HOW THE TARES CAME INTO GOD'S CHURCH

"Satan by means of his success in turning man aside from the path of obedience, became 'the god of this world.' 2 Corinthians 4:4. The dominion that once was Adam's passed to the usurper."--Prophets and kings, pg. 682:1 (bold emphasis added).

In the beginning of the New Testament Christian era, the Devil tried to stop Jesus' work by crucifying Him and killing steven (Acts 7:58-60) and "millions of martyrs" (G.C. 59:3). But the more he killed the more new ones arose. So he changed his tactics:

"But when the old dragon saw that persecution {and martyrdom} could not overthrow their faith, he reversed his plan, and devised a more subtle satanic scheme to destroy the {Christian} church."--2 Shepherd's Rod book, pg. 134:2 (bold emphasis, braces added).

"When the old dragon saw that he could not overthrow that spiritual house by persecution {and martyrdom}, he reversed the scheme and employed his power to undermine the apostolic foundation by donatives and various inducements to the pagans in favor of the Christians. As the pagans rushed to join the church, the current of apostasy turned against the Christians. Instead of the church Christianizing the world, the world paganized the church."--2 Shepherd's Rod book, pg. 135:0 (bold emphasis, braces added).

These pagans were among the "tares" sown into the Christian church by the Devil (Mt. 13:25,39). He also sowed them into the Protestant Churches that followed thereafter. And it was not too many years after Sis. E.G. White had her first vision in 1844 of the 144,000 (E.W. 13) who are to be sealed in the Seventh-day Adventist church, that "men slept" (Mt. 13:25) and many "tares" became members. The men who slept were the "sleeping preachers" (2 Test. 337) among the faithful ministers who were laboring to bring 144,000 members into their church.

"When the long-sought number (144,000) of living church members was finally reached in the year 1917, and the world had yet but barely been touched by the message, the leaders of the denomination became confused, but only because they lost sight of the truth that there were bad {tares} as well as good {wheat} in the 'net' (gospel church), as Christ had predicted."--5 Tract, pg. 103:1 (bold emphasis, braces added).

And then the "tares" in the Seventh-day Adventist church began to multiply in great numbers when "the serpent cast out of his mouth water as a flood after the woman" (Rev. 12:15). The "serpent" is "the Devil, and Satan" (Rev. 12:9); the "water" is "peoples...and nations" (Rev. 17:15); the "flood" is "ungodly men" (Ps. 18:4); and the "woman" is God's true church today--Seventh-day Adventists. This verse (Rev. 12:15) clearly reveals the irrefutable fact that the phenomenal growth of the Seventh-day Adventist church from 144,000 members to over nine million, is not by the work of God, for this reason:

"The Lord does not now work to bring many souls into the truth {since 1917 when they had 144,000 members}, because of the church members who have never been converted {tares} and those who were once converted but who have backslidden {tares}. What influence would these unconsecrated members {tares} have on the God-given message which His people are to bear?"--6 Testimonies, pg. 371:0 (bold emphasis, braces added).

If God is not bringing in these millions of members into the Seventh-day Adventist church, then who is? It can only be the work of the Devil who is busy using his "sleeping preachers" (2T.337) to bring in these "tares" by the millions. And they brag about it!

"Your {sleeping preachers} bragging about the Denomination's achievements and of her numerous {millions of} conversions the world over, if it be true, Truth now challenges you to honestly answer the questions that here ensue: Why are you giving them {the tares a} hope of a home in the Kingdom if you positively know that they {tares} cannot be saved? Is not such an ingathering outright deception and the greatest endeavor to infiltrate the church with tares ever heard of? and is it not spiritual whoredom of the worst kind to fill the church of God with devils?"--1 Timely Greetings, No. 12, pg. 21 (bold emphasis, braces added).

So why is the Devil bringing these "tares" by the millions into the Seventh-day Adventist church? He knows that Jesus predicted through His servant John in Revelation seven that an "angel" (message) had the "seal of the living God" (Rev. 7:2) to seal the 144,000 saints (Rev. 7:4) which Sis. White saw in her first vision. And he knows that she predicted in 1890 that God would send the prophet Elijah to the Seventh-day Adventist church (T.M. 475:3), who would have that message (The Shepherd's Rod) to seal the 144,000 and those saved "with" them.

"Prophecy must be fulfilled. The Lord says: 'Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord' {Mal. 4:5}. Somebody is to come {future tense--sometime after 1890} in the spirit and power of Elijah, and when he (a male person--Mal. 4:6} appears, men may say: 'You are too earnest, you do not interpret the Scriptures in the proper way. Let me tell you how to teach your message'."--Testimonies to Ministers, pg. 475:3 (bold emphasis, braces added).

Since Sis. White began her ministry in 1844 and wrote in 1890 that Elijah "is to come" in the future, then she could not have been that Elijah. The Lord proved this fact when He said: "And Deborah, a prophetess, the wife of Lapidoth, she judged Israel as that time." (Judges 4:4). Did you notice that God's Word does not confuse the saints by saying that Deborah was a "prophet," a "husband" and a "he"? Why? because the Lord always refers to a male person as a "he" and a "prophet;" whereas He always refers to a female person (such as Deborah) as a "she" and a "prophetess"! And that is the reason why Malachi said that "Elijah the prophet" (Mal. 4:5) is to be a male person "he" (Mal. 4:6), as the first Elijah--John the baptist was a "he" (Mt. 3:1-3). This irrefutable fact proves, then, that Sis. White was not referring to herself (a "she") as Elijah, but to a "somebody"--a "he" who "is to come" after her day to the Seventh-day Adventist church.

The purpose of Devil, of course, is to use these "tares" to fight against Elijah's message of truth to keep the 144,000 Davidians from being sealed. Therefore, every true Davidian must know how these "tares" will work to frustrate their labors, so that they may dispute their false arguements against the truth and expose them to others.

HOW TO IDENTIIFY THE WORKS OF THE TARES

"God's people {Davidians} must learn to detect the voice of the Spirit of Christ {by the saints}, as well as the spirit of Satan {by the tares}. When the two clash, the One {Christ by His saints} will strive for obedience to God's Word, but the other {Satan by his tares} will excuse the sin and sympathize with the sinner. In this way Satan gains ground, for the sinner loves his sin."--2 Shepherd's Rod book, pg. 70 (bold emphasis, braces added).

Eve could not "detect" the voice of the Devil in the serpent, and she sinned. So those Davidians who are "too lazy to study" (1 T.G. 21:12:4) will not be able to "detect" the voice of the Devil through his tares. The obvious reason why, is because the tares are worthless weeds which look like wheat. Those Davidians, therefore, who are fooled by the "tares" is because they do not study, or do not fully believe all that the SRod message teaches. Therefore, they will not judge a man by what he teaches but by his appearance, because "man looketh on the outward appearance" (1 Sam. 16:7). And though Sis. White said, "We are not to say what constitutes the wheat, and what the tares" (T.M. 47:2; yet, there are signs and ways by which a Davidian saint can "detect" the voice of Satan through the Davidian tares, in spite of their "outward appearance"! These "tares" work most effectively by attending Davidian Bible studies to confuse, disrupt, contradict, detract, argue, and do or say whatever they can do to keep the truth from those at the study. Therefore, the most fitting name or title that can be given to all such "tares," whether they be Seventh-day Adventists or Davidians, is "study-busters"!

STUDY-BUSTERS EXALT THEMSELVES

The first thing that a "study-buster" must do to deceive Davidians is to put on a good "outward appearance"! To do that, a false Davidian must adopt a title of some sort to make it appear that he is an important person, an exalted person, by claiming to be a porter or a prophet or a president or whatnot.

"These two sins--trust in man, and desire to exalt self--are still the leading sin elements now here on earth. This was Eve's stumbling block and to many {Davidians} even today it is still the stumbling block."--2 Timely Greetings, No. 28, pgs. 13,14 (bold emphasis, braces added).

The object, of course, of these "study-busters" is to deceive the "very elect" (the 144,000), but that is impossible (Mt. 24:24); because these saints study the SRod message and know that such deceivers are "usurpers" (1 T.G. 14:22:0)--false prophets.

STUDY-BUSTERS PROMOTE WINDS OF DOCTRINE

And what do false prophets promote to fight against the SRod message to seal the 144,000?--"winds of doctrine"! These Davidian "study-busters" bring forth all kinds of false doctrines to contradict the SRod message and confuse the students.

"Satan, clothed in angel robes, will deceive, if possible, the very elect {144,000--2 Tr. 65}. There will be gods many and lords many {false prophets}. Every wind of doctrine will be blowing {by the study-busters}."--5 Testimonies, pg. 80:1 (bold emphasis, braces added).

"All present truth believers {Davidians} should now see the necessity of shunning every wind of doctrine {by the study-busters} regardless how plausible or reasonable it might appear to be....Get your doctrine, Brother, Sister, only from the golden bowl (see The Shepherd's Rod, Vol. 2) {pg. 289:0), and be not like the waves of the sea, driven with the wind and tossed--be not carried about by the many winds of doctrine that are blowing wildly {by the study-busters} from every direction to cause you to lose your way to the everlasting kingdom."--11 Tract, pg. 12 (bold emphasis, braces added).

The true Davidians, the "very elect" (Mt. 24:24), cannot be deceived, because they are not "too lazy to study" (1 T.G. 21:12). By going to the "golden bowl" to study from the Spirit of Prophecy and the SRod message, they are able to "detect" the voice of Satan through his study-busters. As a result, they can tell the difference between truth and error, and can see that the study-busters are "truth-haters"!

STUDY-BUSTERS ARE TRUTH HATERS

"And so, Brother, Sister, you need not listen to the voices {of Davidian study-busters} that urge you to shut yourself in from this gentle {latter} rain, or to tuck in under someone's umbrella {of usurpers}....No, you cannot afford to stand dry under the umbrellas of Truth-haters. Get out from under their devilish umbrellas lest you lose out eternally, lest you hopelessly cry out, 'The harvest is past, the summer is ended, and we are not saved.' Jer. 8:20."--1 Timely Greetings, No. 17, pg. 7 (bold emphasis, braces added).

STUDY BUSTERS PROMOTE PREJUDICE

"When new light is presented to the church, it is perilous to shut yourselves away from it. Refusing to hear because you are prejudiceed against the message or the messenger will not make your excusable before God."--Counsels On Sabbath School Work, pg. 32:1 (bold emphasis, added).

"Those who allow prejudice to bar the mind against the reception of truth cannot receive the divine enlightment."--Testimonies to Ministers, pg. 105:3 (bold emphasis added).

"But if the Bible is opened with irreverence, with a feeling of self-suffeciency, if the heart is filled with prejudice, Satan is beside you, and he will set the plain statements of God's word in a perverted light."--Testimonies to Ministers, pg. 108:1 (bold emphasis, braces added).

"If the minister when before his congregation sees a disbelieving smile upon the faces of opponents, let him be as one who sees not. If any should be so impolite as to laugh and sneer, let not the minister, by voice or attitude, reflect the same spirit. Show that you handle no such weapons."--Testimonies to Ministers, pg. 248:1 (bold emphasis, braces added).

"If a brother differ with you on some points of truth, do not stoop to ridicule {and make fun of him}, do not place him in a false light, or misconstrue his words, making sport of them {by laughing at him}; do not misintrepret his words and wrest them of their true meaning. This is not a conscientious argument. Do not present him before others as a heretic, when you have not with him investigated his positions, taking the Scriptures text by text in the spirit yourself to show him what is truth."--Counsels to Writers and Editors, pg. 50:2 (bold emphasis, braces added).

"As soon as a preacher comes down from the position a minister should ever occupy, and descends to the comical to {ridicule and} create a laugh over his opponent, or when he is sarcastic and sharp, and rails upon him, he does that which the Saviour of the world did not dare to do {Jude 9}; for he places himself upon the enemy's ground."--3 Testimonies, pg. 220:2 (bold emphasis, braces added).

"To ridicule {and laugh at} the position held by those who are in error will not open their blind eyes nor attract them to the truth."--9 Testimonies, pg. 242:3 (bold emphasis, braces added).

"To ridicule {and laugh at} his ideas would not weaken his position in the least if it were false, or strengthen your position if it were true."--Testimonies to Ministers, pg. 107:2.

"Opponents to the truth will show skill in misstating their opponent. They will make the most solemn, sacred truths the subject of ridicule {and laughter}. They will generally sport {make fun of} and deride precious, sacred truth, and place it in so false a light befoer the people that minds that are darkened by error and polluted by sin do not discern the motives and objects of these designing men in thus covering up and falsifying precious and important truth."--3 Testimonies, pg. 424,425 (bold emphasis, braces added).

"There are some who indulge in levity, sarcasm, and even mockery {ridicule and laughter} toward those who differ with them."--Testimonies to Ministers, pg. 108:2 (bold emphasis, braces added).

The saints cannot be deceived (Mt. 24:24) when they attend a study group, because the Lord will help them to see the "study-busters" for what they are. When prayer is offered to invite the presence of the Holy Spirit and the angels as unseen guests, those who are really searching for truth will not manifest a self-righteous spirit and "ridicule" and "laugh" at the teacher or anyone at the study with whom they disagree. Those who "mistate" what another person is teaching and make fun or "sport" of their beliefs by being "comical" to cause others to "laugh and sneer" at them, are exposing themselves as "study-busters" who are not led by the unseen guests, but by the spirit of the enemy to break up the study. When the Davidian saints see these kind of people at any study group they will not be fooled by their laughter, no matter what they profess to believe, or what church position or office they may hold. Such comical behaviour is blasphemy against God and a sin against the Holy Ghost; because it "derides" and downgrades the sacred and solemn truth taught by the teacher. Let the saints mark these people and beware of them, for they cannot be a blessing to any Bible study, because they are "study-busters," whose only purpose in attending is to break up the study! And do not invite them to any Bible study, lest you be found guilty of helping the cause of the enemy, for this reason:

"One sinner {study-busters} may diffuse darkness that will exclude the light of God from the entire congregation."--3 Testimonies, pg. 265:1 (bold emphasis, braces added).

"'To the law and to the testimony: if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them.' But if it is according to this test, do not be so full of prejudice that you cannot acknowledge a point simply because it does not agree with your ideas."--Testimonies to Ministers, pgs. 110, 111 (bold emphasis added)

"No matter by whom light is sent, we should open our hearts to receive it with the meekness of Christ. But many do not do this. When a controverted point is presented, they pour in question after question, without admitting a point when it is well sustained."--Gospel Workers, pg. 301:2 (bold emphasis, braces added).

"Others present an array of objections to any new view; and when these objections are plainly answered by the words of Scripture, they do not acknowledge the evidence presented, nor allow themselves to be convinced. Their questioning is not for the purpose of arriving at truth, but was intended merely to confuse the minds of others."--Testimonies to Ministers, pg. 108:2 (bold emphasis, braces added).

The Davidian saints will also see another kind of "study-busters" who attend Bible studies. Their purpose is to try and refute the truth which is being taught by the teacher. They will try to keep the students from understanding the subject by asking "question after question" to "confuse the minds of others" and disrupt the study! The saints, however, will see that their questions are dishonest and deceitful, because when the teacher answers their questions by irrefutable evidence, and asks them to accept its truthfulness, the "study-busters" will not "acknowledge the evidence" or "acknowledge a point" of truth, especially when the teacher's "point" of truth is "well sustained" from the Bible! Let the saints mark these kind of people and beware of them, for they cannot be a blessing to any Bible study, because they are "study-busters" put there by the enemy.

"Many {"study-busters"} delight in finding something in the Scriptures to puzzle the minds of others. Some at first criticize and reason on the wrong side, from a mere love of controversy. They do not realize that they are thus entangling themselves in the snare of the fowler. But having openly expressed unbelief, they feel that they must maintain their position. Thus they unite with the ungodly, and close to themselves the gates of Paradise."--Great Controversy, pg. 526:1 (bold emphasis, braces added).

"It is important that in defending the doctrines which we consider fundamental articles of faith, we should never allow ourselves to employ {false} arguments that are not wholly sound. These may avail to silence an opposer, but they do not honor the truth."--Gospel Workers, pg. 299:2 (bold emphasis, braces added).

"There are men who have educated themselves as combatants. It is their policy to mistate an opponant and to cover up clear arguments with dishonest quibbles. They have devoted their God-given powers to this dishones work, for there is nothing in their hearts in harmony with the pure principles of truth. They seize any argument they can get with which to tear down the advocates of truth, when they themselves do not believe the things they urge against them. They bolster themselves up in their chosen position, irrespective of justice and truth. They do not consider that before them is the judgment, and that their ill-gotten triumph, with all its disastrous results, will appear in its character. Error, with all its deceptive policies, its windings and twistings and turnings to change the truth into a lie, will them appear in all its deformity."--3 Testimonies, pg. 425:1 (bold emphasis, braces added).

"Some have though it an evidence of intellectual keenness and superiority to perplex minds in regard to what is truth. They resort to subtlety of argument, to playing upon words; they take unjust advantage in asking questions. When the questions have been fairly answered, they will turn the subject [and] bring up another point to avoid acknowledging the truth."--Testimonies to Ministers, pg. 108:2 (bold emphasis, braces added).

Again, there are other "study-busters" who work for the enemy in another manner. They are "combatants" who attend Bible studies and employ false "arguments" on the "wrong side" because they love "controversy." They "seize any argument" and "mistate" what others say to create "dishonest quibbles." And they resort to "subtlety of argument" which is "not wholly sound" to "perplex minds" and discredit what is being taught from the Bible. The saints who cannot be deceived (Mt. 24:24) will recognize these people as "study-busters;" for when their questions and "quibbles" are "fairly answered" by the teacher, they turn the subject [and] bring up another point to avoid acknowledging the truth." They are the kind of people who will always demand an answer to their "quibbles;" yet, they will never accept a "point" of truth when it is "well sustained." Let the saints mark these people and beware of them, for they cannot be a blessing to any Bible study, because they are "study-busters" put there by the enemy.

"But no tirade is to be made against the doctrines of others. In our association with worldlings we are to recommend our faith by living, in all true modesty, the principles of Christianity."--8 Testimonies, pg. 156:0 (bold emphasis, braces added).

"The Lord has not given His people the work of making a tirade against those who trangressing His law. In no case are we to make a raid on the other churches."--9 Testimonies, pg. 236:2 (bold emphasis, braces added).

"How dare finite human intelligences speak careless and venturesome words that will stir up the powers of hell against the saints, when Michael the archangel durst not bring against Satan a railing accusation, but said, 'The Lord rebuke thee'"?--Gospel Workers, pg. 327:1 (bold emphasis added).

There is another kind of "study-busters" who come to Bible studies. Their purpose is to "stir up the powers of hell against the saints" by their "tirades"--"a protracted speech usually marked by intemperate, vituperative, or harshly censorious language" (Webster's Dict.). The spirit they manifest in criticizing the doctrines which the saints believe and teach comes from the "powers of hell"! They "dare" to come to studies, not to learn the truth, but to bring a "railing accusation" against those who teach different than what they believe. Let the saints mark these people and beware of them, for they cannot be a blessing to any Bible study, because they are "study-busters" put there by the enemy to condemn the truth, deceive the saints, and break up the study.

SAINTS MANIFEST PROPER BEHAVIOUR IN A BIBLE STUDY

When the Davidian saints meet together for Bible studies, they pray for the Holy Spirit and the angels as unseen guests to be with them; and they humbly ask that He will bless all that is to be said and done to the honor and glory of God. Their conduct is Christ-like while they sit calmly and quietly as they discuss the Word of God to learn the truth. If they need further clarification, they ask questions which the teacher or others can answer fairly, and they are humble enough to accept a "point" of truth that "is well sustained" by the Bible. If they disagree with someones point of view, they do not "ridicule" him, or make "comical" remarks to cause others to "laugh" at him. Neither do they resort to "subtlety of argument," or "mistate" what was said, or engage in "dishonest quibbles" to "perplex minds." They do not love "controversy" nor are they "combatants" who would engage in a "tirade" or "railing accusation" against those with whom they disagree. And above all, they do not say or do anything that will "confuse the minds of others." It is these kind of Davidian saints who are not "too lazy to study" (1 T.G. 21:12:4) that learn the truth (1 Ans. 75:1; 5 Ans. 29:3), and cannot be deceived (Mt. 24:24) by the "study-busters"! Let the saints mark these people and beware of them, and do not invite them to their studies, for this reason: