“There are only two places in the universe where we can place our treasures,–in God’s storehouse or in Satan’s; and all that is not devoted to God’s service is counted on Satan’s side, and goes to strengthen his cause. The Lord designs that the means entrusted to us shall be used in building up His kingdom. His goods are entrusted to His stewards that they may be carefully traded upon, and bring back a revenue to Him in the saving of souls. These souls in their turn will become stewards of trust, cooperating with Christ to further the interests of God’s cause.” Counsels on Stewardship, p. 35.
“Let not any of our ministers set an evil example in the eating of flesh meat.” Counsels on Diet and Food p. 399.
“If we by acts strengthen or force into activity the evil powers possessed by those around us, we share their sin and will have to render an account for the good we might have done them and did not do, because we made not God our strength, our guide, our counselor.”—Testimonies for the Church, vol. 2, p. 133 (1868).
“Jesus was misunderstood by His brothers because He was not like them. His standard was not their standard. In looking to men they had turned away from God, and they had not His power in their lives. The forms of religion which they observed could not transform the character. They paid “tithe of mint and anise and cummin,” but omitted “the weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy, and faith.” Matthew 23:23. The example of Jesus was to them a continual irritation.” The Desire of Ages p.88.1
Jesus and the apostles were Jews and members of the organized church at that time, yet they had a treasurer of their own. Moreover the apostles received everything that was brought and laid at their feet — tithe, offering, and principal. Acts 4:34, 35. This gives us the finest apostolic precedent one might wish, for the apostles were also bearing a special message to the church {Reorganization}, just as we are today, and not to the world. {1SC5: 8.6}
“The directions given by the Holy Spirit through the apostle Paul in regard to gifts, present a principle that applies also to tithing: “Upon the first day of the week let every one of you lay by him in store, as God hath prospered him.” Parents and children are here included. Not only the rich, but the poor, are addressed. “Every man according as he purposeth in his heart [through the candid consideration of God’s prescribed plan], so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver.” The gifts are to be made in consideration of the great goodness of God to us.” Counsels on Stewardship p. 80.1
“And what more appropriate time could be chosen for setting aside the tithe and presenting our offerings to God? On the Sabbath we have thought upon His goodness. We have beheld His work in creation as an evidence of His power in redemption. Our hearts are filled with thankfulness for His great love. And now, before the toil of a week begins, we return to Him His own, and with it an offering to testify our gratitude. Thus our practice will be a weekly sermon, declaring that God is the possessor of all our property, and that He has made us stewards to use it to His glory. Every acknowledgment of our obligation to God will strengthen the sense of obligation. Gratitude deepens as we give it expression, and the joy it brings is life to soul and body.”–R. & H., Feb. 4, 1902. {CS 80.2}
“If we are converted, we shall no longer represent Satan by warped, one-sided characters; but in character, in words, and in actions, we shall conform to the perfect character given us in the life of Christ. Unless we follow this perfect example, evil practices will confirm us in Satan’s snare.” {Gospel Workers 92 p.436.3}
PLATE-PASSING CHURCH COLLECTIONS AND GOALS
Plate-passing, collecting monies, selling magazines, or raising goals inside the House of God and during church services, are not example, commanded or authorized in the Scriptures nor in the Spirit of Prophecy. Neither did SDA pioneers practice plate-passing, or the like.
The Old Testament Church Used “Chests” Or Gathered Money In The Court Or Entrances To The Sanctuary But Not Inside. 2 Kings 12: 9-10 2, Chronicles 24: 8-11, 2 Kings 22:4
Christ Did Not Allow “Vessels” – Plate Bags, Etc. To Be Carried Through The Temple Mark 11:16
The Early Church Was Advised To Collect Monies On The First Day Of The Week 1 Corinthians 16:1-2
Paul’s Counsel Is To Be Followed Today Adventist Home p. 389, Counsels on Stewardship p. 80, Counsels on Sabbath School Work p. 129
SDA Pioneers Followed Paul’s Example Adventist Review, March 1994 p. 12
No Merchandising Or Raising Goals In The House Of God Testimonies, Vol. 1 pp. 471-473
Since there are no Biblical examples, commands or authorization to collect funds during services, in the Sanctuary, then as history bears out, plate-passing must have originated with paganism and made its way into Catholicism and Protestantism and then adopted by the Seventh Day Adventists.
WHAT IS STOREHOUSE IN MALACHI?
“Behold, I will send My messenger, and he shall prepare the way before Me: and the Lord, Whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to His temple, even the messenger of the covenant, whom ye delight in: behold, he shall come, saith the Lord of hosts.” Malachi 3:1.
The promise here is that the Lord will send a messenger, and as the fourth chapter of Malachi is but a continuation of the story in the third, we are there told that the messenger is antitypical Elijah (Mal. 4:5), the one who is “to restore all things” (Matt. 17:11) and Inspiration of a later addition, and in a special message to the Seventh-day Adventist ministry warns:
“Prophecy must be fulfilled. The Lord says: ‘Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord.’ Somebody is to come in the spirit and power of Elijah, and when he appears, men may say: ‘You are too earnest, you do not interpret the Scriptures in the proper way. Let me tell you how to teach your message.'” — Testimonies to Ministers,” pp. 475, 476.
There are two main points to note in these quotations: (1) that the message and messenger here mentioned are the very last; (2) that they are to restore all things, (3) that there is danger for some to make fools of themselves by daring to tell him how to teach his message — assuming to take God’s place!
This verse of Malachi three, as you will readily see, met only a partial, typical, fulfillment with John the Baptist, and that its antitypical fulfillment is now not only imminent but that aside from Christ’s first advent it is the most important. Let us now notice why most important:
The promise is that the Lord is to send a messenger, someone with a message, and that with It the messenger is to prepare the way for the Lord’s coming to His temple. The Lord’s purpose for coming, you will note, is to purify His Temple, the church, and in particular the Levites — the ministry:
“But who may abide the day of his coming? and who shall stand when he appeareth? for he is like a refiner’s fire, and like fullers’ soap: and he shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver: and he shall purify the sons of Levi, and purge them as gold and silver that they may offer unto the Lord an offering in righteousness.” Malachi 3:2, 3.
No, not before this work is done for the ministry can they offer acceptable offerings to God, you note.
Plain it is that this chapter of Malachi was especially written for the faithful people of God at this very time, the time in which the purification of the church takes place, the time the good fish are put into vessels and the bad “cast away.” — Matt. 13:47, 48. After the purification takes place, you note, that “Then shall the offering of Judah and Jerusalem be pleasant unto the Lord, as in the days of old, and as in former years.” Malachi 3:4.
“If we are converted, we shall no longer represent Satan by warped, one-sided characters; but in character, in words, and in actions, we shall conform to the perfect character given us in the life of Christ. Unless we follow this perfect example, evil practices will confirm us in Satan’s snare.” Gospel Workers 92 p.436.3
Here Inspiration explains how the Judgment for the Living begins, how the cleansing of the sanctuary on earth takes place (Dan. 8:14). And having unveiled His people’s shocking irresponsibility towards the unfortunate ones among them, and their taking advantage of others whenever possible, He then reassures that He changes not; that He is the same unerring and just God; that His ancient statutes and ordinances are everlasting; that He has not changed them; that He will restore all things. He, as you will see, finally comes to the real trouble, then pleads His people accepts His remedy.
Says He: “Even from the days of your fathers ye are gone away from Mine ordinances, and have not kept them. Return unto Me, and I will return unto you, saith the Lord of hosts. But ye said, Wherein shall we return?” Mal. 3:7.
Since His people still do not see wherein they have departed from His ordinances, He specifically points out and immediately pleads for action:
“Will a man rob God? Yet ye have robbed Me. But ye say, Wherein have we robbed Thee? In tithes and offerings. Ye are cursed with a curse: for ye have robbed Me, even this whole nation. Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in Mine house, and prove Me now herewith, saith the Lord of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it.” Mal. 3:8-10.
The phrase, “even this whole nation” robbing God is so because the old message, the “Judgment for the Dead, (for the proclamation of which the Seventh-day Adventist Denomination was specifically called forth), is now out of date as is the message of Noah’s flood, and as Denominational officials have already rejected the message of the Judgment for the Living but are still collecting tithes of the people, they as a nation (as a Denomination) are robbing God.
“The cases of the righteous dead have been passing in review before God. When that work shall be completed, judgment is to be pronounced upon the living.” 1 Selected Messages p. 125.
In 1844, the beginning of the judgment of the dead began, and we as SDA all know this, but do we know and understand Elijah’s warnings about the very soon beginning phase of the judgment for the living right in our own churches?
“There are many precious truths contained in the Word of God but it is present Truth that the Flock needs now.” Early Writings,” p. 63.
Note that not to the Levites, or to some other place or people but into God’s storehouse are the tithes and offerings to be brought. And for no other reason than that His storehouse may have the means to dispense spiritual food, “meat in due season.” These words definitely and positively show that the only support which the message of the purification for the church has for caring on its work is the tithes and the offerings from His faithful people; that in no other way could the message be dispensed; that in no other way could the expenses be paid. This is God’s reason for no plate passing now in our gatherings, for no money raising in any form, and for scattering our literature everywhere as the leaves of autumn without money and without price to the people. In other words, the literature, the ministers, and the Bible workers — those who bring the message of the hour to your door, are to be paid by the tithes and offerings that come to the Lord’s storehouse. God, therefore, asks His faithful people to gladly respond to His call and sufficiently to supply the need. He asks this not only for the prosperity of His storehouse, but for His people’s prosperity as well.
Why must the message bearers come to your door in order to bring the message to you?
Because, as you already know, most of the ministers have closed the church doors and the laity’s minds and hearts against the Lord’s message for today. This they have done in no lesser degree than the priests did in Christ’s day. The Lord way back in Jeremiah’s time foresaw that the angel of the church of the Laodiceans would do this wicked thing against Him and His people so as to keep forever the Laodiceans in their self-deception.
(Note! The meaning of the angel or angels in Rev. 1-3 is found in Rev. 1:20 and Sanctified Life, pg. 78:0 “In His {Jesus’} hand are seven stars, representing the ministers of the churches.”– And see also AA 586.3) Speaking of ancient Israel’s dispersion among the nations, and of antitypical Israel’s gathering, in the sixteenth chapter of Jeremiah’s prophecy Inspiration explains thus:
“Behold, I will send for many fishers, saith the Lord, and they shall fish them, and after will l send for many hunters, and they shall hunt them from every mountain, and from every hill, and out of the holes of the rocks.” Jer. 16:16.
Here you are plainly told that in the gathering time the servants of God are compelled first to fish His people, then to hunt them. Since our first contact with them has been through the literature, it, therefore, must be the fishing. Rightly so, too, because as it is scattered everywhere as the leaves of autumn, the fish come to examine it, find it good for food, take a bite and get hooked, so to speak. Now, however, we are in the hunting period, and we have already begun to hunt them, be they in the city or in the country, in places easy to get to, or in places hard to get to. Wherever they live, there they must be hunted, although it will not be a small easy task to catch at home something like millions of Adventists scattered throughout the world. This you see is mighty expensive work demanding many hunters with expensive chariots (cheaper ones could not stand the task), covering hundreds of thousands of miles and requiring as many barrels of gasoline and oil.
This is not a small task, proportionately there has never been the like, and will therefore take the united strength of every present Truth believer to keep them going and get the work done so that we can soon go to Glory Land.
Yes, it is a great undertaking and a great work with a great promise requiring multiple hundreds of thousands of pesos or dollars and all the able and willing bodies He can get to hunt hundreds of thousands of Seventh-day Adventists “in the holes and in the rocks” world over. To say a tremendous responsibility hardly describes the load, but as plain as day stands the fact that it is worthwhile, that we cannot fail, and that His people will respond both to the message and to the help of the Lord against the mighty. And how thankful we ought to be that everyone is given the privilege and the opportunity in one way or in another to share the “Well done, thou good and faithful servant.”
In the light of revealed Truth you now plainly see that God accepts only that which His Truth-loving and Kingdom-seeking people give willingly and cheerfully. He hates gifts obtained by begging, high pressuring, and campaigning. He challenges His people to prove Him, now in the gathering time, by wholeheartedly bringing their tithes and offerings to His storehouse of the Judgment of the Living and see if He will not open the windows of Heaven and pour down a blessing that there would not be room enough to receive. Then He reassures: “And I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes, and he shall not destroy the fruits of your ground; neither shall your vine cast her fruit before the time in the field, saith the Lord of hosts. And all nations shall call you blessed: for ye shall be a delightsome land, saith the Lord of hosts.” (Mal. 3:11, 12.)
Now that the time has come for the Lord to openly manifest His power, anyone wishing prosperity and publicity can have them, “For the time is come that Judgment must begin at the house of God: if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God?” (1 Pet. 4:17.)
“He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.” Revelation 3:13
“For he is our God; and we are the people of his pasture, and the sheep of his hand. Today if ye will hear his voice, Harden not your heart, as in the provocation, and as in the day of temptation in the wilderness:” Psalms 95:7,8
“God has a people upon the earth who in faith and holy hope are TRACING down the roll of fast fulfilling prophecy and are seeking to PURIFY their souls by OBEYING the TRUTH” (4T 307; 2 Peter 1:19)
“It is time for every one of us to decide whose side we are on. The agencies of Satan will work with every mind that will allow itself to be worked by him. But there are also heavenly agencies waiting to communicate the bright rays of the glory of God to all that are willing to receive Him. It is truth that we want, precious truth in all its loveliness. Truth will bring liberty and gladness.” 4BC-SDA Bible Commentary Vol.4 p.1154-1155 (MS 43, 1908)
“These twelve Jesus sent forth, and commanded them, saying, Go not into the way of the Gentiles, and into any city of the Samaritans enter ye not: But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. And as ye go, preach, saying, The kingdom of heaven is at hand.” Matthew 10:5-7.
We are sent “to the lost sheep of the house of Israel,” and it “is not meet to take the children’s bread and cast it to the dogs.” (Matt. 15:24, 26.) God has not sent us “into the way of the Gentiles, and into any city of the Samaritans,” but to the church, and He has commanded: “Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in Mine house.” The storehouse is where present truth is, and as we bear present truth — meat In due season — then the Rod must be the storehouse, and the Lord says “Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse.” {1SC5: 8.7}
“The LORD’s voice crieth unto the city, and the man of wisdom shall see thy name: hear ye the rod, and who hath appointed it.” Micah 6:9.
“Suppose we should all feel that our tithes must go to the treasury at Tacoma Park, then how would the message ever reach the endangered souls in our churches? God is not desirous at this time to bring the unconverted into the church to meet the fearful slaughter of Ezekiel Nine, but is exceedingly anxious to save His church. {1SC5: 8.8}
Let only those who do not yet have light on the sealing of the 144,000 support the church in its present activities, — in its round of formalities, goal getting, devisings, etc., and those who have the light let them “follow the Lamb whithersoever He goeth. “There is the past message and the fresh message. “God does not want any man to think that no other message is to be heard but that which he may have given. We want the past message and the fresh message.” R. & H., March 18, 1890. Let each side follow the course of supporting that which they believe present truth (after all, the inevitable course), then the interests neither of the one nor the other will suffer.” {1SC5: 8.9}
“Moreover,” we might continue to reason, “what success do you suppose we could hope for in getting the sealing message to the church if we should support that side which is rising against us like the waves of the sea? No, my Brother, if we should continue paying our tithe to them, we would not only be weakening our power against the enemy, but also our position with the message we bear, for then they would think, and justly so, that if we had something vital to their salvation, we would dare not before heaven do other than place our gifts to the advancement of the present message and not the past message. To do the latter would, instead of winning the sheep, not only drive them away, but also would strengthen the forces of the enemy and weaken God’s, for no man can fight his adversaries by lending them his weapons with which to stand strong against him.” {1SC5: 8.10}
“Each of us, we know, in our material being naturally passes through three periods:
(1) Infancy, (2) Adolescence, and (3) Maturity. Likewise, in our spiritual being, but a mature Christian is also Logical and Sound Reasoner.
His decisions in all matters are liberal, based on sound logic and reason, not on emotions, partiality, or on “respect of persons,” nor on selfish gain. God’s way is always his measuring rod. He therefore never lives in regret of anything but his sins. Along with these, he is Constant.
He is not known to vacillate. He changes his mind only when he finds himself wrong or mistaken. He is indeed the David of the day. He is steady and dependable in whatever he is given to do, and ever Accepts Correction.
He forgets the past, and is always pressing for the high mark ahead. He therefore does all he can to remedy the cause of his troubles, and what cannot be remedied he accepts and adjusts himself to. He is the Moses of the day. He may fall seven times a day, but he quickly arises and runs ahead, and is ever hoping and Watching God’s Providence.
Through faith and experience he is confident that God is leading him and that He will freely give the wisdom and strength needed to cope with even the most trying of life’s problems. In this respect he is like Ruth, the Moabitess. He never lets an opportunity slip by, and he has Perfect Peace of Mind.” Certificate of Fellowship Letter p.3,4.
“Let all things be done decently and in order.” 1 Corinthians 14:40.
He does not resent criticism, but is grateful for it and puts into use all that is constructive. He makes no excuses for his blunders, but uses them as stepping stones to improvement. He has Unshakable Courage.
“We need to have a clear conception of truth, so that when the messengers of truth shall come, we may accept the message and respect messenger.” Testimonies for the Church vol. 6 p.420.
“I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine. As the Father knoweth me, even so know I the Father: and I lay down my life for the sheep. And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd.” John 10:14-16.
WHO IS THE ANTITYPICAL ELIJAH OF TODAY? Just Click
