These are very interesting times indeed, and one only needs to read their social media or internet news feed to know that we are living in an unprecedented time in history. Economic and social upheavals due to a worldwide pandemic, political, and racial unrest have people paying attention. No less attentive are students of eschatology who are convinced current day issues have prophetic implications.
There should be no doubt we are careening towards the end of Earth’s history. But even the more so a reason we should be extra careful on our prophetic approaches and not lean upon sensational theories that color the many various teachings peddled by certain ministries that claim to adhere to the eschatological heritage of the Seventh-day Adventist Church.
The presentations seem sincere, and gripping. In the digital age they have learned to adapt by using technology to dazzle their videos, and the content grips you like a thriller television movie or series. And the scripts are well written. Using the same thrilling and sensational narratives that the entertainment industry which glue audiences around the world in front of their electronic devices, these presentations are professionally done, and the production value is very high.
Except that in the entertainment industry we know what we see is for entertainment purposes only. These highly sensationalized lectures and presentations done by certain ministries are presented as fact…and some even attempt to tie them to the Three Angels’ Messages of Revelation 14.
I will not call out such ministries by name; their fruits bear out who they are. They pile up sensational theory after sensational theory and suggest that those that do not heed such narratives are in fact denying the Three Angels’ Messages.
The same encourage civil disobedience when unnecessary, disregarding the Inspired counsel to not indulge in this type of attitude,
“By some of our brethren many things have been spoken and written that are interpreted as expressing antagonism to government and law. It is a mistake thus to lay ourselves open to misunderstanding. It is not wise to find fault continually with what is done by the rulers of government.”[i]
It is ironic that many such ministries continue to peddle sensational narratives quoting the Spirit of Prophecy, while at the same time disregarding the same Spirit of Prophecy which condemns their methods. This is an abomination, and those that sow the wind will reap the whirlwind.
The shock and hook strategies of the sensational methods used by such ministries have drawn in many thousands of followers. And let’s be brutally honest. These ministries take in thousands upon thousands of dollars in donations, contributions, and YouTube revenue from views.
A speaker from one of these ministries will make many times the amount a church employed pastor could ever hope to make, and in this age of pandemic induced economic hardship for virtually almost every organization, many pastors are being laid off. All the while certain independent ministries take advantage of the pandemic response to sensationalize their prophetic lectures and create a frenzy.
Church employed Pastors who preach sermons on practical Christian living, Righteousness by Faith, and classical points of our faith are either ignored or seen as being too “politically correct” for not being sensational enough. I remember one instance when I attend a series of meetings where revivalist Dennis Priebe spoke in the Fort Worth, Texas area one weekend on the topic of Righteousness by Faith. The same time another famed speaker, who shall remain nameless, was speaking in the same area. The topic was about the New World Order and the pervasiveness of secret societies in civil government. Guess where most of the “remnant” people of God flocked to by the droves?
“Human opinions and sensational preaching amount to very little. Those who are imbued with the word of God will teach it in the same simple way that Christ taught it. The world’s greatest Teacher used the simplest language and the plainest symbols.”[ii]
An appetite for the sensational will cause many to become addicted, and many truths will be ignored, supplanted by a counterfeit “Present Truth”. In the case of the ministries I had witnessed in action, both on the internet and in physical attendance, sensational themes are brought about that would make excellent Hollywood movie screenplays.
Speculative Deep state conspiracies, quoting prominent men out of context to suggest they are calling for depopulation of the planet, anti-vaccination theories, the General Conference of SDA is formally joining Ecumenical councils, Jesuits and Freemasons at the highest level of civil and religious government.
While listening to these lectures and watching the slides, I could understand why so many were attracted to them. There were choruses of “Amens!” and encouragements of “Preach the truth!” This was THE “truth” to many in attendance and silencing the preacher in any way would be akin to spiritual treason and ultimate rebellion against God.
The presentations themselves were almost compelling. With a good enough portion of Scripture and Ellen White writings placed in them to make them seem like solid, truth laden messages. But we often forget that not all who cry, “Lord, Lord!” will enter the Kingdom of God.
After a particular series of lectures, I personally listened in on one of these ministries’ speakers’ conversation with another man who sincerely asked him, “why are you against the Conference?” The speaker replied that he did not hate Ted Wilson, or the General Conference, but he hates what the Conference was “doing to God’s People”.
Fair enough.
But was this speaker fair to the Conference? Did he really give a fair them assessment of the issues? Why is the first move of such ministries to offer criticism instead of asking clarification, or offering support in the areas of agreement?
Or maybe that wouldn’t “sensational” enough for his followers?
He wouldn’t be able to change his tone, or else he would lose the support he had already gained. Here are some of the comments to one of his videos:
“Pastor they may call you an offshoot, but they can’t call you a wolf for telling the truth.”
“Thank you Pastor for the truth. These GC SDA churches has sold their soul to the devil. The blind following the blind dumb dogs leaders instead of following Jesus.”
“I'm Amazed there is still a SDA GC and daughters. after so much blatant Apostasy......BLATANT APOSTASY”
The speaker can’t let them down now, can he? After all, he has built a reputation, a “ministry” thriving on criticism, directly against the Divine counsel of the Lord’s Messenger, and this will be met with dire consequences regardless of the intent and lip service towards the truth. This is not to say such preachers do it for the money or the following. They could very well believe every word they say. And that’s what makes it even more dangerous.
In that same video the speaker claims pastors in Conference employment see their status in the Church as a type of “salvation” for them. This is an insult to the same pastors who, time and time again preach Jesus as our Surety, and sound the alarm of Christ’s soon coming, and teach the Classical Adventist eschatological views on the identity of the Beast, the Mark, and the image to the Beast.
In his book, “Back on Track”, which he co-wrote with Ken Wade, Pastor John Osborne laments the time he spent building up the “Prophecy Countdown” ministry into a “ministry” of criticism.
“I don’t have an actual count, but over the years that we were independent from the Seventh-day Adventist denomination, between twenty and twenty-five individuals who once worked or were affiliated with us eventually spun off and formed their own independent ‘ministries,’ many of them just as critical of us as we were of the denomination. Nobody wanted any chain of command. Nobody wanted to submit to anyone else’s authority or discipline. Total rebellion, which has now led to anarchy, is the best way I can think of to describe their attitude,”
he writes. He continues,
“Whenever anyone was disciplined, they would either join another group or set up their own ministry. The same sort of thing was going on in other independent ministries as well, and anytime we tried to set up some sort of accountability or authority, people would shout ‘popery!’ But we didn’t come to understand the bitterness in the seeds we had cultivated until we suddenly were pulled up short and came to realize that we had been galloping headlong down a wrong path.”[iii]
God snapped Pastor Osborne out of the delusion of addictive sensationalist and critical “ministry” and brought him to realize the errors of his ways. For all of you who have been caught up in this deceitful and addictive method of “ministry”, God is appealing to you to reconsider that journey.
We will not say there are no sins or errors taught in the Church. There is a need for constant calls for revival and reformation. But we stand firm upon the teachings of Inspiration which state,
“There is in some of the members of the church, pride, self-sufficiency, stubborn unbelief, and a refusing to yield their ideas, although evidence may be piled upon evidence which makes the message to the Laodicean church applicable. But that will not blot out the church that it will not exist.”[iv]
If you are in a critical ministry, or if you love the thrilling nature of sensational teachings, the Lord is pleading with you through His Messenger,
“Some, with the best of motives, and possessing capabilities for great usefulness, utterly fail in times of trial in the church, for want of the love and mercy that dwelt so richly in the heart of Christ. They see one in error; and instead of helping him they hold themselves aloof. They are inclined to make unpleasant allusions, and to touch sensitive spots when they might avoid them. Self comes up and bears sway, and they give pain and stir up wrong feelings. However pure their intentions, their efforts to do good nearly always result in failure, if not in actual harm, because the tenderness and compassion of Christ are wanting. They would make very good surgeons, but they are poor nurses. They have not the tact that is born of love.”[v]
But perhaps, for others, it may not merely just be a case of a deluded spirit, but a mental disorder. Truth will have to be told.
“A few years since, a man named Pulse, of Red Bluff, California, came to me to deliver his message. He said, it was the loud cry of the third angel which was to lighten the earth with his glory. He thought God had passed all the leading workers and given him the message. I attempted to show him that he was mistaken. He said Seventh-day Adventists were Babylon, and when we told him our reasons and set the matter before him, that he was in error, he had great power come upon him, and he certainly gave a loud cry. I sent to the office for Bro. Jones and my son, Willie, who came in. Mr. Pulse stood up under a power proclaiming the loud cry of the third angel’s message, swelling louder and louder. We had much trouble with him; his mind became unbalanced, and he had to be placed in the insane asylum.”[vi]
In a time where the digital age makes information available at the speed of light, we will expect more and more of these deceptions to take hold upon God’s professed people. They may boast that they will not be deceived by the world and its trappings, but then the Devil will ensnare them with false piety and erroneous sentiments.
Be beholden to the words of Scripture, “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour.” 1 Peter 5:8
Too many of those steeped in sensational teachings think themselves vigilant…but they are definitely not sober.
REFERENCES
[i] Ellen G. White, Counsels to the Church, pg. 316
[ii] -----, Counsels to Parents, Teachers, and Students, p. 433
[iii] John Osbone and Ken Wade, Back on Track: The John Osborne Story, pg. 97
[iv] Ellen G. White, The Review and Herald, Sept. 19, 1893
[v] -----, Testimonies for the Church, Vol. 5, pg. 349
[vi] -----, Letter 16, 1893
Lemuel Valendez Sapian was born and raised in Denton, Texas and holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in History from the University of North Texas. Married with four fast-growing children, his passion is for world, religious, American and military historical studies. A lifelong Christian, he is an aspiring minister in the Seventh-day Adventist Church, a business owner and avid traveler.