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Last week, I set out to write the definitive “How do I recognize the voice of God” study. It turns out, the question is not at all an easy one to answer. After years of answering it – correctly – for a number of different questioners, and in a variety of circumstances, it seems that it is not something that can be boiled down to a half-hour doctrinal teaching. While the study last week was always going to be a blessing to those who heard/read it, in retrospect, it makes perfect sense that no one teaching, no one study, can cover the entirety of this matter. The Scripture says, “God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, hath in these last days spoken unto us by His Son, whom He hath appointed Heir of all things, by whom also He made the worlds.” (Heb 1:1, 2)
I have spoken with people who use this verse incorrectly. They take this statement to mean that the time of prophets has passed, that in former times Yahweh spoke to us through various means, but today He only speaks to us by the Son. That is to say, the Scriptures become the only possible source of inspiration, which leads to legalism ultimately, because if only the words of the Bible are inspired, and none of its readers or interpreters are inspired, then we can only cling to the traditional interpretation of every verse. No new light is allowed, except through pure human scholarship. No new application of a principle outside of very strict guidelines can be seen as orthodox, because Yahweh has closed all the lines of communication that might correct us without restricting us from advancing in sanctification.
The gift of prophecy, it seems, is actually the antidote to legalism, because it gives the Church the ability to evaluate and re-evaluate doctrines, to ensure under the guidance of the Spirit that they remain relevant, no matter how the world and its circumstances might change. We are “safe” to explore the world of spiritual ideas, because if we come too close to danger, our Father speaks to us and guides us back to the fold. We have certainly seen writers like Ellen White do this a number of times in her testimonies, warning this brother or that about teachings that may seem right at the time, but contain elements of error that may begin innocently, but end in disaster.
There are, therefore, two things wrong with using the first two verses of Hebrews to limit the influence of ongoing, prophetic light that shines upon our Father’s people. First, that understanding is contrary to other, very clear, Scriptures. Joel 2 tells us that Yahweh’s Spirit will be poured out on His people in the last days. Verses 1 and 28 tells us that in preparation for the “Day of the Lord,” “it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out My Spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions.” (Joel 2:28)
Second, even if you artificially insert the word “only” into Hebrews 1, and say that Yahweh only speaks to us by His Son in the last days, it still doesn’t eliminate the various means by which the Son speaks to us. Yahshua has always been the source of our knowledge of the Creator. Yahshua appeared to Saul and spoke to Him as a flash of light… a vision that nobody else standing beside Saul could see. (Acts 9:7) Daniel received information from both Gabriel and Yahshua in His glorified form while he dreamt, and we read in an early chapter, “Then was the secret revealed unto Daniel in a night vision. Then Daniel blessed the God of Heaven.” (Dan 2:19) At still other times, Yahshua appeared to His followers in physical form, and taught them directly, “And it came to pass, as He sat at meat with them, He took bread, and blessed it, and brake, and gave to them. And their eyes were opened, and they knew Him; and He vanished out of their sight. And they said one to another, ‘Did not our heart burn within us, while He talked with us by the way, and while He opened to us the scriptures?’” (Luke 24:30-32)
Thus, we have dreams, visions, and visitations, all by the Son of Yahweh, all at different times in human history, and certainly in these last days. It is written of the Father that “No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, He hath declared Him;” (John 1:18) thus, what appeared to mankind visually was always the Son. Truly, there is no limitation ever placed on Yahweh’s ability, or desire, to communicate with mankind, except that He must hide His glory from us until the judgment, when we are prepared to stand in His unveiled majesty.
There is no one way that Yahweh communicates with us through His Son, and what is suitable for one may not be for another. While we are always cautious of supernatural signs, or extreme shifts in providence, we know that our Father is making our paths as straight as they can be while still sanctifying us through the things that we are permitted to meet and overcome. And so there are symbols, and signs, and still-small voices, and the constraints of conscience, and the proper reading of the Scriptures… these all constitute the manners by which Yahshua speaks to us in the last days, with some methods more meaningful to some than others. Some means are more generally useful and safe than others… a well-understood and properly applied principle is always better than a dream or vision that may be misused, and so our Father generally leaves the more uncommon means of communication for emergencies or unusual situations. This is why, during our conversation following the study last week, we seemed to all agree that preliminary signs, fore-warnings of right or wrong decisions, are the exception rather than the rule, and should not be the expectation of the saint unless the other means of determining our Father’s will have proven ineffective.
As a united people, we agree on the fundamental principles here, of course. Even among us, though, who have worked with the Word for years in cooperation with our Savior, we will have differences in experience and understanding of how exactly Yahweh can and does speak to His people… and that is perfectly okay. What was meaningful to Ellen White and our Adventist Pioneers a hundred and fifty years ago might not be the best way to inspire a believer today.
One might ask, “Why doesn’t Yahweh just talk to us from Heaven in a single, clear, consistent way that Satan is not permitted to counterfeit?” It is because Yahweh wishes to have an individual relationship with each of His people, both for their good, and so that He can perfectly balance the degree of influence necessary for that soul without the experience becoming “enthralling.” By that I mean, what might be a gentle suggestion for one individual might be perceived as a direct and irresistible command by another, and Yahweh wishes us – as we were discussing last week – to make our choices guided by His principles, but not compelled by His authority. This, in fact, this balanced level of influence and this diversity of means, is necessary for us to be able to serve as the messengers and ambassadors of He who cannot be understood and explained intellectually, only known by faith.
If we knew, for example, exactly when Yahweh would send signs to guide us, or when He would allow providence to teach us through cause and effect, we would have no need for much of either… Neither signs nor cause-and-effect would matter much, because we would already know just what He would do. The truth is, there are so many factors to hearing and properly understanding our Father’s voice, it truly becomes a matter of faith. It truly requires, as last week’s study concluded, that the people of Yahweh fervently pray for wisdom, so that we do not miss, or misunderstand, what our Father is showing us. That is always the correct answer. Read the Scriptures, counsel with the brethren, and above all, speak always to our Father in Heaven in prayer, asking for wisdom. He does not remove the possibility of doubt, or error, because we worship Him in our humanity mixed with the divine nature, not as stiff figures driven by outside sources.
As was pointed out last week, those who rely on signs to tell them whether or not to make decision A or decision B, not as a rare event, but as a constant source of guidance, are likely manifesting fear of judgment, fear of making a mistake. This is when faith has become superstition, and Satan can easily take advantage of someone who is unfamiliar with Yahweh’s principles and their application, and has become dependent on circumstantial occurrences instead.
Yes, our Father can use signs to guide us, but natural signs, the effects of our actions, are the best way we learn the truth. When Yahshua was on earth, His enemies were seeking an excuse to disbelieve His testimony, and so He said, “For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, ‘He hath a devil.’ The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, ‘Behold a man gluttonous, and a winebibber, a friend of publicans and sinners.’ But wisdom is justified of her children.” (Mat 11:18, 19)
This is just the matter. Signs, symbols, and any form of evidence may be seen through the lens of bias. They are not wrong in themselves, especially if they occur without our request or a dependence upon them; it is not bad to receive and learn from them, but they are subject to our understanding. To give a more modern example of the effect of this bias, those who love righteousness, and desire to cease from sin, rejoice at the testimony of victory that we bring. Others, who have only an outward faith, hear those same words and recoil. John the Baptist led a very severe life, and his testimony was rejected by those who did not know Yahweh. Yahshua came with a different approach, a more social, inclusive one, but because the bias was the same, the conclusions were also the same. What takes away the excuse, though, what provides undeniable knowledge of righteousness, is that wisdom produces reliable results. An effect, rightly examined, reveals the proper cause. A cause, properly applied in faith, produces sanctifying effects. Such was the case with accepting Yahshua as the Messiah. Such is the case with accepting the testimony of the saints today about Righteousness by Faith.
Perhaps the 9/10 Principle applies here as it does in so many other areas of spiritual understanding. Nine tenths of what we are to learn of the spiritual world should be learned through study, experience and reasoning from cause to effect. One tenth we receive through dreams, visions, signs and the testimony of directly inspired brethren.
What is important is that as we learn, as we live our lives for our Father’s glory, we stand in Yah’s judgment without fear, without unnecessary caution. “There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Yahshua, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.” (Rom 8:1) There is no condemnation, and no fear of condemnation, that we should require a continuous series of signs to keep us from falling into our Father’s wrath. Today I want to focus on what that looks like, expanding a bit on a phrase I introduced in that last study, which is, “confident, but correctable.”
When we are certain we are accurately hearing the voice of our Father, how do we speak when we are sharing the truth?
Yahshua stood out from the Scribes and Pharisees, because He spoke as one who had personal, intimate knowledge of what He was talking about. “And it came to pass, when Yahshua had ended these sayings, the people were astonished at His doctrine, for He taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes.” (Mat 7:28, 29) Luke’s Gospel goes even beyond that, reading, “And [Yahshua] came down to Capernaum, a city of Galilee, and taught them on the Sabbath days. And they were astonished at His doctrine, for His word was with power. And in the synagogue there was a man, which had a spirit of an unclean devil, and cried out with a loud voice, saying, ‘Let us alone; what have we to do with Thee, thou Yahshua of Nazareth? Art Thou come to destroy us? I know Thee who Thou art; the Holy One of God.’ And Yahshua rebuked him, saying, ‘Hold thy peace, and come out of him.’ And when the devil had thrown him in the midst, he came out of him, and hurt him not. And they were all amazed, and spake among themselves, saying, ‘What a word is this! For with authority and power He commandeth the unclean spirits, and they come out.’ And the fame of Him went out into every place of the country round about.” (Luke 4:31-37)
The authority with which Yahshua spoke was clearly and visibly impressive, even to His critics. I have seen some attempting to copy this pattern, but not everyone who assumes this authority on the surface, however has truly had it given to them by the Almighty. “Then certain of the vagabond Jews, exorcists, took upon them to call over them which had evil spirits the name of the Lord Yahshua, saying, ‘We adjure you by Yahshua whom Paul preacheth.’ And there were seven sons of one Sceva, a Jew, and chief of the priests, which did so. And the evil spirit answered and said, ‘Yahshua I know, and Paul I know; but who are ye?’ And the man in whom the evil spirit was leaped on them, and overcame them, and prevailed against them, so that they fled out of that house naked and wounded.” (Acts 19:13-16)
Naked and wounded… hurt and embarrassed. So it will be for all who pretend to speak in Yahshua’s name, but have never known Him as He desired to be known by them. There is authority, but there is also arrogance that looks a lot like authority, while lacking its essential spirit.
We know that Moses, a foreshadowing of the Messiah, spoke with great authority. In fact, Moses once spoke with so much authority that Yahweh rebuked him, and kept him from completing the journey through the wilderness. (Num 20:12)
And yet, “the man Moses was very meek, above all the men which were upon the face of the earth.” (Num 12:3) Except for the error in judgment at the waters of Meribah, the natural inclination of Moses was the gentle, delicate approach. From the beginning of his labors, Moses was taught the balance between meekness and boldness. He had to hear the voice of Yahweh clearly in order for that to take place. When he was too bold, he was rebuked, but when he was too meek, Yahweh also corrected him there. After resisting the call to redeem Israel from Egypt several times, even while being shown preliminary signs and wonders, clearly knowing this was Yahweh, “[Moses] said, ‘O my Lord, send, I pray thee, by the hand of him whom Thou wilt send.’ [i.e., “somebody else”] And the anger of Yahweh was kindled against Moses, and He said, ‘Is not Aaron the Levite thy brother? I know that he can speak well. And also, behold, he cometh forth to meet thee; and when he seeth thee, he will be glad in his heart. And thou shalt speak unto him, and put words in his mouth, and I will be with thy mouth, and with his mouth, and will teach you what ye shall do. And he shall be thy spokesman unto the people, and he shall be, even he shall be to thee instead of a mouth, and thou shalt be to him instead of God.’” (Exo 4:13-16)
Even when wrathful, our Father is not oppressive with His people. He was angry that Moses was continuing to try to avoid His mission, but He condescended to let Aaron become his spokesperson. This did not have very good long-term consequences; Yahweh’s “Plan A” is always the best, and we know Aaron would later lead the Israelites in an idolatrous ceremony while Moses was atop Mount Sinai. For the moment, though, it was an acceptable arrangement.
Moses was, therefore, not to be bold to the point of arrogance, nor meek to the point of resistance to an inspired calling. A human would speak for the divine, but he would not become puffed up with self-importance. Many today, and very many, are in the ditches on both sides of that road.
Some are too meek, too shy, to be effective Evangelists.
When modern popular speakers and independent teachers of the Gospel speak, it is often with unwarranted authority. It is outside the covenant of the Church, and therefore outside the Biblically defined Body of Christ. What would be genuine authority in one within whom Christ dwells, becomes an outward show. It is not surprising that they speak in this manner, because they see the boldness with which the Biblical prophets spoke. In fact, it might be easy enough to mistake a Biblical speaker for arrogant. We might read, for example:
“Yahweh shall judge the people. Judge me, O Yahweh, according to my righteousness, and according to mine integrity that is in me.” (Psalm 7:8)
“Behold now, I have ordered my cause; I know that I shall be justified.” (Job 13:18)
“Then said Elijah unto the people, ‘I, even I only, remain a prophet of Yahweh, but Baal’s prophets are four hundred and fifty men.” (1Kings 18:22)
“I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith.” (2Tim 4:7)
“And hereby we know that we are of the truth, and shall assure our hearts before Him.” (1John 3:19)
“If any man speak, let him speak as the oracles of God; if any man minister, let him do it as of the ability which God giveth, that Yahweh in all things may be glorified through Yahshua the Messiah, to Whom be praise and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.” (1Pet 4:11)
That last quote contains quite a teaching: “If any man speak, let him speak as the oracles of God.” This is where we find ourselves in Scripture, and in time. This is the thought I would like to highlight today. When you speak, speak as a messenger and representative of the Most High. That is the proper way to speak. We are teachable, but we are also bold.
Every author of a Biblical book speaks with authority, with boldness that could be misunderstood as pride. Nevertheless, that is the correct way to speak. If a worldling, or a nominal Christian, should talk like this, especially if they should speak “as the oracles of God,” they would be blaspheming the righteous One of Heaven. But that is not us. Because we have Christ’s wisdom, however, and because we have Christ’s humble spirit, the correct way to be balanced is to speak with great authority, with great boldness, knowing that even if we are misunderstood, there is no danger that the accusations against us will be genuine. They will resist us, and our words, and our testimony, for the same reasons, for the same biases, and for the same love of sin, that caused them to resist Christ during His earthly ministry.
Yahweh, through various means, speaks to people in these last days, and we, His Church, His messengers, are one of those ways.
As we conclude, to those who would be balanced, and speak rightly of our Father, and what He has done for us, get used to speaking boldly. This is necessary, otherwise one cannot be an effective messenger of truth. This does not mean we are arrogant. This does not mean that we are unteachable, even by the worldling, and by the unsanctified messenger. With Christ in us, every experience is a lesson. We do not seek out individuals or circumstances that we know to be poor teachers, but wherever we find ourselves, we may learn more of contentment and faith. We speak with the expectation, the perfect expectation, that we have heard our Father’s voice, and are correct in our understanding, especially our testimony of the Father and Son – and at the same time, we are always learning more about Them.
This requires diligent self-reflection. If a worldling says, “I can’t think of anything to improve about myself,” that would be arrogant, because they are relying on their own perception alone… When we say it, it is because we have looked, and have done so as objectively, as honestly, as we can, with the assistance of the Holy Spirit and the Church. Might there be more to find? If there is, we haven’t found it, but should some brother say, “There is a bit of dirt on your face that you might not be able to see,” we dare not reject their loving assistance without making very sure.
Without the Spirit, without the Church family, without the Law of Yahweh, no human being can be complete, spiritually healthy, or effectively preparing for the great Harvest. If they are without these things, and they say, “I am doing well. It is well with my soul,” it is because they are not able to see. A saint, though, has diligently heard and applied the teachings of Paul, and Peter, and the other apostles of Yahshua. They have examined themselves, they have sought out ways to be better servants of Yahweh, and so when they say, “I don’t know how I can be more holy,” it is not a boast, it is an observation. This is how Yahweh’s holy ones have always spoken; why should it be that now, when the light is brightest, we would speak less powerfully?
Inspiration has told us that a prideful tongue says, “I am sinless.” That is true, but the line between truth and error is so fine, the world cannot see it. We say, “We do not commit sin.” We do not actively, deliberately, transgress our Father’s Law. We say that we do not perceive any sin within us, and when our perception matches our Father’s, then we are mature and ready for harvest. That is all that means. It is not an extraordinary claim, at least not when compared to the other miracles our Father has brought about.
We speak according to the light that we have received, otherwise we were never worthy of that light. If any are offended by the confidence, by the assurance, with which a Creation Seventh Day Adventist speaks, let them learn the Scriptures, to see how God’s people testify. Our Redeemer is in Heaven, but He is not only there. Our Redeemer is in the Sanctuary, for a little while longer, but He is not only there.
Christ Yahshua, by His very own Spirit, dwells in the hearts and minds of His People. When sinners hear us, when they hear us saying, “Be ye healed. Go and sin no more,” it is the Son’s voice they are hearing, and the Father’s Word they are hearing. Christ in you, the hope of glory… that is what makes all this work. That is what makes us supremely confident, and also perfectly willing to be corrected and taught a more excellent way. This is the message of healing that our Father has given to us to share with the world. Let us be balanced, therefore. Let us be confident, and correctable. Let us be excited, eager, to share this message with those who have all of Heaven to gain, and everlasting life to experience, if they will receive us with faith, with hopeful expectation.
David.
An Enduring Witness
“God could see the meekness of Moses; but his own brother and sister failed to see it, and though they had been his daily companions, they really thought that Moses was exalting himself above them, when he was doing with meekness and fidelity what the Lord had directed him to do.” [The Review and Herald, July 18, 1893]
“When speaking of heavenly and divine things, why not speak in distinct tones, in a manner that will make it manifest that you know what you are talking about, and are not ashamed to show your colors? Why not pray as though you had a conscience void of offense, and could come to the throne of grace in humility and yet with holy boldness, lifting up holy hands without wrath and doubting? Do not bow down and cover up your face as if there were something that you desired to conceal; but lift up your eyes toward the heavenly sanctuary, where Christ your Mediator stands before the Father to present your prayers as fragrant incense, mingled with his own merit and spotless righteousness.” [Christian Education, p. 127]
“It was by cherishing a humble, teachable spirit that these men gained the experience that enabled them to go out as workers into the harvest field. Their example presents to Christians a lesson of great value. There are many who make but little progress in the divine life because they are too self-sufficient to occupy the position of learners. They are content with a superficial knowledge of God's word. They do not wish to change their faith or practice and hence make no effort to obtain greater light.” [Acts of The Apostles, p. 283]