An Open Letter to Charles Wheeling

This is, indeed, a tragedy. A tragedy which need never have occurred. We are not safe for a day nor an hour, without continual humble reliance on Jesus and trust in His Inspired Word.

Those who choose to forsake Gods Books will erelong have to suffer the consequences. It is a dangerous thing to know as much as historic Adventists know. If they depart the faith, there are few ways to retrieve them, other than their own heartfelt repentance.

The following letter was handed to me this afternoon:

Last Sabbath was a very disturbing day for my wife and I. We went to listen to Charles Wheeling. While I had received your study (WM315x1), I had forgotten what was at stake here.

The most disturbing thing he spoke about was the unreliable data in the S.O.P. He said that, in 1980, a vault was unlocked, and what came forth would shock Adventists to their knees.

He passed out some, for example, that were about a 1919 Bible conference where it was pointed out that some of her writings were written by her secretary or others and inserted into different books.

He said that he would send me other documentation, showing many other cases where she did not write books or paragraphs in books, yet it contained her name as the author.

He said that only about 20% of the Desire of Ages was written by Sister White. Also that the 2300 days, beasts of Daniel, and so on, as we now believe, were not hers.

He said that nothing happened in 1844, and that there is no two-apartment sanctuary in heaven.

Who is right? Charles Wheeling or the Spirit of Prophecy. I have friends who are being carried away by this. He speaks so convincingly. Is this what he uses the donations sent him for?

Others have heard Charles cavil about the supposed errors in our prophetic beliefs. As reported earlier, Charles maintains that the pope was taken captive in 1799, not 1798 as given in the Spirit of Prophecy and our historic beliefs. Yet his source is a single Encyclopedia Britannica sentence; whereas, we have shown in an earlier publication that there are many, many historical statements from the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, which specify the exact month in 1798 when the pope was taken captive by the French general, Berthier.

Historic Adventism is true! Listen not to these scoffers and skeptics. They know they can gain control of your mind——only by separating you from your source of protection and strength. And that is God and His Inspired Writings. If you leave them, you are a ship cut adrift on a stormy sea. Soon you will drift into the rocks, and you may never recover yourself.

It takes those who have trained their minds to war against the truth to manufacture quibbles.3 Testimonies, 36.

Do not doubt the best books in the world! Instead, stop listening to the doubters, and spend your time reading Gods writings to you. They will never lead you astray.

We are not to receive the words of those who come with a message that contradicts the special points of our faith. Counsels to Writers and Editors, 32.

 We have received so many letters and phone calls about this matter, asking us to print the 1888 edition of Great Controversy, so it will not be necessary to buy from  Jemison, that we are going to initiate a Fall 1994 Great Controversy Book Co-op of the 1888 edition. We will try to put out an edition that is quite low in cost. The books need to be gotten out. If you wish to see this book widely circulated, write for several 1888 Great Controversy Book Co-op sheets, fill one out for yourself or your group, and mail the other sheets to friends so they can have a part. It is our hope to provide you with very low-cost books.

We are living in an important period of this worlds history. A great work is to be done in a short time. I feel an overwhelming sense of the condition of our world. Counsels to Writers and Editors, 21.

In the strength of Christ, stay with Gods truth and keep working, and you will be safe.  

We now have a copy of the book which Charles Wheeling wanted to print, but didn't, because of the urgent protests of Luis Munilla.

It was a small book and was written by an Eastern U.S. layman. Munilla claimed it attacked both Ellen White and historic Adventism.

But the staff of Countdown Ministries, in Jemison, Alabama, liked it so much that they prepared the cover for the book, and Charles was planning to go ahead and print the book on his press.

Well, that layman contacted the present writer recently. He wanted us to carry his book and reprint it. Just as he doubtless did when he approached Charles, he immediately launched into a vigorous attack against  Ellen White as an inspired prophet, and against several of our historic beliefs.

Last night I read through the book, in order to find what it was that Charles liked about it——so much that he designed the cover and wanted to print the book (without, of course, identifying Countdown Ministries as the publisher).

What I found were most of the errors which Charles teaches! Here is a brief summary of what is in this book which Charles wanted to print, and like so much that he had his staff design the cover:  

Pages 1-7 Jim, the author (his real first name), says he left the Adventist Church, but still keeps the Sabbath. He has a message for Adventists, because they are  going to be destroyed unless they accept his message. Lacking that information, they are going to be destroyed.

A sample of his reasoning patterns: We believe Jesus came to redeem us and that only through Him can we obtain eternal life. But none of these things, though true as they are, proves there is a God, or Jesus Christ.‑page 7.

Pages 8-The lack of knowledge that destroys Gods people can only be a lack of knowledge of His prophecies. page 9. Our pastors and teachers have taught us the wrong interpretations of Bible prophecy, and that is the reason we are going to be destroyed. [Jim will later explain that it wrong interpretations of Daniel 7-9, Matthew 25, and Revelation 11-19].  But there is hope, if we accept what Jim has to tell us.

The prophecies of God in the Old Testament, given by the prophets of old, and the prophecies of God in the New Testament, given by Jesus Christ have been turned around backwards and the truth of these prophecies are cast in the streets. Gods people have turned away from Him and gone after false prophets. page 11. [The false prophets will later in the book be identified as William Miller and Ellen G. White.] Because of these teachings of the false prophets, the prophecies have become total darkness to Gods people. page 11.

Let us discuss some of Gods prophecies that have been distorted by His people in these last days. page 11.

Jim next starts in and briefly (very briefly!) attacks one point of historic Adventism after another. Intriguingly enough, most of his attacks are the same ones which Charles brings out in meetings here and there, across the country. No wonder that Charles wanted to print Jim's book!

Now I know that most of you have been taught that this judgment began in 1844 and was the judgment of the saved people from Adam to our day. This is simply not true. page 12. [Adventists have never taught that the Investigative Judgment is only of saved people; read GC

Jim starts off with a direct attack on the 1844 date. In support of his point, he denies the day-year interpretation, even though it clearly given us in the Bible (p. 14-15).

Then, as an assertion without any support (as is done throughout most of the small book), Jim says that the little horn will make war with Gods people for three-and-a-half years just before the Second Advent, and not earlier. But that is Jesuit Futurism! Futurism was invented by clever Jesuits several centuries ago, in order to totally eliminate papal domination and persecution throughout the Dark Ages. Jim agrees with the teachings of Futurism. Jim comes back to this point later in his book.

Yet this is the book that Charles Wheeling wanted to print!

Jim also maintains that the little horn power will not be destroyed until the end of the millennium:

Question: When will the little horn power be consumed and destroyed? Answer: At the end of the thousand years. And fire came down from God out of heaven and devoured them. page 14.

Charles Wheeling has frequently stated in lectures, since 1990, that nothing happened in 1844. On page 15, Jim again returns to this point:

The judgment of Daniel 7 absolutely did not begin in 1844. It will begin when Jesus comes the second time. page 15.

We have here typical New Theology. These were the errors which we opposed in the early 1980s, because they were taught by modernist Bible teachers, such as Desmond Ford, who learned them in outside universities where they obtained their doctoral degrees.

Now we find these blatant errors being taught by individuals supported within the Independent Ministries!

Here is another Futurism statement by Jim: The overwhelming majority of the prophecies of Daniel will not be fulfilled until probation closes for the entire world. pages 15-16. Jim adds: This time period constitutes . . the great tribulation days of Matthew 24:21 which is now ready to be fulfilled. page 16. Later in the book, Jim will tell the reader that the prophecies of Matthew 24 had nothing to do with the destruction of Jerusalem or the Dark Ages, but only with the last three-and-a-half years before the Second Advent!

Then Jim turns his guns on William Miller, calling him a Sunday-keeping prophet (page 16). Later in the book, he will repeatedly denounce him as a Baal worshipping false prophet.

The 2300 day prophecy mentioned in Daniel 8:14 is one of the scriptures William Miller used to preach the false message that Jesus would return in 1844. page 16.

As proof for that, Jim gives the modernist error that the notable horn of Daniel 8 was Antiochus,

Here are historical facts about Antiochus Epiphanes: 

  -----

As usual, with hardly any support for his contentions, Jim quickly jumps from Antiochus back to William Miller and 1844:

The 2300 day prophecy mentioned in Daniel 8:14 is one of the scriptures William Miller used to preach the false message that Jesus would return in 1844 . . The angel Gabriel did not mention days in Daniel 8. He called them evening and morning. page 16.

In the Hebrew of Daniel 8:14, the wording is unto 2300 evenings and mornings. Jim says that this refers to the evening and morning sacrifices and not to days. It is only ignorance that can permit Jim to say such things.

From Genesis 1 onward, evening and morning is the Hebrew term for a whole day (as opposed to just daytime or nightime). From Leviticus onward, the morning and evening burnt offering (not evening and morning offering, as stated by Jim) stood for the offering that was offered each morning, and again each evening—and thus was a continual burnt offering. The Hebrew thus clearly separates between the two terms.

In agreement with Charles Wheeling, Jim tells us:

This prophecy of Antiochs Epiphanes and the 2300 days (or evening and morning), we now can understand from the writings of history, was fulfilled approximately 170 B.C. page 17.

Historic Adventism teaches that the little horn of Daniel 7 is the same notable horn of Daniel 8. Jim says the Daniel 8 horn was Antiochus Epiphanes, who lived nearly 200 years before the time of Christ and pestered the Jews for several years before his total downfall.

Jim next connects the two horns and says they symbolize the same power. Thus Jim makes the very terrible little horn power of Daniel 7 to be Antiochus Epiphanes, just as do the Jesuits and modern apostate Protestant theologians.

But then, unaccountably, Jim applies the persecution of Daniel 7 to the papacy in the last three-and-a-half years before Jesus returns. I say, unaccountable, because Jim has both linked the horns of Daniel 7 and 8, and he has (elsewhere in his book; p. 30) denied any possibility of double applications of Bible prophecy.

Jim next turns his attention to the prophecies of Daniel 8 and 9, and cites evidences linking them, which we accept.

On page 24, Jim again savagely attacks 1844, and tells us the problem is the day-year interpretation.

This belief of a day for a year has put nearly every prophecy Jesus mentioned for this final generation of time, far back in past history and has totally destroyed Jesus prophecy for these last days. pages 24-25.

Jim writes like a trained Jesuit. It is good Jesuit teaching to turn our eyes from the papal apostasy, and place it on a crisis later on; even though the truth is that it was the Catholic apostasy in past centuries which will laid the Sunday sabbath foundation for the final crisis! It is Jesuit casuistry which says that Daniel 7:25 (read that verse again!) does not teach the papal attempted change of the Sabbath and persecution of Gods people for 1260 years, but instead applies to Antiochus in 170 B.C. and/or to some later antichrist who will arise, three -and-a-half years before Christ's Second Advent.

Jim, you could not say it clearer if you were trained in a Jesuit seminary. Let us quote it again:

The overwhelming majority of the prophecies of Daniel will not be fulfilled until probation closes for the entire world. page 15

This belief of a day for a year has put nearly every prophecy Jesus mentioned for this final generation of time, far back in past history and has totally destroyed Jesus prophecy for these last days. pages 24-25.

And another, later statement by Jim:

They [the Adventists] have also placed the making war against Gods saints of Revelation 13:7, back in the Dark Ages between 538 and 1798.page 29.

That is the Jesuit way of doing it: put all the antichrist, little horn, and man of sin prophecies to after the close of probation—and not before.

Jim next attacks our historic beliefs on Revelation 11, and then turns his attention, as Charles likes to do, to getting rid of the 1798 date for the close of the 1260 year prophecy. As usual, Jim overturns a historic belief simply by laughing at the idea, and then passing on to another point.

We know that the papal institutionthe entire Vatican—nearly came to an end in 1798 when the pope ... was taken captive by the French general Berthier (Jim calls him Bernhea p. 27). But Jim says that the prophecy was only and completely fulfilled when Pope John Paul II was wounded in 1981, and hospitalized for several months thereafter. As usual, his proof is his say-so.