Views on the 1888 Message

Bro. Mark, sorry I missed this request about the 1888 message and bro. Houteff.

Yes will do.

Here is a sermon done on "Righteousness by Faith"

RIGHTEOUSNESS BY GRACE, RIGHTEOUSNESS BY FAITH, AND THE RIGHTEOUSNESS OF CHRIST

link -- 1888 message study

"We have God's final message to the world!" many earnestly claim. Do they really? Or are they promoting a counterfeit? Steve Wohlberg's newest book, God's Last Message: Christ our Righteousness, exposes all satanic detours by teaching the truth. Don't be fooled. Heaven's last message is centered in Jesus Christ Himself, of whom the ancient prophet wrote, "This is His Name by which He will be called: THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS" (Jeremiah 23:6).

One interest will prevail, one subject will swallow up every other,
--Christ our righteousness (RH, December 23, 1890).
Steve Wohlberg's book

Sermons on Righteousness By Faith

The 1888 Message doesn't matter any more in that it came and went 125 years ago. It's history. We need to make a fresh start. WE need to preach and proclaim the truth about the plan of salvation - what Jesus did for believers on the cross, what He is doing in and through believers here and now, and what He will do for believers in future. It's not only about what Jesus did for believers 2000 years ago. It includes what He is doing in and through believers right now. Tell the truth about justification (salvation from the penalty of sin). Tell the truth about sanctification (salvation from the power of sin). And tell the truth about glorification (salvation from the presence of sin)

I agree in part what you said. The 1888 message was "present truth" for that generation. Yet, we know that "Truth" is eternal and as such the gems of truth of that message still applies today.

What is "our" present Truth? What is our "testing" Truth? The Elijah message predicted by Mal. 4:5. That must be our focus and our desire, to know it, spread it and live it.

One question we can ask is this-- Why did the Lord choose "Elijah" as His prophet to come before the great and dreadful day? Why not Moses, or David, or anyone else?

His ways are indeed deep and far-reaching. Knowing that the last church of Laodecia would be self satisfied "rich and increased with good" and "blind and naked", He needed to send someone to call out our sins and proclaim reformation among us. And enlighten us about the 'great and dreadful day". What is it? When does it comes? How does it happen?

Preaching and proclaiming the 3AM is present truth. Living in harmony with "all things whatsoever" Jesus "commanded" is present truth. How to "go and sin no more," how to "grow in grace," how to "mature daily in the fruits of the Spirit" is present truth. When "this gospel" is lived, preached, proclaimed to everyone everywhere "then shall the end come".

The 1888 message of Jones and Waggoner, was justification by faith, which is the 3AM in verity. The 1888 message still matters.

Agreed. However, the Truth scroll unrolls with time, so we must keep up with the light.

"We have only the glimmerings of the rays of the light yet to come to us." (RH, June 3, 1890).

"When God's people are at ease, and satisfied with their present enlightenment, we may be sure that He will not favour them. It is His will that they should be ever moving forward, to receive the increased and ever increasing light that is shining for them." (5T pp. 708, 709).



"The days are fast approaching when there will be great perplexity and confusion. Satan, clothed in angel robes, will deceive, if possible, the very elect. There will be gods many and lords many. Every wind of doctrine will be blowing. Those who have rendered supreme homage to "science falsely so called" will not be the leaders then.

Those who have trusted to intellect, genius, or talent will not then stand at the head of rank and file. They did not keep pace with the light. Those who have proved themselves unfaithful will not then be entrusted with the flock. In the last solemn work few great men will be engaged.

They are self-sufficient, independent of God, and He cannot use them. The Lord has faithful servants, who in the shaking, testing time will be disclosed to view." (Testimonies, vol.5, p.80)

"We must not think, 'Well, we have all the truth, we understand the main pillars of our faith, and we may rest on this knowledge.' The truth is an advancing truth, and we must walk in the increasing light." (RH: March 25, 1890).

Not much new light since the passing of our pioneers. Scholars have learned things that help us better understand the light we already have. But nothing totally new.

That I disagree with. The Elijah message is filled with light. In fact it illuminates heretofore Biblical mysteries. Things that SOP spoke very lightly on or did not touch.

Some Examples:
1) The meaning of Hosea 1 and 2
2) The understanding of Rev.12
3) The Zech.6 prophecy
4) Ezekiel chapter 4
5) The pre-millennial kingdom (Theocracy)
6) Matthew 20
7) Revelation 17

among many others.

"We are to throw aside our narrow, selfish plans, remembering that we have a work of the largest magnitude and highest importance. In doing this work we are sounding the first, second, and third angel's messages, and are thus being prepared for the coming of that other angel from heaven who is to lighten the earth with his glory." (Testimonies vol. 6, p.406)

Are we prepared to accept that "other angel's" message?

I believe Ellen White was the last person Jesus gifted with the spirit of prophecy.

The final message will be
The Righteousness of Christ which is the very essence of the three angels' message.

Present truth is THAT MESSAGE
It is that message which needs to be understood.

When it is fully understood there will be a revival.
It is only when that message becomes not only a message but the motive and meaning of our lives, that the latter rain will come.

Amen! In particular, too, the righteousness of Christ as reflected in the lives of Remnant Church believers. The righteousness of Jesus shinning through believers speaks more eloquently to the issues of the Great Controversy than when Jesus reflected the glory of God while here in the likeness of sinful flesh. It is this testimony - Christ in you, the hope of glory - that will force evil angels and unbelievers to confess Jesus is right, they are wrong and they deserve to die forever.

Funny you should bring that up, as I was going to start a thread on that as we came across that on our Wednesday night meeting, and there was some 'lively' discussion as to what constitutes the 3rd Angels message...

The Heart of God’s Last Message
"Several have written to me, inquiring if the message of justification by faith is the third angel’s message, and I have answered, “It is the third angel’s message in verity.”—Selected Messages 1:372 (1890). LDE 199.4

The Lord in His great mercy sent a most precious message to His people through Elders [E.J.] Waggoner and [A. T.] 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. LDE 200.1

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. All power is given into His hands, that He may dispense rich gifts unto men, imparting the priceless gift of His own righteousness to the helpless human agent. 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 and Gospel Workers, 91, 92 (1895). LDE 200.2

The message of Christ’s righteousness is to sound from one end of the earth to the other to prepare the way of the Lord. This is the glory of God, which closes the work of the third angel.—Testimonies for the Church 6:19 (1900). LDE 200.3

Though the Loud Cry was to have begun by 1892, it was muffled when the church rejected the message of Righteousness by Faith in 1888. Thus, the scroll which contained the “additional” message that was to give “power and force” to the Third Angel’s Message, for the time then being ceased unrolling.

And consequently, instead of becoming the light of the world, the church herself went into darkness. Seeing this, the Spirit of Truth made a fearful pronouncement of doom upon unrepentant Laodiceans, while giving joyous promise of future glory to all who will arise and walk in the light that proceeds from the throne.

“How will any of our brethren know when this light shall come to the people of God?” was the sweeping question then asked by Inspiration. And the inspired answer was: “As yet we have certainly not seen the light that answers to this description. God has light for His people, and all who accept it will see the sinfulness of remaining in a lukewarm condition.”-The Review and Herald, Oct. 7, 1890.

“In the manifestation of the power that lightens the earth with its glory, they will see only something which in their blindness they think dangerous, something which will arouse their fears and they will brace themselves to resist it. Because the Lord does not work according to their expectations and ideal, they will oppose the work. Why, they say, should we not know the Spirit of God, when we have been in the work so many years?”-Bible Training School, 1907. (Reprinted in The Review and Herald, Nov. 7 1918.)

The message swells to a Loud Cry by virtue of an “addition” which gives it “power and force.”- Early Writings, p. 277.