Could I be a troubler of Israel?

“And the sons of Carmi; Achar, the troubler of Israel, who transgressed in the thing accursed.” (1Chron. 2:7).

“But the children of Israel committed a trespass in the accursed thing: for Achan, the son of Carmi, the son of Zabdi, the son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah, took of the accursed thing: and the anger of the LORD was kindled against the children of Israel.” (Josh. 7:1).

The grandson of Judah coveted at a time when Israel was holiness to the Lord. Achan committed this self-indulgent act knowing that it was so unacceptable that he did it secretly. But it was exposed by providence, when a small battle ended in much loss to the armies of the living God of Israel.

“And the LORD said unto Joshua, Get thee up; wherefore liest thou thus upon thy face?

Israel hath sinned, and they have also transgressed My covenant which I commanded them: for they have even taken of the accursed thing, and have also stolen, and dissembled also, and they have put it even among their own stuff.

Therefore the children of Israel could not stand before their enemies, but turned their backs before their enemies, because they were accursed: neither will I be with you any more, except ye destroy the accursed from among you.

Up, sanctify the people, and say, Sanctify yourselves against to morrow: for thus saith the LORD God of Israel, There is an accursed thing in the midst of thee, O Israel: thou canst not stand before thine enemies, until ye take away the accursed thing from among you.” (Josh. 7:10-13).

“When I saw among the spoils a goodly Babylonish garment, and two hundred shekels of silver, and a wedge of gold of fifty shekels weight, then I coveted them, and took them; and, behold, they are hid in the earth in the midst of my tent, and the silver under it….

And Joshua said, Why hast thou troubled us? The LORD shall trouble thee this day. And all Israel stoned him with stones, and burned them with fire, after they had stoned them with stones.

And they raised over him a great heap of stones unto this day. So the LORD turned from the fierceness of His anger. Wherefore the name of that place was called, The valley of Achor, unto this day.” (Josh. 7:21,25,26).

“When at Oswego, New York, June, 1855, I was shown that God’s people have been weighed down with clogs; that there have been Achans in the camp. The work of God has progressed but little, and many of His servants have been discouraged because the truth has taken no more effect in New York, and there have been no more added to the church. The Messenger party has arisen, and we shall suffer some from their lying tongues and misrepresentations, yet we should bear it all patiently; for they will not injure the cause of God, now they have left us, as much as they would have injured it by their influence had they remained with us.” Testimonies for the church, vol. 1, p. 122.1.

What was Achan’s sin? It was loving this world. It was loving the creation more than the Creator, who is blessed forevermore. What was his sentence? Could this ever happen again when the people of God are truly dedicated to His will and purposes?

“     God’s frown has been brought upon the church on account of individuals with corrupt hearts being in it. They have wanted to be foremost, when neither God nor their brethren placed them there. Selfishness and exaltation have marked their course. A place is now open for all such where they can go and find pasture with those of their kind. And we should praise God that in mercy He has rid the church of them. God has given many of these persons up to their own ways to be filled with their own doings. An excitement and sympathy now leads them, which will deceive some; but every honest one will be enlightened as to the true state of this company, and will remain with God’s peculiar people, hold fast the truth, and follow in the humble path, unaffected by the influence of those who have been given up of God to their own ways, to be filled with their own doings. I saw that God had given these persons opportunity to reform, He had enlightened them as to their love for self and their other sins; but they would not heed it. They would not be reformed, and He mercifully relieved the church of them. The truth will take effect if the servants of God and the church will devote themselves to Him and His cause.

     I saw that the people of God must arouse and put on the armor. Christ is coming, and the great work of the last message of mercy is of too much importance for us to leave it and come down to answer such falsehoods, misrepresentations, and slanders as the Messenger party have fed upon and have scattered abroad. Truth, present truth, we must dwell upon it. We are doing a great work, and cannot come down. Satan is in all this, to divert our minds from the present truth and the coming of Christ. Said the angel: “Jesus knows it all.” In a little from this their day is coming. All will be judged according to the deeds done in the body. The lying tongue will be stopped. The sinners in Zion will be afraid, and fearfulness will surprise the hypocrites.” Testimonies for the church, vol. 1, p. 123.1.

It appears that the troubling was happening at the beginning while the Advent Movement was still relatively pure. The 1844 Great Disappointment with William Miller was still in the memories of a few. But in 1855 many accessions to the truth had never been tested and proven as were the original 50 of the ‘44 Disappointment. What about our day, 170 years later? Shouldn’t I be trembling before God, because this very testing and trying came again at other times of purity among God’s people? Could it come to me?

This no-questions-asked/ thunders from God came at purer times in the misty past.

“And he said, I heard Thy voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself.

And He said, Who told thee that thou wast naked? Hast thou eaten of the tree, whereof I commanded thee that thou shouldest not eat?...

And unto Adam He said, Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it: cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life;

Thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee; and thou shalt eat the herb of the field;

In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return.” (Gen. 3:10,11,17-19).

“And the LORD said unto Cain, Where is Abel thy brother? And he said, I know not: Am I my brother’s keeper?

And He said, What hast thou done? The voice of thy brother’s blood crieth unto Me from the ground.

And now art thou cursed from the earth, which hath opened her mouth to receive thy brother’s blood from thy hand;

When thou tillest the ground, it shall not henceforth yield unto thee her strength; a fugitive and a vagabond shalt thou be in the earth.

And Cain said unto the LORD, My punishment is greater than I can bear.

Behold, Thou hast driven me out this day from the face of the earth; and from Thy face shall I be hid; and I shall be a fugitive and a vagabond in the earth; and it shall come to pass, that every one that findeth me shall slay me.

And the LORD said unto him, Therefore whosoever slayeth Cain, vengeance shall be taken on him sevenfold. And the LORD set a mark upon Cain, lest any finding him should kill him.

And Cain went out from the presence of the LORD, and dwelt in the land of Nod, on the east of Eden.” (Gen. 4:9-16). Do I fear a second driving away?

Such correction and reproof came again later at another pure time.

“And Samuel said, Hath the LORD as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams. For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because thou hast rejected the word of the LORD, He hath also rejected thee from being king.” (1Sam. 15:22,23). Could this happen to me?

And again at a purer time.

“But a certain man named Ananias, with Sapphira his wife, sold a possession,

And kept back part of the price, his wife also being privy to it, and brought a certain part, and laid it at the apostles’ feet.

But Peter said, Ananias, why hath Satan filled thine heart to lie to the Holy Ghost, and to keep back part of the price of the land?

Whiles it remained, was it not thine own? And after it was sold, was it not in thine own power? Why hast thou conceived this thing in thine heart? Thou hast not lied unto men, but unto God.

And Ananias hearing these words fell down, and gave up the ghost: and great fear came on all them that heard these things.” (Acts 5:1-5).

And,

“Now some are puffed up, as though I would not come to you.

But I will come to you shortly, if the Lord will, and will know, not the speech of them which are puffed up, but the power.

For the kingdom of God is not in word, but in power.

What will ye? Shall I come unto you with a rod, or in love, and in the spirit of meekness?

 It is reported commonly that there is fornication among you, and such fornication as is not so much as named among the Gentiles, that one should have his father’s wife.

And ye are puffed up, and have not rather mourned, that he that hath done this deed might be taken away from among you.

For I verily, as absent in body, but present in spirit, have judged already, as though I were present, concerning him that hath so done this deed,

In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, when ye are gathered together, and my spirit, with the power of our Lord Jesus Christ,

To deliver such an one unto Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus.” (1Cor. 4:18-5:5).

And,

“When Peter was come to Antioch, I withstood him to the face, because he was to be blamed.” (Gal. 2:11).

And,

“Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.

For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.

And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.

Little children, it is the last time: and as ye have heard that antichrist shall come, even now are there many antichrists; whereby we know that it is the last time.

They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would no doubt have continued with us: but they went out, that they might be made manifest that they were not all of us.” (1Jn. 2:15-19).

Do all of these desolating rebukes point at me?

“The greatest want of the world is the want of men—men who will not be bought or sold, men who in their inmost souls are true and honest, men who do not fear to call sin by its right name, men whose conscience is as true to duty as the needle to the pole, men who will stand for the right though the heavens fall.” Education, p. 57.3.

Will the straight testimony happen again? Yes. If it happened at earlier times of purity in the church, then one more time, when the church will be purer than ever before, then the rebuke of God will happen again, this strong calling sin by its right name. Will I be ready? Who shall be able to stand?

“Behold, I will send My messenger, and he shall prepare the way before Me: and the Lord, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to His temple, even the Messenger of the covenant, whom ye delight in: behold, He shall come, saith the LORD of hosts.

But who may abide the day of His coming? And who shall stand when He appeareth? For He is like a refiner’s fire, and like fullers’ soap:

And He shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver: and He shall purify the sons of Levi, and purge them as gold and silver, that they may offer unto the LORD an offering in righteousness.” (Mal. 3:1-3).

This greatest want in the church will be removed among the 144,000 sealed servants of God. And they will receive it because they will have wrestled for it. They alone will be worthy to have the seal of God in their forehead. And it won’t come by accident or arbitrary endowment.

“But such a character is not the result of accident; it is not due to special favors or endowments of Providence. A noble character is the result of self-discipline, of the subjection of the lower to the higher nature—the surrender of self for the service of love to God and man.” Education, p. 57.4.

Who are these? When will they come??

“I saw some, with strong faith and agonizing cries, pleading with God. Their countenances were pale and marked with deep anxiety, expressive of their internal struggle. Firmness and great earnestness was expressed in their countenances; large drops of perspiration fell from their foreheads. Now and then their faces would light up with the marks of God’s approbation, and again the same solemn, earnest, anxious look would settle upon them.  

     Evil angels crowded around, pressing darkness upon them to shut out Jesus from their view, that their eyes might be drawn to the darkness that surrounded them, and thus they be led to distrust God and murmur against Him. Their only safety was in keeping their eyes directed upward. Angels of God had charge over His people, and as the poisonous atmosphere of evil angels was pressed around these anxious ones, the heavenly angels were continually wafting their wings over them to scatter the thick darkness.” Early Writings, p. 269.2.

“… As the praying ones continued their earnest cries, at times a ray of light from Jesus came to them, to encourage their hearts and light up their countenances.” Early Writings, p. 270.1.

“The angels of God … went to the aid of the earnest, praying ones. I saw angels of God hasten to the assistance of all who were struggling with all their power to resist the evil angels and trying to help themselves by calling upon God with perseverance.” Early Writings, p. 270.1.

“Some, I saw, did not participate in this work of agonizing and pleading. They seemed indifferent and careless. They were not resisting the darkness around them, and it shut them in like a thick cloud. The angels of God left these … His angels left those who made no effort to help themselves, and I lost sight of them.” Early Writings, p. 270.1.

“I saw that the testimony of the True Witness has not been half heeded. The solemn testimony upon which the destiny of the church hangs has been lightly esteemed, if not entirely disregarded. This testimony must work deep repentance; all who truly receive it will obey it and be purified.” Early Writings, p. 270.3.

What caused the strong faith, agonizing cries, pleading with God, pale countenances, deep anxiety, struggle, and perspiration?

“The straight testimony called forth by the counsel of the True Witness to the Laodiceans. This will have its effect upon the heart of the receiver….” Early Writings, p. 270.2.

“This testimony must work deep repentance; all who truly receive it will obey it and be purified.” Early Writings, p.  270.3.

What happens next?

“The True Witness to the Laodiceans …will lead him to exalt the standard and pour forth the straight truth.” Early Writings, p. 270.2.

     

Doesn’t this make us shake? And will shaking now cause us to avoid the next shaking.

“Some will not bear this straight testimony. They will rise up against it, and this is what will cause a shaking among God’s people.” Early Writings, p. 270.2.

What caused Achan’s tragic death? The love of the world. What caused Ananias’ death? The same thing. What caused the Corinthian fornicator to be cast out into darkness? The same. (But, the environment of the church was not pure, and therefore his sentence was not as severe as Ananias’ and Sapphira’s, and he was ostracized for a while and let back in.) What caused the event at the apostolic general conference building at Jerusalem? Fearing those who loved the world. What caused the apostates to leave John’s church? Those who loved the world and the love of the Father was not in them. It was the same that troubled the early Advent movement, and still troubles it. So, what will cause the final pouring out of the straight truth by those who previously wrestled and were shaken? Won’t the cause of the shaking be the love of the world? The carnal mind. The flesh. Achan’s sin. Isn’t it the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life? Isn’t it self-medicating our empty hearts by comfort eating/ comfort drinking/ comfort smoking/ comfort drugging/ being entertained/ reading but not doing, etc. instead of seeking the Spirit of truth/ Comforter with all our hearts, minds, souls, and bodies, for true comfort?

“Are ye not carnal, and walk as men?” (1Cor. 3:3).

“The carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the Law of God, neither indeed can be.” (Rom. 8:7).

“For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh.” (Rom. 8:5).

How do we measure up to the pure ancient standard, and the purer apostolic standard? How do we measure up to the sealing, and the Latter Rain that will be purer than the apostolic Early Rain, the purest of all times of reformation? Who shall be able to stand?