Has the Professing SDA Church Violated the Second Angel's Message
and the Midnight Cry?
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Dear Reader In a quest to discover the
reasons why God and Ellen White said that spiritual “Jerusalem,” the
professing Seventh-day Adventist church will be the object of a literal
fulfillment of Ezekiel 9, we will here explore whether or not that church has
violated the second angel’s message and the Midnight Cry of Matthew 24. First, we will cite the second
angel’s message and then the Midnight Cry: 8 And there followed another angel,
saying, Babylon is fallen, is fallen, that great city, because she made all
nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication. What is the penalty for
violating any one of the three angel’s messages, considering that one pays
homage to the beast power and disobeys commands of God in doing such: 10 The same shall drink of the wine of the
wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his
indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the
presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb: 11 And
the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever: and they have no
rest day nor night, who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever
receiveth the mark of his name. Now the Midnight Cry and the Second Angel’s Message: Matthew 25
In 1844, Ellen White said that
the Midnight Cry gave power to the second angel’s message. The churches would not
receive the light of the first angel's message, and as they rejected the
light from heaven they fell from the favor of God. They trusted in their own
strength, and placed themselves by their opposition to the first message
where they could not see the light of the second angel's message. But the beloved of God, who were
oppressed, answered to the message, Babylon is fallen, and left the fallen
churches. {1SG 140.1} Note: It is clear to see that rejection light on and disobedience to any one of the angel’s messages a church falls from the favor of God to become part of Babylon.
Near the close of the second angel's message, I saw a great light from heaven
shining upon the people of God. The rays of this light seemed bright as the
sun. And I heard the voices of angels crying, Behold the Bridegroom cometh,
go ye out to meet him! {1SG 140.2} The words “Behold the bridegroom
cometh, go ye out to meet him” constitute the Midnight Cry of Matthew 25:6. The
midnight cry was given to give power to the second angel's message.
Angels were sent from heaven to wake up the discouraged saints, and prepare
them for the great work before In every part of the land, light was given upon the second angel's message, and the cry was melting down thousands. It went from city to city, and from village to village, until the waiting people of God were fully aroused. Many would not permit this message to enter the churches, and a large company who had the living testimony within them left the fallen churches. A mighty work was accomplished by the midnight cry. The message was heart-searching, and led the believers to seek a living experience for themselves. They knew that they could not lean upon one another. {1SG 141.1}
The saints anxiously waited for their Lord with fasting, watching and almost constant prayer. The
fear that had rested upon many of the people did not at once disappear. They
did not immediately triumph over the disappointed ones. But as no visible
wrath of God was felt by them, they recovered from the fear they had felt,
and commenced their ridicule, their mocking,
and scoffing. The people of God were again proved, and tested. The world laughed, and mocked, and reproached them;
and those who had believed without a doubt that Jesus would then come and raise
the dead, and change the living saints, and take the kingdom, and possess it
forever, felt like the disciples of Christ.-- They have taken away my Lord,
and I know not where they have laid him. {1SG
143.1} Note: So the second angel’s
message was a cry that Babylon had fallen and the Midnight Cry instructed to
go out of Babylon, the fallen churches.
It was a message of separation from the world and churches that had
become to much like the world than no difference could be seen. The Sins of Babylon I
saw that since the second angel proclaimed the fall of the churches, they
have been growing more and more corrupt. They bear the name of being Christ's
followers; yet it is impossible to
distinguish them from the world. Ministers take their texts from the Word
of God, but preach smooth things. To this the natural heart feels no
objection. It is only the spirit and power of the truth and the salvation of
Christ that are hateful to the carnal heart. There is nothing in the popular
ministry that stirs the wrath of Satan, makes the sinner tremble, or applies
to the heart and conscience the fearful realities of a judgment soon to come.
Wicked men are generally pleased with a form of piety without true godliness,
and they will aid and support such a religion. {EW 273.1} Note: Clearly, to
link with the fallen churches is to link with the world, because it is
impossible to distinguish them from the world. Linking to Babylon in any way is to marry
the church to the world. "Like ancient Israel, the church has dishonored her God by departing from the light, neglecting her duties, and abusing her high and exalted privilege of being peculiar and holy in character. Her members have violated their covenant to live for God and him only. They have joined with the selfish and world-loving. Pride, the love of pleasure, and sin have been cherished, and CHRIST HAS DEPARTED. His Spirit has been quenched in the church. Satan works wide by side with professed Christians yet they are so destitute of spiritual discernment that they do not detect him." E.G. White, Testimonies, Vol. 2, pp. 441-442. In Ellen White’s
day, though the church was playing the harlot by departing from her duties,
she had not joined Babylon’s associations, councils and confederacies. That occurred in the early 1960’s when she
joined the Council of Free Churches in Hungary and other National Councils of
Churches around the world. In the
latter 1980s, 1500 Hungarians protested the church’s MEMBERSHIP in the
Hungarian Council of Free Churches, which was a MEMBER of the World Council
of Churches. Those members were barred
from their churches by body guards placed at the door on Sabbath
mornings. This action by the SDA
church has never been repented of or corrected. Said the angel, "Nothing less than
the whole armor of righteousness can enable man to overcome the powers of
darkness and retain the victory over them. Satan has taken full possession of
the churches as a body.
274 The sayings and
doings of men are dwelt upon instead of the plain, cutting truths of the Word
of God. The spirit and friendship of the world are at enmity with God. When
the truth in its simplicity and strength, as it is in Jesus, is brought to
bear against the spirit of the world, it at once awakens the spirit of
persecution. Very many who profess to be Christians have not known God. The
natural heart has not been changed, and the carnal mind remains at enmity
with God. They are Satan's faithful servants, notwithstanding they have
assumed another name." {EW 273.2} I saw that since Jesus left the holy
place of the heavenly sanctuary and entered within the second veil, the
churches have been filling up with every unclean and hateful bird. I saw
great iniquity and vileness in the churches; yet their members profess to be
Christians. Their profession, their prayers, and their exhortations are an
abomination in the sight of God. Said the angel, "God will not smell in
their assemblies. Selfishness, fraud, and deceit are practiced by them
without the reprovings of conscience. And over all these evil traits they
throw the cloak of religion." I was shown the pride of the nominal
churches. God is not in their thoughts; their carnal minds dwell upon
themselves; they decorate their poor mortal bodies, and then look upon
themselves with satisfaction and pleasure. Jesus and the angels look upon
them in anger. Said the angel, "Their sins and pride have reached unto
heaven. Their portion is prepared. Justice and judgment have slumbered long,
but will soon awake. Vengeance is Mine, I will repay, saith the Lord."
The fearful threatenings of the third angel are to be realized, and all the
wicked are to drink of the wrath of God. An innumerable host of evil angels
are spreading over the whole land and crowding the churches. These agents of
Satan look upon the religious bodies
275 with exultation,
for the cloak of religion covers the greatest crime and iniquity. {EW 274.1} God’s Separation Message 2Cr 6:17 Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean [thing]; and I will receive you, God will gather
His bride, the 144,000 remnant, and bring her into wilderness outposts. She will give the Loud Cry of the third
angel from these outposts, and will purge all from the Kingdom of Heaven who
will not receive her cry to the world. “Rebels will be purged out from among the loyal and true.” MR, Vol. 5, , p. 297. 34 And I will bring you out from the people, and will gather you
out of the countries wherein ye are scattered, with a mighty hand, and with a
stretched out arm, and with fury poured out. 35 And I will bring
you into the wilderness of the people, and there will I plead with you face
to face. 36 Like as I pleaded with your fathers in the wilderness
of the land of Egypt, so will I plead with you, saith the Lord GOD. 37
And I will cause you to pass under the rod, and I will bring you into the
bond of the covenant: 38
And I will purge out from among you the rebels, and them that transgress
against me: I will bring them forth out of the country where they sojourn,
and they shall not enter into the land of Israel: and ye shall know that I am
the LORD. Luk 6:22 Blessed are ye, when men shall hate
you, and when they shall separate you [from their company], and shall
reproach [you], and cast out your name as evil, for the Son of man's sake. Deu 14:2 For thou [art] an holy people
unto the LORD thy God, and the LORD hath chosen thee to be a peculiar people
unto himself, above all the nations that [are] upon the earth. Tts 2:14 Who gave
himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto
himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works. 1Pe 2:9 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: Friend, the call
out was a call to come out and stay out of association, counsel, girding and
confederacy with Babylon. The Directory of Christian Councils,
published by the World Council of Churches, copyrighted 1985, says on the
last page: Chap. 176 - Work the Cities from Outposts Wherefore come
out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the
unclean thing; and I will receive you. 2 Cor. 6:17. As God's commandment-keeping people, we must
leave the cities. As did Enoch, we must work in the cities but not dwell in
them. {Mar 184.1} As far as possible, our institutions
should be located away from the cities. . . . It is not God's will that His people
shall settle in the cities, where there is constant turmoil and confusion.
Their children should be spared this; for the whole system is demoralized by
the hurry and rush and noise. The Lord desires His people to move into the
country, where they can settle on the land, and raise their own fruit and
vegetables, and where their children can be brought in direct contact with
the works of God in nature. Take your families away from the cities is my
message. {Mar 184.2} The truth must be spoken, whether men
will hear, or whether men will forbear. The cities are filled with
temptation. We should plan our work in such a way as to keep our young people
as far as possible from this contamination. {Mar 184.3} The cities are to be worked from outposts.
Said the messenger of God, "Shall not the cities be warned? Yes; not by
God's people living in them, but by their visiting them, to warn them of what
is coming upon the earth." {Mar 184.4} When iniquity abounds in a nation, there
is always to be heard some voice giving warning and instruction, as the voice
of Lot was heard in Sodom. Yet Lot could have preserved his family from many
evils had he not made his home in this wicked, polluted city. All that Lot
and his family did in Sodom could have been done by them, even if they had
lived in a place some distance away from the city. Enoch walked with God, and
yet he did not live in the midst of any city polluted with every kind of
violence and wickedness, as did Lot in Sodom. {Mar 184.5} He [Enoch] did not make his abode with
the wicked. . . . He placed himself and his family where the atmosphere would
be as pure as possible. Then at times he went forth to the inhabitants of the
world with his God-given message. . . . After proclaiming his message, he
always took back with him to his place of retirement some who had received
the warning. {Mar 184.6} "He [Enoch] did not make his abode with the wicked He did not locate in Sodom, thinking to save Sodom. He placed himself and his family where the atmosphere would be as pure as possible. Then at times he went forth to the inhabitants of the world with his God given message. Every visit he made to the world was painful to him. He saw and understood something of the leprosy of sin. After proclaiming the message, he always took buck with him to his place of retirement some who had received the warning. Some of these became overcomers, and died before the flood came. But some had lived so long in the corrupting influence of sin that they could not endure righteousness. During this time, while the
ark was building, the voices of Noah, Methuselah, and many others were heard
in warning and entreaty, and every blow struck on the ark was a warning
message. . . For one hundred and twenty years Noah proclaimed the message of
warning to the antediluvian world; but only a few repented Some of the
carpenters he employed in building the ark believed the message, but died
before the Flood; others of Noah's converts backslid. Many of the believing
ones kept the faith and died triumphantly. The sermon preached by
Enoch, and his translation to heaven was a convincing argument to all living
in Enoch's time. It was an argument the Methuselah and Noah could use with
power to show that the righteous could be translated.. Those who believed
when Noah began to build the ark, lost their faith through association with
unbelievers who aroused all the old passion for amusement and display." SDA Bible Commentary Vol. 7-A (7A),
pg. 20. Note: Likewise SDA association with unbelievers
aroused the passion for Celebration churches, where the youth are entertained
rather than prepared for the greatest time of trouble encountered by planet
earth, Matthew 24:21 and Ezekiel 5:9. The following is taken from
a publication by the World Council of Churches entitled Directory World Councils: This book also lists Seventh-day
Adventists as FULL MEMBERS of the World Council of Churches, in the following
countries: Belize, p. 100. Hong Kong, p. 63. Cook Islands, p. 189. Sweden, p. 158. Bahamas, p. 99. Hungary, p. 142 (SDA’s are
a FULL MEMBER of this National Council of Free Churches in Hungary which ties
them in with the WCC. I sent for a number of
copies of Directory World Councils,
in the 1980’s for my church group members. “Functions and
Purposes—The
WCC is constituted for the following functions and purposes: 1)
to call the churches to the goal of visible unity in one
faith and in one Eucharistic fellowship expressed in worship and in common
life in Christ, and to advance towards that unity in order that the world may
believe. 2)
to facilitate the common witness of the churches in each
place and in all places; 3)
to support the churches in their worldwide missionary and
evangelistic task; 4)
to express the common concern of the churches in the
service of human need; 5)
to foster the renewal of the churches in unity, worship,
mission and service; 6)
to establish and
maintain relations with national councils and regional conferences of
churches, world confessional bodies and other ecumenical organizations. 7)
To carry on the work of the world movements for Faith and
Order and Life and Work and of the International Missionary Council and the
World Council on Christian Education. Organization
of the Council The WCC carries out its functions through an
Assembly, A Central Committee, an Executive Committee and the staff. The Assembly is the supreme legislative body
and ordinarily meets once every seven years. The Central Committee is responsible for
implementing the policies adopted by the Assembly. It elects the Executive Committee which
carries out decisions of the Central Committee and implements policies
adopted by it. The General Secretary, elected by the Central
Committee, is the chief executive officer of the WCC. There are three Program Units: Faith and
Witness, Justice and Service, Education and Renewal. In addition, there are two specialized
units, the Library and the Ecumenical Institute, and the Departments of
Communication and of Finance and Central Services. An office in New York maintains relations
with US Member churches[RB1] . Regional
and National Councils Related to the WCC The WCC recognizes the seven regional
conferences of churches as essential partners in the ecumenical enterprise. Thirty-eight national councils of churches
are recognized as associate councils of the WCC, and an additional 34
national councils and missionary bodies are affiliated to CWME. The WCC is in working relationship with
another 32 National councils of churches. Total
Budget and Sources In 1985, Sfr.36.8 million. The main contributors are the member
churches and their mission and aid agencies. Note by Ron:
In 1988, I called the SDA General Conference Treasurer, Butler, and
asked him how much the church gave to the National Council of Churches of
Christ in the U.S.A. for that year. He
looked it up on his ledger and gave me a figure in excess of $8,000. So SDA
tithe money is being used to sponsor Babylon’s agenda and her errors. In addition, SDA pastors join a more local arm
of the World Council of Churches called Ministerial Associations. I called an Official at the Canadian Council
of Churches and asked about the chain of command. I asked if Ministerial Associations are a
more local arm of the WCC. The lady
replied “Yes, yes,” twice. SDA
ministers also pay annual dues to these local arms of the WCC, thus, once
again supporting Babylon’s agenda. Ecumenical
Relationships “Ecumenical Relationships—In addition to the
relationships with regional and national councils of churches mentioned
above, the WCC is in working relationship with many
Christian World Communions, including the Anglican Consultative Council,
Baptist World Alliance, Disciples Ecumenical Consultative Council, Friends
World Committee for Consultation, General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists, Lutheran
world Federation, Mennonite World Conference, Old Catholic International
Organization, Reformed Ecumenical Synod, Salvation Army, World Alliance of
Reformed Churches, World Convention of Churches of Christ, World Evangelical
Fellowship, and World Methodist Council. Since 1967 there has bee a Joint Working Group
between the WCC and the Roman Catholic Church.” Directory Christian Councils, published by
the World Council of Churches, 1985, pp. 243, 244. Friends,
a “working relationship,” is not observer status, which is all SDA church
leaders usually admit to. A rule of
the WCC is that member churches will not “steal sheep,” by seeking converts
from the already churched. This is in
direct contravention to the church mission and commission, the Three Angel’s
Messages. Over and over again on the
Celebration video I have by Kirk Weedman, he quotes SDA leadership sources as
forming Celebration churches to reach the unchurched. So the SDA church is conforming to the
rules of the WCC in a clandestine way. However,
the SDA church also “cheats” on its pledge to the WCC, and goes after the
members of other churches in its evangelistic campaigns. It is this “cheating” of the SDA’s that
will finally enrage Babylon, and she will come against professing Seventh-day
Adventists in an Ezekiel 9 slaughter. This is not my personal private
interpretation. The SDA Bible Commentary says that the six men with the
slaughter weapons (Ezekiel 9:2) will be Babylonians. Notice: “2.
Six men. These executioners of vengeance are pictured as human in form. In primary application they represent the
Babylonians, who were to execute the divine sentence upon the city. In secondary
application they portend the agencies of judgments which, at the close of
time, will execute sentence, first upon those who have professed to be the
spiritual guardians of the people, and later upon the wicked in general.” SDA
Bible Commentary, Vol. 4, p. 605. “So
apostasy in the church will prepare the way for the image to the beast.” E.G. White, The Great Controversy, p. 444. “And
the remnant took his servants, and entreated them spitefully, and slew them. But when the king heard thereof, he was
wroth: and he sent forth his armies, and destroyed those murderers, and
burned up their city.” Matthew 22:6,
7. Ellen
White reapplies Matthew 22:6 to the end-time. We will explore this further in a later
document. The
SDA Encyclopedia has the following to say about the ecumenical movement they
now support with their finances, thus paving the way for the image to the
beast: —“On
the basis of Bible prophecy and the writings of Ellen G. White, SDA’s
anticipate the eventual success of the ecumenical movement, both in
eliminating the divisions of Protestantism and in reuniting Christendom by
bridging the gulf that separates non-Catholic communions from Rome. The ecumenical movement will then become a
concerted effort to unite the world and to secure universal peace and
security by enlisting the power of civil government in a universal religio-political
crusade to eliminate all dissent.
SDA’s envision this crusade as the great apostasy to which John the
revelator refers as “ "By
parleying with the enemy we give him an advantage." E.G. White, Review and Herald, vol. 5, May 14,
1908, p. 412, col. 2. "We
should never give sanction to sin by our words, our deeds, our silence or our
presence." Desire of Ages, 152. And
we could safely add: by our finances. Presence principle-- "While
manifesting perfect trust in his Father, he [Christ] would not place himself,
unbidden, in a position that would necessitate the interposition of his
Father to save him from death.. He would not force Has
the professing New Movement SDA Church linked itself to Babylon’s Associations,
Councils, Girdings and Confederacies? Oh
yes friend, it certainly has, and it fiancés them with annual dues which run
up into large sums of money considering all the councils and associations of
Babylon that it patronizes around the world.
In
Jeremiah 11:9-15, the Jews violated Isaiah 8:9-13. These verses are the Old Testament
counterpart to the second angel’s message.
For so doing, they committed unpardonable sin for that generation
because God, the Holy Flesh departed and He said not to pray for them. Where was His beloved remnant at that time
in the days of Shinar? "The
recreant priests added licentiousness to the dark catalogue of their crimes
yet they still polluted by their presence the tabernacle of the Lord, and,
laden with sin, dared to come into the presence of a holy God. As the men of Read
the following document and you will see further evidence if you are in any
doubt presently. https://omega77.tripod.com/isaiahchap8.htm God bless your search for hidden
treasure in His Word, Ron Beaulieu P.S. I add the following as Elijah was a
type of the 144,000 SDA church triumphant that will operate from the
wilderness during the time of trouble: Chap. 17 - The Call of Elisha
God
had bidden Elijah anoint another to be prophet in his stead. "Elisha the
son of Shaphat . . . shalt thou anoint to be prophet in thy room" (1
Kings 19:16), He had said; and in obedience to the command, Elijah went to
find Elisha. As he journeyed northward, how changed was the scene from what
it had been only a short while before! Then the ground was parched, the
farming districts unworked, for neither dew nor rain had fallen for three and
a half years. Now on every hand vegetation was springing up as if to redeem
the time of drought and famine. {PK 217.1} Elisha's father was a wealthy farmer, a
man whose household were among the number that in a time of almost universal
apostasy had not bowed the knee to Baal. Theirs was a home where God was
honored and where allegiance to the faith of ancient Israel was the rule of
daily life. In such surroundings the early years of Elisha were passed. In
the quietude of country life, under the teaching of God and
The prophetic call came to Elisha while, with his father's servants, he was
plowing in the field. He had taken up the work that lay nearest. He possessed
both the capabilities of a leader among men and the meekness of one who is
ready to serve. Of a quiet and gentle spirit, he was nevertheless energetic
and steadfast. Integrity, fidelity, and the love and fear of God were his,
and in the humble round of daily toil he gained strength of purpose and
nobleness of character, constantly increasing in grace and knowledge. While
co-operating with his father in the home-life duties, he was learning to
co-operate with God. {PK 218.1} By faithfulness in little things, Elisha
was preparing for weightier trusts. Day by day, through practical experience,
he gained a fitness for a broader, higher work. He learned to serve; and in
learning this, he learned also how to instruct and lead. The lesson is for
all. None can know what may be God's purpose in His discipline; but all may
be certain that faithfulness in little things is the evidence of fitness for
greater responsibilities. Every act of life is a revelation of character, and
he only who in small duties proves himself "a workman that needeth not
to be ashamed" can be honored by God with higher service. 2 Timothy
2:15. {PK 218.2} He who feels that it is of no
consequence how he performs the smaller tasks proves himself unfit for a more
honored position. He may think himself fully competent to take up the larger
duties; but God looks deeper than the surface.
Because they are not connected with some directly religious work, many feel
that their lives are useless, that they are doing nothing for the advancement
of God's kingdom. If they could do some great thing how gladly they would
undertake it! But because they can serve only in little things, they think
themselves justified in doing nothing. In this they err. A man may be in the
active service of God while engaged in the ordinary, everyday duties--while
felling trees, clearing the ground, or following the plow. The mother who
trains her children for Christ is as truly working for God as is the minister
in the pulpit. {PK 219.1} Many long for special talent with which
to do a wonderful work, while the duties lying close at hand, the performance
of which would make the life fragrant, are lost sight of. Let such ones take
up the duties lying directly in their pathway. Success depends not so much on
talent as on energy and willingness. It is not the possession of splendid
talents that enables us to render acceptable service, but the conscientious
performance of daily duties, the contented spirit, the unaffected, sincere
interest in the welfare of others. In the humblest lot true excellence may be
found. The commonest tasks, wrought with loving faithfulness, are beautiful
in God's sight. {PK 219.2} As Elijah, divinely directed in seeking
a successor, passed the field in which Elisha was plowing, he cast upon the
"And he left the oxen, and ran after Elijah, and said, Let me, I pray
thee, kiss my father and my mother, and then I will follow thee."
"Go back again," was Elijah's answer, "for what have I done to
thee?" This was not a repulse, but a test of faith. Elisha must count
the cost--decide for himself to accept or reject the call. If his desires clung
to his home and its advantages, he was at liberty to remain there. But Elisha
understood the meaning of the call. He knew it was from God, and he did not
hesitate to obey. Not for any worldly advantage would he forgo the
opportunity of becoming God's messenger or sacrifice the privilege of
association with His servant. He "took a yoke of oxen, and slew them,
and boiled their flesh with the instruments of the oxen, and gave unto the
people, and they did eat. Then he arose, and went after Elijah, and
ministered unto him." 1 Kings 19:20, 21. Without hesitation he left a
home where he was beloved, to attend the prophet in his uncertain life. {PK 220.1} Had Elisha asked Elijah what was
expected of him,--what would be his work,--he would have been answered: God
knows; He will make it known to you. If you wait upon the Lord, He will
answer your every question. You may come with me if you have evidence that
God has called you. Know for yourself that God stands back of me, and
Similar to the call that came to Elisha was the answer given by Christ to the
young ruler who asked Him the question, "What good thing shall I do,
that I may have eternal life?" "If thou wilt be perfect,"
Christ replied, "go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and
thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come and follow Me." Matthew
19:16, 21. {PK 221.1} Elisha accepted the call to service,
casting no backward glance at the pleasures and comforts he was leaving. The
young ruler, when he heard the Saviour's words, "went away sorrowful:
for he had great possessions." Verse 22. He was not willing to make the
sacrifice. His love for his possessions was greater than his love for God. By
his refusal to renounce all for Christ, he proved himself unworthy of a place
in the Master's service. {PK 221.2} The call to place all on the altar of
service comes to each one. We are not all asked to serve as Elisha served,
nor are we all bidden to sell everything we have; but God asks us to give His
service the first place in our lives, to allow no day to pass without doing
something to advance His work in the earth. He does not expect from all the
same kind of service. One may be called to ministry in a foreign land;
another may be asked to give of his means for the support of gospel work. God
accepts the offering of each. It is the consecration of the life and all its
interests, that is necessary. Those who make this consecration will hear and
obey the call of Heaven.
To everyone who becomes a partaker of His grace, the Lord appoints a work for
others. Individually we are to stand in our lot, saying, "Here am I;
send me." Whether a man be a minister of the Word or a physician, whether
he be merchant or farmer, professional man or mechanic, the responsibility
rests upon him. It is his work to reveal to others the gospel of their
salvation. Every enterprise in which he engages should be a means to this
end. {PK 222.1} It was no great work that was at first
required of Elisha; commonplace duties still constituted his discipline. He
is spoken of as pouring water on the hands of Elijah, his master. He was
willing to do anything that the Lord directed, and at every step he learned
lessons of humility and service. As the prophet's personal attendant, he
continued to prove faithful in little things, while with daily strengthening
purpose he devoted himself to the mission appointed him by God. {PK 222.2} Elisha's life after uniting with Elijah
was not without temptations. Trials he had in abundance; but in every
emergency he relied on God. He was tempted to think of the home that he had
left, but to this temptation he gave no heed. Having put his hand to the
plow, he was resolved not to turn back, and through test and trial he proved
true to his trust. {PK 222.3} Ministry comprehends far more than
preaching the word. It means training young men as Elijah trained Elisha,
taking them from their ordinary duties, and giving them responsibilities to
bear in God's work--small responsibilities at first, and larger ones as they
gain strength and experience. There are in the ministry men of faith and
prayer, men who can
Those who undertake this training of young workers are doing noble service.
The Lord Himself co-operates with their efforts. And the young men to whom
the word of consecration has been spoken, whose privilege it is to be brought
into close association with earnest, godly workers, should make the most of
their opportunity. God has honored them by choosing them for His service and
by placing them where they can gain greater fitness for it, and they should
be humble, faithful, obedient, and willing to sacrifice. If they submit to
God's discipline, carrying out His directions and choosing His servants as
their counselors, they will develop into righteous, high-principled,
steadfast men, whom God can entrust with responsibilities. {PK 223.1} As the gospel is proclaimed in its
purity, men will be called from the plow and from the common commercial
business vocations that largely occupy the mind and will be educated in
connection with men of experience. As they learn to labor effectively, they
will proclaim the truth with power. Through most wonderful workings of divine
providence, mountains of difficulty will be removed and cast into the sea.
The message that means so much to the dwellers upon the earth will be heard
and understood. Men will
For several years after the call of Elisha, Elijah and Elisha labored
together, the younger man daily gaining greater preparedness for his work.
Elijah had been God's instrument for the overthrow of gigantic evils. The
idolatry which, supported by Ahab and the heathen Jezebel, had seduced the
nation, had been given a decided check. Baal's prophets had been slain. The
whole people of Israel had been deeply stirred, and many were returning to
the worship of God. As Elijah's successor, Elisha, by careful, patient
instruction, must endeavor to guide Israel in safe paths. His association
with Elijah, the greatest prophet since the days of Moses, prepared him for
the work that he was soon to take up alone. {PK 224.1} During these years of united ministry,
Elijah from time to time was called upon to meet flagrant evils with stern
rebuke. When wicked Ahab seized Naboth's vineyard, it was the voice of Elijah
that prophesied his doom and the doom of all his house. And when Ahaziah,
after the death of his father Ahab, turned from the living God to Baal-zebub,
the god of Ekron, it was Elijah's voice that was heard once more in earnest
protest. {PK 224.2} The schools of the prophets, established
by Samuel, had fallen into decay during the years of Israel's apostasy.
Elijah re-established these schools, making provision for young men to gain
an education that would lead them to magnify the law and make it honorable.
Three of these schools, one at Gilgal, one at Bethel, and one at Jericho, are
mentioned
The heart of Elijah was cheered as he saw what was being accomplished by
means of these schools. The work of reformation was not complete, but he
could see throughout the kingdom a verification of the word of the Lord,
"Yet I have left Me seven thousand in Israel, all the knees which have
not bowed unto Baal." 1 Kings 19:18. {PK 225.1} As Elisha accompanied the prophet on his
round of service from school to school, his faith and resolution were once
more tested. At Gilgal, and again at Bethel and Jericho, he was invited by
the prophet to turn back. "Tarry here, I pray thee," Elijah said;
"for the Lord hath sent me to Bethel." But in his early labor of
guiding the plow, Elisha had learned not to fail or to become discouraged,
and now that he had set his hand to the plow in another line of duty he would
not be diverted from his purpose. He would not be parted from his master, so
long as opportunity remained for gaining a further fitting up for service.
Unknown to Elijah, the revelation that he was to be translated had been made
known to his disciples in the schools of the prophets, and in particular to
Elisha. And now the tried servant of the man of God kept close beside him. As
"And they two went on. . . . And they two stood by Jordan. And Elijah
took his mantle, and wrapped it together, and smote the waters, and they were
divided hither and thither, so that they two went over on dry ground. And it
came to pass, when they were gone over, that Elijah said unto Elisha, Ask
what I shall do for thee, before I be taken away from thee." {PK 226.1} Elisha asked not for worldly honor, or
for a high place among the great men of earth. That which he craved was a
large measure of the Spirit that God had bestowed so freely upon the one
about to be honored with translation.
In response to this request, Elijah said, "Thou hast asked a hard thing:
nevertheless, if thou see me when I am taken from thee, it shall be so unto
thee; but if not, it shall not be so. And it came to pass, as they still went
on, and talked, that, behold, there appeared a chariot of fire, and horses of
fire, and parted them both asunder; and Elijah went up by a whirlwind into
heaven." See 2 Kings 2:1-11. {PK 227.1} Elijah was a type of the saints who will be living
on the earth at the time of the second advent of Christ and who will be
"changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last
trump," without tasting of death. 1 Corinthians 15:51, 52. It was as a
representative of those who shall be thus translated that Elijah, near the
close of Christ's earthly ministry, was permitted to stand with Moses by the
side of the Saviour on the mount of transfiguration. In these glorified ones,
the disciples saw in miniature a representation of the kingdom of the
redeemed. They beheld Jesus clothed with the light of heaven; they heard the
"voice out of the cloud" (Luke 9:35), acknowledging Him as the Son
of God; they saw Moses, representing those who will be raised from the dead
at the time of the second advent; and there also stood Elijah, representing those
who at the close of earth's history will be changed from mortal to immortal
and be translated to heaven without seeing death. In the desert, in loneliness and
discouragement, Elijah had said that he had had enough of life and had prayed
that he might die. But the Lord in His mercy had not taken him at his word.
There was yet a great work for Elijah to do; and when his work was done, he
was not to perish in discouragement and solitude. Not for him the descent
into the tomb, but the ascent with God's angels to the presence of His glory.
{PK 228.1} "And Elisha saw it, and he cried,
My father, my father, the chariot of Israel, and the horsemen thereof. And he
saw him no more: and he took hold of his own clothes, and rent them in two
pieces. He took up also the mantle of Elijah that fell from him, and went
back, and stood by the bank of Jordan; and he took the mantle of Elijah that
fell from him, and smote the waters, and said, Where is the Lord God of
Elijah? and when he also had smitten the waters, they parted hither and
thither: and Elisha went over. And when the sons of the prophets which were
to view at Jericho saw him, they said, The Spirit of Elijah doth rest on
Elisha. And they came to meet him, and bowed themselves to the ground before
him." 2 Kings 2:12-15. {PK 228.2} When the Lord in His providence sees fit
to remove from His work those to whom He has given wisdom, He helps and
strengthens their successors, if they will look to Him for aid and will walk
in His ways. They may be even wiser than their predecessors; for they may
profit by their experience and learn wisdom from their mistakes. {PK 228.3} Henceforth Elisha stood in Elijah's place.
He who had been faithful in that which was least was to prove himself
faithful also in much. {PK 228.4} |
[RB1]The office of the World Council of Churches in New York, has the same address as the National Council of Churches of Christ in the U.S.A., 75 Riverside Drive.