The Sifting of Israel by L. H. Proctor

Review and Herald Publishing Association · Takoma Park Station, Washington, D. C. · Jul 4, 1907

The Sifting of Israel

By L. H. Proctor

L. H. PROCTOR

“For, lo, I will command, and I will sift the house of Israel among all nations, like as corn is sifted in a sieve, yet shall not the least grain fall upon the earth. All the sinners of my people shall die by the sword, which say, The evil shall not overtake nor prevent us.” Amos 9:9, 10.

Amos, the prophet of God, is here given a view of the last days,—the time when the Israel of God is to be tested, or sifted, in all parts of the world, like grain in a sieve. Every grain must, during this sifting, be so perfectly developed that it will not pass through the sieve with the seeds of evil, or tares, neither be blown to the earth with the chaff by the winds of false doctrines which are abroad in the land. This work of sifting will continue until the chaff is entirely separated from the wheat. Matt. 3:12.

This fanning and shaking process will bring the glorious results so long looked for by this people, the latter rain, the results of which are recorded in Amos 9:13. At that time, because of the latter rain, the plowman will overtake the reaper, showing the great rapidity with which this closing work will be done, a similar experience to that of Pentecost, when Peter, animated by the Holy Spirit, broke up the soil of stony hearts, sowed the seed (the word) in their hearts, and reaped the harvest, all in one day. The same work will be accomplished again in the near future. Joel 2:23.

The same sifting of the house of Israel described by the prophet Amos, has also been foretold by the spirit of prophecy for more than twenty years. “But the days of purification of the church are hastening on apace. God will have a people pure and true. In the mighty sifting soon to take place, we shall be better able to measure the strength of Israel. The signs reveal that the time is near when the Lord will manifest that his fan is in his hand, and he will thoroughly purge his floor. The days are fast approaching when there will be great perplexity and confusion. Satan, clothed in angel robes, will deceive, if possible, the very elect. There will be gods many and lords many. Every wind of doctrine will be blowing. Those who have rendered supreme homage to ‘science falsely so called,’ will not be the leaders then. Those who have trusted to intellect, genius, or talent, will not stand at the head of rank and file. They did not keep pace with the light. Those who have proved themselves unfaithful will not then be entrusted with the flock.”—Testimonies for the Church, Vol. V, page 80.

“The time is not far distant when the test will come to every soul. The mark of the beast will be urged upon us. . . . In this time the gold will be separated from the dross in the church. True godliness will be clearly distinguished from the appearance and tinsel of it. Many a star that we have admired for its brilliancy, will then go out in darkness.”—Id., page 81.

Many of the brightest stars of this denomination will be sifted out from us. They will then become the worst enemies this truth will have to encounter, and will soon be engaged in a warfare against the true leaders of this work, as we see from the following:—

“The enemy is preparing for his last campaign against the church. . . . The worst enemies we have are those who are trying to destroy the influence of the watchmen upon the walls of Zion. Satan works through agents. He is making an earnest effort here. He works according to a definite plan, and his agents act in concert. A line of unbelief stretches across the continent, and is in communication with the church of God. . . . Be careful lest you be found aiding the enemy of God and man by spreading false reports, and by criticisms and decided opposition. . . . Satan’s object is to dishonor God, and he works with every element that is unsanctified to accomplish this design. The men whom he makes his instruments in doing this work, are blinded, and do not see what they are doing until they are so deeply involved in guilt that they think it would be useless to try to recover themselves, and they risk all, and continue in their course of transgression to the bitter end. Satan hopes to involve the remnant people of God in the general ruin that is coming upon the earth. As the coming of Christ draws nigh, he will be more determined and decisive in his efforts

to overthrow them. Men and women will arise professing to have some new light or some new revelation whose tendency is to unsettle faith in the old landmarks [the third angel’s message]. Their doctrines will not bear the test of God’s Word, yet souls will be deceived. False reports will be circulated, and some will be taken in the snare. They will believe these rumors, and in their turn will repeat them, and thus a link will be formed connecting them with the arch-deceiver. The spirit will not always be manifested in an open defiance of the message God sends, but a settled unbelief expressed in many ways. Every false statement that is made feeds and strengthens this unbelief, and through this means many souls will be balanced in the wrong direction.”—Id., pages 294, 295.

Satan, after causing some to distrust the leaders of this denomination, will next make war on the Testimonies, as foretold years ago in Testimonies for the Church, Vol. V, page 672: “It is Satan’s plan to weaken the faith of God’s people in the Testimonies. Satan knows how to make his attacks. He works upon minds to excite jealousy and dissatisfaction toward those at the head of the work. The gifts are next questioned; then, of course, they have but little weight, and instruction given through vision is disregarded.” “Next follows skepticism in regard to the vital points of our faith, the pillars of our position, then doubt as to the Holy Scriptures, and then the downward march to perdition.” “If you lose confidence in the Testimonies, you will drift away from the Bible truth.”—Id., 674. “The searching testimony of the Spirit of God will separate those from Israel who have ever been at war with the means that God has ordained to keep corruptions out of the church. . . . The plain, straight testimony must live in the church, or the curse of God will rest upon his people as surely as it did upon ancient Israel because of their sins.”—Page 676. “If you seek to turn aside the counsel of God to suit yourselves; if you lessen the confidence of God’s people in the Testimonies he has sent them, you are rebelling against God as certainly as were Korah, Dathan, and Abiram. You have their history. You know how stubborn they were in their own opinions. They decided that their judgment was better than that of Moses, and that Moses was doing great injury to Israel.”—Page 66.

The experience of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram, as recorded in Num. 16:1-50, will be repeated in the last days. These men murmured against those at the head of the cause, whom God had chosen to deliver Israel from the false religions of Egypt. These men, with the two hundred and fifty princes, not only rejected Moses and Aaron as leaders of Israel, but Moses being the leading prophet of that people, they rejected the spirit of prophecy also. Among the two hundred and fifty princes who rebelled against Moses were famous men, men of renown, men of prominence in Israel. In verse 3 we see that these men had not been exalted, as they thought they should have been. They inferred that they were all holy and capable of governing themselves, without leaders and prophets, for they were all prophets, therefore it was unnecessary for Moses and Aaron to exalt themselves above the people. Moses and Aaron had no thought of exalting themselves, but were trying to do faithfully the work the Lord had given them to do. Korah had hoped so to change the government of Israel as to set aside the present leaders, Moses and Aaron (or the one-man power, as he doubtless called it); for this, he thought, restricted the liberties of Israel, bringing them in bondage to men, and thus disaster would follow. He argued that the people were all as holy as the leaders, and that Moses had no right to make himself a prince over them. Verse 13. In Patriarchs and Prophets, page 398, is the following:—

“Korah’s success with the people increased his confidence, and confirmed him in his belief that the usurpation of authority by Moses, if unchecked, would be fatal to the liberties of Israel; he also claimed that God had opened the matter to him, and had authorized him to make a change in the government before it should be too late.” Korah wished a change of government from a selfish standpoint, thinking that if he could bring about a new government, he would be leader instead of Moses, thus exalting himself, which was his chief aim. This self-exaltation brought his ruin, as well as that of his sympathizers.

God showed his disapproval of the dissatisfied, complaining element in Israel by sending his wrath upon them, also showed his approval of the present plan of organization, by sparing the lives of Moses and Aaron, the past leaders. We also find that that plan was strengthened by appointing still more leaders, or heads, as recorded in Deut. 1:8-17; where leaders were appointed over thousands, others over hundreds, others over fifties, and still others over tens, and from these to Moses himself, the prophet of God. As Israel’s history is to be repeated in the last days, it is just as necessary to have order, organization, heads, leaders, etc., now as anciently, and with them, God’s sanction. The captains, or heads over thousands, would represent today the leaders of our General Conference; the captains over hundreds, our union conferences; the captains over fifties, the State conferences; captains over tens, our church officers; and when a matter should arise too difficult to be decided by these men, then we should go to the prophet of God, to know what light has been received from God, pertaining to the matter under consideration. Just as surely as the history of ancient Israel is to be repeated in the last days, just so surely may we look for persons to arise from among the Israel of to-day, who, like Korah and his company, will rebel against the leaders of Israel, against the prophet who has led them during their wilderness journey, who will also despise the work of the priesthood, tithing, etc., connected with the priesthood, as Korah and his company despised the work of Aaron and his sons. As the sifting of ancient Israel took place in one generation prior to the entering in of the earthly Canaan, so in one, or the last generation, will God’s true Israel be sifted, tried, and tested, before entering into the heavenly Canaan. Let every true soldier of Israel to-day ask himself, Shall I march forward under the direction of the Great General who never lost a battle, or shall I be found among those who retreat, and are found in rebellion against God and his work, as did Korah and his company, and share their fate?

Brooklyn, N. Y.