How will God Purify His True Church - Part 1 as Seen by Zechariah (Chapter 6)?
When God Purifies
God’s Purification of the Church
Prayer Thought:
"The Open Door: Rejecting Tradition and Embracing God's Continuing Revelation"
Those who have not been in the habit of searching the Bible for themselves, or weighing evidence, have confidence in the leading men and accept the decisions they make; and thus many will reject the very messages God sends to His people, if these leading brethren do not accept them. {TM 106.4}
No one should claim that he has all the light there is for God's people. The Lord will not tolerate this. He has said,"I have set before thee an open door, and no man can shut it." Even if all our leading men should refuse light and truth, that door will still remain open. The Lord will raise up men who will give the people the message for this time. {TM 107.1}
PURPOSE - To reveal the process of purifying His people, the message of Judgment of the Living in the SDA Church.
INTRODUCTION:
Mal. 3:1-4 “Behold, I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me: and the Lord, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to his temple…behold, he shall come, saith the LORD of hosts. But who may abide the day of his coming? and who shall stand when he appeareth? for he [is] like a refiner's fire, and like fullers' soap: And he shall sit [as] a refiner and purifier of silver: and he shall purify the sons of Levi, and purge them as gold and silver, that they may offer unto the LORD an offering in righteousness. Then shall the offering of Judah and Jerusalem be pleasant unto the LORD, as in the days of old, and as in former years.”
"The Purification of God's Temple: Malachi 3:1-4 and the Sealing of the 144,000"
Mal. 3:1-4 - This passage is NOT the 2nd Coming. This coming is to His Temple – the SDA Church to purify it then use the purified 144000 – sons of Levi, as His ministry to the world, to bring coverts in a righteous way, in the time of the Loud Cry. The messenger who comes is the Message of the 4th Angel to the Church - the message that seals the 144 000 who have accepted it.
THE 4 CHARIOTS Zech. 6:1-8
“And I turned, and lifted up mine eyes, and looked, and, behold, there came four chariots out from between two mountains; and the mountains [were] mountains of brass. In the first chariot [were] red horses; and in the second chariot black horses; And in the third chariot white horses; and in the fourth chariot grisled and bay horses. Then I answered and said unto the angel that talked with me, What [are] these, my lord? And the angel answered and said unto me, These [are] the four spirits of the heavens, which go forth from standing before the Lord of all the earth. The black horses which [are] therein go forth into the north country; and the white go forth after them; and the grisled go forth toward the south country. And the bay went forth, and sought to go that they might walk to and fro through the earth: and he said, Get you hence, walk to and fro through the earth. So they walked to and fro through the earth. Then cried he upon me, and spake unto me, saying, Behold, these that go toward the north country have quieted my spirit in the north country.”
MOUNTAINS
Zech. 8:3/ Dan.9:16, 20/Micah 4:1-2/ Isa. 56: 6, 7/ AA p. 9.
ALL THESE REFERENCES TEACH US THAT MOUNTAIN IS A SYMBOL OF THE CHURCH.
BRASS
The World Book Encyclopedia Vol. 2, p. 467 tells us that Brass is a pure metal that doesn’t corrode, rust … meaning the 2 Churches represented are in the state of purity.
TIME OF THE MOUNTAINS OF BRASS
G. C. 384-385 – “ During the lives of the apostles the Church remained comparatively pure…” (SEE ACTS 2:1-4; 5:1-11)
G.C. intro p. ix – “Joel 2:28. This prophecy received its partial fulfillment in the outpouring of the Spirit on the day of Pentecost; but it will reach its full accomplishment in the closing work of the Gospel.” The 2 Mts. = 2 Pentecosts: Of the 120 desciples, and of the 144000 in the Loud Cry period.
6 BC 1055
“The Lord did not lock the reservoir of heaven after pouring His Spirit upon the early disciples. We also may receive of the fullness of His blessing … it is with an earnest longing that look forward to the time when the events of the day of Pentecost shall be repeated even greater power than on that occasion. John says (Rev 18:1 quoted). Then, as at the Pentecostal season, the people will hear the Truth spoken to them every man in his own tongue.” (Also see G.C. 611-612)
THE VALLEY BETWEEN THE MTS.
2Thess 2:3-4
“Let no man deceive you by any means: for [that day shall not come], except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition; Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God.”
**Falling away from the Apostolic purity
GC 384-385 “What was the origin of the great apostasy? How did the church first depart from the simplicity of the gospel? By conforming to the practices of paganism, to facilitate the acceptance of Christianity by the heathen. The apostle Paul declared, even in his day, "The mystery of iniquity doth already work." 2 Thessalonians 2:7. During the lives of the apostles the church remained comparatively pure. But "toward the latter end of the second century most of the churches assumed a new form; the first simplicity disappeared, and insensibly, as the old disciples retired to their graves, their children, along with new converts, . . . came forward and new-modeled the cause."--Robert Robinson, Ecclesiastical Researches, ch. 6, par. 17, p. 51. To secure converts, the exalted standard of the Christian faith was lowered, and as the result "a pagan flood, flowing into the church, carried with it its customs, practices, and idols.”
The Valley = The time between the 2 Pentecosts
4 CHARIOTS
ZECH. 6: 5
“These [are] the four spirits of the heavens, which go forth from standing before the Lord of all the earth.”
The church, now not in her purity (with tares in it), carrying messages from Heaven during the 4 periods of the VALLEY state.
HORSES
(ZECH 1: 8-11; 10:3; 14:20/JOEL 2:4)
Pulling or leading the Chariots will mean the MINISTRY of the Church in the 4 periods of the valley state. Their colors reveal the time each is operating in, as well as the character of the ministry leading.
THE 1st CHARIOT
E.W. 18,19
“As we were traveling along, we met a company...I noticed red as a border on their garments … I asked Jesus who they were. He said they were martyrs that had been slain for Him.”
It was the period of martyrdom.
Time of the Red Horses – From 508 (when the Sabbath was removed from the Christian Church) to the setting up of the Papacy, in 538 AD.
THE 2nd CHARIOT – BLACK HORSES
G. C. 54-55: The color black = spiritual darkness, spiritual bondage. The time when the Bible was removed from the people during the Dark Ages – 538 – 1798 AD. The Leaders of the Reformation that time (Huss, Luther, Knox, Wesley…) worked in this period to try to revive the doctrines of the Apostles, but were persecuted by their Church leadership.
THE 3RD CHARIOT - WHITE HORSES
G.C. 356- 357 – “A great religious awakening under the proclamation of Christ’s soon coming is foretold in the prophecy of the First Angel’s message of Rev 14… it announces the opening of the Judgment…this message is part of the Gospel which could be proclaimed only in the last days.”
ALSO see G.C. 401, 681-682 – The Millerite Movement 1843- 1844. Time of spiritual freedom – The Bible back to the people.
THE NORTH COUNTRY
EZEK. 26: 6,7 / ZECH 2 : 6,7 = MODERN BABYLON Of 538 – 1798 AD. The Reformers went out to protest against the doctrines of the Papacy, But finally quieted His Spirit – His message there (Zech. 6: 8), i.e. they have become daughters of Babylon instead of carrying forward the Reformation. Then the Millerites also failed to understand the Heavenly Sanctuary and the Sabbath, and abandoned these messages. Then it was time for the 4th Chariot :
THE 4TH CHARIOT : GREY & BAY:
THE PARADOX
One chariot, but 2 spans pulling it! Rev. 10:10-11 -The Church that followed after the Disappointment is SDA, living close to the time of the purification of the Church. Has 2 types of leadership
2SM 113-114
“A new life is coming from heaven and taking possession of all god’s people. But divisions will come in the Church. Two parties will be developed….”
TM 46
“There are two opposing influences continually exerted on the members of the Church. One influence is working for the purification of the Church, and the other for the corrupting of the people of God…”
THE SOUTH COUNTRY
GEN. 20:1; 12:9-10/ IT 287-288 = EGYPT = WORLDLINESS
COL 315 – “DAILY the Church is being converted to the World.”
TM 86 “ The conviction is gaining ground in the world that Seventh-day Adventists are giving the trumpet an uncertain sound, that they following in the path of worldlings…”
5T. 217
“The Church has turned back from following Christ her Leader and is steadily retreating towards Egypt…. Doubt, and even disbelief of the Testimonies of the Spirit of God, is leavening our churches everywhere….”
Grey = black + white , neither hot nor cold- lukewarm. They are encouraging worldliness.
PURIFICATION OF THE CHURCH
3T.266-267
“The true people of God, who have the spirit of the work of the Lord and the salvation of souls at heart, will ever view sin in its real, sinful character. They will always be on the side of faithful and plain dealing with sins which easily beset the people of God. Especially in the closing work for the church, in the sealing time of the one hundred and forty-four thousand who are to stand without fault before the throne of God, will they feel most deeply the wrongs of God's professed people. This is forcibly set forth by the prophet's illustration of the last work under the figure of the men each having a slaughter weapon in his hand. One man among them was clothed with linen, with a writer's inkhorn by his side.
"The Consequences of Excusing Sin"
“…Who are standing in the counsel of God at this time? Is it those who virtually excuse wrongs among the professed people of God and who murmur in their hearts, if not openly, against those who would reprove sin? Is it those who take their stand against them and sympathize with those who commit wrong? No, indeed! Unless they repent, and leave the work of Satan in oppressing those who have the burden of the work and in holding up the hands of sinners in Zion, they will never receive the mark of God's sealing approval. They will fall in the general destruction of the wicked, represented by the work of the five men bearing slaughter weapons….
"The Mark of Truth: Sighing and Crying for Abominations"
“…Mark this point with care: Those who receive the pure mark of truth, wrought in them by the power of the Holy Ghost, represented by a mark by the man in linen, are those "that sigh and that cry for all the abominations that be done" in the church. Their love for purity and the honor and glory of God is such, and they have so clear a view of the exceeding sinfulness of sin, that they are represented as being in agony, even sighing and crying. Read the ninth chapter of Ezekiel. But the general slaughter of all those who do not thus see the wide contrast between sin and righteousness, and do not feel as those do who stand in the counsel of God and receive the mark, is described in the order to the five men with slaughter weapons”
"The First to Feel God's Wrath: The Church"
5T. 211
“Here we see that the church--the Lord's sanctuary--was the first to feel the stroke of the wrath of God. The ancient men, those to whom God had given great light and who had stood as guardians of the spiritual interests of the people, had betrayed their trust. They had taken the position that we need not look for miracles and the marked manifestation of God's power as in former days. Times have changed. These words strengthen their unbelief, and they say: The Lord will not do good, neither will He do evil. He is too merciful to visit His people in judgment. Thus "Peace and safety" is the cry from men who will never again lift up their voice like a trumpet to show God's people their transgressions and the house of Jacob their sins. These dumb dogs that would not bark are the ones who feel the just vengeance of an offended God. Men, maidens, and little children all perish together.”
IS THE SLAUGHTER LITERAL?
1T. 190
“Many, I saw, were flattering themselves that they were good Christians, who have not a single ray of light from Jesus…And I saw that the Lord was whetting His sword in heaven to cut them down. Oh, that every lukewarm professor could realize the clean work that God is about to make among His professed people! Dear friends, do not deceive yourselves concerning your condition. You cannot deceive God.”
"Ezekiel's Vision Fulfilled: The Angel of Death's Return"
G.C. 656 – “ The angel of death goes forth, represented in Ezekiel’s vision by men with the slaughter weapons…The false watchmen are the first to fall…”
RH March 28, 1893 – “…the destroying angel is soon to go forth again, not to destroy the first born alone, but to slay utterly old and young, both men and women, and little children, who have not the mark”
"A Time of Slaughter: A Litteral Event
LETTER 31A, 1894 – “The time will soon come when the prophecy of Ezek. will be fulfilled, that prophecy should be carefully studied, for it will be fulfilled to the very letter…”
LETTER 106, Spt. 26, 1909 – “Study the ninth chapter of Ezekiel. These words will be literally fulfilled, yet the time is passing and the people are asleep”
BAY HORSES GIVEN THE CHARIOT
Zech. 6:7
“And the bay went forth, and sought to go that they might walk to and fro through the earth: and he said, Get you hence, walk to and fro through the earth. So they walked to and fro through the earth.”
HERE IS A VISION GIVEN TO E.G. WHITE
Narrated by Elder Will Ross:
"Forsaken, Scattered, and Redeemed: The Purification of God’s People"
"Sister White told us as we three stood there on the depot platform, that a terrible storm of persecution was coming like a windstorm that blew down every standing object. There was not a Seventh-day Adventist to be seen. They, like the disciples, forsook Christ and fled. All who had sought positions were never seen again.
"After the storm there was a calm, then the Adventists arose like a great flock of sheep, but there were no shepherds. They all waited in earnest prayer for help and wisdom, and the Lord answered by helping them to choose leaders from among them who had never sought positions before. They prayed earnestly for the Holy Spirit which was poured out upon them making them fully ready for service. They then went forth 'fair as the moon, clear as the sun, and terrible as an army with banners,' to give this message to the world.”
NO SHPHERDS / SDA PASTORS, AFTER JACOB’S TIME OF TROUBLE & EZEK. 9 SLAUGHTER !
Ezek. 34: 2-13 “Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel, prophesy, and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD unto the shepherds; Woe [be] to the shepherds of Israel that do feed themselves! should not the shepherds feed the flocks? … Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I [am] against the shepherds; and I will require my flock at their hand, and cause them to cease from feeding the flock; neither shall the shepherds feed themselves any more; for I will deliver my flock from their mouth, that they may not be meat for them…. so will I seek out my sheep, and will deliver them out of all places where they have been scattered in the cloudy and dark day. And I will bring them out from the people, and gather them from the countries, and will bring them to their own land.”
"From Scattered to Gathered: The Restoration of God's People"
Jer. 23:1-4
“Woe be unto the pastors that destroy and scatter the sheep of my pasture! saith the LORD. Therefore thus saith the LORD God of Israel against the pastors that feed my people … I will visit upon you the evil of your doings, saith the LORD. And I will gather the remnant of my flock out of all countries whither I have driven them, and will bring them again to their folds; and they shall be fruitful and increase. And I will set up shepherds over them which shall feed them: and they shall fear no more, nor be dismayed, neither shall they be lacking, saith the LORD.”
"False Shepherds Condemned, True Leaders Arise"
5T. 82, 81
“The call to this great and solemn work was presented to men of learning and position; had these been little in their own eyes and trusted fully in the Lord, He would have honored them with bearing His standard in triumph to the victory. But they separated from God, yielded to the influence of the world, and the Lord rejected them…He will raise up and exalt among us those who are taught rather by the unction of His Spirit than by the outward training of scientific institutions…. In the last solemn work few great men will be engaged. They are self-sufficient, independent of God, and He cannot use them…. Those who have rendered supreme homage to "science falsely so called" will not be the leaders then. Those who have trusted to intellect, genius, or talent will not then stand at the head of rank and file. They did not keep pace with the light. The Lord has faithful servants, who in the shaking, testing time will be disclosed to view.”
WHAT HAPPENS AFTER THE SLAUGHTER?
Isa. 66:16, 19-20 “For by fire and by his sword will the LORD plead with all flesh: and the slain of the LORD shall be many…. And I will set a sign among them, and I will send those that escape of them unto the nations…and they shall declare my glory among the Gentiles. And they shall bring all your brethren [for] an offering unto the LORD out of all nations…. to my holy mountain Jerusalem…into the house of the LORD”
Those who survive the slaughter, the sealed 144000, will be sent to all the world to bring the Great Multitude. Therefore, the Gospel will never be finished in these crusades of today, but till after the purification of the Church (EZEK. 9).
* The Lord has no more time to start organizing a new Church. He will only purify the one he has, and use it to finish the work in the world, in the time of the Loud Cry.
* The gospel in the world will never be finished by the present condition of the Church, but till the Tares are taken out, till after the Purification of the church.
To God be the Glory!