The priests in the temple at Jerusalem are going about their daily routine of sacrificing animals, just as their ancestors had done for centuries. They are oblivious to the momentous events taking place nearby. A cry rings out from Calvary: “It is finished!” The earth quakes, rocks split open, and the temple curtain is torn from top to bottom by an unseen hand. The priest who is about to offer the lamb drops his knife, and the lamb flees. All present are puzzled. They have no idea that what their fathers had looked forward to for centuries is taking place.

Why was Israel ignorant of the fulfillment of prophecy regarding the coming of Jesus? They were meticulous in carrying out the requirements of the law. They were keen students of prophecy. They had a longing and an expectation that soon the Messiah would appear. But still they didn’t know.

Israel was a chosen nation, called of God with a message to take to other nations. God made his covenant with them; however, this special calling caused them to think of themselves as the only people of God. The Gentiles were “dogs” and “outsiders.” At the same time, however, there were non-Jews, “heathen,” like the wise men that came to visit the baby Jesus, who were used by God and inspired by the Spirit (The Desire of Ages, p. 44). It is sobering to think that such people knew more about the coming of Jesus than did the great religious leaders of Israel.

People in Israel listened to the voices of false prophets and stoned the true ones God sent to them. The false prophets were usually crying “Peace, Peace,” affirming that God would never break his covenant. In contrast, the prophets sent by God warned that God would be with them only as long as they were faithful to that covenant; that if they were not faithful, that God would not bless them and that terrible consequences would follow. They stoned these true prophets and refused to listen to their warnings.

The Jews locked themselves into a Messianic end-time scenario and felt they had everything worked out in detail. They commonly believed that Elijah would come first, and then the Messiah would appear, overcome their enemies, and bring an era of peace. When the prophecies were fulfilled, it turned out that Israel had many things to learn and unlearn. While they had concentrated on the majestic “Day of the Lord” prophecies, they had neglected to see the “Suffering Servant” passages revealed through Isaiah. God is full of surprises when it comes to fulfilling prophecy. While the prophecies are fulfilled in essence, he can vary the fulfillment details as circumstances change. Israel failed to comprehend that God had been doing this all through history.

Israel’s religious leaders betrayed the nation. The people trusted them, but Jesus delivered some of his strongest condemnations against these leaders, for though they could read the signs of the weather, they could not understand his mission.

Divisions of thought were confusing the people. The Pharisees claimed to represent conservative orthodoxy and projected great self-assurance as they worked with successful missionary zeal. The Sadducees, a more liberal element, questioned the Pharisees’ belief in angels and a resurrection. The Essenes, on the other hand, insisted on living on the margins of society, in the desert, and a group called Zealots sought above all else to cast off the Roman yoke.

Amid this turmoil, the Jews missed the gospel. To them, being right with God was a matter of following correct teaching and practice, as taught in the Torah by their fathers. They had a righteousness, they thought, but it was their own and not that of Christ.

So what warnings should Adventists derive from the experiences of Israel? Adventism, like Israel, has received a special calling from God. We can fail if we do not live as God wants us to. Some will answer that Ellen White guaranteed that the church will triumph, but Israel was given many similar messages by its prophets. Still, in the end, God removed them from their privileged position because of their repeated failures to live up to the covenant. God never accepts any one person or group unconditionally.

Has Adventism, like Israel, stoned messengers sent from God and listened to false prophets? In Adventism we often find that those who give warning messages or are ahead in their thinking are treated poorly, while those who tell the people what they want to hear are applauded. Every thought leader in Adventism must ask, “Is it I?” Our present attitudes would suggest that if God ever sent another special messenger, we would certainly make life difficult for them, and anyone claiming to have the gift of prophecy would almost certainly be rejected. The Bible teaches, however, that spiritual gifts continue on in the church.

The Bible teaches that God can vary the details of how prophecy is fulfilled, and we could find ourselves facing the indictment that Christ gave to the leaders of Israel. They were ignorant of how prophecy was being fulfilled, because it did not meet their preconceived ideas. While the Book of Revelation focuses on the issues of worship at the end time and we can see response to the gospel through obedience to the law of God [especially the Sabbath] as end-time tests, yet we need to see them in the setting of the world of the 21st Century, and not 19th Century North America alone.

A great responsibility rests upon Adventist leaders. Church people look to their leaders for guidance and trust them to be open and honest with them. Yet the laypeople are often kept out of discussions because their leaders think they could not handle information. This breeds resentment and distrust, when the facts become known. Many leaders do not read and grow, and yet they are making important theological decisions that affect much of Adventist thought. Many who know the most are afraid to say what they really think, for fear of sacrificing their careers. This is not a sign of a healthy organization.

Adventists should be willing to learn and grow in spiritual understanding. Our pioneers were persuaded by the concept of “present truth” and refused to write up a creed. We need to return to open Bible Conferences, such as those held in 1848, when our message was born. Today our “so-called” Bible Conferences tend to have specially selected speakers who will not depart from accepted ideas. Some leaders have expressed concern that if things were discussed openly “it might get out of hand.” This stifles discussion and leads to a dead orthodoxy.

We need not be afraid of truth, for it will survive open discussion. The attitude of Ellen White was, “If the pillars of our faith will not stand the test of investigation, it is time that we knew it” (Counsels to Writers and Editors, 44). It was she, more than anyone else, who called for openness and growth in understanding. Her classic statement remains, “In every age there is a new development of truth, a message of God to the people of that generation, the old truths are essential; the new truth is not independent of the old, but an unfolding of it…. He who rejects or neglects the new does not really comprehend the old. For him it loses its vital power and becomes but a lifeless form” (Christ’s Object Lessons, 127, 128). As with Israel of old, much of what we now do and believe has become a lifeless form.

The divisions of thought in Adventism today are causing confusion. As on Israel of old, most Adventists today have no idea of the theological wrestlings going on in various meetings and publications. We have our own form of Pharisees, Sadducees, Essenes, and Zealots who often pay their closest attention to things unrelated to salvation.

Each individual in Adventism must be sure not to miss the gospel. God has placed a special calling upon this movement, with its message to share with the world. But with this consciousness comes a danger of thinking that in giving assent to and guarding an understanding of this message, we will achieve a right standing before God. This was a pit into which Israel fell. Various forms of legalism have plagued Adventism throughout its history. We need to remind ourselves constantly of Ephesians 2: 8: It is by God’s grace alone that we are saved.

If we get this right we may be amazed at how everything else seems to come up right. It is the very heart of Christianity. When we respond to the gospel in loving Christ with all our hearts, we have a motivating purpose in obeying him. When we have assurance that God loves and accepts us in Christ, it takes a lot of the pressure off, and we perform better in our Christian behavior. It makes us kinder, more loving and accepting of others. We do not feel as threatened by the ideas of others. It is up to us as individuals to receive and understand the gospel; no one else can do it for us.

pp. 12,13 adventist today | vol. 15 issue 5