- - O U T L I N E - -

                THE  CLOSE  OF  PROBATION 

                             REFERENCES:
                Olson ; The Crises Ahead  Ch. 13, 16, 17. 


                          *   *   *   *   * 

             WHY should there be a colse of Probation? 
                     HOW will this take place? 
    What is it that actually happens at the close of Probation? 
                   WHEN will this actually occur? 

                          *   *   *   *   * 
 
              -  -  -     O V E R    V I E W    -  -  -  

        We  come chronologically to that great moment where those
    who are loving will remain  loving  throughout  eternity  and
    those who are shelfish, will remain selfish, until their ext-
    inction. 

        There  are  a lot of things about this, that we take  for
    granted; I hope you have studied  the  materials  for    this
    mornings   topic;  they are of as much detail even though the
    reading was not as long as the others. 

        I would like to direct your attention to four  questions:
             WHY should there be a close of Probation? 
                     HOW will this take place? 
    What is it that actually happens at the close of Probation? 
                                and 
                   WHEN will this actually occur? 

 
                   *   *   *    W H Y    *   *   * 

        It might seem self evident to ask the quewtion WHY; after
    all,  doesn't  God  have  to close shop,  to bring to a close
    this distorted chapter of the Universe? 

        I think there  are  deeper  issues  involved,  that  just
    closing shop!  To understand this we need to recall again the
    importance  in the Great Controversy, of God having a visible
    people who can show in mass what the issues are in a grand  a
    nd  glorious way.  It was Satan who said that God could never
    have a universe of Lovers; He could never have a people. 

        Through out the ages he has claimed to be  the  ruler  of
    this  earth;  he  claimed  that  the  body of individuals who
    inhabit this world belong to him, because  they  reflect  his
    image.  God could never have a people; it would be impossible
    for  Him  to  ever  run the universe bassed on principles  of
    love and loyality and devotion and trust.  Creatures that are
    free will always choose to do their own thing. 

        Before  God  can "close shop", before the evidence can be
    given, before things can be wrapped-up, there  must  be  some
    occassion where-by God can show that He can have a people and
    that  given the most adverse circumstances; the worst condit-
    ions of heridity and enviornment, He could have a people  who
    would  know and understand Him, and would rather die that not
    serve Him. 

        If He could do this, if He could have a people,   Satan's
    arguements  would  prove  to  be  false.  But as long as this
    people never forms, Satan can continue  his  very  existence.
    All of the arguements have centered on weather God could find
    a peopel who would serve Him because of their appreciation of
    His  character.    Quite  obviously,  if this people could be
    found a time when we could least expect loyality to be found,
    then God could make quite a case; the weakest of the week. 

        And so the answer to the question: Why must  there  be  a
    close  of  Probation?"   God must show the universe something
    they have never seen before;  there must be  a  demonstration
    of  what  God  was  talking  about  all  along.  This must be
    evidenced through this people,  it  cannot  be  through  some
    abstraction,  some  pronouncement  that  He  announces to the
    universe.  All of the principles that God has been contending
    for must be seen in persons. There must be a demonstration of
    a people.  This is one of the basic reasons why there must be
    some point in time where God can say: "Here  they  are,  here
    are  those  who  are loving, here are those who are selfish."
    And in essence they stand up for inspection. 

        This is a necessisity, not just for us to  come  to  some
    moment  in  history when our cases are decided; it must be an
    opportunity for God to  demonstrate  the  principles  of  His
    government lived out through His people. 

 

                    *   *   *    HOW    *   *   * 

        How, can this take place.  Is there some master switch in
    the universe that God flips? 

        If  at  any  point God closes Probation, we would have to
    raise some  serious  questions  about  the  validity  of  our
    freedom.    If  God  can  arbitrarily  ring down the curtain,
    perhaps in the midst of our life sentence, would we really be
    free? 

        "Well, God if you had waited just a little bit longer!"

        How does God pull down the curtain?  How does  God  bring
    about  this moment in histroy so that this tragic episode can
    be finished?  He cannot infringe upon our  freedom.    If  it
    were  possible  that  everyone could choose at the same time;
    that is if everyone should get together  and  make  up  their
    mind:  Everyone  who is for God stand over here, and everyone
    who is not stand over there;   that  then,  of-course,  would
    solve  the problem.   But, how do you get everyone to make up
    there mind at the  same  time.    People  are  notorious  for
    indecision;  it  is  like  the  young lady who was asked on a
    questionaire: "Do you have trouble making up your mind?"  And
    she answered:  "Yes and No!" 

        How can God get everyone to decide at the same time? 

        If  history  is  brought  to  a focus, and if, as we have
    discussed before, there  is  some  religious-political  issue
    that  requires  everyone  to  take sides; if everyone then is
    confronted with some moral delima, the decision to which will
    reveal their loyalities.  If the winds could  be  loosed,  if
    universally  people  had to face the most basic issues in the
    universe?  Then of course, under the intensity of the moment,
    under the provication of the time, what ever choice they were
    required to make would be deeply  imbeded  into  their  habit
    patterns.    That  is there must be, if this is going to take
    place in a short period of time everyone is going to  make  a
    choice  around the same time; we would have to say there must
    be a very intense delima. 

        This is important psychologically, because we  know  that
    under  very  intense  circumstances, individuals can solidify
    certain character or personality patterns very rapidly and in
    a very short period of time. 

        One of the earliest studies that was done of crisses sit-
    uations, where  individuals  were  required  to   make   very
    important  choices,  was in  World War II, during the bombing
    of London.  A  study  was  made  of  hundreds  of  teenagers,
    ranging from 13 to 19 years of  age.    In  the  intense  and
    seriousness  of  the  times,  many of these young people lost
    their equillibrium, and  became  psychotic.    Many  of  them
    killed  themselves.   But those who remained, those who could
    hang tough, those who could withstand the  stresses  of  this
    time,  showed  in the testing that was done to them after all
    of this occured, had the maturity of adults 10  to  20  years
    older.    You had 17 year olds showing the emotional maturity
    of adults 27 to 37 year of age; those who had made it.  In  a
    few  nano-seconds  of time, they either grew up very rapidly,
    or they were wiped out. 

        So, under an intense delima, in which one is required  to
    make  choices, one is either solidified or deterioriates very
    rapidly.  Now, if there is going to be some very intense sit-
    uation, and we have discussed the nature  of  this  situation
    before,  it  must  be something that is of the most important
    moral delima that one can be faced with.  We  have  described
    this  in  the terms of:  "Will a person serve God out of pure
    love?"  Not for anything that they derive from Him.  This  is
    basic  to  the  moral  integrity of the universe.  If God can
    have a people that respond on the basis  of  character,  that
    see worth in persons; not for some thing that they can derive
    from  them,  not for something that they get out of them, not
    for goodies, not for power, not for things thay get from such
    persons; but just for their own sakes.  Then, God could  have
    a  great  universe.    This  is the quality of people that He
    wants to repopulate Heaven.   It  must  be  some  issue  that
    strikes at the very heart of the moral universe.  The highest
    quality  of moral integrity; will you care for the person for
    the persons sake? 

        It is not difficult to see in our culture how most of the
    choices people make  today,  with  respect  to  other  people
    usually  flow  from  a concern as to what they get from those
    relationships.  The motives that  people  have  for  choosing
    friends,  for getting married, for entering into all kinds of
    inter-personal relationships, show on very penetrating study,
    that individuals are concerned for what they are able to  get
    out  of  any commitment that they make.  It is rather rare to
    find a person who cares for  another  person  just  for  that
    persons sake.  This is what God is after, this is the kind of
    integrity  that He intends to establish His Kingdom with.  It
    is the same test that was originally given to Adam  and  Eve;
    again  we go back to those two trees and we ask the question:
    "Why should man eat of one tree and not the other?"  There is
    nothing that can be seen in these two trees that  would  lead
    him  to make that choice.  It rests squarly on the person who
    asks him to do this; if God is a person who  would  not  take
    advantage  of  them,  the  kind of person who would honor and
    reward those choices; who was not pulling a fast one, who was
    not with-holding something from them.  In other words, if  He
    was  trustworthy.   If He were a certain kind of person, then
    it would be alright to ask that. 

        But,  what  He wasn't that kind of person?  What if Satan
    was right; what if God were with holding something  that  was
    for  mans'  best good?  Everything then is based on what Adam
    and Eve think about God.  Can they trust Him?  Will He pull a
    fast one?  How do they know?  How would they ever know? 

        How would they ever know that the worst way of life would
    be  to  go on their own, to live by your whim, to do your own
    thing?  Their only safety was in taking Gods' word.   But  is
    He  the kind of person that can be trusted?  Upon this hinges
    the well being of  the  entire  universe.    God  would  have
    rathered  they  had  never  known  what it was loke to become
    selfish, to become sinners.  Now,  in  terms  of  this  Great
    Controversy,  we  know.    BUt  still there is this matter of
    trust.  Will the creature serve the  creator  because  He  is
    worthy  of  their  devotion?    Or  must  He implant goodies,
    extrinsic rewards to secure their alegience?  Must  HE  bribe
    them,  must  He scare them?  Is it enough that He be the kind
    of  person  He  is?  This is the kind of person He is looking
    for! 

        As we have considered before, in the last moment of  time
    the  Sabbath becomes the focal point in this very same issue.
    Just as you could ask why should one eat  of  this  tree  and
    not  the  other, one can ask:  "Why should one relate to God,
    have a date, fellowship with God on one day and not another?"
    Was there something they could see in the universe, in nature
    that there could be a basis for their choice?  Not at all.  I
    think that we have over looked, in our  efforts  to  validate
    the  preciseness  of  the  day,  we  have  overlooked what is
    involved in the  seventh  day  Sabbath.    Why  would  it  be
    feasible to worship on this day if in political panic another
    day  could  solidify the world under one roof?  Why would God
    ask someone to do something on this day and not  on  another?
    Here again is this point of loyality and this point of trust.
    Will  we love God for His own sake.  This is the highest test
    of moral integrity. 

        If the Sabbath become a focal point  in  a  very  intense
    delima,  Let's  say  in terms of economic boycott.  Let's say
    that we have this little card with our finger print  and  our
    picture  and  social  security number on it.  We already have
    some almost universal credit cards.  Has anyone tried to  use
    their  plastic  money  to  purchase  something that would put
    their charges over their credit limit?   Electronically  they
    know  what  you have charged elsewhere.  They could also just
    as easily determine whether you are a  law  breaker,  whether
    you paid a parking fine in Los Angeles or Timbuctoo. 

        If,  under political pressures of the moment, and govern-
    ments have decided that it is best to unify, to  prevent  the
    spread  of  moral decay and crime and subversives, then those
    who refuse to go along with this  grand  religious  movement;
    this movement which promises to bring this temporal mellinium
    of peace and safety (which everyone is looking for), then you
    could present this card and they would say: "You are  not  in
    line  with  government regulation.  Would you like to pick up
    the white courtesy phone and explain it to THEM." 

        Things could become  very  intense  under  that  kind  of
    situation,  and  when you have to pit all of the kinds of ad-
    vantages of going along with human government versus loyality
    to God when there seems to be no apparent advatage  to  this,
    except  that  the  fact that life is not worth living without
    Him.  It is only that you can make that kind of judgement and
    that you have that kind of perception, that  you  would  ever
    choose  to  be  loyal to Him.  But if you are required day by
    day, under very intense conditions,  to  make  such  choices;
    then   you  have  the  psychological  possibility  that those
    choices  could  become  woven  deeply  into the fabric of our
    being such that we would get to the place where it  would  be
    unlike  us  to  do anything different than that which we have
    done.  There can come a time when  everyone  has  made  their
    choices  under  such provication, that God can say:  "He that
    is let him be!" 

        God does not close probation; God does not pull a switch,
    God does not arbitrarily drop the curtain.  God  just  looses
    the four winds and Satan then moves toward one grand movement
    to  destroy  Gods'  people.   He does not want this people to
    form.  God does not have to be directly involved in  bringing
    something  about.  All He has to do is to turn Satan loose. 

        In  our  next  study  we  will  look closely at what  the
    implications  of  this  action  has,  when we consider Satans
    Final Fling. 

        In answer to  the  question:    "How  will  Probation  be
    closed?" 

        God  will  step aside and let Satan do, that which he has
    wanted to do for all of these  centuries;  to  destroy  Gods'
    people.    And now, you can see them, they can be very easily
    spotted.  Under    this   political-religious   conglomerate,
    efforts  will  be  made  to proscribe the activities of Gods'
    people.  UNder the intense provication of the moment, choices
    will be made which will be woven deeply into  the  fabric  of
    our character so that ultimately it will become a part of us,
    so it will become native to us.  We will come  to  the  point
    where  it  will  be  doing  what  comes naturally.  Those who
    refuse, in their selfcenteredness, become  locked  into  this
    pattern  such, that through no arbitray act of God, they will
    then act out their basic motivation, and  they  will  not  be
    able to help themselves.  This will be part and parcel of the
    fabric of their very being. 
 


                   *   *   *    WHAT    *   *   * 

        What happens at the close of Probation? 

        Will   the   Oregonian   have   an   announcement saying:
    "Probation is colsed!"  From the reading it can be found that
    business nad pleasure will be carried on as usuall.  It seems
    that those who do not choose to follow Gods' way,  those  who
    get  on  the  political-religious band wagon will momentarily
    solve the stressfull pattern, they  will  just  go  with  the
    flow, they will marry and be given in marriage as in the days
    of  Noah.    This will be one of the great incentives to play
    ball with world government. 

         At  this  time  the religionists of the day will anounce
    the peace and safety of the days to come, they will be  talk-
    ing about ushering in the mellinium, this peace and prosperi-
    ty  on earth.  This is a mistake in their calculations as far
    as their judgement of an interpretation  of  the  scriptures.
    But  they will see a grand  movement here to all get together
    under the same roof, to all worship  God.  The forms of  rel-
    igion  will  go on, but devoid of the Spirit thereof.  And no
    one will really know at  what  point  the  character  becomes
    solidified.  There will be no anouncements, things will go on
    as usual,  the  political  and  religious  optimism  will  be
    rampant, yet at the same time there will be tremendous stress
    for  the  people of God.  There will be stress for anyone who
    chooses to be true.  There will be a  period  of  tranquility
    for  those  who choose to take the expedient way.  But no one
    will know. 

        This creates a very interesting psychological  situation;
    no  one  will  say:   "Hey, look at me; see how loving I am?"
    And no one is going to say:  "See how selfish I am."  No  one
    will have any premeditation or any awareness of what has gone
    on,  so that there can be no role playing.  Everyone will act
    out their own basic nature, un-aware that  they  have  become
    that  way.    THere  will  be no phoneyness, there will be no
    display, no one is trying to do other  than  what  they  are,
    life will go on the same as usual. 

        At this time Christ stands up and announces that:  "It is
    finished!"  The HE will leave His  position  as  intercessor,
    and  He  will  announcement to the universe that:  "Those who
    are, let them remain!"  God has done nothing arbitrary, He as
    not in any way taken some kind of exercise to arbitrarily fix
    them that way, He has allowed  them  to  be  what  they  are.
    Those  who have chosen to serve Him will have the capacity of
    the Holy Spirit to act out what they chose to be. 

        There  will  be a grand separation, not known to those on
    earth, but to the universe watching.  NOw, what will they  be
    like?    It will be quite obvious to the universe looking on,
    in terms of the choices they have made.   But  no  one  earth
    will know it.  Now there comes an opportunity for everyone to
    show   the   principles   of  two  diverse  governments;  the
    government of love, and the government of selfishness. 

        Gods' people will be brought to a very  fantastic  state.
    At  that  time,  in  spite  of all of their tendencies and in
    spite of all their temptations that they have had because  of
    their  genitic code, because of their birth, because of their
    enviornment, they will reach the place where not even with  a
    thought  would they sin.  It's the same body, the same  aches
    and pains.  It's the same mind that perhaps does not have the
    same  grasp of things, say the way a perfect mind would.  THe
    same frailities, the same limitations,  and  yet  within  the
    sphere  of  their  own understanding they would not choose to
    commit one selfish act, even by a thought. 

        That would be a remarkable community in  which  to  live.
    At  that  time  they  shall  be  described  as perfect, fully
    reflecting the image of  God  through  these  tired  worn-out
    bodies  and  minds.  THat could be remarkable, that a perople
    who have born the brunt of the ages  could  ever  reach  that
    stage where they could be morally perfect, even in thought. 

 

                   *   *   *    WHEN    *   *   * 

        When    will  this  occur?  Why hasn't this occured?  The
    earliest statement that I am aware of, that has  anything  to
    do with time was penned in 1850, in early writings. 

        Mrs. White said at that time:  "Time is very short!" 

        1850.    Was  she mistaken?  And then several times after
    that; and you can develop your own chronological list if  you
    wish  from  Olsens;  The Crisis Ahead, of all of these state- 
    ments, starting in 1850 and streetching down  to  1911,  just
    before her death. 

        It  seems  very strange that one would say, in 1850, that
    time was very short.  Maybe she was mistaken, maybe God miss-
    informed her?  So a number  of  statements  were  made  after
    that,  infact  in  1856, in one of the conference meetings of
    the day she said, speaking of that group:

        "Some will be food for worms (that is they will die).
        Some will be subject to the seven last  plagues,  and
        some  will  continue  to live and see Christ come and
        will be translated." 

    Now, dear people that simply has not happened.  All of  those
    people who were present at that conference are dead!  And of-
    course,  as  these  statements began to mount, criticism came
    in:  "How can  this  be?    How  E.G.  White  can  you   make
    statements such as these?  Maybe you're not truely within the
    prophetic line?" 

        Then   in   1883   she  makes  a  very  classic statement
    describing the situation.  Let me read it to you in its' ent-
    irity, you will find it in Selected Messages p66-68.   Listen 
    well! 

         "A  statement  was  published in 1851, in Experience 
        and Views, is quoted as proving my testimony false. 

        "I saw that the time for Jesus to be in the Most Holy 
        place to be nearly finished, and that time can  last, 
        but a very little longer." 

        "As  the  subject  was  presented before  the  period 
        of  Christ's ministration seemed almost accomplished. 
        Am I accused of falsehood because time has  continued 
        longer  than my testimony seemed to indicate?  How is 
        it, with the testimony of  Christ  to  His  deciples, 
        were  they deceived?  Paul writes to the Corinthians: 
        "But this I say brethern, the  time  is  short.    It 
        remaineth  that  they  that have wives be as they had 
        none, they that weep as though  they  wept  not,  and 
        they  that rejoice not".  Again in his epsitle to the 
        Romans he says:  "The night is far spent, they day is 
        at hand.  Let us therefore  cast  off  the  works  of 
        darkness  and put on the armour of light."   And from 
        Patmos God speaks to us  through  the  beloved  John: 
        "Blessed  is  he  that readeth, and  they  that  heed 
        the  word of this prophecy and keep those things that 
        are writteb therein, for the time is at  hand.    The 
        Lord  God of the Holy Prophets sent His angel to show 
        unto His servants the things which  shortly  must  be 
        done.  Behold I come quickly, blessed is he that keep 
        the  sayings  of  the  Prophecies of this book."  The 
        angles of God, in their  messages  to  men  represent 
        time  as  being  very short.  Thus it has always been  
        presented to me.  It is true that time has  continued 
        longer  than  we  expected  in the early days of this 
        message.  Our Savior did not appear  as  soon  as  we 
        hoped.   But has the word of the Lord failed?  Never! 
        It should  be  remembered  that  the   promises   and 
        threatenings of God are conditional." 

        If  God  were to say: "This is the time!"  irespective of
    any repsonse of human beings, we wouldn't  have  any  choice.
    We  could simply sit by and let time move by inexorably.  How
    is God going to get a response from human beings?    What  He
    has  always done through the ages is present:  Time is short,
    if you respond, if you do your part.  IT could have been,  it
    should  have been.  Gods' timetable.  Here we a see a God who
    is not bulldozing His way  through.    He  is  saying:  `Look
    people,  I am ready.  I would come quickly, things would move
    rapidly,  this could be so.  Some of those who  are  at  this
    conference could be alive to  be  translated.    This  is  my
    schedule, but I want you to know that I am not pushing my way
    through.    Much  depends upon you.  The last chapter has not
    been written, because we are co-authors, we  haven't  written
    our part. 

        Olsens' (compilation) p.68.  "If Adventists

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