Said the Angel, “Ye Shall Understand, But Not Yet, Not Yet.”
In Testimonies, vol. 1, is an odd account that has always intrigued me. This morning is the first time I’ve seen a way to apply it to practical, contemporary benefit, and I’d encourage you to give some thought to it.
But first, it requires a bit of history…. Joseph Bates is credited with being the first prolific advocate of the seventh-day Sabbath among those who had not completely lost their faith in the Advent Movement after the passing of the time in 1844. He introduced the topic to James and Ellen White, and probably most of the other earliest pioneers of the group which eventually coalesced into the Seventh-day Adventist Church.
His theology was sound, but had a few details to be worked out. One of these was the time for the beginning and ending of the Sabbath. Influenced by his past as a sea captain, he observed the Sabbath from 6:00 p.m. Friday to 6:00 p.m. Saturday. His example set the largely standard practice of the saints for about a decade. But over that time, variations arose. Some kept the Sabbath from midnight to midnight, a very few from dawn to dawn, and still others from sunset to sunset. This was... awkward.
In 1855, James White asked J.N. Andrews to research the matter and present his findings at a gathering of the ministers (what might have passed for a General Conference session, if only there had been an organized church at the time).
Andrews did so, concluding that Scripture specified “even” as the beginning of the daily cycle. When he presented his findings, nearly all were convinced that he was correct. Nearly all.... And this is where a touch of human drama enters the story, for the two who remained committed to the 6:00 time were none other than the Apostle of the Sabbath himself, Joseph Bates, and the prophetess of the “Little Flock,” Ellen White.
Andrews was only 26 at the time. Bates was 63, which was bad enough, but how would like to find yourself differing from someone whom you knew full well had supernatural guidance? There is no record of any unseemly arguing or hard feelings, but in truth Joseph Bates and Ellen White remained unconvinced... until Ellen had a vision, the account of which we now find as Chapter 16, on page 116, of the first volume of the Testimonies.
The chapter is short, only a single paragraph, so I’ll include it here:
"I saw that it is even so: “From even unto even, shall ye celebrate your Sabbath.” Said the angel: “Take the Word of God, read it, understand, and ye cannot err. Read carefully, and ye shall there find what even is, and when it is.” I asked the angel if the frown of God had been upon His people for commencing the Sabbath as they had. I was directed back to the first rise of the Sabbath, and followed the people of God up to this time, but did not see that the Lord was displeased, or frowned upon them. I inquired why it had been thus, that at this late day we must change the time of commencing the Sabbath.
Said the angel: “Ye shall understand, but not yet, not yet.” Said the angel: “If light come, and that light is set aside or rejected, then comes condemnation and the frown of God; but before the light comes, there is no sin, for there is no light for them to reject.” I saw that it was in the minds of some that the Lord had shown that the Sabbath commenced at six o'clock, when I had only seen that it commenced at “even,” and it was inferred that even was at six. I saw that the servants of God must draw together, press together.”
That “not yet, not yet” phrase has always intrigued me.
I suspect that its full application has something to do with the Sabbath, and is still at some point in the future. But just now I would like to draw some principled lessons from the episode, and apply them to our current public health challenges.
So let’s note a few key points:
God did not blame anyone for an honest mistake.
Still, there was in His plan a need to correct that mistake.
Once that was done, “the servants of God must draw together, press together.”
We live in a day in which the church’s unity is challenged by the unavoidable reality that individuals will exercise individual choices when it comes to a medical treatment which some see as life-saving and others view as potentially harmful, if not deadly. Many factors contributed to the different choices of different believers.
Some would say the most important thing was to acknowledge quality medical information as delivered through respected channels. Some would say that the most important thing was the measure of one’s willingness to believe a suspiciously orchestrated international narrative that quickly resorted to deception and manipulation. These positions are really no further apart than sundown and sunrise!
Can we not believe that honest believers held to both positions? Can we not believe that God does not blame His children for honest mistakes? We have come through a time in which many--even Seventh-day Adventists--have died, possibly because of the choice they made.
If the fears of the one side prove at all founded, we are coming to a time in which a great many more may face the possibility of illness and death because of the choice they made. The one thing that is perhaps most certain is that time will tell in that regard. Whatever the case, we should remember that physical health is not always an accurate representation of spiritual health.
The stories of Job, and the man who was “blind from birth,” still have a message for us today. While it is also true that the Lord does not always choose to protect us from the natural consequences of even well-intended mistakes, surely we can petition His mercy for all, whether they have agreed with us or not.
And, no matter if time confirms one side or the other, we should accept correction if we find that we have been in error.
And, finally--for Jesus’s sake--let us recognize that “the servants of God must draw together, press together.”
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Dave Fiedler currently lives in British Columbia, Canada with his wife, Clarissa, and their daughter, Tifona. He has taught elementary, secondary, and collegiate classes in various Seventh-day Adventist schools. His books, Hindsight: Seventh-day Adventist History in Essays, and Extracts, Tremble and D'Sozo: Reversing the Worst Evil came from his appreciation for the lessons of Adventist denominational history, and seeks to apply those lessons for a final completion of God's Work on Earth.