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Symbolic Code
Volume 2 No. 3 and 4
IN THE
INTEREST OF THE SDA
DENOMINATION
"The
Twelve Tribes Which are Scattered Abroad"
This
little paper is dedicated for the conveyance of news items and reformatory
activities to Present Truth believers; to answer questions in connection with
the sealing message of the 144,000 (Rev. 7:1-8) and the great multitude (Rev.
7:9); on the prophecies of Isaiah, Zechariah, Zephaniah, Micah, Hosea, Joel,
Daniel, the Revelation, Ezekiel, Jeremiah, etc., but more fully on the first
eight books above mentioned; on Christ's parables, on types and symbols, and
also on the writings of Mrs. E.G. White.
However,
this monthly visitor promises to answer questions on such passages of the
Scriptures only as have been divinely revealed and authoritatively
proclaimed--bearing the positive mark of truth.
Therefore, it will either give a correct answer to questions or else
confess its ignorance by saying "I do not know."
Its main
object is to reveal the fact that the time has come for the Lord to manifest His
power and unify, and purify the church of God--calling her to rise up from her
dusty bed and put on her strength and her gift of beautiful garments, because
"from henceforth" the unclean shall not come unto her.
(Isa. 52:1.) Therefore, it positively demands that the messengers of
"the great and dreadful day of the Lord," under its supervision, must
strictly comply with all its requirements, instructions and advice which it
bears to them from time to time. It
will not countenance those who ignore its divine authority--the church is to be
a light to the whole world--fair as the moon,--clear as the sun, and terrible as
an army with banners. Isa. 62:1-7;
Prophets and Kings, p. 725.
The
symbols on the title page are a reproduction of the Revelation, chapters Twelve
and Nine, and Isaiah 7:21, which symbols are explained in our available
literature.
This
monthly comforter gladly calls on all S.D.A.'s who open their doors and welcome
its visit. It freely gives its time
to minister to those who shall be heirs of salvation and neither collects fees
nor makes charges for its unselfish service.
It lives on voluntary gifts and free will offerings--it burdens no one
and comforts all. Its constant
prayer is that all its clients should prosper and be in health even as their
souls prospereth. (III John 2.)
Make
your questions plain and distinct, giving the references, and they shall be
taken care of as soon as their turn on the waiting line permits.
If you
like to have this printed friend come to your home regularly, also other free
literature, send your name and address to the Universal Publishing Ass'n,
Symbolic Code Department, Mount Carmel Center, Lake Waco, Texas.
V.T.
HOUTEFF
PRINTED
IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
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WE
PRAYED AND THE LORD HEARD OUR CRY
In this
transition period of "The Symbolic Code," while emerging from a humble
mimeographed sheet to a standard monthly magazine, we feel that it would be
appropriate to quote a few lines from the first issue showing how it started its
first paragraph with a sincere request, saying: "Let us pray to the end
that it will grow with mushroom speed; have the fabric of a palm tree; the grip
of an octopus; be clear as crystal and glittering as transparent gold; moving
'as the appearance of a flash of lightning' (Ezek. 1:14); sweet as honey (Ezek.
3:3) to those who are searching for truth as for 'hidden treasure' (Matt.
13:44), and bitter as 'Wormwood' (Rev. 8:11) to those who seek 'to enjoy the
pleasures of sin for a season!' May
God bless it that for the 'abundance of milk' it shall give may 'every one' who
is 'left in the land' eat 'butter and honey' (Isa. 7:22, for so shall they be 'a
great people, and a strong.' Saith
the prophet, 'There hath not been ever the like, neither shall be any more after
it.' (Joel 2:2.)"
The
merciful granting of our plea in the above prayer the readers of this monthly
prophetic agent have doubtless recognized by the fact that its circulation as
well as its size are each six times greater than at its beginning--crowning it:
with the governmental number of Revelation 12:1--and we would not neglect to
mention that since its publishing quarters moved from Los Angeles to Mt. Carmel
Center our subscription list has almost doubled, witnessing to the fact that the
request of our prayer in the words, "That it will grow with mushroom
speed," is being granted, whereas its firm stand against the attempts of
the enemy to refute its contents of truth, to destroy its influence, and thereby
its existence, prove that He Who is taking the reins in His own hand has in
response to our request given it palm-like fabric, making it stand straight up
as a palm tree, even against a most severe wind storm.
Then,
too, having on one side the persecution and, the inhuman treatment which its
subscribers receive at the hands of those who are 'lovers of pleasures more than
lovers of God' (II Tim. 3:4), and on the other side the firm stand that its
followers take is a positive proof that its grip of truth on them surpasses even
the grip of an "octopus."
Moreover,
as the simplest of the simple can without any difficulty comprehend its
teaching, and confess that they have stepped out of darkness into its marvelous
light proves that its brightness is as
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"clear
as crystal and glittering as transparent gold." Furthermore, as it has already crossed both the Pacific and
the Atlantic oceans, it shows that it is moving as the appearance of a flash of
lightning; carrying on one hand the ringing testimonies of those who search for
truth even more zealously than those who search for gold, and on the other hand
the news it brings of the severe persecution and hatred against the class that
search for truth by the class that search for gold, proves that this little
truth bearing agent is as sweet as honey to the taste of the former and as
bitter as wormwood to the taste of the latter, and as those who partake of its
"butter and honey" learn how to "refuse the evil and choose the
good," it evidences the fact that its product will bring about "a
great reformatory movement among God's people,...a spirit of intercession...even
as was manifested before the great Day of Pentecost" and thus will the
church be able to heal the sick and do other miracles.--"Testimonies for
the Church," Vol. 9, p. 126: "Early Writings." p. 278.
A
WARNING
To the
Little Companies in
Present
Truth Scattered Abroad
Though
only a few of you I have personally ever met, yet I feel free to address you as
though I have always known you, and I praise Him for making it possible by
uniting us in Himself as one family, and that "hath raised us up together,
and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus."
I am
writing the following lines with a prayer that I may be able to help you to
stand more firmly on the platform of eternal truth and that you may be filled in
your joy "to the stature of the fullness of Christ" in the hope that
is within you.
The
spirit of jealousy and selfishness is endeavoring to leaven the believers in
Present Truth in some sections of the field and I am impressed to write
beforehand a few words of counsel. First
of all, let me say that some of those who have embraced Present Truth seem to be
yet in darkness concerning the necessity of our work and of the method by which
it is now being carried on, and though they may not be conscious of this fact,
it weakens their faith in the sealing message and breaks down their power to
proclaim the same. Hence, I shall
endeavor to pass on such information as seems necessary on some points of our
work for your enlightenment.
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The old
devil well knows that this is the last message the world will ever receive and
that it will chain him for a thousand years and at last reduce his being down to
ashes as though he never was. Therefore,
he is like a "roaring lion seeking whom he may devour."
Hence, because we can not be too cautious of his snares or too particular
in following "the Lamb whithersoever He goeth," I am sending this
warning.
The
apostle's council, "Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed
lest he fall," shows that we who have the message and full assurance to
receive "the seal of God" and to live forever are in the same danger
as the ancient Jews who, for being the direct descendants of Abraham and
perfectly satisfied that the promise was theirs, were found off guard and lost
the kingdom! Having their example
before us we should be wide awake lest we, too, be devoured by the old roaring
dragon.
Satan is
suggesting to some in certain sections of the field that they are doing more for
the cause of truth than some others and that those who may be doing less are
reaping the benefits of their labors instead of they themselves.
If this
be so, and if they have fully trusted in the One Whose the vineyard is instead
of in the stewards of His means for their reward, they should be the happier,
for the fact that He Who said, "The laborer is worthy of his hire,"
will more abundantly reward them than we could ever do even at our best.
"Therefore
watch, and remember, that by the space of three years I ceased not to warn every
one night and day with tears. And
now, brethren, I commend You to God, and to the word of His grace, which is able
to build you up, and to give you an inheritance among all them which are
sanctified. I have coveted no man's
silver, or gold, or apparel. Yea,
ye yourselves know, that these hands have ministered unto my necessities, and to
then, that were with me. I have
shewed you all things, how that so labouring ye ought to support the weak, and
to remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how He said, It is more blessed to give
than to receive. And they all wept
sore, and fell on Paul's neck, and kissed him." (The Acts 20:31-35, 37.)
You know
that Satan is on one hand determined to multiply the "tares" among the
"wheat" and Christ on the other hand to keep them out.
It is especially true at this time while He is "taking the reins in
His own hands;" and as He is assuring us now, after the period of time
while "men slept" is almost over, that "there shall no more come
into thee the uncircumcised and the unclean" (Isa. 52:1), His promise will
become a reality--He will send into His vineyard only those who will by
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their
works openly acknowledge by complying with His commission that they completely
trust in Him--"provide neither gold nor silver, nor brass in your purses,
nor scrip for your journey, neither two coats, neither shoes, nor yet
staves," (Matt. 10:9,10.)
Says the
Spirit of Prophecy: "Only those who have withstood and overcome temptation
in the strength of the Mighty One will be permitted to act a part in proclaiming
this message when it shall have swelled into the "Loud
Cry."--"Review and Herald," Nov. 19, 1908.
God has
placed me in a most responsible position, and realizing my human weakness and
inability to correctly perform my duties even in the least important place in
His service I cannot afford to deviate from His holy command even an inch
whether others do or not, and though some think that I am to blame for them not
being engaged in the work, I can only go as far as He leads me.
Therefore, if it is not they themselves alone to blame, by wrongly
placing the blame upon me they are murmuring against Christ instead of against
me.
Though
they are not in this office to see that if we offer any kind of financial
assistance before men get into the harness and go to work and prove themselves
that they are trustworthy of Christ's service and that they are called by Him,
it is true that we would be so busy hiring men for the work that we would have
no time for anything else at all. But
you know, my brethren, that among them there will be a multitude of men that
will not for souls, but for "hire" go to work--a class whose service
Christ can not accept. Moreover,
such a program will require a capital of no small sum of money whereas, we have
nothing, and the fact that we do not have it proves that Christ wants us to go
into His vineyard without gold, silver, or brass, and as we who did start on
this basis have lacked "nothing" (Lu.
22:35) our experience evidences the fact that He gives us "our daily
bread." (Matt. 6:11.)
Our work
is too great for any man, or a group of men, and the harvest field is wide
enough for "two hundred thousand thousand...horse-men" (Rev. 9:16),
whereas the laborers just now are very, very few, and most of our brethren do
not realize what it takes to carry on the work.
They think that the tithe which comes here is supposed to provide our
temporal necessities only and that we are having one great, grand time, but were
they in our place, most of them would not bear under the trying circumstances
even for a month.
We as
S.D.A.'s by being "robbed and spoiled" placed an unauthoritative halo
of sacredness around the tithe, making it appear that it must be spent for
nothing else
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but to
feed, house, and clothe the ministers who are not only taking the tithe but the
offerings and the institutional incomes also, and we all with one consent and
without a question, as blind as bats on a bright sunny day, got under the load
and raised all the goals; but now in "the unrolling of the scroll,"
while our eyes have been opened, some are going into another extreme; and as
Satan by the leading men in the S.D.A. denomination pulled the wool over our
eyes while he had the denomination in his grip by head and foot urged us then to
give everything we have, now by his wicked suggestions is urging those who have
embraced Present Truth to withhold their means! His urging them to be liberal in the former and his
suggestions of stinginess in the latter all the more proves that the
denomination has sold out to him, and that we have the truth of the hour. Then, too, by over urging us in the former place to produce
the bricks, and causing the conferences to misuse the means, he has been robbing
God's people of their strength, whereas now in the latter place by suggesting to
those who have embraced Present Truth to withhold their means is an attempt to
blockade the proclamation of the sealing message and to rob God's people of it,
too. Thus in both instances he has
attempted to weaken Christ's line of defense and to strengthen his own.
Our
offering receipts are very small, whereas our work requires much greater means
in proportion than that of the denomination for the fact that we have nothing in
the line of equipment and now we must buy and build everything we need to carry
the message to the church. Besides,
we are distributing five tracts, "The Symbolic Code," and most of the
books, etc., all free of charge, whereas the denomination takes everything and
gives nothing--we had to pay them for all the papers to do our missionary work,
and a good price, too, and still they run short of means.
Had we
pressed our brethren who have embraced Present Truth to provide all the means by
which to carry on the work but to feed us, they would have to give a second
tithe, not only a tenth of their income but more than twice that, and before
they accept the message, too, for we, had to start without any following at all.
Consequently, had we waited on them, the work would have never begun.
Therefore, I along with Sister Charboneau and Sister Hermanson were
compelled to do everything we could possibly do to spread the message and to
make the interest grow, but about three years later, when a few converts finally
took a firm stand and began to pay their tithe toward the advancement of Present
Truth, if I had said, "No, the tithe is sacred--it is only for my own
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use and
for the use of the two sisters who helped in pioneering this work," the
message would not have advanced at all and the people who now rejoice in the
Truth would have been yet in darkness, and besides, the tithe which the treasury
of Present Truth now receives, the opposers of the message would have taken and
used as a whip to prevent the sealing of the saints.
Some of
our brethren think that we are getting enough tithe to feed the workers and pay
for Mt. Carmel's tract of land, build the "camp," etc., and are now
zealously sending their objections and instructions as to how we should spend it
as though they know more about it than those whom God has placed at the head of
the work and Whose instructions only they must follow.
They think that it should be used only for the support of the workers but
they never offer to send some of their means beside the tithe with which to pay
for the land, to put up the necessary buildings, and to purchase office and farm
equipment. No, not even for either the cost of printing the free
literature or postage for its distribution nor for our correspondence, etc.
We would
perhaps be perfectly satisfied if these brethren would send us some of their
money with which to pay for these things so that we would use no tithe, but
instead, some of them even hesitate to send in their tithe under pretense of
fear that we may spend part of it on something besides feeding and clothing the
workers or ministers. But let them
do their part first before they ask us to stop doing our part, for the Lord's
work anticipates neither retreat nor tardiness, although it may take our tithes
or offerings, bank accounts, houses, or lands, or all, yea, even our very lives.
Regardless of what it takes, we must proclaim "the great and
dreadful day of the Lord."
On one
hand they accuse us of misusing the tithe, and on the other hand they are
robbing God by using it on themselves! Suppose
we are wrong, would our mistakes make them right?
If I had not been a tithe-payer they would have been justified not to
give heed to a message under my signature, but would they not be also justified
to pay no attention to their supposed wise counsel if they withhold the Lord's
tithe and use it on themselves?
Still
further, we can freely say that the tithe has not been sufficient to take care
of every need connected with the work, neither are the offerings for the free
literature and the correspondence, and as a consequence I have gone into debt,
and God has made it possible for the work to go on uninterrupted, and it may do
their souls good to know that as yet we have not spent one cent from the tithe
towards the purchase of the tract of land,
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and if
they like to have us pay for it with something else besides tithe, they may send
us $7,000 with which to pay that which is against it and I am sure we would not
disappoint their heart's desire by refusing to accept their free-will offerings
for this worthy enterprise. However,
if those who are determined to have us lavish all the tithe on the workers'
upkeep only rather than to spend a part for the land on which to build this
needed "camp" for the benefit of both--ministers and laity--would
thoroughly examine their motives, I am sure that they will find themselves
raising the banner of the sealing message on a pole of "selfishness"
instead of on Calvary's Cross!
Make
sure, my brethren, that you be not found among those of whom God called the
prophet's attention, saying: "Thou son of man, the children of thy people
still are talking against thee by the walls and in the doors of the houses, and
speak one to another, every one to his brother, saying, Come, I pray you, and
hear what is the word that cometh forth from the Lord.
And they come unto thee as the people cometh, and they sit before thee as
My people, and they hear thy words, but they will not do them: for with their
mouth they show much love, but their heart goeth after their covetousness.
And, lo, thou art unto them. as a very lovely song of one that hath a
pleasant voice, and can play well on an instrument: for they hear thy words, but
they do them not. And when this
cometh to pass, (lo, it will come.) then shall they know that a prophet hath
been among them." (Ezek.
33:30-33.)
"Paul
was an inspired apostle. yet the
Lord did not reveal to him at all times just the condition of His people.
Those who were interested in the prosperity of the church, and saw evils
creeping in, presented the matter before him, and from the light which be had
previously received, he was prepared to judge of the true character of these
developments. Because the Lord had
not given him a new revelation for that special time, those who were really
seeking light did not cast his message aside as only a common letter.
No, indeed. The Lord had
shown him the difficulties and dangers which would arise in the churches, that
when they should develop, he might know just how to treat them.
"He
was set for the defense of the church; he was to watch for souls as one that
must render account to God: and should he not take notice of the reports
concerning their state of anarchy and division?
Most assuredly; and the reproof he sent them was written just as much
under the inspiration of the Spirit of God as were any of his epistles.
But when these reproofs came, some would not be corrected.
They took the
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position
that God had not spoken to them through Paul, that he had merely given them his
opinion as a man, and they regarded their own judgment as good as that of Paul.
So it is with many among our people who have drifted away from the old
landmarks, and who have followed their own understanding.
"When this position is taken by our people, then the special
warnings and counsels of God through the Spirit of Prophecy can have no
influence with them to work a reformation in life and
character."--"Testimonies for the Church," Vol. 5, pp. 684, 685.
"'Why
have not these ministers been reproved, when we are following their
teachings?"' some asked. "A
door, has thus been opened for Satan to tempt them as to the truthfulness of the
visions.
"The
brethren have been deceived and wronged. They
believed that we were in union with these teachers, and followed their
instructions, when they were all wrong. I
have written to these ministers in anguish of spirit as I have seen the cause of
God wounded by their injudicious course. How anxiously have I watched the effect of these messages.
But they laid them aside, and the brethren were not permitted to know
anything about them, therefore could not be benefited by the instructions which
the Lord saw fit to give.
"My
labor has been most discouraging, as I have seen that what God designed has not
been accomplished. Often I have
inquired in distress, Of what account is all my labor?
These brethren took this position: We believe the visions, but Sister
White, in writing them, put in her own words and we will believe that portion
which we think is of God, and will not heed the other.
This course they have pursued, and have not corrected their lives.
They have professed to believe the visions, but have acted contrary to
them. Their example and influence
have raised doubts in the minds of others.
It would have been better for the cause of present truth had they both
opposed the gifts. Then the people
would not have been deceived, and would not have stumbled over these blind
teachers. We have hoped and prayed
that they might get right, and exert a good influence upon the flock: but hope
has died, and we cannot, dare not, hold our peace longer.
We have wronged the church of God, in that we have not spoken out
before."--"Testimonies for the Church," Vol. 1, pp. 233, 234.
Think of
it, my brethren. These testimonies
were written by the one who founded the denomination and though they were told,
"The testimonies either bear the signet of God or that of Satan" (5 T
98), they did not believe them, and by so doing they were not only disobeying
God but also calling the founder of their own denomina-
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tion a
liar and still they remained in it! Shall
some of you now after having seen the results of unbelief repeat their mistakes
I would
advise you, my brethren, not to permit any evil, selfish motives to enter into
your hearts, or any suggestions urging you to watch those whom God has given
their own work, for He has left no one in charge of them save the recording
angel, and when He finally comes to reckon with His servants He will call
neither on you nor on me to verify or pass on His decision. However, Satan will try all of you to the limit, and if you
watch yourselves you will have your hands full without taking time to see what
others do.
Satan
will have you busy, if he can, watching others that you may forget or have no
time to watch yourselves. He, by
pointing to the mistakes and errors of those who are not led by God's Spirit,
would have you in constant fear that even those whom God is leading Himself will
make a mistake. Thus endeavoring to
keep you blind of the mistakes that you have either already made or are about to
make, thereby not only leading you into eternal ruin but also hindering the work
of God by taking up the time of His servants to iron out difficulties within
their own ranks. Therefore, give
him no occasion to hinder God's servants from laboring for those who need to
know the truth.
Of this
class of workers Christ says: "They will question and criticize everything
that arises in the unfolding of truth, criticize the work and position of
others, criticize every branch of the work in which they have not themselves a
part. They will feed upon the
errors and mistakes and faults of others, 'until,' said the angel, 'The Lord
Jesus shall rise up from His mediatorial work in the heavenly sanctuary, and
shall clothe Himself with the garments of vengeance, and surprise them at their
unholy feast; and they will find themselves unprepared for the marriage supper
of the Lamb.' Their taste has been
so perverted that they would be inclined to criticize even the table of the Lord
in His kingdom."--"Testimonies for the Church, Vol. 5, p. 690.
We claim
to be reformers--calling the brethren's attention to their slackness in
following the teachings of the Spirit of Prophecy--but shall we on one hand
criticize them for their unbelief and on the other hand we ourselves do what we
would have them repent of?
You who
are ready to enter into the Lord's vineyard with the "mattock" to dig
up the "thorns and briers" will find much to do. Therefore, enter into his service without gold, silver, or
brass; that is, spend all you have, then call on Him and He will take care of
you by the tithe which is His
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own, and
if we fail in our duty He will take our stewardship from us and give it to
others who would not waste or misuse His money; and if the tithe should fail, he
may send a raven with some food or perhaps take you to some widow's house, and
if these means also fail to provide, He has plenty of mamma in heaven with which
to feed you for the rest of your life. Yes,
He can even send an angel with "a cake baken on the coals, and a cruse of
water," and bid you, "Arise and eat; because the journey is too great
for thee," and if He sees fit, He can make it possible for you to go
"in the strength of that meat forty days and forty nights unto Horeb the
mount of God" where you can obtain some more. (1 Kings 19:7, 8.)
At any
rate, if you are true to Him He will not let you starve though the world may.
Sell all and "give to the poor"; that is, to those who are
destitute of the message and who are about to perish for lack of
knowledge." Will you, too, my
brethren, who have "great possessions" go "away sorrowful"?
(Matt. 19:22)
"l
saw that some of the people of God are stupid and dormant, and but half awake;
they do not realize the time we are now living in, and that the man with the
'dirt brush' has entered, and that some are in danger of being swept away.
I begged of Jesus to save them, to spare them a little longer, and let
them see their awful danger, that they might get ready before it should be
forever too late. The angel said,
Destruction is coming like a mighty whirlwind.'
I begged of the angel to pity and to save those who loved this world,
who, were attached to their possessions, and were not willing to cut loose from
them, and sacrifice to speed the messengers on their way to feed the hungry
sheep who were perishing for want of spiritual food.
"As
I viewed poor souls dying for want of the present truth, and some who professed
to believe the truth were letting them die by withholding the necessary means to
carry forward the work of God, the sight was too painful, and I begged of the
angel to remove it from me. I saw
that when the cause of God called for some of their property, like the young man
who came to Jesus (Matt. 19:16-22), they went away sorrowful; and that soon the
overflowing scourge would pass over and sweep their possessions all away, and
then it mould be too late to sacrifice earthly goods, and lay up a treasure in
heaven."--"Early Writings," pp. 48, 49.
This
invitation is yours: "Come unto Me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden,
and I will give you rest. Take My
yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall
find rest unto your souls. For My
yoke is easy and My burden is light."
(Matt. 11:28-30.)
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Ten
tithe paying converts will yield as much tithe as the whole income of one of
them and if they can live on that much you can, too, and if it should take twice
as much for your living as it does for their's, all you would need to do is to
go and win ten more tithe paying souls. Then
as long as you are in Christ's service and in nothing else, and as long as your
twenty converts remain faithful and true tithe payers you will have a steady
income. I know not of an easier way
for making a living than this. Do
you? Neither is there any doubt at
all for having this much success in winning souls to Christ if your hearts are
right with God and if you are working for souls and for the advancement of His
Kingdom instead of for "loaves and fishes" and for self-exaltation.
Thus entering into Christ's service will be your credentials--an evidence
that God has approved of your conception of the truth, accepted your service,
and that you have made "your calling and election sure."
A SIGN
OF RETREAT
The
church standing in the valley of this exalted hill is loudly blowing her own
retiring trumpet, unwittingly declaring that the Third Angel's Message is taken
away from her! Therefore, with a
broken heart Mt. Carmel looks down upon the desolate spot as did her
"lowly" King when He wept upon Mt. Olivet as He looked down upon
ancient Jerusalem--repeating the memorized words:
"O
Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are
sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a
hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not!
Behold, your house is left unto you desolate.
For I say unto you, Ye shall not see Me henceforth, till ye shall say,
Blessed is He that cometh in the name of the Lord."
(Matt. 28:37-39.)
The
welcome sign which had been hanging on the walls of this little church at the
foot of Mt. Carmel for many years, was replaced by another which read thus:
NOTICE
Notice
is hereby given to the public that all public meetings in this church have been
indefinitely suspended. All
meetings held in this church until further notice will be private called
meetings. Admittance to these
private meetings by invitation from the Pastor only.
Signed
The
Church Board
B.L.
Hassenpflug
Pastor--Chairman
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This
card:
You are
invited to be present at a private meeting at the S.D.A. church at 7:30 P.M.
Wednesday,...and at 9:30 A.M. Saturday, March 14, 1936
Pastor
B.L. Hassenpflug
No
Admittance Without This Card
being
handed to its loyal but spiritually blinded members only, they presented to the
watchmen at the door and were permitted entrance while those who were deprived
of a card were barred out on the pretense that the Sabbath meetings were
private, for members only, by which means they secured the law on their side and
kept out all who showed any sympathy toward the teachings of "The
Shepherd's Rod"!
Nevertheless,
while the castouts were sitting in the little public park, only a few yards from
the church entrance, and discussing their Sabbath School lesson, the conference
president and the pastor of the church influenced the poor, hungry, and
closely-sheared sheep to vote out one brother for confessing that "The
Shepherd's Rod" is based on the "law and the testimony," and
another brother for refusing to discontinue visiting a "Shepherd's
Rod" believing family which has been a prominent member of the Waco S.D.A.
church for sometime, and had the grown son and wife of this particular brother
been in church that Sabbath we believe they would have been disfellowshipped
also, for they are in sympathy with the father. Though we are on one hand as sorrowful for the little church
as the father of the prodigal was, yet on the other hand we are happy and
thankful to our heavenly Father for hearing our prayer against the prayers of
those who are by force robbing us of our church properties, for as a reward that
very morning by adding these latest castouts to our group and on the Lord's side
He weakened the forces of the enemy and strengthened His.
Thus, as
usual, regardless of what one may attempt to do against the Truth, he can only
promote its righteous cause of which fact the Spirit of God, looking forward to
this time, prompted David to say:
"Thou
didst cause judgment to be heard from heaven; the earth feared, and was still,
when God arose to judgment, to save all the meek of the earth.
Selah. Surely the wrath of
man shall praise Thee: the remainder of wrath shalt Thou restrain."
(Ps. 76:8-10.)
We are
down-hearted when we think of these sad experiences, for had we not seen these
Pharisaical actions with our own
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eyes we
could never believe that our own S.D.A. denomination while advocating religious
liberty is filled with men who are clad in an S.D.A. garment but who are, imbued
with the spirit of the tyrant popes!
"Thus
saith the Lord of hosts; Let your hands be strong, ye that hear in these days
these words by the mouth of the prophets, which were in the day that the
foundation of the house of the Lord of hosts was laid, that the temple might be
built. For before these days there
was no hire for man nor any hire for beast; neither was there any peace to him
that went out or came in because of the affliction: for I set all men every one
against his neighbour. But now I
will not be unto the residue of this people as in the former days, saith the
Lord of hosts. For the seed shall
be prosperous; the vine shall give her fruit, and the ground shall give their
increase, and the heavens shall give their dew; and I will cause the remnant of
this people to possess all these things."
(Zech. 8:9-12.)
"PRAISE
HIM FROM WHOM
ALL
BLESSINGS COME"
Dear
Brethren:
I have
been reading the book, "A Reply to The Shepherd's Rod," and I must
confess that it has increased my faith in the teachings of "The Shepherd's
Rod" if that were possible. Please
do not fail to send me every issue of "The Symbolic Code."
(Signed)
BEN GARRETT
East
Jamestown, Tenn.
Dear
Brethren:
Just
received and read the small booklet on Ezekiel's prophecy, one of the best
tracts I have ever read. If you
have anything else good let us have it.
(Signed)
E. TAYLOR
Cherryvale,
Kan.
Dear
Brethren:
I have
never written my appreciation of this most wonderful message.
God is surely merciful to His rebellious people.
I am
happy again but for a year after I received this message I thought my heart
would break when those with whom I had always associated even quit speaking to
me....The pain was nearly unbearable, but I knew I must go on. I have to endure, for I cannot deny my God....Is our new
tract being held up for means? Aren't
we ever going to be asked for means? I
guess you won't need to though, for I feel the call every day as if you had
asked.
I look
forward to "The Symbolic Code" as I used to do to the
"Review".
(Signed)
MRS. NAOMI HINDMAN
Sheridan,
Wyo.
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Dear
Brother Houteff:
I surely
love your message and I know that God is with you and your work.
Our dear Brother Vories brought the message to us here and there surely
has been a stirring up; many are accepting it and I pray to God that no one
shall reject it. However, I am sure
there will be a division among us; but the sealing message will find out how
many are on the Lord's side.
Brother
Vories and myself have been preaching the "Shepherd's Rod in a round about
way, preparing them by degrees. But
at last we really had to tell them the message, and I am happy to say (thanking
God for it) that more than two-thirds have accepted it.
But now
the church elder has stopped us from leading the meeting so you can see that the
professed people of God today, as of old, will not endure sound doctrine.
I have
learned more of the Third Angel's message from Vol.
One of "The Shepherd's Rod" than with all my studying I ever
learned before, and I am happier for it.
We need
your prayers and as soon as we can we are going to send some money to help out
with God's great work.
God
says: "Hearken, My beloved brethren, Hath not God chosen the poor of this
world in faith, and heirs of the kingdom which He hath promised to them that
love Him?"
(Signed)
L.F. OTTO
Logansport,
Ind.
DRAGGED
OUT KNOCKED DOWN BUT STILL ABLE TO HOLD ITS OWN
Brother
B writes the following objections to "The Shepherd's Rod," which may
not be intended to fight the truth as did the priests and rabbis in the days of
Christ but to clear himself in the points the enemies of "The Shepherd's
Rod" have attempted to confuse and bring to bear against the message of
today.
Objection
No. 1: "Will say that it is a little hard for me to understand Brother
Houteff's making his whole claim to inspiration, and his whole system of
exegesis hang upon infallibility at every point for he thus makes it possible
for the whole structure to be summarily swept away through any one mistake that
the human instrument might happen to make.
For example, in Vol. 1, pp. 333, 334 of 'The Shepherd's Rod' he gives
various examples of the symbolic application of the number of letters in certain
names, which, he says, proves his system of exegesis.
Unfortunately the original Hebrew, the number of letters specified, for
the vowels do not ap-
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pear in
the Hebrew, being added in the English translation of the names.
According to the conditions which he, himself, laid down, this one
mistake invalidates his whole system of exegesis and destroys completely all
claims to inspiration. It is not my
purpose to hold Brother Houteff to any such rash conditions."
Answer:
"The Shepherd's Rod" does not claim that the number of letters
in the above mentioned names occur in all the languages in the world--including
the Hebrew--but it is correct in that according to the English rule of spelling,
the lesson drawn from the symbolical number of letters in the names in question
is perfect; and as "The Shepherd's Rod" claims not that these names
are composed by the same number of letters that are found in the spelling rules
of all the languages in the world, it still stands on its own legs now on this
question as it has stood against all the buffs and rebuffs brought to bear
against it in the past five years.
Moreover,
even though Brother B's claim be correct that God had nothing to do with the
lesson derived from the number of letters which the names contain, his claim
does not remove the fact that inasfar as the English language is concerned with
which only the "Shepherd's Rod" is dealing is correct and free from
reproach although the numerical perfection may have come about only by a chance.
However, I would rather give God the credit, for as long as I employ
every means to emphasize the truth and to exalt the Word I am sure in the day of
judgment my deeds would be justified rather than the deeds of him who may by
laxness attribute the work of God to a chance.
Nevertheless, the Bible sustains the claims of "The Shepherd's
Rod" in that there is nothing hid from God and that all things are
"naked and opened unto the eyes of Him with Whom we have to do." (Heb.
1:13.)
Hence,
as even the very hairs of our heads are numbered (Matt. 10:30) I am sure that
God knew the spelling rules of the English tongue before the English speaking
people did, and as He also knew that He would use the English instead of the
Hebrew tongue by which to reveal the truth that "The Shepherd's Rod"
contains, He instructed the prophet Isaiah to thus write:
"With
stammering lips and another tongue will He speak to this people."
(Isa. 28:11.) If the numerical symbolism of the letters was in the Hebrew
spelling rule instead of in the English, it would have been hard to discover it
and would not have been as great a wonder; namely, not showing God's
foreknowledge of the language He was to use
in fulfillment of Isaiah 28:11 at "the unrolling of the
scroll."
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Therefore,
here it is seen that when one sinks the shaft deep into the mine of truth the
facts brought neither "invalidate" the "Shepherd's Rod"
"system of exegesis," nor do they "destroy its claim of
interpretation," but completely support it.
Objection
No. 2, says, "Brother Houteff quotes the Testimonies with telling effect
against the abuses of the leadership, and his writings form an invaluable
compilation of quotations from the Spirit of Prophecy, but there is reason to
fear that to him the rights of the individual mean as they mean to the General
Conference Committee, one's own rights, not those of others. Believing as he does that his views are inspired, and their
rejection to be the sin against the Holy Spirit, it is hardly probable that,
should he gain control of the organization, he would be any more ready to
tolerate this unpardonable sin than the General Conference Committee is to
countenance any doubt of the interpretation placed upon the message by its
members as God's highest authority on earth.
I would, therefore, have nothing to gain, and perhaps much to lose, in
aiding Brother Houteff supplant the present oligarchial bureaucracy with a
dictatorship of his own; but I can and will, gladly cooperate with Brother
Houteff in a sincere effort to regain for the individual the right to study and
to know the Word of God, facts of history for himself, and be governed by the
dictates of his own conscience. This
could best be done, I think through throwing the light of publicity upon what
the General Conference Committee has been doing in trying to keep light from
reaching the people."
Answer:
The only
objection in the above paragraph Brother B presents against "The Shepherd's
Rod" is that it claims "Inspiration"; at the same time he accuses
the General Conference of not allowing any truth to enter into the ranks of the
denomination, but though unconscious of the fact, he is against
"inspired" "truth", and now I would like to ask Brother B,
If it is not inspired how could it be the truth?
And would it be a call from God?
I hope
that Brother B's eyes may be opened and that he may see that his objection is
not suggested to him by the One Whose aim is to lead us into all truth, for
Brother B's claim is that no one can be led into all truth, which thought is
contrary to the claims and teachings of Christ, for He says: "When...the
Spirit of Truth, is come, He will guide you into all truth: for He shall not
speak of Himself; but whatsoever He shall hear, that shall He speak: and He will
shew you things to come." (John
16:13.)
Furthermore,
as the definition of the word "inspiration" is to communicate di-
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vine
instruction free from men's adulteration, it follows that the ultimate aim
behind anyone's objection against "inspired truths" instead of against
"uninspired" ones is to put God out of sight and bring men to the
front--cutting off the only channel by which God can communicate with His people
and by which only He can interpret the Scriptures for His church and interpose
the erroneous claims of men.
Still
further, this class of people who suppose that their questionings and cavilings
are a mark of intelligence are like the Jews of old--they acknowledge the
"Inspiration" of the prophets as does Brother B of Sister White's by
calling her work "The Spirit of Prophecy." The Jews confessed that the writings of the prophets who had
preceded their generation and who were rejected and killed by their fathers
contained the Word of God, and that their writings had to be respected and
obeyed, but the prophets that arose in person to reprove them of their own evil
deeds or correct their errors which they themselves had embodied from uninspired
men, they were not willing to accept! Thus it was in the pre-Bible period, thus it was in the Old
Testament period; thus it has been since the beginning of the New to this very
day. So, those who thought their
doubtings, questionings, and cavilings were a mark of intelligence, the above
experiences prove that they were only a mark of ignorance.
Therefore, though Bro. B., as a somnambulist, is headed toward the same
pit, we hope that he will, before walking into it, awake by the sound of these
disastrous, historical, and ever-occuring mistakes and thus escape the danger of
this long active trap.
Just a
few years back in history we find this same class in conflict with Sister White
though they were told: "God and Satan never work in co-partnership.
The testimonies either bear the signet of God or that of Satan.
A corrupt tree cannot bring forth good fruit."--"Testimonies
for the Church," Vol. 5, p. 98. But
they argued: "We believe the visions, but Sister White, in writing them,
put in her own words, and we will believe that portion which we think is of God,
and will not heed the other."--"Testimonies for the Church." Vol.
1, p. 234.
Notwithstanding
their unbelief in Sister White's writings even to the present time, this same
class of people are now trying to cry down the "Shepherd's Rod"
message by the very writings which they questioned and criticized while their
prophet was yet alive. Can it be
possible that these critics would know more about what she saw and how she wrote
it than she herself? Thus it is
now--they claim to know more about Brother Houteff's experience and how he wrote
the truths in "The Shepherd's Rod" than he himself!
If they were so wise why
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did not
God choose them as His messengers instead of her?
We find
that they regarded John's visions as they did Sister White's for in the
publication, "Thoughts on Daniel and The Revelation," p. 510, the
symbolical horses with their lion-like heads (Rev. 9:17) are supplanted by
Arabian horses with natural heads to help make the symbol fit the battle of the
Turks! The brimstone by way of
"interpretation" they transformed into "sulphur," and the
serpent-like tails of verse 19 into common horses' tails!
Then they tell us that the "fire," "smoke," and
"brimstone" issued from a gun in the hand of a Turk instead of from
the lion-like mouths as John saw it. Moreover,
to justify their actions, they tried to make us believe that John could not
clearly see that which God was showing him, and which He intended accurately to
be recorded. Is it possible that
these men without "inspired" vision, coming on the scene almost 2000
years after John's vision, can see better than him before whom the display was
made!
If the
Revelator be wrong in this instance, then can he not be mistaken in other
instances also? And if the book of
the Revelation can not be depended upon just as it reads, then how can we put
any confidence in the rest of the Bible? If
the prophets could not declare the positive truth of what they saw then how can
a Bible student without either vision or "inspiration"? Furthermore, if God could cause men in times past to write
"the truth and nothing but the truth," why can He not do the same now?
Has He lost His power or is He less interested in His church now than
anciently? Still further, if the prophets' inspired views in times past
did not supplant the "oligarchial bureaucracy with a dictatorship of"
their "own," why would the same views do it now?
And if such was the case and was right then, why would it be wrong now?
True
that if "The Shepherd's Rod" "should gain control of the
organization" it would not "be any more ready to tolerate this
unpardonable sin than the General Conference Committee countenances any doubt of
interpretation placed upon the message by its members," but Brother B is
overlooking the fact that "The Shepherd's Rod" claims
"inspiration" and that by its divine revelations of truth is calling
God's people to a reformation by obedience to the truth, whereas the General
Conference Committee themselves claim no "inspiration" neither do
their works nor their interpretation of the Scriptures show it--they are not
willing to denounce sin among themselves and thus lead the flock of God on to
reformation.
Moreover,
Brother B unwittingly confess-
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es that
Brother Houteff will never attempt to prevent any increase of truth reaching the
people regardless by whom it comes no more than any of God's
"inspired" messengers ever did. Furthermore,
by the fact that Sister White's "inspiration," as perfectly followed
by "The Shepherd's Rod," did not prevent or keep out from the people
or from "The Shepherd's Rod" itself, it proves that neither will the
Rod's "inspiration" keep out another man's "inspiration."
Still further, had Sister White controlled the denomination with all its
institutions, it would not have become what it is now.
The
credit for the message in "The Shepherd's Rod" Brother Houteff simply
places it to Whom it belongs, and those who would like for Brother Houteff to
place it on himself are not doing it because they love him or because they like
to exalt him above themselves, but because they are sanctioning the claims of
the voice from beneath which hates God and the revelation of the Word, tempting
Brother Houteff to exalt himself instead of God, blindly deceiving themselves
and leading others away from the truth, all because they hate to submit
themselves under the rule of Christ now while He is "taking the reins in
'His own hands."--"Testimonies to Ministers." 300.
This class of workers Christ prophetically heard saying, "We will
not have this man to reign over us." (Lu.
19:14.) For further explanation on this reference see the October,
1935, number of "The Symbolic Code," p. 5.
Let
those who hate to submit themselves to the rulership of God now ask themselves
what would they have done in the days of Moses who, like the Rod, claimed to be
the mouthpiece of God? Would they
have not then arisen with Korah against Moses and Aaron as they do against
"The Shepherd's Rod" and say: "Ye take too much upon you, seeing
all the congregation are holy, every one of them, and the Lord is among them:
wherefore then lift ye up yourselves above the congregation of the Lord?"
(Num. 16:3.)
If this
class of people are not willing to accept "Inspired" interpretation
now, would they have accepted the Baptist's message, Christ's, the apostles,'
and Sister White's? No, indeed not!
In fact, their attitude toward "Inspiration" shows that they do
not accept them even now, and if they do not submit themselves to
"Inspiration" how would they ever know the truth?
for the Bible says:
"Surely
the Lord God will do nothing, but He revealeth His secret unto His servants the
prophets." (Amos 3:7) "By
a prophet the Lord brought Israel out of Egypt, and by a prophet was he pre-
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served."
(Hos. 12:13.) "Believe in the Lord your God, so shall ye be
established; believe His prophets, so shall ye prosper." (2 Chron. 20:20.)
"Then
He said unto them, O fools, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets
have spoken." (Lu.
24:25.) "And if any man
shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away
his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things
which are written in this book." (Rev.
22:19.)
"And
I will make thy tongue cleave to the roof of thy mouth, that thou shalt be dumb,
and shalt not be to them a reprover: for they are a rebellious house.
But when I speak with thee, I will open thy mouth, and thou shalt say
unto them, Thus saith the Lord God; He that heareth, let him hear; and he that
forbeareth, let him forbear: for they are a rebellious house."
(Ezek. 3:26, 27.)
Moreover
all the chief of the priests, and the people, transgressed very much after all
the abominations of the heathen; and polluted the house of the Lord which He had
hallowed in Jerusalem. And the Lord
God of their fathers sent to them by His messengers, rising up betimes, and
sending; because He had compassion on His people, and on His dwelling place: but
they mocked the messengers of God, and despised His words and misused His
prophets, until the wrath of the Lord arose against His people, till there was
no remedy." (2 Chron. 36:14 16.) "He
that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches."
(Rev. 3:22) For further comments on these scriptures read our tract No.
1, "The Dardanelles of the Bible," pp. 25, 26.
If God
can not lead us into all truth any longer, how can He ever bring unity among His
people so that they all with certainty speak the same thing? How can He save them from Satan's multiplied delusions and
erroneous interpretations of the Scriptures?
See our tract No. 5, "Final Warning," pp. 8-15.
As the enemies of Present Truth are trying to place the stamp of
Inspiration on the book, "Thoughts on Daniel and the Revelation," even
endeavoring to pass Sister White's approval on it for authority, and at the same
time do not accept the message "The Shepherd's Rod" contains because
it claims "Inspiration," it proves that their attitude in each
instance is prompted by Satan with the desired end to down the Truth and exalt
error.
As
innumerable unauthoritative ideas of men have divided the Christian church into
chips of all sizes, and have made her a "habitation of devils, and the hold
of every foul spirit, and a cage of every unclean and hateful bird" (Rev.
18:2) instead of a
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place of
salvation and a habitation of saints, "God will manifest that He is not
dependent on learned, self-important mortals." ("Testimonies for the Church," Vol. 5, p. 82.)
The following quotation plainly shows that only "Inspiration"
(a man called of God) can declare the truth and nothing but the truth:
"The
reason why He does not oftener choose men of learning and high position to lead
out in reform movements, is that they trust to their creeds, theories, and
theological systems, and feel no need to be taught of God.
Only those who have a personal connection with the Source of Wisdom are
able to understand or explain the Scriptures.
Men who have little of the learning of the schools are sometimes called
to. declare the truth, not because they are unlearned, but because they are not
too self-sufficient to be taught of God. They
learn in the school of Christ, and their humility and obedience make them great.
In committing to them a knowledge of His truth, God confers upon them an
honor, in comparison with which earthly honor and human greatness sink into
insignificance."--"The Great Controversy," p. 456.
Had not
"The Shepherd's Rod" openly given God the credit for its truth, its
enemies would have said, "It is not inspired and we need not heed its
warnings." This is exactly the
way the great men in Christ's day did--on one hand they found fault with John
the Baptist because he ate nothing but wild honey and locusts, and on the other
hand they accused Christ of eating and called Him "a man gluttonous, and a
winebibber." (Matt. 11:18,
19.) They claimed that He was not
sent by God, uninspired, unlike Moses, and asked Him: "By what authority
doest Thou these things? or who is
He that gave Thee this authority?" (Lu. 20:2) and the Spirit of Prophecy
declares:
"Prophecy
must be fulfilled. The Lord says:
'Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and
dreadful day of the Lord,' Somebody
is to come in the spirit and power of Elijah, and when he appears, men may say:
'You are too earnest, you do not interpret the Scriptures in the proper way.
Let me tell you how to teach your Message.'"--("Testimonies to
Ministers," p. 475.)
PART II
"WHAT
IS HEALTH REFORM"
We
cannot be called "commandment-keeping people" unless we do all our
work and do it on time, for one of the, commandments is, "six days shalt
thou labor and do all thy work." If
we waste a moment of our time, except it be because of some inability we would
be unfit to call ourselves
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"commandment-keepers."
Hence, we must labor smilingly and faithfully six full days of the week.
Neither can we let the work drag behind each day and yet claim to keep
God's commandments. As the work
which God has assigned to everyone is neither too much nor not enough, if we
faithfully labor six days and do all our work we would neither find idle time
during the week nor would we find something undone at the end of the week.
Those
who have too much time and not enough work are either ignorantly or purposely
leaving their work undone, and those who have too much work and not enough of
time are either undertaking to do the unnecessary things of life, too lazy, or
unskillful and unsystematic.
If God
would leave something undone in His creative work, the thing created will end in
disaster, and if He does it not on time the whole creation will suffer.
Those
who are to be translated will be as God (Zech. 12:8)--perfect in all they do.
Therefore, amend your ways, and be ye "perfect even as your father
which is in heaven is perfect." (Matt.
5:48, )
Find out
what your work is, then arise early and do it faithfully "in the selfsame
day" with a smile. Work and
sunshine will not only do you much good but will prevent you from committing a
slow suicide, for with-out exercise, fresh air and sunshine you cannot live your
full age, and the time you live your life will be unpleasant to yourself and
burdensome to others.
"Thus
saith the Lord: Let your hands be strong, ye that hear in these days these words
by the mouth of the prophets, which were in the day that the foundation of the
house of the Lord of hosts was laid, that the temple might be built."
(Zech. 8:9.)
"Every
man's work passes in review before God, and is registered for faithfulness or
unfaithfulness. Opposite each name
in the books of heaven is entered, with terrible exactness, every wrong word,
every selfish act, every unfulfilled duty, and every secret sin, with every
artful dissembling. Heaven sent
warnings or reproofs neglected, wasted moments, unimproved opportunities, the
influence exerted for good or evil, with its far-reaching results, are all
chronicled by the recording angel."--"The Great Controversy," p.
482.
Do Not
Cheat,
Lest You
Run Short
As the
human machine is constructed with sixteen different elements, and as they wear
out by the daily usage of the body, and as these necessary elements cannot be
replenished in any other way but only by our daily food consumption, it is of
supreme importance that the food we
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make use
of be such as to contain every one of the elements if we want to keep our
super-human structure in good condition.
Let it
be understood by all that a failure to supply the human organism with the above
mentioned building materials by which to repair the worn out tissues and
muscles, and to preserve the condition of the bones, etc., the guilty one will,
whether it be through ignorance or otherwise, impair his health and if his
mistake does not bring sudden death it will cause much pain, sorrow, and regret
and at last call for an untimely funeral procession.
Those
desiring to keep well will remember this one simple thing; that is, manufactured
refined food stuffs, almost of whatever nature they may be, are not only
entirely deficient in some of the elements, but even those elements which they
contain are thrown out of the Creator's careful and unalterable chemical
combine, so that even the ones which are present cannot be of real value to the
system, and in some cases they are even a hindrance to it, for the absence of
one element changes the nature of the other as does the addition of a strange
one, which action is demonstrated as follows:
If
chemical synthesis be performed with milk by adding to it, if possible, the
element of iron in its organic form, the iron will coagulate the milk--turn it
to cheese. If we should combine
nitrogen, hydrogen, and oxygen, we would obtain household ammonia; and the
chemical synthetics show that if we separate the nitrogen from the oxygen and
hydrogen after it has been combined, it (the nitrogen) will become
carbon-dioxide gas instead of back to nitrogen.
Permit us to again illustrate the above facts:
Let us
imagine that the stomach is a cook and the elements with which the organism
feeds the body let us depict by bread. The
art of bread making requires flour, water, fat, salt and yeast.
Suppose we give to the cook all the ingredients but one, would he not be
hindered in making the bread to the extent of the importance of the article?
If the flour is omitted he could make no bread at all; if the water, he
would be in as bad a predicament; if the salt, it will be tasteless; if the
yeast, it will be too heavy. Again,
would not by the absence of one or more of the articles increase the percentage,
of the flour or of the water, the salt or the yeast, depending on which one is
missing? If so, what kind of bread
would the kitchen cook be able to make and feed us with, if some of the
necessities were omitted, and how would we like it? Would not the same principle govern the food in the human
system as it does in the kitchen? This
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is what
manufactured food products are doing every day for those who use them and still
they expect to keep their human super structure in a good condition, feel well
and be happy!
No one
needs to be a biochemist or physiologist to know how to live. Even the most simple illiterate person needs not err in the
science of health if he observes the following rules:
Do not
use the foods which are forbidden as was the fruit of the tree which the Lord
planted in the midst of the garden, "it is unclean unto thee."
Study Leviticus Eleven, Deuteronomy Fourteen, and Isaiah 66:17.
Having
laid all these things aside, then go a step further with us if you expect to do
a similar work to that of John the Baptist and if you desire to be translated up
to your Eden home; that is, reach forth to God's original diet which He has
provided for the human family. For
as we are now going to our original home we should accustom ourselves to our
original diet. "And God said,
Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of all
the earth, and every tree, in the which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to
you it shall be for meat." (Gen.
1:28.)
Let all
manufactured commercial products be replaced with foods in their original
state--take no chance. Even the
whole wheat flour and the corn meal that is sold on the market, in most eases,
is either adulterated or demineralized.
If you
could see the kind of material your community baker uses to make your loaf of
bread which you buy from your grocer sliced and packed in a most attractive
wrapper especially in the summer time, you would not eat it. There is but little exception with other commercial foods.
Besides you are paying several times more for your food stuffs that if you would
prepare them yourself.
The
bread item alone would not only save you many, many dollars each year if you
would make it yourself from home-ground flour, but will also improve the health
of your family in just a little while, and lighten your yoke by having reduced
your home expenses. Buy the whole
grain of wheat, corn and rye, etc., and make your own flour. You can purchase a mill for your own use from $275 and up.
Thus, besides keeping well you could reduce several times the cost of
Your living than what it is now, and would not have to work like a horse almost
every day in the year to make a living. Neither
would you waste your vitality by a daily worry, but instead you would be serving
the Lord by loosening the enemy's strong bands from the necks of others.
Cut loose, let the world alone for we are going home!
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In
addition to your diet remember that you need fresh air, sunshine, and outdoor
exercise. The best and the most
profitable way to obtain all three at the same time is to make a garden in your
back yard, if no place else, and do in it a little work daily.
Thus, you would not only improve our health and have fresh vegetables for
your table, but also reduce your grocery bill.
However, before you make your garden, and before you have the opportunity
to work in it do not cheat yourself from a brisk daily walk, and having opened
all your bedroom windows at night do not sleep with your nose covered.
"Mothers,
there is nothing that leads to such evils as to lift the burdens from your
daughters, and give them nothing special to do, and let them choose their own
employment, perhaps a little crochet or some other fancy work to busy
themselves. Let them have exercise
of the limbs and muscles. If it
wearies them, what then? Are you
not wearied in your work? Will
weariness hurt your children, unless over-worked, more than it hurts you? No, indeed. They
can recover from their weariness in a good night's rest, and be prepared to
engage in labor the next day. It is
a sin to let them grow up in idleness. The
sin and ruin of Sodom was abundance of bread and idleness."--'Testimonies
for the Church," Vol. 2, p. 371.
EDUCATIONAL
The
modern pastries are much worse than "the king's meat" which Daniel
refused to eat, and are unfit to put into the stomach, worthless to the system,
unnecessarily wearing out the digestive organs, detrimental to the body, and a
waste of one's valuable time while making them. Furthermore, even the right kind of pastry food is not worth
the time spent in making it, and when used as a dessert it results in
overeating; but if you must have a cake once in a great while, Brother Deeter,
Mt. Carmel's chef, gives the following recipe:
1 3-4
cups of sifted whole wheat flour; 3 eggs; 1 cup brown or raw sugar; 1-3 cup pure
honey; 1-3 cup oil; 1-3 cup water; 1-4 teaspoon salt; choose your favorite
flavor. Never use baking powder,
soda, or cream of tarter in any of your cooking.
You may
use cup cake or cake tins which have been first coated with vegetable fat and
then floured before beginning to mix the formula.
For
success follow INSTRUCTIONS close-
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ly.
Having two bowls, each of a quart size, place the yolks of the eggs in
the one and the whites in the other. Add
oil, honey, water, sugar, flavoring and salt to the yolks while beating as you
would for mayonnaise. Set this bowl
aside and take the one with the whites of the eggs and beat them fairly stiff. Now take the bowl which contains the yolk mixture.
Add the flour to it and mix well, then pour this batter over the beaten
whites (not the whites over the batter) slowly by a small stream while, with a
spoon, folding, the batter into the whites.
Thus, without losing the air that is in the beaten whites of the eggs be
incorporated into the batter.
Bake
about 15 minutes in a medium hot oven.
NOTICE
OF THANKS
We
heartily thank all who have kindly sent articles of clothing, bed covering or
food stuff to Mt. Carmel.
Though
we do not know the names of the sisters who sent some dried fruit to us a short
time ago, we wish to thank them at this time for their generous donation which
has been appreciated greatly by all of us.
Those
who desire to have us leave out their names from the published extracts of their
letters can advise us so when writing.
WANTED
If any
of the readers of this little paper have extra books of Sister White's writings,
and who would like to dispose of same, please send them to this office.
We can use as many volumes as we can obtain.
If some
one has an adding machine in good condition and would like to either donate for
our work or sell it at a very reasonable price, please inform us.
AN
EXPLANATION
Due to
the many pressing duties and lack of time besides making the transition from the
mimeographing machine to the printing press work, the March number of our paper
is delayed and therefore we are doubling on it to answer the purpose for the
months of March and April. We trust
this will not greatly disappoint any of our devoted readers of this monthly
magazine.
You may
get your receipe book ready and as soon as we can get it we shall endeavor to
start our correspondence Cooking School--strictly complying with the references
above quoted.
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A PART
THAT ALL MAY HAVE
Remember
that at the conference meetings in Los Angeles in 1933, it was unanimously
adopted that every Friday afternoon at 5 P.M. standard Time, believers in
Present Truth would seek God in behalf of the message, believing that such a
concerted voice would lay at Heaven's altar, in all truth, "the effectual
fervent prayer of a righteous man (which) availeth much."
We
earnestly ask that all join at the appointed hour in this mighty prayer band
which is to shake the world. "Not
by might, nor by power, but by My spirit, saith the Lord of hosts," is our
work to be done.
To
assist in habituating yourself to keep this appointment, we suggest that for
three or four Fridays, when you arise in the morning, you set your alarm clock
for 5 P.M. Pacific Standard Time; 6
P.M. Mountain Standard Time; 7 P.M. Central
Standard Time; 8 P.M. Eastern
Standard Time, according to your respective zones.
Let us
henceforth at this time on Fridays, rejoicing in the sense of united strength,
lift our voices in unison to God in mighty intercession in behalf of our own
church and all concerned.
PART III
"The
Lord bas been sending us line upon line, and if we reject these principles, we
are not rejecting the messenger who teaches them, but the One Who has given us
the principles.
"Reform,
continual reform, must be kept before the people, and by our example we must
enforce our teaching. True religion
and the laws of health go hand in hand. It
is impossible to work for the salvation of men and women without presenting to
them the need of breaking away from sinful gratifications, which destroy the
health, debase the soul, and prevent divine truth from impressing the
mind."--"Testimonies for the Church," Vol. 7, pp. 136, 137.
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"As
we near the close of time, we must rise higher and still higher upon the
question of health reform and Christian temperance, presenting it in a more
positive and decided manner. We
must strive continually to educate the people, not only by our words but by our
practice. Precept and practice
combined have a telling influence."--"Testimonies for the
Church," Vol. 6, p. 112.
Cookery
"It
is a religious duty for those who cook to learn how to prepare healthful food in
different ways, so that it may be eaten with enjoyment.
Mothers should teach their children how to cook.
What branch of the education of a young lady can be so important as this?
The eating has to do with the life.
Scanty, impoverished, ill-cooked food is constantly depraving the blood,
by weakening the blood-making organs. It
is highly essential that the art of cookery be considered one of the most
important branches of education. There
are but few good cooks. Young
ladies consider that it is stooping to a menial office to become a cook.
This is not the case. They
do not view the subject from a right standpoint.
Knowledge of how to prepare food healthfully, especially bread, is no
mean science.
Young
ladies should be thoroughly instructed in cooking.
Whatever may be their circumstances in life, here is knowledge which may
be put to a practical use. It is a
branch of education which has the most direct influence upon human life,
especially the lives of those held most dear.
Many a wife and mother who has not had the right education, and lacks
skill in the cooking department, is daily presenting her family with
ill-prepared food which is steadily and surely destroying the digestive organs,
making a poor quality of blood, and frequently bringing on acute attacks of
inflammatory disease, and causing premature death."--"Counsels on
Health," p. 145.
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