The judgment of the abominations of the temple. Part 2.
The judgment of the fallen church and her associates.
I will begin with the call Abraham received when he lived in Haran. In Genesis 12:1, God says to Abraham. … Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father’s house, unto a land that I will shew thee. The question that forces itself is: Why should Abraham move on the same year as his father died? The answer is, as I see it, that Abraham was to be separated from his people, to become the ancestor of God’s people, both carnally and spiritually throughout all ages. Abraham became the missionary God wanted him to be, for he never failed to honour God and to tell other people about his God. That Abraham was separated from the rest of the world must be kept in mind as we move forward.
When Jacob was 130 years old, he and his entire house went to Egypt, where they eventually became slaves and most of them lost sight of God. When God miraculously brought Israel out of Egypt, one of the purposes was to restore the special people He had chosen through Abraham, a holy people who were to do the will of God. They were to preach the good news of salvation coming from Israel. After Israel was saved from oppression and slavery in Egypt, and they had come to Sinai, God says to them in Exodus 19:6: And ye shall be unto me a kingdom of priests, and a holy nation… … and just before they were to possess the promised land, God repeats in Deuteronomy 7:6. For you are a holy people to the LORD your God; the LORD your God has chosen you to be a people for His personal possession out of all the peoples who are on the face of the earth, (New American Standard Bible).
When Israel took possession of the land of Canaan, God told them to destroy those who lived there. It sounds very brutal, but if we look behind the very order God gave, we see that God wanted His people to be separated from the world. They should not interfere with the Gentiles, for then paganism would soon invade God’s people. God knew this and therefore He gave the command to ‘purify’ Canaan of paganism. It is part of history that the people who lived in Canaan had a grace period of 430 years to stop worshiping pagan gods and perform pagan rituals, see Genesis 15:13-16. Had the Amorites and the other nations living side by side with Abraham, who was a living testimony of the God of heaven, turned to God, they would have been spared. God always respects the choices we humans make. He does not force anyone to accept salvation, but those who do not accept salvation must sooner or later bear the responsibility for the choice the individual has made.
This should show how important it is to be separated from the world. It must be added that we must not isolate ourselves from the world, we live in the world, but we must be separated from the world because we are no longer of the world according to Jesus’ own words when He prayed for the disciples shortly before he was to be crucified. We find this prayer in John 17:1-26. Verses 15 and 16 say: I do not ask that You take them out of the world, but that You keep them from evil. They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. This was not just true of Jesus’ disciples at that time. This is also true for us today when Jesus says in verse 20: I pray not only for these, but also for those who will believe in Me by their words.
In one of her devotional books, That I May Know Him, Eller G. White says. The Lord Himself has established a separating wall between the things of the world and the things, which He has chosen out of the world and sanctified to Himself. The world will not acknowledge this distinction…. But God has made this separation, and He will have it exist. In both the Old and the New Testaments the Lord has positively enjoined upon His people to be distinct from the world, in spirit, in pursuits, in practice; to be a holy nation, a peculiar people, that they may show forth the praises of Him who hath called them out of darkness into His marvellous light. The east is not farther from the west than are the children of light, in customs, practices, and spirit, from the children of darkness. This distinction will be more marked, more decided, as we near the close of time. TMK 308.3
Nevertheless, our leaders have entered into a collaboration with the fallen denominations, and thereby submitted to the supremacy of the mother church. They just can not say that ‘we are only observers‘ and that this has no impact on our church community, because we see such clear signs of change in our attitudes that is clearly a result of us being exposed to massive influence through these meetings. More and more people within the Advent movement of both laymen and scholars are now claiming that the Catholic Church has changed. To this, it is to say that this is not the case, and it is something that has been confirmed by the last two popes, Pope Benedict and Pope Francis, in a clear and distinct way. They repeat the medieval thinking when it comes to heretics, that is, apostates in relation to what the Catholic Church has decided, and these are all those who do not follow every order and demand that comes from Rome. Bible-believing Christians, both Adventists and others who base their beliefs on the Bible alone are called fundamentalists by Pope Francis, and then he attaches the worst possible negative meaning to the word and compares fundamentalists to terrorists – even if they are not violent, and adds that it is only an appropriate punishment for these. He does not say what the punishment is, it was kind of hanging in the air, but we already know what an appropriate punishment was for those who opposed the Catholic Church.
However, there is one thing that obviously bothers many in our church community, and that is what is written in John 17:14: I have given them thy word; and the world hath hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. They do not want to be hated by the world and the fallen churches. Instead, they love to receive praise and good publicity from the world and the fallen churches, so they join the ‘gang’ and get good publicity and words of praise. To the Pharisees and the scribes Jesus came with the following crushing judgment that we find in Matthew 23:6-7. This we can also use in this sentence, because it has something to do with being loved by the world. And love the uppermost rooms at feasts, and the chief seats in the synagogues, And greetings in the markets, and to be called of men, Rabbi, Rabbi.
Shall we lay up treasures on earth, treasures in the form of good publicity and the like, or shall we lay up treasures in heaven? Let us look at what Jesus says about this. In the Sermons on the Mount, Matthew 6:19-20, He says, Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal:
This can be interpreted in many ways, and here it also fits into our context. If we lay up goodwill, praise and good publicity from the fallen denominations and the world, this is the same as laying up treasures on earth. We should certainly not do that, because Jesus continues in the following verse to say: For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. If we do the will of our Heavenly Father, and keep ourselves separate from the world and the fallen churches, we will gather treasures in heaven and then our hearts will be in heaven.
The judgement is already underway.
Ezekiel 8:18. Therefore will I also deal in fury: mine eye shall not spare neither will I have pity: and though they cry in mine ears with a loud voice, [yet] will I not hear them.
Ezekiel is just one of many prophets who point to the final settlement of sin. In Revelation 11:1, John writes this: And there was given me a reed like unto a rod: and the angel stood, saying, Rise, and measure the temple of God, and the altar, and them that worship therein. That John should measure the temple of God, the altar and those who worship there means that the people of God should be examined and judged in an investigative judgment. This began on October 22, 1844, and is still ongoing, and we find it explained in Revelation 14:7 where it says … … the hour of His judgment is come. The inflectional form of the verb is present participle active, something that tells of an ongoing action.
In this judgment, it is first and foremost God’s people, or those who call themselves God’s people, who will be examined and judged, and those who fall outside of God’s standard (see The image of jealousy in Part 1) are those whom God mentions in Ezekiel 8:18. Furthermore, we are also referred to what God’s standard is in Revelation 11:19 where it says: And the temple of God was opened in heaven, and there was seen in his temple the ark of his testament: and there were lightnings, and voices, and thunderings, and an earthquake, and great hail. The ark of his testament was where Moses placed the ten commandments that God had written with his own finger on two stone tablets. This is God’s standard, and is the measure by which all people should be judged. Zechariah also tells the same story. God will judge, and in Zechariah 2:5-6 it says: I lifted up mine eyes again, and looked, and behold a man with a measuring line in his hand. 6 [KJV: 2] Then said I, Whither goest thou? And he said unto me, To measure Jerusalem, to see what [is] the breadth thereof, and what [is] the length thereof Amos 7:7 also says that the Lord will measure his people: Thus he shewed me: and, behold, the Lord stood upon a wall [made] by a plumb line, with a plumb line in his hand. Here God himself measures his people.
Now there are probably many who will protest and say that it is not the people who are to be judged, or measured, but that the width, length and height of the temple building in Jerusalem are to be measured. Such an explanation makes no sense at all. Fortunately, the Bible has the ability to explain itself. Sometimes we have to look for the explanation of words and expressions; other times they come immediately after the verse we may have trouble understanding. In this case, the explanation comes in the following verse, and in Amos 7:8, it says. And the LORD said unto me, Amos, what seest thou? And I said, A plumb line. Then said the Lord, Behold, I will set a plumb line in the midst of my people Israel: I will not again pass by them anymore. It is the people of God who are to be judged, all those who call themselves by the name of Jesus Christ and call themselves Christians.
As mentioned earlier, belonging to a particular ethnic group, a particular denomination or a particular congregation has no bearing. You are not saved because you have an ethnic affiliation or if you were born into a particular church. Nor are we saved by the works we do here on earth. Good works are a fruit of salvation, not a way of salvation as many believe.
We will all be judged according to where we have hidden our treasure, both we who call ourselves Christians and those who are not Christians. It is what is in our hearts that we are to be judged by. Is it God or Mammon? To determine this, God must use his standard, in Zechariah 5 called an ephah, in Revelation 11 called a reed like unto a rod, in Zechariah 2 called a measuring line, in Amos 7 a plumb line. It is our hearts that are to be measured by God’s standard, the Ten Commandments of God, to see if our hearts are in harmony with God’s Ten Commandments.
Where does ecumenical cooperation lead?
Many people both within the church and in the world have done a great deal for their fellow human beings, and without any ulterior motives to enrich themselves or make a name for themselves. There are probably many who also consider it a good thing to unite in the ecumenical co-operation, and they gladly take part in this co-operation and completely forget what it really is. The ecumenical cooperation has several parameters that are not compatible with God’s word.
The following is taken from the Norwegian Christian Council’s own page: https://norgeskristnerad.no/okumenikk/
- Much of this is beautifully written, and certainly appeals to anyone and everyone, but this is Catholic thoughts, and we must base the Catholic doctrines on how we read and understand this. I have marked three points I want to give my considerations on.
#The Norwegians Christian Council is an umbrella organization for Christian churches and denominations that with the Bible as the source worships and confesses one God – inspired by Jesus’ prayer: that they may be one.
- 1) The Christian Council of Norway shall promote mutual understanding, respect and interaction locally and nationally between Christian churches and denominations, inspired by Jesus’ prayer: that they may be one.
- Promote understanding of Christian faith, morality and culture in society and strengthen Christian presence in the public sphere.
- Promote cooperation on the Church’s mission mission locally, nationally and globally, promoting respect for religious freedom and human rights, both in legislation and practice at all levels.
- 2) Work to break down barriers between people and create justice and peace.
- Work to protect creation from destruction so that everyone can experience the fullness of life, safeguard the members’ common interests vis-à-vis the public sector and to be a liaison and assist the members in common issues of a legal and administrative nature in relation to the public sector.
- Contribute internationally to create and develop good relations between Christian denominations.
- Participate in ecumenical organizations and in interfaith bodies and contexts, as well as represent the council in these.
- A tool for interaction in church and society.
- A service organization for Christian churches and denominations.
What is ecumenism?
Ecumenism is the work of Christian churches to make visible the unity between Christians. It happens through joint services, conversations and through cooperation on the church’s responsibilities in the world through mission and diaconia. The word ecumenism comes from the Greek word oikoumene, which means the whole inhabited world.
3) Church history is also the history of divisions between churches. It was not until the end of the 19th century that the opposite movement began, especially when different denominations that conducted missions in the same country asked themselves what it means for the church’s credibility that Jesus has founded his church on earth as one church. In his farewell address to the disciples, Jesus encourages the disciples to be one, just as he is one with God the Father (John 17:21).
At the beginning of the last century, several ecclesiastical movements arose which together led to the development of the ecumenical movement and eventually also to the formation of the World Council of Churches. The Christian Council of Norway as an ecumenical organization shall be:
- A meeting place for Christian churches and denominations.
- An arena for building mutual understanding and respect.
- A tool for interaction in church and society.
- A service organization for Christian churches and denominations#.
Here you can actually attack many points, but I will settle for the three I have noticed.
1) When the Norwegian Christian Council (NCC) writes that they shall promote mutual understanding, respect and interaction locally and nationally between Christian churches and denominations, it shakes my ears very much. Therefore, we have to interact with the other churches. It sounds great and nice at first, but this is Catholic rhetoric at its highest potential. We cannot cooperate with churches that break God’s commandments with knowledge and will. The ecumenical work has led to a joint declaration based on the few points all churches can agree on. An ecumenisms least common multiple. It can in no way be this smallest common multiple that will form the basis for being one as Jesus asked for in his prayer. What will unite us is that we keep God’s commandments and that we have the faith of Jesus, (Revelation 12:12; 14:12).
2) NCC further writes that they must work to break down barriers between people and create justice and peace. Here we find a slightly different angle on ecumenical cooperation. Working to break down the barrier, create justice and peace are words everyone likes to hear, including us in SDA. The question is why we should do this. I am not opposed to peace on earth, and to the fact that all people can experience justice and that barriers between different groups are broken down. I like to work for such things 24 hours a day, but the question is what lies behind this wording.
I have argued that it is the Catholic Church that stands for ecumenical cooperation. Since Luther’s Reformation led to a break with the Catholic Church, the papacy has tried various ways to ‘break down the barrier‘ between the Catholic Church and the Reformed / Protestant churches. For almost 400 years, there was both literal war and verbal war between the two church systems. It was only after the Second Vatican Council (1962 – 1965) that the pipe got another song. This council led the Catholic Church no longer to condemn the Protestants, but called them her lost brethren. The rapprochement between the Catholic and the Reformed Church gained momentum after this Council. It is this type of barrier that the Catholic Church has had in mind since the Catholic Church itself raised these barriers against Luther and his Reformation in the 16th century.
The justice that the papacy promotes through Pope Francis’ encyclical «Fratelli Tutti» (all brethren) is probably also of the suspicious kind. In many countries, it is now possible for anyone to enter a house where the owners, for example, are away for a few days. All the intruders need to do is stay there for two days. After this, not even the police can throw them out of the house or residence they have occupied. This is the modern Robin Hood version; you take what you need from the rich without the rich being able to prevent it. This is what Pope Franz calls social justice. Understand it whoever can. God calls such things to steal, and this breaks with the eighth commandment: Thou shalt not steal. We find this especially in Africa and South America, and we should not ignore the fact that this will apply in several countries around the world in the time to come. We have seen riots in the USA where the protesters entered supermarkets and shops in a couple of cities without the police intervening.
Well then, we are to share with one another, Jesus also says in Luke 3:11 that He that hath two coats, let him impart to him that hath none; and he that hath meat, let him do likewise. However, he does not give them the right to go anywhere to steal what they need.
3) NCC further points out, and rightly, so, that Church history is also the history of divisions between churches. It was not until the end of the 19th century that the opposite movement began, especially when different denominations that conducted missions in the same country asked themselves what it means for the church’s credibility that Jesus has founded his church on earth as one church. The question then is whether not all reformers up through time who have been persecuted and in many cases killed by the Catholic Church have been right when they called people from the paganism that they found in the mother church. Even our end-time message, which not only ordinary members of the SDA, but also our leaders should make sure that sounds all over the earth, calls people out of the fallen churches. Revelation 18:4 says. … Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues.
Then we can ask ourselves why God through 6000 years has constantly called, and still calls on the sinful human race, to make it turn away from such the least common multiple, a culture that allows theft, and a regression of the Reformation. We can see the fruits of ecumenical cooperation in what has happened since the Second Vatican Council and especially from 1999 until now. I would like to mention three special events that together have put an end to the Reformation and what the Reformers died for when the struggle was at its worst. Note the date on which all three events took place.
1) ) On October 31, 1999, the Lutheran World Federation took a long step towards cancelling the Reformation when they, together with the Catholic Church, chose to sign what has the following title: The Joint Declaration Between the Catholic Church and the Lutheran World Federation on the Doctrine of Justification, better known simply as The Joint Declaration. This document has been prepared in its entirety by the Catholic Church.
2) On October 31, 2016, Pope Francis visited Lund in Sweden in connection with a joint Catholic-Lutheran ceremony. This was the next step on the road to full gathering under the Catholic umbrella. The following are taken from http://www.katolsk.no/nyheter/2016/09/informasjon-om-pavens-sverige-besok
The Pope’s historic visit to Lund and Malmö takes place as Catholics and Lutherans jointly commemorate the 500th anniversary of the Reformation. The Catholic Church and the Lutheran World Federation (LWF) agree that Lund is a good place to mark the Reformation. LWF was founded in Lund in 1947.
Lund Cathedral, where the ecumenical service takes place on October 31, has a thousand-year history shared by Catholics and Lutherans. The Lutheran World Federation and the Vatican invite to the meeting on October 31. The host is the Church of Sweden in close collaboration with the Catholic Church in Sweden and the Christian Council of Sweden. The Catholic Church and LWF have been in dialogue for 50 years. It is this dialogue that has led us to this autumn’s historic meeting in Lund and where we are today. A milestone in the dialogue is the document From Conflict to Community. Joint Lutheran-Catholic commemoration of the Reformation 2017 from 2013. Lutherans and Catholics express grief and remorse over the pain we have inflicted on each other, but also gratitude for the theological insights with which we have fertilized each other. It is against this background and in this spirit that leaders from the Catholic Church and LWF meet in Lund this autumn for the first time ever to mark the Reformation.
3) The approach that took place on the 500th anniversary of Luther’s Reformation, on October 31, 2017, when the Lutheran-Protestant churches merged with the Catholic Church in a common Lutheran-Catholic commemoration of the Reformation, is the third step on the road to a complete erasure of the Reformation. Here is a small excerpt from the document: From conflict to community. Joint Lutheran-Catholic commemoration of the Reformation 2017. Report from the Lutheran-Roman Catholic Commission for Christian Unity. Catholics have also written this document and only them, but the Lutheran-Protestant churches have accepted, approved and signed this, together with the Catholic Church.
«We take as a guide the doctrine of justification, which expresses the gospel message and therefore incessantly serves to direct the whole doctrine and practice of the Church toward Christ (Joint Declaration of the Doctrine of Justification). The true unity of the Church can only be unity in the unity of the gospel of Jesus Christ. That the controversy over this truth in the 16th century led to the loss of unity in Western Christianity is one of the dark chapters in church history. In 2017, we must openly confess that we have been guilty before Christ of harming the unity of the Church. The year of remembrance presents us with two challenges: to cleanse and heal the memories and to restore Christian unity in accordance with the truth of the gospel of Jesus Christ”.
It is extremely unfortunate that Lutheran and Protestant denominations accept this document. Only Catholic doctrines form the basis of this document, but it is written in such a way that it appears to be an acceptable document for Protestants and Lutherans. The problem is that only the packaging is acceptable. When it comes to the Catholic Church’s view of salvation and justification, the Catholic Church bases its actions on Jesus. They do say that Jesus died on the cross, and he was obedient unto death, but not that he died for you and me. It is the good works of Jesus, as well as the good works of Mary and all the good works of the saints, that make atonement for yours and mine sins. Many will now probably say that this is not true, but let us look at something that the Roman Church says about this.
Allan Jones, pastor of the Grace Cathedral Catholic Church in San Francisco, writes in his book Reimagining Christianity: The Church’s fixation on Jesus’ death as the universal act of salvation must stop. It cannot be as the Protestants say that Jesus died for you. This is a false doctrine. The Catholic Church thus teaches that Jesus died on the cross, but not for you and me, and that we are not saved by his death.
Let us see what the Bible says.
In whom we have redemption through his blood, [even] the forgiveness of sins: Colossians 1:14.
And, having made peace through the blood of his cross, by him to reconcile all things unto himself; by him, [I say], whether [they be] things in earth, or things in heaven. Colossians 1:20.
In the body of his flesh through death, to present you holy and unblameable and unreproveable in his sight, Colossians 1:22.
Briefly summarized. I am a sinner, and my reward is death (Romans 6:23). So how can I be saved? Only God can save me, for Jesus Christ paid the price for me, and I am saved by His blood.
And almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission, Hebrew 9:22.
The Bible is clear that without the blood of Jesus, there is no salvation and we are lost. As we understand, the king of the north has gathered all denominations, and all other religions, under his umbrella, and then only the last act of the union remains – to defeat the secular forces that oppose God, and this is already well underway by the conversations that take place between the fallen churches and the non-religious forces. It is only a matter of time before this becomes a reality, just as the Bible tells us it will happen. It is sad that we should have leaders who do not see this, and it sincerely hurts to see that SDA’s leaders both locally and internationally flirt with the ecumenical churches. I wonder what Ellen G. White would have said about this if she had experienced what we are experiencing now.
Ellen G. White at least said this about the omega apostasy: I am instructed to speak plainly. Meet it, is the word spoken to me. Meet it firmly, and without delay … // … In the book Living Temple there is presented the alpha of deadly heresies. The omega will follow, and will be received by those who are not willing to heed the warning God has given. (1SM 200.1)
Is this what we now see the start of the dangerous omega apostasy? We will know in a relatively short time. Nevertheless, it harmonizes just fine with everything else we can see unfolding before our eyes. On November 20, 1857, Ellen G. White received a vision of a tremor that will shake our church. Here are a few excerpts from this view, (Early Writings / The Shaking).
I saw some, with strong faith and agonizing cries, pleading with God. Their countenances were pale and marked with deep anxiety, expressive of their internal struggle, (269.1). Some, I saw, did not participate in this work of agonizing and pleading. They seemed indifferent and careless. They were not resisting the darkness around them, and it shut them in like a thick cloud, (270.1). I asked the meaning of the shaking I had seen and was shown that it would be caused by the straight testimony called forth by the counsel of the True Witness to the Laodiceans. This will have its effect upon the heart of the receiver, and will lead him to exalt the standard and pour forth the straight truth. Some will not bear this straight testimony. They will rise up against it, and this is what will cause a shaking among God’s people, (270.2). I saw that the testimony of the True Witness has not been half heeded. The solemn testimony upon which the destiny of the church hangs has been lightly esteemed, if not entirely disregarded. This testimony must work deep repentance; all who truly receive it will obey it and be purified, (270.3). The numbers of this company had lessened. Some had been shaken out and left by the way. The careless and indifferent, who did not join with those who prized victory and salvation enough to perseveringly plead and agonize for it, did not obtain it, and they were left behind in darkness, and their places were immediately filled by others taking hold of the truth and coming into the ranks. Evil angels still pressed around them, but could have no power over them, (271.1).
This is in line with what Pope Francis says: Those who insist on keeping the truth rather than preaching the gospel have always threatened the church, and the pope calls for unity among evangelicals, Catholics, and says that division is the work of the devil.
Once again, I would like to quote Revelation 18:4 … Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues.
In addition, there are many other similar texts in the Bible, where we are asked to stay away from what is unclean, as in these verses.
Numbers 16,26: And he spake unto the congregation, saying, Depart, I pray you, from the tents of these wicked men, and touch nothing of theirs, lest ye be consumed in all their sins.
Isaiah 48,20: Go ye forth of Babylon, flee ye from the Chaldeans, with a voice of singing declare ye, tell this, utter it [even] to the end of the earth; say ye, The LORD hath redeemed his servant Jacob.
Jeremiah 50,8: Remove out of the midst of Babylon, and go forth out of the land of the Chaldeans, and be as the he goats before the flocks.
Jeremiah 51,6. Flee out of the midst of Babylon, and deliver every man his soul: be not cut off in her iniquity; for this [is] the time of the LORD’s vengeance; he will render unto her a recompense.
Jeremiah 51,45: My people, go ye out of the midst of her, and deliver ye every man his soul from the fierce anger of the LORD.
Zacharias 2,11: [KJV: 7] Deliver thyself, O Zion, that dwellest [with] the daughter of Babylon.
2 Corinthians 6,17: Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean [thing]; and I will receive you,
Who is speaking here, is it God or the devil, and what does he encourage?
It is obvious that this comes from the Creator of heaven and earth, the great Alpha and Omega, the Almighty God, and He encourages all people who hear this message to come out of Babylon, which is a synonym for the Catholic Church in our time. Is it not strange that the pope says it is the devil’s work to be separated? However, that is how everyone who opposes the truth speaks. They call the good evil, the light they call the dark, and vice versa.
The pope thus claims that holding on to the truth threatens the church. This is both a lie and a truth at once. The lie is that it has never threatened God’s pure church to hold on to the truth, because Jesus says about himself that He is «the way, the truth and the life«, and in both Psalm 119:140 and John 17:17 it is said about God’s Word that Thy word is truth. In John 8:32 Jesus says. And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free. This is what is problematic for the papacy. If seeking people get to know Jesus Christ, he will set them free from the bondage that the Catholic Church treads upon people’s heads. The truth of Pope Francis’ statement, if we can call it a truth, is that God’s pure and undefiled Word has always threatened paganism, whether it has appeared as paganism, or whether paganism has been wrapped in a Christian disguise such as the Catholic Church have done. It is obvious that the truth threatens the kind of syncretism that the papacy profiles.
It is this rally our leaders have entered into, by being observers in the ecumenical cooperation. When you mess with the enemy, he always affects you. It is like sticking your finger in a wasp nest full of angry earth wasps, you are guaranteed to be stung. No one remains an observer in this collaboration without being greatly affected by it.
Once again, I would like to point out Amos 3:3: Can two walk together, except they be agreed? God also says it this way in Matthew 12:30: He that is not with me is against me; and he that gathereth not with me scattereth abroad. It is quite easy to understand these words. Here applies either or. Either we walk with God because we gather with Him, or we walk with God’s enemy because we scatter. This is something of the essence of what we are to be judged by at the last day. It does not help much to say that we believe in Jesus, because if the heart is not in accordance with God’s standard, it will not help us on the Day of Judgment. This applies to all whom surrender to what God calls abominations, and which here in Ezekiel 8 is primarily idolatry, and which in our time includes the ecumenical cooperation with the Roman Church and her daughters.
This is far from something new because we find the same problem in 2 Chronicles 36:14 where we read: Moreover all the chief of the priests, and the people, transgressed very much after all the abominations of the heathen; and polluted the house of the LORD which he had hallowed in Jerusalem.
Should believe the person who has written this has seen the conditions in our time. Despite the fact that all who call themselves Christians, say that they belong to Jesus, Jesus says something important in Matthew 7:21-23. There we read. Not everyone that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father, which is in heaven. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? And in thy name have cast out devils? And in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.
What must God’s faithful people do to stop ecumenical cooperation and complete the task God has entrusted to us?
If the three angelic messages and the loud cry are to be heard, we must distance ourselves from ecumenical cooperation. There is no point in both preaching the end-time message and joining forces with the fallen denominations, and we clearly see the fruits of this ecumenism in that some of our leaders say «this is no longer the case» and similar statements. One of our leaders in the Norwegian union just said, «This is not the case anymore» to me in connection with a discussion we had about whether we should follow what Ellen G. Whites said regarding the three angels’ message and the rest of her writings. I told him, and still believe, that we must go out and proclaim the three angelic messages and the loud cry. He came up with a long tirade about her writings, saying that this were written in another time and that the Catholic Church has changed, and eventually concluded «this is not the case anymore«. Here we see the result of the ecumenical work.
It does something to those who participate in this work, and it has both visible and noticeable consequences for our entire church community. It is probably clarifying to mention that the person who said this to me, to all intents and purposes, was our church’s representative and leader of the translation committee of the Bible 2011. What he does, and many thousands with him, is to claim that Ellen G. White is not relevant longer, since it is ‘long time’ since she lived. What about the Bible? The oldest books there are about 3500 years old, and the newest books were written towards the end of the first century, and are more then 1900 years old. Ellen G. White served from 1844 to 1915.
It was probably not without reason that God said through Peter that the judgment must begin at the house of God, (1. Peter 4:17). However, it is not enough for the judgment to begin with the house of God. We who call ourselves Seventh-day Adventists have received a much greater light on the truth than any other denomination, which entails both a greater blessing and a much greater responsibility. But it also means that we will be judged more harshly than those who have only received some light, or no light at all. When we have been given light that says that we should separate from the world, but still choose to run back to the mother church, it will probably have consequences for those who do. Nevertheless, it is not my job to judge anyone, because I am not capable of doing that. Fortunately, it is the Almighty Himself who will judge us all, and He will judge justly. To all who advocate ecumenical cooperation, God comes with several warnings. Here is a small bunch:
Proverbs 1:28. Then shall they call upon me, but I will not answer; they shall seek me early, but they shall not find me:
Isaiah 1:15. And when ye spread forth your hands, I will hide mine eyes from you: yea, when ye make many prayers, I will not hear: your hands are full of blood.
Isaiah 59:2. But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid [his] face from you, that he will not hear.
Jeremiah 11:11. Therefore thus saith the LORD, Behold, I will bring evil upon them, which they shall not be able to escape; and though they shall cry unto me, I will not hearken unto them.
Micah 3:4. Then shall they cry unto the LORD, but he will not hear them. He will even hide his face from them at that time, as they have behaved themselves ill in their doings.
Zechariah 7:13. Therefore, it is come to pass, [that] as he cried, and they would not hear; so they cried, and I would not hear, saith the LORD of hosts:
Ever since Adam and Eve fell into sin in the Garden of Eden, God has called on all people to make us aware of our own situation and where we are in relation to God. He has given us a path to salvation, but that path will soon all Christianity deny because of the ecumenical cooperation. The way is through the blood of Christ, and only through the blood of Christ. For 6,000 years, the God of love, forgiveness, and grace has called on us to get us on the right path. One day it is too late. When we get to the point in history where God says that enough is enough, well, then God will no longer listen to those who call on Him.
When the door of mercy is closed, it helps little to say to God, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? And in thy name have cast out devils? And in thy name done many wonderful works? (Matthew 7:22.) But, as we saw just before here, the Lord will not listen to them, but answer them thus: I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity. Matthew 7:23.) Then the Lord God will rise from his throne, and what is written in Luke 13:25-27 will be fulfilled. When once the master of the house is risen up, and hath shut to the door, and ye begin to stand without, and to knock at the door, saying, Lord, Lord, open unto us, and he shall answer and say unto you, I know you not whence ye are. Then shall ye begin to say, we have eaten and drunk in thy presence, and thou hast taught in our streets. But he shall say, I tell you, I know you not whence ye are; depart from me, all ye workers of iniquity.
We who have been entrusted with one of the most important missions God has given humans have only one thing to do. We must follow God’s instructions and turn away from the ecumenical forums, because as we have seen, God has called us out of Babylon – the confusion, which has its origins in the Catholic Church. God has many times in clear and pure words given us warnings and asked us to separate ourselves from the world. We will not even touch anything that belongs to the wicked, but flee from the Chaldeans and leave Babylon, we must get out of them, the ecumenical churches, and be separated so that the Lord can make us the people He wants us to be. What happens if we continue to cultivate ecumenical cooperation? Think about this question along with what Amos says: Can two walk together, except they be agreed? (Amos 3:3.)
God will judge all those who perform what God himself calls abominations that are done in His temple, and when it comes to God’s own end-time church, it will be affected by a tremor caused by what Ellen G. White calls the straight testimony.
I asked the meaning of the shaking I had seen and was shown that it would be caused by the straight testimony called forth by the counsel of the True Witness to the Laodiceans. This will have its effect upon the heart of the receiver, and will lead him to exalt the standard and pour forth the straight truth. Some will not bear this straight testimony. They will rise up against it, and this is what will cause a shaking among God’s people, (270.2). Those who are not shaken out are the true remnant of God, and it is those who have hungered and thirsted for the truth that are more important to them than life itself on earth. All fear of their relatives was gone, and the truth alone was exalted to them. They had been hungering and thirsting for truth; it was dearer and more precious than life. I asked what had made this great change. An angel answered, “It is the latter rain, the refreshing from the presence of the Lord, the loud cry of the third angel, (271.2) (Early Writings).
Those who have been involved in ecumenical co-operation will then oppose this straight testimony, and they will therefore be shaken out of God’s people. I believe the shaking will hit our church with full force in the near future, and then, as mentioned, all those who have actively participated in the ecumenical cooperation will be shaken out of our ranks. God will have a clean and undefiled church in it absolute end time for these are the ones who will bring the final warning to a world shrouded in ecumenical fog and the darkness of the devil.
Therefore, let us be the watchmen the Lord speaks of here in Isaiah 62:6: I have set watchmen upon thy walls, O Jerusalem, [which] shall never hold their peace day nor night: ye that make mention of the LORD, keep not silence.
Let us unite in prayer to God, and pray that He will bless us and guide us in the task He has given us. Let us pray that God’s will be done, and that He will pour out the latter rain on His faithful people in the end times so that they can complete their important task.