Spiritual Warfare

August 10, 2013

Temptation of Jesus

As we are all aware, in war there is a supreme requirement– preparation. That is to prepare, to plan, to execute. What army does not calculate who, what and where the enemy is, and how to formulate their battle? The greatest “war” of all time is happening in our midst, it’s the final Spiritual war happening in an intense battle. The souls of the world and particularly the Seventh Day Adventists (God’s remnant church) , are being fought over. Christ our King and holy angels against Satan and his army of angels.

Obviously we know who wins this battle, but does that make the battle go away? Do we have to remain in this war, to endure it’s struggles? The answer is that only a “few” are active in this battle. The evil ones have no problem with the vast majority who haven’t decided to engage in the battle. The “rich and increased with goods” people are just who the devils enjoy. So what is this battle centered on? The last word from the Lord–His Elijah message of hope and life saving instructions.

In describing the plans and words of Satan to counter this last message of warnings, admonitions,  and instructions, we read, ” I will have unbelieving ones present who will express doubts in regard to the Lord’s messages of warnings to His church. Should the people read and believe these admonitions, we could have little hope of overcoming them. But if we can divert their attention from these warnings, they will remain ignorant of our power and cunning, and we shall secure them to our ranks at last.” (Test. to Ministers, p.475)

Let us now look at the many facets of this war and learn more about this enemy we are fighting.

In (Eph.6:12) we read, “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.”

In the above we find powerful and clear clues to this spiritual warfare.  First, we see that our struggles are against the ones in power, the rulers, the powers of the dark world and the spiritual forces of evil surrounding us. This clearly points out that Satan and his army is behind our struggles and battles. Our family, neighbors or friends may upset us, but the real upsetting comes from the “dark forces” behind it all. But as hard and tough as this battle becomes, we must ever remember “greater is He who is in you, than he that is in the world” (1 John 4:4).

As we go into this post, it’s important to ask yourself — “Am I having spiritual struggles, battles on a somewhat regular basis?” If you are not, and find that your walk with Christ is mostly a coasting experience, a mellow all’s well  and comfortable experience, then you should be awoke to the fact that something may be amiss. You may not have decided to enter the war.  For we are directly told that, “.. all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted,“(2 Tim. 3:12). This “persecution” isn’t like the days of old, the throwing you into the lions den, or going to the stake, but rather the murmurs against you, the demotions and dis-fellow shipping from positions in the church, the loss of friends, the mental struggles because of the dark forces surrounding you. All these are evidences that you are in the war. You’re not a looker on or bystander.

Let’s briefly speak about the mental struggles. Once you begin to stand up for the Lord and his purpose for you, you’ll notice that your sighing and crying, your warnings, will sometimes place a burden upon you. After all it’s tough to speak of the negative of situations, instead of the positive. But because we serve a “HOLY GOD” we must view sin as HE sees it.

Ellen White spoke about this, “The class who do not feel grieved over their own spiritual declension, nor mourn over the sins of others, will be left without the seal of God.” (Test. for the Church, Vol. 5, p.211). “Those who have excused these wrongs have been thought by the people to be very amiable and lovely in disposition, simply because they shunned to discharge a plain Scriptural duty. The task was not agreeable to their feelings; therefore they avoided it…The true people of God, who have the spirit of the work of the Lord and the salvation of souls at heart, will ever view sin in it’s real, sinful character.” (Test. for the Church, vol.3 , p.266)

So now let us look at our enemy and some of his devices he uses today to trip us, to even make us fall if possible.

1) Rich and increased with goods. This is so prevalent today. The devils are active in whispering in the lukewarm member’s ears–“You’re safe you got the knowledge concerning your walk with Christ. Who needs any more messages from the Lord? You have “need of nothing”(Rev. 3:17).

The messages from the pulpit today are largely peace and safety. The same ol same ol. You are saved just because you show up to church.

“The crisis is fast approaching. The rapidly swelling figures show that the time for God’s visitation has
about come. Although loath to punish, nevertheless He will punish, and that speedily. Those who walk
in the light will see signs of the approaching peril; but they are not to sit in quiet, unconcerned
expectancy of the ruin, comforting themselves with the belief that God will shelter His people in the
day of visitation. Far from it. They should realize that it is their duty to labor diligently to save others,
looking with strong faith to God for help.” (Test. for the Church, vol. 5 p.209)

Remedy- Learn all you can about the Elijah message. This strikes the enemy in his heart. This message helps you survive the upcoming church purification. The instructions given are specific and clear. In (Mal 4:5) we read, “Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord.” Obviously the focal point of Elijah’s message is to warn us how we are to survive the great and dreadful day.

2) Murmurs and slander against you.  The evil ones are not letting anyone who decides to accept the sealing message of Elijah, get away from people saying things against you. This is a center piece in their drive to divide the people of God. What better way to do it than to get the unconverted to talk against you? If we are silent and speak no words of warning to our brethren, then we can rest assured we won’t have this problem. For the devils love those who look the other way at sins in our midst. Does the speaking against us bother us- of course. But does this ploy by Satan and his unsuspecting workers become effective in stopping us from proclaiming the Elijah message of warning? Absolutely not. Did the multitude against Joshua and Caleb succeed in persuading them that the land of Canaan wasn’t able to be taken? They looked to God and believed in Him, not man.

Ellen White describes the actions of Satan in the last days. “We must cause distraction and division. We must destroy their anxiety for their own souls, and lead them to criticize, to judge, and to accuse and condemn one another, and to cherish selfishness and enmity. ” (Test. to Ministers, p.475)

“…The messages from heaven are of a character to arouse opposition. The faithful witnesses for Christ and the truth will reprove sin. Their words will be like a hammer to break the flinty heart, like a fire to consume the dross. There is constant need of earnest, decided messages of warning. God will have men who are true to duty. At the right time He sends His faithful messengers to do a work similar to that of Elijah.” (Test. for the Church, vol.5, p.254).

Remedy- Keep on doing what you are suppose to–warn, counsel and admonish when needed. As we read, it is our “duty to labor diligently to save others.”

3) Neglect to sigh and cry. This is a real biggie. For we know from the Lord’s  Elijah message that “only” those who sign and cry for the abominations done in the church and our own life, will be sealed. God is not playing around when He says in Ezekiel 9 –“..put a mark (seal) on the foreheads of the men who sigh and cry over all the abominations that are done in the midst. To the others He said in my hearing, “Go after him through the city and kill; do not let your eye spare, nor have any pity. (Ezek. 9:4-5)

But the devils are very active in countering these words of God. One of the sure ways they deceive is to say that this was past. Ezekiel 9 happened in the old days of Israel. But when you study and learn the truth you can tell anyone who doubts to  read Manuscript Releases, vol. 1, p.260.  “Study the ninth chapter of Ezekiel, these words will be literally fulfilled.”

Remedy– Learn the specific abominations being done in the church. Then protest against them. There are many ways to do this. You can mention the wrongs to the fellow church members, elders, or even pastor. For example, a while back we had noticed that cell phones were going off in the sanctuary. We brought to the pastor’s attention. Shortly after, the church now prints on the Sabbath program flyer “please silence all electronic devices in sanctuary”.

You can start a blog and speak out about them. You can email brethren. You can from a small study group to discuss them. You can spread the posts and studies of present truth to the brethren. You can post your comments on Facebook. The main point is that you sigh and cry. You let the Lord know you are not a partaker and therefore you have the real chance of getting that eternal seal in your forehead.

4) Dark forces surrounding you. One can look at the situation like this. The whole world is in much darkness. Yet the ones who are converted, the ones who “sell-out” to Jesus and walk in all the light given them, are shining in the midst of the darkness. In other words the devils can spot them right away. In the spiritual realm this is obvious to them. So what happens? They concentrate on these elect of God. Satan has his army stationed around the ones who are doing the most damage to his cause.

Ellen White describes the dark forces surrounding the people of God in the last days.

“I saw some, with strong faith and agonizing cries, pleading with God. Their countenances were pale and marked with deep anxiety, expressive of their internal struggle. Firmness and great earnestness was expressed in their countenances; large drops of perspiration fell from their foreheads. Now and then their faces would light up with the marks of God’s approbation, and again the same solemn, earnest, anxious look would settle upon them.

Evil angels crowded around, pressing darkness upon them to shut out Jesus from their view, that their eyes might be drawn to the darkness that surrounded them, and thus they be led to distrust God and murmur against Him. Their only safety was in keeping their eyes directed upward. Angels of God had charge over His people, and as the poisonous atmosphere of evil angels was pressed around these anxious ones, the heavenly angels were continually wafting their wings over them to scatter the thick darkness.

As the praying ones continued their earnest cries, at times a ray of light from Jesus came to them, to encourage their hearts and light up their countenances. Some, I saw, did not participate in this work of agonizing and pleading. They seemed indifferent and careless. They were not resisting the darkness around them, and it shut them in like a thick cloud. The angels of God left these and went to the aid of the earnest, praying ones. I saw angels of God hasten to the assistance of all who were struggling with all their power to resist the evil angels and trying to help themselves by calling upon God with perseverance. But His angels left those who made no effort to help themselves, and I lost sight of them.”(Early Writings, p269-270)

We see that only the ones with “strong faith and pleading” are the ones having to deal with the “pressing darkness”. But then she describes the others who are “indifferent and careless”. Notice that these put up no resistance and go through no “agonizing and pleading” for the Lord. The hard stance of proclaiming the unpopular message of Elijah of church warnings,  is the all consuming truth for today from the Lord, and hence the devils continue to press their “poisonous atmosphere” at the ones with the “earnest cries.” The sighers and criers are the ones in the battle!

In describing this darkness we read, “Moral darkness, like a funeral pall, covers the earth. All manner of false doctrines, heresies, and satanic deceptions are misleading the minds of men. Without the Spirit and power of God it will be in vain that we labor to present the truth.” ( Test. for the Church, vol. 5, p.158)

Let us remember a very important Scripture, which we have brought up several times in past sudies. It  is the Lord’s first description of those who won’t make it to heaven. “He who overcomes shall inherit all things, and I will be his God and he shall be My son. But the cowardly...shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.” (Rev. 21:7-8).  The Lord has always rewarded those who have stood up. David, Noah, Elijah,  Caleb, Joshua, Moses, among others were steadfast in courage.  In this final war we must be of courage and not be afraid.

Remedy- Stay focused on Him who gives you strength. Read the Scriptures, SOP, and the Elijah message often. Know that because you are taking a stand in the battle that the evil ones will come at you. But because you know their schemes you can be better prepared to withstand their arrows. “Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes.” (Eph. 6:11)

Here’s an appropriate  quote from the Elijah prophet, “The old devil well knows that this is the last message the world will ever receive and that it will chain him for a thousand years and at last reduce his being down to ashes as though he never was.”(Symbolic Code News, vol. 2, no.3-4, p.3)

5) No need to worry about the Tithes.  In our present system, there is no doubt that “money makes the world go round.” The Lord knows full well that His work needs funds to reach the honest and willing souls. But Satan and his angels know this just as well. EGW states what Satan says about it , ” We must do our utmost to prevent those who labor in God’s cause from obtaining means to use against us. Keep the money in our own ranks. The more means they obtain, the more they will injure our kingdom by taking from us our subjects. Make them care more for money than for the up building of Christ’s kingdom and the spread of the truths we hate, and we need not fear their influence; for we know that every selfish, covetous person will fall under our power, and will finally be separated from God’s people.” (Test. to Ministers, p.474)

The tithe we must remember is the Lord’s, it’s not ours. So if we deny the Lord His money, we are in effect–thieves. And breakers of His 8th Commandment. His blood can cleanse us of our sins if we repent and turn away from them . But if we continually trespass without asking for repentance (such as stealing from him on a regular basis) are we not in a very dangerous position?

We also know that our Lord pleaded His case to us in His final letter to us in the Old Testament. “Will a man rob God? Yet you have robbed Me! But you say, “In what way have we robbed You?” In tithes and offerings. (Mal 3:8)

But this has two elements to it. One, we must be loyal to tithing to Him. Two, we must bring the tithe into His “storehouse”, so that their will be “food in My house.”(Mal. 3:10). The big problem today in our churches is that there is no food (present truth). Meaning that their message is not one of present truth, but past truth.  The message of peace and safety week after week is largely what we see. And the devils are perfectly fine with it! So the tithes must be sent to God’s storehouse of present truth. Where the latest and most applicable truth from the Lord is proclaimed.

Remedy- Be faithful in providing the Lord’s money to the right storehouse. If we pay our tithes faithfully yet they go to places where the Lord’s end time truths are not spoken of, are we not defeating the whole purpose of “food in His house”?

Our final quote says the following, ”

“Satan’s snares are laid for us as verily as they were laid for the children of Israel just prior to their
entrance into the land of Canaan. We are repeating the history of that people. Lightness, vanity, love of
ease and pleasure, selfishness, and impurity are increasing among us. There is need now of men who
are firm and fearless in declaring the whole counsel of God; men who will not sleep as do others, but
watch and be sober.” (Test. for the Church, vol. 5, p.160)

In closing, I must say that prior to accepting and proclaiming the Elijah message, the comfort and ease in my walk was much more prevalent. But what kind of servant, relaxes on the couch and takes life’s ease? They go to work, but in this case it’s war– the great spiritual war of all-time. The above 5 points are just a small example of some of the ways we are tempted and pursued by Satan and his angels. The enemy can and will be defeated. It’s only when we can look to our all powerful Lord and His word that we gain strength in this battle of all-time. As I am active in this spiritual war, I have found one of the best ways to combat the arrows thrown (and I feel many ),  is to sing to the Lord in the middle of your moments of trial. When things seem very tough, that’s when I turn the tables and sing as if all is just fine. This flusters the evil ones to no end! And it also pleases the Lord! Remember Paul singing in jail?(Acts 16:25).

Ok, let’s put on that armor and go to work, knowing that “.. For the Lord will go before you, and the God of Israel will be your rear guard.” (Isaiah 52:12)

Posted in End times, Satan, Sighing and Crying, Tithes and Offerings, Warning our brethren | 6 Comments »

Goodbye Shotsky

August 3, 2013

We remember those words, “My Lord and my God!” spoken by Thomas as he saw first hand the miraculous sign of the Lord’s existing life after death. It was a great and awesome sign to Thomas. What I experienced this week is truly a  moment of–“My Lord and my God!”. A sign given that simply was so strong and obvious that I must share with you and hopefully it’ll inspire you, to know that we serve an all-seeing Lord and that His love and compassion is so deep.  Allow me to explain what the Lord has done this week.

Sadly my beloved dog of 7 years, “Shotsky”, died last Saturday evening.

He had gotten some type of stomach or intestine ailment and it was off and on the last 3 weeks or so. This dog was indeed a blessing to me. I found him in the local dog pound about 7 years ago. One day I decided to go to the pound to search for a dog. I arrived and then went inside and they said to go out to the kennels and walk them  and see if I saw any I liked. So I began at the first row and walked the aisle.  I walked the first 2 or 3 rows and strangely almost all the dogs either stayed back in their pen and stared or didn’t even pay attention to a potential new owner.

Finally in the last row and the last pen, I see a dog coming running up to the fence, his tail wagging a hundred miles an hour, and he’s licking through the fence. I knew right then this was my new friend, his loving energy had won me over. I had never been a big fan of pit-bulls and certainly had no intention of getting one. But this one was quite “handsome” as I noticed he looked almost like a Labrador with a pit bull mix . He was what is known as a “fawn” pit bull. Most of them don’t have the real wide jaws and frankly they look more docile (less menacing)  I believe.

So I decided to get this new furry friend. But the story soon took a un-expected twist. The first 2-3 weeks he was nothing but trouble. He continually got out of the back yard and destroying the fence in the process, and I had to find him running around the neighborhood. So about 1 month later I placed a call to the pound and inquired whether I could give him back. They answered affirmatively. But it seemed after the call he had calmed down and started acting better and less trouble. When I picked him up at the pound they had told me his name was “Brownie”. But I didn’t like that name so as I was driving home a name just popped into my mind–“Shotsky”.

So Shotksy became better and better and he started to show me that he was really a good boy with some high energy at times. I drew more attached, as we all do after time. We learn their little ways and habits. But Shotsky really was special , allow me to explain why.

When I had purchased him they told me that he was a surviving dog brought to our local pound from the storm riddled area of Louisiana -the massive Katrina disaster. Apparently some of the surviving dogs had been sent all the way to southern California. So he most likely had to scramble for his life to safety amid the torrential waters . This sounds just like Shotsky because I was to witness a most unbelievable survival instinct he showed later. Likely his owners didn’t survive. They told me that I would have to wait 6 months to see if anyone claimed him from the area.

After a few months I started to worry. He had become my special “boy”. What happens if they come and claim him back? That thought was quite worrisome. But no one ever came forward. So we bonded through the years and I truly enjoyed his company. His obedience was so inspiring that I wrote a blog post about it. You can view it here https://godsloveandlaw.com/2011/04/15/the-shotsky-story/ . In that post I describe the incredible accident that Shotsky survived. If I had any doubt that I didn’t have a special dog before, I certainly knew after that terrible ordeal and accident.

So last Sabbath, Shotsky wasn’t doing well. He had good days and bad days. But he seemed to be hanging tough. He had already survived a sever bout of bloat and his liver had turned his eyes yellow a year or so earlier. As evening came around after I had given him a light dinner and his remedies, he came into my office and did his favorite little move. He came up to me as I sat in my chair and placed his head on my knee with his big eyes looking right into mine. This was his way of saying “I want something”. Usually it was for food, or to go “bye-bye”. I would place him in the passenger seat and he would stick his head out the window. His tongue sticking way out and all the drool landing on the window and side of the truck,lol.  Or he wanted to go outside. In this case it was to go outside as it was about 8 pm. Which was not unusual due to his wanting to go relieve himself.

So I went to let him outside and then went back to the office. About 30 minutes later I went outside to check on him. As it was dark I couldn’t see him as he was in the further part of the yard. But as I looked I was spooked as a humming sound flew right by my head. What was that? Then a few seconds later again it happened. Then I saw that a small hummingbird had landed a few feet away from me. As I have posted before,  the Lord has used hummingbirds several times in my life as direct signs from Him. In fact the awesome story of the dead hummingbird sent by God to warn me about my former idol (music) was made into a post. https://godsloveandlaw.com/2011/04/02/god-sends-a-hummingbird/.

I knew that this was a direct sign from the Lord. But little did I know that it would turn out to be quite an amazing sign. As I watched this little bird, I then looked out in the yard and there was Shotsky just standing there from afar watching. As if he knew what was going on and observing it. I drew real close to the bird and he just sat there and didn’t flinch at all. He just looked back at me and fluffed his feathers. Then he took flight and hovered around my head again, almost as if to give me some type of acrobatic show. I stood fascinated and looked up to the heavens and thanked our Lord. There could be no doubt this was sign from the Lord. Then after watching for a while I opened the sliding glass door and the bird flies  right into the house!

He went into the living room and landed on a small table. In amazement I walked over and gently put out my hand in invite him to come on my finger. He was very comfortable and I was able to get within inches of him but as he didn’t move to my finger , I didn’t press the issue. He just looked around as if he was inspecting the place. Then he flew to the chandelier lights in the dining room and perched above the lights.

About this time I decided to go outside again to check on Shotsky. My heart stopped. There he was slumped over on the patio floor, his breathing stopped. I knelt down and as tears flowed I thanked the Lord for the special time He gave me to have spent with this one of a kind dog. He had been having some real bad days the last couple of days and his breathing had been labored. So I felt somewhat relieved that his suffering was over.

After a while I went back into the house and the bird was hovering around one of the scenic pictures on the wall, then he landed atop the frame. As I watched this, strong emotions came over me as it all hit home. The Lord knew that Shotsky was about to die and sent this little messenger to comfort me– wow! So even though I was deeply saddened I felt very close to “my Lord and my God.”

So that evening I felt truly blessed by Him and it helped to soften the hard blow of losing my dear friend. Our Lord is always steps ahead of us and just the fact that He goes this far to comfort a broken heart is truly the best and strongest love of all.

One of my brothers in Christ showed me this quote. As I read it, it confirmed what the Lord had told me — Shotsky would be in the earthly kingdom (Israel) when we arrive there. His tail wagging, his tongue hanging out, and his eyes full of warmth and love.

Until we meet again, rest in peace my beloved Shotsky.

“For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us. For the anxious longing of the creation waits eagerly for the revealing of the sons of God. Against its will, all creation was subjected to God’s curse. But with eager hope that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the freedom and glory of the children of God.” (Roman 8: 19-21)

Posted in God's signs, Uncategorized | 4 Comments »

Bible Revelations

July 27, 2013

Last week we spoke of the prophetic quote by Ellen White in Testimonies to Ministers, p.475-76. This is where she said a prophet was to come after her.

“Prophecy must be fulfilled… Somebody is to come in the spirit and power of Elijah, and when he appears, men may say: “You are too earnest, you do not interpret the Scriptures in the proper way, let me tell you how to teach your message.”

One of the clear clues as to who this Elijah prophet would be, and what he would be known for in that quote, was as an “interpreter” of Scripture. In other words, the Elijah prophet was to make known prophecies and hidden truths for the last remnant people of God, particularly what we must do to be spared in the “great and dreadful day” of the Lord.  Additionally we know that her prophetic call was pin-point accurate in regards to him being rejected from the vast majority in the SDA church. So we thought we’d provide some interpretations of Scripture so that you can see for yourself and believe or not believe whether the truth is spoken by this “Elijah”. Does it make sense? Are there new revelations which make real sense and expose some prior mis-understandings we have had in our SDA teachings?

Obviously the SDA church as a whole has rejected the Elijah, so you won’t find his writings in any SDA church or any of their approved sites. They are intent to “let me tell you how to teach your message.” But thank the Lord, this site and other Elijah messenger sites are proclaiming His last message as brought by the prophet.

Our prophetess spoke about the great joy and reward in searching the Scriptures,  such as, “The truths of the Bible are as pearls hidden. They must be searched, dug out by painstaking effort.” (7 BC. p.945). ” The Bible is a precious treasure. It should be in every home, not to be laid away or put upon a shelf, but to be diligently studied.”(SW p.46). “We are to explore the sacred volume as a miner explores the veins of ore in the earth, and finds the precious seams of gold.”(SW p.46).

So as we study some revelations by the Elijah prophet let us ask the Spirit of Truth to guide us –into all truth. If you ask this you will receive it. When we discover “pearls hidden” what joy we can have! We add to our knowledge base the great and wonderful things of God.

Our first quote is from Isaiah 4:1.

“The prophet Isaiah, looking forward to this time of wholesale deception, headed by so-called spiritual guides, says: “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.” (Isa. 4:1.)

   It is an admitted fact among Bible students that churches are symbolized by “women.”  Pure woman — pure church, as in Jeremiah 6:2, Revelation 12:1; vile woman — corrupt church, as in Revelation 17:4,5.  Isaiah says, there are “seven” women.  The number comprises these same churches.  They say, “We will eat our own bread.”  That is, they want to have their own way; they care not for God’s way (Word).  “We will wear our own apparel”, that is, they want their own plans in preference to God’s plans or His righteousness.  Thereby, they clothed themselves with self-righteousness. 

Their aim is to be called by the one man’s name; that is, by the name of Christ (Christians) to take away their reproach.  People have come to suppose they can do most anything under the guise of Christianity and get away with it.  God will let them continue their course until they, like Belshazzar, have passed the boundary line of divine grace, and then He will call them to account.”(Shep. Rod, vol.2, p.98)

 Next we see warnings about the customs of the heathens being wholly accepted by the church and leaders.

“Jeremiah, looking forward to this time of apostasy, says: “Thus saith the Lord, Learn not the way of the heathen, and be not dismayed at the signs of heaven; for the heathen are dismayed at them.  For the customs of the people are vain: for one cutteth a tree out of the forest, the work of the hands of the workman, with the axe.  They deck it with silver and with gold; they fasten it with nails and with hammers, that it move not.” (Jer. 10:2-4.)  Though the Word declares, “Learn not the ways of the heathen,” professed ministers of the gospel will cut a tree from the forest and deck it with silver and gold, then dare call it by the name of Christ — Christmas tree.  What greater blasphemy can one do?  Are ministers and religious teachers ignorant of these things?  Jesus said, “God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.”

   John heard the men defying God, saying ,”Who is like unto the beast?  Who is able to make war with him?”  That is, who can abolish this pagan system of worship; is there one?  They challenge God’s authority.  It may not be said by words, but it is most decidedly expressed by action.  Men’s discernment is blunted by sin, and when an attempt is made to associate the sacred with the common or pagan, they see no evil.”(Shep. Rod, vol.2, p.99)

Next we learn of the seven universal empires from creation.

“According to Biblical reckoning the flood came more than 1600 years after creation.  God originated the human race through Adam and Eve.  Therefore, one people, one race, one language and nation from creation to the flood.  The rulership given to Adam we call the first universal Adamic empire.  Babylon was the second; Medo-Persia is the third; Grecia the fourth; Rome the fifth; the broken state of Rome (symbolized by the feet and toes of the great image of Daniel 2, which is the present unstable civilization) is the sixth; and from the close of the millennium after the resurrection of the wicked to their second death, is the seventh and last.  Thus the Biblical number seven, as always, signifies, completeness.  Therefore, seven such universal empires, revealing a complete history of the world, denote the end of sin and its dominion.”(Shep. Rod, vol.2, p.41).

In the following we learn how Scripture is revealed and properly interpreted.

“God used the dead and the living, the beasts of the field, the birds of the air, the fish of the sea, the land and water, sun, moon, and stars, to reveal His divine plan and to sustain His servants, etc.  (See Gen. 16:7, 9; 1 Sam. 6:7-15; Num. 22:30; 1 Kings 17:4-6; Jonah 2:10; Matt. 17:27; Num. 16:32; Matt. 24:29.)  God has a thousand ways whereby He can render help in a moment.  Truly, what more could divine love do for fallen human beings?

How Are The Scriptures Revealed, And Properly Interpreted?

   Analysis of ancient and modern history, both sacred and secular, prove that sealed, or prophetic truth has never been revealed through the educational system of the world, or by the wisdom of man, but only by the power of God.  If anything is true, it is this one thing.  Said Jesus: “When He, the Spirit of Truth, is Come, He will guide you into all truth.” (John 16:13.)  Christ plainly declares, that we are led into truth, not by wisdom of man but by the Spirit of God.  Not into some truth, but in all truth. 

When God reveals truth, He is able to lead His servants in all truth, and does not allow such instruments to mix His truth with error.  Though they may not understand all, yet the message they bear is the truth and nothing but the truth.  Therefore, such truths are originally revealed by inspiration only.  When the time divinely appointed is fulfilled, then God calls servants of His own choice, and by the Spirit of Truth reveals a portion of His Word to them.  Usually in the form of a message which they must first bear to the church.” (Shep. Rod. vol.2, p.12)

As the message from Elijah is predominately about reformation and the 144,000, it’s important to address the question as to the following- Are the 144,000 of both sexes?

“The command to mark this company so that they fall not under the slaughter weapons by the figure of the five men, reads as follows: “And the Lord said unto him, Go through the midst of the city, through the midst of Jerusalem, 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.” (Ezekiel 9:4.)  Because the Word says: “Set a mark upon the foreheads of the men,” therefore some have held the position that the entire company is made up of men only.  The second reason given for this erroneous idea is that they are to be kings and priests and therefore they must be men.  The idea carried by these passages cannot be sustained by other portions of Scripture.  Thus we are compelled to study deeper into the subject.

   While Ezekiel calls them “men,” John says they are “virgins.” (Rev. 14:4.)  Now, if we should take the position that Ezekiel means men only, then we can as well say, John means women only.  Can it be possible that one writer should contradict the other?  No indeed.  We conclude by the following Scriptures that the 144,000 are of both sexes: “The same came for a witness, to bear witness of the light, that all men through him might believe.” (John 1:7.)  “All men,” must include both men and women, otherwise salvation would be for men only.  “And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me.” (John 12:32.) 

If the word all men in this text does not include both sexes, then the women are lost.  “And the time of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men everywhere to repent.” (The Acts 17:30.)  Again, if “all men” include not both male and female, then women are not commanded to repent.  It is evident that the noun, men, is a collective Biblical term of both men and women.  The same is true by creation, for, God made the woman of the man.  Therefore, she is a wo-man.  Again in Gal. 3:28, we read: “There is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus.”(Shep.Rod, vol.2, p.167)

Next we’d like to show a example of how the Elijah prophet “restored” our understanding (SDA) of the long time held view of the seals of Revelation (Chap. 4 to 7, and first part of 8). The Lord willing we’d like to do  a 2 or 3 part post in the near future showing how some of the old standard prophecy beliefs within the SDA, don’t hold up upon close investigation, as discovered and shown by the Elijah.  ” Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation.” (2 Peter 1:20).

Question:
   “What Biblical proof have you for placing as you do the
seals of Revelation, chapters four to seven and the first part of the eighth? Why make them span the entire world’s history, when the Seventh-day Adventist denomination has been teaching for years that they begin after the crucifixion?”

   “The questioner has a perfect right to ask for Biblical proof of our interpretations of the Scriptures, but he must remember that our rights are as good as his. Hence, before answering his questions, we would like to ask him to give us but one Scripture as the basis upon which he can establish that the seals span the Christian era only. Our being as well informed as the questioner on all the doctrines which the denomination teaches, and of the proofs upon which they are based, we are free to say that the strongest and the only foundation upon which the denominational interpretation stands is grounded upon the presumptuous idea that the white horse and he that sat on him, going forth conquering and to conquer (Rev. 6:2), represents the early Christian church in her best spiritual condition.

This position is assumed upon the unmitigated presumption that the color of the horse (white) must represent the purity of the early church, and that the words, “conquering and to conquer,” stand for her rapid growth after Pentecost.

   We agree that “white” stands for purity, and that “conquering and to conquer” could represent the growth of the church, but what proof would that be if such an idea is contradicted by all other truth? For example, we call the reader’s attention to the fact that when John was about to be shown in vision the events in the seven seals, it was about sixty-five years after the Pentecost and in the period when the church was already declining from her spiritual condition. The voice which he heard said to him: “Come up hither, and I will shew thee things which must be hereafter” (Rev. 4:1); that is, the event which he was to be shown was to transpire in the future, “hereafter,” from the time John had the vision. Now let us take notice of the event he saw.

Says John: “I was in the Spirit: and, behold, a throne was set in heaven, and One sat on the throne. And I saw in the right hand of Him that sat on the throne a book written within and on the back side, sealed with seven seals. And no man in heaven, nor in earth, neither under the earth, was able to open the book, neither to look thereon. And I wept much,…and one of the elders saith unto me, Weep not: behold, the Lion of the tribe of Juda, the Root of David, hath prevailed to open the book, and to loose the seven seals thereof.” (Rev. 4:2; 5:1,3-5.)

   The event of which John prophesied was to transpire in the future from John’s time instead of having already taken place. Hence, the idea that the white horse with its rider represents the rider in her purity after the Pentecost is only a presumption. Moreover, it is taught that the book with the seven seals is the book of “Daniel and Revelation,” and that those who interpreted the seals are the ones who opened the book, whereas, a “strong angel proclaimed with a loud voice,” that “no man in heaven, nor in the earth, neither under the earth, was able to open the book, neither to look thereon.” Consequently, we would like to ask the questioner how could the men who interpreted the seals open the book if they could not even “look thereon”?

Still further, whoever heard that the church could be symbolized by a man riding on a horse! Furthermore, those who are fighting against the sealing message on the pretext that it contradicts the Spirit of Prophecy have themselves altogether closed their eyes to the voice of the Spirit of Prophecy by a flat contradiction of it, for they claim that the book with the seven seals is the book of “Daniel and Revelation,” whereas, the Spirit of Prophecy, in perfect harmony with “The Shepherd’s Rod,” says: “Thus the Jewish leaders made their choice. Their decision was registered in the book which John saw in the hand of Him that sat upon the throne, the book which no man could open. In all its vindictiveness this decision will appear before them in the day when this book is unsealed by the Lion of the Tribe of Judah.” — “Christ’s Object Lessons,” p. 294.

   The above quoted passage shows that this book contains the names and record of those who profess to be the people of God. Then, how could it be the book of “Daniel and The Revelation”?

   We would not take longer in disproving the former interpretation of the seals, but we shall briefly prove the reason why the seals cover the entire history of the human race.

   One of the proofs that the seals include the entire world’s history is in the fact that the book with the seven seals is “The book of life,” which contains the record of God’s professed people, and also in the fact that it was to be opened in the day of judgment. Hence, it proves that in 1844, when the judgment began, Christ opened the book before the throng that surrounded the throne, and this being the Lamb’s book of Life (which no one but the Lamb could open), containing the record of the people from Adam’s time and on, it is obvious that the seven seals, which were broken at the beginning of the judgment, contain the entire history of the human race, divided into seven periods, which sealed the book up to the day of judgment. See our exposition on the seals in “The Shepherd’s Rod,” Vol. 2, pp. 194-221 (Symbolic News Code, No. 7-8, p.9-10)

The next we see the lessons of Matthew 24 explained more closely and specific to “our” generation.

“The gospel of the coming of Christ in this generation, and the signs of the times as in Matthew 24, was committed to the Seventh-day Adventist denomination since 1844.  No other body of people has had the burden of the message that is taught in this chapter (the signs and the end of the world), and the urgency of its speedy delivery in this generation.  Therefore, whatever commendation, or condemnation is written to the “servant” in Matthew 24, cannot be applied to another people. 

Furthermore, as the rest of Christendom had fallen by 1844 because they rejected the messages that were sent to them and thus God would not let light shine through them since that time, it is evident that the gospel of the 24th chapter of Matthew could not have been preached by any other people.  Therefore, the statement concerning the servant in the following verse is applicable only to the foregoing denomination.

   “Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his lord hath made ruler over His household, to give them [to the world] meat in due season” — present truth? (Matt. 24:45.)  Note, that there is a question as to whom this faithful servant could be.  If that people to whom primarily this gospel was committed had been faithful, then the following promise would have been their’s: “Blessed is that servant, whom his Lord when He cometh shall find so doing.  Verily I say unto you, That He shall make him ruler over all His goods.” (Matt. 24:46, 47.) 

The significance of “all His goods” is the finishing of the gospel, bringing everlasting righteousness, and ushering in the kingdom of Christ!  What a wonderful promise!  But, observe the danger of losing this everlasting glory: “But and if that evil servant shall say in his heart, My Lord delayeth His coming; and shall begin to smite his fellow-servants, and to eat and drink with the drunken.” (Matt. 24:48, 49.)  The “servant” (singular) that shall “begin to smite his fellow servants” (plural) signifies the leadership — the “angel” of the church of the Laodiceans — those who have charge of the “household.”  But the “servants” (plural) apply to the ministry under that leadership. 

By the unfaithfulness of “that servant,” the gospel has been delayed; the generation is about to pass, and the work is years behind.  The result is, that the delay has not been expressed by action only, but it is even said by words, “My Lord delayeth His coming.”  And as one sin leads to another, the doctrine of “Health Reform,” eating foods that have been devitalized by modern inventions the “dainties” of Babylon, etc. — indulging fleshly lusts, has been largely disregarded, thus fulfilling the words, “eat and drink with the drunken.”

   The doctrine of health reform is said to be “the right hand and arm of the Third Angel’s Message,” and that the medical work is “the right hand of the message.”  The idea of health reform is a thing of the past so far as the church as a body is concerned, and the leadership cares little.  But that is not the worst, this unfaithful servant of God has even dared stretch his hand over the gulf to form an unlawful alliance of the denominational medical institutions with those of the world who are bitterly opposed to the idea of health reform — right hand and arm of the “Third Angel’s Message.” 

The very channel which was instituted to uphold and carry that part of the work, is being bound by a confederacy and now in order to maintain this alliance it has been compelled to sacrifice the very principle for which it was organized.  Thereby God’s agency for treating the sick and preventing disease by healthful living and divine healing through obedience of the truth, has been substituted by drugs.

   Thus the devil has cut off the right hand and arm of the “Third Angel’s Message,” and by this cunning device has robbed the church of God of its medical institutions!  What a calamity!  What a loss!  Would not God’s faithful people at such a time as this come up to the help of the Lord against the mighty?  How a body of people with so much light can become so blind is beyond human understanding; it is a mystery!

   Had they (those who were charged with this great responsibility) been faithful to the trust committed to them, the everlasting blessings found in the following verse would have been their’s: “That He shall make him ruler over all his goods.”  But to him who neglects his Master’s commission: “The Lord of that servant shall come in a day when he looketh not for Him, and in an hour that he is not aware of, and shall cut him asunder, and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” (Matt. 24:50, 51.)  Had they taken heed to the last urgent message sent them, calling for decided changes in these things, the following chapter (Matthew 25) would have been prophetically different.” (Shepherd’s Rod, Vol. 2, p.179)

In closing, the above are but just a few of the treasures one can find by reading and learning what the Lord’s Elijah message has for us. When we read in (Rev. 3:17) that the Laodiceans  “have need of nothing” , it can only be Truth from the Lord–His Elijah message, that they declare they don’t need. Let it not be said of us, that we don’t need any more messages of truth and warnings from the Lord, for we must think we are not ” rich and increased with goods.”

Posted in Present Truth, Proper teachings, revelation, Victor T. Houteff | 2 Comments »

Jesus sits down with the Pharisees

July 20, 2013

Can we imagine the absurdity of Jesus sitting down with the Pharisees for a discussion?  Yet, unbelievably some of us who profess the Lord’s present truth for our day, are doing just that, if not in person, then in communications. We should remember the life of our Instructor, how He dealt with the Pharisees. His way with them was direct and often forceful, the word “hypocrite” was His frequent word for them. He used it along with other words such as ” Whited sepulcher”, beautiful on the outside, yet full of dead bones and unclean within (Matt.23:27). In short, we find that our Lord had no use of proud, self satisfied men who set their stakes so deep with their erroneous  forms  of  teaching, religion and doctrines.

For example the Pharisees  were satisfied in their knowledge of Scripture, they were secure that the Messiah would come as a conquering King, as they read Scripture and mis-applied the prophecies. But our Lord came in a way they  were not looking for. Hence they set deep their stakes against Christ as an impostor and that situation stopped Him from reaching out.  Let us look at how we can learn by understanding our dealings with Pharisees in our midst.

In explaining the mindset of the Jews ( taught of the Pharisees) brother Houteff explains,  “The Jews, according to their own way of reasoning, were honest, though blind, in concluding that they had no need of prophets, because as they saw it, Moses’ writings were complete, there was nothing lacking in them: They contained both the civil and religious laws.  They, therefore, saw no need for greater light and no need of another prophet.  Through their unbelief in the prophets, they failed to see that their kingdom was only a type of a greater one to come, they failed to see that God’s Truth is progressive and ever unfolding, that each generation has to have added Truth especially adapted to meet their particular needs.  Their blindness to this was their basic sin that led them on to ruin” (Timely Greetings sermon, Vol.1, no.14, p.4).

As those of us who are actively working in His “vineyard” know, we come in contact with many brethren on a regular basis. As such it is only expected that we will deal with those who have exalted themselves in their own eyes, unable to listen with an open heart and mind.

Brother Houteff explains, “..when the disciples asked Jesus: “Knowest thou that the Pharisees were offended, after they heard this saying?”  So-called Christians, like the Pharisees, become offended when told of their errors, and rebuked for their sins.  “But He answered and said, Every plant, which my heavenly Father hath not planted, shall be rooted up.  Let them alone: they be blind leaders of the blind.  And if the blind lead the blind, both shall fall into the ditch.” (Matt. 15:12-14.) (Shepherd’s Rod, vol.1, p.123)

Notice the telling instruction from the Lord–“Let them alone”. Obviously no time was to be expended on such people.  This reminds us of the  proverb, “Do not answer a fool according to his folly lest you be like him (Proverbs 26:4).  Their real trap  is to get you off your straight and clear path, into a side path, a path that has so many twists and turns that if you follow it, it will be sure to make shipwreck of your faith. Once they have you sidetracked, your time is thus wasted, your objectives undone.

The Elijah message tells us who really is behind this time wasting, “…Satan’s supreme effort at this hour must be to cause the time to be wasted and the work to go undone.” (Answerer book, Vol. 1, question no.4) So we see that the real objective  from Satan and his devils is to get us to waste our time.

Recently  I have seen an obvious trap, yet because it’s exists among some so-called Elijah messengers, it appears not all understand this trap and are actively falling into it. It makes sense since , as we’ve shown in our prior studies,  Satanic warfare is right in the middle of those who step up to the plate to proclaim the Elijah message. But even in this arena are those implants from Satan, those who are attempting to lead the flock away from Truth and into error. The spiritual war for the all time is over this last message from the Lord.

Ellen White describes this time of church warnings  in which Satan exposes his objectives.

“I will have upon the ground, as my agents, men holding false doctrines mingled with just enough truth to deceive souls. I will also have unbelieving ones present who will express doubts in regard to the Lord’s messages of warning to His church. Should the people read and believe these admonitions, we could have little hope of overcoming them. But if we can divert their attention from these warnings, they will remain ignorant of our power and cunning, and we shall secure them in our ranks at last. God will not permit His words to be slighted with impunity. If we can keep souls deceived for a time, God’s mercy will be withdrawn, and He will give them up to our full control.

“We must cause distraction and division. We must destroy their anxiety for their own souls, and lead them to criticize, to judge, and to accuse and condemn one another, and to cherish selfishness and enmity. For these sins, God banished us from His presence; and all who follow our example will meet a similar fate.” (Test. to Ministers, P.475)

This last paragraph is particularly apparent today. His “agents” are within the SDA, including “Davidians”. As we know the only ones within our church declaring the Elijah message today are the Davidian Seventh Day Adventists, so obviously his agents are represented there as well. As this message prepares God “servants” to go out to the world in full power and spirit of the Lord, Satan and his angels are the most active in this arena, to thwart and delay the process. Obviously they will lose but that doesn’t stop them from using agents such as Pharisees to disrupt any progress made.

The reason for this post is that we want to expose some cunning deceptions occurring within our ranks, particularly among the DSDA. And once we are aware of them we can steer clear just like our Lord did. He never sat down with them and engaged their arguments. Time wasting, as brother Houteff mentioned is Satan’s goal right now and we should steer clear of this path.

One of the biggest snares existing among those who profess the Elijah message is the adding to or subtracting from the original message of Elijah (Victor T. Houteff). As I continue to develop a broader understanding of this message and all that it bears, I see these traps, allow me to explain some examples.

The first example we can look back to the illustrated story of Moses and the men of Korah. In the book of Numbers, chapter 16, we read of the story of  insubordination. Korah and his followers had just witnessed the act of execution of the man who broke the Sabbath, a decree  issued by Moses, through directions from the Lord. But this act apparently had triggered fear among them and led them to murmur against God’s chosen leader–his prophet. We read in (16:3) “..and they rose up before Moses and Aaron, and said to them, “You take too much upon yourselves, for all the congregation is holy, every one of them, and the Lord is among them. Why then do you exalt yourselves above the assembly of the Lord?” So when Moses heard it, he fell on his face.”

We know the end result was that Moses was exonerated and the pretenders were destroyed. But what lessons can we draw from it? There are several. Korah and his leading men in effect were saying to God’s chosen prophet, “We are also His leaders, for we speak to the Lord just like you, we can bypass you and be led of God and not necessarily by you.”  Wow! No wonder Moses threw himself down on the ground in an act of distraught unbelief! In that instance Moses had calculated just what their words were really saying, and he knew God would have to do something about it. God did and it wasn’t pretty as we well know.

We can learn from this how God deals with any who deny the chosen of God, the one by whom God desires to speak. They are in effect denying the Lord! Much as a King would  send his messenger to one of the underlings and they would disparage and deny what the message said to do, effectively denying their King.

Speaking of the coming Elijah, brother Houteff said, “The promise, itself, moreover, is for only one , not for more, and with but one exception, we know not of any other time when God employed even two prophets (let alone many) at one time, to convey one message to one people. He invariably called one, and that one himself, under direction of the Spirit, employed others to help him take the message to the people. Thus only were any others ever identified with a called one.” (General Conference Special, p.32)

So how does this all pertain to today?  Because there are some within the DSDA who deny that brother Houteff was the last prophet to come, they say the Elijah prophet wasn’t the final one. This is to some of us who know the message and what it says, making us just like Moses and wanting to throw ourselves down and cry out to the Lord. So just like Korah and the men of “renown”, these upstarts who effectively deny the Lord and what He has said through His end time prophet, take into their own hands, potential disaster just as Korah and his followers met.

But even more sad is the fact that some are believing these false leaders and following them in their doctrines of “other prophets” coming to our SDA church. There are several groups around the world that have a current “prophet” as their leader. Yet, strangely all of them agree that Victor T. Houteff was a prophet of God (?). As we said, Satan will use all kinds of tricks to mislead God’s remnant people.

We’d like to show two examples, one of the DSDA and one of the SDA, of how deception comes into the work of God.

Concerning the DSDA, the idea of others to come after brother Houteff started way back in 1955, with a upstart named Ben Roden(Founder of the Branch Davidians). He had learned under brother Houteff  and after VTH’s death he soon announced that “he” had a prophetic message to the remnant. His well-known “Seven Letters to Florence Houteff” sent in 1955, contains amazing statements, such as– “Now it is plain to see that Ellen G. White and Victor T. Houteff were indeed prophets of God and were, truly, writing under the influence of the Spirit of Prophecy.”  Yet despite this admission he would go on to point out mistakes, errors and omissions he found in their writings. He was setting them up to believe that “he” could uncover error and show the correct understandings and provide more light needed for the people. In other words–he was the succeeding prophet.

He clearly implied that he was the prophet to succeed VTH in his writings, as well as existing living witnesses. He even went so far as to imply that as a prophet,  unlike VTH, he would never die. He died in 1977. This was the first real distraction and division to hit the Davidians after brother Houteff’s death. Today, his movement is known as “Branch Davidian Seventh Day Adventists.” They have many different beliefs apart from brother Houteff’s original teachings. Such as the necessity to keep all the feast days. To have rigid daily set hours to pray to the Lord. That the Holy Spirit is a feminine entity among others. Satan was hovering and when the brother Houteff died, he went right to work!

According to one of the last surviving members of the original MT. Carmel camp, sister Bonnie Smith said that brother Houteff was leery of  Ben Roden. She said that he would appear at their gatherings to try to plant seeds of his own ideas in regards to the message. Obviously he was working his future agenda.

( A quick historical note– David Karesh’s group (infamous Waco siege) wasn’t an actual Branch Davidian orgainization. His was an off shoot of the BDSDA and apparently stole the name for his group according to leading members of the BDSDA.)

But how must we deal with these types of DSDA who promote their interpretations, doctrines and agendas? Just as our Lord did in dealing with the Pharisees–don’t interact with them. Let them alone. One underlying common denominator among them is that they spend almost all of their time trying to convince ‘Davidians” about how they are prophets of God and to follow their teachings. Instead of  what the Elijah message teaches– go to work within the SDA telling them of the Lord’s imminent surprise coming to the church(beginning  phase of the judgment for the living). To prepare  and help them to reform and revive in the Lord, to be among the 144,000.

Brother Houteff’s explains that the last message is about proclaiming  the message of the  “judgment for the living”, not promoting new messages and prophets.  “Since the promised Elijah is to be the last prophet to the church today, as John the Baptist was the last prophet to the church in his day, and since the last work on earth is the Judgment for the Living, the truth stands forth like the light of day that Elijah’s message is the message of the Judgment for the Living, the last, which in the very nature of the gospel is of far more importance and consequence than any other message ever borne to a people.”( General Conference Special, p.23)

Our second example is just as disturbing, possibly more so as the deception is not as apparent. About 4 or 5 months ago, while doing some research online I found a very interesting report called , “The Straight Testimony Opposed by False Shepherds”. As I read it I was very impressed, it was that good. All of EG White’s straight testimony and warnings to the church, it seemed was in this report. Many of them I wasn’t aware of. After I read it I felt the Holy Spirit lead me to try to contact this author.

Being an Elijah messenger, I wanted to see if she had accepted the Lord’s  last message of Elijah. After all the report had many of the quotes used by Elijah to teach and warn the people. It took a few days but I finally found who it was. Susan ( an alias) with her husband had an online ministry. I was able to find out their phone number and gave them a call. When I contacted them, they both happened to be there and after some chit-chat with her husband, he called his wife to the phone and we had a three-way conversation.

I began to discuss their report and thanked them for it, as it was a real blessing. They inquired about who I was and what I did and so I explained that I too, had an online ministry. We discussed many topics of “present truth”. I purposely left out bringing up the Elijah prophet  in fear that they had fallen for the prevalent smear job the SDA church has run against him for decades. So we had a good conversation and we exchanged emails.

She said she would like me to review an upcoming report on “The Bride Cometh”. So I reviewed it and liked it. However, knowing the true prophetic timelines as given by the prophet, I saw some erroneous teachings. After several emails I felt it was time to fill her in on the Elijah. I  wanted her to straighten out some of her errors and thereby be fully in line with what the Lord said through His prophet. So I began to ask her if she was aware that  Scripture and EGW had prophesied that another prophet was to come after her. I used the clear quote of  Test. to Ministers, p.475, and other helpful Scripture to show her the predictions of this prophet.

She responded that she had seen the small * (asterisk) by that quote and then read the further explanations supplied by the SDA church. She apparently wasn’t aware or didn’t care that after she died and the writings of Victor Houteff had been wide-spread  throughout the SDA churches, the SDA leaders added their own interpretations of what she meant in that quote.  She then concluded that the SDA church was right and that when EGW made that line ”..when he appears..” she was speaking of herself as the Elijah to come. In other words the “he” was meant to be a “she”.  I was amazed! Here was a woman, whom I thought was truly working in the God’s vineyard spreading His truths and warnings to the church yet she denied the straight testimony of a “male” prophet to come in the spirit and power of Elijah — was truth.

I was very concerned about this and prayed that the Lord could show me how this was possible. How could one be so close yet so far? We continued to correspond and she made further explanations that showed me the answer from the Lord. She said, ” One of the reasons I don’t believe that this Elijah would come after EGW is that Ellen White would have spoken more about him, instead of such a small statement.” Wow! There it was. She was basically saying that “she” knew how God should operate and how He should make His revelations known. He didn’t do enough explaining of this coming prophet therefore she didn’t believe it.

Ellen Whites explains these types of deceptions, “I saw that the greater the light which the people reject, the greater will be the power of deception and darkness which will come upon them. The rejection of truth leaves men captives, the subjects of Satan’s deception.” (Test. for the Church, Vol.1, p.232).

So here we see that instead of humbly accepting the plain clear word as shown by the prophets, she rose up against it just as the Pharisees did. Her stakes were deep and she quit responding to me because she had “need of nothing” more, she had all the truth she needed and was rich and increased with goods (Rev. 3:17). This is why I mentioned that this type of situation is much more deceptive. She has much truth she is teaching, yet denied the Lord by rejecting His final prophet. Just as Korah rejected Moses. Can we see the similarities? Some may said she still is spreading truth regardless, but I would say she has seen the clear word of God that a prophet is sent and to be heard and she has said–no. I believe I was sent in her path to reveal the Elijah message to her but it was rejected. There are important messages in the Elijah message (contrary to her teachings) that she is ignoring and therefore not teaching. “My brethren, let not many of you become teachers, knowing that we shall receive a stricter judgment.” (James 3:1)

To many of us it’s our human nature to try to debate and convince others who we may believe are wrong in their understanding of the word of the Lord. But if they are an active teacher or promoter of their idea of another prophet(s)  to come after the last one that Scripture clearly declares (Elijah), or that no prophet is to come after EGW, then you can be assured they have their stakes very deep just as the Pharisees had.

In closing, we’d like to advise all present truth seekers that are striving to learn the Lord’s last message to His people, the Elijah message, that should you encounter someone or a group who teach the above ideas, then you should take the Lord’s counsel and deal with them just as He dealt with the Pharisees and that is — leave them alone.

Posted in Davidian Seventh Day Adventists, Delusion, Proper teachings | 6 Comments »

Egypt Exodus Repeated?

July 13, 2013

exodus

We’re all familiar with the great exodus movement from the land of Egypt. It became the foundational movement for the people of God–the Israelites. Freed from bondage, the people were to enter into our Lord’s bountiful and glorious land- Israel. But something went horribly wrong, and the whole plan went “south” to use a common term.

But are you aware the Scriptures says that the Lord will “do it again”, in a similar way? Yes indeed it does! Let’s look at this most fascinating prophecy and see what the Lord has in plan for His remnant people.

“Therefore behold, the days are coming,” declares the LORD, “when they will no longer say, ‘As the LORD lives, who brought up the sons of Israel from the land of Egypt,’ but  ‘As the LORD lives who brought up and led the offspring of the house of Israel out of the north country and out of all the countries where he had driven them.’ Then they shall dwell in their own land.”(Jeremiah 23:7-8)

The above is one packed prophecy! First we see that the time for this to occur is in the “future” days. And that there appears a direct leading of the Lord for His people, just as he did in the Egypt exodus. Next we notice that it’s from the “house of Israel”, meaning His church, His people.

We as Bible students know that this prophecy has not ever occurred yet,  because all 12 tribes of the “house of Israel” have never been re-united and brought back to their own land.

We as SDA know all too well that since Ellen G. White appeared from God as our prophetess, His hand has directly guided HIS CHURCH,  the SDA church. This can only mean that the people in this last days exodus will come from the SDA church. She establishes the fact that the SDA church is the “Israel” of today with the following quote.

“In order to be purified and to remain pure, Seventh-day Adventists must have the Holy Spirit in their hearts and in their homes. The Lord has given me light that when the Israel of today humble themselves before Him, and cleanse the soul-temple from all defilement, He will hear their prayers in behalf of the sick and will bless in the use of His remedies for disease.” (Test. for the Church, Vol. 9, p.164)

What a grand joy! What a promise! Someday soon we’ll be under the direct hand of God and led to our “own land”, a land flowing with “milk and honey”. And there has only been ONE land, our Lord has called His. It is Israel.  “His foundation is in the holy mountains. The Lord loves the gates of Zion more than all the dwellings of Jacob. Glorious things are spoken of you, O city of God! Selah.”  (Psalm 87 :1-3)

“On that day I swore to them that I would bring them out of Egypt into a land I had searched out for them, a land flowing with milk and honey, the most beautiful of all lands” (Ezekiel 20:6).

While we won’t go into all the prophecies about how the land of Israel will be cleared out now, let’s look at a very important one.

“Gather yourselves together! Yes, gather together, you shameless nation, before the decree is carried out [and] the day passes like windblown husks, before the LORD’s burning anger comes to you, before the day of the LORD’s anger comes to you. (Zeph.2:1-2)

The above prophecy is for the last days, as can be clearly seen by reading the 1st chapter of Zephaniah. So we ask–what nation today is shameless? What nation is stoutly calling the God of Israel, as it’s God, yet shamelessly calling His Son- an impostor? In case you haven’t guessed, verse 4 of Zeph. clears it.

“For Gaza shall be deserted, and Ashkelon shall become a desolation; Ashdod’s people shall be driven out at noon, and Ekron shall be uprooted.”( Zeph 2:4)  The area is none other than Israel–specifically the Palestine area.

We see that in the near future the land of Jerusalem shall be cleared out for God’s people to come back. This, as we well know, is certainly shaping up as we speak. We see that the middle east situation is very tense and that the last big war is about to take place in this area–“Gather yourselves together”. The nations are real close to this gathering and this purpose is that of the Lord’s. He wants His land back for His people.

So this exodus is now in the preparation stage. The Lord’s last message is going out right now, pleading with His people to accept His offer. And what is this offer? To listen and heed His final message of repentance and reformation instructions as given by Elijah. Soon the angels will have marked the last of the “God’s elect”, the 144,000. When our prophetess was called to deliver His messages to us, what was the very first message of importance to us, His SDA church? Her first vision- the 144,000. “”Let us strive with all the power that God has given us to be among the hundred and forty-four thousand. “–(Review and Herald, March 9, 1905.)

We remember that just prior to the actual leaving of the land of Egypt, the Lord commanded the people to mark the door posts in order to be saved from the destroying angel. Ellen White explains the anti-typical future event of this same original type event.

” When God was about to smite the first-born of Egypt, He commanded the Israelites to gather their children from among the Egyptians into their own dwellings and strike their door posts with blood, that the destroying angel might see it and pass over their homes. It was the work of parents to gather in their children. This is your work, this is my work, and the work of every mother who believes the truth.

The angel is to place a mark upon the forehead of all who are separated from sin and sinners, and the destroying angel will follow, to slay utterly both old and young.” (Test. for the Church, vol. 5, p.505).

Here we see that she equates  the future prophetic Ezekiel 9 to the beginning of the exodus out of Egypt. Is this divine or coincidence? Of course she was divinely led to pair the two together. You see, the church is to be a pure church, and after this happens then the exodus begins.

This all comes together prophetically, as we know that the Loud Cry cannot happen until all the sinners of the house of Israel are removed. The Lord’s full Spirit is then poured out. “Only those who have withstood temptation in the strength of the Mighty One will be permitted to act a part in proclaiming it (the Third Angel’s message) when it shall have swelled into the Loud Cry.” (Review and Herald, Nov. 19, 1908).

Ellen White describes this pure church  time, “Mighty miracles were wrought, the sick were healed, and signs and wonders followed the believers. God was in the work, and every saint, fearless of consequences, followed the convictions of his own conscience and united with those who were keeping all the commandments of God; and with power they sounded abroad the third message. I saw that this message will close with power and strength far exceeding the midnight cry.(Early Writings, P.278).

Obviously the Lord’s power will be poured out to enable His servant to do these miracles. But as history shows us in the example of Achan, He will not tolerate sins among His people. In (Test. for the Church, vol. 3, p.270), we read, “God’s displeasure is upon His people, and He will not manifest His power in the midst of them while sins exist among them and are fostered by those in responsible positions.”

This final exodus, this display of His power to win the true in heart around the world,  is the fulfillment of God’s many promises to the “house of Israel”. Unlike us, God keeps each and every promise. This is one of the main reasons His has sent “Elijah” to us. Since the writings of the Scriptures began, some of the secret passages of the Lord were left undiscovered or unexplained until Elijah came. The prophet himself explains-

“…since Elijah is to herald the great day, he can therefore be the only one who will rightly interpret the prophecies of the day, which are still mysteries to Christendom, and even to our own Denomination!  Indeed, to reiterate, it is for this very reason that the prophet is sent.  He is to unroll the scroll to explain what the day of the Lord is like, what the Lord will do then, and how we may survive His judgments.

To re-emphasize the fact, let it be said again that being the last of the prophets Elijah is, therefore, the only one who can open to our understanding all the prophecies of the Scriptures pertaining to the great and dreadful day of the Lord — prophecies which heretofore have been only mysteries to all.  Thus he is, as the Scriptures say, to blow the trumpet in Zion, and to sound an alarm in God’s holy mountain, in the church.

    In doing all this, he sets in motion the Power that is to restore all things.  Hence Christ’s positive declaration: “Elias truly shall first come, and restore all things.” Matt. 17:11.  Inevitably, then, without his message we would die in our ignorance and in our sins — never live to see the restoration completed.”(General Conference Special p.19-20)

This “restoration” is beginning now with the message being spread, read, then heeded by those who humbly do as the Lord’s last messenger said to do. Soon those who receive the mark in their forehead will–” Break forth into joy, sing together, You waste places of Jerusalem! For the LORD has comforted His people, He has redeemed Jerusalem. (Isaiah 52:9)

“It shall come to pass in that day that the Lord shall set His hand again the second time to recover the remnant of His people who are left, from Assyria and Egypt, from  Pathros and Cush, from Elam and Shinar, from Hamath and the islands of the sea.” (Isaiah 11:11)

“‘For I will take you out of the nations; I will gather you from all the countries and bring you back into your own land. Then I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean. Your filth will be washed away, and you will no longer worship idols. I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules. And you will live in Israel, the land I gave your ancestors long ago. You will be my people, and I will be your God.” (Ezekiel 36:24-28).

Has the Lord ever brought back His people into His land- Israel, and they then no longer worshiped idols? No, this has never happened yet. This is prophetic of the very soon to come time, when He shall again lead His people into the “promised land”. This is the culmination of the  — second exodus.

In closing, let us remember that the Lord’s word clearly says what He will soon do, are we going to be a part of this last day exodus? To make the trip back to “our own land”? To be part of His grand final plan on this earth? Let us say–YES!

Posted in End times, Final Events | 1 Comment »

The Prophet Speaks

July 6, 2013

One of the most clear  descriptions that the Spirit of Prophecy gave to us in knowing the identifying mark of the Elijah to come (Test. to Min.p.475), was to say he would be known as an ” interpreter”. What we’d like to show this week is some selected  interpretations of  Scriptures. This is just a snipet of the end time prophecy interpretations available to learn.

As we proceed in our walk, we can enjoy learning more and more of His word, as spoken through the prophets. For example, we’ll learn the following.

1) What is the meaning of “altars of brick” and “altars of stone”?

2) What is the meaning of incense in the Bible?

3) How many specific parts were in the Mosiac law, and what did each part consist of?

4) What are we required to keep today?

5) Are there Bible verses illuminating the employee/employer relationship?

6) Can we know how fast the Lord can travel?

7) What are some of the things that happen when God begins the judgment for the living here on earth?

 Brother Houteff’s words are in bold.

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(Isaiah 65:3) “A people who provoke Me to anger continually to My face; who sacrificeth in gardens, and burn incense on altars of brick..”

The last part of verse 3, is quoted here: “That sacrificeth in gardens, and burneth incense upon altars of brick.” We must understand that these are symbols, but they are not hard to deciper. Had it been impossible to be understood, no one could profit by it, therefore the symbol would not have been used in the chapter.

“Gardens” are used for display. “Sacrifice” is the same as gift. “Incense”, according to Rev.8:3,4, is the way prayers are sent to God. Nowhere in the Bible can we read of any of God’s people building altars of brick. Altars to God were always built with stones.

The difference between brick and stone will now be considered. Brick is the product of man, but stone is the workmanship of God. Let us now consider the lesson intended here. “Gardens”, display; “Sacrifice”, gifts; “Incense”, prayers;  “Bricks”, man-made proposition. The charge is, we sacrifice for display, we offer our prayers to God (upon altars of brick); we follow after man instead of God’s pure word, as given to the church. (Shep. Rod. vol.1, p.162-163)

(Micah 4:4) “Verse 4, “But they shall sit every man under his vine and under his fig tree; and none shall make them afraid: For the mouth of the Lord of hosts hath spoken it.”

 The meaning of the verse is that God’s church is in an absolute security, and none need fear. Remember that the 144,000 are sealed before this time, and their life is sure; none can harm them nor touch their present life, or the life to come, for they are living saints, to be translated. Having this assurance, none can make them afraid, and they shall triumph with victory. Quoting Isaiah 60:17, last part, and 18: “I will  also make thy officers peace, and thine exactors righteousness. Violence shall no more be heard in thy land, wasting nor destruction within thy borders; but thou shalt call thy walls Salvation, and thy gates Praise.

(Mal.4:4,5) — “Remember ye the law of Moses My servant, which I commanded unto him in Horeb for all Israel, with the statutes and judgments.  Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord.”

You know by now that Malachi, chapters 3 and 4, prophetically speak to the people of today, to the people just before the great and dreadful day, to the people to whom antitypical Elijah the prophet is sent.  And what wise counsel does the Lord give through Malachi? — He says, “Remember ye the Law of Moses My servant.”  Which law? — The law of “statutes and judgments” which the Lord commanded “in Horeb.”  Since this is God’s faithful advice to His people of this day, we would do well to restudy this law of Moses, and to remember it, for we cannot disregard His counsel and still expect His blessings.

   Broadly speaking, the law of Moses consists of three parts.  The first is the Ceremonial law, the law of the temple — the sacrificial law.  This law, of course, we today must not observe, except in antitype, for it foreshadowed things to come, particularly Christ’s first advent.  Thus it is that if we had lived in Old Testament times and had failed to comply with the sacrificial law and system of that day, we would thereby have demonstrated unbelief in Christ, Who was to come.  But since we are living in the Christian era, if we should now observe the typical sacrificial law and system, we should thereby demonstrate unbelief in Christ, Who has come.

   And so, as this law was nailed to the cross (Col. 2:14), we need not, and must not, observe it now

The second part of Moses’ law, is the law by which Israel was to rule its people, the civil, or legal law, — the law which defines what penalty the government should impose upon those who are caught stealing, killing, or the like.  Now, since we as Christians do not have a government of our own, but are still under the governments of the nations of today, we personally, or as a group are not required to enforce the legal law of Moses either.

   The only law of Moses, therefore, that we can possibly be admonished to remember, is the third part of his law: the moral law, which consists of the things that pertain to us as individuals, the things that we as individuals must perform, the things that perfect our character, the things that make us a peculiar people.  We therefore need to search out and do the things contained in the moral law of Moses — “The commandments, and the statutes and the judgments.” Deut. 5:31.

And the surest way to select these moral essentials from among those things which pertain to the sacrificial and the legal systems, is to go to the book of Deuteronomy.  This book is the summary of all the laws and statutes which Moses spoke to ancient Israel, his last words. (Timely Greetings, Vol.2, no.15, p.14-16)

(Deut.24:6, 10-15 — “No man shall take the nether or the upper millstone to pledge:for he taketh a man’s life to pledge…”

“When thou dost lend thy brother any thing, thou shall not go into his house to fetch his pledge. Thou shall stand abroard, and the man to whom dost lend shall bring out the pledge abroard unto thee. And if the man be poor, thou shalt not sleep with his pledge: in any case thou shalt deliver him the pledge again when the sun goeth down, that he may sleep in his own raiment, and bless thee: and it shall be righteousness unto thee before the Lord thy God. Thou shalt not oppress an hired servant that is poor and needy whether he be of thy brethren, or of thy strangers that are in thy land within thy gates: at his day thou shalt give him his hire, neither shall the sun go down upon it; for he is poor, and setteth his heart upon it: lest he cry against thee unto the Lord, and it be sin unto thee.”

God’s people are here told not to pledge their means or tools (not to pledge “the nether or upper millstone”) with which they make a living. And they are not to be exacting with their poor brethren. They are not to collect by force, and they are not to delay paying wages to the poor.”(Timely Greetings, Vol. 2, no.37,p.21)

How Can Christians Get To Heaven If The Distance Is So Great?

   The fastest speed on earth known to modern science at this present time is light which travels at the rate of 186,284 miles a second.  If one was to take a flight on the wings of light to the great nebula Orion, it would take him 600 years to reach that far-distant wonder in the heavens which has drawn an earnest attention of modern science.  Quoting from Early Writings, page 41, we read: “The atmosphere parted and rolled back; then we could look up through the open space in Orion, whence came the voice of God.  The holy city will come down through that open space.”

If the holy city is to come through that space we may well suppose that that glorious open space in Orion is the gateway to that long-continued highway to heaven (God’s throne).  But think of the great distance to this most wonderful gateway.  If it would take 600 light years to reach the entrance to that far-distant highway, then we ask ourselves, How many light years would it take to reach the other end of that heavenly highway to the city of the great King in the sides of the north?

   We mortals can not give a direct answer to this great question only to say the distance from earth to the center of the universe (God’s throne) is so vast that we finite beings only stand awestruck.  We are amazed with the difficulty to compute mileage, or even light years.  But if the distance is so vastly beyond human comprehension, then we, like the previously-stated Indian, ask the question, How would Christians ever get to heaven? 

Suppose that great wonder (train) which takes the redeemed would move at the tremendous speed of light, traveling 186,000 miles a second, it would take a good part of eternity to reach the city of the Great King (heaven).

   Here we shall see what we consider a terrific speed.  Heaven esteems it very dilatory.  For an example, we shall consider Jesus after the resurrection.  It was Mary who met Him first.  As she reached for her Lord, Jesus said to her, “Mary, touch Me not; for I have not yet ascended to My Father.” John 20:17.  Eight days later Jesus again appeared to His disciples.  “Then saith He to Thomas, Reach hither thy finger, …and thrust it into My side; and be not faithless, but believe.”  John 20:27.  If Jesus would not let Mary touch Him because He had not yet been to His Father after He had risen, we may not suppose He would let Thomas thrust His finger in His side except He had been to heaven by His Father.  Jesus, in a week or less, made a round trip from earth to heaven.(Shep. Rod, Vol.1, p.205-207)

(Isa. 2:4 )– “And He shall judge among the nations, and shall rebuke many people: and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruninghooks: nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more.”

   Not the nations, but Inspiration Itself declares that in the day God judges the living, then those nations who go to the mountain (Kingdom church purified) of the Lord “shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruninghooks” — they will go farming instead of spending their strength in war. 

The nations that do not accept the Lord’s “rebuke,” in that day, though, will madly arise against the “mountain” of the Lord, as forecast by the prophet Joel, saying: “Proclaim ye this among the Gentiles; Prepare war, wake up the mighty men, let all the men of war draw near; let them come up: beat your plowshares into swords, and your pruninghooks into spears: let the weak say, I am strong.  Assemble yourselves, and come, all ye heathen, and gather yourselves together round about: thither cause thy mighty ones to come down, O Lord.  Let the heathen be wakened, and come up to the valley of Jehoshaphat: for there will I sit to judge all the heathen round about.” Joel 3:9- 12.

   Since Inspiration has dedicated these publications to the announcement of this most important event in connection with the gospel — the climax and the triumph of it, the separation of the good from the bad (Matt. 13:30, 47, 48), the goats from the sheep (Matt. 25:32); and the establishment of the mountain of the Lord’s house; there is therefore no escaping the conclusion that these chapters of Isaiah were penned especially for the church today. 

Now that we are the forerunners of this great and glorious event, we must give special heed to what these chapters have to say.  This we must do if we are to prepare the way of the Lord (Matt. 3:3; Isa. 4:3-5).  This message to the church, you plainly see, is to prepare her members for the Judgment before the “great and dreadful day of the Lord” begins (Mal. 4:5).  For this very reason the Scriptures at this time are unsealed.  Let us now hear the Lord’s plea.

(Isa. 2:5) — “O house of Jacob, come ye, and let us walk in the light of the Lord.”

   Because the church greatly needs this light, the light that now illuminates the Judgment Day, the Lord makes the foregone plea to the antitypical “house of Jacob,” the house in which are the 144,000 Jacobites, the descendants of the 12 tribes of Israel, who down through the ages became assimilated by the Gentile nations, and thus lost their racial identity.

   The Lord’s concern, that the church walk in the light of the Lord (in Inspiration’s light for today) definitely implies that she is not now walking in His light; and His command, found in the last verse of Isaiah’s chapter, clearly reveals that she is walking in the sparks of uninspired men.   The Lord, therefore, commands:

(Isa. 2:22) — “Cease ye from man, whose breath is in his nostrils: for wherein is he to be accounted of?”

   The reason that her members should immediately cease from men is told in the verses that follow:

Isa. 3:1-4 — “For, behold, the Lord, the Lord of hosts, doth take away from Jerusalem and from Judah the stay and the staff, the whole stay of bread, and the whole stay of water, the mighty man, and the man of war, the judge, and the prophet, and the prudent, and the ancient, the captain of fifty, and the honourable man, and the counsellor, and the cunning artificer, and the eloquent orator.  And I will give children to be their princes, and babes shall rule over them.”

   For over a century we as Seventh-day Adventists have been preaching the work of the Judgment for the Dead, and should now with ease see that when the Judgment for the Living begins it is to separate the saints from the sinners — the wheat from the tares (Matt. 13:30), the good fish from the bad fish (Matt. 13:47, 48), the sheep from the goats (Matt. 25:32-46), the wise virgins from the foolish ones (Matt. 25:1-13).

   Plainly then, Isaiah 3:1-4 reveals that among those who are found wanting, are some of the mighty men, men of war, judges and prophets (teachers of religion), prudent and ancients, captains and honorables, counsellors and cunning artificers and eloquent orators, and that God is not a respecter of persons, but only of penitent sinners; that He is not dependent on so-called great men.

   Those who have been exalting themselves and who have thus caused His people to follow learned men instead of Inspiration and thus the Lord’s advancing Truth, are all to be carried away as chaff!

   The brethren who for years have been preaching the Judgment for the Dead have gone spiritually blind and foolish, do not even expect a message of the Judgment for the Living and are insultingly saying. “These prophecies are never to be fulfilled!”  Now is the hour for them to ponder over this light along with the statement: “In the last solemn work few great men will be engaged.” — Testimonies, Vol. 5, pg. 80. (Timely Greetings, Vol. 1, no.5, p-5-8)

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We  hope you’ve enjoyed these enlightening passages and we that you look into the message of Elijah more thoroughly as it can only bring blessings and more importantly– instructions on how to “stand” in the very soon to come “great and dreadful day of the Lord”.

Posted in Proper teachings, Victor T. Houteff | 3 Comments »

Unrolling of the Scroll

June 29, 2013

We can imagine the old biblical days, a teacher or religious leader preparing to read and discuss God’s word. He would grab hold of the scroll and then proceed to “unroll” it and then start his discussion. This proverbial “unrolling of the scroll” has much more meaning that the simple act of it. Let us look at the term’s meaning for us today.

As the Bible continued to be added to, the latest word from the prophets (God’s spokesmen) were added to the end of the scroll. This was to be the present truth for that particular generation.

Ellen White says much on present truth–

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

” I saw that the saints must get a thorough understanding of present truth, which they will be obliged to maintain from the Scriptures…. Our minds must not be taken up with things around us, but must be occupied with the present truth and a preparation to give a reason of our hope with meekness and fear. We must seek wisdom from on high that we may stand in this day of error and delusion” (Early Writings, p. 87).

So in order to understand the unrolling of the scroll, we must understand that the latest word from God is  the most needed. Allow us to make some examples.

We know back in Moses day, the people were given many laws and commands during their exodus from Egypt. One of them was the “stoning” of the man who broke the Sabbath. That was present truth for that time. Does that mean that this is true for us today? Ofcourse not. This was spoken of for that time and place to God’s people.

Likewise Joshua was told to go in and kill all the people in villages that God wanted conquered. Is that our truth for today? Ofcourse not. You see, unlike the prior prophets,  the “latest” prophet is the latest word from God . This is our cutting edge truth, our hope, our gift, our joy from the all-seeing and knowing Lord.

Granted those are rather extreme examples, the main point being that not all truth given for one generation is applicable to the next and thereafter. Contrarily, much truth is often applicable for future generations as well. The 10 Commandments were present truths for the people in Moses’ generation yet they are also true for us today.

Last week we posted on the original SDA system of paying tithes. To give a more contemporary example of the scroll unrolling with further truth, and more applicable truth,  let’s look at the following.

We saw that the system was made up so that the church members were to gather the tithes “quarterly”, four times a year. Today with our faster moving world and with bills coming at us at a far more rapid pace, we know that their truth (paying quarterly) would not be present truth for us today. So we must understand that, with the “spirit of Truth” guiding us (John 16:13), we shall be able to discern the truth as it unrolls to our specific time.

We now come to the latest messengers from God, particularly our beloved Ellen G. White. We as SDA, are truly amazed and thrilled to have been privileged to read her writings. Yet we must, as truth seekers know that she was not the last prophet sent from the Lord to us. So knowing this, it stands to reason that her writings, as beautiful and true as they are, they do not encompass all our present truths for today. From the explanations from above we can see this but even more importantly we can see what she herself said concerning a future messenger of God to come.

“Prophecy must be fulfilled. The Lord says: “Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord.” Somebody is to come in the spirit and power of Elijah, and when he appears, men may say: “You are too earnest, you do not interpret the Scriptures in the proper way. Let me tell you how to teach your message.”(Test. to Min. p.475)

Then we find Scripture that shows a last prophet to come “before the great and dreadful day of the Lord”. (Mal. 4:5)

As the scroll unrolled, our Divine King made it clear He would have a last day prophet bring the last words of importance to our generation. This is where we must make one of two decisions. The great fork in the road is before us. One leads to this–

“I am satisfied that I have all I need in the truth, and have no need of any new messages from the Lord”. This very well could be what the Lord had in mind when he said, “Because you say, ‘ I am rich, have become wealthy, and have need of nothing…” (Rev. 3:17)  One path is our decision to say we “have need of nothing”. Meaning we don’t need His last day messages.

The second fork in the road leads to this–  ” I am willing to follow you Lord wherever you go. You sent a prior prophet to us and had her prepare us for your last prophet (Test. to Min. p.475-476). This latest unrolling of the scroll, I will learn and take heed.”

This last prophet makes mention of the scroll,  “..since Elijah is to herald the great day, he can therefore be the only one who will rightly interpret the prophecies of the day, which are still mysteries to Christendom, and even to our own Denomination!  Indeed, to reiterate, it is for this very reason that the prophet is sent.  He is to unroll the scroll to explain what the day of the Lord is like, what the Lord will do then, and how we may survive His judgments. 

To re-emphasize the fact, let it be said again that being the last of the prophets Elijah is, therefore, the only one who can open to our understanding all the prophecies of the Scriptures pertaining to the great and dreadful day of the Lord — prophecies which heretofore have been only mysteries to all.  Thus he is, as the Scriptures say, to blow the trumpet in Zion, and to sound an alarm in God’s holy mountain, in the church.”(General Conference Special, p.19)

As the scroll as unrolled down through time, has there ever been a time when the God’s people ignored the messages and warning of His prophets, and God’s blessings and saving grace came upon them? Ofcourse not.

Brother Houteff says, “It is a fact, that in every age where God demonstrated His truth and purpose in clear lines, after being rejected, that people suffered the vengeance of the all-powerful and great God. For instance, the anti-diluvians, cities of Sodom, Egypt, Canaanites, Babylon, and ancient Jerusalem.” (Shep. Rod, Vol. 1, p.129)

Will it not be the same for us in this generation? Are we, the Laodiceans, to be exalted above all the other generations of God and therefore get a free pass to ignore His present truth prophet? As we view history, the answer should be clear.

Let us not make the same mistake that the Pharisees made in Christ’s day. Our Lord was THE PRESENT TRUTH. Yet the prideful leaders denied that He was. His message was not the further unrolling of the scroll. They stopped the scroll at Malachi!  The prior prophet. Are we as SDA also stopping the scroll at Ellen White? Are we grabbing the Lord’s hand and saying, “Stop this unrolling, we don’t need any more from You.”?

In closing, we have a great decision to make. It’s ours and ours alone. Each must take one of those forks in the road. The Elijah messengers are calling out to the people of God, “The Lord’s voice cries to the city–Wisdom shall see Your name: “Hear ye the rod! And Who has appointed it.” (Micah 6:9)

My beloved, there has only been one “rod” that has ever spoke. The unrolling of the scroll has now exposed the “rod” that speaks –the Shepherd’s Rod. May we heed our present truth for right now–today.

Posted in Present Truth, Proper teachings | 2 Comments »

The SDA’s Original “Systematic Benevolence”

June 22, 2013

8240772-church-receives-donations-by-passing-the-collection-plate

In one of Doug Batchelor’s sermons, he presented  a very interesting story of the “Cuckoo” bird. Simply put, this bird searches for other bird nests and then deposits its own egg into the unsuspecting bird’s nest. Then later when it hatches,  the original nest bird probably wonders where the strange bird came from. In much the same way something has been “laid” into our church that wasn’t there in the beginning. And for the longest time we have not been truly aware of it, until it’s been exposed (hatched) more clearly through the Elijah message (to restore all things).

What you are about to read will surprise some of you no doubt. But it really shouldn’t. Why? Because that ol deceiver has been at his  bag of tricks for millenniums!  When I came across this eye-opening information, I read it in amazement. How could these  clear instructions have been  stamped upon and  ignored for nearly a century now? Especially since our prophetess received direct approval from the Lord for its original benevolence system and methods?

Before we get into the matter,  let’s recap on something very important. As we have shown  in our previous studies, our church will soon be the “first” to feel the wrath of God. After describing Ezekiel 9, our prophetess lays it out for us, “Here we see that the church– the Lord’s sanctuary– was the first to feel the stroke of the wrath of God.” (Test. for the Church, Vol. 5, p.211).

So how do we “survive” this judgement, this wrath of God? This is our most pressing concern, right? This is serious business!  Our prophetess answers it, “The day of God’s vengeance is just upon us. The seal of God will be placed upon the foreheads of those only who sigh and cry for the abominations done in the land. ” (Test. for the Church, Vol. 5, p.212). So we must be sealed in the forehead, similar to those who posted the blood on the door posts (their seal) in the Egypt midnight destruction from the Lord. The angel passed over those who have that blood seal. Same with us in the upcoming beginning phase of the “judgment for the living”(“first stroke”).

Contrarily, if we don’t “sigh and cry” over the sins in our life and the church, we will not receive the seal on our foreheads–plain and simple. Our lukewarmness will cause us to be “spewed out”.  The Lord’s words are too simple to be mis-understood here. Can we be considered “sighing and crying” when we  ignore the sins in our midst or worse yet — take part in them?

We needed to refresh the Elijah message  because we are about to learn of a serious sin that has crept within our church that happens every Sabbath. Something that certainly must be “sighed and cried” about. And once we are “aware” of a wrong doing in our midst,  we must turn from it and want no part of it.

Although our SDA church wasn’t formally established until 1863, the body of believers existed many years prior, from about 1844- 1845. But it wasn’t until 1859 that the SDA members were committed to establishing a formal system of “Tithing”. Apparently prior  to that there was some confusion as to what, where and when tithes were to be paid. No “Lord approved” system had been put in place yet.

Before we study this plan, it’s important to see what Ellen White,a founder of the SDA, revealed about it. Arthur White, her grandson, and head of the White estate for many years,  wrote–

“As Testimony No. 5 came from the press in June 1859, it bore the assurance that “the plan of systematic benevolence is pleasing to God.” Ellen White told of how in vision she “was pointed back to the days of the apostles, and saw that God laid the plan by the descent of His Holy Spirit, and that by the gift of prophecy He counseled His people in regard to a system of benevolence.”

So we see that this plan started with God’s approval through His prophetess and founding members.  Let us now look at Arthur White’s  historical study of the SDA’s beginning plan of the  “Systematic Benevolence” plan of tithing within our church.

_____________________________

Some Documentation on Systematic Benevolence and the Tithe as Launched in 1859

The following plan was recommended at the January 1859 meeting in Battle Creek:

“1. Let each brother from 18 to 60 years of age lay by him in store on the first day of each week from five to 25 cents.

“2. Each sister from 18 to 60 years of age lay by her in store on the first day of each week

  from two to ten cents.

“3. Also, let each brother and sister lay by him or her in store on the first day of each week from one to five cents on each and every $100 of property they possess ….

“The lowest sums stated are so very small that those in the poorest circumstances (with very few exceptions of some widows, infirm, and aged) can act upon this plan; while those in better circumstances are left to act in the fear of God in the performance of their stewardship, to give all the way up to the highest sums stated, or even more, as they see it their duty to do.”-RH February 3, 1859, p. 84

“With only slight modification, this plan was adopted at the General Conference session, June 4, 1859. Reported in RH June 9, 1859, p. 20.”

                _________________________________________

As we highlighted in bold we see that the day to collect the tithes was “the first day of the week”–Sunday.   Sabbath collecting as far as can be gathered, did not exist nor even was mentioned. The next excerpt from his study reveals more.

               _________________________________________

The Perfected Plan Delineated in an 1878 Pamphlet

“According to conference action the perfected plan was set before the believers in a pamphlet significantly bearing the title Systematic Benevolence or the Bible Plan of Supporting the Ministry. It was but a refinement with a better way of figuring the tithe and the presentation made under the familiar title of “Systematic Benevolence.” In the introductory statement in the pamphlet we read:

“The subject of Systematic Benevolence has been under practical consideration by Seventh-day Adventists for a period of twenty years or more. And no material changes from the system first adopted were seen necessary until two years since. The reasons for these changes are given in the pages that follow.

“‘How much ought I to give for the support of the gospel?’ After carefully viewing the subject from all points, we answer, ‘A tithe of all our income.’

“This does not mean a tenth of our annual increase of property after the cost of food and clothing, and other expenses, are paid, but that nine parts of our income are to meet all these expenses, while a tithe of our income is the Lord’s, to be sacredly devoted to the support of the ministry. We regard the plan of pledging a sum equal to one percent annually on our property defective in several respects:”

“We solemnly promise, before God and to each other, conscientiously to pay to the Systematic Benevolence treasurer a tithe of all our income, to be laid by when received, and paid on the first Sunday of each one of the four quarters of the year; namely, the first Sunday in January, the first Sunday in April, the first Sunday in July, and the first Sunday in October.”

__________________________________________

We see that in 1878 ,  some adjustments and recommendations were made . These concerned subjects such as –what constituted proper tithes and so forth.What we notice in reading the above adjustments (and through out the full article) is that no where is there mention of any statement as to changing the “day” of paying the tithes. Sunday was confirmed as the day to pay the tithes.  So for 20 years,the official tithe paying olan within our SDA church was the first day–Sunday.  And as we mention, this had the full backing from the Lord per Ellen White’s aforementioned statement.

We also found these two confirming statements that this system was in place in 1868 and 1880.

“Nothing on the Battle Creek scene escaped this teenager. At the first Seventh-day Adventist camp meeting in Wright, Michigan (1868), Maud  rode on  a wagon to pitch tents made out of sheets. She also went to work in the composing room of the Review and Herald (for 10 cents an hour). After the plan of paying tithes was presented to the believers, Maud was usually one of the first in line when the collector came by on Sunday mornings.” (Adventist Review, March 3, 1994)

“Sunday there were no meetings in the other churches, and the house was crowded. The best of attention was given to words spoken from 1 John 3:1-3.
In the evening we again addressed an interested company. Monday we took the cars for Napa, where we spoke to the brethren and sisters there assembled in the evening. Some of the members of this church have moved away, and some have died, so that there are but few left. Although so few in numbers, one hundred and thirty-four dollars were paid in as their quarterly tithe ( *as per the benevolence plan stated above). When every church member does his part cheerfully in tithes and offerings the general treasury will be supplied. Napa needs judicious ministerial labor.”(April 22, 1880 St. Helena, Cal., ( * my comment)

Ok, we can see , so far, that from its inception through to 1880 (about 22 years) that the day of paying tithes was confirmed as Sunday.  Another statement found that confirms the Sunday paying of tithes.

In 1878 James White, JN Andrews and Uriah Smith further confirmed the Sunday plan of paying tithes, “We solemnly promise, before God and to each other, to conscientiously pay to the Systematic Benevolence Treasurer a tithe of all our income, to be paid on the first Sunday of each one of the four quarters of the year ; namely, the first Sunday in January, the first Sunday in April, the first Sunday in July, and the first Sunday in October. ” (Review and Herald , August 29, 1878)

Signed James White (Contributing editors are JN Andrews and Uriah Smith)  

“The directions given by the Holy Spirit through Paul in regards to gifts, present a principle that applies also to tithing: “Upon the first day of the week let every one of you lay by him in store, as God hath prospered him…and what more appropriate time could be chosen for setting aside the tithes and presenting our offerings to God?”  (Counsels on Stewardship, p.80, Review and Herald, 1902)

Also we noticed she specifically mentions our tithes to be stored  “at home” in the Testimonies– “Each member of the different families in our churches who believes the truth may act a part in its advancement by cheerfully adopting systematic benevolence. “Let every one of you lay by him in store [by himself at home], . . . that there be no gatherings when I come.” The burden of urging and pressing individuals to give of their means was not designed to be the work of God’s ministers.(Test. for the Church, Vol.3, p.412)

So we see that from 1878 to 1902, the stance was still the same–Sunday was tithe paying day. So now in 1902,  it’s 43 years since inception of the plan that the official tithe collecting day occurred on Sunday.

So it’s safe to assume that at least until Ellen White’s death in 1915, the official stance from our church was not altered.

So it appears that somewhere from 1915 to 1930, the Roman church custom of plate passing crept into our church and became the church norm.

Also it’s important to note,  along with Sabbath collections, there are other important aspects occuring  concerning paying of God’s money into His storehouse. Particularly what constitutes His storehouse. For more on this see the link below.

As we mentioned before, the Lord’s Elijah message is to be for us the anti-type of the type.The type being the original Elijah message of calling out the sins of God’s people and pleading for reformation. As such brother Houteff’s writing must be considered as they are the very last from the Lord. And he certainly called out this tithe situation. Remember there is no other prophet prophesied to come before the great and dreadful day, except “Elijah”.

“In order to eliminate money changing for tithe and offering, paying for books, etc. on the Sabbath, a Laodicean practice which the word of God condemns, let us carefully attend to all such matters on the first day of the week (1 Cor.16:2) by placing all monies in envelopes.” (Vol. 1 Symbolic news code, no.9, p.11)

Here we see that brother Houteff  in 1935 gives us an update on the tithing activity. Apparently, some of the churches where changing money and buying and selling books, etc. on the Sabbath, and he makes mention of it as a “Laodicean practice”. So it appears this practice had established some type of foothold by then. But clearly he instructs us to “attend” the matter on the first day, just as our prophetess gave our Lord’s instructions on tithing.

One of the last publications after 1950 from brother Houteff, was the “Jezreel Letters”. He made 9 of them.The quote below confirms that the Roman custom had taken solid hold within the SDA church.

“Look and see what a difference there is between God’s method for supporting His work, and the Roman system that is now carried on by the church: plate-passing, high-powered speeches, Big Day, Book Day, high pressuring, campaigning, selling, auctioneering, Harvest Ingathering, birthday offerings, Christmas-tree hangings, baby weighings, Dorcas sales, investment funds, and what not!  As none of these squeezings are Biblical, and as all of them are Pagan in origin and condemned by the Scriptures, they could not possibly be considered freewill offerings. Search and see.“(Jezreel Letter, No. 9, p.8)

So there we have it. There can be no doubt that we are witnessing each and every Sabbath a gigantic “Cuckoo bird egg”  in our midst. The question is– are we going to participate in this? Or are we going to mail in our tithes of the first day of the week-Sunday?

The question may be asked–“Is it ok to send it in on Monday or other day of the week? The scripture says “let” each. I think it’s a good foundation to know that Sunday is not a command day. The main point being to keep the Sabbath holy by not dealing in money.

Some may also say, “This really is not such a big deal, why get worried over it?”  I would answer– because God specifically instructed our church to NOT pay tithes on His Sabbath as evidenced by never authorizing this custom throughout all of scripture history and his two last prophets as well.  Here’s something to ponder. What do you think would happen if we as His remnant church started obeying in this regard?  Our Great God would bless us for it and the money would be much greater into the church! Obedience always results in blessings.

Furthermore, what is the house of God for anyway? Is it not for prayer and the reading of His word? “He said to them, “The Scriptures declare, ‘My Temple will be called a house of prayer,’ but you have turned it into a den of thieves!” (Matt.21:13)

We recall our Master whipping the money exchangers from the temple courts. Can we imagine if  He found the people dealing and handling money in His house??

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The devil trick is “You are doing a good cause, the Lord accepts the handling , discussing and requesting of money and raising goals within His house.”

Let us close with appropriate words from our prophetess,  “The true people of God, who have the spirit of the work of the Lord and the salvation of souls at heart, will ever view sin in its real, sinful character. They will always be on the side of faithful and plain dealing with sins which easily beset the people of God. Especially in the closing work for the church, in the sealing time of the one hundred and forty-four thousand who are to stand without fault before the throne of God, will they feel most deeply the wrongs of God’s professed people.” (Test. for the Church, Vol. 3, p.266)

“It is not safe for us to linger to contemplate the advantages to be reaped through yielding to Satan’s suggestions.  Sin means dishonor and disaster to every soul that indulges in it; but it is blinding and deceiving in its nature, and it will entice us with flattering presentations.  If we venture on Satan’s ground, we have no assurance of protection from his power.  So far as in us lies, we should close every avenue by which the tempter may find access to us.”(Mount of Blessings, p.171)

For the full article from Arthur White, click here —http://www.whiteestate.org/issues/Tithe-H&U.html#Some

For a more indepth look into tithing, such as where is God’s true storehouses are, and other important aspects, click our post “Tithes and offerings” —https://godsloveandlaw.com/2012/09/22/offerings-and-tithes-part-1-of-2/

Posted in Present Truth, Proper teachings, Tithes and Offerings | 5 Comments »

True Repentance

June 15, 2013

repentance

As we profess to be a follower of Christ, we must make sure to get the simple basics cleared in our life. For what man goes to build a foundation on sand? Just as our Lord said, “Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock” (Matt. 7:24).  So it’s clear that we must lay the foundation upon solid “rock”. And one of the most basic solid aspects of our walk with the Lord is –repentance. Let us look at this most important spiritual  foundation, one of the pillars of our faith.

Before Christ’s first advent, John the Baptist was called to prepare the way as we know. And the primary command he issued was to–repent. “In those days John the Baptist came preaching in the wilderness of Judea, saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!” (Matt. 3:1-2). He was letting the people know that the first step to coming clean before the Lord was to repent. It’s akin to the following analogy. Who, when they want to rebuild something (ie. their life) doesn’t start out first by cleaning up and clearing away? Repenting is the same thing spiritually.

Why is repenting so important and many times overlooked in our Christian walk today? We know that our Lord gave us specific instructions in His words to His last church (Rev. 3:19). Last week we spoke of “zealousness” but the next word He commanded was–repent. Why would He say it if we aren’t in need of it? Obviously He knew that we as Laodiceans would need this serious instruction.

So it is clear we must search ourselves closely to find if we have held on to an act or deed we haven’t come clean  to the Lord about.

Allow me to give some personal examples. A few years back, after I had become a serious follower of Christ, the Lord started to give me flashbacks of things I had done that were in  my past. Maybe I’d be driving and all of a sudden I’d remember something I did that wasn’t right before the Lord. For example, I remembered I had hired a man to do some remodel work for a property I was renovating. Long story short, I had run into some financial difficulty and told him I would have to pay him later. Later, I moved out of town and basically reneged on my pledge.

But as I was driving my heart soared as I immediately knew that the Lord had told me to get it right! Very soon after this, I found the man (thank God he had kept his number after 7 or 8 years). He was very happy to hear I would be sending him his money. In (Ezekiel 33:15) we read, “If the wicked restores the pledge, gives back what he has stolen, and walks in the statues of life without committing iniquity, he shall surely live; he shall not die.”

The Lord calls us what we are when we steal–wicked. I had stolen his labor and practiced unrighteousness. But upon learning what I had to do, it was up to me to repent and then act. You see, repentance is much more than just words. Many times our words are only part of the true repentance. Our deeds fulfill the repentance.

Another time I recalled, was when I had hired a tree cutter. He had cut down the majority of the tree, yet he didn’t remove “all” of the stump as he said he would. It was too deep and he couldn’t do it he said. So, being the unrighteous man I was,  I figured I didn’t owe him anything because he didn’t finish the job. So he said he understood and left. But upon reflection in my new Christ centered  life,  I came to my senses and realized he did the best he could and did take down about 80% of it, so it was right to pay him something for what he did do. He was thrilled and even invited me into his home to sit and chat when I showed up to pay him.

So once we become serious in our walk, we must reflect upon things we have done and if it’s in our power to right them we should. This really constitutes true repentance. Some things may be out of our control. For example we may have lost touch with someone. The Lord knows what is doable and what is not. But again, if we start thinking “Oh the Lord will forgive me he knows I made a mistake.” And we presumptuously think we have His grace ,  yet we don’t make any effort to right it, we may seriously be considered neglecting to “restore the pledge”.

One of the most applicable quotes (and favorite of mine) from our prophetess is– 

“But Christ has given us no assurance that to attain perfection of character is an easy matter. A noble, all-round character is not inherited. It does not come to us by accident. A noble character is earned by individual effort through the merits and grace of Christ. God gives the talents, the powers of the mind; we form the character. It is formed by hard, stern battles with self. Conflict after conflict must be waged against hereditary tendencies. We shall have to criticize ourselves closely, and allow not one unfavorable trait to remain uncorrected.

Let no one say, I cannot remedy my defects of character. If you come to this decision, you will certainly fail of obtaining everlasting life. The impossibility lies in your own will. If you will not, then you can not overcome. The real difficulty arises from the corruption of an unsanctified heart, and an unwillingness to submit to the control of God.(Christ Object Lessons, p.331).

One of those serious defects of character would be the refusal or neglect, to repent after we  “criticize ourselves closely”. As we mentioned earlier, our Christian walk must be a  renewed walk, with a rebuilding and removing of past wrongs, a repentance of wrong doing. “Jesus replied, “I tell you the truth, unless you are born again, you cannot see the Kingdom of God.”(John 3:3).

Our new life of being ‘born again” certainly cannot exclude repentance. As we confess our sins and repent, we feel that special closeness to Him. This is one of the surest ways to “draw close to Him”. In (James 4:8) we read, “Draw close to Him , and He will draw close to you.”

I believe one of the most common errors we make as professed Christians is the error of presumptiousness. Many feel they are “forgiven” without out even repenting. It’s kind of  like someone striking you then looking at you and saying, “I know you forgive me, thank you”. What?  The cart is before the horse. But if we come clean to the Lord and if need be, to those we have wronged, we can claim His faithful promise. “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness (1 John 1:19).

Is not that what the Pharisees tried to do in approaching John the Baptist? Their presumptioness was called out by John. They felt their wrongs were acceptable and no big deal, therefore they were not in need of repentance. If  we sin we have the Great Forgiver, but can He forgive without our sincere remorse and repentance? 

The reward of repentance is that we  have a “clear conscience”. “Cling to your faith in Christ, and keep your conscience clear. For some people have deliberately violated their consciences; as a result, their faith has been shipwrecked.” (1 Tim. 1:19)

You see brethren, even if we have all the knowledge of the prophecies, but don’t possess the simple important basics of the Christian walk, we deceive ourselves. Sanctification always begins on the first step–love and repentance.

Now how great is it before the Lord, if he sees us walking in obedience of the basics yet having a good clear understanding of the prophecies! Wow, now that appears the utmost Christian experience.

Last week something happened that was the motivating factor in making this week’s post.

I had been involved in some studies with a certain brother. We had several studies together, each Sabbath evening (Friday night). The studies were quite rewarding. But the last of the studies, we had a dispute of our beliefs. Things got a little testy. Emails followed and we shared why we thought the other was mistaken. He then made the statement which basically said that I was lost and needed to be born again.

I emailed him back and said that he was making a serious mistake in “mounting the judgment seat”. No one  has the right to declare someone lost and only our Lord is given that judgment to declare.

Then about  a week later, he called me. After small chit-chat he said, “You know brother, I’ve been thinking and I want to apologize for being rash and saying some things that were wrong.”  I was very, very impressed. Why? Because we just don’t hear this kind of humbleness and straightness from many of our brothers and sisters in the faith. I told him with a warm heart, that what he was doing was, “great before the Lord”. We left our conversation both feeling the Lord’s strength.

In closing, let us often remember that our Lord is “Mighty to save”(Zeph. 3:17) but we must do our part and build a solid foundation. And one of the most important requirements of us as “Christians”, is to be willing, able  and ready  to — repent. May the Lord be your strength!

 
 

 
 

Posted in Christian walk, Humility, Sanctification | 4 Comments »

At Work in His Vineyard

June 8, 2013

Vineyard

As we near the end of our probation, not the world’s but ours, the remnant church of God, we must carefully attend to the matter of–are we working in His vineyard? Are we at work in some capacity? Or are we slothful servants, willing to watch the work and not get involved? Let us look at this most important subject today –working in His vineyard.

In the parable of the laborers in the field (Matt. 20:1-16), our Lord spoke of working for Him in His vineyard. He makes mention of eleventh hour workers standing idle  saying “Why have you been standing here idle all day?”  Then finding they aren’t working He directs, “You also go into the vineyard, and what ever is right, that you will receive” (Matt 20:6-7).

Certainly we know that we are indeed in the “eleventh hour” of our world’s history. In fact we just completed the total world’s population at 7 billion. For a “world population clock” click here  http://www.worldometers.info/world-population/ . As any bible student knows, seven is the number for completeness. We now have a “complete” world population according to God’s number symbols. This is just one of many signs we are living in the very last days.

So with time very short how can we as God’s servants get to work? To refrain from standing “idle”? To begin with we must know what our work is.  When our Lord addressed us in the final book (Revelation, chapter 3) He said to us “Be zealous and repent”(3-19).

So our work must consist of a “zealousness”. Which is the opposite of  being idle. As we have shown from our numerous studies, we are living in the time of the last message from the Lord — the Elijah message(Mal 4:5). So there’s no doubt that this message is the one we must teach and spread, and this is our “work” for today.

“For His church in every generation God has a special truth and a special work” (Christ’s Object Lessons, p.78)

Let us look at some good practical ways to get involved and to be counted as a laborer for God, found working  in His vineyard.

1) Make a daily schedule of “your” time with God and His word. Guard this time as precious. And as we just mentioned the Lord’s word is solidly the last message of Elijah (our present truth). So during this time study all you can about His final plans. It’s only as we understand his message, that we can spread it properly. For a post that is helpful see our post ” The Elijah Message in a Nutshell” https://godsloveandlaw.com/2013/04/06/the-elijah-message-in-a-nutshell/

2)Form a small group of contacts. Brethren who are already in the Lord’s work. These will hopefully consist of knowledgeable brothers and sisters whom you can ask questions or even share thoughts about the work. 

3) Start small and just where you’re at. The Elijah message requires boldness because of the solemn testimonies and reproofs it requires of you, but in order to do that we must clear our own immediate influences. Let us also remember that our Lord has always spoken His words through His prophets(Amos 3:7). Even though  this Elijah message is not accepted many times by our brethren, our Lord’s direct and clear warning  must be foremost in our minds, “ Whoever is ashamed of Me and My words, the Son of Man will be ashamed of them when He comes in His glory and in the glory of  the Father and of the holy angels. ” (Luke 9:26)

So if we are embarrassed, afraid or hesitant of acknowledging and spreading His words ( His last message of Elijah) are we being ashamed of Him? Afraid because we may lose some friends or be murmured against? Speaking of fearful, it’s interesting to notice that our Lord listed “cowardly” first in who won’t make it into heaven. “But the cowardly, unbelieving. abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death” (Rev. 21:8).

Our loved ones, family, close friends, are the very first ones we can begin with. They can  help make us more confident and gain some experience with our approach.  Remember this is our “testing truth” (see Test. for the Church, vol. 5, p453).  And the message that shows us how we are to be sealed in the day of the Lord’s judgments that start first in His church.

4) Employ all the resources at your disposal.  You can keep these sites handy to show as references. Remember many within our church will be surprised and even shocked to know that Ellen White and Scripture confirms the message of the Lord’s Shepherd’s Rod. In fact many who have accepted this message were doubters before, but upon seeing from SOP and Scripture the very same things that brother Houteff taught (the “Elijah” to come) they became firm believers.

One helpful point to remember is that as you spread the message some will ask you questions or make statements to you, trying to discourage you,  or proving to you some “error” in the Elijah message. This is where it is good to have your sources handy (mentioned sites) or other brethren to inquire of.  If you go to the “Answerer” and study and read those Q and A’s, you’ll be well prepared to meet many doubting questions.

As “Truth seekers” our job (workers in His vineyard) is to spread “truth” to help get them sealed for the “great and dreadful day”. We want to help get this message (truth) settled into their understanding. As a refresher, let us look at the following and see  what the Elijah message teaches us as to what the “seal” is. 

“Being sealed in Christ ‘with that Holy Spirit of promise’ after having ‘heard the word of truth'(Eph. 1:13, 4:30), the saints are consequently sealed by Present Truth– the truth preached in their own day. ‘The seal of the living God’, the Truth, by which the 144,000 are sealed (Rev. 7:2), is a special seal, being the same as “the mark” of Ezekiel 9 (See Testimonies to Ministers, p.445, Test. for the Church, Vol. 3, p.267, Vol. 5, p.211) (Answerer, question 21)http://www.shepherds-rod.org/answerers/answerer2.html#WHAT 

Interestingly our prophetess also made a clear statement on what the seal is (which goes hand in hand with the statement above by brother Houteff). “Just as soon as the people of God are sealed in their foreheads—it is not any seal or mark that can be seen, but a settling into the truth, both intellectually and spiritually, so they cannot be moved…” ( Bible Commentary, Vol. 4. p.1161)

So clear it is that once we know His message and accept it and live it, we then “settle into” it (truth). And it becomes so true and understandable to us that we “cannot be moved” from it. This is the seal in our foreheads!

We see from EGW that this seal is not lightly bantered around and comes with conditions –“The day of God’s vengeance is just upon us. The seal of God will be placed upon the foreheads of those only who sigh and cry for the abominations done in the land.” (Test. for the Church, Vol. 5, p.212)

Here are the resource sites that have the Lord’s Elijah message truths.

a.http://www.shepherds-rod.org/

b.http://www.shepherds-rod-message.org/charts/

c.http://shepherdsroddavidian.org/

dhttp://sighandcry777.wordpress.com/    (Special Note–  We now have FREE  CD/DVD’s on this site)

e.http://www.thenightcometh.org/

5) Start a free online website (such as this blog) Takes only a few minutes and you’re up and running. As mentioned you can spread the studies and references on there. Or you can join an online SDA forum and start communication with other SDA. The key is to “get to work”. Can we think it is enough to just “think” about the message? As the word says,”But  be ye doers of the word, and not  hearers only, deceiving your own selves” (James 1:22)

Keep in mind that the aforementioned CD/DVD’s are excellent ways to spread the message. When you watch them and re-watch them you’ll gain tremendous insight into the Elijah message. Then you can make copies, as many as you can, and send them to your friends and family. This can be a wonderful way to partake in His work! If we just make the effort, we find there are many ways to participate in His work in the vineyard. It’s almost like the Lord has set the table before you, all you have to do is grab the fork and start with it.

Now let us look at a few of Satan’s ploys to get us to not work in His vineyard.

1) Time waster. One of his tricks is to get us involved in many worldly endeavors. While many of us have to earn a living, he leads us to spend much more then we should on our jobs and worldly distractions. These can be our professional and worldly work, family, hobbies, entertainment such as TV, Theater, music, video games, computer games and endeavors, etc. Once he has us distracted from working in His vineyard we can very easily lose track of time and before you know it,  one year, two years, three years go by! “Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour when the Son of man cometh” (Matt. 25:13). When our time is up, we can’t go back and say ” I sure wish I would have concentrated  on His work more than on my work”.

2) Doubter expert. He certainly wants you to have “no part” in the Elijah message. As he knows very well this is the message that will ultimately doom him. He has tricked hundreds of thousands in our own SDA church into thinking that the real message of the Lord right now is one of –peace and safety. We think all is well and as long as our name is on the church books we’re safe and saved. “It is not enough to make a profession of faith in Christ and have our names registered on the church roll.(Patriarch and prophets, p.24)

“To have your name on the church book does not make you a Christian. ” (Review and Herald, Dec. 10, 1901)

3) Hinderer extraordinaire.  He has influenced some to be hinderers.There is no doubt that once we become willing to stand up for His message of Elijah, we will have some who will criticize and try to discourage us. But by this you will know that you are active in His vineyard and making dents in the enemy’s ground. For Satan wants you inactive and a lukewarm church member.  “Woe to you experts in the religious law, because you have taken away the key to knowledge. You yourselves have not entered,  and you have hindered those who were entering.”(Luke 11:52).  This reminds me of the old adage, “Lead, follow, or get out of the way”.

Our prophetess gives good counsel in the malpractice of hindering. “As men see that they cannot maintain their position by the Scriptures, many determine to maintain it at all hazards, and with a malicious spirit they assail the character and motives of those who stand in defense of unpopular truth. Elijah was declared to be a troubler in Israel, Jeremiah a traitor, Paul a polluter of the temple. From that day to this, those who would be loyal to truth have been denounced as seditious, heretical, or schismatic. ” (The Great Controversy, p.458).

“Your faith is to be revealed as precious truth, truth which all should have and all must have if they are saved. As a people, we are in the minority. We are not popular. Our enemies will be watching us for evil, to betray us and ruin our souls. They will not appreciate our motives. They will misinterpret our earnest zeal and our intense desire to have others see and understand the truth, that they may do the will of God by obeying all His commandments. But we should fight the good fight of faith, and be found “steadfast, unmovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord.” (Test. for the Church, Vol. 5, p.520-521).

Today we are under the sad realization that there are indeed “few” laborers in His vineyard. We have a choice right now, either make a decision to start working or sit back and wait for a day that may never come, or worse yet, decide we have all we need and there is no need to work.

“As never before, we should pray not only that laborers may be sent forth into the great harvest field, but that we may have a clear conception of truth, so that when the messenger of truth shall come, we may accept the message and respect the messenger.” (Vol. 6 Testimonies for the Church  p. 420.)

In closing, let us always remember that our work in His vineyard is the most rewarding and rewardful work we can do. Is not our fellow brethren and family’s souls worth every effort on our part? May the Lord inspire you to be–at work in His vineyard.

Posted in Elijah, God's sealings, Hard work, Present Truth, Proper teachings, Satan, Witnessing | 7 Comments »

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