Patience of the Saints by Adam Hendron - HTML preview

{*} Writer, Singer, “Heroes for Christ,” music CD.  (280 Rigsby Road, Dayton TN 37321.)

{†}    “Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.  Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake.  Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you” (Matt 5:10-12.) 

{‡} Ps 133:1.

{§} Gwyneth Largosa, Student Dean at Southern Adventist University in Tennessee, interview by author, Collegedale, 15 April 2003.

{**} “In our prophetic interpretation of the end time, a Sunday law will be passed, the Constitution will be amended, and Sabbath keepers will be persecuted.  The end will knock at the door and Christ’s return will become a reality.”  B. B. Beach and John Graz, 101 Questions Adventists Ask (Nampa, ID: Pacific Press, 2000), 129.

{††} “Gary Burns, a former youth pastor at the Pioneer Memorial church at Andrews University, reported to our staff one day that all the youth groups from seventh grade and up that he has worked with over the years, when asked to identify their major concerns, have always included the same two issues at the top of their lists: How to know if they are ready for Jesus to return, and fear over whether or not they will be able to stand through the time of trouble they’ve heard is coming.”  Skip MacCarty, Things We Don’t Talk About: Help for the Private Struggles of Ordinary Adventists (Hagerstown, MD: Review and Herald, 1997), 113.

{‡‡} “A decree will finally be issued against those who hallow the Sabbath of the fourth commandment, denouncing them as deserving of the severest punishment, and giving the people liberty, after a certain time, to put them to death.” Ellen G. White, The Great Controversy (Mountain View, CA: Pacific Press, 1950), 616.  “And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ” (Rev 12:17).

{§§} Matt 16:25.

{***} Rev 2:10.

{†††} Matt 10:28 & 33.

{‡‡‡} Rev 21:7-8.

{§§§} Rev 12:11.

{****} Job 13:15.

{††††} The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 4th ed., s.v. “Christian.”

{‡‡‡‡} Matt 4:19, 8:22, 9:9, 10:38, 16:24; 19:28.

{§§§§} Luke 4:16.

{*****} James Robertson, Director of the American Ephemeris, Navy Department, U.S. Naval Observatory, Washington, D.C., personal letter, dated March 12, 1932, as reproduced in S. A. Kaplan, Can Persecution Arise in America? (Hagerstown, MD: Review and Herald, 1966), 58.

{†††††} Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed., s.v. “calendar.” Copyright (c) 2003.

{‡‡‡‡‡} “One who chooses to suffer death rather than renounce religious principles. …from Greek martus, martur-, witness.”  (The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 4th ed., s.v. “martyr.”)  This same Greek word denoting death in the cause of Christ is often simply translated “witness” in the Bible, as when Jesus told his disciples, “ye shall be witnesses unto me” (Acts 1:8).  This linguistic relationship shows us that witnessing for Christ often involves the ultimate sacrifice on man’s part.

{§§§§§} Ann Coble, “Sabbath,” Eerdman’s Dictionary of the Bible, ed. David Noel Freedman, (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdman’s, 2000), 1146 (italics supplied).

   {******} Ibid., (italics supplied).

{††††††} J. Philip Wogaman, “Persecution and Toleration,” The Westminster Dictionary of Christian Ethics, ed. James F. Childress and John Macquarrie, (Philadelphia: Westminster Press, 1986), 464.

{‡‡‡‡‡‡} Rev 14:12, NIV.

{§§§§§§} Rev 1:9.

{*******} During this writing I pastored two churches in North Florida while caring for my wife and children.  The book is an outgrowth of a project assigned and due within a six-month period, along with other class assignments pursuant to a master’s degree.  Examination of early periods borrows largely from the excellent work of Dr. B. G. Wilkinson (cited below).  In most cases, Wilkinson himself refers to a separate, original source.  Much further testimony exists to bolster our witness and I solicit your stories for a second volume: More Patience.  Given the apparent urgency of the hour, I have decided not to tarry longer in the publication of this initial installment. 

{†††††††} “Persecution was not the only way of waging war against the evangelicals.  Their records were systematically destroyed.  In the empires of antiquity a new conqueror often followed up his purging of the preceding dynasty by the destruction of all writings telling of its past even to the extent of chiseling annals from stone monuments.  In like manner the noble and voluminous literature of the Waldenses, whether of the Italian, French, or Spanish branches, was almost completely obliterated by the rage of the papacy.” Benjamin George Wilkinson, Truth Triumphant (Brushton, NY: TEACH Services, 1994), 247.

 “Much of the past relative to this has been removed from our History Books and the present generation, for a definite reason, know very little how Rome controlled Western Europe for over 1000 years and why our forefathers sought religious and political freedom by fleeing from Europe.”  Chester A. Murray, The Authorized King James Bible Defended, (Ava, MO: Chester A. Murray, 1983), 54.

{‡‡‡‡‡‡‡} Rev 12:4-5.

{§§§§§§§} Matt 2:13.

{********} “You watched me as I was being formed in utter seclusion, as I was woven together in the dark of the womb. You saw me before I was born.  Every day of my life was recorded in your book.  Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed” (Ps 139:15-15, NLT).  “Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee” (Jer 1:5). 

{††††††††} As the famous preacher George Whitfield said, “I am immortal until my work is finished.”  When one’s work is finished, God may allow the individual to pass; even at the hands of an enemy.  In such a case, we may still be assured of God’s love.  “Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints” (Ps 116:15).  “The righteous perisheth, and no man layeth it to heart: and merciful men are taken away, none considering that the righteous is taken away from the evil to come.  He shall enter into peace: they shall rest in their beds” (Isa 57:1-2).  For those who are sanctified, the tragedy of their continued living may outweigh the tragedy of their death.  On the other hand, God may allow the unregenerate to live through long periods of tragedy, if perchance they might repent and be saved at last.

{‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡} For Patrick of Ireland, a Sabbath-keeper, “opposition to the Ten Commandments failed to recognize that the culminating reason for the death of Christ upon the cross was that while becoming man’s substitute He was to uphold the moral law.  The papal church denies the death of Christ on the cross as man’s substitute and surety.” Wilkinson, 114.

{§§§§§§§§} 1 John 3:4.

{*********} Ex 20:8.

{†††††††††} “Your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you” (Isa 59:2).  “Without the shedding of blood, there is no forgiveness of sins” (Heb 9:22, NLT). “Ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers; But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot” (1 Pet 1:18-19).  “Reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life” (Rom 5:10). 

{‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡} Matt 1:21.

{§§§§§§§§§} Rom 8:4.

{**********} Rev 12:17, TEV.

{††††††††††} “I have likened the daughter of Zion to a comely and delicate woman” (Jer 6:5).  “Say unto Zion, Thou art my people” (Isa 51:6).  In his letter to the Church at Corinth, Paul wrote: “I have espoused you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ” (2 Cor 11:2).

{‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡} “Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus” (verse 12).  “And I looked, and behold a white cloud, and upon the cloud one sat like unto the Son of man, having on his head a golden crown, and in his hand a sharp sickle. And another angel came out of the temple, crying with a loud voice to him that sat on the cloud, Thrust in thy sickle, and reap: for the time is come for thee to reap; for the harvest of the earth is ripe” (verses 14-15).

{§§§§§§§§§§} “For all the gods of the nations are idols: but the LORD made the heavens” (Ps 96:4).

{***********} Ellen G. White, The Desire of Ages, (Mountainview, CA: Pacific Press, 1940) 283-4.

{†††††††††††} Wilkinson, 144, 232; 326.

{‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡} Ibid, 49.

{§§§§§§§§§§§} “Gnosticism held that human beings consist of flesh, soul, and spirit (the divine spark), and that humanity is divided into classes representing each of these elements. The purely corporeal (hylic) lacked spirit and could never be saved; the Gnostics proper (pneumatic) bore knowingly the divine spark and their salvation was certain; and those, like the Christians, who stood in between (psychic), might attain a lesser salvation through faith.”  “Some Gnostics taught that the world is ruled by evil archons, among them the deity of the Old Testament, who hold captive the spirit of humanity.”  Columbia Encyclopedia, s.v. “Gnosticism.”

{************} Wilkinson, 43.  The Catholic Encyclopedia admits that “for a long time Jews must have formed the vast majority of the members of the infant church” (ibid., 56).  Before Rome’s takeover, Christianity was patterned after the Jewish church.  “For ye, brethren, became followers of the churches of God which in Judea are in Christ Jesus” (1 Thess 2:14).

{††††††††††††} Wilkinson, 57.

{‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡} Ibid., 255.

{§§§§§§§§§§§§} Ibid., 150.

{*************} Ibid., 161.  But some survived.  A Seventh Day Baptist historian observes: “The old Welsh Sabbathkeeping churches did not even then altogether bow the knee to Rome, but fled to their hiding places” 164.

{†††††††††††††} “The historian A. C. Flick says that the Celtic Church observed the seventh day as the Sabbath” (Ibid., 163). 

{‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡} Ibid, 77-99.

{§§§§§§§§§§§§§} Ibid, 115.

{**************} Ibid, 208-211.

{††††††††††††††} This combination, in that order, shall be brought to bear upon Sabbath-keepers in the days just prior to Christ’s return as well (see final chapter). 

{‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡} John 4:24.

{§§§§§§§§§§§§§§} “Founded in Paris in 1534 by Ignatius of Loyola (but officially recognized by Pope Paul III in 1540), the order demanded slavish obedience of all its members for the furtherance of the interests of the Roman church. They were absolutely unscrupulous in their methods, holding that it was permissible even to do evil if good might come of it. The Inquisition could win back individuals where the Reformation had slight effect. In other areas the Jesuits set up schools to convert the minds of the populace, sought to infiltrate governmental office, or used every means fair or foul to advance the cause of the church.” Howard F. Vos, Exploring Church History, ch. 21, Logos Library System, 1998.

{***************} Wilkinson, 233.   

{†††††††††††††††} Ibid., 195 (italics supplied).

{‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡} Ibid., 235 (italics supplied). 

{§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§} “And the Jews marveled, saying, How knoweth this man letters, having never learned?  Jesus answered them, and said, My doctrine is not mine, but his that sent me” (John 7:16-17, emphasis added).  “The Son of man came eating and drinking, and they say, Behold a man gluttonous, and a winebibber, a friend of publicans and sinners. But wisdom is justified of her children” (Matt 11:19).  “Consider your own call, brothers and sisters: not many of you were wise by human standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth. But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; God chose what is low and despised in the world, things that are not, to reduce to nothing things that are, so that no one might boast in the presence of God” (1 Cor 1:26-29, NRSV).

{****************} Wilkinson, 259 (italics supplied).

{††††††††††††††††} Ibid., 259.

{‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡} Thus we conclude it was not the legalism of the Jews that made them repugnant to Rome, but the fact that their legalism was attached to Sabbath rather than Sunday.

{§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§} Robert Priebsch, Letter from Heaven on the Observance of the Lord’s Day, quoted in C. Mervyn Maxwell, “The Mark of the Beast,” Daniel & Revelation Committee Series, vol. 7: Symposium on Revelation—Book II, ed. Frank B. Holbrook (Hagerstown, MD: Review and Herald, 1992), 93-94.

{*****************} “Miracles also were called into requisition.  Among other wonders it was reported that as a husbandman who was about to plow his field on Sunday cleaned his plow with an iron, the iron stuck fast in his hand, and for two years he carried it about with him, ‘to his exceeding great pain and shame.’”  Francis West, Historical and Practical Discourse on the Lord’s Day, quoted in Ellen G. White, The Great Controversy  (Mountain View, CA: Pacific Press, 1950), 575.

{†††††††††††††††††} Wilkinson, 228.

{‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡} “ If you refrain from trampling the sabbath, from pursuing your own interests on my holy day; if you call the sabbath a delight and the holy day of the LORD honorable; if you honor it, not going your own ways, serving your own interests, or pursuing your own affairs; then you shall take delight in the LORD, and I will make you ride upon the heights of the earth; I will feed you with the heritage of your ancestor Jacob, for the mouth of the LORD has spoken” (Isaiah 58:13-14, NRSV).  “Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city. For without are dogs, and sorcerers, and whoremongers, and murderers, and idolaters, and whosoever loveth and maketh a lie” (Rev 22:14-15).

{§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§} Wilkinson, 262.

{******************} A general departure from the teachings of Scripture signaled the Church’s “falling away” anticipated by Paul (2 Thess 2:3).  The apostle also warned: “For I know this, that after my departing shall grievous wolves enter in among you, not sparing the flock. Also of your own selves shall men arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away disciples after them” (Acts 20:29-30).  Jude concurs: “I felt I had to write and urge you to contend for the faith that was once for all entrusted to the saints.  For certain men whose condemnation was written about long ago have secretly slipped in among you. They are godless men, who change the grace of our God into a license for immorality and deny Jesus Christ our only Sovereign and Lord” (Jude 3-4, NIV).

{††††††††††††††††††} Daniel Liechty, Andreas Fischer and the Sabbatarian Anabaptists, (Scottdale, PA: Herald Press, 1988), 66.

{‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡} Wilkinson, 195.

{§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§} Ibid., 277 (italics supplied).

{*******************} Jesus allows for freedom of choice, saying “Whosoever will, let him take the water of life ” (Rev 22:17, italics supplied).  “If any man will come after me, let him” (Matt 16:24).  Even the disciples erred in thinking to violently punish those who rejected Christ’s message, “But He turned, and rebuked them, and said, Ye know not what manner of spirit ye are of” (Luke 9:55).  

{†††††††††††††††††††}“The Second Great Awakening had an enormous effect on American society, changing the way Americans worshiped and preached, inspiring social reform, and converting thousands to Christianity.” PBS, “1776-1865: from Bondage to Holy War,” This Far by Faith , <http:// www.pbs.org/thisfarbyfaith/journey_2/p_3.html> (27 November 2003).

“The Second Great Awakening began in the last decade of the 18th century and reached its peak in the second half of the 19th century.”  Thomas Hampson, “The Great Awakening & Revivalism in America,” I Hear America Singing. <http://www.pbs.org/wnet/ihas/icon/revivalism. html> (27 November 2003).

“The Second Great Awakening had a greater effect on society than any other revival in America.” The Christian History Institute, “The Second Great Awakening,” Glimpses, vol. 40. <http://www.gospelcom. net/chi/GLIMPSEF/Glimpses/glmps040.shtml > (27 November 2003).

{‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡} See Dan. 8:14.

{§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§} “Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it; That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word” (Eph 5:25-26).  

{********************} Christianity is the logical outworking of the Jewish religion, as Jesus said, “Salvation is of the Jews” (John 4:22).  In their eagerness not to be identified with those who rejected the Messiah, Christians had gone too far in rejecting His Sabbath.

{††††††††††††††††††††} “We will walk in His paths: for out of Zion shall go forth the law” (Isa 2:3, Mic 4:2, italics supplied).  This law contains the Ten Commandments, of which the Sabbath is a part.

{‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡} Isa 58:12-13.

{§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§} “For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it” (Ex. 20:11).

{*********************} The same body which originated Sunday worship, also denies the Creator of Scripture.  See Stevenson Swanson, “Pope Bolsters Church Support for Evolution,” Chicago Tribune, 25 October 1996.  A quote from the article: “If taken literally, the Biblical view of the beginning of life and Darwin's scientific view would seem irreconcilable. In Genesis, the creation of the world, and Adam, the first human, took six days. Evolution's process of genetic mutation and natural selection-the survival and proliferation of the fittest new species-has taken billions of years, according to [some] scientists.” 

{†††††††††††††††††††††} Evolution theory has been a major contributor.  While God says, “Remember thy Creator in the days of thy youth” (Eccl. 12:3), our students have been taught that they have no Maker to whom they are accountable.  Instead of being made “in the image of God” (Gen. 1:26-27), young people are made to believe their ancestors bore the image of brute beasts.  No wonder they act like animals.  No wonder they have so little respect for themselves, for others, or for God.

{‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡} (See full text.)  The fact that this angel proclaims the gospel means that the Sabbath-keeping it advocates does not constitute “legalism,”  or salvation by keeping of the Law.

{§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§} Rev 14:6-7.

{**********************}Again, connected with Isaiah 58, “Cry aloud, spare not, lift up thy voice like a trumpet, and shew my people their transgression” (v.1).  “Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law.” (1 John 3:4).  Note: the error of violating God’s Commandments is a New Testament teaching.

{††††††††††††††††††††††} Notice how similar is the