Letters and Manuscripts — Volume 18 (1903)

Lt 303, 1903

Kellogg, J. H.

“Elmshaven,” St. Helena, California

August 29, 1903

Portions of this letter are published in CTr 227. +^Note

Dr. J. H. Kellogg

My dear Brother,—

Recently I have been wrought upon by the Spirit of God to say to you some things that I did not say at the General Conference in Oakland because I felt that that was not the proper time or place to mention them. I have hoped that you would give heed to the messages borne to you, and humble your heart before God. But you have not done this. 18LtMs, Lt 303, 1903, par. 1

Last Tuesday, in the early morning hours, your case was presented before me in such a way that now, for your own soul’s sake, I will mention some things, but not all. I am instructed to bear a message to you, and to our brethren who claim to believe the truth as revealed in the messages that Christ came to the Isle of Patmos to give to John while this apostle was in exile—the messages portraying the events that will occur in the last days of this earth’s history. John was directed to communicate these messages to the churches. 18LtMs, Lt 303, 1903, par. 2

“The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto Him, to show unto His servants things which must shortly come to pass; and He sent and signified it by His angel unto His servant John.” [Revelation 1:1.] “Which must shortly come to pass.” If at the time these things were revealed, it could be said that they would “shortly come to pass,” they must be very nigh now. It is of far greater importance to us that we understand this solemn revelation, which concerns our temporal and eternal interests, than that we study Latin, or Greek, or the science of drug medication. We do not need these branches of learning. If we had needed them, the great Medical Missionary would certainly have given us some instruction in regard to the matter. 18LtMs, Lt 303, 1903, par. 3

At this time, when the inhabitants of the whole world are being worked with an intensity by Satanic agencies, we are to gain an understanding of the one thing needful that will make it possible for us to secure eternal life. The one thing positively needful now, in this last remnant of time, is that we should love God supremely and our neighbors as ourselves. When practical godliness of this sort shall come into the church, Heaven’s signature will be attached to the work done to reveal to the world the true Medical Missionary. Christ came to this earth to ennoble and refine and sanctify humanity. By His words and works in behalf of the fallen race, He evidenced to men and women what they can become by cooperating with their Creator. 18LtMs, Lt 303, 1903, par. 4

The desecrated and defiled order of beings, united with the great deceiver, work with all deceivableness of unrighteousness. Satanic agencies, working through human minds, devise and plan wonderful things that are not acceptable to God nor in harmony with His purpose. 18LtMs, Lt 303, 1903, par. 5

We see Satan’s work constantly growing in intensity, as manifested in increasing deception, violence, and crime. How can the false and cruel work of apostasy and rebellion be dealt with, both for the destruction of evil and the restoration of the evil-doers? During the entire experiment the remedial agencies must stand forth pure and undefiled. 18LtMs, Lt 303, 1903, par. 6

All our medical missionary work is to bear the marks of heavenly, denominated power. It is to be free from stain and corruption and defilement. When Christ was engaged in medical missionary work, He declared to His disciples, “My meat is to do the will of Him that sent Me, and to finish His work.” [John 4:34.] If this was His plan in doing this line work, if the Lord of life and glory thus resigned Himself in conformity to the divine will in order to give to the world an example of self-denial and self-sacrifice, how it does put to shame our human preferences, our human exaltation! 18LtMs, Lt 303, 1903, par. 7

If man will not accept Christ’s terms and reform, the seeds of rebellion will take root, spring up, and bear fruit, whereby many will be deceived and defiled. Rebellion will never cure itself. God alone can conquer it by reproof, by correction in righteousness, through His appointed agencies. But some will not be cured, for they will never confess their sins and become vessels unto honor. 18LtMs, Lt 303, 1903, par. 8

Our adversary, Satan, will work in every conceivable way to prevent erring, sinful man—especially one who occupies a leading position of responsibility—from making straight thorough work for time and for eternity. 18LtMs, Lt 303, 1903, par. 9

The Lord has entreated, reproved, encouraged, invited, and drawn by the cords of His love, the erring ones; but they change not their course. “Come unto Me,” He says, “that ye might have life, and through humiliation and repentance have it more abundantly.” But the adversary to God and man has exercised his power over these experienced leaders, and wrought through them, doing many things contrary to the teachings of Jesus of Nazareth, and Satan will hold them captive as long as they have any inclination to continue in his service. 18LtMs, Lt 303, 1903, par. 10

Let us obey the Captain of our salvation. His title is, The Lord of Hosts. By His sufferings and humiliation He has purchased every soul. “To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with Me in My throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with My Father in His throne.” [Revelation 3:21.] These are the terms of salvation. And may God forbid that poor, weak, erring, finite man should build up barriers around himself to maintain his dignity, for such a man, and all who follow his example, will lose everything of value in this life, as well as the eternal weight of glory granted to the overcomer. 18LtMs, Lt 303, 1903, par. 11

Never will the human family—redeemed by the example of the Sent of God, the only begotten of the Father—understand and fully comprehend the terrible conflict waged with deceptive, alluring power and concealed, deadly hatred by Satan against our Lord when He lived among men. After the battle of the great day of God shall take place, when the power of rebellion is forever broken, and Christ’s mediatorial work in its magnitude is represented so plainly that all the redeemed of God’s family shall with clear comprehension understand the mission of His Son as the mediatorial remedy to make of the fallen race a repentant, humble, meek, reclaimed order of beings—then there will be seen developed the difference between that serveth God and him that serveth Him not. 18LtMs, Lt 303, 1903, par. 12

Rebellion will exist in our world until in heaven are spoken the words, “It is done.” [Revelation 16:17.] Rebellion in the church is caused by its members feeling opposed to God and to His terms of salvation. Man wants abundant room to express himself and to attract attention. He does not know or understand that he is working out the plans of Satan. If he refuses to see and to become enlightened, if he refuses to be instructed, he rejects the mediatorial remedy that has been given to save the sinner not in his sin but from his sin. For the express purpose of saving sinners, was the remedial work of Christ planned. 18LtMs, Lt 303, 1903, par. 13

When Christ first announced to the heavenly host His mission and work in the world, He declared that He was to leave His position of dignity and disguise His holy mission by assuming the likeness of a man, when in reality He was the Son of the infinite God. And when the fullness of time was come, He stepped down from His throne of highest command, laid aside His royal robe and kingly crown, clothed His divinity with humanity, and came to this earth to exemplify what humanity must do and be in order to overcome the enemy and to sit with the Father upon His throne. Coming, as He did, as a man, <to meet and be subjected to> with all the evil tendencies to which man is heir, <working in every conceivable manner to destroy his faith>, He made it possible for Himself to be buffeted by human agencies inspired by Satan, the rebel who had been expelled from heaven. 18LtMs, Lt 303, 1903, par. 14

As the head of humanity, Christ lived on this earth a perfect, consistent life, in conformity with the will of His heavenly Father. When He left the courts of heaven, He announced the mission that He designed to fulfill. “Lo, I come,” He declared. “In the volume of the book it is written of Me, I delight to do Thy will, O My God.” [Psalm 40:7, 8.] Always uppermost in His mind and heart was the thought, “Not My human will, but Thy will, be done.” [Luke 22:42.] This was the infallible principle that actuated Him in all His words and works, and that molded His character. 18LtMs, Lt 303, 1903, par. 15

Born in poverty in a stable, reared and trained in seclusion in the humbler walks of life, the Saviour of mankind was not recognized as a superior being, but He who was the Majesty of heaven, the King of glory, uttered no complaint in regard to His humble station in life. He was reproached even by His own brethren, because He would not take part with them in their sins. He conformed His will to the will of His Father, as all the human family should do. 18LtMs, Lt 303, 1903, par. 16

Christ Jesus our Lord was a faultless character, a perfect example of heavenly grace and lowliness. From His birth to His death He gave us an example of what men and women must be, if they are accepted as His disciples, and hold the beginning of their confidence firm unto the end. In the first period of His human existence, He did not deviate from what every child should be educated to be. He preserved His honesty, truthfulness, and integrity. He was a specimen of heaven here on the earth—an example of what every child, every youth, may be in the family home in the manifestation of tenderness, kindness, love, perfect obedience. Angels of heaven are appointed to watch over every child that comes into the world. 18LtMs, Lt 303, 1903, par. 17

Throughout His experience, during the thirty-three years He spent on this earth, Christ was beset with all the temptations wherewith the human family are tempted, yet He was without a stain of sin. He was mocked, derided, spat upon, crowned with thorns, crucified. At the close of His dying agonies on the cross, He had finished His work triumphantly. 18LtMs, Lt 303, 1903, par. 18

Christ sacrificed Himself in order that He might rescue man from the penalty of sin. “He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon Him; and with His stripes we are healed.” [Isaiah 53:5.] And yet, notwithstanding the Redeemer’s work in our behalf, there are among us today some spiritual leaders who are in need of being led, leaders who are corrupting their way and leading others into false paths through the presentation of perverted principles. Some who have long walked in various forbidden paths will not humble themselves before God, repent and be converted, that their marked errors, their many sins may be blotted out. But God will not be mocked. He cannot, will not, bear much longer with those who make such a showing. 18LtMs, Lt 303, 1903, par. 19

“God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” [John 3:16.] Ought not the human family consider what the Father and His Son have done to save the human family? And, considering all these things, ought they not to be ashamed of their self-willed indulgences, their self-exaltation as leaders, when at all times they should have pointed away from themselves to Jesus Christ as their Leader, their Redeemer? Oh, that the curtain could be rolled back, and poor, sinful mortals could be enabled to endure the seeing of Him who is invisible! Proud, self-exalted, sinful human beings would change their attitude decidedly. Their wicked boasting would appear in all its contemptibleness; they would understand that their disgusting representations have made Christ ashamed to call them His disciples. And yet they glorify themselves as leaders above Christ and turn away from the example of humiliation that He has given them. They desire not to practice the self-denial and self-sacrifice that He practiced. They will not eat of His flesh and drink of His blood—His Word. They fail to learn the lessons that He desires to teach them. 18LtMs, Lt 303, 1903, par. 20

Christ’s life was one of continual trial in our behalf. Divinity was hidden under the garb of humanity. But how many poor, sinful mortals endeavor to climb to the highest pinnacle of self-exaltation! Christ turns away in grief. With quivering lips and with weeping He says, “Ye will not come unto Me, that ye might have life.” [John 5:40.] He knows that unless these erring ones reform, they must perish. He has paid a heavy ransom for their redemption; but still they refuse to represent before the world, in word and deed, the meek and lowly Saviour. 18LtMs, Lt 303, 1903, par. 21

I am instructed to say, It is not now too late to make thorough work for repentance and reformation. There is no excuse for any man to choose to rule others and to exercise a controlling power over human minds. The will of such a man needs to be broken and changed. True leaders are willing to be led in the Lord’s way because they feel that the responsibilities they are carrying are so fearfully solemn, and the results of following a wrong course so terrible that they dare not choose their own way or carry out their own devising, which would be liable to encourage a condition of things that would place them on the side of the great fallen rebel. 18LtMs, Lt 303, 1903, par. 22

I call upon all who have any desire to be saved: Turn ye, turn ye, for why will you further provoke the wrath of an offended God? Why will you be companions of those who love not the truth and the Word—those who never submit their wills to God’s will; those who in words and theories and worldly maxims deny the faith, and give heed to seducing spirits, misconstruing, yes, perverting, the truth? Are you not afraid of the next reproof from God? Who will now, while it is called today, while Mercy’s sweet voice is still heard calling, repent of their evil course, and follow Him who has said: “Come unto Me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you, and learn of Me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For My yoke is easy, and My burden is light.” [Matthew 11:28-30.] 18LtMs, Lt 303, 1903, par. 23

Man can brace himself in stubbornness and rebellion against the truth. He can exalt himself in sinful acts, as some have repeatedly done. Every such an one needs now to make a determined effort to cut himself loose from Satan’s chariot-car, and no longer do his will. 18LtMs, Lt 303, 1903, par. 24

The Lord has a controversy with His people. There are some with whom He has borne long, marking out before them again and again the course that they should pursue. And while these may have made some changes, they do not make thorough work because they receive not the love of the truth, that they may be saved. Therefore, very soon the Lord will send them strong delusions, that they should believe a lie. 18LtMs, Lt 303, 1903, par. 25

Oh, may God forbid that these souls in peril should continue to rebel against the truth and to take pleasure in unrighteousness! Oh, how can so many spoil themselves by their own deceptions! 18LtMs, Lt 303, 1903, par. 26

All can see that the day of peril is now upon us. No man’s life is secure. Men will be imbued with the desire to kill, and anyone that crosses their track is unsafe. In the closing days of this earth’s history, Satan seems to have things arranged in his own way. As it was in the days of Noah, so shall it be when the Son of man shall be revealed. Consider the forbearance God manifested toward the Sodomites and their final punishment. 18LtMs, Lt 303, 1903, par. 27

The Lord lays grave responsibilities on the men who have stood at the head of the rank and file of His people. My brethren, He is trying to call your attention to your own peril. He invites; He presents motives. Who will continue to reject His overtures of mercy? Who will still choose to serve the enemy? If you resist longer, will the Lord God touch your hearts after you have had a more extended experience in regarding your own ideas as supreme? Many of these ideas are brought to the mind by the father of lies and deception. 18LtMs, Lt 303, 1903, par. 28

The cross of Christ, with all its record of the Saviour’s humiliation, stands before you. Saith Christ, “Whosoever will come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me.” [Mark 8:34.] To all such will He give grace and strength. He will be unto them as One who is compassionate and lovely. He it is who gives the invitation, “Let him take hold of My strength, that he may make peace with Me; and he shall make peace with Me.” [Isaiah 27:5.] 18LtMs, Lt 303, 1903, par. 29