Habakkuk's Two Tables #54
PART SIX: 1989
Presented by Jeff Pippenger
Invocation by Brother Jeff Pippenger: [Note: The invocation failed to be picked up on the DVD. May the Lord give His blessing in the reading and study of this presentation. Amen.]
Overthrown
BROTHER PIPPENGER: Turn with me to Daniel 11, if you would.
One of the principles in William Miller's Rules is that every word should have its place in any particular passage of prophecy that you are dealing with.
In Daniel 11, verse 40, it says,
"40And at the time of the end"—
And we have identified that the Time of the End as 1798.
—"shall the king of the south"—
And we have identified the King of the South as the king of Atheism. In the 1798 time period, according to Revelation 11, verse 8, that is atheistic France.
—"shall the king of the south push at him:"—
This word push means war against. Atheistic France would begin a war against the King of the North.
And we have identified the King of the North as the Papacy. And, sure enough, in 1798 the Papacy received the deadly wound at the hands of atheistic France.
But, there is a colon, and it says,
—"and the king of the north [modern Rome (modern Papacy)] shall come against him"—
". . . shall come against [the king of Atheism]," who at the end of the world has moved from France to the Soviet Union.
—"the king of the north shall come against him [the king of Atheism (the Soviet Union)] like a whirlwind,"—
Which means a mighty sweeping away; and, of course, every historian emphasizes how fast the Soviet Union was swept away, once the process began. It was like a whirlwind.
And when he sweeps away the Soviet Union like a whirlwind, he brings with it his ally, his prophetic ally at the end of the world (the United States), where it says, he comes
—"with chariots, and with horsemen, and with many ships;"—
And the ally of the Papacy at the end of the world, according to Revelation 13, is the United States. And, the two strengths of the United States at the end of the world is economic and military strength; and, the chariots and horsemen represent military strength and the ships represent economic strength.
—"and he [the King of the North (the Papacy/modern Rome)] shall enter into the countries,"—
Whoever the King of the South is when this prophecy is fulfilled, it is a confederacy of countries, in the plural; and, sure enough, the Soviet Union was a confederacy of countries.
—"and shall overflow and pass over." Daniel 11:40 (KJV).
And this sweeping across the Soviet Union, the overflowing, is a Biblical term for how the King of the North, how modern Rome conquers: it overflows the banks of the Euphrates.
So, every word in verse 40 we have addressed. Every word in verse 40 has a relation to the other words in verse 40. It is not broken; it is not fractured; it is a consistent thought. And, the thought that we are applying to verse 40, it is in agreement with how we understand end-time Bible prophecy as Seventh-day Adventists. So, it is not some new and strange idea outside the scope of traditional prophetic understanding within Adventism. And when I say traditional, I mean correct traditional understanding.
And then in verse 41, it says,
"41He [the King of the North (modern Rome)] shall enter also into the glorious land,"—
It is this compromise in verse 40 that takes place with the United States and the Papacy that prepares the way for The Sunday Law in the United States. So, the King of the North (the Papacy) is coming into the glorious land (the United States) the same way that he swept over the Soviet Union. He comes as a flood. This is the overflowing symbol of the Papacy.
—"and many countries shall be overthrown:"—
This word countries is supplied. We are going to show that at The Sunday Law it is many people that are overthrown.
—"but these shall escape out of his hand,"—
This word escape is identifying that whoever escapes out of his hand at The Sunday Law in the United States has previously been in the hand of the Papacy. And the Papacy is the head of modern Babylon, and modern Babylon is divided into three parts: the Beast, the Dragon, and the False Prophet. So, when Daniel, here in verse 41, is describing those that come out of Babylon at The Sunday Law in the United States, when the message becomes, "Come out of her my people," in agreement with Revelation 18:4, He uses Edom, Moab and Ammon to represent modern Babylon, not the role of modern Babylon in leading the world to Armageddon, not the role of modern Babylon that you see in places in the Scriptures that show the influence of modern Babylon upon modern Israel (the Seventh-day Adventist Church). Here Daniel is illustrating those that come out of Babylon at The Sunday Law in the United States.
—"even Edom, and Moab, and the chief of the children of Ammon." Daniel 11:41 (KJV).
And when describing them [those that come out of Babylon at The Sunday Law in the United States], Daniel also uses the words, "the chief of the children of Ammon." And, this word chief means firstfruits, therefore identifying that this is where the first eleventh-hour workers begin to come out of Babylon at The Sunday Law in the United States.
Now we are going to look at specifically—although we have referenced this repeatedly—at the word overthrown: "and many shall be overthrown," and the "many" that shall be overthrown are Seventh-day Adventists; and, this truth, the many that shall be overthrown, it is this truth that Seventh-day Adventists are unwilling to accept. This is the truth that the Holy Spirit uses, if you are willing to allow Him to use this truth in your life, He uses this to tell you that you are not ready for the close of probation and to lead you to the foot of the cross that He can accomplish a revival in your life that you might be ready for the Seal of God when The Sunday Law comes. But, Adventism, they do not want to hear this.
So, this, in some sense, is the very heart of this passage. This is the shut-door message. Every generation has a shut-door message. This is the message designed by God to produce a revival among Seventh-day Adventists. I mean, the entire verse [Daniel 11:41] is the message, but the punch line of it is, is that at The Sunday Law in the United States many Seventh-day Adventists are going to be overthrown. So, we are going to deal with that word.
And when have done that today, then we have given a consistent, congruent presentation of these two versus: every word, every thought connected with one another, and in agreement with the Book of Revelation and traditional correct Adventist understanding about end-time Bible prophecy.
So, in your notes, from Bible Training School, February 2, 1913, it says,
"Roman Catholics acknowledge that the change in the Sabbath was made by their church, and they cite this very change as evidence of the supreme authority of the church. They declare that by observing the first day of the week as the Sabbath, Protestants are recognizing her power to legislate in divine things. The Roman church has not relinquished her claim to infallibility; and when the world and the Protestant churches accept a spurious Sabbath of her creating, while they reject the Sabbath of Jehovah, they virtually acknowledge this claim. They may cite the authority for this change, but the fallacy of their reasoning is easily discerned. The papist is sharp enough to see that Protestants are deceiving themselves, willingly closing their eyes"—
And I have that phrase bold-faced to remind us of Isaiah 23, that the Papacy is forgotten until The Sunday Law in the United States. And the reason she is forgotten is that the Protestants—and why do we call Protestants "Protestants"? It is because they are to protest Rome, and they forget who and what they are and who they are supposed to be protesting. They . . .
—"willingly close their eyes to the facts in the case. As the Sunday institution gains favor, he rejoices, feeling assured that it will eventually bring the whole Protestant world under the banner of Rome.
"The change of the Sabbath is the sign or mark of the authority of the Roman church. Those who, understanding the claims of the fourth commandment,"—
But, you do not really have to understand the claims of the fourth commandment to be impacted by what Sister White is going to say. If you have had opportunity to understand the claims of the fourth commandment and rejected your opportunity to understand those claims, then you are going to be held accountable, the same as one who does understand those claims. So, it is even a little bit broader. But the point is, who understands the claims of the fourth commandment before The Sunday Law in the United States?
FROM THE AUDIENCE: Adventists.
BROTHER PIPPENGER: One group of people. There are others, you know, the Jews, and there are some other Protestant sects that keep the seventh-day Sabbath; but, by and large, the people that will be held accountable for this are Seventh-day Adventists because this is simply not the Sabbath that they are going to be held accountable to. Seventh-day Adventists are going to be held accountable for understanding the broad implications of the Third Angel's Message in relation to the Sabbath, and there are not any other people that understand that.
—"Those who, understanding the claims of the fourth commandment, choose to observe the false Sabbath in the place of the true, are thereby paying homage to that power by which alone it is commanded. The mark of the beast is the papal Sabbath, which has been accepted by the world in the place of the day of God's appointment.
"But the time to receive the mark of the beast, as designated in prophecy, has not yet come."—
What is the time to receive the mark of the beast? The Sunday Law in the United States; it has not yet come.
—"The testing time has not yet come. There are true Christians in every church, not excepting the Roman Catholic communion. None are condemned until they have had the light and have seen the obligation of the fourth commandment. But when the decree shall go forth enforcing the counterfeit Sabbath, and when the loud cry of the third angel shall warn men against the worship of the beast and his image, the line will be clearly drawn between the false and the true. Then those who still continue in transgression"—
Who would that be?
FROM THE AUDIENCE: Seventh-day Adventists.
BROTHER PIPPENGER: Seventh-day Adventists. They are the only ones that are held accountable for that light at The Sunday Law.
And we are talking about The Sunday Law here, ". . . when the decree shall go forth . . . ." Okay?
—"Then those who still continue in transgression will receive the mark of the beast in their foreheads or in their hands.
"With rapid steps we are approaching this period. When Protestant churches shall unite with the secular power to sustain a false religion, for opposing which their ancestors endured the fiercest persecution, then will the papal Sabbath be enforced by the combined authority of church and state. There will be a national apostasy, which will end only in national ruin." Bible Training School, February 2, 1913.
So, the point here that we want to put in place is that the only people that are going to be held accountable for the light on the Sabbath when the King of the North conquers the glorious land in Daniel 11, verse 41, are Seventh-day Adventists; therefore, they are the "many" that are overthrown.
Lifting the Ensign
At the same time, the verse does not specifically address it, but in contrast with those that are overthrown, there is a group that are being at this time lifted up as an ensign; and, the lifting-up process takes place just prior to The Sunday Law.
And it is hard to understand, if you are in this message—I think it is hard to understand—how those that are in this message and are faithful to it are going to be lifted up as an ensign. It is hard to understand how, just before The Sunday Law, that group of people that are the outcasts of Adventism are suddenly going to become the focus that allows them to become publically lifted up; but, they are. That is the story of Elijah. Elijah has come to restore all things.
And where was Elijah located in his illustration of the end of the world at Carmel? Where was he at Carmel? He was in Israel, was he not?
FROM THE AUDIENCE: (Affirmation.)
BROTHER PIPPENGER: He was dealing with Israel, the Northern Kingdom.
How many tribes in the Northern Kingdom?
FROM THE AUDIENCE: Ten.
BROTHER PIPPENGER: Okay. So, if he was dealing with Israel with 10 tribes, why did he put 12 stones on the altar?
FROM THE AUDIENCE: (Indiscernible response.)
BROTHER PIPPENGER: Because he came to restore all things.
FROM THE AUDIENCE: (Affirmation.)
BROTHER PIPPENGER: And the restoration of Israel is the restoration of all 12, the restoration of the 144,000.
When that fire came down before the prophets of Baal were killed, which is the third waymark, The Sunday Law, when that fire came down, what happened to those rocks, those 12 stones? They were illuminated. Okay?
Who else was illuminated in a similar fashion? Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego; the same history. They were illuminated.
The ensign is starting to be lifted up somehow, some way, just before The Sunday Law.
The Great Controversy speaks about just before The Sunday Law. It says,
"Heretofore those who presented the third angel's message have often been regarded as mere alarmists."—
Brothers and Sisters, we have not taken a great deal of time to make this particularly point, but Sister White says repeatedly in her writings that there are people that are preaching, ministers that are preaching the Third Angel's Message, that do not understand what the Third Angel's Message is. And this message here is the Third Angel's Message, and anyone in Adventism that does not have the spiritual discernment to recognize that this is the Third Angel's Message and is preaching another message in opposition to this, and claiming that their message is the Third Angel's Message, is wrong. There is only one message that is the Third Angel's Message, and to think that there is not going to be a counterfeit Third Angel's Message at the time that the Third Angel's Message is becoming present truth is to really not understand the work of Satan to counterfeit the truth, and the fact that the counterfeit always precedes the Truth.
So, in Adventism, just before The Sunday Law, there is going to be one group of people that are presenting the truth, the Third Angel's Message; and, there are going to be other groups presenting what they claim to be the Third Angel's Message and they are going to be opposing the true Third Angel's Message.
So, why am I saying this? Because, if you understand that, then when she says, "Heretofore those who presented the third angel's message have often been regarded as mere alarmists," she is talking about that group that is preaching the real Three Angels' Messages in Adventism and they have already been labeled as alarmists.
Why are they alarmists? Well, because they say on 9/11 the Judgment of the Living began, the Latter Rain began to sprinkle, and that the judgments of God have now arrived, and that probation is about to close.
"Oh, that is a divisive message! That is an alarmist message, and you are trying to lead the people or bring the people into this message through fear! This isn't the love of God. God wouldn't bring judgment upon His people!"
So, before The Sunday Law, that is what she says:
—Heretofore those who presented the third angel's message"—
And she is not talking about the counterfeit preachers or the counterfeit Three Angels' Messages. There is a group in Adventism prior to The Sunday Law that is presenting the genuine Three Angels' Messages, and before The Sunday Law they have already been labeled as alarmists.
—"Their predictions that religious intolerance would gain control in the United States, that church and state would unite to persecute those who keep the commandments of God, have been pronounced groundless and absurd. . . . But as the question of enforcing Sunday observance is widely agitated,"—
So, this is before The Sunday Law, is it not?
FROM THE AUDIENCE: (Affirmations.)
BROTHER PIPPENGER: The question is now being agitated.
—"the event so long doubted and disbelieved is seen to be approaching, and the third message will produce an effect which it could not have had before."—
What does that mean? That means those people that have been truly presenting the Three Angels' Messages are going to now have history screaming out that they are right, they are right! And "the hypocrites in Zion," as the Bible labels them, the hypocrites in Zion are suddenly going to become afraid because they are going to realize that they have been fighting that very group that has been making these predictions, and suddenly there is going to be a division that is even wider than it already is between these two classes in Adventism.
What is happening to the one class? Strong delusion.
And to the other class, they are seeing their message confirmed by the unfolding history.
And how does that history come? The final movements are rapid ones.
—"But as the question of enforcing Sunday observance is widely agitated, the event so long doubted and disbelieved is seen to be approaching, and the third message will produce an effect which it could not have had before." The Great Controversy, 605–606.
Who are going to be the ones that are the alarmists in connection with this passage? It is those people that have been saying that Daniel 11:41 is The Sunday Law in the United States where probation closes as Adventists.
And they are talking about it in Congress. That is just what we have been saying with this message. Okay? There is a power that comes into it.
The scoffers in the audience at meetings like this, on this Message, they are not going to be scoffing when they come to the meeting that day and the headline on the front page says that the Senate is taking up a measure about whether or not we should enforce Sunday observance in the United States. Those scoffers are going to be silent at that point.
But the preachers of this Message, they are going to be empowered—right?—just by the historical circumstances. There is a power that comes into the Movement that heretofore could not have been recognized.
The Storm Approaches
The Great Controversy, page 608:
"As the storm approaches,"—
What is the storm? The Sunday Law, but it is not here yet.
—"As the storm approaches,"—
A small class or a large class?
FROM THE AUDIENCE: A large class.
BROTHER PIPPENGER: —"a large class who have professed faith in the third angel's message, but have not been sanctified through obedience to the truth, abandon their position and join the ranks of the opposition." The Great Controversy, 608.
A brother from the United Kingdom has emailed me a question about a week ago, about something we did in worship on the board. And I intend to answer his question, the Lord willing, at some point in time; but, I could not get to it because we were doing this, and I knew that I would get to his question at some point in time in the email dialogue.
So, yesterday he emailed me back and said, "Did you get my question?"
And he had some other stuff, but his opening question was, "Did you get my question?"
And I emailed him back and I said, "Yes, I got your question but we are really busy here with having weekly meetings," and with this, and that, and the other.
And then this morning I got up and he had emailed me back and he said, "That's fine. I'll wait."
But I had noticed that the heading on his last email and on this one was "Disfellowshipping."
So, I went back in and I read yesterday's email entirely, instead of just the opening line, which was, "Did you get my previous question?" And the following paragraphs were that they are bringing him to disfellowship him—and this is in the United Kingdom—over this Message. They told him, they were going to give him one hour and they want him to address this."
And he is saying, "One hour is not enough. And if this is where I am going to be disfellowshipped, I want to say what I want to say."
But the point is, is that this is happening all over the world now. I mean, I know what country in the United Kingdom it is, but I am just not saying it because he does not need that kind of pressure.
Okay. So,
"As the storm approaches, a large class who have professed faith in the third angel's message, but have not been sanctified through obedience to the truth, abandon their position and join the ranks of the opposition." The Great Controversy, 608.
Part of the sanctification process that is accomplished with this Message is accomplished by dealing with a church that is fighting against this Message. That is why Jeremiah and Ezekiel are told to, "Eat this Little Book and take this message to the rebels of modern Israel, and I will give you a forehead like a diamond, because you are going to need it, because they are going to fight against you."
But, if you do not go into this process and allow your forehead to become a diamond, then you are not allowing the work that is represented on your forehead to take place; and, the work that is represented upon your forehead is the Seal of God. So, when you are being brought into these situations, it is part of the sealing process; but, there is a large group, a large class in Adventism that have refused the sanctification process of the Third Angel's Message.
And I have met many, many people that you can tell by what they are saying that they understand this Message, but the reason that they do not take it up and run with it is they know it is going to cost them their position in the church or their influence among friends. That is one of the main reasons people do not take this up, is just peer pressure. But, that is the sanctification process that is associated with the Third Angel's Message. If you cannot deal with the persecution in Adventism, you certainly will not be able to deal with the persecution that comes with The Sunday Law when every earthly support is cut off.
So, these people here are a large class. They profess the Third Angel's Message, but they did not take the Third Angel's Message up and let it work in their own experience. So, when they see what is happening, and they understand it, they see it, "This is The Sunday Law. This is it," they know what that means, and they get out of town because they do not want to go through that process.
A Sound Appearance
Anyway, they look like genuine Christians.
Evangelism, page 360:
"In the absence of the persecution there have drifted into our ranks men who appear sound and their Christianity unquestionable, but who, if persecution should arise, would go out from us." Evangelism, 360.
So, I guess that is in agreement with what Jesus said, "You can't tell the wheat from the tares until the harvest time, and then you can tell."
The Shaking
Testimonies, volume 4, page 89:
"I was pointed to the providence of God among His people and was shown that every trial made by the refining, purifying process upon professed Christians proves some to be dross. The fine gold does not always appear. In every religious crisis some fall under temptation. The shaking of God blows away multitudes like dry leaves."—
What is the shaking of God? We dealt with that a few presentations back.
What causes the shaking? The introduction of the straight testimony. And it is those people that oppose the straight testimony that cause the shaking.
And,
—"The shaking of God blows away multitudes like dry leaves."—
The people that are fighting against the message, they are going to get blown away like dry leaves.
—"Prosperity multiplies a mass of professors. Adversity purges them out of the church. As a class, their spirits are not steadfast with God. They go out from us because they are not of us; for when tribulation or persecution arises because of the word, many are offended." Testimonies, volume 4, 89.
What is the verbiage Sister White is using there? John 6, where the Disciples go out at 6:66, at The Sunday Law.
And, "They go out from us because they are not of us." This is one of the tricks in Adventism. You know, you have people that do not have their heads on straight, that they see the problems in the Adventist Church and they say, "We need to separate?" You know? "The Church is Babylon. Come out of the Seventh-day Adventist Church," in spite of the fact that it is plain and in the Spirit of Prophecy that this is not so. The Adventist Church is symbolized in the Book of Revelation, and so is Babylon symbolized in the Book of Revelation. They are two different symbols, and you do not have the prophetic authority to mix the symbols just because you have been offended by what is going on in the Adventist Church.
And Sister White plainly says the Seventh-day Adventist Church is not Babylon, and there is not going to be a message that identifies her as such.
But, when the condition of the Church is as it is in many places today, it seems like you need to withdraw from this Adventist Church; but, what we forget is the prophetic testimony is, is those people that are in the Church that are not genuinely Adventists, they are the ones that are going to go out; and, what takes them out is the approaching Sunday Law and The Sunday Law. This is where they go out.
Now, some faithful people may get disfellowshipped before that time. Sobeit. That is part of the process. But, we are not supposed to separate because we do not like what is going on. We let the Lord accomplish this work, because He can tell who is the wheat and who is the tare and we cannot.
A Larger Portion
Selected Messages, book 2, page 368:
"When the law of God is made void"—
Now, we have just been reading passages about The Sunday Law approaching; but, now,
—"When the law of God is made void the church will be sifted"—
What is sifted? Wheat and tares separated.
—"by fiery trials, and a larger portion than we now anticipate, will give heed to seducing spirits and doctrines of devils." Selected Messages, book 2, 368.
And, of course, I have never—I know the logic that is used to suggest that on October 22, 1844, there were 50,000 believers and they went down to 50 overnight. You can show Sister White referencing the 50,000, but I do not know that there is really any hardcore—I am pretty sure there is not—historical evidence that there were only 50 believers left on October 23rd. No one did a head count. But, still, from the historians, nobody really fights that.
So, what you have there is a 1,000:1 ratio. And this is not a Biblical rule that you can say, "It was 1,000:1, no matter what!" But, the Bible does reference the 1,000:1, also. So, it is pretty close.
So, what is a 1,000:1?
How many Adventists are there in the world today? 15 million?
FROM THE AUDIENCE: 16 million.
BROTHER PIPPENGER: 16 million, what is that?
Divide 16,000,000 by 1,000. That is 16,0009 that remain, and 15,984,000 go out from among us?
Is that the right math?
FROM THE AUDIENCE: (Inaudible response.)
BROTHER PIPPENGER: But, that is not what she says. She says "a larger portion than we now anticipate, will give heed to seducing spirits and doctrines of devils."
The only thing I can anticipate is 1,000:1. You know, I have got some rough inference there.
What is going to happen to Adventism? Man, it is going to go down to nothing!
Praise the Lord! He is raising up a sanctified ministry!
The World Can Only Be Warned
We have already used this next quote often, Bible Training School, December 1, 1903. This here is a truth that the men that fight this Message are unwilling to wrap their mind around it.
Right here, if you take this quote—and I mean there are all kinds of . . . —two or three worships ago, we did this quote with several Biblical references that are in agreement with this following quote. But, if a person would take this quote and use the simple grammar and allow the Holy Spirit to—and the Holy Spirit does not really have to wreak their mind too mind; it is not complicated—but allow the Holy Spirit to open their eyes to what this quote is saying, then it proves that probation closes for Seventh-day Adventists at The Sunday Law. And this, of course, is one of the truths that many of these men fight against.
And it says,
"The work of the Holy Spirit is to convince the world of sin, of righteousness and of judgment. The world can only be warned by seeing those who believe the truth sanctified through the truth, acting upon high and holy principles, showing in a high, elevated sense, the line of demarcation between those who keep the commandments of God, and those who trample them under their feet."—
And we have read two quotes today and yesterday, two different quotes—and you may not know it, but if you went to your notes they are there—where Sister White says the Sabbath is the dividing line. Okay? So, she is building on that here.
—"the line of demarcation between those who keep the commandments of God, and those who trample them under their feet."—
The line of demarcation is The Sunday Law.
—"The sanctification of the Spirit signalizes the difference between those who have the seal of God, and those who keep a spurious rest-day. When the test comes, it will be clearly shown what the mark of the beast is."—
What is the test?
FROM THE AUDIENCE: The Sunday Law.
BROTHER PIPPENGER: The Sunday Law.
—"it will be clearly shown what the mark of the beast is. It is the keeping of Sunday. Those who after having heard the truth, continue to regard this day as holy, bear the signature of the man of sin, who thought to change times and laws." Bible Training School, December 1, 1903.
She is saying now the Protestants are going to be tested, but at The Sunday Law it will be revealed who has the Seal of God and who has the mark of the beast, and it will produce a ministry that is the Church Triumphant, not the Church Militant. The Sunday Law will bring it to life: This church will be born in a day. The Bible talks about it being born in a day. What day? The Sunday Law.
A Sanctified Ministry
Selected Messages, book 3, page 385:
"The great issue near at hand will weed out those"—
What does it mean "weed out"? Separating the wheat and tares.
And several times in this worship service we have read a quote where Sister White says the work of the Third Angel is to what? Separate the wheat and tares. That is The Sunday Law.
—"The great issue near at hand will weed out those whom God has not appointed and He will have a pure, true, sanctified ministry prepared for the latter rain." Selected Messages, book 3, 385.
Praise the Lord! It is a different story now, a different story. Now it is not the issue of the struggle in Adventism. Now the ensign, the Church Triumphant, is lifted up; Satan appears to personate Christ; the world is thrown into the greatest crisis of all time; and, now the Lord has an army in His hands as He demonstrates His character for the final time, in the sense of giving men opportunity to receive it.
A Great Crisis
These past two quotes have had references to great crises, one not the same crisis but you need to understand The Sunday Law is the great crisis, if you are going to understand the principle that it is in a crisis that character is demonstrated but never developed. So, we are going to look at the great crisis.
Testimonies, volume 5, page 463:
"The work which the church has failed to do in a time of peace and prosperity she will have to do in a terrible crisis under most discouraging, forbidding circumstances. The warnings that worldly conformity has silenced or withheld must be given under the fiercest opposition from enemies of the faith. And at that time the superficial, conservative class,"—"
And I would challenge anyone listening to this DVD or LiveStream to run the word conservative in the writings of Ellen White; because, we have a class of Adventism today that call themselves "conservative Adventists," calls themselves conservative historic Adventists. And when Sister White talks about the conservative class among us, it is always in negative terms, and as she defines what the conservative class is, it is the definition of this very class in Adventism today that says, "We are the conservative Adventists." Institutions like Hartland will tell you that they are the conservative Adventists and they fulfill all the characteristics of the conservative class that Sister White speaks about, because they fight the very message of the hour.
And you just have the track record of Hartland, of identifying itself as the conservative historic leader in self-supporting ministry; yet, fighting the message of the hour.
—"The work which the church has failed to do in a time of peace and prosperity she will have to do in a terrible crisis under most discouraging, forbidding circumstances."—
And for those of you that really get heartburn when I mention a place like Hartland, I know people there. I have friends there. I have people that I love there from personal experience, and you may think it is unnecessary to even mention that.
And some of you get offended because Hartland is the place that you think that you need to support and it is a wonderful place; but, I tell you what, those of you that are sending your children to that institution, you are not only going to have your own blood on your soul, you are going to have the blood of your children on your soul, for allowing them to go to an institution like that and get their head trained where they reject the final warning message.
And it is about time for Seventh-day Adventist moms and dads to start taking seriously their responsibility of training up their children for this time. And institutions like Hartland are training up their children to fight this Message.
You need to figure out what this Message is, and then see if the Spirit of Prophecy and the Bible endorses parents placing their children under the influence of institutions that are fighting the Third Angel's Message. That is a no-brainer, I think!
FROM THE AUDIENCE: Amen.
—"The warnings that worldly conformity has silenced or withheld must be given under the fiercest opposition from enemies of the faith. And at that time the superficial, conservative class, whose influence has steadily retarded the progress of the work, will renounce the faith and take their stand with its avowed enemies, toward whom their sympathies have long been tending." Testimonies, volume 5, 463.
You go back into the history of Hartland. The ministry of Hartland is designed to expose the apostasies in the Seventh-day Adventist Church. They have always been at odds with the General Conference, because they are always explaining what the General Conference has done incorrectly in their publications and in their books and in their sermons.
But now that this Message is becoming active and alive, well, they are seeing some bridges with the General Conference, because the General Conference opposes this Message and so do these. So, suddenly—that institution and others. I am just using them as an example—they are finding little connections. They are becoming united to oppose one thing. All right?
And I tell you what: that is a characteristic of someone whose religion is pretty superficial. That is what Sister White says.
The Last Great Crisis
Testimonies, volume 9, page 11:
"The agencies of evil are combining their forces and consolidating. They are strengthening for the last great crisis."—
The Sunday Law is the last great crisis. It is a progressive history. It is not a single point in time. It is a progressive history, and the last great crisis begins at The Sunday Law.
—"Great changes are soon to take place in our world, and the final movements will be rapid ones." Testimonies, volume 9, 11.
The Final Crisis
Review and Herald, July 16, 1901:
"As God's people approach the final crisis, they must with increasing power proclaim the message He has given them. The warning must be given to the churches. God's requirements must be laid before those who are transgressing His law. They must be made to understand that this is a life and death question."—
Do you ever go to the websites that fight this message?
They will say, "Well, one of the problems that shows that this message isn't of the Lord right away is that these people actually claim what they are teaching are life or death."
Yeah, it is! This is a life or death question. If you reject your opportunity to awaken and prepare for the Seal of God, you are going to receive the mark of the beast, and you are going to be dead for eternity. It is a life or death question.
—"God's remnant people are to fill the earth with the cry of the third angel." Review and Herald, July 16, 1901.
The Soon-Coming Crisis
Sketches from the Life of Paul, page 252, still dealing with crisis.
"God would have his people prepared for the soon-coming crisis."—
Prepared or unprepared? This is one of those memorizers. Okay? There are some passages, come paragraphs, some verses that you need to memorize. I like this paragraph. It is one of those memorizers.
—"God would have his people prepared for the soon-coming crisis. Prepared or unprepared, we must all meet it. Only those whose characters are thoroughly disciplined to meet the divine standard will be able to stand firm in that testing time."—
How is your character going to be disciplined to stand in that testing time. How is it going to get that kind of discipline?
It gets that type of discipline, because anyone that takes up this Message—and you see it over and over again—they come across this Message from a variety of ways. They start studying this Message and, if they are of that class that says, "Wow! This is really the message," then the first thing they do is they go out to their close friends and family in the church where they are attending and they start sharing it.
And suddenly they realize, "Well, I never thought that Sister Betty or Brother Harry would have a problem with that. I have been in church with them for 20 years. I thought I understood how they related to the Truth; but, they are angry about this. What are they angry about? Why are they calling this a delusion?"
You have to understand this Message, and then you have to begin sharing it. And as you share it, you are going to find out there are very few people that are open to receive it, and it is going to cause you some distress if you have any tenderness or sympathy in your heart. And, that stress is the discipline that you must have if you are going to stand in The Sunday Law testing time.
—"Only those whose characters are thoroughly disciplined to meet the divine standard will be able to stand firm in that testing time. But when enemies shall be on every side, watching them for evil, the God of Heaven will be watching his precious jewels for good."—
Remember William Miller's dream? That is what we are dealing with here, is William Miller's dream. And we are saying that the precious jewels of William Miller's dream are the Foundational Truths [refers to the 1843 and 1850 Charts] that get covered up.
And do you remember what we shared when the Dirt Brush Man comes in and He sweeps those counterfeit doctrines out the window? Remember what we shared about Ephraim?
FROM THE AUDIENCE: (Affirmations.)
BROTHER PIPPENGER: Those doctrines, those counterfeit doctrines, are idols; and, Ephraim is joined to his idols. So, when those jewels are swept out of the windows, the foolish virgins go out the window with them.
But, it is the same with the wise virgins. The genuine jewels become part of their experience when those jewels are lifted up as an ensign. It is because they have been changed into His image through the power of His Word that was conveyed to them through these truths that they were led back to and spent the appropriate time making those truths part of their experience.
God is watching over His jewels for good.
—"When secular rulers unite with the ministers of religion to come between God and our conscience,"—there is The Sunday Law—"then those who cherish the fear of God will"—what?
FROM THE AUDIENCE: Be revealed.
BROTHER PIPPENGER: —"be revealed."—
What does that mean? In the Old Testament, how would that be expressed?
FROM THE AUDIENCE: An ensign.
BROTHER PIPPENGER: They are lifted up as an ensign. They will be revealed.
—"When the darkness is deepest, then the light of a noble, Godlike character will shine the brightest. When every other trust fails, then it will be seen who have an abiding trust in God." Sketches from the Life of Paul, 252.
When the Decree Goes Forth
Signs of the Times, November 8, 1899:—
Did you like that paragraph, by the way [Sketches from the Life of Paul, 252]? I like that paragraph.
I kind of broke it up where you probably could not think it through. Read it. It is a nice paragraph. There are a lot of wonderful thoughts.
"None are condemned until they have had the light and have seen the obligation of the fourth commandment."—
But, how many Seventh-day Adventists are going to be held accountable for the light of the fourth commandment?
FROM THE AUDIENCE: All of them.
BROTHER PIPPENGER: Every single one of them.
—"But when the decree shall go forth enforcing the counterfeit sabbath, and the loud cry of 'the third angel' shall warn men against the worship of the beast and his image, the line"—there it is again—"will be clearly drawn between the false and the true. Then those who still continue in transgression will receive the mark of the beast." Signs of the Times, November 8, 1899.
Who is that? Seventh-day Adventists. That is those that are overthrown in verse 41 of Daniel.
At the same time in verse 41, although it is not specifically marked in verse 41, those that are overthrown are contrasted with those that are not overthrown.
And it says in Testimonies, volume 5, page 216:
"When the decree goes forth and the stamp is impressed, their character will remain pure and spotless for eternity." Testimonies, volume 5, 216.
What is the stamp that is impressed? The Seal of God. It is impressed upon one class when the decree goes forth, and the mark of the beast on another class when the decree goes forth. And the people that receive the mark of the beast are the people that are overthrown in Daniel 11, verse 41.
Manuscript Releases, volume 13, page 71:
"When the law of God is being made void, when His name is dishonored, when it is considered disloyal to the laws of the land to keep the seventh day as the Sabbath, when wolves in sheep's clothing, through blindness of mind and hardness of heart, are seeking to compel the conscience, shall we give up our loyalty to God? No, no. The wrongdoer is filled with a satanic hatred against those who are loyal to the commandments of God, but the value of God's law as a rule of conduct must be made manifest. The zeal of those who obey the Lord will be increased as the world and the church unite in making void the law. They will say with the Psalmist, 'I love thy commandments above gold; yea above fine gold' [Psalm 119:127]. This is what will be sure to occur when the law of God is made void by a national act."—
What will be sure to occur when the Law of God is made law by a national act? That those people that are walking with the Lord are going to be more careful about the Law of God, and it is going to be revealed to the world.
Continuing on, it says:
—"When Sunday is exalted and sustained by law, then the principle that actuates the people of God will be made manifest,"—
One class or both classes?
FROM THE AUDIENCE: Both classes.
BROTHER PIPPENGER: Both classes.
It will be made manifest.
Why will it be made manifest? Because, it is in a crisis where character is demonstrated.
Now, the first time that I publically tried to teach this particular principle was in Portland, Oregon, many, many years ago. Well, maybe it was not the first time, but when I was first understanding—yeah, I think it was the first time. I know it was the first time.
The first time I intended to go to a meeting and present the principle that in a crisis character is demonstrated, I have a nice story for me. It is a story that I like that tells this story, and that is the story of the airplane crash at Tenerife. Back then it was the worst airplane crash of all times. It may still be, Tenerife being a resort island [of the Canary Islands]. And it got fogged in. It was at the end of the holiday season. All the tourists, it was the day when everyone went home, so the airport was full; but, none of the airplanes could leave because it was all fogged in. The fog starts lifting, so the full jumbo jets start taxiing on the runway to get ready to start take-off once the fog lifts, and one of these planes is taking off and it runs into another one that is taxiing. So, you have two full jumbo jets that are all full up on airplane fuel, and right there on the airport everyone burns.
Now, very few people got out, and there was a Pentecostal Christian that was in one of these planes, and he was obese by his own testimony; and, he tells a story about how he miraculously got out of this plane.
He said, "There was a hole blown above me, and I somehow jumped up through that hole," and got out on the wing and jumped off the wing and broke his leg and crawled away.
And on Time Magazine, they have a picture of this very guy crawling away from this airplane as both of these airplanes are going up in flames.
And he tells the story that when it happened, suddenly it was a ball of fire everywhere, he said. He said he was watching people instantaneously being turned into dust. He said he was watching people burn to death. And the only thing was happening was either people were praying to the Lord or cursing the Lord. He said there was nothing else.
He said, "I was amazed! That is what was going on around me. They were either cursing the Lord or praying to the Lord."
And afterwards when they listened to the black boxes on both airplanes, the crew of both airplanes were either praying or cursing the Lord.
So, I always use that story to try to demonstrate that it is in a crisis where character is demonstrated.
But, the first time, the first time that I was going to present this down in Portland is we were going down there on Friday, or whatever. It was right before the meeting started, maybe a Thursday. We were listening to the radio and some guy in a semi-truck had a CB, talking either to the guy that was in charge of all the trucks, who coordinates the trucking company he was working for, and they were telling on this radio program just how that day, or the day before, that they got a recording of this guy talking to the other guy at the office and telling him, "Oh, man, I'm running across the railroad tracks and here comes a train," and he starts praying to the Lord, and that is all she wrote.
Character is demonstrated in a crisis, and the crisis for Adventism is The Sunday Law; and, your character will be set in place before the crisis, because the crisis is where you are going to demonstrate the character that you have prepared in your previous hours of probation.
For those in Adventism that have a problem with the messengers of this Message, teaching that probation for Seventh-day Adventists closes at The Sunday Law, I tell you what, it does not close at The Sunday Law. It closes before The Sunday Law. Your character is set before The Sunday Law. The Sunday Law is simply the crisis where you are going to demonstrate what character you have.
—"When Sunday is exalted and sustained by law, then the principle that actuates the people of God will be made manifest, as the principle of the three Hebrews was made manifest when Nebuchadnezzar commanded them to worship the golden image in the plain of Dura. We can see what our duty is when the truth is overborne by falsehood." Manuscript Releases, volume 13, 71.
The Principle that Actuates
The next quote, remember The Great Controversy, 393, says the parable of the Ten Virgins of Matthew 25 illustrates the experience of the Adventist people. We are the Ten Virgins.
Review and Herald, October 17, 1895:
"Character is revealed by a crisis. When the earnest voice proclaimed at midnight, 'Behold, the bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him,' the sleeping virgins roused from their slumbers, and it was seen who had made preparation for the event."—
What event are we making preparation for, Brothers and Sisters?
FROM THE AUDIENCE: The Sunday Law.
BROTHER PIPPENGER: The Sunday Law.
Why is that? Because, we are the messengers of the Third Angel's Message.
What is the Third Angel's Message? It is a warning about The Sunday Law. This is the event of Adventism!
—"When the earnest voice proclaimed at midnight, 'Behold, the bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him,' the sleeping virgins roused from their slumbers, and it was seen who had made preparation for the event. Both parties were taken unawares, but one was prepared for the emergency, and the other was found without preparation. Character is revealed by circumstances. Emergencies bring out the true metal of character. Some sudden and unlooked-for calamity, bereavement, or crisis, some unexpected sickness or anguish, something that brings the soul face to face with death, will bring out the true inwardness of the character. It will be made manifest whether or not there is any real faith in the promises of the word of God. It will be made manifest whether or not the soul is sustained by grace, whether there is oil in the vessel with the lamp.
"Testing times come to all. How do we conduct ourselves under the test and proving of God? Do our lamps go out? or do we still keep them burning? Are we prepared for every emergency by our connection with Him who is full of grace and truth? The five wise virgins could not impart their character to the five foolish virgins. Character must be formed by us as individuals." Review and Herald, October 17, 1895.
The oil is character, and our character will be demonstrated at the crisis. And the crisis for Adventism is The Sunday Law. We have to have a character prepared for the Seal of God before The Sunday Law; but, we are sleeping Laodiceans, so we are never going to have that character prepared before The Sunday Law unless the Lord wakes us up. And the promise in God's Word is the "Lord will do nothing, except He reveal it through his servants, the prophets," so we know that because Christ is who He is, before He closes probation on Seventh-day Adventism, He is going to tell them that probation is about to close. And, the way that He speaks to us is through His prophetic Word; therefore, there has to be a prophecy in the Bible that forewarns God's people that probation is about to close at The Sunday Law, and that prophecy is Daniel 11, verses 40 and 41. It is the way that the Lion of the tribe of Judah attempts to awaken His people to the fact that the crisis is about to hit, and you better get the oil in your vessel or you are going to be lost for eternity.
Is it Safe to Wait?
Youth's Instructor, January 16, 1896.
"We are now living in a most perilous time, and not one of us should be tardy in seeking a preparation for the coming of Christ. Let none follow the example of the foolish virgins, and think that it will be safe to wait until the crisis comes before gaining a preparation of character to stand in that time."—
Brothers and Sisters, this is not just a mild inference. There are at least three other passages in the Spirit of Prophecy where Sister White is speaking about the Jews and the reason that they participated in the crucifixion of Christ. And she explains the primary reason why they participated in the crucifixion of their Messiah is because they had a misunderstanding of prophecy; and, their misunderstanding of prophecy was primarily to do with that dispensation. They believed that when the Messiah would come, He was going to set up an earthly kingdom; and, that preconceived falsehood prevented them from recognizing what was going on.
And in those three places where Sister White is commenting on that history (and there may be more), she places that as a warning to us at the end of the world.
And our preconceived fallacy that is setting us up to receive the mark of the beast, our preconceived prophetic interpretation about the dispensational change does not have to do with Christ setting up His earthly or heavenly kingdom; it has to do with the Dispensation of the Holy Spirit.
We think we can wait until the Latter Rain, and then the Latter Rain is going to change us into Christ's image. That is the same thought that thinking that Jesus is going to come and set up an earthly kingdom. If you think that, then you are going to participate in the crucifixion of Christ when it is repeated in the persecution of the 144,000. You are going to choose Barabbas, instead of Christ, if you think that you can wait until the Latter Rain to overcome sin.
So, okay, this is a big theme here.
—"Let none follow the example of the foolish virgins, and think that it will be safe to wait until the crisis comes before gaining a preparation of character to stand in that time. It will be too late to seek for the righteousness of Christ when the guests are called in and examined. Now is the time to put on the righteousness of Christ,—the wedding garment that will fit you to enter into the marriage supper of the Lamb. In the parable, the foolish virgins are represented as begging for oil, and failing to receive it at their request. This is symbolic of those who have not prepared themselves by developing a character to stand in a time of crisis. It is as if they should go to their neighbors and say, Give me your character, or I shall be lost. Those that were wise could not impart their oil to the flickering lamps of the foolish virgins. Character is not transferable. It is not to be bought or sold; it is to be acquired. The Lord has given to every individual an opportunity to obtain a righteous character through the hours of probation; but he has not provided a way by which one human agent may impart to another the character which he has developed by going through hard experiences,"—
How do you develop that character? By going through hard experiences.
—"by learning lessons from the great Teacher, so that he can manifest patience under trial, and exercise faith so that he can remove mountains of impossibility. It is impossible to impart the fragrance of love,—to give to another gentleness, tact, and perseverance. It is impossible for one human heart to pour into another the love of God and humanity.
"But the day is coming, and it is close upon us, when every phase of character will be revealed by special temptation. Those who remain true to principle, who exercise faith to the end, will be those who have proved true under test and trial during the previous hours of their probation, and have formed characters after the likeness of Christ."—
Do you see how important it is to take this Message up and present it to people so those people can reject it?
There will be some that will not reject it; but, this period, this shaking, this struggle, the struggle that is represented in Ezekiel 9 as producing men and women that are sighing and crying, you have to have that. You have to learn to sing the Song of Moses and the Lamb. The Song of Moses and the Lamb include verses dealing with Moses and the Lamb struggling with a church that is in apostasy. You have to have that experience.
—"It will be those who have cultivated close acquaintance with Christ, who, through his wisdom and grace, are partakers of the divine nature. But no human being can give to another, heart-devotion and noble qualities of mind, and supply his deficiencies with moral power. We can each do much for each other by giving to men a Christlike example, thus influencing them to go to Christ for the righteousness without which they cannot stand in the judgment. Men should prayerfully consider the important matter of character-building, and frame their characters after the divine model." The Youth's Instructor, January 16, 1896.
So, in Daniel 11, verses 40 and 41, whether you recognize it—and I am sure you have, because I have pointed it out—we have now dealt with every word in those first two verses. And we are saying that when the Papacy conquers the United States at The Sunday Law, many Seventh-day Adventists are going to be overthrown. And, at that time, the call to come out of Babylon begins to be given by those that are lifted up as an ensign from Adventism, and those that come out of Babylon to stand with those faithful Seventh-day Adventists are represented by Edom, Moab, and the chief of the children of Ammon. That is where they come from. Not all of Babylon responds, but those who respond are illustrated in verse 41.
And we will close with this quote here from Review and Herald, April 27, 1911, that is just absolutely simple as pie, if you want to see, that you receive the mark of the beast at The Sunday Law, or the Seal of God at The Sunday Law. If you cannot see it in this, then the blindness that is upon you is just unbelievable.
"If the light of truth has been presented to you, revealing the Sabbath of the fourth commandment, and showing that there is no foundation in the Word of God for Sunday observance, and yet you still cling to the false sabbath, refusing to keep holy the Sabbath which God calls 'my holy day,' you receive the mark of the beast. When does this take place?—When you obey the decree that commands you to cease from labor on Sunday and worship God, while you know that there is not a word in the Bible showing Sunday to be other than a common working-day, you consent to receive the mark of the beast, and refuse the seal of God. If we receive this mark in our foreheads or in our hands, the judgments pronounced against the disobedient must fall upon us. But the seal of the living God is placed upon those who conscientiously keep the Sabbath of the Lord." Review and Herald, April 27, 1911.
When the King of the North enters the glorious land, a larger number than we now anticipate in Adventism are going to receive the mark of the beast. And a few in Adventism are going to receive the Seal of God and begin to call God's other children out of Babylon.
We shall continue this, the Lord, willing Sunday morning.
Shall we pray?
Benediction: Heavenly Father, we want to be among that class that is not overthrown in the coming crisis; but, we know to be among that class, then we have to finish the work of character development now, for it will be impossible to do so in a crisis. We give permission to you, although you do not need permission, but we give permission to you to use the Holy Spirit and the angels in any way that you see fit to reveal to us the areas in our individual experience that need to be polished, set aside, overcome, that we can be among that group that is lifted up as an ensign. We want to understand this message in such a way that we can share it with our Brothers and Sisters in Adventism, before it is too late. We ask that not only would this message change us into your image but that you would give us the ability to use this message as a tool to pull Brothers and Sisters out of the fire before it is too late. We want more holy oil, and we know that we have to share the oil to receive more oil. So, we ask that you would bring us in contact with those around us that you wish to hear a word of wisdom in due season, and give us these divine appointments that we might not only be about our business of calling others to come stand with you here at the end of the world but that the process of the oil passing through us, as we share with others, would accomplish its work of purification in our hearts and minds, we pray in Jesus's name. Amen.