Shall We Keep the Feast Days? #2

<body topmargin=0 leftmargin=0 marginheight=0 marginwidth=0> <table cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0 border=0><tr> <td valign="top" colspan=2 height=90 BGCOLOR="#CC9966" TEXT="#080000" bgproperties="fixed" background="04600640dkesoe.jpg"> <div> <FONT SIZE="5" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" ><B>Medical Missionary Press</B></FONT><FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#006633" FACE="Arial" > </FONT><FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#FF3300" FACE="Arial" > </FONT><FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#CC0033" FACE="Arial" > </FONT><B> |     </B><A HREF="index.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Medical Missionary Press"><B>home</B></A></div> <div> </div> </td> </tr><tr> <td valign="top" width=190 BGCOLOR="#CC9966" TEXT="#080000"> <div> <A HREF="id19.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Articles"><IMG SRC="0410d0d0.png" border=0 width="13" height="13" ALT="up" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></A>       <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="13" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" WIDTH="7">      <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="13" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" WIDTH="7">      <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="13" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" WIDTH="13"></div> <bR> </td> <td valign="top" height=390 width="100%" BGCOLOR="#FFFFFF" TEXT="#080000"> <div> Shall We Keep the Feast Days? #2</div> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <B>Shall We Keep the Feast Days?</B></div> <div> Supplement</div> <bR> <div> <B>Questions & Objections Regarding</B></div> <div> <B>Not Keeping the Feast Days</B></div> <bR> <bR> <div> <B>Q.</B> Ellen White clearly states that the statutes, judgments, and feast days are all part of the laws “illustrating and applying the principles of the Ten Commandments. (PP 310)” They are included in the statutes and judgments given in Exodus 21-23 (2 Sermons & Talks, 187). Shouldn't you be keeping them?</div> <bR> <div> <B>A.</B> If it is really God's intention that we should be carefully observing the Feast Days given to ancient Israel, then we certainly want to honor God by fulfilling His desire. Indeed, we know many sincere people who have concluded that God is instructing us at this time to do this very thing. In answering this objection, first let us note the whole statement of Patriarchs and Prophets in its context.</div> <div> “The minds of the people, blinded and debased by slavery and heathenism, were not prepared to appreciate fully the far-reaching principles of God's ten precepts. That the obligations of the Decalogue might be more fully understood and enforced, additional precepts were given, illustrating and applying the principles of the Ten Commandments. These laws were called judgments, both because they were framed in infinite wisdom and equity and because the magistrates were to give judgment according to them. Unlike the Ten Commandments, they were delivered privately to Moses, who was to communicate them to the people. (PP 310)”</div> <div> Please notice carefully that the paragraph begins by pointing out that the people of Israel had come out of great darkness and superstition, their minds being blinded and debased by slavery and heathenism. As a result, they were not prepared to understand the claims and implications of the Ten Commandments. This is given as the reason for the additional statutes and judgments and observances. It is also stated that these things were given to Moses separately from the Ten Commandments and he was to communicate them to the people. In contrast, the Ten Commandments were spoken audibly to the people in thundering tones of God's voice.</div> <div> Sometimes it is easy to overlook the fact that Israel, while being chosen as a special people to represent God on earth, and being the descendents of Abraham, had through a long period of several generations in Egypt become accustomed to the practices and attractions of idolatry and heathen worship. They had largely lost sight of the Sabbath, and it was because of Moses reviving a reform in Sabbath keeping that Pharaoh made their labors more rigorous. See PP 258. Ellen White points out that the people, in their degraded condition, needed something additional to help guard the ten precepts of the Decalogue. We might also note that the Ten Commandments had existed previous to Israel, and applied to man even in the Garden of Eden. However, this is not true of the statutes, judgments, feast days, and festivals. Sacrifices were instituted at the gate of Eden after man sinned and were to continue to the time when the great antitypical Sacrifice came. When Jesus was sacrificed, that was to end all sacrifices of animals as part of the worship commanded by God. Upon this point all our feast day friends, we believe, agree with us.</div> <div> Another point of note is that many of the statutes, judgments, and festivals were to be kept “in the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee.” For example see Ex. 25:2-18. They could only be carried out when the people were living under a theocratic government as was instituted under the guidance of Moses, Joshua, and later judges and prophets. Outside of their land, and in captivity under other governments many of them could not be carried out. Even at the time of Christ's ministry He pointed out that many of the statutes and judgments were given because of hardness of heart, and were not according to God's plan for an enlightened people. Examples of this are “an eye for an eye” (Ex. 21:24; Matt. 5:38), laws of divorce (Deut. 24:1-4; Matt. 5:31-32). Indeed, there are numerous examples of statutes and observances which would be extremely difficult, or even immoral, to carry out. Having slaves, boring their ear with an awl, killing the owner of an animal that injured someone causing their death, stoning a rebellious child, taking a brother's wife when he died in order to have children for him, etc.</div> <div> We might also ask: If Ellen White really intended to convey that we should be following the statutes and feast days, then why do we have no record of her keeping them? This would certainly have been a large topic of discussion in that time if this was her intended meaning of instruction. Yet there is silence on this kind of observance ever taking place. We find no Passover, Feast of Tabernacles, or other festival observances being carried out under her guidance and direction. Seventh-day Adventists were often accused of being obsessed with the old Jewish law because of the seventh-day Sabbath observance, but through much research I have not found one instance where Seventh-day Adventists, or Ellen White, were accused of this because of promoting the Passover, the Feast of Tabernacles, or other festivals. She did encourage having campmeetings and other meetings for praise and recounting God's goodness, which would be <I>like</I> a Feast of Tabernacles, or like the annual gatherings of Israel. We have looked at these statements in our first paper on this topic.</div> <bR> <bR> <div> <B>Q.</B> The word “Passover” may refer to the Lamb, or the 14th day of the first month, or to the eight days of the feast. When Ellen White talks about the Passover being closed forever, she is referring to the sacrifice of the Passover Lamb, but not to the observance of the time of the feast. The service was changed to the Lord's Supper, but the time was not changed.</div> <bR> <div> <B>A.</B> It is true that the word “Passover” is variously used to refer to specific aspects of the feast in some instances. However, as described in RH June 22, 1897, Ellen White clearly specifies that it is two great festivals that are being considered, not just the Lamb, or some other specific aspect of the festival of the Passover. Note the clear words of the passage: “The symbols of the Lord's house are simple and plainly understood, and the truths represented by them are of the deepest significance to us. In instituting the sacramental service to take the place of the Passover, Christ left for His church a memorial of His great sacrifice for man. `This do,' He said, `in remembrance of Me.' This was the point of transition between two economies and their two great festivals. The one was to close forever; the other, which He had just established, was to take its place, and to continue through all time as the memorial of His death.”</div> <div> It seems very apparent that the “one that was to close forever” was the whole <I>economy</I>, with the great identifying <I>festival</I> that was associated with it, namely the Passover <I>service</I>.</div> <div> Note carefully that the words are again repeated too plainly to be misunderstood in DA 652: “Christ was standing at the point of transition between <I>two economies and their two great festivals</I>. He, the spotless Lamb of God, was about to present Himself as a sin offering, that He would thus bring to an end the system of types and ceremonies that for four thousand years had pointed to His death. As He ate the Passover with His disciples, He instituted in its place the <I>service</I> that was to be the memorial of His great sacrifice. <I>The national festival of the Jews was to pass away forever.</I> The <I>service</I> which Christ established was to be observed by His followers in all lands and through all ages.”</div> <div> It is clear from these words that the whole festival,-including the eating of the lamb, the observances on the 14th day, and also the eight days of unleavened bread only in the house,-were replaced by the ordinances initiated by Christ on the Passover eve with His disciples.</div> <div> Evidently, there were many who soon came to understand this removal of the whole <I>service</I> and <I>observance</I> of the Passover at the time that its significance ended, because we read that “Many who at this time united in the services of the Passover, <I>never took part in them again.</I> Light was to shine into their hearts. The disciples were to communicate to them the knowledge that the Messiah had come (YI, April 25, 1901).”</div> <div> Furthermore, if God intended by Ellen White's words to convey the thought that the Lord's Supper was to be commemorated as a continuation of the Passover <I>service</I> and <I>time</I>, only the sacrifice of the Passover lamb having been discontinued, then we would have difficulty explaining Ellen White's experience recorded in <I>Spiritual Gifts</I>, volume 2, page 98, taking place. There Ellen White describes a gathering of Advent believers in Brother Arnold's barn. There were preparations to have a commemoration of the Lord's supper. But one brother strenuously objected and said it was not the right time for conducting the service. He maintained that since it was instituted as a continuation of the Passover, it could only be kept once a year. Ellen White was deeply distressed over many diverse views and contentions that marked the meeting. She was taken off into vision and shown some very significant corrections about the ideas held by this brother and others there. Later she was to write: “The salvation of men depends upon a continual application to their hearts of the cleansing blood of Christ. Therefore, the Lord's supper was not to be observed only occasionally <I>or yearly</I>, but <I>more frequently than the annual passover</I>. This solemn ordinance commemorates a far greater event than the deliverance of the children of Israel from Egypt. That deliverance was typical of the great atonement which Christ made by the sacrifice of his own life for the final deliverance of his people (3SG 228).” She indicates that everything about the Passover was more shadowy and typical than is the Lord's Supper. Hence it even diminishes the significance of the implications of the Lord's Supper, to use the term “Passover” as a reference to it.</div> <div> In the Ellen White CD Rom there are 377 “hits” listed for the word “Passover.” I have looked through every one of these passages and not found any clear statement advising us to observe the Passover in some form. <I>How could this be the case if the Passover and other feast days are special testing truth for us today, and are supposed to be promoted in Ellen White's writings?</I> Quite to the contrary we find many statement stating very clearly that the observance of the Passover pertained to the Jews as a commemoration of their deliverance from Egypt, and pointing forward to the coming of the Messiah, and that the Communion service was instituted in its place to be observed by Christians as a commemoration of Christ's sufferings and death. The Communion service is to be observed more often than once a year (as was the yearly Passover), and is also a reminder of the coming of Christ for His people.</div> <div> Several examples of some of these clear statements are given here. Bear in mind that if Ellen White was intending for us to understand that we should be continuing on with some features of the feast days, and particularly the Passover, she should and would have needed to make some significant clarification in order to be understood. We find no such clarification, and to be honest we must conclude, no such instruction was intended. We have included emphasis in order to point out what seems quite apparent to be the intended meaning. No clarification or explanatory notes are really needed. Just take the meaning which the statements are obviously intended to convey.</div> <bR> <div> “The symbols of the Lord's house are <I>simple</I> and <I>plainly understood</I>, and the truths represented by them are of the deepest significance to us. In instituting the sacramental service <I>to take the place of the Passover</I>, Christ left for His church a memorial of His great  sacrifice for man. `This do,' He said, `in remembrance of Me.' This was the point of transition between <I>two economies</I> and their <I>two great festivals</I>. <I>The one was to close forever</I>; the other, which He had just established, was to <I>take its place</I>, and to <I>continue through all time</I> as the memorial of His death.” -Review and Herald, June 22, 1897</div> <bR> <div> “The salvation of men depends upon a continual application to their hearts of the cleansing blood of Christ. Therefore, the Lord's Supper was not to be observed only occasionally or yearly, but <I>more frequently than the annual Passover</I>. This solemn ordinance commemorates <I>a far greater event than the deliverance of the children of Israel from Egypt</I>. That deliverance was typical of the great atonement which Christ made by the sacrifice of His own life for the final deliverance of His people (FLB 302) .”</div> <bR> <div> “While the institution of the Passover was pointing backward to the miraculous deliverance of the Hebrews, it likewise pointed forward, showing the death of the Son of God before it transpired. In the last Passover our Lord observed with His disciples, He instituted the Lord's Supper <I>in place of the Passover</I>, to be observed in memory of His death. <I>No longer had they need of the Passover</I>, for He, the great antitypical Lamb, was ready to be sacrificed for the sins of the world. Type met antitype in the death of Christ (Youth's Instructor, May 1873).”</div> <bR> <bR> <div> <B>Q.</B> Since Jesus is planning to eat the Passover again with His disciples in heaven, shouldn't we be keeping it now?</div> <bR> <div> <B>A. </B>This question is probably based on Jesus statement in Luke 22:18, “For I say unto you, I will not drink of the fruit of the vine, until the kingdom of God shall come.” Similar statements are found in Mark 14:25 and Matthew 26:29. Ellen White comments on this passage in her article on “The Passover” in the <I>Signs of the Times</I>, March 25, 1880: “Jesus then took his place again at the table, whereon were placed bread and unfermented wine, which arrangements had been made according to Christ's directions. He appeared very sorrowful. `And he took bread, and gave thanks, and brake it, and gave unto them, saying, This is my body, which is given for you. This do in remembrance of me. Likewise, also, the cup after supper, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood, which is shed for you.' `Verily I say unto you, I will drink no more of the fruit of the vine until that day that I drink it new in the kingdom of God.'  </div> <div> “Here our Saviour instituted <I>the Lord's supper, to be often celebrated</I>, to keep fresh in the memory of his followers the solemn scenes of his betrayal and crucifixion for the sins of the world. He would have his followers realize their continual dependence upon his blood for salvation. The broken bread was a symbol of Christ's broken body, given for the salvation of the world. The wine was a symbol of his blood, shed for the cleansing of the sins of all those who should come unto him for pardon, and receive him as their Saviour  (ST, March 25, 1880).”</div> <div> We find here no indication that Jesus will keep the Passover again with His disciples, but rather that He does not drink the juice “of the fruit of the vine” until He drinks it fresh with His followers in His Father's kingdom. We find an inviting description, in Spiritual Gifts, volume 2, pages 54-55, of the great welcome feast in the New Earth. “O that I could talk in the language of Canaan, then could I tell a little of the glory of the better world. I saw there tables of stone in which the names of 144,000 were engraved in letters of gold. After we beheld the glory of the temple, we went out, and Jesus left us, and went to the City. Soon we heard his lovely voice again, saying, `Come, my people, you have come out of great tribulation, and done my will; suffered for me; come in to supper; for I will gird myself and serve you.' We shouted Alleluia, glory, and entered into the City. And I saw a table of pure silver, it was many miles in length, yet our eyes could extend over it. I saw the fruit of the tree of life, the manna, almonds, figs, pomegranates, grapes, and many other kinds of fruit. I asked Jesus to let me eat of the fruit. He said, Not now. Those who eat of the fruit of this land, go back to earth no more. But in a little while, if faithful, you shall both eat of the fruit of the tree of life, and drink of the water of the fountain. And he said, You must go back to earth again, and relate to others what I have revealed to you. Then an angel bore me gently down to this dark world.  (2SG 54).”</div> <div> Whether or not Jesus first drinks the juice of the fruit of the vine when His people go to Heaven, or in the New Earth, is not clear, but it is evident that there is no reference to keeping the Passover.</div> <bR> <div> <B>Q. </B>The time of the Passover is sacred time, according to 3SP 334. This statement speaks of the Passover after the death and ascension of Christ. When God makes something sacred, shouldn't we treat it sacredly?</div> <bR> <div> <B>A.</B> The statement in question reads: “He (Herod) seized upon James and cast him into prison, and there sent an executioner to kill him with a sword, as another Herod had caused the prophet John to be beheaded. He then became bolder, seeing that the Jews were well pleased with his acts, and imprisoned Peter. These cruelties were performed during the sacred occasion of the Passover (3SP 334).”</div> <div> We must consider the fact that there are several ways in which the phrase “sacred occasion,” as used here, could be understood.</div> <div> It is sacred because God holds it as sacred. His Divine presence is pledged to be there.</div> <div> It is held as sacred by the people who participate in it. They may hold it as sacred, even though God no longer regards it as such.</div> <bR> <div> Another example of the usage described in the 2nd application above, is that many people regard the area of Palestine where Jesus lived and worked as being a holy place,-as “sacred” territory. Ellen White acknowledges this use in reference to the “Holy Land” (see RH June 9, 1896; PC 137; RH November 3, 1898). In GC 26 Ellen White refers to the “holy ground” that extended some furlongs outside the city of Jerusalem at the time of the siege prior to its destruction. Obviously, she is not indicating that God regarded it as holy, but rather that the people regarded it as holy. She clearly states elsewhere that the geographical location of Jerusalem is under a special curse of God that occurred when Christ was rejected as the Messiah (see RH June 9, 1986; PC 137-138).</div> <bR> <div> With these facts in mind, it would seem more consistent to recognize Ellen White's use of this phrase “sacred” <I>in only one statement</I><FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Symbol" ><I>*</I></FONT> in referring to the Passover observance after the time of Christ's death as being in the sense that it was sacred to the Jews. This may well have been the reason why we find her treatment of this same subject, when presented in the final edition (Acts of the Apostles), omitting the word “sacred” in connection with the Passover. She may have desired to avoid any misunderstanding in this matter. Note the difference between the earlier edition (3SP) and the later edition (AA):</div> <div> <B>3SP 334 </B>(1878) “He seized upon James and cast him into prison, and there sent an executioner to kill him with a sword, as another Herod had caused the prophet John to be beheaded. He then became bolder, seeing that the Jews were well pleased with his acts, and imprisoned Peter. These cruelties were performed during the sacred occasion of the passover.”</div> <div> <B>AA 143-143</B> (1911) “He cast James, the brother of John, into prison, and sent an executioner to kill him with the sword, as another Herod had caused the prophet John to be beheaded. Seeing that the Jews were well pleased with these efforts, he imprisoned Peter also.  (next paragraph) It was during the Passover that these cruelties were practiced.”</div> <bR> <div> [<FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Symbol" >*</FONT> The same statement appears in three sources. Ellen White's first publication of this statement was in material published as a pamphlet in 1877, and then included in the publication of volume 3 of <I>Spirit of Prophecy</I> the following year. In 1947 the White Estate put together the book <I>Story of Redemption</I> and included the material with this statement from 3SP in its contents.]</div> <bR> <bR> <div> In the <I>Signs of the Times</I> for March 25, 1880, there appears an article Written by Ellen White, entitled “The Passover.” Surely we would expect that if Ellen White viewed the Passover as sacred for our time, and important to be kept, she had a prime opportunity to expound on its binding claims upon us today. But instead of this we found the kind of thoughts expressed in the following passage in the article. “Christ ate the passover supper with his disciples just before his crucifixion, and the same night, instituted the ordinance of the Lord's supper, to be observed in commemoration of his death. <I>Up to this time</I> the passover had been observed to commemorate the deliverance of the children of Israel from Egypt. But <I>in its place</I> he now left an ordinance to commemorate the events of his crucifixion.” This clearly shows that the Lord's supper, which we show elsewhere in this manuscript was to be commemorated more often than the Passover, was to take the place of the yearly observance of the Passover. The Passover, we read, was celebrated to commemorate Israel's being brought out of the bondage of Egypt; and the Lord's Supper is to be celebrated to commemorate the sacrifice of Jesus at the cross, and the deliverance from the bondage of sin that it makes possible. The deliverance from Egypt was one time, but the deliverance from sin is often.</div> <bR> <div> <B>Q.</B> The paschal feast reaches its fulfillment in the kingdom of God. Therefore we should keep it according to the time and observance until God's kingdom comes.</div> <bR> <div> <B>A.</B> There are many types that were conducted in the ancient Levitical system which are not currently carried out, but which have an antitypical application that is still future. The scapegoat transaction is one example. The sins were confessed over the head of the scapegoat, and he was led away into the wilderness by the hand of a fit man. This represents the sins being blotted out from believers, and put upon Satan who then is confined to the desolate earth during the 1000 years. We know of no feast day advocates who carry out the day of atonement procedure complete with the scapegoat, nor could we agree with it if they did. Jesus drank the grapejuice with His disciples, and prefigures His coming to take them home to sup with Him. Yet He specifically stated that He would not drink of it again until they are with Him in the Kingdom. Christians did not keep the Day of Atonement in order for the type to be fulfilled in 1844. We are not aware of any record of Advent believers keeping the Day of Atonement according to the ancient Levitical calendar, leading up to the great antitypical Day of Atonement that began October 22, 1844. Furthermore, to be consistent with the argument addressed here, the feast day advocates should recognize that the Passover antitype was met in Christ, and to continue to keep the Passover is to deny that Christ fulfilled it!</div> <div> So we see from such examples that the fact that an ancient type has not reached its complete fulfillment is not grounds to prove that the type is to be practiced until the fulfillment is reached. We need clear instruction from God to explain what ordinances are given to keep as types. We do find such clear instruction regarding such things as baptism, the Lord's Supper, Sabbath-keeping, etc. But we do not find clear teaching regarding observance of the different feast days.</div> <div> A careful search of the instructions anciently regarding the feast days will show that never were two feast days kept at the same time. In other words, the Passover was not kept while the Day of Atonement was taking place, etc. We are now in the antitypical Day of Atonement, and to be keeping other feast days is actually a violation of the focus which is to be wholly on the responsibilities relating to the final atonement connected with the Mediation of Christ, our great High Priest, in the Most Holy Place of the heavenly sanctuary.</div> <bR> <bR> <div> <B>Q.</B> According to RH Oct. 24, 1899, Jesus never kept any of the ceremonial law, but DA 75 states that he kept the Passover. Does this not prove that the Passover is presently binding because it is not part of the ceremonial law that passed away?</div> <bR> <div> <B>A.</B> Again, dear friends, we must be very cautious about grasping obscure statements to prove something that we wish to present as a testing truth. God has given very clear statements about the things that He wishes us to understand as testing truth.</div> <div> Let us carefully examine these two statements in their context, and then look at a broader range of Ellen White's discussion of the issue discussed in these statements. We would encourage all to hold fast that which can be clearly shown to be truth by harmonizing all statements.</div> <div> The RH statement reads as follows: “Christ passed through all the experiences of his childhood, youth, and manhood without the observance of ceremonial temple worship. He held no office, he assumed no rank. He passed through the experience of infancy, childhood, and manhood without a stain upon his character. He consecrated himself to God that he might benefit and bless others, to show that in every period of life the human agent can do the Master's will.  RH, October 24, 1899).” </div> <div> Our question refers also to DA 75. The statement alluded to says: “Among the Jews the twelfth year was the dividing line between childhood and youth. On completing this year a Hebrew boy was called a son of the law, and also a son of God. He was given special opportunities for religious instruction, and was expected to participate in the sacred feasts and observances. It was in accordance with this custom that Jesus in His boyhood made the Passover visit to Jerusalem. Like all devout Israelites, Joseph and Mary went up every year to attend the Passover; and when Jesus had reached the required age, they took Him with them (DA 75).”</div> <bR> <div> In the first statement we note that this is not actually a discussion of issues of what constitutes ceremonial law. Let us read the context a little more to see what is the main direction of thought or emphasis. Here is the statement in question, with the paragraphs that come before and after:</div> <div> “Christ and the heavenly universe saw that the power of Satan was taking the world captive, that nearly all mankind was under his deceiving power. The gold and silver and precious things of earth possessed a charm for men. To them riches meant power and honor, and they would do any injustice or violence in order to obtain that which they coveted. The fear of the Lord was fast departing from the earth. And the Son of the Highest came to the earth. `Lo, I come,' he said, `to do thy will, O God.' His arm brought salvation. He began his mission in the lowly walks of life, placing himself where the family of which he was a member required his service. He did not shirk responsibilities, but carried into his labor cheerfulness and tact. He restored every department of human industry as if it were a part of his commission from God. The Commander of heaven became subject to command, but in it all he manifested heartiness and devotion. He was a perfect pattern in every place.</div> <div> “Christ passed through all the experiences of his childhood, youth, and manhood without the observance of ceremonial temple worship. He held no office, he assumed no rank. He passed through the experience of infancy, childhood, and manhood without a stain upon his character. He consecrated himself to God that he might benefit and bless others, to show that in every period of life the human agent can do the Master's will.</div> <div>      “Christ was a physician of the body as well as of the soul. He was minister and missionary and physician. From his childhood he was interested in every phase of human suffering that came under his notice. He could truly say, I came not to be ministered unto, but to minister. In every case of woe he brought relief, his kind words having a healing balm. None could say he had worked a miracle, yet he imparted his virtue to those he saw in suffering and in need. Through the whole thirty years of his private life he was humble, meek, and lowly. He had a living connection with God; for the Spirit of God was upon him, and he gave evidence to all who were acquainted with him that he lived to please, honor, and glorify his Father in the common things of life.” -RH October 24, 1899.</div> <div>      </div> <div>      The theme of thought here is that Jesus did not make any pretentious display, or do anything to attract attention. We read that the Pharisees had many rituals that were carried out to keep from being “defiled,” things like numerous washings, etc.</div> <div>      </div> <div> We find that Ellen White uses the phrase “temple worship” several times in other places. Here is an example in which she describes in more detail what constituted the ceremonies of temple worship that Jesus ignored:</div> <div> “In the instruction of Christ to Moses, to be given to his people, restrictions were placed upon their association with idolatrous nations.</div> <div> “But <I>Israel misinterpreted</I> the teachings of Christ, just as many in our time misinterpret the communications which the Lord makes to them. Those things that please them they receive and put great stress upon; but those things that should be taken home and put into practise in the daily life, the things that should make a deep impression upon the character, are set aside as unessential.</div> <div> “This had been increasing until the whole law had become burdensome, overlaid with traditions and commandments of men. The Jews did not realize their duty to let their light shine forth to the world in good works. Their sacrificial types, prefiguring redemption, were so indistinct that to many they were a stumbling-block. <I>Ceremonies and traditional rites composed their temple worship</I>. Jerusalem was their heaven, and they were actually jealous lest the Lord should show mercy to the Gentile world. Thus they revealed that they did not understand their true relation to God, that they did not discern the divine character. And after a time, God no longer revealed himself in their temple. <I>All that was spiritual and divine was perverted</I>, and finally removed. (YI, July 29, 1897)”</div> <div> Again we find discussion of the pretense and sham that took place in the ceremonies of temple worship described in DA: “There was great need that the Lawgiver himself should explain the true meaning of the law; and in his sermon on the mount, Christ expounded its principles. The religious teachers of the day had treated eternal realities as if they were trifles, and had exalted their own sayings and inventions, which had no place in God's law, as the only religion. In presenting their sacrificial offerings in their temple worship, they were as actors in a play. <I>Christ condemned their corruption, which they called religion</I>, and declared of them that they knew not the Scriptures nor the power of God.  (RH, May 23, 1899)”</div> <bR> <div> We must ask whether the “ceremonial temple worship” which Christ did not participate in were the corruptions of that which God had originally given, or were they the actual services of the temple when understood in their true bearing? We recognize that Jesus, having never sinned, would not have gone to the temple to confess sins and slay a sacrifice. He <I>was</I> the sacrifice for the sins of the world. We read in 3SP 128, “The Saviour had been obedient to the Jewish law, and observed all its divinely appointed ordinances.”</div> <div> Ellen White here uses the term “Jewish law” with an obvious intent to distinguish between the moral Decalogue, and the rest of the instructions given through Moses. Some other features of “Jewish law” that Jesus conformed to are described in DA 50: “About forty days after the birth of Christ, Joseph and Mary took Him to Jerusalem, to present Him to the Lord, and to offer sacrifice. <I>This was according to the Jewish law, and as man's substitute Christ must conform to the law in every particular. He had already been subjected to the rite of circumcision, as a pledge of His obedience to the law</I> (DA 50).”</div> <bR> <div> The term “ceremonial” refers to rites and ceremonies which contain types and shadows. Consider the following statements that discuss the place and purposes of these rituals and ceremonies, and what composed them.</div> <div> “The Saviour typified in the <I>rites and ceremonies of the Jewish law</I> is the very same that is revealed in the gospel. (PP 373)”</div> <div> “The gospel of Christ reflects glory upon the Jewish age. It sheds light upon the whole Jewish economy, and gives significance to the <I>ceremonial law</I>. The tabernacle, or temple, of God on earth was a pattern of the original in heaven. <I>All the ceremonies of the Jewish law</I> were prophetic, typical of mysteries in the plan of redemption.  (6BC 1095).” Is our questioner ready to maintain that Ellen White is not here referring in any way to the annual feast days as ceremonies that were part of Jewish law, and prophetic of the plan of redemption?</div> <div> “Jesus would convince his enemies that his teachings and miracles did not supplant the law, detract from its dignity, or lessen its claims. His works were in <I>strict accordance</I> with both the moral <I>and the ceremonial law</I> (RH, April 29, 1875).” Here we read a clear statement making reference to the ceremonial law. When we compare this statement with the one cited in our questioner's reference from RH Oct. 24, 1899, we can only conclude one of two things: either (1) Ellen White in the 1899 statement is contradicting what she wrote in the 1875 statement; or (2) She is speaking of two different things in the two statements, that is “ceremonial law” is not the same as “ceremonial temple worship.” It seems obvious that the second explanation is the only one that allows Ellen White to be consistent, and also allows us to harmonize her statements together. This means that while Jesus did not regard the manmade additions that composed much of temple worship, yet he was in strict compliance with every part of the ceremonial law that could apply to Him, which included the Passover and other feast days.</div> <div> Additionally, we never find a statement explicitly declaring that Christ never kept the ceremonial law (as our question assumes from the statement about <I>ceremonial temple worship</I>), but rather, as shown, Sister White does definitely state that Jesus lived in strict accordance with <I>both</I> the moral <I>and ceremonial law</I>. This becomes obvious when we look at different aspects of the ceremonial law, such as circumcision. Jesus was circumcised on the eight day. This was an acknowledged part of the ceremonial law which was no longer a requirement after the death of Jesus. If we were to use the kind of strained logic which our question has assumed, we could say that circumcision was not part of the ceremonial law, since (as assumed) Jesus never kept the ceremonial law, and He was circumcised; therefore circumcision is not part of the ceremonial law! While not wanting to be excessively lengthy, we draw attention to the following statements that show different aspects of the ceremonial law. And let us remember that the Jews added thousands of “clarifications” and additional regulations to be a part of the ceremonies connected with Jewish temple worship, covering every aspect of life. These, of course, Jesus ignored, while He always regarded that which He Himself had given to Israel through Moses. I have attached headings to enable quick identification of key points.</div> <bR> <div> <B>Circumcision is part of the ceremonial law, which was no longer binding</B></div> <div> “With great assurance these Judaizing teachers asserted that in order to be saved, one must be circumcised and must keep the entire ceremonial law.” -AA 188</div> <div> “In this instance James seems to have been chosen as the one to announce the decision arrived at by the council. It was his sentence that the ceremonial law, and especially the ordinance of circumcision, should not be urged upon the Gentiles, or even recommended to them. James sought to impress the minds of his brethren with the fact that, in turning to God, the Gentiles had made a great change in their lives and that much caution should be used not to trouble them with perplexing and doubtful questions of minor importance, lest they be discouraged in following Christ.” -AA 195</div> <bR> <div> <B>Ceremonial law done away</B></div> <div> “When type met antitype in the death of Christ, the sacrificial offering ceased. The ceremonial law was done away. But by the crucifixion the law of Ten Commandments was established. The gospel has not abrogated the law, nor detracted one tittle from its claims. It still demands holiness in every part. It is the echo of God's own voice, giving to every soul the invitation, Come up higher. Be holy, holier still.” -Review and Herald, June 26, 1900.</div> <div> “After Christ died on the cross as a sin offering, the ceremonial law could have no force. Yet it was connected with the moral law, and was glorious. The whole bore the stamp of divinity, and expressed the holiness, justice, and righteousness of God. And if the ministration of the dispensation to be done away was glorious, how much more must the reality be glorious, when Christ was revealed, giving His life-giving sanctifying Spirit to all who believe?”  -LHU 147</div> <bR> <div> <B>Distinction between ceremonial and moral law</B></div> <div> “After the completion of the tabernacle He (God) communicated with Moses from the cloud of glory above the mercy seat, and gave him full directions concerning the system of offerings and the forms of worship to be maintained in the sanctuary. The ceremonial law was thus given to Moses, and by him written in a book. But the law of Ten Commandments spoken from Sinai had been written by God Himself on the tables of stone, and was sacredly preserved in the ark.”  -PP 364-365</div> <bR> <div> <B>Ceremonial law given because of sin</B></div> <div> “If Adam had not transgressed the law of God, the ceremonial law would never have been instituted.” -1SM 230</div> <bR> <div> <B>Paul made a mistake in conceding to observe some of the ceremonial law</B></div> <div> “<I>The disciples themselves yet cherished a regard for the ceremonial law, and were too willing to make concessions</I>, hoping by so doing to gain the confidence of their countrymen, remove their prejudice, and win them to faith in Christ as the world's Redeemer. Paul's great object in visiting Jerusalem was to conciliate the church of Palestine. So long as they continued to cherish prejudice against him, they were constantly working to counteract his influence. He felt that if he could by any lawful concession on his part win them to the truth, he would remove a very great obstacle to the success of the gospel in other places. But <I>he was not authorized of God to concede so much as they had asked. This concession was not in harmony with his teachings, nor with the firm integrity of his character</I>. His advisers were not infallible. Though some of these men wrote under the inspiration of the Spirit of God, yet when not under its direct influence they sometimes erred. It will be remembered that on one occasion Paul withstood Peter to the face because he was acting a double part..” -SLP 213</div> <bR> <div> <B>Many aspects of Jewish “ceremonial law” were not authorized by God</B></div> <div> “Peter spoke with Cornelius and those assembled in his house, concerning the custom of the Jews; that it was considered unlawful for them to mingle socially with Gentiles, and involved ceremonial defilement. It was not prohibited by the law of God, but the tradition of men had made it a binding custom. Said he, `Ye know how that it is an unlawful thing for a man that is a Jew to keep company, or come unto one of another nation; but God hath showed me that I should not call any man common or unclean. Therefore came I unto you without gainsaying, as soon as I was sent for; I ask therefore for what intent ye have sent for me.'”  -3SP 330</div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <div> But the question that we are discussing here especially involves participation at the annual festivals at Jerusalem, which was required of the males three times a year. Furthermore, the question assumes from the correlation it makes of the two statements, that these statements prove that the Passover was not part of the ceremonial law. If this was indeed the meaning that Ellen White intended to convey then we have a serious difficulty in explaining other statements where she ties the Passover with the ceremonial law. Compare the following statements.</div> <div> “Joseph and Mary went up to Jerusalem every year to the feast of the passover, <I>according to the requirements of the Jewish law </I>(YI May 1, 1873).”</div> <div> <I>“The Saviour had been obedient to the Jewish law, and observed all its divinely appointed ordinances.</I> He had just identified himself with the paschal lamb as its great antitype, by connecting the Lord's supper with the passover. What a bitter mockery then was the <I>ceremony</I> about to be observed by the priestly persecutors of Jesus! (3SP 128).”</div> <div> “The Passover was followed by the seven days' feast of unleavened bread. On the second day of the feast, the first fruits of the year's harvest, a sheaf of barley, was presented before the Lord. All the <I>ceremonies of the feast</I> were types of the work of Christ (DA 77).”</div> <div> “Christ was standing at the point of transition between two economies and their two great festivals. He, the spotless Lamb of God, was about to present Himself as a sin offering, that He would thus bring to an end the <I>system of types and ceremonies</I> that for four thousand years had pointed to His death. As He ate the Passover with His disciples, He instituted in its place the service that was to be the memorial of His great sacrifice. <I>The national festival of the Jews was to pass away forever.</I> The service which Christ established was to be observed by His followers in all lands and through all ages (DA 652).”</div> <div> “The Passover was a name given to this <I>ceremony</I> in commemoration of the wonderful event of the Hebrews' leaving Egypt. The night they left Egypt, the destroying angel entered every house and slew from the firstborn of the king upon his throne down to the firstborn of the lowest slave. . . .  (LHU 31).”</div> <bR> <div> Some additional miscellaneous statements are here included.</div> <div> “The gospel of Christ reflects glory upon the Jewish age. It sheds light upon the whole Jewish economy, and gives significance to the ceremonial law. The tabernacle, or temple, of God on earth was a pattern of the original in heaven. All the ceremonies of the Jewish law were prophetic, typical of mysteries in the plan of redemption.</div> <div>  “The <I>rites and ceremonies</I> of the law were given by Christ Himself, who, enshrouded in a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night, was the leader of the hosts of Israel; and this law should be treated with great respect, for it is sacred. Even <I>after it was no longer to be observed</I>, Paul presented it before the Jews in its true position and value, showing its place in the plan of redemption and its relation to the work of Christ; and the great apostle pronounces this law glorious, worthy of its divine Originator. That which was to be done away was glorious, but it was not the law instituted by God for the government of His family in heaven and on earth; for as long as the heavens shall remain, so long shall the law of the Lord endure (ST July 29, 1886).”</div> <bR> <div> “The Jews were not generally prepared to move as fast as the providence of God opened the way. It was evident to them from the result of the apostles' labors among the Gentiles, that the converts among the latter people would far exceed the Jewish converts; and that if the restrictions and ceremonies of the Jewish law were not made obligatory upon their accepting the faith of Christ, the national peculiarities of the Jews, which kept them distinct from all other people, would finally disappear from among those who embraced the gospel truths.</div> <div> “The Jews had prided themselves upon their divinely appointed services; and they concluded that as God once specified the Hebrew manner of worship, it was impossible that he should ever authorize a change in any of its specifications. They decided that Christianity must connect itself with <I>the Jewish laws and ceremonies</I>. They were slow to discern to the end of that which had been abolished by the death of Christ, and to perceive that all their sacrificial offerings had but prefigured the death of the Son of God, in which type had met its antitype rendering valueless the <I>divinely appointed ceremonies</I> <I><B><U>and</U></B></I> <I>sacrifices</I> of the Jewish religion.  (SLP 64-65).” Note that ceremonies <I>and</I> sacrifices were to cease, not just sacrifices.</div> <bR> <div> “But these priests, scribes, and rulers, so exact in regard to their own maxims and traditions, would not even enter the judgment hall, lest they should be defiled, so they might not eat the Passover. The <I>Passover was a ceremony</I> instituted by Christ himself before his incarnation, but He who was the foundation of the <I>whole Jewish economy</I> was among them. Type was meeting antitype in the Son of God, and they had done unto Him as Satan had worked upon their hardened hearts to do (RH, December 26, 1899).” Please note elsewhere in this paper where we have quoted statements showing how the Jewish economy, with its system of ceremonies pointing forward to different parts of the plan of redemption, was replaced.</div> <bR> <div> “The interviews between Jesus and his disciples were usually seasons of calm joy, highly prized by all of them. The passover suppers had been scenes of special interest; but upon this occasion Jesus was troubled in spirit, and his disciples sympathized with his grief although they knew not its cause. <I>This was virtually the last passover that was ever to be celebrated</I>; for type was to meet antitype in the slaying of the Lamb of God for the sins of the world (5Red 4-5).” The context of this passage discusses the Passovers that Christ had kept with His disciples up to this time. We must remember that the slaying of the Lamb was a service conducted at the temple; it was not something that Christ and the disciples did. For the Jewish nation, the Passover involved the sacrifice of the lamb at the temple, but for Jesus and His disciples the keeping of the Passover involved the eating of the supper together. The ceasing of the Passover discussed then in this statement is not referring so much to the slaying of the Lamb (which other statements have clearly addressed, but rather especially to the Passover supper as Jesus kept it with His disciples. This passage shows that the Passover supper eaten individually was connected with the slaying of the lamb nationally, and that when the type met antitype, all the parts of the service ceased their significance. There is nothing that indicates that only the sacrifices ceased but all other parts of the service continued. All of it ceased together, in having significance.</div> <bR> <div> Even though we have previously brought out statements showing that observance of the Passover was to cease, here is yet another one:</div> <div> “On the fourteenth day of the month, at even, the Passover was celebrated, its solemn, impressive ceremonies commemorating the deliverance from bondage in Egypt, and pointing forward to the sacrifice that should deliver from the bondage of sin. When the Saviour yielded up His life on Calvary, <I>the significance of the Passover ceased, and the ordinance of the Lord's Supper was instituted as a memorial of the same event of which the Passover had been a type.</I>  (PP 539).”</div> <bR> <div> Yet another statement:</div> <div> “While the institution of the Passover was pointing backward to the miraculous deliverance of the Hebrews, it likewise pointed forward, showing the death of the Son of God before it transpired. In the last Passover our Lord observed with His disciples, <I>He instituted the Lord's Supper in place of the Passover</I>, to be observed in memory of His death. <I>No longer had they need of the Passover</I>, for He, the great antitypical Lamb, was ready to be sacrificed for the sins of the world. Type met antitype in the death of Christ (Youth's Instructor, May 1873).”</div> <bR> <div> In the following passage from a Signs of the Times article, we find that even though all the rites and ceremonies of the ceremonial law came to an end when Christ died, yet the ceremonial law still had sacred significance and should be studied.</div> <div> “There are some who do not understand the plan of redemption, but make the death of Christ an argument to prove that the law of God is abolished. Men who claim to be teachers of the people blind the eyes of the ignorant by blending the moral law with the ceremonial, and using the texts which speak of the ceremonial law to prove that the moral law has been abolished. This is a perversion of the Scriptures. There are two distinct laws brought to view. One is the law of types and shadows, which reached to the time of Christ, and ceased when type met antitype in his death. The other is the law of Jehovah, and is as abiding and changeless as his eternal throne. After the crucifixion, it was a denial of Christ for the Jews to continue to offer the burnt offerings and sacrifices which were typical of his death. It was saying to the world that they looked for a Redeemer to come, and had no faith in Him who had given his life for the sins of the world. Hence <I>the ceremonial law ceased to be of force at the death of Christ</I>.</div> <div>      “The gospel of Christ reflects glory upon the Jewish age. It sheds light upon the whole Jewish economy, and gives significance to the ceremonial law. The tabernacle, or temple, of God on earth was a pattern of the original in Heaven. All the ceremonies of the Jewish law were prophetic, typical of mysteries in the plan of redemption. The rites and ceremonies of the law were given by Christ himself, who, enshrouded in a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night, was the leader of the hosts of Israel; and <I>this law should be treated with great respect, for it is sacred</I>. Even after it was <I>no longer to be observed</I>, Paul presented it before the Jews in its true position and value, showing its place in the plan of redemption and its relation to the work of Christ; and the great apostle pronounces this law glorious, worthy of its divine Originator. That which was to be done away was glorious, but it was not the law instituted by God for the government of his family in Heaven and on earth; for as long as the heavens shall remain, so long shall the law of the Lord endure (ST, July 29, 1886).”</div> <bR> <div> Also, we find an interesting account in the book Sketches From the Life of Paul that describes how Paul constantly had to deal with people who were promoting certain facets of the ceremonial law as still being necessary for converts to Christianity. One of the most prominent of these ceremonies being promoted was circumcision (which had no sacrifice of an animal involved). It seems that there were those who viewed Paul as an apostate from truth, and even went from place to place promoting their views of the importance of keeping certain features of the ceremonial law, and warning the people to be aware of Paul's “errors.” You will find this account in SLP 121-122. It often seems that a similar work is being done by some today in the promotion of keeping feast days.</div> <bR> <div> It is of value for us to consider the parallels which Inspiration draws between the Passover, and what it signified to the Jews, and the ordinance of the Lord's Supper, and what it signifies to Christians now.</div> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <B>What the Passover</B></div> <div> <B>Was to Mean to the Jews</B></div> <div> Based on DA 76-77; etc.</div> <bR> <div> 1. Began with the birth of the Hebrew nation when the exodus took place.</div> <div> 2. It was instituted when their bondage came to an end.</div> <div> 3. The Hebrews were to be gathered together in their own dwellings.</div> <div> 4. A Lamb previously picked was slain, to prefigure the sacrifice of Christ.</div> <div> 5. Kept only once each year on the 14<FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" >th</FONT> day of the first month of the religious calendar which was based on the time of their deliverance from Egypt.</div> <div> 6. It was designed, in part, to cause the children to ask questions, so that the parents would tell about the deliverance from Egyptian bondage</div> <div> 7. Was followed by seven days of unleavened bread.</div> <div> 8. On the 2<FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" >nd</FONT> day of unleavened bread, the first fruits of the barley harvest were waved before the Lord at the temple.</div> <div> 9. These things pointed forward to the work of Christ when He would come to earth at His first advent. </div> <div> 10. Blood put on doorpost, and children gathered in at first Passover.</div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <B>What the Lord's Supper</B></div> <div> <B>Is to Mean to Us</B></div> <div> Based on AH 325; FILB 302; etc.</div> <bR> <div> 1. Began at the time of Christ's death, when the Passover observance was to cease, and took its place</div> <div> 2. Was instituted by Christ at the close of His ministry</div> <div> 3. Gathered the disciples together in the upper room. Believers are to gather together separately from unbelievers for this service.</div> <div> 4. The symbols of unleavened bread and grape juice, prepared before the service, are symbols of Christ, commemorating His sacrifice for us.</div> <div> 5. Is to be kept more often than once a year, because it commemorates the death of Christ, and the freedom from the bondage of sin which He makes possible for us.</div> <div> 6. It is to remind us of the deliverance from the bondage of sin that Christ makes possible.</div> <div> 7. Unleavened bread is to be used in the service, and also unfermented grape juice, as symbols of Christ's body broken for us, and His blood shed for us.</div> <div> 8. We are to often think of Christ's sacrifice and work for us, and its accomplishment represented by those who are the firstfruits of His work (I Cor. 15:23).</div> <div> 9. This service is a reminder pointing back to the work of Christ for us, and is to be kept in mind until He comes, thus also pointing forward to His second coming for us. It also shows that there is a cup for us to drink, in being tested regarding our loyalty for Christ.</div> <bR> <div> 10. Children to be gathered in and dedicated to God regularly by the parents in our homes.</div> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <B>AN APPEAL</B></div> <bR> <div> We are forewarned by our prophet that there would be many teachings that would rise up in the final developments, leading people into various directions of what might seem to be new emphasis of areas of testing truth. A solemn warning found in 5T 707 puts upon us the responsibility to carefully evaluate these recent areas of emphasis, and see whether they may not indeed be a distraction from the real testing truth for this time. Note carefully the words:</div> <div> “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. Certain it is that there has been among us a departure from the living God and a turning to men, putting human in place of divine wisdom.</div> <div> “God will arouse His people; if other means fail, heresies will come in among them, which will sift them, separating the chaff from the wheat. 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. This light should lead us to a diligent study of the Scriptures and a most critical examination of the positions which we hold (5T 707).”</div> <div> Special reference is made to precious light that has come, appropriate for the time. But search as we may, we do not find this precious light to involve a new emphasis on keeping the feast days. Rather we find that Ellen White often refers to the emphasis given especially through the messages of Jones and Waggoner as special light, appropriate for the time. Ellen White discusses this more extensively in TM 91-92. But here again we do not find an emphasis on the feast days. We do find an emphasis on the development of Christ-like character manifested in obedience to the ten commandments.</div> <div> Furthermore, as we take a broad survey of Ellen White's ministry to the remnant church, we note that the most definitive doctrinal book to present testing truth is the book <I>Great Controversy</I>. Several editions of this book came out, the first being in 1884. A revision came out again in 1888, and then a final revision was published in 1911. The 1911 edition, published under the careful supervision of Ellen White, was the culmination of a number of years of effort, and several earlier editions. This book contains the core message that Seventh-day Adventists were raised up to give the world, more than any other book Ellen White has produced. The majority of the chapters are devoted to describing the rise and development of the three angels' messages,-the final warning message to give to the world.</div> <div> Notice the following statements about the book Great Controversy. The first of these speaks especially of the 1911 edition.</div> <div> “A few days ago I received a copy of the new edition of the book Great Controversy, recently printed at Mountain View, and also a similar copy printed at Washington. The book pleases me. I have spent many hours looking through its pages, and I see that the publishing houses have done good work.</div> <div> “The book Great Controversy I appreciate above silver or gold, and I greatly desire that it shall come before the people. While writing the manuscript of Great Controversy, I was often conscious of the presence of the angels of God. And many times the scenes about which I was writing were presented to me anew in visions of the night, so that they were fresh and vivid in my mind.</div> <div> “Recently it was necessary for this book to be reset, because the electrotype plates were badly worn. It has cost me much to have this done, but I do not complain; for whatever the cost may be, I regard this new edition with great satisfaction.</div> <div> “Yesterday I read what W. C. White has recently written to canvassing agents and responsible men at our publishing houses regarding this latest edition of Great Controversy, and I think he has presented the matter correctly and well.</div> <div> “When I learned that Great Controversy must be reset, I determined that we would have everything closely examined, to see if the truths it contained were stated in the very best manner, to convince those not of our faith that the Lord had guided and sustained me in the writing of its pages. </div> <div> “As a result of the thorough examination by our most experienced workers, some changing in the wording has been proposed. These changes I have carefully examined, and approved. I am thankful that my life has been spared, and that I have strength and clearness of mind for this and other literary work.” 3SM 123-124.</div> <div> “I am instructed to bring to your attention the light contained in the book `Great Controversy.' If you have not this book, get it and read it prayerfully. We are living in the last days of this earth's history, and Satan is making determined efforts to subvert the mind. O that those who have for years been at war with the Testimonies God has graciously given in warnings to save His people from the snares of Satan, would come into harmony with the requirements of God. Light, precious light, has been given, and is the genuine higher education.” PUR, May 6, 1909 (For other statements on Great Controversy importance and circulation, see 5MR 288).</div> <div> In 1889 Ellen White wrote concerning the lack of promotion of the <I>Great Controversy</I> in the denominational book work. She said, “My mind has been so fully occupied with the burden upon me of getting before the people the <I>light having special reference to these last days and the great crisis before us</I>. The world is to be warned, and I have felt so deeply over volume 4 [ The Great Controversy, enlarged 1888 edition] standing still as it has done, that all other consideration of books for which I was not personally responsible has not been a burden or consideration. I have now fully decided to do something and do it at once. I must put in operation or devise some plan that the people, believers and unbelievers, shall have the light. . . .  (5MR 288).” The <I>Great Controversy</I>, she said, contains the light that has special reference to these last days, and the great crisis before the people. On page 399 she discusses the Passover, as well as some of the other types in the System of worship given to Israel. It would have been a prime opportunity to bring in the continuing obligation of keeping the feast days, and showing what they were to mean to people today as they kept them. Yet there is nothing there giving instruction about the importance of keeping the feast days at the present time.</div> <div> In the book <I>Great Controversy</I> are clearly presented the issues relating to the important testing truth of the Sabbath and seal of God. Note these passages from <I>Great Controversy</I> and other sources:</div> <div> “The Sabbath will be the great test of loyalty, for it is the point of truth especially controverted. When the final test shall be brought to bear upon men, then the line of distinction will be drawn between those who serve God and those who serve Him not. While the observance of the false sabbath in compliance with the law of the state, contrary to the fourth commandment, will be an avowal of allegiance to a power that is in opposition to God, the keeping of the true Sabbath, in obedience to God's law, is an evidence of loyalty to the Creator. While one class, by accepting the sign of submission to earthly powers, receive the mark of the beast, the other choosing the token of allegiance to divine authority, receive the seal of God (GC 605).” </div> <div> “The Lord has shown me clearly that the image of the beast will be formed before probation closes, for it is to be the great test for the people of God, by which their eternal destiny will be decided (2SM 81).</div> <div> “Those who are connected with our sanitariums are to be taught to regard the Sabbath question as the great test for this time. God desires His people to bind medical missionary work up with the work of the third angel's message. This is the work that will restore the moral image of God in man (MM 160).”</div> <div> “The Sabbath is the great test question. It is the line of demarcation between the loyal and true and the disloyal and transgressor. This Sabbath God has enjoined, and those who claim to be commandment keepers, who believe that they are now under the proclamation of the third angel's message, will see the important part the Sabbath of the fourth commandment holds in that message. It is the seal of the living God. They will not lessen the claims of the Sabbath to suit their business of convenience.- Manuscript 34, 1897 (3SM 423).”</div> <div> “The Sabbath question is a test that will come to the whole world. We need nothing to come in now to make a test for God's people that shall make more severe for them the test they already have. The enemy would be pleased to get up issues now to divert the minds of the people and get them into controversy over the subject of dress. Let our sisters dress plainly, as many do, having the dress of good material, durable, modest, appropriate for this age, and let not the dress question fill the mind (3SM 254).”</div> <bR> <div> In the following interesting passage Ellen White discusses the important truths and testing questions to be addressed when giving evangelistic presentations in a short space of time. Note her emphasis on the necessity of presenting the Sabbath issues, and a total silence on feast day issues.</div> <div> “The third angel's message is to be given with power. The power of the proclamation of the first and second messages is to be intensified in the third. In the Revelation John says of the heavenly messenger who unites with the third angel: `I saw another angel come down from heaven, having great power; and the earth was lightened with his glory. And he cried mightily with a strong voice.' Revelation 18:1, 2. We are in danger of giving the third angel's message in so indefinite a manner that it does not impress the people. So many other interests are brought in that the very message which should be proclaimed with power becomes tame and voiceless. At our camp meetings a mistake has been made. The Sabbath question has been touched upon, but has not been presented as the great test for this time. While the churches profess to believe in Christ, they are violating the law which Christ Himself proclaimed from Sinai. The Lord bids us: `Show My people their transgression, and the house of Jacob their sins.' Isaiah 58:1. The trumpet is to give a certain sound.</div> <div>      “When you have a congregation before you for only two weeks, do not defer the presentation of the Sabbath question until everything else is presented, supposing that you thus pave the way for it. Lift up the standard-the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus. Make this the important theme. Then, by your strong arguments, make it of still greater force. Dwell more on the Revelation. Read, explain, and enforce its teaching.</div> <div>      “Our warfare is aggressive. Tremendous issues are before us, yea, and right upon us. Let our prayers ascend to God that the four angels may still hold the four winds, that they may not blow to injure or destroy until the last warning has been given to the world. Then let us work in harmony with our prayers. Let nothing lessen the force of the truth for this time. The present truth is to be our burden. The third angel's message must do its work of separating from the churches a people who will take their stand on the platform of eternal truth.</div> <div>      “Our message is a life-and-death message, and we must let it appear as it is, the great power of God. We are to present it in all its telling force. Then the Lord will make it effectual. It is our privilege to expect large things, even the demonstration of the Spirit of God. This is the power that will convict and convert the soul (6T 60-61).”</div> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> AN HONEST ACKNOWLEDGEMENT</div> <div> In moments of honest assessment, some feast-day advocates have acknowledged that there is no crystal clear support for feast day keeping in Ellen White's writings. They recognize that statements have to be stretched to include more than Sister White appears to have intended, especially when her many other writings are taken into account. The strange thing is that after such an acknowledgement, there are those who will go on to say that Ellen White did not have all the light, and may not have understood the necessity of keeping the feast days, but that now there is clearer light, implying that they have discernment that supersedes the light given through Ellen White. While we would never deny that God will lead His people into an expanding horizon of understanding of truth, we would also point out that Ellen White is very bold to state that there is one test that we are to ever keep as the primary focus of our message, and that is the Sabbath test. She indicates that there will be numerous efforts to get up other tests and distractions, even by sincere and well intended people. Again we would urge believers to make a careful study of the book Great Controversy. Here you will find brought to view all the key tests that are to come to God's people. How many people we have met that know almost nothing about the great and important truths regarding the sanctuary mediation of Christ, the investigative judgment, and final atonement, and yet are filled with a burden to convince others to keep the feast days. Is this not one of the “unnumbered schemes” of the enemy “to occupy our minds that they may not dwell upon the very work with which we ought to be best acquainted (GC 488)”? </div> <bR> <div> We would close with a reminder of the urgent words of counsel given in regard to how we accept the clear instructions of the Spirit of Prophecy:</div> <div> “As the end draws near and the work of giving the last warning to the world extends, it becomes more important for those who accept present truth to have a clear understanding of the nature and influence of the testimonies, which God in His providence has linked with the work of the third angel's message from its very rise (5T 654).”</div> <div> “Men may get up scheme after scheme and the enemy will seek to seduce souls from the truth, but all who believe that the Lord has spoken through Sister White and has given her a message will be safe from the many delusions that will come in these last days (3SM 83-84).”</div> <bR> <div> May God give wisdom as we seek an understanding of His will.</div> <bR> <div> <I>Bob Jorgensen</I></div> <div> November 20, 2006</div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <div> Please Note: This is a supplement to an earlier article that was published by Medical Missionary Press, entitled <B>“Shall We Keep the Feast Days?”</B> If you do not have a copy of this article, you may receive one free copy by writing to us using the address at the bottom.</div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <div> <B>OTHER MATERIALS AVAILABLE</B></div> <bR> <div> Ellen White handwritten statement on the person of the Holy Spirit</div> <bR> <div> “The Three Great Powers of Heaven” (Compilation of EGW statements)</div> <bR> <div> “The Nature of Christ” (Compilation of EGW statements)</div> <bR> <div> “Obedience - the Great Test” (Compilation of EGW statements)</div> <bR> <div> “Christ Tempted as We Are”</div> <bR> <div> “Christ - the Second Adam”</div> <bR> <div> “What Shall We Teach?”</div> <bR> <div> Questions & Answers on the Issue of Separating from the SDA Church</div> <bR> <div> “Judaizers”</div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <div> Send for free catalogue of materials available</div> </td> </tr></table></body>