Angels are holding the four winds, represented as an angry horse seeking to break loose, and rush over the face of the whole earth, bearing destruction and death in its path. . . .
“I tell you in the name of the Lord God of Israel that all injurious, discouraging influences are held in control by unseen angel hands, until everyone that works in the fear and love of God is sealed in his forehead.” Selected Messages, Book 3, 409.
If you study this carefully, Ellen White is talking about firstfruits. You may read about firstfruits in Revelation 14. The 144,000 are called firstfruits. Why? In the Old Testament, the Levitical feast days and customs were observed. When the harvest was ready, the farmers would not harvest their crops until a sheaf of the firstfriuts had been waved before the Lord by the High Priest. (Leviticus 23:10, 11.)
“From the harvest fields the first heads of ripened grain were gathered, and when the people went up to Jerusalem to the Passover, the sheaf of firstfruits was waved as a thank offering before the Lord. Not until this was presented could the sickle be put to the grain, and it be gathered into sheaves.” The Desire of Ages, 786.
That offering was waved up and down, up and down, as the Lord’s acceptance of the firstfruits was sought. The firstfruits offering was brought with the query, Lord, are they ripened correctly? Are these firstfruits acceptable unto Thee? When God accepted that firstfruits offering, the harvest could then proceed.
So it is that the harvest must have one condition: the firstfruits must be approved. Spiritually speaking, that has to do with the understanding of the truth and sanctification by the truth. One must not only know the truth intellectually but also spiritually. That is why Mrs. White said that the sealing experience is a settling into the truth in two ways, intellectually and spiritually, so that we will not be moved anymore.
“Just as soon as the people of God are sealed in their foreheads—it is not any seal or mark that can be seen, but a settling into the truth, both intellectually and spiritually, so they cannot be moved—just as soon as God’s people are sealed and prepared for the shaking, it will come. Indeed, it has begun already; the judgments of God are now upon the land, to give us warning, that we may know what is coming.” “Ellen G. White Comments,” Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, vol. 4, 1161.
The Harvest
We must understand the truth and know what it is. We must be deeply grounded spiritually. We must experience the truth. When we experience the truth, we will then be sealed in our foreheads. Then, God is going to ready the firstfruits, bundled up, offered, and accepted. The High Priest will direct the harvest to commence. All of the tares will be taken out and burned, and the wheat will be taken into the storage.
Jesus Christ is still lingering and waiting in the heavenly sanctuary because the firstfruits are not ready. The Bible says the 144,000 are the firstfruits. As you study history, Jesus Christ was the firstfruits, was He not? Twelve disciples were the firstfruits. About 120 people in the upper room were the firstfruits, and, as you continue down through the ages, other firstfruits may be identified, but at the end, God must have 144,000 who are sealed with the seal of the living God, who have the true Sabbath-keeping experience.
No Fakes Accepted
If you truly keep the Sabbath, you can keep all of the other nine commandments. How can you keep the Sabbath while you are coveting? How can you keep the Sabbath while you are committing adultery? How can you keep the Sabbath when you hate someone? How can you truly keep the Sabbath while you are not obeying the other commandments, while you have idols in your heart? How can you keep the Sabbath, let alone go to church and pretend that you love Jesus Christ? Oh, you can pretend it; you can fake it, but faking cannot be accepted by God.
The seal of the living God is the Sabbath-keeping experience, because that is the outward sign for our inner experience with Jesus. We must become firstfruits, and then Jesus will let the four winds loose. This life then will soon be finished, and we will go home.
Winds Loosed
“The restraining Spirit of God is even now being withdrawn from the world. Hurricanes, storms, tempests, fire and flood, disasters by sea and land, follow each other in quick succession. Science seeks to explain all these. The signs thickening around us, telling of the near approach of the Son of God, are attributed to any other than the true cause. Men cannot discern the sentinel angels restraining the four winds that they shall not blow until the servants of God are sealed.” Testimonies, vol. 6, 408.
“The work which the church has failed to do in a time of peace and prosperity she will have to do in a terrible crisis under most discouraging, forbidding circumstances.” Ibid., vol. 5, 463.
I tell you, Adventist churches are boasting about their growth, but in many, many of their programs, they are following the growth programs of Babylonian churches, which is devastating. To follow and implement those programs, the churches must lower the standard of righteousness and truth in order to accommodate the people who are not ready to come in. Many times we are increasing our future persecutors within the church.
I say this because I love God’s people, and I pray that someone may read my article or hear a sermon I preach and maybe think again.
Happenings of Our Time
Sometimes I receive Signs and Wonders for Our Times, a Catholic magazine. (Signs and Wonders for Our Times, Herndon, Virginia.) It features articles about all the signs of Jesus’ coming, keeping God’s Commandments, miracles of supernatural power of the Virgin Mary, and even about Satan talking about Jesus’ coming and about his keeping God’s Commandments. Interesting!
Recently, some conservative groups have started saying that God’s judgment day is 2007!
Recently we have heard and seen a great controversy over the display of the Ten Commandments in public places, especially in government buildings. Tremendous things are happening.
Even though the fourth commandment of the Ten Commandments being displayed says, “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy,” when someone in the secular world refers to this, they are talking about the Sunday.
Have you ever heard about Christian Churches Together (C.C.T.)? This ecumenical movement states on its web site that, “34 churches and national Christian organizations, representing over 100 million Americans, have officially formed the broadest, most inclusive fellowship of Christian churches and traditions in the U.S.A.” Formed in January 2003, it is a significant force now. It is pushing for the Sunday law. Incidentally, this organization was initiated by a Catholic priest.
To All The World
Matthew 24:14 says, “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.”
I do believe this gospel of the kingdom has been preached to all the world already. Why do I believe this? In Colossians 1:23, the apostle Paul said, “If ye continue in the faith grounded and settled, and [be] not moved away from the hope of the gospel, which ye have heard, [and] which was preached to every creature which is under heaven; whereof I Paul am made a minister.”
He said, very plainly, “The gospel, which ye have heard, [and] which was preached.” That is already past tense, right? “Was preached to every creature which is under heaven.” Is that not clear? This gospel has been preached to everybody under heaven once before.
Upon what basis did he say this? He did not say, “The gospel of the kingdom of God persuaded everyone.” Nor did he say, “The gospel of the kingdom of God convinced everyone.” What he did say is, “This gospel of the kingdom has been scattered so widely in the world, at this time, that if there is anyone, even on an island or on a mountainside, who is really sincerely seeking for the truth, he can look around and find it.”
So the gospel and truth have been scattered that much! That is what he was talking about. In the same sense, the same principle, I tell you that I believe that the Three Angels’ Messages have been preached to all the parts of the world. Any person who is sincerely seeking for the truth and prays to God can look around and find it. Those living in any country in the world can do this.
If you do not understand this, you do not understand that God is doing wondrous things in the world. He is making sure that this gospel of the kingdom is being made ready, so, as the firstfruits appear, He can seal them and say, “Let us go and harvest.”
Read Leviticus 23:10, 11: “Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, When ye be come into the land which I give unto you, and shall reap the harvest thereof, then ye shall bring a sheaf of the firstfruits of your harvest unto the priest: And he shall wave the sheaf before the Lord, to be accepted for you: on the morrow after the sabbath the priest shall wave it.”
“Genuine conversion is needed, not once in years, but daily. . . . Divine grace must be received daily, or no man will stay converted.” Our High Calling, 215. There are those who will say, “Oh, I was converted and born again two years ago.” You must be converted every day, by the grace of God.
“Excitement is not sanctification. Entire conformity to the will of our Father which is in heaven is alone sanctification, and the will of God is expressed in His holy law. The keeping of all the commandments of God is sanctification. Proving yourselves obedient children to God’s Word is sanctification. The Word of God is to be our guide, not the opinions or ideas of men.” Review and Herald, March 25, 1902.
A Finished Work
But, how will God finish this work?
- By simple methods.
“God will use ways and means by which it will be seen that He is taking the reins in His own hands. The workers will be surprised by the simple means that He will use to bring about and perfect His work of righteousness.” Testimonies to Ministers and Gospel Workers, 300.
- By wonderful workings of divine providence.
“Servants of God, with their faces lighted up and shining with holy consecration, will hasten from place to place to proclaim the message from heaven. By thousands of voices, all over the earth, the warning will be given. Miracles will be wrought, the sick will be healed, and signs and wonders will follow the believers. Satan also works, with lying wonders, even bringing down fire from heaven in the sight of men. Revelation 13:13. Thus the inhabitants of the earth will be brought to take their stand.” The Great Controversy, 612.
“While appearing to the children of men as a great physician who can heal all their maladies, he [Satan] will bring disease and disaster, until populous cities are reduced to ruin and desolation. Even now he is at work. In accidents and calamities by sea and by land, in great conflagrations, in fierce tornadoes and terrific hailstorms, in tempests, floods, cyclones, tidal waves, and earthquakes, in every place and in a thousand forms, Satan is exercising his power. He sweeps away the ripening harvest, and famine and distress follow. He imparts to the air a deadly taint, and thousands perish by the pestilence.” Ibid., 589, 590.
Allow me to illustrate. Suppose that there is a tremendous earthquake in your area today. It registers as a 9.5 earthquake on the Richter scale. Every building is collapsed, and many, many people are killed, yet you are safe. Do you know what would happen? All of the media would surround you; helicopters would swarm above you. They will come from every direction and will start to ask you questions: “What kind of person are you? What kind of God are you worshipping? What do you believe? There is tremendous devastation all around this area. What is happening?”
Do you think you would be a testimony? Yes, you definitely would be. Do you think all of the world would watch you? Just think, your testimony would receive free airtime throughout the world. God is going to use very wonderful workings of divine providence that His truth will be known to the people.
- With the help of the holy angels.
In the Book of Acts, you may read about the assistance of holy angels. The same thing is going to take place in our time. Angels are going to come to us in the form of humanity to aid us.
“When divine power is combined with human effort, the work will spread like fire in the stubble. God will employ agencies whose origin man will be unable to discern; angels will do a work which men might have had the blessing of accomplishing, had they not neglected to answer the claims of God.” Review and Herald, December 15, 1885.
God is going to finish this work in His own way.
- With the help of the eleventh hour workers. This is very important.
“God has children, many of them, in the Protestant churches, and a large number in the Catholic churches, who are more true to obey the light and to do [to] the very best of their knowledge than a large number among Sabbathkeeping Adventists who do not walk in the light. The Lord will have the message of truth proclaimed, that Protestants may be warned and awakened to the true state of things, and consider the worth of the privilege of religious freedom which they have long enjoyed.” Selected Messages, Book 3, 386. Do you need to read this paragraph again?
“There are many souls to come out of the ranks of the world, out of the churches—even the Catholic Church—whose zeal will far exceed that of those who have stood in rank and file to proclaim the truth heretofore. For this reason the eleventh hour laborers will receive their penny.” Ibid., 386, 387.
Eleventh hour workers are the people who are going to come out from the Babylonian churches. In Matthew 20, Jesus Christ said that this work is going to be finished by the eleventh hour workers in the vineyard. Eleventh hour workers are going to come in to help us.
“These will see the battle coming and will give the trumpet a certain sound. When the crisis is upon us, when the season of calamity shall come, they will come to the front, gird themselves with the whole armor of God, and exalt His law, adhere to the faith of Jesus [another expression of keeping God’s Commandments and having the faith of Jesus], and maintain the cause of religious liberty which reformers defended with toil and for which they sacrificed their lives.” Ibid., 387.
Eleventh hour workers are outside right now, and God is going to bring them to the harvest to finish the work so that we can go home. When God takes the reins into His own hands, He is going to use simple people and simple methods, and it is going to take no time at all. He has to finish the work, and we have to let Him. How? You and I must become firstfruits.
Pastor David Kang is Director of Light for Life Ministry operating out of Hartwell, Georgia. His sermons are broadcast weekly on New York and Virginia Korean television stations. Pastor Kang also frequently travels to Asia where he trains pastors who often work “underground.” Pastor Kang may be contacted by telephone at: 706-377-1004.