Bible

Identifying the Christian

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In previous articles in this series (LandMarks September 2013 – January 2014), the focus was concentrated on the paradigm for Christianity that Jesus exemplified in His life here on earth. This message looks at one of Paul the apostle’s statements concerning who really is a Christian and what this religion called Christianity is all about.

Jonathan Edwards, the great Puritan preacher and theologian who lived in the early eighteenth century made the following remarks in one of his sermons: “They who give themselves to God, He’ll give Himself to them, and only those who refuse to give themselves to God shall fail to have Him for their portion. The truly righteous dedicate themselves to God; they give themselves up, body and soul, with all that they have. To such, God gives Himself, with all that He is and has, to be their heritage. He gives Himself with all His glory and perfection, so far as they are capable of enjoying them or receiving good by them. His power shall be theirs to deliver them from evil and to promote their welfare. His wisdom shall be theirs to guide and instruct them, and to contrive and to order things for them. His holiness, His beauty, and His love shall be theirs to be seen and enjoyed by them.” A Just and Righteous God, (Soli Deo Gloria Ministries, Michigan), 130.

In my analysis of true Christianity there is a word which keeps popping up in my mind which I never liked and which from my observation most human beings do not like, that word is submit or submission. To submit, according to Webster’s Dictionary, means to yield, as something, in surrender, compliance, or obedience; to subject to imposed conditions or treatment; to allow oneself to be subjected to something imposed or to be undergone; to yield to the decision or opinion of another. Synonyms for submit or submission are subject or subjection and this word subjection is what I would like to focus on as it relates to being a Christian. The word subject or subjection, according to Webster’s Dictionary, means to bring under dominion, rule, or authority.

Paul Sets an Example

In Paul’s first letter to the Corinthian Christians, we read these words: “But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway.” I Corinthians 9:27. In this verse we see the apostle emphasizing the absolute importance for the Christian, bringing his or her being under authority, under rule! It was necessary for Paul to speak plainly and pointedly to these believers. The Corinthians, who considered themselves mature Christians, had been claiming that they are in such a privileged position that they are free to eat meat offered to idols if they like. Their Christian freedom gives them—as they think—a special position in which they could do things, which might not be permissible to other men. Paul’s way of answering that argument was to set forth the many privileges, which he himself had a perfect right to claim, but which he did not claim, in case they should turn out to be stumbling-blocks to others and hindrances to the effectiveness of the gospel.

So, after Paul had addressed the Corinthian Christians concerning frictions in the church; the practice of incest among them, their practice of litigation in secular courts, issues concerning marriage and issues concerning meats offered to idols, he then seeks to establish the way of life in which the Christian should conduct himself. The apostle wanted to correct the false notion that the Corinthian Christians held about what it really means to be a Christian! Fundamentally, the Christian is not free to please himself or herself, to do whatever he or she wishes, inspite of how it might impact others!

Here is Paul’s argument, I Corinthians 9:19–27: “For though I be free from all men, yet have I made myself servant unto all, that I might gain the more. And unto the Jews I became as a Jew, that I might gain the Jews; to them that are under the law, as under the law, that I might gain them that are under the law; to them that are without law, as without law, (being not without law to God, but under the law to Christ,) that I might gain them that are without law. To the weak became I as weak, that I might gain the weak: I am made all things to all men, that I might by all means save some. And this I do for the gospel’s sake, that I might be partaker thereof with you. Know ye not that they which run in a race run all, but one receiveth the prize? So run, that ye may obtain. And every man that striveth for the mastery is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a corruptible crown; but we an incorruptible. I therefore so run, not as uncertainly; so fight I, not as one that beateth the air: but I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway.”

Notice what the apostle states in verse 19: “For though I be free.” Paul returns to his theme of chapter 8:9–13 that he will not permit his liberty to become a stumbling block to them that are weak. Simply put, being a Christian is interpreted to mean living for Jesus, which means living for others! Therefore the true Christian will always seek to possess a Christlike attitude in order to influence non-Christians to Christ. The emphasis in his or her life is not self-gratification, rather it will be as Paul states, “For though I be free from all men, yet have I made myself servant unto all, that I might gain the more.”

The apostle was willing to enslave himself for the salvation of his fellowmen, total self-renouncement, total self-forgetfulness so that by his Christlike life he may win some to Christ! This is the challenge we all have today, to forget about ourselves and to remember who we are and whose we are. Dr. Albert Schweitzer describes the kind of moment that brought him the greatest happiness. Someone suffering intensely is brought into his hospital. He soothes the man by telling him that he will put him to sleep and will operate on him and all will be well. After the operation he sits beside the patient waiting for him to regain consciousness. Slowly he opens his eyes and whispers in sheer wonderment, “I have no more pain.”

If, by a life of selfless love, you and I can mend one shattered life, restore one wanderer to the right way, heal one broken heart, bring back one lost soul to Christ, to find ourselves at last in eternity and to have one person say to us I have no more pain, all the self-denial and self-sacrifice we made would have been worth it!

Paul makes it very clear to the Christian that we are in a real fight. “Know ye not that they which run in a race run all, but one receiveth the prize? So run, that ye may obtain. And every man that striveth for the mastery is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a corruptible crown; but we an incorruptible. I therefore so run, not as uncertainly; so fight I, not as one that beateth the air: but I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway.” I Corinthians 9:24–27.

Paul insists to those Corinthians who wanted to take the easy way that no man will ever get anywhere without the sternest self-discipline. Just as how the athlete must discipline himself/herself if he or she intends to win the game, how much more should the Christian discipline himself/herself to win the crown, which is eternal life. In verse 27 the apostle uses the word subjection, he states, “But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway.”

In relation to the word subjection, the apostle says, “I keep under my body … .” The Greek word hupopiazo literally means to strike under the eye, or to give one a black eye. Here we now learn who Paul’s opponent is, namely his own body with its desires and its weak inclinations, which are so ready to militate against his high calling. So, likewise, the Christian’s opponent is self. Paul therefore states, I give myself a black eye. The boxing gloves worn by the fighters were not gloves in the modern sense of the word; they were often made of oxhide bands, which were sometimes fortified with brass knuckles. Hupopiazo vividly portrays the severity and harshness that the genuine Christian is to exercise towards his sinful nature. It shows the rigid discipline and self-denial that must be exercised in order that victory may be gained over all the corrupt passions of man’s evil tendencies.

Paul also states, “bring it into subjection.” The literal meaning is to lead into slavery, hence, to make a servant of. The picture the apostle has painted is this, to hit a powerful blow under the eye is to knock the body out; this is a momentary victory. The more forceful point is, “I make my body a slave” and keep it as a slave so that it is unable to assert itself again and to regain any mastery over me even as much as to my control for one moment. This for Paul is permanent victory!

Therefore, bringing one’s self under subjection, is the acknowledgment of another’s authority over you, over me. Paul frequently uses the term servant or slave to express his relationship as a believer to Christ. We see this in a few verses of Scripture: “Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, separated unto the gospel of God.” Romans 1:1. “For do I now persuade men, or God? or do I seek to please men? for if I yet pleased men, I should not be the servant of Christ.” Galatians 1:10. “Paul and Timotheus, the servants of Jesus Christ, to all the saints in Christ Jesus which are at Philippi, with the bishops and deacons.” Philippians 1:1. “Paul, a servant of God, and an apostle of Jesus Christ, according to the faith of God’s elect, and the acknowledging of the truth which is after godliness.” Titus 1:1.

The Greek word for servant in all these texts just quoted is doulos meaning slave, or one bound, hence a bond servant. The word involves the idea of belonging to a master and rendering bondman service to him. Paul taught that Christians belong to Christ by purchase, hence are His slaves. Here are a few texts: “For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.” I Corinthians 6:20. “For he that is called in the Lord, being a servant, is the Lord’s freeman: likewise also he that is called, being free, is Christ’s servant. Ye are bought with a price; be not ye the servants of men.” I Corinthians 7:22, 23. “In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace.” Ephesians 1:7. “Not with eyeservice, as menpleasers; but as the servants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart.” Ephesians 6:6. “But now being made free from sin, and become servants to God, ye have your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life.” Romans 6:22.

So then, for all of us who declare ourselves to be Christians it is most important that we understand that we are subjected to Jesus Christ and that for us to remain Christians we must constantly bring ourselves under His authority. Therefore such expression as “doing my own thing,” “I do whatever I want” or “I take orders from no one” and “I listen to no one” is not a part of the vocabulary of the Christian. The true Christian does whatever Christ, his/her Master desires and orders him/her to do!

In conclusion, in I Corinthians 9, the apostle points out to the believers a brief philosophy of the Christian life.

  1. The Christian life is a battle.
  2. To win the fight and to be victorious in the race demands discipline. From the pen of inspiration we are told: “Those who enter into a contest of physical strength for a corruptible prize realize the necessity of rigid abstinence from every indulgence that would weaken the physical powers. They eat simple food at regular hours.
    “How much more should those who enter for the gospel race, restrain themselves from the unlawful indulgence of appetite and ‘abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul’ ( I Peter 2:11). They must be temperate at all times. The same restraint that gives them the power to obtain the victory at one time will, if practiced constantly, give them a great advantage in the race for the crown of life.” “Ellen G. White Comments,” The Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, vol. 6, 1089.
  3. We need to know our goal.
  4. We need to know the worth of our goal. Why are we Christians? What are we working towards? Paul says it beautifully, “I therefore so run, not as uncertainly; so fight I, not as one that beateth the air.” I Corinthians 9:26. Also, “If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable.” I Corinthians 15:19.
  5. We cannot save others unless we master ourselves. Sigmund Freud once said, “Psycho-analysis is learnt first of all on oneself, through the study of one’s own personality.” The Greeks declared that the first rule of life is, “Man know thyself.” Certainly we cannot save others until we have mastered ourselves, we cannot teach what we do not know; we cannot bring others to Christ until we ourselves have found Him.

In quoting I Corinthians 9:24-27, the servant of the Lord commented as follows: “Thus Paul presents the conditions which God imposes upon every soul who enlists in His service. The apostle fears for himself, lest he shall fail of bearing the examination test, and be found wanting, and he places himself under severe training. So the Christian today needs to keep strict guard over his appetite. He needs to subject himself to severe training, that he may not run uncertainly or at random, without seeing his standard and striving to reach it. He must obey the laws of God. The physical, mental, and moral powers must be kept in the most perfect condition if he would obtain the approval of God. ‘I keep under my body,’ the apostle says. This means literally to beat back its desires and impulses and passions by severe discipline, even as did those competing for an earthly prize.” “Ellen G. White Comments,” The Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, vol. 6, 1089.

Pastor Ivan Plummer ministers through the Emmanuel Seventh Day Church Ministries in Bronx, New York. He may be contacted by telephone at: 718-882-3900.

Do You Love Your Brother?

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One of the most fundamental truths of the Christian religion is summed up by what Jesus said to His disciples the night of His betrayal. He told them He was going to leave and that they could not follow and the thought of being left alone terrified them. He told them, “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.” John 13:34, 35.

They were about to witness the depth of that love they were commanded to have toward each other. In less than 24 hours they would see Jesus scourged and crucified. While the soldiers drove the nails through His hands and feet they would hear Him say, over and over again, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do.” Luke 23:34.

While hanging on the cross in His agony, they would hear His words to the repentant thief: “Assuredly, I say to you today, you will be with Me in Paradise.” Verse 43. After witnessing those scenes, in 36 hours they would see Jesus again, risen from the dead. Then they would understand why He endured the suffering—because He loved them and wanted them to be with Him for eternity. Before the events of that weekend were over, the disciples would clearly understand God’s love and the depth to which He would stoop to save lost man. When this same love is exhibited towards their brethren, those who belong to Jesus will be clearly identified.

Several texts in the New Testament urge the importance of this subject. Paul says, “Owe no one anything except to love one another, for he who loves another has fulfilled the law. For the commandments, ‘You shall not commit adultery,’ ‘You shall not murder,’ ‘You shall not steal,’ ‘You shall not bear false witness,’ ‘You shall not covet,’ and if there is any other commandment, are all summed up in this saying, namely, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ Love does no harm to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.” Romans 13:8–10.

The Bible says that angels keep faithful records of everything you say, think, and feel. You are to love your neighbor as yourself, and Paul says that love does no harm to a neighbor. A neighbor includes the people around you as well as those in your family. How is your record? How have you treated those close to you lately?

There are many people who are very inconsiderate towards the feelings of others, simply saying what they think regardless of the consequences. What they say may be the truth, but it is spoken in a way that will destroy any hope of a good relationship. Let’s think that through. If you are determined not to do any harm to your neighbor, you will try to avoid hurting their feelings. There are some times when it is necessary to bring some truth out that will cause pain. However, consider the example of Jesus, Who dealt so delicately with issues never bringing unnecessary pain to a sensitive soul.

We should study and understand the whole chapter of Romans 12. Paul says, “Let love be without hypocrisy [without pretense]. Abhor what is evil. Cling to what is good. Be kindly affectionate to one another with brotherly love, in honor giving preference to one another.” Verses 9, 10. Notice that if you love your brother as you love yourself and in the way Christ loves you, several things will happen. Love does not deal in evil, but clings to what is good. Love is kind and affectionate. That means being tender with other people’s feelings.

Love gives honor. The habit that some develop of being a joker can become a cruel instrument, used at the expense of others to hurt them. The talent of speech is too precious a talent to waste telling jokes. A joke at somebody else’s expense is usually designed to embarrass them. When we love one another, we do not set out to embarrass, but “… with brotherly love, in honor giving preference to one another.”

One of the favorite texts of Ellen White was I Peter 1:22, quoting it in many contexts. “ ‘See that ye love one another with a pure heart fervently.’ The word of God—the truth—is the channel through which the Lord manifests His Spirit and power. Obedience to the word produces fruit of the required quality—‘unfeigned love of the brethren.’ This love is heaven-born and leads to high motives and unselfish actions.” The Acts of the Apostles, 520. A pure love gives security and will never lead a person to break the fifth or the seventh commandment.

“But concerning brotherly love you have no need that I should write to you, for you yourselves are taught by God to love one another; and indeed you do so toward all the brethren who are in all Macedonia. But we urge you, brethren, that you increase more and more; that you also aspire to lead a quiet life, to mind your own business, and to work with your own hands, as we commanded you, that you may walk properly toward those who are outside, and that you may lack nothing.” I Thessalonians 4:9–12.

There are several interesting points in this passage of Scripture. While we should have love for all men, a special care and concern and love should be manifest toward those who are of the household of faith. That is why it is called brotherly love. Brotherly love means love for the brother, and we have brothers and sisters in Christ. Paul urges that that love should continue to “increase more and more.”

Some people think that if you have love, then you don’t need to do anything. Paul says that does not mean that you relax and do nothing. You still need to mind your business, be productive, work with your hands, support yourself, and not depend on the other people in the church to support you. The Thessalonian church did not get the point. Paul sent another letter, written more bluntly, to remind the people in the church, saying, “When we were with you, we commanded you this: If anyone will not work, neither shall he eat.” II Thessalonians 3:10. The New Testament does not support the idea of a “free lunch.” Lunch only comes because somebody has done some work. Paul says that if you follow these instructions, you will lack nothing (I Thessalonians 4:12).

The loved apostle John specializes in this area of love, writing more about it than any of the other apostles. He says, “And from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler over the kings of the earth. To Him who loved us and washed us from our sins in His own blood.” Revelation 1:5.

Jesus loved us so much that He washed us from our sins, He set us free from our sins by His own blood. “Love has been perfected among us in this: that we may have boldness in the day of judgment; because as He is, so are we in this world. There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love. We love Him because He first loved us. If someone says, ‘I love God,’ and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen, how can he love God whom he has not seen? And this commandment we have from Him: that he who loves God must love his brother also.” I John 4:17–21.

The most fundamental truth of the Christian religion is the love of God for man and our reciprocal love for Him. The by-product is to love your brother. Some people say, “Well, you just don’t know how awful he is.” You can be so glad Jesus didn’t say that about you, because He did know how awful you are and He loved you anyway, so much that He paid the penalty and made a way that you could be delivered from your sins. That same love He manifested to you, you owe the one who is trapped in the bondage of sin. If Jesus had looked down the stream of time and looked at you in your natural state and said, “Well, he’s so bad, just let him go to hell,” well, then, you would have gone to hell. The whole human race would have been lost because of how awful we are, but He extended mercy, and so should we also.

Mark tells one of my favorite stories, in chapter nine of his book. Jesus came down from the Mount of Transfiguration and there was the boy possessed of demons. Ellen White describes this boy as frothing at the mouth and screaming in agony from the torment of the devil. It was an awful sight. He had no control over his muscles or his body and at the command of Jesus, the evil spirit left him to never enter him again (The Miracles of Christ, 122, 123). The persons you meet with terrible characters, who have done awful things, are under the control of the devil and can be saved. Don’t cast them off as lost souls, but pray for their release and work for them. They do not have to remain that way. All of the awfulness could be taken away from them, and they could become pure and holy people. The Lord desires to work a miracle in their lives, just like He desires for us. When we believe that, we will change the way we perceive them and talk to them. We will learn to talk like Jesus. He was always courteous, even to His enemies. Remember, Jesus said that we will be forgiven for our sins as we forgive others (Luke 11:4).

One of the most heinous things that a human being could do is what Judas Iscariot did in his betrayal of Jesus. To be betrayed by one who has been in your innermost circle and manifest love for many years and then to discover that their love has been all fake is to experience something most terrible. But Jesus, responding to him in love, said, ”Friend, why have you come?” Matthew 26:50. Jesus demonstrated perfect love, even to His enemies.

John says, “In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation [to pay the price] for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has seen God at any time. If we love one another, God abides in us, and His love has been perfected in us.” I John 4:10–12.

Theologians have written books that all disagree about the subject of perfection, causing it to be a subject of tremendous theological controversy. But for the apostle John, it was not complicated. He says, “If we love one another, God abides in us, and His love has been perfected in us.” When I have perfect love, for my neighbor, God’s love has been perfected in me. “By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and keep His commandments. For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments. And His commandments are not [grievous or] burdensome.” I John 5:2, 3. Many people are confused thinking they can love their neighbor without loving God and serving Him. But John says this is not possible without keeping His commandments.

“In this the children of God and the children of the devil are manifest: Whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is he who does not love his brother. For this is the message that you heard from the beginning, that we should love one another, not as Cain who was of the wicked one and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his works were evil and his brothers righteous. Do not marvel, my brethren, if the world hates you. We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love the brethren. He who does not love his brother abides in death.” I John 3:10–14.

If you do not love your brother you abide in death and you have no hope of eternal life. This is a strong message that needs to be understood. You cannot go around as a cold, uncaring, unloving person to your fellow man and expect to go to the kingdom of heaven. It is simply not going to happen!

John says, “Brethren, I write no new commandment to you, but an old commandment which you have had from the beginning. The old commandment is the word which you heard from the beginning. Again, a new commandment I write to you, which thing is true in Him and in you, because the darkness is passing away, and the true light is already shining. He who says he is in the light, and hates his brother, is in darkness until now. He who loves his brother abides in the light, and there is no cause for stumbling in him. But he who hates his brother is in darkness and walks in darkness, and does not know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded his eyes.” I John 2:7–11.

Notice that the person who hates his brother and is in darkness does not know that he is in darkness, nor does he know where he is going. These people are deceived and really believe they are on the narrow way but are in darkness. They could be people who believe the same as you, but blinded by darkness. Pray for the Lord to open your eyes. Ask Him to reveal if your mind is playing tricks and there is somebody that you actually hate. This passage of Scripture reveals that the person who hates his brother will tell you that they love him while their actions prove otherwise. They are as spiritually blinded as one who is physically blind. John says the person who hates his brother doesn’t know he is in the dark and does not know where he is going. This is a sobering thought about which we need to pray.

The experience that is needed is found in I John 1:5–7: “This is the message which we have heard from Him and declare to you, that God is light and in Him is no darkness at all. If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.”

Is that the experience for which you are praying? Are you walking in the light? Remember, the person that is walking in the light is the one that loves his brother. It is lack of love that causes churches to split; it causes divorces, and it causes unhappiness between brothers and sisters.

“The cultivation of a uniform courtesy, a willingness to do to others as we would wish them to do to us, would annihilate [do away with] half the ills of life.” Patriarchs and Prophets, 132. How simple the remedy to cut down by fifty percent all of life’s trouble!

Jesus told His disciples of a new commandment that they love one another as He loved them. That was fresh in their minds after the resurrection, and the result was something that had never happened before. All squabbling and jealousy faded in view of the love that Jesus had displayed for them at the cross. It changed everything. The church today is in need of that same vision—we need to be anointed with eyesalve to heal our blindness and see the love of Jesus.

“Such a love the believers were ever to cherish. They were to go forward in willing obedience to the new commandment. So closely were they to be united with Christ that they would be enabled to fulfill all His requirements. Their lives were to magnify the power of a Saviour who could justify them by His righteousness.

“But gradually a change came. …” The Acts of the Apostles, 547, 548.

By the end of the first century:

  • They lost their first love and began to look for defects in others.
  • They dwelt upon mistakes.
  • They gave place to unkind criticism.
  • They lost sight of the Saviour and His love.
  • They became more strict in regard to outward ceremonies.
  • They became more particular about the theory than the practice of the faith. In their zeal to condemn others they overlooked their own errors.
  • They lost the brotherly love that Christ had enjoined.
  • And the saddest of all, they were unconscious of their loss. They didn’t know. They lost it, and they didn’t even know it.

“They did not realize that happiness and joy were going out of their lives and that, having shut the love of God out of their hearts, they would soon walk in darkness.” Ibid., 548.

O, friend, study that paragraph for yourself, The Acts of the Apostles, 548, and say, Lord, help me to not have that experience. Help me to get back my first love, and to love my neighbor like Jesus loves me, including those who are presently possessed of the devil.

Christianity has been wandering in a desert; the wilderness of this world, and most of the world, do not understand what Christianity really is, because they have never seen it in living form. Pray that we may receive the Holy Spirit, that we may exhibit brotherly love to those around us and prepare for the kingdom of heaven so others may be attracted to the Saviour.

(Unless appearing in quoted references or otherwise identified, Bible texts are from the New King James Version.)

Pastor John J. Grosboll is Director of Steps to Life and pastors the Prairie Meadows Church of Free Seventh-day Adventists in Wichita, Kansas. He may be contacted by email at: historic@stepstolife.org, or by telephone at: 316-788-5559.

A Lost World and a Saviour

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This world is not a place of peace, joy, or happiness. We all long for something better, a place where there is no anxiety, sorrow, suffering and death. There is a better place; a place of peace, joy, happiness and pure love. We find the promise of this better place through Jesus Christ and His plan to restore us to that place, called the kingdom of glory. Consider these practical steps on how to reach that kingdom.

Let’s begin with a brief history of how things changed from the kingdom of glory to a kingdom where sorrow, suffering and death reign. It is called the controversy between Christ and Satan. Long before the creation of the earth the universe was perfect, no taint of evil, sin, sorrow, pain or sadness. But slowly, subtly, a change took place in the angel standing in the highest rank, right next to Jesus Himself.

“You were the seal of perfection,
Full of wisdom and perfect in beauty.
You were in Eden, the garden of God;
Every precious stone was your covering:
The sardius, topaz, and diamond,
Beryl, onyx, and jasper,
Sapphire, turquoise, and emerald with gold.
The workmanship of your timbrels and pipes
Was prepared for you on the day you were created.

“You were the anointed cherub who covers;
I established you;
You were on the holy mountain of God;
You walked back and forth in the midst of fiery stones.
You were perfect in your ways from the day you were created,
Till iniquity was found in you.

“By the abundance of your trading
You became filled with violence within,
And you sinned …

“Your heart was lifted up because of your beauty;
You corrupted your wisdom for the sake of your splendor …
“You defiled your sanctuaries
By the multitude of your iniquities,
By the iniquity of your trading.”

Ezekiel 28:12–18 NKJV

Here we see from the Bible the fall of Lucifer, the covering cherub in the kingdom of glory; the angel second in command to Christ Himself. Isaiah records Satan’s fall like this: “How you are fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning!” Isaiah 14:12.

Because this evil thing arose, God had to deal with it. A God of purity and love could not allow sin and rebellion to continue. In Revelation 12:7, 8 we read a very sad account of what happened in heaven. “And war broke out in heaven: Michael and his angels fought with the dragon; and the dragon and his angels fought, but they did not prevail, nor was a place found for them in heaven any longer.” Lucifer, the covering cherub, with his followers no longer had a place in heaven. Rebellion had driven them from the presence of God. But Satan did not let his rebellion end there. It was his studied purpose to overthrow the government of God. Satan needed a headquarters, a place from which to run his program of rebellion. And he found just what he wanted.

Lucifer, now known as Satan, desired to ruin God’s work of creation and to cause the same misery and woe and unhappiness in this world that he himself was experiencing. So, in the form of a serpent, the most beautiful of all creation, he disguised himself, and through lies and deception succeeded in causing the fall of Eve and her husband Adam.

Now ruin, woe and misery were the lot of the human race. Satan was exultant. He was making progress in his plans to “dispute the supremacy of the Son of God, [attacking His kingdom of glory and its laws] thus impeaching the wisdom and love of the Creator.” Patriarchs and Prophets, 36.

But our God, our wonderful, loving, patient Creator did not stand by allowing Satan to retain rulership of this world. In Genesis 3:15 we find that immediately after Adam and Eve sinned, God gave them a promise. We know this promise by many different names, but in this article it will mostly be referred to as the new covenant. “And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.” KJV.

Let’s do just a little outline here of this verse. First of all, who is speaking and who is being spoken to? If we go back one verse to Genesis 3:14, we find that God is speaking, and He is speaking to the serpent, or Satan. God says to Satan that He is going to put enmity between Satan and the woman. Then God concludes by giving a promise. He said “it,” that is, the seed (singular, meaning Jesus), would bruise the head of the serpent, and that the serpent would bruise the heel of Jesus. This promise, this covenant was given to Adam and Eve immediately after their fall. When God gave Adam and Eve this promise, this was the institution of the kingdom of grace. In this kingdom, Jesus, the innocent, the pure, the holy One would bear the guilt and sin of the sinner, and the penalty of that sin which is death, in order that the sinner, the guilty, the defiled, might have Jesus’ life, His eternal life. This is the new covenant. This is what the kingdom of grace is all about. There is a very clear definition of this new covenant and what it is to do. It is found in Patriarchs and Prophets, 370. “This covenant, which was simply an arrangement for bringing men again into harmony with the divine will, placing them where they could obey God’s law.” In the book Education, 125, another definition is given. It is “the restoration in the human soul of the image of God.”

These two definitions for the covenant really say the same thing. If we are in harmony with the divine will and obeying God’s law, will we not again reflect the image of God?

So, how does this take place? What is involved with this work of being brought back into harmony with God’s will, obeying His law, having His image restored in us?

Before we answer these questions, let us first establish, through inspiration, that God is love. Why would that be necessary? It is necessary because Satan hates God. He hates Jesus. He hates anything that is good. He wants to do anything he can to get people to believe lies about God.

In speaking of the evidences of God’s love, Steps to Christ, 10, 11 says: “Though all these evidences have been given, the enemy of good blinded the minds of men, so that they looked upon God with fear; they thought of Him as severe and unforgiving. Satan led men to conceive of God as a being whose chief attribute is stern justice—one who is a severe judge, a harsh, exacting creditor. He pictured the Creator as a being who is watching with jealous eye to discern the errors and mistakes of men, that He may visit judgments upon them.”

How do we know that God is love? First of all, consider nature. Look up into the night sky and see the beauty in the massive space. It will awe you by the grandeur of what you see in the heavens. What about the beautiful flowers that grow on trees and shrubs and dot the landscape with their delicate, and often fragrant, beauty? The clouds that grace the blue of the sky and the rainbow that spans the heavens and the green of the hills, and the rich brown of the earth, all these speak of a loving Creator’s care for us.

There are problems and there is evidence of degradation and scarring. But friends, have you stopped to consider what people have done to this earth in six thousand years of wickedness and evil? It is a miracle that there is any beauty left at all, and that miracle is wrought only by God.

In addition, rather than blaming God for the suffering, let’s ask ourselves a question. If Satan had not rebelled in heaven and did not exist as Satan, would there be any of this evil, this wickedness, this pain and suffering and degradation? No, of course not; so then, we can truthfully say that God gives only beauty, joy, happiness, peace, and love.

But there is an even more mighty argument in favor of the belief that God is love. In spite of the goodness of God in the gifts He gave to Adam and Eve, in spite of the fact that He spent time with them daily, teaching them of creation and His love, they chose to follow another leader. They committed treason against the kingdom of glory and their Creator. The Bible tells us that God warned Adam and Eve to obey and that if they didn’t they would “surely die.” Genesis 2:17, and in Romans 6:23 we read that “the wages of sin is death.” When Satan was chosen as their ruler, misery and woe was the result.

For a person who commits treason or betrays the government, the penalty is death. It is a very serious act to commit treason. God had every right to simply cut off Adam and Eve and allow the just consequences of their choice to follow. But He did not do that. Instead, He instituted a plan whereby His enemies, the very ones who had betrayed and committed treason against His government and joined themselves to His worst enemy, might one day be brought back into harmony with Him. God the Father and Jesus, His only begotten Son, had a plan all prepared for this terrible emergency. It is called the new covenant. This plan has many other names, such as the plan of salvation, the plan of redemption, the covenant of grace, the covenant of mercy, the everlasting covenant, the irrevocable covenant, the mystery of God, the Abrahamic covenant, the second covenant, justification by faith, to name a few. This plan called for a change in government. You see, sin in this world could not exist in the kingdom of glory. In order to institute this plan immediately upon the entrance of sin, as we saw earlier, the kingdom of glory had to be interrupted. The kingdom of grace took its place.

What is this kingdom of grace? First of all, let’s look at what the word grace means. The definition of the word grace is unmerited divine assistance given humans for their regeneration or sanctification. So grace is divine assistance that is unmerited. What does unmerited mean? Unmerited means not deserved. So this kingdom is a kingdom where we receive divine assistance that we don’t deserve—in order to be regenerated! You may ask what regenerated means. It has several meanings that are applicable here. It means

  1. to effect a complete moral reform in,
  2. to re-create, reconstitute, or make over, especially in a better form or condition,
  3. to revive or produce anew; bring into existence again.

In this kingdom of grace, we can receive help from God, the very One that we have rebelled against and deserted. We can receive help from Him to be re-created, to be brought into existence again, to have a complete moral reform. Is that not beautiful?

But just how could this take place? How is it possible that God, divinity, could, 1) justly release us from the penalty of death? Remember, God is just, perfectly, unswervingly just, and the wages of sin is death. And 2) how could He effect a complete moral reform in a being who had through sin become “so depraved that in themselves they … had no power and no disposition to resist Satan.” Patriarchs and Prophets, 53. It was a plan that only Divinity could conceive and only Divinity could carry out. Friends, here is the plan, and what it cost our Creator, and the whole universe to provide what was necessary for our restoration. We find this description in Patriarchs and Prophets, 63–65.

“The Son of God, heaven’s glorious Commander, was touched with pity for the fallen race. His heart was moved with infinite compassion as the woes of the lost world rose up before Him. But divine love had conceived a plan whereby man might be redeemed. The broken law of God demanded the life of the sinner. In all the universe there was but one who could, in behalf of man, satisfy its claims. Since the divine law is as sacred as God Himself, only one equal with God could make atonement for its transgression. None but Christ could redeem fallen man from the curse of the law and bring him again into harmony with Heaven. Christ would take upon Himself the guilt and shame of sin—sin so offensive to a holy God that it must separate the Father and His Son. Christ would reach to the depths of misery to rescue the ruined race.

“Before the Father He pleaded in the sinner’s behalf, while the host of heaven awaited the result with an intensity of interest that words cannot express. Long continued was that mysterious communing—‘the counsel of peace’ (Zechariah 6:13) for the fallen sons of men. The plan of salvation had been laid before the creation of the earth; for Christ is ‘the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world’ (Revelation 13:8); yet it was a struggle, even with the King of the universe, to yield up His Son to die for the guilty race. But ‘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). Oh, the mystery of redemption! the love of God for a world that did not love Him! Who can know the depths of that love which ‘passeth knowledge’ (Ephesians 3:19)? Through endless ages immortal minds, seeking to comprehend the mystery of that incomprehensible love, will wonder and adore.

“God was to be manifest in Christ, ‘reconciling the world unto Himself’ (II Corinthians 5:19). Man had become so degraded by sin that it was impossible for him, in himself, to come into harmony with Him whose nature is purity and goodness. But Christ, after having redeemed man from the condemnation of the law, could impart divine power to unite with human effort. Thus by repentance toward God and faith in Christ the fallen children of Adam might once more become ‘sons of God’ (I John 3:2).

“The plan by which alone man’s salvation could be secured, involved all heaven in its infinite sacrifice. The angels could not rejoice as Christ opened before them the plan of redemption, for they saw that man’s salvation must cost their loved Commander unutterable woe. In grief and wonder they listened to His words as He told them how He must descend from heaven’s purity and peace, its joy and glory and immortal life, and come in contact with the degradation of earth, to endure its sorrow, shame, and death. He was to stand between the sinner and the penalty of sin; yet few would receive Him as the Son of God. He would leave His high position as the Majesty of heaven, appear upon earth and humble Himself as a man, and by His own experience become acquainted with the sorrows and temptations which man would have to endure. All this would be necessary in order that He might be able to succor them that should be tempted (Hebrews 2:18). When His mission as a teacher should be ended, He must be delivered into the hands of wicked men and be subjected to every insult and torture that Satan could inspire them to inflict. He must die the cruelest of deaths, lifted up between the heavens and the earth as a guilty sinner. He must pass long hours of agony so terrible that angels could not look upon it, but would veil their faces from the sight. He must endure anguish of soul, the hiding of His Father’s face, while the guilt of transgression—the weight of the sins of the whole world—should be upon Him.

“The angels prostrated themselves at the feet of their Commander and offered to become a sacrifice for man. But an angel’s life could not pay the debt; only He who created man had power to redeem him. Yet the angels were to have a part to act in the plan of redemption. Christ was to be made ‘a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death’ (Hebrews 2:9). As He should take human nature upon Him, His strength would not be equal to theirs, and they were to minister to Him, to strengthen and soothe Him under His sufferings. They were also to be ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for them who should be heirs of salvation (Hebrews 1:14). They would guard the subjects of grace from the power of evil angels and from the darkness constantly thrown around them by Satan.

“When the angels should witness the agony and humiliation of their Lord, they would be filled with grief and indignation and would wish to deliver Him from His murderers; but they were not to interpose in order to prevent anything which they should behold. It was a part of the plan of redemption that Christ should suffer the scorn and abuse of wicked men, and He consented to all this when He became the Redeemer of man.

“Christ assured the angels that by His death He would ransom many, and would destroy him who had the power of death. He would recover the kingdom which man had lost by transgression, and the redeemed were to inherit it with Him, and dwell therein forever. Sin and sinners would be blotted out, nevermore to disturb the peace of heaven or earth. He bade the angelic host to be in accord with the plan that His Father had accepted, and rejoice that, through His death, fallen man could be reconciled to God.” Patriarchs and Prophets, 63–65.

It cost the Father and the Son dearly to put this plan into effect.

  • Christ would reach to the depths of misery
  • Christ would take upon Himself the guilt and shame of sin
  • It must separate the Father and His Son
  • Cost their loved Commander unutterable woe
  • Descend from heaven’s purity and peace, its joy and glory
  • Come in contact with the degradation of earth
  • Endure its sorrow, shame, and death
  • He was to stand between the sinner and the penalty of sin
  • He did this though He knew that few would receive Him as the Son of God
  • He would leave His high position as the Majesty of heaven
  • Appear upon earth and humble Himself as a man
  • By His own experience become acquainted with the sorrows and temptations man would endure
  • He must be delivered into the hands of wicked men
  • He must be subjected to every insult and torture that Satan could inspire them to inflict
  • He must die the cruelest of deaths
  • He must be lifted up between the heavens and the earth as a guilty sinner
  • He must pass long hours of agony so terrible that angels could not look upon it
  • He must endure anguish of soul
  • He must endure the hiding of His Father’s face
  • While the guilt of transgression—the weight of the sins of the whole world—should be upon Him.

In addition, on the night of His betrayal He endured seven trials. He was betrayed by one of His twelve disciples, with a kiss!! All of His disciples deserted Him. The Desire of Ages, 687, portrays a heart-wrenching scene. “The human heart longs for sympathy in suffering. This longing Christ felt to the very depths of His being. In the supreme agony of His soul He came to His disciples with a yearning desire to hear some words of comfort from those whom He had so often blessed and comforted, and shielded in sorrow and distress. The One who had always had words of sympathy for them was now suffering superhuman agony, and He longed to know that they were praying for Him and for themselves.” But rather than finding them in earnest prayer as He had pled with them to do, He finds them asleep. They deserted Him in His hour of need. And when the mob came to arrest Him, they all fled. They ran away.

That same night He was scourged twice. A scourge is a handle with leather cords attached in which are affixed metal pieces with barbs. As this is brought down on the victim, the handle is pulled back in such a way that the barbs catch and tear the flesh. Twice that night Jesus endured scourging. Then with a back lacerated, torn, bleeding, He was crucified with His back to a rough wooden beam, and nailed there, through His hands and feet, all the while enduring scorn, mockery, abuse from the very ones He had come to rescue and save.

In spite of this we read of Him, “So devoted was our Redeemer to the work of saving souls that He even longed for His baptism of blood.” Testimonies, vol. 5, 132. Can you imagine a love greater than this? But it does get deeper, fuller.

Think on this. The Desire of Ages, 49, says, “Satan in heaven had hated Christ for His position in the courts of God. He hated Him the more when he himself was dethroned. He hated Him who pledged Himself to redeem a race of sinners. Yet into the world where Satan claimed dominion God permitted His Son to come, a helpless babe, subject to the weakness of humanity. He permitted Him to meet life’s peril in common with every human soul, to fight the battle as every child of humanity must fight it, at the risk of failure and eternal loss.” God the Father and Jesus endured all these things, at the risk that Jesus would fail. If Jesus had sinned in the slightest thought, even by admitting that there might be an excuse for sin, He would have never seen the courts of heaven again, never seen His angel friends again or had their worship. He would have never been reunited with His Father, nor again been the Sovereign of the universe. All would have been over, forever.

Can there be any doubt of God’s yearning love and pity for us as we contemplate these themes? With such a costly sacrifice can there be any doubt of the love of God? “The Lord God of heaven collected all the riches of the universe, and laid them down in order to purchase the pearl of lost humanity. The Father gave all His divine resources into the hands of Christ in order that the richest blessings of heaven might be poured out upon a fallen race. God could not express greater love than He has expressed in giving the Son of His bosom to this world. This gift was given to man to convince him that God had left nothing undone that He could do, that there is nothing held in reserve, but that all heaven has been poured out in one vast gift.” Lift Him Up, 232.

After Jesus’ triumphant death, He was raised the third day and ascended to His Father to hear if His sacrifice had been enough, if the covenant was now secure. You see, up to that point, the covenant was simply a promise. Jesus had to actually pay the price of death that sin demanded. In addition, when Jesus ascended, He opened the heavenly sanctuary, the place where the real work of forgiveness and restoration takes place. He has been working there ever since.

Now, if sin caused all these terrible things, do you think that sin, or those who cling to their sin, will be restored to a relationship with God? Absolutely not! It was sin that caused the separation and the terrible sacrifice in the first place. God would not go to that extreme expense only to then allow what caused it to continue to exist. If we think this through, we have a response to make. We have a part to play in this restoration process.

“It is man’s part to respond to His great love, by appropriating the great salvation the blessing of the Lord has made it possible for man to obtain. We are to show our appreciation of the wonderful gift of God by becoming partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust. We are to show our gratitude to God by becoming a coworker with Jesus Christ, by representing His character to the world.” Ibid.

Brenda Douay is a staff member at Steps to Life. She may be contacted by email at: brendadouay@stepstolife.org.

The Most Expensive Bridge

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The Brooklyn Bridge in New York City is one of the oldest suspension bridges in the United States. It was completed in 1883, and with a main span of 1,595 feet (486.3 m) it was the longest suspension bridge in the world from its opening until 1903, and the first steel-wire suspension bridge at a cost of $15.5 million. Twenty-seven people died during its thirteen year construction.

The Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, 4,200 feet (1,280.2 m) and holding the record of the longest span until 1964, is heralded as one of the top ten construction achievements of the twentieth century. It opened in 1937 at a cost of $35 million. By 1971, when the last of the construction bonds were retired, the principle as well as nearly $39 million in interest had been raised entirely from bridge tolls. The cost to construct a new Golden Gate Bridge in 2003 was estimated to be approximately $1.2 billion. One can only imagine the cost ten years later!

However, there is another bridge that is far more valuable than anything man could even hope to construct. It spans between heaven and earth, bridging the gap that has been caused by man’s sin.

The Bible says that God is love (I John 4:8). John, called the beloved disciple, wrote more about love than any of the other disciples or Bible writers. The amazing aspect of God’s love is that it does not give up. An illustration of that love is seen when God saw Adam and Eve rebel against Him by disrespecting His command to not eat of the forbidden fruit. It would have been an easy thing for God to just say, Goodbye, let Me start over! I will start again and create another couple and see if they can obey instructions. Had He done that it would not have reflected His true character. He had another plan; He was not willing to give up that easily; He would reach them in their fallen condition and demonstrate to them His love.

I remember hearing the story of a little girl who had brain cancer. After a long and painful fight, her mother was told by the doctors that there was nothing more they could do. Because of the love she had for her child, she refused to give up and determined to find another doctor to help. If that doctor had the same opinion, she would continue to search for another. Love and her unwillingness to give up spurred her on while ever there was even a slim hope that her precious child could be saved. That is the way it is with God. He could have wiped out this race and started all over, but He did not, in the hope that some could be saved. What did it cost? His only begotten Son, Jesus, the darling of heaven was sent to this earth to bridge the gap.

Jacob saw this bridge in a dream. He had tricked his brother Esau into selling him the birthright of the firstborn and had obtained the blessing, deceiving his father by covering his arms with goat’s skins and providing his father’s favorite food and pretending to be Esau.

When Esau found out he had been tricked he was so angry that he threatened to kill Jacob. Rachel, who was outside Esau’s tent and heard his threat decided to protect her favorite son from his brother’s wrath. She told Jacob that he must pack a few belongings and leave immediately. Exhausted from his flight and afraid of his brother’s retaliation, Jacob became discouraged. His mind was filled with guilt because of what he had done to both his brother and his father, and wondering how God could even accept him, he made himself a bed on the ground and taking a stone for his pillow he fell asleep.

While he slept, “He dreamed, and behold a ladder set up on the earth, and the top of it reached to heaven: and behold the angels of God ascending and descending on it.” Genesis 28:12. John tells us more about the ladder that linked heaven with earth on which the angels ascended and descended. “And He [Jesus] saith unto him, Verily, verily I say unto you, hereafter ye shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of man.” John 1:51. The use of the word hereafter indicates that at one time heaven must have been closed to the earth.

Jesus is the ladder on which Jacob saw angels ascending and descending. We can call this ladder a bridge because that is the purpose of a ladder, to make it possible to reach places that are otherwise inaccessible.

Christ is the ladder that reaches heaven. He bridged the gap between heaven and earth, making heaven accessible to man. As Jesus came up out of the water after His baptism, the Bible says that heaven was opened and a voice was heard saying, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” Matthew 3:17. A link had been made between heaven and earth. Because of God’s gift in the life of His Son, the gap between heaven and earth was closed. It is now possible to get to the other side, which, without the bridge, would be impossible. Christ will take us places that are not possible to go by ourselves. Love does not give up but finds a way!

The most important consideration we should have in life is how to get from earth to heaven. “Jesus said unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man can cometh unto the Father, except through Me.” John 14:6. Jesus is the only way. Only by obeying the truth, as taught by Him, is it possible to cross over and enter the new life. Let us analyze the construction of that bridge.

Pier #1: Jesus came to this world

It was not after Adam and Eve sinned that God instituted the plan of salvation. This plan had been formulated before the foundations of this earth were laid and was ready to come into operation in case any man should sin. This plan was not an afterthought; it was something that God thought through eons ago.

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by Him, and without Him was not any thing made that was made. … And the Word [Christ] was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.” John 1:1–3, 14. “He was in the world, and the world was made by Him, and the world knew Him not.” Verse 10. That is amazing!

Jesus, the Creator, comes to His own people and nobody knows Him. The fact that the One Who has power to speak things into existence actually became a human being in order to save us is beyond computation. What did that cost? “It would have been an almost infinite humiliation for the Son of God to take man’s nature, even when Adam stood in his innocence in Eden. But Jesus accepted humanity when the race had been weakened by four thousand years of sin.” The Desire of Ages, 48.

David says, “When I consider Thy heavens, the work of Thy fingers, the moon and the stars, which Thou hast ordained; what is man that Thou art mindful of him? And the son of man, that Thou visitest him?” Psalm 8:3, 4. When you look at the scheme of our entire universe, our whole solar system is but an atom, and we are nothing but a drop in a bucket by comparison, but Jesus saw fit to come to this planet and save a rebellious people. It is incomprehensible!

Though the time and place of His birth had been predicted, there was no place and no one ready to receive Him. The innkeeper missed the opportunity to host the Saviour of mankind and turning away Joseph and Mary caused their precious Baby to be born in a stable amongst the animals.

God’s Son has been given to the human race (Isaiah 9:6), and He will remain our brother throughout all eternity. Jesus retains human nature forever. He returned to heaven in a glorified, human body.

Pier #2: He lived a sinless life

For a bridge to reach from earth to heaven it required One who lived without sinning—Christ. He came to this world, born of a woman, and lived a sinless life. This is so important for us today because the entire human race was under the control of Satan until love wrestled this world out of Satan’s hands. Satan is not giving up easily but Jesus has reclaimed His rightful possession; He created it, and will save all those who desire to be saved.

When Jesus asked, “Which of you convinceth Me of sin? And if I say the truth, why do ye not believe Me?” John 8:46. There was not one person who spoke up. Jesus came and lived a sinless life so that you and I, in His power, can live sinless lives. Jesus came to destroy the works of the devil in us so that we don’t sin. “Whoever is born of God doth not commit sin.” I John 3:9. Christ lived in unity with His Father, Who gave Him the power to resist the devil. That same experience is available to all who believe in Him.

The mother of Genghis Khan, clan chief of the Mongolian Empire that exceeded even that of the Roman Empire, understood the strength of unity. When he was a little boy, his father was poisoned. According to Mongol culture, when the father died, the rest of the family was forsaken by the community. Kahn’s mother gathered her children together and taught the great Kahn how they could remain intact. She told him to take an arrow and break it, which he did with ease. She then handed him a bunch of arrows, which he was not able to break. That same illustration teaches us about the unity Christ had with His Father that kept Him from every temptation, enabling Him to live a sinless life.

If a microscope was put on Jesus’ life, it would not reveal one wrong thing. Jesus “was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.” And it says, “Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” Hebrews 4:15, 16. Christ relied fully upon His Father. He said, “I can of Mine own self do nothing.” John 5:30. Jesus said the same thing about us, “Without Me ye can do nothing.” John 15:5. But Paul said, “I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.” Philippians 4:13.

Jesus relied upon power from His Father, and the key for our success is to rely upon Christ for our power. A battle raged against the entire demonic force as this bridge was being built. It was so fierce that while bowed upon the earth praying for hours in the midst of His struggle in the Garden of Gethsemane, Christ prayed, “Let this cup pass from Me: nevertheless not as I will, but as Thou wilt.” Matthew 26:39. The Bible says He sweat great drops of blood (Luke 22:44). There are known cases in history of this condition called hematohidrosis. The struggle was so fierce that He “resisted unto blood.” Hebrews 12:4. Whatever your struggle, look to Christ. He understands and can give you deliverance. Nothing is impossible with God; Jesus has already won the victory for us. Jesus came to this planet and lived a sinless life so you and I could. Without an example for a world of sinful, human beings, we wouldn’t be able to do it, but Jesus did it for us and led the way.

Pier #3: He died

Romans 6:23 says, “For the wages of sin is death.” All have sinned and are under the penalty of death. Have you ever thought of yourself as being on death row? Isaiah saw a vision of God in heaven (Isaiah 6), and while in this vision he fell down and said, “I am a man of unclean lips and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips.” Verse 5. He was heartbroken when he saw the purity and righteousness of God in contrast with his own character. We are all guilty and on death row, and without someone to intercede in our behalf, we are in trouble. Paul said in 1 Corinthians 15:3 that Jesus died for our sins according to the Scriptures.

When Jesus died on the cross of Golgotha, it appeared to the ignorant that He had lost the battle, but how wrong they were. Isaiah 53 clearly describes the chronological events of Christ’s life. He came to establish a kingdom of grace that all who believe in Him could be saved.

It is the death of Jesus that draws us to Him. When we spend time at the cross it will be the central theme in our lives. It will no more matter what football team wins or what’s happening with the Grammy awards. The things held with such importance in this world will be foolishness for us. When we look to Jesus and the cross, everything else just pales into insignificance. “And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up.” John 3:14.

Pier #4: The Resurrection

A Christian and Muslim were discussing the attributes of their religion. The Islam man, talking about the glories of Islam, said, We still have Mohammed with us today. The Christian said, I have a God who doesn’t live in a tomb, He is in heaven, He is a living God and He conquered death.

The empty tomb sets Jesus apart from every other false god. “Jesus said to her [Martha], I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in Me, though he were dead, yet shall he live.” John 11:25. This gives each one of us hope. Even Paul said that if we didn’t have any hope that we would rise from the grave we would all be a bunch of miserable people (1 Corinthians 15). Jesus was prepared to carry the weight of sin and die without the assurance that His sacrifice would be enough to bridge the gulf between sinful man and a holy God. It was an act of faith. His sacrifice was accepted and He arose again.

Pier #5: The Ascension

When Jesus died on the cross, the plan of salvation was not yet over though it is a common belief by many theologians that the atonement was finished on the cross. There’s something else that Jesus needed to do. Look at Romans 4:24, 25: “But for us also, to whom it shall be imputed, if we believe on Him that raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead; Who was delivered for our offences, and was raised again for our justification.” He paid the penalty for our sins on the cross, but He was raised again for our justification. Without the resurrection we could never be justified.

To be justified means to be forgiven. Unlike many of us who like to remind people of what they have done, Jesus Christ forgives us for our past sins and treats us as if we had never sinned. He “was raised again for our justification.”

There was a reason that He ascended. Jesus said, “Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send Him unto you.” John 16:7. “Therefore being by the right hand of God exalted, and having received of the Father the promise of the Holy Ghost, He hath shed forth this, which ye now see and hear.” Acts 2:33. Jesus ascended on high, and was accepted by the Father, and He shed forth the power of the Holy Spirit in Pentecost.

Now there are many involved in the plan of salvation to build this bridge. We have Jesus, the Father, angels and now the Holy Spirit. It is the work of the Holy Spirit to convince the world that they are sinners and have need of a Saviour. “And when He is come, He will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment.” John 16:8. Without the work of the Holy Spirit we would be lost.

Pier #6: Christ’s Intercession

Hebrews 8 tells us that Christ is the minister of the sanctuary in heaven. “Wherefore He is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by Him, seeing He ever liveth to make intercession for them.” Hebrews 7:25. No matter how bad we have fallen, we simply need to come to Him, and ask for help.

During the Civil War a man neglected his duty and fell asleep while on guard duty. It was a crime punishable by death. The circumstances were very interesting. The soldier had helped his friend all day in the battlefield, carrying him back wounded. The wounded man had been assigned guard duty that night but he began to come down with a fever. His friend offered to take his place, but being exhausted from the day’s activities he fell asleep while on guard.

The parents of the guilty man received a letter informing them that their son was to be executed on a certain date. The father took the letter and went to Washington, D.C. to the White House and requested to see President Lincoln. Without a pass he was refused an audience. The desperate father pled with the doorman the urgency of his request but to no avail and was pushed away from the door that closed behind him. Totally discouraged, the father went a little way and sat down under a tree where he wept bitterly. Soon a little boy came and tugged on his shirt asking, “Mister, mister, what’s wrong?” Through tears he told the little boy the story about his son who had fallen asleep and was going to be executed. The little boy said, “Well, I’ll go see President Lincoln. I’ll get in there, you watch.”

“I’ve already tried that and they pushed me out,” said the father.

“You come with me,” replied the boy. So they went together, the distraught father trailing the little boy who boldly ascended the steps and opened the White House door without even knocking. The same guard was standing right there objecting to the intrusion. “We need to see the President,” said the little boy.

“Well, I’m sorry son, but this man doesn’t have a pass and we cannot let him in,” was the stern reply.

At that, the little boy started yelling at the top of his lungs, “Pa! Pa!” President Lincoln came out from his office, looked at the little boy, Tadd, his little son, and the father was able to tell his story to President Lincoln. That very day, President Lincoln wrote a letter of pardon.

You see, that is what Jesus does for us. We are all under the death penalty, but Jesus pleads in our behalf. He wants to get us all off death row, but we must be willing to confess and forsake our sins.

Pier #7: A Home Prepared

The bridge is almost complete. Jesus is coming back, and at that time it will be finalized. We will be able to span that bridge with Jesus and go to heaven with Him. John 14:1–3 tells us that He went to prepare a place for us, and He is going to come again and take us with Him wherever He goes.

Hebrews 9:28 tells us, “So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for Him shall He appear the second time without sin unto salvation.”

During Abraham Lincoln’s presidency a little cartoon was published in the newspaper. It was a picture of the White House on top of a cliff, and at its base was a cabin. A ladder was between the two, indicating that Abraham Lincoln had gone from poverty to the White House. The caption read, “The ladder is still there.”

There is still a ladder for us to climb today. But we have to be willing to get on it and accept the pardon that is offered.

During Andrew Jackson’s administration a political enemy of his was tried and sentenced to death. President Jackson heard about this man, whom he knew well, and wrote him a letter of pardon to stay his execution.

The man was given the letter and after he read it, he said, “You can have your piece of paper, I don’t want to be pardoned.” This confused the officials who did not know what to do, so they took it to John Marshall who was the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court at the time for further instruction. He read the letter over, and after he talked to the prisoner, he said, “We cannot force you or anybody to accept a letter of pardon.” Because the pardon was refused, the prisoner was taken out and shot for his crime.

Friends, don’t refuse the pardon that has been made available. It does not matter how far we have fallen, or what sin we have committed; Jesus has provided a pardon. The Bible says all manner of sin can be forgiven unto man, except the unpardonable sin against the Holy Spirit, which is the only Source provided to convict us of sin. When we respond to His calling Jesus will give us deliverance. Jesus is coming soon. When He comes it will not be to forgive sin. When He returns it will be as a conqueror, King of Kings and Lord of Lords to deliver His people. Do not neglect this great salvation and let it slip away.

Mike Bauler was ordained into the ministry in 2005 and serves as pastor of the Historic Message Church in Portland, Oregon. Prior to locating in Portland, Pastor Bauler served as a Bible worker for Steps to Life Ministries. His goal is to help give the gospel to the greater Portland area with an emphasis in helping his Bible students discover the truths in Bible prophecy, which are so often neglected today. His wife, Amanda, a family nurse practitioner, and their daughters Hannah, Esther and Abigail assist him in his ministry.

Give Me Barabbas

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It had been a long night for Jesus, Who stood before Pilate in the early hours of the morning. He had celebrated the Passover supper with His disciples before going out to Gethsemane to pray and prepare for the impending events. It is not known exactly how long He prayed, but it must have been for hours. Late in the night, a rabble approached with clubs and priests to arrest Jesus. Judas kissed Him with the betrayer’s kiss and He was arrested and taken before the Sanhedrin to be first tried there. Early in the morning He was taken to Pilot.

“Then led they Jesus from Caiaphas unto the hall of judgment: it was early; and they themselves went not into the judgment hall, lest they should be defiled; but that they might eat the passover.” John 18:28. What hypocrites! “Pilate then went out unto them, and said, What accusation bring ye against this man? They answered and said unto him, If he were not a malefactor, we would not have delivered him up unto thee. Then said Pilate unto them, Take ye him, and judge him according to your law. The Jews therefore said unto him, It is not lawful for us to put any man to death: that the saying of Jesus might be fulfilled, which He spake, signifying what death He should die. Then Pilate entered into the judgment hall again, and called Jesus, and said unto him, Art thou the King of the Jews? Jesus answered him, Sayest thou this thing of thyself, or did others tell it thee of Me? Pilate answered, Am I a Jew? Thine own nation and the chief priests have delivered Thee unto me: what hast Thou done?” Verses 29–35.

This was an interesting question. Pay close attention to how Jesus answered. “My kingdom is not of this world: if my kingdom were of this world, then would My servants fight, that I should not be delivered to the Jews: but now is My kingdom not from hence. Pilate therefore said unto Him, Art thou a king then? Jesus answered, Thou sayest that I am a king. To this end I was born, and for this cause came I into the world, that I should bear witness unto the truth. Every one that is of the truth heareth my voice. Pilate saith unto him, What is truth? And when he had said this, he went out again unto the Jews, and saith unto them, I find in him no fault at all. But ye have a custom, that I should release unto you one at the passover: will you therefore that I release unto you the King of the Jews? Then cried they all again, saying, Not this man, but Barabbas. Now Barabbas was a robber.” Verses 36–40.

There are five roles that played an intricate part in this trial—Herod, Pilate, the church, Barabbas and Jesus. After self-examination, it will be discovered that every one of us will fit the description of one of these roles and hopefully by God’s grace we will all be like Jesus. In fact, this same trial will be carried out in these last days on such an immense scale that will be difficult to even begin to comprehend.

Herod

The record in the book of John does not mention Jesus’ interview with Herod. That is found in Luke 23. The Jews, knowing the weakness of the governor, took Jesus first to Pilate who dismissed Him sending Him off to Herod because He was from Galilee and not under the jurisdiction of Pilate. So off to Herod they went—Jesus, hustled by a group of soldiers. The interview begins in Luke 23:8: “And when Herod saw Jesus, he was exceeding glad: for he was desirous to see him of a long season, because he had heard many things of him; and he hoped to have seen some miracle done by him.”

Herod brought a group of maimed people into the judgment hall so he could be entertained by Jesus’ miracles of healing with the promise of letting Him go free. Pilate and Herod were equally evil, but although Jesus had answered Pilate’s questions, when brought before Herod, who “questioned with Him in many words; … He [Jesus] answered him nothing.” Verse 9.

Jesus had no words to speak to Herod. Herod’s conscience by then was far less sensitive than when he had trembled in horror at the request of his stepdaughter, Salome, when she had asked for the head of John the Baptist. She had danced before Herod and his eyes had been dazzled. Under the influence of alcohol he foolishly offered her anything, up to half of his kingdom. He was horrified at her request and instead of making a stand for right and refusing, he yielded. His pride kicked in and he did not want to look like a fool in front of his audience.

We are told that Herod’s conscience had once been sensitive, but what happened? “For a time he had felt the keen stings of remorse for his terrible act; but his moral perceptions had become more and more degraded by his licentious life. Now his heart had become so hardened that he could even boast of the punishment he had inflicted upon John for daring to reprove him.” The Desire of Ages, 730.

Interviewing Jesus, “Herod’s conscience was now far less sensitive. … And he now threatened Jesus, declaring repeatedly that he had power to release or to condemn Him. But no sign from Jesus gave evidence that He heard a word.” Ibid. Jesus knew that the Holy Spirit could no longer influence this man’s mind. His conscience had been violated over and over again and Jesus had no words for him.

Pilate

Pilate was a very discerning man. In fact, when the rabble had come to him in his judgment hall, waking him early in the morning, he was not happy. He had been called from his bedchambers. Seeing the crowd, he instantly recognized that the prisoner had been brought to him because of envy. “But Pilate answered them, saying, Will ye that I release unto you the King of the Jews? For he knew that the chief priests had delivered him envy.” Mark 15:9. It is interesting that though the man had lived a licentious life, the Holy Spirit could still speak to him and instantly he was able to correctly survey the situation.

He knew it was an absolute farce that the priests would bring Jesus to be judged by him. “Then Pilate entered into the judgment hall again, and called Jesus and said unto him, Art thou the King of the Jews? Jesus answered him, Sayest thou this thing of thyself, or did others tell it thee of Me?” John 18:33, 34. The Holy Spirit was working in Pilate’s mind.

“Pilate answered, Am I Jew? Thine own nation and the chief priests have delivered Thee unto me: what hast Thou done?” Verse 35. “Pilate therefore said unto Him, Art Thou a king then? Jesus answered, Thou sayest that I am a king. To this end was I born, and for this cause came I into the world, that I should bear witness unto the truth. Everyone that is of the truth heareth My voice. Pilate saith unto Him, What is truth?” Verses 37, 38. This is a question we also should be asking ourselves: What is truth?

We do not know what would have happened right there if Pilate had paused and listened to the answer to his own question, but Pilot did not stick around to hear. “And when he had said this, he went out again unto the Jews, and saith unto them, I find in Him no fault at all.” Verse 38.

“He [Pilate] had heard of Jesus and His works. His wife had told him something of the wonderful deeds performed by the Galilean prophet, who cured the sick and raised the dead.” The Desire of Ages, 724. She had also sent a letter through a messenger to Pilate telling him, “Have thou nothing to do with that just man: for I have suffered many things this day in a dream because of Him.” Matthew 27:19.

“Pilate had a desire to know the truth. His mind was confused. He eagerly grasped the words of the Saviour, and his heart was stirred with a great longing to know what it really was, and how he could obtain it.” The Desire of Ages, 727.

“And the chief priests accused Him of many things: but He answered nothing. And Pilate asked Him again, saying, Answerest Thou nothing? behold, how many things they witness against Thee. But Jesus yet answered him nothing so that Pilate marveled.” Mark 15:3–5.

How easy a retaliatory spirit will rise so instantly when someone starts accusing us of something. Pilate was amazed that Jesus did not retaliate. “Jesus did not directly answer this question [Art Thou the King of the Jews?]. He knew that the Holy Spirit was striving with Pilate, and He gave him opportunity to acknowledge his conviction.” The Desire of Ages, 726, 727.

“Pilate’s golden opportunity had passed. Yet Jesus did not leave him without further light. While He did not directly answer Pilate’s question, He plainly stated His own mission. He gave Pilate to understand that He was not seeking an earthly throne.” Ibid.

What a tragedy! We each have a golden opportunity that can be missed. Pilate’s doom was sealed when “the Jews cried out saying, If thou let this man go, thou art not Caesar’s friend: whosoever maketh himself a king speaketh against Caesar.” John 19:12.

“When Pilate therefore heard that saying, he brought Jesus forth, and sat down in the judgment seat in a place that is called the Pavement, but in the Hebrew, Gabbatha. … and he saith unto the Jews, ‘Behold your King!’ ” Verses 13, 14.

Pilate tried to release Him but, “When Pilate saw that he could prevail nothing, but that rather a tumult was made, he took water, and washed his hands before the multitude, saying, I am innocent of the blood of this just person: see ye to it.” Matthew 27:24. “And so Pilate, willing to content the people, released Barabbas unto them, and delivered Jesus, when he had scourged Him, to be crucified.” Mark 15:15.

What a sad ending for Pilate. He was more concerned for his reputation and standing in the Roman government than he was for the glory of God. He was of a vacillating character, one that is unstable as water. Pilate knew that Jesus was a just and righteous man. He had evidence after evidence and yet still he did not act upon his convictions, being worried more about his reputation. Pilate tried to secure his place as a Roman governor but ironically, just months later he was pulled from the throne and he killed himself. Stifling conviction is very dangerous. Pride had gotten the best of him causing him to make choices that would cost him eternity.

The Church

The church has a most interesting involvement in this event. “Now at that feast the governor was wont to release unto the people a prisoner, whom they would.” Matthew 27:15.

“Pilate was forced to action. He now bethought himself of a custom which might serve to secure Christ’s release. It was customary at this feast to release some one prisoner whom the people might choose. This custom was of pagan invention; there was not a shadow of justice in it, but it was greatly prized by the Jews.” The Desire of Ages, 733.

“And they had then a notable prisoner, called Barabbas.” Matthew 27:16. That word notable can mean noteworthy and also infamous or notorious. “Therefore when they were gathered together, Pilate said unto them, Whom will ye that I release unto you? Barabbas, or Jesus which is called Christ? For he knew that for envy they had delivered him.” Verses 17, 18.

Note here who was responsible for the choice made. “But the chief priests and elders persuaded the multitude that they should ask Barabbas, and destroy Jesus.” Verse 20.

This is quite amazing. After all, are these not God’s chosen people? Pilate, desperate at that point to find some reason to release Jesus, brought both He and Barabbas hoping that as these religious leaders and the multitude compared the two, and unwilling to make the decision himself, he hoped the crowd would choose Jesus. After choosing Barabbas, “Pilate saith unto them, What shall I do then with Jesus which is called Christ? They all say unto him, Let him be crucified” (verse 22)!

Pilate’s plan had failed. Many hardened criminals had stood before him and when Pilate looked into the face of Christ, he knew immediately that He was innocent. “The religious leaders and guides of the people—the men who ought to have led in right paths—persuaded the poor, ignorant multitude to reject the Son of God, and choose a robber and murderer in His place.” The Review and Herald, August 20, 1901. It is imperative to know what is truth for ourselves and not trust in the wisdom of others.

“Those who chose Barabbas thus yoking up with Satan gave evidence that a profession of piety and of love for God, and a claim to know the Scriptures, neither made them the sons of God nor led them to represent His character.” The Signs of the Times, April 14, 1898.

The religious leaders, the priests, were part of that mob dressed in their white robes, piously wearing their phylacteries on their hands and on their foreheads. The whole book of Moses they had memorized, learned from childhood, but this did not make them representatives of Christ. Profession is worthless!

“They [the high priest and leaders] cried out for the crucifixion of Christ and, as representatives of the Jewish nation, placed themselves under the Roman jurisdiction, which they despised, by saying, ‘We have no king but Caesar.’ When they said this, they unchurched themselves.” Manuscript Releases, vol. 12, 388.

No matter how high their profession, they were not God’s church. They were supposed to be the ones who led people in the right path, but they led them astray and unchurched themselves. They had switched leaders and the ones they hated, the Romans, now became their rulers. Remember, we are talking about parallels to our day.

Barabbas

This is the most interesting part of this story. It was the church that chose Barabbas. “And he [Pilate] released unto them him [Barabbas] that for sedition [conspiracy] and murder was cast into prison, whom they had desired; but he delivered Jesus to their will.” Luke 23:25. Barabbas was a conspirator against the Roman government. The Jews also wanted to overthrow the Romans. For centuries they taught that when the Messiah came He was coming as a conquering king to overthrow their enemies. Barabbas was a murderer, but he was a better fit for their false interpretations than the meek and lowly Jesus.

The motives and actions of Barabbas reflect the devil himself. Lucifer also was a conspirator and attempted to overthrow the government of heaven. Just as the fallen angels had before them, the Jews accepted a false Christ, a counterfeit Christ, a false Messiah. Barabbas means the son of a father. Speaking to the leaders, Jesus said in John 8:44, “Ye are of your father the devil. … He was a murderer from the beginning.” The same thing had brewed in the hearts of the Jews and they had yoked up with the devil. He was also a robber: “The thief cometh not but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy.” John 10:10.

A manuscript was discovered during the 10th century with text that said Pilate came out and said, “I release to you Jesus Barabbas,” meaning Jesus who is called Christ. The translators in the 16th century did not want to put the word Jesus in the same sentence with Christ; so it was removed. However, it is mentioned in the Spirit of Prophecy.

“This man had claimed to be the Messiah. He claimed authority to establish a different order of things, to set the world right.” The Desire of Ages, 732.

Barabbas “had done wonderful things through satanic agencies, he had gained a following among the people, and had excited sedition against the Roman government. Under cover of religious enthusiasm he was a hardened and desperate villain, bent on rebellion and cruelty.” Ibid.

They chose Barabbas, the Messiah, the false Christ, the one working satanic miracles. Jesus had warned that, “Many will say to Me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Thy name? and in Thy name cast out devils? And in Thy name done many wonderful works? And then I will profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from Me, ye that work iniquity.” Matthew 7:22, 23.

So far we have looked at Herod, whose conscience was hardened, who was beyond repair and beyond reaching; Pilate with his weak vacillating character who really did want to know the truth, but let his pride rise till he spurned that truth; and Barabbas, the false Messiah, son of the devil, whom the church chose. Now we will consider Jesus, but first let us look at the end time scenario.

End Time Scenario

“The scene in the judgment hall in Jerusalem is a symbol of what will take place in the closing scenes of this earth’s history.” The Review and Herald, January 30, 1900.

In “Ellen G. White Comments,” The Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, vol. 5, 1106, she says, “When Christ was upon this earth, the world preferred Barabbas.” Is it any different today? The world and the churches today are making the same choice. If the scenes of the betrayal and rejection of Christ will again be reenacted but on an immense scale, we need to stop and think for just a moment and consider into which category we fall.

When we yoke up with Christ we are on the side of infinite power, for there is nothing beyond God’s ability to accomplish in our life. Will we be the church that accepts Barabbas, the false Messiah, the worker of miracles and satanic delusions, or Jesus the Christ? “Those who apostatize leave the true and faithful people of God, and fraternize with those who represent Barabbas.” Selected Messages, vol. 2, 395.

Revelation 13:4 says, “And they worshipped the dragon.” “As the crowning act in the great drama of deception, Satan himself will personate Christ. The church has long professed to look for the Saviour’s advent as the consummation of her hopes. Now the great deceiver will make it appear that Christ has come. In different parts of the earth, Satan will manifest himself among men as a majestic being of dazzling brightness, resembling the description of the Son of God given by John in the Revelation (Revelation 1:13–15). The glory that surrounds him is unsurpassed by anything that mortal eyes have yet beheld. The shout of triumph rings out upon the air: ‘Christ has come! Christ has come!’ ” The Great controversy, 624.

It has happened before. The Jews chose the imposter, Barabbas and again the majority will be deceived. “The people prostrate themselves in adoration before him, while he lifts up his hands and pronounces a blessing upon them, as Christ blessed His disciples when He was upon the earth. His voice is soft and subdued, yet full of melody.” Ibid.

The statement goes on to say that “he heals the diseases of the people, and then, in the assumed character of Christ, he claims to have changed the Sabbath to Sunday, and commands all to hallow the day which he has blessed.” Ibid. Ellen White says, “This is the strong, almost overmastering delusion.” Ibid.

Friends, study your Bibles. Pray daily. Those scenes in the judgment hall will be reenacted. Jeremiah 17:5 says, “Cursed be the man that trusteth in man, and maketh flesh his arm.” Put your trust in Christ. He is the only One Who can keep you from falling, not man. The church will be swept off its feet when the devil comes in all his deceitfulness.

You would think that the church would recognize something like this, but the church will be swept off her feet saying, “Christ is come! Christ is come!” prostrating themselves at the feet of the imposter in adoration, not in abhorrence but in acceptance.

When the church does this, she will have accepted Barabbas. When Barabbas was accepted, what did they want to happen to Christ? Crucify Him! That is what will happen in the person of the saints of God at that time. Those who experience this treatment will need a character like Jesus to be able to stand.

Jesus

At His trial, Jesus was beaten and mocked. Jesus was patient with the people through His whole trial. There was no vengeful spirit in Him. This is a hard thing to fathom. Let me tell you friends, if we can’t even shut our mouths and lock our lips when someone says something wrong to us now, how will we stand during a trial like that? If I retaliate now when my coworker irritates me and gets under my skin, will I be able to be patient and Christlike when my character is attacked during the time of trouble? No.

We need to be like Jesus. That is the bottom line; we need to have His character and possess His spirit. The trials we suffer now are to prepare us for the trials of the end time.

By God’s grace, let us reflect the character of Jesus day by day and be ready to meet Him when He returns to take us home.

Mike Bauler was ordained into the ministry in 2005 and serves as pastor of the Historic Message Church in Portland, Oregon. Prior to locating in Portland, Pastor Bauler served as a Bible worker for Steps to Life Ministries. His goal is to help give the gospel to the greater Portland area with an emphasis in helping his Bible students discover the truths in Bible prophecy, which are so often neglected today. His wife, Amanda, a family nurse practitioner, and their daughters Hannah, Esther and Abigail assist him in his ministry.

Terrible Consequences

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There is little space given in the Bible to recounting the virtues and wonderful qualities of even the very best men who have ever lived. This silence is not without a purpose and the reason is that all the good qualities men possess are the gift of God. Their good deeds are performed by the grace of God through Christ, and since we owe to God whatever glory or whatever we have or do, we are just instruments in His hand to do His work. In addition to this, it is a perilous thing to praise or exalt men. The reason for this is that if one comes to lose sight of his entire dependence upon God and begins to trust in his own strength, he is absolutely sure of falling.

We need God’s strength because we are contending with foes that are stronger than we are. The Bible says in Ephesians 6:12, 13, “We do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.”

The Bible is very clear that before this world was created, a leading angel in heaven called Lucifer, rebelled against the government of God and persuaded one third of the angels to follow him in his rebellion. “War broke out in heaven: Michael and his angels fought with the dragon; and the dragon and his angels fought, but they did not prevail, nor was a place found for them in heaven any longer. So the great dragon was cast out, that serpent of old, called the Devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was cast to the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.” Revelation 12:7–9. Satan personated a serpent when he spoke to Eve, deceiving her and causing the fall of Adam and Eve and all of their subsequent descendants.

Notice what the Bible says about this in Romans 5:12: “Therefore, just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men.” So, death came upon all the descendants of Adam and Eve because of the sin of one person. It is impossible for any of us in our own strength to maintain the conflict. And whatever diverts our minds from God, whatever leads us to self-exaltation or to self-dependence, is assuredly preparing the way for our overthrow. The entire tenor of Bible instruction is to inculcate distrust in human power and to encourage trust in divine power.

It was when David had been flattered, when he had been successful, winning many wars and victories, when he had become one of the most prominent kings on the face of the earth, that he fell. It was the spirit of self-confidence and self-exaltation that caused his fall. The whole story of what happened is recorded in the Bible in 11 Samuel 11. Some people have asked why God records in the Bible the awful things that good men have done. These records are to show man’s weakness and his liability to fall, making the most dreadful mistakes. In fact, the greater man’s position of power and authority, the bigger the sin it is possible to commit.

In II Samuel 11:2–5 it says, “It happened one evening that David arose from his bed and walked on the roof of the king’s house. And from the roof he saw a woman bathing, and the woman was very beautiful to behold. So David sent and inquired about the woman. And someone said, ‘Is this not Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam, the wife of Uriah the Hittite?’ Then David sent messengers, and took her; and she came to him, and he lay with her, for she was cleansed from her impurity; and she returned to her house. And the woman conceived; so she sent and told David, and said, ‘I am with child.’ ” Now, David was in trouble.

It is interesting that the work of the great tempter of mankind does not begin in an abrupt or crude fashion. The temptations are not, at the onset, sudden or startling but a secret undermining of the strongholds of principle. This undermining begins when a person is apparently unfaithful in small things like controlling his or her thoughts. It begins in a neglect to be true to God and to rely upon Him completely. It begins with a disposition to follow the customs and practices of the world.

Previous to this, David, while being hunted by King Saul, had been protected by the Lord from unnumbered snares and traps. But now, he was trapped on his own. He had become guilty; he was unrepentant; he did not ask help from the Lord, and he did not ask guidance from heaven. He was now desperate to extricate himself from the dangers in which he found himself.

Uriah the Hittite, Bathsheba’s husband, was one of David’s officers in the army. He was one of his most faithful solders, and nobody could foresee the problems that would be the result if this crime should become known. The law of God pronounced then and now that the adulterer is guilty of the death sentence. Had Uriah, the proud-spirited soldier who had been so shamefully wronged known, he could decide to avenge himself by killing the king or by exciting the whole nation to revolt. David made every possible effort to conceal his guilt even having Uriah called home so that he could be with his wife. But Uriah was a faithful soldier and refused to seek any pleasure with his wife while his soldiers were still in battle.

David had betrayed himself into the power of Satan and now danger surrounded him and dishonor, more bitter than death, was before him. This is not the first or last time something like this has happened. Perhaps you know of someone who has committed suicide in order to avoid the shame which they were afraid would come upon them because of an illicit connection. David was now desperate and there appeared to be no way to escape so, hurried on by the tempter, he added one more sin to the one he had already committed. Murder was added to his adultery.

The same tempter who had compassed the destruction of Saul was now attempting to lead David to ruin. And Uriah the Hittite was made the bearer of his own death warrant. David wrote a letter, sealed it and gave it to Uriah the Hittite to give to Joab, the head general. The letter told Joab to put Uriah in the front of the battle where he knew that there were valiant men, then retreat from him so that he would be killed.

Joab should not have obeyed such an order. The Bible is very explicit about these things. We are to obey human law. We are to obey kings and governments. Christians are never to be disobedient or disrespectful to the government. The apostle Paul had this to say: “Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God. Therefore whoever resists the authority resists the ordinance of God, and those who resist will bring judgment on themselves.” Romans 13:1, 2. Peter brings forth the same principle in I Peter 2:13, 14: “Submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord’s sake, whether to the king as supreme, or to governors, as to those who are sent by him for the punishment of evildoers and for the praise of those who do good.”

The Christian is to be subservient to the government and not to rebel against its authority. But there is one time when the Bible teaches that a person is to exercise civil disobedience and not obey the laws of man. This one exception is found in Acts 5:29. We are told what the apostle Peter said when they were commanded that they were not to preach anymore about Jesus. Peter and the other apostles said, “We ought to obey God rather than men” (Acts 5:29). If the laws of men tell us, or require us, to break the law of God, then we cannot obey those laws. We must keep the higher law. But as long as we do not have to disobey the higher law of God, we are to keep the lower laws of men, the lower laws of government.

Joab had already violated his conscience, which had been stained and seared by more than one unjust murder and as a result he listened to the words of David. Uriah the Hittite was killed. It was interesting how the report of Uriah’s death was worded when sent back to David. Joab said in 11 Samuel 11:20, 21, “If it happens that the king’s wrath arises, and he says to you: ‘Why did you approach so near to the city when you fought? Did you not know that they would shoot from the wall? Who struck Abimelech the son of Jerubbesheth? Was it not a woman who cast a piece of a millstone on him from the wall, so that he died in Thebez? Why did you go near the wall?’—then you shall say, ‘Your servant Uriah the Hittite is dead also.’ ” The message was worded so that it looked like an accident. Nobody could blame either Joab or the king for what had been done. They were in a war and it looked like an accident that Uriah the Hittite had been killed. But of course, like so many other things in this world, what looked like an accident wasn’t an accident at all. It was a premeditated murder, a murder ordered by the king.

The Bible says that there is nothing that is hidden from the Lord. Notice what it says in Hebrews 4:12, 13: “For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are naked and open to the eyes of Him to whom we must give account.”

God knows everything. God knew exactly what happened. He knew what David intended, what Joab had done and why it was that Uriah had died. The Bible says that what David had done was displeasing to the Lord. That’s what we need to think about in our daily life. Is what you are doing or the way you are living, pleasing or displeasing to the Lord? Have you ever thought about the fact that the things people think are covered up and that nobody will ever find out? The Bible says, in Ecclesiastes 12:13, 14, “Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God and keep His commandments, for this is man’s all. For God will bring every work into judgment, including every secret thing, whether good or evil.”

Nothing can be hid from God. Everything will be revealed. Jesus said, in Matthew 10:26, “Do not fear them. For there is nothing covered that will not be revealed, and hidden that will not be known.”

Many people excuse their sins by saying, “Well, look what David did.” However, they have usually forgotten to read and find out the consequences of what he did. The consequences brought terrible trouble over David, not only for the rest of his life, but also over the nation of Israel that has lasted from that time on and has never ceased. How could this be? Remember, Jesus said, “There is nothing covered that won’t be revealed.” Everything is going to be brought into judgment. This time the judgment didn’t wait until the end. Judgment was going to come to David within about a year.

David had fallen so far that he could murder one of his most faithful and most valiant soldiers, then take his wife, and hope to enjoy undisturbed the reward of his sin. From the beginning, Satan has portrayed to men the gains to be won by transgression. In this same way he seduced angels. Thus he tempted Adam and Eve to sin and in this way he is leading multitudes today away from obedience to God. The path of transgression is made to appear desirable and better than following in the way of God’s commandments. But the Bible says that “the end thereof are the ways of death.” Proverbs 14:12.

As time passed on, David’s sin toward Bathsheba became known and suspicion was excited that maybe he planned the death of Uriah the Hittite. Well, of course, God knew everything that had happened. The Bible says, in II Samuel 11:27, that what David had done was displeasing to the Lord. And so the Lord sent Nathan the prophet to give a stern message to the king.

Ordinarily, especially in those days, it would be impossible for anyone to give a message like this to a king without incurring the death sentence himself. But Nathan faithfully gave the message, clothing it in a parable so the king would end up passing sentence upon himself. Here is the way it went; beginning at II Samuel 12:1–12 it says: “Then the Lord sent Nathan to David. And he came to him, and said to him: ‘There were two men in one city, one rich and the other poor. The rich man had exceedingly many flocks and herds. But the poor man had nothing, except one little ewe lamb which he had bought and nourished; and it grew up together with him and with his children. It ate of his own food and drank from his own cup and lay in his bosom; and it was like a daughter to him. And a traveler came to the rich man, who refused to take from his own flock and from his own herd to prepare one for the wayfaring man who had come to him; but he took the poor man’s lamb and prepared it for the man who had come to him.’

“So David’s anger was greatly aroused against the man, and he said to Nathan, ‘As the Lord lives, the man who has done this shall surely die! And he shall restore fourfold for the lamb, because he did this thing and because he had no pity.’ Then Nathan said to David, ‘You are the man!’ Thus says the Lord God of Israel: ‘I anointed you king over Israel, and I delivered you from the hand of Saul. I gave you your master’s house and your master’s wives into your keeping, and gave you the house of Israel and Judah. And if that had been too little, I also would have given you much more! Why have you despised the commandment of the Lord, to do evil in His sight? You have killed Uriah the Hittite with the sword; you have taken his wife to be your wife, and have killed him with the sword of the people of Ammon.’

“ ‘Now therefore, the sword shall never depart from your house, because you have despised Me, and have taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be your wife.’ Thus says the Lord: ‘Behold I will raise up adversity against you from your own house; and I will take your wives before your eyes and give them to your neighbor, and he shall lie with your wives in the sight of this sun. For you did it secretly, but I will do this thing before all Israel, before the sun.’ ”

When David heard this message, he said, “I have sinned.” Verse 13. Some people wonder why it is that David was forgiven when he committed a worse crime even than had Saul, yet Saul was not forgiven. The difference is, David repented, and confessed his sin whereas Saul did not. Notice what David said after this in Psalm 51:1–7, 11, 12: “Blot out my transgressions. Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin. For I acknowledge my transgressions, and my sin is always before me. Against you, you only, have I sinned, and done this evil in Your sight. … Behold, You desire truth in the inward parts, and in the hidden part You will make me to know wisdom. Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; wash me and I shall be whiter than snow. … Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. Restore to me the joy of Your salvation, and uphold me by Your generous Spirit.”

David was afraid he had committed the unpardonable sin. He was afraid he could be struck down in judgment, in an unsaved condition, and he repented and pleaded for forgiveness.

Ellen White says, “I present before you the fifty-first psalm, a psalm filled with precious lessons. From it we may learn what course to follow if we have departed from the Lord. To the king of Israel, exalted and honored, the Lord sent a message of reproof by His prophet. David confessed his sin and humbled his heart, declaring God to be just in all His dealings [Psalm 51:1–17 quoted].” “Ellen G. White Comments,” The Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, vol. 3, 1147.

Chief Guilt Is Sin Against God

“Sin is sin, whether committed by one sitting on a throne, or by one in the humbler walks of life. The day is coming when all who have committed sin will make confession, even though it is too late for them to receive pardon. God waits long for the sinner to repent. He manifests a wonderful forbearance. But He must at last call the transgressor of His law to account.” Ibid.

How is it with you? The Bible says we have all sinned. It is not a question of whether you have sinned or not. We have all sinned. The question is, what are you doing about it? David repented and he confessed his sin. You can read in Psalm 51, the entire chapter, giving the story of his confession. Now David was not excused from earthly punishment. Even though he was forgiven and will be in heaven, he had to suffer the consequence of his sin in this world. There are always consequences with sin. None of us are promised that we can escape those consequences. Sometimes we don’t perceive clearly what they are, but there are always consequences. Here were just some of the consequences that happened to David:

First of all, by transgression his relationship to God changed. God could no longer exercise His power to protect David from the results of the sin that he had done as He had protected him previously from the enmity of Saul. So, events were going to take their natural cause. Not only that, but there was a great change in David himself. He was broken in spirit by the consciousness of his sin. He felt humbled in the eyes of his subjects. His influence was weakened. His subjects and his sons were led to think of sin in an even lighter manner, and to commit sin. His authority over his own household was lessened. His claim to reverence and obedience by his children was weakened. His sense of guilt kept him silent when he should have condemned sin and made him feeble to execute justice. His evil example exerted an influence that was demoralizing to the whole nation and the terrible consequences went on and on. However, he himself, because of his repentance and his confession, was forgiven. This is the Bible promise to people who have fallen in sin, and who would like to be delivered from the guilt and power of sin. The Bible says, “Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; let him return to the Lord, and He will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for He will abundantly pardon.” Isaiah 55:7.

All have sinned, but the question is, have you repented? Have you confessed your sins? Have you decided to forsake sins and follow the Lord that you might be forgiven?

(Unless appearing in quoted references or otherwise identified, Bible texts are from the New King James Version.)

Pastor John J. Grosboll is Director of Steps to Life and pastors the Prairie Meadows Church of Free Seventh-day Adventists in Wichita, Kansas. He may be contacted by email at: historic@stepstolife.org, or by telephone at: 316-788-5559.

Jesus’ Last Companion

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The devil constantly endeavors to distract the inhabitants of this earth away from eternal realities, and as Christians we need to be keenly aware of his machinations to get us off track. The Bible says we are not to be ignorant of the devil’s devices. We are nearing a period in this world’s history where it will be only those who endure to the end that will be saved. We have a better world to look forward to and it is coming more quickly than we know. The coming of Jesus is going to come as surprise. In fact, the Bible says, that even the righteous are going to gather paleness (Jeremiah 30:6) when He comes. The Bible says that we are to endeavor to keep the faith that was once delivered to the saints.

When the going gets tough, do not give up. Jesus is able to save to the uttermost (Hebrews 7:25). Christ is not going to do any half-work in our lives; it will be complete and will prepare us for heaven.

Before He died Christ spoke seven phrases. The sixth one is found in John 19:30. The Bible says, “So when Jesus had received the sour wine, He said ‘It is finished!’ And bowing His head, He gave up His spirit.” There are many different commentaries on this verse, and many people believe that Christ here finished His work on earth. I believe that, but there is something else much greater that is still being finished in heaven.

“Christ did not yield up His life till He had accomplished the work which He came to do, and with His parting breath He exclaimed, ‘It is finished’ (John 19:30). The battle had been won. His right hand and His holy arm had gotten Him the victory. As a Conqueror He planted His banner on the eternal heights. Was there not joy among the angels? All heaven triumphed in the Saviour’s victory. Satan was defeated, and knew that his kingdom was lost.” The Desire of Ages, 758.

Jesus’ death upon the cross of Calvary was to put down rebellion. “Inasmuch then as the children have partaken of flesh and blood, He Himself likewise shared in the same, that through death He might destroy him who had the power of death, that is, the devil.” Hebrews 2:14. Jesus’ death gave Him the right to put to death Satan and all his wicked angels and all who sided with him in his rebellion. It may have looked as if Satan had won and Jesus was the one who had been conquered, but the words, “It is finished,” put fear into the heart of Satan, who well knew the meaning that his kingdom would come to an end.

“To the angels and the unfallen worlds the cry, ‘It is finished,’ had a deep significance. It was for them as well as for us that the great work of redemption had been accomplished. They with us share the fruits of Christ’s victory.

“Not until the death of Christ was the character of Satan clearly revealed to the angels or to the unfallen worlds. The archapostate had so clothed himself with deception that even holy beings had not understood his principles. They had not clearly seen the nature of his rebellion.” Ibid.

Satan’s kingdom was at an end. At Golgotha, not only do we see three crosses, but we see the end of this world’s history, for Satan has been defeated and it is only a matter of time for him to be finally destroyed in the lake of fire. (See Revelation 20:10.)

We are going to see the cross of Calvary reenacted in our day. “And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross.” Philippians 2:8. Jesus’ life on this earth proved to the entire universe, including us sinful human beings, that man, through the power of God, can be obedient to the Ten Commandments, even under the most dire circumstances. As we go to the cross of Calvary, we know that Jesus was placed in the middle of two thieves, indicating that He was considered the worst of all these criminals. I believe there was another reason that Jesus was placed in the middle, and it was because these two criminals, one on each side, still had access to the One Who could still offer them hope.

“The theme of redemption is one that the angels desire to look into; it will be the science and the song of the redeemed throughout the ceaseless ages of eternity. Is it not worthy of careful thought and study now?” Christian Education, 57.

“Then one of the criminals who were hanged blasphemed Him, saying, ‘If You are the Christ, save Yourself and us.’ But the other, answering, rebuked him, saying, ‘Do you not even fear God, seeing you are under the same condemnation? And we indeed justly, for we receive the due reward of our deeds; but this Man has done nothing wrong.’ Then he said to Jesus, ‘Lord, remember me when You come into Your kingdom.’ And Jesus said to him, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise.’ ” Luke 23:39–43.

Christ’s last companion before His death was a criminal hanging on a cross. As macabre as it sounds, right then that was a bright beam in Jesus’ life. The thief that day recognized His divinity and died in the hope of salvation, while the other criminal was not convinced. These two thieves represent the two classes of people that will be on earth at the close of earth’s history. With Jesus in heaven, who will it be that represents Christ, in the middle of these two classes of people, for all to see? By God’s grace it will be you and me.

Jesus’ silent suffering on the cross at Golgotha was a powerful sermon that preached to the dying thief, resulting in his conversion. He died in faith of the resurrection and a home in paradise.

In 1888, Alfred Nobel, the inventor of dynamite, after waking one morning and opening his newspaper, found himself reading his own obituary. The editor had mistakenly written about Alfred’s life and his achievements instead of that of his brother who was the one who had actually died. Alfred was called the “Dynamite King” a great industrialist who had made an immense fortune from explosives and recounted all of the resultant damage that they had caused. What hit him was how he wanted to be remembered should he die that day, so he resolved to make clear to the world the true meaning and purpose of his life. He figured that this could be done with the final disposition of his fortune. His last will and testament was to give an endowment of five annual prizes for outstanding contributions in physics-chemistry, psychology, medicine, literature, and peace, and a sixth category, economics was added. These would be the expression of his life’s ideals and ultimately how he would be remembered. The result was the most valuable prize given to those who had done the most for the cause of world peace, called today The Nobel Peace Prize.

Jesus left a greater legacy. His last will and testament before He died was that He was the One who could save others. It does not matter how bad or how far we fall, “He is also able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him.” Hebrews 7:25. He proved this point in giving salvation to the repentant thief.

From the foot of the cross, words from the religious leaders wafted up into the ears of Jesus, “He saved others; Himself He cannot save. If He is the King of Israel, let Him now come down from the cross, and we will believe Him.” Matthew 27:42. They mocked Him saying, If You are the One, let’s see You build up the temple of God in three days! “Even the robbers who were crucified with Him reviled Him with the same thing.” Verse 44.

Anyone who has suffered mockery knows that it is hard to remain calm. I remember once going door to door in the town of Winfield, Kansas, giving away literature. Knocking on one door I was confronted by a lady who greeted me saying, “Didn’t you read my sign on the door? It says, do not solicit.” I told her that I was not actually soliciting but giving, which made her mad. When I left her home she followed me down the sidewalk pointing her finger and yelling at me. It was five minutes later that I had children throwing water balloons at me after blocking my car so I could not get away. Knowing my own carnal nature and the revenge that was rising in my mind, I began to pray. Immediately the cross came to my mind—Jesus was as a sheep going to slaughter, and He opened not His mouth.

Jesus was a sermon to those who reviled Him. Jesus, in His humanity, hung on the cross. His divinity could have, with just a thought, made people disappear. With a thought, Christ could have pulled the nails from His hands and feet and ended His suffering, and if He had, we all would be lost. Had His divinity flashed, everyone around Him would have been dead, but He was silent. The Bible says that even a fool, when he holds his peace, is counted wise (Proverbs 17:28).

The Bible calls the two who were crucified with Christ, thieves. They were robbers. A thief enriches himself at the expense of other people. This marks quite the contrast to Jesus, Who enriched others at the expense of Himself.

As one thief witnessed Christ’s response to those who were mocking, he turned from blaspheming to rebuking. Luke 23:39 says: “Then one of the criminals who were hanged blasphemed Him, saying, ‘If You are the Christ, save Yourself and us.’ ” Luke 23:39. How easy that would have been for Christ to do. “But the other, answering, rebuked him, saying, ‘Do you not even fear God, seeing you are under the same condemnation?’ ” Verse 40.

Both of these men were on the brink of eternity, and the Holy Spirit was working on both of their minds. One man responded. He knew something of Jesus and recalled His teachings. He was there in Pilate’s judgment hall and watched while Christ was beaten, spat upon, and had the hair pulled out of His beard, yet not a word of retaliation was heard. He peers off to the side and reads the sign above Jesus’ head, “KING OF THE JEWS,” written there in three different languages. He hears the religious leaders recalling Christ’s words. All of the puzzle pieces started to come together, and as he looks at the inscription above the head of Jesus, a King, he believes. The dying thieves no longer had any fear of man.

“To Jesus in His agony on the cross there came one gleam of comfort. It was the prayer of the penitent thief. Both the men who were crucified with Jesus had at first railed upon Him; and one under his suffering only became more desperate and defiant. But not so with his companion. This man was not a hardened criminal; he had been led astray by evil associations, but he was less guilty than many of those who stood beside the cross reviling the Saviour. He had seen and heard Jesus, and had been convicted by His teaching, but he had been turned away from Him by the priests and rulers. Seeking to stifle conviction, he had plunged deeper and deeper into sin, until he was arrested, tried as a criminal, and condemned to die on the cross. In the judgment hall and on the way to Calvary he had been in company with Jesus. He had heard Pilate declare, ‘I find no fault in Him’ (John 19:4). He had marked His godlike bearing, and His pitying forgiveness of His tormentors. On the cross he sees the many great religionists shoot out the tongue with scorn, and ridicule the Lord Jesus. He sees the wagging heads. He hears the upbraiding speeches taken up by his companion in guilt: ‘If Thou be Christ, save Thyself and us’ (Luke 23:39). Among the passers-by he hears many defending Jesus. He hears them repeat His words, and tell of His works. The conviction comes back to him that this is the Christ. Turning to his fellow criminal he says, ‘Dost not thou fear God, seeing thou art in the same condemnation’ (verse 40)? The dying thieves have no longer anything to fear from man. But upon one of them presses the conviction that there is a God to fear, a future to cause him to tremble. And now, all sin-polluted as it is, his life history is about to close. ‘And we indeed justly,’ he moans; ‘for we receive the due reward of our deeds: but this Man hath done nothing amiss’ (verse 41).”

“There is no question now. There are no doubts, no reproaches. When condemned for his crime, the thief had become hopeless and despairing; but strange, tender thoughts now spring up. He calls to mind all he has heard of Jesus, how He has healed the sick and pardoned sin. He has heard the words of those who believed in Jesus and followed Him weeping. He has seen and read the title above the Saviour’s head. He has heard the passers-by repeat it, some with grieved, quivering lips, others with jesting and mockery. The Holy Spirit illuminates his mind, and little by little the chain of evidence is joined together. In Jesus, bruised, mocked, and hanging upon the cross, he sees the Lamb of God, that taketh away the sin of the world. Hope is mingled with anguish in his voice as the helpless, dying soul casts himself upon a dying Saviour. ‘Lord, remember me,’ he cries, ‘when Thou comest into Thy kingdom’ (verse 42).

“Quickly the answer came. Soft and melodious the tone, full of love, compassion, and power the words: Verily I say unto thee, today, shalt thou be with Me in paradise (verse 43).” The Desire of Ages, 749, 750.

Before the end of time, all of us are to have the experience of one of these two thieves. We are all going to be in a very desperate situation, and how we respond to the Holy Spirit will determine where we spend eternity.

Human sinful nature, since the first sin in the Garden of Eden, has ever tried to justify and excuse sins and rationalize them away, but there is no excuse. No one will ever go to heaven excusing himself for his sin. All will fall into the category of one of these two thieves. While one says, I don’t deserve this, just save me in my sins, the other one says, I deserve to die. I deserve what I get.

The repentant thief on the cross made no attempt to justify his actions taking full responsibility for his sins, simply claiming salvation by the merits of Jesus’ righteousness, while the other thief, unrepentant and with no desire to be rid of his character defects, wanted to be saved in his sins.

The entire Jewish nation including Jesus’ own disciples were mixed up on the Kingdom of God. They believed in an earthly kingdom, yet the dying thief understood that Jesus’ kingdom was a kingdom of grace; it was not an earthly kingdom, but a spiritual kingdom to save us from sin. He may have heard what Jesus said to Pilate, “My kingdom is not of this world.” John 18:36.

There was activity at the foot of the cross. John and Mary and others were weeping. The centurion was there and others were playing dice. The devil and his evil angels and the Pharisees were there to witness the scene. Soldiers argued over Jesus’ garments, but then decided to toss dice for them. But when they heard the dying thief say, “Lord, remember me when You come into Your kingdom,” everybody stopped what they were doing. “The bystanders caught the words as the thief called Jesus Lord. The tone of the repentant man arrested their attention. Those who at the foot of the cross had been quarreling over Christ’s garments, and casting lots upon His vesture, stopped to listen. Their angry tones were hushed. With bated breath they looked upon Christ, and waited for the response from those dying lips.” Ibid., 751. Then Christ spoke. He said, “Assuredly, I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise” (verse 43).

Those who, like this thief, respond to the Holy Spirit will draw the attention of the entire world. When Christ ceases His intercession in the heavenly sanctuary before He returns as King of Kings, His people will represent Him fully in character, and it will draw the attention of the entire world. The Spirit of Prophecy says that the true Seventh-day Adventist will be brought to the forefront of the world. Maybe it will be alone in court standing for Jesus. But this story of the two thieves is a personification of the two classes of people that will exist near the end of this world’s history.

“Many were ready to call Him Lord when He wrought miracles, and after He had risen from the grave; but none acknowledged Him as He hung dying upon the cross save the penitent thief who was saved at the eleventh hour.” Ibid., 750. The repentant thief stood alone. He represented the eleventh hour workers, the thieves and criminals who respond to Christ right at the end of time. They have heard the message of salvation. They may have been at a prophecy seminar or read the Bible. It may be those who have received books or tracts that have been passed out at Walmart. It may be that person you prayed with on the phone whom it did not seem likely they had any hope. But it will be these eleventh-hour workers who finish the work that Laodicean Adventists fail to do.

“For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire laborers for his vineyard. Now when he had agreed with the laborers for a denarius a day, he sent them into his vineyard. And he went out about the third hour and saw others standing idle in the marketplace, and said to them, ‘You also go into the vineyard, and whatever is right I will give you.’ So they went. Again he went out about the sixth and the ninth [that is 12 o’clock noon, 3 o’clock in the afternoon], and did likewise. And about the eleventh hour he went out and found others standing idle, and said to them, ‘Why have you been standing here idle all day?’ They said to him ‘Because no one hired us.’ ” Matthew 20:1–7. Why has no one hired the eleventh hour workers? They would receive the same wages as those who had labored all day.

“When the crisis comes, many will be prepared to make right decisions, even in the face of the formidable difficulties that will be brought about through the deceptive miracles of Satan. Although these will confess the truth and become workers with Christ at the eleventh hour, they will receive equal wages with those who have wrought through the whole day. There will be an army of steadfast believers who will stand as firm as a rock through the last test.” Selected Messages, Book 3, 390.

God still has an army out there that needs to be brought in. The dying thief died in the eleventh hour but before he did He called Jesus Lord and rebuked his fellow companion in crime, telling him to stop justifying his own course of action.

There are only two classes of mankind, the repentant and the unrepentant. Into which one of these categories will you fall? The mocking religious leaders at the foot of the cross were in no better shape spiritually than the unrepentant thief. The thief who responded to the pleading of the Holy Spirit gives a dying testament to Christ’s amazing saving power.

“Therefore He is also able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them.” Hebrews 7:25. That text is for all of us. “Being confident of this very thing, that He Who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ.” Philippians 1:6.

(Unless appearing in quoted references or otherwise identified, Bible texts are from the New King James Version.)

Mike Bauler was ordained into the ministry in 2005 and serves as pastor of the Historic Message Church in Portland, Oregon. Prior to locating in Portland, Pastor Bauler served as a Bible worker for Steps to Life Ministries. His goal is to help give the gospel to the greater Portland area with an emphasis in helping his Bible students discover the truths in Bible prophecy, which are so often neglected today. His wife, Amanda, a family nurse practitioner, and their daughters Hannah, Esther and Abigail assist him in his ministry.

Ashamed at His Coming

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We often hear today that we are living at the end of time. If there is a church or a group of people that should really understand, it is the Seventh-day Adventist people. We have the Bible and have been blessed with the Spirit of Prophecy. If we heed the instruction as never before and pay attention to the message of truth, we will not be ashamed when Jesus returns.

It would be worthwhile to meditate, not only on the time in which we are living, but also to enquire into the special message that the Lord has for each one of us. The question that each of us should be asking is, Who shall stand and what is required of me? We know that Jesus is at the door and we claim to be the people proclaiming the Advent of Christ to this earth. But, are we ready ourselves for this momentous event? Who can stand while this earth is to experience the greatest catastrophic judgments that prophecy has declared will take place just prior to Jesus’ coming? It will be a time such as never been seen before.

Every day we hear about calamities, earthquakes and chaos around the world. We are told: “All these are the beginning of sorrows” (Matthew 24:8). The Lord is getting ready to shake up this whole earth. He is sending these warnings now for those who know about this truth and to get busy and warn those who are unaware that the door of opportunity will soon be closed. Time has been extended for a little while for those men and women who have not yet received the truth. Time is short. The Lord is about to do great things and He needs to have a people. He needs to have a church that will be ready to stand up for truth through these trying times.

A very well-known text is Revelation 6:16, 17 which says, “And [they] said to the mountains and rocks, fall on us, and hide us from the face of Him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb: for the great day of His wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?” According to Revelation 6, there will be two groups of people when the Lord comes. The first group, His church, those whom He has purified, will be standing to welcome their Saviour coming in the clouds of heaven. The second group, a great multitude, will be calling on the rocks to fall on them. This second group has not made the necessary preparation of repentance and turning from sin. They cannot bear to be in the presence of a holy Lord.

What a shameful day it is going to be for the majority of the world who have rejected the gospel invitation and for those who have professed belief in God yet failed to obey His teachings. Many who have preached and taught others about this saving truth who do not endure to the end will be included in this second group, the sad great multitude. Make sure that you are found in the group that will receive the Lord in glory when He comes. We are told that the rocks and the mountains that were a refuge for God’s people in the day of trouble will now be those rocks and mountains that are sought as a hiding place for the great multitude that will not be ready for the coming of Christ.

We need to find out how to have the victory. A secret for victory is found in 1 John 2:28, 29: “And now little children, abide in Him, that when He shall appear we may have confidence, and not be ashamed before Him at his coming.” John here writes to the Christian people at the end of the first century but his message applies to the end of the Christian era. Here, at the end of time, John reminds us and calls us little children and in very clear language, presents to us that we must abide in Him. The great tragedy of the majority of God’s professed people is that we have not learned the secret of abiding in Christ.

Abiding in Christ is the secret for victory for those who welcome Christ in the clouds of heaven. The lesson must be learned by experience and not merely by intellect. Remember, the majority will be ashamed when Christ comes because throughout their lives they believed they would go with Christ when He comes; but instead, they cry for the rocks and the mountains to hide them. They have neglected to learn what it means to abide in Him, daily consecrating their lives to Him, enquiring of His will, living His life and making Him Lord of their lives.

The rest of the verse says, “Ye know that He is righteous, ye know that everyone that does righteousness is born of Him.” Righteousness is a word that is often debated, even among Adventists. A righteous person will do the right thing in the eyes of God. He has learned how to do the right thing by abiding in Christ. The word abide is so important in the word of God that it repeats in chapter 15 of the book of John time after time. We must discover the practical meaning of this experience in our lives.

The failure of living in victory can be simply traced to not abiding in Christ, for in Him there is no failure. Jesus is coming for His friends. He is coming for a church, a group of people that have learned to surrender totally to Him, trusting in His promises. He will know them, for they are like Him.

One must ask himself, Do I know Jesus? Am I known by Him, or is the relationship I have with Him restricted to coming to church on the Sabbath? Is Jesus a daily companion? Is He involved in every decision I make? Do I share my heart with Him, my joys as well as my cares? Here lies the secret of abiding. The Bible says, “At that day, he shall know that I am in My Father and ye in Me and I in you.” John 14:20. Jesus offers a relationship between Himself and the Father and the Father and us, and the result will be abiding in His presence.

Often we are very loose with modern-day language and tend to believe that we can abide by just spending some time with someone. You may think you know your family members by abiding with them. But in Biblical language the term means far more. It is to have constant communication with God.

“Abiding in Christ means a constant receiving of His Spirit.” The Desire of Ages, 676. The Biblical dictionary says that the word abide in Greek or Hebrew is a constant communion. It is such a close communion that in our modern day language we would say a 24/7 communion with Jesus.

That will be the experience of the church for which Jesus returns, the church that will not be ashamed when He comes. The people who make up that church will be waiting to see their Lord, the One Who has been their constant companion through all of their stormy trials. As the branches of the vine constantly draw the sap from the living vine, the channel of communication between heaven and earth must be continually open. The One Who created us knows best how to direct our every decision. As we cling to Jesus we receive from Him by faith the strength and perfection of His own character, the beauty of His grace.

Jesus becomes our daily friend, One that will never leave us or forsake us. Through His grace we receive forgiveness for our sins and the invitation to have constant communion with Him. Because of His grace we receive the strength and perfection of His own character in our lives.

“Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in Me.” John 15:4. As a result of abiding in Christ we receive fruit. If we want to bear fruit, abide in Him. The reason the fruits of righteousness are not being seen is because we have not learned or have not discovered the secret of a Christian life, which is to abide in Christ and constantly receive of His Spirit. Jesus says, “I am the vine, ye are the branches: he that abideth in Me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without Me ye can do nothing.” Verse 5.

Verse 6 tells us what will happen if we do not abide in Him: “If a man abide not in Me, he is cast forth as a branch” to be burned. It is now that we must learn to walk with Him and constantly receive of Him His Holy Spirit to enable us to bear many fruits.

In addition to the fruit is new power in our prayers. Jesus says, “If ye abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.” John 15:7. There is a condition to having our prayers heard and answered. Jesus says, “If ye abide in Me.” Abiding in Jesus is the condition to be receiving constantly of His grace in our lives. Maybe this is the reason that often times we feel our prayers go no further than the ceiling and we do not receive answers or experience the beauty of joy and real communion with Him.

Abiding in Christ results in receiving many fruits of righteousness. It will become second nature to do the things that are pleasing to God instead of doing things that please the flesh. We need His Spirit to perfect our characters. Often is heard the cry of many of our own brethren, “No, it is impossible for us to live a perfect life, because, after all, we are human.” When they are told that through the grace of God it is possible to walk in the perfect path to heaven they mock, “O, so you think you’re perfect already!” No, but one thing we can do, because of His grace, is to keep aiming for that goal. Jesus promised that if we continue to abide in Him, “I in them, and Thou in Me, that they may be made perfect in one.” John 17:23.

This statement is deeper than we at first might think. Jesus says that He can make us one also with Him and the Father. That is one of the greatest privileges that a human being can receive, but it is only possible as we abide in Him. That is the secret. We must abide in Him constantly, when we go to church and when we sit down in our homes. Remember, the Biblical language means a constant receiving of the grace of God into our heart and into our lives. Only then will we discover the secret of having a life of many fruits, having our prayers answered. Sin will be broken in our lives and have no more power over us and we will be overcomers as many have been in times past.

Paul says to walk in the Spirit. This is possible only by God’s grace and by what Jesus has done for us in shedding His blood at Calvary. If we allow the Holy Spirit to work in our lives, we will be dead to the flesh, to our sinful nature, and walk in the Spirit. “There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus.” Romans 8:1. This means they are walking with Christ, their only hope and salvation. He is the Lord of their lives, to Whom they give their will. They no longer walk after the flesh but after the Spirit.

In Romans 8:10, Paul says, “And if Christ be in you …” This word if is a powerful little two-letter word. Paul said if I want to walk after the Spirit, I am no longer walking in the flesh; Jesus must be in me.

This means that Christ takes control of your heart, your mind and your whole life. The body will be dead because of sin, but the Spirit is life because of righteousness. This new heart experience makes a person ready for translation to heaven. With His Spirit in our life we walk as He walked and live His life. “He that saith he abideth in Him ought himself also so to walk, even as He walked.” I John 2:6.

How did Jesus walk? He went around doing good. He did only the will of His Father who sent Him. He taught us how to love each other. Study His life in the gospels, for that is to be our example.

When a person is not abiding in Christ, then you will see the opposite. Without Christ, man is a reprobate. Paul said, “Examine yourselves.” We are not told to examine our pastors, our elders or our husbands or wives. Our first duty or responsibility to the Lord, is to examine ourselves. “Examine yourself whether you be in the faith, prove your own selves.” In other words, Paul is saying that you claim to be a Christian and that you are abiding in Christ, so prove it! “Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates?” II Corinthians 13:5. “To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.” Colossians 1:27.

This is a mystery, but that mystery has been revealed. There are many people who have never known what it is to receive the grace of God. Having been raised a Roman Catholic, I attended the Catholic Seminary because that was all my family ever knew. It was only by God’s grace that I was brought into this light. The Bible presents to us the most beautiful news a human being can hear. Not only are we called to be sons and daughters of the kingdom, but we are called to reflect His character in a perfect way, and it is all by His grace.

Two choices—abide in Christ and allow His Spirit to direct, or become a reprobate. “If a man abide not in Me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them and cast them into the fire, and they are burned.” John 15:6. Unfortunately, the majority of God’s professed people will be found in that group of people that are represented as the branches that will be cut off. Pray that you will be found among the remnant who will not be ashamed when Jesus comes, but will receive an abundant blessing.

The Seventh-day Adventist movement has been described in the Bible and the Spirit of Prophecy as a movement because it is describing a group of people that are moving forward, marching forward and upward to heaven.

“Sinners inquired with weeping: ‘What must I do to be saved?’ ” The Great Controversy, 369. At this critical hour of earth’s history this should also be our enquiry.

“Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election sure: for if ye do these things, ye shall never fall.” II Peter 1:10, 11. We are not to make somebody else’s calling sure, but our own! Soon Jesus will ask, “What have you done with My grace that is sufficient for you?” What will be your answer?

Jesus said, If you abide in Me you will never fail. What a promise!

Raphael Perez is pastor of the Eternal Gospel Church and editor of The Eternal Gospel Herald. He has been engaged in a campaign for over 20 years promoting the Three Angels’ Messages throughout the United State and abroad through printing, billboards, radio, prison ministry, foreign missions, full-page newspaper advertisements, and television. He may be contacted by email at: eternalgospel@att.net.

The Lord is My Shepherd

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“The Lord is my Shepherd; I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures; He leadeth me beside the still waters. He restoreth my soul: He leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for His name’s sake. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for Thou art with me; Thy rod and Thy staff they comfort me. Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: Thou annointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life; and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.”

Psalm 23

What a marvelous revelation the Spirit of God inspired David to write when he wrote the Twenty-third Psalm. It is such a precious text and a favorite psalm of so many of us that many have committed it to memory. This psalm teaches us about the great love the Father has for us. When this truth is accepted by faith, we have an inner peace that no other teaching can give, no matter where it comes from. It is only in God’s word that we learn that the precepts of God are far better than any of the maxims or teachings the world’s greatest thinkers have to offer.

The world’s greatest thinkers and teachers promote that each individual already possesses qualities to face life and live in a manner that can beat down any form of difficulty. There are many published resources on the subject of positive thinking, yet none of these works of men will ever accomplish the permanence of joy, peace and assurance that God’s word has promised.

“The life of Christ that gives life to the world is in His Word. It was by His word that Jesus healed disease and cast out demons; by His word He stilled the sea, and raised the dead; and the people bore witness that His word was with power. He spoke the word of God, as He had spoken through all the prophets and teachers of the Old Testament. The whole Bible is a manifestation of Christ, and the Saviour desired to fix the faith of His followers on the Word. When His visible presence should be withdrawn, the Word must be their source of power. Like their Master, they were to live ‘by every Word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God’ (Matthew 4:4).” The Desire of Ages, 390.

Throughout his entire life, in both good and trying experiences, David learned to understand and trust in his Creator so completely that he was continually inspired to write many deep things about God. He said, “For You have magnified Your word above all Your name.” Psalm 138:2. There is a huge difference between the natural things of this world and the spiritual, between our ways and God’s ways. The prophet Isaiah wrote, “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts.” Isaiah 59:9.

Positive thinking is humanistic and even though expressions of “positive thinking” may at times give lip service to God, man’s word will always put himself at the center of its counsel. Man’s written works on positive thinking say “believe in yourself.” “You can do it!” But God’s word tells us, “For I know that nothing good dwells in me.” Romans 7:18. The beloved apostle John clearly stated the words of Jesus describing Himself as the true vine that “apart from Me you can do nothing.” John 15:5.

These were David’s thoughts as he tended his father’s sheep. He turned his thoughts to the Great Shepherd and was inspired to write the Twenty-third Psalm. Rather than believing in ourselves, we need to realize the true poverty of our souls and turn our hearts and faith to God. With faith firmly planted in God, in His promises, His word and not in human wisdom, we will be able to say like the apostle Paul: “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” Philippians 4:13. This is Biblical thinking. We must believe that what God says in His word is true. Psalm 139 tells us exactly how well acquainted our Creator is with all of us. “O Lord, thou hast searched me, and known me … and art acquainted with all my ways … how precious also are thy thoughts unto me, O God! how great is the sum of them!”

God’s thoughts are based on an honest evaluation of what we are, and in His word He has compared us to sheep. It may not be a pleasant thought to us, to be compared to one of the least intelligent of God’s creatures, but all the positive thinking in this world cannot change the fact that we are like sheep. Isaiah 53:6 says, “We all like sheep have gone astray.” John 10:27 tells us, “My sheep hear My voice.” And in Psalm 103 David says, “We are the sheep of His pasture.” The thing that differenciates the sheep is the Shepherd!

The fact that sheep are helpless, timid, and feeble requires them to have constant attention and meticulous care. Sheep have very little means of self-defense and therefore need a good shepherd to watch and care for them for sheep can actually walk and graze, completely unaware, into an area that is full of danger. If sheep are not watched carefully they can nibble themselves right off a mountainside and they can overgraze the land and be left without food, unless the shepherd leads them to new pastures. If the shepherd is not paying attention to all these needs the sheep will eventually die. Sheep need a good shepherd.

These facts concerning sheep help us to understand why the Lord refers to us in His word as sheep. When teaching His disciples, Jesus used the familiar things in life to teach the deepest truths. In comparing people to sheep, He not only teaches about our total and absolute poverty of soul, but also our need of a shepherd. In the book, The Desire of Ages, the following quote explains it:

“Now in a beautiful pastoral picture He represents His relation to those that believe on Him. No picture was more familiar to His hearers than this, and Christ’s words linked it forever with Himself. Never could the disciples look on the shepherds tending their flocks without recalling the Savior’s lesson. They would see Christ in each faithful shepherd. They would see themselves in each helpless and dependent flock.” The Desire of Ages, 476.

You can determine the character of the shepherd by the condition of his sheep. They need constant care. The better the shepherd, the healthier the sheep.

The book, A Shepherd Looks at Psalm 23, Phillip Keller, Zondervan (2007), reveals a deeper insight into the shepherd and the sheep. The author was an actual shepherd in Eastern Africa and relates from his experience that it is impossible for sheep to lie down in green pastures unless four conditions are met:

  1. They must be free from hunger – lie down right in the midst of green pastures!
  2. They must feel totally free from fear – sheep are helpless animals that frighten easily.
  3. They must be free from friction – tension exists within flocks of sheep keeping them in a constant alert mode that must be resolved before they can feel completely at rest.
  4. They are free from pests – like most creatures in the wild, sheep can be tormented by flies and parasites.

There is one fly in particular that can actually deposit its eggs in a sheep’s nose. Once there, the eggs hatch as larvae, which travel up through the nasal passage into the sheep’s head, making their home in the sheep’s flesh. It causes such tremendous irritation to the sheep that the only way to deal with the irritation is to thrash and beat its head against anything it can find. The sheep can become so irritated that to find relieve it will actually kill itself in its desperation.

Now in a spiritual sense, can the enemy place “evil eggs” that hatch and turn into larvae to burrow deep into our heads? Yes! The enemy of souls can place eggs of torment that can hatch into destructive worms, spiritually speaking, in the form of thoughts of fear, rejection, bitterness, hatred, failure, incompetency, sensuality, greed, and the like. That is why the Good Shepherd “anoints my head with oil.”

What is our Great Shepherd like?

Jesus said, “I am the Good Shepherd: the good shepherd gives his life for the sheep.” When David wrote the words “He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside still waters,” he was not referring to a forced rest for the sheep. These words convey the idea that the shepherd meets the needs of the sheep so they feel peaceful enough to lie down. Jesus tells us he wants us to enter into a covenant of peace with Him.

How does the Good Shepherd take care of all our needs so that “we do not want”?

He first frees us from hunger. Jesus said, “I am the Bread of Life: he that cometh to Me shall never hunger.” John 6:35. God’s word tells us that there was a time when He had to teach His sheep, the people of Israel, by allowing them to suffer hunger before providing them with manna from heaven, that they might know that man does not live by physical bread alone, but by every word God speaks to us. (See Matthew 4:4.)

“As our physical life is sustained by food, so our spiritual life is sustained by the word of God. And every soul is to receive life from God’s word for himself. As we must eat for ourselves in order to receive nourishment, so we must receive the Word for ourselves. We are not to obtain it merely through the medium of another’s mind. We should carefully study the Bible, asking God for the aid of the Holy Spirit, that we may understand His word. We should take one verse, and concentrate the mind on the task of ascertaining the thought that God has put in that verse for us. We should dwell upon the thought until it becomes our own, and we know ‘what saith the Lord.’ ” The Desire of Ages, 390.

The Good Shepherd frees us from fear when we come to know Him and believe the great love the Father has for us. “God is love, and the one who abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him. … There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear.” I John 4:16, 18. When David was surrounded by the Philistines, he wrote, “When I am afraid, I will put my trust in Thee. In God, whose Word I praise, in God I have put my trust; I shall not be afraid. What can man do to me?” Psalm 56:3, 4.

“In His promises and warnings, Jesus means me. God so loved the world, that He gave His only-begotten Son, that I, by believing in Him, might not perish, but have everlasting life. The experiences related in God’s word are to be my experiences. Prayer and promise, precept and warning, are mine. ‘I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave Himself for me’ (Galatians 2:20). As faith thus receives and assimilates the principles of truth, they become a part of the being and the motive power of the life. The word of God, received into the soul, molds the thoughts, and enters into the development of character.” The Desire of Ages, 390.

When considering the deep subject concerning the Lord our Shepherd one must say, like David, “How precious also are Thy thoughts unto me, O God! How great is the sum of them (Psalm 139:17)!” As you meditate on this subject you will receive abundant blessings. An abundance of blessings are available as you meditate more on all that God’s word has to say about the Lord our Shepherd.

Hilde Nunez is a staff member of Steps to Life and the wife of Pastor Domingo Nunez. She may be contacted by email at: hildenunez@stepstolife.org.

Nebuchadnezzar and Pride

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Bible Prophecy predicts in both the Old and New Testaments that a time is coming when there will be no more proud people living upon the earth. Right now we are a long way from such a condition and the question could be asked, How will such a wonderful condition be achieved?

Notice what it says in Malachi 4:1: “ ‘For behold, the day is coming, burning like an oven, and all the proud, yes, all who do wickedly will be stubble. And the day which is coming shall burn them up,’ says the Lord of hosts, ‘that will leave them neither root nor branch.’ ”

Jesus talked about that time in His Sermon on the Mount. In Matthew 5:5, Jesus said, “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.” The Old Testament, of course, says that too. One of the problems that we have as human beings is that, if we are successful, if we believe that we are more beautiful than those around us, or if we think that we are more intelligent, or if we have more riches, or more power, it has a tendency to go to our heads and make us think that we are really somebody special.

It is pride that brings contention, and strife, and war. The Old Testament tells many stories of the problems that people had due to pride. One of the most famous of these is about a man who actually was called “the king of kings.” He did the work of God, even though he himself was an idolater. The Bible reveals that even idolaters, people that do not follow Him, end up accomplishing the Lord’s will in the earth. The books in the Major Prophets talk about how the heathen actually work out God’s will although they do not understand what they are doing.

God judged against Tyre, one of the more wicked cities of antiquity: “Thus says the Lord God: ‘Behold I will bring against Tyre from the north Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, king of kings, with horses, with chariots, and with horsemen, and an army and many people.’ ” Ezekiel 26:7. Notice, Nebuchadnezzar is called not only the king of Babylon, but in this text he is called the “king of kings.” In Ezekiel 28:7, the Lord refers to him and Babylon as the most terrible of the nations.

Nebuchadnezzar had a dream and had been very greatly impressed by the dream that had been given him by the Lord God of heaven.

“You, O king, were watching; and behold, a great image! This great image, whose splendor was excellent, stood before you; and its form was awesome. This image’s head was of fine gold, its chest and arms of silver, its belly and thighs of bronze, its legs of iron, its feet partly of iron and partly of clay. You watched while a stone was cut out without hands, which struck the image on its feet of iron and clay, and broke them in pieces. Then the iron, the clay, the bronze, the silver, and the gold were crushed together, and became like chaff from the summer threshing floors; the wind carried them away so that no trace of them was found. And the stone that struck the image became a great mountain and filled the whole earth” (Daniel 2:31–35).

Daniel then gave the interpretation in verses 37–45: “You, O king, are a king of kings. For the God of heaven has given you a kingdom, power, strength, and glory; and wherever the children of men dwell, or the beasts of the field and the birds of the heaven, He has given them into your hand, and has made you ruler over them all—you are this head of gold. But after you shall arise another kingdom inferior to yours; then another, a third kingdom of bronze, which shall rule over all the earth. And the fourth kingdom shall be as strong as iron, inasmuch as iron breaks in pieces and shatters everything; and like iron that crushes, that kingdom will break in pieces and crush all the others. Whereas you saw the feet and toes, partly of potter’s clay and partly of iron, the kingdom shall be divided; yet the strength of the iron shall be in it, just as you saw the iron mixed with ceramic clay. And as the toes of the feet were partly of iron and partly of clay, so the kingdom shall be partly strong and partly fragile. As you saw iron mixed with ceramic clay, they will mingle with the seed of men; but they will not adhere to one another, just as iron does not mix with clay. And in the days of these kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom which shall never be destroyed; and the kingdom shall not be left to other people; it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand forever. Inasmuch as you saw that the stone was cut out of the mountain without hands, and that it broke in pieces the iron, the bronze, the clay, the silver, and the gold—the great God has made known to the king what will come to pass after this. The dream is certain, and its interpretation is sure.”

The king understood that this marvelous kingdom that he had built was not going to last forever, as he had thought. The time was going to come when it would be overturned. There would be other nations that would control the world and not Babylon.

Babylon, of course, is in the modern area of the world that today we call Iraq. Babylon was taken over by the Medes and the Persians. Since 1935, the modern name for Persia has been Iran. The Medo-Persian kingdom was also not going to last forever. It would cease to be a world power, and the kingdom of Greece would take its place, as you can read in the prophecy in Daniel 7 and 8. The kingdom of Greece would be divided and not last forever, either. It would be overtaken by a fourth kingdom, the kingdom of Rome, which would exist in two phases lasting until the very end of the world.

Nebuchadnezzar had been very impressed by his dream and Daniel’s interpretation that his kingdom was only temporary and would not last forever. Other kingdoms were to arise that would rule the world in his stead, but as time went on, Nebuchadnezzar became more and more prideful. He conquered not only Tyre, but also Egypt, and nation after nation bowed to his sway.

These victories added to his fame. He was considered to be the ruler of his age and as a result of his success, Nebuchadnezzar ended up turning from the path of humility, which is the only path to true greatness. He built up the city of Babylon until it became known as one of the seven wonders of the world. It became the chief glory of his kingdom. It was called the “golden city” and is referred to in the Bible as the praise of the whole earth (see Jeremiah 41:51). This recognition also increased his pride.

In an attempt to save his soul, the Lord God of heaven, in mercy to him, gave him another dream. In Daniel 4:4–6, it says, “I Nebuchadnezzar, was at rest in my house, and flourishing in my palace. And I saw a dream which made me afraid, and the thoughts on my bed and the visions of my head troubled me. Therefore I issued a decree to bring in all the wise men of Babylon before me, that they might make known to me the interpretation of the dream.”

So Nebuchadnezzar brought in his “brain trust,” all the wise men of Babylon—the astrologers. Astrology being a very ancient branch of knowledge, Babylon had astrologers and soothsayers, or fortunetellers, referred to collectively in Scripture as Chaldeans. When he brought them in and told them his dream, he demanded that they tell him the meaning, but they could not. Starting in verse 8, he stated, “But at last Daniel came before me (his name is Belteshazzar, according to the name of my god; in him is the Spirit of the Holy God), and I told the dream before him, saying: ‘Belteshazzar, chief of the magicians, because I know that the Spirit of the Holy God is in you, and no secret troubles you, explain to me the visions of my dream that I have seen, and its interpretation.’ ”

Daniel, now standing before Nebuchadnezzar, then told him what he had dreamed. Verses 10–17 say, “These were the visions of my head while on my bed: I was looking, and behold, a tree in the midst of the earth, and its height was great. The tree grew and became strong; its height reached to the heavens, and it could be seen to the ends of all the earth. Its leaves were lovely, its fruit abundant, and in it was food for all. The beasts of the field found shade under it. The birds of the heavens dwelt in its branches, and all flesh was fed from it.

“I saw in the visions of my head while on my bed, and there was a watcher, a holy one, coming down from heaven. He cried aloud and said thus: ‘Chop down the tree and cut off its branches, strip off its leaves and scatter its fruit. Let the beasts get out from under it, and the birds from its branches. Nevertheless leave the stump and roots in the earth, bound with a band of iron and bronze, in the tender grass of the field, let it be wet with the dew of heaven, and let him graze with the beasts on the grass of the earth. Let his heart be changed from that of a man, let him be given the heart of an animal, a beast. And let seven times pass over him. This decision is by the decree of the watchers, and the sentence by the word of the holy ones, in order that the living may know that the Most High rules in the kingdom of men, and gives it to whomever He will, and sets over it the lowest of men.’ ”

Then the king said to Daniel, “Then this dream, I King Nebuchadnezzar, have seen. Now you, Belteshazzar, declare its interpretation, since all the wise men of my kingdom are not able to make known to me the interpretation; but you are able, for the Spirit of the Holy God is in you.” When Daniel heard the dream, he knew immediately what it meant. The Bible indicates that because Daniel was troubled and astonished, he hesitated to say anything. It says in verse 19, “Daniel, whose name was Belteshazzar, was astonished for a time, and his thoughts troubled him.” He did not want to relate the meaning of the dream, but Nebuchadnezzar pressed him. “So the king spoke and said, ‘Belteshazzar, do not let the dream or its interpretation trouble you.’”

So Daniel told the king what this dream meant in Daniel 4:19–26. As Daniel began to reveal to the king the meaning of the dream, he said, “My Lord, may the dream concern those who hate you, and its interpretation concern your enemies! The tree that you saw, which grew and became strong, whose height reached to the heavens and which could be seen by all the earth, whose leaves were lovely and its fruit abundant in which was food for all, under which the beasts of the field dwelt, and on whose branches the birds of the heaven had their habitation—it is you, O king, who have grown and become strong; for your greatness has grown and reaches to the heavens, and your dominion to the end of the earth.

“And inasmuch as the king saw a watcher, a holy one, coming down from heaven and saying, ‘Chop down the tree and destroy it, but leave its stump and roots in the earth, bound with a band of iron and bronze in the tender grass of the field; let it be wet with the dew of heaven, and let him graze with the beasts of the field, till seven times [seven years] pass over him’; this is the interpretation, O king, and this is the decree of the Most High, which has come upon my lord the king. They shall drive you from men, your dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field, and they shall make you eat grass like oxen. They shall wet you with the dew of heaven and seven times shall pass over you, till you know that the Most High rules in the kingdom of men, and gives it to whomever He chooses.

“And inasmuch as they gave the command to leave the stump and the roots of the tree, your kingdom shall be assured to you, after you come to know that Heaven rules.”

After giving the king the awful interpretation of his dream, Daniel made a direct appeal to king Nebuchadnezzar: “Therefore, O king, let my counsel be acceptable to you; break off your sins by being righteous, and your iniquities by showing mercy to the poor. Perhaps there may be a lengthening of your prosperity” (verse 27).

So, Daniel gave the interpretation. Even though the king then knew his destiny, he did not acknowledge the real ruler in the heavens. By means of this dream, God was trying to save his soul. Nebuchadnezzar thought about what Daniel had said, but because he was not converted and was not under the impressions of the Holy Spirit, the message that God sent through this dream did not have the effect that God intended.

The same is true with us today. If we are not converted, any message that God sends to us has little impact and any conviction that it might bring wears away after a time. The judgments of God that are threatened against wickedness do not bother us so much. There are a lot of people in the world like that today. However, the Bible says the time is coming when there will be no proud people left alive on the earth. Somehow, though, people do not comprehend the message. They don’t realize that they are headed toward eternal death if they keep living the way they are living.

The Bible says in Malachi 4:1, “ ‘For behold, the day is coming, burning like an oven, and all the proud, yes, all who do wickedly will be stubble. And the day which is coming shall burn them up,’ says the Lord of hosts, ‘That will leave them neither root nor branch.’ ” All of the proud will burn up!

What happened to Nebuchadnezzar? Even though everything that was predicted came true, the judgment was postponed for a year to give him time to repent. “All this came upon King Nebuchadnezzar. At the end of the twelve months he was walking about the royal palace of Babylon. The king spoke, saying, ‘Is not this great Babylon, that I have built for a royal dwelling by my mighty power and for the honor of my majesty’ ” (Daniel 4:28–30)? He was proud of what he had done. He considered himself the ruler of the world and therefore the most important person in it. “While the word was still in the king’s mouth, a voice fell from heaven: ‘King Nebuchadnezzar, to you it is spoken: the kingdom has departed from you! And they shall drive you from men, and your dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field. They shall make you eat grass like oxen; and seven times shall pass over you, until you know that the Most High rules in the kingdom of men, and gives it to whomever He chooses’ (verses 31, 32).”

In an instant, the reason that God had given him was taken away. The judgment that he thought was perfect, the wisdom and ability in which he had prided himself were all removed and he became an insane, raving maniac. He was driven from human society to live out in the field and eat grass like the animals. “That very hour the word was fulfilled concerning Nebuchadnezzar; he was driven from men and ate grass like oxen; his body was wet with the dew of heaven till his hair had grown like eagles’ feathers and his nails like birds’ claws” (verse 33).

And he lived like a beast of the field with his reason removed for seven years. He was humbled in the sight of the world and before his own subjects. Then the Bible says that at the end of seven years, when he had been an astonishment to all of his subjects and humbled before all the world, “And at the end of the time I, Nebuchadnezzar, lifted my eyes to heaven, and my understanding returned to me; and I blessed the Most High and praised and honored Him who lives forever: for His dominion is an everlasting dominion, and His kingdom is from generation to generation.

“All the inhabitants of the earth are reputed as nothing; He does according to His will in the army of heaven and among the inhabitants of the earth, no one can restrain his hand or say to Him, ‘What have you done?’ At the same time, my reason returned to me, and for the glory of my kingdom, my honor and splendor returned to me. My counselors and nobles resorted to me, I was restored to my kingdom, and excellent majesty was added to me” (verses 34–36).

This is the last event that we have recorded in sacred Scripture concerning the life of a heathen, idolatrous king who finally, by a terrible judgment that was inflicted on him for seven years, became converted. At last he acknowledged that God really is the ruler, Who gives, for a temporary time, the kingdoms of this world to whomever He chooses, but their reign, their power are all temporary. It is the God of heaven that we need to adore and to Whom we need to surrender and obey. Nebuchadnezzar acknowledged that in verse 37: “Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and extol and honor the God of heaven, all of whose works are truth, and His ways justice. And those who walk in pride He is able to abase.”

There will not be any proud persons in the kingdom of heaven. If you want to have eternal life, you have to be willing to humble yourself and to surrender to the God of heaven and choose to follow Him and obey Him. True greatness is manifested with true humility. That’s why the greatest person who has ever lived in our world was the man Jesus Christ Who is described this way in Philippians 2:5–11: “Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a servant, and coming in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross. Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”

True greatness is manifested in true goodness and true humility. The time is coming when there will not be any proud people left on the earth alive. Where are you going to be? The decisions that you make day by day will determine your destiny.

(Unless appearing in quoted references or otherwise identified, Bible texts are from the New King James Version.)

Pastor John J. Grosboll is Director of Steps to Life and pastors the Prairie Meadows Church of Free Seventh-day Adventists in Wichita, Kansas. He may be contacted by email at: historic@stepstolife.org, or by telephone at: 316-788-5559.