Sunday, January 26, 2014

All that remains is a little more time...

The TIMES OF THE NATIONS IS FULFILLED.

All that remains is time for the individuals.

Please reread this bit from 'An Hour and An End'  Reread it and reread it again until you fully comprehend the importance of it.

'...the time of the events prophetically symbolized in Ezekiel 9 are pinpointed as taking place at the time mercy is no longer extended to the nations.

Jesus in Luke 21:24 gives that sign to be, Jerusalem no longer under Gentile control.

This brief period began in 1967 with the taking of Old Jerusalem by Israeli military forces, and ended with the transfer of the entire civil government from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem in 1980.

Thus we are living in the time when the events portrayed in these three testimonies are or have been fulfilled.   And these testimonies relate to the Church!'

*

The spiritual church of Israel apostatized and they were given many opportunities, years of opportunities to repent.  When Israel in 1948 once more began to fight back and regain their country  the church should have understood.  When they took control of Jerusalem in 1967 they really should have begun to wonder what it all meant.  In 1980 when they moved their capital to Jerusalem it was finally over, over for the church.  There was a BRIEF but definable period of time given to the spiritual church and they squandered their opportunity to repent and reform just as God's chosen church had done many years before.

1980.

And now we are ALL in the end times, the times of the individuals.

Spiritual Israel, individually, are deciding all that needs to be decided for their eternal destination.

When the time God allots for this is up… then it is all over, or for those who are Christ's, it will finally begin.

*******

We read this…

'With unerring accuracy the Infinite One still keeps an account with all nations.
While His mercy is tendered with calls to repentance, this account will remain open; but when the figures reach a certain amount which God has fixed, the ministry of His wrath commences.
The account is closed.
Divine patience ceases.
There is no more pleading of mercy in their behalf.' {5T 208.2}

This will happen for ALL those living in the last days.  The account remains open, the door to forgiveness remains open, but it will CLOSE. People don't like to think of this part of it. People don't want to believe the door of forgiveness will ever close. People want to believe God's forgiveness is endless.  They believe as long as they live they have that chance, but that's not true for those living in the last days.

For Jesus to return there has to be an end of the opportunity to accept forgiveness.

When He returns we are told this--

1Th 4:16  For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:
1Th 4:17  Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.

The dead in Christ shall rise.
We which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds.

And we read this--

Joh 5:28  Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice,
Joh 5:29  And shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation.

And this--

2Th 1:7  And to you who are troubled rest with us, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels,
2Th 1:8  In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ:
2Th 1:9  Who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power;
2Th 1:10  When he shall come to be glorified in his saints, and to be admired in all them that believe (because our testimony among you was believed) in that day.

We which are alive are those that will feel the vengeance of our Savior if we do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ.

When the Lord comes with vengeance it is already decided who is His, He could NOT possible come and take vengeance out on those who haven't been decided aren't His. He knows! It is known who is God's and who isn't!

God cannot allow the world as we know it to end without those decisions being made. Those who are God's are known, those who are not God's are known.

Forgiveness is available to EVERYONE right now.

Forgiveness is available right up until the moment you die.

Forgiveness is available right up until the moment probation closes, when the cup is filled, when the time Is up.

None of us KNOW when that time is up, but we are given plenty of warning signs.  We can know when it is near!

And IT IS NEAR!

More tomorrow by the grace of our SAVIOR!

All in HIS LOVE!
All in HIS GRACE!
All in HIS MERCY!
All by HIS RIGHTEOUSNESS!

Saturday, January 25, 2014

'An Hour and An End' Appendix A Truth We Need

To BEGIN to wrap up the study from 'An Hour and An End' by William Grotheer, I'm going to look through the appendix and expound on some of the things presented there, all by the grace of God.  Please, Father in Heaven, please bless us as we seek only YOUR truth!

*******
Ezekiel 9

Eze 9:1  He cried also in mine ears with a loud voice, saying, Cause them that have charge over the city to draw near, even every man with his destroying weapon in his hand.
Eze 9:2  And, behold, six men came from the way of the higher gate, which lieth toward the north, and every man a slaughter weapon in his hand; and one man among them was clothed with linen, with a writer's inkhorn by his side: and they went in, and stood beside the brasen altar.
Eze 9:3  And the glory of the God of Israel was gone up from the cherub, whereupon he was, to the threshold of the house. And he called to the man clothed with linen, which had the writer's inkhorn by his side;
Eze 9:4  And the LORD said unto him, Go through the midst of the city, through the midst of Jerusalem, and set a mark upon the foreheads of the men that sigh and that cry for all the abominations that be done in the midst thereof.
Eze 9:5  And to the others he said in mine hearing, Go ye after him through the city, and smite: let not your eye spare, neither have ye pity:
Eze 9:6  Slay utterly old and young, both maids, and little children, and women: but come not near any man upon whom is the mark; and begin at my sanctuary. Then they began at the ancient men which were before the house.
Eze 9:7  And he said unto them, Defile the house, and fill the courts with the slain: go ye forth. And they went forth, and slew in the city.
Eze 9:8  And it came to pass, while they were slaying them, and I was left, that I fell upon my face, and cried, and said, Ah Lord GOD! wilt thou destroy all the residue of Israel in thy pouring out of thy fury upon Jerusalem?
Eze 9:9  Then said he unto me, The iniquity of the house of Israel and Judah is exceeding great, and the land is full of blood, and the city full of perverseness: for they say, The LORD hath forsaken the earth, and the LORD seeth not.
Eze 9:10  And as for me also, mine eye shall not spare, neither will I have pity, but I will recompense their way upon their head.
Eze 9:11  And, behold, the man clothed with linen, which had the inkhorn by his side, reported the matter, saying, I have done as thou hast commanded me.

Luke 21:24

Luk 21:24  And they shall fall by the edge of the sword, and shall be led away captive into all nations: and Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled.

'p 44 -- APPENDIX A --
Ezekiel 9 and Luke 21:24 -- As Seen in Testimonies for the Church --

Internal evidence indicates there are three prophetic testimonies which are in themselves inter-related and coincide in their fulfillment with the prophecy of Jesus as given in Luke 21:24.

These testimonies are to be found in Vol. III, pp. 266-267, Vol. V, pp. 207-216, and Vol. VIII, pp. 247-251.

Testimonies to the Church - Vol. 111 pp. 266-267

'The true people of God, who have the spirit of the work of the Lord and the salvation of souls at heart, will ever view sin in its real, sinful character. They will always be on the side of faithful and plain dealing with sins which easily beset the people of God. Especially in the closing work for the church, in the sealing time of the one hundred and forty-four thousand who are to stand without fault before the throne of God, will they feel most deeply the wrongs of God's professed people. This is forcibly set forth by the prophet's illustration of the last work under the figure of the men each having a slaughter weapon in his hand. One man among them was clothed with linen, with a writer's inkhorn by his side. "And the Lord said unto him, Go through the midst of the city, through the midst of Jerusalem, and set a mark upon the foreheads of the men that sigh and that cry for all the abominations that be done in the midst thereof."
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Who are standing in the counsel of God at this time? Is it those who virtually excuse wrongs among the professed people of God and who murmur in their hearts, if not openly, against those who would reprove sin? Is it those who take their stand against them and sympathize with those who commit wrong? No, indeed! Unless they repent, and leave the work of Satan in oppressing those who have the burden of the work and in holding up the hands of sinners in Zion, they will never receive the mark of God's sealing approval. They will fall in the general destruction of the wicked, represented by the work of the five men bearing slaughter weapons. Mark this point with care: Those who receive the pure mark of truth, wrought in them by the power of the Holy Ghost, represented by a mark by the man in linen, are those "that sigh and that cry for all the abominations that be done" in the church. Their love for purity and the honor and glory of God is such, and they have so clear a view of the exceeding sinfulness of sin, that they are represented as being in agony, even sighing and crying. Read the ninth chapter of Ezekiel.
But the general slaughter of all those who do not thus see the wide contrast between sin and righteousness, and do not feel as those do who stand in the counsel of God and receive the mark, is described in the order to the five men with slaughter weapons: "Go ye after him through the city, and smite: let not your eye spare, neither have ye pity: slay utterly old and young, both maids, and little children, and women: but come not near any man upon whom is the mark; and begin at My sanctuary."


Testimonies for the Church Vol. V, pp. 207-216-

Testimonies for the Church Volume Five : Page 207
24. The Seal of God

"He cried also in mine ears with a loud voice, saying, Cause them that have charge over the city to
draw near, even every man with his destroying weapon in his hand." {5T 207.2}

And he called to the man clothed with linen, which had the writer's inkhorn by his side; and the Lord
said unto him, Go through the midst of the city, through the midst of Jerusalem, and set a mark upon
the foreheads of the men that sigh and that cry for all the abominations that be done in the midst
thereof. And to the others he said in mine hearing, Go ye after him through the city, and smite: let not
your eye spare, neither have ye pity: slay utterly old and young, both maids, and little children, and
women: but come not near any man upon whom is the mark; and begin at My sanctuary. Then they
began at the ancient men which were before the house." {5T 207.3}

Jesus is about to leave the mercy seat of the heavenly
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sanctuary to put on garments of vengeance and pour out His wrath in judgments upon those who have
not responded to the light God has given them. "Because sentence against an evil work is not executed
speedily, therefore the heart of the sons of men is fully set in them to do evil." Instead of being
softened by the patience and long forbearance that the Lord has exercised toward them, those who fear
not God and love not the truth strengthen their hearts in their evil course. But there are limits even to
the forbearance of God, and many are exceeding these boundaries. They have overrun the limits of
grace, and therefore God must interfere and vindicate His own honour. {5T 207.4}

Of the Amorites the Lord said: "In the fourth generation they shall come hither again: for the iniquity
of the Amorites is not yet full." Although this nation was conspicuous because of its idolatry and
corruption, it had not yet filled up the cup of its iniquity, and God would not give command for its utter
destruction. The people were to see the divine power manifested in a marked manner, that they might
be left without excuse. The compassionate Creator was willing to bear with their iniquity until the
fourth generation. Then, if no change was seen for the better, His judgments were to fall upon them.
{5T 208.1}

With unerring accuracy the Infinite One still keeps an account with all nations. While His mercy is
tendered with calls to repentance, this account will remain open; but when the figures reach a certain
amount which God has fixed, the ministry of His wrath commences. The account is closed. Divine
patience ceases. There is no more pleading of mercy in their behalf. {5T 208.2}

The prophet, looking down the ages, had this time presented before his vision. The nations of this age
have been the recipients of unprecedented mercies. The choicest of heaven's blessings have been given
them, but increased pride, covetousness, idolatry, contempt of God, and base ingratitude are written
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against them. They are fast closing up their account with God. {5T 208.3}

 But that which causes me to tremble is the fact that those who have had the greatest light and
privileges have become contaminated by the prevailing iniquity. Influenced by the unrighteous around
them, many, even of those who profess the truth, have grown cold and are borne down by the strong
current of evil. The universal scorn thrown upon true piety and holiness leads those who do not
connect closely with God to lose their reverence for His law. If they were following the light and
obeying the truth from the heart, this holy law would seem even more precious to them when thus
despised and set aside. As the disrespect for God's law becomes more manifest, the line of demarcation
between its observers and the world becomes more distinct. Love for the divine precepts increases with
one class according as contempt for them increases with another class. {5T 209.1}

The crisis is fast approaching. The rapidly swelling figures show that the time for God's visitation has
about come. Although loath to punish, nevertheless He will punish, and that speedily. Those who walk
in the light will see signs of the approaching peril; but they are not to sit in quiet, unconcerned
expectancy of the ruin, comforting themselves with the belief that God will shelter His people in the
day of visitation. Far from it. They should realize that it is their duty to labour diligently to save others,
looking with strong faith to God for help. "The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth
much." {5T 209.2}

The leaven of godliness has not entirely lost its power. At the time when the danger and depression of
the church are greatest, the little company who are standing in the light will be sighing and crying for
the abominations that are done in the land. But more especially will their prayers arise in behalf
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of the church because its members are doing after the manner of the world. {5T 209.3}

The earnest prayers of this faithful few will not be in vain. When the Lord comes forth as an avenger,
He will also come as a protector of all those who have preserved the faith in its purity and kept
themselves unspotted from the world. It is at this time that God has promised to avenge His own elect
which cry day and night unto Him, though He bear long with them. {5T 210.1}

The command is: "Go through the midst of the city, through the midst of Jerusalem, and set a mark
upon the foreheads of the men that sigh and that cry for all the abominations that be done in the midst
thereof." These sighing, crying ones had been holding forth the words of life; they had reproved,
COUNSELLED, and entreated. Some who had been dishonouring God repented and humbled their
hearts before Him. But the glory of the Lord had departed from Israel; although many still continued
the forms of religion, His power and presence were lacking. {5T 210.2}

 In the time when His wrath shall go forth in judgments, these humble, devoted followers of Christ will
be distinguished from the rest of the world by their soul anguish, which is expressed in lamentation and
weeping, reproofs and warnings. While others try to throw a cloak over the existing evil, and excuse
the great wickedness everywhere prevalent, those who have a zeal for God's honour and a love for
souls will not hold their peace to obtain favour of any. Their righteous souls are vexed day by day with
the unholy works and conversation of the unrighteous. They are powerless to stop the rushing torrent
of iniquity, and hence they are filled with grief and alarm. They mourn before God to see religion
despised in the very homes of those who have had great light. They lament and afflict their souls
because pride, avarice, selfishness, and deception of almost every kind are in the church. The Spirit
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of God, which prompts to reproof, is trampled underfoot, while the servants of Satan triumph. God is
dishonoured, the truth made of none effect. {5T 210.3}

The class who do not feel grieved over their own spiritual declension, nor mourn over the sins of
others, will be left without the seal of God. The Lord commissions His messengers, the men with
slaughtering weapons in their hands: "Go ye after him through the city, and smite: let not your eye
spare, neither have ye pity: slay utterly old and young, both maids, and little children, and women: but
come not near any man upon whom is the mark; and begin at My sanctuary. Then they began at the
ancient men which were before the house." {5T 211.1}

Here we see that the church--the Lord's sanctuary--was the first to feel the stroke of the wrath of God.
The ancient men, those to whom God had given great light and who had stood as guardians of the
spiritual interests of the people, had betrayed their trust. They had taken the position that we need not
look for miracles and the marked manifestation of God's power as in former days. Times have
changed. These words strengthen their unbelief, and they say: The Lord will not do good, neither will
He do evil. He is too merciful to visit His people in judgment. Thus "Peace and safety" is the cry from
men who will never again lift up their voice like a trumpet to show God's people their transgressions
and the house of Jacob their sins. These dumb dogs that would not bark are the ones who feel the just
vengeance of an offended God. Men, maidens, and little children all perish together. {5T 211.2}

The abominations for which the faithful ones were sighing and crying were all that could be discerned
by finite eyes, but by far the worst sins, those which provoked the jealousy of the pure and holy God,
were unrevealed. The great Searcher of hearts knoweth every sin committed in secret by the workers of
iniquity. These persons come to feel secure in their deceptions and, because of His long-suffering, say
that the Lord
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seeth not, and then act as though He had forsaken the earth. But He will detect their hypocrisy and will
open before others those sins which they were so careful to hide. {5T 211.3}

No superiority of rank, dignity, or worldly wisdom, no position in sacred office, will preserve men
from sacrificing principle when left to their own deceitful hearts. Those who have been regarded as
worthy and righteous prove to be ring-leaders in apostasy and examples in indifference and in the
abuse of God's mercies. Their wicked course He will tolerate no longer, and in His wrath He deals with
them without mercy. {5T 212.1}

 It is with reluctance that the Lord withdraws His presence from those who have been blessed with
great light and who have felt the power of the word in ministering to others. They were once His
faithful servants, favoured with His presence and guidance; but they departed from Him and led others
into error, and therefore are brought under the divine displeasure. {5T 212.2}

The day of God's vengeance is just upon us. The seal of God will be placed upon the foreheads of
those only who sigh and cry for the abominations done in the land. Those who link in sympathy with
the world are eating and drinking with the drunken and will surely be destroyed with the workers of
iniquity. "The eyes of the Lord are over the righteous, and His ears are open unto their prayers: but the
face of the Lord is against them that do evil." {5T 212.3}

Our own course of action will determine whether we shall receive the seal of the living God or be cut
down by the destroying weapons. Already a few drops of God's wrath have fallen upon the earth; but
when the seven last plagues shall be poured out without mixture into the cup of His indignation, then it
will be forever too late to repent and find shelter. No atoning blood will then wash away the stains of
sin. {5T 212.4}

"And at that time shall Michael stand up, the great prince
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which standeth for the children of thy people: and there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was
since there was a nation even to that same time: and at that time thy people shall be delivered,
everyone that shall be found written in the book." When this time of trouble comes, every case is
decided; there is no longer probation, no longer mercy for the impenitent. The seal of the living God is
upon His people. This small remnant, unable to defend themselves in the deadly conflict with the
powers of earth that are marshalled by the dragon host, make God their defence. The decree has been
passed by the highest earthly authority that they shall worship the beast and receive his mark under
pain of persecution and death. May God help His people now, for what can they then do in such a
fearful conflict without His assistance! {5T 212.5}

Courage, fortitude, faith, and implicit trust in God's power to save do not come in a moment. These
heavenly graces are acquired by the experience of years. By a life of holy endeavour and firm
adherence to the right the children of God were sealing their destiny. Beset with temptations without
number, they knew they must resist firmly or be conquered. They felt that they had a great work to do,
and at any hour they might be called to lay off their armour; and should they come to the close of life
with their work undone, it would be an eternal loss. They eagerly accepted the light from heaven, as
did the first disciples from the lips of Jesus. When those early Christians were exiled to mountains and
deserts, when left in dungeons to die with hunger, cold, and torture, when martyrdom seemed the only
way out of their distress, they rejoiced that they were counted worthy to suffer for Christ, who was
crucified for them. Their worthy example will be a comfort and encouragement to the people of God
who will be brought into the time of trouble such as never was. {5T 213.1}
 Not all who profess to keep the Sabbath will be sealed.

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There are many even among those who teach the truth to others who will not receive the seal of God in
their foreheads. They had the light of truth, they knew their Master's will, they understood every point
of our faith, but they had not corresponding works. These who were so familiar with prophecy and the
treasures of divine wisdom should have acted their faith. They should have commanded their
households after them, that by a well-ordered family they might present to the world the influence of
the truth upon the human heart. {5T 213.2}

By their lack of devotion and piety, and their failure to reach a high religious standard, they make other
souls contented with their position. Men of finite judgment cannot see that in patterning after these
men who have so often opened to them the treasures of God's word, they will surely endanger their
souls. Jesus is the only true pattern. Everyone must now search the Bible for himself upon his knees
before God, with the humble, teachable heart of a child, if he would know what the Lord requires of
him. However high any minister may have stood in the favour of God, if he neglects to follow out the
light given him of God, if he refuses to be taught as a little child, he will go into darkness and satanic
delusions and will lead others in the same path. {5T 214.1}

Not one of us will ever receive the seal of God while our characters have one spot or stain upon them.
It is left with us to remedy the defects in our characters, to cleanse the soul temple of every defilement.
Then the latter rain will fall upon us as the early rain fell upon the disciples on the Day of Pentecost.
{5T 214.2}

We are too easily satisfied with our attainments. We feel rich and increased with goods and know not
that we are "wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked." Now is the time to heed the
admonition of the True Witness: "I counsel thee to buy of Me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be
rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be
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clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that
thou mayest see." {5T 214.3}

In this life we must meet fiery trials and make costly sacrifices, but the peace of Christ is the reward.
There has been so little self-denial, so little suffering for Christ's sake, that the cross is almost entirely
forgotten. We must be partakers with Christ of His sufferings if we would sit down in triumph with
Him on His throne. So long as we choose the easy path of self-indulgence and are frightened at selfdenial,
our faith will never become firm, and we cannot know the peace of Jesus nor the joy that comes
through conscious victory. The most exalted of the redeemed host that stand before the throne of God
and the Lamb, clad in white, know the conflict of overcoming, for they have come up through great
tribulation. Those who have yielded to circumstances rather than engage in this conflict will not know
how to stand in that day when anguish will be upon every soul, when, though Noah, Job, and Daniel
were in the land, they could save neither son nor daughter, for everyone must deliver his soul by his
own righteousness. {5T 215.1}

No one need say that his case is hopeless, that he cannot live the life of a Christian. Ample provision is
made by the death of Christ for every soul. Jesus is our ever-present help in time of need. Only call
upon Him in faith, and He has promised to hear and answer your petitions. {5T 215.2}

Oh, for a living, active faith! We need it; we must have it, or we shall faint and fail in the day of trial.
The darkness that will then rest upon our path must not discourage us or drive us to despair. It is the
veil with which God covers His glory when He comes to impart rich blessings. We should know this
by our past experience. In that day when God has a controversy with His people this experience will be
a source of comfort and hope. {5T 215.3}

It is now that we must keep ourselves and our children unspotted from the world. It is now that we
must wash our robes
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of character and make them white in the blood of the Lamb. It is now that we must overcome pride,
passion, and spiritual slothfulness. It is now that we must awake and make determined effort for
symmetry of character. "Today if ye will hear His voice, harden not your hearts." We are in a most
trying position, waiting, watching for our Lord's appearing. The world is in darkness. "But ye,
brethren," says Paul, "are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief." It is ever God's
purpose to bring light out of darkness, joy out of sorrow, and rest out of weariness for the waiting,
longing soul. {5T 215.4}

What are you doing, brethren, in the great work of preparation? Those who are uniting with the world
are receiving the worldly mould and preparing for the mark of the beast. Those who are distrustful of
self, who are humbling themselves before God and purifying their souls by obeying the truth these are
receiving the heavenly mould and preparing for the seal of God in their foreheads. When the decree
goes forth and the stamp is impressed, their character will remain pure and spotless for eternity. {5T
216.1}

Now is the time to prepare. The seal of God will never be placed upon the forehead of an impure man
or woman. It will never be placed upon the forehead of the ambitious, world-loving man or woman. It
will never be placed upon the forehead of men or women of false tongues or deceitful hearts. All who
receive the seal must be without spot before God--candidates for heaven. Go forward, my brethren and
sisters. I can only write briefly upon these points at this time, merely calling your attention to the
necessity of preparation. Search the Scriptures for yourselves, that you may understand the fearful
solemnity of the present hour. {5T 216.2}


Testimonies to the Church VIII, pp. 247-251

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Shall We Be Found Wanting?
St. Helena, California, April 21, 1903.

Our position in the world is not what it should be. We are far from where we should have been had our
Christian experience been in harmony with the light and the opportunities given us, had we from the
beginning constantly pressed on ward and upward. Had we walked in the light that has been given us,
had we followed on to know the Lord, our path would have grown brighter and brighter. But many of
those who have had special light are so conformed to the world that they can scarcely be distinguished
from worldlings. They not stand forth as God's peculiar people, chosen and precious. It is difficult to
discern between him that serveth God and him that serveth Him not.

In the balances of the sanctuary the Seventh-day Adventist church is to be weighed. She will be judged
by the privileges and advantages that she has had. If her spiritual experience does not correspond to the
advantages that Christ, at infinite cost, has bestowed on her, if the blessings conferred have not
qualified her to do the work entrusted to her, on her will be pronounced the sentence: "Found wanting."
By the light bestowed, the opportunities given, will she be judged.

God's Purpose For His People
God has in store love, joy, peace, and glorious triumph for all who serve Him in spirit and in truth. His
commandment-keeping people are to stand constantly in readiness for service. They are to receive
increased grace and power, and increased knowledge of the Holy Spirit's working. But many are not
ready to receive the precious gifts of the Spirit which
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God is waiting to bestow on them. They are not reaching higher and still higher for power from above
that through the gifts bestowed, they may be recognized as God's peculiar people, zealous of good
works.

"Repent, and Do the First Works"

Solemn admonitions of warning, manifest in the destruction of dearly cherished facilities for service,
say to us: "Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works."
Revelation 2:5. Why is there so dim a perception of the true spiritual condition of the church? Has not
blindness fallen upon the watchmen standing on the walls of Zion? Are not many of God's servants
unconcerned and well satisfied, as if the pillar of cloud by day and the pillar of fire by night rested
upon the sanctuary? Are there not those in positions of responsibility, professing to know God, who in
life and character deny Him? Are not many of those who count themselves as His chosen, peculiar
people satisfied to live without the evidence that of a truth God is among them to save them from
Satan's snares and attacks?

Would we not now have much greater light if, in the past, we had received the Lord's admonitions,
acknowledged His presence, and turned away from all practices contrary to His will? Had we done
this, the light of heaven would have shone into the soul-temple, enabling us to comprehend the truth
and to love God supremely and our neighbors as ourselves. Oh, how greatly Christ is dishonored by
those who, professing to be Christians, disgrace the name they bear by failing to make their lives
correspond to their profession, by failing to treat one another with the love and respect that God
expects them to reveal in kind words and courteous acts!
249
The powers from beneath are stirred with deep intensity. War and bloodshed are the result. The moral
atmosphere is poisoned with cruel, horrible doings. The spirit of strife is spreading; it abounds in every
place. Many souls are being taken possession of by the spirit of fraud, or underhand dealing. Many will
depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits and doctrines of devils. They do not discern what
spirit has taken possession of them.

A Failure To Honor God

One who sees beneath the surface, who reads the hearts of all men, says of those who have had great
light: "They are not afflicted and astonished because of their moral and spiritual condition." Yea, they
have chosen their own ways, and their soul delighteth in their abominations. I also will choose their
delusions, and will bring their fears upon them; because when I called, none did answer; when I spake,
they did not hear: but they did evil before Mine eyes, and chose that in which I delighted not." "God
shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie," because they received not the love of
the truth, that they might be saved," "but had pleasure in unrighteousness." Isaiah 66:3, 4; 2
Thessalonians 2:11, 10, 12.

The heavenly Teacher inquired: "What stronger delusion can beguile the mind than the pretense that
you are building on the right foundation and that God accepts your works, when in reality you are
working out many things according to worldly policy and are sinning against Jehovah? Oh, it is a great
deception, a fascinating delusion, that takes possession of minds when men who have once known the
truth, mistake the form of godliness for the spirit and power thereof; when
250
they suppose that they are rich and increased with goods and in need of nothing, while in reality they
are in need of everything."

God has not changed toward His faithful servants who are keeping their garments spotless. But many
are crying, "Peace and safety," while sudden destruction is coming upon them. Unless there is
thorough repentance, unless men humble their hearts by confession and receive the truth as it is in
Jesus, they will never enter heaven. When purification shall take place in our ranks, we shall no longer
rest at ease, boasting of being rich and increased with goods, in need of nothing.

Who can truthfully say: "Our gold is tried in the fire; our garments are unspotted by the world"? I saw
our Instructor pointing to the garments of so-called righteousness. Stripping them off, He laid bare the
defilement beneath. Then He said to me: "Can you not see how they have pretentiously covered up
their defilement and rottenness of character? 'How is the faithful city become an harlot!' My Father's
house is made a house of merchandise, a place whence the divine presence and glory have departed!
For this cause there is weakness, and strength is lacking."

A Call For Reformation
Unless the church, which is now being leavened with her own backsliding, shall repent and be
converted, she will eat of the fruit of her own doing, until she shall abhor herself. When she resists the
evil and chooses the good, when she seeks God with all humility and reaches her high calling in Christ,
standing on the platform of eternal truth and by faith laying hold upon the attainments prepared for her,
she will be healed. She will appear in her God-given simplicity and
251
purity, separate from earthly entanglements, showing that the truth has made her free indeed. Then her
members will indeed be the chosen of God, His representatives.

The time has come for a thorough reformation to take place. When this reformation begins, the spirit of
prayer will actuate every believer and will banish from the church the spirit of discord and strife. Those
who have not been living in Christian fellowship will draw close to one another. One member working
in right lines will lead other members to unite with him in making intercession for the revelation of the
Holy Spirit. There will be no confusion, because all will be in harmony with the mind of the Spirit. The
barriers separating believer from believer will be broken down, and God's servants will speak the same
things. The Lord will co-operate with His servants. All will pray understandingly the prayer that Christ
taught His servants: "Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth

*******
'An Hour an An End'  Appendix A Continued…

The relationship between the first two of these testimonies is very obvious - both quote directly from Ezekiel 9. In Vol. III, p. 267, after quoting Ezekiel 9:4, the instruction is given - "Read the ninth chapter of Ezekiel." The reference in Vol. V quotes Ezekiel 9:1, 3b-6 at the very beginning of the chapter.

The relationship between the first two references and Vol. VIII, pp. 247f., is not so obvious, but can be readily deducted by comparing what is written within each testimony. In the chapter, "The Seal of God," it speaks of a time when "the glory of the Lord had departed from Israel." (V:210) In the chapter, "Shall We Be Found Wanting?" the same language is used - "My Father's house is made a house of merchandise, a place whence the divine presence and glory have departed!" (VIII:250) Thus both chapters are describing the same condition and time. Using the geometrical axiom that if a = b, and b = c, then a = c; we find all of these testimonies interrelated.

The time on which these events focus is given in Vol. V, pp. 207-208, where it reads - "Jesus is about to leave the mercy-seat of the heavenly sanctuary, to put on garments of vengeance." In Adventist terminology, this means simply that the events as noted in Vol. V, pp. 207-213 are to take place just prior to the close of all human probation. The last paragraph on p. 212, begins with a quote of Daniel 12:1, and then the comment is made - "When this time of trouble comes, every case is decided; there is no longer probation, no longer mercy for the impenitent." (p. 213)

There is, however, another time mentioned in this chapter. On page 208, the example of the Amorites is cited as to how God has dealt with the nations in the past. Then the conclusion is drawn: -        With unerring accuracy, the Infinite One still keeps an account with all nations. While His mercy is tendered, with calls to repentance, this account will remain open, but when the figures reach a certain amount which God has fixed, the ministry of His wrath commences. The account is closed. Divine patience ceases. There is no more pleading of mercy in their [the nations'] behalf.

The next paragraph inter-relates this time with Ezekiel 9 - "The prophet [Ezekiel], looking down the ages, had this time presented before his vision." One reads in vain for any reference to "the nations" in Ezekiel 9. Ezekiel 9 is concerned with the Church, and the sealing of those who sigh and cry for the abominations done within it. But the time of the events prophetically symbolized in Ezekiel 9 are pinpointed as taking place at the time mercy is no longer extended to the nations. Jesus in Luke 21:24 gives that sign to be, Jerusalem no longer under Gentile control. This brief period began in 1967 with the taking of Old Jerusalem by Israeli military forces, and ended with the transfer of the entire civil government from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem in 1980. Thus we are living in the time when the events portrayed in these three testimonies are or have been fulfilled. And these testimonies relate to the Church!

Vol. III, pp. 266-267 indicates this to be the time of "the closing work for the church," -- the "last work" as prefigured in the charge to the man clothed in linen
p 45 -- with a writer's inkhorn by his side.

Vol. V, pp. 209-213 tells us that two groups will be developed - "the little company" also called "the faithful few ... who have preserved the faith in its purity, and kept themselves unspotted from the world." It also tells us that "the church - the Lord's sanctuary - was the first to receive the stroke of the wrath of God."

Vol. VIII, pp. 247-251 indicates the Seventh-day Adventist church as a corporate body is to be weighed in the. balances of the sanctuary, and if she is judged as having failed the trust committed to her, on her will be pronounced the sentence - "Found wanting." Further, the servant of the Lord hears the Divine Instructor asking - "How is the faithful city become an, harlot?" This is the question! The once faithful city - who during the 1940s and 1950s experienced the golden years of an evangelistic thrust which proclaimed the message worldwide - the sanctuary, the mark of the beast - all! - now declared to be "an harlot!" How? The answer is simple, and found in the testimony itself. The Church refused to heed the call to repentance asked by God even though He sent two messengers with this call in 1950. The results followed: she first played the harlot with the Evangelicals, then turned to the World Council of Churches. When she altered her doctrinal position to include both the thinking of the Evangelicals and the WCC, God indicated He was betrayed enough, and permitted the final sign given by Jesus to be fulfilled.

*******

After reading all this I think it enough to absorb for now. By the grace of God we will keep His truth, and study more on this tomorrow.

Please Savior, we would be YOURS.

Save us.

All by YOUR LOVE!

An Hour and An End - Pt. 12 (Prophetic Signs) Recap...

(Please Note-  If you would like to read this entire manuscript 'An Hour and An End' by William Grotheer, click/use  the following link-


Prayerfully we ask our God to grant us the wisdom and understanding we need to have as the last of His prophecies are being fulfilled.

Reading the study we've just had on prophetic signs we have no choice but to realize the truth before us.

Step by step, prophecy has unfolded in our history.

Israel of old were promised many things, yet Israel of old constantly seemed to rebel against God, voiding their right to the promises.  God made a covenant with Israel.  What does this have to do with us today? A lot!  We cannot neglect the study of the only scriptures our Savior preached from, we cannot except to imperil our own eternity.  Jesus quoted from what we call the Old Testament. Jesus referenced the Old Testament, to Him it was NOT the Old Testament but the only scriptures in existence.  For us to throw that all away is to cut off a part of the truth that we cannot and should not ever do!

Let's recap--

God created us.
We rebelled.
God had a plan to save us and this is all explained in His Word.
God found a man who would accept His grace.
God found a man who would accept His righteousness.
These men were the few among the many who would rather turn their backs on God entirely than sacrifice their self-serving.
God took these few called, these few chosen that would be His and created a people. The people from the called and chosen multiplied greatly and lived a life of suffering with the hope of a promised deliverer.
God chose a deliverer.
Moses freed the great multitude from their life of slavery, a life that did not allow them the freedom to worship and follow Him.
God spoke with the multitude offering to make a covenant with them.
The multitude agreed to the covenant.
The great multitude rebelled against the covenant, quickly and often, choosing to forget the miracle of their salvation.
An entire generation of 40 years was denied a land promised to them because of this rebellion.
Constantly over many centuries God's chosen would return and rebel against Him, they did this right up until the time that God's Son revealed they would be forsaken because they would choose to NOT be His no matter how often He would take them under His wing to protect them.
The time came and God's chosen were once and for all cut off as a chosen people, leaving only individuals- not a corporate group- to be God's. 
Individuals from among God's chosen, and individual among those not chosen-the gentiles that would become spiritually His but not His through a human lineage, but through a human/God lineage found in Jesus Christ, his God lineage allowing the Spiritual birth to take place even in those without the human lineage of Israel.
God again chooses a people among those spiritually begotten in Him.
These spiritually begotten are given a message to preach.
The message is preached yet the chosen people rebel against truth, just as Israel of old, spiritual Israel is in rebellion.
Just as Israel of old were given warnings and told to repent, so were spiritual Israel.
Just as Israel of old refused to repent as the final call to repentance was made, so too spiritual Israel has failed to repent as their final call to repentance was made.
Individuals from Spiritual Israel will separate themselves from the forsaken, rebellious Spiritual Israel - joining themselves to Christ.

This is truth!

Christ will have a remnant among the few that find the way through Him.  The rebellious multitude will NOT be His! Not even those who cry out His name day after day whose hearts are not really His will be saved! Only those who are KNOWN BY HIM will be saved.

More tomorrow by the grace of God- cutting this short because it's very late, after a trip to the ER with my daughter. Praise God she's going to be okay!

More tomorrow on all of this… God's will be done in this and all things!

All in HIS LOVE!


  

Thursday, January 23, 2014

An Hour and An End - Pt. 11 (Prophetic Signs)

History and prophecy go hand in hand.

Continuing with our study from 'An Hour and An End' by William Grotheer.  May God bless us and open our heart and minds to Him and His truth!

May we find the truth and only the truth.

*******

p 40 -- CHAPTER XII -- Lesson From the Jewish Church for Today

God in His foreknowledge had determined the time to be allotted to the Jewish Church and its holy city.

To Daniel was revealed that "seventy weeks are determined upon thy people and upon thy holy city." (9:24) Yet in the close of the probation of the Jewish Church, the time varied for various segments of that Church.

A careful study of the book of Acts reveals the hierarchy of the Jewish Church passed the point of no return prior to the time that probation closed for the Jewish Church as a corporate body. Observe closely, with your Bible open, the following points:

1)  On the Day of Pentecost (A.D. 31), Peter preached to "devout" Jews (2:5) and called them to repentance. (2:38) The hierarchy were busy at the Temple with the festivities of that day.

Act 2:5  And there were dwelling at Jerusalem Jews, devout men, out of every nation under heaven.
Act 2:38  Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.

2)  Shortly after the Day of Pentecost, but prior to A.D. 34, Peter again called the laity, who had gathered in the Temple courts for the hour of prayer, to repent. (3:1, 19)

Act 3:1  Now Peter and John went up together into the temple at the hour of prayer, being the ninth hour.
Act 3:19  Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord

3)  While speaking to the people, Peter and John were arrested by the Temple police, and on the following day were arraigned before Annas, Caiaphas, and other of the kindred of the high priest. (4:6-7) Peter boldly charged these top leaders of the Jewish Church with the crucifixion of Jesus (4:10); but at no point did Peter call them to repent.

Act 4:6  And Annas the high priest, and Caiaphas, and John, and Alexander, and as many as were of the kindred of the high priest, were gathered together at Jerusalem.
Act 4:7  And when they had set them in the midst, they asked, By what power, or by what name, have ye done this?

Act 4:10  Be it known unto you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom ye crucified, whom God raised from the dead, even by him doth this man stand here before you whole.

The leadership of the Jewish Church had passed their day of probation prior to the time allotted to the Jewish nation as a corporate body.

In A. D. 34, Stephen standing before the supreme "council" of the Jewish Church arraigned them in judgment before God as the "betrayers and murderers" of "the Just One." (6:15; 7:52) There was no call to repentance, for the hour of the end of the "seventy weeks" had arrived. In the execution of the judgment of the high council of the Jewish Church upon Stephen, probation closed for that Church as a corporate body. Yet for another 36 years, the forms and ceremonies of the Jewish religion would continue to be practiced in the Temple before the "curtains" fell on that Temple and the "holy city." Why was time extended?

In the decision of the Jewish hierarchy to kill Jesus, the laity of the Jewish Church were not involved, although as a part of "the house of Israel," they shared accountability. (Acts 2:36) When Stephen was stoned, the decision was made by the Jewish "council."

 Again the laity were not involved, but as a part of the corporate body shared in that guilt.

God, being a God of justice and mercy, granted time so that the individual member of the Jewish Church might decide whether the decisions of the Jewish leadership were correct, or whether the testimony of the apostles of Jesus was true.

This necessitated not only that the Jewish laity in Jerusalem receive a call to repentance, as on the Day of Pentecost; but also that the same laity scattered in the synagogues of the Diaspora be given the same opportunity.

This is what the major part of the book of Acts is all about. Not only does Paul carry the gospel to the Gentiles, but he enters the synagogues and tells the individual members what their hierarchy did at Jerusalem. (Acts 13:27-29)

Act 13:27  For they that dwell at Jerusalem, and their rulers, because they knew him not, nor yet the voices of the prophets which are read every sabbath day, they have fulfilled them in condemning him.
Act 13:28  And though they found no cause of death in him, yet desired they Pilate that he should be slain.
Act 13:29  And when they had fulfilled all that was written of him, they took him down from the tree, and laid him in a sepulchre.

 The book of Acts closes with a confrontation of Paul with the local leadership in Rome. (28:17, 23-29)

Act 28:17  And it came to pass, that after three days Paul called the chief of the Jews together: and when they were come together, he said unto them, Men and brethren, though I have committed nothing against the people, or customs of our fathers, yet was I delivered prisoner from Jerusalem into the hands of the Romans.

Act 28:23  And when they had appointed him a day, there came many to him into his lodging; to whom he expounded and testified the kingdom of God, persuading them concerning Jesus, both out of the law of Moses, and out of the prophets, from morning till evening.
Act 28:24  And some believed the things which were spoken, and some believed not.
Act 28:25  And when they agreed not among themselves, they departed, after that Paul had spoken one word, Well spake the Holy Ghost by Esaias the prophet unto our fathers,
Act 28:26  Saying, Go unto this people, and say, Hearing ye shall hear, and shall not understand; and seeing ye shall see, and not perceive:
Act 28:27  For the heart of this people is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes have they closed; lest they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them.

This final picture of the book of Acts takes place within the shadow of the time when the "sign" Jesus gave marking the hour for the destruction of the city of Jerusalem
p 41 -- occurred - A.D. 66. The end of all things for the Jewish Church was at hand - its ritual and its temple services in A.D. 70.

This history can be diagramed and its significance -visualized as follows:

The
Cross------------- --AD 34 -------------------------------------------AD 66-------AD 70 ---------
___|___________|__________________________________|_______|____

--(1)--------------- (2)------------------------------------------------------------(3)


(1)   A.D. 31 - Close of Probation for the Jewish hierarchy in the crucifixion of Jesus Christ.

(2)   A.D. 34 - Close of Probation for the Jewish Church as a corporate body.

(3)                  - Decision time for the laity of the Jewish Church.

In the fate of this once "holy city," we can see "a symbol of the world hardened in unbelief and rebellion, and hastening on to meet the retributive judgments of God." (Great Controversy, p. 22)

Also in this city, we see fulfilled events which Jesus connected with "the scenes which are to take place in the history of this world just prior to the coming of the Son of man in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory." (Counsels to Writers, pp. 23-24)

In these final events, it is not the probation of the Jewish Church which is involved, it is the probation of the Seventh-day Adventist Church, modern "spiritual Israel," to whom sacred trusts were committed as was to the ancient Jewish Church.

The Seventh-day Adventist Church cannot divorce itself from the fate of the nations.

To the Church was committed the trust of giving "the everlasting gospel... to every nation." (Rev. 14:6)

In a special sense to the Seventh-day Adventist Church was "entrusted the last warning for a perishing world." (9T:19)

Following the Great Disappointment in 1844, as the minds of a small group of disappointed ones were directed to the High Priestly ministry of Jesus, they perceived as "the closing work of the church" the giving "to the world the warning of the third angel of Revelation 14." (SP, IV, p. 272)

Jesus linked the fate and probation of the nations with events which were to take place in the history of Jerusalem.

He plainly foretold the destruction of the city, and gave the sign by which His followers would know that time was imminent. In the same prophecy, Jesus also set the boundary of the probation of the nations as corporate entities. Jesus declared that Jerusalem - the city, not the temple - was to be trodden underfoot by the nations "until the times of the nations be fulfilled." (Luke 21:24) [In the Greek, there is but one word for "nations" and "Gentiles"]

Inasmuch as the fate of the Church is linked to the fate of the nations because of the trust committed to the Church involving the final warning to the nations, this prophecy of Jesus becomes a major factor in understanding the true significance of the "now" time to which we have come.

Further, the fate of the Jewish Church and the fate of the Seventh-day Adventist Church was linked in a letter sent to Elders George I. Butler and S. N. Haskell in 1886. That letter read in part:  -       I think of His [Jesus,] great sorrow as He wept over Jerusalem, exclaiming, "0 Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them that are sent unto thee; how often would I have gathered thy children together, as a hen doth gather her brood under her wings, and ye would not" [Luke 13:34] God forbid that these words shall apply to those who have great light and blessings. In the rejecting of Jerusalem it was because great privileges were abused which brought the denunciation upon all who lightly regarded the great opportunities and precious light

p 42 -- that were entrusted to their keeping. Privileges do not commend us to God, but they commend God to us. No people are saved because they have great light and special advantages, for these high and heavenly favors only increase their responsibility. ...

When Jerusalem was divorced from God, it was because of her sins. ...

The depth of our ruin is measured by the exalted light to which God has raised us in His great goodness and unspeakable mercy. Oh, what privileges are granted to us as a people! And if God spared not His people that He loved because they refused to walk in the light, how can He spare the people whom He has blessed with the light of heaven in having opened to them the most exalted truth ever entrusted to mortal man to give to the world? (Letter 8-55-1886; emphasis supplied)

The parallel between the history of Jerusalem in the fulfillment of the prophecy of Jesus in Luke 21:24, and the history of the Church in its rejection of the truth entrusted to her is so related that it dare not be overlooked. (See Appendix D) This parallel and the message of the book of Acts tell us where we are in the stream of time as God's professed people today. Let us recapitulate the data and its significance:

 On June 21, 1948, Israel again became a nation.
 This did not fulfill a prophecy.
 Coming events were merely casting their shadows before. This event did, however, force the Seventh-day Adventist Church to review its prophetic interpretation concerning Israel as a nation. In 1944, the Pacific Press published a book - Palestine in Prophecy - which stated that "those who are holding the hope of national restoration for the Jews are following a theological will-o'-the-wisp." (p. 95) In 1947, the same press published another book - The Jews and Palestine - with the specific declaration that "careful study of both the Old and New Testament reveals that the literal descendants of Abraham, as a nation, will never be re-established in the Holy Land." (p. 61) Yet within a year, what we said could not, and would not be, did occur. We then backed up to the position Edson White had taken in his book - The Coming King - first published in 1898, which stated: -       We also read that "Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled." Luke 21:24. Jerusalem has never again come into possession of the Jews, and will not until "the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled." This will be when the work of the gospel is finished. (p. 98; See Exhibit #5)

We publicly proclaimed this position at the 1952 Bible Conference. Elder Arthur S. Maxwell in his presentation noted Luke 21:24 as one of the yet unfullfilled prophecies as of that date, stating that "Jerusalem is to remain trodden down of the Gentiles till probationary time of all Gentiles has run out." (Our Firm Foundation, Vol. 2, p. 231; See Exhibit #I) But today, Jerusalem is under Jewish control, and has become the capital of the nation. (See Exhibit #8) We are again faced with the fact that we still have not interpreted this prophecy accurately. We have failed to distinguish between "nations" as corporate entities, and "individuals." To face this distinction is not to our liking because the fate of the Church as a corporate entity is tied to the fate of the nations because of the message committed to the trust of the Church. In the fulfillment of Luke 21:24, God is trying to tell us something and we will not listen.

In 1950, God sent to the Church two "messengers" even as He did in 1888.

Elders R. J. Wieland and D. K. Short called for denominational repentance, the only solution to the problem and need of the Church. The Church was soon to face its moment of truth in the soon fulfillment of Luke 21:24, resultant from the establishment of the Jewish State in 1948. In other words, the call of these two "messengers" was a message from God on time.

While Elders Wieland and Short did not correctly interpret the nature of the repentance called for, and have since wandered off course as did Waggoner and Jones, the fact that God called for a denominational repentance, - this was clearly presented in 1950.

But what was the reaction? In the first response of the General Conference in 1951, the hierarchy rejected their manuscript - 1888 Re-Examined - as too "critical." Another evaluation in 1958 also rejected it.

p 43 -- Between 1950 and 1958, a major event occurred within the Church.

The SDA-Evangelical Conferences were held and the resultant book - Questions on Doctrine - denied the sacred trust committed to the Church.

Then in 1967 (June 5-10) came fhe Six-Day War, and Jerusalem was once again in Jewish hands after 1900 years. This was the beginning of the final period of the "times of the nations" (Gentiles). Within days another series of events began to unfold: -

1)   June 27-29 -  A committee of the General Conference met in Washington and after hearing Elder R. J. Wieland in person, again rejected his and Short's manuscript because "its fruitage is evil." [Wieland and Short's revised edition of 1888 ReExamined does not give the true picture. It has been altered. But the manuscript A Warning and Its Reception - gives the complete data.]

2)   July 30 - August 8 -   . The triennial meeting of the Faith and Order Commission of the World Council of Churches met in Bristol, England. For the first time, a representative of the Seventh-day Adventist theological viewpoint sat in session as a voted member by the Central Committee of the WCC. He was Dr. Earle Hilgert, then of Andrews University. Now Dr. Roaul Dederen also of Andrews University has taken Hilgert's place.

3)   October 17-24 -   The Annual Council of the Church gave recognition to the Association of Adventist Forums. It was from the podium of this organization that Dr. Desmond Ford launched his attack on the Sanctuary truth in 1979.

4)   December 15 -   The first issue of "Watchman, What of the Night?' was mailed to a small list of names. For 23 years now this publication has been calling the attention of the Church to the apostasy both in doctrine and deed which has engulfed it.

Prior to 1967, another series of events began to unfold which reached their fruition in 1980.

At the final session of Vatican II, an observer of the SDA Church and a member of the WCC Secretariat made arrangements for private dialogue. The first unofficial meeting took place in 1965. (So Much in Common, p. 98) Also in 1965, Dr. Bernard Seton wrote from Switzerland to the General Conference of the need for a revised Statement of Beliefs. This beginning, though at first rejected by the General Conference, ultimately led to the 27 Fundamental Statements of Belief voted at Dallas on April 25, 1980.

In 1967, when Israel took Jerusalem, the capital remained at Tel Aviv. However, on July 30, 1980, the Knesset (Parliament) of Israel made Jerusalem "the capital of Israel" and "the seat" of all government of the nation. Thus was completed the fulfillment of Luke 21:24. What does this mean?, We are now living in the time which would be parallel with the end times of the Jewish Church and nation - A.D. 34 - A.D. 70 - when the Jewish laity had to make a decision regarding the actions of the Jewish hierarchy.

For the Seventh-day Adventist Church today, all the actions of the leadership of the Church since 1950 onward focus in one document - the 27 Fundamental Statements of Belief. The compromise with the Evangelicals which denied the sacred trust committed to the Advent Movement is transcribed into the Statement. The requirement for membership in the World Council of Churches as written in the Constitution of the WCC is verbally written into the Statements of Belief. For six months the Sabbath School lessons were devoted to these Fundamentals. A new book - Seventhday Adventists Believe... - details chapter by chapter each of the Statements. At the Centennial Celebration of 1888, these 27 Statements were proclaimed as the acceptance of the 1888 Message. It is now before each individual member of the Church as to which road he will take - the Way of the Sacred Trust, or the denial of that Trust over the past four decades by the hierarchy.

*******

The individual must decide for the truth and nothing but the truth. If they turn a blind eye to the FACTS they'll be accountable for that.

We have to have our eyes and ears opened!

When we close ourselves to the truth because we want to remain comfortable where we are, we condemn ourselves to darkness.

Jesus is the TRUTH.

We MUST live the TRUTH!

Please LORD help us know and live Your TRUTH always!


All by Your grace, Your love!

Wednesday, January 22, 2014

An Hour and An End - Pt. 10 (Prophetic Signs)

Guilt or innocence?

Probation for each one of us means we have been given time to repent.  We are all on probation, every single one of us. When probation is over we will either have repented and accepted Christ as our Savior, trusting in Him for our Righteousness, or we will not have truly repented but taken on some form of self centered  unrighteousness.  One or the other, God's or not God's when probation is over.

When the times of the gentiles was up, did judgment pass on from the corporate church of God which was left found wanting just as Israel of old, and to the living individual? If so, that began in 1980.  For the last 34 years this has been going on and the one remaining sign concerning Jerusalem is the Papacy establishing a presence in Jerusalem.  And more and more in our news these days we can read of the Papacy and Israel. The Pope is going to Jerusalem in May, where some say he will receive lands he's been after for many, many years.  Is it true? I don't know, but I'm watching the signs. If it is true and this last prophetic sign is to take place in May or herald it's fulfillment in some way are we prepared? Is Christ first in our lives? Are we ready for our individual probation to be up? No matter how you answer those questions just remember this VERY important fact- your probation could be up in the next minute, the next hour, the next day, month, year… because it also ends in our deaths.  For those alive when Christ returns - for the living who are changed and brought to meet Christ in the air- they are the ones who will live through probation's closing upon them while they are still alive, death doesn't end their probation. We have to remember though, at anytime our probation could be over and not believe we have time to waste away, unconcerned with our eternal fate.
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We've been studying the signs.  Clearly from the signs we can tell that things WILL come to a head, it's just a matter of time.

If you are a member of the Seventh Day Adventist church, or were a member you have to read the following and continue reading because you have to know what has happened, you have to read the proof and the ways to find the proof that the church apostatized, never to repent and be God's again.  The church, but not all the individual members, they still have a chance to  be God's.

If you've had nothing whatsoever to do with the Seventh Day Adventist's then this will probably confuse you a bit, but read it if you can and pray for GOD'S truth, and GOD'S will to be done always, in all things!

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p 37 -- Chapter XI -- The Church Today

Up until 1980, all decisions effecting the Church, doctrinally and ecumenically, were made by the hierarchy at the highest levels of administration. The laity had no part in deciding whether there should be conferences with the Evangelicals. They were not consulted as to the compromises made in doctrine, but were submitted, as were also the lower levels of the clergy, the propaganda enforcing these compromises. The book - Questions on Doctrine - was thrust upon them as a "missionary book."

The decision to make contact and carry on dialogue with representatives of the World Council of Churches was not made by the laity. And even though it was first initiated on a personal basis, it was adopted and encouraged by the highest levels of church authority. It was not a layperson who suggested that a Seventh-day Adventist theologian be appointed to the Faith and Order Commission of the WCC. Neither was it a lay decision to give the Church "in symbol" into the hands of the Pope.

The laity did not enter into the decision to play the stock market with its ensuing losses; neither did the laity initiate nor promote the investments in the Davenport enterprises. But it was the money the laity dedicated to the Church in tithes, offerings and trusts for the work of the Lord which was gambled and lost.

The General Conference in 1980 enlarged the scope of the involvement. The Church in general session voted the 27 Fundamental Statements of Belief, and into these statements were incorporated the compromises of the previous decades. While the General Conference in session was and is considered the highest authority on earth speaking for God, still the rank and file of the laity and clergy had little voice. It was the theologians of the Church working in close alliance with the top levels of administration who guided through the 1980 session the new statement of beliefs which included concepts which never had appeared in any previously accepted or voted statement. Some of these new statements were very good, but this only adds to the deception, producing a "tree" of both good and evil.

In the mind of the hierarchy, these new statements of belief were not considered a rejection of the compromises made in the Evangelical Conferences of 1955-1956, but were rather an affirmation of them. However, due to the continued agitation in the Adventist community by "dissidents," not only concerning the compromises of the 50's, but also because of what was written into the 27 Fundamentals, the late Dr. Walter Martin, one of the chief conferees for the Evangelicals at the conferences in the 50's, wrote to the General Conference. Here is his rationale for writing and the answer he received in reply: -        Since I have always stressed the importance of doctrinal integrity in my evaluations of religious movements, the doctrinal upheaval in Adventism is of special concern. Consequently on February 16, 1983, I wrote the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists (Washington D.C.), calling for the Conference's public and official statement reaffirming or denying the authority of the Adventist book, Questions on Doctrine, which was the representative Adventist publication on which I based my earlier evaluation and book. On April 29, 1983, W. Richard Lesher, vice-president of the General Conference [now president of Andrews University], responded in a personal letter. His reply read in part: -        "You ask first if Seventh-day Adventists still stand behind the answers given to your questions in Questions on Doctrine as they did in 1957. The answer is yes. You have noted in your letter that some opposed the answers then, and, to some extent, the same situation exists today. But certainly

p 38 -- the great majority of Seventh-day Adventists are in harmony with the views expressed in Questions on Doctrine." (The Kingdom of the Cults, p. 410)

In 1985, another General Conference convened, this time in New Orleans. During the final business meeting of the session, Elder Neal C. Wilson commented on several requests that had come to re-open discussion on the 27 Statements of Fundamental Beliefs. He then explained why these requests had not be honored: -       There have been several requests for an open discussion of the Statement of Fundamental Beliefs of Seventh-day Adventists. I want to explain why we chose not to do this at this session. There seems to have been a very favorable world reaction to and acceptance of the Fundamental Beliefs as voted in 1980.

The introduction states that "when the church is led by the Holy Spirit to a fuller understanding of Bible truth or finds better language in which to express the teachings of God's Holy Word," wording revision could be discussed again. Frankly, throughout this past five years there has been no one who has revealed to us that the Holy Spirit has led in making any substantive changes.

There needs to be a degree of permanence to a Statement of Fundamental Beliefs. It should not be opened up every time we meet, seeing how we can word it a little differently. When the Holy Spirit leads us to some different conclusions or when it seems as though the Holy Spirit points out that it should be more clearly stated, we want certainly to open it. For these reasons we have chosen to leave this statement as it is. (Adventist Review, July 11, 1985, p. 17)

The 1985 Session was large1y devoted to organizational changes. No suggestion was made that the Church should return to the structure as formulated in 1901 and rejected in 1903. It should be kept in mind that it was this rejection of the 1901 Constitution which caused Ellen G. White to call for corporate repentance and conversion. But no such repentance was forthcoming at the 1985 Session, but rather a continuing fulfillment of the warning sounded by P. T. Magan at the 1903 Session. (See Chapter IX, p. 26) Papal language was used during the session in illustrating the roles of the officers of the General Conference. Wilson, in responding to questions raised by a report of the nominating committee and a feeling expressed from the floor that the selection of leadership did not rightly represent the Church in the Third World, stated - "If you compare vice presidents to 'cardinals,' we already have a 'cardinal' from Africa, and before this session ends, I predict we will have two African 'cardinals' among the 15 vice presidents." He used the same comparison a second time in this response. (Bulletin, p. 795) There is no desire to repent but organizational strengthening of hierarchical control in continued rebellion against the purposes of God.

As the Church prepared for the 1888 Centennial celebration, opportunity was provided for the laity to evaluate and decide in regard to the 27 Fundamental Statements of Belief. In the Ministry (April, 1988) and in the Adventist Review (April 7, 1988), Elder Neal C. Wilson revealed the plan for the Sabbath School lessons for the last two quarters of that year. He wrote: -       The framework is already in place for intense study of the fundamental doctrines of the church. The Sabbath School lessons for the last two quarters of this year focus on our 27 fundamental beliefs. Seventh-day Adventists Believe..., the 325-page doctrinal book on which we have been working for two years, will be on the press by May 1. The manuscript for this book has been read and critiqued by more than 200 Adventist scholars and church leaders around the world. Each of the 27 chapters takes an in-depth look at one of our beliefs. And yet the book is written in such a way that every member of the church can understand and grasp the importance of these great truths that bind us together.

Although the book was written in a style which the average laymen could grasp, they were not provided with previous statements of belief held by the church so that a comparison could be made as to changes that were voted in 1980 and the gravity of those changes. Each individual member of the Church needed an opportunity to decide if indeed the 27 Statements are fundamental truths, or apostate formulations, or a
p 39 -- mixture of the two which would make them the more deceptive.

The Lord through Hosea declared - "My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge." (4:6)

It is not that the laity have had no opportunity to obtain knowledge. The facts of what has taken place over the past three decades have been available to all who wished to know. But "false prophets" on the periphery of Adventism have been plucking leaves from the "pretentious" fig tree to lure the concerned laity into thinking that they have an understanding of the apostasy which has engulfed the Church.

Nevertheless these agents of Satan (II Cor. 11:13-15) have urged the laity to give at least lip service to these 27 Statements of Belief so that some of them could still find entrance into the "sanctuaries" of the Church. Thus this segment of the concerned laity have been robbed by these "false prophets" of essential facts so as to evaluate correctly the Sabbath School lessons and the book on them. One such "false prophet" when asked to take a stand on the changes made in the 1980 Statement of Beliefs from the previous statements, replied through an associate - "Up to this time we have not performed a thorough analysis of the 27 fundamental beliefs. Thus we cannot provide an official critique of them." This letter was dated January 3, 1989, over eight years after the Statements were voted at Dallas, and yet this "false prophet" has proclaimed himself a spokesman for "historic" Adventism holding to the "firm foundation."

A vast segment of the laity who studied the Sabbath School lessons during the last two quarters of 1988 were brought into church fellowship under the ministry of men who had been taught in college and the Seminary the apostate teachings arising from the compromises made with the Evangelicals thirty years ago. How large this segment actually is can be noted in the membership difference between 1955, the time of the SDA-Evangelical Conferences and the present. From about one million members worldwide, the Church grew in three decades to over five million. A sizeable portion of the ministry of the Church has been recruited from this influx of new members during this same period. However, the lesson plan for the final two quarters of 1988 did give each individual the opportunity to review for himself what the Church officially proclaimed itself to believe, and whether he would concur or dissent.

There is a prophecy in the Writings of Ellen G. White which has a direct relationship to this present time. (See Appendix A) In this prophecy, she wrote that "the church - the Lord's sanctuary - was the first to feel the stroke of the wrath of God." (5T:211) And she told why -       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. (Ibid.)

But the final sentence of this prophecy could not be fulfilled until every member of
the church had an opportunity to evaluate the situation to see if they would choose to
accept the betrayal of the sacred "trust" by "the ancient men." That sentence reads
"Men, maidens, and little children all perish together." The opportunity was given in the study of the Sabbath School lessons for the final two quarters of 1988 to make that evaluation and decision.

The fearful import of the final six months of 1988 cannot be fully perceived unless we understand clearly the lessons of the final years of the Jewish Church/Nation as a corporate entity before God, and the time allotted by God for the individual members of that church to make a decision. Further the close parallel between recent Jewish history and the Seventh-day Adventist Church history tells us in the words of Ezekiel -       "It is coming, the hour has come, the hour is striking at you, the hour and the end." (Eze. 7:6-7 Mofatt)

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More tomorrow by the grace and mercy of our LORD.

All glory, honor and praise to our Savior!


Please, Lord, save us.