While this is a good article in some respects, to isolate this topic by itself, it may lead some to look upon church and leaders through yoked eyes and we look through the words and find nothing of God's amazing grace in there. So we like our readers to also read the article on amazing grace to get a more balanced understanding on what our Christian walk should be like. This article is filled with an important message.

Introduction and the Investigative Judgment

Today we are interested to study about salvation and how it relates to being a follower of Christ and being written in the `Book of Life.' It may not be a subject commonly preached about but, as you will see, it will lead us into areas rarely tread by men of God and rarely studied in the Word of God.

Many of us may have grown up thinking, `Well, when I got baptized into my church my name was written into `the Book of Life,' Phil. 4:3; Rev. 3:5.

Is that so in reality?

How can we know if our name is in the `Book of Life?'

To begin with let us turn to Exodus 32. We read there about the experience of Moses after Israel had sinned and God said, Look, I will destroy them and make you the father of many nations . . . And here is how Moses answered God.

"And Moses returned unto the Lord, and said, Oh, this people have sinned a great sin, and have made them gods of gold.
Yet now, if thou wilt forgive their sin--; and if not, blot me, I pray thee, out of thy book which thou hast written." Exodus 32:32-34.

We learn here there is a book containing the names of God's people. But Moses says, I don't want to be the father of a nation of people taking the place of these people. The Egyptian will say then, `See, their God led them into the desert not to worship their God but to kill them.' - That can never be Lord. If you cannot forgive these people that sin, you blot me out of the `Book of Life.'

And, do you know what that means? That means Moses was willing to give up his right to be in heaven. . . .

God then said what his policy is. He said,

"And the Lord said unto Moses, Whosoever hath sinned against me, him will I blot out of my book." Ex. 32:33.

Now, how many of us have not sinned against God?

God says here, to sin is a way to get your name out of the `Lambs Book of Life.'

We are all sinners! And so your name went into the `Book of Life' and comes out again, when you remain a sinner. . . so what hope is there for us?

If we sin against God and remain in sin our name is taken out according to what we just read here in Exodus 32.

Ok, Let us take a look at the other end of the Bible and see what it says there. Let us go to Revelation chapter 3 verse 5. Here we learn how we get our name into the `Lamb's Book of Life.' Its says,

"He that overcometh, the same shall be clothed in white raiment; and I will not blot out his name out of the book of life, but I will confess his name before my Father, and before his angels." Rev. 3:5.

So we find here in these two texts the doctrine of the investigative judgment. - You got your name into the `Book of Life,' but if you continue in sin, your name will be taken out of the `Book of Life' . . . but if you overcome, your name will be left in the `Book of Life.'

That is quite straight forward and simple. It means that there has to be an investigation as to all those names contained in the `Book of Life.' That was chosen to be called the Investigative Judgment. But it makes a difference, dear reader, if you continue in sin or whether you overcome.

Now we could take the position of those who say, `Well, I am a sinful human being. I cannot stop sinning.'

Now, if we convince ourselves of that, yes, our name will not be found in the `Book of Life.'

But we should understand, that it is just as easy to say no to sin as it is to just do it. So, because some faiths maintain that they cannot stop sinning, in consequence to that, they also have to do away with the idea that there is an investigative judgment . . . and that is what we find in main stream Protestant faiths.

But those who decided, `Well, Lord, I do not need this thing, this sin in my life. I rather have you.'

Those who decide this question in this manner will belong to a select group of people who have their name in the Lamb's Book of Life.

Let us read about them.

"And it was given unto him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them: and power was given him over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations. And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world." Rev. 13:7,8.

Who is the "him" who these people on earth worship and whose names are not written in the book of life of the lamb?

Well it is the beast of Revelation 13.

Who is that beast?

Well, it is an ecclesiastical power since it blasphemes God ... in other words it knows something about God but counteracts on what it knows about God .... it does the opposite what God following people ought to be doing ... it blasphemes God, instead of humbly worshipping the only true God. That has always been interpreted as the papacy and indirectly it is the devil.

So we know now that it is important that our name remains in the `Book of Life.'

But we still want to find out how we can get our name into the Lamb's Book of Life.

How do we know it is there?

Now, this is a somber subject because as we shall find out, many church goers will realize all of a sudden that they never had their name in the `Lamb's Book of Life.'

They exclaim, `What are you saying? What do you mean?

Well, we follow scripture and let scripture explain it.

Kinds of Yokes

So, where do we go?

"And I entreat thee also, true yokefellow, help those women which laboured with me in the gospel, with Clement also, and with other my fellowlabourers, whose names are in the book of life." Phillipians 4:3.

Yeah, all we did is look up a scripture that continues in the same line of thought about the `Book of Life' and here it is.

But what is being taught in this verse? What is the message about whose names are in the `Book of Life?'

Well, it is not hard to realize that you have to be a "fellowlabourer" and a true "yokefellow" to have your name in that book.

So, based on this we may conclude that to have our name in the `Book of Life' is not a matter of baptism or being voted into the church. - No! It is rather a matter of accepting the invitation of Jesus Christ we read about in Matthew chapter 11.

There it says,

"Come unto me all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.
For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light." Matthew 11:28-30.

How did we get to this scripture? Well, we just followed the clue of what it means to be a "yokefellow" or have a "yoke" which we read about in Philippians 4.

You must, dear reader, take up the yoke of Christ if you want to have your name inscribed in the `Book of Life.'

You must be a true "yokefellow", wearing the yoke of Jesus and no other yoke.

However, after some reflection on this turn in the subject we discover soon enough that there are many other yokes spoken of in the Bible and we can find many other yokes in this world we live in. So let us look into that for it is truly an important subject to know about. After all it affects if our name is going to be inscribed in the `Book of Life', which is taught about in the Bible.

You see, the Word of God is a resource rich in subjects and aspects of the width and breadth and height of faith. We will never be able to finally know it all after a few hours of study.

So, let us turn to another famous `yoke' chapter in the Bible. Turn to Isaiah chapter 58, a chapter which is important to know for the end of time before Jesus comes. The servant of the Lord said, "The whole of the fifty-eighth chapter of Isaiah is to be regarded as a message for this time, to be studied over and over again." {SpTB02 5.3}

Other truths are also spoken of as `a message for this time,' like Malachi chapter 3 and the topic on the righteousness of Christ.

For our topic we read this in Isaiah 58,

"Is it such a fast that I have chosen? a day for a man to afflict his soul? is it to bow down his head as a bulrush, and to spread sackcloth and ashes under him? wilt thou call this a fast, and an acceptable day to the Lord?
Is not this the fast that I have chosen? to loose the bands of wickedness, to undo the heavy burdens, and to let the oppressed go free, and that ye break every yoke?" Isa. 58:6.

To expound this scripture is what we must do now for it has certainly an important message which says "to break every yoke." Why? Because no one can wear two yokes at the same time.

The best yoke to wear, we mentioned, is the `yoke of Christ.' All those who wear that yoke will certainly have their name written in the `Book of Life' according to the implications we read in Matthew 11. However, we ought to realize also that those who wear any other yoke have no assurance that their name is written in the `Book of Life.'

What are the kind of yokes, Isaiah calls for to be broken?

That is what we want to find out next.

Yes, these are heavy thoughts. But we found them in the Bible, in the Word of God.

That calls for more consideration.

The thing about this is that there are many who, after conversion join a church and because of that came to believe that their name was written in the `Book of Life.' - - - But that is not supported by the evidence we found so far. Not at all. - So let us dig some more.

Before long we may discover that there is one big difference between the yoke of Christ and any other yoke we could find, that is described in a little sermon Christ gave when He first walked on this earth.

Let us turn to Matthew 23. There we read,

"Then spake Jesus to the multitude, and to his disciples,
Saying, The scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses' seat:
All therefore whatsoever they bid you observe, that observe and do; but do not ye after their works: for they say, and do not.
For they bind heavy burdens and grievous to be borne, and lay them on men's shoulders; but they themselves will not move them with one of their fingers." Matthew 23:1-4.

What was their purpose for their life?

"But all their works they do for to be seen of men: they make broad their phylacteries, and enlarge the borders of their garments,
And love the uppermost rooms at feasts, and the chief seats in the synagogues,
And greetings in the markets, and to be called of men, Rabbi, Rabbi." Mt. 23:5-7

Those were their yokes, their heaven on earth.

What kind of a yoke is that?

It is a yoke of bondage and heavy burdens!

All other yokes than that of Christ are of this variety and these are those yokes we are called upon to break.

Get out of their restriction and bondage.

Real Heavy Yokes

So we ask, `Was this a political yoke foisted on the people, or was it a church sponsored yoke?'

What is the answer to that question?

Where could these man be found sitting? - - They were not sitting on `the throne of David,' but you recall they were `sitting on the seat of Moses' - the church.

What does that mean?

Let us discover how this translates into our days today. To do that let us read what the Spirit of Prophecy has to say about it. - You know, she was not one who would go looking for problems in the churches or among people to write testimonies about. Far from it. It was in her nature to always look on the good side and whenever possible uplift people, bring them closer to God. She would always look at the positive side for she had difficulties writing these Testimonies volumes. It was not something she desired to do, but needed to do.

So she was warned once by the Lord, if she does not write them as they were given or water them down, the blood of souls would be on her garment and she would loose eternal life.

"I write thus fully, because I have been shown that ministers and people are tempted more and more to trust in finite man for wisdom, and to make flesh their arm. To conference presidents, and men in responsible places, I bear this message: Break the bands and fetters that have been placed upon God's people. To you the word is spoken, "Break every yoke." Unless you cease the work of making man amenable (answerable) to man, unless you become humble in heart, and yourselves learn the way of the Lord as little children, the Lord will divorce you from His work. We are to treat one another as brethren, as fellow laborers, as men and women who are, with us, seeking for light and understanding of the way of the Lord, and who are jealous for His glory." {TM 480.3}

From this quote it appears that many church members take a `church yoke' upon their neck instead of the `yoke of Jesus' believing that the yoke of the church and the yoke of Jesus are one and the same. - But are they?

This may take place in any denomination, church or group of people. Unfortunately the book, `Testimonies to Ministers' is one that has been spurned probably for ninety or nearly ninety years now. As a simple newcomer and new member, I never realized that until quite recently. I thought they all studied those books and applied at least some lessons to themselves. Today I realize for how long and how far leaders in churches have deviated from the divine blue print and built churches upon foundations of sand.

The Spirit of Prophecy counsels us in the above passage to break all the bands and fetters of every type and take up only the yoke of Christ. These may be the yoke of the AMA, Labor Unions, Fraternal Associations, Rotary Clubs, Kiwanas . . . all of these organizations put a yoke upon your neck if you belong to them and we are counseled to shake it off.

What is the criteria? It says, `Cease to make man accountable to man.' . . . That may touch on the experience of many denominational workers some of whom may have been visited by their leaders to account for their work for the Lord. They are to treat one another as fellow laborers, that is as fellow yoke bearers, the yoke of Christ and not of man.

God has declared, I will be glorified in my people, but the self-confident management of man has resulted in putting God aside and instead, accept the devisings of man - the sin the Pharisees were taken to task by Jesus. They taught their doctrines plus.... the commandments of man.

When I was younger there were still man alive who said that there was no GC working or educational policy, there was no Church Manual. . . . When people wanted to know what to do, they had only two places to go to, the Bible and the Spirit of Prophecy.

And you know, to wisen up they had to read both of those sources and know them inside out. Well, how did they do it? They had a great advantage compared to us today. They had their hours at home undisturbed by radio or television. As long as they had light, they could read.

That is a great advantage and necessity for coming closer to the Lord. If you do not keep your time at home uncluttered from media and yoked to media and what they suggest you to do, you cannot service Christ only. You are a slave to other masters - if you realize it or not.

The first Church Manual consisted of 83 pages. The Church Manual I have is the 1940 edition and has 186 pages plus 22 pages of index. By the 1980's, the Manual had over 500 pages of rules and regulations to be followed by you in behest of the rulers of this church. - That can happen in all denominations because bureaucracy always multiplies itself, like the multiheaded beasts in Daniel. No doubt, as time goes on it will keep growing and growing until they have to train scribes to interprete it, for no one can remember it all and live and work by it, not a one of them.

Another of those documents is the PU. Educational Code as they called it. Over 1000 pages long. There is also a supplement because the rules of man are never adequate and consequently they have to keep adding and adding to it until it becomes a beheamoth yoke of bondage and slavery - something not according to the will of God.

The stated reason for the first Church Manual was, as they put it, `We hope to be able to stop the church from plunging headlong into apostasy.'

Look around, were they successful in achieving that goal?

Elder J.M. had a burden. He was not the first one to have such a burden, JNA. had one too. But Elder M. had a burden to stop apostasy by issuing a code of man made rules to govern the church by.

This first Church Manual was understood as advisory. It had no authority, no binding claims. No one has to toe the line or pay any attention to it, but in 1946 they put the highest, full authority of the church, the GC in Session behind the Church Manual. This is but another example of a yoke made by man about which we are counseled to shake it off from our necks.

But listen to what the apostle Peter had to say to the brethren in Jerusalem about the yoke of the Jewish Church?

It says there,

"Now therefore why tempt ye God, to put a yoke upon the neck of the disciples, which neither our fathers nor we were able to bear?" Acts 15:10.

The Jews were heading down that same avenue to put a yoke beyond the yoke of Christ upon the church.

How long did it take the early Christian Church to put a yoke upon the neck of their disciples?

Why, the church had just barely gotten started.

They wanted a yoke of what?

`That neither the fathers or we were able to bear.'

But we ought to remember all yokes of man are heavy and burdensome, but the yoke of Christ is easy and light.

Some of us may say, `Well, I don't think I got a yoke on my neck.'

Could that be really possible? Or may be we have gotten so used to it that we don't notice it anymore.

How does such a heavy, burdensome yoke make itself known to us? What are its effects?

Most workers probably think that the yoke of the church is the yoke of Jesus. But is it?

But when you listen to ministers and workers, you may really feel puzzled why the yoke of Christ should be called easy and light. - - Many are sweating and feel shaken under it.

So what is going on? How are we to explain that?

But let us read in the Spirit of Prophecy about another yoke of man put on the neck of our people and this is what it says for those working in medical professions,

"For years our physicians have been trained to think that they must not give expression to sentiments that differ from those of their chief. O that they had broken the yoke! O that they had called sin by its right name! Then they would not be regarded in the heavenly courts as men who, though bearing weighty responsibilities, have failed of speaking the truth in reproof of that which has been in disobedience to God's word." {SpTB02 14.4}

Here she says, the idea, that you cannot express and entertain an idea that is different from the ideas of the pastor, leader or the church is a yoke that you have to break.

No one can break a yoke from off your neck unless he puts it there. You must break those yokes yourself . . . get out from under it.

These physicians at Battle Creek had agreed to bear a yoke which required them to acquiesce to the boss. It required them, even so they differed from him, to keep their mouths shut.

And Sister White said, `Oh, that they had broken this yoke.'

They had accepted a yoke of silence . . . to be silent despite to what their conscience told them.

Has anyone among us ever born such a yoke, to keep your mouth shut? Even after you leave the place of your employment . . . but receive benefits from them?

We are told, if you have accepted such a yoke, do not fail to break it.

Why? Because, she says, `Oh that they had called sin by its right name.'

That speaks of those who know something is wrong, something is of sin, and yet they do not speak out against it.

Well, it ought to be easy to see that such a bondage is a yoke of burden. Some workers may be affected by this type of yoke to such an extent that their health will fail them and they will waste away.

That is why any yoke which is not of Christ is called heavy and a burden.

But in real life you may find that, as soon as you shake off such a yoke they will come rushing in to put it back on to you.

Oftentimes ministers may be told to reproof and rebuke the laity but when they would try even one time to reproof and rebuke the leaders themselves, they would be considered to be of the devil - fault finders, criticisers, and condemners.

Anyone encountering such situations, may feel sick afterwards. Such a yoke is a heavy burden.

The policy of many church governing bodies is this, `Do not tell the laity what we talk about here.'

Even though just before that, you were still of the laity yourself. What makes the difference? The difference is that now you receive a paycheck. . . . the means of enforcing their yoke upon your neck.

A conscienable fellow may say then, Why? - - - Why not?

Many times the answer may be, because the laity wouldn't understand and receive wrong impressions.

But you may not believe such an answer. If you don't believe it, your days at the office, however, may be numbered.

The yoke to keep quiet and to not disagree with your leader on good grounds is a yoke of sin that you have to break before you can wear the yoke of Christ.

Then Ellen White continues, `... they would not be regarded in the heavenly courts as men who, though bearing weighty responsibilities, have failed of speaking the truth in reproof of that which has been in disobedience to God's word.'

This yoke that many bear inside the church is a yoke of silence when it comes to policies and procedures. And if you dare to open your mouth, you are a fault finder, condemner and criticiser.

And so, the SoP wrote,

"Our physicians have lost a great deal out of their lives because they have seen wrong transactions and heard wrong words spoken, and seen wrong principles followed, and have not spoken in reproof, for fear that they would be repulsed." {1SM 197.2}

So we know that the yoke of man will silence you so you will not object to the policies of the rulers and leaders when they speak contrary of what is true and right.

Its like those Japanese monkeys that say, `See no evil, Hear no evil, Speak no evil.'

Those words do not come from the Bible. They are Pagan doctrines. You can find those words in all the Buddhist and Shinto temples in Japan from where these sayings came from.

Sister White says,

`Have you seen.' Not have you put your hands over your eyes and ignored it.

She says, `Have you heard.' Not have you put your hand over your ears so you won't hear.

History proofs what happens when sinful yokes are put upon people. The whole world will be able to see the corruptions and shady dealings going on behind closed doors. But have the brethren learned these lessons from the past? Have they?

And these news reports still do not tell the whole story. No one mentions the kick backs which were paid and received. The kick backs and the cronyism everywhere. The leaders are a click among themselves who can trust only those belonging to their click because they know that they are all sinners who do not seek or follow the Lord. - - If they would follow the Lord they would come out clean and shake off the yoke they put upon themselves.

And all of this is written up in the SoP for us to learn from. Read for example the following,

"The abominations for which the faithful ones were sighing and crying were all that could be discerned by finite eyes, but by far the worst sins, those which provoked the jealousy of the pure and holy God, were unrevealed. The great Searcher of hearts knoweth every sin committed in secret by the workers of iniquity. These persons come to feel secure in their deceptions and, because of His long-suffering, say that the Lord seeth not, and then act as though He had forsaken the earth. But He will detect their hypocrisy and will open before others those sins which they were so careful to hide." {5T 211.3}

Now notice, the faithful ones are not the ones who wear the yoke of silence.

God has done exactly that. God reveals these sins for all the world to see for the perpetrators are foolish men who assume God does not see, hear or even know them.

So, brethren, the yoke of silence many were taught to keep, is a very wicked yoke and leads to perdition. It teaches the Pagan lies of those oriental religions.

We must know that there is no virtue in ignorance and no merit in silence. In fact if you do not wear the yoke of Christ and insist on wearing the yoke of silence imposed upon you by your leaders, Sister White tells you to `break it.' Get it off your neck. The leadership has never taken it off their neck and the neck of the people - even though they were told to do so.

The thing is, when God will take the yoke off these necks, the whole contraption tumbles and crashes. The sad thing then is, that it will frighten many people because they will feel so uncomfortable without a yoke - to which they had gotten used to for so long - that they don't know what to do and look for another yoke - in some other church or denomination. - And that is sad. And good people might be among them.

And without the yoke of Jesus, dear reader, those are lost.

So they desperately cling to the idea, the ship is going through it, things are going to be straightened out . . . . When the prophet doesn't say any such thing.

On the contrary, after President R.P. used this very paragraph in his articles published in the Review and Ministry magazines describing the Omega the brethren published the book, `The Omega' and did not include this paragraph that was called the Omega by Br. P.

Is that deception or what?

So, once again we are reminded of these words,

"The enemy of souls has sought to bring in the supposition that a great reformation was to take place among SdAs, and that this reformation would consist in giving up the doctrines which stand as the pillars of our faith, and engaging in a process of reorganization. Were this reformation to take place, what would result? The principles of truth that God in His wisdom has given to the remnant church, would be discarded. Our religion would be changed. The fundamental principles that have sustained the work for the last fifty years would be accounted as error. A new organization would be established. Books of a new order would be written. A system of intellectual philosophy would be introduced. The founders of this system would go into the cities, and do a wonderful work. The Sabbath of course, would be lightly regarded, as also the God who created it. Nothing would be allowed to stand in the way of the new movement. The leaders would teach that virtue is better than vice, but God being removed, they would place their dependence on human power, which, without God, is worthless. Their foundation would be built on the sand, and storm and tempest would sweep away the structure." {1SM 204.2}

And we ask ourselves, how could such a thing happen? And why do we speak up and unveil some of the problems in the midst of us? Why do we show to the world the laundry? What is the answer?

The answer is this, dear reader. Like so many other churches, this writer believes, our church is not being led by true SdAs. We have been infiltrated by apostates, by Jesuits or people who were indoctrinated by such knowingly or unknowingly, while attending schools of higher learning or reading their books and implement their sayings, that can mean nothing that happens up there is of the Lord anymore.

So - because you have silently worn the yoke, friend, which was imposed upon you by the leadership of the church, and they have refused to take it off your neck, and you have refused to take it off your neck, God is going to take the whole thing away and you will have no yoke to wear from the church.

How do people respond? Some may go over to another church and take their yoke upon their neck. They just can't stand it to be not yoked - they do not desire the light and easy yoke of Christ. They love shenanigans and power behind closed doors. They will be lost.

In the past people wore the yoke of B., H. and yes, DF. Is that an easier yoke? Not at all, friends. Not at all.

Any yoke but Christ's is not an easier yoke. We must seek only the yoke of Christ.

Only the Yoke of Christ

Why are we that way?

People ask, `Where do we join?'

They come to ask someone to make decisions for them. That is wrong thinking. We must not be under any yoke of mere men. We must not say, `I stand behind you.' We must say, `I stand beside you, Christ.'

We must side with Christ only.[600]

Not be followers but fellow workers who work side by side.

So what will happen to the structure? Let's read it,

"The righteousness of Christ by faith has been ignored by some; for it is contrary to their spirit and their whole life experience. Rule, rule, has been their course of action. Satan has had an opportunity of representing himself. When one who professes to be a representative of Christ engages in sharp dealing and in pressing men into hard places, those who are thus oppressed will either break every fetter of restraint, or they will be led to regard God as a hard master. They cherish hard feelings against God (because they think the church's yoke is God's yoke), and the soul is alienated from Him, just as Satan planned it should be. {TM 363.2}
This hardheartedness on the part of men who claim to believe the truth Satan charges to the influence of the truth itself, and thus men become disgusted and turn from the truth. For this reason no man should have a responsible connection with our institutions who thinks it no important matter whether he has a heart of flesh or a heart of steel. {TM 363.3}
Men think they are representing the justice of God, but they do not represent His tenderness and the great love wherewith He has loved us. Their human invention originating with the specious devices of Satan, appears fair enough to the blinded eyes of men, because it is inherent in their nature. A lie, believed, practiced, becomes a truth to them. Thus the purpose of the satanic agencies is accomplished, that men should reach these conclusions through the working of their own inventive minds." {TM 363.4}

So we are reminded that no one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will hold on to one and despise the other. This is exactly what, in essence, we read in the quote above which is from the chapter entitled, `The Traps of Romanism.'

See, we have been entrapped by Romanism which secretly wormed its way into the upper echelons of the structure.

To this day, they will not remove the yokes. It is up to you to remove them.

But you may say, the church is a good church.

When was this yoke first put upon the necks of our church? It was first put upon us according to Br. N. in 1862 when the church became Laodicean and they felt comfortable and lukewarm . . . then the devil came in and imposed the yoke upon the church.

Why? Well, to get the Laodiceans to do anything you got to crack the whip. And James White wrote, in objecting to the change in organization that took place during the GC in 1873,

"The minister who submits to the directives sent out by a president or conference committee, takes himself out of the hands of Christ." R&H, 1881.

In 1873 the GC completely reversed the organization of the church as it was established in 1863 by James White and he, as a result, died later in 1881 partly of a broken heart.

From that time on in 1873 the GC imposed a human yoke upon the necks of God's people. That is why Ellen White made this plea to the conference president and those in positions of authority to break the yoke off of the neck of the people.

The yoke, friends, was one of going along and keeping silent. It was one of authority and taking orders, and James White said the year he died, the minister who submits to that takes himself out of the hands of Christ. ... Nobody else can take you out of the hands of Jesus. But as Paul says,

"For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come,
Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord." Romans 8:38,39.

What can separate you from Christ? Nothing! If you are separated from Christ, it is an act of your own.

If you are yoked to anything else but Christ - my be ignorantly - it is a yoke of your own nevertheless and you must break it.

This is not presented to convince anyone that this is right. You must decide that for yourself and take corresponding action. The GC and committees were not set up to dictate and push people, they were only to consult and advise.

Today we are way down in earth's history. Wearing a yoke of man is breaking the first commandment, `Thou shalt have no other God before me' and your name will be removed from the Book of Life. However, the Bible teaches, if you are wearing the yoke of Christ, you will be among the overcomers and your name will be in the Book of Life.

Paul knew all about this relationship of whose yoke we bear and that the church's yoke is not the same as the yoke of Christ. He preached this message just like we present it here now. This is what happened. Paul and his co-workers, they all got together and the latter succeeded in talking Paul into putting their yoke upon his neck. They caused Paul to go down to Jerusalem, to that group of people with whom he fought his entire lifetime because they continually were trying to re-impose the yoke of the Pharisees on the Christians neck, and in that last trip to Jerusalem Paul gave in, and what did he do? He went to the Temple. He shaved his head. He offered a sacrifice in that Temple where he had preached for years that it was forsaken and he took these vows and he had the holy water mixed with the ashes of the red heifer sprinkled on him . . .

"And when we were come to Jerusalem, the brethren received us gladly. And the day following Paul went in with us unto James; and all the elders were present. And ... he ... saluted them ... And when they heard it, they glorified the Lord, and said unto him, Thou seest, brother, how many thousands of Jews there are which believe; and they are all zealous of the law: And they are informed ... thou teachest all the Jews which are among the Gentiles to forsake Moses ... Do therefore this that we say to thee: We have four men which have a vow on them; Them take, and purify thyself with them ... shave their heads ... Then Paul took the men, and the next day purifying himself with them entered into the temple ... until that an offering should be offered for every one of them. ... when the seven days were almost ended, the Jews ... stirred up all the people, and laid hands on him." (Acts 21:19-26)
" This is the ordinance of the law ... bring thee a red heifer without spot ... And one shall burn the heifer in his sight; her skin, and her flesh, and her blood, with her dung, shall he burn ... And a man that is clean shall gather up the ashes of the heifer, and lay them up without the camp in a clean place, and it shall be kept for the congregation of the children of Israel for a water of separation: it is a purification for sin. ... " (Numbers 19:2, 5-9)

That is the yoke that the people at Jerusalem forced on the apostle's neck. A yoke of which he says in Galatians 5, if you go back to that you are not Christ's. Even Paul could not stand up under the pressure. He gave in because he was human just like you and me. He was as human as Elijah who broke under Jezebel's threat in the days of Ahab. He was human like Moses who under the provocation of Israel struck the rock twice. Human like Abraham who gave in to his wife's suggestion instead of trusting God. Human like all of us for God alone knows what is in our hearts. The Jews accused Paul to have the whole world turned upside down when he really turned it right side up.

Let us read now, how Paul writes about it in the Bible.

"Let every man abide in the same calling wherein he was called.
Art thou called being a servant? care not for it: but if thou mayest be made free, use it rather.
For he that is called in the Lord, being a servant, is the Lord's freeman: likewise also he that is called, being free, is Christ's servant.
Ye are bought with a price; be not ye the servants of men." 1.Cor. 7:20-23.

Paul is saying here, when you wear the yoke of Christ you are a free man. What he means is, only then you are a free man. And you can wear only one yoke, not two.

So, we have a lot of thinking and re-thinking to do. Our eternal life depends how we relate to these yokes upon our neck. We have to make a choice. But when we wear the yoke of Jesus, one thing we won't do, that is, ask someone else's opinion but get on our knees and pray.

A final warning we find in the `Great Controversy.' Those who choose the yoke of Christ will not be without opposition from the hosts of darkness. Your life will become very interesting. There will not be another boring day. Evil angels will assail those, who chose Christ, because they become alarmed, when someone is being taken out of their grasp. And we should know this, the most authority you have and the most pressure you are legally allowed to exert, if you wear the yoke of Christ over any other human being, is influence. That is as far as you can go. You can take no further measures and adopt the tactics of the devil and use group pressure, self-criticism sessions, authoritarian pressure, financial pressure and any other form of pressure. The furthest you can go with the yoke of Christ is using influence.

Sister White wrote a letter once saying,

"God calls upon those who have exercised undue authority to take off from His workers every dominating hand. Let everyone to whom has been entrusted sacred responsibilities seek to understand his individual duty before God, and do that duty humbly and faithfully. Let no one regard himself as a master, with controlling power to exercise over his brethren. The principles of the word of God are to be taught and practiced." {TM 492.1; GC p. 610}

We recall that the yoke of Christ requires only one thing of us and that is that we know our Bible and the Spirit of Prophecy {GC p. 598.2}.

When we know the Bible and the Spirit of Prophecy we are to walk in the light and encourage others to follow His (Christ's) example.

That means we ought to get busy on the first and highest duty of any rational being.

First we learn what it is, then we practice it, and then you encourage - you don't threaten , you don't deny, you don't `drive' people into difficult situations, you don't pressure.

Never discourage, only encourage. Be a good shepherd no matter in which office you sit.

When we study the Bible, we should weigh every thought. Then, with divine help, we are to form our opinion for ourselves. That spells hard work.

[600] Ellen White herself did not choose to be a prophet. If she would have had an opportunity to get out of it, she would have. But she carried her cross.
We are to bear the yoke of Christ that we may be placed in complete union with him. "Take my yoke upon you," he says. Obey my requirements. But these requirements may be in direct opposition to the will and purposes of the human agent. What then is to be done? -- Hear what God says: "If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me." The yoke and the cross are symbols representing the same thing, -- the giving up of the will to God. Wearing the yoke unites finite man in companionship with the dearly beloved Son of God. Lifting the cross cuts away self from the soul, and places man where he learns how to bear Christ's burdens. We can not follow Christ without wearing his yoke, without lifting the cross and bearing it after him. If our will is not in accord with the divine requirements, we are to deny our inclinations, give up our darling desires, and step in Christ's footsteps. ...

Some gospel workers may say, `Oh, I work in a singing ministry, or a football watching ministry and represent Christ there on any occasion I get.'
Men frame for their own necks yokes that seem light and pleasant to wear, but they prove galling in the extreme. Christ sees this, and he says, Take my yoke upon you. The yoke you would place upon your own neck, thinking it a precise fit, will not fit at all. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me the lessons essential for you to learn; for I am meek and lowly in heart, and ye shall find rest unto your souls. My yoke is easy, and my burden is light. The Lord never makes a false estimate concerning his heritage. He measures the men with whom he is working. When they submit to his yoke, when they give up the struggle that has been unprofitable for themselves and for the cause of God, they will find peace and rest. When they become sensible of their own weakness, their own deficiencies, they will delight to do God's will. They will submit to the yoke of Christ. Then God can work in them to will and to do of his good pleasure, which is often entirely contrary to the plans of the human mind. When the heavenly anointing comes to us, we shall learn the lesson of meekness and lowliness, which always brings rest to the soul." {RH, October 23, 1900 par. 3,5}