Issue: 2023 January

Keys to the Storehouse – A New Year

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The new year is here! This is a time of resolutions, promises, and commitments—most of which are broken or abandoned before the month of January has passed into February. So, what are your plans?

With the second coming of Christ just on the horizon, we should look with longing eyes for His return and make sure that we have made the two commitments that are the most important in this life: committing our lives—heart, soul, mind, and spirit—to follow and obey Him every day, and to do our part in spreading the gospel to a world that has so great a need for it.

“The new year is just before us. Shall not the gifts be turned to a better account than heretofore? Shall not confession be made and shall we not avail ourselves of the blood of Christ, who is able and willing to cleanse from all sin? …

“In the last great day we shall be judged in accordance with what we have done. Christ will say, ‘I was an hungered, and ye gave Me no meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave Me no drink: I was a stranger, and ye took Me not in: naked, and ye clothed Me not: sick, and in prison, and ye visited Me not. Then shall they also answer Him, saying, Lord, when saw we Thee an hungered, or athirst, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister unto Thee?’ (Matthew 25:42–44). Christ will then say, ‘Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to Me’ (verse 45). And Christ will say, ‘Depart from Me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels’ (verse 41).

“Christ came and set the example in sacrificing, and if we are Christ’s, then we will do the works of Christ. Instead of pleasing ourselves, we will be seeking to do others good, and to impart benefits to suffering humanity. And unless this is done, we cannot expect to have a part with Christ.

“There are souls to be saved all around us, and each has a work to do to be reconciled to Christ. This is the work to take hold of in the new year. We are living for time and eternity, and we want the light to flash upon our pathway and in return we want to extend its blessings to others. …

“Let each strive to have a better record for the coming year, and live so near to God that you may be surrounded with the atmosphere of heaven, and thus be a representative of Christ.” The Upward Look, 374

“Let us review our own course during the past year, and compare our life and character with the Bible standard. Have we withheld from our gracious Benefactor that which He claims from us in return for all the blessings He has granted? Have we neglected to care for the poor, and comfort the sorrowing? Here, then, is work for us.” The Review and Herald, January 3, 1882

Dear Lord, we thank You for this new year and each new day in it. Show us how we each can best serve You. Bring into our lives those who need to know You. And help us, that in all we do and say, to do the work that will hasten Your return.

Story – Honest George

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One day some years ago when people traveled mostly by trains, an energetic shoeshine boy stepped up to a man standing on a platform in Grand Central Station in New York City. “How about a shoeshine, Mister?” the boy asked.

“Well,” the man replied, “I could use a shoeshine. But do I have time? I need to catch the Hudson River train.”

“There’s no time to lose,” the boy admitted. “But I can do a good job for you before the train pulls out.”

“Are you sure?”

“I’m sure.”

“Ok,” the man agreed. And in two seconds, the boy was down on his knees putting on the polish.

“You won’t let the train leave without me, will you?” the man asked anxiously, looking at his watch and then at the train nearby.

“No, I won’t sir,” the boy assured him, and he quickly reached for his brushes and began buffing the man’s shoes to a high gloss.

“What’s your name?” asked the man.

“George Holmes.”

“Is your father living?”

“No, sir. He’s dead. There’s no one except Mother and me. There you are, sir, and the train is starting to move!” George stood up, his job completed.

The man reached quickly into his pocket and took out a dollar. He handed it to George who started to count out his change. But the man was afraid there wasn’t time to wait, and he turned and jumped aboard the moving train. George ran alongside with the man’s change, but before he could reach him the train picked up speed and pulled away.

George felt bad that he hadn’t been able to give the man his change.

Two years later, as George was walking along the street near Grand Central Station, he saw this man again. He was sure it must be him, because George rarely forgot a face. Approaching the man, George asked, “Sir, have you ever been here in New York City before?”

“Yes.”

“When?”

“About two years ago.”

“Didn’t I shine your shoes on the platform here at Grand Central Station?”

“I don’t know. There was a boy who shined my shoes. It could have been you.”

“And did the train pull out before that boy could give you your change?” George asked.

“Yes, it did,” the man replied with a surprised look.

“Well, sir, I’m the boy, and I owe you seventy-five cents. Here is your money. I was afraid I wouldn’t ever see you again.”

Now, since this is a true story, perhaps you would like to know what became of George. The man whose shoes he had polished was so pleased to find such an honest boy that he asked George where he lived. He took the time to learn about George’s situation, how he lived alone with his mother and how they worked hard to make ends meet. The man helped them find a more comfortable place to live and gave them the money to pay the rent. He set up a fund to make sure George would be able to get a good education. All because of an act of honesty.

Of course, what happened to George doesn’t always happen just because we are honest. But even if no one notices, it still pays to be honest. And there are other ways of being honest besides in matters of money. You can be honest with your parents. You can be honest in school. You can be honest with your friends.

Be honest in everything, so that at last God may say to you, “I have been able to trust you in the little things of this life. Now I will make you ruler over great things.”

Storytime, Character-building Stories for Children, ©2008, 56, 57.

Inspiration – The Narrow Way

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“Enter by the narrow gate because wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction and there are many who go in by it because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life and there are few who find it.”

Matthew 7:13, 14

“While at Battle Creek in August 1868, I dreamed of being with a large body of people. A portion of this assembly started out prepared to journey. We had heavily loaded wagons. As we journeyed, the road seemed to ascend. On one side of this road was a deep precipice; on the other was a high, smooth, white wall, like the hard finish upon plastered rooms.

“As we journeyed on, the road grew narrower and steeper. In some places it seemed so very narrow that we concluded that we could no longer travel with the loaded wagons. We then loosed them from the horses, took a portion of the luggage from the wagons and placed it upon the horses, and journeyed on horseback.

“As we progressed, the path still continued to grow narrow. We were obliged to press close to the wall, to save ourselves from falling off the narrow road down the steep precipice. As we did this, the luggage on the horses pressed against the wall and caused us to sway toward the precipice. We feared that we should fall and be dashed in pieces on the rocks. We then cut the luggage from the horses, and it fell over the precipice. We continued on horseback, greatly fearing, as we came to the narrower places in the road, that we should lose our balance and fall. At such times a hand seemed to take the bridle and guide us over the perilous way.

“As the path grew more narrow, we decided that we could no longer go with safety on horseback, and we left the horses and went on foot, in single file, one following in the footsteps of another. At this point small cords were let down from the top of the pure white wall; these we eagerly grasped, to aid us in keeping our balance upon the path. As we traveled, the cord moved along with us. The path finally became so narrow that we concluded that we could travel more safely without our shoes, so we slipped them from our feet and went on some distance without them. Soon it was decided that we could travel more safely without our stockings; these were removed, and we journeyed on with bare feet.

“We then thought of those who had not accustomed themselves to privations and hardships. Where were such now? They were not in the company. At every change some were left behind, and those only remained who had accustomed themselves to endure hardships. The privations of the way only made these more eager to press on to the end.”

“Our danger of falling from the pathway increased. We pressed close to the white wall, yet could not place our feet fully upon the path, for it was too narrow. We then suspended nearly our whole weight upon the cords, exclaiming: ‘We have hold from above! We have hold from above!’ The same words were uttered by all the company in the narrow pathway. As we heard the sounds of mirth and revelry that seemed to come from the abyss below, we shuddered. We heard the profane oath, the vulgar jest, and low, vile songs. We heard the war song and the dance song. We heard instrumental music and loud laughter, mingled with cursing and cries of anguish and bitter wailing, and were more anxious than ever to keep upon the narrow, difficult pathway. Much of the time we were compelled to suspend our whole weight upon the cords, which increased in size as we progressed.”

“I noticed that the beautiful white wall was stained with blood. It caused a feeling of regret to see the wall thus stained. This feeling, however, lasted but for a moment, as I soon thought that it was all as it should be. Those who are following after will know that others have passed the narrow, difficult way before them, and will conclude that if others were able to pursue their onward course, they can do the same. And as the blood shall be pressed from their aching feet, they will not faint with discouragement; but, seeing the blood upon the wall, they will know that others have endured the same pain.

“At length we came to a large chasm, at which our path ended. There was nothing now to guide the feet, nothing upon which to rest them. Our whole reliance must be upon the cords, which had increased in size until they were as large as our bodies. Here we were for a time thrown into perplexity and distress. We inquired in fearful whispers: ‘To what is the cord attached?’ My husband was just before me. Large drops of sweat were falling from his brow, the veins in his neck and temples were increased to double their usual size, and suppressed, agonizing groans came from his lips. The sweat was dropping from my face, and I felt such anguish as I had never felt before. A fearful struggle was before us. Should we fail here, all the difficulties of our journey had been experienced for nought.

“Before us, on the other side of the chasm, was a beautiful field of green grass, about six inches high. I could not see the sun; but bright, soft beams of light, resembling fine gold and silver, were resting upon this field. Nothing I had seen upon earth could compare in beauty and glory with this field. But could we succeed in reaching it? was the anxious inquiry. Should the cord break, we must perish. Again, in whispered anguish, the words were breathed: ‘What holds the cord?’ For a moment we hesitated to venture. Then we exclaimed: ‘Our only hope is to trust wholly to the cord. It has been our dependence all the difficult way. It will not fail us now.’ Still we were hesitating and distressed. The words were then spoken: ‘God holds the cord. We need not fear.’ These words were then repeated by those behind us, accompanied with: ‘He will not fail us now. He has brought us thus far in safety.’

“My husband then swung himself over the fearful abyss into the beautiful field beyond. I immediately followed. And, oh, what a sense of relief and gratitude to God we felt! I heard voices raised in triumphant praise to God. I was happy, perfectly happy.

“I awoke, and found that from the anxiety I had experienced in passing over the difficult route, every nerve in my body seemed to be in a tremor. This dream needs no comment. It made such an impression upon my mind that probably every item in it will be vivid before me while my memory shall continue.” Testimonies, Vol. 2, 596, 597

The Importance of Preparedness

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May 31, 1889, was just another day in Pennsylvania, but by the time the day was over, the worst flood of the 19th century had occurred and 2,209 people had perished, 1,600 homes had been destroyed, and the property damage price tag topped $17 million (almost $374 million today). Because of selfishness, greed, and negligence, necessary preparation was not made to prevent an event that they all knew could happen. They had been warned, but the warning was ignored.

Johnstown, Pennsylvania, is located about 60 miles east of Pittsburgh in a valley on a flood plain at the fork of the Little Conemaugh and Stonycreek Rivers. As the city grew, it narrowed the river banks to gain building space. This combined with heavy annual rains had resulted in increased flooding in the area.

In 1889, Johnstown was a steel manufacturing town with a population of 30,000 people mostly of German and Welsh descent. The town had prospered since its founding in 1800 in part due to the Cambria Iron Works that had opened there in the 1850s.

The South Fork Dam was built on the Little Conemaugh River, 14 miles upstream from Johnstown. The dam was 931 feet by 72 feet and the largest man-made, earthen (dirt and rock) dam in the U.S. It was originally built as part of the Pennsylvania Mainline Canal system, but by 1889 the reservoir behind the dam had been abandoned and the canal system had become obsolete with the introduction in the 1850s of the Pennsylvania Railroad as a means of transporting goods. As the canal system was no longer used, maintenance on the dam was neglected.

There was a fear for some time that the dam would break, but, storm after storm, it had held and soon it became something of a joke around Johnstown. People became complacent.

The dam and abandoned reservoir were sold to a group of Pittsburgh speculators. They modified the dam to accommodate a road and to add a fish screen in the spillway. It was believed that these alterations increased the vulnerability of the dam. In addition, a system of relief pipes and valves, part of the original dam, had been sold for scrap and never replaced, preventing the lowering of the level of the lake in an emergency. Around Lake Conemaugh, 450 feet above Johnstown, these speculators had built the South Fork Fishing and Hunting Club, consisting of cabins and its clubhouse along the banks of the lake.

On May 28, a low-pressure area had formed over Nebraska and Kansas and by the time it had made its way to Pennsylvania on May 30, it was considered the heaviest rainfall event in recorded U.S. history. It was estimated that six to ten inches of rain had fallen over the area in a 24-hour period. During the night creeks had become torrents. Telegraph lines were downed and rail lines had been washed away. By daybreak, the Conemaugh River that ran through Johnstown would soon overwhelm its banks.

On the morning of May 31, the president of the Club realized that the water had nearly crested the dam and he quickly assembled a group of men who worked desperately to save the face of the dam. Others attempted digging a ditch along the side of the dam in an effort to prevent the water from overtopping the dam, but the effort failed.

A messenger was sent to the nearby town of South Fork to warn Johnstown of the now inevitable disaster. But the message was never given to the authorities of Johnstown. The dam had always held. This would be just another false alarm.

The situation in Johnstown had drastically worsened. Water from Lake Conemaugh had risen as much as ten feet into the streets. Many people were trapped in their homes.

About 2:50 in the afternoon, the water breached the South Fork dam and moments later the dam collapsed. The flood reached the town of South Fork first, but the town was built on higher ground and most of the people simply sought refuge in the surrounding hills. Property damage was minimal and four people died.

It stalled, momentarily, at the Conemaugh Viaduct, a 78-foot high railroad bridge. Seven minutes later the viaduct collapsed and the flood resumed its course, only now it had gained a renewed energy. It hit the small town of Mineral Point, one mile below the viaduct and wiped out the town down to the bedrock. Sixteen people died.

The village of East Conemaugh was hit by a mass of debris described as “a huge hill rolling over and over.” Here trains were picked up by the surging waters and carried along. At least 50 people died.

When the water hit the town of Woodvale, it destroyed the Cambria Iron Works, sweeping up railroad cars and barbed wire. Of Woodvale’s 1,100 residents, 314 died. Boilers exploded when the water hit the Gautier Wire Works. The resulting black smoke was seen by the people of Johnstown. Miles of barbed wire became entangled in the debris heading for Johnstown.

Fifty-seven minutes after the dam collapsed, the flood hit Johnstown. Twenty million tons of water (almost 4 billion gallons) had traveled through the narrowed valley and now hit the town at 40 miles per hour, with a wave reaching 60 feet high and a roar “like thunder” that could be heard for miles.

Caught unaware, people tried to run for high ground, but most were engulfed in the surging floodwater, crushed by the debris or helplessly entangled in barbed wire and drowned. Those who managed to make it into their attic or onto their roof, or were able to stay afloat on the debris, waited hours for help to come.

The debris began to build up downstream against the Stone Bridge, an old, but substantial, arched bridge, that carried the Pennsylvania Railroad across the Conemaugh River, ultimately covering 30 acres and reaching 70 feet high. Tragically, a fire broke out in this enormous pile of debris, and at least 80 people who had survived the initial wave, lost their lives in the inferno. The fire burned for three days; it took three months to remove all the debris mainly because of the amount of barbed wire entangled in the wreckage, but dynamite did the trick.

Many of those who died were never identified, hundreds were missing and never found; some bodies were found months later. The cleanup operation took five years before Johnstown had fully recovered.

Sources: johnstownpa.com/History/hist19.html; history.com/this-day-in-history/the-Johnstown-flood; Wikipedia/Johnstown Flood

Terrible things are coming, and if we are not prepared, ready and waiting, then we will be overcome and lost.

“To us has been given the message of Christ’s soon coming. …

“Are we preparing for this great event? Are we preparing to meet the Saviour in peace, or are we absorbed in worldly business and pleasure? In the judgment, the question will not be, What profession did you make? but, What have you done for Me? What fruit have you borne to My glory? Now is the time to prepare for the coming King. …

“At infinite cost a fountain has been prepared for our cleansing. If we now wash our robes of character at this fountain, God will give us a place in the mansions that are being prepared for those who love Him.” The Signs of the Times, November 22, 1905

“We are living in an evil age. The perils of the last days thicken around us. … Should it be necessary that the terrors of the day of God be held before us in order to compel us to right action?” The Faith I Live By, 350

The Bride of Christ

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The subject of the bride or wife of Jesus poses somewhat of an enigma in the Bible. Is it the people, the living church, or is it the New Jerusalem, the Holy City? Is there a contradiction here? There are inspired statements to support each view. The following are the two positions from inspiration:

  1. In the first set of scriptures, the bride of Jesus is unquestionably His church. “For I am jealous over you with godly jealousy: for I have espoused you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ.” 2 Corinthians 11:2. “Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave Himself for it; that He might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, that He might present it to Himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish.” Ephesians 5:25–27. The Spirit of Prophecy agrees with the word. “They must not put on their citizen’s dress, but the wedding garment. They have been married to Christ, and the robe of His righteousness is to clothe them. The church is the bride of Christ, and her members are to yoke up with their Leader. God warns us not to defile our garments.” The Gospel Herald, May 28, 1902
  2. However, in the second set of scriptures, we find something different. The wife of Jesus is the Holy City, the New Jerusalem, while the church represents the guests at the marriage supper. “Come hither, I will shew thee the bride, the Lamb’s wife. And he carried me away in the Spirit to a great and high mountain, and shewed me the great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God.” Revelation 21:9, last part, 10. Mrs. White concurs emphatically again, “Clearly, then, the bride represents the Holy City, and the virgins that go out to meet the bridegroom are a symbol of the church. In the Revelation, the people of God are said to be the guests at the marriage supper. Revelation 19:9. If guests, they cannot be represented also as the bride.” The Great Controversy, 427. [Author’s emphasis.] The last sentence appears to contradict the idea that the bride of Christ is the church. So, is there a way to harmonize the two somewhat disparate positions?

Starting from the premise that there are no real contradictions in the Scriptures because the authorship is the Holy Spirit throughout, it behooves us to make a determined attempt to make sense of the two positions. Thankfully we have the Spirit of Prophecy to point us in the right direction.

Just before commenting on the Holy City being the bride of Jesus, our prophet says the following: “In the summer and autumn of 1844 the proclamation, ‘Behold, the Bridegroom cometh,’ was given. The two classes represented by the wise and foolish virgins were then developed. … The coming of the bridegroom, here brought to view, takes place before the marriage. The marriage represents the reception by Christ of His kingdom.” Ibid., 426

It mirrors the words of Daniel 7:14, first part, “And there was given Him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages, should serve Him.”

The key to unlocking the puzzle of the bride of Jesus is contained in the proper understanding of the marriage. It is unlike any ordinary marriage since it occurs in the context of royalty. Both secular and sacred histories record instances when marriages were contracted as a means of sealing the political ties between rival kingdoms. Frequently, these marriages resulted in the restructuring of territorial boundaries as land was exchanged according to a mutual pact. Similarly, the marriage of Jesus has to do with His receiving a kingdom, as opposed to a wife in the normal sense. Several times in the gospels Jesus used the parable of a man going away to receive a kingdom as an analogy to His own situation. (e.g., Luke 19:12). In John 18:36, Jesus told Pilate: “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.”  Therefore, the kingdom He receives is from His Father in heaven. It is a heavenly bestowal.

To understand the implications of this statement, we must look closely at the composition of a kingdom. As with other forms of government, a kingdom is a method of governing intelligent beings. In a democracy or a republic, the people rule themselves through a representative form of government, as in the U.S.A. A kingdom, on the other hand, is ruled by a king, the monarch—a single individual who holds absolute power in his hands as in many ancient and modern nations. It is in essence a dictatorship, which on earth inevitably devolves into corruption and abuse according to the dictum “Power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.” But not so in heaven. God being infinite in love, compassion, and wisdom is a benevolent dictator-king, looking out unselfishly for the supreme happiness of His subjects.

But no matter the form of government, they all have two inseparable components in common—the geographical area—the physical territory defining their jurisdiction, and the people—the subjects of the government. One without the other cannot represent a functioning state. When the Shah of Iran was deposed on February 11, 1979, he was granted asylum in the U.S.A. Here he set up a “government-in-exile,” hoping someday to be reinstated to his throne. With no territory to control, however, his government was nothing more than a shadow force with no real power. But even if they did have a geographical area to call their own, if they had no human subjects, the government would again be just a mirage.

And so will it be at the end because Satan has not ceased his illegal claim to the world. Notwithstanding the tolling of his death knell at the cross of Calvary, he will eventually make an all-out, do-or-die attempt to make good his claim in the last moments of time. But God will have His end-time Jobs to again deny him the victory and extinguish his hopes forever. Deserted by his disillusioned followers, Satan will finally sink into oblivion in total ignominy, totally alone.

Applying the two-fold aspects of a kingdom to the marriage of Jesus, we gain a crucial understanding. By receiving from the Father the title to the New Jerusalem, the capital of His kingdom, He obtains the authority, the right to rule the physical universe as King. Notice the following inspired words: “The Holy City, the New Jerusalem, which is the capital and representative of the kingdom, is called ‘the bride, the Lamb’s wife.’ Said the angel to John: ‘Come hither, I will shew thee the bride, the Lamb’s wife.’ He carried me away in the Spirit, … and shewed me that great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God.” Revelation 21:9, last part, 10. “Clearly, then, the bride represents the Holy City, and the virgins that go out to meet the bridegroom are a symbol of the church.” The Great Controversy, 426, 427. Thus, even though the Holy City is a physical, inanimate structure, it qualifies as the bride of Jesus by granting Him legal right to the full territorial jurisdiction of the universe. But what about His living bride? They are present as well in the persons of the virgins (the church), the angels, plus the beings of other worlds. Thus, the two components of a functioning kingdom merge together in the marriage. And so it is that with reference to the territory, the bride is the Holy City, (the physical, geographical component of the kingdom) while in the context of His subjects, the bride is the church (the living, intelligent part of the kingdom). And since the true church on earth is one with the church in heaven, (see The Acts of the Apostles, 11) every intelligent being in the universe forms part of the bride of Jesus.

It is of much interest and significance that the Holy City is described as a “bride adorned for her husband.” (Revelation 21:2). It is obviously a structure of such surpassing magnificence and glory as to eclipse anything else in the material universe of heaven. Clearly, God will have outdone Himself in creating this dazzling masterpiece of workmanship from the precious elements of the universe. It is as it were a dowry for His Son. Since Jesus was the Father’s agent in creation (Colossians 1:16), and because He said in John 14:1–3 that He was going away to “prepare” a place for us, we know that He [Jesus] was involved in the planning and execution of the construction of the Holy City. Clearly, He did not just speak it into existence, but personally fashioned it with His own hands—just like He did Adam and Eve. It is a fit place for His living bride. Mrs. White describes it in sublime language: “There is the New Jerusalem, the metropolis of the glorified new earth, ‘a crown of glory in the hand of the Lord, and a royal diadem in the hand of thy God.’ ‘Her light was like unto a stone most precious, even like a jasper stone, clear as crystal.’ ” The Great Controversy, 676. We will never in eternity cease to be awed and thrilled by the marvelous intricacies of this breathtaking edifice, our eternal home.

As alluded to above, the parable of the ten virgins bears significantly on the question of the bride of Jesus. It is a prophecy with two separate fulfillments. The first fulfillment occurred in 1844 which Inspiration explains as follows: “The coming of the bridegroom, here brought to view, takes place before the marriage. The marriage represents the reception by Christ of His kingdom.” Ibid., 426

The midnight cry (consisting of the first two angels of Revelation 14) at this time announced the coming of Jesus before the Father for His nuptials. He comes to the marriage, which has been in process ever since. But soon, the ceremony will be over. “Having received the kingdom, He will come in His glory, as King of kings and Lord of lords, for the redemption of His people, who are to ‘sit down with Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob,’ at His table in His kingdom (Matthew 8:11; Luke 22:30) to partake of the marriage supper of the Lamb.” Ibid., 427

Now, at the second fulfillment, the Loud Cry (composed of all three angels of Revelation 14, plus the angel of Revelation 18) will go forth announcing the “consummation” of the marriage—the completion of the makeup of His subjects and the coming of Jesus from the marriage to take His living bride to Himself. It will be time for the antitype of the Feast of Tabernacles in the Holy City in heaven to celebrate the marriage.

The Spirit of Prophecy provides an insightful view of the closing events: “Every case had been decided for life or death. While Jesus had been ministering in the sanctuary, the judgment had been going on for the righteous dead, and then for the righteous living. Christ had received His kingdom, having made the atonement for His people and blotted out their sins. The subjects of the kingdom were made up. The marriage of the Lamb was consummated. And the kingdom, and the greatness of the kingdom under the whole heaven, was given to Jesus and the heirs of salvation, and Jesus was to reign as King of kings and Lord of lords.” Early Writings, 280. Here again we have the two elements of a kingdom blended into one—the physical “kingdom” and the living “heirs of salvation” together constituting the glorious, unified bride of Jesus.

The apostle Paul portrays the church as “a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish.” Ephesians 5:27. This condition of the living bride of Jesus is achieved before He concludes His most holy place ministry. Today the professed people of God are a mixed multitude composed of both wheat and tares. But as Jesus explained in Matthew 13:38, “The field is the world; the good seed are the children of the kingdom; but the tares are the children of the wicked one.” Since only the “children of the kingdom” can occupy the Holy City, God must somehow remove Satan’s people from His church at some point. This He does at the very end. It is a very traumatic process depicted in Selected Messages, Book 2, 380: “Satan will work his miracles to deceive; he will set up his power as supreme. The church may appear as about to fall, but it does not fall.” Notice, Satan comes close to winning, only to fail again! “It remains, while the sinners in Zion will be sifted out—the chaff separated from the precious wheat. This is a terrible ordeal, but nevertheless it must take place. None but those who have been overcoming by the blood of the Lamb and the word of their testimony will be found with the loyal and true, without spot or stain of sin, without guile in their mouths.” The “church” that “remains” is “the precious wheat” identified here as the (144,000) guileless saints “without spot or stain of sin.” So it is true that the wheat and the tares grow together until the harvest. But a shaking and sifting process begins the separation before the final painful split in the great crisis of the Sunday laws. The result is the purified true “church,” God’s end-time Jobs, who will deliver Satan the coup de grâce, calling curtains on his illicit kingdom forever.

This is when the great majority of the tares separate from the wheat while a few, quite surprisingly, still keep company with the faithful until they fall away at last just before Jesus returns in the clouds of glory. Notice this amazing, seemingly unlikely scenario portrayed by Inspiration: “While praying at the family altar, the Holy Ghost fell on me, and I seemed to be rising higher and higher, far above the dark world. I turned to look for the Advent people in the world but could not find them—when a voice said to me, ‘Look again, and look a little higher.’ At this I raised my eyes and saw a straight and narrow path, [Matthew 7:14.] cast up high above the world. On this path the Advent people were travelling to the City, which was at the farther end of the path. … But soon some grew weary, and they said the City was a great way off, and they expected to have entered it before. … Others rashly denied the light [the midnight cry] behind them, and said that it was not God that had led them out so far. The light behind them went out leaving their feet in perfect darkness, and they stumbled … and fell off the path down in the dark and wicked world below. … They fell all the way along the path one after another, until we heard the voice of God like many waters, [Ezekiel 43:2. Joel 3:16. Revelation 16:17.] which gave us the day and hour of Jesus’ coming. [Ezekiel 12:25. Mark 13:32.]” A Word to the Little Flock, 14

Friend, the door is still open for us to participate in the marriage of Jesus. We can still choose to be part of the living bride of the Lamb. Let us resolve to make certain that we will never identify with the tares who lose their faith in the last moments of time. The glorious prospects God has in mind for us in the hereafter cannot be comprehended by the human mind, much less expressed by human tongues. “But as it is written: Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those who love Him.” 1 Corinthians 2:9

Living in the incredibly beautiful city of God, the physical bride of Jesus, with Jesus Himself the chief attraction in it, what will it be like?! Dwelling in the light from the throne of God, feasting from the tree of life, regaled by the sublime orchestral and choral music of the angels, enthralled by the mysteries of the universe and the science of salvation taught by Jesus Himself, each succeeding day more ecstatic than the last, who can begin to imagine it?! Oh, we cannot afford to miss out on the experience for anything in this decrepit old world! May God give us the grace to “Strive with all the power God has given [us] to gain the crown of everlasting life, that [we] may cast it at the feet of the Redeemer, and touching the golden harp, fill all heaven with rich music. God help [us] to gain eternal life, that [we] may see His face.” Manuscript 31, 1901. Amen and Amen!

All Scripture from the King James Version

[Emphasis supplied.]

Dr. Sudhir Pandit is a retired cardiologist living in Arkansas with his wife Dorothy. He is proud to call himself a historic Seventh-day Adventist. He, with his wife, is involved in backing two self-supporting ministries in India.

Peace and Trust in Adversity

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“You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in You.”

Isaiah 26:3

“We should then enjoy a rest of soul to which many have long been strangers.” Steps to Christ, 86

This peaceful, trusting rest is a gradual experience, like much of the growth in the Christian life. While we may have certain times along the way when, with sudden moving of the Spirit of God, we seem to be borne upward all at once, as in an elevator, much of the Christian life is simply an experience of gradually climbing up. And oh, what a glorious vision as the spiritual elevation increases! I’m sure that many have experienced this. Yet, dear friends, I think there is a deeper experience in this matter of peace and rest and joy in the Lord than any of us have yet had.

We find this peace and rest in utter resignation to the will of God and a simple trust that God is getting His will done. In other words, it is accepting what God sends from hour to hour and from moment to moment, walking in the path of His providence. It is then that we can enjoy this rest for souls that we have not known before. As children of the King, it is our privilege to be supremely happy, for we have so much for which to be thankful.

Sadly, many, even in the Christian experience, go through weary years of struggle. It is necessary for us to struggle with sin, the world, the flesh, and the devil, but too many are struggling with God, a bit afraid of Him, anxious lest He should fail to remember something or perhaps afraid that He will do something. But the truth is, we can have full confidence in God, and as a consequence, all this struggling can cease.

“God cares for everything and sustains everything that He has created. He who upholds the unnumbered worlds throughout immensity, at the same time cares for the wants of the little brown sparrow that sings its humble song without fear.” Ibid. Just so, God cares for us. I heard a proverb once, “If the birds knew how poor they were, they wouldn’t sing.” But I would like to revise that: “If we knew how rich we are, we would sing like the birds.” God cares for them, and this is what they sing about. God cares for us, and we should sing in thanksgiving just as they do.

“When men go forth to their daily toil, as when they engage in prayer; when they lie down at night, and when they rise in the morning; when the rich man feasts in his palace, or when the poor man gathers his children about the scanty board, each is tenderly watched by the heavenly Father. No tears are shed that God does not notice. There is no smile that He does not mark.

“If we would but fully believe this, all undue anxieties would be dismissed. Our lives would not be so filled with disappointment as now; for everything, whether great or small, would be left in the hands of God, who is not perplexed by the multiplicity of cares, or overwhelmed by their weight. We should then enjoy a rest of soul to which many have long been strangers.” Ibid.

Jacob’s sons had come back from Egypt to tell their father that the lord of Pharaoh’s house had put Simeon in prison. The lord had said that unless they brought the younger man, Benjamin, back, they couldn’t have any more grain. Jacob said, “Joseph is no more, Simeon is no more, and you want to take Benjamin. All these things are against me.” Genesis 42:36

Jacob was a great struggler. Even though years before he had fought with the Lord at the brook Jabbok and his name was changed to Israel, prince with God, he still had some things to learn. You may be able to look back and see where you have wrestled with God and secured the victory over sin, but still have things to learn. Jacob finally learned that all those things were not against him. He learned, as did Paul, “We know that all things work together for good to those who love God.” Romans 8:28

God is caring for the birds and for the great worlds and stars, and He is working all things together for you. If we believe that He is watching and noticing and controlling everything, we will dismiss our anxieties and find rest in Him.

But we do not have to wait to have peace and rest. We do not have to wait on anybody or anything. Right now we can believe two things: that God is looking after us, and that He is able and willing to carry out His will.

If we are really selfish and not converted and yet pray, we are probably praying for selfish and even wicked things. Somewhere along the line, our selfishness gets to be more refined, more cultured, and a bit more religious. When we reach that point, then we pray about what we think God’s will is. We are not interested in asking God to show us His will, but are more interested in telling Him what we think His will should be, according to our way of thinking.

God wants us to commit to Him not only our sins, not only our selfish desire for our own way, but He wants us to commit to Him our desires, purposes, plans, and hopes about His work here on this earth. And then He wants us to believe that He will accomplish it.

Someone may say, “Well, what is the purpose of prayer then?” The purpose of prayer is to develop and strengthen the belief that God is looking after us and that He is able and willing to carry out His will. The very fact that so few arrive at it proves that there is plenty of need for more praying. The purpose of prayer is not to get God to do your way, to apprise Him of something He is ignorant of, or to remind Him of something He forgot. Prayer is not meant to make God more interested in us or His work or to make Him more enthusiastic about getting it done.

We are to be settled, in our inmost hearts, on two things: that all we want is God’s will, and we are sure He is going to get it done. We tell Him so, and it makes us happy, and it makes Him happy. Then prayer has accomplished its purpose.

“Human nature is ever struggling for expression, ready for contest.” Thoughts from the Mount of Blessing, 15. We can express that trait of character just as much in arguing about the mark of the beast as we can about politics. We can express it in arguing about health or dress reform just as easily as we can other issues.

Peter was a fighter, but he wanted to fight for Jesus. He had a sword, and he used it. Did it make Peter happy? No. It made him very unhappy and frustrated and disappointed because Jesus didn’t seem to appreciate it. In fact, Jesus told him to put his sword away. For three and a half years, Jesus had been trying to tell Peter and the other disciples His purpose in coming to this world, but Peter didn’t understand. So Jesus said, “Do you think that I cannot now pray to My Father, and He will provide Me with more than twelve legions of angels? How then could the Scriptures be fulfilled, that it must happen thus?” Matthew 26:53, 54

The Father had given Jesus a cup to drink from, one that included a mob and Jesus’ being arrested. The people didn’t have to do these things, but it had all been arranged and allowed by the Father. Peter didn’t understand that. He thought he had to stop all that by fighting, and when Jesus reproved him, he didn’t know what to do. He was miserable. Before long, he was cursing and swearing and denying that he knew the Lord. And the truth is, Peter didn’t know Jesus; not in the way he needed to. But we can be thankful that it wasn’t long before he realized who Jesus was and what He had done for all of mankind.

Peter never used a sword again. He never even raised his hand to strike anybody. He learned this lesson: “Human nature is ever struggling … ready for contest; but he who learns of Christ is emptied of self, of pride, of love of supremacy, and there is silence in the soul. Self is yielded to the disposal of the Holy Spirit. Then we are not anxious to have the highest place. We have no ambition to crowd and elbow ourselves into notice; but we feel that our highest place is at the feet of our Saviour.” Thoughts from the Mount of Blessing, 15. The highest place is at the feet of Jesus, and we look to Him, for a hand to lead, a voice to guide.

Jesus stood meek and calm as he was bound by the mob. This action was not inspired by God, but it was part of God’s plan for Jesus. And that is why Jesus told Peter, “The cup which My Father has given Me, shall I not drink it?”

The mob was cruel and that was only the beginning. Jesus went through trial after trial, test after test. “The Lord God has given Me the tongue of the learned, that I should know how to speak a word in season to him that is weary. He awakens Me morning by morning, He awakens My ear to hear as the learned. The Lord God has opened My ear; and I was not rebellious, nor did I turn away. I gave My back to those who struck Me, and My cheeks to those who plucked out the beard; I did not hide My face from shame and spitting.” Isaiah 50:4–6

Inspired by the devil, they whipped Jesus’ back twice with a scourge made of leather with metal braided into the strips. With every stroke, the blood ran down His back. They pulled out the hair of His beard, they cursed at Him and spat in His face. They forced a crown of thorns upon His brow and then they killed Him. What was His attitude? Submission. He did not fight back, nor run away. He did not say, “I do not have to do this. I will return to My Father.”

No, Jesus was working out God’s plan according to His schedule. Like Isaac at Mount Moriah, Jesus placed Himself, according to God’s schedule, upon the altar of God’s plan. And that is what God wants us to do every day, every hour. Jesus and Isaac were able to submit without reservation to God’s plan because they had learned in the school of little things, which then prepared them to submit to the weightier things.

We often imagine, as did Peter, that when we are brought before the courts or meet the howling mobs, we will be strong enough to stand firm. But instead, we might find that we are not ready to meet the mob at all, and surely not ready to lay it all on the altar of God’s plan.

God, in His mercy lets us face daily tests, petty annoyances, and disappointments so that we can learn to relate ourselves to those things as He does, not by being frustrated or irritated or restless, but by looking up to God and saying, “Dear Lord, I know that through it all and in it all, You are working out Your will. Your kingdom come, Your will be done in earth as it is in heaven.”

“If we lack faith where we are when difficulties present themselves, we would lack faith in any place.

“Our greatest need is faith in God. When we look on the dark side, we lose our hold on the Lord God of Israel. As the heart is opened to fears and conjectures, the path of progress is hedged up by unbelief. Let us never feel that God has forsaken His work.

“There must be less talking unbelief, less imagining that this one and that one is hedging up the way. Go forward in faith; trust the Lord to prepare the way for His work. Then you will find rest in Christ.” Testimonies, Vol. 7, 211, 212

It is possible to hedge up the way, as we work in God’s service, by dwelling on the dark, doleful, and discouraging things in the world, and I know there are times when things must be dealt with, but Mrs. White is saying that we should not dwell on unbelief.

I will never forget when a dear friend and I spent the night in prayer over something we were deeply burdened about in the work of God. We felt that someone was hedging up God’s work and we prayed that God would either change this person’s heart or remove him. That night we prayed long enough to discover that a change was needed, but instead it needed to be made in my heart and my friend’s heart.

Friends, there is nothing more sorrowful to see than hearts perplexed and burdened under their own criticisms and faultfindings. They are suspicious of this one or that one. “More love is needed, more frankness, less suspicion, less evil thinking. We need to be less ready to blame and accuse. It is this that is so offensive to God. The heart needs to be softened and subdued by love.” Ibid., 212

“The many problems that are now mysterious you may solve for yourselves by continued trust in God.” Ibid.

Problems can be solved, if we will but commit them to God. However, when you do that, do not be surprised if God lets something happen that is not what you would choose. It may be that you will rise from an earnest season of prayer and tell God that you are willing to bear anything, but then someone spits in your face. Would you think God heard your prayer? Perhaps this was part of the test and trial that God has designed to build and solidify your character.

Remember Sister White’s dream where she and her husband were walking to a place, both weak and worn, depressed and distressed, sick and worn out. They came to a stream, and Elder White plunged into the stream. There was a spring down in there. He came up with a glass filled with that water. He plunged down again and came up drinking it. Sister White said he looked radiant and buoyant and full of health and vitality, but she wondered why he gave none to her. He told her, “All who drink this must plunge for themselves.” It might seem like a good idea for someone else to pour heavenly peace into your soul, but there are two things you must settle for yourself, in your own heart: God loves you enough to take care of you, and it suits you to have Him do it.

That includes God allowing bad things, hard things, cruel things, disappointing things to happen to you. It’s all part of God’s plan for you, and while you won’t like those hard or bad things, you will like for God to bring these trials to you because you know He loves you better than you love yourself, and you know that He does not allow one bit of it unless it is for your good. God is looking for those today who will reveal that settled peace, that sweet love.

Dear ones, you can never have this sweet peace if you hold back from fully surrendering all to God. When you settle in your heart to be willing to be anything or nothing, when you settle in your heart that God shall have His way in your life, then the sweet peace of Christ will take your heart. And even your prayers can breathe peace.

In the lions’ den, Daniel did the sleeping. In the palace, Darius did the worrying. Daniel didn’t ask God to keep Him out of the lions’ den. He submitted himself to God’s will. He slept because he was perfectly willing to be eaten by the lions if it was God’s will and time for him to be eaten.

The three worthies were able to stand on the Plain of Dura, not asking that God would keep them out of the furnace, but rather to give them the strength to be burned alive if that was His will for their lives. They stood firm and were thrown into the fire, but they were not burned; not even the smell of smoke was on their clothing. But more importantly, God gave them a clear sign that it was not His plan for them to die there that day. He walked with them in the fire and preserved their lives, a living witness to all present and on into the future.

Oh friends, I want to learn the lessons of peace and trust in adversity. It is a sweet school. I don’t want my way, not even in God’s work. I want God to work out His way in my life and service to Him.

“My stubborn will at last is yielded;

I would be Thine, and Thine alone;

And this the prayer my lips are bringing,

‘Lord, let in me Thy will be done.’

 

“Thy precious will, O conqu’ring Saviour,

Doth now embrace and compass me;

All discords hushed, my peace a river,

My soul, a prisoned bird set free.

 

“Shut in with Thee, Oh Lord, forever,

My wayward feet no more to roam;

What pow’r from Thee my soul can sever?

The center of God’s will, my home.

 

“Sweet will of God, still fold me closer,

Till I am wholly lost in Thee.”

Mrs. C. H. (Lelia) Morris, 1900

A Man of Sorrows

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“He is despised and rejected by men, a Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. And we hid, as it were, our faces from Him; He was despised, and we did not esteem Him.”

Isaiah 53:3

What a picture of the relationship between our Saviour and His creation. Rejected by all, despised and mistreated, we did not even recognize the greatness of the One who stood before us. Isaiah pictures not only Jesus at His first coming and the way He was treated by the children of Israel, those on whom He had poured out His love, but also how mankind was to treat Him to this day.

He is a Man of great sorrow. He is also a Man of great love. The scriptures say that God is love, and the reason for His sorrow is because of His great love for us! “He who does not love does not know God, for God is love.” 1 John 4:8. We may not have esteemed Him, but He esteemed us enough to endure the cross of Calvary. His grief came from the fact that He knew most of these dear people whom He loved would not love Him back. They would not recognize Him as the King of the universe, the Most Holy God, the Creator of all that exists. He was grieved by the knowledge that one day they would be burned up and destroyed forever, that even after His great sacrifice, most would not submit to His authority, choosing rather to die loving their sins. Oh, how this grieved our Saviour to the depths of His soul.

The Son of God—a term that we use, but do not understand, for we are but mere mortals with a limited understanding of the things of heaven. We will never fully understand God for He is so far above us that it will take an eternity to really know Him. Yet if we were to take the time to try to know our Lord, He would open the treasures of heaven to bestow on us knowledge for the saving of our souls. Jesus came “that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.” John 10:10, last part. That life of abundance was not only a life on this earth, but the life of the new earth that would be recreated for us so that we would finally have a true abundant life. “Nevertheless we, according to His promise, look for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells.” 2 Peter 3:13. Our life of abundance is the richness of being combined with Jesus, or “yoked” with Him.

The Bible records two times that Jesus wept. Neither time was for Himself. The first time was for His dear friend Lazarus. He did not weep for him so much as for the sorrow of his sisters. He also wept because of the unbelief of those around Him. The death of Lazarus was designed to show all the power of God that dwelled within Him naturally. He knew the agony that Mary and Martha were feeling, and He could relate to them. As He looked around at His disciples, Jesus also saw their bewilderment at why He had tarried and not gone immediately to Lazarus’ side when He had heard of his sickness. He was a Man of sorrows because He was surrounded by unbelief.

The death of Lazarus was to show in a marked manner that Jesus was the Creator of all life. So, in John 11:35, it simply says, “Jesus wept.” All the sorrow that was felt by everyone around Him affected the Saviour. He was a Man of great sympathy. He went back with Mary and asked where they had laid Lazarus. No one, not Mary, nor Martha, nor His disciples, understood what Jesus was about to do when He ordered them to remove the stone that covered the tomb. He was about to relieve their sorrow. “Now when He had said these things, He cried with a loud voice, ‘Lazarus, come forth!’ ” Verse 43. Jesus understood their grief and their sorrow because He was a Man of sorrow and grief also. He can “sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin.” Hebrews 4:15. He loved Lazarus as He loves all of us, but Jesus had a special relationship with Lazarus. He spent much time at his home when He needed solitude from the crowds. He was not worried about the death of Lazarus because He knew He had the power to raise him up at that time and again at the end of the world at the resurrection of all His faithful disciples.

The second time Jesus wept was when He was about to enter Jerusalem. Here were a people that He had carved out of the world. He had rescued them from Egypt. He had fed them in the wilderness. He had witnessed their apostasy repeatedly. He had born long with them and loved them. They were His chosen people. He had given them much instruction and had given them in Moses a type of Christ or saviour. He endured their treachery when they killed His prophets, and in love He rebuked them. Now as Jesus stood looking down at Jerusalem, the Holy Spirit impressed upon Him that most of His beloved children would reject Him. Some would even seek to kill Him. Again, He did not weep for Himself. He knew that He was about to be betrayed, rejected, mocked, and scourged, and eventually crucified on the cross. His thoughts were not on this as He looked at the people. His sorrow was because so many would be lost.

Jesus came to save the lost. “For the Son of Man has come to save that which was lost.” Matthew 18:11. He is the Great Shepherd who came to save His lost sheep. But as He looked at the great city of His people, He saw that they did not know His voice. They wanted a great king to deliver them from the yoke of the Roman Empire, but they were not willing to wear the yoke that joined them with Jesus. He lamented over Jerusalem for He knew He was about to lose most of them forever. “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the one who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing!” Matthew 23:37

Even as they gathered on the street to welcome Him in His triumphant entrance, their expectations were for a conquering king, not a meek and lowly Saviour. The hardest thing Jesus endured was not the cross, but the rejection by those who said they loved and followed Him. Today, He is still sorrowing over all who will not hear His voice. If we as mortal beings can mourn and weep over the loss of a loved one, how much more understandable is it for the Creator to mourn and weep over the loss of billions for whom He sacrificed His life to make eternal life possible for them. Yet, just as the children of Israel of old esteemed Him not, we as His new children do not esteem Him as we should. We call on His name in our agony, in our sickness, in our distress, but then forget about Him in our joy and in our successes. Throughout this world’s history, so many people have forgotten about Him in their peace and happiness, but call upon His name when tragedy strikes.

He is a Man of sorrows because His people are no more faithful today than they were in the days of ancient Israel. Even the most devout Christian might be holding something back from God deep inside themselves. The Pharisees were devout and studious. They were the leaders of God’s professed people. They had an outward showing of piety and holiness, but Jesus called them whitewashed tombs. “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs which indeed appear beautiful outwardly, but inside are full of dead men’s bones and all uncleanness.” Matthew 23:27. They had the appearance of godliness, but lacked the power of a changed life. Are we “whitewashed tombs,” but inside have not given ourselves to Jesus? It is a question each of us must ask of ourselves. Are we causing Jesus to sorrow over us as He did over Jerusalem?

There is nothing exciting about Jesus to make a person want Him, except the words He speaks to our hearts. He has no beauty like a movie star; there is no glamour in His appearance. “He has no form or comeliness; and when we see Him, there is no beauty that we should desire Him.” Isaiah 53:2, last part. His power is in His character. We are told that we should have His character, which is His glory. We can partake of His glory if we esteem Him more than the things of this world. “When Christ who is our life appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory.” Colossians 3:4. He will not win our hearts through His good looks as man judges. His character is His beauty, and if we do not possess the character of Jesus, then we will not have the right to His kingdom.

“To Moses, the character of God was revealed as His glory. In like manner, we behold the glory of Christ by beholding His character. Paul says: ‘We all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory [from character to character] even as by the Spirit of the Lord’ (2 Corinthians 3:18).” Manuscript Releases, Vol. 9, 296

“For He shall grow up before Him as a tender plant, and as a root out of dry ground.” Isaiah 53:2, first part. Jesus was vulnerable. His heart was soft. He loved much. He grew up in Nazareth, a pretty rough town, yet He loved and cared for all the people. He was not always treated nicely, yet never was there a spark of anger or hatred to be found in Him. He was a “tender plant” that God continued to water with His Spirit, just like He will do for us if we submit to Him. Jesus was the Root. Without a strong root, a plant cannot grow and survive. Jesus is the strong Root to which we can be grafted. Jesus said, “I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser.” John 15:1. He is the strong vine root that goes deep into the ground. He does not get His strength from mankind because He was planted in dry ground. There was no support for Him in this world. The ground around Him—the spirituality of the people on this earth—was as dry ground. His strength came from above just as our strength can come from Jesus, our example.

The good news is that Jesus did not let this deter Him. He did not let the world lead Him; He led the world by His example. He was smitten for our salvation. “Surely He has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; Yet we esteemed Him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted.” Isaiah 53:4. Jesus bore our grief, our sorrows to the cross. The Father in heaven sacrificed His precious Son to be beaten, cursed, spit upon. He allowed Him to be afflicted by whips and a thorny crown. God allowed Him to be humiliated and, ultimately, to die for our sake. All this was allowed by the Father for our salvation. Sometimes people wonder why loved ones die or get sick or are lost in senseless killings. The Father in heaven can see the end from the beginning. He knows all things and what is right in all cases. On the other hand, we cannot understand how He allows things to happen for our salvation; any more than we can understand how He allowed His own Son to suffer.

If Jesus had turned from His mission, all would have been lost and Satan, the great deceiver would have won the battle. But Christ overcame the world and the devil, and cast down all arguments that could be made against the Father of righteousness. The reason Jesus became the Man of sorrows was because of His great love for us, and for our benefit to enable us to reach out and grasp salvation in His name. He said, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me.” Luke 9:23. Jesus bore the cross for our salvation so that we can bear our spiritual cross to follow Him. Self is one of the hardest sins to overcome, but with Jesus, He has offered us unlimited power to be successful.

Editorial – The Gateways We Must Watch

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The eyes, the ears, the sense of smell, the taste, and the sense of touch are the gateways to the mind and soul of man. The devil has temptations prepared for all five of these senses and uses most effectively the eyes and the ears. It is our responsibility to guard the things we allow ourselves to see and hear.

What are you looking at? On Saturday, May 19, 1764, John Wesley wrote the following in his journal: “We rode by a great house I had frequently heard of. The front is truly noble. In the house I saw nothing remarkable but what was remarkably bad: such pictures as an honest heathen would be ashamed to receive under his roof, unless he designed his wife and daughters to be common prostitutes. And this is the high fashion!” (See Psalm 101:3.)

The ear is a particular target to bring people into sin. I recommend several good books that describe how Satan uses sound, especially music, to capture a man’s soul: What God Says about Music by Eurydice V. Osterman; The Crisis in Church Music by Dr. Jack Wheaton; or Drums, Rock and Worship: Modern Music in Today’s Church by Karl Tsatalbasidis.

Even apparently good high class music is often objectionable because of certain unfortunate components found in it. And many godly musicians seem oblivious of these things and young people are turned off by the objectionable matter which is part of the high class music.

Interestingly, John Wesley noticed this, too, and he was outspoken enough and direct enough about it to give this subject a paragraph in his journal on Wednesday, February 19, 1764: “I heard Judith an oratorio performed at the Lock. Some parts of it were exceeding fine, but there are two things in all modern pieces of music which I could never reconcile to common sense. One is singing the same words ten times over; the other, singing different words by different persons at one and the same time. And this, in the most solemn addresses to God, whether by way of prayer or of thanksgiving. This can never be defended by all the musicians in Europe till reason is quite out of date.”

“My son, give attention to My words; incline your ear to My sayings. Do not let them depart from your eyes; Keep them in the midst of your heart.” Proverbs 4:20, 21