Introduction.
I have said it before, and I will say it again: God has always had a small remnant here on earth who keep His commandments and His law. In our time, this small remnant is called God’s last congregation, or the end-time congregation. This congregation consists of people who are not sinless or infallible, they are not pure either seen through God’s eyes, but this congregation is full of all kinds of sinners who know that they cannot satisfy God in any other way than to seek refuge in Him.
Throughout history, there have always been some standard bearers who have followed God in everything, but they have not been sinless, infallible or pure either, yet they have received the best praise from the Lord. These standard bearers have held God’s word in high esteem and defended it with their lives, and in the Middle Ages, somewhere between 50 million and 100 million* people were killed for their faith, yet they continued to bring the pure gospel to people who hungered for the pure truth. Countless reformers died in their posts after Luther began the Reformation while defending God’s work. It has been so since the dawn of time, and it continues to be so. Those who stand up for God’s cause risk being killed for their faith.
* This figure is under revision, and it will not surprise me in the least if they arrive at a figure that is only a fraction of the actual number stated.
In our time, from the beginning of the 19th century, God has raised up a people who hold His word in high esteem. It all began with William Miller who, after the Anglo-American War (1812-1814), began to examine the Bible. He discovered something that all other Christians had overlooked, the imminent return of Jesus. Although he was wrong about one thing, what the sanctuary was, he was right in his understanding of the time prophecies and that Jesus’ return was not far off in time.
This led to an interdenominational revival and people from all denominations left their churches and gathered around William Miller, and the Advent movement grew, and on May 21, 1863, the Seventh-day Adventist Church was formally formed. During the process that led to the Advent movement becoming a denomination, they were led by God not to make a creed, but they began to write down some points of faith. The difference between creeds and points of faith is that creeds are static and unchangeable, while points of faith are dynamic and can change as the church gains new or more light on the Scriptures.
All 28 points of faith are based on the Bible, and the Bible alone, and for each of the points of faith there are references to several Bible verses, from four or five to well over 20. Although it is easy to study these points of faith and see that they are all based on biblical principles, this is something that arouses strong opposition from other denominations. The reason for this is that they believe, among other things, in an eternally burning hell or that God has moved the Sabbath day from Saturday to Sunday, but there is no basis in the Bible for this claim.
However, there is a biblical basis for claiming that the SDA is God’s end-time church, and we find evidence for this in Revelation chapter 10.
Here follows a small excerpt from «God’s Church in the End Times, Part 1«, which was previously published under the heading «God Raised Up a Movement at the Entrance of the End Times«.
### This is what the Bible says God will do.
The Bible itself says that God does nothing for his people without telling them through his prophets.
Surely, the Lord GOD will do nothing, but he revealeth his secret unto his servants the prophets. Amos 3:7.
We must therefore assume that we will be able to find a text that tells us that God really will raise up a movement when we come to the transition time between prophetic time and end time, otherwise the verse in Amos 3,7 will be meaningless.
The verse we are looking for is found in Revelation 10:11: And he said unto me, Thou must prophesy again before many peoples, and nations, and tongues, and kings.
We see that God uses the same procedure in Revelation 10:11 as He uses in Ezekiel 2:7; Jeremiah 17; Jeremiah 36:2; Daniel 12:4 and in Revelation 1:19, which we saw right in front of here. What He, Jesus, says to John, who is a type of God’s end-time church, is that he, John – as a type of the end-time church – will prophesy again. We should take this to heart along with the fact that to prophesy is something must do before many peoples, and nations, and tongues, and kings, and this means that this is a worldwide event. That God will raise up a movement or a church in the end times is to be expected from history, and not least according to what God himself says in Revelation chapter 10 verse 11. That God tells us this long in advance is also in harmony with that way God is working on. Just look at what Jesus himself says to us through John: Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth but I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you, John 15:15. In Revelation 1:1 John says this: The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto him, to shew unto his servants things which must shortly come to pass; and he sent and signified [it] by his angel unto his servant John,
But is it enough to refer to just one verse in the Bible to be able to state that ‘this is so’? In the book of Joel we find the following passage. And it shall come to pass afterward, [that] I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions: And also upon the servants and upon the handmaids in those days will I pour out my spirit. And I will shew wonders in the heavens and in the earth, blood, and fire, and pillars of smoke. The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and the terrible day of the LORD come. And it shall come to pass, [that] whosoever shall call on the name of the LORD shall be delivered: for in mount Zion and in Jerusalem shall be deliverance, as the LORD hath said, and in the remnant whom the LORD shall call, Joel 3:1-5.
The whole chapter 3 of Joel’s is about the end times and about God’s judgment on the nations (the wicked) and God’s blessing on his people. It is beyond any doubt that God will raise up a prophetic movement in the end times.
Has it happened?
Now there are many denominations that will claim to be prophetic movements. However, I will be careful about judging other people and denominations, but there are certain criteria that must be met before they can label themselves the Church of God in the end times or meet the conditions to be a prophetic movement. A special characteristic this movement has, is that they keep God’s commandments, all of God’s ten commandments, see Revelation 12:17 and 14:12. When we have come to this time where the end-time Church of God will prophesy again, we have two sets of the ten commandments. We have the Ten Commandments of God, and we have the ten commandments of the pope. Those who keep the pope’s ten commandments cannot possibly be the church of God in the end times, for the pope’s ten commandments are a changed version of the commandments. The original second commandment has been removed, the original third commandment has become the second commandment, etc. The fourth commandment (the pope’s third) has been changed and applies to Sunday as a day of rest not Saturday as God has blessed and sanctified. The original 10th commandment has been divided into two so that the Catholic Church also has ten commandments, but these are the false commandments.
However, there is a movement, the Advent movement, which arose as a result of the preaching of the three angels’ message in the 1840s and was an inter-church revival that consisted of people from all denominations of the time. These denominations were Christian Brethren, Seventh-day Baptists, Anabaptists, Baptists, Methodists, Christian Connection, Presbyterians, Episcopalians, Lutherans, Dutch Reformers, Quakers and Congregationalists.
As we see, the Advent movement in the beginning was in fact an inter-church movement. SDA was established as a separate church in 1863 and continued the preaching of the three angels’ message. This has been going on since that time with varying strength but will increase in strength and power as we approach the absolute end time, when the loud cry sounds together with the three angels’ message.
This movement or church upholds God’s ten commandments so highly that they are called legalists by those who keep Sunday as God’s day of rest. He who started this movement was the deist William Miller, who in the times after the Anglo-American War 1812-1815 began to study the Bible after he inexplicably survived a grenade strike just one meter from where he stood. After a thorough study of the Bible, Miller concluded in 1818 that Jesus would return in 1843 (see Daniel 8:14), which was later adjusted to 1844. Miller, a child of his day, believed like everyone else at the time that the earth was the sanctuary to be cleansed, and that this was to happen at the return of Jesus. Miller was wrong about the event, but all his calculations were correct. This God showed to Hasen Foss in a vision just after the great disappointment in 1844 that the sanctuary was not the earth as all Christians believed at that time, but that it was a sanctuary in heaven, and it was this sanctuary that was to be cleansed from this day in October 1844.
The spirit of prophecy given to the Advent movement.
After the disappointment, those who were faithful to God began to search for answers as to where they had gone wrong and what they had not understood correctly. Shortly after the disappointment, probably the next day, some of the brothers gathered to pray to God for light on what they had misunderstood. Among these was Hasen Foss. After the prayer, Hasen Foss and one of the brothers were to visit another brother, and they went through a cornfield. There in the field, Hasen Foss received a revelation from God, which showed him what they had done wrong. William Miller and William Fay also received visions and revelations from God. Soon after, God raised up a young woman, 17-year-old Ellen G. Harmon (later White), as His prophet. The Advent movement had been given the spirit of prophecy and had become a prophetic movement. All this is according to Amos 3:7 and Revelation 10:11. In 1863, the movement took the name Seventh-day Adventists, forming its own denomination. ###
All Bible texts are from the King James Versiom 1611/1769 unless otherwise stated.
God’s love for his church.
It can be easy to be led to believe that God does not love all people, because we have stories, such as the one about 1) the flood where all people, except eight, died. 2) We also have the Exodus from Egypt fresh in our memory in this sense. When Pharaoh overtook Israel at the Red Sea, God led his people across, while He let Pharaoh and all his soldiers drown in the waters. 3) When Israel took the promised land, Canaan, it was by order from God to exterminate all the pagans who lived there.
It may seem quite incomprehensible to many what has happened, but we must look behind the story, not just read it. We must try to understand God’s way of doing things. Let’s look at these three stories a little and see if we can find a common denominator for God’s way of doing things. Maybe we can understand God a little better after we have done this.
1) The first time we read about thousands of people dying is in the story of Noah and the great flood.
According to tradition, Noah spent 120 years building the ark. While building this ark, he preached both salvation and judgment, that is, the punishment that would befall all those who would not turn to the Lord. Salvation would have been achieved by boarding the ark when the time was right. But only Noah, his wife, his three sons, and his three daughters-in-law went on board. In other words, it was not God who judged the people of Noah’s time; they judged themselves when they did not turn to God and did not turn away from their wicked lives. They clearly did this when they did not board the ark despite Noah’s preaching.
It must have pained God greatly that only one family took refuge in their God. In Genesis 6:7 we read about how God responded to the collective rejection of His offer of salvation. It says that God “repenteth” that He had created man, and beast, and the creeping thing and the fowls, and that He would wipe them from the face of the earth. The Hebrew word translated “repenteth” is nacham. This word has a completely different meaning than the one we put into the word “repent.”
The definition of nacham is: to comfort, to repent, to relent, to be sorry, and is used in the sense of to sigh, breathe strongly, to lament, to console, to avenge, to pity, to regret, to feel sorry for, rue. According to biblehub.com, the use of nacham is defined as follows: The Hebrew verb “nacham” primarily conveys the idea of comfort and consolation, often in the context of sorrow or distress. It also carries the meaning of repentance or a change of mind, especially in relation to God’s actions or decisions. The term can imply a feeling of regret or sorrow, which leads to a change in behavior or intention.
If we go to the next verse, Genesis 6:8, it says that Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD. Now we come to the claim that God’s church is the object of His greatest attention and care. No one was denied entry into the ark with Noah and his family, but only the eight persons who made up Noah’s core family went aboard. When Noah and his family had gone aboard, the door to the world was closed, and those outside had in effect condemned themselves to perdition. All who did not enter the ark were in opposition to God and had to pay the ultimate price for their rebellion. We must remember that all were offered salvation in exactly the same way as Noah and his family, but they turned their backs on God and would have nothing to do with the Creator of the universe. In this way they condemned themselves, as I have already said.
2) The second time we read of thousands of people dying is in the story of the exodus of Egypt when Israel was caught at the Red Sea.
After Pharaoh had given permission for Moses to lead Israel out of Egypt, he soon regretted it. He set out after them with his soldiers to wipe Israel off the face of the earth. Pharaoh catches up with Israel at the Red Sea and God’s people are trapped. In front of them, to the east, lies the Red Sea, to the north and south are great and impassable mountains, and behind them comes Pharaoh and his army with brandished weapons ready to slaughter God’s people.
During the years that Joseph lived, the God of Israel was well known in Egypt, but shortly after Joseph died, Israel was made slaves. When Abraham lived, God promised that He would bring Abraham’s descendants—God’s people—back to where Abraham lived, and in a prophecy, God says to Abraham: … … Know of a surety that thy seed shall be a stranger in a land [that is] not theirs, and shall serve them; and they shall afflict them four hundred years, (Genesis 15:13) … // … and in Exodus 12:40 it says: And the sojourning of the children of Israel, while they sojourned in the land of Egypt and the land of Chanaan, was four hundred and thirty years, (Brenton Septuagint Translation).
When the time came to bring Israel back to the land of Canaan, the Pharaoh of Egypt rebelled against God and refused to let Israel leave Egypt. First, God gave Pharaoh the opportunity to repent, turn to God, and let Israel go, and this was followed by ten plagues. Finally, Pharaoh gave in, only to harden himself again. We see that God did what He could do without taking away Pharaoh’s free will. Of his own free will, Pharaoh rebelled against the Creator, and when God miraculously leads Israel across the Gulf of Aqaba to freedom on the other side in Saudi Arabia, Pharaoh and his army follow after Israel and the waters swallow them up and they all perish, and we read in Exodus 14:28: And the waters returned, and covered the chariots, and the horsemen, [and] all the host of Pharaoh that came into the sea after them; there remained not so much as one of them. Had Pharaoh chosen to stay home in Egypt and let Israel go, both he and his soldiers would have been safe, but because he pursued Israel to the Red Sea to kill them, Pharaoh called down the death sentence on himself and his soldiers.
3) The third time we read this is in the story of when Israel was to take possession of the promised land.
This is perhaps the most difficult story to accept as a sign of God’s love. When Israel conquered Jericho, we read the following in the book of Joshua, chapter 6, verse 21: And they utterly destroyed all that [was] in the city, both man and woman, young and old, and ox, and sheep, and ass, with the edge of the sword. Without delving into the verse and the meaning of the action being performed, this is not a verse that shows us God’s love. All people and beasts were to be killed.
This was also to have happened with all the peoples who lived in Canaan, but some were spared for various reasons. But now there is reason to ask why this should be so. In Genesis 15:16, God says to Abraham: But in the fourth generation they shall come hither again: for the iniquity of the Amorites [is] not yet full.
This verse is about the time after the Egyptian captivity, and we see that the Amorites are specifically mentioned. They lived in Canaan when Abraham first came there, and they had intercourse with Abraham, and they learned enough about Abraham’s God and the gospel. But as we understand from Genesis 15:16, the Amorites would not turn to the Creator of the universe. Yet God gives them all the time Israel lived with them and the time they were in Egypt, a total of 430 years to turn to Him. But they would not. How sad it was for the people who lived in Canaan, they would not know of God. In other words, they condemned themselves by not turning away from their idols.
So what is the common denominator in these three stories? It is the opposition to God, it is the hostility toward God and God’s people, and they condemn themselves by their actions. But God loves all people, even those whom we see as tyrants and despots. God has only one desire for all people and that is that we accept the precious gift that He gives us through the blood of Jesus, the blood the Savior shed on the cross to save a lost humanity. In Ezekiel 33:11 God says through the prophet: Esek 33,11 Say unto them, [As] I live, saith the Lord GOD, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked; but that the wicked turn from his way and live: turn ye, turn ye from your evil ways; for why will ye die, O house of Israel? (The house of Israel is a picture of God’s people throughout all time.)
Although God loves all people, it is primarily His congregation that is the object of the greatest attention and care from God.
1) The people of Noah’s time had 120 years to turn to God and receive salvation by entering the ark Noah built. They were not supposed to help build it, the only condition for being able to go on board was to accept the message Noah preached.
2) Pharaoh and the Egyptians were also given a long time to turn to God, and they probably had the story of Joseph fresh in their minds when Moses began to work with Pharaoh. Through ten plagues, most of which came in the form of the gods of the Egyptians, the God of heaven showed that He is the only God in the universe, and that the gods of the Egyptians are powerless.
3) The inhabitants of Canaan had been given a grace period of 430 years to turn to the Lord. They knew who He was through their acquaintance with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, but they would not choose the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. As we see, all three stories end in the same place. They judge themselves and must therefore bear the consequences of this alone.
Ever since Adam and Eve sinned against God in the Garden of Eden, God has called upon mankind, because He loves all people equally. No matter what you have done, God loves you, and His greatest desire is that you accept the salvation He offers you completely free of charge. All you have to do is accept this incredible gift and change your lifestyle. The latter is a great gain, as I can testify.
But God’s problem, if we can call it a problem, is that God must also make a choice. He would love it so much if everyone chooses to accept salvation, but He does not force anyone. Each person must choose for themselves where they want to spend eternity. God wants us all to spend eternity with Him, but it is you and I who decide what we end up with: eternal life or eternal damnation.
There are many, including within my own church, who say that everyone is saved because God is love. But the Bible is full of evidence to the contrary. Just look at the three stories above. They deal with millions of people who chose to turn away from God, and they perished.
The big question is why God allows this. God has always had a special people. In the beginning, it was the descendants of Adam and Eve who called upon the name of the Lord (see Genesis 4:26). Sometime after the great flood, God called Abraham to become the ancestor of a special people. This people is the apple of God’s eye, both when they were Abraham’s fleshly followers, and after the cross when the Christians are Abraham’s spiritual followers. It is this people that has the highest priority with God.
Those who made up God’s people in Noah’s day were protected from the wicked by boarding the ark. In Moses’ day, they were protected from the wicked by walking dry-shod through the Red Sea. When they entered Canaan, they were to be protected from the unfortunate and harmful influence of the pagans. It probably pained God more than anyone can imagine that so many people had to pay with their lives because they were defiant and set themselves against God. But for God, His people are the most important thing, and God has done what has been necessary throughout time to protect His special people.
We who belong to God’s end-time congregation, the Seventh-day Adventists, have been given a solemn commission, and that is to call all people out of what is called Babylon and have them seek their way into God’s end-time congregation. There is no other way to salvation. There was no other way to salvation in ancient times, and there is no other way in our time either. Let me add right away so that no one misunderstands what I am saying. I am not saying that there is salvation in a church or a congregation. Salvation is only obtained through the blood of Jesus Christ that flowed for us on Calvary. But once you have sought God and been saved, you will automatically seek God’s last congregation.
But as in the time before the flood when Noah preached judgment and salvation, there is a people in the end-time who also preach salvation and the coming judgment. God sends his gracious invitation out to all people throughout the world through his end-time church. Anyone who turns to the Lord, and seeks refuge in Him, and boards the ark of God, which is God’s last church, will be saved from the coming judgment.
We should take to heart that God has a special people who are His congregation in an evil and rebellious world. This end-time congregation recognizes no other authority than God’s own authority, and this is described in the Bible. We find it in Revelation 12:17 where it is said of the end-time church that it is … … which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ … and in Revelation 14:12 where the end-time church is described as … … they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus, and in Revelation 19:10 the testimony of Jesus, which the end-time church has in this way … … the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.
These are those who are faithful to God and sincere in their faith. They do not care about worldly praise even if it comes in the form of awards from worldly leaders, because these bear only the characteristics and marks of heaven.
The congregation is God’s property.
The church of God in the end times is specially chosen by God. Today this church consists of both fervent and lukewarm Christians, but the church is still chosen by God. The fervent ones have taken to heart Jesus’ prayer as we find it in John chapter 17 verse 21: That they all may be one; as thou, Father, [art] in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me.
This is what they most fervently try to fulfill, and they also look at how the disciples of Jesus are described just before Pentecost in the year 31 and try to live up to this. We find this in Acts 1:14 and 2:1: These all continued with one accord in prayer and supplication, with the women, and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brethren., (1:14) … // … And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place, (2:1).
John 17:21 is a verse that has been misused by the fallen church denominations, and they lay down guidelines for the churches to unite in an ecumenical collaboration where they gather around the few points they all agree on, a least common multiple, and then they can hide all the points they disagree on under the rug so they can forget about them. This is at best buffet theology, and in its essence absolutely unbiblical. In John 17:21 Jesus prays that His church will be one with God the Father and God the Son on the principles that the Bible gives us: In Matthew 19:17: … … but if thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments. In Proverbs 4:4: … let thine heart retain my words: keep my commandments, and live … // … and in John 14:15: If ye love me, keep my commandments.
On the one hand we find the majority of Christians who do not keep God’s commandments, but cling to those that have been changed by the papacy. Therefore, by definition, these cannot love Jesus. These are not my words, but Jesus’ own words, (see John 14:21). On the other hand we find the small remnant who keep God’s Ten Commandments, all of God’s Ten Commandments, and who constitute God’s end-time church. These are the ones who have taken up the legacy of Jesus’ disciples, and the pioneers of our church. In a letter to church leaders in December 1912, Ellen G. White wrote the following: After the disappointment of 1844, we (Ellen G. White, James White, Joseph Bates, Stephen Pierce, Hiram Edson, and a few others) searched for truth as for hidden treasures. We used to meet together, and we prayed earnestly that we might continue to be one in faith and doctrine. We knew that there could be no disagreement in Christ, and we examined one point of faith after another. The Bible was opened with a sense of reverence. We often fasted that we might be better fitted to understand the truth. The Bible study was opened with earnest prayer, and if we came upon some obscure point, we discussed it together. Each of us expressed his opinion. Then we again bowed our knees, and we prayed earnestly and earnestly that God would help us to realize that we could be one as Christ was one with the Father. … // … Sometimes the Spirit of God came upon me (E. G. W.), and then difficult questions became clear and distinct, because the Spirit of God showed us the way. There was perfect harmony and unity among us. We were all of one mind and one spirit … // … At times the Spirit of God came upon us in a clear way. And when we received light on important points of truth we could weep and rejoice together. We loved Jesus, and we loved one another. (Translated from Norwegian.)
It is to this place that we must lead other people into unity with one another in God and Christ, not in an ecumenical movement based on a least common multiple.
The last congregation is not Babylon.
In an attempt to destroy God’s end-time congregation, many claim that our church is Babylon, and ever since the advent movement began, it has been opposed by all other denominations. This church has been called a sect, and its members sectarian. Personally, I consider it an honor to be called a sectarian, and that I belong to a sect. It proves that we are right. What everyone forgets is that when William Miller began preaching the return of Jesus, Christians poured out of all denominations and left their old churches to join the advent movement. As mentioned above, these denominations were Christian Brethren, Seventh-day Baptists, Anabaptists, Baptists, Methodists, Christian Connection, Presbyterians, Episcopalians, Lutherans, Dutch Reformers, Quakers and Congregationalists. Seventh-day Adventists therefore began as an interdenominational movement, which we still are. All our teachings are composed of the beliefs that God has shown us, and there were parts from all existing denominations. But the most important thing is that there is not a single point of faith that is not founded on the Bible. Not a single one.
The fact that there is a church that will not enter into an alliance with Rome as all other denominations have done is a horn in the side of Satan. That this church that has found its way back to the old truths that Jesus’ disciples preached in the first century, which were forgotten during the Middle Ages when the Catholic Church made the Bible inaccessible to ordinary people, is also a horn in the side of the papacy. In addition, Adventists present Satan and the papacy in the light they deserve. Note that I write – and mean – the papacy, not the ordinary Catholic. There is a big difference between the papacy and the individual Catholic. I know many good, honest and sincere Catholics who cannot get out of their confusion. I even have Catholics in my family. There are also many honestly seeking Catholics around the world who have not received light on this, not yet, but they will in time to come.
To counter the criticism coming from God’s end-time congregation, Satan’s running boys have taken to the streets. Shortly after Pope Francis was elected pope in 2013, he gave a speech addressing the SDA and said a lot of strange things about the SDA that doesn’t hang on the hook, which is really misinformation and lies. But when he finished attacking Adventists, he immediately went on to say that fundamentalists, with very clear allusions to the SDA, are terrorists, and added that there is only one punishment that is appropriate for them. What this appropriate punishment is was left up in the air, but you don’t have to be a rocket scientist to understand what the pope meant. We can only look at the history of the papacy and add their own claim that the Catholic Church never changes.
Since our preaching is about warning against Babylon, it is only to be expected that this will be turned around and used against us. Church leaders from all denominations claims that the SDA not being a Christian church. But it is the SDA that is the only church that preaches the same thing that Jesus’ disciples preached in the first century and that keeps all of God’s Ten Commandments, which is an irritation to Rome and all the fallen churches.
In Revelation 18:4 we find a verse that we call the loud cry. It reads like this: And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues.
As mentioned, there are two types of Christians in God’s end-time congregation, and some of them use this verse to get the faithful members of God’s end-time church to leave the SDA. But it is the faithful in God’s end-time church who are God’s watchmen in the end-time. In Ezekiel 3:1-11 we can read: Moreover he said unto me, Son of man, eat that thou findest; eat this roll, and go speak unto the house of Israel. So I opened my mouth, and he caused me to eat that roll. And he said unto me, Son of man, cause thy belly to eat, and fill thy bowels with this roll that I give thee. Then did I eat [it]; and it was in my mouth as honey for sweetness. And he said unto me, Son of man, go, get thee unto the house of Israel, and speak with my words unto them. For thou [art] not sent to a people of a strange speech and of an hard language, [but] to the house of Israel; Not to many people of a strange speech and of an hard language, whose words thou canst not understand. Surely, had I sent thee to them, they would have hearkened unto thee. But the house of Israel will not hearken unto thee; for they will not hearken unto me: for all the house of Israel [are] impudent and hard-hearted. Behold, I have made thy face strong against their faces, and thy forehead strong against their foreheads. As an adamant harder than flint have I made thy forehead: fear them not, neither be dismayed at their looks, though they [be] a rebellious house. Moreover he said unto me, Son of man, all my words that I shall speak unto thee receive in thine heart and hear with thine ears. And go, get thee to them of the captivity, unto the children of thy people, and speak unto them, and tell them, Thus saith the Lord GOD; whether they will hear, or whether they will forbear..
God has not only given His end-time church the mission to proclaim the truth for our time to the world. It has also been raised up to be a watchman and in Ezekiel we find a couple of verses that give us this mission: Son of man, I have made thee a watchman unto the house of Israel: therefore hear the word at my mouth, and give them warning from me, (Ezekiel 3:17) … // … So thou, O son of man, I have set thee a watchman unto the house of Israel; therefore thou shalt hear the word at my mouth, and warn them from me, (Ezekiel 33:7).
The victorious congregation.
Although God’s end-time congregation is not perfect in any way, it is still this congregation that God cooperates with. It is a common order in the world that we cooperate with those with whom we agree.
If I were to renovate my house, who would I choose to cooperate with? Obviously, I must choose to cooperate with people who want to renovate my house with me. I avoid working with a demolition company at all costs. It is the same principle that God works by. He chooses to work with those who follow all His commandments, laws and regulations. God is the same, He does not change, and as it says in Hebrews 13:8: Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and today, and for ever. As long as God himself does not change, but is the same all the time, God’s word and God’s commandments must also be unchangeable.
When God says that the state of the dead is like an unconscious sleep, do you think He will cooperate with those who say the opposite? There will only be confusion and chaos, and there is no confusion and chaos in the kingdom of God. God is a God of order, and when God says something, it is so.
When God says that the seventh day of the week, our Saturday, is His Sabbath that He blessed and sanctified in Eden, will He then cooperate with others than those who keep God’s Sabbath? But even among those who keep God’s Sabbath there are congregations that do not follow all of God’s commandments, laws, or ordinances.
Despite the fact that God’s end-time congregation is by no means perfect or perfect, God still chooses to cooperate with this congregation that God Himself raised up in the middle of the 19th century. This congregation will have great success in the time to come. It will also undergo a shaking, that is, it will be cleansed by God by the fact that those who are nominal today will soon be put on an election. Either they leave the congregation – not because it is Babylon, but because they cannot bear to hear the straightforward testimony – or they allow themselves to be cleansed by God and remain in His end-time congregation with the other faithful.
In the end, this church will become the victorious church God intended it to be precisely because there is a close cooperation between this church and God.