one mind

Unity In Diversity, Part I

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A statement written by Ellen White and published in the March 9, 1905, Review and Herald defines the attitude we should have right now: “Let us strive with all the power that God has given us to be among the hundred and forty-four thousand.” It will take all the power that God has given us! It is important to remember that apart from the power He will supply, He will make up for our deficiencies, but we must strive; we have to put forth that effort.

Revelation 7:1–4 clearly identifies the period of time in which we are living: “And after these things I saw four angels standing on the four corners of the earth, holding the four winds of the earth, that the wind should not blow on the earth, nor on the sea, nor on any tree. And I saw another angel ascending from the east, having the seal of the living God: and he cried with a loud voice to the four angels, to whom it was given to hurt the earth and the sea, Saying, Hurt not the earth, neither the sea, nor the trees, till we have sealed the servants of our God in their foreheads. And I heard the number of them which were sealed: [and there were] sealed an hundred [and] forty [and] four thousand of all the tribes of the children of Israel.”

Upside Down

The winds of strife indeed are being held, being held until God’s people have received His seal. As we see all the problems in the world right now, does it not cause us to wonder what is going to happen once the four winds are let loose? Mrs. White stated: “Every city is to be turned upside down every way. There will be confusion in every city. Everything that can be shaken is to be shaken.” Manuscript Releases, vol. 1, 248. That is almost unfathomable to us—thinking of every city being “turned upside down in every way.”

The city of Seattle, Washington, seemed to be turned upside down when it received six inches of snow—an unusual amount of snow for that area. The worst thing was that it came at 4:00 p.m., right at the beginning of rush hour when everyone was trying to get home from work. On the freeways, if there is just one accident it backs up traffic for miles, and when there are so many accidents you cannot even number them, that is a huge problem. Many people were still trying to get home from work the next morning, because of all the backed up traffic.

I was going to a Bible study when it started to snow. Having grown up in Iowa, I am familiar with snow, and it does not scare me a whole lot. The road was kind of slick, but I just kept driving—and noticing the cars going this way and that way and every which way along the road. Then I reached the major road where all the traffic was, and I thought, I am not getting on that road! I tried to find a different route, but that did not work any better. Finally, I realized that I was not going to make it to the Bible study because of all the jammed up traffic. By that time, the roads back to my home were closed. Fortunately, I was able to get home before morning, but all of this inconvenience for hundreds of people was caused from just a little snowstorm. What is it going to be like when everything is turned upside down in every way?

Mrs. White also warned, “Whole cities and villages will be blotted out.” Special Testimonies, Series B, No. 13, 16. We must be clinging to the Lord during this time.

From Deceiver to Overcomer

As the passage in Revelation says, those four winds are being held until the “servants of our God” are sealed in their foreheads. Who are the “servants of our God”? From where do they come, and of what are they comprised? They are all the tribes of Israel. Our friends in the evangelical circle take this to mean literal descendants of Abraham, particularly the literal geographic nation of Israel. However, we understand, by comparing Scripture with Scripture, that it is the spiritual descendants of Israel.

As a side note, consider this: Who was Israel originally? It was Jacob. When did Jacob become Israel? When he struggled with the angel. What does the name Jacob mean? Supplanter, deceiver. Although Jacob was a supplanter or deceiver, he overcame. He struggled; he saw God face to face; he overcame; and his name was changed to Israel. Israel means, “a prince of God.” So Israel was a man who was a deceiver but struggled with God and overcame.

Who were the twelve tribes of Israel? They were the sons of Jacob. So, as we look at the sons of Israel, remember that Jacob was a man who had been a deceiver, but through his struggle he overcame and became Israel, the prince of God. The sons of Jacob, now known as the sons or tribes of Israel, are the children of the one who struggled and overcame.

Jesus struggled with the devil and overcame him. Jesus had twelve apostles, the spiritual descendants of the One who had struggled and overcame.

So, the sons of Israel were the descendants of the one who had been a deceiver but overcame. The twelve apostles were the spiritual descendants of the One who had struggled with the enemy, defeated him, and overcame. The twelve gates of the New Jerusalem have “names written thereon, which are [the names] of the twelve tribes of the children of Israel.” The twelve foundations of the Holy City have “in them the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.” Revelation 21:12, 14. Twelve tribes, twelve apostles—both the descendants of ones who had struggled and overcame.

So, the children of Israel spiritually are those who are the descendants of the overcomers—the ones who have the experience that Israel had; who had been guilty, had guile in their mouths, but who struggled and strived with God, overcame, and became royalty with God.

Everyone who enters the New Jerusalem is going to be a descendant of the one who has overcome. They are not the literal twelve tribes, but those with the characteristics of descendants of Israel, those who have struggled and have overcome.

Family of Differences

What were the lives of the sons of Israel like before their conversions? The very fact that the names of the twelve tribes of Israel are on the twelve gates of the New Jerusalem indicates they will be saved. But before their conversions, did they have difficulties in getting along together? Obviously! The most well-known story, of course, is when the brothers sold Joseph into Egyptian slavery. No doubt there were other things as well. They were apparently of very different dispositions and experiences. (See Genesis 49 and Deuteronomy 32.)

In spite of their differences, God brought them together into one family that they might learn to get along together as one. Do you ever notice how the Lord does this today too? The Lord brings those who have different dispositions, different ways of doing things, together in one family that our characters might be refined, and we might learn to get along.

Have you ever wondered how so many different people end up in the same family? Ellen White wrote:

“Marked diversities of disposition and character frequently exist in the same family, for it is in the order of God that persons of varied temperament should associate together. When this is the case, each member of the household should sacredly regard the feelings and respect the right of the others. By this means mutual consideration and forbearance will be cultivated, prejudices will be softened, and rough points of character smoothed. Harmony may be secured, and the blending of the varied temperaments may be a benefit to each.” The Signs of the Times, September 9, 1886.

What better way is there to prepare us for heaven? We need to be thankful for this.

Harmonious Whole

So it was in Israel’s family—totally different dispositions, different ideas. There were those such as Simeon and Levi who had quick tempers, and there were those who were slower. All types of different character traits were exhibited in Israel’s family.

In the disciples, as well, the various dispositions may be seen. Included in Jesus’ inner circle of disciples were tax collectors and zealots. The zealots carried about daggers hidden in their clothes, ready at any moment for an insurrection to overthrow the Romans, especially the tax collectors. Can you imagine the discussions that might have occurred between the zealot and the tax collector? Then there was Peter, who always had something to say, and John, who was much quieter and possessed totally different mannerisms. Of course, Thomas was dubbed “Doubting Thomas,” although he overcame that characteristic. Jesus brought them together, because He knew that His work needed every different manner of working and every different perspective. Certainly there were those whom Peter could reach, but Thomas could not, and vice versa. Thomas could sympathize with those who were struggling with doubt, and although Peter probably could not sympathize with that, he could sympathize with those who were always sticking their foot in their mouths! Do you think this might have a parallel for us today—totally different dispositions, different ideas, different ways of working?

God brought them together. He used them as a harmonious whole. So it is that the 144,000 are not only going to be a victorious, guileless company, but they will be a united company as well. The 144,000 will be as different as were Joseph and Simeon and all the other sons of Israel, but through the power of God, they are going to be overcomers. They are going to come into unity.

Speaking of what she was shown in vision, Ellen White wrote: “We heard the voice of God like many waters, [Ezekiel 43:2; Joel 3:16; Revelation 16:17] which gave us the day and hour of Jesus’ coming. [Ezekiel 12:25; Mark 13:32.] The living saints, 144,000 in number, knew and understood the voice, while the wicked thought it was thunder and an earthquake. [John 12:29.] When God spake the time, he poured on us the Holy Ghost, and our faces began to light up and shine with the glory of God as Moses’ did when he came down from Mount Sinai. [Isaiah 10:27.]

“By this time the 144,000 were all sealed and perfectly united.” A Word to the Little Flock, 14. [Emphasis added.]

This is the time when the voice of God will deliver the everlasting covenant. It occurs between the sixth and seventh plagues. We do not know how long it will take for the 144,000 to come into perfect unity, but she tells us that it is done by this time.

A Process

The sealing takes place before the close of probation. By this time some effort and a process is going to be involved. In Israel’s family, there had been effort and a process. When Joseph brought all the brothers together, he seated them by birth order, and when he set the food before them, giving Benjamin five times the amount that he gave the others, he was watching to see if they were going to be bitter, if they were going to start finding fault or start fighting among themselves. Those were the dispositions in his brothers with which he was familiar; that is what they had done when he lived with them—that is why they sold him into captivity, because they had been fighting and bickering. Joseph wanted to see if there had been a change since they had sold him years before. When he saw that a change had taken place in them, he then revealed himself to them. It took a process, and for God’s people it is also going to take a process, but they will be a united company.

Some very interesting information is given about this in the Old Testament. In Isaiah 11:11, a description is given of the Lord setting His hand again the second time to recover the remnant of His people. This is the second gathering or recovering of the Jews at that day. Then, in verse 13, it says, spiritually speaking, “The envy also of Ephraim shall depart, and the adversaries of Judah shall be cut off: Ephraim shall not envy Judah, and Judah shall not vex Ephraim.” The tribes of Ephraim and Judah were both strong. The last of Israel’s history after Solomon, with Solomon’s son, was a divided kingdom. In this passage of Isaiah this was the condition; it was a divided kingdom, and Isaiah was looking prophetically into the future. Isaiah saw a time when there would be a united company.

Referring to this, Ellen White counsels: “O that all might repent and do their first works. When the churches do this, they will love God supremely and their neighbors as themselves. Ephraim will not envy Judah, and Judah will not vex Ephraim. Divisions will then be healed, the harsh sounds of strife will no more be heard in the borders of Israel.” Selected Messages, Book 1, 385.

Soon the time is coming when the divisions will be healed and “the harsh sounds of strife will no more be heard in the borders of Israel.” Oh, how we need that time! That is one of our greatest needs today, because the 144,000 are going to be a united, not a scattered or divided, company.

“Thy watchmen shall lift up the voice; with the voice together shall they sing: for they shall see eye to eye, when the Lord shall bring again Zion.” Isaiah 52:8. The watchmen will see eye to eye! There is going to be agreement; there is going to be unity. If we see eye to eye, we are seeing the same way, are we not?

To be continued ….

Cody Francis is currently engaged in public evangelism for Mission Projects International. He also pastors the Remnant Church of Seventh-day Adventist Believers in Renton, Washington. He may be contacted by e-mail at: cody@missionspro.org.

Unity In Diversity, Part II

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In Part I of this article, we learned that a sealing will take place before the close of probation. By this time, some effort and a process is going to be involved just as there had been effort and a process in Israel’s family. When Joseph brought all the brothers together, he seated them by birth order, and when he set the food before them, giving Benjamin five times the amount that he gave the others, he was watching to see if they were going to be bitter, if they were going to start finding fault or start fighting among themselves. Those were the dispositions in his brothers with which he was familiar; that is what they had done when he lived with them—that is why they sold him into captivity, because they had been fighting and bickering. Joseph wanted to see if there had been a change since they had sold him years before. When he saw that a change had taken place in them, he then revealed himself to them. It took a process, and for God’s people it is also going to take a process, but they will be a united company.

Some very interesting information is given about this in the Old Testament. In Isaiah 11:11, a description is given of the Lord setting His hand again the second time to recover the remnant of His people. This is the second gathering or recovering of the Jews at that day. Then, in verse 13, it says, spiritually speaking, “The envy also of Ephraim shall depart, and the adversaries of Judah shall be cut off: Ephraim shall not envy Judah, and Judah shall not vex Ephraim.” The tribes of Ephraim and Judah were both strong. The last of Israel’s history after Solomon, with Solomon’s son, was a divided kingdom. In this passage of Isaiah this was the condition; it was a divided kingdom, and Isaiah was looking prophetically into the future. Isaiah saw a time when there would be a united company.

Referring to this, Ellen White counsels: “O that all might repent and do their first works. When the churches do this, they will love God supremely and their neighbors as themselves. Ephraim will not envy Judah, and Judah will not vex Ephraim. Divisions will then be healed, the harsh sounds of strife will no more be heard in the borders of Israel.” Selected Messages, Book 1, 385.

Soon the time is coming when the divisions will be healed and “the harsh sounds of strife will no more be heard in the borders of Israel.” Oh, how we need that time! That is one of our greater needs today, because the 144,000 are going to be a united, not a scattered or divided, company.

“Thy watchmen shall lift up the voice; with the voice together shall they sing: for they shall see eye to eye, when the Lord shall bring again Zion.” Isaiah 52:8. The watchmen will see eye to eye! There is going to be agreement; there is going to be unity. If we see eye to eye, we are seeing the same way, are we not?

Achieving Oneness

Our early pioneers had a similar experience. They came from the Methodist, Baptist, Congregational, and Presbyterian churches, just to name a few. Coming from all these different churches but uniting on the belief that the Lord was coming soon, in 1844, there were still a lot of different backgrounds and ideas. They had to be bold to step out in that period and brave the opposition of the clergy and the world, and the sarcasm of the newspapers. They had to have some strength in their backbone.

Such strength is good, but it can also create problems! Here were strong-willed people who desired to come into unity—people with a wide variety of backgrounds and ideas. Did these people come into unity? Yes, to a large degree they did come into unity and come to see eye to eye. How did it take place? For several years the believers were studying together, and when there were disagreements on issues, they prayed and went their separate ways to study individually, and then came back together again. When somebody’s spirit became a little bit ruffled, they would pray and end the meeting right there. Sometimes they would be praying and studying throughout the night, striving for unity and striving to see eye to eye.

To a greater degree and in a greater manner, God’s end time people are going to come into a unity in which they can see eye to eye. There will no longer be envy or vexing.

Another prophecy is given in Jeremiah 3:18: “In those days the house of Judah shall walk with the house of Israel, and they shall come together out of the land of the north to the land that I have given for an inheritance unto your fathers.” Once again the promise is given that Judah and Israel would walk together. This prophecy, as well as others, are conditional prophecies that could have been fulfilled by the literal nations of Israel and Judah, but they were not. Now they will be fulfilled spiritually.

Jeremiah 50:4, 5 reads: “In those days, and in that time, saith the Lord, the children of Israel shall come, they and the children of Judah together, going and weeping: they shall go, and seek the Lord their God. They shall ask the way to Zion with their faces thitherward, [saying], Come, and let us join ourselves to the Lord in a perpetual covenant [that] shall not be forgotten.” Once again Israel and Judah were coming together. Most importantly, they were going together to the Lord.

Coming together but not coming to the Lord together is misguided unity. This passage says, “they shall go and seek the Lord”; they will “join ourselves to the Lord in a perpetual covenant.” This was indeed a joining together to the Lord in a perpetual covenant; those who had been divided were coming together.

Take a Stick

Have you ever had Mormon missionaries come to your home? Two of them came to my home recently. I shared with them that I had grown up in their church, but as I investigated things, I came to the realization that there were some problems with what the Mormon Church was saying and what they were teaching. They listened as I told them about the Sabbath, and they accepted a copy of the National Sunday Law (A. Jan Marcussen, Amazing Truth Publications, Thompsonville, Illinois, 1983). In any case, the following passage of Scripture is one the Mormon Church frequently uses.

From Ezekiel 37:15–17, we read: “The word of the Lord came again unto me, saying, Moreover, thou son of man, take thee one stick, and write upon it, For Judah, and for the children of Israel his companions: then take another stick, and write upon it, For Joseph, the stick of Ephraim, and [for] all the house of Israel his companions: And join them one to another into one stick; and they shall become one in thine hand.”

There were two sticks—Judah and Ephraim—and the Lord said, “Join them together, and they will become one in your hand.” Our friends from the Mormon Church would tell us that one of the sticks is the Bible and the other is the Book of Mormon, and they are joined together; they become one. There is, however, no evidence for that; it is just their interpretation.

As we look at each of the above passages, we see Judah not vexing Ephraim and Ephraim not envying Judah—certainly a unity Scripture for the last days. We see Israel and Judah coming together and walking to seek the Lord together—a united, not a divided, company picture. And in Ezekiel 37, the same thing is being illustrated; it certainly does not represent the Book of Mormon by any means!

But notice verses 19–22: “Say unto them, Thus saith the Lord God; Behold, I will take the stick of Joseph, which [is] in the hand of Ephraim, and the tribes of Israel his fellows, and will put them with him, [even] with the stick of Judah, and make them one stick, and they shall be one in mine hand. And the sticks whereon thou writest shall be in thine hand before their eyes. And say unto them, Thus saith the Lord God; Behold, I will take the children of Israel from among the heathen, whither they be gone, and will gather them on every side, and bring them into their own land: And I will make them one nation in the land upon the mountains of Israel; and one king shall be king to them all: and they shall be no more two nations, neither shall they be divided into two kingdoms any more at all.”

Revival Precedes Unity

A unity of God’s people is predicted. We are in need of that unity today. What is to bring about that unity? Tragically, unfortunately, we have right now, just as in the days of the children of Israel, a very divided people. How does unity come? How are the sticks joined? How does Judah not vex Ephraim and Ephraim not envy Judah? How do the watchmen see eye to eye? The answer is given in Ezekiel 37:1–10: “The hand of the Lord was upon me, and carried me out in the spirit of the Lord, and set me down in the midst of the valley which [was] full of bones, And caused me to pass by them round about: and, behold, [there were] very many in the open valley; and, lo, [they were] very dry. And he said unto me, Son of man, can these bones live? And I answered, O Lord God, thou knowest. Again he said unto me, Prophesy upon these bones, and say unto them, O ye dry bones, hear the word of the Lord. Thus saith the Lord God unto these bones; Behold, I will cause breath to enter into you, and ye shall live: And I will lay sinews upon you, and will bring up flesh upon you, and cover you with skin, and put breath in you, and ye shall live; and ye shall know that I [am] the Lord. So I prophesied as I was commanded: and as I prophesied, there was a noise, and behold a shaking, and the bones came together, bone to his bone. And when I beheld, lo, the sinews and the flesh came up upon them, and the skin covered them above: but [there was] no breath in them. Then said he unto me, Prophesy unto the wind, prophesy, son of man, and say to the wind, Thus saith the Lord God; Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe upon these slain, that they may live. So I prophesied as he commanded me, and the breath came into them, and they lived, and stood up upon their feet, an exceeding great army.”

Quite a picture, is it not, Ezekiel’s valley of dry, scattered bones? Then Ezekiel speaks the word of the Lord, and the bones come together. As they come together, sinews, ligaments, tendons, muscles, all of those things are put upon them. Flesh, skin is put upon them. They are no longer a valley of dry bones; they look like human beings again. But the breath that gives life was still lacking.

“Ye shall know that I [am] the Lord, when I have opened your graves, O my people, and brought you up out of your graves, And shall put my spirit in you, and ye shall live, and I shall place you in your own land: then shall ye know that I the Lord have spoken [it], and performed [it], saith the Lord.” Verses 13, 14. What was lacking spiritually? God’s Spirit.

All the mechanism was there; all the coming together of the bones was there, but one important element was still lacking. God said that He would put His Spirit in them, and they would live. That spark of life, God’s breath, is still a medical mystery today! God is still needed to make this army of dry bones live. When He put His Spirit upon them, they stood on their feet, an exceeding great army.

“The whole earth shall ring with the tread of the exceeding great army of every nation, kindred, tongue, and people.” The Great Controversy, 644. This exceeding great army is the 144,000 who have been revived and have received God’s Spirit. There is a revival, a coming together, a receiving of God’s Spirit; the Spirit is breathed onto them, and they live, this exceeding great army.

Revival precedes unity. An outpouring of the Holy Spirit precedes unity.

“A revival of true godliness among us is the greatest and most urgent of all our needs.” Selected Messages, Book 1, 121.

As we have this revival of godliness and as God gives more and more of His Spirit, there will be more and more coming into unity. Ephraim will not envy Judah; Judah will not vex Ephraim; the watchmen will be able to see eye to eye. But we need a revival of primitive godliness; we need God’s spirit, because the 144,000 are going to be a united company. They are not going to be divided; there are not going to be two sticks; there will be only one stick. To prepare our hearts for this revival is the greatest of our needs.

Of One Mind

“Fulfil ye my joy, that ye be likeminded, having the same love, [being] of one accord, of one mind. [Let] nothing [be done] through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves. Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others. Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 2:2–5. Paul says to “fulfill my joy that you be likeminded, of one accord, of one mind.” What does it mean to have one mind? We are to have one motive, one purpose, one goal, and we are to have one mouth to say the same thing. “That ye may with one mind [and] one mouth glorify God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.” Romans 15:6.

Instruction is then given as to how this is achieved: “[Let] nothing [be done] through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves.” Verse 3. Is this natural? No, we naturally esteem our own powers, our own ideas, better than those of others. An example of this is given in the disciples.

“[Judas] himself had a high opinion of his own qualifications, and looked upon his brethren as greatly inferior to him in judgment and ability. They did not see their opportunities, he thought, and take advantage of circumstances. The church would never prosper with such shortsighted men as leaders. Peter was impetuous; he would move without consideration. John, who was treasuring up the truths that fell from Christ’s lips, was looked upon by Judas as a poor financier. Matthew, whose training had taught him accuracy in all things, was very particular in regard to honesty, and he was ever contemplating the words of Christ, and became so absorbed in them that, as Judas thought, he could not be trusted to do sharp, far-seeing business. Thus Judas summed up all the disciples, and flattered himself that the church would often be brought into perplexity and embarrassment if it were not for his ability as a manager. Judas regarded himself as the capable one, who could not be overreached. In his own estimation he was an honor to the cause, and as such he always represented himself.” The Desire of Ages, 717.

Judas was esteeming himself better than others, but in the revival movement, in the coming into unity, and to receive the Holy Spirit, the exact opposite is necessary. Learning to esteem others better than ourselves cuts against the grain of humanity. Paul does not just say to esteem those that are better than ourselves, but we are to have such a low opinion of ourselves that we can esteem each and every one better than ourselves.

Paul continues, in verse 4: “Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others.” Once again, this is not natural. “Jesus worked to relieve every case of suffering that He saw. He had little money to give, but He often denied Himself of food in order to relieve those who appeared more needy than He.” Ibid., 86. Is this what you do, when you are hungry? When our hunger has been satisfied, we may give some food to somebody else, but to give our food to someone else when we are hungry is looking out for others and not ourselves.

“Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus.” Verse 5.

The 144,000 are going to be a united company; there will be no envy or vexing. Battle-axes will be buried, because they will be one in purpose—to take the Three Angels’ Messages to the world and to be ready for Jesus when He comes. The closer we follow and imitate Jesus’ example and strive to put those things behind us that cause division, the closer we are going to come into that desired revival and unity.

This is not just going to fall into place, however. Paul used the word endeavoring: “Endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.” Ephesians 4:3. Endeavoring means, “striving, attempting, putting forth an effort.” We could read this passage from Ephesians as, “Putting forth an effort, striving to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.” We are assured that unity is coming. The 144,000 will be sealed and will be perfectly united.

Unity is coming! Are we going to be a part of the untied company, of the victorious, guileless, and united company? We have to follow the steps in Philippians 2 and the steps of humiliation that Jesus took for us, humbling ourselves to come and to seek for that unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. The more we follow those steps, the more unity we will have, and the more unity we have, the more of God’s Spirit we will receive, until we experience that great revival and unity of the Spirit, and we march with that great army, singing the victory song. May the Lord grant us that experience as we strive for it, endeavoring to keep the unity. May we humble ourselves that we may be a part of that united company.

Cody Francis is currently engaged in public evangelism for Mission Projects International. He also pastors the Remnant Church of Seventh-day Adventist Believers in Renton, Washington. He may be contacted by e-mail at: cody@missionspro.org.