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Question & Answer – What was the relationship between King Agrippa and Herod?

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For the king knoweth of these things, before whom also I speak freely: for I am persuaded that none of these things are hidden from him; for this thing was not done in a corner. King Agrippa, believest thou the prophets? I know that thou believest. Then Agrippa said unto Paul, Almost thou persuadest me to be a Christian.” Acts 26:26–28.

Reviewing the Ellen G. White comments on the words spoken to Agrippa in the book of Acts, it appears that he came from the Herod family. She poses the question: “What were Agrippa’s thoughts? Did the mind of Agrippa at these words revert to the past history of his family, and their fruitless efforts against Him whom Paul was preaching? Did he think of his great-grandfather Herod, and the massacre of the innocent children of Bethlehem? of his great-uncle Antipas, and the murder of John the Baptist? of his own father, Agrippa 1, and the martyrdom of the apostle James? Did he see in the disasters which speedily befell these kings an evidence of the displeasure of God in consequence of their crimes against His servants? Did the pomp and display of that day remind Agrippa of the time when his own father, a monarch more powerful than he, stood in that same city, attired in glittering robes, while the people shouted that he was a god? Had he forgotten how, even before the admiring shouts had died away, vengeance, swift and terrible, had befallen the vainglorious king? Something of all this flitted across Agrippa’s memory; but his vanity was flattered by the brilliant scene before him, and pride and self-importance banished all nobler thoughts.” “Ellen G. White Comments,” The Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, vol. 6, 1066.

King Agrippa 11:

  • His great grandfather, Herod the Great, was the evil king who ordered all children two years old and under in Bethlehem killed (Matthew 2:16).
  • His great uncle Herod Antipas, son of Herod the Great, murdered John the Baptist (Matthew 14:6–10).
  • And his own father, Agrippa 1, caused the martyrdom of the apostle James and shortly thereafter an angel smote him and he suffered a most painful death (Acts 12:1–25).

In Sketches from the Life of Paul, 260, we are told: “One, at least, had been almost persuaded to accept of grace and pardon. But to be almost persuaded, means to put aside the proffered mercy, to be convinced of the right way, but to refuse to accept the cross of a crucified Redeemer.

“King Agrippa’s curiosity was satisfied, and rising from his seat, he signified that the interview was at an end. As the assembly dispersed, the case of Paul was freely discussed, and all agreed that, while he might be an enthusiast or a fanatic, he could not in any sense be regarded as a legal criminal; he had done nothing worthy of death or imprisonment.”

Had King Agrippa accepted the grace and pardon offered, he would have become part of the family of God. However, to be “almost persuaded,” means to put aside the proffered mercy and be wholly lost.

Question & Answer – Did Ellen White plagiarize from other sources when writing on health reform?

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The following question was directed to her. Did you receive your views upon health reform before visiting the health institute at Dansville, New York, or before you had read works on the subject?

Answer:

“It was at the house of Brother A. Hilliard, at Otsego, Michigan, June 6, 1863, that the great subject of Health Reform was opened before me in vision. I did not visit Dansville till August, 1864, fourteen months after I had the view. I did not read any works upon health until I had written Spiritual Gifts, volumes 3 and 4, Appeal to Mothers, and had sketched out most of my six articles in the six numbers of How to Live. I did not know that such a paper existed as the Laws of Life, published at Dansville, New York. I had not heard of the several works upon health, written by Dr. J. C. Jackson, and other publications at Dansville, at the time I had the view named above. I did not know that such works existed until September, 1863, when in Boston, Massachusetts, my husband saw them advertised in a periodical called the Voice of the Prophets, published by Elder J. V. Himes. My husband ordered the works from Dansville and received them at Topsham, Maine. His business gave him no time to peruse them, and as I determined not to read them until I had written out my views, the books remained in their wrappers. As I introduced the subject of health to friends where I labored in Michigan, New England, and in the State of New York, and spoke against drugs and flesh meats, and in favor of water, pure air, and a proper diet, the reply was often made, ‘You speak very nearly the opinions taught in the Laws of Life, and other publications, by Drs. Trall, Jackson, and others. Have you read that paper and those works?’ My reply was that I had not, neither should I read them till I had fully written out my views, lest it should be said that I had received my light upon the subject of health from physicians, and not from the Lord. And after I had written my six articles for How to Live, I then searched the various works on hygiene and was surprised to find them so nearly in harmony with what the Lord had revealed to me. And to show this harmony, and to set before my brethren and sisters the subject as brought out by able writers, I determined to publish How to Live, in which I largely extracted from the works referred to.” The Review and Herald, October 8, 1867.

Question & Answer – How can the Morning and Night be Simultaneous as stated in Isaiah 21:12?

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As the watchmen are accosted, ‘What of the night?’ the answer is given unfalteringly, ‘The morning cometh, and also the night.’ ” Isaiah 21:11, 12.

For God, easy! “Soon there will be a revealing of His glory. The Sun of Righteousness is about to shine forth. The morning and the night are both at hand—the opening of endless day to the righteous, the settling down of eternal night to the wicked.” The Great Controversy, 632.

Ellen White, in The Review and Herald, March 16, 1897, expresses another thought regarding this:

“Christ sees the wickedness on the earth today. He sees that the sins of Noah’s and Lot’s time are being repeated. What terrible revelations of crime are being made! Everything seems to be stirred with an intense activity from beneath. Excitement is continually kept up. Feasting, buying, and selling, are brought into the churches. The watchman cries, ‘The morning cometh, and also the night.’ The night symbolizes prevalence of error, misinterpretation and misapplication of Scripture. Every species of delusion is now being brought in. The plainest truths of God’s word are covered with a mass of man-made theories. Deadly errors are presented as the truth to which all must bow. The simplicity of true godliness is buried beneath tradition.”

Both of these explanations are relevant. As we press on to the final conflict, this is no time to compromise. The eternal morning is just ahead as long as we are faithful. If we choose a path of disobedience and disloyalty to the God of heaven, we will be partakers of the night.

“God’s watchmen are to lift up the voice, saying, The morning cometh, and also the night. ‘Come out from among them, and be ye separate. … and touch not the unclean thing’ II Corinthians 6:17. ‘Be ye clean that bear the vessels of the Lord’ (Isaiah 52:11).” Spalding and Magan Collection, 193. [All emphasis added]

Question & Answer – What can interfere or block the Holy Spirit from working in my life?

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I think you are asking the same thing that Paul counsels us not to do in Ephesians 4:30, “… grieve not the Holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.”

There are several comments that give some ideas on what may interfere with the Holy Spirit working in our lives. These are found in Healthful Living, 306.

  1. The willful commission of a known sin silences the witnessing voice of the Spirit, and separates the soul from God. Jesus cannot abide in the heart that disregards the divine law. God will honor those only who honor Him.
  2. No one need look upon the sin against the Holy Ghost as something mysterious and indefinable. The sin against the Holy Ghost is the sin of persistent refusal to respond to the invitations to repent.
  3. Let all examine their own hearts, to see if they are not cherishing that which is a positive injury to them, and in the place of opening the door of the heart to let Jesus, the Sun of Righteousness, in, are complaining of the dearth of the Spirit of God.
  4. Let these search for their idols, and cast them out.
  5. Let them cut away from every unhealthful indulgence in eating and drinking.
  6. Let them bring their daily practice into harmony with nature’s laws. By doing, as well as believing, an atmosphere will be created about the soul that will be a savor of life unto life.

Also read Ephesians 4:22–32 which is filled with words of counsel.

Also we are told: “The sin of blasphemy against the Holy Spirit does not lie in any sudden word or deed; it is the firm, determined resistance of truth and evidence.” “Ellen G. White Comments,” The Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, vol. 5, 1093.

Remember to ask the Lord for spiritual discernment so you can see what it is that may be blocking the Holy Spirit from working in your life. Give your whole heart to Jesus and walk with Him, do not resist the truth, and you will see the results in your life and so will others.

Question & Answer – Succour, What does this mean?

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The word succour means to give assistance and support in times of hardship and distress. In Hebrews 2:18 it says, “For in that He Himself hath suffered being tempted, He is able to succour them that are tempted.”

Example: Jesus waited for His Father to “ succour ” or to help Him.

“In the wilderness, when all means of sustenance failed, God sent His people manna from heaven; and a sufficient and constant supply was given. This provision was to teach them that while they trusted in God and walked in His ways He would not forsake them. The Saviour now practiced the lesson He had taught to Israel. By the word of God succour had been given to the Hebrew host, and by the same word it would be given to Jesus. He awaited God’s time to bring relief. He was in the wilderness in obedience to God, and He would not obtain food by following the suggestions of Satan. In the presence of the witnessing universe, He testified that it is a less calamity to suffer whatever may befall than to depart in any manner from the will of God.” The Desire of Ages, 121.

Example: The Moravians were calm and waited for the Lord’s help; they waited for Him to succour them.

“On board the ship was a company of Moravians. Violent storms were encountered on the passage, and John Wesley, brought face to face with death, felt that he had not the assurance of peace with God. The Germans, on the contrary, manifested a calmness and trust to which he was a stranger.

“ ‘I had long before’, he says, ‘observed the great seriousness of their behavior. Of their humility they had given a continual proof, by performing those servile offices for the other passengers which none of the English would undertake; for which they desired and would receive no pay, saying it was good for their proud hearts, and their loving Saviour had done more for them. And every day had given them occasion of showing a meekness which no injury could move. If they were pushed, struck, or thrown about, they rose again and went away; but no complaint was found in their mouth. There was now an opportunity of trying whether they were delivered from the spirit of fear, as well as from that of pride, anger, and revenge. In the midst of the psalm wherewith their service began, the sea broke over, split the mainsail in pieces, covered the ship, and poured in between the decks as if the great deep had already swallowed us up. A terrible screaming began among the English. The Germans calmly sang on. I asked one of them afterwards, “Were you not afraid?” He answered, “I thank God, no.” I asked, “But were not your women and children afraid?” He replied mildly, “No; our women and children are not afraid to die.” ’ Whitehead, Life of the Rev. John Wesley, page 10.” The Great Controversy, 254, 255.

In times of hardship and distress, we need to wait on the Lord to succour us, to give us the needed help for that time.

Question & Answer – How Was Jesus Strengthened by Angels?

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“And there appeared an angel unto Him from heaven, strengthening Him.” Luke 22:43.

The Lord has given us, through the Spirit of Prophecy, the following details of the visit to Jesus by the angel while He was in Gethsemane.

“In this awful crisis, when everything was at stake, when the mysterious cup trembled in the hand of the sufferer, the heavens opened, a light shone forth amid the stormy darkness of the crisis hour, and the mighty angel who stands in God’s presence, occupying the position from which Satan fell, came to the side of Christ.

  • The angel came not to take the cup from Christ’s hand, but to strengthen Him to drink it, with the assurance of the Father’s love.
  • He came to give power to the divine-human suppliant.
  • He pointed Him to the open heavens, telling Him of the souls that would be saved as the result of His sufferings.
  • He assured Him that His Father is greater and more powerful than Satan, that His death would result in the utter discomfiture of Satan, and that the kingdom of this world would be given to the saints of the Most High.
  • He told Him that He would see of the travail of His soul, and be satisfied, for He would see a multitude of the human race saved, eternally saved.

“Christ’s agony did not cease, but His depression and discouragement left Him. The storm had in nowise abated, but He who was its object was strengthened to meet its fury. …

“The sleeping disciples had been suddenly awakened by the light surrounding the Saviour. They saw the angel bending over their prostrate Master. They saw him lift the Saviour’s head upon his bosom, and point toward heaven. They heard his voice, like sweetest music, speaking words of comfort and hope.” The Desire of Ages, 693, 694.

I must smile at this detail: “Standing in advance of His disciples He said, ‘Whom seek ye?’ They answered, ‘Jesus of Nazareth.’ Jesus replied, ‘I am He.’ As these words were spoken, the angel who had lately ministered to Jesus moved between Him and the mob. A divine light illuminated the Saviour’s face, and a dovelike form overshadowed Him. In the presence of this divine glory, the murderous throng could not stand for a moment. They staggered back. Priests, elders, soldiers, and even Judas, fell as dead men to the ground.

“The angel withdrew, and the light faded away.” [Emphasis added] Ibid., 694.

Question & Answer – What is Presumptuous Sin?

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Satan counterfeits the attributes of the Lord. His counterfeit of faith is presumption, which is so deceptive that each of us needs a true faith based on the Word so they will not be fooled. “That so-called faith in Christ which professes to release men from the obligation of obedience to God, is not faith, but presumption.” Steps to Christ, 61.

In The Desire of Ages, 126, we are told the following: “But faith is in no sense allied to presumption. Only he who has true faith is secure against presumption. For presumption is Satan’s counterfeit of faith.

The heart is deceitfully wicked and man’s feelings cannot be trusted. Daily study of God’s word accompanied with prayers to heaven must be made with a request for a heart cleansing. Plead with God as did David in Psalm 139:23, 24 when he said, “Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts: and see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.” For those who in sincerity pray this prayer, God will help identify any presumptuous thought.

“There are those who profess holiness, who declare that they are wholly the Lord’s, who claim a right to the promises of God, while refusing to render obedience to His commandments. These transgressors of the law claim everything that is promised to the children of God; but this is presumption on their part, for John tells us that true love for God will be revealed in obedience to all His commandments.” The Acts of the Apostles, 562.

We fall for the devil’s counterfeit when we presume upon God’s word while we do not walk by faith with Him in obedience. Thus the prayer of David should also be our prayer: “Keep back thy servant also from presumptuous sins; let them not have dominion over me: then shall I be upright, and I shall be innocent from the great transgression.” Psalm 19:13.

FAITH PRESUMPTION
Faith claims God’s promises, and brings forth fruit in obedience. Presumption also claims the promises, but uses them as Satan did, to excuse transgression.
Faith would have led our first parents to trust the love of God, and to obey His commands. Presumption led them to transgress His law, believing that His great love would save them from the consequence of their sin.
Genuine faith has its foundation in the promises and provisions of the Scriptures. It is not faith (but presumption) that claims the favor of Heaven without complying with the conditions on which mercy is to be granted.

Question & Answer – Spewed Out – Meaning of

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What does it mean to be “ spewed ” out of His mouth as stated in Revelation 3:16, and what could be the cause?

Ellen White clearly interprets the meaning of this in Testimonies, vol. 6, 408: “The figure of spewing out of His mouth means that He cannot offer up your prayers or your expressions of love to God. He cannot endorse your teaching of His word or your spiritual work in anywise. He cannot present your religious exercises with the request that grace be given you.”

Our Father in heaven so loved this world that He gave Jesus to us as our Mediator and Saviour. (See John 3:16). A mediator is a go-between. If, because you have continually failed or refused to walk in the light of His word and have no repentance and sorrow for sin and no turning away from the ways of this world, then you will be “spewed” out of His mouth.

“To those who do not practice it, the word of God is a dead letter. Christ says of such, ‘I would thou wert cold or hot. So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue [spew] thee out of my mouth’ (Revelation 3:15, last part, 16). He cannot present their case to the Father. If they realized that they were sinners, He could plead in their behalf, and the Lord would arouse them by His Holy Spirit. But they are worse than dead in trespasses and sins. They hear the Word, but make no application of it to themselves; instead, they apply the Word spoken to their neighbors.” “Ellen G. White Comments,” The Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, vol. 7, 963.

Some consequences of being “spewed” out:

  • God will not hear because Jesus is not interceding for you.
  • Your prayers or your expressions of love to the Father will not be received.
  • His approval of you even if teaching His word will not be received.
  • Your requests for grace will not be presented before the Father and thus never received.
  • Your case before the Father will not be mediated.

Without Jesus, we have no way to communicate with God the Father. So to be spewed out is to be in a hopeless situation.

A Warning Sign – “If the professed people of God find their hearts opposed to the straight work of God, it should convince them that they have a work to do to overcome, or be spewed out of the mouth of the Lord.” Spiritual Gifts, vol. 2, 225.

Question & Answer – Who Judges the Wicked?

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Do ye not know that the saints shall judge the world? and if the world shall be judged by you, are ye unworthy to judge the smallest matters” (1 Corinthians 6:2)?

“Then I saw thrones, and Jesus and the redeemed saints sat upon them; and the saints reigned as kings and priests unto God, and the wicked dead were judged, and their acts were compared with the statute book, the word of God, and they were judged according to the deeds done in the body. Jesus, in union with the saints, meted out to the wicked the portion they must suffer, according to their works; and it was written in the book of death, and set off against their names. Satan and his angels were also judged by Jesus and the saints. Satan’s punishment was to be far greater than that of those whom he had deceived. It so far exceeded their punishment that it could not be compared with theirs. After all those whom he had deceived had perished, Satan was to still live and suffer on much longer.” Spiritual Gifts, vol. 1, 212, 213.

“After the saints are changed to immortality and caught up together with Jesus, after they receive their harps, their robes, and their crowns, and enter the city, Jesus and the saints sit in judgment. The books are opened—the book of life and the book of death. The book of life contains the good deeds of the saints; and the book of death contains the evil deeds of the wicked. These books are compared with the statute book, the Bible, and according to that men are judged. The saints, in unison with Jesus, pass their judgment upon the wicked dead. ‘Behold ye,’ said the angel, ‘the saints, in unison with Jesus, sit in judgment, and mete out to the wicked according to the deeds done in the body, and that which they must receive at the execution of the judgment is set off against their names.’ This, I saw, was the work of the saints with Jesus through the one thousand years in the Holy City before it descends to the earth.” Early Writings, 52, 53.

Question & Answer – What does Circumcision represent? What does it have to do with today?

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Part of the conditions of God’s covenant with Abraham required all males born to both him and his descendants to be circumcised on the eighth day. This was to serve as a constant reminder that they had been separated from other nations to be God’s special people.

“He then required of Abraham and his seed, circumcision, which was a circle cut in the flesh, as a token that God had cut them out and separated them from all nations as His peculiar treasure. By this sign they solemnly pledged themselves that they would not intermarry with other nations, for by so doing they would lose their reverence for God and His holy law, and would become like the idolatrous nations around them.” The Story of Redemption, 146, 147.

“By the act of circumcision they solemnly agreed to fulfill on their part the conditions of the covenant made with Abraham, to be separate from all nations and to be perfect. If the descendants of Abraham had kept separate from other nations, they would not have been seduced into idolatry. By keeping separate from other nations, a great temptation to engage in their sinful practices and rebel against God would be removed from them. They lost in a great measure their peculiar, holy character by mingling with the nations around them. To punish them, the Lord brought a famine upon their land, which compelled them to go down into Egypt to preserve their lives. But God did not forsake them while they were in Egypt, because of His covenant with Abraham. He suffered them to be oppressed by the Egyptians, that they might turn to Him in their distress, choose His righteous and merciful government, and obey His requirements.” Ibid.

Though God’s covenant with Abraham remains the same today and physical circumcision is no longer required as an act of separation for God’s people, the symbol represents a circumcision of the heart. Sin is to be cut away, eradicated from the life. When God circumcises our hearts, He gives to us a new heart (Ezekiel 36:26, 27). He puts His Holy Spirit within us so that we will walk in His ways and not in the ways of the world. With a new heart we are born again. We are His people, sojourners in this world, looking forward to the heavenly kingdom and the mansions that He has gone to prepare for us (John 14:2, 3).

Circumcision is an outward sign of an inward attitude and commitment. “Circumcise yourselves to the Lord, circumcise your hearts, you people of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem.” Jeremiah 4:4 NIV.