The
Perils and Privileges of the Last Days
Part 2
(Conclusion)
“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).
“By whom we have
received grace and apostleship,
for obedience to the faith among all nations, for his name.”
Romans 1:5.
Review and Herald Articles
E.G.
White
November
29, 1892
The Perils and Privileges
of the Last Days
Part 2 (Concluded.)
The
truth is efficient, and through obedience its power changes the mind into the
image of Jesus. It is the truth as it is in
Jesus that quickens the conscience and transforms the mind; for it is
accompanied to the heart by the holy Spirit. There are many, who, lacking
spiritual discernment, take the bare letter of the word, and find that unaccompanied by the Spirit of God, it quickens not the soul, it sanctifies not the heart. One may be able to quote from
the Old and the New Testament, may be familiar with the commands and promises
of the word of God; but unless the holy Spirit sends the truth home to the heart, enlightening
the mind with divine light, no soul falls upon the Rock and is broken; for it
is the divine agency that connects the soul with God. Without the enlightenment of
the Spirit of God, we shall not be able to discern truth from error, and shall
fall under the masterful temptations and deceptions that Satan will bring upon
the world. We are near the close of the controversy between the Prince of light
and the prince of darkness, and soon the delusions of the enemy will try our
faith, of what sort it is. Satan will work miracles in the sight of the beast,
and deceive “them that dwell on the earth by the means of those miracles which
he had power to do in the sight of the beast.”
{RH November 29, 1892, par. 1}
But
though the prince of darkness will work to cover the earth with darkness, and
with gross darkness the people, the Lord will manifest his converting power. A work is to be accomplished in
the earth similar to that which took
place at the outpouring of the holy Spirit in the days
of the early disciples, when they preached Jesus and him crucified. Many will be converted in a
day; for the message will go with power. It can then be said: “Our gospel came not unto you in word only, but also in power,
and in the Holy Ghost.” It is the holy Spirit that draws men
to Christ; for he takes of the things of God, and shows them unto the sinner.
Jesus said: “He shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine, and shall show
it unto you.” {RH November 29,
1892, par. 2}
The
work of the holy Spirit is immeasurably great. It is
from this source that power and efficiency come to the worker for God; and the holy Spirit is the comforter,
as the personal presence of Christ to the soul. He who looks to Christ in simple,
childlike faith, is made a partaker of the divine nature through the agency of
the holy Spirit.
When led by the Spirit of God, the Christian may know that he is made complete
in him who is the head of all things. As Christ was glorified on the day of Pentecost, so will he again be glorified in the closing work
of the gospel, when he shall prepare a people to stand the final test, in the
closing conflict of the great controversy. The prophet describes the enemy’s plan of battle saying: {RH November 29, 1892, par. 3}
“I
beheld another beast coming up out of the earth; and he had two horns like a
lamb, but he spake as a dragon. And he exerciseth all
the power of the first beast before him, and causeth the earth and them that
dwell therein to worship the first beast, whose deadly
wound was healed. And he doeth great wonders, so that he maketh fire come down from
heaven on the earth in the sight of men, and deceiveth them that dwell
on the earth by the means of those miracles which he had power to do in the
sight of the beast; saying to them that dwell on the earth, that they should
make an image to the beast, which had the wound by the sword, and did live. And
he had power to give life unto the image of the beast, that
the image of the beast should both speak, and cause that as many as would not worship the image of
the beast should be killed.” “These
shall make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb shall overcome them; for he is Lord
of lords and King of kings; and they that are with him are called, and chosen,
and faithful.”
“And after these things I saw another angel come down from heaven, having great
power; and the earth was lightened with his glory. And he cried mightily with a
strong voice, saying, Babylon
the great is fallen, is fallen, and is become the habitation of devils, and the
hold of every foul spirit, and the cage of every unclean and hateful bird.... And I heard another voice from
heaven saying, Come
out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of
her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues. For her sins have reached
unto heaven, and God hath remembered her iniquities.” {RH November 29, 1892, par. 4}
The
people of God are to be called out from their association with worldlings and evil-doers, to stand in the battle for
the Lord against the powers of darkness. When the earth is lightened with the glory
of God, we shall see a work similar to that which was wrought when the
disciples, filled with the holy Spirit, proclaimed the
power of a risen Saviour. The light of heaven penetrated the darkened minds of
those who had been deceived by the enemies of Christ, and the false
representation of him was rejected; for through the efficiency of the holy Spirit they now saw him exalted to be a prince and
Saviour, to give repentance unto Israel, and remission of sins. They saw him encircled with the
glory of heaven, with infinite treasures in his hands to bestow upon those who
turn from their rebellion. As the apostles set forth the glory of the only begotten of the
Father, 3,000 souls were pricked to the heart, and they were made to see
themselves as they were, sinful and polluted, and Christ as their Saviour and
Redeemer. Christ
was lifted up, Christ was glorified, through the power
of the holy Spirit resting upon men. By the eye of faith these believers saw him as the one
who had borne humiliation, suffering, and death, that they might not perish,
but have everlasting life. As they looked upon his spotless righteousness, they
saw their own deformity and pollution, and were filled with godly fear, with
love and adoration for Him who gave his life a sacrifice for them. They humbled their souls to the
very dust, and repented of their wicked works, and glorified God for his
salvation. {RH November 29, 1892, par. 5}
They
said one to another, “This is the very one who was accused of gluttony, of
eating with publicans and sinners; the one who was bound, and scourged, and
crucified. We believe in him as the Son of God, the prince and Saviour.” The
revelation of Christ by the holy Spirit brought to
them a realizing sense of his power and majesty, and they stretched forth their
hands unto him by faith, saying, “I believe.” Thus it was in the time of the
early rain; but the latter rain will be
more abundant.
The Saviour of men will be glorified, and the earth will be lightened with the bright shining of
the beams of his righteousness. He
is the fountain of light, and light from the gates ajar has been shining upon
the people of God, that they may lift him up in his glorious character before
those who sit in darkness. {RH November 29, 1892,
par. 6}
Christ
has not been presented in connection with the law as a faithful and merciful
High Priest, who was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin. He
has not been lifted up before the sinner as the divine sacrifice. His work as sacrifice, substitute, and surety, has been only
coldly and casually dwelt upon; but this is what the sinner needs to know. It is Christ in his fullness as a sin-pardoning Saviour,
that the sinner must see; for the unparalleled love of Christ, through the
agency of the holy Spirit, will bring conviction and
conversion to the hardened heart. It is the divine influence that is the savor of the salt in the
Christian. Many present the doctrines and theories of our faith; but their
presentation is as salt without savor; for the holy Spirit is not working through their faithless ministry. They have not opened the heart to receive the grace of Christ; they know
not the operation of the Spirit; they are as meal without leaven; for there is
no working principle in all their labor, and they fail
to win souls to Christ. They do not appropriate the righteousness of Christ; it
is a robe unworn by them, a fullness unknown, a
fountain untouched. {RH November 29, 1892, par. 7}
Note
by Ron: The grace of Christ is His Holy Spirit power, Rom. 1:5 and the
following statement:
“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.
“By whom we have
received grace and apostleship, for
obedience to the faith among all nations, for his name.” Romans 1:5.
“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).
Mainstream
Christianity interprets grace as being only pardon, but it is also the POWER of
the Holy Spirit, given for obedience and apostleship as well. We may partake of
His grace, HIS HOLY SPIRIT, HIS DIVINE NATURE, for empowerment for obedience
and apostleship. End note.
O
that the atoning work of Christ might be carefully
studied! O that all would carefully and prayerfully study the word of God, not to qualify themselves for debating controverted points of
doctrine; but that as hungry souls they might be filled, as those that thirst,
be refreshed at the fountain of life. It is when we search the Scriptures with humble hearts,
feeling our weakness and unworthiness, that Jesus is revealed to our souls in
all his preciousness. When
we become partakers of the divine nature, we shall look with abhorrence upon
all our exaltation of self, and that which we have cherished as wisdom, will
seem as dross and rubbish. Those
who have educated themselves as debaters, who have looked upon themselves as
sharp, keen men, will view their work with sorrow and shame, and know that
their offering has been as valueless as was Cain’s; for it has been destitute
of the righteousness of Christ. {RH November 29, 1892,
par. 8}
O
that we as a people might humble our hearts before God, and plead with him for
the endowment of the holy Spirit! If we came to the
Lord in humility and contrition of soul, he would answer our petitions; for he
says that he is more willing to give us the holy
Spirit than are parents to give good gifts to their children. Then would Christ
be glorified, and in him we should discern the fullness of the Godhead bodily. For Christ
has said of the Comforter, “He shall glorify me; for he shall receive of mine,
and shall show it unto you.” This is the thing most essential to us. For
“this is life eternal, that they might know thee, the
only true God, and Jesus Christ whom thou hast sent.” {RH November 29, 1892, par. 9}
Note
by Ron:
“As
Moses saw the day of Christ, and the new and living way of salvation that was
to be opened through His blood, he was captivated and entranced. The praise of
God was in his heart, and the divine glory that attended the giving of the law
was so strikingly revealed in his countenance when he came down from the mount
to walk with Israel, that the brightness was painful. Because of their
transgressions, the people were unable to look upon his face, and he wore a
veil that he might not terrify them....”
{1BC 1110.2}
“Had
the Israelites discerned the gospel light that was opened to Moses, had they
been able by faith to look steadfastly to the end of that which was abolished,
they could have endured the light which was reflected from the countenance of
Moses. “But their minds were blinded; for until this day remaineth
the same veil untaken away in the reading of the Old Testament; which veil is
done away in Christ.” The
Jews as a people did not discern that the Messiah whom they rejected, was the Angel who guided their fathers in
their travels in the wilderness. To this day the veil is upon their hearts, and its
darkness hides from them the good news of salvation through the merits of a
crucified Redeemer (The Signs of the
Times, August 25, 1887). {1BC
1110.3}
“The
branches of the vine cannot blend into each other; they are individually
separate; yet every branch must be in fellowship with every other if they are
united in the same parent stock. They all draw nourishment from the same
source; they drink in the same life-giving properties. So each branch of the
True Vine is separate and distinct, yet all are bound together in the parent
stock. There can be no division. They are all linked together by his will to
bear fruit wherever they can find place and opportunity. But in order to do
this, the worker must hide self. He must not give expression to his own mind
and will. He is to express the mind and will of Christ. The human family are
dependent upon God for life and breath and sustenance. God has designed the web,
and all are individual threads to compose the pattern. The Creator is one, and
he reveals himself as the great Reservoir of all that is essential for each
separate life.” {RH November 9, 1897, par. 14}
“Christian
unity consists in the branches being in the same parent stock, the vitalizing
power of the center supporting the grafts that have united to the Vine. In
thoughts and desires, in words and actions, there must be an identity with
Christ, a constant partaking of his spiritual life. Faith must increase by
exercise. All who live near to God will have a realization of what Jesus is to
them and they to Jesus. As communion with God is
making its impress upon the soul, and shining out in the
countenance as an illuminating light, the steadfast principles of Christ’s holy
character will be reflected in humanity.” {RH November 9, 1897, par. 15}
God’s
Word says in Isaiah 62 that the righteousness of Zion, the bride (verses 1-5 in
context), will go forth as brightness and that the Gentiles shall see Zion’s
righteousness
“For Zion's sake will I not hold my peace, and for
Jerusalem's sake I will not rest, until the righteousness thereof go forth as brightness, and the salvation thereof as a lamp
that burneth.
And the Gentiles shall see thy righteousness, and all
kings thy glory: and thou shalt be called by a new name, which the mouth of the
Lord shall name.” Isaiah 62:1-1.
Is it possible that this brightness is the true aura of
Christ’s righteousness indwelling the bride, and that she will exhibit a
visible “shining out in the countenance as an illuminating light,
the steadfast principles of Christ’s holy character will be reflected in humanity,”similar to the light that shone from Moses when
he descended from Mt. Sinai with the Ten Commandment Law of God?
Ellen White says that some of the 144,000 will be taken prisoner and will be
released by the shaking of the final great earthquake that shakes the whole
earth. Why do you suppose that these imprisoned of the bride are not killed? Is
it because Satan’s agents are afraid to kill them because of the radiance of
the light of Christ’s righteousness they emit from their countenance, lest they
(Satan’s agents) themselves be killed? Is this one of the deeper meanings of Revelation
11:5?
Revelation 11:5
“And if any man will hurt them, fire proceedeth out of
their mouth, and devoureth their enemies: and if any man will hurt them, he
must in this manner be killed.”
I think of a True Reformer woman in Russia who, while
imprisoned in Siberia, was subjected to huge doses of mind controlling drugs.
The drugs had no effect, so the officials administering them became afraid and
quit giving them to her. Will it be impossible to kill the bride because of her
righteousness, even though some of her number are
imprisoned at the end-time? Is that why they are imprisoned instead of being
killed?
End note by rwb