Christian Life – God's Food For Life

Spiritual Mathematic

Moses had been a gallant leader of a rebellious people for forty years. They had been wandering around in a desolate wilderness while God was trying to teach them His ways. Now it was time for them to enter the Promised Land. Moses deeply loved them even though they have given him many trials. He would soon be taken from them so he wanted to remind them of some important points and admonish them to be faithful.

We have all had this experience in one way or another. Your son or daughter is leaving home for the new adventure called college. You desire very much that they prosper in this new environment. You want to them to be happy and healthy, making wise decisions when you aren’t around to guide them. They have given you many trials but you love them and long for them to prosper. You stand at the door saying good bye along with some last-minute advice.

What council did Moses give to the children of Israel?

Ye shall not do after all the things that we do here this day, every man whatsoever is right in his own eyes. Deuteronomy 12:8

Ye shall not add unto the word which I command you, neither shall ye diminish ought from it, that ye may keep the commandments of the LORD your God which I command you. Deuteronomy 4:2

Take heed to thyself that thou be not snared by following them (heathen), after that they be destroyed from before thee; and that thou enquire not after their gods, saying, How did these nations serve their gods? even so will I do likewise. Thou shalt not do so unto the LORD thy God: for every abomination to the LORD, which he hateth, have they done unto their gods; for even their sons and their daughters they have burnt in the fire to their gods. What thing soever I command you, observe to do it: thou shalt not add thereto, nor diminish from it. Deuteronomy 12:30-32

Do what God commands. Don’t add to it or subtract from it. Don’t be a spiritual mathematician.

Does this Old Testament principle apply to the Christian era as well?

Did Jesus come to change the laws of the Old Testament? What does He Himself say?

Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfill.

For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled. Matthew 5:17, 18

Jesus follows this statement with references to two of the Ten Commandments and to several other laws that God gave through Moses. How many laws were eliminated at the cross? What did Jesus say? Not one jot or tittle, not even a slight punctuation mark in the language. Heaven and earth have not passed away yet. So are we still to obey all the laws given in the Old Testament? Absolutely! The only thing that changed at the cross was the remedy for breaking the law, not the law itself. Jesus became the lamb sacrifice, the legal substitute to die for our sins.

Every word of God is pure: he is a shield unto them that put their trust in him. Add thou not unto his words, lest he reprove thee, and thou be found a liar. Proverbs 30:5, 6

We are told not to add to or take away from what God said. Don’t be a spiritual mathematician. If God says something, He means it. If He wants something changed, He will tell us about it. This He did in Daniel 9.

And he (the Messiah) shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate. Daniel 9:27

Here we are told that Jesus, the Messiah, would cause sacrifice and oblation (burnt offerings) to cease.

The book of Hebrews explains more of what was changed at the cross. It speaks of Jesus being a better sacrifice than the animals burned on the Altar; a better priest than Aaron and his descendants; serving in a more perfect sanctuary than any on earth, even the magnificent one that Solomon built; introducing better promises of a heavenly inheritance rather than some earthly real estate. These are the things that were changed. Circumcision was replaced by baptism according to Colossians 2:11, 12. These all had to do with the remedy for breaking the law, not the moral law itself.

But modern day Christians have not only taken away what Jesus said He did not come to change, but they have also added many things that God did not command. Subtracting and adding—spiritual mathematics—can be dangerous business. The Christian world has rejected most of the Torah that God gave through Moses and added many of their own traditions. They say that all that is required of a Christian is obedience to the Ten Commandments. There are some who don’t even think they must do that. Their beliefs give the impression that it doesn’t matter whether one goes about killing, stealing, or worshiping idols. All that matters is that a person has the blood of Jesus covering them. But that blood is not a camouflage to cover evil. Rather, it is a body wash to cleanse the inward man from sin and the love of iniquity. Many religions have subtracted from God’s Holy Laws and added their own traditions and fables.

If we want to know what has been taken out in contradiction to Jesus’ words, just read the Torah; it’s right there for any to read who want to know what God requires of them. It includes laws about relationships, laws about employers and employees, about land management, the tithing system, laws against homosexuality and bestiality, health laws, dress code, education of our children, God’s festivals and much more! Are you taking God’s Word as He gave it or are you guilty of subtraction from His stated requirements? Beware! There are serious consequences for those who manipulate His Word by adding and subtracting!

What has been added? Many things were changed by the Roman Catholic church that are still retained in Christianity. Though we may not be part of that church, remnants of the changes that she made have filtered down to us thorough tradition. Here is a quote from a Catholic Cardinal that explains what was added by Catholicism.

The use of temples, and these dedicated to particular saints, and ornamented on occasions with branches of trees; incense, lamps, and votive offerings on recovery from illness; holy water; asylums; holydays and seasons, use of calendars, processions, blessings on the fields; sacerdotal vestments, the tonsure, the ring in marriage, turning to the East, images at a later date, perhaps the ecclesiastical chant, and the Kyrie Eleison, are all of pagan origin, and sanctified by their adoption into the Church. [John Henry Neuman. Development of Christian Doctrine. London, 1878] (emphasis added)

All these are of pagan origin. Let’s look a little closer at some of these items and see what is really meant by them.

Lamps, Candles, Processions:

Another peculiarity of the Papal worship is the use of lamps and wax-candles. If the Madonna and child are set up in a niche, they must have a lamp to burn before them; if mass is to be celebrated, though in broad procession is to be formed, it cannot be thorough and complete without lighted tapers to grace the goodly show. The use of these lamps and tapers comes from the same source as all the rest of the Papal superstition. That which caused the “Heart,” when it became an emblem of the incarnate Son, to be represented as a heart on fire, required also that burning lamps and lighted candles should form part of the worship of that Son; for so, according to the established rites of Zoroaster, was the sun-god worshipped. [Alexander Hislop. The Two Babylons. p. 191] (emphasis added)

Temples and Asylums:

How did the bishops, who were originally appointed for purely spiritual objects, contrive to grasp at such a large amount of temporal authority? From Gibbon we get light as to the real origin of what Guizot calls this “prodigious power.” The author of the Decline and Fall shows, that soon after Constantine’s time, “the Church” [and consequently the bishops, especially when they assumed to be a separate order from the other clergy] gained great temporal power through the right of asylum, which had belonged to the Pagan temples, being transferred by the Emperors to the Christian churches. His words are: “The fugitive, and even the guilty, were permitted to implore either the justice or mercy of the Deity and His ministers.” Thus was the foundation laid of the invasion of the rights of the civil magistrate by ecclesiastics, and thus were they encouraged to grasp at all the powers of the State. Thus, also, as is justly observed by the authoress of Rome in the 19^th Century, speaking of the right of asylum, were “the altars perverted into protection towards the very crimes they were raised to banish from the world.” This is a very striking thing, as showing how the temporal power of the Papacy, in its very first beginnings, was founded on “lawlessness,” and is an additional proof to the many that might be alleged, that the Head of the Roman system, to whom all bishops are subject, is indeed o anomos, “The Lawless One” (2 Thess. ii. 8), predicted in Scripture as the recognised Head of the “Mystery of Iniquity.” [Ibid., p. 260] (emphasis added)

Holy Water:

We have evidence that the purifying virtue of the waters, which in Pagan esteem had such efficacy in cleansing from guilt and regenerating the soul, was derived in part from the passing of the Mediatorial god, the sun-god and god of fire, through these waters during his humiliation and sojourn in the midst of them; and that the Papacy at this day retains the very custom which had sprung up from that persuasion. [Ibid., p. 142] (emphasis added)

Wedding Ring:

The wedding ring comes from paganism. It cannot be found in the Old or New Testaments. There was no practice among early Christians to wear finger rings as a sign of marriage or an engagement. Pope Gregory 1, in 860 AD decreed that as a required statement of nuptial intent, the groom to be had to give his intended an engagement ring. He further decreed the ring be of gold to signify financial sacrifice. The first diamond engagement ring is the one given by King Maximillian in 1477 to Mary of Burgundy. Wedding rings can be traced to idols and heathen religions. It is not just the image of the idol we are commanded not to possess, but rather any part of the idol itself. Thus, to make ones self after the image of the idol is to practice idolatry. All images of false gods and goddesses show the use of earrings, finger rings, bracelets, nose rings, and other jewelry. Where do we find this same practice associated with the God of the Bible? Did Jesus wear jewelry? Did the Apostles and early Christians? The answer is no!

The wedding ring originated in Babylon, the cradle of civilization. The most ancient ring discovered there is in the shape of the eternal serpent. The image of the serpent biting its tail to form the circle of the ring is an ancient satanic symbol. The same symbol is used by the Theosophy Cult. Satan as the serpent, that great dragon of Revelation 12, has by this symbol joined a man and a woman under his cult. [http://www.jesus-messiah.com/html/wedding_rings.html] (emphasis added)

Turning to the East:

…when the Inca, and his court, followed by the whole population of Cuzco, assembled at early dawn in the great square to greet the rising of the sun. “Eagerly,” says Prescott, “they watched the coming of the deity, and no sooner did his first yellow rays strike the turrets and loftiest buildings of the capital, than a shout of gratulation broke forth from the assembled multitude, accompanied by songs of triumph, and the wild melody of barbaric instruments, that swelled louder and louder as his bright orb, rising above the mountain range towards the east, shone in full splendour on his votaries.” Could this alternate mourning and rejoicing, at the very time when the Babylonians mourned and rejoiced over Tammuz, be accidental? As Tammuz was the Sun-divinity incarnate, it is easy to see how such mourning and rejoicing should be connected with the worship of the sun. [The Two Babylons, p. 117] (emphasis added)

Benjamin of Tudela, the great Jewish traveller, gives a striking account of sun-worship even in comparatively modern times, as subsisting among the Cushites of the East, from which we find that the image of the sun was, even in his day, worshipped on the altar. “There is a temple,” says he, “of the posterity of Chus, addicted to the contemplation of the stars. They worship the sun as a god, and the whole country, for half-a-mile round their town, is filled with great altars dedicated to him. By the dawn of morn they get up and run out of town, to wait the rising sun, to whom, on every altar, there is a consecrated image, not in the likeness of a man, but of the solar orb, framed by magic art. [Ibid., p. 162] (emphasis added)

Where do Easter sunrise services come from? Paganism. The worship of the sun.

Holy Days and Seasons:

Ques. What are the days which the church commands to be kept holy?

Ans. The Sunday, or our Lord’s day, which we observe by apostolic tradition, instead of the Sabbath. The feasts of our Lord’s Nativity, or Christmas day; his circumcision, or New Year’s day; the Epiphany, or twelfth day; Easterday, or the day of our Lord’s resurrection, with the Monday following; the day of our Lord’s ascension; Whit-Sunday, or the day of the coming of the Holy Ghost, with the Monday following; Trinity Sunday; Corpus Christi, or the feasts of the blessed sacrament. We keep the days of the Annunciation, and Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary. We observe the feasts of All-saints; of St. John Baptist; of the holy apostles, St. Peter and St. Paul. In this kingdom we keep the feasts of St. Patrick, our principal patron.” [Richard Challoner, The Catholic Christian Instructed, p. 209]

Notice whose authority is accepted when we keep these pagan holidays as “Christian.” Roman Catholic Church authority. Please note that this is in contrast to God’s authority and His holy days—the Biblical feasts. Let’s look at the papal and pagan origin of some of these “holy days”.

A New Calendar and Easter Observances:

About the end of the sixth century, the first decisive attempt was made to enforce the observance of the new calendar. It was in Britain that the first attempt was made in this way; and here the attempt met with vigorous resistance. The difference, in point of time, betwixt the Christian Pasch, as observed in Britain by the native Christians, and the Pagan Easter enforced by Rome, at the time of its enforcement, was a whole month; and it was only by violence and bloodshed, at last, that the Festival of the Anglo-Saxon or Chaldean goddess came to supersede that which had been held in honour of Christ. [The Two Babylons, p. 103] (emphasis added)

Such is the history of Easter. The popular observances that still attend the period of its celebration amply confirm the testimony of history as to its Babylonian character. The hot cross buns of Good Friday, and the dyed eggs of Pasch or Easter Sunday, figured in the Chaldean rites just as they do now. The “buns,” known too by that identical name, were used in the worship of the queen of heaven, the goddess Easter, as early as the days of Cecrops, the founder of Athens — that is, 1500 years before the Christian era… The origin of the Pasch eggs is just as clear. The ancient Druids bore an egg, as the sacred emblem of their order. In this Dionysiaca, or mysteries of Bacchus, as celebrated in Athens, one part of the nocturnal ceremony consisted in the consecration of an egg…The classic poets are full of the fable of the mystic egg of the Babylonians; [Ibid., p. 107] (emphasis added)

Christmas:

The festivals of Rome are innumerable; but five of the most important may be singled out for elucidation – viz., Christmas-day, Lady-day, Easter, the Nativity of St. John, and the Feast of the Assumption. Each and all of these can be proved to be Babylonian. [Ibid., p. 91] (emphasis added)

How, then, did the Romish Church fix on December the 25th as Christmas-day? Why, thus: Long before the fourth century, and long before the Christian era itself, a festival was celebrated among the heathen, at that precise time of the year, in honour of the birth of the son of the Babylonian queen of heaven; and it may fairly be presumed that, in order to conciliate the heathen, and to swell the number of the nominal adherents of Christianity, the same festival was adopted by the Roman Church, giving it only the name of Christ. This tendency on the part of Christians to meet Paganism half-way was very early developed; and we find Tertullian, even in his day, about the year 230, bitterly lamenting the inconsistency of the disciples of Christ in this respect, and contrasting it with the strict fidelity of the Pagans to their own superstition. “By us,” says he, “who are strangers to Sabbaths, and new moons, and festivals, once acceptable to God, the Saturnalia, the feasts of January, the Brumalia, and Matronalia, are now frequented; gifts are carried to and fro, new year’s day presents are made with din, and sports and banquets are celebrated with uproar; oh, how much more faithful are the heathen to their religion, who take special care to adopt no solemnity from the Christians.” . . . That Christmas was originally a Pagan festival, is beyond all doubt. The time of the year, and the ceremonies with which it is still celebrated, prove its origin. In Egypt, the son of Isis, the Egyptian title for the queen of heaven, was born at this very time, “about the time of the winter solstice.” The very name by which Christmas is popularly known among ourselves — Yule-day — proves at once its Pagan and Babylonian origin. “Yule” is the Chaldee name for an “infant” or “little child,” and as the 25th of December was called by our Pagan Anglo-Saxon ancestors, “Yule-day,” or the “Child’s day,” and the night that preceded it, “Mother-night,” long before they came in contact with Christianity, that sufficiently proves its real character. far and wide, in the realms of Paganism, was this birth-day observed. [Ibid., p. 93] (emphasis added)

The Christmas Tree:

It was no mere astronomic festival, then, that the Pagans celebrated at the winter solstice (Christmas). That festival at Rome was called the feast of Saturn, and the mode in which it was celebrated there, showed whence it had been derived. The feast, as regulated by Caligula, lasted five days; loose reins were given to drunkenness and revelry, slaves had a temporary emancipation, and used all manner of freedoms with their masters. This was precisely the way in which, according to Berosus, the drunken festival of the month Thebeth, answering to our December, in other words, the festival of Bacchus, was celebrated in Babylon… The Christmas tree, now so common among us, was equally common in Pagan Rome and Pagan Egypt. In Egypt that tree was the palm-tree; in Rome it was the fir; the palm-tree denoting the Pagan Messiah, as Baal-Tamar, the fir referring to him as Baal-Berith. The mother of Adonis, the Sun-God and great mediatorial divinity, was mystically said to have been changed into a tree, and when in that state to have brought forth her divine son. If the mother was a tree, the son must have been recognised as the “Man the branch.” And this entirely accounts for the putting of the Yule Log into the fire on Christmas-eve, and the appearance of the Christmas-tree the next morning. As Zero-Ashta, “The seed of the woman,” which name also signified Ignigena, or “born of the fire,” he has to enter the fire on “Mothernight,’ that he may be born the next day out of it, as the “Branch of God,” or the Tree that brings all divine gifts to men. But why, it may be asked, does he enter the fire under the symbol of a Log? To understand this, it must be remembered that the divine child born at the winter solstice was born as a new incarnation of the great god (after that god had been cut in pieces), on purpose to revenge his death upon his murderers. Now the great god, cut off in the midst of his power and glory, was symbolised as a huge tree, stripped of all its branches, and cut-down almost to the ground. But the great serpent, the symbol of the life restoring AESCULAPIUS, twists itself around the dead stock and lo, at its side up sprouts a young tree — a tree of an entirely different kind, that is destined never to be cut down by hostile power — even the palm-tree, the well-known symbol of victory. The Christmas-tree, as has been stated, was generally at Rome a different tree, even the fir; but the very same idea as was implied in the palm-tree was implied in the Christmas-fir; for that covertly symbolised the new-born god as Baal-berith, “Lord of the Covenant,” and thus shadowed forth the perpetuity and everlasting nature of his power, now that after having fallen before his enemies, he had risen triumphant over them all. Therefore, the 25th of December, the day that was observed at Rome as the day when the victorious god reappeared on earth, was held at the Natalis invicti solis, “The birth-day of the unconquered Sun.” Now the Yule Log is the dead stock of Nimrod, deified as the sun-god, but cut down by his enemies; the Christmas-tree is Nimrod redivivus — the slain god come to life again. [Ibid., pp. 96-98]

King Solomon was known for his wisdom but he had some serious blots on his record.

2 Kings 23:13, 14 (1 Kings 11:4-8). Memorials of Apostasy.– Goodness alone is true greatness. Everyone will transmit a heritage of good or of evil. On the southern eminence of the Mount of Olives were the memorial stones of Solomon’s apostasy. Huge idols, unshapely blocks of wood and stone, appeared above the groves of myrtle and olive. Josiah, the youthful reformer, in his religious zeal destroyed these images of Ashtoreth and Chemosh and Moloch, but the broken fragments and masses of ruins remained opposite Mount Moriah, where stood the temple of God. As strangers in after generations asked, “What mean these ruins confronting the temple of the Lord?” they were answered, “There is Solomon’s Mount of Offense, where he built altars for idol worship to please his heathen wives” [SDA Bible Commentary, Vol. 2, p. 1039] (emphasis added)

More than three centuries later, Josiah, the youthful reformer, in his religious zeal demolished these buildings and all the images of Ashtoreth and Chemosh and Moloch. Many of the broken fragments rolled down the channel of the Kedron, but great masses of ruins remained. Even as late as the days of Christ, the ruins on the “Mount of Offense,” as the place was called by many of the truehearted of Israel, might still be seen. Could Solomon, when rearing these idolatrous shrines, have looked into the future, how he would have started back in horror to think of the sad testimony they would bear to the Messiah! [Review and Herald, February 15, 1906] (emphasis added)

We too can have a Mount of Offense to God. Many Christians worship at the shrine of Ashtoreth today in their celebration of Easter. They bow at the shrine of Baal in their observance of Christmas? What does true biblical Christianity have to do with these holidays? We can try to “Christianize” them but they are still just a variation of pagan worship! The Israelites made the golden calf and called it “the God that brought you out of Egypt” but God did not accept their worship. He told Moses to go down from the mountain because the people had corrupted themselves.

For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book: And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book. Revelation 22:18, 19

It is time to quit playing mathematical games and start following true worship standards given in the word of God. Don’t add to or subtract from what God has said. God does not accept it!

March 2, 2018March 2, 2018

The Fatal Deception

And I saw one of his heads as it were wounded to death; and his deadly wound was healed: and all the world wondered after the beast. And they worshipped the dragon which gave power unto the beast: and they worshipped the beast, saying, Who is like unto the beast? who is able to make war with him? Revelation 13:3-4

And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads: And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name. Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number is Six hundred threescore and six. Revelation 13:16-18

Who is this beast of Revelation that all the world wonders after in the final days of this earth’s history? Who is this man who is responsible for this mark and has the number 666 that requires people to obey and worship him? If you have listened even a little bit to the news, you can’t help but know the answer. There is only one person in our world today who that fits this description. Newspapers and news networks are continually featuring him. The whole world has their eyes on him—the papacy, the “Holy Father.” He is being called the savior of the world, the religious leader of the world. And he intends to be Lord of the earth.

A dear Christian sister from Sri Lanka called me saying,“Oh, you can’t believe what I am seeing, here in this Buddhist country! The pope (Francis) has come to visit and they have flocked to him in huge numbers, the streets are full, and they fall at his feet and they worship him, like he was a god. Buddhists worshiping the pope! Can you imagine that?”

“He seems so humble and nice.” “He is the people’s pope.” But does he teach the truth as it is in scripture? Remember, nice is not the same as Christian. Hitler also seemed nice, at first. He spoke words of hope to economically-depressed Germany. He sounded so good, at first. He promised to make Germany great, to solve their financial problems, and to eventually bring peace in the world with Germany as the leader. He even sounded good to the German people part-way through the war. Sounding good and looking good is no guarantee of real goodness.

The ultimate question is, Should we follow this man? Is the pope really Christian? Or is he the antichrist we are warned about in scripture as the last great deception of Satan? He certainly fits the part of all the world wondering after him and worshiping him. Let’s compare what he says with what the Bible says and see if they match. Then we can make an intelligent decision as to who he is.

The pope on fundamentalism: Following his first visit to the Middle East as pope last month, the pontiff criticized fundamentalism in Christianity, Islam and Judaism as a form of violence. “A fundamentalist group, even if it kills no one, even if it strikes no one, is violent. The mental structure of fundamentalism is violence in the name of God.” [www.israelnationalnews.com, June 13, 2014]

What is a fundamentalist? According to Merriam-Webster: A movement . . . emphasizing the literally-interpreted Bible as fundamental to Christian life and teaching.

So, if you are truly a Bible-believing Christian, you are a fundamentalist, and a terrorist according to the pope. Does that sound like a Christian teaching to you? If the Bible is not the basis of your religion, of what religion are you?

Jesus: He that rejecteth me, and receiveth not my words, hath one that judgeth him: the word that I have spoken, the same shall judge him in the last day. For I have not spoken of myself; but the Father which sent me, he gave me a commandment, what I should say, and what I should speak. John 12:48, 49

He that believeth on the Son of God hath the witness in himself: he that believeth not God hath made him a liar; because he believeth not the record that God gave of his Son. And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life. 1 John 5:10-12

The pope says, “If you are a Bible-believing Christian you are a terrorist.” Jesus says, “If you don’t believe my word, your not a Christian.”

Whom shall we believe and follow?

The pope on evolution: Pope Francis Says Evolution Is Not Inconsistent With God, Backs Scientific Advancements” [www.christianpost.com, October 28, 2014]

“Pope Francis Says Evolution is Real and God is No Wizard”

The pontiff appeared to endorse the theory of the Big Bang and told the gathering at the Vatican that there was no contradiction between believing in God as well as the prevailing scientific theories regarding the expansion of our universe.

When we read about creation in Genesis, we run the risk of imagining God was a magician, with a magic wand able to do everything. But that is not so,” Francis said. [The Washington Post, October 28, 2014]

The evolutionary theory, as scientists preach it, scoffs at the idea that the world was created by the word of God. But the pope wants to blend evolution and biblical creation.

God’s word: In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. Genesis 1:1

For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it. Exodus 20:11

By the word of the LORD were the heavens made; and all the host of them by the breath of his mouth. . . . For he spake, and it was done; he commanded, and it stood fast. Psalm 33:6, 9

Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts, And saying, Where is the promise of his coming? for since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation. For this they willingly are ignorant of, that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of the water and in the water: 2 Peter 3:3-5

The Bible teaches that death is the result of sin and that it was man’s sin that brought death. Evolution teaches that the life/death cycle has been in operation for eons with no reference to the sin factor.

God’s Word: Therefore, as through one man sin entered into the world, and death through sin; and so death passed unto all men, for that all sinned: Romans 5:12

For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead. 1 Corinthians 15:21

There is no way that the theory of evolution is consistent with what the Word of God says. But then the pope also said that to believe the word of God as it reads (Christian fundamentalism) is terrorism!

God’s Word: To the law and to the testimony: if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them. Isaiah 8:20

The Pope on Mary: “May Mary, Cause of our Joy, who brings peace amid the profusion of sin and the turmoil of history, obtain for us the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, and enable us to be good and faithful servants.

“Through her intercession, may the fullness of time come about also for us. The transition from before to after Christ means little if it remains a date in the annals of history. May each one of us be able to make an interior passage, a Passover of the heart, towards the divine “style” incarnated by Mary. May we do everything in littleness, and accompany others at close hand, with a simple and open heart.” [www.aleteia.org, July 28, 2016]

The papacy teaches that Mary is our intercessor and salvation is only through the Roman Catholic church.

Jesus: Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me. John 14:6

Be it known unto you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom ye crucified, whom God raised from the dead, even by him doth this man stand here before you whole . . . Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved. Acts 4:10, 12

The pope on law-keeping: “How the rigid suffer! When they are honest and realize this, they suffer! Because they do not have the freedom of the children of God; they do not know how to walk in the path of God’s Law and they are not happy. And they suffer so much! They appear good because they follow the Law; but they are concealing something else: either they are hypocritical or they are sick. And they suffer! [www.romereports.com, October 24, 2016]

He is saying that those who follow God’s Law implicitly are rigid and hypocritical or sick.

God’s word: He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. But whoso keepeth his word, in him verily is the love of God perfected: hereby know we that we are in him. 1 John 2:4, 5

The pope on evangelism: “Proselytism is a great sin against ecumenism.” [www.romereports.com October 3, 2016]

The ecumenical movement is for the purpose of uniting all into one world church. The pope is criticizing evangelistic efforts that win converts from other churches.

Jesus: Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen. Matthew 28:19, 20

The pope on Sunday: “On Sunday, our participation in the Eucharist has special importance. Sunday, like the Jewish Sabbath, is meant to be a day which heals our relationship with God . . . And so the day of rest (Sunday), centered on the Eucharist, sheds its light on the whole week, and motivates us to greater concern for nature and the poor.” [Pope Francis’ encyclical, Laudato Si’]

God’s word: But the seventh day is the sabbath of the LORD thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, nor thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thine ox, nor thine ass, nor any of thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates; that thy manservant and thy maidservant may rest as well as thou. Deuteronomy 5:14

Jesus: Therefore the Son of man is Lord also of the sabbath. Mark 2:28

Jesus was referring to Sabbath, the seventh day, as His day, not Sunday, the first day.

The pope’s title:

Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number is six hundred threescore and six. Revelation 13:18

Vicarius Filii Dei is the Latin title for the Pope. It means Vicar of the Son of God. A vicar is a substitute. According to this title, the pope claims to be a substitute for Jesus. Can we accept that?

Here is the title with its numerical value in Roman numerals:

V I C A R I U S F I L I I D E I

5 1 100 0 0 1 5 0 0 1 50 1 1 500 0 1 = 666

The pope’s title identifies him as the beast of Revelation 13. And, as we have seen in these news clips, he is leading away from pure Bible truth. Should we be calling him a Christian and admiring him as most of the world is doing now?

There is much more that could be said, but the point is already clear. Are you seeing the picture? The pope’s beliefs and teachings are not the same as the Bible. Shall we follow this man as so much of the world is doing? Or is he the very man that we are warned about in scripture? The decision is yours. Who will you choose? I pray that you will not join in this fatal deception!

And the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand, The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb: And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever: and they have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name. Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus. Revelation 14:9-12

February 27, 2017February 27, 2017

Perfection: a study to help clarify the issue

There is much discussion on the subject of perfection: Are we supposed to be perfect? What does “perfect” mean? Is it possible to be perfect? When will this “miracle” happen? We offer the following study to help clarify some of these issues. It presents Bible verses along with quotes from Ellen G. White’s writings. We pray that you are blessed and enlightened.

Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect. Matthew 5:48 KJV

Ye shall therefore be perfect, as your Father who is in the heavens is perfect. Matthew 5:48 YLT

How holy or righteous are we at birth?

Who can bring a clean thing out of an unclean? not one. Job 14:4

Behold, I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me. Psalm 51:5

As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one: Romans 3:10

Now we know that what things soever the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law: that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God. Romans 3:19

Adam was created a pure, sinless being, without a taint of sin upon him; he was in the image of God. He could fall, and he did fall through transgressing. Because of sin his posterity was born with inherent propensities of disobedience. SDA Bible Commentary, Vol. 5, 1128

It was possible for Adam, before the fall, to form a righteous character by obedience to God’s law. Steps to Christ, 62

Even Adam was not totally “perfect”; he was “to form a righteous character.”

How many have yielded to their natural propensities to wrong?

For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; Romans 3:23

How perfect, or holy, must we be if we are to be saved in God’s kingdom?

Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord: Hebrews 12:14

He who enters heaven must have a character that is without spot or wrinkle or any such thing. Naught that defileth can ever enter there. In all the redeemed host not one defect will be seen. Messages to Young People, 144

After Christ forgives our sins and covers us with His robe of righteousness, how perfect or holy are we in God’s sight?

But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness. Even as David also describeth the blessedness of the man, unto whom God imputeth righteousness without works, Saying, Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven, and whose sins are covered. Romans 4:5-7

Through the righteousness of Christ we shall stand before God pardoned, and as though we had never sinned. SDA Bible Commentary, Vol. 5, 1142

Through the efficacy of Christ’s sacrifice, we may stand before God pure and spotless, our sins atoned for and pardoned. . . . The redeemed sinner, clothed in the robes of Christ’s righteousness, may stand in the presence of a sin-hating God, made perfect by the merits of the Saviour. Signs of the Times, 3/15/05

Jesus continues: . . . I will be your representative in heaven. The father beholds not your faulty character, but He sees you as clothed in My perfection. The Desire of Ages, 357

Even though, in one sense, we may be considered perfect at conversion, what is the next part of God’s plan for us?

For this is the will of God, even your sanctification. 1 Thessalonians 4:3

To restore in man the image of his Maker, to bring him back to the perfection in which he was created, to promote the development of body, mind, and soul, that the divine purpose in his creation might be realized–this was to be the work of redemption. This is the object of education, the great object of life. Education, 15

God’s ideal for His children is higher than the highest human thought can reach. “Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.” This command is a promise. The plan of redemption contemplates our complete recovery from the power of Satan. Christ always separates the contrite soul from sin. The Desire of Ages, 311

When souls are converted, their salvation is not yet accomplished. They then have the race to run. An arduous struggle is before them, to do what?–To “fight the good fight of faith,” . . . The battle is lifelong, and must be carried forward with determination and energy proportionate to the value of the object to be attained, which is eternal life. Review and Herald, 8/25/91

The work of sanctification must go on, not by impulse, but by steady, healthful advances, progressing toward perfection. Review and Herald, 3/5/95

The righteousness by which we are justified is imputed; the righteousness by which we are sanctified is imparted. The first is our title to heaven, the second is our fitness for heaven. Review and Herald, 6/4/95

During our experience as a Christian, does the Lord regard us as perfect or imperfect–or both?

Perfect–

At every stage of development our life may be perfect; yet if God’s purpose for us is fulfilled, there will be continual advancement. Sanctification is the work of a lifetime. Christ’s Object Lessons, 65

These are the generations of Noah: Noah was a just man and perfect in his generations, and Noah walked with God. Genesis 6:9

And said, Remember now, O LORD, I beseech thee, how I have walked before thee in truth and with a perfect heart, and have done that which is good in thy sight. And Hezekiah wept sore. Isaiah 38:3

But the high places were not removed: nevertheless Asa’s heart was perfect with the LORD all his days. 1 Kings 15:14

Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect: but I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus. Philippians 3:12

Let us therefore, as many as be perfect, be thus minded: and if in any thing ye be otherwise minded, God shall reveal even this unto you. Philippians 3:15

The apostle himself was endeavoring to reach the same standard of holiness which he set before his brethren. The Sanctified Life, 86

Not even by a thought could our Saviour be brought to yield to the power of temptation. . . . This is the condition in which those must be found who shall stand in the time of trouble. The Great Controversy, 623

Are we seeking for his fullness, ever pressing toward the mark set before us,–the perfection of his character? When the Lord’s people reach this mark, they will be sealed in their foreheads. Filled with the Spirit, they will be complete in Christ, and the recording angel will declare, “It is finished.” Review and Herald, 06-10-02

Imperfect–

We are not yet perfect; but it is our privilege to cut away from the entanglements of self and sin, and advance to perfection. Great possibilities, high and holy attainments, are placed within the reach of all. The Acts of the Apostles, 565

Even the most perfect Christian may increase continually in the knowledge and love of God. Testimonies for the Church, Vol. 1, 339

By growing daily in the divine life, he will not attain to the full stature of a perfect man in Christ until his probation ceases. The growing is a continuous work. Testimonies for the Church, Vol. 4, 366

We cannot say, “I am sinless,” till this vile body is changed and fashioned like unto His glorious body. But if we constantly seek to follow Jesus, the blessed hope is ours of standing before the throne of God without spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; complete in Christ, robed in his righteousness and perfection. Signs of the Times, 03-23-88

So long as Satan reigns, we shall have self to subdue, besetting sins to overcome; so long as life shall last, there will be no stopping place, no point which we can reach and say, I have fully attained. Sanctification is the result of lifelong obedience. The Acts of the Apostles, 560

The Christian life is constantly an onward march. Jesus sits as a refiner and purifier of His people; and when His image is perfectly reflected in them, they are perfect and holy, and prepared for translation. A great work is required of the Christian. We are exhorted to cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God. Here we see where the great labor rests. There is a constant work for the Christian. Every branch in the parent vine must derive life and strength from that vine, in order to yield fruit. Testimonies for the Church, Vol. 1, 340

To those who have tried so hard to obtain by faith so-called holy flesh, I would say, You can not obtain it. Not a soul of you has holy flesh now. No human being on the earth has holy flesh. It is an impossibility. . . . And while we can not claim perfection of the flesh, we may have Christian perfection of the soul. Through the sacrifice made in our behalf, sins may be perfectly forgiven. . . . Thank God that we are not dealing with impossibilities. We may claim sanctification. General Conference Bulletin 04-23-01

We may create an unreal world in our own mind or picture an ideal church, where the temptations of Satan no longer prompt to evil; but perfection exists only in our imagination. Review and Herald, 08-08-93

Everything human is imperfect. Selected Messages, Book 1, 20

For us to cast off the erring, to treat them coldly, would not be doing as Christ has done for us. We are fallible. We need one another’s pity and consideration and forgiveness. We can not find perfection anywhere, and should not expect it. We must patiently bear with the perversity of men, and try to teach them. Letter B-16-1885

When Jesus said, “Be ye therefore perfect,” what did He mean?

Christ presents before us the highest perfection of Christian character which throughout our lifetime we should aim to reach. ‘Be ye therefore perfect,’ He says, ‘even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.’ Concerning this perfection, Paul writes: ‘Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect, but I follow after. . . .’ MS 148, 1902

The apostle himself was endeavoring to reach the same standard of holiness which he set before his brethren. The Sanctified Life, 86

With our limited powers we are to be as holy in our sphere as God is holy in his sphere. To the extent of our ability we are to make manifest the truth and love and excellence of the divine character, and for this reason we must draw from the living fountain. As the wax takes the impression of the seal, so the soul is to take the impression of the Spirit of God, and retain the moral image of Christ. We are to become partakers of the divine nature, realizing in our experience the vigor and perfection of spiritual life. Review and Herald, 11-01-92

Our work is to strive to attain in our sphere of action the perfection that Christ in His life on the earth attained in every phase of character. He is our example. Medical Ministry, 253

He is our pattern. . . . We cannot equal the pattern; but we shall not be approved of God if we do not copy it and, according to the ability which God has given, resemble it. Testimonies for the Church, Vol. 2, 549

Is this objective–perfection in our sphere of action–an unattainable ideal or a goal which can actually be reached?

Every one who by faith obeys God’s commandments, will reach the condition of sinlessness in which Adam lived before his transgression. Signs of the Times, 07-23-02

This example is given us that we may know the heights we may reach in and through Christ. The standard He presents is perfection, and through His merits we may attain to this. We come short because we are content to look at earthly things rather than at heavenly. Signs of the Times, 04-25-00

Jesus revealed no qualities, and exercised no powers, that men may not have through faith in Him. His perfect humanity is that which all His followers may possess, if they will be in subjection to God as He was. The Desire of Ages, 664

He has made it possible for them to perfect Christian character through His name and to overcome on their own account as He overcame in their behalf. He has given them an example in His own life, showing them how they may overcome. “The wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” Testimonies for the Church, Vol. 3, 365

God calls upon us to reach the standard of perfection and places before us the example of Christ’s character. In His humanity, perfected by a life of constant resistance of evil, the Saviour showed that through co-operation with Divinity, human beings may in this life attain to perfection of character. This is God’s assurance to us that we, too, may obtain complete victory. The Acts of the Apostles, 531

Does the Lord intend that, by His grace, we shall live a life here and now which is free from sin?

Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy, Jude 1:24

I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me. Philippians 4:13

The Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptations, and to reserve the unjust unto the day of judgment to be punished: 2 Peter 2:9

There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it. 1 Corinthians 10:13

Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ; 2 Corinthians 10:5

“To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with Me in My throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with My Father in His throne.” We can overcome. Yes; fully, entirely. Jesus died to make a way of escape for us, that we might overcome every evil temper, every sin, every temptation, and sit down at last with Him. Testimonies for the Church, Vol. 1, 144

Christ died to make it possible for you to cease from sin. Review and Herald, 8-28-94

If you will stand under the bloodstained banner of Prince Emmanuel, faithfully doing His service, you need never yield to temptation; for One stands by your side who is able to keep you from falling. Maranatha, 225

There is no excuse for sinning. A holy temper, a Christlike life, is accessible to every repenting, believing child of God. The Desire of Ages, 311

His life testifies that it is possible for us also to obey the law of God. The Desire of Ages, 24

Through defects in the character, Satan works to gain control of the whole mind, and he knows that if these defects are cherished, he will succeed. Therefore he is constantly seeking to deceive the followers of Christ with his fatal sophistry that it is impossible for them to overcome. . . . Let none, then, regard their defects as incurable. God will give faith and grace to overcome them. The Great Controversy, 489

Christ came to make us partakers of the divine nature, and His life declares that humanity, combined with divinity, does not commit sin. The Ministry of Healing, 180

By living a sinless life He testified that every son and daughter of Adam can resist the temptations of the one who first brought sin into the world. Selected Messages, Book 1, 226

The strongest temptation is no excuse for sin. However great the pressure brought to bear upon the soul, transgression is our own act. It is not in the power of earth or hell to compel any one to sin. The will must consent, the heart must yield, or passion cannot overbear reason, nor iniquity triumph over righteousness. Signs of the Times, 10-04-83

Not even by a thought did He yield to temptation. So it may be with us. The Desire of Ages, 123

Does this mean that every sinful propensity within us can be subdued?

All true obedience comes from the heart. It was heart work with Christ. And if we consent, He will so identify Himself with our thoughts and aims, so blend our hearts and minds into conformity to His will, that when obeying Him we shall be but carrying out our own impulses. The Desire of Ages, 668

Christ came to this world and lived the law of God, that man might have perfect mastery over the natural inclinations which corrupt the soul. . . . Man may stand conqueror of himself, conqueror of his own inclinations, conqueror of principalities and powers, and of “the rulers of the darkness of this world,” and of “spiritual wickedness in high places.” Ephesians 6:12. The Ministry of Healing, 130, 131

We must learn of Christ. We must know what He is to those He has ransomed. We must realize that through belief in Him it is our privilege to be partakers of the divine nature, and so escape the corruption that is in the world through lust. Then we are cleansed from all sin, all defects of character. We need not retain one sinful propensity. Review and Herald, 04-24-00

To be pardoned in the way that Christ pardons, is not only to be forgiven, but to be renewed in the spirit of our mind. The Lord says, “A new heart will I give unto thee.” The image of Christ is to be stamped upon the very mind, heart, and soul. The apostle says, “And we have the mind of Christ.” Without the transforming process which can come alone through divine power, the original propensities to sin are left in the heart in all their strength, to forge new chains, to impose a slavery that can never be broken by human power. Review and Herald, 08-19-90

The propensities that control the natural heart must be subdued by the grace of Christ, before fallen man is fitted to enter heaven. The Acts of the Apostles, 273

Is the Christian who does “not retain one sinful propensity” delivered from the daily struggle with these propensities?

Paul’s sanctification was a constant conflict with self. Said he, “I die daily.” 1 Cor. 15:31. His will and his desires every day conflicted with duty and the will of God. Instead of following inclination, he did the will of God, however unpleasant and crucifying to his nature. Life Sketches, 237

Do not some people have more to overcome than others, due to hereditary and environmental factors?

While some are continually harassed, afflicted, and in trouble because of their unhappy traits of character, having to war with internal foes and the corruption of their nature, others have not half so much to battle against. Testimonies for the Church, Vol. 2, 74, 75

Does the Lord allow for these individual differences amongst us? Does He expect all of His children to have an identical Christian experience?

Lead the people to look to Jesus as their only hope and helper; leave the Lord room to work upon the mind, to speak to the soul, and to impress the understanding. It is not essential for you to know and tell others all the whys and wherefores as to what constitutes the new heart, or as to the position they can and must reach so as never to sin. You have no such work to do. All are not constituted alike. Conversions are not all alike. Selected Messages, Book 1, 177

Can those with the strongest temptations also achieve complete victory over sin?

Let no one say, I cannot remedy my defects of character. If you come to this decision, you will certainly fail of obtaining everlasting life. The impossibility lies in your own will. If you will not, then you can not overcome. The real difficulty arises from the corruption of an unsanctified heart, and an unwillingness to submit to the control of God. Christ’s Object Lessons, 331

In Christ, God has provided means for subduing every sinful trait, and resisting every temptation, however strong. The Desire of Ages, 429

Do those Christians who are living the closest to Christ realize how saintly they are?

The closer you come to Jesus, the more faulty you will appear in your own eyes; for your vision will be clearer, and your imperfections will be seen in broad and distinct contrast to His perfect nature. This is evidence that Satan’s delusions have lost their power; that the vivifying influence of the Spirit of God is arousing you. Steps to Christ, 64

The more we contemplate the character of Christ, and the more we experience of His saving power, the more keenly shall we realize our own weakness and imperfection, and the more earnestly shall we look to Him as our strength and our Redeemer. The Sanctified Life, 83

The nearer we come to Jesus, and the more clearly we discern the purity of His character, the more clearly shall we see the exceeding sinfulness of sin, and the less shall we feel like exalting ourselves. There will be a continual reaching out of the soul after God, a continual, earnest, heartbreaking confession of sin and humbling of the heart before Him. At every advance step in our Christian experience our repentance will deepen. The Acts of the Apostles, 561

Those who experience the sanctification of the Bible will manifest a spirit of humility. Like Moses, they have had a view of the awful majesty of holiness, and they see their own unworthiness in contrast with the purity and exalted perfection of the Infinite One. The Great Controversy, 470

Those who are really seeking to perfect Christian character will never indulge the thought that they are sinless. The Sanctified Life, 7

The greater the distance between them and their Saviour, the more righteous they appear in their own eyes. The Sanctified Life, 8

No one who claims holiness is really holy. Those who are registered as holy in the books of Heaven are not aware of the fact, and are the last ones to boast of their own goodness. None of the prophets and apostles ever professed holiness, not even Daniel, Paul, or John. The righteous never make such a claim. The more nearly they resemble Christ, the more they lament their unlikeness to him; for their consciences are sensitive, and they regard sin more as God regards it. They have exalted views of God and of the great plan of salvation; and their hearts, humbled under a sense of their own unworthiness, are alive to the honor of being accounted members of the royal family, sons and daughters of the King Eternal. Signs of the Times, 02-26-85

What is Christ’s attitude toward those who commit sin while sincerely trying to be Christians?

The steps of a good man are ordered by the LORD: and he delighteth in his way. Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down: for the LORD upholdeth him with his hand. Psalm 37:23, 24

Do not draw back in despair. We shall often have to bow down and weep at the feet of Jesus because of our shortcomings and mistakes, but we are not to be discouraged. Even if we are overcome by the enemy, we are not cast off, not forsaken and rejected of God. Steps to Christ, 64

Jesus loves His children, even if they err. . . . When they do their best, calling upon God for His help, be assured the service will be accepted, although imperfect. Jesus is perfect. Christ’s righteousness is imputed unto them, and He will say, Take away the filthy garments from him, and clothe him with change of raiment. Jesus makes up for our unavoidable deficiencies. Letter 17a, 1891

When it is in the heart to obey God, when efforts are put forth to this end, Jesus accepts this disposition and effort as man’s best service, and he makes up for the deficiency with his own divine merit. Signs of the Times, 06-16-90

If one who daily communes with God errs from the path, if he turns a moment from looking steadfastly unto Jesus, it is not because he sins wilfully; for when he sees his mistake, he turns again, and fastens his eyes upon Jesus, and the fact that he has erred, does not make him less dear to the heart of God. Review and Herald, 05-12-96

If through manifold temptations we are surprised or deceived into sin, he does not turn from us, and leave us to perish. No, no, that is not like our Saviour. . . . Our faith looks upon him, grasps him as the one who can save to the uttermost, and the fragrance of the all-sufficient offering is accepted of the Father. Review and Herald, 09-01-91

When, through faith in Jesus Christ, man does according to the very best of his ability, and seeks to keep the way of the Lord, by obedience to the ten commandments, the perfection of Christ is imputed to cover the transgression of the repentant and obedient soul. Review and Herald, 08-21-88

What should the Christian’s attitude be when he falls into sin?

If you make failures and are betrayed into sin, do not feel then you cannot pray . . . but seek the Lord more earnestly. Our High Calling, 49

When we are clothed with the righteousness of Christ, we shall have no relish for sin; for Christ will be working with us. We may make mistakes, but we will hate the sin that caused the sufferings of the Son of God. Review and Herald, 03-18-90

Do all in your power to gain perfection; but do not think that because you make mistakes you are excluded from God’s service. Messages to Young People, 226

When Satan tells you that the Lord will not regard you with favor, because you have sinned, say, “Jesus gave His life for me. He suffered a cruel death that He might enable me to resist temptation. I know that He loves me, notwithstanding my imperfection. I rest in His love. God has accepted His perfection in my behalf. He is my righteousness, and I trust in His merits. He takes away my sin-stained garments, and clothes me with the robe of His righteousness. Clothed with this garment, I stand before the Father justified.” Signs of the Times, 08-13-02

Does the Bible tell us of other God-fearing men who also at times were overcome by temptations?

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 by the Holy Ghost, who lifts the veil from the human heart. 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. Testimonies for the Church, Vol. 4, 12

What is the difference between the Christian who sometimes is led into sin and worldling who commits the same sin?

While the followers of Christ have sinned, they have not given themselves to the control of evil. Testimonies for the Church, Vol. 5, 474

“Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual restore such a one in the spirit of meekness, considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted.” Here is a special direction to deal tenderly with those overtaken in a fault. This “overtaken” must have its full significance. It is something different from deliberate sin, to be led into sin unawares, not meaning to sin, but sinning through want of watchfulness and prayer, and not discerning the temptation of Satan, and so falling into his snare. There is a difference to be made in the case of one who plans and deliberately enters into temptation, and marks out an evil course, covering his sin skillfully, that he shall not be detected. Review and Herald, 06-28-87

The character is revealed, not by occasional good deeds and occasional misdeeds, but by the tendency of the habitual words and acts. Steps to Christ, 57, 58

Is there any difference between the professed Christian who is a slave to just one bad habit, and the worldling?

One sinful desire cherished, will eventually neutralize all the power of the gospel. Testimonies for the Church, Vol. 5, 53

One secret sin indulged, will prove to the character what the wormeaten plank does to the ship–utter disaster and ruin. Testimonies for the Church, Vol. 4, 90

One defect, cultivated instead of being overcome, makes the man imperfect, and closes against him the gate of the Holy City. Messages to Young People, 144

Under the power of the perfecting latter rain, to what spiritual state will God’s people–the 144,000–be brought by the close of probation?

And I looked, and, lo, a Lamb stood on the mount Zion, and with him a hundred forty and four thousand, having his Father’s name written in their foreheads. And I heard a voice from heaven, as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of a great thunder: and I heard the voice of harpers harping with their harps: And they sung as it were a new song before the throne, and before the four beasts, and the elders: and no man could learn that song but the hundred and forty and four thousand, which were redeemed from the earth. These are they which were not defiled with women; for they are virgins. These are they which follow the Lamb whithersoever he goeth. These were redeemed from among men, being the firstfruits unto God and to the Lamb. And in their mouth was found no guile: for they are without fault before the throne of God. Revelation 14:1-5

Not even by a thought could our Saviour be brought to yield to the power of temptation. . . . This is the condition in which those must be found who shall stand in the time of trouble. The Great Controversy, 623

Are we striving with all our power to attain to the stature of men and women in Christ? Are we seeking for his fullness, ever pressing toward the mark set before us,–the perfection of his character? When the Lord’s people reach this mark, they will be sealed in their foreheads. Filled with the Spirit, they will be complete in Christ, and the recording angel will declare, “It is finished.” Review and Herald, 06-10-02

Is a long period of years necessarily required for the perfection of Christian character?

As we near the close of this earth’s history, we either rapidly advance in Christian growth, or we rapidly retrograde toward the world. Review and Herald, 12-13-92

What we have been years learning, they will have to learn in a few months. Early Writings, 67

Will the righteous still feel the promptings of sin and be tempted after probation has closed?

So long as Satan reigns, we shall have self to subdue, besetting sins to overcome; so long as life shall last, there will be no stopping place, no point which we can reach and say, I have fully attained. Sanctification is the result of lifelong obedience. The Acts of the Apostles, 560

We may create an unreal world in our own mind or picture an ideal church, where the temptations of Satan no longer prompt to evil; but perfection exists only in our imagination. The world is a fallen world, and the church is a place represented by a field in which grow tares and wheat. They are to grow together until the harvest. It is not our place to uproot the tares, according to human wisdom, lest under the suggestions of Satan the wheat may be rooted up under the supposition that it is tares. The wisdom that is from above will come to him who is meek and lowly in heart, and that wisdom will not lead him to destroy, but to build up the people of God. Review and Herald, 08-08-93

When will all temptation cease?

When human beings receive holy flesh, they will not remain on the earth, but will be taken to heaven. While sin is forgiven in this life, its results are not now wholly removed. It is at his coming that Christ is to “change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body.” Phil. 3:21. General Conference Bulletin 04-23-01

We cannot say I am sinless until this vile body is changed and fashioned like unto His glorious body. Signs of the Times, 3-23-88

I heard shouts of triumph from the angels and from the redeemed saints, which sounded like ten thousand musical instruments, because they were to be no more annoyed and tempted by Satan and because the inhabitants of other worlds were delivered from his presence and his temptations. Early Writings, 290

There are hereditary and cultivated tendencies to evil that must be overcome. Appetite and passion must be brought under the control of the Holy Spirit. There is no end to the warfare this side of eternity. But while there are constant battles to fight, there are also precious victories to gain; and the triumph over self and sin is of more value than the mind can estimate. Counsels to Parents, Teachers, and Students, 20

February 27, 2017February 27, 2017

R.I.P.

He stood alone among the pines, their fragrance enhanced by the recent shower. The birds were singing overhead. The flowers were sharing their colorful blooms. But he didn’t notice. He just stood quietly with his hat in his hands and his head bowed, feeling a terrible emptiness deep inside. He could not see clearly through his misty eyes. But he could still see the fresh mound of earth before him. The weight on his chest told him it was real, she was gone. He would have to go on alone. Life seemed so hard to bear. No more Mary to greet him on his return from his preaching trips. How he would miss her cheery smile and dancing eyes. She had stood by his side through many trials. The last years had been hard, her health had not been good. But she had been uncomplaining and always his encouragement.

Replacing his hat, Stephen slowly turned to go, the ache in his heart was almost more than he could bear. How lonely he felt! Though reluctant to leave her grave, he forced one foot ahead of the other until he reached the trail that pointed him toward home. Slowly his gaze shifted upward; he looked for a long while. There was a break in the clouds of the overcast sky and the sunlight together with the retreating rain created a beautiful rainbow. For the first time since Mary’s death, Stephen felt God’s comforting arms in the sight before his eyes. Yes, somehow, someway, God would help bring the promise of new beginnings into his life. “Thank you, Father,” he breathed.

The old door creaked on its hinges as Stephen entered his home. There was the smell of fresh bread that some kind neighbor had brought. “Oh,” Stephen thought, “I need to try to eat something even though I am really not hungry; but I need to keep my strength up.”

After a small supper, Stephen sat for awhile with his Bible on his lap. Pulling his chair closer to the fireplace he began to read the familiar words of John 11. He read how Jesus’ friend, Lazarus, had died and Jesus told his disciples that Lazarus was asleep. The disciples thought that if he was sleeping, he was getting some rest after his illness and he must be getting better, but Jesus clearly said, “Lazarus is dead.” John 11:14.

Stephen sighed, “My Mary is asleep, just like Lazarus was.” Then came the words that always brought a thrill to his heart, “I am the resurrection, and the life.” Stephen repeated those beautiful words again and again. Jesus was the resurrection for Mary and everyone who had ever died in Jesus! How these words flowed like a protecting shield around his aching heart.

Stephen threw a couple more logs on the fire and turned to retire for the night. Walking to the bedroom, he stopped for one more glance at Mary’s picture on the mantel. Slowly he turned and entered the bedroom. It seemed so cold and empty. Dressing quickly in his night clothes, he crawled into the cool cotton sheets. He felt more weary than he could ever remember feeling before. Sleep would be a welcome relief from the constant emptiness and turmoil within.

Stephen lay there in the dark room and contemplated the sequence of events. Tired though he was, he just could not get to sleep. If only he could put this all out of his mind, maybe rest would come, but that was impossible. Suddenly something at the foot of the bed caught his eye. It was a shaft of light. “Strange,” he thought, “it was overcast when I came home. The clouds must have cleared away and the moon made it’s appearance after all.” Looking toward the window he was amazed at what he didn’t see. There was no light coming in the window. Looking again at the foot of his bed, he saw the light had grown into a shimmering form. He stared as the form took shape. There at the foot of his bed stood his beloved Mary. She had that sweet smile on her face and the dancing look in her eyes.

Stephen’s heart began to beat fast. Could it be?? No! He knew what his Bible said. He had preached on it many times and had read it by his fire side that evening. Mary was asleep in the grave. This was none other than the enemy of souls come to deceive him. Stephen prayed silently for help.

“Get out of here Satan!” he commanded. “In the name of Jesus, leave this room!”

The beautiful features of Mary suddenly changed into an evil-looking, contorted face full of hatred. Then it was gone. Stephen sighed in relief. “Thank you Father,” he said for the second time that day.

This is a true story of one of God’s workers. Stephen lived more than a hundred years ago and he continued to preach Jesus as the resurrection and the life till he himself died at a ripe old age. He also recognized God’s hand in the death of his beloved Mary. She had been sickly and weak. God gave him another companion to cheer his soul who had great physical and spiritual strength in the Lord. Together they traveled all over the world telling others of the wonderful Savior and His soon return. He loved to preach of the time when all who have died in Jesus will be resurrected from the grave to live forever with their Lord.

How did Stephen know his night visitor was not really his beloved Mary? Could Satan fool you if he appeared to you as a deceased loved one? What did Stephen share with many hungering souls around this planet? Let’s take a look at what he taught from his well-worn Bible on the subject of death.

What happens when you die?

Is there life after death?

Do the dead go immediately to heaven?

Do they go anywhere?

Can they come back to communicate with the living?

Do they know what is going on?

Do they know anything at all?

Each of us has an appointment with death, an appointment that looms before us like a brick wall. If only we knew what was beyond! If only we could talk to someone who has been there! There is good news for you. You can! There is One who knows, who has passed through the portals of the tomb, and His Word can be depended upon. Let’s find out what the Bible says about death.

SATAN’S LIE

What did God tell Adam and Eve would happen if they disobeyed?

And the LORD God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it.

And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat:

But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die. Genesis 2:15-17

But the Serpent, Satan, told Eve something different. What did he say?

Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden? And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden: But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die. And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die: For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil. Genesis 3:2-5

What God said and what Satan said were directly contradictory. God said, “If you sin, you will die.” Satan said “If you sin, you will not die.”

Did Satan tell Eve the truth, or a lie?

Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it. John 8:44

Thought Question: Who originated the popular belief that man is immortal and cannot die but goes to heaven or hell when his time on earth is finished?

From the time of Adam and Eve until now Satan has kept right on insisting, “You won’t die. You have an immortal soul.” And people have been believing it and peddling the lie for him ever since.

WHAT ABOUT THE SOUL?

The phrase “immortal soul,” is not found a single time in all Scripture, although the word “soul” is used approximately 1600 times, and “spirit” over a thousand times. Not once in all these 2,600 times is the soul called immortal! The Bible always says man is mortal. (see Job 4:17)

Can a soul die?

The soul that sinneth, it shall die. Ezekiel 18:20

And the second angel poured out his vial upon the sea; and it became as the blood of a dead man: and every living soul died in the sea. Revelation 16:3

The Bible says humans and creatures do not have immortal souls. It is just that simple.

Who only has immortality?

That thou keep this commandment without spot, unrebukeable, until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ: Which in his times he shall shew, who is the blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings, and Lord of lords; Who only hath immortality, dwelling in the light which no man can approach unto; whom no man hath seen, nor can see: to whom be honour and power everlasting. Amen. l Timothy 6:14-16

God is the only one possessing immortality.

WHAT HAPPENS WHEN A PERSON DIES?

Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was: and the spirit shall return unto God who gave it. Ecclesiastes 12:7

What is this spirit that goes back to God?

All the while my breath is in me, and the spirit of God is in my nostrils. Job 27:3

So the spirit that goes back to God is this breath, this spark of life, that God breathed into man’s nostrils at creation. The Greek word for spirit (or breath) is pneuma, meaning “air.” From it we derive such words as pneumonia and pneumatic tires.

What happens to the believer who dies in Christ? If his breath goes back to God, does he go, too? Is he in heaven singing and praising God?

For in death there is no remembrance of thee: in the grave who shall give thee thanks? Psalm 6:5

Can the dead think?

His breath goeth forth, he returneth to his earth; in that very day his thoughts perish. Psalm 146:4

Do the dead know anything at all? Can they hate or love, or be envious?

For the living know that they shall die: but the dead know not any thing, neither have they any more reward; for the memory of them is forgotten. Also their love, and their hatred, and their envy, is now perished; neither have they any more a portion for ever in any thing that is done under the sun. Ecclesiastes 9:5-6

How much of man’s knowledge and accomplishments will go with him when he dies?

Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might; for there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave, whither thou goest. Ecclesiastes 9:10

How can the righteous dead be in heaven if they don’t know anything, have no wisdom, no knowledge, cannot praise God, nor remember their love for Him? The theory that the soul goes immediately to heaven after death is simply not true. It is Satan’s lie from Eden and is not in accordance with Scripture.

What did Jesus say was the state of the righteous during death?

These things said he: and after that he saith unto them, Our friend Lazarus sleepeth; but I go, that I may awake him out of sleep. . . . Then said Jesus unto them plainly, Lazarus is dead. John 11:11, 14

So Jesus said that death is a sleep. Where did He say the righteous were?

Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice, And shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation. John 5:28-29

The righteous are in their graves waiting for the resurrection. The wicked dead are also in their graves, resting quietly until that time when all will be resurrected.

And this is the will of him that sent me, that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day. John 6:40

Those who believe will be raised up to everlasting life at the last day.

Jesus’ own experience illustrates this.

Jesus saith unto her, Touch me not; for I am not yet ascended to my Father: but go to my brethren, and say unto them, I ascend unto my Father, and your Father; and to my God, and your God. John 20:17

He Himself slept in the grave prior to His resurrection. He told Mary not to hold onto Him because He had not yet ascended to the Father. So He could not have been in heaven immediately after He died.

This fact can help clarify another passage that is often misunderstood.

And he said unto Jesus, Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom. And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, To day shalt thou be with me in paradise. Luke 23:42, 43

Many quote this verse to prove that the thief went to paradise on that Friday when both he and Jesus died. But, as we are finding, the rest of Scripture does not support this understanding. In the original Greek manuscripts of the Bible there was no punctuation and the translators inserted it according to their best judgment. But, if the comma that was placed before “to day” is placed after it, the verse will agree with what the rest of Scripture teaches—that no person, including Jesus, goes to heaven immediately after they die. Jesus was promising this man on that day that someday he would be in paradise.

Let’s look at another New Testament scripture that tells us where the righteous dead are.

Men and brethren, let me freely speak unto you of the patriarch David, that he is both dead and buried, and his sepulchre is with us unto this day. . . . For David is not ascended into the heavens: but he saith himself, The LORD said unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand, Acts 2:29, 34

According to Peter, David had not ascended into heaven but was in his grave.

What about the dead haunting the place they used to live?

As the cloud is consumed and vanisheth away: so he that goeth down to the grave shall come up no more. He shall return no more to his house, neither shall his place know him any more. Job 7:9, 10

Is it disturbing to learn that the dead have not gone anywhere and are not doing anything?

Death is a state of unconscious sleep. The dead rest quietly in their graves until Jesus comes. And when we stop to think it through, what could be better? As always, God has arranged what is best. Instead of permitting the departed one to look down from heaven and see the distress and grief his departing has caused; instead of allowing a departed husband or wife to see their spouse quickly transfer their love to another; instead of permitting parents to witness their children choosing a dishonorable course, Jesus has arranged death to be a short period of unconscious sleep. There is no hardship for the deceased ones, for they are not conscious of passing time or anything else. They fall asleep, and the next moment (so it seems to them) they are awakened in the resurrection and receive their reward—eternal life for the righteous, eternal death for the unrighteous. And isn’t this the only way God can be perfectly fair? Why should Cain have to suffer in hell 5000 years longer than Hitler just because he died that much earlier?

What about Paul’s statements about being with the Lord?

For I am in a strait betwixt two, having a desire to depart, and to be with Christ; which is far better: Philippians 1:23

We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord. 2 Corinthians 5:8

Remember that we must take the Bible as a whole, considering all that it says about a subject, for it does not contradict itself. In light of the Scripture passages we have already looked at, we would need to conclude that Paul is merely saying that he is eager to go to heaven to be with the One he has loved and served faithfully. The pertinent question then is: When did he expect to receive that eternal reward? Let’s look at the next verses in order to assess correctly when Paul thinks this will happen.

For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad. 2 Corinthians 5:10

Notice, this verse comes soon after verse 8. So Paul is speaking of the time of judgment as being the time to receive eternal rewards.

Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing. 2 Timothy 4:8

Paul expressed full confidence that he would be saved, but not until “that day.”

And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be. Revelation 22:12

Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day. John 6:54

For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. Wherefore comfort one another with these words. 1 Thessalonians 4:16-18

Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory. 1 Corinthians 15:51-54

Both Jesus and Paul tell us that rewards and immortality are granted at Jesus’ Second Coming, at the last day. The last trumpet sounds when Jesus comes again in the clouds of heaven. Then the righteous dead are raised and all the righteous put on immortality which they do not have until then.

There are a few mentioned in the Bible who were taken to heaven without ever dying (Enoch—Genesis 5:24; Elijah—2 Kings 2:11), or were resurrected after they died (Moses—Luke 9:28-33). It is interesting to note that Michael, the Archangel, contended for the body of Moses. Why would he want Moses’ body if his spirit was already in heaven? From what we have learned already, no conscious part of Moses went to heaven immediately after he died. Michael came to resurrect him so that he could be in heaven and later meet Jesus with Elijah on the mountain. (Matthew 17) These persons were special cases, examples to reassure us that the righteous, both dead and living, will be taken to heaven with Christ when He comes again.

CONTACT WITH THE DEAD?

Thought question: What if one of your deceased loved ones were to appear to you? Would it really be your loved one? Who would it be?

For they are the spirits of devils, working miracles, which go forth unto the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty. Revelation 16:14

For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ. 2 Corinthians 11:13

And when they shall say unto you, Seek unto them that have familiar spirits, and unto wizards that peep, and that mutter: should not a people seek unto their God? for the living to the dead? To the law and to the testimony: if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them. Isaiah 8:19-20

Regard not them that have familiar spirits, neither seek after wizards, to be defiled by them: I am the LORD your God. Leviticus 19:31

And the soul that turneth after such as have familiar spirits, and after wizards, to go a whoring after them, I will even set my face against that soul, and will cut him off from among his people. Leviticus 20:6

The practice of communicating with the spirit world was prohibited by God on pain of death. Why? Because, according to the Bible, it is contact with Satan and his angels. It is demons who appear to people impersonating those who have died.

NEAR-DEATH EXPERIENCES?

There are some who have had “near death experiences” and, when they returned to consciousness, related various things that “happened” to them. Are these reality? Could it be that they are merely the brain malfunctioning due to a lack of oxygen, more like a dream? Interestingly, there have been Hindus, Buddhists, and persons of other religious persuasions that have had “near death experiences” that are quite different from what Christians have had. They experience what they are expecting according to their belief system. Are we to believe that all people pass into the “next life” in whatever sphere of belief they possess?

CONCLUSION

A correct knowledge of what happens when we die frees us from erroneous concepts of God and His justice, and protects us from the deceptions of spiritualism. While the Bible reveals all that we need to know, let us never forget that life is still a mystery and will always remain so. It can never be fully explained or understood. The same is true of death. But thank God, we can know that Jesus took our death penalty. He died our death on Calvary (Hebrews 2:9), and has abolished our greatest enemy—death. (2 Timothy 1:10) In that glorious day when man receives his inheritance, eternal life, from the hand of his Savior, “then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory.” (1 Corinthians 15:54)

February 27, 2017

The Remnant

What does it mean to be “the remnant?” Take notice of the common threads running through these passages.

And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ. Revelation 12:17

Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus. Revelation 14:12

And I saw as it were a sea of glass mingled with fire: and them that had gotten the victory over the beast, and over his image, and over his mark, and over the number of his name, stand on the sea of glass, having the harps of God. And they sing the song of Moses the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying, Great and marvellous are thy works, Lord God Almighty; just and true are thy ways, thou King of saints. Revelation 15:2, 3

Can you see the correlations here?

the remnant—the saints—those who get victory

the commandments of God—the song of Moses

the testimony of Jesus—the faith of Jesus—the song of the Lamb

These people, who go through experiences that test their endurance, later sing some special songs about their experiences. Let’s look at Revelation 14 some more.

And I looked, and, lo, a Lamb stood on the mount Sion, and with him an hundred forty and four thousand, having his Father’s name written in their foreheads. And I heard a voice from heaven, as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of a great thunder: and I heard the voice of harpers harping with their harps: And they sung as it were a new song before the throne, and before the four beasts, and the elders: and no man could learn that song but the hundred and forty and four thousand, which were redeemed from the earth. These are they which were not defiled with women; for they are virgins. These are they which follow the Lamb whithersoever he goeth. These were redeemed from among men, being the firstfruits unto God and to the Lamb. And in their mouth was found no guile: for they are without fault before the throne of God. Revelation 14:1-5

The characteristics of the 144,000 put them in a unique, honoured group. It is a very high calling. Here are their characteristics:

they have the Father’s name in their foreheads

they sing a new song (maybe the song of Moses and the Lamb)

they are redeemed from the earth

they are virgins (pure and virtuous)

they follow the Lamb

they are firstfruits

they have no guile

they are without fault

Notice that first characteristic. Is there any other place in the Bible that speaks of the Father’s name in the forehead? Take a look at Ezekiel 9.

And the glory of the God of Israel was gone up from the cherub, whereupon he was, to the threshold of the house. And he called to the man clothed with linen, which had the writer’s inkhorn by his side; And the LORD said unto him, Go through the midst of the city, through the midst of Jerusalem, and set a mark upon the foreheads of the men that sigh and that cry for all the abominations that be done in the midst thereof. And to the others he said in mine hearing, Go ye after him through the city, and smite: let not your eye spare, neither have ye pity: Slay utterly old and young, both maids, and little children, and women: but come not near any man upon whom is the mark; and begin at my sanctuary. Then they began at the ancient men which were before the house. And he said unto them, Defile the house, and fill the courts with the slain: go ye forth. And they went forth, and slew in the city. And it came to pass, while they were slaying them, and I was left, that I fell upon my face, and cried, and said, Ah Lord GOD! wilt thou destroy all the residue of Israel in thy pouring out of thy fury upon Jerusalem? Then said he unto me, The iniquity of the house of Israel and Judah is exceeding great, and the land is full of blood, and the city full of perverseness: for they say, The LORD hath forsaken the earth, and the LORD seeth not. And as for me also, mine eye shall not spare, neither will I have pity, but I will recompense their way upon their head. And, behold, the man clothed with linen, which had the inkhorn by his side, reported the matter, saying, I have done as thou hast commanded me. Ezekiel 9:3-11

Here is mentioned another characteristic of those who have the mark or name of the Father on their foreheads. They are those who sigh and cry because of the abominations done by those who are supposed to be God’s people. This is a warning of severe judgment that will come on hypocrites because of their wickedness. Does this sound familiar? Are we not living on the brink of this judgment time?

What does Ezekiel see next?

Then I looked, and, behold, in the firmament that was above the head of the cherubims there appeared over them as it were a sapphire stone, as the appearance of the likeness of a throne. And he spake unto the man clothed with linen, and said, Go in between the wheels, even under the cherub, and fill thine hand with coals of fire from between the cherubims, and scatter them over the city. And he went in in my sight. Ezekiel 10:1-2

Sapphire stone and a throne? What does that represent?

And he took the book of the covenant, and read in the audience of the people: and they said, All that the LORD hath said will we do, and be obedient. And Moses took the blood, and sprinkled it on the people, and said, Behold the blood of the covenant, which the LORD hath made with you concerning all these words. Then went up Moses, and Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel: And they saw the God of Israel: and there was under his feet as it were a paved work of a sapphire stone, and as it were the body of heaven in his clearness. Exodus 24:7-10

And above the firmament that was over their heads was the likeness of a throne, as the appearance of a sapphire stone: and upon the likeness of the throne was the likeness as the appearance of a man above upon it. And I saw as the colour of amber, as the appearance of fire round about within it, from the appearance of his loins even upward, and from the appearance of his loins even downward, I saw as it were the appearance of fire, and it had brightness round about. As the appearance of the bow that is in the cloud in the day of rain, so was the appearance of the brightness round about. This was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the LORD. And when I saw it, I fell upon my face, and I heard a voice of one that spake. Ezekiel 1:26-28

Sapphire is a beautiful blue-colored gemstone. God’s throne and its foundation are of sapphire. It represents His government. Sapphire is also mentioned in the Exodus passage in connection with the covenant.

Speak unto the children of Israel, and bid them that they make them fringes in the borders of their garments throughout their generations, and that they put upon the fringe of the borders a ribband of blue:

And it shall be unto you for a fringe, that ye may look upon it, and remember all the commandments of the LORD, and do them; and that ye seek not after your own heart and your own eyes, after which ye use to go a whoring: That ye may remember, and do all my commandments, and be holy unto your God. Numbers 15:38-40

Sapphire stone is the substance of God’s throne and its foundation. The blue on the clothing of the Israelites was a reminder of the commandments, the law of God’s kingdom. This law was given as the basis of the covenant that was ratified in Exodus 24 above. That is why Moses and the elders saw the sapphire when they saw God. According to Jewish tradition, the first copy of the Ten Commandments was written on sapphire. Sapphire represents God’s laws which are the foundation of His entire government—His Constitution.

Why did Ezekiel see this heavenly scene (Ezekiel 10:1, 2 quoted above) after the remnant were marked in their foreheads? It seems that the marking and sealing of these special ones in Ezekiel 9 is the ratifying of God’s covenant with His last-day people just as the verses from Exodus 24 record the events connected with the ratification of His covenant with Israel. And what does this covenant consist of? The very things mentioned in the verses from Revelation quoted at the beginning of this study—the commandments of God and the testimony of Jesus. And those who enter into this covenant with God can sing the songs of Moses and the Lamb.

Here is a profound statement that seems to clarify this connection. Please read it carefully.

There is a day just about to burst upon us when God’s mysteries will be seen, and all His ways vindicated; when justice, mercy, and love will be the attributes of His throne. When the earthly warfare is accomplished, and the saints are all gathered home, our first theme will be the song of Moses, the servant of God. The second theme will be the song of the Lamb, the song of grace and redemption. This song will be louder, loftier, and in sublimer strains, echoing and re-echoing through the heavenly courts. Thus the song of God’s providence is sung, connecting the varying dispensations; for all is now seen without a veil between the legal, the prophetical, and the gospel. The church history upon the earth and the church redeemed in heaven all centre around the cross of Calvary. This is the theme, this is the song,–Christ all and in all,–in anthems of praise resounding through heaven from thousands and ten thousand times ten thousand and an innumerable company of the redeemed host. All unite in this song of Moses and of the Lamb. It is a new song, for it was never before sung in heaven. TM 433

Did you catch that? The song of Moses represents the legal and prophetical (law and prophets)–the Old Testament; and the song of the Lamb represents the gospel—the New Testament. Why has it never been sung before? These people sing it because they have experienced both aspects. In other words they obey the laws of God; they believe and accept the messages of the prophets and have experienced the fulfilment of the prophecies; and they have experienced salvation through Jesus Christ. Here are two verses that summarize this:

Believe in the LORD your God, so shall ye be established; believe his prophets, so shall ye prosper. 2 Chronicles 20:20

Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house. Acts 16:31

Here are some more paragraphs that help cement these connections even more clearly.

The closing words of Malachi are a prophecy regarding the work that should be done preparatory to the first and the second advent of Christ. This prophecy is introduced with the admonition, “Remember ye the law of Moses my servant, which I commanded unto him in Horeb for all Israel, with the statutes and judgments.

“Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord; and he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers, lest I come and smite the earth with a curse.”

This prophecy was fulfilled by John the Baptist; . . .

John, as a prophet, stood forth as God’s representative, to show the connection between the law and the prophets and the Christian dispensation. Like Malachi, he pleaded with the Jews: “Remember ye the law of Moses, . . . with all the statutes and judgments.” His work and ministry pointed back to the law and the prophets, while he, at the same time, pointed the people forward to Christ as the Saviour of the world. He called upon them to “behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.”

The work of John the Baptist, and the work of those who in the last days go forth in the spirit and power of Elijah to arouse the people from their apathy, are in many respects the same. His work is a type of the work that must be done in this age. Christ is to come the second time to judge the world in righteousness. The messengers of God who bear the last message of warning to be given to the world, are to prepare the way for Christ’s second advent, as John prepared the way for his first advent. The Southern Watchman, March 21, 1905

We can see that the “closing” work of God’s remnant people is to give the same message as John gave, showing the connection between the law and prophets and the Christian dispensation.

But what is Malachi calling for? “Remember . . .”

Remember ye the law of Moses my servant, which I commanded unto him in Horeb for all Israel, with the statutes and judgments. Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD: Malachi 4:4, 5

What does it mean to “remember” in a biblical way?

And I will remember my covenant, which is between me and you and every living creature of all flesh; and the waters shall no more become a flood to destroy all flesh. And the bow shall be in the cloud; and I will look upon it, that I may remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is upon the earth. Genesis 9:15-16

And God remembered Rachel, and God hearkened to her, and opened her womb. And she conceived, and bare a son; and said, God hath taken away my reproach: Genesis 30:22, 23

Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. Exodus 20:8

These verses have the same Hebrew word as in Malachi 4:4. To “remember” means much more than just recalling something and contemplating the memory of it. It means doing something in response to the memory. God not only thought about His promise to not send another flood, He has acted upon it. He did not merely recall Rachel’s name, He did what she needed. To remember the Sabbath does not mean to just think about it but to actually do what the commandment says—keep it holy. It is the same in Malachi. We are to remember the law of Moses—do what it says. The word here for law is Torah. God’s remnant people will be obeying the Torah. They will also understand and apply all the messages of the prophets and have a saving faith relationship with Jesus. These are God’s last-day people, the ones who are sealed. They will again be in covenant with the Heavenly Father. They will be able to sing the song of Moses and the Lamb. And they will follow the Lamb wherever He goes.

Just think of all the people who for 4000 years died under the first covenant (animal sacrifices) and had not even heard of Jesus and what He did for them though, by faith, they looked forward to that time. The remnant people will have a special work to do. They will witness to these earlier Christians who never knew Christ. What an exciting job! To be able to teach how all of Scripture fits together in perfect harmony. Thus these special people who live at the very end give a special message. They will sing the song of Moses and the Lamb—their personal experience of the law and the gospel.

February 27, 2017