The Past
Notes
Transcript
Questions
What are we still doing here?
What is God waiting for?
What will progression to final moment be like?
How can we be ready?
Has it almost happened before?
How many
SDA
been fro 15 years
How many
heard last sermons
have knowledge SDA history
Great Disappointment
1888
This sermon
history lesson
not Bible lesson.
That which is has already been,
And what is to be has already been;
And God requires an account of what is past.
Put differently...
We have nothing to fear for the future, except as we shall forget the way the Lord has led us, and His teaching in our past history. — Last Day Events 72
Our study
Holy Spirit
Out pouring of HS
History of Adventist Revivals
God says
big final revival
at the end.
Why hasn’t it happened?
Has it almost happened?
What is God waiting for?
Terminology
Terminology
Loud Cry
final message to world
Latter Rain
Final outpouring of HS
Light of 4th angel
Quick History
Quick History
Development of SDA Church
Great awakening
Millerite Movement
1844
Little flock
Developments of SDA church
What next?
growing rapidly
overemphasis of Sabbath and law
US has a time of financial ease
In 1856-57
EGW wrote
comparing to 1844:
"There was a spirit of consecration then that there is not now. What has come over the professed peculiar people of God? I saw the conformity to the world, the unwillingness to suffer for the truth's sake." - Testimonies, vol. 1, 128.
Message to Laodicea
Message to Laodicea
Lukewarm water:
“ ‘I know your works: you are neither cold nor hot. Would that you were either cold or hot! So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth.
Water in car.
For you say, I am rich, I have prospered, and I need nothing, not realizing that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked.
They think:
rich
prospered
need nothing
Reality:
wretched
miserable
poor
blind
naked
Solution:
I counsel you to buy from me gold refined by fire, so that you may be rich, and white garments so that you may clothe yourself and the shame of your nakedness may not be seen, and salve to anoint your eyes, so that you may see.
Problem 1:
You are poor
Solution
buy gold
Problem 2:
You are naked
Solution:
buy clothes
Problem 3:
You are blink
Solution:
buy eye salve
Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline, so be zealous and repent.
They thought,
I’m great.
I’m fine.
Jesus shows
problem
solution
Solution
revival
reformation
Adventism’s Laodicean Message
1856
many responded
1857
message didn’t last.
2 groups develop
Sincere and converted
those that pray and seek
those that don’t
Why no complete revival?
"I was shown that the testimony to the Laodiceans applies to God's people at the present time, and the reason it has not accomplished a greater work is because of the hardness of their hearts. But God has given the message time to do its work. . . . When it was first presented, it led to close examination of heart. Sins were confessed, and the people of God were stirred everywhere. Nearly all believed that this message would end in the loud cry of the third angel. But as they failed to see the powerful work accomplished in a short time, many lost the effect of the message. I saw that this message would not accomplish its work in a few short months." — Testimonies, vol. 1, 186
Expectation of quick fix
New York Laymen’s revival 1857
1 million conversions
God was preparing world
we were not ready.
Recap on SDA Revivals
Recap on SDA Revivals
1844 - people didn’t accept the whole truth and were distracted by misapplication of date setting.
1857 - people did not accept the Laodicean message.
gave up too soon.
No 3rd angles messages to the world because there was not conversion in the church.
Next
special message of righteousness by faith.
Jones and Waggoner
Jones and Waggoner
"The Lord in His great mercy sent a most precious message to His people through Elders Waggoner and Jones. This message was to bring more prominently before the world the uplifted Saviour, the sacrifice for the sins of the whole world. It presented justification through faith in the Surety; it invited the people to receive the righteousness of Christ, which is made manifest in obedience to all the commandments of God. Many had lost sight of Jesus. They needed to have their eyes directed to His divine person, His merits, and His changeless love for the human family. . . . This is the message that God commanded to be given to the world. It is the third angel's message, which is to be proclaimed with a loud voice, and attended with the outpouring of His Spirit in a large measure." — Testimonies to Ministers, 91-92
History
too much emphasis on the law
Adventists had become "doctrinarians."
intellectual religion of accurate truth
SDA’s believe
Message for world
what message?
"There is much light yet to shine forth from the law of God and the gospel of righteousness. This message, understood in its true character, and proclaimed in the Spirit, will lighten the earth with its glory . . . a power that will send the rays of the Sun of Righteousness unto all the highways and byways of life." — 1888 Materials, 165.
Two months before conference
predictions made:
"We are impressed that this gathering [about to take place] will be the most important meeting you have ever attended. . . . All selfish ambition should be laid aside, and you should plead with God for his Spirit to descend upon you as it came upon the disciples who were assembled together upon the day of Pentecost." — Ibid., 38, 40.
expected latter rain eminently
"If we ever needed the Holy Ghost to be with us, if we ever needed to preach in the demonstration of the Spirit, it is at this very time. . . . The baptism of the Holy Ghost will come upon us at this very meeting if we will have it so. . . . Let us commence right here in this meeting and not wait till the meeting is half through. We want the Spirit of God here now; we need it, and we want it to be revealed in our characters. We want the power of God here, and we want it to shine in our hearts." — Ibid., 72, 73.
They expected
pentecostal outpouring.
Problem:
needed more dwelling upon Christ
1887
most powerful quote:
Getting to meat.
"A revival of true godliness among us is the greatest and most urgent of all our needs. To seek this should be our first work. There must be earnest effort to obtain the blessing of the Lord, not because God is not willing to bestow his blessing upon us, but because we are unprepared to receive it. Our Heavenly Father is more willing to give his Holy Spirit to them that ask him, than are earthly parents to give good gifts to their children. But it is our work, by confession, humiliation, repentance, and earnest prayer, to fulfill the conditions upon which God has promised to grant us his blessing. A revival need be expected only in answer to prayer." — Review and Herald, March 22, 1887. (The entire appeal can also be found in Selected Messages, bk. 1, 121–127).
Further Reading
Further Reading
What was problem?
not world being worldly
the church unconverted
Solution
Revival
Reformation
Unity in Earnest Prayer
"The loud cry of the third angel has already begun in the revelation of the righteousness of Christ, the sin-pardoning Redeemer… this is the beginning of the light of the angel whose glory shall fill the whole earth." — Review and Herald, November 22, 1892.
Terminology
Terminology
Loud Cry
final message to world
Latter Rain
Final outpouring of HS
Light of 4th angel
After this I saw another angel coming down from heaven, having great authority, and the earth was made bright with his glory. And he called out with a mighty voice,
“Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great!
She has become a dwelling place for demons,
a haunt for every unclean spirit,
a haunt for every unclean bird,
a haunt for every unclean and detestable beast.
Final warning message
Final Outpouring
Had begun in 1888
What message?
"There is much light yet to shine forth from the law of God and the gospel of righteousness. This message, understood in its true character, and proclaimed in the Spirit, will lighten the earth with its glory." — 1888 Materials, 166.
Rejection of Messages and Spirit
Rejection of Messages and Spirit
Rejection
Revival of 1888
rejected messengers
rejected message
Why?
Three Reasons
Three Reasons
1. Some feared that emphasis on the cross meant a de-emphasis on the distinctives that had identified them as a prophetic movement.
2. Older leaders felt defensive with the assumption that this was "new light," remembering the joy in Christ they had experienced during the years leading to 1844.
3. Years later, some still viewed the emphasis on righteousness by faith as nothing more than a mainstay of Protestant teaching.
Not just like Martin Luther
Adventist Review, Kenneth Wood:
"The 1888 message was distinctive and included far more than Luther's gospel of 'justification by faith.' It had a strong eschatological emphasis. It was designed to prepare a people for translation at the second coming of Christ. It called attention to the heavenly sanctuary. It emphasized the humanity of Christ, and declared Jesus to be not only our Saviour but our Example—One who lived the life of faith and showed us how to live that same kind of life." — Review and Herald, November 18, 1976.
Skip to Summary???
The message had greater implications than anyone then imagined:
The message of Christ Our Righteousness was the third angel's message,
which, if "given with a loud voice" would bring about the latter rain "power of the Holy Spirit." 21
A generalized rejection of the message succeeded in shutting away the Spirit of God from our leadership at the time!
Satan suspected as much, knowing that if people receive the message of the unmerited gift of God on our behalf, "his power will be broken."22
In 1896, Ellen White gave a chilling assessment of such a reaction:
"God would have every member of His creation understand the great work of the infinite Son of God in giving His life for the salvation of the world. . . . An unwillingness to yield up preconceived opinions, and to accept this truth, lay at the foundation of a large share of the opposition manifested at Minneapolis against the Lord's message through Brethren Waggoner and Jones. By exciting that opposition Satan succeeded in shutting away from our people, in a great measure, the special power of the Holy Spirit that God longed to impart to them. The enemy prevented them from obtaining that efficiency which might have been theirs in carrying the truth to the world, as the apostles proclaimed it after the day of Pentecost. The light that is to lighten the whole earth with its glory was resisted, and by the action of our own brethren has been in a great degree kept away from the world." — Selected Messages, Bk. 1, 234-235
Some Great Revivals:
last day of Minneapolis
Battle Creek College's Week of Prayer,
Revival followed next in South Lancaster,
1901
1901
Another profound GC
Another revival
many conversion
outpouring of spirit
"This might have been."
"An agony of disappointment came over me as I realized that what I had witnessed was not a reality." — 8T 104-106
How much Longer?
How much Longer?
1901:
"We may have to remain here in this world because of insubordination many more years, as did the children of Israel." — Evangelism, 696
For still the vision awaits its appointed time;
it hastens to the end—it will not lie.
If it seems slow, wait for it;
it will surely come; it will not delay.
God’s promises are sure
even when we fail.
Hold on to promise.
Jesus is coming.
But,
Seek answers
Seek reasons
Seek solutions
Summary
Summary
God Promised
great revival
before end.
Adventism’s 3 great revivals
1844 - Great Disappointment
1857 - Laodicean Message
1888 - Minneapolis GC
They all had
Beginning of Loud Cry
Beginning of Latter Rain
They all failed...
Why
Church not ready
1844 - distracted by misapplication
1857 - gave up too soon
1888 - rejected the message
Appeal
Appeal
Study Past Revivals
Look at what was right
Mimic the positives.
Notice the failures
Don’t make mistakes again.
I cannot spoon feed this.
This is personal seeking.
Personal Revival
Corporate Revival
Final Sermon - The Punchline
Final Sermon - The Punchline
Latter Rain
What will it look like?
How will it come about?
Preparation to receive it.