SDA History - Loughborough on Steps to Christ Book

"My mind is impressed this morning to read again Eph. 4:13: "Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the

fullness of Christ." 

In my first talk I told something about the work of the gifts in producing unity; but that is not all there is to it, for our text says, "unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ." 

And here is this little work of Sister White's, "Steps to Christ," which Brother Jones has called the "Gospel Primer" -- yes, and it's a whole library -- Q: in what direction does it point?

A: Is it not in this very direction of growing to the up full measure of the stature of Christ?" 

J. N. LOUGHBOROUGH

Angelic Instruction

"The Lord spoke also to men through the agency of angels. 

These holy beings are not, as some suppose, the spirits of dead men, but are beings of a higher order than men, as man was made “a little lower than the angels.” Hebrews 2:7. 

In those ancient times Satan transformed himself into an angel of light, sought to lead men into a false worship of their dead friends and heroes, and represented himself and angels as being the spirits of their dead. 

The Lord plainly said of such worship and transactions that what was professedly offered to the dead was in reality sacrificed to devils - fallen angels. See Deut.32:17; Ps.106:28, 35; 1Cor.10:20. 

*The pure, holy angels are “sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation” (Heb.1:7,14); but they never come to represent dead persons. 

Through the instrumentality of angels the Lord has often 

communicated His will to men.

 In this manner He spoke to Abraham (Gen.18:1-3); to Lot (Gen.19:1); to Joshua (Joshua 5:13-15); to Gideon (Judges 6:11-22); and to Manoah (Judges 13)." 

J.N. Loughborough

1335 and 1290 Days Point to 1844

"AND from the time that the daily sacrifice shall be taken away, and the abomination that maketh desolate set up [“to set up the abomination,” margin], there shall be a thousand two hundred and ninety days. 

Blessed is he that waiteth, and cometh to the thousand three hundred and five and thirty days. 

But go thou thy way till the end be: 

---for thou shalt rest, 

---and stand in thy lot at the end of the days.” 

Dan. 12: 11-13. 

In the above language there is presented to us a reckoning of time from one event to another. 

The first event is called the “taking away of the daily, sacrifice;” the last is “the end of the days.” 

This end of the days (prophetic days) must be the end of the twenty three hundred days, for that period comes down the farthest of any of the periods mentioned to Daniel—reaching to Oct. 22, 1844. 

So when we came to that point of time, it could be said truthfully,

“the end of the days.” 

It was then that we came to the antitype of the cleansing of the sanctuary in the Jewish service, when the lot was cast upon the two goats. Lev. 16: 8-10. So here it is said Daniel would stand in his lot—be in the real investigative judgment of the Lord’s people. 

The word Gohrahl—lot, which the Hebrew lexicon says occurs seventy-six times in the Old Testament, is the same word in Dan. 12: 13 as in Lev. 16: 8, 9, 10. 

This is additional proof that “the end of the days” here mentioned is the end of the two thousand and three hundred days when the sanctuary was to be cleansed. 

Now as we see what event marks the close of the time reckoning of Daniel, chapter twelve, it is proper to inquire, 

Q: What event marked the beginning of the reckoning? 

A: It seems from the language used that it is a definite date from which time could be reckoned, for it says, “From the time that the daily sacrifice shall be taken away,” showing clearly that it is some event that is so definite that one can reckon time from it. Thus we are brought directly to the question, 

Q: What is meant by the term “daily sacrifice”? and what is meant by the “taking a way” of the daily sacrifice ?

Paganism was the religion of the Roman empire, established by law of the empire. The papacy could not get that power while it was held by paganism. In 508 the pagan religion was abolished as the religion of the empire. Now he that had hindered was “taken out of the way,” and “that wicked “—the papacy—could be “set up.”

508—Taking away of the daily sacrifice. Dan. 12:11,12. 

Again: 538—The Heruli, Vandals, and Ostrogoths by this time were plucked up: this is the prophetic period, for the rise of the little horn. See Daniel 7:8. Three horns plucked up, and the little horn rises, which is the commencement of the papal power. 

The commencement of the time, times, and a half, or 1260 years, terminating in 1798. 

The 1290 years (Dan. 12:11), commencing 508, at the taking away of the dally sacrifice, terminate 1798, from which period 45 years

completes the 1335 years, when Daniel is to stand in his lot, at the end of the days. 

The 1335 from the taking away of the daily (508) and the 45 from the close of 1290 terminate together 1843.

Bear in mind that the 1843 occurring frequently on the chart was 1843 Jewish reckoning, which they supposed would be April of 1844 of our reckoning of time. especially the 2300 days; terminated Oct 22, 1844, which was the tenth day of the seventh Jewish month of that year, instead of April, the close of the Jewish 1843.

Again: let us remember that this departure from the faith—this “mystery of iniquity”—was already working in the days of Paul, and that its development was by a gradual process, while the taking away of the “daily” introduced in the prophecy is at a definite “time,” and is a definite act, from which date the 1290 and 1335 years, etc., can be reckoned." 

J.N. Loughborough

The "Time" & "Book" of Rev. 10

"Another feature of the time proclamation of Revelation 10 should not be passed unnoticed. As John sees the angel standing upon the sea and upon the earth, saying that time shall be no longer, he says:- “And the voice which I heard from heaven spoke unto me again, and said, Go and take the little book which is open in the hand of the angel which stands upon the sea and upon the earth. And I went unto the angel, and said unto him, Give me the little book. And he said unto me, Take it, and eat it up; and it shall make thy belly bitter, but it shall be in thy mouth sweet as honey. And I took the little book out of the angel’s hand, and ate it up; and it was in my mouth sweet as honey: and as soon as I had eaten it, my belly was bitter.” Rev. 10:8-10

As the angel here proclaiming the time, represents those who go forth to give the time message, so John, receiving and eating the book, represents those receiving the message. 

The message contained in the book is time. When the time therefrom proclaimed expired, the book was fully eaten. While eating, it was “sweet as honey” to the eater, but as soon as eaten it became “bitter.” The contrast here presented clearly sets forth a scene of bitter disappointment. The very thing that had heretofore been such sweet spiritual food, now, as soon as consumed, becomes, O, so “bitter”!

Let us consider for a few moments the situation of that people who, with joyous hearts and rejoicing lips, came up to the tenth day of the seventh Jewish month - Oct. 22, 1844. Thousands met in various places of worship, expecting ere the setting of that day’s sun to be in immortal glory. The day passed, and October 23 found them, O, so sad! The cup of sweetness in anticipated immortal joys is dashed to their feet." J.N. Loughborough

PROPHECY

"Prophecy has been defined as "history written in advance." This
being the case, and the prophecy proceeding from the divine mind -from One having power to foresee the future -the events of the real history would most surely fit the prophecy.

 

We may learn from the words of Christ to the apostles one object of the Lord in giving prophecy. 

Speaking of the things that would take place in the career of Judas, He said, "I tell you before it come, that, when it is come to pass, ye may believe that I am He." (John 13:19). 

 

The uninformed say they are unlearned, and, therefore, can not understand the prophecies. On the other hand, many of the educated, and some of them even among the ministry, say: "The prophecies are sealed, and can not be understood. We all know that the book of Revelation is a sealed book." 

 

In the Revelation, the beloved John was told positively not to seal the book, (Rev. 22:10) and, also, in this book a blessing is pronounced upon those that "hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written therein." (Rev. 1:3) 

Q: How could the things contained in a sealed book be kept, -things

which were not, and could not be, understood? 

 

That the Lord designed the prophecies of Daniel to be understood is evident from His words to His disciples respecting the same: "When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand);" (Matt. 24:15) that virtually says, Understand Daniel the prophet. Had the people to whom the prophet refers followed the sure word of prophecy, they need not have drifted away from God's law, and substituted for His precepts the commandments of men. 

 

It is not because prophecy has some deep, hidden, mysterious meaning, that a failure is made in understanding it. The apostle Peter has said of it, and of understanding it: "Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the Scripture is of any private interpretation. For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost." (2 Peter 1:20,21) 

 

It is plainly implied from the above language that what is most essential to an understanding of prophecy is the reception of the Spirit that spoke through the prophets. Of that Spirit, promised to all who seek it, it is said, "He will guide you into all truth." (John 16:13)." J. N. Loughborough

God's Law and God

 "God has in many ways revealed His purposes to man, 

but when He made known His law, 

--He spake it with His own voice, 

--and Himself engraved it on tables of stone; 

which gives us an idea of its holiness and perpetuity." 

J.H. Waggoner 

 

And God spake all these words, saying,...

Ex.20:1

And the LORD said unto Moses, Come up to me into the mount, and be there: and I will give thee tables of stone, and a law, and commandments which I have written; that thou mayest teach them.

Ex. 24:12

The Blotting Out in the 2 Sanctuaries

"The work of mediation in the earthly sanctuary was a representation, in figure, of the real work of Christ, the true High Priest, as He pleads before His Father, in the heavenly sanctuary, for those who, with truly contrite hearts, confess their sins to Him. (Heb. 8:4,5; 9:13,14,24) 

...as in the typical service, there is a pardon for the repentant believer; and in the closing of the service (cleansing of the sanctuary), a blotting out of sins, which blotting out is a final decision of the cases of the righteous. 

-*- In the type, the sins blotted out one year were remembered again the next year, (But in those sacrifices there is a remembrance again made of sins every year. Heb. 10:3) because the blood of beasts did not actually take away their sins. 

-*- In the blotting out to be accomplished by Christ, the sins of His people will be remembered no more. 

So this final work of Christ, as the true High Priest, in blotting out the sins of God's people -the cleansing of the heavenly sanctuary - must be the passing of judgment on their cases."

J.N. Loughborough

J.N. LOUGHBOROUGH on Current Events: Exhibit A: Digital Currency

"PROPHECY has been defined as "history written in advance." 

This being the case, and the prophecy proceeding from the divine mind - from One having power to foresee the future - the events of the real history would most surely fit the prophecy." 

 J.N. LOUGHBOROUGH

 

Exhibit A: Digital Currency--the governments ability to control who buys or sells...LITERALLY....

And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name. Revelation 13:17

--NBC Headline: Biden takes big step toward government-backed
digital currency

--CoinTelegraph Headline: Iran aims to develop a central bank digital currency 

--Times of India Headline: India joins the Central Bank Digital Currency club

--Bloomberg Headline: Jamaica Offers Free Money to Digital Currency’s First Adopters

 

"When a consumer uses a digital currency to make a store payment, the retailer could indicate to the platform that a specific transaction took place for a specific amount at a specific time. The CBDC administrator could use that information to narrow down the potential users and possibly pinpoint an individual, negating any anonymity. Tracking every transaction raises privacy and civil liberties concerns.  One argument for CBDCs is the elimination of physical money. But if it is replaced with a system that can be monitored by law enforcement and intelligence agencies while not allowing offline peer-to-peer transactions using some kind of hardware security like a chip or SIM card, then we are going to be giving up something quite fundamental..." RollCall

 

"....Von Reitz concludes her 22nd January letter with a call to action

for Pope Francis and the Roman Catholic Church to reject the existing financial system and "join with the people in putting an end to corporate greed and lack of accountability". CoinDesk

The word "Immortal"

"The Bible does not once testify that the soul is immortal, neither does it speak of immortal spirits. 

 The word immortal is found in the Bible only once, and is then applied to God. 

Now unto the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only wise God.  

1 Tim. i. 17 .

When the Bible states, "The wages of sin is death," the immortal soul theory says, No, it is eternal life; that is, eternal conscious misery. 

 If immortal in the Bible be allowed the meaning given it by Webster, ("Exempt from death; having life or being that shall never end,") then it cannot be applied to the soul; for, "The soul that sinneth it shall die;" Eze. xviii, 4."  

J.N. Loughborough

The Alphabet of God's Plan....

 "In 1Tim.1:1, Paul calls "Christ our hope." 

Of course a true gospel hope must center in Jesus Christ as the object, being, or agency, through whom the promises of God concerning man are to be carried out.  

 

He is the Alpha and Omega.  

Alpha being the first Greek letter, and Omega, the last one...in other words, the whole alphabet. 

 

So Christ is the Alpha and Omega, or the alphabet of God's plan and purposes concerning man." J.N. Louborough

One or the Other

"If 

--- the Bible is not a literal book, then we need another book, proceeding from the author of the Bible, explaining the revelation we now have, that we may have the will of God. 

 

If 

--- the Bible is the revealed will of God, there are no nonessentials in it, but it is profitable, and is written for our learning. 

 

The injunction of our Savior is, "Search the Scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life, and they are they which testify of me. And ye will not come to me, that ye might have life." 

John v, 39-40." J.N.Loughborough

Rev.14:7-- Not a New Gospel--but a New Reason

"It is not a new gospel that is to be proclaimed to the last generation, but the same "everlasting gospel." 

 

In the first of these three messages, however, there is, connected with the proclamation of the gospel, a new reason assigned why men should yield obedience to the Lord. 

 It is found in these words: "For the hour of His judgment is come." (Rev.14:7) 

 ---This first angel's message does not say the judgment is coming,

 ---but "the hour [period] of His judgment is come."  

Such an announcement could only be made at a time when the judgment is actually to begin. If men are to give such a message to their fellow men, the Scriptures must contain a line of prophetic truth, and a prophetic period leading down to the session of the judgment. 

 

Q: Do the Scriptures contain such a period? 

A: They do, or men could never, from the Scriptures, give such a message. 

 

---That period of time is the 2,300 days, leading down to the cleansing of THE SANCTUARY....The work of mediation in the earthly sanctuary was a representation, in figure, of the real work of Christ, the true High Priest, as He pleads before His Father, in the heavenly sanctuary, for those who, with truly contrite hearts, confess their sins to Him. ...So this final work of Christ, as the true High Priest, in blotting out the sins of God's people - the cleansing of the heavenly sanctuary - must be the passing of judgment on their cases." J.N. Loughborough

3 Points of the Transfiguration

"Peter said: "We have not followed cunningly devised fables,

when we made known unto you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eye-witnesses of His majesty. For He received from God the Father honor and glory, when there came such a voice to Him from the excellent glory, This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. And this voice which came from heaven we heard, when we were with Him in the holy mount. We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day-star arise in your hearts." (2 Peter 1:16-19)

In the above language the apostle refers to the transfiguration on the mount as a proof of the second coming of Christ. Previous to this scene, our Savior had said to His apostles, "There be some standing here, which shall not taste of death, till they see the Son of man coming in His kingdom." (Matt. 16:28)
 

1) The record of the fulfilment of this promise is found in the account of the transfiguration. In this "vision" on the mount, they saw Jesus glorified, as He will appear when He comes in His kingdom. 

 

2) They saw Elias (Elijah), who was taken to heaven without tasting death, representing those who will be translated - changed -"in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye," when the Lord comes. "(1 Cor. 15:51,52; 1 Thess. 4:16,17) 

 

3) There also was Moses, one who had died, representing those who will be raised from the dead to meet the Lord. So, in this "vision" on the mount, they had a view of Christ coming in His kingdom, as He had promised them." J.N. Loughborough

Loughborough on Rev. 12:17

"Of the church waiting of Christ’s second coming, we read in Revelation: “And the dragon (the devil) was wroth with the woman (the church) and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.” Revelation 12:17.

 Here, then, is the last of the church in her probationary state, two features being prominent in her work-- the keeping of all the commandment of God, and having the spirit of prophecy.

In the prophecy of Isaiah we have a testimony concerning this same people, and a statement respecting the opposition to their work. The prophet says:

“Now go, write it before them in a table, and note it I a book, that it may be for the time to come for ever and ever (Hebrew: the later day, margin) that this is a rebellious people, lying children, children that will not ear the law of the LORD: which say to the seers, See not; and to the prophets, Prophesy not unto us right things, speak unto us smooth things, prophesy deceits; get you out of the way, turn aside out of the path, cause the Holy One of Israel to cease from before us.” Isaiah 30:8-11.

Here is presented what is to be found in the last days,
--a people teaching the law of God,
--and the gift of prophecy as connected with their work, which work is the exalting of the Holy One of Israel, and making plain His pathway of light and truth. 

Those opposing them desire an easier path, and “smooth things,” consequently
---they reject the law of God
---and the teachings of His Holy Spirit through the gift of prophecy."
J.N.Loughborough