Our Firm Foundation (200301)

1Volume 18, Number 1

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He that Overcomethe that overcometh, the sameshall be clothed in whiteraiment; and I will not blot

out his name out of the book of life,but I will confess his name beforemy Father, and before his angels.Revelation 3:5.

Overcoming sin is spiritualwarfare. We can be trusted witheternal life only as we overcome allsin in our lives and develop acharacter reflecting the divineImage by the power of the HolySpirit.

Our baptismal vows are adeclaration of war against Satanand his temptations. Satan has nowcome down to each Seventh-dayAdventist with great wrath becausehe knows the end is very near. Incommenting upon a Brother S,Sister White shed some light on thisspiritual warfare and our covenantrelationship with Christ:

The warfare against self is thegreatest battle that was ever fought.The yielding of self, surrenderingall to the will of God and beingclothed with humility, possessingthat love that is pure, peaceable,and easy to be entreated, full ofgentleness and good fruits, is notan easy attainment. And yet it is hisprivilege and his duty to be aperfect overcomer here. The soulmust submit to God before it can berenewed in knowledge and trueholiness. The holy life and charac-ter of Christ is a faithful example.His confidence in His heavenlyFather was unlimited. His obedi-ence and submission were unre-served and perfect. He came not tobe ministered unto, but to ministerto others. He came not to do Hisown will, but the will of Him thatsent Him. In all things He submit-ted Himself to Him that judgethrighteously. From the lips of theSaviour of the world were heardthese words: I can of mine own

self do nothing. John 5:30. Testi-monies, vol. 3, 106107.

Every Seventh-day Adventistmust understand that by ourbaptismal vows we enter into acovenant relationshipan agree-ment to overcome by Gods power:

Can you, dear youth, lookforward with joyful hope andexpectation to the time when theLord, your righteous Judge, shallconfess your name before theFather and before the holy angels?The very best preparation you canhave for Christs second appearingis to rest with firm faith in the greatsalvation brought to us at His firstcoming. You must believe in Christas a personal Saviour.Many of us do not realize thecovenant relation in which westand before God as His people. Weare under the most solemn obliga-tions to represent God and Christ.We are to guard against dishonor-ing God by professing to be Hispeople, and then going directlycontrary to His will. We are gettingready to move. Then let us act as ifwe were. Let us prepare for themansions that Christ has gone toprepare for those that love Him.Our High Calling, 368.

This spiritual warfare has testedbelievers for 6,000 years. Satanstemptations and wrath are strongin this final generation. Only a few(compared to the population) inevery generation have qualified byovercoming. For many are called,but few are chosen. Matthew22:14. See Testimonies, vol. 5, 10, 50,136.

There is no excuse for sinning.A holy temper, a Christlike life, isaccessible to every repenting,believing child of God. The Desireof Ages, 311.

There has never been uncondi-tional pardon for sin: The uncondi-tional pardon of sin never has been,

and never will be. Such pardonwould show the abandonment of theprinciples of righteousness, whichare the very foundation of thegovernment of God. It would fill theunfallen universe with consternation.God has faithfully pointed out theresults of sin, and if these warningswere not true, how could we be surethat His promises would be fulfilled?That so-called benevolence whichwould set aside justice is not benevo-lence but weakness. Patriarchs andProphets, 522.

The strongest temptationcannot excuse sin. However greatthe pressure brought to bear uponthe soul, transgression is our ownact. It is not in the power of earth orhell to compel anyone to do evil.Satan attacks us at our weak points,but we need not be overcome.However severe or unexpected theassault, God has provided help forus, and in His strength we mayconquer. Ibid., 421.

Nothing is apparently morehelpless, yet really more invincible,than the soul that feels its nothing-ness and relies wholly on themerits of the Saviour. By prayer, bythe study of His Word, by faith inHis abiding presence, the weakestof human beings may live incontact with the living Christ, andHe will hold them by a hand thatwill never let go. The Ministry ofHealing, 182.

Our key to survival in the dailyconflict with temptation is ourcovenant relationship with God instudy and prayer, and in ourwitness to the church and to theworld that we are overcomers bythe power of Christ and the in-dwelling of the Holy Spirit. Let uscommit ourselves to be faithful toour baptismal vows today, and maywe renew that commitment dailyas we prepare for the mansionsabove. !

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Volume 18, Number 1 January 2003

It is the mission of Hope International and theeditors of Our Firm Foundation to clearly presentChrist and His truth. The days remaining forthis world are few, and we must work quickly.We must boldly proclaim the historic truths ofAdventism that place us on so firm a founda-tion in the midst of this troubled world.

EditorsExecutive Editor: Ron SpearAdministrative Editor: Bill HumeniukManaging Editor: Harvey SteckLayout & Design: Kevin H. Patterson

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their respective owners, and are used with permission.Other items are Hope International.

Cover photo: Don Farrall / PhotoDisc / PictureQuest

Defending the Faith . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19

Newswatch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22

Letters to the Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31

departments

4 Winds of Doctrine in Prophetic InterpretationColin D. and Russell R. StandishExposing Satans efforts to confuse our understanding ofRevelation, chapter 13.

8 The Way, the Truth, and the LifeEllen G. WhiteThere are many ways, but only the One leads to heaven.

16 The Glorious TransformationFrancis McLellan WilcoxWhat does the second coming of Christ mean to the world?20 A Holy PeopleEllen G. WhiteThe wonderful possibilityand necessityof being like

Christ

24 The Valley of the Shadow of DeathRoberta RobertsonHave you lost all self-respect and self-worth? There is hope!25 The One-Sentence PrincipleHal MayerA vital principle in the life of the overcomer

13 The Steady TreadRalph LarsonJesus is coming soon; can you hear His footsteps?

29 The Spirit Of Prophecy: A Blueprint for the 144,000Linda D. PrettymanOne of Satans most hated subjects


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even times in Holy Writ wehave a period of 1260 daysidentified in prophetic revela-

tion:And he shall speak great

words against the most High, andshall wear out the saints of themost High, and think to changetimes and laws: and they shall begiven into his hand until a time andtimes and the dividing of time.Daniel 7:25. (All emphasis suppliedunless otherwise noted.)

And I heard the man clothed inlinen, which was upon the watersof the river, when he held up hisright hand and his left hand untoheaven, and sware by him thatliveth for ever that it shall be for atime, times, and an half; and when heshall have accomplished to scatterthe power of the holy people, allthese things shall be finished.Daniel 12:7.

But the court which is withoutthe temple leave out, and measureit not; for it is given unto theGentiles: and the holy city shallthey tread under foot forty and twomonths. Revelation 11:2.

And I will give power unto mytwo witnesses, and they shallprophesy a thousand two hundredand threescore days, clothed insackcloth. Verse 3.

And the woman fled into thewilderness, where she hath a placeprepared of God, that they shouldfeed her there a thousand two hundredand threescore days. Revelation 12:6.

And to the woman were giventwo wings of a great eagle, that shemight fly into the wilderness, intoher place, where she is nourished fora time, and times, and half a time, fromthe face of the serpent. Verse 14.

And there was given unto hima mouth speaking great things andblasphemies; and power was givenunto him to continue forty and twomonths. Revelation 13:5.

Among certain professedSeventh-day Adventists, however,it is claimed that while the first sixof these time periods refer to themedieval reign of the papacy, the1260-year period from 538 to 1798,yet the seventh reference, Revela-tion 13:5, refers to literal time at theend of earths history. In this theylink themselves with the futuristicinterpretation of Biblical prophecy,originated in the deceptive mind ofthe Spanish Jesuit Francisco Riberain 1585. His fervent goal was todivert attention away from the evilrecord of the medieval Papacy.

The Papacy realized that thesixteenth-century Reformers werenot united on every doctrinal issue;however, they were unwaveringlyunited on the identification of thePapacy as the antichrist of Biblicalprophecy. As long as Protestantsconsistently used the day-yearprinciple of prophetic interpreta-tion, it would be nigh impossible toundermine their identification ofthe Papacy as the antichrist agentof Satan. Thus, in an attempt todivert Protestants from this identi-fication, Ribera rejected the day-year principle of prophetic inter-pretation, claiming that the anti-christ was a satanically controlledindividual who would reign in arebuilt temple in Jerusalem at theend of the age and would fearfullypersecute Christians. Obviously, asingle individual could not rule for1260 years, so literal time wassubstituted for prophetic time. This

became known as the futuristicmethod of prophetic interpretation.

So effective has been the Jesuitplot that nowthough it has takenhundreds of yearsProtestantsoverwhelmingly accept this coun-terfeit method of biblical interpre-tation, and very few now identifythe antichrist as the Papacy. Sadly,it appears that some Seventh-dayAdventists are succumbing to thisfalse principle, which has its originfrom the deceptive mind of a Jesuit.

These Seventh-day Adventistsuse a number of arguments tosupport their assertions. One of thestrongest arguments they use isthat the 42-months of Revelation13:5 is a period of time identifiedafter the deadly wound to thePapacy and the healing of thatwound. However, this argument isbased upon the erroneous assump-tion that Revelation, chapter 13, iswritten in chronological order.

It is plain to all students whocarefully study the book of Revela-tion that it is not written chrono-logically, although there arechronological segments within thebook. Certainly, the second beast,the United States, did not ariseafter the healing of the deadlywound. Yet, the healing of thedeadly wound is identified inRevelation 13:3, and the rise of thesecond beast in verse 11 of thesame chapter. Further, as wecompare the little horn power ofDaniel, chapter 7, with the beastpower of Revelation, chapter 13,we note that all the characteristicsthat are provided in Daniel, chapter7, concerning the medieval reign ofthe Papacy are the same character-istics that are identified after verse

Winds of Doctrine inProphetic Interpretation

C o l i n D . a n d R u s s e l l R . S t a n d i s h

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Winds of Doctrine inProphetic Interpretation


3 concerning the beast power. Hereare some examples:

1. The powers are blasphemouspowers:

And he shall speak greatwords against the most High.Daniel 7:25.

And he opened his mouth inblasphemy against God. Revela-tion 13:6; see also verses 1, 5.

2. Both are persecuting powers:And shall wear out the saints

of the most High. Daniel 7:25.And it was given unto him to

make war with the saints. Revela-tion 13:7.

3. Both accounts recognize thesame time perioda year, two years,and a half-year in Daniel 7:25(margin), equaling 42 months inRevelation 13:5 (which is a period of1260 days using the Jewish calendarof months of 30 days each).

This time period representedthe period of 1260 years of thereligio-political reign of the medi-eval Papacy. It commenced in A.D.538 when Pope Virgilius acceptedthe power vested in him by Em-peror Justinian of being the su-preme bishop of the world, andcontinued until 1798 when thereigning pope, Pius VI, was takencaptive by French general Berthier,at which time the revolutionarygovernment of France declared theend of the papal rule. The GreatControversy, 54, states:

In the sixth century the Papacyhad become firmly established. Itsseat of power was fixed in theimperial city, and the bishop ofRome was declared to be the headover the entire church. Paganismhad given place to the Papacy. Thedragon had given to the beast hispower, and his seat, and greatauthority. Revelation 13:2.

In the footnote, Sister Whiterefers to Daniel 7:25 and Revelation13:57. This referencing providesinspired confirmation that thefulfillment of Revelation, chapter13, is the medieval reign of thePapacy. So that there could be nodoubt concerning this issue, SisterWhite further elucidates this issueby plainly stating the matter:

Power was given unto him tocontinue forty and two months.

And, says the prophet, I saw oneof his heads as it were wounded todeath. And again: He that leadethinto captivity shall go into captiv-ity: he that killeth with the swordmust be killed with the sword.Verse 10. The forty and two monthsare the same as the time and timesand the dividing of time, threeyears and a half, or 1260 days, ofDaniel 7the time during whichthe papal power was to oppressGods people. This period as statedin preceding chapters, began withthe supremacy of the Papacy, A.D.538, and terminated in 1798. At thattime the pope was made captive by

the French army, the papal powerreceived its deadly wound, and theprediction was fulfilled, He thatleadeth into captivity shall go intocaptivity. Ibid., 439.

Once again, should Seventh-dayAdventists place the 42 months ofRevelation 13:5 at the end of theearths history, they deviate fromthe day-year principle in theinterpretation of Revelation 13:5and are in conflict with inspiredrevelation.

The Second Beast of Revela-tion 13

The leopard beast (the firstbeast) of Revelation, chapter 13, isunquestionably the Papacy. Amovement among Seventh-dayAdventists has begun, however,which attempts to identify thesecond beast of Revelation, chapter13, as Satan himself. It is arguedthat the second beast spake as adragon. Verse 11. John identifiesthe dragon as Satan:

And the great dragon was castout, that old serpent, called theDevil, and Satan, which deceiveththe whole world: he was cast outinto the earth, and his angels werecast out with him. Revelation 12:9.

And therefore, it is falselyconcluded that this second beast isSatan himself.

From the early inception of theSeventh-day Adventist movement,our pioneers uniformly identified thesecond beast as the United States ofAmerica. This identification of theUnited States as the second beast ofRevelation, chapter 13, was all themore remarkable when it is under-stood that there appeared to be nolikelihood that the emerging nationof the United States would ever riseto be the nation which would use itsmilitary might to coerce the inhabit-ants of the world to worship the

beast powerthe Papacy. In 1823President Monroe delivered amessage to Congress that establishedthe Monroe Doctrine, which forth-rightly admonished the Europeannations not to bring their wars to theAmericas but to confine them to thecontinent of Europe. In turn theUnited States solemnly declared thatthey would take no part in Europeanconflicts. While ever the MonroeDoctrine was adhered to, the UnitedStates could not fulfill this prophecy.Today, however, the United Stateshas shed every vestige of the MonroeDoctrine, and its role as worldpoliceman is plain for all to see.

Now, as always, we turn toInspiration to weigh the claim thatthe beast of verse 11 is Satan. As wewill see, the answer is, He cannotbe. Although we know that all thewicked powers mentioned inScripture are under the control ofSatan, this fact does not justify theidentification of these powers asSatan himself.

Let us investigate the context ofScripture and the identifyingcharacteristics of this second beast:

And I beheld another beastcoming up out of the earth; and hehad two horns like a lamb, and

Should Seventh-day Adventists place the 42 months . . . at the

end of the earths history, they deviate from the day-year

principle . . . and are in conflict with inspired revelation.


he spake as a dragon. Revela-tion 13:11.

First, it will be noted at oncethat this second beast comes fromthe earth, whereas verse 1 says thatthe first beast came up out of thesea: And I stood upon the sand ofthe sea, and saw a beast rise up outof the sea, having seven heads andten horns, and upon his horns tencrowns, and upon his heads thename of blasphemy.

We have no difficulty inunderstanding the meaning ofout of the sea, for John explains

that waters are symbolic ofmultitudes and nations: And hesaith unto me, The waters whichthou sawest, where the whoresitteth, are peoples, and multi-tudes, and nations, and tongues.Revelation 17:15.

Thus, it causes no surprisewhatsoever that the first beastrepresenting the Papacy arose out ofthe Old World where considerablepopulations inhabited the Mediterra-nean region. By contrast the secondbeast is described as coming up outof the earth. If waters and seasrepresent multitudes and nations,then the earth, by reverse analogy,represents the more remote or lessinhabited parts of the earth. There-fore, we must look to the New Worldfor the identification of this nation.The New World is largely confinedto the Americas and Australia andNew Zealand. Thus, we must lookfor this second power as one of thenations of the New World.

Two Horns Like a Lamb

Second, we learn that this beasthad two horns like a lamb. As wego through Scripture this is the firsttime in prophetic depiction that ayoung animal is presented. If werefer to Daniel, chapter 7, the lion,the bear and the leopard are

mature beasts. In Daniel, chapter 8,the ram and the he-goat are matureanimals. The dragon of Revelation,chapter 12, also is depicted as amature creature. All these powershad existed for many centuriesbefore they rose to dominate theworld. A young animal representsa young nation and this is consis-tent with a nation arising in theNew World region.

To identify this second beast ofRevelation, chapter 13, as Satanhimself makes no sense, for surelySatan has existed for a long period

of time and only a beast of maturitycould rightly represent him.Further, he certainly could not bedefined as possessing any lamb-like characteristics whatsoever.

The context itself makes Satan animpossible candidate for this beast.

The Scripture is plainHespake as a dragon. It says that hespake as a dragon, therefore he isnot the dragon. If Satan were herereferred to, the text itself wouldsay, It was the dragon who spake,but it does not say that. Clearly thispower eventually would speakwords consistent with the dragon,no doubt motivated by Satan, butthe symbol manifestly cannot referto Satan himself. Therefore, wemust look for a political powerarising toward the end of earthshistory, in the New World, whichwould become a coercive power inspite of its original lamb-like horns.

The Christians of 150 years agohad no problem in identifyingthese horns as the two great pillarsof the most powerful nation to ariseout of the First World, the UnitedStates. The Spirit of Prophecyleaves no doubt as to what thesetwo lamb-like horns represent:

Among the Christian exileswho first fled to America andsought an asylum from royal

oppression and priestly intolerancewere many who determined toestablish a government upon thebroad foundation of civil andreligious liberty. Their views foundplace in the Declaration of Indepen-dence, which sets forth the greattruth that all men are created equaland endowed with the inalienableright to life, liberty, and the pursuitof happiness. And the Constitutionguarantees to the people the right ofself-government, providing thatrepresentatives elected by thepopular vote shall enact and admin-ister the laws. Freedom of religiousfaith was also granted, every manbeing permitted to worship Godaccording to the dictates of hisconscience. Republicanism andProtestantism became the fundamen-tal principles of the nation. Theseprinciples are the secret of its powerand prosperity. The oppressed anddowntrodden throughout Christen-dom have turned to this land withinterest and hope. Millions havesought its shores, and the UnitedStates has risen to a place amongthe most powerful nations of theearth. Ibid., 441.

Thus, we can define these twohorns in three waysall very closelyrelated to each otherRepublican-ism and Protestantism, separation ofchurch and state, and civil andreligious freedom. No nation in thehistory of the world has so clearlyenunciated these principles within itsConstitution.

A Deceptive, PersecutingPower

We further can easily identifythe United States as this secondbeast of Revelation, chapter 13,because there is no power in theNew World other than the UnitedStates which has the strength, themilitary might, and the affluence tofulfill the prophetic description ofits ruthless coercion of the inhabit-ants of the earth.

In Revelation 13:14 the UnitedStates is depicted as a deceptivepower: And deceiveth them thatdwell on the earth by the meansof those miracles which he hadpower to do in the sight of thebeast; saying to them that dwell

Republicanism and Protestantism became the fundamental

principles of the nation. These principles are the secret of its

power and prosperity.


on the earth, that they shouldmake an image to the beast,which had the wound by a sword,and did live.

Verse 15 declares that theUnited States will be a power thatwill put faithful people to death:And he had power to give lifeunto the image of the beast, that theimage of the beast should bothspeak, and cause that as many aswould not worship the image ofthe beast should be killed.

The United States is the onlycountry in the Western worldwhich has an active death penaltytoday. This is not without signifi-cance. The United States is alignedwith Nigeria, Iran, Saudi Arabiaand Pakistan as the only nationson earth which execute individu-als for crimes which they commit-ted while under 18 years of age.These nations are not noted asparagons of justice and makestrange bedfellows. Yet, theUnited States in the past 10 yearshas executed more criminals whocommitted their crimes as minorsthan the other four combined. SeeTime, February 15, 1999.

Verse 17 reveals that the UnitedStates will prevent faithful, dedi-cated Christians from participatingin the normal commerce of buyingand selling: And that no manmight buy or sell, save he that hadthe mark, or the name of the beast,or the number of his name.

No nation in the whole worldother than the United States ofAmerica has the power to fulfillthis prophecy. Thus, while in itsformative years the United Stateswas a nation of great toleration andfreedom, later it was to change.

We read earlier the Spirit ofProphecys description of theUnited States in its early years:Among the Christian exiles whofirst fled to America and sought anasylum from royal oppression andpriestly intolerance were manywho determined to establish agovernment upon the broadfoundation of civil and religiousliberty. The Great Controversy, 441.

In the clearest of words theservant of the Lord explains thechanges to come to this nation:

The lamblike horns and dragonvoice of the symbol point to astriking contradiction between theprofessions and the practice of thenation thus represented. Thespeaking of the nation is theaction of its legislative and judicialauthorities. By such action it willgive the lie to those liberal andpeaceful principles which it has putforth as the foundation of its policy.The prediction that it will speak asa dragon, and exercise all thepower of the first beast, plainlyforetells a development of the spiritof intolerance and persecution thatwas manifested by the nationsrepresented by the dragon and the

leopardlike beast. And the state-ment that the beast with two hornscauseth the earth and them whichdwell therein to worship the firstbeast, indicates that the authorityof this nation is to be exercised inenforcing some observance whichshall be an act of homage to thePapacy. Ibid., 442.

It will be noticed in the abovestatement that Sister White pin-points that both the legislative andjudicial authorities will be respon-sible for depriving the citizens ofthe United States, and indeed theworld, of their inalienable rights toreligious and civil freedoms. Thus,it is amazing that anyone claimingto be a Seventh-day Adventistcould not discern the fulfillment ofthe prophecy of Revelation 13:1117 in the light of present events inthe decisions of both the SupremeCourt and the Congress of theUnited States of America.

Had Sister White indicated thatthese freedoms would be takenaway only by the legislative branchof government, there could be stilla question in our minds as to theidentification. But in the 1990s wehave seen the judicial branch of

government taking the preeminentrole in crippling both the FirstAmendment guaranteeing religiousfreedom (April 17, 1990)1, and theFifth Amendment guarding againstself-incrimination (March 26,1991)2, and by this act thus stultify-ing civil freedom. This is powerfulevidence of the divine inspirationwith which the book The GreatControversy was written.

To make it plain to all thoseSeventh-day Adventists whobelieve in the inspiration of theSpirit of Prophecy, Sister White hasclearly identified the United Statesas this second beast of Revelation,chapter 13.

What nation of the New Worldwas in 1798 rising into power,giving promise of strength andgreatness, and attracting theattention of the world?Theapplication of the symbol admits ofno question. One nation, and onlyone, meets the specifications of thisprophecy; it points unmistakably tothe United States of America.Ibid., 440.

In spite of some protests to thecontrary, it again is evident thatthose who declare Satan and notthe United States to be the fulfill-ment of the prophecy of the secondbeast of Revelation, chapter 13, arerejecting the Spirit of Prophecy.This rejection, if continued, willeventually lead these adherentsinto spiritual darkness. !

Adapted from chapters 5 and 6 ofWinds of Doctrine, by Colin andRussell Standish.

Note:1 Employment Div., Ore. Dept. of Human Res.

vs. Smith, 494 U.S. 872. Supreme Courtcases are available at http://caselaw.lp.findlaw.com

2 Arizona vs. Fulminante, 499 U.S. 279.

There is no power in the New World other than the United

States which has the strength, the military might, and the

affluence to fulfill the prophetic description.


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s the Saviour met with Hisdisciples for the last timebefore His baptism of

suffering, His thoughts were not ofHis approaching agony and death,but of the bitter disappointmentthat was to come upon His dis-ciples. He saw them downcast andsorrowful; and, with a heart full ofsympathy and tenderness for them,He said: Let not your heart betroubled: ye believe in God, believealso in me. In my Fathers houseare many mansions: if it were notso, I would have told you. I go toprepare a place for you. And if I goand prepare a place for you, I willcome again, and receive you untomyself; that where I am, there yemay be also. And whither I go yeknow, and the way ye know. John14:14.

Thomas showed his unbelief bysaying mournfully, Lord, weknow not whither thou goest; andhow can we know the way? Verse5. This question showed that thedisciples had not understoodChrists oft-repeated lessons inregard to the kingdom of heavenand the future life. But Christ didnot rebuke them. He answeredThomas, not alone to instruct himand his fellow disciples, but for thebenefit of all who should believe onHim through their Word, I am theway, the truth, and the life. Verse 6.

Jesus here made more distinctand plain than ever before the greatcentral truth of all the gospel.Every lesson given by the greatTeacher called forth questionsrequiring explanation. His answersto these questions presented thetruth with freshness and power.This truth is appropriate to all ages,and is spoken to us just as truly as

The Way,the Truth,and the Life

E l l e n G . W h i t ethough Christ in person wereamong us, teaching us of the thingsof the kingdom of God.

Dispelling the Darkness

Truth must be presented to thepeople in clear lines, and never wasthis more needed than when Christcame to this earth. Satan hadarranged matters after his ownorder. Truth was not appreciated.Where God should reign supreme,the enemy of God and man wasseen. Light was called darkness,and darkness light. Licentiousnessand fiction had taken the place ofrighteousness and truth. Menseemed to be fascinated by evil.Any new ideas that started into life,even though they were merevagaries, seemed to possess abewitching power.

The standard of morality waslow. The impure mysteries of theworship of the people had adegrading power on them; andanything that called to remem-brance the goodness, mercy, andlove of God, was destroyed. Thepeople could not even endurehereditary nobility of character,because this had a tendency to liftthem from their debasement. Menof talent, through whom Christ wasworking to bring about a reforma-tion, were despised, and many ofthem suffered a violent death.

Statues were worshiped. Artwas made to minister to sin. Nearlyevery work of art and science wasmingled with defilement. Geniuswas used to obliterate the knowl-edge of God. The richness ofintellect was blotted out of exist-ence. Satans dark shadow broodedover everything, and the onlypeople who could have revealed

God to the world were so destituteof faith and love that they couldnot be expected to do anything tostem the tide of woe.

Christ came to illuminate thechambers of the mind, to dispel thedarkness, and to fill the soul-temple with hope and gladness.And the truth He brought lostnothing by being questioned andcritically examined. Christ oftenillustrated His lessons by parables,which were afterward explained tothe disciples, who were to heraldthe gospel message.

Can Good Come From Error?

The perversion and misinterpre-tation of the Scriptures by thePharisees, and even by those whoclaimed to believe His words, madeit necessary for Christ to speakplainly. It is thought by some to bea misfortune when erroneoustheories are advanced, but the Lordhas said, All things work togetherfor good to them that love God.Romans 8:28.

The contention among theCorinthians made it necessary forPaul to write his wonderful epistlesto them. If the Gentiles had notbackslidden from the faith, Paulwould not have written, I marvelthat ye are so soon removed fromhim that called you into the graceof Christ unto another gospel:which is not another. Galatians1:67. It was a misapplication of theScriptures, to prove falsehood anderror true. If the Thessalonianshad not misinterpreted theinstruction they received, theywould not have entertained thebelief that the Lord was immedi-ately to be revealed in the cloudsof heaven, thus making it neces-

A


sary for Paul to present the truthas it is in Jesus, leaving on recordtruth important for all time.

And so opposition against lightand truth called from Christ aclearer definition of the truth.Every time that error is advanced,it will work for good to those whosincerely love God; for when thetruth is shadowed by error, thosewhom the Lord has made Hissentinels will make the truthsharper and clearer. They willsearch the Scriptures for evidenceof their faith. The advancement oferror is the call for Gods servantsto arouse, and place the truth inbold relief.

The Subject of Greatest Im-portance

There are those who wouldrather start speculative ideas, anddwell on new themes, so arousing adesire for something new andstrange, than learn the preciouslessons given by Christ. By somethese speculative ideas are made alland in all. And thus they neglect toseek for the qualifications that theymust possess if they would win theeternal reward. The one thing forus to know is Christ, the way, thetruth, and the life. This is lifeeternal, He said, that they mightknow thee the only true God, andJesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.John 17:3.

I am the way, the truth, andthe life. If men and women wouldhear these words, meditate onthem, and believe them with thewhole heart, all controversy wouldbe ended. Men think too much ofwhat they themselves can do. Theybecome elated and self-confident.They fail to realize their entiredependence upon God. They thinkthat God is dependent on theirability in His work of saving souls.If these looked to Jesus as the Way,the Truth, and the Life, they wouldrealize the truth of the words,Without me ye can do nothing.John 15:5. No man cometh untothe Father, but by me (John 14:6),Christ declared. However, whilethe good works even of the bestmen cannot save them, none can besaved without bearing the fruit ofgood works. The sanctifying power

of Christ upon the heart willproduce precious fruit, and HisSpirit and power will make ourworks acceptable to God. If by HisHoly Spirit Christ abides in thesoul, our features, our attitude, ourwords will reveal Him to theworld.

Christ prayed that His followersmight be one, as thou, Father, artin me, and I in thee, that they alsomay be one in us: that the worldmay believe that thou hast sentme. John 17:21. If the truth werereceived, its transforming power,as seen in the lives of Christsfollowers, would have a convictingpower on the most hardenedsinners. The holy conversation,humble deportment, the meeknessand kindness, would present sucha marked contrast to the spirit andcharacter of worldlings, the line of

demarcation would be so evident,that this in itself would bringconviction. The words wouldreveal the purity and fragrance ofheaven, and they would also besharper than a two-edged sword,piercing even to the dividingasunder of joints and marrow, andof soul and spirit.

Our Ladder to Heaven

I am the way, the truth, andthe life. Through sin the worldhad been separated from heaven.Men might have looked hopelesslyat the heavenly battlements, and indistress and anxiety exclaimed,How shall we reach the abode ofbliss? With Thomas they could saytruthfully, Lord, we know notwhither thou goest; and how canwe know the way? But with Hisown body Christ bridged the gulfthat sin had made. I have provideda way, He says, whereby you mayagain be united with heaven. I havebridged the deep and impassablegulf. To every soul that desires to

cross that gulf I will give help andstrength.

Thus the exiles are madeprisoners of hope. They are placedon probation. God would have usrealize the estimate He places onus. He would have us consecrateour whole energies to the help ofthe heavenly angels, who arestriving to lead men to the Way, theTruth, and the Life. Men areworking out their own destiny, butGod helps every soul that appealsto Him in its helplessness. Thosewho look to Jesus as the Authorand Finisher of their faith neverlook in vain. They will never missthe road to Paradise; for they arewalking in the true way, and fromChrist they receive moral power.

Christ is the ladder to heaven.The base of this ladder rests firmlyon the earth, brought to the very

level of humanity, while thetopmost round reaches and restsfirmly on the throne of God. Jacobsaw the glory of God shining abovethis ladder, while the brightness ofthe Sun of Righteousness illumi-nated its whole length. Descendingthis ladder of shining brightnesswere angels of God, with commu-nications to the inhabitants of thisearth.

Only by Christs aid can we besaved. If by our own efforts wecould reach heaven, Christ neednot have left the royal courts, tocome to a world all seared andmarred by the curse, to be a man ofsorrows and acquainted with grief,to be tempted in all points like aswe are, and yet without sin. Surely,we can reach heaven only by themystic ladder, Jesus Christ; and Hecame to this earth that we might beenabled to do this. Here the battlebetween the prince of darkness andthe Prince of light was fought, andhere Christ conquered in ourbehalf. Of His own free will He laid

Those who look to Jesus as the Author and Finisher of their

faith never look in vain. They will never miss the road to

Paradise.


down His life, that He might take itagain; and today a living Saviourstands in the heavenly courts asour Intercessor, pleading for us,that through His merits we may beenabled to resist the temptations ofthe enemy, and be more thanconquerors through Him. Heknows how to succor them that aretempted, and to deliver the godlyout of temptation. Surely He is theway, the truth, and the life.

The Same Way in Every Age

In the announcement, I am theway, the truth, and the life, Christby no means pointed His disciplesto a new way. Since the days ofAdam, the Lord has had Hisrepresentatives, men who havekept alive the influences impartedto them from Heaven. Since thefirst gospel sermon was preached,when in Eden it was declared thatthe seed of the woman shouldbruise the serpents head, Christhas been uplifted as the Way, theTruth, and the Life.

The same Christ that is at worktoday among all classes of people,was at work in the days whenAdam lived, when Abel died by thehand of his brother because hepresented to God the blood of theslain lamb, representing the bloodof Christ. Abels faithful adherenceto Gods commands in bringing alamb as his sacrifice, offendedCain. He had another way, and thisway he wanted Abel to follow,instead of following the way of theLord. Abel would not yield Godsway for the way of his brother, andhe was murdered. But thoughdead, Abel yet speaks.

Enoch was one of Gods repre-sentatives. During his life on earthhe walked with God, and God tookhim to heaven without seeingdeath. Enoch prophesied of thegreat event which is the consum-mation of all things earthlythesecond coming of Christ.

Noahs persevering righteous-ness and faith made him a repre-sentative man. The deep, earnestfidelity of Abraham cause him tobe called by God the father of thefaithful. For his self-sacrificingzeal Moses received the testimonythat he was the meekest and most

humble of all the human family.These were characters illustriousfor spirituality and moral excel-lence.

In every age Christ has been theWay, the Truth, and the Life. Hewas the Originator and Foundationof the Jewish economy. In the pillarof cloud He guided the children ofIsrael in their wanderings. Every-thing was adjusted and arrangedby the hand of Divinity. And all theknowledge that came direct fromGod to them, all the power andglory of that ancient economy, hadbeen poured into the treasury ofthe Christian church. Nothing hasbeen lost. The accumulated light ofgenerations is given to the churchof today, not to be hoarded, but tobe circulated. Messengers are to besent to every part of the earth,proclaiming Christthe Way, theTruth, and the Life.

The Importance of the OldTestament Scriptures

The earthly temple is no more.Its mysterious veil has been rentasunder; its sacred vessels havebeen demolished, and the Jewishpeople are scattered to every partof the world. But the judgmentsthat fell on that nation are a symbolof those that will fall on all who,like Jerusalem, know not the timeof their visitation. Let not manmock the ancient Jewish economy,of which Christ was the Originator,and the One to whom the types andshadows pointed. In these typesand shadows is revealed theeverlasting Gospel.

The idea that the Old Testamentno longer possesses vital interestbecause the New Testament hasbeen written, is an idea fatal to thesoul of him who believes it. Boththe Old Testament and the New arenecessary. The New Testamentdoes not contain another gospel, anew religion. It is but the unfoldingof the Old. The past ages are ofpeculiar value to us; and those whoare ignorant of the Scriptures, andof the power of God as manifest inthe history of His people, under-stand but dimly the manner of Hisworking.

In the Scriptures the past isbrought down to our time. The

Word of God offers us the treasuresof inspired wisdom that have beenaccumulating from age to age.Before us are examples of piety anddevotion. The lives of these menhave been placed on record, not toexalt them, but to make us wiseunto salvation, to show us theerrors and mistakes of good men,and to lead us to imitate theirvirtues. Let those who talk of thepatriarchal and prophetic age as aChristless age, read their Bibleswith humble heart, praying forpower to follow the example ofholy men of God.

Christ was the way by whichpatriarchs and prophets weresaved, and to pour contempt uponthis way is to pour contempt uponChrist, enshrouded in the pillar ofcloud, and giving directions toMoses to be given to the children ofIsrael. There was plenty of light inthe old way to lead every soul tothe abodes of bliss.

The prophets of God spoke lessfor their own time than for the agesto come, and especially for thegeneration that would live amidthe last scenes of this earthshistory. Not unto themselves, butunto us they did minister thethings, which are now reportedunto you by them that havepreached the gospel unto you withthe Holy Ghost sent down fromheaven; which things the angelsdesire to look into. 1 Peter 1:12.All these things happened untothem for ensamples: and they arewritten for our admonition, uponwhom the ends of the world arecome. 1 Corinthians 10:11.

The prophets and apostles meetand unite their witness, testifyingof the sufferings of Christ, and theglory that should follow. Thewonderful events in the history ofthe children of Israel are not to belost sight of or ignored because ofthe lapse of time. They are jewels oftruth that have been placed in falsesettings. Christ came to redeemthem from error, and to reset themin the framework of truth, that theymight shine in their native purityand attractive loveliness. By Himthey have been made to give forth abrighter and more powerful lusterthan ever before.


The patriarchs and prophetswere representative men, andthrough them, from century tocentury, a flood of knowledge waspoured into the world. Adam,repentant and converted, was aChristian; Abel was a Christian;Enoch was a Christian; Noah was aChristian; Abraham was a Chris-tian. In types and symbols thegospel was revealed to those offormer dispensations.

The Old Testament Scripturesshow us the power possessed bythose who looked to Christ. Theglorious beams of continually-increasing light are all concentratedin our time. All testify of Christ,the way, the truth, and the life.But never was this truth so clearlydefined as in Christs answer to thewords, Lord, we know not whitherthou goest; and how can we knowthe way. Christ is revealed to us inHis First Advent. We see Himsacrificing riches, power, and gloryfor poverty, temptation, privation,and suffering.

Christ is indeed the Way, theTruth, and the Life. There are notmany ways to heaven. Each onemay not choose his own way.Christ says: I am the way . . . noman cometh unto the Father, but byme. Unless we are individually inthis way, we cannot reach theheavenly mansions. The questionfor each one to ask himself is, Am Ifollowing Christ because I knowthat He is the Way, the Truth, andthe Life? Am I in the path thatleads to perfect obedience? Thosewho walk in this way never losetheir strength, but constantlyreceive new power for their heav-enward march.

A Merciful, CompassionateSaviour

In answer to Christs words, Iam the way, the truth, and the life,Philip said, Lord, shew us theFather, and it sufficeth us. John14:8. Have I been so long timewith you, and yet hast thou notknown me, Philip? Christ said,He that hath seen me hath seenthe Father; and how sayest thouthen, Shew us the Father? Verse 9.

Christ came to our world toreveal the Father. Whatever attrac-

tions He possessed, He manifestedonly those that dwell in the charac-ter of God. His words revealed thegoodness, mercy, and love of theFather. His excellence was theperfection of the Father. In Hisevery word and work may be seenthe manifestation of the attributesof His Father.

In Christ dwelt all the fullnessof the Godhead. However, the onlyway in which He could reach menwas to veil His glory by a garb ofhumanity. The angels beheld thehiding of His glory, that Divinitymight touch humanity. Christ everretained the utmost hatred for sin,but He loved the purchase of Hisblood. He suffered in the place ofsinful men, taking them into unionwith Himself. This is the mysteryinto which angels desire to look.They desire to know how Christcould live and work in a fallen

world, how He could mingle withsinful humanity. It was a mysteryto them that He who hated sin withintense hatred felt the most tender,compassionate sympathy for thebeings that committed sin.

Satan had worked long to effacethe true impression of God, and torepresent Him as a God having nolove. This is Satans character. He isdestitute of mercy and compassion.Overbearing and revengeful, hedelights in the misery that hebrings on the human family. Withthese attributes he attempted toclothe the God of heaven.

Christ came to remove theseunjust impressions. He came toassure men that they need not fearto approach God because of Hisgreatness and majesty. He con-stantly sought to carry the attentionof His hearers to God. He pre-sented the greatness of the Fatherslove, declaring that He had so greata care for His children that even thehairs of their head are numbered.

Not a sparrow falls to the groundwithout the notice of the heavenlyFather. He sympathizes with all thecreatures He has made, and if theheart is given into His hands, andattuned by His power, it willrespond by strains of melody andthanksgiving.

In His wisdom the Saviourteaches us to approach God withthe confidence of a child. Heinstructs us to call Jehovah by theendearing name of Father, thatwe may not separate from Him inawe and coldness. Constantly Hepoints us to the emblems of fa-therly love, seeking to encouragefaith and confidence in God. Hepleads with us to have a correctidea of the Father. He throws backthe accusation of the enemy,declaring, Like as a father pitiethhis children, so the LORD pitieththem that fear him. Psalm 103:13.

He would have the memorials ofredeeming grace arrest our atten-tion, that we may know that all thegoodness, mercy, patience, forbear-ance, seen in Him, belong to God.

Why Do We Not Have MorePower?

However, notwithstanding thefact that the disciples were privi-leged to be with Christ, and weregreatly blessed by His instruction,they were slow to appropriate Hiswords to themselves, and manytimes they remained in ignoranceof the true meaning of the preciousutterances that fell from His lips.He pleaded with them to have faithin Him. Believe me that I am inthe Father, and the Father in me: orelse believe me for the very workssake. John 14:11. By their fruitsye shall know them. Matthew7:20. Is not the fruit I bear sufficientevidence?

Verily, verily, I say unto you,He that believeth on me [not with a

The question for each one to ask himself is, Am I following

Christ because I know that He is the Way, the Truth, and the

Life? Am I in the path that leads to perfect obedience?


fluctuating faith, but as the only-begotten Son of God, and a per-sonal Saviour], the works that I doshall he do also; and greater worksthan these shall he do; because I gounto my Father. And whatsoeverye shall ask in my name, that will Ido, that the Father may be glorifiedin the Son. John 14:1213. Thispromise the disciples held fast byfaith, and on the day of Pentecost itwas graciously fulfilled by theLord. They were bidden not toleave Jerusalem till they had beenendued with power from on high.They therefore remained in Jerusa-lem, fasting and praying. Theyemptied from their hearts allbitterness, all estrangement, all

differences; for this would haveprevented their prayers being asone. And when they were emptiedof self, Christ filled the vacancy.The Holy Spirit came upon them,and filled all the house where theywere sitting. Then was the promisefulfilled: If ye love me, keep mycommandments. And I will praythe Father, and he shall give youanother Comforter, that he mayabide with you for ever. Verses1516.

The Holy Spirit leads men tocooperate with God. This is thedesign in divine help. And in ourturn we are to lead others toChristthe Way, the Truth, andthe Life. As we engage in this workwith heart and soul, we are blessedand strengthened. God standsready to cooperate with us, but thisHe cannot do till we do our duty. Ifministers and teachers would learnthe lessons given here so clearlyand explicitly, a great changewould take place in the ministry ofthe Word. They would realize theirentire dependence upon God, andwould work for Him with whole-hearted earnestness. The HolySpirit would work in and through

them, and the unconverted wouldbe rescued from their insensibility.

The great reason why thechurch has not more efficiencyand power is that its memberslove the world. They reject theSpirit of God, and fill their heartswith idols. They love the world,and the things of the world, andof all such the words of Inspira-tion declare, If any man love theworld, the love of the Father isnot in him. 1 John 2:15. They arenot, as was Christ, in the worldbut not of the world. The Lordcannot manifest Himself toprofessed Christians who love theworld; for spiritual things arespiritually discerned.

Heavens Priceless Gifts

The Holy Spirit is given to bringto our remembrance the words andworks of Christ, spoken for thesalvation of the soul; and if thisSpirit were recognized and appreci-ated, spiritual life would increase100-fold. But many do not chooseto remember. They seek rather toforget the good impression madeon mind and heart. They do notdesire to yield their way for Godsway. God bears long with them,and His Spirit is constantly em-ployed to bring spiritual things totheir remembrance, that subjects ofvital importance may find a lodg-ment in their hearts. The Spirittakes of the things of God, andpresents them to mind. Constantlythe mind is given glimpses of God.If men listen for the voice of God,these spiritual impressions becomemore and more frequent, andextend from one to another till theleaven seems to go through thewhole church. A divine Presencehovers over the people, and arevival is the result. Souls areconverted. The sympathies andenergies of the people are enlisted

on the side of the truth. God worksin them, to will and to do of Hisgood pleasure, breaking the spell ofthe world, and engrossing thethoughts with subjects of eternalinterest.

The most powerful motives andattractions that can be imagined areoffered to reclaim man, and winhim from the path of transgressionto the path of humble obedience.He that spared not his own Son,but delivered him up for us all,how shall he not with him alsofreely give us all things? Romans8:32. No stronger inducementcould be offered. Nothing iswithheld. In Christ God gaveHimself. He has enriched the worldwith a gift beyond all parallel. Thisgift is the source of all patience,forbearance, and mercy. In it is lovesufficient to fill the whole world. Itis of infinite value; for with it wasgiven all that Heaven could be-stow.

Our great peril is in regardingthe Lords plans with cool indiffer-ence. All heaven is actively en-gaged in working out the plans ofGod for the salvation of an unbe-lieving world. How then do finitemen dare to put aside Gods plansfor their own? By doing this, theyplace their souls in great peril. Shallwe not respond to Gods love bygiving ourselves to Him withoutreservation, by walking in His way,by determining to do His will?Angels are enlisted in this work.They do the bidding of God bycooperating with human endeavor.They are filled with amazement; forthey are unable to measure thegreatness of Gods love. The choseninstruments of righteousness join inthe testimony, saying, Herein islove, not that we loved God, but thathe loved us, and sent his Son to bethe propitiation for our sins. 1 John4:10. As the followers of Christ seeHimthe Way, the Truth, and theLifethey exclaim, God forbid thatI should glory, save in the cross ofour Lord Jesus Christ. Galatians6:14. Charged with a special mes-sage, they proclaim Christ, and Himcrucified. !

Signs of the Times, January 6, 13,and 20, 1898.

The great reason why the church has not more efficiency and

power is that its members love the world. They reject the Spirit

of God, and fill their hearts with idols.


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hose who place themselvesunder Gods control, to be ledand guided by Him, will catch

the steady tread of the events or-dained by Him to take place.Maranatha, 161. (All emphasissupplied by author unless other-wise noted.)

My older brother was some-thing of a wanderer, and he wasnot good at communication. Hewould sometimes be gone, seekinghis fortune, for months before wewould hear from him. On one suchoccasion he was away for almost ayear. He returned one time in themiddle of the night, walked up theboardwalk to our home, crossedthe porch, and knocked on thedoor. To his astonishment mymother, who was sleeping in thehouse, called his name. She hadheard his footsteps and recognizedthem. Moral: Footsteps will tell uswho and what is coming if we willpay attention to them. And theevents just preceding the secondcoming of our Lord will be as clear,distinct and meaningful as foot-steps in a steady tread movinginexorably toward us.

In my article last month (Re-membering Y2K) the focus was on

the events ordained by God, suchas the latter rain, the loud cry, theshaking time, the sealing, and soon. In this article let us considersome of the other events that willaccompany these ordained eventsand will, therefore, be part of thesteady tread of His approachingfootsteps.

Eroding Freedoms

One of the heaviest footfalls justnow is in recent governmentactions that have swept away thecherished rights and freedoms thathave been carefully guardedthroughout our nations history.

As a result of the OklahomaCity bombing and the September11 atrocity, government officialshave felt it necessary to authorizesearches and seizures withoutwarrants, both of our propertiesand our persons. And those whoare designated by high officials asenemies of society will simply haveno rights at all, even to a fair trial.Seventh-day Adventists can easilybe identified as enemies of societywhen they refuse to cooperate inthe observance of Sunday.

The technical apparatus for thepassing of a Sunday law is already

in place. The coast is clear. There islittle remaining to bar enforcementof a national Sunday law. Yet, whatabout the mental and emotionalattitudes of the people? It is hard toimagine secular-minded andmaterialistic Americans goingalong with any kind of a religiouslaw. What could change theirattitude?

Consider again the disastersreferred to abovethe OklahomaCity bombing and the September11 atrocity. Did they not bringsignificant changes in the atti-tudes of the people?Mostassuredly they did. Many are nowsaying that we must give up someof our rights and freedoms for thesake of security. Those whowould point out the dangersinherent in this procedure are notbeing listened to at all.

Greater Catastrophes

How then would peoplesattitudes be affected if the USAshould become involved in a muchgreater catastrophe? We have beentold that nations who hate us havemissiles with atomic warheadscapable of reaching our cities. Wehear that there are satchel bombs

TheSteadyTread

TR a l p h L a r s o n

TheSteadyTread


that are small enough to be carried,yet are powerful enough to destroya city. As unthinkably horrible assuch things are, we cannot denythat they are possibilities.

What if the unspeakable shouldactually happen? What if we areforced to look upon the ruins ofsome of our cities and realize thatwe have no way of preventingmore such losses?

I can remember Pearl Harbor.After that first terrible strike, wehad no way of knowing whetherthere would be more, involvingsuch coastal cities as Seattle, SanFrancisco, and Los Angelesandwho knew what else? One of theunusual results was that secular

groups all over the country beganopening their meetings withprayer. Church attendance sud-denly increased. The lesson is clear.In spite of their materialisticattitudes and the boastful impietyof some, Americans can getreligion very quickly if they arefrightened enough. The old adagethat there are no atheists in fox-holes has its element of truth.

Just let an overwhelmingdisaster occur and the Americanpeople will be ready for a Sundaylaw, we may be sure.

Spiritualism

And to make this even morecertain, just add the miraclesdescribed in Revelation, chapter 13:

And he (the United States)doeth great wonders, so that hemaketh fire come down fromheaven on the earth in the sight ofmen, and deceiveth them thatdwell on the earth by the means ofthose miracles which he had powerto do in the sight of the beast;saying to them that dwell on theearth, that they should make an

image to the beast, which had thewound by a sword, and did live.verses 1314.

We are listening here to thesteady tread of spiritualism. Mary isbeing represented by evil angels inmiraculous appearances all overthe world, now numbering in thehundreds. The Harry Potter booksof spiritualism for children arebeing sold by the millions.Churches that specialize in spiritu-alism (under other names) aregrowing very rapidly. Spuriousclaims about miracles are nowbeing made, but we need to re-member the warning that this willnot always be true. The devils last-day miracles will be real, not fake.

Unless we stand on the elevatedplatform of eternal truth, we shall beswept away by the tide of delusiveerror that is sweeping over theworld. Satan is coming down withgreat power to work miracles, andunless we are abiding in Christ, weshall be deceived. Gods people are notthe only ones who will have miracle-working power in the last days. Satanand his agencies will work with allpower and signs and lying wonders,and with all deceivableness ofunrighteousness in them that perish.2 Thessalonians 2:910. ManuscriptReleases, vol. 19, 54.

Some will be tempted toreceive these wonders as from God.The sick will be healed before us.Miracles will be performed in oursight. Are we prepared for the trialwhich awaits us when the lyingwonders of Satan shall be morefully exhibited? Maranatha, 208.

Ecumenism

And while we are adjusting ourminds to this reality, our attentionis diverted by the heavy footfalls ofanother steady tread, the move-

ment of the Protestant churchestoward Rome. For years we havebeen looking in wonder at thisstatement:

The Protestants of the UnitedStates will be foremost in stretchingtheir hands across the gulf to graspthe hand of spiritualism; they willreach over the abyss to clasp handswith the Roman power; and underthe influence of this threefoldunion, this country will follow inthe steps of Rome in trampling onthe rights of conscience. The GreatControversy, 588.

We have taken notice of theecumenical movement and ofcertain dialogues between Protes-tants and Catholics, and to somethey have seemed to be movingrather slowly toward unity. How-ever, we are reminded of thestatement that the final movementswill be rapid ones:

The days in which we live aresolemn and important. The Spirit ofGod is gradually but surely beingwithdrawn from the earth. Plaguesand judgments are already fallingupon the despisers of the grace ofGod. The calamities by land andsea, the unsettled state of society,the alarms of war, are portentous.They forecast approaching eventsof the greatest magnitude. Theagencies of evil are combining theirforces and consolidating. They arestrengthening for the last greatcrisis. Great changes are soon totake place in our world, and thefinal movements will be rapidones. Testimonies, vol. 9, 11.

The Incoming Tide of Evil

However, by far the heaviest ofthe approaching footsteps are thosein the steady tread of events withinour own Seventh-day AdventistChurch. Those of us who havespent our entire lives in devotedservice to our beloved church arenow compelled to watch withunutterable anguish as evil afterevil come boldly into the church,brazenly defying the faithful to doanything about them.

And just what are we to do?Ifwrongs are apparent among Hispeople, and if the servants of God

We are listening here to the steady tread of spiritualism. Mary

is being represented by evil angels in miraculous appearances.

. . . The Harry Potter books of spiritualism for children are

being sold by the millions.


pass on indifferent to them, theyvirtually sustain and justify thesinner, and are alike guilty and willjust as surely receive the displeasureof God; for they will be maderesponsible for the sins of the guilty.In vision I have been pointed tomany instances where the displea-sure of God has been incurred by aneglect on the part of His servants todeal with the wrongs and sinsexisting among them. Those whohave excused these wrongs havebeen thought by the people to bevery amiable and lovely in disposi-tion, simply because they shunned todischarge a plain scriptural duty.The task was not agreeable to theirfeelings; therefore they avoided it. . . .

The true people of God, whohave the spirit of the work of theLord and the salvation of souls atheart, will ever view sin in its real,sinful character. They will always beon the side of faithful and plaindealing with sins which easily besetthe people of God. Especially in theclosing work for the church, in thesealing time of the one hundred andforty-four thousand who are to standwithout fault before the throne ofGod, will they feel most deeply thewrongs of Gods professed people.Testimonies, vol. 3, 265266.

Fortunately, it is not the duty ofGods faithful people to separatethe wheat and the tares. God is stillin control, and He has made it clearwhat He intends to do about theapostasy within the church, andhow He intends to do it. Our task isto be patient and steadfast while Hepurifies the churchboth its minis-try and laity. There is light at the endof the tunnel, for which we praise theLord. If it were not for this light, wemight be overwhelmed with discour-agement; however, with the light wecan endure.

Two Rays of Light

There are actually two rays oflight shining on our pathway. Onetells us what we can expect in theway of apostasy. It makes it clearthat the apostasy will afflict someat all levels of the church. The othertells us what God is going to doabout that apostasy.

Many will stand in our pulpitswith the torch of false prophecy intheir hands, kindled from thehellish torch of Satan. Testimoniesto Ministers, 409410.

Men of talent and pleasingaddress, who once rejoiced in thetruth, employ their powers to deceiveand mislead souls. They become themost bitter enemies of their formerbrethren. When Sabbathkeepers arebrought before the courts to answerfor their faith, these apostates are themost efficient agents of Satan to misrep-resent and accuse them, and by falsereports and insinuations to stir up therulers against them. The GreatControversy, 608.

We are even given advancewarning as to the points of ourfaith that the apostates will attack.

The enemy will bring in falsetheories, such as the doctrine thatthere is no sanctuary. This is one ofthe points on which there will be adeparting from the faith. CounselsTo Writers and Editors, 53.

It is grimly amusing to hearpeople denying the inspiration ofEllen White even while theythemselves are proving her inspira-tion correct by doing exactly whatshe predicted about their attacks onthe sanctuary. These attacks arepart of the steady tread of events inthe church.

The Lord is soon to come.There must be a refining, winnow-ing process in every church, forthere are among us wicked men whodo not love the truth or honorGod. Last Day Events, 173.

Recognizing False Teachers

This gives rise to a very impor-tant question: How shall werecognize these wicked men? Howshall we know when there is a manstanding in our pulpit with his

torch kindled from the hellish torchof Satan? We can hardly expectthem to identify themselves. Hereare a few suggestions:

First, recognize that apostateministers in our time generally fallinto one or the other of two classes,the Liberals and the Calvinists.They enter the church by differentdoors, so to speak, but once insidethey stand together on the sameplatform, giving similar answers toimportant questions.

The Liberal takes the basicapproach that nothing is or can becertain or sure. Therefore, he largelydiscredits both the Bible and theSpirit of Prophecy. The Calvinist

comes in through a different door.He does not disparage the Bible.Rather, he insists that the Bibleguarantees to him the right to keepon sinning, and that no one can takethat Bible right away from him.

When asked a question aboutthe lifestyle of a Christian, both willanswer that it is not important,giving their different reasons.

Both will have much to say aboutjustification (forgiveness) and little tosay about sanctification.

Both will ignore or disparagethe Spirit of Prophecy because ofEllen Whites strong emphasis onsanctification.

Both will be open and receptiveto worldly practices in all walks oflife, including celebration worship.

Both will deny the possibility ofvictorious Christian living.

Both will be derisive andscornful of those who do not agreewith them, calling them legalists.

Both will stand together,presenting a united front againstthose whom they call legalists inboard meetings, business meetings,

It is grimly amusing to hear people denying the inspiration of

Ellen White even while they themselves are proving her

inspiration correct by doing exactly what she predicted.

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he hope of a golden age haslong been indulged bymankind. However, this

world is still full of doubt anduncertainty. Men still grope indarkness, not knowing whithertheir steps are tending. The greatworld problems are still far fromsolution. The living conditions ofthe great masses of mankind havebeen but slightly ameliorated. It isstill a world of sorrow and painand suffering.

The present picture is notaltogether dark. These very condi-tions which we see around us arethe omens of a brighter day and ofa really new world soon to beushered in. No heart need sink indiscouragement over the situationwhich exists. There is no occasionfor disbelief in divine revelation orin the leadings of the divine Hand.On the contrary, the world situa-tion affords striking evidence of theauthenticity of the Scriptures oftruth and the inspiration of theHoly Word. We are seeing todaythe exact fulfillment of what theprophets of God centuries agoforesaw would take place.

The index finger of these greatprophecies points with unmistak-able evidence to the second comingof Christ. And what does the

second coming of Christ mean tothe world?

Christs Coming Means . . .

1. The end of strife and war.The kingdoms of this world willsoon give place to the kingdom ofour Lord and of His Christ. Andwhen that time comes, the scepterof peace will bear rule over thenations of men. No more will thefair flower of youth, the bravestand best, be called upon to defendtheir national colors because ofsome real or fancied affront to theircountry. No more will the armies ofearth be marshaled in battle array.No more will children be renderedfatherless and wives widows bywars ruthless carnage. No morewill the earth be drenched with theblood of the slain. No more willfertile fields be desolated, citieswrecked and ruined, or men andwomen driven from their homes.The Prince of Peace will sit uponthe throne of universal dominion,and the joy of peace will fill everyheart. See Isaiah 55:12; Romans14:17; Isaiah 5:2.

2. The end of sickness, pain,and death. Pain of body and painof heart will have an end. In theblessed reign of our Christ no onewill say, I am sick. Isaiah 33:24.

The eyes of the blind shall beopened, and the ears of the deafshall be unstopped. Isaiah 35:5.The bloom of health will rest uponevery cheek, and in the freshnessand vigor of eternal youth will thenations of men delight themselvesin the abundance of peace. Theyshall return, and come to Zionwith songs and everlasting joyupon their heads: they shall obtainjoy and gladness, and sorrow andsighing shall flee away. Verse 10.

3. The end of poverty. Nolonger will there exist the extremesof society; no longer will men laborfor a pittance of bread. The struggleto keep the wolf from the door andto eke out a miserable existenceatpresent a struggle which millionsof earths inhabitants are compelledto makewill be forever past. Thisis the blessed comfort which theMaster holds out to the downtrod-den and oppressed. He exhortsthem to be patient unto the comingof the Lord, to endure kindly andcheerfully the servitude whichearths conditions impose, tocherish no spirit of retaliation orresentment, and to find hope in theuntoward circumstances whichsurround them, seeing in them asign of coming deliverance. See2 Corinthians 8:9.

The GloriousTransformation

T

The GloriousTransformation

F r a n c i s M c L e l l a n W i l c o xF r a n c i s M c L e l l a n W i l c o x


4. Release from the power ofdeath and from all the fear ofdeath. When the Deliverer comes,God shall wipe away all tearsfrom their eyes; and there shall beno more death, neither sorrow, norcrying, neither shall there be anymore pain: for the former thingsare passed away. Revelation 21:4.In that blessed state we shallwitness no more tearful eyes, nomore heaving breasts or heartsbursting with grief, no more opengraves or yawning sepulchers. Thefear of death and disease will beforever banished from every heart,for death itself will be destroyed,and life, abounding life, will fillGods fair universe and be theinspiration of all its inhabitants.

5. We shall see our blessedLord. We shall see face-to-face HimWhom we have learned to lovehaving never seen. We shall claspHis hand and walk by His side. Weshall hear the melody of His voiceand feel the thrill of His beamingeyes of love. In His Presence weshall find fullness of joy, and at Hisright hand pleasures forevermore.To the disciple of the Master thereis satisfying joy in the communionwhich he holds with his absentLord, but this will not comparewith the joy he will feel in Hispersonal Presence. In this life welove our friends. We cannot sepa-rate this love from the love of theirpersonal presence. How we love tomeet them after separation, to sitby their side and tell them of ourexperiences and listen to theirs!This but feebly represents the joy ofassociation with the Lord, the Onewho through earths dark night hasproved our Guide, our Counselor,our Friend; Who has comforted usin sorrow, protected us in danger,Who in His great love died for oursalvation. In His Presence we shallfind satisfying joy. To this associa-tion every child of God may lookforward with longing anticipation.See 1 Corinthians 13:12; 1 Peter 1:8;1 Chronicles 16:27; Psalms 95:2;100:2.

6. We shall greet once more ourloved ones who are sleeping in thetomb. At the sound of the last

trump they will come forth fromtheir dusty beds, shouting victoryover death and the grave. We shallsee them no longer weak andemaciated from disease. We shalllook into their faces no longerdisfigured by pain. They will comeforth in the freshness of eternalyouth, changed by the power ofGod from mortality to immortality.In their bodies will no longer dwellthe seeds of death. They will beraised to an inheritance incorrupt-ible and undefiled, which shallnever pass away. We shall claspglad hands before the throne ofGod, and take part in that trium-phal song of praise which will arise

from the rejoicing hearts of theredeemed hosts. In Gods eternalpurpose we may separate for awhile. We may wander far apartthrough limitless space, but everymoment of that time we shall havethe positive assurance that theseparation is but for a moment inthe great eternity of heaven, andthat we shall meet once morebefore the great white throne tomingle our voices together inpraise and adoration to our Bene-factor and Redeemer. See Hosea13:14; 1 Corinthians 15:52.

7. To the children of God,Christs coming means that therestricted privileges and opportu-nities of this mortal life will beexchanged for the unlimitedopportunities and exalted privi-leges of immortal life. Here ourbest efforts fail of the perfectmeasure of success, and are butfeeble attempts to compass theinfinite. In the life to come we shallnot be limited in our study or in theachievement of Gods eternalpurpose. We shall sit at the feet ofangels as our instructors. We shalllisten to the wisdom which falls

from the gracious lips of the Kingof kings and Lord of lords. Just aslong as God Himself endures, weshall endure also, and with unfet-tered feet and untrammeled mindsshall be able to pursue the path ofprogress which His providence hasmarked out for us. See Isaiah 64:4;1 Corinthians 2:9.

It is these considerations that bringjoy in the midst of earths sorrow, thatsurround even the present night ofsin with a halo of light.

Such is the true new world, thegolden age, the better tomorrow,the glorious transformation, towhich we may look forward withsettled confidence and assurance.

The Goal of Every Generation

It is the heavenly Canaan whichhas been placed before the churchof Christ in every age as the goal ofall their strivings.

It is the world promised toAbraham and to his seed. SeeGenesis 13:1415; Romans 4:13.That seed, the apostle Paul tells us,was Jesus Christ the Lord (seeGalatians 3:16), and included withChrist the faithful of every age andevery nationality (see verse 29).

It is the world of which theearthly Canaan was the miniature,or type, the world which would beruled over by the Seed of Abraham,the Son of DavidJesus Christ theLord. See Luke 1:3133.

It is a world whose territory isto be this earth, renewed by thecleansing fires of the last great dayand brought back to its Edenicpurity, the same as it was whengiven to Adam before sin entered.See 2 Peter 3:713.

It is a world, the capital ofwhich will be the New Jerusalem,which shall descend from God outof heaven. See Revelation 21:12.

It is these considerations that bring joy in the midst of earths

sorrow, that surround even the present night of sin with a

halo of light.


Into this new and better worldeveryone who reads these wordsmay enter. It is well worth thestruggle to obtain.

Eye hath not seen, nor earheard, neither have entered into theheart of man, the things which Godhath prepared for them that lovehim. 1 Corinthians 2:9. I reckonthat the sufferings of this presenttime are not worthy to be com-pared with the glory which shall berevealed in us. Romans 8:18.

Let us never forget this earnestadmonition from Ellen G. White:We have nothing to fear for thefuture, except as we shall forget theway the Lord has led us, and Histeaching in our past history. LifeSketches, 196. !

Frances McClellan Wilcox served aseditor of the Review and Herald for33 years. This article was adapted fromhis book entitled Heart to HeartTalks, 250255.

and so on. Sadly, I have watchedthis happen.

We must recognize that both ofthese false theologies are ragingthroughout the church today,doing enormous damage.

Gods Way of Purifying theChurch

So what is God going to doabout it? Nothing?By no means.This is the second ray of light thatshines through the long, darktunnel of apostasy. God has notbeen taken by surprise. He has aplan for the purification of thechurch. What is His plan?In aword, persecution.

Just as the apostasy has in-volved persons at all levels in thechurch, even so there is to be asifting, a shaking, a winnowing,and a weeding at all levels.

Observe: The great issue sonear at hand will weed out thosewhom God has not appointed andHe will have a pure, true, sancti-fied ministry prepared for thelatter rain. Selected Messages,book 3, 385.

Ministers and doctors maydepart from the faith, as the Word

Standard after standard was leftto trail in the dust as company aftercompany from the Lords armyjoined the foe and tribe after tribe fromthe ranks of the enemy united with thecommandment-keeping people of God.Testimonies, vol. 8, 41.

Multitudes are to be gathered intothe fold. . . . The broken ranks will befilled up by those represented by Christas coming in at the eleventh hour.This Day with God, 163.

So, it is a great time to be alive,albeit a dangerous time. The steadytread of events is coming closer andcloser, and the footfalls are gettinglouder and louder. There are majes-tic events ahead of us. May the Lordlead us safely and triumphantlythrough them all to victory.

Again, I wish to stronglyrecommend that every Seventh-dayAdventist home should have acopy of the recent White Estatebook entitled Last Day Events.1 Weshould all make ourselves veryfamiliar with its contents. We willneed the information it contains inthe near future. !

1Available from your local ABC orHope International.

declares they will, and as themessages that God has given Hisservant declare they will. Manu-script Releases, vol. 7, 192.

Soon Gods people will betested by fiery trials, and the greatproportion of those who nowappear to be genuine and true willprove to be base metal. Sons andDaughters of God, 201.

Many a star that we haveadmired for its brilliancy will thengo out in darkness. Chaff like acloud will be borne away on thewind, even from places where wesee only floors of rich wheat.Testimonies, vol. 5, 81.

Let opposition arise, let bigotryand intolerance again bear sway, letpersecution be kindled, and thehalfhearted and hypocritical willwaver and yield the faith; but thetrue Christian will stand firm as arock, his faith stronger, his hopebrighter, than in days of prosper-ity. The Great Controversy, 602.

Praise God! The news is not allbad. Not only will the faithful besteadfast but also they will bejoined by a large number of newconverts who will come into thechurch after it has been purified.

New!KJV Holy Bibleand Spirit of ProphecyEverlasting Gospel Publishing Association

A leather-bound study Bible that also includesthe full text of the Conflict of the Ages books(Patriarchs and Prophets, Prophets and Kings, Desire

of Ages, Acts of the Apostles, The Great Controversy) plus ThoughtsFrom the Mount of Blessing, Christs Object Lessons, and Steps to Christ.Includes Scripture cross-references only to these eight Spirit ofProphecy books. Includes maps. (No marginal references, concor-dance, or subject index.)

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continued from page 15...


TM1: Revelation 14:67.The announcement of the first messagethe everlasting gospelis made to the whole world.

TM2: Acts 17:31.The day of judgment has been set.

TM3: Amos 3:7.God makes all things known to His prophets.

TM4: Revelation 14:8.The second message announces the fall of spiritual Babylon.

TM5: James 4:4.The fallen church, allied with worldly powers, has become Godsenemy.

TM6: 2 Timothy 3:15.Here is a prophetic description of Babylonall false religion.

TM7: Revelation 18:2.These churches are filled with unconverted people.

TM8: Revelation 18:4.Gods people will all be called out.

TM9: Revelation 14:912.The third message, which warns against worshiping a certainbeast and his image, is the last call that swells into the loud cry ofRevelation 18:24.

TM10: Revelation 13:18.This beast is a symbol of the Papacy.

TM11: Revelation 13:1117.Another beast makes an image to this beast and endeavors tomake all people worship it.

TM12: Revelation 14:12.Those who refuse to worship the beast will be Gods command-ment-keeping people.

TM13: Revelation 12:17.The remnant will be persecuted for their loyalty to God.

TM14: Revelation 14:15.These messages ripen the harvest of the earth.

TM15: Matthew 13:3839.The harvest is the end of the world.

TM16: Revelation 14:1415.Jesus comes to reap the harvest and take His children to be withHim forevermore. !

Bible Marking

As you mark this study in yourBible, we hope that it will be ablessing to you and that you will bebetter equipped to give an answerfor your faith. See 1 Peter 3:15. Letus pray the Lord of the harvest togive us opporunities to share Histruth with others while it is stillday.

Church members are to doevangelistic work in the homes oftheir neighbors who have not yetreceived full evidence of the truthfor this time. . . . The presentationof the truth, in love and simplicity,from house to house, is in harmonywith the instruction that Christ gaveHis disciples. Ye Shall ReceivePower, 147.

The Editors

Bible Marking Directions

On a blank page in the frontor back of your Bible, write thestudy title, the code, and the firstreference. This months entrywould appear as follows:

Three Messages,TM1: Revelation 14:67. Turn to the first verse and

write the comment (if you wishto use the comments), and thenext reference in the margin nearit. If the comment is long, youcan write it at the top or bottomof the page, with an asterisk orthe code of the study to refer youto it.

Turn to the next text and re-peat the process until you reachthe end. Beside the last text,write End TM.

Go through the study tocheck for broken links.

Share the study with others!

We have been given the last message of warning and of mercy todeliver to the world. What a trust! What a commission! As eventsshape up all around us, we can see that time will not, cannot last muchlonger. Let us resolve, therefore, to do our part, as the Lord leads andempowers, to finish this work. May there not be another year ofwaiting! Even so, come, Lord Jesus. Revelation 22:20.

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ear my voice, O God, in myprayer: preserve my lifefrom fear of the enemy.

Hide me from the secret counsel ofthe wicked; from the insurrectionof the workers of iniquity: whowhet their tongue like a sword, andbend their bows to shoot theirarrows, even bitter words: that theymay shoot in secret at the perfect:suddenly do they shoot at him, andfear not. They encourage them-selves in an evil matter: theycommune of laying snares privily;they say, Who shall see them? Theysearch out iniquities; they accom-plish a diligent search: both theinward thought of every one ofthem, and the heart, is deep.

But God shall shoot at themwith an arrow; suddenly shall theybe wounded. So they shall maketheir own tongue to fall uponthemselves: all that see them shallflee away. And all men shall fear,and shall declare the work of God;for they shall wisely consider of hisdoing. The righteous shall be gladin the LORD, and shall trust in him;and all the upright in heart shallglory. Psalm 64:110.

This scripture will be literallyfulfilled. Everything is to be shakenthat can be shaken, that thosethings that cannot be shaken mayremain. I am amazed as I consider

the past, present, and future of thepeople of God. The Lord will havea pure, holy peoplea people whowill stand the test. Every believerneeds now to search his heart aswith a lighted candle.

We may well ask the questionasked by the lawyer, What shall Ido to inherit eternal life? Christsaid unto him, What is written inthe law? how readest thou? Theanswer came, Thou shalt love theLord thy God with all thy heart,and with all thy soul, and with allthy strength, and with all thy mind;and thy neighbour as thyself. AndChrist said, Thou hast answeredright: this do, and thou shalt live.Luke 10:2528.

The Sinners Only Hope

God so loved the world, thathe gave his only begotten Son, thatwhosoever believeth in him shouldnot perish, but have everlastinglife. John 3:16. God is our Creator,Benefactor, Preserver. The Authorof all good, He is able to fulfill Hispurpose in the creation of humanbeings.

The wickedness that fills ourworld is the result of Adamsrefusal to take Gods Word assupreme. He disobeyed, and fellunder the temptation of the enemy.Sin entered into the world, and

death by sin; and so death passedupon all men, for that all havesinned. Romans 5:12. God de-clared, The soul that sinneth, itshall die. Ezekiel 18:4. And, apartfrom the plan of redemption,human beings are doomed todeath. All have sinned, and comeshort of the glory of God. Romans3:23. But Christ gave His life tosave the sinner from the deathsentence. He died that we mightlive. To those who receive Him Hegives power that enables them toseparate from that which, unlessthey return to their loyalty, willplace them where they must becondemned and punished.

Christ is the sinners only hope.By His death He brought salvationwithin the reach of all. Through Hisgrace all may become loyal subjectsof Gods kingdom. Only by Hissacrifice could salvation bebrought within mans reach. Thissacrifice has made it possible formen and women to fulfill theconditions laid down in thecouncils of heaven.

Christ came to this earth andlived a life of perfect obedience,that men and women, through Hisgrace, might also live lives ofperfect obedience. This is necessaryto their salvation. Without holinessno man shall see the Lord.

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