Num 22:7,15-34

Excerpt:… Balaam, seeking to do Christ’s will, but not reckoning the influence of the living Spirit of Prophecy, smote his seemingly stubborn ass. He learned that even ordained agents of God, in their Adventist zeal to advance the Gospel, often discount God’s will as shown by Balaam’s failure to win his donkey’s cooperation. The resolution finally came when the Lord —did you hear me?!, not the Angel of the Lord— opened Balaam’s eyes. Afterwards he saw that another divine agent, the Holy Spirit blocked his advance. You see: when prophetic instructions are given, men are often blinded by human presumptions, and lacking insight, they run ahead of the Lord in a zeal to proclaim the Gospel. So, in frustration, they beat on their presumed obstacle, their stubborn ass. They do so, that is, until the Lord goes further to open their eyes. Before the lesson becomes more complicated, let me make it plain: our study is a Bible metaphor to show to Adventist prophetic progression: from W Miller, to EG White, then VT Houteff, and finally to this light. Also bear in mind another complication: it is Moses —not Balaam— who tells the story. Beginning in Numbers 22, He said, “ 4And Balak the … king of the Moabites … 5 … sent messengers … unto Balaam… 7 And the elders of Moab and … Midian departed with the rewards of divination … and spake unto (Balaam) the words of Balak… 15 And Balak sent yet again princes, more, and more honourable than they. 16 And they came to Balaam, and said to him … 17 … I will promote thee unto very great honour … come therefore, I pray thee, curse me this people … 22 And … the angel of the LORD stood in the way … Now (Balaam) was riding upon his ass, and his two servants were with him. 23 And the ass saw the angel of the LORD standing in the way… and the ass turned aside out of the way … and Balaam smote the ass, to turn her into the way. 24 But (not the Lord but) the angel of the LORD stood in a path of the vineyards … 25 And when the ass saw the angel of the LORD, she thrust herself unto the wall, and crushed Balaam’s foot against the wall: and he smote … 27 the ass with a staff. 28 And the LORD (did you hear: not the Angel of the Lord) opened the mouth of the ass, and she said unto Balaam, What have I done unto thee, that thou hast smitten me these three times? 29 And Balaam said unto the ass, Because thou hast mocked me: I would there were a sword in mine hand, for now would I kill thee. 30 And the ass said unto Balaam, Am not I thine ass, upon which thou hast ridden ever since I was thine unto this day? was I ever wont to do so unto thee? And he said, Nay … 31 Then THE LORD (not the Angel of the Lord) opened the eyes of Balaam, and he saw the angel of the LORD standing in the way, and his sword drawn in his hand … 32 And the angel of the LORD said unto him, Wherefore hast thou smitten thine ass these three times? behold, I went out to withstand thee, because thy way is perverse before me: 33 And the ass saw me, and turned from me these three times: … 34 And Balaam said unto the angel of the LORD, I have sinned; for I knew not that thou stoodest in the way against me…” —Num 22: 7, 15-34. One lesson now emerges to enrich this series of studies. Simply put it is that that the Holy Spirit is not the same as Christ, Jesus or God, and He has His own work.Who is He?! Remember at creation when it says the Spirit moved upon the face of the waters? That was the same angel that blocked Balaam’s progression in the Lord’s work. Learning then of the Holy Spirit requires the boosted passage of theological Calculus, the requisite to differentiate between Christ and His Angel. Instead, Adventists proceed forward merely on presumptions of partial prophecies: nonbiblical ideas causing Gospel frustration all these 190 years…