Sabbath WATCHMAN

Sabbath

WATCH MANOfficial Organ of the Seventh-day Adventist Reformed Church, American Union

Vol.44, No.4August 1969

STANDARO F1J8

Rev, 18:1

“These are they which follow the Lamb whitherso everHe goeth.” Rev. 14:4. “. . . He that followeth [We shallnot walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.”John 8:12.

HRISTIANS, so-called followers of Christ, numberuntold millions and are divided into hundreds ofchurches, denominations, sects and organizations.

The sign of the cross, the emblem of Christianity, isfound throughout the world in nearly every church ofthe Christian religion. To all appearances, the words ofthe Roman emperor, “Galilean, thou hast conquered!”seem drastically fulfilled.

And yet the all-seeing eye of the Christian Church’sFounder, Christ Himself, pierces through the sham ofmere profession and addresses His true followers asonly a “little flock.”

The dividing line

Where is the dividing line that separates the untoldmillions of mere professors from the small remnant oftrue followers? The above Scriptures pinpoint it precisely. True followers do not follow the Lamb onlyoccasionally, but they follow Him “whithersoever” Hegoeth. The word “whithersoever” indicates that theyfollow Him in any direction He might choose to leadthem. They follow in His steps, whether the road besmooth at times or rugged, down or up, in the darkness orthrough the blazing sunlight, through nerve-racking difficulties and afflictions or happy days of tranquility;yes, even through death and the tomb, if this is whereChrist leads them. And when He says, “Rejoice and beexceeding glad,” and His angels proclaim to Bethlehem’sshepherds, “Behold, I bring you good tidings of greatjoy” (Luke 2:10), the same Christ does not contradictHimself when He says, “If any man will come after Me,let him. . . take up his cross, and follow Me.” Matt.16:24.

Cross bearing — by faith

This makes it clear that ‘4cross bearing” is a veryvital part of following Christ. He made this certain whenHe said: “And he that taketh NOT his cross, andfolloweth after Me, is not worthy of Me.” Matt. 10:38.This denotes that such a one is not worthy, or noteligible, to carry the name Christian. Of those who, inspite of this plain statement, will carry Christ’s name,

He says in Matt. 7:22, 23: “Many will say to Me in thatday, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Thy name(Christ’s)? and in Thy name cast out devils? and in Thyname done many wonderful works? And then will Iprofess unto them, I never knew you: depart from Me, yethat work iniquity.’

Then let us follow Jesus all the way. But how canwe? Has He not left the earth and gone completely outof sight? We have no visible contact with Him anywhere.But, you will say, You have to believe on Him in faith—in faith which is the “evidence of things not seen.”Heb. 11:1. Is not the whole Christian religion based onfaith? And this is not following blindly, without reasonor with unjustifiable, unintelligent assumption. Proofsestablishing a conviction for faith are so abundant thatno human being has any legitimate reason for being anagnostic or unbeliever today.

A perfect example—our Sin Bearer

There has never been anyone on earth besides Jesusof Nazareth who lived a perfect life. He challenged Hiscritics, saying, “Which of you convinceth Me of sin?”John 8:46. VIe have others who lived righteous lives afterthe power of God sanctified their characters; but nonelike Jesus, who never committed a sin. What a wonderfulexample to follow! Let us pick up His trail from the dayHe began His public ministry, when John pointed to Himand said: “Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away(or beareth, marg.) the sin of the world.” John 1:29.

For about 4,000, years He who was “slain from thefoundation of the world” had taken all the guilt of repentent sinners upon Himself. On the great atonement dayHe appeared in the Holy Shekinah above the mercy seatof the Most Holy in the tabernacle and received from thehigh priest the blood sacrifice, the payment for sins committed. When He came to the Jordan, John with enlightened eyes saw in Him the true sacrificial Lamb of Godwhich carried the accumulated sins of bygone ages.

And so Christ aimed for the cross. There He must payfor the guilty race, and He went forward with a fixedpurpose. Satan no doubt knew of God’s design, andoften he attempted to dispose of the Son of God beforethe cross, but each time he failed.

Let us in the imagination of faith visualize and followHim, the world’s Redeemer, the night before His lastordeal, when He agonized in Gethsemane. Yes, therewere His followers, and we can imagine that we were one

FRONTI SPIECE

2 THE SABBATH WATCHMAN

of them. Yes, we too are perhaps tired like the discipleswere. 0, sure, we love the Lord. We might even speaklike Peter, “I will not deny Thee in any wise,” (Mark14:3 1.) — easily said, until actually tested. Then webegin to realize how weak we really are. Instead offollowing Jesus, we shrink back from persecution.

MY cross, MY suffering

A day later we see Jesus bearing His heavy cross andfainting under the burden. That cross was MY cross, notHis. 1 was supposed to bear it, for I am the guilty one,not He! Did Simon of Cyrene, perhaps, realize what hewas doing? 0 what a privilege was his—carrying thecross of Jesus, which actually was MY cross!

As we follow Jesus further, we see Him outstretchedon the cross. That was MY place not His. I was to benailed there with those cruel spikes. 0, what pain Heendured! And it was MY pain that He bore. And thenthat awful moment when the uplifted cross was thrustinto the hole; the weight of the body tore those terriblewounds. Yes, this too should have been MY pain, MYtorture. Said the Apostle, “I am crucified with Christ,”(Gal. 2:20) and “Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with Him.” Rom. 6:6. He took our place; He tookour pain; He took our guilt. 0, what love; what incomprehensible love! All heaven stood amazed seeing theInnocent suffer for the guilty. And there was one whopicked up the trail of Jesus, following Him—the thief onthe cross. This foreshadows our position—crucified withHim, dying with Him.

My grave, my new life

Then they carried Him to the grave. That, too, wasMY place, not His, for “every soul that sinneth, it shalldie,” and “The wages of sin is death.” But God madeHis Son “to be sin for us, who knew no sin,” (2 Cor. 5:21)in order to “take away our sins, and in Him is no sin.”1 John 3:5.

But He arose, triumphant over death and the grave.The great Life-giver conquered the Prince of Death,Satan. So we, too, are to walk in “newness of life,”resurrected with Christ, never to die again. We arebaptized into His death, and we rise out of the waterygrave to begin a new life with Him.

We also follow Him as He bade farewell to His disciples at Bethany, taking the triumphal first-fruits, thoseresurrected with Him, to heaven. What a glorious reception He received from the angels and the EverlastingFather.

Now my High Priest

Then we follow Him as He enters the heavenly sanctuary. “Now of the things which we have spoken this isthe sum: We have such an High Priest, who is set on theright hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens; aminister of the sanctuary, and of the true tabernacle,which the Lord pitched, and not man.” Heb. 8:1,2. On

Patmos John the beloved saw the Son of Man walkingamong the seven candlesticks (Rom. 1:12), which indicates clearly that in about A.D. 100 Jesus was still inthe first compartment, the holy place in heaven. Justas the high priest served in the first section of thetabernacle during the year, along with the 24 priests(1 Chron. 24:4, 19), so in heaven we find Jesus servingwith the 24 elders (Rev. 4:4) in the first part, the holyplace.

The earthly sanctuary was surrounded by the people’scourt, which was the place of assembly for God’s people.There is no such court found in heaven. “But the courtwhich is without the temple leave out, and measure itnot; for it is given unto the Gentiles Rev. 11:2.This earth is the abode of the Gentiles, from whencetheir prayers arise to the heavenly sanctuary. Up to thispoint, we have followed Jesus as He stands there working in our behalf. The angels have kept a faithful recordof all transgressions against the divine law and also ofevery victory won in the sanctified life. For nearly6,000 years, the records have, accumulated the guilt ofthe human race and defiled the heavenly sanctuary. Andnow here Jesus stands, the Lamb of God, to plead Hisblood before His Father in our behalf.

There is no doubt that the Father was present in thefirst compartment, the holy place, all during the Christiandispensation and that at the end of the 2,300 year-daysHe arose to enter the Most Holy place. There “thethrones were cast down (placed), and the Ancient of daysdid sit,. . .“ in judgment. Dan. 7:9. “And the temple ofGod was opened in heaven, and there was seen in Histemple the ark of His testament: . . .“ Rev. 11:19. Thiswas noteworthy enough to be placed in Holy Writ.

Into the Most Holy

And now we follow Jesus, the Sin-Bearer, as He leavesthe holy place to go into the Most Holy. “I saw in thenight visions, and, behold, one like the Son of man camewith the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient ofdays, and they brought Him near before Him.” Dan. 7:13.

Are you now following Him in spirit into the Most HolyPlace? Is your mind set to follow Him whithersoever He,the Lamb of God, leads you? Also, are you aware—fullyaware—of what is going on in heaven right now? Haveyou trained your thoughts on this focal, all-importantpoint? Are you awake to the fact that your name or minemay be called at any moment, and this will be a decisionfor your eternal life or everlasting death?

I am afraid that often our hearts are so engrossed withthe things of daily life that, speaking in percentages, wemay not even think of this fact a fraction of the day. Isthis walking in faith? Are we not unbalanced in ourthinking? Either we are in the investigative judgmentnow or we are not. If we are—which you believe—thensomething ought to be done in our lives.

How can I forget that Jesus is carrying His life bloodTo page 19

August 1969 3

1yse2d

go“. .. And they that were ready went in u.:ith Him to the

marriage: and the door was shut.” Matt0 25:100

greatest, most far-reaching event of all timesstands right in front of the door—it is the coming ofour Lord Jesus Christ0 This event will shatter all

the dreams of the world and will put an unexpected endto all the commotion, suffering and selfish striving ofmankind0 Traditionally all Christians in every age havewith great longing looked forward to this moment, becauseit signified to them the hour of liberation and the beginning of life eternaL In this sense all true Christianshave been Adventists, a people waiting for the coming oftheir Saviour0 God’s people in the present time alsobear the name Adventist, indicating that their hopes andexpectations culminate in the second Advent of Christ0

It was in the first half of the 19th century that thismessage of Christ’s imminent return was preached withgreat urgency by William Miller and his co-workers0“His mother was a woman of sterling piety, and inchildhood, he had been subject to religious impressions0”However, in early manhood “he was thrown into thesociety of deists0 ; by association with these men, hewas led to adopt their sentiments.” —Great Controversy,p0 318 But now Miller was led by the Holy Spirit tosearch the Scriptures and found in the prophecies ofDaniel a time reckoning which greatly fascinated him0On the basis of his deep study, he boldly began to preachthat the end of the world would come in the year 1844w

The message of the first angel mentioned in Revelation

14, “Fear God, and give glory to Him: for the hour of

His judgment is come,” was his special burden0 The

power of God convinced many people in the popularchurches that this message was divine truth, and theweight of logic and the sense of urgency led many thou

sands to embrace this truth0 William Miller pointed out

the time, the need, and the preparation for Jesus’ comingagain, and the great revival of those days is still aremarkable memory0

But since those earnest days many years have slippedpast us into eternity0 A terrible disappointment wastheir fate; and yet, seemingly from the ruins, from thehandful of faithful ones who refused to discard theprophecies, a new, divinely guided movement came to

life: The Advent movement0 Adventists today believethat this was all in God’s plan, that the disappointmentweeded out the elements that embraced the messagefrom fear but were not sanctified by the truth0 Theystill believe, on this very same basis, that Christ’scoming is imminent and that they should urgently preachthe good news and prepare themselves for this greatevent0 However, when we look around us at the ranks ofSeventh-day Adventists today, we see that some of theurgency has ebbed away and a definite drowsiness hascaptured the mood of the people0 They seem to havebecome comfortable and on good terms with the worldaround them0 Their actions seem to say: My Lord delayeth His coming0 Yes, 0 the bridegroom tarried,they all slumbered and slept0” The church that professes to be anxiously waiting for the coming of theirRedeemer is delaying the coming of her Lord because ofher spiritual indolence0 We know that if the church wereready today, the Lord would come this very day0

The preparedness of the church is the great imperativeneed of the moment0 ‘i., 0. It is high time to awake outof sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than when webelieved0 The night is far spent, the day is at hand:let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and letus put on the armour of light0” Rom0 13:11,12.

BeYe

APARABLE OF THE VIRGINS.

iwaD1)

By M. P0 Ringelberg


The present tense is the only truly important time fora Christian, No matter how marvelous, instructive orglorious the past may be, it can never be recalled,repaired or relived0 Likewise, the future lies beyond ourgrasp0 It does not matter how hopeful, how promising orglittering the prospects may be, they always lie one stepahead of us; and the beckoning benefits and blessings ofthe future remain untouchable until they enter into thepresent,

How different it is with the present tense! Today isthe time when I can put my plans into action; it is todaythat I can incorporate the lessons of the past; todayopportunity opens up before me its enticing portals, Theconcept of the value of the present is a theme upon whichmany Bible writers have dwelt, The author of Hebrewsstates: “To day if ye will hear His voice, harden notyour hearts, as in the provocation,” Heb, 3:15, AndHosea proclaims: “, ,It is time to seek the Lord,,,,”Hosea 10: 12 The secret of success in any line of work,be it material or spiritual, lies in being prepared for anyemergency, crisis or opportunity that might arise., Thisformula for success holds especially true in our Christianwarfare, Be ye always ready! Although the Lord Jesusstill tarries, it is our duty to be constantly ready, “Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye thinknot the Son of man cometh,” Matt, 24:44

The time of the end

From our understanding of the present truth, we recognize that we are living in the last time0 When the periodindicated by Daniel’s prophecies expired in 1844, it wasdeclared that there would be time no longer0 Hence weare living in a time of grace—borrowed time—and no oneknows how much time is still granted to us. The last,final decisions concerning the fate of mankind are beingmade right now at this present time, Humanity is dividing itself right before our eyes into two camps: thosewho are rejecting God, His laws and His love, and thosewho are searching for Him as the solution to their problems, This time is a time of judgment, of shaking andsifting, and of painstaking investigation0 And then whenthis work of examining every record is over, the door ofmercy will shut forever; and no appeal can be made tothe heavenly court0 The time is now to make our callingand election sure0

The signs of the time of the end are all around for usto see0 Prophecies are being fulfilled now before ourvery eyes0 In this fast-moving world in which a flood ofimpressions is presented to our minds in such rapidsuccession, we are apt to overlook some of the apparentlyinsignificant indications of the imminent return of ourSaviour, Thus we are in danger of regarding as normalthe signs in the pollution of the air we breathe and thewater we drink, in the food shortages, in the revolutionsand wars all around the globe, in the many strange diseases, draughts and floods, in the religious, political,and economic world, and in the moral decline of the peo

pie. But they are not normal; God is speaking a clearlanguage for all men to hear and understand.

The ecumenical movement has been gaining momentumin many countries and in many forms, and now today itseems only a short step to the final phases of intoleranceand persecution of God’s people0 But, dear brother andsister, dear young man and woman, when these laststorms break loose over our heads and the satanic agencies are combined in hellish fury to destroy the irritatingremnant that holds on to truth no matter what may come,it will be too late to get ready for the battle. Our time ofopportunity and preparation is now!

Right now we are still savoring the sweet moments ofgrace and the calm before the storm0 The angel of mercyhas not yet left this terrestrial bail, and the tour angelswho are commissioned to hold back the four winds ofdestruction are still doing so0 Today the Holy Spirit ispleading with sin-hardened people, praying for seekingsouls, working in the hearts of men, convicting, andconvincing0 When His work is finally done, the awfulsentence will be pronounced: “He that is unjust, lethim be unjust still: and he which is filthy, let him befilthy still: he that is righteous, let him be righteousstill: and he that is holy, let him be holy still0” Rev, 22:110 Truly this is a time of great importance0 Thereforebe ye always ready’

How to be always ready

The efficiency of an army depends upon its readiness0In order to keep the personnel in a high state of readiness, constant exercise, check-ups and drill are necessary0 The physical condition of the soldier, as well ashis equipment, must be able to respond to every emergency at a moment’s notice0 If the world knows how toachieve such a state of readiness for the purpose ofdestroying life, we can learn some lessons from thisfact in order to be prepared to save life0

The apostle Paul admonishes Titus: “Put them inmind to be subject to principalities and powers, to obeymagistrates, to be ready to every good work0” Titus 3:1This is the very purpose for which God has called Hischildren from this dark, forbidding world to the wonderfullight, so that “by your good works, which they shallbehold, (they may) glorify God in the day of thy visitation0” 1 Pet, 2: 12, marg,

The church is to be a light to those in darkness; itsmembers must be ready to hear, speak, and reach ahelping hand, ready to sacrifice and follow carefully inthe footsteps of their Saviour, even if the way may leadto a cross0

Ready to hear

Each letter to the seven churches in Revelationcloses with the admonition: “He that hath an ear, lethim hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches0” Ofcourse the Spirit of God does not merely refer to thesense of hearing, nor merely the organ of the ear; it goes

August 1969 5

deeper than that and involves more, To hear means toperceive, interpret, and evaluate the message that comesto us, When Moses instructed the people to gather tohear the law read, he said: “Gather the people together,men, and women, and children, and thy stranger that iswithin thy gates, that they may hear, and that they maylearn, and fear the Lord your God, and observe to do allthe words of this law,” Deut, 31:12,

Hearing is the first step in a process which shouldlead to action, The history of God’s people in the pastwould have been much different had they been willingnot only to listen but to hear; that, is to accept thewarnings, admonitions and instruction for their ownwelfare,

How ready are God’s present people to hear? Howready are our youth to listen and benefit from the experience of their elders? How much of the present day’surgency is penetrating their consciences and prickingtheir hearts with a sense of guilt and alarm lest they also.might be too late and finally lost?

The world around us and the spiritual forces in theair are making a concerted assault upon the fortress ofthe mind. One of their tactics is sound, Some soundsare shatteringly loud, benumbing the senses; some,calculatingly soft, catching, sweet and bewitching,engaging the imagination and leading it captive. Certainly there is much to hear in this modern world, Newdoctrines, new standards of conduct, new codes ofmorality, and voices of rebellion and anarchy sound allaround; eloquent sermons on hatred and violence arebeing preached and listened to, All these voices inBabylonian disarray very easily drown out God’s stillsmall voice when it stirs our consciences and directs uswhich way we should go,

Have we, as God’s people today, always been ready tohear? This is a searching question, Or are we alsocaught up in the whirl of the times which is sweepingmankind toward eternity in a drugged, half-asleep condition, unaware of the time and need?

Ready to speak

“But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and beready always to give an answer to every man that askethyou a reason of the hope that is in you with meeknessand fear,” 1 Pet,3:15, The reason why God has calleda people in the world to be His chosen people is so thatthey will testify of Him, The church and each individualmember should always be ready to speak up for theirLord and Master,

“, , Unless the members of God’s church today have aliving connection with the Source of all spiritual growth,they will not be ready for the time of reaping,

“Those only who are constantly receiving fresh supplies of grace, will have power proportionate to theirdaily needs and their ability to use that power, Insteadof looking forward to some future time when, through aspecial endowment of spiritual power, they will receive a

miraculous fitting up for soul-winning, they are yieldingthemselves daily to God, that He may make them vesselsmeet for His use, Daily they are improving the opportunities for service that lie within their reach, Dailythey are witnessing for the Master wherever they may be,whether in some humble sphere of labor in the home, orin a public field of usefulness” —Acts of the Apostles,p, 55,

No matter how risky or dangerous the prospect maybe, “So, as much as in me is, I am ready to preach thegospel to you that are at Rome also,” Rom, 1:15 Thiswas the courageous resolve of the apostle Paul, He didnot shy away from duty even in the face of death, Hewas always ready,

A Christian who is more eloquent in the things of thisworld than in giving a testimony for God or presenttruth when it is required should earnestly examine hissense of values, Very likely he will find that he is toocomfortably settled in this perishing world and his mindand interests are focused mainly on the earthly realm,

There is a special reward for us when we activelylabor for souls, In so doing we may save our own, Beye therefore always ready to speak for your Lord andMaster.

Ready to go

Total commitment is required of a Christian; otherwisehe will fall short of entering heaven, The Bible givesus some striking examples of complete dedication.After Jesus had called the twelve disciples, He sentthem forth, commanding them to preach that the kingdomof God was at hand, This timely message is also presenttruth for these last days, God wants to have a peoplewilling to leave their ease, pull up their stakes, leavefather and mother, relatives and family, and go forth withthe glad tidings that Jesus is soon to return to thisearth, The burden of their message is: Be ye thereforeready to meet the Lord,

When Jesus halted that fateful day beside the boat ofSimon Peter and his brother Andrew, He quietly calledthem, saying: “Follow Me, and I will make you fishersof men, And they straightway left their nets, and followed Him,” Matt,4:19,20, I am sure that Peter andAndrew had not the faintest idea what they were gettinginto, but they were ready to go and leave their families,livelihood, boat and property and follow Him, They didnot ask any questions and did not demand that He drawup a legal contract stating their duties and their remuneration for services performed They simply obeyed thecall and went, This account never fails to move meWhat faith and trust speak out of these simple verses!

It is of the utmost importance that Christians learn tofollow whithersoever the Lord may lead, The Christianwho has learned this lesson and conscientiously followsevery call of the Lord with the words of preparedness:“Here am I, Lord, send me” will naturally be ready


when the last trumpet calls all believers to meet theirLord in the air

If there ever were any misgivings or doubt about thesoon coming of Christ, there cannot be any now Themassive shadow of doom glides menacingly over theearth People cannot but notice that something portentous is about to happen, but they do not know what.

Their hearts are failing because of the fear of things thatare coming

How different it is with those who are ready for Hiscoming With uplifted heads they await His appearancewith joy and gtadness They are ready to go with theLamb whithersoever He goeth” May this be true ofeveryone who reads these lines is my prayer

NEWS from HOMEand ABROAD

“Unto Thee, 0 God, do we givethanks, unto Thee do we give thanks:for that Thy name is near thy wondrousworks declare.

“Thy way, 0 God, is in thetuary: who is so great a God as our God?Thou art the God that doest wonders:Thou hast declared Thy strength amongthe people.” Psalm 75:1; 77:13, 14.

JJEAR BELIEVERS and friends of thetruth, we remember you in love with

this report from Africa. Above all, wewish to thank the Lord that He has keptus in all our ways.

Since our last missionary report fromAfrica, we have made wonderful andglorious experiences with the Lord. Asthe children of God we are like onefamily, and we are glad to share our joyand sorrow with one another. Who is sogreat a God that declares His strengthamong the people? It is sad indeed thatthese miracles are so seldom seen by thegeneration now living. Man of today,alienated from God, is so taken up withsensationalism, heart transplants, spacetravel, and many more things, that he hasforgotten his Maker. But we are glad andthankful that in all the confusion ofpresent-day humanity there are stillsouls acknowledging the wonders of Godand accepting Him as the Creator,Redeemer, and returning Saviour.

In this great continent of Africa, withits many contrasts, dangers, revolutions,etc., it is becoming increasingly difficult to lead souls to the Lord and Histruth. Yet in the last year we havemade special experiences showing howthe Lord is helping His children againand again.

The Lord bless all whoHis cause!

further

Before I begin to report our missionaryexperiences, I extend a cordial thanks toall loved ones who support us with theirmeans. Most of you know that here inAfrica we have for several years traveled with a Volkswagen bus. It was agift from the dear ones in Europe. Thisbus has given the mission good serviceas a roving home. It has traveled approximately 200,000 kilometers (about124,000 miles) on all kinds of possibleand impossible roads, lanes, bush, etc.With many circumstances it could hardlycope. With the assistance of believersand friends in Europe, it was madepossible for us to purchase a strongerLand Rover (we call it a Desert Fox).

The Land Rover in theservice of the mission inZambia is equipped withloudspeakers to invitepeople to hear God’sword and the messagefor this rime.

This auto has, according to the need,two- or four-wheel drive, as well as 12gears; and with it one can drive throughthe bush or the muck, in the mountains,etc.; in other words, everywhere a carcan possibly make it. At the same time,it is a roving homestead, for often we are

on the road for weeks. Besides this, wehave other possibilities for the mis sionarywork. The vehicle has good loudspeakers, so that we can invite peoplepublicly; and in the evening it is possible, by means of a small generator, tocreate light and show slide pictures. Inthis way many people are attracted, andwe have an opportunity to present theprecious message.

In the name of the mission, we wish tocordially thank the dear givers. May theLord reward you for it in eternity. Alsomany believers in Europe and Americahave helped us with clothing and means.Through these gifts we have been able tosupport workers and help many poor oneswith clothing—all the way from theIndian Ocean to the border of the Congo.We also wish to thank all those in Europe

and America who are supporting aworker. By God’s help we have at thistime twelve workers (fully and partiallyemployed) among the natives here inAfrica. We cannot carry this economically, and therefore we are in need ofyour help. We pray you, dear ones, do

August 19697

your best to help us, for in this mannerwe all participate in winning souls inforeign countries. It will be a gloriousthing one day to meet souls in thekingdom of God who found the messagethrough your means. Our dear brethrenoften work under difficult conditions,want, and in sizzling heat to reach thepeople with the last message.

A new appeal!

Who would volunteer to help to purchase a bicycle for our workers? Theyneed this transportation possibility,especially in the bush country. Wewould be very thankful if the believersin Europe and America could help uswith this.

Missionary ourneys in the firsthalf of 1968.

In this hall year we took blessedmissionary journeys to South Africa,Basutoland, as well as Central Africa.In the extreme Southeast of the Transkeiwe have a group, and it was a joy tobaptize five dear souls there.

In May and June we had differentconferences in Rhodesia and Zambia.During this journey the evil one wantedto especially hinder us. After concluding our conference in Balawayo, wedrove into the bush country. During theconference I had not felt quite up to par,but now I became critically ill with anextremely high fever. Deep in the bushcountry, I lay semi-conscious in the car,and my wife did not know how we couldproceed. My dear ones, you can hardlyimagine what it is like in such criticalmoments in the wide expanses of Africa.I thank the Lord that He has given mefaithful companions. Our brethren, whoaccompanied us, were also greatlyworried for my life. They all prayed andimplored the Lord that He might help.Toward the evening they drove with meto find someone who could do somethingfor the fever. Quite late we found awoman doctor, and she said, “You areon fire.” The next day they had to takeme to the hospital in Bulawayo. Thewoman doctor said that it would takeabout a week, but the Great Physician inheaven helped me so that after only twodays I could leave the hospital. Although I was still weak, we could continue our trip to Zambia.

During this journey to Zambia, we alsohad precious meetings in many places.Many could hear the word of God and bestrengthened in the present truth. Morethan ten souls were added to God’s people during this trip. When we came outof the bushland (from the direction ofAngola), we wanted to drive to a newcountry in East Africa (Malawi). It hadbeen our desire for a long time to bringthe message to this country. We were

prepared to turn east but then we wereinformed that an important brtdge hadbeen blasted Out. There was anotherpossibility by going through Rhodesiaand Mozambique. We decided to try it.We left in faith from Zambia, and aftera long trip we stopped in a small villagein Rhodesia, It was fearfully dark andI wanted to cross a ditch on foot; but inthis attempt, I fell and hit my headagainst a stone wall. It was a terrificblow and could have cost me my life,for I received a severe wound above myeye near the temple. During the night,my wife had to try to find a doctor tosew up the wound. The Lord opened theway so I could receive help, On thenext morning, we continued our journeyto Salisbury, even with my swollen, blueface. When we arrived in this city, wewent to the Portuguese Consulate toget a visa for Mozambique. But to oursorrow it was not possible to receive avisa right away, and so we had to giveup our plan for this time to go to Malawi.

Our journey continued to the South. Itwas not quite possible to reach Johannesburg before Sabbath, and so wedecided to visit some Advent believersin the bush of Rhodesia. The Lord gaveus an opportunity to witness for Histruth in this reformation. From hereour journey continued back to SouthAfrica. After a long trip we arrived homesafely again. We thank the Lord for Hishelp. Believers and friends werestrengthened, and we pray that one daywe will see the fruits in eternity.

Public work in Port Elizabeth on theIndian Ocean

Way down in the South we have agroup and a Bible worker. Port Elizabeth is an industrial center, and soulwork is extremely difficult. For a longtime it was our desire to help ourbrother there with public evangelisticwork. For one week we held slidepicture lectures in a school every evening. Many young people came, and wecould bring them the message. At this

In the jungle of Rhode

sia, a nearly 90-year-old,

blind, and paralyzedsister is carried into thewater for baptism.

location (a nativemany roughnecks.difficult to controlfor the room was filled beyond capacity.Such meetings are sometimes verydangerous, because these people areoften unaccountable. Several times theycaused various difficulties. The Lordgave us grace so that we could concludeour work,

Conferences in Rhodesia and Zambiain September and October 1968.

In the middle of September we embarked again upon our missionaryjourney to Central Africa. Our firstconference was conducted in the bushof Middle Rhodesia. The Lord gavegrace, for several souls were present tohear the message. From here wetraveled in the direction of Bulawayo toour next conference. This city is veryconveniently located for our conference.The conference lasted several days.During the Sabbath about 80 souls werethere. The brethren and sisters are alljoyful in the truth. The Sunday following was a special day for an old orother,because he was baptized, The wife ofthis brother has been in the truth a longtime; he knew the truth but never daredto take the step. The Spirit of God wasworking, because a fear gripped himthat he might possibly die before beingtaken into God’s church. After baptismhe was so much happier in the Lord.May the Lord keep him faithful to theend.

From here on our journey continuedinto the bush. Deep down in the junglewe held a small conference. It too wasa special event. An old sister, nearly90 years old, blind and paralyzed, wasbaptized. We drove the Land Rover asfar as we could through the bush, but,could not drive close to the water. Ourbrethren then carried the old sisterabout a half mile through the bush to thewater. It was a sizzling, almost unendurably hot day. What a solemn

colony) there areOften it was verythis human crowd,

8 I HE SABBATH1.iATCHMAN

moment it was when the dear sister wascarried into the water; she could neithersee nor walk, but she was so happy inthe Lord. 0, my dear brethren andsisters, how precious it will be when wefind this dear sister in the kingdom ofGod’

This conference also came to a conclusion, and we continued our journey inthe direction of Zambia. After a long,hot trip we reached our destination atMonze, Zambia. The believers werehappy to see us again. On the followingSabbath we had the opportunity to proclaim the present truth of reformation toAdvent believers (about 500). AfterSabbath close we showed them manypictures of the missionary work. Theinterest was great and they wanted usto conduct a camp meeting with them, butwe could not do so, since our programwas already laid for another conference.

In connection with this, we conductedour camp meeting in our “Bethel Mission” at Lucenje. Many believers andfriends came from different directions tohear the word of God. In all these meetings we placed much emphasis onstudy, which constantly illustratespractical daily Christianity to us.

From here our journey took us to theNorth in the direction of the Congo andAngola. West of Lusaka, deep in thebush, we held our conference and othermeetings among Adventists. Therewas lively interest in the message ofreformation, and our members were alsostrengthened in the present truth. Atthis conference, again souls could be ledto God’s people. Praise the Lord thaton this journey 15 souls decided totravel with God’s church. All conferences were richly blessed.

God opens the way for the messageto go to Malawi

It had long been our desire to go tothis country. Malawi is located in EastAfrica, well known for its large NyassaLake, today called Lake Malawi. (Malawi is the former Nyasaland.) Its northernborder is Tanzania (Tanganyika); itseastern and southern, Mozambique; andits western, Zambia. The country issmaller in area than many other Africanstates, but it is densely populated andrich in many kinds of African fruits.We started on our trip from Lusaka inZambia. The street points directly tothe east,. for which reason it is called“The Great East Road.”

From Lusaka we had a stretch of goodroad, but later a bad, dusty one. Onealways has odd feelings when he travelsunknown highways in this giant continent. Night was coming on; the Streetwas narrow and dangerous; large truckscame toward us, and it was hardlypossible to dodge them. Besides, thisdistrict is still regular jungle territory,

some areas having many wild beasts.After a long drive, we found the camp ofa Yugoslavian road contractor’s firm.Here we turned in and stayed over night.This same evening we had an opportunity to speak with some people aboutour wonderful message.

The next morning we continued ourtrip. The terrain was partly hilly and,because of the bad road, difficult tomaneuver. After a long time we reachedthe river where the bridge had beenblasted out, but we could cross iteasily.

The missionary vehicle carries a goodsign on it, which often draws people’sattention. When, after a long journey,we were preparing our meal on the streetshoulder, a man came past, and he couldsee by the sign that we were Adventists;and so a nice conversation developedabout the truth. He was also an Adventist, and we had a good opportunity toconduct a little Bible reading in hishome. There were some people present,and a lively interest was shown. Theygave us their address, and we have aninvitation to visit them later. Thus,even on the way we could sow the seed.From here the journey continued towardthe border.

Hindered by a state holiday, we had tointerrupt our travel for a day. One ofour Bible workers in Zambia was withus, and his brother lives close toChipata. There, too, we could do missionary work. A few miles from Chipata(Fort Jamesson), on the border betweenZambia and Malawi the well knownleprosy hospital of the big church is located. We decided to go to this station.When we got there, we could not findanybody, but to our astonishment wefound out that nearly all were at thesports area. It was Zambia’s independence day, and we found the Adventistscelebrating. On this occasion eveninnocent animals had to yield their lives(they were butchered for the festival—and this in an Adventist station wherehealth reform should really be kept).In these countries, more or less, thethe experience of 1936- 1945 is repeatedin the big church; perhaps in a milderdegree, but the spirit is the same. Thiswe could witness in several places, suchas involvement in political matters, etc.We had an opportunity to speak with theleaders but met a certain coolness whenthey heard that we were from the reformation. We looked over the whole hospitalbut had to notice many things that didnot coincide with the expectancy onegets overseas. My dear brethren andsisters, I cannot go into all things, andit is also no criticism, but I tell you thatit is deplorable to see this conditionamong a people who once had suchbright light and high privileges. Thisleprosy hospital is almost completely

under state control. The Adventistleadership has very little to say anymorein this hospital. In short, it is the resultof the compromises which always end inspiritual loss for the truth. For us thisshould be a solemn and earnest admonition. By the grace and love of God,which He has revealed through Jesus,His Son, and our Redeemer, we will instead remain humble and poor in thisworld and stand with all our heart for theold truth of the threefold angel’s message. At the end the Lord will give Histruth the victory.

The next day we had to return oncemore to Chipata and then went on to theborder and Malawi. At this border wefound a strange warning at the customsand immigration checkpoint. All femalevisitors are asked not to enter thiscountry with miniskirts or the like,since the government looks with disfavorupon them. Now, at this point we had nodifficulty but were happy [or this gooddisposition. We entered upon ourjourney in faith. It was Friday, and wedesired to be somewhere at the righttime before sunset. According to themap our aim was to reach the next largercity and perhaps meet some Advent believers there. We drove and drove on thedusty highways. We prayed to the Lordto help us, for the sun was sinkingdeeper and deeper. It was a strangesensation, but our confidence was in theLord. During the traveling, my wifediscovered a sign indicating an Adventist church. The Land Rover had alreadygone past; but we felt the finger of Godpointing, and so we stopped, turnedaround, and made awonderful experience.When we came, these souls were naturally delighted to receive visitors sounexpectedly. The interesting part wasthat they were having a camp meeting andmany from different directions werepresent. They found it strange, forgenerally they do not have their meetingsso late in the year. Of course, they didnot grasp what we meant when we saidthat we were from the reformation. Itwas new to them. They accepted uscordially, and we still had time beforesunset to prepare for the holy Sabbath.We were there till Sunday, and we had awonderful opportunity to bring the message of reformation. With the hope thatthis seed, too, might bring fruit foreternal life, we left joyfully from thisplace. That same evening we could havea slide picture lecture in anotherAdventist church and bring the message.At the camp meeting we became acquainted with several souls.

From this point we continued ourjourney south and visited the centraloffice of the big church at Middle Malawi.Here we had an opportunity to speakwith the brethren and some other peopleabout the reformation. We also met

August 1969 9

some resistance of course, but someothers expressed great interest. Formost of them this message was fullynew, and we pray that our Master willfurther open the way. Our journeycontinued, and on the way we couldvisit other souls and scatter seed.After driving a long time, we reachedBlantyre, the capital (Zomba is thegovernment seat). After we arrived, wevisited one of the ministers of the bigchurch and then wanted to continue on inthe direction of Mozambique. The roadwas horrible, stony, lull of holes,mountainous, indescribeable. We traveled with strange feelings. On the wayI noticed that the car pulled toward oneside, but thought that it was only thestreet that was so tilted. We stoppedand discovered that we had a flat tire.We were surprised, because this carhas strong rubber tires. The car stoodprecariously on a hillside, and it wasdifficult to change this heavy tiresince I was alone with my wife. Praisethe Lord! In this wilderness, alongcame another car, and the men were sokind to help us. We still had a longjourney ahead of us, and we did not knowwhen and where we could have thistire repaired, so we decided to driveback to Blantyre. This meant that wecould not reach South Africa anymorebefore Sabbath. On the way back wefelt, like Jonah, that the Lord had awork for us there. With God’s help wereturned safely to Blantyre.

In the meantime, it was evening, andwe tried to contact the headquarters(Union Conference) of the AdventistChurch. We did meet the leaders, someof them from America, and the sameevening the Lord gave us another opportunity to speak about the message ofreformation. We stayed in Blantyre untilSunday morning. We also had an opportunity to speak with the Union leader,as well as some of his co-workers. TheLord was with us in showing these brethten the wonderful foundation and ourBiblical right of existence. Their usualarguments are known, but not valid. Asis the case so often, the leaders are notwilling to follow the light, and we weremade sad by their disposition toward th.efoundation pillars of the message itself.The discussion was chiefly concernedwith the forsaking of the original truthsby the Adventist Church and the seekingof compromises with the state. Theytold us that if they did not enter intocertain compromises, they would bedeported (in essence the same disposiriou as was predominant in 1936-1945,which we as a reformation cannot condone). In spite of the resistance, wefound willing ears, and we thank theLord; the seed has been sown and byHis grace will bear fruit. In this country there are many Advent believers, but

most of them do not know much of thewhole truth, because it is not taughtthem. Health reform as well as manyother points of salvation are unknown tothem. Therefore the reformation has acommission to them: We will bring themthe truth in the love of Jesus.

Sunday morning we continued our journey in the direction of Mozambique andRhodesia. The roads were very bad anddifficult, but the Lord kept us safe, Evena short distance before the border wevisited believers, and their joy wasgreat to hear the truth. It was a blessedtrip. We did not know where to go, butthe Lord opened the ways. With God’shelp we carried the message from oneborder to the other. It is a new countryfor the message, and we ask you toplease pray for these souls also, thatthe reformation as an instrument of themessage may here, too, save people forthe kingdom of God.

It was still a long way back from Malawi to South Africa. The streets arepartly very bad, but the Lord gave usgrace so that after 4 days we reached ourdestination in good health. On this longmissionary journey of nearly two months,we traveled close to 5,000 miles. Fromthe physical standpoint it was a terriblestrain, for the heat is well-nigh unbearable — for the greater part between 1000

0and 120 F. Our clothing is nearly always soaked, and added to that is thenightly plague of mosquitoes. Besidesthis, there are many more dangers inthese countries, like sickness, wildbeasts, insects, snakes, dangeroushuman beings, etc.; but we praise theLord for all His help.

Happy report from South Africa

Beloved, we have one more joyful pieceof news for you. As most of us know,almost 18 years ago some brethren separated from us, starting a new, falsemovement. For years we have tried tohelp these souls, but it was very hardbecause they were often hindered bymisled brethren from investigating the

At this joyful meeiingin Orlando-Johannesburg,many souls were fellow-shipped with the church.

matter. Yet the Lord is doing His workin His own way, and no one can hinderthe truth. In 1967, this movement conducted a General Conference in Brazil,and the Lord revealed the light of ttuththrough their own representatives. Thishas opened the eyes of many uprightsouls. Thank the Lord.

The Lord has done a wonderful workhere, Even before the close of 1968,23 dear souls confessed themselves tothe original reformation, among themsome former workeis. There was greatjoy when these souls joined with God’speople. By God’s grace all upright oneswill follofv. •Pray especially that allmisled souls may find theit way back tothe church of God. In Swaziland, also,some dear souls have come back fromanother small movement.

We are living in a special time. It isthe time of shaking, and the Lord wishesto prepare His people for the latter rain.My dear brethren and sisters, we wouldcall to you from far-away Africa: Remainjoyful and true in this prophesied reformation.

Endure a little longer, for soon wewill be home

Our time is full of perils and poisonousheresies. Naturally the devil does notcome to us with crude errors, but in thegarment of a pious lamb. We must, in aspecial sense, be on guard against theintricate deceptions of the last days.There is no other church but this prophesied reformation; and there is also noreturning to the big church, for as abody they have left the old truth. Todayevery wind of doctrine is blowing, andwe have to guard ourselves against themany so-called reformations, which arenumerous with their many-faced contrasts. Hold on, and remain faithful tothe Lord, His truth, and His people. Letus use our strength and means, our healthand life — everything — for the honor ofGod and the salvation of sincere souls.Let us work as long as it is day. We are

To page 20


“For by grace are ye saved through faith;not of yourselves: it is the gift of God.”

and thatEph0 2:8

D GAIN and again we meet Christians who havetrouble with the concept of the law and the gospel,obedience and grace0 They are of the opinion that

a life under grace frees them from obedience to the lawof God0 Others again are afraid that by maintaining.obedience to the law of God the claim of God’s gracewould be less appropriated. The reason for these difficulties and misunderstandings is hidden in the ignoranceof the true relationship between the law and the gospel,or the obedience to God’s commandments and the proffered grace of Christ0 They are at a loss to give graceand obedience the right place in the life with God0

One may have a great treasure in his possession, butif he does not know how to put it to use it is altogetheruseless0 A little story might illustrate this: A poorold mother living in the old country had a son in America0The mother, who had no other relatives besides this son,was so poor that she was ready to die of starvation0Among themselves the neighbors said that it was a shamethe son had forgotten his old mother and was not givingher any.help0 This was their opinion0 Finally the pastorof the village was commissioned to take this matter inhand and start an investigation0 The spiritual shepherdvisited the woman and inquired whether the son in America ever wrote to her0 “0 yes,” said the mother, “hewrites a letter from time to time and encloses a strange-looking slip inside0 I do not know what it means; Imyself cannot write to ask him what these papers mean0”

Then this woman went to get these slips of paper andshowed them to the pastor, and what was revealed? Theywere not unimportant pieces of paper, but valuableAmerican dollars which the son had sent his mother tosupport her0 She had carefully kept these valuable banknotes, because they came from her son whom she loved,but she did not know that she was the owner of a largesum of money. She was rich without even knowing it0

This story is symbolic of many ignorant Christians whoown a great treasure0 This treasure is hidden in the wordof God with its many precious promises, and he who

does not know how to apply it, who does not know itsvalue, remains poor of the blessings of the Lord0 Afurther result of this ignorance is a dwarfing of thespiritual life, starvation, for the hunger of the soul is notstilled0 We shall now attempt to make clear and understandable the true relationship between grace andobedience.

What the law does for the sinner

“For by the law is the knowledge of sin0” Rom0 3:20Here the apostle Paul refers to the ten commandments,for later he quotes from the tenth commandment, “Thoushalt not covet0”

The law awakens in the heart a feeling of guilt, asPaul says in Rom0 3:20. One example will make thissomewhat clearer: If the driver of a car goes through ared stoplight, the traffic policeman speeds after himand tells him of his wrongdoing, after which the power ofthe law is applied against him0 Even his ignorance isof no avail and cannot save him or make him innocent0Thus it is with the divine law; this law shows all humans,without exception, to be guilty before God0 Rom0 3:23,

The law is a mirror

God’s law has the significance of a mirror0 Theapostle James uses this illustration to show what itmeans to the sinner to look into this mirror0 “But whosolooketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueththerein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer ofthe work, 0 0 0 he is like unto a man beholding his naturalface in a glass0” James 1:25, 23

The perfect law of God is a polished mirror, and without it man cannot possibly comprehend his sinfulness inthe right manner0 Without it he is not fully conscious ofhis guilt and feels no true need of a redeemer or grace0

Concerning this law or mirror, David said that it isperfect0 Ps, l9:7 Every spot is shown, no matter howsmall0 In a fruit warehouse where apples were sorted,

V,Øae

4’ieeSwed By A. Ringelberg, Germany

August 196911

in order to preserve them the motto was binding, “Aspot today, is a rot tomorrow0” So the law of God says,“A small sin today lays the foundation for greater sinsin the future0”

Summing up, we see that the wisdom of God is revealed in giving us Hi law, so that we might get acquainted with our sinfulness and flee for refuge to theFountain of reconciliation0

Without the knowledge of the law of God, man is like aperson suffering from a malignant disease and yet notknowing it0 The human heart is not in condition toreceive the healing power of the gospel unless it isfirst pierced by the arrows of the law0

We have now studied that the law is an absolutenecessity and that the mirror of the law is indispensablein arousing our sentiments and feeling of need in appropriating the divine grace for ourselves0

What the law cannot do for the sinner

The law cannot forgive sin or justify the sinner0 Andyet the sinner must be justified from his sin0 It says ofthe publican who felt himself a great sinner in the Lord’sparable: ‘0 00 This man went down to his house justified0” Luke 18: 14 Paul declares plainly that “by thedeeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in Hissight0” Rom0 3:2O No matter how perfect the law maybe, it cannot make anyone perfect but rather places allmen under the curse, “under the law0”

Only the Lawgiver can forgive transgression of thelaw0 The needle of the law can never sew up the woundwhich the law has made0

Also, the law cannot give the sinner strength toconquer sin0 Victory over sin is called “sanctification,” and this cannot be done by the law but onlythrough love and the reconciling power of Christ0 Forthis reason Paul says, For if there had been a lawgiven which could have given life, verily righteousnessshould have been by the law0” Gal0 3:21 Just as it isimpossible to wash oneself clean with a mirror, so it isalso impossible for the law to cleanse the sinner fromsin.

The meaning of grace

When the sinner is convicted of his guilt and sinfulness, then he seeks a way of escape. This escape is inChrist. That which the sinner could not receive throughthe law, Christ Jesus presented to him. The woman whohad been taken in adultery experienced this. The law, towhich the Pharisees appealed, could not save her fromdeath, but the grace of Jesus Christ was her only salvation.

The beloved disciple John says: “For God sent nOtHis Son into the world to condemn the world; but that theworld through Him might be saved. He that believeth onHim is not condemned: but he that believeth not iscondemned already,...” John 3:17, 18. And he saysfurther: “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and

just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from allunrighteousness.” 1 John 1:9.

Paul said: “F’or what the law could not do, in that itwas weak through the flesh, God sending His own Son inthe likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sinin the flesh.” Rom.8:3. And thus Jesus was “madeunto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification,and redemption.” 1 Cor. 1:30.

One example from life will illustrate what gracemeans: In the last century, there was a time when manypeople emigrated to America to look for gold. One ofthese emigrants succeeded in becoming rich in a shorttime. He wrote to his wife that she and her eight-year-old son should also come to America. They went ontheir journey and all went smooth until Cape Horn. Herethe ship was hit by a heavy storm, and the passengershad to abandon ship and take their places in the lifeboats, because the ship began to sink. The mother,with her son, was one of the last ones to the lifeboats,and she came to the sad realization that all the boatswere fully occupied except for one single seat. It wasthe very last moment, and quick action was important.The mother meditated for a moment, then placed her sonin the boat and bade farewell to him. The boat wasloosened and the mother, with a few more, remained onthe sinking ship. Her last words to her son were, “Whenyou come to your father, tell him that mother died foryou.” Then she went down amid the tossing waves.

What power is found in love which is willing to makesuch a sacrifice! Yet Jesus revealed an even greaterlove toward us, for He died for us when we were stillhis enemies; He died that we mignt find grace with God.

What part does the law play in the life of thosesaved by grace?

This is a very important question. Does a man who is

saved by grace and certain that his sins are forgivenhave anything further to do with the law? What bearing

does the law still have upon him whose sins are forgiven? We hear voices testify, In both cases, the lawhas no bearing at all! But is this right? No! “But nowthe righteousness of God without the law is manifested,being witnessed by the law and the prophets.” Rom.3:21. How simple and beautiful this truth is! Thesinner looks into the mirror, or into the law, and hesees his own sinfulness. Then he goes to the place ofmercy, to Calvary, asks for forgiveness and cleansingfrom his sins, receives it, and through the righteousnessof Christ is justified. Then he goes back to the law,or to the mirror, and there he is assured, Now you are ingood condition, because you are now clean.

‘ihe same law which first declared him guilty andimpure says now to him: I, the law of God, now testifyto the righteousness which I, myself, was not able togive; I acknowledge your righteousness which you received through Christ Jesus. To page 20


Do Not

Fall Away

From The Lord

“Since 1845 the dangers of the people of God havefrom time to time been laid open before me, and I havebeen shown the perils that would thicken about theremnant in the last days. These perils have been revealed to me down to the present time. Great scenesare soon to open before us. The Lord is coming withpower and great glory. And Satan knows that his usurpedauthority’ will soon be forever at an end. I/is lastopportunity to gain control of the world is now beforehim, and he will make most decided efforts to accomplishthe destruction of the inhabitants of the earth.” —Life

hes, p. 323.

RE is a danger which threatens God’s people atthe present time. Satan wants to pull everyone

in his plan of destruction. Then he would reachhis goal. The whole world is under the spell of Satan,and all the believers “who give their influence to sustain an evil work are doing Satan’s drudgery.” —Testimonies, Vol. 5, p. 103.

This is not the only plan Satan uses with the remnantpeople to pull them along in his destruction plan. Hecomes to them fashioned as an angel and as a preacherof righteousness. It is especially in the religious realmthat the enemy has the greatest success; and here, too,lies the greatest danger. This does not involve temporalmatters but eternal death and destruction. Everywhere weturn we meet apostasy, separation, confusion, fanaticism, and false enthusiasm. In this area we are exposedto the gravest danger of our time. On one hand, Satantries to instill doubt in the perpetual validity of thedivine law; and he finds the masses in the Christianchurches believe him. On the other hand, he deceivesthe believers into a false enthusiasm, and certainly thefollowing testimony is fulfilled in our time: “Therewill be gods many and lords many. Every wind ofdoctrine will be blowing.” —Testimonies, Vol. 5, p.80.We must therefore call on the Lord with all earnestnessand pray for eyesalve so that we will be able to discernbetween truth and error.

A high goal has been set before the remnant of thelast days, and this the enemy knows quite well. It is

By P. Heink

here that we must develop characters that will reflectthe great exemplar Jesus. “Higher than the highesthuman thought can reach is God’s ideal for His children.Godliness—godlikeness—is the goal to be reached.”—Education, p. 18. “There is hope for every one of us,but only in one way, and that is by binding ourselves toChrist, and exerting every energy to attain to the perfection of His character.” —Testimonies, Vol. 5, p. 540.

In the message of “Righteousness by Faith,” we areshown our source of strength in reaching the high goalset before us. “For in Him dwelleth all the fulness ofthe Godhead bodily.” “And of His fulness have all wereceived, and grace for grace.”

“If we would develop a character which God canaccept we must form correct habits in our religious life.Daily prayer is as essential to growth in grace, andeven to spiritual life itself, as is temporal food tophysical well-being. We should accustom ourselves tolift the thoughts often to God in prayer. If the mind wanders, we must bringS it back; by persevering effort,habits will finally make it easy. We cannot for onemoment separate ourselves from Christ with safety.We may have His presence to attend us at every step, butonly by observing the conditions which He Himself haslaid down.” —The Sanctified Life, p.93.

Every child of God must know and exercise prayerin order to receive the latter rain. Our characters must

August 1969 13

be scrupulously tuned to the holy requirements of Godin the ten commandments. The message of “Righteousness by Faith” does not diminish anything of the divinelaw. But it shows us that there is no power in the law,and that ‘Israel hath not obtained that which he seekethfor.” They tried to seek righteousness through the law,and this effort was spent in vain.

It is essential for us to tell people more about ourRedeemer and Saviour, showing them that we are convinced of the power of the gospel and that we haveexperienced it ourselves. “Then true godliness willelevate the thoughts and ennoble the life. Then theexternal forms of religion accord with the Christian’sinternal purity. Then the ceremonies required in theservice of God are not meaningless rites, like those ofthe hypocritical Pharisees.” —Desire of Ages, p. 310.

The greatest preacher of this message was Paul, thegreat apostle to the heathen. But he warned the believers about extreme views and teachings: “Let noman beguile you of your reward in a voluntary humilityand worshipping of angels, intruding into those thingswhich he hath not seen, vainly puffed up by his fleshlymind, And not holding the Head, from which all the bodyby joints and bands having nourishment ministered,and knit together, increaseth with the increase of God.”(Col. 2:18, 19.)

The Spirit of prophecy writes the following concerningthe last days: “Counterfeit holiness, spurious sanctification, is still doing its work of deception.” —GreatControversy, p. 193.

“Men and women of corrupt hearts throw around themthe garb of sanctification, and are looked upon as examples to the flock, when they are Satan’s agents, used byhim to allure and deceive honest souls into a bypath,that they may not feel the force and importance of thethe solemn truths proclaimed by the third angel.

“Men may cry, Holiness! holiness! sanctification!sanctification! consecration! consecration! and yet knowno more by experience of what they talk than the sinnerwith his corrupt propensities. God will soon tear offthis whitewashed garb of professed sanctification whichsome who are carnally minded have thrown around themto hide the deformity of the soul.” —Testimonies,Vol. 1,

pp. 335, 336.

Whether the word used is “sanctification” or “righteousness,” the meaning remains the same. Let usbeware of preachers of righteousness who do not proclaimthe third angel’s message as their main topic. It is inthis message that all will be tested in the very, verynear future. This message is gathering a people of whomit can be said, “Here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus.” The fourthangel comes to assist in proclaiming this message andat the same time to bring help to the faithful ones. Thismessage ends with the outpouring of the Holy Spirit.The commandments of God and faith in the law and thegospel of Jesus are the foundation pillars of our faith.

The righteousness of God in the holy demands ofHis law must be elevated and revealed to the wholeworld. “God has a church on earth who are lifting upthe downtrodden law, and presenting to the world the

Lamb of God that taketh away the sins of the world.”—Testimonies to lvlinisters, p. 50. “We are accountable

only for the light that shines upon us. The command

ments of God and the testimony of Jesus are testing us.

If we are faithful and obedient, God will delight in us,and bless us as His own chosen, peculiar people.”—Testimonies, Vol.2, p.693.

We need special strength for the battle before us.We must earnestly pray for this power. As the enemysucceeded in deceiving Israel and leading them intoapostasy right at the gates of Canaan, so he will putforth strenuous efforts in our days to “deceive, if itwere possible, the very elect,” “with all deceivablenessof unrighteousness.”

We must guard ourselves carefully so as not to departfrom “the golden middle road.” Apostasy is a seriousdanger, but extremism should not be underestimatedeither. We are now very near the end of all things,

which the events that we see and experience dailypoint out so clearly. As children of God we need muchstrength and wisdom from above. If we strive for righteousness and true holiness, keeping God’s commandments, Satan and his instruments will not be permitted toovercome us.

Let us, dear brethren and sisters, make our divineworship and meetings sources of strength and learn thatwe need a Mighty Helper in the battle ahead of us. It isin these meetings that the foundation must be laid formen and women to be educated to stand faithful untodeath and give the glory to God. Then the time will notbe far off when we can experience that reformation whichwill finish God’s cause with signs and wonders.

“It is essential that you cultivate faithfulness inlittle things, and in so doing you will acquire habits ofintegrity in greater responsibilities. The little incidentsof every-day life often pass without our notice; but it isthese things that shape the character. Every event oflife is great for good or for evil. The mind needs to betrained by daily tests, that it may acquire power tostand in any difficult position. In the days of trial andperil you will need to be fortified to stand firmly for theright, independent of every opposing influence.” —Testirnonies, Vol. 4, p. 561.

Now is the time when we should not only pray butalso “cry day and night.” The Lord will hear Hischildren; this is as sure as Jesus lives. We need no newteachings but must become grounded in the presenttruth and close the ranks. In this lies the greatestpower.

May the Lord keep His children from all the deceptionsof these last days and make them strong. “Finally, mybrethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power ofHis might.”


7k

JROM the very beginning, theSeventh-day Adventists placedthemselves on the level of the

Reformation and believed along withthe great reformers Luther, Calvin,Zwingle, Huss, Knox, Boellinger, andmany others, that the prophecies of theBible concerning the “Antichrist” werefulfilled in the history of the papacy.

In all the books and periodicalsissued by the Adventists, proof is

given that no other power but the papacycan be recognized as the Biblical,prophetic, historical antichrist. Andalthough in recent years this faith hasnot been so clearly maintained by theleadership of the Adventists, as isevident from different statements fromthe Catholic side, still the majority of themembers believe what the pioneerswrote and preached concerning theantichristian power on the basis of theBible and history, Yet the statements

of a Catholic writer are very meaningful,expressing his opinion about today’sAdventism: “One could only wish thatthe unconditional earnestness withwhich the Adventists keep the Sabbathcommandment would inspire Christiansto observe the sanctity of Sunday withsimilar conscientiousness. And so muchmore, it is deplorable that the Adventistdoctrine about the Sabbath is based onan error.” (We knowthat it is a Biblical,divine truth. The Writer.) “Viewedfrom the Catholic and ecumenical standpoint, one can really be glad that formerhateful remarks against the papacy andthe church will not be repeated; and thesecond message that came to E. G.White is now interpreted by the Adventists to the effect that ‘Babylon’ meansthe predominating confusion of today,into which everyone is drawn who doesnot love the truth of God. Then the term‘Babylon’ no longer means Rome asbefore.... The Seventh-day Adventistdenomination is on its way to the freechurch.” (Wilhelm Bartz, “Sects ofToday,” Herder Publications, 1967.)

In the “Review and Herald” of 1968there appeared a series of articleson thesubject of the antichrist. Although thewriter placed very strong emphasis onthe fact that Satan himself is the actualantichrist, he mentioned finally at theclose that the papacy is the historicalantichrist of the Bible. But one thingcan easily be recognized in our time;namely, especially since the secondVatican Council the belief that thepapacy is the antichristian power hasvery much diminished in the entireProtestant world. In the attempt toreconcile Protestantism and Catholicismwith one another, the proclamation of anyreformers that the papacy is the antichrist must naturally cease or at leastbe weakened.

We see today how the Pope in Romeis gaining popularity and affection in thewhole world. The power and the influence of the papacy today even exceedsthe power of the popes in the MiddleAges, because today he makeshis powerand his influence felt in the wholeworld. Through the modern communications of radio and television thepossibility has been created for thewhole world to be reached in a moment.

The travel of Pope Paul VI toPalestine and his appearance before theLeague of Nations have also contributed to enlarging his prestige as thesupreme head of the church. PopeJohn XXIII did not speak of the Protestants as heretics and apostates but as“separated brethren.” The presentpope, Paul VI, confessed before thewhole world that mistakes had beenmade in the past by the church, and heasked for forgiveness.

apacg‘4 PJiac4c.t9

Aetua1jt6 Suisss Lausanne

August 1969 15

Everywhere dialogues between Protestant and Catholic theologians aretaking place, and the longing forunity grows increasingly stronger. Forthe first time in history, Protestanttheologians were at the second VaticanCouncil as observers; and likewise forthe first time the clergy of the CatholicChurch took part in the meetings of theWorld Council of Churches in Uppsala(Sweden) last year. Nearly all rulingauthorities and leading personalitiesof the churches and denominations arevisiting the Pope in Rome, trying toobtain and maintain good relations withhim. The last American presidents andPresident Nixon have visited the Pope.

From all this one may gain theimpression that the Reformers and allthose after them were perhaps notright in teaching, according to theHoly Scriptures, that the prophecies ofthe Bible were fulfilled in the history ofthe papacy.

How Does it Really Look?Has the papacy and its curia really

changed? Is the Catholic hierarchy prepared to step away from dogmas that arenot founded in the Holy Scripture? IsRome ready to relinquish the teachingsof its being the only saving church, theworship of Mary, and the infallibility ofthe Pope? Are the ecmenical effortsdirected toward Rome’s acknowledgementof the truth of the Bible as the onlymeasuring stick of faith, and acceptanceof it? Or behind all the dialogues andecumenical meetings is there hiddenthe Jesuit plan to liquidate Protestantisni and call to life a superchurch,with the Pope as its supreme head? Arethe words spoken by a Jesuit father inSwitzerland the truth? He said, “Weshall replace the piece of wall broken outby the reformation—even if it be bysword and fire.” Another statement veryclose to this is: “There is nothingthat separates us any longer.” This iswhat a Jesuit told me a few years ago.I said, ‘‘This is fine, that nothingseparates us any longer; then you willcertainly become a Protestant!” Heanswered: “No! Never? All of you willbecome Catholic.” (“Alarm for theEvangelical Church of the Reformation,”p. 22.)

Sometimes one gets the impressionthat things are running in this direction.The Bishop of the Episcopal Church,C. Kilmer Myers, said, “We need thePope especially in this perilous time togive us a clear conception of the wordof God.” (Time, January 6, 1967.) Andthe English Archbishop of Canterburycoined the following statement: “I donot believe that Protestantism willaccept the Pope as infallible, but weneed him as a symbol, as the supreme

bishop.” (News Service, September 28,1967.)

is the Papacy Ready to Change itsDogmas and Claims?

It is generally known that throughoutthe whole world today there is certainunrest in the Catholic world concerningcertain statements made by the Pope.Thousands of priests are leaving theiroffice because they are no longer inharmony with the doctrine of celibacy.Some of the cardinals and bishops evensupport directly or indirectly the so-called modern efforts of radical theologians and a large part of the peopleinside the church. But this is not donewith the Pope’s consent. It is the fruitof the ecumenical currents, which according to the Curia lead to extremes. Thatthis Curia and the Pope are not ready tochange their dogmas, opinions, andclaims became clearly apparent to theworld in the papal Credo of last year.In this Paul VI reached back to theresolutions and dogmas of the 14thcentury. He verified that the teachingsconcerning Mary, transubstantiation (thechanging of the bread and wine), and theinfallability of the Pope remain unchanged. This declaration raised acertain unrest among the bishops andcardinals with modern inclinations,because it is reactionary in the face ofthe progress toward ecumenism.

For the Protestant theologians especially who live under the impressionthat uniting with Catholicism would leadthe Romans to return to the Bible andgive up all doctrines not founded on theBible, the declaration of Paul VI wasdisenchanting. So the leader of theWorld Council of Churches, Dr. E. C.Blake of Uppsala said: “Perhaps thePope desires to disappoint (discourage)the romantic, ecumenical expectationsbuilt upon greater tolerance,” (Newsweek, July 22, 1968.) The Archbishop ofCanterbury, Dr. Michael Ramsey, saidthat he had been deeply disappointed bythe declaration of the Pope. DutchBishop Jan Willebrands said: “At somemoments, I feel myself nearer to Christianbrothers in other churches than to somebrothers in my own church with whom Ilive in communion.” The Catholic paperin Holland “De Volkskrant” wrote:“The creed does not resolve anything.It helps no one, it only sharpens differences.” In spite of all these expressions of dissatisfaction from Catholicsand Protestants, the Pope will notdeviate from his position.

Thus the American Catholic weekly,Twin Circle, wrote: “Now we who areCatholics can affirm our belief.. . knowing that those who reject (the credo)place themselves outside of true belief.”(Newsweek, July 22, 1968.)

It should be clear to the world thata union with Rome can be accomplishedonly if the non-Catholic churchesacknowledge the Pope’s claims. Romedoes not change, but goes forwardconscious of one aim, knowing that oneday it will gain the victory. Even thoughthe Catholic Church is going through acrisis today in regard to the PapalEncyclical against birth control and isfaced with the rise of modern views, thepapacy will eventually become a powerwhich will rule over the consciences ofmen. We have before us the words whichthe Spirit of prophecy wrote down as adivine warning:

“The Roman Church now presents afair front to the world, covering withapologies her record of horrible cruelties.She has clothed herself in Christlikegarments; but she is unchanged. Everyprinciple of the papacy that existed inpast ages exists today. The doctrinesdevised in the darkest ages are stillheld. Let none deceive themselves.The papacy that Protestants are now soready to honor is the same that ruled theworld in the days of the Reformation,when men of God stood up, at the perilof their lives, to expose her iniquity.She possesses the same pride andarrogant assumption that lorded it overkings and princes, and claimed the prerogatives of God. Her spirit is no lesscruel and despotic now than when shecrushed out human liberty and slew thesaints of the Most High.” —GreatControversy, p. 571, (These 8 sentenceshave been left out of the 6th printing ofthe German edition.)

“God’s word has given warning of theimpending danger; let this be unheeded,and the Protestant world will learn whatthe purposes of Rome really are, onlywhen it is too late to escape the snare.She is silently growing into power. Herdoctrines are exerting their influence inlegislative halls, in the churches, and inthe hearts of men. She is piling up herlofty and massive structures in the secretrecesses of which her former persecutions will be repeated. Stealthily andunsuspectedly she is strengthening herforces to further her own ends when thetime shall come for her to strike. Allthat she desires is vantage ground, andthis is already being given her.” —GreatControversy, p. 581.

Bible prophecy tells us: “And it wasgiven unto him to make war with thesaints, and to overcome them: and powerwas given him over all kindreds, andtongues, and nations. And all thatdwell upon the earth shall worship him,whose names are not written in the bookof life of the Lamb slain from thefoundation of the world. If any man havean ear, let him hear.” Rev. 13:7-9.

—A. R.


WE are standing today, more than ever, at the point

of a great decision when soon the moment willarrive when Jesus, our Lord and Master, will

appear0 The important question is, Who will stand before

the Son of Man? Will it be you, or I, or all of us? “For

where your treasure is, there will your heart be lso0

Let your loins be girded about, and your lights burning;and ye yourselves like unto men that wait for their lord,when he will return from the wedding; that when hecometh and knocketh, they may open unto him immediately0 Blessed are those servants, whom the Lordwhen he cometh shall find watching: verily I say untoyou, that he shall gird himself, and make them to sitdown to meat, and will come forth and serve them0”Luke 12:34-37

These Bible texts—in connection with the Lord’swords, “No man can serve two masters: for either hewill hate the one, and love the other; or else he willhold to the one, and despise the other”—show that allthe actions and neglects of all people must be broughtto a decision0 Our entire thinking and feeling, our conversation with our fellow beings, and, finally, our personal relationship with God will be placed in the balances of the heavenly sanctuary0 In the above verses,those who watch are called blessed among God’s people0Christ’s return is the great anchor of faith in theirChristian experience0 All their thinking and actionsare directed toward the greatest of all events: to standbefore the Son of Man0 At all times in the past, watchingand prayer were the weapons of the Christian, and thisis true so much more today as the arch-enemy unleashesall his power and he will soon know no limit0 Thedeparture from the will of God always takes place whenwatching and prayer are neglected0 In addition to thisit says in Testimonies, Vol0 5, PPo 102, 101: “The verybeginning of the evil was a neglect of watchfulness andsecret prayer, then came a neglect of other religiousduties, and thus the way was opened for all the sinsthat followed0 Every Christian will be assailed by theallurements of the world, the clamors of the carnalnature, and the direct temptations of Satan0 No one issafe0 No matter what our experience has been, no matterhow high our station, we need to watch and pray continually0 We must be daily controlled by the Spirit ofGod or we are controlled by Satan0 0 0 0

“‘The great day of the Lord is near, it is near, andhasteth greatly;’ but where do we behold the true Adventspirit? Who are preparing to stand in that time of temptation which is just before us? The people to whom Godhas entrusted the sacred, solemn, testing truths forthis time are sleeping at their post0 They say by theiractions: We have the truth; we are ‘rich, and increasedwith goods, and have need of nothing;’ while the TrueWitness declares: Thou ‘knowest not that thou artwretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, andnaked0’”

Dear brethren nd sisters, we love to apply these words

to others, but let us try to start with ourselves and look

at ourselves. Where is the true Advent spirit? Who ispreparing himself with all his heart to stand before theSon of Man? Who stands firmly in every temptation? Arewe awake, or do we sleep at our post? Yes, we are perhaps among those of whom the Spirit of prophecy speaksthat they say, “we have the truth; what do we lack?”

And yet we have the assurance that not one watchingand praying soul will be overcome by the enemy0 “Forthis shall every one that is godly pray unto Thee in atime when Thou mayest be found: surely in the floods ofgreat waters they shall not come nigh unto him0” (Ps032: 6)

It was David’s personal experience that one cannothide his sin from God0 When he neglected watching andprayer, he became the target of Satan in Israel0 (2 Sam0

11, 12; Ps0 32: 1-5) How much disaster this actionbrought on himself, on his house, and also on all Israel0Just one short moment of neglect and separation fromGod was sufficient to cause this0

Unfortunately many souls misjudge these importantfactors of watching and prayer0 Only looking constantlyup to Jesus, the Author and Finisher of our faith, and“running with patience the race that is set before us”can keep us from falling0 Here is one more thought fromthe Spirit of prophecy:

“The Lord wants us to come up into the mount, moredirectly into His presence0 We are coming to a crisiswhich, more than any previous time since the worldbegan, will demand the entire consecration of every onewho has named the name of Christ0

“May God make His servants wise through the divine

illumination, that the impress of man may not be seenon any of the great and important enterprises before us0”—Gospel Workers, o 323

May the Lord give us grace in these earnest, solemndays so that by watching and praying, we may beholdmore clearly the workings of the Holy Spirit; thus we maybe prepared to stand on that day before the Son of Manwhen He shall appear0 May God grant this,

Friebe, Germany

August 1969 17

“1 am come to send fire on the earth; and what willI, if it be already kindled?” Luke 12:49.

JH longing of Jesus and the desire of God shouldsoon find their fulfilment0 After four thousandyears of sin’s coldness, the hearts of men had

become cold and dark, The warmth of heaven couldscarcely reach the suffering hearts0 “The sun of righteousness” had been eclipsed for thousands of years bythe impenetrable darkness of formality. The greaterpart of humanity was surrounded by the cold fog ofheathenism0

The priests attired themselves in garments decked withgold, silver, and precious stones in order to shine beforethe people. Their speeches were well measured and theirgarments were as beautiful as the sun, but the sunitself was absent0 The deceptive sun was not genuine0Man longed for and thirsted after the true sun, and the“Sun of Righteousness” came0 It was veiled in a modestform, It was Chrisn He wore no rich clothing deckedwith gold and precious stones, but He spent Himself,love and warmth0 The people were roused by Jesus to anew life—a life of righteousness and truth, a life tendingto glorify God. He, the Lord, had come to kindle a fireon earth, The Messenger lifted His voice to heaven andsaid, “And what will I, if it be already kindled?” TheDispenser of warmth and light has come, He brought thisfire with Him from God’s heavenly altar to give warmth tomen and to shine for them,

God gave the command to the priests, “The fire shallever be burning upon the altar; it shall never go out,”(Lev, 6:13.) This was a sacred fire not kindled by thehands of men; it was like a fire from heaven which wasto burn forever, This fire burnt for a long time on thealtar of God, thus pointing to two important factors:“,,,whose fireis in Zion, and hisfurnace in Jerusalem,”(Isa, 31:9) This fire has a deep symbolic meaning, Youand I, and all who sincerely wish to serve the Lord,are the furnace in which this fire is to burn,

“And what will I, if it be already kindled?” Do youhear these words? They speak to you! They are directedto you! The Saviour wants this fire to burn already, toburst into flame and never be quenched, What wouldlife be without fire? What would the Christian, the childof God, be without this sacred fire? He would be a

furnace that has died down and is cold, and no onewould be attracted there to warm himself. And now ithas been cold for years; it does not warm and does notglow, but deteriorates, His useless ashes ace biting,horrible, full of dissatisfaction, murmuring, censure,despondency, and finally they turn into a ruin, Thepeople passing by wonder and say, “This used to be aChristian! But now—?”

Yes, it was once a Christian, a “temple of the LivingGod” but the fire which Jesus brought never burnt inhis heart, He was only a cold, lifeless heap of stones,not a living altar. Do not marvel! Because there was nofire burning in him, he is a ruin today and people standthere bewildered, God will make for His people a placnwhere the sacred fire will burn, If every one of us becomes a “living temple” on whose altar (heart) the loveof Christ is burning, then such a Christian will demonstrate the sacredness of God’s work, will elevate thetruth, and will be a holy savour of the character ofChrist before men and angels,

This is the sacred fire kindled by God. That whichdoes not originate in this fire is strange fire, obnoxiousto the Lord, and the more insulting the higher one’soffice is in the cause of God,

God calls to the sinners in Zion, and they are thevery ones to whom Christ speaks in the words of Revelation 3:2, You must always sacrifice sacred fire, foronly then will the deeds of Christ, His love, His mercyand righteousness ascend to God as incense and beaccepted by Him, The most holy, sacred part which wecan do is to accomplish the cleansing of our hearts inthis earthly life and prepare for the burning of the“sacred fire.” God has promised that Zion, the churchof God—in this day the reformation among the Adventpeople—is the place where His fire is burning, There isno other promise, there is no other location where thefire of God is to burn. What a wonderful promise! Thewords came from the mouth of God that the fire of God isin Zion (Isa, 31:9.) Were there not many heathensanctuaries in the days of Moses? In every one of themfire was burning; but only in God’s sanctuary did thefire of God burn and the flames of the “sacred fire”blaze incessantly.

Today, too, there are innumerable churches, and thereare also many altars, And there are many Adventistbranches which their followers assert to be “God’stemple,” Yet only where the sacred fire burns is theplace where God reigns, It is the reformed church ofthe last Advent people, the blazing of the sacred fire,by whose tongues the last, most solemn, warm, brighttruths are to be proclaimed to fallen humanity. Thatplace, from which the last call of mercy, the last warning is sounded, is the place where the sacred firekindled by the dear Saviour is burning. You and I areduty-bound to watch so that this fire does not go out,But there is also strange fire today, such as that whichNadab and Abihu brought before God. (Lev. 10: 1.) Thename of God and the sanctuary were desecrated, The

and the


strange fire indicates a misappropriation of the grace ofGod’s commandments (Lev, 3:1, 2) Many people todaydo not know the woe that will rest upon them if theycherish strange fire in their hearts, And yet this strangefire is sometimes offered even in our life and our divineservices,

Strange fire is offered when brutal words are used, whenwe act like we are important persons, when we find joyin arbitrary authority, when we rule, oppress, and curtailthe liberty of God’s people and place upon them plans

and regulations which God has not invented or createdAll this is strange fire, unknown to God and degradingto God’s character, These are words that are self-evident, All human tampering deadens their power, Letthese words speak to us so that we will guard ourselvesagainst strange fire, In the cause of God there is noroom for strange fire, The fire brought by Jesus mustblaze in our hearts, The fire of the love of Christ, ofpurity and righteousness, must burn in our hearts andnever go out,

FOLLOWING CHRISTFrom page 3

to the Father to pay for my own life blood? And as theaccusing records are opened and the death sentence isresting heavily on my own soul because of the myriadtransgressions of God’s holy law, my Advocate Jesus,my precious Redeemer, lifts up His nail-scarred handsand in solemn tone repeats, “Father, My blood, Myblood!” 0, what love! what incomprehensible love!

What it means

Is it nothing to you, brother and sister and friend?Have you forgotten that you were bought with a price, anenormous price? Has your sacrifice, the precious bloodof Jesus, gone before you into judgment? Have youtalked with Jesus, your Redeemer? Have you acceptedHis ransom in fervent faith and love?

Yes, is it nothing to you that the solemn days of theinvestigative judgment are now rapidly drawing to aclose? Israel of old, during this judgment day (atonement) was solemnly charged to chastise their souls inagony of spirit over the sins they had committed. But itseems that the greater part of us rest unconcerned aboutthe solemn scenes going on in the heavenly sanctuaryright now. A change of attitude has to be effected if wetruly believe the message and consider our own soul’ssalvation to be the supreme object in our lives. Let it bethe topic of the day, the focal point from which all otherinterests radiate.

Christ Our Righteousness

And this all-important truth links the precious messageof Christ Our Righteousness with this ReformatoryMovement in a manner that will culminate in the loud cryof that fourth angel that is to come.

Who will be found among God’s people today to beinstrumental in directing our minds and thoughts heavenward, to follow Jesus Christ into the Most Holy Place?There is always one who will see to it that our heartsare constantly “overcharged with surfeiting and drunkenness, and cares of this life” so that we will lay uptreasures on this earth. Will you leave him his prey,which in this case might be your own soul?

Let us in faith follow Jesus through the second veiland lay hold on His precious promises of pardon andjustification through His precious blood. Are you a truefollower of Jesus?

“The mediatorial work of Christ, the grand and holymysteries of redemption, are not studied or comprehendedby the people who claim to have light in advance of everyother people on the face of the earth. Were Jesus personally upon earth, He would address a large number whoclaim to believe present truth, with the words He addresses to the Pharisees: ‘Ye do err, not knowing theScriptures, nor the power of God.’” —Review andHerald, February 4, 1890.

“KNOW YOUR BIBLE” CORRESPONDENCECOURSE HAS EXCELLENT RESULTS

Dear Mr. 0.,

A few months ago,

the KnOW

Pd also reCegave me yOuV

Elder K., and he

found the

addresS.

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God bless you all.

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The Bible Correspondence Course, as the above letterindicates, is bearing precious fruit. Almost every daynew enrollments come in. You can help the course beeven more successful. Send your contributions to theAmerican Union Office or give them to your churchtreasurer.

August 1969 19

Love—the fulfilment of the lawBY GRACE ARE YE SAVEDFrom page 12

The new life, a life with Christ

Law and grace have found their legitimate places;and this is the beginning of a new life, while joy floodsthe soul. Then in the life with God this imputed righteousness becomes an active righteousness, because aconverted man will put forth effort not to fall again intoguilt by transgressing the commandments of God. Atone time he felt the curse of the law, but since he isjustified by grace, he will try to walk the way of obedience to the honor of his Redeemer. “He that stole, lethim steal no more,” etc.

The glory of redemption consists of living in closecommunion and in harmony with the will of God.

Grace and the law are not two concepts at war in theplan of redemption. They are two necessities for eternal life that cannot be separated. This is why Paulsays, “Do we then make void the law through faith?God forbid: yea, we establish the law.” Ron. 3:31.Grace, faith, love, and the law, all came from one andthe same source—from God. And all of them came fromGod Himself and were placed in His service for thesalvation of sinners, to give them life eternal. If acriminal or evildoer has been pardoned and his guilthas been canceled, he does not thereby receive a rightto commit new crimes and remain a criminal. Faith maybe compared with the hand which is outstretched toreceive the proffered mercy. It also gives the believerpower to walk in the commandments of God. 1 John 5:4.

Love is the fulfilment of the law. Rom. 13:10; John14:15. To be saved by grace means to live a life inharmony with the will of God, which works by love.

AFRICAFrom page 10

very close to the eternal home. Theworld is ready for destruction. TheLord is waiting for us, His people, tofollow fully the light that the Lord hasgiven us in mercy. When we are ready,the Lord will finish His work in thelatter rain.

Dear brethren and sisters, dear youth,arise to work for the Saviour. The Lorddesires all of us to be living missionaries wherever He has stationed us. Themissionary spirit, to save souls fromdestruction, must take entire possessionof us, and the latter rain will find usengaged in this work.

Once more we wish to thank all brethren, sisters and friends very cordiallyfor all their sacrifices for this continent. Do not become weary of doinggood; the Lord will reward you for it ineternity. You will understand that weare not able to write everyone individual

ly; but this report is read everywhere,and so we extend our cordial thanks toall believers in Europe, in America, andin all other countries for their charityand gifts. We extend to all believers andall the friends of the truth the most cordial greetings. Pray for us, and we willpray for you. Greeting you heartily inthe name of the mission of our continent,

24

71113151718

In This Issue

Following Christ (Frontispiece/Editorial)Be Ye Always Ready!News from Home and Abroad

AfricaBy Grace Are Ye SavedDo Not Fall away from the LordThe Papacy Is Practicing Its Authority‘Vho Shall Stand before the Son of Man?The Sacred and the Strange Fire

_________

ttt

_________

- ab1iat1i Thatr1man

_________

Official Organ of theSEVENTH-DAY ADVENTIST REFORMED CHURCH

American Union)evoted to the promulgation and defense of the primitive principles ol

the 1844 Advent Movement.

Editor 0. KramerSpecial Contributors M. P. Ringelberg

B. II. Kramer

(;orrespondence intended for the AmericanUnion should be addressed to the

INTER NATIONALMISSIONARY SOCiETY

S. B. A. Reform Movement3905 East 16th Avenue

Denver, Colorado, U.S. A. 80206Remittances covering tithes and offerings

should be forwarded either by bank draft ormoney order and should always be made outin favor of the International MissionarySociety.

In Canada address correspondence to P.C.Box 401, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.

Your brother from far-away Africa,S. SCHMIDT

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