a testing time, the Sunday law, and that will cause the weak in faith to depart the church and thus this produces a solid deep faith church, willing to stand for Christ and His word.

Johnny: There is way too much to address all of the evidence now but I will show you a few.

“The third angel’s message is to lighten the earth with its glory; but only those who have withstood temptation in the strength of the Mighty One will be permitted to act a part in proclaiming it when it shall have swelled into the loud cry.” (Review and Herald, Nov. 19,1908)

“The church may appear as about to fall, but it dies not fall. It remains, while the sinners in Zion will be sifted out—the chaff separated from the precious wheat. This is a terrible ordeal, but nevertheless it must take place.” (2 Selected Messages , p.380)

“God has promised that where the shepherds are not true He will take charge of the flock Himself. God has never made the flock wholly dependent upon human instrumentalities. But the days of purification of the church are hastening on apace. God will have a people pure and true. In the mighty sifting soon to take place we shall be better able to measure the strength of Israel. The signs reveal that the time is near when the Lord will manifest that His fan is in His hand, and He will thoroughly purge His floor.”(Testimonies, vol. 5, p.80)

“The Lord will work to purify His church. I tell you in truth, the Lord is about to turn and overturn in the institutions called by His name.” (Testimonies to Ministers, p.372-373)

The Scriptures also show it —

“Behold upon the mountains the feet of him that bringeth good tidings, that publisheth peace! O Judah, keep thy solemn feasts, perform thy vows: for the wicked shall no more pass through thee; he is utterly cut off.” (Nahum 1:15)

 “Awake, awake; put on thy strength, O Zion; put on thy beautiful garments, O Jerusalem, the holy city: for henceforth there shall no more come into thee the uncircumcised and the unclean.” (Isaiah 52:1)

“But upon mount Zion shall be deliverance, and there shall be holiness; and the house of Jacob shall possess their possessions. And the house of Jacob shall be a fire, and the house of Joseph a flame, and the house of Esau for stubble, and they shall kindle in them, and devour them; and there shall not be any remaining of the house of Esau; for the LORD hath spoken.” (Obadiah 1:17)

Art: Ok son you are presenting much that is quite different from what we as SDA have learned or teach , now tell me how you found all this?

Johnny: Ok, let’s turn to Malachi chapter 4 verses 5 and 6. It reads-

“Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD:And he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers, lest I come and smite the earth with a curse. “

In 1929 a man taught in  our church, in the Sabbath school lessons in Los Angeles. His name was Victor Houteff. This is how I came across all this. He has some publications called the Shepherd’s Rod.

Art: Victor who?

Johnny: Houteff, he is believed by some to be the prophesied Elijah to come that the Lord promised He would bring to His people.

Art: No son, we are told by our prophetess that we as faithful workers in these last days are the prophesied Elijah to come. Here it is–
“There is constant need of earnest, decided messages of warning. God will have men who are true to duty. At the right time He sends His faithful messengers to do a work similar to that of Elijah.” (Testimonies, vol. 5, p.254)

Johnny: Dad, there is something better, read this —

“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)

But I must tell you that 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 Dad, 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”. It’s pretty ridiculous Dad.

Art: Ok , let’s recap son. First, this Victor guy taught we are to go into the land of Israel after the church purification for the purpose of what?

Johnny: The Loud cry. You see Dad, the Lord cannot pour out His Spirit upon a mixed group, converted and unconverted. No where in the Bible has He ever done such a thing. Do you remember when the Israelites were defeated in the land of Ai, after their great victory in Jericho?

Art: Yes

Johnny: Well the people did not have God’s Spirit with them because of one man, just one sinner named Achan. God told them that He would abandon them if that one sinner was not removed. So Joshua discovered who it was that had stolen some items from their prior victory in Jericho. The Lord had Achan and his family along with all their possessions stoned and buried right in the desert.

According to Victor this was a type of the church  purification, because in order to get to the kingdom (Israel) the Lord had to do a purification of  any sinner in the midst. So the anti-type is us today and the upcoming purification.

Art: Well that all makes sense but does the Scriptures say anything more concrete about this purification?

Johnny: Yes it does, In two places we see really good revelations of it. Both were brought to our attention and taught by Victor , let’s read–

“Who is this that cometh from Edom, with dyed garments from Bozrah? This that is glorious in his apparel, travelling in the greatness of his strength? I that speak in righteousness, mighty to save. Why is Your apparel red, And Your garments like the one who treads in the wine press?

I have trodden the winepress alone; and of the people there was none with me: for I will tread them in mine anger, and trample them in my fury; and their blood shall be sprinkled upon my garments, and I will stain all my raiment. For the day of vengeance is in mine heart, and the year of my redeemed is come.

I looked, and there was no one to help, And I was astonished and there was no one to uphold; So My own arm brought salvation to Me, And My wrath upheld Me. And I will tread down the people in mine anger, and make them drunk in my fury, and I will bring down their strength to the earth.” (Isaiah 63:1-6)

Johnny: His garments are stained red because of the unfortunate dreadful church work the “Mighty to save” One has to do.

(At this point Art is sitting up straight marking every word Johnny says.)

Johnny: And this is perhaps the best one in all the Bible–

“For, behold, the LORD will come with fire, and with his chariots like a whirlwind, to render his anger with fury, and his rebuke with flames of fire. For by fire and by his sword will the LORD plead with all flesh: and the slain of the LORD shall be many.They that sanctify themselves, and purify themselves in the gardens behind one tree in the midst, eating swine’s flesh, and the abomination, and the mouse, shall be consumed together, saith the LORD.

For I know their works and their thoughts; the time is coming to gather all nations and tongues. And they shall come and see My glory.And I will set a sign among them, and I will send those that escape of them unto the nations, to Tarshish, Pul, and Lud, that draw the bow,to Tubal, and Javan, to the isles afar off, that have not heard my fame, neither have seen my glory; and they shall declare my glory among the Gentiles.

And they shall bring all your brethren for an offering unto the LORD out of all nations upon horses, and in chariots, and in litters, and upon mules, and upon swift beasts, to my holy mountain Jerusalem, saith the LORD, as the children of Israel bring an offering in a clean vessel into the house of the LORD.” (Isaiah 66:15-20)

Johnny: Do you see that after this slaying by the Lord there are those who escape and go to all the world to proclaim the Lord’s glory and then bring in brothers and sisters from around the world, into a clean vessel, meaning they will worship the Lord in a clean church? Never before has this happened in history Dad, it is yet future.

Art: My Son, why haven’t we as SDA known about all this? What are we doing? I never knew all this was in the Bible and SOP!

Johnny: It’s because of our refusal to diligently study the Scriptures and SOP for  ourselves  Dad. SOP nails it with this one —
“But beware of rejecting that which is truth. The great danger with our people has been that of depending upon men and making flesh their arm. Those who have not been in the habit of searching the Bible for themselves, or weighing evidence, have confidence in the leading men and accept the decisions they make; and thus many will reject the very messages God sends to His people, if these leading brethren do not accept them. ” (Testimonies to Minsters, p.106-107)

Johnny: Too many of us are “rich and increased with goods” as the Scriptures say. We think we know all the truth when we are””Blind and naked” as the Lord said. The General Conference knew all about Victor’s writings and decided to make efforts to spread falsehood about Victor and his work. Soon the SDA was hearing how he was bad and not teaching truth. But remember when SOP said–

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)

Johnny: The Lord through Ellen White saw that when the Elijah comes he would be told he teaches falsely and they , the SDA church leaders and General Conference, will tell the people what is truth not this man who many think is the Elijah.

In fact, Victor said this about it–

“..I would remind you, Brethren, that no prophet of God has ever been welcomed by the church.  On the contrary, each in his time was rejected, abused, and most of them were martyred by the ones to whom they were sent — the very ones who were supposed to be serving God!  Indeed, the Lord Himself paid the same price.  For this very reason we must remember that when the last prophet comes he will have the greatest opposition to meet, for Satan well knows that if he loses now, he loses forever. 

What makes Elijah’s work especially hard is that Christendom has long been drilled in the idea that no prophet is to come, that there is no necessity for one, that it has enough revealed Truth to carry it inside the Pearly Gates.

It is therefore only to be expected that the predicted Elijah will be denounced as a false prophet, perhaps even as the anti-Christ, offshoot, or what not.” (General Conference Special, p.6-7)

Art: Why do you think they wanted to hush him up?

Johnny: It was because he was calling out their sins. He was showing the people how God, through the Scriptures and SOP,  was soon not going to tolerate the people who had great light yet continued in their sins. Reformations such as dress, eating, worship, medical, schools, Sabbath keeping , etc were all addressed in his writings and the GC knew that should this reformation call take hold the leaders and their own growing structure would be forced to change everything. They had already began to retreat towards Egypt and had no intention of halting this backward direction.

Their medical institutions and schools were fast conforming to worldly standards, and just as the Romans in Constantine’s day decided to appease the worldly masses and lower their standards to gain more attendance to their churches, so too the SDA leaders. The Lord’s strict word became loosely followed. Sin no longer meant sin but a human weakness that we couldn’t really overcome in this life.

Victor called all this out. He found new interpretations of Scripture that had never been revealed. The true understanding of Daniel 2, Hosea 1 and 2, Ezekiel 1 and 2, and more, Isaiah and Jeremiah and the list goes on and on. But the main thing Dad, as the type did (original Elijah) his message was of warning that the Lord is about to come unexpectedly  and shall surprise the hypocrites and non-converted. Thus the church will be as SOP puts it, “Fair as the moon, clear as the sun, and terrible as an army with banners”

Art: This truly is enlightening son. So how long have you been studying these writings?

Johnny: For a little over a year. What I did Dad, is I checked it all with Scripture. The main test was –“To the Law and to the testimony.” (Isaiah 8:20)  I checked if he taught correctly about all the Ten Commandments, and then I checked if he taught what the prophets taught as well, including our prophetess Ellen White.

Art: Ok son, this has been a good study, I will make you a promise. I will study what you have and if it’s truth your Dad will be on board, deal?

Johnny: Deal!

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The above story, although a allegory, is intended to make us think. The truth is something we as SDA are truly in need of today. The Lord knew we would need more truth and a better understanding of prophecy, otherwise he would never have promised a prophet, Elijah, to come and bring the Lord’s last message to us. Just as Art showed that despite his prior beliefs, when new light was presented to him, he was willing to look, listen and move upon it. My prayer is that all who read this blog will be like Art. You’ll not regret it!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Posted in Elijah, Loud Cry, Present Truth, Proper teachings, Victor T. Houteff, Witnessing | 4 Comments »