Laodicean Remedies

And unto the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write; These things saith the Amen, The Faithful and True Witness, The Beginning (Beginner) of the creation of God; I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot. So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of My mouth. Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked: I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see. As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent. Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear My voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with Me. 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. Revelation 3:14-21

In my last vision I was shown that even this decided message of the True Witness had not accomplished the design of God. The people slumber on in their sins. They continue to declare themselves rich and having need of nothing. Many inquire: Why are all these reproofs given? Why do the Testimonies continually charge us with backsliding and with grievous sins? We love the truth; we are prospering; we are in no need of these testimonies of warning and reproof. But let these murmurers see their hearts and compare their lives with the practical teachings of the Bible, let them humble their souls before God, let the grace of God illuminate the darkness, and the scales will fall from their eyes, and they will realize their true spiritual poverty and wretchedness. They will feel the necessity of buying gold, which is pure faith and love; white raiment, which is a spotless character made pure in the blood of their dear Redeemer; and eyesalve, which is the grace of God and which will give clear discernment of spiritual things and detect sin. These attainments are more precious than the gold of Ophir. 3T 254

Again and again has the voice from heaven addressed you. Will you obey this voice? Will you heed the counsel of the True Witness to seek the gold tried in the fire, the white raiment, and the eyesalve? The gold is faith and love, the white raiment is the righteousness of Christ, the eyesalve is that spiritual discernment which will enable you to see the wiles of Satan and shun them, to detect sin and abhor it, to see truth and obey it. 5T 233

The gold that Jesus would have us buy of Him is gold tried in the fire; it is the gold of faith and love, that has no defiling substance mingled with it. The white raiment is the righteousness of Christ, the wedding garment which Christ alone can give. The eyesalve is the true spiritual discernment that is so wanting among us, for spiritual things must be spiritually discerned. 7BC 965

The True Witness counsels us to buy of Him gold tried in the fire, white raiment, and eyesalve. The gold here recommended as having been tried in the fire is faith and love. It makes the heart rich; for it has been purged until it is pure, and the more it is tested the more brilliant is its luster. The white raiment is purity of character, the righteousness of Christ imparted to the sinner. This is indeed a garment of heavenly texture, that can be bought only of Christ for a life of willing obedience. The eyesalve is that wisdom and grace which enables us to discern between the evil and the good, and to detect sin under any guise. God has given His church eyes which He requires them to anoint with wisdom, that they may see clearly; but many would put out the eyes of the church if they could; for they would not have their deeds come to the light, lest they should be reproved. The divine eyesalve will impart clearness to the understanding. Christ is the depositary of all graces. He says: “Buy of Me.” 4T 88

The Light of Life - 3

The only condition upon which the freedom of man is possible is that of becoming one with Christ. “The truth shall make you free;” and Christ is the truth. Sin can triumph only by enfeebling the mind, and destroying the liberty of the soul. Subjection to God is restoration to one's self,—to the true glory and dignity of man. The divine law, to which we are brought into subjection, is “the law of liberty.” James 2:12.

The Pharisees had declared themselves the children of Abraham. Jesus told them that this claim could be established only by doing the works of Abraham. The true children of Abraham would live, as he did, a life of obedience to God. They would not try to kill One who was speaking the truth that was given Him from God. In plotting against Christ, the rabbis were not doing the works of Abraham. A mere lineal descent from Abraham was of no value. Without a spiritual connection with him, which would be manifested in possessing the same spirit, and doing the same works, they were not his children…

Jesus denied that the Jews were children of Abraham. He said, “Ye do the deeds of your father.” In mockery they answered, “We be not born of fornication; we have one Father, even God.” These words, in allusion to the circumstances of His birth, were intended as a thrust against Christ in the presence of those who were beginning to believe on Him. Jesus gave no heed to the base insinuation, but said, “If God were your Father, ye would love Me: for I proceeded forth and came from God.”

Their works testified of their relationship to him who was a liar and a murderer. “Ye are of your father the devil,” said Jesus, “and the lusts of your father it is your will to do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and stood not in the truth, because there is no truth in him.... Because I say the truth, ye believe Me not.” John 8:44, 45, R. V. DA 466,467

Make Haste to Get Ready

When the power invested in kings is allied to goodness, it is because the one in responsibility is under the divine dictation. When power is allied with wickedness, it is allied to Satanic agencies, and it will work to destroy those who are the Lord's property. The Protestant world have set up an idol Sabbath in the place where God's Sabbath should be, and they are treading in the footsteps of the Papacy. For this reason I see the necessity of the people of God moving out of the cities into retired country [places,] where they may cultivate the land and raise their own produce. Thus they may bring their children up with simple, healthful habits. I see the necessity of making haste to get all things ready for the crisis. CL 21

Murderer?

“Everyone who is angry with his brother shall be in danger of the judgment.”—Matthew 5:22

Through Moses the Lord had said, “Thou shalt not hate thy brother in thine heart.... Thou shalt not avenge, nor bear any grudge against the children of thy people, but thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.” Leviticus 19:17, 18. The truths which Christ presented were the same that had been taught by the prophets, but they had become obscured through hardness of heart and love of sin. The Saviour's words revealed to His hearers the fact that, while they were condemning others as transgressors, they were themselves equally guilty; for they were cherishing malice and hatred…

The spirit of hatred and revenge originated with Satan, and it led him to put to death the Son of God. Whoever cherishes malice or unkindness is cherishing the same spirit, and its fruit will be unto death. In the revengeful thought the evil deed lies enfolded, as the plant in the seed. “Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer: and ye know that no murderer hath eternal life abiding in him.” 1 John 3:15. 

“Whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca [vain fellow], shall be in danger of the council.” In the gift of His Son for our redemption, God has shown how high a value He places upon every human soul, and He gives to no man liberty to speak contemptuously of another. We shall see faults and weaknesses in those about us, but God claims every soul as His property—His by creation, and doubly His as purchased by the precious blood of Christ. All were created in His image, and even the most degraded are to be treated with respect and tenderness. God will hold us accountable for even a word spoken in contempt of one soul for whom Christ laid down His life…

“Whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of the hell of fire.” R.V. In the Old Testament the word “fool” is used to designate an apostate, or one who has abandoned himself to wickedness. Jesus says that whoever shall condemn his brother as an apostate or a despiser of God shows that he himself is worthy of the same condemnation.

Christ Himself, when contending with Satan about the body of Moses, “durst not bring against him a railing accusation.” Jude 9. Had He done this, He would have placed Himself on Satan's ground, for accusation is the weapon of the evil one. He is called in Scripture, “the accuser of our brethren.” Revelation 12:10. Jesus would employ none of Satan's weapons. He met him with the words, “The Lord rebuke thee.” Jude 9.

His example is for us. When we are brought in conflict with the enemies of Christ, we should say nothing in a spirit of retaliation or that would bear even the appearance of a railing accusation. He who stands as a mouthpiece for God should not utter words which even the Majesty of heaven would not use when contending with Satan. We are to leave with God the work of judging and condemning. MB 55-57

Colossians 3:12-17

 Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, 

bowels of mercies, 

kindness, 

humbleness of mind, 

meekness, 

longsuffering; 

Forbearing one another, 

forgiving one another...even as Christ forgave you

And above all these

things put on charity, which is the bond of perfectness.

let the peace of God rule in your hearts

be ye thankful. 

Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; 

teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord. 

whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, 

giving thanks to God and the Father by him.

“Let Us Draw Near”

In the ancient type, while Aaron ministered in the most holy place to cleanse the sanctuary the people assembled outside to share in the most solemn service of the year.So in this antitypical Day of Atonement,“ having an high priest over the house of God; let us draw near” (Hebrews 10:21, 22). By beholding Aaron’s ministry, we learn what Jesus is doing in heaven now. So by observing what the congregation did on that day, we can learn what duties God requires of His people in the final judgment hour. 

“And this shall be a statute for ever unto you: that in the seventh month, on the tenth day of the month, ye shall afflict your souls, and do no work at all…For on that day shall the priest make an atonement for you, to cleanse you, that ye may be clean from all your sins before the Lord” (Leviticus 16:29, 30). Two things stand out in the experience of Israel on the Day of Atonement: first, they were to do no work, and second, they were to afflict their souls. Leviticus 23:27 repeats the instruction with additional details: “Also on the tenth day of this seventh month there shall be a day of atonement: it shall be an holy convocation unto you.” Convocation means coming together, and just as Israel gathered at the sanctuary then, so today God invites us to “draw near.” 

What was the purpose of this convocation? It was not for feasting but for fasting. “It shall be an holy convocation unto you; and ye shall afflict your souls, and offer an offering made…unto the Lord” (Leviticus 23:27). Afflicting the soul and presenting the offering go together. Afflicting the soul means having humiliation over our sins, sensing our great need. Who is the offering that is accepted in our behalf? Christ, our righteousness. The deeper we go into the vale of humiliation, the more we must cling by faith to Christ’s righteousness. There will never come a time this side of Jesus’ appearing when we will feel so secure in ourselves that we can say, “The struggle is all over. I am saved and have nothing more to be concerned about.” All the way through, our hope and confidence rest in Jesus, for He makes the atonement. Remember the old gospel song? 

“What can wash away my sin? Nothing but the blood of Jesus; 

What can make me pure within? Nothing but the blood of Jesus.” 

Although we can’t make the atonement, we can gather at the sanctuary and share in the intercession of the priest. “And ye shall do no work in that same day: for it is a day of atonement, to make an atonement for you before the Lord your God. For whatsoever soul it be that shall not be afflicted in that same day, he shall be cut off from among his people. And whatsoever soul it be that doeth any work in that same day, the same soul will I destroy from among his people” (verses 28-30). If they did not lay aside their ordinary work, come to the sanctuary, and afflict the soul, they were cut off. At the close of the Day of Atonement God had a clean sanctuary and a clean people, and those who did not share in cleaning up were cleaned out. 

So will it be with the remnant church. God’s messenger saw the shaking, the sifting, and cried out, “Oh, that every lukewarm professor could realize the clean work that God is about to make among His professed people” (1T 190). “Chaff like a cloud will be borne away on the wind, even from places where we see only floors of rich wheat” (5T 81). We don’t have to be a part of that chaff. God desires to ripen us as wheat for His garner. What is the program to get us ready? While the high priest is in the most holy place making the final atonement and blotting out the sins of His people, Israel must gather at the sanctuary, bring an offering, afflict the soul, and lay aside everything that would hinder. In other words, you and I have just one business now—the one business that Jesus is engaged in—making an end of sins. 

Someone may ask, “Is there really any difference between this and former times? Didn’t God always want His people to fully clean up and reach maturity of Christian character?” Indeed He wanted this! And some entered into the full experience. Notice this significant statement from Ellen G. White: “Some few in every generation from Adam resisted his [Satan’s] every artifice and stood forth as noble representatives of what it was in the power of man to do and to be—Christ working with human efforts, helping man in overcoming the power of Satan. Enoch and Elijah are the correct representatives of what the race might be through faith in Jesus Christ if they chose to be. Satan was greatly disturbed because these noble, holy men stood untainted amid the moral pollution surrounding them, perfected righteous characters, and were accounted worthy for translation to Heaven” (RH, March 3, 1874). 

How could people attain perfection prior to Christ’s work in the most holy place? The same way they could get their sins forgiven before He died on the cross. For four thousand years men looked forward to the Redeemer’s coming. By faith they placed their sins on the lamb and received forgiveness. As they went on in the experience of sanctification, some developed mature characters, fully ripe for the harvest. The wonderful thing today is that God will have an entire church which will reflect Jesus’ image fully, and when He does, He can close the sanctuary and take us home. 

Some of us remember when travel was largely by train. On a transcontinental journey, as mealtime approached, the steward would walk through the cars and announce, “First call to dinner.” The passenger could go to dinner, or he could stay in his seat. By and by the steward returned saying, “Second call to dinner.” Again, one could choose to remain in his seat or go to the dining car. But when the steward made his rounds the third time and warned, “Last call to dinner,” no choice was left if the passenger wished to eat. 

Today God is giving the last call, for we are living in the antitypical Day of Atonement. In the days of Moses a person might be convicted of sin in the spring or summer and bring his offering. Or he might put it off till the next day or the next week. But when the Day of Atonement came, he knew that was the last call. Unless he shared in the final work of cleansing, he would be cut off. Because you and I will be cut off unless we share today in the work of our great High Priest in the most holy place, there is an urgency in our Lord’s appeal to put everything else aside, come to the sanctuary, “afflict the soul,” and “do no work.” 

Perhaps we wonder about the expression “Do no work.” Someone might try to sweep it aside by insisting, “ at can’t mean that we are not to do any work since 1844.” But wait. That was the type. We live in the antitype. And which is more important, what Aaron did at Sinai or what Jesus is doing in heaven? Then do you think it might be even more important for us to come to the sanctuary than for Israel? 

God had a strategy in all these arrangements. He wanted everybody at the sanctuary. If He hadn’t made the provisions He did, somebody would have excused himself with, “Really, I would like to go up to the sanctuary on the Day of Atonement, but I have my business to look after.” So the Lord said, “We will take care of that. No business today.” A farmer might comment, “I wish I could go, but it’s time for fall plowing, and the weather seems just right. I’m sorry, but I can’t attend.” But God said, “We will take care of that too. No plowing today.” Even cooking couldn’t excuse anyone, because the Lord said, “No eating today. It is a fast.” Everything that could possibly be put aside was put aside in order to make time for the main thing, the vital thing. 

Just as the ancient Israelites made coming to the sanctuary the most important thing and put away every hindrance, so today we are to “seek…first the kingdom of God, and His righteousness” (Matthew 6:33). Jesus doesn’t mean that you and I must not perform any manual labor. In order to have clear minds, we must exercise, and the best exercise is found in useful work. Jesus spent more time in the carpenter shop and in the daily work of the home than in all His teaching and healing put together. He is the only human being who has had the opportunity to plan His life pattern before He was born. He and the Father sat down in the councils of eternity and arranged every detail. Is it not significant, then, that Jesus devoted the majority of His life span to physical toil? He laboured to help earn the family living, and it was hard work. And as you and I seek to be like Him, we will do well to behold Jesus in Nazareth as well as at Capernaum and Jerusalem. 

The members of the remnant church have found many ways to make a living today. Sad to say, some of these activities are not helping them share in what Jesus is doing in the sanctuary. If the line of work you follow causes you to be sharp, competitive, and selfish, perhaps you should pray about making a change. If your daily work is not fitting you for the judgment, remember that the Israelites left their work on the Day of Atonement and came to the sanctuary. Don’t allow your work to infect you with the fever of speculation so that you will miss your destiny. “For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?” (Mark 8:36). 

Another inspiring aspect to the expression “Do no work” on the Day of Atonement is that—as the glorious loud cry sounds all over this planet—some people will leave their ordinary vocations and put all their time, all their money, and all their effort into the finishing of the work. During the closing hour of human history the church will be more active than ever before. Indeed, we are witnessing the beginning of it even now. Christian men and women are becoming more intent on finishing God’s work than in piling up riches for consumption in the fires of the last day. God may call you to leave ordinary business and to spend the rest of your life giving God’s last message. Let the Holy Spirit lead you. R&R WDF

Names of Christ - Apostle

Wherefore, holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling, consider the Apostle and High Priest of our profession, Christ Jesus. Hebrews 3:1

Study Christ. Study His character, feature by feature. He is our Pattern that we are required to copy in our lives and our characters, else we fail to represent Jesus, but present to the world a spurious copy. Do not imitate any man, for men are defective in habits, in speech, in manners, in character. I present before you the Man Christ Jesus. You must individually know Him as your Saviour before you can study Him as your pattern and your example. 3SM 170

Asking to Give - 2

Christ's disciples were much impressed by His prayers and by His habit of communion with God. One day after a short absence from their Lord, they found Him absorbed in supplication. Seeming unconscious of their presence, He continued praying aloud. The hearts of the disciples were deeply moved. As He ceased praying, they exclaimed, “Lord, teach us to pray.”

In answer, Christ repeated the Lord's prayer, as He had given it in the sermon on the mount. Then in a parable He illustrated the lesson He desired to teach them.

“Which of you,” He said, “shall have a friend, and shall go unto him at midnight, and say unto him, Friend, lend me three loaves; for a friend of mine in his journey is come to me, and I have nothing to set before him? And he from within shall answer and say, Trouble me not; the door is now shut, and my children are with me in bed: I cannot rise and give thee. I say unto you, Though he will not rise and give him because he is his friend, yet because of his importunity he will rise and give him as many as he needeth.”

Here Christ represents the petitioner as asking that he may give again. He must obtain the bread, else he cannot supply the necessities of a weary, belated wayfarer. Though his neighbor is unwilling to be troubled, he will not desist his pleading; his friend must be relieved; and at last his importunity is rewarded, his wants are supplied. COL 140

Forgiveness Probation - 490

Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people and upon thy holy city, to finish the transgression, and to make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up the vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most Holy. Know therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem unto the Messiah the Prince shall be seven weeks, and threescore and two weeks: the street shall be built again, and the wall, even in troublous times. Dan 9:25,26 

The seventy weeks, or 490 years, especially allotted to the Jews, ended, as we have seen, in A.D. 34. At that time, through the action of the Jewish Sanhedrin, the nation sealed its rejection of the gospel by the martyrdom of Stephen and the persecution of the followers of Christ. Then the message of salvation, no longer restricted to the chosen people, was given to the world. The disciples, forced by persecution to flee from Jerusalem, “went everywhere preaching the word.” “Philip went down to the city of Samaria, and preached Christ unto them.” Peter, divinely guided, opened the gospel to the centurion of Caesarea, the God-fearing Cornelius; and the ardent Paul, won to the faith of Christ, was commissioned to carry the glad tidings “far hence unto the Gentiles.” GC 328

Then came Peter to him, and said, Lord, how oft shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? till seven times? Jesus saith unto him, I say not unto thee, Until seven times: but, Until seventy times seven. Matt 18:21,22

The word of God says, “If he repent, forgive him. And if he trespasses against thee seven times in a day, and seven times in a day turn again to thee, saying, I repent; thou shalt forgive him.” And not only seven times, but seventy times seven—just as often as God forgives you. COL 249 

Troublous Times Before Us

We are not to locate ourselves where we will be forced into close relations with those who do not honor God.... A crisis is soon to come in regard to the observance of Sunday.

The Sunday party is strengthening itself in its false claims, and this will mean oppression to those who determine to keep the Sabbath of the Lord. We are to place ourselves where we can carry out the Sabbath commandment in its fullness. “Six days shalt thou labor,” the Lord declares, “and do all thy work; but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work.” And we are to be careful not to place ourselves where it will be hard for ourselves and our children to keep the Sabbath.

If in the providence of God we can secure places away from the cities, the Lord would have us do this. There are troublous times before us. CL 20

Righteousness? - 2

In their professed service to God, the Jews were really working for self. Their righteousness was the fruit of their own efforts to keep the law according to their own ideas and for their own selfish benefit. Hence it could be no better than they were. In their endeavor to make themselves holy, they were trying to bring a clean thing out of an unclean. The law of God is as holy as He is holy, as perfect as He is perfect. It presents to men the righteousness of God. It is impossible for man, of himself, to keep this law; for the nature of man is depraved, deformed, and wholly unlike the character of God. The works of the selfish heart are “as an unclean thing;” and “all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags.” Isaiah 64:6. 

While the law is holy, the Jews could not attain righteousness by their own efforts to keep the law. The disciples of Christ must obtain righteousness of a different character from that of the Pharisees, if they would enter the kingdom of heaven. God offered them, in His Son, the perfect righteousness of the law. If they would open their hearts fully to receive Christ, then the very life of God, His love, would dwell in them, transforming them into His own likeness; and thus through God's free gift they would possess the righteousness which the law requires. But the Pharisees rejected Christ; “being ignorant of God's righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness” (Romans 10:3), they would not submit themselves unto the righteousness of God. 

Jesus proceeded to show His hearers what it means to keep the commandments of God—that it is a reproduction in themselves of the character of Christ. For in Him, God was daily made manifest before them. MB 54,55

Titus 2:6-8

Young men likewise exhort to be 

sober minded. 

In all things shewing thyself 

a pattern of good works:

in doctrine shewing uncorruptness, 

gravity, 

sincerity, 

Sound speech, that cannot be condemned.

The Way To The Holiest

We would think it a high honor to receive an invitation to visit the President of the United States or the Queen of England, but a far greater privilege beckons you and me: “Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way, which he hath consecrated for us, through the veil, that is to say, his flesh; and having an High Priest over the house of God; let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith” (Hebrews 10:19-22). 

We may “enter into the holiest” through the “new and living way” that Jesus has opened for us. In the ancient tabernacle no one but a priest could enter the holy place, and only the high priest could appear in the most holy place. But Hebrews 10:19-22 invites all of us to go in. How can what was possible to only a few be accessible now to every child of God? “A new and living way” has been opened for us, and we can enter by Jesus’ blood. Looking into the court, we see blood on the horns of the brazen altar. In the holy place we see blood on the golden horns of the altar of incense. Within the second veil we behold the sprinkled blood on the mercy seat. Jesus’ blood prepares the way at every step. 

This gives us hope, for the sinner can have reunion with God only as his sins are pardoned and finally blotted out. The mercy of God is infinite, but so is His justice. And justice cannot accept Christ’s sacrifice as atonement for our transgressions unless Jesus guarantees first to forgive our sins and second to blot them out. Our acceptance at the throne depends on His fulfillment of that promise. But Christ can do that only as we daily choose Him. His blood must cover our past sins and His Spirit must reveal further changes in our lives so that at last we can join Him in the inner circle. Those He ransoms from this earth will enjoy a closer communion with God than even the angels who have never sinned.

The word here translated “holiest” is literally “holies” and includes both apartments of the heavenly sanctuary. But, of course, if we enter the “holies’ [plural], we arrive at the most holy place. This is the goal. 

The inner circle. Those He ransoms from this earth will enjoy a closer communion with God than even the angels who have never sinned. 

Hebrews 10:19 says, “Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus.” Rather than the boldness of presumption, we have, instead, the assurance of faith as we present Christ’s blood and the incense of His merits. His robe of righteousness can cover us if we so choose. 

We enter by the new and living way which He has opened for us “through the veil, that is to say, his flesh” (verse 20). You remember that when Jesus died on the cross, an unseen hand tore the inner veil of the temple in Jerusalem from top to bottom (see Matthew 27:51). Thus God announced the transition from the earthly to the heavenly temple. However, there was more to the message of the torn curtain. No longer need a veil stand between God and man, for Jesus had opened up a new and living way. 

Notice the expression, “through the veil, that is to say, His flesh.” Jesus came as a human being not only to tell us how to live but to show us how to live. As man He obeyed the commandments that He himself had written on the stone. “What the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh: that the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit” (Romans 8:3, 4). Whenever Satan tempted Jesus, He answered, “No! No!” Instead of consulting His feelings He ordered His life by the Word. “In all points tempted like as we are” (Hebrews 4:15), He developed a character that completely revealed His Father’s will, and Gethsemane and Calvary provided the crowning demonstration of obedience even unto death. 

The Saviour promises the Christians in Laodicea, “To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with Me in My throne” (Revelation 3:21). As the judgment proceeds in the most holy place, Christ sends this special invitation to join with Him in the throne room. Some day soon we shall enter the New Jerusalem and walk those golden streets. When we visit the temple where the plan of salvation was unfolded, we expect to see the candlestick, the table, the altar, and the ark with the tables of stone. Then Jesus will take your hand and seat you on the throne with Him. 

As I think about it I am sure it is not so much that He wants us to reign as that He wants us to be with Him. I’m a father, and I know it means a lot to a father’s heart to have somebody sitting on his knee; this helps me understand a little of how God feels. He wants me with Him, up close, sitting right with Him on His throne. This is the fellowship that He has offered to us through the sanctuary. I propose to give Him what He wants. What do you say? 

When the prodigal son in the pigpen decided to return home, he had no idea of the welcome awaiting him. He reckoned that he could offer his services as a hired hand, but when the father saw him, he ran to meet him, threw his own robe around him, ordered a banquet, and accepted him as an honored son. Do you know why? Because there was love in the father’s heart and repentance in the son’s heart. The son left a lot of things in the far country. Do you think he brought home with him the wine and the harlots? Do you imagine he brought the music of Sodom, its literature and its pictures? 

A spirit of permissiveness pervading the world has crept into the church. Everyone must be made to feel accepted, to feel at home. Such a view comes from Babylon, not from the heavenly sanctuary. The Lord has no message of comfort for the rebel. The sword of the Spirit newly edged with power and bathed in the lightnings of heaven must cut its way through unbelief. As the sinner approaches the cross he feels pained by his sinfulness. He weeps as he beholds the uplifted Saviour; dying for his transgressions. Only as he recognises that his sins killed Jesus can the Lord comfort him with forgiveness and acceptance. 

Yes, the prodigal son came home with confession upon his lips: “Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in thy sight, and am no more worthy to be called thy son” (Luke 15:21). But the father didn’t even give him a chance to ask for a servant’s job. Once he had repented, there was no question about acceptance, reinstatement. Although God’s justice cannot accept the smallest sin if someone persists in hanging on to it, His mercy has found a way to remove the biggest sin if that person will give it up. It is that simple. 

In Hebrews 10:19 our Saviour invites us into the most holy place. He says, “through faith I want you to join Me in a ministry designed to finish the work of salvation. I want you to share with Me My longing that sins may be not merely forgiven but taken away forever, not only covered but blotted out.” 

In the Great Controversy, page 489, Ellen G. White comments on Hebrews 10:19; “The intercession of Christ in man’s behalf in the sanctuary above is as essential to the plan of salvation as was His death upon the cross. By His death He began that work which after His resurrection He ascended to complete in heaven. We must by faith enter within the veil, ‘whither the forerunner is for us entered’…ere the light from the cross of Calvary is reflected. There we may gain a clearer insight into the mysteries of redemption. The salvation of man is accomplished at an infinite expense to heaven.” 

Note the words, “We must by faith enter within the veil.” What does this mean? Speaking of God’s children after 1844, Ellen G. White wrote, “They are to understand His work and to follow Him by faith as He goes in before God. It is in this sense that they are said to go in” (Ibid., 427). To enter within the veil, then, includes understanding His work and following Him by faith. While our feet walk the paths of earth our hearts can be with Jesus in the most holy place. Doubtless you have had the experience of walking along a city street, absorbed in thought and hardly noticing the passersby or the goods displayed in the store windows because your mind was somewhere else. In our thoughts we can be where we choose. 

Similarly, although I have never been in the heavenly sanctuary, I can picture it in my imagination. By faith I can see my great High Priest standing at the mercy seat for me. In my imagination I can view the myriads of angels assisting Him. I can see Moses, Enoch, and Elijah there. I can see the twenty-four elders around God’s throne. Yes, you and I can enter in our imaginations. Our thoughts can abide with Jesus at the mercy seat. 

The nearer astronauts get to the moon, the bigger it appears and the smaller the earth looks. Which way are you moving? Is the sanctuary in heaven becoming larger, more real? If it is, the things of this world are getting smaller and more dim—and you are becoming one with Him in heart and mind. 

“It would be well to spend a thoughtful hour each day reviewing the life of Christ from the manger to Calvary. We should take it point by point and let the imagination [note that word imagination] vividly grasp each scene, especially the closing ones of His earthly life. By thus contemplating His teachings and sufferings, and the infinite sacrifice made by Him for the redemption of the race, we may strengthen our faith, quicken our love, and become more deeply imbued with the spirit which sustained our Saviour. If we would be saved at last we must all learn the lesson of penitence and faith at the foot of the cross” (4T 374). 

Unless we can learn to contemplate and meditate, mere facts about the sanctuary will have no lasting influence in our lives. Ellen G. White has counselled us to study the Bible on our knees (see 5T 214). There is nothing wrong, of course, with reading the Scriptures while sitting in a comfortable chair. But there is something special about getting down by that chair or by your bed, opening your Bible, and letting Jesus speak to you through its pages. Then as you close your eyes you can picture in your imagination what you have just read and can talk to God about it. 

Thus day by day we can come to the sanctuary just as the penitent brought his lamb to the altar. By faith we can see Jesus, our Sacrificial Lamb, slain and by faith we can follow Him as our High Priest while He presents the incense and sprinkles the blood of the atonement. All the way through we are looking at Jesus, and the longer we do this, the more real He becomes. As we go about our work we can feel Christ’s companionship. We can visit with Him while we wash the dishes or cultivate the garden. As we drive to work, instead of allowing the traffic to irritate us, we can fellowship with the Unseen One. Busy at our work in the factory or the office, we can still enjoy His divine companionship. 

This is the new and living way which He has opened for us through the veil. If you learn the lesson of this chapter, you will eventually learn everything else you need to know. If you don’t learn it, nothing else you learn will have any permanent value. Everything hinges on your personal fellowship with Christ our Lamb and High Priest. R&R WDF

Names Of Christ - Babe

For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the Babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying,
Glory to God in the highest,
and on earth peace,
good will toward men.
And it came to pass, as the angels were gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another, Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us. And they came with haste, and found Mary, and Joseph, and the Babe lying in a manger. Luke 2:11-16
As you try to make plain the truths of salvation, and point the children to Christ as a personal Saviour, angels will be by your side. The Lord will give to fathers and mothers grace to interest their little ones in the precious story of the Babe of Bethlehem, who is indeed the hope of the world. AH 205
As you win their confidence in you as followers of Christ, it will be easy to teach them of the great love wherewith He has loved us. As you try to make plain the truths of salvation, and point the children to Christ as a personal Saviour, angels will be by your side. The Lord will give to fathers and mothers grace to interest their little ones in the precious story of the Babe of Bethlehem, who is indeed the hope of the world. DA 517

Asking to Give - 1

Christ was continually receiving from the Father that He might communicate to us. “The word which ye hear,” He said, “is not Mine, but the Father's which sent Me.” John 14:24. “The Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister.” Matthew 20:28. 

Not for Himself, but for others, He lived and thought and prayed. From hours spent with God He came forth morning by morning, to bring the light of heaven to men. Daily He received a fresh baptism of the Holy Spirit. In the early hours of the new day the Lord awakened Him from His slumbers, and His soul and His lips were anointed with grace, that He might impart to others. His words were given Him fresh from the heavenly courts, words that He might speak in season to the weary and oppressed. “The Lord God hath given Me,” He said, “the tongue of the learned, that I should know how to speak a word in season to him that is weary: He wakeneth morning by morning, He wakeneth Mine ear to hear as the learned.” Isaiah 50:4. COL 139

Christ is leading out a people.

Christ is leading out a people. They are dependent upon God. They are to see and understand that the message to come to the people for this time is not a message that will create division. It is the third angel’s message, which is to become more and more definite and powerful and distinct in its influence, bringing all our churches upon a platform of the truth as it is in Jesus. This message, received and understood, will bear the right kind of fruit, bringing all into unity of faith, and differences of opinion will disappear under the Holy Spirit’s ministration. The third angel’s message is a sure, solid platform; and differences of opinion must be yielded to the working of this message, for the Lord is not glorified with strange voices. Difference of opinion must be yielded, that all the army of the Lord may present a united front. 23LtMs, Ms 126, 1908

Christ is leading out a people, and bringing them into the unity of the faith, that they may be one, as He is one with the Father. Differences of opinion must be yielded, that all may come into union with the body, that they may have one mind and one judgment. 1 Corinthians 1:10: “Now I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you; but that ye be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment.” Romans 15:5, 6: “Now the God of patience and consolation grant you to be like-minded one toward another according to Christ Jesus: that ye may with one mind and one mouth glorify God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.” Philippians 2:2: “Fulfill ye my joy, that ye be like-minded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind.” 1T 324

 Christ is leading out a people to stand in perfect unity on the broad platform of eternal truth. He gave himself to the world that he might “purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works.” This refining process is designed to purge the church from the spirit of discord and contention and from all unrighteousness, that they may build up the cause of God and concentrate their energies on the great work before them,—that of saving souls. BEcho September 1, 1888

The Light of Life - 2

Among His hearers many were drawn to Him in faith, and to them He said, “If ye continue in My word, then are ye My disciples indeed; and ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”

These words offended the Pharisees. The nation's long subjection to a foreign yoke, they disregarded, and angrily exclaimed, “We be Abraham's seed, and were never in bondage to any man: how sayest Thou, Ye shall be made free?” Jesus looked upon these men, the slaves of malice, whose thoughts were bent upon revenge, and sadly answered, “Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin.” They were in the worst kind of bondage,—ruled by the spirit of evil.

Every soul that refuses to give himself to God is under the control of another power. He is not his own. He may talk of freedom, but he is in the most abject slavery. He is not allowed to see the beauty of truth, for his mind is under the control of Satan. While he flatters himself that he is following the dictates of his own judgment, he obeys the will of the prince of darkness. Christ came to break the shackles of sin-slavery from the soul. “If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.” “The law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus” sets us “free from the law of sin and death.” Romans 8:2.

In the work of redemption there is no compulsion. No external force is employed. Under the influence of the Spirit of God, man is left free to choose whom he will serve. In the change that takes place when the soul surrenders to Christ, there is the highest sense of freedom. The expulsion of sin is the act of the soul itself. True, we have no power to free ourselves from Satan's control; but when we desire to be set free from sin, and in our great need cry out for a power out of and above ourselves, the powers of the soul are imbued with the divine energy of the Holy Spirit, and they obey the dictates of the will in fulfilling the will of God. DA 466

STOP PRESS

It is our definite policy not to endorse any person, ministry, movement, institution or organisation, for it has been proven that the only safety is to trust Christ alone and “He is faithful” indeed.

An extreme exception is being made here at this moment -

This young woman says it all! Very similar to internal/external - church/world, of how those who uphold truth are regarded/treated. 

You will appreciate this poem of hers:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I0wDdMeGBfM

Please see GC Ch 34-38 for further details.

With a Piece of Land and a Comfortable Home

The earth is to be made to give forth its strength; but without the blessing of God it could do nothing. In the beginning, God looked upon all that He had made, and pronounced it very good. The curse was brought upon the earth in consequence of sin. But shall this curse be multiplied by increasing sin? Ignorance is doing its baleful work. Slothful servants are increasing the evil by their lazy habits. Many are unwilling to earn their bread by the sweat of their brow, and they refuse to till the soil. But the earth has blessings hidden in her depths for those who have courage and will and perseverance to gather her treasures. Fathers and mothers who possess a piece of land and a comfortable home are kings and queens. CL 18

Righteousness? - 1

Matthew 5:20.

The scribes and Pharisees had accused not only Christ but His disciples as sinners because of their disregard of the rabbinical rites and observances. Often the disciples had been perplexed and troubled by censure and accusation from those whom they had been accustomed to revere as religious teachers. Jesus unveiled the deception. He declared that the righteousness upon which the Pharisees set so great value was worthless. The Jewish nation had claimed to be the special, loyal people who were favored of God; but Christ represented their religion as devoid of saving faith. All their pretensions of piety, their human inventions and ceremonies, and even their boasted performance of the outward requirements of the law, could not avail to make them holy. They were not pure in heart or noble and Christlike in character.

A legal religion is insufficient to bring the soul into harmony with God. The hard, rigid orthodoxy of the Pharisees, destitute of contrition, tenderness, or love, was only a stumbling block to sinners. They were like the salt that had lost its savor; for their influence had no power to preserve the world from corruption. The only true faith is that which “worketh by love” (Galatians 5:6) to purify the soul. It is as leaven that transforms the character. 

All this the Jews should have learned from the teachings of the prophets. Centuries before, the cry of the soul for justification with God had found voice and answer in the words of the prophet Micah: “Wherewith shall I come before the Lord, and bow myself before the high God? shall I come before Him with burnt offerings, with calves of a year old? Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams, or with ten thousands of rivers of oil? ... He hath showed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the Lord require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?” Micah 6:6-8. 

The prophet Hosea had pointed out what constitutes the very essence of Pharisaism, in the words, “Israel is an empty vine, he bringeth forth fruit unto himself.” Hosea 10:1. MB 53,54

TRUTH

Let us each remain faithful, and perfectly at peace in the midst of ALL that is happening in this world, knowing that there is not one created being that can do anything to change what is truth, but that, in whatever they do, they only prove the veracity of truth. So, we can safely allow it to ALL play out before our eyes, because “perfect love casteth out ALL fear”.

Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves. Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates*? But I trust that ye shall know that we are not reprobates.
Now I pray to God that ye do no evil; not that we should appear approved, but that ye should do that which is honest, though we be as reprobates. For we can do nothing against the truth, but for the truth. For we are glad, when we are weak, and ye are strong: and this also we wish, even your perfection. Therefore I write these things being absent, lest being present I should use sharpness, according to the power which the Lord hath given me to edification, and not to destruction.
Finally, brethren, farewell. Be perfect, be of good comfort, be of one mind, live in peace; and the God of love and peace shall be with you.
Greet one another with an holy kiss.
All the saints salute you.
The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Ghost, be with you all. Amen. 2 Corinthians 13:5-14
*worthless, rejected

James 3:17

But the wisdom that is from above is first 

pure, 

peaceable, 

gentle,

easy to be intreated, 

full of mercy and good fruits, 

without partiality, 

without hypocrisy.

the fruit of righteousness is sown in 

peace of them that make peace

When It’s Easy To Do Right

We have seen that the sanctuary cannot close until the sins of God’s children are blotted out, and this cannot happen until we allow Him to write His law in our minds and hearts. If the law written in the mind suggests knowing God’s will, the law written in the heart may stand for the experience of loving His will. Then obedience becomes not a burden but a joy. The true Christian sings, “I delight to do thy will, O my God: yea, thy law is within my heart” (Psalm 40:8). 

Is there a law in the statehouse against murder? Yes. Is there a law in the heavenly sanctuary against murder? Yes. But where is the law written that protects the little child? In the mother’s heart. 

Wouldn’t it be wonderful if all the commandments were written in your heart the same way? Can they be? If they can’t, the sanctuary will have to stay open. But when we allow God to write his law in our minds and hearts so that we not only know but love His will, Jesus can sprinkle the blood on the mercy seat and will close the sanctuary. 

You see, if parents love their children, it isn’t hard to keep from killing them. When husbands love their wives, it isn’t hard to keep from committing adultery, either in outward act or inward thought. And children who love their parents don’t find it hard to obey them. The Scriptures tell us, “Love is the fulfilling of the law” (Romans 13:10). How strange that anyone ever concluded that if he had enough love he didn’t need to obey the law! Jesus urges, “If you love me, you will keep my commandments” (John 14:15, RSV ). 

Why make it hard? Christ says, “My yoke is easy, and my burden is light” (Matthew 11:30). Must a mother try hard to keep from killing her baby? No, indeed, love makes it easy. And love is all we need to do all that God has said in every one of His commandments. To know His will and to love His will result when God writes His law in our minds and hearts. 

Unfortunately some people would like to find a Xerox machine through which they can run their minds and hearts and in five minutes have it all done, but Jesus offers no such program. 

True, Jesus will forgive our sins as soon as we confess them, but “sanctification is not the work of a moment, an hour, a day, but of a lifetime” (AA 560). And this doesn’t mean that if you wait long enough, either death or translation will take care of everything. Mere passing of time will not sanctify. Mere passing of time will not write God’s law in the mind and heart. But if you and I will come to the sanctuary, Jesus not only will forgive our past sins but also will write His law in our very souls so that we will love righteousness and hate iniquity. If we believe He can do it, we will give Him time every day to accomplish this blessed work in our hearts. 

And now we come to a very interesting and important point. To introduce it let me ask, “Did you ever know someone who at one time enjoyed eating pork but later on loathed even the smell of ham and bacon?” Perhaps this has been your own experience. “Why, then, did you quit eating pork when you enjoyed it so much?” 

You answer, “I read in Leviticus 11:7 and 8 concerning the swine, ‘He is unclean to you. Of their flesh shall ye not eat.’ So I quit.” 

“You mean you quit something you liked very much just because the Bible said not to eat it?” 

“Yes, indeed!” 

“Which came first, losing your taste for the pork or giving it up?” 

“I gave it up because God said to. And gradually as time went on I found my taste changing, and what I once loved I can say truly I now hate.” 

Here we come face-to-face with the important principle of cooperation. If we want God to write His law in our minds and hearts, we shall not wait to obey Him until we feel like it and it seems easy. As soon as we find out something in our lives that God wants changed, we shall give it up immediately. 

Perhaps you are thinking, “Didn’t you say that Christ’s yoke is easy?” I did, but to change our hearts so that we enjoy only the good things and despise all wickedness is a gradual process. God can start the work in a moment, but its completion requires a lifetime. 

Do you know what will hasten the process? “It is by beholding that we become changed” (GC 478). Looking into the perfect law, we discern what sin is. Looking at Calvary, we see what it has cost Jesus to redeem us. Looking to our great High Priest in the sanctuary, we shall more and more harmonise with His longing to perfect His people. R&R WDF

Names Of Christ - Branch

The work of Christ as man's intercessor is presented in that beautiful prophecy of Zechariah concerning Him “whose name is the Branch.” Says the prophet:  CIHS 93

And speak unto Him, saying, Thus speaketh the LORD of hosts, saying,

Behold the Man whose name is The BRANCH;

and He shall grow up out of His place,

and He shall build the temple of the LORD:

Even He shall build the temple of the LORD;

and He shall bear the glory,

and shall sit and rule upon His throne;

and He shall be a Priest upon His throne:

and the counsel of peace shall be between Them both. Zechariah 6:12,13

Isaiah's rapt portrayals of the Messiah's glory were his study by day and by night,—the Branch from the root of Jesse; a King to reign in righteousness, judging “with equity for the meek of the earth;” “a covert from the tempest; ... the shadow of a great rock in a weary land;” Israel no longer to be termed “Forsaken,” nor her land “Desolate,” but to be called of the Lord, “My Delight,” and her land “Beulah.” DA 103

Things New And Old - For Eternity - 2

In giving us His word, God has put us in possession of every truth essential for our salvation. Thousands have drawn water from these wells of life, yet there is no diminishing of the supply. 

Thousands have set the Lord before them, and by beholding have been changed into the same image. Their spirit burns within them as they speak of His character, telling what Christ is to them, and what they are to Christ. But these searchers have not exhausted these grand and holy themes. Thousands more may engage in the work of searching out the mysteries of salvation. As the life of Christ and the character of His mission are dwelt upon, rays of light will shine forth more distinctly at every attempt to discover truth. Each fresh search will reveal something more deeply interesting than has yet been unfolded. The subject is inexhaustible. The study of the incarnation of Christ, His atoning sacrifice and mediatorial work, will employ the mind of the diligent student as long as time shall last; and looking to heaven with its unnumbered years he will exclaim, “Great is the mystery of godliness.”

In eternity we shall learn that which, had we received the enlightenment it was possible to obtain here, would have opened our understanding. The themes of redemption will employ the hearts and minds and tongues of the redeemed through the everlasting ages. They will understand the truths which Christ longed to open to His disciples, but which they did not have faith to grasp. Forever and forever new views of the perfection and glory of Christ will appear. Through endless ages will the faithful Householder bring forth from His treasure things new and old. COL 133,134

Scripture

Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. 2 Timothy 2:15

Ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth. Now as Jannes and Jambres withstood Moses, so do these also resist the truth: men of corrupt minds, reprobate concerning the faith. But they shall proceed no further: for their folly shall be manifest unto all men, as theirs also was. 2 Timothy 3:7-9

All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works. 2 Timothy 3:16,17 

“For the Word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.” Hebrews 4:12 

 

Jehoshaphat stood and said, Hear me, O Judah, and ye inhabitants of Jerusalem; 

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

Jesus saith unto him, I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life. John 14:6

The Light of Life - 1

I am the light of the world…John 8:12

When He spoke these words, Jesus was in the court of the temple specially connected with the services of the Feast of Tabernacles. In the center of this court rose two lofty standards, supporting lampstands of great size. After the evening sacrifice, all the lamps were kindled, shedding their light over Jerusalem. This ceremony was in commemoration of the pillar of light that guided Israel in the desert, and was also regarded as pointing to the coming of the Messiah…

In the illumination of Jerusalem, the people expressed their hope of the Messiah's coming to shed His light upon Israel. But to Jesus the scene had a wider meaning. As the radiant lamps of the temple lighted up all about them, so Christ, the source of spiritual light, illumines the darkness of the world. Yet the symbol was imperfect. That great light which His own hand had set in the heavens was a truer representation of the glory of His mission.

It was morning; the sun had just risen above the Mount of Olives, and its rays fell with dazzling brightness on the marble palaces, and lighted up the gold of the temple walls, when Jesus, pointing to it, said, “I am the light of the world.”…

God is light; and in the words, “I am the light of the world,” Christ declared His oneness with God, and His relation to the whole human family. It was He who at the beginning had caused “the light to shine out of darkness.” 2 Corinthians 4:6. He is the light of sun and moon and star. He was the spiritual light that in symbol and type and prophecy had shone upon Israel. But not to the Jewish nation alone was the light given. As the sunbeams penetrate to the remotest corners of the earth, so does the light of the Sun of Righteousness shine upon every soul…

In the words, “I am the light of the world,” Jesus declared Himself the Messiah. DA 463-465