Luke 21:8

Christian, Be Not Deceived!

CHAPTER VIII.

THE SPIRIT OF PROPHECY EMPLOYS THE NEW TESTAMENT PRINCIPLE THAT THE CHURCH IS NOW "THE ISRAEL OF GOD": THE PROPHETIC NATURE OF ISRAEL'S HISTORY.

The Spirit of Prophecy, throughout, employs Biblical principles of interpretation. In this we find proof of the divine leadership of the messenger of God. The following extracts show the importance in the Spirit of Prophecy of the principle that the remnant church is the Israel of God and that the experiences of ancient Israel were typical of the experiences of present-day, spiritual Israel:

"The history of the wilderness life of Israel was chronicled for the benefit of the Israel of God to the close of time.... God would have His people in these days review with a humble heart and teachable spirit the trials through which ancient Israel passed, that they may be instructed in their preparation for the heavenly Canaan," P.P., p. 293.

"The history of ancient Israel is a striking illustration of the past experience of the Adventist body." G.C. 457.

"The apostle Paul plainly states that the experience of the Israelites in their travels has been recorded for the benefit of those living in this age of the world, those upon whom the ends of the world are come." 3T., p. 358. See also 1T., p. 283 .

"Satan's snares are laid for us as verily as they were laid for the children of Israel just prior to their entrance into the land of Canaan. We are repeating the history of that people." T. No. 31, p. 156. See also S.T., Nov. 3, 1890.

"With the history of the children of Israel before us, let us take heed, and not be found committing the same sins, following in the same way of unbelief." Rev. and Her., 1893, No. 16.

"The experience of Israel, referred to in the above words [1 Cor. 10] by the apostle, and as recorded in the 105th and 106th psalms, contained lessons of warning that the people of God in these last days especially need to study." S.T., quoted in "Healthful Living," p. 284.

"We are numbered with Israel. All instructions given to the Israelites of old concerning the education and training of their children, all the promises of blessing through obedience, are for us." Min. of Healing, p. 405.

"The trials of the children of Israel, and their attitude just before the first coming of Christ, have been presented before me again and again to illustrate the position of the people of God in their experience before the second coming of Christ." Rev. and Her., 1890, No. 7.

"This song was not only historical but prophetic. While it recounted the wonderful dealings of God with His people in the past, it also foreshadowed the great events of the future, the final victory of the faithful when Christ shall come the second time in power and glory." P.P., p. 467.

"As the angel of God presented these facts in the travels and experience of the children of Israel, I was deeply impressed with the especial regard of God for His people. . . . I was also shown that those who are trying to obey God and purify their souls through obedience to the truth. are God's chosen people, His modern Israel." 2T., 108, 109.

"The Israel of God to-day ... the true church of Christ." P.K. 74. " spiritual Israel—His church on earth." PK. 370-372. See also P.K. 22, 188, 189, 298-300, 375, 376, 398, 392, 703, 704, 713, 714, 720; P.P. 447; E.W. 33, 42, 43, 60, 125, 285, 286; 5T. 454-456, etc.

The principle that Israel's' history is prophetic of the experiences of the church is continually employed in the Spirit of Prophecy. Under the heading, "The Church the Light of the World," in 5T. 454-467, the Lord's servant urges the church to carry the gospel to the world. She says: "God has called His church in this day, as He called ancient Israel, to stand as a light in the earth."

Concerning ancient Israel we read: "Thus the work which God had given His people to do in prosperity ... was done by them in captivity, under great trial and embarrassment." God's servant enquires: "Shall we let the history of Israel be repeated in our experience?" (p, 456). The answer is given on page 463: "The work which the church has failed to do in a time of peace and prosperity, she will have to do in a terrible crisis, under most discouraging, forbidding circumstances . under the fiercest opposition from enemies of the faith." Literal Israel failed to do her appointed work in times of "prosperity"; spiritual Israel has failed to do her work "in a time of peace and prosperity." Literal Israel's work was "done . . . under great trial and embarrassment"; spiritual Israel's work will be done "under discouraging, forbidding circumstances." Thus the history of national Israel is employed by God's servant as a prediction concerning the church.

Though the work will be completed amid discouraging circumstances, "the Lord will give us favour before the world until our work is done." 6T., p. 21. We read God's thrice-repeated promise to ancient Israel: "I will give this people favour in the sight of the Egyptians." Ex. 3:21; 11:3; 12:36.

"A little time of peace," mentioned by the Spirit of Prophecy (1T. 267, 268), is a last-day application of that which occurred in ancient Israel's experience before the completion of the work of repairing Jerusalem after the Babylonian captivity. See Ezra 9:8.

"God's church on earth was as verily in captivity during this long period [of Papal supremacy] of relentless persecution, as were the children of Israel held captive in Babylon during the period of their exile. But, thank God, His church is no longer in bondage. To spiritual Israel have been restored the privileges accorded the people of God at the time of their deliverance from Babylon ... and to spiritual Israel is given the message, 'Come out of her, My people.' . . As the captive exiles heeded the message, 'Flee out of the midst of Babylon' (Jer. 51:6), and were restored to the land of promise, so those who fear God to-day are heeding the message to withdraw from spiritual Babylon." P.K. 714, 715.

"The opposition and discouragement that the builders in Nehemiah's day met from open enemies and pretended friends, is typical of the experience that those to-day will have who work for God." P.K. 644. Among other antitypical applications concerning Nehemiah's work, God's servant says: "As the time of the end draws near, Satan's temptations will be brought to bear with greater power upon God's workers. He will employ human agents to mock and revile those who 'build the wall.'" P.K. 659.

"The work of restoration and reform carried on by the returned exiles under the leadership of Zerubbabel, Ezra, and Nehemiah, presents a picture of a work of spiritual restoration that is lo be wrought in the closing days of earth's history. . . . Varied were the experiences that came to them as they rebuilt the temple and the wall of Jerusalem. . . . The spiritual restoration of which the work carried forward in Nehemiah's day was a symbol, is outlined in the words of Isaiah [Isa. 61:4; 58:12 are then quoted]. The prophet here describes a people who, in a time of general departure from truth and righteousness, are seeking to restore the principles that are the foundation of the kingdom of God. They are repairers of a breach that has been made in God's law—the wall that He has placed around His chosen ones for their protection. . . . In words of unmistakable meaning, the prophet points out the specific work of this remnant people who build the wall [the words of Isa. 58:13, 14 are then quoted]. In the time of the end, every divine institution is to be restored. The breach made in the law at the time the Sabbath was changed by man is to be repaired. . Constrained by the love of Christ, they are to co- operate with Him in building up the waste places. They are to be repairers of the breach, the restorers of paths to dwell in." P.K. 677, 678.

Thus the Spirit of Prophecy makes a spiritual application of the call out of literal Babylon, the literal repairing of the breaches in the wall of Jerusalem, and the rebuilding and restoring of the temple and city of Jerusalem. Those literal experiences of literal Israel are applied as "a symbol" or "a picture of a work of spiritual restoration that is to be wrought in the closing days of earth's history."

A study of Neh. 2:1, 6; 5:14-16; 6:15; 13:6 reveals that within a short space of twelve years Nehemiah had completed all his work. The "repairing" (see Neh. 3) of the walls of Jerusalem was done in 52 days. See Neh. 6:15. This quick work will be repeated in the experience of spiritual Israel. "The final movements will be rapid ones." 9T. 11. "The bright light going among the living creatures with the swiftness of lightning represents the speed with which this work will finally go forward to completion." 5T. 754. See also Rom. 9:28.

The sealing brought to view in Neh. 9:38; 10:1, 29 was done in a short space of time. The Spirit of Prophecy says: "The sealing time is very short, and will soon be over." E.W. 58.

In the chapter, "The Coming Crisis," in ST. 449-454, God's servant tells us that "God means testing truth shall be brought to the front, and become a subject of examination and discussion, even if it is through the contempt placed upon it. The minds of the people must be agitated. Every controversy, every reproach, every slander, will be God's means of provoking inquiry, and awakening minds that otherwise would slumber. Thus it has been in the past history of God's people." P. 453. Examples are then cited from the experiences of Israelites.

When writing of the coming world-wide threat to destroy the remnant people of God, the servant of the Lord bases her statements upon the Old Testament record of Jacob being threatened with death by his brother Esau. Gen. 32:6-11; GC. 616, 618-621. Jacob's deliverance typifies the deliverance which will come to God's people. See Jer. 30:7 and GC. 635-652. When writing of the coming death decree, which will be passed upon spiritual Israel in the last days, God's servant directs us back to the Old Testament to the death decree passed upon the literal Jews in the days of Mordecai and Queen Esther: "The decree which is to go forth against the people of God will be very similar to that issued by Ahasuerus against the Jews in the time of Esther... .

"On this battle-field comes the last great conflict of the controversy between truth and error. And we are not left in doubt as to the issue. Now, as in the days of Mordecai, the Lord will vindicate His truth and His people." 5T. 450, 451; P.K. 605, 606.

"Elijah was a type of the saints who will be living on the earth at the time of the second advent of Christ, and who will be 'changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump,' without tasting of death. It was as a representative of those who shall be thus translated that Elijah . . . was permitted to stand with Moses by the side of the Saviour on the mount of transfiguration. In these glorified ones, the disciples saw in miniature a representation of the kingdom of the redeemed . . . they saw Moses, representing those who will be raised from the dead at the time of the second advent; and there stood Elijah, representing those who at the close of earth's history will be changed from mortal to immortal, and be translated to heaven without seeing death." PK. 227.

Writing of the care God will have over His people in the last days, God's servant says: "That God Who cared for Elijah will not pass by one of His self-sacrificing children." GC. 629.

Many other statements in the Spirit of Prophecy concerning the closing up of the work of God on earth, the time of trouble, the persecution and deliverance of the church and the destruction of her enemies can be traced to the experiences of literal Israel recorded in the Old Testament. Thus the Spirit of Prophecy is in harmony with the principle followed throughout the New Testament that the history of ancient Israel is typical of the experiences of the church. This principle proves the divine origin and certainty of the Spirit of Prophecy, and also proves that the Third Angel's Message we are proclaiming to the world is of God. "We have not followed cunningly devised fables." 2 Pet. 1:16. We "know the certainty of those things, wherein [we have] been instructed." Luke 1:1-3.