Ernie Knoll’s Fall and Repentance
Introduction
Conflict and Courage, p. 368
The pen of inspiration, true to its task, tells us of the sins that overcame Noah, Lot, Moses, Abraham, David, and Solomon, and that even Elijah's strong spirit sank under temptation during his fearful trial. Jonah's disobedience and Israel's idolatry are faithfully recorded. Peter's denial of Christ, the sharp contention of Paul and Barnabas, the failings and infirmities of the prophets and apostles, are all laid bare. . . . There before us lie the lives of the believers, with all their faults and follies, which are intended as a lesson to all the generations following them. If they had been without foible they would have been more than human, and our sinful natures would despair of ever reaching such a point of excellence. But seeing where they struggled and fell, where they took heart again and conquered through the grace of God, we are encouraged, and led to press over the obstacles that degenerate nature places in our way.
Signs of the Times, July 27, 1882
It may at times be necessary for the servant of God to vindicate his own character, and to defend his course, that the Lord's name may be glorified, and the truth be not reproached. Let all who are treated with neglect or injustice, follow the example of Samuel, taking care not to make self prominent, but to maintain the honor of God. Let the injured one, instead of dwelling upon the wrongs which he has suffered, show the people how they have wounded Christ in the person of his servant. Many hearts would thus be led to humiliation and repentance, when if personal feelings were aroused, they would be as hard as stone.
This study would not be complete without addressing the fall and repentance of Ernie Knoll. In July 2009, it was revealed that Ernie Knoll had resorted to falsehood to convince people his ministry was God ordained. In November 2007, he made up a story about a prostitute named Candace who had an encounter with an angel and was told to read Ernie’s dreams. In September/October 2008, Ernie made up another testimony of Candace and a Great Commission Council that were supposed to be concerned church leaders that saw nothing wrong with the dreams. This was all done because of the opposition to the dreams and a lack of faith that God would take care of His ministry.
These lies led many to conclude that Ernie’s dreams could not have originated from God. However, as we are about to see, many of the Bible prophets were not without their faults.
Prophets are human
God says:
Romans 3:23
For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.
Fact
Prophets are capable of sinning, just like the rest of us. We often have a misconception that a prophet will never sin and if they do, this proves they are not a prophet. Yet the Bible repeatedly reveals that men like Moses, David, Abraham, Jacob, Jonah and Peter all struggled with sin just like we do. This does not mean they can be excused, for there can be no excuse for sin, but it does show us that often our expectation of a prophet is higher than it ought to be. The following illustrations are just a few of what can be gleaned from the Bible.
Abraham’s lies to Pharaoh and Abimelech
God says:
Patriarchs and Prophets, p. 130
During his stay in Egypt, Abraham gave evidence that he was not free from human weakness and imperfection. In concealing the fact that Sarah was his wife, he betrayed a distrust of the divine care, a lack of that lofty faith and courage so often and nobly exemplified in his life. Sarah was fair to look upon, and he doubted not that the dusky Egyptians would covet the beautiful stranger, and that in order to secure her, they would not scruple to slay her husband. He reasoned that he was not guilty of falsehood in representing Sarah as his sister, for she was the daughter of his father, though not of his mother. But this concealment of the real relation between them was deception. No deviation from strict integrity can meet God's approval. Through Abraham's lack of faith, Sarah was placed in great peril. The king of Egypt, being informed of her beauty, caused her to be taken to his palace, intending to make her his wife. But the Lord, in His great mercy, protected Sarah by sending judgments upon the royal household. By this means the monarch learned the truth in the matter, and, indignant at the deception practiced upon him, he reproved Abraham and restored to him his wife, saying, "What is this that thou hast done unto me?
Genesis 20:3-7
But God came to Abimelech in a dream by night, and said to him, Behold, thou art but a dead man, for the woman which thou hast taken; for she is a man's wife. But Abimelech had not come near her: and he said, Lord, wilt thou slay also a righteous nation? Said he not unto me, She is my sister? and she, even she herself said, He is my brother: in the integrity of my heart and innocency of my hands have I done this. And God said unto him in a dream, Yea, I know that thou didst this in the integrity of thy heart; for I also withheld thee from sinning against me: therefore suffered I thee not to touch her. Now therefore restore the man his wife; for he is a prophet, and he shall pray for thee, and thou shalt live: and if thou restore her not, know thou that thou shalt surely die, thou, and all that are thine.
Fact
On both of these occasions Abraham resorted to deception.
Summation
Abraham distrusted God’s power to save his life. Through a lack of faith, he decided to take matters into his own hands. He reasoned that his deception was not a sin because it was only a half lie. Amazingly, he did this not once, but on two separate occasions.
Conclusion
Even after Abraham lied, God still called him a prophet and there is no record that God rebuked him for his deception.
Jacob deceives his father
God says:
Christ Triumphant, p. 86
Jacob thought to gain a right to the birthright through deception, but he found himself disappointed.
Spiritual Gifts, Vol. 3, p. 115
Rebekah was acquainted with Isaac's partiality for Esau, and was satisfied that reasoning would not change his purpose. Instead of trusting in God, the disposer of events, she manifested her lack of faith by persuading Jacob to deceive his father. Jacob's course in this was not approbated by God. Rebekah and Jacob should have waited for God to bring about his own purposes, in his own way, and in his own time, instead of trying to bring about the foretold events by the aid of deception.
Patriarchs and Prophets, p. 180
No sooner had Esau departed on his errand than Rebekah set about the accomplishment of her purpose. She told Jacob what had taken place, urging the necessity of immediate action to prevent the bestowal of the blessing, finally and irrevocably, upon Esau. And she assured her son that if he would follow her directions, he might obtain it as God had promised. Jacob did not readily consent to the plan that she proposed. The thought of deceiving his father caused him great distress. He felt that such a sin would bring a curse rather than a blessing. But his scruples were overborne, and he proceeded to carry out his mother's suggestions. It was not his intention to utter a direct falsehood, but once in the presence of his father he seemed to have gone too far to retreat, and he obtained by fraud the coveted blessing.
Fact
Jacob lied to his father.
Summation
Jacob thought that by lying to his father and gaining the birthright through deception and falsehood, he was fulfilling the word of God.
Conclusion
Jacob’s heart was in the right place, but he lacked faith in God and trusted to human reasoning. Once he had started out in the path of deception, he found he could not turn back.
David’s deception and sin with Bathsheba
God says:
Patriarchs and Prophets, pp. 690-691
David and his men had not taken part in the battle between Saul and the Philistines, though they had marched with the Philistines to the field of conflict. As the two armies prepared to join battle the son of Jesse found himself in a situation of great perplexity. It was expected that he would fight for the Philistines.…
David was caused to feel that he had missed his path. Far better would it have been for him to find refuge in God's strong fortresses of the mountains than with the avowed enemies of Jehovah and His people. But the Lord in His great mercy did not punish this error of His servant by leaving him to himself in his distress and perplexity; for though David, losing his grasp on divine power, had faltered and turned aside from the path of strict integrity, it was still the purpose of his heart to be true to God. While Satan and his host were busy helping the adversaries of God and of Israel to plan against a king who had forsaken God, the angels of the Lord were working to deliver David from the peril into which he had fallen. Heavenly messengers moved upon the Philistine princes to protest against the presence of David and his force with the army in the approaching conflict....
Thus Achish was forced to yield, and calling David, said unto him, "Surely as Jehovah liveth, thou hast been upright, and thy going out and thy coming in with me in the host is good in my sight: for I have not found evil in thee since the day of thy coming unto me unto this day. Nevertheless the lords favor thee not. Wherefore now return, and go in peace, that thou displease not the lords of the Philistines."
David, fearing to betray his real feelings, answered, "But what have I done? and what hast thou found in thy servant so long as I have been with thee unto this day, that I may not go fight against the enemies of my lord the king?"
The reply of Achish must have sent a thrill of shame and remorse through David's heart, as he thought how unworthy of a servant of Jehovah were the deceptions to which he had stooped. "I know that thou art good in my sight, as an angel of God," said the king: "notwithstanding, the princes of the Philistines have said, He shall not go up with us to the battle. Wherefore now rise up early in the morning with thy master's servants that are come with thee: and as soon as ye be up early in the morning, and have light, depart." Thus the snare in which David had become entangled was broken, and he was set free.
Ibid., p. 718
Every effort which David made to conceal his guilt proved unavailing. He had betrayed himself into the power of Satan; danger surrounded him, dishonor more bitter than death was before him. There appeared but one way of escape, and in his desperation he was hurried on to add murder to adultery. He who had compassed the destruction of Saul was seeking to lead David also to ruin. Though the temptations were different, they were alike in leading to transgression of God's law. David reasoned that if Uriah were slain by the hand of enemies in battle, the guilt of his death could not be traced home to the king, Bathsheba would be free to become David's wife, suspicion could be averted, and the royal honor would be maintained.
Spiritual Gifts, Vol. 4A, p. 86
His crime in the case of Uriah and Bathsheba was heinous in the sight of God. A just and impartial God did not sanction or excuse these sins in David, but sends a reproof, and heavy denunciation by Nathan, his prophet, which portrays in living colors his grievous offense. David had been blinded to his wonderful departure from God. He had excused his own sinful course to himself, until his ways seemed passable in his own eyes. One wrong step had prepared the way for another, until his sins called for the rebuke from Jehovah through Nathan.
Fact
David resorted to deception on one occasion and adultery and murder on another.
Summation
Through a lack of faith, David, like so many before him resorted to deception because his life was in danger. Even worse than this, he took a man’s wife and had her husband killed in battle. He then excused his sinful course until he believed that what he had done was “passable in his own eyes.”
Conclusion
Although David was a chosen messenger of God (see Acts of the Apostles, p. 575) he still lost his grasp on divine power and fell into sin. Yet God knew his heart, and although he had committed such heinous sins, he was forgiven. David’s repentance is possibly the most well known in the Bible (see Psalm 51). It shows us that God is able to forgive any sin, no matter how bad it may be, and that genuine repentance is possible even when the sinner repents after their sin has been revealed. Many people have a hard time believing a sinner has genuinely repented after their sin has been found out. Does this mean that every time a parent discovers their son or daughter has sinned and that child says they are sorry that they are never truly repentant? Remember that David did not confess his sin until it was revealed to him by Nathan the prophet. Could it be that God chose Ernie as His messenger because he would be an example to everyone regarding the lessons of repentance and forgiveness, because his ministry is the Elijah message for today?
Peter the cowardly apostate?
God says:
The Desire of Ages, p. 712
Attention was called to him the second time, and he was again charged with being a follower of Jesus. He now declared with an oath, "I do not know the Man." Still another opportunity was given him. An hour had passed, when one of the servants of the high priest, being a near kinsman of the man whose ear Peter had cut off, asked him, "Did not I see thee in the garden with Him?" "Surely thou art one of them: for thou art a Galilean, and thy speech agreeth thereto." At this Peter flew into a rage. The disciples of Jesus were noted for the purity of their language, and in order fully to deceive his questioners, and justify his assumed character, Peter now denied his Master with cursing and swearing. Again the cock crew. Peter heard it then, and he remembered the words of Jesus, "Before the cock crow twice, thou shalt deny Me thrice." Mark 14:30
Ibid., p. 713
He [Peter] reflected with horror upon his own ingratitude, his falsehood, his perjury…
That I May Know Him, p. 180
Peter, when brought to the test, sinned greatly. In denying the Master he had loved and served, he became a cowardly apostate. But his Lord did not cast him off; He freely forgave him. . . . Henceforth, remembering his own weakness and failures, he would be patient with his brethren in their mistakes and errors. Remembering the patient love of Christ toward him, affording him another opportunity to bring forth the fruit of good works, he would be more conciliatory toward erring ones. . . .
Pastoral Ministry, p. 56
Some assert that if a soul stumbles and falls, he can never regain his position; but the case before us contradicts this. Before his denial Christ said to Peter, "When thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren." In committing to his stewardship the souls for whom He had given His life, Christ gave to Peter the strongest evidence of His confidence in his restoration. And he was commissioned to feed not only the sheep, but the lambs--a broader and more delicate work than had hitherto been appointed him. Not only was he to hold forth the Word of life to others, but he was to be a shepherd of the flock.
Fact
Peter denied his Lord with cursing and swearing and resorted to falsehood and perjury.
Summation
In a moment of weakness, Peter lost his faith and became a cowardly apostate. He denied his Lord after declaring he would never forsake Him.
Conclusion
Peter had no excuse for his deception, for he had been called to the office that “was the most important to which human beings had ever been called…” The Desire of Ages, p. 291. Yet, even after he denied the Lord three times, Peter was forgiven. “But his Lord did not cast him off; He freely forgave him...Remembering the patient love of Christ toward him, affording him another opportunity to bring forth the fruit of good works, he would be more conciliatory toward erring ones. . . .” That I May Know Him, p. 180
Moses dishonors God
God says:
Signs of the Times, July 12, 1905, par. 3
Moses set about his work by trying to obtain the favor of his people by redressing their wrongs. He killed an Egyptian who was ill-treating an Israelite. In this he manifested the spirit of him who was a murderer from the beginning, and proved himself unfit to represent the God of mercy, love, and tenderness. He made a miserable failure of his first attempt. Like many another, he immediately lost confidence in God and turned, his back on his appointed work. He fled from the wrath of Pharaoh. He concluded that because of his mistake, his sin in taking the life of the Egyptian, God would not permit him to have any part in the work of delivering His people from their cruel bondage. But the Lord permitted him to make this mistake in order that He might be able to teach him the gentleness, goodness, longsuffering, that is necessary for every worker for the Lord to possess.
Patriarchs and Prophets, pp. 417-418
The water gushed forth in abundance to satisfy the host. But a great wrong had been done. Moses had spoken from irritated feeling; his words were an expression of human passion rather than of holy indignation because God had been dishonored…. His lack of patience and self-control was evident. Thus the people were given occasion to question whether his past course had been under the direction of God, and to excuse their own sins. Moses, as well as they, had offended God. His course, they said, had from the first been open to criticism and censure. They had now found the pretext which they desired for rejecting all the reproofs that God had sent them through His servant.
Moses manifested distrust of God. "Shall we bring water?" he questioned, as if the Lord would not do what He promised. "Ye believed Me not," the Lord declared to the two brothers, "to sanctify Me in the eyes of the children of Israel." At the time when the water failed, their own faith in the fulfillment of God's promise had been shaken by the murmuring and rebellion of the people….
...Wearied with the continual murmuring and rebellion of the people, Moses had lost sight of his Almighty Helper, and without the divine strength he had been left to mar his record by an exhibition of human weakness. The man who might have stood pure, firm, and unselfish to the close of his work had been overcome at last. God had been dishonored before the congregation of Israel, when He should have been magnified and exalted.
Fact
Moses murdered an Egyptian, thinking he was doing God’s service. He then lost confidence in God and the mission he had been called to do. Toward the end of his life, Moses again fell into sin by assuming the glory of God.
Summation
In God’s great plan of providence, He permitted Moses to murder the Egyptian so that he could learn valuable lessons to lead His people. Satan had hoped to discourage Moses and thwart God’s great plan of delivering Israel from bondage. Later, when on the borders of the Promised Land, Moses distrusted God and in a moment of weakness committed a sin that although doesn’t seem that grievous, was worse than his first sin. In taking upon himself the glory and losing his patience, Moses gave the rebellious children of Israel a reason to believe that he was not chosen of God. This is just what the Devil had hoped to achieve.
Conclusion
Although Moses was led to sin against God in both situations, God did not forsake him for He knew the heart of Moses. This is an important point. What made those who fell into sin and were forgiven different from those who fell into sin and were killed was the condition of their hearts.
Solomon wanders far from God
God says:
Prophets and Kings, p. 51
But after a morning of great promise his life was darkened by apostasy. History records the melancholy fact that he who had been called Jedidiah,--"Beloved of the Lord" (2 Samuel 12:25, margin),--he who had been honored by God with tokens of divine favor so remarkable that his wisdom and uprightness gained for him world-wide fame, he who had led others to ascribe honor to the God of Israel, turned from the worship of Jehovah to bow before the idols of the heathen.
Ibid., p. 55
So gradual was Solomon's apostasy that before he was aware of it; he had wandered far from God. Almost imperceptibly he began to trust less and less in divine guidance and blessing, and to put confidence in his own strength. Little by little he withheld from God that unswerving obedience which was to make Israel a peculiar people, and he conformed more and more closely to the customs of the surrounding nations...
Fact
Solomon joined the ranks of heathen worship and led Israel into apostasy.
Summation
Solomon started out as a humble servant of God who was given great wisdom. Yet slowly he was led to wander away from God, and before he knew it, he had fallen into open rebellion and apostasy.
Conclusion
Few in the Bible could equal Solomon’s fall into disobedience. Yet even after falling so far into sin, and for so long, God still accepted Solomon when he chose to repent at the end of his life.
Jonah the disobedient prophet
God says:
Prophets and Kings, p. 266
As the prophet thought of the difficulties and seeming impossibilities of this commission, he was tempted to question the wisdom of the call. From a human viewpoint it seemed as if nothing could be gained by proclaiming such a message in that proud city. He forgot for the moment that the God whom he served was all-wise and all-powerful. While he hesitated, still doubting, Satan overwhelmed him with discouragement...
In the charge given him, Jonah had been entrusted with a heavy responsibility; yet He who had bidden him go was able to sustain His servant and grant him success. Had the prophet obeyed unquestioningly, he would have been spared many bitter experiences, and would have been blessed abundantly… Yet in the hour of Jonah's despair the Lord did not desert him. Through a series of trials and strange providences, the prophet's confidence in God and in His infinite power to save was to be revived.”
Fact
Jonah disobeyed the word of God and sought to flee in the opposite direction.
Summation
Jonah is one of the few examples in the Bible where we learn of a prophet who willingly chose to disobey God and lived to tell the story. He was entrusted with a great responsibility, and yet through lack of faith he was led into disobedience.
Conclusion
Even though Jonah disobeyed God, the good news is that God did not forsake him for his disobedience. This shows that God is still able to use a prophet that has fallen into sin. Praise God, it also shows that He can use all of us, despite how sinful we might be.
Ernie’s fall
God says:
Proverbs 24:16
For a just man falleth seven times, and riseth up again: but the wicked shall fall into mischief.
From Ernie's dreams:
Two Cars, March 12, 2010
As we round a corner, we notice a military blockade. They signal us to stop and a soldier walks over and orders me to step out of the car. Stepping out I notice I am now in mud. I try to clean it off, but it does not come off. The soldier hands me a rag to use, but as I do my shoes become dirtier and now have grease on them as well. I get back into the car and the soldier informs us that we have come the wrong way, that we should have taken the other road. He states that this road is not the right road and that we should turn around. Our driver now leans forward, looks at the soldier and tells him to raise the gate, because we are going to proceed on, since that is the way we must go.
Ibid.
I notice that each step I take is softer on the hard pavement. The Herald tells me that there will be things that are hidden from my view that will cause me to trip and fall. I look down for just a brief moment and notice that my right foot falls through the now hard pavement. As I trip and fall, my hand is pulled from the Herald’s hand. I roll down the bank on the right and plunge deep into a muddy river. There is a hard covering over the water and I must swim further out to climb up out of the water. I swim along close to the bottom of the river and now swim between two large concrete pillars. I barely squeeze through and as I do, my mind is instantly brought to the cloud and how it looked just like Jesus. I pray in my mind that Jesus would again extend His hand and help me. As I make my way through the small opening, I grab hold of the bottom of a ladder and feel a hand take hold of mine. It has a strength which I cannot describe. I feel myself pulled quickly from the depths of the water and gently placed on a dock. I turn to see Jesus standing there. He calls me by my heavenly name and we begin walking together. He says there is somewhere He wants to take me.
In the Heart of Jesus, September 12, 2009
The Herald explains the following. “I have waited to return to you but as before I had to wait till I was told to return. I come to you as a messenger. I am here to show you many things that you are to show to all. I know you wanted confirmation of what was happening. I watched as Satan began to deceive you. He shared great truth with you in some of your unpublished, private dreams, but there was always a little wrong along with all of the truth. I watched as he deceived you more and more. You were convinced that this was direction from the Father of all truth, but I watched as you received direction from the father of all lies. Our Father could have stopped him, but He allows things to happen when He knows it is for the betterment of all. Remember He knows the beginning to the end. He already knew that Satan would deceive you. He already knew that many close friends you had would one day desert you. He already knew that you would stand alone through a time of utter desolation. He already knew that you would have your walk through the wilderness. He already knew that you would go to your own Garden of Gethsemane. He already knew that many would discount you as a messenger, but this was also a test to see if you could overcome. Our Father allowed this to happen because He already knew the outcome. God does indeed hate sin, but He loves the sinner. He loves you. Remember in the first dream when you were reclining at the table? You were told that the Great Host would have done all that was necessary to have you there.”
How Ernie Knoll fell
- Ernie was affected emotionally because so many people were not accepting the messages he was asked to give to God’s people.
- The false statements that were written about him also troubled him.
- Instead of taking these issues to God, Ernie became discouraged.
- His discouragement led to a lack of faith.
- As a result, Ernie made up the testimony of Candace.
- As Ernie created the story, he noticed the words flowed easily. This led him to believe that God must have inspired him to write it like a parable.
- Once he had posted the testimony, Ernie was sorry he did it, but he didn’t know how to get out of it.
- Ernie then began to beg God to stop giving him the dreams as he felt unworthy.
- As time went on, Ernie began to justify that God was inspiring him to write about Candace.
- When opposition to the dreams grew and websites started to appear that were against the dreams, Ernie made up the Great Commission Council.
- For a few months before Ernie was found out, he had been sending emails to friends and the board of the ministry as “Candace” asking them to pray for Ernie as Satan was attacking him and Becky (his wife).
Fact
Ernie allowed discouragement and the words of others to get between himself and God. He resorted to falsehood and deception to try to prove the messages He was receiving were of God.
Summation
Just like many of the prophets of old, the Devil found a weakness in Ernie that he was able to manipulate and cause Ernie to fall. There are particular similarities between Ernie’s fall and that of Jacob and David. These include:
| Jacob | Ernie |
|---|---|
| Jacob believed that God had promised him the birthright. | Ernie believed God had called him to be a messenger. |
| Fearing he would lose his chance of gaining the birthright, Jacob took matters into his own hands to secure it. | Ernie reasoned in his mind that by making up Candace, he would be promoting the dreams. |
| Jacob should have believed God’s promise, but his human weakness got in the way. | Ernie should have trusted in God, but his human weakness got in the way. |
| At first, Jacob didn’t like the idea of deceiving his father, but he proceeded to carry out his mother’s suggestions anyway. | As Ernie created the story of Candace he was convinced that God was directing him to do so. |
| It was not Jacob’s intention to utter a direct falsehood, but once he had begun, he could not get out of it. | Ernie did not set out to deceive anyone. However, once he had started, he found he couldn’t get out of it. |
| See Patriarchs and Prophets, p. 180 and Spiritual Gifts, Vol. 3, p. 115 for the points relating to Jacob’s fall. |
| David | Ernie |
|---|---|
| David was led by Satan to commit adultery with Bathsheba. | Satan deceived Ernie to make up Candace. |
| To avert dishonor, David sank deeper into sin by having Bathsheba’s husband killed. | Ernie did not stop with Candace, but made up the Great Commission Council to prove his story of Candace was true. |
| Instead of repenting, David began to excuse his sin until his ways seemed plausible in his own eyes. | Although Ernie knew what he did was wrong, he also felt that God had led him in what he had done. |
| One wrong step had prepared the way for another. | One wrong step led Ernie to make another. |
| David only confessed his sin when confronted by the prophet Nathan. | Ernie only confessed his sin when the board of his ministry came to him with the evidence that he had sinned. |
| See Patriarchs and Prophets, p. 718, Spiritual Gifts, Vol. 4A, p. 86 and Conflict and Courage, p. 179 for the points relating to David’s fall. |
Pray for Protection
It is interesting that the last dream Ernie had before he made up Candace was dream 25, “Pray for Protection.” In the dream he was being tortured. When he wakes, he finds that he is pinned down and cannot speak. It is only when Becky wakes and offers to call on the name of Jesus that he is released. God gave Ernie a warning of his imminent fall, but Ernie did not recognize this warning.
Conclusion
It is easy to condemn Ernie Knoll and dismiss him as a messenger of God for the deception he practiced. However, would we have made the same conclusions of Abraham, Jacob, Moses, David, Solomon, Jonah and Peter if we had lived in their day and found out about their sins? The Jews of Jesus’ time openly confessed they believed in the prophets which had been in the past, but if they had lived in the prophets’ day, they would have rejected them because they rejected the One who sent them, Jesus. Are we the same today? We read the words of Moses, David and Peter and believe they are of God, but when someone like Ernie comes and falls into the same sins as they fell into, many reject him. After Ernie’s sin was revealed, those who walked away did not follow God’s instructions found in Desire of Ages, pages 440 and 441 See Appendix C for details regarding this counsel.
Ernie’s repentance
Ernie says:
As you may know, I have sinned against God and His people. However, God accepted my repentance and I am now striving to be like Christ. By God’s grace, this ministry will continue. We will see God’s church cleansed and the chaff separated from the wheat. His church will stand as a beacon on a hill.
God says:
1 John 1:9
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
Psalm 51:1-13
Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy lovingkindness: according unto the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions. Wash me throughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin. For I acknowledge my transgressions: and my sin is ever before me. Against thee, thee only, have I sinned, and done this evil in thy sight: that thou mightest be justified when thou speakest, and be clear when thou judgest. Behold, I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me. Behold, thou desirest truth in the inward parts: and in the hidden part thou shalt make me to know wisdom. Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean: wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow. Make me to hear joy and gladness; that the bones which thou hast broken may rejoice. Hide thy face from my sins, and blot out all mine iniquities. Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me. Cast me not away from thy presence; and take not thy holy spirit from me. Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; and uphold me with thy free spirit. Then will I teach transgressors thy ways; and sinners shall be converted unto thee.
Psalm 32:5
I acknowledged my sin unto thee, and mine iniquity have I not hid. I said, I will confess my transgressions unto the LORD; and thou forgavest the iniquity of my sin. Selah.
From Ernie's dream:
In the Heart of Jesus, September 12, 2009
The Herald puts both of his hands on my shoulders and says, “Make sure you understand and remember He has done everything and continues to do all that He can to have you at the table to serve you.” I try to tell him how sorry I am and that I want to tell him all the sins again and how I am so sorry. However, this is the first time the Herald interrupts me and says, “Stop. You need to realize that our Father seeks a repentant heart. He wrote in the book of Jeremiah 31:34 ‘And they shall teach no more every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the LORD: for they shall all know me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith the LORD: for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.’ He says He will remember their sin no more. He has forgiven you as you have been shown in other private dreams. You should not bring up what happened when He no longer remembers it.
You can find these private dreams in Appendix D.
Fact
Ernie Knoll has repented of his sin.
Summation
Just like many of the prophets in the Bible who were led into sin, repented and were forgiven, so Ernie Knoll has repented of his sin. Many feel that because of his sin, God could not use him anymore. Yet, who are we to say who God can and cannot use? Moses brought dishonor upon God, but he still remained God’s messenger. Jonah disobeyed the word of God, but he was still used to warn the people of Nineveh. And the life of Peter shows that he was called of God, he experienced God’s blessings, but in a moment of weakness he fell. Yet after he had confessed his sin, he was afforded “another opportunity to bring forth the fruit of good works.” That I May Know Him, p. 180. Peter was commissioned to “feed the sheep and lambs of the flock.” The Acts of the Apostles, p. 537.
Conclusion
The good news of the gospel is that if we confess our sins, God is faithful and just to forgive us. Many have thought that because Ernie only confessed his sin after he was found out, that his confession was not genuine, that it was similar to Achan’s confession. However, David only confessed his sin after he was confronted about it and yet he was forgiven.
Chapter conclusion
The Bible teaches that we have all sinned and fallen short of God's glory. It reveals that many of the great men of faith sometimes fell into sin. However, even though they brought dishonor upon God, He still forgave them and used them to achieve His purposes.
Because of the promise of forgiveness and the way God has led in the lives of men such as Abraham, Jacob, Moses, David, Solomon, Jonah, Peter, and every other prophet that fell into sin, we see no reason why God could not forgive Ernie Knoll and reinstate him as His messenger.
It is significant that, even though Ernie did fall into sin, God in His providence ensured that Ernie’s published dreams remained free from error. If these dreams were not God-given, we would expect to see error mixed in with the truth. But this is not the case.
God always sends a prophet/messenger to warn His people before important events take place. He did it before the Flood, before the fall of Jerusalem to the Babylonians, before the public ministry of Christ, before the destruction of Jerusalem by the Romans, and before the opening of the investigative judgment. Should we not expect God to also send a messenger today to warn of Jesus’ imminent return? The messages Ernie Knoll has received to give to God’s people include a call to repentance, a message to live by faith, a message to trust in Christ’s righteousness instead of our own, a message to prepare for the greatest event in this world’s history.
Will we, like the majority of those who lived at the time of these great events, also reject God’s message to repent and prepare? The choice is ours. Their example is written for our admonition. Will we learn from their mistakes?
