Surely this is the most important concern in anyone’s life! It is not enough to HOPE to be saved. It is not even enough to WANT to be saved. We are told that many will be LOST while wanting to be SAVED! WHY? Because they do not go beyond WANTING and WISHING! They do not actively CHOOSE to be saved. The LORD tells us in John 3 that to enter heaven one must be BORN AGAIN. This is NOT a ‘mystical’, abstract experience- it is as REAL as the very furniture in your home. In fact, the things of God are more real than the things of earth. The things of earth will soon pass away- but the Truths of God are ETERNAL. "For this is Life Eternal, that they might KNOW THEE the only True God and Jesus Christ whom Thou hast sent!" Being BORN AGAIN is something YOU must CHOOSE to experience. When it takes place you will KNOW it. Only God can cause us to be BORN AGAIN. Only the LIFE and DEATH and INTERCEDING MINISTRY of JESUS makes it possible. The Keys: 1. We must realize that SALVATION is an individual, personal matter between our soul and God. No church records, no organizations, no committees can save us! 2. To begin the process of seeking to be truly SAVED, it is important to put away ALL reading material except the King James Bible and the Book STEPS TO CHRIST. Turn off TV and RADIO and dedicate the time to reading the Gospels and Steps to Christ prayerfully, pleading with the Lord in the Name of Jesus to send the Holy Spirit to TEACH YOU! He will be your personal Tutor- Jesus has PROMISED this- Jesus NEVER breaks his Word. Do NOT consult with ministers, counselors or friends- they can’t do it for you- this is a matter between your SOUL and GOD personally!! 3. We must realize we ARE guilty sinners; that in our natural natures is no good thing at all. Even our best deeds, done by the natural heart, are disgusting to a Holy God. 4. We must come before God in the Name of Jesus, claiming His promises and confessing that there is NOTHING we can do or offer to save our wretched souls. "Nothing in my hand I bring- Simply to Thy cross I cling!" 5. We MUST be willing to repent of all sin and sins. We must be willing to surrender ALL to JESUS- if we are NOT willing, then we must PLEAD with the LORD to make us willing!! Without a TOTAL surrender to God, a total acceptance of His RIGHT to RULE completely in our lives, a total CHOOSING to put away everything displeasing to HIM and Through HIS ENPOWERING GRACE live a life of humble obedience, the New Birth will not happen. No matter what our age or status, we must CHOOSE to become God’s Little Child, to walk humbly and obediently with Him from henceforth. 6. We must confess and forsake every sin and plead for forgiveness, claiming only the merits of Jesus’ Precious Blood. If we know that we have done wrong to any person, we must do all in our power to confess that wrong to them and make restitution if at all possible. If not possible (i.e. the person cannot be found or is dead) then repentance and restitution can be made with God, in the way He impresses you to do it. 7. It is essential to continue to plead with the Lord, claiming His promises UNTIL He responds!! Your faith with be tested, but I can assure you that when He responds, YOU will KNOW IT! 8. As you approach the LORD, determined to be saved, determined and choosing to have Him fulfill His gracious promises in YOUR life, the HOLY SPIRIT will draw close and will begin to IMPRESS upon your mind practices and habits that are not pleasing to the LORD. He may, and probably WILL bring things to your mind from the distant past that you need to repent of, maybe even things that you need to apologize to others for. 9. IT IS ESSENTIAL when this happens that you do not explain or excuse away these things!! It is a matter of LIFE OR DEATH that you do not just run to a pastor or friend and have them sooth your troubled feelings!! If you dismiss these promptings, you will grieve away the Holy Spirit and suffer eternal loss!! 10. Deep heart searching is essential!! Every thought and attitude must be examined in the light of God’s Holy Word. Are there things you watch or read that you are not SURE are right? Are there habits or items on your table that you know the Lord has advised are not the best for our health? Explaining or excusing any questionable behavior will drive the Holy Spirit away and you will not experience the Wonderful Rebirth into the Family of God! 11. Friend, What God offers is better than any earthly advantage. The JOY of His presence is greater than any pleasurable indulgence you may need to put out of your life! A life in Paradise that measures with the Life of God is worth sacrificing every wrong thought or action for. Don’t miss out on the Eternal Home! 12. I want to assure you that YOU can have this BORN AGAIN experience! Jesus longs to give it to YOU! Jesus NEVER refuses any who truly come to Him in repentance and humility. He will give you power to overcome every wrong thought or habit, if you but CHOOSE to have it and CHOOSE to obey. ALL HIS COMMANDS ARE ENABLINGS! 13. To continue to merely wish and want, without surrendering totally and without CHOOSING to seek Jesus for salvation UNTIL you KNOW He has given you this precious treasure, will not take you safely through! 14. Faith IS the Victory- take God at His Word- claim the promises in the Bible and Spirit of Prophecy AS YOURS and make a complete surrender. Nothing less will do. Jesus will have all, or He will have none. Dying to SELF is the only way to be re-born and Live to Christ! 15. Once having secured this ‘BORN AGAIN’ experience, then each day, with the very first waking thought, renew the covenant with Him for that day. Keep the mind and heart uplifted to God during the day, seeking His leading at every step. Every time any temptation presents itself, actively choose to reject it, and calling to Jesus for power to do so, turn immediately from it. We walk with God in the same way we first come to Him. 16. The Holy Spirit will be speaking to you as you are gathering, reading, learning, treasuring up every ray of precious light, it will be like honey to your mouth! The Holy Spirit is our own dear Comforter sent to us to teach us of our Savior. Through the Holy Spirit we are closer to Jesus than even the disciples were when He walked and talked with them!! Isn't it wonderful? Why would anyone choose to cling to sin when they could have such a life in the very presence of the Godhead? 17. A sincere warning. Do not mistake a spirit of busy-ness in church activities for the true service of the Lord. Many upon starting to learn of the Lord decide they are going to do some great thing for the Lord and not having any true foundation, commence to walk in the sparks of their own kindling with such zeal that many are deceived. It is only when we really come to the understanding that we can do NOTHING for God, but rather God MUST do EVERYTHING for us or we perish without hope, it is only then that the Lord may be able to use us in some way. Many think they are called to have some ‘ministry’ or other ‘for the Lord’, and oftentimes what they are engaged in is not at all the Lord’s will for them but their own way of exalting self, often to the neglect of the humbler duties which the Lord has placed in their hand to do, such as the care of children or homemaking. All who can truly be used by the Lord will be found by Him face down at the foot of the cross! They will have such a low opinion of themselves that when the Lord does lay it on their heart to do something in His work, their first response will be, "Oh, no Lord! I cannot do this, find someone better than me for this work, I know not how to come in or go out!" Then when in great humility and self distrust they tremblingly take hold of the hand of Jesus and walk day by day, hour by hour, led as a little child, then the power of the Lord will be seen. As soon, however that even such a one as this turns and begins to look to self and exalt over what God has wrought through him, just so soon will he stumble and fall, and unless he immediately repents, loose the Holy Spirit and the Lord will no longer be able to use him. He will change masters and not know it. temcat
Encouragement to a Friend to Stop SmokingI owe it to you to speak straight truth. How would I feel in the judgment if both of us were lost and you said, "If you only would have told me, I could have been saved!" I am going to tell you about some things that may sound strange to you, but it is only from the Bible and what the Bible truly teaches. You see, modern churches have many ideas from Paganism that are NOT taught in the Bible. It is important we listen to what God really says in His Word. I want you to be in heaven just as I choose to be there myself. How much fun we could have traveling to see the beauty and talking to the angels and people there! But we have to do more than want, we have to CHOOSE. You were talking about wanting God to ‘take you’. We should never be anxious to die, even when we are not well. Life and Time are the two most precious gifts of God. Only the living can praise the Lord or do anything to help others, or get the sin out of their lives so as to be ready to rise in the resurrection when Jesus comes and go home with Him. The dead sleep in their graves and can do nothing. The Lord knows what needs to change in your life to be ready. Ask Him to show you. I know I have many habits to overcome before I would be fit to enter heaven! But I also know that as I see a wrong trait, I repent and ask for forgiveness, and then ask the Lord to give me victory over it, He will do it! No matter how deep the bad habit is, once I see it- I can choose to be rid of it, and the Power of Jesus sets me free. I can’t do it myself. The Bible tells us that our body is the temple of the Holy Ghost. It is God’s property, both by creation and redemption. We are not to put anything into our body that would harm or dirty it. Here are the texts: 1 Corinthians 6:19,20 "What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's." 1 Corinthians 3:17 "If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are." Could you imagine dirty cigarettes in heaven? We are not going to be ghosts without bodies in heaven—we will there have the same character we had on earth. We will be given new bodies, it is true, but if we don’t take care of our body here, why would God give us another one? That is why Jesus gives us time to choose His ways and offers us all the power to overcome if we just choose to be rid of sin and ask for His forgiveness and power. Satan has been playing games with you, because he lets you think you can stop smoking any time you want, on your own—but it is not true. You have stopped for a while a few times, but then you watch for the first excuse to go back to it. Satan makes sure that someone upsets you or some nasty thing happens—and you say, "Oh that person or thing made me start smoking again!" No person or power in earth or hell can make us sin, or do wrong UNLESS we choose to allow it. God would send every angel out of heaven to help us rather than allow us to be overcome by sin. Satan is making a monkey out of you and laughing at your pain and unhappiness, don’t let him do it. Jesus is there for you. Jesus went 40 days without food, to win the victory over appetite and THAT very victory He is eager to give to you. It is not your puny power he offers you, He will give you His Mighty Power—just for the asking. The devil has to run when Jesus steps into our lives. Admit the devil has you hold—ask the Lord to show you just what He wants you to know—and when He shows you, believe Him - and take hold of His strength for forgiveness and victory. Jesus can make the weakest person, in His strength to be mighty, and defeat all Satan’s nasty tricks. Satan wants you to keep burning that incense to him. Did you know that every time you light up a cigarette, you are honoring the great destroyer, the devil? Pagans have always offered tobacco to their devil-gods. You are certainly not honoring God with it. It wastes your bit of precious money the Lord wants you to use for good, healthy food, and harms your poor sick body by dumping more poison into it, which it is struggling to get rid of. Some times what you think is depression, may not always be. If you ever feel guilty and afraid in your mind, this can be the Holy Spirit trying to tell you what needs to be changed in your life and wanting you to turn to your Savior, Jesus to get forgiveness and victory in Him. He loves you so much that if you were the only sinner that would be saved, He would have died and suffered all that shame and pain and mockery, just for you!! You see, if we never felt guilty, we would never see how much we need a Savior! He wants to save us more than we even want to be saved. But WE must choose. He is a gentleman, He will not push His way into our lives. But Satan does. He pushes and manipulates and lies and tricks- and lots of times we think it is our own minds that want something when it is just his temptations. You often told me that you did not think God wants us to give up anything. Well, because I care about you, I have to tell you the Bible is very clear that this idea is not true. God wants us to give up all sin and harmful habits and He stands right by our side to take away sin and give us the strength to overcome- if we just choose to let Him into our hearts. God loves us and He knows that sinful habits cause us pain and suffering- WHY would He not want us to give them up? You see, FAITH is not just making ourselves believe in God. The Bible tells us the devils believe in God, but that will not save them, because they refuse to obey Him. In fact they don’t need faith for that- they KNOW God is real. How can we say we ‘believe’ in Jesus and at the same time refuse to allow Him to take the sin out or our lives? Real FAITH obeys, the Bible says: James 2:17, 18 "Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone. Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works." You can be free in Jesus, for real. The freedom He offers is not just mystical, it is for real and for now. He will guide you and help you with your physical problems too. Satan will tell you it is hopeless, you can’t change, but in Jesus nothing is hopeless. His Word created the world and He will work with you to make a new life for you too. CHOOSE to seek Him with your whole heart and He will guide and help you right away. Here are some basic physical things you can do that will help you a lot in your battle against illness: DRINK at least 3 PINTS of pure water daily. Every day whether you feel like it or not. Get your bowels working well with prune juice, fruit and natural herb laxatives. Cut out sugar and sugary so-called treats. Sugar is a brain poison! Eat more fruit instead, even canned fruit is better than sugary baked stuff. Eat good nourishing meals instead of tea and coffee and sweet junk. Dress in a way that covers your arms and legs as well as your middle body. That way you don’t force extra blood to your head, causing headaches and brain pressure. Or to your center body causing pain from unbalanced circulation. Get rid of them cancer devil sticks! Refuse to poison your body with tobacco any more, not ever! God loves you, Jesus’ mighty hands, pierced for you, are stretched out to receive you. CHOOSE His way today! JESUS said: Luke 4:18 "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised." Temcat Strange Gods Among Us?Do we "All Worship the SAME GOD?" Now therefore put away, said he, the strange gods which are among you, and incline your heart unto the LORD God of Israel. Josh.24.23 In this strange "post Christian" era in which we live, we often hear the cry "there is no difference; we all worship the same God." and "All the different religions worship the same God- they just call Him by different names." or "There is only one God- some of us just see Him differently that’s all." and "All religions are the same; just different paths to the same destination." A few years back I was stumped when confronted by some of these common statements- I, who had been raised an SDA was having trouble providing an authoritative answer as to how my beliefs differed from so called "heathen" religions- after all- they all were ways of trying to be saved- they all taught we should be "good." They all seemed to believe in a supreme being. - One day a friend not of the Christian faith asked me- "Just what is a Christian?" This stumped me at the time- Oh, I knew all the usual clichés, but I seemed to lack a basic, deep understanding. I started from that day forth to earnestly seek to learn what makes real Christianity different and what it means to be a Christian. I prayed earnestly that God would show me what a real Christian is and little by little I learned some amazing things. First off, I wish to inquire, if there is only one God and all religions, Muslims, Catholics, Jews, Buddhists, Taoists, North American natives, Hindus etc. all worship the same god, Why does the Bible mention, for example, Strange gods- 12 different places and other gods 71 different places? Look at a few of these- Deut.32.16 They provoked him to jealousy with strange gods, with abominations provoked they him to anger. Exo.20.3 Thou shalt have no other gods before me. Exo.23.13 And in all things that I have said unto you be circumspect: and make no mention of the name of other gods, neither let it be heard out of thy mouth. Deut.18.20 But the prophet, which shall presume to speak a word in my name, which I have not commanded him to speak, or that shall speak in the name of other gods, even that prophet shall die. Jer.35.15 I have sent also unto you all my servants the prophets, rising up early and sending them, saying, Return ye now every man from his evil way, and amend your doings, and go not after other gods to serve them, and ye shall dwell in the land which I have given to you and to your fathers: but ye have not inclined your ear, nor hearkened unto me. It is very clear that there ARE other gods and we don’t all worship the same God. 2Cor.4.4 In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them. There is a god of this world, who is this god of the world?- Deut.32.17 They sacrificed unto devils, not to God; to gods whom they knew not, to new gods that came newly up, whom your fathers feared not. 1Cor.10.20,21 But I say, that the things which the Gentiles sacrifice, they sacrifice to devils, and not to God: and I would not that ye should have fellowship with devils. Ye cannot drink the cup of the Lord, and the cup of devils: ye cannot be partakers of the Lord's table, and of the table of devils. Yes, all other gods are devils- Satan and his host who seek to deceive in ever way possible- He knows that if he keeps man from the true worship of the true god in any way, he keeps man helpless, powerless to overcome sin and lost! Isa.43.10,11 Ye are my witnesses, saith the LORD, and my servant whom I have chosen: that ye may know and believe me, and understand that I am he: before me there was no God formed, neither shall there be after me. I, even I, am the LORD; and beside me there is no saviour. Why does God tell us that there is really no other gods after warning us not to worship other gods? Because these lying beings and false philosophies and vain theories are all lies and if we give our worship to any of them we will be lost because- Acts.4.12Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved. What is the only name that we can be saved by? Matt.1.21 And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins. Even many Protestants believe that people were saved in a different way in the Old Testament (Testament also means Covenant) days than they are in the New Testament days. This is false- there is only one true religion! In the Old Testament they looked in faith for salvation and victory over sin to the promised deliverer who was to come; In the New testament, we look by faith for salvation and victory over sin to the promised deliverer who has come. Now I will shock you- The statement "All religions are the same" is almost all true. All religions are the same- they are all ways in which man tries to save himself by "lifting himself by his own bootstraps" as it were. It is true in this way- all false religions are basically the same. But there is a TRUE WAY that is different as day from night. Isa.55.8,9 For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts. In the true plan of salvation there "Is not one thread of human devising." That is why the carnal heart finds it hard to understand and accept though even a child can grasp it - it is so simple and yet so profound. Let us look briefly at some of the religions that people often claim worship the same God as a true Christian- Let’s see what the Bible has to say about this claim. Lets take the Muslims. They worship Allah and many people think this is just another name for God. Who was Allah really? Allah was the name of one of the idols worshipped by Mohammed's tribe of Bedouin people. It was a type of the moon god. (That’s where the crescent moon comes from in Muslim symbolism.) They claim to believe in Jesus but say He is just another prophet of which Mohammed is the greatest. Mohammed claimed to be the "Comforter" who Jesus predicted would come. What do the Muslims say about the Son of God? Mohammed said; "Allah is but one god. Far be it from him that he should have a son." Instead Mohammed deified the Koran as "eternal. uncreated, subsisting in the very essence of God." What does the Bible say? 1 John.2.22.23 Who is a liar but he that denieth that Jesus is the Christ? He is antichrist, that denieth the Father and the Son. Whosoever denieth the Son, the same hath not the Father: (but) he that acknowledgeth the Son hath the Father also. John.14.6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me. It is quite clear that they cannot be worshipping the same God as the true Christian because it is only through Jesus that we can know and worship the Father ! What about the Sikhs? The same thing applies. There are many world religions that claim to worship the Father but deny the Son - What does the Bible say? Acts.4.12Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved. Any belief that states that Jesus is just "one among many" is "denying the Father AND the Son." There fore the god they are worshipping is not the True God! What did Jesus say to the Jews? John.8.24 I said therefore unto you, that ye shall die in your sins: for if ye believe not that I am he, ye shall die in your sins. Now let’s get closer home; many so-called Christian religions are actually worshipping false gods. Catholicism says that many people who have lived on this earth and followed ascetic practices and suffered much and "earned much merit" can apply this merit to save others- this is where we get saint worship and relic worship. What does the Bible say? Acts.4.12Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved. What about the nature worship of the North American Natives? Although there seems to be some among these people who believed in the Great Spirit; most believed in a multitude of spirits and demons and thought even rocks and trees to have spirits. Rom.1.23 And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things. Rom.1.25 Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen. It is being claimed now that these people had a better relationship to the natural world because they had this fear or respect to all animals and things of nature believing them all to be spirits. People now are glorifying this idea as it seems an answer to the environmental problems we are faced with these days. In fact the attitude is to blame these problems on the Christian belief system. This is a great injustice as anyone who truly worships his Creator also has respect for His creation. It is greed that has caused the environmental destruction- not Christianity! It is a fact that any religion that claims to exalt an animal to the status of a man, really lowers a man to the level of an animal. We see evidence of this in the terrible cruelty often practiced by the native tribes on other tribes. It is said that it was because of their cultural beliefs that they did not waste any animal that they killed and only killed what they required. History seems to show that this was more of necessity than a belief system because once rifles were given to the native people and there was a market for the products the native people showed little hesitancy in mass slaughter - for example - of caribou to sell their tongues etc. The not wasting was more of necessity than moral standards also as those who work among the native people do not find thriftiness and industry to be a common virtue. It is true that the world needs to have more respect for the created world of nature but the worship of spirits and animals and teaching that a man is no better than a beast is not the answer to the problem. Again this is Satan’s lie and a false and strange god. This brings us to other strange gods that have even made inroads into the ranks of true Christians. This is brought to light in this text: 1John.4.3 And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world. Some people think this means to deny that Jesus has come to the earth but that would be futile, as it is a historical fact that He came - so what is meant here? There is some further light on this in the following- Heb.2.16,17 For verily he took not on him the nature of angels; but he took on him the seed of Abraham. Wherefore in all things it behooved him to be made like unto his brethren, that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make reconciliation for the sins of the people. Rom.8.3 For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh. There are those that claim that Jesus came with the flesh of unfallen Adam. Not the same flesh as us . Therefore we cannot obey God’s law as we are not born with this unfallen flesh . This belief is false and very far reaching in its implications. In fact it backs up Satan’s claim that man cannot obey God’s laws - it claims that Jesus could obey the law because He was born of different flesh than us. But the Bible clearly states that Jesus live His sinless life by depending completely upon His Father just as we are to overcome by depending completely on Jesus. Those who teach this falsehood are declared by the Word to be of the spirit of antichrist. Those who teach such a false idea are truly worshipping strange gods. Also the ‘Calvinistic’ theologians worship a god that creates some people to be saved and some to be lost. The lost ones he causes to sin and then tortures them eternally in hell to punish them for what they had no choice in doing! This is indeed a strange god- this is a Satanic god. In conclusion I wish to point out the grave error in being deceived by the false idea that all religions are the same and all worship the same God. If we say to others- "it is all the same, we all believe in the same God." Then how can we hope to show them a better way?? We have made them secure in their lost condition and how can we later seek to show them the truth?? Eze.3.18-21 When I say unto the wicked, Thou shalt surely die; and thou givest him not warning, nor speakest to warn the wicked from his wicked way, to save his life; the same wicked man shall die in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at thine hand. Yet if thou warn the wicked, and he turn not from his wickedness, nor from his wicked way, he shall die in his iniquity; but thou hast delivered thy soul. Again, When a righteous man doth turn from his righteousness, and commit iniquity, and I lay a stumblingblock before him, he shall die: because thou hast not given him warning, he shall die in his sin, and his righteousness which he hath done shall not be remembered; but his blood will I require at thine hand. Nevertheless if thou warn the righteous man, that the righteous sin not, and he doth not sin, he shall surely live, because he is warned; also thou hast delivered thy soul. In this climate of ecumenism when the pope and the Hindu and Buddhist and other heathen priests all get together to "pray", it is not easy to hold up the Word and claim there is only ONE WAY- but if we truly love God, the true God as revealed in the Holy Word - we will say as did Luther- "Here I stand and I can do no other!" It is not being kind to leave those who worship "strange gods" unwarned and assured that there is no difference in what they believe and what we find in the Word of God! Better not to associate with them at all if it has to be done under such false premises!! temcat
Writer: I have noticed that there are some in Adventism today especially here have been led to believe that loyalty to the organization is a ticket to heaven and the "church" wll never fall, for this class, a message that says we are in apostasy is unwelcome. Anyway, the work is the Lord's and we can do noting against the truth but for the truth. Reply: You are so right- remember how in Jesus' day- the people and leaders worshipped the temple?? They did not mind if people spoke against God- but they would be stoned for speaking against the TEMPLE!! Well it is the same today- they do not want to hear anything about the failing of church or leaders- Is that not what Jesus said? The think they are rich and in need of nothing? The structure IS going to fall, my brother, it will happen suddenly and as a terrible shock. Notice what the prophet says here: Isa 30:13 "Therefore this iniquity shall be to you as a breach ready to fall, swelling out in a high wall, whose breaking cometh suddenly at an instant." Can’t you just se that? A high brick wall and way up it is leaning out and suddenly one day down it comes on all under it! Only those smart enough to look up and examine the wall- would be warned and get away from it in time! Here is THE QUOTE- the one that tells clearly that the church structure WILL FALL! You see there are twelve things listed that would happen IF the church apostatized- and they have all been fulfilled - and it says IF they happen the structure will be swept away - so it WILL be! The cure is also there too- "We have our Bibles" she could not see how SDAs could fall into this - but they have - to the letter!! "The enemy of souls has sought to bring in the
supposition that a great reformation was to take place among
Seventh-day Adventists, and that this reformation would consist in
giving up the doctrines which stand as the pillars of our faith,
and engaging in a process of reorganization. Were this reformation
to take place, what would result? The principles of truth that God
in His wisdom has given to the remnant church, would be discarded.
Our religion would be changed. The fundamental principles that
have sustained the work for the last fifty years would be
accounted as error. A new organization would be established. Books
of a new order would be written. A system of intellectual
philosophy would be introduced. The founders of this system would
go into the cities, and do a wonderful work. The Sabbath of
course, would be lightly regarded, as also the God who created it.
Nothing would be allowed to stand in the way of the new movement.
The leaders would teach that virtue is better than vice, but God
being removed, they would place their dependence on human power,
which, without God, is worthless. Their foundation would be built
on the sand, and storm and tempest would sweep away the structure.
"When the religion of Christ is most held in contempt, when His law is most despised, then should our zeal be the warmest and our courage and firmness the most unflinching. To stand in defense of truth and righteousness when the majority forsake us, to fight the battles of the Lord when champions are few--this will be our test. At this time we must gather warmth from the coldness of others, courage from their cowardice, and loyalty from their treason." 5 Testimonies p136 |
