My Vision on What Holds the Universe Together

and

God’s Final “Strange Act”

Part XIII

Ignorance of the Sanctuary Service the Reason for Error on the Godhead

Psa 77:13 Thy way, O God, is in the sanctuary: who is so great a God as our God?

Pro 9:1  Wisdom hath builded her house, she hath hewn out her seven pillars:

"We cannot now step off the foundation that God has established. We cannot now enter into any new organization for this would mean apostasy from the truth.--Manuscript 1290, 1905. Selected Messages, vol. 2, 390.

 

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In a vision of July 18, 2018, the Lord showed me that the reason for long-standing ignorance on the Godhead, was/is a lack of knowledge of the Sanctuary Truth. Mainline Protestantism was open to Satan’s deceptions via the Trinity Doctrine of Rome, because they did not possess the light of truth on the Sanctuary Service in Heaven and on earth. I was shown that the same reason accrues on the part of Adventists who became ignorant on the Sanctuary Service, as well.

 

If God’s people had been well versed in the Sanctuary Service, as Ellen White said they should be, they would have realized that the Testator Testament Sacrifice had to take place in the heavenly Sanctuary part of the Atonement, as well as the earthly. In the Heavenly Sanctuary Sacrifice, the Divinity of the Son of God was involved. He had to “die” forever, to being, existing in, His former DIVINE ONLY Holy Spirit FORM. This “death,” of and by itself, met the penalty for the wages of sin, eternal death. This is how in the Incarnation Sacrifice itself, alone, the Son of God reached the prescribed limit as a sacrifice. It had to involve a form of eternal “death,” for while the Testator liveth, the Testament (Covenant) is of no strength.

 

Heb 9:16 For where a testament is, there must also of necessity be the death of the testator.

Heb 9:17 For a testament is of force after men are dead: otherwise it is of no strength at all while the testator liveth.

 

"The darkness rolled away from the Saviour and from the Cross. Christ bowed His head and died. In His Incarnation He had reached the prescribed limit as a sacrifice, but not as a redeemer." E.G. White Manuscript Releases Volume Twelve, p. 409.

 

What is the only “prescribed limit as a sacrifice” apart from the Cross? It is eternal “death” of the Testator in some form, for while the Testator liveth, the Testament (Everlasting Covenant) is of no strength AT ALL while the Testator liveth.

 

The humanity of Christ was not the Testator of the Everlasting Covenant. Ellen White said that Christ and the Father were present at Mt. Sinai when the Everlasting Covenant (The Ten Commandment Law of God), was given to His “chosen” people:

 

Father and Son gave the law at Mt. Sinai: "In union with the Father, Christ proclaimed the law amid the thunders of Sinai..." E.G. White, The Signs of the Times, 11-12-94, pr. 07.

 

“Christ and the Father, standing side by side upon the mount, with solemn majesty proclaimed the Ten Commandments..." E.G. White, Evangelism, p. 616.

 

As I have stated many times, only one EQUAL with the Father, as the Law giver, could atone for any breach in the law made by God’s people. The Son of God was/is that EQUAL. His Holy Spirit Divine Nature is ONE with the ONE HOLY ETERNAL SPIRIT of the Father. They are both of the same essence and substance—SPIRIT—ONE ETERNAL SPIRIT. It is the ONE ETERNAL SPIRIT that makes them ONE GOD.

 

Jhn 4:24 God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.

Heb 9:14 How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?

 

The words “the eternal Spirit,” designate ONE ETERNAL SPIRIT, and it is that ONE SPIRIT that constitutes ONE GOD.

 

“The Jews had never before heard such words from human lips, and a convicting influence attended them for it seemed that divinity flashed through humanity as Jesus said, "I and my Father are one." The words of Christ were full of deep meaning as he put forth the claim that he and the Father were of one substance, possessing the same attributes.”The Signs of the Times, Nov. 27, 1893, p. 54. {7ABC 437.3}.

 

The Son of God before His Incarnation, existed with the Father from eternity. Before His Incarnation, His Divine Nature Holy Spirit, which was of the same essence and substance as the Father—THE ONE ETERNAL SPIRIT. That ONE ETERNAL SPIRIT ESSENCE AND SUBSTANCE is all we know about the NATURE of God or what He consists of. Beyond that, silence is golden. But we know much more about the personality of the Father and the Son, than what they are made of. For example, we know that God is love. We know that God gave His only begotten Son for our empowerment to overcome sin and for our redemption from past sins.

 

Rom 1:5   By whom we have received grace and apostleship, for obedience to the faith among all nations, for his name:

 

In Romans 1:5, it says that GRACE is given for obedience and apostleship. Ellen White defines GRACE as the Holy Spirit. So, the Holy Spirit Divine Nature of the Son is given to us as heaven’s highest good, crowning gift, for overcoming sin and the lust of the world, II Peter 1:4, to wit:

2Pe 1:4   Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.

 

His Grace is His Holy Spirit

 

“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.

 

What Occurred in the Heavenly Sanctuary at the Incarnation that Met the Prescribed Limit of a Sacrifice?

 

"Cumbered with humanity Christ could not be in every place personally, therefore it was altogether for their advantage that He should leave them to go to His Father and send the Holy Spirit to be His successor on earth. The Holy Spirit is Himself divested of the personality of humanity and independent thereof. He would represent Himself as present in all places by His Holy Spirit.” E.G. White, (Manuscript Releases Volume 14 (No’s 1081-1135) MR No.1084.

 

It was in the Heavenly Sanctuary Service of the Incarnation Atonement that Christ made the soul of His Holy Spirit Divine Nature an offering for man’s sin. That offering made the prescribed limit of a sacrifice—death of the Testator—a FOREVER DEATH to being a DIVINE HOLY SPIRIT PERSON ONLY—to become a human person forever.

“Christ had stooped to take upon Himself man’s nature; He was to bear an infinite weight of woe as He should make His soul an offering for sin; yet angels desire that even in His humiliation the Son of the Highest might appear before men with a dignity and glory befitting His character.” E.G. White, The Great Controversy, pp. 313, 314.

"Thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin." Isaiah 53:10.

The human soul of Christ could not function as the Testator, because it was not the human soul of Christ that gave the law with the Father on Mt. Sinai. Humanity was no part of the Son at the time He proffered His Holy Spirit soul of His life, at the beginning of His Incarnation in the heavenly sacrifice.

"Christ declared that after his ascension, he would send to his church, as his crowning gift, the Comforter, who was to take his place. This Comforter is the Holy Spirit,--the soul of his life, the efficacy of his church, the light and life of the world. With his Spirit Christ sends a reconciling influence and a power that takes away sin.

In the gift of the Spirit [HIS LIFE--THE SOUL OF HIS LIFE], Jesus gave to man the highest good that heaven could bestow....

The Spirit was given as a regenerating agency, and without this the sacrifice of Christ would have been of no avail....

It is by the Spirit that the heart is made pure. Through the Spirit the believer becomes a partaker of the divine nature. Christ has given his Spirit as a divine power to overcome all hereditary and cultivated tendencies to evil, and to impress his own character upon the church." E.G. White, Review and Herald Articles, May 19, 1904, vol. 5, p. 42.

“Christ had stooped to take upon Himself man’s nature; He was to bear an infinite weight of woe as He should make His soul an offering for sin; yet angels desire that even in His humiliation the Son of the Highest might appear before men with a dignity and glory befitting His character.” E.G. White, The Great Controversy, pp. 313, 314.

The wages of sin is ETERNAL death. How could Christ make His soul, His Holy Spirit, the soul of His life and the life of His soul, an offering for sin that involved DEATH OF THE TESTATOR? The answer that God showed me is that SINCE DIVINITY CANNOT DIE, the Son “died” FOREVER to being His “Divine ONLY” existence. This met the prescribed limit of a sacrifice per the Testator’s Covenant (Testament of the Testator).

Two sacrifices: One in the Heavenly Sanctuary | One on Earth

 

The heavenly Sanctuary/Atonement involved the emptying of the Son of all the attributes of His Divinity, namely the three omni’s.

 

"7. Made himself of no reputation. Literally, 'emptied Himself.'  This emptying was voluntary (see on John 10:17, 18).  It was not possible for Christ to retain all the tokens of divinity and still accomplish the Incarnation.  The outworking of this emptying is detailed in the remainder of Phil. 2:7 and in v. 8.  See Vol. 5, p. 918."  SDA Bible Commentary, Vol. 7, p. 155, col. 1.

 

Phl 2:7  But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men:

 

Phl 2:8  And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.

 

“5. The Subordination of Christ. Voluntarily assuming the limitations of human nature at the incarnation, the Lord Jesus Christ thereby subordinated Himself to the Father for the duration of His earthly ministry (see ps. 40:8; Matt. 26:39; John 3:16 4:34; 5:19, 30; 12:49; 14:10; 17:4, 8; 2 Cor. 8:9; Phil. 2:7, 8; Heb. 2:9; see on Luke 1:35; 2:49; John 3:16; 4:34; Phil 2:7, 8).

 

‘Laying aside His royal robe and kingly crown’ (DA 22, 23). “He voluntarily assumed human nature.  It was His own act, and by His own consent.” (EGW ST Jan 20, 1890; cf 5T 702).  “He humbled Himself, and took mortality upon Him.” (EGW RH Sept. 4, 1900).

 

“The Son of God was surrendered to the Father’s will, and dependent upon His power. So utterly was Christ emptied of self that He made no plans for Himself. He accepted God’s plans for Him, and day by day the Father unfolded His plans” (DA 208; cf. 664. ‘While bearing human nature, He was dependent upon the Omnipotent for His life. In His humanity, He laid hold of the divinity of God’”{EGW, ST, June 17, 1897 par. 8}

 

The Abraham/Isaac Typology Between the Father and Jesus

 

I was shown in vision that the following account describes the time at which Jesus met with His Father for the purpose of the heavenly Sanctuary “emptying,” which constituted a forever death to His being a DIVINE NATURE HOLY SPIRIT PERSON ONLY:

 

“Sorrow filled heaven as it was realized that man was lost and that the world which God had created was to be filled with mortals doomed to misery, sickness, and death, and that there was no way of escape for the offender. The whole family of Adam must die. I then saw the lovely Jesus and beheld an expression of sympathy and sorrow upon His countenance. Soon I saw Him approach the exceeding bright light which enshrouded the Father. Said my accompanying angel, “He is in close converse with His Father.” The anxiety of the angels seemed to be intense while Jesus was communing with His Father. Three times He was shut in by the glorious light about the Father, and the third time He came from the Father we could see His person. His countenance was calm, free from all perplexity and trouble, and shone with a loveliness which words cannot describe. He then made known to the angelic choir that a way of escape had been made for lost man; that He had been pleading with His Father, and had obtained permission to give His own life as a ransom for the race, to bear their sins, and take the sentence of death upon Himself, thus opening a way whereby they might, through the merits of His blood, find pardon for past transgressions, and by obedience be brought back to the garden from which they were driven. Then they could again have access to the glorious, immortal fruit of the tree of life to which they had now forfeited all right.” {EW 126.1}

“Then joy, inexpressible joy, filled heaven, and the heavenly choir sang a song of praise and adoration. They touched their harps and sang a note higher than they had done before, because of the great mercy and condescension of God in yielding up His dearly Beloved to die for a race of rebels. Then praise and adoration was poured forth for the self-denial and sacrifice of Jesus, in consenting to leave the bosom of His Father, and choosing a life of suffering and anguish, and an ignominious death, that He might give life to others.” {EW 126.2}

“Said the angel, “Think ye that the Father yielded up His dearly beloved Son without a struggle? No, no.” It was even a struggle with the God of heaven, whether to let guilty man perish, or to give His darling Son to die for them. Angels were so interested for man’s salvation that there could be found among them those who would yield their glory and give their life for perishing man. “But,” said my accompanying angel, “that would avail nothing.” The transgression was so great that an angel’s life would not pay the debt. Nothing but the death and intercession of God’s Son would pay the debt and save lost man from hopeless sorrow and misery.” {EW 127.1}

“But the work which was assigned the angels was to ascend and descend with strengthening balm from glory to soothe the Son of God in His life of suffering. They administered unto Jesus. Also, their work was to guard and keep the subjects of grace from the evil angels and from the darkness which was constantly thrown around them by Satan. I saw that it was impossible for God to change His law in order to save lost, perishing man; therefore He suffered His darling Son to die for man’s transgressions. {EW 127.2}

Ellen White said that it is impossible for Divinity to die and that Divinity did not die on the cross. And the humanity of Christ was not the Testator, so His humanity could not Atone for sin. However, the human blood of Christ was necessary to demonstrate that He was faithful unto death in resisting the temptations of Satan, and while taking our sins upon Himself, He was still able to resist temptation, proving that we can overcome as He did. We will never be tempted as He was in taking our sins upon Himself.

The Humanity Person of Christ Continues Forever

Both persons comprising the Son of God—His Divine Nature Person, and the Human Person, continue forever. But the “death” element of the Divine Persons, is the Son’s forever emptying of His humanity of the omni attributes He had forever possessed in His Divine Only state, to exist thereafter as a human forever.

"But this man, because he continueth ever, hath an unchangeable priesthood."  Hebrews 7:24.

“Christ has carried His humanity into eternity. He stands before God as the representative of our race. When we are clothed with the wedding garment of His righteousness, we become one with Him, and He says of us, “They shall walk with me in white: for they are worthy.” His saints will behold Him in His glory, with no dimming veil between.”—The Youth’s Instructor, October 28, 1897 quoted in The S.D.A. Bible Commentary 7:925. {Hvn 7}

God has adopted Christ’s Human Nature Into the Heavenly Godhead

“He is our sacrifice, our Advocate, our Brother, bearing our human form before the Father's throne, and through eternal ages one with the race He has redeemed--the Son of Man.” Heaven, p. 73.

“God has adopted human nature in the person of His Son, and has carried the same into the highest heaven. Heaven,” p. 72.

"By His life and His death, Christ has achieved even more than recovery from the ruin wrought through sin. It was Satan's purpose to bring about an eternal separation between God and man but in Christ we become more closely united to God than if we had never fallen. In taking our nature, the Saviour has bound himself to humanity by a tie that is never to be broken. Through the eternal ages He is linked with us. 'God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son.' [John 3:16]. He gave Him not only to bear our sins, and to die as our sacrifice He gave Him to the fallen race. To assure us of His immutable counsel of peace, God gave His only Begotten Son to become one of the human family forever to retain His human nature. This is the pledge that God will fulfill His word. 'Unto us a child is born unto us a son is given and the government shall be upon His shoulder.' God has adopted human nature in the person of His Son, and has carried the same into the highest heaven. It is the 'Son of man' who shares the throne of the universe. It is the 'Son of man' whose name shall be called, 'Wonderful, Counselor, the mighty God, the everlasting Father, the prince of Peace.' [Isa. 9:6]. The I Am is the Daysman between God and humanity, laying His hand upon both. HE who is 'holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners,' is not ashamed to call us brethren. [Heb. 7:26 2:11.] In Christ the family of earth and the family of heaven are bound together. Christ glorified is our brother. Heaven is enshrined in humanity, and humanity is enfolded in the bosom of Infinite love." The Desire of Ages, 25.

 

Eternal Sacrifice of the Son’s Divine Soul

 

"The apostle would call our attention from ourselves to the Author of our salvation. He presents before us His two natures, divine and human. . . . He voluntarily assumed human nature. It was His own act, and by His own consent. He clothed His divinity with humanity. He was all the while as God, but He did not appear as God. He veiled the demonstrations of Deity which had commanded the homage, and called forth the admiration of the universe of God. He was God while upon earth, but He divested Himself of the form of God, and in its stead took the form and fashion of a man. He walked the earth as a man. For our sakes He became poor, that we through His poverty might be made rich. He laid aside His glory and His majesty. He was God, but the glories of the form of God He for awhile relinquished. . . . He bore the sins of the world, and endured the penalty which rolled like a mountain upon His divine soul. He yielded up His life a sacrifice, that man should not eternally die. He died, not through being compelled to die, but by His own free will." E.G. White, SDA Bible Commentary, Vol. 7a, p. 446.

 

Adventists have been blessed with this light on the Heavenly Sanctuary Service which the fallen churches do not have. So Adventists stand more to blame for their “wilful ignorance” on the truth of the Godhead. Had Adventists remembered that there are two Sanctuary Service types, the one in heaven and the one on earth, they would have realized that the Testator would have had to be sacrificed first in the Heavenly Sanctuary. They would have realized that the Trinity Doctrine voids the Sanctuary Atonement in Heaven, by its teaching that there are three co-ETERNAL persons, when the heavenly Sanctuary Incarnation sacrifice produced another INDEPENDENT PERSON TO THE GODHEAD: the non-co-ETERNAL humanity of Christ.

 

The Trinity Doctrine totally betrays the heavenly Sanctuary/Atonement Incarnation sacrifice, at which the Son of God emptied Himself of His Divine Attributes, the three omni’s to become human forever. This human PERSON became a THIRD PERSON TO THE GODHEAD. Before the Incarnation there were only two persons to the Godhead.

 

The Trinity Doctrine teaches that there are three co-ETERNAL persons. That doctrine thus sweeps away the entire Christian economy by omitting the Incarnation sacrifice whereby ANOTHER PERSON—the humanity of Christ, was adopted into the Godhead. If there were three co-ETERNAL persons before the Incarnation, there would be FOUR persons to the Godhead after the Incarnation, and that is not the case. There are only THREE PERSONS to the Godhead, and only TWO OF THEM ARE CO-ETERNAL. The human person of Christ was NO PART of the Godhead before the Incarnation sacrifice, so the humanity of Christ could NEVER be co-ETERNAL with the other two persons of the Godhead.

 

Why Does Not Rome and Her Fallen Daughters See This Serious Betrayal of the Godhead? And Much More Important, Why Did SDA Leaders Not See The Betrayal Element of the Trinity Doctrine?

 

Isaiah 56:10-12 gives the answer to this most serious of all abominations committed by any church in the land. God proclaims His “watchmen” to be “dumb dogs” who CANNOT UNDERSTAND. In the Alpha heresy, the dumb-dog SDA watchmen were looking on, but did not seem to understand the implications of Kellogg’s heresy. They did not understand the simple fact that if God’s Holy Spirit was in all creatures from creation onward, sinful humans would not need the Incarnation sacrifice in order to receive heaven’s “highest good,” crowning gift,” the gift of the Holy Spirit of the life of Christ, because they would already possess it via pantheism.

 

Likewise, if there are three co-ETERNAL persons to the Godhead, THERE HAS BEEN NO SACRIFICE INVOLVING THE TESTATOR, that reduced Him to being a human PERSON forever, thus atoning for man’s wages for sin, some form of eternal death of the TESTATOR. That is the serious truth of the Godhead that I was shown Elijah will teach regarding the Everlasting  Covenant, Malachi Chapter 3.

 

Because of the great ignorance of the dumb-dog watchmen, Isa. 56:10-12, 5T 211, the entire Christian economy was swept away in 1980, when the SDA General Conference Session voted to adopt the Trinity Doctrine, Satan’s (Rome’s) Central Doctrine. I was shown that Satan hates nothing more than the Incarnation Sacrifice of Christ, which Atoned for man’s sins, by paying an eternal price of “death,” which is man’s penalty for his breach of God’s law. Thus, if Satan can get man to believe and make a vow to such a doctrine, he gets man back in his clutches whether they realize it or not. Their ignorance of this abomination is not an excuse, for if they had been sincere in their search for truth as for hidden treasure, they would have been led into all truth, including the most important and fundamental of all truths, the Godhead.

 

There is absolutely no excuse for a lack of the truth on this most fundamental of all issues in Christianity, especially when any error on this issues sweeps away the entire Christian economy:

 

Sanctuary Gone Atonement Gone -- "In a representation which passed before me, I saw a certain work being done by medical missionary workers. Our ministering brethren were looking on, watching what was being done, but they did not seem to understand. The foundation of our faith, which was established by so much prayer, such earnest searching of the Scriptures, was being taken down, pillar by pillar. Our faith was to have nothing to rest upon--the sanctuary was gone, the atonement was gone." E.G. White, The Upward Look, 152.

 

The Trinity Doctrine results in the same logical conclusion—If the THREE PERSONS TO THE GODHEAD ARE CO-ETERNAL, there has been NO DEATH OF THE TESTATOR—NO HEAVENLY SANCTUARY/ATONEMENT! Thus, the Sanctuary is GONE. The Atonement is GONE. This heresy, which is world-wide even amongst Adventists now, is the worst abomination possible, and many Adventists don’t see how this is even important.

 

"The spiritualistic theories regarding the personality of God [the Godhead], followed to their logical conclusion, sweep away the whole Christian economy. They estimate as nothing the light that Christ came from heaven to give John to give to His people. They teach that the scenes just before us are not of sufficient importance to be given special attention. They make of no effect the truth of heavenly origin, and rob the people of God of their past experience, giving them instead a false science." E.G. White, Selected Messages, Bk.1, p. 204.

 

Dear Reader, the Trinity Doctrine is nothing more than a spiritualistic theory of Satan, which reclaims foolish virgins back into his fold, because they have no excuse for being ignorant of God’s Sanctuary Truth on this most important of all issues to Fundamental Christianity. Anyone who confesses the Trinity Doctrine, and members with any church that teaches it, is in effect vowing, believing and teaching that the heavenly Sanctuary/Atonement sacrifice never occurred, because there are three co-ETERNAL persons to the Godhead, with NONE OF THEM HAVING DIED TO ANYTHING. Death in any form would make the Testator NON-ETERNAL. You cannot speak of one who has experienced death, especially FOREVER DEATH, as being CO-ETERNAL WITH THE FATHER, for example.

 

"He (Christ) suffered the death which was ours, that we might receive the life which WAS His." Desire of Ages, p. 25 1 Cor. 11:24-265, cf. John 6:53, 54, Titus 3:5, 6.

 

"Christ declared that after his ascension, he would send to his church, as his crowning gift, the Comforter, who was to take his place. This Comforter is the Holy Spirit,--the soul of his life, the efficacy of his church, the light and life of the world. With his Spirit Christ sends a reconciling influence and a power that takes away sin.

In the gift of the Spirit, Jesus gave to man the highest good that heaven could bestow....

The Spirit was given as a regenerating agency, and without this the sacrifice of Christ would have been of no avail....

It is by the Spirit that the heart is made pure. Through the Spirit the believer becomes a partaker of the divine nature. Christ has given his Spirit as a divine power to overcome all hereditary and cultivated tendencies to evil, and to impress his own character upon the church." E.G. White, Review and Herald Articles, May 19, 1904, vol. 5, p. 42.

 

“The incarnation of Christ was an act of self-sacrifice; His life was one of continual self-denial. The highest glory of the love of God to man was manifested in the sacrifice of His only-begotten Son, who was the express image of His person. This is the great mystery of godliness. It is the privilege and the duty of every professed follower of Christ to have the mind of Christ. Without self-denial and cross bearing we cannot be His disciples.”    {2SM 185.2}

 

Without the Heavenly Sanctuary Incarnation sacrifice which provided for us the Holy Spirit soul of His life BEFORE THE CROSS, the sacrifice on the cross would have been of no avail, because there would have been no power to keep us from sinning. The Trinity doctrine of Rome totally obfuscates that Heavenly Sanctuary sacrifice BEFORE THE CROSS, by teaching that the Holy Spirit always existed as a third person—thus, NO INCARNATION SACRIFICE of the Testator’s soul of His life as a “highest good, crowning gift” for man whereby he is enabled to overcome sin. And this is how the Trinity Doctrine, as a spiritualistic theory of man (emanating from Rome), sweeps away the entire Christian economy because it does not recognize the “highest good, crowning sacrifice heaven can bestow.”

 

"The Power of God in the Third Person.--The prince of the power of evil can only be held in check by the power of God in the third person of the Godhead, the Holy Spirit.-- Special Testimonies, Series A, No. 10, p. 37. (1897).

 

Bible Text Saying the Same Thing:

 

Acts 3:26  Unto you first God, having raised up his Son Jesus, sent him to bless you, in turning away every one of you from his iniquities.

 

It is the Holy Spirit of Jesus that is sent to us to turn every one of us from our iniquities.

 

"A new order of things has COME INTO the ministry. There is a desire to pattern after other churches and simplicity and humility are almost unknown. The young ministers seek to be original, and to introduce new ideas and new plans for labor. Some open revival meetings, and by this means call large numbers into the church. But when the excitement is over, where are the converted ones? Repentance and confession of sin are not seen. The sinner is entreated to believe in Christ and accept Him, without regard to his past life of sin and rebellion. The heart is not broken. There is no contrition of soul. The supposed converted ones have not fallen upon the Rock, Christ Jesus." E.G. White, Selected Messages, vol. 2, pp. 18, 19.

 

The above highlighted portion is an example of Calvinism--believing one is chosen and destined to be saved without being truly converted without true repentance and confession of sin without regard to his past life of sin and rebellion without a broken on the Rock heart without contrition of soul. This is a form of Calvinism of saved by grace regardless of any proper choice on the part of the sinner (predestination).

 

The Three Independent Persons in the Godhead

 

“Cumbered with humanity Christ could not be in every place personally, therefore it was altogether for their advantage that He should leave them to go to His Father and send the Holy Spirit to be His successor on earth. The Holy Spirit is Himself divested of the personality of humanity and independent thereof. He would represent Himself as present in all places by His Holy Spirit.” E.G. White, (Manuscript Releases Volume 14 (No’s 1081-1135) MR No.1084.

1.    The Father as the ONE CO-ETERNAL SPIRIT

2.    The Son’s Holy Spirit Divine Nature as being of the ONE CO-ETERNAL SPIRIT

3.    The Personality of the humanity of Christ as divested (separate) from His Holy Spirit Divine Nature. The humanity of the Son WAS NOT/IS NOT co-ETERNAL with His Holy Spirit Divine Nature and the Father.

 

It was the Incarnation Sacrifice that produced a third person to the Godhead, which person was not/is not co-eternal WITH THE OTHER TWO PERSONS. So to teach that there are three co-ETERNAL persons, does away with the heavenly Incarnation Sacrifice, when the Incarnation began, so that the Sanctuary is GONE, THE ATONEMENT GONE.

 

In addition to God’s people being in a stupor because of lack of study and prayer; lack of heeding the Laodicean message, and ignorance of the Sanctuary Service, the leading brethren are not able to understand because they don’t want to obey God. They want to be like the other fallen churches. They prophesy falsely and “my people love to have it so:”

 

COUNTERPART: "The Lord commanded one of his ancient servants, 'Pray not thou for this people [Jer. 7:16 and 11:14], neither lift up cry nor prayer for them neither make intercession to me for I will not hear thee.' The prophet thus describes the sins which had called forth this fearful denunciation: 'The prophets prophesy falsely, and the priests bear rule by their means and my people love to have it so and what will ye do in the end thereof?' 'From the least of them even unto the greatest of them, every one is given to covetousness and from the prophet even unto the priest, every one dealeth falsely. They have healed also the hurt of the daughter of my people slightly, saying, Peace, peace, when there is no peace.' The apostles declare that this state of things will find its COUNTERPART in the last days. Many have a form of godliness, but in their daily life deny the power thereof. They have ceased to be convicted of their sins or alarmed at their state. They say in their hearts, 'The church is flourishing. Peace and spiritual prosperity are within her borders.' The words of the prophet may well apply to these self-deceivers, 'They have chosen their own ways, and their soul delighteth in their abominations. I also will choose their delusions, and will bring their fears upon them." E. G. White,  Second Advent Review and Sabbath Herald,  11-07-82.

COUNTERPART in the last days. Many have a form of godliness, but in their daily life deny the power thereof. They have ceased to be convicted of their sins or alarmed at their state. They say in their hearts, 'The church is flourishing. Peace and spiritual prosperity are within her borders.' The words of the prophet may well apply to these self-deceivers, 'They have chosen their own ways, and their soul delighteth in their abominations. I also will choose their delusions, and will bring their fears upon them." E. G. White, Second Advent Review and Sabbath Herald,  11-07-82.

 

What you have just read is the Three Angel’s Message in verity, the Righteousness of what Christ did for fallen man.

 

"The third angel's message will not be comprehended, the light which will lighten the earth with its glory will be called a false light, by those who refuse to walk in its advancing glory. The work that might have been done, will be left undone by the rejecters of truth, because of their unbelief. We entreat of you who oppose the light of truth, to stand out of the way of God's people. Let Heaven-sent light shine forth upon them in clear and steady rays. God holds you to whom this light has come, responsible for the use your make of it. Those who will not hear will be held responsible for the truth has been brought within their reach, but they despised their opportunities and privileges. Messages bearing the divine credentials have been sent to God's people the glory, the majesty, the righteousness of Christ, full of goodness and truth, have been presented the fullness of the Godhead in Jesus Christ has been set forth among us with beauty and loveliness, to charm all whose hearts were not closed with prejudice. We know that God has wrought among us. We have seen souls turn from sin to righteousness. We have seen faith revived in the hearts of the contrite ones. Shall we be like the lepers that were cleansed who went on their way, and only one returned to give glory to God? Let us rather tell of his goodness, and praise God with heart, with pen, and with voice." E.G. White, Review and Herald, 05-27-90, pr. 6.

 

In the Name of the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob,

 

Ronald William Beaulieu

 

 

Chapter 8

 

Behold Your God by Fred T. Wright

 

A Perfect Law

The perfection of God's law stands in marked contrast to the imperfection of the laws framed by earthly legislators.

The faultiness and inadequacy of men's laws are marked in two ways at least. Firstly, men are obliged to constantly enact new laws and to modify or repeal old ones. Things which the law forbids today, it will permit in the near future. Behaviour which is allowed in one country is strictly banned in another.

Secondly, when kings or congress pass their laws, in order to ensure that the people will respect the government and obey those laws, they formulate a list of punishments which they then administer.

But these things are not true of God's law. It is so perfect and complete that there has been no modification or addition needed from the day it was first expressed. Its principles are so complete and all-embracing that, if perfectly obeyed, they are the flawless pattern for both divine and human behaviour in either the sinless heavenly environment or the iniquitous situation on earth.

The life of Christ amply demonstrated the truth of this for He kept His Father's commandments in conditions so wicked that it was described as the time "when the transgressors" had "come to the full," Daniel 8:23; the time when "The deception of sin had reached its height. All the agencies for depraving the souls of men had been put in operation. The Son of God, looking upon the world, beheld suffering and misery. With pity He saw how men had become victims of satanic cruelty. He looked with compassion upon those who were being corrupted, murdered, and lost. They had chosen a ruler who chained them to his car as captives. Bewildered and deceived, they were moving on in gloomy procession toward eternal ruin,—to death in which is no hope of life, toward night to which comes no morning. Satanic agencies were incorporated with men. The bodies of human beings, made for the dwelling place of God, had become the habitation of demons. The senses, the nerves, the passions, the organs of men, were worked by supernatural agencies in the indulgence of the vilest lust. The very stamp of demons was impressed upon the countenances of men. Human faces reflected the expression of the legions of evil with which they were possessed. Such was the prospect upon which the world's Redeemer looked. What a spectacle for infinite Purity to behold!

"Sin had become a science, and vice was consecrated as a part of religion. Rebellion had struck its roots deep into the heart, and the hostility of man was most violent against heaven. It was demonstrated before the universe that, apart from God, humanity could not be uplifted. A new ele- [70] ment of life and power must be imparted by Him Who made the world." The Desire of Ages, 36, 37.

This was the condition of things when Christ came to this earth. Under those circumstances He demonstrated that God's law was the only code of behaviour. To do this He kept that law to perfection thus proving that Satan lied when he declared the law of God was imperfect and needed to be modified to meet changing circumstances. In this perfect adherence to the righteous precepts under these conditions, Christ not only proved to fallen man that the law was not too difficult for him to observe, but that it was the perfect guide and protection for all those who did keep it.

Consider now, the second factor in the difference between the law of God and that of man. This difference is that while men have to attach their own formulated penalties to the law, with God this is not necessary. In His system, breaking the law itself brings its own terrible fruitage in sorrow, and finally, destruction.

It is not to be concluded that God deliberately organized it this way. When it is understood why He formed and gave the law, it will be seen that this is the only way it could be. Essential to the successful accomplishment of the great aspirations within His creatures, is the possession of tremendous power. This power was designed for blessing and benefit only, but, unavoidably, it has in it the potential for destruction. Being the only way to safeguard against that other and destructive side of power, law became essential. While power is handled in strict accordance with law, there is no problem. But let the law be disregarded and every kind of problem arises. Therefore, God did not formulate a law with a deliberately built-in system of punishments, but, instead, gave them a perfect protection from self-destruction. If they choose to set aside that protection then there is nothing to prevent the trouble from coming. First God gave the power and then the law to enable them to safely handle it.

Already it has been shown that compelling power, compulsion, the use of force and such, have no place in God's work and are never found under His government but only under Satan's. Likewise it has been seen that God, because He is interested only in voluntary obedience, gave to every one of His creatures "full liberty to yield or to withhold obedience." Patriarchs and Prophets, 48. It would be impossible to give full liberty to withhold obedience, and then punish a person for exercising the very freedom given to him. To punish under those conditions is to deny that full liberty had been given.

There are two ways in which God could have administered punishments upon those who chose to withhold obedience. The first method would be to decree what the punishment should be and then to execute it by His own direct action. This is what the majority believe God does.

The second method would be to skilfully and deliberately build into the law, punishments which would automatically fall upon the transgressor. In [71] modern language this is called booby trapping. The farmer, for instance, has a patch of delicious melons growing and he knows that, despite the law forbidding theft, the young lads of the village will come at night for the feast. So he installs a trip wire attached to a high explosive. He has built into the law an automatic punishment which will reach out and strike the lawbreaker apart from the action of the law itself.

This is the course the Lord could have adopted to avoid the necessity of exercising His own power in any direct act of destruction.

Whether God punishes directly by His own action or indirectly by building destruction into the law, He would still be denying that He had, in reality, given His subjects "full liberty to yield or to withhold obedience." He gave the liberty. Therefore He cannot punish any who exercise what He has given them.

If God used the first method, it would be a blatant denial of His claim to have given them full liberty. If He used the second method, then He could well be charged with having adopted underhand means whereby He could claim that He had not directly denied their freedom, though in fact, indirectly He had.

God is not deceitful or underhanded. He is the God of truth. Therefore it needs to be clearly understood that He did not design a law with built-in punishments. Every one who is to have a part in the final presentations of the character of God must come to understand the real character of God's law. The awful punishments which do fall upon the violators of God's great principles are what the law was devised to protect man from, not what it was designed to bring upon him.

What must be understood with great clarity is that the law is in no sense God's effort to protect His own position and authority. God is so completely outgoing, so utterly devoid of self-interest, self-justification or self- protectionism in any form, that He could never have formulated the law to save Himself. It is not something which He has "thought up" as His wish or pleasure whereby the people could be identified as His subjects, doing His will and obeying His commands. Far from it! That law is a masterpiece of protection for the people themselves. It is so wonderfully designed that obedience to it ensures absolute immunity from sickness, suffering, sorrow, fear, suspicion, robbery, violence, and death. On the other hand, violation of its principles guarantees the introduction of these things in their worst forms.

None of these things is God's invention designed for infliction on the transgressor. "The wages of sin is death." Romans 6:23. It is a sound principle, universally practised, that the servant is always paid by the employer to whom he renders service. If a worker, having given a month of industrious labour to Mr. Jones, then went to Mr. Brown to receive his wages, he would be met with an indignant refusal.

"I am not responsible for the wages owed to you by Mr. Jones," he would emphatically say. "I do not pay the money earned by service on your [72] part to another employer. If you work for me then I will pay you but not otherwise."

This reply is reasonable. It is equally reasonable that the same principles apply in the spiritual realm. Therein are two masters, God and Satan, or more correctly, righteousness and sin. Neither of these masters pays the wages earned in the service of the other. The wages of sin is death and the gift of righteousness is life.

No one needs convincing that Satan never pays the gifts of God. All those who live the life of righteousness, know that they cannot look to the devil to pay even the smallest proportion of these. God alone can pay the gift of life. Satan has no part in this whatsoever.

If it is so easily seen that the devil never pays God's gifts to the righteous, then it should be equally clear that the Lord never pays the wages owed by sin to its subjects. Sin and Satan alone pay those. God does not traffic in death for He is the purveyor of life. That is His merchandise and He dispenses no other. He does not pay wages in the currency of death.

"Sickness, suffering, and death are work of an antagonistic power. Satan is the destroyer; God is the restorer." The Ministry of Healing, 113.

As the Restorer, "God is working, day by day, hour by hour, moment by moment, to keep us alive, to build up and restore us." ibid., 112. The law, then, has not been formed as an instrument of destruction but of salvation. The unfortunate attitude of hostility toward the law will be swept away entirely when its true purpose and role are understood. Then with the Psalmist, the exclamation of praise will go forth, "0 how love I Thy law! it is my meditation all the day." Psalm 119:97.

The Holy Spirit had certainly imparted to the writer of these words a very different view of the law from that generally possessed by man. He had come to see that the law was not designed for God's exaltation and protection but for the protection and blessing of mankind.

This we need also to see. Accordingly our attention will now be directed to studying God's law as the precious gift of God for man's blessing and security.

Both the first part dealing with the relationship of man to God and the second part covering man to man, were designed along the same lines. Consideration will be given to the first part initially.

Statement number one in the decalogue is this: "Thou shalt have no other gods before Me." Exodus 20:3.

To the average person this suggests a picture of God concerned about His receiving the homage, respect, service, and worship which He felt was due to Him. To them, it is as if He were saying, “I am God and I do not intend that you shall forget that. I will tolerate no other god in My place for I will share My honour, position and glory with none. I want, and I demand, exclusive recognition of My sole authority from each of you. I shall be [73] watching every one intently moment by moment with a vigilance which never slumbers nor sleeps. If I find any drifting away from Me, any rendering of homage or love to another, My anger shall become exceedingly great and I will come in My fury to punish you without mercy."

This is the view held by this earth's majority. This is how they see God, because if they were in the same position with the same power, that is how they would relate themselves to their subjects. But, in fact, a more erroneous view of God's intent could not be entertained. God had not thought of His honour, security and safety when He formed that commandment. He was entirely preoccupied with His subjects and their needs. He knew the danger in which they were, and to make them secure from it He gave them this and the other commands.

Difficult as it may be at first to understand, the truth is that it was not possible for God to create man without a very definite element of danger being involved. Yet, once careful consideration is given to the objectives of love in bringing the earth and its inhabitants into existence, it will be perceived that it was not possible to do this without that threat being in attendance.

It began with the divine purpose to give to man the precious love-gift of life. There was no obligation upon God to do it. Humanity should respond only with the deepest gratitude that God had elected to do this. But to give life was not sufficient. A home must be provided in which those possessed of this inimitable gift could enjoy such riches to the fullest. Without a home, existence would be an eternal drifting through super-cold space with nothing to see or do. This would convert what promised to be everlasting delight into perpetual horror.

Therefore, the creation of highly intelligent creatures necessitated the forming of a home in which they could develop and exercise the splendid powers given to them, achieving the highest aspirations of their active minds.

That was a wonderful provision but it was still insufficient. Both the individuals themselves and the world in which they lived must be equipped with suitable and sufficient powers to enable them to live their lives to the fullest potential. The infinitely wise and loving God saw this and without hesitation installed all those mighty powers in their proper place and balance. These powers may be grouped into two divisions, those within man and those outside him in the marvellous world of nature.

The powers in man may be listed as the power of thought, muscular power, the powers of speech, ambition, planning, reasoning, invention, love, joy, and so forth. The powers without in the world of nature are the powers of the sun, moon, gravity, wind, water, centrifugal and inertial forces, electricity, and many more.

All this seemingly, would provide the sum of all that could ever be needed to give every creature the fulness of happiness and joy. After all, what more could man desire or need? [74]

But it was still not enough.

It was not enough because power, though provided by God for only one purpose, the blessing and prosperity of all His creatures, inevitably possesses the potential of destruction. Enquiry may be made as to why the Lord did not provide powers that could not be subverted, but careful thought will show that this is impossible. Any power which is intended to do only good can also be turned to an evil purpose.

Therefore, God needed to add one more gift to make the work of creation complete and secure. That gift was the law. It was something very necessary to man for without it he had no way of keeping those powers from becoming destroyers. This can readily be demonstrated by reference to the first commandment, the study of which, in the light of these principles, will prove that the law was not made by God for God but for man.

Any one of the great powers which God has invested in nature for man's blessing can be chosen to develop this point. Accordingly the sun will be selected as the example.

Initially, the sun came into existence in response to the spoken creative word of God. This is the only way it could, for there is no other power in existence which can create anything let alone something of the magnitude and power of that flaming orb. Satan could not do it, neither can man. But, God's work in respect to the sun and its role did not end with its creation for it cannot fulfil its mission unaided. It, like all other powers, is totally unintelligent, thus possessing no capacity to direct its ways. This must be done by a power outside of and greater than itself under the guidance of a suitable intelligence. The only power which can do this is the power which made it. That is God's power directed by the intelligent mind of God. That creative power in turn is exercised through His Son, Christ, Who not only "made the worlds," but is constantly "upholding all things by the word of His power." Hebrews 1:2, 3.

"God is constantly employed in upholding and using as His servants the things that He has made. He works through the laws of nature, using them as His instruments. They are not self-acting. Nature in her work testifies of the intelligent presence and active agency of a Being Who moves in all things according to His will." The Ministry of Healing, 416.

"Many teach that matter possesses vital power,—that certain properties are imparted to matter, and it is then left to act through its own inherent energy; and that the operations of nature are conducted in harmony with fixed laws, with which God Himself cannot interfere. This is false science, and is not sustained by the word of God. Nature is the servant of her Creator. God does not annul His laws, or work contrary to them; but He is continually using them as His instruments. Nature testifies of an intelligence, a presence, an active energy, that works in and through her laws. There is in nature the continual working of the Father and the Son. Christ says, 'My Father worketh hitherto, and I work.' John 5:17. [75] [insert full-page illustration above the following caption]

The mighty powers at work in nature or harnessed in machinery were given for man's benefit and blessing but can only be such if under the control of an intelligence obedient to law.

[76]

"The Levites, in their hymn recorded by Nehemiah, sung 'Thou, even Thou, art Lord alone; Thou hast made heaven, the heaven of heavens, with all their host, the earth, and all things therein, . . . and Thou preservest them all.' Nehemiah 9:6. As regards this world, God's work of creation is completed. For 'the works were finished from the foundation of the world.' Hebrews 4:3. But His energy is still exerted in upholding the objects of His creation. It is not because the mechanism that has once been set in motion continues to act by its own inherent energy, that the pulse beats, and breath follows breath; but every breath, every pulsation of the heart, is an evidence of the all-pervading care of Him in whom 'we live, and move, and have our being.' Acts 17:28. It is not because of inherent power that year by year the earth produces her bounties, and continues her motion around the sun. The hand of God guides the planets, and keeps them in position in their orderly march through the heavens. He 'bringeth out their host by number; He calleth them all by names by the greatness of His might, for that He is strong in power; not one faileth.' Isaiah 40:26. It is through His power that vegetation flourishes, that the leaves appear and the flowers bloom. He 'maketh grass to grow upon the mountains,' and by Him the valleys are made fruitful. All the beasts of the forest seek their meat from God, Psalms 147:8; 104:20, 21, and every living creature, from the smallest insect up to man, is daily dependent upon His providential care. In the beautiful words of the psalmist, 'These wait all upon Thee. . . . That Thou givest them they gather; Thou openest Thine hand, they are filled with good.' Psalms 104:27, 28. His word controls the elements, He covers the heavens with clouds, and prepares rain for the earth. 'He giveth snow like wool; He scattereth the hoar frost like ashes.' 'When He uttereth His voice, there is a multitude of waters in the heavens, and He causeth the vapors to ascend from the ends of the earth; He maketh lightnings with rain, and bringeth forth the wind out of His treasures.' Psalms 147:16; Jeremiah 10:13." Patriarchs and Prophets, 114, 115.

These statements teach the active presence of God as the Controller of all the powers He has installed in the universe for the good of His creatures. But, why is it necessary for God to do this? Is it because He is determined to keep personal control over all things? Or is it because it must be so? Why could God not have set the whole complex machinery in motion and then left it to run of its own accord from the very beginning? Or why does He not delegate the work to other hands to leave Himself free from such things?

God does what He is doing because that is the only way it can be done and certainly not because of any desire on His part to reserve to Himself any special position. It was not possible for God to leave all these tremendous powers to themselves for it is the very nature of power to be unintelligent. The sun is a power of gigantic proportions, but it has no power to think or to direct its ways and even if it did, it would still need God to keep it supplied with energy. [77]

Think of all the various powers in existence—fire, wind, gravity, the tides, hydraulics, and so on, and it will be seen that not one of them is an intelligence nor could be. Power and force are just that, while intelligence is designed to control and guide the powers. Even the physical powers in the human body are not intelligent. They depend upon the intelligence centred in the brain for control and guidance.

Therefore, the mighty sun must have a controller and guide to keep it exactly on its course and, at the same time, a source of energy to keep it forever fuelled and burning at a constant level. Should there be no such controlling power, then think of the possibilities. The sun could swing a little too far out and away from the earth with the consequence of such tremendous cooling on this planet that it would freeze solid. On the other hand it could swing in too close and destruction would come with blazing heat. Again, it might burn too dimly or too brightly or even explode with the same destructive results.

Far more than we do, we need to appreciate how dependent we are upon that sun. If we were to carefully consider the effect of that power becoming either diminished or increased, then we would be far more grateful than we are for the Lord's controlling and sustaining hand in the universe. The same facts and principles apply to all the mighty powers of heaven and earth.

Having established the truth that the hand of a mighty controller and energy-supplier is indispensable for the continuation of our lives upon the earth, we can proceed to the next question. Why does God do this? Why does He not give it to one of His mighty creatures to look after, for Him?

The answer is because He cannot. It required a Creator's power to set it up in the first case and it requires the same Creator's power to maintain it. Only He can do it. God gladly gives His creatures whatever He can, but this is one thing He cannot give, for there is not one of us, angel or man, who can keep those mighty powers under perfect control.

Therefore, it is essential that no other god be placed in God's position as the Controller, Guide and Sustainer of these mighty powers. To do so would be to put there a being who would have no hope of keeping those things under control. They would swiftly break out of their course in a holocaust of destruction.

To help in understanding this extremely important point let the following illustration serve. One of the biggest commercial passenger aircraft is the Boeing 747. In order to control and direct that tremendous power, a man must have, through long practice and training, highly developed skills. The law says that on a flight no one must set another person who is unqualified in the pilot's place. Suppose that during a flight across the Pacific from Sydney to Honolulu, a passenger who has never flown a plane before goes onto the flight deck, overpowers the crew, binds them up securely, and then attempts to fly the machine to a destination of his own choice. [78]

What is the inevitable result? That man has no hope of bringing the plane in successfully. He will not even know how to navigate it across the uncharted oceans and he will crash the plane, killing every person on board. No one should have any difficulty in seeing this, especially if he has ever had his untrained hands on the controls of even a simple light aircraft and tried to bring it in to land. A 747 is a complex of unintelligent but gigantic powers which must have a master mind to direct it. Should such a trained and skilled person be taken from the controls and another untrained one take his place, then certain disaster is the result.

This is exactly the situation with this earth and the mighty powers attendant upon it. God alone, has the power and skill to guide them accurately and safely on their courses. Should that guiding hand be removed and another attempt to fill its place, then inevitable desolations would follow. There would be no way to prevent it. Some may object that God could prevent it. Certainly He has the physical power to do so, but, in order for that power to be exercised to prevent that destruction, it has to be in the very place from which it has been dismissed. Once another god has been put in the place of the true God, then God can only save the situation by forcing Himself back into the place from which He has been sent away, and this God will never do. This would violate the freedom of choice which He Himself gave to His creatures and which He will never invade even to a hair's breadth.

But how would it be possible for God to vacate the position of control? How could this be brought about? Surely, it may be argued, no one could take God's position away from Him!

It can be done quite simply and very quickly. What is more, it has been done.

In the Garden of Eden, Adam and Eve were the rulers and owners of this world in a kingdom which they held under God and for God. "And God said, Let Us make man in Our image, after Our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth on the earth." Genesis 1:26.

While they retained that dominion, God could and did maintain perfect control over the sun, the moon, and all the other mighty powers set in their places for the blessing and benefit of the human family. There was no problem, and the Edenic pair enjoyed perfect security, comfort and prosperity.

But the time came when they passed the kingdom into the devil's hands and he became "the prince of this world." John 14:30. While Adam and Eve had held dominion under God, Satan did not. He had put himself in God's place and when Adam and Eve turned to give their dominion to Satan, they placed another god in the place of the true God. They directly broke the first commandment and thus removed from themselves the pro- [79] tection the first commandment was designed to give. Another god was in the place of the real God and this new god could not control the mighty powers of nature. Sudden and terrible destruction immediately threatened them.

It may be objected here that the whole argument is disproved by the fact that the threatened destruction did not fall upon them that day as God had said it would. This is true, but that does not make God a liar, nor does it disprove the argument. God's word was fulfilled for they did die that very day. On the spiritual side of their natures the life of God, the presence of the Holy Spirit, died out of them, to be replaced by another spirit, that of the devil.

They would have also died physically that day, had not the Lord interposed to introduce a delaying factor, designed in love, to give them a limited probationary period in which to reconsider their decision. In unquenchable love for the doomed, Christ stepped in to divert the punishment to Himself. He would take upon Himself, not that which God would administer to the sinner, but that which the sinner had brought upon himself.

Christ had to move swiftly for the Lord had warned that "in the day that" they ate of it they would surely die. Genesis 2:17. Christ had no time to lose if He would save them. So it is written, "The instant man accepted the temptations of Satan, and did the very things God had said he should not do, Christ, the Son of God, stood between the living and the dead, saying. 'Let the punishment fall on Me. I will stand in man's place. He shall have another chance'." The SDA Bible Commentary, 1:1085.

Right there in the Garden of Eden, all nature would have swung wildly out of its course with increasing ferocity had not Christ stepped in to give the world a period of probation in which to make a second choice either to serve God or to continue with another god—the god of death and destruction. When at last the time of probation is ended with every man, woman, and child having made their choice for eternity, this is just what will happen. Christ will step out from His place as Mediator and all nature will collapse in a cataclysm of destruction. Of this final destruction we shall study much more later.

Now. let a summary be made of the facts just considered with particular emphasis being laid on the truth that the suffering and death which certainly follow the violation of the principles of the law, are not administered by God directly, nor are even a carefully built-in provision designed to automatically destroy the lawbreaker. The punishments are the unpreventable outworking of the removal by disobedience of the protections the laws are designed to give.

Here is that summary.

It would have been most unsatisfactory for the Lord to have made us without providing the supporting powers necessary to give us comfortable [80] living and the opportunity to develop all the gifts within us. The sun is needed for light and heat, the forces of gravity for our equilibrium, electricity to open to us the thousand and one possibilities in communication, electronics and so on. Should we ponder upon a life without the many gracious provisions of God for our welfare and pleasure, we would be far more grateful to the Lord for what He has done.

But, it is impossible for power to exist without its being at the same time a potential for fearful and even total destruction. That is the very nature of power and it can be no other way. The greater the power, the greater the danger. Therefore, as surely as heaven is a place filled with the greatest of wonderful powers, it is therefore a potentially dangerous place.

God has no fear of introducing such peril for He knows that it is completely contained if the laws are faithfully obeyed. Under the control of laws obeyed, power can only be a blessing but let the laws be disobeyed and it is nothing but a danger. The destruction which falls is not directed by God's hands. It is the natural and unpreventable consequence of the violation of God's law.

These things must be meditated upon until the purposes and character of God in this are fully understood; until it is seen that God neither inflicts the punishment by His own hand nor has it as an inbuilt threat which reaches out to automatically destroy those who get out of line; until it is seen that the death and suffering is the direct and unpreventable result of the sin; and that the Lord does only one thing which is to work to save all from such disastrous results and guide them forever in those pathways which will ensure them perfect and complete happiness.

So it is with the violation of the first commandment. What is true of the results of its violation is true of all the rest. For instance, the second precept warns against bowing down to worship an image made of material things. There should be no difficulty in seeing that such an act of worship can only result in death to the worshipper on the following grounds. Every adoration of images as practiced by those who break the second commandment is on the basis of their believing that they can and will obtain all they need for life-support through the idol.

But they cannot believe that they will receive life through the idol and, at the same time, receive life from God, for, if they truly believed that God is the only source of life, then they would never have turned aside from Him to seek it from, and through, an idol. Therefore, the very fact that they do worship an idol is their declaration that they have no faith that God can care for them and that they have turned aside from seeking it from God to find it elsewhere.

What is the only possible outcome of such an action on their part? God is the only source of life. To turn aside from that life source and seek it where it does not exist, is to die. God will not kill such a person. Such kill themselves. There is no fault with God, for He plainly warned them that [81] they were not to place another god in His place. He is the only life-giver and life-sustainer.

To illustrate the point again, think of an aviator who has ascended to altitudes where the oxygen is too rare to support life so he has to plug his breathing apparatus into the outlet connected with the oxygen supply. He has received specific instructions as to which is the correct outlet, but he deliberately chooses to plug into another socket with no connection to the supply. What is going to happen to this foolish man? He will quickly die for want of the essential oxygen. He will die because he has failed to observe the law. His death will be the direct result of that, and not in any sense the act of God.

In precisely the same manner, the man who bows before an idol to seek life from this source has pronounced his own death sentence. He cannot live, for, by his own choice, he cuts himself off from the channel of life. There is no fault with God. He provided the channel for life and warned that if man should discard that and seek life through an idol or an image, he would find none there and death would overtake him.

Accordingly, the second commandment forbidding the worship of images and idols, is perfectly designed to save God's children from separating themselves from the source of life to thus bring upon themselves certain destruction.

To take God's name in vain is to call one's self a Christian or a child of God, a member of His family thus bearing His name, and yet at the same time to live out of harmony with the principles of the family. To do this is to separate from the family and the blessings which can only be obtained while in the family. Again this is but to bring death upon one's self.

The breaking of the fourth commandment likewise, is removing the protection God has provided to sustain life. This precept has to do with the great principle of respect for that which is another's. Its violation opens the door to every kind of trouble and sorrow. To understand this better let us turn to the second side of the decalogue and study the control of the powers which God has invested in man himself.

We will choose the command, "Thou shalt not steal." This is an excellent place to begin for the commands, "Thou shalt not kill," "Thou shalt not bear false witness," and "Thou shalt not commit adultery," are but extensions of this commandment. To kill is to steal the life of another from him, even though such theft does not give the thief the life thus stolen. The committal of adultery robs a person of his or her life partner and the bearing of false witness robs a person of his reputation and credibility.

Now we will see how violation of the command, "Thou shalt not steal opens upon man the floodgates of woe. Consider the perfect society wherein stealing has never previously been known. The dwellers in this society have perfect trust in each other and without fear they leave their homes open at all times. Locks and bars are neither needed nor known. [82]

Then there comes the day when one person steps out of the way and steals the property of someone else in the village. In the depths of the night the householder is awakened by the stealthy movements of an intruder, who, perceiving that his presence has been noted, flees, bearing a family treasure with him.

When the family realizes the extent of their loss and the way in which it was taken, they are surprised, numbed, horrified and fearful that if this can happen once it can happen again. The news swiftly spreads through the village and instantly a change comes over the whole place. The peace and happiness die beneath a cloud of suspicion and fear. No one knows who has done it so every one is suspect. Steps are soon taken to bar the openings and lock the doors so that protection may be obtained against a further visit from the thief.

In this, the innocent suffer with the guilty. A simple illustration from the travel world of today will serve to show this. There was a time before anyone thought of hijacking an aircraft. In those days the passengers simply walked aboard and took their places. It was convenient and pleasant.

But then came the new era and everything changed. The wrongdoers in this connection are few in number, yet virtually every passenger who seeks to board an aircraft is now suspect. He must, even though innocent, undergo a thorough searching both of his hand baggage and his person. He suffers inconvenience and delay and longs for the return of the days of trust and good will. He is suffering punishment for the sins of another. But the punishment is not something which is being meted out by God. It is the direct result of the crime.

Now let us return to our illustration of the village. Should more and more people follow the path of the lawbreaker and become thieves, then the problem will escalate into destructive proportions. Once the law has been cast aside and its protection removed, it is then only a matter of taking one step after another. The thief will not stop at taking merely property. He will take life and murder will worsen the situation. In order to defend themselves, the other thieves will resort to violence for self-protection. All this is precisely what has happened to bring the world to its present state of misery and woe.

As this is being written, Beirut in Lebanon is being torn to pieces with a murderous civil war, while in Northern Ireland, the Irish are slaying Irish with cold-blooded determination. What a fearfully unhappy situation in which to live. How far this is from the perfect plan God formulated for the well-being and happiness of man. Let it be emphasized that none of this woe and trouble comes upon man by any act of God, but by the natural outworking of the law's being broken. God designed and gave the law as a perfect protection from all this, but man has chosen of his own free will to cast aside that protection. Before us, we see the result. It is only because the Lord is still able to exercise some restraint over mankind that man survives [83] at all. Should the law be totally cast aside and anarchy reign, the extermination of the race by its own hands would be the swift result.

We will not spend a lot of space considering this important fact for it is not necessary. It is self-evident that the breaking of the law governing man's relationship to man brings its own terrible results upon the world. Consider the situation as it would be today if every man and woman never stole, never lied, never killed, and in fact, kept all the ten commandments. What a wonderfully happy and secure place the world would be, not because God had arbitrarily made it so, but because that is the way keeping the law would make it. This does not mean that God's presence is unnecessary for such happiness. It is necessary for it is by His power that the law is kept. He is the fountain of all life and without Him there is no life.

Consider what the world would be like and how long mankind would survive if all law was done away with and every person was a thief, a murderer, an adulterer, a liar, and so on. It is impossible to think of a worse situation. Every man, so long as he managed to survive, would live in a state of perpetual terror. There would be no stability and no security.

As this grim, totally undesirable picture develops before the mind, ponder and see that the terrible conditions would not in any sense be the inflictions of God, but the result of removing the protection afforded by law. Here is the revelation of the cause and effect, and no charge can be laid to God for any of it.

The final consideration to be made in this study of the outworking of violated law, is man's relation to himself. The human body is a wonderfully designed and constructed mechanism. David, as he came to realize this, praised God in these words. "I will praise Thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvellous are Thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well." Psalm 139:14.

With David, we should have a rich appreciation of God's blessings in giving us a body and mind of such efficiency. Even after almost six thousand years of sin's degradation, there is still mighty and wonderful power remaining. Such being so, what must it have been like in the beginning when the electrical energy in Adam's brain was twenty times as great as it is now?

"God endowed man with so great vital force that he has withstood the accumulation of disease brought upon the race in consequence of perverted habits, and has continued for six thousand years. This fact of itself is enough to evidence to us the strength and electrical energy that God gave to man at his creation. It took more than two thousand years of crime and indulgence of base passions to bring bodily disease upon the race to any great extent. If Adam, at his creation, had not been endowed with twenty times as much vital force as men now have, the race, with their present habits of living in violation of natural law, would have become extinct." Testimonies for the Church, 3:138, 139. [84]

It is impossible for a body to be made with such power and efficiency without being a finely balanced piece of complexity requiring obedience to law to keep it in perfect condition.

The laws which govern the care of this mechanism are referred to above as being natural laws and they are, but this does not mean that there is nothing in the moral law to cover this situation. He who abuses his body, thus lowering its efficiency, is robbing both God and others of the service which he would render had he the full powers of mind and body. Consider the enormous loss to the community through absenteeism from work because of sickness occasioned by careless disregard of the most simple laws of health.

More than this, the one who does not observe the laws of health and strength is destroying himself thereby breaking the commandment, "Thou shalt not kill." Therefore, while the care of the body mechanism is conformity to natural law, the breaking of those laws is also breaking the moral law.

Much study could be devoted to the relation of health and longevity to obedience to natural and moral law. Such a study would be both interesting and profitable, but we desire only to make the point that it is not God, but disobedience to those laws which brings upon the disobedient, whether wittingly or unwittingly so, a sure retribution.

It is convincingly self-evident that the man who, for instance, smokes tobacco products and drinks alcohol, steadily reduces his physical capacities and brings upon himself destructive diseases.

So clear is this evidence that even people who have long disregarded the moral law, recognize the direct connection between prolonged cigarette smoking and the incidence of lung cancer and early heart failures. More than ever, men can see that to pursue a certain course of unhealthful living will certainly bring a harvest of suffering and untimely death.

It is not God who afflicts poor sufferers with these diseases. They are the unpreventable result of the sin itself. God cannot and will not, in justice, work a miracle to counteract these evil effects, but because of this He is not to be named as the One Who has deliberately sent these punishments upon the people. He has done all that He can to save them from such troubles. In the first place He gave man the best body mechanism it was possible to give. Then, recognizing that man could not get the best out of this gift except by giving it proper care, the Lord gave him laws to protect it from the effects of wrong living. Also, God gave man the freedom to choose whether he would cherish and care for the gift, or treat it with disdain and destroy it.

So whatever suffering should then come upon man is not the responsibility or work of God. It is the direct effect of man's works. He has only himself to blame. No charge can ever be laid to God's account for this.

Such then is the nature of God's law. It is a marvellously perfect provision by Him to meet our need, not His. He has not formulated it to assert [85] His authority or as an instrument whereby He is given the right to punish those who do not obey Him.

The sinner's breaking of the law is his own act whereby he removes the divinely provided protection from death and destruction. Not only is it against God's principles to exercise force to compel or punish people into obeying Him, but He does not need to, for the removal of sin is guaranteed by the mere fact that it is, in its own nature, a way of death and destruction. There is only one life path and that is the one God has mapped out for His people.

This is true of our relation to God, in our relation to our fellow men and in relation to ourselves. When the nature of the law as it really is, is truly understood, then our obedience to it will be far more willing and successful.

Likewise, when the character and ways of God are genuinely comprehended and appreciated, something of the infinite love and kindness of God the eternal Father, will be perceived, generating sincere praise and gratitude for His love and wisdom. Then it will be known that God did not compose that law as the symbol of His authority, imposing it upon us as the obligation of service to Him, the medium whereby He could exact our service and homage. It will be realized that the law was made for the children of God, that perfect obedience to it was the complete saviour from death and destruction. The truth will be intelligently grasped that when Adam and Eve cast aside that saviour, then Christ gave Himself to be the Saviour to bring back the lost and perishing to the safe side of the law.

It will then be recognized that when men cast aside firstly the law and then Christ as their saviours, they will have exhausted all that heaven has and can do to save them. Beyond that limit, God can go no further, for that is the totality of His resources. This leaves Him with no choice but to grant to each apostate the total separation with its attendant annihilation which he has chosen. It will then be discerned with wonder and admiration that the only role filled by God is that of a Saviour so that men perish, not because He has reached out to destroy them, but because they have refused His saving efforts.

In summary then it is right to say that the law of God is the transcript of His character. God's righteousness and the righteousness of the law are identical so that God's behaviour is expressed in the precepts of that law. Therefore, His behaviour is not something to which He has reined Himself as a strict discipline contrary to His nature. It is the natural expression of the tenets of the decalogue.

Because this is the only kind of obedience in which He is interested, He made man in His own image "both in outward resemblance and in character." Patriarchs and Prophets, 45. He writes that same law on our hearts so that it is also the transcript of our characters and we can and do obey the law as He obeys it—a natural outworking of our inner natures. [86]

Thus we are able to give the only kind of obedience the Lord can accept—an obedience that is based upon a personal "conviction of His justice and benevolence." The Great Controversy, 498.

Because the Lord can accept only a willing obedience given because of our love for Him, He will never use force to secure our allegiance, but, in perfect consistency with these principles, gives to all the "full liberty to yield or to withhold obedience." Patriarchs and Prophets, 48.

As surely as He gives full liberty to withhold obedience, He can never punish any one of His creatures for exercising the liberty which He Himself has given.

This means then, that the punishments which do come as a result of turning from God's way are the fruit or result of our own course of action, not the administration of such things by the hand of God.

This is better understood when it is seen that God's law is designed by Him to be a protection from the effects of powers which otherwise have ceased to be under proper control. Sin and sinners will be destroyed, but it will be the effect of their own course of action, not the outpouring of destruction by the hand of God.

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End Chapter 8 Behold Your God