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Chapter 6 Desire of Ages — Chapters 70, 71 & 72

June 4, 2020June 3, 2020 by Jana Wagner

PROPHETIC PARALLELS
The Church “Then”. . . . . .and the Church Now

by Terry S. Ross

DA 637- 38: “… Christ on the Mount of Olives pictured to His disciples the scene of the great Judgment day. And He represented its decision as turning upon one point. When the nations are gathered before Him, there will be but two classes, and their eternal destiny will be determined by what they have done or have neglected to do for Him in the person of the poor and the suffering….

“Jesus had told His disciples that they were to be hated of all men, to be persecuted and afflicted. Many would be driven from their homes, and brought to poverty. Many would be in distress through disease and privation. Many would be cast into prison. To all who forsook friends or home for His sake He had promised in this life a hundred- fold. Now He assured a special blessing to all who should minister to their brethren. In all who suffer for My name, said Jesus, you are to recognize Me. As you would minister to Me, so you are to minister to them. This is the evidence that you are My disciples….

“THOSE WHOM CHRIST COMMENDS IN THE JUDGMENT MAY HAVE KNOWN LITTLE OF THEOLOGY, BUT THEY HAVE CHERISHED HIS PRINCIPLES. Through the influence of the divine Spirit they have been a blessing to those about them. Even among the heathen are those who have cherished the spirit of kindness; before the words of life had fallen upon their ears, they have befriended the missionaries, even ministering to them at the peril of their own lives.”

Here Jesus sets forth the truth regarding those who will be saved in the last days, those who consist of His disciples. First of all, a ministry that is commended by Christ is one in which people are the main concern. The ministry will be paying attention to the best interests of the people. Secondly, Jesus also says that the true ministers would be hated of all men, persecuted and afflicted. Those who minister, in turn, to these faithful leaders are those whom Christ commends in the Judgment. These “may have known little of theology, but they have cherished His principles.”

I know from my own experience that it is not imperative that one knows every answer to realize when they hear something, whether it’s right or not. Many times over the last several years I have waited on something I’ve heard, choosing not to act on it because the principle of it didn’t seem to square up with the Lord’s principles. Many more times than not have I been glad to have adhered to what I thought was God’s principle in the matter. Time and time again it has proven to be a saviour to both Cathy and me. The better you understand what the principles of God are, the better you will be safeguarded in any given situation. When you decide to act on the right principle, even if you don’t happen to know everything about the subject in question, it usually ends up saving you a lot of unnecessary grief later.

DA 639: “The angels of heaven are sent forth to minister to those who shall be heirs of salvation. We know not now who they are; it is not yet made manifest who shall overcome, and share the inheritance of the saints in light; but angels of heaven are passing throughout the length and breadth of the earth, seeking to comfort the sorrowing, to protect the imperiled, to win the hearts of men to Christ. Not one is neglected or passed by. God is no respecter of persons, and He has an equal care for all the souls He has created.”

Two important principles are brought to light. God’s love extends to every soul and is unconditional. Now please don’t get this mixed up with some who would have you believe that because God’s love is unconditional, His promises are unconditional. This would be a fatal mistake! NONE OF GOD’S PROMISES ARE UNCONDITIONAL. ALL PROMISES ARE CONDITIONAL BASED UPON OBEDIENCE. God loves you no matter what you do, but He will not save you no matter what you do. God’s love and God’s promises are two different things and if not rightly understood can result in disaster. God is no respecter of persons. Poverty or riches mean nothing to God. Neither do profession or position. All are judged by the same laws set forth by God.

Also, let us be very sensitive to the timing of the last events which we are now experiencing. While the heat of the battle intensifies, we should be aware that it is only God who closes probation, not any man. Even the angels cannot do this. “We know not now who they are; it is not yet made manifest who shall overcome, and share the inheritance of the saints in light;…” Let’s not forget that Saul, a staunch Conference man who fiercely persecuted THE church, became Paul AFTER the “church” leaders had crucified Jesus and AFTER the stoning of Stephen.

DA 641: “Those who minister to others will be ministered unto by the Chief Shepherd. They themselves will drink of the living water, and will be satisfied. They will not be longing for exciting amusements, or for some change in their lives. The great topic of interest will be, how to save the souls that are ready to perish. Social intercourse will be profitable. The love of the Redeemer will draw hearts together in unity. …

“Love to man is the earthward manifestation of the love of God. It was to implant this love, to make us children of one family, that the King of Glory became one with us. And when His parting words are fulfilled, ‘Love one another, as I have loved you; ’ (JOHN 15: 12) when we love the world as He has loved it, then for us His mission is accomplished. We are fitted for heaven; for we have heaven in our hearts.”

Those who secure heaven will have a genuine love for their fellow man. When one is called to minister, it involves far more than just preaching. It means service to others in love. It means having a sincere interest in the well- being of others. Even as the enemy of Christ sought to destroy Him, even through gossip and slander the “church” attempted to destroy His influence and defame His character, even in the face of apparent failure,

Jesus demonstrated that He valued every soul. No matter how vile, no matter what present or past sin, Jesus never turned away a soul who came to Him for salvation. Jesus pitied those who refused His invitations of mercy and forgiveness. He NEVER took pleasure in their destruction.

DA 643- 4: “There was ‘a strife among them, which of them should be accounted the greatest. ’ THIS CONTENTION, CARRIED ON IN THE PRESENCE OF CHRIST, GRIEVED AND WOUNDED HIM. The disciples clung to their favorite idea that Christ would assert His power, and take His position on the throne of David. And in heart each still longed for the highest place in the kingdom. They had placed their own estimate upon themselves and upon one another, and instead of regarding their brethren as more worthy, they had placed themselves first. The request of James and John to sit on the right and left of Christ’s throne, had excited the indignation of the others. That the two brothers should presume to ask for the highest position, so stirred the ten that alienation threatened. They felt that they were misjudged, that their fidelity and talents were not appreciated. Judas was the most severe upon James and John. …

“Another cause of dissension had arisen. At a feast it was customary for a servant to wash the feet of the guests, and on this occasion preparation had been made for the service. The pitcher, the basin, and the towel were there, in readiness for the feet- washing; but no servant was present, and it was the disciples’ part to perform it. But each of the disciples, yielding to wounded pride, determined not to act the part of a servant. All manifested a stoical unconcern, seeming unconscious that there was anything for them to do. By their silence they refused to humble themselves.

“How was Christ to bring these poor souls where Satan would not gain over them a decided victory? How could He show that a MERE PROFESSION OF DISCIPLESHIP DID NOT MAKE THEM DISCIPLES, OR INSURE THEM A PLACE IN HIS KINGDOM? How could He show that IT IS LOVING SERVICE, TRUE HUMILITY, WHICH CONSTITUTES REAL GREATNESS? How was He to kindle love in their hearts, and enable them to comprehend what He longed to tell them?

“The disciples made no move toward serving one another. Jesus waited for a time to see what they would do. Then He, the divine Teacher, rose from the table. Laying aside the outer garment that would have impeded His movements, He took a towel, and girded Himself. With surprised interest the disciples looked on, and in silence waited to see what was to follow. ‘After that He poureth water into a basin, and began to wash the disciples’ feet, and to wipe them with the towel wherewith He was girded. ’ THIS ACTION OPENED THE EYES OF THE DISCIPLES. BITTER SHAME AND HUMILIATION FILLED THEIR HEARTS. THEY UNDERSTOOD THE UNSPOKEN REBUKE, AND SAW THEMSELVES IN ALTOGETHER A NEW LIGHT.

“So Christ expressed His love for His disciples. Their selfish spirit filled Him with sorrow, but He entered into no controversy with them regarding their difficulty. Instead He gave them an example they would never forget. His love for them was not easily disturbed or quenched. He knew that the Father had given all things into His hands, and that He came from God, and went to God. He had a full consciousness of His divinity; but He had laid aside His royal crown and kingly robes, and had taken the form of a servant. One of the last acts of His life on earth was to gird Himself as a servant, and perform a servant’s part.”

Many of us today (not only in Conference offices) are needing to learn what is defined as humble service. These passages were written primarily, in all fairness, about the experiences of the Independent Leaders – those chosen and tested by Christ. They were to take a message to the Ancient Adventists and the world especially attended by the power of the early rain at Pentecost. This time and these events are being repeated. We must pass these tests if we are to continue to be Christ’s disciples.

DA 646- 9: “Like Peter and his brethren, we too have been washed in the blood of Christ, yet often through contact with evil the heart’s purity is soiled. We must come to Christ for His cleansing grace. Peter shrank from bringing his soiled feet in contact with the hands of his Lord and Master; but how often we bring our sinful, polluted hearts in contact with the heart of Christ. How grievous to Him is our evil temper, our vanity and pride. Yet all our infirmity and defilement we must bring to Him. He alone can wash us clean. We are not prepared for communion with Him unless cleansed by His efficacy.”

We, like Peter should realize that we must allow the Lord to wash us totally of every defilement. The foot- washing is a symbol or type of higher cleansing that comes from Christ alone. It represents His work of purification in the life of the sinner. Judas refused this higher cleansing. Peter realized without it he would be lost! We have two Independent Leaders with two different experiences. Judas knew what needed to be done. Judas was drawn to Christ. But Judas refused to be humbled and clung to his pride. Judas became possessed by a demon. Peter at first refused the Lord’s offer as well. Peter also became aware that he needed to let go of his pride and decided that he would. Peter became possessed by the Holy Spirit. Two Independent ministers: one entered into the cleansing and was saved; one entered not and was lost.

DA 649: “Christ would have His disciples understand that although He had washed their feet, this did not in the least detract from His dignity. ‘Ye call Me Master and Lord, and ye say well; for so I am. ’ And being so infinitely superior, He imparted grace and significance to the service. No one was so exalted as Christ, and yet He stooped to the humblest duty. That His people might not be misled by the selfishness which dwells in the natural heart, and which strengthens by self- serving, Christ Himself set the example of humility. He would not leave this great subject in man’s charge. Of so much consequence did He regard it, that He Himself, One equal with God, acted as servant to His disciples. While they were contending for the highest place, He to whom every knee shall bow, He whom the angels of glory count it honor to serve, bowed down to wash the feet of those who called Him Lord. He washed the feet of His betrayer.”

The system (or individual) that tries to make itself greater than others, because of position or some accomplishment, is not of God. God is so great because of His unselfish service to those whom are all much lower than Himself. Those who choose to remain self- serving, although engaged in the “Lord’s work,” will never be in God’s kingdom. A life of humble service is what is great in God’s sight. He says: “In My kingdom the principle of preference and supremacy has no place. The only greatness is the greatness of humility. The only distinction is found in devotion to the service of others.” (DA 650)

DA 652- 3: “Christ was standing at the point of transition between two economies and their two great festivals. He, the spotless Lamb of God, was about to present Himself as a sin- offering, and HE WOULD THUS BRING TO AN END THE SYSTEM OF TYPES AND CEREMONIES THAT FOR FOUR THOUSAND YEARS HAD POINTED TO HIS DEATH. AS HE ATE THE PASSOVER WITH HIS DISCIPLES, HE INSTITUTED IN ITS PLACE THE SERVICE THAT WAS TO BE THE MEMORIAL OF HIS GREAT SACRIFICE. THE NATIONAL FESTIVAL OF THE JEWS WAS TO PASS AWAY FOREVER. The service which Christ established was to be observed by His followers in all lands and through ALL ages.

“The Passover was ordained as a commemoration of the deliverance of Israel from Egyptian bondage. God had directed that, year by year, as the children should ask the meaning of this ordinance, the history should be repeated. Thus the wonderful deliverance was to be kept fresh in the minds of all. The ordinance of the Lord’s supper was given to commemorate the great deliverance wrought out as the result of the death of Christ. Till He shall come the second time in power and glory, THIS ORDINANCE is to be celebrated. It is the means by which His great work for us is to be kept fresh in our minds.”

The system of types and ceremonies which were instituted during the time of Moses was a reminder to the people that God had freed them from the bondage of Egypt. These were all ended “forever” at the cross. It had been Jesus Who had instructed Moses to institute these types and ceremonies and it was this same Jesus Who ended them. It was also this same Jesus Who “instituted in its place the service that was to be the memorial of His great sacrifice.” Did you notice that it doesn’t say that He added to these ceremonies, but rather instituted in the place of them.

There are several, I believe, well- meaning people who are confused on this issue and are actively confusing others in their attempts of trying to convince them that the old ways should be revived. What these honest, but misguided folks, apparently don’t realize is that Jesus was doing away with the entire Jewish system economy. For four thousand years this system, which included the slaying of beasts, had gone on. It had started with Adam and his sons AFTER SIN entered the world; at the time of Moses other ceremonies had been added. This is when the Sanctuary service had been instituted, as well as all the ceremonies representing the future death of Christ (and a reminder of their release from the grips of bondage in Egypt).

What does it mean “Christ was standing at the point of transition between two economies…”? Something was about to change. Something would be set aside forever and something else (new) would take the place of the old. Of course, the God (Jesus) Who had instituted one could replace it with another if He so chose and this IS what He did.

Jesus knew the future. He was about to do away with the Jews, not trusting them any more to evangelize the world, nor recognizing them any longer as a nation of “chosen” people. After all, it was He Who had chosen them. They had rejected Him and He was forced to let them go their own way.

As would be consistent with a continued rebellion against the truth the Jews refused to accept that Christ had done away with the “types and CEREMONIES THAT FOR FOUR THOUSAND YEARS HAD POINTED TO HIS DEATH.” But Jesus was moving away from the Jewish leaders. He chose laymen and told them to first re- educate the Jews who would listen, and then go to the Gentiles.

Again, as would be expected those who had rejected Christ but who were exerting their authority in the “church” rose up against the present truth and steadfastly endeavored to retain and enforce the old. This is what the argument in Acts 15 is all about. This is what Colossians 2 is all about. The Bible plainly reveals that these ceremonies were not to be laid on the Gentiles. The Bible clearly indicates that all these ceremonies and their Sabbaths are of the past. Most Seventh- day Adventists realize this and know the difference between THE Sabbath and A Sabbath. One is the perpetual Sabbath instituted during the creation week, here before sin entered into the world and be here after it is gone. The other Sabbaths were instituted as high days as part of the ceremonial laws and passed away at the cross.

These arguments concerning the feast days and their Sabbaths are nothing new. It was argued vehemently by the Apostate church leaders who had killed Christ. They wouldn’t believe Him before the cross and they still didn’t believe Him after the cross! No matter how heated folks may get, it is very obvious in God’s Word that Gentiles were not to be yolked with a burden Jesus had blotted out. The Jews were wrong (and still are) to cling to these things and the Orthodox Jew (the old style Jew who still doesn’t accept Christ as the Messiah) is still lost. He is still keeping the ceremonies. He is still keeping the feast days. He is still keeping all those old Sabbaths, but the reason he is doing so is because HE IS STILL REJECTING JESUS!

On the other hand, the Gentiles were NEVER commanded to keep these ceremonies, feast days, or Sabbaths (excepting THE Sabbath) because the Apostles rightly understood they had been replaced with the new by Jesus Himself, also the originator of the old. Please don’t miss this point. IT WAS ONLY THOSE WHO WERE REJECTING CHRIST WHO TRIED TO FORCE THESE THINGS UPON THE GENTILES. I believe many should and need to restudy this issue and stop trying to make the way of salvation through the methods of the rejected Jewish nation. I do not have to read mounds of “convincing” information from wellmeaning but misguided folks to understand and believe the plain words left to us in God’s Word and given to us through the present- day prophet.

DA 654: “The disciples had searched one another’s faces closely as they asked, ‘Lord, is it I? ’ And now the silence of Judas drew all eyes to him. Amid the confusion of questions and expressions of astonishment, Judas had not heard the words of Jesus in answer to John’s question. But now, to escape the scrutiny of the disciples, he asked as they had done, ‘Master, is it I? ’ Jesus solemnly replied, ‘Thou hast said. ’

“In surprise and confusion at the exposure of his purpose, Judas rose hastily to leave the room.”

Only two people knew the true condition, character, and motives of the self- serving Judas. Jesus had labored with Him for three and a half years, but Judas (an Independent Leader, by the way) would not surrender. He was “doing the work”; He had a head knowledge of the ways of the Master; He was on the “front lines.” But Judas refused to enter into that experience which every saved person must have. Judas did not possess the saving knowledge that is vital in a “Christian’s” life. He did not have an experiential knowledge of Christ. He had even fooled all the other disciples and the laity, but he could not fool Jesus.

Christ demonstrates that there is a limit to God’s forbearance and man’s probation in His dealings with this Independent Minister. What we need to learn as professed followers of Christ is that the heavenly principles of truth, mercy, and justice always outweigh human profession and position. It makes no difference what “group” or “camp” you are in so far as this principle is concerned. You can and will be just as lost if you support and follow Judas instead of Jesus.

DA 655- 56: “Though Jesus knew Judas from the beginning, He washed his feet. And the betrayer was privileged to unite with Christ in partaking of the sacrament. A longsuffering Saviour held out every inducement for the sinner to receive Him, to repent, and to be cleansed from the defilement of sin. This example is for us. When we suppose one to be in error and sin, we are not to divorce ourselves from him. By no careless separation are we to leave him a prey to temptation, or drive him upon Satan’s battle- ground. This is not Christ’s method. It was because the disciples were erring and faulty that He washed their feet, and all but one of the twelve were thus brought to repentance.”

Oh, the longsuffering of our Lord! We must learn to love and be longsuffering as Jesus was with Judas. Our motives must constantly be checked. There is a time, of course, when we must let one go, but I fear that in many cases we “throw people away” far too quickly. Christ let Judas go to do his work of betrayal with deep pity in His heart. He had not carelessly driven Judas onto Satan’s ground. Even in the midst of the battle, the motives of Jesus were pure and noble. He was truly interested in the salvation of souls and not in their destruction. He finds NO pleasure in the destruction of His enemies and neither will we if we have His spirit within us. We have all been the enemies of God and those who have loved God’s pity and forgiveness on their own behalf will not carelessly cast off others. Remember, the bridge of forgiveness you burn may one day be the bridge that you yourself may need to cross.

DA 659- 61: “The communion service points to Christ’s second coming. It was designed to keep this hope vivid in the minds of the disciples….

“These are the things we are never to forget. The love of Jesus, with its constraining power, is to be kept fresh in our memory. Christ has instituted this service that it may speak to our senses of the love of God that has been expressed in our behalf. There can be no union between our souls and God except through Christ. The union and love between brother and brother must be cemented and rendered eternal by the love of Jesus. And nothing less than the death of Christ could make His love efficacious for us. It is only because of His death that we can look with joy to His second coming. His sacrifice is the center of our hope. Upon this we must fix our faith. …

“As faith contemplates our Lord’s great sacrifice, the soul assimilates the spiritual life of Christ. That soul will receive spiritual strength from every communion. The service forms a living connection by which the believer is bound up with Christ, and thus bound up with the Father. In a special sense it forms a connection between dependent human beings and God. “As we receive the bread and wine symbolizing Christ’s broken body and spilled blood, we in imagination join in the scene of communion in the upper chamber. We seem to be passing through the garden consecrated by the agony of Him who bore the sins of the world. We witness the struggle by which our reconciliation with God was obtained. Christ is set forth crucified among us.

“Looking upon the crucified Redeemer, we more fully comprehend the magnitude and meaning of the sacrifice made by the Majesty of heaven. The plan of salvation is glorified before us, and the thought of Calvary awakens living and sacred emotions in our hearts. Praise to God and the Lamb will be in our hearts and on our lips; for pride and self- worship cannot flourish in the soul that keeps fresh in memory the scenes of Calvary.

“He who beholds the Saviour’s matchless love, will be elevated in thought, purified in heart, transformed in character. He will go forth to be a light to the world, to reflect in some degree this mysterious love. The more we contemplate the cross of Christ, the more fully shall we adopt the language of the apostle when he said, ‘God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world. ’ (Gal. 6: 14).”

Jesus instituted the communion service in order that we would remember Him. We are to keep in our minds that it was with a tremendous struggle that the Father and the Son paid the supreme sacrifice for each of us while we were (or maybe still are) His enemies.

We are, also, to remember the self- sacrificing life of Christ and the path that He trod alone to Calvary in our stead. We, too, have the same path to travel in our own sphere if we are to share in His glory. And we are not to forget that others are just as precious in Heaven’s sight as we are — we are to maintain a sanctified respect for the worth of every soul. The memories of the Communion Service are to lift us up to higher ground. Above the natural bend toward pride and prejudice of the carnal heart is this ceremony to lift those who would follow Jesus.

Table of Contents
Acknowledgements and Forward
Chapter 1 Desire of Ages — Chapter 63
Chapter 2 Desire of Ages — Chapter 64
Chapter 3 Desire of Ages — Chapter 65
Chapter 4 Desire of Ages — Chapters 66 & 67
Chapter 5 Desire of Ages — Chapters 68 & 69
Chapter 6 Desire of Ages — Chapters 70, 71 & 72
Chapter 7 Desire of Ages — Chapter 73
Chapter 8 Desire of Ages — Chapters 74 & 75
Chapter 9 Desire of Ages — Chapters 76 & 77
Chapter 10 Desire of Ages — Chapter 78

Chapter 5 Desire of Ages — Chapters 68 & 69

June 4, 2020June 3, 2020 by Jana Wagner

PROPHETIC PARALLELS
The Church “Then”. . . . . .and the Church Now

by Terry S. Ross

DA 621: “And there were certain Greeks among them that came up to worship at the feast; the same came therefore to Philip, which was of Bethsaida of Galilee, and desired him, saying, Sir, we would see Jesus. Philip cometh and telleth Andrew, and again Andrew and Philip tell Jesus.

“At this time Christ’s work bore the appearance of cruel defeat. He had been victor in the controversy with the priests and Pharisees, but it was evident that He would never be received by them as the Messiah. The final separation had come. To His disciples the case seemed hopeless. But Christ was approaching the consummation of His work. The great event which concerned not only the Jewish nation, but the whole world, was about to take place. When Christ heard the eager request, ‘We would see Jesus, ’ echoing the hungering cry of the world, His countenance lighted up, and He said, ‘The hour is come, that the Son of man should be glorified. ’ In the request of the Greeks He saw an earnest of the results of His great sacrifice.”

Jesus had labored faithfully and yet it certainly appeared as if His work had been in vain. The church He had come to, the same church He had raised, protected, honored with His presence had rejected Him. After years in the service of salvation, He stood almost alone. Even His closest friends had little encouragement to offer. But in the words “we would see Jesus,” Christ caught a glimmer of hope that in future days would shine more brightly in a dark world. These few words Jesus understood.

Jesus was willing to sacrifice Himself so that others might be saved. This is the type of service that is acceptable to the Father. Our work must be of the same nature for it to receive Heaven’s blessing. As with Jesus, we must be willing to lay it all on the line for the cause of truth. We must willingly place even our reputations into the hands of God and labor for His glory rather than for our own. We must say the words “we would see Jesus.” This is what constitutes true service to God and for others.

DA 623: “The grain of wheat that preserves its own life can produce no fruit. It abides alone. Christ could, if He chose, save Himself from death. But should He do this, He must abide alone. He could bring no sons and daughters to God. Only by yielding up His life could He impart life to humanity. Only by falling into the ground to die could He become the seed of that vast harvest, —the great multitude that out of every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people, are redeemed to God.

“With this truth Christ connects the lesson of self- sacrifice that all should learn: ‘He that loveth his life shall lose it; and he that hateth his life in this world shall keep it unto life eternal. ’ All who would bring forth fruit as workers together with Christ must first fall into the ground and die. The life must be cast into the furrow of the world’s need. Self- love, self- interest, must perish. And the law of self- sacrifice is the law of self- preservation.”

We can choose to keep to ourselves but Heaven requires more. Jesus did not have to elect to die for us. He could have said “No, I am not going to do this.” Having made that choice He would have saved Himself a tremendous trouble, pain, suffering, and rejection. But Christ loved us with a love that is very difficult for us to grasp. After all, we are not that great a prize except in the eyes of Heaven and then only because of what Jesus did. We may think we are remarkable, we may think we are of most importance, but when it boils right down to it, we are moles on the otherwise perfect body of the Heavenly universe.

It is only in Christ that we have any value. We have hope only because Jesus cast His own life into the furrow of the world field and died that there might be a harvest of souls. By giving up His own life Jesus demonstrates the true Spirit of Christianity.

We aren’t merely speaking of giving one’s life at the end of the road but rather now on a daily basis. “Not my will, but thine” must be the watch words of our daily experience. Many have made an ascent to dying a martyr’s death. We have some kind of romantic or heroic attachment to this kind of end and I think to some degree this is understandable. But what Jesus wants more than anything else is that daily death that evades so many of us. The miracle to be demonstrated is not so much “the stake,” but is rather in the kitchen, at work, in our conversations, in the treatment of others, or in other words, in our everyday lives. It is by dying daily that the life and death of Christ is honored in its highest expression. To make manifest to the Lord our greatest appreciation, He would have us, as He did, cast ourselves to the ground and die. To do this is placing ourselves as seeds in God’s service and He WILL bring forth fruits unto salvation. Then the words “we would see Jesus” will change. They will become “we have seen Jesus.”

DA 626: “ ‘Nevertheless among the CHIEF RULERS also many believed on Him; but because of the Pharisees they did not confess Him, LEST THEY SHOULD BE PUT OUT OF THE SYNAGOGUE. ’ THEY LOVED THE PRAISE OF MEN RATHER THAN THE APPROVAL OF GOD. To save themselves from reproach and shame, they denied Christ, and rejected the offer of eternal life. …

“Alas for those who knew not the time of their visitation! Slowly and regretfully Christ left forever the precincts of the temple.”

Take heed to these words! You who are in the pews, in the pulpits, in high Conference positions, if you love the praise of men over the approval of God; if you are denying the truth because of fear of Conference Leaders or of being put out of the synagogue, you are lost! Eternally lost!

I do believe that there are those in positions in the Organization who know the truth. I do believe that some have been trying to hold the lines behind the scenes. But I also know according to the above statement that if these ones do not get their priorities in order very soon, they will understand too late! God means just what He says. Please do not trade this opportunity that Christ extends for some temporary praise you might gain from men who cannot save you. If God has called you to lead, then LEAD, but do so only by following Jesus down the blood- stained path. This is where the true glory lies. Do not trade the glory of Heaven for the glitter of this world. It is far past time that those who are going to stand for the cause of Christ stand together! Now is the time of our salvation! Our visitation is today! Do not make the mistake our forefathers made and send Jesus out of the sanctuary of your heart in order to maintain some kind of political status. It’s not worth it!

DA 627: “Christ’s words to the priests and rulers, ‘Behold, your house is left unto you desolate, ’ (Matthew 23: 38) had struck terror to their hearts. They affected indifference, but the question kept rising in their minds as to the import of these words. An unseen danger seemed to threaten them. Could it be that the magnificent temple, which was the nation’s glory, was soon to be a heap of ruins? …. You point to these walls as apparently indestructible; but listen to My words: The day will come when ‘there shall not be left one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down. ’”

The Conference is shouting “The church is going through, the church is going through” (meaning the Conference is going through), but the above quotation just doesn’t get any plainer on the issue. Two thousand years ago the “church” was telling the laity and God that nothing could destroy it, no matter what it was going through. Jesus expressed the complete opposite. The question is — Who are you going to believe? The majority of the Ancient Adventist Church went along with the Conference and were lost! How long is it going to take for us to learn that God is no respecter of persons? Any person, any nation, and, yes, any church organization that rejects God — God rejects.

DA 628- 29: “ ‘And ye shall hear of wars and rumors of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. ’ Prior to the destruction of Jerusalem, men wrestled for the supremacy. Emperors were murdered. Those supposed to be standing next the throne were slain. There were wars and rumors of wars. ‘All these things must come to pass, ’ said Christ, ‘but the end [of the Jewish nation as a nation] is not yet. For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom; and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes in divers places. All these are the beginning of sorrows. ’ Christ said, As the rabbis see these signs, they will declare them to be God’s judgments upon the nations for holding in bondage His chosen people. They will declare that these signs are the token of the advent of the Messiah. Be not deceived; they are the beginning of His judgments. The people have looked to themselves. They have not repented and been converted that I should heal them. THE SIGNS THAT THEY REPRESENT AS TOKENS OF THEIR RELEASE FROM BONDAGE ARE SIGNS OF THEIR DESTRUCTION.”

Jesus, speaking to His disciples, is trying to give them a look into their future as it pertains to what the Conference will be saying. He knows that the Conference will have their eyes on the events but because they have rejected His truth, they will not see the personal danger the event is pointing to. If you will notice, in the Desire of Ages, someone has added the words (in brackets) “but the end [of the Jewish nation as a nation] is not yet.” I think this is providential and bears out the truth. Those of us who care to look are also staring prophecy right in the face, although most will reject it, as in days of old.

Please don’t be surprised or naive as to how this works. Jesus spoke plainly in the common vernacular of His day. He warned them openly and they refused to see it. So why should we be so shocked as we witness the exact repeat of this?

We have preached since our beginnings that Matthew 24 had a dual application and this is right and true. But now our own book (The Desire of Ages) is giving us a more in- depth look. Are we willing to take the truth at face value or will we reject it? Let’s continue to look at this passage:

“As the rabbis see these signs, they will declare them to be God’s judgments upon the nations for holding in bondage His chosen people. They will declare that these signs are the token of the advent of the Messiah. Be not deceived; they are the beginning of His judgments. The people [Jews] have looked to themselves. They have not repented and been converted that I should heal them. THE SIGNS THAT THEY [the Jewish Leaders] REPRESENT AS TOKENS OF THEIR RELEASE FROM BONDAGE ARE SIGNS OF THEIR DESTRUCTION.”

Can you not see what is about to take place? I know that this all seems impossible but maybe it will give you a better understanding of what the disciples endured. This is no trick, but the truth! As Jesus was warning those who would listen in His day, He now is warning all who will listen in our day.

If you will read Matthew 24, you will discover that the very first thing that Jesus says concerns the destruction of the Apostate Ancient Adventist System — equated with the temple. This IS the subject matter. Let’s look at it.

Matthew 24: 1- 2: “And Jesus went out, and departed from the temple: and His disciples came to Him for to shew Him the building of the temple. And Jesus said unto them, See ye not all these things? Verily I say unto you, There shall not be left here one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down.”

You can almost hear the disciples and experience their unspoken concern. They take Jesus to the outside of the temple as if to say: “Are you sure of what you are doing? Do you understand what road you’re heading down and asking us to follow?” But Jesus understood their concern and spoke with them plainly. He told them, “Brothers, I want you to know for certain that the ‘church’ IS NOT GOING THROUGH!” That’s what the “verily” in the verse means. It means for certain or for a truth — you can take this to the bank — I’m not mixed up in what I’m about to tell you.

Then Jesus told them, “Take heed, let no man deceive you.” Why did He tell them this? Jesus knew that the Conference Leaders had a hold on these men and He purposely was bringing them to a point of decision. By what Christ was revealing, He knew He was placing them in a position of having to choose between Him or the Conference.

He went on to disclose to them that the Conference would try to convince them of the opposite of what He had just spoken and that many would claim to be working for God by using this falsehood.

The things that Christ shared with His disciples in Matthew 24 were to warn them of two things. There is indeed a dual application but maybe not until this time have we known what they are, for Jesus is even now trying to warn you and me of the very same dangers.

Jesus said that they should beware of certain things as they viewed the world or other nations taking certain actions. But the insight we have missed until now is that Jesus also wanted His disciples to beware of the actions the apostate church would take. Here was their larger danger! We will see if the next quotation that what I am trying to point out to you right here, is the truth in verity.

DA 629: “ ‘Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for My name’s sake. And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another. ’ All this the Christians suffered. Fathers and mothers betrayed their children. Children betrayed their parents. FRIENDS DELIVERED THEIR FRIENDS UP TO THE SANHEDRIN. THE PERSECUTORS WROUGHT OUT THEIR PURPOSE BY KILLING STEPHEN, JAMES, AND OTHER CHRISTIANS.”

Brothers & Sisters, I hope you can see the plain truth in the above statement. Matthew 24 reveals what happens to Christians by the “church!” “Oh, I don’t think so!” some poor soul may still be saying. Then answer this simple question. What was the religion of these fathers and mothers who were betraying their children? What was the religion of these children who were betraying their parents? What was the religion of the “friends” who delivered their friends? And if you haven’t gotten the truth yet, who were the Sanhedrin? And if you still haven’t gotten it yet, who killed Stephen?

Folks, not one Christian was killed in the destruction of the Ancient Adventist Conference. But we must clearly discern what they discerned or we will not share their salvation.

DA 630: “Through His servants, God gave the Jewish people a last opportunity to repent. He manifested Himself through His witnesses in their arrest, in their trial, and in their imprisonment. Yet their judges pronounced on them the DEATH SENTENCE. They were men of whom the world was not worthy, and by killing them the JEWS crucified afresh the Son of God. SO IT WILL BE AGAIN.”

Those who have eyes to see and ears to hear, please allow the above quotation to sink in deeply. History is indeed repeating itself almost to the letter. God has raised up faithful servants to warn the professed leaders and laity alike of the impending doom that is sure to come. Most, instead of repenting and reforming, will end up persecuting these true messengers and will ultimately be guilty of murder!

DA 630: “On every occasion when persecution takes place, those who witness it make decisions either for Christ or against Him. Those who manifest sympathy for the ones wrongly condemned, show their attachment for Christ. Others are offended BECAUSE THE PRINCIPLES OF TRUTH CUT DIRECTLY ACROSS THEIR PRACTICE. Many stumble and fall, apostatizing from the faith [you notice it doesn’t say from the “church”] they once advocated. Those who apostatize in time of trial will, to secure their own safety, bear false witness, and BETRAY THEIR BRETHREN. CHRIST HAS WARNED US OF THIS, THAT WE MAY NOT BE SURPRISED AT THE UNNATURAL, CRUEL COURSE OF THOSE WHO REJECT THE LIGHT.”

Christ has left clear instruction and warning of how things will be in the last great struggle, that struggle in which we have, even now, entered into. All the players, to a large extent, are in place. Do you believe the words He speaks or are you in the group of unbelievers? Your own destiny will be determined by which group you choose to be in.

DA 633: “In the prophecy of Jerusalem’s destruction Christ said, ‘Because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold. But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved. And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come. ’ THIS PROPHECY WILL AGAIN BE FULFILLED. The abounding iniquity of that day finds its counterpart in this generation. So with the prediction in regard to the preaching of the gospel. Before the fall of Jerusalem, Paul, writing by the Holy Spirit, declared that the gospel was preached to “every creature which is under heaven” (Col. 1: 23). So now, before the coming of the Son of man, the everlasting gospel is to be preached “to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people. (Rev. 14: 6, 14).”

DA 634: “God has always given men warning of coming judgments. Those who had faith in His message FOR THEIR TIME, AND WHO ACTED OUT THEIR FAITH, in obedience to His commandments, escaped the judgments that fell upon the disobedient and unbelieving. … So Christ’s disciples were given warning of the DESTRUCTION OF JERUSALEM. Those who watched for the sign of the coming ruin, and fled from the city, escaped the destruction. So now we are given warning of Christ’s second coming and of the destruction to fall upon the world. Those who heed the warning will be saved.”

“So, you see, Terry, Jesus is speaking about the destruction of the world, not of the Conference.” Yes, that would be right as far as it goes, but Jesus has clearly pointed out that in the final phase of this planet’s history is also involved the destruction of the apostate structure. Just look at the quotation from DA 628- 29 again, found earlier in this chapter. Jesus is plainly telling His disciples that the “church” will be preaching the destruction of the world and not realize that its doom comes first!

DA 634: “Those who watch for the Lord’s coming are not waiting in idle expectancy. The expectation of Christ’s coming is to make men fear the Lord, and fear His judgments upon transgression. It is to awaken them to the great sin of rejecting His offers of mercy. Those who are watching for the Lord, are purifying their souls by obedience to the truth. With vigilant watching they combine earnest working. Because they know that the Lord is at the door, their zeal is quickened to co- operate with the divine intelligences in working for the salvation of souls.”

While expecting the Lord’s return, we are not to sit back in the pews and be bench- warmers. Those who are in tune with God’s last day program will be busy for souls. They will have a realization of the coming judgment and they will be in preparation for the coming event. They will be actively engaged in the sanctification process by allowing God to purify their souls through obedience to the truth. They will possess a faith that is not passive but energetic and at work. They will understand the truth for their present day and will be acting upon that truth.

DA 634- 35: “But Christ brings to view another class: … The evil servant says in his heart, ‘My lord delayeth his coming. ’ He does not say that Christ will not come. He does not scoff at the idea of His second coming. But in his heart and by HIS ACTIONS AND WORDS HE DECLARES THAT THE LORD’S COMING IS DELAYED. HE BANISHES FROM THE MINDS OF OTHERS the conviction that the Lord is coming quickly. His influence leads men to presumptuous, careless delay. They are confirmed in their worldliness and stupor. Earthly passions, corrupt thoughts, take possession of the mind. The evil servant eats and drinks with the drunken, unites with the world in pleasure- seeking. He smites his fellow- servants, accusing and condemning those who are faithful to their Master. He mingles with the world. Like grows with like in transgression.”

Do you think that an organization that places millions of dollars (your dollars) in stocks and bonds which do not come to maturity until FORTY YEARS LATER believes that the Lord is coming SOON? Do you believe that pastors who belong to that same organization and preach the message that we don’t have to overcome sin are preparing a people for the judgment? Are they not banishing from the minds of the people the soon appearing of our Lord? Are they not turning faith into presumption?

This class which is by far the majority, by word and by action, declare the Lord delayeth His coming. These professors of Seventh- day Adventism unite with the world and use their influence to cause others to lower the standards. Instead of being in the business of perfecting a people, they are in the business of persecuting those who are.

Many people are living in anxious foreboding of coming calamity. Many of these people are in the professed church and other churches claiming to love Jesus. They know deep down that something is not right. They can “feel” that the needed preparation in their own lives is being delayed; they are anxious that the day of the Lord’s visitation may come unexpectantly and their chance will pass them by. These ones will change “tomorrow.” But, “When the scorner, the rejecter of truth, has become presumptuous; when the routine of work in the various money- making lines is carried on without regard to principle: when the student is eagerly seeking knowledge of everything but his Bible, Christ comes as a thief.” (DA 635)

Now is the time to engage in the preparation needed! The time is far spent and the tomorrows are running out! Most will delay one day too long! And I’m not excluding Seventh- day Adventists. Deep down you know, dear friend. Right now as the Holy Spirit speaks to your heart, won’t you give it to Him? What do you have to lose except your sins and a trip to the fiery abyss? The Lord loves you so much that He gave His life for you. If this were not true, why then is He speaking to your heart right now? He wants you to live with Him, forever.

DA 636: “Everything in the world is in agitation. The signs of the times are ominous. Coming events cast their shadows before. The Spirit of God is withdrawing from the earth, and calamity follows calamity by sea and by land. There are tempests, earthquakes, fires, floods, murders of every grade. Who can read the future? Where is security? There is assurance in nothing that is human or earthly. Rapidly are men ranging themselves under the banner they have chosen. Restlessly are they waiting and watching the movements of their leaders. There are those who are waiting and watching and working for our Lord’s appearing. Another class are falling into line under the generalship of the first great apostate. FEW BELIEVE WITH HEART AND SOUL THAT WE HAVE A HELL TO SHUN AND A HEAVEN TO WIN.

“The crisis is stealing gradually upon us.” Oh, how I would like to say that this description is fitting for the situation in the world only. But the above quotation horribly describes the makeup of the “church.” The polarization is taking place and we are living in the days of the shaking. Most Adventists believe that as God inspired Sister White with the written words, “all that can be shaken will be shaken,” He meant, shaken out of the organization. How these poor souls are being (many willingly) deceived. Let me ask you this question? When the Jews killed Jesus Christ, how many of them had left the “church?”

Many people are waiting for this mass exodus to be some kind of sign that they are all right with God. But in the days of Christ when the “church” killed Him, the only exodus was that of those who followed Christ! Most of the members stayed with the Conference. The Conference that killed Christ! So those who are waiting for the shaking to shake out the “dissidents” from the Conference are in the EXACT SAME POSITION the people were in during Christ’s day who stayed with their Conference. The majority of Seventh- day Adventists don’t realize that when you have left the faith, you have left the church! It matters not, as graphically demonstrated by the destruction of Ancient Adventist Conference Headquarters, Jerusalem, where you are physically, but spiritually. Our Ancient counterparts who stayed with the Conference ALL LEFT THE CHURCH BECAUSE THEY HAD ALL LEFT THE FAITH. Those who left the Conference NEVER LEFT THE CHURCH BECAUSE THEY WOULD NOT LEAVE THE FAITH!

The same crisis that stole a march on the people two thousand years ago is with us again. It is no longer gradually coming our way, we are in it! I have one more question to ask. Are you sure you are in THE CHURCH? I pray that you are.

Table of Contents
Acknowledgements and Forward
Chapter 1 Desire of Ages — Chapter 63
Chapter 2 Desire of Ages — Chapter 64
Chapter 3 Desire of Ages — Chapter 65
Chapter 4 Desire of Ages — Chapters 66 & 67
Chapter 5 Desire of Ages — Chapters 68 & 69
Chapter 6 Desire of Ages — Chapters 70, 71 & 72
Chapter 7 Desire of Ages — Chapter 73
Chapter 8 Desire of Ages — Chapters 74 & 75
Chapter 9 Desire of Ages — Chapters 76 & 77
Chapter 10 Desire of Ages — Chapter 78

Chapter 4 Desire of Ages — Chapters 66 & 67

June 4, 2020June 3, 2020 by Jana Wagner

PROPHETIC PARALLELS
The Church “Then”. . . . . .and the Church Now

by Terry S. Ross

DA 601 “The priests and rulers had listened in silence to Christ’s pointed rebukes. They could not refute His charges. But they were only the more determined to entrap Him, and with this object they sent to Him spies,…”

We have seen this kind of behavior in our present day. These priests and rulers weren’t interested in the truth, they were interested in entrapping Jesus. You will notice that they could not refute His charges and that these charges were pointed. For many years the evidence has been continuing to pile up against the corrupt priesthood of our day and yet they can not and will not refute the charges with a “thus saith the Lord” for in the attempt, they would only expose themselves all the more.

DA 602: “He [Christ] declared that since they were living under the protection of the Roman power, they should render to that power the support it claimed, so long as this did not conflict with a higher duty. But while peaceably subject to the laws of the land, they should at all times give their first allegiance to God.”

The reason for directing readers to this quotation is that there are those today who advocate and promote such law- breaking as refraining from procuring a marriage license or paying taxes. They say that if you get a marriage license, the children become a “product” of the state for, after all it was the state which “allowed” you to become married. The marriage license, therefore, becomes a tool of the state enabling it to seize from you your children when and if it chooses to do so.

The Lord declared that we should obey the laws of the land as long as they didn’t conflict with the higher duties of a Christian. This includes doing things that are morally correct and shunning the appearance of evil, which avoiding getting legally married would not do. Certainly a piece of paper doesn’t give a person grounds for divorce, but Jesus said that when it is appropriate to do so, we should obtain such papers, so as to do things in order. I guarantee that when the state decides to take your children, it will do so regardless of whether you have a marriage license or not.

Some also say that, because the government is corrupt, we shouldn’t be paying taxes. I will admit I don’t know very many people who believe that the way taxes are collected is totally fair or who enjoy paying them but that’s not the bigger point. The Lord told us to render unto Caesar the things that are Caesar’s. Also, I have yet to run into these non- paying advocates who refuse to use the highways or the many other conveniences the tax dollars subsidize. Unfortunately, these folks are bringing on a time of trouble before they should and will bring reproach to the cause of God in the process.

DA 603: “The Pharisees were rigid adherents to tradition. … But Christ declared that they made void the law of God by teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.”

You will notice, it didn’t say the Pharisees were rigid adherents to God’s Word. In the early 1890’s, a committee of ten men were chosen to do a study and report on whether the Seventh- day Adventist Denomination should adopt a church manual. J. N. Loughborough was one of the men on the committee which unanimously voted that the Adventist Denomination should NEVER do such a thing. Following is the insight that Brother Loughborough offered which has turned into somewhat of a prophetic statement: E. G. White, Early Years #1 p. 453: “The first step of apostasy is to get up a creed, telling us what we shall believe. The second is to make that creed a test of fellowship. The third is to try members by that creed. The fourth, to denounce as heretics those who do not believe that creed. And fifth, to commence persecution against such.”

Could anyone have expressed a truer summation of what is transpiring today? One of the greatest charges ever leveled at the Ancient Conference by Christ was that they made void the law of God by teaching the doctrines of man for the commandments of God. In other words, making of none effect the testimonies of the Spirit of God. “Satan is… constantly pressing in the spurious— to lead away from the truth. The VERY LAST DECEPTION OF SATAN will be to make of none effect the testimony of the Spirit of God. ‘Where there is no vision, the people perish; (Prov. 29: 18). Satan will work ingeniously, in different ways and through different agencies, TO UNSETTLE THE CONFIDENCE OF GOD’S REMNANT PEOPLE IN THE TRUE TESTIMONY.” 1SM 48.

This was the major reason for the fall of the Ancient Adventist Conference two thousand years ago. This is the very last deception to be used by Satan to unsettle the confidence of GOD’S REMNANT PEOPLE in the true testimony. If you can’t see that we are squarely living within the borders of this prediction, I beg you to get on your knees and plead with your Lord for help. Now instead of telling you where I think the Conference is headed, let me ask you an honest question. All I ask in return is for you to give an honest answer. If the Lord rejected the very Ancient Adventist Conference He had raised up because they made of none effect the testimony of God, and the conditions were the same today, would we expect the same results from a God Who never changes but is the same yesterday, today, and forever?

DA 608: “In the law is embodied the same principle that is revealed in the gospel. The law points out man’s duty and shows him his guilt. To Christ he must look for pardon and for power to do what the law enjoins.”

One cannot look to God’s law with success without looking to God’s Son. The reason for a large number of the problems in the Adventist structure is because of the self- righteousness of the “Scribes” and “Pharisees.” They refuse to operate the structure in the power of Jesus Christ. They are trying to assert their own power and in so doing have set themselves higher than Christ. They will fail, as did the Jews.

DA 610- 11: “He [Christ] had set before these leaders their real condition, and the retribution sure to follow persistence in their evil deeds. The warning had been faithfully given. Yet another work remained for Christ to do. Another purpose was still to be accomplished.

“The interest of the people in Christ and His work had steadily increased. They were charmed with His teaching, but they were also greatly perplexed. They had respected the priests and rabbis for their intelligence and apparent piety. In all religious matters they had ever yielded implicit obedience to their authority. Yet they now saw these men trying to cast discredit upon Jesus, a teacher whose virtue and knowledge shone forth the brighter from every assault. They looked upon the lowering countenances of the priests and elders, and there saw discomfiture and confusion. THEY MARVELED THAT THE RULERS WOULD NOT BELIEVE ON JESUS, WHEN HIS TEACHINGS WERE SO PLAIN AND SIMPLE. They themselves knew not what course to take. With eager anxiety they watched the movements of those whose counsel they had always followed.”

What a fitting description of the atmosphere in Adventism today! As I have stated previously, approximately four years ago except for a handful of people, Cathy and I stood alone. Now, however, we are happily witnessing the interest of the people in Christ’s present truth steadily increasing. We are also aware that a large number of the professing Adventists are in the valley of decision and seem to be greatly confused. We can understand why. We don’t question these dear folk’s honesty but rather think the statement above reveals to us today the same problem as was in ancient times. The people have respected the Conference Pastors and Leaders for their intelligence and apparent piety. In all religious matters, they have ever yielded implicit obedience to their authority. This is where the problem lies. Jesus had this trouble at first with His own disciples.

There’s much said today by the Conference Leaders about respecting “properly constituted church authority” and how those of us who have challenged them have not had, as we should, the proper respect for their authority. We certainly want to do everything in order and according to the principles that the Lord has laid before us. Jesus manifested proper respect when and where it was due; He was not intimidated, on the other hand, by men who were trying to manipulate people into doing that which dishonored His Father. Let’s take an example from the Word of God to illustrate how Jesus handled the exact problem in the exact atmosphere that parallels our day. This example will also illustrate that even the disciples didn’t initially understand how to properly handle the issues or where certain principles lay.

Matthew 15: 1- 16: “Then came to Jesus scribes and Pharisees, which were of Jerusalem, saying, Why do thy disciples transgress the tradition of the elders? for they wash not their hands when they eat bread. But he answered and said unto them, Why do ye also transgress the commandment of God by your tradition? For God commanded, saying, Honor thy father and mother: and, He that curseth father or mother, let him die the death. But ye say, Whosoever shall say to his father or his mother, It is a gift, by whatsoever thou mightest be profited by me; And honour not his father or his mother, he shall be free. Thus have ye made the commandment of God of none effect by your tradition. Ye hypocrites, well did Esaias prophesy of you, saying, This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me. But in vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.

“And he called the multitude, and said unto them, Hear, and understand: Not that which goeth into the mouth defileth a man; but that which cometh out of the mouth, this defileth a man.

“Then came his disciples, and said unto him, KNOWEST THOU THAT THE PHARISEES WERE OFFENDED, after they heard this saying? But he answered and said, Every plant, which my heavenly Father hath not planted, shall be rooted up. LET THEM ALONE: THEY BE BLIND LEADERS OF THE BLIND. AND IF THE BLIND LEAD THE BLIND, BOTH SHALL FALL INTO THE DITCH.

“Then answered Peter and said unto him, Declare unto us this parable. And Jesus said, ARE YE ALSO YET WITHOUT UNDERSTANDING?”

First of all, it might be well for us to remember that Jesus was the One who set forth this system of religion for which He certainly had respect. But it wasn’t a lack of respect He showed toward the Ancient Adventist Movement when He denounced the corrupt leadership of His day. It was a lack of respect for the apostasy which they promoted. It was a disdain for the way they were leading and a hatred for what it was doing to the people. Our Lord Jesus Christ and His Father do not like, approve, or respect deception. They certainly are not in the business of supporting those who claim to be leaders in a system which is involved in deceptive practices. Our Heavenly Father represents just the express opposite — honesty and forthrightness. Please notice, as well, that although the laity (including the disciples) equated their Conference Leadership as being men of God, Jesus plainly stated that this wasn’t the case. “Every plant, which my heavenly Father hath not planted, shall be rooted up.” In other words, Jesus was informing His disciples that while they might have been taught that being a Conference Leader automatically made them of God’s choosing, His Son said it was not the case. This is something that we desperately need to get straight in our own minds. Just because a Conference Leader or a Conference Committee insists that they are to be respected because God chose them and because they told you so, doesn’t mean anything unless you believe it! The test is: HOW do leaders lead and WHERE do leaders lead? It is not: I told you I was chosen and that’s the end of it — now keep quiet and follow me! And if you don’t, I’ll have you kicked out of the synagogue!

These Conference men had come to Jesus and had asked Him why His disciples did not follow the “Church Manual.” Jesus asked them in return what many are asking the present- day leaders of the structure, “Why do ye also transgress the commandment of God by your tradition?”

As God had set forth the Commandments, they were just and good. But the Conference Leaders commanded control of the people and so they formulated a creed to gain an authority they would not have otherwise had, which belong to God alone. This authority, as it developed, actually kept the people from a true knowledge of God! This “authority” did Jesus not only disapprove and disrespect, but openly attacked and rebuked! Jesus rightly understood that the “Leadership” was standing in the way of the people’s salvation. They were actively keeping the flock from an experiential knowledge which would allow them to enter the kingdom of God (we’ll prove this later). This is the meaning of verse nine — “But in vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.”

The people and even the disciples were confused and questioned Jesus (God Himself) as if to ask, “Do you know what you are doing?” When His disciples pointed out to Him that He had just offended the Conference Leaders, as people expect today, He admitted His lack of respect for “properly constituted church authority” and went immediately and apologized. Right? No! If He had, He would have been doing the work of the devil, not of His Father! He told His disciples that if they expected to find the heavenly path, they must STAY AWAY FROM THE “LEADERSHIP.” It wasn’t Jesus who misunderstood THE work, but those who had put their trust in a corrupt priesthood. Jesus had an extremely difficult time convincing people (even His disciples) because they had so much unfounded faith (blind faith) in the professed leadership of their day.

I certainly pray that you are seeing the parallels to all of this in our presentday situation. If you are, you are starting to come to a knowledge that Jesus so wanted His disciples to have. As a matter of fact, we learn later that until these men came to this knowledge, they could not be too effective in bringing others to salvation. I hope you are beginning to realize that the confusion of their day and the reasons for it are the same as in our own day. This understanding is just as vital now as it was then. This is why Jesus has brought (and is bringing) this knowledge to you, just now. Dear Brother and Sister, we are passing through the exact portal that the disciples passed through and it is the way of Christ’s leading. This is the road that leads to the feet of Him who has traveled this road before us. I hope that you will trust Him, as did His disciples, and that you will follow. The way of the cross leads home. I am confident that as we move through this transition, the Lord will eventually have a people who will understand and follow Him wheresoever He leadeth.

DA 611- 12 “In the parables which Christ had spoken, it was His purpose both to warn the rulers and to instruct the people who were willing to be taught. But there was need to speak yet more plainly. Through their reverence for tradition and their blind faith in a corrupt priesthood, the people were enslaved. THESE CHAINS CHRIST MUST BREAK. THE CHARACTER OF THE PRIESTS, RULERS, AND PHARISEES MUST BE MORE FULLY EXPOSED.”

At times it’s difficult for an author to not capitalize the whole paragraph. I must admit that this is one of those times. These few words are loaded with information which will take us far down the path of understanding if we desire to know why they were left for us.

Many have indicated that they want to be “just like Jesus” and “do the same work Jesus did.” Do we really realize what we are saying when we make such statements or is this just an ascent to some dreamy ideal? Are we just trying to impress others with these statements or could it be we don’t understand what Jesus was really like? It seems that perhaps the latter is the most appropriate. We have been taught that Jesus is just “love and hugs.” This seems wonderful but it can be a deadly deception if we’re not on our toes. In this “Dr. Spock, if- it- feels- good- do- it generation,” we don’t want anything to do with discipline because it’s so “negative.” These same sentiments rule in the “church.” Those of us who care to see the reality of where this has lead us understand all too well why our society is in so much trouble and why double- standard government doesn’t work except for evil. Unfortunately, the same problem exists to a gross extent among those who claim to be “the church.”

When Jesus was on earth, His work was two- fold as we are told above. These are inspired words, folks, not mine or anyone elses for that matter. “It was His purpose both to WARN THE RULERS and to instruct the people WHO WERE WILLING TO BE TAUGHT.” This is exactly what many Independent Leaders have been doing for the last several years. Jesus understood that He had come to a professed church who “Through their REVERENCE FOR TRADITION and their BLIND FAITH IN A CORRUPT PRIESTHOOD, THE PEOPLE WERE ENSLAVED.”

You see, Jesus was in the business of saving people, not playing politics. Because He came to the “Seventh- day Adventist Church” didn’t mean He had to ask permission to do the work. It didn’t mean that he had to bow to the Conference men when they walked into the room. It didn’t mean that He had to get their corrupted opinions before He could press on with the job His Father had given Him to do. It didn’t mean He had to seek unity at all costs with “the church.” It didn’t mean He had to exchange heavenly principles for earthy power. It didn’t mean that paying attention to “properly constituted church authority” was more important than paying attention to His Father’s authority. But He came to a people who had placed their faith in corrupt men instead of a Holy God. Today, my friend, we find ourselves in this carbon copy dilemma.

By the time Christ showed up on the earthly scene, and it’s a shame to have to say it, He had to save the people FROM the Conference, not IN the Conference! Was this His fault? Was He to blame for all the trouble His message of reform brought? Was He the rebellious One? You know the answers to all these questions. Are you willing to answer the same questions that are their present- day parallel just as honestly? I believe your eternal salvation depends on it!

If Christ was going to save His people, if Jesus was going to bring the people to a balanced knowledge of His Father, if He was going to instruct those who were willing to be taught but were enslaved to a corrupt priesthood by their blind loyalty, what was He to do?

The Desire of Ages says, “THESE CHAINS CHRIST MUST BREAK.” In order for Jesus to give the people a real opportunity to come to a knowledge of salvation, He must break the chains of slavery the corrupt priesthood had over them. The Spirit of Prophecy has much to say regarding kingly power and Sister White had her share of trouble with it. We’ll not take the time here, but it is an interesting study which I would encourage you to pursue.

Jesus didn’t like being in this kind of predicament, loving the people so much, He knew He must break this stranglehold the Conference men had on the laity. If the people were going to have an opportunity to hear what was truth, He would have to break the confidence the people had placed in these men who were leading away from God, not toward Him as they claimed. And how was the strength of these chains to be overcome? “THE CHARACTER OF THE PRIESTS, RULERS, AND PHARISEES MUST BE FULLY EXPOSED.”

Now are you sure you want to be just like Jesus? Many have said and continue to say that it is the work of the devil to “speak against the leadership of the church,” but if this is true, Jesus clearly did the work of the devil or many would have to believe He did. The problem is not what Christ did but rather concerning the same prejudice that He had to deal with. It’s like trying to convince someone who is an alcoholic (who denies it) that he has a drinking problem. The problem lends itself to denial, and in turn to misunderstanding, and in turn to difficulty in achieving a successful turn- a- round. We should be careful how we treat the leadership of the church. We had better make sure, however, that we realize who they are and what the church is.

Nonetheless, Christ stood His ground and did the disagreeable duty, even though at the time hardly anyone understood, supported, or agreed with what He was doing. I’m so glad that Jesus did what He had to do, aren’t you? If He were to pay attention to what the majority are shouting today, you and I wouldn’t even be here much less have an opportunity to live forever. We must learn what is hard to learn and unlearn some of that which we’ve been taught. We must understand what was so difficult for the disciples to understand. The work of Christ is freeing people to live for His Father and His Father only. The work of Jesus is showing people that they are to follow and worship not man, but God. As long as the leaders whom Christ raised showed the people these truths, everything was as it should have been. But when a priesthood becomes corrupt and leads those for whom Christ died to the one who killed Him, He has no choice but to go to the next step of exposing the apostasy and breaking the chains.

These leaders were willing to sacrifice Christ, God Himself, in order to save their precious Conference authority. They had said that it was better to sacrifice one man (meaning Jesus) in order to save the nation (meaning the Conference). They were saying that they were willing to sacrifice the truth in order to maintain their status. Jesus had no choice but to break the chains of enslavement. The character of the Pastors, Conference Presidents, and the General Conference Leaders must be more fully exposed.

Should you have any remaining doubt regarding what you are reading, let’s take a quick look at Ezekiel chapter 8:

Ezekiel 8: 6- 9: “He said furthermore unto me, Son of man, seest thou what they do? even the great abominations that the house of Israel committeth here, that I should go far off from my sanctuary? but turn thee yet again, and thou shalt see greater abominations.

“And he brought me to the door of the court; and when I looked, behold a hole in the wall. Then said he unto me, Son of man, dig now in the wall: and when I had digged in the wall, behold a door. And he said unto me, Go in, and behold the wicked abominations that they do here.”

I could write a small book on this topic alone. It is full of treasure for our present- day understanding and I hope you will take the time to study it. Our own books tell us that the judgement starts with the Seventh- day Adventist movement and from the top down, meaning those who claim to be leaders down through the ranks.

Folks, we are witnessing the living expression of Ezekiel, chapter 8! We are living in this chapter’s day of fulfillment. We need to understand that God is no respecter of persons. This isn’t meant to say that He doesn’t respect or love people. It simply means that His judgment is fair and doesn’t make exceptions to the eternal principles He has set forth. If the rules or principles can be changed, they are flawed and this is not possible for God is perfect.

God is not going to let Brother A into His kingdom because He loves him more, and shut Brother B out because popular opinion views him as being “difficult.” The reverse is true as well. The Father is not going to keep a TRUE gospel worker out of the kingdom just because popular opinion “votes” to censure or disfellowship him, and let an apostate leader in just because he has the majority vote of a church.

When we are standing at the judgment bar, spiritually speaking, God is not going to ask the Conference Committee or the editors of the Review if it’s all right to let us in. It will work the same for those who should be kept out. This may come as a shock but nobody, nobody, is going to heaven except those who follow Jesus. It doesn’t matter what position we may have had or how long we have held it. The requirements for entrance are the same for every single individual. The only difference it will make is that, if you make a great profession, if you claim to be a leader and DO NOT LEAD OTHERS TO JESUS, you only increase and lengthen your own damnation!

The work of Ezekiel 8 Jesus did while here, and that same work is being done for the last time, right now. I strongly encourage you to take a look at the next event to take place which is found in the next chapter of Ezekiel. We are told that this will be literally fulfilled.

18MR 236: “Study the ninth chapter of Ezekiel. These words will be LITERALLY FULFILLED; yet the time is passing, and the people are asleep. They refuse to humble their souls and to be converted. Not a great while longer will the Lord bear with the people who have such great and important truths revealed to them but who refuse to bring these truths into their individual experience. The time is short. God is calling. Will you hear? Will you receive His message? Will you be converted before it is too late? Soon, very soon, every case will be decided for eternity.”

Ellen White’s 1888 Materials 1303: “The Lord reads the heart as an open book. The men who are not connected with God have done many things after the imagination of their own evil hearts. The Lord declares concerning them, ‘They have turned unto Me their back, and not the face, though I taught them, rising up early and teaching them; yet they have not hearkened to receive instruction. ’ We are amid the perils of the last days, the time will soon come when the prophecy of Ezekiel 9 will be fulfilled; that prophecy should be carefully studied, for IT WILL BE FULFILLED TO THE VERY LETTER.”

The only way the people could be free to follow the Father was if the chains were broken. The only way the chains could be broken was for Jesus to expose the characters of these apostate leaders. This work is in process even as you read this book. Please ask the One who lead His disciples to the path of life to guide you just now to the same path. He certainly will if you let Him.

DA 612: “ ‘The scribes and the Pharisees, ’ He said, ‘sit in Moses’ seat. All therefore whatsoever they bid you observe, that observe and do; but do not ye after their works; for they say, and do not. ’ The scribes and Pharisees’ claimed to be invested with divine authority similar to that of Moses. They assumed to take his place as expounders of the law and judges of the people. As such they claimed from the people the utmost deference and obedience. Jesus bade His hearers do that which the rabbis taught according to the law, but not to follow their example. They themselves did not practice their own teaching.

“And they taught much that was contrary to the Scriptures. Jesus said, ‘They bind heavy burdens and grievous to be borne, and lay them on men’s shoulders; but they themselves will not move them with one of their fingers. ’ THE PHARISEES ENJOINED A MULTITUDE OF REGULATIONS, HAVING THEIR FOUNDATION IN TRADITION, AND UNREASONABLY RESTRICTING PERSONAL LIBERTY. And certain portions of the law they so explained as to impose upon the people observances which they themselves secretly ignored, and from which, when it served their purpose, they actually claimed exemption.”

As Jesus plainly states above, we are to follow only those things leaders teach which uphold the law and are the requirements of the Father. He told the people however, not to follow their example. Why? Because they weren’t following the truth or the law of God, they were not even following their own teaching when it didn’t suit their purpose.

Sighting a modern- day example is a startling, personal situation experienced approximately 12 years ago. I was in the midst of a discussion regarding Sabbath breaking as some friends were collecting money for registration at the camp we were attending. My argument was that business should be done on any day other than the Sabbath, believing the Sabbath commandment to be so clear that what I was saying was a foregone conclusion. To my utter surprise and amazement, the California Conference guest speaker entered into the discussion along with another leader from the East coast and proceeded to give me a shellacking! They informed me that I should understand that Adventist Leaders everywhere traveled on planes, in taxies, and bought food in restaurants on Sabbath in order to “do the Lord’s work.” I, a Literature Evangelist at the time, informed them, much to their dislike, that no true Adventist Leader did these things unless under extreme emergencies. I asked them if they had ever heard of packing a sack lunch or fasting so far as having to buy food on the Sabbath. I have to tell you that I was offended by these loose leaders professing to be the standard- bearers for the Seventh- day Adventist Church. But I better understood why we are having so much trouble with standards among the laity.

At the same time these types of leaders are leading the people to lower the pure, elevated standards of Jesus, they are enjoining a multitude of regulations having their foundation in tradition, and unreasonably restricting personal liberty.

How many times have you or someone you know had to ask for “permission” from the Pastor or Conference Leaders before you could do some work the Lord has placed on your heart? More than this, how many of you have ever experienced (or know someone who has), these same “leaders” telling you that you could not do this work! The above quotation is also speaking loudly and clearly about “the church manual.” I know of a young man who recently was at his own disfellowshipping and the Pastor asked for the use of a church manual to make his point. This young man took a Bible and tried to hand it to the Pastor telling him THIS was the church manual. The Pastor wouldn’t except it! At my own trial, the Conference Leaders threw out the “church” manual because it didn’t serve their purpose, exactly as the Spirit of Prophecy said they would. Moving on.

DA 613: “When persons were invited to a feast, the guests were seated according to their rank, and those who were given the most honorable place received the first attention and special favors. The Pharisees were ever scheming to secure these honors. This practice Jesus rebuked.

“He also reproved the vanity shown in coveting the title of rabbi, or master. Such a title, He declared, belonged not to men, but to Christ. Priests, scribes, and rulers, expounders and administrators of the law, were all brethren, children of one Father. Jesus impressed upon the people that they were to give no man a title of honor INDICATING HIS CONTROL OF THEIR CONSCIENCE OR THEIR FAITH.

“If Christ were on earth today, surrounded by those who bear the title of ‘Reverend’ or ‘Right Reverend, ’ would He not repeat His saying, ’ ‘Neither be ye called MASTERS; for one is your Master, even Christ’?”

This has always bothered me and this is the appropriate place to share it with you. I don’t intend to give it much space but I do ask for your prayerful consideration and I also wish to demonstrate how, to the letter, we are living in the parallel of Christ’s day. I will place my concern in the form of yet another question.

How can any Seventh- day Adventist Pastor accept the title of Master or Doctor of Divinity? If bestowing such titles to any human on earth today is not dangerously close to open blasphemy and in direct violation of Jesus’ expressed command concerning this subject — I don’t know what is. I’ll be the first to confess that I didn’t attend the “rabbinical” schools, but I can read in simple English in the Inspired Word of God, that ONLY THE GODHEAD have any right to claim the title of Masters of Divinity!

Now we come to a quotation which is quite revealing. This ancient experience gives us an invaluable modern- day lesson. This is for all the New Theology people and their pastors. Those of you who want to be set free may indeed know and understand what the Lord is trying to tell us in the next few words:

DA 614: “By perverting the Scriptures, the priests and lawyers blinded the minds of those WHO WOULD OTHERWISE HAVE RECEIVED A KNOWLEDGE OF CHRIST’S KINGDOM, AND THAT INWARD, DIVINE LIFE WHICH IS ESSENTIAL TO TRUE HOLINESS.”

Dear Christian friend, what is Jesus telling you and me in this statement? It seems to me that He is revealing that these apostate leaders are perverting the Scriptures in such a way as to not only deceive people but to actually KEEP THEM FROM GAINING A KNOWLEDGE THAT WOULD OTHERWISE BRING THEM TO PRACTICAL CHRISTIAN LIVING WHICH IS ESSENTIAL TO TRUE HOLINESS. Is that what you read? If not, then what? Are these apostate leaders bringing people to an understanding that there is no excuse for sin, not even one?! Are they showing that — “God leads His people on step by step. The Christian life is a constant battle and a march. There is no rest from the warfare. It is by constant, unceasing effort that we maintain the victory over the temptations of Satan. As a people we are triumphing in the clearness and strength of the truth. We are fully sustained in our positions by an overwhelming amount of plain Scriptural testimony. But we are very much wanting in Bible humility, patience, faith, love, self- denial, watchfulness, and the spirit of sacrifice. We need to cultivate Bible holiness. Sin prevails among the people of God. The plain message of rebuke to the Laodiceans is not received. Many cling to their doubts and their darling sins while they are in so great a deception as to talk and feel that they are in need of nothing. They think the testimony of the Spirit of God in reproof is uncalled for or that it does not mean them. Such are in the greatest need of the grace of God and spiritual discernment that they may discover their deficiency in spiritual knowledge. They lack almost every qualification necessary to perfect Christian Character. They have not a PRACTICAL KNOWLEDGE OF BIBLE TRUTH, WHICH LEADS TO LOWLINESS OF LIFE AND A CONFORMITY OF THEIR WILL TO THE WILL OF CHRIST. They are not living in obedience to all God’s requirements.” 3T 253.

This is just as serious as your next breath! As a matter of fact, it is more important! Jesus told His disciples to flee from the “New Theology” Pastors of His day. He told them they were being lead by these leaders in the way of death not the way of life. It took them, admittedly, a while before they listened but they did listen and were saved! Are we listening today? Are we determining to follow our baptismal vows even if it leads in the same direction as it did the disciples? I pray that we are for, in fact and in reality, we must go the same way the disciples went or we WILL end up in a place that we would rather not be. Better to be alone in heaven than to be in unity with the crowd in the lake of fire!

DA 614: “The Pharisees had great influence with the people, and of this they took advantage to serve their own interests. They gained the confidence of pious widows, and then represented it as a duty for them to devote their property to religious purposes. Having secured control of their money, the wily schemers used it for their own benefit. To cover their dishonesty, they offered long prayers in public, and made a great show of piety. This hypocrisy Christ declared would bring them the greater damnation. The same rebuke falls upon many in our day who make a high profession of piety. Their lives are stained by selfishness and avarice, yet they throw over it all a garment of seeming purity, and thus for a time deceive their fellowmen. But they cannot deceive God.”

Listen, you “pious widows” and all the rest of us who need to heed this lesson. I have heard some real horror stories of how once the Conference obtains someone’s trust account or property, the trusting party has a terrible time retrieving it if they want, and sometimes can’t. We are witnessing the same demonstration involving the local churches and this reveals the great “sin” in handing over the deed to the Conference to be the “trustee.” We are now witnessing the closure of some of these churches in the very faces of those who paid for and built them! And who is doing this shameful work of padlocking these churches against their rightful owners? The trustees!

Here’s some free advice. If the people of your church haven’t given the deed over to the “trustees,” DON’T! If you are going to build a church, make sure you have no intention of giving it away. If you let the “trustee” look after your property they may take it away! Isn’t this exactly what the parable of the Husbandman is all about? God placed the vineyard into the “trustee’s” hands and when He sent His Son to claim it, they killed Him and stole the property! It’s past time we paid attention, don’t you think? If you don’t agree, you WILL pay the price!

DA 616: “The Saviour continued His denunciations of the scribes and Pharisees: “Woe unto you, ye blind guides, which say, Whosoever shall swear by the temple, it is nothing; but whosoever shall swear by the gold of the temple, he is a debtor. Ye fools and blind, for whether is greater, the gold, or the temple that sanctifieth the gold? and, Whosoever shall swear by the altar, it is nothing; but whosoever sweareth by the gift that is upon it, he is guilty. Ye fools and blind; for whether is greater, the gift, or the altar that sanctifieth the gift?” The priests interpreted God’s requirements according to their own false and narrow standard. They presumed to make nice distinctions as to the comparative guilt of various sins, passing over some lightly, and treating others of perhaps less consequence as unpardonable. For a money consideration they excused persons from their vows. And for large sums of money they sometimes passed over aggravated crimes. At the same time these priests and rulers would in other cases pronounce severe judgment for trivial offenses.

“Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have omitted the weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy, and faith; these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone.” In these words Christ again condemns the abuse of sacred obligation. The obligation itself He does not set aside. The tithing system was ordained by God, and it had been observed from the earliest times. Abraham, the father of the faithful, paid tithes of all that he possessed. The Jewish rulers recognized the obligation of tithing, and this was right; but THEY DID NOT LEAVE THE PEOPLE TO CARRY OUT THEIR OWN CONVICTIONS OF DUTY. Arbitrary rules were laid down for every case. The requirements had become so complicated that it was impossible for them to be fulfilled. None knew when their obligations were met. As God gave it, the system was just and reasonable; but the priests and rabbis had made it a wearisome burden.”

Included in a tithe tract we wrote, we shared three letters which plainly shows that money, especially tithe money, is not a test of fellowship or membership in the Adventist Church. But is tithe paying not a test of fellowship? All these letters were written from March to May of 1986. The letters come from (strangely enough) a President of the Oregon Conference, President of Northwest SDA Headquarters, and a very well known General Conference Leader. We will send them to you upon request. Just send for the tithe tract, “A Personal Responsibility” which deals with kingly power, as well, and you will receive the letters which are part of the tract.

This money problem and the manipulation of the people through this medium is nothing new. Desire of Ages shows us clearly that 2,000 years ago the Apostate Leadership of Christ’s day also used God’s money to manipulate the people. They censored and disfellowshipped those who would not support them and they made money a test of fellowship. Many Adventist Pastors use Malachi, chapter 3, extensively to support their view using specifically verses 8 and 10: “Will a man rob God? Yet ye have robbed me. But ye say, Wherein have we robbed thee? In tithes and offerings. … Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the Lord of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it.”

When it comes to money, leaders are to grant freedom to people by the Biblical standard in upholding and preaching the truth. But they are to leave the people to carry out their own convictions of duty. They are not to set up arbitrary rules and then use money as a weapon against certain groups as we see happening throughout the Adventist structure. If the leaders were truly concerned for the right reasons, regarding the subject of tithe, why are they only disciplining those who choose not to pay their tithe to them? Why aren’t they disciplining the majority of the people who are actually robbing God and not paying tithe at all? The fact that the Conference Leaders are only picking on one group of people reveals not only their prejudice but their lack of consistency and their self- serving purposes.

We believe that people should leave others alone regarding this subject, except for trying to guide them in the right path. The principle of tithe paying is right and it should be shared with the people. But how many times have you heard that the Lord was reproving the leadership for mishandling His money in Malachi 3?! The reproofs and promises of Malachi are plainly to the leadership as well as to the people. Read chapter two and you will see whom the Lord is speaking to and about. Also, look as verse 3 of chapter 3. “And he shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver: and he shall purify THE SONS OF LEVI, and PURGE THEM as gold and silver, that they may offer unto the Lord an offering in righteousness.”

Why is the Lord saying in Malachi that He must purify these pastors? Because they were not pure. Of course, the laymen weren’t pure either, and not being so was an individual responsibility but it was largely due to the leadership because: “The church will rarely take a higher stand than is taken by her ministers. We need a converted ministry and a converted people. Shepherds who watch for souls as they that must give account will lead the flock on in paths of peace and holiness. Their success in this work will be in proportion to their own growth in grace and knowledge of the truth. When the teachers are sanctified, soul, body, and spirit, they can impress upon the people the importance of such sanctification.” 5T 227.

DA 618: “The Pharisees built the tombs of the prophets, and adorned their sepulchers, and said one to another, If we had lived in the days of our fathers, we would not have united with them in shedding the blood of God’s servants. At the same time they were planning to take the life of His Son. This should be a lesson to us. IT SHOULD OPEN OUR EYES TO THE POWER OF SATAN TO DECEIVE THE MIND THAT TURNS FROM THE LIGHT OF TRUTH. Many follow in the track of the Pharisees. They revere those who have died for their faith. They wonder at the blindness of the Jews in rejecting Christ. Had we lived in His day, they declare, we would gladly have received His teaching; we would never have been partakers in the guilt of those who rejected the Saviour. BUT WHEN OBEDIENCE TO GOD REQUIRES SELF- DENIAL AND HUMILIATION, THESE VERY PERSONS STIFLE THEIR CONVICTIONS, AND REFUSE OBEDIENCE. THUS THEY MANIFEST THE SAME SPIRIT AS DID THE PHARISEES WHOM CHRIST CONDEMNED.”

Today various tours are available both on the East coast and the West coast to view the places where Ellen G. White lived, worked, had visions, and died. Many nice things are said and outwardly she is honored during these times. At the same time, a large group of leaders are actively trying to destroy her inspired work and influence, just as the Ancient Adventist Leaders did in the days of Christ. It has always been amazing to me that a person can be honored for showing the Baptist, Catholic, Mormon, Lutheran, Jehovah Witness, or the many other people in various churches their mistakes and bringing them to the truth, but when you bring the truth “home” to the Adventist, you are no longer a hero but a heretic. Why is this?

We need to have a stiff respect for the power of the enemy. Satan is roaring as a lion and he is very angry especially toward those who are determined to maintain the truth as it is in Jesus. The Laodicean condition is the most dangerous position to be in. It is a position where persons really do not study for themselves but rather place their trust in those who seem to. They are riding on the shirttails of someone else’s experience. I might add that this condition exists in people no matter what “group” they may be in. One can have the Laodicean condition in the Historic or Reform group just as easily as in the structure. Truth- filled books, magazines, audio tapes, and videos are good. They should be utilized as tools to further one’s knowledge but that certainly shouldn’t be the total sum of the experience. We must hunger and thirst after righteousness and study to show ourselves approved. We must know for ourselves what and why we believe the way we do. We cannot get to heaven by hitching a ride on the shoulders of someone else. Jesus Christ is the only way.

Many find it so easy to speak of the stupidity of the ancient Jews and how we would never do what they did. At the same time we are doing things far worse then what they did! How can this happen? How can we have all their failures in open view and still be making the same mistakes, having the same spiritual pride and end up persecuting the same people within our own ranks? It boggles the mind to try to comprehend it! “But when obedience to God requires self- denial and humiliation, these very persons stifle their convictions, and refuse obedience. Thus they manifest the same spirit as did the Pharisees whom Christ condemned.” Did you notice here that inspiration plainly says that Christ condemned people? Next time you hear someone insisting that Jesus never condemned anyone, ask him or her to explain this quotation for you. If honest people are around you, it should take care of the argument or at least let everyone know who’s interested in truth and who isn’t.

How many times have you heard of someone reading a simple and plain “thus saith the Lord” to someone, just to hear the response, “I haven’t been convicted on that.” These things should open our eyes to the power of Satan to deceive those who have turned away from the light. We should ask the True Witness for all the help He has promised to give us that we might discern what is truth.

Remember the four little words, “not blind, nor bitter?” Although we are in a real battle, although we must fight the enemy for every inch of ground, although the Christian walk is a battle and a march, although we must expose apostasy and call sin by it’s right name, and although we will end up being hated, persecuted, and possibly killed by those who once said they loved us, we need to maintain our Christian dignity and spirit of salvation toward others, even our enemies. In the spirit of Christ we want to be “not blind, nor bitter.”

DA 619: “Christ’s indignation was directed against the hypocrisy, the gross sins, by which men were destroying their own souls, deceiving the people, and dishonoring God. In the specious, deceptive reasoning of the priests and rulers, He discerned the working of Satanic agencies. Keen and searching had been His denunciation of sin; but He spoke no words of retaliation. He had a holy wrath against the prince of darkness; but He manifested no irritated temper. So the Christian who lives in harmony with God, possessing the sweet attributes of love and mercy, will feel a righteous indignation against sin; but he will not be roused by passion to revile those who revile him. Even in meeting those who are moved by a power from beneath to maintain falsehood, in Christ he will still preserve calmness and self- possession.”

Our struggle must be fought on a higher level than that of our enemies. We must always have the best interests of others in mind even in times of rejection, even in times when others refuse to recognize our motives for what they are, even in times of persecution and slander, and in the face of death. Yes, we have real, live enemies. Yes, they can hurt us and break our hearts. They can cause us undue pain and grief. But our Lord and Saviour gave up all that He possessed to travel this road before us. He showed the way that leads home and He has demonstrated that to live His life is the best and only way. He revealed that even in meeting those who are moved by a power from beneath to maintain falsehood, by His example and power we will still preserve calmness and self- possession.

Dear Brother and Sister, see Jesus in the garden. See Him being taken by that brutal mob and betrayed by one of His own. View our lovely Jesus in the hall at His trial. How calm and self- possessed is His countenance. By His example, isn’t it this calmness and self- possession that draws you to Him? Isn’t it this that is partly the reason Jesus is so much your hero? Don’t you wish to be this way in the face of adversity? Then enter the battle you must. There is no other way except through the garden, to the trial, and on up Golgotha’s hill. We must be “crucified” to self and given totally to Jesus. But praise the Lord! He will “resurrect” us anew. He has provided for our every need and He so much wants to give us, each one, of His Spirit. Just take that which He offers, friend. It matters not what our heritage may be. We can be German, Irish, Scottish, Latin, French, or Italian. We can continue to excuse our human tempers and be lost or we can give them to Jesus and be saved. The decision is as simple as that. But if we choose to trust ourselves to Jesus, if we are willing enough to place our lives into His nailed- scarred hands, He will finish in us that which He has started.

Table of Contents
Acknowledgements and Forward
Chapter 1 Desire of Ages — Chapter 63
Chapter 2 Desire of Ages — Chapter 64
Chapter 3 Desire of Ages — Chapter 65
Chapter 4 Desire of Ages — Chapters 66 & 67
Chapter 5 Desire of Ages — Chapters 68 & 69
Chapter 6 Desire of Ages — Chapters 70, 71 & 72
Chapter 7 Desire of Ages — Chapter 73
Chapter 8 Desire of Ages — Chapters 74 & 75
Chapter 9 Desire of Ages — Chapters 76 & 77
Chapter 10 Desire of Ages — Chapter 78

Chapter 3 Desire of Ages — Chapter 65

June 4, 2020June 3, 2020 by Jana Wagner

PROPHETIC PARALLELS
The Church “Then”. . . . . .and the Church Now

by Terry S. Ross

In the last chapter I promised that we would go right to the Word of the Lord to establish who and what the church is and that’s just what we’re going to do. It’s alarming to find so many people who profess to be Adventists tossing out the Spirit of Prophecy. I have heard things like, “Well, if you need Ellen White, I guess that is all right for you, but I just need my Bible.” Perhaps these poor souls do not realize that when we throw away the Spirit of Prophecy, we are throwing away the Bible at the same time for, in the description of the remnant church in Revelation, one of the identifying marks of the true church is the gift of prophecy.

In the book of Acts we will discover the plain, simple truth about who and what the church is. We will better see if people are throwing out only the Spirit of Prophecy. Actually, this will prove that those who do not want to accept the truth will throw it aside no matter where it is found.

The good news is that this little study in Acts is amazingly clear and the honest Christian searching for truth and direction from the Lord will praise His name!

You know the story of Stephen. Now, was Stephen a Conference man or an Independent man? Well, of course. Stephen had been chosen by the disciples (Independent Preachers). The Conference did not recognize these men and told them they had no authority to preach. They forbade them to preach in the name of Christ.

The Independent Preachers (including Stephen) preached anyway because they didn’t get their orders from the Conference, but from the Lord. Stephen was called in by the “Conference Committee” and as he was explaining to them the prophecies concerning Christ, the Conference men became very angry. As a matter of fact, Acts 7 verse 54 says, they “gnashed on him with their teeth”. Let’s pick up the story in verse 55.

Acts 7: 55- 60: “But he, being full of the Holy Ghost, looked up steadfastly into heaven, and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing on the right hand of God, And said, Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of man standing on the right hand of God. Then they cried out with a loud voice, and stopped their ears, and ran upon him with one accord [UNITY], And cast him out of the city, and stoned him: and the witnesses laid down their clothes at a young man’s feet, whose name was Saul. And they stoned Stephen, calling upon God, and saying, Lord Jesus, receive my spirit. And he kneeled down, and cried with a loud voice, Lord, lay not this sin to their charge. And when he had said this, he fell asleep.”

Now we know that those who stoned Stephen were Conference Leaders. And we know that Stephen was an Independent Preacher who was being murdered by the Conference Leaders for preaching for the cause of Jesus.

Who was Saul? Was he a Conference man or an Independent? Saul, of course, was a Conference man in whom the Conference put a lot of confidence. His future with the Conference looked bright indeed. Saul was gifted in the ability of argumentation and he was bold.

One important lesson we surely don’t want to miss is the spirit Stephen possessed as the Conference was literally stoning him for taking a stand for Jesus. Stephen rather than being bitter, rather than being vengeful, asked the Lord not to lay this sin against their charge. This is the same spirit that Jesus Himself demonstrated as He was being martyred by the same Conference people. Neither one of these men shunned the duty of exposing the true character of this apostate Conference and neither took on the spirit of hate while doing it. Both Jesus and Stephen truly were “not blind, nor bitter,” but let’s read on.

Acts 8: 1- 4: “And Saul was consenting unto his death. And at that time there was a great persecution against THE CHURCH which was at Jerusalem;” STOP!

Let’s look at this closely because in these few words is a great truth and revelation! “And at that time there was a great persecution against…” whom? Yes! The church! Now who was persecuting whom in Jerusalem? Were the Romans persecuting the Conference men? No. The Conference men were persecuting the Independents and here the Bible, God’s Word, plainly says that this was THE church. Not A church but THE church. Brothers and Sisters, can it be any plainer than this? Here it is right in the Word of God and to dismiss these plain words you will have to throw away your Bibles. But let’s read on. There’s more.

“And Saul was consenting unto his death. And at that time there was great persecution against the church which was at Jerusalem; and they were all scattered abroad throughout the regions of Judaea and Samaria, EXCEPT THE APOSTLES.” STOP!

Do you see it? The Bible plainly states that THE church being persecuted which was scattered abroad had the apostles in it. This proves beyond any doubt whatsoever that THE church in Christ’s day was NOT the Conference but those who followed Jesus or whom the Conference would have called the Independents at that time. The Conference hated the Apostles and the other Independent Leaders who had been chosen. This is why they were persecuting them and this is why Saul was persecuting them. But hate them or not, recognize their authority to preach Christ or not, the Conference plainly did not have the say. God did! God said they were THE CHURCH! But we’re not done yet!

“And devout men carried Stephen to his burial, and made great lamentation over him. As for Saul, he made havoc of THE CHURCH…” STOP!

Saul made havoc of whom? Yes! THE church. Now just whom was Saul making havoc of? Was Saul making havoc of the Ancient Conference Leaders? Of course not, for he was employed by the Ancient Conference, he being an Ancient Conference man. You know, Saul was making havoc of the Independents and those who supported them for taking a stand for Jesus. Going on.

“And devout men carried Stephen to his burial, and made great lamentation over him. As for Saul, he made havoc of THE church, entering into every house, and haling men and women committed them to prison. Therefore they that were scattered abroad went every where preaching the word.”

Folks, it just doesn’t get any more simple than this. Here we see clearly that although the Ancient Conference had originally been raised up by Christ Himself and was claiming, “The church is going through, the church is going through,” it was NOT THE CHURCH THAT WAS GOING THROUGH.

Most Adventists (modern day Jews) have fallen into the same trap that the Jews (Ancient Adventists) fell into. Their pride influenced them to trust wholly in the Conference which had been raised by Christ. But when the Conference became corrupt the people which didn’t adhere to principle became corrupt with them and with blind loyalty followed after these men. That’s why Jesus had so much trouble while He was here. That’s why Jesus was rejected by the Conference while He was here. That’s why Jesus rejected and brought to an end the Conference HE HAD RAISED (they hadn’t raised themselves) while He was here. That’s why Jesus chose Independent Leaders and told them to move on with the work while He was here. AND THAT’S EXACTLY WHY HE IS DOING THE SAME THING TODAY.

What are our people reading today?! Many of you know the quotations which clearly tell us that the last day leaders will be educated by the Holy Spirit rather than by literary institutions, that God will have leaders in the last days of His own choosing. Doesn’t it clearly seem that the Lord is having to do just what He had to do while He was here? Are we like King Belshazzar who could not read the handwriting on the wall? This lesson that we are studying is vital! Just as vital to our understanding as it was in the days of our precious Lord for ONLY THOSE WHO GRASP THE LESSON WILL BE SAVED! Please allow me to ask another question. I don’t want anyone to miss these simple truths.

Later in the same story of Saul, what happened to him? He was on his way to Damascus continuing his persecution of THE church. He was on his way there to find those who were following the Independents and to throw them in jail. We read about it in Acts 9: 1- 2: “And Saul, yet breathing out threatenings and slaughter against the disciples of the Lord, went unto the high priest, And desired of him letters to Damascus to the synagogues, that if he found any of this way whether they were men or women, he might bring them bound unto Jerusalem.”

So what Saul was doing was securing the authority from the Conference to go down to the local churches to disfellowship people in the strongest way. He was going to take care of these troublers of Israel who followed Jesus Christ, those whom the Conference rejected. But Saul never got the job done. Something happened out of the ordinary and we read about it in the very next verses.

Acts 9: 3- 5: “And as he journeyed, he came near Damascus: and suddenly there shined around about him a light from heaven: And he fell to the earth, and heard a voice saying unto him, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me? And he said, Who art thou, Lord? And the Lord said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest:…”

And so on the road to Damascus Saul literally sees the light and realizes that although he may have thought he was doing the proper work, he was actually persecuting the wrong people. The story goes on, as you know, and because of this experience on the Damascus road, Saul is blinded and spends a few days in Damascus. While there the Lord sends a disciple, Ananias, to him who gave him back his sight and he was filled with the Holy Spirit.

Acts 9: 17- 18: “And Ananias went his way, and entered into the house; and putting his hands on him said, Brother Saul, the Lord, even Jesus, that appeared unto thee in the way as thou camest, hath sent me, that thou mightest receive thy sight, and be filled with the Holy Ghost. And immediately there fell from his eyes as it had been scales; and he received sight forthwith, and arose, and was baptized.”

This is where the story of Saul’s intended work takes a drastic change and also where the prior claims which the Bible sets forth regarding who was THE CHURCH is verified once again.

Acts 9: 19- 21: “And when he had received meat, he was strengthened. Then was Saul certain days with the disciples which were at Damascus. And straightway he preached Christ in the synagogues, that he is the Son of God. But all that heard him were amazed, and said; Is not this he that DESTROYED THEM WHICH CALL ON THIS NAME IN JERUSALEM, and came hither for that intent, that he might bring them bound unto the chief priests?”

Can there be any doubt as to what the Bible is clearly saying here? I think not. God’s Word is expressing in Acts 9 exactly what it did in Acts 7 & 8. God’s church was being persecuted in Jerusalem and that church was NOT the Conference.

Understandably, the church in Damascus (the followers of Jesus) was very apprehensive of Saul. They rightly stated that this was the same man who was persecuting the church in Jerusalem and they were nervous about trusting this Conference man. They were concerned that his intent was to drag them off to the Conference Committee that had already killed Jesus and stoned Stephen. It’s true that this was Saul’s original intent but the Lord had other plans, praise His name!

Acts 9: 22: “But Saul increased the more in strength, and confounded the Jews which dwelt at Damascus, proving that this is very Christ.”

So, I think Saul understood the situation and was willing to take up his new duties immediately to prove his new loyalty. You might want to ponder the point that Jesus, through His Holy Spirit, lead Saul to preach in His name rather than send him back to some literary institution. What happens next is very interesting and proves that the apostate Conference will, in the end, even turn on its own men rather than listen to plain words of truth.

Acts 9: 23: “And after that many days were fulfilled, the JEWS TOOK COUNSEL TO KILL HIM.”

The story goes on, of course, and Saul tries to work with the disciples in Jerusalem but they are nervous about his intentions. The Lord eventually works out the details and Saul becomes Paul — one of our heroes.

In this story we can learn many things and I want to ask a few questions which will give opportunity for you to reflect upon some important points. Why did the Jews now want to kill Paul, (Saul)? When he saw the truth as it is in Jesus, what was his course of action? Did Saul, who became Paul, continue to persecute THE church or did he support it and which church after his conversion was it that he supported? Did Saul remain a Conference Leader or did he become an Independent Leader? Did the Ancient Adventist Conference support his decision? Will Saul, who became Paul, who became an Independent Leader for Jesus, be in heaven or will the Ancient Adventist Conference Leaders?

I can’t place enough emphasis on the above scriptures and the vital lessons that are clearly in them. What a glorious God we serve Who has made provision for our every need. Most will end up like the Ancient Adventists did, unfortunately. Our own books tell us this but we who love the truth as it is in Jesus need not be deceived. Now let’s get back into the Desire of Ages and continue our study in prophetic parallels.

DA 590: “The priests and rulers had hardened their hearts through selfishness and avarice. The very symbols pointing to the Lamb of God they had made a means of getting gain. Thus in the eyes of the people the sacredness of the sacrificial service had been in a great measure destroyed…. AGAINST THESE PRACTICES CHRIST HAD SPOKEN THROUGH THE PROPHETS.”

What is Avarice? Webster’s Encyclopedic Unabridged Dictionary of the English Language says: “insatiable greed for riches; inordinate, miserly desire to gain and hoard wealth.” Insatiable means: “not satiable; incapable of being satisfied.” The word inordinate is described as: “not within proper limits; immoderate; excessive; disorderly; uncontrolled; unrestrained in conduct, feelings, etc.”

Did you know that millions of the dollars of which God has entrusted to you and of which you believed were going directly into the Lord’s work have been gambled in the stocks and bonds market? That’s right. You didn’t misread it. As a matter of fact, I have the documentation which proves that in 1980, at least $117,000,000 were “invested” in the world market. The documentation is very revealing to the layman who has no idea that this has been happening and this documentation is available through Servants of the Saviour. Let me share a letter written in 1983 by one concerned soul who understood what was going on.

“Dear Elder xxxxxx, “As a faithful member of the Seventh- day Adventist church, I am greatly concerned in regard to what goes on within the church structure. At this writing, I am concerned regarding the finances and handling of the finances of the church. The December 31, 1980 financial report of the General Conference of Seventh- day Adventists Investments leaves many unanswered questions. This report shows that as of December 31, 1980 the General Conference had $117,858,288.07 in investments, and the current value as of December 31, 1980 was $103,909,802.99, making a net loss of $13,948,379.92. This figure alone makes it very plain that our financial leaders and advisors in the General Conference are woefully lacking in following the Lord’s specific instructions to His church. Furthermore, 54 of the long- term investments do not mature until 2000 to 2020 A. D. and this amounts to almost $20,000,000. I have a question. Are the brethren in the financial department of our church putting off the coming of our Lord, or do they really expect Him to come at all? You will find these long- term investments listed on pages 28, 29, 30, 33, 47, 48, 49, 50, and 52 of the 1980 financial report of the General Conference.

“Those of us who are old enough to remember what happened in the years 1930- 1932 know perfectly well that if we had a depression now such as we had at that time, these millions of dollars of the Lord’s funds would be worthless as far as carrying on the church work is concerned.”

This same brother who has shared this documentation with us has also informed me that a couple of years after this letter was written, he was told that the invested amount had risen to over $250,000,000 and a couple of years after that to over $450,000,000!

There is not much I could add to what the letter above states but I would like to ask just three honest questions to go along with those already asked in the letter. Did you know that the funds you were sending in to “finish the work” were being invested in stocks and bonds? Why is God’s money being invested in worldly enterprises in the first place? And do you want to continue sending your dollars to those who do NOT place them into the finishing of God’s work but invest them in the stock market?

I can assure you that God will hold everyone responsible for what happens to the means He has entrusted to them according to the knowledge they have. And this principle doesn’t stop with the leadership, but is just as binding right down through the ranks to the lowliest layman.

In the Desire of Ages, it states that the very things God had entrusted to the church were turned into a way of making large profits and this caused many to lose respect for the sacredness of these entrustments.

I have always been offended (because I believe the Lord is) by the selling of magazine subscriptions, such as the Signs of the Times, in the Sanctuary on the Sabbath. I was a colporteur for about three years. I would never have thought of selling a book on the Sabbath and certainly not in the Sanctuary! I would have given one away, if need be, but never would have done business during these sacred hours or in the Sanctuary. This plainly would have been a violation of the Fourth Commandment. But the Conference thinks nothing of selling these things on Sabbath in the Sanctuary. This is something even the apostate Jews didn’t do! Has the result been a lowering of sacredness for the sanctuary, the Sabbath, and other sacred things? You know it has. In many ways we are worse than the Jews who, we readily admit, rejected Jesus.

DA 590: “HE KNEW THAT HIS EFFORTS TO REFORM A CORRUPT PRIESTHOOD WOULD BE IN VAIN; nevertheless His work must be done; to an unbelieving people the evidence of His divine mission must be given.”

Jesus knew that His work to reform the corrupt Ancient Conference would be in vain. We have been showing for years how the Conference is in apostasy and have tried to plead with these men to reform, but it has been in vain. Jesus, although knowing the Ancient Conference wouldn’t reform, did His work anyway. Why? Because on the books of Heaven the warnings have to be recorded; also others who were listening to the words of Christ would some day be converted. Even though we know that our work is in vain toward an apostate Conference, we also know that honest souls will come to conversion as a result of it, just as they did in Christ’s day. The same loving Jesus is still working through the Holy Spirit Who speaks to those who are willing to be taught. We must continue our work, having faith that these precious souls will come to a correct knowledge and walk in the light.

DA 591: “Those standing nearest Him drew as far away as the crowd would permit. Except for a few of His disciples, the Saviour stood alone.”

As this contest intensifies, the majority of those calling themselves Adventists will draw as far away from the truth as they dare and from those who are advocating it. Like the disciples of Christ, we must be willing to stand with Him alone and will have many opportunities to do just that. When it came time to stand against the apostate Conference in Christ’s day, but few were willing.

DA 592: “But a large number pressed through the hurrying crowd, eager to reach Him who was their only hope.”

These are the ones Christ is working for. These are the precious souls who accept His sacrifice on the cross and are willing to stay on the narrow path of Jesus wherever it leads them. These are those who realize that Jesus is their ONLY hope.

DA 592: “When the panic had abated, they were seized with anxiety to know what would be the next movement of Jesus.”

Here Jesus was coming to stand in His rightful place in the sanctuary which He had ordained. Here He was standing in the midst of the people He had chosen. HE OWNED THEIR VERY NAME, ISRAEL (are you thinking about parallels?), for it was He who had given it to Jacob. Why then were these Conference men and their loyal followers panicking?

Now you must know that after Jesus had cleansed the temple the first time that these Conference Leaders met in one of their committee meetings and discussed what had just taken place. I can almost hear them saying, “If this young fellow from Nazareth ever tries anything like that again, it will be a much different story. We’ll take care of him next time!”

Well, it did happen again and they panicked again! Why? Because darkness and Light cannot co-habitate. When Christ takes a commanding position, the devil’s agents have to give way. As the evidence of apostasy continues to be uncovered and Jesus makes plain to those who want to know the truth, we will witness more and more panic from the apostate Conference Leadership. Panic finally drove the Ancient Conference to seek out, persecute, and murder its own people. Has anything changed after two thousand years? Are you beginning to understand why this study is so important and why Jesus wanted us to have this knowledge? I pray that you are.

DA 593: “One whom they could not intimidate was in command.” So many times I have witnessed Seventh- day Adventist laymen shake in their shoes when someone from the conference was “sent down” to their church to take care of a “problem.” Maybe you have been one of those who have become very nervous when this event has taken place. If you have or have been involved in a meeting of this type, you know what I’m referring to. It seems the whole church just automatically crumbles in fear when the conference man shows up. I’m so glad that Jesus was “One whom they could not intimidate,” aren’t you?

In this little statement there’s a revealing lesson to be learned. If we are being intimidated by those who are trying to get us to serve something or someone other than Jesus, then Jesus is not our Commander. When we are totally converted and Jesus is in full command we cannot be intimidated by anyone, especially those who are trying to scare us into doing that which would dishonor our Lord.

DA 593: “Repairing to the temple where He was teaching, they proceeded to question Him: ‘By what authority doest Thou these things? and who gave Thee this authority? ’ They expected Him to claim that His authority was from God. Such an assertion they intended to deny. But Jesus met them with a question apparently pertaining to another subject, and He made His reply to them conditional on their answering this question. ‘The baptism of John, ’ He said, ‘whence was it? from heaven, or of men? ’”

Are you thinking about parallels? Have you heard similar questions being asked about those who are just preaching and teaching the truth? What they were really telling Christ was, “You can’t preach! You didn’t go to any of our schools and you haven’t obtained our permission!”

John 7: 14- 16: “Now about the midst of the feast Jesus went up into the temple, and taught. And the Jews marveled, saying, How knoweth this man letters, HAVING NEVER LEARNED? Jesus answered them, and said, My doctrine is not mine, but His that sent me.” If you read the remainder of John 7, you will see that the apostate Conference Leadership didn’t want Jesus to preach and were actively trying to stop Him.

They also asked Jesus, “Who gave thee this authority?” or “Who told you that you could be a pastor?” Many times have I heard this question. To many, just as in Jesus’ day the question is not: Is this man bringing to us truth? It is rather: Who said you could preach or who said you could be a pastor? The inference is, of course, the Conference didn’t say that you could be a pastor, so what do you think you’re doing? How sad that we have all this history of the Ancient Adventists and we are still asking such questions. How Satan must marvel at our dullness of mind and stupidity. But, fortunately, the lessons don’t stop here.

DA 593- 4: “The priests saw that they were in a dilemma from which no sophistry could extricate them. If they said that John’s baptism was from heaven, their inconsistency would be made apparent. Christ would say, Why have ye not then believed on him? John had testified of Christ, ‘Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world. ’ JOHN 1: 29. If the priests believed John’s testimony, how could they deny the Messiahship of Christ? IF THEY DECLARED THEIR REAL BELIEF, THAT JOHN’S MINISTRY WAS OF MEN, THEY WOULD BRING UPON THEMSELVES A STORM OF INDIGNATION; for the people believed John to be a prophet.”

One important lesson we can learn is how to use the methods of Christ; here is the parallel of the above quotation. When someone or some leader who claims to be an Adventist is giving you trouble when you are merely trying to clarify the truth, just ask them from where did the Spirit of Prophecy come? The writings of Ellen White, from where did they come? From the Devil or from God? If the person says from God, you should rightly be able to direct him to whatever references state the truth you are promoting. If he says from the Devil, he will be exposing himself. It’s a good question and just what the Lord did in similar circumstances. This won’t always work, however, and there’s another valuable lesson that is vital for us to know and understand.

In the introductory pages 6- 11 of Great Controversy, Sister White claims very plainly to be that prophet who has come in the Spirit and power of Elijah. She says that you either have to acknowledge her prophetic gift as from God or the Devil, one way or the other. Now read these words once more and let’s see the implication.

“If they [the apostate Conference Leaders] declared their real belief, that John’s ministry was of men, they would bring upon themselves a storm of indignation: for the people believed John to be a prophet.”

Dear fellow Adventists, we have to stop being so naive! Don’t you realize that a large portion of the professed Leadership of the Adventist “church” does not believe Ellen G. White to be inspired! As a matter of fact, they are trying to eradicate her. From a large number of pulpits every Sabbath her writings are either being dismissed or actively trashed. But if you think these Conference Leaders are so foolhardy as to openly declare their true belief (“ that John’s [Ellen White’s] ministry was [is] of men,” and “bring upon themselves a storm of indignation”), then we are indeed in need of the eye salve.

DA 594: “By their cowardice and indecision they had in a great measure forfeited the respect of the people, who now stood by, amused to see these proud, self- righteous men defeated.”

While all this apostasy has been going on openly in the Adventist structure, the same cowardice and indecision have taken place. You probably remember when we first began exposing the “Celebration” churches, the official statement from the Conference was that we will “wait and see.” Brothers and Sisters, Jesus never “waits and sees” in the midst of a spiritual crisis! Aren’t you glad that He doesn’t? If men who call themselves leaders are afraid to lead, then surely it would be better for them to find a position somewhere in which their influence would be minimized. Since they are not likely to pursue that course, let me tell you how it can be brought about anyway. DON’T ALLOW THEM TO LEAD YOU! We can place the blame on the “leaders,” and this is correct to some extent, but that’s not where fault stops. The decision of who leads YOU firmly rests with your own God- given power of choice. I am very happy to say that many have already made this choice and are determined to support those leaders who are supporting the truth, as it is in Jesus.

While the Conference Leaders continue to “wait and see,” Satan continues to divide and conquer. “By their cowardice and indecision they had [have] in a great measure forfeited the respect of the people.”

Before we move on, let me point out one other revealing truth about this decision to “wait and see” where it concerns the “Celebration” churches. Garrie Williams wrote the manual “Trinity Power Circle” that mirrors another book, “20/ 20 Vision” written by a “Celebration” Sunday preacher by the name of Dale Galloway. My research and subsequent exposure to this manual clearly showed that “Trinity Power Circle” was the manual for bringing the celebration service into our churches. Many Adventist Conference men would have you believe that they didn’t really have a part in all this and they weren’t even educated enough to make a judgement on it, so they wanted to “wait and see.” But Brothers and Sisters, I have “Trinity Power Circle” and PLAINLY WRITTEN ON THE BACK COVER ARE THE WORDS “GENERAL CONFERENCE WORLD MINISTRY COUNCIL, INDIANAPOLIS 1990. SEMINAR NO. GCM 7274″!! Did Garrie Williams slip these words onto the back cover without anybody from the General Conference knowing about it? If we believe that, we are very naive! Let’s read the quotation from the back cover about the author.

“Garrie Williams is a New Zealander by birth who studied and worked in Australia for 15 years before moving to the USA in 1982. He has served the Seventh- day Adventist Church as a pastor, evangelist, college lecturer and, since 1985, as Ministerial Director of Oregon Conference. Elder Williams has TRAVELED EXTENSIVELY AROUND THE WORLD and has taught Spirit- filled ministry seminars in a NUMBER OF DIVISIONS. In 1987 he FOUNDED the Homes of Hope small group ministry, and in 1989 and 1990 was chairman of the FIRST NATIONAL Adventist Small Group Conference. Garrie Williams is strongly committed to the historic Seventh- day Adventist message and mission, and believes that we are living in the time of the outpouring of the Holy Spirit.”

This quotation really says a lot! It reveals that this man has been intricately involved with the General Conference which has known for years what he has been doing. When you think about it, the main men who have plagued the Seventh- day Adventist “church” with heresy in recent years have mostly come from either the West coast or from Down Under. (And you can take that any way you wish, the application fits either way.) Is it any surprise that the author of 20/ 20 Vision is the proprietor and pastor of the Sunday- going celebration church which was the same one rented by the Seventh- day Adventists who started the first “Celebration” church in Oregon that became known as the Milwaukee Church? Isn’t it also a coincidence that the Seventh- day Adventist Conference Office of the Pacific Northwest is a mere four blocks or so from the same church?

As we continue to uncover these important truths for God’s honest children, it is wonderful to realize that many are breaking the mold of their past and studying to show themselves approved of God. Friends, we are in a desperate struggle for our very salvation. We are moving rapidly to the center of this battle that will intensify to the bitter end. The enemy will not surrender and he is not likely to give up any ground easily. I am happy to say, however, that just a few years ago there were only a handful who saw what was going on. Now there are many more.

DA 594 “But as the popular feeling turned in His favor, the hatred of the priests toward Jesus increased.”

We can read our own future in this statement and I believe the Lord would have us do just that. He warned His disciples many times of what was to come and He would have us realize that we, too, face the same future. Many of us have thought that it would be in the world where our greatest danger lay but we now realize: “We have far more to fear from within than from without. The hindrances to strength and success are far greater from the church itself than from the world. Unbelievers have a right to expect that those who profess to be keeping the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus, will do more than any other class to promote and honor, by their active influence, the cause which they represent. But how often have the professed advocates of the truth proved the greatest obstacle to its advancement! The unbelief indulged, the doubts expressed, the darkness cherished, encourage the presence of evil angels, and open the way for the accomplishment of Satan’s devices.” 1SM 122.

DA 595- 6 “In His contest with the rabbis, it was not Christ’s purpose to humiliate His opponents. He was not glad to see them in a hard place. He had an important lesson to teach.”

For those who still say that it’s sinful to enter into this exposure of the Conference Leaders, we ask the question: What does “In His contest with the rabbis…” mean? We need so much to quickly learn that: “Our work is an aggressive one, and as faithful soldiers of Jesus, we must bear the blood- stained banner into the very strongholds of the enemy. ‘We wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. ’ If we will consent to lay down our arms, to lower the blood- stained banner, to become the captives and servants of Satan, we may be released from the conflict and the suffering. But this peace will be gained only at the loss of Christ and heaven. We cannot accept peace on such conditions. Let it be war, war, to the end of earth’s history, rather than peace THROUGH APOSTASY AND SIN.”

But on the other hand, Jesus was not elated that His work had to put them in a difficult place. His motive was one of salvation and He was sorrowed to see human beings for whom He was about to die being humiliated. There is a real fear we need to respect — that we will become bitter toward our enemies. Jesus would have us ever keep in mind that vengeance is the Lord’s alone and we are to love even our enemies and not hate them. We are to be “not blind, nor bitter.” Our work must be the same work as Christ’s. That means that some of us will have to do the unpleasant work of exposure, etc. But we are to do our work that precious souls might cast their lot for Jesus — NOT BECAUSE WE ENJOY SEEING PEOPLE BURN! The Bible plainly teaches that any man who takes on this attitude of Satan, even though he may be gifted in all other areas, will himself be lost. Especially as the battle intensifies, we need the grace of Jesus in our lives so that the enemy of all souls is not able to place his character of hate into our motives. As the quotation above (DA 594) states, “the hatred of the priests [apostate leaders] toward Jesus [His followers in these last days] increased,” we will need the love of Jesus fully to keep our own motivation pure.

DA 595- 6: “They made great professions of piety, they claimed to be obeying the law of God, but they rendered only a false obedience. The publicans were denounced and cursed by the Pharisees as infidels; but they showed by their faith and works that they were going into the kingdom of heaven before those self- righteous men who had been given great light, but whose works did not correspond to their profession of godliness.”

Jesus is trying to teach us that we should not follow the example of or allow the influence of such men to rule over us. Yes, we are all human beings and we all make mistakes. But making an occasional mistake (and repenting for it) and making a mockery of inspiration are two different things. You know the difference. The Lord says that we should not allow the men who have no real interest (demonstrated by their works) in the truths we hold near and dear to our hearts to have persuasion over our lives.

DA 597 : “His warnings, failing to arouse them to repentance, would seal their doom, and He wished them to see that they had brought ruin on themselves. He designed to show them the justice of God in the withdrawal of their national privileges, which had already begun, and which would end, not only in the destruction of their temple and their city, but in the dispersion of the nation.”

Jesus came to the very church He had raised. He had handpicked them from among the other nations that He might show the rest of the world His goodness. This church had gone its own way and was misrepresenting Christ while professing to be the expression of who He was. Over the years Jesus had sent many to warn this church of the certain disaster that a lack of repentance and reform would bring. This church’s leaders, time and time again, refused these warnings. Now Jesus had come Himself to give the last call and was being rejected by the people who owed their very existence to Him.

Today, dear friends, can you see the parallel experience that we are passing through? If you ask any professed Adventists if we are living in the last days most of them would say, “Yes.” Do they not see then that the warning given in the message to the Laodiceans is the last message and that its close is in the near future? Oh! that we would understand the time of our visitation! The last message to God’s professed people is going forward. We ARE living in the reality of Ezekiel chapter 8. Ezekiel, chapter 9, is just around the corner and what are we doing!? As these statements reveal, the main reason that the Adventist system will be lost will be due to those apostate leaders who refuse to be guided by the Holy Spirit.

Not only this but to some degree we will continue to lose our national privileges and the dispersion of the Adventist “nation” will be caused by these self- destructing professors of Adventism.

The next line in The Desire of Ages is startling; the implication and the lesson to be applied is extremely important for us to better understand our situation.

DA 597: “The hearers recognized the warning.”

Dear precious Adventist friends, please understand that we are dealing with apostate leaders who have calculated what they are doing. They KNOW AND RECOGNIZE THE WARNING. However, they are determined to carry out their present agenda. I can tell you with a completely clear Christian conscience that the agenda hasn’t changed and these apostate leaders are forging ahead. Please don’t be fooled by an occasional strategically well- placed statement here or there. These occasional statements or articles are one of two things. Either a Joseph or Nicodemus is trying to hold the line from the inside or they are calculated to deceive you about the intentions or direction of apostate leaders. Do not be tricked by those who come in old clothes and have molded bread. We need to pray earnestly for the eyesalve of discernment. Our lovely Jesus will make sure it is applied if we do our honest part. He has died for us that we might be saved and He brings these truths forward that you shouldn’t be deceived. We may have made mistakes in the past. We may at times have felt that we are struggling to learn and understand. But let us run to Jesus, for “In Christ the guilty heart has found relief. His is the sure foundation. ALL WHO MAKE HIM THEIR DEPENDENCE REST IN PERFECT SECURITY.” “To fall upon the Rock and be broken is to give up our self- righteousness and to go to Christ with the humility of a child, repenting of our transgressions, and believing in His forgiving love. And so also it is by faith and obedience that we build on Christ as our foundation.” DA 599.

DA 600: “And what was it that destroyed the Jews?” I hope you are still thinking about prophetic parallels as you read this inspired answer to this most important question:

DA 600: “Men set themselves in opposition to God, and all that would have been their salvation was turned to their destruction. All that God ordained unto life, they found to be unto death. In the Jews’ crucifixion of Christ was involved the destruction of Jerusalem. The blood shed upon

Calvary was the weight that sunk them to ruin for this world and for the world to come. …

“By many illustrations and repeated warnings, Jesus showed what would be the result to the Jews of rejecting the Son of God. In these words He was addressing all in every age who refused to receive Him as their Redeemer. Every warning is for them. The desecrated temple, the disobedient son, the false husbandmen, the contemptuous builders, have their counterpart in the experience of every sinner. Unless he repent, the doom which they foreshadowed will be his.”

It is critical, friends, that we understand what constitutes God’s true church. After all, the great controversy is all over what? Yes, whom you are going to worship. We need to take God at His Word and not replace it with man’s opinion or popular committee votes. There is no such thing as a democratic legislation by the professed church on how to be admitted into God’s kingdom. I guarantee, based on the Word of God, that when we are all standing at the Judgment Bar of God, He will not acquiesce to the authority of the Conference Committee.

I will admit that the apostate Adventist Leaders and their followers do have a church. In the book of Revelation, both the true and this other church are spoken of so it would be well for us to read about these churches and their last experience with one another on earth.

Revelation 3: 8- 9, 12: “I know thy works: behold, I have set before thee an open door, and no man can shut it: for thou hast a little strength, and hast kept my work, and hast not denied my name. Behold I will make them of the synagogue of Satan, WHICH SAY THEY ARE JEWS, AND ARE NOT, BUT DO LIE; behold, I will make them to come and worship before thy feet, and to know that I have loved thee.

“Him that overcometh will I make a pillar in the temple of my God, and he shall go no more out: and I will write upon him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, which is new Jerusalem, which cometh down out of heaven from my God: and I will write upon him my new name.”

All those professed Adventists who believe in the doctrine of the “New Theology;” all professed Adventists who are preaching and believing that we don’t have to overcome but can go on sinning and still get into the kingdom because, after all, Jesus understands; all these poor diluted souls have a church but it is the synagogue of Satan.

Brothers and Sisters, be ye not deceived! Jesus does understand and it is not He who is confused, it is us! Read your Bible for it plainly states, “to him who overcometh will I grant.” What we need to do is quit loving sin and love Jesus enough to understand and believe by an experiential knowledge that we serve an all knowing, all loving, ALL POWERFUL God who will indeed finish the work of perfection which He has started in EVERY WILLING SOUL. May we, poor sinners take on the humility of our crucified Saviour and learn these most sacred truths.

Table of Contents
Acknowledgements and Forward
Chapter 1 Desire of Ages — Chapter 63
Chapter 2 Desire of Ages — Chapter 64
Chapter 3 Desire of Ages — Chapter 65
Chapter 4 Desire of Ages — Chapters 66 & 67
Chapter 5 Desire of Ages — Chapters 68 & 69
Chapter 6 Desire of Ages — Chapters 70, 71 & 72
Chapter 7 Desire of Ages — Chapter 73
Chapter 8 Desire of Ages — Chapters 74 & 75
Chapter 9 Desire of Ages — Chapters 76 & 77
Chapter 10 Desire of Ages — Chapter 78

Chapter 2 Desire of Ages — Chapter 64

June 4, 2020June 3, 2020 by Jana Wagner

PROPHETIC PARALLELS
The Church “Then”. . . . . .and the Church Now

by Terry S. Ross

DA 580: “The triumphal ride of Christ into Jerusalem was the dim foreshadowing of His coming in the clouds of heaven with power and glory, amid the triumph of angels, and the rejoicing of the saints.”

Our study of prophetic parallels is right on, so far. Here the Lord showed Sister White that this experience two thousand years ago was but a small scene to be reenacted at Christ’s second coming.

DA 580: “THE DISCIPLES SAW THE HATRED OF THE JEWS TO CHRIST, BUT THEY DID NOT YET SEE TO WHAT IT WOULD LEAD.”

Now unless you know the inference of the above statement, it really doesn’t make any sense. Let’s take a closer look. “The disciples saw the hatred of the Jews to Christ…”

Weren’t the disciples Jews? Wasn’t Christ a Jew? Does the above statement indicate that Christ’s own family and friends who were all Jews hated Him? Of course not, so what does the above statement really mean? It means this: the disciples witnessed the hatred of the Jewish leaders (Ancient Adventist Conference leadership) to Christ. This is what it really means, but let’s demonstrate the truth of this by going to God’s Word.

We will be proceeding to the book of John, chapter nine, and I would suggest reading the entire chapter to get the full impact. Most of you will recognize the story of the man born blind whom Christ healed. The conference men enter the scene and we will pick up the story using verses 18- 22. John 9: 18- 22 “But the Jews [conference leadership] did not believe concerning him, that he had been blind, and received his sight, until they called the parents of him that had received his sight. And they asked them, saying, Is this your son, who ye say was born blind? how then doth he now see? His parents answered them and said, We know that this is our son, and that he was born blind: But by what means he now seeth, we know not; or who hath opened his eyes, we know not: he is of age; ask him: he shall speak for himself. THESE WORDS SPAKE HIS PARENTS, BECAUSE THEY FEARED THE JEWS…”

Now let’s stop right here before continuing and analyze what’s being said. The Pharisees, who were in fact part of the conference leadership of their day, came to these parents and tried to disprove that Christ had healed their son. They were obviously feeling intimidated and were fearful to answer these questions from the conference men. The first point is that it’s obvious that the Bible says these parents “feared the Jews” and that means the Jewish leadership. The second point is the answer to why they had this fear. Let’s read on.

“… FOR THE JEWS [ANCIENT ADVENTIST CONFERENCE LEADERS] HAD AGREED ALREADY, THAT IF ANY MAN DID CONFESS THAT HE WAS CHRIST, HE SHOULD BE PUT OUT OF THE SYNAGOGUE.”

Brothers and sisters, if you don’t grasp this plain and simple truth, you are in real trouble. These parents were fearful of their conference leaders because they already knew that they would be put out of the “church” if they took a stand for Jesus. The parallel is just as obvious! Today many are being “put out of the synagogue” by the conference men for confessing Christ. But let’s make absolutely sure regarding this “fear of the Jews” inference, shall we?

John 7: 1 “After these things Jesus walked in Galilee: for he would not walk in Jewry, because the Jews sought to kill him.” We will continue in this chapter but first we will want to take a look at this verse. Jesus had already fed the five thousand and had spoken many times with the people who were all Jews. Was it these people who were seeking to kill Jesus? No! Any honest student will readily see the point and realize the correct inference. John seven, verse one, is clearly speaking of the Ancient Conference Leadership who wanted to see Jesus dead in order to kill His influence.

John 7: 8- 13 “Go ye up unto this feast: I go not up yet unto this feast; for my time is not yet full come. When he had said these words unto them, he abode still in Galilee. But when his brethren were gone up, then went he also up unto the feast, not openly, but as it were in secret. Then the Jews sought him at the feast, and said, Where is he? And there was much murmuring among the people concerning him: for some said, He is a good man: others said, Nay; but he deceiveth the people. HOWBEIT NO MAN SPAKE OPENLY OF HIM FOR FEAR OF THE JEWS.”

For fear of what Jews? Now lest anyone think that we have become unbalanced, let me quickly say that not for a moment do I believe that every single conference man of Christ’s day was an unbeliever. The Bible and the Spirit of Prophecy clearly house these statements in general terms and it should be understood as such. But that certainly doesn’t negate the fact that the unbelievers (who, by the way, were in the majority and still are) took over the power of the conference and used their corrupted energy to destroy what Christ had raised up. Let’s continue to demonstrate:

John 12: 42 “Nevertheless among the chief rulers [high officials in the conference] also many believed on him; BUT BECAUSE OF THE PHARISEES THEY DID NOT CONFESS HIM, LEST THEY SHOULD BE PUT OUT OF THE SYNAGOGUE:”

So you see, according to the Bible, there were “many” of the Ancient Adventist Conference Officials who believed on Jesus. But the Bible also says that they would not confess Him (publicly take a stand for Jesus) because they would be put out of the “church.” Today we would say “disfellowshipped.” Unless you are without eyesalve you know that there is much truth in the parallel atmosphere in which we live.

A couple of years before I became a Seventh- day Adventist, I began working the swing shift for the Campbell Soup Company. Now for those of you who know what the swing shift means, you will also realize the immediate problem I had encountered upon becoming a Seventh- day Adventist. Yes, the Sabbath! — because of the evening hours of Friday. The local church of which I had just become a member, realized this also and we gathered together for prayer. They encouraged me to take my stand on the side of the Lord and His truth. The pastor assured me that if I did the right thing, the Lord would bless the decision. He explained to me that this was a test of faith and that I could claim such promises as “All things work together for good…” if I would just stand firm through this trial. I must admit I had mixed feelings of worry and elation.

Monday afternoon I showed up as usual for work. I knew I could not just walk off the job on Friday so I needed to explain my new found belief to my boss. Now I don’t know how many of you have ever worked in a factory but I have found in my experience, there is really only one important word, and it’s not Sabbath. It’s production in a factory setting!

The Production Managers are not paid to babysit people but rather to produce. I was fully aware of this and I didn’t really want to face the Production Manager but knew I had to. This particular man towered over me and I felt very intimidated. I explained to him that I had now become a Seventh- day Adventist and that I would have to be leaving on Friday several hours before the actual shift was over in order to keep the Sabbath holy. He demonstrated to me (mostly in four letter words) his strong disapproval but did reassure me of one thing. He told me that if I punched the time clock before my shift was over on Friday, I could come back one more time — Monday — to collect my last pay check!

At prayer meeting I found myself rather discouraged. I shared the incident with my church family and they once again rallied around and reassured me of God’s love. The Pastor encouraged me again to take a bold stand for the Lord and told me that God’s watch- care attended my efforts.

On Friday I headed for the time clock in fear but with firm resolve. Guess who met me at the time clock? You guessed it! My Production Manager. He once again threatened me with curse words assuring me that I had just lost my job by punching out. He informed me that I would be seen on Monday for reasons he had already stated.

In church on Sabbath I wasn’t feeling all that great. I had just lost a job that had literally taken two years to obtain in the first place. The church members expressed their concern and compassion and once more I was encouraged. The Pastor told me that because I had stood firm and had done the right thing, he was confident that the Lord would open another door. I left church that day still feeling somewhat low but also thankful to have the support of my church family while standing for Jesus.

On Monday I went to work as usual fully expecting the worst. As I arrived at the time clock, however, there was no Production Manager so I punched in and “quietly” went to work.

After a couple of days, I began to question the possibility of the boss thinking that he had scared me sufficiently to change my mind. I admit, as a new Christian I felt apprehensive, so I decided I had better let him know that on Friday I would be making a repeat of the Friday before.

Now one thing you should realize which will help you to understand the situation and the elements that added to the stress of the boss and my plight is this — Campbell Soup (and probably many other factories) run on a seniority plan. In real terms this meant that there were people there who had worked ten, fifteen years or more, and couldn’t get on the day shift because they didn’t have enough seniority. I had only two years! — so it seemed an impossibility for me to change shifts.

To make a long story shorter, my Friday afternoon struggle went on for six weeks! For six long weeks my Production Manager showed how much he hated me and my “problem,” and for six weeks the Pastor and my church encouraged me to hang tough for God.

Miracle of miracles! Campbell Soup placed me on day shift! I couldn’t believe my good fortune. My faith had indeed been blessed and strengthened, as also the faith of many of the church members.

I’m sure that many of you could share similar stories of not only how the Lord has blessed you during times of trial, but how He has blessed specifically when you have had to stand for the Sabbath truth. Many of you could also share with the rest of us how your Conference Pastor has encouraged you to stand for truth and has given reassurance on more than one occasion that the Lord would not forsake you.

That brings me to this simple, honest, question. Where are all the pastors who used to encourage us to lay our jobs on the line to stand for truth?! Why are not these same pastors making themselves known in the midst of the wide- spread apostasy? Why are they not following their own counsel? Where is their faith and how come they aren’t willing to lay their jobs on the line for truth knowing that the Lord won’t forsake them?

I do know this for certain. If these pastors don’t face these questions very soon, they certainly will face them in the judgment. If they “wait and see” much longer they will “see” that they were “blind” and lost too late! We need to earnestly pray that the men whom the Holy Spirit is trying to get through to will listen and cast their lot with God and His people. Now let’s take one more look at our verse, and this time let’s add a verse to find out why the Ancient Conference Leaders, who even believed on Christ, would not confess Him.

John 12: 42- 43 “Nevertheless among the chief rulers also many believed on him; but because of the Pharisees they did not confess him, lest they should be put out of the synagogue: FOR THEY LOVED THE PRAISE OF MEN MORE THAN THE PRAISE OF GOD.”

This is a vital point and the same thing is true today. It’s church by popular vote. Salvation by legislation. Getting into God’s palace by political means. Let me tell you something. I believe God hates politics! Politics is killing God’s professed people. What God wants and will save is not politics, but principle. God cannot use men of politics. Why do you think we are told that He will have leaders of His own choosing in the end? And if they are leaders of His own choosing, then who chose the leaders who are presently in place? God can only use men whose policy IS God’s principles.

Jesus paid absolutely no attention to whether truth was popular or politically correct before He took a stand. And He certainly wasn’t moved by situation ethics, making a decision on whether He would be popular or censured.

DA 330 “In the heart of Christ, where reigned perfect harmony with God, there was perfect peace. HE WAS NEVER ELATED BY APPLAUSE, NOR DEJECTED BY CENSURE OR DISAPPOINTMENT. Amid the greatest opposition and the most cruel treatment, He was still of good courage. But MANY WHO PROFESS TO BE HIS FOLLOWERS HAVE AN ANXIOUS, TROUBLED HEART, BECAUSE THEY ARE AFRAID TO TRUST THEMSELVES WITH GOD. They do not make a complete surrender to Him; for they shrink from the consequences that such a surrender may involve. UNLESS THEY MAKE THIS SURRENDER, THEY CANNOT FIND PEACE.”

Dear friend, don’t you desire this peace that passes all understanding? If you’re a pastor or a leader, don’t you want to go all the way with the Lord and be all that the Lord has called you to be? Don’t you want to BE the leader that Jesus is giving you the opportunity to be? I say this with much compassion; if you don’t make up your mind quickly, your present leadership or profession to truth will all be for naught. What a horrible reality!

Continuing in the book of John about the fear of the Jews, meaning the fear of the Conference Leaders, we turn to John 19: 38.

“And after this Joseph of Arimathaea, being a disciple of Jesus, BUT SECRETLY FOR FEAR OF THE JEWS, besought Pilate that he might take away the body of Jesus: …”

You will remember that Niodemus did the same thing when he had the secret night interview with the Lord. We are also told that on the night of Jesus’ capture by this corrupt priesthood, Joseph and Nicodemus were not called to sit on this council but were purposely left out. Here’s what these men did and what we are pleading with others to do:

DA 177 “After the Lord’s ascension, when the disciples were scattered by persecution, Nicodemus came boldly to the front. He employed his wealth in sustaining the infant church [notice this church was not part of the Conference] that the Jews [apostate Conference Leaders] had expected to be blotted out at the death of Christ. In the time of peril he who had been so cautious and questioning was firm as a rock, encouraging the faith of the disciples, [self- supporting ministers of God’s own choosing] and furnishing means to carry forward the work of the gospel. He was scorned and persecuted by those who had paid him reverence in other days. He became poor in this world’s goods; yet he faltered not in the faith which had its beginning in that night conference with Jesus.” These are the men whom the Lord will use to lead His people and to educate those who want to know the truth. “They have administered impartial discipline, laying their hand upon all false teaching, upon false brethren whose works have denied the faith. Amid the scorn of men, suffering worldly loss, they have manifested steadfast integrity. While temptations to worldliness and licentiousness cause the love of many to wax cold, they stand true as the needle to the pole, as faithful workers, as standard- bearers for God, in principle firm as a rock.” RH 1/ 21/ 90.

Back to The Desire of Ages, chapter 64, and the prophetic parallels… DA 580: “The disciples saw the hatred of the Jews to Christ, but they did not yet see to what it would lead. They did not yet understand the true condition of Israel, nor comprehend the retribution that was to fall upon Jerusalem.”

This describes very well the valley of confusion in which most Seventh-day Adventists find themselves. Most SDA’s don’t understand where this apostasy is leading and they certainly don’t comprehend the retribution that’s about to fall upon Jerusalem (headquarters). The encouraging news is that’s exactly why the Lord went about doing the work He did while He was here, and that’s exactly why Cathy and I are so excited about The Desire of Ages. This study that you are now doing is the very study Jesus taught His own disciples; and after they finally got the message, Christ’s work became very successful. We’ll have more to say on this subject in another chapter.

I am making the claim loud and clear that nothing in principle has changed from two thousand years ago and the Lord knew it wouldn’t change. I believe that Jesus wanted The Desire of Ages written for much deeper reasons than we first believed. Yes, He desired for us to know how much His Father, He, and the Holy Spirit love us. But there’s much more to it than that and the reason we haven’t seen it before is because it wasn’t yet time to see it, although it’s always been laying right in front of our noses. I’m making the claim that Jesus has given us The Desire of Ages so that we would be warned of present day happenings and be able to understand that it’s His will that we move forward in the same way He taught His disciples when He was here on earth.

I’m also claiming and know that most of you who study this with an honest approach will agree with me in the end — The Desire of Ages is the greatest book of prophecy (outside the Bible, of course) for instruction of what is happening inside the “church” that has ever been written. Oh that we were uplifting the gift the Lord has given us in the Spirit of Prophecy books rather than burning them and dumping their counsel in the pulpits of Conference Churches!

DA 580: “The last appeal to Jerusalem had been in vain.” It was over four years ago when Cathy and I brought forth our research that exposed the “Celebration” style of worship. Not long after, we went public with our findings about Neuro- Linguistic Programming (NLP). Many other Self- supporting Ministries have also been faithful in doing this work. For over four years we have joined together much as the disciples did and have been warning the Conference of what would be the result if they did not repent of these and many other evils.

Overwhelming evidence has been brought forth and I can say that I have only showed in part what I have seen. Time, money, and health will not permit one to bring to the attention every abominable thing that’s going on today. To their amazing discredit and true to the parallel, these appeals to headquarters (Silver Spring) for reformation, repentance, and restitution have been in vain. We have shown literally mounds of evidence which totally prove the claims made to those who are not comatose; but show me ONE ARTICLE FROM THE OFFICIAL PAPERS OF HEADQUARTERS WHERE THEY ADMIT TO THESE APOSTASIES AND WHERE THEY HAVE REPENTED.

Please show me even one! DA 581: “The entire night Jesus spent in prayer, and in the morning He came again to the temple. On the way He passed a fig orchard. He was hungry, ‘and seeing a fig tree afar off having leaves, He came, if haply He might find anything thereon: and when He came to it, He found nothing but leaves;…”

In 7A of the SDA Bible Commentaries, page 16, we are told that “the fig- leaves represent the arguments used to cover disobedience.” Then it goes on to say: “When the Lord calls the attention of men and women to the truth, the making of fig- leaves into aprons will be begun, to hide the nakedness of the soul. But the nakedness of the sinner is not covered. ALL THE ARGUMENTS PIECED TOGETHER BY ALL WHO HAVE INTERESTED THEMSELVES IN THIS FLIMSY WORK WILL COME TO NAUGHT.”

Because Jesus rightly expected the tree to have fruit on it but it didn’t, He decided to teach His disciples an important lesson. As a matter of fact, the lesson He was trying to teach them is the exact same lesson He is trying to teach us right now and it’s only those who learn it who have the privilege of going to heaven! In order to teach this lesson so the disciples wouldn’t forget (it must have been extremely important!), He invested the fig tree with moral qualities, and later when they passed that way again, the fig tree was dead! The disciples were astonished! They could hardly believe what they were seeing. They knew He had said that He came not into the world to condemn it but to save it so they did not understand this act. (Please read DA 582 the whole page.) “But it is in mercy and love that He lifts the veil from the future, and reveals to men the results of a course of sin.” DA 582.

Let’s read more about this from The Signs of the Times, 10/ 5/ 1876: “Christ invests the fig- tree with moral qualities, and makes it the expositor of divine truth that he many teach a lesson to his disciples, and NOT ONLY TO THEM BUT TO ALL WHO SHOULD BELIEVE ON THE WORD. Many, like the portentous fig- tree, make high profession of godliness, but bear no fruit to the glory of God. They have not responded to the sacred influences which God has given them. Opportunities have been unimproved, blessings have been unappreciated, warnings and reproofs have been rejected. The fostering love and care of the Redeemer has been unrequited, and like the barren fig- tree they stand forth fruitless, having nothing but leaves.”

DA 582: “The cursing of the fig tree was an acted parable. That barren tree, flaunting its pretentious foliage in the very face of Christ, was a symbol of the Jewish nation. THE SAVIOUR DESIRED TO MAKE PLAIN TO HIS DISCIPLES THE CAUSE AND CERTAINTY OF ISRAEL’S DOOM.”

Are you thinking of prophetic parallels? Did you read that last sentence?! Terry Ross didn’t write that! Jesus inspired the prophetess, Ellen G. White, to write it. Remember, it was Christ’s work that we’re talking about. He was trying to somehow make the disciples believe that the Ancient Adventist Church (Conference) was not going through! Was Jesus right or was the Conference? If the disciples hadn’t finally listened to Him, would they now be your heroes of the New Testament? I don’t think so. You may want to think about what’s really going on and the gravity of what the Lord is trying to once again teach us. We’ll speak more on this later.

DA 582- 3: “The Jews stood forth distinct from all other nations, professing allegiance to God. They had been specially favored by Him and they laid claim to righteousness above every other people. [Are you thinking of our claims as Seventh- day Adventists or Modern Israel?] But they were corrupted by the love of the world and the greed of gain. [Read Rev. 3 and the counsel to Laodicea.] They boasted of their knowledge, but they were ignorant of the requirements of God, and were full of hypocrisy. … The Jewish religion, with its magnificent temple, its sacred altars, its mitered priests and impressive ceremonies, was indeed fair in outward appearance, but HUMILITY [a child- like trust and eagerness to learn], love [faith and emotions that work according to God’s principles], and benevolence [putting God first and foremost in everything] were lacking.”

DA 584: “Some who think themselves excellent Christians do not understand what constitutes service for God. They plan and study to please themselves. They act only in reference to self. Time is of value to them only as they can gather for themselves. In all the affairs of life this is their object. Not for others but for themselves do they minister.”

I have a concern that seems to go along with the above statement. What does it mean to be a minister or to have a ministry? To me, the above statement is full of wisdom and helps me to consider my own motive for what I do. Unfortunately, the Lord is accurate regarding some “ministers” who are “serving” their flocks. It seems to me that in order to minister properly at least two ingredients must be present.

A minister should have time or take the time (within reason) to pay attention to those whom the Lord has given him the privilege to minister unto. If a minister is too busy for his flock, then he may be paying too much attention to the wrong business.

Also, it seems to me that a minister must be willing to place his own reputation on the line for the truth. I cannot see how it could be otherwise if the minister is going to live up to his calling. The minister says he loves the Lord and the precious flock and this is good. The only way, however, that we know that the Lord’s and the flock’s best interests are being placed first are from the works of the minister. How can a minister claim to love the flock and the Lord and not pay particular attention to truth and principle?

A minister who is not willing to live and work for truth’s sake and by the principles of God’s government will prove to be a lover of self more than a lover of his precious flock or the God of truth. It would be better for these self- ministering pastors to do something which would have no influence on anybody else. Certainly ministers of this nature who are, in fact, in the majority in all churches including the Seventh- day Adventist “Church” are:

DA 584: “Those who thus live for self are like the fig tree, which made every pretension but was fruitless. They observe the forms of worship, but without repentance or faith. In profession they honor the law of God, but obedience is lacking. They say, but do not. In the sentence pronounced on the fig tree Christ demonstrates how hateful in His eyes is this vain pretense. He declares that the OPEN SINNER IS LESS GUILTY THAN THOSE WHO PROFESS TO SERVE GOD, BUT WHO BEARS NO FRUIT TO HIS GLORY.”

The fruit here spoken of, if you will notice, is not baptisms like so many Adventists are lead to believe, but character or the fruits of the spirit. Bringing people to Christ is very important and the Lord would certainly have us to show others the way to the cross and crown. But men who have maintained that we can’t overcome or that we will continue to sin until the second coming of Christ have taught their flocks that “fruits” signifies baptisms and this is incorrect. Primarily “fruits” are the fruits of the Spirit — character development from heaven, turning carnal man into the image of God. When the people of God make this their personal, primary objective, they will find the peace and the unity that will come in no other way. It is a sad fact that most Adventists (modern day Jews) will be lost because they chose to listen to the corrupt priesthood rather than to the Lord.

Our precious Jesus knows us so well and, bless His holy name, He doesn’t give up on us easily. He personally came to give His people every advantage that could be given, and mercy in human flesh was poured out of heaven into Jerusalem. But we MUST understand that justice is the heavenly balance of mercy and the two are inseparable.

DA 584: “Increased care was to be given the unfruitful tree. It was to have every advantage. But if it remained fruitless, NOTHING COULD SAVE IT FROM DESTRUCTION.” Let’s take a closer look at the above statement and its modern day parallel. Jesus has given the Adventist movement increased care and every advantage, even to a greater extent than was given to the Ancient Adventists. The Spirit of Prophecy graciously given to this movement IS our modern day John the Baptist. I like to say that the Lord has FINGER PAINTED THE PATHWAY TO HEAVEN by giving us the Spirit of Prophecy. But comparatively few Adventists respect this “John the Baptist” any more than the Ancient Adventists did and they are actively beheading him once again.

Brothers and sisters, I believe that all, everyone, who continue to show disrespect for this glorious gift will be lost. What is the last deception to be brought upon God’s people?

Last Day Events 177 — under the title “The Shaking.” “The VERY LAST deception of Satan will be to make of none effect the testimony of the Spirit of God. ‘Where there is no vision, the people perish’ (Proverbs 29: 18). Satan will work ingeniously, in different ways and through different agencies, to UNSETTLE THE CONFIDENCE of God’s remnant people in the true testimony.” 1SM 48 (1890)

We are in the shaking time! We will not be dealing with all the particulars of that topic here but the very last deception is in full swing among God’s people right now! There are many who are shaking the confidence of God’s people in this precious and vital gift. Satan has been successful to the point that the majority of professed Adventist Preachers are now also making of none effect the testimonies of God.

The sure result of this hellish work is seen in the lowering of the standards and sermons that effectively consign the people in slavery to sin. Adventist people may or may not realize, but the bulk of the Adventist Pastors are actively keeping them from an experiential knowledge of Jesus, and His character and His power to overcome sin.

This is so vital I cannot express the proper words that will describe the horror of what’s really going on. Those who do not understand what is happening will be lost unless they wake up before it is too late!

Very few, in comparison, are desperately trying to warn God’s people of this deception. Few are doing everything they can to show God’s remnant that Satan’s attack is being waged directly at their own souls and the souls of their families. These men and women raised up by the Lord are laying everything on the line in an all or nothing attempt to educate God’s professed people of their attacker and his tactics. In contrast to those who are not, these people, in the example of Christ, are willing to stake their own reputations and everything else on the line for the cause of truth. In heaven it will be seen that we owe our very presence to such ones who were actuated by the Spirit of Jesus, who gave His all that we might be saved. Men who are hated now, I assure you, won’t be hated then.

And then the last part of the statement on page 584 of Desire of Ages. “But if it remained fruitless, NOTHING could save it from destruction.”

We may shout until we are blue in the face or until blood runs thick from the temple (as it did in A. D. 70) that “the church is going through” but God has never been obligated to save anyone or any structure that has betrayed a sacred trust. As a matter of fact, God is obligated not to save him or it!

Right up until the Roman Army slaughtered the last apostate Conference Leader they were yelling, “The church is going through!” Every single layman who believed them died not only that day but for eternity. As stated before, the Conference wants you to believe that “the church is going through” and “the Conference is going through” is the same statement and is what God meant. This simply is not true and is demonstrated graphically and with eternal consequences in the beseige of Jerusalem. Those who chose to believe apostate Conference Leaders were lost, but how many true Christians were lost? RH 11/ 05/ 89: “When Jerusalem was to be destroyed, the followers of Christ [true Christians] were warned of its impending doom. Christ had told his disciples what they were to do when certain things should come to pass. He said, ‘When ye shall see Jerusalem compassed with armies, then know that the desolation thereof is nigh. Then let them which are in Judea flee to the mountains; and let them which are in the midst of it depart out; and let not them that are in the countries enter thereinto. For these be the days of vengeance, that all things which are written may be fulfilled. ’ ALL WHO BELIEVED IN THE WARNING OF CHRIST, ESCAPED FROM THE CITY, AND NOT ONE PERISHED WHEN JERUSALEM WAS OVERTHROWN. By the destruction of Jerusalem is symbolized the last great judgment of God that is to come upon the world.” (Please also read the very first chapter of The Great Controversy).

So you see, not even one Christian was lost in the siege of Jerusalem, because they listened to their God rather than to apostate Conference Leaders. We are told in the last sentence of the above statement that this is what happens in the last great judgment of God to come upon the world. Can you see the Roman Army once again surrounding the city? If you can, then pay real close attention to what the Lord is trying to show His people. Ezekiel, chapter 9, plainly states that this judgment first starts with the Conference Leaders and the Seventh- day Adventist Church, professed and true. If we are to be saved in the siege now upon modern day Jerusalem, we had better listen to this same Jesus who saved every true follower in the prior siege.

DA 584: “By Christ’s act in cursing the barren fig tree, the result was shown. They had determined their own destruction. … they had rejected His warnings and slain His prophets.”

DA 587: “In every age there is given to men their day of light and privilege, a probationary time in which they may become reconciled to God. But there is a limit to this grace. Mercy may plead for years and be slighted and rejected; but there comes a time when mercy makes her last plea. The heart becomes so hardened that it ceases to respond to the Spirit of God. Then the sweet, winning voice entreats the sinner no longer, and reproofs and warnings cease.

“… In rejecting the warnings of God’s Spirit, Israel had rejected the only means of help. There was no other power by which they could be delivered.”

The Lord has instructed Sister White to directly compare the destruction of Jerusalem with the situation at the end of the world. It is only the height of blind pride that cannot see that if God gave up the Jewish Conference Office who chose not to follow His plan, He certainly will give up the Seventh- day Adventist Conference Office who make the same choice. Was it not the same God Who raised up Jerusalem and let it go to destruction who raised up Silver Spring? Have the rules changed? Is God not the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow? These questions, no matter how painful, must be answered for surely our eternal destiny hangs in the balance.

It is not necessarily vindictive warriors who ask such questions anymore than it was those who escaped the destruction of Jerusalem, but rather caring, concerned folk, who are studying to know the will of the Father, people who have not only their own salvation in mind but the salvation of those they claim to love.

Would it not have been easier for Jesus just to have lived a quiet life and to have stayed clear of the battle for truth? Wouldn’t He have had a much easier time of it if He would have stayed away from exposing the apostate Conference Leaders of His day? Wouldn’t it be true for those who do the same work today? Don’t you think that most of these people would find it much easier to leave the battle alone and don’t you think that they would rather live without being in the war? Here’s the answer.

RH 5/ 8/ 88: “Our work is an aggressive one, and as faithful soldiers of Jesus, we must bear the blood- stained banner into the very strongholds of the enemy. ‘We wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. ’ If we will consent to lay down our arms, to lower the blood- stained banner, to become the captives and servants of Satan, we may be released from the conflict and the suffering. But this peace will be gained only at the loss of Christ and heaven. We cannot accept peace on such conditions. Let it be war, war, to the end of earth’s history, RATHER THAN PEACE THROUGH APOSTASY AND SIN.”

DA 587 “The Jewish nation was a symbol of the people of all ages who scorn the pleading of Infinite Love. The tears of Christ when He wept over Jerusalem were for the sins of all time. In the judgment pronounced upon Israel, those who reject the reproofs and warnings of God’s Holy Spirit many read their own condemnation.

“In this generation there are many who are treading on the same ground as were the unbelieving Jews. They have witnessed the manifestation of the power of God; the Holy Spirit has spoken to their hearts; but they cling to their unbelief and resistance. God sends them warnings and reproof, but they are not willing to confess their errors, and they reject His message and His messenger. The very means He uses for their recovery becomes to them a stone of stumbling.”

For the last four years there have been those of us who have clearly shown the apostasy that is firmly embedded in the Conference. Literally, with mounds of hard evidence and proof, we have set forth the truth of the situation and pleaded with the Conference Leaders to repent and make restitution to God and His people, “but they cling to their unbelief and resistance.”

Men, myself included, have brought forth stacks of proof to verify their claims and concerns. Can someone please bring forth one official article from the professed leadership of the Seventh- day Adventist structure that confesses these evils, repents of them, and is making up the time to the Lord? Please show us just one! For the past year (at the time of this writing) I have asked this question of nearly every congregation I’ve spoken to concerning this topic and I am still searching for one article.

In general, I am making the claim that the Conference Offices have no intention of repenting and for those who are waiting for revival to come within the Conference, your wait will be in vain. The Conference Leaders (once again, remember these statements are always housed in general terms) will continue their programs of apostasy and will continue to move closer to Rome. The war will intensify and people will see things happen “from within” that they would have never dreamed possible. Even now many are seeing that the Conference is acting in such a way as to surprise those who have for many years given allegiance to it but have also remained true to principle.

Also, many have wondered, at least initially, if the work of exposure had anything to do with the work of Christ. But they are quickly relearning that Jesus’ work includes even that which proves to be most unpleasant in order that some might be saved.

DA 587: “The prophets of God were hated by apostate Israel because THROUGH THEM THEIR HIDDEN SINS WERE BROUGHT TO LIGHT.”

Any Adventist who has been in the message any length of time realizes that the Elijah message is supposed to be for the professed people of God within the “church.” We would expect, therefore, that these messages of reproof would be directed at all of us who claim to be Seventh- day Adventists. Most, however, also believe that it is wrong to include the sins of the Conference Leadership in this reform and straight talk. But where did we get this idea? Was it not from the leaders who don’t wish to be exposed? In the life of Elijah you certainly don’t see him excluding the apostate leaders of his day!

When John the Baptist came, he did so in the power and spirit of Elijah. This is a basic truth that almost everyone would readily admit. But who did John the Baptist have trouble with most? Who did he immediately expose when the opportunity arose in his day? Did Jesus reprimand him for this work? Who was he speaking to when he said, “O generation of vipers?” It will do well in this study of prophetic parallels to look at the text:

Matthew 3: 7- 10: “But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees [Ancient Conference Leaders] come to his baptism, he said unto them, O generation of vipers, who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Bring forth therefore fruits meet for repentance: And think not to say within yourselves, We have Abraham to our father: [the “church or conference is going through”] for I say unto you, that God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham. And now also the axe is laid unto the root of the trees: therefore every tree which bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire.”

So here we have it from God’s own Word. This exposure of the apostate Conference Leaders was the work of Elijah the prophet, and we read in the very next lines of Desire of Ages why Elijah and all who do the work of Elijah are hated by the apostate Conference Leaders.

DA 587: “Ahab regarded Elijah as his enemy because the prophet was FAITHFUL TO REBUKE THE KING’S SECRET INIQUITIES. So today the servant of Christ, the reprover of sin, meets with scorn and rebuffs. Bible truth, the religion of Christ, struggles against a strong current of moral impurity. Prejudice is even stronger in the hearts of men now than in Christ’s day.”

People, we must get a handle on the truth and balance of what’s being said here. If you take men’s words above those which God has plainly stated, then you are doomed to the same fate as were those who took their apostate Conference Leaders word over that of Jesus’. The majority of professed Seventh- day Adventists and their “leaders” are repeating ancient history to the tee. Only those who repeat the history of those who were saved from the apostasy of Jerusalem will share in the glorious fate of their ancient counterparts. This is a hard work for — “Prejudice is even stronger in the hearts of men now than in Christ’s day.” Thank God for the Spirit of Prophecy!

DA 588: “God does not propose to remove every objection which the carnal heart may bring against His truth. To those who refuse the precious rays of light which would illuminate the darkness, the mysteries of God’s word remain such forever. From them the truth is hidden. They walk blindly, and know not the ruin before them.”

This is the horrible description of the lukewarm condition of Laodicea that progresses into coldness and darkness. Those who continue to shun the truth for the popular apostasy will too soon be unable to discern what the truth is. They, like the dependent drug user, become addicted to apostate Conference Leaders for their fix. They love these men who supply them with the drug of justifying their sins. This dependency will one day in the near future carry them to places never dreamed of such as killing their brothers and sisters who stand for truth. Any reformed drug addict would understand this concept. (The needed “fix” becomes the idol, and the “pusher” the god.) Professed Seventh-day Adventists who refuse to take God at His word and are more interested in the popular ministry are making themselves guilty of serving man rather than God.

God will not remove every obstacle for us. We are to study to show ourselves approved and we are to hunger and thirst after righteousness. I have a real fear that most SDA’s are waiting for the “leadership” to tell them what to do. If my fears are correct, then these people are literally placing their eternal destinations in the hands of others. I wonder how many of these same people would give their weekly pay checks to these men and trust that all their bills would be paid and their families would be taken care of? I might even be surprised at how many would, but I hope you get the point.

DA 588: “Christ overlooked the world and all ages from the height of Olivet; and His words are applicable to every soul who slights the pleadings of divine mercy. Scorner of His love, He addresses you today. It is ‘thou, even thou, ’ who shouldest know the things that belong to thy peace. Christ is shedding bitter tears for you, who have no tears to shed for yourself. Already that fatal hardness of heart which destroyed the Pharisees is manifest in you. And every evidence of the grace of God, every ray of divine light, is either melting and subduing the soul, or confirming it in hopeless impenitence.

“Christ foresaw that Jerusalem would remain obdurate and impenitent; yet all the guilt, all the consequences of rejected mercy, lay at her own door.”

Our prayer is that these parallels will continue to become more and more plain. We hope that you are beginning to see that this study is vital to your eternal destiny. This is the very work that Christ set out to do and it was mostly thwarted by the apostate Conference Leaders of His day because they had successfully taught the people that the “church” was the conference. But as we shall see in the very next chapter and succeeding ones, this in NOT the truth!

Those who persist in having their own way eventually become blind and truly no longer realize they are lost — but they are lost just the same! What a solemn thought.

Table of Contents
Acknowledgements and Forward
Chapter 1 Desire of Ages — Chapter 63
Chapter 2 Desire of Ages — Chapter 64
Chapter 3 Desire of Ages — Chapter 65
Chapter 4 Desire of Ages — Chapters 66 & 67
Chapter 5 Desire of Ages — Chapters 68 & 69
Chapter 6 Desire of Ages — Chapters 70, 71 & 72
Chapter 7 Desire of Ages — Chapter 73
Chapter 8 Desire of Ages — Chapters 74 & 75
Chapter 9 Desire of Ages — Chapters 76 & 77
Chapter 10 Desire of Ages — Chapter 78

Chapter 1 Desire of Ages — Chapter 63

June 4, 2020June 3, 2020 by Jana Wagner

PROPHETIC PARALLELS – The Church “Then”. . . . . .and the Church Now

by Terry S. Ross

How many times have you heard it said or have said yourself: We shouldn’t criticize? I can remember when there used to be such a thing as constructive criticism. So far have we been removed from those days of honest correction that we no longer use such terminology. Why? Because when someone in our ranks today says we shouldn’t criticize, they mean we should keep from speaking anything that’s “negative,” especially if it’s directed at the “leadership” of the “church.”

Almost always on the heels of this comment you will hear someone say that Jesus never condemned anybody. And once again this comment is calculated to place a grim opinion on anyone who would proceed to prove that “they are out of step with what Jesus would have done.” Maybe you have been in Sabbath School and have tried to make a critical point on the lesson or have challenged some leader for his wrong actions and someone has said (on cue), “Jesus never condemned anybody.” You have almost heard the minds of all the Sabbath School members slam shut about this time and you would not be heard for the rest of the session. Your influence has just been killed!

But to make such statements, in reality, shows the prejudice of the comment and exposes the ignorance of the one who makes it. If Jesus never condemned anyone, then why did the “church” crucify Him! It doesn’t take a genius to realize that to say Jesus never condemned anyone is to be very inaccurate and shows that the one making such comments knows not what the Spirit of Prophecy says nor the Bible itself. All one has to do is read through the four Gospels and pay attention to the red lettering. I guarantee that you will find in a big way throughout that Jesus was, in fact, condemning the leadership of the Ancient Conference of His day. To deny this obvious fact is to deny the simplest historical accounts of the New Testament. Jesus called the apostate leaders of His day “sons of the devil” (John 8: 44), “hypocrites” (Matt. 6: 2, 15: 7, 23: 13 and numerous other places), and “white sepulchers” (Matt. 23: 27). He certainly agreed with John the Baptist, His cousin, who called the leaders a “generation of snakes” in Matt. 3: 7. As a matter of fact, Jesus spoke of John as the greatest prophet who ever lived (Matt. 11: 11). We could sight many more situations when Jesus did things that most Seventh- day Adventists would be appalled at today, such as overthrowing the money tables in the courts of the church, but this should demonstrate that most people either don’t know what Jesus was like or they really don’t want to be “just like Jesus.”

It’s also quite simple to prove that Christ condemned the leadership of the “church” by looking at many plain Spirit of Prophecy statements. We will but take a look at one or two. DA 616: “The Saviour continued [that means He had already been doing it] His DENUNCIATIONS of the scribes and Pharisees: ‘Woe unto you, ye blind guides, which say, Whosoever shall swear by the temple, … ’”. Another example is found in DA 618: “But when obedience to God requires self- denial and humiliation, these very persons stifle their convictions, and refuse obedience. Thus they manifest the same spirit as did the Pharisees whom CHRIST CONDEMNED.” (All emphasis of the author is supplied in capital letters or contained within brackets unless otherwise stated.)

We will have further comments on some of these passages later in our study but it only takes a little examination by an honest student to discover that the person who makes the comment that Christ never condemned anybody for whatever reason simply doesn’t know what he is talking about. Once we learn the truth about the matter we are obligated by our ostensible love for the truth and God’s people, professed or otherwise, to educate those who remain ignorant. One might ask oneself, “Where did we get the idea that Jesus never condemned anybody or that we should never condemn anybody?” The answer is found in the same place the disciples found it — from the same leaders that Jesus was condemning!

Certainly, if you have been around Adventist churches for any length of time, you have heard this next comment: “We should never speak against the leadership.” Well, we have pretty much answered that above, but once again if you will just think for a moment, you will find that it is not a sin to expose that which leads people away from God. As a matter of fact, I have made a little challenge in times past and will make it here again. Think of any three “heroes” from the Bible or Reformation Period of this earth’s history. Now as you’re choosing your favorite three, reflect upon what makes them your heroes and show me, if you can, that they didn’t experience affliction, in their day for speaking up against apostate leadership. I dare say, with very few exceptions, it doesn’t matter what three you choose; most of them fit the above criteria and this is what actually makes them your heroes! Because they took a stand against their leaders and laid everything on the line, you admire them. The problem we face is, as historic as they are, modern day heroes are rarely appreciated by their own generation or in their own country as the Bible states. But whether accepted or not, the Lord will continue to raise them and they will continue to lay everything on the line.

Here’s another statement that in itself is wonderful but sometimes calculated to hold the tongue of the reformer: “I just want to be like Jesus.” This statement sounds so good and so pious. But one must be very careful how he uses this statement. The appropriate question to those who are trying to use it to silence an honest approach to truth, may be — are you sure you are willing to be just like Jesus?

To be just like Jesus is to speak and act just as Jesus did. Without elaborating, at this point it is all too clear that Jesus’ words and actions got Him killed by His own church! Are we really ready to be just like Jesus? If we are, we will pay much more attention to what His Father tells us to do than to men who are in leadership positions or to their opinions. This is what Jesus did and He was rejected by those who claimed they were interested in righteousness while at the same time plotted to kill God! They, the conference leaders of that day, did end up killing God and all who remained loyal with them ended up with the same crime written in the books of heaven, you know, right there beside their names. Think about it.

How about this statement: “The church is going through.” Almost anyone who has been an Adventist any length of time at all has heard this echoed time and time again. But even in the statement itself, the way it’s stated is a subtle deception and we shall discover how more in detail later. But for now this is what is really meant, most of the time, when you hear the above words, “The Conference is going through.” When people don’t want their lives rattled at all, they don’t want to take responsibility for working out their own salvation. In some cases people are just honestly confused. When they say the church is going through, they really mean the conference is going through. This we will discover is a “taught” understanding by those who are trying to protect their own interests. The words “conference” and “church” in the sense of Biblical understanding are not the same thing although leadership would have us believe they are.

Our understanding of the truth in this matter alone is crucial and our study in the Desire of Ages will be a blessed one in helping us to realize God’s definition of the true church.

Maybe you have heard someone make this comment: “If anything is wrong in the church, I’ll read it in the Review.” Well, all I have to say at this point about this statement is that it has some truth. If you wish to read what’s wrong in the “church” just read the Review!

Here’s yet another: “The Conference is the voice of God.” The fact of the matter is that Ellen G. White’s last comment on this subject still stands and was never reversed. It is found in Manuscript Release #37 (my family has verified it with the White Estates) written in 1901 on page 8: “It [the 1901 General Conference] is working upon wrong principles, that has brought the cause of God into its present embarrassment. The people have lost confidence in those who have the management of the work. Yet we hear that the voice of the Conference is the voice of God. Every time I have heard this, I have thought it was almost blasphemy. The voice of the Conference ought to be the voice of God, but it is not, because some in connection with it are not men of faith and prayer, they are not men of elevated principle. There is not a seeking of God with the whole heart; there is not a realization of the terrible responsibility that rests upon those in this institution to mold and fashion minds after the divine similitude.”

If one is to understand and analyze the principles that Sister White has established as to what makes true leaders for God, then the subject of who and what is the church could be simply decided from the above statement alone. It is either God’s way or no way. Also, notice that she doesn’t say “all” the leaders in connection with the work but “some” leaders. This makes a big difference and has always been true when investigated. When Jesus left the “true church” of His day desolate, not ALL the leaders were apostate but MANY of them were. If people are waiting until the day they can say, “Well, I know now that every leader in the structure is now in apostasy,” before they make their own decision as to what course to follow, they will find themselves beating on the outside of the ark. But the door will already be shut.

Just a couple more comments you have probably heard that have become common within the past few years: “I’m not held responsible for what happens to my money once it’s paid to the Conference.” Oh really!? Please allow me to demonstrate how ridiculous this comment is in our day. Let’s say that you and I are walking down the street of some major city here in America. We are discussing how wonderful the Lord has been to us and relating some blessing the Lord has brought our way. In the midst of our testimonies a man stumbles out of an alley we are passing. We “size him up” in just a couple of seconds.

Standing in front of us we see a man who is quite unkept and unclean. His clothes and general makeup is in much disarray. He says something about having gone without several meals and asks if we might have a couple of dollars to help him out. As we listen to his story we can’t help but notice the repulsive odor that emanates from his person and the slur in his voice. Nonetheless, we are sympathetic to his present lot in life.

When he is finished relating his troubles, we politely offer to escort him back a block or so to the cafe we just passed a few minutes prior to our encounter. We tell him that we will purchase the meal he is seeking, but as we extend our offering he declines and tries to convince us that he can handle the situation on his own if we will only part with the cash.

Now, Brothers and sisters, at this point anyone who is even just a little bit street wise knows that this fellow is not asking for our money to be spent on any meal unless in liquid form. While making a profession of Christianity at this juncture, we must make a decision concerning our response to his request. Let me ask you this simple question as you are contemplating this scenario. Knowing that this man will take the money which the Lord has entrusted to you down to the nearest liquor store to buy his next “meal,” do you think the Lord would hold you responsible if you parted with your cash?

The answer is all too clear. Of course He would, and that is why you wouldn’t and couldn’t give this man cash, knowing he would get drunk off your money if you just gave it to him. You would conceive that the Lord would not approve. Well, what made the difference in your decision? Yes, you had information that brought you to the realization that the Lord would not approve of you “helping” this man in the way he wanted you to.

Now let me ask you another simple question. If you have knowledge that you are giving to a cause or a church where God’s money is going to be mishandled, are you responsible for what happens to it? The answer is just as simple as the one above. Of course you are! I am not telling you what to do with your money, but if we are not acting from right principles, we will be held accountable. For one to say in this day and age (and I’m addressing this to the present situation in the “church”) that all I have to do is put my money in any offering plate and my responsibility stops there is being willingly naive and is taking a dangerous position. To be a good steward means to educate oneself regarding the issue to the best of one’s ability. After we have done this, our responsibility is then complete if we act according to an honest conscience.

The last comment with which we want to deal has been more recently heard than some of the rest: “If the Conference takes away your membership, you’re lost unless you repent and are accepted back in.” But in many places Spirit of Prophecy plainly teaches that having our names on the roles of the Seventh- day Adventist Membership books does not place us on Heaven’s book.

God’s Amazing Grace, page 249: “The fact that our names are on the church books will not secure for us an entrance into the kingdom of heaven. God asks, Have you used your opportunities for service and for the development of Christian character? Have you traded faithfully with your Lord’s goods? Knowing the will of God concerning you, how have you obeyed that will?”

Of course, the opposite is true as well. Just because someone has taken our names off the “church’s” books does not mean we are taken off the rolls of heaven’s books. Brothers and sisters, if this were true, then Jesus, Himself would be lost. For you cannot be disfellowshipped any harder than to be crucified by your church! So with these initial points in place, let’s dive into our study of Desire of Ages and Prophetic Parallels. Remember, we are concentrating in this study on our research as to what happened in Christ’s day and its parallels to our own day. Chapter 63 —

DA 569: “Five hundred years before the birth of Christ, the prophet Zechariah thus foretold the coming of the King to Israel.” And at the bottom of the next paragraph: “The hope of the new kingdom was again springing up.”

Now let me explain something right here so we are not blamed for unnecessary things later. Our study, although detailed in many ways, will be nonetheless, an overview of the most important points pertinent to the study. By necessity, we will skip many paragraphs and words to be as efficient as we can. But lest any make the charge we are trying to deceive by doing this “skipping,” please feel free to read every word as I, of course, have several times. You will find that it will not detract from anything parallel that is uncovered and, in fact, many times you may think, “Terry you should have used this one!”

So for five hundred years the Lord had brought to view the reality that the Messiah was on His way. But do you know what happened before He arrived? The educational system of the Ancient Adventists became polluted. By the time Jesus arrived on the scene, the Conference leaders “knew” more than He did. Remember when they asked Him by what authority had He to preach? They made the charge that He didn’t have any authority because He hadn’t attended any of their schools and they hadn’t given Him any authority. These same apostate leaders later made the same charges against the disciples.

At the time of Christ’s arrival the “church” had a misconception of the event. And where did they get this misconception? From the Conference leaders, of course. The Desire of Ages explains more in detail on page 457: “Many among Christ’s hearers who were dwellers at Jerusalem, and who were not ignorant of the plots of the rulers against Him, felt themselves drawn to Him by an irresistible power. The conviction pressed upon them that He was the Son of God. But Satan was ready to suggest doubt; and for this the way was prepared by their erroneous ideas of the Messiah and His coming. It was generally believed that Christ would be born at Bethlehem, but that after a time He would disappear, and at His second appearance none would know whence He came. There were not a few who held that the Messiah would have no natural relationship to humanity. And because the popular conception of the glory of the Messiah was not met by Jesus of Nazareth, many gave heed to the suggestion, ‘Howbeit we know this Man when He is; but when Christ cometh, no man knoweth whence He is. ’

“While they were thus wavering between doubt and faith, Jesus took up their thoughts and answered them: ‘Ye both know Me, and ye know whence I am: and I am not come of Myself, but He that sent Me is true, who ye know not. ’ They claimed a knowledge of what the origin of Christ should be, but they were in utter ignorance of it. If they had lived in accordance with the will of God, they would have known His Son when He was manifested to them.”

So you see, God’s “chosen people” had disregarded the manner in which He had said He would come. They could not rightly discern spiritual things because they had not lived “in accordance with the will of God.”

When Christ arrived on the scene, the “church” had been polluted with the leading of diluted teachers. Even the disciples were not immune to these things and as they listened to Christ’s words, “The hope of the new kingdom was again springing up.”

DA 570: “… hope brightened in their hearts with the joyous thought that He [Jesus] was about to enter the capital, proclaim Himself King, and assert His royal power. While on their errand they communicated their glowing expectations to the friends of Jesus, and the excitement spread far and near, raising the expectations of the people to the highest pitch.”

Here we see the disciples of Christ spreading the “gospel” of Christ’s arrival and exciting the people with their news. But their news was based on the popular belief of their day that they had received from their leaders which was wrong. In reality, although the disciples didn’t understand it, while they were getting the people excited, they were really setting themselves and the people up for a great disappointment. We see the parallel to this first in the period of 1843. Because of belief in popular theology there was a misunderstanding not so much as to the event but how the event would take place.

During 1843 the people thought that Christ was coming back. They had been taught by the leaders of their day that the earth was the sanctuary and if Christ was about to cleanse the sanctuary this then meant they were about to experience the second coming of Christ. Many became excited about this “gospel news” and began fervently sharing it with anyone who would listen and people’s expectations raised to the point that they stopped all other activities and even left their farms and places of business. But while they thought they were doing the right thing they were really being set up for the great disappointment of 1843- 44.

The same thing is happening all over again. You ask how? I’ll tell you how. The popular “gospel” today (and remember we’re talking within Adventism) is that you can continue to sin, and because God understands we are human, He will still save us. While the majority of Adventists may be excited about this, they are really being set up one last time for the great disappointment. There is one big difference, however. This time it will be an eternal disappointment and by the time most realize they’ve been deceived, it will be too late.

Because we are studying Prophetic Parallels this might be a good place to set in motion some ground rules. Now I’m going to make the claim that in this study we will discover that essentially nothing has changed in the story as far as what had happened 2,000 years ago and what is happening today. I’m making the claim that Jesus has intentionally inspired the writing of this parallel in Desire of Ages and has graciously brought it to the forefront at this time because it’s time to do so. In keeping with this, let’s pause to discuss the “players” in this drama.

If we had lived 2,000 years ago and had only the knowledge of the Jews, it would have been obvious to us who the church was. Most of us would have recognized that the “church” was the Sanhedrin. We would have said that Jerusalem was “Conference Headquarters” and the priests, scribes, and Pharisees were the Conference leaders of our day. We would have been right based on the same assumptions that are being made today by the majority. This is so obvious as illustrated by verses in Scripture already mentioned, and by statements from the disciples themselves such as, “Don’t you know, Jesus, You just offended the pastors?” (Matt. 15: 12). And you may also want to note Jesus’ corresponding response.

If we would have been guilty of not diligently studying to show ourselves approved and part of the popular thought of that day, 2,000 years ago, we would have definitely believed that the Conference was the church and that the Conference was the hierarchy or the Sanhedrin. To deny this simple truth is either the admission of gross ignorance or the height of prideful piety.

Sister White certainly knew and made public claim of this parallel many, many times when she rightly called the Seventh- day Adventist people “Modern day Israel.” In over forty places of her writings (I’ve looked up every one) she plainly shows, by calling the Seventh- day Adventist people Modern day Israel, that the parallel is true.

Within the last several years many of you may have heard the term “Ancient Adventists” used for Ancient Israel. If you have, you probably know that it was the author of this book who coined that phrase. The above explanation is how I arrived at the name. If we are “Modern day Israel,” then it stands to reason that we are abusing nothing, in the spiritual sense by calling them “Ancient Adventists.” Because this is so simple and nearly all with whom I have spoken have readily recognized the Biblical analogy, I will not spend any more time with it here. But as we continue in the study, if there is any doubt, things should not remain confusing very long. If they do, you may be in a lot more trouble than you think.

I’ll demonstrate the analogy just one more time before we press on with our study. If we are supposed to be the bolt of cloth claiming to be the modern day chosen people, from where did we originate? Who are our “spiritual ancestors,” if not the Jews? Well, I think this point has been agreed upon a long time ago and we have been claiming it for well over 100 years now.

Along with the truths just pointed out would come the one that as we had clung to Conference thought we would not have accepted Jesus as anyone more than a divisive troublemaker whom we finally voted to put away. Now I realize this is hard to take but not any more difficult to take than it was for those to whom the disciples told it. What one must do with this information is to decide how to react toward it. In Christ’s day there were two groups: those who decided to continue to fight against these truths and those who repented for hanging on to that which had put Christ on the cross.

In His day, how would Christ and His disciples have been identified? They would have been recognized by most of us as Self- supporting ministers. They would not have been recognized as having authority to give their messages and this is plainly pointed out in Scripture. Remember, it is only those who began to look at the truth for themselves who discovered the Conference leaders of their day to be wrong. All those who clung to the self- promoted idea that the “church” (Conference) was going through died in the slaughter of A. D. 70. Not only were they removed that day from off the face of the earth but also from the Lamb’s Book of Life!

Do we realize, Brothers and Sisters, that if it hadn’t been for the Self-supporting Ministers, there wouldn’t have been any 1844? As a matter of fact, there wouldn’t have been an Adventist movement at all! Our own modern- day forefathers were blamed by their own church for the same thing some of us are being blamed for today. They endured the same thing that Jesus endured, and we are grateful they did!

And what was it that originally put in action the downfall of the structure in ancient times? It was the choosing of a King. The Scriptures plainly teaches that this was never God’s plan. Let’s read about it in 1 Samuel 8: 5- 8: “… make us a king to judge us like all the nations. But the thing displeased Samuel, when they said, Give us a king to judge us. And Samuel prayed unto the Lord. And the Lord said unto Samuel, Hearken unto the voice of the people in all that they say unto thee: for they have not rejected thee, but they have rejected me, that I should not reign over them.”

“Modern day Israel” has followed in the same footsteps and is in the same trouble. The reason God didn’t desire for Israel to have a king is a good one. Having one man at the head is not God’s plan for nearly every time this has been the case, that “king” ends up protecting his own kingdom to the destruction of God’s.

DA 571- 2: “This day, which seemed to the disciples the crowning day of their lives, would have been shadowed with gloomy clouds had they known that this scene of rejoicing [the triumphal entry] was but a prelude to the suffering and death of their Master. Although He had repeatedly told them of His certain sacrifice, yet in the glad triumph of the present they forgot His sorrowful words, and looked forward to His prosperous reign on David’s throne.”

Of course, the Great Controversy speaks of this parallel; during the time the church is looking to years of prosperity, sudden destruction comes. You see, Jesus had tried to warn them but their minds were so full of preconceived ideas placed there by the corrupt priesthood that His words fell on deaf ears. Although Christ has renewed His warnings to His professed people in the volumes of Spirit of Prophecy books, today for the most part, they are falling on deaf ears. In a time when the “church” is crying peace and safety, in a time when the “church” is looking forward to years of prosperity, sudden destruction is about to fall.

DA 572: “Many Pharisees witnessed the scene, and, burning with envy and malice, sought to turn the current of popular feeling. With all their authority they tried to silence the people; but their appeals and threats only increased the enthusiasm. They feared that this multitude, in the strength of their numbers, would make Jesus king. … They declared that such noisy demonstrations were unlawful, and would not be permitted by the authorities.”

Here we have the Conference Pastors witnessing the scene and they are burning with envy and malice. Now do you know what malice is? If you look it up you will find that it is defined as “hatred or intense hatred.” Why did the Ancient Adventist Pastors hate Jesus, the very One Who, they were claiming to worship? We also read that these same Pastors feared that the multitude would make Jesus their king. Why would an Adventist Pastor fear that the laity would make Jesus their king?

I’ll tell you why, for the reason hasn’t changed over the last 2,000 years. The Adventist Pastors feared that if the people had made Jesus their king, they would have found out the truth about who the Pastors really were and what their style of pastoring was really all about. They feared that their own authority would be nullified and they would be without a job! They feared they would lose control of the money and lose all their authority. You want to know something? They were right! I hope you are thinking about parallels in our own day.

DA 576: “In the midst of a scene of rejoicing, where all were paying Him homage, Israel’s King was in tears; not silent tears of gladness, but tears and groans of insuppressible agony. …

“The tears of Jesus were not in anticipation of His own suffering.” Jesus had some very real and deadly enemies but His was always the spirit of unselfish love. His weeping was for a lost people. It broke His heart to know that the Ancient Adventist Church, the very church which He Himself had raised up, had rejected Him. His tears were shed not for Himself but for these people who claimed to be “the church” but were sadly blinded by their own pride and stubbornness.

DA 576: “The thought of His own agony did not intimidate that noble, self- sacrificing soul. It was the sight of Jerusalem that pierced the heart of Jesus — Jerusalem [Ancient Adventist Headquarters] that had rejected the Son of God and scorned His love, that refused to be convinced by His mighty miracles, and was about to take His life. He saw what she was in her guilt of rejecting her Redeemer, and what she might have been had she accepted Him who alone could heal her wound.”

DA 576: “The record of more than a thousand years of Christ’s guardian care and tender love, such as a father bears his only child, was there. In that temple the prophets had uttered their solemn warnings. There had the burning censers waved, while incense, mingled with the prayers of the worshipers, had ascended to God. There the blood of beasts had flowed, typical of the blood of Christ. There Jehovah had manifested His glory above the mercy seat. There the priests had officiated, and the pomp of symbol and ceremony had gone on for ages. BUT ALL THIS MUST HAVE AN END.”

Christ does not easily give up on people nor does He quickly cast them aside. For centuries He labored and cared for this church He had started but it all had to come to an end. You might say “Well yes, Terry, the sacrifices of lambs and other animals did have to come to an end,” and you would be right; but go back and read all of the above quotation. It says that the “church” in Christ’s day had to come to an end. Why? Because they had rejected Him and become corrupt. Although they had been raised by Christ they no longer represented the work and purpose for their original existence and it had to stop. Christ no longer accepted their apostasy as His church. Are there any parallels today? If the circumstances of our day are the same, will not the results be the same as they were in the days of our spiritual forefathers? To the honest, truth seeking Christian, the answer is clear.

DA 576- 577: “Here the Saviour paused, and left unsaid what might have been the condition of Jerusalem had she accepted the help that God desired to give her, … The glorious destiny that might have blessed Jerusalem had she accepted her Redeemer rose before the Son of God. …

“But the bright picture of what Jerusalem might have been fades from the Saviour’s sight. HE REALIZES WHAT SHE NOW IS UNDER THE ROMAN YOKE, BEARING THE FROWN OF GOD, DOOMED TO HIS RETRIBUTIVE JUDGMENT.”

Did you read that friend? Are you thinking of prophetic parallels? Can you see that the Seventh- day Adventist organization is moving toward Rome? Do you know that it will be apostate Seventh- day Adventists who will fall under the Roman yoke fully and will betray the true Seventh- day Adventists who will be hunted down, imprisoned, and/ or killed?

You’ve heard or read this quotation before — 1SM 122: “We have far more to fear from within than from without. The hindrances to strength and success are far greater from the church itself than from the world. Unbelievers have a right to expect that those who profess to be keeping the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus will do more than any other class to promote and honor, by their consistent lives, by their godly example and their active influence, the cause which they represent. But how often have the professed advocates of the truth proved the greatest obstacle to its advancement! The unbelief indulged, the doubts expressed, the darkness cherished, encourage the presence of evil angels, and open the way for the accomplishment of Satan’s devices.”

Did you notice that she is speaking about fearing those who are unbelievers but profess to keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus? Is there any doubt in your mind that she is speaking about fearing those who claim to be Seventh- day Adventists but who don’t live up to the name? Notice that she never says we need to fear those who are true Adventists, but those who make a profession of Adventism without corresponding works based on the inspiration of true Adventism which is the Bible and the Spirit of Prophecy.

DA 577: “Christ came to save Jerusalem with her children; but PHARISAICAL PRIDE, HYPOCRISY, JEALOUSY, AND MALICE had prevented Him from accomplishing His purpose.”

Jesus came to save Jerusalem. Does this mean that Jesus didn’t come to save anyone else, including the Jews who didn’t live in Jerusalem? Remember that His own mother didn’t live in Jerusalem. The reason Jerusalem is mentioned here is because Jerusalem was indeed the headquarters and, therefore, represented all of Israel or Ancient Adventism.

But Jesus couldn’t save the headquarters of Ancient Adventism. Why? Because of Pharisaical (Pastoral) pride, hypocrisy (teaching the laity one thing and doing another themselves), jealousy (the love of self over the love of other men and God), and malice (or hatred). Because of these things Jesus could not accomplish what He otherwise could have. Do you realize the gravity of what’s being said here? Jesus came to give the people the very message that would have placed them into His kingdom, but the leadership of the Ancient Adventist Church actively blocked Him from doing this vital work. If we were to rewrite this in the modern day vernacular, this is how it might read:

Christ came to save Silver Spring and her children; but pastoral pride, professing one thing but doing another, protecting their jobs but not protecting others and the truth, and hatred for sacred things prevented many from knowing the truth who otherwise might have been saved.

DA 577- 578: “Jerusalem had been the child of His care, and as a tender father mourns over a wayward son, so Jesus wept over the beloved city. How can I give thee up? How can I see thee devoted to destruction? … When the fast westering sun should pass from sight in the heavens, Jerusalem’s day of grace would be ended.”

Jerusalem indeed represented headquarters of the system of religion that Christ Himself had raised up. Israel, Ancient Adventists, were indeed the “chosen” people who Christ had entrusted to do a special work. He had also promised them that they would go through. But as with every other promise, these chosen people had either forgotten or ignored the detail that all was based on obedience to God’s instructions. Our own books tell us in many places that history repeats itself and “we are worse than they.” If God has not changed, then this “chosen” generation of professors without belief, with its headquarters, will suffer the same end as did their unbelieving forefathers. If God has changed, no one can trust Him nor can we look forward to the hope of salvation.

For anyone who has been in the “church” for any length of time, you have heard the statement, “The church is going through.” In reality the statement means “The conference is going through.” Most Adventists believe just as their counterparts did that no matter what the conference does, the church and the conference are going through. Well, let me ask you this simple question. Do you believe in once saved, always saved? You may say, no, but are you sure? If you believe that the conference is going through and that it cannot do otherwise no matter how corrupt it becomes, then you indeed do believe in once saved, always saved. Let’s take a familiar story out of the Bible to graphically illustrate the point:

1 Samuel 8: 4- 7 “Then all the elders of Israel gathered themselves together, and came to Samuel unto Ramah, And said unto him, Behold, thou art old, and thy sons walk not in thy ways: now make us a king to judge us like all the nations. But the thing displeased Samuel, when they said, Give us a king to judge us. And Samuel prayed unto the Lord. And the Lord said unto Samuel, Hearken unto the voice of the people in all that they say unto thee: for they have not rejected thee, but they have rejected me, that I should not reign over them.”

Did you know that one of the major steps the leaders of Israel took which put them on the road to apostasy was to choose a king to rule over them? The Spirit of Prophecy has many things to say regarding this subject and kingly power.

Praise the Lord, however, for He does not easily cast us aside! Right from the start the Lord has always had a plan “A” to follow. If we would follow this plan we would have far less concerns than we do presently. Also, right from the start the Lord has usually had a plan “B” to implement if plan “A” was not followed by the people. I am so thankful that the Lord loves us with this kind of love, aren’t you?

So Israel’s leaders had insisted on having a King rule over them. God had told Samuel that they had rejected Him by making this request. But, nonetheless, He implemented plan “B” rather than casting them aside at this time. 1 Samuel 9: 15- 17 “Now the Lord had told Samuel in his ear a day before Saul came, saying, To morrow about this time I will send thee a man out of the land of Benjamin, and thou shalt anoint him to be captain over my people Israel, that he may save my people out of the hand of the Philistines: for I have looked upon my people, because their cry is come unto me, And when Samuel saw Saul, the Lord said unto him, Behold the man whom I spake to thee of! this same shall reign over my people.”

So the Lord went to plan “B” and told Samuel what it was. Now, did the Lord hand pick Saul? Yes! And was there to be an ordination for this man who was handpicked? Yes! Let’s continue.

1 Samuel 10: 1 “Then Samuel took a vial of oil, and poured it upon his head and kissed him, and said, Is it not because the Lord hath anointed thee to be captain over his inheritance?”

So indeed the Lord handpicked Saul and the Lord had Saul ordained to the mission of ruling over His people.

1 Samuel 10: 6 “And the Spirit of the Lord will come upon thee, and thou shalt prophesy with them, and shalt be turned into another man.”

Brothers and sisters, this has to be one of the most exciting stories in all of the Bible! Here we have a man who is handpicked by God. He is ordained to his mission by the prophet Samuel and now he is given the promise that the Holy Spirit will fill him and he will be changed into another man! How would you like a prophet to promise you a quick, total conversion? Not maybe, but for sure! Let’s see what happened.

1 Samuel 10: 9- 11 “And it was so, that when he had turned his back to go from Samuel, God gave him another heart: and all those signs came to pass that day. And when they came thither to the hill, behold, a company of prophets met him; and the Spirit of God came upon him, and he prophesied among them. And it came to pass, when all that knew him before time saw that, behold, he prophesied among the prophets, then the people said one to another, What is this that is come unto the son of Kish? Is Saul also among the prophets?

What an exciting story! I dare say, that with few exceptions, you won’t find too many more stories like this one anywhere. So to recap — Saul had been handpicked, he was anointed to the position, he was filled with the Holy Spirit, he prophesied, and was given a new heart. If this isn’t a total conversion experience direct from God, I don’t know what is! But sadly this is not the end of the story.

1 Samuel 15: 16- 23 “Then Samuel said unto Saul, Stay, and I will tell thee what the Lord hath said to me this night. And he said unto him, Say on. And Samuel said, When thou wast little in thine own sight, wast thou not made the head of the tribes of Israel, and the Lord anointed thee King over Israel? And the Lord sent thee on a journey, and said, Go and utterly destroy the sinners the Amalekites, and fight against them until they be consumed. Wherefore then didst thou not obey the voice of the Lord, but didst fly upon the spoil, and didst evil in the sight of the Lord? And Saul said unto Samuel, Yea, I have obeyed the voice of the Lord, and have gone the way which the Lord sent me, and have brought Agag the king of the Amalek, and have utterly destroyed the Amalekites. But the people took of the spoil, sheep and oxen, the chief of the things which should have been utterly destroyed, to sacrifice unto the Lord thy God in Gilgal. And Samuel said, Hath the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams. For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because thou hast rejected the word of the Lord, he hath also rejected thee from being king.”

Now I would like to ask another one of those simple questions. Was the Seventh- day Adventist “Church” handpicked with a different set of rules than was Saul? Did everyone in the Administration have the same conversion experience as Saul or do you think for the most part Saul has the edge in this part of the story?

One last time. Saul was handpicked. He was appointed and anointed. He was filled with the Holy Spirit. He prophesied among the other prophets before witnesses who knew him. He was in fact given a new heart. Brother and sister, you just can’t get anymore saved than this! Now here’s the question and the point. Will Saul be in heaven?

Many of you have thought that you have never believed in once saved, always saved but in the light of the story we just read I think many Seventh- day Adventists do believe, so far as the conference is concerned, that they cannot be lost because God has chosen them. If you believe that, then you don’t believe the story of Saul to be true or inspired. If this is the case, I implore you to please get on your knees and beg God to give you the eyesalve of Revelation 3.

Saul will not be in heaven for a simple and plain stated reason. He broke his contract of salvation with God. When he rejected the Word of the Lord, the Lord rejected him. His course took him into spiritualism. And strangely enough we are told in the book Great Controversy that a three- fold union will rise up to exterminate God’s people. Also, strangely enough, we have exposed the fact that there are many professed Seventh- day Adventist leaders who have or are being educated in NLP techniques and are using other spiritualist techniques such as imagery right in the “church.” Things have not changed over the centuries, for if you choose not to go to the Lord for wisdom, then where is there left to go?

Just as surely as Samuel told king Saul that God rejected Him as the ruler of the laity in his day, so now Jesus had rejected the Ancient Conference whose kingly and corrupted power were in the service of another master in His day.

Table of Contents
Acknowledgements and Forward
Chapter 1 Desire of Ages — Chapter 63
Chapter 2 Desire of Ages — Chapter 64
Chapter 3 Desire of Ages — Chapter 65
Chapter 4 Desire of Ages — Chapters 66 & 67
Chapter 5 Desire of Ages — Chapters 68 & 69
Chapter 6 Desire of Ages — Chapters 70, 71 & 72
Chapter 7 Desire of Ages — Chapter 73
Chapter 8 Desire of Ages — Chapters 74 & 75
Chapter 9 Desire of Ages — Chapters 76 & 77
Chapter 10 Desire of Ages — Chapter 78

PROPHETIC PARALLELS – The Church “Then”. . .and the SDA Church Now

June 4, 2020June 2, 2020 by Jana Wagner

CONDENSED VERSION

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS and FOREWORD

by Terry S. Ross

Table of Contents
Acknowledgements and Forward
Chapter 1 Desire of Ages — Chapter 63
Chapter 2 Desire of Ages — Chapter 64
Chapter 3 Desire of Ages — Chapter 65
Chapter 4 Desire of Ages — Chapters 66 & 67
Chapter 5 Desire of Ages — Chapters 68 & 69
Chapter 6 Desire of Ages — Chapters 70, 71 & 72
Chapter 7 Desire of Ages — Chapter 73
Chapter 8 Desire of Ages — Chapters 74 & 75
Chapter 9 Desire of Ages — Chapters 76 & 77
Chapter 10 Desire of Ages — Chapter 78

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

This book is first dedicated to those men and women who have through the ages taken their stand on the side of the Lord at the cost of their own reputations, being misunderstood and slandered for the name and cause of Christ and the Father.

To those people whom many regard as heroes, in memory of their Christian faith and honor. To the men and women who suffered derision and scorn, loss of family, friends, all they had or every hoped to have, yet standing firm for the Lord, this volume is dedicated.

To those such as Noah, who in his day was mocked. “They held a carnival [celebration] over the words of Noah, calling him a crazy fanatic” but whose faith took him into the ark. To Enoch who was “the first prophet among mankind” and “a fearless reprover of sin.” “It was the Spirit of Christ that spoke through Enoch; that spirit is manifested, not alone in utterances of love, compassion, and entreaty; it is not smooth things only that are spoken by holy men. God put into the heart and lips of His messengers truths to utter that are keen and cutting as a two- edged sword.” Yes, to Enoch, who proved to mankind before the flood that man can through perfect faith live a totally holy life. (7A 22, 20, PP 86)

To Job, who in the face of total rejection but by his family and “church” determined to trust God though He slay him. To Moses, whose leadership was consistent and meek, who bravely trusted in the Lord‘ s guidance and loved the people enough to offer his own life that they might be saved. To Daniel, who without question had a character devoted to God that stood forth through three diverse governments and showed the brighter with each passing test. To Jeremiah, the weeping prophet, although rejected by his own “church” continued to preach a warning message year after year after year. To Nehemiah, who refused to come off the wall. To queen Esther, who risked her own life for the life of her people. To Elijah, who in the face of fierce rejection stood against all odds and gave his message to a “church” who had backslidden horribly. To John the Baptist, who many, many years later came in the power of Elijah and faced the same opposition, who though despised by the conference leaders of his day carried on the work given to him by God anyway.

To men such as the disciples, who after the upper room experience went boldly forward proclaiming the truth for their day in the face of deadly opposition from a corrupt priesthood that called itself the “church” and claimed to be “going through.” To Stephen, who told it like it was but had no spirit of hatred in him, who was “not blind, nor bitter.” To Saul, the conference leader who became Paul, who although obeying man instead of God at first, “saw the light” on the Damascus road and was converted to follow Jesus anywhere He led. To Paul, who became an honorable defender of Jesus and who quite possibly understood the purifying effects of trial more than any other man.

To all the millions who shed their blood during the Dark Ages that I might be able to write this book and that we might have a chance to have a part in the story of salvation. To all those men and women, who in the midst of this terrible dark history, stood in opposition to their church and became fierce defenders of the truth as God had given it to them. To James White, who went to an early grave because of his dedication to present truth and his concern to educate people. And to his wife, Ellen G. White, the prophetess, whose written works are the greatest gift to modern man, who at times was despised by those who claimed to follow inspiration, who “lead” this latter day movement, and whose published works I now use to compile this study. To my own wife, Cathy, who has been my helper and confidant through better or worse, who continues to be a devoted and dedicated worker for God and my trusted friend, who, if I am in heaven by the grace of God, will have played the major role in my salvation, excepting Jesus Himself.

And most of all, to the One who is The Desire of Ages, our lovely Jesus Christ. To Him, especially, is this book dedicated because without Him none of our other heroes would ever have been heroes and this book would be without purpose or cause.

It is my desire and reason for writing this book that those who give it study will come to a place in their Christian experience that they will become totally committed to stand in their lot in these closing scenes of earth‘ s history. May we realize in some deeper degree why we are here and the price that was paid, not only by the spilt blood of Jesus Christ, but by millions of others who gave their lives. With this realization may we better understand and grasp anew that it is our turn to take up the banner of Emmanuel and boldly carry on what those before us carried to their graves.

FOREWORD

Often I have thought about the quotation from 4T 374 that says in part: “It would be well to spend a thoughtful hour each day reviewing the life of Christ from the manger to Calvary. We should take it point by point and let the imagination vividly grasp each scene, especially the closing ones of His earthly life.” Then it continues to state that there are many lessons to be learned from this study.

In my eighteen plus years of being a Seventh- day Adventist, a lot of water has gone under the bridge. I have read and referred to The Desire of Ages numerous times and I‘ m sure the reader will agree with me that it is the most beautiful book of love ever written. But about seven years ago I believe the Lord impressed me to take a different look at this book.

Love is all important and we never want to do anything without it but sometimes when we are focused in one spot too long, our vision of the bigger picture can become blurred. I believe that the Lord prompted me to take another look at Desire of Ages and refocus my study, not about love, but about prophetic parallels. That‘ s not to say that love has been forgotten, certainly not, but with my focus on prophetic parallels I discovered that The Desire of Ages is one of the most important books ever written for this exact time.

Over the last several years it has become painfully apparent, generally speaking, that many of the professed leaders of the Adventist organization have lowered the standard to such a point that in far too many places the “church” is almost completely different from what it was, say thirty, or even twenty years ago. As if this isn’t alarming enough, we are witnessing a bold trend of these “professors” exerting their brash liberal beliefs right in the faces of those who love this movement and message with all their hearts. Unfortunately for those who for most of their Christian lives have given strict loyalty, it is being quickly realized that the leaders are far more interested in maintaining their own power than a “thus saith the Lord.”

Brothers and Sisters, as surprising as this has been in this soft generation, it‘ s really nothing new. Most of our “heroes” had to stand up against this type of apostasy and hypocrisy in their day and if they had shunned such a disagreeable duty, you and I wouldn’t be enjoying the liberty of this discussion today.

Spiritual giants such as Moses, Joshua & Caleb, Enoch, Elijah, John the Baptist, all of the disciples, Martin Luther, Calvin, Huss, Zwingley, Knox, Ellen White, many, many others and the greatest Hero of all, our Lord Jesus Christ, had to meet this “enemy within.”

We will discover that when the Lord inspired Sister White to pen the words found in 1SM 122, He knew the greatest weight of these words would fall in our time: “We have more to fear from within than from without. The hindrances to strength and success are far greater from the church itself than from the world. . . how often have the professed advocates of the truth proved the greatest obstacle to its advancement! The unbelief indulged, the doubts expressed, the darkness cherished, encourage the presence of evil angels, and open the way for the accomplishment of Satan‘ s devices.”

Everywhere Cathy and I have been preaching this message, people are discovering, most for the first time, that we need to let the Lord lead and not man. People are realizing that it is important to put God first and man second, no matter who the man is, whether a pastor, Conference President or General Conference President. They are discovering that this battle isn‘ t a matter of vindictiveness on the part of faithful independent ministries, but of hypocrisy and lack of faith in the lives of professed leadership.

They are discovering what you are about to discover; Jesus wants you all to Himself and He has made provision for you to move forward even if the whole world chooses to do otherwise! Pray, dear one, for the Holy Spirit to guide you in this study. For what you are about to embark on is, I believe, one of the most important studies you will ever do in your life. This message is the same message that Jesus gave to His disciples in a time past which mirrored our own. In it you will discover that we are living in the express parallel of the days of Christ and the “church” of His day. All the players in that play are still present in our day — the Conference, Headquarters, and even the self- supporting Ministers whom Jesus raised up to continue the pure “Seventh- day Adventist” message in His day of reform. You will find in this amazing study that absolutely nothing has changed, that in the book Desire of Ages is the same message which set the disciples free and the exact work that Jesus did for them — He is doing for us today.

In this study we believe if rightly understood, will be given God‘ s blessing, as you choose to serve Him first and relegate to man a second position. In Christ‘ s day the “church” had strangely changed leaders and rejected the Originator of their movement. In our day we face this same tragedy. Most “Ancient Adventists” — our spiritual ancestors — were lost because of their misplaced loyalty in a leadership (priesthood) that had become corrupt. Today their history has once again become our reality.

It is now your privilege to discover and understand that this same Jesus Who lived through the history of our ancestors, in His grace and mercy toward us, has had The Desire of Ages written not just to show us what love is, but for much deeper reasons than this. He is giving us, Seventh- day Adventists in particular, a last chance to learn from the mistakes of others and take heed. Whether or not you do will determine your eternal destiny!

Our prayers are with you and it is our hope and desire that you will find the freedom that our Saviour has died to give you — only then will you be free indeed. But if not, you will be chained to men who have no higher concept of Adventism than did their counterparts found in the conference office of the ancient church — the Sanhedrin.

Our study will take us through the heart of The Desire of Ages beginning with chapter 63, “Thy King Cometh,” and concluding with chapter 78, which is “Calvary”. When you have finished, we hope you will be much richer for the labor and much wiser for the study. May the Lord be with you.

No Time to Celebrate

June 2, 2020June 1, 2020 by Jana Wagner

by Marshall J. Grosboll

The Seventh-day Adventist church is God’s true and remnant movement of Bible prophecy. As such, it is the special target of the enemy of truth and righteousness. God thus calls for His watchman to maintain a constant vigil over His purchased property. When danger is perceived within the church it is the duty of every true and faithful Seventh-day Adventist to put personal interests and ecclesiastical positions behind him, and give the warning message necessary to protect the church, however unpopular that warning may be.

“As they [God’s people] assimilate their character to the divine Pattern, men will not guard their own personal dignity. With jealous, sleepless, loving, devoted interest, they will guard the sacred interest of the church from the evil which threatens to dim and cloud the glory that God intends shall shine forth through her.” — Testimonies to Ministers, page 406.

As members of His church, God holds us each responsible for its health and well- being. “If God abhors one sin above another, of which His people are guilty, it is doing nothing in case of an emergency. Indifference and neutrality in a religious crisis is regarded of God as a grievous crime and equal to the very worst type of hostility against God.” —Testimonies, vol. 3, page 281.

Many consider that our church is today facing the worst danger and crisis it has ever faced with the arrival of the celebration movement. The celebration movement is a new attempt, within the church, to receive the Holy Spirit. The meteoric rise of this new passion within the church is too phenomenal to be taken lightly. It is indeed either the manifestation of the true Holy Spirit or the false, counterfeit manifestation of the Spirit. If it is the true outpouring of the Holy Spirit, it would be disastrous to reject it. But if it is the counterfeit working of satanic agencies, it would be equally disastrous to receive it, or even to remain neutral about it. In this situation, as between Christ and Barabas, there is no neutral ground. The celebration movement is not pail good and part bad, it is one or the other. There is no accord between Christ and Belial, or between Christ’s spirit and Satan’s. To remain neutral is as bad, or even worse, than to decide the wrong way!

“Christ’s followers have no right to stand on the ground of neutrality. There is more hope of an open enemy than of one who is neutral.” — Review and Herald, Feb. 25, 1902.

The Timing of the Movement

In considering this movement, let us analyze two aspects: The timing of the movement and the philosophy behind it.

The Bible says, “There is a . . . time for every purpose under heaven: A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck what is planted; a time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up; a time to weep, and a time to laugh” (Eccl. 3: 14, texts from the NKJV).

To do a good thing at a wrong time can be the worst of evils. To prune a tree at the wrong time can kill it. To prune it at the right time can save it. To be happy when someone dies, or to be sad when someone is healed, is the wrong timing. To worship God is a duty, but to worship Him on Sunday instead of Sabbath is rebellion. “It is the very essence of all right faith to do the right thing at the right time.” —Testimonies, vol. 6, page 24. In fact, doing a good thing at the wrong time is often worse than open evil — it is more deceptive. Worshipping on Sunday instead of Sabbath deceives many people who would not be deceived by Atheism.

One of the greatest concerns about the celebration movement is the timing. As we shall see, the Lord says that for us to celebrate at the wrong time, when we should be mourning for our own sins and for the sins of Israel, becomes an unpardonable sin!

In the Old Testament Day of Atonement, that prefigured our day just before the second coming of Jesus, those who celebrated instead of afflicting their souls were “cut off’ from Israel (Leviticus 23: 29). To us, living during the antitypical Day of Atonement, the Lord says: “Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double- minded. Lament and mourn and weep! Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom. Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up” (James 4: 8- 10).

It is no time to celebrate when a church is in apostasy. Those who make celebration the focal point of worship during this time of crisis will not receive the seal of God. In speaking of the time just before the close of probation, the Bible says: “Now the glory of the God of Israel had gone up from the cherub [which were on the ark], where it had been [since 1844], to the threshold of the temple. And He called to the man with the linen, who had the writer’s inkhorn at his side; and the Lord said to him, ‘Go through the midst of the city, through the midst of Jerusalem, and put a mark on the foreheads of the men who sigh and cry over all the abominations that are done within it. ‘ To the others He said in my hearing, ‘Go after him through the city and kill; do not let your eye spare, nor have any pity’ “ (Ezekiel 9: 3- 5).

“The time will soon come when the prophecy of Ezekiel 9 will be fulfilled; that prophecy should be carefully studied, for it will be fulfilled to the very letter.”— Ellen G. White 1888 Materials, p. 1303.

After quoting the above verses from Ezekiel 9, Ellen White comments:

“These sighing, crying ones had been holding forth the words of life; they had reproved, counseled, and entreated. Some who had been dishonoring God repented and humbled their hearts before Him. But the glory of the Lord had departed from Israel; although many still continued the forms of religion, His power and presence were lacking.

“In the time when His wrath shall go forth in judgments, these humble, devoted followers of Christ will be distinguished from the rest of the world by their soul anguish, which is expressed in lamentation and weeping, reproofs and warnings. While others try to throw a cloak over the existing evil, and excuse the great wickedness everywhere prevalent, those who have a zeal for God’s honor and a love for souls will not hold their peace to obtain favor of any. Their righteous souls are vexed day by day with the unholy works and conversation of the unrighteous. They are powerless to stop the rushing torrent of iniquity, and hence they are filled with grief and alarm. They mourn before God to see religion despised in the very homes of those who have had great light. They lament and afflict their souls because pride, avarice, selfishness, and deception of almost every kind are in the church. The Spirit of God, which prompts to reproof, is trampled underfoot, while the servants of Satan triumph. God is dishonored, the truth made of none effect.

“The class who do not feel grieved over their own spiritual declension, nor mourn over the sins of others, will be left without the seal of God.” Testimonies, vol. 5, pages 210, 211. What God is calling for today is the Straight Testimony, such as John the Baptist gave. “In this fearful time, just before Christ is to come the second time, God’s faithful preachers will have to bear a still more pointed testimony than was borne by John the Baptist. A responsible, important work is before them; and those who speak smooth things, God will not acknowledge as His shepherds. A fearful woe is upon them.” — Testimonies, vol. 1, page 322.

This calls for serious contemplation and heartfelt repentance, rather than jubilation and gaiety.

Isaiah Saw the Celebration Movement

In a striking prophecy of our day, when God is calling for heartfelt and tearful repentance because of the prevailing apostasy within the church, Isaiah predicted that some would be celebrating instead of repenting, and that this rebellion would constitute an unpardonable sin. Isaiah 21 and 22 are Old Testament parallels of Revelation. In repeating the second angel’s message, it says: “Babylon is fallen, is fallen” (Isaiah 21: 9). This must be referring to spiritual Babylon, in a primary sense, for it refers to the second fall of Babylon. The Babylon of Nebuchadnezzar’s time fell but once, whereas the second fall refers to the fall of spiritual Babylon in Revelation.

While Isaiah 21 deals with spiritual Babylon, chapter 22 deals with spiritual Israel. It is “The burden against the Valley of Vision” (verse 1). A “valley” in prophecy often refers to people, whereas a mountain refers to worship, religion, God or gods. The Hebrew uses a word meaning a “wide valley” when referring to the wicked, but a word meaning a “narrow valley” when referring to the righteous. (See, for example Isaiah 2: 2; Joel 3: 14; Psalm 121: 1; Isaiah 22: 1.) Possibly this symbolism comes from Sinai, where God spoke from the “mountain” to the people who were in the “valley” below. Here God has a message to the Valley of Vision, or the people of prophecy. In Revelation the people of prophecy, who keep the commandments, refers to God’s remnant church (Revelation 12: 17; 19: 10). This identification of the object of chapter 22 is further confirmed in verse 4, where the church is called the “daughter” of “my people.” In Isaiah’s day, God called Israel “My people” (Isaiah 51: 16), whereas spiritual Israel is here identified as the “daughter” of My people.

Isaiah 22 describes the condition of God’s people in the last days. It describes them as a “tumultuous city, a joyous city.” Yet their members are slain, though they “are not slain with the sword, nor dead in battle” (verse 2).

Today, as this prophecy predicted, our members are slain. Our young people are leaving the church in mass. Attendance figures in North America are generally on the decline. Most churches have less than half their membership even occasionally attending services. Even counting babies and visitors, most churches do well to have half as many in church as are on the books. Our people are slain, though not in martyrdom or from warfare with the enemy, but from apostasy. God’s power has seemingly been removed from the church and we are trying to replace that power with good public relations, exciting music, celebration worship, and colorful programs. Thus, while God’s people are “slain,” though not “in battle,” they are “a tumultuous city, a joyous city.” In order to secure themselves in the midst of these conditions, the leaders bind themselves together in a confederacy to support one another (verse 3). God and His people lament this condition within the church. He says: “I will weep bitterly; do not labor to comfort me because of the plundering of the daughter of my people. For it is a day of trouble and treading down and perplexity by the Lord God of hosts in the Valley of Vision” (verses 4, 5). God can no longer protect His people because of their spiritual condition. “He removed the protection of Judah. You looked in that day to the armor of the House of the Forest; you also saw the damage to the city of David, that it was great” (verses 8, 9).

God’s people do everything to cover up their losses and to turn them around — except for one thing. They look to the institutions of man’s accomplishments, they number the homes of Jerusalem, they sacrifice some institutions to preserve others, they consolidate, they expertly plan for the future — but they do not seek the wisdom of the One who established the church in the beginning through the Spirit of Prophecy. (See verses 8- 11.)

“In that day the Lord God of hosts called for weeping and for mourning, for baldness and for girding with sackcloth” (verse 12). “But instead,” what does He find in the church? He finds “joy and gladness, slaying oxen and killing sheep, eating meat and drinking wine” (verse 13).

And what is the result of this apostasy of celebrating when the Lord calls for deep repentance? “Then it was revealed in my hearing by the Lord of hosts, ‘Surely for this iniquity there will be no atonement for you, even to your death, ‘ says the Lord God of hosts” (verse 14)! As in Ezekiel 9 and Leviticus 23, this rebellion constitutes a sin that cannot be pardoned. Probation is soon to close, and those who are celebrating when the Lord is calling for sorrow for sin will find themselves without a mediator. “Satan invents unnumbered schemes to occupy our minds” — his goal is to keep us joyfully celebrating within the church, until probation’s door is forever closed and we are unprepared (Great Controversy, page 488). That day is fast approaching.

New Theology for a New Movement

The celebration movement has its roots in the New Theology teachings that Desmond Ford and others brought into the church starting in the 1950s. The New Theology taught that, since Jesus had a different human nature than we do, we cannot be like He was. We can never hope to overcome sin and live a life like Jesus lived. “He is our substitute,” it was said, “not our example.”

The gospel, according to the New Theology, was the good news of justification. Sanctification was not a part of the gospel. Jesus forgives our sins without anything being done on our part except to accept Him as our Saviour. We will continue to sin until Jesus comes, but we will still be saved because of Jesus’ righteousness. He accepts us just as we are. This was called “good news.”

I remember a prominent Sabbath morning speaker at a conference campmeeting I was helping with a few years ago. He spoke about the joy of Sabbath- keeping. Sabbath is supposed to be a day of joy, but this joy is supposed to come from having victory over sin, not because God permits us to continue in sin. But this speaker proclaimed that the Sabbath is to be a day of joy because God accepts us in sin, just the way we are. He affirmed that we are to rejoice and be happy whether we have character defects or not — not because God can help us to overcome these defects, but because God happily accepts us while we continue to sin.

The speaker gave examples from the Bible to prove his point. He said that Moses threw down the Ten Commandments from the mountain in a fit of anger, yet the Lord accepted Him, without a word of reproof, and brought him back up into the mountain to talk with him face to face, even though Moses was continuing to manifest anger. The speaker went on to say that if the Lord accepted Moses — even with his uncontrolled temper, He will accept you if you have a temper problem too. That is why the Sabbath is to be a joyful day! Thus, he taught, we are to make Sabbath a day of rejoicing without worrying about our sins.

Either the speaker had not read the Spirit of Prophecy account of this story or he did not believe what it says, for there we are assured that when “he threw down the tables of stone and broke them. . . Moses did not sin . . . . He was wroth for God, jealous for His glory.” — Early Writings, page 163. But the speaker used this story to falsely assure his hearers that sin is inconsequential — God doesn’t care!

The speaker used other illustrations. He said that Paul boastfully claimed to have kept the law. Since those who believe in the New Theology do not believe that anyone can keep the law, this statement of Paul’s is not believed. He claimed that Paul was just manifesting boastful self-righteousness, but God accepted him too. Thus, God even accepts the self- righteous and boastful, according to this speaker. Again the thought was conveyed — forget about your shortcomings, simply rejoice in the goodness of the Lord.

I was shocked and distressed over this perverted theology that taught people to rejoice in their sins, but was even more surprised to hear the comments of delight in the message by those attending.

This is superficial Christianity. “If they were really one with Christ, if His Spirit were dwelling in them, they would see the sinfulness of sin. Not only would they confess; but they would forsake that which God abhors.” — Youth Instructor, March 5, 1903. “He who is truly penitent does not forget his past sins, and grow careless about them as soon as he has obtained forgiveness. On the contrary, the clearer the evidence he has of divine favor, the more he sees to regret in his past life of sin. He loathes, abhors, and condemns himself, and is more and more astonished that he should have continued in rebellion so long. He renews his repentance toward God, while he grasps more decidedly the hand of Jesus Christ, and finds that repentance is a daily, continued exercise, lasting until mortality is swallowed up of life. He who thus repents, appreciates the righteousness of Christ as above silver and gold, above every earthly tie and affection.” — Signs of the Times, Nov. 26, 1894

“He who is truly repentant, he who is regenerated, hates sin. All manner of selfishness is distressing to him. Indifference to God on the part of those around him grieves him. He is not led to exalt self in the performance of his duty, but abhors self. ‘I abhor myself is the language of the godly of all ages, who have had a clear view of the purity and holiness of Christ.” — Signs of the Times, Aug. 13, 1894.

“When the church are united, they will have strength and power; but when part of them are united to the world, and many are given to covetousness, which God abhors, He can do but little for them. Unbelief and sin shut them away from God.” —Testimonies, vol. 2, page 149.

It is the spirit of Satan that leads to indifference to sin. And it is this indifference and blindness to sin, which has been steadily growing in the church since the New Theology was introduced, that has laid the foundation for the celebration movement. No one who truly understands the significance of sin and the Laodicean apostasy within the church today is going to join a celebration movement — rather they are going to become a part of the movement calling for contrition and repentance for sin.

The Movement Finds a Home

The New Theology laid the foundation for the acceptance of the celebration movement within the church, but what was the catalyst that caused it to materialize?

For years there has been a growing interest in statistical growth, or “numbers,” within the organization. There was the “1000 days of Reaping” program followed by “Harvest 90.” These programs encouraged the baptizing of large numbers of people throughout the world. Literally millions joined the church, often without adequate preparation.

In Inter and South America and the third world countries, dramatic growth was witnessed. In contrast to the explosive Adventist growth in these countries, the church in North America has grown at a snail’s pace. Once the mainstay of the Adventist denomination, North America is becoming more and more insignificant compared to the other divisions. It no longer dominates the world field during the General Conference session.

In my state of Kansas, there were 100 churches around the turn of the century. Today Kansas has nearly a million more inhabitants, but the Adventist church has grown downward from 100 churches to 56! In church after church of thriving communities, I have asked how their church today compares to what it was thirty years ago — in nearly every instance there are fewer in attendance today. Somehow the power of the gospel has, for the most part, left the Adventist movement in the Western Countries. Though there are local exceptions, church schools, academies, pathfinders, evangelism, prayer meetings and in-gathering are all floundering compared to the advances made in prior years. Seemingly every program that has promised revival has failed.

In short, the condition of the church in North America, as well as in Europe and Australia, has become an embarrassment.

For years, in an attempt to turn things around, we have been inviting speakers from evangelical, non- Adventist churches and seminaries to speak to our ministers and share with them how we can grow like other churches. We have copied their programs, such as their New Testament Witnessing concepts, thinking that what works for them will work for us too, but it hasn’t. The “Caring Church” concept was one such program that was primarily a disappointment. The “Lab 1” and “Lab 2” programs for conflict management have not produced the results hoped for either. Nor has Management By Objectives brought about the miracles hoped for in administration. As was predicted in Isaiah 22, we have looked in every direction for every solution to our problems, but we have not looked to the Maker of the church — to the One who fashioned it long ago (Isaiah 22: 11). Isaiah says, in verse 13, that the next solution sought would be one of celebration!

With each failure, the desire for a program that works has grown more intense. We have developed a great desire for the Holy Spirit to come and give us “numbers” in the developed countries as we have heard about in the other countries. And since we have already reached outside of our church for the expertise of the Sunday- keeping churches, we have now looked to those Sunday- keeping churches that supposedly have the manifestations of the Holy Spirit — that is, the Pentecostal churches — to make up for what we have not found in the evangelical churches.

Several of our ministers have gone to the Pentecostal churches to learn the secret of their power. In years past there was no confusion as to the source of their power — we always believed that it was a counterfeit manifestation of the Holy Spirit. We tested all manifestations of the Holy Spirit with such verses as Isaiah 8: 20. We believed that the Pentecostal power was spiritualistic, and that it would help to unite apostate Protestantism and Catholicism together, and that under this three- fold power America would “follow in the steps of Rome in trampling on the rights of conscience.” — Great Controversy, page 588.

Generally, in our past history, we would not consider renting a Pentecostal church for our own services, or renting out our facilities for a Pentecostal service. We loved the Pentecostal people dearly, but believed that the movement was a form of spiritualism. We could not worship in the same room where spiritualism reigned.

The result of this new endeavor to revitalize our church through the introduction of Pentecostalism is the celebration movement. It is of no small significance that the two most heralded celebration churches, the flag- ship churches of Portland, Oregon and Colton, California, are both conducted in Pentecostal churches.

How surprised I was to hear a sermon from a minister in one of our largest conferences, in a revival meeting that had been promoted with a full back- page color advertisement in the Union paper, say that his best friend was a Pentecostal minister. He shared how the Holy Spirit is being manifested in churches today, and is now even coming into some Adventist churches as well. But he said that most Adventists are so afraid of the Holy Spirit that if it should come, they would flee from the room. The conference president and other conference leaders heartily endorsed his speech. His purpose was to start a new celebration church in their conference.

Many of the Adventist celebration books and materials are simply re- writes from straight Pentecostal books and materials. And the whole order of service in these churches is Pentecostal in style. In preparation for this article, I visited one church. I had heard the reports from others, and am not the one to visit questionable places just to see for myself. But I thought maybe the reports had been exaggerated. I was pleasantly surprised in the foyer at the conservative attire of the greeters — no jewelry or frivolous dress (though I soon found that other leaders in the church were not similarly attired). But inside I was in for a shock. A musical drama was in process, with the lights off and spot lights on the “actors.” Following was music by the band and lead singers from up front. The music had the definite beat of rock music. When the pastor called people to come up for prayer, hundreds went forward. There was the laying on of hands by elders while the pastor and his wife prayed, and many others waving there hands back and forth in a Pentecostal manner. Throughout the service there was clapping, joking, laughter, and a happy feeling. At the conclusion the band and lead singers let loose with the loudest music of the day, with a beat that was becoming harder all the time. The lead singers clapped their hands and swayed back and forth.

Those attending appeared to be an interesting amalgamation — everything was acceptable. Many think that this is wonderful. I, too, enjoy seeing people who represent a melange of philosophy and dress in a church if the people are non- Adventists looking for truth, but that was not the case in this church. While God accepts each one where they are initially when they first find the Lord, He expects practical, spiritual growth to ensue from that point on. The road to heaven is not the broad road that includes every brand of Christian practice and life- style, it is the narrow road that Jesus walked.

I wondered what Jesus would have said if He had attended. I am sure He would have called the service sacrilegious. I will not go back, for I do not believe the Lord could protect me from the evil influences that there prevailed. Is that too old- fashioned; too far fetched? Haven’t we always told our members not to attend spiritualistic meetings and pentecostal services because the Lord could not protect us in such places?

Celebration Spreads

Ellen White says that “the final movements will be rapid ones” — Testimonies, vol. 9, page 11. We have seen the rapidity with which Eastern Europe has turned from Communism to the Pope. But nowhere have final events moved faster than they have in the celebration movement. Who even heard of a celebration church two years ago? But today it is world- wide. Pastors from all over America have been trained in the celebration concepts. Pastors from Australia and New Zealand, on the way to the General Conference, have stopped off and been trained in the celebration concepts. Celebration churches are springing up everywhere, as though empowered by some special force.

Twice before Satan has tried to bring this kind of spiritualistic experience into the church — after the disappointment of 1844 and again after the turn of the century. In both cases it was supposedly the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, and was associated with music, drums, and the swaying of the people. Ellen White predicted that this phenomena would again come into the church.

“The things you have described as taking place in Indiana, the Lord has shown me would take place just before the close of probation. Every uncouth thing will be demonstrated. There will be shouting, with drums, music, and dancing. The senses of rational beings will become so confused that they cannot be trusted to make right decisions. And this is called the moving of the Holy Spirit.” — Selected Messages, vol. 2, page 36.

The Lord here said that this would take place “just before the close of probation”! Isaiah 22 says there would be no atonement made for those who join in, for probation will close. Surely, we are seeing the final events of history being enacted! This is no time to be a sleeping Christian, but as Paul said, “knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep” (Romans 13: 11).

“But,” someone may say, “Our church is becoming a celebration church and we don’t see all the extremes mentioned above manifested in our church. Our church is just incorporating the good parts of the celebration movement.” But let us consider the source. Eve found it impossible to separate the good from the bad when she partook of the tree of knowledge of good and evil.

Let us consider one other thing: The two flagship celebration churches were started as celebration churches. It is impossible to change an existing, traditional church into a full- fledged celebration church immediately. There must be a conditioning process. Many times I have heard conference presidents counsel us ministers not to go too fast with the people. As in every other area of life, change comes one step at a time.

A person doesn’t become an alcoholic overnight. At first it appears that alcohol is quite a pleasant entertainment. The one who drinks doesn’t consider that he will ever go to the “excesses” of the alcoholic. But one must look at the alcoholic to see where alcohol consumption ultimately leads. And so, if one wants to see the end result of the celebration movement, he must see the character of the churches that have been started as celebration churches, without the baggage of traditional Adventists in the congregation to slow the process up. The pastor of the Colton, California celebration church found that he could not introduce all of his ideas in the Azure Hills Seventh- day Adventist church, because too many of the member objected to his ideas, as they should have done. Therefore, pastors who introduce the celebration concept into established churches must progress slowly, step by step — but the end result, though it will take a little longer to achieve will be the same as the full- fledged celebration churches. Thus, even the first vestiges of celebration must be vigorously opposed in every congregation. Once a church becomes a celebration church, it is the duty of every true and faithful Seventh- day Adventist to leave that apostate congregation.

Time to Speak Up

Today it is time for every true and faithful Seventh- day Adventist to raise his voice against this apostate movement within the church. This will bring persecution.

“It needs something besides theory to reach hearts now. It needs the stirring testimony to alarm and arouse; that will stir the enemy’s subjects, and then honest souls will be led to decide for truth. There has been and still is with some a disposition to have everything move on very smoothly. They see no necessity of [a] straight testimony.

“Sins exist in the church that God hates, but they are scarcely touched for fear of making enemies. Opposition has risen in the church to the plain testimony. Some will not bear it. They wish smooth things spoken unto them. If the wrongs of individuals are touched, they complain of severity, and sympathize with those in the wrong. As Ahab inquired of Elijah, ‘Art thou he that troubleth Israel? ‘ they are ready to look with suspicion and doubt upon those who bear the plain testimony, and like Ahab overlook the wrong which made it necessary for reproof and rebuke. . . . Just as long as God has a church, he will have those who will cry aloud and spare not. . . whether men will hear or forbear. I saw that individuals would rise up against the plain testimonies.” — Spiritual Gifts, vol. 2, pages 283, 284.

Already persecution has arisen against those who speak out against the celebration movement. At least one has been disfellowshipped for this, and undoubtedly other disfellowshippings will follow.

When persecution arose in Battle Creek against the straight testimony, Ellen White wrote to the leaders of the church and recalled how she and others had been persecuted in their previous denominational churches and for this reason had to leave, and to call others out of these churches too. Then, in referring to our own church, she said: “We hoped that there would not be the necessity for another coming out.” — Ellen G. White 1888 Materials, page 357. But Ellen White found that she did have to call people out of the Battle Creek church, and to tell students not to attend school there. We, too, must recognize that we must not attend a place where God’s Spirit has left. The Seventh- day Adventist movement is going through, but, as in Ellen White’s day, there is proving to be a need for a calling out from certain congregations and institutions within the church.

In commenting on Adventists who had not accepted all the truth, the messenger to the remnant said: “I was shown the necessity of those who believe that we are having the last message of mercy, being separate from those who are daily imbibing new errors. I saw that neither young nor old should attend their meetings; for it is wrong to thus encourage them while they teach error that is a deadly poison to the soul and teach for doctrines the commandments of men. The influence of such gatherings is not good. If God has delivered us from such darkness and error, we should stand fast in the liberty wherewith He has set us free and rejoice in the truth. God is displeased with us when we go to listen to error, without being obliged to go; for unless He sends us to those meetings where error is forced home to the people by the power of the will, He will not keep us. The angels cease their watchful care over us, and we are left to the buffetings of the enemy, to be darkened and weakened by him and the power of his evil angels; and the light around us becomes contaminated with the darkness.

“I saw that we have no time to throw away in listening to fables. Our minds should not be thus diverted, but should be occupied with the present truth, and seeking wisdom that we may obtain a more thorough knowledge of our position, that with meekness we may be able to give a reason of our hope from the Scriptures. While false doctrines and dangerous errors are pressed upon the mind, it cannot be dwelling upon the truth which is to fit and prepare the house of Israel to stand in the day of the Lord.” — Early Writings, pages 124, 125.

Conclusion

Ellen White was shown the final struggle of God’s remnant people: “I saw some, with strong faith and agonizing cries, pleading with God. Their countenances were pale and marked with deep anxiety, expressive of their internal struggle. Firmness and great earnestness was expressed in their countenances; large drops of perspiration fell from their foreheads.

“Evil angels crowded around, pressing darkness upon them to shut out Jesus from their view. As the praying ones continued their earnest cries, at times a ray of light from Jesus came to them, to encourage their hearts and light up their countenances. Some, I saw, did not participate in this work of agonizing and pleading. They seemed indifferent and careless. They were not resisting the darkness around them, and it shut them in like a thick cloud. The angels of God left these and went to the aid of the earnest, praying ones. I saw angels of God hasten to the assistance of all who were struggling with all their power to resist the evil angels and trying to help themselves by calling upon God with perseverance.” — Early Writings, pages 269, 270.

Some day soon, before Jesus comes, each Christian must go through a Gethsemane experience. Those who have developed a shallow experience based upon emotionalism will not go through this time. But those who have learned to stand for truth and principle now, will be helped to stand true then.

There is coming a true outpouring of the Holy Spirit. But it will not be accompanied by worldly music, clapping of hands, lightness and triviality, and fanaticism — it will rather lead to deep contrition of soul. But before the genuine outpouring of the Holy Spirit will come a counterfeit movement, just as before the second coming of Christ will come a counterfeit second coming. I would rather choose to wait for the genuine Holy Spirit, and the genuine second coming.

Someday there will be a genuine celebration church. There will be the most beautiful, holy music in this church. There will be rejoicing and jubilee. There will be no sin within this church, and no tempter to destroy, for it will be the celebration of the redeemed of all the ages celebrating around the throne. Just as I can wait for the true Holy Spirit, and the true second coming, so I can wait for the true celebration church.

“And it will be said in that day: ‘Behold, this is our God; we have waited for Him, and He will save us. This is the Lord; we have waited for Him; we will be glad and rejoice in His salvation” (Isaiah 25: 9).

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None Dare Call It Apostasy, Part II

June 1, 2020 by Jana Wagner

Dr. Ralph Larson

Introduction

Since many have asked, the following is a statement that was prepared by Elder Ralph Larson to present to the “Prex- Ad” Council of the Pacific Union Conference on February 18, 1992. This is a group of about twenty administrators of conferences, colleges, hospitals and ethnic groups who consult together before meeting with the Union Committee.

Although Dr. Larson had been told that he would be given thirty minutes and had prepared his paper accordingly, he was cut off when fifteen minutes had passed and was told that the administrators could read the rest of the paper later. Yet the council made their decision to affirm their denial of his honorary ministerial credentials after Dr. and Mrs. Larson left the room, apparently without waiting to read the paper, a tragic lack of due process.

This information is being shared, not for purposes of malice or revenge, but so that others may understand what actually was said and what they may possibly encounter when placed in similar circumstances. Our trust must be wholly in the Lord and in His truth, and we must firmly resolve to stand for the right though the heavens fall.

Part two

We come before you today because we understand from the Lord’s counsels that this is our Christian duty. We are sure all would recognize that a hearing conducted after judgment regarding my credentials has already been made, would not be described as justice in any judicial system in the world. We find this principle expressed in the question put to the Pharisees by Nicodemus: “Doth our law judge any man, before it hear him, and know what he doeth?” John7: 51.

In our situation, the answer would appear to be, yes, it does. More troubling still, to those who are concerned about the principles of fairness, is the fact that this group is not the proper body to either conduct a hearing or make judgment regarding my case. Proper procedures would have required a hearing

We would do well to remember that in every’ judicial proceeding, not only is the accused on trial, but the court is also on trial.

before the Union Conference Committee, which has been empowered to issue credentials, and that such a hearing have been conducted before judgment was made.

And there is yet another cloud over these proceedings. Elder Castillo wrote to me:

“At our past Union Executive Committee, it was voted to deny your honorary ministerial credential.”

Yet, four members of the committee have stated that my name was not mentioned in their meeting, and so was neither discussed nor voted upon. Elder Mostert, while conceding that the minutes contain no record of an action denying my credentials, told me over the phone that my name was placed before the executive committee and the reasons for denying my credentials were fully explained. He suggested that the four committee members might have all happened to be out of the room at that particular time.

In any case, it would seem that basic principles of fairness would require that if a minister who has given his life to the service of the church, whose life and character have never been questioned, whose theology and preaching is the same as that presented in Seventh- day Adventists Believe, and whose ministry has resulted in more than five thousand persons being added to the church by baptism, is to be denied honorary ministerial credentials, this should be properly done by a duly authorized body, and the action and reasons for it should be fully and specifically stated in the committee records and announced to the church. This would, of course, require that a hearing be conducted before a decision is made, and that the accused be provided an opportunity to face his accusers and respond to their accusations.

This proper procedure has not been followed. Yet the editors of Ministry magazine have quickly seized upon the action that was taken, and in spite of the grievous irregularities, announced to its world- wide constituency that my credentials had been denied. Since no reason has been given, speculation is now arising as to whether I have been found guilty of financial fraud or gross immorality. Questions of this nature are reaching us and are very troubling, not only to us but also to our two children who are workers in God’s cause. We do not believe the Lord appreciates this manner of dealing with one who has rendered Him a lifetime of service and whose present problem is simply that he has been found defending the principles of our faith as set forth in the book Seventh- day Adventists Believe.

We would do well to remember that in every judicial proceeding, not only is the accused on trial, but the court is also on trial. We do not believe that you ~‘ gentlemen have served yourselves well by the manner in which you have dealt with this case. Neither have you served well the church or the Lord. We believe this group has a moral responsibility to set this matter right, and it should be done now, not after my death, as in the case of Elder M. L. Andreason. We believe I am entitled to a fair trial regarding my theology and ministry before the Union Executive Committee. If that committee, after a fair trial has been conducted, votes to deny my credentials, we believe a full statement of the specific reasons for that action should be made, and the statement published in Ministry magazine.

But now may we suggest that we lift our eyes from the individual tree we have been examining and spend a few moments considering the forest as a whole. it is apparent that there is division in the church. We would like to offer a few thoughts regarding:

Division: Its Nature, Its Causes, and Its Cure.

Division is most easily defined as the opposite of unity. We all believe that unity in the church is precious. It is priceless. Unity was the great burden of the last recorded prayer of Jesus for His disciples (John 17). Unity was what made possible the outpouring of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost. Unity was one of the major factors that gave power to the Seventh- day Adventist Church as it emerged from the Millerite Movement.

What is the basis of this precious unity? Paul calls it “the unity of the faith” Ephesians 4: 13. He further describes it as “speaking the truth in love,” verse 15, and indicates that those who have this unity of the faith will not be “carried about with every wind of doctrine” verse 14.

Ellen White describes the search for unity in 1844:

“We would come together burdened in soul, praying that we might be one in faith and doctrine; for we knew that Christ is not divided” TM 24. [All emphasis supplied.]

Their prayers were answered. They did become one in faith and doctrine, and they bestowed that legacy of unity upon us. Our church has enjoyed a phenomenal degree of unity throughout most of its history. We who have spent years in soul- winning work have found it an enormous advantage to be able

“No one has any Independent authority apart from Christ and His word” SDA‘s Believe 146.

to tell our converts they were uniting with a worldwide church that had a oneness in faith and doctrine over all the earth.

But notice how God has warned us through His messenger that unity must be based upon faith and doctrine:

“Christ calls for unity. But He does not call for us to unify on wrong practices. The God of heaven draws a sharp contrast between pure, elevating, ennobling truth and fulse, misleading . . . . I urge our brethren to unify upon a true, scriptural basis” 1 SM 175.

“We are to unify, but not on a platform of error” Series B, “Freedom in Christ” 47. Our church has not unified upon a platform of error, but upon a platform of truth. Our doctrines have been the foundation of our unity, but if wrong doctrines are introduced, causing the foundation of truth to crumble, we will struggle in vain to preserve our unity. The wise man does not build his house upon the sand.

At various times in the history of Christianity, there have arisen tensions between Christians who had differing views of what constitutes sound declines. Instead of meeting this problem on the theological level, church officials have sometimes tried to resolve it on the basis of church authority. This has never been and never will be successful. Ecclesiology must be derived from theology. Theology cannot be derived from ecclesiology, lest it degenerate into ecclesiolatry.

Our doctrinal book states: “Christ exercises His authority through His church and its specially appointed servants, but He never transfers His power. No one has any independent authority apart from Christ and His word’ SDA ‘s Believe 146.

“Whatever the church does that is in accordance with the directions given in God’s Word will be ratified in heaven” 7T 263.

“The church . . . . must say about sin what God says about it. She must deal with it as God directs, and her action is ratified in heaven” DA 806.

This brings us immediately and specifically to the heart of our present problem. There is a wide- spread and rapidly growing conviction among many church members, especially in the North American Division, Australia and Europe, that some of our church leaders are emphatically not saying about sin what God says about It, but rather are saying that we will all keep on sinning until Jesus comes, at which time He will miraculously fix us so we will never sin again. This makes our sanctuary doctrine nonsensical and invalidates the Spirit of Prophecy, which repeatedly endorses the sanctuary doctrine.

These concerned church members recognize that this strange new doctrine is out of harmony with our historic faith, out of harmony with the Scriptures, and out of harmony with the Spirit of Prophecy in which there are literally thousands of statements affirming the reality of victorious Christian living, and at least forty- eight warnings against the idea that Christ will change our characters when He comes. (See our Tell of His Power.)

This is manifestly a theological problem, and it needs to be dealt with on a theological level. Church members do not see this as a minor issue. They see it as one which vitally concerns their eternal salvation. But when they question or challenge this strange new doctrine and ask, “Why is the church not saying about sin what God says about it as stated in Seventh- day Adventists Believe?” they often find, to their bewilderment, that they are accused of being divisive trouble- makers who are attacking the church.

More tragically still, the response of church officialdom to questions, appeals, and protests, consistently reflects a desire to ignore the theological dimensions of the problem and to issue appeals for unity, supported by stem admonitions about the authority of the church. Within the last thirty days I received a letter from a conference president which said frankly, “Most of my response will be from a practical point of view, rather than a theological approach,” yet the matter at hand was theological in nature.

Thus we see a tension between a concept of truth and a concept of church authority. When the disciples of Jesus were summoned to appear before the Sanhedrin, they went gladly, anticipating an opportunity to express their convictions of truth about Jesus. They found, however, that the Sanhedrin proposed one question only, Do you submit to our authority?

Result— the church was split.

When Martin Luther and his companions were summoned to appear before the emperor, they also went gladly, hoping for a discussion of the principles of scriptural truth. But they were confronted with the same question, Do you submit to our authority? Result— the church was split.

Today we find ourselves caught up in a similar situation, and we may well reflect about the past. It has been said that those who cannot learn from history are condemned to repeat history. Surely the lesson of history is clear that theological questions must be

There is a wide- spread and rapidly growing conviction. . . that some of our church leaders are emphatically not saying about sin what God says about it.

given theological answers, and that unity will result if the theological answers are sound and persuasive because they bear up well under scriptural investigation. The introduction of false doctrines into our platform of truth cannot but bring division. Fair- minded people everywhere will judge that the division is caused by those who introduce changes in our theology, not by those who prefer to maintain our historic theology unchanged.

It cannot be denied that, in a certain sense, truth is divisive. Note the words of Jesus on this point:

“Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword. For I am come to set a man at variance against his father, and the daughter against her mother, and the daughter- in- law against her mother- in- law. And a man’s foes shall be they of his own household” Matthew 10: 34- 36.

When truth and error meet, division may be the result, but should we blame the division on those who teach the truth?

This leads us to the questions of responsibility and guilt Jesus unquestionably created division when He came to this earth. But was this wrong? Should He have stayed in heaven in order to avoid creating division? Would the unity that might have resulted been desirable? Clearly the apostles created division wherever they went. But again we ask, Was this wrong? Would it have been better for them to have hushed their voices for the sake of unity?

One of the most bitter accusations hurled at us as a people has been that by preaching the Sabbath we created division among Christians. But has this been wrong and has not the accusation of divisiveness been hurled at all reformers? We read in Signs of the Times, January 28, 1886:

“Reformers of the present day will meet with the same discouragements as did their Master.”

Neither is there anything new about the same, strange misjudgment we meet today: “When controversy is awakened, the advocates of truth are accredited with causing disturbance” ST, 10- 17- 95.

The following counsel is timely: “Now as in former ages, the presentation of a truth that reproves the sins and errors of the times will excite opposition…. Elijah was declared to be a troubler in Israel, Jeremiah a traitor, Paul a polluter of the temple. From that day to this, those who would be loyal to truth have been denounced as seditious, heretical, or schismatic…. This spirit will increase more and more. . . .

“In view of this, what is the duty of the messenger of truth? Shall he conclude that the truth ought not to be presented, since often its only effect is to arouse men to evade or resist its claims? No; he has no more reason for withholding the testimony of God’s word, because it excites opposition, than had earlier Reformers” GC 458- 459.

When truth and error meet, division may be the result, but should we blame the division on those who teach the truth?

Several months ago we received an urgent request to conduct a seminar in a church in this Union. The people there had many questions, which we answered from the Bible and the Spirit of Prophecy. As we were leaving, they gave us a tape and suggested we listen to it on the way home.

The tape turned out to be a message that had been presented to them by their conference president a few weeks before our visit. On several points, he had told them the exact opposite of what we had shown them. Here is a sampling of the president’s opinion regarding perfection of character.

“Is it not extremely discouraging to us to discover, as we look back through the annals of history, to discover [sic] that no one except Jesus has ever reached that perfect standard, at least so far as we know? If Jesus is the only one so far who has reached that perfect standard, it doesn’t give us a great deal of encouragement, does it, to be able to accomplish what the great spiritual giants of the past were not able to accomplish.”

We, of course, had known nothing about this, so we had walked right into trouble. We had shown them our research report entitled Tell of His Power, which contains 2,500 statements from Ellen White’s writings, all of which strongly affirm the possibility of character perfection through the power of Christ. Worse yet, we had shown them a chapter in our book which records 48 warnings from Ellen White that there will be no change of character when Christ comes. We had also shown them a chapter which contains 37 statements from Ellen White regarding persons who have achieved character perfection. Jesus was not the only one, according to the Lord’s messenger. Her list of champions includes the patriarchs, the apostles, Enoch, Elijah, Joseph, Daniel and John. She writes:

“Souls that have borne the likeness of Satan have become transformed into the image of God” AA 476.

“Thousands have set the Lord before them, and by beholding have been changed into the same image” COL 133- 134.

“Some few in every generation from Adam resisted his (Satan’s) every artifice and stood forth as noble representations of what it was in the power of man to do and to be— Christ working with human efforts, helping man in overcoming the power of Satan” RH 3- 3- 74.

“In every phase of your character building you are to please God. This you may do; for Enoch pleased Him though living in a degenerate age. And there are Enochs in this our day” COL 332.

This is only a sampling. We had shown them many other Spirit of Prophecy passages that could not be harmonized with the opinions of the president. As we were driving along and listening to the tape, Jeanne turned to me and said, “This is it, Ralph. This is going to cost you your credentials.”

So— on that day we began to prepare our minds for the experience through which we are now passing. Yet, what else could we have done? Should we have

Elder Mostert wrote me a letter which began with these words:
“I despair with you over the fact that so many of our church members are finding It necessary to turn to independent ministries in order to hear basic Adventist teaching. ”

withheld the truth from the people in order to protect our position? No doubt the president’s visit, followed by ours, created some division of thought in that district Who is responsible for that division? What would be a fair judgment? And what would be God’s judgment?

We are not suggesting that this is the only dynamic working in the situation. We had earlier incurred the displeasure of the officers of the Division. Elders Bradford, Crumley and Dale had asked Dr. Frank Holbrook of the Biblical Research Institute to prepare a theological rationale to be used against independent ministry leaders. This paper was then sent to Ron Spear, along with warnings that he must submit to the authority of the church.

But, unfortunately, Dr. Holbrook had spread his net in such a manner that the first victim would have been Elder Bradford himself. After comparing independent ministry leaders with the rebel Satan and the rebels Korah, Dathan, and Abiram, Dr. Holbrook had set forth two theological aberrations that called for disfellowshipping members from the church, views we historic Adventists hold regarding 1) the human nature of Christ, and 2) righteousness by faith.

When this paper came into my hands, I wrote to the Division leadership, pointing out that on November 16, 1988, Elder Bradford had written a letter to me containing the following lines:

. . . . my views on the human nature of Christ are almost identical with some that you and others have expressed. I have preached them at large gatherings and camp meetings around the world.”

This is precisely the fault for which Dr. Holbrook had recommended disfellowshipping— holding a “wrong” view about the human nature of Christ and disturbing church members in other countries about it. He had also argued that our view regarding righteousness by faith is not in the book Seventh- day Adventists Believe. It is actually stated in that book 140 times!

I pointed these things out in a letter to the officers of the Division, and they were most displeased. Therefore, when Elder Mostert told me that the Division officers were in favor of denying my credentials, I was not surprised.

This paper by a member of the Biblical Research Institute may be taken as a sampling of the incredible theological confusion that exists in the church today. It is beyond question a theological problem which urgently needs to be dealt with on a theological level. The longer this is delayed, the greater will be the damage to the church. Our people have historically had an orientation toward truth. Many have left other churches and united with our church for the sake of truth. They have recognized that placing confidence in church leaders above devotion to the truth is a danger to be avoided. They have accepted the principle of individual responsibility for studying and knowing the truth and have turned away from the concept that the church is the interpreter of Scriptures. They have accepted Ellen White’s statement that:

“The Bible with its precious gems of truth was not written for the scholar alone” ST 331.

Therefore, it is a serious mistake to meet their urgent questions and concerns about our “truths that have been held sacred” with evasions and dissimulations. Suggestions by leadership that historic Seventh- day Adventists think they are the only ones in the church who know the truth, or that they are setting themselves up to be the judges of the church, or that they consider themselves to be the only holy ones, are recognized by many church members as simply throwing dust into the air. These tactics have a disastrous effect upon their confidence in leadership.

The historic Adventists, numbering in the thousands, are most emphatically not a group of crackpots and weirdos. They are not a group of malcontents and fanatics who turn to independent ministries simply as an expression of their rebellious spirit They are, for the most part, loyal, steadfast church members who have faced Sabbath tests, endured opposition from families and friends and have persevered in their devotion to the Lord and His sacred truth in the face of formidable odds. They turn to the independent ministries for a reason that has been well stated by our own Union president, Elder Mostert. On May 1, 1990, Elder Mostert wrote me a letter which began with these words:

“I despair with you over the fact that so many of our church members are finding it necessary to turn to independent ministries in order to hear basic Adventist teaching.”

Where will they go to hear basic Adventist teaching when the independent ministries have been destroyed, as seems to be the intention of the present church leadership? No doubt you have heard of the addresses given by our General Conference president at such places as the camp meeting in Hope, British Columbia, in 1991, which seemed to be a declaration of open season on the independent ministries and those who support them. I have tapes of those messages, and some of the statements are as awesome as they are inaccurate, intemperate and inflammatory.

But these messages have apparently set the pace, and in response, equally inaccurate and intemperate tirades have already been published by two Union presidents in their Union papers. I am finding it increasingly difficult to persuade the church members to whom I minister that these false accusations are made in ignorance and not in malice.

If the independent ministries are successfully destroyed, what can we expect to happen then? Can anyone seriously suppose that those church members who, as stated by our Union president, have had to turn to independent ministries in order to hear basic Adventist teaching will then meekly submit to authority and give their support to those who have destroyed the independent ministries? Can we expect them to just forget that their theological questions have not been answered? And, are we remembering a fact that was expressed to me recently by a retired Union Conference president:

“I hope that our brethren will remember that our conservative members are the financial backbone of our church.”

Which leads us inexorably to the question of tithe. As I have testified that the historic Adventists are not weirdos and crack- pots who support independent ministries simply as an expression of their rebellious spirit, I also wish to testify that neither do they send tithe to independent ministries because they prefer to do so. They would much rather send their tithe through church channels but feel they cannot conscientiously support the preaching of false theology.

I wish to address myself to an enormous misunderstanding that I regard as one of the major factors in our present problem. We hear much talk and many accusations about the independent ministries soliciting tithe. No independent ministry of my acquaintance has ever solicited tithe. Brethren, I plead with you to believe me when I say that the independent ministries do not solicit tithe, because they do not need to solicit tithe. It comes to them unsolicited, unbidden, unrequested. It is freely and voluntarily contributed by church members who are trying to relieve their consciences of a heavy burden.

This is the effect. What is the cause? The cause is the lack of preaching basic Seventh- day Adventist truths in their home churches and often supplanting them with either empty pablum or errors borrowed from Babylon. The cause is emphatically not the eloquence and trickery of a group of skillful con men who are leading independent ministries, as some seem to believe. To suppose that crushing the independent ministries and leaving the problem in the churches unresolved is a fearful mistake.

It was in response to the many urgent questions of such church members that I researched the matter and published my findings in the September, 1991 edition of Our Firm Foundation, in an article entitled, “The Tithe Problem, Who Is Responsible?” This article was a straight- forward and factual report of my findings on that subject. I stand ready to modify or correct my conclusions at any time evidence is presented to me that would justify such a modification or correction.

Unfortunately, some of the responses to that article have been something less than straightforward and factual, so much so that the office of the White Estate has made clear that the article on tithe published in the Review was a private project of Roger Coon, done entirely independent of either the White Estate Board or the White Estate staff. Of the many problems in the Roger Coon article, I would mention two. Coon argued that when Ellen White used the word “means,” this generally referred only to offerings and not to tithe. We are presently aware of 168 occasions when Ellen White went into print using the word “means” in a way that included tithe. Why did an officer of the White Estate not know this?

Again, Coon faults those who make reference to the “Watson letter,” since Ellen White had stated she did not desire her diversions of tithe to be widely

“God has a church. It Is not the great cathedral, neither Is it the national establishment . . . It Is the people who bye God and keep His commandments ” UL 315.

advertised. This overlooks the fact that the entire relevant portions of the Watson letter were published by the White Estate itself in 1981 (see Ellen G. White, The Early Elmshaven Years, 395- 396), and again in 1987 (see 2MR 99- 100). Why did an officer of the White Estate not know this?

In summary, may I quote the second sentence of the letter written to me by Elder Mostert on May 1, 1990:

“Obviously, one of the most unmet needs in the church at the present time is the lack of opportunity for leaders to dialogue with members in a meaningful way that does not create further frustration.”

I agree with and heartily applaud this statement It echoes the cries we hear from hurting and bewildered historic Adventists all across the continent: Why will not our leaders talk to us? Why will they not listen to us? Why will they not investigate our condition to determine whether our appeals are valid? Why are we considered trouble- makers because we are holding to the doctrines that are set forth in the book Seventh-day Adventists Believe? Can our leaders not recognize that antagonistic doctrines are being preached in many of our pulpits, taught in many of our schools, printed in our publishing houses and circulated in the Review? Is it their intention to support these false doctrines?

Further, they ask, Why do our leaders identify us as evildoers and enemies of the church when we finally give up appealing to them and turn in despair to places where our historic faith is being defended? Why do they use their power and authority against a minister who is widely known as a defender of our historic faith, while the facilities of some of our largest churches remain open to one who is equally well- known as an enemy of our historic faith?

Jeanne and I are presently ministering, by their invitation, to thousands of historic Adventists in this country and in other countries. In the year 1991 we spent forty of the fifty-two weekends conducting seminars in defense of our historic faith. (We pause to mention that we receive no remuneration whatever for conducting these seminars. The people pay only our expenses. We are sure you can understand how perplexed the historic Seventh- day Adventists are when they read in a Union paper that we are doing this for our own financial benefit.) We are presently fully booked for 1992 and into 1993.

We are able to report to you that the conviction is spreading among these historic Adventists that they are going to be hounded out of the church. They feel this is the only possible understanding of the inflammatory tirades that are being published against them. They are observing closely those situations in which illegal church discipline is being applied and disfellowshipping has already begun in flagrant disregard of the provisions in the church manual. One of the most evident characteristics of these actions has been and is continuing to be a lack of “due process.”

The historic Adventists remember that when Dr. Desmond Ford launched a vigorous assault against our sanctuary doctrine, the principles of “due process” were carefully followed. Every effort was made to ensure his case was dealt with in a fair and prudent manner, and rightly so. The historic Adventists are also noting that even though Dr. Ford is now attacking much more than our sanctuary doctrine and contributing very largely to the present apostasy in the church, the facilities of some of our largest churches remain open to him.

They are contrasting this with the fact that in a Pacific Union Recorder of 1991 an announcement stated Ralph Larson would conduct a seminar in the Beaumont Church on July 26 and 27 entitled “In Defense of the Sanctuary.” Before six weeks had passed, he had lost his ministerial credentials, without due process. This speaks volumes to the historic Seventh- day Adventists. Why, they are asking, is there so much patient tolerance toward those who attack our faith and so little toward those who defend it?

These developments are causing historic Adventists to consider carefully the proper relationship between the truth, the church and church authority. They are asking, Is it a valid theology of church authority that requires us to surrender the truth and accept false doctrines or is this a misuse and abuse of church authority? Is it a valid theology of stewardship that requires us to give financial support to the preaching of false doctrines? Is it a valid theology of church order that brands the preaching of truth as

The present division in the church Is a tension between our true historic faith, as described In Seventh- day Adventists Believe, and the Incompatible doctrines of modern Calvinism.

“divisive,” while tolerating the preaching of untruth? And, in the ultimate sense, what is the church? Let the Lord through His chosen messenger provide us with the answer:

“God has a church. It is not the great cathedral, neither is it the national establishment . . . it is the people who love God and keep His commandments.” UL 315.

We are directing your attention to the reality that the present division in the church is a tension between our true historic faith, as described in Seventh- day Adventists Believe, and the incompatible doctrines of modern Calvinism. We hold that it is unreasonable and unfair to charge this division upon those ministers and church members who wish to cling to our historic faith. The responsibility for division should be laid at the door of those who are promoting the false doctrines of Calvinism among us.

We believe that every administrator has a sacred obligation to encourage and support those who are defending our historic faith and not let himself be manipulated or maneuvered into an attitude of opposition toward them by camouflaged accusations of divisiveness, etc.

We are presently hearing that Dr. Desmond Ford is broadcasting that many of our scholars and administrators are now accepting his theology. This charge cannot be well met by silence and inaction, which will cause people to conclude that the allegation must be true.

Kenneth Sample, successor to Walter Martin, reports that when he took a survey of fifty- six ministers in a single conference in this Union, fourteen admitted to disbelief in the biblical basis of our sanctuary doctrine and thirteen more passed by that question while answering the other questions in the survey. Thus, about half of those surveyed could not bear a positive testimony in regard to the doctrine of which Ellen White wrote:

“The correct understanding of the ministration in the heavenly sanctuary is the foundation of our faith” Letter 208, 1906; EV 221.

Surely it is time for the officers of this Union to resolutely lead the way in ascertaining what persons, in the classrooms of our schools and the pulpits of our churches, are teaching the doctrines described in Seventh- day Adventists Believe, and what persons are substituting for those doctrines antagonistic and incompatible doctrines.

And it is time for a thorough investigation of my particular case, and a full and fair trial to be conducted by the Union Conference Committee. At that trial I will submit evidence that

I have appealed to our church leaders and scholars to recognize our theological problem by an investment of much time, many written appeals, and several thousand dollars worth of our two major research reports, The Word Made Flesh and Tell of His Power, that have been distributed among them.
I have sought no speaking appointments anywhere, but have simply responded to urgent requests for help from the suffering historic Seventh- day Adventists.
The evidence presented in our research reports has not been challenged by biblical or Spirit of Prophecy evidence from anyone. It has been met by sneers, jeers, and arguments against the man.
My theology is precisely the theology that is set forth in Seventh- day Adventists Believe.

Therefore, those who oppose my ministry and our doctrinal book are the ones who are divisive.

We are to unite, but not upon a platform of error.

Order copies of “None Dare Call it Apostasy” from our bookstore.

None Dare Call It Apostasy, Part I

June 1, 2020 by Jana Wagner

Dr. John J. Grosboll

Introduction

“Who are standing in the counsel of God at this time? Is it those who virtually excuse wrongs among the professed people of God and who murmur in their hearts, if not openly, against those who would reprove sin? Is it those who take their stand against them and sympathize with those who commit wrong? No, indeed! Unless they repent, and leave the work of Satan in oppressing those who have the burden of the work and in holding up the hands of sinners in Zion, they will never receive the mark of God’s sealing approval. They will fall in the general destruction of the wicked, represented by the work of the five men bearing slaughter weapons. Mark this point with care: Those who receive the pure mark of truth, wrought in them by the power of the Holy Ghost, represented by a mark by the man in linen, are those “that sigh and that cry for all the abominations that be done” in the church. Their love for purity and the honor and glory of God is such, and they have so clear a view of the exceeding sinfulness of sin, that they are represented as being in agony, even sighing and crying. Read the ninth chapter of Ezekiel” 3T 267.

Part one

LAODICEA-the term signifying serious spiritual maladies which is so often applied to the Seventh- day Adventist Church. We have heard it numerous times before and will undoubtedly hear it again. But is it really true that the church is spiritually ill? Some deny it Others acknowledge that fact, but ask, “Why does it have to be discussed all the time?”

Friend, the most serious problem of the Laodicean church is not her condition of being lukewarm, spiritually blind, destitute of the righteousness of Christ and unfaithful and unloving as described in Revelation 3: 14- 22. The more serious problem of Laodicea is that she does not know this is her condition. The reason Laodicea does not know this is not because the information concerning her condition is not available. This information has been available for decades. The problem is that a large part of Adventists are living in a state of denial of plain facts. They dare not acknowledge and act on these facts because to do so would involve discomfort (maybe pain) and necessitate earthshaking changes in their lives. It is like when a person is told by his physician that he has cancer— that is a terrible fact to hear, and a common way to respond to it, initially, is to live in a state of denial, especially if one feels good at the moment. To acknowledge the facts would involve a total revision of ones life, future objectives and plans because cancer will shorten one’s life if it is not eradicated or conquered.

In the same way, if Laodicea’s problem is not solved she will be vomited out of the mouth of the Lord. Is it being critical for a physician to tell a patient that he or she has cancer? It could be construed that way, but telling the facts is absolutely necessary if the patient is to be motivated to take the steps necessary for recovery. In the same way, the spiritual problems of God’s professed people today must be addressed plainly if they are going to be motivated to make the necessary changes so they are not weighed in the balances during the judgment and found wanting.

Friend, as long as God has a church that is in apostasy, He will send messengers to it. These messengers must warn, rebuke and plead with God’s professed people to repent, confess and reform or the curse of God will be upon them. Isaiah, one of His messengers, was told to “Cry aloud, spare not; lift up your voice like a trumpet; tell My people their transgression, and the house of Jacob their sins” Isaiah 58: 1. Today we are told, “In this fearful time, just before Christ is to come the second time, God’s faithful preachers will have to bear a still more pointed testimony than was borne by John the Baptist. A responsible, important work is before them; and those who speak smooth things, God will not acknowledge as His shepherds. A fearful woe is upon them” lT 321. Everything concerning our future destiny hangs on our accepting God’s diagnosis of our problem. The longer we experience a problem, the more used to it we become until finally it becomes difficult to realize how serious the problem really is. This happened in Christ’s day. ‘Through familiarity with evil, man had become blinded to its [sin’s] enormity” DA 752,753. This is one of the main reasons Laodicea is so complacent and there is such a lack of the spirit of Protestantism — all of us today have grown up in the midst of apostasy so we are used to it.

What is apostasy?

Paul describes apostasy as being characterized by 1) sin or breaking God’s law (2 Thessalonians 2: 3- 8), 2) believing a lie (2: 11), and 3) not believing the truth (2: 12). The Holy Spirit says that in the latter days some shall apostatize from the faith. “Now the Spirit expressly says that in latter times some will depart from the faith, giving heed to deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons” 1 Timothy 4: 1. For over one hundred years this condition has existed in Adventism. We have had a departure from the historic faith God delivered to us and have been breaking His law, believing lies and not believing the truth, as will now be documented from the Spirit of Prophecy and the historical facts.

One hundred and four years ago the General Conference president, the editor of the Review and Herald and many others in Adventism, rejected the truth God was trying to bring to His people at the Minneapolis General Conference. Although some later repented, the damage which this 1888 apostasy caused is felt even today. One of the principle areas of apostasy in 1888 was the unwillingness to accept the authority of the Spirit of Prophecy — one of the two identifying marks of God’s people in the last days. But we were not willing to face the facts of this apostasy. We covered it up. Adventism published books showing that we had really accepted the message of 1888 and we were going on to victory. (Examples of such books are Movement of Destiny, Perfect in Christ, Hot Potatoes and Myths of Adventism.) None dared call it apostasy.

But over one hundred years have gone by and we are still here. A few years after the 1888 Conference, Ellen White said that if we had accepted the message God was trying to send us we would have been in the kingdom ere this. There has been an apostasy.

When it was brought to our attention by brethren Wieland and Short that we had not accepted the message in them and none dared call it apostasy. It was not until the 1888 E. G. W. Materials were published that the average Adventist had available overwhelming proof from many testimonies that the 1888 message had been rejected, that our leaders and many others had gone into apostasy.

But that was only the beginning. Another facet of the apostasy m 1888 was authority. Over and over again Ellen White warned against “kingly power.” There was a power that belonged to God alone and those at the head of the work were not to seek to take some of this power to themselves. In 1888 and onward, testimony after testimony was given in this regard. The words of Jesus in Matthew 20: 25- 28 were to be followed: “But Jesus called them to Himself and said, ‘You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and those who are great exercise authority over them. Yet it shall not be so among you; but whoever desires to become great among you, let him be your servant And whoever desires to be first among you, let him be your slave— just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.” ‘ (See also Matthew 23: 8.) Ellen White continued her admonition after the 1888 conference. In 1896 she wrote the following instruction: “That which makes me feel to the very depths of my being~ and makes me know that their works are not the works of God, is that they suppose they have authority to rule their fellowmen. The Lord has given them no more right to rule others than He has given others to rule them. Those who assume the control of their fellow men take into their finite hands a work that devolves upon God alone.

“That men should keep alive the spirit which ran riot at Minneapolis is an offense to God. All heaven is indignant at the spirit that for years has been revealed in our publishing institution at Battle Creek. Unrighteousness is practiced that God will not tolerate. He will visit for these things. A voice has been heard pointing out the errors and, in the name of the Lord, pleading for a decided change. But who have followed the instruction given? Who have humbled their hearts to put from them every vestige of their wicked, oppressive spirit? I have been greatly burdened to set these matters before the people as they are. I know they will see them. I know that those who read this matter will be convicted” TM 76.

At the General Conference Session in 1901, Ellen White delivered a plea for “a reorganization” GCB 1901, page 25. A decentralization of power, a humbling of self, and a looking to the Lord instead of to man was the call of the hour.

A reorganization was made, one with the approval of Sister White: “I am thankful that there is to be a time when the mists will be cleared away. I hope that this time has begun here. We want the mists here to be cleared away. I want to say that from the light given tome by God, there should have been years ago organizations such as are now proposed. When we first met in conference, it was thought that the General Conference should extend over the whole world. But this is not in God’s order” Ibid. 68. Unfortunately, the plan of reorganization worked out in the 1901 General Conference was not implemented. This caused great sorrow to the heart of the messenger of God.

‘The result of the last General Conference has been the greatest, the most terrible sorrow of my life. No change was made. The spirit that should have been brought into the whole work as the result of that meeting was not brought in because men did not receive the testimonies of the Spirit of God. As they went to their several fields of labor, they did not walk in the light that the Lord had flashed upon their pathway, but carried into their work the wrong principles that had been prevailing in the work at Battle Creek” (Letter to Judge Jesse Arthur from Ellen White, Elmshaven, January 15, 1903).

By the 1903 General Conference, the state of affairs was such (because God’s plan failed to be implemented) that the centralization of power gave way in the formation of a General Conference with world- wide dominion, despite protest from a minority. Percy T. Magan who was part of this minority stated that the new plan swept away the organizational principles that had been followed in the 1897 and 1901 conferences and introduced principles that opened the way for a papal form of church government.

In 1901, the Spirit of Prophecy was officially accepted and endorsed. but not carried out in practice. This, my friend. will eventually bring about the same results as an open rejection.

The unwillingness to accept the authority of the Spirit of Prophecy affected not only our ministry, conferences and General Conference, it also affected our educational work.

In 1953, A. W. Spalding pointed out to our educators that we were in transgression of the Word of God in five areas: 1) type of motivation prevalent, 2) type of literature studied. 3) type of recreation, 4) lack of nature study and occupation, and 5) lack of proper parent education. In not a single one of these areas have our denominational schools reformed since 1953, rather we have apostatized even worse than then. In 1953 we were not, for example, engaging in competitive sports with the world as our schools are doing today.

Ellen White herself gave Elder Spalding and Dr. Magan permission to publish the selected testimonies that are now called the Spalding- Magan‘ s Collection. It is in these testimonies that explicit instruction is given in regard to tithe and other matters that is entirely contrary to what we have been taught in the professed Seventh- day Adventist Church. In the late 1950’s, when after more than thirty years had gone by and these testimonies still had not been published. a man attempted to print these testimonies and the General Conference threatened a lawsuit

The unwillingness to accept the authority of the Spirit of Prophecy resulted in a large departing from the counsels of God concerning health reform. This fact has been thoroughly researched and documented by Julius Gilbert White in his books. Are our ministers following this counsel in regard to health reform: “Let not any of our ministers set an evil example in the eating of fleshmeat”? MM 281.

Unwillingness to accept the authority of the Spirit of Prophecy has resulted in theological heresies so subtle that only those led by the Spirit of God and a careful study of the inspired writings detected what was happening.

How bad would it have to get before we would recognize there Is an apostasy?

Item: If we started to hypnotize Seventh- day Adventists in churches, would we then recognize that there was an apostasy?

[The tape of Dr. Bill Loveless is available for those who need evidence that hypnotic techniques are being taught to our pastors to be used on their congregations.]

Item: If we took fellow Adventists to court and put people in jail who were keeping the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus, would anyone recognize an apostasy?

[In 1989 John Marik was put in prison for using the name Seventh- day Adventist in his church in Hawaii, which was not under conference control]

NOTE:

“When troubles arise in the church we should not go for help to lawyers not of our faith. God does not desire us to open church difficulties before those who don’t fear Him. He would not have us depend for help on those who do not obey His requirements. Those who trust in such counselors show that they have not faith in God. By their lack of faith the Lord is greatly dishonored. and their course works great injury to . . . .

‘These men cast aside the counsel God has given, and do the very things He has bidden them not to do. They show that they have chosen the world as their judge, and in heaven their names are registered as one with unbelievers. Christ is crucified afresh, and put to open shame. Let these men know that God does not hear their prayers. They insult His holy name, and He will leave them to the buffetings of Satan until they shall see their folly and seek the Lord by confession of their sin” 3 SM 299.

Item: If we started playing intercollegiate and inter- city sports with non- Adventist colleges, would anyone recognize an apostasy? [Intercollegiate sports are happening in more than one of our colleges and the Review and Herald has its own team in an inter- city softball league.]

Item: If fiction became required reading in our denominational colleges, which led to the dramatization of a Greek myth that contained false doctrine of the undying soul, would someone credit it to apostasy?

[‘ The Mask Man will be presented at Southern College during an assembly program October. . . . The Mask Man is a solo performance that demonstrates the power and magic of transformation. It will be presented by its producer, Robert Faust. The cast of characters includes a guru, a nerd. a hippie, a nun, a turtle, an android and many more.” From a tabloid shopper that was sent free to every resident of greater Chattanooga, Tennessee.]

Item: If our college young people were encouraged to “do good” on the Sabbath by helping non- SDA neighbors by scraping and painting houses, preparing for the foundations of low- cost homes to be poured. etc., would anyone recognize an apostasy?

[See Insight magazine, August 3, 1991, page 6, “Holy Heresy,” where author Steve Daily reports these and other activities which were performed by 800 students and 50 staff at La Sierra College.]

Item: If the music that has its origin in spiritualism and which is condemned by the Spirit of Prophecy found its place, not only in the homes but also in the churches of professed Seventh- day Adventist people, would someone begin to comprehend something of an apostasy?

[A few years ago we condemned the activities of the Pentecostals as being of the devil— another spirit. We recognized their music as being of the devil, their speaking in unknown gibberish as being of the devil and especially pointed out the fact that any spirit that does not speak according to the law and to the testimony has no light in it (Isaiah 8: 20). Now we are doing the same things, some of our pastors having gone to the Pentecostals and brought the same style of worship into Adventism! Does anyone recognize an apostasy’?] [A church youth group in California was taken to a “Christian” hard- rock concert performed by Petra.] Item: If movie going and worldly entertainment became the “norm” at our high schools and colleges and reviews of these vile movies were published in some of the college newspapers, would anyone dare credit it to an apostasy?

[At Walla Walla College, reviews of the local showing movies are published in the student papers. (For counsel on theatrical performances from the Spirit of Prophecy on this, see 4T, 652- 653 or RH 2- 20- 66.]

Item: If fornication, premarital pregnancies and pornography became almost common occurrence m our schools, would someone begin to question the possibility of an apostasy?

Item: If our leaders maintained fellowship with other leaders who were living in sin and persecuting the true and the faithful, if the sinners were retained in the professed church while the true and faithful were disfellowshipped, ostracized. persecuted and forcibly separated from all connection with the General Conference, would anyone recognize there was an apostasy?

[During the first World War, Seventh- day Adventists who would not serve in armed forces on Sabbath or bear arms were not supported by the Seventh- day Adventist leadership. As a result, many went to prison and some were executed. After the war, an appeal was made to the General Conference to correct this error. The appeal was rejected and to our present knowledge the guilt of this blood has not yet been purged by repentance and confession. Yet, none dare call it apostasy.]

[In 1982, theologians met in Lima, Peru, to discuss unity of doctrine regarding baptism, the eucharist and ministry. They unanimously recommended a statement on these three doctrines for the official response of the churches. On the “Faith and Order Paper #11,” they state Adventists as one of the churches who agreed to this recommendation.]

Item: If people who are living in open sin are retained in churches and true and faithful Seventh- day Adventists are stripped of their offices and sometimes disfellowshipped. would anyone recognize an apostasy?

[After approximately 1,400 Hungarians were disfellowshipped for protesting the Church’s membership in the Council of Free Churches, there was an attempt to bring them under the control of the very organization that had been persecuting them— or else ruin them. They were told to stop all gatherings, not hold religious meetings, not receive offerings or early on their religious duties. When the true and faithful Seventh- day Adventists are disfellowshipped, if none dare call it apostasy the curse of God will be on us all (See Pilgrims Rest Tract WM- 140, July 1986; also Our Finn Foundation article by Marshall Grosboll, 11/ 88)]

Item: If Seventh- day Adventist college alumni associations began sponsoring Easter sunrise services at one of our denominational college chapels, would you think someone would acknowledge an apostasy?

[In 1992, Atlantic Union College’s Alumni Association invited the alumni to an Easter sunrise service.] Item: When administrators attempt to cover up sin in the ministry or the sins of the wealthy and prominent, instead of calling for repentance, confession and reformation of life, would anyone recognize apostasy?

Item: If ministers who teach the people they can live on in sin until Jesus comes and still be saved are retained, but true and faithful ministers who preach the three angels’ messages are fired or dismissed. does anyone recognize an apostasy? [List: Ken Knutson, Marshall Grosboll, David Bauer] Item: If a hierarchical church government were developed among those who professed to be the remnant church, would someone recognize an apostasy?

[The apostasy was made evident in the 1970’s in the Merikay Silver case (The U. S. vs the SDA Church in EEOC vs PPPA). It was clearly proclaimed in this case that the SDA Church is hierarchical. It was also claimed in this case that the General Conference of the church is the only body having authority to alter the structure of the church, either in doctrine or organization! (No church has the authority to modify doctrine — that is a prerogative of Deity alone and to make such a claim is blasphemous.)]

Item: If leaders began to say that Jesus did not come m fallen, human nature, and therefore, was different from you and me in that we cannot hope to overcome sin as He did, would anyone admit to apostasy?

[The Questions on Doctrine apostasy was first pointed out by Elder M. L. Andreasen. He wrote, “We have reached a crisis in this denomination when leaders are attempting to enforce false doctrine and threaten those who object” (Letters to the Churches, #3, by M. L. Andreason, page 8). “A Saviour who has never been tempted, never has had to battle with passions, who has never ‘offered up prayers and supplications with strong crying and tears unto Him who was able to save Him from death, ‘who though he were a son’ never learned obedience by the things he suffered, but was ‘exempt’ from the very things that a true Saviour must experience: such a Saviour is what this NEW THEOLOGY as given in Questions on Doctrine offers us. It is not the kind of Saviour I need, nor the World” Ibid. 7.]

Item: If a majority of Seventh- day Adventist pastors and teachers began to teach that we can be saved in sin, which is to teach a different gospel than has been historically taught in the Seventh- day Adventist Church, would anyone begin to realize an apostasy? [A main tactic for thousands of years by a church that is in apostasy is to attempt to keep the truth from being examined by the people. The leaders in Adventism have repeatedly done this: “Included in such discussions have been related theological concepts such as the nature of Christ, the nature of man, the nature of sin, perfection and the question as to whether it is possible for a Christian to live a sinless life…. We are requesting that we refrain from involving ourselves in public presentations [about these matters].

Adventist Review, May 24, 1979, “Open Letter to the Church,” by Neal C. Wilson.] Item: If an SDA minister who has preached the historic Adventist message for approximately fifty years, has pastured some of our largest churches and taught theology in Adventist colleges and seminaries and never been shown to be preaching heresies denied credentials without due process and is not even allowed a hearing~ would anyone recognize an apostasy? This, friend, is a very basic transgression of God’s law. But, none dare call it apostasy! Laodicea does not want to hear about this apostasy. Either it is denied or others say, “Yes we know there is apostasy in the church, but why do you want to talk about it all the time?” Friend, as long as God has a church that is in apostasy, He will send messengers to it (Isaiah 58: 1). These messengers must warn, rebuke and plead with God’s professed people to repent, confess and reform or the curse of God will be upon them. “The curse causeless shall not come” Proverbs 26: 2.

PROPHETIC PARALLELS The Church “Then”. . . . . .and the Church Now

by Terry S. Ross

PROPHETIC PARALLELS The Church “Then”. . . . . .and the Church Now

by Terry S. Ross

PROPHETIC PARALLELS The Church “Then”. . . . . .and the Church Now

by Terry S. Ross

PROPHETIC PARALLELS The Church “Then”. . . . . .and the Church Now

by Terry S. Ross

PROPHETIC PARALLELS The Church “Then”. . . . . .and the Church Now

by Terry S. Ross

PROPHETIC PARALLELS – The Church “Then”. . . . . .and the Church Now

by Terry S. Ross

CONDENSED VERSION

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS and FOREWORD

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

FOREWORD

The Timing of the Movement

Isaiah Saw the Celebration Movement

New Theology for a New Movement

The Movement Finds a Home

Celebration Spreads

Time to Speak Up

Conclusion

Dr. Ralph Larson Introduction

Part two

Division: Its Nature, Its Causes, and Its Cure.

Dr. John J. Grosboll Introduction

Part one

What is apostasy?

PROPHETIC PARALLELS
The Church “Then”. . . . . .and the Church Now

PROPHETIC PARALLELS
The Church “Then”. . . . . .and the Church Now

PROPHETIC PARALLELS
The Church “Then”. . . . . .and the Church Now

PROPHETIC PARALLELS
The Church “Then”. . . . . .and the Church Now

PROPHETIC PARALLELS
The Church “Then”. . . . . .and the Church Now

Dr. Ralph Larson

Introduction

Dr. John J. Grosboll

Introduction