Non Prophet Institutions

Within the system of the Israelites, to forward the education that heaven counts most profitable, God established the schools of the prophets. Thereby, God’s wisdom could be passed along through His messengers. As long as those who professed the truth believed and followed the counsel, their spiritual prosperity would be sure. God loved, and still loves, His children so much that He is willing to oversee all aspects of their lives. He cares not alone for their spiritual well being, but also their mental and physical health. For these reasons, the schools of the prophets were raised by God’s guiding hand. These institutions were not only an expression of God’s guidance but would also build the faith of His people. God had purposed to educate His people about His loving care through these schools and through the parents and grandparents in every Hebrew home. Thus, He planned to pass on the gospel from a converted people to their children and then out into the rest of the world. It was never God’s purpose that strangers with strange theories should be entrusted with the education of His people or their children. This would, and has always, proved disastrous to the faith of God’s people.

Within the providence and avenues of God’s Word, history, personal testimony and nature, God’s people can find a better way of education. By searching these paths of God’s grace, we are ever to learn additional and deeper truths.

But as true as this is, there is also one who is bent on bringing death and disaster to all that God has pronounced good. That which is good he means to make bad. That which is lovely he means to make vile. That which builds faith he destroys by presumption. In other words, he has one thing in mind. To make of none effect the testimony of God.

In the days of Samuel things were much different in the educational system than they are today. “The chief subjects of study in these schools were the law of God, with the instructions given to Moses, sacred history, sacred music, and poetry. The manner of instruction was far different from that in the theological schools of the present day, from which many students graduate with less real knowledge of God and religious truth than when they entered. In those schools of the olden time it was the grand object of all study to learn the will of God and man’s duty toward Him.” Patriarchs and Prophets, 593.

In contrast here is a small sample of what is important to those getting their education at what is considered the top Seventh-day Adventist Theological Seminary on earth. “It is high time that our church consider that ‘Category A’ sex (known as solo sex, self sex, or partnerless sex) might be a reasonable sexual alternative for today’s singles. The best sexologists and medical experts now agree that solo sex is not physically harmful, and even conservative Christians . . . suggest that since scripture is silent on the matter, occasional self stimulation is no big deal.” Andrews University—John Berecz, Professor of Psychology.

Does this shock you the way it shocked me?! I sure hope that it does. But as alarming and blatantly false as this is, it is being brought to bear on the belief system of the youth who go to Andrews and other “official” SDA institutions around the world. Can one imagine this sort of counsel ever coming out the mouth of any of God’s prophets?

For this professor to make the claim, or try to, vicariously through other “conservative Christians,” that God has remained silent on this subject is pure heresy and falsehood. Here are just two of many, many inspired quotations. “His case was shown me in vision. I saw that he was deceived in regard to himself, that he was not in favor with God. He had practiced self-abuse until he was a mere wreck of humanity. This vice was shown me as an abomination in the sight of God.” Child Guidance, 70. [All emphasis supplied.]

The faculty in educational employment would do well to give special attention to this next inspired quotation: “Steady industry upon a farm would have proved a blessing to these children, and constant employment, as their strength could bear, would have given them less opportunity to corrupt their own bodies by self-abuse, and would have prevented them from instructing a large number in this hellish practice.” Special Testimony for the Battle Creek Church, 19, 20.

Today many are seeking a knowledge that is not from God, but from popular circles of men. This is just where the trouble started in the ancient system. The Israelites could not be content with being peculiar unto the Lord. They had to be like everyone else—like the other nations. This has always proved ruinous to God’s people. It has never been a blessing to seek the approbation and accreditation of men not of our faith.

It is obvious that those who are going to these schools and universities, which have already compromised our distinctive calling and faith, are being polluted by the open encouragement to do those things which God has plainly stated are an abomination in His sight! How can anything good come of such blatant counter-productive education when inspiration clearly declares: “Satan deceives many with the plausible theory that God’s love for His people is so great that He will excuse sin in them; he represents that while the threatenings of God’s Word are to serve a certain purpose in His moral government, they are never to be literally fulfilled. But in all His dealings with His creatures God has maintained the principles of righteousness by revealing sin in its true character—by demonstrating that its sure result is misery and death. The unconditional pardon of sin never has been, and never will be. Such pardon would show the abandonment of the principles of righteousness, which are the very foundation of the government of God. It would fill the unfallen universe with consternation. God has faithfully pointed out the results of sin, and if these warnings were not true, how could we be sure that His promises would be fulfilled? That so-called benevolence which would set aside justice is not benevolence but weakness.” Patriarchs and Prophets, 522.

To an alarming degree, the people at these universities of “higher learning” are educating the “future of Adventism” to believe that sin is acceptable with heaven. It is amazing that they can continue to openly operate in this fashion with virtually no cry of “foul” from within the organization! Where are those who claim to be the “leaders” in this denomination? What is being demonstrated is not faith, which understands the importance, sanctity, and security of God’s combination of mercy and justice, but presumption that encourages flagrant sin.

Dear friends, we may wish that we could gratify ourselves any way we choose. We may want to “have our cake and eat it too” as the saying goes. Certainly we all have struggled with these things because of our sinful natures, but to encourage others to sin and commit abominations against God is to succumb to the “cheap grace” theories of the popular masses that make claim to Christianity. This is not only without honor but is self-destructive. We need to know that genuine faith is built on a “thus saith the Lord,” and anything short of this is its satanic counterpart—presumption. Surely, the agenda of apostasy moves forward from within and nothing will be allowed to stand in the way of the movement. (See Selected Messages, vol. 1, 204.)

“Like Israel, Christians too often yield to the influence of the world and conform to its principles and customs, in order to secure the friendship of the ungodly; but in the end it will be found that these professed friends are the most dangerous of foes. The Bible plainly teaches that there can be no harmony between the people of God and the world . . .Satan works through the ungodly, under cover of a pretended friendship, to allure God’s people into sin, that he may separate them from Him; and when their defense is removed, then he will lead his agents to turn against them and seek to accomplish their destruction.” Patriarchs and Prophets, 559.

Because we, as a people, have gone to the world to seek their applause and accreditation, and in so doing have lowered our distinctive standards, we are filled with the “mixed multitude” and are paying severely for it. It is sadly all too true that: “The justice and mercy, the beauty of holiness and the sure reward of right doing, the heinous character of sin and the certainty of its terrible results, are not impressed upon the minds of the young.

“Are there not some lessons which the educators of our day might learn with profit from the ancient schools of the Hebrews? He who created man has provided for his development in body and mind and soul. Hence, real success in education depends upon the fidelity with which men carry out the Creator’s plan.” Patriarchs and Prophets, 595.

And what else are our students learning in the modern-day “school of the prophets?” Let us look at the kind of music our young adults are being “educated” with. The following is a quotation from the newspaper at Andrews University: “On a late September morning, this past fall, I sat at a large wooden table in the Little Bakery with Ice, Tim Gillespie (lead vocals, rhythm guitar), Mike Knecht (lead guitar) and Jeff Wright (bass). These four men were all students at Andrews University at one time or another . . . Over this summer, they continued rehearsing and defining their sound, an interesting mix of rock-n-roll, acoustic textures and a bit of funk. “Gillespie, Ice and Knecht are youth pastors and Wright is an anthropologist.” Andrews University Student Movement—Mark Feldbush, 1/29/97 page 10.

Next from Adventist Today: “Most of the five hundred or so who attend the two worship services [at Grace Place SDA Church] each Sabbath are former or inactive Adventists. Attracted by the warm-hearted fellowship they encounter and a worship service planned with them in mind, many non-Adventists also attend. The two Sabbath morning services are ‘very contemporary’ . . . According to Aldo Ramos of Grace Place, the debate is not about Grace Place, ‘This debate is not about Grace Place, but about the denomination as a whole.’ ” [He goes on to say that the traditional style of the SDA Church is outdated and needs to be overhauled in many ways.] Adventist Today, May-June 1997, 12, 13.

By now, many of us understand what “contemporary” worship services or “contemporary Christian music” means. It is another way of saying music that is upbeat and has strong elements of Rock-N-Roll, Jazz, or Pop. In the devil’s attempt to ruin Adventism, he is too smart to come right out and say, “I don’t care what your books say, I’m coming to your church next Sabbath and we’re having Rock -N- Roll music,” at least not at first. The fact though, that these things are becoming more blatant and not being challenged in the official organization should tell us something about how far the agenda of apostasy has advanced.

Several years ago when Cathy and I were bringing forth the agenda of apostasy, for the first time, we exposed a document which was written by an Adventist pastor entitled “Selling the Celebration.” This five-page letter outlined the plan for getting the “Celebration Style of Worship” into the local churches. It clearly states that being subtle about things is very important to the success of establishing these programs.

The Conference, world-wide, has disfellowshipped many people for standing against these abominations and we know of not one single case where God’s Word was used as a basis for these excommunications. It has always been the Church Manual which has been the chosen decree of abuse.

What you read next should tell you at least two things: 1.) The movement of apostasy is going forward no matter what and 2.) The Church Manual is completely worthless even in the eyes of these leaders who are bringing the apostasy in. In their thinking the Church Manual is only valuable as far as it has control over the common laity. By their actions, not by what they say, they show the real worth of the Church Manual. Here is one proof: “Music is one of the highest arts. Good music not only gives pleasure but also elevates the mind and cultivates the finest qualities. Spiritual songs have often been used of God to touch the hearts of sinners and lead to repentance. Debased music, on the contrary, destroys the rhythm of the soul and breaks down morality.

Great care should be exercised in the choice of music. Any melody partaking of the nature of jazz, rock, or related hybrid forms, or any language expressing foolish or trivial sentiments, will be shunned by persons of true culture. Let us use only good music in the home, in the social gathering, in the school, and in the church.” SDA Church Manual, 1990 edition, page 146.

You can see that, even to the church leadership, the Church Manual is worthless, because they don’t even follow it. It is worthless except for one very large group. Please allow me to demonstrate. All of us know that a Rooster’s claw severed from its owner and dipped in blood has no real power to place a curse on anyone. But try and tell that to the one who has allowed himself to believe that the Rooster’s claw of the witch doctor has power over him! Why does it have power over some and not over others? The reason is a matter of belief or unbelief. I hope you see the point. The only reason the Church Manual holds any power over the vast majority who profess Adventism is because of their unbelief in God’s counsel and their unholy belief in the power of men!

In the closing hours of this earth’s history and the Adventist movement, we must realize that the only institutions which will retain their value in the sight of a holy God are those which follow the prophet. Those institutions, no matter whether they are Independent or Conference, which are non-prophet (reject the Spirit of Prophecy) will not stand in the very end. The only element which gives any religious institution value is God’s presence.

Brothers and sisters, if God has left the building then it has absolutely no value. Far too many today are forgetting that “if they speak not according to the law and testimony then there is no light in them” Isaiah 8:20.

It has been very amazing and disturbing to see the number of people, who make claim to a higher understanding of God’s truth, that follow after men who mix truth and error. Friends those who continue to give support to these will be lost in the end. They will fall on the wrong side in the judgment. It is not charisma that will save, but the Word of God. It is our continued wish and prayer that we all seek only those things which are indeed “prophetable” for our eternal welfare.