“What Manner of Spirit Ye Are Of?”
We can have the Holy Spirit of God in us or we can have Satan’s spirit, and very often we do not know which spirit it is that controls us. The disciples of Jesus did not like how the Samaritans treated them and wanted to call fire from heaven to consume them, but Jesus rebuked them saying, “Ye know not what manner of spirit ye are of.” Luke 9:55.
The Pharisees and Jews in general considered themselves the favourites of God, but Jesus called them the children of the devil. This is the worst kind of blindness, to think that God’s Holy Spirit dwells within us while it may be Satan’s spirit.
“Self-righteousness and passion blind our eyes, so that we do not discern the Saviour.” BC 6, p. 1097. This was the reason why Jesus called the Pharisees blind and leaders of the blind. Also the Laodicean angel is called blind, yet they themselves think that they are “rich and increased with goods and have need of nothing.” Rev. 3:17.
It is terrible to think even that the leaders of God’s own church can be blinded and be controlled by Satan’s spirit. This happened many times in the Old Israel. They led the whole nation to worship idols. In the time of Christ the leaders of the church were controlled by Satan.
Of all the Millerite leaders, only one joined the Adventist Church. The leaders of the Seventh-Day Adventist church committed sin against the Holy Spirit, yet they continued as leaders of the church of God.
“They began this satanic work at Minneapolis. Afterward, when they saw and felt the demonstration of the Holy Spirit testifying that the message was of God, they hated it the more, because it was a testimony against them. They would not humble their hearts to repent, to give God the glory, and vindicate the right. They went on in their own spirit, filled with envy, jealousy, and evil surmisings, as did the Jews. They opened their hearts to the enemy of God and man. Yet these men have been holding positions of trust, and have been molding the work after their own similitude, as far as they possibly could.” TM, p. 80.
“I can never forget the experience which we had in Minneapolis, or the things which were then revealed to me in regard to the spirit that controlled men, the words spoken, the acitons done in obedience to powers of evil… They were moved at the meeting by another spirit, and they knew not that God had sent these young men to bear a special message to them which they treated with ridicule and contempt, not realizing that the heavenly intelligences were looking upon them. I know that at that time the Spirit of God was insulted.” MS 24, 1892.
“We should be the last people on the earth to indulge in the slightest degree the spirit of persecution against those who are bearing the message of God to the world. This is the most terrible feature of unchristlikeness that has manifested itself among us since the Minneapolis meeting. Sometime it will be seen in its true bearing, with all the burden of woe that has resulted from it.” G.C.B., 1893, p. 184.
“Unsanctified ministers are arraying themselves against God. They are praising Christ and the god of this world in the same breath. While professedly they receive Christ, they embrace Barrabas, and by their actions say, “Not this Man, but Barrabas.” Let all who read these lines, take heed. Satan has made his boast of what he can do. He thinks to dissolve the unity which Christ prayed might exist in His church. He says, “I will go forth and be a lying spirit to deceive those that I can, to criticize, and condemn, and falsify.” Let the son of deceit and false witness be entertained by a church that has had great light, great evidence, and that church will discard the message the Lord has sent, and receive the most unreasonable assertions and false suppositions and false theories. Satan laughs at their folly; for he knows what truth is.
“Many stand in our pulpits with the torch of false prophecy in their hands, kindled from the hellish torch of Satan.” TM, p. 409.
No one is outside the deceptions of Satan. Leaders, members, children, they all have the danger of falling into the control of Satan’s spirit. Yet they think that God’s Spirit is with them.
What we need is the gift of the Holy Spirit to discern the spirits. (1 Cor. 12:10). With this gift we can recognize the spirit in a person. Also there are signs that tell us which spirit controls them.
Those that have the Holy Spirit have also the fruit of the Spirit. They love even their enemies, they have fullness of joy, and a peace of heaven in their hearts.
Again, those that have Satan’s spirit are complaining, criticizing, miserable, easily offended, and seeking positions. At the same time they are so blinded that they cannot see their true condition. All their religious efforts are in vain, only to be lost in the end.
The lukewarm professor of religion is in a lost condition. By his example he is causing others to fall into the same condition. The True Witness is offering to them gold, which is love and faith, also white raiment, which is Christ’s righteousness, and eye salve which is the Holy Spirit. These heavenly gifts will open our spiritual eyes to see our true condition and provide us the help needed to reach perfection.
In the coming shaking there will be a separation between these two classes of the members in the church. The wise and foolish virgins will be separated and the little faithful remnant will receive the Latter Rain and finish God’s work on the earth.
The 600,000 men, 20 years and over who left Egypt all perished in the wilderness. The reason for it was that they were controlled by Satan’s spirit. Joshua and Caleb had God’s Spirit and they were allowed to enter the Promised Land. These 600,000 men kept the Sabbath, paid tithes, participated in the worship, and obeyed all the rules and ceremonies that God had given them, yet they lost this life and also the eternal life. Satan controlled them while they were members in the Church of God.
Today Satan has more temptations than ever before prepared for God’s people. Television, Internet and the worldly literature are mediums in the hands of Satan to draw people into his snares. It is of utmost importance to examine ourselves to find out what manner of spirit we are of. Our happiness in this life and our hope of eternal life depends on the spirit that we have.
AMEN.
Timo Martin, Canada