Multitudes of God's people today have become contaminated by the prevailing iniquity of the world. They have been influenced by the unrighteousness all about us and grown cold in their religious experience. However, there still is, and will be until the end, a little company who are standing in the light and will be sighing and crying for the abominations that are done in the land, but more specifically in the church, for its members are going after the manner of the world. Although many are still continuing in the forms of religion, God's power and presence are lacking.
The prophet Ezekiel was given a vision and saw: "And, behold, six men came from the way of the higher gate, which lieth toward the north, and every man a slaughter weapon in his hand; and one man among them was clothed with linen, with a writer's inkhorn by his side: and they went in, and stood beside the brazen altar. And the glory of the God of Israel was gone up from the cherub, whereupon he was, to the threshold of the house. And he called to the man clothed with linen, which had the writer's inkhorn by his side; And the LORD said unto him, Go through the midst of the city, through the midst of Jerusalem, and set a mark upon the foreheads of the men that sigh and that cry for all the abominations that be done in the midst thereof. And to the others he said in mine hearing, Go ye after him through the city, and smite: let not your eye spare, neither have ye pity: Slay utterly old and young, both maids, and little children, and women: but come not near any man upon whom is the mark; and begin at my sanctuary. Then they began at the ancient men which were before the house" (Ezekiel 9:2-6).
"The command is: 'Go through the midst of the city, through the midst of Jerusalem, and set a mark upon the foreheads of the men that sigh and that cry for all the abominations that be done in the midst thereof.' These sighing, crying ones had been holding forth the words of life; they had reproved, counseled, and entreated. ...
"In the time when His wrath shall go forth in judgments, these humble, devoted followers of Christ will be distinguished from the rest of the world by their soul anguish, which is expressed in lamentation and weeping, reproofs and warnings. While others try to throw a cloak over the existing evil, and excuse the great wickedness everywhere prevalent, those who have a zeal for God's honor and a love for souls will not hold their peace to obtain favor of any. Their righteous souls are vexed day by day with the unholy works and conversation of the unrighteous. They are powerless to stop the rushing torrent of iniquity, and hence they are filled with grief and alarm. They mourn before God to see religion despised in the very homes of those who have had great light. They lament and afflict their souls because pride, avarice, selfishness, and deception of almost every kind are in the church. The Spirit of God, which prompts to reproof, is trampled underfoot, while the servants of Satan triumph. God is dishonored, the truth made of none effect.
"The class who do not feel grieved over their own spiritual declension, nor mourn over the sins of others, will be left without the seal of God."[1]
The prophet Joel sounded the alarm: "Blow ye the trumpet in Zion, and sound an alarm in my holy mountain: let all the inhabitants of the land tremble: for the day of the LORD cometh, for it is nigh at hand. ... And the LORD shall utter his voice before his army: for his camp is very great: for he is strong that executeth his word: for the day of the LORD is great and very terrible; and who can abide it? Therefore also now, saith the LORD, turn ye even to me with all your heart, and with fasting, and with weeping, and with mourning: And rend your heart, and not your garments, and turn unto the LORD your God: for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and repenteth him of the evil. ... Blow the trumpet in Zion, sanctify a fast, call a solemn assembly: Gather the people, sanctify the congregation, assemble the elders, gather the children, and those that suck the breasts: let the bridegroom go forth of his chamber, and the bride out of her closet. Let the priests, the ministers of the LORD, weep between the porch and the altar, and let them say, Spare thy people, O LORD, and give not thine heritage to reproach, that the heathen should rule over them: wherefore should they say among the people, Where is their God?" (Joel 2:1, 11-17).
Here we see again that the humble, devoted followers of Christ will be distinguished from the others by their soul anguish. Their souls are vexed by the unholy works and conversations in the world and in the church. They mourn to see religion despised in the very homes of those who have great light. They lament and afflict their souls because pride, avarice, selfishness, and deception of almost every kind are in the church. Only they will receive God's "mark" or "the seal of the living God" and remain after all the wicked have been destroyed, for they alone have heeded the commands of God.
When Ellen White said that those "who do not feel grieved over their own spiritual declension, nor mourn over the sins of others, will be left without the seal of God," she was referring to a biblical principle and teaching referred to today as "corporate repentance."
Many today also reject this Bible truth, but as with all other teachings of God's word, the opposition of the obstinate or rejection of the rebellious does not nullify its veracity. References to "corporate repentance" are too numerous to ignore or misunderstand.
"And they gathered together to Mizpeh, and drew water, and poured it out before the LORD, and fasted on that day, and said there, We have sinned against the LORD. And Samuel judged the children of Israel in Mizpeh" (1 Samuel7:6).
"We have sinned with our fathers, we have committed iniquity, we have done wickedly" (Psalms 106:6).
"Thou meetest him that rejoiceth and worketh righteousness, those that remember thee in thy ways: behold, thou art wroth; for we have sinned: in those is continuance, and we shall be saved" (Isaiah 64:5).
"We lie down in our shame, and our confusion covereth us: for we have sinned against the LORD our God, we and our fathers, from our youth even unto this day, and have not obeyed the voice of the LORD our God" (Jeremiah 3:25).
"O LORD, though our iniquities testify against us, do thou it for thy name's sake: for our backslidings are many; we have sinned against thee" (Jeremiah 14:7).
"We acknowledge, O LORD, our wickedness, and the iniquity of our fathers: for we have sinned against thee. Do not abhor us, for thy name's sake, do not disgrace the throne of thy glory: remember, break not thy covenant with us" (Jeremiah 14:20, 21).
"And I prayed unto the LORD my God, and made my confession, and said, O Lord, the great and dreadful God, keeping the covenant and mercy to them that love him, and to them that keep his commandments; We have sinned, and have committed iniquity, and have done wickedly, and have rebelled, even by departing from thy precepts and from thy judgments: Neither have we hearkened unto thy servants the prophets, which spake in thy name to our kings, our princes, and our fathers, and to all the people of the land. O Lord, righteousness belongeth unto thee, but unto us confusion of faces, as at this day; to the men of Judah, and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and unto all Israel, that are near, and that are far off, through all the countries whither thou hast driven them, because of their trespass that they have trespassed against thee. O Lord, to us belongeth confusion of face, to our kings, to our princes, and to our fathers, because we have sinned against thee. To the Lord our God belong mercies and forgivenesses, though we have rebelled against him; Neither have we obeyed the voice of the LORD our God, to walk in his laws, which he set before us by his servants the prophets. Yea, all Israel have transgressed thy law, even by departing, that they might not obey thy voice; therefore the curse is poured upon us, and the oath that is written in the law of Moses the servant of God, because we have sinned against him. And he hath confirmed his words, which he spake against us, and against our judges that judged us, by bringing upon us a great evil: for under the whole heaven hath not been done as hath been done upon Jerusalem. As it is written in the law of Moses, all this evil is come upon us: yet made we not our prayer before the LORD our God, that we might turn from our iniquities, and understand thy truth. Therefore hath the LORD watched upon the evil, and brought it upon us: for the LORD our God is righteous in all his works which he doeth: for we obeyed not his voice. And now, O Lord our God, that hast brought thy people forth out of the land of Egypt with a mighty hand, and hast gotten thee renown, as at this day; we have sinned, we have done wickedly. O Lord, according to all thy righteousness, I beseech thee, let thine anger and thy fury be turned away from thy city Jerusalem, thy holy mountain: because for our sins, and for the iniquities of our fathers, Jerusalem and thy people are become a reproach to all that are about us. Now therefore, O our God, hear the prayer of thy servant, and his supplications, and cause thy face to shine upon thy sanctuary that is desolate, for the Lord's sake. O my God, incline thine ear, and hear; open thine eyes, and behold our desolations, and the city which is called by thy name: for we do not present our supplications before thee for our righteousnesses, but for thy great mercies. O Lord, hear; O Lord, forgive; O Lord, hearken and do; defer not, for thine own sake, O my God: for thy city and thy people are called by thy name" (Daniel 9:3-19).
Can you sense the deep anguish and corporate mind set of these prophets of God as they lift up the sins of the people as if they were their own sins. Even Jesus experienced "corporate repentance" as is evidenced by His baptism, for He was baptized by John and "John verily baptized with the baptism of repentance" (Acts 19:4). Jesus had committed no sin to be repented of, but He mourned "over the sins of others" as if they were His own.
Corporate repentance is not, as some have sarcastically stated, a board action by leaders that we repent of our sins, but rather it is feeling grief over our own spiritual declension, as well as mourning over the sins of others. It is not something that begins in the upper echelon of the church, but within the heart of the believer. It is viewing all sin in the way God does and realizing the pain it brings to His heart. Will we ever be brought to this place in our Christian experience? Most definitely! This church will reach the place in their spiritual walk that God desires for them and accomplish the task He has set before them.
There are some among us, as well as on our extreme fringes, who would have us believe that God has cast off the Seventh-day Adventist Church. They teach that the church is in apostasy and has become a part of Babylon. They fail to discern the difference between "apostasy in the church" and "the church in apostasy." They seem unable to comprehend that being infiltrated by Babylon does not make us Babylon. Infiltration does not make something evil, it simply means we have let down our guard and need to strengthen our borders and purge the enemy from our midst. There must be a call to vigilance, integrity, and faithfulness. However, many are making a false call that "the church has become Babylon; therefore, come out of her and be sure and bring your tithes and offerings with you." But what does inspiration have to say about this?
"The Lord has declared that the history of the past shall be rehearsed as we enter upon the closing work. Every truth that He has given for these last days is to be proclaimed to the world. Every pillar that He has established is to be strengthened. We cannot now step off the foundation that God has established. We cannot now enter into any new organization; for this would mean apostasy from the truth.
"There is no need to doubt, to be fearful that the work will not succeed. God is at the head of the work, and He will set everything in order. If matters need adjusting at the head of the work, God will attend to that, and work to right every wrong. Let us have faith that God is going to carry the noble ship which bears the people of God safely into port."[2]
"Although there are evils existing in the church, and will be until the end of the world, the church in these last days is to be the light of the world that is polluted and demoralized by sin. The church, enfeebled and defective, needing to be reproved, warned, and counseled, is the only object upon earth upon which Christ bestows His supreme regard."[3]
"Let all be careful not to make an outcry against the only people who are fulfilling the description given of the remnant people who keep the commandments of God and have faith in Jesus, who are exalting the standard of righteousness in these last days.
"God has a distinct people, a church on earth, second to none, but superior to all in their facilities to teach the truth, to vindicate the law of God."[4]
"When anyone is drawing apart from the organized body of God's commandment-keeping people, when he begins to weigh the church in his human scales and begins to pronounce judgment against them, then you may know that God is not leading him. He is on the wrong track."[5]
"I am instructed to say to Seventh-day Adventists the world over, God has called us as a people to be a peculiar treasure unto Himself. He has appointed that His church on earth shall stand perfectly united in the Spirit and counsel of the Lord of hosts to the end of time."[6]
"We are not going to be interrupted in meeting after meeting by those who claim they have a message to deliver. He who presses himself forward into a place where he is not wanted is not doing the work of God. We are to work like soldiers in an army. We are not to step out of the ranks, and begin to work on our own account."[7]
"God has a people in which all heaven is interested, and they are the one object on earth dear to the heart of God. Let everyone who reads these words give them thorough consideration; for in the name of Jesus I would press them home upon every soul. When any one arises, either among us or outside of us, who is burdened with a message which declares that the people of God are numbered with Babylon, and claims that the loud cry is a call to come out of her, you may know that he is not bearing the message of truth. Receive him not, nor bid him God-speed; for God has not spoken by him, neither has he given a message to him, but he has run before he was sent."[8]
Ellen White's son, Willie, made reference to this subject in a letter written shortly after his mother's death. "I told [Mrs. Lida Scott] how mother regarded the experience of the remnant church, and of her positive teaching that God would not permit this denomination to so fully apostatize that there would be the coming out of another church."[9]
"I am encouraged and blessed as I realize that the God of Israel is still guiding His people, and that He will continue to be with them, even to the end."[10]
"Satan will work his miracles to deceive; he will set up his power as supreme. The church may appear as about to fall, but it does not fall. It remains, while the sinners in Zion will be sifted out--the chaff separated from the precious wheat. This is a terrible ordeal, but nevertheless it must take place. None but those who have been overcoming by the blood of the Lamb and the word of their testimony will be found with the loyal and true, without spot or stain of sin, without guile in their mouths. We must be divested of our self-righteousness and arrayed in the righteousness of Christ."[11]
God's last call to His last church is: "I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot. So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth. Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked: I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see. As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent" (Revelation 3:15-19). Will they heed this call to repent and receive the righteousness of Christ? Most assuredly according to the "testimony of Jesus."
"When purification shall take place in our ranks, we shall no longer rest at ease, boasting of being rich and increased with goods, in need of nothing. ...
"Unless the church, which is now being leavened with her own backsliding, shall repent and be converted, she will eat of the fruit of her own doing, until she shall abhor herself.
When she resists the evil and chooses the good, when she seeks God with all humility and reaches her high calling in Christ, standing on the platform of eternal truth and by faith laying hold upon the attainments prepared for her, she will be healed. She will appear in her God-given simplicity and purity, separate from earthly entanglements, showing that the truth has made her free indeed. Then her members will indeed be the chosen of God, His representatives."[12]
What is it that will cause the tremendous transformation to take place? "I will pour upon the house of David [the leadership], and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem [the membership], the spirit of grace and of supplications: and they shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him, as one mourneth for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness for his firstborn" (Zechariah 12:10).
Thy Hand, O God Has GuidedNotes:
Thy hand, O God, has guided Thy flock from age to age;
The wondrous tale is written Full clear on every page;
Our fathers owned Thy goodness, And we their deeds record;
And both of this bear witness, One church, one faith, one Lord.
Thy heralds brought glad tidings To greatest as to least;
They bade men rise and hasten To share the great King's feast:
And this was all their teaching, In every deed and word,
To all alike proclaiming One church, one faith, one Lord.
When shadows thick were falling, And all seemed sunk in night,
Thou, Lord, did send Thy servants, Thy chosen sons of light.
On them and on Thy people Thy plenteous grace was poured,
And this was still their message: One church, one faith, one Lord.
Thy Mercy will not fail us, Nor leave Thy work undone;
With Thy right hand to help us, The victory shall be won;
And then by men and angels Thy name shall be adored,
And this shall be their anthem: One church, one faith, one Lord.
--Edward Hayes Plumptre