How Can We Identify God's True Church Today?

When we hear God's loving call to come out of Babylon and join His true Church, we are faced with the question, "Which, of the hundreds of churches today, is God's true Church? Is one just as good as another? They all profess to be God's true last days Church; they all profess to follow the Bible.

Satan has tried to vanish from sight God's true Church among hundreds of denominations and sects, just as the Bible foretold! Trying to sort out God's true people could seem an overwhelming, discouraging task. But the good news is that God so clearly describes his Church for these last days that once we discover what he says, you can as easily select his Church from among all the churches as you could select your country's flag from among all other flags!

GOD'S CHURCH

1. How many faiths, or churches, did Paul say Jesus has?

Ephesians 4:5

2. Obviously, there are many beautiful Christians in all churches. Since God has only one true Church, what will happen to the sincere Christians in other churches?

John 10:16,27

3. How does God symbolize Zion, or His Church, in prophecy?

Jeremiah 6:2

Isaiah 51:16

Note: The Bible repeatedly symbolizes God's Church as a pure and beautiful woman. 2 Corinthians 11:2

THE WOMAN CLOTHED WITH THE SUN

4. In Revelation 12:1, Jesus introduces his Church under his favourite symbolism. How does he describe her?

Note: The sun represents Jesus and His righteousness (Psalm 84:11, Romans 13:14, Malachi 4:2, John 9:5).

The moon has no light of it's own except that reflected from the sun. The moon under her feet represents the Old Testament sacrificial system which had no light except that reflected from the Gospel (Hebrews 10:1).

The crown of 12 stars represents the work of the 12 apostles which crowned the early years of the Church (Matthew 10:1-4).

5. What next takes place in this great prophecy of God's Church?

Revelation 12:2,5

Note: The Church is in labour and pain as she brings forth Christ and his children, in the midst of affliction and persecutions (Romans 8:19,22, I John 3:1, 2 Timothy 3:12).

6. Who is obviously represented by the baby?

Psalm 2:7-9

Revelation 19:13-16

Acts 1:9-11

THE GREAT RED DRAGON

7. What other sign, or wonder, appeared in heaven? Revelation 12:3,48. Who is this Dragon?

Revelation 12:9

Note: The dragon represents SATAN. But Satan never appears in public- he invisibly gets his work done through human agents.

FLASHBACK: WAR IN HEAVEN

9. Where did the dragon come from, and whom did he bring with him?

Revelation 12:4,7-9

Note: a) "Stars" are angels, Revelation 1:20. Satan deceived one-third of the angels, and "his angels were cast out with him".

b) As soon as He was born, Satan, through Herod, tried to kill Jesus by destroying all the babies in Bethlehem (Matthew 2:1-18). Joseph and Mary were forewarned by an angel and fled to Egypt. These 2 events were predicted by Old Testament prophets centuries in advance: Jeremiah 31:15, Hosea 11:1.

Though the dragon represents Satan, it also represents pagan Rome. Herod, through whom Satan used to try to kill Jesus at birth, was a Roman ruler. He also used Rome's official representative, Pontius Pilate, to authorize Christ's crucifixion, and seal His tomb. However, in spite of His death and burial by Rome's agents, Christ arose and was caught up to God and to His throne! verse 5

GREAT PERSECUTION

10. After Satan failed in destroying Jesus when He was here on earth, what did he do to the woman, or Church?

Revelation 12:13

Note: Baffled and beaten in his efforts to destroy Christ, Satan then turned and persecuted the Church, using pagan Rome, the apostate Jews, and finally Papal Rome.

11. Understanding that in prophecy one day equals one literal year, how long was this persecution to last?

Revelation 12:6,14

Note: This period of terrible persecution is so important that it is mentioned seven times specifically in Scripture: Daniel 7:25, Daniel 12:7, Revelation 12:6,14, Revelation 13:5, and Revelation 11:2,3. it is referred to as 42 months, 1,260 years, and 3½ times or years. They all equal 1,260 literal years (Ezekiel 4:6). We have studied Daniel 7 in lesson 24, which is perhaps the easiest text to identify, and saw that this time period of Papal supremacy reached from A.D. 538 to A.D. 1798.

THE DARK AGES

12. What did the Church do when this persecution began?

Revelation 12:6,13-16
Note: God preserved his Church by "giving her the wings of a great eagle", which enabled her to escape to a refuge "in the wilderness", where she had "a place prepared of God".

Satan launched a "flood" of Papal armies in Europe in a furious effort to exterminate the fugitive Church. However, God provided miraculous protection, and "the earth helped the woman" in 3 remarkable ways:

a) Behind lofty mountain bulwarks, in caverns, valleys, and forests.

The mountain fastness, retreats and secluded valleys of Europe for centuries shielded many who refused allegiance to the Papacy.

b) Through enlightened European rulers who befriended the Reformation. During the wake of the reformation of the 16th century, some of the governments of Europe came to the help of various reform groups by staying the hand of persecution and protecting the lives of those who dared to take their stand against the Papacy.

c) In the great American "New World" across the Atlantic.

The "discovery" of America and the opening up of this country as an asylum for the oppressed of Europe at this time may also be included in the "help" here referred to.

13. What did the dragon do when he saw all his efforts to destroy God's people fail?

Revelation 12:17

Note: Now, let's put the verse in today's language: "And the Devil was infuriated with the true Church and went to fight against God's Church in the very last days, which keep the Ten Commandments and has the gift of prophecy."

14. What two characteristics of God's last day remnant Church are mentioned in Revelation 12:17 and Revelation 19:10?

Note: Two characteristics of God's last days Church is that

a) They have the gift of prophecy,

b) They keep God's commands, including the Seventh-day Sabbath of the fourth commandment.

There are many loving Christians in churches which do not keep the Sabbath or have the gift of prophecy. However, none of these churches can be God's true Church for the last days into which He is calling all His people, because His Church is specifically stated as having both of these characteristics.

THREE CRUCIAL MESSAGES

15. Here is something which many do not know. The everlasting Gospel, which God's Church must powerfully preach in these last days, includes THREE specific points of emphasis that must be included. These messages are to be preached world-wide (Revelation 14:6, Matthew 24:14). What are these messages?

Revelation 14:6-11

Revelation 18:2,4

Note: These three messages, crucial to spreading the truth about God, can be summarized as:

a) God's Church will be teaching that God's judgment is now in session, and that in order to vindicate His Name in our lives, we must worship and honour Him as the Creator of all things, and most importantly, the Re-creator of our new hearts. The Sabbath is the sign of His power to create and to free us from spiritual bondage. Revelation 14:7, Deuteronomy 5:15, Lesson 16.

b) God's Church will call people out of spiritual Babylon. By exposing Babylon and revealing her false doctrine by preaching the truth, the remnant Church will free people from spiritual "confusion". Revelation 14:8, Revelation 18:2,4

c) God's Church for today will be telling people how to avoid the mark of the beast by having Jesus' character "sealed" on their hearts and thereby settling them into the truth so they cannot be moved, no matter what. They will, by explaining what happens to the lost in the "fire" and revealing God's role in it, free people from fear of God. Revelation 14:9

God's true Church for today will be presenting these three powerful messages world-wide. Many devout and loyal Christians are members of churches which do not teach this three-point message. However, such churches cannot be God's church for today into which He is calling all His people, because the true Church must be preaching these three messages universally.

16. What other key point will God's true Church for the last days stress?

Revelation 12:11

Note: God's remnant Church will make it very clear that salvation and righteousness come by faith in Jesus Christ alone (Acts 4:12).

GOD'S CHURCH IDENTIFIED

We have seen from Revelation chapters 12 & 14 that the following seven great points identify God's Church for today into which He is calling all His people. God's Church will:

a) appear after the wilderness/Dark ages experience; that is, after 1798.

b) hold the same truths as the apostles (their teachings will all square with the Bible.)

c) teach that God's holy Law still applies to us, including the fourth commandment (the Seventh-day Sabbath).

d) have the gift of prophecy.

e) preach the final, last days messages of the three angels of Revelation 14:6-12.

f) be a world-wide missionary Church (they take the good news to every nation, tongue and people.).

g) teach salvation through Jesus Christ alone (the everlasting Gospel).

17. Is there a church today which fulfills all 7 points?

Answer: The only organized church which fits the descrip- tion beyond a shadow of a doubt as to the time, work, and teachings is the SEVENTH-DAY ADVENTIST CHURCH. We shall study these items in greater detail in lesson 26.

18. Once one recognizes God's true Church, is it necessary to become a member?

Acts 2:47

Note: Notice the following:

a) We are called into one body—Colossians 3:15

b) That body is the Church—Colossians 1:18

c) We enter the Church by baptism—I Corinthians 12:13

It is just as imperative to enter God's Ark or Church today as it was to enter the Ark in Noah's day. Remember that Jesus intends to save the Church—Ephesians 5:25-27.

CONCLUSION

Revelation 1:12,13,20 pictures Jesus walking among his churches. He still walks among the churches today calling his people (Hebrews 13:8). As he speaks to you and calls you into his blessed ark of safety for these last days, will you respond to his loving call?

My response to Christ is:______________________________