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I don't look at these verses as pointing to some sort of "closed door". As you know from previous discussions, I don't necessarily accept everything that comes forth from the pen of EGW and her editors. That's just me - I'm not saying you're wrong; I'm just saying I don't see it that way. I see this as Jesus telling people that they have a free will to do whatever they want; but there are consequences. If you choose to not repent, you will indeed be unjust and filthy (by heaven's standards) in your own works. If you choose to overcome by the blood of the Lamb, you will indeed be righteous (covered by the righteousness of Christ) and holy (set apart for God).

Here are some good resources: http://www.biblicalresources.net/product.cfm?product=35 http://whiteestate.org/books/col/col.asp http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/810257.The_Parables_of_Jesus

These are stories taking things that they were familiar with. A big mistake we make in the Bible is we know a little something but then end up reapplying it every time we come across it without carefully checking the context to see if that fits the context or not. For example we keep getting ourselves into trouble with the Year Day principle. We have a tendency of applying this to all time situations in the Bible whether it fits or not and then when we make the application in the wrong place and thus face problems, we then become gullible when someone says that there is no year-day in the Bible. I would tend to disagree with JoeMo in trying to look for a coded prophecy. Jesus is simply taking different aspects of God's kingdom. There is the sower teaching how the word of God will respond to different people. There is the parable of the wheat and tares which shows that there is a similarity between God's people and the ones ones the enemy has in the church, and that God is too concerned about some of his precious people might be uprooted if we try too hard to get rid of the problems among us so just let them grow together until the end of time and let their purposes develop until it's clear. People might have wondered about themselves. They were the common people, not knowing as much as the educated leadership; so Jesus gives the parable of the Mustard seed. And yes JoeMo, you are right that we should be worried about the birds and critters, but you missed the point that the Mustard tree is a weed that grows like crazy in Israel and farmers have a big task trying to keep it, as well as the birds and the critters out of their garden. This parable says that God is a crazy farmer who is proud of his garden of weeds, birds and critters. At times we can feel like unwelcome critters. Or we judge others for how they are in the church: A bishop in England wrote about one of the crazy preachers who was preaching out in the field to the scum of the earth. He said that if this preacher is remembered at all they would be remembered as an odd footnote to history. that preacher was John Wesley. A shoe salesman wanted to join a church. The church got its revenue by renting pews. This young man was not yet married and his family was not near by. He asked if he could only rent part of a pew. He was told that he needed to rent a whole pew. So since he needed to rent a whole pew he just began bringing in people from the street to share his pew. His name was Dwight Moody. Corrie Ten Boom held a Sunday School class for children with developmental difficulties. A German officer wanted to know why and wouldn't it be better for God to have one refined person than a whole room full of these people. The Parable of the Mustard tree is two fold: First that God is proud of his garden of weeds and birds and critters as Wesley, Moody and Ten Boom understood. Second as (and along with the parable of the Yeast) is just as farmers listening to Jesus spend so much time trying to get rid of the mustard and birds and critters from their garden, so the church is just going to spread all over despite attempts of people trying to keep the weed along with the birds and critters out of their area.

Thomas Disagreeing with history, Ellen White, and the entire historical department of the SDA Church won't change the facts. I have studied this point extensively and address it at length In my book that comes out on the Ides of March (The Great Controversy: Earth's Gran Finale) Summary: after Emperor Justinian's appointee Pope Vigilius was installed 29 March 537 the Goth's siege of Rome was broken and King Witigis was virtually powerless after 538. Thus Vigilius was finally enabled to act as the surrogate Western Roman power over state and church. The popes maintained their authority until the French imprisoned Pope Pius VI in 1798. The SDA church frequently focuses on kingdoms when explaining prophecy, but sometimes when a king is mentioned it is a king that meets the fulfillment of the prophecy. And sometimes folks look at a partial fulfillment of prophecy as the real deal when a final more complete fulfillment is indicated that has yet to come. The 1260-years (538-1798) have a more complete final fulfillment in recent history, but the partial vies is a great waymark to show us that we are on the right path.

March 30, 2013 The Blessed Man "And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper." (Psalm 1:3) The first psalm constitutes a contrast between the godly individual who delights in God's law and the ungodly person who is destined for destruction. "Blessed" literally means "happy," and the habits of such a happy one are described as not only avoiding the thought patterns and lifestyle of the ungodly (v. 1), but also delighting in and obeying the Word of God (v. 2). Our text describes four results of being blessed or happy in the biblical sense. First, "he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water," with the implication being to dwell in a secure, bountiful state. The verb "plant" actually means "transplanted," now firmly rooted and provided for, no longer vulnerable, tentative, and undernourished. Second, he "bringeth forth his fruit in his season." One does not so nourish a tree without any purpose. Here, following the analogy, the godly individual, nourished and protected by his Maker, can likewise expect to accomplish a purpose--in this case to bear spiritual, eternal fruit. Third, "his leaf also shall not wither." Eternal life is the present possession of all who have been "transplanted" by the Lord. Such a one can expect to faithfully bring forth precious fruit in each season of his life. Fourth, "whatsoever he doeth shall prosper." Success in each endeavor undertaken by one whose delight is the Lord can be expected, such success defined by that which brings spiritual maturity, and eternal fruit, and prosperity, as He defines prosperity. "For the LORD knoweth the way of the righteous: but the way of the ungodly shall perish" (v. 6). JDM