Godsloveandlaw's Blog

Dear Fellow Member:

   The only way for you to escape being taken by wolves in sheep’s’ clothing is if you ever remember the fact that the Judgment message, the last before Christ comes the second time, is what made us a people; that is, because the message had come, and because it has to be proclaimed, we S.D.A.’s came on the scene, and we certainly want to stay there until the work is finished.  We must not become a back number as did the Protestant churches since they rejected the messages one after another. God forbid that we should be “spued out” and lose so late in the day.  And what is the truth of the Judgment?–

   The Judgment as you know is in two separate and distinct sections, one following the other — the Judgment for the dead first, and the Judgment for the living last.  This we know is so and we must not let subversive influences, even if they be in Seventh-day Adventist’s garb, cause us to lose sight of this truth.  Our part of the Judgment message since 1844 has been, as you know, to proclaim the Judgment for the dead, not for the living as yet.  What is the Judgment for the dead?–

   We have been taught by Inspiration that it is to separate the good from the bad, not bodily, but in books, because before the resurrection, the dead have no being, or “portion” “in anything that is done under the sun.” — Eccl. 9:5, 6.  This judgment work is to enable the angels to know who is to come up in the first resurrection, in the resurrection of the holy ones (Rev. 20:4, 5, 11-14), and who is to come up in the second resurrection, in the resurrection of the unholy ones.  To this end declares Daniel “the Judgment was set, and the books were opened.” (Dan. 7:10.)

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   Thus it is that Inspiration calls the judgment work, “the cleansing of the sanctuary” (Dan. 8:14); that is, each professor of religion that ever died since the beginning of sin, is now judged and the case of each decided either to bring him up in the first resurrection or in the second; either to blot out from the records the name of each impenitent sinner, or to blot out for ever from the Book the sins of each penitent sinner.  This has been Heaven’s work since the year 1844, and every informed Seventh-day Adventist knows it.

   Now, since the message of the Judgment for the Living is of far greater importance than the message of the Judgment for the Dead, it is but expected that the Bible will have more to say about the latter than the former.  This is so because the Judgment for the Living has to do with the living themselves, with the message bearers, rather than with the dead.  In importance, therefore, there is no comparison between the two.  How will we get the message of the Judgment for the Living?–

   The answer is clear to all: We will get it in the same way we got the one in 1844.  Since it then came through Inspiration and through God’s own chosen instrumentality, it is certain that the additional message (“Early Writings,” p. 277), too, is to come in the same way; that is, by inspiration through God’s own chosen agency.  Indeed Truth is never revealed in any other way but by Inspiration.  See 2 Peter 1:20.

   As we had to hear the old message preached before we accepted it, we will have to hear the new message preached, and how shall we “hear without a preacher” (Rom. 10:14)?  And as the old message was unpopular in its beginning, scoffed at, laughed at, ridiculed and scorned by men of station and influence, it is certainly expected that the new message and messengers, too, will be received and treated no better but even worse.  Then it was strictly an

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individual matter, no priest or prelate could meddle with the conscience of the other and so it must be now.  Every soul is to make his own decision in his secret chamber with the aid of the Spirit of Truth.

   Is it possible for one to lose out when the message of the Judgment for the Living begins to sound, though he did not lose out when the message of the Judgment for the Dead sounded? — The Spirit of Prophecy answers thus: “We have nothing to fear for the future, except as we shall forget the way the Lord has led us, and His teaching in our past history.” — ”Life Sketches,” p. 196.  Yes, this is to be our only fear.  Let us, therefore remember, and make positively sure that God is now to lead us in the same way as He did in 1844 and throughout the ages.  Make doubly sure that you follow no other kind of leadership, that you let no man divert your attention from this straight path — that you let no one lead you to believe that God is now leading through every Tom, Dick, and  Harry. 

This we must not forget if we are to emulate and succeed the saints that have gone before us, and if we expect to be saved.  If we forget this, then as sure as we stand, men will lead us away from God’s message and turn us against His messengers even as the Jewish priests made their followers turn against Christ.  God forbid that we should sin against the Holy Ghost by rejecting His message when It comes to us. Only by strictly following this Divine command can we be led right and survive the Judgment for the Living when it starts to “sever the wicked from among the just.” Matt. 13:49.

   What is the Judgment for the Living?  and what happens with the righteous, and what happens with the wicked, after they are judged? — In His parables Christ illustrates that the righteous, as good fish, are put into vessels; as wheat, they are put into the barn; and as sheep, they go into life eternal — they are placed in absolute security

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sealed for eternity.  But the wicked, as bad fish, are cast out, as tares, they are burned up; and as goats, they are sent into everlasting punishment.  “So shall it be at the end of the world: the angels shall come forth, and sever the wicked from among the just, and shall cast them into the furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth.” Matt. 13:49, 50.

   Here we see that the judgment work for the living is illustrated in several ways, and is variously called: “Judgment” (Dan. 7:10; Rev. 14:7; 1 Pet. 4:17); “Cleansing of the Sanctuary” (Dan. 8:14); “Purify His Temple” (Mal. 3:1-3); “Harvest” (Matt. 13:30); “Mighty sifting,” “purification of the church,” (5 T., p. 80).

   Concerning this judgment work, the Spirit of Prophecy has this to say:

   “…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…. They have not had the light which has been shining in a concentrated blaze upon you.  But, it may be under a rough and uninviting exterior the pure brightness of a genuine Christian character will be revealed.” – “Testimonies,” Vol. 5, pp. 80, 81.

   The fact that the message of the Judgment for the Living is by far more widely treated by all the Bible prophets than is the Judgment for the Dead, is in itself proof positive that it is supremely important.  I can, however, treat of it only very briefly in this letter — only give the gist of it:

   As shown before, in the Judgment for the Dead the

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sinners are separated from the righteous in books only, but in the Judgment for the Living the sinners and the righteous are bodily separated one from the other as Inspiration through the prophet Ezekiel explains:

   “And the glory of the God of Israel was gone up from the cherub whereupon he was, to the threshold of the house.  And he called to the man clothed with linen, which had the writer’s inkhorn by his side; and the Lord said unto him, Go through the midst of the city, through the midst of Jerusalem [the church], and set a mark upon the foreheads of the men that sigh and that cry for all the abominations that be done in the midst thereof [in the church].  And to the others he said in mine hearing, Go ye after him through the city, and smite: let not your eye spare, neither have ye pity; slay utterly old and young, both maids, and little children, and women: but come not near any man upon whom is the mark; and begin at My sanctuary.  Then they began at the ancient men which where before the house.” Eze. 9:3-6.

   And through the prophet Malachi we are told that the Lord will beforehand send a messenger, and that after he prepares the way, the Lord will suddenly come to His temple (the church) for no reason other than to purify it, especially to purify the sons of Levi, the ministry.  See Malachi 3:1-3.  Then, says the Spirit of Prophecy, “Only those who have withstood temptation in the strength of the Mighty One will be permitted to act a part in proclaiming it [Third Angel’s Message] when it shall have swelled into the Loud Cry.” — “The Review and Herald,” Nov. 19, 1908. And to this “startling revelation” (“Testimonies to Ministers,” p. 445) the prophet Isaiah adds:

   “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

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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: it shall come, that I will 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.” Isa. 66:15-20.

   Since the slaughter predicted by the prophet Isaiah takes place among those who profess to be sanctified and purified (falsely believe to have need of nothing more), and since those who escape from among them are sent to the Gentiles to preach the gospel, five distinct and supremely important points stand out plainly: (1) since the victims of the slaughter are those who against their God-given knowledge indulge in swine’s flesh and other abominations, and since those who escape are versed in the gospel work enough to be sent to preach it to the Gentiles, the slaughter, therefore, is seen to take place in the church; (2) those who escape, according to Ezekiel, are those who sigh and cry against the abominations, and thus receive the mark of deliverance, (3) since they are sent to preach the gospel to the Gentiles after they escape the slaughter, they are “the remnant,” those that are left, the future servants of God; (4) since they

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are to gather from the Gentiles all their brethren, all that can possibly be saved, they are the ones who finish the gospel work in all the world, (5) since there are two separations — one from the church (Israelites), and one from the Gentiles, — those who escape and those who are gathered in — then the former are the first fruits and the later the second fruits — those of Revelation 7:4, 7-9, one from the tribes of Israel, and one from the Gentile nations.

   All these scriptures and many more, my friend, as you plainly see, refer to the purification of the church, to the great and dreadful day of the Lord (Mal. 4:5), to the Judgment for the Living and the gathering of the saints — the “harvest” of which every prophet has written, some more and some less.  Since this is so you certainly see that our elders are now doing what the priests in Christ’s day were doing, and also what the religious leaders down through the Reformation were doing, and are no less determined to keep this message away from the laity, and to thereby deceive even the very elect, the 144,000, the very first fruits of the harvest, those who are to survive the Judgment “in the house of God” (1 Pet. 4:17), the future servants of God!

   If this is not the enemy’s aim behind these hostile Elders’ doings, and if this Truth can be refuted, they would not act like mad men, would not shun discussion with us, would not push us out of the churches in the hope that we cannot come in contact with the laity, would not advise you not to read but burn our literature, would not threaten to excommunicate you for studying this message, but would sit down and refute It if It is incorrect as they sit down with all others that disagree with them.

   Can’t you see that the spirit which is now manifesting itself through these Truth-hating brethren is the very spirit which manifested itself through

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the Jews, and through the enemies of Truth during the Protestant reformation, and also in the beginning of the 1844 movement?  Do you not see that because they cannot attack this message on It’s own merits, they get personal, attack the men in charge and resort to character defamation, to gossip and falsehood, to anything in the hope of turning you against the Message and the messenger.  The Spirit of Prophecy predicted the crime in these words:

   “I saw that the very spirit of perjury, that would turn truth into falsehood, good into evil, and innocence into crime, is now active.  Satan exults over the condition of God’s professed people….” – “Testimonies for the Church,” Vol. 5, pp. 94, 95.

   For the Elders to tell the laity what to read and what not to read, who to talk to and who not to talk to, who to let in their homes and who not to, is to make dolts, automatons, and spiritual invalids of them.  The Elders should be told that they are taking even heavier burdens upon themselves than did the Jews or the ministers in our former churches while many of us where studying the Advent message.  They can be helped if the laity tell them that this is a matter to be decided between the laity and their God; that if any one is to get into the Kingdom he must get there on his own God-given ability.  Show them what the Spirit of God says in the following:

   “Precious light is to shine forth from the word of God, and let no one presume to dictate what shall or what shall not be brought before the people in the messages of enlightenment that He shall send, and so quench the Spirit of God.  Whatever may be his position of authority, no one has a right to shut away the light from the people.  When a message comes in the name of the Lord to His people, no one may excuse himself from an investigation of its claims.  No one can afford to stand

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back in an attitude of indifference and self-confidence, and say: ‘I know what is truth.  I am satisfied with my position.  I have set my stakes, and I will not be moved away from my position, whatever may come.  I will not listen to the message of this messenger; for I know that it cannot be truth.’ It was from pursuing this very course that the popular churches were left in partial darkness, and that is why the messages of heaven have not reached them.” — “Counsels on Sabbath School Work,” p. 28.

   This is what the phrase “religious liberty” means, my friend.  Is this not the proper, honest, and honorable way to deal with the situation?  Are you to follow men’s sayings, or are you to follow Christ and His Truth?  Tell those hostile Elders that their fight is not against “The Shepherd’s Rod” but against God and against their own souls.

   ”…Those who train the mind to seize upon everything which they can use as a peg to hang a doubt upon,” says the Spirit of Prophecy, “and suggest these thoughts to other minds, will always find occasion to doubt. They will question and criticize everything that arises in the unfolding of truth, criticize the work and position of others, criticize every branch of the work in which they have not themselves a part.  They will feed upon the errors and mistakes and faults of others, ‘until,’ said the angel, ‘the Lord Jesus shall rise up from his mediatorial work in the heavenly sanctuary, and shall clothe himself with the garments of vengeance, and surprise them at their unholy feast; and they will find themselves unprepared for the marriage supper of the Lamb.’  Their tastes has been so perverted that they would be inclined to criticize even the table of the Lord in his kingdom.” – “Testimonies for the Church,” Vol. 5, p. 690.

   “…The separation,” continues the Spirit of Truth, “causes pain and bitterness to both parties.

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It is the variance which Christ declares that he came to bring.  But the converted will feel a continual longing desire that their friends shall forsake all for Christ, knowing that unless they do, there will be a final and eternal separation.  The true Christian cannot while with unbelieving friends, be light, and trifling.  The value of the souls for whom Christ died, is too great.” — “Testimonies for the Church,” Vol. 5, p. 83.

   Believe me, my friend, that if the message of the Judgment for the Living had not been Divinely revealed to us, if it was less serious than it is, if it had not been as clear as crystal, and if we were not commanded to bring it to you, we would not be hunting God’s misled people in the rocks and in the mountains (Jer. 16:16) as it were — we would not have been put under such a heavy burden and expense by going from door to door throughout the Adventist world in order to rescue them from the Laodicean self-deception; neither could we with our human power so nicely take the insults that are thrown at us almost hourly by men and women who profess to be serving God!

   “…In this time,” says the Spirit of God, “the gold will be separated from the dross in the church.  True godliness will be clearly distinguished from the appearance and tinsel of it.  Many a star that we have admired for its brilliancy, will then go out in darkness.  Chaff like a cloud will be borne away on the wind, even from places where we see only floors of rich wheat.  All who assume the ornaments of the sanctuary, but are not clothed with Christ’s righteousness, will appear in the shame of their own nakedness…. Those who have been timid and self-distrustful will declare themselves openly for Christ and his truth.  The most weak and hesitating in the church, will be as David — willing to do and dare…. Then will the church of Christ appear ‘fair as the moon, clear as the sun, and terrible as an army with banners.'” — “Testimonies for the Church,” Vol. 5, pp. 81, 82.

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   These Davids whom God is now disclosing to view will soon be calling on you to lay down God’s plans for you.  Please receive these servants of God in this layman’s movement with the same courtesy with which you would expect them to receive you.

   We come to you with the pure Word of God and all we request of you is to give us an unbiased and unprejudiced hearing when we call on You in your home.  Since you see that this letter contains the plain untarnished Truth, then if you hear any one talking against it you can help him by asking him to give you something better on these scriptures if he has it, and if not, to let you alone.

   If you are to help the enemies of Truth, tell them their drilling the laity that they have all the Truth, that they need no more, that they have the last message, that the Spirit of Prophecy says so although It says on the contrary, is plain falsehood.  Tell them, not the Judgment for the Dead, but the Judgment for the Living is the last message, and they do not have it, and instead of looking for it, they are fighting against it.  Tell them that the bible either proves these things so, or It does not; if It does not, then make them tell you where It does not.

   The mark of God (Ezekiel 9:4) and the mark of the beast (Rev. 13:16) are here seen to be two opposites as are the two women of Revelation twelve and seventeen — the true and the counterfeit.

   The beast we are told is a man (Rev. 13:18).  The demand to worship, obey the beast’s command, therefore, is a demand to worship (obey) man in place of God.  Both marks are for no other purpose but to define who is who — who is for God and who is for the beast.  Those who obey God’s Judgment message rather than the beast’s decree, receive God’s mark.  And those who obey the beast’s decree rather than God’s message receive the beast’s mark.  These two

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different marks, you see, separate the worshipers of God from the worshipers of men.  And since Jesus declares that the separation takes place during harvest, and as you now see that the ‘harvest” and the “Judgment” for the living are synonymous terms, then the conclusion is that as the mark of God is urged upon the believers of His Judgment message in the church, and as the mark of the beast is urged upon the worshipers of the beast during the Judgment in the world, the subject becomes clear: The enemies of the Judgment message in the church, and the enemies of the Judgment message in the world are both imbued with the spirit of the beast — both doing the same kind of work against God’s people, first in the church then in the world. 

The only difference between the two is that in the world the mark of the beast is enforced by civil law, whereas in the church it is not, though the enemies against the Judgment message already have done everything in their power to secure the arm of the law against us.  It is now left up to every individual member of the church to either take heed to God’s Judgment message and receive His mark of deliverance, or to give heed to men’s vain talk and die under the slaughter weapons of the angels.

Sincerely yours for gathering  the first fruits first,
V.H. Jezreel, H.B.
(Director of S.D.A. Layman’s Movement)
5 T 80, 81

Spirit of Prophecy says —

“ There are many precious truths contained in the Word of God, but it is “present truth” that the flock needs now.” (Early Writings, p.63) 

So in order to properly study present truth, the message of truth preached in our day can benefit from study guides or tools to help us “rightly divide the word of truth” (2 Tim. 2:15)

 

In this light we will show some applicable references that will indeed help us.

Study tool no. 1  — MARK EVERY WORD

“…as there are no useless words in either of the writings, those who desire to know the truth must carefully mark every word, otherwise they will never comprehend the truth and, as a consequence, they will be driven by the winds as the waves of the sea until the winds cease blowing (probation closes), and they be left to sink down in their sins as do the waves in the sea.”(SC, vol. 2, no.7-8, p.10)

“…when we take into consideration the meaning of each word instead of making thoughtless and hasty conclusions, the Scriptures prove to be not only most perfect and wonderful and yet simple, but also inspiring, making wise the humble — and lightening the path of him who as did Christ, delights to do the will of God.” (SC, vol. 2, no. 2, p.3)

“..to him who digs deep into the well of salvation, and that can think and reason for himself.  Such a one reads between the lines and notes the full value of each word.” (1 TG, no.45, p.22)

“Hold not to what fabricated ideas seem to make the Scriptures say, but grip tenaciously to what the Word, in simplicity, plainly says.” (Tract 10, p.13)

“..the only safe and sane procedure is to read closely every page of the solemn message contained in The Shepherd’s Rod publications. Let not a line escape your attention. Study every word carefully and prayerfully. Be earnest and diligent in your perusal of Truth, and “prove all things; hold fast that which is good.” 1 Thess. 5:21. (5 Ans, p.29)

 

Study tool no. 2 —   GO BY WEIGHT OF EVIDENCE

“Those who desire to doubt will have plenty of room. God does not propose to remove all occasion for unbelief. He gives candid evidence, which must be carefully investigated with a humble mind and teachable spirit, and all should decide from the weight of evidence.”(Testimonies for the Church, vol. 5, p.675)

“The weight of evidence” is the only fair and final criterion worthy of a Christian who must ever make an investigation for himself concerning purported truth.” ( 1 Ans, p.77) 

“In considering the several scriptures bearing on this point and on the kindred points in question, we must base our conclusions solely on the weight of evidence, so that we may not only know all the truth, but also teach nothing but the truth” (Tract 9, p.6)

“Some who are anxious to risk Present Truth on the weight of what one inspired statement seems to say or imply, are thereby presumptuously or very ignorantly overlooking the “weight of evidence.” Others are doing this through shortsightedness, while still others are doing it to prop up certain cherished ideas of their own.” (3 Ans, p. 41-42)

“Says the Spirit of Prophecy, “Close reasoners and logical thinkers are few. ” “How many men in this age of the world fail to go deep enough. They only skim the surface. They will not think closely enough to see difficulties and grapple with them, and will not examine every important subject which comes before them with thoughtful, prayerful study, and with sufficient caution and interest to see the real point at issue. They talk of matters which they have not fully and carefully weighed. ”—“Fundamentals of Christian Education,” p. 27; “Testimones for the Church,” Vol. 4, p. 361. (3 SC, no.5-6, p.7)

 

Study tool no. 3 —   HARMONIZATION

“Let us remember always to observe the inviolable rule that an interpretation of one inspired statement must harmonize with all other related statements. ( 3 Ans, p.41)

 

“Those who are willing to risk all on the ground of one inspired statement and disregard another in order to carry out certain cherished ideas of their own… We would never try to establish an idea on the basis of agreeing with one passage of Scripture while disagreeing with another, for such a conclusion is as sure to be erroneous as if one should conclude that when the sun sets in the evening, it will never arise in the morning. The student of truth should harmonize”(2 SC, no. 1, p.5)

 

“Those who entertain the idea that there is only one sifting, and only first fruits, will never be able to harmonize every statement of the Bible and of the Spirit of Prophecy, for while their idea may perfectly harmonize in one instance, it will not in another. But the position of those who know the truth, and who all speak the same thing, will be in harmony with every inspired statement on the subject.” (2 SC, no. 12, p.7)

 

“No candid Bible student would build a theory upon an interpretation that would lead him to set aside all other scriptures on the subject. He will seek to make his final analysis in such a way as to be in perfect harmony with all of them, or else confess that he does not have the light on the subject.” (3 Ans, p.53)

 

“Though there is but one right interpretation of each Bible doctrine, yet a multitude of conflicting interpretation are in the Christian world today, with the result that it is split into many sects and schisms (heads), with no two believing alike.” (Tract 12, p.24)

 

 

Study tool no. 4 — USE THE STUDY CHARTS

“Written words can be misconstrued, but symbols cannot. Thus making it possible for the learned and unlearned, to immediately distinguish  the difference between truth and error.” ( 2 SR, p.288)

While the enemy has succeeded in confusing the written Word, God lightens the earth with His glory by these symbolic revelations; and by which He discloses the entire truth and uncovers the traps of the devil! Thus through types and symbols He makes wise the simple and confounds the prudent by showing that where there is no type there is no truth. (2 SR, p.10)

For those who are serious in rightly dividing the word of truth, all these guides will certainly help you.  To see the study charts , click this link. It may take a few minutes to load.
Happy studying!

https://pre-11thhourministry.org/charts/

 

TEXT OF ADDRESS BY V.T. HOUTEFF,
MINISTER OF DAVIDIAN 7TH-DAY ADVENTISTS
SABBATH, FEBRUARY 1, 1947
MT. CARMEL CHAPEL
WACO, TEXAS

OPENING PRAYER THOUGHT

I shall read from “The Mount of Blessing,” beginning on page 183, the last paragraph.

M.B., pg. 183 — “If Christ is in you ‘the hope of glory,’ you will have no disposition to watch others, to expose their errors. Instead of seeking to accuse and condemn, it will be your object to help, to bless, and to save. In dealing with those who are in error, you will heed the injunction, Consider ‘thyself, lest thou also be tempted.’ You will call to mind the many times you have erred, and how hard it was to find the right way when you had once left it. You will not push your brother into greater darkness, but with a heart full of pity will tell him of his danger.

“He who looks often upon the cross of Calvary, remembering that his sins placed the Saviour there, will never try to estimate the degree of his guilt in comparison with that of others. He will not climb upon the judgment seat to bring accusation against another. There can be no spirit of criticism or self-exaltation on the part of those who walk in the shadow of Calvary’s cross.”

From this we see that our need is to pray for Christ to abide in us, so that instead of watching for opportunities to accuse or to condemn others, and to expose their errors, we shall seek every occasion to help them, to bless them, to save them. We should pray for a deep realization of our own sins; pray that the spirit of criticism and self-exaltation be forever banished from us. Then we shall not feel free to mount the judgment seat and accuse anyone.

Timely Greetings, Vol. 1, No. 26, page 14

A WORLD WIDE STIR, AND ITS RESULTS

This afternoon we shall continue our study of the book of Micah. Let us turn to the fifth chapter, and begin with the first verse.

Micah 5:1 — “Now gather thyself in troops, O daughter of troops: He hath laid siege against us: they shall smite the Judge of Israel with a rod upon the cheek.”

You will notice that besides introducing a number of pronouns — he, us, they, this verse also introduces several different topics: first a “daughter of troops,” then “the judge of Israel” and a “rod.” Other subjects are introduced further along in the chapter.

Now to gain the vision and the lesson that Inspiration is anxious that we should from this scripture, it is necessary that we study one subject at a time. And in order to do this, we must group the verses according to subjects. Since the subject of verse one is the same as of verses 10-15, we shall quote them connectively:

Mic. 5:1, 10-15 — “Now gather thyself in troops, O daughter of troops:…and it shall come to pass in that day, saith the Lord, that I will cut off thy horses out of the midst of thee, and I will destroy thy chariots: and I will cut off the cities of thy land, and throw down

Timely Greetings, Vol. 1, No. 26, page 15

all thy strong holds: and I will cut off witchcrafts out of thine hand; and thou shalt have no more soothsayers: thy graven images also will I cut off, and thy standing images out of the midst of thee; and thou shalt no more worship the work of thine hands. And I will pluck up thy groves out of the midst of thee: so will I destroy thy cities. And I will execute vengeance in anger and fury upon the heathen, such as they have not heard.”

These verses present a group of people — good and bad commingled — whom God is to cleanse. Then the scripture closes with God’s promise to execute vengeance upon the heathen. The mixed group of people, “wheat” and “tares,” very obviously constitute the church that is approaching “the time of the harvest” (Matt. 13:30), the time in which all idolators are to perish. “So shall it be at the end of the world: the angels shall come forth, and sever the wicked from among the just…. Then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in the Kingdom of their Father. Who hath ears to hear, let him hear.” Matt. 13:49, 43.

We now come to the last part of Micah 5:1. The antecedent of the pronoun “He” is found in the preceding verse — chapter 4, verse 13. There quickly we see that it is the Lord Himself. Plainly, then, by the pronoun “us” Micah means himself and his people — Judah and Israel, the church.

Clear it is that while the Lord with His message of warning and reproofs makes a siege against His people the adversaries gather together in groups to oppose. Such has been the case at the introduction of each newly-revealed Truth.

The church is logically called “daughter of troops,” because her mother the Jewish church at the time of

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the introduction of the gospel of Christ, gathered together in troops, to oppose the Lord.

Moreover being smitten in the face rather than in the back, the Judge of Israel (Christ) must have been squarely facing them — speaking to them, — the reason for which the Jews’ crucified Him. The verses that follow verse one again confirm the fact that “the Judge” is Christ. They that smite Him are, of course, His adversaries, His enemies. Concerning them Inspiration says:

Mic. 5:9 — “Thine hand shall be lifted up upon Thine adversaries, and all Thine enemies shall be cut off.”

According to Christ’s parables, the time His “adversaries,” His enemies of progressive Truth, are cut off is at the commencement of the purification of the church, at the harvest time. Then, according to Ezekiel’s prophecy, the Lord commissions the men with slaughtering weapons in their hands, saying, “Go ye after him through the city, and smite: let not your eye spare, neither have ye pity: slay utterly old and young, both maids, and little children, and women: but come not near any man upon whom is the mark; and begin at My sanctuary. Then they began at the ancient men which were before the house.” Ezek. 9:5, 6. The Spirit of Prophecy confirms this by saying:

“Here we see that the church — the Lord’s sanctuary — was the first to feel the stroke of the wrath of God. The ancient men, those to whom God had given great light, and who had stood as guardians of the spiritual interests of the people, had betrayed their trust. They had taken the position that we need not look for miracles and the marked manifestation of God’s power as in former days. Times have changed. These words strengthen their unbelief, and they say, The

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Lord will not do good neither will he do evil. He is too merciful to visit his people in judgment. Thus peace and safety is the cry from men who will never again lift up their voice like a trumpet to show God’s people their transgressions and the house of Jacob their sins. These dumb dogs, that would not bark, are the ones who feel the just vengeance of an offended God. Men, maidens, and little children, all perish together.” — “Testimonies,” Vol. 5, pg. 211. And through the apostle Peter, Inspiration declares:

“For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God?” 1 Pet. 4:17.

Mic. 5:2 — “But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall He come forth unto Me that is to be ruler in Israel; Whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting.”

There is no doubt that this verse predicts the birth of Christ, “the Judge of Israel,” “Whose goings forth” have been from everlasting.

Mic. 5:3 — “Therefore will He give them up, until the time that she which travaileth hath brought forth: then the remnant of His brethren shall return unto the children of Israel.”

Crucifying Christ and their refusing to return to the Lord, there was nothing that could have been done for the Jews at that time but to give them up “until the time that she which travaileth hath brought forth.”

The pronoun “she” points to the daughter of Zion

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(Mic. 4:10). She is to bring forth her children while in the field; while in the Gentile lands. Then the time of her sojourning is to end and she is to be delivered. “In that day, saith the Lord, will I assemble her that halteth,…and I will make her that halted a remnant…and the Lord shall reign over them in Mount Zion from henceforth, even for ever.” Mic. 4:6, 7.

Mic. 5:4, 5 — “And he shall stand and feed in the strength of the Lord, in the majesty of the name of the Lord his God; and they shall abide: for now shall He be great unto the ends of the earth. And this man shall be the peace, when the Assyrian shall come into our land: and when he shall tread in our palaces, then shall we raise against him seven shepherds, and eight principal men.”

When the children of the daughter of Zion return to Mount Zion, they are to abide forever. Never again are they to be cast out among the Gentile nations. Never are they to be given up. The Lord is thus to make Himself “great unto the ends of the earth.” When she that travaileth shall have brought forth, then the saints are to raise against the Assyrian “seven shepherds, and eight principal men”; that is, all God’s shepherds and all His principal men, including Christ, the eighth.

Mic. 5:6 — “And they shall waste the land of Assyria with the sword, and the land of Nimrod in the entrances thereof: thus shall he deliver us from the Assyrian, when he cometh into our land, and when he treadeth within our borders.”

The kingdom of Israel that was destroyed by Assyria, and also the kingdom of Judah that was destroyed by Babylon, even all the twelve tribes of

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Israel are to be delivered.

“And I will,” declares the Lord, “make them one nation in the land upon the mountains of Israel; and one king shall be king to them all: and they shall be no more two nations, neither shall they be divided into two kingdoms any more at all: neither shall they defile themselves any more with their idols, nor with their detestable things, nor with any of their transgressions: but I will save them out of all their dwelling places, wherein they have sinned, and will cleanse them: so shall they be My people, and I will be their God. And David My servant shall be king over them; and they all shall have one shepherd: they shall also walk in My judgments, and observe My statutes, and do them.” Ezek. 37:22-24.

Mic. 5:7 — “And the remnant of Jacob shall be in the midst of many people as a dew from the Lord, as the showers upon the grass, that tarrieth not for man, nor waiteth for the sons of men.”

After the Judgment in the house of God takes place, then it is that “the remnant,” those that are left, are to finish the work of the gospel.

“Those who have trusted to intellect, genius, or talent, will not then stand at the head of rank and file. They did not keep pace with the light. Those who have proved themselves unfaithful will not then be entrusted with the flock. In the last solemn work few great men will be engaged. They are self-sufficient, independent of God, and he cannot use them. The Lord has faithful servants, who in the shaking, testing time will be disclosed to view.” — “Testimonies,” Vol. 5, pg. 80.

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Then it is that they, the remnant of Jacob, are to be gathered into their homeland, after which they are sent as missionaries to the Gentiles that have not heard of God’s name and of His fame. Thus it is that those who escape alive from the Judgment of the Lord, the remnant, shall be as dew from the Lord, as showers upon the grass. They shall wait for none in their missionary work. They shall bring all their brethren out of all nations “for an offering unto the Lord.” Isa. 66:15, 16, 20.

Mic. 5:8 — “And the remnant of Jacob shall be among the Gentiles in the midst of many people as a lion among the beasts of the forest, as a young lion among the flocks of sheep: who, if he go through, both treadeth down, and teareth in pieces, and none can deliver.”

While God’s people are as dew and as showers to the righteous (Mic. 5:7), they are to the wicked as lions among beasts and flocks of sheep. In other words, their gospel will save the penitent, but destroy the impenitent.

Mic. 5:9-14 — “Thine hand shall be lifted up upon thine adversaries, and all thine enemies shall be cut off. And it shall come to pass in that day, saith the Lord, that I will cut off thy horses out of the midst of thee, and I will destroy thy chariots: and I will cut off the cities of thy land, and throw down all thy strong holds: and I will cut off witchcrafts out of thine hand; and thou shalt have no more soothsayers: thy graven images also will I cut off, and thy standing images out of the midst of thee; and thou shalt no more worship the work of thy hands. And I will pluck up thy groves out of the midst of thee: so will I destroy thy cities.”

These verses can mean only one thing, and that is, that God will thoroughly purge His floor. He will take the fan in His hand and blow out the chaff, He

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will destroy the sinners that are among His people. In thus purifying His church, He will create a clean people, a united and zeal-filled ministry. “Thy watchmen shall lift up the voice;” He declares, “with the voice together shall they sing: for they shall see eye to eye, when the Lord shall bring again Zion.” Isa. 52:8.

Mic. 5:15 — “And I will execute vengeance in anger and fury upon the heathen, such as they have not heard.”

“For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God? And if the righteous scarcely be saved, where shall the ungodly and the sinner appear?” 1 Peter 4:17, 18.

That we miss no part of the lesson in this study, let us recapitulate the main points.

To begin with, a group of people — good and bad commingled — are brought to view. They, as we have seen, constitute the church that is approaching the time of harvest in which the wicked are to be severed from among the just. (Matt. 13:49).

While the Lord with a message of warnings and reproofs makes a siege against His people, the adversaries gather together in groups (“troops”) to oppose. Then they are to be cut off. The horses (leaders) shall be cut off (discharged) and the chariots (gathering places) destroyed. God’s people are to be thoroughly purged of sin and sinners and only the penitent are to be left. They are the remnant of Jacob who “shall not do iniquity, nor speak lies; neither shall a deceitful tongue be found in their mouth: for

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they shall feed and lie down, and none shall make them afraid.” Zeph. 3:13. They are to be gathered into their homeland, from thence to go as missionaries to the Gentiles. To the penitent they are to be as dew and as showers, but to the impenitent, as lions among beasts and flocks.

So the stir caused by Truth’s siege of the church and It’s adversaries warring against It, that is already beginning to arrest the attention of the world, is to result in the cleansing of the church, “temple.” Mal. 3:1-3.

Thus is the Lord to finish His work on earth, gather His people, destroy the sinners and the heathen alike. Necessarily, “…the days of purification of the church are hastening on apace. God will have a people pure and true.” — “Testimonies,” Vol. 5, pg. 80.

Depth Of Mercy

Depth of mercy! can there be
Mercy still reserved for me?
Can my God His wrath forbear,
Me, the chief of sinners spare?

I have long withstood His grace,
Long provoked Him to His face,
Would not hearken to His calls,
Grieved Him by a thousand falls.

There for me the Saviour stands,
Shows His wounds and spreads His hands,
God is love! I know, I feel;
Jesus weeps and loves me still.

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TEXT OF ADDRESS BY V.T. HOUTEFF,
MINISTER OF DAVIDIAN 7TH-DAY ADVENTISTS
SABBATH, MARCH 22, 1947
MT. CARMEL CHAPEL
WACO, TEXAS

TEXT FOR PRAYER

Our Necessities Supplied

I shall read from “The Mount of Blessing,” p. 190, the paragraph beginning in the middle of the page:

M.B., pg. 190 — “Every promise in the Word of God furnishes us with subject-matter for prayer, presenting the pledged word of Jehovah as our assurance. Whatever spiritual blessing we need, it is our privilege to claim through Jesus. We may tell the Lord, with the simplicity of a child, exactly what we need. We may state to Him our temporal matters; asking Him for bread and raiment as well as for the bread of life and the robe of Christ’s righteousness. Your heavenly Father knows that you have need of all these things, and you are invited to ask Him concerning them. It is through the name of Jesus that every favor is received. God will honor that name, and will supply your necessities from the riches of His liberality.”

Let us now summarize what we should pray for this afternoon. We need to pray for solid faith in the assurance that regardless what spiritual and temporal blessings we may need, it is our privilege to go to the Lord with the simplicity of a child and claim these blessings in the name of Jesus. We need to pray for help to take God at His word; pray for a realization that He means just what He says when He promises to honor the name of Jesus and to supply our necessities from His immeasurable riches.

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THE DISPERSION, THE TIME, AND THE DELIVERANCE

This afternoon we are to study Isaiah, chapters 31 and 32. In these chapters we shall see the cause of Zion’s captivity by the Gentiles, their time limit, and antitypical Israel’s deliverance:

Isa. 31:1-4 — “Woe to them that go down to Egypt for help; and stay on horses, and trust in chariots, because they are many; and in horsemen, because they are very strong; but they look not unto the Holy One of Israel, neither seek the Lord! Yet He also is wise, and will bring evil, and will not call back His words: but will arise against the house of the evildoers, and against the help of them that work iniquity. Now the Egyptians are men, and not God; and their horses flesh, and not Spirit. When the Lord shall stretch out His hand, both he that helpeth shall fall, and he that is holpen shall fall down, and they all shall fail together. For thus hath the Lord spoken unto me, Like as the lion and the young lion roaring on his prey, when a multitude of shepherds is called forth against him, he will not be afraid of their voice, nor abase himself for the noise of them: so shall the Lord of hosts come down to fight for Mount Zion, and for the hill thereof.”

Though the Lord permitted His ancient kingdom

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to be taken by the Gentiles, this scripture shows that He will soon deliver it. Not only will He deliver His people and Mount Zion, but He will defend them, too.

Isa. 31:5, 6 — “As birds flying, so will the Lord of hosts defend Jerusalem; defending also He will deliver it; and passing over He will preserve it. Turn ye unto Him from Whom the children of Israel have deeply revolted.”

Having now come to the time of their deliverance, the Lord is pleading with His people to turn to Him — to reform.

Isa. 31:7 — “For in that day every man shall cast away his idols of silver, and his idols of gold, which your own hands have made unto you for a sin.”

To turn to Him, He explains, is to cast away every idol. When such great revival and reformation takes place among God’s people, He continues:

Isa. 31:8, 9 — “Then shall the Assyrian fall with the sword, not of a mighty man; and the sword, not of a mean man, shall devour him: but he shall flee from the sword, and his young men shall be discomfited. And he shall pass over to his strong hold for fear, and his princes shall be afraid of the ensign, saith the Lord, Whose fire is in Zion, and His furnace in Jerusalem.”

Because of idolatry, the Assyrian was permitted to take God’s ancient people and their pleasant land. And certain it is that the Assyrian will control the land just so long as God’s people continue in idolatry. But, just as soon as all idols are cast aside, — yes, as soon as the great revival and reformation takes place

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in the hearts of the people, — then the Assyrian (the power that now rules them) shall certainly fall, and God’s people shall just as certainly return. The Assyrian shall thus fall, not at the sword of a mighty man, and not of a mean man, but “through the voice of the Lord shall the Assyrian be beaten down, which smote with a rod.” Isa. 30:31.

Isa. 32:1-8 — “Behold, a king shall reign in righteousness, and princes shall rule in judgment. And a man shall be as an hiding place from the wind, and a covert from the tempest; as rivers of water in a dry place; as the shadow of a great rock in a weary land. And the eyes of them that see shall not be dim, and the ears of them that hear shall hearken. The heart also of the rash shall understand knowledge, and the tongue of the stammerers shall be ready to speak plainly.

“The vile person shall be no more called liberal, nor the churl said to be bountiful. For the vile person will speak villany, and his heart will work iniquity, to practice hypocrisy, and to utter error against the Lord, to make empty the soul of the hungry, and he will cause the drink of the thirsty to fail. The instruments also of the churl are evil: he deviseth wicked devices to destroy the poor with lying words, even when the needy speaketh right. But the liberal deviseth liberal things; and by liberal things shall he stand.”

Turning again to his ancient people, Inspiration declared, that though their kingdom was doomed to fall, yet one day a King shall reign in righteousness, and princes shall rule in judgment; that in that day a Man shall be as an hiding place, as water in a dry place, and as a shadow of a great rock in a weary land (Isa. 32:2); that though the people were spiritually blind and could not see, yet there is a day coming

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when those who have eyes shall clearly see, and those who have ears shall plainly hear; that the heart of the rash shall then understand knowledge and the tongue of the stammerer be ready to speak plainly; that the vile person shall then be recognized as vile, and the churl shall no more be called bountiful; that the vile persons and hypocrites shall be known as those who speak error against the Lord and who endeavor to cheat the spiritually hungry and thirsty soul; that, on the other hand, the churl will be seen to be those who devise wicked means by which to make the poor ever poorer (Isa. 32:7).

Isa. 32:9-14 — “Rise up, ye women that are at ease; hear My voice, ye careless daughters; give ear unto My speech. Many days and years shall ye be troubled, ye careless women: for the vintage shall fail, the gathering shall not come. Tremble, ye women that are at ease; be troubled, ye careless ones: strip you, and make you bare, and gird sackcloth upon your loins.

“They shall lament for the teats, for the pleasant fields, for the fruitful vine. Upon the land of My people shall come up thorns and briers; yea, upon all the houses of joy in the joyous city: because the palaces shall be forsaken; the multitude of the city shall be left; the forts and towers shall be for dens for ever, a joy of wild asses, a pasture of flocks.”

The “women” here referred to are doubtless “Aholah” and “Aholibah” (Ezek. 23), the figurative names of Judah and Israel. Here is described their dispersion among the Gentiles, the punishment which they were to bear.

Isa. 32:15 — “Until the Spirit be poured upon us from

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on high, and the wilderness be a fruitful field, and the fruitful field be counted for a forest.”

Here we are told that the people are to be among the Gentiles, and the land remain desolate until the Spirit be poured upon them from on high. Then will they return.

We have now already seen the reason for the dispersion and that the pouring of the Spirit marks the people’s deliverance. Yes, then no longer will their land be in captivity, no longer will their houses be desolate. Even the wilderness shall become a fruitful field, and the fruitful field shall be counted for a forest — there shall be then an abundant harvest of souls.

Isa. 32:16-20 — “Then judgment shall dwell in the wilderness, and righteousness remain in the fruitful field. And the work of righteousness shall be peace; and the effect of righteousness quietness and assurance for ever. And My people shall dwell in a peaceable habitation, and in sure dwellings, and in quiet resting places; when it shall hail, coming down on the forest; and the city shall be low in a low place. Blessed are ye that sow beside all waters, that send forth thither the feet of the ox and the ass.”

Now what have we learned from these two chapters of Isaiah? Actually we have had a summary of the subject which the previous chapters treated. Now even more vividly than before we see that ancient Israel’s idolatry forced God to permit them to be ruled by the Assyrians. He is, however, well able to deliver them when His people hear His plea and lay aside their idols; when they turn again unto the Lord, when this great revival and reformation called for in this chapter is finally effected. Thus it is that

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“through the voice of the Lord shall the Assyrian be beaten down, which smote with a rod.” Isa. 30:31. Hence forth a King shall reign in righteousness. Then the vile persons and hypocrites shall be treated as such. In that day shall there be a great and glorious harvest of souls. Now that we have plainly seen the time, the need, and the deliverance, let us Brother, Sister, bring that day closer by parting with all our idols, and turning our hearts fully and unreservedly unto our God.

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