Is the Law of Moses your "Bushido"?

By Hazel Holland

Saturday morning, January 13, 2007 God clearly spoke the words, “The Last Samurai” into my mind as I was in the bathroom getting ready for church. I was surprised to hear the title of a movie about a Japanese warrior that I had no interest in seeing at the time it was shown.

As I mused about this word, wondering what was on God’s heart, I received another word two days later on Monday morning, January 15, 2007. God spoke the words, “Custer’s Last Stand” into my mind the same way.  Again I received a witness in my spirit that God was drawing another important parallel between “The Last Samurai”, “Custer’s Last Stand”, and the reluctance of Seventh-day Adventist (SDA) leadership to let go of their Adventist heritage even when it falls short of being in agreement with God’s Word, and does violence to the gospel.

Not having seen “The Last Samurai”, and knowing very little about Japanese history, I emailed my friend, Ramone Romero, who lives in Japan, and who wrote the Forward to this book, hoping to find the needed historical background to this movie so that I could discover what God was saying.  Ramone not only gave me the historical background of “The Last Samurai”, but also “Custer’s Last Stand.” Along with both background summaries came an interpretation that God had given him for these two words, and it lined up with what I had already received from the Spirit.

As you prayerfully read the background summaries of these two words, along with the interpretation Ramone received from the Lord, I pray that the eyes of your heart may be opened to see how God is pouring forth His heart of concern and love toward His children who remain stuck in the malaise of Adventism. This word is given to forcefully remind us that history has a way of repeating itself. Men in positions of leadership and power who are blinded by pride often make tragic errors in judgment. Unfortunately, they are often exonerated by their followers who also believe the lie, and perpetuate the deception by passing it on to the next generation... 

 Background of “The Last Samurai”

The “Last Samurai” is a fictional character who rebels against the government because of  its  immorality  as  it modernizes.  The movie portrays noble motives for the samurai’s rebellion based on honor, honesty, better ethics and a better way of life.

However, in the real life historical samurai rebellion, the primary motive was self-preservation of their unique and privileged social class. The true-life samurai rebellion was a last desperate attempt to hold onto a traditional social caste and position of power that crippled the country by marginalizing and denigrating a great many of its people.   Modernization was resisted because it would put an end to the old system. The movie ignores the historical truth and adopts the myth of the superiority of the old bushido system.   It is filmed through rose-tinted glasses, portraying a noble fight to preserve a fictional ideal that never quite was.

What is God saying?

Like old “bushido”, the Law also “keeps people in their place.”  This “Ancient Stronghold that  is called a “ministry of condemnation and death”, keeps people from rising above sin and death in their lives, be-

cause a veil covers their eyes.  The abolition of the Samurai class and feudal Japanese society spelled freedom for many people.  Of course it took many years for attitudes to change (and some things are still being changed), but in general, it was this crumbling of an ancient stronghold (“bushido”) that liberated many classes of people in society.

I believe God is saying that “The Last Samurai” applies to many Adventist leaders who are unwilling to let the “old” go.  They are looking through rose-tinted glasses at Adventism’s heritage and insist on holding onto a delusion.  They may feel like they are fighting to the death to preserve a noble code of honor, a noble Adventist history.   But, in truth, it  is a  fictional  ideal, because  the history never  really existed as  they want  to believe.  The mythical heritage of Adventism  they  invoke  is  a creation of imagined self-importance.  It glorifies Adventist pioneers and their teachings while glossing over the deception, error, condemnation and spiritual abuse that existed from the beginning.

Additionally, Adventism has always felt it  as more  correct  and more “moral” because  it  re-instituted  the Old Covenant Law.  It returned to the old written code and pointed the finger of accusation at Christians who did not do the same.  It sang the virtues of the old system and claimed that without the Law, we are deficient and morally lost.  In  truth, however,  the Bible states  that we are no  longer under the old code (the Law), because the purpose of the Law was to reveal sin  and death  so  that we might cling  to  Jesus  instead!   The Law was “the ministry of  condemnation”  and “the ministry of death”.     In  the presence of Life Himself how could the ministry of death hold greaterappeal?  How could the Adventist pioneers have been induced to prefer condemnation?

The old samurai looked upon suicide as noble and as an honorable way out of a situation.   In a sense, it was often seen as the consummation of an honorable life, deed or heroic effort.   It fulfilled the Bushido

code of honor and was, in a way, the perfection of honor.   After the “last samurai” lost the battle and stabbed himself,  his dying words were “It’s perfect”.

Just as the bushido, Adventism is committing spiritual suicide.  Adventism honors the Law of death as the way to perfection, just as the samurai viewed suicide as the summit of perfection and honor?  

Background of “Custer’s Last Stand”

Lt. Colonel George Armstrong Custer had gained renown during the 1800’s  for his  valor  in  leading American  army  forces  into  battle with Native Americans in the “Indian wars”.  He is remembered best, however  or his monumental underestimation of  the combined forces of the Sioux and Cheyenne nations  in  the battle of Little Bighorn in eastern Montana. Custer  came with  a  force of between 200- 600 soldiers, while those who were defending their ancient ways of life had amassed an army nearing 1800 warriors.

Some  estimate  that  within  half  an  hour  the  defending  Native   Americans had decimated Custer and all of his soldiers from the Seventh U.S. Cavalry.   America tried to redeem the debacle by calling  it “Custer’s Last stand”, implying that a brave American army officer had nobly given his life to defend his country against the invading savages.  The over-confident, short-sighted  Custer  was  transformed  into  an  icon of bravery and courage.   Truth, however, was much  less complimentary.   The Native Americans were,  in  fact, making  a  last  stand  to defend a way of life that went back many centuries against newcomers who were  trying  to eradicate  them  from  the  face of  the Earth.  The  Americans  had  corralled  them  onto  reservations with  the  arrogant claim of  generosity–giving  them back  a  fraction of  the  land  that was theirs to begin with. The European immigrants had brought with them disease, suffering and death. With the confiscation of their lands went the very commodity that constituted their identity. 

What Are the Parallels?

Historical  revisionism  has  plagued Adventism  from  the  beginning.  Just as Custer’s defeat was recast as a heroic stand against encroaching  evil, so was Adventism’s erroneous  date-setting  for  the  Second Coming  reborn  as  the  Investigative  Judgment,  spawning “The  Great Advent Movement”. Adventism’s  last  ditch  strategy was to turn the “Great Disappointment” into a glorious new truth. But just as in many other  distortions, Adventist teaching has redefined  the word “truth” to  stand  for error.  The words of God will stand against them as He searches their motivations and continued cover-up of His truth. 
 
 “So justice is driven back, and righteousness stands at a distance; truth has stumbled in the streets, honesty cannot enter.  Truth  is  nowhere  to be  found,  and whoever  shuns  evil  becomes  a  prey. The  Lord  looked and was displeased  that  there was no  justice. He saw  that  there was no one, he was appalled  that  there was no one  to  intervene.” (Isaiah 59:14-16, NIV)  Behind propaganda is the desire to hide the truth with bravado.

Perhaps  you,  too,  have  believed  the myths  about Adventism—its noble, heroic heritage, its moral code, its last-day prophet. Perhaps you have taken comfort in the culture that appears to have been prospered by God and believe that the whole package is of great worth. Perhaps you have determined that you will not cheaply throw away this pearl of great price.  Take another look.  The “moral code of great worth” (the Law of Moses) is Adventism’s “bushido”.  It's Adventism’s ancient stronghold that has brought unexpected bondage and immorality.  The history of “Adventism’s  Stand”  in  refusing  to  jettison  the  failed  1844  prophecy  has  led to numerous doctrines  that do  violence  to  the  gospel. Within  those doctrines hides a stubborn defiance against repentance for willfully covering up the haughty legacy of pride, control, power, and an institution built on false prophecy.  

Do you think that other Christian denominations besides SDAs have the law of Moses (10 Commandments) as their "bushido" in some of their teachings?  If so, what are your thoughts on this subject? 

* See: The Naked Truth: Exposing the Deception of Adventism, Chapter 12: "Adventism's Ancient Stronghold", p. 154-158.