There are many ways to answer that question. Certain issues of reform have been set forth for Adventists. The health message is the right arm of the third angel’s message (Kress Collection, 50; Counsels on Diet and Foods, 73). It’s interesting how Sister White says something isn’t a test, but perhaps they are. She tells us that the health message is not to be made a test of fellowship, but she also says that those among us who continue to use flesh food will go out from among us. The health message is not a test of fellowship, but if we don’t get on board with the health message we are not going to have the physical, mental, and spiritual strength to stand through this testing time. We are entering in the time where every earthly support is going to be cut off.
You can demonstrate from the writings of Ellen White that there is no justification for an Adventist to be living in the cities after 1888. Recently, in the United States, there have been all kinds of false dreams popping up, making predictions about tremendously horribly things that are about to happen in the cities of the United States. Some brethren that were living in the United States, that had emigrated here from foreign countries, in the past few months, when they heard these false dreams, returned to their countries of origin. It’s obvious that they were motivated by fear. We need to be living in the country. In 1901 Sister White said: “Out of the cities, out of the cities, out of the cities, this is my message!” But we are not supposed to move out of the cities because we are motivated by fear. The purpose of living in the county is to be in an environment where we can more completely develop the character of Christ. We are supposed to be in the country, where we can enter into the ABC’s of true education. There is a sanctifying process that goes on as we learn the ABC’s of true education. Still, some of us are not even aware what the ABC’s of true education are. It is gardening! We need to be out in the country, where we are having a lifestyle, which the Holy Spirit can round off the rough edges and prepare us for the seal of God.
At the end of the world we are to be the people of God that keep the commandments of God, have the faith of Jesus, and have the Spirit of Prophecy. There isn’t any light in the Bible or Spirit of Prophecy that the 144,000 aren’t going to understand fully. This is the highest calling of all times. I’ll drop back to one more answer about what we need to do in this time. The Millerite history is repeated to the very letter at the end of the world. In 1798 the book of Daniel was unsealed and according to Daniel 12, at that point there was an increase of knowledge. That knowledge was life or death. Hosea 4:6 says: “My people are destroyed from a lack of knowledge.” Daniel 12:10 it is said that the wise would understand the increase of knowledge, but the wicked would not understand the increase of knowledge. Sister White says that every generation has a special message of present truth for their generation. The special message for the Millerites is what we call the first angel’s message. The first angel’s message is the everlasting gospel. The gospel is first set forth in God’s word in Genesis 3:15. It’s a pronouncement against Satan but it’s a promise for you and me. The Gospel pronouncement is that the Lord would put enmity between the seed of Satan and the seed of Christ.
The Millerites proclaimed the everlasting gospel, and the everlasting gospel produces two classes of worshippers. It can be illustrated, these two classes of worshippers, in the Millerite history with a variety of biblical symbols. In Daniel 12, the two classes were the wise and the wicked. The wise understood the increase of knowledge, the wicked didn’t. In the parable of the ten virgins which the Millerites fulfilled, you have the wise virgins and the foolish virgins. In the parable of the wheat and tares, the Millerites had wheat and had tares. In the parable of the wheat and tares, who separated the wheat and tares? It was the angels! The angels separate the wheat and tares. The history of the Millerites is the history of the first and second angel’s message. The everlasting gospel was proclaimed in that history. The everlasting gospel is a promise that two classes of worshippers will be produced. But the Millerites didn’t only proclaim the everlasting gospel, they experienced it. When they got to October 22, 1844 there were 50,000 Millerites and on that day 49,950 continued to pray to the Holy Place and Satan began to answer their prayers and only 50 moved into the Most Holy Place with Christ. They had not only proclaimed the everlasting gospel, they experienced it. Through the proclamation of the two angel’s messages, the wheat and tares were separated.
That history has left on record a testimony for you and me. The testimony is this: At the end of the world when the Lord raises up the 144,000 representatives of His character, there is going to be an increase of knowledge from His prophetic word. The wicked in Adventism won’t understand or accept that increase of knowledge, but the wise will. The wise are going to recognize it. The wise are going to begin to devour that increase of knowledge. The Bible teaches that Christ is going to sanctify us, make us holy. But how does Christ make us holy? “Sanctify them through thy word. Thy word is truth.” The process of sanctification that is carried out among the 144,000 is perfection of character that is accomplished through the 144,000 coming to understand the unfolding prophetic message that Christ has given them. The promise in the Bible is that God’s word will not return unto Him void. The purpose of the increase of prophetic knowledge among the 144,000 is to produce a sanctified character prepared for the seal of God. We fulfill our test right where we began in this interview. The first quote we used was from Testimonies, volume 5, 708, where she speaks of Adventists: “As a people we are called individually to be students of prophecy.” The work of studying prophecy is not simply to understand end time events. The work of a student of prophecy is to allow God’s word to sanctify you in preparation for the seal of God.
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