——
A
response to the report of the
Examination of Hope International Committee
submitted to the General Conference ADCOM, April
2000
Appendix
A: Hope International, Hartland
Institute, and Remnant Ministries -
Report
What are the issues between the church structure and
certain self-supporting ministries? Probably not what you have been
told.
The issue is not “duly constituted church authority.”
Faithful Seventh-day Adventists believe as firmly in duly constituted
church authority as anyone else does. But apostasy has no
authority.
The issue is not the advancing of new doctrinal
positions by the faithful Adventists. Our doctrines are bedrock historic
Adventism, as taught and believed by virtually all Seventh-day Adventists
until the fateful 1950s, and are expressed in the book Seventh-day
Adventists Believe....
The issue is not our own personal opinions or
preferences. We have not originated any of the doctrines that we believe.
They are historic Adventism. They are the sacred truths that we were
taught when we joined the church, were taught again when we attended
Seventh-day Adventist schools and colleges, and are found in virtually all
of our church’s literature before the 1950s. As mentioned above, their
most recent expression is in the book Seventh-day Adventists
Believe....
The issue is not attacks on the church. Faithful
Adventists are standing against apostasy. If it is not possible to stand
against apostasy without attacking the church, what does this say about
the church?
What, then, is the issue? The issue is
APOSTASY.
A tidal wave of apostasy is raging through our church,
dividing our congregations, ravaging our schools, prostituting our
publishing houses, and degrading our institutions. Some are even uniting
with Catholic institutions. Meanwhile the majority of our administrators
seem to be looking on either benignly or indifferently. They reserve their
wrath for those who dare to speak out against the apostasy, or worse
still, those who try to publicly proclaim our truth without adulteration.
Witness the grossly unscriptural lawsuit by the General Conference against
Rafael Perez in Florida. What was his crime? He had published some
passages from The Great Controversy in several newspapers. For
this, and for calling himself a Seventh-day Adventist, he was threatened
with a jail sentence.
The list of apostasies is large and growing. Some of
the major false doctrines are the two Calvinistic falsehoods—that
Christians cannot stop sinning, even by the power of God, and that Christ
came to this earth in the human nature of Adam before his fall. If these
falsehoods were true, then Christ was therefore not a true example to us,
but rather a substitute. Ellen White testified in writing against this
false doctrine more than four hundred times. Our other pioneers testified
against it more than eight hundred times. Why is this evidence being
ignored?
And why, when evidence like this is brought forth, is
it met with the accusation that we are putting Ellen White above the
Bible? And why are the accusers offended when we say, “No, my friend. We
are not putting Ellen White above the Bible. We are putting her above
you.”
Why are promoters of the hideously false doctrines of
evolution being welcomed to some of our largest churches and educational
institutions? Why are some of the leaders of the North American Division
earnestly working toward their goal of multiplying “celebration” churches
in this division with their dramatic presentations and their bar and night
club music? And why are some of those same leaders using manipulative
techniques to reject the twice-expressed will of the world church about
women’s ordination and enforce their own will on the world church? This is
especially strange when we remember that some of these same leaders are
bitterly accusing the faithful Adventists of doing the same thing—trying
to enforce their will on the world church. “Consistency, Thou art a
jewel.”
And let every man in every Adventist home consider well
the significance of the Apostle Paul’s statement that the elder must be
“one that ruleth well his own house.” 1 Timothy 3:4–5. Are we ready to
have our ladies take over the administration of our homes and “rule us
well”?
The issues are theological. False doctrines are
displacing the truth in more and more of our churches and our schools. And
when faithful Adventists plead for a hearing on theological matters, are
they ever granted one? When we do meet with church leaders, we are forced
to spend our time dealing with a barrage of false accusations. Doctrines
are scarcely considered, if they are mentioned at all. Church
administrators seem to be determined to keep throwing dust in the air by
their false accusations, for the purpose of obscuring the real theological
issues, and preventing the church members from discovering them. What will
it take to wake our people up? Maybe this book will help. May God grant it
is my prayer.
Ralph Larson
The Scriptures and the
Spirit of Prophecy tell us that surely there will remain a remnant to
honor the Lord by their obedience to all His commands:
So that we ourselves glory in you in the churches of
God for your patience and faith in all your persecutions and tribulations
that ye endure. . . . He shall come to be glorified in his
saints, and to be admired in all them that believe (because our testimony
among you was believed) in that day. Wherefore also we pray always for
you, that our God would count you worthy of this calling, and fulfil all
the good pleasure of his goodness, and the work of faith with power. 2
Thessalonians 1:4, 9–11.
Nevertheless, the Scriptures
and the Spirit of Prophecy tell us that in the very end of time there will
be a terrible apostasy in the church—called the Omega. See Selected
Messages, book 1, 193–205.
For the time will come when they will not endure sound
doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves
teachers, having itching ears;
And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be
turned unto fables. 2 Timothy 4:3–4.
In this apostasy, many
pastors, laity and leaders will make of none effect the Spirit of
Prophecy. This will be the very last deception:
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.” 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. There will
be a hatred kindled against the testimonies which is satanic. The workings
of Satan will be to unsettle the faith of the churches in them, for this
reason: Satan cannot have so clear a track to bring in his deceptions and
bind up souls in his delusions if the warnings and reproofs and counsels
of the Spirit of God are heeded. Selected Messages, book 1, 48.
Also, in this last apostasy
in the church, irreverence for God, His sanctuary, and His Sabbath will be
expressed in music, conduct and fanaticism:
Fanaticism, once started and left unchecked, is as
hard to quench as a fire which has obtained hold of a building. . . . Many
such movements will arise at this time, when the Lord’s work should stand
elevated, pure, unadulterated with superstition and fables. We need to be
on our guard, to maintain a close connection with Christ, that we be not
deceived by Satan’s devices.
The Lord desires to have in His service order and
discipline, not excitement and confusion. . . . Excitement is not
favorable to growth in grace, to true purity and sanctification of the
spirit. . . .
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.
The Holy Spirit never reveals itself in such methods,
in such a bedlam of noise. This is an invention of Satan to cover up his
ingenious methods for making of none effect the pure, sincere, elevating,
ennobling, sanctifying truth for this time. Better never have the worship
of God blended with music than to use musical instruments to do the work
which last January was represented to me would be brought into our camp
meetings. Selected Messages, book 2, 35–36.
There will be a terrible
shaking in the Seventh-day Adventist Church, and only a very few will
survive this final shaking. See Testimonies, vol. 5, 10, 50, 136;
ibid., vol. 1, 608–609, 619. Everything that can be shaken will be shaken,
but those things which cannot be shaken will remain. See
Testimonies, vol. 7, 219; ibid., vol. 9, 15–16. During the shaking
God will take the reins into His own hands:
Let me tell you that the Lord will work in this last
work in a manner very much out of the common order of things, and in a way
that will be contrary to any human planning. There will be those among us
who will always want to control the work of God, to dictate even what
movements shall be made when the work goes forward under the direction of
the angel who joins the third angel in the message to be given to the
world. 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, 300.
I asked the meaning of the shaking I had seen and was
shown that it would be caused by the straight testimony called forth by
the counsel of the True Witness to the Laodiceans. This will have its
effect upon the heart of the receiver, and will lead him to exalt the
standard and pour forth the straight truth. Some will not bear this
straight testimony. They will rise up against it, and this is what will
cause a shaking among God’s people. Early Writings, 270.
Because of this apostasy,
called the Omega, the straight testimony must be given, and many, the
majority of leaders, pastors and laity, will rise up against the message
to Laodicea, which will be given by God’s appointed laborers. This message
is part of the third angel’s message.
The straight testimony must be revived, and it will
separate those from Israel who have ever been at war with the means that
God has ordained to keep corruptions out of the church. Wrongs must be
called wrongs. Grievous sins must be called by their right name. All of
God’s people should come nearer to Him and wash their robes of character
in the blood of the Lamb. Then will they see sin in the true light and
will realize how offensive it is in the sight of God. Testimonies,
vol. 3, 324.
Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with
goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched,
and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked: I counsel thee to buy of me
gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that
thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear;
and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see. As many as I
love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and
repent. . . . To him that overcometh will I grant to sit
with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my
Father in his throne. Revelation 3:17–19, 21.
The counsel of the true Witness does not represent
those who are lukewarm as in a hopeless case. There is yet a chance to
remedy their state, and the Laodicean message is full of
encouragement. . . . Purity of heart, purity of motive, may
yet characterize those who are halfhearted and who are striving to serve
God and mammon. They may yet wash their robes of character and make them
white in the blood of the Lamb. Our High Calling, 351.
There is soon to be a very
severe test for all Seventh-day Adventists. The Sunday laws will bring a
close to the probation of all Seventh-day Adventists. The mark of the
beast will be the final test for all of us:
Already preparations are advancing, and movements are
in progress, which will result in making an image to the beast. Events
will be brought about in the earth’s history that will fulfill the
predictions of prophecy for these last days (Review and Herald,
April 23, 1889). . . .
This is the test that the people of God must have
before they are sealed. All who proved their loyalty to God by observing
His law, and refusing to accept a spurious sabbath, will rank under the
banner of the Lord God Jehovah, and will receive the seal of the living
God. Those who yield the truth of heavenly origin and accept the Sunday
sabbath, will receive the mark of
the beast (Letter 11, 1890). The Seventh-day Adventist Bible
Commentary, vol. 7, 976. See also Testimonies to Ministers, 62,
411; The Great
Controversy, 624–625.
Spiritualism will overpower
the minds of many Seventh-day Adventists. Satan’s personations of Christ,
the apostles, Mary and others will take the world captive. The whole world
will soon wonder after the beast. Catholics honor the mother of Jesus more
than they do Christ. Spiritualism will bring the whole world under the
power of Satan, and the deadly wound will soon be completely healed—the
world wonders after the beast when Satan claims to be Christ:
The miracle-working power manifested through
spiritualism will exert its influence against those who choose to obey God
rather than men. Communications from the spirits will declare that God has
sent them to convince the rejecters of Sunday of their error, affirming
that the laws of the land should be obeyed as the law of God. The Great
Controversy, 590–591.
Satan has long been preparing for his final effort to
deceive the world. . . . Little by little he has prepared
the way for his masterpiece of deception in the development of
spiritualism. Ibid., 561.
Dear readers, it is later
than we now think. We are now in the final movements, and they are very
rapid. See Testimonies, vol. 9, 11–13.
The seal of the living God
is careful Sabbathkeeping, according to Isaiah 58:13:
If thou turn away thy foot from the sabbath, from
doing thy pleasure on my holy day; and call the sabbath a delight, the
holy of the Lord,
honourable; and shalt honour him, not doing thine own ways, nor finding
thine own pleasure, nor speaking thine own words.
I also saw that many do not realize what they must be
in order to live in the sight of the Lord without a high priest in the
sanctuary through the time of trouble. Those who receive the seal of the
living God and are protected in the time of trouble must reflect the image
of Jesus fully.
I saw that many were neglecting the preparation so
needful and were looking to the time of “refreshing” and the “latter rain”
to fit them to stand in the day of the Lord and to live in His sight. Oh,
how many I saw in the time of trouble without a shelter! They had
neglected the needful preparation; therefore they could not receive the
refreshing that all must have to fit them to live in the sight of a holy
God. Early Writings, 71.
Soon Sundaykeeping will be
enforced by law. The image to the beast will bring the whole world to the
judgments and to the wrath of the Almighty God:
If we receive this mark in our foreheads or in our
hands, the judgments pronounced against the disobedient must fall upon us.
But the seal of the living God is placed upon those who conscientiously
keep the Sabbath of the Lord. The Seventh-day Adventist Bible
Commentary, vol. 7, 980; see also Evangelism, 235.
But when Sunday observance shall be enforced by law,
and the world shall be enlightened concerning the obligation of the true
Sabbath, then whoever shall transgress the command of God, to obey a
precept which has no higher authority than that of Rome, will thereby
honor popery above God. He is paying homage to Rome and to the power which
enforces the institution ordained by Rome. He is worshipping the beast and
his image. As men then reject the institution which God has declared to be
the sign of His authority, and honor in its stead that which Rome has
chosen as the token of her supremacy, they will thereby accept the sign of
allegiance to Rome—“the mark of the beast.” And it is not until the issue
is thus plainly set before the people, and they are brought to choose
between the commandments of God and the commandments of men, that those
who continue in transgression will receive “the mark of the beast.” The
Great Controversy, 449.
The following material in
this booklet, Issues at the End, will help the people of God
(Seventh-day Adventists) understand that they must now make a decision—whether to follow
men or God. There is a curse to all who lean upon the arm of flesh man.
See Jeremiah 17:5; Testimonies, vol. 8, 67–68, 250–251.
We must now become students
of the Scriptures and the Spirit of Prophecy, and pray like we have never
prayed before.
Sincerely,
Ron Spear,
Executive Editor, Our Firm
Foundation
An Open Letter Response to the “Hope International, Hartland
Institute, and Remnant Ministries – Report” (See Appendix
A)
Israel
was in a spiritual crisis. They had turned back from following the will of
God. They had neglected and rejected the counsels of
the Lord sent them through His messengers. They had departed from
the true religion of Jehovah and had adopted the false religion of their
neighbors. Their schools, and other institutions, operated more in harmony
with the standards of the world around them than with the directives of
the Lord. Oh, not all in Israel were disobedient to God. He could claim
that “Yet I have left [me] seven thousand in Israel, all the knees which
have not bowed unto Baal, and every mouth which hath not kissed him.” 1
Kings 19:18. But the majority were guided more by the devising and wisdom
of man than by the revealed will of God. Yes, Israel had turned from
obedience to disobedience. She had turned back from the teaching and
practicing of truth to the teaching and practicing of error. Yes, Israel
was in rebellion. She was in apostasy.
Oh, God did not reject or abandon her because of her
apostasy. He did not turn from her and raise up another movement. Israel
was still His chosen people. God did not abandon nor destroy His people in
apostasy. He worked to help them recognize their spiritual blindness and
to lead them into revival and reformation. Hazael was anointed king of
Syria to be a scourge to the wayward people. Rain was withheld to try to
awaken Israel to their true spiritual needs.
We all recognize this as describing Israel in the days
when Elijah and Elisha served as the Lord’s messengers. But such
circumstances were not wholly unique to their day. For centuries the
children of Israel went in and out of disobedience—apostasy—to the Lord.
God repeatedly sent His messengers and punishments to help awaken His
people from their spiritual blindness and error. As a nation, they were
led captive by Babylon. Yet in their rebellion and disobedience, God did
not reject them as being Babylon. Though more guilty than Babylon, because
of their turning away from greater light, Israel was still “God’s people,”
the apple of His eye. The Lord’s messengers never referred to His people
as Babylon, but ever called them to come out of their disobedience and
apostasy.
The above events and circumstances are not unique to
ancient Israel. The Lord’s end-time messenger tells us that “Satan’s
snares are laid for us as verily as they were laid for the children of
Israel . . . We are repeating the history of that people.”
Testimonies, vol. 5, 160. Do we doubt the truthfulness of
Inspiration? It would be well for us to review the evidence.
God raised up the Seventh-day Adventist Church from the
rubble of the 1844 disappointment of the Millerite movement. By following
the increase of light as God revealed it, the new-movement church
inherited the gospel commission to carry the everlasting gospel to every
nation, kindred, tongue, and people. We are assured that “this gospel of
the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all
nations; and then shall the end come.” Matthew 24:14. We are still here
some 150 years since 1844. Did God intend for it to take this long to give
the gospel to the world and for Him to then usher in His everlasting
kingdom? Or has modern Israel followed in the footsteps of ancient Israel,
resulting in a prolonged delay in entering the Promised Land? It is
crucial that we know for sure.
We are told that the generation of the great
disappointment of 1844 could have witnessed Christ’s second coming:
Had Adventists, after the great disappointment in 1844,
held fast their faith, and followed on unitedly in the opening providence
of God, receiving the message of the third angel and in the power of the
Holy Spirit proclaiming it to the world, they would have seen the
salvation of God, the Lord would have wrought mightily with their efforts,
the work would have been completed, and Christ would have come ere this to
receive His people to their reward. Selected Messages, book 1,
68.
In 1856 the Laodicean message was first acknowledged to
be applicable to us as a people. The Spirit of Prophecy intimates that
Christ would have come within a few years if the revival started in
response to the Laodicean message in 1856 had continued:
I was shown that the testimony to the Laodiceans
applies to God’s people at the present time, and the reason it has not
accomplished a greater work is because of the hardness of their hearts. .
. . Nearly all believed that this message would end in the loud cry of the
third angel. . . .As this message affected the heart, it led to deep
humility before God. Angels were sent in every direction to prepare
unbelieving hearts for the truth. The cause of God began to rise, and His
people were acquainted with their position. If the counsel of the True
Witness had been fully heeded, God would have wrought for His people in
greater power. Testimonies, vol. 1, 186.
At the Minneapolis General Conference session of 1888
our leadership rejected the light and power of the latter rain:
An unwillingness to yield up preconceived opinions, and
to accept this truth, lay at the foundation of a large share of the
opposition manifested at Minneapolis against the Lord’s message through
Brethren [E. J.] Waggoner and [A. T.] Jones. By exciting that opposition
Satan succeeded in shutting away from our people, in a great measure, the
special power of the Holy Spirit that God longed to impart to them. The
enemy prevented them from obtaining that efficiency which might have been
theirs in carrying the truth to the world, as the apostles proclaimed it
after the day of Pentecost. The light that is to lighten the whole earth
with its glory was resisted, and by the action of our own brethren has
been in a great degree kept away from the world. Selected Messages,
book 1, 234–235.
It was God’s intent that the latter rain offered to us
in 1888 would have enabled us to finish the gospel commission within a few
years, for eight years later the servant of the Lord wrote:
If those who claimed to have a living experience in the
things of God had done their appointed work as the Lord ordained, the
whole world would have been warned ere this, and the Lord Jesus would have
come in power and great glory. Review and Herald, October 6,
1896.
Clearly, there is something, or some things, that we as
a people have been doing, or not doing, that have prevented Christ from
coming “ere this.” The more obvious causes for Christ’s delay fall into
two general categories: First, for one reason or another we have failed to
let Christ rule as to how His work is to be done on earth. Second, we have
failed to understand, to experience, and to share the third angel’s
message of righteousness by faith.
In 1901 the prophetess described the consequences of
our ongoing, persistent disobedience of Christ’s instructions of how to do
His work on earth with the following words:
We may have to remain here in this world because of
insubordination many more years, as did the children of Israel, but
for Christ’s sake, His people should not add sin to sin by charging God
with the consequence of their own wrong course of action.
Spalding-Magan’s Unpublished Manuscript Testimonies of Ellen G. White,
202. All emphasis supplied unless otherwise noted.
Yes, it is sad but true, in many ways we have not been
following the divine Leader of the Seventh-day Adventist Church. Ongoing
insubordination to Christ’s directives of how to operate His institutions
has delayed His coming “many more years.” We have been and are a dissident
people, a dissident leadership, and a dissident church. However, we are
not dissenting from the world’s or man’s way of operating “the Lord’s
work.” We are dissidents with, or in disagreement with Christ Himself, in
how to do His work. We have turned to the methods of the world and the
wisdom of man for determining the types of institutions to operate and how
to operate them. The church as a body, through its administrators, boards
and committees has not, to a great extent, had the faith to work the
cities, with city centers—consisting of vegetarian restaurants, lecture
rooms, treatment rooms and health food stores—with the workers living in
outpost centers containing the schools, printing plants and sanitariums.
To willfully disregard these counsels is a demonstration of a lack of
faith. See Testimonies, vol. 7, 55; Counsels on Health, 481;
Selected Messages, book 2, 358; Fundamentals of Christian
Education, 492.
Especially in the health work we have failed to promote
Christ’s directions for the workers to represent His sacrificial ministry
by working as an integral part of the organization. See Medical
Ministry, 252; Testimonies, vol. 8, 164; Kress
Collection, 59.
From the very beginning of our movement we have never
fully appreciated, accepted, or obeyed all of the counsels of the Lord.
Indeed,our natural hearts have not felt the need for all of the detailed
instructions as to how to live for Christ and how to operate the branches
of His work. Soon after the turn of the century, our negligence of where
to locate and how to operate the Lord’s educational institutions had
reached such a degree of self-willed insubordination that Ellen White
helped lead out in the establishing of Madison College, directing it to
remain separate from organizational control. She made it plain that the
Lord did not design that every working agency should be under the
dictation of the organization:
When my advice was asked in reference to the Madison
school, I said, Remain as you are. There is danger in binding every
working agency under the dictation of the conference. The Lord did not
design that this should be. The circumstances were such that the burden
bearers in the Madison school could not bind up their work with the
conference. I knew their situation, and when many of the leading men in
our conferences ignored them, because they did not place their school
under conference dictation, I was shown that they would not be helped by
making themselves amenable to the conference. They had better remain as
led by God, amenable to Him, to work out His plans. But this matter need
not be blazed abroad. Manuscript Releases, vol. 8, 202–203.
God had prophesied that His remnant church would be
lukewarm in its relationship to His counsels and plans. See Revelation
3:14–17. Since the days when Madison College was established, we have
operated the majority of our academies, colleges and universities in
increasing disobedience to the directives of Christ. Especially in the
areas of location, size, curriculum, work/study programs and social and
religious standards, we have followed more the directives of the boards of
accreditation of the world and the example of worldly schools than we have
followed Christ’s instructions in the Bible and the Spirit of Prophecy.
Satan has been very successful in making the Testimonies of the Lord of
none effect, which is the very last deception that he has planned for us
as a people. See Selected Messages, book 1, 48.
In our educational institutions we have greatly ignored
the Lord’s directives to avoid sports (see Education, 210;
Counsels to Parents, Teachers, and Students, 312), infidel authors
(see Testimonies, vol. 6, 165; Counsels to Parents, Teachers,
and Students, 401), and theatrical performances (see Fundamentals
of Christian Education, 229, 253; Messages to Young People,
213–214).
In our publishing work we have too often emphasized
storybooks for our own people as well as for the world. See Counsels to
Writers and Editors, 165; Manuscript Releases, vol. 6, 274.
After these many years people of many nationalities are still thirsting
for more Spirit of Prophecy materials in their own languages. See
Colporteur Ministry, 4–5; Testimonies, vol. 9, 34, 62.
These are only a few of the many instances which could
be listed in which we are in rebellion against God’s revealed will in the
conduction of His work. Yes, we, like ancient Israel, have been a
stubborn, stiff-necked, and rebellious people:
I have been shown that the spirit of the world is fast
leavening the church. You are following the same path as did ancient
Israel. There is the same falling away from your holy calling as God’s
peculiar people. . . .Your neglect to follow the light will place you in a
more unfavorable position than the Jews upon whom Christ pronounced a woe.
Testimonies, vol. 5, 75.
The sin of ancient Israel was in disregarding the
expressed will of God and following their own way according to the
leadings of unsanctified hearts. Modern Israel are fast following in their
footsteps, and the displeasure of the Lord is as surely resting upon them.
Testimonies, vol. 5, 94.
Following what man says rather than what God says is an
attribute of the great apostate Satan:
When men will lay aside a plain “Thus saith the Lord,”
and accept human enactments, you may be sure that they are revealing the
attributes of the great apostate. Manuscript Releases, vol. 12,
220.
We have tended to be wayward sheep, wanting to live in
our way rather than to follow the instructions of Christ our Shepherd. We
are individually responsible for our spiritual condition, but God also
holds His undershepherds accountable. They are responsible by word and
example to say, “This is the way, walk ye in it.”
The undershepherds, or leaders of God’s remnant church,
are not only greatly responsible for the individual waywardness of the
sheep, but they are also greatly responsible for the organization’s
following of human plans in the operation of the various institutions and
branches of the work. When we depart from Christ’s instructions to follow
our own devising, we are doing the same as worshiping Baal:
There has been a departure from God among us, and the
zealous work of repentance and return to our first love essential to
restoration to God and regeneration of heart has not yet been done.
Infidelity has been making its inroads into our ranks; for it is the
fashion to depart from Christ, and give place to skepticism. With many the
cry of the heart has been, “We will not have this man to reign over us.”
Baal, Baal, is the choice. The religion of many among us will be the
religion of apostate Israel, because they love their own way, and forsake
the way of the Lord. Testimonies to Ministers, 467–468.
To interfere with Christ’s will as given in the Spirit
of Prophecy or in the Bible in any aspect of the Lord’s work, is to usurp
His authority and to cause His people to lean on the arm of flesh. Such
activity is dangerous business:
It is dangerous business to exalt man, or to lean upon
man, to make flesh our arm. What we want is to lean upon the arm that has
been stretched out for us to lean upon, and that is the Lord God of
Israel, and in Him we may trust. The Ellen G. White 1888 Materials,
564.
Success a Sign of Divine Approval?
Outward appearance cannot be used to determine whether
God is blessing or approving of a certain work or institution:
A work may apparently bear the features of supreme
excellence, but it is not good in God’s sight unless it is performed with
an earnest desire to do His will and fulfill His purpose. If God is not
recognized as the author and end of our actions, they are weighed in the
balances of the sanctuary and found wanting. Testimonies, vol. 7,
120.
Those who seek to turn aside the purpose of God, and
oppose His will, may appear for a time to prosper; but God is at work to
fulfill His own purposes, and He will make manifest who is the ruler of
the heavens and the earth. The Youth’s Instructor, March 11,
1897.
Christianity is a religion of progress. We have to walk
forward with the light to remain in the light. When we reject counsel from
the Lord in one area of our life and work for the Lord, our spiritual
discernment is diminished even in other areas of the Lord’s work.
It pains me to say, my brethren, that your sinful
neglect to walk in the light has enshrouded you in darkness. You may now
be honest in not recognizing and obeying the light; the doubts you have
entertained, your neglect to heed the requirements of God, have blinded
your perceptions so that darkness is now to you light, and light is
darkness. God has bidden you to go forward to perfection. Christianity is
a religion of progress. Testimonies, vol. 5, 71.
The servant of the Lord tells us that God will arouse
His people, and that if other means fail, heresies will come in among us
to sift and to shake us. In response to our apostasy in the operation of
His institutions God permits us to suffer the natural consequences of the
rejection of light—diminished spiritual discernment followed by the
embracing of false doctrines:
God will arouse His people; if other means fail,
heresies will come in among them, which will sift them, separating the
chaff from the wheat. The Lord calls upon all who believe His Word to
awake out of sleep. Counsels to Writers and Editors, 40.
Indeed our seeking to the gods of Ekron for the
operation of our schools (and also our health institutions) has been a
trap and a snare for us. In our endeavors to comply with the worldly
standards of accreditation, we have sent our teachers to the schools of
the world for their advanced degrees. Even teachers of Bible and theology
have gone to the schools of fallen Christianity for “enlightenment” as to
how better to teach God’s truth to our own people. A Bible or theology
teacher in our colleges and universities today without an advanced degree
from an institution of the world seems to be the exception rather than the
rule. It is not surprising that these worldly-trained teachers of religion
would try to harmonize our Seventh-day Adventist beliefs with the beliefs
of their advanced-degree institutions.
We tend to measure success by outward appearance, but
God deals with us in accordance with obedience or disobedience:
In the light of eternity it will be seen that God deals
with men in accordance with the momentous question of obedience or
disobedience. This Day With God, 352.
Disobedience to the Lord can lead to such loss of
spiritual discernment that spiritual losses are not discerned and worldly
prosperity is regarded as tokens of God’s favor:
As Solomon continued to conform to the customs of the
world, his pride greatly increased. And the worldly prosperity that
attended his apostasy, was regarded by him as a token of God’s favor. So
fully had he yielded himself to evil influences, that his spiritual
discernment was well-nigh destroyed. He could not see the terrible losses
that were sustained by the nation spiritually because he brought into the
kingdom an abundance of the gold of Ophir and the silver of Tarshish.
Review and Herald, Jan.18,1906.
Neglect or rejection of the light of the Lord’s
counsels on how to operate His institutions for now these many years has
led to lack of discernment or blindness of Seventh-day Adventists in
regard to some spiritual truths. To be unrepentant of apostasy in one area
results in apostasy in another area:
Disregard of the light that God has given brings the
sure result. It creates a shadow, a darkness that is more dark because of
the light which has been sent. . . . If a man
withdraws himself from light and evidence, and yields to Satan’s seducing
arts, he himself draws the curtain of unbelief about him, so that light
cannot be distinguished from darkness. Our High Calling, 26.
In a book published by the Review and Herald Publishing
Association in 1999, Elder J. R. Zurcher, in discussing the human nature
of Christ, says the following:
Since the beginning the Adventist church showed
remarkable unanimity in its systematic teaching on this subject. Their
study of the New Testament led the pioneers of the message and their
followers to understand the Incarnation as not merely involving the belief
that Jesus came in the flesh, but above all in “a flesh like unto sinful
flesh.” And because this teaching was radically opposed to the tradition
of established churches, it was necessary to repeat it consistently for
the benefit of the new converts to the Adventist message. This doctrine
was considered as “the touchstone of authentic Christianity,” as “the
golden chain in which are set the jewels of doctrine,” “as the doctrine of
doctrines,” in short, as “the vital point of the regenerative and
redemptive religion of Jesus.”
About 1950, however, a new interpretation arose: Christ
did not take the fallen nature of humanity but rather that of Adam before
the Fall. Touched With Our Feelings, 146.
Prior to the 1950s the various magazines and numerous
books that issued from our many publishing houses maintained a remarkable
degree of unity in doctrinal teaching. Tragically, that unity, so
essential and so desired for His followers by Christ (see John 17), has
not continued up to the present time. In a Review and Herald
editorial of July 10, 1952, appeared the statement “Adventists believe
that Christ, the last Adam, possessed on His human side, a nature like
that of the first man Adam.” The belief that Christ came to this earth
with the unfallen human nature of Adam before the Fall had never before
been proposed in print as an Adventist belief in any official book or
magazine. All previous 1,200 references in Adventist literature (400
Spirit of Prophecy statements) had unanimously stated that Christ came to
earth with Adam’s fallen nature. See The Word Was Made Flesh, Ralph
Larson, 220–221.
This new teaching in Adventism appeared in articles in
the Ministry magazine of September 1956 and April 1957 (ibid.,
224). The belief was then widely distributed through the book Questions
on Doctrines (see Questions on Doctrine, 650) and in Volume 7A
of The Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary. J. R. Zurcher
correctly identifies this new teaching of Christ having the human nature
of the unfallen Adam, not as progress in the understanding of truth, but
as a turning back to the errors of fallen Christianity:
The new christology was presented by its promoters as
“the new milestone” of Adventism. Obviously, for Adventist believers this
teaching was new, but not for other Christians. Actually it was a rather
regrettable return to the old-time teaching of the mainline Christian
churches. Touched With Our Feelings, 275.
This new purported Seventh-day Adventist belief has
driven a wedge into the theological heart of the remnant church. These
nearly fifty years since 1952 have witnessed an increased promotion in
official Adventist literature of associated Calvinistic beliefs, such as
the atonement finished on the cross, and that there is no complete victory
over sin until the Second Coming. Such teachings bring into question the
relevance of our founding and foundational beliefs in regard to the
heavenly sanctuary. These new purported beliefs of Adventism have become
known as the New Theology. See Our Firm Foundation May–December
1988; February–June, November and December 1989, January, February, and
September 1990, January–December 1991.
These new-to-Adventist beliefs have been permitted by
leadership with dimmed spiritual discernment, to come into the midst of
Adventism, and of recent years to be dominant in the official Adventist
published magazines and books and in the theology departments of our
colleges and universities. This promulgation of error has resulted in
doctrinal confusion and division and thus caused peril to souls. Would it
not be right to refer to this departure from the full and pure truth of
the three angels’ messages as doctrinal and spiritual apostasy?
No longer are the sheep consistently being taught that
they can follow the example of Christ the Shepherd in the pathway of full
victory over sin. No longer are we unanimously being taught that Christ
will give us moment-by-moment-enabling grace to live fully and always in
harmony with His will, which is true righteousness, or right doing by
faith, which is “the third angel’s message in verity.” Evangelism,
190. See “Justification and Sanctification by Faith,” Our Firm
Foundation, January 1991. No longer are we being taught with clarity
that Christ’s character of complete obedience to the Father is to be
reproduced in our lives as a prerequisite to Christ’s return:
"When the fruit is brought forth, immediately he
putteth in the sickle, because the harvest is come.” Christ is waiting
with longing desire for the manifestation of Himself in His church. When
the character of Christ shall be perfectly reproduced in His people, then
He will come to claim them as His own. Christ’s Object Lessons,
69.
We have become confused regarding justification, or
righteousness by faith, just as we were in 1888 when we rejected the light
and power of the latter rain. Martin Webber, in his book Who’s Got the
Truth? documents five distinct versions of the gospel being presently
preached and published in Adventism. We cannot claim to have accepted, and
to be preaching, the 1888 message of righteousness by faith when we do not
know what true righteousness by faith is. Confusion now, can no more be
blessed with the latter rain than could confusion then.
An inspired statement regarding our 1888-documented
confusion regarding righteousness by faith is applicable to us today with
our present confusion regarding the gospel:
In the time of the Saviour, the Jews had so covered
over the precious jewels of truth with the rubbish of tradition and fable,
that it was impossible to distinguish the true from the false. The Saviour
came to clear away the rubbish of superstition and long-cherished errors,
and to set the jewels of God’s word in the framework of truth. What would
the Saviour do if he should come to us now as he did to the Jews? He would
have to do a similar work in clearing away the rubbish of tradition and
ceremony. Review and Herald, June 4, 1889.
With such confusion among us, and with our pastors
apparently avoiding topics that are controversial, the majority of our
people are not hearing messages on many of our important doctrines. As
God’s remnant people we have vowed to believe and teach “the truth, the
whole truth, and nothing but the truth.” At best, the majority of our
pulpits are presenting only partial truths—at a time when less than the
full truth is misleading and a falsehood. Frequently, it is not what is
presented but what is not presented that is apostasy. When truths that
once were issuing from our pulpits and presses are no longer being
presented, or when partial truth, or outright error is being taught, are
we not in doctrinal apostasy?
We claim to believe in the two-apartment, heavenly
sanctuary, but our messages fail to teach one of the primary purposes of
Christ’s heavenly ministry—that of producing a final generation fully
victorious over sin. In this antitypical day of atonement we are confused
as to our role in the cleansing of the heavenly sanctuary. Our abbreviated
versions of the three angels’ messages do not include a message in harmony
with the following inspired statement:
“While the sins of penitent believers are being removed
from the sanctuary, there is to be a special work of purification, of
putting away of sin, among God’s people upon earth.” The Faith I
Live By, 213.
We have
allowed the confusion of the New Theology to amputate from our messages
the capstone truths of Adventism—a final generation who crucify sin in the
flesh as did Christ when He was upon this earth. A partial and erroneous
three angels’ messages will not produce a generation that participates
with Christ in putting an end to the need for intercession for sin in the
heavenly sanctuary. An abbreviated or erroneous three angels’ messages
cannot fulfill the gospel commission. It is very unlikely that anyone will
achieve the goal of Holy Spirit-mediated victory over sin in this life
unless they understand the goal to be reached, and by God’s grace are
“press[ing] on toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in
Christ Jesus.” Philippians 3:14. Without clear aim at the goal and without
the pain of the crucifying of self, there will be no gain of eternal life
for any soul.
Only those who are putting away all sin will receive
the seal of God:
Now is the time to prepare. The seal of God will never
be placed upon the forehead of an impure man or woman. It will never be
placed upon the forehead of the ambitious, world-loving man or woman. It
will never be placed upon the forehead of men or women of false tongues or
deceitful hearts. All who receive the seal must be without spot before
God—candidates for heaven. Go forward, my brethren and sisters. I can only
write briefly upon these points at this time, merely calling your
attention to the necessity of preparation. Search the Scriptures for
yourselves, that you may understand the fearful solemnity of the present
hour. Testimonies, vol. 5, 216.
Only those who know and experience the full truths of
the three angels’ messages of righteousness by faith will be sealed and
then receive the latter rain to empower them to give that message to the
whole world:
Not one of us will ever receive the seal of God while
our characters have one spot or stain upon them. It is left with us to
remedy the defects in our characters, to cleanse the soul temple of every
defilement. Then the latter rain will fall upon us as the early rain fell
upon the disciples on the day of Pentecost. Christian Experience and
Teachings of Ellen G. White, 189.
God has permitted these heresies to be taught
increasingly in our schools, printed in our publications, and preached
from our pulpits for at least forty years now. Indeed, we are reaping a
harvest of unbelief in the Spirit of Prophecy and in the Bible-based,
historic beliefs of Adventism:
The theories of great men need to be carefully sifted
of the slightest trace of infidel suggestions. One tiny seed sown by
teachers in our schools, if received by the students, will raise a harvest
of unbelief. Review and Herald, March 1, 1898.
Many believe that we are well along in the Omega of
Apostasy which we were warned would be of a most startling nature:
Be not deceived; many will depart from the faith,
giving heed to seducing spirits and doctrines of devils. We have now
before us the alpha of this danger. The Omega will be of a most startling
nature. Selected Messages, book 1, 197.
Teachers who say that we cannot be victorious over sin
in this life, and that to attempt to do so is of itself a sin, have been
embraced with open arms by Laodicean leaders and laity—those who have not
wanted, or found it convenient, to obey the instructions of Christ in the
Bible and in the Spirit of Prophecy as to how to live and work for Him.
The unscriptural heresies of fallen Christianity, which our pioneers and
many present Seventh-day Adventist members have come out of, have been
reintroduced into the very heart of our work by unfaithful sentinels:
Satan has gained marked advantage in _____ because
the people of God have not guarded the outposts. The very men whose labors
God has signified that He would accept if they were fully consecrated have
been the ones to be deceived, to fail in their duties, and to prove a
terrible burden and discouragement, instead of the help and blessing that
they should have been. These men who have been trusted to keep the fort
have well-nigh betrayed it into the hands of the enemy. They have opened
the gates to a wily foe, who has sought to destroy them.
Men of experience have seen stealthy hands slipping the
bolts that Satan might enter; yet they have held their peace with apparent
indifference as to the results. . . . These persons do not realize that
God holds them responsible for every advantage gained by the foe who is
admitted to the fort. The desolation and ruin following lie at the door of
the unfaithful sentinels, who, by their neglect, become agents in the
hands of the adversary to win souls to destruction. Testimonies,
vol. 4, 211–212.
We were warned that new parties of professed believers
would be formed among us:
Confederacies will increase in number and power as we
draw nearer to the end of time. These confederacies will create opposing
influences to the truth, forming new parties of professed believers who
will act out their own delusive theories. The apostasy will increase. . .
. There needs to be much more of prayer, much more of earnest effort,
among professed believers. Selected Messages, book 2, 383.
This doctrinal apostasy of the New Theology has
destroyed our unity of belief, resulting in division, controversy and
schism:
The great enemy of the church is determined to
introduce among God’s people that which will result in disunion and
variance. Schism and division are not the fruit of righteousness; they are
of the evil one. The great hindrance to our advancement is the selfishness
that prevents believers from having true fellowship with one another.
Review and Herald, May 12, 1903.
We are warned against unifying with those who have
stepped off the platform of truth:
How can I say to our people, Harmonize with those who
advocate these wrong sentiments? How can I hold my peace, and say, Unify?
God gives me the message, Beware of the leaven of those who have been
destroying the faith of Seventh-day Adventists. There are those to whom I
fear to write personally. God says, Beware of the leaven of those who have
stepped off the platform of truth. Manuscript Releases, vol. 10,
48.
The New Theology teaching that full obedience to
God—sanctification—is not possible, and not required, is creating an
influence in the church that makes it difficult to hold fast to the faith
once delivered to the saints.
Since 1888, God has not found a generation of
Seventh-day Adventists who have understood, experienced, and shared with
others the true message of righteousness—right doing—by faith in what
Christ can do for and in us: “Now unto him that is able to keep you from
falling, and to present [you] faultless before the presence of his glory
with exceeding joy.” Jude 24. Because of our continued insubordination and
departure from the full truth, Heaven’s message to the four angels, up to
this day, has had to be “Hold! hold! hold! hold!”:
I saw four angels who had a work to do on the earth,
and were on their way to accomplish it. Jesus was clothed with priestly
garments. He gazed in pity on the remnant, then raised His hands, and with
a voice of deep pity cried, “My blood, Father, My blood! My blood! My
blood!” Then I saw an exceeding bright light come from God, who sat upon
the great white throne, and was shed all about Jesus. Then I saw an angel
with a commission from Jesus, swiftly flying to the four angels who had a
work to do in the earth, and waving something up and down in his hand, and
crying with a loud voice, “Hold! hold! hold! hold! until the servants of
God are sealed in their foreheads.”
I asked my accompanying angel the meaning of what I
heard, and what the four angels were about to do. He said to me that it
was God that restrained the powers, and that He gave His angels charge
over things on the earth; that the four angels had power from God to hold
the four winds, and that they were about to let them go; but while their
hands were loosening, and the four winds were about to blow, the merciful
eye of Jesus gazed on the remnant that were not sealed, and He raised His
hands to the Father, and pleaded with Him that He had spilled His blood
for them. Then another angel was commissioned to fly swiftly to the four
angels, and bid them hold, until the servants of God were sealed with the
seal of the living God in their foreheads. Life Sketches,
118–119.
Brethren, let us face the facts. Inspiration teaches
that Christ came in the flesh—fallen human nature. This had been our
unanimously held foundational belief of true Christianity for at least 100
years. Christ came in the flesh in order to be able to condemn sin in the
flesh. “For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the
flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for
sin, condemned sin in the flesh.” Romans 8:3. One of our last public
acknowledgments of this truth is found in The Seventh-day Adventist
Bible Commentary, vol. 6, 562, printed in 1957. The writer, commenting
on the above verse, states:
Christ met, overcame, and condemned sin in the sphere
in which it had previously exercised its dominion and mastery. The flesh,
the scene of sin’s former triumphs, now became the scene of its defeat and
expulsion.
By believing and teaching that Christ came in the
unfallen nature of Adam, we demonstrate that we do not know the Spirit of
God and that we have, perhaps unwittingly, turned back to following the
spirit of antichrist:
Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: Every spirit that
confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God: and every
spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not
of God: and this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that
it should come; and even now already is it in the world. 1 John 4:2–3.
Our apostasy on the nature of Christ, the foundational
truth of Christianity, has logically led us into apostasy on the nature of
the gospel and its fruit—the condemnation of sin in the flesh of Christ’s
followers, which is an integral part of the cleansing of the sanctuary on
the day of atonement, which is the capstone truth of Christianity.
The making of the Testimonies of none effect in our
institutions and doctrines is comparable to the rebellion of Korah, Dathan
and Abiram:
If you seek to turn aside the counsel of God to suit
yourselves, if you lessen the confidence of God’s people in the
testimonies He has sent them, you are rebelling against God as certainly
as were Korah, Dathan, and Abiram. Testimonies, vol. 5, 66.
When leaders work against our established truths it
incapacitates us from receiving God’s full blessings:
As a people we cannot receive the full measure of the
blessing of God while some who occupy leading positions are continuously
working against the truth that for years we have held sacred, and obedient
to the faith that has brought us what success we have had. Manuscript
Releases, vol. 11, 319.
Because of our unbelief in the Testimonies, manifested
by our disobedience to them, we are under divine forbearance:
I have been shown that unbelief in the testimonies has
been steadily increasing as the people backslide from God. It is all
through our ranks, all over the field. But few know what our churches are
to experience. I saw that at present we are under divine forbearance, but
no one can say how long this will continue. No one knows how great the
mercy that has been exercised toward us. But few are heartily devoted to
God. There are only a few who, like the stars in a tempestuous night,
shine here and there among the clouds. Ibid., 76.
The primary, properly constituted authority, which
Christ has placed in His church, is “It is written” and “To the law and to
the testimony”:
“The law and the prophets,” with the record of His own
words and deeds, are the treasure committed to the disciples to be given
to the world. Christ’s name is their watchword, their badge of
distinction, their bond of union, the authority for their course of
action, and the source of their success. Nothing that does not bear His
superscription is to be recognized in His kingdom. Desire of Ages,
826.
As we have documented, we as a people are manifesting a
persistent refusal to recognize the properly constituted authority of the
Bible and the Spirit of Prophecy, which Christ has given to us through the
Holy Spirit. By operating the Lord’s institutions and by believing and
preaching a gospel contrary to the inspired directions of the Lord, we are
placing our authority above that of Christ Himself. Without a doubt, our
manner of operation is consistent with that of an offshoot movement. When
Christ disciplines us by withholding the latter rain and the Promised
Land, we blame Him for the delay, and refuse to acknowledge that it is
because of our own wrongdoings. Thus we are refusing to submit to the
order and discipline of Christ for His church. Because of persistent
waywardness “the Faithful and True Witness” has stated that He will spew
us out “Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have
need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable,
and poor, and blind, and naked.” Revelation 3:17.
God has spoken to you. Light has been shining from His
word and from the Testimonies, and both have been slighted and
disregarded. The result is apparent in the lack of purity and devotion and
earnest faith among us. Testimonies, vol. 5, 217.
Those who lead the church contrary to Inspiration in
promoting heresies are Hazaels to prove a scourge to us. The spirit of
antichrist comes in. We are to look forward to the sifting when the Lord
will purge His floor:
If all of those who come together for meetings of
edification and prayer could be regarded as true worshipers, then might we
hope, though much would still remain to be done for us. But it is in vain
to deceive ourselves. Things are far from being what the appearance would
indicate. From a distant view much may appear beautiful which, upon close
examination, will be found full of deformities. The prevailing spirit of
our time is that of infidelity and apostasy—a spirit of pretended
illumination because of a knowledge of the truth, but in reality of the
blindest presumption. There is a spirit of opposition to the plain word of
God and to the testimony of His Spirit. There is a spirit of idolatrous
exaltation of mere human reason above the revealed wisdom of God.
There are men among us in responsible positions who
hold that the opinions of a few conceited philosophers, so called, are
more to be trusted than the truth of the Bible, or the testimonies of the
Holy Spirit. Such a faith as that of Paul, Peter, or John is considered
old-fashioned and insufferable at the present day. It is pronounced
absurd, mystical, and unworthy of an intelligent mind.
God has shown me that these men are Hazaels to prove
a scourge to our people. . . .We have been inclined to think that where
there are no faithful ministers there can be no true Christians, but this
is not the case. God has promised that where the shepherds are not true He
will take charge of the flock Himself. God has never made the flock wholly
dependent upon human instrumentalities. But the days of purification of
the church are hastening on apace. God will have a people pure and true.
In the mighty sifting soon to take place we shall be better able to
measure the strength of Israel. The signs reveal that the time is near
when the Lord will manifest that His fan is in His hand, and He will
thoroughly purge His floor. Testimonies, vol. 5, 79–80.
We have the following sobering counsels to guide
us:
If those connected with the work of God will not hear
His voice and do His will, they should be separated entirely from the
work. God does not need the influence of such men. I speak plainly, for it
is time that things were called by their right name. Those who love and
fear God with all their hearts are the only men that God can trust. But
those who have separated their souls from God, should themselves be
separated from the work of God, which is so solemn and so important.
The Paulson Collection, 355.
We are to have only those connected with our
institutions who will hear the Word of the Lord and appreciate and obey
His voice. Testimonies to Ministers, 420.
There is enough wealth in your conference to carry
forward this work successfully; and shall the prince of darkness be left
in undisputed possession of our great cities because it costs something to
sustain missions? Let those who would follow Christ fully come up to the
work, even if it be over the heads of ministers and president.
Testimonies, vol. 5, 369.
Need we recall that Israel’s ruin was the end result of
its religious leaders rejecting God’s leadership?
Thus by choosing a heathen ruler, the Jewish nation had
withdrawn from the theocracy. They had rejected God as their king.
Henceforth they had no deliverer. They had no king but Caesar. To this the
priests and teachers had led the people. For this, with the fearful
results that followed, they were responsible. A nation’s sin and a
nation’s ruin were due to the religious leaders. Desire of Ages,
738.
If we refuse to repent and reform, we will change
leaders without realizing it:
If you indulge stubbornness of heart, and through pride
and self-righteousness do not confess your faults, you will be left
subject to Satan’s temptations. . . .The multitude of deceptions that will
prevail in these last days will encircle you, and you will change leaders,
and not know that you have done so. Review and Herald, December 16,
1890.
If we confess our errors, we will find pardon. However,
if we refuse to acknowledge and repent of our errors, we will be found on
Satan’s side of the controversy:
If men and women refuse to accept the ways of the
Lord, if they resist for any cause the light sent them by heaven, they
will be found among the workers of iniquity. . . . When
these see the error they have made and realize that they have not had a
right spirit, that they have tried to kill that which the Lord would have
live, let them honestly and frankly acknowledge their
error. . . . When they humble their hearts before God as
did David, confessing that they have erred, they have the sure Word of God
that they will find pardon. . . .
Satan has been encouraged in his special work for this
time. Those who have erred in the past, and have not humbled themselves to
fully confess their wrongs and make them right, will continue to move in
their own spirit. They will call truth error and error truth. These
workers will eventually be found on Satan’s side of the controversy.
Christ Triumphant, 140.
Because of the Seventh-day Adventist Church’s open,
blatant, ongoing, and persistent refusal to recognize the properly
constituted authority of Christ, it is not surprising that the North
American Division of Seventh-day Adventists is in open rebellion in the
ordination of women pastors—blatantly contrary to scripture (see
1 Timothy 2:12) and to the decision of the General Conference in
world session, which is God’s highest organized human authority in the
church (see Testimonies, vol. 9, 260–261). This is a serious,
further development in our independent-from-God activities.
Only what the church does in harmony with God’s Word is
ratified in heaven:
“Verily I say unto you,” Christ continued,
“whatsoever ye shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and
whatsoever ye shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.” Matthew
18:18.
This statement holds its force in all ages. On the
church has been conferred the power to act in Christ’s stead. It is God’s
instrumentality for the preservation of order and discipline among His
people. To it the Lord has delegated the power to settle all questions
respecting its prosperity, purity, and order. Upon it rests the
responsibility of excluding from its fellowship those who are unworthy,
who by their un-Christlike conduct would bring dishonor on the truth.
Whatever the church does that is in accordance with the directions given
in God’s word will be ratified in heaven. Testimonies, vol. 7,
263.
Only when the church says what God says about sin, and
deals with it the way God says to deal with it, are her actions ratified
in heaven:
“Whosesoever sins ye remit,” said Christ, “they are
remitted . . . and whosesoever sins ye retain, they are
retained.” John 20:23. Christ here gives no liberty for any man to pass
judgment upon others. In the Sermon on the Mount He forbade this. It is
the prerogative of God. But on the church in its organized capacity He
places a responsibility for the individual members. Toward those who fall
into sin, the church has a duty, to warn, to instruct, and if possible to
restore. “Reprove, rebuke, exhort,” the Lord says, “with all
long-suffering and doctrine.” 2 Timothy. 4:2. Deal faithfully with
wrongdoing. Warn every soul that is in danger. Leave none to deceive
themselves. Call sin by its right name. Declare what God has said in
regard to lying, Sabbathbreaking, stealing, idolatry, and every other
evil. “They which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.”
Galations. 5:21. If they persist in sin, the judgment you have declared
from God’s Word is pronounced upon them in heaven. In choosing to sin,
they disown Christ; the church must show that she does not sanction their
deeds, or she herself dishonors her Lord. She must say about sin what God
says about it. She must deal with it as God directs, and her action is
ratified in heaven. He who despises the authority of the church, despises
the authority of Christ Himself. Desire of Ages, 805.
We are the Lord’s instrumentalities when we act out His
will and not our own:
The Lord sets people in responsible places, not to act
out their own wills, but His will. So long as they cherish His pure
principles of government, He will bless and strengthen them, recognizing
them as His instrumentalities. God never forsakes the one who is true to
principle. Christ Triumphant, 158.
When church leaders accept the properly constituted
authority of Christ and live and preach God’s will, then they can be
respected:
Let those in America who suppose the voice of the
General Conference to be the voice of God, become one with God before they
utter their opinions. The Word of God is to be lived as well as preached.
. . .When those who come nigh [to] God in service are consecrated,
cleansed, and purified, approaching nearer and still nearer the divine
benevolence, they can voice the commission of God, and be respected.
Manuscript Releases, vol. 13, 291.
In all fairness to ancient Israel as well as to modern
Israel in 1888, God would not withhold spiritual rain from modern Israel
today and thus delay her entrance into the heavenly Promised Land, yea,
these many years, for anything less than continued disobedience,
insubordination, and rebellion. As Laodiceans, we desperately need to
awaken to our spiritual nakedness:
I am filled with sadness when I think of our condition
as a people. The Lord has not closed heaven to us, but our own course of
continual backsliding has separated us from God. Pride, covetousness, and
love of the world have lived in the heart without fear of banishment or
condemnation. Grievous and presumptuous sins have dwelt among us. And yet
the general opinion is that the church is flourishing and that peace and
spiritual prosperity are in all her borders. Testimonies, vol. 5,
217.
Over the years isolated watchmen have sounded warning
trumpet sounds, but rather than being appreciated, they have too often
been ignored, ridiculed and even worse. In general, the undershepherds
have put forth minimal effort to remove the poisonous weeds from the
pasture of the flock. Those sheep who have recognized and pointed out the
danger, have too often been scattered from the flock.
Having the authority of Christ in the Bible and the
Spirit of Prophecy to separate all doctrinal error from the truth, many of
our leadership have played the role of the watchdogs that will not bark.
The servant of the Lord applies chapter nine of Ezekiel to the sealing
time of the remnant church. Leadership of that time is described as dumb
dogs that would not bark:
“Peace and safety” is the cry from men who will never
again lift up their voice like a trumpet to show God’s people their
transgressions and the house of Jacob their sins. These dumb dogs that
would not bark are the ones who feel the just vengeance of an offended
God. Men, maidens, and little children all perish together.
Testimonies, vol. 5, 211.
Earnest
spirituality, and the quickening influence of the Spirit of God, will set
men to work, not lazily, but most earnestly, to warn men to escape the
perils which threaten to destroy them. Review and Herald, December
18, 1883.
We may be sincere in our disobedience to the Lord, but
Laodicea’s sincere disobedience to the Spirit of Prophecy and the Bible is
no more acceptable in God’s eyes than is fallen Christianity’s sincere
disobedience of the Bible. The reality of this fact should be brought home
to us by the following sober message:
Those who have had opportunities to hear and receive
the truth and who have united with the Seventh-day Adventist church,
calling themselves the commandment-keeping people of God, and yet possess
no more vitality and consecration to God than do the nominal churches,
will receive of the plagues of God just as verily as the churches who
oppose the law of God. Only those that are sanctified through the truth
will compose the royal family in the heavenly mansions Christ has gone to
prepare for those that love Him and keep His commandments. Manuscript
Releases, vol. 19, 176.
Fearfully, we ask, “Is this really our condition and
danger?”
We as Seventh-day Adventists are quick to note and
claim that other Christian religions tend to be selective in their use of
the Scriptures. We need to recognize that they do so because they are
using the historical-critical approach to Divine Revelation and
Inspiration. When we as Seventh-day Adventists pick and choose in the
Spirit of Prophecy in regard to how to operate the branches of the Lord’s
work, we are also actually using the same method of interpreting Divine
Inspiration.
In all reality, the promulgation of Calvinistic
teachings of the New (to Adventism) Theology among us is an attempt to
theologically harmonize our pattern of partial obedience to the Lord’s
instructions to us in the Bible and the Spirit of Prophecy. The belief
system of sin-and-repent, that we cannot overcome all sin or disobedience
to God in this life, as well as the historical-critical method of relating
to Inspiration, are all very compatible with the picking-and-choosing
methods of relating to the Spirit of Prophecy. Thus they are all very much
descriptive as to how modern Israel lives and “works for Christ.”
The same method of higher criticism used by the fallen
churches of Christianity to make the Bible of none effect in their beliefs
and practices, has been used by us now these many years to pick and choose
in the Spirit of Prophecy as to which counsels of the Lord we are or are
not going to obey:
My brethren have trifled and caviled and criticized and
commented and demerited, and picked and chosen a little and refused much
until the testimonies mean nothing to them. They put whatever
interpretation upon them that they choose in their own finite judgment and
are satisfied. The Ellen G. White 1888 Materials, 800.
This Seventh-day Adventist picking-and-choosing in the
Spirit of Prophecy is just as surely insubordination and apostasy as is
the fallen Protestant churches picking-and-choosing in the Scriptures. We
need only to review the experiences of Cain and of King Saul to document
that willful, partial obedience to the Lord is in reality disobedience,
rebellion and apostasy.
This tendency of ours to place man’s wisdom and reason
ahead of clear Spirit of Prophecy counsels on how to carry on the Lord’s
work, and this desire to place human reason as judge of scriptural
inspiration, is a reflection of Israel’s apostasy in Elijah’s day, and
also the apostasy presently in the world around us:
There are many lessons to be drawn from Elijah’s
experience during these days of discouragement and apparent defeat—lessons
invaluable to the servants of God in this age, marked as it is by general
departure from right. The apostasy prevailing today is similar to that
which in the prophet’s day overspread Israel. In the exaltation of the
human above the divine, in the praise of popular leaders, in the worship
of mammon, and in the placing of the teachings of science above the truths
of revelation, multitudes today are following Baal. Doubt and unbelief are
exercising their baleful influence over mind and heart, and many are
substituting for the oracles of God the theories of men. It is publicly
taught that we have reached a time when human reason should be exalted
above the teachings of the Word. Advent Review and Sabbath Herald,
October 23, 1913.
With the full authority of God’s Word and the full
ecclesiastical authority of His visible church on earth, Adventist
leadership has apparently, in spite of the turmoil and confusion among us,
taken a neutral, wait-and-see attitude. Rather than giving the straight
testimony of what God says on the issues confronting us, leadership seems
to be “straddling the fence,” with great dangers to themselves and to the
flock. Though such a position may seem expedient to man, God perceives it
as a grievous crime:
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, 281.
Jesus views the serious spiritual condition of His
Laodicean people as their lukewarm tendency to halt between two
opinions:
Are you not halting between two opinions? Are you not
neglecting to heed the light which God has given you? Take heed lest there
be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief in departing from the living
God. You know not the time of your visitation. The great sin of the Jews
was that of neglecting and rejecting present opportunities. As Jesus views
the state of His professed followers today, He sees base ingratitude,
hollow formalism, hypocritical insincerity, pharisaical pride and
apostasy. Testimonies, vol. 5, 72.
Such strong words are appropriate, for when we try to
maintain a neutral position we are actually an ally of the hosts of
darkness:
No one can occupy a neutral position; . . . he who does
not give himself wholly to God is under the control of another power,
listening to another voice, whose suggestions are of an entirely different
character. Half-and-half service places the human agent on the side of the
enemy as a successful ally of the hosts of darkness. Thoughts From the
Mount of Blessing, 94.
The servant of the Lord refers to a new movement coming
into Adventism that would discard the old truths, publish books of a new
order, do a great work in the cities, and allow nothing to stand in its
way:
The enemy of souls has sought to bring in the
supposition that a great reformation was to take place among Seventh-day
Adventists, and that this reformation would consist in giving up the
doctrines which stand as the pillars of our faith, and engaging in a
process of reorganization. Were this reformation to take place, what would
result? The principles of truth that God in His wisdom has given to the
remnant church, would be discarded. Our religion would be changed. The
fundamental principles that have sustained the work for the last fifty
years would be accounted as error. A new organization would be
established. Books of a new order would be written. A system of
intellectual philosophy would be introduced. The founders of this system
would go into the cities, and do a wonderful work. The Sabbath of course,
would be lightly regarded, as also the God who created it. Nothing would
be allowed to stand in the way of the new movement. The leaders would
teach that virtue is better than vice, but God being removed, they would
place their dependence on human power, which, without God, is worthless.
Their foundation would be built on the sand, and storm and tempest would
sweep away the structure. Selected Messages, book 1, 204.
We fearfully ask, Have we come to that hour? Could it
be that the above warnings, written at the time of the Alpha of Apostasy
of Dr. J. H. Kellogg and his followers, were prophetic of an even greater
fulfillment during the time prophesied when it would be described as being
“of a most startling nature” (Selected Messages, book 1,197),—Omega
of departure from truth? See ibid., 193–200.
We see and feel keenly the unbelief of some who have
blinded their eyes and hardened their hearts, refusing to acknowledge the
light because it has not coincided with their own ideas. My heart is
pained as I see that many, and some even amongst our own people, are
fulfilling the words written by Paul: “Now the Spirit speaketh expressly,
that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to
seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils” [1 Timothy 4:1]. The time of
this apostasy is here. Every conceivable effort will be made to throw
doubt upon the positions that we have occupied for over half a century.
Manuscript Releases, vol. 19, 372.
Operating the branches of the Lord’s work according to
man’s wisdom rather than in conformity to the Lord’s instruction, is
clearly insubordination. Failure to define truth in the areas of doctrinal
confusion is clearly disobedience to the call to the gospel ministry. Is
it not correct that insubordination and disobedience are sin, and willful
sin is synonymous with apostasy? We see ourselves reflected in the general
condition of the world, portrayed in the following quotation:
The prevailing spirit of our time is one of infidelity
and apostasy—a spirit of avowed illumination because of a knowledge of
truth, but in reality of the blindest presumption. Human theories are
exalted and placed where God and His law should be. Satan tempts men and
women to disobey, with the promise that in disobedience they will find
liberty and freedom that will make them as gods. There is seen a spirit of
opposition to the plain Word of God, of idolatrous exaltation of human
wisdom above divine revelation. Men have allowed their minds to become so
darkened and confused by conformity to worldly customs and influences that
they seem to have lost all power to discriminate between light and
darkness, truth and error. So far have they departed from the right way
that they hold the opinions of a few philosophers, so-called, to be more
trustworthy than the truths of the Bible. The entreaties and promises of
God’s Word, its threatenings against disobedience and idolatry—these seem
powerless to melt their hearts. Prophets and Kings, 178.
Anything that separates us from following and obeying
Christ, is apostasy. Disobedience is the sign of disloyalty and apostasy
in God’s kingdom:
Those who dishonor God by transgressing His law may
talk sanctification, but it is of that value, and just as acceptable, as
was the offering of Cain. Obedience to all the commandments of God is the
only true sign of sanctification. Disobedience is the sign of disloyalty
and apostasy. The Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary: Ellen G.
White Comments, vol. 7, 908.
When Christ tries to save us from apostasy by sending
to us His greatest blessing of revealing to us our true condition, we too
often rise up in rejection of the revelation:
When the chastisement came in reproof, in warning, or
by affliction, to save from apostasy and ruin, then there was a turning
upon Jesus with a defiant, stubborn, impenitent resistance which was
fearful. And why, says the proud, perverse spirit, must I be crushed by
rebuke? Why must I be humiliated? They forget all the light, all the
favors previously given, and feel that they are abused because God takes
with them the only course which will bring them to a knowledge of
themselves, that they may find peace in Him through submission, penitence
for sin, and confiding trust in God. For this reason God sends to the
church the greatest blessing He can give them in a knowledge of
themselves. . . . God knows it is good for men to tread a hard and humble
path, to encounter difficulties, to experience disappointments, and to
suffer affliction. Faith strengthens by coming in conflict with doubt, and
resisting unbelief through the strength of Jesus. Signs of the
Times, June 15, 1876.
If we are grieved by the term “apostasy” being applied
to our wayward life and work, then we need to flee to Christ for the faith
and strength to follow “every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of
God":
The indulgence of spiritual pride, of unholy desires,
of evil thoughts, of anything that separates us from an intimate and
sacred association with Jesus, imperils our
souls. . . . We must “fight the good fight of faith,”
if we would “lay hold on eternal life.” 1 Timothy 6:12. We are “kept by
the power of God through faith unto salvation” 1 Peter 1:5. If the
thought of apostasy is grievous to you . . . then
“abhor that which is evil; cleave to that which is good” (Romans 12:9);
and believe in Him who is “able to keep you from falling, and to present
you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy.” Jude
24. God’s Amazing Grace, 333.
Only obedience protects us from apostasy. Leaders are
an offense to God when they turn from Him to follow human wisdom:
The message given man to proclaim in these last days is
not to be amalgamated with worldly opinions. In these days of peril,
nothing but obedience will keep man from apostasy. God has bestowed on man
great light and many blessings. But unless this light and these blessings
are received, they are no security against apostasy and disobedience. When
those whom God has exalted to positions of high trust turn from Him to
human wisdom, their light becomes darkness, and how great is that
darkness! Their entrusted capabilities are a snare to them. They are
become an offense to God. Upward Look, 318.
The chronic disobedience to Christ’s directives in the
operation of the branches of His work, and the more recent permitting of
doctrinal confusion and division, have delayed and are delaying Christ’s
second coming for all of us. When there is open and known disobedience to
God—apostasy—among us, and we do not do all within our ability to expose
and remove it, we as a body are held accountable for that apostasy.
We are left with some sobering questions for each of us
church leaders, members, and ministry leaders: Do we have a basis in the
Bible or the Spirit of Prophecy to say that our church is not in
apostasy? Are we trying to skirt the issue when we “acknowledge that there
is apostasy in the Church, . . . [but] reject the blatant and
irresponsible accusation that God’s Remnant Church is in apostasy.”
(See page 86.) Shall we deny that our operation of His institutions after
the pattern of the world, and our changing of our doctrines to reflect
those of fallen Christianity, are disobedience, rebellion, insubordination
and apostasy? Why has God delayed entrance into the Promised Land for His
remnant church if we are not in apostasy?
We need to humbly acknowledge and repent of our turning
back from following Christ. Our continued presence in this sinful world is
stark evidence that we, indeed, know not that we are spiritually wretched,
miserable, poor, blind and naked. See Revelation 3:14–17.
We are cautioned that stubborn refusal to acknowledge
and confess our sins of disobedience can make our case as hopeless as was
that of King Saul:
It is not safe to do as did Saul—walk contrary to the
Lord’s commandments and then say, “I have performed the commandment of the
Lord,” (1 Samuel 15:13) stubbornly refusing to confess the sin of
disobedience. Saul’s stubbornness made his case hopeless. We see that
others are following his example. The Lord sends words of reproof in mercy
to save them, but they will not submit to be corrected. They insist that
they have done no wrong, thus resisting the Spirit of God. The Lord
declares through Samuel, “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.” 1
Samuel 15:22–23. The stubborn heart is thus presented in the case of Saul
to warn every soul who is in danger of doing as he did. Manuscript
Releases, vol. 15, 173.
In our living and working for the Lord, it is not
acceptable to follow our own conscience. The Holy Spirit will not lead us
into a knowledge of all truth and practice if we are neglecting the study
of His primary means of communication—the Bible and the Spirit of
Prophecy:
It is not enough that man follows the dictates of
conscience. The mind must be enlightened as to what is God’s will, and
then an enlightened conscience will be an enlightened, intelligent will.
Manuscript Releases, vol. 17, 168.
It is stated of Christ’s remnant people that they “keep
the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.”
Revelation 12:17. This statement means that our personal lifestyles, our
religious beliefs, and our methods of doing the Lord’s work are to all be
in harmony with Scripture and the Spirit of Prophecy. Those who join God’s
church are committing themselves to the diligent and ongoing study of the
Bible and the Spirit of Prophecy to enable them to, indeed, by Christ’s
enabling power, measure up to God’s definition of His remnant people.
Those who accept positions of responsibility in Christ’s body are
committing themselves to being specialists in what God has said in the
Bible and in the Spirit of Prophecy for their area of work. Only at the
peril of his soul will anyone accept a position of leadership in God’s
church and not do everything he can to acquaint himself with all that God
has said regarding his area of work. Once one has learned God’s will for
his branch of the Lord’s work, he will do all that he can to bring that
area of the Lord’s work into full harmony with His directions. To do
anything less is to cause Heaven’s blessing to be removed from God’s
people.
The name Seventh-day Adventist was given to us by the
Lord because it is descriptive of our faith:
We are Seventh-day Adventists. Are we ashamed of our
name? We answer, No, no! We are not. It is the name the Lord has given us.
It points out the truth that is to be the test of the
churches. . . . That this may be, we must look ever to
Jesus. The Faith I Live By, 304.
No name which we can take will be appropriate but
that which accords with our profession, and expresses our faith, and marks
us as a peculiar people. The name, Seventh-day Adventist, is a standing
rebuke to the Protestant world. . . .
The name, Seventh-day Adventist, carries the true
features of our faith in front, and will convict the inquiring mind. Like
an arrow from the Lord’s quiver, it will wound the transgressors of God’s
law, and will lead to repentance toward God, and faith in our Lord Jesus
Christ. Spiritual Gifts, vol. 4b, 54–55.
It is a misuse of our name and our authority to go to
the civil courts and claim that our name is descriptive of our organized
church and to request the consenting civil powers to stop others from
using that name—even though it is descriptive of their faith. Such
activity is additional evidence of our departure from the leadership of
Christ. When James and John rebuked a man who was not following them, but
was doing a religious work in the name of Jesus, “Jesus said, Forbid him
not: for there is no man which shall do a miracle in my name, that can
lightly speak evil of me. For he that is not against us is on our part.”
Mark 9:39–40.
Are we truly in circumstances described by the
following?
There is a betrayal of sacred trust. The things
spoken in brotherly confidence are repeated and misrepresented; and every
word, every action, however innocent and well meaning, is scrutinized by
the cold, jealous criticism of those who were thought too noble, too
honorable, to take the least advantage of friendly association or
brotherly trust. Hearts are closed to mercy, judgment, and the love of
God; and the cold, sneering, contemptuous spirit which Satan manifests
toward his victim is revealed.
If Satan can employ professed believers to act as
accusers of the brethren, he is justly pleased; for those who do this are
just as truly serving him as was Judas when he betrayed Christ, although
they may be doing it ignorantly. Satan is no less active now than in
Christ’s day, and those who lend themselves to do his work will manifest
his spirit. Testimonies to Ministers, 504.
Our present activities are a sobering parallel, indeed,
with the following statement:
When the early church became corrupted by departing
from the simplicity of the gospel and accepting heathen rites and customs,
she lost the Spirit and power of God; and in order to control the
consciences of the people, she sought the support of the secular power.
The result was the papacy, a church that controlled the power of the state
and employed it to further her own ends . . .
It was apostasy that led the early church to seek the
aid of the civil government, and this prepared the way for the development
of the papacy—the beast. Said Paul: “There” shall “come a falling
away . . . and that man of sin be revealed.” 2
Thessalonians 2:3. So apostasy in the church will prepare the way for the
image to the beast. The Great Controversy, 443–444.
By our stiff-necked persistence in following our own
methods and those of the world in the operation of God’s health and
educational systems in direct disobedience to God’s expressed will, we
have grasped the reins of the government of Christ’s church out of His
hands. By refusing to permit Christ’s will to rein in His institutions, we
have refused to work under His theocratic rule. By following our own way,
we have caused a controversy between ourselves and God. Ellen White’s
words written over one hundred years ago well describe our situation
today:
We can stand down here, in 1892, and with the
aftersight we are privileged to have, we can see what it means to disobey
God’s commandments. Adam yielded to temptation, and as we have the matter
of sin and its consequences laid so distinctly before us, we can read from
cause to effect and see the greatness of the act is not that which
constitutes sin; but the disobedience of God’s expressed will, which is a
virtual denial of God, refusing the laws of His government. . . . No man
can be happy and depart from God’s specified requirements, and set up a
standard of his own which he decides he can safely follow. Then there
would be a variety of standards to suit the different minds, and the
government taken out of the Lord’s hands and human beings grasp the reins
of government. The law of self is erected, the will of man is made
supreme, and when the high and holy will of God is presented to be obeyed,
respected, and honored the human will wants its own way to do its own
promptings, and there is a controversy between the human agent and the
divine. Manuscript Releases, vol. 6, 338.
The usurpation by man of Christ’s rule in His church
has, indeed, delayed and made the work much harder:
Men make the work of advancing the truth tenfold harder
than it really is, by seeking to take God’s work out of His hands into
their own finite hands. They think they must be constantly inventing
something to make men do things which they suppose these persons ought to
do. The time thus spent is all the while making the work more complicated;
for the great Chief Worker is left out of the question in the care of His
own heritage. Evangelism, 635.
We need not despair because of the human rule that has
usurped Christ’s theocratic rule of His people, for where the shepherds
are not true, Christ has promised to take charge Himself:
God has promised that where the shepherds are not true
He will take charge of the flock Himself. God has never made the flock
wholly dependent upon human instrumentalities. Testimonies, vol. 5,
80.
Those who are obedient to Christ’s directives in their
personal lives and in their work for Him will remain in His church after
it is purified. Those remaining faithful will then receive the full
measure of the latter rain and give the loud cry. Through the Holy Spirit
in the latter rain, God will fully take the reins into His own hands.
Through His fully surrendered, purified, remnant people, Christ will then
cut His work short in righteousness—right doing.
Esaias also crieth concerning Israel, Though the number
of the children of Israel be as the sand of the sea, a remnant shall be
saved: For he will finish the work, and cut it short in righteousness:
because a short work will the Lord make upon the earth. Romans
9:27–28.
God will manifest Himself Master of the situation:
There will be a series of events revealing that God is
Master of the situation. Testimonies, vol. 9, 96.
We are not to be depressed when there is unfaithfulness
by the watchmen, for God will make the remaining faithful radiant with His
Word:
Do not be depressed, do not mourn in secret because of
the unfaithfulness of the watchmen on the walls of Zion. There is no call
for despondency and misapprehension. Place yourself where the bright beams
of the Sun of Righteousness can shine into all the chambers of your mind
and into the soul temple. We are the light of the world, God says. He will
make those who are faithful in the church radiant with the Word of God.
His Spirit will be communicated to human instrumentalities, giving them
light before which moral darkness must flee away. Manuscript
Releases, vol. 12, 102–103.
Even if all the leaders were to reject the truth, God
would raise up other messengers:
The Lord will raise up men to bear the message of truth
to the world and to His people. If those in responsible positions do not
move onward in the opening providences of God, bearing an appropriate
message for this time, the words of warning will be given to others who
will be faithful to their trust. Even youthful Christians will be chosen
to “cry aloud and spare not.” Sabbath-School Worker, April 1,
1892.
In the final work, God will use men and women of His
own choosing:
Light must come to the people through agents whom God
shall choose, who will give the note of warning, that none may be in
ignorance of the purposes of God or the devices of Satan. At the great
heart of the work Satan will use his hellish arts to the utmost. He will
seek in every possible way to interpose himself between the people and
God, and shut away the light that God would have come to His children.
The Ellen G. White 1888 Materials, 507.
Humble men and women, still sensitive to truth, and
even children will be impelled to give the message:
God will move upon men of humble position in society,
men who have not become insensible to the bright rays of light through so
long contemplating the light of truth, and refusing to make any
improvement or advancement therein. Many such will be seen hurrying hither
and thither, constrained by the Spirit of God to bring the light to
others. The truth, the Word of God, is as a fire in their bones, filling
them with a burning desire to enlighten those who sit in darkness. Many,
even among the uneducated, now proclaim the words of the Lord. Children
are impelled by the Spirit to go forth and declare the message from
Heaven. Review and Herald, July 23, 1895.
God will not satisfy our curiosity as to why He chooses
whom He chooses:
Men professing godliness have despised Christ in the
person of His messengers. Like the Jews, they reject God’s message. The
Jews asked regarding Christ, “Who is this? Is not this Joseph’s son?” He
was not the Christ that the Jews had looked for. So today the agencies
that God sends are not what men have looked for. But the Lord will not ask
any man by whom to send. He will send by whom He will. Men may not be able
to understand why God sends this one or that one. His work may be a matter
of curiosity. God will not satisfy this curiosity; and His Word will not
return unto Him void. Ibid., August 17, 1897.
We must be careful not to reject light because it does
not come through expected channels:
We should be ready to accept light from God from
whatever source it may come, instead of rejecting it because it does not
come through the channel from which we expected it. Ibid., August 27,
1889.
God often purposely uses unexpected channels to help
identify the true lovers of truth:
The Lord often works where we least expect Him; He
surprises us by revealing His power through instruments of His own choice,
while He passes by the men to whom we have looked as those through whom
light should come. God desires us to receive the truth upon its own
merits—because it is truth. Testimonies to Ministers, 106.
The Lord often works contrary to the ideas of church
leadership and uses instead those who will be molded by His counsels:
I wish that occasionally the curtain could be rolled
back and all could see the manner of the Lord’s working, and the wonderful
activity in the courts above. The Lord often works in a manner which is
not in accordance with the ideas of the men who are in responsible
positions. The speculations and calculations of human minds are not always
in wisdom of God. Some move altogether too slowly, and their caution is a
defective spoke in the wheel, keeping it from rolling. Again, others may
devise and plan how this one and that one shall work, when the Lord has
other work for these men to do, other places where He wants them to fill
in as His agents. His plans are not built on any foundation that is laid
by man, but as the high and lofty One that inhabiteth eternity, He lays
the foundation, and erects the structure, in lofty independence through
those who will be worked by Him. The Lord Jesus takes those that He finds
will be molded and uses them for His own name’s glory, to meet His own
spiritual conception. He sees material that others would pass by, and
works all who will be worked. Spalding and Magan Collection,
65.
In God’s final work we can expect resistance from the
very ones expected to be engaged in such work:
If we are to bear a part in this work to its close, we
must recognize the fact that there are good things to come to the people
of God in a way that we had not discerned; and that there will be
resistance from the very ones we expected to engage in such a work. The
Ellen G. White 1888 Materials, 1024.
Those in the church who obstruct the channels God
chooses will have an account to settle with Him:
But when God speaks to men, commanding them to bear His
message to the people, it means something. Those who are commanded to bear
a message must move out although obstacles of a forbidding character are
in the way. Those who claim to know the truth, and yet lay every obstacle
in the way so that light shall not come to the people, will have an
account to settle with God that they will not be pleased to meet. God
manages His own work, and woe to the man who puts his hand to the ark of
God. Ibid,. 1032.
The following counsels regarding how those who are
disobedient to the Lord, or who refuse to accept truth, should respond to
Christ’s leadership of His people will certainly be fully applicable when
He takes the reins into His own hands:
The third angel’s message will not be comprehended, the
light which will lighten the earth with its glory will be called a false
light, by those who refuse to walk in its advancing glory. The work that
might have been done, will be left undone by the rejecters of truth,
because of their unbelief. We entreat of you who oppose the light of
truth, to stand out of the way of God’s people. Let Heaven-sent light
shine forth upon them in clear and steady rays. God holds you to whom this
light has come, responsible for the use you make of it. Those who will not
hear will be held responsible; for the truth has been brought within their
reach, but they despised their opportunities and privileges. Review and
Herald, May 27, 1890.
You who are finite, erring, and unsanctified, have
supposed that God’s children were put under your jurisdiction, for you to
plan for them, and bring them to your terms. . . . Let it no longer be
regarded as your privilege to control God’s heritage.
The Lord Himself will turn and overturn, and set
things in order. He has the responsibility of His own work, and He has not
entrusted the management of His people to unsanctified human hands.
It is hard for men to learn their real weakness and
ignorance and inefficiency. It is hard for the ambitious heart to receive
God’s ideas and plans, with unquestioning faith and obedience. Some have
very high ideas of the importance of their own individuality, and by their
headstrong course are saying, We want not God’s way, but our own way.
The Ellen G. White 1888 Materials, 1367.
Now, brethren, I say, clear the King’s highway, for
your soul’s sake. If you have interposed between the people and the light,
get out of the way, or God will move you out of the way. Ibid., 541.
Special truth in the last days, as in earlier ages,
will be found with those who are not too learned to believe God:
As in earlier ages, the special truths for this time
are found, not with the ecclesiastical authorities, but with men and women
who are not too learned or too wise to believe the Word of God.
Christ’s Object Lessons, 79.
Many of God’s helpers in the closing work will come
from the untrained, common people.
In this closing work of the gospel there is a vast
field to be occupied; and, more than ever before, the work is to enlist
helpers from the common people. Both the youth and those older in years
will be called from the field, from the vineyard, and from the workshop,
and sent forth by the Master to give His message. Many of these may have
had little opportunity for education; but Christ sees in them
qualifications that will enable them to fulfill His purpose. If they put
their hearts into the work, and continue to be learners, He will fit them
to labor for Him. The Youth’s Instructor, March 3, 1908.
God’s helpers will follow the directions of the Holy
Spirit regardless of Conference support:
There are among our church members faithful souls who
feel a burden for those who know not the truth for this time. But one will
say to such, The Conference will not support you if you go here or there.
To such souls I would say, “Pray to God for guidance as to where you shall
go; follow the directions of the Holy Spirit, and go, whether the
Conference will pay your expenses or not.” “Go work today in My vineyard,”
Christ commands. When you have done your work in one place, go to another.
Angels of God will go with you, if you follow the leadings of the Spirit.
Manuscript Releases, vol. 8, 206–207.
God will pass by those who have worked according to
their own wisdom:
The Lord does not ask permission of those in
responsible positions when He wishes to use certain ones as His agents for
the promulgation of truth. But He will use whom He will use. He will pass
by men who have not followed His counsel, men who feel capable and
sufficient to work in their own wisdom; and He will use others who are
thought by these supposedly wise ones to be wholly incompetent. Many who
have some talent think that they are necessary to the cause of God. Let
them beware lest they stretch themselves beyond their measure, and the
Lord shall leave them to their own ways, to be filled with their own
doings. Review and Herald, July 23, 1895.
The following counsels, many applicable today, of how
we are to relate to kingly power will certainly be fully applicable when
Christ takes the reins into His own hands:
If the cords are drawn much tighter, if the rules are
made much finer, if men continue to bind their fellow laborers closer and
closer to the commandments of men, many will be stirred by the Spirit of
God to break every shackle, and assert their liberty in Christ Jesus.
Ibid.
Phariseeism in the Christian world today is not
extinct. The Lord desires to break up the course of precision which has
become so firmly established, which has hindered, instead of advancing,
His work. He desires His people to remember that there is a large space
over which the light of present truth is to be shed. Divine wisdom must
have abundant room in which to work. It is to advance without asking
permission or support from those who have taken to themselves a kingly
power. Manuscript Releases, vol. 14, 203.
Under the showers of the latter rain the inventions of
man, the human machinery, will at times be swept away, the boundary of
man’s authority will be as broken reeds, and the Holy Spirit will speak
through the living, human agent with convincing power. No one then will
watch to see if the sentences are well rounded off, if the grammar is
faultless. The living water will flow in God’s own channels. The
Paulson Collection, 102.
The Spirit is poured out upon all who will yield to its
promptings, and, casting off all man’s machinery, his binding rules and
cautious methods, they will declare the truth with the might of the
Spirit’s power. Review and Herald, July 23, 1895.
The spirit of domination is extending to the presidents
of our conferences. If a man is sanguine of his own powers and seeks to
exercise dominion over his brethren, feeling that he is invested with
authority to make his will the ruling power, the best and only safe course
is to remove him, lest great harm be done and he lose his own soul and
imperil the souls of others. “All ye are brethren.” This disposition to
lord it over God’s heritage will cause a reaction unless these men change
their course. Testimonies to Ministers, 362.
Satan has laid every measure possible that nothing
shall come among us as a people to reprove and rebuke us, and exhort us to
put away our errors. But there is a people who will bear the ark of God.
Some will go out from among us who will bear the ark no longer. But these
cannot make walls to obstruct the truth; for it will go onward and upward
to the end. In the past God has raised up men, and He still has men of
opportunity waiting, prepared to do His bidding—men who will go through
restrictions which are only as walls daubed with untempered mortar. When
God puts His Spirit upon men, they will work. They will proclaim the Word
of the Lord; they will lift up their voice like a trumpet. The truth will
not be diminished or lose its power in their hands. They will show the
people their transgressions, and the house of Jacob their sins. Ibid.,
411.
When God’s people cease to let others mold them at
will, a great advance will be made in finishing the work:
When all shall take their appointed places in God’s
work, and not allow others to mold them at will, then one great advance
will have been made toward letting the light shine upon the world. The
Ellen G. White 1888 Materials, 113.
We will be disappointed if we try to limit how God will
work, for He will work in ways least expected:
You are not to limit the Holy One of Israel, whose
power is of old, and whose ways are past finding out. If you mark out ways
whereby you expect God to work, you will be disappointed. The kingdom of
heaven cometh not with observation. You are to leave God to work in His
own way, and you must walk, not by sight, but by faith. God has a work to
be done, and it is a very solemn, sacred work. It is not wise to follow
plans of your own devising. . . . God will work in ways least expected. It
is not your own strength that will turn the battle against the enemy, but
the strength of the mighty General of armies, who works for His own name’s
glory. Series A, No. 7, 18–19.
God will take the reins into His own hands. Using
simple means, He will work contrary to any human planning. See
Testimonies to Ministers, 300.
The revival, long looked for and much overdue, may come
from the grassroots of Adventism:
We are made sad as we see in many places so much left
undone that should be done. But the Lord will use in the accomplishment of
His work means that we do not now see. He will raise up from among the
common people, men and women to do His work, even as of old He called
fishermen to be His disciples. There will soon be an awakening that will
surprise many. Those who do not realize the necessity of what is to be
done will be passed by, and the heavenly messengers will work with those
who are called the common people, fitting them to carry the truth to many
places. Now is the time for us to awake and do what we can. Manuscript
Releases, vol. 15, 312–313.
The awakening (revival) will therefore come from the
common people, which the dictionary defines as people without rank:
The Lord must be given an opportunity to show men their
duty and to work upon their minds. No one is to bind himself to serve
under the direction of any human being, for the Lord Himself will call
men, as of old He called the humble fishermen, and will Himself give them
the education He desires them to have. He will call men from the plow and
from other occupations to give the last note of warning to perishing
souls. There are many ways in which to work for the Master, and the great
Teacher will open the understanding of these workers, enabling them to see
wondrous things in His Word. The Publishing Ministry, 278.
Eleventh-hour workers will come in and take the crown
of those who have not appreciated the whole counsel of God:
But God will not be left without witness. The one-hour
laborers will be brought in at the eleventh hour, and will consecrate
their ability and all their entrusted means to advance the work. These
will receive the reward for their faithfulness, because they are true to
principle, and shun not their duty to declare the whole counsel of God.
When those who have had abundance of light throw off the restraint which
the Word of God imposes, and make void His law, others will come in to
fill their place, and take their crown. The General Conference
Bulletin, January 1, 1900.
Many will change sides in the conflict. Only those
obedient to the law and to the Testimonies are on Christ’s side:
In vision I saw two armies in terrible conflict. One
army was led by banners bearing the world’s insignia; the other was led by
the bloodstained banner of Prince Immanuel. Standard after standard was
left to trail in the dust as company after company from the Lord’s army
joined the foe and tribe after tribe from the ranks of the enemy united
with the commandment-keeping people of God. An angel flying in the midst
of heaven put the standard of Immanuel into many hands, while a mighty
general cried out with a loud voice: “Come into line. Let those who are
loyal to the commandments of God and the testimony of Christ now take
their position.” Testimonies, vol. 8, 41.
The history of Jerusalem is a warning to us:
Jerusalem is a representation of what the church will
be if it refuses to walk in the light that God has given. Jerusalem was
favored of God as the depositary of sacred trusts. But her people
perverted the truth, and despised all entreaties and warnings. They would
not respect His counsels. . . . Christ turned from them,
saying: “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem,” how can I give thee up? “How often would
I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her
chickens under her wings, and ye would not!” Matthew 23:37.
So Christ sorrows and weeps over our churches, over
our institutions of learning, that have failed to meet the demand of
God. . . .
The warnings come down to all that are following in the
tread of the people of Jerusalem, who had such great light. This people is
before us as a warning. By rejecting God’s warnings in this our day, men
are repeating the sin of Jerusalem. Testimonies, vol. 8, 67–68.
As members of the Seventh-day Adventist Church we need
to understand that we cannot continue to deny the great dilemma that we
are in. We are denominated (chosen and named) to be God’s remnant people,
obedient to all of God’s law, and guided by the Spirit of Prophecy. In
reality, we possess the knowledge of the Ten Commandments and the Spirit
of Prophecy, but in practice we are not obedient to many of the Lord’s
directives. We possess the truth physically, but we do not possess it in
our hearts, nor is it manifested by our actions. We have not let Christ
and His truth into our individual and corporate hearts, and thus we are
not sanctified (made holy) by obedience to the truth. See 1 Peter 1:22. We
have a knowledge of the gospel, but we are denying the power thereof. See
2 Timothy 3:5. We are unrighteous (lacking right actions according to
God’s directives) due to a lack of faith and trust in Christ’s directives
regarding how to live and work for Him.
Our dilemma is that in this untransformed condition we
are attempting to give to the world the three angels’ messages, messages
of full obedience—sanctification—to God. To this point in history God has
not found it possible to use us to our fullest potential to give to “every
nation, kindred, tongue and people” a message which we have not understood
nor experienced. As did ancient Israel, we can serve as an inefficient
reservoir of the oracles of truth, but without being transformed by that
truth, we remain unsaved by it. Solomon also had the delusion that, even
though he was disobeying the Lord in relating to the surrounding nations
and their religious beliefs, he could win them to the truth—to obedience
to God. The servant of the Lord refers to this as a “fatal deception.” See
Prophets and Kings, 54. Unsanctified (disobedient) Laodicea must
awaken to the reality that we cannot give to the world a message of heart
sanctification—the third angel’s message in verity—for we cannot fully
give that which we do not fully possess. In 1996, Kenneth H. Wood,
chairman of the Ellen G. White Estate Board of Trustees, stated this
thought in the following words:
It is my deep conviction that before the church can
proclaim with power God’s last warning message to the world, it must be
united on the truth about Christ’s human nature. Preface, Touched With
Our Feelings, 19.
Yes, as in the days of Elijah and Elisha, Israel is in
a spiritual crisis. We have turned back from following the will of God. We
have neglected and rejected the counsels of the Lord sent us through His
messengers. We have departed from the true religion of Jehovah, and have
adopted the false religions of our neighbors. Our schools, and other
institutions, are operated more in harmony with the standards of the world
around us than with the directives of the Lord. Oh, not all in Israel are
disobedient to God. He can still claim that “Yet I have left [me] seven
thousand in Israel, all the knees which have not bowed unto Baal, and
every mouth which hath not kissed him.” 1 Kings 19:18. But the majority of
us are guided more by the devising and wisdom of man than by the revealed
will of God. Yes, Israel has turned from obedience to disobedience. We
have turned back from the teaching and practicing of truth to the teaching
and practicing of error. Yes, Israel is in rebellion.
Oh, God does not reject or abandon us because of our
apostasy. He does not turn from us and raise up another movement. Israel
is still His chosen people. God does not readily abandon nor destroy His
rebellious people. He works long and patiently to help us recognize our
spiritual blindness and to lead us into revival and reformation. We have
our spiritual Hazaels appointed to us to be a scourge to a wayward people.
Spiritual rain is being withheld to try to awaken Israel to our spiritual
need.
As we awaken to our spiritual condition of “in verity,”
being full-blooded Laodiceans, we must not despair. We must never cease to
work to restore others and ourselves, to full obedience to God’s will, and
thus to His favor and blessings.
God’s plan for Laodicea’s chronic disobedience to His
directives in operating the branches of His work, and His solution for our
doctrinal confusion, is the same as it was for the apostasy of King
Josiah’s time. In that day the faithful “were questioning whether God’s
promises to ancient Israel could ever be fulfilled. From a human point of
view the divine purpose for the chosen nation seemed almost impossible of
accomplishment.” Prophets and Kings, 384.
Repentant Josiah led the people into an in-depth study
of the neglected Spirit of Prophecy of their day. The king called a solemn
convocation in which God’s neglected counsels were shared. The reformer
king proposed that “those highest in authority unite with the people in
solemnly covenanting before God to cooperate with one another in an effort
to institute decided changes. ‘The king stood by a pillar, and made a
covenant before the Lord, to walk after the Lord, and to keep his
commandments and his testimonies and his statutes with all their heart and
all their soul, to perform the words of this covenant that were written in
this book.’ 2 Kings 23:3. The response was more hearty than the king had
dared hope for: ‘All the people stood to the covenant.’ 2 Kings 23:3.”
Ibid., 400–401.
Recognizing how far they had strayed from the Lord’s
directives, the people joined with Josiah in purging open sin from the
camp. False methods of worship and unrepentant teachers of doctrinal error
were put away. See ibid., 401.
Whenever there is controversy among us, we are each,
individually, to study the issues for ourself. We are to then stand by the
side of those teaching truth:
Our brethren should be willing to investigate in a
candid way every point of controversy. If a brother is teaching error,
those who are in responsible positions ought to know it; and if he is
teaching truth, they ought to take their stand at his side. We should all
know what is being taught among us, for if it is truth, we need to know
it. The Sabbath-school teacher needs to know it, and every Sabbath-school
scholar ought to understand it. We are all under obligation to God to know
what he sends to us. He has given directions by which we may test every
doctrine—“To the law and to the testimony; if they speak not according to
this word, it is because there is no light in them.” But if it is
according to this test, do not be so full of prejudice that you cannot
acknowledge a point when it is proved to you, simply because it does not
agree with your ideas. Review and Herald, March 25, 1890.
Laodicean modern Israel needs holy convocations like
that of Josiah’s day. The sins of the rulers and of the people need to be
pointed out by a study and presentation of the Bible and the Spirit of
Prophecy. We need to put away our disobedience in the operation of the
branches of the Lord’s work. We need to give a “Thus saith the Lord” for
truth and against doctrinal error. We must not continue to halt between
two or more opinions as did the religious teachers of Christ’s day. We
need to remove from positions of responsibility those who persist in open
and rebellious disobedience to a “Thus saith the Lord.”
In referring to the revival of Josiah, modern Israel is
given the following instruction:
Is not this our work today? Our fathers have
transgressed, and we have followed in their footsteps; but God has opened
the book of the law, and backslidden Israel hear the commandments of the
Lord. Their transgression stands revealed, and the wrath of God will be
upon every soul that does not repent and reform as the light shines upon
his pathway. Review and Herald, vol. 2, 182.
It was and is God’s plan for His church that its
appointed men and women of responsibility lead His people into a full
keeping of the commandments of God and into a faithful obedience to the
Spirit of Prophecy. It is our God-given task to remove open sin and
unrepentant sinners from the camp. God retains for Himself the
determination of who are wheat and who are tares. He also retains the
decision as to when probation will close for any person, administration or
organization. Our sphere of action to work through repentance, revival and
reformation for the purification of ourselves individually and for God’s
people as a body.
Let us give serious consideration to the following
statement:
All our energies should be turned to the obedience of
Christ. To divide our interest with the leaders of error is aiding the
wrong side and giving advantage to our foes. The truth of God knows no
compromise with sin, no connection with artifice, no union with
transgression. Soldiers are wanted who will always answer to the roll call
and be ready for immediate action, not those who, when needed, are found
aiding the enemy. Testimonies, vol. 4, 81.
May the Lord give us, individually and collectively,
His continued guidance and enabling grace as we seek to know and follow
His will, is my prayer.
A Response to the General Conference: The Spirit of
Prophecy
Just as God called Moses to guide
ancient Israel from slavery to freedom in the earthly Canaan, just so did
God call Ellen G. White to be His prophet and messenger to lead His
remnant church into the heavenly Canaan. Repeatedly Ellen White asserted
that her writings and messages to the Seventh-day Adventist Church were
from the Lord. In Publishing Ministry, 172, she refers to her
counsels to leaders of the publishing work at Battle Creek as “the Word of
God, given in the Testimonies of His Holy Spirit.”
God’s remnant movement is identified by its obedience
to all of His counsels through the prophets of the past as recorded in the
Bible, and through the prophet, Ellen G. White:
And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to
make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God,
and have the testimony of Jesus Christ. . . . for the testimony of Jesus
is the spirit of prophecy. Revelation 12:17; 19:10.
God has given us as a people a special banner to
carry:
God has placed in our hands a banner on which is
inscribed the words, “The commandments of God and the faith of Jesus.”
“Here are they that keep the commandments of God, and have the testimonies
of Jesus Christ,” He declares. At all times and in all places we are to
hold the banner firmly aloft. Manuscript Releases, vol. 10, 45.
As a people we have struggled to know how to relate the
writings of Ellen White to those of the Bible. Unfortunately, we tend to
apply the following statement by Ellen White to all of her writings:
I took the precious Bible and surrounded it with the
several Testimonies for the Church, given for the people of God.
Here, said I, the cases of nearly all are met. The sins they are to shun
are pointed out. The counsel that they desire can be found here, given for
other cases situated similarly to themselves. God has been pleased to give
you line upon line and precept upon precept. But there are not many of you
that really know what is contained in the Testimonies. You are not
familiar with the Scriptures. If you had made God’s Word your study, with
a desire to reach the Bible standard and attain to Christian perfection,
you would not have needed the Testimonies. It is because you have
neglected to acquaint yourselves with God’s inspired Book that He has
sought to reach you by simple, direct Testimonies, calling your attention
to the words of Inspiration which you had neglected to obey, and urging
you to fashion your lives in accordance with its pure and elevated
teachings. Testimonies, vol. 2, 605.
The above statement was written in 1871. Only the first
twenty Testimonies for the Church had been written and distributed
by this date. These were later bound into the first two volumes of our
present nine volume set. It is not proper to apply this to all of the
Spirit of Prophecy writings. It is incorrect to assume that, if we will
study “God’s Word” “with a desire to reach the Bible standard and attain
to Christian perfection,” that we do not need the counsels of the Lord
through Ellen G. White. The following statement by the Trustees of the
Ellen G. White Estate explains probably why the above statement was
included by the servant of the Lord toward the end of our present volume 2
of Testimonies for the Church. If the church members, in general,
had been studying the Bible and bringing their lives into harmony with its
teachings, they would not have needed the counsels in Testimonies
volumes 1 and 2 originally addressing personal sins of other members.
Early in 1868, as explained in an article now found
near the close of volume I, Ellen G. White began to publish, for the
benefit of the church as a whole, certain personal testimonies which up to
that time had not been distributed generally. Of these personal
testimonies she stated: “They all contain more or less reproof and
instruction which apply to hundreds or thousands of others in similar
condition. These should have the light which God has seen fit to give
which meets their cases.”—Vol. 1, p. 631.
Such instruction addressed personally to individual
church members through the three-year period of February, 1868, to May,
1871, comprises almost the entire content of Testimonies Nos. 15-20, now
embodied in this volume 2. The instruction is pointed and practical,
dealing with almost every phase of personal experience and religious
interests, from gossip, the indulgence of appetite, and the marriage
relationship to misdirected zeal, avariciousness, and fanaticism. The
Times of Volume Two, Testimonies, vol. 2, 5–6.
“A Lesser Light”
On at least one occasion, Ellen G. White referred to
some of her “larger books, Patriarchs and Prophets, Great
Controversy, and Desire of Ages,” as being a lesser light in
relation to the Bible:
The larger books, Patriarchs and Prophets,
Great Controversy, and Desire of Ages, should be sold
everywhere. . . .
The Lord has sent his people much instruction, line
upon line, precept upon precept, here a little, and there a little. Little
heed is given to the Bible, and the Lord has given a lesser light to lead
men and women to the greater light. O, how much good would be accomplished
if the books containing this light were read with a determination to carry
out the principles they contain! There would be a thousandfold greater
vigilance, a thousandfold more self-denial and resolute effort. And many
more would now be rejoicing in the light of present truth. Review and
Herald, January 20, 1903.
Some use this statement to support the idea that all of
the writings of Ellen White are as a lesser light to the Bible and that we
do not need any of the counsels and writings of the Spirit of Prophecy if
we will properly study the greater light found in the Bible. Or, this
lesser light concept is used to support the idea that somehow the writings
of Ellen White are of a lower level of Inspiration and are not to be taken
as seriously as Scripture.
At another time the servant of the Lord referred to the
Jewish era—the sacrificial system, the old covenant, the Old Testament—as
a lesser light to the gospel era—the Lamb of God, the new covenant, the
New Testament—but that it would be a sin to despise or to ridicule the
lesser light:
With the first advent of Christ there was ushered in an
era of greater light and glory; but it would indeed be sinful ingratitude
to despise and ridicule the lesser light because a fuller and more
glorious light had dawned. Those who despise the blessings and glory of
the Jewish age are not prepared to be benefited by the preaching of the
gospel. The brightness of the Father’s glory, and the excellence and
perfection of his sacred law, are only understood through the atonement
made upon Calvary by his dear Son; but even the atonement loses its
significance when the law of God is rejected. Signs of the Times,
August 25, 1887.
There is a strong parallel between the ministry of
Ellen White and that of Moses. When the fullness of the time came for
God’s chosen people to possess the Promised Land—the earthly Canaan—God
gave them a prophet, a messenger. Through Moses, the Lord restored to
mankind a knowledge of His law—the Ten Commandments, which are a
revelation of His character. This law, the foundation of the government of
Heaven, is immutable. It is as enduring as eternity. The Ten Commandments
were to be the basis of all belief and the judge of all behavior of God’s
people.
But God knew that the children of Israel would be
unable to understand completely how the Ten Commandments were to affect
every facet of their lives, enabling them to fully reflect His character.
It was God’s plan for the children of Israel to share with the world His
plan of salvation from slavery to sin. Yet He knew they could not
accomplish this task with their limited understanding of the Ten
Commandments.
For this reason God gave them a lesser light through
the writings and the ministry of His messenger Moses. In addition to the
greater light—the Ten Commandments—God gave Moses detailed instructions on
how as individuals and as an organization they were to be His
representatives and do His work on earth.
God instructed Moses in the minute details of the
construction of the tabernacle and of the operation of the sacrificial
system. God communicated to the children of Israel His will regarding
their diet, proper sanitation, care for the sick, care for the poor, how
to witness to the world, and the setting up and operating of His
institutions, the cities of refuge.
Moses began receiving the testimonies of Jesus for the
children of Israel when the law was spoken from Mount Sinai, but
apparently he did not finish recording them in a book until the year of
his death, forty years later:
Before relinquishing his position as the visible
leader of Israel, Moses was directed to rehearse to them the history of
their deliverance from Egypt and their journeyings in the wilderness, and
also to recapitulate the law spoken from Sinai. When the law was given,
but few of the present congregation were old enough to comprehend the
awful solemnity of the occasion. As they were soon to pass over Jordan and
take possession of the Promised Land, God would present before them the
claims of His law and enjoin upon them obedience as the condition of
prosperity. . . .
After the public rehearsal of the law, Moses completed
the work of writing all the laws, the statutes, and the judgments which
God had given him, and all the regulations concerning the sacrificial
system. Patriarchs and Prophets, 463, 466. See also Exodus
18:19–20; Deuteronomy 31:24.
When finished, the book of the law of Moses was placed
in the side of the ark as a witness to the covenant between Israel and
God. See Deuteronomy 31:26.
God’s will for almost every facet of their individual
and corporate lives and labor was revealed to the children of Israel
through His messenger Moses. The Ten Commandments were the basis of the
Jewish economy, but their application to the details of life was spelled
out in the lesser light of the law of Moses:
The Decalogue was supreme; the “book” containing “the
words of this law” (Deuteronomy 31:24) was an amplification and
application of its principles to the economy of Israel. The Seventh-day
Adventist Bible Commentary, vol. 1, 1064.
The law of Moses, along with the moral law, was God’s
truth and would be revealed to the children of Israel. Both the greater
and the lesser lights were to be obeyed:
But as for thee, stand thou here by me, and I will
speak unto thee all the commandments, and the statutes, and the judgments,
which thou shalt teach them, that they may do them in the land which I
give them to possess it. Ye shall observe to do therefore as the Lord your God hath commanded you:
ye shall not turn aside to the right hand or to the left. Ye shall walk in
all the ways which the Lord
your God hath commanded you, that ye may live, and that it may be well
with you, and that ye may prolong your days in the land which ye shall
possess. Deuteronomy 5:31–33.
Neither was to be added to, nor subtracted from. See
Deuteronomy 4:2. The possession of and obedience to both the greater and
the lesser lights made Israel the greatest nation upon the earth.
Behold, I have taught you statutes and judgments, even
as the Lord my God commanded
me, that ye should do so in the land whither ye go to possess it. Keep
therefore and do them; for this is your wisdom and your understanding in
the sight of the nations, which shall hear all these statutes, and say,
Surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people. For what
nation is there so great, who hath God so nigh unto them, as the Lord our God is in all things that
we call upon him for? And what nation is there so great, that hath
statutes and judgments so righteous as all this law, which I set before
you this day? Deuteronomy 4:5–8.
Every seven years the testimonies of Moses and the Ten
Commandments were to be publicly read:
And Moses wrote this law, and delivered it unto the
priests the sons of Levi, which bare the ark of the covenant of the Lord, and unto all the elders of
Israel. And Moses commanded them, saying, At the end of every seven years,
in the solemnity of the year of release, in the feast of tabernacles, when
all Israel is come to appear before the Lord thy God in the place which he
shall choose, thou shalt read this law before all Israel in their hearing.
Deuteronomy 31:9–11.
Men, women, children and even the strangers in the land
were to be in the audience that “they may hear, and that they may learn,
and fear the Lord your God,
and observe to do all the words of this law.” Deuteronomy 31:12.
The parents were to do everything possible to teach to
their children the writings of the prophet as well as the words of God
from Sinai:
And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children,
and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou
walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up.
Deuteronomy 6:7.
Yes, God revealed His will—both through His law and
through His prophet—so that ancient Israel might know and obey Him:
And he declared unto you his covenant, which he
commanded you to perform, even ten commandments; and he wrote them upon
two tables of stone. And the Lord commanded me at that time to
teach you statutes and judgments, that ye might do them in the land
whither ye go over to possess it. Deuteronomy 4:13–14.
The forty years of wandering in the wilderness were to
help the Israelites to decide in their own hearts whether they would obey
God or not:
All the commandments which I command thee this day
shall ye observe to do, that ye may live, and multiply, and go in and
possess the land which the Lord sware unto your fathers. And
thou shalt remember all the way which the Lord thy God led thee these forty
years in the wilderness, to humble thee, and to prove thee, to know what
was in thine heart, whether thou wouldest keep his commandments, or no.
Deuteronomy 8:1–2.
The wilderness sojourn was also to teach them that
their temporal and eternal welfare depended upon their obedience to “every
word that proceedeth out of the mouth of the Lord.” Deuteronomy 8:3.
It is well-documented in Scripture that Israel
repeatedly failed to keep their covenant promise to obey God. Over and
over God sent prophets to call them back to obedience to both the greater
and the lesser lights of truth—“to the law and to the testimony.” Isaiah
8:20. Jeremiah especially emphasized the importance of obeying the will of
God as given to them in the testimonies of Moses.
Jeremiah called their attention repeatedly to the
counsels given in Deuteronomy. More than any other of the prophets, he
emphasized the teachings of the Mosaic law and showed how these might
bring the highest spiritual blessing to the nation and to every individual
heart. “Ask for the old paths, where is the good way, and walk therein,
and ye shall find rest for your souls.” Jeremiah 6:16. Prophets and
Kings, 411.
Yes, indeed, God’s ability to fulfill His promise to
incorporate ancient Israel into His spiritual kingdom was wholly dependent
upon their willingness to obey Him in every particular. Their success in
fulfilling the entire purpose of their movement depended upon their
obeying fully the writings of the prophets as well as the Ten
Commandments.
Ultimately Israel was judged by the law and by the
testimonies. Because they had not lived and worked in harmony with them it
was evident that there was no longer any light in them. Thus Christ was
forced to reject Israel as His special light set upon a hill.
Types and Antitypes
“One of the greatest parallels consisting of types and
antitypes is found in what we call the Exodus and Advent movements of
ancient and modern Israel. The Lord delivered ancient Israel from the
bondage of Egypt and led them through the wilderness into the earthly
Canaan, or the ‘Promised Land.’ The Exodus from Egypt and the experiences
of Israel were typical of the gathering of modern Israel out of the
darkness of modern Egypt and spiritual Babylon to lead them into the
heavenly Canaan. These are the two greatest religious movements of all
history. Both arose in fulfillment of prophecy and accomplish their work
in harmony with a divine purpose and move forward under the leadership of
the God of heaven.” Taylor G. Bunch, The Exodus in Type and
Antitype, 3.
Just as the Lord brought ancient Israel out of literal
Egypt by a prophet (Hosea 12:13), so also He is leading spiritual Israel
out of spiritual Egypt by His messenger Ellen G. White. Through the
ministry of Ellen White, Christ guided our pioneers in restoring to
mankind a fuller knowledge of His law and of the scriptural truths lost
during the Dark Ages. As the writings of Moses were given as an
“amplification and application” of the principles of the Ten Commandments
for the Jewish economy, so the writings of Ellen White are given to modern
Israel to provide them with a clearer understanding of the Bible. Her
writings reveal how Biblical principles are to apply to our daily lives
and to the work done for God by Seventh-day Adventists today:
The Lord designs to warn you, to reprove, to counsel,
through the Testimonies given, and to impress your minds with the
importance of the truth of His Word. The written Testimonies are not to
give new light, but to impress vividly upon the heart the truths of
inspiration already revealed. Man’s duty to God and to his fellow man has
been distinctly specified in God’s Word, yet but few of you are obedient
to the light given. Additional truth is not brought out; but God has
through the Testimonies simplified the great truths already given and in
His own chosen way brought them before the people to awaken and impress
the mind with them, that all may be left without excuse.
Testimonies, vol. 5, 665.
Just as Moses claimed that His messages were the Word
of God, so also Ellen White referred to her messages “as the Word of God,
given in the Testimonies of His Holy Spirit.” She also stated that her
writings are “the Testimonies of the Spirit of God,” Manuscript
Releases, vol. 12, 201; “message given of God,” Ibid., vol. 9, 198;
“the Lord’s messages of light,” Review and Herald, December 18,
1888; “reproofs and counsels of the Spirit of God,” Selected
Messages, vol. 1, 48; and “light that God has given,”
Testimonies, vol. 5, 691.
Even as He did through Moses, the Lord gave through
Ellen White detailed instructions about how we personally and corporately
are to live and work for Him. Through the Spirit of Prophecy the Lord has
given us “commandments, statutes and judgments” regarding our health
habits, how to care for the sick, how to dress, how to carry on our social
relationships, how to witness to the world and how to set up and to
operate His institutions.
Just as the lesser-light writings of Moses did not
replace the law, but rather illuminated it, so also the writings of Ellen
White as a lesser light do not replace, but rather provide a better
understanding of the Bible. In His every communication, Christ subjects
Himself to all of His previous communications. The Holy Spirit Himself is
to be tested by His previous communications—“To the law and to the
testimony: if they speak not according to this word, it is because there
is no light in them.” Isaiah 8:20. God never changes. See Malachi 3:6. He
never contradicts Himself. See Selected Messages, book 1, 162.
Thus the messages of a true prophet can only give a
clearer-than-previously-given revelation of God’s will. They can never
replace or contradict messages previously given. Moses, God’s first
spokesman, left in written messages the standard by which all succeeding
prophets have been tested. Each new messenger of the Lord down through the
ages has had to be in harmony with all the preceding messengers. However,
those who met this standard have just as surely given the Word of God to
their generation as did Moses to his. Though each most-recent messenger
has given a lesser-light message to be judged by all preceding
greater-light messages, their messages have been and are God’s
present-truth word to His people.
Seventh-day Adventists have been assured that the
Testimonies given through Ellen White never contradict the Bible, and thus
we are to study them both. See Selected Messages, book 3, 32.
When we teach, preach, and obey the counsels of the
Spirit of Prophecy we are supporting the Bible just as surely as was
ancient Israel supporting the law of God when they taught, preached and
obeyed the writings of Moses. To teach and urge obedience to the writings
of God’s most recent messenger does not nullify or displace any previous
true messengers. To teach belief in and to urge obedience to the Spirit of
Prophecy does not place it above the Bible. Neither does it form a
different standard of truth. Rather, such endeavors lift up and magnify
the writings of the previous prophets contained in the Bible, for both
have the same inerrant Author and are thus in complete harmony. If we
slight, reject, or break one of the least of the messages from God, we
slight, reject, or break them all. See James 2:10. If we disobey or slight
any of God’s messengers or messages we are in reality slighting and
insulting God who sent them. See Testimonies, vol. 5, 234–235.
A Covenant of Obedience
Modern Israel, just as was ancient Israel, is under
God’s covenant of obedience:
To us the invitation is given, “Come out from among
them, and be ye separate, . . . and I will receive you, and will be a
father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord
Almighty.” 2 Corinthians 6:17–18. Thus God has declared His covenant of
obedience. The Upward Look, 144.
As did ancient Israel, we hold a singularly exalted
station:
Commandment-keeping Adventists are occupying a
peculiar, exalted position. John viewed them in holy vision, and described
them. “Here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of
Jesus.” Revelation 14:12. The Lord made a special covenant with ancient
Israel if they would prove faithfull: “Now, therefore, if ye will obey my
voice indeed, and keep my covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar treasure
unto me above all people: for all the earth is mine. And ye shall be unto
me a kingdom of priests, and an holy nation.” Exodus 19:5–6. And He thus
addresses His commandment-keeping people in these last days: “But ye are a
chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people;
that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of
darkness into his marvelous light.” 1 Peter 2:9. Review and Herald,
September 7, 1886.
All who seek Eden restored must live and work by every
word that proceedeth from the mouth of God:
If Adam and Eve had lived by every word that proceeded
out of the mouth of God they never would have fallen, never lost the right
to the tree of life. All who will live by every word that proceedeth out
of the mouth of God now will be brought back to the Eden home.
Manuscript Releases, vol. 9, 232.
To disobey one word of God’s is to place ourselves on
Satan’s side of the great controversy:
Whenever men choose their own way, they place
themselves in controversy with God. They will have no place in the kingdom
of heaven, for they are at war with the very principles of heaven. In
disregarding the will of God, they are placing themselves on the side of
Satan, the enemy of God and man. Not by one word, not by many words, but
by every word that God has spoken, shall man live. We cannot disregard one
word however trifling it may seem to us, and be safe. Thoughts From the
Mount of Blessing, 52.
Ellen White tells us that the Spirit of Prophecy is not
an addition to the Bible but that her writings are given to us to call our
attention to the principles of the Bible. The Spirit of Prophecy was given
to us in order that we can have a clearer understanding of the
Scriptures:
Brother J would confuse the mind by seeking to make
it appear that the light God has given through the Testimonies is an
addition to the Word of God, but in this he presents the matter in a false
light. God has seen fit in this manner [the Testimonies] to bring the
minds of His people to His Word, to give them a clearer understanding of
it. . . .
Besides the instruction in His Word, the Lord has given
special testimonies to His people, not as a new revelation, but that He
may set before us the plain lessons of His Word, that errors may be
corrected, that the right way may be pointed out, that every soul may be
without excuse. Selected Messages, book 3, 31; see also
Testimonies, vol. 5, 665.
Rather than new light, the Spirit of Prophecy contains
increased light on the Old and the New Testaments:
My work has been in the field since 1845. Ever since
then I have labored with pen and voice. Increased light has come to me as
I have imparted the light given me. I have very much more light on the Old
and New Testament Scriptures, which I shall present to our people. Ibid.,
90.
Scriptural Foundation
In labor for the general public we are to sustain our
positions from the Bible rather than from the Spirit of Prophecy. We are
to educate people to look to God for whom Ellen White was a
spokesperson:
In public labor do not make prominent and quote that
which Sister White has written as authority to sustain your positions. To
do this will not increase faith in the Testimonies. Bring your evidences,
clear and plain, from the Word of God. A Thus saith the Lord is the
strongest testimony you can possibly present to the people. Let none be
educated to look to Sister White, but to the mighty God, who gives
instruction to Sister White. Manuscript Releases, vol. 5, 140.
We are told that the Bible is to be the unerring
standard. We are not to bring the Testimonies in ahead of the Bible. This
is not to be interpreted that it is therefore safe to be ignorant of, to
neglect, or to reject any of the Lord’s will as found in the Spirit of
Prophecy:
Our position and faith is in the Bible. And never do we
want any soul to bring in the testimonies ahead of the Bible.
Manuscript Releases, vol. 7, 78. See Evangelism, 256.
The Same Author
Because of the above and other similar statements, some
of us have come to believe that somehow the Divine Inspiration through
Ellen White is of a lesser quality than the Spirit of Prophecy manifested
in the writers of the Bible. We are told, however, that the Holy Ghost is
the Author of both the Spirit of Prophecy and of the Holy Scriptures:
The Holy Ghost is the Author of the Scriptures and of
the Spirit of Prophecy. Selected Messages, book 3, 30.
Since God never contradicts Himself (see ibid., book 1,
162), we are told that the Testimonies harmonize with the Bible:
The Testimonies God has given His people are in harmony
with His Word. Testimonies to Ministers, 402.
We are to take no man’s word in regard to the Spirit of
Prophecy. We are to read them for ourselves, and as we do so, we will see
that, indeed, they are in harmony with truth:
Tell the people to take no man’s word regarding the
Testimonies, but to read them and study them for themselves, and then they
will know that they are in harmony with the truth. The Word of God is the
truth. This Day With God, 292.
We are assured that the Testimonies never contradict
the Word:
The Bible must be your counselor. Study it and the
Testimonies God has given; for they never contradict His Word. Selected
Messages, book 3, 32.
God never spoke more earnestly through the apostles and
prophets of the past than He has through Ellen White:
In ancient times God spoke to men by the mouth of
prophets and apostles. In these days He speaks to them by the Testimonies
of His Spirit. There was never a time when God instructed His people more
earnestly than He instructs them now concerning His will and the course
that He would have them pursue. Testimonies, vol. 4, 147–148.
Fully Dependable
Because Ellen White stated that she never claimed
infallibility (see Selected Messages, book 1, 37), some conclude
that her writings are then fallible, and thus they cannot be fully and
always trustworthy. Contrary to this assumption, she informs us that her
writings are without one heretical sentence:
I am now looking over my diaries and copies of letters
written for several years back. . . . I have the most
precious matter to reproduce and place before the people in testimony
form. While I am able to do this work, the people must have things to
revive past history, that they may see that there is one straight chain of
truth, without one heretical sentence, in that which I have written.
Ibid., book 3, 52.
God sends His messages to man in such a way that those
who do not have a teachable spirit will find room to doubt. This fact is
true of both the Spirit of Prophecy and the Bible:
As with the Bible, so with the Testimonies. Those who
desire to doubt will have plenty of room. God does not propose to remove
all occasion for unbelief. He gives evidence, which must be
carefully investigated with a humble mind and a teachable spirit; and
all should decide from the weight of evidence. Manuscript
Releases, vol. 9, 204. Emphasis in the original.
A Tool to Test Truth
The “Spirit of Prophecy—the testimony of Jesus
Christ”—has been given to God’s remnant people not only to identify them
but also as a tool for spiritual warfare against the dragon. See
Revelation 12:17; 19:10.
In all ages truth has been measured both by “the law
and by the testimony” of the true prophets. See Isaiah 8:20.
We would do well to follow the example of our pioneers.
They based their search for truth upon diligent study of the Scriptures,
but when difficulty was encountered, the Testimonies through Ellen White
were accepted as a clear explanation of the Bible. Thus a firm doctrinal
foundation was laid:
Many of our people do not realize how firmly the
foundation of our faith has been laid. My husband, Elder Joseph Bates,
Father Pierce, Elder {Hiram} Edson, and others who were keen, noble, and
true, were among those who, after the passing of the time in 1844,
searched for the truth as for hidden treasure. I met with them, and we
studied and prayed earnestly. Often we remained together until late at
night, and sometimes through the entire night, praying for light and
studying the Word. Again and again these brethren came together to study
the Bible, in order that they might know its meaning, and be prepared to
teach it with power. When they came to the point in their study where they
said, “We can do nothing more,” the Spirit of the Lord would come upon me,
I would be taken off in vision, and a clear explanation of the passages we
had been studying would be given me, with instruction as to how we were to
labor and teach effectively. Thus light was given that helped us to
understand the scriptures in regard to Christ, His mission, and His
priesthood. A line of truth extending from that time to the time when we
shall enter the city of God, was made plain to me, and I gave to others
the instruction that the Lord had given me. Selected Messages, book
1, 206–207.
Satan knows that if he can shake our faith and
confidence in the Spirit of Prophecy, he will be better able to deceive
us:
The workings of Satan will be to unsettle the faith of
the churches in them [the Testimonies], for this reason: Satan cannot have
so clear a track to bring in his deceptions and bind up souls in his
delusions if the warnings and reproofs and counsels of the Spirit of God
are heeded. Ibid., 48.
Satan’s purpose is, through his devices, to make of
none effect the testimonies of the Spirit of God. If he can lead the minds
of the people of God to see things in a perverted light, they will lose
confidence in the messages God sends through His servants; then he can the
more readily deceive, and not be detected. Manuscript Releases,
vol. 12, 201.
We must accept the words of God in the Spirit of
Prophecy as well as in the Bible in order to save us from believing strong
delusions and thus straying from the firm foundation laid by the
pioneers:
We must put on the whole armor of God. We must
follow the directions given through the spirit of prophecy. We must love
and obey the truth for this time. This will save us from accepting strong
delusions. God has spoken to us through His Word. Testimonies,
vol. 8, 298.
In harmony with the above counsels we should readily
accept the Spirit of Prophecy, along with the Bible, as authoritative in
doctrinal issues as well as trustworthy counsel as to how our lifestyle
and our ways of doing the Lord’s work can be pleasing and acceptable to
Christ. In 2 Chronicles 20:20 we are told that belief in God’s prophets is
essential to our prosperity. “Believe in the Lord your God, so shall ye be
established; believe his prophets, so shall ye prosper.” In Isaiah 8:20 we
are told that correct practices and doctrines will be in harmony with both
the Bible and the Spirit of Prophecy: “To the law and to the testimony: if
they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in
them.”
Helping the Enemy
Those among us who ridicule the visions of Ellen White
are strengthening the hands of our enemies. See Testimonies, vol.
1, 655. Those in the branches of our work who labor contrary to the
counsels of the Spirit of Prophecy are going where Jesus has not given
them liberty to go:
The leaders in our medical work should now be
considering the Testimonies that for years have been coming to them. If
they pay no heed to these warnings, the Lord cannot cooperate with them as
He desires to. There is danger of your placing yourself and others in
harmony with worldly plans. Faithfulness in duty, trust in God at every
step—this is your safety. If you follow your own ambitious projects, you
will go where Jesus has given you no liberty to go. Obey the Word of God,
and you will be safe. Battle Creek Letters, 58.
A Dead Letter
Unfortunately, too many of us are rejecting the Spirit
of Prophecy because it does not agree with our preferences and
opinions:
The minds of many have been engrossed with contentions,
and they have rejected the light given through the Testimonies because it
did not agree with their own opinions. God will not work a miracle to
convince these rebellious ones of the truth of the Testimonies, and compel
them to acknowledge His message. He has given sufficient evidence for
their faith, and it is only the stubbornness of the natural heart that
prevents them from acknowledging the light. The Ellen G. White 1888
Materials, 505–506.
Soul winners, who are not surrendered to the Bible and
to the Spirit of Prophecy, place faith-threatening stumbling-blocks before
their converts:
If God’s ambassador brings the precious, saving truth
to bear upon the heart, and yet in his deportment errors are made
prominent, then he lays a stumbling block before the feet of his fellow
men, over which they may stumble into perdition. If souls do accept the truth, the
defects in the messenger are in many instances reproduced in their
conduct, and the Heart Searcher knows that His professed ambassador is
perpetuating sin. The reason of this is that the word of God has not been
received into the heart, has not done its office work upon the soul. The
word of God and the testimonies that have been given for the enlightenment
of God's people, are as a dead letter. Testimonies on the Case of Elder
E. P. Daniels (Pamphlet No. 96), 35–36.
If we neglect the Testimonies we will tend to stray
from Bible truth:
If you lose confidence in the Testimonies you will
drift away from Bible truth. Testimonies, vol. 5, 98.
The enemy has made his masterly efforts to unsettle the
faith of our own people in the Testimonies, and when these errors come in
they claim to prove all the positions by the Bible, but they misinterpret
the Scriptures. They make bold assertions, as did Elder Canright, and
misapply the prophecies and the Scriptures to prove falsehood. The
Ellen G. White 1888 Materials, 739.
Ellen White attributed to blindness of the heart a
leader’s claim that she contradicted herself:
Will you please to ask Elder [E.P.] Daniels to tell you
wherein he thinks Sister White denies her own teachings? Set the words
down on paper and send them to me. If I am guilty, I will confess the
same; if not, I shall charge him with bearing false witness, as he has
done again and again in regard to my words, my actions, and the things
which I eat. He says he believes the Testimonies but cannot understand
them. I present these Testimonies now as a solemn duty I owe to the
Master, whose servant I am, to see if your eyesight is so darkened that
you cannot understand them. Blindness of the heart is a terrible barrier
to the discerning of truth. “He shall receive of mine and shall shew it
unto you,” (John 16:14) is the declaration of Christ, revealing how the
Holy Spirit operates upon the mind. Sin is the disease of the soul, in
consequence of which the understanding fails to do its appointed work on
the heart and memory. Pamphlet No. 28, 6–7.
Those who lessen the faith of God’s people in the
Testimonies are working against God:
Those who seek to lessen the faith of God’s people in
these Testimonies, which have been in the church for the last thirty-six
years, are fighting against God. It is not the instrument whom you slight
and insult, but God, who has spoken to you in these warnings and reproofs.
Testimonies, vol. 5, 234-235.
Spiritual Discernment
As we appreciate and accept the Spirit of Prophecy we
have increased spiritual discernment. As we reject it we become
spiritually blind:
If those who have received the light will appreciate
and respect the Testimonies of the Lord, they will see the religious life
in a new light. They will be convicted. They will see the key that unlocks
the mysteries that they have never understood. They will lay hold of the
precious things that God has given them to profit withal and will be
translated from the kingdom of darkness into God’s marvelous light. Those
who despise the warning will be left in blindness to become self-deceived.
My Life Today, 42.
Those who make of none effect the work of the prophet
and thus spread the contagion of spiritual blindness, are doing the work
of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram and with the same consequences:
You have refused my testimonies given me for you from
the Lord just as much have you labored to make them of none effect as did Korah, Dathan and
Abiram. You have done this and thus it is charged against you in the books
of heaven. . . .
.
You have made no account of the light which God has
given me. You have in your attitude and the course you have pursued made
of none effect that testimony and influence which should live and be
strengthened by you, by your voice, your pen and adherence to them. But
this you have not done and the result of this you must
bear. . . .
You will find the ones whose eyesight spiritually
you have acted your part to pervert, will accept Satan’s sophistry rather
than the pure unadulterated truth and they are ensnared and taken, at
whose door will their sin be charged. You set their minds against the
testimony of the Spirit of God. You led their feet in a path where God was
not leading you. The spiritually blind has been leading those whom he
might have led in a path of faith and confidence and peace.
I tell you in the name of the Lord God of Israel both
you and they will fall into the ditch. The Ellen G. White 1888
Materials, 599–602.
Those who persist in weakening the hands of the prophet
will eventually strengthen the hands of our bitterest enemies:
I was shown in the vision given me of the Judgment,
that God would send warnings, counsels, and reproof.
Some . . . would kick against the pricks, rise up against
the testimonies of reproof, despise the warnings, choose their own wisdom,
be ensnared and overcome by the enemy, and so blinded by his infatuations
[that] they would be utterly unable to discern the things of God and would
work directly against the light, enshrouding themselves in darkness and
error. Then these very ones would sustain and strengthen the hands of our
bitterest enemies.” Manuscript Releases, vol. 14, 1.
Yes, we Seventh-day Adventists are being tested by the
Spirit of Prophecy:
The commandments of God and the testimony of Jesus are
testing us. If we are faithful and obedient, God will delight in us, and
bless us as His own chosen, peculiar people. My Life Today, 42.
Switching Banners
We have been given to carry the banner inscribed with
the words “Here are they that keep the commandments of God, and have the
Testimonies of Jesus Christ.” The increased light of the Spirit of
Prophecy upon the Scriptures is what makes us God’s remnant church. We are
told that those who give up their faith in the Spirit of Prophecy are
taking their stand under Satan’s banner:
One thing is certain: Those Seventh-day Adventists who
take their stand under Satan’s banner will first give up their faith in
the warnings and reproofs contained in the Testimonies of God’s Spirit.
Selected Messages, book 3, 84.
From her very youth Ellen White was set apart to exhort
from the Word. The Bible was “open” to her in a special way:
Early in my youth I was asked several times, Are you a
prophet? I have ever responded, I am the Lord’s messenger. I know that
many have called me a prophet, but I have made no claim to this title. My
Saviour declared me to be His messenger. “Your work,” He instructed me,
“is to bear My word. Strange things will arise, and in your youth I set
you apart to bear the message to the erring ones, to carry the word before
unbelievers, and with pen and voice to reprove from the Word actions that
are not right. Exhort from the Word. I will make My Word open to you. It
shall not be as a strange language. In the true eloquence of simplicity,
with voice and pen, the messages that I give shall be heard from one who
has never learned in the schools. My Spirit and My power shall be with
you.” Ibid., book 1, 32.
So Shall Ye Prosper
The Testimonies, as with the Scriptures, are to go
forward as long as time shall last:
Abundant light has been given to our people in these
last days. Whether or not my life is spared, my writings will constantly
speak, and their work will go forward as long as time shall last.
Ibid., 55.
God’s messages through Ellen White are to have more
vital force since her death:
The life that He spares I will use to His glory. And,
when He may see fit to let me rest, His messages shall be of even more
vital force than when the frail instrumentality through whom they were
delivered, was living. Ibid., book 3, 77.
The 1873 General Conference session went on record for
us as a people that we believe “the Testimonies of Sister White to be the
teachings of the Holy Spirit.” The Ellen G. White Biography, vol.
2, 396. Our eternal destiny,
individually and corporately, will be determined by how we relate to the
present truths given by the Holy Spirit through Ellen G. White.
The Final Apostasy
Satan well knows that God’s people have always had
great difficulty accepting and obeying messages that God sends through a
contemporary prophet. He also well knows that neglect or rejection of only
one word that God sends is to join his side. Therefore, “The very last
deception of Satan will be to make of none effect the testimony of the
Spirit of God.” Ibid., book 1, 48.
Yes, Satan’s final deception for modern Israel is to
somehow cause us to believe that God’s counsels and instructions sent
through Ellen White are not as inspired, reliable, or relevant as His
messages sent through previous messengers. Satan wants us to believe that
we can slight, neglect, even disobey and reject the most recent
Testimonies from the Lord, and God will still fulfill His portion of the
covenant, use us to finish His work, and save us at last in His
kingdom.
We are told that the Omega of departure from truth—the
last apostasy—would be of a most startling nature:
Be not deceived; many will depart from the faith,
giving heed to seducing spirits and doctrines of devils. We have now
before us the Alpha of this danger. The Omega will be of a most startling
nature.” Ibid., 197.
What could be more startling than for the descendants
of Adam and Eve to believe that they can, while in disobedience to God, be
restored to the Eden from which Adam and Eve were expelled for disobeying
a seemingly minor command of God?
What could be more startling than for God’s chosen
people, at the end of six thousand years of the great controversy, to be
so deceived as to believe that, despite their continuing disobedience to
God, which places them on Satan’s side of the controversy, they can still
be taken to the heaven from which Satan was cast out at the beginning of
the controversy? Such an occurrence would only confirm Satan’s claim that
complete obedience to God is impossible, and/or unnecessary. Satan would
thus be the victor in the great controversy.
What could be more startling than for many Seventh-day
Adventists to believe that they can enter the Promised Land even while
they are in many ways disobeying the Testimonies of Jesus as given through
Ellen White, and are falling for Satan’s final deception for God’s remnant
people? In actuality, none who remain deceived by Satan, none who remain
on his side, can enter the kingdom of heaven.
Fatal Deceptions
The Seventh-day Adventist Church has the task of giving
the three angels’ messages to the whole world. These messages call all
mankind to complete obedience to the Creator. It is just as fatal for us
as it was for Solomon to believe that while we are in disobedience to God,
He can or will use us to give to the whole world the loud-cry calling for
obedience to Him:
Solomon flattered himself that his wisdom and the power
of his example would lead his wives from idolatry to the worship of the
true God, and also that the alliances thus formed would draw the nations
round about into close touch with Israel. Vain hope! Solomon’s mistake in
regarding himself as strong enough to resist the influence of heathen
associates was fatal. And fatal, too, the deception that led him to hope
that notwithstanding a disregard of God’s law on his part, others might be
led to revere and obey its sacred precepts. Conflict and Courage,
192.
It is also a deadly error to have great light as did
Chorazin and Bethsaida but to neither appreciate nor receive it:
The most terrible thing that could come to us as people
is the fatal deception that was the ruin of Chorazin and Bethsaida. They
had great light, great privileges and blessings. Jesus was with them, but
they did not appreciate or receive the light He gave them. They were not
made better by it. The Ellen G. White 1888 Materials, 172.
It is a bubble blown by Satan that we can turn from the
Lord’s counsels and develop our own safe methods of doing His work. The
sooner we as people burst this bubble, the better it will be for our
institutions:
Do those who know the truth and have a knowledge of God
suppose that men who have turned away from truth and right-eousness and
are filled with a sense of their own importance, can invent safe methods
for carrying on the work? This is what it means, and the sooner this
bubble blown by Satan is burst, the better it will be for the
healthfulness of all our institutions. When the very heart of the work is
diseased, its action must be uncertain, fitful, unreliable. It is time we
had an investigation before as many people as possible. All who are
helping to sustain the work should get together and understand its inward
workings. Manuscript Releases, vol. 17, 232–233.
As late as 1973, our church leaders acknowledged that
our ongoing disobedience to the Spirit of Prophecy is insubordination and
is cause for the delay in finishing the Lord’s work and for the delay in
Christ’s second coming:
As church leaders at this Annual Council we have
faced honestly the fact that there are inconsistencies between the
church’s preaching and its practices, and to allow these inconsistencies
to continue will automatically delay the completion of the church’s
mission and the coming of Christ.
God has in love sent to the Seventh-day Adventist
Church inspired counsels that illuminate and apply the words of
Scripture. These counsels
cover about every conceivable facet of Christian experience and witness.
As Seventh-day Adventists we cannot plead ignorance of God’s will
concerning His expectations, either for the individual or for the church.
If we ignore or reject God’s counsels, this may well be defined as an act
of insubordination, which will affect our relation to the coming of the
Lord. In the words of God’s servant: “We may have to remain here in this
world because of insubordination many more years, as did the children of
Israel.” Evangelism, 696. The 1973 Annual Council Appeal,
republished in Our Firm Foundation, December 1991.
Disobedience to the messages of the prophet today is
just as much disobedience and apostasy as it was in the days of Moses.
Apostasy on the part of modern Israel will just as surely keep her out of
the Promised Land as it did ancient Israel.
We can discuss whether the Omega of Apostasy is
our present pluralism of doctrinal beliefs. We can consider the Omega of
Apostasy to be our long-term operation of the Lord’s publishing,
educational and health institutions contrary to the clear directives of
the Lord. Or we might believe that the Omega of Apostasy is our following
after the world in our personal lifestyles. The final apostasy of modern
Israel in reality includes all of the above. One thing is certain, the
Omega of Apostasy involves everything that we as individuals do, say, or
believe that is contrary to the Testimonies of the Lord as given through
Ellen G. White. This insubordination is the final deception foisted upon
us by Satan.
By Every Word
Oh, that modern Israel might recognize that
disobedience to God’s prophet today is what it has always been—apostasy!
Oh, that we might individually and corporately be
willing to surrender our self-willed ways of living and working for the
Lord, and seek to hearken unto the statutes and judgments of the Spirit of
Prophecy to do them—that we might live and go in and possess the land
which the Lord our God giveth us! See Deuteronomy 4:1.
Oh, that modern Israel might learn that which ancient
Israel failed to learn—that “man shall not live by bread alone, but by
every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God”! Matthew 4:4.
Selections Regarding Degrees of Divine
Inspiration
“The Bible says nothing about degrees of inspiration,
nor does it lend any support to the idea. Adventists believe that all such
speculation is not only idle but dangerous.” The Seventh-day
Adventist Bible Commentary, vol. 7, 877.
“No Difference in Degrees of Inspiration
“At least eight prophets mentioned in the Bible wrote
for their times but their works were not included in the canon.1 The Biblical story
not only does not hint of any difference in the quality of their
inspiration, it describes their work as of equal authority with the
canonical prophets. We find no difference in how they received their
messages or how they communicated them and how their contemporaries
responded to them. Noncanonical prophets spoke for God and were regarded
as God’s spokesmen by their contemporaries.
“With the suggestion that some prophets were granted a
higher degree of revelation/inspiration than other prophets, comes the
inescapable question: Who will decide? Can an uninspired person sit in
judgment on a prophet’s work and decide whether he or she is a first-,
second-, or third-degree prophet? The gift of prophecy, as other spiritual
gifts, is given to men and women ‘according to His own will’ (Hebrews
2:4), not man’s will.
“In 1884 the president of the General Conference,
George I. Butler, attempted to contribute to a clearer understanding of
this subject by authoring ten articles for the church paper. In these
articles he discussed ‘differences in degrees’ of inspiration (Review
and Herald, January 8–June 3, 1884).
“Ellen White waited five years to respond, hoping that
he would catch his own mistake. But when others began to pick up on
Butler’s point of view and teach it in Battle Creek College, she wrote:
‘Both in the [Battle Creek] tabernacle and in the college the subject of
inspiration has been taught, and finite men have taken it upon themselves
to say that some things in the Scriptures were inspired and some were not.
I was shown that the Lord did not inspire the articles on inspiration
published in the Review, neither did He approve their endorsement
before our youth in the college. When men venture to criticize the Word of
God, they venture on sacred, holy ground, and had better fear and tremble
and hide their wisdom as foolishness. God sets no man to pronounce
judgment on His Word, selecting some things as inspired and discrediting
others as uninspired. The testimonies have been treated in the same way,
but God is not in this.’ Selected Messages, book 1, 23.
“Writings are the product of inspiration or they are
not. Prophets are genuine or they are impostors.2 Other than the
difference between the common and the sacred, which should be obvious to
everyone, no one is able to divide a prophet’s writings into the inspired
and the less inspired. As soon as one tries, the final arbiter is human
reason. Each person then believes that his own reason is more dependable
than anyone else’s. . . .
“No Differences in Authority Between Canonical and Noncanonical
Prophets
“The suggestion that prophets can be categorized by
degrees of authority is similar to the previous discussion of differences
in degrees of inspiration. Such appeals to categories of inspiration and
authority would reduce some prophets to merely an inspirational, pastoral
role or function, without divine authority. . . .
“In his last sermon, the late associate Review editor
Don F. Neufeld said: ‘Through His witness to the New Testament prophets,
Jesus predicted that prophetic activity, as one of many spiritual gifts,
would continue in the church. In other words, the testimony of Jesus to
His people was not to cease once the books that make up our present canon
of scripture would be written. Prophetic activity would continue beyond
the close of the canon.
“ ‘This brings us to an important question. If in all
prophetic activity it is Jesus who is speaking, whether in Old Testament
times, in New Testament times, or in post-New Testament times, can we
logically draw a distinction and say that what Jesus said in any one
period is more or less authoritative than what He said in any other
period?’
“ ‘For example, could something that Jesus said in the
first century a.d. be more
or less authoritative than what He said in the 19th century a.d.? The answer, I think, is
obvious. It doesn’t make any sense to argue for degrees of inspiration, as
if what Jesus (through the Spirit of prophecy) said in one generation was
more inspired than what He said in another.’3 ” Herbert E. Douglass,
Messenger of the Lord, 409–410. (Nampa, Idaho: Pacific Press
Publishing Association, 1998.)
“Seventh-day Adventists Believe . . .
“One of the gifts of the Holy Spirit is prophecy. This
gift is an identifying mark of the remnant church and was manifested in
the ministry of Ellen G. White. As the Lord’s messenger, her writings are
a continuing and authoritative source of truth which provide for the
church comfort, guidance, instruction, and correction. They also make
clear that the Bible is the standard by which all teaching and experience
must be tested.—Fundamental Beliefs, 17.” Seventh-day Adventists
Believe. . . , 216. (Hagerstown, Maryland: Review and
Herald Publishing Association, 1988).
“Revelation identifies the possession of the two [the
law and the prophetic gift] as distinctive characteristics of the end-time
church; its members ‘keep the commandments of God and have the testimony
of Jesus Christ’—the prophetic gift (Revelation 12:17).
“God gave the prophetic gift to the ‘church’ of the
Exodus to organize, instruct, and guide His people (see Acts 7:38, KJV).
‘By a prophet the Lord
brought Israel out of Egypt, and by a prophet was he preserved.” Hosea
12:13. It comes as no surprise, then, to find that gift among those who
are involved in the ultimate exodus—the escape from sin-polluted Planet
Earth to the heavenly Canaan.” Ibid., 221–222.
“Post-Biblical Prophets and the Bible
“The prophetic gift produced the Bible itself. In
post-Biblical times it is not to supersede or add to Scripture, because
the canon of Scripture is now closed.
“The prophetic gift functions in the endtime much as it
did in the time of the apostles. Its thrust is to uphold the Bible as the
basis of faith and practice, to explain its teachings, and to apply its
principles to daily life. It is involved in establishing and edifying the
church, enabling it to carry out its divinely appointed mission. The
prophetic gift reproves, warns, guides, and encourages both individuals
and the church, protecting them from heresy and unifying them on Bible
truths.
“Post-Biblical prophets function much like prophets
such as Nathan, Gad, Asaph, Shemaiah, Azariah, Eliezer, Ahijah, and Obed,
Miriam, Deborah, Huldah, Simeon, John the Baptist, Agabus, Silas, Anna,
and Philip’s four daughters, who lived in Bible times, but whose
testimonies never became a part of the Bible. The same God who spoke
through the prophets whose writings are in the Bible inspired these
prophets and prophetesses. Their messages did not contradict the
previously recorded divine revelation.” Ibid., 222–223.
1 Jasher
(Joshua 10:13; 2 Samuel 1:18), Nathan (1 Chronicles 29:29;
2 Chronicles 9:29; 29:25), Gad (1 Chronicles 21:9;
2 Chronicles 29:25), Ahijah (1 Kings 1:29; 14:2–18;
2 Chronicles 9:29), Shemaiah (2 Chronicles 12:15), Iddo
(2 Chronicles 9:29; 12:15; 13:22), Jehu (1 Kings 16:1, 7;
2 Chronicles 19:2; 20:34), Elijah (2 Chronicles 21:12–15).
2 “God is either
teaching His church, reproving their wrongs, and strengthening their
faith, or He is not. This work is of God, or it is not. God does nothing
in partnership with Satan. My work . . . bears the stamp of God, or the
stamp of the enemy. There is no halfway work in the matter. The
Testimonies are of the Spirit of God, or of the devil.”
Testimonies, vol. 5, 671.
3 Sermon
manuscript, “When Jesus Speaks,” preached at the Takoma Park Seventh-day
Adventist Church, Feb. 2, 1980. Italics supplied.
Hope International, Hartland Institute, and Remnant Ministries –
Report
[Issued by the Examination of Hope International
Committee of the General Conference, presented to Hope International in
rough draft in the meeting of April 5–6, 2000 and mailed in final form on
April 27, 2000. Some readers may note that the introduction of this report
was modified somewhat before being published by the Biblical
Research Institute of the General Conference on the Internet and in
the Adventist
Review.]
Introduction
Following
certain challenges made to General Conference leadership by Ron Spear of
Hope International in early 1998, the General Conference Administrative
Committee appointed an ad hoc committee (Examination of Hope International
Committee) on March 31, 1998, with the mandate to examine the theological
positions of Hope International, its related ministries, contributors, and
spokespersons, and the influence of such on the world Church. The
committee was asked to prepare a report, to propose administrative
initiatives, and to recommend these initiatives to the Administrative
Committee.
The
Members of the Examination of Hope International Committee (ADCOM-A) were
as follows: Calvin B Rock, Chairman; Athal H Tolhurst, Secretary; Bjarne
Christensen, Jonathan Gallagher, William G Johnsson, Israel Leito, Gerhard
Pfandl, George W Reid, Angel Rodriguez, Agniel Samson, Woodrow W. Whidden,
Neil C Wilson, and, as a consultant, Peter M van Bemmelen.
The
committee conducted its own investigation by assigning research of
published materials and by contacting division leadership worldwide. After
preliminary meetings, the committee met with leaders of Hope
International, Hartland Institute, and Remnant Ministries on two occasions
covering three and a half days. The final meeting was held on April 5 and
6, 2000, and resulted in the preparation of the following report.
Report
All
of us would agree that Christ is the Head of the Church. As Ellen G White
wrote, “Nothing else in this world is so dear to God as His church.
Nothing is guarded by Him with such jealous care” (TM42). But the Church
is made up of mortals in constant need of His presence and guidance.
For
these reasons there is great need for revival and reformation in the
Seventh-day Adventist Church as it faces the final chapter in the great
controversy. No one will question the importance for church
administrators, pastors, teachers, and laypersons to be personally
involved in the task of calling the whole Church back to the purity of
faith and Christian living as found in the Scriptures. Such revival is
simply indispensable for the effective fulfillment of the mission of the
Church. Our message and mission should be constantly reaffirmed through
voice and action until the glory of the Lord is revealed throughout the
world by a people who are totally committed to Jesus Christ as Saviour and
Lord.
Therefore
the emphasis on revival and reformation we found in the message of Hope
International, Hartland Institute, and Remnant Ministries (hereafter
referred to as Hope International and associates) is welcomed. Further, we
observed in conversations with Hope International and associates that they
affirmed agreement on many of the major elements of the Seventh-day
Adventist faith.
However,
the method they have used to express their concern has resulted in what is
perceived by many to be a spirit of constant criticism directed against
the Seventh-day Adventist Church, which is the body of Christ, the Remnant
Church. The effect of this methodology is the discouraging portrayal of
the Church as steeped in a state of apostasy. After studying their
materials and meeting with their leaders, we have some serious concerns
with respect to the nature and purpose of Hope International and
associates.
Areas of Serious Concern
1.
Charge of Apostasy Against the Seventh-day Adventist Church
According
to Hope International and associates, it is an understatement to say that
there is apostasy in the Seventh-day Adventist Church. The Church
itself is in apostasy! Therefore the condition of the Church is worse
than that of any other Christian religious body that forms the end-time
Babylon. They are not willing to refer openly to the Seventh-day Adventist
Church as Babylon because of the occasions in which Ellen G White opposed
those who made such accusations. Yet they have found a way to bypass her
counsel by accusing the Church of being in apostasy, We have not found a
single case where Ellen G White or the book of Revelation accuses God’s
remnant people of being in apostasy. It is this charge of apostasy against
the Church that keeps Hope International and associates alive.
If
the Church is in apostasy, it has no reason to exist and the Lord must
raise up a new church as His instrument for these last days. Hope
International and associates see themselves as spokespersons for those who
perceive that the Church is in apostasy, and they believe that they have a
divine mandate to catalogue and publicize this apostasy and to call the
Church to repentance. Although we acknowledge that there is apostasy in
the Church—Jesus Himself acknowledged the co-existence of wheat and tares
in the Church—we reject the blatant and irresponsible accusation that
God’s Remnant Church is in apostasy. Their definition of apostasy
as “any deviation from God’s truth or mandated Christian practice” is not
found in the Bible or in the writings of Ellen G White.
2.
Distorted View of the Nature of the Church
It
is our clear impression that Hope International and associates believe
that the Church is composed of both an organized system of administration
and a parallel self-supporting ministry independent of the organized
system. We understand their position to be that, as divinely appointed
self-supporting ministries, they are not ultimately bound by the decisions
of the world Church. This model of church organization is used by them to
justify their activities. Such understanding of the Church lacks any
biblical support and is not found in the writings of Ellen G White.
Although we acknowledge the need for supportive ministries within the
Church, we perceive Hope International and associates as having parallel
organizational structures separate to, and critical of, the official
Church organization. Support for this perception is found in the following
characteristics of their organizations:
a.
Diverse Understanding of Doctrinal Positions
Though
strongly affirming their support for the Seventh-day Adventist Statement
of Fundamental Beliefs, Hope International and associates seem to have
some reservations with respect to several of them. One such reservation
concerns “The Son” (#4). In this particular case they have taken a
position different from that of the Church by making their particular
understanding of the human nature of Christ part of the doctrine. On the
topic of the Church (#11 and #13) their understanding of its nature and
authority does not seem to reflect the doctrine of ecclesiology as held by
the Church (see below). The same applies to the statement on “Stewardship”
(#20).
b.
Reluctance to Accept the Authority of the Church
Although
acknowledging that the Church has a God-given authority, Hope
International and associates do not consider the authority of the Church
to be final in the community of believers. It is the Seventh-day Adventist
position that the Church was formed when a group of believers voluntarily,
and under the conviction of the Holy Spirit, accepted a common gospel, a
common lifestyle, and a common mission, understood to be based on the
authority of the Scriptures. This community was vested with authority by
Christ (Matt 18:15-18). Decisions made by the properly appointed
representatives of the Church community are binding on all members who, in
order to preserve the unity of the Church and to facilitate the
fulfillment of its mission, are willing to set aside personal opinions
and/or practices to follow the decisions of the body. But if elements of
that community break the common bond that unites it, by developing a
judgmental attitude against the authority of the community, the result is
confusion and insubordination. Hope International and associates appear to
have taken the position that their interpretation of the Bible and the
Spirit of Prophecy is the final arbiter over the Church, to determine
whether its decisions are correct or not. If, in their judgment, a
decision is not correct, they reject it and proceed to believe and act as
they think best, while at the same time claiming to be loyal members of
the Church. That attitude is consistent with the spirit of schism and, at
the present time, contributes to undermining the authority of the
Church.
Self-supporting
ministries are to work harmoniously with the Church. Paul, who is often
referred to as a self-supporting worker was, after his conversion, brought
by the Lord into a permanent connection with the Church. In that context
we are told:
“God
has made His church on the earth a channel of light, and through it He
communicates His purposes and His will. He does not give to one of His
servants an experience independent of and contrary to the experience of
the church itself. Neither does He give one man a knowledge of His will
for the entire church while the church—Christ’s body—is left in darkness.
. . .
“There
have ever been in the church those who are constantly inclined toward
individual independence. They seem unable to realize that independence of
spirit is liable to lead the human agent to have too much confidence in
himself and to trust in his own judgment rather than to respect the
counsel and highly esteem the judgment of his brethren, especially of
those in the offices that God has appointed for the leadership of His
people. God has invested His church with special authority and power which
no one can be justified in disregarding and despising, for he who does
this despises the voice of God.
“Those
who are inclined to regard their individual judgment as supreme are in
grave peril.”—AA 163, 164.
c.
Rewriting of the Baptismal Vow
A
Baptismal Vow was put together by Colin Standish using the 1932 Church
Manual and other sources. An examination of this baptismal vow reveals
that it is significantly different from what is found in the current
Church Manual as approved by the world Church. Among the
differences are the following:
1)
A new fundamental belief added as a requirement for joining the
Church: that “Jesus took upon Himself our fallen nature.” Such statement
has never been part of the Seventh-day Adventist Baptismal Vow or of
official statements of fundamental beliefs. Such change illustrates an
independence from the Church in doctrinal matters as they constitute their
own particular views into tests of faith, independent from the remainder
of the Church.
2)
The vow dealing with tithing does not identify the Church as the
repository of tithe, as does the official Baptismal Vow.
3)
In the rewritten Baptismal Vow, the Seventh-day Adventist Church
does not receive a mention.
The Remnant Church is mentioned, but it is never identified with
the Seventh-day Adventist Church. The fundamental question here is one of
the nature and authority of the Church and where that authority resides.
Those who promote the use of this reworded Baptismal Vow demonstrate that
they do not recognize the authority of the organized Seventh-day Adventist
Church.
d.
Redefinition of the Tithe “Storehouse”
The
financial support of their organizations comes, not only from their own
earnings, nor only from the offerings of church members, but also from
tithes. Some of their publications redefine the “storehouse” to be any
instrument of God that is proclaiming “unadulterated present truth.”
Whether intended or not, the influence of such literature is to encourage
members to redirect their tithe away from the Church “storehouse,” and to
invest it instead with these independent ministries.
e.
Conducting Their Own Camp Meetings
Every
year they conduct their own camp meetings, usually without the concurrence
of the conference administration. They express that the need for such camp
meetings arises from their perception that the Seventh-day Adventist
Church is in apostasy, and is therefore incapable of meeting the spiritual
needs of its members through the regular conference camp meetings.
f.
Operating Their Own Publishing Enterprises
Hope
International and associates have their own publishing program for the
production of materials promoting their views on different doctrines and
lifestyle issues. While much of this material is Adventist in character,
there are numerous examples of a judgmental attitude against the organized
Church and its leaders and, from time to time, assertions that the Church
is in apostasy. Whatever truths these periodicals contain are more than
discounted by a recurring critical refrain.
3.
Supporting Dissident Movements
Hope
International and associates have supported, and continue to support,
dissident movements who turn against the Seventh-day Adventist Church and
its organization. They have been supporting Norberto Restrepo in Columbia
and Venezuela, a former Seventh-day Adventist minister who is no longer an
Adventist, and is rather one of the most severe enemies of the Church in
the Inter-American Division. In 1997 they supported a group of church
elders in Guatemala who rebelled against the Seventh-day Adventist Church,
and they sent one of their representatives to Guatemala to support them.
Recently they supported, in a court of law, a non-Adventist who was
attempting to use the name of the Church for his own organization. Their
encouragement of breakaway activities in the following countries, and
others besides, is well documented: Australia, Bolivia, England, Fiji,
France, Germany, Holland, Hungary, New Zealand, Macedonia, Malaysia, Papua
New Guinea, Singapore, Solomon Islands, Sweden, United States of America,
Vanuatu, Zimbabwe. These associations do nothing to build confidence in
the professed loyalty of Hope International and associates to the Church.
Rather, it is a powerful evidence of their disregard for the carefully
considered decisions of the Church, and it amounts to disloyalty to the
Church itself. Their misdirected support interferes with the regular
organization’s attempts to deal with, and hopefully redeem, such dissident
individuals, and makes the task of the Church more difficult.
4.
Selectively Using Ellen G White Writings
Hope
International and associates pride themselves in their profuse use of the
writings of Ellen G White to support their teachings. But they select
statements that seem to support themselves, while disregarding other
statements in which activities such as theirs are clearly condemned by
Ellen G White. Her overriding support of the organized Seventh-day
Adventist Church is intentionally minimized or ignored by Hope
International and associates, or explained away as irrelevant for us
today.
Conclusion
The
accumulative effect of the above information results in the perception of
many Church members that Hope International and associates are offshoot
organizations. They have not taken the decisive step of officially
separating themselves from the Seventh-day Adventist organization, and
they claim that they never will. However, by rejecting the authority of
the world Church in session when their interpretation of Scripture and the
Spirit of Prophecy differs from that of the Church, they have set their
authority above that of the world Church and operate in a manner that is
consistent with offshoot movements.
An Appeal
We
appeal, in all sincerity and Christian love, to Hope International and
associates to hear the counsel of the Church they claim to love. It is
time for the spirit of condemnation and rebellion to be set aside,
allowing the reconciling blood of Christ to bring unity among His
people.
All
agree that there is serious need for revival and reformation in God’s
Remnant Church, but the methods used by Hope International and associates
have produced dissonance instead of reform. When assessed by their fruits,
it is seen that the movement of reform promoted by Hope International and
associates has failed to bring about either reformation or increased
unity. The Church is not perfect, but there is wisdom in listening to its
advice. We appeal, in Christian love, for a turn of heart and purpose that
will bring Hope International and associates into full unity with the body
of Christ, the Remnant Church.
If
Hope International and associates cannot bring themselves into harmony
with the body of the world Church, clearly evidenced within twelve months,
the Seventh-day Adventist Church may need to consider whether there exists
a “persistent refusal to recognize properly constituted church authority
or to submit to the order and discipline of the church” (Church
Manual, p 169).
Reflections
A letter from Ron Spear to the
chairman of the General Conference
ADCOM special committee, following
the meeting of April 5–6, 2000.
April 17, 2000
Elder Calvin Rock,
Chairman
Elder Athol Tolhurst,
Secretary
Elder George Reid
Elder Neal Wilson
General Conference of
Seventh-day Adventists
12501 Old Columbia Pike
Silver Spring, MD 20904
Dear Friends,
I want to thank you for meeting with us last week. I
especially want to express my appreciation to Elder Calvin Rock for his
kind and patient handling of what might have been a very difficult
meeting. I believe that our recent appearance at the trial in Miami,
Florida, put us all in a very difficult position at the beginning. When
the document that had been prepared by the scholars of the committee came
before us on Thursday morning, my heart was grieved as it gave an almost
totally distorted representation of our ministries! Someone who was
present, told me during a break that this seemed to him to be a preface to
disfellowshiping and defrocking. However, some of the committee members
told us that this was not the intent of the document. Praise God! We are
thankful that our meeting became more harmonious in the afternoon, again I
say gratefully, due to the patience of our Chairman, Elder Rock.
We have a concern that some have viewed our presence at
the proceedings in Miami as a desire on our part to be contentious. That
certainly is not the case. Our conscience forced us to be at the trial;
not for Raphael only, but because of what we understand to be the truth
about freedom and liberty as found in the U.S. Constitution, in the
Scriptures, and in the Spirit of Prophecy. Our church has taken a strong
position on the upholding of religious liberty from the beginning. We
truly believe that God stands on our side in our decision. We sincerely
believe that the Scriptures and the Spirit of Prophecy support our
decision to testify since we were under subpoena to appear. Sadly, it is
our firm belief that if the church should win in this trial, it will not
be very long before other self-supporting ministries will face the same
crisis—they will find themselves in court at the behest of the church as
well.
In reading 1 Corinthians 6:6–8 and Selected
Messages, book 3, 299–305, it seems to us that the only way the
General Conference could possibly justify what they have done is to
believe that God has given them authority above the Scriptures and the
Spirit of Prophecy. When I was there I asked this question three times,
but I received no answer. It was evident that the position being taken was
that because Raphael had been disfellowshiped (even though inappropriately
according to the standard of Scripture), he could be treated like an
unbeliever—a heathen—and thereby you have tried to justify the committee’s
action. On this position my question is, Where do you find in the
Scriptures and the Spirit of Prophecy that you have the authority—the
right—to do this to anyone who is obedient to our message—to the gospel—in
the church or out of the church?
“All ye are brethren.” Matthew 23:8. When anyone lives
the three angel’s messages, and justification and sanctification, by the
power of the Holy Spirit, and preaches it with power, and is obedient to
all known truth, and has been disfellowshiped inappropriately for standing
for the truth given to the Seventh-day Adventist people for this final
generation, he or she is in the sight of God a real Seventh-day Adventist.
His or her name is recorded in the book of Life and it is retained there
as long as he or she is faithful and obedient. In the sight of God he or
she is to be considered our brother or sister. Therefore, taking such a
one to court will jeopardize the standing of his or her accuser with God
in the judgment. Those who venture to act in this manner are considered by
God as unbelievers. See Selected Messages, book 3, 299-305.
Raphael has been preaching this message with dedication
and vigor on five radio stations. I have spoken on those stations with
him. When his one-page ad—which was condensed from our tabloid, Earth’s
Final Warning, which we have distributed by the millions in twelve
different languages around the world—came out in U.S.A. Today, one
of the biggest, most well known commentators on television called him and
told him that it was his belief that the pope was attempting to take over
America, adding, “We must stop him.” He has arranged for the one-page ad
to appear in ten of the largest newspapers in America. However, this
commentator is not supporting Raphael financially because his foundation
will not allow him to donate to any religious group.
As a result of the distribution of our tabloid,
Earth’s Final Warning, and his one-page ad, there has been an
overwhelming mail response—by the thousands! Most of it is very positive.
We have heard from a Catholic priest. Even a retired CIA person commented
in a letter that he had never known what the Catholic Church’s (Papacy’s)
true position would be in the final events of this world’s history. He
said, “But your one-page ad revealed the answer.”
When we were there with you our group had a meeting
after the main meeting was dismissed. We concluded that we are ready to
use “there is apostasy in the church,” instead of saying that “the church
is in apostasy.” However this is our problem: Since we have not seen at
any level—the General Conference, or the Division, or the Union, or the
local Conference—any attempt to deal with the apostasy in the church, we
believe that the Scriptures give to the faithful a commission to deal with
it. A few years ago we met for two days with Jack Sequeira at Loma Linda
to discuss this matter. Also, we have published three books to show that
his error is the same as Desmond Ford’s. Yet he still travels freely
preaching his erroneous doctrines, which destroy the sanctuary and the
three angels’ messages! Folkenberg was his protector as long as he was
able to do so, but now Sequeira must be dealt with. Also, possibly
many of our pastors are in a similar degree deluded on the subjects of the
final atonement, the 2300 days, the sanctuary message and Ellen White as
an end-time messenger of God. Brethren, when will we see some responsible
action taken with regard to these situations?
The tithe issue is possibly one of the biggest
perceived problems you have with our ministries, but the real issue is
with the tithe that comes into the organization being used to pay many
pastors, thus supporting their teachings which are evangelical—not
Adventist—according to the Scriptures and the Spirit of Prophecy. The
logic would then be that the authority of the church has the license to
use tithe to support these apostates, while at the same time no ministry
outside of the Conference’s paycheck can use tithe to pay for preaching
God’s true message. Brethren, this cannot be! The Saviour said, “Why
beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother’s eye, but considerest not
the beam that is in thine own eye? Or how wilt thou say to thy brother,
Let me pull out the mote out of thine eye; and, behold, a beam is in thine
own eye? Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and
then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother’s
eye.” Matthew 7:3–5. The tithe we receive is infinitesimal compared to the
tithe received by the church. Most of those who send tithe to us would not
pay it to the Conference anyway because of the situation of apostasy in
the church. You can be sure that we use it according to how God through
the Scriptures and the Spirit of Prophecy has directed. Were it not for
the call of God on our lives to “cry aloud; spare not” and bring the
attention of His people to the use of the tithe by the church to support
these apostate pastors and their erroneous teachings and other matters,
which I will address shortly, that they not be deceived, and were the
church dealing with the apostasy within the organization, we would not be
receiving the tithe separate from the organized church at all.
There is the matter of Spectrum magazine—which
is a tool inspired of Satan. It was brought into existence during Desmond
Ford’s era to support the New Theology. Its contents are constantly
attempting to destroy the church’s right to be the remnant church. It
attacks our sanctuary message, the three angels’ messages and God’s
messenger Ellen White. Many of our pastors support this vehicle of satanic
information, which will surely destroy many Seventh-day Adventists if they
accept the New Theology. Adventism Today is another magazine which
attacks our message and Pastor ——— in the ——— Conference, who is paid out
of the sacred tithe, is one of the leaders of this magazine. What a
tragedy! There seems to us to be a dual standard in the church. We see no
leaders disapproving these magazines which deny our messages, yet there is
great animosity expressed against Our Firm Foundation, which
teaches our people present truth as taught in the Scriptures and the
Spirit of Prophecy.
The North American Division is now becoming independent
of the General Conference orders—voted at Utrect in 1995—against ordaining
women to the ministry, yet it seems that little is being done to deal with
their insubordination. The Division President of the North American
Division has a working plan to establish ten new celebration churches each
month—120 per year. We have been told that the music, with drums, and so
forth, will appear in some of the churches just before probation closes.
See Selected Messages, book 2, 35–36. Insubordination to God’s
orders and plans for His remnant church has prepared the way for the Omega
of Apostasy. See Selected Messages, book 1, 193–205. This apostasy
was prophesied to come at the end-time.
In our discussion of apostasy in the church we need to
address a very important point—Who is responsible for the present apostasy
in the church and when do we cross the line? The Jews did it by crucifying
Christ. Could it be that continual disobedience to God’s plans and orders
for His remnant church will place the structured Seventh-day
Adventist church one day in a similar condition? Will we have to hear as
did the Jews of Jesus’ day that woeful message, “Behold, your house is
left unto you desolate”? Matthew 23:38.
We are now facing the very end. The greatest evidence
may be in the church itself. [See Testimonies, vol. 5, 77; vol. 8,
22–23; Evangelism, 696.]. . .
It is our sincere prayer, brethren, that the document
presented on Thursday morning of our meeting will be corrected to portray
our ministries in the true light—which is that we believe and know that
God has directed us. We know that He placed a call on our lives and as
long as He continues to lead we must follow Him. We know that we are frail
human beings, and that we have made mistakes, however, we are eager to
confess those mistakes and make them right.
I am getting old, and I see that my step is getting
slower. The constant travel and writing is wearing on me. However, my
great desire is to see my beloved church, that God called me into the
ministry of, reformed to fulfill the great commission of the true gospel
which was given to us by Ellen White and our pioneers through the
Scriptures and the Spirit of Prophecy. As long as we have health and
strength to go and preach and write, we will continue to remind our
people, pastors and leaders that there is apostasy in the church, that
time is very short and that our Lord Jesus Christ will be appearing very
soon to take His faithful, obedient, waiting children home for an eternity
of heavenly joy and peace.
We pray that we will see at the coming General
Conference session that the Nominating Committee will select leaders who
will deal with the apostasy in the church. The latter rain will soon be
here! The shaking will continue until God has leaders, pastors and laity
who can be trusted with the second Pentecost and the latter rain. May each
of us be found among those who are found worthy!
Sincerely,
Ron Spear, Executive
Editor
Our Firm Foundation
Hope International
Throughout this
publication, all emphasis
is supplied unless otherwise noted.
Copyright (c) 2000
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