The Alpha and Omega

A blessed Sabbath to every one!

It is a wonderful opportunity to study God’s word together. And today what we’re going to look at is a very important topic. It is the topic entitled the “Alpha and the Omega”. In the Bible we know… who is the Alpha and the Omega? It’s Jesus Christ.

So today, the study we’re going to do is going to look at certain things about Jesus Christ. But we’ll also look at an “Alpha and Omega” that is also described as a heresy. And so we’ll look at some church history in this topic, we’ll see what we can learn that comes in contact with the person and identity of Jesus Christ. This is what we’ll be examining today.

So I want you to pay careful attention because some things will require you to do some thinking. So, don’t just accept everything you hear. Just exercise your thinking powers and think and reason on some of the things that we’ll see together as we’ll share them. And we’ll see what we can understand about what’s happening today all around us.

Our first text is in Ecclesiastes, which gives us instruction as to what to do. Ecclesiastes 1… Ecclesiastes chapter one gives us instruction regarding certain things how they occur. Ecclesiastes 1:9, 10 and it says there:

“The thing that hath been, it is that which shall be; and that which is done is that which shall be done: and there is no new thing under the sun. Is there anything whereof it may be said: ‘See, this is new’? It hath been already of old time which was before us”.

So Bible here tells us that certain things have a habit of repeating themselves. And, in order to understand some of the things that are happening today, where do we need to look? In the past. In the history.

So today this is all we’ll do: we’ll do a historical examination into the history of our church to understand what is it about the situation with the Alpha and the Omega, because a lot of people today hear about the Omega of apostasy and a lot of people have a lot to say about the Omega of apostasy, but we need to see what does history declare about the Alpha, and from that we’ll learn in particular what it is about the Omega, which will help us understand the situation that we’re in today.

A lot of people think that what’s happening today regarding certain issues that have been agitated is something totally new that hasn’t happened before. But the Bible here tells us that there is nothing new under the sun.

So today this is what we’ll do: we have a warning here from the Spirit of Prophecy, and we’ll do a lot of reading together because this is a historical examination, so just keep alert with me. It says in Selected Messages, book 1, page 200:

“In the book Living Temple there is presented the alpha of deadly heresies. The omega will follow, and will be received by those who are not willing to heed the warning God has given”.

So, when we’re talking about the Alpha and the Omega we’re talking about a heresy of what type? It’s a deadly heresy. Do you think that’s serious? That is very serious. Now, Sister White tells us that the Omega will be received by a certain class of people who neglect to do something. What’s that? They will neglect to heed the warning that God has given.

So in order for us to avoid the Omega or understand what is it about, what we need to examine is what was the warning that God gave in regards to Alpha. And once we understand the warnings that God gave regarding the Alpha, we are in a better position not to fall and be deceived by the Omega.

So this is what we’ll do today: we’ll look at what the Alpha was all about, and we’ll see what Sister White said, and we’ll see what the warnings God has given us.

Now the Alpha occurred in the early 1900’s in our church, when a very prominent physician, the most prominent physician in our church at the time, Dr. John Harvey Kellogg, wrote a book entitled The Living Temple which Ms. White just mentioned in the quote we’ve just read.

Now, in his book – in The Living Temple – Kellogg wrote some theology and certain things that Sister White objected to – which we’ll look at a little more in detail – but the reason for the writing of the book was that the Battle Creek Sanitarium had actually burned to the ground the year before.

And so it was suggested that Dr. Kellogg, being a very famous physician and well written, that he would write a book and the funds that were generated by the sale of the book would help in rebuilding the Battle Creek Sanitarium. So this was great idea but, sad to say, Dr. Kellogg inserted some of his theology that Sister White identified for us as heretical.

And we’ll look a little bit in detail at this aspect of what Kellogg was trying to teach because Sister White identified that as the Alpha of deadly heresies. So what we’re dealing with is a deadly heresy so we need to pay careful attention. Let’s see what else is said. We’re told in The Ministry of Healing we’re given a warning. Page 429:

“‘The secret things belong unto the Lord our God; but those things which are revealed belong unto us and to our children forever’. Deuteronomy 29:29. The revelation of Himself that God has given in His word is for our study. This we may seek to understand. But beyond this we are not to penetrate”.

A very, very important statement, because Kellogg was seeking to penetrate beyond that which was revealed. So Mrs. White wrote that warning. But it’s interesting that she also says that “the things that God has given us in His Word are for our study and this we are to seek to understand.” So don’t be deceived by someone telling you that God’s revelations about Himself in the Bible are a mystery. Because the servant of the Lord says: “this we may seek to understand”.

What God has given us in His Word, we can understand. But, beyond this, we are not to penetrate. So here Kellogg was venturing on a ground beyond what revelation had given us. And Sister White continues in Loma Linda Messages, page 253. She’s a bit more specific here. She says: “The teaching regarding God that is presented in ‘Living Temple’ is not such as our students need. …Those who express such sentiments regarding Him show that they are departing from the faith”.

So here we see the issue that Dr. Kellogg was dealing with in his book and he had inserted certain theology regarding what topic? She says: this issue “regarding God”. So Kellogg here was teaching or promoting something about God that Sister White identified as the Alpha of deadly heresies. And she said: it’s a “departure from the faith”. It’s a very, very serious matter.

So, we’re looking at the warnings now that God has given us regarding the Alpha so that we can better understand the Omega. Well let’s see what is it that Kellogg was trying to teach about God in his book that called forth such strong warnings from the Spirit of Prophecy?

What is it that he was teaching that Ellen White said “it’s a deadly heresy… that’s a departure from the faith”? That’s a good question to answer, isn’t it? And we can find the answer because, once we find the answer we’ll be better able to understand the warning that God has given regarding the Alpha and regarding the Omega of deadly heresies.

So what was his belief in regards to God that he was trying to promote? Well, this is Arthur Daniels, the General Conference president of the time. And Arthur Daniels one day had a conversation with Dr. Kellogg and the conversation was so alarming to brother Daniels that he decided to write a letter to Willy White – that’s Ellen White’s son – and share his concerns about what Kellogg had told him, because the issue was regarding the book that he wrote and the things that Ellen White said about it.

This is the letter that he wrote. Let’s see what he says in concern to Willy White. He says: “Ever since the council closed I have felt that I should write you confidentially regarding Dr. Kellogg’s plans for revising and republishing ‘The Living Temple’…”

So what did Kellogg want to do? He wanted to revise and republish “The Living Temple”. Why is that do you think? Because Sister White gave the book some very good publicity didn’t she? She said the book had heresies in it, so Kellogg said: “Ok, I’ll rewrite it, I’ll revise it”. So he told Daniels that, but Daniels was concerned, he continues:

“...He [Kellogg] said that some days before coming to the council, he had been thinking the matter over, and began to see that he had made a slight mistake in expressing his views… He then stated that his former views regarding the trinity had stood in his way of making a clear and absolutely correct statement; but that within a short time he had come to believe in the trinity and could now see pretty clearly where all the difficulty was, and believe that he could clear the matter up satisfactorily”.

“He told me that he now believed in God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Ghost; and his view was that it was God the Holy Ghost, and not God the Father, that filled all space, and every living thing. He said if he had believed this before writing the book, he could have expressed his views without giving the wrong impression the book now gives”.

“I placed before him the objections I found in the teaching, and tried to show him that the teaching was so utterly contrary to the gospel that I did not see how it could be revised by changing a few expressions”.

Ok, so this is a very revealing letter regarding the contents of Kellogg’s book – that he wanted to revise – and regarding his theology that he was adopting, regarding God, which Ellen White told us about.

Now, it’s interesting, Kellogg said that he had come to believe what doctrine? The doctrine of the trinity. And specifically said he now believed in God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit. Does that sound familiar to anyone? It does, doesn’t it?

This seems to be an issue that is being agitated today, and we’re going to see why it’s being agitated today. But, notice, the General Conference president at that time did something. That last paragraph. He said: “I placed before him the objections I found in the teaching”.

The General Conference president was so concerned; he tried to correct Kellogg about this teaching. Today we have people preaching the same teaching from up the front. It’s interesting how a turn around can come about. But, we’ll see a little closer what it means.

Now, what did Ms. White think about that when Kellogg said: “I’m going to revise my book… what I really believe in is the trinity… I’m trying to say basically I believe in God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit”. And he wanted to revise the book.

Well, let’s see what Sister White said regarding that. Selected Messages Book 1, page 199. she says: “It will be said that Living Temple has been revised but the Lord has shown me that the writer has not changed, and that there can be no unity between him and the ministers of the gospel while he continues to cherish his present sentiments. I am bidden to lift my voice in warning to our people, saying, ‘Be not deceived; God is not mocked’ (Gal. 6:7).”

So, what was the servant of the Lord inspired to write in response to what Kellogg said, he revised the book? She said: “the writer has not changed”. And what should the ministers of the gospel do? There should be no unity between the ministers of the gospel and Kellogg while he had his present sentiments.

What were his present sentiments according to the admission of General Conference president at that time? That he believed in the trinity, that he believed in God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit. Sister White said ministers of the gospel should have no unity with Kellogg when he had his present sentiments. She says this is actually a mockery of who? Of God. She says: “be not deceived; God is not mocked”.

So it’s a very serious issue. Kellogg had come to believe… oh, here’s another one. This is a letter she wrote to Kellogg. She says: “you are not definitely clear on the personality of God, which is everything to us as a people. You have virtually destroyed the Lord God Himself”. This is a letter that she wrote to Kellogg.

So, Kellogg’s belief was very serious. And what he had come to believe? According to what’s written? All we’re doing is just reading what we have: the historical examination. Because the Bible told us, we need to look in the past to learn what’s happening today.

So, Kellogg, very simply, had come to believe in the trinity. Had come to believe in God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit. This belief is very common today. And it’s so common that when we actually start alerting people’s attention to it they either start getting a bit agitated or a bit upset. They think that this is a foundation of the faith, not realizing that the devil tried to bring this heresy in to the church in the early 1900’s.

And what we’re seeing today is only an enlargement as what Sister White prophesied would take place. Well, we’ll see a little closer what she has to say. Selected Messages Book 1, page 203. She says: “In the controversy that arose among our brethren regarding the teachings of this book, those in favor of giving it a wide circulation declared: ‘It contains the very sentiments that Sister White has been teaching’. This assertion struck right to my heart. I felt heartbroken; for I knew that this representation of the matter was not true”.

So as a result of what Sister White said about the book Kellogg in self-defense said: “What I’m trying to say is really the same thing that Ms. White is teaching”. So what was he trying to use in support of his teaching? He was trying to use the Spirit of Prophecy. And his followers of course heard that from him and they would repeat that. And they’d say: “look, the book has the very same sentiments that Sister White has been teaching”. Sister White said: “this is a lie”. She says: “my teachings do not supports that theory that is in the book”.

Now, if we were to summarize in one word the teaching of that book, The Living Temple, what word would you use? Ok, Sister White identified clearly, it’s pantheism. And what does the word “pantheism” mean? God in everything. So this is the teaching that Kellogg was trying to promote, and he was trying to do that while believing… having come to believe in the doctrine of the trinity – in God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit. Because when you present this to people, usually the objection is: “oh, but Sister White is here talking about pantheism, she’s not talking about the trinity. She’s not talking about God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit. She was rebuking Kellogg for his pantheistic teaching not for his belief in trinity”. Have you heard that before?

Now, we need to understand what is it that Kellogg really believed, and what is it that he identified as the problem, or what is it that he was trying to teach in the book. Because, we need to understand. Is Ellen White objecting to one thing only, or is it really a package that looks like it’s only pantheism but in it there is more. And this is what we need to examine.

Now, Sister White, very clearly rebuked Kellogg. Now, let’s see how did Kellogg summarize the whole problem? Because a lot of people say: “well, this is about this point, and this is about that point…”. We need to get the evidence from the history that we have. How did Kellogg summarize the entire problem? In other words, what was he trying to teach in his book that Ellen White said “it’s pantheism; it’s a deadly heresy; it’s a departure from the faith; the ministers of the gospel should not be united with him when he has his present sentiments”?

Well, let’s see what he said. He wrote a letter to G. I. Butler and this is what he said. This is a letter from Kellogg to Butler and this is what it says. Kellogg speaking: “As far as I can fathom, the difficulty which is found in ‘The Living Temple’, the whole thing may be simmered down to the question: Is the Holy Ghost a person?”

So according to Kellogg… stop here for a minute. According to Kellogg what is the whole thing that he is trying to teach in The Living Temple? From his own admission, he said everything I’m trying to say basically comes down to this. Is the Holy Ghost a person? Does that sound familiar today?

He continues… notice what arguments he uses to support this belief. He continues: “You say no. I had supposed the Bible said this for the reason that the personal pronoun ‘he’ is used in speaking of the Holy Ghost. Sister White uses the pronoun ‘he’ and has said in so many words that the Holy Ghost is the third person of the Godhead. How the Holy Ghost can be the third person and not be a person al all is difficult for me to see”.

So what was the Alpha all about? Is the Holy Ghost a person? That sounds alarmingly familiar today. Now what was the argument that Kellogg was trying to use to support this doctrine? He went to the Spirit of Prophecy and specifically what statement was he using? “That Sister White says the Holy Spirit is the third person of the Godhead”. Have you heard that before? I’ve heard people stand up the front and say: “Brethren, Sister White says the Holy Spirit is the third person of the Godhead that means that the Holy Spirit is a person just like the Father and the Son”.

Well, guess what. You are not the first one to teach that. Kellogg was doing that in 1903! So the whole problem in the book Living Temple was about the personality of the Holy Spirit. Is the Holy Spirit a person, like the Father and the Son or not? And Kellogg had come to believe that the Holy Spirit was God the Holy Spirit. An individual God-being like the Father and the Son. Making God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit. This, according to him, is the whole crux of the matter in The Living Temple. Sister White said that’s the Alpha of deadly heresies. And people today think that this is not an important issue. That this is a side issue. Very clear. Now it’s important to understand because the Bible says “the thing that hath been it is that which shall be”.

Here we’re seeing Kellogg teaching that the Holy Spirit is an individual person like the Father and the Son and he is using Spirit of Prophecy statements, as he’s also using the argument that the Bible and Spirit of Prophecy call the Holy Spirit ‘he’ and not ‘it’ sometimes – although it’s not entirely true; the Bible and the Spirit of Prophecy refer to the Holy Spirit as ‘it’. But we shall see, the same reasoning that was used to promote the Alpha is promoted today in the follow up of the Alpha, which we’ll see for ourselves in a minute.

Ok, continuing. What was Ellen White’s response to that? So, here we got from Kellogg’s own mouth what the whole problem can be summarized in. It’s about the Holy Spirit. This was the issue of the time.

In Selected Messages Book 1, page 203. Sister White says: “I’m compelled to speak in denial of the claim that the teachings of Living Temple can be sustained by statements from my writings”. What statement did Kellogg specifically use? “The third person of the Godhead”. And Ellen White says: “I deny the claim that this tatement supports what Kellogg is teaching” – God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit.

That means for you, brother or sister, who think that that statement supports that, you need to go back and read what the Spirit of Prophecy says, because Ellen White just told you this statement is not the meaning that is the conclusion that is made by Kellogg: that the Holy Spirit is a person. A “God the Holy Spirit”.

She continues: “there may be in this book expressions and sentiments that are in harmony with my writings. And there may be in my writings many statements which, taken from their connection, and interpreted according to the mind of the writer of Living Temple, would seem to be in harmony with the teachings of this book. This may give apparent support to the assertion that the sentiments in Living Temple are in harmony with my writings. But God forbid that this sentiment should prevail”.

So, Sister White says: I know that there are some statements that I wrote, if you take them out of context, they will seem to support the doctrine that Kellogg was teaching. But this is not what I mean. Is that what it says? You read it for yourself.

Now, I see people today that need to go back and study the Spirit of Prophecy, because people today are doing exactly the same thing that Kellogg did. And we’ll see. Now, we need to ask ourselves the question: was Ellen White a Trinitarian?

Now everybody can answer a question. People can give all kinds of answers. Just reason with me. These are questions to think about. In other words, did she believed in God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit, or God the Holy Ghost, if so, then how dare she rebuke Kellogg for bringing it to light? Because that’s what Kellogg believed. He believed in the trinity, in God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit. Ellen White said: “That’s heresy”.

And, was it God who told her to rebuke Kellogg? It certainly was, because she is writing under inspiration, she says “the Lord has shown me.” “I’m compelled to speak”. Now, if that’s the case, then how could God inspire her to oppose the Trinity, if it is really truth?

So, on one side we have Ellen White condemning Kellogg for believing the Trinity, and on the other side we have people today saying but Ellen White believed in the Trinity – she believed in God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit.

You know what that does to the prophet? It gives us a false prophet. It gives us a prophet who says two different things out of the same mouth. But people don’t perhaps think logically of what they’re doing. Ellen White could not condemn what Kellogg was teaching and then go and teach the same thing. That’s impossible.

What was Ellen White trying to say? Letter 52, 1903, speaking to Kellogg, she says: “your ideas are so mystical that they are destructive to the real substance, and the minds of some are becoming confused…”. Does that sound like it could apply today? The minds of some are becoming confused? Ok, where are we? “…In regard to the foundation of our faith. If you allow your mind to become thus diverted, you will give a wrong mold to the work that has made us what we are – Seventh-day Adventists”.

So, what was the confusion about? “minds were getting confused in regard to the foundation of our faith”. In regard to what makes us Seventh-day Adventists. Was it serious? It was so serious that Sister White said this is a deadly heresy.

What we need to do is understand if what Kellogg was teaching was endangering the foundation of our faith; the foundation that makes us Seventh-day Adventists, then we need to ask ourselves a question. We saw what Kellogg believed. What is it that was considered to be the foundation at the time? In other words, what was the church teaching about this topic at the time that Kellogg was departing from, and Ellen White said: “you’re endangering the foundation of the faith; you’re departing from the faith”?

Does that make sense? Is that fair enough? So, we need to look now at the foundation at the time. What was the foundation that Ellen White here says Kellogg was departing from? Ok, let’s have a look, for example, regarding the Holy Spirit, because this was the issue that Kellogg had summed it all up he said: “is the Holy Ghost a person? I believe it is, because Sister White said it’s the third person of the Godhead, therefore I believe in God the Holy Spirit”. In summary this was his reasoning. This was what the book was all about.

Let’s see what was believed in the church at the time. 1891, this is from Uriah Smith, he says: “The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of God; it is also the Spirit of Christ” {U. Smith, General Conference Daily Bulletin Volume 4, March 14, 1891, pp. 146, 147}. Here is another one from E. J. Waggoner: “Here we find that the Holy Spirit is both the Spirit of God and the Spirit of Christ” {E. J. Waggoner, Christ And His Righteousness, p. 23. 1890}. From Loughborough: “We learn from this language that when we speak of the Spirit of God we are really speaking of His presence and power”. {John Loughborough, Review & Herald, September 13, 1898.}

Does that sound to you like these brethren believed that the Holy Spirit was a person called God the Holy Spirit? No, they believed it was the Spirit of God, it was the Spirit of Christ. Loughborough is very clear down there at the bottom. Is the presence and power of God a different person to God? Certainly not. This is a very clear definition that Loughborough is saying. He says: “when we speak of the Spirit it’s really the presence and power of God”.

Where do you think Loughborough would’ve got this definition from? Do you think perhaps that he would have read the Spirit of Prophecy in his days? And maybe come across the statement in Signs of the Times, November 23 which says: “The divine Spirit that the world’s Redeemer promised to send, is the presence and power of God”. {Signs of the Times, November 23, 1891}

Does that sound like a different person to you? So this here is the foundation that the church believed at the time. Kellogg was departing from that and he was saying: “Listen, the Holy Spirit is a person; it’s God the Holy Spirit”. Ellen White said: “Be careful”.

So, in order to compare between what Kellogg was believing and the foundation at that time, when God gives us His Spirit, does God give us another individual or Himself? Kellogg would be teaching what? An individual that would be called what? God the Holy Spirit. So when God gives us His Spirit it’s really God the Holy Spirit, a different person. But the foundation of the faith at the time said that the Spirit is really the Spirit of God and of Christ, it is the presence and power of God.

Now, let’s see what the answer is. Is it someone different or not? Testimonies, vol. 7, page 273: “In giving us His Spirit, God gives us Himself, making Himself a fountain of divine influences, to give health and life to the world”.

So it’s very plain. When we put history side by side it doesn’t really need that much comment. Kellogg was departing from that teaching, and he was separating actually between God and His Spirit, making the Spirit of God into another different person, making it God the Holy Spirit. And he tried to use the Spirit of Prophecy in support.

Let’s see what else does the servant of the Lord say about the Spirit. Because if she was to rebuke Kellogg, then she must clearly define in the writings what she believed, and she does. You know, that statement that says “third person of the Godhead” that people still use today… does she explain to us what this third person of the Godhead is? Does she explain more about the Holy Spirit? She does.

Here is an example. Review & Herald, April 5, 1906. She says: “It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing; the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life." Christ is not here referring to his doctrine, but to his person, the divinity of his character.”

Very, very enlightening statement. So, when Jesus was speaking about the Spirit, He says “it’s the Spirit that quickeneth”, Sister White says “when Jesus said that, He was not referring to His doctrine but He is actually referring to His person”. Now, people would have you believe today that Jesus was referring to another person. See what the difference is? The Holy Spirit is a person. Sister White said: “It’s the third person of the Godhead”. It is the person of whom? It’s the person of Christ. This is what it is. Kellogg was teaching the Holy Spirit is a third person different to the Father and the Son. It’s very subtle. Because you almost use the same words to describe two different beliefs. And this is why Sister White said: “This is a deadly heresy”.

So Sister White is talking about the personhood of the Holy Spirit, she says here: “This refers to the person of Christ, it’s actually the divinity of His character”. That’s a very plain statement but, we won’t take just one. Let’s have a look at another one in The Southern Work, September 13, 1898: “That Christ should manifest Himself to them, and yet be invisible to the world, was a mystery to the disciples”.

Here she’s commenting about John 14 where Jesus spoke about the Comforter that would come. So “this was a mystery to the disciples”, they didn’t understand it clearly. “They could not understand the words of Christ in their spiritual sense. They were thinking of the outward, visible manifestation. They could not take in the fact that they could have the presence of Christ with them, and yet He be unseen by the world. They did not understand the meaning of a spiritual manifestation”.

So, who were they going to have with them? The presence of Christ. We read earlier that the Spirit is the personal presence of God and it’s also the presence of Christ. It’s the very person of Christ. So this is what Christ meant when He told His disciples He would send them another Comforter. His is talking about His own Spirit, His own person that would come to them invisibly. And this is what Sister White calls the third person of the Godhead, it’s the divinity of His character.

So Kellogg misunderstood that statement and tried to use it to promote a certain teaching that today is more common than it was back then in our church. Let’s continue. Here is another one, Desire of Ages, page 166: “While Jesus ministers in the sanctuary above, He is still by His Spirit the minister of the church on earth. He is withdrawn from the eye of sense, but His parting promise is fulfilled, ‘Lo, I’m with you alway, even unto the end of world’”.

Now, this is a very interesting statement because it says while Jesus is the minister in the sanctuary above, He is still, by His Spirit, the minister of the church on earth. How many ministers do we have according to this statement? Only one. Who is it? Jesus, but He is working on two different fronts.

He is the minister of the sanctuary above yet He is still the minister of the church on earth by His Spirit. Now, some people believe today that the Spirit is a different individual to Christ; it’s another minister. Now, I don’t believe we have two ministers because the Bible says there is one God and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus. (1 Timothy 2:5)

Some people today are forced to believe in two mediators because they believe that the Holy Spirit is an individual different to Christ. They don’t realize that when you believe that you’ve actually broken that link between us and Christ; he’s not the only mediator, now He has another helper, we have two. Sister White says here: “there is only one” not two. And actually she says this is how Christ fulfills His promise: “Lo, I’m with you alway, even unto the end of world”. Jesus says: “I am with you always”, not someone else.

Ok, let’s see, is there more? Review and Herald, May 19, 1904: “Christ declared that after His ascension, He would send to His church, as his crowning gift, the Comforter, who was to take His place. This Comforter is the Holy Spirit, - the soul of His life, the efficacy of His church, the light and life of the world. With His Spirit, Christ sends a reconciling influence and a power that takes away sin”.

Very clear definition, she says this Comforter that Jesus promised to send is the Holy Spirit. This Holy Spirit is the soul of His life. Question: is the soul of Jesus’ life a different person to Him? No, it’s His very own person, His very own personality. Now, this is the problem that people have today, because how can the soul of the life of Christ be a different individual? How can the Holy Spirit be God the Holy Spirit? We have just this bizarre understanding that Ellen White said: “this is a very dangerous heresy”.

Continuing: The Home Missionary, November 1, 1893: “… the Holy Spirit is the Comforter, as the personal presence of Christ to the soul”. This is what it really is: “the personal presence of Christ”. And, this is really that word that confuses people; she says it’s the personal presence of Christ. When Christ comes to us to comfort us by His Spirit it’s very personal. He sends His very own person. It’s not a different person to Him, it’s Him Himself, as we read in that statement in Testimonies Vol.7 “In giving us His Spirit, God gives us Himself” not someone else.

And, here is another example of that. Desire of Ages, page 669: “The Lord knows all about His faithful servants who for His sake are lying in prison or who are banished to lonely islands. He comforts them with His own presence”. The Lord comforts them with His own presence; it’s not with someone else.

Now, today we need to be practical about what we believe, because a lot of people like to spend many hours arguing, and they bring a lot of statements to this side, a lot of statements that side and they want to go into an argument. But your theory should really be examined on the practical level. When we practically apply what we believe as truth, how does it work in our life?

In other words, if we would ask ourselves this question: who is your Comforter, practically speaking, according to your theology? Who is your Comforter? Here is a question that we need to answer because your Comforter is the one that assists you and helps you overcome sin. Now, if you believe in that doctrine that, like Kellogg believed in, what’s called The Trinity, or sometimes it’s actually a belief in Tritheism – in three Gods, and we’ll look that a little bit closer in the other presentation – you would believe that there was God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit, and God the Son went to heaven and now we have God the Holy Spirit.

In other words, your Comforter is who? God the Holy Spirit. A different individual to the Father and the Son, isn’t it? It would not be Jesus, it would be someone different. Whereas if you believed the Bible and the Spirit of Prophecy, what would you really believe? Who is your Comforter?

Now, we’ll let the servant of the Lord answer. She says: “There is no Comforter like Christ, so tender and so true”. Review & Herald, Oct. 26, 1897.

Well here is another one: “The Savior is our Comforter. This I have proved Him to be”. Manuscript Releases, vol. 8, p. 49.

Here is another one: “As by faith we look to Jesus, our faith pierces the shadow, and we adore God for His wondrous love in giving Jesus the Comforter”. Now that’s an expression that is a bit rarely used today: “Jesus, the Comforter”.

People think that it’s not Jesus who’s the Comforter, it’s God the Holy Spirit. And they’re giving credit to someone other than Christ when it’s really Christ who is the Comforter. What a sad state of affairs. You know what, Jesus is our Comforter and here we are giving credit to someone else called God the Holy Spirit. And when someone comes to try and correct us, we say: “Oh, that’s a very dangerous doctrine”. It’s not dangerous to believe that Jesus is your Comforter! It’s very dangerous to believe otherwise, because Jesus is the only one who was tempted and tried, like us, and He overcame.

Now, what comfort would you receive from someone who was not made flesh, who was not tempted in all points like as we are, who is not able to succor us as we are tempted? That’s not very comforting, is it? So, here is Jesus. He came to earth, lived for 33 years, experienced everything that we have to experience and then left us and sent someone else to help us. Well, why didn’t He send someone else from the beginning? Why did He have to come and live for 33 years on earth?

But, if you believe the truth, you will find that the Spirit of Prophecy says that the Holy Spirit is the very life of Christ, it’s the soul of His life, it’s His own person. And now Christ can comfort us because He has, by experience, knowledge of all our temptations and trials. It makes a big difference what you believe when you apply it in your walk. So, be careful lest you end up with a different Comforter to the real one.

Now, here is a question that we need to ask ourselves, and Sister White gives us an answer. Why are we weak today? Now this is something that a lot of people sometimes do not like to admit. But, if you are honest with yourself, you will find that the churches today are very weak, and spiritually, things are dwarfed, and they’re not really as they should be. And, while we do not like do admit that – perhaps sometimes – but, if we really think about it honestly in our hearts we’ll find that’s the case.

Have you ever wondered why this condition of things exists among God’s people? I have many times wondered. Why are the churches weak? Why are we still on earth, when we were supposed to be in heaven, saying that Jesus is coming soon? Why are we still on earth 160 years after 1844?

This is an answer, among other answers, that gives us a clue as to why this condition exists. It says: “The reason why the churches are weak and sickly and ready to die, is that the enemy has brought influences of a discouraging nature to bear upon trembling souls. He has sought to shut Jesus from their view as the Comforter, as one who reproves, who warns, who admonishes them, saying, ‘This is the way, walk ye in it’”. {RH, August 26, 1890 par. 10}

So, what has the devil tried to do to weaken the churches? Shut Jesus from our view as the Comforter. In other words, he gives us another Comforter. This Comforter today goes by the name of “God the Holy Spirit”, a different individual to Christ.

I have asked people, I have had conversations with Bible students and told them “Who is your Comforter? Is Jesus your Comforter”? They said: “No, it’s the Holy Spirit”. And, what they mean is someone different. This is one of the reasons why we are weak and sickly and ready to die, because Satan has succeeded to a large degree in shutting Jesus as the Comforter. People don’t believe Jesus is the Comforter, they think it’s someone else, because of the theology that they have accepted.

Now, let’s look at something else, because Sister White identified the Alpha of heresies and she said that the Omega will follow, and will be received by those who do not heed the warning that God has given.

Now, the Alpha dealt specifically with what point? According to Kellogg, he summarized the whole thing into one question: “Is the Holy Spirit a person”? Now, the Omega today is not only causing confusion about the Holy Spirit, but it’s extending and causing confusion about the Son of God as well.

Now, we thank the Lord that Ellen White was alive at the time and she put a check to what Kellogg was trying to teach. But she said, listen the Omega will come and, just like the Alpha is at the beginning of the Greek alphabet and the Omega is at the end, when the Omega comes that heresy will be so much greater and all the more encompassing than the Alpha. The Alpha was a bit contained, and we thank the Lord that the servant of the Lord wrote about it because none of the ministers at the time detected that there was problem. And, so Sister White actually wrote about it.

Today, now, we need to examine what was the foundation of the faith regarding the Son of God, because this is an issue that is also coming under confusion among God’s people today. There are many varying teachings about the Son of God. We need to see what was the foundation and then we’ll understand a departure from the foundation. We’ll see the connection between the Alpha and the Omega and how a false understanding of the Holy Spirit also affects the understanding of who Jesus is.

In order to understand the foundation we just need to look at some writings, here is an example from James White in Review & Herald, Jan. 4, 1881. He says: “The Father was greater than the Son in that He was first. The Son was equal with the Father in that He had received all things from the Father”.

Plain statement. Doesn’t even need any comment. This was their belief about the Son of God. They believed that Jesus was really – as the Bible says – really the Son of God. Today people say: “That’s a heresy. If you really believe Jesus was Son of God. Oh, that’s dangerous, brother”. Well, let’s just see what else is said in the foundation of our faith. This is John Andrews, and he says there in Review & Herald again, Sep. 7, 1869: “And as to the Son of God, He would be excluded also, for He had God for His Father, and did, at some point in the eternity of the past, have beginning of days”.

So, their belief about the Son of God was very plain. They believed Jesus was really the Son of God, He was begotten of His Father, that the Father is really – as the Bible says – the Father of Jesus Christ. And that Christ received all things from His Father.

Because, this belief today is being attacked by what is also called “God the Son”. We dealt with God the Holy Spirit and we have a very common term today that is used, an unbiblical term, and this term that the Spirit of Prophecy never uses called “God the Son”. And we’ll see the implications of that in a minute.

But, let’s see someone else, just so we don’t get a one sided of view. This is J. H. Waggoner, this is the father of Waggoner, the younger Waggoner that is Ellet Waggoner, who in 1888 with Jones were presenting the message of righteousness by faith. So this is his father, and this is a comment that he makes regarding tritheism.

Now, tritheism is the belief in three Gods – God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit – totally unrelated. Notice what he says in Thoughts of Baptism in 1878. He says: “There were some very early that turned the doctrine of the Trinity into Tritheism…” – this is regarding the early centuries – “and, instead of three divine persons under the economy of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, brought in three collateral, coordinate, and self-originated beings, making them three absolute and independent principles, without any relation of Father or Son, which is the most proper notion of three gods”. Very plain. When we bring in three collateral, or, what’s today termed as “coequal beings”, who are all self-originated, and when you destroy the relation of father and son you really end up with three gods.

So, our pioneers were opposed to the doctrine of the trinity, as you will find in some books and literature, but, many people today think and teach that the pioneers were opposed only to the catholic trinity but the trinity that we believe today, the pioneers did not oppose. Have you heard that one before?

Here we see that the pioneers were opposed to all kinds of trinity, including tritheism, including the belief in three divine beings who are not related by father and son which makes three gods. In other words, when you destroy the father son relationship, when you say it’s a metaphor, when you say it’s symbolical, when you say it’s only prophetical, when you say it’s only a role play, when you say all these things you really destroy the father son relationship. You end up with three gods.

Kellogg believed in God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit. So, it’s important to understand that the pioneers not only rejected the catholic trinity – which is very true – but they rejected other forms which are common today. And people today, you know, to confuse matters further, they don’t refer to their doctrine as the trinity, they say: “oh, we don’t believe in the trinity, we believe in the godhead”. And when they say “the godhead”, they believe in God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit, which is what Waggoner is saying here.

Let’s continue. This is an article by Loughborough, “Objections to the Trinity”, and he says there why he is objecting to the trinity. These are the reasons that he gives. He says: “1. It is contrary to common sense. 2. It is contrary to scripture. 3. Its origin is pagan and fabulous. It’s not very consonant with common sense to talk of three being one, and one being three. Or as some express it, calling God ‘the Triune God’, or ‘the three-one-God’. If Father, Son and Holy Ghost are each God, it would be three Gods”; that’s very logical, if God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit are all Gods we have three Gods. And you have a serious problem with the first commandment which says: “thou shall have no other gods before Us” doesn’t it? Oh, “before Me”. Ok, so we really have a problem then to try and reconciling it. “So, you have three Gods, for three times one is not one, but three”. That’s from Review & Herald, Nov. 5, 1861.

Here is another one. This is Waggoner the son of J. H. Waggoner. Let’s see what he says regarding the Son of God. But, notice, we find a very common trend in all the writings. They all believed the same thing. There was a common foundation that they all believed and subscribed to.

This is what he says in Signs of the Times, Apr. 8, 1889. He says: “While both are of the same nature, the Father is first in point of time. He is also greater in that He had no beginning, while Christ’s personality had a beginning”. Why is that, because Christ was begotten of His Father, He came out of His Father. Now, Waggoner here says that both are of the same nature, in other words, did He believe in the divinity of Christ? Of course he did. Now, people today make the accusation that those who really believe what the Bible says – that Jesus is the Son of God – they don’t really believe in the divinity of Christ. What a poor show of reasoning powers.

Jesus is the Son of God, He has the very nature of His Father. If you read anywhere on the literature and material that’s available on this topic, that is provided here, you will find that the divinity of Christ is very strongly upheld. Waggoner, he did the same thing. He said: ‘look, They’re of the same nature, we can’t deny that. But He’s still the Son of God. We can’t deny that either.’

Now, people today try to uphold the divinity of Christ by actually denying that He is the Son, which creates a very serious problem, because if Jesus is not begotten of His Father, He did not inherits His divine nature, then tell me where in the world did He get it from?

And you believe He is God in His own right, well, you’ve just created three Gods – which is what the pioneers were talking about. You see the very evidence and proof for the divinity of Christ is the fact that He is the Son of God. He inherited everything from His Father, and so He has the very same nature as His Father.

Here is what Waggoner continues to say. This is in his book Christ and His Righteousness, pages 19 to 24, he says: “There was a time when Christ proceeded forth and came from God, from the bosom of the Father, but that time was so far back in the days of eternity that to finite comprehension it is practically without beginning”.

Now, these two statements, one would almost think Waggoner is contradicting himself. Because in the earlier one he said “Christ’s personality had a beginning”, but now he says “look, it was so far back that practically to us it’s really… we can almost say it’s without beginning”.

Now these statements don’t contradict themselves, they actually harmonize. They show that this belief, this event was so far back that to us – to finite comprehension – it is beyond our human computation, it’s beyond our calculation. It cannot be measured by years, or figures, as the Spirit of Prophecy says (Signs of the Times, May 3, 1899). And practically speaking, could be without beginning, because it’s so far back.

But, it does not deny the fact that it actually occurred, it actually took place. There was a point when Christ was actually begotten of His Father. This is just reading the belief that the pioneers had. Now, the question we need to ask ourselves, that lot of people say: “yes, yes, that’s all very good, but the Spirit of Prophecy did not agree with these brethren who are teaching this about Jesus”. We need to ask ourselves the question: did she agree or not? The very simple fact that they actually went to church together should say something but, that’s not convincing enough to people. That they actually prayed together, and had Bible studies together should be evidence. But, let’s see some more solid evidence.

Here’s the statement from Waggoner that we’ve just read… no, we didn’t read that one. This is another one from his book Christ and His Righteousness, page 12, 1890. now, notice carefully what it says: “The angels are sons of God, as was Adam… by creation; Christians are the sons of God by adoption, but Christ is the Son of God by birth, and so Christ is the express image of the Father’s person”.

Very plain. This tells us what he believed. What year was this? 1890. Now, let’s look at a statement from the Spirit of Prophecy five years after what Waggoner wrote, in Signs of the Times, May 30, 1895.

Notice carefully what she says: “‘God so loved the world, that He gave His only-begotten Son,’ – not a son by creation, as were the angels, nor a son by adoption, as is the forgiven sinner, but a Son begotten in the express image of the Father’s person…”.

Now, these statements are color coded here so that you can actually compare with the colors. Do you think these two authors believed maybe, perhaps, the same thing about Christ? Well they used the very same words, didn’t they?

Now, it’s interesting that Waggoner wrote what he wrote five years earlier. It’s very possible that Ellen White could have read that book, because when she wrote the statement she almost uses the same words exactly. The same concept. He says: “angels are sons by creation” in the green there. She says: “Jesus is not a son by creation as the angels”. Waggoner says: “Christians are sons of God by adoption”. She says: “He is not a son by adoption as is the forgiven sinner”. Waggoner says: “Christ is the Son of God by birth”. Sister White says: “but a Son begotten in the express image of the Father’s person…”. Which tells us that the word “begotten” means “created”, doesn’t it?

That’s what some people would have you believe! They say “Oh, ‘begotten’ means ‘created’ brother. You’re saying Jesus is created!” Well, if you just look up in the dictionary what the word begotten means, you’ll find it means what Waggoner just said right there. It means “birth”. The word begotten does not mean created because if you look at that statement carefully you’ll find that Ms. White makes, under inspiration, makes a divine distinction between the word “begotten” and “created”.

So, you be careful when you say “begotten” equals “created”, because the divine inspiration says “begotten” is different to “created”, because it says in the beginning of that statement: “He is not a son by creation, but He is a Son begotten”. So, don’t go confusing God’s people and saying: “begotten is created” when the Spirit of Prophecy, under inspiration, gives a clear distinction. You are bearing false witness. You better be careful. Not to mix up begotten and creation, but because people like to win the arguments sometimes they want to say something that will scare everyone from believing the truth. And it sounds very scary when you say “Jesus is created”. And so when you believe in the biblical truth that Jesus is begotten some people say: “oh, you’re saying He’s created”. Well, that’s not what we’re saying. The Bible says He’s begotten and the prophet says it’s different to creation. So you be careful what you repeat about what is being shared. So Jesus is a Son by birth. He is not created. Very clear distinction.

Ellen White. Was she a Trinitarian or did she teach tritheism? Because you bring up this evidence and people still say: “hold on a minute. Kellogg was over there but, today we have very clear writings from the Spirit of Prophecy that Ellen White was actually a believer in God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit, a trio of individual divine Beings”. And they have some statements that they think support that.

Now, we need to ask ourselves the question… we’ll read some statements now, and keep in mind, would a person that believed in such a doctrine – a doctrine of three individual Beings, or three Gods, or God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit – would such a person make statements such as the following? And we’ll have a look.

This is from the Youths Instructor, Dec. 16, 1897. It says: “From eternity there was a complete unity between the Father and the Son. They were two, yet little short of being identical; two in individuality, yet one in spirit, and heart, and character”.

Here we have a statement that mentions Father, Son and spirit. It says the Father and the Son were how many? Two, a little short of being identical, what’s that mean? They’re not exactly identical, just a little short of being identical. And then it says: “they were two in individuality, yet one in spirit”.

Remember what we read? The pioneers said the Holy Spirit is really the Spirit of God and the Spirit of Christ. In other words, the Father and the Son, They share the same Spirit. The word “Spirit” as defined in Bible means “life”. If you look it up, it also means the mind… it is the person of God, the personality of God when it comes to the Holy Spirit. So here we see that the Holy Spirit is not being taught to be an individual like the Father and the Son. It says there they were two but They’re one in Spirit. But this is not just one statement. Let’s look at another one. Now, pay careful attention to this one. This is Great Controversy p. 493. Everybody should have read this statement.

“Christ the Word, the Only Begotten of God, was one with the eternal Father, - one in nature, in character, and in purpose,- the only being in all the universe that could enter into all the counsels and purposes of God”. Well, that’s very plain. Jesus is the only being in all the universe that can enter into the counsels of God.

Now, if you believe that the Holy Spirit is a being – like the Father and the Son – how is it that He cannot enter into the counsels of God? Could it possibly be that your belief is not accurate? Yes, it’s very possible because in here it says the counsels of God include only how many? Two, the Father and the Son. The Father and the Son They share the same Spirit. But if you don’t believe that the Holy Spirit is an individual being like the Father and the Son, and you actually believe that the Spirit is the presence and power of God – it is His own personal presence, by which He comforts us – then you have no problem in understanding that the Holy Spirit does exist.

See, this is another problem, a lot of people say: “oh you’re saying there’s no God the Holy Spirit, in other words you’re saying there’s no Holy Spirit”. Now, that’s a very strange thing to believe. How can anyone believe that there is no Holy Spirit while they have a Bible in their hands?

There is a Holy Spirit, but there is a wrong understanding of the Holy Spirit and there is a correct understanding of the Holy Spirit. And, it’s a wrong understanding what Kellogg was teaching and what’s being taught a lot today that the Holy Spirit is an individual being called God the Holy Spirit like the Father and the Son.

But the correct understanding does maintain that there is a Holy Spirit. It is the Spirit of God, the Spirit of Christ, the personal presence of the Father and the Son. But let’s read on. It’s not enough. Let’s look at some more. Here is another one, Youths Instructor, July 7, 1898: “The Father and the Son alone are to be exalted”.

That’s plain. If the Father and Son alone are to be exalted, then what am I supposed to do with God the Holy Spirit? You see, people today are very inconsistent in their belief. If you believe in God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit, and you’re supposed to worship God then you’ll worship who? Father, Son and Holy Spirit. You would exalt the Father and Son and the Holy Spirit. But the Holy Spirit inspired this statement and tells you: “the Father and the Son alone are to be exalted”!

You see, the Spirit is the inspiration behind the statements that we’re reading. The Holy Spirit that we’re talking about. And the Holy Spirit knows who it is – if we can put it that way. So if the Father and Son alone are to be exalted, then you are in a serious problem now, because you are withholding worship from God the Holy Spirit – which you believe is an individual God-being just as the Father and the Son are God. But you can’t really just go and give worship because it tells you here only the Father and the Son are to be exalted.

But let’s read another one: “God…” – here is a very plain one, Testimonies vol. 8, p. 268 – “God is the Father of Christ; Christ is the Son of God. To Christ has been given an exalted position. He has been made equal with the Father. All the counsels of God are opened to His Son”.

Does that sound like a statement that a person who believes in the Trinity or in Tritheism would make? Do people today believe God is really the Father of Christ and Christ is the Son of God? And notice, it’s almost repeating it to a children’s level, you know. This is saying the words, the same words but backwards, you know. Get it clear! The Spirit of Prophecy is saying listen this is very simple: God is the Father of Christ; Christ is the Son of God. Making it simple, you don’t need to be confused about it. And yet people still today are confused. That’s very, very sad.

And it says: “To Christ has been given an exalted position. He has been made equal with the Father”. How many people believe that today, who believe in the doctrine of the Trinity, doctrine of God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit? It says right here, according to inspiration, Christ has been given an exalted position; He has been made equal with the Father.

And this is well before He came to Earth. Because some people say: “Oh, this was when He went back to heaven, you know…”, well this… you read that statement’s context… this was in Heaven, prior to Him coming on Earth. Let’s see, is there anymore? Signs of the Times, Oct. 14, 1897. Here is a very plain one. “The only being who was one with God lived the law in humanity, descended to the lowly life of a common laborer, and toiled at the carpenter’s bench with His earthly parent”.

Who is this? Christ. She says Christ is the only being who was one with God. But you believe there is another one. Very dangerous, because here it says: “the only being”. But we know there is a being who wanted to also be equal to the Father and the Son. There is another one indeed. But he is not supposed to be. And he lost his place in Heaven because he tried to do it by force over there.

So, we have very plain statements. So, be careful before you accuse the Spirit of Prophecy of supporting your belief, like Kellogg did, because if she were alive today she would say: “Brother, that’s not what I mean”. But she’s in the grave, but we’re glad that we still have her speaking through her writings.

And we have the writings very plainly before us. Selected Messages book 1. Now here is prophecy regarding the Omega. Now we looked at the Alpha, we looked at the History, we looked at the foundation and surrounding doctrines that can be affected by what Kellogg believed. Because we’re going to make the application today, and see what’s happening today that’s causing confusion among God’s people.

This prophecy is well known. Selected Messages, book 1, 204, 205. It says: “The enemy of souls has sought to bring in the supposition that a great reformation was to take place among Seventh-day Adventists, and that this reformation would consist in giving up the doctrines which stand as the pillars of our faith, and engaging in a process of reorganization. Were this reformation to take place, what would result? The principles of truth that God in His wisdom has given to the remnant church, would be discarded. Our religion would be changed.”

Did you know that you can still be a Seventh-day Adventist but you have a different religion to the one that God established? It says our religion would be changed. What do you think they will call the new religion? What do you think the devil will call the new religion to make it as deceptive as possible? Why, he’ll just call it Seventh-day Adventist! That’s simple. We’ll just change the religion but we’ll keep the same label. And we have confusion happening today. Well the easiest way to change religions is to just change Gods. You swap Gods, you’ve swapped religions.

“Our religion would be changed. The fundamental principles that have sustained the work for the last fifty years [1853 onward] would be accounted as error…”. Now, I’ve heard that one. I’ve heard people say: “well, yeah, the pioneers, you know, they were all wrong. We have the truth now. We’ve advanced”. Well, that’s great, because the Spirit of Prophecy prophesied that we would do that. But she said it would be credited to the enemy of all souls. It would be a departure from the foundation of faith. So, we need to be careful what’s happening with the things that we hear.

Continuing, she goes on: “A new organization would be established. Books of a new order would be written”. Now, did we look at an example of a book of a new order that we dealt with earlier? What book was it? The Living Temple. Now, we’re talking about the Omega and she says this time there will be BOOKS of a new order. So, we’ll not be dealing with just one book, but we’ll have books. The same problem is going to reoccur but it will be so more encompassing that we’ll have books written about it.

“A system of intellectual philosophy would be introduced. … Nothing would be allowed to stand in the way of the new movement. The leaders would teach that virtue is better than vice, but God being removed…” God is removed. Very interesting. “…they would place their dependence on human power, which, without God, is worthless. Their foundation would be built on the sand, and storm and tempest would sweep away the structure.”

So here we have a prophecy about a movement that will move from the solid rock and will shift on to the sand. And, in order to do that, they will account the fundamental principles as error, they will write new books and they will change religion and God will be removed. Now, let’s see, what are some examples of these new books of a new order that are written more currently today that Sister White talks about. Here is an example, “Questions on Doctrines”, a book that was written in the 50’s. If you open the pages of that book you’ll find that there is a belief in there that talks about the Trinity, exactly what Kellogg was teaching.

And then it gets a little more updated. And we have another book here in the middle called “The Trinity”, and this is a book by some doctors from Andrews University, three doctors. And it talks about the doctrine of the Trinity. It talks about God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit. Here is another book which is perhaps more common for those in the self-supporting circles of the work, “Defending the Godhead”. Same problem; different name. This time it’s not called the Trinity, it’s called the Godhead. And we’re going to look a little in detail about some of the things contained in that book because that is deceptive when the different terms are used it just confuses matters. So we’ll see what we can unravel when we look at this.

But Sister White tells us why Satan is trying to do what he’s doing. Selected Messages, book 1, p. 156. Notice: “Satan is determined that men shall not see the love of God which led Him to give His only-begotten Son to save a lost race; for it is the goodness of God that leads men to repentance”.

What’s Satan determined to do? That you do not see God’s love in giving His only-begotten Son. And so Satan is making a full scale attack on the Son of God. And he’s not starting this in 2007 today. He’s started this a long time ago. He started it from heaven. Let’s see what Satan did in heaven regarding the Son of God. Notice carefully.

This Day With God, p. 128: “Angels were expelled from heaven because they would not work in harmony with God. They fell from their high estate because they wanted to be exalted. They had come to exalt themselves, and they forgot that their beauty of person and of character came from the Lord Jesus. This fact the [fallen] angels would obscure, that Christ was the only begotten Son of God, and they came to consider that they were not to consult Christ”.

Who was the leader of these angels? Lucifer. And, Lucifer is determined today that you shall not see the love of God which led Him to give His only-begotten Son. Lucifer started attacking the fact that Jesus is the only begotten Son from day 1, from heaven. Notice what they wanted to do. They wanted to… it says here that this fact fallen angels would obscure that Christ was the only begotten Son of God. Now, some people believe that Jesus became the only begotten Son of God when He came in Bethlehem. How would you read the statement then? This is in heaven. Now, it says, this in heaven is a fact. It says: “this fact the angels wanted to obscure”. What does obscure mean? Cover up, you know, hide. They wanted to hide the fact that Jesus is the only-begotten Son of God. Do you think the angels knew the truth? They did, and they wanted to hide that fact.

Now, it’s interesting that it says here this is a fact. It’s not a prophecy, it’s not a metaphor, it’s not a symbol, it’s not a role play, it’s none of these things that you would want to believe, it is a fact! And not until you accept that fact, will you realize really what’s happening today.

Now, let us see in light of this, is Lucifer still making the same attack against the Son of God? Spirit of Prophecy said he’s determined that we shall not see it that God has given us His only-begotten Son. Well, true to his efforts, Lucifer is still making the very same attack. In that book, Defending the Godhead, p. 17, notice what it says about the Son of God: “Christ has always been the Son of God; and there never was a time when He emerged from the Father. That statement appears to solve all the problems about Christ’s Sonship”. Is Lucifer trying to obscure the fact that Jesus is the only-begotten Son of God? He certainly is. If Jesus was never begotten then Lucifer succeeded to a large degree.

But here is the crux of the matter. Now, this is an issue that you really wonder at when people read things like that and they don’t see it. The same book, pp. 11, 12. It says: “The second problem…” Ok, so what was the first problem? That Jesus is the Son of God. So they dealt with that problem by totally denying it. So problem one is fixed. Problem two is: “…the fact that there were three in the Godhead. It’s difficult to identify with three leaders. Think about that for a moment. (For example, how would fallen man go about praying to three Gods?) There was need for a special pattern, so humans would look to one sovereign God as Lord of all in their lives”.

Now, this is an admission in the introduction of the book that there is a belief of three Gods. Now, honestly, I really wonder if there is really a need to stand up here, and open the Bible and tell people: “listen brother it is wrong to believe in three gods”. I find that incredibly ironical. I honestly thought this type of material was dealt with in Sabbath School.

To have to stand up before people and say: “listen, three Gods is wrong. We only worship one God”. And then you have people saying: “that’s a heresy”. You know, the devil has been very successful deceiving many people. And people actually, in writing, admit it in their books, and people still read the books and think: “this is a great source of light and information”.

The pioneers were very clear on this: “you believe in three Gods? It’s a false belief”. This is another variation of the doctrine of the Trinity. It’s a doctrine that teaches that there’s God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit, totally unrelated to each other. The Son is not really a son. And this is why the first problem is they had to eliminate that Jesus is the Son.

Next problem is we have three divine Beings. We have three Gods. Of course, this book tries to solve this problem by saying: “well, one of the divine Beings said ‘look, everybody will worship Me and not necessarily the other two…’ and creating all kinds of bizarre scenarios just to get some kind of harmony, to try harmonize three gods with the Bible, which is absolutely impossible.

1888 Materials, p. 1633. Ellen White says very clearly: “There is no place for gods in the heaven above” – that should be obvious to everyone, but, the Holy Spirit inspired her to write that for obvious reasons – “God is the only true God. He fills all heaven. Those who now submit to His will shall see his face; and His name will be in the foreheads of all who are pure and holy”.

So, while people are teaching there are three gods, Ellen White says: “listen, there are no Gods in the heaven above. God is the only true God”. Who is she talking about? God the Father. John 17:3 says… Jesus speaking of His Father says: “that they might know Thee, the only true God”. The next evidence that we see for this, because it says: “they’ll see His face, His name will be…” where? “…In the foreheads”. Revelation 14:1 says that the 144 thousand have His Father’s name in their foreheads. That’s the Father of Jesus.

So, we’re talking about the Father. …it says: “listen, there are no gods above. God, the Father, is the only true God”. And we saw earlier that she said: “God is Father of Christ and Christ is the Son of God”. Ok, let’s see. Remember we read these statements? Just to make the comparison very clear.

We read this statement earlier, Kellogg summarized the whole problem when he said: “the whole problem of the Alpha…” – now we’re just connecting the dots between the Alpha and the Omega – “the whole problem with the Alpha, what I’m trying to say basically, is the Holy Ghost a person”? That’s his teaching. And what argument did he use? He said: “well, it’s called ‘He’ in the Bible and Spirit of Prophecy, and Ellen White even said ‘the third person of the Godhead”. Ellen White said: “I don’t believe that”.

Now, notice how the Omega makes a reappearance and notice the similarity in the arguments. Sister White said in 1SM: “Living Temple contains the alpha of these theories. I knew that the omega would follow in a little while; and I trembled for our people”. Now, let’s see what it says. Here’s the same book, Defending the Godhead, p. 153. It says: “It is of the highest significance that in this passage she always speaks of the Holy Spirit as a person, as a fully divine person (“the Third Person of the Godhead”); and she does not once speaks of Him as “it.””.

Have you seen this reasoning before somewhere? If we place it side by side maybe it will be more obvious. Sister White said the Alpha was a deadly heresy; the Omega will come. And she said books of a new order will be written about the Omega. It’s interesting that the Omega is using exactly the same reasoning; the very same statements that Kellogg tried to use of the Spirit of Prophecy; exactly the same argument to try and promote the same doctrine. If that is not obvious, let’s look at another one; because some people sadly today are so asleep that they need to be really shaken before they can wake up. Let’s look at another one. Let’s see. Same book again, p. 171, in the left there it says: “Both, the Bible and the Spirit of Prophecy say there is a Holy Spirit, that He is an actual person, and that He is the Third person of the Godhead”. Same reasoning again.

Now this book assumes that those who believe in the truth, that is, us, don’t believe in the Holy Spirit at all, because that’s what it means when it says there that there is a Holy Spirit. Now, if you’ve been listening at all today or if you’ve read any of our literature you’ll find that this belief is certain and upheld. There is a Holy Spirit! Anybody who says we don’t believe in the Holy Spirit is not correct. Here’s the correction “we do believe in the Holy Spirit”! There you go. But we don’t believe that the Holy Spirit is an individual being like the Father and the Son. It’s the personal presence of God, and it’s the personal presence of Christ.

Notice the teaching here that is being taught. We found earlier at the introduction of the book it said that they believed in what? Three Gods. And now they’re are using the same arguments that Kellogg used to promote the same teaching. Now, you can speculate as to what the Omega might be. You can say it’s the new theology, it’s the celebration movement, it’s this, that and the other that is happening in the church... that’s all fine and well. But you need to be accurate, and when you place the Alpha and the warnings that God has given us you will find that the Omega is not too hard to identify. It’s right here in front of our eyes using the very same arguments that Kellogg used in his day.

But we continue. Here is another one. Kellogg taught – this is a quote from the letter that we read earlier – that he believed in God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit. Let’s have a look. Is the Omega true to it’s mark or not? Page 91, same book (Defending the Godhead): “God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit are each eternal, and one in nature and purpose, but not in being a single person”. So in other words they are… three different persons. “Such a statement would be in full agreement with the Bible and Spirit of Prophecy”.

Remember somebody who said that in his days? Sister White said: “Excuse me brother, no. God forbid that that sentiment should prevail. My writings do not support that doctrine or that teaching”. Well, here it is again. So, be careful what you believe. Now, it’s interesting that that book… Sister Whiter said they will use statements from my writings to support their theories. …that book is loaded with Spirit of Prophecy statements. Now, somebody would say: “Oh, look. It’s so full of Spirit of Prophecy that it must be right”.

But, if that were the case, then it would be good, but it’s not the case. Because Sister White said not everybody that quotes me is quoting me correctly. Kellogg did that. It’s interesting that the same thing over the same topic is being done again today. Sister White tells us, Selected Messages, book 1, p.200: “In the book Living temple there is presented the alpha of deadly heresies”. This is the warning we read earlier. Now we’re reading it again in light of what we found. Now, notice: “The omega will follow, and will be received by those who are not willing to heed the warning God has given”.

And here we read today the warnings that God has given regarding the Alpha. And Sister White says the Omega will be received if you refuse to heed the warnings. This is why we looked at what happened before because it’s the same thing that’s happening today. You know this agitation about this topic – about the Godhead – that’s happening today among God’s people? This is not a coincidence or a chance. This has been prophesied. And Sister White told us about this a long time ago. It’s happening before our very eyes.

Here’s the warning that we should be very familiar with: “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”. Life Sketches, p. 196. And it’s also in Review and Herald, Oct. 12, 1905. So, there are people who are forgetting how the Lord has led us. They’re forgetting His teaching which is why we are doing what we’re doing. This is to inform the people and show them. Brethren, listen. The prophecy is coming true. And you don’t want it to come true in your life. You don’t want it to come true in your situation, for you, personally.

Here are the key points of that prophecy that we’ve looked at. Basically,

1: Giving up the doctrines which stand as pillars of our faith;

2: The principles of truth would be discarded;

3: Our religion would be changed;

4: The fundamental principles [1853à] will be counted as error;

5: A new organization would be established;

6: Books of a new order would be written – we looked at that;

7: A system of intellectual philosophy will be introduced;

8: God will be removed;

9: And the foundation will be built on the sand and will crumble.

And we have the Bible example in Mathew 7:24-27. You don’t have to turn there because our time is running, we’ll just quickly close. But, in Mathew 7 it talks about the wise man who built his house on the rock, and the foolish man built his house on the sand. And this house that stood on the rock stood firm, but the house that stood on the sand collapsed. And we need to make sure that you are standing on the rock today. And I’ll tell you something, it doesn’t matter how many people are standing on the sand, the sand is still the sand! Because some people start wondering if more people stand on the sand maybe that will make it more secure.

In other words, people say: “but, but, nobody believes what you’re saying… you’re only a few, but everybody over here believes in the Trinity”. Well, everybody in the world can stand on the sand if they like. Even if you’re the only one standing on the rock you better be standing on the rock.

The sand – the Bible says – is shaky foundation. The storm and tempest will sweep away the structure. And the rock we have it in Mathew 16:15-18, when Jesus asks His disciples: “Who do you say that I am”? Peter answered “thou art the Christ, the Son of the Living God.” Jesus said: “Peter, you know what? This was a divine revelation from my Father in Heaven. And I’m going to do something, Peter. I’m going to build my church on that rock”.

So, if you don’t believe that Jesus is the Son of God, you are rejecting the rock that Jesus is building His church on. And, so, we need to be aware of these things that are happening around us today.

Now, let me just close with a few statements from the Spirit of Prophecy as a warning to some people, because in some cases you will present evidence upon evidence upon evidence and yet, people still resist to accept for some reason or other. Let’s read what it says, Selected Messages Book 1, p.201: “He who declared that His truth would shine forever will proclaim this truth through faithful messengers, who will give the trumpet a certain sound. The truth will be criticized, scorned, and derided; but the closer it is examined and tested, the brighter it will shine”.

So, some people might ridicule the truth, criticize it, and deride it, and scorn it, but it shines more as it is examined. And this is exactly what’s happening today. Here is another warning. Selected Messages Book 1, p.72. It gives us a reason of why some people don’t accept some things: “Self-will and pride of opinion lead many to reject the light from heaven.” What two things? Self-will and pride of opinion. What’s another word for self-will? Selfishness. And it’s also being very stubborn. “My will is the way that it should go. There’s no other way”.

This “and pride of opinion lead many to reject the light from heaven. They cling to pet ideas, fanciful interpretations of Scripture, and dangerous heresies”. Today we examined a dangerous heresy, it’s so dangerous it’s actually labeled as a “deadly heresy”. She said some people will want to cling on to that “and if a testimony is borne to correct these errors, they will, like many in Christ’s day, go away displeased”.

A testimony has been borne today through the Spirit of Prophecy that we read, to correct some of these heresies today. And it’s sad that when we share that with some people they actually get upset. And they actually…some say “Don’t talk to me about this topic anymore”. As if you brought to them some very scary thing or you just said something that offended them. The reason why God is sending us these things is to help up to move from error to truth. God is not sending us these things to condemn us but call us higher. And, so the same thing is happening today when a testimony is borne to correct these errors many people go away displeased.

Selected Messages Book 1, p. 72 here it is again: “It’s God’s plan to give sufficient evidence of the divine character of His work to convince all who honestly desire to know the truth”. If you really want to know the truth, God has enough evidence for you to see the truth. “But He never removes all opportunity for doubt. All who desire to question and cavil will find occasion”.

And if on the other hand you want to sit down and argue for hours and write books, and dissertations and papers, you can do that. God says He doesn’t remove all evidence for doubts… He doesn’t remove all opportunity for doubt. But, our position and our aim is not to sit down and question, and cavil, and argue, and debate for hours. Our position is just to give the truth… give the testimony of the truth. God has given you a free will and a mind and reason. So, you can think and decide and answer for yourself before God. But, remember that a testimony of truth has been borne. There won’t come a time when you say: “You know what, no one told me”. Because God tried to tell you time and again, but you refused it. The Testimony is very plain.

And so today we have before us the Alpha and the Omega of deadly heresies. We looked at the Alpha, we saw the history of it and we saw that the Omega is alive and well and very much in the majority. It’s a turn of tables; you know the Alpha of apostasy, when it came, was really a minority – Kellogg and his followers. But the majority of the church were kept safe.

But when the Omega is happening today we have a turning of the tables. The majority believe error and the minority are believing the truth. But, this minority is growing because, by God’s grace, people are seeing the truth because there are people who are honest. There are people who really want to know the truth. And this is what’s happening. So, my prayer to you, as you read and study these things, is ask yourself the question: am I really standing on the sand or am I standing on the rock, that Christ declared, is the only way that His church will succeed?

Let’s kneel together as we close in prayer: Our blessed Father in Heaven above, we thank Thee so much for Jesus Christ, Thine only-begotten Son. That thou hast not withheld Him from us, but hast given Him to us to show how much Thou hast loved us. And we thank Thee for the plain testimonies that Thou hast in Thy Word, that, even though the devil tries to obscure this fact, and hide it from us, but we believe and understand that Thou hast loved us so much in giving us Thy Son. We pray, Father, for every soul that will study and hear the words of this message and that they will see, through the influence of Thy Spirit, where the truth lies. The day of reckoning is not far in the future and as probations still lingers, we pray that some soul will realize their true position and move from the sand bed to the firm and solid foundation, the Rock, Jesus Christ, the Son of God. This is our prayer in the name of our most wonderful and blessed Redeemer, Jesus Christ, Amen.

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