第十一章 胆怯的与疏忽大意的将被筛出去

基甸的经验证明上帝并不需要大数量来完成祂的工作。当所有惧怕胆怯的人被要求回家去时，那三万二千人的大军几乎是被消灭了。当基甸看着二万二千士兵离开军队跑回家时，心情一定沉重忧郁到了极点。他以为是无法用这剩下的区区一万人去大败敌人的。然而在上帝看来人还是过多，于是祂又命令做了另一项测试。在去往战场的路上，每个人都要在河水旁停下取水喝。除了三百人外所有的士兵都疏忽大意地跪下来从河流中取水喝，这就使得他们的眼睛无法注意到敌人。那三百精兵并没有跪下来，而是快速地用手捧一点水，用舌头舔水。主说：

“我要用这舔水的三百人拯救你们，将米甸人交在你手中；其余的人都可以各归各处去。”——士师记7：7

我们知道上帝在那天通过使用以色列中的一小群人大大得胜的故事。他们用火把、瓶子和角击溃了米甸实力强大的军队。

当我们今日面对最后的得救之战时，这给我们一个什么教训呢？会有类似基甸的美好经历。我们也要实际地成为余民中的余民，正如被筛选、被摇动过的基甸军队中所残余的人一样。这一教训就是，在我们所面临的决定性战争中，上帝不能使用胆怯的人，祂也不能使用疏忽大意的人。我们在本书中已经列出了无可质疑的证据，显明上帝需要勇敢无畏的跟随者，他们将以以利亚与施洗约翰的精神对付罪。那些在晚雨之下发出大呼声的人，必不惧怕人会对他们怎么样。他们要揭露巴比伦的罪，并要对沉睡的老底嘉教会宣讲直截的证言。他们必使号角吹出“定”音。

疏忽大意的人能够在争战之日成为受上帝印记的圣徒的一部分吗？所有的证据都说“不能”。我们的敌人不是米甸人；我们的敌人乃是世界。

“你们这些淫乱的人（原文作淫妇）哪，岂不知与世俗为友就是与上帝为敌吗？所以凡想要与世俗为友的，就是与上帝为敌了。”——雅各书4：4

我们是否发现有丝毫的可能虽与世界调和并仍然能在大呼声中受（上帝的）印记呢？根本没有。那些疏忽大意地与世界妥协之人将要成为虚假教义的牺牲品，因为他们辨别真理与谬误的能力已经被摧毁了。

现在基甸的测试正被用于余民教会中，大批离去之事正开始发生。当真实见证者的直截证言在基督复临安息日会全教会中开始被听闻时，胆怯的与疏忽大意的就将要被迫摊牌。这一信息不会由那些在教会外的人发出，而惟独由那些在教会内为教友中出现的可憎之事叹息哀哭的人发出。

请永远不要忘记，当基甸的日子那得胜的三百人并非依靠人数或装备的优势取胜。他们只装备了两样东西——带有火把的瓶子和角。这里就是少数余民得胜的预表情节。装着油的火把象征晚雨中只沛降在完全顺从的、已受印之人身上的圣灵。角象征警告老底嘉世俗化与妥协的勇敢的声音。也许三百与三万二千的对比关系对怀姐妹所描述的“小群”人来说意味深长。他们是那些唯一不放弃安息日加入敌方的人。（《证言卷一》，608面）

这有组织的教会是否愿意接受这悔改的呼召与已被允许发展的背道行为断绝关系呢？在1888年她不愿意接受这同一道被描述为晚雨之开始的信息。向上撤回到更高的标准决不是容易的。我们过去的每一个教训都教导我们这一连串向下的堕落将会继续。然而这一次，常规的试验模式将被打破并改变。这次的试验结果将是可怕并且外伤严重的，因为它看起来要威胁到教会的整个框架与结构。一切都显为要倾倒瓦解了，然而这教会没有倾倒。上帝的圣灵为一种清洁的分裂提供着能力。没有人能预见到这场经历会何等痛心。正如我们已经看到的，上帝将要兴起许多普通人来替换那些将陨落出去的最耀眼的明星。因而这工作就由那些准备好倚靠神圣能力而非“学校的训练”（《善恶之争》，606面）之人速速完结。

我们每一个人此刻所面临的最严肃的问题就是：我们是否会列在那接受老底嘉悔改与改革的信息的非常特殊的小群人之中呢？虽然在1888年那道信息临到之时许多人都拒绝了它，但我们现在是否更加谦卑并能接受这样一种呼召呢？我们是否意识到标准的衰退，并为教会的世俗化潮流而悲痛呢？你自己的内心如何呢？是否欢迎这一更深刻的生命的洁净与奉献的呼召呢？

“如果自称为上帝子民的人发现自己的心意对这一直截的工作起了反感，要是他们不愿被吐出去就当使他们相信自己还有一番工作要做，要得胜…那些符合每一要点，经得起每一考验，并且得胜，不顾任何代价的人，他们既已听从那为‘真实见证者’的忠告，就必领受晚雨。”——《证言卷一》，187面

“教会正处于老底嘉的状况。上帝的临格不在其中…拒绝接纳基督进入祂自己的殿中，这是一件多么可怕的事啊！这对教会是何等大的损失啊！我们的救赎主差遣祂的使者带给其百姓一个见证…然而许多人拒绝接受祂，因为他们害怕祂会是个昂贵的客人…他们害怕祂会向他们提出某种要求。因此拿撒勒人耶稣走过了。祂渴望将其恩典之最丰厚的福惠与恩赐赠予他们，然而他们却拒绝接受。”——《棕皮笔记单张》，教育卷六，1898年

“那赐给老底嘉教会的信息，是充满了鼓舞的；因为这一倒退了的教会还可能去买信心与爱心的金子，还可能拥有基督之义的白衣，使他们赤身的羞耻不露出来。纯洁的心地、纯洁的动机仍可以表现为这等不冷不热、努力要事奉上帝又事奉玛门之人的特质。他们还可以洗涤自己品格的衣袍并在羔羊的血里将之洗白净。”——《圣经注释卷七》，966面

“古以色列人的罪在于疏忽漠视上帝明确的旨意，并依着自己未成圣之心意的引导偏行己路。现代的以色列人正在紧随他们的脚步，主的不悦定然要临到他们身上。”——《证言卷五》，94面

请你常常提醒自己，在古时的以色列人与现代的以色列人之间有着惊人的相似之处。我们已被警告过步犹太民族后尘的可怕危险，他们所追随的路线在他们被拒绝做上帝的子民时达到顶点。所有发生在他们身上的事，都“写在经上，正是警戒我们这末世的人。”（林前10：11）上帝常常恳求他们从那围绕他们的列国中分别出来，拒绝与巴力崇拜有关的任何妥协。祂说：

“我的百姓作了迷失的羊，牧人使他们走差路，使他们转到山上。他们从大山走到小山，竟忘了安歇之处。”——耶利米书50：6

先知描绘了上帝对于其可怜的子民的忧伤，他们找不到安歇之所。他们被自己的牧人引到了差路上。因而，上帝通过先知耶利米再次呼召：

“耶和华如此说：你们当站在路上察看，访问古道，哪是善道，便行在其间；这样，你们心里必得安息。他们却说：我们不行在其间。”——耶利米书6：16

直到上帝今日的以色列人回到真理的界标上，恢复古道——善道——他们才能为其心灵找到安歇之所。

总而言之，我们可以说，在教会中教义的混乱主要是与世俗妥协的结果。妥协是由老底嘉的不冷不热引起的，而这种不冷不热又是由于疏忽与基督的个人关系才产生的。背道之链上的每一环都直到回到那最大的根本问题上，即没有花时间祷告、灵修，并把耶稣置于生命中的首位。因而老底嘉真正的补救之方，就被宣布为是金子、白衣与眼药了，——这些都代表着真实的个人信仰的要素。信心、圣灵与基督的义将产生这种个人的复兴，以致它要对老底嘉做出一次彻底扫除，从上到下都清洁净尽。

何等的展望啊！上帝将有一班完全反映耶稣形象的子民。这一信息将以光荣胜利的音符结束。阴间所有的力量都不能胜过那建立在永恒真理之磐石上的教会。上帝将从孤独、背叛、与逼迫的严酷考验中，带出一班忠心的余剩之民，他们将在全宇宙面前为祂的圣德辩护。

他们将是那些在其他人的背道中逐渐增强力量的人。他们将是仰望基督而不是看人的忠心的一群人，并且不会改变他们的信念以取悦大众。这些是不因船的震动摇晃而离开它的忠心之人。确如磁针指向磁极一般，他们的良心也不屈服于正在吹刮的妥协之风或温和的教义。

你能凭信心想象自己与那光明的一群人一起站在玻璃海上吗？上帝应许我们该成为那宝贵的余民中的一部分。

CHAPTER 11 THE FEARFUL AND CARELESS SHAKEN OUT

The experience of Gideon proves that God does not need great numbers to accomplish His work. The army of 32,000 was practically wiped out when all the frightened ones were invited to go home. Gideon must have been devastated as he watched 22,000 soldiers leave the ranks and run for home. He saw no way of routing the enemy with the remaining 10,000 men. But God saw that there were still too many, so He ordered another test to be applied. On the way to battle every man paused at the river to get a drink of water. All but three hundred of the soldiers carelessly got down on their knees to sip water from the flowing river, making it impossible to keep their eyes on the enemy. The elite three hundred did not drop on their knees, but quickly scooped water into their hands, and lapped it with their tongues. The Lord said:

"By the three hundred men that lapped will I save you, and deliver the Midianites into thine hand: and let all the other people go every man unto his place." Judges 7:7.

We know the story of God's great victory that day which He wrought through a small company of Israelites. With lamps and pitchers, and trumpets they shattered the mighty strength of the Midianite army.

What is the lesson for us today as we face our final war of deliverance? There is a beautiful parallel with Gideon's experience. We shall be, literally, a remnant of the remnant, just like the sifted and shaken residue of Gideon's forces. The lesson is that God cannot use COWARDS, and He cannot use CARELESS ones in the crucial battle just before us. We have presented incontestable evidence in this book that God requires bold, courageous followers who will deal with sin in the spirit of Elijah and John the Baptist. Those who give the loud cry under the latter rain, will not fear what man can do to them. They will lay bare the sins of Babylon, and also preach the straight testimony to the slumbering Laodicean church. They will give the trumpet a "certain" sound.

Can careless ones be a part of the sealed saints in the day of battle? All the evidence says no. Our enemy is not the Midianites; our enemy is the world.

"Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? Whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God." James 4:4.

Have we found it at all possible to accommodate the world and still be sealed during the loud cry? None whatsoever. Those who are carelessly compromising with the world will fall prey to false teaching, because their ability to discern truth and error has been destroyed.

Right now the test of Gideon is being applied to the remnant church, and the exodus is beginning to take place. The cowards and careless are being forced to show their hand as the straight testimony of the True Witness begins to be heard throughout the Seventh-day Adventist Church. This message will not be sounded by those outside the church, but by those within who are sighing and crying for the abominations which exist among the members.

Never forget that the victorious three hundred in Gideon's day did not win by virtue of numbers or equipment. They were armed with two things only-a lamp in a pitcher and a trumpet. Here is the scenario of victory for the little remnant. The lamp with its oil represents the Holy Spirit in the latter rain which falls only upon the fully obedient, sealed ones. The trumpet symbolizes the bold sounding of the warning against Laodicean worldliness and compromise. Perhaps the comparison of 300 to 32,000 may be significant as to the "small portion" who were described by Sister White. They were the only ones who did not give up the Sabbath and join the opposition. (Testimonies, Vol. 1, p. 608.)

Will the organized church be receptive to the call to regent and renounce the apostasy which has been allowed to develop? In 1888 she was not willing to receive the same message which was described as the beginning of the latter rain. It will never be easy to pull back up to a higher standard. Every lesson of our past teaches us that the downward cascade will continue. But this time the normal, predictable pattern will be broken and changed. It will be a terrible and traumatic decision because it will seem to threaten the entire structure and fabric of the church. All will appear ready to fall and disintegrate, but the church does not fall. The Spirit of God provides the power for a clean break. No one can predict how painful this experience will be. As we have seen, God will raise up many of the common people to replace the brightest lights who will go out. The work will then be finished quickly by those who are ready to depend upon divine power rather than "the training of literary institutions." (The Great Controversy, p. 606.)

The solemn question which faces each one of us right now is whether we will be in that special little group who will accept the Laodicean message of repentance and reformation. Even though many rejected the message when it came in 1888, are we more humble and receptive now to such a call? Do we recognize the breakdown of standards, and grieve over the worldly drift of the church? What about your own heart? Does it welcome the call to a deeper cleansing and consecration of life?

"If the professed people of God find their hearts opposed to this straight work, it should convince them that they have a work to do to overcome, if they would not be spewed out ... Those who come up to every point, and stand every test, and overcome, be the price what it may, have heeded the counsel of the True Witness, and they will receive the latter rain." Testimonies, Vol. 1, p. 187.

"The church is in the Laodicean state. The presence of God is not in her midst ... What a terrible thing it is to exclude Christ from His own temple! What a loss to the Church! Our Redeemer sends His messengers to bear a testimony to His people . . . But many refuse to receive Him, because they fear that He will be an expensive guest . . . they fear that He will require something from them. And so Jesus of Nazareth passes by. He longs to bestow on them His richest blessings and gifts of grace, but they refuse to accept them." Brown Leaflet Series, Education, No. 6, 1898.

"The Laodicean message is full of encouragement; for the backslidden church may yet buy the gold of faith and love, may yet have the white robe of the righteousness of Christ, that the shame of their nakedness need not appear. Purity of heart, purity of motive, may yet characterize those who are halfhearted and who are striving to serve God and mammon.

They may yet wash their robes of character and make them white in the blood of the Lamb." Bible Commentary, Vol. 7, p. 966.

"The sin of ancient Israel was in disregarding the expressed will of God and following their own way according to the leadings of unsanctified hearts. Modern Israel are fast following in their footsteps, and the displeasure of the Lord x is as surely resting upon them." Testimonies, Vol. 5, p. 94.

Remind yourself often that there is a tremendous parallel between ancient Israel and modern Israel. We have been warned of the terrible danger of following the course pursued by the Jewish nation, which culminated in their rejection as God's people. All that happened to them was for our "admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come." (I Corinthians 10:11.) God pleaded with them often to separate from the nations around them, and reject any compromise with Baal worship. Said He:

"My people hath been lost sheep: their shepherds have caused them to go astray, they have turned them away on the mountains: they have gone from mountain to hill, they have forgotten their resting place." Jeremiah 50:6.

The prophet portrays the grief of God over His poor people who find no place to rest. They are led away by their own pastors into strange paths. Then comes God's call again through the prophet Jeremiah:

"Thus saith the Lord, Stand ye in the ways, and see, and ask for the old paths, where is the good way, and walk therein, and ye shall find rest for your souls. But they said, We will not walk therein." Jeremiah 6:16.

Until God's Israel today returns to the landmarks of truth and restores the old paths-the good way-they will never find that resting place for their souls.

In summary, we can say that the doctrinal confusion in our church is largely the result of worldly compromise. The compromise was generated by a Laodicean lukewarmness which was spawned by the neglect of a personal relationship with Christ. Every link in the chain of apostasy leads right back to the great, basic problem of not taking time to pray, study, and give Jesus first place in the life. Thus the true remedy for Laodicea is announced to be gold, white raiment and eyesalve, representing the elements of true personal religion. Faith, the Holy Spirit, and the righteousness of Christ will generate such individual revival that it will make a clean sweep of Laodicea, purging and purifying from top to bottom.

What a prospect! God will have a people who reflect the image of Jesus fully. This message will close on a glorious note of triumph. All the powers of hell will not be able to prevail against the church which is built upon the Rock of enduring truth. Out of the crucible of loneliness, betrayal, and persecution God will bring forth a residue of faithful ones who will vindicate His character before the universe.

They will be the ones who gathered strength from the defections of others. They will be the faithful group who looked to Christ rather than men, and would not alter their convictions to please the crowd. These are the loyalists who did not leave the ship because it shook and trembled. True as a needle to the pole their consciences would not bow to the blowing winds of compromise or smooth doctrine.

Do you see yourself, by faith, standing with that shining company upon the sea of glass? God grant that we shall be a part of that precious remnant.