It is very likely that nearly everyone who has ever attended a denominational SDA church has heard this assertion proudly sounded from pulpit and read it in publications. Indeed it seems that leaders and ministers who openly do all in their power to destroy confidence in the Testimonies of the Lords Messenger, still wave this statement around as a banner. Many honest in heart have been led by this to stifle the convictions of conscience and continue to support, or at least refrain from denouncing, apostate and corrupt leaders and practices in the conferences and churches, feeling that, because of this assurance, somehow through some miraculous working of God, wicked doing will still receive the support and blessing of God.
Is there something more we need to know about this statement? Yes, indeed there is. There has been a deliberate cover-up and misapplication of this statement taken out of context and falsely applied.
First, I want to direct your attention to the time of the first advent of Jesus. The corrupt leaders of those days had pet statements too, drawn from misapplications and taken out of context They had taken the prophecies that spoke of the glory of the second coming and applied them to the Messianic hope causing all to look for a mighty conqueror that would destroy their enemies and place them on the throne of the entire world. The clear explanations of scripture as to the Messiahs mission as a suffering sacrifice for sin were conveniently kept out of sight or ignored.
They had their does not fall statements also, taking the promises of Gods promise of blessing to their nation as unconditional, teaching that because of these promises, (actually conditional upon their obedience) that there was no way their nation and temple could be destroyed. But we all know what happened in AD 70!
Do you realize that even when the Roman hoards were surrounding the city and pleading with the leaders to surrender, even when people inside the walls were killing and eating their own children, leadership were still chanting to the people that their church could not fall and that somehow God was going to work a miracle and save them. But their misplaced confidence in promises they had forfeited all right to claim, did not help them. They were slaughtered like rats in the very temple they trusted in and worshipped. Worshipped the Temple? Yes, for centuries the Jews had forsaken loyalty to God and His words and turned their worship towards human leaders, structures, rituals, and even buildings.
As Jesus ministered to the people, thousands were moved at His words, and yet by far the majority ended up rejecting Him and were lost! Why? Some try to tell us that Jesus presented a completely new religion to them, this is a grievous falsehood! He presented only the Original Advent Message as had been given by their own prophets though the centuries and was clearly to be seen in Scripture. Why then when their hearts were so stirred and their consciences moved powerfully by the teachings of Jesus, did the majority turn back and follow Him no more?
To know the answer, we have to look to what they turned back to, they turned back to their leaders, and the leaders brainwashed them with their church cannot fall statements and they confidently continued to support these apostate and corrupt leaders until they perished in their sins, eternally lost! It is interesting to note that in those days, ONLY those who were willing to search the scriptures and study for themselves accepted Jesus and were saved, those who trusted leadership to tell them the truth, were lost.
Even Jesus own disciples were so leavened with these false applications used by the leadership of those days, that they did not even understand or accept the words of Jesus as He tried so hard to get them to see that their ideas were false and they were in for a terrible shock! The false promises of a corrupt leadership sounded so much more attractive than the straight, cutting truth Jesus was telling them. They refused to open their mind and listen.
I urge you today to open your mind and listen prayerfully to the rest of the story that you were never told of the church will not fall statement the context and meaning, which were kept hidden away from the lay people for decades but now, in the mercy of God, is published and available!
The original ‘Church does not Fall’ Document