MORE THAN 100 YEARS

IN THE WILDERNESS

 

There is a kind of excitement among many Christians, including Seventh-Day Adventist, that a great event would take place when the year 2000 arrived. This assumption is based on the ideas that the world is, or would be 6000 years old at the end of the 20th century and that the coming of the Lord will take place then or very close to that date.

When we study the Bible record, we find the earth is about 4004 years at the time of Christ and if we add another 2000 to this we find the earth is about 6000 years old. If this is the case it must be time for the second coming of Christ, because when He comes he will bring in the 1000 years, known as the millennium of Revelation 20, which makes a total of 7000 years.

How Old Is The Earth?

The question that must be asked is, does inspiration have anything to say about the actual age of the earth, for Scripture says that:-

"Surely the Lord GOD will do nothing, but he revealeth his secret unto his servants the prophets." Amos 3:7.

In Matthew 24 Jesus said:-

"Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken:
And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.
And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.
Now learn a parable of the fig tree; When his branch is yet tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer is nigh:
So likewise ye, when ye shall see all these things, know that it is near, even at the doors.
Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled.
Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away.
But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only." Matthew 24:29-36.

These words of Christ tell us that no one knows when the Lord will come, so there can be no time setting, or teaching that the Lord will come at a set time, e.g. at the end of the century.

If we would follow the council of the Lord in Amos 3:7, we may get a much better idea as to the time when the earth passed 6000 years. E. G. White wrote, between the years 1869 and 1890:-

"Creation week was only seven literal days, and the world is now only about six thousand years old." Lift Him Up page 52.

"He (man) has withstood the accumulation of disease brought upon the race in consequence of perverted habits, and has continued for six thousand years." Fundamentals of Christian Education page 22.

"God endowed man with so great vital force that he has withstood the accumulation of disease brought upon the race in consequence of perverted habits, and has continued for six thousand years. This fact of itself is enough to evidence to us the strength and electrical energy that God gave to man at his creation. It took more than two thousand years of crime and indulgence of base passions to bring bodily disease upon the race to any great extent. If Adam, at his creation, had not been endowed with twenty times as much vital force as men now have, the race, with their present habits of living in violation of natural law, would have become extinct. At the time of Christ's first advent the race had degenerated so rapidly that an accumulation of disease pressed upon that generation, bringing in a tide of woe and a weight of misery inexpressible." Testimonies for the Church Vol 3, page 138.

"For six thousand years, Satan’s work of rebellion has ‘made the earth to tremble’ . . . For six thousand years his prison house has received God’s people." The Great Controversy page 659.

"Ever since he (Satan) succeeded in overcoming our first parents in their beautiful Eden home, he has been engaged in this work. More than six thousand years of continual practice has greatly increased his skill to deceive and allure." Signs of the Times, September 29, 1887.

"What greater promises could be given us than are found in these verses? A cunning and cruel foe attends our steps, and is working every moment, with all his strength and skill, to turn us from the right way. Ever since he succeeded in overcoming our first parents in their beautiful Eden home, he has been engaged in this work. More than six thousand years of continual practice has greatly increased his skill to deceive and allure. On the other hand, he who once yields to temptation becomes spiritually weak, and yields more readily the second time. Every repetition of sin blinds his eyes, stifles conviction, and weakens his power of resistance. Thus while the power of the human race to resist temptation is continually decreasing, Satan's skill and power to tempt are continually increasing. This is one great reason why the temptations of the last days will be more severe than those of any other age." Hist Sketches of the Foreign Missions of Seventh Day Adventists, page 133.

In 1890 she wrote:-

"The continual transgressions of men for over six thousand years has brought sickness, pain and death as its fruit." Christian Temperance and Bible Hygiene page 154.

This last statement by E.G.White was written over 100 years ago, so more than 100 years has past since the earth turned 6000 years old. Why has Jesus not returned? If we look to the pen of inspiration we find E. G. White in 1883 wrote:-

"Had Adventists after the great disappointment in 1844, held fast their faith and followed on unitedly in the opening providence of God, . . . Christ would have come ere this to receive His people to their reward. . . It was not the will of God that the coming of Christ should be delayed. God did not design that His people, Israel, should wander forty years in the wilderness. He promised to lead them directly to the land of Canaan, and establish them there a holy, healthy, happy people. But those to whom it was first preached, went not in ‘because of unbelief.’ Their hearts were filled with murmuring, rebellion, and hatred and He could not fulfill His covenant with them. "For forty years did unbelief, murmuring, and rebellion shut out ancient Israel from the land of Canaan. The same sins have delayed the entrance of modern Israel into the heavenly Canaan. It is unbelief, the worldliness, the unconsecration, and strife among the Lord’s professed people that have kept us in this world of sin and sorrow so many years." Evangelism pages 695, 696.

 

"If all who had labored unitedly in the work in 1844 had received the Third Angel’s Message, and proclaimed it in the power of the Holy Spirit, the Lord would have wrought mightily with their efforts. A flood of light would have been shed upon the world. Years ago the inhabitants of the earth would have been warned, the closing work completed, and Christ would have come for the redemption of His people." Spirit of Prophecy Vol 4 page 291.

Why is Christ waiting to come and put an end to sin and suffering? The Lord sees that His people , let alone the world, have not accepted Him and in mercy He delays His coming that sinners may have the opportunity to heed His warning message before the wrath of God is poured out.

In 1896 E. G. White wrote:-

"e;If those who claimed to have a living experience in the things of God had done their appointed work as the Lord ordained, the whole world would have been warned ere this, and the Lord Jesus would have come in power and great glory." The Review and Herald, October 6, 1896.

"But because the people are disobedient, unthankful, unholy, as were ancient Israel, time is prolonged that all may hear the last message of mercy proclaimed with a loud voice. The Lord’s work has been hindered, the sealing time delayed.” The Faith I Live By page 288.

During the years 1898 to 1903, E. G. White explained the delay.

"It is because the work has not been done for the wicked that time delays." Manuscript Releases Vol 10, page 816.

"Had the Adventists in the early days still trusted to the guiding hand that had been with them in their past experience, they would have seen the salvation of God." Testimonies Vol 8, page 115, 116.

The signs of the sun and moon were fulfilled on May 19, 1780. The falling of the stars occurred on November 13, 1833. Keeping this in mind consider these words by E. G. White:-

"Those who beheld these harbingers of His coming are to know that it is near, even at the doors." The Great Controversy page 37.

"Christ has given signs of His coming. He declares that we may know when He is near, even at the doors. He says of those who see these signs, ‘This generation shall not pass till all these things be fulfilled.’ These signs have appeared. Now we know of a surety that the Lord’s coming is at hand. ‘Heaven and earth shall pass away,’ He says, ‘but my words shall not pass away." The Desire of Ages page 632.

So, it is safe to say that the generation that saw the last sign, the falling of the stars in 1833, was to live until Jesus would come in His second coming between 1869 and 1890. But that generation perished long ago. And how is this to be explained?

Twelve years after the disappointment of 1844, E. G. White was given a significant vision. She wrote about it in Spiritual Gifts:-

"A conference was held at Battle Creek in May, 1856. . . At the conference a very solemn vision was given me. I saw that some of those present would be food for worms, some subjects for the seven last plagues, and some would be translated to heaven at the second coming of Christ, without seeing death." Spiritual Gifts pages 207, 208.

"The promises and threatenings of God are alike conditional." Selected Messages Vol 1 page 67.

As late as 1888, E.G.White wrote when some of those at that General Conference held in Battle Creek were still living:-

"The hour will come, it is not far distant, and some of us who now believe will be alive upon the earth, and shall see the prediction verified, and hear the voice of the archangel, and the trump of God echo from mountain and plain and sea, to the uttermost parts of the earth." The Review and Herald July 31, 1888.

The church continued in unfaithfulness and that meant more delay. Ellen White, one of the last remaining in this group died in 1915. We are over one hundred years past God’s intended time schedule and no one knows the exact time of Christ’s return.

"The prophetic periods reached to 1844 . . . Prophetic time closed in 1844." Spiritual Gifts page 138,148.

This means the prophecies of Daniel 12 all ended in 1844.

The only reason that the Lord has not returned is that His people are not ready. They have not allowed the Holy Spirit to lead them into unity and finish the work of warning the world of Jesus coming.

Ellen White was shown several books that were to go to the people.

"Instruction has been given me that the important books containing the light that God has given regarding Satan's apostasy in heaven should be given a wide circulation just now; for through them the truth will reach many minds. 'Patriarchs and Prophets,' 'Daniel and the Revelation,' and 'Great Controversy' are needed now as never before. They should be widely circulated because the truths they emphasize will open many blind eyes." Review and Herald February 16, 1905.

If we as a people were to study these books and accept the messages that have been penned for us through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, we as Seventh-Day Adventists would have come into unity a long time ago and finished the work.

One argument that has continued for a long time among Seventh-Day Adventists, is the King of the North of Daniel 11:45, and what power constitutes this King. Seventh-Day Adventists at the present time have several views concerning this King. Some say this power is the country Turkey, while others say this power will be the Catholic Church, and it will set up it’s tents between the sea and the Holy Mount. Another group says this text refers to the end of the Ottoman Empire.

When the Prophet, E. G. White, is shown books which the Lord says are to go to the people, we have no right to question what is written in them, and put our own ideas to the Lords work. In faith we are to step out and accept what is written as truth and the Holy Spirit will be the instructor.

The Prophet of the Lord did not have a problem with understanding nor accepting what Uriah Smith had written in ‘Daniel and the Revelation’, in fact she promoted it without any doubt as to its content because the Lord had shown her this was to be so.

Uriah Smith talking about Daniel 11:40-45 has shown how and when the Turks (Ottoman Empire) came into power, all about their rule and when they were coming to an end. Also how they were propped up by other countries near the end of their reign. No one was left in any doubt as to this prophecy talking about Turkey.

The problem seems to arise with the collapse of the Otterman Empire (Turkey) in 1918 as being the King of the North here referred to. It had set up its head quarters in Palestine just as the prophecy had stated. It did come to its end and none did help it. It was between the sea and the most Holy Mount. So where is the problem?

Let us look at Daniel 12:1:-

"And at that time shall Michael stand up."

Most Seventh-Day Adventists will say nothing happened, Michael did not stand up. Sunday Law and the plagues did not come, so the prophecy of Daniel 11:45 must still be in the future. It can not be talking about Turkey because the Lord did not come, and the real enemy of God’s people is the Roman Catholic Church, so sometime in the future the Catholic Church must set up its tents in Palestine.

There is one main flaw with the argument that this power is the Roman Catholic Church. That is that this power comes to its end and none shall help him before Michael stands up and pronounces the close of probation. At the close of probation the Roman Catholic Church is in her hay day, wielding power as never before and nearly everyone, except the 144,000, paying homage to her. Her plagues come in one day and in one hour her judgment comes.

Has God been wrong in the past? Never. The problem here is God’s professed people for over a hundred years have been wondering in the wilderness, like ancient Israel.

"For forty years did unbelief, murmuring, and rebellion shut out ancient Israel from the land of Canaan. The same sins have delayed the entrance of modern Israel into the heavenly Canaan. In neither case were the promises of God at fault. It is the unbelief, the worldliness, the unconsecration, and strife among the Lords professed people that have kept us in this world of sin and sorrow for so many years." Evangelism pages 695, 696.

Referring back to earlier quotes. In 1896 Ellen White wrote, " If those who claimed to have a living experience in the things of God had done their appointed work as the Lord ordained, the whole world would have been warned ere this, and the Lord Jesus would have come in power and great glory." Review and Herald October 6, 1896.

The last two statements of Ellen white sum up the reason why the Lord Jesus has not come and we are still wandering in the Wilderness. God’s people need to step out of the worldliness that fills their lives and come into unity in truth then the power of the Holy spirit will work wonders with the professed people of God.

When God’s people are able to say, "Thus saith the Lord" or "It is written" to every query about their beliefs, there will be much greater trust in the wisdom of God and our ideas will be of little value. Also when the messenger of God says the world is more than 6,000 years, who are we to question the word of God. Ancient Israel doubted it, and it cost them 40 years in the Wilderness and a whole generation. But with Spiritual Israel, three generations have past and a hundred and twenty years in the wilderness. When will God’s people accept as true the written word of God, just as it is written without adding or subtracting.

 

© D & S Goeldner, 1999.

   

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