Preaching evangelistic meetings in Africa can be a very interesting experience. One time, a man came running up to the stage, yelling and screaming incoherently. Reuben Kingamkono, my translator, and I stood on the stage, looking at him. At first I thought he wanted to attack us, but he couldn’t touch us. It was almost as if he was stopped by some invisible hand. I remember thinking that I was not afraid, but I didn’t know what to do. It seemed clear to me that the man was demon-possessed and was probably trying to reach out for help. Reuben stood there saying, “Toka, pepo! Toka, pepo! (Leave, demon! Leave, demon!)”
The deacons who were helping out with the practical issues at the meetings came and took the man away. They took him back behind the stage and began to pray in earnest over him. As Reuben and I resumed the sermon, the poor guy was surrounded by dedicated Christians who covered him in prayer. After a time of prayer, he calmed down and began to speak clearly again.
As I have often thought back on that moment in time, I have wondered what, if anything, I could have done differently. I was not scared in the face of another human who was apparently under the control of a wicked supernatural power. Yet, I did not know what to do. I knew that I was under protection and would not be hurt, but I did not know how to exercise that faith to help the poor sufferer in front of me.
Episodes that like one make me appreciate Jesus and His ministry much more. He never wavered in His interaction with malevolent forces. He never gave place to the devil or left a helpless sufferer in his or her misery. He rebuked the devil and his demons, and they were forced to obey His word.
I am now about the same age as Jesus was when He died. As I look at His life, I see so clearly how different I am from Him. As I think of what my little three-year stint of mission service accomplished compared to His three-and-a-half year time of ministry, I am humbled and awed at the power of The Man. He lived a life like no other. He lives today so we can live in us, as well. Oh, for a faith that not only lets me know I am secure in His protection, but which also acts for the benefit of others! Oh, to be a partaker of the divine nature! And, if I do not have the knowledge of how to help the next demon-possessed person I meet, I hope that I again am around those who do!
Monday, February 21, 2011
The Conclusion of the Matter
The Pause on the Brink of Eternity, part 12.
I still long for Jesus to come back to this earth, as I did over a decade ago back at Mission College that day the truth of His return first awakened my dull senses. I am sure that you desire the same thing. If you have read through this series of essays, you may now see a bit more of the reason why He delays. Jesus Himself longs to return more than anybody on earth has ever desired Him to return, but in infinite patience, He waits until His church is ready to receive Him. He will continue to wait as long as necessary, until the church reflects His glorious character, and the gospel has gone to every people group on the planet.
Jesus, in His infinite wisdom, has given us a message that will prepare us to carry the gospel to the world, and that will make us ready to welcome Him in the clouds. He inspired John to write the book of Revelation in such a way as to draw our attention to this message. Over 150 years ago, that message began to bring an awakening to the church, but the individuals comprising the body of believers did not thoroughly cooperate with the message to the Laodicean church. Today the message remains, latently potent with all of the power of the gospel itself. It waits for us to read it and heed it. Jesus waits for us to read it and invite Him into our hearts on a scale that has never before occurred.
One quote from Ellen White lingers in my mind as I consider this subject. “What is justification by faith? It is the work of God in laying the glory of man in the dust, and doing for man that which it is not in his power to do for himself.” Testimonies to Ministers, page 456. If God lays our glory in the dust, our power is shattered. If He does for us that which it is not in our power to do for ourselves, Christ is in us, the hope of glory, and the mystery of God is being finished. The Laodicean message is central to the gospel, and is custom made for the special issues and temptations that confront the church of Christ in these last days.
I have personally found that experiencing the power of the Laodicean message is simple, and is possible. It is not easy, and I have found that the excitement has worn off and revealed that I needed much more contrition and repentance than I had experienced. I would commend to you as well the Laodicean message.
Reader, if you desire to have power in your life as never before, if you desire to have Jesus dwell in your heart and to hasten His glorious return, the Laodicean message is for you.
There are many ways to study one passage of Scripture and experience its power. Personally, I took the word-by-word approach to studying Revelation 3:14-22, and found my communion with God to be growing daily. I went through the Laodicean message one word at a time, seeking to understand the meaning of that word, and to see how it fit into the rest of the message. I looked up other places in the Bible that word was used, and even wrote and amplified version of the verses, based on what I found in other passages of Scripture. The process took me several weeks, but it was worth every minute! It should have probably taken me several months, for the full effect of the message to be realized in my life.
God has given us this special passage of Scripture for our good. He has called us to an intimate communion with Him. He offers us, the members of this wretched and pitiable church, promises that He has not offered to anybody else in history. Only the overcomers in Laodicea are promised to be able to sit in the throne with Jesus, as He sits in the throne with His Father. Only Laodicea is offered the opportunity to dine with Jesus.
Heeding the message to Laodicea can be very simple. You, reader, can read those words over and over again, and pray that God will teach you through them. You can read until you are bored, and then read some more until you are anything but bored! You can, through the message to Laodicea, open your heart to Jesus, and enjoy the fulness of salvation He came to give. My friend, I commend to you the Word of God. I commend to you the Laodicean message. May God bless you.
I still long for Jesus to come back to this earth, as I did over a decade ago back at Mission College that day the truth of His return first awakened my dull senses. I am sure that you desire the same thing. If you have read through this series of essays, you may now see a bit more of the reason why He delays. Jesus Himself longs to return more than anybody on earth has ever desired Him to return, but in infinite patience, He waits until His church is ready to receive Him. He will continue to wait as long as necessary, until the church reflects His glorious character, and the gospel has gone to every people group on the planet.
Jesus, in His infinite wisdom, has given us a message that will prepare us to carry the gospel to the world, and that will make us ready to welcome Him in the clouds. He inspired John to write the book of Revelation in such a way as to draw our attention to this message. Over 150 years ago, that message began to bring an awakening to the church, but the individuals comprising the body of believers did not thoroughly cooperate with the message to the Laodicean church. Today the message remains, latently potent with all of the power of the gospel itself. It waits for us to read it and heed it. Jesus waits for us to read it and invite Him into our hearts on a scale that has never before occurred.
One quote from Ellen White lingers in my mind as I consider this subject. “What is justification by faith? It is the work of God in laying the glory of man in the dust, and doing for man that which it is not in his power to do for himself.” Testimonies to Ministers, page 456. If God lays our glory in the dust, our power is shattered. If He does for us that which it is not in our power to do for ourselves, Christ is in us, the hope of glory, and the mystery of God is being finished. The Laodicean message is central to the gospel, and is custom made for the special issues and temptations that confront the church of Christ in these last days.
I have personally found that experiencing the power of the Laodicean message is simple, and is possible. It is not easy, and I have found that the excitement has worn off and revealed that I needed much more contrition and repentance than I had experienced. I would commend to you as well the Laodicean message.
Reader, if you desire to have power in your life as never before, if you desire to have Jesus dwell in your heart and to hasten His glorious return, the Laodicean message is for you.
There are many ways to study one passage of Scripture and experience its power. Personally, I took the word-by-word approach to studying Revelation 3:14-22, and found my communion with God to be growing daily. I went through the Laodicean message one word at a time, seeking to understand the meaning of that word, and to see how it fit into the rest of the message. I looked up other places in the Bible that word was used, and even wrote and amplified version of the verses, based on what I found in other passages of Scripture. The process took me several weeks, but it was worth every minute! It should have probably taken me several months, for the full effect of the message to be realized in my life.
God has given us this special passage of Scripture for our good. He has called us to an intimate communion with Him. He offers us, the members of this wretched and pitiable church, promises that He has not offered to anybody else in history. Only the overcomers in Laodicea are promised to be able to sit in the throne with Jesus, as He sits in the throne with His Father. Only Laodicea is offered the opportunity to dine with Jesus.
Heeding the message to Laodicea can be very simple. You, reader, can read those words over and over again, and pray that God will teach you through them. You can read until you are bored, and then read some more until you are anything but bored! You can, through the message to Laodicea, open your heart to Jesus, and enjoy the fulness of salvation He came to give. My friend, I commend to you the Word of God. I commend to you the Laodicean message. May God bless you.
Sunday, February 20, 2011
Shattering the Power of the Holy People
The Pause on the Brink of Eternity, part 11.
To wrap up this study, I would like to take a look at a parallel prophecy to the pause on the brink of eternity, as described in Revelation. Then I will try to give some very practical advice for how you can personally experience the power of the Laodicean message and hasten the coming of the day of God.
In many ways the books of Daniel and Revelation are similar. One of my favorite writers has even gone so far as to say that, “The books of Daniel and the Revelation are one. One is a prophecy, the other a revelation; one a book sealed, the other a book opened.” Ellen G. White, Manuscript 59, 1900. I don’t pretend to know what that really means, but I do know that understanding Daniel is a tremendous help in being able to decipher Revelation, and that there are many similarities between the prophecies in the two books. Daniel 10-12 contains many similarities to Revelation 10, and to better understand what is involved in the mystery of God being finished, looking back to Daniel is an enlightening aid.
There are other, more subtle similarities between these two passages of Scripture, but this list is sufficient to show that Daniel and John saw very similar visions, which complement each other and help us understand more about what each did see. Daniel saw the announcement of a time prophecy (“a time, times, and half a time”), while John saw what would happen after that prophecy was fulfilled, when “there would be no more delay.”
The interesting part of the similarities, at least the part I find most interesting, is the reference to the “shattering of the power of the holy people,” in close parallel to the mystery of God being fulfilled. Somehow, in order for the mystery of God to be fulfilled, the power of God’s people must be shattered. What can that mean? It seems oxymoronic at best to think that God will be able to finish anything when the power of His people has been shattered.
Perhaps this is one of those instances when God’s thoughts are not our thoughts, and His ways are not our ways. (Isaiah 55:8). God seems to be able to work in us best when we see our nothingness, and realize that without Him we can do nothing. Paul realized this in his time, and wrote, “ when I am weak, then I am strong.” 2 Corinthians 12:10. When God shatters our power, when He shows us how helpless we are to perform any righteous act without His power, He can then use us, and can finish the mystery of God.
“For thus says the One who is high and lifted up,
who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy:
I dwell in the high and holy place,
and also with him who is of a contrite and lowly spirit,
to revive the spirit of the lowly,
and to revive the heart of the contrite.” Isaiah 57:15.
According to the Strong’s Concordance, the word translated as “contrite” in this verse means “crushed (lit. powder),” and is also translated as “destruction” in Psalm 90:3. God dwells with those who have a contrite and lowly spirit. He crushes, pulverizes, and destroys that He may re-form us into an abode He can inhabit. When the power of the holy people is shattered, the mystery of God will be finished. The mystery of God is Christ in us, and in the Laodicean message, Jesus offers to come into us. He has first crushed and shattered our self-dependency and self-deception, and He stands knocking at the door of our hearts, wanting to come in and abide with us. Can you see how all of these beautiful truths of the gospel come together in the Laodicean message? Can you see how God wants to use it to shatter the power of His holy people, that He might remake them and dwell in them?
“There are a large number of professing Christians who do not really follow Jesus. They do not bear the cross by proper self-denial and self-sacrifice. Although making a great profession of being earnest Christians, they weave into the fabric of their character so may of the threads of their own imperfections that the beautiful pattern is spoiled. Of them Christ says: ‘You boast of being rich and increased with supposed spiritual attainments. In reality you are neither cold nor hot, but are filled with vain conceit. Unless converted, you cannot be saved; for you would mar heaven with your unsanctified wisdom. I cannot endorse your spirit and your work. You do not act according to the divine Example. You are following a pattern merely of your own invention. Because you are lukewarm, I must spew you out of My mouth.’
“Let us thank the Lord that while this class is so numerous, there is still time for repentance. Jesus says, ‘I, your Redeemer, known your works. I am familiar with the motives that prompt you to declare boastingly in regard to your spiritual condition, “I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing.” Thou “knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked.”’” Ellen G. White, Manuscript 138, 1902.
To wrap up this study, I would like to take a look at a parallel prophecy to the pause on the brink of eternity, as described in Revelation. Then I will try to give some very practical advice for how you can personally experience the power of the Laodicean message and hasten the coming of the day of God.
In many ways the books of Daniel and Revelation are similar. One of my favorite writers has even gone so far as to say that, “The books of Daniel and the Revelation are one. One is a prophecy, the other a revelation; one a book sealed, the other a book opened.” Ellen G. White, Manuscript 59, 1900. I don’t pretend to know what that really means, but I do know that understanding Daniel is a tremendous help in being able to decipher Revelation, and that there are many similarities between the prophecies in the two books. Daniel 10-12 contains many similarities to Revelation 10, and to better understand what is involved in the mystery of God being finished, looking back to Daniel is an enlightening aid.
There are other, more subtle similarities between these two passages of Scripture, but this list is sufficient to show that Daniel and John saw very similar visions, which complement each other and help us understand more about what each did see. Daniel saw the announcement of a time prophecy (“a time, times, and half a time”), while John saw what would happen after that prophecy was fulfilled, when “there would be no more delay.”
The interesting part of the similarities, at least the part I find most interesting, is the reference to the “shattering of the power of the holy people,” in close parallel to the mystery of God being fulfilled. Somehow, in order for the mystery of God to be fulfilled, the power of God’s people must be shattered. What can that mean? It seems oxymoronic at best to think that God will be able to finish anything when the power of His people has been shattered.
Perhaps this is one of those instances when God’s thoughts are not our thoughts, and His ways are not our ways. (Isaiah 55:8). God seems to be able to work in us best when we see our nothingness, and realize that without Him we can do nothing. Paul realized this in his time, and wrote, “ when I am weak, then I am strong.” 2 Corinthians 12:10. When God shatters our power, when He shows us how helpless we are to perform any righteous act without His power, He can then use us, and can finish the mystery of God.
“For thus says the One who is high and lifted up,
who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy:
I dwell in the high and holy place,
and also with him who is of a contrite and lowly spirit,
to revive the spirit of the lowly,
and to revive the heart of the contrite.” Isaiah 57:15.
According to the Strong’s Concordance, the word translated as “contrite” in this verse means “crushed (lit. powder),” and is also translated as “destruction” in Psalm 90:3. God dwells with those who have a contrite and lowly spirit. He crushes, pulverizes, and destroys that He may re-form us into an abode He can inhabit. When the power of the holy people is shattered, the mystery of God will be finished. The mystery of God is Christ in us, and in the Laodicean message, Jesus offers to come into us. He has first crushed and shattered our self-dependency and self-deception, and He stands knocking at the door of our hearts, wanting to come in and abide with us. Can you see how all of these beautiful truths of the gospel come together in the Laodicean message? Can you see how God wants to use it to shatter the power of His holy people, that He might remake them and dwell in them?
“There are a large number of professing Christians who do not really follow Jesus. They do not bear the cross by proper self-denial and self-sacrifice. Although making a great profession of being earnest Christians, they weave into the fabric of their character so may of the threads of their own imperfections that the beautiful pattern is spoiled. Of them Christ says: ‘You boast of being rich and increased with supposed spiritual attainments. In reality you are neither cold nor hot, but are filled with vain conceit. Unless converted, you cannot be saved; for you would mar heaven with your unsanctified wisdom. I cannot endorse your spirit and your work. You do not act according to the divine Example. You are following a pattern merely of your own invention. Because you are lukewarm, I must spew you out of My mouth.’
“Let us thank the Lord that while this class is so numerous, there is still time for repentance. Jesus says, ‘I, your Redeemer, known your works. I am familiar with the motives that prompt you to declare boastingly in regard to your spiritual condition, “I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing.” Thou “knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked.”’” Ellen G. White, Manuscript 138, 1902.
Thursday, February 17, 2011
Wretched and Pitiable
The Pause on the Brink of Eternity, part 10
The Greek words translated as “wretched” and “pitiable” in Revelation 3:17 are each used only one other time in the New Testament. When I see things like this in the Bible, I almost get goose-bumps! Although “poor,” “blind,” and “naked” are used often in many contexts, these two words are used only one other time each, so that we can know exactly what Jesus is telling us. He wants to leave us with no doubt about what His message means. The two conditions that do not have a remedy that we can buy from Jesus in verse 18 are the most-serious of the bunch!
“Wretched” is used first in Romans 7:24. Paul wrote, “Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death?” Debates have raged over Romans 7, and I would rather not start up a new round of those old arguments. Without going too deeply into the theology of Romans 7, it seems plain to me that in verse 24, Paul is calling himself wretched because he is needing deliverance from a body of death. He is a man in need of deliverance. So is Laodicea! When Jesus used that exact word, He knew that Paul had used it in this way in Romans, and He would draw our attention back to that book. He wants us to know that we are in need of deliverance - deliverance that only He Himself can provide. We, with Paul can say, “I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord.” Romans 7:25.
The word translated as “pitiable” in the ESV is used one other time in the New Testament, in 1 Corinthians 15:19, and translated as “to be pitied.” Paul is again the author, and He wrote, “If in this life only we have hoped in Christ, we are of all people most to be pitied.” The Bible is not some book of fables simply put together by some individuals a few thousand years ago. It is the inspired, living Word of God, and it is profitable for our salvation. Jesus tells us, when He says that we are “pitiable,” that we have hope in Christ in this life only. First Corinthians 15 is about the resurrection, and Paul is saying that if there is no resurrection, then we are pitiable. If Christianity contains no promise of an after-life, we are to be pitied. If we have no hope beyond the visible, temporal life we know down here, we might as well give up on Christianity, because who would choose such a pitiful condition if they gained nothing by it, if Jesus was not real and offering us a life with Him in eternity? Jesus, in Revelation 3, says with the plainest possible language, that Laodicea has no hope of a resurrection in their current condition. They are lost and are going to burn in hell unless a dramatic change takes place. The Laodicean message is a faithful prescription from a loving doctor, who does not hesitate to tell us the truth, even if it hurts.
A friend of mine was once suffering from a painful, debilitating disease. He visited doctors multiple times, until his savings were exhausted and hope was nearly gone. He told me that the worst thing a person could possibly hear from a doctor is, “I don’t know what is wrong with you.” Jesus, in this potent message, tells us, “I know thy works.” He is diagnosing our condition, and giving us the remedy that we so desperately need.
Gold, white clothing, and eye-salve take care of the conditions that I personally believe are less serious, but what is the remedy for being wretched and pitiable?
“Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me.” Revelation 3:20. Jesus is the remedy that Laodicea needs! Jesus, the living, loving Savior, is the solution for our problems! Who could possibly be wretched and pitiable when Jesus is living in them, dining with them? There is no salvation in any other, and unless we have Jesus in our hearts, we will remain in our lost condition of pitiful wretchedness. Jesus, in His incredible love, offers to come into the very midst of Laodicea, those He has seen nothing commendable in. He has said so much about what is wrong with Laodicea, but to them He offers the most intimate of all promises to the seven churches. “I will come in to him.”
If you have been reading all of the posts in this series up to now, you may remember the “Mystery of God.” In one of the clearest verses describing what the mystery of God is, Paul wrote, “...God chose to make known how great among the Gentiles are the riches of the glory of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.” The mystery of God, according to this verse, is “Christ in you.” Jesus said later, “I will come in to him.” If we heed the counsel that Jesus gives us in the Laodicean message, He will be in us, dwelling in our hearts through the agency of His Holy Spirit, and in us, the mystery of God will be realized. The mystery of God will be finished when Jesus dwells in the hearts of His people, and that will happen when His people understand and apply the Laodicean message in their own lives.
The Laodicean message is the key to the Second Coming of Jesus! We are pausing on the brink of eternity still today because Jesus is waiting for the Laodicean message to do its work. The character of Christ will be perfectly reproduced in His people, and those people will carry the everlasting gospel to “every nation and tribe and language and people,” when the Laodicean message is treated with the seriousness that is deserves.
The Greek words translated as “wretched” and “pitiable” in Revelation 3:17 are each used only one other time in the New Testament. When I see things like this in the Bible, I almost get goose-bumps! Although “poor,” “blind,” and “naked” are used often in many contexts, these two words are used only one other time each, so that we can know exactly what Jesus is telling us. He wants to leave us with no doubt about what His message means. The two conditions that do not have a remedy that we can buy from Jesus in verse 18 are the most-serious of the bunch!
“Wretched” is used first in Romans 7:24. Paul wrote, “Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death?” Debates have raged over Romans 7, and I would rather not start up a new round of those old arguments. Without going too deeply into the theology of Romans 7, it seems plain to me that in verse 24, Paul is calling himself wretched because he is needing deliverance from a body of death. He is a man in need of deliverance. So is Laodicea! When Jesus used that exact word, He knew that Paul had used it in this way in Romans, and He would draw our attention back to that book. He wants us to know that we are in need of deliverance - deliverance that only He Himself can provide. We, with Paul can say, “I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord.” Romans 7:25.
The word translated as “pitiable” in the ESV is used one other time in the New Testament, in 1 Corinthians 15:19, and translated as “to be pitied.” Paul is again the author, and He wrote, “If in this life only we have hoped in Christ, we are of all people most to be pitied.” The Bible is not some book of fables simply put together by some individuals a few thousand years ago. It is the inspired, living Word of God, and it is profitable for our salvation. Jesus tells us, when He says that we are “pitiable,” that we have hope in Christ in this life only. First Corinthians 15 is about the resurrection, and Paul is saying that if there is no resurrection, then we are pitiable. If Christianity contains no promise of an after-life, we are to be pitied. If we have no hope beyond the visible, temporal life we know down here, we might as well give up on Christianity, because who would choose such a pitiful condition if they gained nothing by it, if Jesus was not real and offering us a life with Him in eternity? Jesus, in Revelation 3, says with the plainest possible language, that Laodicea has no hope of a resurrection in their current condition. They are lost and are going to burn in hell unless a dramatic change takes place. The Laodicean message is a faithful prescription from a loving doctor, who does not hesitate to tell us the truth, even if it hurts.
A friend of mine was once suffering from a painful, debilitating disease. He visited doctors multiple times, until his savings were exhausted and hope was nearly gone. He told me that the worst thing a person could possibly hear from a doctor is, “I don’t know what is wrong with you.” Jesus, in this potent message, tells us, “I know thy works.” He is diagnosing our condition, and giving us the remedy that we so desperately need.
Gold, white clothing, and eye-salve take care of the conditions that I personally believe are less serious, but what is the remedy for being wretched and pitiable?
“Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me.” Revelation 3:20. Jesus is the remedy that Laodicea needs! Jesus, the living, loving Savior, is the solution for our problems! Who could possibly be wretched and pitiable when Jesus is living in them, dining with them? There is no salvation in any other, and unless we have Jesus in our hearts, we will remain in our lost condition of pitiful wretchedness. Jesus, in His incredible love, offers to come into the very midst of Laodicea, those He has seen nothing commendable in. He has said so much about what is wrong with Laodicea, but to them He offers the most intimate of all promises to the seven churches. “I will come in to him.”
If you have been reading all of the posts in this series up to now, you may remember the “Mystery of God.” In one of the clearest verses describing what the mystery of God is, Paul wrote, “...God chose to make known how great among the Gentiles are the riches of the glory of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.” The mystery of God, according to this verse, is “Christ in you.” Jesus said later, “I will come in to him.” If we heed the counsel that Jesus gives us in the Laodicean message, He will be in us, dwelling in our hearts through the agency of His Holy Spirit, and in us, the mystery of God will be realized. The mystery of God will be finished when Jesus dwells in the hearts of His people, and that will happen when His people understand and apply the Laodicean message in their own lives.
The Laodicean message is the key to the Second Coming of Jesus! We are pausing on the brink of eternity still today because Jesus is waiting for the Laodicean message to do its work. The character of Christ will be perfectly reproduced in His people, and those people will carry the everlasting gospel to “every nation and tribe and language and people,” when the Laodicean message is treated with the seriousness that is deserves.
Wednesday, February 9, 2011
The Laodicean Message Applied to the SDA Church
The Pause on the Brink of Eternity, part 9.
I am indebted to Dave Fieldler’s wonderful book, Hindsight, for much of the information in this section.
In October, 1856, James White published an editorial in the Review and Herald in which he showed points that made it clear that the Laodicean message applied to the Seventh-day Adventist church, not just to other denominations, as SDAs had been inclined to believe. At first many people rejected that message, but within a few months, many pastors and lay people responded positively, saying that they could see that the message really did apply to them, and not to others. It seemed that a revival was beginning to take place in the church, but it too soon died away. In late 1857, Ellen White published a testimony to the church which presented an inspired account of what had taken place just over a year before, and what could have happened if the revival had continued.
“I was shown that the testimony to the Laodiceans applies to God’s people at the present time, and the reason it has not accomplished a greater work is because of the hardness of their hearts. But God has given the message time to do its work. The heart must be purified from the sins which have so long shut out Jesus. This fearful message will do its work. When it was first presented, it led to close examination of heart. Sins were confessed, and the people of God were stirred everywhere. Nearly all believed that this message would end in the loud cry of the third angel. But as they failed to see the powerful work accomplished in a short time, many lost the effect of the message. I saw that this message would not accomplish its work in a few short months. It is designed to arouse the people of God, to discover to them their backslidings, and to lead to zealous repentance, that they may be favored with the presence of Jesus, and be fitted for the loud cry of the third angel. As this message affected the heart, it led to deep humility before God. Angels were sent in every direction to prepare unbelieving hearts for the truth. The cause of God began to rise, and His people were acquainted with their position. If the counsel of the True Witness had been fully heeded, God would have wrought for His people in greater power. Yet the efforts made since the message has been given, have been blessed of God, and many souls have been brought from error and darkness to rejoice in the truth.
“God will prove His people. Jesus bears patiently with them, and does not spew them out of His mouth in a moment. Said the angel: ‘God is weighing His people.’ If the message had been of as short duration as many of us supposed, there would have been no time for them to develop character. Many moved from feeling, not from principle and faith, and this solemn, fearful message stirred them. It wrought upon their feelings, and excited their fears, but did not accomplish the work which God designed that it should. God reads the heart. Lest His people should be deceived in regard to themselves, He gives them time for the excitement to wear off, and then proves them to see if they will obey the counsel of the True Witness.” Testimonies for the Church, vol. 1, pages 186, 187
If I am reading that quote correctly, there is a latent potential in the Laodicean message that has yet to be realized. “This fearful message will do its work.” There is a power that God has chosen to make available through that message that has not yet been unleashed in its fulness. God has “designed” that the Laodicean message will be an integral part of the events on earth in the last days, and we can know that it will happen as He has planned.
When I was teaching classes on the book of Revelation in Africa, I began to understand the fabulous importance of the message to the last of the seven churches. In my eagerness to help others see and experience the power of the message to Laodicea, I offered the students money if they would memorize Revelation 3:14-22! With that kind of incentive, many students made sure they got their dollar, but I wonder how effective such a method really is. “God reads the heart. Lest His people should be deceived in regard to themselves, He gives them time for the excitement to wear off, and then proves them to see if they will obey the counsel of the True Witness.” Excitement or a desire for money can get us to do much, but time will reveal to us and to those around us whether the Laodicean message has done a true and lasting work in our hearts.
Much could be said about the Laodicean message, and much has been said in many venues already. Understanding and applying the message to the church of Laodicea is a primarily personal matter that takes time. I recommend to you to read and memorize those few verses for yourself, that you may actively participate in this special message.
Jesus says that the church in Laodicea is “lukewarm,” and specifies that they are: “Wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked.” English Standard Version. Those five words are not exactly flattering, to say the least, but at least Jesus lets us know the truth, and does all He can to help us out of our self-deceived, lukewarm condition. After describing Laodicea’s condition, He counsels them to buy of Him remedies for three of the five problems He has listed. “Gold” would change the state of somebody who is “poor.” “Eye-salve” would remedy the problem of the “blind,” and “white raiment” would cover the shame of the “naked.” So, what about the “wretched” and “pitiable” attributes? I believe that in the understanding of those points, the bulk of the power in the Laodicean message lies. I personally feel that it was in understanding this part of the message that the SDA church began to experience true revival over 150 years ago.
I am indebted to Dave Fieldler’s wonderful book, Hindsight, for much of the information in this section.
In October, 1856, James White published an editorial in the Review and Herald in which he showed points that made it clear that the Laodicean message applied to the Seventh-day Adventist church, not just to other denominations, as SDAs had been inclined to believe. At first many people rejected that message, but within a few months, many pastors and lay people responded positively, saying that they could see that the message really did apply to them, and not to others. It seemed that a revival was beginning to take place in the church, but it too soon died away. In late 1857, Ellen White published a testimony to the church which presented an inspired account of what had taken place just over a year before, and what could have happened if the revival had continued.
“I was shown that the testimony to the Laodiceans applies to God’s people at the present time, and the reason it has not accomplished a greater work is because of the hardness of their hearts. But God has given the message time to do its work. The heart must be purified from the sins which have so long shut out Jesus. This fearful message will do its work. When it was first presented, it led to close examination of heart. Sins were confessed, and the people of God were stirred everywhere. Nearly all believed that this message would end in the loud cry of the third angel. But as they failed to see the powerful work accomplished in a short time, many lost the effect of the message. I saw that this message would not accomplish its work in a few short months. It is designed to arouse the people of God, to discover to them their backslidings, and to lead to zealous repentance, that they may be favored with the presence of Jesus, and be fitted for the loud cry of the third angel. As this message affected the heart, it led to deep humility before God. Angels were sent in every direction to prepare unbelieving hearts for the truth. The cause of God began to rise, and His people were acquainted with their position. If the counsel of the True Witness had been fully heeded, God would have wrought for His people in greater power. Yet the efforts made since the message has been given, have been blessed of God, and many souls have been brought from error and darkness to rejoice in the truth.
“God will prove His people. Jesus bears patiently with them, and does not spew them out of His mouth in a moment. Said the angel: ‘God is weighing His people.’ If the message had been of as short duration as many of us supposed, there would have been no time for them to develop character. Many moved from feeling, not from principle and faith, and this solemn, fearful message stirred them. It wrought upon their feelings, and excited their fears, but did not accomplish the work which God designed that it should. God reads the heart. Lest His people should be deceived in regard to themselves, He gives them time for the excitement to wear off, and then proves them to see if they will obey the counsel of the True Witness.” Testimonies for the Church, vol. 1, pages 186, 187
If I am reading that quote correctly, there is a latent potential in the Laodicean message that has yet to be realized. “This fearful message will do its work.” There is a power that God has chosen to make available through that message that has not yet been unleashed in its fulness. God has “designed” that the Laodicean message will be an integral part of the events on earth in the last days, and we can know that it will happen as He has planned.
When I was teaching classes on the book of Revelation in Africa, I began to understand the fabulous importance of the message to the last of the seven churches. In my eagerness to help others see and experience the power of the message to Laodicea, I offered the students money if they would memorize Revelation 3:14-22! With that kind of incentive, many students made sure they got their dollar, but I wonder how effective such a method really is. “God reads the heart. Lest His people should be deceived in regard to themselves, He gives them time for the excitement to wear off, and then proves them to see if they will obey the counsel of the True Witness.” Excitement or a desire for money can get us to do much, but time will reveal to us and to those around us whether the Laodicean message has done a true and lasting work in our hearts.
Much could be said about the Laodicean message, and much has been said in many venues already. Understanding and applying the message to the church of Laodicea is a primarily personal matter that takes time. I recommend to you to read and memorize those few verses for yourself, that you may actively participate in this special message.
Jesus says that the church in Laodicea is “lukewarm,” and specifies that they are: “Wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked.” English Standard Version. Those five words are not exactly flattering, to say the least, but at least Jesus lets us know the truth, and does all He can to help us out of our self-deceived, lukewarm condition. After describing Laodicea’s condition, He counsels them to buy of Him remedies for three of the five problems He has listed. “Gold” would change the state of somebody who is “poor.” “Eye-salve” would remedy the problem of the “blind,” and “white raiment” would cover the shame of the “naked.” So, what about the “wretched” and “pitiable” attributes? I believe that in the understanding of those points, the bulk of the power in the Laodicean message lies. I personally feel that it was in understanding this part of the message that the SDA church began to experience true revival over 150 years ago.
Wednesday, February 2, 2011
Jesus Standing at the Door
The Pause on the Brink of Eternity, part 8
Now we have taken a look at the mystery of God being finished, and how that relates to the proclamation of the gospel, “[prophesying] again before many peoples, and nations, and tongues, and kings,” Revelation 10:11, KJV, and the sealing of the 144,000, and how that relates to carrying the gospel to “every nation, ... all tribes and peoples and languages.” Now we will take a look at the final piece of the key to understanding this pause on the brink of eternity.
The two series of seven trumpets and seven seals contain an obvious interlude, or pause, between the sixth and seventh of the series. In each case, the telling of the sequence is interrupted while a chapter or more of Scripture is inserted, making it fairly obvious that John wants to tell us about something that needs to take place before the seventh seal can be opened or the seventh trumpet blown.
The sequence of the seven churches runs parallel to the seven seals and seven trumpets, covering the same time, from Jesus here to Jesus here again, from the first coming to the second coming. Unlike the two parallel series, the seven churches do not contain an interlude in Scripture, however. It seems that a parenthesis is missing here. If the churches represent a period of time concurrent to the seven seals and seven trumpets, why isn’t there a similar pause on the brink of eternity in them?
Perhaps there isn’t such a pause, for the very reason that God wants us to take a look at the messages to the churches themselves, to see if they contain some clue. There is no apparent time gap in the text of Revelation 3 between the message to the sixth church, Philadelphia, and the message to the seventh church, Laodicea, but there is a dramatic gap in the tone of the two messages themselves.
The message to Philadelphia is full of commendation and encouragement to keep going as they are doing, while the message to Laodicea is the least-flattering of all the messages to the seven churches. Philadelphia is told, “I have set before thee an open door, and no man can shut it,” while Jesus finds Himself outside of the door in the message to Laodicea: “Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him....” Revelation 3:8, 21. Interestingly, the two unrebuked churches, Smyrna, and Philadelphia, are lacking in riches and strength, respectively, which is also true of Laodicea, but Laodicea is ignorant of the fact! “Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked....” Verse 17.
While Jesus tells Laodicea, “As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten,” He doesn’t rebuke Philadelphia, but He instead tells them, “I have loved thee.” Verses 19, 9. Do you see the huge gap in the condition of Laodicea, as compared to the church period immediately proceeding it, represented by Philadelphia? In both the letter to Smyrna and the letter to Philadelphia, Jesus speaks of a group “which say they are Jews, and are not, but are the synagogue of Satan.” Revelation 2:9 (see also 3:9.) When the church is poor, and weak, yet faithful and unrebuked, hypocrisy in others becomes most apparent. When the church is rich only in faith and strong only in the grace of God, it becomes clear what true Christianity looks like, and false believers are unmasked for the pretenders that they are. When weak people are strong to hold on to the Word of God and poor people carry themselves like they are heirs to all the riches of the universe, those whose religion is superficial and legalistic are exposed, and they begin to persecute the true children of God.
Laodicea, on the other hand, seems to be rich and in need of nothing, but God sees things otherwise. To Him, Laodicea deserves no commendation, but is instead nauseatingly lukewarm, in danger of losing their place in heaven. Jesus threatens them of the inevitable consequence of their condition: “I will spit you out of my mouth.” Revelation 3:16. The Gospel of John, written by the same author as Revelation, has a very different tone in the 16th verse of the third chapter. There, in the most well-known verse of the Bible, we are told that salvation is offered to all who believe in Jesus, but here, the same speaker tells His church that they are going to lose all connection with him.
The message to the church in Laodicea is a painful message, a graphic description of the condition of the church of God in the end of time. As much as we might like these words to apply to somebody else, they best fit the conditions found within the Seventh-day Adventist church. Our prophet told us as much on many occasions. “The message to the Laodicean church is applicable to our condition. How plainly is pictured the position of those who think they have all the truth, who take pride in their knowledge of the Word of God, while its sanctifying power has not been felt in their lives. The fervor of the love of God is wanting in their hearts, but it is this very fervor of love that makes God’s people the light of the world.” Ellen G. White, Review and Herald, July 23, 1889.
Now we have taken a look at the mystery of God being finished, and how that relates to the proclamation of the gospel, “[prophesying] again before many peoples, and nations, and tongues, and kings,” Revelation 10:11, KJV, and the sealing of the 144,000, and how that relates to carrying the gospel to “every nation, ... all tribes and peoples and languages.” Now we will take a look at the final piece of the key to understanding this pause on the brink of eternity.
The two series of seven trumpets and seven seals contain an obvious interlude, or pause, between the sixth and seventh of the series. In each case, the telling of the sequence is interrupted while a chapter or more of Scripture is inserted, making it fairly obvious that John wants to tell us about something that needs to take place before the seventh seal can be opened or the seventh trumpet blown.
The sequence of the seven churches runs parallel to the seven seals and seven trumpets, covering the same time, from Jesus here to Jesus here again, from the first coming to the second coming. Unlike the two parallel series, the seven churches do not contain an interlude in Scripture, however. It seems that a parenthesis is missing here. If the churches represent a period of time concurrent to the seven seals and seven trumpets, why isn’t there a similar pause on the brink of eternity in them?
Perhaps there isn’t such a pause, for the very reason that God wants us to take a look at the messages to the churches themselves, to see if they contain some clue. There is no apparent time gap in the text of Revelation 3 between the message to the sixth church, Philadelphia, and the message to the seventh church, Laodicea, but there is a dramatic gap in the tone of the two messages themselves.
The message to Philadelphia is full of commendation and encouragement to keep going as they are doing, while the message to Laodicea is the least-flattering of all the messages to the seven churches. Philadelphia is told, “I have set before thee an open door, and no man can shut it,” while Jesus finds Himself outside of the door in the message to Laodicea: “Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him....” Revelation 3:8, 21. Interestingly, the two unrebuked churches, Smyrna, and Philadelphia, are lacking in riches and strength, respectively, which is also true of Laodicea, but Laodicea is ignorant of the fact! “Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked....” Verse 17.
While Jesus tells Laodicea, “As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten,” He doesn’t rebuke Philadelphia, but He instead tells them, “I have loved thee.” Verses 19, 9. Do you see the huge gap in the condition of Laodicea, as compared to the church period immediately proceeding it, represented by Philadelphia? In both the letter to Smyrna and the letter to Philadelphia, Jesus speaks of a group “which say they are Jews, and are not, but are the synagogue of Satan.” Revelation 2:9 (see also 3:9.) When the church is poor, and weak, yet faithful and unrebuked, hypocrisy in others becomes most apparent. When the church is rich only in faith and strong only in the grace of God, it becomes clear what true Christianity looks like, and false believers are unmasked for the pretenders that they are. When weak people are strong to hold on to the Word of God and poor people carry themselves like they are heirs to all the riches of the universe, those whose religion is superficial and legalistic are exposed, and they begin to persecute the true children of God.
Laodicea, on the other hand, seems to be rich and in need of nothing, but God sees things otherwise. To Him, Laodicea deserves no commendation, but is instead nauseatingly lukewarm, in danger of losing their place in heaven. Jesus threatens them of the inevitable consequence of their condition: “I will spit you out of my mouth.” Revelation 3:16. The Gospel of John, written by the same author as Revelation, has a very different tone in the 16th verse of the third chapter. There, in the most well-known verse of the Bible, we are told that salvation is offered to all who believe in Jesus, but here, the same speaker tells His church that they are going to lose all connection with him.
The message to the church in Laodicea is a painful message, a graphic description of the condition of the church of God in the end of time. As much as we might like these words to apply to somebody else, they best fit the conditions found within the Seventh-day Adventist church. Our prophet told us as much on many occasions. “The message to the Laodicean church is applicable to our condition. How plainly is pictured the position of those who think they have all the truth, who take pride in their knowledge of the Word of God, while its sanctifying power has not been felt in their lives. The fervor of the love of God is wanting in their hearts, but it is this very fervor of love that makes God’s people the light of the world.” Ellen G. White, Review and Herald, July 23, 1889.
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