"But avoid foolish questions, and genealogies, and contentions, and strivings about the law; for they are unprofitable and vain." Titus 3:9
"But foolish and unlearned questions avoid, knowing that they do gender strifes." 2 Timothy 2:23
"We shall meet those who allow their minds to wander into idle speculations about things of which nothing is said in the Word of God. . . . Study the truths that have been revealed." RH Feb. 5, 1901
"I think we must tell them to read and speak of the things that are plainly revealed. We have encouragement in the Word that if we walk humbly with God, we shall receive instruction. But prying curiosity is not to be encouraged. . . . We may answer foolish questions by saying, Wait, and we shall all know what is essential for us to know. Our salvation does not depend on side issues." Letter 58, 1900
"Strive not about words to no profit, but to the subverting of the hearers." 2 Timothy 2:14
"Neither give heed to fables and endless genealogies, which minister questions, rather than godly edifying which is in faith: so do." 1 Timothy 1:4
"Preach the word." 2 Timothy 4:2
"But we are warned against undue curiosity. 'Shun profane and vain babblings: for they will increase unto more ungodliness,' leading into paths of supposition and imagination, with which we have nothing to do. These are vain, unessential theories of human creation, which keep the mind dwelling upon nothingness. They have in them nothing sure or substantial." RH Feb. 5, 1901
"And although we may try to reason in regard to our Creator, how long He has had existence, where evil first entered into our world, and all these things, we may reason about them until we fall down faint and exhausted with the research when there is yet an infinity beyond." Sermons and Talks, Vol. 1, p. 65
"Christ shows them that, although they might reckon His life to be less than fifty years, yet His divine life could not be reckoned by human computation. The existence of Christ before His incarnation is not measured by figures." Ev 616
Thursday, April 24, 2014
Monday, April 21, 2014
Thinking to be Wiser Than God
Selections from The Great Controversy, pp. 521-524
"The whole Bible should be given to the people just as it reads."
"The Bible was designed to be a guide to all who wish to become acquainted with the will of their Maker. God gave to men the sure word of prophecy; angels and even Christ Himself came to make known to Daniel and John the things that must shortly come to pass. Those important matters that concern our salvation were not left involved in mystery. They were not revealed in such a way as to perplex and mislead the honest seeker after truth. Said the Lord by the prophet Habakkuk: 'Write the vision, and make it plain, . . . that he may run that readeth it.' Habakkuk 2:2. The word of God is plain to all who study it with a prayerful heart. Every truly honest soul will come to the light of truth."
"Men have endeavored to be wiser than their Creator; human philosophy has attempted to search out and explain mysteries which will never be revealed through the eternal ages. If men would but search and understand what God has made known of Himself and His purposes, they would obtain such a view of the glory, majesty, and power of Jehovah that they would realize their own littleness and would be content with that which has been revealed for themselves and their children."
"It is a masterpiece of Satan's deceptions to keep the minds of men searching and conjecturing in regard to that which God has not made known and which He does not intend that we shall understand. It was thus that Lucifer lost his place in heaven. He became dissatisfied because all the secrets of God's purposes were not confided to him, and he entirely disregarded that which was revealed concerning his own work in the lofty position assigned him. By arousing the same discontent in the angels under his command, he caused their fall. Now he seeks to imbue the minds of men with the same spirit and to lead them also to disregard the direct commands of God."
"Another dangerous error is the doctrine that denies the deity of Christ, claiming that He had no existence before His advent to this world. This theory is received with favor by a large class who profess to believe the Bible; yet it directly contradicts the plainest statements of our Saviour concerning His relationship with the Father, His divine character, and His pre-existence. It cannot be entertained without the most unwarranted wresting of the Scriptures. It not only lowers man's conceptions of the work of redemption, but undermines faith in the Bible as a revelation from God. . . . If men reject the testimony of the inspired Scriptures concerning the deity of Christ, it is in vain to argue the point with them."
"The whole Bible should be given to the people just as it reads."
"The Bible was designed to be a guide to all who wish to become acquainted with the will of their Maker. God gave to men the sure word of prophecy; angels and even Christ Himself came to make known to Daniel and John the things that must shortly come to pass. Those important matters that concern our salvation were not left involved in mystery. They were not revealed in such a way as to perplex and mislead the honest seeker after truth. Said the Lord by the prophet Habakkuk: 'Write the vision, and make it plain, . . . that he may run that readeth it.' Habakkuk 2:2. The word of God is plain to all who study it with a prayerful heart. Every truly honest soul will come to the light of truth."
"Men have endeavored to be wiser than their Creator; human philosophy has attempted to search out and explain mysteries which will never be revealed through the eternal ages. If men would but search and understand what God has made known of Himself and His purposes, they would obtain such a view of the glory, majesty, and power of Jehovah that they would realize their own littleness and would be content with that which has been revealed for themselves and their children."
"It is a masterpiece of Satan's deceptions to keep the minds of men searching and conjecturing in regard to that which God has not made known and which He does not intend that we shall understand. It was thus that Lucifer lost his place in heaven. He became dissatisfied because all the secrets of God's purposes were not confided to him, and he entirely disregarded that which was revealed concerning his own work in the lofty position assigned him. By arousing the same discontent in the angels under his command, he caused their fall. Now he seeks to imbue the minds of men with the same spirit and to lead them also to disregard the direct commands of God."
"Another dangerous error is the doctrine that denies the deity of Christ, claiming that He had no existence before His advent to this world. This theory is received with favor by a large class who profess to believe the Bible; yet it directly contradicts the plainest statements of our Saviour concerning His relationship with the Father, His divine character, and His pre-existence. It cannot be entertained without the most unwarranted wresting of the Scriptures. It not only lowers man's conceptions of the work of redemption, but undermines faith in the Bible as a revelation from God. . . . If men reject the testimony of the inspired Scriptures concerning the deity of Christ, it is in vain to argue the point with them."
Monday, April 14, 2014
The Closing Work
The Bible explains the closing work of Jesus in the heavenly sanctuary through a number of different expressions. This closing work is a significant focal point of Bible prophecy and of Christ's own teachings. Each one of the activities listed below describes the same process. It is a work that began at the end of prophetic history on October 22, 1844, and will conclude at the close of human probation when Jesus leaves the most holy place. Some Bible verses depict it as a singular event, perhaps even at a point in time after the fact, rather than expounding on the details of the process. That's because certain explanations only describe what is ultimately accomplished by the process, or its resulting product.
The Bible can correctly summarize the whole operation as a singe event because, as evidence indicates, the business was never intended to take much time. The measurement of prophetic time stopped in 1844. No set length of time was allotted for the closing work. It is a task to be accomplished, and as soon as it is done, Jesus will leave the sanctuary, probation will close, and the unrepentant will have no shelter.
Below are seven ways the Bible explains this closing work.
The Separation
Matthew 13:47-50 The Parable of the Net
Matthew 25:31-46 The Sheep and the Goats
The Harvest
Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43 The Wheat and the Tares
Revelation 14:14-20 The Two Harvests
Mark 4:26-29 The Harvest
The Sealing
Ezekiel 9:4 A Mark in the Forehead
Revelation 7:1-3 The Seal of the Living God
Revelation 14:1 The Father's name in the forehead
Revelation 22:11 Everyone's Condition is Fixed
The Wedding
Revelation 19:7-9 The Marriage of the Lamb
Luke 12:35, 36 The Wedding
Matthew 25:1-12 Meeting the Bridegroom
Matthew 22:1-14 The Wedding Garment
Revelation 3:4, 5, 18; 7:9, 13-15 White Raiment
The Kingdom Established
Revelation 11:15-17 The Seventh Trumpet
Daniel 2:34, 35, 44, 45 The Stone Mountain
Daniel 7:13, 14 The Son of Man Receives a Kingdom
Daniel 12:1 Michael Stands Up
Luke 19:12, 15 The Noble Who Receives a Kingdom
The Lawsuit
Romans 14:10-12 All Are Summoned
Daniel 7:9, 10 The Court Convenes
Revelation 14:6, 7 The International Press Release
Zechariah 3:1-5 The Plaintiff Brings Accusation
Revelation 4 & 5 The Jury and the Opening of the Depositions
Matthew 12:36, 37 The Evidence
Ecclesiastes 12:14 The Evidence
Romans 8:34 The Counsel for the Defense
Revelation 12:10, 11 The Verdict
The Cleansing of the Sanctuary
Hebrews 9 The Earthly and Heavenly Sanctuaries
Daniel 8:14 The Cleansing of the Sanctuary
Leviticus 16 The Day of Atonement
Revelation 11:1 Measuring the Temple, Altar, and Worshippers
Malachi 3:1-5, 16-18 The Lord Comes to His Temple
The Bible can correctly summarize the whole operation as a singe event because, as evidence indicates, the business was never intended to take much time. The measurement of prophetic time stopped in 1844. No set length of time was allotted for the closing work. It is a task to be accomplished, and as soon as it is done, Jesus will leave the sanctuary, probation will close, and the unrepentant will have no shelter.
Below are seven ways the Bible explains this closing work.
The Separation
Matthew 13:47-50 The Parable of the Net
Matthew 25:31-46 The Sheep and the Goats
The Harvest
Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43 The Wheat and the Tares
Revelation 14:14-20 The Two Harvests
Mark 4:26-29 The Harvest
Ezekiel 9:4 A Mark in the Forehead
Revelation 7:1-3 The Seal of the Living God
Revelation 14:1 The Father's name in the forehead
Revelation 22:11 Everyone's Condition is Fixed
The Wedding
Revelation 19:7-9 The Marriage of the Lamb
Luke 12:35, 36 The Wedding
Matthew 25:1-12 Meeting the Bridegroom
Matthew 22:1-14 The Wedding Garment
Revelation 3:4, 5, 18; 7:9, 13-15 White Raiment
The Kingdom Established
Revelation 11:15-17 The Seventh Trumpet
Daniel 2:34, 35, 44, 45 The Stone Mountain
Daniel 7:13, 14 The Son of Man Receives a Kingdom
Daniel 12:1 Michael Stands Up
Luke 19:12, 15 The Noble Who Receives a Kingdom
The Lawsuit
Romans 14:10-12 All Are Summoned
Daniel 7:9, 10 The Court Convenes
Revelation 14:6, 7 The International Press Release
Revelation 4 & 5 The Jury and the Opening of the Depositions
Matthew 12:36, 37 The Evidence
Ecclesiastes 12:14 The Evidence
Romans 8:34 The Counsel for the Defense
Revelation 12:10, 11 The Verdict
The Cleansing of the Sanctuary
Hebrews 9 The Earthly and Heavenly Sanctuaries
Daniel 8:14 The Cleansing of the Sanctuary
Leviticus 16 The Day of Atonement
Revelation 11:1 Measuring the Temple, Altar, and Worshippers
Malachi 3:1-5, 16-18 The Lord Comes to His Temple
Sunday, March 9, 2014
The Kings of the North and South
Note:
Since writing this post, I have been able to learn more about the transition to Rome in Daniel 11. The relevant impact of that information shows up in two of my more recent posts:
Daniel 11:16 (September 17, 2018)
Testing Daniel 11:16-22 (August 30, 2018).
For the entire chapter laid out with the pronouns identified, you may be interested in the book, Daniel and Revelation Bound Together, available at BibleProphecyCentral.com.
Daniel 11 is not so much about kingdoms as it is the story of individual rulers and their exploits. No other chapter gives so much detail on such a large span of history. And it was all foretold long before it ever happened!
Here I have posted the part of Daniel 11 that presents the kings of the north and south. I have supplied the names of the individuals most likely referred to, either replacing the pronouns with a name, or inserting a name in brackets. To establish the setting, I begin with verse 1, although the kings of the north and south don't appear until verse 5.
Since writing this post, I have been able to learn more about the transition to Rome in Daniel 11. The relevant impact of that information shows up in two of my more recent posts:
Daniel 11:16 (September 17, 2018)
Testing Daniel 11:16-22 (August 30, 2018).
For the entire chapter laid out with the pronouns identified, you may be interested in the book, Daniel and Revelation Bound Together, available at BibleProphecyCentral.com.
Daniel 11 is not so much about kingdoms as it is the story of individual rulers and their exploits. No other chapter gives so much detail on such a large span of history. And it was all foretold long before it ever happened!
Here I have posted the part of Daniel 11 that presents the kings of the north and south. I have supplied the names of the individuals most likely referred to, either replacing the pronouns with a name, or inserting a name in brackets. To establish the setting, I begin with verse 1, although the kings of the north and south don't appear until verse 5.
1 Also I [Gabriel] in the first year of Darius
the Mede, even I, stood to confirm and to strengthen him.
2 And
now will I shew thee the truth. Behold, there shall stand up yet three kings [Cambyses II, Smerdis, Darius I] in
Persia; and the fourth [Xerxes]
shall be far richer than they all: and by his strength through his riches he
shall stir up all against the realm of Grecia.
3 And
a mighty king [Alexander the Great]
shall stand up, that shall rule with great dominion, and do according to his
will.
4 And
when he shall stand up, his kingdom shall be broken, and shall be divided
toward the four winds of heaven; and not to his posterity, nor according to his
dominion which he ruled: for his kingdom shall be plucked up, even for others
beside those.
5 And
the king of the south [Ptolemy I Soter]
shall be strong, and one of Alexander’s
princes [Seleucus I Nicator]; and Seleucus I Nicator shall be strong
above Ptolemy I Soter, and have
dominion; his dominion shall be a great dominion.
6 And
in the end of years they shall join themselves together; for the king's [Ptolemy II Philadelphus] daughter [Berenice] of the south shall come to
the king of the north [Antiochus II
Theos] to make an agreement: but she shall not retain the power of the arm;
neither shall he stand, nor his arm: but she shall be given up, and they that
brought her, and he that begat her, and he that strengthened her in these
times.
7 But
out of a branch of her roots shall one [Ptolemy
III Euergetes] stand up in his estate, which shall come with an army, and
shall enter into the fortress of the king of the north [Seleucus II Callinicus], and shall deal against them, and shall
prevail:
8 And
shall also carry captives into Egypt their gods, with their princes, and with
their precious vessels of silver and of gold; and Ptolemy III Euergetes shall continue more years than the king of
the north [Seleucus II Callinicus].
9 Also the king of the north [Seleucus II Callinicus] shall come to the kingdom of the king of the south [Ptolemy III Euergetes], but shall return to his own land.
10 But
Seleucus II Callinicus’ sons [Seleucus III Ceraunus and Antiochus III Magnus] shall be stirred
up, and shall assemble a multitude of great forces: and one [Antiochus III Magnus] shall certainly
come, and overflow, and pass through: then shall he return, and be stirred up,
even to his fortress.
11 And
the king of the south [Ptolemy IV
Philopator] shall be moved with choler, and shall come forth and fight with
Antiochus III Magnus, even with the
king of the north: and Antiochus III
Magnus shall set forth a great multitude; but the multitude shall be given
into Ptolemy IV Philopator’s hand.
12 And
when Ptolemy IV Philopator hath
taken away the multitude, his heart shall be lifted up; and he shall cast down
many ten thousands: but he shall not be strengthened by it.
13 For
the king of the north [Antiochus III
Magnus] shall return, and shall set forth a multitude greater than the
former, and shall certainly come after certain years with a great army and with
much riches.
14 And in those times there shall many stand up
against the king of the south [Ptolemy V
Epiphanes]: also the robbers of thy people shall exalt themselves to
establish the vision; but they shall fall.
15 So the king of the north [Antiochus III Magnus] shall come, and
cast up a mount, and take the most fenced cities: and the arms of the south
shall not withstand, neither his chosen people, neither shall there be any
strength to withstand.
[At this point, the focus of Gabriel’s
narration shifts to the West. Except for a brief appearance of the king of the
South in verse 25, the kings of the North and South are not seen again
until “the time of the end.” We now pick up
the continuation of their story in verse 40. For the West in Daniel 11:16-39, see my November 7, 2013 post.]
40 And at the time of the end shall the king of
the south [Murad Bey] push at Napoleon Bonaparte: and the king of the
north [Sultan Selim III] shall come
against Bonaparte like a whirlwind, with chariots, and with horsemen, and with many
ships; and he shall enter into the countries, and shall overflow and pass over.
41 He shall enter also into the glorious land, and many countries shall
be overthrown: but these shall escape out of his hand, even Edom, and Moab, and
the chief of the children of Ammon.
42 He shall stretch forth his hand also upon the countries: and the land
of Egypt shall not escape.
43 But he shall have power over the treasures of gold and of silver, and
over all the precious things of Egypt: and the Libyans and the Ethiopians shall
be at his steps.
44 But tidings out of the east and out of the
north shall trouble Sultan Abdulmecid I: therefore he shall go forth with great
fury to destroy, and utterly to make away many.
45 And a
yet to be determined king of the north shall plant the tabernacles of his
palace between the seas in the glorious holy mountain; yet he shall come to his
end, and none shall help him.
[I used the New King James Version in verse 9. Everything else is from the King James Version.]
[I used the New King James Version in verse 9. Everything else is from the King James Version.]
Sunday, March 2, 2014
How to Know God
1. Fill your mind daily with God's word.
2. Totally give Him your heart.
3. Learn to pray as Jesus prayed.
4. Live to bring others to Him.
"It is in doing Christ's work that the church has the promise of His presence. Go teach all nations, He said; 'and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world.' To take His yoke is one of the first conditions of receiving His power. The very life of the church depends upon her faithfulness in fulfilling the Lord's commission. To neglect this work is surely to invite spiritual feebleness and decay. Where there is no active labor for others, love wanes, and faith grows dim." DA 825
2. Totally give Him your heart.
3. Learn to pray as Jesus prayed.
4. Live to bring others to Him.
"It is in doing Christ's work that the church has the promise of His presence. Go teach all nations, He said; 'and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world.' To take His yoke is one of the first conditions of receiving His power. The very life of the church depends upon her faithfulness in fulfilling the Lord's commission. To neglect this work is surely to invite spiritual feebleness and decay. Where there is no active labor for others, love wanes, and faith grows dim." DA 825
Wednesday, February 12, 2014
God's Word
Here's a poem I wrote on April 24, 1978. It's one of those papers I've been lugging around for over thirty years, thinking that someday I would do something with it. Well, I finally got around to it. I reworked it a bit today and believe it's ready to be published. It worked out so that each of the five verses has exactly sixteen syllables. See if you can figure out what I'm talking about in each verse. To how much of the Bible's story does the poem allude?
God's Word
God’s Word,
In the beginning,
Called forth light,
And life,
And existence.
God’s Word,
Fingered in stone,
Timeless code,
Spells out love,
And bares the
soul.
God’s Word,
Becoming flesh,
Walking with men,
Living love,
Paid the price.
God’s Word,
Leather-bound,
Lamp and sword,
Nourishing the
soul,
Arms the fight.
God’s Word,
In my heart,
Holy flame,
Kindles love,
And radiates life.
Sunday, February 9, 2014
Impulses Changed
(The words in bold may be understood as synonymous.)
"Fear to speak at random, fear to follow your own impulses." OHC 91
"Those who profess to serve God and yet indulge their natural impulses will mislead other souls." YSRP 33
"In order to be overcomers, there must be in our lives no petting of fleshly inclinations." 6BC 1112
"Without the transforming process which can come alone through divine power, the original propensities to sin are left in the heart in all their strength, to forge new chains, to impose a slavery that can never be broken by human power." Ev 192
"While we yield ourselves as instruments for the Holy Spirit's working, the grace of God works in us to deny old inclinations, to overcome powerful propensities, and to form new habits." COL 354
"For we are to do service for God in ways that are not in harmony with inborn inclination." 8T 314
"As we partake of the divine nature, hereditary and cultivated tendencies to wrong are cut away from the character, and we are made a living power for good." Maranatha, p. 225
"When the Holy Spirit cooperates with the powers of the human mind, high, holy impulses are the sure result." 8T 65
"The leaven of truth works secretly, silently, steadily, to transform the soul. The natural inclinations are softened and subdued. New thoughts, new feelings, new motives, are implanted. A new standard of character is set up - the life of Christ. The mind is changed; the faculties are roused to action in new lines. Man is not endowed with new faculties, but the faculties he has are sanctified. The conscience is awakened. We are endowed with traits of character that enable us to do service for God." COL 98, 99
"We need not retain one sinful propensity." Maranatha, p. 225
"The completeness of Christian character is attained when the impulse to help and bless others springs constantly from within." AA 551
"And if we consent, He will so identify Himself with our thoughts and aims, so blend our hearts and minds into conformity to His will, that when obeying Him we shall be but carrying out our own impulses. The will, refined and sanctified, will find its highest delight in doing His service. When we know God as it is our privilege to know Him, our life will be a life of continual obedience. Through an appreciation of the character of Christ, through communion with God, sin will become hateful to us." DA 668
"When we love the world as He has loved it, then for us His mission is accomplished. We are fitted for heaven; for we have heaven in our hearts." DA 641
"When the character of Christ shall be perfectly reproduced in His people, then He will come to claim them as His own." COL 69
"Fear to speak at random, fear to follow your own impulses." OHC 91
"Those who profess to serve God and yet indulge their natural impulses will mislead other souls." YSRP 33
"In order to be overcomers, there must be in our lives no petting of fleshly inclinations." 6BC 1112
"Without the transforming process which can come alone through divine power, the original propensities to sin are left in the heart in all their strength, to forge new chains, to impose a slavery that can never be broken by human power." Ev 192
"While we yield ourselves as instruments for the Holy Spirit's working, the grace of God works in us to deny old inclinations, to overcome powerful propensities, and to form new habits." COL 354
"For we are to do service for God in ways that are not in harmony with inborn inclination." 8T 314
"As we partake of the divine nature, hereditary and cultivated tendencies to wrong are cut away from the character, and we are made a living power for good." Maranatha, p. 225
"When the Holy Spirit cooperates with the powers of the human mind, high, holy impulses are the sure result." 8T 65
"The leaven of truth works secretly, silently, steadily, to transform the soul. The natural inclinations are softened and subdued. New thoughts, new feelings, new motives, are implanted. A new standard of character is set up - the life of Christ. The mind is changed; the faculties are roused to action in new lines. Man is not endowed with new faculties, but the faculties he has are sanctified. The conscience is awakened. We are endowed with traits of character that enable us to do service for God." COL 98, 99
"We need not retain one sinful propensity." Maranatha, p. 225
"The completeness of Christian character is attained when the impulse to help and bless others springs constantly from within." AA 551
"And if we consent, He will so identify Himself with our thoughts and aims, so blend our hearts and minds into conformity to His will, that when obeying Him we shall be but carrying out our own impulses. The will, refined and sanctified, will find its highest delight in doing His service. When we know God as it is our privilege to know Him, our life will be a life of continual obedience. Through an appreciation of the character of Christ, through communion with God, sin will become hateful to us." DA 668
"When we love the world as He has loved it, then for us His mission is accomplished. We are fitted for heaven; for we have heaven in our hearts." DA 641
"When the character of Christ shall be perfectly reproduced in His people, then He will come to claim them as His own." COL 69
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