Title: The Three-Fold Union - Protestantism.
CLOSING EVENTS No.4 [Old Edn. 45 pages]
Elder Gordon Collier
Contents:
1. Introduction
2. The Impending Conflict
3. Bible References Concerning U.S. Protestantism
4. Spirit of Prophecy References Concerning Protestantism.
5. The Decay and Decline of Protestantism - Both Doctrinally and Spiritually.
6. Protestant Aspirations and Efforts Toward Union With Protestants.
7. Protestant Aspirations and Efforts Toward Union With The Roman Catholic Church.
8. The Cohesive Element -- Sunday Observance, Protestant and Catholic Agitation for Sunday Legislation.
9. "Ichabod" -- The Glory of The Lord is Departed From Thee."
C.E. Study 4. Protestantism and the National Sunday Law.
[New 2001 Edn. 123 pages – pp. 1-52 Excerpts]
The US and Protestantism [ The Three-fold Union ] - p. 6
INTRODUCTION
We come now to a very sad study. Protestantism, which started out so nobly and gloriously and hopefully is now steadily declining and decaying, and consequently retreating back toward Rome! What a sad ending to so glorious a beginning!
We, as Seventh-day Adventists, have known for more than one hundred years, through diligent study of the Bible and the inspired messages of the servant of the Lord:
That Protestantism is sleeping the sleep of death.
That Protestantism will wake up when it is too late.
That Catholicism is silently, secretly, steadily growing into power.
That Protestantism will decay and decline doctrinally and spiritually, and fall completely from God’s favour and grace.
That Protestantism would take the initiative in seeking union with Rome; that she would be foremost in reaching her hand across the abyss to clasp the hand of Catholicism.
That Protestantism would do this by promoting and bringing about a National Sunday law in the United States. This will cause Roman Catholicism to triumph in the United States and in the whole world. The Pope aspires to gather the whole world under his authority – To rule the entire world.
- “The Roman Pontiff holds primacy over the whole world.” Council of Florence, Session XXV (July 6, 1439, Definito, in Mansi SC. Vol. 31, col. 1031, Latin.) Quoted in the SDA Source Book, p. 680, para. 1124.
- “Hence the Pope is crowned with a triple crown, as King of heaven, and of Earth, and of the lower regions.” Lucius Ferraris, “Papa” Art. 2, in Prompta Bibliotheca (‘Handy Library’}, vol. 6, (Venice): Gaspar Storti, 1772, p. 26. Quoted in the SDA Source Book, p. 680, par. 1125.
- “In the coronation of the Pope – including Pius XII, on March 12, 1939 (and presumably any thereafter) – the tiara is placed on the candidate’s head with the words ‘Receive the tiara adorned with three crowns and know that thou art Father of princes and kings, Ruler of the World.’ – Paul Hutchinson and Winfred E. Garrison, 20 Centuries of Christianity: A Concise History (1st ed.) 1959, p. 120 by Harcourt, Brace and World Inc., New York. Quoted in SDA Source Book, p. 684, para. 1133.
[Roman] Catholicism is destined by Bible prophecy to conquer and rule the world (except for God’s true followers).
Yet under one head – the Papal power – the people will unite to oppose God in the person of His witnesses. This union is cemented by the great apostate. – 7T 182.
This makes it possible for Satan to realize his ambition to rule the world. This will be accomplished through the three-fold union. [The dragon (Satan via Spiritism), the beast (Papacy / Roman Catholicism) and the false prophet (corrupted Protestantism). Rev 13 and 17-18]
This compromise between paganism and Christianity resulted in the development of the “man of sin” foretold in prophecy as opposing and exalting himself above God. That gigantic system of false religion is a masterpiece of Satan’s power – a monument of his efforts to seat himself upon the throne to rule the earth according to his will. – GC 50.
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The Impending Conflict – [ 5T pp. 711-717 ]
A great crisis awaits the people of God. A crisis awaits the world. The most momentous struggle of all the ages is just before us.
When our nation shall so abjure the principles of its government as to enact a Sunday law, Protestantism will in this act join hands with popery; it will be nothing else than giving life to the tyranny which has long been eagerly watching its opportunity to spring again into active despotism.
If Popery or its principles shall again be legislated into power, the fires of persecution will be rekindled against those who will not sacrifice conscience and the truth in deference to popular errors. This evil is on the point of realization.
There is a prospect before us of a continued struggle, at the risk of imprisonment, loss of property, and even of life itself, to defend the law of God, which is made void by the laws of men.
The people need to be aroused in regard to the dangers of the present time. The watchmen are asleep. We are years behind. Let the chief watchmen feel the urgent necessity of taking heed to themselves, lest they lose the opportunities given them to see the dangers.
The time is fast approaching when those who choose to obey God rather than man will be made to feel the hand of oppression.
While the Protestant world is by her attitude making concessions to Rome, let us arouse to comprehend the situation and view the contest before us in its true bearings. Let the watchmen now lift up their voice and give the message which is present truth for this time. Let us show the people where we are in prophetic history and seek to arouse the spirit of true Protestantism, awaking the world to a sense of the value of the privileges of religious liberty so long enjoyed.
If God has ever spoken by me, the time will come when you will be brought before councils, and every position of truth which you hold will be severely criticized.
Study your Bible as you have never studied it before. Unless you arise to a higher, holier state in your religious life, you will not be ready for the appearing of our Lord. . . Much time should be spent in prayer, that our garments of character may be washed and made white in the blood of the Lamb.
Bible study and Prayer are the two essentials for us. – 5T 711-717.
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BIBLE VERSES CONCERNING U.S. PROTESTANTISM
Revelation 13:3, 7, 8, 11-17.
13:1 And I stood upon the sand of the sea, and saw a beast rise up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his horns ten crowns, and upon his heads the name of blasphemy.
2 And the beast which I saw was like unto a leopard, and his feet were as the feet of a bear, and his mouth as the mouth of a lion: and the dragon gave him his power, and his seat, and great authority.
3 And I saw one of his heads as it were wounded to death; and his deadly wound was healed: and all the world wondered after the beast.
4 And they worshipped the dragon which gave power unto the beast: and they worshipped the beast, saying, Who is like unto the beast? who is able to make war with him?
5 And there was given unto him a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies; and power was given unto him to continue forty and two months.
6 And he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God, to blaspheme his name, and his tabernacle, and them that dwell in heaven.
7 And it was given unto him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them: and power was given him over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations.
8 And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.
9 If any man have an ear, let him hear.
10 He that leadeth into captivity shall go into captivity: he that killeth with the sword must be killed with the sword. Here is the patience and the faith of the saints.
11 And I beheld another beast coming up out of the earth; and he had two horns like a lamb, and he spake as a dragon.
12 And he exerciseth all the power of the first beast before him, and causeth the earth and them which dwell therein to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed.
13 And he doeth great wonders, so that he maketh fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men,
14 And deceiveth them that dwell on the earth by the means of those miracles which he had power to do in the sight of the beast; saying to them that dwell on the earth, that they should make an image to the beast, which had the wound by a sword, and did live.
15 And he had power to give life unto the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed.
16 And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads:
17 And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.
18 Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number is Six hundred threescore and six.
Revelation 14:6-12
8 And there followed another angel, saying, Babylon is fallen, is fallen, that great city, because she made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication.
Revelation 16:12-14
12 And the sixth angel poured out his vial upon the great river Euphrates; and the water thereof was dried up, that the way of the kings of the east might be prepared.
13 And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs come out of the mouth of the dragon, and out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet.
14 For they are the spirits of devils, working miracles, which go forth unto the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty.
Revelation 17:18
18 And the woman which thou sawest is that great city, which reigneth over the kings of the earth.
Revelation 18:1-4
18 And after these things I saw another angel come down from heaven, having great power; and the earth was lightened with his glory.
2 And he cried mightily with a strong voice, saying, Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and is become the habitation of devils, and the hold of every foul spirit, and a cage of every unclean and hateful bird.
3 For all nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication, and the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her, and the merchants of the earth are waxed rich through the abundance of her delicacies.
4 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.
Luke 18:8
8 I tell you that he will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless when the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth?
Isaiah 60:2
2 For, behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the people: but the Lord shall arise upon thee, and his glory shall be seen upon thee.
Matthew 24:12
12 And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold.
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SPIRIT OF PROPHECY REFERENCES CONCERNING PROTESTANTISM
The Final Crisis and Deliverance, E. G. W.
The professed Protestant world will form a confederacy with the man of sin and the church and the world will be in corrupt harmony. – p. 3.
Protestantism is now reaching hands across the gulf to clasp hands with the Papacy, and a confederacy is being formed to trample out of sight the Sabbath of the fourth commandment. – p. 4.
The Protestant governments will reach a strange pas. They will be converted to the world. They will also, in their separation from God, work to make falsehood and apostasy from God, the law of the land. – p. 4
Romanism in the Old World, and apostate Protestantism in the New, will pursue a similar course toward those who honor all the divine precepts. – GC 616.
Yet under one head – the Papal power – the people will unite to oppose God in the person of His witnesses. This union is cemented by the great apostate. – 7T 182.
This union will not, however, be effected by a change in Catholicism; for Rome never changes. She claims infallibility. It is Protestantism that will change. The adoption of liberal ideas on its part will bring it where it can clasp the hand of Catholicism. – RH June 1, 1886.
Protestantism will give the hand of fellowship to the Roman power. Then there will be a law against the Sabbath of God’s creation, and then it is that God will do a strange work in the earth. – RH March 9, 1886.
The professed Protestant world will form a confederacy with the man of sin and the church and the world will be in corrupt harmony. Here the great crisis is coming upon the world.
The Scriptures teach that Popery is to regain its lost supremacy, and that the fires of persecution will be [re]kindled through the time-serving concessions of the Protestant world. – General conference Bulletin, 1891, p. 257.
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p. 10
It is not without reason that the claim has been put forth in Protestant countries that Catholicism differs less widely from Protestantism than in former times. There has been a change; but the change is not in the papacy. Catholicism indeed resembles much of the Protestantism that now exists, because Protestantism has so greatly degenerated since the days of the Reformers.
As the Protestant churches have been seeking the favor of the world, false charity has blinded their eyes. They do not see but that it is right to believe good of all evil, and as the inevitable result they will finally believe evil of all good. Instead of standing in defense of the faith once delivered to the saints, they are now, as it were, apologizing to Rome for their uncharitable opinion of her, begging pardon for their bigotry. A large class, even of those who look upon Romanism with no favor, apprehend little danger from her power and influence. – GC 571-572
[ When the leading churches of the United States, uniting upon such points of doctrine as are held by them in common, shall influence the state to enforce their decrees and to sustain their institutions, then Protestant America will have formed an image of the Roman hierarchy, and the infliction of civil penalties upon dissenters will inevitably result. ]
The third angel's warning is: “If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand, the same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God.” “The beast” mentioned in this message, whose worship is enforced by the two-horned beast, is the first, or leopard-like beast of Revelation 13 — the Papacy. The “image to the beast” represents that form of apostate Protestantism which will be developed when the Protestant churches shall seek the aid of the civil power for the enforcement of their dogmas. The “mark of the beast” still remains to be defined. – GC 445
Through the two great errors, the immortality of the soul and Sunday sacredness, Satan will bring the people under his deceptions. While the former lays the foundation of spiritualism, the latter creates a bond of sympathy with Rome. The Protestants of the United States will be foremost in stretching their hands across the gulf to grasp the hand of spiritualism; they will reach over the abyss to clasp hands with the Roman power; and under the influence of this threefold union, this country will follow in the steps of Rome in trampling on the rights of conscience. – GC 588
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- RH January 1, 1899
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A prayerful study of the Bible would show Protestants the real character of the papacy and would cause them to abhor and to shun it; but many are so wise in their own conceit that they feel no need of humbly seeking God that they may be led into the truth. – GC 572
[By the decree enforcing the institution of the papacy in violation of the law of God, our nation will disconnect herself fully from righteousness.] When Protestantism shall stretch her hand across the gulf to grasp the hand of the Roman power, when she shall reach over the abyss to clasp hands with spiritualism, when, under the influence of this threefold union, our country shall repudiate every principle of its Constitution as a Protestant and republican government, and shall make provision for the propagation of papal falsehoods and delusions, then we may know that the time has come for the marvelous working of Satan and that the end is near. – 5T 451
When legislators shall abjure the principles of Protestantism, so as to give countenance and the right hand of fellowship to Romanism, then God will interpose in a special manner in behalf of His own honor and the salvation of His people. – 5T 525
[Protestants have tampered with and patronized popery; they have made compromises and concessions which papists themselves are surprised to see and fail to understand. Men are closing their eyes to the real character of Romanism and the dangers to be apprehended from her supremacy. The people need to be aroused to resist the advances of this most dangerous foe to civil and religious liberty.] – GC 565
The great principle so nobly advocated by Robinson and Roger Williams, that truth is progressive, that Christians should stand ready to accept all the light which may shine from God's holy word, was lost sight of by their descendants. The Protestant churches of America,—and those of Europe as well,—so highly favored in receiving the blessings of the Reformation, failed to press forward in the path of reform. Though a few faithful men arose, from time to time, to proclaim new truth and expose long-cherished error, the majority, like the Jews in Christ's day or the papists in the time of Luther, were content to believe as their fathers had believed and to live as they had lived. Therefore religion again degenerated into formalism; and errors and superstitions which would have been cast aside had the church continued to walk in the light of God's word, were retained and cherished. Thus the spirit inspired by the Reformation gradually died out, until there was almost as great need of reform in the Protestant churches as in the Roman Church in the time of Luther. There was the same worldliness and spiritual stupor, a similar reverence for the opinions of men, and substitution of human theories for the teachings of God's word. – GC 297-298.
Not until this condition shall be reached, and the union of the church with the world shall be fully accomplished throughout Christendom, will the fall of Babylon be complete. The change is a progressive one, and the perfect fulfillment of Revelation 14:8 is yet future.
Notwithstanding the spiritual darkness and alienation from God that exist in the churches which constitute Babylon, the great body of Christ's true followers are still to be found in their communion. – GC 390
Revelation 18 points to the time when, as the result of rejecting the threefold warning of Revelation 14:6-12, the church will have fully reached the condition foretold by the second angel, and the people of God still in Babylon will be called upon to separate from her communion. This message is the last that will ever be given to the world; and it will accomplish its work. When those that “believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness” (2 Thessalonians 2:12), shall be left to receive strong delusion and to believe a lie, then the light of truth will shine upon all whose hearts are open to receive it, and all the children of the Lord that remain in Babylon will heed the call: “Come out of her, My people” (Revelation 18:4). – GC 390
The wide diversity of belief in the Protestant churches is regarded by many as decisive proof that no effort to secure a forced uniformity can ever be made. But there has been for years, in churches of the Protestant faith, a strong and growing sentiment in favor of a union based upon common points of doctrine. To secure such a union, the discussion of subjects upon which all were not agreed—however important they might be from a Bible standpoint—must necessarily be waived.
Charles Beecher, in a sermon in the year 1846, declared that the ministry of “the evangelical Protestant denominations” is “not only formed all the way up under a tremendous pressure of merely human fear, but they live, and move, and breathe in a state of things radically corrupt, and appealing every hour to every baser element of their nature to hush up the truth, and bow the knee to the power of apostasy. Was not this the way things went with Rome? Are we not living her life over again? And what do we see just ahead? Another general council! A world's convention! Evangelical alliance, and universal creed!”
—Sermon on “The Bible a Sufficient Creed,” delivered at Fort Wayne, Indiana, Feb. 22, 1846.
When this shall be gained, then, in the effort to secure complete uniformity, it will be only a step to the resort to force.
When the leading churches of the United States, uniting upon such points of doctrine as are held by them in common, shall influence the state to enforce their decrees and to sustain their institutions, then Protestant America will have formed an image of the Roman Hierarchy, and the infliction of civil penalties upon dissenters will inevitably result. – GC 444-445
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The line of distinction between professed Christians and the ungodly is now hardly distinguishable. Church members love what the world loves and are ready to join with them, and Satan determines to unite them in one body and thus strengthen his cause by sweeping all into the ranks of spiritualism. Papists, who boast of miracles as a certain sign of the true church, will be readily deceived by this wonder-working power; and Protestants, having cast away the shield of truth, will also be deluded. Papists, Protestants, and worldlings will alike accept the form of godliness without the power, and they will see in this union a grand movement for the conversion of the world and the ushering in of the long-expected millennium. – GC 588-589
The dignitaries of Church and State will unite to bribe, persuade, or compel all classes to honor the Sunday. The lack of divine authority will be supplied by oppressive enactments. Political corruption is destroying love of justice and regard for truth; and even in free America, rulers and legislators, in order to secure public favor, will yield to the popular demand for a law enforcing Sunday observance. Liberty of conscience, which has cost so great a sacrifice, will no longer be respected. In the soon-coming conflict we shall see exemplified the prophet's words: “The dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.” Revelation 12:17. – GC 592
“The Church of England,” says Spurgeon, “seems to be eaten through and through with sacramentarianism; but nonconformity appears to be almost as badly riddled with philosophical infidelity. Those of whom we thought better things are turning aside one by one from the fundamentals of the faith. Through and through, I believe, the very heart of England is honeycombed with a damnable infidelity which dares still go into the pulpit and call itself Christian.” – GC 384
In the movements now in progress in the United States to secure for the institutions and usages of the church the support of the state, Protestants are following in the steps of papists. Nay, more, they are opening the door for the papacy to regain in Protestant America the supremacy which she has lost in the Old World. And that which gives greater significance to this movement is the fact that the principal object contemplated is the enforcement of Sunday observance—a custom which originated with Rome, and which she claims as the sign of her authority. It is the spirit of the papacy—the spirit of conformity to worldly customs, the veneration for human traditions above the commandments of God—that is permeating the Protestant churches and leading them on to do the same work of Sunday exaltation which the papacy has done before them.
[ If the reader would understand the agencies to be employed in the soon-coming contest, he has but to trace the record of the means which Rome employed for the same object in ages past. If he would know how papists and Protestants united will deal with those who reject their dogmas, let him see the spirit which Rome manifested toward the Sabbath and its defenders.
Royal edicts, general councils, and church ordinances sustained by secular power were the steps by which the pagan festival attained its position of honor in the Christian world. The first public measure enforcing Sunday observance was the law enacted by Constantine. (A.D. 321; see Appendix note for page 53.) This edict required townspeople to rest on “the venerable day of the sun,” but permitted countrymen to continue their agricultural pursuits. Though virtually a heathen statute, it was enforced by the emperor after his nominal acceptance of Christianity.
The royal mandate not proving a sufficient substitute for divine authority, Eusebius, a bishop who sought the favor of princes, and who was the special friend and flatterer of Constantine, advanced the claim that Christ had transferred the Sabbath to Sunday. Not a single testimony of the Scriptures was produced in proof of the new doctrine. Eusebius himself unwittingly acknowledges its falsity and points to the real authors of the change. “All things,” he says, “whatever that it was duty to do on the Sabbath, these we have transferred to the Lord's Day.”—Robert Cox, Sabbath Laws and Sabbath Duties, page 538.] – GC 573-574
It has been shown that the United States is the power represented by the beast with lamblike horns, and that this prophecy will be fulfilled when the United States shall enforce Sunday observance, which Rome claims as the special acknowledgment of her supremacy. [ But in this homage to the Papacy the United States will not be alone. The influence of Rome in the countries that once acknowledged her dominion is still far from being destroyed. And prophecy foretells a restoration of her power. “I saw one of his heads as it were wounded to death; and his deadly wound was healed: and all the world wondered after the beast.” Verse 3. The infliction of the deadly wound points to the downfall of the papacy in 1798. After this, says the prophet, “his deadly wound was healed: and all the world wondered after the beast.” Paul states plainly that the “man of sin” will continue until the second advent. 2 Thessalonians 2:3-8. To the very close of time he will carry forward the work of deception. And the Revelator declares, also referring to the Papacy: “All that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life.” Revelation 13:8. In both the Old and the New World, the papacy will receive homage in the honor paid to the Sunday institution, that rests solely upon the authority of the Roman Church. ] – GC 579
[And let it be remembered, it is the boast of Rome that she never changes. The principles of Gregory VII and Innocent III are still the principles of the Roman Catholic Church. And had she but the power, she would put them in practice with as much vigor now as in past centuries. Protestants little know what they are doing when they propose to accept the aid of Rome in the work of Sunday exaltation. ] While they are bent upon the accomplishment of their purpose, Rome is aiming to re-establish her power, to recover her lost supremacy. Let the principle once be established in the United States that the church may employ or control the power of the state; that religious observances may be enforced by secular laws; in short, that the authority of Church and State is to dominate the conscience, and the triumph of Rome in this country is assured.
God's word has given warning of the impending danger; let this be unheeded, and the Protestant world will learn what the purposes of Rome really are, only when it is too late to escape the snare. She is silently growing into power. Her doctrines are exerting their influence in legislative halls, in the churches, and in the hearts of men. She is piling up her lofty and massive structures in the secret recesses of which her former persecutions will be repeated. Stealthily and unsuspectedly she is strengthening her forces to further her own ends when the time shall come for her to strike. All that she desires is vantage ground, and this is already being given her. We shall soon see and shall feel what the purpose of the Roman element is. Whoever shall believe and obey the word of God will thereby incur reproach and persecution. – GC 581.
[ The woman (Babylon) of Revelation 17 is described as “arrayed in purple and scarlet color, and decked with gold and precious stones and pearls, having a golden cup in her hand full of abominations and filthiness:...and upon her forehead was a name written, Mystery, Babylon the Great, the mother of harlots.” Says the prophet: “I saw the woman drunk with the blood of the saints, and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus.” Babylon is further declared to be “that great city, which reigneth over the kings of the earth.” Revelation 17:4-6, 18. The power that for so many centuries maintained despotic sway over the monarchs of Christendom is Rome. The purple and scarlet color, the gold and precious stones and pearls, vividly picture the magnificence and more than kingly pomp affected by the haughty see of Rome. And no other power could be so truly declared “drunken with the blood of the saints” as that church which has so cruelly persecuted the followers of Christ. Babylon is also charged with the sin of unlawful connection with “the kings of the earth.” It was by departure from the Lord, and alliance with the heathen, that the Jewish church became a harlot; and Rome, corrupting herself in like manner by seeking the support of worldly powers, receives a like condemnation.]
Babylon is said to be “the mother of harlots.” By her daughters must be symbolized churches that cling to her doctrines and traditions, and follow her example of sacrificing the truth and the approval of God, in order to form an unlawful alliance with the world. – GC 382-383
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The commandment-keeping people of God erelong will be placed in a most trying position; but all those who have walked in the light, and diffused the light, will realize that God interposes in their behalf. When everything looks most forbidding, then the Lord will reveal His power to His faithful ones. When the nation for which God has worked in such a marvelous manner, and over which He has spread the shield of Omnipotence, abandons Protestant principles, and through its legislature gives countenance and support to Romanism in limiting religious liberty, then God will work in His own power for His people that are true. The tyranny of Rome will be exercised, but Christ is our refuge. – TM 206
The second angel's message of Revelation 14 was first preached in the summer of 1844, and it then had a more direct application to the churches of the United States, where the warning of the judgment had been most widely proclaimed and most generally rejected, and where the declension in the churches had been most rapid. But the message of the second angel did not reach its complete fulfillment in 1844. The churches then experienced a moral fall, in consequence of their refusal of the light of the advent message; but that fall was not complete. As they have continued to reject the special truths for this time they have fallen lower and lower. Not yet, however, can it be said that “Babylon is fallen,... because she made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication.” She has not yet made all nations do this. The spirit of world conforming and indifference to the testing truths for our time exists and has been gaining ground in churches of the Protestant faith in all the countries of Christendom; and these churches are included in the solemn and terrible denunciation of the second angel. But the work of apostasy has not yet reached its culmination.
The Bible declares that before the coming of the Lord, Satan will work “with all power and signs and lying wonders, and with all deceivableness of unrighteousness;” and they that “received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved,” will be left to receive “strong delusion, that they should believe a lie.” 2 Thessalonians 2:9-11.
Not until this condition shall be reached, and the union of the church with the world shall be fully accomplished throughout Christendom, will the fall of Babylon be complete. The change is a progressive one, and the perfect fulfillment of Revelation 14:8 is yet future. – GC 389-390
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The Saturday Evening Post, December 23, 30, 1961
[ Features: Can Christians Unite? - by John A. O'Brien; The Berlin Crisis - Khrushchev's Strength - a report on life in the Soviet Union; etc.]
Can Christians Unite?
by John A. O'Brien.
A distinguished clergyman reviews a question that has become more urgent than ever before in history. With Communism striving to complete its conquest of the world by pulling the remaining free nations behind its Iron Curtain, the need for Christians to unite is imperative. Unable to present a united front, we are losing one battle after another to the underdeveloped nations.
Christians constitute the largest religious body in the world, numbering 888,803,000 – more than double the next largest group, the Moslems, with 430,325,000. Unfortunately, the Christian body is broken into three principle fragments – 537,533,000 Roman Catholics, 214,133,000 Protestants and 137,137,000 Eastern Orthodox. The fragmentation is mirrored in the United States, with its 62,543,000 Protestants, 42,105,000 Roman Catholics and 2,820,000 Orthodox.
The total (number of different faiths in the United States) reported in the last Federal religious census, taken in 1936, exceeded 250, and is now estimated to exceed 270, excluding the more ephemeral sects.
This endless proliferation of sects is generally recognized as the scandal of Christendom. It is the direct opposite of that unity which Christ said was to forever characterize His Church. ‘There shall be one fold and one Shepherd.’
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p. 44
Christians squirm as they see an increasing multitude of conflicting sects tearing the seamless garment of Christ’s body into shreds and tatters. Their concern has given birth to the Ecumenical Movement, which seeks to achieve the unity of all Christians.
THIS IS THE MOST SIGNIFICANT, AMBITIOUS AND FAR-REACHING VENTURE WHICH CHRISTIAN LEADERS HAVE UNDERTAKEN IN THE PAST FIFTY YEARS.
Roman Catholics belong to a single Church having unity of faith, worship, discipline and government, and all of them acknowledge the supreme spiritual authority of the Pope. While sharing many doctrines with Catholics, the Eastern Orthodox belong to autonomous churches. Protestants belong to a great number of denominations with basic differences in matters of belief, worship, discipline and government.
ESTABLISHMENT OF RELIGIOUS UNITY AMONG ALL THESE CHRISTIANS (Catholics, Eastern Orthodox, and Protestants) is he goal of the Ecumenical movement.
The most significant expression of the Ecumenical aspirations of Protestants has been the convening of a number of unity-minded assemblies and conferences, beginning in 1910. In that year there was held in Edinburgh the World Missionary Conference. At Amsterdam in 1948 there was established the World Council of Churches (WCC), a loose federation of more than 150 Protestant and Orthodox bodies in some fifty countries.
A sounding board of Protestant opinion, the World Council of Churches has sponsored extensive studies of the nature of church unity and the means to attain it.
The most recent and dramatic expression of Catholic concern was the announcement by Pope John XXIII on January 25, 1959, that he plans to convoke an Ecumenical Council, one of whose purposes will be to explore the ways and means of advancing Christian unity.
United with Rome for the first 10 centuries, the Eastern Orthodox separated in 1054. Temporary unions were effected, but since 1453 the separation has persisted.
Edwin T. Dahlberg, then president of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the U.S.A. declared, ‘Anything that would bring together all the churches of Christ would be blessed of God.’ The Archbishop of Canterbury indicated that if invited, the Church of England would send an observer.
Dr. Marc Boegner, president of the Federation of Protestant Churches of France, commented, ‘There are barriers humanly insurmountable. . . But it is no less true that a radically new climate has developed in the course of the last decades in the relations of the great Christian confessions among themselves.’
It was doubtless this new climate that led to the history-making visit of the Archbishop of Canterbury, who is also the Primate of the Church of England, to Pope John XXIII in December of 1960. It was the first meeting of a Roman Pontiff and an Archbishop of Canterbury since the fourteenth century. Rome’s Il Giornale d’Italie hailed it as ‘the Christian summit meeting.’ Il Messagerro called it a ‘sign of Christian reconciliation on the plane of common spiritual defense.’ It showed that old barriers can be broken down. When Christian leaders meet and talk together, hopes for ultimate reunion are strengthened. This visit was followed by one from the Queen of England, who is the head of the Church of England.
Since World War II the Una Sancta (One Holy) movement in Germany a new atmosphere of good will. The dynamism of the movement has brought the two groups much closer together than they are in this country. With the warm approval of Pope Pius XII, headquarters for a similar movement, Unitas, have been established in Rome. The leader of this organization is Father Charles Boyer, S.J., an Ecumenical scholar of international reputation.
More recently a leading Lutheran clergyman, Dr. Hans Christian Asmussen of Heidelberg, has formed Die Sammlung (The Gathering), which seeks to form closer ties with the Catholic Church. The organization stresses the sacramental character of German Protestant services, pointing out that ‘Luther never intended to bereave the Church of her mystery.’ So strong is the trend toward the restitution of the pre-Reformation liturgy and sacramental practice that almost every German city now has churches where Lutherans can go to Confession.
In speaking about the forthcoming Ecumenical Council, the Pontiff said, ‘It will be a manifestation which we hope will be received by those who are separated from this Apostolic See as a gentle invitation to seek and find that unity for which Jesus Christ prayed so ardently to his heavenly Father.’
As a token of affection and good-will toward those Christians who are separated from the Apostolic See, and to enable them to follow the work of the Council, he established a special secretariat to promote Christian unity, of which Agustin Cardinal Bea, S.J. is chairman.
During those eight days, more than 500,000,000 Catholics pray for the unity of all Christians, and these prayers are characterized by humility and contrition.
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Efforts of Protestants in the United States to achieve unity are proceeding with unprecedented vigor. Three mergers have taken place recently. The Unitarians and Universalists have combined into a single church with a membership of 175,000. Three independent Lutheran bodies have untied to form the American Lutheran Church, with 3,000,000 members. Two separate denominations, the Congregational Christian Church and the Evangelical and Reformed Church have merged into the United Church of Christ. A larger merger is that of the Presbyterian Church in the U.S.A. and the United Presbyterian Church of North America.
The most ambitious plan, however, is that proposed by Dr. Eugene Carson Blake, chief executive officer of the United Presbyterian Church in the U.S.A. (Northern Presbyterians), that the Protestant Episcopal Church and the Northern Presbyterians jointly invite the Methodist and the United Church of Christ to form a new Christian Church. Dismayed at the hundreds of divisions within Protestantism, Doctor Blake said, ‘I don’t believe it is God’s will to have so many churches in the United States.’
The proposal was welcomed by Protestant Episcopal Bishop James A. Pike, who said, ‘The Holy Ghost is on our side whenever we break through the barriers between Christian bodies. We will increasingly provide guidance to show the ways in which we can defeat the complacent obstinacy of our national church bodies in this regard.’
In similar vein, Methodist bishop John Wesley Lord remarked, ‘I am convinced that such a reunited church would make such a tremendous appeal to. . . a growing number of people who stand aghast at the sin of denominational overlapping.’ Deploring the silliness of church competition at the local level, the Rev. Dr. Theodore Gill, Presbyterian president of San Francisco Theological Seminary, said, ‘The gun is at the church’s head.’ If the merger is approved, the new church will have 18,900,000 members.
Within thirty seconds or so, the motion was passed unanimously.
‘I’m quite speechless!’ gasped presiding Bishop Arthur C. Lichtenberger. Three days later, the House of Deputies, by a vote of 139 ½ by 18 ½ , added its assent. Echoing apparently in the minds of all the delegates were the words of the prayer uttered by Bishop Lichtenberger just before the first vote was taken: ‘Look mercifully, O Lord, on the broken body of Thy Church.’
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The convention closed with a stirring appeal from the House of Bishops for the reunion of world Christianity. Declaring that the challenge is one that ‘in faithfulness to God we cannot evade,’ the bishops urged Christians ‘to work and pray without ceasing until, by God’s grace and in His time, the divisions by which we dishonour our one Lord are done away.’
Outstanding among all the Protestant leaders who have battled for a United Christian church is Dr. Charles Clayton Morrison, who has been for many years the most articulate voice of the Christian Century on this subject. Speaking of the folly and the tragedy of denominational overlapping in Evangelical Protestantism in North America, he says, ‘The way to end Protestant sectarianism is for denominations to cease being churches. It is their absurd and arrogant assumption of the ecclesiastical character and functions of the One Holy Catholic Apostolic Church that is the locus of our sectarianism and the sin of our disunity which the Ecumenical spirit deplores and with which it cannot live.’
The Ecumenical spirit has prompted Protestants and Catholics to re-study the doctrines which divide them. Some results are astonishing. Typical of them is the conclusion Professor Hans Kueng, a German Catholic theologian, that the doctrine of justification developed by Karl Barth, a Protestant of the Protestants, is in reality precisely what the Council of Trent meant by justification. It is not too much to hope that objective re-examination of other theological beliefs will reveal that many of the controversies which divide us are traceable to a misunderstanding of the sense in which terms are used.
THERE ARE TWO CONSIDERATIONS WHICH SHOULD ADD IMPETUS TO THE MOVEMENT FOR CHRISTIAN UNITY.
The first is the menace of aggressive Communism. Determined to stamp out all belief in God and to reduce the free countries of the West to vassal states, Soviet Communism has enslaved approximately one third of the world’s population.
Faced with a menace more formidable than any other in its long history, Christianity must present the united front of her mighty membership of nearly 900,000,000 to a common foe. Even before complete creedal unity can be effected, means must be devised to secure the active collaboration of all Christians in promoting the social and political reforms that are obviously necessary to stem the spread of Communism.
[Note: It might be interesting to read ‘The Keys of This Blood’ by Malachi Martin, S.J. to see the Vatican’s role in the later downfall of Communism (1989-1991).]
The second consideration is this: ‘The numerous divisions within Christianity interfere with the spread of the Christian religion in developing countries. Happily, the Ecumenical movement has prompted open-minded inquiry and discussion. Denominational leaders within the framework of Protestantism are meeting to explore ways and means of achieving unity. Catholic and Orthodox scholars are re-examining the causes of their unhappy separation, and both are meeting with their Protestant counterparts.
In Germany, Belgium, Holland and France discussions between Protestant and Catholic scholars have been taking place with increasing frequency in the last few decades. In the United States, where Catholic Ecumenism has been somewhat more conservative than in Europe, Protestant and Catholic scholars have been meeting informally to re-examine their differences in doctrine and organization. In recent years, about eight such colloquia between theologians of Notre Dame and Valparaiso Universities have taken place; they will continue on an enlarged scale.
Perhaps the most tangible fruit of such discussion is the book, ‘An American Dialogue,’ where Professor Robert McAfee Brown of Union Theological Seminary discusses Catholicism, and Father Gustave Weigel, S.J., of Woodstock College, considers Protestantism. The Foreword is written by the noted Jewish scholar Professor Will Herberg of Drew University.
Doctor Herberg terms the dialogue ‘a major event in American religious life and a convincing sign that we are really beginning to emerge out of the intellectual parochialism and self-isolation that has hitherto been so characteristic of American religious pluralism.’ Readers of this study will find a new dimension of sympathetic understanding of a religion other than their own faith by both writers giving promise of a new era in a field too long preoccupied by controversy.
In the field of Biblical studies, Protestant and Catholic scholars are working together with excellent results. Indeed, several of these scholars believe that agreement in Scriptural research has reached such a point as to render a uniform English translation of the Bible acceptable to both Catholics and Protestants. In fact, the Jesuit-edited America [Magazine] has proposed that project, and the Protestant response has been most favourable.
The spirit of Catholic Ecumenism has generated new sympathy toward Protestant efforts at achieving unity even within its own ranks. Instead of looking upon the World Council of Churches as a potential rival, the Vatican called it the ’fruit of the inspiration of grace.’ Accordingly, when the Council met at Amsterdam in 1948, the Dutch Hierarchy called upon Catholics to pray for all taking part in the congress and for the success of their efforts for unity.
The positive points of agreement must be emphasized. Catholic Ecumenicists are reminding their co-religionists that Protestants are baptized not into a denomination, but into Christ, and are therefore literally their spiritual brothers. They are pointing out that the first step along the road to reunion is keeping together at the foot of the cross in prayer and repentance.
Through humble and persistent prayer, Christians believe, God will be moved to make up for our deficiencies, our awkwardness and ineptness, and thus fulfil the prayer of Christ: ‘that all may be one.’ In penitence, humility, trust, confidence and persevering prayer we shall do our best and leave the outcome in the hands of God who assured us that no prayer asked in the name of Christ will go unanswered.
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p. 50
NOTE:
Elder Collier wrote this manuscript back in the early 1960s. Much has happened since then.
The constant fear of Communism so often mentioned in the 1960s news is now history since the fall of the Berlin Wall (1989-1991). New reasons have to be invented to stir up church members to join in the Ecumenical movement.
Since Evolution took over the public school system nearly fifty years ago, our students have been educated in a belief that there is no God. Or if there is a God, He is an absentee landlord, allowing nature to do His job. Many, including scientists, embrace Evolution because it teaches no moral law. They can enjoy promiscuous sex (or other sinful behaviour) without a guilty conscience.
Consequently, interest in church and religion is lagging. Scientists openly ridicule Christianity. The Ecumenical fervor of the 1960s has lost some of its momentum though attempts to consolidate ‘Christendom’ continue.
One thing that does aid the “healing” of the divided denominations is the multiplicity of modern Bible versions. Most of these modern “perversions” are based on the Westcott / Hort Greek Recension, which in turn was based on the [corrupt] Sinaiticus Manuscript which was discovered by Tischendorf in 1844, in a waste basket in the St. Catherine’s Monastery at the foot of Mt. Sinai.
Seventh-day Adventists should take note of the date of 1844. Could it be that Satan made sure that spurious manuscript came to light at that particular time? It lay hidden for nearly 1500 years. Now it has become the ‘backbone’ of numerous new Bible versions which downgrade Christ, the Holy Spirit, and the Virgin birth.
The Sinaiticus is a poor Bible [manuscript] transcribed by Eusebius around 350 AD. It differs in some 14,800 places from the Received Text [used] by Erasmus. It has omissions of some 10, 20, 30 or even 40 words in some places. [In addition to modern Bible translations, it might help to have the King James Bible version as this was based on the Textus Receptus. J ]
The reasons for mentioning all this, is that with such a Bible it is easy to forget the doctrinal errors of the Catholic Church which brought about the Reformation and separation of the Protestants from the Catholics. The Roman Catholic Church has worked unceasingly from the days of Martin Luther to placate Protestants in the hope of gathering them back in to the fold. Most Protestants today gloss over the glaring errors of Catholic teachings, hence a growing acceptance of going back to Rome. They have already strayed from strict Bible doctrine until they can hardly “protest” any longer. So look for faster and faster movements toward the Ecumenical goal. [The reunification of Christendom]
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VIII. “ICHABOD”
The word “Ichabod” means “the glory of the Lord has departed.”
This is the condition toward which Protestantism is rapidly progressing. This condition will be fully reached when Protestantism reaches her hand across the gulf and clasps the hand of Roman Catholicism by inducing the United States government to enforce a National Sunday Law. Then Protestantism will be completely fallen. Then the second angel’s message will be due in all its glory and will be given with a Loud Cry and the earth will be lighted with the glory of the last and final revelation of the character of God. Then Jesus will come and will say to those who put tradition above the Word of God – “Depart from Me.” To those who have exalted the Word and the Law of God in their lives, stood stiffly for the truth, and suffered persecution, He will say, “Come ye blessed of My Father, enter thou into the joy of thy Lord.”
In which group will you be found?
May we all rededicate ourselves to God and to the finishing of His work.
May we love this precious truth with all our hearts.
May we love our church and pull together and support it to our utmost.
May we sacrifice and labor diligently in God’s cause.
May we love one another and toil for the salvation of precious souls.
May god bless you and use you mightily in the finishing of His work.
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C.E. Study 4. PROTESTANTISM AND THE THREE-FOLD UNION
Elder Gordon Collier
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5T 711-17
LDE p. 3
Chapter 2—Signs of Christ's Soon Return
Our Lord's Great Prophecy
Christ forewarned His disciples of the destruction of Jerusalem and the signs to take place prior to the coming of the Son of man. The whole of the twenty-fourth chapter of Matthew is a prophecy concerning the events to precede this event, and the destruction of Jerusalem is used to typify the last great destruction of the world by fire.—Manuscript 77, 1899.
Christ upon the Mount of Olives rehearsed the fearful judgments that were to precede His second coming: “Ye shall hear of wars and rumors of wars: ... Nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places. All these are the beginning of sorrows” [Matthew 24:6-8]. While these prophecies received a partial fulfillment at the destruction of Jerusalem, they have a more direct application in the last days.—Testimonies for the Church 5:753 (1899).
Signs in the Heavens
At the close of the great papal persecution, Christ declared, the sun should be darkened, and the moon should not give her light. Next, the stars should fall from heaven. And He says, “Learn a parable of the fig tree; When his branch is yet tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer is nigh: so likewise ye, when ye shall see all these things, know that He is near, even at the doors” (Matthew 24:32, 33, margin).
Christ has given signs of His coming. He declares that we may know when He is near, even at the doors. He says of those who see these signs, “This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled.” These signs have appeared. [See The Great Controversy, 306-308, 333, 334.] Now we know of a surety that the Lord's coming is at hand.—The Desire of Ages, 632 (1898).
Signs on the Earth
Jesus declares: “There shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations” (Luke 21:25; Matthew 24:29; Mark 13:24-26; Revelation 6:12-17). Those who behold these harbingers of His coming are to “know that it is near, even at the doors” (Matthew 24:33).—The Great Controversy, 37, 38 (1911).
The nations are in unrest. Times of perplexity are upon us. Men's hearts are failing them for fear of the things that are coming upon the earth. But those who believe in God will hear His voice amid the storm, saying, “It is I; be not afraid.”—The Signs of the Times, October 9, 1901.
Strange and eventful history is being recorded in the books of heaven—events which it was declared should shortly precede the great day of God. Everything in the world is in an unsettled state.—Manuscript Releases 3:313 (1908).
False Prophets
As one of the signs of Jerusalem's destruction, Christ had said, “Many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many” [Matthew 24:11]. False prophets did rise, deceiving the people and leading great numbers into the desert. Magicians and sorcerers, claiming miraculous power, drew the people after them into the mountain solitudes. But this prophecy was spoken also for the last days. This sign is given as a sign of the second advent.—The Desire of Ages, 631 (1898).
We shall encounter false claims, false prophets will arise, there will be false dreams and false visions, but preach the Word; be not drawn away from the voice of God in His Word.—Selected Messages 2:49 (1894).
I have been shown many who will claim to be especially taught of God, and will attempt to lead others, and from mistaken ideas of duty they will undertake a work that God has never laid upon them. Confusion will be the result. Let everyone seek God most earnestly for himself that he may individually understand His will.—Selected Messages 2:72 (1893).
An Experience With a False Prophet
Last night a young man, a stranger to us all, but professing to be a brother from Victoria [Australia], called upon us and asked to see Sister White. It was evening and I declined seeing him. We invited him to remain with us during the night, however, and to take breakfast. After our usual morning worship, as we were about to go to our various employments, this young man arose and with a commanding gesture requested us to sit down. He said, “Have you any hymnbooks? We will sing a hymn, then I have a message to give you.” I said, “If you have a message, give it without delay, for we are very much pressed to get off the American mail and have no time to lose.” He then began to read something he had written, which stated among other things that the judgment has now begun upon the living....
I listened as he went on and finally said, “My brother, you are not exactly in your right mind. State plainly how your message concerns us. Please let us know at once. Your mind is overstrained, you misapprehend your work. Much that you have said is in accordance with the Bible, and we believe every word of that. But you are overexcited. Please state what you have for us.”
Well, he said that we must pack up and move at once to Battle Creek. I asked his reasons, and he responded, “To give this message that the judgment has begun upon the living.” I answered him, “The work which the Lord has given us to do is not yet finished. When our work here is completed we are sure the Lord will let us know that it is time for us to move to Battle Creek, instead of teaching you our duty”.... I left him for Brother Starr to talk with further while I resumed my writing.
He told Brother Starr that when Sister White spoke to him so kindly, and yet with such authority, he began to see that he had made a mistake, that the impressions which had moved him so strongly were not consistent or reasonable. Although our family is large, consisting of ten members, besides three visitors, we decided to have this young man stay with us for a time. We dare not have him go with people who will treat him harshly and condemn him, neither do we want him to repeat his “revelations.” We will have him remain for a little time where we can associate with him and if possible lead him in safe, sure paths.—Letter 66, 1894.
Gluttony and Intemperance
Gluttony and intemperance lie at the foundation of the great moral depravity in our world. Satan is aware of this and he is constantly tempting men and women to indulge the taste at the expense of health and even life itself. Eating, drinking, and dressing are made the aim of life with the world. Just such a state of things existed before the Flood. And this state of dissipation is one of the marked evidences of the soon close of this earth's history.—Letter 34, 1875.
The picture which Inspiration has given of the antediluvian world represents too truly the condition to which modern society is fast hastening.—Patriarchs and Prophets, 102 (1890).
We know that the Lord is coming very soon. The world is fast becoming as it was in the days of Noah. It is given over to selfish indulgence. Eating and drinking are carried to excess. Men are drinking the poisonous liquor that makes them mad.—Letter 308, 1907.
Deeds of Violence
In the days of Noah the overwhelming majority was opposed to the truth, and enamored with a tissue of falsehoods. The land was filled with violence. War, crime, murder, was the order of the day. Just so will it be before Christ's second coming.—The S.D.A. Bible Commentary 1:1090 (1891).
The labor unions are quickly stirred to violence if their demands are not complied with. Plainer and plainer is it becoming that the inhabitants of the world are not in harmony with God. No scientific theory can explain the steady march of evil workers under the generalship of Satan. In every mob wicked angels are at work, rousing men to commit deeds of violence....
The perversity and cruelty of men will reach such a height that God will reveal Himself in His majesty. Very soon the wickedness of the world will have reached its limit and, as in the days of Noah, God will pour out His judgments.—The Upward Look, 334 (1903).
The terrible reports we hear of murders and robberies, of railway accidents and deeds of violence, tell the story that the end of all things is at hand. Now, just now, we need to be preparing for the Lord's second coming.—Letter 308, 1907.
Wars and Disasters
The tempest is coming and we must get ready for its fury by having repentance toward God and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ. The Lord will arise to shake terribly the earth. We shall see troubles on all sides. Thousands of ships will be hurled into the depths of the sea. Navies will go down, and human lives will be sacrificed by millions. Fires will break out unexpectedly and no human effort will be able to quench them. The palaces of earth will be swept away in the fury of the flames. Disasters by rail will become more and more frequent. Confusion, collision, and death without a moment's warning will occur on the great lines of travel. The end is near, probation is closing. Oh, let us seek God while He may be found, call upon Him while He is near!—Messages to Young People, 89, 90 (1890).
In the last scenes of this earth's history war will rage. There will be pestilence, plague and famine. The waters of the deep will overflow their boundaries. Property and life will be destroyed by fire and flood. We should be preparing for the mansions that Christ has gone to prepare for them that love Him.—Maranatha, 174 (1897).
Great Balls of Fire
Last Friday morning, just before I awoke, a very impressive scene was presented before me. I seemed to awake from sleep but was not in my home. From the windows I could behold a terrible conflagration. Great balls of fire were falling upon houses, and from these balls fiery arrows were flying in every direction. It was impossible to check the fires that were kindled, and many places were being destroyed. The terror of the people was indescribable. After a time I awoke and found myself at home.—Evangelism, 29 (1906).
I saw an immense ball of fire fall among some beautiful mansions, causing their instant destruction. I heard someone say: “We knew that the judgments of God were coming upon the earth, but we did not know that they would come so soon.” Others, with agonized voices, said: “You knew! Why then did you not tell us? We did not know.”—Testimonies for the Church 9:28 (1909).
Earthquakes and Floods
The enemy has worked, and he is working still. He is come down in great power, and the Spirit of God is being withdrawn from the earth. God has withdrawn His hand. We have only to look at Johnstown [Pennsylvania]. He did not prevent the devil from wiping that whole city out of existence. [On May 31, 1889, an estimated 2,200 people lost their lives in the Johnstown flood when a dam broke after many days of heavy rains.] And these very things will increase until the close of this earth's history.—Sermons and Talks 1:109 (1889).
The earth's crust will be rent by the outbursts of the elements concealed in the bowels of the earth. These elements, once broken loose, will sweep away the treasures of those who for years have been adding to their wealth by securing large possessions at starvation prices from those in their employ. And the religious world, too, is to be terribly shaken, for the end of all things is at hand.—Manuscript Releases 3:208 (1891).
The time is now come when one moment we may be on solid earth, the next the earth may be heaving beneath our feet. Earthquakes will take place when least expected.—Testimonies to Ministers and Gospel Workers, 421 (1896).
In fires, in floods, in earthquakes, in the fury of the great deep, in calamities by sea and by land, the warning is given that God's Spirit will not always strive with men.—Manuscript Releases 3:315 (1897).
Before the Son of man appears in the clouds of heaven everything in nature will be convulsed. Lightning from heaven uniting with the fire in the earth will cause the mountains to burn like a furnace and pour out their floods of lava over villages and cities. Molten masses of rock thrown into the water by the upheaval of things hidden in the earth will cause the water to boil and send forth rocks and earth. There will be mighty earthquakes and great destruction of human life.—The S.D.A. Bible Commentary 7:946 (1907).
Crime, Famines, Pestilence
Satan is working in the atmosphere; he is poisoning the atmosphere, and here we are dependent upon God for our lives—our present and eternal lives. And being in the position that we are, we need to be wide awake, wholly devoted, wholly converted, wholly consecrated to God. But we seem to sit as though we were paralyzed. God of heaven, wake us up!—Selected Messages 2:52 (1890).
God has not restrained the powers of darkness from carrying forward their deadly work of vitiating the air, one of the sources of life and nutrition, with a deadly miasma. Not only is vegetable life affected but man suffers from pestilence.... These things are the result of drops from the vials of God's wrath [God takes responsibility for that which he allows or does not prevent. See Exodus 7:3; 8:32; 1 Chronicles 10:4, 13, 14.] being sprinkled on the earth, and are but faint representations of what will be in the near future.—Selected Messages 3:391 (1891).
Famines will increase. Pestilences will sweep away thousands. Dangers are all around us from the powers without and satanic workings within, but the restraining power of God is now being exercised.—Manuscript Releases 19:382 (1897).
I have been shown that the Spirit of the Lord is being withdrawn from the earth. God's keeping power will soon be refused to all who continue to disregard His commandments. The reports of fraudulent transactions, murders, and crimes of every kind are coming to us daily. Iniquity is becoming so common a thing that it no longer shocks the senses as it once did.—Letter 258, 1907.
God's Purpose in Calamities
What mean the awful calamities by sea—vessels hurled into eternity without a moment's warning? What mean the accidents by land—fire consuming the riches that men have hoarded, much of which has been accumulated by oppression of the poor? The Lord will not interfere to protect the property of those who transgress His law, break His covenant, and trample upon His Sabbath, accepting in its place a spurious rest day.
The plagues of God are already falling upon the earth, sweeping away the most costly structures as if by a breath of fire from heaven. Will not these judgments bring professing Christians to their senses? God permits them to come that the world may take heed, that sinners may be afraid and tremble before Him.—Manuscript Releases 3:311 (1902).
God has a purpose in permitting these calamities to occur. They are one of His means of calling men and women to their senses. By unusual workings through nature God will express to doubting human agencies that which He clearly reveals in His Word.—Manuscript Releases 19:279 (1902).
How frequently we hear of earthquakes and tornadoes, of destruction by fire and flood, with great loss of life and property! Apparently these calamities are capricious outbreaks of disorganized, unregulated forces of nature, wholly beyond the control of man, but in them all God's purpose may be read. They are among the agencies by which He seeks to arouse men and women to a sense of their danger.—Prophets and Kings, 277 (c. 1914).
Coming Events Are in the Hands of the Lord
The world is not without a ruler. The program of coming events is in the hands of the Lord. The Majesty of heaven has the destiny of nations as well as the concerns of His church in His own charge.—Testimonies for the Church 5:753 (1889).
These symbolical representations [the fiery serpents in the wilderness] serve a double purpose. From them God's people learn not only that the physical forces of the earth are under the control of the Creator, but also that under His control are the religious movements of the nations. Especially is this true with reference to the enforcement of Sunday observance.—Manuscript Releases 19:281 (1902).
In the great closing work we shall meet with perplexities that we know not how to deal with, but let us not forget that the three great Powers of heaven are working, that a divine hand is on the wheel, and that God will bring His purposes to pass.—Evangelism, 65 (1902).
As the wheel-like complications were under the guidance of the hand beneath the wings of the cherubim, so the complicated play of human events is under divine control. Amidst the strife and tumult of nations, He that sitteth above the cherubim still guides the affairs of the earth. [See Ezekiel 1:4, 26; 10:8; Daniel 4:17, 25, 32.]—Education, 178 (1903).
In the annals of human history, the growth of nations, the rise and fall of empires, appear as if dependent on the will and prowess of man; the shaping of events seems, to a great degree, to be determined by his power, ambition, or caprice. But in the Word of God the curtain is drawn aside, and we behold, above, behind, and through all the play and counterplay of human interest and power and passions, the agencies of the All-merciful One, silently, patiently working out the counsels of His own will.—Prophets and Kings, 499, 500 (c. 1914).
Heaven's Regard for Earth's Affairs
In sparing the life of the first murderer, God presented before the whole universe a lesson bearing upon the great controversy.... It was His purpose, not merely to put down the rebellion, but to demonstrate to all the universe the nature of rebellion....The holy inhabitants of other worlds were watching with the deepest interest the events taking place on the earth....
God carries with Him the sympathy and approval of the whole universe as step by step His great plan advances to its complete fulfillment.—Patriarchs and Prophets, 78, 79 (1890).
The act of Christ in dying for the salvation of man would not only make heaven accessible to men, but before all the universe it would justify God and His son in their dealing with the rebellion of Satan.—Patriarchs and Prophets, 68, 69 (1890).
The whole universe is watching with inexpressible interest the closing scenes of the great controversy between good and evil.—Prophets and Kings, 148 (c. 1914).
Our little world is the lesson book of the universe.—The Desire of Ages, 19 (1898). [Ellen White states that the unfallen worlds and the heavenly angels watched Christ's struggle in Gethsemane “with intense interest” (DA 693). In discussing Christ's four-thousand-year battle with Satan and his ultimate victory on the cross she uses such phrases as “the heavenly universe beheld,” “all heaven and the unfallen worlds had been witnesses,” “they heard,” “they saw,” “heaven viewed,” “what a sight for the heavenly universe!” See The Desire of Ages, 693, 759, 760.]
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Berlin Wall: symbol of Reconciliation for Christian Unity week
A fragment of the Berlin wall, in the shape of a cross, is used as a symbol of the need for reconciliation during the annual Week of Prayer for Christian Unity - RV
17/01/2017 18:04
(Vatican Radio) Wednesday January 18th marks the opening of the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, focused this year on the theme of ‘Reconciliation – The Love of Christ Compels Us’. The annual celebration concludes here in Rome with Vespers, presided over by Pope Francis, in the Basilica of St Paul Outside the Walls on January 25th.
The ecumenical context for the week of prayer this year is the 500th anniversary of the Reformation. For that reason the Council of Christian Churches in Germany, where the Reformation began, was asked to prepare material for use in local communities around the world.
To find out more Philippa Hitchen spoke to Fr Tony Currer, in charge of relations with Anglicans and Methodists at the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity. He followed closely the preparatory work for this week of prayer for Christian Unity and he notes that as well as looking back 500 years, the German group also used a more recent symbol of division, the Berlin Wall, to reflect on the meaning of reconciliation…..
Fr Tony Currer explains that the Reformation anniversary commemorates not only “the painful splitting of the Christian family” but “the fruits of that time that have come down to us and particularly a focus on Christ.”
Commenting on the theme for this year’s week of prayer, he says: “It’s no accident that Christ is in the title – the love of Christ compels us. The focus is on something we can all be united in, focusing on Jesus and a renewed commitment of Christians to focus on Christ and the Redemption, the Salvation, that he has won for us.”
Fr Currer says the German churches have drawn very skillfully on the image of the Berlin wall as a sign of division. “That wall divided families”, he says. “Well, Christian division divides families and that’s a painful reality for some people, just as this wall was for them.”
The German churches emphasised that the lighting of candles and the saying of prayers was involved in bringing the wall down.
“That’s a wonderful image of division and barriers being brought down by ordinary people doing something which no-one can stop them doing: turning to God in their hearts and saying a prayer and lighting a candle. And so our prayer in this week of Prayer for Christian Unity is very much modelled on that image of lighting a candle and saying a prayer in the belief that we can undermine these walls, we can bring them down, we can finally put an end to the divisions that separate families and separate us from our brothers and sisters in Christ.”
Pope and WCC leaders discuss Ecumenism, ecology, economic justice
Pope Francis meets with WCC General Secretary, Rev. Dr Olav Fykse Tveit and Central Committee Moderator Dr Agnes Abuom on Thursday August 24th
25/08/2017 15:36
(Vatican Radio) Leaders of the World Council of Churches have expressed gratitude for a “very constructive and fruitful meeting with Pope Francis” in the Vatican.
The informal encounter took place on Thursday, during the second day of a visit to Rome by the WCC general secretary , Rev. Dr Olav Fykse Tveit and Central Committee moderator, Dr Agnes Abuom from Kenya.
Philippa Hitchen’s report
The two WCC leaders met privately with the pope and the head of the Pontifical Council for Christian Unity, Cardinal Kurt Koch, focusing on how to deepen relations within the ecumenical movement. They also discussed the challenges of climate change and economic justice, as well as the important role of faith leaders in seeking solutions to conflicts in different parts of the world.
United witness, common service
Speaking after the encounter, Rev. Tveit said, “We are living in a time when the purpose and the objectives of the ecumenical movement are highly relevant. He said: “There is a willingness in the WCC constituencies and beyond, in the Roman Catholic Church, to seek a united witness and a common service” in order to be a more effective voice in our “divided and fragile world.”
The meeting with Pope Francis included prayers for unity, peace and reconciliation. Both sides also expressed the wish to explore opportunities to meet again in 2018.
Climate justice, COP23
The WCC delegation also held talks with Flaminia Giovanelli, under-secretary at the former Pontifical Justice and Peace Council, discussing climate justice and the upcoming COP 23 conference in Bonn, as well as peacebuilding initiatives and a meeting on migration and xenophobia scheduled for December.
Sant' Egidio community
On Wednesday the WCC leaders visited the headquarters of the Sant’Egidio community, meeting with two Christian and two Muslim refugees who survived the dangerous journey across the Mediterranean Sea to find jobs in Italy. Rev Fykse Tveit said that many in Europe today see people like them as four problems, or even risks, but instead they are four human beings now contributing to doing work that is needed here in Europe.
The Geneva based World Council of Churches brings together 348 member churches in countries across the globe, with the goal of promoting full unity among all Christians . It includes most of the world's Orthodox churches, as well as Anglican, Baptist, Lutheran, Methodist, Reformed, United and Independent churches.