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The Last Generation by M. L. Andreasen Click to go to our Home Page
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The Last
Generation
by
M. L. Andreasen
Chapter 12
from M. L. Andreasen’s great book “The Sanctuary
Service”
Chapter 21
The Last Generation
The final demonstration of
what the gospel can do in and for humanity is still in the future. Christ
showed the way. He took a human body, and in that body demonstrated the power
of God. Men are to follow His example and prove that what God did in Christ, He
can do in every human being who submits to Him. The world is awaiting this
demonstration. (Romans 8:19.) When it has been accomplished, the end will come.
God will have fulfilled His plan. He will have shown Himself true and Satan a
liar. His government will stand vindicated.
There is much spurious doctrine concerning holiness taught in the world
today. On the one hand are those who deny the power of God to save from sin. On
the other hand are those who flaunt their sanctity before men and would have us
believe that they are without sin. Among the first class are not only
unbelievers and skeptics but church members whose vision does not include
victory over sin, but who accept a kind of compromise with sin. In the other
class are such as have no just conception either of sin or of God’s holiness,
whose spiritual vision is so impaired that they cannot see their own
shortcomings, and hence believe themselves perfect, and whose conception of
religion is such that their own understanding of truth and righteousness is
superior to that revealed in the Word. It is not easy to decide which is the greater error.
That the Bible inculcates holiness is indisputable. “The very God of
peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body
be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.” 1
Thessalonians 5:23. “Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no
man shall see the Lord.” Hebrews 12:14. “For this is the will of God, even your
sanctification.” 1 Thessalonians 4:3. The Greek word hagios
in its various forms is translated “sanctify,” “holy,” “holiness,”
“sanctified,” “sanctification.” It is the same word which is used for the two
apartments of the sanctuary, and means that which is set apart for God. A
sanctified person is one who is set apart for God, whose whole life is
dedicated to Him.
Forgiveness and Cleansing
The
plan of salvation must of necessity include not only forgiveness of sin but
complete restoration. Salvation from sin is more than forgiveness of sin. Forgiveness presupposes
sin and is conditioned upon breaking with it; sanctification is separation from sin and
indicates deliverance from its power and victory over it. The first is a means to
neutralize the effect of sin; the second is a restoration of power for complete
victory.
Note by Ron: “By whom we have received grace and
apostleship, for obedience to the faith among all nations, for his
name: Romans 1:5.
Definition of Grace by Ellen White:
“They must have His grace, the Spirit of Christ, to help their infirmities, or they cannot
form a Christian character. Jesus loves to have us come to Him, just as we
are—sinful, helpless, dependent.” Faith and Works, p. 38.
“There must be a power working from within, a new
life from above, before man can be changed from sin to holiness. That power is Christ. His grace [the Spirit of
Christ] alone can quicken the lifeless faculties of the soul, and attract it to
God, to holiness.” (ST, May 28, 1902, par. 3).
Mainline Christianity defines grace as pardon
only. Grace is the power of the Holy Spirit of Christ as well as pardon
provided by Him. To deny one is to deny both. End note.
Sin, like some diseases,
leaves man in a deplorable condition—weak, despondent, disheartened. He has little control of
his mind, his will fails him, and with the best of intentions he is unable to do
what he knows to be right. He feels that there is no hope. He knows that he has
himself to blame, and remorse fills his soul. To his bodily ailments is added
the torture of conscience. He knows that he has sinned and is to blame. Will no
one take pity on him?
Then comes the gospel. The good news is
preached to him. Though his sins be as scarlet, they
shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as
wool. All is forgiven. He is “saved.” What a wonderful deliverance it is! His
mind is at rest. No longer does his conscience torment him. He has been
forgiven. His sins are cast into the depths of the sea. His heart wells with
praise to God for His mercy and goodness to him.
As
a disabled ship towed to port is safe but not sound, so the man is “saved” but
not sound. Repairs need to be made on the ship before it is pronounced
seaworthy, and the man needs reconstruction before he is fully restored. This process of restoration
is called sanctification, and includes in its finished product body, soul, and
spirit. When the work
is finished, the man is “holy,” completely sanctified, and restored to the
image of God. It is for this demonstration of what the gospel can do for a man
that the world is looking.
Note by Ron: Bible on Sanctification:
1. 1 Corinthians 1:30 But of him are
ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and
sanctification, and redemption:
2. 1 Thessalonians 4:3 For this is the will of God, even your sanctification, that
ye should abstain from fornication:
3. 1 Thessalonians 4:4 That every one of you should know how to possess his vessel
in sanctification and honour;
4. 2 Thessalonians 2:13 But
we are bound to give thanks alway to God for you,
brethren beloved of the Lord, because God hath from the beginning chosen you to
salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth:
5.1 Peter 1:2 Elect
according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through sanctification of the
Spirit, unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ: Grace unto
you, and peace, be multiplied. End note.
In
the Bible both the process and the finished work are spoken of as
sanctification. For this
reason the “brethren” are spoken of as holy and sanctified, though they have
not attained to perfection. (1 Corinthians 1:2; 2 Corinthians 1:1; Hebrews
3:1.) A glance
through the Epistles to the Corinthians will soon convince one that the saints
there mentioned had their faults. Despite this, they are said to be
“sanctified” and “called to be saints.” The reason is that complete sanctification is
not the work of a day or of a year but of a lifetime. It begins the moment a person is converted, and continues through life. Every victory hastens the
process. There are few Christians who have not gained the mastery over some sin
that formerly greatly annoyed them and overcame them. Many a man who has been a
slave to the tobacco habit has gained the victory over the habit and rejoices
in his victory. Tobacco has ceased to be a temptation. It attracts him no more.
He has the victory. On that point he is sanctified. As he has been victorious over one
besetment, so he is to become victorious over every sin. When the work is
completed, when he has gained the victory over pride, ambition, love of the
world—over all evil—he is ready for translation. He has been tried in all
points. The evil one has come to him and found nothing. Satan has no more
temptations for him. He has overcome them all. He stands without fault before the throne of
God. Christ places
His seal upon him. He is safe, and he is sound. God has finished His work in
him. The demonstration of what God can do with humanity is complete.
Thus it shall be with the last generation of men living on the earth. [Blameless, Rev. 14:1-4 KJV]. Through them God’s final demonstration of
what He can do with humanity will be given. He will take the weakest of the
weak, those bearing the sins of their forefathers, and in them show the power
of God. They will be
subjected to every temptation, but they will not yield. They will demonstrate
that it is possible to live without sin—the very demonstration for which the
world has been looking and for which God has been preparing. It will become evident to
all that the gospel really can save to the uttermost. God is found true in His
sayings. {303}
The last year of the
conflict brings the final test; but this only proves to angels and to the world
that nothing that the evil one can do will shake God’s Chosen ones. The plagues fall,
destruction is on every hand, death stares them in the face, but like Job they
hold fast their integrity. Nothing can make them sin. They “keep the
commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus.” Revelation 14:12.
Note by Ron: This will prove that Satan’s
highest development of his arts to deceive may be overcome by the grace (Holy
Spirit’s Power) of Christ. End note.
Throughout the history of the world God has
had His faithful ones. They have endured affliction and great tribulation. But
even in the midst of Satan’s buffetings they have, as the apostle Paul says,
through faith “wrought righteousness.” “They were stoned, they were sawn
asunder, were tempted, were slain with the sword:
they wandered about in
sheepskins and goatskins; being destitute, afflicted, tormented; (of whom the
world was not worthy:) they wandered in deserts, and in mountains, and in dens
and caves of the earth.” Hebrews 11:37, 38.
And
in addition to this galaxy of faithful witnesses, many of whom were martyrs for
their faith, God will have in the last days a remnant, a “little flock,” in and
through whom He will give to the universe a demonstration of His love, His
power, His justice, which, if we exempt Christ’s godly life on earth and His
supreme sacrifice on Calvary, will be the most sweeping and conclusive
demonstration of all the ages of what God can do in men.
It
is in the last generation of men living on the earth that God’s power unto
sanctification will stand fully revealed. The demonstration of that power is God’s vindication. It clears Him of
any and all charges which Satan has placed against Him. In the last generation God
is vindicated and Satan defeated. This may need some further amplification.
Rebellion in Heaven
The rebellion which took place in heaven and
introduced sin into the universe of God must have been a fearful experience
both for God and for the angels. Until this time all had been peace and
harmony. Discord was unknown; only love prevailed. Then unholy ambitions
stirred the heart of Lucifer. He decided that he wanted to be like the Most
High. He would exalt his throne above the stars of God; he would sit “upon the
mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north.” (Isaiah 14:12-14.) This
declaration of intent was tantamount to an attempt to depose God and usurp His
place. It was a declaration of war. Where God sat, Satan would sit. God
accepted the challenge.
We
have no direct Biblical statement as to the means used by Satan in winning over
to his side a multitude of angels. That he lied is clear. That he was a
murderer from the beginning is likewise indisputable. (John 8:44.) As murder
has its beginning in hatred, and as this hatred found its fruition in the
killing of the Son of God on Calvary, we may believe that Satan’s hatred was
directed not only against God the Father, but also—and perhaps especially—
against God the Son. In his rebellion Satan went further than a mere threat. He actually did
set up his throne, saying boastfully, “I am a God, I
sit in the seat of God.” Ezekiel 28:2.
When Satan thus established his government in heaven, the issue was
clear cut. The angels understood clearly the issue. All must take their stand
for or against Satan.
In
the case of rebellion there is always some grievance, real or fancied, given as
the cause. Some become dissatisfied, and, failing to
have matters remedied, they resort to rebellion. Those who sympathize with the
rebel cause join it. The others remain loyal to the government, and must, of
course, take their chance on its survival.
It
apparently came to just such a pass in heaven. The result was war. “There was
war in heaven: Michael and His angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon
fought and his angels.” Revelation 12:7. The outcome could have been foreseen.
Satan and his angels “prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in
heaven. And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil,
and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was
cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.” Verses 8, 9.
Though Satan was defeated, he was not destroyed. By his act of rebellion
he had declared God’s government at fault, and by the setting up of his own
throne he had made claim to greater wisdom or justice than God. These claims
are inherent in rebellion and in the establishment of another government. God
could ill afford not to give Satan an opportunity to demonstrate his theories. To remove every doubt in
the minds of the angels—and later of man—God must let Satan go on with his
work. And so Satan was permitted to live and set up his government. For the
last six thousand years he has been giving the universe a demonstration of what
he will do when he has the opportunity.
Satan’s Demonstration
This demonstration has been permitted to continue until now. And what a
demonstration it has been! From the time Cain killed Abel there have been
hatred, bloodshed, cruelty, and oppression in the earth. Virtue, goodness, and
justice have suffered; vice, vileness, and corruption have triumphed. The just
man has been made a prey; God’s messengers have been tortured and killed; God’s
law has been trampled in the dust. When God sent His Son, instead of honoring
Him, evil men, under the instigation of Satan, hanged Him on a tree.
Even then God did not destroy Satan. The
demonstration must be completed. Only when the last events are taking place,
and men are on the point of exterminating one another, will God interfere to
save His own. There will then remain no doubt in the mind of anyone that, had
he the power, Satan would destroy every vestige of goodness, hurl God from the
throne, murder the Son of God, and establish a kingdom of violence founded in
self-seeking and cruel ambition.
What Satan has been demonstrating is really his character and the
lengths to which selfish ambition will lead. In the beginning he wanted to be
like God. He was dissatisfied with his position as the highest of created
beings. He wanted to be God. And the demonstration has shown that when he set his
mind upon this goal he would stop short of nothing to attain it. Whoever stands
in the way must be put out of the way. If it be God Himself, He must be
removed.
The
demonstration shows that high position is not satisfactory to the
ambitious individual. He must have the highest, and even then he is not
satisfied. Often a person in a lowly position is tempted to believe that he
would be satisfied if his position were improved. He is at least sure that he
would be satisfied if he had the highest position possible. But would he?
Lucifer was not. He had the highest position possible. But he was not
satisfied. He wanted one still higher. He wanted to be God Himself.
In
this respect the contrast between Christ and Satan is pronounced. Satan wanted
to be God. He wanted it so much that he was willing to do anything to attain
his goal. Christ, on the other hand, did not consider it a thing to be grasped
to be like God. He voluntarily humbled Himself and became obedient unto death,
even the death of the cross. He was God, and He became man. And that this was
not a temporary arrangement only for the purpose of showing His willingness, is
evidenced by the fact that He will ever remain man. Satan exalted himself;
Christ humbled Himself. Satan wanted to become God; Christ became man. Satan
wanted to sit as God on a throne; Christ, as a servant, knelt to wash the
disciples’ feet. The contrast is complete.
Lucifer
In
heaven Lucifer had been one of the covering cherubs. (Ezekiel 28:14.) This
refers to the two angels who in the most holy apartment of the sanctuary stood
on the ark, covering the mercy seat. This was doubtless the highest office an
angel could occupy, for the ark and the mercy seat were in the immediate
presence of God. These angels were the special guardians of the law. They
watched over it, as it were. Lucifer was
one of them.
Ezekiel 28:12 contains an interesting statement concerning Lucifer:
“Thou sealest up the sum, full of wisdom, and perfect
in beauty.” The meaning of the expression, “Thou sealest
up the sum,” is not entirely clear. The reading is capable of varied
interpretations. It seems evident however, that the intent is to show the high
position and exalted privilege that were Satan’s before he fell. He was a kind
of prime minister, a keeper of the seal.
As
in an earthly government a document or law must have the seal attached to it in
order to be valid, so in God’s government a seal is used. God seems to have
apportioned to the angels their work, the same as He has given to man his work.
One angel is in charge of the fire. (Revelation 14:18.) Another angel has
charge of the waters. (Revelation 16:5.) Another has charge of “the seal of the living
God.” Revelation 7:2. Although, as stated above,
the reading of Ezekiel 28:12 is not entirely clear, some feel justified in
translating it, “Thou attacheth the seal to the
ordinance.” If this position is tenable, if Lucifer were prime minister and
keeper of the seal, it gives an additional reason why he should wish to
substitute his own mark for that of God’s seal when he left his first abode.
That Satan has been very active against the law is evident. If God’s law
is a transcript of His character, and if this character is the very opposite of
Satan’s, Satan stands condemned by it. Christ and the law are one. Christ is the law
lived out, the law become flesh. For this reason His life
constitutes a condemnation. When Satan warred against Christ, he warred also
against the law. When he hated the law he also hated Christ. Christ and the law are inseparable.
An
interesting statement is found in the fortieth psalm. Christ speaking,
says, “I delight to do Thy will, O My God: yea, Thy law is within My heart.” Verse 8. Though this is doubtless a poetic expression and
should not be pressed too far, it is interesting, nevertheless, as an
indication of the exalted position of the law. “Thy law is within My heart.” A stab at the law is a stab at the heart of Christ. A stab at the heart
of Christ is a stab at the law. At the cross Satan so intended. But God meant
the outcome to be otherwise.
The
death of Christ was a tribute to the law. It immeasurably magnified the law and
made it honorable. It gave men a new vision of its sacredness and worth. If God
would let His Son die; if Christ would willingly give Himself rather than
abrogate the law; if it is easier for heaven and earth to pass away than for
one jot or tittle of the law to fail, how very sacred
and honorable the law must be!
When Christ died on the cross He had demonstrated in His life the
possibility of keeping the law. Satan had not succeeded in leading Christ into
sin. Possibly he did not expect to be able to do that. But if he could have
induced Christ to use His divine power to save Himself, He would have
accomplished much. Had Christ done so, Satan could have claimed that this
invalidated the demonstration God intended to make, namely, that it was
possible for men to keep the law. As it was, Satan was defeated. But till the
very last he continued the same tactics. Judas hoped Christ would free Himself,
thus using His divine power to save Himself. On the cross Christ was taunted:
“He saved others; Himself He cannot save.” But Christ did not falter. He could
have saved Himself, but He did not. Satan was baffled. He could not understand.
But he knew that when Christ died without his having been able to make Him sin,
his own doom was sealed. In His death Christ was victor.
But
Satan did not give up. He had failed in his conflict with Christ, but he might
yet succeed with men. So he went to “make war with the remnant of her seed,
which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.”
Revelation 12:17. If he could overcome them he might not be defeated.
God’s Demonstration
The
demonstration which God intends to make with the last generation on earth means
much, both to the people and to God. Can God’s law really be kept? That is a
vital question. Many deny
that it can be done; others glibly say it can. When the whole question of commandment
keeping is considered, the problem assumes large proportions. God’s law is exceedingly
broad; it takes cognizance of the thoughts and intents of the heart. It judges
motives as well as acts, thoughts as well as words. Commandment keeping means
entire sanctification, a holy life, unswerving allegiance to right, entire
separation from sin, and victory over it. Well may mortal man cry out, Who is sufficient for these things!
Yet, to produce a people that will keep the law is the task which God
has set Himself and which He expects to accomplish.
When the statement and challenge are issued by Satan: “No one can keep the law.
It is impossible. If there be any that can do it or that have done it, show
them to me. Where are they that keep the commandments?” God will quietly answer, Here they are. “Here are they that keep the commandments of
God, and the faith of Jesus.” Revelation 14:12.
Let us say it reverently: God must meet
Satan’s challenge. It is not God’s plan, or a part of His purpose, to subject
men to tests that only a chosen few can survive. In the Garden of Eden, God subjected Adam and
Eve to the lightest test conceivable. No one can say that our first parents
fell because the test was too hard for them. If they fell, it was not because
the test was hard or because they had not been provided with strength to
resist. The
temptation was not held before them constantly. Satan was not permitted to
molest them everywhere. He had access to them at only one place, namely, at the tree of
knowledge. That place
they knew. They could stay away from it if they wanted to. Satan could not
follow them everywhere. If they went where Satan was, it was because they
wanted to. But even if they went there to examine the tree, they need not have
remained there. They could walk away. And even if Satan offered them the fruit,
they need not take it. But they took it and ate. And they ate it because they
wanted to, not because they had to. They deliberately transgressed. There was
no excuse. God could not have devised an easier test.
When God commands men to keep His law, it does not serve the purpose He
has in mind to have only a few men keep it, just
enough to show it can be done. It is not in line with God’s character to pick
outstanding men of strong purpose and superb training, and demonstrate through
them what He can do. It is much more in harmony with His plan to make His requirements such
that even the weakest need not fail, so that none can ever say that God demands
that which can be done by only a few. It is for this reason that God has reserved His greatest demonstration
for the last generation. This generation bears the results of accumulated sins. If any are weak,
they are. If any suffer from inherited tendencies, they do. If any have an
excuse because of weakness of any kind, they have. If, therefore, these can
keep the commandments, there is no excuse for anyone in any other generation
not doing so also.
But
this is not enough. God intends in His demonstration to show, not merely that
ordinary men of the last generation can successfully pass a test such as He
gave to Adam and Eve, but that they can survive a test much harder than such as
falls to the lot of common men. It will be a test comparable to the one Job passed through, and
approaching that which the Master underwent. It will test them to the utmost.
“Ye
have heard of the patience of Job, and have seen the end of the Lord; that the
Lord is very pitiful, and of tender mercy.” James 5:11. Job passed through some
experiences that will be repeated in the lives of the chosen ones of the last
generation. It may be well to consider them.
Job’s Test
Job
was a good man. God trusted him. Day by day he offered sacrifices for his sons.
“It may be that my sons have sinned,” he said. Job.
1:5. He was prosperous and enjoyed the blessing of God.
Then came “a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before
the Lord, and Satan came also among them.” Verse 6. A conversation is recorded between the Lord and
Satan that concerned Job. The Lord says that Job is a good man, which Satan
does not deny, but urges that Job is God-fearing merely because it pays him to
be so. He states that if God will take away His mercies, Job will curse God.
The statement is in the form of a challenge, and God accepts it. Satan is given
permission to take away Job’s property and otherwise to cause him sorrow, but
not to touch Job himself. Satan immediately proceeds
to do what he is permitted to do. Job’s property is all swept away, and his children are killed.
When this happened, “Job arose, and rent his mantle, and shaved his
head, and fell down upon the ground, and worshiped, and said, Naked came I out
of my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return thither: the Lord gave, and the
Lord hath taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord. In all
this Job sinned not, nor charged God foolishly.” Job 1:20-22.
Satan is defeated, but he makes another attempt. At the next meeting
with the Lord, without admitting defeat, he claims that he had not been
permitted to touch Job himself. If he had, he claims, Job would have sinned.
The statement is again a challenge, and God accepts it. Satan is given permission
to torment Job but not to take his life. He immediately departs on his mission.
All that the evil one can
do, Satan does to Job. But Job stands fast. His wife counsels him to give up,
but he does not waver. Under intense physical pain and mental anguish he remains steadfast.
Again it is recorded that Job stood the test. “In all this did not Job sin with his lips.” Job 2:10. Satan is defeated and does not appear any more in the book.
In
the succeeding chapters in the book of Job we are given a little insight into
the struggle going on in Job’s mind. He is greatly perplexed. Why has all this calamity come upon Him? He is not conscious of any
sin. Why, then, should God afflict him? He, of course, does not know of the
challenge of Satan. Neither does he know that God is depending upon him in the
crisis through which he is passing. All he knows is that out of a clear sky disaster has come upon him till
he is left without family or property, and with a loathsome disease that nearly
overwhelms him. He does not understand, but
he retains his integrity and faith in God. This God knew he would do. This
Satan said he would not do. In the challenge God won.
Humanly speaking, Job had not deserved the punishment that came to him.
God Himself says it was without cause. “Thou movedest
Me against him, to destroy him without cause.” Job
2:3. The whole experiment can
therefore be justified only by considering it as a specific test devised for a
specific purpose. God wanted to silence Satan’s charge that Job served God only
for profit. He wanted to demonstrate that there was at least one man whom Satan
could not control. Job suffered as a result of
it, but there seemed to be no other way. A reward was afterward given him.
Job’s case is recorded for a purpose. While we grant its historicity, we
believe that it has also a wider meaning. God’s people in the last days will
pass through an experience similar to Job’s. They will be tested as he was;
they will have every earthly stay removed; Satan will be given permission to
torment them. In addition to this the Spirit of God will be withdrawn from the
earth, and the protection of earthly governments removed. God’s people will be
left alone to battle with the powers of darkness. They will be perplexed, as
was Job. But they, as did he, will hold fast their integrity.
In
the last generation God will stand vindicated. In the remnant Satan will meet
his defeat. The charge that the law cannot be kept will be met and fully
refuted. God will produce not only one or two who keep His commandments, but a
whole group, spoken of as the 144,000. They will
reflect the image of God fully. They will have disproved Satan’s accusation
against the government of heaven.
God’s Government on Trial
A
serious situation arose in heaven when Satan made his charges against God. The
accusations in reality constituted an impeachment. Many of the angels believed
the charges. They ranged themselves on the side of the accuser. One third of
the angels—and that must have been millions—faced God with their leader, the
highest among the angels, Lucifer. It was no small crisis. It threatened the
very existence of God’s government. How should God deal with it?
The
only way the matter could be satisfactorily settled so that no question would
ever arise again, was for God to submit His case to the ordinary rules of
evidence. Was, or was
not, God’s government just? God said it was; Satan said it was not. God could have destroyed
Satan. That would not prove His cause just, but would, in fact, count against
Him. There was no other way than for each side to present its evidence, produce
its witnesses, and rest its case on the weight of testimony adduced.
The
picture, then, is that of a court scene. God’s government is at stake. Satan is
the accuser; God Himself
is the accused and is on trial. He has been charged with injustice, with
requiring His creatures to do that which they cannot do, and yet punishing them
for not doing it. The law is the specific
point of attack, but the law being merely a transcript of God’s character, it
is God and His character that are the points at issue.
In
order for God to sustain His contention, it is necessary for Him to show that
He has not been arbitrary, that the law is not harsh and cruel in its
requirement, but contrariwise, that it is holy, just, and good, and that men can keep it. It is necessary for God to produce at
least one man who has kept the law. In the absence of such a man, God
loses and Satan wins. The outcome therefore hinges on the production of one or
more who keep the commandments of God. On this God has staked His government. While it is true that many
from time to time have dedicated their lives to God and lived without sin for
periods of time, Satan claims that these are special cases, as was Job’s case,
and do not come under the ordinary rules. He demands a clear-cut case where
there can be no doubt, and where God has not interfered. Can such an instance
be produced?
The Last Generation
God
is ready for the challenge. He has bided His time. The supreme exhibition has
been reserved until the final contest. Out of the last generation God will
select His chosen ones. Not the strong or the mighty, not the honored or the rich, not the wise
or the learned, but common, ordinary people will God take, and through and by
them make His demonstration. Satan has claimed that those who in the past have served God have done
so from mercenary motives, that God has pampered them,
and that he, Satan, has not had free access to them. If he were given full
permission to press his case, they also would be won over. But he charges that
God is afraid to let him do this. “Give me a fair chance,” Satan says, “and I will win out.” And so, to
silence forever Satan’s charges; to make it evident that His people are serving
Him from motives of loyalty and right without reference to reward; to clear His
own name and character of the charges of injustice and arbitrariness; and to
show to angels and men that His law can be kept by the weakest of men under the
most discouraging and most untoward circumstances, God permits Satan in the
last generation to try His people to the utmost. They will be threatened,
tortured, persecuted. They will stand face to face with death in the issuance
of the decree to worship the beast and his image. (Revelation 13:15.) But they
will not yield. They are willing
to die rather than to sin.
God removes His Spirit from
the earth. Satan will have a greater measure of control than he has ever had
before. True, he may not kill God’s
people, but that seems to be the only limitation. And he uses every permission he has. He knows what is at stake. It is
now or never.
God, to make the demonstration complete, does one more thing. He hides
Himself. The sanctuary in heaven is closed. The saints cry to God day and night
for deliverance, but He appears not to hear. God’s chosen ones are passing through Gethsemane. They are having a
little taste of Christ’s experience those three hours on the cross. Seemingly
they must fight their battles alone. They
must live in the sight of a holy God without an intercessor.
But
though Christ has finished His intercession, the saints are still the object of
God’s love and care. Holy angels watch over them. God provides them shelter from their enemies;
He provides them with food, shields them from destruction, and supplies grace
and power for holy living. (See Psalms 91.) Yet they are still in the
world, still tempted, afflicted, tormented.
Will they stand the test? To human eyes it seems impossible. If only God
would come to their rescue, all would be well. They are determined to resist the evil one.
If need be they will die, but they will not sin. Satan has no power—and never
has had—to make any man sin. He can tempt, he can seduce, he can threaten; but
he cannot compel. And now God
demonstrates through the weakest of the weak that there is no excuse, and never
has been any, for sinning. If men in the last generation can successfully repel Satan’s attack; if
they can do this with all the odds against them and the sanctuary closed, what
excuse is there for men’s ever sinning?
The 144,000
In
the last generation God gives the final demonstration that men can keep the law
of God and that they can live without sinning. God leaves nothing undone to
make the demonstration complete. The only limitation put upon Satan is that he may not kill the saints of
God. He may tempt them, he may harass and threaten them; and he does his best.
But he fails. He cannot make them sin. They stand the test, and God puts His
seal upon them. Through the last generation
of saints God stands finally vindicated. Through them He defeats Satan and wins His
case. They form a vital part of the plan of God. They go through terrific
struggles; they battle with unseen powers in high places. But they have put
their trust in the Most High, and they will not be ashamed. They have suffered
hunger and thirst, but now “they shall hunger no more, neither thirst any more; neither shall the sun light on them, nor any
heat. For the Lamb which is in the midst of the throne shall feed them, and
shall lead them unto living fountains of waters: and God shall wipe away all
tears from their eyes.” Revelation 7:16, 17.
They “follow the Lamb whithersoever
He goes.” Revelation 14:4. When at last the doors of the temple shall swing
open, a voice will sound forth: “Only the 144,000 enter this place.” —Early
Writings, p. 19. By faith they have followed the Lamb here. They have gone with Him into
the holy place; they have followed Him
into the most holy. And in the
hereafter only those who have thus followed Him here will follow Him there.
They will be kings and priests. They will follow Him into the most holy, where
only the High Priest can ever enter. They will stand in the unveiled presence of God. They shall follow Him “whithersoever He
goes.” They will not only be “before the throne of God” and “serve Him
day and night in His temple,” but they will sit with Him in His throne, even
as He also overcame, and is set down with His Father in His throne. (Revelation 7:15; 3:21.)
The
matter of greatest importance in the universe is not the salvation of men,
important as that may seem. The most important thing is the clearing of God’s
name from the false accusations made by Satan. The controversy is drawing to a close. God
is preparing His people for the last great conflict. Satan is also getting ready.
The issue is before us and will be decided in the lives of God’s people. God is depending upon us as He did upon Job. Is His confidence well
placed?
It is a wonderful privilege
vouchsafed this people to help clear God’s name by our testimony. It is
wonderful that we are permitted to testify for Him. It must never be forgotten,
however, that this testimony is a testimony of life, not merely of words. “In Him was life; and the
life was the light of men.” John 1:4. “The life was the light.” It was so with
Christ, it must also be so with us. Our life should be a light, as His life was. To give people the light is
more than to hand them a tract. Our life is the light. As we live, we give
light to others. Without life, without our living the light, our words abide
alone. But as our
life becomes light, our words become effective. It is our life that must
testify for God.
May
the church of God appreciate the exalted privilege given her! “Ye are My witnesses, saith the Lord.” Isaiah 43:10. There must be “no strange
god among you: therefore ye are My witnesses,
saith the Lord, that I am God.” Verse 12. May we be witnesses indeed, testifying what
God has done for us!
All
this is closely connected with the work of the Day of Atonement. On that day
the people of Israel, having confessed their sins, were completely cleansed. They had already been forgiven; now sin was
separated from them. They were holy and without blame. The camp of Israel was
clean.
Note: Since 1844, we have been in the
antitypical Day of Atonement. End note—rb.
We are now living in the
great antitypical day of the cleansing of the sanctuary. Every sin must be
confessed and by faith be sent beforehand to judgment. As the high priest enters into the most holy,
so God’s people now are to stand face to face with God. They must know that every
sin is confessed, that no stain of evil remains. The cleansing of the
sanctuary in heaven is dependent upon the cleansing of God’s people on earth. How important, then, that
God’s people be holy and without blame! In them every sin must be burned out,
so that they will be able to stand in the sight of a holy God and live with the
devouring fire. “Hear, ye
that are far off, what I have done; and, ye that are near, acknowledge My might. The sinners in Zion are afraid; fearfulness hath
surprised the hypocrites. Who among us shall dwell with the devouring fire? who among us shall dwell with everlasting burnings? He that walketh
righteously, and speaking uprightly; he that despiseth
the gain of oppressions, that shaketh his hands from
holding of bribes, that stoppeth his ears from
hearing of blood, and shutteth his eyes from seeing
evil; he shall dwell on high: his place of defense shall be the munitions of
rocks: bread shall be given him; his waters shall be sure.” Isaiah 33:13-16.