I have reserved to myself 144,000 who will not bow to the image
They have tore down thine altars O father, they have built an image of BAAL
God's Church
One of the greatest theological questions today which carries some of the greatest consequences is “What is the church?” There is a great deal of confusion upon this question, and this confusion is not something new. Since the beginning of the Christian era, there has been a great deal of controversy about the concept of the church or, simply, who and what are the people of God?
In our common vernacular, the term church has several meanings. It can mean a chapel or the actual place or building where people meet for worship; it can be a specified denomination; it can be an ecclesiastical power as distinguished from the secular—the separation of church and state; it may represent the actual act of conducting a worship—we had church tonight; it is to some a General Conference; and it is considered to be the congregation or the whole body of believers who have accepted Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour.
The term church is not found in the Old Testament. It first occurs in the book of Matthew with the statement of Jesus that he would build his “church” upon the truth of Peter’s confession that Jesus was the Son of God (Matthew 16:18). “Peter had expressed the truth which is the foundation of the church’s faith (The Desire of Ages, p. 413).”
In Matthew 18:17 Jesus again mentions the church, this time in connection with gospel order. These are the only direct references in the Gospels. The book of Acts makes twenty-one references to church or churches, and Paul, James, and John also use the term in their writings. The word church is found in the Authorized Version in 1 Peter 5:13, but it is a supplied word to try to make the meaning clearer and is not found in Greek text.
The Greek word translated church is ekklesia (ekklhsia). It is from two words: ek, meaning from or out of, and kaleo, meaning to call. The word ekklesia, therefore, means to call out or those who are called out. Ekklesia was a common expression in the days of Christ and used for any assembly where the people were called to meet. While the term church is not translated in the Old Testament, the Greek word ekklesia was used in the Septuagint (LXX), the Greek translation of the Hebrew Old Testament, in the place of the Hebrew qahal which was usually translated as assembly (seventeen times) or congregation (eighty-six times).
And the chief of all the people, even of all the tribes of
And all this assembly [ekklesia in the LXX] shall know that the LORD saveth not with sword and spear: for the battle is the LORD’S, and he will give you into our hands (1 Samuel 17:47).
And the king turned his face about, and blessed all the congregation of
In the New Testament this concept of the called out assembly is expanded. The church is:
1. The whole body of believers:
Give none offence, neither to the Jews, nor to the Gentiles, nor to the
For ye have heard of my conversation in time past in the Jews’ religion, how that beyond measure I persecuted the
And God hath set some in the church, first apostles, secondarily prophets, thirdly teachers, after that miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, governments, diversities of tongues (1 Corinthians 12:28). (See also Ephesians 4:11-16.)
2. A group of believers assembled in a home for worship:
Likewise greet the church that is in their house (Romans 16:5).
Salute the brethren which are in
3. Believers living or assembling in a city or a specific location:
Now there were in the church that was at
To the church of God which is at Corinth, to those who are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints, with all who in every place call on the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, both theirs and ours (1 Corinthians 1:2).
And unto the angel of the church in
4. Groups of congregations:
And all the brethren which are with me, unto the churches of
For ye, brethren, became followers of the churches of God which in
Then had the churches rest throughout all Judaea and Galilee and
5. Finally Paul indicates that the faithful in heaven are also a part of the
Which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places, Far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come: And hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the church (Ephesians 1:20-22).
In each of these cases, we see that the church is never a chapel, denomination, conference, or anything other than a group of believers.
The Bible declares that the church is a sacred institution. It is not of men but of God and belongs to him. It is called “the church of God (Acts 20:28; 1 Corinthians 1:2; 10:32; 11:22; 15:9; 2 Corinthians 1:1; Galatians 1:13; 1 Timothy 3:5)” and “the church of the living God (1 Timothy 3:15).” The churches collectively are said to be “The churches of Christ (Romans 16:16).” Jesus “gave himself for” the church (Ephesians 5:25) and, as such, can be said to be the possessor of the churches.
The first mention of the church after Matthew is in the book of Acts. As a result of the outpouring of the Spirit on the Day of Pentecost, we read: “And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved (Acts 2:47).” Verse 41 states that “Then they that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls.” Here we see three thousand souls were added unto them or the disciples, but in verse 47 it states that the Lord added to the church; therefore, the church is an equivalent expression to the disciples or the believers. It may be noted that the expression “unto them” in verse 41 is italicized in the King James Version, showing that it is an added expression to help clarify the text. If we remove it, the text reads “there were added about three thousand souls” and verse 47 states that they were added to the church. Clearly, the souls became part of the church that they were added to.
Now let us return to the first mention of church in the Bible. It is found in Matthew 16. Jesus had questioned the disciples about the popular opinion concerning himself, and, after receiving their answer, he straightly asked them who they thought he was. “And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God (Matthew 16:16).” Jesus went on to declare, “Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven. And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it (Matthew 16:17, 18).”
Some people teach that the rock the church would be built upon was Peter, but this cannot be, for the gates of hell did prevail over him the night he denied Jesus. Furthermore, the name Peter is Petros (petrß) which means a stone, but the word that is used for the “rock” that Jesus would build his church upon is
But what was the rock (petra) upon which Jesus would build his church? Jesus said, “Upon this rock I will build my church.” What is “this rock”? The word “this” indicates that it is something that has been introduced before in the discussion. Now it is true that Jesus is called the rock that led the children of Israel (1 Corinthians 10:4) and he is called the chief cornerstone (Ephesians 2:20), but this does not meet the context of Matthew 16. The only thing that meets the context is the confession of Peter, and that confession was that Jesus is the Son of God. Ellen White noted:
Peter had expressed the truth which is the foundation of the church’s faith (The Desire of Ages, p. 413; all emphasis supplied unless otherwise noted).
A foundation is that which something is built upon. That upon which Christ would build his church is the truth that he is the Son of the living God. Christ would build his church, but it did not appear fully structured and complete all at one time. In the book of Acts we see Christ, piece-by-piece, adding to his church which has as the central foundational doctrine the revelation that Jesus is the Son of the living God. Historians admit that the doctrine of the trinity was unknown in the times of the apostles and did not develop until almost 300 years after the time of Jesus. How could he have founded his church on the trinity, if this teaching did not exist during the time of the apostles? Of course, it was not founded on the trinity and could not have been, for it is in direct opposition to the doctrine of Jesus being the Son of God.
When God began the Advent movement, he gave our pioneers a platform or foundation of eternal truth, not one of errors and fables. Notice the inspired history of the movement:
As a people, we are to stand firm on the platform of eternal truth that has withstood test and trial. We are to hold to the sure pillars of our faith. The principles of truth that God has revealed to us are our only true foundation (Selected Messages, bk. 1, p. 201; 1904).
This testimony was written in 1904 and states that there was a “platform of eternal truth,” truth that we are to stand upon that will not change! These principles were given by God and “are our only true foundation.” She also wrote:
The principles for which we fought in the early days, and which were brought out in the power of the Holy Spirit (Ibid., p. 206).
Messages of every order and kind have been urged upon Seventh-day Adventists, to take the place of the truth which, point by point, has been sought out by prayerful study, and testified to by the miracle-working power of the Lord. But the waymarks which have made us what we are, are to be preserved, and they will be preserved, as God has signified through His Word and the testimony of His Spirit. He calls upon us to hold firmly, with the grip of faith, to the fundamental principles that are based upon unquestionable authority (Ibid., p. 208).
Here Ellen White speaks of “fundamental principles” and says that they are of “unquestionable authority.” This is an authority that only God has and is further evidence that God is the author of these fundamental principles. The first fundamental principles were published by the church in 1872 and were anti-trinitarian and are acknowledged as so by the corporate church in the book, Issues, page 39. Ellen White also noted:
The truths given us after the passing of the time in 1844 are just as certain and unchangeable as when the Lord gave them to us in answer to our urgent prayers. The visions that the Lord has given me are so remarkable that we know that what we have accepted is the truth. This was demonstrated by the Holy Spirit. Light, precious light from God, established the main points of our faith as we hold them today (Manuscript Releases, vol. 1, p. 53; Letter 50, 1906).
Ever we are to keep the faith that has been substantiated by the Holy Spirit of God from the earlier events of our experience until the present time (Upward Look, p. 352; December 4, 1905).
I know and understand that we are to be established in the faith, in the light of the truth given us in our early experience. At that time one error after another pressed in upon us; ministers and doctors brought in new doctrines. We would search the Scriptures with much prayer, and the Holy Spirit would bring the truth to our minds. Sometimes whole nights would be devoted to searching the Scriptures, and earnestly asking God for guidance. Companies of devoted men and women assembled for this purpose. The power of God would come upon me, and I was enabled clearly to define what is truth and what is error (Manuscript Releases, vol. 8, pp. 319, 320; Letter 50, 1906).
These testimonies all declare that the truths we had in the time era of 1904-1906 were truths that we had from the earliest days of our establishment and had been given by the Holy Spirit of God, point-by-point as the brothers and sisters came together to study the Bible and pray. During the transition from the 19th century to the 20th century, Ellen White was not advocating a new faith in the experience of the Advent people, as is commonly taught today, but rather she was calling for a retaining of the faith once delivered to the saints.
Of course, light is to increase: “But the path of the just is as the shining light, that shineth more and more unto the perfect day (Proverbs 4:18).” New light, however, does not change the old light; it only makes it brighter and clearer. This certainly could not be said of the teaching of the trinity compared to the truth the Adventist pioneers understood about God and Christ. Their position was not one of a Triune coequal, co-eternal, consubstantial god, but of one of God, the Father, who is the Supreme Being of the universe, and Jesus Christ his literal, begotten Son.
Paul, writing to Timothy, declared: “But if I tarry long, that thou mayest know how thou oughtest to behave thyself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth (1 Timothy 3:15).” God’s church is to be a pillar and stay or foundation (margin) of truth. This could hardly be said of the trinity, which is built upon tradition and the teachings of men. Notice this admission by the harlot:
Our opponents [Protestants] sometimes claim that no belief should be held dogmatically which is not explicitly stated in scripture (ignoring that it is only on the authority of the Church we recognize certain Gospels and not others as true). But the Protestant churches have themselves accepted such dogmas as the Trinity for which there is no such precise authority in the Gospels. . . (Graham Green, “The Catholic Church’s New Dogma: The Assumption Of Mary,” Life Magazine, October 30, 1950).
Jesus said that he would build his church upon truth and not tradition. Ellen White, speaking of the church, states:
The church is God’s fortress. His city of refuge, which He holds in a revolted world. Any betrayal of the church is treachery to Him who has bought mankind with the blood of His only-begotten Son. From the beginning, faithful souls have constituted the church on earth. In every age the Lord has had His watchmen, who have borne a faithful testimony to the generation in which they lived. These sentinels gave the message of warning; and when they were called to lay off their armor, others took up the work. God brought these witnesses into covenant relation with Himself, uniting the church on earth with the church in heaven (The Acts of the Apostles, p. 11).
Here Ellen White noted that it is “faithful souls …. who have borne a faithful testimony” that make up the church.
In 1886 Ellen White visited Europe and saw sights firsthand upon which her eyes had never before gazed. Cathedrals and state churches were something she had only read about or seen in vision, but now she experienced these things firsthand, and she wrote to her sister and brother-in-law about what she saw. With this background in her mind, she stated:
God has a church. It is not the great cathedral, neither is it the national establishment, neither is it the various denominations; it is the people who love God and keep His commandments. “Where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them” (Matt. 18:20). Where Christ is even among the humble few, this is Christ’s church, for the presence of the High and Holy One who inhabiteth eternity can alone constitute a church (The Upward Look, p. 315).
This understanding perfectly agrees with what we read of those who give the three angels’ messages of Revelation 14. Verse 12 states that they “keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus.” The remnant, according to Revelation 14:6, will share the “everlasting gospel.” This cannot be done with the trinitarian doctrine! The remnant will also be preaching the truth about the beast and will not have ecumenical talks that last fifteen years, as was recently done in Poland, to find agreement with the harlot!* Revelation 12:17 and 19:10 also reaffirm the keeping of the commandments and declare that the spirit of prophecy will be a part of the true church of God. Sadly today in Adventism very little is said about the spirit of prophecy, and in some churches it is set aside and even downgraded!
Surely Christ’s church will keep all ten of his commandments and not just eight or nine! To worship a false God such as the trinity might be excused in times of ignorance, but those times of ignorance are surely past. We are supposed to be living in the time of the remnant when the light of God’s glory is to go throughout the whole earth; the time when the 144,000 are being made up, a group that has “no guile (Revelation 14:5)” in their mouths. The Greek word for guile is dolos (dolV) and it means deceit or bait. Bait is used to capture something surreptitiously. The bait promises something good but only brings disaster. The trinity claims to bring something good but only brings ruin in the end.
As we noted earlier, Christ builds his church upon truth. His people have not yet achieved perfection, but Christ has a plan to bring his people to a final maturity where it will be truly said that there is no guile in them. Paul states when Jesus returns for his church that it will be “a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing (Ephesians 5:27).” While this might not fully be the case today, the work of the final atonement is sure. The outpouring of the latter rain is soon to come in its fullest sense, and the church will be brought to perfection.
God’s church has a city it will call home—the New Jerusalem. God the Father is the ruler and he will be worshipped there especially on his holy day, the Sabbath. The people of the world are members of a mystical city called Babylon. Babylon has a god called the trinity, and, interestingly, the day dedicated to the trinity is Sunday! (See Douay Catechism.)
It is God’s purpose to see his people transformed into his likeness and character. The character of God is one of love (1 John 4:8, 16). This love was manifested by the gift of his only begotten Son (John 3:16; 1 John 4:9, 10). As we behold this love, we will become changed into the same image (2 Corinthians 3:18). Clearly it is Satan’s purpose to keep our eyes off of the real Jesus and onto something that would not, could not, change us into the character of God. The trinity doctrine, which denies the Father and Son relationship, is truly the doctrine of antichrist (1 John 2:22, 23). If Satan can keep us where we continue to hear this lie over and over, it will eventually be believed.
Babylon is built upon the great false lie of the trinity. The papacy boldly declares, “The mystery of the Trinity is the central doctrine of Catholic faith. Upon it are based all the other teachings of the Church (Handbook for Today’s Catholic, p. 16).”
God does not leave any room for doubt as to what relationship he wishes his people to have to Babylon. In Revelation 14:8 he declares:
And there followed another angel, saying, Babylon is fallen, is fallen, that great city, because she made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication (Revelation 14:8).
God says that Babylon is a fallen city and he tells us how we shall relate to Babylon. In Revelation 18:1-4 we read:
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. For all nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication, and the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her, and the merchants of the earth are waxed rich through the abundance of her delicacies. {abundance: or, power} 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.
Brothers and sisters, can you see what company one keeps in Babylon? It is a dwelling place of devils and foul spirits! If you knew that there was a demon living in your house right now and you could not find a way to drive this demon out, would you continue to live there? Would you stay in this house during the day or even go into it? I dare say that you would not even venture to go inside for a moment. There is not just one demon, however, in Babylon but every evil angel (called foul or unclean spirits in Mark 9:25; 12:43). Furthermore, Babylon is called a cage or holding place of every unclean and hateful bird. Isaiah prophesied that literal Babylon would become a desolation where the owls would live (Isaiah 13:21; 14:23). Barnes New Testament Notes states: “Spiritual Babylon—Papal Rome (#Re 14:8) will be reduced to a state of utter desolation resembling that of the real Babylon.” Babylon is a place of utter spiritual desolation and the habitation of demons. Is this the kind of place you desire to live and where you wish your children to live?
Furthermore, we are told that those who do not come out of Babylon will finally become partakers of her sins and receive of her plagues. All who receive of the plagues will finally be lost. The issue is very serious. Today there are many who have learned the truth about God who believe that they can stay in the mainline Seventh-day Adventist Church and still do God’s will and not be affected by the influences around them. We must remember, however, that by beholding we will become changed (2 Corinthians 3:18) and God will not be mocked (Galatians 6:7). We have been counseled:
I was shown the necessity of those who believe that we are having the last message of mercy, being separate from those who are daily imbibing new errors. I saw that neither young nor old should attend their meetings; for it is wrong to thus encourage them while they teach error that is a deadly poison to the soul and teach for doctrines the commandments of men. The influence of such gatherings is not good. If God has delivered us from such darkness and error, we should stand fast in the liberty wherewith He has set us free and rejoice in the truth. God is displeased with us when we go to listen to error, without being obliged to go; for unless He sends us to those meetings where error is forced home to the people by the power of the will, He will not keep us. The angels cease their watchful care over us, and we are left to the buffetings of the enemy, to be darkened and weakened by him and the power of his evil angels; and the light around us becomes contaminated with the darkness (Early Writings, pp. 124, 125).
While God may send some for missionary work at times, we must be very careful to be sure we are in God’s revealed will in such cases where we believe we can witness.
What about church membership? Is non-attendance without a withdrawal of membership acceptable in God’s sight? Would it be proper or approved of God for one to remain a member of the Catholic Church once they learn the truth as long as they do not attend mass? Could one belong to the Masonic Lodge and not attend and be approved of God?
Even though you may not feel able to speak a word to those who are working on wrong principles, leave them. Your withdrawal and silence may do more than words. Nehemiah refused to associate with those who were untrue to principle, and he would not permit his workmen to associate with them. The love and fear of God were his safeguard. He lived and worked as in view of the unseen world. And David said, “I have set the Lord always before me.”
Dare to be a Daniel. Dare to stand alone. Thus, as did Moses, you will endure the seeing of Him who is invisible. But a cowardly and silent reserve before evil associates, while you listen to their devices, makes you one with them. “Come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, and will be a father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty (The Review and Herald, May 9, 1899).”
Beloved, Revelation 14:8 and 18:4 are very plan. You can, of course, say that I do not know God’s sovereign will for you, but I tell you the truth that God does know and if you disregard the plain words of inspiration, ruin is sure. (In the light of this, it would be enlightening to read Ellen White’s testimony concerning her brother’s death, as recorded in Spiritual Gifts, volume 2, pages 163-164.)
God’s plan is for his people to live in the New Jerusalem, (we begin living there now spiritually according to Hebrews 12:22), to worship the true God on the Sabbath, and to become changed into his same righteousness, by faith, as we behold his righteousness and have Jesus living in us. Satan’s plan, however, is for you to be in Babylon, to worship the trinity on Sunday based upon tradition wherein is no sanctifying power, and to become like Satan as you behold him.
The true church of God today will preach the second and fourth angels’ messages. It must be so. While this is not popular today, it has never been popular to call the fallen and nominal churches Babylon or a daughter of Babylon; however, as we have noted, those who remain in Babylon will be finally lost. In speaking of the last days, Jesus said to “remember Lot’s wife (Luke 17:32).” She lived in the spiritual Babylon of her day, and because of her attachment to it she was tragically lost. Today many still cling to spiritual Babylon. Why? I sadly believe it is because the experience of salvation in Christ alone is lacking and that these people have been clinging to “the church” in a Catholic-like effort to find salvation. Beloved, “the church” is not the ark of safety, only Jesus is, and if we are in step with Jesus we can be sure he will bring us into fellowship with him and the Father and with their church. Nowhere in inspiration are we told that the church provides our salvation. We are to look to Jesus, to his saving merits and sacrifice. We are to look to heaven and see him in the Most Holy Place as our High Priest making intercession for us today. We can have the courage to leave Babylon when we realize that our salvation is not in it and neither is our Leader!
Beloved, if we value our eternal lives, we cannot stay where it is not safe spiritually. Every Sabbath, in thousands of pulpits across the world, the Adventist people are being rocked into a spiritual sleep by preachers teaching a new theology, and many of the people do not know the truth from error.
I could tell you story after story of experiences where church members have learned and acknowledged the truth about God and realized that there is apostasy in the denomination but have failed to admit that the denomination is apostate. They hear lies spoken about their heavenly Father and about Jesus and say little to nothing in defense of them, but when someone says something that seems to be an insult to the “church” they take open offense. These people do not wish to live with devils but cannot seem to bring themselves to admit the truth of Revelation 18:2.
Some people will proclaim that there is apostasy and will try to arouse the people but are unable to face the full picture. I recently received an electronic newsletter from a well-known independent Adventist minister. He was decrying the state of affairs in the church and all the new theology that has entered into the ranks of the professed people of God, but he has failed to realize it is the trinity doctrine, a doctrine in which he believes, that is the root problem from which stems all the new theology and apostasy. Yet, there is no clear message from this minister to come out and be not a partaker of her sins or receive her plagues.
But there is no union between the Prince of light and the prince of darkness, and there can be no union between their followers. When Christians consented to unite with those who were but half converted from paganism, they entered upon a path which led further and further from the truth. Satan exulted that he had succeeded in deceiving so large a number of the followers of Christ (The Great Controversy, p. 45).
The early Christians who saw the papacy developing also saw the absolute necessity of separating from the apostate church.
It required a desperate struggle for those who would be faithful to stand firm against the deceptions and abominations which were disguised in sacerdotal garments and introduced into the church. The Bible was not accepted as the standard of faith. The doctrine of religious freedom was termed heresy, and its upholders were hated and proscribed.
After a long and severe conflict, the faithful few decided to dissolve all union with the apostate church if she still refused to free herself from falsehood and idolatry. They saw that separation was an absolute necessity if they would obey the word of God. They dared not tolerate errors fatal to their own souls, and set an example which would imperil the faith of their children and children’s children. To secure peace and unity they were ready to make any concession consistent with fidelity to God; but they felt that even peace would be too dearly purchased at the sacrifice of principle. If unity could be secured only by the compromise of truth and righteousness, then let there be difference, and even war (Ibid.).
Perhaps you remember reading statements by Ellen White about the church and its secure position and that it may appear to fall but does not. The sinners in Zion will be sifted out, it is proclaimed. We are to stay in Zion and not move, but how do we relate to statements such as:
Satan will work his miracles to deceive; he will set up his power as supreme. The church may appear as about to fall, but it does not fall. It remains, while the sinners in Zion will be sifted out--the chaff separated from the precious wheat. This is a terrible ordeal, but nevertheless it must take place (The Upward Look, p. 356).
Though it may be a “desperate struggle” for you to leave Babylon, you dare not remain. In reading such a statement, we must remember that the inspired definition for the church was not the great cathedral, the national establishment, or even a denomination, but “it is the people who love God and keep His commandments.” It is “faithful souls.” Faithful souls will not be sifted out or shaken out, but who are said to be shaken and out of what are they to be shaken?
One of Ellen White’s early references to the shaking came from a vision given on January 26, 1850. In this vision, she noted:
The mighty shaking has commenced and will go on, and all will be shaken out who are not willing to take a bold and unyielding stand for the truth, and to sacrifice for God and His cause (The Present Truth, April 1, 1850).
The time is important to note. She is not talking about being shaken out of the Adventist church denomination here. That would be impossible, for the church denomination was not formed for another thirteen years. The context of what they are shaken out of is truth. Those who will not stand for truth are shaken out of the truth. Even after the Adventist denomination had been formed for more than twenty-five years, Ellen White wrote:
Why is it that we find men leaving the faith? Are we in a position where we shall know what we believe, and shall not be shaken out? That souls leave the truth should not discourage us in the least, but only make us seek more earnestly for the blessing of God (The Review and Herald, April 9, 1889).
Here again the issue is not leaving a church in the sense of a denomination but rather “leaving the faith” or “souls [that] leave the truth.” Ellen White is speaking of being shaken out of the movement of God and left on the wayside because truth and faith were lost!
But did not Ellen White say that the church received God’s supreme regard? Yes, she did. Notice:
During ages of spiritual darkness the church of God has been as a city set on a hill. From age to age, through successive generations, the pure doctrines of heaven have been unfolding within its borders. Enfeebled and defective as it may appear, the church is the one object upon which God bestows in a special sense His supreme regard. It is the theater of His grace, in which He delights to reveal His power to transform hearts (The Acts of the Apostles, p. 12).
Usually the first two sentences in this quotation are not included, and we are told that though the church is defective and feeble it is still the object of God’s love. We agree, but we should also read the second sentence, for it qualifies the true church. It says that “the pure doctrines of heaven have been unfolding within its borders.” So, the true church that is the “theater of His grace” which has God’s “supreme regard” is the church that has the pure doctrines of heaven and not devilish doctrines of hell like the trinity doctrine!
It might be said that since truth is progressive and the unfolding takes time we must allow for growth and that the heresies now in the body of believers will finally be removed. My brothers and sisters, we are not living in the time of Martin Luther. We are living in the time of the sealing. We are living in a time over 150 years since Ellen White declared that we were given a platform of eternal truth! If we have not advanced in the light since 1850 shame on us, but condemnation upon us if we have retreated, backslidden, and finally accepted the foundation of the great whore for our church!
We face a similar situation today that the early Christian church faced. Judaism had been called and raised up by God. It was God’s “church” or assembly for almost two millennia. Abraham was called out of Ur and his family became the nation of Israel. Israel was called and named of God. They were “the apple of his eye (Zechariah 2:8).” And Israel had received a special promise from God:
Thus saith the LORD, which giveth the sun for a light by day, and the ordinances of the moon and of the stars for a light by night, which divideth the sea when the waves thereof roar; The LORD of hosts is his name: If those ordinances depart from before me, saith the LORD, then the seed of Israel also shall cease from being a nation before me for ever. Thus saith the LORD; If heaven above can be measured, and the foundations of the earth searched out beneath, I will also cast off all the seed of Israel for all that they have done, saith the LORD (Jeremiah 31:35-37).
Year in and year out, the sun and moon would rise and set, the tides would come in and go out, and the heavens could not be measured. The Jews felt that there were the favorites of heaven and could never lose that position.
The Jewish people cherished the idea that they were the favorites of heaven, and that they were always to be exalted as the church of God. They were the children of Abraham, they declared, and so firm did the foundation of their prosperity seem to them that they defied earth and heaven to dispossess them of their rights (Christ’s Object Lessons, p. 294).
When Jesus left the temple for the last time and declared “Behold, your house is left unto you desolate (Matthew 23:38),” you can be sure that the Jewish leaders got out the scroll of Jeremiah and read the above quoted verses and confidently declared: “Jesus is an imposter! He has spoken against the sacred Scripture. He says the temple is not God’s house any more. This is blasphemy!”
What the Jews had failed to realize was that the promise of Jeremiah was based upon the people experiencing the new covenant—having God’s law written in their heart! It was to a people in whose hearts God’s law was written that the promise was made. (See Jeremiah 31:31-34.) These people did not have God’s law in their hearts; they were, at that very time, planning the murder of the Son of God. The prophecy of Daniel 9:24 that set the time of the Jewish nation for seventy prophetic weeks was also disregarded. When Stephen was stoned, the last drop of corporate mercy was gone for the nation of Israel as the seventy weeks expired.
Today there are statements of Ellen White that some see as free passes for the corporate Seventh-day Adventist Church. After all, we are told, “she is Laodicea and there is no eighth church.” We hear, “The church may appear as about to fall, but it does not fall,” but as we saw earlier, it is imperative to know the inspired definition of the term church. Jeremiah did not give the Jews a blank check for apostasy or sin and neither did Ellen White give it to the Advent people. Yet, the Adventist Church declares that the God who says, “I change not (Malachi 3:6)” changed and will now do something for corporate Adventism that he would not do for Judaism. No, no, no! We need to be far better students of the Spirit of Prophecy if we believe this.
During the 1901 General Conference session, changes were made in our constitution that Ellen White says heaven approved. One of the big issues was the office of General Conference president. Ellen White stated in 1896 that “It is not wise to choose one man as president of the General Conference (Testimonies to Ministers, p. 341).” She knew the church was becoming hierarchical, and instead of the Holy Spirit controlling the work, men were becoming the leaders. The brethren finally took action, and during the 1901 General Conference they set up a new constitution without a General Conference president. Ellen White noted, concerning the events of the conference, “If any people have reason to praise God, we have. Angels of God have been at work here (General Conference Bulletin, April 25, 1901).”
Sadly, this change only lasted two years. In 1903 a new constitution brought back the office of the General Conference president. From this meeting in Oakland, California, Ellen White went to St. Helena and with this backdrop wrote the testimony found in volume 8 of Testimonies for the Church, pages 247-251, entitled: “Shall We Be Found Wanting?” In this testimony, she makes it very clear that the church would have no free ride to heaven regardless of what it did and that the church would be judged and the decision was not already chosen or fixed into stone. Notice the wording of this firm testimony from God’s unflinching and uncompromising servant:
In the balances of the sanctuary the Seventh-day Adventist church is to be weighed. She will be judged by the privileges and advantages that she has had. If her spiritual experience does not correspond to the advantages that Christ, at infinite cost, has bestowed on her, if the blessings conferred have not qualified her to do the work entrusted to her, on her will be pronounced the sentence: “Found wanting.” By the light bestowed, the opportunities given, will she be judged.
Who can truthfully say: “Our gold is tried in the fire; our garments are unspotted by the world”? I saw our Instructor pointing to the garments of so-called righteousness. Stripping them off, He laid bare the defilement beneath. Then He said to me: “Can you not see how they have pretentiously covered up their defilement and rottenness of character? ‘How is the faithful city become an harlot!’ My Father’s house is made a house of merchandise, a place whence the divine presence and glory have departed! For this cause there is weakness, and strength is lacking (Testimonies for the Church, vol. 8, pp. 247, 251).”
In this testimony it is very clear that she is writing about the “visible” corporate Seventh-day Adventist Church. The church will be held accountable in direct proportion to the great light she has had. If her experience would not come up to the level of her light, she would be found wanting! Then she says that she “saw our [divine] Instructor,” Jesus himself, declaring that the once “faithful city” had “become an harlot!”
We are living almost one hundred six years since this testimony was written. Since time and place must be considered, let us ask ourselves: “Is the church more spiritual today than it was in 1903?” You may say, “We now number our members in the millions not just a few thousand.” This is true, but members of Catholicism number at the billion mark. You can say, “We have many great institutions” but so does the papacy. What have we done with the truth about God? It has been discarded as an old horse and buggy. What about our sanctuary doctrine and the nature of Christ? They have been sold to the evangelicals for an ecumenical mess of pottage. What about our stand on the Spirit of Prophecy? It can be taken when convenient or, better yet, forgotten.
In fact, as we review the three angels’ messages we can see that we have forsaken each part in greater or lesser degrees. Are we really accountable for this? Writing in volume 9 of Testimonies for the Church, Ellen White states:
In a special sense Seventh-day Adventists have been set in the world as watchmen and light bearers. To them has been entrusted the last warning for a perishing world. On them is shining wonderful light from the word of God. They have been given a work of the most solemn import--the proclamation of the first, second, and third angels’ messages. There is no other work of so great importance. They are to allow nothing else to absorb their attention.
The most solemn truths ever entrusted to mortals have been given us to proclaim to the world. The proclamation of these truths is to be our work. The world is to be warned, and God’s people are to be true to the trust committed to them (p. 19).
Adventism has the truth of the everlasting gospel entrusted to it. What have we done with it? There is a very large offshoot that claims to be the true church because they have a copyright on the name and will sue anyone who tries to use it, but according to the Bible and according to the Testimonies this offshoot is not and cannot be the true church. God still has a church, though! It is the Advent movement that holds onto the original platform of eternal truth. This movement has a purpose and mission:
The church is God’s appointed agency for the salvation of men. It was organized for service, and its mission is to carry the gospel to the world. From the beginning it has been God’s plan that through His church shall be reflected to the world His fullness and His sufficiency. The members of the church, those whom He has called out of darkness into His marvelous light, are to show forth His glory. The church is the repository of the riches of the grace of Christ; and through the church will eventually be made manifest, even to “the principalities and powers in heavenly places,” the final and full display of the love of God. Ephesians 3:10 (The Acts of the Apostles, p. 9).
Beloved, the corporate offshoot is in no position to cry against the harlot because they are sleeping in bed with her. They cannot proclaim God’s love in final and full display while teaching the trinity doctrine! Those who refuse to leave Babylon will finally be lost in its destruction. We can claim the corporate offshoot is not part of Babylon if we wish, but the evidence shows otherwise, and why should we try to live as close to the edge of Babylon as possible when we can follow the command of God and come out? Remember Lot’s wife! Allen Stump
*In February of 2000 it was report that the Adventist Church had spent fifteen years in dialog with the papacy concerning relations. In these talks both sides affirmed “a need to cultivate respect for each other and learn to understand each other.” According to a report given on the Adventism World News at that time, the dialogue was “conducted on the basis of partnership, care to uphold a full identity of both sides, as well as their autonomy and independence, in the spirit of mutual respect and Christian love, and in recognition of the ideals of tolerance and religious freedom.”
“For all nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication, and the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her (Revelation 18:3)”
See also:
Don't call the church babylon?
Let us make a name[Fallen Babylon] A prophecy on the General Conference
