Ted Wilson Says God
Deals With His Church as a Corporate Body | How Does That Affect You and Your
Salvation in Regard to the Apostasy of the Church?
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What follows is a most interesting statement
in light of all the times many SDA's, including the leadership, have denied
corporate responsibility! What this means is that every member of the SDA
church is corporately responsible for the antichrist apostasy of the church
leaders since the mid 1950’s.
It is all even more interesting in light of
the fact that in the early 1950’s, Elders Robert J. Weiland and Donald K.
Short, presented a long manuscript to church leaders on corporate
responsibility and the leaders rejected their manuscript and the principle of
corporate responsibility out of hand! This Biblical principle has yet to be
formally voted upon and accepted by the church body.
"God deals with His church today as a
corporate body. If we are to receive the latter rain power of the Holy Spirit
today, the body and the leadership must be on the same page. God has been ready
for years to give His people the latter rain. He has been waiting for us to get
ourselves together. If we would only press together in seeking the promised
power, pray for each other and stand united, shoulder to shoulder, the power
would be given, the work would be finished quickly and we would enter the
kingdom soon. It will happen and the glory will be given to God alone."
--Ted N. C. Wilson is president of the
Seventh-day Adventist world church as of the time of this item—2011.
The above statement is excerpted from the
article at this link: http://news.adventist.org/2011/08/-luke-tells-us-twice.html
If the church now agrees with the principle of
corporate responsibility, then its members are responsible for the apostasy of
the church whether or not the leaders believe the apostasy is just in the
church, or that the church is in apostasy, which is the case! But since SDA
leaders say that the church is not in apostasy, there is a whole lot of DOUBLE
SPEAK going on! Out of one side of the mouth (at least Ted Wilson’s mouth) the
church is saying that God deals with the church as a corporate body, and out of
the other side the leaders are saying that the church is not in apostasy, but
that there is only apostasy in the church. Corporate responsibility accrues
either way! They are caught in a “catch 22” on this serious matter. The sword
is at their throat and cuts whichever way it is moved.
"There
are fearful woes for those who preach the truth, but are not sanctified by it,
and also for those who consent to receive and maintain the unsanctified to
minister to them in word and doctrine." Testimonies, vol. 1, p 261-62.
“The
Lord said to Joshua, ‘Neither will I be with you any more, except ye destroy
the accursed from among you.’ The defects
of character in any member of the church, or in the minister, are charged to
the church if the church make light of the defects. If you place
Elder Daniels over the church as a minister, you, as a church, assume his
defects, you make them your own, and the whole church stands under the rebuke
of God, even as ancient Israel was under his rebuke on account of the sin of
Achan. But your case will be more
grievous than theirs, because you knew the evil, yet hid your eyes from it and
walked contrary to the will of God.” {PH028
5.4}
It is making light of defects when they involve apostasy
and the church tolerates the ring leaders and the apostasy they bring into the
church.
"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}
"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.
“Achan’s
sin brought disaster upon the whole nation. For one man’s sin the displeasure
of God will rest upon His church till the transgression is searched out and put
away. The influence most to be feared by the church is not that of open
opposers, infidels, and blasphemers, but of inconsistent professors of Christ.
These are the ones that keep back the blessing of the God of Israel and bring
weakness upon His people.” {PP 497.2}
“When the church is in difficulty, when coldness and
spiritual declension exist, giving occasion for the enemies of God to triumph,
then, instead of folding their hands and lamenting their unhappy state, let its
members inquire if there is not an Achan in the camp. With humiliation and
searching of heart, let each seek to discover the hidden sins that shut out
God’s presence.” {PP
497.3}
Corporate Responsibility Found
in Scripture
In addition to the account of Achan, we have the following example
of how God held Israel corporately responsible for all the blood from righteous
Abel on down:
Mat 23:33 Ye serpents, ye
generation of vipers, how can ye escape the damnation of hell?
Mat 23:34 Wherefore,
behold, I send unto you prophets, and wise men, and scribes: and some of them
ye shall kill and crucify; and some of them shall ye scourge in your
synagogues, and persecute them from city to city:
Mat 23:35 That upon you may come all the righteous blood shed upon the
earth, from the blood of righteous Abel unto the blood of Zacharias son of
Barachias, whom ye slew between the temple and the altar.
Mat 23:36 Verily I say
unto you, All these things shall come upon this generation.
Mat 23:37 ¶ O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the
prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have
gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her
wings, and ye would not!
Mat 23:38 Behold, your
house is left unto you desolate.
Ellen White on Corporate
Responsibility
"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}
“Achan’s sin brought disaster upon the whole nation. For one
man’s sin the displeasure of God will rest upon His church till the
transgression is searched out and put away. The influence most to be feared by
the church is not that of open opposers, infidels, and blasphemers, but of
inconsistent professors of Christ. These are the ones that keep back the
blessing of the God of Israel and bring weakness upon His people.” {PP 497.2}
“When
the church is in difficulty, when coldness and spiritual declension exist,
giving occasion for the enemies of God to triumph, then, instead of folding
their hands and lamenting their unhappy state, let its members inquire if there
is not an Achan in the camp. With humiliation and searching of heart, let each
seek to discover the hidden sins that shut out God’s presence.” {PP 497.3}
"When
I say unto the wicked, Thou shalt surely die and thou givest
him not warning, nor speakest to warn the wicked from
his wicked way, to save his life the same wicked man shall die in his iniquity
but his blood will I require at thine hand. Yet if thou warn the wicked, and he
turn not from his wickedness, nor from his wicked way, he shall die in his
iniquity but thou hast delivered thy soul." Ezekiel 3:18-19.
In the
church that is the real bride of Christ, “no soul can be made independent of the
rest,” because Christ is the head and
the bride is His body. Thus there is corporate responsibility in the true
church, amongst the true body of Christ.
“It is of the highest importance that the youth
understand that Christ’s people are to be united in one; for this unity binds
men to God by the golden cords of love, and lays each one under obligation to
work for his fellow men. The Captain of our salvation died for the human race
that men might be made one with Him and with each other. As members of the human
family we are individual parts of one mighty whole. No
soul can be made independent of the rest. There is to be no party strife in the family of
God; for the well-being of each is the happiness of the whole. No partition
walls are to be built up between man and man. Christ as the great center must
unite all in one. {FE 479.1}
When do MEMBERS become
corporately responsible for the apostasy of the church? They become corporately
responsible WHEN THEY LEARN THE TRUTH ABOUT THE APOSTASY. And they are corporately responsible as long as they
remain MEMBERS. This is why Jesus and His disciples separated from the apostate
Jewish organization:
“Christ was a protestant. He
protested against the formal worship of the Jewish nation, who rejected the
counsel of God against themselves. He told them that they taught for doctrines
the commandments of men, and that they were pretenders and hypocrites. Like
whited sepulchers they were beautiful without, but within full of impurity and
corruption. 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. The Bible is presented to us
as a sufficient guide; but the pope and his workers remove it from the people
as if it were a curse, because it exposes their pretensions and rebukes their
idolatry.” {RH, June 1, 1886 par. 14}
When a corporate church engages apostasy and will not put
it away and out of the camp, the faithful must leave or be corporately
responsible. This is the reason Christ and His disciples left. This is why Paul
left. This is why Protestants left Rome. This is why Adventists left the other
churches in 1844, when they would not tolerate light.
Jesus Left
"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.
Paul Left
“And he went into the synagogue, and spake boldly for the
space of three months, disputing and persuading the things concerning the
kingdom of God. 9But 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. 285, 286.
"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.
"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 Disciples Separated and Formed Home Churches
Scripture on Home Churches
Act 16:32 And they spake unto
him the word of the Lord, and to all that were in his house.
Act 16:34 And when he had
brought them into his house, he set meat before them, and rejoiced, believing
in God with all his house.
Act 16:40 And they went out of
the prison, and entered into [the house of] Lydia: and when they had seen the
brethren, they comforted them, and departed.
Act 18:7 And he departed
thence, and entered into a certain [man's] house, named Justus, [one] that
worshipped God, whose house joined hard to the synagogue.
Rom 16:5 Likewise [greet] the
church that is in their house. Salute my well beloved Epaenetus, who is the
firstfruits of Achaia unto Christ.
1Cr 1:11 For it hath been
declared unto me of you, my brethren, by them [which are of the house] of
Chloe, that there are contentions among you.
1Cr 16:15 I beseech you,
brethren, (ye know the house of Stephanas, that it is the firstfruits of
Achaia, and [that] they have addicted themselves to the ministry of the
saints,)
1Cr 16:19 The churches of Asia
salute you. Aquila and Priscilla salute you much in the Lord, with the church
that is in their house.
Ellen White on Home Churches in the Alpha of Apostasy
When the young men and women
were kept away from the Alpha of apostasy in the church, what did they do and
where did they meet for worship?
"There is a little hope
in one direction: Take the young men and women, and place them where they will
come as little in contact with our churches as possible, that the low grade of
piety which is current in this day shall not leaven their ideas of what it
means to be a Christian." E.G. White, Manuscript Release #995, p.
5.
"Brother and sister
Haskell have rented a house in one of the best parts of the city, and have
gathered round them a family of helpers, who day by day go out giving Bible
readings, selling our papers, and doing medical missionary work. During the
hour of worship, the workers relate their experiences. Bible studies are
regularly conducted in the home, and THE YOUNG MEN AND YOUNG WOMEN connected
with the mission receive a practical, thorough training in holding Bible readings
and in selling our publications. The Lord has blessed their labors, a number
have embraced the truth, and many others are deeply interested." Review and
Herald,
September 7, 1905, Evangelism, p. 108.
What in the world would she do
in the Omega Apostasy which was to be and indeed is far worse and was
prophesied to wax stronger until Jesus comes?
"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.
Some have claimed that they
are going to stay and correct the wrong. Are they going to prove Ellen White a false
prophet, wherein she says (below) that the apostasy will WAX STRONGER UNTIL
JESUS COMES? One man, a theology student at Canadian Union College University
at the time, told me he was not only going to rock the boat. He was going to
sink the ship! That was in the mid 1980’s and he never did become a pastor.
Then some claim it is cowardly to leave. Does that mean that Jesus and His
disciples were cowards? Does that mean all who come out of the other fallen
churches are cowards? Does that mean that the final faithful remnant who come
out of once spiritual Jerusalem (See Isaiah 37 further down) are cowards?
Wax stronger "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).
"The enemy will set everything in operation to
uproot the confidence of the believers in the pillars of our faith in the
messages of the past, which have placed us upon
the elevated platform of eternal truth, and which have established and given
character to the work. The Lord God of Israel has led out His people, unfolding
to them truth of heavenly origin." "The truth for this time is
precious, but those whose hearts have not been broken by falling on the Rock
Christ Jesus, will not see and understand what is truth. They will accept that
which pleases their ideas, and will begin to manufacture another foundation
than that which is laid. They will flatter their own vanity and esteem, thinking that
they are capable of removing the pillars of our faith, and replacing them with
pillars they have devised. This will continue to be as long as time
shall last." Notebook,
Leaflets, pp. 61-62.
The above example of Jesus and His followers is the only
way one can avoid CORPORATE RESPONSIBILITY for the abominable apostasy of the
SDA and all other churches at the end-time. There is one more coming out of a
faithful remnant from JERUSALEM, in addition to the one out of Babylon:
Isa 37:31 And the remnant that is escaped of the house
of Judah shall again take root downward, and bear fruit upward:
Isa 37:32 For out of Jerusalem shall go forth a
remnant, and they that escape out of mount Zion: the zeal of the LORD of hosts
shall do this.
How Your Salvation is Affected by the Apostasy of the Church
Many members of the church
view it as a social club. They are not cognizant of the serious implications of
belonging to a church organization that is in apostasy. However, this is a very
serious matter. In the historical example of apostate Israel, God has given us
a proto-type, a prefigure, a TYPE if you will, of exactly how He is going to
deal with the final SDA church. In The Great Controversy, p. 25, we find
that God regards this issue as so serious that He has given us a PREFIGURE
example to go by. You don’t have to go by my personal opinion or that of any
man. This fact should be of great comfort to you as you make your decision as
to what to do about the apostate Seventh-day Adventist church.
The following statement is in
reference to the Ezekiel 9 destruction of the apostate Temple and Jerusalem in
A.D. 70. Ezekiel 9 could not possibly have had any fulfillment before that date
because the 490 years of probation for Israel (Daniel 9) did not end until A.D.
34, and God would not destroy His once chosen people before their probation was
ended. Ellen White said that Ezekiel 9 would have another LITERAL FULFILLMENT,
so you had best pay very close study to what happened in the last PREFIGURE
LITERAL FULFILLMENT in order to know what will happen in the antitypical
literal fulfillment.
“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.
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
Page 26
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.
Where the PREFIGURED TERRORS of the Last
Great Day Begin
The
context of the following statement is found on page 209 5T, where Ellen White
begins the Chapter by quoting Ezekiel 9.
"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.
In the prefigure example of Israel’s experience, all the faithful left
the apostate church. If that was a PREFIGURE, then it was a TYPE for us to
follow lest we be among the men, maidens and little children who are
slaughtered without mercy at the apostate church, the House of Jacob. In the
prefigure, a faithful remnant left apostate Jerusalem:
Isa 37:31 And the remnant that
is escaped of the house of Judah shall again take root downward, and bear fruit
upward:
Isa 37:32 For out of Jerusalem
shall go forth a remnant, and they that escape out of mount Zion: the zeal of
the LORD of hosts shall do this.
The Reason Why
Ezekiel 9 Begins at the SDA Church
proʊˈlɛpsɪsShow
Spelled[proh-lep-sis] Show
IPA
noun, plural pro·lep·ses -sizShow
Spelled[-seez] Show
IPA.
1. Rhetoric . the anticipation of possible
objections in order to answer them in advance.
2.
the assigning of a person, event, etc., to a period earlier
than the actual one; the representation of something in the future as if it
already existed or had occurred; prochronism.
3. the use of a descriptive word in
anticipation of its becoming applicable.
4. a fundamental conception or
assumption in Epicureanism or Stoicism arising spontaneously in the mind
without conscious reflection; thought provoked by sense perception.
5. Pathology . the return of an attack of a periodic
disease or of a paroxysm before the expected time or at progressively shorter
intervals.
PROLEPSIS
PROPHETIC STATEMENT:
Here is the Spirit of Prophecy prophesied prolepsis
statement regarding the final fate of that once Noble Ship. This is a major
LYNCHPIN to my warning message. Can you explain it away? Are you a passenger on
this once NOBLE SHIP, that is about to sink to rise no more? NOTICE WHO SEPARATES FROM WHOM:
"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].
Note these important delineations in
the above statement:
·
Ellen
White is addressing HIS PEOPLE.
·
Ellen
White is addressing those to whom God committed the EVERLASTING GOSPEL of
Revelation 14.
·
Ellen
White is defining the angel represented in prophecy as symbolizing a class of
faithful men.
·
Ellen
White is saying emphatically that the final Loud Cry message is delivered NOT
BY THE LEADERS OF THE SDA CHURCH, but by a class of faithful men, because
the leaders had failed to preserve their connection with God and had refused
light from heaven!
·
Ellen
White is addressing "watchmen upon the walls of Zion," NOT FALLEN
BABYLON!
·
Twice
Ellen White mentions HIS CHURCH, NOT FALLEN BABYLON.
·
Ezekiel 9 BEGINS at God’s once chosen people, the
professing SDA church, because it REFUSED TO COMPLY WITH THE CONDITONS.
·
The SDA church departs from God and SEPARATED THEMSELVES
FROM HIS LOVE.
·
It is the MEMBERS of
said church that SEPARATE FROM GOD, AND THAT IS WHY WE HAVE TO SEPARATE FROM
THEM OR BE CORPORATELY RESPONSIBLE FOR THEIR APOSTASY.
·
The above reasons
are why there is another coming out of a faithful remnant FROM APOSTATE
JERUSALEM AS WELL AS FALLEN BABYLON.
·
Isa 37:31 And the remnant that is escaped of the house
of Judah shall again take root downward, and bear fruit upward:
·
Isa 37:32 For out of Jerusalem shall go forth a
remnant, and they that escape out of mount Zion: the zeal of the LORD of hosts
shall do this.
Ellen White is addressing a BACKSLIDING CHURCH
whose leaders and laity alike failed and rejected light from heaven and
who refused to comply with the conditions so that God's promises are not
fulfilled to them. Consider the following commentary on the 1884 Great
Controversy that the above statement is quoted from:
“Consider for a few moments the chapter in the
first edition of Great Controversy, Volume IV, published by Pacific
Press in 1884. In Chapter XXVII, ‘The Snares of Satan,’ you find that about
four pages in the latter part of the chapter were omitted from the later
editions of Great Controversy. These four pages are to be found in Testimonies
to Ministers, pages 472 to 475. The information contained in these four
pages is very valuable to Seventh-day Adventists and was very appropriately
included in the first edition of Great Controversy, Volume IV, which
when it was published was like the other volumes considered to be A MESSAGE
ESPECIALLY TO SEVENTH-DAY ADVENTISTS, and to [all] Christian people
sympathizing with them in beliefs and aims.” W. C. White, Selected Messages,
Appendix C, pp. 452, 453.
It is more than of mere passing interest that the
General Conference let the copyright of the book Spiritual Gifts, Vol.
4, expire. Why would you suppose that occurred? Then an Adventist doctor began
to publish it again because of the seriousness of the above statement about the
final outcome of the church. The church sued the doctor, but the doctor won. So
the church began to publish the book again.
Study Ezekiel 9
"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.
"In the very courts of the temple, scenes will
be enacted that few realize. God's people will be proved and tested, that He
may discern 'between him that serveth God and him that serveth Him not.'
Vengeance will be executed against those who sit in the gate, deciding what the
people should have and what they should not have. These take away the key of knowledge. They refuse to enter in themselves, and those who would enter in they
hinder. These bear not the seal of the living God. All who now occupy
responsible positions should be solemnly and terribly afraid lest in this time
they shall be found as unfaithful stewards." E.G. White, Manuscript 15,
1886, Paulson Collection, p. 55.
The key of knowledge is faith that works by love
for Christ and His commandments. That is the opposite of cheap grace which has
become the prevailing false gospel in the current SDA church.
“Christ
foretold the destruction of Jerusalem, as well as of the temple. His words were
spoken in the hearing of a large number of people; but when He was again alone,
Peter, James, John, and Andrew came to Him, saying, “Tell us, when shall these
things be? and what shall be the sign of Thy coming, and of the end of the
world?
Jesus
did not answer His disciples by taking up separately the destruction of
Jerusalem, and the last great day of His coming. The city of Jerusalem
represented the world, and the utterances regarding its destruction are to be
connected with the world’s more terrible destruction. In speaking of Jerusalem,
His prophetic words reached beyond that
event to the conflagration that will take place in that day when the Lord shall
rise “out of His place to punish the inhabitants of the earth for their
iniquity.” The description of the two events
is mingled, and the entire subject is a warning to those who shall live in the
last scenes of earth’s history....The
events that took place at the overthrow of Jerusalem will be repeated.” {ST
February 20, 1901}
At the
first literal fulfillment of Ezekiel 9 in A.D. 70, all true Christians had
begun to leave the apostate Jewish organization from A.D. 34 on, and formed
home churches. However, as one of the first acts of His ministry, Jesus
gathered out His disciples. Desire of
Ages, 232.
Then in
A.D. 66, all true Christians fled to Pella in Perea, and were saved. True
prophets had warned them of when to flee. This same process must be fulfilled
with all true Christians at the end-time. They all must flee the organized
churches because all of them will be doing their own thing (apostasy) at the
end-time. This is proven by Isaiah 4:1-4, where women symbolize the organized
churches. And always remember that Isaiah 37:31, 32 and Isaiah 4:1-4 don’t
contradict! Isaiah 37:31, 32 applies to us all as much as it did to the ancient
Jews.
Ellen
White and the pioneers hoped that they were the final remnant of Isaiah 37:31,
32, and that there would be no other coming out. But that was not the case.
There were to be two calls to the world. There was the Midnight Cry in 1844,
and there is to be a repeat of that call:
Midnight Cry
Repeated:
"My mind was carried to the FUTURE, when the signal WILL BE GIVEN,
'Behold, the Bridegroom cometh God ye out to meet Him.'" E.G. White, Review
and Herald, Vol. 3, p. 331, Feb. 11, 1896. Notice the date, Feb. 11, 1896.
[Rev. 18:1, 2, 4, quoted.] This scripture points forward to a time when
the announcement of the fall of Babylon, as made by the second angel of
Revelation 14 (verse 8), is to be repeated, with the
additional mention of the corruptions which have been entering the various
organizations that constitute Babylon, since that message was first given, in
the summer of 1844. . . . These announcements, uniting with the third angel's
message, constitute the final warning to be given to the inhabitants of the
earth. . . . {LDE 199.2}
"The parable of the wise and foolish virgins
comes as a solemn warning to EVERY CHURCH. In the parable, all the ten virgins
went out to meet their Lord. All had lamps, and vessels for oil. For a time
there was seen no difference between them. So with the church that lives just
before Christ's second coming. All have a knowledge of the Scriptures. All have
heard the message of Christ's soon approach, and confidently expect His
appearing. But as in the parable, so it is NOW. A time of waiting intervenes [the tarrying time],
faith is tried and WHEN THE CRY IS HEARD, [FUTURE] 'BEHOLD, THE BRIDEGROOM
COMETH GO YE OUT TO MEET HIM,' MANY ARE UNREADY. They have no oil in their vessels with
their lamps. They are destitute of the Holy Spirit. Working, waiting, watching,
and praying, this constitutes genuine Christianity." E.G. White, Review and
Herald, Vol. 4, pp. 373-4, January 21, 1902.
Notice the date, January 21, 1902. This was long
after the cry of 1844--and the tarrying time still continues to the next
Midnight Cry of Revelation 18.
Another Coming Out
As stated,
the pioneers hoped that there was not to be another coming out. They hoped to
finish the work. But that was not to be:
Another Coming Out: "As reformers they had
come out of the denominational churches, but
they now act a part similar to that which the churches acted. We hoped that there would not
be the necessity for another coming out." Ellen G. White, The Ellen G. White 1888
Materials, Vol. 1, p. 356-7.
The following statement was made regarding some who
were still attending the fallen churches of the day. This now applies to the
SDA church:
“I was shown the
necessity of those who believe that we are having the last message of mercy, being separate from those who are daily imbibing new
errors. I saw that neither young nor old
should attend their meetings; for it is wrong to thus encourage them while they
teach error that is a deadly poison to the soul and teach for doctrines the
commandments of men. The influence of such gatherings is not good. If God has
delivered us from such darkness and error, we should stand fast in the liberty
wherewith He has set us free and rejoice in the truth. God is displeased with
us when we go to listen to error, without being obliged to go; for unless He
sends us to those meetings where error is forced home to the people by the
power of the will, He will not keep us. The angels cease their watchful care
over us, and we are left to the buffetings of the enemy, to be darkened and
weakened by him and the power of his evil angels; and the light around us
becomes contaminated with the darkness.” {EW 124.3}
Leaders would know truth -- When men close their
eyes to the light that God sends them, they will reject the most evident truth,
and believe the most foolish errors. . . . {11MR 291.4}
The Lord has been appealing to His people in
warnings, in reproofs, in counsels, but their ears have been deaf to the words
of Jesus. Some have said, "If this message that Brother A. T. Jones has
been giving to the church is the truth, why is it that Brother C and Brother D
have not received it, and have not united with him in heralding it? These good
intelligent men would surely know if this were the message of truth."
{11MR 291.5}
Sentiments similar to these were expressed in the
days of Christ, when He came to bear to earth the tidings of salvation. The
people looked to their leaders, and asked, "If this were the truth, would
not the priests and rulers know it?" . . . {11MR 291.6}
In the days of Christ there were many who incurred
deep guilt because they denounced His teaching without carefully investigating
its claims to their attention. . . . {11MR 292.1}
We Are to Follow No One but Christ--When Christ
told Peter what should come upon him because of his faith, Peter turned to
John, and asked, "Lord, and what shall this man do?" The Lord said,
"What is that to thee? Follow thou Me" (John 21:21, 22). If Elder C
or Elder D should reject the message of truth that the Lord has sent to the
people of this time, would their unbelief make the message error?--No. We are
to follow no one but Christ. If men who have occupied leading positions feel at
liberty to despise the message and the messenger, their unbelief is no excuse
for others. Our salvation is an individual work. Neither Brother C, Brother D,
nor any other mortal man can pay a ransom for my soul or yours in the day of
judgment. In that day there will be no excuse to offer for neglecting to
receive the message the Lord sent you. . . . {11MR 292.2}
It is impossible to unite with the corrupt and
remain or become pure:
"It
is IMPOSSIBLE for you to unite with those who are corrupt, and still remain
pure. (II Corinthians 6:14-15 quoted). God and Christ and the heavenly host
would have men know that if he unites with the corrupt he will become
corrupt." E. G. White, Review and
Herald, Vol. 4, p. 137.
Many
Adventists will be lost because they don’t believe the above statement by their
prophet. But you don’t have to take it from Ellen White because the Bible says
that the THORNS will kill the wheat and make it impossible for the wheat to mature.
Do you believe God? Thorns are different from tares, because the tares dwell
with the wheat until the harvest. The thorns are open sinning apostates. Unite
with them and it is impossible to become and/or remain pure.
"Thorns sprung up.--The thorns made it
impossible for the wheat to mature (see Luke 8:14). In the same way
secular interests prevent the fruits of the Spirit (Gal. 5:22, 23) from
reaching maturity. Religion is relegated to the subordinate position of being
only one interest among many. For lack of cultivation it withers and eventually
dies. That which the thorny-ground hearers lack is a moral transformation [E.G.
White, Christ's Object Lessons, p. 50] To them,
justification is the sum and substance of religion, and they fail to realize
that the Christian life consists essentially in the process known as
sanctification--the process by which evil traits and tendencies are replaced by
the perfect life-pattern of Jesus Christ." Seventh-day Adventist Bible
Commentary, vol. 5, 405.
This (above) is precisely what New Movement
Seventh-day Adventists (Selected Messages,
vol.
1, 204-205), teach—that justification is the sum and substance of religion and
that sanctification is not necessary. So Adventists have desired to be like
other churches in subscribing to cheap grace, when the truth of the matter is
that GRACE IS ALSO GIVEN FOR OBEDIENCE AS WELL AS PARDON, Romans 1:5. But they
don’t like this verse! One elder told me that the verse DOES NOT MEAN WHAT IT
SAYS!
“The Lord will not write as wise those who
cannot distinguish between a tree that bears thorn-berries and a tree that
bears olives. Individually, we are
deciding our eternal destiny, deciding whether we shall enjoy the highest honor
that can be given to man, even an eternal weight of glory, or be ranked with
Satan by possessing his character, by dishonoring God because we profess to be
Christians while misrepresenting Christ. Those
who choose to reveal the character of the arch-deceiver identify themselves
with him beyond the possibility of a change, because they choose not to see
themselves as wrong. This was the course that Satan pursued.” {RH September
7, 1897, par. 16}
Separation from the corrupt
“From the instruction given us in the Old and New
Testaments God desires us to learn that we are not to place ourselves, and
those connected with us, in intimate connection with [those] who are corrupt in
thought, word, and action. If workers of limited experience are placed in close
connection with this class, there is danger that they will by beholding become
changed into the same image, that the standard of holiness and truth will be
lowered. There is danger that corruption will cease to appear in its vileness
to those who are trying to bring about a reform, and that the truth will become
confused with that which is common and low. . . .” {CTr 49.2}
“The difference between a good person and a wicked
person is not always caused by natural goodness of disposition. Goodness is the
result of divine power transforming human nature. By believing in Christ, the
fallen race that He has redeemed may obtain that faith that works by love and
purifies the soul from all defilement. Then Christlike attributes appear, for
by beholding Christ people become changed into the same image. . .” {CTr 49.3}
“People who are compelled by circumstances they
cannot control—to be where wickedness, deep and pronounced, is all around
them—may remember that God and the angels are with them. Their only safety is
to keep looking to Jesus, the Author and Finisher of their faith. Their father,
mother, brothers, and sisters may be on the side of the enemy, but they have
the assurance that they are guarded by the Lord. It may cost them their lives
to stand for the truth, yet they will be saved when the wicked are destroyed. .
. .” {CTr 49.4}
“He [Enoch] did not make his abode with the wicked.
He did not locate in Sodom , thinking to save Sodom . He placed himself and his
family where the atmosphere would be as pure as possible. Then at times he went
forth to the inhabitants of the world with his God-given message. Every visit
he made to the world was painful to him. He saw and understood something of the
leprosy of sin. After proclaiming his message, he always took back with him to
his place of retirement some who had received the warning. Some of these became
overcomers and died before the Flood came. But some had lived so long in the
corrupting influence of sin that they could not endure righteousness. They did
not retain their purity of faith, but returned to their former customs and
practices.”—Manuscript 42, 1900. {CTr
- Christ Triumphant 49.5}
May God give you the strength and courage to stand
alone if necessary in your quest to serve and obey Him and be amongst the final
remnant that is saved is my prayer.
~rwb