The 1888 Message For Today

The “Fuller” (Eschatological) 1888 Message (1 John 3:7 | John 15:1-17 | Matt 25:37a | 1SM 99.3-4)

To get right to the point here, it is a widely held belief today, though mainly from outside mainstream SDA circles, that ‘the reason why there has been a long delay in the recognized, supposed-to-have-occurred Second Coming around the 1888 events is that SDA’s to this day still have not accepted that 1888 message.’ The truth of the matter is that this statement is essentially true, however not for the Theological reasons commonly claimed by those levelling this capital charge.

As I stated in this forum discussion, on this subject:

‘In regards to the 1888 Message, it has now come to be blown way out of contextual proportion by those who preach it. That message was given in the context of the early SDA Church then being staunch legalists, and thinking that they were going to be saved mainly because the kept the 10 Commandments and other Biblical teachings/doctrine. So God led Waggoner and Jones to present the Biblical view that righteous and salvation is only by faith in Jesus Christ and His sacrifice and not by the “works of the law.” It seems that the Church has by now learned this lesson, however because some think that the Second Coming will occur once this message is understood, and obviously it has not yet occurred, then this simple teaching, (simple to us, but certainly not to that first generation of SDA’s), has now morphed into some supposed mystical, ethereal or “unknowable” teaching, which in turns makes it some sort of legalistic doctrine that needs to be strivingly attained vs. the simple teaching that it really is. So you may need to re-examine the way you understand this Biblical Message and Teaching. I personally have no difficulty accepting something that is transparently and exegetically proven. And proper exegesis is multifaceted, including historical context, which is something that current proponents of their supposed “1888 Message” do not properly incorporate. (I have written a blog post on the Latter Rain which may shed some light upon its symbolic purpose.)’

An Unnecessary Diversion

            First of all, the best book that I have personally read/consulted on this issue of difference, (-“best” for its concrete historical rooting of the issue, thus bring out what it was truly all about), is the 1998 book by George R. Knight, A User-Friendly Guide to the 1888 Message (Review and Herald).[1]

            Foundational to this perversion is the “derived” teaching, even inceptively starting in the earlier years of that message, that ‘one does not truly understand, nor is not living the supposed message, if they are not sinless’, a “sinlessness” which, when fully expounded is circuitously claiming a sort of “holy flesh”. Hence the “heated”/involved discussion on: ‘What human nature exactly did Jesus as compare to the one “we have to work with”’; ‘What were the (advantageous) contributions to this sinlessness from His Divine Nature’, etc.. However as briefly discussed here, as Paul states in Rom 8, such type of “holy flesh” will not, and cannot be, achieved by man in this life, because one’s flesh is irreparably, intrinsically tainted/affected with sin. That was an issue that sharply divided then, and still, in ultimately related form, sharply divides today. All types of diversionary traps of the Devil, to keep the Christian away from what s/he is actually mandated to be desperately striving for. Indeed, what is instead variously fervently encouraged to the Christian to strive for, both in the Bible and the SOP is to tangibly and wholly/fully develop a Christlike Character, which was an ‘acted out sermon’ that was predominantly, prominently and resultingly “characterized” by selfless, loving service towards other in various Spiritual and Physical need. (E.g, Phil 2:1-8 | COL 69.1 & 384.2; 416.1-417.4; cf. DA 68.3). (This “Christlike character” does not involve, as expounded below, what most commonly think and fancifully “sanitize” the Gospels to say: ‘being monkly silently and passively indifferent to wrong doing in a desire to ‘not be “pot-stirrers”’. As the saying (paraphrasingly) goes: ‘what is much worst than wrong doers, are those who can do something against those wrongs, but do not’).

            Indeed, in keeping with what is understood by “character”, as seen in theatrical/motion picture dramatic performances, an actor virtually “puts on” a “character” which is naturally not their real/present state of being, and that can also be radically different from their actual character, however it is much easier to “typecast” an actor for certain different types of roles, based on their actual/natural character. Similarly, in the Spiritual realm and Christian Life/Walk, the Christian is many times called to “act” in a Christlike way that is radically different from their past, normative and cultivated character. And at first, doing so can be quite difficult and may even not be perfectly executed, however, as with the profession of “acting”: ‘practice makes perfect’, and soon enough, by both, long enough performing this Christlike “act-ing” (which concretely is all to be pointedly identical to what was seen in the “Acts of the Apostles”), and also truly/fully, Biblically believing it to be the Truth, [something that is quasi-hypnotically/channellingly done in the secular acting world for “transformative” roles, some of which even require accompanying drastic bodily, even accompanying physiognomical, physical changes (i.e., apart from what make-up artistry can do), and even also the ‘living in character’ for a while leading up, and through, the filming/performance[2]], then it comes to be “second nature” to the Christian. Indeed in this Great Controversy War, Believers on this earth are pointedly called to be “Christlike Characters” in this ‘GC “theatrical spectacle” (1 Cor 4:9) while working to return all things to their original good state and intent.[3]

            Indeed, continuing along the lines of these pertinent themes, one of the “profession” that requires a radical Character transformation by most people is, that of being a soldier. That is most observably seen in war draft circumstances or conscription, vs. volunteered service, where a selected “everyday” person is suddenly forced to have to become, and that radically for most: a nerve of steel, cold-blooded, ever-composed, virtually non-thinking (i.e., non-feeling), ultimately, killing/destroying “machine”.

            Thus as seen in both the acting world and in soldiering, both of which have parallel implications in the victorious Christian Life in this GC, the Believer is indeed called in Christ to become a radically different person than what/who they have been in the past, i.e., in areas which are not contributive to Total Victory in this GC warfare. (cf. Eph 6:10-17/1 Thess 5:8)

Sinlessness Pointers From the Life of Christ

            Much can be said in regards to the basic issue of ‘sinless living’, however it is my Theological View that obsessively, internally dwelling upon this, and that to the exclusion of other, external, and more/most urgent and vital Christian duties, is indeed a sly snare/trick of the Devil. I rather subscribe to the, manifestly major, Divinely-arranged, foundational provision revealed in/for Christ’s Character-Developing-Life, which manifestly went on to assist, and facilitatively anchor, His Ongoing Sinless Life’s character, (a topic that I had previously expounded upon in a 1998/1999 Sermon, later made to discuss its pertinent 1888 Message dimension[4]), as related in DA 72-73:

            “The parents of Jesus were poor, and dependent upon their daily toil. He was familiar with poverty, self-denial, and privation. This experience was a safeguard to Him. In His industrious life there were no idle moments to invite temptation. No aimless hours opened the way for corrupting associations. So far as possible, He closed the door to the tempter. Neither gain nor pleasure, applause nor censure, could induce Him to consent to a wrong act. He was wise to discern evil, and strong to resist it.  {DA 72.1}

            Christ was the only sinless one who ever dwelt on earth; yet for nearly thirty years He lived among the wicked inhabitants of Nazareth. This fact is a rebuke to those who think themselves dependent upon place, fortune, or prosperity, in order to live a blameless life. Temptation, poverty, adversity, is the very discipline needed to develop purity and firmness.  {DA 72.2}

            Jesus lived in a peasant's home, and faithfully and cheerfully acted His part in bearing the burdens of the household. He had been the Commander of heaven, and angels had delighted to fulfill His word; now He was a willing servant, a loving, obedient son. He learned a trade, and with His own hands worked in the carpenter's shop with Joseph. In the simple garb of a common laborer He walked the streets of the little town, going to and returning from His humble work. He did not employ His divine power to lessen His burdens or to lighten His toil.  {DA 72.3}

            As Jesus worked in childhood and youth, mind and body were developed. He did not use His physical powers recklessly, but in such a way as to keep them in health, that He might do the best work in every line. He was not willing to be defective, even in the handling of tools. He was perfect as a workman, as He was perfect in character. By His own example He taught that it is our duty to be industrious, that our work should be performed with exactness and thoroughness, and that such labor is honorable. The exercise that teaches the hands to be useful and trains the young to bear their share of life's burdens gives physical strength, and develops every faculty. All should find something to do that will be beneficial to themselves and helpful to others. God appointed work as a blessing, and only the diligent worker finds the true glory and joy of life. The approval of God rests with loving assurance upon children and youth who cheerfully take their part in the duties of the household, sharing the burdens of father and mother. Such children will go out from the home to be useful members of society.  {DA 72.4}

            Throughout His life on earth, Jesus was an earnest and constant worker. He expected much; therefore He attempted much. After He had entered on His ministry, He said, "I must work the works of Him that sent Me, while it is day: the night cometh, when no man can work." John 9:4. Jesus did not shirk care and responsibility, as do many who profess to be His followers. It is because they seek to evade this discipline that so many are weak and inefficient. They may possess precious and amiable traits, but they are nerveless and almost useless when difficulties are to be met or obstacles surmounted. The positiveness and energy, the solidity and strength of character, manifested in Christ are to be developed in us, through the same discipline that He endured. And the grace that He received is for us.  {DA 73.1}

            So long as He lived among men, our Saviour shared the lot of the poor. He knew by experience their cares and hardships, and He could comfort and encourage all humble workers. Those who have a true conception of the teaching of His life will never feel that a distinction must be made between classes, that the rich are to be honored above the worthy poor.  {DA 73.2}

            Not much can improvingly/clarifying said upon what was clearly stated in the SOP above, however, as made evident in DA 73.1, the toilsomeness of Christ was indeed not merely physical, yet the same benefit from the needed industriousness of His early childhood was similarly achieved. Clearly during His 3 years of ministry, Christ did not engage in physical work. He instead was engaged in Ministry work, and evidently with the same intensity as how He had engaged in physical/“secular work”. The major point here is that, as stated in DA 640.5, we today can similarly “shut the doors” of temptation and evil influences, and withstand sinning by fully engaging in ministry work. The fact is that there tangibly indeed is much, much actual and mandated missions and ministry work to do, and as Jesus own work shows, it is not limited to only/merely preaching evangelism, but also concrete healing works, which today are virtually all largely done by meeting the socio-economic needs of others (which also includes “costly” healthcare) , indeed as stipulated in Isa 58.

            So if our focus is instead on busying onself, from one’s abundance/ability, to help meet the many vital needs of others around the world, there indeed would be less available time to “waste” upon the various besetting influences and temptations served up by the world. And, for the willing person, it is usually/normatively much easier to not commit sin when such external temptation avenues are so completely cut off. Seems to me, indeed as derivedly, similarly seen is EGW statement in PP 60.1 on the post-sin-imposed “toil curse” of Gen 3:17, that God has chosen to allow various hardships and sufferings in the world to, as with Jesus, help men to avoid the pitfalls of a life of relative ease, as seen in materially/technologically advanced and wealthy (First World) societies, yet He also has mandated True Believers in Him to seek to, literally, ‘take on the hardships of others,’ thus to virtually continuously have this beneficial time occupying occupation. And appropriately enough, such a responsibility squarely falls upon those who are financially and materially well off, i.e., Christians Living in (wealthy) “First World” countries.

            Added to this, with the expected Gospel Work task taken at hand, and given the actual formidable work that would be undertaken by a relatively small group of people, there would also come to be an also hedging, most tangible Spiritual recognition to seek to continuously remain within the approving will of God so that nothing would come to cut off the Blessing channel for Holy Spirit Empowering and Angelic Assistance/Intervention which are crucially needed to accomplish this work. Indeed there would also come to be a similar, and here more Spiritual “work-related” provision of God, need to always be faithful.

            Most clearly, the way in which the Devil has desperately sought, and still is seeking to, undo this key sin-avoiding, work provision of God, is by entrenching a most destructive spirit of selfishness, indeed, moreover, through a naturally accompanying, and self-justifying and pleasing, spirit of “jealousy and stubbornness” (2T 545.1), and that is currently being formally and systematically done through his craftily inspired economic system of Capitalism. Indeed that system is perfectly depicted by: a dog, irrationally, pleasure seekingly, and indeed personally findingly, running around in circles trying to catch his own tail,’ as people actually ever-strivingly, attempt to meet the prices and costs that, ultimately they themselves have “freely”, but self-interestedly/selfishly and whimsically, either set or willingly approved of. That system therefore makes the average person expend most of their available time working in futile secular work to pointedly make enough money in order to, crucially for most, maintain their unavoidable paycheck-to-paycheck “living”. Of course, that results in them not having time to expend on others in need. Moreover, the deep-seated malefic “genius” of this system is that as people in need, are actually helped to sustainably come out of need, vs. being merely periodically helped to survive, then their “cost of living” is made to artificially constricted to rise by those associated “demands”, as this demand is against variously, capitislically-artificially limited resources, all so that people at the controlling top of this grand pyramid scheme can continue to make their obscenely more than enough profits. And so, on goes the schemingly vicious enslaving cycle. Case in point, as one comedian quipped: ‘he is still waiting for the politician who will promise more leisure time for all, by having robots and computers do as much work as possible.’ However the individualistic system of Capitalism will moronically certainly not allow for this actually quite non-detrimentally feasible, logical concept, (see example in Forum Discussion Post #73587 here), because it would involve the hated word of ‘social sharing.’

            As seen here, getting out of this “rat race” so that time and human availability can be created and obtained so that God’s expected ministry and mission work can truly and fully be done, is the founding goal of the derived NJK Project.

Relation to 1888 Message

            How does this all relate to, as the title of this blog post is, ‘the 1888 Message’, and that in ‘an Eschatological understanding of it today’?? Well the answer is actually quite simple, and that is because the exact same rationale for the spirit the led the ca. 1888 generation of SDA’s to reject, in vast majority, the Present Truth 1888, ‘justification by faith in Christ’ Sacrifice and Righteousness message, literally leading to the screeching annulment of allowed-to-unravel Final Events, is indeed the exact same one that is causing to the actual Present Truth message for the Finishing of the Gospel Work; -again a Gospel Work that, as exegetically made manifest to be the complimentary, socio-economic aspects of God’s Sabbath. (=1SM 397.1-398.2). Indeed the main reason/rationale for why the 1888 message was rejected in the time of EGW was because the Church (i.e., leaders, pastors, evangelists, and lay members) wanted to maintain their current ‘work-Finishing’ evangelizing approach of ‘tersely preaching the Law.’ They adamantly did not want to make Christ the center and forefront of their message, as the 1888 Message was admonishing. However just think of how moronically foolish that reasoning indeed was, as the Christian world then considered SDA to actually not be (Evangelical) Christians, due to this prominent instance on the Law, indeed to the indifferent eclipsing of Jesus Christ Himself.[5] As seen in the complete 180 in perception of SDA’s in ca. the 1980's from being considered to be a cult and fringe denomination, to a mainstream, Evangelical Christian one, as it was realized that they had a solid and “orthodox” view of Christ, (and actually, in many ways, enlightened by the SOP, to a much more deeper understanding than other Christians), they were gradually widely and fully given this “orthodox” recognition, interestingly enough, even though many other Christians still had their hesitations and doubts about the validity of the SDA’s Spirit of Prophecy aspect. However, that issue of SOP-doubting also has, albeit silently, gradually diminished, particularly when SDA’s, especially in evangelistic preaching in recent times, indeed became substantively and advertisingly much more, prominently and focally, Christocentic. Indeed, to the resulting point that now, particularly amongst a more unbaggaged, objective and not historically prejudice 2005 Barna Group survey of under-40-year-old Pastors across the National (U.S.) denominational board has shown, as expounded upon in this Nov. 6, 2010 sermon of Dwight Nelson [24:23-26:18], they considered Ellen G. White to be a most influential author for them. (Cf. A couple of testimonies in here[07:54-09:46]).

            So similarly, if SDA’s in ca. 1888 had humbly and deferentially accepted to heed the 1888 Present Truth Message and its call to ‘make Christ much more/most prominent in our evangelism’, the predominantly Christian (keyly, American) Society then (i.e., compared to the much more entrenchedly postmodern one today, also in the U.S.), would more than likely have much more readily, widely and amply, favorably responded to their Evangelistic presentations then, and the work would literally have exploded, indeed just as what was prophetically spoken to be the result of, and under, the “Loud Cry”. Indeed the Rev. 18 Loud Cry message, which as expounded upon here, is the ‘rectifyingly restating of key, Third-Angel’s-Message-contributing corrupted doctrinal issues’, would, through the full and pertinently applicable incorporation of Christ in their preaching, have made those teachings most appealing to the Christian World then. But the SDA brethren then thought ‘they knew much more and better than God/Christ here’, they obstinately decided to (continue to) do “God’s Work” in this, their own, “better/best” way: -‘the parchedly dry preaching of the [justifyingly expressed] “downtrodden and ignored” Law of God’.

            And the same Spirit of “Divine snubbing and defiance” is identically fully manifested today against the Present Truth message that: ‘God’s unequivocal and pivotal End-time and Sealing Sabbath message is to involve tangible work towards meeting the needs of others (Isa 58).’ Indeed that was the crux of the Gospel Message and Ministry of Jesus Christ, and upon this revolves the full and proper understanding of still unfolding Bible Prophecies, including the key Seal of God vs. Mark of the Beast issue. But the SDA Church today, to the vast majority, does not want to accept this message and are thus similarly snubbing Jesus, His Unequivocal Example and His Words, in order to self-justifyingly persist in their way, thus, effectively/actually: their own ‘right-doing’ (= “righteousness”) way.[6] Like in the 1888 era, how much simpler would it be to, in deferential and humble faith, obey Jesus and set out to do exactly and all that He has spoken forth in, foremostly, the Gospels. Indeed the clarion, SOP admonition is unambiguously clear that: “Christ's method alone will give true success in reaching the people.” (MH 143.3ff).

            To further “muddy” things here, just as it was indeed sanctimoniously said in the 1888 era that ‘the ignored and downtrodden law of God must be prominently emphasized then’, it is today, as patently, personally encountered, said, also in similar sanctimonious “defence” that, now, the ignored (letter of the Law) Sabbath Teaching, and particularly how it is implicated in Final Events, along with the related Three Angels’ Message is the (“only”) mandate that the “Remnant SDA Church” has; and certainly not: ‘seeking to help all those in need.’ For one thing, it is moronically, idolatrously [i.e., as the spurious, devilish system of Capitalism is, religiously, obediently given whatever it whimsically demands] claimed that: ‘there is not enough money for such exhaustive endeavoring’. Of course, as throughout this blog post, the actual, foundational hindering issues here, are directly derived from the entrenched Capitalistic tenets of mainly selfishness and individualism, also pervasively found, front and center, in the Church. Of course, as shown here, what is not Spiritually realized in this base and spurious thinking is that: by denying God’s Sabbatical Will and Christ’s Gospel their rightful and truthful place in the proclamation of Final Events, the entire Law of God is thus completely made void. Therefore the Church is substantively, outrightly indeed worshipfully (and in the full sense of that word) doing the very [Fuller] Mark-of-the-Beast work of the Antichrist|Two Beasts powers, all as indeed craftily planned by Satan himself, and all through this inspired Covetousness snare (EW 266-269) of Capitalism. These are all acts that are indeed, most logically barring to one’s salvation, as variously warned in the Bible. (E.g., Matt 25:45-46; Rev 14:9-12).

            Indeed the end goal of the Gospel is to restore, as much as truly possible, God’s will on this earth (cf. Matt 6:10), as a witness to all nations, and that indeed involves a most tangible demonstration, through truly ‘reborn from above’ Christians, in order to be a most incontrovertible, and thus GC-ending, actionable, personal and also corporate, global Testimony, by such True Followers and Church of Christ. (Matt 24:14). And, when properly and fully studied out, all of the Doctrines and Prophecies the Bible, actually serve to contribute towards that temporal , pre Second Coming, tangible Restoration necessity.

            Quite unfortunately, like the Church History Reform movements of the past, SDA’s are making the same mistake of smugly assuming that ‘they have Spiritual need of nothing more’ (Rev 3:17) and thus have, more than less, and quite mindlessly (i.e., to the exclusion of available/obtainable exegetical Biblical knowledge), encamped around: their pioneering reformers; their pioneer’s periodicly key, “foundational” teachings for that reformatory work phase; and their pioneers established attainment in reform. However the GC case is that, what they have currently managed to do is, as highlighted here, still far from the perfect/complete, even merely temporal restoring goal, and there is still much more key reformatory work left to fully, and even outrightly, do. Indeed the GC War “theatre” has (since the ca. 1888 era), radically changed, and so God’s Spiritual Resources for winning this more advanced phase of this war must be properly and fully taken hold of and utilized.

            But as the SOP clearly prophesies (LDE 209.3 & 210.1), many, similarly, will only see a threat in this increasing Loud Cry call to ‘fully and simply obey Christ’s mandate here’, which actually is the Full, Sabbatical Sealing, Third Angel’s Message, and this is indeed what will bring about a necessary Shaking in Church.

An Illustration

            This just mention key “obedience” issue has been pointedly dealt with in this allegorical parable post (cf. Acts 5:32), however a personal experience that I see as illustratively similar to all of this may further help here. It occurred to me while I was studying Electrical Engineering in College. On the day before a major Calculus test, our professor went on to post a quite elaborate and complex Calculus formula, which actually encompassed all the material that we had studied in that period just leading up to this test. However those concepts were all brought here in a such quite intricate and convoluted way, that I vexatiously, “superiorily”, only saw as unnecessary, indeed particularly given the priorly, annoyingly simplistic/simpleminded attitude of this professor. (‘Indeed’, I was smugly/assuredly deeming, ‘I hadn’t seen such a problem in my prior (2) Calculus I attempts, -and which were both with a, prima facie, much more serious/“nerdy” professor than this one.’ (~EW 36.1-38.2)). He then proceeded to work out the equation in deliberate detail. It was so complex, intricate and involved that he surely, I presumed, would not be including it on the test tomorrow. There was now clearly no time for this. So all the while that he was, as I thought, wastefully, “pedantically” doing this, I just about tuned him completely out, barely paying any attention, and certainly not taking down notes. I just couldn’t help but think of what a waste of time this was, and day-dreaming of where else I could be, and/or what else I could now be doing, right now, or still sleeping in as this was my first class that morning. As far as I was concerned about this, he was just, though pointlessly, showing (“off”) how all that we had recently learned can be brought together to solve such a complex Calculus problem. ‘Great... Who Cares...For now, I just want to pass my test tomorrow and this conglomerating demonstration, though quite impressive, is not helpful at all.’ Most boringly enough, his working out of that complex problem took the time of the entire class period, and when the class “finally” ended, upon us leaving, he reminded us about our important test the next. Admittedly, for various, certain reasons, I didn’t study hard for that test, but I knew I had some understanding and mastery of the lessons we had learned for that sectional test.

            When I entered the classroom the next day, I was slightly surprised, actually more concerned about the sanity of my professor, upon seeing, in a “Groundhog Day”-like, that the same complex formula as the day before on the board with, and this is what was indeed most strkiing, all of the detailed work had been erased, and only the formula was there. Then to my “teeth gnashing” (Matt 25:30) horror, he then announced to us that this formula was our test!!? Aaarrghhhh!!! What was even more painful to me was that although I was quite familiar with the individual component concepts brought together in the problem, however when they were indeed so brought together in such a complex problem equation, -being so ‘grossly un-/under-prepared for it’ (=Rev 3:2-5; 6:11; 16:15; 19:7-8; Matt 22:1-14; cf. Job 29:14; Psa 132:9; Isa 61:10), it became to me quite another mystical and undecipherable “Beast” (cf. Isa 29:1-14)! And, tried as I may, I just could not fully/accurately “tame” it, and atrociously failed that test.
             The only thing that could have been worse/dumber than my attitude in this incident would have been if the professor had actually said, and that at the very start of the class, that: ‘this problem will be your entire test tomorrow’, and I (still) had ignored him!!

            Indeed similarly, that is what many Christians are nonchalantly choosing to do with the many unequivocal statements of Jesus in regards to the pivotalness of our duty to do all that we can truly do in regards to uncompromisingly meeting even the vital needs of all those in need, “to the very least of them.” ([e.g.,] Matt 25:45). Really what more could He have said, or deliberately, detailedly modelled, to get this through the heads of, especially His current professed believers. (See HM, November 1, 1897 “Our Work at this Time” par. 11, -note SOP’s italics emphasis; & here [36:08-38:07ff]) [7]

The Ultimatum of Matt 25

            The clear, pointed and explicit due warning (=Ezek 33:1-20) words of the Ultimate Judge Himself (John 5:21-22) Jesus Christ in Matt 25:31-46, combined with other understandings in the Bible, just cannot be ignored. They reveal the following sureties and/or likelihoods:

-those who will have, even unawarely of the Gospel’s claims, done what it just and right (cf. Ezek 33:14) will be saved (Matt 21:31-32; Luke 10:25-29, 30-37);

-those who were allowed to go to premature, even Christless graves, by the selfish indifference of God’s professed people will be saved (Exod 33:19; cf. Matt 11:20-24; Luke 16:19-31)

-the sincere|honest (Christian) Agnostic, even Atheist will, especially if cause to doubt by the “stumbling” actions/behavior of professed Christian believers (e.g., Religious & Socio-Economic Babylon (Rev 17) will be saved (Matt 18:6-7; Rom 14:23)

            -So for those who have not actually be rebelling against their known full and far-reaching claims of the Gospel on their life, as summarized in Matt 22:34-40, -whether they are in the Church, or no longer in it, and as indeed most tangibly demonstrated in ‘whether or not they are truly loving to the ones that they see’ (1 John 4:17, 20-21), indeed even when it calls them to “love God” instead of ‘fearing’men/the economy (1 John 4:18-19) = the (Fuller)Mark of the Beast issue (Rev 13:11-18), -(which is naturally inclusive of those who are doing good works out of still wrong/selfish motives (LDE 218.3-219.3), and actually just leads them to do “for show”, token works (e.g., here)); they just will not be saved, and only have the non-understanding/accepting wrath of the self-sacrificing (Little) Lamb awaiting them (Rev 14:9-11; DA 825.4 = Rev 6:16-17 = Rev 19:11-16|Rev 19:17-21) for these indeed are the ones who will have pompously snubbed the mere invitation to the (preceding) “Marriage Supper of the (Little) Lamb” (Rev 19:7-9 = Matt 22:1-10ff) and its freely provided, here (i.e., in this present blog post) being discussed, “Righteousness” (Matt 22:11-14; COL 307-319).

Christ’s ‘Character-Rejection’ Antidote

            While it may be plausibly advanced that the priorly related industriousness in Christ’s life is what paramountly helped him shield away detrimental influences and temptation, His deliberate will still had a part to play in this Perfect Living. And so it is at a point where such tangible hedges are removed or lessened, that one then must find something from within with which to maintain an abiding course. Indeed Jesus, probably more than less, tangibly did this “continuance” by switching from: ‘a hedging from tangible, temporal duties’, to, when His public ministry was to start: ‘lovingly, similarly (but now freely choosing to, as stated above), industriously engaging in spiritual work towards others.’ This is where, when such personal free will is demanded, many fail in this key switching. This can tangibly be seen in the everyday life of the Christian by how s/he chooses to spend most, if not all, of their free/leisure time. I.e. whether it is on self-serving recreation or towards being a blessing to someone else in need. Fortunately Jesus has given the key antidote to avoid such complication as one is desiringly undergoing needed procedures to be Christlikely made-over.

            In the medical world, the most radical and crucial procedure that can be done is that of an organ transplant, which is usually for a most vital reason. Yet the most valiant transplanting effort can be a total failure if the receiving body “rejects” the new organ. In such cases, the solution has been the use of anti transplant-rejection drugs. In the Christian’s Spiritual duty to fully and truly develop Christ’s (actual) Character, which foundationally and concretely is one of actual, two-tiered Biblical Love (Matt 22:35-40), (and not a mere veneer/semblance/facade of “love”, where self-love (i.e., being really solely interested in making oneself appear to be “great”) is actually the paramount motive and targeted objective), Christ has given a most potent anti-rejection antidote in His counsels in John 15:1-17.

            First of all, as seen in vss. 1-6, 8, the sole goal/duty/“viableness” of the Christian is ‘to bear (much) fruit’. As seen in the incident with the Fig Tree (DA 580-588): a fruit tree with beautiful leaves, but no fruit, is completely worthless to Christ, and also to anyone else, hence ‘their burning up’ (vs. 6; cf. Rev 3:16). Similarly, a theology/teaching that spuriously and “Pharisaically” curtails the true/full 1888 Message to merely be a: self-concerned, monastical striving to become sinless, while indifferently ignoring working to meet the physical needs of others, is completely unbiblical, and also a most “worthless” teaching. (Cf. 1 John 3:17-19)

            Thus, succinctly said here, the ingredients in Christ’s Character-Rejection antidote, all towards a concrete and transparent “proofing” of True Discipleship (vs. 8), are unequivocally spelled out in this passage as:

-Abiding in (all of) Christ’s words; and not just a fancifully preferred or “denominationally select” portion of them. (vs. 7) Which then naturally means to obey/do (James 1:22-25) all of them. (John 6:56 = HM, June 1, 1897 par. 10; which results in TM 116.1)

-Following Christ’s own pattern, loving others as Christ Himself has love us (vs. 9)

-Keeping all of Christ’s Commandment (vs. 10a), which are pointedly the ones which he explicitly and implicitly gave throughout the Gospels (cf. vs. 12, 13, 17), and which are all derived from the Commandments/Law(s) of the OT (vs. 10b).

            And as indeed spelled out in vss 12-17, the activating, main ingredient in all of this is ‘self-sacrificing love towards, pointedly towards fellow Church Brethren.’ (cf. 1 John 3:23-24) Indeed once this is achieved, which has been the functional purpose of the “Church Age”, the expected, simultaneous outreach loving work towards those in the world would become much more effectively and efficiently achieved. As it is being variously, most clearly demonstrated today, by, pointedly, the SDA Church which prefers to have a selfish, ultimately hate-based, divisive and individualistic (-all key tenets of a Capitalistic mindset) approach to temporal living among Church Members, and also in/for doing God’s Missions and Ministry work, only “token” and rather pathetic, work can ever be being done, -with the many available resources of the Church being grossly under utilized and misused, and the other available one, -obtainable through the pouring out of God Spirit, being Rightly/Justly, effectively punitively, withheld by God. All with wide-reaching, Ancient-Israel-type, ‘circular Wilderness Wanderings’ (Deut 2:3), implications in regards to Final Events and the present-day resolution of the GC. (Relatedly see also TM 299.2 (with its Spiritual allusions to Ezek 34:17b|John 7:37-39)).

            Not surprising enough, the above cited antidote of Christ ultimately is what leads to the desired (true/actual) “sinlessness” that many are otherwise, and futilely, straining to self-achieve. For as seen in, the surely derived expositional statements in, passages such as 1 John 3:6, 9, 10, 11, 14-17: “Right Doing” and True, Tangible Love for one another and others (see 2T 35.2) is what the 1888 Message has objectively always been all about, for it is then, and only then, that the Righteousness of Christ can be applied, and the sinner be Justified for/from their sins. (= 1 John 3:7-10). And all of this Justifying is, for the generation of Believers alive today who are wanting to engage in presenting the Final (GC Conflict Consummation) Message of Warning to the world, (which is the Third Angel’s Message, pointedly when in its Loud Cry phase), will be actualized and realized by their “right actions” as they set out to overturn the Law/Love-of-God-opposing, deadly snares of the Devil, which have been compactly encompassed in the geo-politically popular, base, anti-Sabbatical, Capitalistic mindset and spirit of the world.

            And so, it indeed is by this simple act of ‘obeying Jesus and doing what is right vs. variously (economically) profitable or expedient’ that one comes to reflect the True Character of Christ (COL 69.1), be justified, and thus capable/“worthy” of being covered by His Righteousness. Hence, indeed most intrinsically, how ‘the third angel's message, in verity, is such justification by (true) faith in Christ and all that He has commanded.’ (= John 14:15 & James 2:14-26). Indeed, as David Fielder has indeed rightly deductively observed and pointed out in this October 2004 sermon [01:45:10ff], in conclusion of the above-referenced ‘history of the SDA Church’s 1888 Message contentions’, the actual meaning and implication of the 1888 message, and the understanding which applies to our times, hones in on: ‘Fully accepting God’s Authority and having a Radical Faith which accepts this Authority as Absolute.’ I.e., God said it, I believe it and I’ll (scrupulously) obey. And, along these lines Fiedler indeed rightly cited [at 01:19:18ff] the faith, (though it was not, and since 2004 increasingly, (through, as it was done to A.T. Jones and E.J. Waggoner [cf. 01:16:17ff], even more base and even “lawless”, =”Divine distrusting faith-less-ness”) opposition/rejection (and that against clear evidences of Divine approval) from Church leaders, and (sheepishly) following Church members) was not, flawless), exhibited by David Gates (with Fiedler’s sermon in October 2004 being less than a year after David Gates’ $1.6M miracle (Dec 2003)) as a modelling demonstration of the application of the 1888 message today. This “Righteousness by Faith” indeed rightly applies in David Gates’ effort (when Biblical) because it involves: ‘‘doing (‘timely and adequate’) works that are right’ (COL 312.2|SJ 61.1; WM 28.2) through genuine and valid faith that God will be faithful, as He promised.’ And that all results in a “living testimony” also being presented. (ST, June 16, 1890 par. 1ff).

             As succinctly stated in 6T 19.1, this above presented fuller understanding of the Righteousness of Christ, which teaches the one who heeds it to ‘do the right thing and at the right time’ all borne from the magnified understanding of God’s Law, particularly His Sabbath, as Jesus deliberately taught in/for His Gospel is the very work which indeed closes/finishes the work of the Third Angel’s message, having, as Jesus had indicated in Matt 25:31-45, most mercifully cut the work short upon the genuine exercising of this Godly principle of right doing (LDE 218.3-219.3ff), and it is this message which, as revealed in Rev 18:1ff will lighten the whole world under God’s approving and empowering Latter Rain Blessing, as it will finally be fully and truly revealing to the world, the Gloriously Loving Character of God. (1 John 4:7-8; COL 69.1) And that is the demonstration/testimony what will most eternally resolve and close the Great Controversy Case. (PP 33.1 & GC 678.3) It is by such ‘Righteousness by (Demonstrated/Working = Truly Loving) Faith’ works (=James 2:14-26) that Faith is “completed/perfected”. (James 2:22)....Indeed the Full Righteousness of Christ message which, as discussed here, He incontrovertibly counsels as the “refined/tested gold standard” for Laodicea (Rev 3:18a), is only completed by that “complimentary tangibly-demonstrated, even sacrificial love. And thus only is completed the SOP-revealed: True Witness’ ‘Righteousness by Faith and Love combined, with love actually taking the precedence of faith’ (2T 36.2) tangibly seen in a “faith that works by love”. (COL 158.2) So God ideal is not the mere “Righteousness by Faith” message that was discovered by SDA’s around 1888, but this completed “Righteousness by (tangibly) Loving-Faith” which should have been mastered by SDA’s by now. And that indeed is what the justification provided by this ‘Isa 58 Sabbatically-sealed Third Angel’s Message’ is “fully” all about (1SM 372.2 = Matt 25:41-45; LDE 218.3-219.3).[8]

            Interestingly enough, all of the above, exegetically derived and expounded on Theological Views on this topic, in its applicable present ‘advanced “Fuller Sabbath”’ context, spiritually cogently, builds upon the various related themes cited throughout the following 1890 SOP counsel on this 1888 Message matter. (And, indeed, if “having/being covered by the righteousness of Christ”, -as it is commonly toutedly  professed, does not lead the receiver to straightly/fully proclaim, and tangibly do, all that Jesus said and did (e.g., Mark 1:14-15; Matt 4:23|Acts 10:38), then such a “righteousness” indeed is nothing better than a Pharisaical one (Matt 5:20)):

April 1, 1890 Repentance the Gift of God.

-

By Mrs. E. G. White.

-

...

            Some of our brethren have expressed fears that we shall dwell too much upon the subject of justification by faith, but I hope and pray that none will be needlessly alarmed; for there is no danger in presenting this doctrine as it is set forth in the Scriptures. If there had not been a remissness in the past to properly instruct the people of God, there would not now be a necessity of calling especial attention to it. Some of our brethren are not receiving the message of God upon this subject. They appear to be anxious that none of our ministers shall depart from their former manner of teaching the good old doctrines. We inquire, Is it not time that fresh light should come to the people of God, to awaken them to greater earnestness and zeal? The exceeding great and precious promises given us in the Holy Scriptures have been lost sight of to a great extent, just as the enemy of all righteousness designed that they should be. He has cast his own dark shadow between us and our God, that we may not see the true character of God. The Lord has proclaimed himself to be "merciful and gracious, long- suffering, and abundant in goodness and truth."  {RH, April 1, 1890 par. 7}

            Several have written to me, inquiring if the message of justification by faith is the third angel's message, and I have answered, "It is the third angel's message in verity." The prophet declares, "And after these things I saw another angel come down from heaven, having great power; and the earth was lightened with his glory." Brightness, glory, and power are to be connected with the third angel's message, and conviction will follow wherever it is preached in demonstration of the Spirit. How will any of our brethren know when this light shall come to the people of God? As yet, we certainly have not seen the light that answers to this description. God has light for his people, and all who will accept it will see the sinfulness of remaining in a lukewarm condition; they will heed the counsel of the True Witness when he says, "Be zealous therefore, and repent. Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me."  {RH, April 1, 1890 par. 8}

            The Church is presented as standing in a self-satisfied, pleased, proud, independent position, ignorant of her destitution and wretchedness. By her attitude she says, "I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing." How many who claim to be keeping the commandments of God are in this position today! The charge against the Church is, "Thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot." But while many may be satisfied with their lukewarm condition, the Lord is far from pleased, and declares that unless you are zealous and repent, he will spue you out of his mouth. But he warns you, he entreats you. He says, "Thou knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked: I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eye-salve, that thou mayest see."  {RH, April 1, 1890 par. 9}

           

            The gold that Jesus would have us buy of him is gold tried in the fire; it is the gold of faith and love, that has no defiling substance mingled with it. The white raiment is the righteousness of Christ, the wedding garment which Christ alone can give. The eye-salve is the true spiritual discernment that is so wanting among us, for spiritual things must be spiritually discerned.  {RH, April 1, 1890 par. 10}

            To our brethren who are standing in this self-confident, self-satisfied position, who talk and act as if there was no need of more light, we want to say that the Laodicean message is applicable to you. Many professed Christians are without Christ because they refuse to weave his principles of truth into their life. The word of God declares, "Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness; for they shall be filled." We should pray earnestly and inquire with sincere hearts as to what the will of the Lord is, that we may be ready to receive the blessing we so much need.  {RH, April 1, 1890 par. 11}

            We must have oil in our vessels with our lamps, and not be like the foolish virgins of the parable whose lamps went out as they slumbered and slept, and who had no oil to replenish them, and so failed to be ready to meet the bridegroom. We should seek for a living experience, and obtain the grace of Christ. We need his love and gentleness; we need our faith revived. Let no one disregard the counsel of God, but let us all buy of him gold, and white raiment, and plead for the anointing of his Holy Spirit. Jesus desires us to have a personal knowledge of the truth, and we should search the heart carefully, critically, cease to do evil, and learn to do well. Jesus says, "As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten; be zealous therefore, and repent." No one should feel like rebelling, like standing in defiance of God, because he rebukes you on account of your lukewarm condition and spiritual pride. God condescends to entreat you that he may talk with you, and invites you to open the door of the heart, that he may come in and sup with you, and you with him. He declares, "To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne."  {RH, April 1, 1890 par. 12}

Notes

---

[1] I can conversely cite the “genre” of books and authors that I see and understand as perverting this message to an ethereal, Pharisaically legalistic aberration, but I’ll pass. Those familiar with this topic should readily recognize those who have come to thus pervert this Gospel message. As current SDA Sabbath School Study Guide Editor Clifford Goldstein has appropriately decried in this presentation [13:32-15:15]: ‘this issue-discussing aberration is an “absolutely idiotic”, “useless”, “waste of time” and “nonsensical” battle within Adventism.’ (See the excellent historical recounting of these ‘SDA contentions’ right from 1888 to recent times in this sermon by (‘‘Blessed’-hobbyist SDA historian’) David Fiedler.)

[2] For, as introductorily stated here, one’s overall physical/bodily appearance can and does greatly affects their character, confidence and thus personality, indeed normatively leading to shape one’s “plastic mind”, but for a resolute, ‘mind-over-matters’ stance. Case in point, as patently, variously seen in the TV and Movie world, one’s physical appearance does “crucially” (though for moronical reasons) affect how one is externally (readily/surfacely) perceived. Which is why much effort and money is spent on make-up for people who are going to make an in-person, or TV, appearance. That subjectively preferential fact is most strikingly noticed, with even concrete testings, in the democratic political realm where many (shallow) voters vote merely based on a candidates looks. And, as it is widely “admitted”: ‘many stalwart politician and leaders of the past would not have been elected in our superficial visual-media (TV) age vs. the auditive (radio) age of the past.’

[3] Still for a “character” to be more natural, and thus truly believable, lest the performance be, ironically enough, surfacely labelled/perceived as “hypocritical” (such as with the emotional mask-donning, Greek actors of the past), as seen in the switch in acting styles by major actors who began to adopt Method Acting, actors try to find in themselves emotional/thought triggers that help to “genuinely” produce the emotion/state of mind, that they try to portray on the dramatic stage. That is relatedly also why it is easier to believe a dramatic performance by an actor, when it actually is quite close to their actual persona, and known actual lifestyle. Which is why “typecasting”, particularly for less skilled actors who are not able to ‘break out of themselves’, is often the result as directors are wishing to get/guarantee such, financially crucial, ‘genuine and believable’ performances from their selected cast.

            And so, as with truly having a Christlike Character, merely, shallowly “acting” like Jesus, when “on stage”, will come across, and indeed be, hypocritical. The proper portrayal of our due Christlike character must truly come from within one’s self. And thus one’s own character must first actually be intrinsically and wholly transformed to what Jesus’ own was/is (cf. MH 143.3).
            And, however tritely/glibly popular that it quippingly may be, a “faking it until you make it” approach, will actually never begin to produce this sought for genuine/realistic “performance” for in order to ever be able to perfectly master, and thus perfectly reproduce, a character that is identical to the character of God, one will have to: stop building upon this “shallow foundation” of their spurious/false/non-genuine opposing/rebelling, naturally, even conditioned (by e.g., Capitalism) to be fundamentally/foundationally, selfish character (= “faking it”; cf. 4T 386.1), and instead, by obeying Jesus (Luke 6:46-49), find, or if need be, first actively plant/establish in themselves a chief/inceptive experience of genuine, Divine-like love (Cf. MB 25.1) that will, when it is then increasingly, only, built upon, fully develop into the glory-reflecting perfection of God’s own character.

[4] The manuscript of this sermon is found in this PDF document [pp. 247-278]. It was first preached as a Christmas Sermon in late 1998 [pp. 247-261] then, for a preaching assignment in another Church, it was adapted for its ‘Christian Walk’ emphasis [pp. 262-264&251-261] and then, for a sermon in another Church, it was adapted for its 1888 Message implications. [pp. 265-278].

[5] Indeed, honestly/truthfully thinking, when one is, thus effectively, ‘ashamed of Christ and His [Full] Gospel’, then they are really not a follower of His; -at least a fully recognizable/acknowledgeable one! (Luke 9:23-26; Rom 1:16, 17; cf. Luke 12:8~Rev 3:5).

[6] Pertinently, It Is Written’s John Bradshaw has relatively rightly, apparently originally, coined that ‘righteousness is more than “right doing” as it should actually be “right being” however, as the SOP states, that:

            “thoughts work out actions. Repeated actions form habits, and habits form character” 

and:

            “Few realize what it means to be complete in Christ Jesus, the revealed will of God. His Word is not dishonored by being brought into practical life to form habits which will develop character.” (11MR 194.1)

            then it is indeed clear that ‘becoming complete in Christ’, thus being fully covered by His Righteousness, all stems from one ‘practically living out the truths and mandating commands of God’s Word.’ So it is ‘obedient right doing’ which leads to ‘right being in Christ’. Unfortunately it is the converse that is futilely patently, pervasively attempted in the SDA Church, and worst “right being” is actually outrightly substituted with merely “being right”.

[7] See the Better Life TV Sermon by George Knight entitled: “Living the Apocalyptic Vision (FP1222) - which also stresses the paramount necessity of heeding Christ’s Matt 25:31-46 warning. He, albeit, as typical with “mainline” SDA’s, has the shallow ‘be kind to your neighbor’s view of this mandate of Christ, which is quite short of what Jesus actually stipulated and expects from his true/full followers. “Kindness”, however “perfectly kind” it may be, will not save the ca. 250,000 who will die tomorrow of preventable, curable or intentional causes! Pointedly meeting those vital needs will!!* (Cf. James 1:27; 2:15-16). (See {ala., ultimately, Matt 23:1-7ff for several}:

-this commentary and its referred to messages;

-the 2008 “Sabbath Reform” sermon by Stephen Bohr which shows how Jesus reformed the (=His) Sabbath back to its “full” beneficial socio-economic (even OT) intent; his 10-29-11 sermon which both expound on the incontrovertible Biblical Fact that “Christian perfection” is not merely being “sinless” but indeed also involves doing good to others, (pointedly those in various need); his 06-21-14 “Let There Be Light” sermon which expands on the “Sabbath Reform” sermon by elaborating on what is Christ’s/Christlike work; (=COL 415.5-418.1; cf. 9T 28.3)

-the 04-17-10 “True Christianity...” exposition on Isa 58, and other related passages, (and its 01-19-14 video presentation) by the Our Sword ministry/blog;

-the 11-19-11 sermon (mp4) by Jonathan Henderson: “Beyond Elementary: Giving” & ‘the due Christian Spirit of Selflessness’; cf. his concluding exhortation in his 12-07-13 sermon (mp4) [35:18-41:56ff];

-the 12-10-11 sermon (mp3) by Kameron DeVasher on “The Character of Christ”, his GYC 2011 Thurs. and Sat. Evening Devotionals (see videos also here and here) on ‘Achieving True Christian Character’, as well as his ASI 2012 presentation subtitled: “The Circuit of Beneficence” [there is a better audio than video’s sound in the mp3 recording, though it is slightly out of sync with the video]; his May 23, 2013 “From This World to the Next” succinctized sermon; his sermon on: ‘God’s|Love’s “Give, Give” principle (AA 339.2) vs. Satan’s|Selfishness’s “Get, Get” (AA 339.3)’;

-the ‘tangible needs good works’ exhorting 02-18-12 "Beyond Delight" sermon based on Isa 58 by AFCOE Director Don Mackintosh, -a sermon theme which he more emphatically and extendingly re-preached in this June 30, 2012 GYC West Sermon entitled “Isaiah 58 and the Latter Rain”, also commenting therein on the SOP’s statements in 2T 24.1-37.2; as well as his earlier (4-7-12) GYC Southeast sermon & his 2012 Redwood Campmeeting sermon #5 - "The Return of the Loud Cry" (though in both those latter ones therein/therethen limitedly applied to non-vital works); his December 2012 sermon “The Present Present Truth”, from his wider ‘contextualizing’ ARME series sermons [I, out of exegetical reasons, do not at all actually see Mackintosh’s justification, nor need, to contrive Isa 58 to: ‘(typologically/eschatologically) be the Day of Atonement’ vs. the regular weekly Seventh Day Sabbath that it clearly is referring to. Indeed it does seem contextedly clear to me that these post-Exilic Jews were then, and as later manifest also in Christ’s day, of their own (sanctimonious) concoction, keeping every single Sabbath as if it was the Fasting & Afflicting Sabbath that was actually commanded by God for the Day of Atonement (Lev 23:26-32) instead of doing, ‘particularly’ (Luke 13:15-17) on the weekly free/off day of the Sabbath, the good & liberating works as Jesus would later reformatively model. (=Isa 61:1-3) -SDA’s need to snap out of the self-interest mentality/motive that they won’t do anything unless they can personally profit/benefit (i.e., here ‘produce the Latter Rain’) from it as this all mirrors the wrong mentality of the priest and Levite in Christ’s Good Samaritan parable (Luke 10:30-37|COL 376-389), and that will just render (personally) unacceptable/void whatever good works they may here do. (LDE 219.2-3)]; his 4-part SWYC (8/31-9/1) 2013 series, with his 09-01-2013, 01:30PM sermon examplifying from key themes involved in the unfolding of the 70 Weeks prophecy how/that God’s overall/ultimate prophetic plan, including the Third Angel’s Message (GH, March 1, 1900 par. 1), are indeed “undergirdingly” based upon physical health healing/restoring/preserving intentions (=Isa 61:1-3|Luke 4:14-21ff|EW 286.1); his ASI 2014 (second-part) presentation;

-the 03-24-12 “Injured Reserves” sermon by Dave Fiedler (founder of Adventist City Missions, Inc. [see comment on this ministry effort here]) rightly, summarily punctuated by the DA 825.4 statement; his 03-25-12 “Proven Cure” sermon; his ASI 2012 presentation; and his more protracted/detailed six-part seminar presentation during GYC 2012**; his also additionally contextualizing/substantiating/documenting March 23, 2013 Fresno Central SDA Church (Stephen Bohr's Church) sermon here; ; the April 2013 (cf. here) Signs of the Times series ST693; ST694; ST701 interview presentations; his furthering studies in this GYC West 2014 series; his ASI 2014 (first-part) presentation; his Biblically/Spiritually correct Symposium sermon here|here[esp. at 34:37ff] on: [just as also presented in this present post], ‘the ‘Good Works Right-Doing By Faith’ antidote for [actually] the [Fuller] Omega Apostasy/Deception; and also Fiedler’s other related/cited sermons here;

-the 03-25-12 sermon on what it means to “Do Justly” (Mic 6:8) by Chester Clark III. (Cf. in his related “Faith & Works balance’ sermon [e.g. at 29:00ff]).
-[And Mic 6:8's: “Love Mercy” = Matt 5:45-48; Luke 10:37; Matt 19:21; James 2:22; And is it a task for SDA’s to “Walk Humbly” by realizing that the unravelling of Final Events, and the Three, particularly the Third/Fourth, Angels’ Messages, do not depend upon their supposed-yet-deficient, “letter of the Law”, perceived/derived/figured out prophetic “signs”, “developments” and “scenarios”; but rather on the actual/proper/full execution of Christ’s Gospel Mandate (e.g., Matt 24.14; PH144 29.2; Matt 25:45; LDE 218.3-219.3)]

-the December 14-15, 2012, 3-Part series by David Gates wherein he more prominently emphasizes and expounds upon the Divine Love, Godly Character and Spirit of Humanitarian Missions that SDA should be striving to have: Part 1; Part 2; Part 3. (And also this April 2013 sermon; -though it Biblically will actually take ‘choice instrument-alities’ for a movement to truly be God’s own/actual work/“music” (=Rev 7:4-8ff; cf. Ezek 47:1-12)...and God’s Shaking, cf. here, will (duly/surely/most likely), still, come first (5T 79.4 =Jdg 7:1-8ff; [cf. here for =Dan 11:14, 28|CET 228.1c-1])). Also see the most sound principle-counsel given by Gates in his November 2013 Australia sermon here [at 11:00-16:40] that obey Matt 25:31-46 is a most clear and unequivocal expression of Christ’s will for people to do’, i.e., when(ever) they are: ‘unsure of God’s will for their lives’. (cf. Acts 10:38|MH 143.3). See also his April 22, 2017 sermon entitled: “Learning to Work As Jesus Worked” {-of course disregarding his spurious “seasons”-setting claim. (Some) Prior prophetic predictions (e.g. the 70 Weeks/2300 Days) were fulfilled ‘according to the accurate season’, because they were also (strictly) timed prophecies; but the Bible+SOP is unequivocal that no sort of set time/timing is any longer applicable in post-1844 fulfillment}.
-Issues of interpreting/understanding/claiming differences which also are presented in these sermons that I have found to be variously incorrect with him have been discussed in this post.

-the NZYC 2013 “Elijah Ministry/Message” sermon by Adrian Webster against: ‘lukewarmly bowing down to the god of selfishness’, -which indeed is at the root cause of the GC, and thus, also squarely implicated in its ultimate resolution.

-Barry Black in his (“play audible”) March 23, 2013, ASI Mid-America, “Stirred But Not Shaken” sermon [19:42-31:56ff] on: ‘being stirred by what stirs God/Jesus (Matt 25:31-46; =DA 825.4)’ ~‘being Stirred in order to not be Shaken’ (EW 270.3-271.2).

-Norman McNulty in his ASI Southern Union 2013 sermon aptly (i.e., contextually accurately) entitled “Releasing the Four Winds and the Sealing” [=Rev 7:1-3], -summatively at his expounding on Isa 58 at [57:-01:09:55].

-the, especially, 11-02-13 sermon by Dwight Nelson in here (mp4) [see further here 03-01-14] on what is tangibly involved in a most fundamental belief that “God is Love”. (=1 John 4:7, 8, 9-14, 15-21)

-Joy Cho & Grace Lee (Leprosy Ministry, China  -in here [37:50-46:35] during GYC 2013 (see also updating in here [07:10-11:20-15:52] GYC-E 2014) on: ‘becoming the prophesied Remnant, by getting healed from “the leprosy of selfishness”, through the ‘remedying’ work of Isa 58 (CS 85.3)’.

-the GYC 2016 sermon: “When All Has Been Seen” [54:09ff] by Jason Sliger.

-see also the references here. 

-(Non-SDA Christian):

-Joyce Meyer# of the worldwide Enjoying Everyday Life Broadcasts/Ministry has many teachings/sermons which, as she says [e.g., 12/2 - The Last Days Pt.1 at 00:15f], ‘all will come to focus on crucifying the flesh’, with, most pertinently here, her many teachings on the topics of: “dying to self”; ‘warring against selfishness’; and ‘(now, revolutionarily) walking in love’; as also carried out in her Hand of Hope World Missions ministry. [Relatedly, see the interesting 40-year testimony/history of Joyce Meyer’s ministering: interview video\article+photos.].

# (IMPTO - In My (long-observed) Prophetically-Theological Opinion, e.g., Ezek 11:16), in her/their own faith/righteous right (cf. Matt 9:29), God’s (special), -(as with EGW (AFOL 22), deemed “weakest of the weak” =1 Cor 1:25-31): “Servant of the Lord” for non-SDA’s, indeed all towards the similar end, as revealed through EGW, of ‘rightly and fully emulating Jesus Christ’s character.’ (Acts 10:38; COL 380.2-384.2-385.1-386.5ff; (e.g., WM 23-63ff)).

-Francis Chan#: NWYC (2008) =‘Jesus vs. the crowds’; truly following Jesus; Apostolic Church Living; Matt 25:31-46; -all versus the American Church (Culture). See also from this Youtube compiling and in sermon podcast archives here (2005-2010+) & here (2003-2005+) & here (2000-2003+)/[mp3s] (Cf. this sermons highlighting archive). (Chan’s referred to 'major decisions times/sermons/announcements' are (originally) here (06-18-2006) [mp4] and here (04-18-2010) [mp4] (See my commentary on Chan’s, and others like him, ministering here).

# (IMPTO - Manifestly the, (Biblically-wise), “David Gates” of/for Non-SDA Christians (cf. ~Eph 4:11-13)%...[Seriously, several most uncanny similarities!!...were it but for ‘both of them (indeed) being led by the (same) (Missionary) Spirit.’]. See, e.g., his sermon at Moody Bible College: “Following Christ & Living by Faith”).

% In opined fact, Francis Chan is probably indeed ‘Jer 1:5 specially/sovereignly-formed’ [06:19ff] (cf. here) for/as an: (out of familiar comparisons), e.g., Doug Batchelor (=extemporaneousness and wit); Dwight Nelson (=Biblical Scholasticism); David Gates (=Man of Faith & Mission); Stephen Bohr (sermonic didacticism; -Chan is actually classified as a “teaching pastor”; cf. this ‘quasi-joking’[51:27ff] by Chan); Mark Finley (=Exhortational Inspiration); and Ron Halverson  (=Passionate Holy-Spiritualism) all rolled into one. (Cf. the intro for his 03-10-2004 chapel sermon [mp3]).

-Shane Claiborne: e.g., this 01-17-12 Talk at Andrews University (Chapel).#

# “Disclaimingly”, as fundamentally seen in the NJK Project, I do not see from the Bible and its pertinent principles, that God is calling believers to actually become poor and needy themselves. To me, given how now adequate/proper living is so easily/readily feasible, especially through various (free) cooperation, such an attitude, which is typically reflected by one having a scruffy and unkept ‘hippish’ presentation is a converse form of materialistic idolatry where one is actually intimating that one must have a rough life if they do not go by the system of Capitalism.

            Succinctly said, God had several reasons why He made the nation of Israel were sojourners in Canaan and then slaves in Egypt for 400+ years, namely political, militaristic, practical, economical and religious/justice (Gen 15:13-16) reasons. But not the least of these was that God was working to bring about the end of the wicked Empire of Egypt on the world then, and by allowing Israel to unjustly become enslaved, He then had just reasons to make Israel come out of Egypt with great “plundered” possessions. (Exod 3:19-22; 11:2; 12:35-36), and with that (due) funding, Israel went on to have enough subsistence for their intermediate wilderness crossing (turned into wandering), and for even its own religious economy. (e.g., Exod 25:1-9ff; Exod 35:4-5ff, Exod 35:20-29ff; Exod 36:3-7). So likewise God has allowed His Christian Church to become economically capable and even wealthy so that they can best properly meet the needs of the poor. God indeed does give His people ‘the power to make wealth’ (See Deut 8:10-20); yet that is not to be through, or in compromise with, unbiblical principles and evil traits (=Luke 16:13).
            So rather than Christian who want to fulfill Christ’s Full Gospel commission ‘selling off all of their possessions to the point where they themselves become poor, needy and dependent, they should instead ‘deal shrewdly with it’ (=Luke 16:1-13) and invest it, including their various skill/intellectual talents (=Matt 25:14-30; cf. here), where it can self-empower them to be able to tangibly help others. (=Matt 25:31-46).

-Relatedly, also see two 2008 sermons (Part 1 and Part 2) by David Asscherick, although they pointedly/mainly hone in on the theology and mandate for ‘evangelistic missions’....However, as seen e.g. in this sermon -see conclusion at 01:00:51-01:03:06, Asscherick has lately changed to the Biblical “fuller” mandate/goal. Ditto for this, otherwise on point, sermon by Walter Veith. [Manifestly Veith “phobicly” believes that materially/humanitarianly helping people in need, especially systematizedly so, can’t but be in accordance to a Jesuit NWO conspiratorial agenda...as if Jesus never spoke Matt 25:31-46). But this is something that should be, as indeed “systematizedly” done by the Apostolic Church (Acts 2:43-45; 4:32-35), freely done (cf. Acts 5:4) and out of ‘sincere/genuine/actual love’ (2 Cor 8:8; Matt 22:39-40). Indeed such systemized endeavorings is a pivotal part of the (new) “covenant” expectations of Christ from His People (HM, November 1, 1897 par. 12), and is (to be) seamlessly synonymous with “Evangelism” (as that term is commonly, falsely-narrowly (cf. Matt 4:17, 23; Acts 10:38) understood). (RH, January 17, 1907 par. 16-18)].

            And as Jesus unequivocally, depictively qualified, for the His True Followers, their “neighbor” is actually, at the very least, ‘anyone that they come across/know of, who is in need.’ (Luke 10:29ff; cf. COL 376.2); and in our advanced global media day and age, there is surely no self-justifying, “head in the sand”, excuse.

            Nonetheless, as Knight states [31:12ff], the other extreme is the movement of some SDA’s towards ‘(an also Second Coming-replacing) Social Justice’; -which would only be valid if it were to be established through valid democratic means (i.e., the popular election of people who have an explicit “social justice” platform). Otherwise, it is clear that the general population, majoritarily do not want to be ‘socially just’, and in a democracy only the legislature can make such a societal change. The Biblical solution to fulfill this exhaustive mandate indeed is the NJK Project!!!

* Also invalid as also unBiblical is the Full-Gospel-mandate-depleting/gutting claim by Hope Channel President Brad Thorp [tellingly/emblematically enough, obliviously entitled/themed: How to be a Revived and Reformed Believer, (HTV-CD-165|HTBRR-C-F-141); Posted in 3 parts: Part 1; Part 2; Part 3] who, at [35:37-36:52ff] (=Part 3 at 05:48-07:03ff), deliberately, but quite comically enough, futilely, tries to rewordingly “tame” (i.e., water down) [=6MR 72.1] Christ’s statement in the Matt 25:31-46 prophetic depiction (which indeed is not even a “parable” as it is Jesus stating in advance on what basis He will conduct the judgement given over to Him by the Father (John 5:22, 27)), by claiming that (1) ‘it is a call to be “compassionate”’; and that (2) ‘those who will do those works will actually unknowingly do them’. [Claim #2 is similarly, rewordingly, posited/purported as such, and also inaccurately in regard to SDA/Christian believers, by (e.g.,) Jonathan Henderson in his 01-12-13 sermon (mp4) [09:13-09:56]]. {John 8:31-32}. First of all, (2) the only thing that these, actually non-Christians from those nations, will then “not know” is that when they were actually quite “knowingly” doing all that they can to help others in need, they were actually doing this to Jesus, and these were thus most unselfish acts (cf. LDE 219.2) as they were not at all expecting to receive a heavenly reward for them (LDE 218.4-219.1), nor also that these ‘effective works of obedience to God’s Law’ were being ‘credited to them as sin-pardoning, saving righteousness’ (cf. DA 239.2ff), (all quite contrary to SDAs, see here, who are now impelled to engage in such work, just to ‘make sure to get, and maintain, their desired heavenly reward’). And Christ already expects that His cognitive followers, i.e., those who have at least read Matt 25:31-46, will both know and be doing these acts.

            Secondly, (1) being “compassionate” is not the pointed, nor ultimate, mandate of Christ here. He rather is calling His True followers to be “benevolent” which should sequiturly, naturally complement a genuine “compassion”. Indeed being “compassionate” about someone who is starving to death only requires a person to, at the very best, also go starving like them to demonstrate this compassion. While on the other hand, helping the person to be well fed, is the “benevolence” that Jesus is calling for. And if this is done to the level were that benefited person is as well fed as the benefactor, even if that sought for equality requires a sacrifice on the benefactor’s part, then, and actually only then, would true benevolence be done here... and it would also be “compassionately” maintained. Indeed ‘the decisions of the last day turn upon our practical benevolence and beneficence’ (DA 637.1-2|LDE 218.3|TM 399.2; = Thorp’s subjectively, selectively left out joint aspects of “self-denial” and “righteousness” (= “right-doing” (Isa 45:19b [N/KJV]; COL 312.2; SJ 61.1) - [which the SOP also pits directly vs. “sin” (RH, Sep 23, 1873, par. 6), which of course is “the transgression of God’s Law|lawlessness” (1 John 3:4); and addedly, rightly defines, and in the context of Isa 58, as “doing the right thing and at the right time” (WM 28.2)]) cited in 2T 35.2 in regards to those ‘Gospel Mandate “perfection” and “holiness” resulting’ works), and not on the spuriously common, insubstantively partial at best, mere ‘emotional compassion’ or ‘empathy’! As the SOP also states: ‘righteousness is being good and unselfishly, practically doing good...thus putting believed sound doctrine into practice.’ (RH, August 21, 1894 par. 6). (All = Matt 5:17-20, cf. Matt 5:6; 7:21-23) (As later, vacuously/sanctimoniously/white-washingly, deliberately, really mindlessly/obliviously, and all through obstinate doubling-down effective indifference, similarly, actually “eyes wide shutly”, done during an Annual Council 2012 segment by other GC leaders, prominently here: Gary Krause (08:35-09:50) [i.e., if you don’t get around to feed those hungry people, (instead of ‘actually not even praying for that need of theirs’), then they’ll die without knowing Christ. {And I hope people actually prayed with their “eyes open” during those 2 minutes!!}]; and Mark Finley (12:33-12:48) [i.e., Jesus has just as much, if not much more, “brokenness”, even wrathfully so (Matt 25:40-46 = DA 825.4 = Zech 7:8-14 (cf. Ezek 8:18) = Rev 6:16; 14:10), over cases of people being prevented from having any chance to hear of Him because other capable people have preferred to let them prematurely die]. -It is most telling that the more these SDAs claim to be ‘loving of people in need,’ the more effectively “hateful” they actually get, i.e., by still not really caring that those people in need are needlessly dying. This all fulfills the Rev 18:2 ‘Babylonian and its False/Spurious Later Rain Deception’). Quite evidently, with the SOP’s pointed ‘benevolence and beneficence’ LDE 218.3|TM 399.2 (1896) being made after her 2T 445.1 (=Testimonies 18 (1870) statement on Matt 25:31-46, which included Thorp’s selectively cited elements of “compassion”, and, as later also contextually dispelled, “mercy”, (= his “graciousness”), [-which here does not actually apply, as he indiscriminately implies, ‘to every and anyone in need’, but is actually solely in relation to those who are in their various needs and poverty, by/as a consequence of, their own sinful fault(s)], the SOP manifestly, knowingly and spiritually saw/understood that all of those four elements of ‘self-denial, mercy [as just qualified: whenever applicable], compassion and righteousness’, come together to produce those ‘pivotal practical benevolent/beneficence’ acts. Indeed, without e.g., “self-denial” here, pointedly in the present/pertinent context of the spiritually and materially rich North American vs. the abjectedly poor and uninformed “Third Worlder”, one will actually never come to be truly “compassionate”, and thus neither ‘merciful’, and thus certainly not ‘righteous’.... But it really takes a “Servant of God” “heart”|mind|Spirit (Isa 42:1; Phil 2:5-8), all stemming from an actual/true love of, chiefly, God (Matt 22:37-38ff), to even begin to ‘see, heed, and thus come to benefittingly understand’ (Isa 42:19), such an all-encompassing and pivotal (Isa 42:21) Spiritual Truth, and thus actually fulfill Christ’s Gospel Mandate of Matt 25:31-46....All dispositions, traits and actions that the SDA Church has long, obstinately and resolutely, proven they certainly won’t, especially, “self–denyingly” (Luke 9:23-26), strive to have, nor do’. (Isa 42:20).... As you desire and thus (spuriously, fatally) believe!! (=Isa 42:22-25; RH, May 27, 1890 par. 5).

            Brad Thorp also went on to make the claim that ‘we will never be able to solve all of the problems in the world’, and therefore claims that ‘the extent of the Matt 25:31-46 mandate is in regards to what each individual can do.’ Well, as usual, such individualistic thinking flies in the face of God’s expectation for His most blessed Global Church, and just proves that his earlier claims for unity in the Church [11:20-12:46ff] were glibly, piousticly merely for deceptive cosmetic and shallow appearances and purposes. To debunk this simply here: ‘I individually can never own and operate a University, but simply an SDA Union Conference can own and operate one, and thus Global Church having 52(+9) Union Conferences, and 57(+4) Union Missions (see here - with Union Missions also capable of, and several indeed having, Universities) can summedly have over 112 of such Tertiary/Higher Education Institutions, and with all of their operational costs also paid by the (using) membership. And so a Global Church can do much more to help meet those in need if they properly invest their talent (=Matt 25:14-30), ironically enough something that Thorp had also preached on in that sermon [21:10-24:55ff] (=Part 2 [06:14-09:59ff]), but of course not with a collective application. Just more of the typical SDA, fanciful, glib watering down of Christ’s expectation I guess!! What else but a reverentially entrenched Capitalistic mentality through successful deception would make one think, as most evident in Thorp’s case, that anything but, (i.e., whether on the token aid end (=Rev 22:19), or the individualistic/selfish, Capitalistic one on the other (=Rev 22:18)- i.e., Capitalists: ‘Sure we’ll help the poor...but indirectly, through Capitalism, and however it allows for.’), actual ‘sacrificial/equalizing sharing’, is “really” God’s will!??? In verity/actuality, i.e., behind all of the sanctimonious (false joy) jovialistic fronting, Thorp’s message, which is quite the norm, and popular, in the SDA Church is saying, and that upon entrenchedly-convinced-capitalistic-belief: ‘Contrary to what Jesus said ‘back then’, do not, in our day and age, do all that you can do to help those in need... because you’ll actually be a legalist then. So certainly do not do any sacrifice, especially “profitless” sacrifice, and do, however “compassionately”, let people suffer and die of remediable causes... lest you then not be saved!!’(????) Talk about the ‘end times, self-interestedly influenced/deluded, deceitful, hypocritically- and untruthly-seared, doctrines of demons to oppose the good works/things/mandate/law of God’!!!! (1 Tim 4:1-3)

            And, contrary to Thorp’s irrelevant spin of “graciousness” here [36:53-39:04] (=Part 3 at 07:04-09:15ff), there is nothing  “gracious” about being benevolent to someone who is in various need, especially coming from fellow fallen men (cf. 1 Cor 15:10). It is only a Capitalistic paradigm that sees that people in need need to be ‘“forgiven” of something’, as if the poor, suffering and needy of the world are purposely doing so. It is rather the rich and selfish capitalist who needs graceIndeed Christ’s tacitly enjoined self-evident notion/implication of “mercy” in Luke 10:37 is certainly not: ‘mercy because that traveller had been jumped and beaten up by thugs’, as if that was all his fault, but, as that victim had ‘departed from Jerusalem’ (Luke 10:30a), chances are he was a Jew (and perhaps jumped by Samaritans)....And so, given the vehement hatred of Jews towards Samaritans, it certainly would have been ‘most merciful’ for that Samaritan to care for that injured (probable) Jew; -indeed when two of his fellow countrymen, who moreover were Religious leaders. had knowingly left him to die off. God has indeed designed that, particularly such privileged “Capitalist” ones, will actually only secure such grace from Him through their relatedly reciprocating, imparted benevolence towards others in similar need. (cf. Luke 12:48b). Everyone is entitled to, at the very least, the basic vital necessities of life, i.e., in regards to the basis for their physical, psychological and emotional health, indeed, even as EGW was shown in vision: “the comforts of this life” (RH, February 4, 1902 par. 14b).

            The incontrovertible Benevolent Truth here all make it seem to me that Jesus is most seriously, really desiring to have these works of beneficence done, for why else would He be so clear and pointed here and make them so pivotal. The actual and only answer is that this indeed is what is: ‘foundational to salvation’ and the grasping of “the science of salvation” (19MR 251.3; cf. AA 273.1); and ‘truly keeping the Law of God’. (cf. DA 56.1). (See also the succinctly comprehensive SOP exposition on “The Sin of Selfishness” in RH, July 13, 1886 par. 1-12). Moreover, Jesus is calling for such benevolence, to actually be acceptable, to be “disinterested benevolence” (=Matt 6:1-4|LDE 219.2-3; see also, e.g., DA 541.3; 15MR 245.1; 2T 51.2; 77.1; 1T 574.1; 5T 157.1; 4T 218.2). And, related to the points above in this blog post, that may indeed be the practical, fundamental reason as to how/why Jesus and Unfallen Beings are remaining sinless... i.e., because their every decision is weighed as to how it will impact someone else, and if it will be a detriment in any way, then it is seen to be sinful, as being selfish. And so the unfallen inhabitants of other worlds may not have any time or effort to so “selfishly”, and thus sinfully, expend on themselves, because they are overly busy doing what they know best to do in order to help contribute to meeting the needs of others and all ( = the “law of life” see DA 20.2-21.2ff), and which involves manual labor, as it inherently also did in the Perfect Eden (Gen 1:29-30; 2:15; PP 50.1;  with ‘angels themselves giving instructions to Adam and Eve about this (unlearned in/untrained for) “employment” of theirs’ (EW 147.1a); cf. Isa 65:21-23a). Perhaps it is only in Heaven, where the redeemed will only be for the first 1000 years of eternity, that such manual labor may be supernaturally avoided, and that merely so the Angels of God, who reside there, can have all the time they need to attend to all of God’s unfallen worlds; and likewise for the redeemed, so that they can focus all of their time, attention and energy on their millennium assignment of meting out just judgements on the lost (Rev 20:4-5|GC 660.4).

            And so that would all be manifestly, tangibly, why those who knowingly, thus rebelliously, have not bothered to cultivate such a ‘character of benevolence’ on Earth will not understand why they have to do so in Heaven/New Earth, and thus will not be trusted to live there. (=e.g., DA 641.3) That is, lest their entrenched selfish heart, where such selfishness was deliberately allowed to fester and flourish, -and as a result may be completely beyond the applicability of God’s sanctifying, changing grace, may then marshal another, and this time, eternal, Great Controversy rebellion, then based on the view of: “Why does not God supernaturally meet the needs of everyone instead of having to make His created Beings labor for this, or even care for others”... “Perhaps He is just trying to keep us busybodies because He is afraid to give us idle/spare time to expend on ourselves as then we won’t bother to keep, His thus, otherwise unkeepable law.”

            Well the foundational fact of the matter is that: ‘Such tangibly manifested sacrificial love for others is at the Heart of God’s Law’. And perhaps it may tangibly be the case, as “heretical” as it may sound to those who have a “hocus/pocus” and magical view of the Divine, versus the tangibly, real reality through which He exists and operates, and which created man is a telling microcosmic representation of (cf. Gen 1:26a), that a single World and Universe in which God is the sustaining energy of everything (cf. e.g., here) rather than these created entities being sustained according to the renewable means and organization with which He orchestrated them to exist and work, is not a realistic possibility. (See more on this here). Perhaps God has already, non-renewably,  sacrificially expended all of this great energy during the process of creating the Universe, and which may have been the actual requirement/reason for God the Son’s “downgrading”, substantive incarnation as a Mighty Angel for/prior to this Creation process. (And probably that energy, which priorly was contained in/in the form of, the “unapproachable light” of God (the Son) would have begun to be dispensed during the “Light” establishment (Gen 1:3-4), distinct from the fourth day’s luminaries (i.e., sun/moon-light) (Gen 1:14-19), that was first done in the organization of this world’s current age (Heb 11:3 vs. Rev 21:1), and which is understood to be the light which is opposed to the darkness of space, as drastically, differentiatingly observed within minutes by astronauts on a space shuttle who had launched from earth during the day (which, particularly when around noon/midday, thus inherently involves a launching towards the Sun)... I mean doesn’t the Sun also shine in outer space!??#) And so this active sustaining by incorporated process and by the efforts of His Created being is a most cosmic necessity, if these actually wish to continue to exist, lest now God the Father also no longer continue to exist in His Full/Glorious Divine form. And in such a Theological understanding, a spurious charge of selfishness, similar to “Lucifer” charge of arbitrary obedience and worship, would now be laid against God in that Second Great Controversy. And so selfishness could tangibly never be a sustainable course in God’s creation, but would inevitably, eventually cause an irreparable crash.##

            And so the universe can only sustainedly exist if the principle of cooperative, collective and inter-aiding love towards one another exists and is fully practised, and all stemming from a trusting and obeying love of God that therefore, as the First Four Commandments call for, worthily (1) honors, (2) worships (3) revers and (4) acknowledges Him both as the Supreme “God” (Psa 82:6|John 10:34-36; cf. Psa 8:5|Heb 2:9; Exod 4:16; 7:1-2; Gen 1:28b) and the Initiating Creator (cf. Gen 1:28a) that He is.###

# On an involved technical/realistic/scientific, yet nonetheless Biblical level (for, as discussed e.g., in this post and specifically here, I fundamentally believe, all that God does is based on a concrete necessity and reality), the expounding of Clifford Goldstein here [00:38-17:40ff] on the experiment on light by physicist Arthur Zajonc, related in his 1995 book Catching the Light, [as well as Las Vegas’ Luxor Light], most concretely elucidates what has here puzzled and baffled most Bible Believers (cf. the attempted symbolic/figurative/spiritual explanation/reconciling here (mp4) [26:35-32:23] by Doug Batchelor). Succinctly said, (see Goldstein’s expounding for more detail), the valid experiment of Zajonc shows that light in itself is completely invisible and it is only when it is reflected by something, such as the various particle matter found throughout the Earth’s atmosphere, that it becomes visible. And so that would most Biblically/Theologically & Scientifically harmonizingly validate, corroborate and explain my here advanced: ‘incarnated and dispensed Divine energy view’ as seen in the following points:

(1) As all matter comes from energy, on that first Day of Creation, God would have saturatingly permeated the space area around this planet with the needed particle matter, all from what was made available in the conversion of Christ’s Divine energy into matter, to make the luminaries that he was going to create later on the 4^th Day be capable of having a lighting effect, pointedly on this earth and its atmosphere and no where else (i.e. in the same dispersed brightness) in the rest of this galaxy’s universe.

(2) Although God is said to have create Light on the First Day, it can rightly actually be understood as ‘the conditions for having light’. This is supported by the fact that nothing that God did in the next two days, as he created the atmosphere/“heavens” on the Second Day, and then separated dry land on the Earth on the Third Day, actually required visible light...and, as Doug Batchelor pointed out from Psa 139:12, God can clearly see into darkness (or else indeed, darkness would be a way for people to hide from Him/His Sight.)

(3) The vegetation that was created on the Third Day would not have died because they had no visible or sun light which was, respectively visibly manifested, and created, on the next Day. Indeed plants do not die off overnight, nor for prolong period of darkness/absence of Sunlight. God could have easily supplied the energy to have that vegetation sprout on that Third Day from an otherly provided Creation Energy source. And to actually sprout, bloom and develop that fast on that single 12-24 hour period of the Third Day of Creation, this probably could not have been done from the normative energy obtainable from the sun and its normative radiance output level. And “cranking up” the sun ray’s levels to do so would surely not be a practical option, and this would probably only cause the burning up of that vegetation. So God created all vegetation on that Third Day from directly injected growing energy in them.

(4) So it would actually only have been on the Fourth Day that the (invisible) Light that God had ‘begun to set up the indispensable natural settings for’ on the First Day actually became tangibly visible. So through the diffused reflective particle matter in the atmosphere: ‘there came to be (invisible) Light on that first day’ (Gen 1:3). And I see that Rev 22:5 involves a different and tangible supply of Light by God, from the actual radiance of His there-present Occupied Throne in the New Jerusalem (Rev 22:3). Indeed, if God Himself had tangibly been the “Light” of Gen 1:3, thus a light that is one and the same as Him, as Batchelor proposes, then that would sequiturly either mean that (1) on Day 4, God actually then substituted ‘His Personal Lighting’ for that of the Sun instead and/or (2) He is still tangibly/physically, personally “Lighting”, even this, especially now, most sinful world. That would go against the Biblical understanding that sinful man can live in His, would here be, Shekinah Glory/Light. The two-phase creation of natural light for, pointedly, the immediate and humanly, freely occupiable atmosphere of this planet is overall more Biblically sound. So the only “creation” involved in the Day 1 light would be the great process of converting part of Christ’s given over Divine Energy into atmospheric particle matter.

            So Moses actually recorded this as he understood it from the revelation of Creation that was given to him, and, as typical in the Bible and prophetic revelation, it is only later when man has developed the scientific capability and knowledge that they can understand what the Bible was saying.

            [And if, as Batchelor relates, as some (futilely -i.e., as scientifically and Biblically diffused in (3) above)) claim: 'Moses had made a mistake by mentioning that vegetation was created before the Sun, and thus here immediately, “correctingly” mentioned the creation of the Sun,'... then I think, being only 13 “verses” into his writing of the book of Genesis, he rather would have scrapped that short portion from his papyrus roll and started all over!!]

(5) This understanding agrees with the common general understanding of God’s Day 1-3 (‘Spaces Created’) vs. Day 4-6 (‘Spaces Filled in’) order in Creation as it would harmoniously involve God having created the “conditions for visible light” on the first day, and then He would have “filled in” that “space” with what produced that light on the Fourth Day.
            In fact, when ‘seeing and saying “light was good”’ (Gen 1:4) it very well may be that God had momentarily “flashed” a (flash)-light (so to speak), into this newly created light-enable space to verify that it would indeed reflect light, and thus make it visible and illuminating. And then, satisfied with that verification, God then would have resumed creating in darkness until the 4th Day’s Sun Creation. (And that momentary light may have been from His own (sun-like) glory mentioned above as it has been suggested by others. (Rev 22:5; cf. Matt 17:2-3))

((6) =(1)-(5)) And, in fact, all of the observational/Biblical substantiating comments above are actually accurately/exegetically supported by the fact the (manifestly) the author of Genesis (himself), likely Moses, [‘knowledgeably/informedly/awarely/competently’] used 2 slightly distinct terms for “light” in Gen 1.

-One is ‘or (Strongs #0216; -109X occurrences the OT [LXX = phos]), and refers to ‘the achieved state of light’. This is the term used for Creation’s First Day =“lighting/shining” in Gen 1:3-5 and Gen 1:18 which refers to the separation of that ‘lighted state’ in contrast to darkness.

-The other is ‘iyr [or ‘ir] (Strongs #0215 -43X occurrences the OT [LXX = phaino]) which pointedly, distinctly refers to ‘what produces light’. This term is used for the Fourth Day luminaries (Sun, (moon, stars)) in Gen 1:15, 17 which, as discussed above come to produce that First Day’s lighting/shining as God had firstly set it up to do.

An example that can show this distinction is the difference in generally referring to a lighted room vs. specifically speaking of the lamp which produced that lighted room. So God would have actually said on the First Day: “Let there be lighting” which was the atmospheric condition capable of reflecting light, and then on the Fourth Day he created the celestial “lamps” which would produce that visibly lighted state.

## This issue is a major faulty Theological understanding in David Gates’ fundamental view which is that ‘God wants His people to sell everything and depend on Him.’ And so here [37:00ff], in a 2006 sermon, he claims that ‘throughout eternity we won’t be working at all but will be depending on God for our everyday livelihood.’ And so he further, circularly claims that ‘that is why God wants us to now learn to depend on Him, in order to be accustomed to this way of living of Heaven’ !??? That spurious view is quite readily debunked from his own experience when he has been living as such. As discussed in this post, in all of His experiences, despite him engaging to live like this for years, he never, according to the experiences he has recounted, received a subsistence or project funding donation from “the heathens” as he constantly claims will be the case. All of these funds came from fellow SDA’s who wanted to contribute to his projects and ministry. So if all of God’s people today were to live like him, then either God would have to make any outright miracle and force the heathens to provide for millions of Sabbathkeepers who they actually are endeavoring to kill, as there would be no one amongst God’s people with any substance, funds or means to assist each other.

            Gates’ view can only be possible in a utter end context, where, like God did with Elijah, He would have to Himself miraculously provide for His remaining faithful people since they can’t themselves, and others just don’t volitionally want to. And because Gates thinks that this utter  end will be ‘next month’, yet, as he himself knows, the whole world has yet to be evangelized, let alone “cultivated”, i.e., properly prepared for the Final Testing, then he ventures to make such claims. That is actually putting the cart before the oxen. God’s mandate now to His people is to Finish the Full Gospel Work as a binding, living testimony, and when this is finally, actually/properly done, then the end will come (Matt 24:14).

            However God’s perfect and eternal plan is that man should work to provide for his own livelihood. Gates’, effective, “spoiled brats” view of Heaven will indeed only result in that: “spoiled brats”, which in turn will only result in a fertile ground for sinful pursuit, mainly deriving from a non-appreciation of God’s provision. If I don’t need to care for something in order to upkeep it, and whatever I can detrimentally do to it will be magically fixed, then why not mistreat it. That idea was at the root of Eve’s temptation. The Serpent told her that ‘she did not have to worry, and thus be obeying cautions otherwise, about not eating the forbidden fruit because it would not at all be harmful, indeed not fatal, to her/her body, and actually only make life much better.’

            Relatedly here, I also see that such a Biblical understanding here that: ‘God actually needs Man to be laborious in order to self-sustain creation to perfectly explain the otherwise really puzzling command of God in Gen 1:28 for Man to be “fruitful and multiply, and fill the Earth” indeed ‘in order to subdue it.’ I.e., the beautifully “manicured” Earth could have become a wild jungle if there were not enough people living in it to (also) ‘cultivate and keep it’ (cf. Gen 2:15). And with this Planet probably being the very first of God’s organized for Human habitation worlds, God, right upon having created Adam (Gen 2:18), and right after Adam’s initial namings task (Gen 2:20b-21), may have then injunctively decided, as actually implied in the parallel Gen 1:26-27 Divine-out-loud-thinking, to not replicate the way in which He had, generally-speaking, “mass productively” created the angels, [but in actual specific details, had handcraftedly fashioned each of them, (as He would later start to do with Man (Gen 2:7)), sequentially one by one, probably according to an ‘accruedly renewed, available energy cache, (and which would then give the angels a natural hierarchal order from [the Angelicly Incarnated-]Michael, then “Lucifer”, then Gabriel, and so on), and then actuated their completed lifeless form by breathing that first (probably, itself, a supernatural) ‘aromatic Breath of Life’ (cf. PP 62.3) directly from Him into them], but to instead allow for Man to reproduce himself. So He right then decided to ‘improvise’ and (customizingly) “invented” a female human gender which would be capable of effectuating this self-reproduction. Indeed Gen 1:27 exegetically specifies that God created “the” man himself {i.e. def. art. + 3rd pers. sing. suffix with the verb “create”} in His (=their, i.e. God the Father and Son (EW 54.2)) own image (=1 Cor 11:7-9)) although He (later) did also create a female gender (from the male DNA & template (=Gen 2:21-23); -the specially generic “man” in Gen 1:26 (i.e. with no def. art) was manifestly initially intended to refer to, (as with the angelic host), ‘an all male mankind’), -thus confirming that God is indeed male. So there really was no female image to mirror, thus she indeed had to be “invented”. And such a more accurate understanding also helps elucidate the “not good” statement in Gen 2:18, which indeed would be mere vacuous verbiage if God had always intended to create the female gender, as it would be saying that God, in reaction to Adam’s manifest disappointed reaction when seeing that all of the animals were in a couples relationship, realized/saw that it would not be best for created Man, (perhaps then technically/anatomically, not of the (distinct) “Male” gender), to not also be in a (committed) couple relationship as the male-female animal couples were. Manifestly God had up to then only planned for Man, and that beyond Adam to all of the other “Men” that He would subsequently originally create, to, like the angels in Heaven (cf. Matt 22:30), live as single (gender-less) individuals; -probably upon priorly having presciently, and indeed, as seen throughout World and Biblical History, rightly so, -[see Zerubbabel’s (probably historically true), contest-winning one-half “woman” observation in 1 Esdras 3-4 (i.e. 3:12 & 4:13-32); cf. Prov 12:4; 18:22; 31:10-11); -his other, superceding half was, also rightly, “Truth” (1 Esdras 4:33-41). -(Relatedly...does it, quasi-prophetically (Isa 22:13; cf. 1 Cor 15:52)....), get any more Socio-Cultural Anthemic than, most manifestly deliberately: this....{or did it even have to "prophetically" be -Eccl 1:9-10}, -all, nonetheless indeed: “prophetically enough (=2 Tim 3:4-5)”: antithetically, diametrically opposed to the substance of Christ’s summative point in Matt 6:34!!) God had envisaged the power that ‘a female gender in also humans’, i.e. a woman, could “most naturally” exert over her and/or other, man/men; -but now seeing the “help-meet necessity” as being, life and living-wise, paramount. And as it was then wholly dependent upon Man to ‘neededly “fill in Earth” in order to sustain it” He then followed up this Female Creation by making sure they fully understood that reproductive necessity. Hence the Gen 1:28 command. And it most likely is out of this pragmatic understanding of the great need for Man to fill the Earth that God then made sure that the Female gender was especially, as discussed e.g. here, physically/“featuredly” and thus sensually/sexually attractive to the Male gender as esthetically, symmetrically|congruously|“homogenously”|congruently as possible. In fact God may also have deliberately made the reproductive process as thoroughly, (i.e., emotionally, psychologically, mentally, chemically, physically and “fleshly” -which, as discussed here, are all of the 5 distinct elements involved in total Love), enjoyable, (and even, in a wholly wholesome and non-detrimental way, (especially when in God’s designed monogamous marriage context), “addictively” so), as possible, so as to insure that needed rapid and full reproducing for the population saturation of the Earth. So really all that God has ever given is indeed most vital and conducive to “a more abundant life” for Man. (John 10:10). This understanding all then in turn best contextualizes the particular punishment given to the Woman, when God was dealing out the curses for Man’s fall (Gen 3:16-24), which indeed shows that the punishment given to the Woman was neither arbitrary nor vindictive, for, as God was then acting to variously hampered the easeful progression of now sinful Man, with indeed death being chiefly imposed now to greatly limit and curtail this growth, and with the pre-flood world indeed providing a very comfortable life for man, God now had to make man and woman think twice before engaging in reproductive and/or even casual loving activity, for, pointedly, the “great pain” that would be experienced by the Woman in childbirth, (Gen 3:16a) was the most dissuading deterrent to having (more) children. (Relatedly, and thus tellingly enough, I don’t see female animals/mammals writhing and lamenting in pain when giving birth.). And yet God did not make this ‘increased pain’ be so much that it would completely prevent a woman, particularly back then, from ever taking any chance of becoming pregnant, nor from carrying a pregnancy to full term and childbirth. (=Gen 3:16b). Thus God enduringly acted then to only sufficiently limit the possible rapid Earth-filling of post-Fall/Sin Man. All this to say/show that God needs for Man and His entire Humanly Creation (i.e., non-Angels, as angels have other cosmic ministering duties) to fully self-sustain itself. Which is why, as EGW expounded upon in DA 20.1-21.3, God’s entire Creation needs to selflessly and generously do what it was designed to do in order to sustain life, and that “most abundantly”. (See the excellent, Nature-based, corroborating presentation, entitled “Co-dependence - the unselfish planet”, by Walter Veith here|here).

            And on an also related topic as it involves the point being made here, and in this blog post in general, that God has a tangible, practical/pragmatic reason for everything He has instituted and done, succinctly said here, the reason why, as Rev 21:3, ‘God’s Tabernacle will be with men in the Earth made new, (manifestly in the same way that it was with the Sanctuary amongst Israel), will be for the most visible and ever-present reason to help still free willed, formerly sinful men, to not, as, as expounded upon here, they indeed could if they chose to, relapse into any sinful course. And all of this is really out of a due fairness because God had permitted the started course of sin on this planet to go to a full extent in the GC, and so, in a way, even those who will live in the new earth, though probably not having a recollection of their own sins (1SP 123.3; cf. Isa 65:17b), because of the Millennium judgement where they will have had reviewed the life of all lost people, they would, probably like other unfallen worlds are, become aware of (others) sins. And thus God’s continual presence in the midst of the redeemed will serve as a safeguard to help keep them from acting upon that necessarily permitted, mere “awareness” of sin. Indeed today, just because one is ‘aware” of the sin that someone else has committed, that does not make themself a “sinner”. And to a related, to much more imposed, extent, that is manifestly how Jesus was able to bear the sins of the world, yet Himself (i.e., probably, deliberately, only His Human, vs. His (Sin-Imbued) Divine, Nature , cf. here), remaining perfect/sinless. Indeed, as Gen 3:23 states, the Godhead does ‘(also) know of evil’ yet they are (still) sinless.

### It may also be validly asked here, as even seen today, a fallen/sinful man can have multiple talents, why does not God, in actual, direct alternative to His ‘interdependently collaborating “Law of Life”’, give His unfallen and redeemed Creatures the ability to have multiple talents, and so they won’t need to depend on another’s talents abilities in order to have a fuller life,, well the answer may also be here a question of ‘available energy’. I.e., it is physically/mentally impossible for a single individual, whether an angel or a human, to possess and perfectly exercise all of the possible talents that exist. In other words, while one may be a “jack of all trades”, they cannot physically/mentally become highly knowledgeable, proficient, effective (= “masters”) in/of all. And if they could do this to a certain extent, it probably would still be at the detriment of most of those other talents/capabilities, and thus cause all of them, and also any special talents that they could have, to fall far short of what it fully could be, and thus be a loss for all. This understanding is most necessarily, repeatedly seen with man today, where it is much more proficient for them to pursue a single career/study and become highly specialized in it than to seek to become specialized in many areas. And in such cases, generous inter-collaboration is thus helpful, and even needed, so that that ‘single talent focusing’ will still greatly benefit all. That is all squarely contrary to a Capitalism and a Capitalistic approach, where one seeks to better themselves solely/primarily to profit themselves, including making a profit from those who are able to various pay for their learned/accrued skills, while leaving those who can’t out of this loop, and that, out of a belief/fear that being generous with them will be personally detrimental to them, and to society as a whole. And so selfishness comes to slyly mar this otherwise sacrificial endeavor to best oneself in order to help all others who need of this talent.

            I, also relatedly, only see counsel in the SOP for God’s people, at some orderly time, to leave large urban areas and settle in retired country places, not to hide, but to be even more laborious, productive and self-subsistent than before, all contrary to Gates’ view, who of course sees a ‘set-time’ imperative to skip this counselling, instead himself exhorting SDA’s sell everything and invest in some missions ministry and live off of, hopefully, at least, other non-SDA people. That all is against God’s actual training for His people. He wants them to learn to be productive and also to work together to help each other out, as did the Apostolic Church. That is also the cooperation lesson that God wants His people to take into eternal life, for it will also/still be needed there.

            Only the NJK Project, which is God’s Church Triumphant model, meets prophetic instructions and makes all of those necessary preparations and works as it will be places where God’s people will be most remote from other peoples, yet will also be having a tangible “outpost” type of missionary and ministry presence in every major urban area, and also allowing God’s people to cooperatively labor together to fully provide for their own economic subsistence, as well as fully staff and fund their missions and outreach ministries, and all the while having a tangible place to provide for the major segment of their humanitarian aid, namely a place to live for infants saved from abortions.


** In his first two presentations (“The Big Question” and “Victory”), Dave Fiedler tries to give a Great Controversy background and Theological foundation which demonstrate why practical good/health/humanitarian works are indeed the pivotal part of the pre-Second Coming Final Chapter of the GC (Matt 25:31-46; LDE 218.3-219.3) and is indeed (COL 384.2; cf. 69.1) most crucial to, and determinative in, the sealing/seal of God (LDE 219.4-222.1). However, relatively, (cf. here) inherently like other similarly ‘half-baked, half-(spiritual)-wit, lukewarm (though I would fairly say that Dave Fiedler is actually at a higher “three-fourths level”...but the unabashed, paramountly: ‘evangelism self-serving “influencing” motives’ both spiritually and tangibly limits and/or ruin everything (LDE 219.2-3) ...and also, this solemnly is indeed a zero-sum matter (Mat 25:45-46)); exegetically deficient, thus Theologically erroneous SDAs, Fiedler keeps bumping into Spiritual and Theological walls which prevent his views to be Biblically, even logically, sound and congruent. So, for the truthful record/testimony, those various straggled and inconclusive points will be here addressed with the Biblical answers that they can easily have through the various, pertinent exegetically-based, Theological studies which have brought forth thus far in this “Theological Views” blog.

Self-seeking Snare Today

-Though Dave Fielder, like most SDAs will not admit, or probably even see, that the Church as a whole operating according to Capitalistic policies, instead of Biblical Socialistic ones, is the main hindrance to doing the type of full works which God is requiring of it, that not only is indeed the issue, but actually is a carbon-copy of the same misconstruing of God’s Character which led to Satan’s self-seeking rebellion. Indeed most Christians and SDAs will claim that Capitalism is God’s very own way and thus have no qualm living up to its inherent and incontrovertible ruthless “live-and-let-die” ways. So it is by their own misconstruing of God’s Character that they too are engaged in a self-seeking lifestyle which prefers to ignore the plight of the spiritually and physically needy, especially if they, as dogmatically taught in Capitalism, either cannot get anything profitable out of it for themselves, thus if a sacrifice is required. That is pointedly the extent of Satan’s now most sly deception (=EW 266-269) which God is looking to have debunked by the 144,000. (Cf. this post.)

God and the (GC’s) Future

-Fiedler claims that the GC cannot be resolved by mere pronouncement, but requires demonstration, yet at the Theological-cognitively-dissonant other end, he believe that the future exists and that God perfectly knows it. So then, why didn’t God just do, as he evidently believes is done with prophets and show all of the angels what the future will be “if” (really “since”) some of them will rebel. That view just does not begin to make logical sense, and the good thing is, as discussed in this post, the Bible does not teach that God “knows” the (existent/transpired) future. That’s only an exegetically-deficiently arrived at, poor, traditional theological assumption.

            So God had to allow the GC only because that was the only existent way in which it could be demonstrated that His view and governance was indeed the wisest. Fiedler and other who believe in classical foreknowledge have to ignore that God could easily have revealed the future if it actually concretely/transpiredly existed. At best, what God could do was present what would likely happen in a future that exists outside of His Law, and as that could and would be readily dismissed by the discontented angels as merely being His (subjective) view, He did not even bother to do so.

Mortal “putting on” Immortality

-1 Cor 15:53-54 does not at all say that ‘the redeem will become immortal’, and that is why (e.g.,) ‘Gabriel and the other angels want to make sure that they can be trusted not to fall again’. For one thing, if the redeem would become immortal, then, and also unlike the perfectly created Adam and Eve, they would not at all need the Tree of Life. The Greek word for “put on” is accurately “become clothed with”. And just like a person (e.g., an actor) can only externally pass off as someone else by putting on e.g,. a differing outfit, a period costume or an occupational uniform [see pointedly the: ‘infiltrate through assimilating disguise’ notion in 2 Tim 3:6], when ‘the redeem’s mortal will “become clothed with” immortality’, it will solely be that they will be able to perpetually live eternally but all the while being actually mortal. And partaking of the tree of life, which will be primarily aromatically diffused throughout Heaven, (naturally) through the scent of its leaves (see PP 62.3=Rev 21:2). So as expressed in 2 Tim 3:6, the Angels will indeed be more concerned that none of the redeemed are, effectively/potentially “infiltrators” (a.k.a “sleepers”). And that leads to the issue of what are the Heavenly being wanting to see from God’s adjudications: they are manifestly waiting to see, pointedly with people who would not have tasted death and thus not have a learnt desire to not want to undergo such a fate again, God orchestrate things in such a way that these ones to be translated will not love their lives more than God, even in the face of death (Rev 12:11). For then it will be seen/known that these too can be trusted to live according to the trusting and selfless atmosphere that reigns Supreme in Heaven.

            In fact these angels actually have to trust the Wisdom of God in all of the salvation decisions, and also with the redeemed who will be resurrected for God will have saved many of them on a salvation curve, i.e., merely on a demonstrated potential that their past response to some light showed that they would be obedient and faithful had they been (properly) showed more light. Yet, as properly understood from the Truth about “God and the Future”, in a realm where Free Will will still exist, nothing is still a 100% guarantee (cf. here). So the angels will here be trusting in God’s saving decisions (who alone can read minds). (It is pertinent to keep in mind here that Satan had deceived the unfallen, and even fallen angels, about the actual/true motives for his rebellion for ca. 4000 years (see here), so they surely gladly gave over all salvation judgement decisions to God yet he still will have given them a chance to review those decision prior to executing them).

Misconstruing God’s Preferred Stewardship

-To relatedly take a comment of Fiedler to its full end, there actually comes to be a tangible need to trust God instead of trusting ourselves only in circumstances of applicable lack. And that is also of course in a circumstance when there exists an alternative way to meet that lack. So the question then is, what would we “lack” in heaven. The concept of Heaven of most believers, including SDAs, is, unlike this world, a recreated New World where they neither want nor lack anything, and that is because they will then have all that they ever wanted to have. But what will be the shock for them when they will be presented in Heaven and the New Earth with, as discussed here, a Divine-Energy Stewardship reality/necessity where God does not want to provide for their every want at the cost of ever being able to create even some-one and some-thing new. As it was the case with both Satan and Adam and Eve, if they then neither properly know, and/or trust that God is actually, wisely doing the best for them, then they will likely start another “selfish/self-seeking/self-determining/self-preserving” GC revolving on a feeling of being discontent and “arbitrarily cheated” due to what they cannot be permitted to have/obtain...and thus that God wants to keep them from fully having all that they want, a moreover, as discussed above here, work. So the “Circuit of Beneficence” “Law of Life” of God (DA 20.1-21.3; cf. PP 34.3) will also here be deemed to be arbitrary, not necessary and not the best way to run that recreated New World. Not surprisingly that view is actually what fuels a Capitalistic mentality, which is also direct related to that evil governing view of Satan, and why most, even Christians, don’t want to live according to even Biblical Socialistic principles so as to be able to help everyone in need and, as seen in widely condoned abortions, even by those who claim to be against them when a personal sacrifice is required (see e.g., the responding reader comments in this post).

            So it actually is because God will first want to see and have genuinely demonstrated in the righteous from Earth a similar Godly character as His to both love others, even to the very least, and here, (1) do whatever is best to provide existence/life and adequate subsistence for as much as possible, and (2) like Jesus Christ Himself demonstrated, do whatever is possible to spiritually save people, (cf. DA 825.4), that He is awaiting for the effectuation of this, and actually self-initiated, global testimony and revelation in/from His professed People in order to then be able to wrap up this GC, particularly as it will show that even people who have been “poisoned” by sin for years/centuries/millennia, can achieve, and that through fully tested faith, such a high moral and character standing.

            Therefore as delineated in Rev 12:11 the redeemed will be saved because (1) the blood of the Lamb will be applicable to their lives (=salvation in Christ); (2) because of the testimony about the Christ which they proclaimed and for many, tangibly most than others (=witnessing), (3) they did not love their life in the face of death (=self-sacrificing; -the present failing of also SDAs 16MR 34.1; EW 50.3; cf. 2SG 265.1-270.1). Those three combined fully effectuate the Character of Christ in the Believer.

           

Order of this Planet’s Organization

-A pertinent interesting observation that can be made in the face of the view that this planet was evidently the very first to be created/inhabited (see in PP 36.2). Then if/since it obviously require God seven 24-hour days to organize a planet for human occupation, then, by straightforward arithmetic, with 52 weeks in a year, and with, according to Biblical records, this planet having been first* organized for existence now ca. 6000 years ago, then, at the most, God would have since organized up to 312,000 other similar inhabited worlds, (thus likely in 312,000 different galaxies such as ours). [And thus ‘God having “rested” from His (creating) works’ (Gen 2:2-3) would most significantly have been Him taking a literal day off, (which moreover may not have been merely emblematic as surfacely commonly assumed based on Isa 40:28**), before beginning, that next day, the First Day of a new week, to similarly organize another ‘formless, void and dark (and perhaps also water-covered)’ (Gen 1:2) planet in another galaxy for human habitation and, on its sixth day, create, [and now defaultly (Gen 2:18)], another male+female pair of humans. =John 5:17; ...and John 5:16-17 is manifestly also involving God’s redemptive works (cf. John 10:25, 37) which, because of sin, He has had to be working “overtime” in doing. -In fact, during the time that God the Son, who had been God’s executive Creator in Heaven (Heb 1:2; John 1:3; Col 1:16) was on this Earth for 38 years as the incarnated Jesus Christ, it likely is that God the Father extended His ‘(presidential) “great Creator”’(see in 1SP 17.2-18.1) duties to also include executive functions in order to seamlessly continue to create new worlds in what would result in ca. 1976 such new habitable worlds and new human life during that time.]. But since astronomical observations claim that there are billions of Galaxies such as ours out their, then that would reveal that, just like it probably was the case with this planet, God may have already long created these other galaxies but has yet to organize them to be able to be humanly inhabited. (By the time of Job (sometime after the flood and before Abraham), God would have created several other habitable worlds. (Job 1:6-7ff) -the “sons of God” here are of the human/Adamic level/realm (e.g., Luke 3:38; Matt 5:9; Luke 20:36; Rom 8:14; Gal 3:26; Rev 21:7); and not those of the angelic level/realm who were present at the Creation of this evidently firstly created world. (Job 38:4-7ff))

            All this to corroborate my view that God had only begun to create when He completed the creation of this planet, and has since been working to create, (also through the Divine-energy provision of Christ) other worlds (cf. John 5:17). So having to devote so much attention and extra maintaining energy upon this planet is indeed a cosmicly costly, extra-curricular endeavor for Him.

            [It could however be the case that God, at least after having organized this world, could have simultaneously, similarly organized all of the other worlds in other existing galaxies.] Still the issues of ‘costly Divine-Energy in dealing with this sinful planet’ would still apply, as it then would be taking away from what God is capable of doing for all of the other unfallen world.

* Biblically/Theologically/Exegetically contrary to the (as patent) incontrovertibly complacently, and pompously so, glibly/“fossilizedly” deficient claim made here[52:55-54:54] by Stephen Bohr, any “begotten”, created, or ‘born again/from above’ being/human fits into the “sons of God” category of Job 38:7 (Gen 6:2, 4; Job 1:6; 2:1; Luke 3:38; Rev 21:7; Matt 5:9; Luke 20:36; Rom 8:14, 19; Gal 3:26; (e.g.) Mar 1:1; cf. GC 511.2). “Morning Stars” are a specially commissioned category of angels who are, as “Lucifer” could have been (Isa 14:12; cf. in here at Fourth Series|Rev 2:26-28), privileged to be the overseeing heads of a new galatic-planetary creation by God. E.g. this Milky Way Galaxy has its own “morning star” functionary/delegate which manifestly (at least, interimly during the Great Controversy warring) is Jesus Christ Himself. (Rev 22:16; cf. Rev 8:3-5 (Heb 4:14, 15, 16)).
            In fact the Eden visit(s), as in Gen 3:8a, which most likely was/were by Michael/Jesus Himself, may have been an initial (i.e., in regards to this firstly organized planet) effectuation of that “Morning Star” position’s role. And relatedly (cf. Rev 5:10; 7:13-15), in fulfillment of the ‘galatic witnessing/ministering task of the redeemed’ stated in the SOP in Ed 308.1-309.1 (cf. Matt 22:30|Luke 20:34-36), can also be through them being given that “morning star” (Rev 2:28). More specifically, each redeemed being assigned such a role for each of the (ca. 312,000) already organized planets (as perhaps by Enoch EW 39.3 (cf. Rev 7:9b)), and then all of the other organized and populated ones. {And I would Theologically propose that this Testifying tasking may only be for a limited time/age, for the duration of a ‘Resurrection Age’, of which the Judgement “Millennial Age” would be part of it, and then would resume living according to the initial plan of God for humans of Gen 1:27-28a; 2:24, perhaps with new or renewed couples being given a newly organized planet for occupation. It then would just have been that the GC necessary task of (Personally) Testifying/Ministering to the rest of the (unfallen) Universe would not allow for the redeemed to also engage in the normal activities of human living, and so, as with the ministering angels, would need to be specially reserved for that task.}

** It is interesting that the Hebrew word “refreshed” [#05314] is used in Exod 31:17 [cf. Exod 23:12] in reference to God since that word is associated with being ‘weary’ [#05889] (e.g. 2 Sam 16:14) and Isa 40:28 seems clear that the Creator God did/does not get “weary”. Well the explaining difference is that in Isa 40:28, a closely related, but distinct in emphasis Hebrew word [#03286] is used for “weary” and pointedly refers to “being physically exhausted” (cf. e.g., Isa 40:31), while the word [#05889] used in Exod 31:17, actually pointedly refers to being ‘famished’. Indeed one can become ‘weary’ by not having eaten, but that is not the same ‘weariness’ from being physically tired, though they can produce the same slugginess due to a similar ‘lack of energy’.

            And so here, further corroborating the Theo-Science view here that Creation required an expending from God of also sustaining energy to fully effectuate what He had voice-activatingly ordered, I can easily see that the ‘refreshing’ by God on the Sabbath, at the end of Creation, was in regards to replenishing Himself energy-wise before going on to begin another 7-Day Creation process the next week. And so the Sabbath can actually thus not be seen to be merely emblematic or arbitrary for even God, but instead a necessary Day of Rest for Him so that He can go on working to create in His Universe. So simply stated, God did not need to “sleep” here, but actually needed to replenish His Creating Energies.

The Real Challenge in Life

            It is comical to hear SDA subjectively disculpatingly interpret statements by EGW to ‘keep institutions small’ to mean ‘not to do what is required to actually/properly meet a need’. Therefore in their pseudo-claim to ‘keep it small’ they see a justification to “squeeze out” the “least of these”...Now here a life challenge...Try to be saved by ignoring the plight of the least of these (Matt 25:45-46)!!!

[8] It is quite confirming of True Inspiration/Revelation to find a statement having increasing, unfolding understanding and application as people advance in their faith. That is how the prophecies of Revelation have had to some valid extent guiding and elucidating meaning upon successive “Era”-generations throughout Church History. (E.g. Were it for the Scripture-restricting “Dark Ages”, each of those first 5 (Historical) Era’s would have been seeing the prophetic explanation for their trials and ordeals in the unfolding series in Revelation!). And along these lines of “True Inspiration”, just going by the fact that EGW did not explicitly expound upon her [LDE 199.4] ‘Justification by Faith = Third Angel’s Message in verity’ statement, well when all that the Bible “fully” teaches on this topic of “Justification”, as presented in this post, then now can the fullest confirming understanding of that statement can be arrived at.

            In a two-part sermon series by Stephen Bohr [Part 1 & (esp.) Part 2 (truncatedly combined single presentation here/here), he, really “doubles down”, on the typical SDA view on this statement by focusing on a (committed) sin pardoning aspect and ‘having faith in/as Christ that God will forgive them’, and thus, at best, merely skirts the real/full issue/implication of this statement. That is all like a doctor ‘treating the symptom of an illness and not its cause’. So this message too, i.e. as priorly done for key parts of Part 1 in this post at Rev 20:12 , needs to be fundamentally, -contra. inherent ‘Freudo-Pharisicalisms’, (re-)calibrated.

            Indeed, the Bible, as well as the SOP, though not directly/explicitly, has revealed what it “fully” involved in “justification”. Summarily restated here, James has Biblically shown, indeed echoing Jesus Himself (Matt 25:31-46), that sins of omission, = ‘knowing to do “good/(=the right thing)” and not doing it’ (Jam 4:17), will indeed prevent someone from being justified (Jam 2:14-26; cf. 1 John 3:14-18), thus just as if they had been committing the most vile sins of commission. Not always, even preeminently taking this Biblical fact into the consideration of the topic of Justification & Righteousness is just having a Pharisaical mentality and character (cf. Matt 5:20). But when one “fully” understands the all-encompassing and (Sixth Era) Truly-Sealing (=Rev 7:1-3ff) implications in the (Sealing) Third Angel’s Message {3AM}, around which the Biblical Shaking (EW 269-273; duly transpiring first upon SDAs) squarely pivots, and, as presented in the present post, indeed revolves around: ‘doing good/the right thing, and at the right time, towards all those in need’, -(an imperative, objective, mandate and Christ-like mentality&character which the Devil has variously indeed sought to obfuscate, including amongst Christians, even SDAs, through getting them to idolatrous or sheepishly “go along” with his, GC Finale: sly, selfishness and covetousness -rooted, Capitalism deception (see DA 20.1-21.3ff; EW 266-269)), then it is most, especially also Spiritually, sequiturly and straightforwardly logical/sensical that doing such “good works” is what the Third Angel’s Message Ordeal will revolve around....And, “naturally” (1 Cor 2:6-16) imperceptive to Pharisaically-minded SDAs who can only be limited to the: “letter of the Law” (cf. 2 Cor 3:7-18): “(merely) Sunday Sacredness = the Mark of the Beast {MOB}” extent of prophetic understandings, which were actually focusing on Satan’s only needed plans for those “Age of Faith” days of EGW, this now more strategically/deceptively entrenched MOB “Final Conflict” battle has long been unfolding, with literally all SDAs actually have, either in mentality or by faithless submission (=Rev 13:16b), fully fallen for.

            Even EGW knew and understood, probably for a direct revelation, that, as foundational presented in/for this “(Future) Scroll Unrolling” post, ‘even with her (effectively) final edition of the Final Conflict, she still had not written/presented all that is to be understood about the MOB/3AM issue.’ (6T 17.1). And indeed it was lacking the fullest understanding and explicitly direct association with the “justification by also good works/righteous-ness acts” message of James. (So it is not Biblically correct for people today to ‘stuntingly limit’ their understandings on that issue to merely what EGW said, and even to what was revealed to her....But since such people really have not been given, nor obeyingly fitted themselves, indeed through good works, to Spiritually receive, the fuller, advancing (Theological|Biblical|Prophetic) Light...(=Dan 12:3-4, 10)).

            Indeed True followers of Jesus Christ endeavoring to fully obey all that He has commanded, including, in fact most importantly, helping people in, especially vital need, (thus way beyond the merely self-serving, “influential” works which SDAs faithless care/concern themselves to do), because, as Jesus taught (e.g. Luke 10:30-37), ‘it makes no, (indeed “justifying”) sense, to certainly the Heavenly Intelligence, to let people suffer die of preventable, curable and/or intentional causes, and all because God’s people prefer to slavishly serve the tyrannical dictates of a selfish and covetous system, rather than have and resolutely exercise the transformative and purifying faith that God’s will on this issue must be faithfully, indeed fearfully so (Rev 14:9-11, DA 825.4), heeded. And that is indeed what the Third Angel’s Message will “fully” revolve around. “Faithfully” keeping the Letter of the Law of the Sabbath, while ignoring, even selectively/partly so, its socio-economic Sabbatical mandate, and that, directly because the World’s Capitalistic system is being obeyed instead, is what the FULL Mark of the Beast issue is. And it will take this same faith of Jesus, who really was put to death because of His Law-magnifying Sabbath, =Isa 58-Sabbatical, healings and righteous, rest-providing, works/reforms (cf. Deut 5:17) which were incontrovertibly proving that all that He was saying about Himself was true (see John 11:47-48ff), and, like SDAs today with their Capitalist/Western/American overlords, the Jews then feared more the Romans (=“Babylon” 1 Pet 5:13), than God, and His will/power to protect those who would be endeavoring to see that His Glorious Healing and Redemptively Saving will be fully and truly done.

            But God will, indeed presently has, a “perserveringly” (=Rev 14:12) faith-full band, who, -even standing alone as also God’s Elijah, will, just like Jesus Christ, be, in faith, entrusting themselves fully to God and His grand and glorious Will, “taking up their Cross”, denying themselves (Mark 8:34-38), as they resolutely seek to accomplish this world-oppos-ed/-ing ‘(Full/True) Good Works Mandate of the Lamb’ (cf. DA 825.4). And Biblically/Spiritually confirming enough of this “fuller” understanding of ‘being justified by faith-fully obeying Jesus Christ and His “Final Revelation” Mandate’, just after John has gone on to restate what true love and obedience to Christ is tangibly all about (1 John 3:14-18), and which indeed fulfills God’s Law (Matt 22:34-40; cf. Rom 13:8-10; Gal 5:13-14), he goes on to further expound on how this, trumping of anything to the contrary, confirms our full pleasing acceptance by God (1 John 3:19-22)...and all in a context of an engendered hatred and ire by the fallen world (1 John 3:11-13). And, in short, is the Biblical expounding of EGW’s “in verity” statement couched in its Final Conflict context. For the selfish and covetous living world today will likewise become hateful and belligerent towards those who, with naturally tangible consequences, will, through presently Constitutionally-provided freedoms, be discarding their Capitalistic system and ways in order to carry out Christ’s will here. And as seen today with SDAs who are, even persecutively, vehemently opposing such “full” things, -(self-deceivedly, as that priest and Levite in Luke 10:30-37, for supposed paramount religious imperatives, with the glibly comprehended “Surely Soon Second Coming”, ‘in (tangible) verity’, vacuous mantra (e.g. here) of SDAs being the self-justifying excuse) (=Amos 5:18-23), the rest of the world will likewise rally around their own, likewise subjectively self-manufactured gods in order to justify their hateful and violent opposition to that Church Triumphant movement. Indeed you “touch” the SDAs psyche-assuaging glib-Soon-Second Coming’ god which circularly “assures” them that ‘presently, they themselves will not be dying, and rot in their graves’ and you get that vehement marginalization and persecutive hatred....Likewise, you “touch” the artificial, Capitalistic socio-economic system of virtually the whole world which similarly circularly “assures” them that: ‘if they are selfish and covetous enough, and certainly do not think of, or do for, others as themselves (contra. Matt 7:12), then they’ll surely get ahead...even to the very top if they are “faithful” to these (Satanic) dogmas’ and the same vehement marginalization and persecutive hatred, this time directly involving their own “arm” of Civil powers, will manifest itself. And so, indeed presently is, the ordeal of God’s faithful ones vs. the rest of the Capitalistic world, which includes subservient SDAs. And only the same “Faith of Jesus” who despising the (attempted) testimony-impeaching shame, endured that “Fullest”, Final Conflict, Cross (Heb 12:22 = Isa 53|RH, Apr. 14, 1896 par. 7 (thus fittingly also deserving of Christ’s own throne-reward Rev 3:21)), will get these obedient ones through to their promised glorious triumph. (Isa 54), which includes “many waters” (=enjoining people) (=Rev 19:6; cf. Num 14:21; Hab 2:14; Ezek 43:1-3) (even better late (Rev 16:15; 7:13-15) than never) repentingly heeding (Isa 55; cf. Rev 18:1-5; 22:17 see here) that ‘Social-Justice and True Righteousness, Sabbatical’ Message (Isa 56; cf. Rev 7:16-17; 21:6-7) =5T 136.2!!

            As discussed in detail in here at Rev 20:11; the very foundation of God’s Throne, thus Law, thus Character, is indeed “Justice and Righteousness”, against which this Great Controversy of Satan has challenged and opposed, so it is no surprise, nor coincidence, at all that the Final Conflict does indeed most comprehensively revolves around both the Theological/Ideological, as well as Practical (cf. e.g. LDE 219.4; Zech 7:8-12; Amos 5:21-24) validation and demonstration of it!!...W.O.E. indeed to any and all those who, in any extent and way, Satanically-deludedly, are also actingly: ‘calling this “good” “evil” and God’s Rev 18:1ff “Fully” Biblical (cf. Isa 8:20) “(Restoration) light” (=Isa 58-59; 60-62; 63ff) “(a false-light) darkness”.’ (Isa 5:20; 2 Thess 2:7-12 =LDE 210.1|RH, May 27, 1890 par. 6)