S99; April 28, 2018 on SABBATH;

Time Of Spiritual Hunger

“Moreover He said unto me, Son of man, behold, I will break his staff of bread in Jerusalem: And they shall eat bread by weight, and with care; and they shall drink water by measure, and with astonishment; That they may want bread and water, and be astonied one with another, and consume away for their iniquity.” Ezek. 4:16, 17. The 13th verse applies to the time of the 390 years; Ezek. 4:16, 17, to the time of the 40 years. The beginning of the 16th verse shows that there is a break in the prophecy, for we read: “Moreover HE said unto me”, that is, besides, or furthermore. “I will break the staff of bread in Jerusalem” (I will cut down, or set it on the decrease). “That they shall eat bread by weight and with care, and drink water by measure and with astonishment”: That is, sparingly, until their supply of bread is exhausted, and they become hungry. “Astonied” (astonishment): That is, we would say that we have the Truth, or are GOD’s people, but we do not understand why thus and so; Power is lacking, and there is something wrong. {SR1: 130.1}

The 17th verse is the fulfillment of the prophecy contained in Ezek. 4:16. The Douay version seems to make it clearer from which Ezek. 4:17, is here quoted: “So that when bread and water fail every man may fall against his brother, and they may pine away in their iniquity.” The beginning of the verse in the Greek, and Bulgarian are the same with the exception that the word “people” is used instead of “brother”. The Hebrew translation renders: “In order that they may want bread and water, and be confounded one with the other and pine away for their iniquity.” “So that when bread and water fail every man may fall” (Douay): That is, in the time of the 40-year period, they will exhaust their supply of bread, and water (spiritual) and become real hungry so that they may discover their mistake. Quoting Testimonies to Ministers, page 419: “GOD requires certain things of HIS people; if they say, I will not give up my heart to do this thing, the LORD lets them go on in their supposed wise Judgment without heavenly wisdom, until this scripture (Isa. 28:13) is Fulfilled. You are not to say, I will follow the LORD’s guidance up to a certain point that is in harmony with MY Judgment, and then hold fast to your own ideas, refusing to be molded after the LORD’s similitude. Let the question be asked, Is this the will of the LORD? Not, Is this the Opinion or Judgment of ________?” “But the Word of the LORD was unto them precept upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little; that they might go, and fall backward, and be broken, and snared, and taken.” Isa. 28:13. {SR1: 130.2}

Testimonies to Ministers, pages 105-107: “We are not to think, as did the Jews, that our own ideas and opinions are infallible; nor with the papists, that certain individuals are the sole guardians of Truth and Knowledge, that men have no right to search the Scriptures for themselves, but must accept the explanations given by the Fathers of the Church….Those who allow prejudice to bar the mind against the reception of Truth can not receive the divine enlightenment. Yet, when a view of Scripture is presented, many do not ask, Is it true,–in harmony with GOD’s Word? but, By whom is it advocated? and unless it comes through the very channel that pleases them, they do not accept it. So thoroughly satisfied are they with their own ideas, that they will not examine the Scripture evidence, with a desire to learn, but refuse to be interested, merely because of their prejudices. {SR1: 131.1}

“The LORD often works where we least expect HIM; HE surprises us by revealing HIS Power through Instruments of HIS own choice, while HE passes by the men to whom we have looked as those through whom Light should come. GOD desires us to receive the Truth upon its own merits,–because it is Truth….But beware of rejecting that which is truth. The great danger with our people has been that of depending upon men, and making flesh their arm. Those who have not been in the habit of searching the Bible for themselves, or weighing evidence, have confidence in the leading men, and accept the decision they make; and thus many will reject the very messages GOD sends to HIS people, if these leading brethren do not accept them. {SR1: 131.2}

“No one should claim that he has all the Light there is for GOD’s people. The LORD will not tolerate this. HE has said, ‘I have set before thee an open door, and no man can shut it.’ Even if all our leading men should refuse Light and Truth, that door will still remain open. The LORD will raise up men who will give the people the Message for this time….Suppose a brother held a view that differed from yours, and he should come to you, proposing that you sit down with him and make an investigation of that point in the Scriptures; should you rise up, filled with prejudice, and condemn his ideas, while refusing to give him a candid hearing? The only right way would be to sit down as Christians, and investigate the position presented, in the Light of GOD’s Word, which will reveal Truth and unmask error. To ridicule his ideas would not weaken his position in the least if it were false, or strengthen your position if it were True. If the pillars of our faith will not stand the test of investigation, it is time that we knew it. There must be no spirit of Pharisaism cherished among us.” Though one may stubbornly dispute the direct application of the scriptures quoted here, certainly none would question the lesson taught in this publication and yet claim to be in harmony with the movement. {SR1: 132.1}