New Wine

NEW WINE by David Dence

2 Timothy 4:3 The time is coming when people will not tolerate or listen to sound doctrine; Instead, they will bring in teachers who will please them by telling them only what they are itching to hear. Paul is talking about false doctrine, the intoxicating wine of Babylon. But that is not the kind of wine we are going to imbibe today. We want the pure new wine from heaven. Amen? But this kind of wine is rare indeed. Would you recognize new wine if you came across it? Come along, together we shall search for it. Oh, taste and see that the LORD is good! Psalm 34:8 “We must have living faith in our hearts and reach out for larger knowledge and more advanced light.”--Review and Herald, March 25, 1890 “We must not think, ‘Well, we have all the truth, we understand the main pillars of our faith, and we may rest on this knowledge.’ The truth is an advancing truth, and we must walk in the increasing light.”--CW 33 “In every age there is a new development of truth, a message of God to the people of that generation.”--COL128 “In every age God has committed to His people some special truth which is directly opposed to the desires and purposes of the human heart, and which tends to separate His church from the world; and it has been the duty of His ministers to proclaim this truth, whether men would hear or forbear.”--ST Jan. 28, 1886 “In every age the Lord has had a special message for the people of that time; so we have a message for the people in this age. But while we have many things to say, we may be compelled to withhold some of them for a time, because the people are not prepared to receive them now.”--Review and Herald, Oct. 14, 1902 “Advanced light has shone upon every succeeding generation.”--ST, October 14, 1889 “We must not look with suspicion upon any new light which God may send, and say, Really, we cannot see that we need any more light than the old truth which we have hitherto received, and in which we are settled. While we hold to this position, the testimony of the True Witness applies to our cases its rebuke, "And knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked." Those who feel rich and increased with goods and in need of nothing, are in a condition of blindness as to their true condition before God, and they know it not.”--Review and Herald, August 7, 1894 “New light will ever be revealed on the word of God to him who is in living connection with the Sun of Righteousness. Let no one come to the conclusion that there is no more truth to be revealed. The diligent, prayerful seeker for truth will find precious rays of light yet to

shine forth from the word of God. Many gems are yet scattered that are to be gathered together to become the property of the remnant people of God.”--Counsels on Sabbath School Work, p. 34. (1892.) {CW 35.1} “There is no excuse for anyone in taking the position that there is no more truth to be revealed, and that all our expositions of Scripture are without an error. The fact that certain doctrines have been held as truth for many years by our people, is not a proof that our ideas are infallible. Age will not make error into truth, and truth can afford to be fair. No true doctrine will lose anything by close investigation.”--CW 35 Accepting new light is not nearly as dangerous as rejecting it. “We should be teachable, meek and lowly of heart. There are those who oppose everything that is not in accordance with their own ideas, and by so doing they endanger their eternal interest as verily as did the Jewish nation in their rejection of Christ.”--CW35 NEW WINE Luke 5:36 (American Standard Version) And he spake also a parable unto them: No man rendeth a piece from a new garment and putteth it upon an old garment; else he will rend the new, and also the piece from the new will not agree with the old. Luke 5:37 (Amplified Bible) And no one pours new wine into old wineskins; if he does, the fresh wine will burst the skins and it will be spilled and the skins will be ruined (destroyed). 38 No, new wine must be poured into new wineskins. Luke 5:39 (New Living Translation) But no one who drinks the old wine seems to want the new wine. ‘The old is just fine,’ they say.” “At the time Jesus uttered this parable, the old typical service was soon to pass away, and the temple courts were to be left desolate. But both his disciples and the disciples of John misunderstood the relation of his teaching to the doctrine of the scribes and Pharisees. The disciples of John had sought to unite the teaching of the reformer with the doctrines held by the Jewish leaders; but the teaching of scribes and Pharisees was fast hastening away, and to unite the truth with their jargon of tradition would result in great confusion. “The principles presented by Christ, could not be properly united to the forms and ceremonies of Phariseeism. Instead of closing up the breach that had been made by the teachings of John, the teachings of Christ would make the separation between the old system and the new more distinct, and to attempt to unite the two would only result in making the breach wider. Jesus illustrated this fact, saying, "No man putteth new wine into old bottles; else the new wine will burst the bottles, and be spilled, and the bottles shall perish." The bottles to which he refers in his illustration were made of skins, and, after once being used as vessels in which to place the new wine, they were worthless to serve the same purpose again. In this familiar illustration Jesus presented the impossibility of making those who are satisfied with a legal religion the depositaries of the living truth of heaven.

“Those who would not receive the light and grace of Christ, who rejected the truth he came to bring them, were compared to old bottles, or worthless and worn-out garments. Rejecting the truth themselves, they were ever seeking to sow the seed of doubt and questioning in the mind of the disciples, in order that the truth unfolded to them by Christ should not make its impression on heart and spirit. They exalted ceremonies, human exactions, and the commandments of men, as more essential than the teachings of Christ. The difference between the fresh, pure doctrines of heaven and the lifeless teaching of the Pharisees made manifest the fact that the vital truth of God could find no place for expansion in the old religious rites that were ready to vanish away. “As a result of their close association with Christ, the disciples were led to behold the precious gems of truth recovered from systems of error, and reset in the framework of truth. As their minds expanded to comprehend the doctrines of Christ, they saw that the faith which works by love and purifies the soul could find no place for union with the old religion of the Pharisees, which was made up of ceremonies, injunctions, and the traditions of the elders. An effort to unite the teachings of Jesus with the established religion would have shown the utter mistake of such a course. For the new doctrines, like fermenting wine, would have burst the old decaying bottles of the Pharisaical tradition. To the Pharisees the teaching of Jesus was new in almost every respect, was unrecognized and unacknowledged as truth. “The Pharisees opposed the teachings of Jesus with all their force, and Jesus turned from the recognized religious leaders to find in others new bottles for the new wine. In the untutored fisherman, in the publican at the market-place, in the woman of Samaria, in the common people who heard him gladly, he found his new bottles for the new wine. Priests and scribes and rulers were fixed in a rut of ceremonies, observances, and traditions. For long years they had lost their vitality, and their hearts had become contracted, like the old withered, dried-up bottles to which he had compared them; but in the fishermen, the Samaritans, the publicans and sinners, Jesus found hearts that he could impress and make receptacles for his divine truth. “God's people must go on from light to a greater light, or they will become, as did the Pharisees, unwilling to receive additional light. They will find themselves in the condition represented by withered, dried-up bottles. In their religious faith they will be unmovable, inflexible, like the withered fig tree dried from the roots up. Those whom Jesus chose for his work were people to whom the world gave little attention; the fishermen, the despised publicans and Samaritans, had no connection with the schools of the scribes and Pharisees; but Christ saw in them the requisite qualifications for the work of God. The gospel was first preached to the Jews; but they felt whole and in no need of a physician. Christ, the consolation of Israel, had come unto his own, but his own received him not. He must find new bottles to contain his new wine. “A spirit of Phariseeism has been coming in upon the people who claim to believe the truth for these last days.

They are self-satisfied. They have said, "We have the truth. There is no more light for the people of God." But we are not safe when we take a position that we will not accept anything else than that upon which we have settled as truth. We should take the Bible, and investigate it closely for ourselves. We should dig in the mine of God's word for truth. "Light is sown for the righteous, and gladness for the upright in heart." Some have asked me if I thought there was any more light for the people of God. Our minds have become so narrow that we do not seem to understand that the Lord has a mighty work to do for us. Increasing light is to shine upon us; for "the path of the just is as the shining light, that shineth more and more unto the perfect day."--Review and Herald, June 18, 1889. {CW 34.2} “Why could not the old bottles contain the new wine? Why were the lessons of Jesus refused? The life of Christ should have been a constant inspiration. But the scribes and Pharisees refused him, because they allowed pride, ambition, and bigotry to stand in their way. Jesus did not follow the teachings of the schools; he did not copy any living model, nor draw his lessons from any earthly source. His teachings were simplicity itself, so clear that a child could understand them, so deep that the prejudiced Pharisees and priests could not comprehend them. No one but a heavenly teacher could present so lofty a morality in such simple words, making his sayings applicable to the necessities of all. But the old bottles could not contain the precious new wine. The bigoted Pharisees, scribes, and rulers had no preference for the new wine; they were filled with the old, and, until emptied of the old traditions, old customs, old practices, they had no place in mind or heart for the truth of Christ. They scoffed at his doctrine, and the Sadducees derided him. The most precious truth could find no harmony with the false theories and commandments of men. But the common people, who were not filled with the wine of superstition and tradition, heard him gladly. “Let it not be with us who are living in the last days as it was with the Pharisees. Let it not be said of us, as it was of them, that new wine cannot be put into old bottles. Let not those who have been long in the truth, who have been made the depositaries of the law of God, exalt the ideas and opinions of men above the advancing truth of heaven, lest they be left as old, withered bottles, whose place will be filled by new bottles which the Lord shall select for the new wine. We must be in a position where we shall ever have an appetite for the fresh manna, for the new wine of heaven. “Let all beware lest they imitate the example of the Jews, and, fearing they must give up some cherished idea, or discard some idol of opinion, refuse the truth which cometh down from the Father of lights. It was adherence to tradition that proved the ruin of the Jews, and will prove the ruin of many, many souls in every age. Let us fear to become satisfied, with that which we already have acquired, but ever advance with the light, that Jesus may not have to cast us aside as worthless bottles, when he would present to us new truth.”-Signs of the Times, September 19, 1892 “When Christ came into the world, the leaders of the Jews were so permeated with Phariseeism that they could not receive His teachings. Jesus compared them to the shriveled wineskins which were not fit to receive the new wine from the vintage. He had to find new bottles into which to put the new wine of His kingdom. This was why He turned away from the Pharisees, and chose the lowly fishermen of Galilee.”--YRP 21

“When God's people are one in the unity of the Spirit, all of Phariseeism, all of selfrighteousness, which was the sin of the Jewish nation, will be expelled from all hearts. The mold of Christ will be upon each individual member of His body, and His people will be new bottles into which He can pour His new wine, and the new wine will not break the bottles. God will make known the mystery which hath been hidden for ages. Jesus came to impart to the human soul the Holy Spirit, by which the love of God is shed abroad in the heart; but it is impossible to endow men with the Holy Spirit, who are set in their ideas, whose doctrines are all stereotyped and unchangeable, who are walking after the traditions and commandments of men, as were the Jews in the time of Christ. They were very punctilious in the observances of the church, very rigorous in following their forms, but they were destitute of vitality and religious devotion. They were represented by Christ as like the dry skins which were then used as bottles. The gospel of Christ could not be placed in their hearts; for there was no room to contain it. They could not be the new bottles into which He could pour His new wine. Christ was obliged to seek elsewhere than among the scribes and the Pharisees for bottles for His doctrine of truth and life.. Jesus passed by the scribes and the Pharisees,. They were wedded to forms and ceremonies.”--1SM 386 “How gladly would Jesus have poured into these bottles the new wine; but it would have been of no use. The only way in which they could receive his teaching was to see and hear him without prejudice; but unless they were converted, they could not do this. They did not desire that a new element should be brought into their religion. Heaven looked with amazement to see the nation that had been blessed with so much light, which had been favored with so many advantages, refusing the precious treasure of truth. They had closed their eyes to the truth, and because of their ignorance of the real meaning of God's word, they added injunction to injunction from their own human knowledge. Because of the pride of their heart, the blindness of their mind, they closed the door to Christ.”--RH, April 3, 1894 “These things will bear your consideration. Jesus found no place in the hearts of the Scribes and Pharisees for His precious lessons. He represented their situation as old, driedup skin bottles, that could not hold the new wine of His kingdom; and He had to make the bottles into which He could put the new wine. He found a place for His truth in the heart of a Samaritan woman, and she a sinner. He made a bottle for the wine of His kingdom when He called Matthew, the publican. He made bottles into which He could pour the new wine when He called the fishermen. After I had said things as above, Brother Dan Jones looked as if he had had a spell of sickness. Then humbly took his position on the side of the testimonies.”--13MR 55 “Jesus answered and said, I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes." The Lord Jesus presented the heavenly treasures to the Jewish people, but many of them would not receive them. The educated men thought themselves too wise to need instruction. In the scribes, Pharisees, and rulers, Jesus found not the bottles for his new wine. He was obliged to turn from them to humble men, whose hearts were not filled with envy, covetousness, and selfrighteousness. The lowly fishermen obeyed the call of the

divine Teacher, while the scribes and Pharisees refused to become converted.”--ST, December 11, 1893 “The work of Jesus was to reveal the character of the Father, and to unfold the truth which he himself had spoken through prophets and apostles; but there was found no place for the truth in those wise and prudent men. Christ, the way, the truth, and the life, had to pass by the self-righteous Pharisees, and take his disciples from unlearned fishers and men of humble rank. These who had never been to the rabbis, who had never sat in the schools of the prophets, who had not been members of the Sanhedrin, whose hearts were not bound about with their own ideas,--these he took and educated for his own use. He could make them as new bottles for the new wine of his kingdom. These were the babes to whom the Father could reveal spiritual things; but the priests and rulers, the scribes and Pharisees, who claimed to be the depositaries of knowledge, could give no room for the principles of Christianity, afterward taught by the apostles of Christ. The chain of truth, link after link, was given to those who realized their own ignorance, and were willing to learn of the great Teacher.”--RH, June 2, 1896 “The disciples that Jesus called were uneducated, and were far from being perfect in character when Jesus united them with himself; but they were willing to learn from the greatest Teacher the world ever knew. They were truly converted men, and became the new bottles into which Jesus could pour the new wine of his kingdom. But though they were converted to Christ, yet, because of their limited earthly comprehension--the result of the teaching they had had from the Jews--they were unable fully to understand the spiritual nature of the truth he could impart. The burden of his instruction was the necessity of his followers having pure and holy hearts, for holiness alone would fit them to become subjects of his heavenly kingdom. “The divine Sower scattered grains of precious seed, which we cannot see until a skillful laborer, under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, gathers them together and presents them to us as a complete system of truth. But the kind of teaching that Christ gave to the world did not harmonize with the teaching of the scribes and Pharisees.”--ST, December 11, 1893 May God help us not to follow cunningly devised fables. “Jesus knew that he could do the scribes and Pharisees no good, unless they would empty themselves of self-importance. He chose new bottles for his new wine of doctrine, and made fishermen and unlearned believers the heralds of his truth to the world. And yet, though his doctrine seemed new to the people, it was in fact not a new doctrine, but the revelation of the significance of that which had been taught from the beginning. It was his design that his disciples should take the plain, unadulterated truth for the guide of their life. They were not to add to his words, or give a forced meaning to his utterances. They were not to put a mystical interpretation upon the plain teaching of the Scriptures.”--RH, June 2, 1896 “Truth must be unfolded to men. The Light of the world must flash His beams into the darkness of sin and superstition. The truth found no place in the hearts of those who should have been foremost to receive it, because they were barricaded with prejudice and wicked unbelief. Among those who had not such exalted privileges, Christ prepared hearts to receive His message. He made new bottles for the new wine.”--RH, April 30, 1901

“Why will not men see and live the truth? A spirit of prejudice that will not seek for a clear understanding, , is cherished. Men will not investigate fairly. They do not wish to know what is truth. They think that because certain ideas have long been held as truth, they are truth. The lessons of Christ were often misunderstood, not because He did not make them plain, but because the minds of the Jews, like the minds of many who claim to believe in this day, were filled with prejudice.”--1888 p573 “If we study the word of God with interest, and pray to understand it, new beauties will be seen in every line. To the diligent Bible student new light, new ideas, new gems of truth will constantly appear and be eagerly grasped, , and the soul is filled with the heavenly light.”-WM Herald, October 26, 1904 “Following the reading of this, a most excellent social meeting occurred, a number of brethren responding with hearty confessions and expressions of determination to walk in unity and love and the advancing light. The good Spirit of the Lord came in in marked degree, tears flowed freely, and expressions of joy and thankfulness seemed to well up from every heart.”--GCB 1893 (Notice that light was still advancing as late as 1893) “Our precious Saviour came to this world to bring blessing to us. Christ did not leave His seat of glory to mingle with the rich and great men of earth, for they would not receive His instructions, but He chose the poor who were willing to receive Him. God does not design to leave us in error, but sends us messages of mercy that we may have eternal life. Shall we accept or reject?”--3MR 76 “In Christ's day, how few realized the great privilege they might have enjoyed. The infinite God gave His Son, the most exalted gift that could be given, but it was not appreciated in that day, and while our Saviour tried to gain an entrance to hearts they would not let Him in.. The reason they rejected Christ was because the customs and practices had more weight with them than the precious boon that Christ came to bring them. The same thing is acted over in our day. Light is sent us from heaven. Will we reject or receive it? It is our privilege to gather up the rays of light, and the more we seek for it the more the light will increase.. Our safety is in taking hold of our duty and gathering up the rays of light. . Should we reject the advance light that God is now giving us, we shall be left in darkness. . I dare not choose my own pleasure, but to follow the light from heaven; and I must give it to the people. , and as the light is seen we shall be held responsible if we reject it.”--3MR 77 “There is danger that when the Lord shall send his people special light, they will place themselves on the side of the Pharisees. But let not one of the people who have had advanced light, take the position that they have all the light that is to be revealed for all time, and that there are no further rays to shine upon their pathway from the word of God. The more our people search the Scriptures, the more will be revealed the rich and precious gems of truth. Will they do as did the self-righteous Pharisees? Will they meet argument with ridicule, jest, and sarcasm? Will they say of the light-bearer as the Pharisees did of the world's Redeemer, "He hath a devil"? Will they be ready to forbid his message, "because he followeth not with us"? Will the messenger whom the Lord shall send with special light be treated with ridicule and contempt, as Paul was treated by the heathen, who said, "Let us hear what this babbler hath to say"?--HM, September 1, 1894 “The Lord frowns upon everything that savors of harshness and severity, and puts his rebuke upon those who cast contempt and reproach upon those who differ with them in

opinion, placing them in the worst possible light. All Heaven looks upon those who do this as Heaven looked upon the Pharisees, and pronounces them as ignorant both of the Scriptures and the power of God. They may trample upon the truth, and think that because they have cast it down, and covered it with rubbish, it is overcome; but God will move upon some of his faithful ones to do as Christ did when he was upon earth, -- brush away the rubbish, and restore the truth to its appropriate setting in the framework of truth. There will be those who will oppose everything that they have not held as truth; they have need to hear with unprejudiced ears, that they may understand what is truth,. Heavy will be the responsibility that will rest upon men who have had great light, and great opportunities, and who have yet failed to be wholly on the Lord's side.”--HM, September 1, 1894 “We are to be ever searching for the truth as for hidden treasures. . . .I have been shown that Jesus will reveal to us precious old truths in a new light, if we are ready to receive them; but they must be received in the very way in which the Lord shall choose to send them.”--Manuscript 15, Nov. 1, 1888, TDG 314 “Ministers of Jesus Christ are to be constantly receiving light from the Source of all light. They are to plow deep into the mines of truth. If a minister is not a worker himself, digging for the truth as for hidden treasure to find precious jewels of truth, he is forfeiting his Godgiven privileges. The ministers of Christ should gather up every ray of light, every jot of strength and illumination from other minds whom God has blessed, but that is not enough. They must go to the Fountainhead for themselves. He wants you individually to come to Him, to draw from Him, to use the ability God gives to understand the living oracles. “Many have believed some things as truth because men whom they believed to be led of God have declared them to be truth; but were they? Was all they held in doctrine true? No! Time has shown that men who feared God have made mistakes in their interpretation of Scriptures. Some parts were not understood, and the next generation have, through diligent searching, come to a knowledge of the truth; advanced light has been presented, but they did not have all the light. The next generation saw increased light and then there was a going forward from light to a greater light.”--1888 835 “The Lord has been giving messages to His people. Resistance to the truth is the sin that will be charged against those who reject these repeated appeals. That they may obtain advanced light, God places them in connection with men of superior knowledge regarding His Word.”--21MR 426 What if Henry Ford instructed his engineers not to make improvements that contradicted the Model T. What would we be driving today? DANIEL AND REVELATION “The light that Daniel received from God was given especially for these last days. The visions he saw by the banks of the Ulai and the Hiddekel, the great rivers of Shinar, are now in process of fulfillment, and all the events foretold will soon come to pass.

“Daniel and Revelation must be studied,. The Holy Spirit, shining upon the sacred page, will open our understanding, that we may know what is truth. “There is need of a much closer study of the word of God; especially should Daniel and the Revelation have attention as never before in the history of our work. We may have less to say in some lines, in regard to the Roman power and the papacy; “In the past teachers have declared Daniel and the Revelation to be sealed books, and the people have turned from them. The veil whose apparent mystery has kept many from lifting it, God's own hand has withdrawn from these portions of His word. The very name "Revelation" contradicts the statement that it is a sealed book. "Revelation" means that something of importance is revealed. The truths of this book are addressed to those living in these last days. We are standing with the veil removed in the holy place of sacred things. We are not to stand without. We are to enter,. We are nearing the time when the prophecies of the book of Revelation are to be fulfilled. “When the books of Daniel and Revelation are better understood, believers will have an entirely different religious experience. They will be given such glimpses of the open gates of heaven that heart and mind will be impressed. The Lord will bless all who will seek to understand that which is revealed in the Revelation. This book contains so much that is large with immortality and full of glory that all who read and search it earnestly WILL receive the blessing. “Will our brethren bear in mind that we are living amid the perils of the last days? Read Revelation in connection with Daniel. “It was the Lion of the tribe of Judah who unsealed the book and gave to John the revelation of what should be in these last days. “Daniel stood in his lot to bear his testimony which was sealed until the time of the end, when the first angel's message should be proclaimed to our world. These matters are of infinite importance in these last days; but “none of the wicked shall understand,”; and those who will not accept the light in regard to the law of God will not understand the proclamation of the first, second, and third angel's messages. The book of Daniel is unsealed in the revelation to John, and carries us forward to the last scenes of this earth's history. (Did you notice that she places the first angel’s message in the future? See GC352) “Those who eat the flesh and drink the blood of the Son of God will bring from the books of Daniel and Revelation truth that is inspired by the Holy Spirit. They will start into action forces that cannot be repressed. The lips of children will be opened to proclaim the mysteries that have been hidden from the minds of men. “We are standing on the threshold of great and solemn events. Many of the prophecies are about to be fulfilled in quick succession. Every element of power is about to be set to work. “Study Revelation in connection with Daniel,. . . . We, with all our religious advantages, ought to know far more today than we do know.

“Angels desire to look into the truths that are revealed to the people who with contrite hearts are searching the word of God and praying for greater lengths and breadths and depths and heights of the knowledge which He alone can give. “As we near the close of this world's history, the prophecies relating to the last days especially demand our study. The last book of the New Testament Scriptures is full of truth that we need to understand. Satan has blinded the minds of many so that they have been glad of any excuse for not making the Revelation their study. But Christ through His servant John has here declared what shall be in the last days; and He says, "Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written therein. “The books of Daniel and the Revelation should be bound together and published. A few explanations of certain portions might be added, but I am not sure that these would be needed.. The object is to bring these books together, showing that they both relate to the same subjects. “A message that will arouse the churches is to be proclaimed. Every effort is to be made to give the light,. Our own people need to have the light placed before them in clearer lines. “As we near the close of time, there will be greater and still greater external parade of heathen power; heathen deities will manifest their signal power, and will exhibit themselves before the cities of the world; “The perils of the last days are upon us, and in our work we are to warn the people of the danger they are in. Let not the solemn scenes which prophecy has revealed be left untouched. If our people were half awake, if they realized the nearness of the events portrayed in the Revelation, a reformation would be wrought in our churches, and many more would believe the message. We have no time to lose;. Advance new principles, and crowd in the clear-cut truth.... Let Daniel speak, let the Revelation speak,. But whatever phase of the subject is presented, uplift Jesus as the center of all hope. “When a message is presented to God's people, they should not rise up in opposition to it;. God wants our minds to expand.”--Review and Herald, February 18, 1890, also Testimonies to Ministers, pages 112 – 119. “All should see the necessity of understanding the truth for themselves individually.. It has been revealed to me that there is among our people a great lack of knowledge in regard to the rise and progress of the third angel's message. There is great need to search the book of Daniel and the book of Revelation, and learn the texts thoroughly, that we may know what is written. The Lord desires that every soul who claims to believe the truth shall have an intelligent knowledge of what is truth.”--2SM 392 “For this time, light is shining from the throne of God upon his people, and he sends his messengers to give that light to the world. By their close connection with heaven, , they become channels of light and blessing to the world. They walk humbly with their God, rejoicing, not in the favor and praise of men, but in the light of truth. New light is constantly received by the Christian, showing yet more clearly the way to heaven. To those who will not see the light, who refuse to walk in the path it reveals, the light becomes

darkness; but on the path of him who is willing to see, anxious to hear, and earnest in his search for the truth, it shines with increasing brightness.”--YI, October 7, 1897 “Men entertain errors, when the truth is clearly marked out; Long-cherished opinions must not be regarded as infallible. It was the unwillingness of the Jews to give up their longestablished traditions that proved their ruin. They were determined not to see any flaw in their own opinions or in their expositions of the Scriptures; but however long men may have entertained certain views, if they are not clearly sustained by the written word, they should be discarded. Those who sincerely desire truth will not be reluctant to lay open their positions for investigation and criticism, and will not be annoyed if their opinions and ideas are crossed. “The rebuke of the Lord will be upon those who would be guardians of the doctrine, who would bar the way that greater light shall not come to the people. A great work is to be done, and God sees that our leading men have need of greater light, that they may unite harmoniously with the messengers whom He shall send to accomplish the work that He designs they should. The Lord has raised up messengers and endued them with His Spirit, and has said, "Cry aloud, spare not, lift up thy voice like a trumpet. “Whenever the people of God are growing in grace, they will be constantly obtaining a clearer understanding of His word. They will discern new light and beauty in its sacred truths. This has been true in the history of the church in all ages, and thus it will continue to the end. But as real spiritual life declines, it has ever been the tendency to cease to advance in the knowledge of the truth. Men rest satisfied with the light already received from God's word, and discourage any further investigation of the Scriptures. They become conservative, and seek to avoid discussion. “I have been shown that many who profess to have a knowledge of present truth, know not what they believe. They do not understand the evidences of their faith. They have no just appreciation of the work for the present time. When the time of trial shall come, there are men now preaching to others, who will find, upon examining the positions they hold, that there are many things for which they can give no satisfactory reason. Until thus tested, they knew not their great ignorance. “And there are many in the church who take it for granted that they understand what they believe, but, until controversy arises, they do not know their own weakness. When separated from those of like faith, and compelled to stand singly and alone to explain their belief, they will be surprised to see how confused are their ideas of what they had accepted as truth. “The Lord calls upon all who believe His word to awake out of sleep. Precious light has come, appropriate for this time. It is Bible truth, showing the perils that are right upon us. “God would have all the bearings and positions of truth thoroughly and perseveringly searched, with prayer and fasting. Believers are not to rest in suppositions and ill-defined ideas of what constitutes truth. Their faith must be firmly founded upon the word of God, so that when the testing time shall come, and they are brought before councils to answer for their faith, they may be able to give a reason for the hope that is in them, with meekness and fear.

“Whatever may be man's intellectual advancement, let him not for a moment think that there is no need of thorough and continuous searching of the Scriptures for greater light. As a people, we are called individually to be students of prophecy. We must watch with earnestness that we may discern any ray of light which God shall present to us. We are to catch the first gleamings of truth; and through prayerful study, clearer light will be obtained. “When God's people are at ease, and satisfied with their present enlightenment, we may be sure that He will not favor them. It is His will that they should be ever moving forward, to receive the increased and ever-increasing light which is shining for them. “The present attitude of the church is not pleasing to God. There has come in a selfconfidence that has led them to feel no necessity for more truth and greater light.”-Councils to Writers and Editors 36-41 Speaking of Thoughts on Daniel and the Revelation, which she held in high esteem, she wrote: “In some of our important books that have been in print for years, and which have brought many to a knowledge of the truth, there may be found matters of minor importance that call for careful study and correction. Let such matters be considered by those regularly appointed to have the oversight of our publications.”--6BIO 258 “When a brother receives new light upon the Scriptures, he should frankly explain his position, and every minister should search the Scriptures with the spirit of candor to see if the points presented can be substantiated by the inspired word.”--CET 203 “The exalted, sacred character of the work requires the enlistment of the highest intellectual and spiritual powers, that it may be properly represented before those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death. “If you are called to be a teacher in any branch of the work of God, you are called also to be a learner in the school of Christ. If you take upon you the sacred responsibility of teaching others, you take upon you the duty of going to the bottom of every subject you seek to teach. If you present a subject from the Word of God to your pupils in the Sabbath School, you should make the reasons for your faith so plain that your scholars shall be convinced of its truth. You should diligently search and compare the evidences of the Word of God on messages that He sends to the church, that you may know what is truth, and be able to direct those who look to you into the way of righteousness. “When asked to hear the reasons of a doctrine that you do not understand, do not condemn the message until you have given it a thorough investigation,. God has precious light to come to His people at this very time, and you should strive earnestly in your investigations to aim at nothing less than a thorough knowledge of every point of truth, that you may not be found in the day of God among those who have not lived by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God. “The study of the Bible is worthy of the best mental effort, the most sanctified ability. When new light is presented to the church, it is perilous to shut yourselves away from it. Refusing to hear because you are prejudiced against the message or the messenger will not make your case excusable before God. To condemn that which you have not heard and do not understand will not exalt your wisdom in the eyes of those who are candid in their

investigations of truth. And to speak with contempt of those whom God has sent with a message of truth, is folly and madness. Our youth are not to make up their minds that the whole truth has been unfolded, and that the Infinite One has no more light for His people. If they entrench themselves in the belief that the whole truth has been revealed, they will be in danger of discarding precious jewels of truth that shall be discovered as men turn their attention to the searching of the rich mine of God's Word.”--Testimonies on Sabbath School Work 61 “The time is coming when Satan will work miracles right in your sight, claiming that he is Christ; and if your feet are not firmly established upon the truth of God, then you will be led away from your foundation. The only safety for you is to search for the truth as for hid treasures. Dig for the truth as you would for treasures in the earth, and present the Word of God, the Bible, before your heavenly Father, and say, Enlighten me; teach me what is truth. Without the enlightenment of the Spirit of God we shall not be able to discern truth from error and shall fall under the masterful temptations and deceptions that Satan will bring upon the world.. We want the truth on every point. We want it unadulterated with error and unpolluted by the maxims, customs, and opinions of the world. We want the truth with all its inconvenience. The acceptance of truth ever involves a cross.”--HP 350 “God requires the training of the mental faculties. He designs that His servants shall possess more intelligence and clearer discernment than the worldling, and He is displeased with those who are too careless or too indolent to become efficient, well-informed workers. The Lord bids us love Him with all the heart and with all the soul and with all the strength and with all the mind.”--COL 333 (1900). “The prophecies should be thoroughly understood. But some who have been engaged in preaching for years are content to confine themselves to a few subjects, being too indolent to search the Scriptures diligently and prayerfully. The time has come when God says: "Go forward,." It is not enough for our ministers to have a superficial knowledge of the truth.”-4T 414 So just how much do you value truth? What are you willing to pay for it? It would be well to keep this warning in mind: Amos 8:11 "The days are coming," says the Lord God, "when I will send a famine through the whole country when the people will be very hungry. They will not be hungry for bread or thirsty for water, but they will be hungry to hear the Words of the Lord. 12 People will go from sea to sea, roam to the north, wander to the east. They will go from place to place, listening to anyone, looking for the Word of the Lord, but they will not find it. If you truly desire to know what is about to happen to your country and your church, you might want to avail yourself of this information now. Someday very soon you will be frantic to know what is going on. “We have many lessons to learn, and many, many to unlearn. God and heaven alone are infallible. Those who think that they will never have to give up a cherished view, never have occasion to change an opinion, will be disappointed.”--Councils to Writers and Editors 36 “Many have, as had Moses, very much to unlearn in order to learn the very lessons that they need to learn. He had need to be trained by severest mental and moral discipline, a

shepherd among the mountains, in the pure air, made him a strong thinker.”--2MR 325 “There is danger of our being so overzealous to keep out of Babylon that we would commit our most noted blunder: that of striking a stake and refusing to pull it up and advance, and when we cease to unlearn errors we shall fall like those who have gone before us. We have learned much and no doubt there is much more to unlearn. It is the follow-on and gothrough spirit that will finally land the remnant without fault on the heavenly Mount Zion.”—Ellen White, Letter to Elder S. N. Haskell, file 16-F, Melbourne, Australia, May 9, 1892 What if you came to me wearing a worn out pair of shoes and asked me if I would be kind enough to buy you a new pair. So I ask you to take them off and give them to me. I notice that the laces are gone and the soles are hanging from the uppers. I agree that you need a new pair, and promise that you shall have some new ones. I then take them back into my shop and fix up your old pair. Upon returning them to you, you see that I have wrapped them up in duct tape. “What is this,” you ask? “I thought you said you were going to get me a new pair. Don’t you know the difference between a new pair and an old fixed up pair?” A few months ago I walked into a Sabbath School class room to fill in for a traveling Sabbath School teacher. I was the first one in the room. I noticed on the board that he had written, “If new light contradicts old light it is no light at all.” I hurriedly took an eraser and removed it from the board. I was shocked to think that anyone would subscribe to such a sentiment. Evidently a lot of folks do not have a grasp of what new means. Perhaps this is a mechanism to shield them from new light. In reality they may be terrified of new light. Afraid that they might be deceived or misled. It is just too scary to jump into something new, so they stay firmly attached to the old. I understand, and I am sympathetic. And I am prepared to take them by the hand and lead them step by step along the path that shineth more and more unto the perfect day. Some folks are more frightened of new light than of future persecutions. Why oh why do some historic Adventists insist so strongly that any new light be confined to a modification of old light? Why cannot they comprehend the possibility that God just might bring out from the sacred pages something entirely new? A precious gem heretofore unheard of? Again the answer is abject fear. Fear of the unknown. And perhaps insecurity. And I suspect an ignorance of the Holy Spirit. But sadly these good folks will never tell you the real reason. Instead you may hear platitudes like, “We have everything we need in the Bible and the Spirit of Prophecy.” Well, of course. But just what is that supposed to mean? It means leave me alone I don’t have time for anything new. And I recognize that in some it is an attempt to preserve historic Adventism. However, I must point out that the light is moving forward. At one time the light was shining on the Millerites. But shall we remain where Miller left us? Certainly not. The light did not stop there. That is not where the light is shining today. “It is impossible for Christians of our day to occupy the position of our fathers, to do as they have done, and stop there. We cannot be accepted and honored by God in rendering no better service, in reflecting no greater light, than they. In order for us to be blessed as were our fathers, we must improve our increased light as they improved theirs. We are required by God to act as our fathers would have done had they lived in our day, and been blessed with the privileges and opportunities granted to us.”--YI, October 7, 1897

If Ellen White were to come alive today would she be proud of the advancement we have made since she was laid to rest? Or would she be sad to learn that we have made no progress at all? If she were alive today, what would she say about the apocalyptic prophecies in light of today’s events? Would she press the importance of Attila the Hun? Would she stress the relevance of the “fall” of Turkey? We castigate the Lutherans for remaining just where Martin Luther left them. We point out that the Methodists have made little progress since the Wesley brothers time. But what about us? When I was a boy our church was known as the Advent Movement. But I am afraid the only movement we have made since 1905 is backwards. Ellen would be ashamed of us. It is time we took a fresh look at the prophecies. “The Reformation did not, as many suppose, end with Luther. It is to be continued to the close of this world's history. Luther had a great work to do in reflecting to others the light which God had permitted to shine upon him; yet he did not receive all the light which was to be given to the world. From that time to this, new light has been continually shining upon the Scriptures, and new truths have been constantly unfolding.”--GC 148 Clearly, some portions of Scripture are more relevant than others in unique situations. To bring this into focus, imagine that the house was on fire. On your way out would you stop to wind the clock on the mantle? Is there anything wrong with winding the clock? No, but right now that is not a priority! May God help us to sort out eternal truth from present truth. I perceive that we spend too much time feeding the sheep last year’s hay when the fields are green with new spring grass. Where were the Disciplines on Sunday morning after the crucifixion? Cowering in the upper room, paralyzed with fear and doubt. Where should they have been? As close to the tomb as the Roman soldiers would allow! Just think what a tremendous impetus it could have been to their ministry if they could have testified, “I was there! I saw that mighty angel streak through the morning sky and flick away the stone. I heard his authoritative voice call into the dark tomb, ‘Awake, thy Father calleth Thee.’ I saw that cold tomb light up and I fell to the ground as Jesus triumphantly stepped out into full view. As He straightened up to His full stature, victor over death and the grave, I can assure you He was the only one standing. All the terrified soldiers were thrown to the ground. They groveled is abject terror as the ground shook beneath them. Jesus promised that He would be resurrected on the third day, and we were there to meet Him with tears of joy and songs of rejoicing.” But alas, they missed one of the greatest events in history. Why? Because they misunderstood the prophecies! Even though Jesus told them plainly, it did not compute. We have come

around to the same situation again. Momentous events are about to take place and we seem to be clueless. Oh what a terrible loss we are about to sustain. We have relegated most of the prophecies to the past. And when God breaks His silence and roars out of Zion, most of us will be as surprised as if He had never told us what He is about to do! The Paparazzi spent every waking moment anticipating Princes Diana’s next move. They would crowd around every exit of every building she ever entered to be sure not to miss a chance to get another photo. They followed her day and night. When out of sight, they groped for any rumor concerning her whereabouts. Oh that we might live to ascertain Jesus’ next move! Do we have any idea where He is going to show up next? Or why? Or when? When He issues His next statement will we hear it or will we just hear thunder? When He lets loose the four winds will we urge Him on and shout, “Bear Thy holy arm, O Lord, for it is time for Thee to work, for they have made void Thy law?” Or will we just say these are natural disasters? Or give the credit to Satan? “We need to understand the work that is going forward in heaven. In this the great antitypical day of atonement, we need to be in perfect harmony with the work being carried forward in heaven.”--1888 p576 “At the time of Christ's first advent the priests and scribes of the Holy City, might have discerned the signs of the times and proclaimed the coming of the Promised One. God committed these prophecies to the Jewish leaders; they were without excuse if they did not know and declare to the people that the Messiah's coming was at hand. Their ignorance was the result of sinful neglect. With profound and reverent interest the elders of Israel should have been studying the place, the time, the circumstances, of the greatest event in the world's history--the coming of the Son of God to accomplish the redemption of man. All the people should have been watching and waiting that they might be among the first to welcome the world's Redeemer.”--4SG198 “Now it is just exactly as in the days of the Jews. When a message came in, why, all the power of the leaders was put against it, that it should not have access to the people. Now, brethren, if God sends us light, let it come to us, and let no man close the door, or try to close it. Don't close it yourselves. Open the door of your heart and let the brilliant rays of light shine into your heart and into your mind. Our young men look at the older men that stand still as a stick and will not move to accept any new light. Now, brethren, I say, clear the King's highway, for your soul's sake. If you have interposed between the people and the light, get out of the way, or God will move you out of the way.”--Manuscript 9, 1890 This is a work in progress. Corrections and constructive criticism is eagerly accepted. Perhaps you have thoughts and additions that would go well with this study. Let’s learn together. You are welcome to make copies of this material. I still have a few week-ends open for speaking appointments. Call anytime: 423 949-5115 You are to be commended for having sat long enough to finish this chapter. I hope you are not as scared now as when you started. But you may still be a little nervous. I understand. This is like talking about marriage before a particular partner comes into the picture. Marriage can be very scary. But when you get to know your future spouse, love conquers fear. So I urge you to move on to the next chapter. When you get to know God’s glorious plans for you during the closing scenes of this earth, your little fears will be swallowed up with excitement and confidence in our Leader.

As you read subsequent chapters, you may be inclined to disagree with some point being presented. That is understandable. Let me offer this analogy: LESSONS FROM A PUZZLE If you were to watch me put together a large puzzle of the Neuschwanstein Castle, you might contend that you just could not see it in the early stages of the puzzle construction. That is because I had not yet assembled enough pieces to make it recognizable. But as more pieces are added, you may begin to see the castle take shape. It takes patience. Then, too, you may not know what the Neuschwanstein Castle is supposed to look like. Do you really know what the time of trouble is supposed to look like? Do you know what the judgment of the living will look like? Do you have a clear picture of the spewing out of Laodicea? Would you recognize a member of the 144,000 if you saw one?