GYC 2013: Before Men and Angels

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Generation. Youth. Christ. (GYC)

GYC 2013 Seminar: The Most Important Book Outside of the Bible - A Deeper Look at The Great Controversy

Norman McNulty

01-The Most Important Book Outside of the Bible

This message was presented at the GYC 2013 conference, Before Man and Angels, in Orlando, Florida.

For other resources like this, visit us online at www.gycweb.org.

Brian Hyman, he's sitting up here in the front, we are co-presenting this seminar.

We're going to be going through a lot of important material, and I think you're going to find as we go through the seminar, you're going to see just how important this book is to us today.

So let's go ahead and start with a word of prayer and we'll get right into our presentation.

Father in heaven, thank you so much for bringing us here this morning.

I pray for each seminar that's happening right now that your spirit would be poured out.

And I just pray that you will bless us in a special way this morning as we go through this message about the great controversy.

Now I have here in my hand a copy of The Great Controversy.

How many of you have gotten this book from the GYC booth?

And I would encourage all of you to do so.

You will not find that at the ABC for such a good price.

This is an excellent book and as you see from the title of my presentation, which is the title of the seminar, I believe that this is the most important book outside of the Bible.

Now that may not have always been true, obviously, but since this book has been written, for the time that we are living in today, especially for us as Seventh-day Adventists, and I believe that even for people who are not Seventh-day Adventists, outside of the Bible, this book is the most important book outside of the Bible for people living in the world today.

This is a picture, as you can see, of the great controversy, the standard edition, 1911.

It started with the 1858 vision when Ellen White put it into writing and it went through various forms of finally the 1888 edition and then finally the last revised edition, 1911, which is interesting to me.

There's people out there today that say, oh the 1888 version is better or more pure than the 1911 version.

I'm like, don't you realize that Ellen White personally oversaw the revision?

So anyway, this is the current edition that we have the LM Y oversaw 4 years before her death And I'm going to start off with a personal testimony When I was in the third grade and then I think you were in the same class with me I have a classmate way back from third grade here this morning and so time goes by but Way back.

No, it's not but back in third grade my third grade teacher issued a challenge to those of us in the class to read as many books as we could.

And I was 9 years old at the time, and so the book that I picked to start reading was the book Patriarchs and Prophets, which is the first in the series of the conflict of the ages.

And that started a lifelong journey for me since then of reading The Spirit of Prophecy.

And by the time I was 11 years old, I finally got to, it took me a while, I mean now I think I could read faster, but it took me 2 years to get through the whole series.

And finally when I was in the fifth grade I got through the book The Great Controversy and 1 of the things that I have found personally is that when you read her writings for yourself you're going to find that God's truth is found in her writings.

And as I went through school all the way on up, so many times you would hear classmates who would criticize Ellen White.

They would say, oh, Ellen White says this or Ellen White says that and I don't really believe in her.

But ironically, many of them had never read her writings.

And what I found for me is that Because I had read her writings from a very early age, I knew that what they were saying was not true.

So if you're going to make an attack against something, you need to at least know that what you're attacking, you've actually read and you can speak, not just based on what someone else has said but based on your own personal experience.

And so I'm thankful to my parents as well.

They encouraged me to continue with reading her writings.

Every time we would go to ABC my dad would buy me a new book that I hadn't yet read by Ellen White.

And so I've read through these books throughout my life.

I've probably read through The Great Controversy, oh, 6 or 7 times now.

And it's very powerful, and it's very poignant.

And you see that the messages in the book, it talks about the past, the present, and the future, and there are applications all the way through for the time that we are living in now.

So, if you've never read the book, Now is the time.

Go to the GYC booth in the exhibit hall, $3.50.

Outside of if you could get a Bible for the same cost, outside of that, that's the best investment you can make with $3.50.

So if you haven't read the book, now's the time to start reading it.

So that's just a personal encouragement, a personal testimony for what we're talking about.

And of course, because this whole theme for GYC is about the Great Controversy, before Men and Angels, The organizers of GYC wanted Brian and I to do a seminar or a presentation on the book, The Great Controversy itself, because we can talk about The Great Controversy and we're going to look at passages of scripture that also talk about the Great Controversy, but if you want the best summarized high yield version of the Great Controversy, read the book.

White is the author of the book The Great Controversy.

And I thought that as we start our presentation on this book that it would be helpful to hear from her in her own words the importance of this book.

Because see, here's another thing that I've seen.

How many of you have heard people say, well, The Great Controversy is a great book if you're sharing it with fellow Adventists, but don't give it to non-Adventists.

And be careful to not share it from up front or you name it or whatever.

You know, what's interesting is that they usually don't have backup from the Bible or the writings of Ellen White to make those assertions.

And I felt that it would be useful to hear what Ellen White herself has to say about the usefulness of the book, The Great Controversy.

And What did she think about this book that she wrote herself?

And this quote is from letter 281-1905, it's in your program booklet, and actually Jeff Marshall, the vice president for evangelism, read this quote up front last night.

The great controversy should be very widely circulated.

So, very widely circulated, that's pretty important.

And then she says, it contains the story of the past, the present, and the future.

In its outline of the closing scenes of this earth's history, it bears a powerful testimony in behalf of the truth.

So it has an outline of the closing scenes of this Earth's history.

I am more anxious to see a wide circulation for this book than for any others I have written.

For in the great controversy, the last message of warning to the world is given more distinctly than in any of my other books." Ellen White says that she was more anxious to see a wide circulation.

Sometimes we say, well, let's do Steps to Christ or Desire of Ages or Christ Object Lessons, and those are great books and we should give them a wide circulation.

But the servant of the Lord who wrote this book and all the others I just mentioned said that she was more anxious to see a wide circulation for this book than for any others that she had written.

Because in this book, it contains the last message of wanting to the world that is more distinct than in any of her other books.

Now we're going to go through several other statements.

But this tells us that if Ellen White thought that this book should be very widely circulated, just as a starting point, Is she wanting this to just be circulated to Seventh-day Adventists?

She wants this book to be circulated to non-believers.

To get it into the hands of as many people as possible.

Now I would dare say that many of you in this room know of at least or have heard of a story of at least someone who has joined the Seventh-day Adventist Church because they read The Great Controversy.

Now you might hear a story here and there of someone who has joined the Adventist Church because someone gave them a steps to Christ or someone gave them a desire of ages, and that's very possible and those are great books.

But by and large, most of the stories that I hear of people who picked up a copy of a book by Ellen White and they read their way into the Seventh-day Adventist Church, it's because they read the book The Great Controversy.

And so what I want to say to you today is we need to stop being ashamed or scared of her writings or of her books.

Because these books bring people into the truth and it contains a very distinct warning for God's people living in the last days.

Now here's another statement, this is Cole Porter ministry page 123, this whole chapter is very good and this is what Ellen White says and she has a few other books mentioned here as well, she says, in the desire of ages, patriarchs and prophets, the great controversy and in Daniel and the Revelation, which that's by Uriah Smith, there is precious instruction.

These books must be regarded as of special importance, and what does she say here?

Every effort should be made to get them before the people.

So this is also showing us just how important these books are, that every effort should be made to get these books before the people.

So that means we shouldn't be hiding them, so to speak, and not acknowledging that the books exist.

No, we need to get these books before the people.

Brian Hindman

02-Lessons From the Church in the Wilderness and the Reformation

I am so glad you have decided to choose this seminar, And we're going to be looking at hopefully some vital counsel and practical wisdom that we all need as we are living in these last days of Earth's history.

And the Great Controversy is full of information that is very timely for the time that we're living in.

And it's my prayer that this will be a seminar that you will not be the same when you leave.

Even if you've read The Great Controversy, that you will be changed by understanding and seeing all of the counsel that we have in this book.

Before we begin though, I would just like to have a word of prayer.

Heavenly Father, I just want to thank you so much for the opportunity to gather here as your people at GYC.

Lord, I pray that today as we study the book, The Great Controversy, inspired by your servant, that you will inspire our hearts and minds, that we will understand the message that you have for each 1 of us, and that we will continue to walk in all the light and all the truth that you make very clear and plain to us.

I pray that you will bless each person here today and I humbly ask this in Jesus' name, Amen.

I'd like for you to take your Bibles out and open up to the book of Revelation.

Revelation chapter 12, a chapter that my brother Norman was referring to earlier, which has a lot of information about background of the great controversy.

The title of this seminar is, this section is lessons from the church in the wilderness and the Reformation.

I'm going to attempt to try and cover about 11 chapters in the Great Controversy in 60 minutes.

So I hope that you brought your seat belts with you and are ready for a lot of information.

But we find in Revelation 12, verse 14, a key thought that will direct us in our study this morning.

And we read there, and to the woman were given 2 wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness, into her place, where she is nourished for a time and times and half a time from the face of the serpent." So we see a woman which we know represents a church, and she is taken to a place that is prepared for her by God into the wilderness.

And we're going to look and see what that church was like in the wilderness this morning.

Well I want to just share briefly a little bit about what the Great Controversy means to me.

My name is Brian Heineman and this is my first time speaking at GYC.

This is my second conference that I have attended.

I attended the 1 in Houston 2 years ago and was richly blessed.

Even as a slightly older person, my wife and I were very blessed and our lives were changed by being at GYC.

So it is a huge privilege for me just to be here and then also to even be asked to present is really overwhelming.

In fact, when they asked me if I would present, the first reaction was total shock.

And the second reaction was, oh man, I don't get to go hear Stephen Boar.

So I was disappointed a little bit that I wouldn't get to hear in many others that are here but I'm glad you have taken the chance to come here and listen to this seminar.

I teach it at Mount Pisgah Academy, and primarily what I teach is history, American history, world history, and American government.

But I do have the privilege of teaching 1 Bible class, and I treasure that opportunity.

And would you believe the curriculum for junior Bible is first semester 28 fundamental beliefs.

Our core beliefs as Seventh-day Adventists, what could be more important and vital to study with young people.

And then second semester, our curriculum is the books of Daniel and Revelation.

And so we go through in my class, we go through every chapter and every verse and read through those books and try and understand what those books mean to us as Seventh-day Adventists.

And so that stays fresh in my mind because I get to review and reteach it every year.

Well, I have a huge appreciation for the spirit of prophecy.

And I just want to point out and say that it has been a huge blessing to me, a huge blessing and there are several verses that mean a lot to me that sometimes don't get mentioned from our pulpits maybe even presenting the spirit of prophecy.

Go with me to 1 Corinthians chapter 14 and we want to look at verse 22.

I'm sure that is also music to angels ears before men and angels this week.

1 Corinthians 14.22 says, Wherefore, tongues are for a sign, not to them that believe, but to them that believe not.

But prophesying serveth not for them which believe not, but for who?

I hope you guys are awake this morning, right?

And so the question that comes to my mind that I ask myself and my students, simple question, are you a believer?

Yes, as my brother Norman said, we are sola scriptura, but the Bible clearly points out that there is going to be a prophetic gift, the prophetic ministry in God's last day remnant church as mentioned already in Revelation 12, 17.

Also, go with me in your Bible to Matthew chapter 7.

Just a few verses, get to share some background with you about my perspective on the spirit of prophecy.

Matthew chapter 7, and we want to look at verse 15.

I have too many things in my Bible, They're falling out.

And we read there, this is near the end of Jesus' famous Sermon on the Mount, Matthew 7, 15, Beware of all prophets.

That there would be true prophets, correct?

Jesus is not warning against all prophets.

He's only warning against false prophets which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves." And I'll have a slide that kind of depicts this a little bit later.

So that also makes clear to me that there will be true prophets in the last days.

And I am so thankful that God has given us the gift of prophecy through Ellen White.

Well, I'm going to be talking a lot about history this morning, and I believe that it's really impossible to have a clear understanding of world history without understanding the great controversy.

There's a powerful statement in the book, Education, page 173 where Ellen White says, the Bible is the most ancient and the most comprehensive history that men possess, the Bible itself.

It came fresh from the fountain of eternal truth, and throughout the ages a divine hand has preserved its purity.

It lights up the far distant past where human research in vain seeks to penetrate.

In God's Word only do we behold the power that laid the foundations of the earth and that stretched out the heavens.

Here only do we find an authentic account of the origin of nations.

Here only is given a history of our race unsullied by human pride or prejudice." Understanding the Great Controversy is absolutely vital to understanding world history.

In fact, I have my students in my world history class read from the Great controversy as well as in my American history class there's a chapter on the Pilgrim Fathers and they read over that as we discuss the early colonial time period in American history and see the prophetic significance of that as described in the great controversy.

Well this book here I have probably not read it through as many times as my brother Norman has.

I would say maybe 4 times, bits and pieces many times, but all the way solid cover to cover, 4 times.

And I first probably seriously began to study it about 12 years ago when my mom died from cancer.

And I began to realize, you know, boy, this world is out of control.

There is a sin problem and it is a problem that I was seeking answers to, more clarity, and I want to encourage and recommend this book to you.

If you have not read it, read The Great Controversy.

It will give you valuable counsel and perspective on the time that we are living in.

And just a quick note about how much I believe in this book.

My wife and I believe in this so much that we contributed $1, 000 of our own money last year in our local church to raise money to distribute this to every zip code, every home and every business in the zip code where we live.

And I believe we had to raise about $11, 000 in order to be able to do this.

And we put in a thousand of our own dollars to do that and some of my neighbors are actually here and they also chipped in a thousand dollars or more, just a few families, because we believe that it's a timely message.

Now is the time for people to hear what this book contains.

So my wife also, she's better than I am, She carries a box of great controversies around in the trunk of her car.

She remembers more than I do at gas stations, at wherever she is, really.

I'll go grab a great controversy out of my trunk, and here you go.

04-Satan’s End-Time Strategies and God’s Safeguard

This message was presented at the DYC 2013 conference, Before Man and Angels, in Orlando, Florida.

For other resources like this, visit us online at www.dycweb.org.

All right, I have a tendency to move around so I don't know if that'll be good or bad if I'm tethered here behind a platform.

But anyway, would it not seem likely that Satan would attempt to put in our paths every distraction, every pitfall that he could conjure up to make our experience and our hold on our faith and on Jesus Christ more difficult.

We're going to look at this afternoon, this is present, relevant, practical, powerful information, snares of Satan.

I thought this was an interesting picture here.

I kind of referenced that earlier in Matthew 7, 15.

Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves.

And God has seen fit to give each 1 of us a special message that tells us the work of what Satan is doing and that's in The Great Controversy, this book The Great Controversy.

I'd like to read a passage from Revelation 12 going back to that famous chapter again on the great controversy.

It says, and the great dragon was cast out.

That old serpent called the devil and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world.

He was cast out into the earth and his angels were cast out with him.

Well, I have since GYC 2 years ago my wife and I have ventured out into having a community Bible study and we meet in our community every Thursday evening at a soup kitchen area.

It's kind of a neutral area in town and we have attracted several non-Adventists.

And when we were going through 1 of our Bible studies on just our fundamental belief on the great controversy, this verse right here when we were reading it, you know I've probably as an Adventist growing up Adventist read it a thousand times, there was a non-Adventist fellow who said, look it says the dragon or Satan is deceiving the whole world.

And I had the hardest time convincing him.

That's not exactly what it's saying You know if you want to add some real challenge to your spiritual understanding of Scripture Study with other people that don't understand our truths that need to know our truths And so to me it has become more apparent and I've become much more aware.

But if you read it carefully I think the only translation that came close to really saying what I think it's saying is Young's literal translation, the YLT.

And they say, who is leading astray the whole world.

In other words, his modus operandi is to lead the world astray.

And so, are you aware that he's trying to do that to you today even while you sit here comfortably at GYC?

He is trying to lead you astray and so we need to be on our guard for his devices.

So I want to run through a bunch of great counsel given in the book, The Great Controversy.

This is called, the chapter is The Snares of Satan.

And some specific examples of what Satan is trying to do that we need to be aware of.

The first thing we're gonna look at, spiritual darkness.

And she says, to hold the people in darkness and in penitence till the Savior's meditation is ended and there is no longer a sacrifice for sin is the object which he, that is Satan, seeks to accomplish.

You're fine and comfortable where you are just stay in darkness everything's okay there's nothing to worry about.

If Satan can convince people to just stay where they are and not be active and and seeking the truth then that's just what he desires That is just the object which he is seeking to accomplish.

And spiritual darkness reminds me of John 3, 19, where we find there, and this is the condemnation that light is coming to the world, but what did men really like?

I want to keep on following and living my sinful lifestyle the light of truth that points out what is righteousness and what is sin.

I'm not interested because it goes against my sinful character.

Well, we need to be aware this is 1 of Satan's snares.

Question before I read this statement here.

Where does God place his seal on his remnant people?

Alright, right there in the forehead, right in their mind.

And so, would it be significant or important that Satan would also seek to implant his own stamp or signature in our minds.

Notice what she says here, with the same object, he that is Satan is in attendance when men assemble for the worship of God.

Is it possible that he is here and as evil angels even now?

And we know from the Bible account of course that the Gospels tell us that even when Jesus was in the synagogue that there were men that were possessed with evil spirits.

Though hidden from sight, he, Satan, is working with all diligence to control the minds of worshippers even when they're in church, when they're trying to worship God.

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GYC 2013 Seminar: The Most Important Book Outside of the Bible - A Deeper Look at The Great Controversy

03-Adventism’s Prophetic Message in the Great Controversy

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Parts

01-The Most Important Book Outside of the Bible

1h

02-Lessons From the Church in the Wilderness and the Reformation

1h

04-Satan’s End-Time Strategies and God’s Safeguard

1h

05-Standing Through the Final Crisis

1h

06-Urgency, Fidelity, and You

1h

03-Adventism’s Prophetic Message in the Great Controversy

1h

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