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In part 2 of our series on
God's Church in Crisis we will continue to address issues that pertain
to the upcoming General Conference Session at San Antonio. We do so in
hopes that the delegates will make decisions based upon the light we
have been given as a people. It is shining brightly upon us.
The
crisis is a result of the Laodicean condition of which Jesus warned us.
The solution follows the warning as we revealed in our last article.
Jesus is our only hope, and He stands at the door knocking. It is an
extremely encouraging message that we find in the third chapter of
Revelation in the message to the Laodicean Church.
Some leaders in
God's church have not faith enough to believe that God can purify His church.
They see the present situation and have revealed they think God may not
bring the church through to the end. They believe the "organized
church" may fail to do its appointed work. That is contrary to the light
we have in in Scripture and the Spirit of Prohecy. We read in Ezekiel
chapters thirty six and thirty seven that God has promised to cleanse
his church. Some take that to mean those who are keeping the
commandments of God, not the organized church. If it is not the
organized church, and it is the faithful who are not in apostasy, then
why is there need of reformation? Those who are faithful need not
repent. No, the message given by Ezekiel addresses a filthy dead, dead,
dead church. These two chapters need to be studied by our pastors that
the church may be encouraged that there will be revival and reformation
in the organized church.
Jesus is speaking to a church through the prophet, He is speaking to us, we are modern Israel. "Therefore say unto the house of Israel, Thus saith the Lord GOD; I do
not this for your sakes, O house of Israel, but for mine holy name's
sake, which ye have profaned among the heathen, whither ye went. And I
will sanctify my great name, which was profaned among the heathen, which
ye have profaned in the midst of them; and the heathen shall know that I
am the LORD, saith the Lord GOD, when I shall be sanctified in you
before their eyes....Then will I sprinkle clean water upon you, and ye
shall be clean: from all your filthiness, and from all your idols, will I
cleanse you" Israel, Thus saith the Lord GOD; I do not this for your
sakes, O house of Israel, but for mine holy name's sake, which ye have
profaned among the heathen, whither ye went. And I will sanctify my
great name, which was profaned among the heathen, which ye have profaned
in the midst of them; and the heathen shall know that I am the LORD,
saith the Lord GOD, when I shall be sanctified in you before their
eyes....Then will I sprinkle clean water upon you, and ye shall be
clean: from all your filthiness, and from all your idols, will I cleanse
you"
The message is a promise, it is unmistakable and
coincides with the Laodicean message. When God wants to make a point, He
always repeats the message as we see in the rest of chapter thirty six.
But, this message is of such importance that He continues through the
prophet Ezekiel in chapter thirty seven.
"The
hand of the LORD was upon me, and carried me out in the spirit of the
LORD, and set me down in the midst of the valley which was full of
bones, And caused me to pass by them round about: and, behold, there
were very many in the open valley; and, lo, they were very dry. And he
said unto me, Son of man, can these bones live? And I answered, O Lord
GOD, thou knowest. Again he said unto me, Prophesy upon these bones, and
say unto them, O ye dry bones, hear the word of the LORD. Thus saith
the Lord GOD unto these bones; Behold, I will cause breath to enter into
you, and ye shall live: And I will lay sinews upon you, and will bring
up flesh upon you, and cover you with skin, and put breath in you, and
ye shall live; and ye shall know that I am the LORD. So I prophesied as I
was commanded: and as I prophesied, there was a noise, and behold a
shaking, and the bones came together, bone to his bone. And when I
beheld, lo, the sinews and the flesh came up upon them, and the skin
covered them above: but there was no breath in them. Then said he unto
me, Prophesy unto the wind, prophesy, son of man, and say to the wind,
Thus saith the Lord GOD; Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe
upon these slain, that they may live. So I prophesied as he commanded
me, and the breath came into them, and they lived, and stood up upon
their feet, an exceeding great army. Then he said unto me, Son of man,
these bones are the whole house of Israel." Ezekiel 37:1-11.
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