"Now of the things which we have spoken this is the sum: We have such an high priest, who is set on the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens; A minister of the sanctuary, and of the true tabernacle, which the Lord pitched, and not man. For every high priest is ordained to offer gifts and sacrifices: wherefore it is of necessity that this man have somewhat also to offer. For if he were on earth, he should not be a priest, seeing that there are priests that offer gifts according to the law: Who serve unto the example and shadow of heavenly things, as Moses was admonished of God when he was about to make the tabernacle: for, See, saith he, that thou make all things according to the pattern shewed to thee in the mount." Hebrews 8:1-5.
Notice in verses 1 and 2 that CHRIST IS OUR HIGH PRIEST. He is a Minister of the Sanctuary, AND OF THE TRUE TABERNACLE, "which the Lord pitched, and not man." These are very, very important verses for they lay the foundation and establish the fact FOR WHAT CHRIST IS DOING RIGHT NOW, as we shall see later in this thread.
Now, notice something in verse 5 which many have read but probably have not taken the time to digest this amazing fact. When we think of Mount Sinai, the first thing that probably comes to all our minds is THE LAW!! Because it was on Mount Sinai that Moses received the Ten Commandment Law of God. But Moses received something else on Sinai other than The Decalogue. Hebrews 8:5 establishes the fact that he also received THE PATTERN WHEREBY HE WAS TO MAKE THE TABERNACLE OF GOD. Moses received the Good News Gospel of Jesus Christ as It would be illustrated in the Sanctuary services. He was told to "make all things according to the pattern" which He was shown by God on Mount Sinai. The Tabernacle of which Moses was to build PRECISELY AS GOD HAD SHOWN HIM is described in the next Chapter of Hebrews:
"For there was a tabernacle made; the first [meaning the First Apartment], wherein was the candlestick, and the table, and the shewbread; which is called the sanctuary. And after the second vail, the tabernacle which is called the Holiest of all [The Most Holy Place]: Which had the golden censer, and the ark of the covenant overlaid round about with gold, wherein was the golden pot that had manna, and Aaron's rod that budded, and the tables of the covenant: And over it the cherubims of glory shadowing the mercyseat; of which we cannot now speak particularly." Hebrews 9:2-5.
This Tabernacle was to be built EXACTLY as God had instructed BECAUSE IN ITS RITUAL AND CEREMONY It would prefigure and keep evermore up to Calvary--before the people AND BEFORE THE ONLOOKING UNIVERSE--the Great Sacrifice God would make to redeem mankind from the death decree we were under.
But even before Sinai, the Good News had already been trumpeted, as we shall see on next time.
M.A.
"And the scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the heathen through faith, preached before the gospel unto Abraham, saying, In thee shall all nations be blessed." (Galatians 3:8)
Excellent study and worthy of knowing!
Revelation 13:8 makes it very clear that before sin even entered our world, God already had a Plan in place as to how He would redeem man. The Plan of Salvation was not an afterthought. GOD WAS NOT CAUGHT OFF GUARD!! The moment that sin entered the earth, God already had a Plan ready to be put into action:
"And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and thy seed and her seed: it shall bruise thy head, and thou shall bruise his heel." Genesis 3:15.
In Genesis 3:14 and 15, because the serpent permitted itself to become a tool used by Satan in the fall of man, a curse is placed upon it by God Himself. In verse 15, a judgment is pronounced on both serpents--the snake and the devil. There will be mortal enmity between snakes and man wherever the twain shall meet; and this same verse also contains the ultimate demise of the serpent, the devil: "It shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel."
"It shall bruise thy head. 'Bruise,' SHUPH. This word means 'to crush....' It is evident that crushing the head is far more serious than crushing the heel....
"...in this prounoucement is compressed the record of the great controversy between Christ and Satan, a battle that began in heaven (Rev. 12:7-9), was continued on earth, where Christ again defeated him (Heb. 2:4), and will terminate finally with Satan's destruction at the end of the millennium (Rev. 20:10). Christ did not emerge from this battle unscathed. The nail marks in His hands and feet and the scar in His side will be eternal reminders of the fierce battle in which the serpent brusied the woman's seed ['His heel']...." (1BC 233).
Here in Genesis 3:15, we have the first prophecy of the coming Deliverer, the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, who would save men and women, boys and girls, from their sins:
"And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins." Matthew 1:21.
M.A.
Brother Crawford said "Moses received the Good News Gospel of Jesus Christ as It would be illustrated in the Sanctuary services." Amen! There is a topic in this forum that explains the Hebrew Sanctuary and some of its services. It is 18 pages long.
The current SDA view (as expounded in the SDA Bible dictionary and commentary and again in Bible Readings for the Home) really makes no sense. It basically says that from Sinai UNTIL Christ the Israelites were under the Old Covenant, even though they acknowledge that there was no salvation under the Old Covenant, yet somehow there was. (?)
For further information read page 53 (where she states that "like the angels in heaven, Adam and Eve could obey and live or disobey and die" - a condition she states later as being of the Old Covenant) of Patriarchs and Prophets and the chapter on the laws and the covenants, particularly the half on the two covenants.
Bill
"Judah. Jacob's fourth son was to receive a rich and unqualified blessing, one which bestowed upon him supremacy and power.... Judah received the right of the first-born to leadership, forfeited by Reuben because of emotional instability, and by Simeon and Levi because of their cruelty....
"The sceptre. The scepter is a symbol of royal authority.... Judah was to continue as leader among the tribes until the time of the coming of the Messiah.
"Until Shiloh come.... Shiloh, therefore, is the Messiah, who in Jacob's prophecy was to take over Judah's royal pregoratives as leader of Israel and to whom all nations would gather." (1BC 481).
As indicated above, Shiloh is another name for Jesus Christ. He AT THE APPOINTED TIME OF GOD, as the prophecy pointed out, would take over the royal pregoratives THAT ARE RESERVED FOR A KING, and all the nations would be gathered unto Him. Jesus would therefore become not "a lion," but THE LION OF THE TRIBE OF JUDA (Rev. 5:5).
M.A.
The Great Plan of Salvation for the redemption of all mankind through Jesus Christ is presented in the Sanctuary and its services as revealed to Moses by God Himself on Mt. Sinai (Heb. 8:5). We shall see clearly from the Word of God that everything connected with the Sanctuary service was a symbol of something that Jesus would do to save us.
"And let them make me a sanctuary; that I may dwell among them." Exodus 25:8.
From the very beginning, God's desire has simply been to dwell with His people whom He created. From eternity, God has created possibly millions of inhabited worlds other than earth in order to share with us and them something only He possesses within Himself: life. EVERY LIVING BEING owes its existence TO HIM ALONE who only has life within Himself--"original, unborrowed, underived" (DA 530). Here demonstrated is THE SUPREME EXAMPLE of unselfishness in that God is willing to share with beings--impossible to number--only that which He alone possessed from the beginning simply because He desires to fellowship, commune, and be with us, and we with Him. What a wonderful God we serve. WHO COULDN'T LOVE A GOD LIKE THAT??!!!
The Sanctuary was first a tent-type structure during the time of Moses (Exodus 26 and 27) which later culminated in the massive and impressive structure known as Solomon's Temple made from the lumber of "cedar trees out of Lebanon," "fir trees," and "great and costly [masonite] stones" (1 Kings 5:6, 10, 17, 18). The interior walls of the entire structure and the altar were overlaid with gold (1 Kings 6:21, 22). Also the cherubim, the entire floor of the Temple, and the entrance doors were overlaid with gold (vss. 28, 30-32).
Because God gave unto Moses on Mt. Sinai the "blueprint" and full specifications as to how He wanted the Sanctuary to be constructed, our walk will be through the Mosaic Sanctuary to reveal to us how everything connected with the Sanctuary service was symbolic of something Jesus would do to save us. By God's Grace, we shall take our time, beginning on next time, to begin this fascinating study.
M.A.
Based upon the measurement of a cubit being 18 inches long, the courtyard of the Sanctuary was 150 feet long and 75 feet wide which was encompassed by "fine twined linen" that hung on pillars of brass (Exod. 27:9-16).
"And the Lord called unto Moses, and spake unto him out of the tabernacle of the congregation, saying, Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, If any man of you bring an offering unto the Lord, ye shall bring your offering of the cattle, even of the herd, and of the flock. If his offering be a burnt sacrifce of the herd, let him offer a male without blemish: he shall offer it of his own voluntary will at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation before the Lord." Leviticus 1:1-3.
"...offer a male without blemish...."
If a man brought an offering unto the Lord to be offered on the altar of burnt offerings, just any kind of offering would not suffice. God specifically spoke to Moses and told him to instruct the children of Israel to bring A MALE WITHOUT BLEMISH of the cattle of the herd (Lev. 1:1-3). The animal was to be without blemish BECAUSE CHRIST WAS WITHOUT BLEMISH (1 Peter 1:19), and this animal sacrifice represented the Supreme Sacrifice that Christ would make on Calvary for the salvation of all mankind (John 1:29).
"...his offering shall be a burnt sacrifice...."
The place--the altar of burnt sacrifice--where the unblemished animal was sacrificed represented the place where Jesus would be sacrificed: the cross of Calvary (Phil. 2:8).
"...he shall offer it...at the door of the tabernacle...."
The altar of burnt offerings was located inside the courtyard not far from the entrance to the Sanctuary.
M.A.
The laver and the stand upon which it sat were both made of brass. They were located between the altar and the entrance of the Sanctuary. Prior to the priests entering the Sanctuary, or offering a sacrifice on the altar of burnt offering, they were to wash their hands and their feet "that they die not" (vss. 19-21).
Water is often used in the Bible as symbolic of the cleansing work of the Holy Spirit (Titus 3:5). When the priest washed his hands and feet before entering the Sanctuary, or before offering a sacrifice on the altar of burnt offering, this act not only represented physical, but spiritual cleansing as well.
When Jesus washed the disciples feet, he was not only performing an act of physical cleansing, He was likewise performing a symbolic spiritual cleansing as well:
"After that he poured water into a basin, and began to wash the disciples' feet, and to wipe them with the towel wherewith he was girded. Then cometh he to Simon Peter: and Peter saith unto him, Lord dost thou wash my feet? Jesus answered and said unto him, What I do thou knowest not now; but thou shalt know hereafter. Peter saith unto him, Thou shalt never wash my feet. Jesus answered him, If I wash thee not, thou hast no part with me. Simon Peter saith unto him, Lord, not my feet only, but also my hands and my head. Jesus saith unto him, He that is washed needeth not save to wash his feet, but is clean every whit: and ye are clean, but not all." John 13:5-10.
"...ye are clean, but not all."
When Jesus uttered those words, "Ye are clean, but not all," He was echoing the fact that although Judas' feet may have been washed as per the other disciples, he was still not clean WHERE IT REALLY MATTERED. The washing of the hands and feet in the laver therefore represents the fact that cleansing from sin IS POSSIBLE ONLY THROUGH JESUS CHRIST when one has accepted Him by faith as Saviour and Lord by way of the New Birth experience--water AND SPIRIT:
"Jesus answered, Verily, verily I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water AND OF THE SPIRIT, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God." John 3:5. Emphasis mine.
M.A.
The table of shewbread was precisely constructed according to exact specifications, and was overlaid with pure gold with a border of pure gold around the top to prevent items on the table from falling off.
"And he put the table in the tent of the congregation, upon the side of the tabernacle northward, without the vail." Exodus 40:22.
The table was located inside the Sanctuary near its northern wall in the First Apartment (Holy Place) of the Sanctuary ("without the vail").
"And thou shalt take fine flour, and bake twelve cakes thereof: two tenths deals shall be in one cake. And thou shalt set them in two rows, six on a row, upon the pure table before the Lord.... Every Sabbath he shall set it in order before the Lord continually, being taken from the children of Israel by an everlasting covenant." Leviticus 24:5, 6, 8.
Upon the table of shewbread were twelve loaves or cakes that were arranged in two rows, with six cakes stacked on each row. The shewbread was removed every Sabbath Day by four priests and replaced with fresh loaves.
"Those who brought in the new bread stood at the north side [of the table], facing south; those who took away the old bread stood at the south side, facing north. As the priest on one side removed the loaves, the priest opposite him put the new ones on. In doing this they were careful not to take away the old till the new was ready to be put in place. Thus bread was always on the table. The old bread was then eaten by the priests as their portion, within the sacred precincts of the sanctuary..." (1BC 807, 808, brackets supplied).
"I am the living bread which came down from heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever: and the bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world." John 6:51.
The bread on the table of shewbread therefore represented The Living Bread, Jesus Christ:
"Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily I say unto you, Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you. Whoso eateth my flesh and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life: and I will raise him up at the last day." John 6:53, 54.
M.A.
The next article of furniture in the Holy Place was the seven-branch candlestick made of pure gold. It consisted of a candlestick in the center (vs. 31), that had six branches coming out of the sides of it: three branches on one side and three branches on the other, making a total of seven candlesticks (vs. 32).
"And thou shalt set the table without the vail, and the candlestick over against the table on the side of the tabernacle toward the south: and thou shalt put the table on the north side." Exodus 26:35.
The seven-branch candlestick was located "without the vail" (in the Holy Place) on the south side of the Sanctuary with the table of shewbread on the north (Ex. 26:35). The candlestick provided light for the Sanctuary (Ex. 35:14).
"Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life." John 8:12.
Just as the seven-branch candlestick provided light for the Sanctuary, it represented Jesus, who is The Light of the world.
M.A.
The third article of furniture in the Holy Place was the altar of incense. It was made of acacia wood 18 inches wide, 18 inches long, and 36 inches high (vs. 2). It also was overlaid with pure gold and bordered at the top with pure gold (vs. 3). The altar of incense was located in the Holy Place "before the vail" (vs. 6) which separated The Holy from The Most Holy Place.
"And when he had taken the book, the four beasts and four and twenty elders fell down before the Lamb, having every one of them harps, and golden vials full of odours [margin, incense], which are the prayers of the saints." Revelation 5:8.
"And another angel came and stood at the altar having a golden censer; and there was given unto him much incense, that he should offer it with the prayers of all saints upon the golden altar which was before the throne. And the smoke of the incense, which came with the prayers of the saints, ascended up before God out of the angel's hand." Revelation 8:3, 4.
The altar of incense and the sweet-smelling smoke that ascended from it represented the prayers of the saints of God (Rev. 5:8). The smoke which "ascended up before God" (Rev. 8:4) ascends up before Jesus Christ, the Second Person of the Godhead, who is:
"A minister of the sanctuary, and of the true tabernacle, which the Lord pitched, and not man." Hebrews 8:2.
M.A.
The ark of the covenant was made of acacia wood 45 inches long, 27 inches wide, and 27 inches high. It was overlaid with pure gold on the inside and the outside, and had a border around the top of pure gold.
"And thou shalt make a vail of blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine twined linen of cunning work.... And thou shalt hang up the vail under the taches, that thou mayest bring in thither within the vail the ark of the testimony: and the vail shall divide unto you between the holy place and the most holy. And thou shalt put the mercy seat upon the ark of the testimony in the most holy place." Exodus 26:31, 33, 34.
Here the Bible makes it very clear that the ark of the testimony, or covenant, was to be placed "within the vail" which divided or separated The Holy Place from The Most Holy Place (vs. 33). The mercy seat was placed "upon the ark of the testimony in the most holy place" (vs. 34).
"And thou shalt make a mercy seat of pure gold: two cubits and a half shall be length thereof, and a cubit and a half the breadth. And thou shalt make two cherubims of gold, of beaten work shalt thou make them, in the two ends of the mercy seat. And make one cherub on the one end, and the other cherub on the other end.... And the cherubims shall stretch forth their wings on high, covering the mercy seat with their wings, and their faces shall look one to another.... And thou shalt put the mercy seat above the ark; and in the ark thou shalt put the testimony that I shall give thee." Exodus 25:17-21.
Above the mercy seat were two cherubim of gold, facing each other, with their wings stretching over the mercy seat. The mercy seat was above the ark which contained the tables of testimony, which are God's Ten Commandments:
"And he gave unto Moses, when he had made an end of communing with him upon mount Sinai, two tables of testimony, tables of stone, written with the finger of God." Exodus 31:18.
Between the cherubim above the mercy seat was where the supernatural presence Shekinah Glory of God was manifested.
"And there I will meet with thee,and I will commune with thee from above the mercy seat, from between the two cherubims which are upon the ark of the testimony...." Exodus 25:22.
The mercy seat symbolized God's Throne in Heaven which is also located between two cherubim:
"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." Ezekiel 10:1.
"To the chief Musician...thou that leadest Joseph like a flock; thou that dwellest between the cherubims, shine forth." Psalm 80:1.
The ark of the covenant and the mercy seat above it represented Jesus Christ in whom IS PERFECTLY BLENDED His Justice (His Law) and His Mercy (His Grace).
M.A.
"The ark of the covenant and the mercy seat above it represented Jesus Christ in whom IS PERFECTLY BLENDED His Justice (His Law) and His Mercy (His Grace)."
This point deserves a little more examination since it is the subject of the controversy between Christ and Satan. Satan would have man believe either Christ is too lenient in dealing with sinners or He is too harsh. Either way He represents God as being unfair. But, the opposite is true and is represented by the law in the ark and the mercy seat that covers it.
As much as God loves fallen man, He would not set aside justice to forgive man of his sins. And...it would do no good anyway. Without being changed, even if God could forgive man his sins, man would continue to sin. It would not resolve the issue. And....God is not harsh and unloving because of His system of justice. To the contrary. While justice cannot be set aside for a good reason, God is a God of love. Satan accuses Him of being vegeful and arbitrary, but not so. God provided for the re-creation of sinful man. He revealed His love to a world that did not love Him, nor understand Him. Satan had deceived most of the world including the nation of Israel at the time of Christ's birth.
The greatest evidence of both the perfect justice and the infinite love that God has for man is the willing Sacrifice of His Son for our redemption. Here at the cross we see truth and mercy meeting at God's expense.
How very sad that so many will reject such love!
There was one time I was very low. Felt very apart from God. A view came to my mind of the Ark in the Most Holy Place. I saw this light shinning down on the Ark.
This light shinned only upon the Mercy seat and the two angels on top, the rest was dark from my view.
This showed me that God looks at mercy before He looks at the law for justice. It is in the mercy of God that we have been given the love that God has toward His created beings.
None need fear, for God desires to touch us with all the mercy that can be given. The law can only condemn. It stand as the marker to what is good and what is evil. It is the schoolteacher to learn of the ways of God, but it is God in his love and mercy that draws the sinner to the throne of God. There is the fragrance of His character in that through His Son we have been given the opportunity to have life eternal.
His mercy began even before the creation of this earth through His Son who became the living sacrfice for us all.
From the Pen of Inspiration:
"The Old Testament sheds light upon the New, and the New upon the Old. Each is a revelation of the glory of God in Christ. Both present truths that will continually reveal new depths of meaning to the earnest seeker." (Christ's Object Lessons, pp. 126-128). LHU 306.7}
Liane, the Zoo Mama
M.A.
Those who were looking for the return of Christ to this earth on October 22, 1844 were disappointed, to say the least, when He did not return on that date. The few Advent believers who remained after that date knew that their calculations were correct. They concluded that what was not correct was the event that took place on that day. They had originally believed that the earth was the sanctuary that was to be cleansed as per Daniel 8:14. But upon further examination of the Word of God, they discovered in the Book of Hebrews that there is a Heavenly Sanctuary "not made with hands" (Heb. 9:11) where Jesus Christ is the Minister of this Sanctuary "which the Lord pitched, and not man" (Heb. 8:2). Christ serves in the Heavenly Sanctuary as our High Priest (Heb. 9:11):
For Christ is not entered into the holy places made with hands, which are the figures of the true; but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us." Hebrews 9:24.
With this Bible information and being led of the Holy Spirit, the few remaining Advent believers came to understand that it was the Heavenly Sanctuary that was to be cleansed beginning in 1844, and not the earth.
Daniel 9:24 very clearly points out in no uncertain terms that Christ has entered into the Holy Places (The Holy and The Most Holy) of the Heavenly Sanctuary to appear in the presence of God for us. Since we have already established above from Scripture that the earthly sanctuary was but a copy of the Heavenly, it stands to reason that the function of the earthly high priest in the earthly sanctuary was but a representation of what Jesus would do in the Heavenly Sanctuary as our High Priest.
When Christ ascended into Heaven in Acts 1:9-11, whenever He entered into the Heavenly Sanctuary, it would have to be the First Apartment (Holy Place) because this is where the earthly high priest began his earthly ministrations. Only once a year, on the day of atonement, did the earthly high priest enter into The Most Holy Place (Lev. 23:27). This is when the cleansing of the earthly sanctuary took place (Lev. 16:15). Since we have already established that the Sanctuary to be cleansed mentioned in Daniel 8:14 was the Heavenly and not the earthly, THE EXACT DATE as to when this cleansing was to begin was at the conclusion of the 2300-day prophecy, or in 1844.
"Then shall he kill the goat of the sin offering, that is for the people, and bring his blood within the vail, and do with that blood as he did with the blood of the bullock, and sprinkle it upon the the mercy seat and before the mercy seat." Leviticus 16:15.
Cleansing of the earthly sanctuary was done symbolically with the blood of bulls and goats. The mercy seat "within the vail" (vs. 15) is located in The Most Holy Place. Christ therefore entered The Most Holy Place to begin His Work of cleansing the Sanctuary in 1844. This was the momentous event prophecised in Daniel 8:14 that took place on October 22, 1844 at the conclusion of the longest time prophecy in the Bible.
"And on the tenth day of this seventh month there shall be a day of atonement: it shall be an holy convocation unto you. and ye shall afflict your souls, and offer an offering made by fire unto the Lord." Leviticus 23:27.
The Day of Atonement was a day in which individuals were to "afflict" their souls, or confess their sins, before the Lord. For whosoever did not afflict his soul was "cut off" from among God's people (vs. 29). The antitypical Day of Atonement, here in the time of the end, shall also be a time when men and women shall confess their sins before the Lord and claim they are followers of Christ. How is it to be determined that these last-day confessions are genuine?
"Let us here the conclusion of the whole matter: fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man. For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil." Ecclesiastes 12:13, 14.
We will continue our study of how Christ cleanses the Heavenly Sanctuary of sin on next time.
M.A.
The Bible makes it very clear that EVERYTHING about our salvation can be summed up in the fact that OUR ENTIRE BEING should first of all be consumed with the neverending desire to reverence or respect and honor God and give unto Him the glory for the great things He has done in our lives. Second, we are to keep His Commandments and so order our lives BY EVERY WORD that proceeds out of the Mouth of God (Matt. 4:4). Every human being who is saved in God's Kingdom will have made up in his or her mind to accept the fact that whatever God asks of us to do (don't miss this), He only asks because He has our well-being and very best interest at heart, and because His Way is the best way of all possible ways.
Lucifer had problems with believing in and living by every Word of God. Sin began in Heaven with him who was a liar and a murderer:
"...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.
"And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels, And prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven. And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceived the whole world...." Revelation 12:7-9.
"How art thy fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning...how art thy cut down to the ground?...." Isaiah 14:12.
Adam and Eve had problems with believing in and living by every word that proceeds out of the Mouth of God. God told them not to eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil (Gen. 2:17) UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES, but they ate of it anyway.
Cain had problems with ordering his life according to every Word of the Lord when he brought a fruit offering unto the Lord (Gen. 4:3) which God did not accept (vs. 5). Whereas Abel brought a lamb offering which God did accept (vs. 4). Both men were to bring a lamb offering because God accepted Abel's offering which was a lamb offering and rejected Cain's offering which was not. The lamb offering of Abel represented The Lamb Offering that God Himself would make one day to save mankind from the penalty of sin through Jesus Christ, which is death (Rom. 6:23).
And some of us today have problems with truly believing in and living in accordance with every word that proceeds out of the Mouth of God. This is why THERE IS ONLY ONE WAY to separate the counterfeit from the genuine, as we shall see on next time.
M.A.
"For the Lord shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil." Ecclesiastes 12:14.
In order to determine the counterfeit from the genuine, the Bible makes it very clear in no uncertain terms that the Lord is going to bring EVERY WORK--what we say and do--and every secret thing--EVEN OUR THOUGHTS--into judgment:
"For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall be the end of them that obey not the gospel of God?" 1 Peter 4:17.
JUDGMENT IS GOING TO BEGIN WITH US who claim to know and follow Jesus Christ. It begins with us because those who "obey not the gospel of God" ARE ALREADY LOST!!! And have a special time of judgment reserved for them:
"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.
And the Bible is also clear as to when the judgment of the wicked shall take place:
"And I saw thrones, and they that sat on them, and judgment was given unto them...and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years. But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished...." Revelation 20:4, 5.
From the first lost sinner to the last, the righteous shall go over the Books of Heaven which contain the life's record of every lost human being explaining or showing why he or she is lost. Many individuals who were thought to be in this life perfect examples of "model Christians" will not be among those who are saved. This is why the Lord has declared that judgment must begin with the house of God. It must be clearly understood by all the redeemed why some we thought we knew would be in Heaven will be numbered among the lost.
"So speak ye, and so do, as they that shall be judged by the law of liberty." James 2:12.
Those of us who claim to be followers of Christ--IRREGARDLESS OF THE DENOMINATION--will be judged by the Law of liberty--The Word of God. IT WILL BE THE LITMUS TEST that determines if we will be saved. (Please don't miss this) ONLY JESUS IS WORTHY!!! But the Word of God will determine IF WE HAVE BEEN FAITHFUL unto Christ by believing in Him and living BY EVERY WORD that proceeds out of the Mouth of God. THIS IS THE ONLY WAY we can prove our loyalty and fidelity unto Jesus Christ: By doing what He asks us to do in His Word. WE MUST HAVE FAITH AND WORKS!!! (James 2:14, 17, 20, 26).
Therefore the cleansing of the Heavenly Sanctuary IS A WORK OF JUDGMENT as we shall continue to see on next time.
M.A.
The heavenly sanctuary will be cleansed and is today being cleansed. All sin will be dealt with. Soon, no more sin will enter heaven. There will be no more opportunity for forgiveness. Today we are to put away our sin by confessing it while we still have a mediator. When Jesus leaves the Most Holy Place all opportunity for salvation will have passed. Those who are still alive must live without sinning if they are to enter heaven. Now, that is a thought that few have entertained.
Please correct me if you think that I'm wrong in my understanding. In the time which there is no mediator. God's children will be sealed.
quote:
11 He that is unjust, let him be unjust still: and he which is filthy, let him be filthy still: and he that is righteous, let him be righteous still: and he that is holy, let him be holy still.12 And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be.
The character of God will be perfected in them and because of this they will not sin and therefore will not need a mediator.
Living without a mediator needs a little explanation. Some may think this is living without Jesus, but not so. Those who live through the time of trouble such as never was and meet Jesus without dying will depend upon Christ for all things. They no longer need the things of this world, but know their need of Christ, moment by moment.
Then what does it mean to live without a mediator? As you point out this time comes when God says "He that is unjust, let him be unjust still: and he which is filthy, let him be filthy still: and he that is righteous, let him be righteous still: and he that is holy, let him be holy still."
A mediator is one who mediates. Jesus is our mediator in the heavenly sanctuary today. He stands between us and our heavenly Father when we sin. He pleads His blood that we might have more time to learn of Him. It is good that we have one who will plead for us when we have nothing to bring in exchange for our sins. Not only does Jesus plead for us for more time, as long as we have not fully rejected Him, but He also stands for us during the investigative judgement. We may be in the grave or we may still be living, but when our name comes before the universe that all might know our status, if we are His, Jesus will present our record and blot out our sins, thus cleansing the record of sins in heaven. When this process is finished, then there will be no more mediation for sinful man. No more forgiveness of sin. If one sins after the heavenly sanctuary is cleansed, there is no one to forgive Him. This is what it means to have no mediator.
It may sound arbitrary, but it is not. God has given all a chance to know Him and to form a righteous character. All who remain filthy do so because they have rejected the light that came to them. God does not leave them until they have hardened their hearts against the truth. They are left without a mediator because they chose to reject light sent from God. They wanted the things of this world more than the things they could not see that are eternal.
[This message has been edited by Richard Myers (edited 01-01-2006).]
quote:
Jesus is our mediator in the heavenly sanctuary today. He stands between us and our heavenly Father when we sin.
I have always been under the impression that the Father and the Son are essentially the same in attitude, that all three members of the Godhead are on our side, working for the salvation of man. In what way, specifically, does Jesus' attitude towards us differ from the Father. Is Jesus able to accept the repentant one while the Father needs more convincing? In other words, can you expand on the nature of Christ's mediation in our behalf?
28:20 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.
Though He may have ended His ministry in the Most Holy Place in Heaven, Jesus is always with us, right to the end. Who will be with us when the forces of the world come against us? Jesus. Who is it that comes and gets us and takes us home? Jesus.
Randy S:
He stands between us and our heavenly Father when we sin.
“God loves them as He loves His Son. Christ, Emmanuel, stands between God and the believer, revealing the glory of God to His chosen ones, and covering their defects and transgressions with the garments of His own spotless righteousness.” {OHC 53.2}
This is necessary until we are sealed. Once sealed there is no need of a mediator. We stand righteous before God because we are sealed. Because we have been made righteous by Christ living in us, and the Holy Spirit guiding us.
Liane, the Zoo Mama
When man sinned, did God the Father end His communion with man? And, has not Jesus been the ladder between heaven and Earth. So, why the distance between God the Father and man? If not His love for us, then why the distance? I believe if you can answer this, then you may be able to answer the other.
"And I saw another angel flying in the midst of heaven.... Saying with a loud voice, Fear God, and give glory to him; for the hour of his judgment is come...." Revelation 14:6, 7.
On October 22, 1844, The Second Coming of Jesus Christ did not take place on this earth as many had believed. Therefore, quite a few left the ranks of those who had become known as believers in the advent of Christ on that day. Many thought this was the end of the movement, when, in actuality, GOD WAS JUST BEGINNING!!! In His Supreme Wisdom and Mercy, God used October 22, 1844 AS THE STARTING POINT for the calling out of a remnant people--which included (among others)--Joseph Bates, Ellen Harmon, and James White--who would proclaim THE LAST MESSAGE OF WARNING to a dying world to "Fear God, and give glory to him," for the hour, or the time, of His Judgment had come!!! This little remnant of "those who were left over" would form the nucleus of what would later become known as the Seventh-day Adventist Church. They would begin on a mission, which is carried out to this very day, of proclaiming to the world that "THE HOUR OF HIS JUDGMENT IS COME!!" Jesus is soon to return to this earth to gather the redeemed, AND WE NEED TO BE READY if we expect to go back home with Him.
"And behold I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give to every man according as his work shall be." Revelation 22:12.
The Bible makes it very clear that when the Lord returns in the Clouds of His Glory, HIS REWARD WILL BE WITH HIM. Those who will be numbered among the righteous WILL HAVE BEEN ALREADY JUDGED AS SO!! And likewise with the wicked. This is why judgment will begin with the House of God (1 Peter 4:17). IT IS GOING ON NOW!!! Jesus says He is coming quickly, and His reward will be with Him when He comes. This is why THIS IS THE GETTING READY TIME to get our "spiritual houses" in order if we expect to be saved.
God has been very patient with us. He has given us MORE THAN ENOUGH TIME to prepare ourselves by the Power of The Holy Spirit through Jesus Christ to be ready for His soon coming. The end-time warning has been sounding at least since 1844 (actually before), and continues to this day.
Jesus has not yet returned to this earth a second time BECAUSE GOD IS IN THE SOUL-SAVING BUSINESS!!! And some of us who are slower to understand than others the message of His Saving Grace and what is required of us would be lost if He returned too soon. DON'T YOU SEE HOW GOOD GOD IS!!! Many of us who are saved will be saved ONLY because God in His Mercy and Lovingkindness HAS GIVEN US MORE THAN ENOUGH TIME to be saved. But the Lord is not going to wait much longer:
"For he will finish the work, and cut it short in righteousness: because a short work will the Lord make upon the earth." Romans 9:28.
M.A.
quote:
When man sinned, did God the Father end His communion with man? And, has not Jesus been the ladder between heaven and Earth. So, why the distance between God the Father and man? If not His love for us, then why the distance?
I'll do my best to answer that question. I don't see anywhere in the Bible that indicates that Adam had direct communion with God the Father prior to his sin, so I am not sure that the "distance" changed between the two.
My understanding is that God the Son has always been the link between God the Father and man. The problem with sin is that it causes death. I don't believe that sin caused any change in God the Father, I believe that sin damaged human beings.
Ellen White wrote that if the Father had come to this earth rather than the Son, that history would have been excatly the same. I believe that Jesus said essentially the same thing when he said told his disciple that if he had seen him (Jesus), he had seen the Father.
That's why anything that implies that the Father stands in different relationship to the sinner versus the Son has always bothered me. It seems to imply that either the Son is less "God" than the Father, or that sin changed something in the Father as well as the sinner, neither of which I believe.
I believe that the Father is just as willing and able to save man as the Son, and that there is complete unity within the Godhead on this subject.
Sin caused separation between man and the Godhead. I believe that God did at one time in the Garden walk with man through the Son. I also believe that even after sin from Adam through the time of Christ God did speak to man in the Sanctuary and the prophets. I believe God still does speak to in another form as that is the Comforter and the more we are with the Holy Spirit the more we hear when spoken to.
As you said if you have seen me, you have seen the Father. All Three are the same in character, love and purpose.
It was impossible for the whole Godhead to come down in the flesh so the work of bringing man back into harmony with the Godhead gave each part of the Godhead a job that would do this work. So the role of Jesus was the light given to the world to show them the Father’s love. We read this again and again from the Holy Word when Jesus walked among us.
I have said this many times and will say it here. When Jesus came two thousand years + ago the people were looking and expecting a King and they got the Carpenter. Today they want the Carpenter, but do not realize that He is coming as the King.
When we understand this the whole picture of our times comes into focus.
Liane, the Zoo Mama
If the earthly sanctuary was but a copy of the Heavenly (Heb. 9:11, 24), then it stands to reason that the work of the earthly high priest in the earthly sanctuary was a representation of what Jesus is doing in the Heavenly Sanctuary as our High Priest. The earthly high priest entered the Most Holy Place only once a year on the Day of Atonement. We have already seen in previous posts above that Christ entered the Most Holy Place of the Heavenly Sanctuary to begin the work of cleansing the Heavenly Sanctuary on October 22, 1844 at the conclusion of the 2300-day prophecy. We must understand the correlation between the two before we can understand what Christ is doing in the Most Holy Place of the Heavenly Sanctuary.
"A few illustrations of the use of the word 'atonement' in the Old Testament will suffice to clarify its meaning. The sanctuary and its equipment were made out of common materials, and it was necessary to 'cover,' or 'make an atonement' for them, before they could be put to holy use (Ex. 29:36, 37; 30:10; Lev. 8:15; etc.) Aaron and his sons were common people, and they likewise had to be 'covered' when set apart for the priesthood (Ex. 29:35; Lev. 8:34). A blood covering was also prescribed for the sins of the entire congregation (Lev. 4:20; Num. 15:25).... At the close of the annual round of ceremonial services, on a special 'day of atonement' (Lev. 16:21-28; Heb. 10:1-3), a final 'covering' for the accumulated uncleanness of the year was made for Aaron and his sons, the priests (Lev. 16:6, 11, 24), for the sanctuary and its furnishings (vs 16-20, 33, 34), and for the people of Israel (vs. 30, 34). This typified the final and complete removal of sin from God's universe" (SDA Bible Dictionary, pp. 97, 98).
To be continued.
M.A.
The Bible makes it very clear the the wages of sin is death (Rom. 6:23). When Adam sinned, it was passed on to the entire human race. For that which is clean cannot come from that which is unclean (Job 14:4). Therefore, ALL HAVE SINNED and have come short of the Glory of God (Rom. 3:23). The "at-one-ment" between God and man had been broken. The initiative to reunite this broken relationship came from God (Jer. 31:3, 4). How this would be done was prefigured in the animal sacrifices offered in the earthly sanctuary services.
"When a sinner brought a sacrificial animal to the door of the courtyard, a priest handed him a knife and a basin. The sinner laid hands on the animal's head and confessed his sins. This symbolized the transfer of sin from the sinner to the animal. At that point, the sinner was considered innocent and the animal guilty. Since the animal was now symbolically guilty, it had to pay sin's wages--death. By slaying the animal with his own hands, the sinner was thus graphically taught that sin caused the innocent animal's death and that his sin would cause the death of innocent Jesus" (AFBSG, "God Drew The Plans," p. 8).
"For God so loved the world, that He gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life." John 3:16.
GOD TOOK THE INITIATIVE to save mankind. GOD SO LOVED US until He was willing to give NOT ONE OF MANY, but His only Begotten Son to save us. Herein again, this is the very heart of the Gospel. As I have stated before, when It is taught correctly, IT WILL MELT THE REBELLIOUS HEARTS of sincere men and women who want to be saved in God's soon-coming Kingdom, causing them to cry out: "Here I am Lord!! Take me, and make me whole!!!"
Every time an innocent animal was brought to be sacrificed by slitting its little throat and catching the blood in a basin, it taught the shocking truth that our sins would one day cause the shedding of blood and death of the innocent Son of God.
"But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.... For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled unto God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life." Romans 5:8, 10.
Not when we were His friends, but WHEN WE WERE ENEMIES OF THE THRONE, Christ died for us!! THIS IS THE GOSPEL!! This is what the sinner struggling with the problems and the vicissitudes of this life needs to know!! He or she needs to know that IN SPITE OF OURSELVES--no matter how evil we are, or have been--JESUS STANDS READY RIGHT NOW to save us from the "gutter"most to the utmost!!! If we would but invite Him into our hearts and permit Him to bring about the change in our lives THAT HE ALONE CAN BRING.
M.A.
"Burnt offerings were of two kinds, obligatory and voluntary. Certain of the obligatory burnt offerings came at stated times and were presented by the priest on behalf of the entire nation. These included the daily burnt offerings (Ex. 29:38-42; Num. 28:3-8), the Sabbath burnt offering (Num. 28:9, 10), the festal burnt offerings at the new moon, the Passover, Pentecost, the Feast of Trumpets, the Day of Atonement, and the Feast of Tabernacles (Num. 28:11 to 29:39).... Voluntary burnt offerings might be presented by an individual at any time, but must conform in all respects to the same regulations that governed the obligatory burnt offerings (see Num. 7; 1 Kings 8:64)....
"The daily burnt offerings were burned on the altar, but over a slow fire so that one sacrifice would last until the next was put on (Lev. 6:9). The evening sacrifice lasted until morning, and the morning sacrifice until evening. Thus there was always a victim on the altar to provide provisional and temporary atonement for Israel. When a man sinned, though he was unable to appear at the sanctuary immediately, or even for weeks and months, he knew that there was a sacrifice on the altar for him, and that he was 'covered' until he could bring his own offering and confirm his repentance....
"Four kinds of animals were used as burnt offerings: bullocks, sheep, goats, fowls. The offerer might choose whichever he wished. The rich who could afford a bullock would naturally bring one. The poor who could afford only a turtledove or a pigeon would bring one of these. Significantly, Mary, the mother of Jesus, bought two turtledoves to the Temple as her gift after childbirth. (see Lev. 12:8; Luke 2:22-24). Joseph and Mary were poor people. The lion and the eagle, kings among beasts and fowls, being unclean, were not used in sacrifice, but rather the lamb and the dove. God does not regard a high and lofty spirit, but the meek and the lowly, He will accept." (1BC 712-714).
M.A.
Amen, Brother Crawford! Amen! This is the gospel.
"We cannot believe that a normal individual would take pleasure in plunging a knife into an innocent victim, even though that victim be only an animal. Yet God required this act of the offerer. In later times the priests did the slaying, though it was God's original intent that the sinner himself should do so. This must have been a painful and distressing experience for the sinner, because he knew that it was his sin that made the death necessary. It must have impressed him with the determination to 'go, and sin no more.' He saw vividly before him the result of sin. It meant not only death, but the death of an innocent one....
"The first lesson God wanted to teach Israel through the sacrificial system was that sin means death.... Day after day the people brought their sin offerings and their burnt offerings to the sanctuary. In each case an animal was slain and the blood ministered in the appropriate place. On every ceremony and on every service was stamped the lesson: SIN MEANS DEATH [Author's emphasis]....
"The offerer had finished his work. He had brought his sacrifice, confessed his sin, and slain the victim. Now the ministration of the blood began. A priest stood by as the blood gushed forth, and had caught it in a vessel. He now ministered the blood by sprinkling it round about upon the altar of burnt offering.... According to the Talmud the officiating priest scattered the blood against the altar at two places, the northeastern and southwestern corners, in such a way that it would touch all four sides of the altar....
"God sought to impress upon Israel that forgiveness of sin can be obtained only through confession and ministration of blood. They were to realize the infinite cost of forgiveness. It is more than overlooking faults. IT COST GOD SOMETHING [Emphasis mine] to be able to forgive; it cost a life, even the life of His own Son." (1BC 714-715).
M.A.
In Webster's Unabridged Dictionary by Random House, the word "remission" is defined as "pardon; forgiveness, as of sins or offenses." Therefore, the Bible in Hebrews 9:22 makes it very clear that without the shedding of Jesus' Blood on Calvary, there would be no remission, or forgiveness, for our sins. In order to understand why, we must understand the atonement as it relates to God and us.
"Atonement. [Heb. KIPPURIM, 'a covering,' literally, 'coverings,' from the verb KAPHAR, 'to cover,' 'to make atonement'....]
"...As noted, the root ideas of KAPHAR and KAPPURIM, the Hebrew words translated 'to make atonement' and 'atonement,' are 'to cover' and 'covering.' When using these words in connection with the ceremonial system, the Bible writer assumes that the persons or things for which a 'covering' is made--the persons or things 'covered'--were common, 'unclean,' or sinful in the sight of a righteous God, and thus not acceptable to Him. By reason of sin in general, and at times because of specific sins in particular, men are assumed to be in a state of estrangement from God. But the Bible writers present God as anxious that there shall be a reconciliation and show that He has provided the means by which it may be accomplished. No change is necessary on His part in order to effect the reconciliation, but man in his natural state is a sinner who does not even desire to be reconciled, and a change is therefore necessary on his part. It is the sinner who must be 'covered,' or reconciled to God, not God with respect to the sinner.
"The ritual system provided an objective illustration of how men may become reconciled to God. The blood of the sacrificial animals provided the objective covering (Lev. 17:11), but this blood could not, in and of itself, actually cover the sinner (Heb. 10:1, 4, 6, 8, 11). Only as by faith he saw in it a type of the blood of Christ and accepted the promise of divine grace thus represented was he actually 'covered' and so reconciled to God (vs. 10, 12, 14-18). Forgiveness of sin and acceptance with God always accompanied the 'covering' thus provided (Lev. 4:20; Num. 15:25; etc.). God was satified with the sincerity of purpose of the person or persons on whose behalf the 'covering' was made, and entertained no further claims against them so long as they remained in accord with Him." (SDA Bible Dictionary, p. 97).
To be continued.
M.A.
"A few illustrations of the use of the word 'atonement' in the OT will suffice to clarify its meaning. The sanctuary and its equipment were made out of common materials, and it was necessary to 'cover,' or 'make atonement' for them, before they could be put to holy use (Ex. 29:36, 37; 30:10, Lev. 8:15; etc.). Aaron and his sons were common people, and they likewise had to be 'covered' when set apart for the priesthood (Ex. 29:35; Lev. 8:34). A blood covering was also prescribed for the sins of the entire congregation (Lev. 4:20; Num. 15:25), for those of individuals (Lev. 4:27-35; Num. 15:25), and for various forms of ritual uncleanness (Lev. 12:7, 8; 14:18, 20, 53; 15:28). At the close of the annual round of ceremonial services, on a special 'day of atonement' (Lev. 16:21-28; Heb. 10:1-3), a final 'covering' for the accumulated uncleanness of the year was made for Aaron and his sons, the priests (Lev. 16:6, 11, 24), for the sanctuary and its furnishings (vs. 16-20, 33, 34), and for the people of Israel (vs. 30, 34). This typified the final and complete removal of sin from God's universe." (SDA Bible Dictionary, "Atonement," pp. 97, 98).
M.A.
When Adam sinned, it caused humankind to be separated from God because that which is clean cannot come from that which is unclean (Job 14:4). Sin created an impassable chasm that was impossible for man to bridge. BUT GOD WAS ANXIOUS to make it possible for mankind to be once again reconciled with Him. This is why the Bible reminds us:
"For when we were yet without strength, in due time, Christ died for the ungodly. For scarcely for a righteous man would one die: yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die. But God commendeth his love toward us in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us." Romans 5:6-8.
WHEN IT WAS IMPOSSIBLE for us to be reconciled to God on our own, Christ, in due time, died for us. God loved us. He PROVED that He loved us when He gave The Second Person of The Godhead to die in our stead in order that we might have another chance at eternal life. We are "covered," or reconciled unto God, WHEN WE ACCEPT BY FAITH the Sacrifice Christ made for us on Calvary.
The sacrificial system of the Old Testament prefigured, or pointed forward to, the Lamb of God who one day would take away the sins of the world by way of His Sacrifice (John 1:29). The killing of an animal and the shedding of its blood very graphically and emphatically drove home the point in the mind of the sinner that IT WAS HIS SINS that would one day cause the shedding of the Blood and the death of the innocent Son of God in order to save him from the penalty of eternal death he was under.
"For this is the blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins." Matthew 26:28.
Why not just death? Why is the shedding of Jesus' Blood so important for the forgiveness of our sins? We hope to undertake looking into the fascinating answer to these questions on next time.
M.A.
Without the shedding of Jesus' Blood there is no remission or forgiveness for our sins BECAUSE LIFE IS IN THE BLOOD. We therefore must be COVERED WITH HIS LIFE (SDA Hymn No. 412) if we expect to be saved. We must be covered with Jesus' Life when Christ is seen coming in the Clouds of His Glory because that which is unholy cannot remain alive in the presence of Him who is Holy. Our unholiness must be covered with His Holiness:
"And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming." 2 Thessalonians 2:8.
At Christ's Second Coming, ONLY THAT WHICH IS HOLY can remain alive in the presence of Him who is Holy. And THE ONLY WAY we can be made Holy is through Him who is Holy. This is why the Bible reminds us that we must put on the Lord Jesus Christ (Rom. 13:14). When Christ comes, we must be COVERED WITH HIS LIFE so that when He look upon us, He will not see our spiritual nakedness, but instead will see us covered with THE ROBE OF HIS RIGHTEOUSNESS (Isa. 61:10).
As pointed out in an earlier post, when man sinned, he lost his Holy state. Therefore, the only way man can regain that Holy state IS TO BE REBORN AGAIN (John 3:7). This is what Jesus was conveying to Nicodemus when He told him:
"Verily, verily I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God." John 3:3.
Christ was explaining to Nicodemus that he must be BORN OF THE SPIRIT (vs. 6) because:
"God is a spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth." John 4:24.
The Bible also explains the work of the Holy Spirit and HOW we are born of the Spirit:
"Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Ghost." Titus 3:5.
Titus 3:5 very clearly points out that the work of the Holy Spirit in changing us from that which is sinful (unacceptable) to that which is Holy (acceptable) in God's Sight is one of regeneration and renewing. The World Book Dictionary defines "regeneration" as "the rebirth of the spirit; to give a new and better spiritual life to." And that is what precisely happens when we are "regenerated" by the Holy Spirit. We are given A NEW AND BETTER SPIRITUAL LIFE:
"Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new." 2 Corinthians 5:17.
When we have become TRULY REGENERATED by the Holy Spirit, ALL THINGS--as the Bible says--have now become new. WE NO LONGER DESIRE to do those things that are displeasing to God and not according to His Will. We now have NEW GOALS AND NEW AIMS in life. The "old man" of dibbling and dabbling in and out of sin has been done away with. We now desire THE HIGH ROAD of living in accordance with the Principles of daily living as exemplified in the Life of Jesus Christ. THIS IS THE SIGN that a person has been truly regenerated and born again by the Holy Spirit.
M.A.
I don't know how it can get any clearer than this. The Bible plainly tells us in verse 11 that Christ has become High Priest of a greater and more perfect Tabernacle, NOT MADE WITH HANDS. This can only be referring to the Heavenly Sanctuary mentioned in Hebrews 8:2 and 9:24. In the Heavenly Sanctuary, Christ is ministering His own Blood on behalf of all who have confessed and repented of their sins, just as the earthly high priest did during the ancient Day of Atonement. We know that Christ still ministers in the Heavenly Sanctuary on our behalf because probation has not closed. We know that probation has not closed because the Bible is quite clear as to what will happen when the end of probation is at hand:
"And at that time shall Michael stand up, the great prince which standeth for the children of thy people: and there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation even to that same time: and at that time thy people shall be delivered, every one that shall be found written in the book." Daniel 12:1.
When Christ stands up, His ministering on our behalf in the Heavenly Sanctuary will have come to an end. All cases for life or death will have been decided for all time. We will have made the decision BY OUR ACTIONS as to whom we pledge our allegiance and loyalty. It is at that time that Christ shall declare:
"He that is unjust, let him be unjust still: and he which is filthy, let him be filthy still: and he that is righteous, let him be righteous still: and he that is holy, let him be holy still." Revelation 22:11.
Before going any further, let me make it perfectly clear that we do not know the exact time when the time of trouble shall come upon us. We do not know when Christ shall stand up to conclude His Work in the Heavenly Sanctuary. Neither do we know the exact day when probation will close--either individually or collectively--for those who remain alive. WHAT WE DO KNOW IS God in His Mercy and Lovingkindness shall provide us with AMPLE WARNINGS AND SIGNS to indicate when the end is near. One reason no one can successfully calculate the exact time when these things shall occur is because the Bible reminds us:
"For he will finish the work, and cut it short in righteousness: because a short work will the Lord make upon the earth." Romans 9:28.
This is why, for those who love to waste precious time and think they have all the time in the world to make preparation for the Day of the Lord, the Bible says of them:
"For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night. For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape." 1 Thessalonians 5:2, 3.
For those of us who need to, WE NEED TO WAKE UP!!!! while there is still time to do so.
M.A.
The gospel has always been the Kingdom of God is at Hand. The time of His visitation has come. When Jesus came it was the turning point that would bring the end of the earth as we know it today.
The gospel will come full circle in the light of the character of God that was betrayed that day in the garden by Eve and Adam with satan.
The gospel has always been to restore in the minds of men the beauty and character of God that was destroyed that fateful day in Eden.
What started at the throne of God will end at the throne of God and the Word of God will be vendicated forever.
Christ came to reflect the character of God for the world to see. It had been so long covered over and misused that people needed the light in which to walk in a dark world.
Jesus being that light brought hope and the true gospel to the forefront so that no one could question the love of God for His creation.
Liane, the Zoo Mama
Because we know now that the sanctuary spoken of in Daniel 8:14 is the Heavenly Sanctuary, this text of Scripture proves that the Sanctuary had become defiled BY YOUR SINS AND MINE that had been transferred there. It therefore became necessary, as Daniel 8:14 infers, to cleanse the Heavenly Sancturary of all that defiles It.
"And he shall make an atonement for the holy place, because of the uncleanness of the children of Israel, and because of their transgressions in all their sins: and so shall he do for the tabernacle of the congregation, that remaineth among them in the midst of their uncleanness." Leviticus 16:16.
"16. An atonement.... On the Day of Atonement--the day of final and complete atonement for all sins confessed and forgiven during the year (Lev. 16:16, 19; Heb. 10:1-3)--the blood of the Lord's goat symbolically removed these sins from the sanctuary, making 'atonement' for it also. It too was now free from sin (Lev. 16:17, 20)." (1BC 776).
"Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us." Hebrews 9:12.
Hebrews 9:12 makes it very clear that Christ has entered once and for all time into the Holy Place of the Heavenly Sanctuary WITH HIS OWN BLOOD to perform the work of cleansing.
"And he said, Draw not nigh hither: put off thy shoes from off thy feet, for the place whereon thou standest is holy ground." Exodus 3:5.
As Christ ministers His own Blood in The Holy Place of the Heavenly Sanctuary, what was cleansed symbolically in the earthly sanctuary is cleansed in reality in the Heavenly by His very Presence.
God is Holy. Wherever God is, that place is Holy BY VIRTUE OF HIS VERY PRESENCE as pointed out in Exodus 3:5. EVERYTHING about God is Holy, including His Blood. Holy Beings in Heaven exclaim, Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord God Almighty:
"And the four beasts had each of them six wings about him; and they were full of eyes within: and they rest not day or night, saying, Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord God Almighty, which was, and is, and is to come." Revelation 4:8.
WE CANNOT OVERSTATE the Holiness of God. God is so Holy until HIS VERY NAME IS HOLY!!!
"For he that is mighty hath done to me great things; and holy is his name." Luke 1:49.
As a matter of fact, more often than not, we humans usually underestimate God's Holiness. I believe if many of us who profess to know Christ in the pardon of our sins would have a clearer understanding of AND A TOTAL COMMITMENT TO the Holiness of God, WE WOULD HAVE MORE RESPECT FOR the God who created the heavens and the earth, and would not do and say some of the things we say and do as Christians.
M.A.
All the way back in the Book of Genesis, when God was ready to carve out a people who would rightly represent Him to the world, He began by CALLING UPON ONE INDIVIDUAL to walk before Him, and to be perfect in that walk.
Only God is Perfect in and of Himself. Therefore, God was calling upon Abram--who later became Abraham--to be something that only God possessed. Was God therefore asking of Abraham the impossible? Of course not. God was asking Abraham to do that which was very possible, but it would ONLY be possible:
"...Not by might, not by power, but by my spirit, saith the Lord of hosts." Zechariah 4:6.
THE ONLY WAY that Abraham could become perfect was by adhering to TOTALLY AND COMPLETELY WITHOUT RESERVATION that which was perfect: The Word of God.
"The law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul: the testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple." Psalm 19:7.
When the Bible tells us to be perfect, just as our Father in Heaven is Perfect (Matt. 5:48), the Word of God does not leave us in the dark as to how that is accomplished:
"And he answered and said unto him, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God." Matthew 4:4.
Jesus was quoting to the devil that which is written in Deuteronomy 8:3. The Gospel, or the Good News of the way of salvation, had been known all the time back in the Old Testament. It is not exclusively a New Testament revelation, as many of the ill-informed might assume.
When Jesus came to this earth the first time, the Word of God as we know it today consisted of Genesis through Malachi. What Jesus did was TO DEMONSTRATE by way of His Life how we are to live in accordance with that Word. He showed us THROUGH TOTAL AND COMPLETE COMMITMENT to that Word HOW WE CAN OVERCOME the temptations and pitfalls of this life, just as He overcame. And He overcame as a human being in the flesh, just as we are, to demonstrate that it is also possible for us to overcome in the flesh, IF WE FOLLOW PRECISELY IN HIS STEPS by the Power of the Holy Spirit!!
Jesus did not have a New Testament while here on earth. JESUS IS THE NEW TESTAMENT!!! He did not come teaching a "different" doctrine, or a new way to Heaven different from that which was already known in the Old Testament. What He did was (please don't miss this) MAGNIFY THE LAW ALREADY IN EXISTENCE AND MADE IT HONOURABLE!!! (Isa. 42:21). HE SIMPLY MADE CLEARER, by way of the Life He lived, that which was already known in Genesis through Malachi. And He made It honourable by exalting God's Word with respect and dignity before men and women as the source of salvation for all mankind.
Jesus lived a life IN THE FLESH PERFECTLY, without the assistance of any of His Godly Powers. And in so doing, He showed us that we can do likewise if we would just simply "live by every word that procedeeth out of the mouth of God" (Matt. 4:4) through Jesus Christ by the Power of the Holy Soirit. THIS IS HOW we become perfect. THIS IS HOW we become Holy: We must ADHERE TO AND FOLLOW IN THIS WORLD THROUGH JESUS CHRIST the Principles of Salvation that are presented in the Word of God.
Some cry out: "Perfection is not possible!" But JESUS HAS PROVEN that it is possible. He overcame IN THE FLESH as a human being. AND THE GOOD NEWS IS so can we, through Jesus Christ by faith!!
"But Jesus beheld them, and said unto them, With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26.
M.A.
How is the Heavenly Sanctuary cleansed of our sins? We need to take our time and let the Word of God and the Holy Spirit give us the answer.
The Bible very clearly tells us that Christ is ministering in the Heavenly Sanctuary as our High Priest (Heb. 9:11). As I alluded to in an earlier post, we know that Christ continues to minister even as I speak because the time of trouble is not yet upon us. Daniel 12:1 tells us: "And at that time shall Michael stand up...." When Christ stands up, His Work in the Heavenly Sanctuary on our behalf will have come to an end. All who are alive on the earth WILL HAVE DECIDED to whom they will be totally and comletely loyal. Once that has been decided, there will no longer be a need for Christ to minister in The Sanctuary. ALL CASES WILL HAVE BEEN DECIDED for life or death. When Christ stands up, it is at that time, the Bible says, that there shall come a time of trouble "such as never was since there was a nation" (vs. 1). Meaning, nothing like what is going to happen has ever happened before. BUT THE GOOD NEWS IS, the Bible says, IT IS DURING THIS TIME that God's people shall be delivered, "EVERY ONE THAT SHALL BE FOUND WRITTEN IN THE BOOK"!!! (vs. 1). Isn't that wonderful and comforting news?? Therefore, the question is: How can we be found numbered among those whose names are written in The Book of Life? Because the Bible says God is no respecter of persons (Acts 10:34), I therefore believe that THE SAME THING it took to save Adam and all the redeemed of old IS THE SAME THING it takes to save us today. Therefore, it will be our objective, beginning on next time, to take our time and let the Bible tell us how the Heavenly Sanctuary is cleansed of our sins.
M.A.
I still believe that. And, unless someone can show me otherwise from Scripture, I will continue believe that the same thing it took to save Adam is the same thing it takes to save us today. One reason I believe that is because of this verse of Scripture:
Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever." Hebrews 13:8.
Another reason why I believe what I believe is because if Adam and the reedemed of old were held to a higher standard to be saved than we are today, there would be a double standard for salvation: one for the ancients, and a different one BECAUSE OF OUR INEPTITUDE for us today. And I do not believe that God functions that way because of this text of Scripture:
"...Of a truth I perceive that God is no respecter of persons." Acts 10:34.
What God requires of one to be saved, He rquires of all. God required of Adam a very simple request:
"And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: But of the tree of knowlege of good and evil, thou shall not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die." Genesis 2:16, 17.
But then the devil comes along in the form of a serpent:
"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 3:1-5.
We have gone over this scenario that took place in the Garden of Eden many times in this and in other forums. But each time we take our time and go over it prayerfully and carefully, I LEARN SOMETHING NEW about God and His Supreme Wisdom.
Eve was an intelligent woman. God created Adam and her that way, because everything that God created was not only good, IT WAS VERY GOOD!!! (Gen. 1:31). Both Adam and Eve were perfect human specimen, both physically and mentally. Nothing less could come from the Creator's Hand. EVE THEREFORE LACKED NOTHING in intelligence and understanding. She understood perfectly what God had said because she quotes It with crystal clarity in Genesis 3:2 and 3 above. If Eve understood perfectly what God had said, then why did she go contrary to It? We hope to take up the answer to that question from another perspective on next time.
M.A.
Eve went contrary to the Word of God because the devil presented to her such an interesting proposal UNTIL IT WAS TOO IRRESISTABLE for her to pass up. We have dealt with the specifics of the temptation of Eve in another post. Let us look at another Bible scenario of the master deceiver at work.
Matthew Chapter Four records that Jesus was tempted three times in the wilderness by the devil. Let us look briefly at the First and Third Temptations of Christ.
In the first, the Bible tells us Jesus had been led into the wilderness by the Holy Spirit where He fasted for forty days and forty nights, and was quite hungry (vss. 1, 2). Knowing that Christ was hungry, the devil came unto Him and said:
"If thou be the son of God, command that these stones be made bread." (vs. 3).
Two very important points in verse three should jump out at us immediately. First, this verse of Scripture gives warning to the fact that--as he did with Jesus--the devil will also seek to attack the followers of Christ WHEN HE THINKS WE ARE AT OUR WEAKEST!! Second, the devil tried to appeal to Christ's vanity, or pride, WHICH HE DOES NOT POSSESS because The Saviour says about Himself in Scripture:
"...the prince of this world cometh, and hath nothing in me." John 14:30.
There was NOTHING IN CHRIST upon which Satan had a point of reference. Christ knew that He was God!! The devil tried to get The Saviour TO PROVE to him that He was God by saying to Him, "IF you are the Son of God as you claim you are, then turn these stones into bread and I will believe you." But Christ did not have to prove to Satan that He was God. Christ knew THE DEVIL KNEW that (1) He was hungry, (2) He had the Power, (3) He was God, and, equally important, Jesus also knew (4) that SATAN WAS TRYING TO TEMPT HIM TO USE THAT POWER TO OVERCOME which would have proven that Christ could not overcome sin in the flesh as He claimed He could (Rom. 8:3) without the use of His Godly Powers--WHICH WE DO NOT POSSESS. Therefore, if Jesus had answered Satan's call, Christ would have failed in His Earthly Mission as a human being.
"But he answered and said unto him, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God." Matthew 4:4.
Jesu was not going to SELL HIS EARTHLY MISSION SHORT by acquiescing or giving in to the sophistry of the devil, to satisfy a physical need. Christ pointed out instead that man is not to live by bread alone, BUT BY EVERY WORD that proceeds out of the Mouth of God!! Jesus was saying to us today THERE IS SOMETHING MORE IMPORTANT than just our physical needs!!!
We hope to continue with the Third Temptation on next time.
M.A.
Both Adam and Eve came from the Creator's Hand as sinless beings. Therefore, THERE SHOULD HAVE BEEN NOTHING IN EVE upon which the devil could gain an advantage. BUT HE DID!! More on this later. For now, we turn our attention to the Third Temptation of Christ.
"Again, the devil taketh him up into an exceedingly high mountain, and sheweth him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them: And saith unto him, All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me. Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and Him only shalt thou serve. Then the devil leaveth him, and behold, angels came and ministered unto him." Matthew 4:8-11.
What a wonderful display of a determined Will against the sophistry of the devil on the part of Jesus AS A HUMAN BEING!!! Let us briefly look at parts of this temptation and the implications they have for us.
In Verses Eight and Nine of Matthew Chapter Four, the devil takes Jesus up into a very high mountain to show Him the kingdoms of the world and to say unto Him: "All of this will be yours, if you will kneel down and worship me!" This scene SHOWS THE LENGTH AND THE DEGREE of the sway, influence, and power Satan had gained among the rulers and potentates of the world. The devil was able to offer to Christ THE WHOLE WORLD if He would only bow down and worship him.
The master deceiver was also presenting to Christ another proposal. The devil knew that among Christ's Mission on earth was the Cross of Calvary upon which He would die to save mankind from the penalty of eternal annihilation, thereby taking away control of the kingdoms of this world from Satan for all who would accept Christ as Saviour and Lord:
"And the seventh angel sounded; and there were great voices in heaven, saying, The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of His Christ; and He shall reign for ever and ever." Revelation 11:15.
At that time, by saying to Christ that the kingdoms of this world would be His if He would kneel down and worship him, the devil was presenting to Christ a proposal WHEREBY HE COULD BYPASS CALVARY and be given the kingdoms of this world WITHOUT THE PAIN AND SUFFERING associated with the Cross IF He would only bow down and worship him. What an irresistible proposal!! Or, at least, so the devil thought. But, as I alluded to in an earlier post, Christ was not about to shortchange His Mission JUST TO SAVE HIS SKIN! Christ loved saving you and me (please don't miss this) MORE THAN HE LOVED SAVING HIS OWN LIFE to avoid the pain, suffering, and death of the Cross.
THIS IS WHAT MEN AND WOMEN NEED TO KNOW TODAY!!! They need to know that there is One who loves us so much until He was willing to do the unthinkable--TO DO THE UNSPEAKABLE!!! GOD WAS WILLING--in the Person of Jesus Christ--to suffer, bleed, and die TO SAVE US and give us another chance at eternal life. And the universe marvels at the fact that HE DIDN'T HAVE TO DO IT!! But He did!!!
M.A.
Just for the record, Christ knew that He was born into this world to die for the sins of all mankind. He knew that He was "the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world" as revealed in Revelation 13:8. Therefore, in order to fulfill His earthly Mission, I believe that NOT FOR A MOMENT did Jesus entertain in His mind the offer presented to Him by the devil in Matthew 4:8 and 9. He was TOTALLY AND COMPLETELY FOCUSED upon doing His Father's Will:
"For I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me." John 6:38.
The Saviour could have yielded to the proposal presented to Him by Satan, but Christ had HIS EYES AND HIS MIND ON THE GOAL of saving mankind from eternal destruction and providing us with A LIVING EXAMPLE of how to live in this world that, if followed, would lead to eternal life. I believe that Jesus was super-soaked and super-saturated WITH THAT GOAL AND THAT GOAL ONLY in His Mind. And He was determined that NOTHING WOULD DETER HIM in accomplishing that goal. If He had not been so determined, I do not believe He could have remained on the Cross, knowing that He had the Power to come down. BUT HE DIDN'T COME DOWN!!! And it was all because of you and me.
For those of us alive today who desire to be saved, what about us? Will we be deterred in our goal to be saved in God's Kingdom?
M.A.
IN NONE OF THE TEMPTATIONS of Christ, when He was tempted of the devil as recorded in Matthew 4:1-10, did Jesus engage in religious explanations or theological argumentation to try to convince Satan of anything that pertained to His Nature or Mission. Each time, the Saviour's response to the enticements of the devil was a plain "IT IS WRITTEN!!!"
"All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness." 2 Timothy 3:16.
"All scripture is given by inspiration of God...."
For me, this is one of those texts of Scripture that I try daily to keep uppermost in my mind because the Bible is under attack and is being challenged--EVEN IN ADVENTIST CIRCLES--today as It never has been before. There is a very real reason as to why this is so that we will briefly explore.
The world membership of the Seventh-day Adventist Church today is approximately over 16 million members. One thing this adds up to is there are over 16 million personalities, ideas, and ways of looking at things that now make up the church. Therefore when one talks about unity in the church of purpose, goals, mission, and the like, the question comes to mind: Is it really possible to bring all these divergent attitudes and views that exist in the church under one "umbrella" of unity, so to speak? The answer is a resounding, YES!! IT IS POSSIBLE!!
"That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me.... I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one; and that the world may know that thou hast sent me, and hast loved them, as thou hast loved me." John 17:21, 23.
Yes. IT IS VERY POSSIBLE for there to be unity and harmony throughout the worldwide Seventh-day Adventist Church. BUT!!! Perfect unity and harmony throughout the world church is possible ONLY through Him whose is Perfect: Jesus Christ. And THE ONLY WAY we can be made perfect through Him IS THROUGH HIS WORD: The Holy Bible. It is the only physical existence we can touch that I know of in the world today that is Perfect. BELIEVEST THOU THIS? The answer that we give to this question in our own minds WILL DETERMINE HOW SERIOUS WE ARE about living by "every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God" (Matt. 4:4). Therefore, if we desire perfect harmony and unity throughout the world church, we must acquiesce OR SUBMIT TO that which will bring about perfect harmony and unity: the Perfect Word of God.
Meanwhile, back in the real world, we know that perfect unity among us is possible, BUT WE ALSO KNOW that in all liklihood every member in the Seventh-day Adventist Church will not be willing TO ACTIVELY SUBMIT TO the unadulterated, or undiluted, Word of God as It is written. But the good news is THERE WILL BE A REMNANT THAT WILL!!! And it is my aim and goal to be found numbered among this remnant when Christ is seen coming in the Clouds of His Glory.
M.A.
"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, thoroughly furnished unto all good works." 2 Timothy 3:16, 17.
"That the man of God may be perfect...."
THERE IT IS!!! The Bible very clearly tells us that All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, AND THIS IS HOW WE ARE MADE PERFECT!!! Through the Perfect Word of God, if followed as It is written.
By the way, so there will be no misunderstanding, I am quite aware of the man-made minor errors in the translation, punctuation, and in other very small discrepancies that occur in the Bible. When I speak of the Perfect Word of God, what I have reference to are the great Principles of Salvation which lead to eternal life that are given by God Himself in the Person of the Holy Spirit to Holy men of God who were guided in their thoughts as they recorded that which was "God-breathed" unto them.
M.A.
We just finished talking about the heartfelt longing and desire for unity and harmony in the Seventh-day Adventist Church in the post dated March 20th above. The Day of Atonement mentioned in Leviticus 16:29 took place in a specific month of the year, and on a specific day of that month. The word "atonement" means exactly that: "at-one-ment." It was a day when all things were to be brought back into unity and harmony with God.
We are talking about how the Heavenly Sanctuary is cleansed of our sins. God gives us a clear view of this process when we carefully and prayerfully read in our Bibles what the services in the earthly sanctuary symbolized. The earthly sanctuary was patterned after the Heavenly (Heb. 8:5). The services the earthly high priest performed in the earthly sanctuary prefigured or foreshadowed the services Christ would perform in the Heavenly Sanctuary as our High Priest (vss. 1-6).
In the earthly sanctuary, the high priest slew the Lord's goat as an offering for the sins of the people. The sacrificed animal represented the Sacrifice Jesus would make on Calvary for our sins:
"Then shall he kill the goat of the sin offering, that is for the people, and bring his blood within the vail, and do with that blood as he did with the blood of the bullock, and sprinkle it upon the mercy seat, and before the mercy seat." Leviticus 16:15.
The sprinkling of the blood of the bullock was to make atonement for the priest and his family (vs. 11). The high priest sprinkled the blood of the bullock upon the mercy seat (vs. 14). He sprinkled both the blood of the bullock and the goat before and upon the mercy seat, which was in the Most Holy Place, and he also sprinkled both upon the horns of the altar in the Holy Place (vss. 14-19). The entire tabernacle had been profaned, and an atonement had to be made for both the Holy and the Most Holy Place "because of the uncleanness of the children of Israel, and because of their transgressions in all their sins...." (vs. 16).
M.A.
Maybe a quick review of the reason why the heavenly sanctuary needs to be cleansed. When a man who has professed to serve God sins, this is written in the books of heaven, in the heavenly sanctuary. When a man repents, truly repents, this also is written in the books in heaven. All of these sins, forgiven or not are kept track of in heaven. But, they will not be on record for ever. There comes a time, called the Day of Atonement, when the books will opened and a final accounting will be made. This is known as the investigative judgment. God already knows who is saved and who is lost, but every name of every person who has professed to serve God will be judged so that all may know. It is at this time that a truly converted and repentive Christian will be seen to be such and the record of his sins will be removed from the heavenly sanctuary.
Why can this occur? Because the sinner was shown to be abiding in Christ and his sins were forgiven and paid for by the blood of Christ. The sufferings and death of Jesus made atonement for the sinners crimes. As each case is decided the heavenly sanctuary is being "cleansed" of all records of sin.
There will remain on this earth after the close of this "judgment" a people who have been shown to be true Christians. When the process of examination is finished, no other sins may enter the heavenly sanctuary. So, what does this say about those who have not repented? And...what does it say about those who are truly converted?
"..on the tenth day of this seventh month there shall be a day of atonement: it shall be an holy convocation unto you; and ye shall afflict your souls, and offer an offering made by fire unto the Lord. 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." Leviticus 23:27, 29.
"Atonement, Day of. The 10th day of the 7th month, the most solemn day of the year. On it all were not only to refrain from work but also to afflict their souls.... This probably included fasting, since in NT times it is evidently this day that is referred to as 'the fast' (Acts 27:9). On this day all the sins of the preceeding year were finally disposed of in the ceremony of cleansing the sanctuary (Lev 16). All who did not afflict their souls were cut off from Israel [Lev. 23:29]...." (SDA Bible Dictionary, "Day of Atonement, p. 98).
As pointed out above, the Day of Atonement was the most solemn or serious day in the Jewish religious economy. It was a Holy day. On this day, all were to afflict their souls, or divest themselves OF EVERY SIN, because no one could come before the Lord on this special Holy day and remain a part of the congregation unless one had CONFESSED OF EVERY SIN. There was one reason and one reason only why everyone was required to put away sin in every department of their lives. On this day everyone would be examined by the Omniscient God Himself TO DETERMINE THEIR FITNESS for remaining a part of the family of God. All who were found to be weighed in the balance and found wanting were "cut off" from among God's people (Lev. 23:29).
This examination by God was a type of investigative judgment. It was employed to determine if all sin had been removed from the lives of His people:
"Then shall he kill the goat of the sin offering, that is for the people, and bring his blood within the vail, and do with that blood as he did with the blood of the bullock, and sprinkle it upon the mercy seat, and before the mercy seat... And he shall go out unto the altar that is before the Lord, and make an atonement for it; and shall take of the blood of the bullock, and of the blood of the goat, and put it upon the horns of the altar round about. And he shall sprinkle of the blood upon it with his finger seven times, and cleanse it, and hallow it from the uncleanness of the children of Israel." Leviticus 16:15, 16, 18, 19.
Whenever a sacrifice was offered for the sins of the entire congregation, the blood was taken by the priest into the sanctuary and sprinkled "upon and before the mercy seat" (Most Holy Place), and "upon the horns of the altar round about" (Holy Place). Both Sacred Apartments of the sanctuary had been made unclean by "the uncleanness of the children of Israel" (Lev. 16:19) because their sins had been transferred there, making it necessary for the sanctuary to be cleansed (Dan. 8:14). This cleansing process symbolically took place as the high priest sprinkled blood in both the Holy and The Most Holy Place because "almost all things are by the law purged with blood" (Heb. 9:22).
This blood ministered by the earthly priest has a very special representational meaning, as we shall see in a later post.
M.A.
The sanctuary services of ancient Israel taught God's people of old how He would handle the sin problem and bring "at-one-ment" back to the universe. These ancient services prefigured THE LITERAL EVENTS that would be instituted in the Heavenly Sanctuary by God Himself in the Person of Jesus Christ who serves as High Priest there (Heb. 9:11).
In Leviticus 16:11-20 are presented the atonement services administered by the high priest which remove the confessed sins of the people that have been transferred there and place them upon the live goat, or the scapegoat:
"And Aaron shall lay both his hands upon the head of the live goat, and confess over him all the iniquities of the children of Israel, and all their transgressions in all their sins, putting them upon the head of the goat and shall send him away by the hand of a fit man into the wilderness." Leviticus 16:21.
All of the confessed sins of the people are transferred from the sanctuary and placed upon the head of the scapegoat. And it is sent away into an uninhabited land forever.
"And this shall be an everlasting statute unto you, to make an atonement for the children of Israel for all their sins once a year...." Leviticus 16:34.
The people were now cleansed of their sins, and all could begin the new year with a clean slate.
In the next series of presentations on this topic, type will meet antitype as that which was done symbolically in the ancient sanctuary services will be represented literally as the Word of God reveals to us the salvific meaning of each symbol in regard to what Christ has done and is doing for us in the Heavenly Sanctuary.
M.A.
Without the shedding of blood there can be no remission for sin (Heb. 9:22) BECAUSE LIFE IS IN THE BLOOD. The blood of bulls and goats that was sprinkled throughout the earthly sanctuary to cleanse it represented the Blood that Jesus would shed on Calvary AS HE DIED IN OUR STEAD in order that we might be saved AND HAVE ANOTHER CHANCE at eternal life. Jesus' Blood represents life itself BECAUSE SALVATION AND ETERNAL LIFE ARE ONLY IN JESUS CHRIST:
"Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved." Acts 4:12.
"And this is the record, that God hath given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hat not the Son of God hath not life." 1 John 5:11, 12.
The Bible makes it very clear that salvation, or deliverance from sin, IS ONLY IN JESUS CHRIST. God has given unto us eternal life, AND THIS LIFE IS IN HIS SON. The Blood that Jesus shed for us back on Calvary represents this life. This is why we must be COVERED WITH THE BLOOD OF JESUS if we expect to be saved. BLOOD REPRESENTS LIFE!!! And life is only in Jesus Christ.
"For God sent not his son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved." John 3:17.
One definition the dictionary gives for the word "condemn" is "to pronounce to be guilty." Christ did not come to this earth to pronounce us guilty of sin. WE ALREADY KNEW THAT!!! God so loved the world that He sent His only Son TO SAVE US, NOT TO CONDEMN US!!!
Again time is upon me. We will begin to look at the Bible specifics on next time that are involved in salvation as they relate to the cleansing of the Heavenly sanctuary.
M.A.
Amen, Brother Crawford. Let us take a look at this for a moment for many profess to have Christ when they have Him not.
This text is further explained by Romans 8:1-14.
1 There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.
2 For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.
3 For 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:
4 That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.
5 For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit.
6 For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.
7 Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be.
8 So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God.
9 But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.
10 And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the Spirit is life because of righteousness.
11 But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you.
12 Therefore, brethren, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live after the flesh.
13 For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live.
14 For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.
A further study of these verses is found in this forum. Romans 7 and 8
It is most important that we not apply Paul's pre-converion experience to the "new birth" experience. He shows both in Roman's seven and eight.
Now as we look at this same important truth in this topic, from the Old Testament, we find the very same thing. "When a righteous man doth turn from his righteousness, and commit iniquity, and I lay a stumblingblock before him, he shall die: because thou hast not given him warning, he shall die in his sin, and his righteousness which he hath done shall not be remembered; but his blood will I require at thine hand. Nevertheless if thou warn the righteous man, that the righteous sin not, and he doth not sin, he shall surely live, because he is warned; also thou hast delivered thy soul." Ezekiel 3:20,21.
The wages of sin is death. Unless repented of, sin will bar us from heaven. The blood of Christ is what cleanses our hearts. Unless they are pure, holy, and undefiled, we are not ready for eternal life. The sufferings of Christ are to be our study, for here we find true cleansing. A cleansing that begins in the heart and is revealed in the outward actions.
This was the purpose of the sacrificial offerings and services. They were to reveal the love of God for the sinner. This is called grace. By grace are we saved, both in the New Testament and the Old. The Jew was to see the grace of God in the sacrifice of the lamb.
As Brother Crawford continues, we will see this very clearly pointed out in the Day of Atonement when the investigative judgment begins. Here we will find that a profession of faith means nothing to God. He wants our hearts. He wants witnesses of His character in us on this earth, today. By grace, like Noah, Daniel, and Job we can reflect Christ now.
As I stated in my last post, blood represents life, but Jesus makes it very clear here in John 11:25 that HE HAS THE POWER of life and the Power over death within Himself BECAUSE HE IS GOD:
"Therefore doth my Father love me, because I lay down my life, that I might take it again. No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself. I HAVE POWER TO LAY IT DOWN, AND I HAVE POWER TO TAKE IT AGAIN. This commandment I have received of my Father." John 10:17, 18. Emphasis mine.
Although Jesus had POWER WITHIN HIMSELF to lay down His life and to take it up again, He relied on POWER FROM ABOVE to perform His miracles while here on earth, which was THE SAME POWER that was available to His disciples. Jesus healed the sick (Matt. 8:16), and His disciples also healed the sick (Acts 3:6-12). Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead by way of Power from above (John 11:41-44). The disciple Paul raised Eutychus from the dead:
"And there sat in a window a certain young man named Eutychus, being fallen into a deep sleep: and as Paul was long preaching, he sunk down with sleep, and fell from the third loft [margin, story], and was taken up dead. And Paul went down, and fell on him and embracing him said, Trouble not yourselves for life is in him. When he therefore was come up again, and had broken bread, and eaten, and talked a long while, even till break of day, so he departed. For they brought the young man alive and were [much] comforted." Acts 20:9-12.
The Book of Acts is replete with miracles performed by Christ's disciples such as the casting out of unclean spirits (5:16), Peter healing Aeneas (9:32-35), Paul casting out spirits (16:16-18), and other miracles performed by Jesus' disciples (19:11-17).
The same Power from above that was available to Christ is the same Power that was available to His disciples, AND IS THE SAME POWER that is available to us today. Why therefore are we not able to cast out devils and heal the afflicted today as did Christ's dsiciples of old?
"And when they were come to the multitude, there came to him a certain man, kneeling down to him, and saying, Lord have mercy on my son: for he is lunatick, and sore vexed: for ofttimes he falleth into the fire, and oft into the water. And I brought him to thy disciples, and they could not cure him. Then Jesus answered and said, O faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you? how long shall I suffer you? bring him hither to me. And Jesus rebuked the devil; and he departed out of him: and the child was cured from that very hour. Then came the disciples to Jesus apart, and said, Why could not we cast him out? And Jesus said unto them, Because of your unbelief: for verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you. Howbeit this kind goeth not out but by fasting and praying." Matthew 17:14-21.
M.A.
The answer that Jesus gave to his disciples as to why they could not cast the devil out of the young man that was brought to them is an interesting one. Jesus in verse 17 referred to the generation in which He lived as "faithless and perverse."
"Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, THE EVIDENCE OF THINGS NOT SEEN." Hebrews 11:1. Emphasis mine.
True faith is therefore BELIEVING AND TRUSTING IN GOD and taking Him at His Word, without hesitation and without reservation. It is obvious the disciples possessed some faith. Otherwise they would not have been disciples of Christ. But Jesus told them the reason why they could not cast the devil out of the young man brought to them was because of their unbelief. In other words, THEIR FAITH WAS NOT STRONG ENOUGH to cast the devil out!!! Christ confirmed this in the rest of verse 20 when He told them:
"...If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you." Matthew 17:20.
That also answers the question as to why we can't perform miracles today as the disciples did of old: OUR FAITH IN JESUS IS NOT AS STRONG AS IT SHOULD BE!!! Many professed christians of today are numbered among those Jesus talked about in Matthew 15 when He said:
"Ye hypocrites, well did Esaias [Isaiah] prophesy of you, saying, This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips, but their heart is far from me." Matthew 15:8.
If I read Matthew 15:8 correctly, Jesus is not as interested in our lip service AS HE IS OUR HEART SERVICE!!! Verbal proclamations have their place, but they avail us nothing if we do not have the corresponding SERVICE OF THE HEART to accompany those proclamations. What we as Christians need today more than ever before IS FOR OUR ACTIONS to speak as loud as our words. Many of us are very good at talking a good talk; but are we also EQUALLY AS GOOD at walking a good walk?
"He that saith he abideth in him ought himself also so to walk, even as he walked." 1 John 2:6.
The Bible makes it very clear that if we as professed Christians abide in Christ as we say we do, THEN WE OUGHT TO SHOW SOME SIGN by way of the life that we live. The bottom line is: THE STRONGER OUR FAITH IS IN CHRIST, the more it will show up in our lives AND CONFIRM THE FACT that we believe and trust in Jesus and take Him at His Word, WITHOUT HESITATION AND WITHOUT RESERVATION.
M.A.
"Fast, Fasting.... The abstinence from food, whether for religious purposes or because of a lack of food.... The OT records no divine command requiring abstinence from food as a matter of religious duty, except on the Day of Atonement.... however, there are numerous instances of voluntary fasting prompted by religious motives. Under such instances fasting presumably reflected a spirit of willing self-denial and of humility before God, sometimes of penitence for sin....
"...Pious Jews fasted twice each week (Lk 18:12), on Mondays and Thursdays, a practice which Jesus neither approved nor disapproved, although He and His disciples did not observe these ritual fasts (Mt 9:14, 15; Mk 2:18-20; Lk 5:33-35). His only instruction relative to fasting was that it should not be ostentatious [for a show; to attract attention] (Mt 6:16-18), but sincere.... The chief benefit to be obtained from fasting is a clarity of mind that comes with complete or partial abstinence from food and that enables a person to perceive God's will more distinctly...." (SDA Bible Dictionary, pp. 362, 363).
The practice of fasting seemingly has become a lost custom in many Seventh-day Adventist churches of today. When I became a mamber of the church some years ago, it was quite a common practice, especially in preparing members of the church to place themselves in the proper spiritual posture to receive the Holy Ghost Power necessary to become vessels through whom God could work for the salvation of souls. For the most part, we seemingly have gotten away from this type of spiritual preparation in many of our churches today.
As the article above points out, fasting empties us of ourselves. It takes the focus off "self" and places it upon God so we can become instruments through whom He can work. Here on earth, Christians are God's eyes, legs, arms, hands, and mouth. As stated earlier, WE ARE GOD'S VESSELS through whom He communicates to men and women, boys and girls, and through whom He does His Will. In order to receive Holy Ghost Power to do God's Will, we must empty ourselves of self, worldliness, AND OF ALL THINGS that are inconsistent with God's Will for our lives.
Physical and spiritual healing, the casting out of devils, and the working of other miracles are all quite possible today as they were in Christ's day. They are not being manifested today, not because God is unwilling. They are not being manifested today as they could be because WE MUST MEET GOD'S REQUIREMENTS for becoming the vessel through whom He can work. We must first be sure that IT IS THE WILL OF GOD that what we are attempting meets with His approval. Then we must empty ourselves "of self" physically WITH APPROPRIATE FASTING; and finally empty ourselves "of self" spiritually WITH MUCH PRAYER in order to prepare ourselves both physically and spiritually to be the human instruments through whom God can work to do His Will.
M.A.
How is the Heavenly Sanctuary cleansed of our sins?
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us of all unrighteousness." 1 John 1:9.
The Bible makes it very clear that the first prerequisite for our receiving forgiveness for our sins is confession. We must first confess our sins unto God. The dictionary defines "confession" as an "acknowledgement, admission, or disclosure of sin to obtain absolution." Absolution is defined as "a freeing from the blame or guilt" of sin. When we confess our sins we FACE UP TO THE FACT that we have done that which was contrary to the Will of God for our lives. In other words, we have transgressed God's Law; for that's what sin is: the transgression of the law (1 John 3:4). True confession therefore leads to Godly sorrow:
"Now I rejoice, not that ye were made sorry, but that ye sorrowed to repentance: for ye were made sorry after a godly manner, that ye might receive damage by us in nothing." 2 Corinthians 7:9.
To be "made sorry after a godly manner" means we understand that, as Christians, when we sin WE BREAK THE HEART OF GOD because God has given His all to try to save us. Therefore, we are very remorseful over that sin because we do not desire TO GRIEVE THE HEART OF GOD. Consequently, true Godly sorrow will lead to something:
"For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of: but the sorrow of the world worketh death." 2 Corinthians 7:10.
True repentance is more than just being sorry for sins. True repentance also leads one "to be disposed to change one's life for the better" (Webster's Unabridged Dictionary by Random House). The sorrow of the world does not lead to repentance unto salvation because an individual who possesses the sorrow of the world is not sorry for sin because it grieves the heart of God. THAT PERSON IS SORRY BECAUSE HE OR SHE GOT CAUGHT!!! True Godly sorrow works as Jesus told the woman who was caught in adultery:
"When Jesus had lifted up himself, and saw none but the woman, he said unto her, Woman, where are those thine accusers? hath no man condemned thee? She said, No man, Lord. And Jesus said unto her, Neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more." John 8:10, 11.
True Godly sorrow leads to repentance. The end product of true repentance will be that we will GO AND SIN NO MORE!!!
When we TRULY CONFESS of our sins, it will lead to Godly sorrow, which will lead to true repentance, which will cause us to go and sin no more. After we have truly confessed and truly repented of our sins, THEN GOD WILL MOST TRULY FORGIVE US of those sins.
But the process does no stop there. Christ did not come to this earth just to pay the penalty for our sins and to forgive us of those sins. That was the first aspect. The next series of writings will take up the second aspect of how the Heavenly Sanctuary is cleansed of our sins.
M.A.
I believe that another reason why we can't perform miracles today as the disciples of Christ did in His day is because of the overemphasis on and the commercialization of especially the gift of healing which is more often than not abused by some of the so-called "faith healers" of today. As a result, I am thoroughly convinced in my own mind that the Lord is not pleased with those who misuse for the purpose of monetary gain one of the Holy Spirit's gifts to the church.
More than ever before, preaching today is big business. This is evident by the large number of multimillion dollar evangelical organizations that bring in hundreds of millions of dollars every year. Some of these organizations use the gifts of the Spirit to prey on unsuspecting victims, and some of these "healing" sessions employed by some of them are nothing more than highly choreographed "acts" designed to deceive for the purpose of monetary gain. This is why the Bible reminds us:
"For the lover of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows." 1 Timothy 6:10.
Not money itself, but it is THE LOVE OF MONEY that is the root of all that is evil. Men will lie, cheat, and steal for it. Men will sell their souls for it. MEN WILL EVEN KILL FOR IT!! Which is why the Bible again brings to our remembrance that:
"And again I say unto you, It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God." Matthew 19:24.
There is nothing wrong with or sinful about being rich. Joseph of Arimathaea was a rich man, and was also a disciple of Jesus (Matt. 27:57). The problem come in when one becomes so obsessed with obtaining riches until it takes precedent over God's Will for his or her life. When this happens, one has violated the First Commandment which warns us we are to have no other god to come before the True and the Living God because anything that comes before God REPLACES HIM AS GOD AND BECOMES OUR GOD!!!
We can make a "god" out of anything--including using religion FOR IRRELIGIOUS PURPOSES!! This is what happens when "faith healing" is misused and abused to the degree that it has been today. CHRIST DOES NOT GET THE GLORY in any of these theatrical undertakings (not to mention THE UNTRUTHFULNESS of the entire scenario). Instead, the focus is on the "healer" AND WHAT HE IS ACCOMPLISHING supposedly through the Power of the Holy Spirit.
More than anything else, we need to read the Bible AND UNDERSTAND GOD'S PURPOSE for the gifts of the Holy Spirit and how they are to be used to edify the church. This is why, WHEN GOD IS READY, men and women will once again be able to perform GOD-APPROVED ACTS of healing through the Power of the Holy Spirit. When this happens, the body of Christ--the church--will be edified, AND IT WILL BE GOD WHO GETS THE GLORY, and not man.
M.A.
When we examine the gospel in the Old Testament, we find that God gave many health principles to His people Israel. And when they walked in the light they did not suffer the diseases of the nations around them. Amazing!
This is why Jesus told Nicodemus that he must be born again:
"Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God." John 3:3.
Spiritual things are spiritually discerned (1 Cor. 2:14). Because God is a Spirit, we must therefore be born of the Spirit (John 3:6) if we expect to receive THE POWER CONNECTION that brings us back into harmony with God and His Will for our lives:
"Man was orignially endowed with noble powers and a well-balanced mind. He was perfect in his being, and in harmony with God. His thoughts were pure, his aims holy. But through disobedience, his powers were perverted, and selfishness took the place of love. His nature became so weakened through transgression that it was impossible for him, in his own strength, to resist the power of evil. He was made captive by Satan, and would have remained so forever had not God specially interposed...." (Happiness Digest, p. 5).
And God specially interposed when He promised, all the way back in Creation (Gen. 3:15), that He would send The Deliverer--The Second Person of the Godhead--to this earth TO REDEEM US from the lost condition we were in of which IT WAS IMPOSSIBLE for us to free ourselves because WE HAD SOLD OUT to sin:
Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, HIS SERVANTS YE ARE to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?" Romans 6:16. Emphasis mine.
Not when we were His friends, but when we were ENEMIES OF THE THRONE, Christ died for us (Rom. 5:8). Therefore, do we really want to know what true love is? LOVE WAS WHEN GOD BECAME A MAN!!! GOD WITH US!!!
"Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a Son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is God with us." Matthew 1:23.
THIS is the heart of the Gospel--GOD WITH US!!! THIS IS THE BALM IN GILEAD (Jer. 8:22) that makes the spiritually wounded whole, and cures the sin-sick soul--GOD WITH US!!! THIS is what men and women need to know today who try to find solutions to the problems in their troubled minds in the office of psychiatrists--GOD WITH US!!! THIS is what men and women need to know today who try to find the answers to their troubled lives in illegal drugs, by abusing legal drugs, and in liquor bottles--GOD WITH US!!! We have lost our way, BUT THANKS BE TO GOD, we do know how to find it again--GOD WITH US!!!
And we hope to continue on next time looking into this aspect of salvation and the cleansing of the Heavenly Sanctuary.
M.A.
"But when the fullness of time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law." Galatians 4:4.
As I told a congregation this past Sabbath during a Divine Worship Hour message, Christ did more than just come to this earth as the God-man who died on Calvary to pay the penalty for sin THAT WE COULD NOT PAY!! He did much more than that.
When Adam sinned back in the Garden of Eden, sin was passed on to the entire human race:
"For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God." Romans 3:23.
As it is written, There is none righteous, no not one." Romans 3:10
"Who can bring a clean thing out of an unclean? not one." Job 14:4.
We were contaminated with sin and therefore were incapable of fulfilling the charge given to us in Matthew 5:48.
"Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect."
All seemed lost. And then something very wonderful happened:
"For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life." John 3:16.
The Word of God tells us some very wonderful things about God Himself. One of many is the following:
"The Lord hath appeared of old unto me, saying, Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love: therefore with lovingkindness have I drawn thee." Jeremiah 31:3.
Jesus did not just begin all of a sudden to love and to have pity upon us. The Bible tells us that God has loved us WITH AN EVERLSTING LOVE!!! Before He even created us, God loved us. Not when we were His friends, but WHILE WE WERE HIS ENEMIES God loved us:
"For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die. But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us." Romans 5:7, 8.
WHILE WE WERE ENEMIES OF THE THRONE, Christ loved us and was willing to die to save us. GOD DYING!!!! What could be more unthinkable? As the universe looked on, they saw A SIDE OF GOD that they had never seen before because never before in all eternity had anything like this ever happened. The One who created man was now willing to die for him. What love!! What Indescribable Love!!! This is why the Bible reminds us:
"He that loveth not knoweth not God: FOR GOD IS LOVE." 1 John 4:8. Emphasis mine.
This is the heart of the Gospel: God's Indescribable Love for humankind. God is the Quintessential Essence OF WHAT REAL, TRUE LOVE IS!!!
And we shall continue this wonderful excursion on next time.
M.A.
Galatians 5:6 makes it very clear that genuine faith in Jesus IS PUT INTO ACTION by love:
"And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, with all thy soul, with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment." Mark 12:30.
The stronger our love is for God, the stronger will be our faith in Him:
"So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God." Romans 10:17.
I don't know if it can get any clearer than that. Faith comes by BELIEVING AND TRUSTING in God's Word and accepting it AS IT IS WRITTEN. We can't FULLY BELIEVE in God unless we correspondingly FULLY BELIEVE in His Word. God and His Word are one and the same (John 1:1). We can't have faith in one without also having faith in the other, any more than we can love God AND YET HAVE DOUBTS about His Word:
"For unto us was the gospel preached, as well as unto them; but the word preached did not profit them, NOT BEING MIXED WITH FAITH in them that heard it." Hebrews 4:2. Emphasis mine.
The Bible makes it quite clear. Whenever the Word of God is preached unto us, unless we believe and trust (have faith) in that Word, AND PUT IT INTO ACTION, it will profit us nothing. Again, this is why the Bible admonishes us to:
"...be ye doers of the word, and not just hearers only, deceiving your own selves." James 1:22.
Just knowing what God requires of us as Christians in His Word in order to be saved is not enough. We must also PUT INTO ACTION what God asks of us. And the principle that motivates us to do just that is faith "WHICH WORKETH BY LOVE" (Gal. 5:6).
EVERY PRINCIPLE OF SAVING RIGHTEOUSNESS that is exercised in the life of a Christian is generated, strengthened, and fortified by his or her love for God. LOVE FOR GOD is the overriding factor that causes us to walk by faith, and not by sight (2 Cor. 5:7). Love for God causes us to believe in His Word WITH COMPLETE CONFIDENCE and without reservation.
Let us not allow ourselves to be misled into thinking that these marvelous accomplishments can be achieved all at once. Sanctification is a growth process. The Christian journey in this life is to be walked one step at a time. We are to LIVE FOR CHRIST one day at a time, for yesterday is gone and tomorrow is not promised to us. We can be sure that all of us in this life who live godly in Christ are going to encounter some kind of persecution (2 Tim. 3:12). But we are not to fear for, on this Christian sojourn in this evil and sinful world, Jesus lovingly reminds us with these words of consolation:
"...lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world." Matthew 28:20.
It is up to us TO BELIEVE AND CLAIM THAT PROMISE.
M.A.
Brother Crawford spoke of sanctification being a progressive work. He said "Let us not allow ourselves to be misled into thinking that these marvelous accomplishments can be achieved all at once. Sanctification is a growth process. The Christian journey in this life is to be walked one step at a time. We are to LIVE FOR CHRIST one day at a time..." Amen.
The topic Sanctification can be found in this forum. It is an important subject because of the error being taught regarding the topic. It is needful for us to study the term so that we shall not be misled. Sanctification is a progressive work. And as Brother Crawford points out, we are not to expect that we shall fully reflect Christ when we first become sanctified. When we are converted our heart is purified and our motives are holy. But, we have much to learn and God does not allow us to be tempted beyond what we can bear. Let us continue this discussion in the Sanctification thread.
As it is pointed out all the way back in the first Chapter of the first Book of the Bible, We humans were created in the image of God. I like the explanation given in the Teacher's Edition of this past Sabbath School Lesson on how we were created in the image of God:
"Humanity came forth from the hand of the Creator a masterpiece of perfection, glowing with the image of God, innately pure, and capable of unlimited spiritual and intellectual development through an unbroken relationship with the Creator. This relationship was conditional on a worshipful, enlightened subordination to the will and law of God, from whom flows all life, love, wisdom, and knowledge" (p. 127).
After Adam and Eve sinned, it produced a radical change within them that led to a perversion of their moral and intellectual sensibilities which rendered it impossible for them to pass on the Holy, pure nature they possessed prior to yielding to their own unwise choice to do that which was contrary to God's Word. Hence, mankind fell from the high and Holy status Adam and Eve once enjoyed and now came under a penalty of death, which had been very clearly pointed out by God Himself as being the result of doing that which was contrary to His Word (Gen. 2:17). Therefore, Adam could not pass on to the human race that which he no longer possessed (Job 14:4). The Bible is clear there are none righteous (Rom. 3:10). All have sinned (Rom. 3:23). And the wages of sin is death (Rom. 6:23). But instead of man dying, the unthinkable happened. GOD DIED IN OUR STEAD!!!
"...Worthy is the Lamb that was slain...." Revelation 5:12.
God so loved us until He gave His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, who is "the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world" (Rev. 13:8). The Bible makes it very clear that Jesus came to this earth and died the sacrifical death as our substitute to pay the penalty for sin THAT WE DESERVED in order for us to have a chance at eternal life THAT ONLY HE DESERVED. But Christ did more than just pay the penalty for sin.
For almost six thousand years, sin has all but destroyed any resemblance of the image of God man possessed back in Eden. For this cause, in addition to paying the penalty for sin:
"...Christ also suffered for us, LEAVING US AN EXAMPLE, that ye should follow his steps." 1 Peter 2:21. Emphasis mine.
And this is what I want to talk about on next time.
M.A.
One of the most often quoted verses of Scripture in all the Bible is also, more often than not, the least understood. In John 14:6, Jesus declares three things about Himself:
"I am the way."
The Bible makes it very clear that Jesus is THE WAY, meaning THERE IS NO OTHER WAY whereby one can be saved:
"Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is NONE OTHER NAME UNDER HEAVEN given among men, whereby we must be saved." Acts 4:12. Emphasis mine.
Jesus came to this world to do more than just pay the penalty for our sins on Calvary. Once that debt was paid, WE STILL DID NOT QUALIFY to enter the Holy Realm we call Heaven. Only that which is Holy can live in the presence of Him who possesses Absolute Holiness (2 Thess. 2:8).
Prior to sin, Adam was created in the image of God. An image is a likeness or a representation of a person or thing. When Adam sinned, he lost his likeness or his spiritual representation of God. He lost his holiness and came under the penalty of death. Even after Christ paid the debt on Calvary that we could not pay (don't miss this), every human being was still a sinner until each by faith ACCEPTED THE PROVISIONS WHEREBY ONE IS RECONCILED unto God. That reconciliation process is made possible ONLY THROUGH JESUS CHRIST. This is why Jesus AND JESUS ALONE is the only way one can enter back into "at-one-ment" with God that was severed as a result of sin.
"The truth."
Christ is The Standard of Truth whereby all other truth is measured. All so-called "truth" is weighed according to "the truth as it is in Jesus."
The life."
The life that Jesus lived while here on this earth is The Living Example that one is to emulate and pattern his or her own life after if an individual expects to be saved in God's Kingdom. Scripture makes it very clear that NO MAN OR WOMAN comes to the Father except by way of Jesus Christ. This is why IT IS OF PARAMOUNT IMPORTANCE--more so today than ever before because of Christ's soon coming--that we prayerfully and carefully study the Life of Christ as it is revealed in Scripture and so order our lives after His Divine Likeness. Jesus has very clearly, by way of the life He lived, revealed unto us The Way. If therefore any of us are lost, WE WILL ONLY HAVE OURSELVES TO BLAME!!!
"The wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life." Romans 6:23.
"This is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son." 1 John 5:11.
And this is what I want to talk about on next time.
M.A.
"And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son." 1 John 5:11.
As stated in another post, when Jesus died on Calvary after exclaiming "It is finished" (John 19:30), He paid the debt for sin THAT WE COULD NOT PAY which is death (Rom. 6:23). Because all have sinned (Rom. 3:23), every human being came under the penalty of death. A penalty that we could not pay because every human being after Adam would be born into this world a sinner and would therefore have to die because a clean thing cannot come from that which is unclean (Job 14:4). Therefore, being faced with the prospect of every human paying the penalty ourselves would have meant the end of the human race. But GOD SO LOVED US that:
"When the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law, To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons." Galatians 4:4.
Here in Galatians 4:4 is presented again the very heart of the Gospel. Why do we not hear this Good News preached in more of our churches today? Every Sabbath IN EVERY PULPIT, some aspect of the Everlasting Love that God has for us should be preached. Sermons should begin with this, be interspersed all throughout the middle with this, and end with this Everlasting Love THAT GOD DEMONSTRATED when He gave His only begotten Son TO DIE IN OUR STEAD on a cruel instrument of torture to pay the debt for us THAT WE COULD NOT PAY!!! We become derelict in our duty as pastors and elders, and do a grave disservice to our congregations, when we do not constantly keep before the people this Everlasting Love that God has for us.
Even after Calvary, the Bible makes it very clear in 1 John 5:11 that WE STILL DID NOT QUALIFY on our own recognizance, or on our own merits, to receive eternal life. Eternal life IS A GIFT FROM GOD because we can do nothing in and of ourselves to earn it.
Adam was created in the image of God (Gen. 1:27), but after he sinned, he sewed fig leaves together (Gen. 3:7) and tried to hide from God (vs. 8) because he had lost the image of God with which he had been created (vss. 9-11), as had all of us who were born after him.
"Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect." Matthew 5:48.
God is Perfect. Those who stand in His Presence must be perfect. This is why we are admonished in Matthew 5:48 to be perfect because NOTHING LESS THAN PERFECTION can live in the Presence of Him who is Perfect:
"And then that Wicked shall be revealed whom the Lord...shall destroy with the brightness of his coming." 2 Thessalonians 2:8.
Those who are less than what they should be and are alive when Christ returns in His full Majesty and Power will be destroyed by the Brightness of His Coming because nothing less than perfection can live in the Presence of God.
But we humans are not perfect. Nor indeed can become perfect; no matter how hard we try by keeping God's Laws and being "good deed-doers" all day, every day. What then are we to do?
This is what I want to talk about on next time.
M.A.
"God is a Spirit."
One cannot see a spirit. Then how does a person know it exists? THOSE WHO WANT TO KNOW understand that God exists because there is IRREFUTABLE EVIDENCE of His existence which proves that He exists. Allow me to illustrate.
Most atheists are quite well-educated people. Yet they do not believe in The Supreme Being we refer to as God as the Bible describes Him. My response to all atheists and their unbelief in God is: First, go look in a mirror. What do you see? One thing is quite certain: YOU DID NOT CREATE YOURSELF!!! Let's briefly look at some facts about the image in the mirror.
The normal human body is made up of trillions of cells that are interconnected and interact perfectly together to form what we call a human being. Scientists have discovered that JUST ONE HUMAN CELL is so complex until they still do not know all there is to know about the human cell. Cells interact perfectly together to form tissue. Tissue interact perfectly together to form organs. Organs form highly complex systems, and systems interectly perfectly together to form a human being.
Most atheists, I suppose, believe in the theory of evolution as to the origin of man which teaches that we humans evolved from a lower to a higher form of life by a process known as natural selection. Let's take that idea to its extreme. Let us say for the moment (as some variants of the theory postulate) that man evolved from one-celled animals over a period of, let's say, 500 million years. (evolutionists need tremendous amounts of time in order to allow for the evolutionary process to take place). Immediately there is one major problem with this proposal. For if man did indeed evolve from one-celled animals, WHERE DID THE ONE-CELLED ANIMALS COME FROM? If the answer is from the slime and ooze of prehistoric oceans and seas, then where did prehistoric oceans, seas, slime, and ooze come from? Let's take just one more example.
Cosmologists (scientists who study the "evolution" of the universe) claim that the universe was once extremely compact, dense, and hot, when some "cosmic explosion" (called the Big Bang Theory) occurred about 10 to 20 billion years ago, of which the universe since that time has been expanding and cooling. There are three main difficulties with this theory cosmologists have problems trying to answer. (1) If this is true, then WHERE did the universe come from in the first place? (2) HOW did the universe become "extremely compact, dense, and hot?" (3) WHAT caused the so-called "cosmic explosion" to occur? Scientists can only speculate, postulate, AND GUESS that what they believe is true.
As one can readily see, it takes OVERWHELMING AMOUNTS OF FAITH to believe in the speculation and guessing that scientists accept as true as they continue to WRITE MANY HUNDREDS OF BOOKS in support of their theories they pass on to an unsuspecting public as truth.
"The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God...." Psalm 14:1.
Where atheists, agnostics, and the like are concerned, I believe Psalm 14:1 says it all; as we continue our study on next time of John 4:24, of the Holy Spirit, and the restoration of the lost image of God in man.
M.A.
"Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolators, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God." 1 Corinthians 6:9, 10.
Has anyone heard a sermon lately (or ever at all) preached from an Adventist pulpit that was based on 1 Corinthians 6:9 and 10?
"Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these: Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of which I tell you before, as I have also told you in times past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God." Galatians 5:19-21.
What about a sermon based on Galatians 5:19-21? Yet they and other admonitions and warnings like them have been in the Bible all the time. Why haven't they been pointed out by those who stand in pulpits WHO HAVE BEEN GIVEN THE CHARGE TO:
"Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season, reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine." 2 Timothy 4:2.
"Cry aloud, spare not, lift up thy voice like a trumpet, and shew my people their transgression, and the house of Jacob their sins." Isaiah 58:1.
Since the Bible is our Instruction Book on how we are saved (It is that, isn't It?), why do we not hear pastors and elders in our churches fulfilling the charge given in 2 Timothy 4:2 and Isaiah 58:1 by bringing attention to the people of God that which is written in 1 Corinthians 6:9 and 10, Galatians 5:19-21, and other passages of Scripture like them? Could it be that we as pastors and elders ARE DERELICT IN OUR DUTY?!!! I believe we know the answer to that question. But what's more important is the sobering reality that GOD KNOWS THE ANSWER TOO!!!!
M.A.
IP: Logged
M.A. Crawford
Moderator posted 07-19-2006 12:20 PM
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"Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is." 1 John 3:2.
"We shall be like Him."
RESTORING THE LOST IMAGE OF GOD into every human being who will be saved in God's Kingdom IS THE ULTIMATE GOAL AND THE END RESULT of the Work of the Holy Spirit by way of the indwelling of Jesus Christ in the life under the direction of God The Father. ALL THREE PERSONS OF THE GODHEAD are constantly at work doing everything possible to save us--TRYING TO SAVE US FROM OURSELVES!!!
Yes. The truth can now be told. Where our salvation is concerned, more often than not, WE ARE OUR OWN WORST ENEMIES!! Some of us vacillate. Many of us are "wishy-washy." Too many professed Christians of today will, on the one hand, raise the roof by singing with much fervor "O, How I Love Jesus." Yet, on the other hand, will doubt AND EVEN DENY HIM on tomorrow when the Christian journey gets a little rough, and the going gets a little tough. I am convinced that ANGELS OF GOD MARVEL at how so many of us so-called "loyal and faithful" Christians are so easily READY TO BAIL OUT at the first sign of trouble, difficulties, and when things don't quite go our way as planned.
The time of trouble is almost upon us. The testing time is about to begin. EVERY HUMAN BEING who is alive during this time will demonstrate BY WAY OF THE CHOICES MADE whether or not he or she has received the Seal of the Living God.
The pre-Advent Judgment is going on right now. We are demonstrating RIGHT NOW by way of the choices we make as to whether or not our lives are being brought in line to conform with the Great Standard whereby we will be judged:
"So speak ye, and so do, as they that shall be judged by the law of liberty." James 2:12.
The Law of Liberty is God's Ten Commandment Law. WHAT WE SAY AND WHAT WE DO as professed Christians will be weighed against God's Ten Commandments. This is why judgment will begin at the house of God (1 Peter 4:17) because when Christ returns, His reward is with Him (Rev. 22:12). The Investigative Judgment for professed followers of Christ will have been completed at Christ's Second Coming. This is why the righteous living and the righteous dead WILL BE CAUGHT UP TOGETHER to meet the Lord in the air at His return to be with Him forevermore (1 Thess. 4:16, 17).
Enough evidence has been presented in other threads to give credence to the Investigative Judgment and Its relationship to 1844. I will not go back over that evidence here. Instead, my goal is to continue our study on next time of what the Bible says about how the lost image of God's is restored in us.
M.A.
IP: Logged
M.A. Crawford
Moderator posted 07-21-2006 01:35 PM
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"This is why judgment will begin at the house of God (1 Peter 4:17), because when Christ returns, His reward is with Him (Rev. 22:12)."
The unrighteous who are dead when Christ returns will be already lost. The unrighteous living will be destroyed by the Brightness of His Coming (2 Thess. 2:8). During the 1,000 year period, Satan will be bound on this earth by a chain of circumstance. (Rev. 20:1-3). The righteous Saints will be with the Lord (vs. 4). The unrighteous will all be dead. (vs. 5). The devil will have no one to tempt. The Saints of God will be with the Lord, going over the life's records of every lost soul to determine THE DEGREE OF PUNISHMENT each will receive (vs. 4).
When criminals who have committed different crimes come before an earthly judge, do they all receive the same punishment? Of course not. Consequently, in that same vein, all sinners will not perish at the same time in hell fire. Some will have been more wicked than others. This is why the Lord declares:
"And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give to every man ACCORDING AS HIS WORK SHALL BE." Revelation 20:12. Emphasis mine.
In addition to being Merciful, GOD IS ALSO A JUST GOD!! Every being in God's universe will be a witness to the fact that:
"...Great and marvellous are thy works, Lord God Almighty; JUST AND TRUE ARE THY WAYS, thou King of saints." Revelation 15:3. Emphasis mine.
Don't let the devil fool you. EVERY KNEE SHALL BOW and every tongue shall confess unto God, AND GIVE AN ACCOUNT OF ONESELF unto the Lord (Rom. 14:11, 12).
The time of trouble is almost upon us. Hundreds of millions in many denominations and people groups throughout the earth claim to be followers of Christ during this time of calm. But the peace and tranquility we presently experience in this world are about to end. The testing time will soon be upon us, and our faith and loyalty to God will be tested "as gold tried in the fire" (Rev. 3:18). The powers of this world are going to make certain demands upon all the inhabitants on this earth, and some of those demands will be IN DIRECT OPPOSITION TO the Word of God. Of that time, the Bible clearly warns us:
"And he caused 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." Revelation 13:16, 17.
Many of us have read and/or heard Revelation 13:16 and 17 preached and taught to us so much until I am concerned as to whether or not many still have that sense of urgency as to the lateness of the hour AND THE SERIOUSNESS of what we shall soon be confronted with. Daniel 12:1 warns us of a forthcoming time of trouble "such as never was since there was a nation." Meaning, we shall be confronted with things that will be happening THAT HAVE NEVER HAPPENED BEFORE.
When the testing time comes upon all who are alive upon the earth, then the question shall be asked: "Will your anchor hold within the veil?"
M.A.
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M.A. Crawford
Moderator posted 07-26-2006 01:23 PM
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"But we all, with open face beholding as a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory even as by the Spirit of the Lord." 2 Corinthians 3:18.
Second Corinthians 3:18 makes it very clear in no uncertain terms that when we behold the Glory of the Lord WE ARE CHANGED INTO THE SAME IMAGE--HIS IMAGE!! And how are we changed into Christ's Image? The last part of the verse tells us: "BY THE SPIRIT OF THE LORD!" The ultimate goal and end result of all the work the Holy Spirit does on our behalf is THE RESTORING OF THE LOST IMAGE OF GOD IN US by way of the Indwelling Christ. In other words, as Jesus said to Nicodemus, WE MUST BE BORN AGAIN!! How is this accomplished?
"Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God." 1 John 3:9.
The Bible makes it clear that if one is TRULY BORN OF GOD, that individual will not commit sin. We are tempted in varying degrees every day that we live to do that which is not right in God's Sight. How do we know whether something is or is not right in God's Sight?
"Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth." John 17:17
The Bible is the Great Standard whereby all that we call "truth" is weighed and measured. We are sanctified through the truth that is the Word of God. IT IS THE LITMUS TEST which determines right and wrong unto salvation. Therefore it is the major strategy of the devil to try to do all that he can to keep us from reading and studying God's Holy Word as we should.
Someone has said, in reference to the Bible: "This Book will keep you from sin; or sin will keep you from this Book." Truer words have not been spoken. The master plan of Satan in his attempt to cause us to be lost is to divert our attention to other "religious" books, reading materials, audio/visual aids--AND BECOME KNOWLEDGEABLE AND PROFICIENT IN THEM--while lacking in wisdom and understanding OF THE MOST IMPORTANT BOOK OF ALL--The Holy Bible. Many do not understand God's Word as they should BECAUSE THEY DON'T PRAYERFULLY READ AND STUDY IT as they should:
"For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing assunder 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.
Hebrews 4:12 reminds us that the Word of God is a discerner of the thoughts and the intentions of our hearts, AND NO OTHER BOOK ON EARTH CAN MAKE THAT CLAIM!!! What many have done is to allow the enemy to divert their attention FROM THE ONLY BOOK whereby we are made perfect:
"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, thoroughly furnished unto all good works." 2 Timothy 3:16. Emphasis mine.
There it is! The very thing that the devil does not want us to know. He does not want us to know that the lost image of God is restored in us THROUGH THE WORD OF GOD!!! As we shall continue to see on next time.
M.A.
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Richard Myers
Servant posted 07-27-2006 10:38 AM
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Amen, Brother Crawford! Faith cometh by hearing and hearing by the Word of God! By beholding His great love for us, we shall become changed into His character!
Posted 8-3-06 by M. A. Crawford
"Jesus said unto him, I am the way...." John 14:6.
As I stated in another post, Jesus did more than come to earth to pay the penalty for sin. Once that debt was paid, we still did not qualify to enter into Heaven because mankind had now become tainted with sin. And because mankind had become tainted with sin, the image of God (Holiness) in which man had been created was now lost.
Holiness is a state of Absolute Perfection, and the Bible makes it clear in 2 Thessalonians 2:8 that only a person who is holy can live in the presence of Him who possesses Absolute Holiness. This is why the Bible tells us in Matthew 5:48 that we must be perfect, just as our Father who is in Heaven is Perfect. There is no way around Matthew 5:48, if we expect to enter into God's Kingdom. But the sobering reality of the situation is we cannot become perfect in our own effort, no matter how "perfectly" we keep the Ten Commandments, OR THE WHOLE BIBLE from Genesis to Revelation for that matter. All of our "righteousness" are as filthy rags in God's Sight (Isa. 64:6). We can perform no acts of righteousness on our own recognizance that will save us. Then how can we be saved?
"Jesus said unto him, I am the way...." John 14:6.
CHRIST IS OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS!!!! (Jer. 23:6). Every act of righteousness UNTO SALVATION that is lived out in the life of a Christian is done so through the Indwelling Christ by the Power of the Holy Spirit:
"...Christ in you, the hope of glory." Colossians 1:27.
IT IS THE SPIRIT THAT QUICKENETH (margin, gives life); the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life." John 6:63. Emphasis mine.
The Bible makes it quite clear that our own efforts at attaining righteousness unto salvation WILL PROFIT US NOTHING. IT IS WHAT JESUS HAS DONE that is acceptable unto God. ONLY HE has lived in the flesh--the same type of body that we possess--a perfect life, THEREBY CONDEMNING SIN IN THE FLESH and proving that it was possible for Adam, and for every other human being, to live a sinless life:
"For 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.
If Adam, prior to sin, had continued to walk "after the Spirit," HE WOULD HAVE NEVER SINNED!! He would have remained perfect. If Adam had continued to BELIEVE AND TRUST (remain faithful) in God's Word, he would have never sinned. BUT ADAM LOST FAITH in God's Word, and yielded to the voice of another. It was THE LACK OF FAITH in what God had said (God's Word) that caused Adam to sin. It was the lack of faith in what God said that caused Lucifer in Heaven to sin. This is why:
"...for whatsoever is not of faith is sin." Romans 14:23.
As we shall continue to see on next time.
M.A.
The following is worth repeating again. CHRIST IS OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS unto salvation!!!! (Jer. 23:6). Every act of righteousness THAT LEADS TO BEING SAVED that is lived out in the life of a Christian is done so through the Indwelling Christ by the Power of the Holy Spirit:
"...Christ in you, the hope of glory." Colossians 1:27.
In addition to reproving the world of sin, righteousness, and judgment (John 16:8), where our being saved is concerned, the Holy Spirit has another very important function:
"Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come." John 16:13.
Please don't miss this! John 16:13 very clearly points out that the Holy Spirit is also our Guide!! He guides us to Christ. CHRIST IN YOU!! In these last days when error is being passed on by men and women in high positions of influence and taught as truth, THE ONLY WAY we can safely navigate the treacherous spiritual waters of error, trickery, and deceit that we face on this Christian journey IS BY THE POWER OF the Holy Spirit. He is referred to in John 16:13 as the Spirit of Truth. IT IS HE who will guide us into all that is truth that leads to eternal life. And the next verse explains how The Third Person of the Godhead does this:
"He shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine, and shall shew it unto you." Verse 14.
Jesus says in John 16:14 that the Holy Spirit will glorify Him. The dictionary defines to "glorify" as "to honor with praise, adoration, or worship." In other words, THE HOLY SPIRIT WILL POINT US TO CHRIST as being the One worthy of praise, adoration, and worship. The Holy Spirit will guide us into all truth:
"Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth." John 17:17.
The Holy Spirit will point us to The Living Word, Jesus Christ, and to The Written Word, the Holy Bible. Christ provides us with a Living Example that leads to eternal life, and the Bible provides us with written instructions that lead to eternal life IF WE ACCEPT BOTH TOTALLY AND COMPLETELY BY FAITH and so order our lives accordingly. WE CANNOT believe in one and not the other and be saved. THEY BOTH ARE THE WORD!! THEY BOTH ARE THE TRUTH!! Again, this is why:
"...for whatsoever is not of faith is sin." Romans 14:13.
We are saved by Grace THROUGH FAITH!! (Eph. 2:8). Grace comes from God. Ephesians 2:8 tells us it is a Gift. We cannot earn it. It is saving favor from Him that we neither merit nor deserve. But BECAUSE OF HIS LOVINGKINDNESS, He grants it to us anyway because He is God and, besides Him, there is none other (Oh say, can we see how good God is?). Again, according to Ephesians 2:8, faith is THE ACTIVE SPIRITUAL MEDIUM whereby we receive this Grace. This is why without faith, it is impossible to please God (Heb. 11:6).
M.A.
"Worship Him in Spirit."
How do we worship God in Spirit? The Bible tells us everything we need to know in terms of how to be saved:
"For 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.
As I pointed out in another post, Lucifer raised great charges against God and His Government in Heaven. There was war (Rev. 12:7). It was a war not with guns, but a war instigated by Lucifer himself to gain control of the minds of Heavenly beings. The devil challenged God by openly opposing Him (Eze. 28:15; 1 John 3:4). In an attempt to prove his point, the deceiver took his challenge to the Garden of Eden. Lucifer had sinned, had caused one-third of God's Holy angels to sin (Rev. 12:4), and finally caused Adam and Eve to sin. He thought he had won. Therefore Lucifer claimed himself supreme and was now ready to take over God's Government and the right to rule (Isa. 12:12-14). But he and the angels who followed him were cast out of Heaven instead (Rev. 12:9).
After the entrance of sin into the universe, God could have swiftly eliminated from existence the devil AND WOULD HAVE BEEN JUSTIFIED in doing so. But God in His Suprmem Wisdom knew that to do so would only raise more questions and doubt about His Holiness than answers and would not have completely eliminated that which Lucifer had originated. So God had to allow sin to run its course IN ORDER FOR ALL TO SEE if God is who He says He is. The remaining Heavenly beings who did not follow Lucifer in his rebellion heard what God said, heard what Lucifer said, AND CHOSE TO DO what God said.
What does all this have to do with us and worshipping God in Spirit? We hope to answer that question on next time.
M.A.
"God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth." John 4:24.
One cannot see a spirit. Therefore, in order to truly worship God, one must worship Him in Spirit and in Truth. How do we worship the Unseen God?
"...he that hath seen me hath seen the Father...." John 14:9.
In response to Philip's request in verse 8 to "show us the Father," Jesus told him in verse 9 that whoever has seen Him has already seen the Father. Christ told His disciples in verse 7 that if they had known Him as they should they would have also known the Father because in John 10:30 Jesus states emphatically that the Father and He are One.
"Hear O Israel: the Lord our God is one Lord." Deuteronomy 6:4.
"For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one." 1 John 5:7.
Both the Old and New Testament make it quite clear that we worship only one God WHO IS ABLE TO MANIFEST HIMSELF in Three Persons: The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. They therefore are also One in purpose and One in character. Throughout the Bible it is made clear THAT ALL THREE are active Agents in the salvation of mankind. God so loved the world that He gave His only Son to save us IF WE WOULD BUT ACCEPT the provisions made for our salvation (John 3:16).
Jesus further explains to His disciples in John 14 that The Holy Spirit will abide with faithful Christians forever (vs. 16). The Holy Spirit is sent by the Father and will teach us all things and bring to our remembrance what Jesus has said (vs. 26).
"Jesus answered and said...If a man loves me, he will keep my words, and my Father will love him.... He that loveth me not keepeth not my sayings...." John 14:23, 24.
I don't know how it can get any clearer than that. If a man or woman loves Christ, he or she WILL DO WHAT CHRIST ASKS in His Word. If a man or a woman does not love Christ, he or she WILL NOT DO WHAT CHRIST ASKS in His Word.
The dictionary defines "worship" as "reverent honor and homage paid to God...or to any object regarded as sacred." A true Christian BELIEVES AND TRUSTS in God--as He is described in His Word--AND PROCEEDS ACCORDINGLY. But that's what faith is: to believe and trust in God AND TAKE HIM AT HIS WORD. When we as Christians worship God in Spirit, we therefore worship Him as if we know Him personally due to the fact that A TRUE CHRISTIAN DOES KNOW GOD PERSONALLY!!! God is real to him BECAUSE HE'S REAL IN HIS SOUL. A true Christian BELIEVES AND TRUSTS in God and has UNRESERVED, UNWAVERING, UNMOVABLE FAITH in God's Word MAKING HIM REAL!!!
M.A.
"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.
I am thoroughly convinced in my own mind that IT IS IMPOSSIBLE to worship God in Spirit unless one believes and accepts 2 Timothy 3:16 and 17 and proceeds WITH ALL OF one's heart, soul, mind, and strength as It is written.
Notice that I capitalize the first letter of the word "It" when referring to the pronoun in reference to the Word of God. I do so because of THE ATTITUDE of reverence and respect I have for God's Word. I have this attitude toward the Bible because I believe the Word of God is Holy (Rom. 7:12), just as God is Holy (Ps. 99:9; Rev. 4:8). God and His Word are Holy because IT IS IMPOSSIBLE for either to make a mistake or error. The minor errors and discrepencies found in the Bible ARE MAN-MADE due to errors made in the translation (and, in some cases, the interpretation) of the original manuscripts from one language to another. What is without error ARE THE GREAT PRINCIPLES OF SALVATION found therein.
In our modern world with information being more readily available and accessable than at any time in the history of mankind, one of the main reasons why some Christians (and, unfortunately, some Seventh-day Adventists) have problems worshipping God in Spirit is because of THEIR ATTITUDE OF SKEPTICISM AND DOUBT toward God and His Word as a result of challenges brought on by "scholars," theologians, and "intellectuals" EVEN WITHIN THE ADVENTIST CHURCH who espouse the doctrine of higher criticism (and other doctrines) which questions the nature and authority of Scripture. As a result of these challenges, we now have pastors preaching in our pulpits and church leaders WHO ARE UNSURE of the veracity or truthfulness of some of our historic beliefs and practices THAT HAVE WITHSTOOD THE TEST OF TIME.
With all of the voices in the wind and all the confusion in the church, perhaps now we can understand, MORE THAN EVER BEFORE, why it is that without faith it is impossible to please God (Heb. 11:6); and whatsoever is not of faith is sin (Rom. 14:23).
M.A.