Anger at God's Messengers

Christ Triumphant - A Devotional by E.G. White

Anger at God's Messengers

Today's Text: Ahab said unto him, Art thou he that troubleth Israel? And he answered, I have not troubled Israel; but thou, and thy father's house, in that ye have forsaken the commandments of the Lord. 1 Kings 18:17, 18

The Message:      God would have been with Ahab if he had walked in the counsel of heaven. But Ahab did not do this. He married a woman given to idolatry. Jezebel had more power over the king than God had. She led him into idolatry, and with him the people. God sent Elijah to Israel with messages of warning, but neither king nor people would heed his words. They looked upon him as a messenger of evil. At last God sent a drought upon the land.      Did the people discern and acknowledge the object of this judgment and humble their hearts before Him? No; Jezebel said that the prophets of Jehovah had brought this calamity upon them. She said that all Israel was suffering because of their reproofs, and that there would be no rest or prosperity in the land until these prophets were put to death. Thus a feeling of anger was aroused against the men whom God had sent to entreat the people to repent of their wickedness. Many holy men died for their testimony. Elijah was preserved by a miracle of divine power, to proclaim before the king and queen the warnings and threatenings of God.      "Go, shew thyself unto Ahab," God said to Elijah. When the king and the prophet met, Ahab said, "Art thou he that troubleth Israel?"... But Elijah said, "I have not troubled Israel; but thou, and thy father's house, in that ye have forsaken the commandments of the Lord, and thou hast followed Baalim."      He told Ahab to gather the prophets of Baal together; and then came a wonderful manifestation of the power of God. All day long the false prophets called upon Baal, but received no response. When Elijah appealed to the God of heaven, the answer was at once given. The prophets of Baal had prayed wildly and incoherently. Elijah prayed simply and fervently, asking God to show His superiority over Baal that Israel might be led to turn to Him. As his prayer ascended, the answer came. Fire descended from heaven and consumed the sacrifice and the water with which it had been drenched.      Seeing this wonderful manifestation of power, Israel cried, "The Lord, he is the God." While their hearts were touched and softened by the miracle they had witnessed, Elijah took this opportune time to slay the false prophets.-Manuscript 29, 1911.

Commentary: My friend, in the time of Elijah the people of God were worshiping the false god of Baal.  They had been lead into idolatry by the king through the influence of Jezebal, the daughter of a pagan king and priest of Baal.  Through her influence over the king, the whole nation was lead to worship the god Baal over the God of their fathers.  In a more subtle way this has been practiced upon God's end-time people today.  By certain men that have crept in unawares into the leadership of the church, they have supplanted the One true God of the Bible for the false god of the trinity. Our early church pioneers worshiped the One true God of the Bible.  Jesus, in His prayer to His Father said "And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent." (John 17:3).  The Apostle Paul said in his letter to the Corinthians "But to us there is but one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we in him; and one Lord Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, and we by him." (1 Corinthians 8:6). The testimony of the Father is that He sent His Son to redeem us from our sins, yet today the church claims that the Son of God is not the literal and natural Son of God.  They teach that this is only a metaphor, for a true son must have a beginning and come after the Father.  The teaching of the trinity claims that God the Son has always existed and therefore cannot be a true and natural son of God.  But we have the testimony from the Father through the Son of God saying "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life." (John 3:16).  In order for Him to give us His Son, He first must have a son to give. The Apostle John says "If we receive the witness of men, the witness of God is greater: for this is the witness of God which he hath testified of his Son.  He that believeth on the Son of God hath the witness in himself: he that believeth not God hath made him a liar; because he believeth not the record that God gave of his Son." (1 John 5:9, 10).  Also in 1 John 2:22 he says "Who is a liar but he that denieth that Jesus is the Christ [Son of God]? He is antichrist, that denieth the Father and the Son.  Whosoever denieth the Son, the same hath not the Father: (but) he that acknowledgeth the Son hath the Father also." (1 John 2:22, 23). God is not a triune god made up of three persons.  There is only one true God and that is the Father.  The Son of God is also God for He came from the very substance of the Father (see Proverbs 8:22-25), and the Holy Spirit is not a separate being, but is the omnipresence of the Father and the Son.  "There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling; One Lord, one faith, one baptism, One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all." (Ephesians 4:4-6).  This is illustrated in Romans 8:9, 10 saying "But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.  And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the Spirit is life because of righteousness."  The Spirit of God dwells within the Son, and if we have Christ dwelling in us we also have the Father dwelling within us. The reason why the Laodecian church is wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked, is because they have accepted the false righteousness of the trinity over the righteousness of Christ.  They are blind to their condition because the trinity has a form of godliness, but it denys the power of God to give them victory over sin.  We cannot be saved while we worship the false god of the trinity. I know that this message is not easy to bear.  In the time of Elijah, he was considered a troubler of Israel, and in the same manner those who deliver the message from the Faithful and True Witness to the Laodecian church is also considered a troubler of the church.  But this message must be given for the people of God must be warned that they may zealously repent and come back to worship the One true God of the Bible that the last message of hope to a dark and dying world may be given to the world with the latter rain power, and then the end shall come. My friend, Elijah presented this message before the people saying "How long halt ye between two opinions? if the LORD be God, follow him: but if Baal, then follow him." (1 Kings 18:21).  The question for you today is will you heed the call of God to come back to worshiping Him or will you like the children of Israel remain silent. God bless,

Video of the Week Pagan Origins of the Trinity - Nader Mansour Who are the gods of Babylon? What does that have to do with us in the last days? This presentation deals with the origins of one of the most fatal deceptions prepared for the last days. It might very well challenge you, but you will enjoy it.

Tomorrow:  Spiritual Highs will not Prevent Spiritual Lows