our firm foundation (february 2003)

1Volume 18, Number 2

2 Our Firm Foundation

Pho

to:

Pho

toD

isc

To Obey is BetterThan Sacrifice

nd Samuel said, Hath the LORDas great delight in burntofferings and sacrifices, as in

obeying the voice of the LORD?Behold, to obey is better thansacrifice, and to hearken than thefat of rams. For rebellion is as thesin of witchcraft, and stubborn-ness is as iniquity and idolatry.Because thou hast rejected theword of the LORD, he hath alsorejected thee from being king.1 Samuel 15:2223.

The story of king Saul is a verytragic episode in the history of theancient church. Israel had asked fora king. They wanted to be like thenations around them.

Then all the elders of Israelgathered themselves together, andcame to Samuel unto Ramah, Andsaid unto him, Behold, thou art old,and thy sons walk not in thy ways:now make us a king to judge uslike all the nations. But the thingdispleased Samuel, when they said,Give us a king to judge us. AndSamuel prayed unto the LORD. Andthe LORD said unto Samuel, Hear-ken unto the voice of the people inall that they say unto thee: for theyhave not rejected thee, but theyhave rejected me, that I should notreign over them. According to allthe works which they have donesince the day that I brought themup out of Egypt even unto this day,wherewith they have forsaken me,and served other gods, so do theyalso unto thee. 1 Samuel 8:48.

God granted their request. Intheir determination to be like theother nations around them, they

lost their protection of the theoc-racyGods rule. Sauls disobedi-ence, his rejection of the Spirit ofProphecy by the prophet Samuel,and his rejection of Gods way, HisWord, and doing his own way isrecorded for us today.

Today, many members andleaders of the remnant church arerejecting Gods wayHis Wordand doing their own way. What atragedy!

Why has the church today beenunable to finish the great commis-sion of the gospelto preach thethird angels message in verity,which is victory over all temptationby the power of the Holy Spirit?See Evangelism, 190.

Why has the latter rain beendelayed more than 100 years?SeeTestimonies, vol. 2, 194. We havebeen told that God was ready topour out His great power in thelatter rain soon after 1888:

The time of test is just upon us,for the loud cry of the third angelhas already begun in the revelationof the righteousness of Christ, thesin-pardoning Redeemer. This isthe beginning of the light of theangel whose glory shall fill thewhole earth. Selected Messages,book 1, 363 (1892).

Four years after the MinneapolisConference, the latter rain experi-ence was still offered to the church,but again leaders rejected theexperience of justification by faiththat was necessary for the comple-tion of the gospels commission.

Just as assuredly as Saulsrejection of the Spirit of Prophecy

Gods words, His orders, Hisdirectionsbrought a terribleapostasy into Israel, so in this finalgeneration we have delayed thelatter rain, the completion of thegospels commission. This isapostasy at its worst, for wethechurchs leaders, pastors, andlaitycontinue to follow our ownways and refuse to follow thedirection of the Lord. If we con-tinue in this path, we will receivethe curse given in Jeremiah 17:5:Thus saith the LORD; Cursed be theman that trusteth in man, andmaketh flesh his arm, and whoseheart departeth from the LORD.

Let us remember that God slew50,070 men for their disobediencelooking into the arkin Samuelsday. See 1 Samuel 6:19.

For the same reasondisobedi-ence to the commands of Godthemajority of leaders, pastors, andlaity will be lost. Let us remember,There is no such thing as follow-ing Christ unless you refuse togratify inclination and determine toobey God. Testimonies, vol. 5, 515.

The condition of salvation is thevery same today as it was in thedays of king Saul and the church inthe Old and New Testamentsobedience to all known truthwithout a single compromise.

Let each of us determine withall of our heart to obey all thatGod says, relying upon His divinepower, that Christ might say toyou and me, Well done, thougood and faithful servant . . .enter thou into the joy of thylord. Matthew 25:21. !

A


Volume 18, Number 2 February 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 SpearManaging Editor: Harvey SteckLayout & Design: Kevin H. Patterson

Our Firm Foundation is a monthly publication of:

Hope InternationalP.O. Box 940Eatonville, WA 98328 USA

Phone: (360) 832-6602MonThurs: 8:30am5:30pmFri: 8:30am12:30pm Pacific Time

Fax: (360) 832-3720Email: [email protected]: http://www.hopeint.org

Subscription InformationWe strive to keep our subscription prices as lowas possible. We want this material to be availableto all. If your finances cannot meet the requestedamount, please send whatever you can. Thosedesiring to assist in providing subscriptions forindividuals with limited funds should send a giftmarked Subscription Assistance to the addressabove. Your donation is tax deductible.

United States: US $18.75 per yearCanada and Mexico: US $23.75 per yearForeign (Surface Mail): US $23.75 per year,

(shipped quarterly)Foreign (Air Mail): US $60.00 per yearLarge Print Edition: US $45.00 per yearAudio Edition: US $60.00 per yearForeign Audio and Large Print Editions:

Please inquire regarding postage.

Shipping InformationFor all products advertised in this publication (un-less otherwise noted): Add 10% shipping plus US $3 handling. For destinations outside the USA, add 15%

shipping plus US $4 handling. If actual shipping charges are greater, you will

be billed the difference.Washington State residents: Please add an ad-ditional 7.8% sales tax.All money received must be in US funds,drawn on US banks.

Copyright 2003 Hope InternationalArtwork and photos in this publication are the property of

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

Cover photo: Steve Allen / Brand X Pictures / PictureQuest

Newswatch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26

Defending the Faith . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27

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

departments

4 Sound an Alarm in My Holy MountainRussell StandishThe Lord has extended our time of probation a little longer.Will it be in vain?

9 Where Are the Elijahs?Cody FrancisAre you willing to stand up and give the last warningmessage to the world?

16 Ellen Whites Writings: Their Role and FunctionDennis PriebeWere the things that Ellen G. White wrote merely an expres-sion of her own opinion?

21 Salvation By ManipulationRalph LarsonDid man fall because he had a loose screw? Will we besaved by some magical manipulation by God?

24 As Much as Lieth in You, Live Peaceably With All MenEllen G. WhiteThe true friend of sinners will not remain silent while theyare headed for destruction.

28 Boredom at Canaans BorderPatricia TempleOne of spiritisms inroads among those who are on theborders of the heavenly Canaan

13 Blessed Is He That Considereth the PoorEllen G. WhiteCultivating the tenderness and compassion of Christ


Pho

to:

Ste

ve A

llen

/ B

rand

X P

ictu

res

/ P

ictu

reQ

uest

Blow ye the trumpet in Zion,and sound an alarm in myholy mountain: let all theinhabitants of the land tremble: forthe day of the LORD cometh, for it isnigh at hand; a day of darkness andof gloominess, a day of clouds andof thick darkness, as the morningspread upon the mountains: a greatpeople and a strong; there hath notbeen ever the like, neither shall beany more after it, even to the yearsof many generations. Joel 2:12.

In the beautiful poetic form ofthe ancient Hebrew language, Godcommands His servants to under-take a most distasteful task. Theinitial line of this poem states,Blow ye the trumpet in Zion.

Zion is Gods church. The termblow the trumpet indicates thepresentation of a message of direwarning. Here Gods words applyto the last days of earths historythe days in which we are nowliving. His command is to sound awarning in His church, the Sev-enth-day Adventist Church.

The second line of the poemstates, And sound an alarm in myholy mountain. Here we see therepetition of the precise command inalternate words, as befitted ancientHebrew poetry. The alarm is thetrumpet of warning, and the holymountain, of course, is Zion, Godschurch. The next two lines are alsopoetic in form: For the day of theLord cometh, for it is nigh at hand.

Here is evidence that this is amessage for the time just prior tothe close of probation. We are nowin the day of salvationthe day ofprobation. Very soon, probationwill close and the awesome day ofthe Lord will commence. Itssignificance may be judged by twofurther poetic lines found in versetwo, A day of darkness and ofgloominess, a day of clouds and ofthick darkness.

Gods church has been estab-lished to take the three angelsmessages and the loud cry messageto every corner of the earth. Thismessage is to be presented to thosewho know not the truth, whetherthey belong to the churches ofBabylon or whether they have noChristian profession whatsoever.Why, we may well ask, does Godcommand also the presentation of amessage of great urgency withinHis beloved church?

Why an Alarm in the Church?

The reasons that God com-mands us to sound an alarm inHis holy mountain are: firstly,because our church exists inalarming times; and secondly, ourchurch is experiencing alarmingconditions within it. Apostasy hasbecome accepted as normative.Blasphemous celebration servicesare widespread. Institutionswithin Gods church are closing atan alarming rate.

Destruction of the Spirit ofProphecy is fulfilling Sister Whitesstatement, The very last deceptionof Satan will be to make of noneeffect the testimony of the Spirit ofGod. Selected Messages, book 1, 48.Ministers and laity now dare todenigrate the Spirit of Prophecy.Others claim to believe it, and yet,never read it. Still others, whileclaiming to espouse a sacred viewof the Testimonies, refuse to acceptany writings of Sister White after1884. Others, although theirnumbers are yet few, claim thatalthough the Spirit of Prophecy isreliable, only those messagespresented after 1898 are relevantfor Seventh-day Adventists in thetwenty-first century. Is it anywonder that God urges upon Hisservants their duty to sound analarm in His holy mountain?

This is an unpleasant duty.Never in the history of Godschurch have such warnings beenreceived with popular gratitude. Itis popular to preach about theapostasy that was in Gods churchjust prior to the destruction ofBabylon. No ire is aroused for thosewho refer to the gross apostasy atthe time of the First Advent.However, speak about contempo-rary apostasy and contemporarysins, and then the ire of the classwho refuse to follow the path ofsanctification is greatly aroused.Satan ensures this. Any servant of

Sound an Alarmin My Holy Mountain

Sound an Alarmin My Holy Mountain

R u s s e l l S t a n d i s h


God accepting this commission tosound an alarm in Gods holymountain may expect to receivestern condemnation and to belargely banned from the pulpits ofthe church. Yet, no true servant ofGod should, on such grounds,cease to fulfill this solemn divinecommand.

There is a Laodicean message tobe given within Gods churchbecause the work will never becompleted until every Seventh-dayAdventist has been afforded theopportunity to hear the precioustruths of the Seventh-day AdventistChurch. Many today are deniedsuch privileges by preachers whohave betrayed their trust. Testi-monies, vol. 5, 211. Nevertheless, itis the fearful nature of the day ofthe Lord that urges the conscienceof true servants to sound the alarmin Gods holy mountain.

And the LORD shall utter hisvoice before his army: for his campis very great: for he is strong thatexecuteth his word: for the day ofthe LORD is great and very terrible;and who can abide it? Verse 11.

Lest ministers, elders, deaconsand others commissioned by Godto His service do not notice theimport of verse 1, God repeats Hiscommand:

Blow the trumpet in Zion,sanctify a fast, call a solemnassembly: gather the people,sanctify the congregation, assemblethe elders, gather the children, andthose that suck the breasts: let thebridegroom go forth of his cham-ber, and the bride out of hercloset. Verses 1516.

What a command! The wholepurpose of camp meetings is tofulfill this command. Holy convo-cations should be eagerly soughtby faithful people on every conti-nent. The camp meetings of HopeInternational, Hartland Institute,Remnant Herald, and many otherfaithful self-supporting organiza-tions are specifically designed tofulfill the command of verse 16above.

There is a word of warningassociated with Gods command.Some who are unsanctified in heart

point out the sins of the churchalmost with an exultant airWeve caught them again! Suchan attitude bespeaks nothing oflove for God or His church. Godsets forth the spirit in which theseholy convocations will be held:

Let the priests, the ministers ofthe LORD, weep between the porchand the altar, and let them say,Spare thy people, O LORD, and givenot thine heritage to reproach, thatthe heathen should rule over them:wherefore should they say amongthe people, Where is their God?Verse 17.

It is with love for the Lord in thehearts of faithful workers that thisalarm must be set forth. Truepresenters of this message of alarmand warning will empathize withthe sense of earnestness anddespair in the heart of the prophetJeremiah 2,500 years ago. They,

too, will cry out, My bowels, mybowels! I am pained at my veryheart; my heart maketh a noise inme; I cannot hold my peace,because thou hast heard, O mysoul, the sound of the trumpet, thealarm of war. Destruction upondestruction is cried; for the wholeland is spoiled: suddenly are mytents spoiled, and my curtains in amoment. How long shall I see thestandard, and hear the sound of thetrumpet? Jeremiah 4:1921.

How long will we see thestandard raisedthe banner ofPrince Emmanuel?That banner isbeing cast down into the dust asstandard after standard is ridiculedand breached within Gods pre-cious church. It is time to hear thesound of the trumpet, the alarm ofwar, for scripture states:

For my people is foolish, theyhave not known me; they aresottish children, and they have

none understanding: they are wiseto do evil, but to do good they haveno knowledge. Verse 22.

This is Gods assessment of Hischurch today. How He must grieveover those whom He has especiallyprivileged to receive the highestand holiest calling of mankind, thecommission to undertake complet-ing the task on earth.

Eternally Lost!

That which is alarming goes farbeyond the fearful desecration ofGods standards, His law, His holyprecepts, His saving grace. Thatwhich now motivates the servantsof God to sound an alarm in Hisholy mountain is the knowledge ofthe unspeakable remorse that willsoon be felt by many Seventh-dayAdventists who will realize too latethat they are lostand lost eter-nally.

Sister White set forth that whichwill be the depth upon the mindand upon the emotions, of theknowledge that one is lost, and lostwithout hope of salvation. Thefrenzy of these people is describedin the words, Others rushed to thepeople of God and begged to betaught how they might escape Hisjudgments. But the saints hadnothing for them. The last tear forsinners had been shed, the lastagonizing prayer offered, the lastburden borne, the last warninggiven. The sweet voice of mercywas no more to invite them. Whenthe saints, and all heaven, wereinterested for their salvation, theyhad no interest for themselves. Lifeand death had been set beforethem. Many desired life, but madeno effort to obtain it. They did notchoose life, and now there was noatoning blood to cleanse the guilty,no compassionate Saviour to plead

It is the fearful nature of the day of the Lord that urges the

conscience of true servants to sound the alarm in Gods holy

mountain.


for them, and cry, Spare, spare thesinner a little longer. EarlyWritings, 281.

Imagine the utter despair ofSeventh-day Adventists who havehad a knowledge of the truth andwho now realize that they are lost.The Holy Spirit has been removedfrom the earth except for the livesof the 144,000. Lost Seventh-dayAdventists will then be totallyunder the control of Satan whoseonly motivation is hate. There will

be no mother who tenderly lovesher little baby, no son or daughterwho loves his or her parents. Hatewill be universal. No wonder weare informed that it is a time oftrouble, such as never was sincethere was a nation! Daniel 12:1.

Those who have spurnedfaithful preachers of truth andpresenters of Gods warningmessages given during the day ofsalvation will then seek such menand women in a futile effort to hearthe messages which these lostSeventh-day Adventists formerlyspurned. Those they despised, thosethey denounced as critical, thosethey assessed as fanatical are soughtout in the futile hope that they willnow point to the Source of salvation.But it will be forever too late.

Lost Families

The interaction that occursbetween families is clearly exposed:

Many of the wicked weregreatly enraged as they sufferedthe effects of the plagues. It was ascene of fearful agony. Parentswere bitterly reproaching theirchildren, and children their par-ents, brothers their sisters, andsisters their brothers. Ibid., 282.

Why will parents bitterlyreproach their children?We livein an age when it is so difficult to

raise our children in the nurtureand admonition of the Lord. As aparent, I have great pity for Godspeople who are struggling with thisproblem. At least when I was a lad,ours was a home where the Bible,the Spirit of Prophecy, and thehighest principles of the faith wereuplifted. This, too, was true in theSabbath School, in the JuniorMissionary Volunteer (Pathfinder)meetings, in the church services, inthe church school, in the afternoon

Missionary Volunteer programs, inthe Sabbath School Quarterlies, in theyouth magazines, and in otherdenominationally publishedperiodicals and books. But suchformer sources of truth are now, inmany cases, the enemies of truth,taking our young people awayfrom their eternal salvation.

The lowered standards counte-nanced in many local churches andpromoted by many conferenceyouth leaders encourage the youngpeople to believe that their parentsare depriving them of somethinggood and worthwhile when theyuphold the high and holy stan-dards set forth in the Bible and theSpirit of Prophecy. Churches todaypromote watching movies; attend-ing sporting events; listening torock music; reading novels; andparticipating in dramas, puppetry,and clowning.

Think of the pressure upongodly parents as they strive to raisechildren in purity. In many in-stances, the standards of many ofour churches and institutions arenow lower than those permitted insociety at large 50 years ago.

The Peril of Indulgence

What is happening today is thatyoung people are much more apt toput very severe pressure upon their

parents. There is growing withinGods church the view that if weare too strict in adherence to ourprinciples of faith and standardsthat our children will be lost to thechurch. That may happen; how-ever, on the other hand, if heaven isto be the home of our families, thenwe must uphold those principlesand uphold them without devia-tionnot in a belligerent spirit, butin an understanding one with ourarms around our children and witha tone of deep love in our voices.We must sit down with them andexplain to them the dire conse-quences of breaching Gods holystandards.

Today, many parents cannotwithstand the pressure. Oh Dad,all the other children in the churchschool are watching these televi-sion programs; their parents thinkit is all right, why cant we?Eventually, some parents capitulateto that type of pressure, in themisguided hope that their acquies-cence will help the child to remainin the church. He may; yet, will hebe a child of God? These will be theparents, who in hate, turn on theirchildren with words like Its allyour fault that we are lost. If youhad not continued to pester me, wemay have all been saved now. Thehate in the voices of the parents intheir distress at their lost conditionwill be beyond anything that weexperience today.

The same children will retort totheir parents, Its all your faultthat we are lost. If only you had putyour foot down, we might be in thekingdom now! What a tragedy!What an alarming prospect! Oh,young people reading this article,do not put such pressure uponyour moms and dads. Thank yourparents for upholding the stan-dards because they want you in thekingdom of Heaven. Recognize thisas the measure of their love foryou.

False Shepherds

Again, we see in the followingwords the terrifying plight of thosewho will realize after probationcloses that they are lost:

Imagine the utter despair of Seventh-day Adventists who have

had a knowledge of the truth and who now realize that they

are lost.


Loud, wailing cries were heardin every direction, It was you whokept me from receiving the truthwhich would have saved me fromthis awful hour. The people turnedupon their ministers with bitterhate and reproached them, saying,You have not warned us. You toldus that all the world was to beconverted, and cried, Peace, peace,to quiet every fear that wasaroused. You have not told us ofthis hour; and those who warnedus of it you declared to be fanaticsand evil men, who would ruin us.But I saw that the ministers did notescape the wrath of God. Theirsuffering was tenfold greater thanthat of their people. Ibid.

Today, many church membersflatter and fawn over pastors whonever reprove sin. They love totrust in such ministers thinkingthat their salvation is assured ifthey are loyal to their minister.Such would do well to read thewords of Inspiration:

He who trusts in man not onlyleans upon a broken reed, andgives Satan an opportunity tointroduce himself, but he hurts theone in whom the trust is placed; hebecomes lifted up in his estimationof himself, and loses the sense ofhis dependence upon God. Just assoon as man is placed where Godshould be, he loses his purity, hisvigor, his confidence in Godspower. Moral confusion results,because his powers becomeunsanctified and perverted. Hefeels competent to judge hisfellowmen, and he strives unlaw-fully to be a god over them.Testimonies to Ministers, 376.

Here we see the folly of thiscourse. Many ministers todaybelieve that they are the mastersrather than the servants of thechurch because many of themembers put their utmost depen-dence and trust upon their pastor.Dare we so hurt our ministers?

We need to have a very sincerelove for them, these ministers, fortheir fate is beyond our presentcomprehension. We who areministers and elders of the churchshould in no wise feel complacent

in the message that we have justread. It is time that we shouldstand for the truths of God and forHis righteousness.

Why Have We Not Seen MoreTerrorism?

Many Seventh-day Adventistshave little understanding how nearwe are to the end of this earthshistory. The urgency of preparingour lives in holiness and sanctifica-tion is well nigh ignoredif notopenly opposed. How our peopleneed to have their vision enlargedto see the mighty standards ofGods law! Each one of us mustrecognize our great need. Theevents of September 11, 2001,opened the eyes of some, but as

time has passed, those impressionshave faded.

Some Seventh-day Adventistseven joined the chorus of thosewho cried, Why did God let ithappen? This question is mostimproper. It imputes upon God theterrible tragedy of that day. Thegreat question, as we see how nearwe are to the close of probation, isWhy did such terrorism nothappen decades ago? For alongwith New York, the cities of theworld are vile.

There can be only one reasonwhy that which transpired in NewYork City has not occurred innumerous cities around the world.And that reason is to be found inRevelation 7:1: And after thesethings I saw four angels standingon the four corners of the earth,holding the four winds of the earth,that the wind should not blow onthe earth, nor on the sea, nor onany tree.

Angels which excel in strengthare holding back the winds of strifeso that God can give mankind

every possible opportunity forsalvation, for the Lord is not slackconcerning his promise, as somemen count slackness; but islongsuffering to us-ward, notwilling that any should perish, butthat all should come to repen-tance. 2 Peter 3:9.

I have often wondered aboutthe next two verses in Revelation 7:

And I saw another angelascending from the east, having theseal of the living God: and he criedwith a loud voice to the fourangels, to whom it was given tohurt the earth and the sea, saying,Hurt not the earth, neither the sea,nor the trees, till we have sealed theservants of our God in their fore-heads. Verses 23.

My question has been, Why didGod need to send a fifth angel inorder to instruct the four powerfulangels as to their duty?Theanswer to this question is found ina vision that Sister White was givenon January 5, 1849 during prayerwith Brother Beldens family atRocky Hill, Connecticut. Thedetails of that vision are recordedbelow:

I saw four angels who had awork to do on the earth, and wereon their way to accomplish it. Jesuswas clothed with priestly garments.He gazed in pity on the remnant,then raised His hands, and with avoice of deep pity cried, My blood,Father, My blood, My blood, Myblood! Then I saw an exceedingbright light come from God, whosat upon the great white throne,and was shed all about Jesus. ThenI saw an angel with a commissionfrom Jesus, swiftly flying to thefour angels who had a work to doon the earth, and waving some-thing up and down in his hand,and crying with a loud voice, Hold!

The great question, as we see how near we are to the close of

probation, is Why did such terrorism not happen decades

ago?


Hold! Hold! Hold! until the servantsof God are sealed in their fore-heads. Early Writings, 38. (Em-phasis in the original.)

As I have read the account ofthis vision my mind has beenstruck with the wonderful pity Godhas for the remnant: Like as afather pitieth his children, so theLORD pitieth them that fear him. Forhe knoweth our frame; heremembereth that we are dust.Psalm 103:1314.

The passage from Early Writingsquoted above depicts a scenetranspiring just before the close ofprobation. We know it is prior tothe close of probation becauseChrist is still clothed in priestlygarments. Notice the anguish inHis voice as He pleads before the

Father, My blood, Father, My blood,My blood, My blood! God wants tomake atonement for each one of us.Only in eternity will we know howvital was the message sent by thefifth angel crying with the loudvoice, Hold! Hold! Hold! Hold! untilthe servants of God are sealed intheir foreheads. Like us, SisterWhite was not absolutely certain ofthe meaning of this vision, but thatmeaning was conveyed to her:

I asked my accompanyingangel the meaning of what I heard,and what the four angels wereabout to do. He said to me that itwas God that restrained thepowers, and that He gave Hisangels charge over things on theearth; that the four angels hadpower from God to hold the fourwinds, and that they were about tolet them go; but while their handswere loosening, and the four windswere about to blow, the mercifuleye of Jesus gazed on the remnantthat were not sealed, and He raisedHis hands to the Father and

pleaded with Him that He hadspilled His blood for them. Thenanother angel was commissioned tofly swiftly to the four angels andbid them hold, until the servants ofGod were sealed with the seal ofthe living God in their foreheads.Ibid.

Often we forget that just as Godgives us discretionary power, so Hegives it also to the angels. Appar-ently, the angels judged that thecup of Gods iniquity had beenfilled and were about to let thewinds of strife loose with theconsequent pouring of the plaguesupon the earth. Christ looked downin pity upon His remnant, you, andme. What a God! Many of us werenot ready, and He wanted us in Hiskingdom.

The Last Crisis

Could it be that September 11,2001, was the very time when thisevent transpired? You will remem-ber that, while visiting New YorkCity, Sister White received a visionof the fiery destruction of loftybuildings. It was recorded inTestimonies, vol. 9, 1117, and wasentitled The Last Crisis. Could itbe that the signal for the com-mencement of the last crisis uponthis old earth was the destructionof the twin towers? Certainly, inview of this possibility, the eventsof September 11, 2001, shouldindicate to every one of us that theclose of probation may be veryclose.

If the restraining angels thoughtthat the time had come, how muchmore significant should this be forus whose eternal destinies will bedetermined at that time! Howmuch more significant for wepastors who will be the first to bejudged, for judgment commences

with the ancient men, those whohave stood as the spiritual guard-ians of the people! See ibid., vol. 5,210211. What a soberingthoughtthat Christ looked downupon His people and saw that wewere not yet ready, and in greatpity He gave to us another littlesliver of probationary time!

Since that time my prayer hasbeen that I will not fritter away thislast opportunity to be ready. Idesire heaven with all my heart.How I love Him because at thattime He had pity on Russell RolandStandish.

Dear brothers and sisters, this iswhy we must sound an alarm inGods holy mountain. There is anurgency in the times in which welive. If ever there was a time whenthere were wars and rumors ofwars, it is now. If ever there was atime for each of us to put every-thing right between himself and theLord, today is that time.

It is my urgent prayer withGods people around the world,that we make our calling andelection sure. We need to humbleour hearts. We need to followChrist in the beauty of holiness. Weneed to serve Him with unfeignedhearts. We need to be ready tobecome a part of the 144,000.Probation surely is about to closefor the living. We remember thatthe judgment of the living com-mences in the Seventh-dayAdventist Church, for we have hadthe light. Furthermore, let us do allin our power to arouse our dearbrothers and sisters in darknesswithin our own beloved churchand to enlighten the ministry andthe leadership to the ominousmoment in which we are living.May God bless each reader andgive you grace to serve Him withyour entire heart. This is my prayerfor Gods people today, for I wantheaven more than anything else,and I want to share it with Godswonderful people. Thank God forHis great mercy, His unfathomablepity toward us.

This must ever be our motive, tosound an alarm in Gods holymountain. !

Could it be that the signal for the commencement of the last

crisis upon this old earth was the destruction of the twin

towers?


Illus

trat

ion:

Bob

Bre

snah

an; C

olor

: Kev

in H

. Pat

ters

on

ave you ever misplacedsomething, and then beenunable to find it? Perhaps

you spent long hours searching forthe lost item before you finallyrecovered it. There is somethingthat the God of heaven is missingnot something that He has mis-placed, but something that todayHe is seeking for diligently. He issearching our earth, desiring tofind what He needs before Christcan return to take His faithfulpeople home.

We are living in the mostexciting time possiblea timewhich the prophets, the righteousmen, and the patriarchs desired tosee. What a privilege and anawesome responsibility it is to livein the last days of this worldshistory and to have such a vitalmessage to give to the entire world!In His mercy God has given usdifferent illustrations in His Wordto help us comprehend what isabout to break upon usto help usbe prepared for the days ahead.The stories, history, and illustrationsin the Bible were recorded specifi-cally for us. The Apostle Paul wrote,Now all these things happenedunto them for ensamples: and theyare written for our admonition, uponwhom the ends of the world arecome. 1 Corinthians 10:11.

Where Are theElijahs?

C o d y F r a n c i s

HI often marvel at Gods Word.

We can study the lessons in it againand again, and each time the Lordgives us new insights and a newdepth of understanding. We willnever exhaust them. What awonderful proof of the Biblesinspiration. Jesus said, Heavenand earth shall pass away, but mywords shall not pass away.Matthew 24:35.

In this article, we will discoverwhat God is missing by looking ata familiar incident in Old Testa-ment history that holds manyimportant lessons for us today. In1 Kings, chapter 16, we read of howthe kingdom of Israel had falleninto a desperate condition. AfterJeroboam broke away from Davidskingdom, the apostasy among theten tribes grew deeper and deeperuntil the moral state of the nationwas at an all-time low. In verses3031, it is recorded, And Ahabthe son of Omri did evil in the sightof the LORD above all that werebefore him. And it came to pass, asif it had been a light thing for him

to walk in the sins of Jeroboam theson of Nebat, that he took to wifeJezebel the daughter of Ethbaalking of the Zidonians, and wentand served Baal, and worshippedhim.

Ahab did not just follow in thewicked course of Jeroboam, hewent to the priest of Baal, Ethbaalwhich means with Baal, and tookto wife the daughter of this paganhigh priest. The result of thisunholy union was that Jezebel ledalmost the entire nation into Baalworship. Almost all of Israel wasseduced into compromising withheathen sun worship; and theyquickly became so debased that thevilest of pagan rites were common-place.

The apostle John, in the book ofRevelation, elaborates upon thissad part of Israels history pointingout its broader application. In themessage given to the church atThyatira, Christ says, Notwith-standing I have a few thingsagainst thee, because thou sufferestthat woman Jezebel, which calleth


herself a prophetess, to teach andto seduce my servants to commitfornication, and to eat thingssacrificed unto idols. Revelation2:20. This prophecy directly paral-lels the time of the Dark Ages whenthe Roman Catholic Church andthe corrupt government shecontrolled seduced Gods people toonce again compromise with sunworship. There are also strikingparallels for our day:

Through the long centuriesthat have passed since Elijahs time,the record of his lifework hasbrought inspiration and courage tothose who have been called tostand for the right in the midst ofapostasy. And for us, upon whomthe ends of the world are come(1 Corinthians 10:11), it has specialsignificance. History is beingrepeated. The world today has itsAhabs and its Jezebels. Prophetsand Kings, 177. The apostatechurches of today, like Jezebel of

old, are influencing nearly theentire world to worship the beastpower and reverence the day of thesun instead of Gods holy Sabbathday.

A Cowardly King and a FaithfulMessenger

Consider the parallels we seebetween the man Ahab and thecivil rulers of our day. The Biblesays that this king did morewickedly than all the wicked kingsbefore him. The biblical recordshows a struggling man who attimes tried to do right and evenrepented occasionally for hiswicked ways; however, he neverfound the moral courage to stepout from his cowardly, vacillatingcourse. As the head of state, he wasconstantly influenced, if notdirected by the wicked counsel of

Jezebel and the priests of Baalwhom she had brought to power.

Who are the Jezebels and Ahabsin our world today?The apostatechurches are acting out the part ofJezebel as they seduce the people tofollow the beast power. Throughtheir work behind the scenes, theyare forcing governments to prepareto enforce their dogmas:

The dignitaries of church andstate will unite to bribe, persuade,or compel all classes to honor theSunday. The lack of divine author-ity will be supplied by oppressiveenactments. Political corruption isdestroying love of justice andregard for truth; and even in freeAmerica, rulers and legislators, inorder to secure public favor, willyield to the popular demand for alaw enforcing Sunday observance.Liberty of conscience, which hascost so great a sacrifice, will nolonger be respected. The GreatControversy, 592.

Like compromising King Ahabof old, the rulers and legislators oftoday will yield to popular de-mandeven at the sacrifice ofjustice and liberty. Our governmentwill yield, as did weak Ahab, inorder to please the Jezebels oftoday, which will result in thedeepest apostasy ever known andwill be followed by the swiftjudgments of Godjust as hap-pened in Israel millennia ago.

A Startling Message

In the days of ancient Ahab andJezebel, however, a bright spotappeared on the scene. A mandared to take a stand, dared toproclaim an uncompromisingmessage from God. He is describedin 1 Kings 17:1, And Elijah theTishbite, who was of the inhabit-ants of Gilead, said unto Ahab, As

the LORD God of Israel liveth,before whom I stand, there shallnot be dew nor rain these years, butaccording to my word.

Think for a moment aboutElijah, dwelling in the mountains ofGileadunknown to society,nonetheless, known and loved ofGod. From his mountain home hesees the gross apostasy of Israel,and he pleads with the Lord to dosomething to check its awfulprogression. In his anguish, he asksthe Lord to send judgments if thatis what is necessary to wake Israelfrom her deep, carnal slumber.During his prayer, a messagecomes to him, Your prayer hasbeen answered; go tell Ahab thejudgment that is to come becausehe has lead My people into apos-tasy. Would that have been an easything to do?Elijah could havethought of many excuses: How amI going to get an audience withAhab? Will he listen to me? Will itdo any good? Yet, without questionor hesitation, Elijah obeyed thecommand of God and marched inbefore the monarch of the land togive his fearful message.

Does a stern and startlingmessage need to be given today?Inspiration tells us, In this fearfultime, just before Christ is to comethe second time, Gods faithfulpreachers will have to bear a stillmore pointed testimony than wasborne by John the Baptist. Testimo-nies, vol. 1, 321. The message fortoday is to be more pointed thanthat borne by Elijah to vacillatingAhab or by John the Baptist to thecorrupt religious leaders of his day.The message must be more pointedbecause the darkness of apostasy iseven deeper now than in thosetimes.

Even though Elijah bore Godsmessage with unswerving fidelity,the people scoffed at and ridiculedhim. The religious leaders urgedthem not to worry about themessage from this fanatictohave confidence in Baal. As thejudgments continued for one year,two years, then three years, ratherthan repenting, the people blamedElijah for the disaster. The whole

Like compromising King Ahab of old, the rulers and legislators

of today will yield to popular demandeven at the sacrifice of

justice and liberty.


nation echoed Ahabs accusation,Art thou he that troubleth Israel?1 Kings 18:17. Not seeing theirsinful condition and not realizingthat God had sent judgments topunish them for their wickedcourse, they blamed the messengerwhom God had chosen.

The time is coming in our land,as the judgments increase andcalamities become more and morefrequent, that the world will blameall of the disasters upon theSabbathkeepers:

The great deceiver will per-suade men that those who serveGod are causing these evils. Theclass that have provoked thedispleasure of Heaven will chargeall their troubles upon those whoseobedience to Gods commandmentsis a perpetual reproof to transgres-sors. It will be declared that menare offending God by the violationof the Sunday sabbath; that this sinhas brought calamities which willnot cease until Sunday observanceshall be strictly enforced; and thatthose who present the claims of thefourth commandment, thus de-stroying reverence for Sunday, aretroublers of the people, preventingtheir restoration to divine favorand temporal prosperity. Thus theaccusation urged of old against theservant of God will be repeatedand upon grounds equally wellestablished: And it came to pass,when Ahab saw Elijah, that Ahabsaid unto him, Art thou he thattroubleth Israel? And he answered,I have not troubled Israel; but thou,and thy fathers house, in that yehave forsaken the commandmentsof the LORD, and thou hast followedBaalim. Verses 1718. As the wrathof the people shall be excited byfalse charges, they will pursue acourse toward Gods ambassadorsvery similar to that which apostateIsrael pursued toward Elijah. TheGreat Controversy, 590.

Are we ready to have a similarcourse pursued against us as waspursued against Elijah? He washunted from coast to coast. Eventhe king joined in the search. Thenations around Israel were re-quired to give their oath that Elijah

was not in their territory; such wasthe hatred that was shown towardGods messenger. Many otherprophets of the Lord were slainduring that time. Yet, when thetime appointed by God wasfulfilled, Elijah came again withouthesitation before the king and allthe people to demand that theymake a decision either for Baal orfor the true God. And Elijah cameunto all the people, and said, Howlong halt ye between two opinions?if the LORD be God, follow him: butif Baal, then follow him. Verse 21.

The time is soon to come wheneveryone in our world will bebrought to make a decision be-tween the mark of the beast or theseal of God, between following theGod of heaventhe Creator ofheaven and earthor following thebeast. As Gods faithful servantsproclaim the third angels message,

all will have the opportunity tochoose which side they will be onduring the last final conflictjustas the inhabitants of Israel werebrought to take a stand upon Mt.Carmel.

More Parallels From ElijahsDay

After God unmistakably re-vealed His power on Mt. Carmeland the people were constrained toconfess His sovereignty, all 850 ofthe prophets and priests of Baalwere destroyed. Have you evertried to think of what it will be likefor the false ministers, just beforeChrists second coming, who haveled thousands and millions astraywhen it becomes clear to all whatthey have done?The people seethat they have been deluded. Theyaccuse one another of having ledthem to destruction; but all unite inheaping their bitterest condemna-

tion upon the ministers. Unfaithfulpastors have prophesied smooththings; they have led their hearersto make void the law of God and topersecute those who would keep itholy. Now, in their despair, theseteachers confess before the worldtheir work of deception. Themultitudes are filled with fury. Weare lost! they cry, and you are thecause of our ruin; and they turnupon the false shepherds. The veryones that once admired them mostwill pronounce the most dreadfulcurses upon them. The very handsthat once crowned them withlaurels will be raised for theirdestruction. The swords whichwere to slay Gods people are nowemployed to destroy their en-emies. Ibid., 655656. What asolemn warning this is for all whoprofess to be shepherds of Godspeople!

The parallels in the history ofElijah do not end here. AfterElijahs faithful life of unwaveringservice for God, he was translatedto heaven without tasting death.Those today who are faithful ingiving the final message to thisworld are admonished to seek tofollow in Elijahs steps. We muststrive with all of our powers to be apart of the 144,000.

The history of Elijah in connec-tion with Ahab and Jezebel is afascinating illustration of our day.Now, let us see, what is the God ofheaven missing today?

The Greatest Want of theWorld

It is not difficult to recognize theAhabs (cowardly leaders afraid totake a stand for justice and equity)and the Jezebels (apostate churchleaders who confuse the peoplewith false doctrines until they are

Where are the Elijahs? Where are those who are willing to give

the message of stern rebuke regardless of the consequences?


drunk with Babylons wine).However, where are the Elijahs?Where are those who are willing togive the message of stern rebukeregardless of the consequences?

Elijah, amid the generalapostasy, did not seek to hide thefact that he served the God ofheaven. Baals prophets numberedfour hundred and fifty, his priests,four hundred, and his worshiperswere thousands; yet Elijah did nottry to make it appear that he wason the popular side. He grandlystood alone. . . . The result was thatthe Lord God, who ruleth in theheavens, was vindicated, and theBaal worshipers were slain. Whereare the Elijahs of today? Testimo-nies, vol. 5, 526527.

God calls for men like Elijah,Nathan, and John the Baptistmenwho will bear His message withfaithfulness, regardless of theconsequences; men who will speakthe truth bravely, though it call forthe sacrifice of all they have.Prophets and Kings, 142.

What is the greatest want in theworld and in the church today?Itis not finances, for God ownseverything. It is not institutions orlearning. No, the greatest want inour world today is menMenwho will not be bought or sold,men who in their inmost souls aretrue and honest, men who do notfear to call sin by its right name,men whose conscience is as true toduty as the needle to the pole, menwho will stand for the right thoughthe heavens fall. Education, 57.

Where are the Elijahs today?The stage is set; all the players areready, except for Gods people.What God is missing is not power;it is not resources; it is not means.He is missing men and womenwho are willing to stand up likeElijah and give a message likeElijah gave. Are we doing all in ourpower to give that warning mes-sage? God is waiting upon you andme. He is waiting upon us; and Hedoes not wait alone. The world isdying for the lack of our message,waiting for someone to bring thema message of hope. The angels, thatinnumerable host of Heaven, arewaiting with earnestness andeagerness to come to our aid andfinally to accompany our Lord andKing in triumphant return. Sadly,they wait onwaiting for you andme.

Why has the Lord so longdelayed His coming? The wholehost of Heaven is waiting to fulfillthe last work for this lost world,and yet the work waits. It isbecause the few, who profess tohave the oil of grace in their vesselswith their lamps, have not becomeburning and shining lights in theworld. It is because missionariesare few. Many voices are saying,My lord delayeth his coming.Matthew 24:48. Have we noincentive to work? Does not deathenter the doors of your neighborsand friends, telling you that yourprobation is fast hastening to itsclose? Review and Herald, March27, 1894.

It is not time for us to lookaround and count what we aredoing, but to look around and ask,What more can I do? Each of us has awork to do; and, like Daniel, each ofus is to stand in our lot and give anElijah message in the way whichGod calls us to give it. We shall haveto answer before the judgment bar ofGod if we neglect to take up thisHeaven-ordained work and continueto keep all of Heaven waiting for theElijahs to take the scene.

Remember that those whoknow the truth for this time and yetconfine their efforts to their ownchurches, refusing to work for theirunconverted neighbors, will becalled to account for unfulfilledduties. Testimonies, vol. 9, 35.What is it that the God of heaven ismissing?It is the Elijahs who willgive the message of God regardlessof the consequences.

As we look around us and seeheartache, suffering, and death, dowe realize that all of it would cometo an end very soon if we would dothe work that God commands us todo? Have we lost sight of heavenand the reward prepared for thefaithful? Where are the Elijahs whowill obey God without hesitation?Our Father in heaven is waiting.Jesus is waiting, pleading Hisblood yet a little while longer. Theangels of Heaven are waiting tocooperate with human instrumen-talities to give power to the work.The world is waiting, languishingin sin and misery. Will you answerHis call to be an Elijah, today? !

On sale while supplies last!Almost all of Ellen G. Whiteswritings, both published andunpublished, are finally available inthis beautiful 10-volume set.Deluxe covers with gold-edgedpages in a 7 1/2 x 10 1/2 format.Bible-quality paper with standard-size type. More than 19,000 pages,including over 100 books andpamphlets, 21 volumes ofmanuscript releases, 50 periodicals,letters, messages, and much more!A priceless asset to the home orchurch library.

Spirit of Prophecy Library in 10 Volumes!

Ellen G. WhiteHardcover, 10-volume Set,GildedCatalog # BEWE-SPLX

Sale Price: $699*Regular Price: $899

*Shipping is only $50for the full set!

See page 3 for ordering andsales-tax information.


Illus

trat

ion:

Joe

Man

isca

lco

The Lord Jesus said, Blessedare the merciful; for they shallobtain mercy. Matthew 5:7.There never was a time when therewas greater need for the exercise ofmercy than today. The poor are allaround us, the distressed, theafflicted, the sorrowing, and thosewho are ready to perish. Thosewho have acquired riches haveacquired them through the exerciseof the talents that were given themof God; but these talents for theacquiring of property were given tothem that they might relieve thosewho are in poverty. These giftswere bestowed upon men by Himwho maketh His sun to shine andHis rain to fall upon the just andthe unjust, that by the fruitfulnessof the earth men might haveabundant supplies for all theirneed. The fields have been blessedof God, and of His goodness Hehath prepared for the poor. SeePsalm 68:10.

In the providence of God eventshave been so ordered that the poorare always with us, in order thatthere may be a constant exercise inthe human heart of the attributes ofmercy and love. Man is to cultivatethe tenderness and compassion of

E l l e n G . W h i t e

Christ; he is not to separate himselffrom the sorrowing, the afflicted,the needy, and the distressed. Jobdeclares: When the ear heard me,then it blessed me; and when theeye saw me, it gave witness to me:because I delivered the poor thatcried, and the fatherless, and himthat had none to help him. Theblessing of him that was ready toperish came upon me: and I causedthe widows heart to sing for joy.Job 29:1113.

How many there are who claimto be followers of Christ, yet who donot follow Him in truth. They do notmanifest the sympathy and love ofChrist by being merciful and com-passionate. They do not make thewidows heart sing for joy; they treatthe fatherless with coldness, indiffer-ence, or contempt. Said Job: I put onrighteousness, and it clothed me: myjudgment was as a robe and adiadem. I was eyes to the blind, andfeet was I to the lame. I was a fatherto the poor: and the cause which Iknew not I searched out. Verses 1416. This was an evidence that Jobhad righteousness that was afterChrists order.

Through Jesus men may possessa spirit of tender pity toward the

needy and distressed. They mayhave the mind of Christ. He was theSon of God, rich in heavenly trea-sures, yet for our sake He becamepoor, He descended to the lowesthumiliation and was obedient untodeath, even the death of the cross,that He might exalt us to be jointheirs with Himself. The whole worldwas in need of that which Christalone could give them. He did notwithdraw Himself from those whocalled upon Him for help. He did notdo as many now do, say, I wishthey would not trouble me with theiraffairs, I want to hoard up mymeans, to invest it in houses andlands. Jesus, the Majesty of heaven,turned from the splendor of Hisheavenly home, and in the graciouspurpose of His heart He demon-strated the character of God to menthroughout the world. The require-ment of God from those who claimto be His children is that they bedoers of His Word, that they followHis example, represent the life ofChrist in tender, pitying love to theworld; that they reflect His image.

Jesus says, Be ye thereforemerciful, as your Father which is inheaven is merciful. See Luke 6:36.To pursue the course that Jesus did,

E l l e n G . W h i t e

Blessedis He That

Considereththe Poor

BlessedIs He That

Considereththe Poor


to follow in His divine footsteps, isnot in harmony with the feelings ofthe natural heart; but if we areChristians, we shall practice thewords and works of Christ, whogave Himself in order to ransom anapostate race. The root of selfish-ness has a firm growth in manyhearts, and worldliness and pridespring from this root; but selfish-ness is not a Christian characteris-tic; it is an attribute of the greatapostate. No one can live forhimself and at the same time beunited with Christ. Conformity tothe world, attachment to the world,manifests a decided denial ofChrist.

The Value of a Man

The rich are not to be favoredabove the poor. How inconsistentis it to make favorites of menbecause the Lord has entrusted Hisgoods to them to be wisely dis-pensed to those who are needy.Unless the rich manifest the spiritthat moved Christ to come to ourworld to seek and to save thatwhich was lost, they are none ofHis. They are training underanother general. The importantquestion is not, Is a man rich?But the important question is,What use does he make of hisriches?

The value and character of aman is determined by the use towhich he puts his entrusted talents.Does he do good in this life? Doeshe seek to bless humanity, to buildup the kingdom of Christ in theworld? Shut away the rich from thepoor in large and costly dwellings,make churches too splendid for theentrance of the poor, so that therich man may not be brought incontact with the distressing needsof the fatherless and the widow,and the result will be that his

sympathies will be withered, mercywill not be exercised, and the richman will be in imminent danger oflosing his soul.

Christ says, How hardly shallthey that have riches enter into thekingdom of God! Mark 10:23.Unless the grace of Christ controlsthe heart, the tendency of the richman is to grow more proud, moreself-sufficient, more self-righteous.He acts as if he were made of betterflesh and more costly blood thanhis poorer brother. But Christ lookson, and says, All ye are brethren.Matthew 23:8. There is no respectof persons with God. The rich manhas plenty, and makes no effort to

put himself in the poor mansplace; but because he does notconsider the poor, he becomesunfeeling, indifferent, and hard-hearted. He does not try to under-stand the conflicts, temptations,and struggles of his poor brethren,and mercy dries up in his heart.

The poor are robbed daily of theeducation and training they shouldhave concerning the tender mercieswith which the Lord would havethem regarded; for he has madeample provision that they shouldbe comforted with the necessities oflife. They are compelled to feel thepoverty that narrows life, and theyare often tempted to becomeenvious, jealous, and full of evilsurmisings. Their sympathies arealienated from their more prosper-ous neighbors; but when men areborn again, when they are trulyconverted, old things pass away,and behold, all things become new.A new moral taste is created, andhe that was exalted because Godhad entrusted him with means willseek to aid and exalt others. Hisresponsibilities will seem weightyupon him and will humble hisheart before God; for he will realize

that his goods are entrusted of theLord, that he may relieve theneedy, comfort the distressed, feedthe fatherless, and make thewidows heart sing for joy.

But instead of using their meansfor the Master, how many em-bezzle it, invest it for themselves,furnishing their homes with richcarpets, fine furniture, and multi-plying lands and houses to glorifythemselves in the earth, while theneedy call upon them in vain. Ifthey do anything for the poor, theycall them paupers, and look uponthem with contempt. They do notconsider from whence comes theirentrusted capital and that they areall the time receiving unnumberedblessings from God. If He shouldwithhold His beneficence, theywould be numbered with the poor.We are all dependent upon thebenevolence of a gracious God. Theday will come when those whohave cherished selfishness andcovetousness, who have defraudedthe poor, who have withdrawnmercy and love from them, will bemade manifest.

Considering the Needs of thePoor and the Cause of God

God has placed property in thehands of men in order that theymay learn to be merciful, to be Hisalmoners1 to relieve the suffering ofHis fallen creatures. Further thanthis, they are to consider the wantsof the cause of God, and keep Histreasury supplied according to thegifts bestowed upon them. Satanhas had power to make menhaughty and like himself in charac-ter, so that the money given themof God has been used for thegratification of self, and the cry ofthe poor has reached unto Godagainst them; for they have beenunmerciful in their conduct towardthe needy. Whatever we spend forthat which is not necessary forhealth and godliness will becharged as robbery against God;because all that was spent for thegratification of self someoneneeded to obtain necessary foodand clothing.

Those who have the Spirit ofChrist will see all men through the

The important question is not, Is a man rich? But the

important question is, What use does he make of his riches?


eyes of divine compassion. Nomatter what may be the socialposition, no matter what his wealthor how high his education, if a manis in Christ, he will not be unkind,uncourteous, hard-hearted, andmerciless. Since every soul isentirely dependent upon God forevery blessing he enjoys, howpatient, how merciful, we shouldbe to every creature.

God looked upon man in hislost condition, in his degradationand guilt, and paid the same pricefor the ransom of the poor and theoutcast that he paid to ransom therich with all his entrusted talents.There is no respect of persons withGod. All are candidates for heavenor hell. All need to be taught everyhour of God, to be diligent stu-dents, that in their time they maymake a wise use of their entrustedability, that they may be livingagencies to cooperate with theheavenly intelligences for thesaving of mens souls, that withtender hearts, overflowing withmercy and true goodness, they maywork as Christ worked.

The apostle says, We arelabourers together with God.1 Corinthians 3:9. You are to lookafter the poor; you are to look afterthe fatherless ones, who need yourwisdom, your care, your love, andhelp. You are to look after thewidow. You are to look after thosewho go in want, in hunger, in rags,who are depraved in principle; forJesus came to seek and to save thatwhich is lost.

God cares for the outcast, anddo you think yourself too good, toohonorable, to bear the yoke withChrist, in seeking to save theperishing? Will you despise yourfellowmen? Will you become anoffense to God by slighting anddespising His image in man? Indistinct lines Christ has revealedthe relation of man to his fellow-man. Jesus, the only-begotten Sonof God, has settled that questionforever in the example He has setto the world. Ask yourself: Am Imy brothers keeper? And who ismy neighbor?

There is in society an increasingtendency to separate the rich from

the poor, to set them apart indistinct, definite classes; but this isnot at all after Gods order, butafter the policy of Satan. Heavenlooks with pain and amazementupon the scenes that are dailyenacted among those who arecalled Christians. Many cannotread the meaning of the great planof redemption because Satan hascast his shadow upon their path-way. Many who could be as lightsin the world, as the salt of theearth, who command great re-sources for doing good to theirfellowmen, are not in union andsympathy with Christ, that theymay be laborers together with God.They have felt that a high value

was set upon them, that they wereplaced above their brethren, andeven above their own flesh andblood. They have expended theirLords goods in lifting up theirsouls unto vanity, in cultivatingpride, envy, self-exaltation. Theyhave surrounded themselves withcostly luxuries, and placed them-selves in a position which it wasimpossible for their brethren toreach, and they have left the poorin their poverty to get along as theycould without sympathy and love.God looks down from heaven, andhates all these pretensions. He callsfor men who have intellect, menwho have property, men who havemoral worth, to change this orderof things.

Let every leader of the peopleassociate with the people; for theyreally need his help, so that sympa-thy shall not congeal in the humanbreast.

No church should become solifted up that its members shall feelabove the poor, and the poor feelthat they cannot enter freely intothe house of God. A church that istoo rich for the poor to feel at home

in is too aristocratic for Jesus tomake one in its assembly. Thisnarrow exclusiveness that shutsman away from his brother is anabomination in the sight of God.When men are converted, they willhave an abiding sense of the factthat they have been bought with aprice. Whatever may be the sum ofour talentswhether one, two, orfivenot a farthing of our moneyis to be squandered upon vanity,pride or selfishness.

Every dollar of our accumula-tion is stamped with the image andsuperscription of God. As long asthere are hungry ones in Godsworld to be fed, naked ones to beclothed, souls perishing for the

bread and water of salvation, everyunnecessary indulgence, everyoverplus of capital, pleads for thepoor and the naked. It is no lightthing to be entrusted with riches,although men treat their positionand property as though they werenot accountable to anyone, asthough it was by their own virtuethat they had these things. Howhardly shall they that have richesenter into the kingdom of God!

Those who consecrate themselvesto God, with their riches, becominglaborers together with him, are theonly ones to whom the King of glorywill give the benediction: Come, yeblessed of my Father, inherit thekingdom prepared for you from thefoundation of the world. Matthew25:34. Well done, thou good andfaithful servant: thou hast beenfaithful over a few things, I willmake thee ruler over many things.Verse 21. !

Note:1 One who distributes alms.

Signs of the Times, June 13 and 20,1892.

God cares for the outcast, and do you think yourself too good,

too honorable, to bear the yoke with Christ, in seeking to save

the perishing?


Illus

trat

ion:

Bob

Bre

snah

an; C

olor

: Kev

in H

. Pat

ters

on

any questions have beenraised in recent yearsrelating to the proper

function of Ellen Whites writings.What relation do her writings bearto the Bible? Was everything shewrote inspired? Does she havedoctrinal authority? What is properand what is improper in using herwritings? It is crucial that weunderstand the proper place ofEllen G. Whites ministry to theSeventh-day Adventist Church.

The Seventh-day AdventistChurch believes that God gavedivine inspiration to Ellen G.White. We do not mean occasionalprophetic utterances by thisassertion, for she claimed that herentire life was guided by Inspira-tion. A person who claims to be aprophet or to receive propheticmessages and visions must bejudged by a different standardfrom Christians who try to inter-pret the Scriptures. We must be fairand evaluate the claims made bythe claimant to a prophetic office. Ifa person claims to have receivedvisions or direct guidance from

Ellen WhitesWritings:Their Roleand Function

D e n n i s P r i e b e

M God, either this person is underdivine inspiration or he is not. InSister Whites writings we do notperceive the gray areas that we findin other speakers for God.

A prophet who lies or is mis-guided misleads a whole people.God does not speak some truth andsome error through the samemessenger, or we would have noway of knowing which parts of themessages have been given by Godand which parts come from theprophets own ideas. I believe thatGod exercises very strict controlover the content He reveals to Hismessengers. Either all that themessenger speaks is truth, or theprophet is impelled by Satan or hisown ideas.

In the case of Ellen White, thelast optionher own ideasisruled out by the physical phenom-ena which could not have been self-induced. Thus her visions had tocome either from God or fromSatan. Either her visions aregenuine or they are a masterpieceof deception, and should beshunned as coming from Satan. No

other option is open for one whoclaims the prophetic gift and hasexperienced the physical phenom-ena which Ellen White did. In fact,she herself stated that her visionscame either from God or fromSatan. Thus we must accept orreject the messenger as a whole.

All From God?

We must begin with somestatements by Ellen White herself,because it is only fair to evaluatethe claims made by the person whosupposedly received messagesfrom God. We must not make upour own claims for the work of aprophet, but we must evaluate theprophets own claims. Just whatdid Ellen White claim for herself?

I speak that which I have seen,and which I know to be true.Selected Messages, book 3, 49.

She claimed that she was told,In all your communications, speakas one to whom the Lord hasspoken. He is your authority.Manuscript Releases, vol. 17, 63.

Sister White is not the origina-tor of these books. They contain the


instruction that during her lifeworkGod has been giving her. Theycontain the precious, comfortinglight that God has graciously givenHis servant to be given to theworld. Selected Messages, book 3,50.

I do not write one article in thepaper expressing merely my ownideas. They are what God hasopened before me in visiontheprecious rays of light shining fromthe throne. Testimonies, vol. 5, 67.

Weak and trembling, I arose atthree oclock in the morning towrite to you. God was speakingthrough clay. You might say thatthis communication was only aletter. Yes, it was a letter, butprompted by the Spirit of God, tobring before your minds things thathad been shown me. In these letterswhich I write, in the testimonies Ibear, I am presenting to you thatwhich the Lord has presented tome. Ibid.

I conclude, after reading thesestatements, that she claimed not tobe the source of the messagescontained in her articles and herletters. That does not mean that shecould not use words from otherauthors in writing out the messagesGod had given to her. Because weas a people do not believe inverbal inspiration, we areconcerned here about the source ofthe ideas, the originating point ofher messages. Did they come fromGod, or did they come from herown opinions or the ideas ofothers?She expressly said thather messages came from God, thatthe originating point is God. So, letus remember that her claim is thatthe messages she wrote are Godsmessages, not her messages.

Of the Spirit of God, or of theDevil

However, her claim becomesclear and specific. God is eitherteaching His church, reprovingtheir wrongs and strengtheningtheir faith, or He is not. This workis of God, or it is not. God doesnothing in partnership with Satan.My work . . . bears the stamp ofGod or the stamp of the enemy.

There is no halfway work in thematter. The Testimonies are of theSpirit of God, or of the devil. Ibid.,vol. 4, 230.

I am very thankful that she washonest with us. She was willing tosay that we have to make up ourown minds about her writings. Shelaid out a specific principle toguide our decision. She said thatthis work was either Gods work orit was Satans work, because ifSatan were operative in theprophet, God would cease speak-ing. God does nothing in partner-ship with Satanthat is the prin-ciple. This statement means herwritings either came from God orthey came from Satan. They cannot

be partly from God and partly fromSatan, or even partly her ownopinions. She was either controlledby God or by Satan. Let us be surethat we are evaluating her ownclaims. We must not put anotherclaim in the place of the one shehas made herself. She has asked usto judge her work and then at-tribute it to either God or Satan,and I believe that we must accepther challenge.

Many times in my experience Ihave been called upon to meet theattitude of a certain class, whoacknowledged that the testimonieswere from God, but took theposition that this matter and thatmatter were Sister Whites opinionand judgment. This suits those whodo not love reproof and correction,and who, if their ideas werecrossed, have occasion to explainthe difference between the humanand the divine.

If the preconceived opinions orparticular ideas of some are crossedin being reproved by testimonies,they have a burden at once to makeplain their position to discriminate

between the testimonies, definingwhat is Sister Whites humanjudgment, and what is the Word ofthe Lord. Everything that sustainstheir cherished ideas is divine, andthe testimonies to correct theirerrors are humanSister Whitesopinions. Selected Messages, book3, 68.

This crucial statement expressesagain the principle she asks us totake seriously. If we say that hermessages did come from God, butthat mixed in with these messagesare Ellen Whites personal opinionsand judgments, that means webecome the final arbiter of what isinspired and what is not inspired inher writings. We define what is her

human judgment and what is theWord of the Lord. Whether wedecide on an emotional or anintellectual basis, we are determin-ing which parts of Ellen Whiteswritings are authoritative becausethey are messages from God, andwhich parts of Ellen Whiteswritings are not authoritativebecause they are simply her ownopinions.

After Ellen White said that somemake their own decisions aboutwhat was her human judgment andwhat was the Word of the Lord,she concluded her statement withthis crucial sentence. They [theones making these distinctions]make of none effect the counsel ofGod by their tradition. Ibid.

Remember, these are the oneswho acknowledge that the testimo-nies are from God. They say, Yes,Ellen White was an inspiredmessenger from God. I believe inthe inspiration of Ellen White. Butwhen it comes to a specific pointthat Ellen White made, manypeople say, Well, that was just heropinion. That was her own idea.

Her writings either came from God or they came from Satan.

They cannot be partly from God and partly from Satan, or

even partly her own opinions.


Ellen White said that this attitudemakes of none effect the counsel ofGod. Do you remember that shealso said, The very last deceptionof Satan will be to make of noneeffect the testimony of the Spirit ofGod? Ibid., book 1, 48.

Not to deny, please notice, but tomake of none effect. Perhaps thegreatest danger we face is not fromthose who deny the inspiration ofthe Spirit of Prophecy, but fromthose who profess to believe in theinspiration of Ellen White. When itcomes to specific points, they takegreat pains to declare that thesewere her judgments and opinions.This attitude is the last deception ofSatanmaking Gods testimony ofnone effect by attributing parts of itto her personal opinion and accept-ing only those parts which squarewith our opinions.

Once again she warned us, Donot by your criticisms take out allthe force, all the point and power,from the Testimonies. Do not feelthat you can dissect them to suityour own ideas, claiming that Godhas given you ability to discernwhat is light from Heaven andwhat is the expression of merehuman wisdom. If the Testimoniesspeak not according to the Word ofGod, reject them. Christ and Belialcannot be united. Testimonies, vol.5, 691.

We dare not make distinctionsbetween messages from Heavenand her opinions. But if her opin-ions are mixed into these writings,if in fact she did present her ownideas as the Word of God, then hercounsel to us is very clear. We areto reject the Testimonies, not justthose parts which we feel were herown opinions, but all of the Testi-monies, because Christ and Satancannot be united.

No Human Opinions

As a messenger speaking forGod, a prophet claims a higherauthor than an interpreter trying tounderstand the Word of God. Aprophet claims to have directrevelation from God, direct com-munication from God, regardingGods will for our lives. Thus, wemust decide whether a prophetswritings come from God or fromSatan. We cannot credit part of thewritings to God and part of thewritings to human opinion. In thetestimonies sent to I havegiven you the light God has givento me. In no case have I given myown judgment or opinion. I haveenough to write of what has beenshown me, without falling back onmy own opinions. Selected Mes-sages, book 3, 70. Please notice, In

no case have I given my ownjudgment or opinion. (All empha-sis supplied unless otherwisenoted.)

Permit me to express my mind,and yet not my mind, but the Wordof the Lord. Ibid.

This statement means that partof a prophets responsibility is tonot speak when the Lord has notspoken. In one instance, EllenWhite said, I have no light on thesubject [as to just who wouldconstitute the 144,000]. . . . Pleasetell my brethren that I have nothingpresented before me regarding thecircumstances concerning whichthey write, and I can set before themonly that which has been presentedto me. Quoted in a letter by C. C.Crisler to E. E. Andross, December 8,1914. Ibid., 51.

It is a major responsibility for aprophet not to give his own opin-ion. A prophet cannot suggest whathe thinks is true, because his

listeners will assume that hisopinion is the Word of the Lord onthat subject. So, if the Lord has notspoken, the prophet must notspeak.

In writing to a person wantingguidance, she said, I am not atliberty to write to our brethrenconcerning your future work. . . . Ihave received no instructionregarding the place where youshould locate. . . . If the Lord givesme definite instruction concerningyou, I will give it you; but I cannottake upon myself responsibilitiesthat the Lord does not give me tobear. Ibid.

Once again, she had to remainsilent when the Lord had notspoken. She could speak only whenthe Lord had spoken. If a prophetspeaks with prophetic authoritywhen the Lord has not spoken,then the prophet must be rejectedas a false prophet. This morning Iattended a meeting where a selectfew were called together to con-sider some questions that werepresented to them by a lettersoliciting consideration and adviceon these subjects. Of some of thesesubjects I could speak, because atsundry times and in diverse placesmany things have been presentedto me. . . . As my brethren read theselections from letters, I knew whatto say to them; for this matter hasbeen presented to me again andagain. . . . I have not felt at libertyto write out the matter until now.Ibid., 5556. Notice her words, Ofsome of these subjects I couldspeak. She could only speak whenthe Lord had spoken.

The bottom line of this discus-sion is that we cannot pick andchoose what we think is inspiredout of her writings and leave therest alone. The same principleapplies to her that applies to Biblewriters. If John and Paul wereinspired then their writings weretotally inspired and they broughtus messages directly from God.There are no degrees either ofinspiration or revelation. If Ellen G.White was inspired, then her writ-ings are totally inspired, and hermessages came directly from God.

A prophet cannot suggest what he thinks is true, because his

listeners will assume that his opinion is the Word of the Lord

on that subject. So, if the Lord has not spoken, the prophet

must not speak.


There is one more point wemust address. If Ellen Whiteincluded her own messages amongGods messages and thus confusedGods people as to when God isspeaking and when He is not, thenthe movement she guidedtheSeventh-day Adventist Churchisalso suspect because of her tremen-dous impact upon this movement.If that were the case, this move-ment might not be the remnantchurch at all.

Tested by the Scriptures

If you find anything in herwritings which contradicts theBible, it is your responsibility toreject her as a messenger of God. Inlight of her dramatic claims, it isimpossible to accept her as a goodwoman while believing that certainthings she wrote are contrary to theteachings of the Bible. I recentlycame across the opinion that EllenWhite could be a prophet and yetbe in error on doctrinal matters ofsome consequence. Then howwould we make our judgments asto what is error and what is truth?

If we determine that Ellen White,or any other claimant to the gift ofprophecy, is teaching error on anysignificant Bible doctrine, then wemust follow the biblical counsel thatthere is no light in that messenger.Ellen Whites writings must stand orfall on the basis of her agreementwith Scripture, which means totalharmony with previous revelation. Ifshe is in error on one biblical doc-trine, then it is unsafe to follow heron any doctrine. If her messages arenot from God, then we must rejecther work, and it is imperative thatwe take a second look at the move-ment she was so prominent inguiding.

The Danger of Doubt

However, if her messages werefrom God, then it is extremelydangerous to reject her work. Itdoes not become anyone to drop aword of doubt here and there thatshall work like poison in otherminds, shaking their confidence inthe messages which God has given,which have aided in laying the

foundation of this work, and haveattended it to the present day, inreproofs, warnings, corrections,and encouragements. To all whohave stood in the way of theTestimonies, I would say, God hasgiven a message to His people, andHis voice will be heard, whetheryou hear or forbear. Your opposi-tion has not injured me; but youmust give an account to the God ofheaven, who has sent these warn-ings and instructions to keep Hispeople in the right way. You willhave to answer to Him for yourblindness, for being a stumblingblock in the way of sinners. Ibid.,book 1, 43.

I saw the state of some whostood on present truth, but disre-garded the visionsthe way Godhad chosen to teach in some cases,those who erred from Bible truth. Isaw that in striking against thevisions they did not strike against

the wormthe feeble instrumentthat God spake throughbutagainst the Holy Ghost. I saw itwas a small thing to speak againstthe instrument, but it was danger-ous to slight the words of God. Isaw if they were in error and Godchose to show them their errorsthrough visions, and they disre-garded the teachings of Godthrough visions, they would be leftto take their own way, and run inthe way of error, and think theywere right, until they would find itout too late. Ibid., 40.

If God is speaking, and we slightGods words, we are not reallyslighting the prophet; we are reject-ing God. What reserve power hasthe Lord with which to reach thosewho have cast aside His warningsand reproofs, and have accreditedthe testimonies of the Spirit of God tono higher source than human

wisdom? In the judgment what canyou who have done this offer to Godas an excuse for turning from theevidences He has given you that Godwas in the work? Testimonies toMinisters, 465466.

I believe that we must take EllenWhites challenges seriously. If hermessages did not come from God,then we must reject her claim to bea messenger of the Lord. However,if her messages were from God, thenwe must listen very, very carefully towhat God says, because to reject hermessage is to reject Gods message.

What Does Lesser LightMean?

If we believe that these writingswere inspired by God, what is theproper relationship of these writ-ings to the Bible? We must remem-ber she said that her messages weregiven because Gods people werenot faithful students of the Bible, so

God sent these messages to leadthem back to the Bible. See Testimo-nies, vol. 5, 665. Thus her functionwas not to write another Bibleanother part of the Canon. Herwritings are to lead us to the Bible,so that we may better understandthe messages contained in Scrip-ture. She characterized her work asa lesser light to lead people to thegreater lightthe Bible. See Colpor-teur Ministry, 125. Her function wasto direct attention to the Bible, tohelp us understand the Bible, andto apply Bible principles to ourlives.

It is crucial that we understandexactly what she meant when sheused the term lesser light to explainher relationship to the Bible. Thewritten testimonies are not to givenew light, but to impress vividlyupon the heart the truths of inspi-ration already revealed. Mans

If God is speaking, and we slight Gods words, we are not

really slighting the prophet; we are rejecting God.


duty to God and to his fellow manhas been distinctly specified inGods Word, yet but few of you areobedient to the light given. Addi-tional truth is not brought out; butGod has through the Testimoniessimplified the great truths alreadygiven, and in His own chosen waybrought them before the people toawaken and impress the mind withthem, that all may be left withoutexcuse. Testimonies, vol. 5, 665.

She understood her role to bethat of bringing out more clearlythe truths already contained in theBible, and to simplify the greattruths already given. Her purposewas to lead to the Bible as the basisof all truth.

However, she also wrote, Inancient times God spoke to men bythe mouth of prophets andapostles. In these days He speaks tothem by the testimonies of HisSpirit. There was never a timewhen God instructed His peoplemore earnestly than He instructsthem now concerning His will andthe course that He would havethem pursue. Ibid., 661.

So lesser light does not meanless important light. God is not lessserious today when He speaksthrough a prophet. This fact meansthat we must carefully define lesserlight and greater light so that wewill understand what the wordsmean and what they do not mean.

Lesser light is not God beingless serious in communicating withHis people. Lesser light is not Godspeaking less clearly. Lesser lightdoes not mean dimmer light,unreliable light, unimportant light,or untrustworthy light. Lesser lightdoes not refer to an inferior qualityof inspiration. The messages thatcame through Ellen White werejust as much the Word of God as

the messages that came throughIsaiah or Ezekiel; yet, Ellen Whitespurpose was different.

The purpose of the Bible is toreveal the plan of salvation to man.God is trying to reveal Himself tomankind, and He is trying to revealthe way of salvation, which isGods plan of restoration. Thepurpose of the Spirit of Prophecywas to reveal more clearly the planof salvation which is alreadycontained in the Bible. Ellen Whitehas not given us a new plan ofsalvation. She did not intend toshow us another way to heaven.Gods plan is outlined for all menin all times in Scripture. EllenWhite simply revealed more clearly

those areas of Scripture whichpertain to our time and our needs.Thus her light is lesser in that itshines back upon the greater light.

One of the most helpful illustra-tions that I have found comes fromthe pen of Uriah Smith, a long-timeleader in Seventh-day Adventistthought:

Suppose we are about to startupon a voyage. The owner of thevessel gives us a book of directions,telling us that it contains instruc-tions sufficient for our wholejourney, and that if we will heedthem, we shall reach in safety ourport of destination. Setting sail weopen our book to learn its contents.We find that its author lays downgeneral principles to govern us inour voyage, and instructs us as faras practicable, touching the variouscontingencies that may arise, tillthe end; but he also tells us that thelatter part of our journey will beespecially perilous; that the fea-tures of the coast are ever changingby reasons of quicksands andtempests; but for this part of thejourney, says he, I have provided

you a pilot, who will meet you, andgive you such directions as thesurrounding circumstances anddangers may require; and to himyou must give heed. With thesedirections we reach the periloustime specified, and the pilot,according to promise, appears. Butsome of the crew, as he offers hisservices, rise up against him. Wehave the original book of direc-tions, say they, and that is enoughfor us. We stand upon that, andthat alone; we want nothing ofyou. Who now heed the originalbook of directions? Those whoreject the pilot, or those whoreceive him, as that book instructsthem? Judge ye. . . .

What we do say is distinctlythis: that the gifts of the Spirit aregiven for our pilot through theseperilous times, and wherever and inwhomsoever we find genuinemanifestations of these, we arebound to respect them, nor can wedo otherwise without insofarrejecting the Word of God, whichdirects us to receive them. Who nowstands upon the Bible, and the Biblealone? It is the one who willreceive the pilot according to itsdirections. We do not, then, discard,but obey, the Bible by endorsing thevisions; while we should just so farreject and disobey it, as we shouldrefuse to receive the provisions it hasmade for our comfort, edification,and perfection. Uriah Smith, DoWe Discard the Bible by Endorsingthe Visions? The Review and Herald,January 13, 1863; reprinted in OurFirm Foundation, May 2002.

Perhaps this is a good way tounderstand the difference betweenlesser light and greater light. Lesserdoes not refer to authority, for theauthority of the book describingthe ocean voyage and the authorityof the pilot come from the sameSource. Lesser refers to function, forthe pilot comes on board later, at theend of the journey, to give specificguidance for Gods people. !

Next month we will conclude ourdiscussion of the lesser light, and wewill consider the question, Does EllenWhite have doctrinal authority?

There was never a time when God instructed His people more

earnestly than He instructs them now concerning His will and

the course that He would have them pursue.


Pho

to: K

evin

H. P

atte

rson

; Gea

rs

Pho

toD

isc

et us start with a definition:Manipulateto treat oroperate with the hands or in

a mechanical manner.Webster.Given the title of New Theol-

ogy by many Seventh-dayAdventists, a belief system hasbeen introduced into the Seventh-day Adventist Church and has nowbeen accepted as truth by many ofour members. This system ofbeliefs includes a teaching that weshall refer to as ManipulationTheology.

Seventh-day Adventists are firsttold that God does not expect themto stop sinning in this earthly life,because He knows that it is impos-sible. Then they are assured thatHe will miraculously and instanta-neously fix them, when Christreturns, so that they will never sinagain. This quick fix could not becalled either justification or sancti-fication. The proper word for itwould be manipulationsomethingdone in a mechanical manner.

We are called upon to imaginethe Lord taking from His heavenlytool chest a celestial screwdriver,inserting it into the ear of thebeliever, giving it a half turn, andsaying, There, my beloved. I have

L fixed you. You will never sinagain.Question: If God could solve theproblem of sin by such a mechani-cal means, why did He not turnthat screw in Adams head sixthousand years ago? Think of thesorrow and suffering that wouldhave spared us!

Another question: Was Adamsproblem simply that he had ascrew loose? If so, whose fault

our firm foundation (february 2003)

Documents