Letters and Manuscripts — Volume 19 (1904)

Manuscripts

Ms 2, 1904

A Message of Warning

“Elmshaven,” St. Helena, California

December 15, 1903

Previously unpublished.

I am awakened at half-past twelve. I have a message for Brother Brunson. 19LtMs, Ms 2, 1904, par. 1

Last night I seemed to be in a council meeting. Some of our brethren were studying the Word of God together, comparing scripture with scripture. A messenger from heaven, One of authority, who, unnoticed by those present, had been listening to what was said, began to address the meeting in response to remarks made by one speaker. He spoke with an authority that none could question, saying: 19LtMs, Ms 2, 1904, par. 2

“We are living in a time of probation, when every man is deciding his eternal destiny. The righteous are laying up treasure in heaven, where moth and rust do not corrupt. The impenitent are daily adding to the measure of their iniquity, treasuring up wrath against the day of wrath. 19LtMs, Ms 2, 1904, par. 3

“You who are here are beloved of God. You are His messengers, to whom He has committed the work of giving His warnings to the world. You have a message for [those] who are not aware of their true condition, who do not discern the sure results that will follow their wrong course. 19LtMs, Ms 2, 1904, par. 4

“The world is filled with selfishness. Many, in their eager pursuit of wealth, are treasuring up wrath against the day of wrath. The inhabitants of the world are in rebellion against God. They bear the sign, Transgressors of God’s law. The measure of the transgression of the impenitent is greater today than yesterday, and will be greater tomorrow than today. The impenitent sinner is daily sinking deeper into the mire, enshrouding himself in greater darkness. Every transgression of the decalogue increases his guilt.” 19LtMs, Ms 2, 1904, par. 5

Our Instructor then related the incidents connected with the giving of the law: 19LtMs, Ms 2, 1904, par. 6

“In the third month, when the children of Israel were gone forth out of the land of Egypt, the same day came they into the wilderness of Sinai. For they were departed from Rephidim, and were come to the desert of Sinai, and had pitched in the wilderness; and there Israel encamped before the mount. And Moses went up unto God, and the Lord called him out of the mountain, saying, Thus shalt thou say to the house of Jacob, and tell the children of Israel: Ye have seen what I did unto the Egyptians, and how I bare you on eagles’ wings, and brought you unto Myself. Now therefore if ye will obey My voice indeed, and keep My covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto Me above all people; for all the earth is Mine: and ye shall be unto Me a kingdom of priests, and an holy nation. These are the words which thou shalt speak unto the children of Israel. 19LtMs, Ms 2, 1904, par. 7

“And Moses came and called for the elders of the people, and laid before their faces all these words which the Lord commanded him. And all the people answered together, and said, All that the Lord hath spoken we will do. And Moses returned the words of the people unto the Lord.” [Exodus 19:1-8.] 19LtMs, Ms 2, 1904, par. 8

“And God spake all these words, saying, I am the Lord thy God which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. Thou shalt have no other gods before Me. 19LtMs, Ms 2, 1904, par. 9

“Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth: thou shalt not bow down thyself to them nor serve them; for I the Lord thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and four generation of them that hate Me; and showing mercy unto thousands of them that love Me, and keep My commandments. 19LtMs, Ms 2, 1904, par. 10

“Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain; for the Lord will not hold him guiltless that taketh His name in vain. 19LtMs, Ms 2, 1904, par. 11

“Remember the sabbath day to keep it holy. Six days shalt thou labor, and do all thy work; but the seventh day is the sabbath of the Lord thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates; for in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day, wherefore the Lord blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it. 19LtMs, Ms 2, 1904, par. 12

“Honor thy father and thy mother; that thy days may be long upon the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee. 19LtMs, Ms 2, 1904, par. 13

“Thou shalt not kill. 19LtMs, Ms 2, 1904, par. 14

“Thou shalt not commit adultery. 19LtMs, Ms 2, 1904, par. 15

“Thou shalt not steal. 19LtMs, Ms 2, 1904, par. 16

“Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor. 19LtMs, Ms 2, 1904, par. 17

“Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor’s house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbor’s wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor anything that is thy neighbor’s.” [Exodus 20:1-17.] 19LtMs, Ms 2, 1904, par. 18

“Have you heeded these words as you should have heeded them?” our Instructor asked. “The law of God’s kingdom is plain and clear. The ten commandments are an expression of the character of the Sovereign of the universe. They were proclaimed with awful solemnity from Sinai, that all mankind might clearly understand the requirements of God. These requirements cover the whole duty of man.” 19LtMs, Ms 2, 1904, par. 19

The children of Israel had seen the wonderful power of God in delivering them from the bondage of Egypt. They had seen His judgments upon their oppressors. At the Red Sea, notwithstanding their unbelief and murmuring, God had opened for them a passage through the waters. They had seen the destruction of their enemies. And yet, after passing through these experiences, and after seeing the glory of God upon the mount, they went into idolatry, at a time when they should have humbled themselves in awe before Jehovah. Aided by Aaron, who in the absence of Moses had charge of the camp, they made for their worship a golden calf. For a time Aaron tried to persuade them not to incur the displeasure of God by such wickedness. But they were determined, and fearing for his life, Aaron yielded to their clamors and made for them the idol that they demanded. 19LtMs, Ms 2, 1904, par. 20

Where was Aaron’s faith? Had he stood true to duty, he might have saved the people from idolatry. The Lord was looking upon the scene, and had Aaron stood firm for the right, He would have manifested His power. 19LtMs, Ms 2, 1904, par. 21

The Lord was greatly displeased by Aaron’s apostasy, and had it not been for the prayers of Moses in his behalf, he would have been destroyed. 19LtMs, Ms 2, 1904, par. 22

Moses was in the mount when the people in the camp so terribly dishonored God. “And the Lord said unto him, Go, get thee down; for thy people, which thou broughtest out of the land of Egypt, have corrupted themselves; they have turned aside quickly out of the way which I commanded them; they have made them a molten calf, and have worshiped it, and have sacrificed thereunto, and said, These be thy gods, O Israel, which have brought thee up out of the land of Egypt. ... 19LtMs, Ms 2, 1904, par. 23

“I have seen this people, and, behold, it is a stiff-necked people; now therefore let Me alone, that My wrath may wax hot against them, and that I may consume them; and I will make of thee a great nation. 19LtMs, Ms 2, 1904, par. 24

“And Moses besought the Lord his God, and said, Lord, why doth Thy wrath wax hot against this people, which Thou hast brought forth out of the land of Egypt with great power, and with a mighty hand? Wherefore should the Egyptians speak and say, For mischief did He bring them out, to slay them in the mountains, and to consume them from the face of the earth? 19LtMs, Ms 2, 1904, par. 25

“Turn Thy face from Thy fierce wrath, and repent of this evil against Thy people. Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, Thy servants, to whom Thou swarest by Thyself, and saidst unto them, I will multiply your seed as the stars of heaven, and all this land that I have spoken of will I give unto your seed, and they shall inherit it forever. 19LtMs, Ms 2, 1904, par. 26

“And the Lord repented Him of the evil which He thought to do unto His people.” [Exodus 32:7-14.] God graciously gave Israel another opportunity. 19LtMs, Ms 2, 1904, par. 27

These incidents in the experience of Israel are recorded that the people of God today may learn a lesson from them. Read these scriptures, and give warning to the people, that they may not sin as did the children of Israel. 19LtMs, Ms 2, 1904, par. 28

“And it came to pass on the morrow that Moses said unto the people, Ye have sinned a great sin; and now I will go up unto the Lord; peradventure I shall make an atonement for your sin. And Moses returned unto the Lord, and said, Oh, this people have sinned a great sin, and have made them gods of gold. Yet now if Thou wilt forgive their sin—; and if not, blot me, I pray Thee, out of Thy book which Thou hast written. And the Lord said unto Moses, Whosoever hath sinned against Me, him will I blot out of My book. Therefore now, go, lead the people unto the place of which I have spoken unto thee; behold, Mine Angel shall go before thee: nevertheless in the day when I visit, I will visit their sin upon them.” [Verses 30-34.] 19LtMs, Ms 2, 1904, par. 29

As our Instructor rehearsed these striking occurrences, the fear of God rested upon those present. Solemnly the words were spoken, “Who will now venture upon the ground of transgression? Who will dare to work against God? Every oath, every falsehood, every sneer against His law is recorded in the books of heaven.” 19LtMs, Ms 2, 1904, par. 30

Turning to Brother Brunson, He continued, “You have been entrusted by the Lord with special talents. Will you use these talents in opposing the Lord Jesus, who came to our world to die on Calvary, in order to make it possible for men and women to return to their loyalty? The God of Israel has not called upon you to dishonor Him by vindicating error. You will not glorify Him by taking your position with those who disregard His law. If this law had not been binding, God would not have given His Son to die to redeem men from the penalty of transgression. God accepted the sacrifice of His Son, and this makes it possible for men, by accepting Jesus, to receive pardon for sin and power to become sons of God.” 19LtMs, Ms 2, 1904, par. 31

Study carefully the instruction found in the fourth chapter of Deuteronomy, verses one to ten. Notice that obedience to the law of God is the only condition upon which God’s promises were to be fulfilled to Israel. 19LtMs, Ms 2, 1904, par. 32

My brother, the Lord did not give you your talents that you might make of no effect the truth of heavenly origin. Many of the theories you are advocating have no foundation in the Word of God. Unless you make a decided change, you will finally oppose the truth that God has given His people for these last days. 19LtMs, Ms 2, 1904, par. 33

The expression of your opinions regarding the doctrine of justification, the assertion that a man once in grace is always in grace, does not prove these opinions to be true. [By] the teaching of the doctrines that you have lately made prominent in your discourses, souls will be turned away from a plain “Thus saith the Lord.” The theories that you have been presenting are not in harmony with the Word of God and will lead you away from the Sabbath of the fourth commandment. 19LtMs, Ms 2, 1904, par. 34

If you consider that the Sabbath is a matter of little importance, you are certainly entertaining serious errors. 19LtMs, Ms 2, 1904, par. 35

“The Lord spake unto Moses, saying, Speak thou also unto the children of Israel, saying, Verily, my sabbaths ye shall keep; for it is a sign between Me and you throughout your generations; that ye may know that I am the Lord that doth sanctify you. Ye shall keep the sabbath therefore; for it is holy unto you: every one that defileth it shall surely be put to death; for whosoever doeth any work therein, that soul shall be cut off from among his people. Six days may work be done; but in the seventh is the sabbath of rest, holy to the Lord; whosoever doeth any work in the sabbath day, he shall surely be put to death. Wherefore the children of Israel shall keep the sabbath, to observe the sabbath throughout their generations, for a perpetual covenant. It is a sign between Me and the children of Israel forever; for in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, and on the seventh day He rested, and was refreshed.” [Exodus 31:12-17.] 19LtMs, Ms 2, 1904, par. 36

How can any one with the fear of God before him disobey these plain specifications? How can men so harden their conscience that they will regard lightly the instruction of the Lord Jesus? 19LtMs, Ms 2, 1904, par. 37

Were the “once in grace always in grace” doctrine true, Satan would never have fallen from heaven. His case is a demonstration of the sure result of transgressing God’s law. 19LtMs, Ms 2, 1904, par. 38

Because of disobedience to a command of God, Adam and Eve lost their right to Eden. And the condition of the fallen race today testifies of the awful results of transgressing God’s law. 19LtMs, Ms 2, 1904, par. 39

If you follow out the ideas you have been cherishing, the consequences will be sad indeed. Unless you see your mistakes, you will be led to preach error and finally be led to go directly against the law of God. 19LtMs, Ms 2, 1904, par. 40

The power of God will not accompany you in opposing His holy law and in assailing the position that God has called upon His people to occupy. Some will give heed to the errors you teach, and in the day of final retribution the blood of souls will be found on your garments. 19LtMs, Ms 2, 1904, par. 41

The Lord has a controversy with the inhabitants of this world. Soon the battle will be fiercely waged between those who serve God and those who serve Him not. Soon everything will be shaken that can be shaken, that the things that cannot be shaken may remain. Satan is a diligent Bible student. He knows that his time is short, and he seeks at every point to counterwork the work of God’s people. 19LtMs, Ms 2, 1904, par. 42

There is a great work to be done by God’s commandment-keeping people. The Lord calls upon His servants to use every talent He has entrusted to them, in proclaiming to the world the message that is due today: 19LtMs, Ms 2, 1904, par. 43

“Babylon is fallen, is fallen, that great city, because she made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication.” “Come out of her, My people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues.” [Revelation 14:8; 18:4.] When this message is loudly proclaimed, men of God’s appointment will understand His voice and receive the light from heaven. 19LtMs, Ms 2, 1904, par. 44

Brother Brunson, if you will to do the will of God, you may hear Him speaking to you. He has a message for you, but it is wholly unlike the message you desire to proclaim. If you set up your own standard, and endeavor to rally the people around you, you will some day feel keen sorrow of heart to see that you have been working against God. The Lord calls upon you now to come into full union with His people. If you will accept God’s message for this time, you will receive freedom, light, and power. 19LtMs, Ms 2, 1904, par. 45

The Lord will pardon your transgressions. He will forgive your sin in magnifying your opinions against the positive truth of the Word of God. But you must first humble your heart before Him. 19LtMs, Ms 2, 1904, par. 46

My mind was burdened with this instruction as I awoke this morning. I have written out for you the message that was given me. Will you receive it? I leave the matter with you. There is need for you to take decided action. Error, with its power to leaven minds, must not be presented as truth to Seventh-day Adventists. The Lord invites you to stand on the platform of eternal truth. 19LtMs, Ms 2, 1904, par. 47