Music...
00:00:01.36\00:00:30.99
Welcome to the Program of
3ABN Australia Homecoming 2019.
00:00:31.03\00:00:36.46
We have got a really great
Program for you this afternoon
00:00:36.50\00:00:41.90
and Mike, do you want to say who
we're going to be listening to?
00:00:41.94\00:00:45.24
Yes, we have a special item,
00:00:45.27\00:00:47.91
Diane Hope is taking our
special item this afternoon,
00:00:47.94\00:00:50.91
it's entitled: Who am I?
00:00:50.95\00:00:52.85
Beautiful...
00:00:52.88\00:00:54.45
and we have our
favorite doctor...
00:00:54.48\00:00:55.82
Dr. Allan Lindsay who's going to
be our Speaker this afternoon,
00:00:55.85\00:00:58.59
and the title of
his presentation is:
00:00:58.62\00:01:01.49
A Certain Voice
in Uncertain Times
00:01:01.52\00:01:04.33
and we know Pastor Lindsay...
00:01:04.36\00:01:07.56
Dr. Lindsay as a
Spirit-filled man
00:01:07.60\00:01:09.63
and we're looking forward
to his message to us today.
00:01:09.66\00:01:13.03
Certainly am, I know it
will be very, very powerful
00:01:13.07\00:01:17.31
and he has a key text,
it's 2nd Chronicles 20:20.
00:01:17.34\00:01:21.51
"And they rose
early in the morning,
00:01:21.54\00:01:23.85
and went forth into
the wilderness of Tekoa:
00:01:23.88\00:01:26.55
and as they went forth,
Jehoshaphat stood and said,
00:01:26.58\00:01:30.39
Hear me, O Judah, and ye
inhabitants of Jerusalem;
00:01:30.42\00:01:34.16
Believe in the LORD your God,
and ye shall be established;
00:01:34.19\00:01:38.09
believe His prophets,
so shall ye prosper. "
00:01:38.13\00:01:42.20
Let's bow our heads in prayer.
00:01:42.23\00:01:45.70
Okay, let's pray, Folks,
00:01:45.73\00:01:47.07
"Father in heaven,
00:01:47.10\00:01:48.47
we want to dedicate
this afternoon's program
00:01:48.50\00:01:50.64
to... we want to ask that
You will fill with Your Spirit
00:01:50.67\00:01:55.41
both Diane and Dr. Allan
as they minister to us today,
00:01:55.44\00:01:59.55
and touch our hearts and
lift our hearts to Jesus,
00:01:59.61\00:02:03.25
we pray in His name, amen. "
00:02:03.28\00:02:04.65
Amen...
00:02:04.69\00:02:10.36
Pause...
00:02:10.39\00:02:16.06
Music...
00:02:16.10\00:02:30.28
Over time You've
healed so much in me,
00:02:30.31\00:02:33.48
I am living proof.
00:02:33.52\00:02:36.35
That although my
darkest hour had come,
00:02:36.38\00:02:39.69
Your light could
still shine through.
00:02:39.72\00:02:42.39
Though at times
it's just enough to cast,
00:02:42.42\00:02:45.99
A shadow on the wall.
00:02:46.03\00:02:48.76
When I am
grateful that You've shined
00:02:48.80\00:02:52.40
Your light on me at all.
00:02:52.43\00:02:55.77
Who am I,
00:02:55.80\00:02:59.37
That You would
love me so gently?
00:02:59.41\00:03:02.58
Who am I,
00:03:02.61\00:03:05.18
That You would
recognize my name?
00:03:05.21\00:03:08.25
Lord, who am I,
00:03:08.28\00:03:11.52
That You would
speak to me so softly?
00:03:11.55\00:03:15.42
Conversation with
the Lord most high.
00:03:15.46\00:03:20.63
Who am I?
00:03:20.66\00:03:24.67
Music...
00:03:24.70\00:03:33.94
Amazing grace
how sweet the sound,
00:03:33.98\00:03:36.91
That saved a wretch like me
00:03:36.95\00:03:39.38
I once was lost,
but now I'm found,
00:03:39.41\00:03:43.08
Was blind, but now I see,
00:03:43.12\00:03:45.62
And the more I sing
that sweet old song,
00:03:45.65\00:03:49.12
The more I understand,
00:03:49.16\00:03:51.76
That I do not
comprehend this love
00:03:51.79\00:03:55.43
that's coming from Your hand.
00:03:55.46\00:03:58.83
Who am I,
00:03:58.87\00:04:02.87
That You would
love me so gently?
00:04:02.90\00:04:05.67
Who am I,
00:04:05.71\00:04:08.34
That You would
recognize my name?
00:04:08.38\00:04:11.38
Lord, who am I?
00:04:11.41\00:04:14.45
That You would
speak to me so softly?
00:04:14.48\00:04:19.12
Conversation with
the Lord most high.
00:04:19.15\00:04:23.76
Who am I.
00:04:23.79\00:04:31.00
Grace, grace...
00:04:31.03\00:04:34.47
God's grace,
00:04:34.50\00:04:36.84
Grace that will
pardon, and cleanse within.
00:04:36.87\00:04:42.91
Grace, grace.
00:04:42.94\00:04:46.51
God's great grace,
00:04:46.55\00:04:49.28
Grace that is greater
00:04:49.32\00:04:52.05
than all my sin.
00:04:52.09\00:04:58.89
Who am I,
00:04:58.93\00:05:02.53
That You would
love me so gently?
00:05:02.56\00:05:05.70
Who am I,
00:05:05.73\00:05:08.27
That You would
recognize my name?
00:05:08.30\00:05:11.64
Lord, who am I,
00:05:11.67\00:05:14.51
That You would
speak to me so softly?
00:05:14.54\00:05:18.55
Conversation with
the Lord most high.
00:05:18.58\00:05:25.65
Who am I?
00:05:25.69\00:05:31.13
Lord, who am I?
00:05:31.16\00:05:36.30
Who am I?
00:05:36.33\00:05:42.67
Who am I,
00:05:42.70\00:05:45.94
Who am I?
00:05:45.97\00:05:53.42
Audience: Amen.
00:05:53.45\00:05:56.45
Pause...
00:05:56.48\00:06:02.82
Good Afternoon everybody.
00:06:02.86\00:06:04.89
Audience: Good Afternoon.
00:06:04.93\00:06:06.80
Thank you Diane for
that beautiful song,
00:06:06.83\00:06:08.76
it reminds us that God's
grace is available to all of us
00:06:08.83\00:06:12.63
and that's a
wonderful thing to think about
00:06:12.67\00:06:15.50
and to sing
about this afternoon.
00:06:15.54\00:06:18.17
For ten years,
it was my privilege
00:06:18.21\00:06:20.78
to serve as the Director for
the Ellen White Research Center
00:06:20.81\00:06:24.08
here in this
South Pacific Division.
00:06:24.11\00:06:26.82
I remember it was a
very challenging period.
00:06:26.85\00:06:30.05
Many Christians were being asked
00:06:30.09\00:06:32.55
about the life and the
ministry of Ellen White.
00:06:32.59\00:06:35.39
However, I must
say this afternoon
00:06:35.42\00:06:38.06
that when I left the Center,
00:06:38.09\00:06:39.83
I felt very blessed
to have had access...
00:06:39.86\00:06:43.26
free access to
all of her writings
00:06:43.30\00:06:47.24
and that left me
in no doubt at all
00:06:47.27\00:06:50.97
about the
genuineness and the relevance
00:06:51.04\00:06:54.71
of the gift that Jesus
gave her for the Church.
00:06:54.74\00:06:58.08
For this reason,
as you've noticed,
00:06:58.11\00:07:00.65
my title today is:
00:07:00.68\00:07:02.02
A Certain Voice
in Uncertain Times.
00:07:02.05\00:07:04.95
But first, we
must always make sure
00:07:04.99\00:07:07.89
that our faith is
based upon the Word of God
00:07:07.92\00:07:10.53
and I'd invite you
to open your Bibles
00:07:10.56\00:07:12.49
if you have them there,
00:07:12.56\00:07:13.90
I hope you do...
00:07:13.93\00:07:15.26
and Revelation
chapter 12 and verse 17,
00:07:15.30\00:07:17.93
a well-known verse.
00:07:17.97\00:07:19.50
We should remember the
context of this chapter,
00:07:19.53\00:07:23.34
because here it's
one of the visions
00:07:23.37\00:07:25.04
that John received in
the book of Revelation
00:07:25.07\00:07:26.98
and in this vision he sees,
particularly two main figures
00:07:27.01\00:07:31.55
if I could put it that way,
00:07:31.58\00:07:32.91
there was a woman
clothed with the sun
00:07:32.95\00:07:35.12
and then, there was a dragon.
00:07:35.15\00:07:36.79
The "woman" is used
consistently in Bible prophecy
00:07:36.82\00:07:40.09
throughout Scripture
to represent God's church
00:07:40.12\00:07:43.29
and the dragon is identified
in verse 9 of the same chapter
00:07:43.32\00:07:47.80
as that old serpent
called the devil and Satan.
00:07:47.83\00:07:50.97
With that background,
let's look at Revelation 12:17,
00:07:51.00\00:07:54.70
"And the dragon... " Satan...
00:07:54.74\00:07:57.34
"was enraged"
that's a strong word...
00:07:57.41\00:08:01.01
"with the woman" the church...
00:08:01.04\00:08:03.01
"and he went to make war
with the rest of her offspring,
00:08:03.04\00:08:06.58
who keep the commandments of God
00:08:06.61\00:08:09.08
and have the
testimony of Jesus Christ. "
00:08:09.12\00:08:11.49
This afternoon, I
want to share with you
00:08:11.52\00:08:16.06
the significance and the meaning
00:08:16.09\00:08:18.13
of that last characteristic.
00:08:18.19\00:08:20.16
There are two characteristics
00:08:20.20\00:08:21.86
that identify
God's remnant people.
00:08:21.90\00:08:24.50
The second one
that is mentioned here
00:08:24.53\00:08:26.84
is that this people will have
the testimony of Jesus Christ
00:08:26.87\00:08:31.81
and that's why I want to
ask the question with you,
00:08:31.84\00:08:35.18
"Are you sure what is the
testimony of Jesus Christ?"
00:08:35.21\00:08:38.48
I found it interesting that
the phrase is found four times
00:08:38.51\00:08:42.75
in the book of Revelation
00:08:42.78\00:08:44.12
and we need to
read the first one
00:08:44.15\00:08:46.45
because the first one
sets our understanding
00:08:46.49\00:08:48.99
of the meaning of the rest.
00:08:49.02\00:08:50.76
So, if you go over to Revelation
chapter 1, the first two verses
00:08:50.79\00:08:54.76
of this wonderful
book and we read this,
00:08:54.80\00:08:57.97
"The Revelation of Jesus Christ,
00:08:58.00\00:09:02.30
which God gave Him
to show His servants...
00:09:02.34\00:09:06.84
things that must
shortly take place.
00:09:06.88\00:09:08.84
And He... " Jesus...
00:09:08.88\00:09:11.45
sent and signified it by
His angel to His servant John,
00:09:11.48\00:09:16.32
the prophet
00:09:16.35\00:09:18.02
who bore witness
to the word of God,
00:09:18.05\00:09:20.76
and to the
testimony of Jesus Christ,
00:09:20.79\00:09:23.96
to all things that he saw. "
00:09:23.99\00:09:26.93
So here is the introduction
to the book of Revelation
00:09:26.96\00:09:30.83
but I want you to notice
the context to this phrase:
00:09:30.87\00:09:33.97
the testimony of Jesus
00:09:34.00\00:09:35.70
because the Bible
gives us the insight here
00:09:35.74\00:09:39.04
that God gave this
revelation to Jesus.
00:09:39.07\00:09:41.98
Jesus sends it
on through His angel
00:09:42.01\00:09:45.45
to the prophet, John
00:09:45.48\00:09:47.12
and then it says
about the prophet
00:09:47.15\00:09:49.52
that he bore witness
to the testimony of Jesus.
00:09:49.55\00:09:52.02
He'd just seen and
received the testimony of Jesus
00:09:52.05\00:09:53.42
he had just seen and
received the testimony of Jesus
00:09:53.46\00:09:57.03
through the angel
00:09:57.06\00:09:58.59
and now in the book...
for the rest of the book,
00:09:58.63\00:10:01.63
he bears testimony and witness
00:10:01.66\00:10:06.37
to the testimony of Jesus
to all things that he sees
00:10:06.40\00:10:10.24
in that wonderful book
00:10:10.27\00:10:11.97
but we need to go
to the end of the book
00:10:12.01\00:10:15.41
to see
something very significant
00:10:15.44\00:10:17.01
so, if you turn over
to Revelation chapter 19,
00:10:17.05\00:10:19.61
and I read in verse 10,
00:10:19.65\00:10:22.18
"And I fell at his
feet to worship him. "
00:10:22.22\00:10:26.76
Now, this is an angel
that he's speaking to,
00:10:26.79\00:10:30.53
but that angel
that is introduced
00:10:30.56\00:10:32.96
in Revelation chapter 1,
00:10:32.99\00:10:34.33
"I fell at his
feet to worship him,
00:10:34.36\00:10:36.53
but he said to me, 'See
that you do not do that!
00:10:36.56\00:10:39.60
I am your fellow
servant, and of your brethren
00:10:39.63\00:10:43.04
who have the testimony of Jesus.
00:10:43.07\00:10:45.54
Worship God!
00:10:45.57\00:10:47.54
For the testimony of Jesus
is the spirit of prophecy. '"
00:10:47.58\00:10:53.15
Here's a Biblical definition,
00:10:53.18\00:10:56.02
given in the same book
that is introduced that way
00:10:56.05\00:10:58.52
and here John says, "I fell
down to worship the angel...
00:10:58.55\00:11:01.59
he said, 'Don't do that,
00:11:01.62\00:11:02.96
I am your fellow
servant and of your brethren
00:11:02.99\00:11:05.59
who have the testimony of Jesus.
00:11:05.63\00:11:07.86
Worship God for
the testimony of Jesus
00:11:07.90\00:11:10.17
is the spirit of prophecy. '"
00:11:10.20\00:11:12.20
But we need to
read... go three chapters over
00:11:12.23\00:11:15.94
to Revelation chapter 22
and let's look at verse 8 and 9,
00:11:15.97\00:11:21.84
Revelation 22:8 and 9.
00:11:21.88\00:11:25.08
Now, we need to see
the context here too
00:11:25.11\00:11:28.28
because John has just been shown
00:11:28.32\00:11:30.75
the beauty of the New
Jerusalem... the new earth
00:11:30.79\00:11:34.02
and he's almost
overcome by what he's seeing
00:11:34.06\00:11:36.96
and there in verse...
00:11:36.99\00:11:38.93
we pick it up,
first of all in verse 6,
00:11:38.96\00:11:41.66
"Then he said to me,
00:11:41.70\00:11:43.03
'These words are
faithful and true. '
00:11:43.06\00:11:44.53
And the Lord God of the holy
prophets sent His angel... '"
00:11:44.57\00:11:48.50
there it is again... "to
show His servants the things
00:11:48.54\00:11:51.21
which must
shortly take place... "
00:11:51.24\00:11:52.61
and then, verse 8,
00:11:52.67\00:11:54.24
"Now I, John, saw
and heard these things.
00:11:54.28\00:11:56.21
And when I heard and saw,
00:11:56.24\00:11:58.78
I fell down to worship
before the feet of the angel
00:11:58.81\00:12:02.15
who showed me these things.
00:12:02.18\00:12:03.52
And he said to me, 'See
that you do not do that.
00:12:03.55\00:12:06.45
For I am your fellow servant,
00:12:06.49\00:12:08.42
and of your
brethren the prophets,
00:12:08.46\00:12:10.13
and those who keep the words
of this book. Worship God. '"
00:12:10.16\00:12:13.50
Let me put that on the screen
00:12:13.56\00:12:15.73
because I want you to
notice something significant.
00:12:15.76\00:12:17.73
Here in Revelation 22...
00:12:17.77\00:12:19.87
"I fell down to
worship the angel...
00:12:19.90\00:12:21.77
he said, 'Don't do that,
00:12:21.80\00:12:23.57
I am your fellow
servant and of your brethren
00:12:23.61\00:12:26.54
the prophets.
00:12:26.57\00:12:28.24
Worship God. '"
00:12:28.28\00:12:30.45
When we look at the comparison
00:12:30.48\00:12:32.35
between those
two sets of verses,
00:12:32.38\00:12:34.42
it's very clear
that the prophets
00:12:34.45\00:12:36.38
are those who have
the testimony of Jesus.
00:12:36.45\00:12:39.05
When you look at that diagram
and we have the definition
00:12:39.09\00:12:43.12
at the end of verse
10 of Revelation 19,
00:12:43.16\00:12:46.53
"For the testimony of Jesus
is the spirit of prophecy. "
00:12:46.56\00:12:49.20
So, the prophets are those
00:12:49.23\00:12:51.50
who possess the
testimony of Jesus
00:12:51.53\00:12:53.64
and can I say this this
afternoon, dear Friends,
00:12:53.67\00:12:56.54
and that is that all prophets
have had the testimony of Jesus,
00:12:56.57\00:12:59.97
all prophets have had
the spirit of prophecy.
00:13:00.01\00:13:02.74
It's not just a term
that is sort of very local
00:13:02.78\00:13:05.11
and very recent.
00:13:05.15\00:13:06.51
The Bible tells
us here in Revelation
00:13:06.55\00:13:08.95
that John had the
spirit of prophecy
00:13:08.98\00:13:11.39
and spoke the testimony of Jesus
00:13:11.42\00:13:13.76
and that's
important for us to remember.
00:13:13.79\00:13:16.59
All prophets have had
the testimony of Jesus
00:13:16.62\00:13:19.69
and their role is to pass on
Jesus' testimony to the church.
00:13:19.73\00:13:23.77
Since prophets began at the
very beginnings of the world,
00:13:23.80\00:13:27.80
they have always
passed on Jesus' testimony
00:13:27.87\00:13:31.57
and according to our text,
00:13:31.61\00:13:33.88
in the last days
of earth's history
00:13:33.91\00:13:36.01
just before Jesus comes
00:13:36.04\00:13:37.38
to help the church
prepare for that glorious event,
00:13:37.41\00:13:40.72
God is going to give
the testimony of Jesus...
00:13:40.75\00:13:44.65
the spirit of
prophecy to His people.
00:13:44.69\00:13:48.22
How does the Holy Spirit impart
00:13:48.26\00:13:51.19
the testimony of
Jesus to prophets?
00:13:51.23\00:13:54.06
I'm sure you may
remember that text in chapter 12
00:13:54.10\00:13:57.60
of the book of Numbers verse 6
00:13:57.63\00:13:59.87
where the Lord is
speaking and He says,
00:13:59.90\00:14:02.10
"If there is a
prophet among you,
00:14:02.14\00:14:04.04
I, the Lord, will make
myself noted to him in a vision
00:14:04.07\00:14:08.74
and will speak
to him in a dream. "
00:14:08.81\00:14:11.45
So, visions and
dreams are an important way
00:14:11.48\00:14:15.32
that the Lord chooses to
impart the testimony of Jesus
00:14:15.35\00:14:19.42
to His church
00:14:19.45\00:14:20.79
and you may remember that even
in the book of Joel chapter 2,
00:14:20.82\00:14:23.76
Joel distinctly...
even though he lived
00:14:23.79\00:14:26.09
100s of years before Jesus came,
00:14:26.13\00:14:27.96
he spoke that in
the time of the end,
00:14:28.00\00:14:30.40
just before Jesus comes,
00:14:30.43\00:14:31.77
God is going to
pour out His Spirit
00:14:31.80\00:14:34.30
and the results will
be visions and dreams
00:14:34.34\00:14:36.94
given to His people.
00:14:36.97\00:14:38.41
I'm sure, dear
Friends, I'm going to say this,
00:14:38.47\00:14:42.04
that when a prophet is
bearing the testimony of Jesus,
00:14:42.08\00:14:46.45
as the Holy Spirit
has inspired him to write,
00:14:46.51\00:14:49.62
that voice will
be a certain voice
00:14:49.65\00:14:53.09
amidst the uncertain times
00:14:53.12\00:14:55.82
in which the
prophet and you and me live.
00:14:55.86\00:14:59.13
Well, true to these
dear tremendous predictions,
00:14:59.16\00:15:03.67
the Lord gave to Ellen
White some 2,000 visions
00:15:03.70\00:15:08.10
between December
1844 and July 1915.
00:15:08.17\00:15:13.64
Not just a few... 2000...
00:15:13.68\00:15:17.78
scattered throughout those years
00:15:17.81\00:15:20.38
when she was serving the church.
00:15:20.42\00:15:22.92
In those predictions, she
was shown the lives of people
00:15:22.95\00:15:28.12
she didn't know.
00:15:28.16\00:15:30.66
She also spoke
about events in the past
00:15:30.69\00:15:34.23
and the present and the future.
00:15:34.26\00:15:35.60
Her visions led
to the establishment
00:15:35.63\00:15:38.07
of the largest Protestant school
system in the world today.
00:15:38.10\00:15:41.34
Her guidance
founded a world-wide system
00:15:41.37\00:15:44.61
of publishing houses
and medical institutions
00:15:44.67\00:15:47.51
and health-food companies.
00:15:47.54\00:15:48.94
Several of her visions
led to the establishment
00:15:48.98\00:15:53.68
of Loma Linda
University in Los Angeles
00:15:53.72\00:15:57.29
that has become world
famous for pioneering...
00:15:57.32\00:16:00.86
and heart
transplants to children...
00:16:00.89\00:16:02.62
cancer treatment...
00:16:02.66\00:16:03.99
and the training
of medical personnel.
00:16:04.03\00:16:06.86
If I can take you
back to the 1880s,
00:16:06.90\00:16:09.70
the 1880s were a time when
Ellen White was under fire,
00:16:09.73\00:16:13.64
there were
people who opposed her
00:16:13.67\00:16:15.47
and I find, sometimes I
meet people who are concerned
00:16:15.50\00:16:19.04
that there is so much negative
material on the Internet
00:16:19.07\00:16:22.58
about Ellen White
00:16:22.61\00:16:24.01
but they seem to forget
00:16:24.05\00:16:26.25
that every prophet
that has ever existed
00:16:26.28\00:16:28.78
has always been
opposed and mocked.
00:16:28.82\00:16:32.09
Read 2nd Chronicles
chapter 36 verses 15 and 16
00:16:32.12\00:16:36.16
and you'll see
that that happened
00:16:36.19\00:16:37.99
way back in the beginning
and continues today, of course,
00:16:38.03\00:16:41.50
but when she was being attacked,
00:16:41.53\00:16:44.00
I want you to
notice her defense.
00:16:44.03\00:16:46.47
She very rarely
defended her gift
00:16:46.50\00:16:48.90
but this time she did
00:16:48.94\00:16:51.77
and I want you to
notice what she said,
00:16:51.84\00:16:53.98
"As the Lord has
manifested Himself
00:16:54.04\00:16:56.14
through the spirit of prophecy,
00:16:56.18\00:16:57.61
past, present and
future have passed before me.
00:16:57.65\00:17:01.18
I have been shown
faces that I had never seen
00:17:01.22\00:17:04.39
and years afterward I
knew them when I saw them.
00:17:04.42\00:17:07.52
I have been
aroused from my sleep
00:17:07.56\00:17:09.92
with a vivid sense of subjects
previously presented to my mind;
00:17:09.96\00:17:13.80
and I have written at midnight
00:17:13.83\00:17:15.96
letters that have
gone across the continent
00:17:16.00\00:17:18.40
and, arriving at a crisis
00:17:18.43\00:17:19.80
have saved great
disaster to the cause of God.
00:17:19.83\00:17:23.37
This has been my
work for many years.
00:17:23.41\00:17:26.81
A power has impelled me
to reprove and rebuke wrongs
00:17:26.84\00:17:31.91
that I had not thought of. "
00:17:31.98\00:17:33.82
And then she asks the question
I want to leave with you today,
00:17:33.85\00:17:37.69
"Is this work of the
last thirty-six years... "
00:17:37.72\00:17:42.32
and she wrote this
as I said... in 1880,
00:17:42.36\00:17:44.59
"from above or from beneath?"
00:17:44.63\00:17:48.46
How would you answer?
00:17:48.50\00:17:51.10
From those 2,000 visions
that Ellen White received
00:17:51.13\00:17:55.17
during her life, dear Friends,
00:17:55.20\00:17:56.74
I've chosen three that
I want to share with you
00:17:56.77\00:17:59.94
this afternoon.
00:17:59.97\00:18:01.31
Three of them that
have convinced me so much
00:18:01.34\00:18:04.91
of the certainty of
the counsel that has come
00:18:04.95\00:18:08.15
from the testimony
of Jesus to His church.
00:18:08.18\00:18:12.25
Let me take you
back to the mid-1800s.
00:18:12.29\00:18:16.29
It was a time when disease hung
very heavily upon the world.
00:18:16.32\00:18:21.40
The average age of
death in the United States
00:18:21.46\00:18:24.97
at that time was
39.4 years of age.
00:18:25.00\00:18:29.14
No one in the world
knew in the 1850s and '60s
00:18:29.17\00:18:33.44
the cause of disease.
00:18:33.48\00:18:35.38
The Germ Theory was unknown.
00:18:35.41\00:18:37.05
Doctors used Arsenic
and Strychnine and Mercury
00:18:37.08\00:18:41.52
to cure disease.
00:18:41.55\00:18:43.82
There were no antibiotics,
no Aspirin, no immunization,
00:18:43.85\00:18:48.36
no blood
transfusions, no X-rays.
00:18:48.39\00:18:51.43
People saw no
connection whatsoever
00:18:51.46\00:18:54.43
between what they ate,
00:18:54.46\00:18:55.80
their diet and
lifestyle and disease.
00:18:55.83\00:18:58.70
People seldom bathed
00:18:58.73\00:19:00.94
and doctors prescribed
smoking if you had bronchitis
00:19:00.97\00:19:06.47
and any other lung problem.
00:19:06.51\00:19:09.04
Think about that.
00:19:09.08\00:19:10.41
Doctors were
still blood-letting...
00:19:10.45\00:19:12.71
taking blood from
people when they were sick
00:19:12.75\00:19:14.98
and performing
surgery with unwashed hands.
00:19:15.02\00:19:17.19
But in 1863, here in this
home in Otsego in Michigan,
00:19:17.22\00:19:24.59
on Friday evening, June the 5th,
00:19:24.63\00:19:26.80
the Lord gave to Ellen White
a three-quarter-hour vision
00:19:26.83\00:19:31.70
that began to unfold a
system of health preservation
00:19:31.73\00:19:36.57
for His people.
00:19:36.60\00:19:37.94
It came as a very certain voice
00:19:37.97\00:19:41.74
amid the uncertainty of the
medical practice of those times.
00:19:41.78\00:19:46.25
But those who have put
her principles into action...
00:19:46.31\00:19:50.32
into practice...
00:19:50.35\00:19:51.69
have become a
healthier and a stronger people.
00:19:51.72\00:19:54.62
Ellen White says something
interesting about this vision
00:19:54.66\00:19:58.13
when she says, and I quote,
00:19:58.16\00:19:59.79
that what she was shown
crossed her mind very much
00:19:59.83\00:20:05.97
as not being true,
00:20:06.00\00:20:07.60
she didn't know
it or understand it.
00:20:07.64\00:20:09.90
And I want to give
you one illustration
00:20:09.94\00:20:12.17
from that 1863 vision,
00:20:12.21\00:20:13.88
out of the many
that we could choose.
00:20:13.94\00:20:15.98
When she wrote this, she said...
00:20:16.04\00:20:17.85
she was writing up
the account of that vision
00:20:17.91\00:20:20.02
the following year...
00:20:20.05\00:20:21.38
she wrote,
"Tobacco is a poison... "
00:20:21.42\00:20:23.79
now, remember doctors
were prescribing tobacco
00:20:23.82\00:20:26.76
if you had bronchitis,
00:20:26.79\00:20:28.12
and here she
writes so certainly,
00:20:28.16\00:20:30.66
"Tobacco is a
poison of the most... "
00:20:30.69\00:20:33.40
and she uses two interesting
adjectives... "deceitful. "
00:20:33.43\00:20:36.03
If you are deceived, my Friends,
00:20:36.06\00:20:38.43
if you believe something to be
right when it's really wrong...
00:20:38.50\00:20:40.87
and it was a
deceitful poison she said.
00:20:40.90\00:20:44.07
She was shown in
vision that it was malignant
00:20:44.11\00:20:46.47
and you know the word...
00:20:46.51\00:20:47.91
the meaning of
the word "malignant. "
00:20:47.94\00:20:49.28
"It is all the more dangerous
00:20:49.31\00:20:50.65
because its effects
upon the system are so slow,
00:20:50.68\00:20:53.82
and scarcely perceivable. "
00:20:53.85\00:20:56.52
Doctors tell us today
that it takes 20 years
00:20:56.55\00:20:59.49
to develop a
case of Lung Cancer.
00:20:59.52\00:21:01.92
Its effects are so slow
and scarcely perceivable
00:21:01.96\00:21:06.53
and it wasn't until 1957...
that's nearly a 100 years later
00:21:06.56\00:21:10.60
that the American
Heart Association concluded
00:21:10.67\00:21:13.87
that smoking was a
causative factor in lung cancer.
00:21:13.90\00:21:18.81
Look at these statistics.
00:21:18.84\00:21:21.24
In 1954, there
were 20,000 people
00:21:21.31\00:21:25.75
who died in the United
States from Lung Cancer.
00:21:25.78\00:21:28.18
In 1984... 121,000.
00:21:28.22\00:21:32.42
That's worldwide from
the effects of smoking.
00:21:32.45\00:21:36.26
In 2005... 5,400,000
00:21:36.29\00:21:41.53
and they project that by
2030 at the current rate...
00:21:41.56\00:21:46.50
8,300,000 people would die
from Lung Cancer and smoking.
00:21:46.53\00:21:51.41
I just ask you,
00:21:51.47\00:21:53.88
"Did Ellen White know
what she was talking about
00:21:53.91\00:21:56.68
when doctors were prescribing
smoking to cure Bronchitis?"
00:21:56.71\00:22:00.62
And we look at those
statistics and results today.
00:22:00.65\00:22:05.12
She advised the value
of eating fruits and grains
00:22:05.15\00:22:09.59
and vegetables...
a plant-based diet.
00:22:09.62\00:22:11.49
She said in that first vision
00:22:11.56\00:22:13.80
that flesh food was not the
most healthy article of food
00:22:13.83\00:22:16.73
for people
00:22:16.77\00:22:18.10
and she began to...
to exhort people to say
00:22:18.13\00:22:21.80
the value of rest is important.
00:22:21.84\00:22:24.34
Exercise, diet, water,
temperance, sunshine, fresh air
00:22:24.37\00:22:28.91
and a trust in God.
00:22:28.94\00:22:30.75
These were the hallmarks
of what the testimony of Jesus
00:22:30.78\00:22:34.78
was revealing to a very
sick and disease-prone people
00:22:34.82\00:22:38.79
of that time.
00:22:38.85\00:22:40.19
Today, dear Friends, there
are 100s of pieces of research
00:22:40.22\00:22:43.79
that is being done
in the western world
00:22:43.83\00:22:45.79
confirming what Ellen
White wrote in that...
00:22:45.83\00:22:49.26
from that vision of 1863.
00:22:49.30\00:22:51.57
Can I just mention two?
00:22:51.60\00:22:53.80
You may have heard of
the Adventist Health Study.
00:22:53.84\00:22:57.11
It was a health study
on Seventh-day Adventists.
00:22:57.14\00:23:00.34
It was begun in the 1970s
nearly a 100 years after 1864.
00:23:00.38\00:23:06.78
There were 34,192 Adventists
that were chosen for this study
00:23:06.82\00:23:13.15
and they were
compared with the rate of dying
00:23:13.22\00:23:16.76
and the diseases
people were dying from
00:23:16.83\00:23:18.79
in the Californian population.
00:23:18.83\00:23:22.50
The results were startling.
00:23:22.53\00:23:26.13
I want you to look at that graph
00:23:26.17\00:23:28.67
because here if
compared to the 100%
00:23:28.70\00:23:32.51
of the Californian population
00:23:32.54\00:23:34.38
but I found that Adventists
were suffering only 20%
00:23:34.44\00:23:37.55
from Lung Cancer.
00:23:37.58\00:23:38.91
Only 5% from Mouth,
Throat and Larynx Cancer,
00:23:38.95\00:23:42.28
32% from
Bronchitis and Emphysema,
00:23:42.32\00:23:45.39
28% of Bladder Cancer,
00:23:45.42\00:23:48.12
Esophageal Cancer... 34%,
00:23:48.16\00:23:50.79
Cirrhosis of the Liver... 13%.
00:23:50.83\00:23:52.59
What we are seeing on
that graph so dramatically
00:23:52.63\00:23:56.83
brings home to us of
the certainty of the counsel
00:23:56.87\00:24:01.07
that she received at that time.
00:24:01.10\00:24:03.27
But then, in 2002 the commenced
the second Adventist Study...
00:24:03.30\00:24:08.21
a study of how
many Adventists...
00:24:08.24\00:24:10.68
96,469 in the 50 states
00:24:10.75\00:24:15.92
of the United
States and in Canada
00:24:15.95\00:24:18.12
and the results from that study
reinforced even more strongly
00:24:18.15\00:24:22.22
the benefits of the health
message as we call it sometimes
00:24:22.26\00:24:27.73
that the testimony of
Jesus brought to this church.
00:24:27.76\00:24:31.87
When we look at those results
00:24:31.90\00:24:34.24
from that Subsequent Californian
Adventist Longevity Study,
00:24:34.27\00:24:37.74
how long people were living...
00:24:37.77\00:24:39.47
Adventist men were living 8.9
years longer than the average.
00:24:39.51\00:24:44.55
Adventist
women... 7.5 years longer
00:24:44.58\00:24:48.12
than the average in America.
00:24:48.15\00:24:50.89
And Adventist Vegetarian men
00:24:50.92\00:24:53.56
were living 12 and
1/2 years longer...
00:24:53.59\00:24:56.69
3.78 years extra on the 8.9.
00:24:56.73\00:25:00.16
Startling results, dear
Friends, startling results.
00:25:00.20\00:25:04.97
The November issue of the
National Geographic Magazine
00:25:05.00\00:25:09.74
ran an article in
it by Dan Beuttner,
00:25:09.77\00:25:13.14
"The Secrets of Long Life"
00:25:13.17\00:25:14.68
and he writes in
that prestigious magazine,
00:25:14.71\00:25:18.81
of the wonderful
results of health
00:25:18.85\00:25:21.62
that Seventh-day
Adventists received
00:25:21.68\00:25:24.42
and he wrote... and I quote...
00:25:24.45\00:25:26.69
"That makes the
Adventists one of the nation's
00:25:26.72\00:25:30.13
most convincing
cultures of longevity... "
00:25:30.16\00:25:33.50
and if I have to present anymore
evidence in relation to this,
00:25:33.53\00:25:38.00
can I just refer you to
the article that came out
00:25:38.03\00:25:41.87
in the US News and
World Report back in 2009.
00:25:41.90\00:25:45.74
They wrote an article,
00:25:45.77\00:25:47.38
"10 Health Habits That
Will Help You Live to 100."
00:25:47.41\00:25:49.91
This is a prestigious newspaper
00:25:49.94\00:25:52.31
and they wrote about
these 10 health habits.
00:25:52.35\00:25:55.48
What caught my eye was number 8.
00:25:55.52\00:25:59.12
"8. Live like a
Seventh-day Adventist.
00:25:59.15\00:26:03.26
Americans who define themselves
as Seventh Day Adventists
00:26:03.29\00:26:07.06
have an average
life expectancy of 89,
00:26:07.10\00:26:09.76
about a decade longer
than the average American.
00:26:09.80\00:26:12.93
One of the basic
tenets of the religion
00:26:12.97\00:26:15.24
is that it's
important to cherish the body
00:26:15.27\00:26:17.51
that's on loan from God,
00:26:17.54\00:26:19.17
which means no
smoking, ... alcohol abuse,
00:26:19.21\00:26:22.84
or overindulging in sweets.
00:26:22.88\00:26:24.45
Followers typically stick to a
vegetarian diet based on fruits,
00:26:24.48\00:26:28.62
vegetables, beans and nuts
and get plenty of exercise.
00:26:28.65\00:26:31.72
They are very focused
on family and community. "
00:26:31.75\00:26:34.89
What a testimony
of the "certain voice"
00:26:34.92\00:26:38.69
in these uncertain
times in which we live.
00:26:38.73\00:26:42.43
In fact, Ellen White
wrote these words in 1909.
00:26:42.46\00:26:47.30
"The work of health
reform is the Lord's means... "
00:26:47.34\00:26:51.91
because, she was carrying the
testimony of Jesus dear Friends,
00:26:51.97\00:26:55.84
"is the Lord's means
of lessening suffering
00:26:55.91\00:26:58.71
in our world... "
00:26:58.75\00:27:00.32
and how wonderfully
has that been verified
00:27:00.35\00:27:02.78
"and... " please note...
00:27:02.82\00:27:05.42
"for purifying His church. "
00:27:05.45\00:27:08.02
But then,
there's a second vision
00:27:08.06\00:27:10.63
that I want to share with you,
00:27:10.66\00:27:13.16
one of the most
remarkable of all the 2,000.
00:27:13.19\00:27:15.73
Late in October in
1890, Ellen White was speaking
00:27:15.76\00:27:20.44
at meetings in
the Eastern States,
00:27:20.47\00:27:22.54
of the United States of America,
00:27:22.57\00:27:24.57
and on Wednesday
evening, October 29,
00:27:24.64\00:27:27.58
they arrived in Salamanca,
00:27:27.61\00:27:29.31
now, there's a map
of the United States,
00:27:29.34\00:27:31.38
I hope you can pick up New York
up in the top right-hand corner,
00:27:31.41\00:27:35.12
not right up at the
top but there's New York,
00:27:35.15\00:27:37.82
and that part
that's enclosed in red
00:27:37.85\00:27:40.96
is the map on
the right-hand side.
00:27:40.99\00:27:43.99
You'll notice that Niagara
Falls is there in the middle
00:27:44.03\00:27:47.13
connecting Lake
Ontario on the top
00:27:47.16\00:27:49.53
and Lake Erie on the bottom,
00:27:49.56\00:27:50.90
but right down the bottom of
that map on the right is in...
00:27:50.97\00:27:54.74
whether you can
see it, I hope you can,
00:27:54.80\00:27:56.71
there is the
little town of Salamanca
00:27:56.74\00:27:59.31
and she was
speaking in Salamanca,
00:27:59.34\00:28:02.41
and... because
it's cold in October
00:28:02.44\00:28:05.48
with approaching winter,
00:28:05.51\00:28:06.85
she caught a chill... and
it began to affect her speech.
00:28:06.88\00:28:10.79
She continued to
speak with difficulty
00:28:10.82\00:28:13.66
until Monday
evening, November the 3rd,
00:28:13.69\00:28:16.52
and after the
meeting that night,
00:28:16.56\00:28:19.39
she returned to her lodging
00:28:19.43\00:28:21.30
feeling she couldn't
continue the meetings
00:28:21.33\00:28:23.93
and that she should
return home... home in Michigan
00:28:23.97\00:28:28.50
and she tells us in her diary
00:28:28.57\00:28:31.07
and I've read this diary
personally, dear Friends,
00:28:31.11\00:28:33.41
and I'm quoting from it.
00:28:33.44\00:28:34.78
She says that she knelt
by her bed that night to pray
00:28:34.81\00:28:39.11
when she became
aware that... and I quote,
00:28:39.15\00:28:41.95
"The whole room seemed filled
with a soft silvery light,
00:28:41.98\00:28:46.35
and my pain and disappointment
and discouragement
00:28:46.39\00:28:49.39
were removed. "
00:28:49.42\00:28:51.33
She added that she was
filled with comfort and hope
00:28:51.36\00:28:54.80
and the peace of Christ
00:28:54.83\00:28:56.77
and then, she
was given a vision,
00:28:56.80\00:28:59.53
and we know it as
the Salamanca Vision.
00:28:59.57\00:29:03.20
Many matters were
opened up before her
00:29:03.24\00:29:06.78
concerning the
publishing work of the church
00:29:06.84\00:29:09.14
but particularly in Battle
Creek which was our headquarters
00:29:09.18\00:29:13.65
in those days for the church.
00:29:13.72\00:29:16.02
The next morning, her son,
00:29:16.05\00:29:18.29
concerned about how his
mother was the previous night,
00:29:18.32\00:29:20.89
came to visit with another
minister, Pastor Robinson,
00:29:20.92\00:29:24.09
and they were surprised
to find her completely healed
00:29:24.13\00:29:27.30
and during the conversation
00:29:27.33\00:29:29.80
twice Ellen
White said to her son,
00:29:29.83\00:29:31.93
"I must tell you of the
vision I had last night.
00:29:31.97\00:29:35.14
I seem to be in
Battle Creek... "
00:29:35.20\00:29:37.64
and if you look, there's
Battle Creek right on the left
00:29:37.67\00:29:41.34
in Salamanca where
she's having this vision.
00:29:41.41\00:29:44.25
And then she
apologized to her son,
00:29:44.31\00:29:47.52
he was surprised and
so was Pastor Robinson
00:29:47.55\00:29:50.22
and she said, "I'm
sorry, I can't remember
00:29:50.25\00:29:52.89
the vision I had last night. "
00:29:52.92\00:29:54.92
Well, three weeks went
by and November the 20th
00:29:54.96\00:30:00.36
she wrote out what she had
seen in the Salamanca vision
00:30:00.40\00:30:04.60
and I have the
account right here,
00:30:04.63\00:30:07.64
it's written in New York
City, November the 20th, 1890,
00:30:07.67\00:30:12.91
and then, she says this,
00:30:12.94\00:30:14.91
"In the night season, I
was present in Council... "
00:30:14.94\00:30:18.05
because she's
referring to a Committee Meeting
00:30:18.11\00:30:21.18
that she saw in
the Salamanca vision,
00:30:21.22\00:30:23.18
"... and there I
heard words repeated
00:30:23.22\00:30:25.12
by influential
men to the effect,
00:30:25.15\00:30:27.16
that if the American Sentinel
00:30:27.19\00:30:29.56
would drop the words
'Seventh-day Adventist'
00:30:29.59\00:30:32.53
from its columns,
00:30:32.56\00:30:34.36
and would say
nothing about the Sabbath,
00:30:34.40\00:30:36.10
the great men of the
world would patronize it.
00:30:36.13\00:30:39.53
It would become
popular and do a large work. "
00:30:39.57\00:30:42.70
This looked very pleasing
and she goes on to describe
00:30:42.77\00:30:46.68
what she saw that night
in that Committee Meeting.
00:30:46.71\00:30:50.58
She says that she saw
one man hold up a copy
00:30:50.61\00:30:54.38
of the American Sentinel
00:30:54.42\00:30:55.75
which was a magazine we
were publishing at that time
00:30:55.78\00:30:58.52
because it dealt with principles
of religious liberty...
00:30:58.55\00:31:01.49
high above his head...
00:31:01.52\00:31:03.73
and saying, "Unless we remove
the name 'Seventh-day Adventist'
00:31:03.76\00:31:06.70
from the Masthead
00:31:06.73\00:31:08.06
and take out all
doctrines from this magazine,
00:31:08.10\00:31:10.47
we'll take the magazine
away and give it to another
00:31:10.53\00:31:13.64
non-Adventist
Publishing House. "
00:31:13.70\00:31:15.50
She heard what was said
in that Committee Meeting.
00:31:15.54\00:31:18.77
She describes what she said...
00:31:18.81\00:31:20.91
this was weeks before...
00:31:20.94\00:31:22.38
in November 20, the
event actually takes place
00:31:22.41\00:31:26.21
and it was a subtle thing
00:31:26.25\00:31:28.28
because they were
wanting to remove all things
00:31:28.32\00:31:31.62
in reference to what the
Adventist church stands for.
00:31:31.65\00:31:35.62
Well, she saw the agitation
of this Committee Meeting
00:31:35.66\00:31:39.63
and then, four months later,
00:31:39.66\00:31:42.06
she is invited to attend the
General Conference of our Church
00:31:42.10\00:31:45.97
when representatives
come from all over the world
00:31:46.00\00:31:48.37
to a General Conference.
00:31:48.40\00:31:50.14
It was held in Battle Creek
00:31:50.17\00:31:51.87
from March the 5th to
the 25th of that month.
00:31:51.91\00:31:56.54
Well, she spoke on the
first Sabbath afternoon
00:31:56.58\00:32:01.15
of that Conference.
00:32:01.18\00:32:02.75
She spoke in this...
the largest Adventist Church
00:32:02.78\00:32:06.12
that we had at that time
00:32:06.15\00:32:07.49
The Dime Tabernacle
seating some 3,200 people.
00:32:07.52\00:32:11.33
And she spoke that afternoon
and she chooses her text,
00:32:11.36\00:32:15.93
"Let your light
so shine before men,
00:32:15.96\00:32:18.90
that they may
see your good works,
00:32:18.93\00:32:21.84
and glorify your
Father which is in heaven. "
00:32:21.87\00:32:24.01
And at the back of her mind,
00:32:24.04\00:32:25.71
she knew that there
was something about the
00:32:25.74\00:32:27.54
Salamanca vision about
letting your light shine.
00:32:27.58\00:32:31.55
Don't put it under a bushel
00:32:31.58\00:32:32.91
and so, early in
her sermon she said,
00:32:32.95\00:32:36.12
I must tell you of a
vision that I had in Salamanca
00:32:36.15\00:32:38.39
four months ago
00:32:38.45\00:32:39.79
and then she stopped...
00:32:39.82\00:32:41.72
and she apologized to the people
00:32:41.76\00:32:44.43
that she couldn't
remember the vision.
00:32:44.49\00:32:45.83
Half-way through her sermon,
again she came back to it,
00:32:45.86\00:32:49.23
again apologized...
00:32:49.26\00:32:50.60
toward the end of the sermon,
00:32:50.63\00:32:52.17
for the third
time she apologized...
00:32:52.23\00:32:54.37
"I can't remember what I
saw in the Salamanca vision. "
00:32:54.40\00:32:57.97
At the end of the meeting,
00:32:58.01\00:32:59.87
the General Conference President
came to her and asked her,
00:32:59.91\00:33:04.05
"Would you take the
meeting tomorrow morning...
00:33:04.08\00:33:05.91
Monday morning?"
00:33:05.98\00:33:07.62
She said, "No, they've
heard me this afternoon,
00:33:07.65\00:33:09.72
ask somebody else to take
the Sunday morning meeting. "
00:33:09.75\00:33:13.02
That night... that night...
00:33:13.05\00:33:19.03
a group of men
met in the committee
00:33:19.09\00:33:22.76
to discuss the Editorial Policy
00:33:22.83\00:33:26.00
of the American
Sentinel Magazine.
00:33:26.03\00:33:28.50
They met at 9:00
o'clock... 10:00 o'clock...
00:33:28.57\00:33:31.41
11:00 o'clock... midnight...
00:33:31.44\00:33:33.21
and as the meeting went through,
00:33:33.24\00:33:34.91
two groups of men
began to argue strongly.
00:33:34.94\00:33:38.25
One saying, "Let's remove
the name 'Seventh-day Adventist'
00:33:38.28\00:33:41.22
from its columns...
00:33:41.25\00:33:42.58
let's remove all the doctrines
concerning our unusual beliefs
00:33:42.62\00:33:46.96
so that it can do a
larger and more popular work. "
00:33:46.99\00:33:51.19
Another group said,
00:33:51.23\00:33:52.73
"Don't you remember
what Ellen White said to us
00:33:52.76\00:33:55.03
this afternoon,
'Let your light shine...
00:33:55.06\00:33:57.60
don't put it under a bushel. '"
00:33:57.63\00:33:59.73
1 o'clock... 2 o'clock...
00:33:59.77\00:34:02.77
and at 3:00 a. m., dear
Friends, that Sunday morning,
00:34:02.80\00:34:06.64
they broke up in wildest
disagreement and disorder
00:34:06.68\00:34:10.45
but at 3 a. m. that morning,
00:34:10.48\00:34:14.08
an angel was bidden to
come from God's throne,
00:34:14.12\00:34:18.45
to waken Ellen White
00:34:18.49\00:34:20.59
telling her that she
should present the material
00:34:20.62\00:34:23.93
that she had written
about the Salamanca vision
00:34:23.96\00:34:27.23
at the early morning meeting.
00:34:27.26\00:34:29.13
So, she went down
to the Dime Tabernacle.
00:34:29.16\00:34:31.97
The General
Conference President said,
00:34:32.00\00:34:34.77
"I've already asked somebody
else to take your meeting... "
00:34:34.80\00:34:36.64
but she said, "No, I have
a message from the Lord... "
00:34:36.67\00:34:39.14
and she stood up
and began to read
00:34:39.17\00:34:42.04
from the papers
that she had written
00:34:42.08\00:34:43.95
about the Salamanca vision.
00:34:43.98\00:34:46.25
There she is, speaking
in the Dime Tabernacle,
00:34:46.28\00:34:52.35
and what a shock it was
to the people who attended!
00:34:52.39\00:34:56.46
And at the end of the meeting,
00:34:56.49\00:34:58.56
and I have an
eye-witness report here
00:34:58.59\00:35:00.20
of what had
happened that morning.
00:35:00.23\00:35:01.76
Various people began
to stand up and speak
00:35:01.80\00:35:05.70
and I'm going to read
what was said by two of them.
00:35:05.73\00:35:08.60
"I was in that
meeting last night... "
00:35:08.64\00:35:11.61
and Ellen White now sitting
on the platform interrupted
00:35:11.64\00:35:15.58
and said, "Last night?
00:35:15.61\00:35:17.21
Did the meeting
only occur last night?
00:35:17.25\00:35:20.12
I saw this in
vision four months ago. "
00:35:20.18\00:35:23.02
He went on to say,
00:35:23.08\00:35:25.62
"I was in that
meeting last night,
00:35:25.65\00:35:27.59
and I am the man
who made the remarks
00:35:27.62\00:35:29.49
about the articles in the paper
holding it high over my head,
00:35:29.52\00:35:32.79
I'm sorry to say that I
was in the wrong side... "
00:35:32.83\00:35:36.23
Notice what's happening.
00:35:36.26\00:35:37.93
"But I take this
opportunity to place myself
00:35:37.97\00:35:41.00
on the right side. "
00:35:41.04\00:35:42.64
Another man stood up and said,
00:35:42.67\00:35:44.31
"I was in that
meeting last night.
00:35:44.37\00:35:46.31
After the close
of the Conference,
00:35:46.34\00:35:48.21
some of us met in my
room in the Review Office
00:35:48.24\00:35:50.41
where we locked ourselves in
00:35:50.45\00:35:52.11
and took up and discussed
the questions in the matter
00:35:52.15\00:35:54.55
that has been
presented to us this morning.
00:35:54.58\00:35:57.62
We remained in that
room until 3 o'clock. "
00:35:57.65\00:36:01.06
And Ellen White
remembered it was 3 o'clock
00:36:01.09\00:36:04.46
when the angel woke her up and
told her to prepare the material
00:36:04.49\00:36:07.66
from the Salamanca vision.
00:36:07.70\00:36:10.17
And then, he went on to say,
00:36:10.20\00:36:12.57
"If I should begin to give a
description of what took place
00:36:12.60\00:36:16.27
and the personal
attitude of those in the room,
00:36:16.30\00:36:20.01
I could not give it as
exactly and as correctly
00:36:20.04\00:36:23.71
as it has been
given by Sister White.
00:36:23.75\00:36:26.51
I now see I was in error,
00:36:26.55\00:36:29.08
and of the position I
took, was not correct. "
00:36:29.12\00:36:33.15
And you may remember in
Ephesians where Paul discusses
00:36:33.19\00:36:37.13
why God sent
prophets in the church.
00:36:37.16\00:36:40.03
One of them was to bring a unity
00:36:40.06\00:36:42.90
and that's what happened
that morning dear Friends.
00:36:42.93\00:36:45.57
A remarkable experience...
00:36:45.63\00:36:48.47
one of the most
remarkable visions
00:36:48.50\00:36:50.07
that Ellen White ever had.
00:36:50.11\00:36:51.44
She never knew about the
meeting the night before,
00:36:51.47\00:36:53.94
and yet she had described it so
accurately four months before.
00:36:53.98\00:37:01.05
Dear Friends, I have a question.
00:37:01.08\00:37:03.79
Why did she try to
recall that vision five times?
00:37:03.82\00:37:08.06
Twice the morning after...
00:37:08.09\00:37:10.86
three times that
Sabbath afternoon...
00:37:10.93\00:37:13.50
the answer simply of course
is, the meeting hadn't occurred.
00:37:13.53\00:37:18.57
If she'd remembered it
that Sabbath afternoon,
00:37:18.60\00:37:21.37
people would not have
known what she was talking about
00:37:21.40\00:37:23.41
but God knew... Jesus knew
00:37:23.44\00:37:27.54
and passed on that
testimony to His Church
00:37:27.58\00:37:31.08
and the people who were there
stood up... many of them...
00:37:31.11\00:37:34.08
and testified when
they heard her say,
00:37:34.12\00:37:36.69
what they had said
the night before...
00:37:36.72\00:37:39.25
even though it was given
to her four months before.
00:37:39.29\00:37:43.12
How remarkable... never
did they say if we'd seen
00:37:43.16\00:37:46.96
the operation of
this testimony of Jesus
00:37:47.00\00:37:50.17
so clearly seen in the church.
00:37:50.20\00:37:53.10
But the third vision that
I want to just share with you
00:37:53.13\00:37:56.81
very, very quickly is this one.
00:37:56.84\00:38:00.88
It was given to her in 1890
00:38:00.91\00:38:03.18
and she wrote about it in
November... rather in March...
00:38:03.21\00:38:07.25
April the 21st, 1890
in the Signs of the Times.
00:38:07.28\00:38:11.05
But what's so remarkable
for this... from this...
00:38:11.09\00:38:14.82
is that in the 1890s,
00:38:14.86\00:38:16.52
the world leaders
were looking forward
00:38:16.56\00:38:18.99
to the change of
the century, 1900...
00:38:19.06\00:38:21.43
and it was going to be
a time when there would be
00:38:21.46\00:38:24.07
no more war in the world...
00:38:24.10\00:38:25.53
it was going to
be a century of peace
00:38:25.57\00:38:28.10
but Ellen White knew
something very, very different
00:38:28.14\00:38:31.47
and look at what she
wrote in the Signs of the Times,
00:38:31.51\00:38:35.31
"The tempest is coming and
we must get ready for its fury
00:38:35.34\00:38:38.95
by having
repentance towards God...
00:38:38.98\00:38:41.05
The Lord will arise to
shake terribly the earth.
00:38:41.08\00:38:45.05
We shall see
troubles on all sides.
00:38:45.09\00:38:47.26
Thousands of
ships will be hurled
00:38:47.29\00:38:49.42
into the depths of the sea.
00:38:49.46\00:38:51.09
Navies will go down,
00:38:51.13\00:38:52.79
and human lives will be
sacrificed by millions. "
00:38:52.86\00:38:56.56
Dear Friends, I don't need
to remind you this afternoon
00:38:56.60\00:38:59.77
that 24 years after she wrote
that for the world to read,
00:38:59.80\00:39:02.94
the world was
involved in World War number 1
00:39:03.00\00:39:06.98
when 17 million people died
00:39:07.01\00:39:10.28
and she spoke about seeing
millions of people perishing.
00:39:10.31\00:39:12.98
She spoke about
1,000s of ships being hurled
00:39:13.01\00:39:15.98
into the depths of the sea.
00:39:16.02\00:39:17.79
I noticed when I looked at the
Encyclopedia during the week,
00:39:17.82\00:39:22.36
that Germany alone lost 5,000
ships in that first world war
00:39:22.39\00:39:27.76
but then she went on to say,
00:39:27.80\00:39:30.13
"Fires will
break out unexpectedly
00:39:30.17\00:39:32.63
and no human effort will
be able to quench them...
00:39:32.67\00:39:36.44
Disasters by rail will
become more and more frequent;
00:39:36.50\00:39:39.94
confusion, collision and
death without a moment's warning
00:39:39.97\00:39:43.38
will occur on the
great lines of travel. "
00:39:43.41\00:39:45.91
And dear
friends, between 1899...
00:39:45.95\00:39:50.89
that's nine years after
she wrote that in the Signs...
00:39:50.92\00:39:53.36
and 2013...
00:39:53.39\00:39:56.02
3 million 613
thousand 732 people
00:39:56.06\00:40:01.33
have been killed
in car accidents alone
00:40:01.36\00:40:04.23
and yet, can I
remind you dear Friends,
00:40:04.27\00:40:07.07
that only four years
before she had that vision,
00:40:07.10\00:40:10.61
the first car went on the
roads, that's a photo of it.
00:40:10.64\00:40:14.14
Would you like to ride in it?
00:40:14.18\00:40:16.88
The Benz Motorwagen of 1886
00:40:16.91\00:40:19.55
and a few years
after it was invented,
00:40:19.58\00:40:22.55
it traveled on the
road shortly afterwards
00:40:22.58\00:40:25.52
at 16 kilometers an hour.
00:40:25.55\00:40:27.66
Yet she wrote
about collision and death
00:40:27.69\00:40:31.36
on the great lines of travel.
00:40:31.39\00:40:32.79
It was many years...
some years... 13 years
00:40:32.83\00:40:37.13
after she had the vision
that the first airplane flew.
00:40:37.17\00:40:40.64
You may have seen
that picture before.
00:40:40.67\00:40:42.34
Collision and death on
the great lines of travel.
00:40:42.37\00:40:47.91
Well, dear Friends, when
Ellen White died in 1915,
00:40:47.94\00:40:53.42
her written
legacy was 100,000 pages
00:40:53.45\00:40:58.02
of manuscript,
00:40:58.05\00:40:59.42
4 and 1/2 thousand
articles that appeared weekly
00:40:59.45\00:41:04.33
in our church papers,
00:41:04.36\00:41:05.69
as well as more than
200 tracts and pamphlets.
00:41:05.73\00:41:09.06
Is that why she
had written in 1876...
00:41:09.13\00:41:13.80
"There was never a time... "
00:41:13.84\00:41:16.17
I want to remind you of this,
00:41:16.20\00:41:18.44
"There was never a time
when God instructed His people
00:41:18.47\00:41:21.38
more earnestly than
He instructs them now
00:41:21.44\00:41:25.68
concerning His will
00:41:25.71\00:41:28.18
and the course that He
would have them pursue. "
00:41:28.22\00:41:30.99
Today, from those 2,000 visions,
we have more than 130 books.
00:41:31.02\00:41:37.03
The testimony of
Jesus for this church...
00:41:37.06\00:41:40.40
are we a privileged
people dear Friends?
00:41:40.43\00:41:43.73
Are we a privileged people?
00:41:43.77\00:41:45.70
Why should it be true
that there was never a time
00:41:45.73\00:41:48.94
that the Lord has instructed
His people more earnestly?
00:41:48.97\00:41:51.31
Can I suggest
quickly three reasons?
00:41:51.34\00:41:53.24
The gift was given to a
church with a divine mandate
00:41:53.27\00:41:57.41
to take God's last
appeal to the whole world
00:41:57.45\00:42:01.08
and the challenge
of crossing culture
00:42:01.12\00:42:04.45
and crossing language
00:42:04.52\00:42:06.02
in order to
carry out this mandate,
00:42:06.05\00:42:08.32
wouldn't we need guidance
00:42:08.36\00:42:10.86
from a loving and
compassionate heavenly Father?
00:42:10.89\00:42:13.66
And then too, I would remind you
00:42:13.70\00:42:15.93
that the gift was
provided at a time
00:42:15.96\00:42:18.13
when Satan's power to deceive
the world is at its greatest.
00:42:18.17\00:42:23.20
Even back early in 1860,
God had revealed to Ellen White
00:42:23.24\00:42:27.94
that Satan's power now to
tempt and deceive the world
00:42:27.98\00:42:31.98
is ten times greater than
in the days of the apostles.
00:42:32.01\00:42:35.98
And we can see the lies
that we have to confront
00:42:36.02\00:42:40.06
in the world today
and the deceptions...
00:42:40.09\00:42:42.12
a loving God would not
leave His last-day people
00:42:42.16\00:42:47.43
without giving warning.
00:42:47.50\00:42:49.36
And then thirdly, with
the soon coming of Jesus,
00:42:49.43\00:42:52.70
we need to pass to
help prepare a people.
00:42:52.73\00:42:56.81
God needs to prepare a people.
00:42:56.84\00:42:59.07
One day, we're going to
live with angels and Jesus
00:42:59.11\00:43:03.31
for eternity
00:43:03.35\00:43:04.68
and think of the
counsel that we all need
00:43:04.71\00:43:07.52
for that to happen.
00:43:07.55\00:43:09.05
When John was given
the testimony of Jesus
00:43:09.08\00:43:12.22
to pass on to the church,
00:43:12.25\00:43:13.59
he was also
instructed in Revelation 1:11,
00:43:13.62\00:43:16.66
"What you see in these
visions, write out in a book
00:43:16.69\00:43:20.56
and send it to the churches. "
00:43:20.60\00:43:21.96
And the same instruction was
given to young Ellen Harmon...
00:43:22.00\00:43:26.50
2,000 visions...
00:43:26.53\00:43:28.54
"What you see, write in books
for the benefit of the church. "
00:43:28.57\00:43:33.48
And this is what she writes,
00:43:33.51\00:43:36.14
"In these letters which I write,
in the testimonies I bear,
00:43:36.18\00:43:42.22
I am presenting to you... "
00:43:42.25\00:43:44.79
notice these words...
00:43:44.82\00:43:46.15
"that which the Lord
has presented to me...
00:43:46.19\00:43:48.32
the testimony of Jesus...
00:43:48.36\00:43:50.23
I do not write one
article in the paper
00:43:50.29\00:43:52.96
expressing merely my own ideas.
00:43:52.99\00:43:54.86
They are what God has
opened before me in vision...
00:43:54.90\00:43:58.50
the precious rays of
light shining from the throne.
00:43:58.53\00:44:02.84
It is true concerning
the articles in our books...
00:44:02.87\00:44:05.54
in our papers...
00:44:05.57\00:44:07.08
and in the many
volumes of my books. "
00:44:07.11\00:44:10.08
What the Lord had showed
her in those 2,000 visions
00:44:10.11\00:44:15.25
that she was given.
00:44:15.28\00:44:16.62
But, of course, in recent years,
00:44:16.65\00:44:18.95
some have
questioned Ellen White's books.
00:44:18.99\00:44:21.69
Some years ago,
some of you may remember
00:44:21.72\00:44:24.83
that they started
to charge Ellen White
00:44:24.86\00:44:27.63
with copying
material from other authors
00:44:27.66\00:44:30.37
and incorporating those
other authors into her books,
00:44:30.40\00:44:33.87
and that has caused a lot
of people to lose confidence
00:44:33.90\00:44:37.31
in this very certain gift that
I am discussing this afternoon.
00:44:37.34\00:44:40.94
Oh, how much I
wish, dear Friends,
00:44:40.98\00:44:44.05
that those people had
first gone to the Scriptures
00:44:44.11\00:44:47.58
and said, "Did any
people who are Bible writers...
00:44:47.62\00:44:51.09
inspired men...
00:44:51.12\00:44:52.45
did any of them
ever quote from books
00:44:52.49\00:44:54.86
whose authors were not inspired?
00:44:54.89\00:44:56.89
And if they had asked
that question, my Friends,
00:44:56.93\00:45:00.16
first, they would
not have lost confidence
00:45:00.20\00:45:02.63
because they would have found
00:45:02.66\00:45:04.27
that Solomon who
wrote the book of Proverbs,
00:45:04.30\00:45:06.87
tells us that he
didn't write all the proverbs,
00:45:06.94\00:45:09.44
that he went and researched
the wise men of his day
00:45:09.47\00:45:12.67
and if they had written
something that was true,
00:45:12.71\00:45:15.88
under the
guidance of the Holy Spirit
00:45:15.91\00:45:18.15
and I emphasize that...
00:45:18.18\00:45:19.51
he incorporated
that into Proverbs
00:45:19.55\00:45:23.05
and he tells us he did that
in the book of Ecclesiastes.
00:45:23.08\00:45:26.25
The authors of
Kings and Chronicles
00:45:26.29\00:45:28.56
freely used a number of other
historical records of their day.
00:45:28.59\00:45:32.29
Even the Apostle Paul
quotes in some of his writings,
00:45:32.33\00:45:36.56
books that you
and I don't know today
00:45:36.60\00:45:38.60
but they were books written
and circulated way back there
00:45:38.63\00:45:42.04
like First Enoch...
The Wisdom of Solomon...
00:45:42.07\00:45:45.17
The Testament of
the Twelve Patriarchs...
00:45:45.21\00:45:48.24
and Paul quotes them,
sometimes, word for word.
00:45:48.28\00:45:52.85
Originality my
Friends has never been a test
00:45:52.88\00:45:57.45
of a true prophet.
00:45:57.49\00:45:58.82
However, they used their sources
very critically and selectively
00:45:58.85\00:46:04.39
because as the New Testament
tells us in 2nd Peter 1
00:46:04.43\00:46:07.90
that holy men of God spoke
00:46:07.93\00:46:09.93
as they were
moved by the Holy Spirit
00:46:09.96\00:46:14.00
and that's always has been there
00:46:14.04\00:46:16.17
but it's not always known early
in Ellen White's experience
00:46:16.20\00:46:19.47
when she was
directed by the Lord,
00:46:19.51\00:46:21.24
to write out in books what
she'd been shown in vision...
00:46:21.28\00:46:25.08
she was overcome
with the task... why?
00:46:25.11\00:46:27.65
She was so conscious
that she'd only gone to school
00:46:27.68\00:46:30.02
till 3rd grade...
00:46:30.09\00:46:31.75
she found it difficult to write
00:46:31.79\00:46:33.12
and she begged that she
be relieved of this task
00:46:33.15\00:46:37.16
but then the
angel in vision told her
00:46:37.19\00:46:41.46
that the Lord would lead her
00:46:41.50\00:46:44.47
to books that had been
written by other authors
00:46:44.50\00:46:47.94
containing, I quote,
"Precious gems of truth
00:46:47.97\00:46:51.37
expressed in
acceptable language... "
00:46:51.41\00:46:53.17
and that the Holy Spirit
would help her to separate
00:46:53.21\00:46:56.48
the rubbish of error
from the gems of truth
00:46:56.51\00:47:00.35
that were
embedded in those books.
00:47:00.38\00:47:02.72
Dear Friends, as I think
about what I'm sharing with you
00:47:02.75\00:47:06.99
this afternoon...
00:47:07.06\00:47:08.39
some have said, "How could a
lady who lived here in Sydney,
00:47:08.42\00:47:13.93
a 100 years ago or more...
00:47:14.00\00:47:16.30
ever speak with any degree of
relevance to the world of 2019?"
00:47:16.33\00:47:22.07
The world today in
Australia is very different
00:47:22.10\00:47:25.37
from what it was in 1890s.
00:47:25.41\00:47:27.74
Could she be relevant?
00:47:27.78\00:47:29.34
Does age make inspired
writings irrelevant, my Friends?
00:47:29.38\00:47:33.92
If what we do with
this book 2,000 years of age
00:47:33.95\00:47:38.92
not irrelevant
00:47:38.95\00:47:40.29
because the Holy
Spirit is involved.
00:47:40.32\00:47:42.96
And so, she wrote,
00:47:42.99\00:47:44.93
"Abundant light has
been given to our people
00:47:44.99\00:47:46.80
in these last days.
00:47:46.86\00:47:48.76
Whether or not my
life is spared... "
00:47:48.80\00:47:51.00
notice this...
00:47:51.03\00:47:52.37
my writings will
constantly speak,
00:47:52.40\00:47:54.77
and the work will go forward
as long as time shall last.
00:47:54.80\00:47:58.34
My writings are kept
on file in the office,
00:47:58.37\00:48:01.54
and even though
I should not live,
00:48:01.61\00:48:03.71
these words that have
been given to me by the Lord
00:48:03.75\00:48:07.25
will still have life and
will speak to the people. "
00:48:07.28\00:48:10.69
So long as time shall last
00:48:10.75\00:48:15.09
and they will still
speak to God's people.
00:48:15.12\00:48:18.36
"Little heed is
given to the Bible,
00:48:18.39\00:48:21.03
and the Lord has
given a lesser light... "
00:48:21.06\00:48:23.97
referring to her own writings...
00:48:24.00\00:48:25.57
"to lead us to
the greater light. "
00:48:25.60\00:48:28.04
She always knew
that throughout her life,
00:48:28.07\00:48:31.07
she was to uphold the
Bible as the Word of God.
00:48:31.11\00:48:34.41
She never said,
"Read my writings
00:48:34.44\00:48:36.85
more than you
read the Bible... "
00:48:36.88\00:48:38.21
it was always... the
Bible must come first
00:48:38.25\00:48:41.25
and she stuck to
that consistently.
00:48:41.28\00:48:42.98
At the very
beginning of her ministry,
00:48:43.02\00:48:45.02
she wrote those words,
00:48:45.05\00:48:46.39
at the very end of her ministry,
she spoke very differently.
00:48:46.42\00:48:50.96
Where did she get that
"Lesser... Greater Light" from?
00:48:50.99\00:48:54.03
"God made two great
lights... " in Genesis 1,
00:48:54.06\00:48:57.93
"the greater
light to rule the day,
00:48:57.97\00:48:59.83
and the lesser
light to rule the night. "
00:48:59.87\00:49:02.50
The sun and the moon...
00:49:02.54\00:49:04.21
the greater light
to rule the day...
00:49:04.24\00:49:06.37
the lesser light
to rule the night.
00:49:06.41\00:49:08.68
The sun and the
moon... are they different?
00:49:08.71\00:49:11.28
The sun is the source of light,
00:49:11.31\00:49:14.45
the moon merely
reflects the light of the sun.
00:49:14.48\00:49:18.62
That was such
an apt illustration
00:49:18.65\00:49:21.39
that she gave to
refer that her writings
00:49:21.42\00:49:24.53
were a lesser light...
00:49:24.56\00:49:25.89
still a light...
00:49:25.93\00:49:27.43
but they've had value only
as they reflected the light
00:49:27.46\00:49:32.00
from this Book.
00:49:32.03\00:49:34.00
Dear Friends, as I think
of the wonderful benefits
00:49:34.04\00:49:38.14
that this... these
writings have been to us,
00:49:38.17\00:49:40.88
given in a very
uncertain time as it was then
00:49:40.91\00:49:45.91
and becoming more uncertain
00:49:45.95\00:49:48.35
as we approach the
second coming of Jesus.
00:49:48.38\00:49:50.75
I'm so thankful... so thankful
00:49:50.79\00:49:54.02
that she has
been given as a gift
00:49:54.06\00:49:57.19
to bear the testimony
of Jesus to this church.
00:49:57.23\00:50:00.93
As I think, dear
Friends of that last event
00:50:00.96\00:50:04.63
when she said to the church...
00:50:04.67\00:50:08.77
it was the General
Conference in 1909,
00:50:08.80\00:50:11.71
and as she spoke
to the church that day
00:50:11.74\00:50:14.58
and the people knew that they
would never hear Ellen White
00:50:14.61\00:50:17.25
speaking to the General
Conference of the Church again,
00:50:17.28\00:50:20.48
that she preached a
wonderfully heart-warming sermon
00:50:20.52\00:50:23.65
encouraging God's people to
be faithful for Jesus was coming
00:50:23.69\00:50:27.69
and then when she
closed her sermon,
00:50:27.72\00:50:30.29
she moved back to
go towards her seat,
00:50:30.33\00:50:32.73
and half-way
across, she turned back
00:50:32.76\00:50:35.10
and spoke the last words
she was ever heard to speak
00:50:35.13\00:50:39.13
to our church in session
00:50:39.17\00:50:40.70
when she lifted in
her 82-year-old hands
00:50:40.74\00:50:44.14
high above the people,
00:50:44.21\00:50:45.64
and said, "Brethren and Sisters,
I recommend to you this Book. "
00:50:45.67\00:50:51.58
That was the goal of her life,
00:50:51.61\00:50:55.02
the Book... the
Bible was to be the center,
00:50:55.05\00:50:58.22
and she remained true to that
task right throughout her life.
00:50:58.25\00:51:03.43
When Ellen White died, he
said this... Pastor Starr...
00:51:03.46\00:51:09.13
a man who had worked
with her in Australia,
00:51:09.16\00:51:10.87
"I have never heard any other
person speak of love for Jesus,
00:51:10.90\00:51:14.54
as I've heard her speak.
00:51:14.57\00:51:16.14
Many times and in
large congregations
00:51:16.17\00:51:18.97
have I heard her exclaim,
'I love Him, I love Him,
00:51:19.04\00:51:22.61
I LOVE Him!'
00:51:22.64\00:51:23.98
Her entire life was
devoted to winning others
00:51:24.01\00:51:26.78
to love Him and serve
Him with all the heart. "
00:51:26.82\00:51:29.62
And looking at the people in
that funeral service that day,
00:51:29.65\00:51:32.89
he said, "We have felt
00:51:32.95\00:51:35.06
the influence of
that love for Jesus. "
00:51:35.09\00:51:38.53
She was a lover of Jesus...
00:51:38.56\00:51:41.96
she bore the testimony
of Jesus to this church,
00:51:42.00\00:51:45.53
and after she died, the vineyard
workers around her home...
00:51:45.57\00:51:51.17
surrounding her home
there in Northern California...
00:51:51.21\00:51:54.24
she visited them
every Sabbath afternoon
00:51:54.28\00:51:57.35
in her carriage
with her secretary,
00:51:57.38\00:51:59.35
speaking kind words to them
00:51:59.38\00:52:01.98
as she saw them working on their
vineyards on Sabbath afternoon
00:52:02.02\00:52:05.32
and they said,
after she had died,
00:52:05.35\00:52:08.12
"We will always
remember the little old lady
00:52:08.16\00:52:11.83
who spoke so
lovingly of Jesus. "
00:52:11.89\00:52:16.43
My dear Friends,
so long as you and I
00:52:16.46\00:52:19.93
need to get to
know Jesus better...
00:52:20.00\00:52:23.37
so long as we need
to trust Him more fully
00:52:23.41\00:52:26.64
with every
aspect of our lives...
00:52:26.68\00:52:28.81
so long as we
need to receive help
00:52:28.84\00:52:30.95
in applying Bible
principles to our own lives...
00:52:30.98\00:52:33.55
dear Friends, we need this gift
00:52:33.58\00:52:36.92
never to replace the Bible,
00:52:36.95\00:52:39.19
it was a lesser
light but it's light
00:52:39.22\00:52:42.69
and it's been light that
has been given to us as a people
00:52:42.72\00:52:46.23
that we might be ready
for the coming of the Lord.
00:52:46.26\00:52:49.73
Dear Friends, the
words that were given
00:52:49.76\00:52:52.77
at the very beginning today,
I would leave with you again.
00:52:52.83\00:52:56.47
They were spoken at a time
of great uncertainty and crisis.
00:52:56.50\00:53:00.58
When King Jehoshaphat's city of
Jerusalem was being surrounded
00:53:00.61\00:53:04.68
by armies who were prepared
to break down into the city
00:53:04.71\00:53:08.32
and destroy every
one of its inhabitants,
00:53:08.35\00:53:10.19
and the kings stood up and said,
00:53:10.25\00:53:12.12
"Believe in the Lord your God,
so shall you be established,
00:53:12.15\00:53:16.62
believe His prophets,
so shall you prosper. "
00:53:16.66\00:53:21.40
Audience: Amen.
00:53:21.43\00:53:22.76
And prosperity and
establishment in the truth
00:53:22.80\00:53:25.93
is still available
to you and to me today.
00:53:26.00\00:53:29.40
Let's bow our
heads, "Dear loving Father,
00:53:29.47\00:53:32.81
we thank You so much for
this gift that You have given
00:53:32.84\00:53:36.34
for the guidance and
encouragement of Your people
00:53:36.38\00:53:39.55
in these
challenging and uncertain days,
00:53:39.58\00:53:41.92
may we not only appreciate
the blessing that has been to us
00:53:41.95\00:53:45.12
in our past history,
00:53:45.15\00:53:46.49
but may we also
receive the blessing,
00:53:46.52\00:53:49.52
that it can be to
each of us individually
00:53:49.56\00:53:52.69
as we read its counsel,
00:53:52.73\00:53:54.63
because it comes
as a gift from Jesus
00:53:54.66\00:53:57.80
to help us to be
ready to meet Him
00:53:57.83\00:54:00.47
when He comes in
the clouds of heaven.
00:54:00.50\00:54:03.37
Keep us faithful
to that day we pray,
00:54:03.41\00:54:06.24
in Jesus' precious name, amen. "
00:54:06.27\00:54:09.28