THIS MOVEMENT DEMANDS UNITY

Now that we have decided to work for this move, are we to work as independent atoms from each other? Are we to do our own thing regardless of how our actions affect our fellow brethren? Are we each to teach our own doctrine? Are we each to follow our own mind? As a result, this Movement is not much farther along in finishing this great work than we were ten years ago!

Revelation 18 does not symbolize many different movements, but only ONE Great Movement. We are all part of ONE great body with Christ at its Head to control it through His Holy Spirit. Until we recognize that we are all part of ONE, and only ONE Movement, we will continue to fail the Lord by remaining disunited, disorganized, and full of fighting, bickering, hatred, jealousy, envy; characteristics of Laodicean selfishness.

The solemn truth is that most of the people in this Great Last Day Movement are NOT part of the Philadelphian church of brotherly love, but their characters show them to be plainly part of the Laodicean church of selfishness! Here's what the Lord has to say about unity:

"He (Christ) calls for unity, and unity we must have."~1~

"Man is to obey the word of God declared in the seventeenth chapter of John. Then of him can be spoken the words, 'Ye are complete in Him.'"~2~

Who is calling for all of God's people to be united together as one? Christ is. Thus any ministry, minister, or lay_person who does not desire, does not actively work for, and does not openly and loudly advocate, unity among all of God's people in this Great Last Day Movement, is not working for Christ! Knowingly (or unknowingly) they are working against Christ because they refuse to obey the Lord's command. Thus they are in sympathy with the devil.~3~

"It is his (Satan's) studied effort to lead professed Christians just as far from heaven's arrangement as he can; therefore he deceives even the professed people of God and makes them believe that order and discipline are enemies to spirituality; that the only safety for them is to let each pursue his own course, and to remain especially distinct from bodies of Christians who are united and are laboring to establish discipline and harmony of action. All the efforts made to establish this are considered dangerous, a restriction of rightful liberty, and hence are feared as popery. These deceived souls consider it a virtue to boast of their freedom to think and act independently. They will not take any man's say so. They are amenable to no man. It was and now is Satan's special work to lead men to feel that it is God's order to strike out for themselves and choose their own order independent of their brethren."~4~

"Jesus and holy angels are bringing up and uniting God's people into one faith, that they may all have one mind and one judgment. And while they are being brought into the unity of the faith, to see eye to eye upon the solemn, important truths for this time, Satan is at work to oppose their advancement. Jesus is at work through His instruments to gather and unite. Satan works through his instruments to scatter and divide."~5~

"Men are taking sides, according to their choice... All that refuse to be taught of God, hold the traditions of men. They at last pass over on the side of the enemy, against God, and are written, 'antichrist.' The people of God, who understand our position in this world's history, are, with ears open and hearts softened and subdued, pressing together in unity__one with Jesus Christ. Those who will not practice the lessons of Christ, but keep themselves in hand to mold themselves, find in antichrist the center of their union."~6~

"What is seen by the world in the present dis_union and want of harmony among those who claim to believe the truth? That this people cannot be of God for they are working against each other... If we would be one with Christ, we must first be one with each other. Those who are not yoked up with Christ always pull the wrong way."~7~

Please read this above quote again and again and let it be memorized. "If we would be one with Christ, WE MUST FIRST BE ONE WITH EACH OTHER." Because of our disunity, division, and lack of loving harmony with each other, this above fact speaks with an unmistakably loud, piercing and clear trumpet note of alarm: THAT WE ARE NOT ONE WITH CHRIST!

"The reason for all division, discord, and difference is found in separation from Christ."~8~

To some individuals, it does not matter that Christ is longing and praying for unity among His people; it does not matter that God is calling for unity; it does not matter that God's prophet declares that we must have unity; all they care about is to have their own independent way. Thus we have the same spirit of rebellion among us today as was revealed by Korah, Dathan, and Abiram of old. Instead of wanting to belong to an organized, united, harmonious body under Christ, with His prophet, and with each other; Korah, Dathan, and Abiram, along with all those who followed their rebellion, "wanted individual independence"!~9~

Brethren, is Christ divided? No!~10~ Jesus is ONE LORD__not many.~11~ Thus everyone in this Great Last Day Movement is to obey this ONE Lord__Jesus Christ, not many lords who choose their own way.~12~ Christ has only one body with many harmonious parts, but not many bodies.~13~ And this Great Last Day Movement is also to be only ONE body with many different parts.~14~ Christ also has only one mind.~15~ And this Great Last Day Movement is also to have only ONE mind, not many.~16~ Christ is the Author of, and has only one faith, not many conflicting beliefs.~17~ Then this Great Last Day Movement is also to have only ONE faith, not many.~18~ And Christ has only one kind of unselfish and self_denying love for His Father and brethren which is perfect.~19~ And this Great Last Day Movement is also to have only ONE kind of unselfish and self_denying love for God, Christ, and their separated brethren which is perfect.~20~

How can any of us still believe that we are to be independent and divided from one another; continue to work separately from one another according to many different and conflicting ways and many different confusing minds; continue to believe and teach many different kinds of faith and doctrines; continue to show or conceal hatred, jealousy, envy, and selfishness towards one another; and yet still claim to be followers of Christ? Brethren, how hypocritical can we be?

While we remain divided, our Movement remains weak; thus how can we expect to complete our mission to fill this earth with God's glory while our Movement lacks the strength necessary to achieve this goal?

"Press together, press together! In union there is strength and victory; in discord and division there is weakness and defeat."~21~

Who among us will unselfishly come up to the help of the Lord against the mighty? For this we need the united strength of all in order to make a successful assault against the devil and his kingdom of Babylon! Those who will offer themselves willingly to the Lord to be in full and complete unity with their separated brethren, will be able to avoid the curse of Meroz and will be in a condition to receive the "water" or rain which the "heavens dropped".~22~ But those who refuse to offer themselves willingly to the Lord and who refuse to unite themselves with their separated brethren, will not receive the latter rain dropped from heaven and will receive the curse of Meroz "because they came not to the help of the Lord, to the help of the Lord against the mighty".~23~ May we all think very seriously and carefully about this issue of unity, because our eternal destiny hangs in the balance!

I sincerely pray that God will work a mighty miracle upon each and every heart among us to help us to see ourselves as we really are. May God help us to realize that we are all part of the same body, and that together we make up the Great Last Day Movement of God__the last Movement of God this world will ever see. May we determine to humble ourselves and give God our hearts and have all this Laodicean selfishness subdued and washed away from us so that we can truly love one another as we should and be of the Philadelphian church__the church of Brotherly Love. May our God help us to unite together as one, having one faith, one mind, one judgment, and one purpose, and thus find the strength to fulfill our great and important mission__lighting this world with the glory of God. And may our God help us to put on the beautiful garments of Christ's righteousness, arise as one person, and harmoniously shine forth the truth and uplift our blessed Saviour to all the world so that His coming can be hastened and we can go home.

"The proclamation of the gospel was to be world_wide in its extent, and the messengers of the cross could not hope to fulfill their important mission unless they should remain united in the bonds of Christian unity..."~24~

"...those who do not learn to live in harmony here will never be united in heaven."~25~

"If God's people will give themselves wholly to Him, he will restore to them the power they have lost by division. May God help us all to realize that disunion is weakness and that union is strength."~26

By~ Robert Sessler

1. Manuscript Releases, vol 17, p 291
2. Manuscript Releases, vol 6, p 331
3. see 2 Corinthians 11:13_15
4. Evangelism, p 318
5. Testimonies, vol 1, p 332
6. Special Testimonies, Series A#9, p 55_56'
7. Manuscript Releases, vol 20, p 319
8. Selected Messages, book 1, p 259
9. see Testimonies, vol 3, p 346
10. 1 Corinthians 1:13
11. Zechariah 14:9; 1 Corinthians 8:6
12. Deuteronomy 6:18, 12:8; Judges 17:6; 1 Kings 11:38; Proverbs 12:15, 14:12, 21:2; Hosea 14:9
13. see 1 Corinthians 12
14. Romans 12:1_15; Ephesians 4:1_32; Colossians 3:15
15. see Romans 11:34; 1 Corinthians 2:16; Philippians 2:5
16. see Romans 12:16, 15:6; 1 Corinthians 1:10; 2 Corinthians 13:11; Philippians 1:27, 2:2, 4:2; 1 Peter 3:8, 4:1
17. see 1 Timothy 1:14; Hebrews 12:2; James 2:1; Revelation 2:13
18. see 1 Corinthians 1:10; Ephesians 4:5
19. John 14:31, 15:9_12; 21:15_17
20. see Leviticus 19:18; Deuteronomy 6:5; Matthew 22:37_39; John 13:34_35, 14:15_23; 15:9_17; Romans 12:9_10, 13:8_10; 1 Corinthians 2:9; Galatians 5:13; Philippians 2:2; 1 Thessalonians 3:12; Hebrews 13:1; James 2:5; 1 Peter 1:22; 1 John 3:11_23, 4:7_21, 5:2_3; Jude 21
21. Testimonies, vol 5, p 488
22. see Judges 5:2, 4
23. Judges 5:23
24. Acts of the Apostles, p 90
25. Historical Sketches, p 124
26. Selected Messages, book 1, p 85