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Do You Want Happiness?
Do You Want Happiness?
Suppose you were asked directly, “Do you want happiness?” by someone like Jesus who you know has the power to grant you your wish, what would be your answer? Would you say, “No, thank you, I have it already!” or would you quickly say, “Oh Yes! Thank you, I most certainly do!”? If your answer would be the second response or something along that line, I am inviting you to consider a few things seriously.
If you are not perfectly happy now, why are you not? The Bible provides an answer, in one word, Sin! The root of sin is selfishness, which leads to rebellion against God – which is ultimately what sin is. “Sin is the transgression of the law” (1 John 3:4) – that is, disobedience to what God says. Rebellion in heart ultimately manifests itself in disobedience to God’s instructions.
God is love! His instructions are not for His sake. They are for our sake – to provide for our happiness. Selfishness creates unhappiness for others and hence unhappiness for all. Happiness is possible in a continuous sustainable way only if selfishness is eliminated.
God’s plan is to eliminate selfishness. The plan has the following elements:
- He will change our hearts and minds by showing us what it is like to love and be unselfish continuously and to have everyone else around us being similarly loving and unselfish – that revelation comes to us by an invitation to look at the life of Jesus, His only begotten Son. Imagine if you were loving and kind as Jesus was, in His life on earth, (of course He continues to be and has always been that way – which is why He lived like that here) and everybody around you was similarly loving, kind and unselfish! No one would hurt anybody! Nobody would be insensitive as to be trampling upon others in any ambitious attempt to get ahead. Everyone would care about everybody else! This is the recipe for lasting happiness!
- He will cause sin and selfishness to be destroyed by bringing it all together in one space and circumstance where it will be destroyed. Fire will not only destroy the sinful and selfish (including Satan and his angels) but it will also purify the environment in preparation for the creation of a new heaven and a new earth.
- God will create a new heaven and a new earth and place those who have accepted Him and His principle of love to live there in peace and happiness forever. The location (or space) where sin and selfishness will be destroyed is right here on this earth ( 20:4-15). Some people think that this old earth will continue indefinitely with improvements in human relations and protection of the environment. But the old earth will not continue as it is to be replaced by a new. Those who submit to God and His superior wisdom, as reflected in His law of love, will be taken out of the space before the destruction.
There is an open invitation to accept the principle of love, reject selfishness and be saved. Accepting love means accepting Jesus Christ who came from heaven to earth to show us what love is. The ultimate expression of love was Jesus giving up His life (into the hands of the wicked and selfish) in order to allow us to see what selfishness does ultimately (that is, destroys the good) and provide an opportunity for confirmation of God’s promise to us to raise us from the dead, by God’s raising Jesus from the dead (1 Cor. 15:12-23).
In the same way that God the Father raised Jesus from the dead (Gal. 1:1), God has empowered Jesus to raise us from the dead (John 5:21, 25, 26) and if we are alive at the second coming of Christ, to change us to immortality (1 Cor. 15:51-54). When sin and selfishness are eliminated, God will place those who have accepted Him and His principle of love into a restored earth – the new earth (Rev. 21).
Will you accept the invitation? Do you believe it? This is the only assurance of continuous unending happiness. Or will you vainly invest in seeking happiness here at all cost? The truth is, even if we have times of happiness here, it is never sustained and it is always interspersed with sadness, disappointments, sickness, pain, death of loved ones and even uncertainties about our own lives. The promise is real. Let no one cause you to spiritualize away the reality of it. Jesus is real. God is real. They are persons. We will see them one day, hopefully, not for us to try to flee from them because we would have been rebellious, but hopefully to embrace them and find in their presence everlasting happiness because we would have believed and accepted the reality and submitted to God, His love and His infinite wisdom. Believe and be saved!
“He that hath ears to hear, let him hear” (Matt. 11:15).
- Zerubbabel (Zech. 4:6)
The Christian Gospel versus the Pagan Atonement Concept
The Christian Gospel versus the Pagan Atonement Concept
In a previous presentation, “What Hinders the Latter Rain?” I pointed out that there have been two major changes in the current beliefs of the Seventh-day Adventist Church compared to the beliefs of the pioneers of the movement. Firstly, the concept of God has changed in that the pioneers did not view God as a Trinity whereas the current beliefs represent God as a Trinity. Secondly, the view of the atonement has changed. Ellen G. White did predict that there would be a change in beliefs that would cause the “fundamental principles” to be accounted as error. The 28 Fundamental Principles that were held by the church at that time were published in the 1889 Yearbook (see reference below*). I have shared quite a bit in previous presentations about the first issue – the change in the concept of God. In this presentation, the focus is on the second issue – the change in the concept of the atonement. The atonement as understood by the pioneers is contrasted with the current view of the atonement, within a context of comparison of both with the pagan concept of atonement.
Below, is the prediction that Ellen G. White made:
“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.” – Ellen G. White, Selected Messages Vol. 1, p. 204 (also in Special Testimonies, Series B, No.2, pp 54, 55).
Below, is Fundamental Principle number 2, as it was then, regarding Christ and the atonement:
“2. That there is one Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of the Eternal Father, the One by whom He created all things, and by whom they do consist; that He took on Him the nature of the seed of Abraham for the redemption of our fallen race; that He dwelt among men, full of grace and truth, lived our example, died our sacrifice, was raised for our justification, ascended on high to be our only mediator in the sanctuary in heaven, where through the merits of His shed blood, He secures the pardon and forgiveness of the sins of all those who penitently come to Him; and as the closing portion of His work as priest, before He takes His throne as king, He will make the great atonement for the sins of all such, and their sins will then be blotted out (Acts 3:19) and borne away from the sanctuary, as shown in the service of the Levitical priesthood, which foreshadowed and prefigured the ministry of our Lord in heaven. See Lev 16; Heb. 8:4, 5; 9:6, 7; etc.*(see note in original).”
“*Note.— Some thoughtless persons accuse us of rejecting the atonement of Christ entirely, because we dissent from the view that the atonement was made upon the cross, as is generally held. But we do nothing of the kind; we only take issue as to the time when the atonement is to be made. We object to the view that the atonement was made upon the cross, because it is utterly contrary to the type, which placed the atonement at the end of the yearly sanctuary service, not at the beginning (see scriptures last referred to), and because it inevitably leads to one of two great errors. Thus, Christ on the cross bore the sins of all the world. John said, “Behold the Lamb of God which taketh away [margin, beareth] the sin of the world 1” John 1:29. Peter tells us when he thus bore the sins of the world: “Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree.” 1 Peter 2:24. Paul says that “he died for all” 2 Cor. 5:14, 15. That which Christ did upon the cross, therefore, was done indiscriminately and unconditionally for all the world; and if this was the atonement, then the sins of all the world have been atoned for, and all will be saved. This is Universalism in full blossom. But all men will not be saved; hence the sins of all were not atoned for upon the cross; and if Christ’s work there was the atonement, then His work was partial, not universal, as the scriptures above quoted assert, and he atoned for only a favored few who were elected to be saved, and passed by all others who were predestined to damnation. This would establish the doctrine of election and predestination in its most ultra form, — an error equally unscriptural and objectionable with the former. We avoid both these errors, and find ourselves in harmony with the Mosaic type, and with all the declarations of the Scriptures, when we take the position that what Christ did upon the cross was to provide a divine sacrifice for the world, sufficient to save all, and offered it to everyone who will accept of it; that he then, through the merits of his offering, acts as mediator with the Father till time shall end, securing the forgiveness of sins for all who seek him for it; and that, as the last service of his priesthood, he will blot out the sins of all who have repented and been converted (Acts 3:19), the atonement not being completed till this work of blotting out sin is done. Thus Christ atones, not for the sins of the whole world, to save all, not for a favored few only, elected from all eternity to be saved, but for those who, as free moral agents, have voluntarily sought from him the forgiveness of sin, and everlasting life. And all for whom the atonement is made, will be forever saved in his kingdom. This view in no way detracts from the merit of Christ’s offering, nor from the value and glory of his atoning work for men. While on this line, we are not driven into Universalism on the one hand, nor into election and reprobation on the other.”
– Fundamental Principles of Seventh Day Adventists, Seventh-day Adventist Yearbook of Statistics for 1889, Review & Herald Publishing C., Battle Creek, Mich., 1889.
In paganism, whenever the people displease the god, a sacrifice has to be made in order to appease the wrath of the god. This was at the heart of the offering of human sacrifices. Repeatedly, throughout the Biblical scriptures, the offering of such sacrifices has been condemned. But the death of Christ on Calvary was not a sacrifice to appease the wrath of God. It was God who made the sacrifice by sending His only begotten Son into the world. It was evil men and Satan who killed Him.
In order to understand the plan of salvation we have to go back to the beginning and work our way forward. When the first sin was committed by our fore-parents, Adam and Eve, God predicted exactly how salvation would come in Gen. 3:15 as follows:
“And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.” Gen. 3:15.
Satan had hoped to have humanity fully on his side but God said He would break up the alliance by causing humanity to hate Satan and his ways. He would achieve this by sending His Son as the woman’s seed to bruise Satan’s head but in the process Satan would bruise the heel of His Son.
This was fulfilled at Calvary where, through death, Christ bruised Satan’s head by exposing him to the universe as a murderer while Christ’s heel was bruised by Satan, in that Satan took Christ’s life. But for Christ it was only a bruising of His heel since His Father would raise Him back from the dead (Gal. 1:1).
This is substantiated by many scriptures that show:
- That man was Satan’s captive – example, Heb. 2:14, 15.
- That Christ delivered man by converting man or changing man’s mind – that is, causing man to believe in Him rather than believing Satan. It is by believing we are saved – example, Luke 8:12; John 3:15; Acts 16:31; Rom. 4:3; Rom. 12:2.
- That Satan’s destruction is assured by the death of Christ – example, 1 John 3:8; Heb. 2:14, 15; Col. 2:14, 15.
- That those who believe in Christ will be given power to become sons of God (John1:12) – that is, power to overcome the devil (first and foremost) – Titus 2: 11, 12.
- That eternal life will be given to those who believe in Christ, at the second coming of Christ – example, Mark 10:30; Rom. 2:6-8; 1 Cor. 15:22, 23.
Finally, it should be understood that through His foreknowledge, God knows and declares what will happen but it does not mean that He manipulates people’s minds to make them do evil things. He will even act, based upon His foreknowledge, in order to achieve a desired end, knowing what people will do, but He is not necessarily the one responsible for it being done or the one doing it. Such is the situation with the death of Christ. He yielded His Son. But it was the devil and evil men who killed Him, thus playing right into God’s purpose of revealing the true nature of sin, which is enmity against God (Rom. 8:7) and a manifestation of a disposition to crucify the Son of God afresh each time it is committed (Heb. 6:6).
So, death remains an enemy, wholly a consequence of sin (1 Cor. 15:26; Rom. 6:23). God is life and is not constrained to give life. He quickeneth whomsoever He wills (John 5:21), whenever He wills, without needing death to take place as a precondition.
Christ came to reveal the Father and expose the Devil in order to win us back to the Father and break the Devil’s hold over us that has existed because of our belief in the Devil’s lies about God.
The truth to believe is that God is good, means us well, knows what is good for us and we should believe, accept and follow everything He says. The Devil is a liar and a murderer and should be rejected.
Christ, the only begotten Son of God, who is exactly like God, His Father, in character, is the perfect manifestation and proof, in His life on earth, of God’s character.
By yielding himself to be killed by wicked hands, Christ has exposed Satan and his followers as liars and murderers whose words should be completely rejected and whose company should be shunned, thereby releasing us from Satan’s captivity in which we were held through our belief in Satan’s lies about God.
Even now Satan still holds many people captive under his deception by causing them to believe a distorted version of the gospel that still maligns God. They believe that Christ died in order to pay a price that God demanded before He would forgive us. According to this very popular view, the atonement is not a process whereby Christ intercedes on our behalf, pointing to our repentance as a basis for appealing to God for us to be forgiven of past transgressions. Rather, it sees the atonement as an act that God accepts as being sufficient to make up for all transgressions. So, the death of Christ is represented wholly as a requirement to satisfy God and has nothing to do with the Devil. This is a distortion. The distortion is reflected in the current 28 Fundamental Beliefs, number 9. The current belief is as follows:
“The Life, Death, and Resurrection of Christ
God sent Jesus, His Son, to live the perfect life we could not and die the death our sins deserve. When we accept Jesus’ sacrifice, we claim eternal life.
In Christ’s life of perfect obedience to God’s will, His suffering, death, and resurrection, God provided the only means of atonement for human sin, so that those who by faith accept this atonement may have eternal life, and the whole creation may better understand the infinite and holy love of the Creator. This perfect atonement vindicates the righteousness of God’s law and the graciousness of His character; for it both condemns our sin and provides for our forgiveness. The death of Christ is substitutionary and expiatory, reconciling and transforming. The bodily resurrection of Christ proclaims God’s triumph over the forces of evil, and for those who accept the atonement assures their final victory over sin and death. It declares the Lordship of Jesus Christ, before whom every knee in heaven and on earth will bow. (Gen. 3:15; Ps. 22:1; Isa. 53; John 3:16; 14:30; Rom. 1:4; 3:25; 4:25; 8:3, 4; 1 Cor. 15:3, 4, 20-22; 2 Cor. 5:14, 15, 19-21; Phil. 2:6-11; Col. 2:15; 1 Peter 2:21, 22; 1 John 2:2; 4:10.)” – https://www.adventist.org/en/beliefs/salvation/the-life-death-and-resurrection-of-christ/
The truth is that the death of His Son was the price that God had to pay in order to save us. That is what it cost God to provide the basis whereby Satan’s hold on us might be broken.
Having revealed the true character of God, His Father, through the life that He lived on earth, and having discredited Satan by exposing him as a liar and a murderer, Christ now invites us to believe the truth and be saved (Acts 16:31; Rom 4:3; John 17:3). Otherwise, we’ll believe the Devil’s lies and be damned (2 Thess. 2:10-12).
In closing, I’ll leave with you the following description of the death of Christ from the pen of Ellen G. White in the book Desire of Ages (DA), for your thoughtful meditation:
“But God suffered with His Son. Angels beheld the Saviour’s agony. They saw their Lord enclosed by legions of satanic forces, His nature weighed down with a shuddering, mysterious dread. There was silence in heaven. No harp was touched.” DA 693.
“Not until the death of Christ was the character of Satan clearly revealed to the angels or to the unfallen worlds. The archapostate had so clothed himself with deception that even holy beings had not understood his principles. They had not clearly seen the nature of his rebellion”. DA 758.
“Heaven viewed with grief and amazement Christ hanging upon the cross, blood flowing from His wounded temples, and sweat tinged with blood standing upon His brow. From His hands and feet the blood fell, drop by drop, upon the rock drilled for the foot of the cross. The wounds made by the nails gaped as the weight of His body dragged upon His hands. His labored breath grew quick and deep, as His soul panted under the burden of the sins of the world. All heaven was filled with wonder when the prayer of Christ was offered in the midst of His terrible suffering,–“Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do.” Luke 23:34. Yet there stood men, formed in the image of God, joining to crush out the life of His only-begotten Son. What a sight for the heavenly universe!
The principalities and powers of darkness were assembled around the cross, casting the hellish shadow of unbelief into the hearts of men. When the Lord created these beings to stand before His throne, they were beautiful and glorious. Their loveliness and holiness were in accordance with their exalted station. They were enriched with the wisdom of God, and girded with the panoply of heaven. They were Jehovah’s ministers. But who could recognize in the fallen angels the glorious seraphim that once ministered in the heavenly courts?
Satanic agencies confederated with evil men in leading the people to believe Christ the chief of sinners, and to make Him the object of detestation. Those who mocked Christ as He hung upon the cross were imbued with the spirit of the first great rebel. He filled them with vile and loathsome speeches. He inspired their taunts. But by all this he gained nothing.
Could one sin have been found in Christ, had He in one particular yielded to Satan to escape the terrible torture, the enemy of God and man would have triumphed. Christ bowed His head and died, but He held fast His faith and His submission to God. “And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of His Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night.” Rev. 12:10.
Satan saw that his disguise was torn away. His administration was laid open before the unfallen angels and before the heavenly universe. He had revealed himself as a murderer. By shedding the blood of the Son of God, he had uprooted himself from the sympathies of the heavenly beings. Henceforth his work was restricted. Whatever attitude he might assume, he could no longer await the angels as they came from the heavenly courts, and before them accuse Christ’s brethren of being clothed with the garments of blackness and the defilement of sin. The last link of sympathy between Satan and the heavenly world was broken”. {DA 759 -761}
“He that hath ears to hear, let him hear” (Matt. 11:15).
- Zerubbabel (Zech. 4:6)
The Latter Rain Angel and the Holy Spirit (Pt 2)
The Latter Rain Angel and the Holy Spirit (Part 2)
This presentation may be considered a continuation of the previous one on “The Latter Rain Angel and the Holy Spirit”. The significant thing to note, however, is that this presentation will be exclusively, a reproduction of Ellen G. White’s account of the events as she was shown in vision. The presentation comprises three short chapters (chapters 58, 59 and 60) from the book The Story of Redemption. The same three chapters are also in one of the earliest publications of Ellen G. White, Spiritual Gifts, Volume 1, chapters 34, 35 and 36. The chapters cover The Loud Cry, The Close of Probation and The Time of Jacob’s Trouble. Here goes:
The Loud Cry
I saw angels hurrying to and fro in heaven, descending to the earth, and again ascending to heaven, preparing for the fulfillment of some important event. Then I saw another mighty angel commissioned to descend to the earth, to unite his voice with the third angel, and give power and force to his message. Great power and glory were imparted to the angel, and as he descended, the earth was lightened with his glory. The light which attended this angel penetrated everywhere, as he cried mightily, with a strong voice, “Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and is become the habitation of devils, and the hold of every foul spirit, and a cage of every unclean and hateful bird.” Revelation 18:2. SR 399.1
The message of the fall of Babylon, as given by the second angel, is repeated, with the additional mention of the corruptions which have been entering the churches since 1844. The work of this angel comes in at the right time to join in the last great work of the third angel’s message as it swells to a loud cry. And the people of God are thus prepared to stand in the hour of temptation, which they are soon to meet. I saw a great light resting upon them, and they united to fearlessly proclaim the third angel’s message. SR 399.2
Angels were sent to aid the mighty angel from heaven, and I heard voices which seemed to sound everywhere, “Come out of her, My people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues. For her sins have reached unto heaven, and God hath remembered her iniquities.” Revelation 18:4, 5. This message seemed to be an addition to the third message, joining it as the midnight cry joined the second angel’s message in 1844. The glory of God rested upon the patient, waiting saints, and they fearlessly gave the last solemn warning, proclaiming the fall of Babylon and calling upon God’s people to come out of her, that they might escape her fearful doom. SR 399.3
The light that was shed upon the waiting ones penetrated everywhere, and those in the churches who had any light, who had not heard and rejected the three messages, obeyed the call and left the fallen churches. Many had come to years of accountability since these messages had been given, and the light shone upon them, and they were privileged to choose life or death. Some chose life and took their stand with those who were looking for their Lord and keeping all His commandments. The third message was to do its work; all were to be tested upon it, and the precious ones were to be called out from the religious bodies. SR 400.1
A compelling power moved the honest, while the manifestation of the power of God brought a fear and restraint upon their unbelieving relatives and friends so that they dared not, neither had they the power to, hinder those who felt the work of the Spirit of God upon them. The last call was carried even to the poor slaves; and the pious among them poured forth their songs of rapturous joy at the prospect of their happy deliverance. [Note.—That there will be slavery at the time of the second advent is made clear by the prophet John in Revelation 6:15, 16, in his vivid description of “every bondman, and every free man” calling for the “mountains and rocks” to fall on them and hide them “from the face of Him that sitteth on the throne.”—Compilers.] Their masters could not check them; fear and astonishment kept them silent. Mighty miracles were wrought, the sick were healed, and signs and wonders followed the believers. God was in the work, and every saint, fearless of consequences, followed the convictions of his own conscience and united with those who were keeping all the commandments of God; and with power they sounded abroad the third message. I saw that this message will close with power and strength far exceeding the midnight cry. SR 400.2
Servants of God, endowed with power from on high, with their faces lighted up, and shining with holy consecration, went forth to proclaim the message from heaven. Souls that were scattered all through the religious bodies answered to the call, and the precious were hurried out of the doomed churches, as Lot was hurried out of Sodom before her destruction. God’s people were strengthened by the excellent glory which rested upon them in rich abundance and prepared them to endure the hour of temptation. I heard everywhere a multitude of voices saying, “Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus.” Revelation 14:12. 402 SR 401.1
The Close of Probation
I was pointed down to the time when the third angel’s message was closing. The power of God had rested upon His people; they had accomplished their work and were prepared for the trying hour before them. They had received the latter rain, or refreshing from the presence of the Lord, and the living testimony had been revived. The last great warning had sounded everywhere, and it had stirred up and enraged the inhabitants of the earth who would not receive the message. SR 402.1
I saw angels hurrying to and fro in heaven. An angel with a writer’s inkhorn by his side returned from the earth and reported to Jesus that his work was done, and the saints were numbered and sealed. Then I saw Jesus, who had been ministering before the ark containing the Ten Commandments, throw down the censer. He raised His hands, and with a loud voice said. “It is done.” And all the angelic host laid off their crowns as Jesus made the solemn declaration, “He that is unjust, let him be unjust still: and he which is filthy, let him be filthy still: and he that is righteous, let him be righteous still: and he that is holy, let him be holy still.” Revelation 22:11. SR 402.2
Every case had been decided for life or death. While Jesus had been ministering in the sanctuary, the judgment had been going on for the righteous dead, and then for the righteous living. Christ had received His kingdom, having made the atonement for His people and blotted out their sins. The subjects of the kingdom were made up. The marriage of the Lamb was consummated. And the kingdom, and the greatness of the kingdom under the whole heaven, was given to Jesus and the heirs of salvation, and Jesus was to reign as King of kings and Lord of lords. SR 402.3
As Jesus moved out of the most holy place, I heard the tinkling of the bells upon His garment; and as He left, a cloud of darkness covered the inhabitants of the earth. There was then no mediator between guilty man and an offended God. While Jesus had been standing between God and guilty man, a restraint was upon the people; but when He stepped out from between man and the Father, the restraint was removed and Satan had entire control of the finally impenitent. SR 403.1
It was impossible for the plagues to be poured out while Jesus officiated in the sanctuary; but as His work there is finished, and His intercession closes, there is nothing to stay the wrath of God, and it breaks with fury upon the shelterless head of the guilty sinner, who has slighted salvation and hated reproof. In that fearful time, after the close of Jesus’ mediation, the saints were living in the sight of a holy God without an intercessor. Every case was decided, every jewel numbered. Jesus tarried a moment in the outer apartment of the heavenly sanctuary, and the sins which had been confessed while He was in the most holy place were placed upon Satan, the originator of sin, who must suffer their punishment. [Note.—This suffering of Satan is in no sense a vicarious atonement. As indicated in a previous chapter: “As man’s substitute and surety, the iniquity of men was laid upon Christ.” (See p. 225.) But after those who accept Christ’s sacrifice have been redeemed, it is certainly just that Satan, the originator of sin, should suffer the final punishment. As Mrs. White has said elsewhere, “When the work of atonement in the heavenly sanctuary has been completed, then in the presence of God and heavenly angels, and the host of the redeemed, the sins of God’s people will be placed upon Satan; he will be declared guilty of all the evil which he has caused them to commit.”—The Great Controversy, 658.—Compilers.] SR 403.2
Too Late! Too Late!
Then I saw Jesus lay off His priestly attire and clothe Himself with His most kingly robes. Upon His head were many crowns, a crown within a crown. Surrounded by the angelic host, He left heaven. The plagues were falling upon the inhabitants of the earth. Some were denouncing God and cursing Him. Others rushed to the people of God and begged to be taught how they might escape His judgments. But the saints had nothing for them. The last tear for sinners had been shed, the last agonizing prayer offered, the last burden borne, the last warning given. The sweet voice of mercy was no more to invite them. When the saints, and all heaven, were interested for their salvation, they had not interest for themselves. Life and death had been set before them. Many desired life, but made no effort to obtain it. They did not choose life, and now there was no atoning blood to cleanse the guilty, no compassionate Saviour to plead for them and cry, “Spare, spare the sinner a little longer.” All heaven had united with Jesus, as they heard the fearful words, “It is done. It is finished.” The plan of salvation had been accomplished, but few had chosen to accept it. And as mercy’s sweet voice died away, fear and horror seized the wicked. With terrible distinctness they heard the words, “Too late! too late!” SR 404.1
Those who had not prized God’s Word were hurrying to and fro, wandering from sea to sea, and from the north to the east, to seek the Word of the Lord. Said the angel, “They shall not find it. There is a famine in the land; not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but for hearing the words of the Lord. What would they not give for one word of approval from God! but no, they must hunger and thirst on. Day after day have they slighted salvation, prizing earthly riches and earthly pleasure higher than any heavenly treasure or inducement. They have rejected Jesus and despised His saints. The filthy must remain filthy forever.” SR 404.2
Many of the wicked were greatly enraged as they suffered the effects of the plagues. It was a scene of fearful agony. Parents were bitterly reproaching their children, and children their parents, brothers their sisters, and sisters their brothers. Loud, wailing cries were heard in every direction, “It was you who kept me from receiving the truth which would have saved me from this awful hour.” The people turned upon their ministers with bitter hate and reproached them, saying, “You have not warned us. You told us that all the world was to be converted, and cried, Peace, peace, to quiet every fear that was aroused. You have not told us of this hour; and those who warned us of it you declared to be fanatics and evil men, who would ruin us.” But I saw that the ministers did not escape the wrath of God. Their suffering was tenfold greater than that of their people. 406 SR 405.1
The Time of Jacob’s Trouble
I saw the saints leaving the cities and villages, and associating together in companies, and living in the most solitary places. Angels provided them food and water, while the wicked were suffering from hunger and thirst. Then I saw the leading men of the earth consulting together, and Satan and his angels busy around them. I saw a writing, copies of which were scattered in different parts of the land, giving orders that unless the saints should yield their peculiar faith, give up the Sabbath, and observe the first day of the week, the people were at liberty after a certain time to put them to death. But in this hour of trial the saints were calm and composed, trusting in God and leaning upon His promise that a way of escape would be made for them. SR 406.1
In some places, before the time for the decree to be executed, the wicked rushed upon the saints to slay them; but angels in the form of men of war fought for them. Satan wished to have the privilege of destroying the saints of the Most High, but Jesus bade His angels watch over them. God would be honored by making a covenant with those who had kept His law, in the sight of the heathen round about them; and Jesus would be honored by translating, without their seeing death, the faithful, waiting ones who had so long expected Him. SR 406.2
Soon I saw the saints suffering great mental anguish. They seemed to be surrounded by the wicked inhabitants of the earth. Every appearance was against them. Some began to fear that God had at last left them to perish by the hand of the wicked. But if their eyes could have been opened, they would have seen themselves surrounded by angels of God. Next came the multitude of the angry wicked, and next a mass of evil angels, hurrying on the wicked to slay the saints. But before they could approach God’s people, the wicked must first pass this company of mighty, holy angels. This was impossible. The angels of God were causing them to recede and also causing the evil angels who were pressing around them to fall back. SR 407.1
The Cry for Deliverance
It was an hour of fearful, terrible agony to the saints. Day and night they cried unto God for deliverance. To outward appearance, there was no possibility of their escape. The wicked had already begun to triumph, crying out, “Why doesn’t your God deliver you out of our hands? Why don’t you go up and save your lives?” But the saints heeded them not. Like Jacob, they were wrestling with God. The angels longed to deliver them, but they must wait a little longer; the people of God must drink of the cup and be baptized with the baptism. The angels, faithful to their trust, continued their watch. God would not suffer His name to be reproached among the heathen. The time had nearly come when He was to manifest His mighty power and gloriously deliver His saints. For His name’s glory He would deliver every one of those who had patiently waited for Him and whose names were written in the book. SR 407.2
I was pointed back to faithful Noah. When the rain descended and the Flood came, Noah and his family had entered the ark, and God had shut them in. Noah had faithfully warned the inhabitants of the antediluvian world, while they had mocked and derided him. And as the waters descended upon the earth, and one after another was drowning, they beheld that ark, of which they had made so much sport, riding safely upon the waters, preserving the faithful Noah and his family. So I saw that the people of God, who had faithfully warned the world of His coming wrath, would be delivered. God would not suffer the wicked to destroy those who were expecting translation and who would not bow to the decree of the beast or receive his mark. I saw that if the wicked were permitted to slay the saints, Satan and all his evil host, and all who hate God, would be gratified. And oh, what a triumph it would be for his satanic majesty to have power, in the last closing struggle, over those who had so long waited to behold Him whom they loved! Those who have mocked at the idea of the saints’ going up will witness the care of God for His people and behold their glorious deliverance. SR 407.3
As the saints left the cities and villages, they were pursued by the wicked, who sought to slay them. But the swords that were raised to kill God’s people broke and fell as powerless as straw. Angels of God shielded the saints. As they cried day and night for deliverance, their cry came up before the Lord. 409 SR 408.1
“He that hath ears to hear, let him hear” (Matt. 11:15).
- Zerubbabel (Zech. 4:6)
God or Baal? Which?
Challenge!
Here is a challenge! Can anyone show one Scripture where God is described as Three-in-one, Triune or Trinity?
If we cannot find one Scripture that describes God as Three-in-one, Triune or Trinity, then we must ask ourselves, which God do we worship – the Biblical God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob or is it a god or theological concept of our own making?
Without going into the history of where this Three-in-one concept originated, namely in ancient Babylon – as the worship of Nimrod, Semiramis and Tammuz, which later became a snare to ancient Israel under various names such as Baal, Ashtoreth and Tammuz, my challenge to us today is the same as that which Elijah gave to Israel: “If Yahweh be God, follow Him: but if Baal, then follow him.” – 1 Kings 18:21.
Picture of God in Heaven
How much clearer can the Bible get than to give a physical description of heaven in which it shows God seated on the throne, with angels numbering “ten thousand times ten thousand and thousands of thousands” gathered before Him, and Jesus, one like the Son of man, in one case, being brought before Him to receive a kingdom, and in the other case, as the Lamb, to receive a book? These physical descriptions are given in Daniel 7 and Revelation 4 and 5 respectively.
According to the account in Revelation 4, “one sat on the throne” and the angels worshipped Him saying, “Holy, Holy, Holy, LORD God Almighty, which was and is, and is to come” – Rev. 4:8.
It goes on to say:
“The four and twenty elders fall down before him that sat on the throne, and worship him that liveth for ever and ever, and cast their crowns before the throne, saying, Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created.” – Rev. 4:10, 11.
Quite distinct from Him that sat on the throne, who is worshipped as the Creator – the One who “liveth for ever and ever”, is the Lamb that was slain. When Christ, the Lamb, came and took the book out of the hand of Him that sat on the throne, the angels sang: “Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing.” Rev. 5:12.
Then everyone sang:
“Blessing, and honour, and glory, and power, be unto him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb for ever and ever.” Rev. 5:13.
It continues:
“And the four beasts said Amen. And the four and twenty elders fell down and worshipped him that liveth for ever and ever.” Rev. 5:14.
Who Else is Worshipped in Scripture?
Apart from the Almighty, who is the Creator – the Most High, and His only begotten Son Jesus Christ – the Lamb, who shed His blood for us, who else is worshipped in all the Scriptures? Can anyone find even one text of Scripture?
Will anyone take up the challenge?
If no one can find a text, then we must ask ourselves, who else in the entire universe wanted to be worshipped, who coveted the position of Christ and wanted to be like the Most High? Are we worshipping him unwittingly?
We are told that “the counsel of peace shall be between them both.” – Zech. 6:13.
“God is the Father of Christ; Christ is the Son of God. To Christ has been given an exalted position. He has been made equal with the Father. All the counsels of God are opened to his Son.” – Ellen G. White, Testimonies for the Church, Vol. 8, p. 268.
“Christ, the Word, the only begotten of God , was one with the eternal Father – one in nature , in character, in purpose – the only being that could enter into all the counsels and purposes of God.” (Ellen. G. White, Patriarchs and Prophets, p. 34).
Someone wanted to be a third member of the heavenly council, and to be likewise worshipped. Lucifer said: “I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north: I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High.” – Isa. 14:13, 14.
One Supreme Being
But there is one Supreme Being and He admits only one other, his only begotten Son, to all His counsels and purposes. When Isaiah saw Him, Isaiah’s whole perspective changed. The account says:
“1 In the year that king Uzziah died I saw also the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and his train filled the temple.
2 Above it stood the seraphims: each one had six wings; with twain he covered his face, and with twain he covered his feet, and with twain he did fly.
3 And one cried unto another, and said, Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord of hosts: the whole earth is full of his glory.
4 And the posts of the door moved at the voice of him that cried, and the house was filled with smoke.
5 Then said I, Woe is me! for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips: for mine eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts.” Isa. 6:1-5.
We need to get a glimpse of the Most High, like Isaiah. Then we would see our uncleanness – our unworthiness, and bow down in awe before Him so that we can obtain mercy and be cleansed like Isaiah was. Then, like Isaiah, when the LORD says: “Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?” we will be able to say: “Here am I; send me.” – Isa. 6:8. Then, we will be bold like Elijah in carrying God’s message and calling the world to “Fear God, and give glory to him; for the hour of his judgment is come: and worship him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters.” – Rev.14:7.
Elijah’s Challenge on Mount Carmel
So, back to where we started: Can anyone show one Scripture where God is described as Three-in-one, Triune or Trinity? Which God do we worship – the Biblical God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob or is it a god or theological concept of our own making?
Remember Elijah’s challenge on Mount Carmel:
“How long halt ye between two opinions? If the LORD be God, follow him: but if Baal, then follow him. And the people answered him not a word.” – 1 Kings 18:21.
Will anyone answer?
“He that hath ears to hear, let him hear” (Matt. 11:15).
– Zerubbabel (Zech. 4:6)
The Latter Rain Angel and the Holy Spirit (Pt 1)
“And after these things I saw another angel come down from heaven, having great power; and the earth was lightened with his glory.” – Rev. 18:1.
An angel (Rev. 18:1) is commissioned to bring about the latter rain. The latter rain outpouring of the Holy Spirit will supersede the former rain outpouring at Pentecost. In Gethsemane an angel was sent to comfort Jesus. This brief presentation poses two questions that arise.
The first question
What evidence exists that the Comforter who brought the early rain at Pentecost could not have been an angel? As a corollary to that question, we may also ask, what is the basis for the view that the outpouring at Pentecost could only have been brought about by a Divine Personality? It should be emphasized that the relevance of the issue is the matter of whether we should worship the Comforter.
The typical answer has been that the Greek word for “another” in the promise that Christ made to send “another Comforter” means another of the same kind. This is not sufficient to answer the question as the subject was comfort and not divinity – so it’s another of the same kind in relation to the giving of comfort, not in relation to God-status. The point was that with Jesus’s departure, the disciples would be no less comforted.
In seeking to answer the question, one might wish to consider the following statements:
“Read and study the fourth chapter of Zechariah… The golden oil represents the Holy Spirit.” – Ellen G. White, Testimonies to Ministers and Gospel Workers, p. 188.
“From the two olive trees the golden oil was emptied through the golden pipes into the bowl of the candlestick, and thence into the golden lamps that gave light to the sanctuary. So from the holy ones that stand in God’s presence His Spirit is imparted to the human instrumentalities who are consecrated to His service. The mission of the two anointed ones is to communicate to God’s people that heavenly grace which alone can make His word a lamp to the feet and a light to the path. “Not by might, nor by power, but by My Spirit, saith the Lord of hosts.” Zechariah 4:6. – Ellen G. White, Christ’s Object Lessons, p. 408.15.
The same thought is expressed at another place, the only difference being that the golden oil that was said to be God’s Spirit is now said to be divine light, love and power. It says:
“In this vision the two olive trees which stand before God are represented as emptying the golden oil out of themselves through golden tubes into the bowl of the candlestick. From this the lamps of the sanctuary are fed, that they may give a bright, continuous light. So from the anointed ones that stand in God’s presence the fullness of divine light and love and power is imparted to His people, that they may impart to others light and joy and refreshing. Those who are thus enriched are to enrich others with the treasure of God’s love.” – Ellen G. White, Prophets and Kings p. 594.1
The anointed ones that stand before God and empty from themselves the Holy Spirit into the believer are said to be angels.
“And when these angels empty from themselves the golden oil of truth into the heart of him who is teaching the word, then the application of the truth will be a solemn, serious matter.” Ellen G. White, Testimonies to Ministers and Gospel Workers, p. 337
“The anointed ones standing by the Lord of the whole earth have the position once given to Satan as covering cherub.” – Ellen G. White, The Review and Herald, July 20, 1897. (also Ellen G. White, The Truth about Angels, p. 150).
The second question
What evidence is there that the person sent to comfort and minister to us after Jesus’s return to heaven could not be an angel under whose direction the other ministering spirits (angels) minister to us? As a corollary to that question we may also ask, what is the basis for the view that none other than a Divine Personality could be sent to comfort us after Jesus returned to heaven? It should be noted that when Jesus was in Gethsemane and needed comfort and strength to face the cross, an angel was sent to comfort and strengthen Him.
We should consider the following:
Christ said that He would send the Comforter and when the Comforter comes, he would not speak of himself. He will only speak what he hears –“It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you.” (John 16:7). Further, “he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak:” (John 16:13).
Christ is obviously greater than the Comforter. In the sending of the Comforter, the order of authority is clearly seen. Christ prays to the Father and asks Him to give the Comforter. Then Christ sends the Comforter –“I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter” (John 14:16).
Angels are similarly commissioned: “And of the angels he saith, Who maketh his angels spirits, and his ministers a flame of fire.”; “Are they not all ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation?” – Heb. 1:7, 14.
The ultimate issue
As stated before, the ultimate issue is worship. We are called upon to preach the “everlasting gospel” to “every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people, Saying with a loud voice, Fear God, and give glory to him; for the hour of his judgment is come: and worship him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters.” – Rev. 14:6, 7. Let us not adulterate our message by calling people to give worship where it does not belong.
“He that hath ears to hear, let him hear” (Matt. 11:15).
- Zerubbabel (Zech. 4:6)
What Hinders the Latter Rain of the Spirit?
“The great outpouring of the Spirit of God, which lightens the whole earth with His glory, will not come until we have enlightened people that know by experience what it means to be labourers together with God.” – Ellen G. White, Review and Herald, July 21, 1896.
In this presentation, two basic issues are raised: 1. why was the early rain given? 2. Will God empower us to go and preach error?
Why was the Early Rain Given?
Regarding the first question, the Bible is clear that the outpouring of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost was to empower the disciples to be witnesses of the truth concerning Jesus. Miracles were for the purpose of calling attention to the message that the disciples brought. Consider the following texts:
“But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.” – Acts 1:8.
“How shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation; which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed unto us by them that heard him; God also bearing them witness, both with signs and wonders, and with divers miracles, and gifts of the Holy Ghost, according to his own will?” – Heb. 2:3, 4.
The gifts of the Spirit were also intended to build us up unto perfection.
“And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ: Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ: That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive; But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things” – Eph. 4:11-15.
It should be clear to us that the power to work miracles was not given to make the disciples feel powerful or to draw attention to themselves. Simon, the sorcerer, wanted the power for such reasons and Peter had to rebuke him and told him: “Repent therefore of this thy wickedness, and pray God, if perhaps the thought of thine heart may be forgiven thee.” – Acts 8:22.
The fact is, even if we heal someone today, the person will eventually die unless the person lives to see the second coming of Christ and is translated. In fact, at a certain point it will be considered a blessing to die because of what is coming upon the earth. We are told:
“And I heard a voice from heaven saying unto me, Write, Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord from henceforth: Yea, saith the Spirit, that they may rest from their labours; and their works do follow them.” – Rev. 14:13.
The point is that the working of miracles is not an end in itself. It is the preaching of the truth that is paramount. It is by believing the truth that people are saved. Further, miraculous healing is not intended to replace obedience to God, which includes taking care of our bodies. Believing in God is the ultimate cure for sin, which is rebellion against God that leads to wilful disobedience. Christ came to earth to reveal the Father so that we can believe in Him – or trust Him (John 18:37). This includes accepting God’s promise to raise us from the dead, of which the resurrection of Christ is God’s confirmation of that promise.
Will God Empower Us to Go and Preach Error?
The answer to the second question is obviously, No! God will not empower us to go and preach error. We need to make it a priority to ensure that our doctrines are sound. We need to stop telling ourselves that we have it all together, thinking that the work is delayed because we are not working fast enough or pursuing the right programmes. The work will be finished, not by our projects and methods but by the Spirit of God – “Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the Lord of hosts.” – Zech. 4:6. What therefore hinders the outpouring of the Holy Spirit in the Latter Rain? It is our lack of knowledge of the truth which would strengthen our commitment!
Is there any area in which we are not exactly sound? The answer is, Yes! There are at least two areas in which we are not only unsound, but in those two areas we have actually deviated from the positions that were established by the pioneers and which were included in the Spirit of Prophecy testimony in what was described as “a solid, immovable platform” from which a block should not be moved nor a pin be stirred (Ellen G. White, Spiritual Gifts Vol. 1, pgs. 168, 169). The two areas are:
- The matter of who God is – the very first and great commandment ( 6:4, 5; Matt. 22:36-38). How can it be considered a light thing that we hold a different view of God from the pioneers?
- The atonement – the next most critical area of faith – the Gospel itself! How can it be seen as a light thing that we have a different view, as to what was accomplished at the cross, than the view that was held by the pioneers?
Is there any wonder that whereas miracles were being wrought among the pioneers and visions and dreams were given to them, today we are not able to say that we are experiencing the same?
Let the Pioneers Speak
So, the appeal is to go back and study again – study what God had led the pioneers to! The prophet said: “let the aged men who were pioneers in our work speak plainly, and let those who are dead speak also, by the reprinting of their articles” – Ellen G. White, Manuscript Releases Vol. 1, pg. 55 (also Manuscipt 62, 1905, pg. 6). She also said in 1905: “the past fifty years have not dimmed one jot or principle of our faith as we received the great and wonderful evidences that were made certain to us in 1844, after the passing of the time. . . . Not a word is changed or denied. That which the Holy Spirit testified to as truth after the passing of the time, in our great disappointment, is the solid foundation of truth. Pillars of truth were revealed, and we accepted the foundation principles that have made us what we are – Seventh-day Adventists, keeping the commandments of God and having the faith of Jesus.” – Ellen G. White, Special Testimonies Series B, – 57, Sanitarium, Cal., Dec. 4, 1905.
Consider the words of a few of the notable pioneers on the very points on which we have deviated:
“The greatest fault we can find in the Reformation is, the Reformers stopped reforming. Had they gone onward, till they had left the last vestige of Papacy behind, such as natural immortality, sprinkling, the trinity, and Sunday-keeping, the church would now be free from her unscriptural errors” – James White, Review & Herald, Feb. 7, 1856.
“The doctrine of the trinity was established in the church by the Council of Nicea, AD 325. This doctrine destroys the personality of God, and his Son Jesus Christ our Lord.” – J. N. Andrews, Review & Herald, March 6, 1855.
“Thus the remark is just, that the doctrine of a trinity degrades the Atonement…” – J. H. Waggoner, The Atonement, pg. 166.
“The Scriptures abundantly teach the pre-existence of Christ and His divinity, but are entirely silent in regard to a Trinity.” – J. H. Waggoner, The Atonement, pg. 173.
“It is not very consonant with common sense to talk of three being one, and one being three. Or as some express it, calling God “the Triune God”, or “the three-one-God”. If Father, Son, and Holy Ghost are each God, it would be three Gods; for three times one is not one, but three.” – J. N. Loughborough, Review & Herald, Nov. 5, 1861.
“But to hold the doctrine of the Trinity is not so much an evidence of evil intention as of intoxication from that wine of which all the nations have drunk. The fact that this was one of the leading doctrines, if not the very chief, upon which the bishop of Rome was exalted to popedom, does not say much in its favour.” – R. F. Cottrell, Review & Herald, July 6, 1869.
Central Doctrine of Rome
It should be noted that the doctrine of the Trinity on which we have now distanced ourselves from the position of the pioneers is the very central doctrine of Rome. Rome declares:
“The mystery of the Trinity is the central doctrine of the Catholic faith. Upon it are based all the other teachings of the church.” – Handbook for Today’s Catholic, pg. 16.
Is this a place where we want to be while we claim to be awaiting the Latter Rain outpouring of the Holy Spirit? I invite us to think again!
Study Again
We need to go back and study. A good place to start is with the Pioneers’ 28 Fundamental Principles that were published in the Seventh-day Adventist Yearbook of 1889 which represented the defining Statements of Beliefs of the Seventh-day Adventist church from 1888 to 1930 before the Pioneers had passed off the scene. The link to the Seventh-day Adventist Yearbook of 1889 in the Adventist Archives is: http://documents.adventistarchives.org/Yearbooks/YB1889.pdf
The original document has 208 pages. An extract of the section that deals with the Pioneers’ 28 Fundamental Principles, as they were then held, can be found at http://thecommandmentsofgodandthefaithofjesus.com/2017/02/15/adventist-pioneers-28-beliefs-in-the-seventh-day-adventist-yearbook-1889/
“He that hath ears to hear, let him hear” (Matt. 11:15).
- Zerubbabel (Zech. 4:6)
The Three Powers of Heaven
Rev. 16 speaks of unclean spirits like frogs that will be gathering the whole world to the final battle (Rev. 16:13, 14). This final battle will see the world on one side and Christ and His people on the other side along with the hosts of heaven (Rev. 19:19, 20). The main agency of deception will be evil spirits. This domain of religious deception is called spiritualism, which capitalizes on two things: 1. The false notion that people can communicate with the dead – who are, in reality, evil spirits and; 2. Confusion in people’s minds as to who or what is the Holy Spirit and the nature of God’s presence. The Bible gives the final warning against this deception as follows:
“And after these things I saw another angel come down from heaven, having great power; and the earth was lightened with his glory. And he cried mightily with a strong voice, saying, Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and is become the habitation of devils, and the hold of every foul spirit, and a cage of every unclean and hateful bird.” – Rev. 18:1, 2.
“And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues. For her sins have reached unto heaven, and God hath remembered her iniquities.” Rev. 18:4, 5.
Our only safeguard is to know the truth from the scriptures about this very important matter. Regarding the first deception, Seventh-day Adventists have, for years, been teaching the truth from the scriptures that the dead are asleep and are unable to communicate with the living. Since there is an abundance of literature, from that source, on that particular point, it will not be the focus of this presentation. However, literature on the second deception is woefully lacking and so, the focus of this presentation is to establish the truth about God – who God is, who is Jesus Christ and who or what is the Holy Spirit.
In another presentation, “Multiple Meanings of Holy Spirit”, it was established that the terms “Spirit” and “Holy Spirit” have multiple meanings and are not always used in scripture to mean the same thing in every context. It has been shown that in some instances, God Himself (the Father) is referred to as “Spirit”. Of course, a danger that has previously been spoken of is that of worshiping a “Spirit” that is neither God (the Father) nor Christ (the Son of God) – for which there is no scriptural support and could be an act of false worship or idolatry.
It has also been shown that in some instances, “spirit” refers to holy angels sent from heaven who minister to and comfort the saints on Christ’s behalf. In other instances, “spirit” refers to Divine attributes such as life itself, light (truth), love and power that we receive from God – attributes that will be inside of us as a part of our being. Confusion often occurs when the latter case is confused with the idea of “spirit” referring to a living being that, it is assumed, takes up residence inside of us and takes over our mental faculties. This confusion is dangerous and could leave us open to demon possession. There is a difference between the ministering spirits of God and the spirit of God – both are referred to as “Holy Spirit” and “Holy Ghost”. This presentation will establish the difference.
The Biblical Testimony
A simple text summarizes quite eloquently the consistent perspective that is given throughout the scriptures, as follows:
“And of the angels he saith, who maketh his angels spirits, and his ministers a flame of fire. But unto the Son he saith, Thy throne, O God, is forever and ever: a scepter of righteousness is the scepter of thy kingdom. Thou hast loved righteousness and hated iniquity; therefore God, even thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows.” – Heb. 1:7-9.
The perspective is simply that the Supreme God (the Father) anoints His Son (Jesus Christ) who is God by nature and above the angels (spirits). Thus is presented the three powers of heaven – God, Christ and angels.
A simple question can help in showing the difference: With what was Jesus anointed? We are told:
“How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power: who went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil; for God was with him.” – Acts 10:38.
“Holy Ghost” here is that with which Jesus was anointed.
This is clearly different from the following reference where the Apostle John is conveying grace and peace from God, Christ and the Spirits. He says:
“John to the seven churches which are in Asia: Grace be unto you, and peace, from Him which is, and which was, and which is to come; and from the seven Spirits which are before His throne; And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead.”– Rev. 1: 4, 5.
The Three Powers of Heaven are identified – God, Christ and the Spirits. “Spirits” here are ministering spirits. Some people represent the “seven Spirits” here as the “seven-fold Spirit”, giving the impression that it is not seven but really one. This is easily clarified by comparing this verse with another verse that is very similar, in which there are four Spirits mentioned and each goes to a different place. Here it is.
“And the angel answered and said unto me, These are the four spirits of the heavens, which go forth from standing before the Lord of all the earth.” – Zech. 6:5
These spirits are of course ministering spirits or angels. Some go into the north country and others go into the south country (Zech. 6:6).
The next few verses again speak of the three powers of heaven:
- “I charge thee before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, and the elect angels, that thou observe these things.”- 1. Tim. 5:21. There we see the three powers – God, Christ and angels.
- “Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Ghost.”- Matt. 28:19.
[The word Pneuma translated Ghost, is also properly translated Spirit or Spirits. It is the same word translated “spirits” in reference to the ministering spirits – Heb. 1:7, 14]. So, the reference is to the three powers again – God, Christ and angels. Note also that the whole family in heaven and earth is named after the Father (Eph. 3:14, 15).
- “For whosoever shall be ashamed of me and of my words, of him shall the Son of Man be ashamed, when he shall come in his own glory, and in his Father’s, and of the holy angels.” – St. Luke 9: 26. There we have the three powers again – God, Christ and angels.
- “But of that day and that hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels which are in heaven, neither the Son, but the Father.” – Mark 13: 32. It is evident here that the three powers are not co-equal.
The Bible is clear that we should not worship angels. It says:
“Let no man beguile you of your reward in a voluntary humility and worshipping of angels.” Col. 2: 18.
“And I fell at his feet to worship him. And he said unto me, See thou do it not: I am thy fellowservant, and of thy brethren that have the testimony of Jesus: worship God: for the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.” Rev. 19:10.
- “For unto which of the angels said He at any time, Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee? And again, I will be to Him a Father, and He shall be to me a Son? And again, when He bringeth the firstbegotten into the world, he saith, and let all the angels of God worship Him”- Heb. 1: 5,6. Here again the three powers are identified showing the order of precedence: God first, Christ next and then the angels.
- “The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto him, to shew unto his servants things which must shortly come to pass; and he sent and signified it by his angel unto his servant John” Rev. 1:1 . Once again the three powers are indicated showing the order of precedence – God gave to Christ and Christ gave to the angel to dispense to John.
Some persons say that the Holy Spirit is a third divine being to be worshiped. If that were the case, these verses that have been highlighted would have presented the equivalent of a big elephant in a room being missed.
Testimonies of the Prophet of the Last Days
The pioneers of the Seventh-day Adventist Movement fully understood the truth as presented here from the scriptures. A sample of the perspective that was commonly understood among them is reflected in the following unambiguous statements from Ellen G. white:
“Read and study the fourth chapter of Zechariah… The golden oil represents the Holy Spirit.” Ellen G. White, Testimonies to Ministers and Gospel Workers, p. 188.
“From the two olive trees the golden oil was emptied through the golden pipes into the bowl of the candlestick, and thence into the golden lamps that gave light to the sanctuary. So from the holy ones that stand in God’s presence His Spirit is imparted to the human instrumentalities who are consecrated to His service. The mission of the two anointed ones is to communicate to God’s people that heavenly grace which alone can make His word a lamp to the feet and a light to the path. “Not by might, nor by power, but by My Spirit, saith the Lord of hosts.” Zechariah 4:6. – Ellen G. White, Christ’s Object Lessons, p. 408.15.
The same thought is expressed at another place, the only difference being that the golden oil that was said to be God’s Spirit, is now said to be divine light, love and power. It says:
“In this vision the two olive trees which stand before God are represented as emptying the golden oil out of themselves through golden tubes into the bowl of the candlestick. From this the lamps of the sanctuary are fed, that they may give a bright, continuous light. So from the anointed ones that stand in God’s presence the fullness of divine light and love and power is imparted to His people, that they may impart to others light and joy and refreshing. Those who are thus enriched are to enrich others with the treasure of God’s love.” – Ellen G. White, Prophets and Kings p. 594.1
“And when these angels empty from themselves the golden oil of truth into the heart of him who is teaching the word, then the application of the truth will be a solemn, serious matter.” Ellen G. White, Testimonies to Ministers and Gospel Workers, p. 337
“The anointed ones standing by the Lord of the whole earth have the position once given to Satan as covering cherub.” – Ellen G. White, The Review and Herald, July 20, 1897. (also Ellen G. White, The Truth about Angels, p. 150).
This last statement is consistent with the “Great Controversy” vision that Ellen G. White had in which she indicated that she saw that, before Lucifer sinned in heaven, God (the Father) was supreme, Christ was next in position and line of authority to the Father, and Lucifer was next in position and line of authority to Christ. There was no third divine being. Lucifer wanted to be exalted as the third.
She said:
“The Lord has shown me that Satan was an honored angel in heaven, next to JESUS CHRIST. His countenance was mild, expressive of happiness like the other angels. His forehead was high and broad, and showed great intelligence. His form was perfect. He had a noble, majestic bearing. And I saw that when God said to his SON, Let us make man in our image, Satan was jealous of JESUS. He wished to be consulted concerning the formation of man. He was filled with envy, jealousy and hatred. He wished to be the highest in heaven, next to GOD, and receive the highest honors. Until this time all heaven was in order, harmony and perfect subjection to the government of God.
It was the highest sin to rebel against the order and will of God. All heaven seemed in commotion. The angels were marshaled in companies with a commanding angel at their head. All the angels were astir. Satan was insinuating against the government of God, ambitious to exalt himself, and unwilling to submit to the authority of JESUS. Some of the angels sympathized with Satan in his rebellion, and others strongly contended for the honor and wisdom of God in giving authority to his Son. And there was contention with the angels. Satan and his affected ones, who were striving to reform the government of God, wished to look into his unsearchable wisdom to ascertain his purpose in exalting JESUS, and endowing him with such unlimited power and command. They rebelled against the authority of the SON of GOD, and all the angels were summoned to appear before the FATHER, to have their cases decided. And it was decided that Satan should be expelled from heaven, and that the angels, all who joined with Satan in the rebellion, should be turned out with him. Then there was war in heaven. Angels were engaged in the battle; Satan wished to conquer the SON of GOD, and those who were submissive to his will. But the good and true angels prevailed, and Satan, with his followers, was driven from heaven.” (E. G. White, Spiritual Gifts, Vol. 1, pp. 17, 18.
She also said:
“The Sovereign of the universe was not alone in His work of beneficence. He had an associate – a co-worker who could appreciate His purposes”.
“Christ, the Word, the only begotten of God , was one with the eternal Father – one in nature , in character, in purpose – the only being that could enter into all the counsels and purposes of God.” (E. G. White, Patriarchs and Prophets, p. 34).
Speaking of the creation, she said:
“His Son would carry out His will and His purposes, but would do nothing of Himself alone. The Father’s will would be fulfilled in Him.” (E. G. White, Signs of the Times, Jan. 9, 1879, pr. 2).
No need for Confusion
There need not be any confusion. It is doubtless for these reasons – to prevent us from falling into confusion – that the lesser light (the visions given to the last-days prophet) were given to help us understand the greater light (the Bible) especially in these last days when the Devil will intensify his deceptions so that “if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect” (Matt. 24:24).
In summary, the ministering spirits (angels) of God bring to us God’s spirit, the golden anointing oil (Divine light, love and power). The Holy Spirit is not someone to be worshiped. Neither is the Holy Spirit someone who takes up residence inside of us. Let us therefore hold fast to the truth and not be drawn into spiritualism or into modern Babylon. Our worship should be given to God and Christ, as it will be in the new earth, as the scriptures say:
“And I saw no temple therein: for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are the temple of it.” Rev. 21:22.
May the Lord bless you.
“He that hath ears to hear, let him hear” (Matt. 11:15).
– Zerubbabel (Zech. 4:6)
Different Meanings of “Holy Spirit”
Holy Spirit Has Different Meanings
“The Bible is not given to us in grand superhuman language. Jesus, in order to reach man where he is, took on humanity. The Bible must be given in the language of men. Everything that is human is imperfect. Different meanings are expressed by the same word.” Ellen G. White, Selected Messages Book 1, p. 20.
A part of the confusion that exists regarding the Holy Spirit is the fact that based on the different contexts of the usage of the term, different meanings are intended. Last week, it was pointed out that a number of references to “Holy Spirit” or “Spirit” were references to God the Father. It was pointed out that the Bible says: “God is a spirit” – John 4:24; and “The Lord is that Spirit” – 2 Cor. 3:17. The terms “Holy Ghost” and “Spirit of truth” are used in John chapters 14-16 in reference to the “Comforter”.
Holy Spirit The Comforter Sent
The Comforter is someone who is sent from the Father at Jesus’ request –
“But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.” – John 14:26.
“But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of me” – John 15:26.
The Comforter speaks only what he is told to speak –
“Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come.” – John 16:13.
Spirit Also Refers To Angels
The term “spirit” is also used in reference to angels. The case of Philip illustrates –
“And the angel of the Lord spake unto Philip, saying, Arise, and go toward the south unto the way that goeth down from Jerusalem unto Gaza, which is desert.” – Acts 8:26.
Philip went and saw the Ethiopian eunuch. He was given further instructions as described in the following words:
“Then the Spirit said unto Philip, Go near, and join thyself to this chariot.” – Acts 8:29.
At the end of the encounter, we are told:
“And when they were come up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord caught away Philip, that the eunuch saw him no more” – Acts 8:39.
This role of the “spirit” or “angel”, in this instance, bringing truth to God’s children is consistent with Jesus’ promise regarding the “Spirit of truth”. The role of angels who, we know, are “spirits” (Heb. 1:7, 14) is also illustrated in the experience of John the Revelator. God gave the revelation to Christ who gave it to His angel who in turn gave it to John –
“The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto him, to shew unto his servants things which must shortly come to pass; and he sent and signified it by his angel unto his servant John.” – Rev. 1:1.
Spirit of Truth
To some people it is blasphemous to think of the “Spirit of truth” as an angel. Yet they would accept that the term “angel of the Lord” was used in some places, particularly in the Old Testament, to refer to Christ or God Himself (as in the case with Moses by the burning bush: “And the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush” – Ex. 3:2). In the case of Elijah, “the angel of the Lord” who appeared to him was also referred to as “an angel” –
“And as he lay and slept under a juniper tree, behold, then an angel touched him, and said unto him, Arise and eat.” – 1 Kings 19:5.
“And the angel of the Lord came again the second time, and touched him, and said, Arise and eat; because the journey is too great for thee.” – 1 Kings 19:7.
The point is that the terms “Spirit”, “Holy Spirit”, “angel”, “angel of the Lord” and other terms have multiple meanings and references. It is the context that helps us to understand and we cannot be dogmatic.
Holy Spirit the “Golden Oil” of Zechariah 4
A fertile line of research from the Spirit of Prophecy writings, that sheds light on the matter of who or what is the Holy Spirit is the subject of the “golden oil”. Ellen G. White says that the “golden oil” of Zechariah 4 is the Holy Spirit. If one should do a brief search of the E. G. White database under the subject, “golden oil”, it will clarify significantly, if not entirely, much of the ambiguity and speculation surrounding who or what is the Holy Spirit.
Further, as is common to any process of defining things, a good understanding usually allows one to distinguish the matter being defined from other things that it is not. In that vein, another line of research that should prove edifying would be to establish the difference (or differences) between the work that is done by the Holy Spirit and that which is done by the angels.
Holy Spirit Not Worshiped in Scripture
In the final analysis, the original point stands: we cannot be dogmatic about matters that are at best debatable and have not been fully revealed to us. We should not allow our own speculative ideas to influence us to place worship where there is no example in the Bible of it being given. Nowhere in the Bible is it taught that we should worship the Holy Spirit. If we should follow the example of holy beings in heaven, in our worship we would be saying:
“Blessing, and honour, and glory, and power, be unto him that sitteth upon the throne, AND unto the Lamb for ever and ever.” – Rev. 5:13.
And if we would be worshiping as we will be worshiping in the New Earth, we would be in line with John the Revelator who said:
“And I saw no temple therein: for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are the temple of it.” – Rev. 21:22.
“He that hath ears to hear, let him hear” (Matt. 11:15).
– Zerubbabel (Zech. 4:6)
Should We Worship The Holy Spirit?
Sabbath School Lessons Focus on Holy Spirit
We have a very interesting set of Sabbath School lessons this quarter (January to March, 2017). I wrote to one of our church leaders on the 16th of January advising him as follows:
“I have taken them cautiously and have not advanced any unique views in my Sabbath School class. But I have suggested to them, as was pointed out in the lesson last week, that the Bible has not spoken a lot about the identity or nature of the Holy Spirit. If we, therefore, follow the Biblical precedence and focus more on the work of the Holy Spirit, we should be on safe ground.”
I further said to him:
“Privately, though, I wish there was a way to discuss some of these matters more intellectually as some aspects of the ideas conveyed in the lesson are speculative and at best moot. My personal view, as I would have expressed to you privately, is that we should not be too dogmatic on such points. Of course, I understand that it would not be appropriate to discuss some of these matters in the pews, in order to avoid confusion.”
Lessons Promoting Worship of the Holy Spirit
Having said that and received a cordial response, I was confronted with the bold assertion three days after, in the lesson of January 19, that “The Holy Spirit is affirmed as a proper object of worship”. I then had to ask myself, where in the Bible is there any such assertion? And do I do well in not raising the question? In case we miss the gravity of the matter, it is nothing less than a question of whether or not we are practising idolatry! If we place worship where it does not belong, we are in breach of the very first commandment of the Ten Commandments, which states: “Thou shalt have no other gods before me.” (Ex. 20:3). So, I am impelled to invite you to consider a few things.
The lesson of Tuesday, Jan. 17, states: “Obviously the biblical writers saw God and the Holy Spirit on par with each other.” Is that so? That is not obvious! Have we considered the possibility that some references to “Holy Spirit” and “Spirit” are actually references to God himself – that is the Father, rather than to someone else? The Bible says: “God is a spirit” – John 4:24; and “The Lord is that Spirit” – 2 Cor. 3:17.
The following day (Wednesday, Jan. 18), the lesson continues: “The Bible states that the Holy Spirit raised Jesus from the dead”. Indeed! But, the Bible states that it was “God the Father, who raised him from the dead” – Gal. 1:1. So, why assume that the Holy Spirit is someone different from the Father himself? Is it that the Father needed help? Let us be careful that we do not give God’s praise to another! This is serious business. God says: “I am the Lord: that is my name: and my glory will I not give to another” – Isa. 42:8.
Unwarranted Assumptions
A number of references are cited, based on which the same conclusion is drawn as in the lesson of Tuesday, Jan. 17, that: “the Holy Spirit does the same action as God is doing, powerful evidence that the Holy Spirit is equal to God.” Not necessarily! It would more suggest that it is the same person being referred to, namely, God the Father, who the Bible describes as : “One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.” (Eph. 4:6).
The Bible says: “For though there be that are called gods, whether in heaven or in earth, (as there be gods many, and lords many,) But to us there is but one God, the Father, of whom are all things” (1 Cor. 8:6).
When God says, “I am the LORD, and there is none else” (Isa. 45:5), make no mistake, God the Father is the only Supreme Being, “the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Pet. 1:3; 2 Cor. 11:31) who has “anointed” His Son (Heb. 1:9) and “appointed” Him heir of all things (Heb. 1:2). Jesus is the only begotten Son of God, “the express image of His person” (Heb. 1:3) and the Father has commanded both men and angels to worship Jesus Christ, his Son; and his Son is subject to Him – “the head of every man is Christ; and the head of the woman is the man; and the head of Christ is God.” (1 Cor. 11:3). He has not given to us any right to worship anyone else! Take heed!
“He that hath ears to hear, let him hear” (Matt. 11:15).
- Zerubbabel (Zech. 4:6)
The Faith of Jesus, Testimony of Jesus Christ
The Faith of Jesus
Along with the keeping of the commandments of God, God’s people in the last days are characterized by their keeping “the faith of Jesus” (Rev. 14:12), which is also referred to as their having the “testimony of Jesus Christ.” (Rev. 12:17). But have we, unwittingly put ourselves in a position where we are unable to fully contemplate the faith of Jesus – the faith that Jesus had? If we consider Christ, in His position on earth as being “all-knowing”, then He could not exercise faith. As we are told: “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” Heb. 11:1. So faith is predicated on hope and holding on to things that we cannot see. Further, “For we are saved by hope: but hope that is seen is not hope: for what a man seeth, why doth he yet hope for?” Rom. 8:24.
Jesus our Example of faith
The Bible is clear that Jesus did not know everything when He was on earth. Jesus Himself declared, speaking of His second coming, that “of that day and that hour knoweth no man, no , not the angels which are in heaven, neither the Son, but the Father.” (Mark 13:32). Those who say that the Father and the Son are co-equal need to think again. Further, we are told that, as a child, “Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favour with God and man.” (Luke 2:52). Jesus had to exercise faith – faith in His Father.
The one thing that is required of us in order for us to be saved is faith: “For by grace are ye saved through faith” (Eph. 2:8). Further, we are told, “Abraham believed God and it was counted unto him for righteousness.” Rom. 4:3 (also Gal. 3:6). If Jesus knew everything when He was here, He could not exercise faith and therefore could not be our example in the one thing, above all else, that is required of us, namely exercising faith in God. But Jesus did exercise faith. He did it most particularly in yielding up His life on Calvary. He believed in God – His Father. He trusted the love of God. He believed that His Father would raise Him from the dead and his Father did. We are told that it was “God the Father, who raised him from the dead” (Gal. 1:1).
To reveal the truth
Jesus came to earth to reveal the truth about His Father – that God is love. He said: “To this end was I born, and for this cause came I into the world, that I should bear witness unto the truth.” John 18:37. He sealed His testimony with His blood. The faith of Jesus was exposed when He died not knowing what was beyond the grave. That is the faith that we are called upon to have. And Jesus is the greatest exemplar of that faith. Of the saints it is said that, they will be severely tested, tried and persecuted by Satan but “they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death.” Rev. 12:11.
Faith in the Second Coming of Christ
Our faith, today, is best reflected in our hope of the second coming of Christ. The blessed hope of the soon return of our Saviour, Jesus Christ, sums up our faith that, in keeping the commandments of God, even to the point of death, we will not be disappointed. The promise is that, if we are faithful, we will either be resurrected to eternal life or we will be changed in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye and be caught up to meet the Lord in the air (1 Thess. 4:14-17; 1 Cor. 15:51, 52), when Jesus Christ returns. Jesus trusted His Father to raise Him from the dead. This is an exercise of the faith of Jesus. We must trust that Jesus will do the same for us. God’s counsel to us is confirmed by two immutable things: His promise and His oath, as we are told:
“Wherein God, willing more abundantly to shew unto the heirs of promise the immutability of his counsel, confirmed it by an oath: That by two immutable things, in which it was impossible for God to lie, we might have a strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us: Which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast, and which entereth into that within the veil; Whither the forerunner is for us entered, even Jesus” (Heb. 6:17-20).
The Loud Cry – Outpouring of the Spirit
A mighty outpouring of the Spirit of God is prophesied (Revelation 18:1 and Joel 2:23, 28-32) to take place in the last days to accompany the final warning to the world. This outpouring is not intended to minimize the message of the Third Angel’s Movement. Rather, it is intended to support and enhance the Third Angel’s Message and give focus to the mission of God’s remnant people in the last days. It is the Third Angel’s Message that swells to a loud cry when the Angel of Revelation 18 lightens the earth with his glory. We are told:
“The work of this angel comes in at the right time to join in the last great work of the third angel’s message as it swells to a loud cry.” (E. G. White, The Story of Redemption, p. 399).
“Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus.” Rev. 14:12.
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Understanding the Gospel
What exactly is the Gospel? The word ‘gospel’ means good news. The Gospel is the good news about salvation, and salvation comes to us through Jesus Christ.
But what is salvation? In a general sense, salvation is deliverance from danger or difficulty. It comes from the word ‘save’. It may also be seen as preservation from destruction or failure (Merriam-Webster Dictionary).
So, then, what are we being saved from? If, for example, someone is caught in a fire and that person is to be rescued from the fire, there is a certain urgency that is associated with the act or process of saving the person. In the case of the good news of salvation, what are we being saved from? If we don’t understand what we are being saved from, we won’t be able to appreciate the good news that is in it, neither will we share it with any conviction.
In order to understand what we are talking about here, without the obfuscation that is often associated with some of the popular terms that people use, that lend themselves to multiple interpretations, we’ll simply ask some questions and see what the simple answers are from the Bible, giving the appropriate references.
Consider John the Baptist, Christ and the Apostles:
1. Who was John the Baptist? John the Baptist was the greatest prophet (Luke 7:28).
2. What did he do? He preached repentance and pointed to Jesus as the saviour (Luke 3:3,4; John 1:29-34).
3. Did John do miracles? No (John 10:41). Did he speak truth about Jesus? Yes (John 10:41).
4. Did John have the Holy Spirit? Yes (Luke 1:15).
5. What are we being saved from? Sin (Matt. 1:21).
6. What is sin? Sin is disobedience to God (1 John 3:4).
7. How many types of sin exist? There are two types of sin: rebellious (presumptuous) and naive (ignorant) – 1 John 5:16; Num. 15:24-31; Heb. 10:26; 1 John 2:1).
8. What type of sin was Satan’s? Satan’s sin was rebellious (Rev. 12:7-9).
9. What type of sin was Eve’s? Eve’s sin was naive – she was deceived (1 Tim. 2:14).
10. Concerning whom was the promise of redemption when it was first given? Eve and her offspring (Gen. 3:15).
11. What is required of us and why? Believe the testimony of Jesus and repent (Acts 16:31; 2:38, 39; Rom. 4:3).
12. What was Jesus’s testimony about? The testimony of Jesus was about God, His Father (John 1:18; 17:3-8; 18:37).
13. Did Jesus reveal anything else? Yes, the truth about principalities and powers – Satan and his host (Col. 2:15).
14. What did Christ reveal about Satan and His host? That they are liars and murderers (John 8:44; Acts 2:23).
15. What does that revelation result in? Christ triumphing over Satan and his host by exposing them (Col. 2:15).
16. Through what does Christ destroy the Devil? Through His death (Heb. 2:14).
17. What else does Christ’s death accomplish? Our release from bondage and our redemption (Heb. 2:15; Rev. 5:9).
18. What kept us in bondage? Fear of death (Heb. 2:15).
19. Who had the power of death? Satan (Heb. 2:14).
20. What casts out fear? Love (1 John 4:18).
21. Who is love? God (1 John 4:8).
22. Why do we love God? Because He first loved us (1 John 4:19).
23. How do we know that God loves us? Because He sent His only begotten Son into the world (1 John 4:9; Rom. 8:32).
24. So how are we saved? By knowing God and believing the truth about Him as Jesus manifested (John 17:3-8).
25. How are we going to know the truth about God and Christ? Someone has to tell us (Rom. 10:13, 14).
25. Were there eyewitnesses who gave firsthand testimony about Christ? Yes, His disciples and the prophets (2 Pet. 1:16-21).
27. So what did Christ call upon His disciples to do? Go and teach all nations to observe whatsoever He has commanded and to be witnesses concerning Him (Matt. 28:19, 20; Acts 1:18).
28. What will we do if we love Him? Keep His commandments (John 14:15, 21; 15:10; 1 John 5:2, 3; 2 John 1:6).
29. How are we changed? By beholding Christ (2 Cor. 3:18).
30. How did sin start on earth? Eve was deceived and got her husband, Adam, to join her in disobedience to God (1 Tim. 2:14).
31. What was the first step? She took her focus away from God – going to where the serpent was and talking to the serpent (Gen. 3:1-5).
32. What was the second step? She believed the serpent’s lie – about God (Gen. 3:6).
33. What was the third step? Disobedience to God – which is sin (Gen. 3:6; 2:16, 17).
34. What is the reverse that is involved in the redemption process? Transformation by renewing of the mind (Rom. 12:2).
35. How are we drawn back to God? By beholding Christ and believing in Him (2. Cor. 3:18; John 3:14, 15; 12:32).
36. What about Him do we need to believe? That He is the Son of God, that God sent Him, that He is manifesting the Father’s character and that His testimony or witness is true – about God (John 11:42; 12:44-50; 16:27; 17:8; 18:37).
37. To what end does Christ seek to have us believe on Him? That we might be reconciled to God in our hearts and will obey God – keep His commandments (John 1:12; 12:50; Matt. 19:17; Matt. 5:19; Matt. 15:3, 6-9; Rev. 22:14).
38. How are we able to keep God’s commandments? He gives us the power to keep them (Phil. 2:13; Titus 2:11, 12; John 1:12) – it is He that worketh in you both to will and to do of His good pleasure.
39. What does God have in store for those who obey Him? Everlasting life and paradise restored (Rom. 6:22; Rev. 22:14).
40. And what else is in store, most critically? A restored relationship and fellowship with God and Christ, the heavenly beings and the host of the redeemed (Rev. 21:22-27).
Look away from self and look to God through Christ – the mediator. You will be drawn to love God and others; by repentance you demonstrate that you are not rebellious but only previously duped by Satan; Christ will advocate for you and give you what you need.
Christ came to reveal the Father and expose the Devil in order to win us back to the Father and break the Devil’s hold over us that has existed because of our belief in the Devil’s lies about God.
The truth to believe is that God is good, means us well, knows what is good for us and we should believe, accept and follow everything He says. The Devil is a liar and a murderer and should be rejected.
Christ, the only begotten Son of God, who is exactly like God, His Father, in character, is the perfect manifestation and proof, in His life on earth, of God’s character.
By yielding himself to be killed by wicked hands, Christ has exposed Satan and his followers as liars and murderers whose words should be completely rejected and whose company should be shunned, thereby releasing us from Satan’s captivity in which we were held through our belief in Satan’s lies about God.
Even now Satan still holds many people captive under his deception by causing them to believe a distorted version of the gospel that still maligns God. They believe that Christ died in order to pay a price that God demanded before He would forgive us.
The truth is that the death of His Son was the price that God had to pay in order to save us. That is what it costed God to provide the basis whereby Satan’s hold on us might be broken.
Having revealed the true character of God, His Father, through the life that He lived on earth, and having discredited Satan by exposing him as a liar and a murderer, Christ now invites us to believe the truth and be saved (Acts 16:31; Rom 4:3; John 17:3). Otherwise, we’ll believe the Devil’s lies and be damned (2 Thess. 2:10-12).
It is all about relationship. That is why the Bible likens the relationship between husband and wife to that between Christ and His church. It is all about love. Righteousness is love to God first and foremost, which also leads us to love others as we love ourselves.
Sin is love of self first, which leads to lack of appreciation of others and ultimately to enmity against God and to the practice of every form of wickedness.
Nobody can love for us. We must love for ourselves. People talk about receiving the righteousness of Christ as though a righteous life is something that Christ does for us and simply gives us. Christ’s love cannot stand in place of the love that we ourselves must have and exercise.
What Christ does for us is to accept us and extend His love to us. It is entirely up to us to respond to His love by loving Him in return.
The capacity to love is something that God made all of His creatures with. It is only a question of who or what we choose to love supremely – whether God or self.
This is determined by whether we look at God as manifested in Christ, so that, in beholding we become changed or we look constantly at self so that everything for us revolves around self.
The root of the matter is all about relationship – love to God supremely and love for others as we love ourselves (Matt. 22:37-40). This is what righteousness is.
If we believe the Devil’s lies about God we cannot love Him.
Even with the clearest evidences of God’s love for us and God’s true character, Satan still tries to distort the truth about God. Some of the distortions are:
(i) The idea of an eternally burning hell
(ii) the idea that God required a blood sacrifice, the death of His Son, before He would forgive (that’s not what the death of Christ was all about – it was the sacrifice that God made, not what He required).
In the final analysis: believe the truth and be saved or believe a lie and be damned (2 Thess. 2:10-12; Luke 8:11, 12).
What then must be our mission? Accept and preach the gospel as John the Baptist did, as Christ did, as the apostles did and as Jesus has commanded us. The gospel is a message to repent and believe God (Mark 1:2-4, 14, 15; Acts 2:38; Matt. 28:19, 20; Rom. 4:3).
What will happen when our mission is fulfilled? The end will come (Matt. 24:14).
May the Lord help us.
“Remember ye the law of Moses my servant, which I commanded unto him in Horeb for all Israel, with the statutes and judgments. Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord: And he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers, lest I come and smite the earth with a curse.” (Mal. 4:4-6)
“And he shall go before him in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just; to make ready a people prepared for the Lord” (Luke 1:17).
“He that hath ears to hear, let him hear” (Matt. 11:15).
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The Three Powers of Heaven
The Truth our Safeguard Against Spiritualism
Rev. 16 speaks of unclean spirits like frogs that will be gathering the whole world to the final battle (Rev. 16:13, 14). This final battle will see the world on one side and Christ and His people on the other side (Rev. 19:19, 20). The main agency of deception will be evil spirits. This domain of religious deception is called spiritualism, which capitalizes on two things : 1. The false notion that people can communicate with the dead -who are, in reality, evil spirits and; 2. Confusion in people’s minds as to who or what is the Holy Spirit and the nature of God’s presence. The Bible gives the final warning against this deception as follows:
“And after these things I saw another angel come down from heaven, having great power; and the earth was lightened with his glory. And he cried mightily with a strong voice, saying, Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and is become the habitation of devils, and the hold of every foul spirit, and a cage of every unclean and hateful bird.” – Rev. 18:1, 2
“And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues. For her sins have reached unto heaven, and God hath remembered her iniquities.” Rev. 18:4, 5.
Our only safeguard is to know the truth from the scriptures about this very important matter. Regarding the first deception, the Seventh-day Adventists have, for years, been teaching the truth from the scriptures that the dead are asleep and are unable to communicate with the living. Since there is an abundance of literature from that source on that particular point, it will not be the focus of this presentation. However, literature on the second deception is woefully lacking and so, the focus of this tract is to establish the truth about God – who God is, who is Jesus Christ and who or what is the Holy Spirit.
A simple text summarizes quite eloquently the consistent perspective that is given throughout the scriptures, as follows:
“And of the angels he saith, who maketh his angels spirits, and his ministers a flame of fire. But unto the Son he saith, Thy throne, O God, is forever and ever: a scepter of righteousness is the scepter of thy kingdom. Thou hast loved righteousness and hated iniquity; therefore God, even thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows.” – Heb. 1:7-9.
The perspective is simply that the Supreme God (the Father) anoints His Son (Jesus Christ) who is God by nature and above the angels (spirits). Thus is presented the three powers of heaven – God, Christ and angels.
There is a difference between the ministering spirits of God and the spirit of God – both are referred to as “Holy Spirit” and “Holy Ghost”. This presentation will establish the difference.
A simple question can help in showing the difference: With what was Jesus anointed? We are told:
“How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power: who went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil; for God was with him.” – Acts 10:38.
“Holy Ghost” here is that with which Jesus was anointed.
This is clearly different from the following reference where the Apostle John is conveying grace and peace from God, Christ and the Spirits. He says:
“John to the seven churches which are in Asia: Grace be unto you, and peace, from Him which is, and which was, and which is to come; and from the seven Spirits which are before His throne; And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begot-ten of the dead.”– Rev. 1: 4, 5.
The Three Powers of Heaven are identified – God, Christ and the Spirits. “Spirits” here are ministering spirits. Some people represent the “seven Spirits” here as the “seven-fold Spirit”, giving the impression that it is not seven but really one. This is easily clarified by comparing this verse with another verse that is very similar, in which there are four Spirits mentioned and each goes to a different place. Here it is.
“And the angel answered and said unto me, These are the four spirits of the heavens, which go forth from standing before the Lord of all the earth.” – Zech. 6:5
These spirits are of course ministering spirits or angels. Some go into the north country and others go into the south country (Zech. 6:6).
Bible Testimony
The next few verses again speak of the three powers of heaven:
1.“I charge thee before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, and the elect angels, that thou observe these things.”- 1. Tim. 5:21. There we see the three powers – God, Christ and angels.
2.“Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Ghost.”-Matt. 28:19.
[The word Pneuma translated Ghost, is also properly translated Spirit or Spirits. It is the same word translated “spirits” in reference to the ministering spirits – Heb. 1:7, 14]. So, the reference is to the three powers again – God, Christ and angels. Note also that the whole family in heaven and earth is named after the Father (Eph. 3:14, 15).
3.“For whosoever shall be ashamed of me and of my words, of him shall the Son of Man be ashamed, when he shall come in his own glory, and in his Father’s, and of the holy angels.” – St. Luke 9: 26. There we have the three powers again – God, Christ and angels.
4.“But of that day and that hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels which are in heaven, neither the Son, but the Father.” – Mark 13: 32. It is evident here that the three powers are not co-equal.
The Bible is clear that we should not worship angels. It says:
“Let no man beguile you of your reward in a voluntary humility and worshiping of angels.” Col. 2: 18.
“And I fell at his feet to worship him. And he said unto me, See thou do it not: I am thy fellowservant, and of thy brethren that have the testimony of Jesus: worship God: for the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.” Rev. 19:10.
5.“For unto which of the angels said He at any time, Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee? And again, I will be to Him a Father, and He shall be to me a Son? And again, when He bringeth the firstbegotten into the world, he saith, and let all the an-gels of God worship Him”- Heb. 1: 5, 6. Here again the three powers are identified showing the order of precedence: God first, Christ next and then the angels.
6.“The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto him, to shew unto his servants things which must shortly come to pass; and he sent and signified it by his angel unto his servant John” Rev. 1:1. Once again the three powers are indicated showing the order of precedence – God gave to Christ and Christ gave to the angel to dispense to John.
Some persons say that the Holy Spirit is a third divine being to be worshipped. If that were the case, these verses that have been highlighted would have presented the equivalent of a big elephant in a room being missed.
Ellen G. White Testimony
The pioneers of the Seventh-day Adventist Movement fully understood the truth as presented here from the scriptures. A sample of the perspective that was commonly understood among them is reflected in the following unambiguous statements from Ellen G. white:
“Read and study the fourth chapter of Zechariah… The golden oil rep-resents the Holy Spirit.” (Ellen G. white, Testimonies to Ministers and Gospel Workers, p. 188).
“From the two olive trees the golden oil was emptied through the golden pipes into the bowl of the candlestick, and thence into the golden lamps that gave light to the sanctuary. So from the holy ones that stand in God’s presence His Spirit is imparted to the human instrumentalities who are consecrated to His service. The mission of the two anointed ones is to communicate to God’s people that heavenly grace which alone can make His word a lamp to the feet and a light to the path. “Not by might, nor by power, but by My Spirit, saith the Lord of hosts.” Zechariah 4:6. (Ellen G. white, Christ’s Object Lessons, p. 408).
The same thought is expressed at another place, the only difference being that the golden oil that was said to be God’s Spirit, is now said to be divine light, love and power. It says:
“In this vision the two olive trees which stand before God are represented as emptying the golden oil out of themselves through golden tubes into the bowl of the candlestick. From this the lamps of the sanctuary are fed, that they may give a bright, continuous light. So from the anointed ones that stand in God’s presence the fullness of divine light and love and power is imparted to His people, that they may impart to others light and joy and refreshing. Those who are thus enriched are to enrich others with the treasure of God’s love.” (Ellen G. white, Prophets and Kings, p. 594).
“And when these angels empty from themselves the golden oil of truth into the heart of him who is teaching the word, then the application of the truth will be a solemn, serious matter.” (Ellen G. white, Testimonies to Ministers and Gospel Workers, p. 337).
“The anointed ones standing by the Lord of the whole earth have the position once given to Satan as covering cherub. By the holy beings surrounding His throne, the Lord keeps up a constant communication with the inhabitants o`f the earth.” (Ellen G. white, The Truth about Angels, p. 150; The Review and Herald, July 20, 1897).
Conclusion
In summary, the ministering spirits (angels) of God bring to us God’s spirit, the golden anointing oil (Divine light, love and power). The Holy Spirit is not someone to be worshipped. Neither is the Holy Spirit someone who takes up residence inside of us.
Let us therefore hold fast to the truth and not be drawn into spiritualism or into modern Babylon.
Our worship should be given to God and Christ, as it will be in the new earth, as the scriptures say: “And I saw no temple therein: for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are the temple of it.” Rev. 21:22.
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Inspiration and Infallibility – Is there a Difference?
All my life, I have been driven by my sincere belief in the inspiration of the Bible. It has been and continues to be my primary source of authority in spiritual matters and life in general. “All scripture is given by inspiration of God” (2 Tim. 3:16) and “Holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost” (2 Pet. 1:21) are among the familiar verses that speak of the scriptures as being of divine origin.
Some years ago, however, I had an experience that forced me to clarify in my mind the issues raised in the question at caption. A claim was being made on Jamaican radio that there were contradictions in the Bible. One of the cases cited was the account of David numbering the people of Israel. 2 Sam. 24:1 says that the LORD was angry with Israel and moved David to number them, while 1 Chron. 21:1 says that Satan stood up against Israel and provoked David to number the people.
In my efforts to gain clarity in my own mind, I found the following statements from the prophetess Ellen G. White, quite useful:
“It is not the words of the Bible that are inspired, but the men that were inspired. Inspiration acts not on the man’s words or his expressions but on the man himself, who, under the influence of the Holy Ghost is imbued with thoughts. But the words receive the impress of the individual mind.” (Ellen G. White, Selected Messages, Book 1, p. 21).
“The Bible is not given to us in grand superhuman language. Jesus, in order to reach man where he is, took humanity. The Bible must be given in the language of men. Everything that is human is imperfect. Different meanings are expressed by the same word; there is not one word for each distinct idea.” (Ellen G. White, Selected Messages, Book 1, p. 20).
“God had especially guarded the Bible; yet when copies of it were few, learned men had in some instances changed the words, thinking that they were making it more plain, when in reality they were mystifying that which was plain, causing it to lean to their established views, which were governed by tradition” (Ellen G. White, Early Writings, p. 220).
“The truths of the Bible are as pearls hidden. They must be searched, dug out by painstaking effort. Those who take only a surface view of the scriptures will, with their superficial knowledge, which they think is very deep, talk about contradictions of the Bible, and question the authority of the scriptures. But those whose hearts are in harmony with truth and duty will search with a heart prepared to receive divine impressions. The illuminated soul sees a spiritual unity, one grand golden thread running through the whole, but it requires patience, thought, and prayer to trace out the precious golden thread. Sharp contentions over the Bible have led to investigation and revealed the precious jewels of truth. Many tears have been shed, many prayers offered, that the Lord would open the understanding to His Word.” (Ellen G. White, Selected Messages, Book 1, p. 20).
My conclusion is that the Word of God is not the Bible, or Ellen G. White’s writings but the Word of God is found in them. Truth was revealed by God to fallible human beings, who wrote in the best way they could. We ignore such revelations from God to our own peril. But we must employ normal intelligence and seek understanding from God in order to decipher exactly what the truth is. To consider the example above, David numbered the people, but who motivated him to do it is someone’s opinion. There is no need to stumble over that.
In contrast, Daniel had a vision and he related the explanation that the angel Gabriel gave him. That was not Daniel’s opinion. That was coming straight from God. Is there no difference between the level of weight and certainty that one would place on such revelation as opposed to say the statement as to who motivated David to number Israel?
Can prophets make mistakes in their own understanding of some matters on which they might not have gotten specific revelations? This question is no less a question than that of whether a human being is as infallible as God Himself. In times gone by, prophets inquired of the Lord regarding matters on which they were uncertain. Obviously, they did not know everything. And if a matter was not an issue at the time, they would have had no need to inquire.
If a prophet makes an error of judgement on a matter, or misunderstands something, does God automatically cease communicating with the person and regard them as a false prophet? There is no such indication in the Bible. Moses struck the rock when God had told him to speak to the rock. He erred, but did God abandon him? No, He did not. An old prophet misled a man of God, telling the man of God that God had told him, the prophet, that it was okay for the man of God to stop and eat at the prophet’s house, even although God had distinctly told the man of God not to stop and eat. Yet God still gave the old prophet a message, after that, as the Bible says: “as they sat at the table, the word of the Lord came unto the prophet” (1 Kings 13:20).
There are many other questions that could be asked and answered. But it is not necessary to try to exhaust them here. The broad framework should be sufficient to allow us to answer some of the questions ourselves. But there is an important matter of present query among many people that is worth citing here. The Advent movement of today has widely embraced belief in the Trinity – a concept that was once labelled as pagan and unscriptural by the founders of the movement, citing statements by Ellen G. White concerning a three-person Godhead as a primary basis for making the change.
The question is being asked: by what authority has a view of God that was backed up by vision given more than once been changed to this new concept? It is clear, from the report of the “Great Controversy” vision, as given by Ellen G. White that there was a hierarchy in heaven in which God, the Father was supreme and regarded as the Sovereign, His Son, Jesus Christ was next and then Lucifer was third (E. G. White, Spiritual Gifts, Vol. 1, pp. 17, 18). The prophet, in describing what was revealed to her, even went as far as to say that Christ was “the only being that could enter into all the counsels and purposes of God.” (E. G. White, Patriarchs and Prophets, p. 34).
When the prophet spoke about a three-person godhead, was there a vision that revealed a different picture of God, Christ and heavenly beings, or was the prophet simply using expressions that were in common use at the time, while discussing other issues, without trying to teach a new doctrine? I leave this question for us to ponder.
“He that hath ears to hear, let him hear” (Matt. 11:15).
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Who Killed Jesus and What is the Significance of His Death?
Jesus Christ, the Son of God came to earth and died a cruel death, being crucified on a cross, a most torturous method of execution reserved for the vilest of criminals. At the heart of the Christian faith is the belief that through His death, salvation is brought to humanity. Unless we understand, however, the issues behind His death and who did it, we may end up seeing God as being no better than the pagans who sacrifice their most loved children in order to achieve what is perceived to be some good.
A songwriter captured some of the questions that may naturally arise, in the following words:
Who killed Jesus? I would like to know.
Who is guilty of a crime so low?
Why did He have to die?
What is the reason why?
Who killed Jesus? I would like to know.
Was it Roman Soldiers, with their tools of war?
Pounding nails through hands that did no wrong.
Mocking and abusing, crowning Him with thorns,
All the evidence is very clear.
Was it Pontius Pilate, he was Governor,
Trying to decide the case that day?
Finding that the Savior had no fault His own,
Was he guilty when he turned away?
Was it Hebrew children, proud of who they were?
Shouting “Crucify Him” to their King.
Rejecting their Messiah for a common thief
Turning down the Kingdom He could bring.
The songwriter eventually concluded that he was the guilty one, in the following words: “It’s for me the Sacrifice was made. . . . . I am guilty, now it’s plain to see, that it was really me!”
The conclusion, takes us from the literal realm into a spiritualized realm because in a literal sense, it could not have been the songwriter who did it, since he was not yet born. True, he, like all repentant sinners, benefitted. But that is a different matter. We are talking about who did it! Was it God? Did God motivate or collude with wicked people to do this, in order to satisfy His own requirement? It is not a rude question. To many, it might appear so, because they have unwittingly bought into the Devil’s misrepresentation that has clouded the issues in order to keep us in darkness and deceive us.
Let there be no mistake, Jesus was killed by wicked people. The Bible says: “Him, being delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, ye have taken, and by wicked hands have crucified and slain: Whom God hath raised up, having loosed the pains of death” (Acts 2:23, 24).
Condemnation is on those who crucified Him, not blessing and reward! We are told: “The Son of man goeth as it is written of him: but woe unto that man by whom the Son of man is betrayed! it had been good for that man if he had not been born.” (Matt. 26:24).
In order to understand the plan of salvation we have to go back to the beginning and work our way forward.
The issues behind the plan of salvation
First, let us be reminded of that most pivotal revelation of the Great Controversy that was given to Ellen G. White that she published in 1858. She said:
“The Lord has shown me that Satan was an honored angel in heaven, next to JESUS CHRIST. His countenance was mild, expressive of happiness like the other angels. His forehead was high and broad, and showed great intelligence. His form was perfect. He had a noble, majestic bearing. And I saw that when God said to his SON, Let us make man in our image, Satan was jealous of JESUS. He wished to be consulted concerning the formation of man. He was filled with envy, jealousy and hatred. He wished to be the highest in heaven, next to GOD, and receive the highest honors.” (E. G. White, Spiritual Gifts, Vol. 1, pp. 17).
Because of his rebellion, Satan was cast out of heaven. What many people do not know, is that Satan sought reinstatement, which was denied because he had not changed. Here is the account of it:
“Satan stood in amazement at his new condition. His happiness was gone. He looked upon the angels who, with him, were once so happy, but who had been expelled from heaven with him. Before their fall not a shade of discontent had marred their perfect bliss. Now all seemed changed. Countenances which had reflected the image of their Maker were gloomy and despairing. Strife, discord, and bitter recrimination were among them. Previous to their rebellion these things had been unknown in heaven. Satan now beheld the terrible results of his rebellion. He shuddered, and feared to face the future and to contemplate the end of these things.” (E. G. White, The Story of Redemption, pp. 24, 25).
“Satan trembled as he viewed his work. He was alone in meditation upon the past, the present, and his future plans. His mighty frame shook as with a tempest. An angel from heaven was passing. He called him and entreated an interview with Christ. This was granted him. He then related to the Son of God that he repented of his rebellion and wished again the favour of God. He was willing to take the place God had previously assigned him, and be under His wise command. Christ wept at Satan’s woe but told him, as the mind of God, that he could never be received into heaven. Heaven must not be placed in jeopardy. All heaven would be marred should he be received back, for sin and rebellion originated with him. The seeds of rebellion were still in him. . . . He repented not of his rebellion because he saw the goodness of God which he had abused. . . . To be commander out of heaven was vastly different from being thus honoured in heaven. The loss he had sustained of all the privileges of heaven seemed too much to be borne. He wished to regain these.” (E. G. White, The Story of Redemption, pp. 26, 27).
It was this failure to gain reinstatement that led Satan to try another plan that involved getting Adam and Eve to sin. Here is the plan:
“His followers were seeking him, and he aroused himself and, assuming a look of defiance, informed them of his plans to wrest from God the noble Adam and his companion Eve. If he could in any way beguile them to disobedience, God would make some provision whereby they might be pardoned, and then himself and all the fallen angels would be in a fair way to share with them of God’s mercy. If this should fail, they could unite with Adam and Eve, for when once they should transgress the law of God they would be subjects of God’s wrath, like themselves. Their transgression would place them, also, in a state of rebellion, and they could unite with Adam and Eve, take possession of Eden, and hold it as their home. And if they could gain access to the tree of life in the midst of the garden, their strength would, they thought, be equal to that of the holy angels, and even God Himself could not expel them.” (E. G. White, The Story of Redemption, pp. 27, 28).
Salvation through the truth that puts enmity between us and Satan
When the first sin was committed by our fore-parents, Adam and Eve, God predicted exactly how salvation would come in Gen. 3:15 as follows:
“And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.” Gen. 3:15.
Satan had hoped to have humanity fully on his side but God said He would break up the alliance by causing humanity to hate Satan and his ways. He would achieve this by sending His Son as the woman’s seed to bruise Satan’s head but in the process Satan would bruise the heel of His Son.
This was fulfilled at Calvary where, through death, Christ bruised Satan’s head by exposing him to the universe as a murderer while Christ’s heel was bruised by Satan, in that Satan took Christ’s life. But for Christ it was only a bruising of His heel since His Father would raise Him back from the dead (Gal. 1:1).
This is substantiated by many scriptures that show:
- That man was Satan’s captive – example, Heb. 2:14, 15.
- That Christ delivered man by converting man or changing man’s mind – that is, causing man to believe in Him rather than believing Satan. It is by believing God that we are saved – example, Luke 8:12; John 3:15; Acts 16:31; Rom. 4:3; Rom. 12:2.
- That Satan’s destruction is assured by the death of Christ – example, 1 John 3:8; Heb. 2:14, 15; Col. 2:14, 15.
- That those who believe in Christ will be given power to become sons of God (John1:12) – that is, power to overcome the devil (first and foremost) – Titus 2:11, 12 – and in some cases to work miracles (only in some cases) – Paul says in 1 Corinthians 12:29: “Are all apostles? are all prophets? are all teachers? are all workers of miracles?” He says again in 1 Corinthians 12:10: “To another the working of miracles; to another prophecy; to another discerning of spirits; to another divers kinds of tongues; to another the interpretation of tongues”.
Generally, spiritual gifts are given for the purpose of advancing the cause of truth and preparing people for God’s kingdom. We are told:
“And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ: Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ: That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive; But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ” Eph. 4:11-15.
- That eternal life will be given to those who believe in Christ, at the second coming of Christ (not before, except in special cases) – example, Mark 10:30; Rom. 2:6-8; 1 Cor. 15:22, 23 – even though God can speak of things that are not as though they were because of the certainty of such things (Rom. 4:17).Finally, it should be understood that through His foreknowledge, God knows and declares what will happen but it does not mean that He manipulates people’s minds to make them do evil things. He will even act, based upon His foreknowledge, in order to achieve a desired end, knowing what people will do, but He is not necessarily the one responsible for it being done or the one doing it. Such is the situation with the death of Christ. He yielded His Son. But it was the Devil and evil men who killed Him, thus playing right into God’s purpose of revealing the true nature of sin, which is enmity against God (Rom. 8:7) and a manifestation of a disposition to crucify the Son of God afresh each time it is committed (Heb. 6:6).
The popular ‘gospel’ makes death, which the Bible calls an enemy, a requirement of God before He can forgive. Unlike the popular ‘gospel’ that says that the death of Christ has satisfied once and for all, everything that the Father required, the truth is that the death of Christ, far from being required by God, was brought about by Satan and provides the basis whereby Satan will be condemned and ultimately be held responsible for all the sins that he would have caused the penitent to commit. The Bible says that through death, Christ destroys “him that had the power of death, that is, the devil; And deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage.” (Heb. 2:14, 15); and further, that by His death, Christ, “having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a shew of them openly, triumphing over them in it” (Col. 2:14, 15).
So, death remains an enemy, wholly a consequence of sin (1 Cor. 15:26; Rom. 6:23). God is life and is not constrained to give life. He quickeneth whomsoever He wills, whenever He wills, without needing death to take place as a precondition (John 5:21).
Satan, the murderer, unmasked
In closing, I’ll leave with you the following description of the death of Christ from the pen of Ellen G. White for your thoughtful meditation:
“But God suffered with His Son. Angels beheld the Saviour’s agony. They saw their Lord enclosed by legions of satanic forces, His nature weighed down with a shuddering, mysterious dread. There was silence in heaven. No harp was touched.” (E. G. White, Desire of Ages, p. 693).
“Not until the death of Christ was the character of Satan clearly revealed to the angels or to the unfallen worlds. The archapostate had so clothed himself with deception that even holy beings had not understood his principles. They had not clearly seen the nature of his rebellion”. (E. G. White, Desire of Ages, p. 758).
“Heaven viewed with grief and amazement Christ hanging upon the cross, blood flowing from His wounded temples, and sweat tinged with blood standing upon His brow. From His hands and feet the blood fell, drop by drop, upon the rock drilled for the foot of the cross. The wounds made by the nails gaped as the weight of His body dragged upon His hands. His labored breath grew quick and deep, as His soul panted under the burden of the sins of the world. All heaven was filled with wonder when the prayer of Christ was offered in the midst of His terrible suffering,–“Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do.” Luke 23:34. Yet there stood men, formed in the image of God, joining to crush out the life of His only-begotten Son. What a sight for the heavenly universe!
The principalities and powers of darkness were assembled around the cross, casting the hellish shadow of unbelief into the hearts of men. When the Lord created these beings to stand before His throne, they were beautiful and glorious. Their loveliness and holiness were in accordance with their exalted station. They were enriched with the wisdom of God, and girded with the panoply of heaven. They were Jehovah’s ministers. But who could recognize in the fallen angels the glorious seraphim that once ministered in the heavenly courts?
Satanic agencies confederated with evil men in leading the people to believe Christ the chief of sinners, and to make Him the object of detestation. Those who mocked Christ as He hung upon the cross were imbued with the spirit of the first great rebel. He filled them with vile and loathsome speeches. He inspired their taunts. But by all this he gained nothing.
Could one sin have been found in Christ, had He in one particular yielded to Satan to escape the terrible torture, the enemy of God and man would have triumphed. Christ bowed His head and died, but He held fast His faith and His submission to God. “And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of His Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night.” Rev. 12:10.
Satan saw that his disguise was torn away. His administration was laid open before the unfallen angels and before the heavenly universe. He had revealed himself as a murderer. By shedding the blood of the Son of God, he had uprooted himself from the sympathies of the heavenly beings. Henceforth his work was restricted. Whatever attitude he might assume, he could no longer await the angels as they came from the heavenly courts, and before them accuse Christ’s brethren of being clothed with the garments of blackness and the defilement of sin. The last link of sympathy between Satan and the heavenly world was broken”. (E. G. White, Desire of Ages, p. 759 -761).
Let us not spiritualize away the reality
In conclusion, it was Satan and his host of both evil men and evil angels who killed Christ. In doing so, Satan’s true character was revealed, in contrast to the character of God and Christ. It is this belief in the truth that transforms our minds and makes us single-hearted towards God. Spiritualism seeks to spiritualize away the reality of who God is, who Christ is, who Satan is and who the angels are so as to cause people to be blinded to the issues of the controversy and the issues of salvation.
May the Lord help that we will be settled into the truth both intellectually and spiritually so that we cannot be moved, because the time is coming and is not far from now when all will be shaken and only those who cannot be shaken will remain.
“He that hath ears to hear, let him hear” (Matt. 11:15).
For further information:
E-mail: [email protected]