The Early Church
In order
to understand the final church and see if it is even possible to
find this final church, we must study and understand the early
Christian church. The first step was taken in the organization
of the Christian church while Jesus was still on the earth. This
first step was in the ordination of the twelve disciples. The
gospel record is short and to the point in this monumental
event. “And He goeth up into a mountain, and calleth unto Him
whom He would: and they came unto Him. And He ordained twelve,
that they should be with Him, and that He might send them forth
to preach,” Mark 3:13, 14, KJV. Thus Jesus, while still upon
the earth set the framework for the Christian church.
Not long
after this initial step had been taken, Jesus gave one of the
most wonderful promises in all of the Word of God, especially
for His fledgling church. “And Simon Peter answered and said,
‘You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.’ Jesus
answered and said to him, ‘Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah,
for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father
who is in heaven. And I also say to you that you are Peter, and
on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades
shall not prevail against it.” Matthew 16:15-18. Jesus was in
the process of building His church in the gospel dispensation,
and how crucial that His church be built upon a right
foundation. If, in this world we are building a physical
structure, we know how imperative it is to start right. We may
have the most beautiful house, but if it has an inadequate
foundation, it will not stand the test of time. Previously I was
employed doing remodeling and carpentry, and I can still
remember one of the first houses that I worked on. Our job was
to attempt to put a foundation under this house, which at one
time had a foundation, but over the years it had disintegrated
away. The house was in descent condition, but the foundation,
being poorly laid, had become non-existent. How cumbersome of a
job that was! Jacking up the house, removing and carrying away
the debris from the remaining foundation and attempting to
solidify the house again with a stronger foundation. It was
impossible to construct a foundation as good as what it could
have been at the beginning. In order to build the foundation
correctly, it was necessary lift the badly sagging walls, which
in turn cracked the interior wall covering and made all of the
doors and windows difficult to open and shut. How much better it
would have been to build the foundation right in the first
place. And that is exactly what Jesus was doing while He walked
the earth. His church was to have a right foundation. One that
would stand the test of trial and time. One that would not
crumble when problems arose, and, indeed, the foundation that
Jesus laid has endured the millennia and will never crumble
throughout the eons of eternity. Why? Because the foundation,
which Jesus laid, could never be improved upon. What is this
unbreakable foundation? “For no other foundation can anyone
lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ.” I
Corinthians 3:11. What is this ever-enduring foundation? It is
none other than Jesus Christ Himself. Jesus is the foundation of
His true church and there is no other foundation that will stand
the manifold tests. The foundation has been laid and Jesus has
promised that the gates of Hades would be powerless to prevail
against His true church. What a promise of all promises for
those inexperienced apostles. The church that Jesus was
establishing and building right then would stand the test of
time and endure throughout all eternity. Have Jesus’ words
proved true? Have His true people been completely overcome and
have the floods from Hades deluged and destroyed them?
Absolutely not.
It is
important to note that Peter was not the foundation that Christ
laid for His infant church. The gates of hell did prevail
against Peter. In the next few verses after Jesus explains what
he was to build His church upon and that His church would go
through, Peter rebukes Jesus; (Matthew 16:22) and Jesus,
speaking to Peter, says, “Get behind Me, Satan!” Matthew
16:23. In the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus again rebuked Peter
when Peter drew His sword attempting to defend the gospel with
worldly means. (John 18:10, 11.) Again, as Jesus was undergoing
the most inhumane treatment, during the farce of the trial that
the Jewish leaders put Him through, Peter three times rashly
denied that He even knew Jesus. (Matthew 26:69-75.) After Jesus’
death and ascension, Peter capitulated under Jewish pressure and
Paul was forced to openly protest against his inconsistent
conduct. (Galatians 2:11, 12.) Surely, a solid foundation Peter
was not. He was used mightily by the Lord, but He was not the
immovable foundation that Jesus laid; for the Word of God
records Peter’s stumbles and falls again and again. The
foundation that the church of Christ is built upon is none other
than Christ Himself. He is the cornerstone that will bear the
test of time without showing the slightest crack. “Jesus said
to them, ‘Did you never read in the Scriptures: “The stone
which the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone.
This was the Lord’s doing and it is marvelous in our eyes”?’”
Matthew 21:42. “Now, therefore, you are no longer strangers
and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members
of the household of God, having been built upon the foundation
of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the
chief cornerstone, in whom the whole building, being fitly
joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord,”
Ephesians 2:19-21. Jesus is the Rock (I Corinthians 10:4) upon
which the church is built. If there is any organization or body
that claims to be God’s church, but is not founded on Jesus
Christ, the Rock of Ages, we can be assured that it is not the
true church.
After
Jesus’ death and ascension, His interest in His true people
was no less than while He walked and talked with them here on
this earth. It has been recorded in the Old Testament, of God’s
tender care for His true people, and the same is even truer
after Jesus poured out His blood for them. “He found him in a
desert land and in the wasteland, a howling wilderness; He
encircled him, instructed him, He kept him as the apple of His
eye.” Deuteronomy 32:10. God’s people are kept as the apple
of His eye, as His pride and joy, the one supreme object of His
great love and watchcare, but the devil also understands God’s
love for His people and attacks His church with a hellish
vengeance. How much more precious, then, is Jesus’ promise
that the gates of Hades will not prevail against His church, and
not only has Jesus promised that His true church will not be
overcome, but He has also lifted the curtain and foretold the
trials and victories of His people during the fierce onslaughts
of the enemy.
Two
Great Signs
“Now a
great sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun,
with the moon under her feet, and on her head a garland of
twelve stars. Then being with child, she cried out in labor and
in pain to give birth. And another sign appeared in heaven:
behold, a great, fiery red dragon having seven heads and ten
horns, and seven diadems on his heads. His tail drew a third of
the stars of heaven and threw them to the earth. And the dragon
stood before the woman who was ready to give birth, to devour
her Child as soon as it was born. And she bore a male Child who
was to rule all nations with a rod of iron. And her Child was
caught up to God and to His throne.” Revelation 12:1-5. This
is one of the greatest chapters in Revelation, dedicated to
Christ’s church from its establishment to the very end.
Important and significant are the lesson taught, and in order to
succeed in our search for the final church, we must carefully
study this most instructive chapter.
Two
startling signs were shown to John, the first of which was the
most glorious and beautiful woman that John had ever seen. This
pure woman wearing a crown of twelve stars was clothed with the
sun and standing upon the moon. No woman has ever been clothed
with the dazzling glory of the sun, nor has a woman ever stood
upon the moon. What could this great sign mean? This is a very
important symbol in Bible prophecy and is used over and over
again throughout the entire Bible. The symbol of a woman is
always used to represent a church. “I have likened the
daughter of Zion to a lovely and delicate woman.” “And say
to Zion, ‘You are my people.’” Jeremiah 6:2; Isaiah 51:16.
Zion, which according to Isaiah 51:16 is God’s people, is
likened to a beautiful woman. God’s church, God’s people,
are represented by a pure woman. There are many other instances
of this as well. “Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to
the Lord. For the husband is head of the wife, as also Christ is
head of the church; and He is the Saviour of the body.
Therefore, just as the church is subject to Christ, so let the
wives be to their own husbands in everything. Husbands, love
your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave
Himself for it, that He might sanctify and cleanse it with the
washing of water by the word, that He might present it to
Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any
such thing, but that it should be holy and without blemish…
This is a great mystery, but I speak concerning Christ and the
church.” Ephesians 5:22-27, 32. Paul is here giving counsel on
how husbands and wives should relate to each other and is
drawing his instruction from how Christ loves us and how the
church is to show its love back to Christ. Clearly the husband,
or bridegroom, (John 3:28, 29) is Christ and the wife, or woman,
is the church. Paul also refers to this same symbolism when he
is writing to the church at Corinth. “Paul, an apostle of
Jesus Christ by the will of God, and Timothy our brother, to the
church of God which is at Corinth, with all the saints who are
in Achaia… For I am jealous for you with godly jealousy. For I
have betrothed you to one husband, that I may present you as a
chaste virgin to Christ.” II Corinthians 1:1; 11:2. Paul
refers to the church at Corinth as a chaste virgin. We can have
no doubt, then, from the abundant weight of Biblical evidence
that a woman in prophecy represents a church.
This great
sign of the woman whom John saw was none other than God’s true
people, or His true church. This view that John is given is a
panoramic view of God’s true church from when Christ was on
this earth to the very end of time. It reveals the trials and
the difficulties that would arise and threaten to overthrow God’s
people, but it more importantly illustrates how Jesus’ special
promise, that the gates of hell would not prevail against His
true people, has never once failed.
There is a
second significant sign that John sees in this drama of the ages—a
great, fiery red dragon. This dragon is none other than the
archenemy of our God. “So the great dragon was cast out, that
serpent of old, called the Devil and Satan, who deceives the
whole world; he was cast to the earth, and his angels were cast
out with him.” Revelation 12:9. Thus is brought to view, the
two main earthly players in the waging controversy of the ages—God’s
true church and the devil with his legions of fiends. The Church
in the Wilderness
This
dragon is not content to sit by and watch his usurped kingdom be
wrested from his hands, so he has launched an all out war
against Christ and His true people. In Revelation 12:4, the
devil’s attacks against Christ are described, “And the
dragon stood before the woman who was ready to give birth, to
devour her Child as soon as it was born.” As soon as Christ
came into this world as a helpless infant, all the fury of hell
was unleashed against our Saviour. Through Herod, the devil
attempted to put an end to Christ’s life before He even began
His ministry. Throughout Christ’s life the devil was
unceasingly on His track tempting Him to sin and seeking to
crush out His life; but in all of his assaults, he was utterly
defeated. Jesus was “caught up to God and to His throne”
completely victorious over the devil. (Revelation 12:5.) Never
once did He falter or fail. He met the devil on his own ground
“that He might destroy the works of the devil” (I John 3:8)
and was the victor on every point. Seeing that he had totally
lost the battle, the devil’s ire was vented in double measure
against Christ’s church, the one supreme object of His regard
on this earth. “Now when the dragon saw that he had been cast
to the earth, he persecuted the woman who gave birth to the male
Child.” Revelation 12:13. The devil’s designs had been
thwarted, Christ had come off conqueror, but now the devil’s
rage roared against the church of God and he unleashed his
weapons of warfare against the true church.
As the
apostles had been laid to rest, unconverted leaders began to
lead the majority astray. Paul had repeatedly warned of this,
but few were prepared for the onslaught of false apostles. “For
I know this, that after my departure savage wolves will come in
among you, not sparing the flock. Also from among yourselves men
will rise up, speaking perverse things, to draw away the
disciples after themselves.” Acts 20:29, 30. “For the
mystery of lawlessness is already at work; only He who now
restrains will do so until He is taken out of the way. Then the
lawless one will be revealed,…” II Thessalonians 2:7, 8. “Little
children, it is the last hour; and as you have heard that the
antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have come, by
which we know that it is the last hour.” I John 2:18. There is
abundant evidence from history that this dreaded event took
place. “Toward the latter end of the second century most of
the churches assumed a new form. The first simplicity
disappeared; and insensibly, as the old disciples retired to
their graves, their children, along with new converts, both Jews
and Gentiles, came forward and new modeled the cause.”
Ecclestiatic Researches, chap. Vi, 51, ed. 1792. (taken from
History of the Sabbath, by J. N. Andrews, 197) As Paul had
foretold, wolves came in not sparing the flock. The simplicity
of the gospel disappeared and a flood of pagan practices deluged
the once pure assemblies. The flood of unconsecrated members who
came streaming into the now popular churches was so great that
they became the majority. “Christianity had now become
popular, and a large proportion, perhaps a large majority of
those who embraced it, only assumed the name… they were as
much heathen as they were before. Error and corruption now came
in upon the church like a flood.” Wharey’s Church History,
54. In the cathedrals and large assemblies of the day, Christ
was no longer the foundation. Multitudes attended religious
service without knowing a personal Saviour, Jesus Christ. They
were just going through the forms, but had no heart experience.
Indeed the words of the prophet were fulfilled, ‘So the
serpent spewed water out of his mouth like a flood after the
woman, that he might cause her to be carried away by the flood.’”
Revelation 12:15. Water, in the Bible, is a symbol for many
people. (See Revelation 17:15; Isaiah 8:7; 17:12) The dragon,
the devil, brought hundreds and thousands of his followers into
the Christian assemblies in hopes of separating all from Christ,
but God upheld His faithful people. Those who were willing to
stand upon the Rock of their salvation were sustained. God would
not allow His faithful people who were holding fast the truths
from God’s Word to be overcome. It is true that the
organization was infiltrated and taken over by the flood of
pagans coming into the church. So much so that the historians
call the organization of these dark years of earth’s history
“baptized paganism.” “Christianity became the established
religion in the Roman Empire and took the place of paganism.
Christianity began to wear the garb of heathenism. The errors
that later overran the church began to take root. Christianity,
as it existed in the Dark Ages, might be termed ‘baptized
paganism.’” Wharey’s Church History, 54.
With the
organization taken over by pagans claiming to be Christians,
those whose faith was established upon the Rock, Christ Jesus,
were forced to flee into the wilderness. If we are looking for
an organization that the gates of hell did not prevail against,
we will find none. The true church, that the gates of hell were
powerless to overcome, was the faithful souls who clung to
Christ as their only hope and ground of salvation. It is not an
ecclesiastical body or religious organization that can lay claim
to being Christ’s true church, but only the people who are
seeking to follow Christ no matter where He leads. They may be
few in number, despised by the world and without worldly honor
or wealth, but if they have surrendered their lives to Christ,
they are regarded by our loving Lord as the apple of His eye.
The Biblical account had predicted, “Then the woman fled into
the wilderness, where she has a place prepared by God, that they
should feed her there one thousand two hundred and sixty days….
But the woman was given two wings of a great eagle, that she
might fly into the wilderness to her place, where she is
nourished for a time and times and half a time, from the
presence of the serpent.” Revelation 12:6, 14. God’s true
church was forced to flee from the apostasy and persecutions of
an apostate organization, where they could worship God according
to the dictates of their conscience. It was, indeed, a trying
time for God’s faithful people. The grand establishments that
they had helped to build, the clergymen that they had taught
from their youth up, the congregations that they loved, they had
to leave in order to follow the truths from God’s holy Word.
The historians affirm the fulfillment of this amazing prophecy.
“Now this district, on the eastern side of the Cottian Alps,
is the precise country of the Vallenses [Waldenses]. Hither
their ancestors retired, during the persecutions of the second
and third and fourth centuries: here, providentially secluded
from the world, they retained the precise doctrines and
practices of the primitive church endeared to them by suffering
and exile; while the wealthy inhabitants of cities and fertile
plains, corrupted by a now opulent and gorgeous and powerful
clergy, were daily sinking deeper and deeper into that apostasy
which has been so graphically foretold by the great apostle.”
The Ancient Vallenses and Albigenses, Dr. Faber, 293, 294.
(taken from Truth Triumphant, by B.G. Wilkinson, 67, 68.) Into
the wilderness and solitary places, God’s true followers were
forced to flee, but God had prepared the mountain fortresses
especially for His people during this time of their need.
Here in
the isolation of the forgotten places of this earth, God’s
people found a refuge. There with the majestic mountains
encircling them and the stately firs standing guard around them,
they worshiped and praised the God of heaven. From their
mountain retreats they held fast to the truth taught by Jesus
and His apostles. They studied from God’s Word and committed
large portions to memory, preserving those sacred pages for
generations still to come. Although they were little known and
despised by the world, to the Creator of the universe, they were
His faithful church.
The
bitterest attacks were launched against His faithful people
during this time. The Word of God had declared, “And they
overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their
testimony, and they did not love their lives to the death.”
Revelation 12:11. Many gladly yielded their lives for Christ’s
sake. They did not love their lives unto the death. Crusade
after crusade was launched against them by the state church.
Pardon for all sins past, present and future was promised if
they would only kill one of these faithful souls. Speaking of
the beast power, or the great, apostate religious system of the
dark ages, prophecy had said, “And it was granted to him to
make war with the saints and to overcome them. And authority was
given him over every tribe, tongue, and nation.” Revelation
13:7. An all out war was waged against the true church of God
for one thousand two hundred and sixty years. (Revelation 12:6;
Ezekiel 4:6.) The abundance of historical evidence for this is
overwhelming, but one excerpt will tell the tragic tale. “There
was no village in the Vaudois valleys but had its martyrs. The
Waldenses were burned; they were cast into damp and horrid
dungeons; they were smothered in crowds in mountain caverns,
mothers and babes and old men and women together; they were sent
out into exile in a winter night, unclothed and unfed, to climb
the snowy mountains; they were hurled over the rocks; their
houses and lands were taken from them; their children were
stolen to be indoctrinated with the religion that they abhorred.
Rapacious individuals were sent among them to strip them of
their property, to persecute, and to exterminate them. ‘Thousands
of heretics, old men, women and children, were hung, quartered,
broken upon the wheel, or burned alive, and their property
confiscated for the benefit of the king and Holy See.’ The
Papacy and the Civil Power, Thompson, 416.” Truth
Triumphant, B. G. Wilkinson, 251. But for this long period of
persecution stretching from AD 538 to AD 1798 (For more
information see Steps to Life’s booklet, Surviving the Great
Tribulation), God still preserved His people. Many lost their
lives at the hands of the antichrist, but God did not allow His
church to be stamped out. At times it looked like the church was
about to fall, but it was ever upheld by the almighty hand of
our God.
The
account from Revelation of the church in the wilderness clearly
teaches that God has ever had, and will always have, a people
who are holding fast to His Word. The devil may have the
multitudes on his side. He may have the great and lofty
cathedrals. He may have the seminaries and universities. He may
have the doctors and theologians. He may have the religious
organizations, but there is one thing that he will never have,
that is the truth. It is the small, hated, persecuted band of
Christ’s followers that have the truth. God will allow the
fires of persecution to refine them, but He will never allow it
to consume them. God has a church that the gates of hell are not
permitted to prevail against. His church is not the
denominations. It is not the religious hierarchies and
organizations. It is not those who profess only to be
Christians. God’s pure, true church are His people who are
holding to Christ Jesus as their Rock and love Him and His truth
more than life itself. His true church boldly unfurls the banner
of truth regardless of the threats and denunciations from the
world. They love the truth from God’s Word and they stand for
it even if it costs them their lives. So God’s true church
continued for century after century, hidden from the world, but
shielded and protected by God. The time was foretold, though,
when God’s church would emerge from hiding and proclaim a
worldwide message—it is the final church.
The
Final Church
“And the
dragon was wroth with the woman, and he went to make war with
the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and
have the testimony of Jesus Christ.” Revelation 12:17, KJV.
After this period of terrible persecution, in which God’s true
church was hunted, stalked and burnt, John saw the remnant, or
the very last part, coming to the front of the battle again. God’s
true people had been forced into hiding and into the solitary
places of the earth, but now they come to the forefront again.
It is as when a train goes into a tunnel. The light from the
train shines so that all can see and then when it goes
underground into the
tunnel,
the light becomes much fainter and barely able to be seen. Then
barely from the other side the light can be seen again until it
is brighter and lighter until all can see. So it is with God’s
church. For a time it took refuge in the wilderness and the
light was fainter and hardly noticeable to some. It was still
there, but just more difficult to see. Then as the church comes
forth from the wilderness it becomes brighter and brighter until
all can see. God’s final church will not be an obscure group
in the heart of some unknown land, but it is to emerge with a
message for all. It is described as the remnant, or the very
last part. It is the final church.
Just like
the church in the wilderness, though, the final church is not an
organization, denomination or anything like that. Men look at
the outward signs when thinking of a church, but God looks at
the heart. “But the Lord said to Samuel, ‘Do not look at his
appearance or the height of his stature, because I have refused
him. For the Lord does not see as man sees; for man looks at the
outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.’” I
Samuel 16:7. When man thinks of a church, he thinks of the
bricks and mortar, he thinks of the grand national
establishment, he thinks of the priests and presidents and
pastors, but God looks deeper than all that. An organization has
never remained pure. God’s church is built of totally
different material than that. God’s church is the people who
hold to the truth from His Word. They may be censured and cast
from their denomination or conference, but if they are
steadfastly adhering to God’s truth, they are a part of His
faithful church. Paul clearly tells us what the church is. “But
if I am delayed, I write so that you may know how you ought to
conduct yourself in the house of God, which is the church of the
living God, the pillar and ground of the truth.” I Timothy
3:15. The church of the living God is none other than the pillar
and ground of the truth. The issue is really quite simple; is
the truth taught and practiced there? If the answer is yes, you
have found the church. If the answer is no, you had better look
further. What is the truth? “Your righteousness is an
everlasting righteousness, and Your Law is truth.” “You are
near, O Lord, and all of Your commandments are truth.” Psalms
119:142, 151. God’s holy Law is truth. That great Law that He
proclaimed with His own lips from Mount Sinai and wrote with His
own finger, is the essence of truth. (Exodus 20:18, 19; 31:18.)
God’s true people will proclaim God’s holy Law, but not only
will they be proclaiming God’s holy Law, they will be living
it, as well. If an organization, or church body, claims to be
God’s final church, they must be the pillar and ground of the
truth, or God’s Holy Law. Another definition of truth was
given by Jesus Himself, “Sanctify them by Your truth. Your
Word is truth.” John 17:17. God’s Law is truth, and God’s
Word is truth. The people who are living according to all of God’s
Law and Word are God’s church. This is the first prerequisite
in order to find God’s final church. We are not looking for
some organization that dates back to antiquity, nor are we
looking for a denomination with a particular name, we are
looking for a group of people who teach and live the truth.
Present
Truth
It is not
just that God’s church is teaching and living the truth, but
it must be teaching and living present truth. “Therefore I
will not be negligent to remind you always of these things,
though you know them, and are established in the present truth.”
II Peter 1:12. God has present truth for different ages and
times. Some truths are relevant to every person in every age and
time. An example of such eternal truth is that salvation is
found only through faith in the promised Messiah, Jesus Christ.
This truth Abel expressed when he sacrificed the lamb and
obtained a more excellent sacrifice than that of Cain. (Hebrews
11:4.) This is truth that all men in all ages must confess, to
find forgiveness for their sins. Some truth, though, is present
truth for a particular age or time. Such truth that is present
truth to a particular time would be the message that in order to
be saved from the coming deluge, you had to find safety in the
ark. This message Noah preached with power, but it would be
ridiculous to preach such a message now. However, it was present
truth when Noah sounded the alarm. If a person was to be saved
in Noah’s day, he had to accept the message of present truth
and board the ark. If a person rejected this present truth
message, he was lost. It was present truth. A life or death
message relevant to that time.
God still has present truth for today, and God’s true church
will be proclaiming present truth for this time. If an
organization is simply preaching “pleasant truth,” it is not
the church of the living God, for it is not heralding present
truth. I am sure that there were a great many churches that were
teaching “pleasant truth” in Noah’s day. There might not
have been anything inherently wrong with their message. They
might have lauded the benefits of being a good person. They
might have preached our need to love each other and be kind to
one another until they were blue in the face. All this would
have been good, but if it wasn’t present truth, it would have
been to no avail. It did not matter how outwardly “good” a
person was. If he was not inside the ark when it began to rain,
he was lost. So today there may be many “good” things that a
church can talk about, but if it is not today’s present truth,
preparing men and women for what is so soon to come, it is only
“pleasant truth,” and that will never meet the need of the
hour. Those who are only teaching “pleasant truth” are not a
part of God’s last day church, which is the pillar and ground
of the truth.
Does God
have present truth for today? Indeed, He does. It is found in
the heart of the book for the last days—Revelation. “Then I
saw another angel flying in the midst of heaven, having the
everlasting gospel to preach to those who dwell on the earth—to
every nation, tribe, tongue, and people—saying with a loud
voice, ‘Fear God and give glory to Him, for the hour of His
judgment has come; and worship Him who made heaven and earth,
the sea and springs of water.’ And another angel followed,
saying, ‘Babylon is fallen, is fallen, that great city because
she made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her
fornication.’ Then a third angel followed them, saying with a
loud voice, ‘If anyone worships the beast and his image, and
receives his mark on his forehead or on his hand, he himself
shall also drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is
poured out full strength into the cup of His indignation. And he
shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of
the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb. And the smoke
of their torment ascends forever and ever; and they have no rest
day or night, who worship the beast and his image, and whoever
receives the mark of his name.’ Here is the patience of the
saints: here are those who keep the commandments of God and the
faith of Jesus.” Revelation 14:6-12. God has a threefold
message of present truth for His people in the last days of this
earth’s history. It is a message solemn in its import, yet
clear and pointed. A worldwide warning that goes to every man,
woman and child upon the face of this earth. A message that will
decide the destiny of all, depending upon their acceptance or
rejection. The first of the three great warnings gives a call to
worship the Creator God because the hour of His judgment has
come. The second message that arrests the attention of all warns
of the doom of Babylon and calls His people to flee from it. The
third trumpet–like call warns all against worshiping the Beast
by receiving his mark. As in Noah’s day, those who reject
these last day pleas of repentance will have sealed their fate
and will drink of the threatened judgments. These solemn appeals
are present truth for the last days, and God’s final church
will be sounding these warning notes. If an organization or
denomination, no matter how high and flowery the claims may be,
is not giving these last messages of mercy, it has divorced
itself from God and is not God’s church. God’s true final
church of the last days will be heralding these present truth
messages to all world.
Two
Identifying Marks
We have
seen that the Bible clearly teaches several things about God’s
true church. First of all, God’s church is built upon the
foundation of Jesus Christ, Himself. Any other foundation than
this will crumble and fall, but the people who stand firm for
the Lord Jesus are grounded on the true Rock. Secondly, God’s
true church is not an organization or anything like that, but
the people who follow the Lord Jesus wherever He leads them.
Thirdly, God’s true church is the pillar and ground of the
truth. Those who compose God’s church will believe and live
the truth from the Word of God, which more specifically is God’s
Law and His Word. Not only will the truth be the foundation of
God’s true people, but they will be teaching present truth,
and the present truth, particularly for our time, is the Three
Angels’ Messages. With these points that have identified God’s
church from antiquity, it is possible to identify God’s final
church as well, but the Lord does not want anyone to mistake His
final church. Notwithstanding all of the previous points looked
at, God gives us two unmistakable identifying marks of His last
day remnant people. With these two identifying marks, there is
no excuse for not successfully arriving at the end of our search
for the final church.
“And the
dragon was enraged with the woman, and he went to make war with
the rest of her offspring, who keep the commandments of God and
have the testimony of Jesus Christ.” Revelation 12:17. The
rest of her offspring, or the remnant of God’s true church,
has two distinguishing marks. They keep the commandments of God
and have the testimony of Jesus. Ten or twenty points are not
needed to conclude our search for the final church, for these
two marks narrow the parameters down to one, and only one, group
of people on this earth. It is none other than the final church.
Keeps the
Commandments of God
God’s last day people are going to keep the commandments of
God. This should not surprise us, since we have already learned
that His church is the pillar and ground of the truth, and that
God’s Law is truth; but the Lord does not want us to mistake
this important point. Keeping the commandments of God has marked
God’s true people from the very beginning. “Because Abraham
obeyed My voice and kept My charge, My commandments, My
statutes, and My laws.” Genesis 26:5. Abraham, the father of
the faithful and the patriarch of the old covenant church, kept
God’s commandments. David, the greatest king of Israel, kept
God’s commandments. “For the sake of My servant David, whom
I chose because he kept My commandments and My statutes.” I
Kings 11:34.
Jesus, our
only Saviour and the founder of the Christian church, kept God’s
commandments. “If you keep My commandments, you will abide in
My love, just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and
abide in His love.” John 15:10. James, the chairman of the
Christian church (See Acts 15:13), urged the necessity of
keeping God’s Law. “For whoever shall keep the whole law,
and yet stumble in one point, he is guilty of all. For He who
said, ‘Do not commit adultery,’ also said, ‘Do not murder.’
Now if you do not commit adultery, but you do murder, you have
become a transgressor of the law. So speak and so do as those
who will be judged by the law of liberty.” James 2:10-12.
John, the beloved and longest-lived disciple, taught the utmost
importance of keeping God’s holy Law. “Now by this we know
that we know Him, if we keep His commandments. He who says, ‘I
know Him,’ and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and
the truth is not in him.” I John 2:3, 4. In the last book of
the Bible, the book dedicated to teaching us how we need to live
in the last days, three times it predicts that God’s last day
church will be keeping God’s commandments. “And the dragon
was enraged with the woman, and he went to make war with the
rest of her offspring, who keep the commandments of God and have
the testimony of Jesus Christ.” Revelation 12:17. “Here is
the patience of the saints; here are those who keep the
commandments of God and the faith of Jesus.” Revelation 14:12.
“Blessed are those who do His commandments, that they may have
right to the tree of life, and may enter through the gates into
the city.” 22:14. Without a doubt, from the beginning to the
end, God’s true church keeps the commandments of God.
In order
to be classified as keeping God’s commandments, we must be
keeping all ten of the commandments. Frequently we have a desire
to pick and choose. Sometimes there are some commandments that
we can heartily agree, to which we say “amen”, but then
there are others that seem so hard for us to understand. “Why
is God so particular?” we question, and on and on the excuses
go. We must remember that if we are going to be a part of God’s
final church, we must keep all of the commandments. We cannot
fall into the fatal trap of picking and choosing. I saw a sign
on a church one time that read, “The Ten Commandments are not
multiple choice.” How true this is. We have no right to pick
and choose what we think is important and what is not. If we
step onto this forbidden ground, we are following in the path of
Cain, who thought he knew better than what God had said. We are
following the pernicious example of the mother of our race in
not thinking that God really means what He says. Imagine that!
Poor, weak, finite mortals thinking that we know more than the
Creator and Upholder of the universe. God’s Word is very clear—if
we dare to set ourselves above the God of heaven by picking and
choosing which commandments we will keep, we will be guilty of
all. “ALL Your commandments are faithful… Psalms 119:86. And
ALL Your commandments are truth… Psalms 119:151. For ALL Your
commandments are righteous.” Ps. 119:172. All of God’s
commandments are faithful, righteous and true. We cannot choose
that some are better than others, for God says that they are all
good. “Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear
God and keep His commandments, for this is the whole duty of
man. For God will bring every work into judgment, including
every secret thing, whether it is good or whether it is evil.”
Ecclesiastes 12:13, 14. Our whole duty is to fear God and keep
His commandments, for EVERY single work will pass before the
judgment bar of the Almighty. “For whoever shall keep the
whole law, and yet stumble in one point, he is guilty of all.
For He who said, ‘Do not commit adultery,’ also said, ‘Do
not murder.’ Now if you do not commit adultery, but you do
murder, you have become a transgressor of the law. So speak and
so do as those who will be judged by the law of liberty.”
James 2:10-12. God’s Word plainly declares that if we keep the
whole law except for one, apparently small and minor point, we
are lawbreakers and condemned by the law. Certainly no man,
priest or bishop has the right to sanction the violation of even
one of God’s Ten Commandment Laws. If we are going to be a
part of God’s true church, we must be living in obedience to
all of God’s Law. So, God’s final church will keep all of
God’s commandments. Any organization that endorses the
breaking of any of the commandments, has disqualified itself
from being the final church. God’s true people keep all of God’s
holy Law.
There is
one commandment in particular which Bible prophecy has foretold
that all the world would be breaking in the last days. This is
the commandment that was going to be particularly attacked by
the antichrist. God’s true people will not fall into the snare
of the antichrist, though. They will keep all of God’s Law,
especially the commandment that is rejected by most of the
world. In Daniel 7:25, we are told exactly which commandment
would be attacked by the antichrist and ignored by the world,
“He shall speak pompous words against the Most High, shall
persecute the saints of the Most High, and shall intend to
change times and law.” He was going to intentionally attempt
to change times and law. Which commandment is it that deals with
time? There is only one. As we study the ten commandments found
in Exodus 20:3-17, one and one alone deals with time. “Remember
the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor and
do all your work, but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord
your God. In it you shall do no work: you, nor your son, nor
your daughter, nor your manservant, nor your maidservant, nor
your cattle, nor your stranger who is within your gates. For in
six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and
all that is in them, and rested the seventh day. Therefore the
Lord blessed the Sabbath day and hallowed it.” Exodus 20:8-11.
The only commandment that even remotely deals with time is the
fourth commandment, the commandment that commands the observance
of the Sabbath. The keeping of the Sabbath is more than what
many people think, for the seventh-day Sabbath does not fall on
Sunday as many people think, but on Saturday. This can readily
be seen by looking up the days of the week in any large
dictionary. “Saturday—the seventh day of the week, following
Friday.” Webster’s New Universal Unabridged Dictionary,
1996. “Sunday—so called because this day was anciently
dedicated to the sun, or its worship. The first day of the week.”
Webster’s Dictionary, 1929 edition. Not only is the
seventh day on Saturday and not on Sunday, but there is no where
in the entire Bible that indicates that there has ever been a
change, or will ever be a change. This fact is known by many
preachers, theologians and historians. Here is an example of
one: “Let me address myself to my dear non-Catholic reader:
You believe that the Bible alone is a safe guide in religious
matter. You also believe that one of the fundamental duties
enjoined upon you by your Christian faith is that of Sunday
observance. But where does the Bible speak of such an
obligation? I have read the Bible from the first verse of
Genesis to the last verse of Revelation, and have found no
reference to the duty of sanctifying the Sunday. The day
mentioned in the Bible is not the Sunday, the first day of the
week, but the Saturday, the last day of the week.” The
Faith of Millions, Father O’Brian, 136, 137. There are
many other ways that we can know which day is the seventh day,
but for lack of space, we will not presently exhaust them. (If
you would like more information on which day is the Sabbath,
contact Steps to Life.) For our search, it is sufficient to note
that God’s last day church is a commandment–keeping church
and in order to be a commandment–keeping church, they must
keep all of the commandments, including the Sabbath commandment.
God’s final church is a Sabbath-keeping church.
The
keeping of the seventh-day Sabbath has always been a sign
marking God’s true people. God’s true church in the Garden
of Eden before man fell, was keeping the Sabbath. “And on the
seventh day God ended His work which He had done, and He rested
on the seventh day from all His work which He had done. Then God
blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because in it He
rested from all His work which God had created and made.”
Genesis 2:2, 3. To Israel, another name for God’s church, the
keeping of the Sabbath was to be a perpetual sign. “Therefore
the children of Israel shall keep the Sabbath, to observe the
Sabbath throughout their generations as a perpetual covenant. It
is a sign between Me and the children of Israel forever; for in
six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, and on the
seventh day He rested and was refreshed.” Exodus 31:16, 17.
Jesus, our Creator, Redeemer, High Priest, and founder of the
Christian church, kept God’s seventh-day Sabbath holy. “So
He came to Nazareth, where He had been brought up. And as His
custom was, He went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and
stood up to read.” Luke 4:16. It was our Saviour’s practice
to go to the synagogue, or the church, every Sabbath day. God’s
final church will definitely be following Jesus example. (See
John 14:6; I Peter 2:21; Revelation 14:4.) The early church
always kept God’s Sabbath day. “And when the Jews went out
of the synagogue, the Gentiles begged that these words might be
preached to them the next Sabbath… And the next Sabbath almost
the whole city came together to hear the word of God.” Acts
13:42, 44. The church that had to flee into the wilderness was
keeping God’s holy Sabbath day. “On the contrary, they [the
Waldenses] kept the Sabbath-day, observed the ordinance of
baptism according to the primitive church, instructed their
children in the articles of the Christian faith and the
commandments of God.” Jones’s Church History, vol. 2,
chap. 5, sec. 4. (taken from History of the Sabbath, J.
N. Andrews, 416.) Furthermore, God’s Word states that God’s
true people will continue to keep His Sabbath day. “There
remains therefore a rest [the Greek word sabbatismos literally
means “a keeping of a sabbath” The New Analytical Greek
Lexicon, Wesley Perschbacher] for the people of God.”
Hebrews 4:9. God’s true people continue to keep all of His
commandments and so there remains a keeping of the Sabbath for
them. Then prophecy has foretold that God’s final church will
keep all of the commandments. “And the dragon was enraged with
the woman, and he went to make war with the rest of her
offspring, who keep the commandments of God and have the
testimony of Jesus Christ.” Revelation 12:17. Finally, God’s
ransomed church, will keep His holy Sabbath day in the earth
made new once sin is completely obliterated and the great
controversy is concluded. “‘For as the new heavens and the
new earth which I will make shall remain before Me,’ says the
Lord, ‘So shall your descendants and your name remain. And it
shall come to pass that from one New Moon to another, and from
one Sabbath to another, all flesh shall come to worship before
Me,’ says the Lord.” Isaiah 66:22, 23. Keeping of God’s
seventh-day Sabbath has always been the sign of His true church
and it will continue to be so throughout all eternity.
A while
ago I was engaged in a conversation with a minister who had for
many years taught that it was permissable to break God’s Law,
especially the Sabbath. However, he had recently studied deeper
into the Bible and found that God’s true people would be
keeping all of the Ten Commandments, including the Sabbath. He
and I were then talking with another minister whom we thought
was another Sabbath-keeping minister. To our great surprise, we
found out that this man had given up the Sabbath and was now
preaching for another Sabbath-breaking organization. We
questioned further to see why such an unbiblical change was
made. This minister did not have any good reasons for his
switch, other than that his new church was so loving. He then
made the statement that it was a good church; there was only one
problem—it did not keep the Sabbath. I nearly fell out of my
chair! That is no little problem! When a rich young man came to
Jesus desiring to follow Him, Jesus set before him the
conditions of discipleship. “Now as He was going out on the
road, one came running, knelt before Him, and asked him, ‘Good
Teacher, what shall I do that I may inherit eternal life?’ So
Jesus said to him, ‘Why do you call me good? No one is good
but One, that is, God. You know the commandments: “Do not
commit adultery,” “Do not murder,” “Do not steal,” “Do
not bear false witness,” “Do not defraud,” “Honor your
father and your mother.”’ And he answered and said to Him,
‘Teacher, all these I have observed from my youth.’ Then
Jesus, looking at him, loved him, and said to him, ‘One thing
you lack: Go your way, sell whatever you have and give to the
poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, take up
the cross, and follow me.’ And he was sad at this word, and
went away grieved, for he had great possessions.” Mark
10:17-22. Here was a young man who had done everything right
from when he was a child. Jesus said that there was only one
thing that he lacked. Only one! Not ten or twenty, just one “little”
thing, but that one “little” thing caused Him to reject
Jesus. Even though this dear minister’s church only lacked one
thing, not keeping the Sabbath, that is enough to bar it from
being God’s true church, for lacking only that one thing means
it is rejecting Jesus. God’s true, final church will NOT lack
even one thing. God’s final church will keep all of God’s
commandments, including the unpopular Sabbath commandment.
The
Spirit of Prophecy
The first
of the two identifying marks of God’s final church is that it
will be a commandment–keeping, Sabbath–keeping church, but
there is one more identifying mark that reveals God’s last day
prophetic movement of destiny. “And the dragon was enraged
with the woman, and he went to make war with the rest of her
offspring, who keep the commandments of God and have the
testimony of Jesus Christ.” Revelation 12:17. Not only will
the final church keep all of the commandments, but they will
have the testimony of Jesus. What is the testimony of Jesus? “And
I fell at his feet to worship him. But he said to me, ‘See
that you do not do that! I am your fellow servant, and of your
brethren who have the testimony of Jesus. Worship God! For the
testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.” Revelation
19:10. The final church will have the testimony of Jesus, which
is the spirit of prophecy. God will give the gift of prophecy to
His last day people.
Some well
meaning people have taken the position that after the Bible was
written that there were to be no more prophets. This is a claim
that needs well to be investigated, for Jesus predicted that
many would be led astray by false prophets, and we certainly do
not want to be among that group. Did God seal up the gifts of
the Spirit after the last book of the Bible was written? Notice
Peter’s words on this subject, “But this is what was spoken
by the prophet Joel: ‘And it shall come to pass in the last
days, says God, That I will pour out My Spirit on all flesh;
your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your young men
shall see visions, your old men shall dream dreams. And on My
menservants and on My maidservants I will pour out My Spirit in
those days; and they shall prophesy.” Acts 2:16-18. Peter,
quoting from the prophecy Joel, fully understood that God was
going to continue to bestow the gift of prophecy, even to the
last days. “And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some
prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, for
the equipping of the saints for the work of the ministry, for
the edifying of the body of Christ, till we all come to the
unity of the faith and the knowledge of the Son of God, to a
perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of
Christ.” Ephesians 4:11-13. Paul tells us exactly how long God
is going to continue giving the gifts of the Spirit to His
church—until the church is perfected and ready to meet Jesus
in the clouds of glory. None will deny that this has not yet
occurred, and if this great event is still future, then God has
promised to continue to give the gifts and particularly
prophecy. The Lord has promised, “Surely the Lord God does
nothing, unless He reveals His secret to His servants the
prophets.” Amos 3:7. God will not do anything without first
warning His true people through His messengers the prophets.
Certainly as we are living in the time in which the Lord will
work with greater might and power than ever before known, He
would send an inspired messenger to help us be prepared for that
great day, and we find that He has promised just that! “Behold,
I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the
great and dreadful day of the Lord.” Malachi 4:5. Not only has
God promised to continue sending prophets until the end; and not
only is the gift of prophecy one of the two identifying marks of
God’s last day church; but God has also promised an Elijah
messenger with an Elijah message just before He comes with power
and great glory to the righteous but dread and terror to the
wicked. With the abundant evidence before us that God has
promised to continue to send messengers, how can we test one who
claims to come with a message from God?
We are
explicitly warned by the beloved disciple, “Beloved, believe
not every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God;
because many false prophets have gone out into the world.” I
John 4:1. If we accept anyone who claims to be a messenger from
God, we are assuring to ourselves of deception. We must apply
the Bible tests to ascertain whether a messenger is from God or
not. What are these tests?
1) Isaiah 8:20—a true prophet will uphold all of God’s Law,
2) Matthew 7:15-20—a true prophet will bear good fruit both in
his life and work,
3) Jeremiah 28:9—the prophecies of a true prophet will come to
pass,
4) I John 4:1-3—a true prophet will always confess that Jesus
Christ came in the flesh 5) I Corinthians 14:32—everything
that a a true prophet teaches will be in accor– dance with the
Bible,
6) Numbers 12:6—a true prophet will have visions and dreams.
Not one
false prophet can measure up to these simple Biblical tests and
a true prophet will match each and every one. It is simply our
part to apply the tests to see if we can find God’s last day
messenger, which would identify God’s final church. “Do not
quench the Spirit. Do not despise prophecies. Test all things;
hold fast what is good.” II Thessalonians 5:19-21.
Has anyone
arisen that matches all of these Biblical tests? As I have
searched for the final church and the spirit of prophecy within
the final church, I have discovered that there is one who
matches all the tests of a true prophet. This individual, whom I
believe to be a last day messenger for the Lord, is Mrs. Ellen
G. White. Some may question, can a woman be a true prophet?
Women have been prophets from the very beginning of the church,
why not at the end? Consider Miriam, Moses’ sister. (See
Exodus 15:20.) Deborah was a prophetess of the Lord. (See Judges
4:4.) Anna, the prophetess who praised the Lord at Jesus’
dedication, served the Lord in the temple with prophesying for
many long years. (See Luke 2:36.) Philip, the evangelist, had
four virgin daughters who were prophets. (See Acts 21:9.)
Obviously, being a woman does not exclude an individual from
receiving the gift of prophecy.
Ellen
White was called to the difficult prophetic office at age
seventeen. Most expected her to die an early death due to a
childhood accident, but she continued serving the Lord in her
appointed lot for another seventy years. Born in Topsham, Maine
in 1827, she was only able to finish the third grade, but went
on to write more than any other woman in history. From her hand,
which in her early years could hardly hold a pen steady, issued
over twenty-five million words. She was, indeed, the weakest of
the weak, but God worked mightily through this humble
instrument. In all her many works, she always exalts Jesus and
points His people back to the Word of God as their anchor and
study. Through her life and ministry, thousands have been led to
accept Christ and renew their commitment to Him. Peasants and
kings, educators and unlearned alike have declared that they
have read words that speak directly to their souls. As I have
read a great number of her works, I have found nothing that
contradicts the Bible, but only leads me to a greater and deeper
love for the Word of God and its Author. As I have studied about
her life and work, all that can be seen is good fruit springing
forth abundantly. I have heard the voice of Jesus speaking to me
through her writings; and after having applied the Biblical
tests, I have come to the conclusion that she is, indeed, the
Elijah messenger who was to come, and that her life and works
constitute the “spirit of prophecy” referred to in
Revelation. (For a much more thorough study into the tests of a
prophet and her life and works, see the book Prophet of the
End.)
The
Remnant
As we have
studied what constitutes a church and the identifying marks of
God’s final church, there is only one conclusion that can be
drawn. God’s church is not an organization or denomination,
but those whose faith is founded in the Lord Jesus Christ and
those who love, teach and practice present truth for this time,
namely the Three Angels’ Messages of Revelation 14:6-12. If we
are going to point to an ecclesiastical body as God’s church,
we are looking in the wrong direction, for nowhere in God’s
Word does it say that a name or organization reveals God’s
last day people. It is the character that reveals the heart. It
is the identifying marks that indicate whether a group of people
are the final church or not. Then, God’s Word narrows down the
search to two key marks—they love God and keep all of His
commandments and they have
the spirit
of prophecy. Putting all of these factors together, there is
only one movement and group of people who can be identified as
God’s final church. God’s final church is His Seventh-day
Adventist believers. This is the only movement that keeps all
ten of the commandments and has the spirit of prophecy in their
midst.
This is
not to say that the Seventh-day Adventist denomination is the
infallible final church, for God’s church is not a
denomination or organization. It is the people who believe and
practice the precious truths heralded by the Seventh-day
Adventist movement. Shortly before 1844, at the end of the 1260
year period in which the true church was forced to flee into the
wilderness, a movement began, which God has promised is going
through to glory. This movement was composed of men and women
from all backgrounds and faiths who studied the prophecies and
believed that Jesus’ Second Coming was at hand. As they
proclaimed this precious message (found in Revelation 14:6, 7),
the existing churches spurned and rejected this heaven–sent
message. These advent believers (so called because the were
looking for Jesus’ Second Advent) were cast from the churches
that they loved. As they continued to study the Word of God,
they discovered that not only was Jesus coming soon, but that He
was also calling His people back to obedience to His Law,
particularly the keeping of the fourth commandment, which was
almost universally forgotten. Thus as they were looking for
Jesus’ Second Advent and keeping Jesus’ seventh-day Sabbath,
they took the name Seventh-day Adventists.
The devil
never rests, though. “And the dragon was enraged with the
woman, and he went to make war with the rest of her offspring,
who keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus
Christ.” Revelation 12:17. The devil was to wage the fiercest
conflict against those who claimed to keep the commandments and
have the testimony of Jesus. Sad to say, this very thing has
taken place exactly as prophecy predicted. While Jesus walked
the earth, the leaders of the professed people of God were in
complete apostasy. Jesus said, speaking to these supposed
spiritual leaders, “You are of your father the devil, and the
desires of your father you want to do.” John 8:44. These high
and educated leaders were actually children of the devil. Jesus’
most cutting rebukes were reserved for these false leaders. (see
Matthew 23.) They went through all the outward forms of being
God’s true church, but they were really sons of hell. (Matthew
23:15.) Jesus counseled the people regarding them, “Let them
alone. They are blind leaders of the blind. And if the blind
leads the blind, both will fall into a ditch.” Matthew 15:14.
The people were not to follow these apostate leaders, and they
were even to leave them alone. But sadly, most of the people
believed their leaders and rejected Jesus. Instead of accepting
Jesus’ Words of life, they clung to their desolate
organization. (Matthew 23:38.) So today, the devil has myriads
of those who claim to be Seventh-day Adventists caught in his
net. Apostasy has well nigh taken over the organization that
claims to be God’s final church, just as in Jesus’ day and
during the time period when God’s church had to flee into the
wilderness. Those who should be the spiritual guardians of the
people are feeding the flock deadly poison that will lead to the
loss of their souls, just as they did to many in Jesus’ day
and during the time period of the church in the wilderness.
Indeed, history is repeating itself, yet again. (Ecclesiastes
1:9.) If we desire to be shielded from these subtle snares, we
must look to the Lord Jesus Christ. Our eyes must be taken off
of all men, organizations and denominations. Our only safety is
in trusting our entire being, and hanging our whole souls on our
Saviour.
Many
faithful Seventh-day Adventists have been forced to separate
from the error and apostasy that is being forced home upon the
soul in many of the professedly Seventh-day Adventist churches
today. This does not mean that these separated brethren are not
a part of the final church. The Waldenses and the church in the
wilderness were forced to do the same thing hundreds of years
ago. Jesus and the apostles had to follow the same course. They
had their own camp meetings (the Sermon on the Mount, for
instance); they were forced to worship separately from the
church of their fathers (the Lord’s Supper, for example); but
even though they did not belong to an ecclesiastical
organization, they were a part of God’s true church, for they
met the identifying criteria. So today many are worshiping God
according to the Bible and Spirit of Prophecy wherever they can.
Sometimes in homes, rented halls or simple church buildings.
Paul did the exact same thing. “And on the Sabbath day we went
out of the city to the riverside, where prayer was customarily
made; and we sat down and spoke to the women who met there.”
Acts
16:13. When there was not a church that was teaching present
truth and keeping the commandments of God, Paul worshiped God by
the river, or wherever he could, with whomever was willing to
follow all of God’s Word. Sometimes the faithful are forced to
meet in a home, not because they want to, but because it is the
only place that they can go to hear the truth. This is nothing
new. It was done by many in the apostolic church (See Romans
16:5; I Corinthians 16:19; Colossians 4:15; Philemon 1:2). God’s
final church does not consist of an ecclesiastic order. It is
not a towering organizational hierarchy. It is not a national
denomination. It is the people who love God and keep all of His
commandments, including the Sabbath, and who have, love and
study the spirit of prophecy. This group of people may be small.
They may have no money, buildings, schools, etc. There may not
be a pastor or a beautiful choir; but these are not the things
that we are to look for anyway. Do they have the truth? is the
question. Are they living the truth? If they have this most
precious commodity, they are the final church. You have found
it! Your search is through!
Being
One of the Remnant
When Noah’s
orchestra of hammers filled the air, there was only one safe
place to be. I am sure that there were many who thought that it
would not matter if they helped Noah or not. I am sure that
there were many churches towering throughout that great land.
There can be no doubt that those grand structures had many more
worldly inducements than did Noah’s small crew. There were
probably many who thought it really didn’t matter if you were
in Noah’s boat (church) or not, just as long as you were in a
church. But in that day there was only one safe place to be. It
did not matter how many towering steeples there were throughout
the land, not one was tall enough to preserve even a solitary
man. Those only escaped who had become a part of Noah’s little
remnant and had entered that ark of safety. How I wish that
thousands more understood that ancient flood. If there were, how
many more would understand the peril that faces millions today.
Just like in Noah’s day, there is only one place of safety on
this earth. It is not a physical ark in the midst of dry land,
but it is God’s final church.
Only those
who become a part of God’s final church will receive
deliverance in the end. “And it shall come to pass that
whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved. For in
Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there shall be deliverance, as the
Lord as said, among the remnant whom the Lord calls.” Joel
2:32. It is only in Mount Zion and Jerusalem, or God’s true
final people (Isaiah 51:16), that deliverance will be found.
Many will long and pant for deliverance at that day, but they
will be swept away. Why? Because they were unwilling to become a
part of that small hated group; but no matter how small and
hated this group may be in the world’s eyes, it is the apple
of God’s eye. He will protect and shield His true people. Not
an organization or denomination, but the people who follow the
truth, keep the commandments and read and study the spirit of
prophecy. Do you want to become a part of those people who will
be delivered from this long earthly exile? Do you want to follow
the Lord and become a part of His final church? The Lord is
extending His loving call to you, what will your answer be? “And
other sheep I have which are not of this fold; them also I must
bring, and they will hear My voice; and there will be one flock
and one shepherd.” John 10:16.
All
emphasis the author’s, unless otherwise stated.
All texts from the New King James Version, unless otherwise
noted.
Sources:
Truth Triumphant, B.G. Wilkinson, reprinted 1994 by TEACH
Services
History of the Sabbath, by J. N. Andrews, reprinted 1998
by TEACH Services
Wharey’s Church History
His Mighty Love, Dr. Ralph Larson, 1995, TEACH Services
Webster’s New Universal Unabridged Dictionary, 1996
Webster’s Dictionary, 1929 edition.
The Faith of Millions, Father O’Brian, 1974.
The New Analytical Greek Lexicon, Wesley Perschbacher, 1990,
Hendrickson Publishers.
To order
this or other tracts call 1-800-THE TRUTH or write to PO Box
782828, Wichita, Kansas 67278
If you
would like to reprint or translate this book please contact
Steps to Life for permission.
Copyright
©1999 by Steps to Life
Printed in the U.S.A.
Published by:
Steps to Life
PO Box 782828
Wichita, Kansas 67278
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