“Great changes are soon to take place in our world, and the final movements will be rapid ones.” (Test. for the Church, vol. 9, p.11)
Do you have your seat belts on? The world is soon to be jolted by TWO big events happening concurrently. What are they you ask?
The Lord’s final message of Elijah tells us plainly —
“O Judah, keep thy solemn feasts, perform thy vows: for the wicked shall no more pass through thee; he is utterly cut off.”
Here in prophetic utterance is not only a promise to purify the church when modern Assyria is being crushed, but also a suggestive statement as to what constitutes “meat in due season” for men today; and as to what movement they are to enlist in if they would make sure of salvation. They are enjoined to fix their vision upon the feet of him who brings “good tidings” (message from the Lord), who publishes “peace” (the peace of Christ’s Kingdom), andwho declares that while the powers of earth are engulfed in a gigantic war, the wicked in the church shall be cut off, no more to pass through her. Specifically, the prophet exhorts all penitently to turn unto the house of Judah (the latter-day Kingdom of Judah — Mic. 4; Ezek. 37:16-22), the church in the purification of which are to be sealed 12,000 out of each of the 12 tribes, as firstfruits. And he urges the subjects of the kingdom to perform their religious duties and to keep their promises to the Lord. In short, he admonishes them to give heed to the message of the hour — the message which announces the imminence of the church’s purification, after which, as the promise is, “the wicked shall no more pass through” her, for “he is utterly cut off.” (See also Matt. 13:30, 47-50, Isa. 66:16, 19, 20). (Tract 14, p.22)
Let us slowly, prayerfully and deeply concentrate on the red highlighted words. There is, as we know, a big focus on the middle east now. Since Oct. 7 of 2023 the world has kept it’s eye upon the seriousness of the middle east happenings. This is God’s plan being developed. There is to be a gigantic world war over the middle east, let us read —
“Behold, a day is coming for the Lord, when the spoil taken from you will be divided in your midst. For I will gather all the nations against Jerusalem to battle, and the city shall be taken and the houses plundered and the women raped. Half of the city shall go out into exile, but the rest of the people shall not be cut off from the city. Then the Lord will go out and fight against those nations as when he fights on a day of battle. On that day his feet shall stand fon the Mount of Olives that lies before Jerusalem on the east, and the Mount of Olives shall be split in two from east to west by a very wide valley, so that one half of the Mount shall move northward, and the other half southward. And you shall flee to the valley of my mountains, for the valley of the mountains shall reach to Azal. And you shall flee as you fled from ithe earthquake in the days of Uzziah king of Judah. Then the Lord my God will come, and all the holy ones with him.”(Zech. 14:1-5)
What is the purpose of this war? God must fulfil His promises —
“And for the house of Israel there shall be no more a brier to prick or a thorn to hurt them among all their neighbors who have treated them with contempt. Then they will know that I am the Lord God.“Thus says the Lord God: When I gather the house of Israel from the peoples among whom they are scattered, and manifest my holiness in them in the sight of the nations, then they shall dwell in their own land that I gave to my servant Jacob. And they shall dwell securely in it, and they shall build houses and plant vineyards. They shall dwell securely, when I execute judgments upon all their neighbors who have treated them with contempt. Then they will know that I am the Lord their God.” (Ezekiel 28:24-26)
Very few know what the above really means, but let that not be us. Believe in His word, it shall come to pass,
“Isa. 60:10 — “And the sons of strangers shall build up thy walls, and their kings shall minister unto thee: for in My wrath I smote thee, but in My favour have I had mercy on thee.”
In Ezra and Nehemiah’s time the people of God, the Jews, themselves had to build against great odds, but for the church purified, the Gentiles shall gladly build. Not only the common people but even their kings are to minister to the servants of God. Kings are now the bosses, but the day is almost here in which God’s servants shall boss the kings, and the kings shall be glad to be bossed by them.
Isa. 60:11 — “Therefore thy gates shall be open continually; they shall not be shut day nor night; that men may bring unto thee the forces of the Gentiles, and that their kings may be brought.”
Because of our response to God’s call and because of our rising to shine for Him, many people shall say: “…Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob; and He will teach us of His ways, and we will walk in His paths: for out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the Word of the Lord from Jerusalem.” Isa. 2:3. For this very obvious reason the gates as it were, would have to stay open day and night in order to accommodate the traffic — the incoming saints, the wealth of the Gentiles, and their kings. Plainly, then, the great need is not the “Harvest Ingathering” campaign, not the multiple collections, not the book sale days — not any goal-raising campaigns — but to take this “golden oil” for our lamps and to “arise and shine” is what the church needs today.
Isa. 60:12, 13 — “For the nation and kingdom that will not serve thee shall perish; yea, those nations shall be utterly wasted. The glory of Lebanon shall come unto thee, the fir tree, the pine tree, and the box together, to beautify the place of My sanctuary; and I will make the place of My feet glorious.” (1 TG, no. 40, p.19-20)
The two big events shall be a world war over the middle east, and the Ezekiel 9 SDA church purification.
We shall read from “The Mount of Blessing,” page 180, paragraph one. The reading is based on the scripture which says, “Why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother’s eye?”
M.B., pg. 180 — “Even the sentence, ‘Thou that judgest doest the same things,’ does not reach the magnitude of his sin who presumes to criticize and condemn his brother…. When he thinks he has detected a flaw in the character or the life, he is exceedingly zealous in trying to point it out; but Jesus declares that the very trait of character developed in doing this un-Christlike work, is, in comparison with the fault criticized, as a beam in proportion to a mote. It is one’s own lack of the spirit of forbearance and love that leads him to make a world of an atom…. According to the figure that our Saviour uses, he who indulges a censorious spirit is guilty of greater sin than is the one he accuses; for he not only commits the same sin, but adds to it conceit and censoriousness.”
Satan is doing his level best to make us transgress in this respect so that we lose out eternally. God has delegated no one to be policing another. Only God through His prophets is to reprove sin, but never to use force of any kind.
Shall we kneel now, and pray for a realization that our duty is not to criticize others or to magnify their faults, but to speak and practice the Truth? Further than that, Brother, Sister, we need not go. The rest is up to our audiences and associates. Let them decide for themselves what is best for both soul and body. Truth need not be poked down the throat.
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THE FATE OF ASSYRIA,AND THE TRIUMPH OF THE CHURCHTEXT OF ADDRESS BY V.T. HOUTEFF,MINISTER OF DAVIDIAN 7TH-DAY ADVENTISTSSABBATH, JANUARY 11, 1947MT. CARMEL CHAPELWACO, TEXAS
Let us turn to Zephaniah 3, and begin with the first verse.
Zeph. 3:1 — “Woe to her that is filthy and polluted, to the oppressing city!”
The antecedent of the pronoun “her” is found in the thirteenth verse of the preceding chapter. In it is seen that the “city” here pointed out is Nineveh, the capital city of ancient Assyria. Now to ascertain whether this Nineveh is actually the capital city of ancient Assyria or of some other Assyria, we shall study the remaining verses of the chapter.
Zeph. 3:2 — “She obeyed not the Voice; she received not correction; she trusted not in the Lord; she drew not near to her God.”
This verse points out the fact that the city and nation here mentioned had the privilege of hearing the voice of Inspiration, of knowing God’s Truth, but has failed to take heed — received not correction, trusted not in the Lord, drew not near to her God.
Zeph. 3:3 — “Her princes within her are roaring lions;
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her judges are evening wolves; they gnaw not the bones till the morrow.”
Her princes, being like roaring lions, must be frightful persons who evidently think “might makes right.” Her judges are, as it were, evening wolves; that is, they are in business, not to execute judgment, justice, and righteousness, but to catch and tear, to fill their den with prey although they may have more than they know what to do with. “They gnaw not the bones till the morrow.”
Zeph. 3:4 — “Her prophets are light and treacherous persons: her priests have polluted the sanctuary, they have done violence to the law.”
In the language of today this verse would read, “Her teachers are light-hearted, not serious and sober-minded; they are trifling; they are of no account; they are treacherous persons. Her ministers, rather than having kept the church clean, have polluted it, and have done violence to the law” (have declared It void).
Thus far is seen that the Assyria of this chapter represents a people who have been well instructed in the things of God, the law and the sanctuary. But instead of obeying the Lord and ruling justly and righteously, they have greatly transgressed, have gone down into sin as deep as any people can possibly go.
Zeph. 3:5 — “The just Lord is in the midst thereof; He will not do iniquity: every morning doth He bring His judgment to light, He faileth not; but the unjust knoweth no shame.”
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In view of the fact that God is in the midst of them, they must be well informed in the things of God, well aware that in due season He makes known to them His judgment. In view of all these, the only possible conclusion one can come to, is that God’s church must be in their midst.
Zeph. 3:6-8 — “I have cut off the nations: their towers are desolate; I made their streets waste, that none passeth by: their cities are destroyed, so that there is no man, that there is none inhabitant. I said, Surely thou wilt fear Me, thou wilt receive instruction; so their dwelling should not be cut off, howsoever I punished them: but they rose early, and corrupted all their doings. Therefore wait ye upon Me, saith the Lord, until the day that I rise up to the prey: for My determination is to gather the nations, that I may assemble the kingdoms, to pour upon them Mine indignation, even all My fierce anger: for all the earth shall be devoured with the fire of My jealousy.”
The Lord Himself warns that He has cut off nations, that He has made their towers desolate and their streets waste, that He has destroyed their cities and has left no inhabitants in them. He points out that all this He did as an object lesson for future good, so that they as a nation might fear Him and receive instruction, that their dwellings not be cut off. But in spite of these examples, they rise early and corrupt all their doings. So it is that at long last the Lord arises to the prey, gathers the nations, assembles the kingdoms, and Assyria gets her punishment.
From this we see that the Assyria under discussion exists in the time of the end, the time in which the
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great and dreadful day of the Lord takes place. This Assyria, therefore, is an antitype of ancient Assyria just as the Babylon of Revelation 17 and 18 is an antitype of ancient Babylon.
Assyria, charges Inspiration, is a rejoicing city that dwells carelessly, that says in her heart, “I am, and there is none beside me.” Zeph. 2:15.
At this point let us pause a moment and summarize the characteristics by which this modern Assyria is to be identified. (1) As man looks at things, she is so great that there is none like her. She is well instructed in the things of God. (2) She is oppressive, a hard ruling nation. (3) She has polluted the sanctuary and has declared the law of God void. (4) She has piled up wealth by going after it as an evening wolfe goes after its prey. (5) She harbors the church of God. (6) She exists in the time the Lord is to manifest His power and destroy all the wicked nations. (7) She is an Assyria-like nation, widespread, a nation of conquests.
There is but one people under the sun that answers to all these descriptions, and that people is, of course, the English-speaking people, in whose midst is the church, and from whose midst the Gospel and the Bible flow out to all nations. As clear as language can make it, the burden of the prophet Zephaniah is for the English-speaking Christian world.
God is now saying to Assyria’s capital city, “Indeed, you are doing all these abominations, but you will not thus continue long. The time is at hand.” Put a stop to your absurdities.
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Zeph. 3:9 — “For then will I turn to the people a pure language, that they may all call upon the name of the Lord, to serve Him with one consent.”
Inspiration for certainty declares that after Assyria receives her punishment, and after the wicked are taken out of his church, then will the Gospel be proclaimed in a pure language (in pure Gospel Truth) that whosoever will, may call upon the name of the Lord, “to serve Him” with heart and soul. Then it is that “only those who have withstood temptation in the strength of the Mighty One will have a right to proclaim it [Third Angel’s Message] when it shall have swelled into the Loud Cry.” — “Review and Herald,” Nov. 19, 1908.
Zeph. 3:10, 11 — “From beyond the rivers of Ethiopia My suppliants, even the daughter of My dispersed, shall bring Mine offering. In that day shalt thou not be ashamed for all thy doings, wherein thou hast transgressed against Me: for then I will take away out of the midst of thee them that rejoice in thy pride, and thou shalt no more be haughty because of My holy mountain.”
When the Gospel is proclaimed in “a pure language,” then even from the ends of the earth God’s people will come with an offering to the Lord.
Having removed all who rejoice in her pride the church shall be haughty no more.
Zeph. 3:12 — “I will also leave in the midst of thee an afflicted and poor people, and they shall trust in the name of the Lord.”
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The fact that He leaves in their midst poor and afflicted people is sufficient evidence in itself that the purification of the church takes place before the Millennium, before Isaiah 33:24 is fulfilled and before He sets up the kingdom mentioned therein.
Zeph. 3:13 — “The remnant of Israel shall not do iniquity, nor speak lies; neither shall a deceitful tongue be found in their mouth: for they shall feed and lie down, and none shall make them afraid.”
The remnant, those that are left after the purification takes place, shall sin no more. They shall forever thereafter stand without guile in their mouths.
Zeph. 3:14 — “Sing, O daughter of Zion; shout, O Israel; be glad and rejoice with all the heart, O daughter of Jerusalem.”
A great day is coming for the righteous, a dreadful one for the wicked. We, therefore, as children of Zion, are encouraged to sing and shout for joy because we have finally come to the time of God’s great deliverance.
Zeph. 3:15 — “The Lord hath taken away thy judgments, He hath cast out thine enemy: the King of Israel, even the Lord, is in the midst of thee: thou shalt not see evil any more.”
Surely these revelations of prophecy should encourage every believer to shout with joy as he realizes that the day in which he shall no more see evil is right at hand, that the Lord is to be his only king.
Zeph. 3:16-20 — “In that day it shall be said to Jeruusalem,
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Fear thou not: and to Zion, Let not thine hands be slack. The Lord thy God in the midst of thee is mighty; He will save, He will rejoice over thee with joy; He will rest in His love, He will joy over thee with singing. I will gather them that are sorrowful for the solemn assembly, who are of thee, to whom the reproach of it was a burden. Behold, at that time I will undo all that afflict thee: and I will save her that halteth, and gather her that was driven out; and I will get them praise and fame in every land where they have been put to shame. At that time will I bring you again, even in the time that I gather you: for I will make you a name and a praise among all people of the earth, when I turn back your captivity before your eyes, saith the Lord.”
The Lord wants us to know that when He turns away our captivity He will also make us a name and a praise among all the people of the earth. This kingdom of Judah (the church purified and set apart), is therefore, not only pre-millennial, but also probationary. And how glad we ought to be for the privilege to be among the first of the first fruits.
“We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn and the day star arise in your hearts.” (II Pet. 1:19.)
“And while they [the foolish virgins] went to buy, the bridegroom came; and they that were ready went in with Him to the marriage: and the door was shut . . . Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh.” (Matt. 25:10, 13.)
“But the end of all things is at hand: be ye therefore sober, and watch unto prayer.” (I Pet. 4:7.)
“Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he day devour.” (I Pet. 5:8.)
“Those who are watching for the Lord, are purifying their souls by obedience to the truth.” “The Desire of Ages,” p. 634.
The Master commanded us to “watch and pray.” We may have the theory of the message so perfect that our hearers are made enthusiastic by our large knowledge of the Scriptures, but does that indicate that we are watching “in all things,” enduring “afflictions,” doing “the work of an evangelist,” and making “full proof” of our “ministry” as the apostle Paul exhorts us to do (see II Tim. 4:5): or praying, as the Master gave command for us to do? The wisest man who ever lived, wrote, by Inspiration, that “the fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge.”
To know our spiritual standing, it is well for us to consider some of the things which the Master desires us to watch for. As we are cognizant of the fact that Satan is determined to have us as his victims, then we must heed the first instruction given in the sermon on the mount—that we “be not deceived.” Therefore, our first duty is to make as thorough a study, by the use of both the Bible and the Spirit of Prophecy, of the devices and points of attack which he will use in his warfare to defeat us, as he makes in his study of our weaknesses as points of vantage from which to assail us.
To obey is better than to sacrifice. Obedience to God’s law and principles, both in our spiritual and moral lives, is the thermometer which records whether our spiritual temperature is up or down, and which thus affords Satan the most accurate gauge by which to determine his onslaughts.
“We need never expect that when the Lord has light for His people, Satan will stand calmly by, and make no effort to prevent them from receiving it. He will work upon minds to excite distrust and jealousy and unbelief. Let us beware that we do not refuse the light God sends, because it does not come in a way to please us. Let not God’s blessing be turned away from us because we know not the time of our visitation.”—“Testimonies for the Church,” Vol. 5, p. 728.
“We are taught in God’s Word that this is the time, above all others, when we may look for light from heaven. It is now that we are to expect a refreshing from the presence of the Lord. We should watch for the moving of God’s providence as the army of Israel watched for ‘the sound of a going in the tops of the mulberry trees,’—the appointed signal that Heaven would work for them.”—Testimonies for the Church.” Vol 5 P. 728
It behooves us, then, to study to know what is truth, what are God’s principles, what are the warnings and instructions given to His people at this time. In daily meditation of these, we shall be equipped to go forward in the Christian warfare, prepared for the darts of the evil one. However, we shall only be able to resist the enemy’s arrows by having our whole attention absorbed in being determined to serve God, and thus we shall know that we are walking in the light “even as He is in the light.” Then when specific calls come to us, we shall recognize in them the voice of our master, or, the voice of the usurper.
With such a clear understanding, we shall get the vision of how to be like the little child of whom said Jesus, upon placing him in the midst of the company, “Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven.” (Matt. 18:3.)
If our faith in God is as implicit as the faith of a child, we will not be of a halting, doubting spirit. And thus when we receive orders to “Go forward,” regardless of whether or not the way looks clear to us, we will not hold back and wait to see if it is really the way we are to follow, or to see first if the message prospers.
Just how foolish is such a spirit, we might, in one way, concretely demonstrate, by the following example. Someone who is a stranger to us, and who lives at a distance, for some reason desires that we pray and fast for him with a certain purpose or object in view. We know nothing of the circumstances surrounding his life. However, he requests that we fast and pray. Is it now for us to question and doubt the call because we do not know his Christian status, or is it better to pray for him regardless of our ignorance of his circumstances?
Other problems of major or minor importance continually confront us in like manner, but are we so closely following our Saviour that He can trust us with wisdom from heaven so that we shall at all times give the answer of a man who has the true understanding which comes only from letting God lead? If we are not able to give such an answer, then may Heaven help us to be determined to follow on to know the Lord better each day so that He can class us as the “wise and prudent,” though we be “as a little child.”
We are happy for the call which God has given to us. But are we watching for the many subtle devices, and snares of the enemy in his efforts to cheat us of eternal life, by causing us to lose sight of Jesus just long enough at this most critical hour; when the sealing message is determining what our reward shall be, so as to cause our loyalty to change to disloyalty and our faithfulness to unfaithfulness to that call? Are we holding fast by obedience to God’s commands, as did faithful Abraham, so that no man shall take our crown? Are we lovers of our own pleasures so much more than the lovers of God that we will not obey? Is this watching “unto prayer” “as they that must give account?”
Though we do not know the exact hour in which Christ shall “rise up from His mediatorial work . . . and shall clothe Himself with the garments of vengeance,” yet we do know that He will do so while truth is being revealed (5T 690). Therefore, we must, like “the good man of the house,” be ready for Him, instead of being surprised, when He comes to protect His faithful ones “until the indignation be overpast.” (Isa. 26:20.)
Paul reminds us that we “are not in darkness, that that day should overtake” us “as a thief.” Also that “Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness. Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober.” (1 Thess. 5:4-6.)
By the Prophet, Hosea, God reveals the closeness of earth to heaven by the fact that the earth hears “the corn, and the wine, and the oil.” Therefore, as this is the condition upon which our close relationship with Christ exists, and Heaven with us, ought we not now as never before make it our great duty to “Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness” while probationary time yet lingers? But it may be argued that the kingdom of God refers to the new earth state, and that we shall be changed from our sinful to the ‘sinless state in the twinkling of an eye. True, but what saith God by His servant?
“Not one of us will ever receive the seal of God while our “characters have one spot, or stain upon them. It is left with us to remedy the defects in our characters, to cleanse the soul temple of every defilement. Then the latter rain will fall upon us as the early rain fell upon the disciples on the day of Pentecost.”
“Now is the time to prepare. The seal of God will never be placed upon the forehead of an impure man or woman. It will never be placed upon the forehead of the ambitious, world-loving man or woman. It will never be placed upon the forehead of men or women of false tongues or deceitful hearts. All who receive the seal must be without spot before God—candidates for Heaven.”—“Testimonies for the Church,” Vol. 5, pp. 214, 216.
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
I shall read from “The Mount of Blessing,” page 217, beginning with the first paragraph–
“But to-day mercy pleads with the sinner. ‘As I live, saith the Lord God, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked; but that the wicked turn from his way and live: turn ye, turn ye from your evil ways; for why will ye die?’ The voice that speaks to the impenitent to-day is the voice of Him who in heart-anguish exclaimed as He beheld the city of His love: ‘O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, which killeth the prophets, and stoneth them that are sent unto her! How often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her own brood under her wings, and ye would not!
Behold, your house is left unto you desolate!’ In Jerusalem, Jesus beheld a symbol of the world that had rejected and despised His grace. He was weeping, O stubborn heart, for you! Even when Jesus’ tears were shed upon the mount, Jerusalem might yet have repented, and escaped her doom. For a little space the Gift of heaven still waited her acceptance. So, O heart, to you Christ is still speaking in accents of love: ‘Behold I stand at the door, and knock; if any man hear My voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with Me.’ ‘Now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.'”
We should pray that we gladly respond to God’s merciful plea; that we realize that His aim is to save us from eternal ruin; that we should respond now in the day of salvation; that we know He is pleading for us today as He pled for Jerusalem at the time of His first advent; that the door of our hearts be never closed to Him.
Timely Greetings, Vol. 1, No. 47
JACOB’S TIME OF TROUBLE;JUDAH AND ISRAEL GOING HOME
TEXT OF ADDRESS BY V.T. HOUTEFF,MINISTER OF DAVIDIAN 7TH-DAY ADVENTISTSSABBATH, JUNE 28, 1947 MT. CARMEL CHAPELWACO, TEXAS
We are now to continue the same subject which we have been studying from the book of Isaiah, but today we shall study it from the book of Jeremiah.
To begin with, we shall notice that the first chapters of the book deal with ancient Judah and Israel, with their sins and stubbornness of heart, and with their resultant dispersion throughout the Gentile nations. The thirtieth chapter, however, deals, not with the scattering of ancient Judah and Israel, but with the gathering of Judah and Israel in our day.
We shall now begin our study with the first three verses–
Jer. 30:1-3 — “The word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord, saying, Thus speaketh the Lord God of Israel, saying, Write thee all the words that I have spoken unto thee in a book. For, lo, the days come, saith the Lord, that I will bring again the captivity of My people Israel and Judah, saith the Lord: and I will cause them to return to the land that I gave to their fathers, and they shall possess it.”
Note that both Judah and Israel together have the promise of returning to their homeland. As this has
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never yet been realized, the prophecy is yet to be fulfilled.
Jer. 30:4-6 — “And these are the words that the Lord spake concerning Israel and concerning Judah. For thus saith the Lord; We have heard a voice of trembling, of fear, and not of peace. Ask ye now, and see whether a man doth travail with child? wherefore do I see every man with his hands on his loins, as a woman in travail, and all faces are turned into paleness?”
The cause of the fear here forecast is fundamentally needless and unnecessary, declares the Lord.
Jer. 30:7 — “Alas! for that day is great, so that none is like it: it is even the time of Jacob’s trouble, but he shall be saved out of it.”
The people that have come to this antitypical time of trouble are returning to the homeland, are comforted. Apparently it is bad enough to frighten all, but God’s encouraging counsel is, “Fear not.”
Plainly, the burden of this chapter is concerning the antitypical returning to the homeland. Though terrible the trouble may seem, yet the outcome of it is to be the same as in the type. Right now we may not appreciate this study as we ought to, but the time is soon coming in which we will dig as fast and as hard for it as we would to get out from under an avalanche. Those who have but little faith in the Word of God though, the study will not do them much good. Now is the time to start cultivating the faith we need to have then.
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Jacob, our type, well knew that God had directed his return from Padanaram to the homeland, yet he trembled when he heard that Esau, with four hundred men were on the way to meet him. Besides, he was led to wrestle with the angel all night long. He prevailed only because he would not let the Angel go until He blest him. The final result was that on the morrow, Esau, rather than destroying the whole company, very kindly greeted Jacob with a kiss, and cordially invited him to return home! So when it all worked itself out, Jacob plainly saw that there was no need at all to have ever feared.
How encouraging that “all these things happened unto them for ensamples: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come.” 1 Cor. 10:11. That which happened to Jacob is sure to happen to us, and how comforting to know all this ahead of time. Now, if never before we should see that where there is a type there is also an antitype, and that where there is no type, there is no Truth.
Jer. 30:8 — “For it shall come to pass in that day, saith the Lord of hosts, that I will break his yoke from off thy neck, and will burst thy bonds, and strangers shall no more serve themselves of him.”
This verse plainly says that God is to free His people from the Gentile yoke, and that strangers [unconverted] shall no more trouble them.
Jer. 30:9 — “But they shall serve the Lord their God, and David their king, whom I will raise up unto them.”
No longer shall the followers of Truth serve others, but they shall serve the Lord, and a king whom God Himself shall provide.
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Jer. 30:10 — “Therefore fear thou not, O My servant Jacob, saith the Lord; neither be dismayed, O Israel: for, lo, I will save thee from afar, and thy seed from the land of their captivity; and Jacob shall return, and shall be in rest, and be quiet, and none shall make him afraid.”
There is therefore no need of fear, but there is a need for faith in the promises of God.
Jer. 30:11 — “For I am with thee, saith the Lord, to save thee: though I make a full end of all nations whither I have scattered thee, yet will I not make a full end of thee: but I will correct thee in measure, and will not leave thee altogether unpunished.”
The punishment dealt to Israel is their being scattered among the Gentiles as amplified in the verses which follow. The time of freedom has nevertheless come, and for this we should be glad and give God the glory.
Jer. 30:12-19 — “For thus saith the Lord, Thy bruise is incurable, and thy wound is grievous. There is none to plead thy cause, that thou mayest be bound up: thou hast no healing medicines. All thy lovers have forgotten thee; they seek thee not; for I have wounded thee with the wound of an enemy, with the chastisement of a cruel one, for the multitude of thine iniquity; because thy sins were increased.
Why criest thou for thine affliction? thy sorrow is incurable for the multitude of thine iniquity: because thy sins were increased, I have done these things unto thee. Therefore all they that devour thee shall be devoured; and all thine adversaries, every one of them, shall go into captivity; and they that spoil thee shall be a spoil, and all that prey upon thee will I give for a prey. For I will restore
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health unto thee, and I will heal thee of thy wounds, saith the Lord; because they called thee an Outcast, saying, This is Zion, whom no man seeketh after. Thus saith the Lord; Behold, I will bring again the captivity of Jacob’s tents, and have mercy on his dwellingplaces; and the city shall be builded upon her own heap, and the palace shall remain after the manner thereof. And out of them shall proceed thanksgiving and the voice of them that make merry: and I will multiply them, and they shall not be few; I will also glorify them, and they shall not be small.”
After having gone through their captivity, the people shall fully realize God’s mercy and His wisdom to save them. They shall be happy forevermore, for He will multiply them in the land of their fathers, and there He will make them great.
Jer. 30:20 — “Their children also shall be as aforetime, and their congregation shall be established before Me, and I will punish all that oppress them.”
The Kingdom (the church purified and apart from the world) is to be as natural and as real as was the kingdom of ancient Israel, but there will be no sinners in It.
Jer. 30:21-23 — “And their nobles shall be of themselves, and their governor shall proceed from the midst of them; and I will cause him to draw near, and he shall approach unto Me: for who is this that engaged his heart to approach unto Me? saith the Lord. And ye shall be My people, and I will be your God. Behold, the whirlwind of the Lord goeth forth with fury, a continuing whirlwind: it shall fall with pain upon the head of the wicked.”
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Their nobles shall be of themselves; that is, this Kingdom shall be self-governing under theocracy. The word “behold” calls attention to something that can be seen and therefore implies that the Lord’s whirlwind is already doing its work. No wonder, then, that we are now having disturbance of all kinds, and heavy loss of life and property throughout the earth.
Jer. 30:24 — “The fierce anger of the Lord shall not return, until He have done it, and until He have performed the intents of His heart: in the latter days ye shall consider it.”
The very fact that these truths are now revealed, and also the fact that the things foretold by the Scriptures are now taking place, plainly show that we are now living in the latter days, — the days in which we must consider the cause of the evils which envelop the whole world, and make our calling and election sure.
How thankful we ought to be that the Lord is feeding us with “meat in due season”! Though people kill one another by the millions in order to free themselves from the yoke of some other nation, Moses freed ancient Israel without a casualty. We should now know that faith removes mountains, while doubt ruins nations. We should no longer be fools and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have written (Lu. 24:25) “Believe” was Jesus’ motto, and it should be ours, too. No doubters will ever enter His Kingdom.
These things are written “that ye might believe….” John 20:31.
There is but one sensible conclusion that you can come to, and that is to whole-heartedly accept and to comply with all the prophets have written. Let no one divert your attention from this Truth.
As we all know recently a highly contentious presidential election was completed. Donal Trump received an overwhelming majority to win. However there is possible prophecy implications to this. We invite you to spend about 40 minutes watching an informative video explaining some spiritual aspects to all this. Be blessed.
I shall read the last paragraph from The Mount of Blessing, page 163, after which we shall engage in a season of prayer.
M.B., pg. 163 — “When we pray, ‘Give us this day our daily bread,’ we ask for others as well as ourselves. And we acknowledge that what God gives us is not for ourselves alone…. ‘He which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully’…. In teaching us to ask every day for what we need, — both temporal and spiritual blessings, — God has a purpose to accomplish for our good.”
The Institution’s experience is a good illustration of the fact that those who bless others, they themselves will also be blessed. You know that this Institution began to be built in 1935, right in the midst of the depression, and that its work began with nothing more than a revelation from the Lord. In all respects its beginning was the smallest of the small and the poorest of the poor. And while countless individuals and business organizations went bankrupt, it grew and prospered. It was thus blessed because instead of hoarding its God-given blessings, it most liberally spent itself to bless others. Since this Institution by unselfishly blessing others from its very beginning to this day, even in a time of depression, has become what it is, then individuals may likewise reap a blessing if they, too, follow the same rule.
Accordingly we should pray that we be granted an understanding of what it means to say, “Give us this day our daily bread;” and to know that selfishness leads to poverty and that management and liberality lead to abundance; that we as Christians positively know that to take the name of Christ is to do what Christ did — to bless humanity, to let the world know that we are here to do it good, not to be a burden upon it.
Timely Greetings, Vol. 1, No. 13 2THE REVIVAL AND REFORMATIONTEXT OF ADDRESS BY V.T. HOUTEFF,MINISTER OF DAVIDIAN 7TH-DAY ADVENTISTSSABBATH, NOVEMBER 2, 1946MT. CARMEL CHAPELWACO, TEXAS
This afternoon we shall start our study where we left off in our previous study of Haggai’s and Zechariah’s prophecies. Let us turn to
Hag. 2:1-3 — “In the seventh month, in the one and twentieth day of the month, came the Word of the Lord by the prophet Haggai, saying, Speak now to Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and to Joshua the son of Josedech, the high priest, and to the residue of the people, saying, Who is left among you that saw this house in her first glory? and how do ye see it now? is it not in your eyes in comparison of it as nothing?”
As it was in the days of building the typical temple so it must be in the days of building the antitypical, in our days. From the type is seen that just as the Word of the Lord was then addressed to the governors, to the high priest, and to the common people, so the Word of the Lord today is to be carried to all the people, regardless of rank or station in life.
The Word of the Lord to all the people in Haggai’s and Zechariah’s day was that the builders should consider to their heart-breaking disappointment that the glory of the temple which they were building was in their eyes as nothing in comparison with the glory of
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Solomon’s temple.
Hag. 2:4, 5 — “Yet now be strong, O Zerubbabel, saith the Lord; and be strong, O Joshua, son of Josedech, the high priest; and be strong, all ye people of the land, saith the Lord, and work: for I am with you, saith the Lord of hosts: according to the word that I covenanted with you when ye came out of Egypt, so My Spirit remaineth among you: fear ye not.”
The Lord assured His people that the love which He has had for them has not diminished, and that His power to deliver and to help was still the same as when He brought their forefathers out of Egypt; as He had not failed His people in those times then He was not to fail them either, and that His spirit was still to be with them.
Hag. 2:6-8 — “For thus saith the Lord of hosts; Yet once, it is a little while, and I will shake the heavens, and the earth, and the sea, and the dry land; and I will shake all nations, and the desire of all nations shall come: and I will fill this house with glory, saith the Lord of hosts. The silver is Mine, and the gold is Mine, saith the Lord of hosts.”
That the prophecy in these verses is yet to be fulfilled, is very obvious, for in the day this temple is built God is to shake the heavens, the earth, and the nations; that their expectation is then to come and that the temple is to be filled with glory; that the builders are not to worry about finances.
It is true that men control and use the silver and the gold, but it must not be forgotten that it all belongs to God, and that if He has need of it, He is well able to take it and do what He will with it, that the builders
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need not fear a shortage of it if they use it as God would have them use it.
Since it is plain that the ancient temple was typical of a temple to be built in the day God shakes the heavens, the earth, and the nations, the subject becomes absolutely clear that Inspiration is here speaking of an antitypical temple.
Hag. 2:9 — “The glory of this latter house shall be greater than of the former, saith the Lord of hosts: and in this place will I give peace, saith the Lord of hosts.”
The promise is that the glory which attended Solomon’s temple, shall be far exceeded by the antitypical one, which is to be built by the church purified, the church during the harvest time, the time in which God shakes the heaven, the earth, and the nations — during the great and dreadful day of the Lord.
Since these promises were not fulfilled in the day of Zerubbabel’s temple, the subject becomes crystal clear: that they are now to be fulfilled, and since these latter day truths are now revealed to us, we must be the builders of it, the glory of which is to exceed all the glory of the past. Moreover, the place where this antitypical temple is to be situated is to have peace, and the way that peace is completely to be achieved is told in–
Hag. 2:21, 22 — “Speak to Zerubbabel, governor of Judah, saying, I will shake the heavens and the earth; and I will overthrow the throne of kingdoms, and I will destroy the strength of the kingdoms of the heathen; and I will overthrow the chariots, and those that ride in them; and the horses and their riders shall
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come down everyone by the sword of his brother.”
Again is seen that in the day the Lord shakes the heavens and the earth, He also destroys the kingdoms of the earth by allowing them to kill one another. No wonder then that the nations are now engaged in an armament race, and the whole world is on the verge of plunging into the bloodiest conflict ever known. It is difficult for anyone to come to any other conclusion than that the great and dreadful day of the Lord is at hand.
In as much as Zerubbabel is a “signet,” a symbol or a type of the builders in the day the Lord shakes the heavens and the earth, then Ezekiel’s description of the mystic temple (chapters 40-47) which is yet to be built, could be the blueprint of Zerubbabel’s antitypical temple.
“But,” you may ask, “is this idea not contrary to our former belief?” — I admit that it is. But are we to go on by what we have believed? or by what the Word of the Lord says? And for what purpose are those prophecies if we are not to give heed to them? And why are they now unsealed and brought to our attention if this is not the time in which God is to manifest His power and accomplish all these things? It should be remembered that we are not the first and the only people who have had to change our way of thinking; we are not the first and only people to discover that God’s plans are the opposite of our plans. Moses, too, found that his plan for delivering the children of Israel from their Egyptian bondage was not God’s plan. Likewise God’s plan for the route they were to take in their journey to the promised land was not their plan. The apostles positively believed that Christ was to set up His kingdom at His first advent, but they,
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too, had to change their belief. Moreover, since the Hebrews, whom out of slaves God had made kings, had been promised that their kingdom was to stand forever, they were indeed astounded when it went down. And there have been other surprises all along from the dawn of history.
The pioneers of the Seventh-day Adventist denomination expected the Lord to come as soon as 144,000 converts joined the church, and expected to live to see Him come. The church membership though, already numbers several times 144,000, the pioneers are dead, and Lord is yet to come. So the question is not whether we want to change our minds or not, but whether we have to.
Years ago we were told that “The workers will be surprised by the simple means that He will use to bring about and perfect His work of righteousness. Those who are accounted good workers will need to draw nigh to God, they will need the divine touch.” — Testimonies To Ministers, pg. 300.
As Inspiration unrolls the Scroll it is, of course, but to be expected that it will find us surprisingly ignorant of many things — the very reason that It unrolls. If we, therefore, fail to exchange our ideas for the Lord’s then what hope is there for us ever to become enlightened and fitted for eternity? Our ideas are to fall flat, and the Lord’s prophecies are to stand “high and lifted up.” Our duty is to prove God’s Word correct rather than to hold tenaciously to our preconceptions and misconceptions until God Himself steps in and puts us to shame.
As Seventh-day Adventists we once boasted that we “know our Bible” but since this group ceased boasting
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it found that it knew very little in comparison to what it knows now, and still I cannot say that I have a sufficient knowledge of the Bible to carry me clear inside the pearly gates. In fact, I know that I have much more to learn.
Hag. 2:10-13 — “In the four and twentieth day of the ninth month, in the second year of Darius, came the Word of the Lord by Haggai the prophet, saying, Thus saith the Lord of hosts; Ask now the priests concerning the law, saying, If one bear holy flesh in the skirt of his garment, and with his skirt do touch bread, or pottage, or wine, or oil, or any meat, shall it be holy? And the priests answered and said, No. Then said Haggai, If one that is unclean by a dead body touch any of these, shall it be unclean? And the priests answered and said, It shall be unclean.”
Should one who bears the holy oracles of God touch a common thing, that thing would still remain common and unfit to bring to God; but should one whose body is defiled touch a holy thing, the thing would become unclean, unfit to be used for the Lord’s sacrifice. That is, sanctified man must not bring an unclean thing to the Lord, and unsanctified man must not bring even clean things to Him.
Hag. 2:15-17 — “And now, I pray you, consider from this day and upward, from before a stone was laid upon a stone in the temple of the Lord: Since those days were, when one came to an heap of twenty measures, there were but ten: when one came to the pressfat for to draw out fifty vessels out of the press, there were but twenty. I smote you with blasting and with mildew and with hail in all the labours of your hands; yet ye turned not to Me, saith the Lord.”
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By this exemplary experience this scripture teaches that trying to make a living while neglecting to do the Lord’s work, poverty rather than prosperity would be one’s lot. It is, therefore absolutely essential that present Truth believers first seek the upbuilding of the Kingdom of God and His righteousness if they are to prosper. (Matt. 6:28- 34). Let us ever remember that if we are completely on the Lord’s side, behind God’s hedge, as was Job, we need not fear anything, not even the devil.
Hag. 2:18, 19 — “Consider now from this day and upward, from the four and twentieth day of the ninth month, even from the day that the foundation of the Lord’s temple was laid, consider it. Is the seed yet in the barn? Yea, as yet the vine, and the fig tree, and the pomegranate, and the olive tree, hath not brought forth: from this day will I bless you.”
The type teaches that from the day we begin to do the Lord’s work, from that very day will the Lord bless us.
Hag. 2:14 — “…So is this people, and so is this nation before Me, saith the Lord; and so is every work of their hands; and that which they offer there is unclean.”
This verse shows that if we fail to perform our God-given task, then there is no substitute for it.
As soon as they were told of their fathers’ sins, and of their own, our types gladly conformed to the Lord’s wishes. (See Hag. 1:5-11). He will in like manner bless us from this day on if we, too, admit our wrong doings, and correct them.
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Hag. 1:12-14 — “Then Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, and Joshua the son of Josedech, the high priest, with all the remnant of the people, obeyed the voice of the Lord their God, and the words of Haggai the prophet, as the Lord their God had sent him, and the people did fear before the Lord. Then spake Haggai the Lord’s messenger in the Lord’s message unto the people, saying, I am with you, saith the Lord. And the Lord stirred up the spirit of Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and the spirit of Joshua the son of Josedech, the high priest, and the spirit of all the remnant of the people; and they came and did work in the house of the Lord of hosts, their God.”
These verses tell us that just as soon as all the people gave heed to the messengers of God, just that soon the Spirit of the Lord stirred their energies, and then immediately all went to work. We, too, will have just such an experience if we now settle it in our minds that from this hour on we will pay strict attention to the message of God and serve the Lord our God with whole heart and soul. Let us not put off God’s blessings from us.
Hag. 2:20, 21 — “And again the Word of the Lord came unto Haggai in the four and twentieth day of the month, saying, Speak to Zerubbabel, governor of Judah, saying, I will shake the heavens and the earth.”
In view of the fact that the Lord is soon to shake the heavens and the earth, is it not imperative that we right now put away hypocrisy? Let us cease inviting “drought,” “blasting,” and “mildew” upon ourselves. Let us instead yield our hearts to God and thereby insure unto ourselves joy, peace, happiness and eternal life. Unless we do this, we shall certainly be shaken out instead of reformed and revived.
I shall read from The Mount of Blessing, page 166, beginning with the first paragraph. This reading is based on the scripture, “Forgive us our sins; for we also forgive every one that is indebted to us.”
M.B. p. 166 — “Jesus teaches that we can receive forgiveness from God only as we forgive others. It is the love of God that draws us unto Him, and that love cannot touch our hearts without creating love for our brethren.
“After completing the Lord’s prayer, Jesus added: ‘If ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses. He who is unforgiving, cuts off the very channel through which alone he can receive mercy from God. We should not think that unless those who have injured us confess the wrong, we are justified in withholding from them our forgiveness. It is their part, no doubt, to humble their hearts by repentance and confession; but we are to have a spirit of compassion toward those who have trespassed against us, whether or not they confess their faults. However sorely they may have wounded us, we are not to cherish our grievances, and sympathize with ourselves over our injuries; but as we hope to be pardoned for our offenses against God, we are to pardon all who have done evil to us.”
Now, what should be the burden of our prayer this afternoon? — That we might have love for our brethren; that we forgive the faults of others whether or not they forgive our faults, that we confess our sins, regardless what others might do.
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ISMS, AND THE REMEDYTEXT OF ADDRESS BY V.T. HOUTEFF,MINISTER OF DAVIDIAN 7TH-DAY ADVENTISTSSABBATH, NOVEMBER 9, 1946MT. CARMEL CHAPELWACO, TEXAS
Let me introduce my subject by telling you a simple story.
Once upon a time six brothers were building a bridge, supposedly to the god of Justice. The purpose of the bridge was to unite the east with the west.
They had no difficulty laying the foundations and setting the pillars. But, lo, when they came to join the east wing with the west one, they found themselves confronted with a phenomenal obstacle: What they had built up during the day was torn down during the night. This miracle continued day after day. Finally the brothers sat down in a council meeting to discuss how they might solve their harrassing problem. Feeling that to quit would be the greatest folly they could ever commit, that it would bring their names into disrepute, they studied and they prayed.
At long last they concluded that the god of Justice was for some reason displeased with them and that a human sacrifice would appease him. So it was that they resolved to sacrifice the best one of their wives. This however, was not to be divulged to the women. In order to make an impartial and acceptable selection, they further resolved that on the morrow each would instruct his wife to prepare the best possible
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breakfast and dinner, and to take the meals to him at the bridge as early as possible. They were to explain to their wives that they must needs eat and pray at the bridgeside to the glory of the god of Justice, and for the success of their project. The woman to arrive with the meals first was to be the victim.
Five of the men, though, did not stick to their solemn oath. Each of them straightway told their wives what was to be done, and that therefore they should not hurry to the bridge with the meals.
In the morning, at the appointed time, the men were at the bridge site. Shortly afterwards they saw in the distance someone coming to the bridge. For a few moments no one knew for sure who it was, but soon the man who had kept his part of the agreement recognized it to be his wife. He, of course, immediately burst into tears, and with groans he fell to the ground. Seeing her husband’s strange behaviour, the wife dropped her basket of food and ran to the scene to learn what was the trouble. But while she was attempting to comfort her husband, the other five brothers seized her, carried her to a gap in the bridge, and there they cemented her alive. Now, the brothers confidently expected the bridge to stay up, for they felt that they had done all they could to appease the god of Justice.
Thus it was that while the five dishonest men that night returned home in happiness, the honest one returned to his home in grief.
On the following morning, all the men hurried to the bridge, expecting to find it standing intact. But to their surprise and consternation they found the whole bridge lying flat on the ground!
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Naturally, the incident was rumored throughout the city, and the judges of that city went to see what the great excitement was about. As they listened to the builders argue and philosophize from cause to effect, they learned that the unfortunate woman was not sacrificed by fair chance, but by fraud! Thus they judged that the whole disaster was due to the fact that unjust men were trying to build a bridge in the honor of a just god! The matter was brought to court and the judges finally decreed that Justice must be satisfied, else not only the bridge, but even their city might fall to the ground. Accordingly, on that very day the five unjust men were executed, and the honest one was made mayor of the city.
Christians have been building a bridge, so to speak, to the God of Justice for many years. But they do not seem to be any more successful than were the six bridge-builders. And for what reason? — For the very same reason the six builders were unsuccessful: Selfish men are engaged in the work, and though they see the need for a sacrifice, yet they somehow always manage to make others do the sacrificing.
And you remember that though the building of the tower of Babel was counter to God’s will and His order, still all the while the builders worked harmoniously among themselves, their project prospered — their tower skyrocketed. But when their language was confused and they could no longer understand one another, then the progress of the tower stopped. And to show them that He was displeased with their project and that He was the One Who had confounded their language, God blasted the tower so that it crumbled to the ground. That which happened to the bridge happened also to the tower.
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Christians are working at cross-purposes among themselves. One Christian brother is betraying another. Christian ministers, rather than preaching the Truth, are preaching against one another. One goes ahead to build up, and another trails behind to tear down. They do not see eye to eye; nor do they understand one another even as much as did the confused tower-builders.
Just so long as such selfishness and dishonesty, confusion and animosity, exist among Christians, their bridge and their tower, so to speak, will come to naught as certainly as did the bridge of the six covenant-breakers and as did the tower of the prophet Noah’s mockers. There is no way of stopping ism trouble without removing the cause — no, no more than a splinter wound can heal before the splinter has been removed.
You are familiar with the fact that there was no ism trouble in Moses’ day as long as Moses alone interpreted the Word of God to the people. But just as soon as Korah, Dathan, Abiram and others aspired to Moses’ office ism trouble started. And the only remedy that even God Himself could find was to cause the earth to open her mouth and to swallow the ism-breathing multitude, the self-appointed representatives of God.
In our day there is an even greater flood of private interpreters of the Scriptures (the cause of today’s isms) than there was in Moses’ day. And according to Revelation 12:15, 16, the Lord warns that He will again use a remedy similar to the ancient remedy against today’s ism-breeding flood. Then some may learn to respect the office of the Spirit of Prophecy. Let us now read of the fate of
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those who chose to continue walking in sparks of their own kindling.
Rev. 12:16 — “…and the earth opened her mouth, and swallowed up the flood which the dragon cast out of his mouth.”
Here we see that a similar remedy which caused isms to cease in Moses’ day, is again to be used to cause isms to cease in our day, the only means by which harmony can be restored among fellow-members in the church itself, as well as among Christians in general.
2 Tim. 3:16, 17 — “All scripture is given by Inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: that the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works.”
2 Pet. 1:20, 21 — “Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the Scripture is of any private interpretation. For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.”
Affirmatively stated, all Scripture, not merely a part of It, is inspired. Negatively stated, none of It is privately interpreted, for the reason that It did not come of men but of God; that is, as the Spirit of God dictated to men the Scriptures, so the Spirit of God must interpret the Scriptures to men, that no man privately (without Inspiration) is capable of disclosing the sealed prophecies or interpreting any part of them or even capable of understanding their importance after they are interpreted except it be by the gift of the Spirit of Truth “None of the wicked,” therefore,
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“shall understand; but the wise shall understand.” Dan. 12:10.
We should now be convinced that as long as this Divine command and principle of interpreting God’s Word is overlooked and abused, and as long as selfishness and bigotry exist among Christians in general and among Bible students in particular, isms will continue to increase, and the strength of the people will continue to be wasted just as was the strength of both the builders of the bridge and the builders of the tower. Yes, just as certainly as night follows day, just that certain will their efforts come to naught, and their shame be uncovered.
That we cannot be led into all Truth without the gift of the Spirit of Prophecy, Inspiration symbolically forewarns through the prophet Zechariah. Let us turn to Zechariah 4, and begin with the first verse.
Zech. 4:1-4 — “And the angel that talked with me came again, and waked me, as a man that is wakened out of his sleep, and said unto me, What seest thou? And I said, I have looked, and behold a candlestick all of gold, with a bowl upon the top of it, and has seven lamps thereon, and seven pipes to the seven lamps, which are upon the top thereof: and two olive trees by it, one upon the right side of the bowl, and the other upon the left side thereof. So I answered and spake to the angel that talked with me, saying, What are these, my Lord?”
The illustration here exhibited, you note, is an exact reproduction of Zechariah’s symbolism. In order that our study be simplified and vivid, we shall study the chapter along with the illustration.
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PICTURE
Now let us hear the angel’s explanation of this symbolism.
Zech. 4:5, 6 — “Then the angel that talked with me answered and said unto me, Knowest thou not what these be? And I said, No, my Lord. Then he answered and spake unto me, saying, This is the Word of the Lord unto Zerubbabel, saying, Not by might, nor by power, but by My Spirit, saith the Lord of hosts.”
The angel disclosed two things: First he made known that the symbolism is concerning the Word of the Lord (the Bible) to the servants of God; second, that His Word is revealed, not by man’s might nor by power, but by the Spirit of God.
Plainly this symbolism as a whole represents the system by which the Lord transmits His revealed Word to His people. That we might have a thorough understanding of this Divinely designed system, we need to know what each component part of the illustration stands for. The Spirit of Prophecy gives the clue.
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In The Great Controversy, page 267 is explained that the “olive trees” represent the “Old and New Testaments;” Testimonies to Ministers, page 188, says that the golden oil represents the Holy Spirit; and on page 337 of the same book, along with Revelation 1:20, says that the seven lamps represent the church, and that the seven tubes (the ministry) convey the oil to the churches.
Now study the illustration itself as you would study any cartoon. First of all, the trees represent the Word of God (the Bible — both Old and New Testaments — two trees).
Here is seen that the whole symbolical set up is for the purpose of depicting the accomplishment of but one thing — of keeping the seven lamps (the entire church membership) supplied with spiritual oil (Bible Truth) so that it might give spiritual light all round about, that the church might lighten the world with the revealed Word of God. And since the ministry’s duty is to feed the church with spiritual food, the fact is that the seven tubes represent the ministry at work, taking the oil (revealed Truth) from the bowl to the seven lamps, the churches. Now the truth that in the illustration the tubes (the ministers) do not take the oil directly from the olive trees (the Bible), it positively indicates that the bowl in which the oil is deposited represents the container or the store in which the compilations of Inspired Bible interpretations are stored, and that from it, not from the olive trees, the ministers help themselves with oil and carry it to the seven lamps (to the church).
The two golden pipes, therefore, can be only a representation of the inspired channels which are capable to extract the oil (light of Truth) from the
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trees (from both Testaments) and store it in the bowl (books) for the tubes (ministers) to convey it to the candlestick (to the churches).
The symbolism, therefore, points out the system which Heaven has ordained for dispensing the Word of the Lord to His church: that the Spirit of Prophecy at work is the only remedy against isms in the church and in the world.
Those who do not avail themselves of the golden oil, and those who continue ever to hunt for some kind of oil, or whoever try to extract their own, will, of course, drop into the pit when the earth opens her mouth to swallow up the flood. Then it is that ism-breathers and ism-seekers shall forever pass away.
Zech. 4:8, 9 — “Moreover the Word of the Lord came unto me, saying, The hands of Zerubbabel have laid the foundation of this house; his hands shall also finish it; and thou shalt know that the Lord of hosts hath sent me unto you.”
These scriptures positively imply that there are doubts in the minds of some as to whether antitypical Zerubbabel, or some other shall finish the work which Zerubbabel has started. Whom does Zerubbabel represent? —
The Word of God explains that ancient Zerubbabel is a signet, type, at the time God overthrows the thrones of the kingdoms, at the time their armies are destroyed by one “brother” Christians’s sword cutting down another brother Christian. (Haggai 2:22, 23). Zerubbabel, therefore, represents God’s servant at a time the crowned kings, “throne of kingdoms,” are overthrown, and in which time one Christian nation
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is at war with another Christian nation. Since the crowned kingdoms are fast passing away, and other forms of governments are taking their places, all proves that antitypical Zerubbabel’s appearance is now due. And the Lord’s own answer is “the hands of Zerubbabel have laid the foundation of this house; his hands shall also finish it.”
Zech. 4:10 — “For who hath despised the day of small things? for they shall rejoice, and shall see the plummet in the hand of Zerubbabel with those seven; they are the eyes of the Lord, which run to and fro through the whole earth.”
The day this scripture is fulfilled, is the day in which the Lord of hosts starts a reformatory work in an apparently very small and insignificant way, and those who despise small and insignificant beginnings will at last rejoice and shall see that antitypical Zerubbabel is the one to direct the work along with all (seven) his helpers. They are the eyes of the Lord. What a momentous day! What a great people! Evidently they constitute the “stone” of Zechariah Three which we studied several weeks ago, and learned that it has seven eyes, complete spiritual vision. Obviously this is the stone that smites the great image of Dan. 2:45.
Zech. 4:11, 12 — “Then answered I, and said unto Him, What are these two olive trees upon the right side of the candlestick and upon the left side thereof? And I answered again, and said unto Him, What be these two olive branches which through the two golden pipes empty the golden oil out of themselves?”
All these taking place at this particular time, and the prophecies now unfolded, prove that antitypical Zerubbabel must now be here, and that as he has
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started the work, he also must finish it. The fact that Inspiration takes the pains to tell who is to finish the work in itself is proof that there must be active usurpers of his office as there were of Moses’ office.
Zech. 4:13, 14 — “And He answered me and said, Knowest thou not what these be? And I said, No, my Lord. Then said He, These are the two anointed ones, that stand by the Lord of the whole earth.”
From the angel’s information it is now clearly seen that the symbolism depicts the system of interpreting the written Word of God, and of transmitting It to the church. The time of which is in the New Testament era, when both trees are in existence.
Let us now summarize the lesson by the aid of the illustration. Here we see a candlestick (a church) all of gold, the finest of all candlesticks (no “tares” in it). It constitutes the remnant (those that are left after the sinners are done away with) which indeed keep the commandments of God, and have the Testimony of Jesus Christ, the Spirit of Prophecy (Rev. 12:17; 19:10). This fine candlestick is fully trimmed and burning. The two golden pipes (God’s inspired interpreters) store the golden oil in the golden bowl (Spirit of Prophecy publications). And the seven tubes (the entire ministry) convey from the golden bowl the golden oil to the seven golden lamps (to the entire laity).
Under this perfect system of preparing, and dispensing the Word of God, “meat in due season,” to His people, there need be no fear that the reservoir will run dry, or that the lamps will grow dim. This is the only system, moreover, that can make the church perfect, without spot, wrinkle, or any such thing — a people without guile in their mouths, all seeing eye to eye,
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all saying the same thing. Truly “a great people and a strong; there hath not been ever the like.” Joel 2:2. This beyond doubt is the mighty power that lightens the earth, it is the Loud Cry. Indeed this symbolism reveals the church at the time she is endowed with the Spirit of Prophecy and with the righteousness of Christ.
Obviously, the system of Bible interpretation, described by Zechariah, is the Lord’s only system. It is the only remedy for isms and discord among Christians. Thus it is that His “watchmen shall lift up the voice; with the voice together shall they sing: for they shall see eye to eye, when the Lord shall bring again Zion.” Isa. 52:8.
What is the marriage spoken of in “Christ’s Object Lessons “ p. 307, and in “The Great Controversy,” pp. 416, 427? In one instance, it is said to be “the union of humanity with divinity”; in another, “the reception by Christ of His kingdom”; in still another it is said that the marriage “takes place in heaven, while [the saints] are upon the earth” waiting “for their Lord, when He will return from the wedding.” Will you please clear this complex subject for me?
Answer:
Let us remember that these figures of speech, along with many others, are only illustrations of truths, not the truths in themselves. For example, the setting up of the Kingdom is illustrated, in one instance, by the “harvest;” the subjects of the Kingdom, by the “wheat”; and the kingdom itself, by the “barn.” Matt. 13:30. In another instance, the setting up of the Kingdom and the separation of the sinners from among the saints, are illustrated by the angels drawing “the net” to shore, then sitting down, segregating the bad from the good fish, and putting the good into “vessels,” but casting out of it the bad (Matt. 13:48). In this instance, the subjects of the Kingdom are represented by the good fish; and the Kingdom itself, by the “vessels.”
So, while it is true that the marriage of Christ is a “union of humanity with divinity,” it is also true that the marriage is “the reception of His kingdom,” for humanity makes up the Kingdom. Therefore, the marriage is equivalent to the coronation- the Kingdom itself, to the city, or bride- and the guests, to the saints, or subjects of the Kingdom. From this we see that when Christ receives His Kingdom, He indeed will unite humanity with divinity.
The reception of His Kingdom takes place in heaven while the saints are still on earth, as Daniel was shown: “I saw in the night visions, and, behold, one like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of days, and they brought Him near before Him. And there was given Him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages, should serve Him: His dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and His kingdom that which shall not be destroyed.” Dan. 7:13, 14.
Bringing into prophetic focus this same event, Jesus declared parabolically: “A certain nobleman went into a far country to receive for Himself a kingdom, and to return.” Luke 19:12. Note that He receives the Kingdom (acquires ownership of it) while He is away, not when He returns. (See The Great Controversy, pp. 426, 427).
So, the marriage is the coronation of Christ, which takes place in the heavenly temple when all His subjects on earth are made ready, while the work is drawing to completion, and probation to a close. Obviously, then, the marriage takes place before He comes to “receive” the saints unto Himself (John 14:3), and before they meet Him “in the air.” 1 Thess. 4:16, 17. Afterwards is served the “supper.”
Consequently though the wedding takes place in heaven, the saints while on the earth are the prospective guests for the marriage supper. Then, after the marriage is solemnized in the Holy of Holies, Jesus descends from heaven and takes the guests unto Himself, so that where He is, they may be also (John 14:1-3). There they eat of the “marriage supper of the Lamb.”—The Great Controversy p. 427; Rev. 19:9. In this instance, while the saints are said to be the guests, the Holy City is said to be “the bride.” Rev. 21.9, 10.
Again: just before the marriage, when the saints are still on earth, their righteousness is said to be the bride’s (city’s) “fine linen.” Rev. 19:8.
The lessons that are taught by these and other illustrations become priceless jewels of truth to those who take heed to them.(Answerer, vol. 2, Question 44)
I shall read two paragraphs from page 188 of “The Mount of Blessing.” The first paragraph elucidates on the statement, “Seek, and ye shall find,” the second on the words, “Knock, and it shall be opened unto thee.”
“‘Seek.’ Desire not merely His blessing, but Himself. ‘Acquaint now thyself with Him, and be at peace.’ Seek, and you shall find. God is seeking you, and the very desire you feel to come to Him, is but the drawing of His Spirit. Yield to that drawing. Christ is pleading the cause of the tempted, the erring, and the faithless. He is seeking to lift them into companionship with Himself. ‘If thou seek Him, He will be found of thee.’
“‘Knock.’ We come to God by special invitation, and He waits to welcome us to His audience-chamber. The first disciples who followed Jesus were not satisfied with a hurried conversation with Him by the way; they said, ‘Rabbi, where dwellest Thou?… They came and saw where He dwelt, and abode with Him that day.’ So we may be admitted into closest intimacy and communion with God. ‘He that dwelleth in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.’ Let those who desire the blessing of God, knock and wait at the door of mercy with firm assurance, saying, For Thou, O Lord, hast said, Every one that asketh receiveth, and he that seeketh findeth, and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.”
Not only that we are invited to seek the Lord but we are assured that our seeking shall not be in vain. Our very desire to come to Him, is the prompting of His Spirit. To this drawing we must yield.
Let us now pray for unwavering faith in His promise that if we seek, we shall find: if we knock, it shall be opened to us
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“SEVEN WOMEN TAKE HOLD OF ONE MAN”TEXT OF ADDRESS BY V.T. HOUTEFF,MINISTER OF DAVIDIAN 7TH-DAY ADVENTISTSSABBATH, MARCH 1, 1947MT. CARMEL CHAPELWACO, TEXAS
Today we are to continue our study of the book of Isaiah, beginning with the first verse of the fourth chapter.
Isa. 4:1 — “And in that day seven women shall take hold of one man, saying, We will eat our own bread, and wear our own apparel: only let us be called by Thy name, to take away our reproach.”
The first thing we need to know is the time indicated by the term “in that day.” The antecedent of the words “that day” is found in verses 13 and 14 of the preceding chapters of which the fourth chapter is a continuation. These verses point out that “that day” is the Judgment day, the day in which the sanctuary (the church) is cleansed — the harvest day. So, pointing to the day in which we are now living, to the Judgment day, the scripture figuratively reveals that all (for that is what the Biblical number “seven” indicates) the churches have arrived at the place where by their actions they are in reality saying to the Lord: “We want nothing from you but Your name. Just let us be called Christians is all we want from You. We want Your name because it takes away our reproach; that is, if we be called Christians, then what we do can be blamed on You; You get the credit for it.”
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Accordingly, the world has reached the day when God, in order to save the Church, is finally compelled to do something as great and as revolutionary as brought about by the first Advent of Christ. And what could that be? — The remaining verses of the chapter give the answer.
Isa. 4:2 — “In that day [when seven women take hold of one man] shall the branch of the Lord be beautiful and glorious, and the fruit of the earth shall be excellent and comely for them that are escaped of Israel.”
This verse shows that the time is now ripe for this glorious revolutionizing of the church and of the world. Let us remember that history repeats, and that a dark cloudy day is always followed by a bright one. So this great apostasy is to be followed not by chaos, but by glorious revival and reformation, by glory and prosperity for all the saints who escape the vengeance of a great God. The faithful shall reap a harvest of souls as did the Apostles on and after the Pentecost.
“Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that I will raise unto David a righteous Branch, and a King shall reign and prosper, and shall execute judgment and justice in the earth. In His days [in the Christian era] Judah shall be saved, and Israel shall dwell safely: and this is His name whereby He shall be called, THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS.” Jer. 23:5, 6.
This very message, therefore, is the message of “Righteousness by Faith” to them that believe. In the day the “righteous branch” is raised, Judah and Israel shall be saved, and they shall dwell safely.
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Yes, the day is here when God’s vengeance is to fall upon His adversaries, and the once trodden-down kingdoms of Judah and Israel are to rise to prominence and power. “Therefore, behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that they shall no more say, The Lord liveth, which brought up the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt; but, The Lord liveth, which brought up and which led the seed of the house of Israel out of the north country, and from all countries whither I had driven them; and they shall dwell in their own land.” Jer. 23:7, 8.
Plainly this is the final harvest of the earth, the gathering of the people from all countries. It is the day in which to sing the song of Moses and the Lamb. This is to be the second and last Exodus Movement. So great will it be that it will entirely eclipse the Movement of Moses’ day. Do we, then, realize that we are on the verge of a new day? — a great day for the faithful and a dreadful one for the unfaithful?
Isa. 4:3 — “And it shall come to pass, that he that is left in Zion, and he that remaineth in Jerusalem, shall be called holy, even every one that is written among the living in Jerusalem.”
This verse clearly shows that while none of the wicked in the church will survive the purification, yet none of the righteous will perish. Indeed, all that are left, will be called holy, and will enjoy even greater security than did His ancient people at the time they left Egypt.
“Behold,…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. But who may abide the day of his
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coming? and who shall stand when he appeareth? for he is like a refiner’s fire, and like fullers’ soap: 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.
Isa. 4:4-6 — “When the Lord shall have washed away the filth of the daughters of Zion, and shall have purged the blood of Jerusalem from the midst thereof by the spirit of judgment, and by the spirit of burning. And the Lord will create upon every dwelling place of Mount Zion, and upon her assemblies, a cloud and smoke by day, and the shining of a flaming fire by night: for upon all the glory shall be a defence. And there shall be a tabernacle for a shadow in the day time from the heat, and for a place of refuge, and for a covert from storm and from rain.”
“For I, saith the Lord, will be unto her a wall of fire round about, and will be the glory in the midst of her.” Zech. 2:5.
Anyone who knows the Bible can see that all these events are premillennial. So it is that this present apostasy is to bring forth the “Lord’s fruitful branch”; that the wicked who are among God’s people are to be taken out of the way, and the faithful, those that escape, are to be the servants of God and reap a harvest of souls, of “such as should be saved,” that the day of vengeance is already at the threshold of the house; that His faithful ones are to be raised to prominence and power; that the greatness and the glory of the movement is to cause the wonders of the Exodus Movement and of the early Christian church to fade into insignificance.
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Brother, Sister, are you prepared to abide the day of His coming? Will it be to you a great and glorious day? or will it be a dreadful day? Will you find yourself at His right, or at His left? Will it be said to you “Come, ye blessed of My Father, inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world?” or will it be said unto you, “Depart from Me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the Devil and his angels”? Will your garments pass His inspection? or will you find yourself cast into outer darkness, there to gnash your teeth?
These are solemn questions that each of us must now answer to himself. If we do not answer them now, then we will have to answer by standing speechless before an angry God. May every one of us be able in that day to say “Lo, this is our God; we have waited for Him, and He will save us: this is the Lord; we have waited for Him, we will be glad and rejoice in His salvation.” Isa. 25:9.
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