Elder Moses Mason on Finishing the Work

Click to go to our Home Page

Type Antitype Parallel of Seventh-day Adventists With Apostate Israel

Some friends sent me a video by Elder Moses Mason on finishing the work, Part 2. There is much good in the video until it gets to the point where he contradicts himself on his type/antitype thesis between apostate Israel at the Jordan, and their counterpart modern-day professing apostate Adventist church. This document is to point out the inconsistencies of his message to God’s people and Mason’s neglect to weigh all of the weight of evidence and interpret so that nothing contradicts. Many times, Elder Mason stresses that Adventists are in a type/antitype situation with the apostate Jews of old which is very true. But near the end of his presentation, he contradicts that position. He quotes the following statement by Ellen White:

“Satan’s snares are laid for us as verily as they were laid for the children of Israel just prior to their entrance into the land of Canaan. We are repeating the history of that people.”—Testimonies for the Church 5:160. {HL 280.2}

"The trials of the children of Israel, and their attitude just before the first coming of Christ, illustrate the position of the people of God in their experience before the second coming of Christ."—The Review and Herald, February 18, 1890. {HL 280.1}

“The same disobedience and failure which were seen in the Jewish church have characterized in a greater degree the people who have had this great light from heaven in the last messages of warning.” Testimonies, Vol. 5, p. 456.

· If we are in a type/antitype parallel with apostate Israel, how did they end up? They ended up with a faithful remnant that separated into home churches, while the apostate Temple organization was destroyed in an Ezekiel 9 debacle in A.D. 70. Any type/antitype likeness would have to parallel that experience in repeating the history of the apostasy of the Jews.

· Ellen White said that Ezekiel 9 will be literally fulfilled again beginning at His church, His Sanctuary.

· Then, out of the other side of his mouth, Elder Mason concludes that Elder Ted Wilson is like a heart stent, providing fresh new revival and reformation blood to the church. Is that what happened in the type of ancient apostate Israel. This is a direct contradiction to the type/antitype relationship that Elder Mason stresses.

No Turning Back

A long time ago the church turned back and retreated toward Egypt. That turning back (Backsliding) has never been repented of. The church turned back from whence she came out—Babylon, and joined its Associations, Councils/Counsels, Girdings, and Confederacies.

A Rejection of the Spirit of Prophecy and the Bible by Elder Moses Mason and Elder Ted Wilson

It is a direct rejection and contradiction of the Spirit of Prophecy to teach in any way, by inference, implication, or direct statement, that the professing new movement Seventh-day Adventist once church militant, will end up with a different fate than is prophesied by Ellen White in the below statements:

"Jesus sends HIS PEOPLE a message of warning to prepare them for his coming. To the prophet John was made known the closing work in the great plan of man's redemption. He beheld an angel flying 'in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people, saying with a loud voice, Fear God, and give glory to him for the hour of his Judgment is come and worship him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters [Rev. 14:6, 7.].

The angel represented in prophecy as delivering this message, symbolizes a class of faithful men, who, obedient to the promptings of God's Spirit and the teachings of his word, proclaim this warning to the inhabitants of earth. This message was not to be committed to the religious leaders of the people. They had failed to preserve their connection with God, and had REFUSED THE LIGHT FROM HEAVEN therefore they WERE NOT of the number described by the apostle Paul: 'But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief. Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day we are not of the night nor of darkness' [1 Thess. 5:4, 5].

The watchmen upon the walls of Zion should be the first to catch the tidings of the Saviour's advent, the first to lift their voices to proclaim him near, the first to warn the people to prepare for his coming. But they were at ease, dreaming of peace and safety, while the people were asleep in their sins. Jesus saw HIS CHURCH, like the barren fig-tree, covered with pretentious leaves, yet destitute of precious fruit. There was a boastful observance of the forms of religion, while the spirit of true humility, penitence and faith--which alone could render the service acceptable to God--was lacking. Instead of the graces of the Spirit, there were manifested pride, formalism, vainglory, selfishness, oppression. A BACKSLIDING CHURCH closed their eyes to the signs of the times. God did nor forsake them, or suffer his faithfulness to fail but they departed from him, and SEPARATED THEMSELVES from his love. As they REFUSED TO COMPLY WITH THE CONDITIONS, his promises were NOT FULFILLED to them." E.G. White, The Spirit of Prophecy, vol. 4, pp. 199-200 [The 1884 edition of The Great Controversy, 199, 200].

SDA Watchmen will NEVER AGAIN show the House of Jacob (let alone Babylon) its sins:

"Here we see that the (SDA) church-the Lord's sanctuary-was the first ("For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God. 1 Peter 4:17) to feel the stroke of the wrath of God. ("The wrath of God"=the 7 last plagues-Early Writings, 36, 52, 64, 289; Revelation 15:1, 7; 16:1.) The ancient men, those who had stood as guardians of the spiritual interest 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. ("He loves us so much, no matter what we do, we'll always be the apple of His eye.") 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 (the leadership) 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." (ALL excludes nobody-not one. ALL from the leadership to the cradle roll are slain!) Testimonies, Vol. 5, p. 211. (The chapter this is taken from begins on page 207, quoting Ezekiel 9).

The SDA COUNTERPART FACTOR to the Jews

COUNTERPART: "The Lord commanded one of his ancient servants, 'Pray not thou for this people [Jer. 7:16 and 11:14], neither lift up cry nor prayer for them neither make intercession to me for I will not hear thee.' The prophet thus describes the sins which had called forth this fearful denunciation: 'The prophets prophesy falsely, and the priests bear rule by their means and my people love to have it so and what will ye do in the end thereof?' 'From the least of them even unto the greatest of them, every one is given to covetousness and from the prophet even unto the priest, every one dealeth falsely. They have healed also the hurt of the daughter of my people slightly, saying, Peace, peace, when there is no peace.' The apostles declare that this state of things will find its COUNTERPART in the last days. Many have a form of godliness, but in their daily life deny the power thereof. They have ceased to be convicted of their sins or alarmed at their state. They say in their hearts, 'The church is flourishing. Peace and spiritual prosperity are within her borders.' The words of the prophet may well apply to these self-deceivers, 'They have chosen their own ways, and their soul delighteth in their abominations. I also will choose their delusions, and will bring their fears upon them." E. G. White, Second Advent Review and Sabbath Herald, 11-07-82.

"Shall the Lord be compelled to say, `Pray not thou for this people, neither lift up cry nor prayer for them, neither make intercession to Me: for I will not hear thee' [Jeremiah 7:16]? `Therefore the showers have been withholden, and there hath been no latter rain....Wilt thou not from this time cry unto Me, My Father, thou art the guide of my youth' [Jeremiah 3:3-4]?...
We are to be judged by the light that has been given us,(159) and we can find no excuse by which to extenuate our course." Review and Herald, Vol. 3, p 69-70 (August 1, 1893). (Brackets by Ellen White)

COUNTERPART: "In the time of the Saviour, the Jews had so covered over the precious jewels of truth with the rubbish of tradition and fable, that it was impossible to distinguish the true from the false. The Saviour came to clear away the rubbish of superstition and long-cherished errors, and to set the jewels of God's word in the framework of truth. What would the Saviour do if he should come to us now as he did to the Jews? He would have to do a similar work in clearing away the rubbish of tradition and ceremony. The Jews were greatly disturbed when he did this work [As are SDAs today!]. They had lost sight of the original truth of God, but Christ brought it again to view. It is our work to free the precious truths of God from superstition and error." E.G. White, Review and Herald, Vol. 2, 308.

“The Lord commanded one of his ancient servants, "Pray not thou for this people, neither lift up cry nor prayer for them; neither make intercession to me; for I will not hear thee." The prophet thus describes the sins which had called forth this fearful denunciation: "The prophets prophesy falsely, and the priests bear rule by their means; and my people love to have it so; and what will ye do in the end thereof?" "From the least of them even unto the greatest of them, every one is given to covetousness; and from the prophet even unto the priest, every one dealeth falsely. They have healed also the hurt of the daughter of my people slightly, saying, Peace, peace, when there is no peace.” {RH, November 7, 1882 par. 8}

“The apostles declare that this state of things will find its counterpart in the last days. Many have a form of godliness, but in their daily life deny the power thereof. They have ceased to be convicted of their sins or alarmed at their state. They say in their hearts, "The church is flourishing. Peace and spiritual prosperity are within her borders." The words of the prophet may well apply to these self-deceivers, "They have chosen their own ways, and their soul delighteth in their abominations. I also will choose their delusions, and will bring their fears upon them.” {RH, November 7, 1882 par. 9}

The Conditionality of Prophecy

When we present the above statements on the final fate of the professing new movement, new organization SDA church (Selected Messages, Bk. 1, pp. 204-205), invariably you can plan on some trying to counter by saying that those statement were conditional and the church can repent and turn around just as Nineveh repented. The only correct response to such a challenge is as follows. Evidently Nineveh was not guilty of the following things:

· God’s Word says that His people form association, counsel/council, girding and/or conspiracy/confederation with His enemies, we are not to even pray for the corporate body, but we can pray for individuals who are not aware of this apostasy. Isaiah 8:9-12 and Jeremiah 11:9-15.

· Isaiah 8:9-12 and Jeremiah 11:9-15 are so serious, that the only option is being “broken in pieces.” And when we are instructed by God not to even pray for a people for certain violations of His instruction to us, that implies unpardonable sin. Neither of these references proffers God’s people the opportunity to repent, so their spiritual apostasy was unpardonable.

· Ellen White explicitly stated in Word to the Little Flock, p. 14, that to wander off the Midnight Cry lighted path (Matthew 25) makes it impossible to get back on the pathway to heaven. The Midnight Cry gave power to the second angel’s message in calling Adventists out of Babylon. To return in association, counsel/council, girding and conspiracy/confederacy after knowing the truth, makes it impossible to get back on the pathway to heaven. The door is then shut, and that is part of the shut door teaching that Ellen White saw and never reneged on. She clearly stated and always maintained that all who heard the 1844 message and rejected it then or later, would experience a shut door on salvation. It is manifest rejection of both the second angel’s message and the Midnight Cry, which Ellen White said gave power to the second angel’s message, to go back into association, counsel/council, girding and/or conspiracy/confederacy with Babylon after knowing the truth. If this is not true, then God would have to apologize to the Jews of Jeremiah’s generation per Jeremiah 11:9-15, and all the Jews who were destroyed because of their apostasy in the A.D. 70 Destruction of Jerusalem, depicted in Chapter 1 of The Great Controversy.

“While praying at the family altar, the Holy Ghost fell on me, and I seemed to be rising higher and higher, far above the dark world. I turned to look for the Advent people in the world, but could not find them--when a voice said to me, 'Look again, and look a little higher.' At this I raised my eyes and saw a straight and narrow path cast up high above the world. On this path the Advent people were traveling to the City, which was at the farther end of the path. They had a bright light set up behind them at the first end of the path, which an angel told me was the Midnight Cry. This light shone all along the path, and gave light for their feet so they might not stumble. And if they kept their eyes fixed on Jesus, who was just before them, leading them to the City, they were safe. But soon some grew weary, and they said the City was a great way of, and they expected to have entered it before. Then Jesus would encourage them by raising his glorious right arm, and from his arm came a glorious light which waved over the Advent band, and they shouted Hallelujah! Others rashly denied the light [MIDNIGHT CRY VIOLATED BY ECUMENICAL LIAISONS WITH BABYLON] behind them, and said that it was not God that had led them out so far. The light behind them went out leaving their feet in perfect darkness, and they stumbled and got their eyes off the mark and lost sight of Jesus, and fell off the path down in the dark and wicked world below. It was just as impossible for them to get on the path again and go to the City, as all the wicked world which God had rejected. They fell all the way along the path one after another, until we heard the voice of God like many waters, which gave us the day and hour of Jesus' coming....

By this time the 144,000 were all sealed and perfectly united. On their foreheads was written, God, New Jerusalem, and a glorious Star containing Jesus' new name.” E.G. White, Word to the Little Flock, p. 14. [cf. “New Jerusalem,” Message to Philadelphia, Rev. 3:10-12.]

Jonah Calling to Repentance

“And the word of the Lord came unto Jonah the second time, saying, Arise, go unto to Nineveh, that great city, and preach unto it the preaching that I bid thee.

So Jonah arose, and went unto Nineveh, according to the word of the Lord. Now Nineveh was an exceeding great city of three days' journey. And Jonah began to enter into the city a day's journey, and he cried, and said, Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown.

So the people of Nineveh believed God, and proclaimed a fast, and put on sackcloth, from the greatest of them even to the least of them. For word came unto the king of Nineveh, and he arose from his throne, and he laid his robe from him, and covered him with sackcloth, and sat in ashes. And he caused it to be proclaimed and published through Nineveh by the decree of the king and his nobles, saying, Let neither man nor beast, herd nor flock taste anything: let them not feed, nor drink water: but let man and beast be covered with sackcloth, and cry mightily unto God: yea, let them turn every one from his evil way, and from the violence that is in their hands. Who can tell if God will turn and repent, and turn away from his fierce anger, that we perish not?

“And God saw their works, that they turned from their evil way; and God repented of the evil, that he had said that he would do unto them; and he did it not.” Jonah iii.

“True, there had been a failure as to the expected event, but even this could not shake their faith in the word of God. When Jonah proclaimed in the streets of Nineveh that within forty days the city would be overthrown, the Lord accepted the humiliation of the Ninevites and extended their period of probation; yet the message of Jonah was sent of God, and Nineveh was tested according to His will. Adventists believed that in like manner God had led them to give the warning of the judgment. ‘It has,’ they declared, “tested the hearts of all who heard it, and awakened a love for the Lord’s appearing; or it has called forth a hatred, more or less perceivable, but known to God, of His coming. It has drawn a line, ... so that those who will examine their own hearts, may know on which side of it they would have been found, had the Lord then come—whether they would have exclaimed, ‘Lo! this is our God, we have waited for Him, and He will save us;’ or whether they would have called to the rocks and mountains to fall on them to hide them from the face of Him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb. God thus, as we believe, has tested His people, has tried their faith, has proved them, and seen whether they would shrink, in the hour of trial, from the position in which He might see fit to place them; and whether they would relinquish this world and rely with implicit confidence in the word of God.”—The Advent Herald and Signs of the Times Reporter, vol. 8, No. 14 (Nov 13, 1844). {GC 406.1}

The inference is that the Adventist message of the Midnight Cry and the Second Angel’s Message, was in like manner a similar test as Jonah’s message to Nineveh, and has tested the hearts of all who have heard it! To reject that testing message, is tantamount to the Ninevites having rejected Jonah’s warning test to them! This is a very serious parallel Ellen White draws here.

So to betray the Midnight Cry and Second Angel’s Message, by violating these warning messages by returning to any liaison with Babylon after hearing these warnings, is to incur what the Ninevites would have incurred had they rejected Jonah’s warning message to them—doom, destruction, Ezekiel 9 destruction in the case of last day Adventists.

· For all of the above reasons, the heart stent that Elder Mason implies has been proffered the church via his avocations of revival and reformation by Elder Ted Wilson, is null and void because of past imbibing of unpardonable sin on the part of the corporate church.

· Elder Mason plays a tape by Elder Ted Wilson, calling for the churches not to engage pulpit swapping by inviting leaders of Babylonian churches to speak at SDA churches. This is like a prostitute in a brothel not permitting a prostitute from another brothel to speak in her brothel!

· This is what Satan and Babylon hate about the professing SDA church. She is a world class harlot who pretends to be better than other fallen harlots, when she is not, and when she is actually far worse because she knew the truth! Does Ellen White agree with this assessment? Notice:

· Worse than Babylon -- "God's professed people are selfish and self-caring....They are idolaters, and are worse, in the sight of God, than the heathen, graven-image worshippers who have had no knowledge of a better way." Testimonies, Vol. 2, 440-442.

· Why try to prevent pastors from other fallen churches from speaking in the SDA church, when the SDA church gives large sums of annual dues to the World Council of Churches, and its various subsidiary organizations such as the National Councils of Churches of Christ in the U.S.A., and the national councils of most other countries of the world?

· The annual dues paid to Babylon’s Ministerial Associations alone, by SDA pastors, finances their false gospel and the teachings that constitute Babylon. So why worry about their leaders speaking in SDA brothels?

· Why pretend we are not part of Babylon, when we are married to it by joining its associations, counsels/councils, girdings, and conspiracy’s/confederacies?

· Why doesn’t Wilson quit the church’s financing of Babylon and its errors via large annual dues payments?

· Elder Mason says we have gone on forbidden ground in letting Babylon’s leaders speak in our churches, so what about the strictly forbidden ground (Isaiah 8:9-12) of joining their ecumenical associations? Isn’t that like straining at a knat while swallowing a camel, especially when Ellen White said we are not even to hear their counsel?

· The gist of Mason’s teaching in the video under critique is that we can be married to Babylon’s associations, but we are going on forbidden ground to let their leaders speak in our churches and institutions!

· "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.

· Did the church become Laodicean?

· Did the church transcend lukewarmness to cold apostasy? Is that worse for a church that knows the truth, than for a church that has never heard the truth?

· It should be an empirical fact to those with spiritual discernment that for all of the above reasons and many more abominations of the church which we are to sigh and cry for, that Elder Ted Wilson’s heart stent, as defined by Elder Moses Mason, is far too little, far too late. It should be remembered that even Satan wanted to repent after it was too late, but Ellen White says that he was not truly repentant. If Elder Ted Wilson was truly repentant for all the abominations, he would remove them all from the church and cease any and all of the many ecumenical ties the church is involved in.

· Elder Mason quotes Ellen White on how SDA’s are doing the same thing the Jews did on the banks of the Jordan, calling this a type/antitype situation over and over again, allthewhile denying the fateful antitypical parallel to the Jews in the type! This is not sound teaching. This is being a self-contradictory demagogue, saying yea and nay at the same time, and God’s Word forbids such duality and admixing of falsehood with truth.

· Elder Mason and Elder Ted Wilson won’t change the antichrist Trinity Doctrine adopted by the church in 1980.

· Ellen White says that nothing would be allowed to stand in the way of the new movement, and neither Mason nor Wilson will do that!

What Happened in the Type That Elder Mason Refers To?

History, the Bible and the Spirit of Prophecy, are not short shrifted on providing clear evidence as to what happened to apostate Israel. If you want a quick, concentrated lesson on this serious question, read Chapter 1, of The Great Controversy. Indeed, Elder Mason is entirely correct in saying that modern-day Israel (the professing SDA church) is in a type/antitype parallel with ancient apostate Israel. But he is not consistent in application of the ANTITYPE of ancient Israel’s experience to SDA’s. Ellen White is consistent. She tells it like it is:

"Study the 9th chapter of Ezekiel. These words will be literally fulfilled yet the time is passing, and the people are asleep. They refuse to humble their souls and to be converted. Not a great while longer will the Lord bear with the people who have such great and important truths revealed to them, but who refuse to bring these truths into their individual experience. The time is short. God is calling will YOU hear? Will YOU receive His message? Will YOU be converted before it is too late? Soon, very soon, every case will be decided for eternity. Letter 106, 1909, pp. 2, 3, 5, 7. (To "The churches in Oakland and Berkeley, September 26, 1909.)" E. G. White Manuscript Releases Volume One, p. 260.

“The time will soon come when the prophecy of Ezekiel 9 will be fulfilled; that prophecy should be carefully studied, for it will be fulfilled to the very letter.”— Ellen G. White 1888 Materials, p. 1303.

The Signs of the Times, February 12, 1880: “The desolation of Jerusalem stands as a solemn warning before the eyes of modern Israel.”

“The desolation of Jerusalem in the days of Jeremiah is a solemn warning to modern Israel, that the counsels and admonitions given them through chosen instrumentalities cannot be disregarded with impunity.” Prophets and Kings, 416.

Corporate Repentance Was Rejected When it Was Still Possible

New movement leaders such as Roy Adams and a host of other leaders and laymen teach that there is no such thing as "Corporate Repentance." The Jesuits also deny this doctrine. Adventists too deny corporate repentance because by confessing this important truth they will have to confess their evil deeds which they have done in the past and also in the present. Corporate repentance was a testing message when not one, but two Jonah’s (Robert J. Weiland and Donald K. Shirt) supplicate SDA church leaders in the 1950’s, before any ecumenical liaison with Babylon, and gave them a very thick documentation from the Bible and the Spirit of prophecy on the truth of corporate responsibility in relation to the church’s need to corporately repent for rejecting righteousness by faith in 1888. The leaders rejected the message of these Jonah’s out of hand! So things got worse! Then the Evangelical Conferences took place and huge compromises resulted in the adoption of antichrist doctrines.

Corporate Repentance Built In the Organizational Structure

Ellen White states that we are responsible for the leaders we choose. Allow me to quote Mrs. White addressing the church on this topic.

"Every member of the church has a voice in choosing officers of the church. The church chooses the officers of the state conferences. Delegates chosen by the state conferences choose the officers of the union conferences, and delegates chosen by the union conferences choose the officers of the General Conference. By this arrangement every conference, every institution, every church, and every individual, either directly or through representatives, has a voice in the election of the men who bear the chief responsibilities in the General Conference." Testimonies, vol. 8, p. 236-237.

That, my friend, is why every member of the church is corporately responsible for the apostasies brought into the church by its leaders.

"The plain straight testimony must live in the church, or the curse of God will rest upon His people as surely as it did upon ancient Israel because of their sins. God holds His people, as a body [corporately], responsible for the sins existing in individuals among them." Testimonies, vol. 3, p. 269.

"The names of those who sin and refuse to repent should not be retained on the church books, lest the saints be held accountable for their evil deeds. Those who pursue a course of transgression should be visited and labored with, and if they then refuse to repent, they should be separated from church fellowship, in accordance with the rules laid down in the Word of God." {11MR 208.3}

Some might say that it does not work this way today, well if it doesn’t work exactly this way, you are in a new movement. And if it does then the church should be held corporately responsible for retaining such corrupt leaders. Again Mrs. White states:

"In our largest churches the greatest evils exist, because these have had the greatest light. They have not a true knowledge of God, and of Jesus Christ whom he has sent. The leaven of unbelief is working, and unless these evils which bring the displeasure of God are corrected in its members, the whole church stands accountable for them. The deep moving of the Spirit of God are not with them; the glorious presence of the King of saints, and his power to cleanse from all moral defilement, are not manifest among them." Review & Herald, vol. 2, Dec. 23, 1890.

"The headquarters of our church, affect the whole body of believers. If the physical heart is healthy, the blood that is sent from it through the system is also healthy; but if this fountain is impure, the whole organism becomes diseased by the poison of the vital fluid. So it is with us. If the heart of the work becomes corrupt, the whole church, in its various branches and interests, scattered abroad over the face of the earth, suffers in consequence." Testimonies vol. 4, p. 210.

Corporate Repentance Denied and Rejected by the Leaders

According to Roy Adams, associate editor of the Adventist Review, in his book, The Nature of Christ, (which the highest leaders in Seventh-day Adventism endorse) he blatantly ridicules and denies that the New Testament offers no support for the teaching of Corporate Repentance.

"Corporate repentance -- who demands it of us, I make bold to say it. Not the Lord! And is there any significance to the fact that the New Testament offers us not a single authentic example of general corporate confession?" Roy Adams, Ibid. 104, 112.

New Teachings For a New Movement

This teaching is recent in nature, it started with the downhill apostasy, which began in 1956-57 and has no support from the Bible and the Spirit of Prophecy. The New Testament Act of the disciples in the upper room experience is a distinct example of general corporate repentance! The three angel's messages of Revelation chapter fourteen is a corporate and individual call to repentance. The first angel's message sounded in 1844, and the corporate church repented not. But God's people, as few as there were, individually repented, and left the churches. Ellen White said:

"When the churches spurned the counsel of God by rejecting the advent message, the Lord rejected them. The first angel was followed by a second, proclaiming, "Babylon is fallen, is fallen, that great city, because she made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication."[1 REV. 14:8] This message was understood by Adventists to be an announcement of the moral fall of the churches in consequence of their rejection of the first message. The proclamation, "Babylon is fallen," was given in the summer of 1844, and as the result, about fifty thousand withdrew from these churches." Spirit of Prophecy, vol. 4, p. 232.

In Matthew 23: 29-35, Christ denounced the scribes and the Pharisees on the behalf of their hypocrisy, rejection of the truth and seeking to kill him. By doing this they continued in the course of their forefathers’ sins. They were corporately responsible which should have led them to corporately repent. Consider Exodus 20:5 and the following statement from Ellen White.

"Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me."

"It is inevitable that children should suffer from the consequences of parental wrongdoing, but they are not punished for the parents' guilt, except as they participate in their sins." Patriarchs and Prophets, p. 306.

Today the SDA church has taken the relay stick of the false gospel of the Evangelical's, and the Catholic's and they have almost completed the race to Rome. For all those who boast about the growth of the church since Net 96', remember that the Pharisees were zealous proselytizers.

"Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye compass sea and land to make one proselyte, and when he is made, ye make him twofold more the child of hell than." yourselves." Matthew 23:15.

The State of the Church

"From the sole of the foot even unto the head there is no soundness in it; but wounds, and bruises, and putrefying sores: they have not been closed, neither bound up, neither mollified with ointment." Isaiah 1:6.

"For the leaders of this people cause them to err; and they that are led of them are destroyed." Isa. 9:6.

"Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober." I Th. 5:6.

"Lest coming suddenly he find you sleeping. And what I say unto you I say unto all, Watch." Mark 13:36,37.

"Shake off your spiritual lethargy. Work with all your might to save your own souls and the souls of others. It is no time now to cry, "Peace and safety." It is not silver-tongued orators that are needed to give this message. The truth in all its pointed severity must be spoken." E.G. White, Testimonies for the Church, vol. 5, p. 187.

Were it not for corporate responsibility, Ezekiel 9 would not begin at the Lord’s Sanctuary. It would begin with faulty individuals on an individual basis.

"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 for the Church, vol. 5, p. 211.

And again for important emphasis, I cite the following prophesied fate of the professing SDA church, which is the true parallel in the type/antitype situation between apostate Israel and modern day spiritual Israel, which Elder Moses Mason contradicts and thereby denies.

Is The Church Too Big and Too Necessary to Fail?

In the business world, we often hear the expression “too big to fail.” Most Adventists, like the apostate Jews, feel that THE TEMPLE, THE SANCTUARY, THE SDA CHURCH, is too big to fail. That is a deception of Satan. The members seem to think that no matter what the church leaders do, God is stuck with them and needs them to finish the work. That could not be further from the truth. It is true that for the sake of the experience of the members, God wants them to have a part in finishing the work, but He does not need anything:

"The Lord Jesus will always have a chosen people to serve Him. When the Jewish people rejected Christ, the Prince of life. He took from them the kingdom of God and gave it unto the Gentiles. God will continue to work on this principle with every branch of His work. When a church proves unfaithful to the work of the Lord, whatever their position may be, however high and sacred their calling, the Lord can no longer work with them. Others are then chosen to bear important responsibilities. But, if these in turn do not purify their lives from every wrong action, if they do not establish pure and holy principles in all their borders, then the Lord will grievously afflict and humble them and, unless they repent, will remove them from their place and make them a reproach.

God is not 'worshipped with men's hands, as though he needed any thing' (Acts 17:25). E. G. White, The Upward Look, 131.

At the destruction of Jersuaelm, A.D. 70, even while the Romans were battering down the 24ft. thick gates to the city, the church leaders were telling the Jews not to fear for they were in God’s church and that the Romans would never penetrate those gates. That same dirge of Satan is being chimed by SDA leaders and members today!

Zechariah 4:6
Then he answered and spake unto me, saying, This is the word of the LORD unto Zerubbabel, saying, Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the LORD of hosts.

In the times of the Jews, the gospel was taken to the then known world by the 12 disciples, the 70 and the 120. God proved that He did not need numbers. At the end-time, the work will be spear-headed by a literal 144,000 faithful remnant Seventh-day Adventists who separate from apostate structure, just as Christ and His followers did. It is indeed a type/antitype situation!

"Christ was a protestant...The Reformers date back to Christ and the apostles. They came out and separated themselves from a religion of forms and ceremonies. Luther and his followers did not invent the reformed religion. They simply accepted it as presented by Christ and the apostles." E.G. White, Review and Herald, vol. 2, 48, col. 2.

"The Sanhedrin had rejected Christ's message and was bent upon His death therefore Jesus departed from Jerusalem, from the priests, the temple, the religious leaders, the people who had been instructed in the law, and turned to another class to proclaim His message, and to gather out those who should carry the gospel to all nations.

As the light and life of men was rejected by the ecclesiastical authorities in the days of Christ, so it has been rejected in every succeeding generation. Again and again the history of Christ's withdrawal from Judea has been repeated. When the Reformers preached the word of God, they had no thought of separating themselves from the established church but the religious leaders would not tolerate the light, and those that bore it were forced to seek another class, who were longing for the truth. In our day few of the professed followers of the Reformers are actuated by their spirit. Few are listening for the voice of God, and ready to accept truth in whatever guise it may be presented. Often those who follow in the steps of the Reformers are forced to turn away from the churches they love, in order to declare the plain teaching of the word of God. And many times those who are seeking for light are by the same teaching obliged to leave the church of their fathers, that they may render obedience." E.G. White, Desire of Ages, 232.

"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 Israel witnessed the corrupt course of the priests, they thought it safer for their families not to come up to the appointed place of worship. Many went from Shiloh with their peace disturbed, their indignation aroused, until they at last determined to offer their sacrifices themselves, concluding that this would be fully as acceptable to God, as to sanction in any manner the abominations practiced in the Sanctuary." E.G. White, The Signs of the Times, vol. 1, p. 264, col. 3, December 1, 1881.

"'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.

"Saved into the church.--The world to which we belong by birth is hostile to God and under condemnation. Therefore, in order to save us, the cross must deliver us from the world and place us in the church, the body of Christ. Every other aspect of salvation is based upon this fact. The gospel delivers us not primarily from hell to heaven, nor from death to life, but from the world to the church. As a subjective experience, this is always the first step of our salvation. Christ will never take us to heaven as individuals, but only as members of His church." Jack Sequeira, SDA Pastor, Beyond Belief, p. 115.

The above teaching is directly contradictory to Ellen White's teaching:

"We ARE NOT saved as a sect; no denominational name has any virtue to bring us into favor with God. We are saved individually as believers in the Lord Jesus Christ." E.G. White, Review and Herald Articles, vol. 2, p. 464.

Paul left

"And as they persisted in their rejection of the gospel the apostle (Paul) went into the synagogue, and spake boldly for the space for three months, disputing and persuading the things concerning the kingdom of God. But when divers were hardened, and believed not, but spake evil of that way before the multitude, he departed from them, and separated the disciples, disputing daily in the school of one Tyrannus." Acts, 19:8, 9.

"Fearing that the faith of the believers would be endangered by continued association with these opposers of the truth, Paul separated from them, and gathered the disciples into a distinct body." E.G. White, Acts of the Apostles, p. 286.

Fear and Shun "'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.

"We should never give sanction to sin by our words, our deeds, our silence or our presence." Desire of Ages, 152.

"Even though you may not be able to speak a word to those who are working on wrong principles, leave them. Your withdrawal and silence may do more than words. Nehemiah refused to associate with those who were untrue to principle, and he would not permit his workmen to associate with them. The love and fear of God were his safeguard-Dare to be a Daniel, Dare to stand alone. Thus as did Moses, you will endure the seeing of Him who is invisible. But a cowardly and silent reserve before evil associates, while you listen to their devices makes you one with them Come out from among them and be separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, and will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty." Review & Herald Vol. 4, p. 42.

There is a lot of serious evidence that Elder Mason omits and the consequences will not be a pretty picture for those who follow his lead. Many men, maidens and little children will perish because of his errancy in not dealing with all the weight of evidence interpreted so that nothing contradicts. In light of all the above evidence with much more I could have cited. I would ask Elders Mason and Wilson if they are more interested in protecting a vocation than defending the pure truth, or if they have just been neglectful in searching out all the weight of evidence and presenting it so that nothing contradicts as Ellen White advises, saying that is the only way we can KNOW we are right.

Weight of Evidence Formula: "1. Every word must have its proper bearing on the subject presented in the Bible 2. All Scripture is necessary, and may be understood by diligent application and study 3. Nothing revealed in Scripture can or will be hid from those who ask in faith, not wavering 4. To understand doctrine, bring all the scriptures together on the subject you wish to know, then let every word have its proper influence and if you can form your theory without a contradiction, you cannot be in error 5. Scripture must be its own expositor, [interpreter] since it is a rule of itself. If I depend on a teacher to expound to me, and he should guess at its meaning, or desire to have it so on account of his sectarian creed, or to be thought wise, then his guessing, desire, creed, or wisdom is my rule, and not the Bible." E.G. White, Second Advent Review and Herald, 11-25-84, pr. 24.

—rwb