A Review of Ulicia Ulrike Unruh’s
Interpretation of Ezekiel Chapters 1-9
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Dear Reader, In
this document, I will present the treatise of Ulicia Unruh, who is the wife
of an SDA minister. Her husband is the
minister of an SDA church in Alberta, Canada (as of March 2008). I also prepared this document for Bill Munsell. His
questions are addressed within this study. Here is Ulicia’s
treatise and then my response. https://omega77.tripod.com/ezekiel9one.htm Ezekiel a Mirror By Ulicia Unruh NOW consider this— Much in the prophecies to
ancient Israel is actually "mirrored" in end time prophecies. Take for example – Elijah prays for
fire to come down from heaven to prove God is God. In the end, the two beasts
of Rev. 13 have fire come down from heaven to prove their false worship. In
the days of Jeremiah and Ezekiel THE CALL WAS TO SUBMIT TO BABYLON! ***BIBLE QUOTE*** Jer. 7:12 I spake also to
Zedekiah king of Judah according to all these words, saying, Bring your necks
under the yoke of the king of Babylon, and serve him and his people, and
live. 27:13 Why will ye die, thou and thy people, by the sword, by the
famine, and by the pestilence, as the LORD hath spoken against the nation
that will not serve the king of Babylon? 27:14 Therefore hearken not unto the
words of the prophets that speak unto you, saying, Ye shall not serve the
king of Babylon: for they prophesy a lie unto you. ***END BIBLE QUOTE*** In the end time the call is to
COME OUT of Babylon. In the type, Jerusalem is
destroyed and Babylon is the conqueror. In end, Babylon is destroyed and
God's people are delivered. Ron responds: God says that judgment begins at Jerusalem. Ezekiel 9.
Ellen White says that Ezekiel 9 will be literally fulfilled
again. End Ron’s comment. In the type Jerusalem and all
the nations resisted Babylon the ruthless conqueror who subjected them
against their will. In the end everyone will be
flocking to Babylon, seeing in her the answer to all the secularism, trouble
and fear in the world. In the type Babylon was
considered the "heathen conqueror" ruthlessly subjecting others to herself. In the end Babylon will be
considered as the liberator and restorer in a world of secular, atheistic,
terror stricken, God denying mentality, they will see Babylon as bringing the
world BACK TO GOD AND HIS WORSHIP -- to peace! In the type Babylon was a
heathen nation. In the end Babylon is apostate
Christianity. Ron responds: True, in the end Babylon is apostate
Christianity, including the apostate SDA church militant as a sister to
fallen Babylon. End Ron’s comment. When the shaking comes and the
world is "in fear of things coming upon the earth" and Babylon
calls (with civic penalties) for all to return to "worship" and
"save the nation", unconsecrated SDA members will leave the
Seventh-day Church and set up their altars and sanctuaries under the umbrella
of THE RELIGIOUS BABYLON. They will not then be Seventh-day Adventists, but
will erase SEVENTH-DAY from their banner. Ron’s Comments: The bad do not leave the SDA church
militant. The church will keep going
after the Sunday Law. Proof of this will be given in the main body of my
responses to Ulicia Unruh. End Ron’s
comment. All who go to Babylon will die
with Babylon. The final war is not against the
apostate church, it is against the true church -- Seventh-day Adventists --
it is against SEVENTH DAY -- the SEVENTH-DAY Sabbath. Ron’s Comment: God’s final judgments begin at His house,
His sanctuary, Ezekiel 9. The bad are
gathered into the midsts of Jerusalem, the apostate
church, Ezekiel 22:17-31. The same
author of Ezekiel 9, authored Ezekiel 22. It is one of the cherished errors of
professing Seventh-day Adventism that the bad will be shaken out of the SDA
church militant. The bad are shaken
out of the SDA church triumphant when it is taken to the wilderness and gives
the Loud Cry from wilderness outposts, Ezekiel 20:34-38. End Ron’s Comments. Those who fall in the terrible
slaughter of Ezek. 9 are those who left the Seventh-day Adventist Church,
those whose lives were never really committed to truth and sanctification in
Christ, -- they will end up renouncing "Seventh-day" as part of
their beliefs, they move out of the SDA church, and pitched their
"sanctuaries" under the canopy of Babylon— they, ESPECIALLY THEY
who once KNEW the truth will fall when the world turns against the spiritual
leaders who did not tell them the truth and led them into Babylon. Ron’s Comments: In what Ellen White terms the prefigure, the last fulfillment of Ezekiel 9,
A.D. 70 (p. 25, The Great Controversy),
the good left the bad. So it will be
in the antitypical fulfillment of that type (prefigure). End Ron’s Comments. Ezekiel 38 sees the great battle
and the church is NOT destroyed – Ron’s Comment: Ezekiel 38 and 39 are both conditional upon
obedience prophesies. They are
prophesies respecting a future glory of Israel and Jerusalem conditional to
obedience. These
prophesies have a future application in respect to the SDA church
triumphant. The SDA church militant
has, since Ellen White’s demise, misapplied favorable promises made to the
SDA church triumphant, to the SDA church militant—the co-ed wheat and tare
church. End Ron’s Comment. God deliverers them. The battle
continues after the 1000 years, Jerusalem stands in her eternal glory, with
all the saints of all ages, and Babylon of all ages, is destroyed, root and
branch. Ron’s Comment: God delivers the SDA church triumphant remnant who
appears as about to fall when they are surrounded out in the wilderness. It is During the Time of Jacob's Trouble That the Church Triumphant
Appears as About to Fall but Does not Fall
"The people of God will
then be plunged into those scenes of affliction and distress described by the
prophet as the time of Jacob's trouble.... Jacob's night of anguish, when he
wrestled in prayer for deliverance from the hand of Esau (Genesis 32:24-30),
represents the experience of God's people in the time of trouble....Jacob's
company, unarmed and defenseless, The above statement is the true
context of the following statement that has long been misinterpreted and
misapplied by SDA leaders: "The church may appear as
about to fall, but it does not fall. It remains, while the sinners in Zion
will be sifted out--the chaff separated from the precious wheat....The
REMNANT that purify their souls by obeying the truth
gather strength from the trying process, exhibiting the beauty of holiness
amid the surrounding apostasy." E.G. White, Selected Messages, Bk. 2, 380. It is obvious from the above
statement and from common sense that any church that does not fall is the
church triumphant. A few other items are obvious from the above statement: Zion is the REMNANT. Zion is the
church triumphant, not the church militant. This is also borne out by the
following Scripture: "But ye are come unto mount Sion (A version of
Zion), and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an
innumerable company of angels, To the general assembly and church of the
firstborn, which are written in heaven, and to God the Judge of all, and to
the spirits of just men made perfect." Hebrews, 12:22, 23. It is Zion, the church
triumphant and not the church militant that appears as about to fall, but
does not. Zion is the remnant that purifies their souls by obeying the truth
amid surrounding apostasy. Zion is a heavenly church Kingdom. The sinners are
shaken out of the heavenly church Kingdom, not an earthly church
organization. Just men made perfect must refer to the church triumphant. Zion
is the firstborn or the firstfruits. Revelation 14:1-4, identifies the
FIRSTFRUITS AS THE 144,000. Mount Zion in the heavenly Jerusalem city, is the general assembly and church of the FIRSTBORN,
[FIRSTFRUITS] that are written in heaven, and it consists of the spirits of
just men made perfect. This is the church triumphant. This is the heavenly
kingdom church from which and by which sinners are shaken, (Matthew
13:41-49). This heavenly kingdom church has earthly representatives in the
form of the bride of Jesus Christ, or the 144,000, which are the bride and not
the guests of the heavenly kingdom. Notice: "The Holy City, the New
Jerusalem, which is the capital and REPRESENTATIVE of the kingdom, is called
'the bride, the Lambs wife.'....Clearly, then, the bride represents the Holy
City, and the virgins that go out to meet the bridegroom are a symbol of the
church. In the Revelation the people of God are said to be the guests at the
marriage supper. Revelation 19:9. If guests, they cannot be represented also
as the bride." E.G. White, The Great Controversy, (1911 edition, p.
426-427. The people of God are symbolized by the ten virgins, the church
militant, while the representatives of the Kingdom are the bride. The bride, the 144,000, are not the guests, and the guests are
not the bride at a wedding. How do we Know That the 144,000
are the Bride of Christ? We know that the 144,000 are the Bride and not the
guests, from the following statement which defines the REMNANT: "The woman is a symbol of the
church, and the REMNANT of the church represents the Christians of THE LAST
GENERATION OF MEN, living just prior to the second advent...Here, then, are
the causes of the dragon's warfare upon the remnant. They teach the
observance of the ten commandments, and the revival of the gifts, and
acknowledge the gift of prophecy among them. When the Devil got one foot upon
the fourth commandment, and the other upon the gifts planted in the Christian
church by Jesus Christ, then his satanic majesty was filled with revengeful
delight. But when THE REMNANT, WHOM GOD DESIGNS TO FIT FOR TRANSLATION TO
HEAVEN WITHOUT SEEING DEATH, 'ask for the old paths, [historic Adventism]
where is the good way, and walk therein,' then the dragon is wroth, and makes
war on them'" E.G. White, Spiritual
Gifts, Vol. III, p. 26. Ellen White Further Distinguishes The Bride From the Guests by
Saying That the Bride Awakens the Guests, the Ten Virgins "Lingering near the bride's
house are ten young women robed in white. Each carries a lighted lamp and a
small flagon for oil. All are anxiously watching for the appearance of the
bridegroom. But there is a delay [Since 1844]. Hour after hour passes; the
watchers become weary and fall asleep. At midnight the cry is heard,
'Behold, the bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him.' The sleepers, [all
those ten virgins slept--Matt. 25:5] suddenly awaking, spring to their feet.
They see the procession [of the bride--in context] moving on, bright with
torches and glad with music [the torch of truth and the Song of Moses and the
Lamb, that overcoming is possible]. They hear the voice of the bridegroom AND
THE VOICE OF THE BRIDE. The ten maidens seize their lamps and begin to trim
them, in haste to go forth. But five have neglected to fill their flasks with
oil [character--overcoming]. They did not anticipate so long a delay, and
they have not prepared for the emergency..... The five with lighted lamps
joined the throng and entered the house with the bridal train, and the door
was shut." E.G. White, Christ's
Object Lessons, pp. 405, 406. If the ten virgins are awakened
by the VOICE OF THE BRIDE, then the bride is a different entity. She is Zion,
the earthly representative of the heavenly Jerusalem. She is the church
triumphant. She is the church from which and by which the unrepentant sinners
are shaken. Ellen White Says That the Church Triumphant Co-Exists With the
Church Militant in Order to Come to the Aid of the Church Militant
"The members of the church
triumphant--the church in heaven--will be permitted to draw near to the
members of the church militant, to aid them in their necessity." E.G.
White, The Southern Watchman, Sep. 8, 1903. "Those who think that the
church militant is the church triumphant make a great mistake." E.G.
White, The Upward Look, 152. The professing SDA church once
church militant has made that great mistake; that greatly cherished error.
For
more of the same evidences see: https://omega77.tripod.com/churAATFall.htm End of Ron’s comments. End of Ulicia Unruh’s Treatise. Ron Beaulieu’s Main Response to Ulicia Ulrike Unruh In the end, Babylon is apostate
Christianity as Ulicia Unruh says. That is about as far as she
understands it. Ulicia seems totally uninformed that her own SDA
leading Bible scholars and Ellen White as well, said that Ezekiel 9 has
another literal fulfillment. It must be remembered as a historic fact
that none of the original Bible manuscripts had chapter headings. Those were
supplied. What does that mean in our
study of Ezekiel, chapters 1-22? It
means that all pertinent data will have another fulfillment. Ezekiel, chapters 1-9, for example, are the
reasons for all the destructions of Jerusalem, including the last one by Rome
in A.D. 70, recorded in the first chapter of The Great Controversy by Ellen White. Ulicia Unruh interprets Ezekiel chapters
1-9, as though they applied only historically. That is a major error of hers that
contradicts Scripture, SDA Bible scholars, and Ellen White. Notice
Ulicia’s words to me: "You speak of Ezekiel 5:9 -- The
terrible thing God will do -- However, read it carefully -- This prophecy is
concerning the fall of Jerusalem to Nebuchadnezzar's armies. Verse 9 says
"I will do among you what I have never done, and the like of which I
will never do again." Again it
reiterates the THREE FATES of the people during the siege and fall of the
city to Neb's armies in Verse 13: 1. One third shall die of the pestilence
and be consumed in your midst 2. One third shall fall by the sword 3. One
third will scatter to all the winds and I will draw out a sword after them. The
time of trouble such as never was, is not the same.
Ezekiel 5:9 itself says it cannot be the same." Clearly, Ulicia is saying that Ezekiel’s
prophesies concerning the destruction of Jerusalem, applied only anciently to
Nebuchadnezzar’s exploits, and have nothing to do with Rome’s destruction of
Jerusalem in A.D. 70, and/or the time of trouble such as never was (Matthew
24:21) at the end of time. In fact,
she specifically says that Ezekiel 5:9 cannot refer to the end-time. Let’s analyze this a bit further.
15 When ye therefore shall see the abomination of
desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso
readeth, let him understand:) 16 Then let them which be in Judaea
flee into the mountains: 17 Let him which is on the housetop not
come down to take any thing out of his house: 18 Neither let him
which is in the field return back to take his clothes. 19 And woe
unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck in those days! 20
But pray ye that your flight be not in the winter, neither on the sabbath
day: 21 For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since
the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be. 22
And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved:
but for the elect's sake those days shall be shortened. Matthew 24:15-22. Obviously, the prophesy was twofold, just
like Ezekiel’s prophesy of chapter 5:9 was twofold, because God did not do
the worst thing He would ever do to Jerusalem at Nebuchadnezzar’s
destructions of Jerusalem, and neither did God do the worst thing He would
ever do to Jerusalem at the Roman destruction in A.D. 70! The worst destruction of apostate spiritual
Jerusalem, His Church, His Sanctuary, the House of Jacob, was to begin at His
church, His sanctuary at His destruction of the world at the end-time. “Jesus, looking down to the last generation,
saw
the world involved in a deception similar to that which caused the
destruction of Jerusalem. The great sin of the Jews was their
rejection of Christ; the great sin of the Christian world would be their
rejection of the law of God, the foundation of His government in heaven and
earth. The precepts of Jehovah would be despised and set at nought. Millions
in bondage to sin, slaves of Satan, doomed to suffer the second death, would
refuse to listen to the words of truth in their day of visitation. Terrible blindness! strange
infatuation! The Great Controversy,
p. 22, 23, 1911 edition.
“The future was mercifully
veiled from the disciples. Had they at that time fully comprehend the two
awful facts--the Redeemer's sufferings and death, and the destruction of
their city and temple--they would have been overwhelmed with horror. Christ
presented before them an outline of the prominent events to take place before
the close of time. His words were not then fully understood; but their
meaning was to be unfolded as His people should need the instruction therein
given. The prophecy which He uttered was twofold in its meaning; while
foreshadowing the destruction of Jerusalem, it prefigured also the
terrors of the last great day. Unmistakable signs would
precede the awful climax. The dreaded hour would come suddenly and swiftly.
And the Saviour warned His followers: "When ye therefore shall see the
abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy
place, (whoso readeth, let him understand:) then let
them which be in Judea flee into the mountains." Matthew 24:15, 16; Luke
21:20, 21. When the idolatrous
standards of the Romans should be set up in the holy ground, which extended
some furlongs outside the city walls, then the followers of Christ were to
find safety in flight. When the warning sign should be seen, those who would
escape must make no delay. Throughout the land of
Judea, as well as in Jerusalem itself, the signal for flight must be
immediately obeyed. He who chanced to be upon the housetop must not go down
into his house, even to save his most valued treasures. Those who were
working in the fields or vineyards must not take time to return for the outer
garment laid aside while they should be toiling in the heat of the day. They
must not hesitate a moment, lest they be involved in the general
destruction.” E.G. White, The Great
Controversy, pp. 25, 26. 8. So the prophesy concerning the Ezekiel,
chapters 1-9 destruction of Jerusalem, including the one in A.D. 70, by Rome,
the greatest destruction of all; the most complete destruction, was a
symbolic prefigure of the destruction of the world at the end-time but
beginning at His (God’s) Church, His Sanctuary. Begin
at My Sanctuary --
"Here we see that the church--the
Lord's sanctuary--was the first to feel the stroke of the wrath of God.
The ancient men, those to whom God had given great light and who had
stood as guardians of the spiritual interests of the people, had betrayed
their trust. They had taken the position that we need not look for miracles
and the marked manifestation of God's power as in former days. Times have
changed. These words strengthen their unbelief, and they
say: The Lord will not do good, neither will He do evil. He is too merciful
to visit His people in judgment. Thus '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." E. G.
White, Testimonies, Vol. 5, 211. 9.
The
beginning of the chapter, p. 207, from which the above statement is taken,
begins by quoting Ezekiel 9, and Ezekiel 9 is addressed solely to Jerusalem,
not the fallen churches of Babylon. 10. The church—the Lord’s sanctuary, does not
mean Babylon! SDA’s are those to whom
God had given great light. The House of Jacob does not designate Babylon. 11. This is the tie-in with the church and
the end-time “worst thing” (Ezk. 5:9) that God ever does, cf. Matthew 24:21,
with Ezekiel, chapters 1-9, that Ulicia Unruh and all other SDA’s have failed
to see. Ezekiel 5:9 and on applies to spiritual Jerusalem at
the end-time in addition to its ancient applications. Ezekiel 9 applies
to spiritual Jerusalem in apostasy, the omega of apostasy, which Ellen White
said would surely develop and wax stronger until Jesus comes: "One thing it is certain is soon to be
realized, the great apostasy, which is developing and increasing and waxing
stronger, and will continue to do so until the Lord shall descend from heaven
with a shout. We are to hold fast the first principles of our denominated
faith, and go forward from strength to increased faith. Ever we are to keep
the faith that has been substantiated by the Holy Spirit of God from the
earlier events of our experience until the present time. We need now larger breadth,
and deeper, more earnest, unwavering faith in the leadings of the Holy
Spirit. If we needed the manifest proof of the Holy Spirit's power to confirm
truth in the beginning, after the passing of the time, we need to-day all the
evidence in the confirmation of the truth, when souls are departing from the
faith and giving heed to seducing spirits and doctrines of devils. There must
not be any languishing of soul now." (E.G. White, Special Testimonies, Series B, No. 7, p. 57). Ellen White said it right. A.D. 70
was a prefigure, symbolizing the destruction of the world, but beginning at
His sanctuary, His church, those who had been blessed with great light, the
House of Jacob, the SDA church militant. Not the SDA church triumphant
which leaves the apostate SDA church militant, because Ellen White said it's
omega of apostasy would surely develop, and wax stronger until Jesus
comes. She said that church would be bringing every uncouth thing into
its camp meetings JUST BEFORE PROBATION CLOSES. No time for character
development then. She also said that Laodicea is the
foolish virgin state of the church and SDA leaders are saying that Laodicea
goes through to the Kingdom. I believe God and Ellen White. The SDA Bible Commentary says the
following in its commentary on Ezekiel 9, which agrees with Matthew 24:14-21: "The vision had primary reference to
the destruction of Jerusalem by Nebuchadnezzar. It will have another
fulfillment during the closing scenes of this world's history. It
parallels closely the visions of Rev. 7:15; 16. The distinguishing mark
in Revelation is 'the seal of God' and, like the mark in Ezekiel, is based on
character qualifications. God places His mark of approval upon all who, through the power of the Holy Spirit, reflect the
image of Jesus (see COL 67). This stamp of approbation has been likened
to God's mark of ownership, as though God inscribes upon those who qualify
for citizenship in His Kingdom His name and address--'God, New
Jerusalem.'" (TM 446). SDA Bible
Commentary, Vol. 4, p. 606. The real clincher tie-in of Ezekiel’s
prophesies to the end-time, is that Jesus Himself applied Ezekiel 9 to the
destruction of Jerusalem in A.D. 70, in Matthew 24:15. Right along with that prophecy is verse
Matthew 24:21, where He describes the greatest tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no
or ever shall be. And except those
days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect’s
sake those days shall be shortened, verse 22. So Jesus is saying that Matthew 24
applied to A.D. 70, the worst tribulation ever to be, as well as at the
end-time. Dennis Kean applies Matthew
24 to the Dark Ages ONLY. That is fallacious,
because Jesus was speaking to the Jews very specifically in verse 2, when He
said that not one stone would be left upon another. That occurred in A.D. 70, not the Dark
Ages. But the prophecy also was
obviously an intended prefigure (type) of the destruction of the world at the
end-time, just as Ellen White said, because that is really when the greatest
tribulation comes upon the whole earth, and not only Jerusalem, the apostate
church, but that is where it all begins. So Ulicia Unruh is in disagreement even
with the 35 SDA Bible scholars who wrote the SDA Bible Commentary. Sure, Ezekiel is speaking of
Nebuchadnezzar's destructions of Jerusalem, but Jesus, Ellen White and the
SDA BC, say that there will be another fulfillment! The destructions of
Jerusalem which Ezekiel mentions all involved the destructions not only by
Nebuchadnezzar, but by Rome in A.D. 70, as well as Jesus’ application of
Matthew 24:15-22, to the end-time. All
past destructions were a prefigure of the Ezekiel 9
slaughter beginning at His Sanctuary and ending with the world at the
end-time. Concerning Ezekiel 5 and 5:9, which
involved Nebuchadnezzar's destructions of Jerusalem, as well as by Rome in
A.D. 70, were they the worse thing that God ever did or ever again will
do? Of course not! The judgment of Ezekiel 9 begins at God's
Sanctuary. This is another area in
which Ulicia Unruh and all SDA’s are clearly confused. She and they are not able to relate how the
destructions of Ezekiel, chapters 1-9, could relate to Matthew 24:21 at the
end-time because that destruction involves the world! That seems to throw Ulicia Unruh and her
fellow apostate Adventists off. But the fact that most SDA's miss, as
does Ulicia Unruh, is that it all BEGINS AT HIS SANCTUARY, THE CHURCH. She does not realize that the visible SDA
church will continue after the Sunday Law, though it should not, to be around
as a corporate body for destruction as the first subject (object) of the
general destruction. The apostate SDA church has built up a
historic reputation now, for defaulting into apostasy when any crunch (trial)
comes along. Here is a brief account
of some of that historical choice:
"The Lord has a controversy with his
professed people in these last days. In this controversy men in responsible
positions will take a course directly opposite to that pursued by Nehemiah.
They will not only ignore and despise the Sabbath themselves, but they will
try to keep it from others by burying it beneath the rubbish of custom and
tradition. In churches and in large gatherings in the open air, ministers,
will urge upon the people the necessity of keeping the first day of the
week." E.G. White, Review and
Herald, Vol. 1, p. 405, col. 3. I asked God to show me where Ellen White
got the above Information. He showed me Ezekiel 8:16, as follows: 16 And he brought me into the inner court of the LORD's
house, and, behold, at the door of the temple of the LORD, between the porch
and the altar, were about five and twenty men, with their backs toward the temple
of the LORD, and their faces toward the east; and they worshipped the sun
toward the east. All Ellen White’s statements about
possibility of the church becoming Babylon or not, must be reconciled with
all of the above facts. We have explored how Ellen White said
that the destruction of Jerusalem in A.D. 70, was a prefigure symbolization
of the destruction of the world at the end-time, beginning at His church, His
sanctuary, the House of Jacob, so let’s see how Ellen White applied Matthew
24 to both A.D. 70 and at the end-time. "When He [Christ] referred to the
destruction of Jerusalem, His prophetic words reached beyond that even to the
final conflagration in that day when the Lord shall rise out of His place to
punish for their iniquity, when the earth shall disclose her blood, and shall
no more cover her slain. This entire discourse was given, not for the disciples only, but for those
who should live in the last scenes of this earth's history."
E.G. White, Desire of Ages, p. 628. Jesus declared to the
listening disciples the judgments that were to fall upon apostate Israel, and
especially the retributive vengeance that would come upon them for their
rejection and crucifixion of the Messiah. Unmistakable signs would precede
the awful climax. The dreaded hour would come suddenly and swiftly. And the
Saviour warned his followers: "When
ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the
prophet, stand in the holy place (whoso readeth let him understand), then let
them which be in Judea flee into the
mountains." [MATT. 24:15, 16.] When the idolatrous standards of the
Romans should be set up in the holy ground, which extended some furlongs outside
the city walls, then the followers of Christ were to find safety in flight.
When the warning sign should be seen, judgment was to follow so quickly that
those who would escape must make no delay. He who chanced to be upon the
housetop must not go down through his house into the street; but he must
speed his way from roof to roof until he reach the city wall, and be saved
"so as by fire." Those who were working in the fields or vineyards
must not take time to return for the outer garment laid aside while they
should be toiling in the heat of the day. They must not hesitate a moment,
lest they be involved in the general destruction. {4SP 26.2} The Sunday Law will be an idolatrous
standard--Satan's seal or standard; his sign of his authority. By the decree enforcing the institution
of the papacy in violation of the law of God, our nation will disconnect herself fully from righteousness. When Protestantism shall stretch her
hand across the gulf to grasp the hand of the Roman power, when she shall
reach over the abyss to clasp hands with spiritualism, when, under the
influence of this threefold union, our country shall repudiate every
principle of its Constitution as a Protestant and republican government, and
shall make provision for the propagation of papal falsehoods and delusions,
then we may know that the time has come for the marvelous working of Satan
and that the end is near. {5T 451.1} "As the approach of the
Roman armies was a sign to the disciples of the impending destruction of Jerusalem,
so may this apostasy be a sign to us that the limit of God's forbearance is
reached, that the measure of our nation's iniquity is full, and that the
angel of mercy is about to take her flight, never to return. The people of
God will then be plunged into those scenes of affliction and distress which
prophets have described as the time of Jacob's trouble. The
cries of the faithful, persecuted ones ascend to heaven. And as the blood of
Abel cried from the ground, there are voices also crying to God from martyrs'
graves, from the sepulchers of the sea, from mountain caverns, from convent
vaults: "How long, O Lord, holy and true, dost Thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth?"
{5T 451.2} It is no time now for God's people to be
fixing their affections or laying up their treasure in the world. The time is
not far distant, when, like the early disciples, we shall be forced to seek a
refuge in desolate and solitary places. As the siege of Jerusalem by the Roman armies was the signal for
flight to the Judean Christians, so the assumption of power on the part of
our nation in the decree enforcing the papal sabbath will be a warning to us.
It will then be time to leave the large cities, preparatory to leaving
the smaller ones for retired homes in secluded places among the mountains.
And now, instead of seeking expensive dwellings here, we should be preparing
to move to a better country, even a heavenly. Instead of spending our means
in self-gratification, we should be studying to economize. Every talent lent
of God should be used to His glory in giving the warning to the world. God
has a work for His colaborers to do in the cities.
Our missions must be sustained; new missions must be opened. To carry forward
this work successfully will require no small outlay. Houses of worship are
needed, where the people may be invited to hear the truths for this time. For
this very purpose, God has entrusted a capital to His stewards. Let not your
property be tied up in worldly enterprises, so that this
work shall be hindered. Get your means where you can handle it for the
benefit of the cause of God. Send your treasures before you into heaven. {5T
464.3} The Lord is
doing His work. All heaven is astir. The Judge of all the earth is soon to arise
and vindicate His insulted authority. The mark of deliverance will be set
upon the men who keep God's commandments, who revere His law, and who refuse
the mark of the beast or of his image. {5T 451.3} God has revealed
what is to take place in the last days, that His
people may be prepared to stand against the tempest of opposition and wrath.
Those who have been warned of the events before them are not to sit in calm
expectation of the coming storm, comforting themselves
that the Lord will shelter His faithful ones in the day of trouble. We are to
be as men waiting for their Lord, not in idle expectancy, but in earnest
work, with unwavering faith. It is no time now to allow our minds to be
engrossed with things of minor importance. While men are sleeping, Satan is
actively arranging matters so that the Lord's people may not have mercy or
justice. The Sunday movement is now making its way in darkness. The leaders
are concealing the true issue, and many who unite in the movement do not
themselves see whither the undercurrent is tending. Its professions are mild
and apparently Christian, but when it shall speak it will reveal the spirit
of the dragon. It is our duty to do all in our power to avert the threatened
danger. We should endeavor to disarm prejudice by placing ourselves in a
proper light before the people. We should bring before them the real question
at issue, thus interposing the most effectual protest against measures to
restrict liberty of conscience. We should search the Scriptures and be able
to give the reason for our faith. Says the prophet: "The wicked shall do
wickedly: and none of the wicked shall understand; but the wise shall
understand." {5T 452.1} Linking
Matthew 24 to Ezekiel 9 What proofs do we have linking Ezekiel 9
with the destruction of Jerusalem in A.D. 70?
“In the autumn of A.D. 66, Cestius next
concentrated his entire force upon Jerusalem.
He arrived during the celebration of the Feast of Tabernacles, and
although it was Sabbath, the Jews abandoned their religious rites and rushed
out to attack Cestius’ troops. To the
amazement of both Romans and Jews, they broke the Roman ranks. Indeed, Josephus declares that only a flank
attack by a force of footmen and cavalry saved Cestius’ forces. More than 500 Roman soldiers were killed
whereas the Jews lost only 22 men (War
ii. 198, 2 [519]). At this point Agrippa
sent an embassy to the Jews; their reaction was to attack his
representatives, killing one and wounding the other. Encouraged by a promise of the royalist
party in Jerusalem to open the gates for him, Cestius then gathered his
troops to a fresh assault, and penetrated as far as the north wall of the
Temple. Then an astounding thing
happened: Cestius withdrew his troops, and placed himself
strategically in such a poor position among the Judean hills that the Jews
were able to attack him and kill more than 5,000 infantry and nearly 500
cavalry, including many officers, as well as to capture much materiel. A
Lull in the Storm.—The
defeat and withdrawal of Cestius gave many of the conservative Jews a chance
to flee from Jerusalem. Some of them
joined Agrippa, others sought quiet in country places, and still others left
the country entirely. It was at this
time that the Christians in Jerusalem fled in accordance with the warning of
Jesus recorded in Matt. 24:15-19.
According to Eusebius, the 4th-century historian, the
Christians in Jerusalem had been warned by prophets before the war began that
they should leave the doomed city and find refuge at Pella in Peraea. They now took this opportunity to make good
their escape (Ecclesiastical History
iii. 5, 3).” SDA Bible Commentary,
Vol. 5, 74, 75.
“Jesus declared to the listening
disciples the judgments that were to fall upon apostate Israel, and
especially the retributive vengeance that would come upon them for their
rejection and crucifixion of the Messiah. Unmistakable signs would precede
the awful climax. The dreaded hour would come suddenly and swiftly. And the
Saviour warned his followers: "When
ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the
prophet, stand in the holy place (whoso readeth let him understand), then let
them which be in Judea flee into the
mountains." [MATT. 24:15, 16.] When the idolatrous standards of the
Romans should be set up in the holy ground, which extended some furlongs
outside the city walls, then the followers of Christ were to find safety in
flight. When the warning sign should be seen, judgment was to
follow so quickly that those who would escape must make no delay. He who
chanced to be upon the housetop must not go down through his house into the
street; but he must speed his way from roof to roof until he reach the city
wall, and be saved "so as by fire." Those who were working in the
fields or vineyards must not take time to return for the outer garment laid
aside while they should be toiling in the heat of the day. They must not
hesitate a moment, lest they be involved in the general destruction.” {4SP
26.2} 1. Ellen White said: “Men, maidens, and
little children all perish together." E. G. White, Testimonies, Vol. 5, 211. 2. Ezekiel 9 says: 6 Slay utterly old and young, both maids, and little children, and women:
but come not near any man upon whom is the mark; and
begin at my sanctuary. 3. Ezekiel 9 says: 4 And the LORD
said unto him, Go through the midst of the city, through the midst of
Jerusalem, and set a mark upon the foreheads of the men that sigh and that
cry for all the abominations that be done in the midst thereof. 4. Ellen White said: "The Lord would teach man the lesson though
united in church capacity, he is not saved until the
seal of God is placed upon him." E.G. White Comments, SDA Bible Commentary, Vol. 7, p. 969. "Mark this point with care: Those who receive
the pure mark of truth, wrought in them by the power of the Holy Ghost,
represented by a mark by the man in linen, are those 'that sigh and that cry
for all the abominations that be done in the church.' Testimonies, Vol. 3, pp. 266-267. "In every nation whosoever believes with
all his heart in the Lord Jesus is accepted of God. Here, truly, is the
church, out[side] of which no one can be
saved." The Great Controversy, p. 181. 1. Sighing and crying for all the
abominations that be done in the church is a condition for being sealed by the mark of the man in linen, yet
when we sigh and cry for those abominations, it is dubbed by the apostate
leaders as forming a hollow square and turning our guns on the church
militant. Who do you believe friend? Is the church committing abominations for
which we are to sigh and cry? Are we
forming a hollow square and “My
brethren, you need to study more carefully the fifty-eighth chapter
of Isaiah. This chapter marks out the only course that we can follow with safety . . The
prophet receives this word from the Lord—a message startling in its clearness
and force: ‘Cry aloud, spare not, lift
up thy voice like a trumpet, and show My
people their transgression, and the
house of Jacob their sins.’ Though they are called the people of God,
the house of Jacob, though they profess to be linked with God in obedience
and fellowship, they are far from Him. Wonderful privileges and promises have
been given to them, but they have betrayed their trust. With no words of
flattery must the message be given them. ‘Show My people their transgression,
and the house of Jacob their sins.’ Show them where they are making a
mistake. Set their danger before them. Tell them of the sins they are
committing, while at the same time they pride themselves on their righteousness.
Apparently seeking God, they are forgetting Him, forgetting that He is a God
of love and compassion, long suffering and goodness, dealing justly and
loving mercy. Worldly policy has come into their business and religious life.
Their hearts are not purified through the truth. God looks on their outward
ceremonies of humility as a solemn mockery. He regards all religious sham as
an insult to Himself.”—E.G. White, Letter 76, 1902; SDA Bible Commentary, Vol. 4, 1149
[italics hers]. When we do the above with all the love we
can muster with the aid of the Holy Spirit, we are accused of the following: “When men arise, claiming to have a
message from God, but instead of warring against principalities and powers,
and the rulers of the darkness of this world, they form a hollow square, and turn the weapons of warfare against
the church militant, be afraid of them. They do
not bear the divine credentials. God has not given them any such burden of
labor. They would tear down that which
God would restore by the Laodicean message. He wounds only that He may heal, not cause to perish. The Lord lays upon no man a message that
will discourage and dishearten the church. He reproves, He rebukes, He
chastens; but it is only that He may restore and approve at last. How
glad my heart was made by the report from the General Conference that many
hearts were softened and subdued, that many made humble confessions, and
cleared away from the door of the heart the rubbish that was keeping the
Saviour out. How glad I was to know that many welcomed Jesus in as an abiding
guest. How is it that these pamphlets
denouncing the Seventh-day Adventist Church as Babylon [SEE APPENDIX.] were
scattered abroad everywhere, at the very time when that church was receiving
the outpouring of the Spirit of God? How is it that men can be so
deceived as to imagine that the loud cry consists in calling the people of
God out from the fellowship of a church
that is enjoying a season of refreshing? Oh, may these deceived souls
come into the current, and receive the blessing, and be endued with power
from on high. {TM 23} Satan is working in many ways, that the
very men who ought to preach the message may be occupied with fine-drawn
theories which he will cause to appear of such magnitude and importance as to
fill the whole mind; and while they think they are making wonderful strides
in experience, they are idolizing a few ideas, and their influence is
injured, and tells but little on the Lord's side. {1SM 179.1 2. Is ecumenical involvement with Babylon,
in violation of Isaiah 8:9-13, the first and second angel’s messages, and the
Midnight Cry light, merely a “fine-drawn theory,” of little magnitude and
importance? 3. When God says three times that those who
make this violation will be broken in pieces, is this a
minor violation of a serious command by God? Isa. 8:9-13. 4. "The peculiar work of the third angel has not been seen in
its importance. God meant that His people should be far in advance of the
position which they occupy today. But now, when the time has come for them to
spring into action, they have the preparation to make. When the National Reformers [the title of the ecumenical movement
before it became the Federal Council of Churches in 1908, and then the World
Council of Churches, in 1948) began to urge measures to restrict
religious liberty, our leading men should have been alive to the situation
and should have labored earnestly to counteract these efforts. It is not in
the order of God that light has been kept from our people--the very present truth which they
needed for this time. Not all our
ministers who are giving the third angel's message really understand what
constitutes that message. The
National Reform [Ecumenical] movement has been regarded by some as of so
little importance that they have not thought it necessary to give much
attention to it and have even felt
that in so doing they would be giving time to questions distinct from the
third angel's message [the Everlasting Gospel of Revelation 14]. May the
Lord forgive our brethren for thus interpreting the very message for this time."
E.G. White, Testimonies, Vol. 5,
714, 715. 5. Based on the above statement, are we
majoring in minor fine-drawn theories that tell little on the Lord’s side? 6. Dear friend, read the penalty for violation
of the three angel’s messages in Rev. 14:10, 11, and decide if it is a minor
infraction to violate any of the three angel’s messages. 7. Have SDA leaders used Ellen White’s statements
on Babylon totally out of context since her death in 1915, to suggest that no
matter what the church does it is still going through? Have SDA leaders picked out from the
Testimonies, detached paragraphs or sentences that my be
interpreted to suit their ideas, and have they dwelt upon these to build
themselves up in their own positions when God is not leading them?
8. Ellen White gave a number of conditional
statements as to how the church could become a part of Babylon. What if it can be proven that those
statements have been fulfilled? Would
there then be the necessity of another coming out? 9. What if it can be proven that the New
Movement (1SM 204-5) has “removed God?” 10. Why is the important
word “needlessly” overlooked in the above statement? 11. Is it giving our particular ideas if we quote God and Ellen White, wherein
they both say that the watchmen are “dumb-dogs who will never again bark to
show God’s people their sins?” Isaiah
56:10-12 and Testimonies, Vol. 5,
211. 12. Where are the “suppositions” in our
warning message? 13. Where is the fanatical
excitements? The only fanatical
excitement I have witnessed in Adventist circles is the Celebration Video
produced by an SDA engineer, Kirk Weedman, entitled
“Are you Ready for Church!” That video
depicts the satanic fanatical excitement of the Celebration Movement. 14. But there is one other directly related
to the Celebration Movement. The
Celebration churches are designed to bring in the masses for mammon purposes.
The sure do not give the gospel.
Knowing this, some of the pastors of those churches have left the SDA
General Conference altogether! That is
the fanatical fruit of those satanic churches. 15. Why would Satan want us to warn against
ecumenical violation of the three angel’s messages? “Most startling messages will be borne by
men of God’s appointment, messages of a character to WARN the people, to
AROUSE them. And while some will be
PROVOKED by the warning, and led to RESIST LIGHT AND EVIDENCE, we are to see
from this that we are giving the TESTING MESSAGE FOR THIS TIME. Messages will be given OUT OF THE USUAL
ORDER.” Testimonies, Vol. 9, p. 136. 16. If our message is wrong, where are the
most startling messages of a character to warn the people and arouse them? 17. What is the usual order? The pulpit.
Who is giving most startling warning messages outside or inside the
pulpit? 18. Whose message is it that provokes some? Did New Movement Adventism step off the
foundation that God had established? The above statements must be reconciled
with the following: Chap.
24 - The Seal of God
"He cried also in mine ears with a loud
voice, saying, Cause them that have charge over the city to draw near, even
every man with his destroying weapon in his hand." {5T 207.2}
And he called to the man clothed with
linen, which had the writer's inkhorn by his side; and the Lord said unto
him, Go through the midst of the city, through the midst of Jerusalem, and
set a mark upon the foreheads of the men that sigh and that cry for all the
abominations that be done in the midst thereof. And to the others he said in
mine hearing, Go ye after him through the city, and smite: let not your eye
spare, neither have ye pity: slay utterly old and young, both maids, and
little children, and women: but come not near any man upon whom is the mark;
and begin at My sanctuary. Then they began at the ancient men which were
before the house." {5T 207.3}
Jesus is about to leave the mercy seat
of the heavenly sanctuary to put on garments of vengeance and pour out His
wrath in judgments upon
those who have not responded to the light God has given them. "Because sentence against an evil work
is not executed speedily, therefore the heart of the sons of men is fully set
in them to do evil."
Instead of being softened by the patience and long forbearance that the Lord
has exercised toward them, those who fear not God and love not the truth
strengthen their hearts in their evil course. But there are limits even to
the forbearance of God, and many are exceeding these boundaries. They have
overrun the limits of grace, and therefore God must interfere and vindicate
His own honor. {5T 207.4}
Of the Amorites the Lord said: "In
the fourth generation they shall come hither again: for the iniquity of the
Amorites is not yet full." Although this nation was conspicuous because
of its idolatry and corruption, it had not yet filled up the cup of its
iniquity, and God would not give command for its utter destruction. The
people were to see the divine power manifested in a marked manner,
that they might be left without excuse. The compassionate Creator was
willing to bear with their iniquity until the fourth generation. Then, if no
change was seen for the better, His judgments were to fall upon them. {5T
208.1}
With unerring accuracy the Infinite One
still keeps an account with all nations. While His mercy is tendered with
calls to repentance, this account will remain open; but when the figures
reach a certain amount which God has fixed, the ministry of His wrath
commences. The account is closed. Divine patience ceases. There is no more
pleading of mercy in their behalf. {5T 208.2}
The prophet, looking down the ages, had
this time presented before his vision. The nations of this age have been the
recipients of unprecedented mercies. The choicest of heaven's blessings have
been given them, but increased pride, covetousness, idolatry, contempt of
God, and base ingratitude are written against them. They are fast closing up
their account with God. {5T 208.3}
But that which causes me to tremble is
the fact that those who have had the greatest light and privileges have
become contaminated by the prevailing iniquity. Influenced by the unrighteous
around them, many, even of those who profess the truth, have grown cold and
are borne down by the strong current of evil. The universal scorn thrown upon
true piety and holiness leads those who do not connect closely with God to
lose their reverence for His law. If they were following the light and
obeying the truth from the heart, this holy law would seem even more precious
to them when thus despised and set aside. As the disrespect for God's law
becomes more manifest, the line of demarcation between its observers and the
world becomes more distinct. Love for the divine precepts increases with one
class according as contempt for them increases with another class. {5T 209.1}
The crisis is fast approaching. The rapidly
swelling figures show that the time for God's visitation has about come.
Although loath to punish, nevertheless He will punish, and that speedily.
Those who walk in the light will see signs of the approaching peril; but they
are not to sit in quiet, unconcerned expectancy of the ruin, comforting
themselves with the belief that God will shelter His people in the day of
visitation. Far from it. They should realize that it
is their duty to labor diligently to save others, looking with strong faith
to God for help. "The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man
availeth much." {5T 209.2}
The leaven of godliness has not entirely
lost its power. At the time when the danger and depression of the church are
greatest, the little company who are standing in the light will be sighing
and crying for the abominations that are done in the land. But more
especially will their prayers arise in behalf
210
of the church because its members are
doing after the manner of the world. {5T 209.3}
The earnest prayers of this faithful few
will not be in vain. When the Lord comes forth as an avenger, He will also
come as a protector of all those who have preserved the faith in its purity
and kept themselves unspotted from the world. It is at this time that God has
promised to avenge His own elect which cry day and night unto Him, though He
bear long with them. {5T 210.1}
The command is: "Go through the
midst of the city, through the midst of Jerusalem, and set a mark upon the
foreheads of the men that sigh and that cry for all the abominations that be
done in the midst thereof." These sighing, crying ones had been holding
forth the words of life; they had reproved, counseled, and entreated. Some
who had been dishonoring God repented and humbled their hearts before Him.
But the glory of the Lord had departed from Israel; although many still
continued the forms of religion, His power and presence were lacking. {5T
210.2}
In the time when His wrath shall go
forth in judgments, these humble, devoted followers of Christ will be
distinguished from the rest of the world by their soul anguish, which is
expressed in lamentation and weeping, reproofs and warnings. While others try
to throw a cloak over the existing evil, and excuse the great wickedness
everywhere prevalent, those who have a zeal for God's honor and a love for
souls will not hold their peace to obtain favor of any. Their righteous souls
are vexed day by day with the unholy works and conversation of the
unrighteous. They are powerless to stop the rushing torrent of iniquity, and
hence they are filled with grief and alarm. They mourn before God to see
religion despised in the very homes of those who have had great light. They
lament and afflict their souls because pride, avarice, selfishness, and
deception of almost every kind are in the church. The Spirit
211
of God, which prompts to reproof, is
trampled underfoot, while the servants of Satan triumph. God is dishonored,
the truth made of none effect. {5T 210.3}
The class who do not feel grieved over
their own spiritual declension, nor mourn over the sins of others, will be
left without the seal of God. The Lord commissions His messengers, the men
with slaughtering weapons in their hands: "Go ye after him through the
city, and smite: let not your eye spare, neither have ye pity: slay utterly
old and young, both maids, and little children, and women: but come not near
any man upon whom is the mark; and begin at My
sanctuary. Then they began at the ancient men which were before the
house." {5T 211.1}
Here we see that the church--the Lord's
sanctuary--was the first to feel the stroke of the wrath of God. The ancient
men, those to whom God had given great light and who had stood as guardians
of the spiritual interests of the people, had betrayed their trust. They had
taken the position that we need not look for miracles and the marked
manifestation of God's power as in former days. Times have changed. These
words strengthen their unbelief, and they say: The Lord will not do good, neither will He do evil. He is too merciful to visit
His people in judgment. Thus "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. {5T 211.2}
The abominations for which the faithful
ones were sighing and crying were all that could be discerned by finite eyes,
but by far the worst sins, those which provoked the jealousy of the pure and
holy God, were unrevealed. The great Searcher of hearts knoweth every sin
committed in secret by the workers of iniquity. These persons come to feel
secure in their deceptions and, because of His long-suffering, say that the
Lord
212
seeth not, and then act as though He had
forsaken the earth. But He will detect their hypocrisy and will open before
others those sins which they were so careful to hide. {5T 211.3}
No superiority of rank, dignity, or
worldly wisdom, no position in sacred office, will preserve men from
sacrificing principle when left to their own deceitful hearts. Those who have
been regarded as worthy and righteous prove to be ring-leaders in apostasy
and examples in indifference and in the abuse of God's mercies. Their wicked
course He will tolerate no longer, and in His wrath He deals with them
without mercy. {5T 212.1}
It is with reluctance that the Lord
withdraws His presence from those who have been blessed with great light and
who have felt the power of the word in ministering to others. They were once
His faithful servants, favored with His presence and guidance; but they
departed from Him and led others into error, and therefore are brought under
the divine displeasure. {5T 212.2}
The day of God's vengeance is just upon
us. The seal of God will be placed upon the foreheads of those only who sigh
and cry for the abominations done in the land. Those who link in sympathy
with the world are eating and drinking with the drunken and will surely be
destroyed with the workers of iniquity. "The eyes of the Lord are over
the righteous, and His ears are open unto their prayers: but the face of the
Lord is against them that do evil." {5T 212.3}
Our own course of action will determine
whether we shall receive the seal of the living God or be cut down by the
destroying weapons. Already a few drops of God's wrath have fallen upon the
earth; but when the seven last plagues shall be poured out without mixture
into the cup of His indignation, then it will be
forever too late to repent and find shelter. No atoning blood will then wash
away the stains of sin. {5T 212.4}
"And at that time shall Michael
stand up, the great prince
213
which standeth for the children of thy
people: and there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there
was a nation even to that same time: and at that time thy people shall be
delivered, everyone that shall be found written in the book." When this
time of trouble comes, every case is decided; there is no longer probation,
no longer mercy for the impenitent. The seal of the living God is upon His
people. This small remnant, unable to defend
themselves in the deadly conflict with the powers of earth that are marshaled
by the dragon host, make God their defense. The decree has been passed by the
highest earthly authority that they shall worship the beast and receive his
mark under pain of persecution and death. May God help His people now, for
what can they then do in such a fearful conflict
without His assistance! {5T 212.5}
Courage, fortitude, faith, and implicit
trust in God's power to save do not come in a moment. These heavenly graces
are acquired by the experience of years. By a life of holy endeavor and firm
adherence to the right the children of God were sealing their destiny. Beset
with temptations without number, they knew they must resist firmly or be
conquered. They felt that they had a great work to do, and at any hour they
might be called to lay off their armor; and should they come to the close of
life with their work undone, it would be an eternal loss. They eagerly
accepted the light from heaven, as did the first disciples from the lips of
Jesus. When those early Christians were exiled to mountains and deserts, when
left in dungeons to die with hunger, cold, and torture, when martyrdom seemed
the only way out of their distress, they rejoiced that they were counted worthy
to suffer for Christ, who was crucified for them. Their worthy example will
be a comfort and encouragement to the people of God who will be brought into
the time of trouble such as never was. {5T 213.1}
Not all who profess to keep the Sabbath
will be sealed.
214
There are many even among
those who teach the truth to others who will not receive the seal of God in
their foreheads. They had the light of truth, they knew their Master's will,
they understood every point of our faith, but they had not corresponding
works. These who were so familiar with prophecy and the treasures of divine
wisdom should have acted their faith. They should have commanded their
households after them, that by a well-ordered family they might present to
the world the influence of the truth upon the human heart. {5T 213.2}
By their lack of devotion and piety, and
their failure to reach a high religious standard, they make other souls
contented with their position. Men of finite judgment cannot see that in
patterning after these men who have so often opened to them the treasures of
God's word, they will surely endanger their souls. Jesus is the only true
pattern. Everyone must now search the Bible for himself upon his knees before
God, with the humble, teachable heart of a child, if he would know what the
Lord requires of him. However high any minister may have stood in the favor
of God, if he neglects to follow out the light given him of God, if he refuses
to be taught as a little child, he will go into darkness and satanic
delusions and will lead others in the same path. {5T 214.1}
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. {5T
214.2}
We are too easily satisfied with our attainments.
We feel rich and increased with goods and know not that we are
"wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked." Now is
the time to heed the admonition of the True Witness: "I counsel thee to
buy of Me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest
be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be
215
clothed, and that the shame of thy
nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou
mayest see." {5T 214.3}
In this life we must meet fiery trials
and make costly sacrifices, but the peace of Christ is the reward. There has
been so little self-denial, so little suffering for Christ's sake, that the
cross is almost entirely forgotten. We must be partakers with Christ of His
sufferings if we would sit down in triumph with Him on His throne. So long as
we choose the easy path of self-indulgence and are frightened at self-denial,
our faith will never become firm, and we cannot know the peace of Jesus nor
the joy that comes through conscious victory. The most exalted of the
redeemed host that stand before the throne of God and the Lamb, clad in
white, know the conflict of overcoming, for they have come up through great
tribulation. Those who have yielded to circumstances rather than engage in
this conflict will not know how to stand in that day when anguish will be
upon every soul, when, though Noah, Job, and Daniel were in the land, they
could save neither son nor daughter, for everyone must deliver his soul by
his own righteousness. {5T 215.1}
No one need say that his case is
hopeless, that he cannot live the life of a Christian. Ample provision is
made by the death of Christ for every soul. Jesus is our ever-present help in
time of need. Only call upon Him in faith, and He has promised to hear and
answer your petitions. {5T 215.2}
Oh, for a living, active faith! We need
it; we must have it, or we shall faint and fail in the day of trial. The
darkness that will then rest upon our path must not discourage us or drive us
to despair. It is the veil with which God covers His glory when He comes to
impart rich blessings. We should know this by our past experience. In that
day when God has a controversy with His people this experience will be a
source of comfort and hope. {5T 215.3}
It is now that we must keep ourselves
and our children unspotted from the world. It is now that we must wash our
robes
216
of character and make them white in
the blood of the Lamb. It is now that we must overcome pride, passion, and
spiritual slothfulness. It is now that we must awake and make determined
effort for symmetry of character. "Today if ye will hear His voice,
harden not your hearts." We are in a most trying position, waiting,
watching for our Lord's appearing. The world is in darkness. "But ye,
brethren," says Paul, "are not in darkness, that that day should
overtake you as a thief." It is ever God's purpose to bring light out of
darkness, joy out of sorrow, and rest out of weariness for the waiting,
longing soul. {5T 215.4}
What are you doing, brethren, in the
great work of preparation? Those who are uniting with the world are receiving
the worldly mold and preparing for the mark of the beast. Those who are
distrustful of self, who are humbling themselves before God and purifying
their souls by obeying the truth these are receiving the heavenly mold and
preparing for the seal of God in their foreheads. When the decree goes forth and
the stamp is impressed, their character will remain pure and spotless for
eternity. {5T 216.1}
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. {5T 216.2}
More Ellen G.
White Statement That Express Her Lack of Confidence in the SDA Church Militant https://omega77.tripod.com/leavestate.htm Omega Countdown Ministries does not contest for one moment that a
faithful remnant will escape from the omega of apostasy SDA church militant
and go through as the true SDA church triumphant. But it is long cherished error to believe
and teach that the bad will leave the SDA church militant. There are statements that “appear” to sound
that way, but the Bible is the last word and says that the bad, tares, dross,
is gathered into the midsts of Jerusalem, for
burning and melting. Ellen White attests to this fact also.
Ellen White agrees with Scripture is all her words are interpreted so
that nothing contradicts. She clearly
says:
"The 'field,' Christ said, 'is the
world.' But we must understand this as signifying the church of Christ in the
world. The parable is a description of that which pertains to the kingdom of
God, His work of salvation of men and this work is accomplished through the
church. True, the Holy Spirit has gone out into all the
world everywhere it is moving upon the hearts of men but it is in the church
that we are to grow and ripen for the garner of God." Christ's Object Lessons. 70. 1.
Ellen White
said that the voice of God and the voice of the bride will awaken the ten
virgins with a “Go ye out to meet Him” message. Christ’s
Object Lessons, 405-6. All those
virgins slept, Matt. 25:5. 2.
Isaiah
4:1-4, says that all formally organized churches, symbolized by God’s
perfect, all-inclusive number 7, will be doing their own thing at the
end-time. The call of the bride is to
all formally organized, fallen churches, including the omega of Apostasy SDA
New Movement church that has removed God by committing gross, unpardonable
sins such as ecumenical liaison with Babylon, and Satan’s celebration mode of
worship. Either, by itself, is unpardonable sin, and an offering of “strange fire”
before the Lord. 3.
If you
don’t believe that Celebration Worship is fostered by the General Conference
of Seventh-day Adventists, write for the Video entitled: Are
you Ready for Church, produced by an SDA engineer, Kirk Weedman. Write to
Kirk Weedman: kirk@canby.com The video is entitled: Are You Ready for Church?
You will never be the same again!
I promise! 4.
Even if Ellen White did not teach another coming
out of a faithful remnant, Ezekiel and Isaiah, the Word of God, both teach
that a remnant will leave the apostate church. Ezekiel 5:3; Isaiah 37:31,32,
cf. Isaiah 4:1-4. The apparent
contradiction between Isaiah 4:1-4 and 37:31, 32, is solved by interpreting
Jerusalem to mean “True Jerusalem.”
Remember, in Christ’s day, there were both—false Jerusalem, the
apostate Jerusalem and Christ’s own headquarters at Jerusalem. 5.
Not one
faithful Christian was sealed in the apostate Jerusalem of Israel. On the Day of Pentecost, when the disciples
were sealed, they were hiding in some man’s upper room for fear of the
apostate Jews. 6.
When God
says to go through Jerusalem in Ezekiel 9, he means both Jerusalem’s! True Jerusalem,
and apostate Jerusalem. That is precisely
how it worked in the prefigure of A.D. 27-70. God bless all who search as for hidden
treasure, Ron Beaulieu Addendum: Did the church become and remain
Laodicean? "The church is in the Laodicean
state. The presence of God is not in her midst." E.G. White, Notebook Leaflets, p. 99, 1898. "To the end of time, the presence of the Spirit
is to abide with the true church." E.G. White, Acts of the Apostles, p. 55. "To the end of time, the presence of
the Spirit is to abide with the true church." E.G. White, Acts of the Apostles, p. 55. "The state of the Church represented
by the foolish virgins, is also spoken of as the
Laodicean state." E. G. White, Review
and Herald Articles, Vol. 2, 420. “The Testimony For The Church—The
Laodicean Church—What greater deception can come upon human minds than a
confidence that they are right when they are ALL WRONG?” Testimonies,
Vol. 3, pp. 253, 254. "If the church of God becomes
LUKEWARM [LAODICEAN] it does not stand in favor with God any
more than do the churches that are represented as having fallen and become
the habitation of devils and the hold of every foul spirit and the cage of
every unclean and hateful bird. 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." E.G. White, Letter 35, 1898. "Sins
exist in the church that God hates, but they are scarcely touched for fear of
making enemies. Opposition has risen in the church to plain testimony. Some will
not bear it. They wish smooth things spoken unto them. And if the wrongs of
individuals are touched, they complain of severity,
and sympathize with those in the wrong .... When the church departs from God they
despise the plain testimony, and complain of severity and harshness. It
is a sad evidence of the lukewarm state of the church." Spiritual
Gifts, Vol. II, pp. 283-284. If Laodicea is not regarded with any more
favor by God than the fallen churches, and the call of Laodicea is to all
churches, then there is no difference between Laodicea and the fallen
churches as far as being in a fallen state is concerned. Different churches
believe different aspects of Babylonian teachings, but Ellen White equates
them all as far as falling from the favor of God is concerned, and as far as
constituting the habitation of devils and the hold of every foul spirit and
the cage of every unclean and hateful bird. "We must as a people arouse and
cleanse the camp of Israel. Licentiousness, unlawful intimacy, and unholy practices
are coming in among us in a large degree...We are in danger of becoming a
sister to fallen Babylon, of allowing our churches to become corrupted and
filled with every foul spirit, a cage for every unclean and hateful bird, and
will we be clear unless we make decided movements to cure the existing evil?
E. G. White, Manuscript Releases No. 449, pp. 17, 18. (Letter 51, 1886 to
Elder Butler) Testimonies on Sexual
Behavior, Adultery, and Divorce, p. 193. "Now
it is just EXACTLY as in the days of the Jews. When a message came in, why
all the power of the leaders [such some leaders on this forum] WAS PUT
AGAINST IT, THAT IT SHOULD NOT HAVE ACCESS TO THE
PEOPLE. Now, brethren, GO TO GOD FOR YOURSELVES, and on your knees plead with
God...If God sends us light, let it come to us, and let no man close the
door, or try to close it. Don't close it yourselves. Open the door of your
heart and let the brilliant rays of light shine into your heart and into your
mind. I pray you, let the Sun of Righteousness
in." E.G. White, Manuscript
Release #900, Manuscript 9, 1890. 1888 Materials, p. 541. "Sins exist in the church that God
hates, but they are scarcely touched for fear of making enemies. Opposition
has risen in the church to plain testimony. Some will not bear it. They wish
smooth things spoken unto them. And if the wrongs of individuals are touched, they complain of severity, and
sympathise with those in the wrong .... When the church departs from God they despise the plain testimony,
and complain of severity and harshness. It is a sad evidence of the lukewarm
state of the church." Spiritual Gifts, Vol.
II, pp. 283-284.
Dear Bill, Dutch Savage told you about
the ecumenical involvement of the church.
The following statement could not be any clearer regarding such an
event: "'They that forsake the law praise the wicked.'
Proverbs 28:4. When those who are uniting with the world, yet claiming great
purity, plead for union with those who have ever been the opposers of the
cause of truth, we should fear and shun them as decidedly as did Nehemiah.
Such counsel is prompted by the enemy of all good. It is the speech of
timeservers, and should be resisted as resolutely today as then. Whatever
influence would tend to unsettle the faith of God' people in His guiding
power, should be steadfastly withstood." E.G. White, Prophets and kings, p. 660. Did the church praise the wicked when it gave a Gold
Medallion to the Pope? Would Jesus do
that? Would Jesus give a gold medal to
Satan, when Ellen White said that Satan controls the fallen churches as a
body?
Early Writings, p. 273. God bless. |