The Great Conspiracy -- Part #21

THE TIME TRAVELER -- A Journey Back In Time -- lder Stanley Harris, premier evangelist during the height of Seventh-day Adventist evangelism, presented a sermon entitled, “St. Peter Visits Tacoma,” or the name of the city in which he was holding meetings. In this impressive lecture (illustrated with color slides on a huge screen) the apostle Peter was presented as rising from the dead in our day. A modern-day guide joined him at his grave sight in Rome and led him on an imaginary journey to find God’s true people. In this parable, Peter was presented as a time traveler to the future. The following parable is an illustration of a time-traveler to the past. What would you say, dear reader, if the Lord permitted you to travel back in time to the 1903 General Conference session, and arrangements were made for you to speak to the delegates for one hour only in an afternoon service? Would you be spellbound by your audience? Sitting there would be such pioneer Adventists as E. J. Waggoner, A. T. Jones, Arthur G. Daniells, Stephen Haskell, John N. Loughborough, and many others. Also sitting there would be Ellen G. White. What would you say? It is 2 p.m., Sabbath afternoon, April 11, 1903. In our imaginary journey back in time, the leading brethren are astonished at the strange appearance of our clothing, our beardless face, our funny looking shoes, and the strange bright colors in our tie – but they accept us as a brother Adventist with a sincere embrace and hardy handshake. We are standing to the side of the platform, out of sight of the congregation. Elder R. A. Underwood offers a moving prayer as the delegates stand silently, reverently. Not a sound can be heard in the large hall. We are uneasy, even a little fearful as Elder H. W. Cottrell, chairman of the General Conference session, introduces us to the delegates. His voice sounds strange and distant as we nervously contemplate the words to be spoken in the one short hour allotted to us. “We have with us today a visitor, a Seventh-day Adventist from the future,” Cottrell announces to the startled brethren. “I still cannot believe it myself, but the Lord has permitted this – so we will listen with an open mind. Please make him welcome.” We walk to the desk slowly, humbled by the task before us. Our knees shake, a silent prayer is on our lips. A gasp here and there could be plainly heard throughout the large room at the sight of the strange man from the future. “My dear brothers and sisters,” you begin. “What a pleasure it is to see the radiate faces of my Adventist heritage. I know I must look strange to you – but you do not look strange to me. I have seen many of your faces in the photographs of our historical books and journals.” “Words cannot express the joy and gratitude I feel, that the Lord has permitted me to return to your day and speak to this distinguished delegation,” you say earnestly. “I must speak directly to the point, for I have only one hour in which to relate the things I have come so far to tell you. In exactly one hour from now I will be taken from your midst. Much of what I say will be so foreign, so strange to you, that you may not comprehend it right off – but I see there are stenographers here taking notes and you will be able to study the information at a later time.” “My text for today is a grand old Adventist passage and is found in the book of Daniel, chapter twelve, verse four,” you say, opening your Authorized version of the Bible. You notice that everyone present has a Bible. The children also have Bibles, with the exception of toddlers and babes in arms. The sound of the pages of the Bibles turning seems to sooth your nerves as many turn to the passage. It is a pleasant sound, almost identical to leaves rustling in a brisk breeze. The fear is suddenly gone. “Please, let us read this passage together,” you say, looking up from your Bible. You notice how quiet the children are. They gaze up at you intently, their eyes open wide, a look of intense interest on their faces. “But thou, O Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book,” many voices read together, “even to the time of the end: many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased.” You are now completely relaxed as you begin to speak your message boldly. “I come to you from the year 1999,” you begin, moving quickly into your message. “Ninety six years have passed into history from this 1903 General Conference session. I know you have many, many questions. I can see it on your faces. How has the world changed? Why has the Lord not returned by 1999? Do the Advent people still believe the same message? What has happened to the Church? Has the Church gained many new members? Indeed, is there still a Seventh-day Adventist Church? I will answer all these questions and more, but because of the lack of time I am not allowed to take questions from the floor.” “I will answer the questions about the world first,” you say hurriedly, “for if you understand events that have taken place in the world you will more readily be able to understand what has transpired in the Church – but, I will remind you, brethren and sisters, that the question, What has happened to the Church, is not the most important question. The most important question is, What has happened to the great second advent message? I will tell you right off – it is going.” (Many voices, amen, amen). “Brethren, the Bible is true,” you state earnestly. (Many voices, amen). “This passage in the book of Daniel has literally been fulfilled to the letter. In just eleven short years from this afternoon there will be a great war between the nations of earth. This war will be known as the First World Chapter 23 The Time Traveler -445- War. Notice that I said the first, because a second world war will soon follow. The first world war began in 1914, and was fought mostly in Europe on the battlefields of France and Germany. Many young men died in this conflict. Many Adventists believed that this war was the beginning of Armageddon, but wiser Bible students wrote and taught that the war of Armageddon would come at the end of the seven last plagues.” (Many voices, yes, yes). “The conditions under which the men had fought in the trenches of Europe were almost indescribable,” you report sadly. “Mustard gas was released by the enemy and many perished as a result. A great flu epidemic swept across America immediately following the war. This horrible infirmity was brought back to America by the soldiers returning home from the battle fields of Europe. Hundreds of thousands died from this plague, this flu epidemic, as it swept across America. Almost every family lost one or more members. It was one of the horrible last-day pestilences spoken of by our Lord in Matthew, chapter twenty-four, and verse seven, ‘For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places.’ This great flu epidemic was indeed a great pestilence.” “I must pause here for a moment to speak about the plagues and pestilences of the last days,” you say earnestly. “In the 1980's and 1990's terrible medical conditions have developed. New viruses have been discovered. The Ebola virus from Africa is so devastating that a person who contracts this virus literally bleeds to death. Thousands have been infected. Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome, known as AIDS, is a sexually transmitted disease that destroys the immune system. Thousands and thousands have perished from this plague. This devastating virus came from Africa and is rampant among homosexuals. By the late 1980's the virus has become prevalent among all people who are sexually permissive. It has become an epidemic, another great plague of the last days. In England in 1996 the beef cattle industry was devastated by a phenomena known as Mad Cow Disease. E-Coli, another devastating virus present in beef cattle, is contracted from ground beef, steaks and roasts that are not well cooked. Many children have died from this viral infection. Not only that, but there is the great rise of Cancer. There is not time here to relate to you the many forms of this dread disease. Every family has lost members to this most devastating plague. The greatest killer of all is coronary heart disease. Millions die every year from this great plague. Did not our Lord say in Luke, chapter twenty-one, and verse twenty-six, ”Men’s hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth?” “Brothers and sisters, we as a people have been warned,” you say, pounding your fist on the desk for emphasis. “I now declare boldly, not only is the Bible true, but the Spirit of Prophecy is true!” (Many voices, amen, amen). “In World War One, airplanes were used for the first time,” you continue your narration of future events. You note the puzzled look on the faces of your audience. “Let me explain briefly. An airplane is like a motor car that flies through the air. It has wings and the gasoline motor drives a large propeller that pulls the vehicle through the air. The wind passing over and under the wings keep the plane aloft. Powerful guns were mounted on these aircraft and they fired them at the opposing aircraft. These were called dog fights. The aircraft also fired at targets on the ground. Thousands were killed or maimed for life from these deadly weapons.” “Dear Adventist friend, we have been warned that these things would come upon the earth,” you add hastily, trying to sooth the look of horror on the faces of your brethren. “‘Nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and great earthquakes shall be in divers places, and famines, and pestilences; and fearful sights and great signs shall there be from heaven,’ Jesus said in Luke chapter twenty-one and verses ten and eleven. The Bible is true, brethren, and the prophecies are sound.” (Many voices, yes, yes). “In 1929 an event took place that was very significant to Seventh-day Adventists,” you state triumphantly. “Again, I say, dear brethren, the Bible is true. On Feb. 11, 1929, the Lateran Treaty was signed by Benito Mussolini, Premier of Italy, for the Italian government, and Cardinal Pietro Gasparri for the papacy. This document settled the relationship between the Holy See and Italy. Reporting on the signing of this document, the San Francisco Chronicle, Tuesday, February 12, 1929, carried the story on the front page with a photograph of Cardinal Pietro Gasparri and Benito Mussolini signing the document. The caption over the picture stated, ‘Heal Wound Of Many Years.’ The deadly wound of the Papacy was now healed in fulfilment of Revelation chapter thirteen, verse three.” (Many voices, amen, amen). “Seven months later, in October, 1929, the Stock Market crashed and plunged America and the world into what history has called the great depression,” you hurry onward. “The greatest depression the world had ever known. By 1933, fourteen million Americans were unemployed, industrial production was down to one-third of its 1929 level, and national income had dropped by more than half. As a result of this great depression the world masses were led onward by Satan to World War Two.” “By this time the radio was invented,” you report. “Almost every home had a radio. The radio was a small box made of wood with electronic tubes, a circuit and speaker. This device could pull sound out of the air on what is known as radio airwaves. A program broadcast in a studio hundreds or thousands of miles away could now be heard around the earth in the home. Oh, brethren, what a tool for the preaching of present truth. Later I will relate how the Adventists used this mighty tool to present the truth to the world.” “Moving pictures on a large screen replaced the stage production in most theaters,” you relate, noticing the look of astonishment on the faces of your brethren and sister Adventists. “Later, sound was added to the films, and in a short time, living color, making the realism of the productions beyond description. Adventists have always taught that theater-going was not for the Christian. Millions upon millions have been led into sin by these motion picture films. Better highways were constructed and motor cars, trucks, and the rail trains were by now traveling at break-neck speeds.” “I must hurry on, dear brethren,” you say, glancing momentarily at your wrist watch, “for I must get to what you really wish to hear – the future of the Seventh-day Adventist Church, where Chapter 23 The Time Traveler -447- God’s people are, and the progress of the present truth message to all the world. During the 1930's Satan instigated the rise to power of a young man in Germany by the name of Adolf Hitler. This new regime was called ‘The Third Reich.’ It was know as Nazi Germany. The insignia of the Nazi Third Reich was like this.” You quickly draw a swastika on a piece of paper and hold it up for all to see. “On December 7, 1941, Japanese airplanes bombed Pearl Harbor in the Hawaiian Islands,” you continue. “Hawaii by then was a sojourn of the United States and later became the fiftieth State. In a radio broadcast the following morning President Franklin D. Roosevelt stated that, ‘December 7, 1941, is a date which will live in infamy.’ I read from a modern encyclopedia that when ‘the Japanese attacked the U.S. naval base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, provoking a U.S. declaration of war on Japan the following day. On December 11, Germany and Italy declared war on the United States. The European war now merged with the Pacific war into one global conflict.’” “Oh, but now, dear brethren, the implements of war had progressed to devastating proportions,” you relate sadly as you recall the horrors of World War Two. “Airplanes could now fly at speeds exceeding 500 miles per hour. Bombers had been developed that could carry trucks, jeeps and other vehicles of war. Huge loads of bombs could now be dropped on a city by a single aircraft. Smaller fighter planes could now be launched from the large, flat deck of a ship. These ships were called aircraft carriers. Submarine ships had also been developed. These could lurk hidden from view beneath the surface of the ocean and could fire their torpedo missiles at an unsuspecting vessel. Whole navies were destroyed. Cities in Italy, England, France, Germany and many other European countries were completely destroyed by German and American bombers and their allies. To complete this horrid picture I must quote a statement from the servant of the Lord written thirteen years ago in 1890. This statement can be found in the Signs of the Times, April 21, 1890. The statement reads in part:” 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! The prophet says: “Seek ye the Lord, all ye meek of the earth, which have wrought His judgment; seek righteousness, seek meekness: it may be ye shall be hid in the day of the Lord’s anger. Ellen G. White, The Signs of the Times, April 21, 1890 (emphasis supplied). “But that is not all,” you continue. “The Nazi regime in Germany raged an extermination campaign against the Jews. Concentration camps were set up. Huge cremation furnaces were built. The Jewish people were rounded up and brought to these concentration camps on trains like cattle. They were led into a building and told to remove their clothing to take a shower. Oh, dear brethren, it was not water that came out of the showerheads but a gas that killed the people. Men, women and little children perished in these make-shift gas chambers. Their bodies were then cremated in the furnaces. The most infamous of these camps was Auschwitz, located in Poland. The ashes of the people cremated at this camp were used to fill in a great swamp nearby. Over six million Jews were exterminated in these death camps. Many others also died in the camps.” (Many gasp in astonishment). “Near the end of the war, Germany developed a rocket system that would deliver a bomb to a target,” you continue. “At the same time they were working on a new bomb called the Atomic bomb. To explain the Atomic bomb simply, it was something like creation in reverse. This bomb was also known as the Atom bomb. Kind of ironic, wouldn’t you say? This device exploded with tremendous force from the splitting of the Atom, leaving in its wake a huge mushroom cloud. The radio-active fallout from this mushroom cloud was devastating. Nothing could be grown for many years where this radio-active fallout came in contact with the earth. Many died a few years later from leukemia, another terrible after-effect from the bomb. Brethren, I must pause to read from the book of Joel, chapter two, verse thirty. ‘And I will shew wonders in the heavens and in the earth, blood, and fire, and pillars of smoke.’ Again I read. Please follow me from verse one:” Blow ye the trumpet in Zion, and sound an alarm in my holy mountain: let all the inhabitants of the land tremble: for the day of the LORD cometh, for it is nigh at hand; a day of darkness and of gloominess, a day of clouds and of thick darkness, as the morning spread upon the mountains: a great people and a strong; there hath not been ever the like, neither shall be any more after it, even to the years of many generations. (Joel 1, 2) “Now, dear Adventist friend, notice carefully verses three, four and five,” you say, holding up your Bible towards the audience, pointing to the text. You read again slowly: A fire devoureth before them; and behind them a flame burneth: the land is as the garden of Eden before them, and behind them a desolate wilderness; yea, and nothing shall escape them. The appearance of them is as the appearance of horses; and as horsemen, so shall they run. Like the noise of chariots on the tops of mountains shall they leap, like the noise of a flame of fire that devoureth the stubble, as a strong people set in battle array. (Joel 2:3-5). “‘Behind them a flame burneth,’” you repeat, touching on the highlights of the text. “‘The land is as the garden of Eden before them, and behind them a desolate wilderness.’ Carefully notice this one line, ‘Like the noise of chariots on the tops of mountains shall they leap.’ This, beyond question, is a description of airplanes. Dear brother Joel had never seen an airplane, not unlike you brethren. To him it appeared as a great noise of chariots leaping from the tops of mountains. Brethren, I could not describe this scene more plainly than did the prophet Joel, and I have seen these bombs explode. Again, I say, the Bible is true, brothers and sisters.” (Many voices, yes, yes). “Again, I read on in verses six, seven and ten,” you say, slowly turning the page of your Bible: Before their face the people shall be much pained: all faces shall gather blackness. They shall run like mighty men; they shall climb the wall like men of war; and they shall march every one on his ways, and they shall not break their ranks. The earth shall quake before them; the heavens shall tremble. . .. (Joel 2:6, 7, 10a). “These bombers and fighter planes fly in formation,” you emphasize. “‘They do not break their rank,’ as it says here in verse seven. I cannot find the right words to describe the sound of the aircraft, but Joel’s description in verse ten will suffice. ‘The earth shall quake before them, the heavens shall tremble.’” “What are we to do when we see these things coming upon the earth?” you ask. “Again, the prophet Joel gives us the answer in verses twelve and thirteen:” Therefore also now, saith the Lord, turn ye even to me with all your heart, and with fasting, and with weeping, and with mourning: and rend your heart, and not your garments, and turn unto the Lord your Chapter 23 The Time Traveler -449- God: for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and repenteth him of the evil. (Joel 2:12,13). “This is what the Lord wants us to do,” you emphasize. “How about the ministry? What does the Lord want his ministers to do at this time? Again I read from verses fifteen through seventeen:” Blow the trumpet in Zion, sanctify a fast, call a solemn assembly: gather the people, sanctify the congregation, assemble the elders, gather the children, and those that suck the breasts: let the bridegroom go forth of his chamber, and the bride out of her closet. Let the priests, the ministers of the LORD, weep between the porch and the altar. . ..” (Joel 2:15-17a). “The Lord intervened and the war in Europe ended before Nazi Germany could develop this horrible Atomic weapon,” you report. “The war with Germany came to an end after the Americans and their allies attacked forces from the west, and the Russian army from the east. This was known as the battle of Normandy Beach.” “Many thousands of American soldiers perished in the Pacific in the war with Japan,” you continue. “After the surrender of Germany on May 8, 1945, the United States developed the Atom bomb. Although Germany had surrendered, the Japanese had not. It appeared that they would fight to the last man. The President of the United States decided to use this new Atom bomb on the Japanese to shorten the war and save American lives. A new airplane called the B- 29 was developed. This aircraft could fly high enough to escape the tremendous blast of an Atom bomb. The city of Hiroshima was chosen as the first target. Leaflets were dropped to warn the people, but most did not heed the warning. On August 6, 1945. the first Atomic bomb was dropped on the city of Hiroshima. Over one hundred thousand people perished instantly. Three days later, on August 9, the second Atomic bomb was dropped on the Japanese city of Nagasaki. Thousands more perished in that blast. The nation of Japan formally surrendered on September 2, 1945. The Second World War was finally ended. It had raged for six years, from 1939 to 1945. I was a lad of ten years at the time the Atom bomb was dropped. I will never forget the shock of a child being thrust into the Atomic Age.” “By the act of dropping an Atomic bomb on the two cities of Japan, the United States of America fulfilled end-time prophecy to the letter,” you state convincingly. “Turn in your Bibles to Revelation, chapter thirteen, and verse thirteen. Please read this text aloud with me:” “And he doeth great wonders, so that he maketh fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men,” the congregation read together. “Brethren, to this year in my life, 1999, the United States of America is still the only nation that has dropped an Atomic bomb on a city. The lamb-like beast that represents the United States of America has literally dropped fire from heaven on the earth in the sight of men!” (Many voices cry out in amazement.) “I must hurry on,” you say, again glancing at your wrist watch. “Although Adventist evangelists and scholars had stated in printing and in public meetings that it would never happen, in 1948 physical Jews were again reestablished in Palestine as the nation of Israel. This new nation of Israel did not include the city of Jerusalem. Almost immediately after the reestablishing of the nation of Israel the Arab nations attacked the new state of Israel. Israel won the war quickly, but for some unknown reason did not take possession of Jerusalem. However, in 1967 the Arab nations again attacked Israel. This time Israel responded with devastating power. The war lasted only eight days – and this time Israel did take possession of Jerusalem!” Chapter 23 The Time Traveler -450- “Brothers and sisters, this event I believe was in direct fulfillment of our Lord’s own prophecy in Luke, chapter twenty-one, and verse twenty-four,” you say earnestly. “I read, ‘And they shall fall by the edge of the sword, and shall be led away captive into all nations: and Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled.’ The Greek word used here for Gentiles is ‘ethnos.’ The same Greek word ‘ethnos’ is used for nations. Let us read the last phrase of this text using the word nation instead of Gentiles: ‘And Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the nations, until the times of the nations be fulfilled.’ What does this mean? The parallel verse in the four Gospels to Luke 21:24 is found in Matthew 24:14. Let us read it together.” “And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come,” (many voices read together). “There is that Greek word again, ‘ethnos,’ nations, Gentiles,” you point out. “When we read these two texts together we understand that the time of the nations is the time allotted to the nations for the preaching of the gospel. The time of the nations came to an end in 1967 when the Jews took possession of Jerusalem. Since that time Jerusalem is no longer trodden down of the Gentiles or nations. Since 1967 the Lord has arisen to finish the work and to cut it short in righteousness. I read from The Present Truth, April 1, 1850:” I saw that the quick work that God was doing on earth would soon be cut short in righteousness, and that the swift messengers must speed on their way to search out the scattered flock. An angel said, “Are all messengers? No, no, God’s messengers have a message.” Ellen G. White, The Present Truth, April 1, 1850. “Brother Edson White saw this truth five years ago,” you point out. “He published his thesis on this text in 1898. I quote from his book, The Coming King, page 98: We also read that “Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled.”. Jerusalem has never again come into the possession of the Jews and will not until the time of the Gentiles be fulfilled. This will be when the work of the Gospel is finished. James Edson White, The Coming King, Published 1898, re-published 1900, page 98. (emphasis supplied). “Soon after World War Two a new device was invented called television,” you say. “This device is similar to radio, except it can transmit, not only sound, but moving pictures. I first heard of this invention as a boy in academy. I could hardly believe my ears. But soon television came to my home town. It first appeared in the large department store windows. People would stand on the street for hours peering at this strange new invention. Soon every home had a television set in the family room. After a few years, color television was developed. Today, there is not only color, but giant screens and surround sound. The realism is incredible, astounding!” “Dear Adventist brothers and sisters, it is now possible for Satan to bring the theater directly into the home,” you relate sadly. “The Spirit of Prophecy has counseled that we as a people should not go to the theater. ‘But this is different’ we reason. ‘We do not have to go to the theater and associate with the world.’ However, Satan stole a march on us with this one. Adventists in the 1990's waste literally hundreds and thousands of hours sitting before their television sets watching moving picture productions that are so disgraceful, so appalling that it would be difficult for me to describe it here in front of the children. In these television and movie productions extreme violence, murder and sexually explicit scenes are boldly portrayed. And yet in my day many Adventist children are allowed to watch these graphic performances.” Chapter 23 The Time Traveler -451- “Soon after the great war a new bomb was developed called the Hydrogen Bomb,” you hurry onward. “This bomb is so powerful that a single bomb could destroy any large city in the world. People watched on television as this new Hydrogen Bomb was tested on Bikini, a small island in the Pacific. The island was literally blown from the face of the earth.” (Many gasp in astonishment.) “In the 1960's the United States began to travel into space with rocket ships,” you relate. “Rather than tell you what developed from this space exploration, I will read a short report from a modern encyclopedia.” The American astronaut Neil Alden Armstrong. . . was the first person to walk on the Moon. Armstrong received his pilot’s license on his 16th birthday. . .. In 1962 he was selected as an astronaut. His first flight (1966) was as commander of GEMINI 8; a thruster failure aborted the flight after 10 hours 41 minutes. Armstrong was later assigned as commander of Apollo 11, the first U.S. attempt to land on the Moon. On July 20, 1969, Armstrong and lunar module pilot Edwin E. Aldrin landed the Apollo 11 lunar module Eagle on the Moon at the Sea of Tranquility. At 10:56:20 PM Eastern Daylight Time (EDT), he planted his left foot on the lunar surface and proclaimed: “That’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.” Grolier’s Encyclopedia, article “Neal A. Armstrong.” “By the 1990's the implements of war have developed almost beyond description,” you say to your stunned audience. “There are now huge nuclear powered aircraft carrier ships capable of carrying many jet-propelled fighter bombers. The nuclear powered submarines are now equipped with many missiles, each fixed with multiple hydrogen bomb warheads many times more powerful than the ones dropped on the two Japanese cities. The submarine fires its missiles from the ocean floor. The missile emerges from the ocean surface and projects its multiple warheads into a partial orbit around the earth. The warheads are then guided by a radar device to their targets. One such multi-warhead missile can destroy many cities. One such nuclear powered submarine could destroy all the major cities on the west coast of the United States. There is no city or place on the earth safe from these vessels of destruction. They are capable of going any where. They have even passed under the ice cap at the North Pole in their journey from one continent to another. There are many other new weapons of war that are almost beyond description. I will not go into detail here. I must hurry on. Suffice-to- say, man truly has the power to destroy his own planet. But you, brethren, know that God will not permit this to happen. He will destroy the earth in His good time. The signs of the times indicate that time has almost run out. Brethren, it is time for Jesus to come.” (Many voices, yes, yes.) “By the 1990's the non-proliferation of space with nuclear weapons agreement between the Soviet Union and the United States is no longer valid because the Soviet Union no longer exists,” you continue. “The United States could now quickly develop, if it has not already done so, the technology to deliver nuclear strikes directly from a space satellite using the power of the sun with ‘Laser Beam’ technology. Bible prophecy declares that the United States, the lamb-like beast from out of the land, would have the power to enforce the mark of the beast upon the entire world because of the great miracles it could perform, and because it could rain fire upon the earth! I am sure you dear Advent brethren have read the Scripture in Revelation thirteen many times, but in light of what I have told you, I now submit to you verses twelve through eighteen in a paraphrase.” And the United States exerciseth all the power of the Roman Catholic Church who had ruled before, and causeth the earth and them which dwell therein to worship the Roman Catholic Church, whose deadly wound was healed. And the United States doeth great wonders, so that he maketh fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men, 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 Roman Catholic Pontiff; saying to them that dwell on the earth, that they should make an image to the Roman Catholic Church, which had the wound by a sword, and did live. And the United States had power to give life unto the Sunday Law, the image of the Roman Catholic Church, that the Sunday Law should both speak, and cause that as many as would not worship on Sunday should be killed. And the United States causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads: And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the Roman Catholic Pontiff, or the number of the Roman Catholic Pontiff’s name. Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the Roman Catholic Church: for it is the number of the Roman Catholic Pontiff; for his name in Latin is Vicarious Felei Dei, and his number in Roman numerals is Six hundred threescore and six. (Revelation 13:12-18, paraphrase). “Brethren, I have now come to the final portion of my report, the portion that you have been waiting patiently to hear,” you say hurriedly. “And that is, (1) the future history of the corporate Seventh-day Adventist Church, (2) the place of God’s remnant people in these last days, and (3), how the Lord is finishing the work and cutting it short in righteousness.” “Oh, dear Adventist brothers and sisters,” you say, succumbing momentarily to the strong emotions in your heart, “how I wish I could stay here with you and not return to the future!” “I know that most of you would wish to be living in my time so that it would be possible to live until Jesus comes and be translated,” you say, your face now wet with tears. “I cannot take you back with me, but oh, Sister White, how I wish I could take you back with me. The Church in my time is so in need of a living prophet!” “Enough – enough. I must go on,” you say, pulling your emotions under control. You wipe the tears from your eyes with your handkerchief. “This 1903 General Conference session, dear brethren, is the pivotal point in the future history of the Seventh-day Adventist Church, so far as the organization of the Church is concerned. The new constitution you voted here yesterday has determined the fate of the corporate Seventh-day Adventist Church.” “Yesterday afternoon, brother Percy T. Magan, a member of the minority committee, stated that if this General Conference session voted the new constitution into law that the Church would be in danger of becoming an image of the Papacy. He stated that history testifies that this is how the Papacy was born. Speaking from the future I can testify that brother Magan was right. Almost ninety years to the day the Supreme Court of the Sate of Illinois ruled that the Seventhday Adventist Church has an hierarchal form of government like the Roman Catholic Church. Brothers and sisters, this means that by the year of our Lord, 1986, an image of the beast in the Seventh-day Adventist Church has been recognized by the Supreme Court of the state of Illinois!” (Groans of agony could be heard throughout the hall. The faces of the delegates gathered paleness. Tears were streaming down the faces of others.) “Oh, please, dear brothers and sisters,” you say hurriedly, “do not be distressed. The Lord has promised that this third angel’s message will triumph gloriously. Notice I said this message will triumph. I repeat, the Spirit of the Lord does not say that the organized corporate Church will triumph, but that this precious third angel’s message will triumph. Have we forgotten the message given to sister White, how she described it in Early Writings? God’s people will be in the wilderness or in prisons during the time of trouble. Read it again in The Great Controversy in the chapter ‘The Time of Trouble.’ A whole chapter is consigned to that subject. No one can buy or sell, therefore there will be no tithe money to support a corporate Church. There will be no Chapter 23 The Time Traveler -453- General Conference or other Conferences in the end of time – that is unless the corporate Church capitulates and agrees to keep Sunday, God forbid. Sister White did see in a vision our ministers urging upon the people the necessity of keeping the first day of the week. You will find this statement in the Review and Herald, March 18, 1884. I will read the statement here:” The Lord has a controversy with His professed people in these last days. In this controversy men in responsible positions will take a course directly opposite to that pursued by Nehemiah. They will not only ignore and despise the Sabbath themselves, but they will try to keep it from others by burying it beneath the rubbish of custom and tradition. In churches and in large gatherings in the open air, ministers will urge upon the people the necessity of keeping the first day of the week. Ellen G. White, Review and Herald, March 18, 1884. “How has all of this developed?” you asked your captivated audience. “It has developed because of man’s inherent desire to rule. Even among the disciples of Christ the desire to be first was always prevalent. In Matthew twenty, and verse twenty-five, Jesus said to His disciples, ‘Ye know that the princes of the Gentiles exercise dominion over them, and they that are great exercise authority upon them.’ What was Jesus’ comment to this idea? Jesus answered in the following verse, ‘But it shall not be so among you: but whosoever will be great among you, let him be your minister.’ Do you recall how John complained to Jesus that someone else was preaching in His name without their authority? ‘Master, we saw one casting out devils in thy name, and he followeth not us: and we forbad him, because he followeth not us. What did Jesus say, do you remember? ‘Forbid him not: for there is no man which shall do a miracle in my name, that can lightly speak evil of me. For he that is not against us is on our part.’ That passage is found in Mark, chapter nine, verses thirty-eight through forty.” “Because the Church rejected that portion of the 1888 message that deals with the undue ecclesiastical authority of man over his fellow man,” you continue, “and because of the new constitution you passed yesterday, making the temporary General Conference chairman a permanent President, the Lord has altered his purpose for his people – His purpose in the closing scenes for planet earth. We read about this in Numbers, chapter fourteen, and verse thirty-four, ‘After the number of the days in which ye searched the land, even forty days, each day for a year, shall ye bear your iniquities, even forty years, and ye shall know my breach of promise.’ Notice the phrase ‘ye shall know my breach of promise.’ If you will notice in the marginal reading for this statement it says ‘the altering of my purpose.’ The children of Israel had turned back at Kadesh-barnea. They did not go in and possess the land. We read in Numbers, chapter thirtytwo, and verse thirteen that, ‘the Lord’s anger was kindled against Israel, and he made them wander in the wilderness forty years, until all the generation, that had done evil in the sight of the Lord, was consumed.’” “Brethren, I submit that we have turned back from that most precious message given to us in 1888,” you say, striking your hand on the desk for emphasis, “we have turned back from our Kadesh-barnea. Because we have turned back from the message, from our Kadesh-barnea, the Lord has caused this people to also wander in the wilderness. However, we are three times as stubborn, three times as stiffnecked as the children of Israel. ‘I have seen this people, and, behold, it is a stiffnecked people,’ the Lord says in Exodus, chapter thirty-two, and verse nine. Ellen White has warned us that, ‘Satan’s snares are laid for us as verily as they were laid for the children of Israel just prior to their entrance into the land of Canaan. We are repeating the history of that people.’ That statement is found in Testimonies for the Church, volume 5, page 160.” Chapter 23 The Time Traveler -454- “So the Lord has caused the Advent people to wander in the wilderness for three times as long,” you repeat for emphasis. “Almost 120 years have passed since the 1888 message was given – since we turned back at our Kadesh-barnea. The Lord, through the Spirit of Prophecy, declared that this 1888 message was the beginning of the latter rain. We then have rejected the latter rain. How will the Lord respond to our rejection of the message, to our rejection of the latter rain? In a Letter addressed to brother Percy Magan, dated December 7, 1901, Ellen White stated, ‘We may have to remain here in this world because of insubordination many more years, as did the children of Israel, but for Christ’s sake, His people should not add sin to sin by charging God with the consequence of their own wrong course of action.’” “Brothers and sisters, the future history of the Seventh-day Adventist Church, from 1903 onward, is marked with a subtle movement toward Ecumenism,” you report sadly. “But worse than that, the history of the Church is marked with an incessant movement towards Rome. In 1926, just twenty-three short years to the future from this year, the General Conference Executive Committee, in a statement on the Church’s Relationship To Other Societies, voted that, ‘We recognize every agency that lifts up Christ before man as a part of the divine plan for the evangelization of the world, and we hold in high esteem the Christian men and women in other communions who are engaged in winning souls to Christ.’ This would have to include men and women of the Roman Catholic Church. How could our leaders recognize the efforts of Sundaykeeping Babylon as part of the Divine plan for the evangelization of the world? And how could our leaders hold in high esteem the so-called Christian men and women of the so-called Protestant churches of Babylon who reject the sanctuary message, the Sabbath and the law of God? Indeed, they reject all of the three angel’s messages.” “These deluded Seventh-day Adventist leading men must have forgotten the counsel given by sister White, and I quote, ‘There is as great a difference in our faith and that of nominal professors, as the heavens are higher than the earth,’” you emphasize the last phrase. “This statement is found in Spiritual Gifts, volume 2, page 300.” “This erroneous ecumenical thinking on the part of the leading brethren led the Church to accept a new translation of the Bible (inspired by the Jesuits of Rome) on an equal par with the Authorized King James Version, of all things,” you state, noticing the solemn expression on the faces of the brethren. “This new version in 1952 became the official Bible of the National Council of Churches. In 1991 a new edition of this version was endorsed by the Roman Catholic Church, and for the first time, a Protestant version of the Bible can be read in the Mass. I would like to quote from the preface of a modern-day publication that tells the sad story better than I could relate it to you:” Shortly after the [the passing of Adventist pioneers, about the year 1929], the leadership of the Seventhday Adventist Church began to publish articles in the Signs of the Times and Ministry magazines promoting the American Revised Version of the Bible. A book was published (W. P. Pearce, The World’s Best Book, Pacific Press Publishing Association) also promoting the American Revised Version as on an equal par with the Authorized King James version. Dr. [Benjamin G.] Wilkinson felt the need to write in defense of the Authorized version. This project was highly opposed by the leadership of the church. An “unofficial” letter, dated November 18, 1928, from the then President of the General Conference, W. A. Spicer, was sent to Dr. Wilkinson asking him not to enter into this controversy. However, the magazine articles and the book The world’s Best Book were published after this letter was written to Dr. Wilkinson. Because these articles and book were published after his letter to Dr. Wilkinson, General Conference President Spicer was quoted Chapter 23 The Time Traveler -455- as saying to Elder Robbins, “Then let Elder Wilkinson write his side of the question.” The book was eventually published by the author in England under the appropriate title, Our Authorized Bible, Vindicated. Benjamin George Wilkinson, Seventh-day Adventist Encyclopedia (page 1609) (emphasis supplied). “In 1930 the General Conference voted to publish an official Church Manual,” you continue. “As you brethren know, the Seventh-day Adventist Church had never before seen the need for a Church Manual, or Creed. The General Conference Committee also voted a new Statement of Fundamental Beliefs in which many wonderful pioneer Adventist statements were omitted. New doctrines were propagated in this new statement, for example the doctrine of the Trinity, as stated by the National and World Council of Churches.” “In 1949 the note on Christ’s human nature in the chapter ‘A Sinless Life’ was expunged from our wonderful outreach book Bible Readings for the Home Circle,” you report. “The old note stated that Christ had a sinful, fallen nature like ours. A new statement was inserted, stating that how far Christ became a man is a mystery. This was done to prepare the way for a better relationship between the Seventh-day Adventist Church and the Evangelical community – the Sunday-keeping churches of Babylon. Sister White stated in Testimonies for the Church Containing Letters to Physicians and Ministers; Instruction to Seventh-day Adventists, page 54, that if a new system of things was developed within the Seventh-day Adventist Church, and I quote, ‘The fundamental principles that have sustained the work for the last fifty years would be accounted as error’ and, ‘A new organization would be established,’ and further, ‘Books of a new order would be written.’ I submit, brethren, that this fulfillment of prophecy was begun in 1949.” “In the year 1950, the Lord sent two missionaries from Africa to the General Conference with a special message,” you relate. “In this message, the young missionaries from Africa submitted that the Spirit of Prophecy had stated that the 1888 message was the beginning of the ‘Loud Cry,’ and the fact that we were still here in the year 1950 proved that we had rejected the latter rain. This, they stated, called for corporate repentance for rejecting the 1888 message. What was the leading brethren’s response to this call? I read from their official reply:” First: That at the General Conference session held in Minneapolis, Minnesota, in the year 1888, “we”–our church or denomination–rejected the light sent to us by the Lord through Brethren A. T. Jones and E. J. Waggoner on the subject of righteousness by faith; that since then we have been on a detour, presenting hazy ideas regarding righteousness by faith; and that we have been infatuated with a false Christ. Second: That we can never get back on the track, and experience the full blessing of God in the outpouring of the latter rain, until the General Conference confesses that we rejected the light in Minneapolis. Our Answer: Certainly Brethren Wieland and Short have failed to prove that our church rejected the light in Minneapolis. Neither Brethren Wieland or Short nor anyone else can prove that this light was rejected. The facts are that there was no action taken to reject it. Wieland and Short Manuscript Report, As Received By the Officers (page 3) (emphasis supplied). “Brethren, the facts are that not only was the Church still here on planet earth in 1950, but the Church is still here in the year of our Lord 1999, forty-nine more years removed from 1888,” you state. “I will let you be the judge whether Elders Wieland and Short failed to prove that the Seventh-day Adventist Church rejected the light in Minneapolis. What more proof do we need? Do we need another one hundred years to pass before we realize that something is wrong?” (Many voices, no, no). “Elders Wieland and Short warned that by accepting the false Christ of the fallen churches of Babylon we were inviting a coalition with Babylon. I read from the leadership’s official response to the charge.” Chapter 23 The Time Traveler -456- The charge that we are infatuated with a false Christ and are presenting a false Christ is, we believe, unfounded. We must record our inability to accept some of the things Brethren Wieland and Short say about the nature and work of Christ. Wieland and Short Manuscript Report, As Received By the Officers (page 3) (emphasis supplied). “Because the General Conference rejected the warning given in 1950 by Elders Wieland and Short, they were led to accept the doctrine as held by the leading Sunday-keeping Evangelical denominations,” you say softly. “In 1955 and 1956 the leadership of the Seventh-day Adventist Church counseled with leaders of the Evangelical denominations to discuss what Seventh-day Adventists believe. To prove to these leading men of Babylon that Seventh-day Adventists teach and preach the same cardinal doctrines in harmony with those of the leading Evangelical Churches, many pioneer Adventist doctrines were compromised. Primarily on the final atonement and the human nature of Jesus Christ.” “In 1957 these new doctrines on the nature of Christ and the final atonement were published in a book entitled Seventh-day Adventists Answer Questions on Doctrine,” you report to your astonished audience. “This was done to appease the Evangelicals. I now read a statement from page 383 of that heretical book.” Although born in the flesh, He was nevertheless God, and was exempt from the inherited passions and pollutions that corrupt the natural descendants of Adam. Questions on Doctrine. (page 383). “In the April, 1957 issue of Ministry magazine, Roy Allen Anderson, then General Conference Ministerial Secretary, stated that, ‘When the incarnate God broke into human history and became one with the race, it is our understanding that He possessed the sinlessness of the nature with which Adam was created in Eden,’” you quote. “Now you brethren have read enough in the writings of Wagoner and Jones, Ellen White, Prescott, and other Adventist writers to see that this position is in total opposition to pioneer Seventh-day Adventist doctrine.” (Many voices, yes, yes). “Donald G. Reynolds, former President of the Upper Columbia Conference, wrote an article in the Review and Herald, July 1, 1965, entitled, ‘Adam and Evil,’” you relate. “In this article he stated that, ‘Jesus was not like you and me when He was here upon earth, for He was never a sinner. He came to this earth as Adam before Adam fell.’ But that is not all. Leroy Froom, noted Seventh-day Adventist historian stated that, ‘He [Christ] was like Adam before his fall.’ That statement is found in Froom’s book Movement of Destiny, page 428.” “Brother M. L. Andreasen, a faithful retired minister and teacher, stood in protest to the apostasy being published by the leadership of the Church,” you report. “Many ministers and evangelists agreed with Andreasen, but were afraid to stand with him against the tide of apostasy. He stood alone. The leading brethren removed his ministerial credentials. They removed his books from the shelves of the Adventist Book Centers. Many were filled with regret that they did not stand with brother Andreasen and later boldly preached against the apostasy. But it was too late! The apostasy had become rampant among the leadership of the Church.” “You know, we all may be asked to stand alone,” you say earnestly. “Do you recall what sister White said about standing alone? I read from Testimonies for the Church, Volume 5, page 136: ‘To stand in the defense of truth and righteousness when the majority forsake us, to fight the battles of the Lord when champions are few – this will be our test.’ Brother Andreasen faced this test. I wonder, will we have the courage to stand alone when the majority forsake us?” Chapter 23 The Time Traveler -457- “In 1962 the Roman Catholic Church called the Second Vatican Council in Rome,” you report further, glancing at your watch again. “Representatives of all Protestant churches were invited as observers. Three Seventh-day Adventists observers were present. Reporting on the Council, Arthur Maxwell, then Editor of the Signs of the Times magazine, called the Pope, ‘the Holy Father.’ I need not comment further to you brethren about this statement.” “In 1967 the Seventh-day Adventist Church, along with the Roman Catholic Church, became official ‘observers’ on the World Council of Churches,” you report. “Again, from the look on your faces, it is obvious that I need not comment further to you brethren about this action.” “In 1977 Bert B. Beach was the President of the Northern Europe-West Africa Division,” you continue. “At that time he was also Secretary of the World Confessional Families, the theological branch of the World Council of Churches. On May 18, 1977, as Secretary of the World Confessional Families meeting in Rome, Italy, Beach presented the Seventh-day Adventist Church in symbol with a gold medallion to Pope Paul VI. Again I need not comment to you brethren.” “Dr. Samuele Bacchiocchi, professor of church history and theology at Andrews University, graduated from the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome, Italy,” you report. “The Pontifical Gregorian University is the University of the Jesuits. A news clipping, distributed by Dr. Bacchiocchi with his lecture video tapes, state that, ‘He received a gold medal from Pope Paul VI for earning academic distinction of summa cum laude.’ The news clipping featured a photograph of Bacchiocchi in full Jesuit cap and gown. Again, no comment is necessary to you brethren.” “In 1977, Dr. Samuele Bacchiocchi’s book, From Sabbath to Sunday, was published by the Pontifical Gregorian University Press, in Rome, Italy, with the IMPRIMATUR of the Roman Church inside the front cover. As you brethren well know, the Pontifical Gregorian University is the chief school of the Jesuits. It is lauded by the leadership of the Seventh-day Adventist Church that Bacchiocchi was the first, and is still the only, Protestant, so called, to graduate from this Jesuit university.” “Although the book was endorsed by some of the highest ranking Roman Catholic and Evangelical theologians , not a single one became a Sabbath keeper,” you emphasize, tapping your fingers on the desk. “This evidence alone speaks for itself. Brethren, we cannot fellowship with the leaders of the Papacy, or the leaders of Babylon. Jesus said in Matthew 7:20, “Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.” (Many voices, amen, amen). “At the 1980 General Conference session an Episcopal Bishop was invited to address the delegates. The delegates had just voted a “new” Statement of Fundamental Beliefs. Speaking on the Statement voted, the Bishop said, “I had hoped to find disagreement, but I find that more and more I am in harmony with you.” The leading brethren should have taken a clue from this statement by a Bishop of one of the largest denominations of Babylon, wouldn’t you say?” (Many voices, yes, yes). “If I could stop there, it would be critical enough,” you say, hurrying to meet the time deadline of one hour. “But at the 1990 General Conference session, a Roman Catholic Arch-Bishop was invited to address the delegates. This man was appointed by the Vatican itself to speak to the General Conference.” (Many gasp with astonishment). “At the General Conference session in 1985, held in New Orleans, Louisiana, Neal C. Wilson, then General Conference President called Division Presidents ‘Cardinals,’” you report, noting the Chapter 23 The Time Traveler -458- look of disbelief on the faces of the delegates. “Beyond question, the title ‘Cardinal’ refers to the highest Roman Catholic ecclesiastical position other than that of the Pope. Is it any wonder that William Cardinal Keeler, archbishop of Baltimore, and president of the National Conference of Catholic Bishops, was invited to host a weekend seminar on Baptism at the College View Seventh-day Adventist Church, Lincoln, Nebraska. Not only that, but ‘Edward Cardinal Cassidy, president of the Vatican’s Pontifical Council for Christian Unity, was scheduled to attend but at the last minute was sent by the pope to Romania,’ the Lincoln Journal Star, Saturday, October 21, 1995, reported. If that was not serious enough for any thinking Seventhday Adventists, the Star reported further that, ‘Monsignor John Radano, a staff member of the Pontifical Council, will attend as his representative.’ Brethren, this information almost defies comment.” (The delegates sit in stunned silence). “In 1996 three Seventh-day Adventist hospitals in Colorado merged with seven Roman Catholic hospitals,” you continue. “This corporation is headed by a Roman Catholic, yet the leading brethren assure the Church that these Adventist hospitals can continue their purpose and mission and serve the community better. Because of this coalition with the churches of Babylon and the Roman Catholic Church, Adventist leadership is fighting the truth wherever it is spoken or published. You cannot merge with the institutions of the Papacy and still hold to the message written in The Great Controversy. It is just impossible. ‘Can two walk together, except they be agreed?’ (Amos 3:3). Thus the apostle Paul said, “Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.’ (Galatians 6:7). Brethren, do you recall what James White said on this point? I read from the Review and Herald of January 14, 1861:” Here is a man, for instance, who does not agree with us on the subject of the second coming of Christ. He believes that we are wholly mistaken in regard to this great truth. Can we feel union with such a man, and take him into our fellowship and communion? We cannot. We can but feel that he shuts his eyes to some of the clearest light of the Scriptures, and refuses assent to their most unequivocal testimony. We cannot therefore extend to him the hand of Christian fellowship. Just so with the Sabbath. Can we fellowship the man who violates it? We cannot. On a vital point connected with the teaching of the word of God, we are at issue; and the union that would otherwise exist between us, is of course destroyed. So with the subjects of baptism, the sleep of the dead, the destruction of the wicked, &c. Where there is not agreement in theory, there can be, in the Christian sense, no real communion of heart and fellowship of feeling. James White, “Fifty Unanswerable Arguments,” Review and Herald, January 14, 1861. (emphasis supplied). “Brothers and sisters, Percy Magan was right,” you say earnestly. “Yesterday, when you voted the new Constitution, an image of the Papacy was born in the Seventh-day Adventist Church. Notice I said an image of the beast – not an image to the beast. Sister White said that there is an image to the beast, and an image of the beast. I read from The Great Controversy, [1888 edition], page 443: ‘The image is made by the two-horned beast [the United States of America] and is an image to the first beast.’ Notice that she says an image to the first beast. Then she adds, ‘It is also called an image of the beast. Then to learn what the image is like, and how it is to be formed, we must study the characteristics of the beast itself,--the papacy,’ unquote.” “Brethren, when America enforces the Sunday Law it will have made an image to the beast,” you say earnestly. “The establishment of Sunday is an image to the beast – an homage to the Papacy Chapter 23 The Time Traveler -459- and its claim to authority. When you establish an ecclesiastical church system like the Papacy, you have established an image of the beast.” “An image of the Papacy has been established in the Seventh-day Adventist Church,” you repeat. “It has taken almost one hundred years for that Image to develop to the degree that exists today. Yesterday, when you voted the new Constitution, reestablishing the office of President of the General Conference, placing a man once again at the head of the Church, you brethren have sowed the wind. Now, Adventists in 1999 are reaping the whirlwind! Because of the altering of God’s purpose, in the 1990's, the Advent people are facing the mark of the beast within the Church itself, rather than in the Sunday Law. The test or mark of the beast is now ‘will you obey God, or will you obey the ecclesiastical authority of man in an apostate Church.’ The Sunday Law will come, and will be a test to all the world – but when the Sunday Law comes, it will then be too late for most Seventh-day Adventists. Many Adventists regard the Sabbath lightly now – boating, picnicking, going to restaurants, and other worldly activities. If they regard the Sabbath lightly now, how will they stand when the law says that you cannot buy or sell? They are being conditioned now to accept the mark of the beast in the Sunday Law, because they are now accepting the ecclesiastical authority of an apostate Church, and because they are now regarding the Sabbath lightly.” “This is where the corporate Seventh-day Adventist Church is today in the year 1999,” you conclude your report on the Church. “Oh, but do not be disheartened, dear Adventist brother and sister. The Lord is doing a marvelous end-time work in the world through the laymen. Since 1980 many independent, self-supporting ministries are working around the world. They are giving the message in clear, distinct lines. They are giving the trumpet that certain sound.” “Many of those in the self-supporting work have been disfellowshipped from the Church,” you say regretfully. “The reason always given is that they do not recognize the authority of the Church leadership. They are told not to preach or publish the third angel’s message, and not to speak against the apostasy of the leadership. But the independent, self-supporting workers reply as did the apostle Peter when called before the leadership of his day, ‘We ought to obey God rather than men.’ Acts, chapter five, and verse 29.” “Brethren, God is calling out a remnant, who are willing to give the message in clear distinct lines,” you say assuredly. “They are warning the world against receiving the mark of the beast. They are calling the people, through the power of the Holy Spirit, to forsake their sins and prepare to meet the soon coming of the Lord.” (Many voices, yes, yes, amen). “Sadly, I must say that most of the Advent people are in the broad way,” you say with regret. “They are filled with the cares of this world. They regard the Sabbath lightly. Many attend the same theaters and shows as the world. They view the same horrible movies in their homes on their video recorders. Their Bibles and the Spirit of Prophecy lay unread on their bookshelves. But God has a remnant. God is calling common men from the plow, and women from their homes to finish the work abandoned by the Church. The message is going. The third angel’s message is going to triumph gloriously.” (Many voices, yes, yes, amen). “I see that my time is almost up,” you say sadly, glancing at your watch. “In closing I wish to quote one more passage from sister White.” In this fearful time, just before Christ is to come the second time, God’s faithful preachers will have to bear a still more pointed testimony than was borne by John the Baptist. A responsible, important work is before them; and those who speak smooth things, God will not acknowledge as His shepherds.” Chapter 23 The Time Traveler -460- Ellen G. White, Testimonies for the Church, Vol. 1,. page 321. (emphasis supplied). “The Lord has raised up new shepherds who are not afraid to give the trumpet that certain sound,” you report, smiling at the delegates. Tears dim your vision as you raise you right hand in farewell. The tiny alarm in your modern wrist watch chimes the hour. “Goodbye, my Advent brethren and sisters!” you cry aloud as suddenly a noise like a great wind approaches. “Oh, dear brethren, goodbye! I’ll soon see your faces again. Be faithful to Jesus and the message.” Suddenly, you awake from a sound sleep. You realize that the journey back in time was only a dream. Real tears flow as you think of the faithful pioneer Advent brethren, the promise of the glorious victory of the third angel’s message, and that glorious reunion with the Advent brethren at the special resurrection. “And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt,” Daniel wrote. “And they that be wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament; and they that turn many to righteousness as the stars for ever and ever.” (Daniel 12:2, 3, emphasis supplied). Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord from henceforth: Yea, saith the Spirit, that they may rest from their labours; and their works do follow them. Revelation 14:13b If the author of this book had live, yet another 20 years, what more would he not relate of present conditions of apostacy, ecummenical engagement, a Church & State union, the persecution of independant ministries by the corporate church, The faithfull filll, ETC. ? Where do you stand now, at the end of reading this digital book? Are you living by the word of God and witnissing about the SDA Pioneer believes and hopes. Let us hope so...] THE END