Timely Greetings, Vol. 2, Nos. 33, 34

THE ONLY PEACE OF MIND

Volume 2

Numbers 33, 34

V.T. HOUTEFF

The Cleansing Of The Sanctuary, When And How Done?

If You Were Nothing, What Would You Choose To Be?

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TEXT FOR PRAYER

Grow In Grace Or Else Die

This afternoon I shall read from Christ's Object Lessons, page 65, beginning with the last paragraph.

"The germination of the seed represents the beginning of spiritual life, and the development of the plant is a beautiful figure of Christian growth. As in nature, so in grace; there can be no life without growth. The plant must either grow or die. As its growth is silent and imperceptible, but continuous, so is the development of the Christian life. At every stage of development our life may be perfect; yet if God's purpose for us is fulfilled, there will be continual advancement. Sanctification is the work of a lifetime. As our opportunities multiply, our experience will enlarge, and our knowledge increase. We shall become strong to bear responsibility, and our maturity will be in proportion to our privileges."

What is our need of prayer this afternoon? -- Let us pray to grow in grace for there can be no life without growth; to advance with the truth; to take advantage of all our opportunities; to cooperate with Divine agencies; to be willing to bear responsibilities; to realize that when we do all these, then our responsibilities will increase, and our maturity will be commensurate to our privileges.

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THE CLEANSING OF THE SANCTUARY--

WHEN AND HOW DONE?

TEXT OF ADDRESS BY V.T. HOUTEFF,

MINISTER OF D. SEVENTH-DAY ADVENTISTS

SABBATH, MARCH 27, 1948

MT. CARMEL CHAPEL

WACO, TEXAS

Our text is found in Daniel chapter eight, verse 14. I shall begin with verse 13.

Dan. 8:13, 14 -- "Then I heard one saint speaking, and another saint said unto that certain saint which spake, How long shall be the vision concerning the daily sacrifice, and the transgression of desolation, to give both the sanctuary and the host to be trodden under foot? And he said unto me, Unto two thousand and three hundred days; then shall the sanctuary be cleansed."

To this question, "How long shall be the vision concerning the daily, and the transgression of desolation, to give both the sanctuary and the host to be trodden under foot?" came the answer, "Unto two thousand and three hundred days; then shall the sanctuary be cleansed." That is, within the 2300 days the daily shall be taken away, the transgression of desolation set up, the sanctuary and the host shall be trodden underfoot. After this the sanctuary is to be cleansed. "Every morning" (margin), denotes 24 hour days -- full measure of time. The word "sacrifice" does not belong in the text.

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Dan. 8:16, 17 -- "And I heard a man's voice between the banks of Ulai, which called, and said, Gabriel, make this man to understand the vision. So he came near where I stood: and when he came, I was afraid, and fell upon my face: but he said unto me, Understand, O son of man: for at the time of the end shall be the vision."

Gabriel's explanation that at the time of the end shall be the vision, shows that the paramount importance of the vision is the cleansing of the sanctuary, and that it takes place not in Daniel's time, and not before the time of the end, but after the 2300 days, in the time of the end.

Now since the 2300 days began somewhere in the fifth century before Christ (as seen in the following verses), and since the vision was to be for many days, for the time of the end, then obviously the 2300 days must be computed a day for a year as in Ezekiel 4:6. The 2300 days, therefore, are actually 2300 years, in the end of which the sanctuary is cleansed. What signs are to mark the time of the end?--

Dan. 12:4 -- "But thou, O Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book, even to the time of the end: many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased."

The angel explained that at the time of the end many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased. And the fact that men are now running to and fro and that knowledge has been increased in itself proves that we are now living in the time of the end, that the vision is now to be understood, and that the sanctuary is now to be cleansed.

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Dan. 8:18-21 -- "Now as he was speaking with me, I was in a deep sleep on my face toward the ground: but he touched me, and set me upright. And he said, Behold, I will make thee know what shall be in the last end of the indignation: for at the time appointed the end shall be. The ram which thou sawest having two horns are the kings of Media and Persia. And the rough goat is the king of Grecia: and the great horn that is between his eyes is the first king."

Here you see where the prophetic history of this vision begins. It begins with the Medo-Persian empire, and carries us in time through the victories of Alexander the Great.

Dan. 8:23 -- "And in the latter time of their kingdom, when the transgressors are come to the full, a king of fierce countenance, and understanding dark sentences, shall stand up."

In the latter end of the Medes and the Greeks, when the transgressors, the Jews, are come to the full, another king or kingdom was to stand up. It was of course none other than Rome, the kingdom which overran the four Grecian divisions.

Dan. 8:26, 27 -- "And the vision of the evening and the morning which was told is true: wherefore shut thou up the vision; for it shall be for many days. And I Daniel fainted, and was sick certain days; afterward I rose up, and did the king's business; and I was astonished at the vision, but none understood it."

Daniel here confesses that the meager explanation which Gabriel gave concerning the vision was not sufficient. None could understand it.

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Consequently, as time went on and as he still could not understand the vision although the set time for liberation had come, he graphically said:

Dan. 9:1-3, 22, 23 -- "In the first year of Darius the son of Ahasuerus, of the seed of the Medes, which was made king over the realm of the Chaldeans. In the first year of his reign I Daniel understood by books the number of the years, whereof the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah the prophet, that he would accomplish seventy years in the desolations of Jerusalem. And I set my face unto the Lord God, to seek by prayer and supplications, with fasting, and sackcloth, and ashes:... And he informed me, and talked with me, and said, O Daniel, I am now come forth to give thee skill and understanding. At the beginning of thy supplications the commandment came forth, and I am come to shew thee; for thou art greatly beloved: therefore understand the matter, and consider the vision."

Because Gabriel was to begin where he left off (Dan. 8), he counselled Daniel first to consider the vision. Then said Gabriel:

Dan. 9:24 -- "Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people and upon thy holy city, to finish the transgression, and to make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up the vision and prophecy, and to anoint the Most Holy."

Since Gabriel is here explaining the vision of chapter 8 -- the things that were to take place during the 2300 days -- the seventy weeks are therefore a part of the 2300 days.

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PICTURE

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Let us now study the subject with the aid of this chart.

The seventy weeks are actually 490 years. Mark that during these 490 years, Daniel's people, the Jews, were to make an end of sin and make reconciliation for their iniquity, or else be hopelessly given up. Next Daniel was told where the 70 weeks begin:

Dan. 9:25 -- "Know therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem unto the Messiah the Prince shall be seven weeks, and threescore and two weeks: the street shall be built again, and the wall, even in troublous times."

From the commandment to restore and to rebuild Jerusalem to Messiah the Prince, to Christ, there were to be 7 weeks (49 years), and 62 weeks (434 years) -- 69 weeks in all, or 483 years. History shows that the decree to rebuild the ancient city went forth in 457 B.C. Hence 483 years from 457 B.C. bring us to 27 A.D., to the year Christ, the Messiah, was baptized. (This incident, too, proves that the 2300 days are computed a day for a year, and that the seventy weeks are the first block of time from within the 2300 days. Look at the chart.) We should now remember that after cutting off the 69 weeks from the 70 weeks there is yet one week left. What takes place during this week is told in the verses that follow:

Dan. 9:26, 27 -- "And after threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off, but not for Himself: and the people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary; and the end thereof shall be with a flood, and unto the

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end of the war desolations are determined. And He shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week He shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations He shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate."

Just what was to take place during the first seven weeks or 49 years I am not prepared to say, but in the end of the next 62 weeks, or 434 years the Messiah was to be cut off, crucified. During the remaining week, the 70th, He was to confirm the covenant with many, and in the midst of it He was to be cut off, crucified; that is, there were to be 3 1/2 years from His baptism to the crucifixion, and 3 1/2 years after the crucifixion in which He was to confirm the covenant. This completes the 70 weeks and brings us to the time to apostles were commanded to go out and preach the Gospel to the Gentiles: One named Cornelius (a Gentile), and Peter (a Jew and an Apostle) were both given a vision: Cornelius was instructed to see Peter and Peter was commanded to meet Cornelius. See Acts, chapter 10. The Jews as a nation failed to make an end of sin and were therefore rejected, given up.

Christ's own sacrifice at the end of the first 3 1/2 years replaced the sacrificial ceremonial system, and thus He caused the sacrifice to cease in the midst of the week. All this, time and event, you see, took place exactly as Gabriel predicted.

Nevertheless, even with this added explanation, Daniel still was not able to comprehend all

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that was in the vision. But as time went on, and as his burden for the deliverance of his people increased, knowing that the time had come, he prayed for light. His prayer is recorded in the first part of chapter 10, after which the angel appeared and again explained:

Dan. 10:21 -- "But I will shew thee that which is noted in the scripture of truth: and there is none that holdeth with me in these things, but Michael your prince."

Daniel was then promised all the light that could be given, not only on the vision of Daniel 8, but on all that is noted in the scripture of truth in connection with the vision. That which the angel showed him is recorded in Daniel 11 and 12:

Chapter 11, you will see, begins with the vision of Daniel 8, with the kings of Medo-Persia and Grecia as symbolized by the ram and he goat in chapter 8. Then was Daniel told that the explanation at last was sufficient, but that it was impossible for him to understand it all, for the vision was sealed to the time of the end (chapter 12, verses 8, 9).

By this long prophetic history and geography as seen in chapters 11 and 12, the angel brings us up to the time of the end, to the time the cleansing is to take place. And here is the nature of the cleansing according to the angel's word:

Dan. 12:1 -- "And at that time shall Michael stand up, the great prince which standeth for the children of thy people: and there shall be a time of

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trouble, such as never was since there was a nation even to that same time: and at that time thy people shall be delivered, every one that shall be found written in the book."

By delivering the righteous, He thoroughly separates the righteous from among the wicked -- He puts the good "fish" in the vessels and casts out the bad (Matt. 13:48). He shall cleanse His people from sin and sinners.

Dan. 12:2, 3 -- "And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt. And they that be wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament; and they that turn many to righteousness as the stars for ever and ever."

The wicked that arise with the righteous in this mixed resurrection are also to be separated from the righteous. The wicked are to be put to shame and everlasting contempt, but the righteous are to be given eternal life.

Dan. 12:10 -- "Many shall be purified, and made white, and tried; but the wicked shall do wickedly: and none of the wicked shall understand; but the wise shall understand."

The living righteous shall be purified, but the wicked shall become even more wicked.

Dan. 12:11, 12 -- "And from the time that the daily sacrifice shall be taken away, and the abomination that maketh desolate set up, there shall be a thousand two hundred and ninety days. Blessed is he that waiteth, and cometh to the thousand three hundred and five and thirty days."

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Here another block of time from within the 2300 days is introduced, beginning from the time the daily is abolished and the abomination set up. (The daily represents something which should not have been abolished, and the abominations represent something that should not have been set up. The word "sacrifices" is supplied and does not belong in the text. For light on these read Tract No. 3, The Harvest.)

It should be noticed, however, that the promised blessing (the cleansing) does not begin until after the 1335 days, or years, expire.

Now since the 2300-year period begins in 457 B.C., with the commandment to restore and to rebuild the city Jerusalem, the 2300 days consequently end in 1844, the time the 1335 days end, then the days of the blessings begin. It should now be remembered that this cleansing of the sanctuary includes the cleansing of both those who are to be resurrected and those who are to be living during the cleansing time. Speaking through the prophet Ezekiel of the cleansing among the living, the Lord says:

Ezek. 36:24-29 -- "For I will take you from among the heathen, and gather you out of all countries, and will bring you into your own land. Then will I sprinkle clean water upon you, and ye shall be clean: from all your filthiness, and from all your idols, will I cleanse you. A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh. And I will put My Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in My statutes, and ye shall keep My judgments, and do them. And ye shall dwell in the land that I gave to your

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fathers; and ye shall be My people, and I will be your God. I will also save you from all your uncleannesses: and I will call for the corn, and will increase it, and lay no famine upon you."

None of the living can actually be cleansed from all their marks of sin while among the Gentile nations, you see. They must first be separated from the hypocrites and Gentiles, then brought into their own land, there to be sprinkled with clean water, cleansed from all their filthiness and from all their idols, when they get to their own land, not before. Even a new heart is to be given them there, and a new spirit also. Thus will the Lord cause them to walk in His statutes and keep His judgments forevermore. Thus shall they return and dwell in the land of their fathers, Palestine, and thus shall they be God's people eternally. These things, you see, are premillennial.

Let us now examine the cleansing according to the prophets Joel, Malachi, and Jeremiah--

Joel 3:21 -- "For I will cleanse their blood that I have not cleansed: for the Lord dwelleth in Zion."

Malachi 3:1-3 -- "Behold, I will send My messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me: and the Lord, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to His temple, even the messenger of the covenant, whom ye delight in: behold, he shall come, saith the Lord of hosts. But who may abide the day of his coming? and who shall stand when he appeareth? for he is like a refiner's fire, and like fullers' sope: and he shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver: and he shall purify the sons of Levi, and purge them as gold and silver, that they may offer unto the Lord an offering in

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righteousness."

Jer. 31:31-33 -- "Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah: not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt; which My covenant they brake, although I was an husband unto them, saith the Lord: but this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith the Lord, I will put My law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be My people."

The old covenant has been to keep the commandments while they are written, not on the heart, but on tables of stone, against the will of the stony heart. But the new covenant is to cleanse them from their stony hearts, and to write the commandments on their hearts of flesh.

Jer. 31:34 -- "And they shall teach no more every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord: for they shall all know Me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith the Lord: for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more."

When God's people are thus cleansed, they shall all know the Lord. Then they shall indeed be His people, His nation. And God's guarantee is this:

Jer. 31:35, 36 -- "Thus saith the Lord, which giveth the sun for a light by day, and the ordinances of the moon and of the stars for a light by night,

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which divideth the sea when the waves thereof roar; The Lord of hosts is His name: if those ordinances depart from before Me, saith the Lord, then the seed of Israel also shall cease from being a nation before Me for ever."

Does God do this because His people have been good or because He wants to vindicate His name? Let us see:

Ezek. 36:20-24 -- "And when they entered unto the heathen, whither they went, they profaned My holy name, when they said to them, These are the people of the Lord, and are gone forth out of His land. But I had pity for Mine holy name, which the house of Israel had profaned among the heathen, whither they went. Therefore say unto the house of Israel, Thus saith the Lord God; I do not this for your sakes, O house of Israel, but for Mine holy name's sake, which ye have profaned among the heathen, whither ye went. And I will sanctify My great name, which was profaned among the heathen, which ye have profaned in the midst of them; and the heathen shall know that I am the Lord, saith the Lord God, when I shall be sanctified in you before their eyes. For I will take you from among the heathen, and gather you out of all countries, and will bring you into your own land."

Plainly, the Word declares that the sanctuary is to be cleansed, that the land also is to be reclaimed, and the Kingdom restored, not by reason of the people's goodness, but for God's name's sake, for His own goodness sake. The heathen, too, will know what God has done for His people, for the Scriptures show that all this shall take place right before their eyes. This same cleansing Christ describes thus:

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Matt. 25:32-34 -- "And before Him shall be gathered all nations: and He shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats: and He shall set the sheep on His right hand, but the goats on the left. Then shall the King say unto them on His right hand, Come, ye blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world."

Here is truth that the Denomination has overlooked: they think that they are to make a bee line to the throne of God for the Millennium. But according to the scriptures, here you see the people must first be separated from among the heathen, then cleansed from all their filthiness, and thus be enabled to stand in the presence of a pure and eternal God. Thus is the sanctuary among the living cleansed, and thus are the people to be fitted to reign with Christ a thousand years.

Brothers, Sisters, make certain that you be found, not among the goats on His left, but with the sheep on His right if you are to hear the King say, "Come, ye blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world." (Matt. 25:34).

And remember that we have now been living "in the time of the end" for some years. Moreover, this light has now come because the cleansing of the living members of the church is at hand.

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IF YOU WERE NOTHING,

WHAT WOULD YOU CHOOSE TO BE?

TEXT OF ADDRESS BY V.T. HOUTEFF,

MINISTER OF D. SEVENTH-DAY ADVENTISTS

SABBATH, APRIL 17, 1948

MT. CARMEL CHAPEL

WACO, TEXAS

Our text is found in 1 Kings 3:5.

1 Kings 3:5 -- "In Gibeon the Lord appeared to Solomon in a dream by night: and God said, Ask what I shall give thee."

Solomon asked for wisdom, and along with it he got everything a man could desire to have. (1 Kings 3:10-14.) If we were given a choice such as Solomon was given, what would we ask for? -- I fear many of us would not ask for as good a thing as Solomon asked. I think most of us would ask for a reasonable amount of money, and some of us perhaps would ask for great riches, others for a wife or a husband. And what makes me think this? -- Simply because I see so many applying themselves to earning and hunting, not to learning.

Supposing you were nothing, and you had enough sense to hear God's voice, as did Solomon, saying: "What do you wish to be? Ask for it, and that shall ye be." You would, of course, want to be the best in God's creation -- a human being.

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Let us suppose that your request has been granted, that you have now become a fine human being, but have advanced no further: You as yet belong to no family, race, government or people. You know nothing about God and nothing about religion.

Next in your progress among the living, you would want to choose your nationality. Which of all the people on earth would you choose to be? I would choose to be a Hebrew, because the Hebrew nation of all the nations on earth has for its parentage prophets, kings, and priests. The Hebrew nation, of course (I do not mean the unbelieving present day Jews), at the present time has no government of its own; it is scattered among the nations. You would therefore have to choose the government under which you would like to make your home. Since the United States of America is the most prosperous nation, and since under its rule you can move about with greater freedom than in any other nation, you would doubtless choose to become one of its citizens.

Suppose next you were greatly impressed to connect yourself with a church. There being but three religions to choose from -- Pagan, Christian, and Mohammedan -- which one would you choose for your own? Your God-given wisdom would tell you that it would have to be the one that has the best and longest record, the one that has proved its origin and endurance, the one that has proved itself capable of saving a sinner, raising the dead, and translating the living.

Since the religion of Christ alone has proved itself capable of performing all these and of predicting the rise and fall of nations and peoples, past, present, and future -- from time

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immemorial to the time of the end. And since its founder alone claims credit for creating the world; and of being the Son of God, the beginning and the end, the Saviour of all mankind, you would want to join it. In fact, if one is to reap the fullest benefit from religion, then these are the qualifications which his religion must have. And if these are the chief reasons for one's embracing religion, then there is no alternative but to take the Christian religion, for it alone backs up its guarantee with actual facts, with actual performance.

Suppose you have now become a whole-hearted, an altogether Christian, but you are confronted with still a greater problem; that is, you find Christianity divided into many sects, one differing from the other both in doctrine and deportment. You are therefore forced to choose the sect you would like to join, the sect you would like to make your own.

Your choice, of course, would have to be again based on facts, not on assumption. And since the Bible Itself has now become your only guide, your only teacher, you would have to consult It, and your choice would have to be made accordingly. And if you be living now in the time of the end, the time in which The Revelation of John actually speaks and shines upon the path of the saints, you would of course have to consult the book of The Revelation first and join the sect which It recommends. And which is it? -- Let us turn to Revelation 12 --

Rev. 12:15 -- "And the serpent cast out of his mouth water as a flood after the woman, that he might cause her to be carried away of the flood."

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The woman, you know, is the symbol of the sect, the Church.

Rev. 12:16 -- "And the earth helped the woman, and the earth opened her mouth, and swallowed up the flood which the dragon cast out of his mouth."

Only this Church, you see, is favored even by the earth itself. This sect alone is saved from the Dragon's flood, saved from being carried away by the flood of hypocrites and "tares" in her midst.

Rev. 12:17 -- "And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ."

Here, you see, the remnant -- those who are left after the others are swallowed by the earth, so to speak -- keeps the commandments of God and has the testimony of Jesus Christ. This remnant, or sect, that keeps the commandments of God, therefore, is the only one that Inspiration recommends, the only one that is worth joining, the only one that can profit any one. It alone possesses the power to escape any and all of the calamities that are now brewing throughout the world. It is the only sect that finds favor with God. No other would do, for no other could profit you.

Then, too, it alone has the testimony of Jesus Christ -- the living Spirit of Prophecy in its midst (Rev. 19:10), -- the Spirit Who leads into all Truth, Who alone can rightly interpret the Scriptures (2 Pet. 1:20, 21). Plainly, then, Inspiration would have you join no sect but this "remnant."

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Keeping the commandments of God, though, involves keeping everyone of them, for "Whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all." James 2:10. And remember, too, that the keeping of the commandments can openly be recognized only by the keeping of the Sabbath commandment, the commandment which says:

"Six days shalt thou labour, 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." Ex. 20:9-11.

The Sabbath day, you see, is created holy, but the first six days are created for work. The seventh-day Sabbath is the only Sabbath, and in all the holy Word of God there is no command to keep another day in its stead. The keeping of the seventh-day Sabbath alone testifies of one's faith in the Creator, and against evolution. A Sabbath substitute, therefore, can no more be acceptable as a commandment of God than could Cain's offering have been accepted as God's ordained sacrifice.

No, do not contradict the Lord by saying the seventh-day is for the Jews only, for the Lord says:

Isa. 56:2-7 -- "Blessed is the man that doeth this, and the son of man that layeth hold on it; that keepeth the Sabbath from polluting it, and

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keepeth his hand from doing any evil. Neither let the son of the stranger, that hath joined himself to the Lord, speak, saying, The Lord hath utterly separated me from His people: neither let the eunuch say, Behold, I am a dry tree. For thus saith the Lord unto the eunuchs that keep my Sabbaths, and choose the things that please Me, and take hold of My covenant; even unto them will I give in Mine house and within My walls a place and a name better than of sons and of daughters: I will give them an everlasting name, that shall not be cut off. Also the sons of the stranger, that join themselves to the Lord, to serve Him, and to love the name of the Lord, to be His servants, every one that keepeth the Sabbath from polluting It, and taketh hold of My covenant; even them will I bring to My holy mountain, and make them joyful in My house of prayer: their burnt offerings and their sacrifices shall be accepted upon Mine altar; for Mine house shall be called an house of prayer for all people."

The only Sabbath Jesus ever knew was the seventh-day Sabbath, and looking forward to the great tribulation, deep in the Christian era, He said: "But pray ye that your flight be not in the winter, neither on the sabbath day: for then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be." Matthew 24:20, 21. The Sabbath, you see, is for all peoples, both in Old and New Testament times. Moreover, again speaking of the Christian era, the time the earth is made new, Inspiration declares:

Isa. 66:23 -- "And it shall come to pass, that from one new moon to another, and from one Sabbath to another, shall all flesh come to worship before

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Me, saith the Lord."

Since "The Revelation," the book that speaks to the people of God at this time, recommends the sect that keeps the commandments and that has the gift of prophecy, you cannot wisely connect yourself with any other sect. And since God so declares, it must be that there is but one such people at this particular time who have the living testimony of Jesus Christ, the Gift of the Spirit of Prophecy. Moreover, for God to place the Gift with more than one people, would be for Him to cause confusion and disaster to His own work, to thwart His own purpose. Still further, if more than one has the Gift, then they all would necessarily have to agree as one. But since there are no two sects that agree with each other, the truth that there is but one sect that has the Gift is an absolute reality. And while you may choose to keep the Sabbath commandment, you cannot inspire yourself with the Spirit of Prophecy -- this Gift is bestowed upon the remnant by God Himself.

Your next problem in your progress of life would be to find the proper name of that commandment-keeping people, a name that would actually by practice express that they are "the remnant," for a Divinely inspired name must in actuality point out the people whom Inspiration here recommends. Any other name on them would be misleading, and the same name on any other people would be misleading, too.

Let us not neglect to note, too, that the name of a people is not really a name but a title. And titles, you know, change as fast as Truth unfolds, as fast as Truth advances from one phase of the gospel work to another.

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To illustrate: Even the personal names of the patriarchs, by which various movements of the past were named, were changed as time went on. Abram, you recall, in the process of time was called Abraham; and Jacob was called Israel. Then, too, the Church of Moses' time was called Israelite, at Christ's time it was called Judean, and after that Christian. Finally came the time that it was called either Catholic or Protestant. Then either Lutheran or some other. Each one of these was the offspring of the old. Not those who lag behind, but those who march on with the messages of God, as time goes on, are always recognized by Heaven as the Church.

At the commencement of each message the people that marched on with the Truth were the individual members of the church which had become a church through the acceptance of a message, a message which its founder brought forth. For example, the entire Jewish church did not become a Christian church, but the Christian church drew its members from the Jewish church and brought them to advanced Truth, Truth especially adaptable for the time and the people then.

As we are now living in the time of The Revelation, in the time of the unfolding of the prophecies which point to the setting up of the Kingdom as well as to the second advent of Christ, the Church at this time, therefore, could not logically go by a name other than a name which would befit her present (advanced) phase of the gospel work.

Plainly, then, her name must express the truths she advocates: that is, the keeping of

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the commandments, the second advent of Christ, and also the restoration of the Davidian Kingdom according to prophecy. Hence the logical name that would represent her work from this time down to the time the Kingdom is set up, is to be Davidian Seventh-day Adventists, -- a name that testifies of the Kingdom message, of keeping the commandments of which the seventh-day Sabbath is a part, and of the second advent of Christ.

Now you see that every additional timely Truth brings an additional timely name. And you who have not been baptized in the name of the Church, but in the name of Christ through the Truth of the Spirit, you who are not tied to any man, but to Christ, cannot help going on with the Spirit of Prophecy Who unfolds the Truth and names Its people. You could not, therefore, afford to calmly stand by, dreaming of being rich and increased with goods, in need of nothing while in fact you are spiritually poor and naked. And you will stay that way if you neglect to advance with the Truth for this time.

Finally, you need to know concretely what is the Kingdom message, the "additional message" (Early Writings, pg. 277), and the phase of its work that promotes the title "Seventh-day Adventist" to the title Davidian Seventh-day Adventist.

Isa. 11:11, 12, 16 -- "And it shall come to pass in that day, that the Lord shall set His hand again the second time to recover the remnant of His people, which shall be left, from Assyria, and from Egypt, and from Pathros, and from Cush, and from Elam, and from Shinar, and from Hamath, and from the islands of the sea. And He shall set up an ensign for the nations, and shall

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assemble the outcasts of Israel, and gather together the dispersed of Judah from the four corners of the earth.... And there shall be an highway for the remnant of His people, which shall be left, from Assyria; like as it was to Israel in the day that he came up out of the land of Egypt."

If God's people who are in Babylon are to come out of her to escape her plagues (Rev. 18:4) and to avoid the sins that are in Babylon when she rides the beast and rules the world (Rev. 17) they must necessarily go to a place that is not vulnerable to her plagues, and where there is no sin. Where is that place? -- Let the Bible give the answer:

Ezekiel 37:21-28 -- "And say unto them, Thus saith the Lord God; Behold, I will take the children of Israel from among the heathen, whither they be gone, and will gather them on every side, and bring them into their own land: and I will make them one nation in the land upon the mountains of Israel; and one king shall be king to them all: and they shall be no more two nations, neither shall they be divided into two kingdoms any more at all. Neither shall they defile themselves any more with their idols, nor with their detestable things, nor with any of their transgressions: but I will save them out of all their dwelling places, wherein they have sinned, and will cleanse them: so shall they be My people, and I will be their God. And David My servant shall be king over them; and they all shall have one shepherd: they shall also walk in My judgments, and observe My statutes, and do them. And they shall dwell in the land that I have given unto Jacob My servant, wherein your fathers have dwelt; and they shall dwell

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therein, even they, and their children, and their children's children forever: and My servant David shall be their prince forever. Moreover I will make a covenant of peace with them; it shall be an everlasting covenant with them: and I will place them, and multiply them, and will set My sanctuary in the midst of them for evermore. My tabernacle also shall be with them: yea, I will be their God, and they shall be My people. And the heathen shall know that I the Lord do sanctify Israel, when My sanctuary shall be in the midst of them for evermore."

Ezek. 36:22-28 -- "Therefore say unto the house of Israel, Thus saith the Lord God; I do not this for your sakes, O house of Israel, but for Mine holy name's sake, which ye have profaned among the heathen, whither ye went. And I will sanctify My great name, which was profaned among the heathen, which ye have profaned in the midst of them; and the heathen shall know that I am the Lord, saith the Lord God, when I shall be sanctified in you before their eyes. For I will take you from among the heathen, and gather you out of all countries, and will bring you into your own land. Then will I sprinkle clean water upon you, and ye shall be clean: from all your filthiness, and from all your idols, will I cleanse you. A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh. And I will put My Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in My statutes, and ye shall keep My judgments, and do them. And ye shall well in the land that I gave to your fathers; and ye shall be My people, and I will be your God."

Now you can more fully appreciate the name

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Davidian Seventh-day Adventists. And so if you were nothing yesterday, and a Divinely enlightened human being today, you would at last be a Davidian Seventh-day Adventist.

Suppose, though, you would then wish to go on to perfection? You would of course again cry out to the Lord, and say:

Mic. 6:6, 7 -- "Wherewith shall I come before the Lord, and bow myself before the high God? shall I come before Him with burnt offerings, with calves of a year old? Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams, or with ten thousands of rivers of oil? shall I give my firstborn for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?"

And now this is God's answer to your cry:

Mic. 6:8 -- "He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the Lord require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?"

Yes, here you have the answer to your heart's desire: Do justly, love mercy, and walk humbly with thy God; be not high-minded and self-sufficient. And what is more, Inspiration continues:

Mic. 6:9 -- "The Lord's voice crieth unto the city, and the man of wisdom shall see thy name: hear ye the rod, and Who hath appointed it."

The Shepherd's Rod, the books that Inspiration so named and inspired its contents, being the only Rod in the world that can be heard speaking, the Lord commands that you should hear it, that you do not waste any time in deciding

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between the Rod literature and some other. For there is none other today than the Rod literature which God recommends you to hear. And when you hear the Rod, you will find yourself wrapped in the love of Christ and in the "arms" of God. Try it.

Now listen to His Word and let Him in the language of the prophets tell you more about the day you and I are now approaching, the day with which we are almost face to face. With the light already given, the following scriptures need no special comments; they are self-interpretative.

Micah 6:9 -- "The Lord's voice crieth unto the city, and the man of wisdom shall see thy name: hear ye the rod, and Who hath appointed it."

Zech. 13:8, 9 -- "And it shall come to pass, that in all the land, saith the Lord, two parts therein shall be cut off and die; but the third shall be left therein. And I will bring the third part through the fire, and will refine them as silver is refined, and will try them as gold is tried: they shall call on My name, and I will hear them: I will say, It is My people: and they shall say, The Lord is my God."

Zech. 12:8-10 -- "In that day shall the Lord defend the inhabitants of Jerusalem; and he that is feeble among them at that day shall be as David; and the house of David shall be as God, as the angel of the Lord before them. And it shall come to pass in that day, that I will seek to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem. And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplications: and they shall look upon Me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for

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Him, as one mourneth for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for Him, as one that is in bitterness for his firstborn."

Jer. 30:9 -- "But they shall serve the Lord their God, and David their king, whom I will raise up unto them."

Ezek. 37:24-26 -- "And David My servant shall be king over them; and they all shall have one shepherd: they shall also walk in My judgments, and observe My statutes, and do them. And they shall dwell in the land that I have given unto Jacob My servant, wherein your fathers have dwelt; and they shall dwell therein, even they, and their children, and their children's children for ever: and My servant David shall be their prince for ever. Moreover I will make a covenant of peace with them; it shall be an everlasting covenant with them: and I will place them, and multiply them, and will set My sanctuary in the midst of them for evermore."

Since you are now instructed in Truth and righteousness, and since the earth has not yet swallowed up the Dragon's flood, also since this message is but the announcement that the earth will soon swallow the flood, with which class of church members would you love most to associate? -- Hear ye now the class which the Lord recommends:

Matt. 5:3-16 -- "Blessed are the poor in spirit: for their's is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted. Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth. Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled. Blessed are the merciful: for they shall

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obtain mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God. Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God. Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake: for their's is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for My sake. Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you. Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be salted? it is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men. Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid. Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.

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