Volume 17, Number 9

hree years ago the whole

world was approaching the
end of the millennium with
great anxiety. Would the worlds
giant computer systems fail?
Americans spent millions of dollars
for generators, food, and water.
When the new millennium
dawned, there was a great sigh of
relief. Most computers were
working, paychecks were in the
mail, and life continued with
hardly a disturbance for most
people.
Y2K is now historyand so is
another day, September 11, 2001.
The world, especially America, is
approaching the upcoming September 11 with a certain reverence
for the thousands of people who
died in the tragedy in New York
City and Washington, D.C. The
stock market is very nervous.
Investors are in a near panic.
Afghanistan, Al-Qaida, Taliban,
and Islam all have become familiar
words, even to schoolchildren.
Americans and the world are
being conditioned for another
warthe invasion of Iraq. The
American people are ready to
support legislation that will curtail
their freedoms in order to preserve their lifestyle. The prophecies of Revelation, chapter 13, are
being fulfilled.
Our president has made it very
clear that anyone who does not
support American policies for
preserving the peace is a terrorist.
When America began to speak as
a dragon, the worldeven some
of the Islamic nationsscrambled
to be part of the anti-terrorist
coalition.
The Religious Right [Protestantism] has reached across the gulf to
clasp hands with the pope. The
president and his cabinet advisors
are very much aware that winning

his second term in office will

depend on the Catholic vote and
the support of the Christian Coalition. Every day America takes
another step toward enforcing the
image to the first beast of Revelation, chapter 13the Papacy. The
Sunday laws hang ominously over
our confused world.
Business is attempting to return
world travel to normal. Yet, people
anxiously examine the faces of their
fellow travelers as they stand in
long lines while security officers
examine their carry-on bagsand
even their shoes!
We see mens hearts failing
them for fear, and for looking after
those things which are coming on
the earth: for the powers of heaven
shall be shaken. Luke 21:26.
The end of all things is at
hand. The Seventh-day Adventist
Church is possibly in the worst
apostasy in the churchs history
the Omega. God is preparing a
people around the world for the
latter rain. Only those who are
willing to be made willing to obey
all known truth, without a single
compromise, and are seeking for
the experience of the high standard
of righteousness in Christ Jesus, by
the power of the Holy Spirit, and
growing in grace daily through
careful study of the Scripture and
Spirit of Prophecy, will be part of
the great final movement, which
God is preparing in order to give
the loud cry to the world. See
Revelation 18:14. These are the
sighing and crying ones scattered
around the world who are depicted
by our prophet in Testimonies, vol.
5, 209210.
Quite possibly the judgment of
the living will soon begin. Ezekiel
9:16 will be completely fulfilled,
and Gods final judgment will
begin within the ranks of the

Seventh-day Adventist membership and its ministry. See Testimonies, vol. 5, 211. Ezekiel, chapter
seven, prefaces the eighth chapter
with the warning, an end is come,
the end is come. Verse 6. The
eighth chapter reveals the abominations that are in the church at the
end-time, and introduces the ninth
chapterthe sealing of Gods
faithful, obedient, commandmentkeeping people and ministry. See
Testimonies, vol. 5, 7583, 209211,
217; ibid., vol. 8, 249251.
Jesus words warn us that only a
few Seventh-day Adventists are
ready to qualify in the preparation
for eternal life:
For many are called, but few
are chosen. Matthew 22:14. See
Testimonies, vol. 5, 10, 50, 136; ibid.,
vol. 2, 355.
Gods standard of righteousness
is the perfect character of Christ
victory by the power of the Holy
Spirit over all hereditary and
cultivated tendencies to sin. See The
Desire of Ages, 311, 313, 671; Christs
Object Lessons, 69, 330. May each
reader pass to this high mark of the
calling in Christ Jesus.
And ye shall seek me, and find
me, when ye shall search for me
with all your heart. Jeremiah
29:13.
Nothing is apparently more
helpless, yet really more invincible,
than the soul that feels its nothingness and relies wholly on the
merits of the Saviour. By prayer, by
the study of His Word, by faith in
His abiding Presence, the weakest
of human beings may live in
contact with the living Christ, and
He will hold them by a hand that
will never let go. The Ministry of
Healing, 182.
May each of us be among the
sealedamong the 144,000is my
prayer. !

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Volume 17, Number 9

It is the mission of Hope International and the

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Christ and His truth. The days remaining for
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Editors
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4
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September 2002

Terrorists and the Demise of Religious Liberty

Hal Mayer
Sobering thoughts on the first anniversary of September 11,
2001

The Remnant Church: Under Divine Rebuke

Ron Spear
An important lesson from the Exodus

Great Power and Glory

Bill Humeniuk
Are you preparing spiritually to receive the latter rain and
face the impending crisis?

A New Heart
Leola Rosenvold
The Great Physicians remedy for sin-sick souls

I Cannot Come Down

Ellen G. White
What should I do when others spread evil reports about me?

The Judgment Message

J. N. Loughborough
The prophetic line of truth that establishes when the
investigative judgment began

departments
Newswatch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
Letters to the Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31

Copyright 2002 Hope International

Artwork and photos in this publication are the property of
their respective owners, and are used with permission.
Other items are Hope International.
Cover composition photos: PhotoDisc

Volume 17, Number 9

pressure other nations to join this

effort:
This executive order means
that United States banks that have
assets of these groups or individuals must freeze their accounts. And
United States citizens or businesses
are prohibited from doing business
with them. . . . Were putting banks
and financial institutions around
the world on notice. . . . If they fail
to help us by sharing information
or freezing accounts, the Department of the Treasury now has the
authority to freeze their banks
assets and transactions in the
United States. . . . If you do business with terrorists, if you support
or sponsor them, you will not do
business with the United States of
America. I want to assure the
world that we will exercise this
power responsibly. But make no
mistake about it, we intend to, and
we will, disrupt terrorist networks.
. . . Weve established a foreign
terrorist asset tracking center at the
Department of the Treasury to
identify and investigate the financial infrastructure of the international terrorist networks. . . .
Money is the lifeblood of terrorist
operations. Today, were asking the
world to stop payment. 1
President Bush also said that he
was going to implement other
global strategies to crush the

terrorists. That speech was all

about the terroristson the surface. But Satan has a larger planhe
wants to bring the whole world
under his control. His plan is to
prevent Gods people from giving
the last message. President Bush is
certainly unaware of it, but the real
agenda behind the terrorist attacks
was to establish international
systems and mechanisms to eventually enforce similar decrees against
Gods people. These decrees could
not be enforced without global
systems in place, fine-tuned and
well-practiced. The terrorists provided a seemingly genuine excuse to
destroy civil libertiesno doubt a
prelude to destroying the religious
liberties of Gods people.
A similar speech about Gods
people has no doubt been made by
Satan in the unseen world. The
Presidents speech sounds like
Revelation 13 in modern parlancethough for the moment
directed at another target. For a
shocking insight into the future of
Gods people, read the full text of
the Presidents speech, referred to
above, and insert the word Adventist wherever President Bush
used the word terrorist.
The attacks and subsequent
changes have struck at the heart of
the U.S. Constitution. Note this
prophetic prediction:

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Composition Photos: PhotoDisc

he morning of September 11,

2001, was bright and clear.
The nation was quiet for a
few hours, until four aircraft were
hijacked, and three were successfully crashed into prominent
symbols of American culture.
Immediately our nation went into a
panic, and nothing has been the
same since.
As the terrorists were laying
their plans, they had no idea that
angels of God were involved.
Sometime before September 11, the
angels, who had previously been
holding back the winds of strife, let
loose a little which allowed those
evil plans to succeed. September 11
was critical to the development of
earths final movements. Gods
people needed awakening, and the
world needed to be sensitized to
ask deeper spiritual questions.
Satans plan was to create an
environment in which he could
develop the mechanisms to enforce
the no buy, no sell decree of
Revelation 13:17 on all true believers. In a speech on September 24,
2001, President Bush announced an
executive order freezing the assets
(no buy, no sell) of certain organizations. In that speech he made it
clear that he was establishing
global networks and controls to
search and destroy terrorist organizations, and that the U.S. would

Hal Mayer

By the decree enforcing the

institution of the Papacy in violation of the law of God, our nation
will disconnect herself fully from
righteousness. When Protestantism
shall stretch her hand across the
gulf to grasp the hand of the
Roman power, when she shall
reach over the abyss to clasp hands
with spiritualism, when, under the
influence of this threefold union,
our country shall repudiate every
principle of its Constitution as a
Protestant and republican government, and shall make provision for
the propagation of papal falsehoods and delusions, then we may
know that the time has come for
the marvelous working of Satan
and that the end is near. Testimonies, vol. 5, 451.

Every Principle Repudiated

The September 11 attacks were
so horrific that they created a longterm environment of fearand of
reduced concerns about constitutional rights. Fear of new attacks
will keep even those reduced
concerns from becoming significant. Considerable discussion in
the press about the balance between civil liberties and security, in
effect, puts opposition to constitutional overrides to rest. In spite of
these assurances, there has been a
dramatic shift away from personal
liberties. Americans have willingly
allowed the President to assume
unprecedented powers over their
lives. Every week the newspapers
report more changes in the name of
security at the expense of civil
rights and privacy. Many of them
may well be the only thing a
human government can do to try to
protect its people. Does America
realize that it is now willingly
repudiating by leaps and bounds
the principles of its Constitution?

A Global Infrastructure
The no buy, no sell law could
not be fulfilled on a global scale
before September 11, 2001. The
mindset of Americans had to be
changed about their liberties. The
global infrastructure to regulate,
control, and enforce this law is
daily advancing at a frightening

Volume 17, Number 9

pace. President Bush said that he is

developing a global system with
the ability to pressure other nations. That is not easy. However,
they are all getting used to it, and
they will ultimately cooperate.
Banks worldwide are cooperating. Secure banking places, such as
the Caribbean Islands, will no
longer be entirely private. The
Germans have been cooperating,
and have already arrested a number of people with connections to
the terrorists. A global communication system is being developed

A Global Justice System

Based in the Netherlands, but
run by an increasingly powerful
and demanding UN, an International Criminal Court (ICC) has
been established. 3 The ICC is now
open for business and is prepared
to supersede the court systems of
the world. Even though the U.S.
has not joined in the ICC treaty, it
does not object to the court in
principle, but as it would be
applied to U.S. soldiers on peacekeeping missions.

Our country shall repudiate every principle of its Constitution

as a Protestant and republican government, and shall make
provision for the propagation of papal falsehoods and
delusions.
between the CIA, the FBI, and their
equivalent organizations in other
countries, to gather and share
information. A new Operation TIPS
(Terrorism Information and Prevention System), proposed by
President Bush, would recruit
1 million people to spy on, and
then report on, their fellow citizens
in a modern version of Nazi
Germany. 2 This would link up with
similar international programs. All of
this takes time to organize, refine,
and implement, but Satan knows
that he cannot enforce the Sunday
law without a well-developed, global
control system.

Law Enforcement Cooperation

International law enforcement
cooperation is essential to enforcing the global Sunday law. Since
September 11, international law
enforcement operations are developing and cooperating together.
Wiretap rules have been liberalized. Cell phones, the internet, and
traditional communications are all
subject to new rules affecting
private citizens. Prior to September
11, these things would have been
considered clearly unconstitutional.
But all of them are essential to the
global system to strike against
Gods people.

The ICC is a system of secret

tribunalsnot a jury of peers. If
you are convicted of a crime, you
can be sent to a prison anywhere in
the worldnot necessarily in your
home country. Appeals are made to
the same body that originally
convicted younot to an impartial
court of appeals. How difficult do
you think it would be to extradite
and arraign people before the ICC
for violating the blasphemy laws of
Great Britain, Europe, or the
Vatican, though the crime was
committed in America? The ICC is
being modeled on nearly the same
principles as was the Inquisition
centuries ago.
Military tribunals are also
secret; they do not have the same
restrictions as do civil courts. These
courts are being restructured to be
used whenever prisoners are
deemed to be part of a military
operation. The original intention is
to arraign those involved in international terrorism. But governments are already expanding
definitions dramatically, and we
can imagine that some of Gods
people could be tried in some of
these courts. Military tribunals now
have a loosened attorney-client
privilege. Conversations between
alleged criminals and their lawyers

can now be monitored. This is not

planned for civil courts yetat
least not publicly. Nor is it planned
for American citizensyet! First,
the American public must be tested
to see if they will tolerate it, at least
at some level, before it is tried on
citizens or the civil courts.
Suppose that national security
interests began to include church
activities. Certain church groups
and their members could potentially be defined as military combatants, even though they are
merely church members. Does that
sound far-fetched?Not in the
wake of the recent use of mosques
to organize terrorist cells. When
laws and definitions of crime are
expanded, making certain religious
ideas or practices illegal, these
tribunals are likely to be used in

in lock down. There are only so

many ways to access them. During
lock down, every vehicle would be
observed as it leaves or enters the
city. The National Guard or Reserves would have the authority to
search any vehicle. It would be
very easy for the government to
lock down a city or a community so
that everyone coming in and going
out would be searched or subjected
to ID checks. Does that sound
ominous?

National Identification Cards

Technology is available for a
national ID card or a coordinated
drivers license program. President
Bush is proposing an obligatory
system. The ID system could be
used to authorize (or deny) any
and all banking transactions,

The system being established now can easily be manipulated

and eventually transformed and used against Gods faithful
people.

ways originally thought impossible. The system being established

now can easily be manipulated and
eventually transformed and used
against Gods faithful people.

Immigration

including those of supermarket and

gasoline sales. It is only a matter of
getting the peopleAmerican
citizensto accept the idea. A few
more attacks, or other national
crises, and they will willingly
accept these measuresand more!

Immigration laws in America

are changing to adjust the way
immigration issues are handled,
including student visas. A tracking
system is being developed because
many foreign students drop out of
school and remain in America
illegally. Some of them were found
to be part of the Al-Qaida network.
That could eventually threaten the
freedom of Hartland College and
other faithful colleges to train
foreign students.

Food Sources

Security of Major Target Areas

The Military

Major target areas, such as large

cities, are the subject of antiterror measures. The terrorist
attacks have created the need to
be able to lock down cities.
Imagine what New York City or
San Francisco would be like when

Did you notice that most of the

military action in Afghanistan since
September 11 has been focused on
a few isolated religious extremists? The Taliban is considered to
be extremist. Osama bin Laden is
considered to be an extremist.

There has also been talk about

the vulnerability of food sources. Is
it possible that food will become so
controlled that selected individuals
or groupseven Gods people
will be prevented from obtaining
it?Certainly, it could be made
difficult for them to obtain food
from the usual sources. Is Ellen
Whites counsel concerning country living relevant for us today?

Hamas is considered to be an
extremist organization. And there
are others. We are told that the
Koran advocates the exercise of
violence toward anyone who
refuses to become Muslim; nonetheless, a distinction is being made
in the media between tolerant
moderates and extremists.
Islam, they say, is peace-loving,
except for these extremists. The
military has been spending time
practicing their skills in hunting
down religious extremists from
cave to cave. When you have to flee
to the rocks and mountains, the
military will have the skills and
equipment to rout you out. Because
bin Laden has been quite elusive,
the military is developing systems
that eventually can be used against
Gods people. You will be more
helpless than bin Laden, unless you
have the angels of God to make
you invisible.
There will be attempts to curtail
the operation of extremist groups
operating under cover of religion.
Do you think that Adventists will
be divided into mainline and
extreme groups? Mainline
Adventists would be considered
balanced and acceptable, like most
Muslims. Those who are faithful to
Christ, love the truth enough to die
for it, have high standards, and are
unwilling to compromise, are the
people who will be profiled and
painted with the extremist brush,
and will be treated very differently
from mainline Adventists.

Detainees
Notice also how the Taliban
captives have been treated. They
were given a unique legal description. They are not POWs, but
detainees. Under the Geneva
Convention POWs have certain
rights. However, detainees have no
rights. American leaders are trying
to assure the people that these
detainees are being treated with
rights compatible with the Geneva
Conventionand they may be.
Under the definition of detainees,
however, there is no legal reason
why they cannot be treated in
unconstitutional ways. Civilian
observers are not permitted at
Guantanamo Bay. Thus, no one

Our Firm Foundation

outside of the military really knows

for sure how the detainees are
being treated.
Think how faithful souls, detained on one pretext or another,
are likely to be treated. This special
classification of the Taliban captives
is making the American public
become accustomed to quarantining.
Who is going to question the treatment of Adventist detainees while
the chaos and awesome conflict over
the coming Sunday law rages? The
war against the Taliban is being used
to condition Americans to not
question matters of national
security.

oped. What might it include?

Perhaps home-schooled children;
belief that the end of the world is at
hand; belief in extreme religious
views, such as the Papacy being the
biblical antichrist, willingness to be
martyred for keeping the Sabbath,
and so on. The definition might
include that an SDA extremist
knows his Bible very well, subscribes to certain kinds of magazines and literature, goes to certain
types of places, and buys only
certain kinds of foods. It is not
difficult to develop a profile. The
concept of profiling, coupled with

and these men withdrew their

statement. In actuality, even
though they did not see the whole
picture, Falwell and Robertson had
identified a biblical principle:
Righteousness exalteth a nation
(Proverbs 14:34), and when the
nation separates itself from righteousness, the angels of God withdraw their protection.
So, when there is one natural
disaster after another in succession,
who is going to get the blame?
Weve got to get America back to
God, will be the cry. And the
conclusion will be that there are

Religious Extremists
Police agencies have admitted
that they are carefully monitoring
and gathering intelligence on what
they perceive to be extremist
Islamic groups. What is an extremist group? Is it not a group that has
beliefs that are not within the
normal mainstream of their
religion or society?
Americans are being cultivatededucatedto fear those
labeled as religious extremists and
those with deep religious convictions. In the past Americans have
been willing to tolerate more
religious diversity and even
religious exclusivity. But not
anymore! The Taliban and other
religious extremists of the Islamic
world are giving the U.S. plenty of
opportunity to develop hostility to
religious extremism.

Religious Profiling
In Germany today, dramatic
changes are taking place beneath
the surface. Germans are quietly
acquiescing to government intrusion into, and restrictions on, their
lives that a short time ago would
have been unthinkable. Many of
Germanys colleges and universities have begun opening their file
cabinets and computer hard drives
to criminal investigators seeking
financial, educational, and travel
information which fits their profile
of the typical terrorist. Profiles of
religious extremists are being
developed in America as well.
Suppose a profile of a Seventhday Adventist extremist is devel-

Volume 17, Number 9

The definition might include that an SDA extremist knows his

Bible very well. He subscribes to certain kinds of magazines
and literature.

other surveillance and control

systems, will make it easy for
faithful Seventh-day Adventists to
be tracked and eventually hunted
down.

How Soon?
A friend of mine recently said to
me, Yeah, but this all cant happen
very fast. It will take a while. Yet,
how long did it take America to
react to the spectacular terrorist
attacks?In one years time
dramatic changes have occurred in
America and the free Western
World, which have opened the way
for the oppression of Gods people.
The terrorist attacks were obviously humanly orchestrated; it is
easy to point the finger. But what
happens when natural disasters of
gigantic magnitude wreak devastation on the cities of the earth by
earthquakes, hurricanes, huge
tornadoes, and so on? To whom
then will the finger be pointed?
Jerry Falwell and Pat Robertson
pointed the finger. They said that
the reason for the terrorist attacks
was because of our national
tolerance of the homosexuals, the
purveyors of pornography, and the
abortionists in our midst. There
was a media outcry against this
supposedly illogical conclusion,

just a few people who are preventing it from happening. They are
not going along with the new
Sunday law and are jeopardizing
national security. Weve got to
freeze their assets. Weve got to
prevent them from doing what
they are doing. How tempting
would it be for SDA Church
leaders to distance themselves from
anything that might be considered
extreme! All it would take is fear. It
could happen almost overnight, as
did the national changes after the
terrorist attacks.

The Terrorists and the Papacy

Many wonder how the September 11 attacks fit into the prophetic
role of the Papacy. The greatest
terrorist organization in history is
the Church of Rome. How were the
Waldenses, Huguenots, and other
religious dissenters, treated by the
Roman popes?It was nothing
short of terrorism. And Satan is
planning it again. While the pope is
apologizing for the atrocities that
the sons of the church committed, it is apparently only political
rhetoric.
Rome is now courting Islam.
Consider the popes May 2001 visit

continued on page 11...

The Remnant Church:

Under Divine Rebuke

And they sinned yet more

against him by provoking the most
High in the wilderness. And they
tempted God in their heart by
asking meat for their lust. Yea, they
spake against God; they said, Can
God furnish a table in the wilderness? . . . Yea, they turned back and
tempted God, and limited the Holy
One of Israel. They remembered
not his hand, nor the day when he
delivered them from the enemy.
Psalm 78:1719, 4142.
Where had they failed? Moses
reveals the answer: For I know thy
rebellion, and thy stiff neck:
behold, while I am yet alive with
you this day, ye have been rebellious against the LORD; and how
much more after my death? Gather
unto me all the elders of your
tribes, and your officers, that I may
speak these words in their ears,
and call heaven and earth to record
against them. For I know that after
my death ye will utterly corrupt
yourselves, and turn aside from the
way which I have commanded you;
and evil will befall you in the latter
days; because ye will do evil in the
sight of the LORD, to provoke him to
anger through the work of your
hands. Deuteronomy 31:2729.

God Forgotten
The leaders, priests, and people
had forgotten God. There was no
faith:
Now therefore write ye this
song for you, and teach it the
children of Israel: put it in their
mouths, that this song may be a
witness for me against the children
of Israel. For when I shall have
brought them into the land which I
sware unto their fathers, that
floweth with milk and honey; and
they shall have eaten and filled
themselves, and waxen fat; then
will they turn unto other gods, and
serve them, and provoke me, and
break my covenant. Verses 1920.
What a great tragedy! With the
pillar of fire by night and the cloud
by day, the manna for their food, a
river of water from the rock to
supply their thirst, with all of this
evidence of Gods supreme love for
them, they had no faith. They
forgot God and His great love.
Without faith in Gods love and
protection, there is rebellion and
apostasy. Therefore, God could not
fulfill to them His promisethe
Promised Land, Canaanbecause
of their unbelief:

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he history of the church in

Egypt and in the wilderness
wanderings is a very sad
story. It is true that even in their
rebellion God, in His great love for
His church, was with them. They
increased their membership and
their material wealth, but they
were in a deplorable spiritual
condition. Their tragic history is
revealed in the following Scriptures:
Remember, and forget not,
how thou provokedst the LORD thy
God to wrath in the wilderness:
from the day that thou didst depart
out of the land of Egypt, until ye
came unto this place, ye have been
rebellious against the LORD. Also in
Horeb ye provoked the LORD to
wrath, so that the LORD was angry
with you to have destroyed
you. . . . Likewise when the LORD
sent you from Kadesh-barnea,
saying, Go up and possess the land
which I have given you; then ye
rebelled against the commandment
of the LORD your God, and ye
believed him not, nor hearkened to
his voice. Ye have been rebellious
against the LORD from the day that I
knew you. Deuteronomy 9:78,
2324.

Ron Spear

But with whom was he grieved

forty years? was it not with them
that had sinned, whose carcases fell
in the wilderness? And to whom
sware he that they should not enter
into his rest, but to them that
believed not? So we see that they
could not enter in because of
unbelief. Hebrews 3:1719.

Under Divine Rebuke

During Israels wilderness
wanderings, there is very little
recorded history, for they were
under divine rebuke:
For nearly forty years the
children of Israel are lost to view in
the obscurity of the desert. The
space, says Moses, in which we
came from Kadesh-barnea, until we
were come over the brook Zered,
was thirty and eight years; until all
the generation of the men of war
were wasted out from among the
host, as the LORD sware unto them.
For indeed the hand of the LORD
was against them, to destroy them
from among the host, until they
were consumed. Deuteronomy
2:1415.
During these years the people
were constantly reminded that they
were under the divine rebuke. In
the rebellion at Kadesh they had
rejected God, and God had for the
time rejected them. Since they had
proved unfaithful to His covenant,
they were not to receive the sign of
the covenant, the rite of circumcision. Their desire to return to the
land of slavery had shown them to
be unworthy of freedom, and the
ordinance of the Passover, instituted to commemorate the deliverance from bondage, was not to be
observed. Patriarchs and Prophets,
406.
Because of Israels rebellion
against the covenant they had
made with God, they were deprived of the rites of the covenantcircumcision and the
Passover.
Their rebellion at KadeshBarnea showed that they desired
the slavery of Egypt rather than the
freedom God had provided. Gods
divine rebuke of partial rejection
continued until the crossing of the

Volume 17, Number 9

Jordan into the Promised Land. On

that day, the reproach of Egypt was
removed.
This generation knew nothing
of Egypt; only Caleb and Joshua
were to enter into the Promised
Land from the old generation.
While Israel camped at Gilgal,
Joshua circumcised the children of
Israel, and they kept the Passover.

Meaningless Ordinances
Most of the leadership and
priests knew nothing of righteousness by faith as an experience;
consequently, God restricted the
covenant ordinances of circumci-

off you, and in allusion to this the

place of their encampment was
called Gilgal, a rolling away, or
rolling off. Ibid., 485486.
Let us look back in review over
Israels 40 years in the desert, and
their apostasythe golden calf; the
rebellion of Korah, Dathan, and
Abiram, and 250 leaders of great
renown; and finally, KadeshBarnea. Gods lessons of obedience
to His ordersHis plans through
the prophet Moseswere never
accepted by the leaders, priests,
and people. They were sorry for the
consequences of their rebellion and
apostasy, but their history shows

Israels rebellion at Kadesh-Barnea showed that they desired

the slavery of Egypt rather than the freedom God had
provided.

sion and the Passover for 38 years,

as a constant reminder to Israel of
their breaking of the covenant with
God.
A short distance from Jordan
the Hebrews made their first
encampment in Canaan. Here
Joshua circumcised the children of
Israel . . . and the children of Israel
encamped in Gilgal, and kept the
passover. Joshua 5:3, 10. The
suspension of the rite of circumcision since the rebellion at Kadesh
had been a constant witness to
Israel that their covenant with God,
of which it was the appointed
symbol, had been broken. And the
discontinuance of the Passover, the
memorial of their deliverance from
Egypt, had been an evidence of the
Lords displeasure at their desire to
return to the land of bondage.
Now, however, the years of rejection were ended. Once more God
acknowledged Israel as His people,
and the sign of the covenant was
restored. The rite of circumcision
was performed upon all the people
who had been born in the wilderness. And the Lord declared to
Joshua, This day have I rolled
away the reproach of Egypt from

only a very small remnant accepted

Gods rebuke and experienced the
righteousness-by-faith experience
in loving obedience to the sacred
Lawgiver at Sinai.
It was the design of God that
Moses should frequently remind
Israel of their transgressions and
rebellion, that they might humble
their hearts before God in view of
their sins. The Lord would not have
them forget the errors and sins
which had provoked His anger
against them. The rehearsal of their
transgressions, and of the mercies
and goodness of God to them,
which they had not appreciated,
was not agreeable to their feelings.
Nevertheless, God directed that
this should be done. Testimonies,
vol. 3, 320.

The Great Advent Movement

Today, Gods remnant people
are following in the same path of
rebellion as Israel, our ancient
counterpart. We are now in a sad
spiritual state. True, we have
steadily increased our membership
(currently twelve million souls), we
have improved our organization,
we have extended our influence,

and much of our wealth is invested

on Wall Street. But we have lost
our first love, and we are lukewarm and spiritually wretched,
miserable, poor, blind, and naked.
See Revelation 2:15; 3:1422.
We have been told by our
prophet that we are under divine
forbearance and rebuke. We
question, Why?Here is the
inspired answer:
I have been shown that the
spirit of the world is fast leavening
the church. You are following the

shew forth the praises of him who

hath called you out of darkness
into his marvellous light. 1 Peter
2:9.
The question is, Are we still
Gods peculiar people?No; we
are a chosen generation, but we are
not a holy nation or a peculiar people.
What a tragedy! And all of this is
largely because the Testimonies are
unheededand many among us no
longer believe them. There are only
a few, a very small remnant, who
believe. See Isaiah 1:9.

We are a chosen generation, but we are not a holy nation or

a peculiar people. What a tragedy! And all of this is largely
because the Testimonies are unheeded.

same path as did ancient Israel.

There is the same falling away from
your holy calling as Gods peculiar
people. You are having fellowship
with the unfruitful works of
darkness. Your concord with
unbelievers has provoked the
Lords displeasure. You know not
the things that belong to your
peace, and they are fast being hid
from your eyes. Your neglect to
follow the light will place you in a
more unfavorable position than the
Jews upon whom Christ pronounced a woe.
I have been shown that unbelief in the testimonies has been
steadily increasing as the people
backslide from God. It is all
through our ranks, all over the
field. But few know what our
churches are to experience. I saw
that at present we are under divine
forbearance, but no one can say
how long this will continue. No
one knows how great the mercy
that has been exercised toward us.
But few are heartily devoted to
God. There are only a few who, like
the stars in a tempestuous night,
shine here and there among the
clouds. Ibid., vol. 5, 7576.
But ye are a chosen generation,
a royal priesthood, an holy nation,
a peculiar people; that ye should

10

Healing Our Apostasy

The Laodicean message must be
given for the healing of our backslidden apostasy. Christs message
in Revelation 3:19As many as I
love, I rebuke and chasten
indicates that the Laodicean
Church is under the divine rebuke
because of her spiritual state. The
Laodicean message is a divine
rebuke. It is evidence of a partial
rejection or separation. It is evident
that the union between Christ and
the church is not complete, for
Christ is not in the innermost
sanctuary of the hearts of His
people; He does not have full
possession of his church-temple.
He is seen outside the door knocking and pleading to be invited in.
Since the time of the Minneapolis meeting, I have seen the
state of the Laodicean Church as
never before. I have heard the
rebuke of God spoken to those who
feel so well satisfied, who know not
their spiritual destitution. Jesus
speaks to these as He did to the
woman of Samaria: If thou
knewest the gift of God, and who it
is that saith to thee, Give me to
drink; thou wouldest have asked of
him, and he would have given thee
living water. John 4:10. Like the

Jews, many have closed their eyes

lest they should see; but there is as
great peril now, in closing the eyes
to light, and in walking apart from
Christ, feeling need of nothing, as
there was when He was upon
earth. Review and Herald, August
26, 1890.
The Laodicean message is here
called the rebuke of God, and
Laodiceans are said to be walking
apart from Christ. How many of us
have closed our eyes like the Jews?
There is no questionInspiration is
very clear: As ancient Israel was
under divine rebuke, so the remnant
Seventh-day Adventist Church is
under rebuke because of our rebellion, apostasy, and insubordination
to Gods plan and orders. We have
been walking apart from Christ. We
are just like the Jews.
The question we must now face
and answer is, Will we receive
Christs rebuke in humility? The
Laodicean condition is caused by
our feelings of self-satisfaction
that we need nothing from Jesus.
The rebuke of God is upon us
because of our neglect of solemn
responsibilities. And His great
blessings have been withdrawn
because His instructions, warnings,
and rebukes have not been heeded.
Listen now to the inspired
evidence:
It is a solemn and terrible truth
that many who have been zealous
in proclaiming the third angels
message are now becoming listless
and indifferent! The line of demarcation between worldlings and
many professed Christians is
almost indistinguishable. Many
who once were earnest Adventists
are conforming to the worldto its
practices, its customs, its selfishness. Instead of leading the world
to render obedience to Gods law,
the church is uniting more and
more closely with the world in
transgression. Daily the church is
becoming converted to the world.
How many professing Christians
are slaves of mammon! Their
indulgence of appetite, their
extravagant expenditure of money
for selfish gratification, greatly
dishonors God.

Our Firm Foundation

And through lack of zeal for

the promulgation of the third
angels message, many others,
while not apparently living in
transgression, are nevertheless as
verily lending their influence on
the side of Satan as are those who
openly sin against God. Multitudes
are perishing; but how few are
burdened for these souls! There is a
stupor, a paralysis, upon many of
the people of God, which prevents
them from understanding the duty
of the hour. Testimonies, vol. 8,
118119.

A Promise of Hope
There is hope for all who are
now willing to reform and be
obedient to known truth. I will
close with this inspired statement:
There will be a sharp conflict
between those who are loyal to

continued from page 7...

to one of Islams holiest sitesthe
Umayyad Mosque in Damascus,
Syria. There he worshiped and led
in Christian prayers, while his
Moslem counterpart led in Moslem
prayers. The pope, however, has
never repudiated the dogma that
justified the Inquisition, the
Crusades, and the extermination of
heretics and infidels. And there is
still intolerance wherever Rome
can get away with it. Half a world
away from Damascus, Protestant
Evangelicals are persecuted in
Mexico by their Catholic neighbors.
Even the term religious intolerance is being redefined. It no
longer refers to the intolerance of
Rome. In this age of ecumenism, it
now refers to anyone who speaks
the truth about apostate churches,
including Rome. The new intolerance is labeled bigotry, or
religious extremism, and is
considered to be as bad as the
terrorists.
God showed John a time when
America would cause all, both
small and great, rich and poor, free
and bond, to receive a mark in their
right hand, or in their foreheads:
and that no man might buy or sell,
save he that had the mark, or the
name of the beast, or the number of

Volume 17, Number 9

God and those who cast scorn upon

His law. Reverence for Gods law
has been subverted. The religious
leaders are teaching for doctrine
the commandments of men. As it
was in the days of ancient Israel, so

The loyal will not be carried away

by the current of evil. They will
not throw contempt on that which
God has set apart as holy. They
will not follow Israels example of
forgetfulness; they will call to

Instead of leading the world to render obedience to Gods

law, the church is uniting more and more closely with the
world in transgression.

it is in this age of the world. But

because of the prevalence of
disloyalty and transgression, will
those who have reverenced the law
of God now cherish less respect for
it? Will they unite with the
powers of earth to make it void?

remembrance Gods dealings with

His people in all ages, and will
walk in the way of His commandments.
The test comes to everyone.
There are only two sides. On which
side are you? Ibid., 120. !

his name. Revelation 13:1617. Do

you think we are getting close to
that time? The September 11
attacks created the environment for
a giant step forward in the fulfillment of prophecy. But future
terrorist attacks will make the
controls, surveillance, and restrictions even more compelling, while
Satan does a parallel maneuver to
isolate and restrict Gods people.
How soon will these new global
systems be expanded from their
original purpose, and be used to
oppress Gods remnant people?
No one can really say, but once
America is accustomed to the new
system, and familiar with how it
works, it will be an easy transition
to start using it on U.S. citizens
accused of other religious crimes.
The future is ominous. Satan is
going through very large and
expensive maneuvers just so he can
control and oppress the small
group of Gods true people. He is
building a global economic, police,
and justice system just for Gods
faithful people. He is very serious!
As you contemplate the news in the
future, pay attention to the underlying principles behind it.
Realize that there are unseen
agencies with an agenda beneath
the surface. However, prophecy

enables us to understand Gods

long-range purpose. We can
foresee those things that tell us that
the end is near. God is bigger than
all of Satans devices. God can and
will protect His people according
to His purpose.
The global and national events
of this last year are a serious
warning to Gods people. Never
has there been a more important
time to plead with God for His
Holy Spirit to give you power to
overcome sin and represent Him
fully in character. Never has there
been a more opportune time to
seek righteousness and the perfect
love that casts out all fear and
brings the peace that only Gods
Holy Spirit can place in your heart.
Now is the time to obey Gods
instruction to move into the
country. September 11 dramatically
changed the liberty environment in
America and the world. We must
rethink our priorities and invest
our resources in soul-winning
work. Let us humble ourselves
before God and plead for His
people. !
References:
1
See http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/
releases/2001/09/200109244.html
2
www.citizencorps.gov
3
www.un.org/law.icc

11

Great Power
and Glory

Humeniuk

t has been reported in Time,

Newsweek, and U.S. News &
World Report magazines how
America and the rest of the world
are preparing to meet greater
threats from terrorists. The FBI and
Vice President Dick Cheney said
we should expect something more
to happen. It is not a question of if,
but when; yet, it will be unexpected.
Dr. Robert Morey, an expert on
Islam, reported to the FBI that he
was told by contacts in the intelligence community that they feared
Muslim Pakistanis have brought
into the United States three dirty
bombs, which are small nuclear
devices. See Assist News Service
(ANS), March 19, 2002,
(www.assist-ministries.com).
Michael T. Osterholm and John
Schwartz, in their book Living
Terrors, 5455, have reported that
the Islamic Jihad organization has
planned 100 attacks against the
United States, Israel, and public
figures in different parts of the
world using chemical and biological weapons.

12

On March 31, 2002, Fox News

reported that Palestinian leader
Yasser Arafat, who, by the way, has
repeatedly met with the pope, has
called on the Arab world for
millions of martyrs to make suicide
attacks on the United States and its
outposts in the Middle East.
Why am I reporting these
developments? Why be concerned
about the news of the world? What
difference does it make?Because
we have been warned time and
again in the Scriptures and through
the Spirit of Prophecy that great
developments are in the making,
and a crisis is approaching of the
greatest magnitude; yet we, who
claim to be the people of God, are
living on indifferently, careless,
and in pursuit of worldly happiness.
We have been warned to get out
of the cities, yet today, some of us
are still deep in the heart of the
cities, clinging to the things they
have to offerbut not for long.
Suddenly, unexpectedly, the
crisis will come upon us. Why?

Because many are ignoring the

warning given to us by the servant
of the Lord.

Impending Disaster Predicted

He [Satan] will bring disease
and disaster, until populous cities
are reduced to ruin and desolation.
. . . Destruction will be upon both
man and beast. The Great Controversy, 589590.
Out of the cities! out of the
cities!this has been my message
for years. Counsels on Health, 231.
Out of the cities, out of the
cities! she declared; this is the
message the Lord has been giving
me. Life Sketches, 409.
The time is near when the large
cities will be visited by the judgments of God. In a little while these
cities will be terribly shaken. No
matter how large or how strong
their buildings, no matter how
many safeguards against fire may
have been provided, let God touch
these buildings, and in a few
minutes or a few hours they are in
ruins.

Our Firm Foundation

Illustration: Bob Bresnahan; Color: Kevin H. Patterson

Bill

The ungodly cities of our

world are to be swept away by the
besom of destruction. In the
calamities that are now befalling
immense buildings and large
portions of cities God is showing us
what will come upon the whole
earth. He has told us: Now learn a
parable of the fig tree; When his
branch is yet tender, and putteth
forth leaves, ye know that summer
is nigh: so likewise ye, when ye
shall see all these things, know that
it [the coming of the Son of man] is
near, even at the doors. Matthew
24:3233. Testimonies, vol. 7, 83.
I have seen the most costly
structures in buildings erected and
supposed to be fireproof. And just
as Sodom perished in the flames of
Gods vengeance, so will these
proud structures become ashes. . . .
The flattering monuments of mens
greatness will be crumbled in the
dust, even before the last great
destruction comes upon the
world. Selected Messages, book 3,
418419. (All emphasis supplied
unless otherwise noted.)
The cities of today are fast
becoming like Sodom and
Gomorrah. The many holidays
encourage idleness. The exciting
sportstheatergoing, horse racing,
gambling, liquor-drinking, and
revelingstimulate every passion
to intense activity. The youth are
swept away by the popular current. Christs Object Lessons, 54.
Oh, that Gods people had a
sense of the impending destruction
of thousands of cities, now almost
given to idolatry. Evangelism, 29.
Christians should be preparing
for what is soon to break upon the
world as an overwhelming surprise, and this preparation they
should make by diligently studying
the Word of God and striving to
conform their lives to its precepts.
The tremendous issues of eternity
demand of us something besides an
imaginary religion, a religion of
words and forms, where truth is
kept in the outer court. God calls
for a revival and a reformation.
Prophets and Kings, 626.
What other reasons do Gods
people need to get out of the cities?

Volume 17, Number 9

What other reason do we need to

prepare earnestly for what is coming
on the earth?A storm is coming,
relentless in its fury. Are we
prepared to meet it? Testimonies,
vol. 8, 315.

Peter and the Cross

I believe that many of us in
denominational churches, selfsupporting home churches, and in
our work for the Lord are like
Peter: Peter did not desire to see
the cross in the work of Christ. The
Desire of Ages, 415. Oh the cross, the
path of self-denial on a daily basis!
And he said to them all, If any
man will come after me, let him

of His righteousness, bring the

sinner to His right mind, and teach
him and fit him up to be a laborer
together with God. Fundamentals
of Christian Education, 199.

United in Christ
For other foundation can no
man lay than that is laid, which is
Jesus Christ. Now if any man build
upon this foundation gold, silver,
precious stones, wood, hay,
stubble; every mans work shall be
made manifest: for the day shall
declare it, because it shall be
revealed by fire; and the fire shall
try every mans work of what sort
it is. 1 Corinthians 3:1113.

Christians should be preparing for what is soon to break upon

the world as an overwhelming surprise, and this preparation they
should make by diligently studying the Word of God and
striving to conform their lives to its precepts.
deny himself, and take up his cross
daily, and follow me. Luke 9:23.
Follow Me on a daily basis. Yes,
this should call forth from us the
response from the old hymn, Take
the world, but give me Jesus. Are
you willing? Are you really willing?
Jesus looked upon the world in
its fallen state with infinite pity. He
took humanity upon Himself that
He might touch and elevate humanity. . . . But it was written of
Him that He shall not fail nor be
discouraged (Isaiah 42:4), and He
went forth in the path of self-denial
and self-sacrifice, giving us an
example that we should follow in
His steps. We should work as did
Jesus, departing from our own
pleasure, turning away from
Satans bribes, despising ease, and
abhorring selfishness, that we may
seek and save that which is lost,
bringing souls from darkness into
light, into the sunshine of Gods
love. We have been commissioned
to go forth and preach the gospel to
every creature. We are to bring to
the lost the tidings that Christ can
forgive sin, can renew the nature,
can clothe the soul in the garments

The groundwork, the foundation has been laid by no other than

Jesus Christ; not the church, not the
authorities in the church, not
anyone in self-supporting ministries. We need to especially remember this as we can all see blowing
many winds of doctrine and
interpretationsand in some cases
outright apostasy.
Ye are no more strangers and
foreigners, but fellowcitizens with
the saints, and of the household of
God; and are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the
chief corner stone; in whom all the
building fitly framed together
groweth unto an holy temple in the
Lord: in whom ye also are builded
together for an habitation of God
through the Spirit. Ephesians
2:1922.
As you see, there is only one
foundation, only one RockJesus
Christ: For they drank of that
spiritual Rock that followed them:
and that Rock was Christ.
1 Corinthians 10:4. And there is
only one body in Christ: So we,
being many, are one body in Christ,

13

and every one members one of

another. Romans 12:5.
Is Christ truly the head of this
one body? For the husband is the
head of the wife, even as Christ is
the head of the church: and he is
the saviour of the body. Therefore
as the church is subject unto Christ,
so let the wives be to their own
husbands in every thing.
Ephesians 5:2324; see also
Ephesians 4:1216; Colossians 1:18,
24. To prepare in this final hour
means to follow Christ and what
He has laid out for His people.
While the church is Christs
body, we cannot focus our eyes on
the church. The church is not what
carries us through, but Christ can

they behold the transformation of

character brought about in those
who yield themselves to God, and
they express their joy in songs of
rapturous praise to God and to the
Lamb. . . . They see them becoming
prepared by a Christlike experience
to suffer with their Lord, and
afterward to be partakers with Him
in His glory in heaven above.
God has a church on earth who
are lifting up the downtrodden
law, and presenting to the world
the Lamb of God that taketh away
the sins of the world. The church is
the depositary of the wealth of the
riches of the grace of Christ, and
through the church eventually will
be made manifest the final and full

Through the church eventually will be made manifest the

final and full display of the love of God to the world that is to
be lightened with its glory.

and does because He is the head of

the body, the church. It is He who
carries the church through persecution; even when it appears to be
decimated, it is not. See Selected
Messages, book 2, 380.
A mighty shaking is coming to
the church; Christ will purge His
floor. See Testimonies, vol. 5, 80. But
praise God; He is preparing a
people for the final days, the loud
cry, and His soon coming. Though
a crisis is coming, though the
church falters and a mighty shaking occurs, His body, the church,
the final remnant, will come
through. Notice the following
statement:
Although there are evils
existing in the church, and will be
until the end of the world, the
church in these last days is to be
the light of the world that is
polluted and demoralized by sin.
The church, enfeebled and defective, needing to be reproved,
warned, and counseled, is the only
object upon earth upon which
Christ bestows His supreme
regard. . . . Angels are amazed as

14

display of the love of God to the

world that is to be lightened with its
glory. Testimonies to Ministers, 49
50.
Gods people, the church, will
reveal the love of God that will
lighten the world with its glory.

Power and Glory

God has called a people to
proclaim the three angels messages, yet the work advances
slowly. Even though we preach via
satellite, radio, TV, and through
other evangelistic methods, the
work is hardly making headway.
We desperately need the fourth
angel to add power and glory to
the three angels messages.
And after these things I saw
another angel come down from
heaven, having great power; and
the earth was lightened with his
glory. Revelation 18:1.
Notice also the Spirit of Prophecy comments on this chapter: The
prophecies in the eighteenth
[chapter] of Revelation will soon be
fulfilled. During the proclamation
of the third angels message,

another angel is to come down

from heaven, having great power,
and the earth is to be lightened
with his glory. The Spirit of the
Lord will so graciously bless
consecrated human instrumentalities that men, women, and children
will open their lips in praise and
thanksgiving, filling the earth with
the knowledge of God, and with
His unsurpassed glory, as the
waters cover the sea. . . .
As the members of the body of
Christ approach the period of their
last conflict, the time of Jacobs
trouble, they will grow up into
Christ, and will partake largely of
His Spirit. As the third message
swells to a loud cry, and as great
power and glory attend the closing
work, the faithful people of God
will partake of that glory. It is the
latter rain which revives and
strengthens them to pass through
the time of trouble. Their faces will
shine with the glory of that light
which attends the third angel. . . .
The proclamation of the gospel
is the only means in which God can
employ human beings as His
instrumentalities for the salvation
of souls. As men, women, and
children proclaim the gospel, the
Lord will open the eyes of the blind
to see His statutes, and will write
upon the hearts of the truly penitent His law. The animating Spirit
of God, working through human
agencies, leads the believers to be
of one mind, one soul, unitedly
loving God and keeping His
commandmentspreparing here
below for translation. The Seventhday Adventist Bible Commentary, vol.
7, 984.
When the third angels message shall go forth with a loud
voice, the whole earth shall be
lightened with His glory, the Holy
Spirit is poured out upon His
people. The revenue of glory has
been accumulating for this closing
work of the third angels message.
The prayers that have been ascending for the fulfillment of the
promise, the descent of the Holy
Spirit, not one has been lost. Each
prayer has been accumulating,
ready to overflow and pour forth a

Our Firm Foundation

healing flood of heavenly influence

and accumulated light all over the
world. Manuscript Releases, vol. 1,
180181.
The latter rain of the fourth
angel is going to add great
power to the work. Then men,
women, and children will respond
as Gods messengers proclaim the
name of the Lord. I believe that
this event is soon to happen. God
will take the reins in His own
hands and finish the proclamation
of the three angels messages by
simple means. See Testimonies to
Ministers, 300.

Gods Glory
Can you imagine children filled
with great powerthe latter
rainrevealing Gods glory? What
is this glory that will be added,
besides the great power? Is it Gods
majesty, power, or fire that flashes
here and there from heaven?
Listen: To give glory to God is to
reveal His character in our own,
and thus make Him known. And in
whatever way we make known the
Father or the Son, we glorify God.
The Seventh-day Adventist Bible
Commentary, vol. 7, 979.
For further study on the glory of
God, let us consider the experience
of Moses. We must remember that
Moses was the meekest man on
earth. See Numbers 12:3. The 40
years he spent herding sheep in the
wilderness molded and shaped
him into a very humble character.
Now, in the thirteenth verse of
Exodus 33, Moses asked God,
shew me now thy way, that I may
know thee. Then in verse 14, God
said, My presence shall go with
thee. When you desire to know
God with all your heart, He will
reveal Himself to you, and His
presence will go with you.
Then, notice the concern of
Moses in verse 16, For wherein
shall it be known here that I and
thy people have found grace in thy
sight? is it not in that thou goest
with us? so shall we be separated, I
and thy people, from all the people
that are upon the face of the earth.
Then a deep, personal connection is
expressed by God: I will do this

Volume 17, Number 9

thing also that thou hast spoken:

for thou hast found grace in my
sight, and I know thee by name.
Verse 17.
Oh, my dear reader, we must
strive for such a deep, abiding
connection with God that He
knows us by name.
In verse 18, Moses expresses, I
beseech thee, shew me thy glory. If
this would have been a casual,
presumptuous request, I believe
Moses would have died; but this
was not the case. He was talking to
God, pleading for his people,
seeking pardon for them, and
asking for assurance; this was a
heart-to-heart connection and
conversation. So God says, I will
make all my goodness pass before
thee, and I will proclaim the name of
the LORD before thee; but, while
my glory passeth by . . . I will put
thee in a clift of the rock. Verses
19, 22.

that it is acceptable. No, my dear

people; when Moses beheld the
name of the Lordnot His glorious
illuminated majesty, but the Lord
God with all the traits of His
majestic characterlook how he
responded: And Moses made
haste, and bowed his head toward
the earth, and worshipped. Verse
8. Now, that is worship; that is
reverence.
Moses understood and knew
God, because the rest of chapter 34
tells us that Moses spent 40 days
and 40 nights on the mount with
God. He had such an intimate
connection with God that the skin
of his face shone; and they were
afraid to come nigh him. Verse 30.
So he put a veil over his face. The
name of the LORD, and the Lord
Gods glory shone in and through
Moses from the heart to his face
fully, yes, fully revealing the
character of God, His glory.

The 144,000 . . . worship God as did Moses, not celebrating as

Aaron did, with feasting and music.

It appears that there is also a

connection between the law of God
and His glory. In Exodus 34:14,
God wrote the Ten Commandments again on two new tables of
stone. Then, in verses 57, The
LORD descended in the cloud, and
stood with him there, and proclaimed the name of the LORD. And
the LORD passed by before him, and
proclaimed, The LORD, The LORD
God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and
truth, keeping mercy for thousands,
forgiving iniquity and transgression
and sin.
Do you think that after God
revealed Himself and proclaimed
the name of the Lord with all the
traits of the great I AMthe details
of His characterdo you think that
Moses just stood there, prayed, and
lifted up his hands in praise? Often
that is what we do, and we think

The 144,000
This is the glory that will lighten
the world. The 144,000 will so fully
reflect every aspect of Gods
character as listed in Exodus 34:6
7, that in Revelation 14:1, it says
that they stood with the Lamb and
had his Fathers name written in
their foreheads. Yes, they had the
name of the Lord in their hearts;
they knew the Lord, and the Lord
knew them. So vital and close a
connection will they have with God
that they, too, have their faces
lighted up, proclaiming the everlasting gospel with great power
and glory during the loud cry.
The 144,000 are also fearing God
and giving glory to Him; that is,
they are returning to God His
glory, which is His character. They
worship God as did Moses, not
celebrating as Aaron did, with

15

feasting and musicno, no, but

bowing their heads to the earth and
worshipping the name of the Lord.
Notice what the servant of the
Lord wrote: Servants of God, with
their faces lighted up and shining
with holy consecration, will hasten
from place to place to proclaim the
message from Heaven. By thousands of voices, all over the earth,
the warning will be given. Miracles
will be wrought, the sick will be
healed, and signs and wonders will
follow the believers. Satan also
works, with lying wonders, even
bringing down fire from heaven in
the sight of men. See Revelation
13:13. Thus the inhabitants of the
earth will be brought to take their
stand. The Great Controversy, 612.

Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus

When we spend time with Jesus,
daily making that vital connection
with God, not celebrating, but
meditating in total communion with
Him, seeking with determined
faith that perfection of character
which will reach out to perfection
in action, how can we not reflect
Christlikeness and holiness? See
Christs Object Lessons, 334, 332.
The apostle Paul understood; he
knew God: The name of our Lord
Jesus Christ may be glorified in
you. 2 Thessalonians 1:12.
Truly, the latter rain empowers
the faithful remnant, the last
generation, to so fully reflect Jesus
that the world will see Jesus in us.
Can you imagine the 144,000 with
their faces all lighted up with Gods
glory, going from door to door
with the influence of
Christlikeness? Their powerful
testimony may even attract media
coverage. It will certainly light up
the world with His glory. To
whom God would make known
what is the riches of the glory of
this mystery among the Gentiles;
which is Christ in you, the hope of
glory. Colossians 1:27. What is the
glory of the mystery? It is the
divine, holy attributes of the
Godhead revealed in Christ which
Moses, Enoch, and Elijah all saw
and reflected, and the final generation will see and reflect, revealing

16

to the Gentile world the hope of

glory. But we all, with open face
beholding as in a glass the glory of
the Lord, are changed into the same
image from glory to glory, even as
by the Spirit of the Lord.
2 Corinthians 3:18.
Do you see it? Are you beginning to experience it? If not, fall on
your knees at this moment and
plead with God and study His
Word, surrendering all to Jesus that
He may have His way in you. Then
His character can be perfectly
reproduced in you, His people, His
church, the hope of glory. Not until
then will He come to claim His
own. See Ibid., 69.
For years I sang the familiar
hymn Turn Your Eyes upon Jesus
without much thought or impression on my mind. But not anymore;
this study has changed that; it has
changed my character, thoughts,
and desires forever. No, I have not
reached the goal, but by Gods
grace I will, and so can you
beginning now!

Turn your eyes upon Jesus,

Look full in His wonderful face;
And the things of earth will grow
strangely dim
In the light of His glory and
grace.
Oh, may this be the experience
of each one of us, what do you
say? As we have this experience,
we are preparing for the final
crisis, the loud cry, the time of
trouble, and the coming of our
Lord and God.
This is the hour, brothers and
sisters; this is the opportunity.
Are we going to squander it? This
is the time for our beloved
church, the body of Christ to
show forth His glory. It is a
solemn hour to seek the Lord and
prepare for the crisis that is
breaking upon the earth. Please
join me in seeking to reflect the
glory of the Lord with great
power to proclaim the three
angels messages, hastening the
coming of our Lord. !

Restoration International
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A
New
Heart
Leola

Photo: Steve Allen / Brand X Pictures / PictureQuest

he pale, drawn, and haggard

face of a man named Albert
appeared on our local television news screen. He had only a
short time to livethat is, unless an
organ donor could be found. If his
life were to be spared, he must in
the near future undergo a heart
transplant. Physicians had said that
they could do nothing to mend his
old heart. Replacing a valve or
repairing any other portion of his
heart would not help him. He
needed a whole new heart. Being in
his early 30s and having a wife and
children, he was understandably
troubled and anxious!
The community solicited funds
for his anticipated surgery. We saw
his face on the TV screen day after
day as the amount being collected
was reported. Finally the day
arrived when, upon answering the
telephone, he heard those welcome
words: A donor heart has been
found! Immediately his mind was
filled with hope and rejoicing!
After the proper preparation was
made, Albert surrendered himself
fully into the hands of his physician. The surgery was successful,
and, after some weeks had passed,
his face appeared again on the
television news.
What a transformation! What a
change! No longer was Albert pale

Volume 17, Number 9

and haggard. His life had been

restored; his face shone with a
healthy radiance; his eyes were
bright! His joy and thanksgiving
were reflected upon the entire
community where he lived. All the
people rejoiced with him! Sadly, he
meditated over the fact that someone had lost his life to make it
possible that he might live. Now,
let us consider some spiritual
lessons from Alberts experience.

A Divine Remedy
Before he received a new heart,
Albert was a sick and dying man.
Today, many are as sick spiritually
as Albert was physically. To use a
Bible term, their hearts are natural
or carnal, and their characters are so
diseased that they do not have long
to remain spiritually alive. Note
Gods descriptions of such a heart.
He declares that: Every imagination of the thoughts of his heart
was only evil continually. Genesis
6:5. (All emphasis supplied unless
otherwise noted.)
For from within, out of the heart
of men, proceed evil thoughts,
adulteries, fornications, murders,
thefts, covetousness, wickedness,
deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye,
blasphemy, pride, foolishness: all
these evil things come from within,
and defile the man. Mark 7:2123.

Rosenvold

Spiritually speaking, men do

not always realize the extent of the
diseased condition of their hearts.
That is, not until they look into the
mirror of Gods law of Ten Commandments. It is then that they see
themselves as they actually are
wretched and hopelessly near
death. They long to be forgiven.
That remedy is the gospel. An
important passage is found in the
Spirit of Prophecy book This Day
With God, 224: The truths of the
gospel are not unconnected;
uniting they form one string of
heavenly jewels . . . and like threads
of gold they run through the whole
of Christian work and experience.
Gods precious, sparkling
gospel truths unite to form one
golden string of remedial heavenly
gems. These truths can be plucked
off the string, as it were, and
examined or discussed one by one.
The first sparkling gem of truth we
will pluck off to examine is called
justification. In examining this
jewel of truth, may we use an
allegory?

A Man Named Larry

George had a friend named
Larry, who seemed extremely
discouraged and despondent.
George told Larry of some of the
wonderful, encouraging gems of

17

truth to be found in the Bible. He

urged him to study Gods Word.
Larry was convinced of his need to
study. When he opened his Bible
he knew not where to begin. So he
read through Genesis and into
Exodus. But when he reached
Exodus 20, he became startled, for
upon comparing himself with
Gods law, he was faced with the
shocking revelation of his truly
diseased spiritual condition! Is
this the reason for my mental
despondency? he asked himself.
Without realizing it, Larry echoed
the words of Paul, as he cried out:
O wretched man that I am! who
shall deliver me? Romans 7:24.
Larry felt desperate! Is there no
remedy? he exclaimed.

anxious, to perform the needed

operation for you, without which
you will surely die! My services
will be donated; your new heart
will be free. If you cooperate, you
will be born again into a new life
altogether.

Larry Seeks Counsel

At this point Larry went to his
friend George for counsel. George
explained that as in a physical
heart transplant, in order to receive
a new spiritual heart transplant, it
is necessary to undergo a spiritual
preparation.
George took down the first book
of Selected Messages, and turned to
page 393. After carefully explaining
to Larry that this was not just any

There is nothing that can be done to repair or patch up your

old heart. It will be necessary for you to undergo a spiritual
heart transplant!

A Spiritual Heart Transplant

Larry was filled with joyful
excitement, however, when he
turned to the New Testament. Yes!
There is a remedy for all sin-sick
souls! It is found in Jesus Christour
spiritual Physician! He listened as
he heard the Physician invite: Come
unto Me. Matthew 11:28. Larry
responded. He cast himself upon
Christs mercy.
Jesus looked upon him with
love and tender compassion. He
began to explain the remedy to
Larry. He spoke in somewhat the
same words as He did to
Nicodemus that night so long ago.
See John, chapter 3. You need a
new heart, Jesus explained. There
is nothing that can be done to
repair or patch up your old heart. It
will be necessary for you to undergo a spiritual heart transplant!
Larry felt uncomfortable. Like
Nicodemus, he wondered, How
could this be?
But the Physician was still
speaking: I am willing, even

18

book, that it was an inspired book,

he read the following to him:
In order to obtain the righteousness of Christ [a new heart], it
is necessary for the sinner to know
what that repentance is which
works a radical change of mind
and spirit and action.
Larrys eyes were fastened upon
George. George looked up, and
said, Next the author asks two
questions: Who is desirous of
becoming truly repentant? What
must he do? Listen closely, Larry,
George advised, for the author
answers her own questions. Larry
leaned forward so he would not
miss the answer:
He must come to Jesus, just as
he is, without delay. He must
believe that the Word of Christ is
true, and, believing the promise,
ask, that he may receive. When
sincere desire prompts men to
pray, they will not pray in vain.
The Lord will fulfill His Word, and
will give the Holy Spirit to lead to
repentance toward God and faith
toward our Lord Jesus Christ.

Larry understood: When I

come to Jesus just as I am, believing that Gods Word and its
promises are true, the Physician
will send the Holy Spirit to help me
prepare.
Right, answered George.
George explained further: The
Physician has given to every man a
measure of faith or belief, that he
may respond to His calling. However, in order for a mans faith to
increase he must come to the
Great Physician to receive, not only
repentance, but also a greater
measure of faitheven a faith that
will make salvation by grace
possible.

In His Bedroom
Larry hurried home. In his
bedroom with his Bible opened
before him, Larry fell upon his
knees. His attention was drawn to
the cross of Christ. While kneeling
at the foot of the cross, looking up
at Jesus, these words burned into
his soul: A Donor has been
found! Jesus Himself had passed
through a horrible death on the
cross in order that Larry, a repentant sinner, might live! It was with
sadness that Larry realized that for
him to live, Someone had to die
and that Someone was his divine
Surgeon, Jesus Christ, Gods own
dear Son!
He read aloud this precious
promise from Gods Word:
A new heart also will I give
you, and a new spirit will I put
within you: and I will take away
the stony heart out of your flesh,
and I will give you an heart of
flesh. Ezekiel 36:26.
Larry prayed for the promised
Helper. His prayer was answered.
The Spirit led him into a true
sorrow for his sins, into repentance
and faith, and a full surrender to the
Great Physician, who, as promised,
performed the re-creative surgery.
Larry had obeyed as he heard the
Physician plead: My son, give me
thine heart. Proverbs 23:26. But,
oh! What an exchange! Larry had
received a clean (unselfish), new,
healthy heart in exchange for his
sinful, selfish, spiritually diseased

Our Firm Foundation

heart! Praise God, Larrys sins

were forgiven. Through faith, Larry
had received the sparkling gift of
justification!

The Physician Sends a Message

We interrupt our allegory of
Larry momentarily. God sent an
important message to His church. It
is a very sobering message. God
warns us through Ellen White that,
as a people, we have at times
neglected to teach these preparatory truths to souls who are seeking salvation. Surely we do not
consider these truths as unnecessary or as an unpleasant duty! If
we have fallen into this trap, let us
heed the following rebuke:
Some open revival meetings,
and by this means call large
numbers into the church. But
when the excitement is over,
where are the converted ones?
Repentance and confession of sin
are not seen. The sinner is entreated to believe in Christ and
accept Him, without regard to his
past life of sin and rebellion. The
heart is not broken. There is no
contrition of soul. The supposed
converted ones have not fallen
upon the Rock, Christ Jesus.
The Old and New Testament
Scriptures show us the only way in
which this work should be done.
Repent, repent, repent, was the
message rung out by John the
Baptist in the wilderness. Christs
message to the people was Except
ye repent, ye shall all likewise
perish. Luke 13:5. And the apostles
were commanded to preach
everywhere that men should
repent.
The Lord desires His servants
today to preach the old gospel
doctrinesorrow for sin, repentance, and confession. We want
old-fashioned sermons, oldfashioned customs, old-fashioned
fathers and mothers in Israel. The
sinner must be labored for,
perseveringly, earnestly, wisely,
until he shall see that he is a
transgressor of Gods law, and
shall exercise repentance toward
God, and faith toward the Lord
Jesus Christ. Ibid., book 2, 19.

Volume 17, Number 9

Believe, believe, only believe

is not enough. The devils believe
and tremble. A lukewarm
Laodicean may believe all of the
truth and Gods promises, but he is
not being saved thereby, for he is
not converted. Jesus said in John,
chapter 3, that unless a man is
born again he cannot enter the
kingdom of heaven. An unconverted one believes only with the
measure of faith that is given to all
men.
We are to teach new converts
that it is by repentance and faith we
are justified before God, and
through divine grace enabled to
render obedience to His commandments. The Sanctified Life, 81.

sinner, might live! Everyone within

the sphere of his influence heard
the old gospel story. His words
echoed Ellen Whites sentiments
when she exclaimed: O Precious,
loving, long-suffering, longforbearing Jesus, how my soul
adores Thee! . . . Wonder, O
Heavens, and be astonished, O
earth, that fallen man is the object
of His infinite love and delight.
The Upward Look, 377.
Larry was often heard inviting
his friends and acquaintances to
experience the fulfillment of that
precious promise offered to all men
by the Heavenly Physician: A new
heart also will I give you, and a
new spirit will I put within you:

The Lord desires His servants today to preach the old gospel
doctrinesorrow for sin, repentance, and confession. We want
old-fashioned sermons, old-fashioned customs, old-fashioned
fathers and mothers in Israel.
Back To Larry
Albert had received a new
physical life through the gift of his
donor heart. Just so, an amazing
transformation had taken place in
the life of Larry. He had received
the heart, the mind, and the faith of
His Saviour. He was filled with
hope, rejoicing, and gratitude.
Relieved of the burden of his sins,
he was no longer miserable and
spiritually wretched. New spiritual
life had been put within him. His
eyes sparkled with joy! His face
shone with a healthy radiance! He
reflected his joy and thankfulness
upon all with whom he came in
contact. He pointed them to the
Great Physician, Who alone is able
to forgive sins and to heal spiritual
diseases.
Wonder of wonders! Oh, how
could it be? The entire community
where he lives became aware of the
change in Larry. No longer was he
morose and discouraged. His heart
thrilled as he related to others that
his heart Donor and Surgeon, Jesus
Christ, died in order that he, a

and I will take away the stony heart

out of your flesh, and I will give
you an heart of flesh. Ezekiel
36:26. Larry did not fail to also tell
his friends that they must go to
Jesus just as they are, to receive
the enabling power of the Holy
Spirit.
Day by day Larry diligently
studied Gods precious Word. As
he increased in wisdom and
knowledge, he continued to grow
up spiritually in Christ.

A New Mind
In the Bible, being given a new
heart is likened to being born
again. We often refer to it as
conversion or the new birth.
Lest we fail to realize the true
wonders of the reception of a new
heart, we will add some additional sparkles that emanate from
this gospel truth.
From the inspired writings we
are told that many of us, especially
the youth, fail to understand the
true significance of what it means
to have a new heart. Ellen White
clearly defines its meaning:

19

The youth especially stumble

over this phrase, a new heart.
They do not know what it means.
. . . When Jesus speaks of the new
heart, He means the mind, the life,
the whole being. . . . To have a new
heart is to have a new mind, new
purposes, new motives. Sons and
Daughters of God, 100.
Paul understood. He explains:
Therefore if any man be in Christ,
he is a new creature: old things are
passed away; behold, all things are
become new. 2 Corinthians 5:17.

mind; while in a spiritual mind the

mind controls the body. How or
when will the stony heart be taken
away? When the heart, the mind,
are created anew.
Once we have received a
new heart, or mind, can it be
lost?Yes! It must be maintained the same way we receive
it, through surrenderthrough
the peace and assurance of
constant surrender! King David
was converted in his youth and
also in much of his later years.

When the soul surrenders itself to Christ, a new power takes

possession of the new heart. A change is wrought which man
can never accomplish for himself.

How can this be? How does this

new life come about?By a new
creation: The heart, the mind, are
created anew. The Desire of Ages,
176.
When the soul surrenders itself
to Christ, a new power takes
possession of the new heart. A
change is wrought which man can
never accomplish for himself. It is a
supernatural working, bringing a
supernatural element into human
nature. Manuscript Releases, vol.
17, 314.
God loves us so much that
He explains the entire plan of
salvation to us very clearly.

A Warning
On the other hand, what is the
stony heart?In the same
paragraph just quoted from, we are
warned: Unless we do yield
ourselves to the control of Christ,
we shall be dominated by the
wicked one.
Paul states it this way: For to
be carnally minded is death; but to
be spiritually minded is life and
peace. Romans 8:6. Webster
defines carnal as: Of the body or
flesh;opposed to spiritual. The
stony heartthe carnal mindis
controlled by the wicked one. In a
carnal mind the body controls the

20

However, he did not always

maintain his surrender. He fell
into sininto grievous sins!
Now the question: If one has
lost his born again experience,
how can he regain it? The same
way David did.
After Davids great sin, he
once again surrendered to the
Great Physician, pleading: Give
me a new heart, oh my God. See
Psalm 51. The Spirit of Prophecy
has revealed that One of the
most earnest prayers recorded in
the Word of God is that of David

when he pled, Create in me a

clean heart, O God. Psalm 51:10.
Gods response to such a prayer
is, A new heart will I give you.
This is a work that no finite man
can do. Men and women are to
begin at the beginning, seeking
God most earnestly for a true
Christian experience. They are to
feel the creative power of the
Holy Spirit. They are to receive
the new heart, that is kept soft
and tender by the grace of
Heaven. The selfish spirit is to be
cleansed from the soul. The
Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, vol. 4, 1165.
When David sinned, he
displayed a carnal, selfish, stony
heart. This mindset was removedcleansed from his
mindby the creative power of
the Holy Spirit.
As we begin or renew our
Christian experience, we must
fully surrender to Christ as did
David. Then with Christ dwelling in our hearts through the
Holy Spirit, we receive a new
mindeven the mind of
Christ. 1 Corinthians 2:16. Let
us be glad and rejoice that we
can experience such a sparkling
gem of gospel truth! !
Adapted from the book Sparkling
Gems of Truth, by Leola Rosenvold.
You may order your copy from
Hope International, shown below.

Sparkling Gems of Truth

Leola Rosenvold

Rosenvold Publishing
Some of Gods sparkling jewels are to be found
deep in the mines of His Word. Others may lie near
the surface. Many neglect the serious study necessary for growth in grace. The string of heavenly
gems is left buried beneath all the mundane things
we feel are so important, but which in the light of eternity are mere
rubbish.
This book was written to stimulate youth and adults alike to
study and to experience the beauty of Gods truth. The stories will
touch your heart, and the truths will bring conviction to your soul.

Now Only $10 !

Paperback, 139 pages, 2002

Catalog # BERL-SGOT
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I Cannot Come Down

Illustration: Bob Bresnahan; Color: Kevin H. Patterson

atchman, what of the

night? (Isaiah 21:11) is
the inquiry that should
now arise from all hearts. And the
true watchman will be able to give
the answer, The morning cometh,
and also the night. Verse 12. This
is a day of peril, a day of clouds
and thick darkness. Men are
blinded, infatuated by the god of
this world. They close their eyes to
the fearful events that are casting
their shadows before. Intoxicated
with self-indulgence and luxury,
they know not that the tempest is
about to burst upon them.
Satan and his hosts set themselves to overthrow the work of
God. To fainting, unbelieving souls
it may seem that the powers of
darkness are about to prevail.
Philosophy sets up reason as an
antagonist of revelation. Science,
falsely so called, directs the minds
of men to the book of nature as a
contradiction of the Word of God.
Critics search the Scriptures to find
some pretext for treating with
contempt the words of Holy Writ.
The base spirit of worldliness leads
men to seek to throw off the claims
of their Maker. And many who
profess to reverence Gods Word
make war upon all who proclaim
its plain and cutting truths.
At times the clamor of error and
heresy seem almost to drown the
voice of truth; yet the cry of the

Volume 17, Number 9

Ellen G. White
true watchman is still heard
sounding from the watchtower,
The morning cometh, and also the
night. We have no thought of
discouragement, no thought of
fainting or failing. Our only anxiety
is to discharge our duty in the fear
of God. We know that God is, and
he is a rewarder of them that
diligently seek him (see Hebrews
11:6); he lives and reigns, and all he
asks of us is humble faith and
willing obedience. Those who
occupy themselves in opposing His
work and His servants, we leave to
serve their own master, while we
press forward to spread the triumphs of the cross.
There are many who consider it
a mark of intelligence to doubt, and
they pride themselves upon their
ability to devise objections to Gods
Word, to His truth, or to those who
proclaim it. One class will bring
together disconnected or obscure
passages of Scripture, interpret to
suit themselves, and then, after
perverting or wholly concealing the
true meaning they hold them up to
ridicule as examples of the absurdities to be found in the Bible. Others
attack in a similar manner the
words and acts of those whom God
calls to lead out in His cause. But
are infidels and skeptics the men
who devote their lives to noble
efforts to reform and elevate
mankind? And those who busy

themselves in finding fault with the

servants of Godare they laboring
with zeal and energy to build up
His kingdom?In this work they
have little interest. Their mission is
to weaken and tear down. This is
the work of Satan, and he employs
the ability of every man whom he
can control.
There will ever be some who
take delight in dwelling upon the
real or supposed faults and failures
of others, and who employ their
time in seeing, hearing, or reporting something that will destroy
confidence in the person criticized.
Few are without visible faults; in
most persons careful scrutiny will
reveal some defect of character;
and upon these defects in others,
some professed Christians delight
to dwell. The habit strengthens
with indulgence, and a love for
gossip becomes their ruling passion. They gather together the
tidbits of reportsall of them, it
may be, utterly devoid of truth
and feast upon the scandal, and
share it with others as a rare
delicacy.
A writer asks, Whoever heard of
a dove rending the heart of a robin,
or of a lamb sucking the blood of a
kid? This is the work of hawks and
tigers. The true followers of Christ
will not be found biting and
devouring one another. This
wisdom descendeth not from

21

above, but is earthly, sensual,

devilish. For where envying and
strife is, there is confusion and
every evil work. James 3:1516.
Envy and jealousy loose the
bloodhounds of suspicion, and
minds that love the sport join in
hunting down the fair fame of
Christs ambassadors. An unjust
insinuation is started, a conjecture
is set afloat; and it gathers strength
as it passes from one to another of
those who desire it to be true.
These evil reports are received with
great satisfaction by some who
have been reproved for heinous
sins or grave defects of character.
They smarted under the reproof,
and yet did not reform. Now their
consciences are eased; they learn
that the reprover cannot be trusted;
somebody has circulated a damag-

Guard well the avenues of the soul.

Place sentinels at the eyes, the ears,
the lips. When prevarications and
conjectures are brought before you,
and your minds are disturbed, go
to Jesus, and pray for help that you
may not be ensnared by the wiles
of Satan.
Many ask, Why do you not
contradict these reports? Why
allow them to be circulated? The
same question has been asked
again and again for the last 40
years. My answer is, in the language of one of old, I am doing a
great work, and I cannot come
down. See Nehemiah 6:3. God has
called me to reveal to others by pen
and voice, what He has revealed to
me. In His strength I must go
forward in this solemn and important work, knowing that it is soon

Many ask, Why do you not contradict these reports? Why

allow them to be circulated? . . . My answer is, in the language
of one of old, I am doing a great work, and I cannot come
down.
ing report; somebody has brought
an accusation. They leave the
distasteful work of caring for their
own souls and repenting of their
own sins, and climb upon the
judgment seat to condemn another.
Brethren and sisters, let not
your souls be disturbed by the
efforts of those who so earnestly
seek to arouse distrust and suspicion of Sister White. These attacks
have been repeated hundreds of
times during the past 40 years; but
my labors have not ceased; the
voice of warning, reproof, and
encouragement has not been
silenced. The evil reports framed
concerning me have injured those
who circulated them; but they have
not destroyed my work. Before
some of these opposers had an
existence, I was shown what would
come, and from what source. In the
day of God, those who have been
seeking to prove me a deceiver
must answer for their course. I
appeal to those who love the truth:

22

to bear the test of the judgment.

While false accusers are doing
what pleases themselves, I will
seek only to please Him who has
given me my work. Christ is our
leader, and if we follow Him, we
shall see His triumph and share His
joy.
To those who have long been
acquainted with my labors, I leave
the burden of stating the truth in
these matters. If any who have had
an experience in this message and
who understand the relation which
I have sustained to it, are inclined
to believe the false statements of
my enemies, nothing that I might
say would influence them. Those
who make the slanders and those
who circulate them are actuated by
the same spirit. I do not expect the
manufacture and circulation of
false reports to cease. As long as I
am faithful in reproving sin, and in
presenting before the people the
perfection of Christian character,
Satans enmity will be stirred

against me. If I were to leave my

work to correct every false statement made concerning me, I would
have time to do little else. Satans
purpose would be accomplished,
could he thus put an end to my
labors.
I have not changed in character
or in my manner of labor since you
first listened to the messages of
comfort, encouragement, and
warning which God has given me
for His people. I am the same in
plainness and severe simplicity of
dress; the same in bearing an
earnest, decided testimony for God;
the same in deep interest in the
truth. I cherish the same faith, the
same hope, the same love for souls
for whom Christ died.
Brethren and sisters, have no
fears that I shall become disheartened by the cruel attacks of my
enemies. I expect them in greater
measure, and only wonder that
they have not been more frequent.
Think of Jesus. How much was said
against Him. How He was despised and hated. See Him laboring
for a short time in one place, and
then forced to hasten to another to
save His life, that He might finish
His work, and give to the world the
light of a pure and noble example.
We may strengthen our faith and
quicken our love by going often to
the foot of the cross, and there
contemplating our Saviours
humiliation. Behold the Majesty of
Heaven suffering as a transgressor!
Spotless purity, untarnished
righteousness, did not shield Him
from falsehood and reproach. He
meekly bore the contradiction of
sinners against Himself, and
yielded up His life, that we might
be forgiven and live forevermore.
Are we willing to follow in His
steps? The only reason why we do
not now suffer greater persecution
is, we do not in our lives more
faithfully exemplify the life of
Christ. I assure you, brethren and
sisters, if you walk as He walked,
you will know what it is to be
persecuted and reproached for His
sake.
If we hope to wear the crown,
we must expect to bear the cross.

Our Firm Foundation

Our greatest trials will come from

those who profess godliness. It was
so with the worlds Redeemer; it
will be so with His followers. I
should doubt whether I were a
child of God, if the world, or even
all professed Christians, spoke well
of me. Those who are in earnest to
win the crown of eternal life need
not be surprised or disheartened
because at every step toward the
heavenly Canaan they meet with
obstacles and encounter trials. The
opposition which Christ received
came from His own nation, who
would have been greatly blessed
had they accepted Him. In like
manner the remnant church receive
opposition from those who profess
to be their brethren.
But we know that all things
work together for good to them
that love God. Romans 8:28. All
that will live godly in Christ Jesus
shall suffer persecution. 2 Timothy 3:12. It is good for me to tread a
hard and humble path, to encounter difficulties, to experience
disappointments, to suffer afflictions and bereavements. The
Saviour knows what is best. Faith
grows by conflict with doubt and
difficulty and trial. Virtue gathers
strength by resistance to temptation. The life of the faithful soldier
is a battle and a march. No rest,
fellow pilgrim, this side the heavenly Canaan.
When our enemies try to place
upon us the black robes of unrighteousness, let us not become exasperated at their injustice. When
your efforts are falsified, when
your motives and your works are
painted in colors black as ink,
remember those who were treated
the same before you. How have the
saints of God in ages past been
maligned, traduced, and persecuted! For centuries their names
were covered with infamy. All that
the hosts of hell could do was done
to heap reproach upon them as the
vilest of men. But John in holy
vision beholds the faithful souls
that come up out of great tribulation, surrounding the throne of
God, clad in white robes, and
crowned with immortal glory.

Volume 17, Number 9

What though they have been

counted the offscouring of the
earth? In the investigative judgment their lives and characters are
brought in review before God, and
that solemn tribunal reverses the
decision of their enemies. Their
faithfulness to God and to His
Word stands revealed, and
Heavens high honors are awarded
them as conquerors in the strife
with sin and Satan.
Brethren, we can afford to wait.
Let our enemies exult because they
have represented us in a character
to suit their malicious fancy. But
Christ will judge righteously, and
will reward every man according
to his deeds. To the faithful, who
have been clothed by their enemies
in the black robes of falsehood, He
will give the spotless garments of
truth and purity.

patience, humility, and self-control.

The God whom we serve will arm
us with courage in every emergency; but we must abase self, and
let God be all-in-all. It was true
faith that gave Caleb courage to
bear his decided testimony for
God, even when fellow workers
stood ready to take his life. God
wants brave men in His cause
todaymen who in His strength
are not afraid to do and dare.
The time is short. How will our
cases appear in the judgment?
What is now our standing before
God? Are we closely examining our
own hearts? Are we by repentance
and confession sending our sins
beforehand to judgment, that they
may be blotted out when the times
of refreshing shall come? This is an
individual worka work which we
cannot safely delay. We should

Let our enemies exult because they have represented us in a

character to suit their malicious fancy. But Christ will judge
righteously, and will reward every man according to his deeds.

It will do our proud hearts good

to suffer reproach for Christs sake.
Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness sake: for
theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are ye, when men shall
revile you, and persecute you, and
shall say all manner of evil against
you falsely, for my sake. Rejoice,
and be exceeding glad: for great is
your reward in heaven: for so
persecuted they the prophets
which were before you. Matthew
5:1012.
Take courage, then, when the
burden is heavy, when the work
moves slowly, and temptations,
strong and fierce, surge in upon
you. Cease not your effort so long
as there is one soul to be warned by
your words, one soul to be benefited by your example.
I entreat you to depend less
upon your own efforts, and trust
more to the power of Christ.
Cultivate fortitude, firmness,

take hold of it earnestly; our

salvation depends upon our
sincerity and zeal. Let the cry be
awakened in every heart, What
must I do to be saved? Acts 16:30.
The adversary of souls is
constantly seeking to divert our
minds by bringing in side issues.
Let us not be deceived. Let enemies
handle your name and mine as
they please. Let them distort,
misrepresent our words and deeds.
Let them fabricate falsehoods as
best pleases them. We cannot
afford to allow our minds to be
diverted from Jesus and the preparation of soul which we must have
in order to meet Him in peace.
Leave Sister White in the hands
of God. If the work in which she is
engaged be of God, it will prosper;
otherwise it will come to naught.
But remember that your own
eternal interests are now at stake.
The fatal lethargy upon you must
now be broken, or it will result in

23

endless death. How long halt ye

between two opinions? if the LORD
be God, follow him: but if Baal,
then follow him. 1 Kings 18:21. In
Christs stead, I beseech you to
pray as you never prayed before, to
seek earnestly for faith and love,
that seem to be almost banished
from the earth. Live each day as in
the sight of God.
Your case will soon come in
review before God; how is it with
you, my brother? Are you unprepared for that solemn investigation? Christ alone hath the words
of eternal life. Helpless, discouraged, sin-smitten soul, look to
Jesus; He will pity, bless, and save
you. Let not false teachers confuse
your minds and unsettle your faith

as harshness and severity. As he

worked at the beginning, so he
works in the end, only concealing
himself more perfectly from view.
By every conceivable device, the
foe is seeking to throw us off our
guard. He may first attempt to
deceive with smooth words and
crafty insinuations; and if these fail,
he proceeds to open violence. He
has many a deep-laid snare for
unwary feet, and those who once
become entangled find it almost
impossible to extricate themselves.
While he praises, flatters, and
exalts some, he hurls his fiery darts
at others. We must be on guard
every moment. Days of peculiar
trial, difficulty, and danger are
before us.

We may expect greater opposition than has yet been

experienced. We have heard but the growling of the dragon.
This will swell to a roar.

by casting reproach upon those

whom God has sent you with
messages of warning and instruction. Remember that it is not mere
men whom you have to meet, but
principalities and powers, and
wicked spirits in high places. See
Ephesians 6:12. Now is the very
time when Satan is working with
all deceivableness of unrighteousness.
Many are in reality fighting his
battles while they profess to serve
under the banner of Christ. These
traitors in the camp may not be
suspected, but they are doing their
work to create unbelief, discord,
and strife. Such are the most
dangerous of foes. While they
insinuate themselves into our
favor, and gain our confidence and
sympathy, they are busy suggesting doubts and creating suspicion.
They work in the same manner as
did Satan in heaven when he
deceived the angels by his artful
representations, placing darkness
for light, and making the forbearance and mercy of God to appear

24

It is not enough that we have

the theory of the truth; its principles must be inwrought in the
soul, and exemplified in the life, or
we shall fall a prey to the delusions
prepared for the last days.
We must make up our minds
that instead of matters taking a
more favorable turn, wicked men,
seducing teachers, will grow worse
and worse, deceiving themselves
and deceiving others. We may
expect greater opposition than has
yet been experienced. We have
heard but the growling of the
dragon. This will swell to a roar.
We have yet to learn the significance of those words of John: The
dragon was wroth with the
woman, and went to make war
with the remnant of her seed,
which keep the commandments of
God, and have the testimony of
Jesus Christ. Revelation 12:17. We
must now make Christ our refuge,
or in the days before us our souls
will be overwhelmed with darkness and despair. There is a point
beyond which human help cannot

avail. Every one must live by faith

as he is forced into close and
apparently deadly conflict with the
powers of darkness. Each must
stand or fall for himself. The
arrows of the destroyer are about
to be hurled against the faithful
ones, and no earthly power can
turn aside the shaft. But could our
eyes be opened we could see angels
of God encircling the righteous,
that no harm may come upon them.
We have only to trust in God, and
go forward in the way of obedience, and we shall be victorious.
Now the just shall live by
faith. Hebrews 10:38. We must
look to Jesus, study His words,
pray for His Spirit. We should be
more frequently alone with God in
meditation and prayer. Let us pray
more and talk less. We cannot trust
to our own wisdom, our own
experience, our own knowledge of
the truth; we must be daily learners, looking to our heavenly
Teacher for instruction, and then,
without regard to ease, pleasure, or
convenience, we must go forward,
knowing that He is faithful who
has called.
We should cultivate a spirit of
prayer, not merely praying in our
closets, at the family altar, or in
public, but having our minds
constantly centered on God, taking
hold upon His strength, pleading
for His grace, confiding in His
promises. Let us put on the whole
armor of righteousness, which the
Captain of our salvation has
prepared for us. While we realize
our weakness, let us rely upon His
strength, and overcome by the
grace which He imparts.
There is help in God for every
seeker. Great promises are left on
record for us. We should keep faith
in constant exercise, and it will
increase and strengthen. Our hope
is in Christ, whom we preach,
warning every man, and teaching
every man in all wisdom; that we
may present every man perfect in
Christ Jesus. Colossians 1:28. !
Review and Herald, August 28, 1883,
originally entitled Our Present
Position.

Our Firm Foundation

The Judgment
Message

Illustration: Bob Bresnahan; Color: Kevin H. Patterson

J. N. Loughborough

nder the symbol of three

angels messages, there is
introduced in the book of
Revelation a threefold warning
which is followed by our Saviours
coming to reap the harvest of the
earth. See Revelation 14:1415. In
the public ministry of Christ, our
Lord gave a parable in which He
presented not only the seed sowing
and the growth of the plants but
also the final harvest. In explaining this parable to His disciples, He
told them distinctly that the
harvest is the end of the world
(Matthew 13:39), thus showing that
these three messages not only
immediately precede the end of the
world, but that they contain the
truths which are to ripen the
harvest of the earththe one class
for the heavenly garner, and the
other for the winepress of the
wrath of God.
The first of these messages
proclaims the everlasting gospel.
It is not the work of literal angels
visibly to preach the gospel to men,
but to minister to those who shall
be heirs of salvation. Hebrews
1:14. In the case of the devoted
Cornelius, to whom a glorious
angel appeared, it was not to
communicate to him the simplest
fact of the gospel even, but to tell
him where one of Gods chosen
ministers was, who could and

Volume 17, Number 9

would teach him the truth. See Acts

10:36.
Our Saviour committed the
preaching of the gospel to men,
and to those faithful in their
commission is still His assurance,
Lo, I am with you alway, even
unto the end of the world. Matthew 28:20.
These angelic messengers of
Revelation are regarded as symbols
of messages of truth to be proclaimed by men to this last generation. While the visible workers are
men, angels, who desire to look
into(1 Peter 1:12) the truths of the
gospel, camp about (see Psalm
34:7) those who, in the fear of the
Lord, proclaim His Word.
It is not a new gospel that is to
be proclaimed to the last generation, but the same everlasting
gospel. In the first of these three
messages, however, there is,
connected with the proclamation of
the gospel, a new reason assigned
why men should yield obedience to
the Lord. It is found in these words:
For the hour of his judgment is
come. Revelation 14:7. When the
apostle Paul stood before Felix and
reasoned of righteousness, temperance, and judgment to come,
Felix trembled! Acts 24:25. His
trembling, undoubtedly, would
have been much greater had the
message been, The hour of his

judgment is come. This first

angels message does not say the
judgment is coming, but the hour
[period] of his judgment is come.
(All emphasis supplied unless
otherwise noted.)
Such an announcement could
only be made at a time when the
judgment is actually to begin. If
men are to give such a message to
their fellow men, the Scriptures
must contain a line of prophetic
truth, and a prophetic period
leading down to the session of the
judgment. Do the Scriptures
contain such a period?They do,
or men could never, from the
Scriptures, give such a message.
That period of time is the 2300
days, (see Daniel 8:14) leading
down to the cleansing of the
sanctuary.
The work of mediation in the
earthly sanctuary was a representation, in figure, of the real work of
Christ, the true High Priest, as He
pleads before His Father, in the
heavenly sanctuary, for those who,
with truly contrite hearts, confess
their sins to Him. See Hebrews 8:4
5; 9:1314, 24. First, as in the typical
service, there is a pardon for the
repentant believer; and in the
closing of the service (cleansing of
the sanctuary), a blotting out of
sins, which blotting out is a final
decision of the cases of the righteous. In the type, the sins blotted
out one year were remembered
again the next year (see Hebrews
10:3), because the blood of beasts
did not actually take away their
sins. In the blotting out to be
accomplished by Christ, the sins of
His people will be remembered no
more. See verse 17. So this final
work of Christ, as the true High
Priest, in blotting out the sins of
Gods peoplethe cleansing of the
heavenly sanctuarymust be the
passing of judgment on their cases.

Cleansing of the Sanctuary

As performed in the Jewish
economy, the cleansing of the
sanctuary must have been a matter
with which Daniel was familiar. It
occurred in their service once a

25

year, on the tenth day of the

seventh month. He must also have
had some definite idea of the
significance of that atonement, as it
prefigured the final work to be
accomplished by the promised
Messiah.
The Jewish people of this day
who carefully study their service
understand the type, at least. That
this is so is seen both in their
sayings and in their writings. As
proof, your attention is called to the
following circumstance: In September 1869, during a series of meetings held at Healdsburg, Cal., a
well-educated Jew who resided in
that place became much interested
in the meetings. Being a man who
was very diligent in his mercantile
business, it was a matter of great
surprise that he should leave his
store to attend a meeting in midweek, and in the daytime. At the

that same day: for it is a day of

atonement, to make an atonement
for you before the LORD your God.
For whatsoever soul it be that shall
not be afflicted in that same day, he
shall be cut off from among his
people. Leviticus 23:2729.
In further proof that the Jewish
people regard the tenth day of the
seventh month as a day of judgment, the following is quoted from
one of their journals published in
San Francisco. It is called the Jewish
Exponent, and is an organ of the
orthodox Jews west of the Rocky
Mountains. In the issue for September 1892, was the announcement
that before the next number would
be published the seventh month
and the Day of Atonement would
come. Their name for the seventh
month is Tisri, and that of the sixth
month is Elul; so the paper stated,
The month of Elul is here, and the

This final work of Christ, as the true High Priest, in blotting out
the sins of Gods peoplethe cleansing of the heavenly
sanctuarymust be the passing of judgment on their cases.

close of the meeting, one of the

ministers questioned him regarding the matter. He replied, with
seriousness: Why, elder, a Jew
who broke every Sabbath in the
year would not dare to work today.
This is the Day of Atonement, the
tenth day of the Jewish seventh
month. The minister then asked,
What is the most solemn name
your people have for this day?
With a most devout and reverential
look, and in a tremulous tone of
voice, he replied, Today is the day
of judgment.
The following quotation from
the Scriptures represents the Day of
Atonement as a decisive day with
that people: On the tenth day of
this seventh month there shall be a
day of atonement: it shall be an
holy convocation unto you; and ye
shall afflict your souls, and offer an
offering made by fire unto the
LORD. And ye shall do no work in

26

monitory sounds of the shofar [the

trumpet that was to be blown from
the first to the tenth day of the
seventh month] (see Psalm 81:34)
are to be heard every morning in
the orthodox synagogues, advising
preparation for the day of memorial, and the final judgment of yom
kippur. Hence, as they were in the
close of Elul, the sixth month, and
Tisri, the seventh month, was about
to open, they would every morning, for ten days, hear the trumpet
announcing the final day of judgment of that typical system.
Here is the testimony of another, the Rev. Isidore Myer, rabbi
of a large congregation in San
Francisco. In announcing the Day
of Atonement in the autumn of
1902, he explained the significance
of the feast thus:
While crossing the threshold of
time from one year to another, the
Israelite is forcibly reminded of the

creation and of the universal

sovereignty of the Creator, and is
called upon to celebrate, with the
blast of trumpet, the anniversary,
so to speak, of the birth of time and
of the coronation of the great King.
He is also summoned by the voice
of the same trumpet, or shofar, to
scrutinize retrospectively his
actions of the past year, while he
stands trembling before the allseeing eye of Eternal Justice sitting
on the throne of judgment.

Standing in the Lot

From the time that Daniel heard
the saint say, Unto two thousand
and three hundred days; then shall
the sanctuary be cleansed (Daniel
8:14), his mind was filled with
anxiety as to what should be the
end of these things, and as to how
long it should be. See Daniel 12:6, 8.
Finally, he is given to understand
that a knowledge of the time is not
for his day. It is said to him, Go
thou thy way till the end be: for
thou shalt rest, and stand in thy lot
at the end of the days. Verse 13.
Some have supposed this language to refer to the final end of the
world, and that at that time Daniel,
with the rest of the Lords people,
would receive their reward, and
stand in their lot of inheritance. The
Hebrew word for lot of inheritance,
region of country, and so on, we are
told is geh vehl. That is not the word
translated lot in this scripture. The
word is goh rahl. Hebrew scholars tell
us that this word occurs 76 times in
the Old Testament. It is the same
word that is used in speaking of the
typical cleansing of the sanctuary,
where lots were cast to determine
which of the two goats was to be
slain. As the high priest took the
blood of the Lords goat, and went
into the sanctuary to perform the
work of cleansing, all Israel stood
without, afflicting their souls, and
confessing their sins, that they might
stand clear, and receive the blessing
of the high priest as he would come
out of the sanctuary, instead of being
classed with the rejected ones, who
would be cut off from among the
people. Thus, on that day, Israel
stood in their lot.

Our Firm Foundation

When the final cleansing of the

sanctuary should come, at the close
of the 2300 days (which comes
down a little further than any other
prophetic period, at the end of
which it could be said, The end of
the days), Daniels case, with the
cases of all the righteous dead,
would come in review before God.
So Daniel would stand in his lot.
At the close of the 2300 days . . .
Daniels case, with the cases of all
the righteous dead, would come in
review before God. So Daniel
would stand in his lot.
Thus, it is seen that the great
period of 2300 days brings us to the
investigative judgment. As in the
Jewish temple service, the sanctuary was cleansed once every year,
it must have been apparent to
Daniel that this cleansing at the end
of the 2300 days must relate to
something besides the yearly
typical service. The Lord had
instructed His people that when
using symbols in prophecy, the
time given was counted each day
for a year (Numbers 14:34; Ezekiel
4:6), so this period of 2300 years
would reach far into the future
from Daniels time.
In the twelfth chapter, this
anxious inquiry is found: How
long shall it be to the end of these
wonders? and, O my Lord, what
shall be the end of these things?
Daniel 12:6, 8.

Time Sealed Up
In response to Daniels inquiry,
the angel replied, O Daniel, shut
up the words, and seal the book,
even to the time of the end: many
shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased. Daniel
12:4. Again, Go thy way, Daniel:
for the words are closed up and
sealed till the time of the end.
Verse 9.
What so exercised the mind of
Daniel was the when, the how
long, and what shall be the end.
These were the points that perplexed and troubled the prophet,
and these things only were to be
sealed up till the time of the end,
and not the whole book of Daniel,
as some have supposed. These

Volume 17, Number 9

words were not, then, written in

vain, never to be understood; for
the time was to come when the
wise should understand. See verse
10. When the appointed time
should come for this sealed matter
to be openedfor the when, the
what, and the end of these
periods to be unsealed and made
plainwhen the time of the end
should come, many would run to
and fro through the Scriptures,
searching into these things, and
knowledge on the close of these
prophetic times would be increased.

edge of the period of time, shall be

sealed up, and when it shall be
opened and understood by
many. This event is called the
time of the end.

What Is the Time of the End?

Till the time of the end, this
matter should be sealed up. What
is the time of the end? It cannot be
the actual end of the world, for
then this part of Daniels prophecy
would be of no use to mortals; it
must therefore refer to a period just
before the end. But things which
are revealed belong unto us

What so exercised the mind of Daniel was the when, the

how long, and what shall be the end. These were the
points that perplexed and troubled the prophet.

That this is the idea conveyed in

the foregoing language will be
made more clear by the following
translations of the text:
Dr. Adam Clarke says, Many
shall endeavor to search out the
sense; and knowledge shall be
increasedby this means.
In the German Bible of Luther,
Revised, we read, So shall many
come over it, and find great understanding.
The German Parallel Bible
reads, Many shall run it through,
and so the knowledge will be
increased.
The German Bible of L. Van Ess,
admitted also by the pope to
Catholic readers, translates it,
Many will search it through, and
the knowledge will be great.
The Swedish Bible reads, Many
shall search in it, and knowledge
shall become great.
The Danish-Norwegian, Revised, reads, Many shall eagerly
search, and knowledge shall
become much.
In the prediction concerning the
sealing up and the opening of these
words, the accuracy of prophetic
fulfillment is again seen; namely,
that the event, the time, the knowl-

(Deuteronomy 29:29), says the

prophet.
To ascertain what is meant by
the expression time of the end,
we will notice where the same
terms are used in another prophetic
scene. In the eleventh chapter of
Daniel, a persecuting power is
introduced which was to hold its
dominion until the time of the end.
The Lord says of the work of this
persecutor, And some of them of
understanding shall fall, to try
them, and to purge, and to make
them white, even to the time of the
end: because it [the time of the end]
is yet for a time appointed. Daniel
11:35. Protestant commentators are
generally agreed in applying the
prophecy of this persecuting power
to the papal church, which had the
civil power in its hands for the
appointed timetime, times, and
an half (Daniel 12:7), the 1260
years from A.D. 538 to 1798. Its civil
power was taken away at the end
of the time appointed1798. So,
at that time, the people had ceased
to fall by the hand of that persecuting power, as they had previously been falling. This marks 1798
as the time called in prophecy the
time of the end.

27

Then, in the light of this prediction, the knowledge of when the

2300 days (the last of all prophetic
days) were to close, was sealed up;
but when that point of time passed,
many were to search out, and
obtain the light upon the subject.
Now, these are the facts in the case;
for until the year 1798, the exponents of prophecy had no light as
to where the 2300 days would end.
They could understand the symbols, the image, and the beasts of

that the date of the 70 weeks was

unalterably fixed. Failing to discover
that the 70 weeks were the first part
of the 2300 days, left the matter sealed
up until 1798, as predicted.
Coming down this side of 1798,
the other part of the prediction is as
accurately fulfilled. Again we
quote from the same number of the
Midnight Cry: Is it not a wonderful
coincidence that so many writers,
without any knowledge of one
another, came to the same conclu-

The discovery that the 70 weeks were the first part of the 2300
days, unlocked the whole subject.

the book of Daniel. They also

understood and correctly applied
the 70 weeks of the ninth chapter,
but could not tell where the 2300
days ended; for, as yet, they had no
understanding as to where the days
commenced.

Knowledge Increased
In the paper called the Midnight
Cry 1 of June 15, 1842, we read, It is
truly interesting to find the various
independent writers, who, since
1798, have seen what was entirely
unperceived beforethat the seventy
weeks was a key to the twentythree hundred days.
The discovery that the 70 weeks
were the first part of the 2300 days,
unlocked the whole subject.
Whereas, before, they failed to find
where the 2300 days commenced,
now, as the 70 weeks were the first
part of the 2300 days, of course, the
two periods must begin at the same
date.
Previous to 1798, students of
prophecy had light concerning the
commencement of the 70 weeks
457 B.C. Christs public ministry,
death, and so on, occurred in exact
harmony with that date. This exact
fulfillment of the Saviours mission
in harmony with this reckoning, had
given them a mighty proof that He
was indeed the true Messiah, and

28

sion about the same time? And

why should it not be so? The Lords
time had come when He said
many would receive the light,
and His Spirit would lead minds to
the truth regardless of distance or
countries, and without knowledge
one of another.
Before me is a list of 20 different
localities where the light was
discovered, not by communication
one with another, but as the result
of diligent searching of the Scriptures, led by the influence of the
Spirit of God. Heading the list is
William Miller, of the state of New
York. Then follow A. J. Krupp, of
Philadelphia; David McGregor, of
Falmouth, Mass.; Edward Irving, of
England; Archibald Mason, of
Scotland; W. E. Davis, of South
Carolina; Joseph Wolff, who
labored in various parts of Asia;
Alexander Campbell, in his debate
with R. Dale Owen, 1829; Capt.
A. Landers, of Liverpool, England;
Leonard Heinrich Kelber, of
Stuttgart, Germany; Laucunza, of
Spain, in his book, Ben Ezra;
Hentzepeter, of The Hague, Holland; Dr. Capadose, of Amsterdam,
Holland; Rau, of Bavaria; priests of
Tartary, in 1821; Bible students of
Yemen, in the book called Seera;
Hengstenberg, in another part of
Germany; Russians on the Caspian

Sea; Molokaners, on the shores of

the Baltic, and so on.
Such a general discovery of
light on the close of the 2300 days,
and at the time when God predicted that the matter, so long
sealed up, would be opened, is not
so surprising. It is, however,
interesting, after the lapse of years,
to bring together the conclusions of
the various students who, from the
opening of the nineteenth century
to 1840, reckoned out the period of
2300 days, and located the 70
weeks as the first part of that
period, and then to find the whole
period terminating in 1844.
The question arises, Can we rest
with certainty that 1844 is the true
date for the close of the 2300
days?Yes; for as surely as a false
fulfillment of prophecy cannot
come in the right time for the true
fulfillment, the conclusion must be
correct that 1844 is the true date for
the close of that period.
God, who sealed up the knowledge of the time till 1798 and
promised that then the true light
would shine, by His unerring
Spirit, guided those who earnestly
sought Him to a correct understanding of this time. His time had
come for the knowledge on that
subject to be increased, and He
guided to the true light.
We have now discovered the
period of time, developed in the
Lords order, when the judgment of
the saints would come. With this
time as a basis, the message could
finally be given, The hour of His
judgment is come. Mark, it does
not say that immediately on the
discovery of that period the message would be proclaimed, but that
this light previously sealed would
be made plain. . . . It will be seen
that the Lord just as definitely
marks the time when the Advent
message would be proclaimed to
the whole world. !
J. N. Loughborough, Last Day
Tokens, 3548.
References:
1

The Midnight Cry is the name of an

Advent paper published in New York
City from 1842 to 1845.

Our Firm Foundation

We Are Still Free To Witness

News Item: According to report
from Associated Baptist Press, the
U.S. Supreme Court decided June
17 that anonymous door-to-door
proselytizing is protected by the
Constitution. In an 8-1 decision, the
high court ruled that communities
cant require religious groups to
obtain a permit before witnessing
door to door.
The justices sided with
Jehovahs Witnesses, who challenged an ordinance in a small
Ohio town requiring canvassers to
register with the city, obtain a
permit before engaging in door-todoor solicitation and produce the
permit if a resident asks. Leaders of
the village of Stratton, Ohio, said
the ordinance was needed to
protect elderly residents against

harassment by solicitors and fraud

by con artists going door to door.
The towns Jehovahs Witnesses
refused to apply for a permit,
however, saying it was tantamount
to forcing them to get permission
from the government before
preaching to their neighbors.
The Supreme Court had
previously ruled that people may
remain anonymous in spreading
non-commercial political messages, in order to protect supporters of unpopular views from
retaliation. The new ruling
extends the same protection to
religious speech. Crosswalk.com,
June 21, 2002.
End-Time Perspective: This is
good news! Let us take full advantage of the little time of peace we
have left in this world to give the
last warning to a dying world. As
for our part here at Hope International we continue to feature the
Ten Commandments in newspaper
ads and with direct mailings of the
Law of God brochure. If you would
like to help with these projects,
please contact us and we will be
happy to work with you.

Atheism Is Alive and Well

News Item: SAN FRANCISCO,
June 26A federal appeals court
here declared today that the Pledge
of Allegiance is unconstitutional
because the phrase one nation
under God violates the separation
of church and state.
In a decision that drew protest
across the political spectrum, a
three-member panel of the United
States Court of Appeals for the
Ninth Circuit ruled that the pledge,
as it exists in federal law, could not
be recited in schools because it
violates the First Amendments
prohibition against a state endorsement of religion.
In addition, the ruling, which
will certainly be appealed, turned
on the phrase under God which
Congress added in 1954 to one of
the most hallowed patriotic traditions in the nation.
From a constitutional standpoint, those two words, Judge
Alfred T. Goodwin wrote in the 2to-1 decision, were just as objectionable as a statement that we are
a nation under Jesus, a nation
under Vishnu, a nation under

The Law of God

We are excited about our new brochure on The Law of God. This tract presents the Ten Commandments as
found in Exodus 20:217 in comparison with the Ten Commandments as changed by man. The simple gospel is
also presented to the readers, and they are encouraged to submit their request for a free copy of Final Conflict
Between Truth and Error, a free Bible course, and/or a free Panorama of Prophecy CD.
There are two ways you can distribute this brochure:
1) You can sponsor a bulk mailing to every home in a given postal route or ZIP code area, which is an excellent
tool to uplift the Law of God. The cost to send this colorful tract out,
including postage, will be about 20 each.
2) You may give out the brochures individually. Try sending
them with your bill payments, giving them out at flea markets and
fairs, or visiting your neighbors door-to-door. Order some today!
1-49 brochures: 20 each
Packets of 50: $5 per packet (10 each)
Cases of 500: $40 per case (8 each)
5000 or more: Please inquire.
If you need a free sample of this brochure, please contact us,
and we will be happy to send you one.
Catalog # TEHI-LOGO

See page 3 for shipping and sales-tax information.

Volume 17, Number 9

29

Zeus, or a nation under no god,

because none of these professions
can be neutral with respect to
religion.
The under God clause of the
pledge, the panel argued, was
added by Congress solely to
advance religion in order to
differentiate the United States from
nations under atheistic Communist
rule.
Such a purpose, Judge
Goodwin wrote, runs counter to
the Establishment Clause of the
First Amendment, which prohibits
the governments endorsement or
advancement not only of one
particular religion at the expense of
other religions, but also of religion
at the expense of atheism. New
York Times, June 27, 2002.
End-Time Perspective: Atheistic
communism is gone as a political
force, however, the atheism that
gained political notoriety during
the French revolution lives on. The
decision to take God out of the
Pledge of Allegiance is dangerously close to the French legislation
of the seventeenth century wherein
they voted to officially outlaw God
from society.
Watch and pray that you are not
found naked on that day. See
Revelation 16:15.

Churches in England Unite

News Item: Church leaders who
between them represent all the
Christian denominations in the
country signed a covenant yesterday in the presence of the Queen
committing themselves to working
for unity.
The four presidents of
Churches Together in England
including the Archbishop of
Canterbury, Dr. George Carey,
signed the document at Vicars
Hall, Windsor Castle, at the end of
the service at St. Georges Chapel,
Windsor, marking the Golden
Jubilee.
The other three signatories
were the Archbishop of
Westminster, Cardinal Cormac
Murphy-OConnor, the Rev. Tony
Burnham, Moderator of the Free

30

Churches, and the Rev. Esme

Beswick, representing the smaller
Churches. The event began on
Saturday with a meeting of 25
representatives from the Church of
England, of which the Queen is
Supreme Governor.
The covenant, which quotes
Ephesians iv, referring to the unity
of the Spirit in the bond of peace
sets out the Churches common
belief in the triune God of Father,
Son and Holy Spirit.
In it, the leaders commit
themselves to persevering in
seeking a common understanding
of the Christian message of
salvation, and to work towards
visible unity of their Churches.
They undertake to pray, study
and work together for the unity
and mission of the Church and to
speak with one voice where
possible.
Dr. Carey said that although
the Churches were still separate
institutions, the past few decades
had seen an enormous rapprochement.
Cardinal Murphy-OConnor
said: The ecumenical path we are
engaged on is a serious one. What
does matter is what unites us. What
divides us is still to tackle. The
Times (London, U.K.), June 6, 2002.
The Vatican has invited Anglicans, including a woman priest, to
an unprecedented conference this
week in an attempt to end four
centuries of division between the
Roman Catholic Church and the
Church of England.
The Pope, 82 and in failing
health, has made ecumenism one of
the hallmarks of his pontificate,
and has insisted in maintaining a
punishing schedule of foreign visits
in an attempt to heal the divisions
within Christianity by reaching
out to the Orthodox and Protestant
doctrines.
In a gesture towards reconciliation, a female Anglican priest has
been given a prominent role in the
conference despite the Vaticans
opposition to the ordination of
women.
London is welcomed into the
Vatican, reported Avvenire, the

Italian Catholic daily newspaper,

yesterday.
Dr. Judith Maltby, the Chaplain of Corpus Christi College,
Oxford, who attended the ceremonial opening of the conference in the richly frescoed 16thcentury Salone Sistino of the
Vatican in the presence of four
cardinals, said that the novelty of
a female priest inside the Vatican
had caused remarkably few
ripples.
The church historian Eamon
Duffy told the conference that
many pre-Reformation features of
Catholicism survived in Church
of England traditions, from
passages in the prayer book to
stained glass windows. The
origins of these traditions, Mr.
Duffy said, had initially been
whitewashed over by Protestant
zealots.
He said that although some
Protestants still saw the Pope as the
anti-Christ and some Catholics saw
Protestants as heretics, neither side
had ever fully succeeded in putting clear blue water between
them.
Cardinal Walter Kasper, head
of the Pontifical Council for Christian Unity and one of the driving
forces behind the initiative, commented that although the Church
of England was still not formally
in communion with the Pope, it
was certainly the time to set aside
misgivings, misunderstandings
and prejudices.
Cardinal Francis Arinze of
Nigeria, head of the Pontifical
Council for Inter-Religious Dialogue, said that when we Christians are united it will be easier for
us to speak with one voice to other
religions. Ibid.
End-Time Perspective: The
prophecy of Revelation 13:3 (see
also verse 8 and 17:8) saying, All
the world wondered after the
beast is being fulfilled with
stunning accuracy before our eyes!
Not only in the United States, but
around the globe, as these news
items show. What a privilege to
live in these times. !

Our Firm Foundation

Photo: PhotoDisc

I am reading your book, Final

Conflict between Truth and Error. I
have not yet finished, but I know already that what it contains is the
truth.
I was beginning to think that I
was the only person on earth who
was taught of the Holy Spirit in the
things you have pointed out in your
book. I thank God for any and all others who God has shown what is obvious to me, but what seems to be
hidden from all whom I have been
exposed to in the denominational
assemblies of the church.
Who are you? Is there an assembly somewhere which you attend? I
am a member of His Body. I need to
be fed by some additional members.
I can find no other person who sees
through the strong delusion God has
given man so that he should believe
Satans lies. I need your help, please.
The Holy Spirit is my Teacher, and I
will not buckle under, God willing,
but I have felt alone, until now. I
know that God is with me, but I need
the strength of others with the
knowledge of the truth.
God bless you, and your work. So
far, I havent been shown that you
are in an attempt to make merchandise of me, like so many others have,
so I pray for you to grow powerful
in the truth of the gospel and the
doctrine of Jesus, the Messiah.
RH, Kentucky
Thank you for sending us the
newsletter along with The Law of
God brochure. I have read it and
think this is a must to be gotten out
to the many people that dont know
that man changed the day, as the
Bible said he would.
My husband (now 81 years old)
is a newly baptized SDA and is learning all these new truths from Gods
wonderful Word. We would like to

Volume 17, Number 9

help others learn also. We live on a

very small income and cant spend
very much for many brochures, but
please send us a packet of 50; we will
do our best to get them into the
hands of people who need to read
them.
God bless you dear people, as you
work to win souls for Jesus.
GS, California
A good friend, who is an SDA,
has shared with me Our Firm Foundation, and I have enjoyed your
magazine. It has a good message,
how our own SDA church is not living up to their calling. I have been
an SDA all my life, but because of
secret sins in my life, I had to go to
prison, but I am not bitter about coming to prison, because finally, God
got through to me, and now I am
truly a reborn Christian. I have such
great peace now, and I have witnessed to a number of inmates already. I dont have much in my account, but I am sending towards
a subscription, I can send more later
when the funds become available.
FK, Michigan
You have given me so much to be
thankful for. I feel so very blessed by
each study I have received. I pray
always that our Lord will bless all the
hands of the men and women who
are willing in heart and spirit to do
His will. We are told in His Word,
But be ye doers of the word, and not
hearers only, deceiving your own
selves. James 1:22. This is just a note
from a brother that is so thankful for
the light you have given me.
WK, Florida
A friend of mine from church
loaned me a copy of the April 2002
Our Firm Foundation magazine. It was
a blessing and so rich with wisdom
and knowledge. I am enclosing a
check toward a subscription, and to
be honest, I cant afford the whole
amount, but I will be able to send you
more in a few months. I have never
done this before, but I will repay you
later. God knows I will. God bless
your work.
JC, New Mexico

From Overseas
I am an Adventist in a village near
where you came just recently. Unfortunately, I was sick in bed at that
time, so was not able to turn up for
your program.
Please, I am in need of some books:
Bible Readings For the Home, Family Bible
Studies, The Desire of Ages, Stories Jesus
Told, Our Firm Foundation, The Great
Controversy, All About Tithes, the Holy
Bible, and any other books which will
help link me to the Lord.
MD, Ghana
I received the parcel that you sent
me. I retired in May 2001. My main
work is reading and sharing the love
of Gods words. I go to church with
my wife. Sometimes we invite others from around and share the books.
Some are reformed. Some articles
have been very helpful in discussions
with others at church.
Please would you send me the
following books: the Holy Bible, a
Church Hymnal, and other magazines, pamphlets and booklets.
Thank you!!
TP, Myanmar
I am a Seventh-day Adventist
member, here at . I am looking
for books that might give more information about Christ. Please send
me also a free Bible School Course.
We shall soon have an effort, so
if you can, please send tracts as well.
AN, Malawi
Im at a certain village here in
Kenya spreading the great commission of the three angels messages to
reach the unreached. Ive succeeded
to organize a Sabbath School where
10 converts usually attend on Saturday. But the problem we have is how
to combat these Babylonian
churches. So I kindly request your
support with spiritual itemsinspiration books, Bibles, tracts and magazines. We are looking forward to receiving your great weapons against
the devil. Also, please subscribe me
to your Our Firm Foundation magazine. I will look forward to receiving
one soon.
SW, Kenya

31

Audio and Video Cassettes

Nonprofit Org.
U.S. Postage
Paid
Eatonville, WA
Permit No. 8

Hope International
Camp Meeting 2002
21 Sermon Treasures for the Last Days!

Speaker /
Tape # Message Title
Maurice Berry
1 The Issue in the Great Controversy
2 The First Angels Message
3 Daniel and the Second Angels Message
4 Abomination of Desolation
Cody Francis
5 Where are the Elijahs?
Bill Humeniuk
6 The American Diet
7 Africa Mission Story
8 Baptism of Fire
Dr. Sung Min Im
9 Are We Safe Without Health Reform?
10 How to Cleanse Our Body and Spirit
Sheldon Parrett
11 Two Rails, One Track
12 Fearing God Through The Sanctuary
13 The Third Angels Message
Ron Spear
14 Prepare to Meet Thy God
Colin Standish
15 Witnessing to the Children of Rome
16 The Army of the Lord
Russell Standish
17 Twenty Pieces of Silver
18 Sound an Alarm in My Holy Mountain
Roundtable
(Ron Spear, Colin Standish, and Russell Standish)
19-21 The Controversy Ended, Parts 1-3

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Hope International
P.O. Box 940
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Change Service Requested

Everyone who came to the Hope International camp

meeting in Eatonville this year knows what a tremendous
blessing it was. Many said it was the best camp meeting in
years. While different speakers met different needs in
peoples lives, the dominant theme was recognizing endtime events and getting ready for our Lords soon return.
For those who were unable to attend, we would like to
share the blessings with you through the audio and video
tapes that are now available.