TruthInvestigate

“Oh, the unspeakable greatness of that exchange,—the Sinless One is condemned, and he who is guilty goes free; the Blessing bears the curse, and the cursed is brought into blessing; the Life dies, and the dead live; the Glory is whelmed in darkness, and he who knew nothing but confusion of face is clothed with glory.”

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Location: Kingsland, Georgia, United States

A person God turned around many times.

Sunday, October 26, 2008

A Comment on an article of God’s Kingdom Community

internet address(http://gkcadvent.ning.com/forum/topic/show?id=2068044%3ATopic%3A20338&xgs=1)

This is certainly a relevant issue. As we look back in Bible history from pre-Babylonian to post-Babylonian Israel, we see two kinds of religion, both loathing to God. The former, Baal worship, was rough-hewn, barbaric, with human sacrifices and openly sexually related aspects to it. This became impossible to escape from without the power from above.

Later, under the influence of the resurrecting Babylonian religion, it was the lure of the refined, mysterious qualities of the complex religion of the Chaldees that drew the Jews into it. Then, it was after coming out of Babylon and being directly exposed to the mother of all insinuating and mysterious false religions, following the Ezra/Nehemiah revival, that the Jews fell away again. Since Satan was moving the whole world in the direction of unification and centralization of power during the four world empires, the new religion to fear was a more sophisticated one, a philisophical religion.

Israel had departed from the truth on the more basic issues: resting in God by faith as manifested in true Sabbathkeeping, remembering the revival and keeping it alive instead of falling into apathy with regard to Sanballot and Tobiah, etc. This made them open targets for the tempter to eventually introduce Babylon’s new and improved philosophical ideas to the Jews. Thus Judaism was born. Judaism is a mixture of Hebrew religion and pagan philosophy, attaching human reasoning to the divine rationale of God’s pure righteousness. It fed humanism into the ancient truth, complicated and equivocating reasoning into simple obedience to the Ten Commandments. It looked moral and sounded like the old religion given to Moses, but was deviously far removed.

Here we are today, the modern Israel of God. We also have been through our more openly destitute period prior to 1888, when it didn’t seem like we could do anything right, according to the Testimonies! Yet, those testimonies, full of fiery admonition, came from a mother of Israel who dearly loved her erring children. And Christ, in the Most Holy Place, was the motivation for her love and her loving reproofs. Yet, in spite of all of the SDA waywardness, it was not termed the “alpha of apostasy.”

1888, it seems, changed the scene. New light, having come from the throne, must now have competition with new error. A philosophical form of the rustic doctrinal errors from the Dark Ages began to make its way into Adventist theology along with the new light of Righteousness by Faith by Jesus. Anything and everything must distract us from the tool needed to get the world ready for Jesus to come and to end the great controversy. That tool was the third angel’s message in verity, RBFBJ.

Today, we see the apostasy in full motion and gaining momentum. Desiring to re-invent the Adventist wheel, they are doing just what we were warned of:

Has not the same process been repeated in nearly every church calling itself Protestant? As the founders, those who possessed the true spirit of reform, pass away, their descendants come forward and “new-model the cause.” GC p. 385.

While the adherents of the new remodeling of Adventism celebrate their new freedoms under the “gospel,” they disinherit themselves of the wonderful heritage of the faith that was once delivered to the saints.

The Law, the Testimonies, every book of the Spirit of Prophecy, which break our pride and make us able to come to Jesus with a full acceptance of our need for grace, have been denied their place by the new generation of theologians. Therefore, without the Law to make the whole world stand guilty and speechless ( Rom. 3:19), the new re-inventers of the Reformation wheel have nothing to bring them to Christ to be justified by faith (Gal. 3:24). The inventers have only their own human reasoning, a proud human motivation for God’s acceptance. And every doctor knows that he can never diagnose his own problem honestly. Neither can a sinner convict himself of the depth of his sin. He will always flatter himself and never really get to the sin; after all, that is what sin is about, the preservation of self. Self can never crucify self; it takes an outside entity.

We need to go back to the old paths, where is the good way. Not back to the early Advent movement days, any more than the Jews should have used the period of the judges or prophets and kings as a pattern. They should have used Abraham, Moses, and David as models; and likewise, we should go all the way back to the earliest apostolic church days as described in Acts 2:41-47;4:31-37 when Righteousness by Faith by Jesus was the main stay. Then we will be ready to receive the Latter Rain on the tail of our own Early Rain experience. And Jesus, in the Most Holy Place, will make it happen—with our cooperation.

Wednesday, October 22, 2008

Saving self, the ultimate in self-serving

“Say ye not, A confederacy, to all them to whom this people shall say, A confederacy; neither fear ye their fear, nor be afraid. Sanctify the Lord of hosts Himself; and let Him be your fear, and let Him be your dread. And He shall be for a sanctuary; but for a stone of stumbling and for a rock of offence to both the houses of Israel, for a gin and for a snare to the inhabitants of Jerusalem. And many among them shall stumble, and fall, and be broken, and be snared, and be taken.” (Is. 8:12-15).

“For thus saith the Lord God, the Holy One of Israel; In returning and rest shall ye be saved; in quietness and in confidence shall be your strength: and ye would not. But ye said, No; for we will flee upon horses; therefore shall ye flee: and, We will ride upon the swift; therefore shall they that pursue you be swift. One thousand shall flee at the rebuke of one; at the rebuke of five shall ye flee: till ye be left as a beacon upon the top of a mountain, and as an ensign on an hill.” (Is. 30:15-17).

“Now all these things happened unto them for examples: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come.” (1Cor. 10:11).

“Enquire, I pray thee, of the Lord for us; for Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon maketh war against us; if so be that the Lord will deal with us according to all His wondrous works, that He may go up from us. Then said Jeremiah unto them, Thus shall ye say to Zedekiah: Thus saith the Lord God of Israel; Behold, I will turn back the weapons of war that are in your hands, wherewith ye fight against the king of Babylon, and against the Chaldeans, which besiege you without the walls, and I will assemble them into the midst of this city. And I Myself will fight against you with an outstretched hand and with a strong arm, even in anger, and in fury, and in great wrath. And I will smite the inhabitants of this city, both man and beast: they shall die of a great pestilence. And afterward, saith the Lord , I will deliver Zedekiah king of Judah, and his servants, and the people, and such as are left in this city from the pestilence, from the sword, and from the famine, into the hand of Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon, and into the hand of their enemies, and into the hand of those that seek their life: and he shall smite them with the edge of the sword; he shall not spare them, neither have pity, nor have mercy. And unto this people thou shalt say, Thus saith the Lord ; Behold, I set before you the way of life, and the way of death. He that abideth in this city shall die by the sword, and by the famine, and by the pestilence: but he that goeth out, and falleth to the Chaldeans that besiege you, he shall live, and his life shall be unto him for a prey. For I have set My face against this city for evil, and not for good, saith the Lord: it shall be given into the hand of the king of Babylon, and he shall burn it with fire.” (Jer. 21:2-10).

“I have made the earth, the man and the beast that are upon the ground, by My great power and by My outstretched arm, and have given it unto whom it seemed meet unto Me. And now have I given all these lands into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon, My servant; and the beasts of the field have I given him also to serve him. And all nations shall serve him, and his son, and his son's son, until the very time of his land come: and then many nations and great kings shall serve themselves of him. And it shall come to pass, that the nation and kingdom which will not serve the same Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon, and that will not put their neck under the yoke of the king of Babylon, that nation will I punish, saith the Lord , with the sword, and with the famine, and with the pestilence, until I have consumed them by his hand. Therefore hearken not ye to your prophets, nor to your diviners, nor to your dreamers, nor to your enchanters, nor to your sorcerers, which speak unto you, saying, Ye shall not serve the king of Babylon: For they prophesy a lie unto you, to remove you far from your land; and that I should drive you out, and ye should perish. But the nations that bring their neck under the yoke of the king of Babylon, and serve him, those will I let remain still in their own land, saith the Lord ; and they shall till it, and dwell therein.” (Jer. 27:5-11).

“For thus saith the Lord God, the Holy One of Israel; In returning and rest shall ye be saved; in quietness and in confidence shall be your strength: and ye would not.” (Is. 30:15).

I am hearing more and more unrest from a certain Adventist sector. They see trouble on the horizon—the big “time of trouble.” And what is their response? Save myself. Save myself? What does that mean? It means to take measures to protect my monetary assets, my stuff, my food, my life. It means to protect myself, to save myself. But he that saves his life will lose it.

From the beginning of sin, saving self has been man’s inherited lot. Naked but fearful Adam and Eve in the garden immediately sought to escape death by making clothes and then acting like nothing had gone wrong. They were still naked to Jesus and so was their scheme. He saw right through it.

Their denial of responsibility, no doubt angrily accusing each other and the serpent long before the Son of God arrived, was simply a symptom of the fear of rejection and sure eternal punishment that they had been forewarned of. Were it not for His instituting the bloody sacrifice to bring them back to sorrow for sin, one of the two would have quickly murdered the other as anger turned to hatred and revenge, and the murderer would have committed suicide.

All because of saving self. And it was with the act of saving self that the serpent tempted the woman. “Think of how much better you would be, how much smarter you would be without God. You can be your own God. You can call the shots for yourself. Think of how much better your life would be if you could choose what you deemed best for you.” Saving self. She was saving herself because she was no longer needing to trust in her Maker to choose correctly for her best interests. She was protecting herself against liability in God, that He might make a mistake in how He commanded her to order her life. She was going it alone without God. She was saving herself and being God.

The animal sacrifice was what jarred them back to reality; it violently shook them out of their self-salvation. Nothing else but a rude shaking of conviction and mercy could have brought them back to the truth again except to see with their own eyes what death would have meant, but without having to die. Grace extended toward them, revealing infinite love which they had forgotten, brought their proud demigod hearts down to the dust again.

The sacrifice of Christ, revealing the suffering of God, is the only thing that will stop us in our tracks as we attempt to be God of our lives. Nothing is more efficient in humbling us into the dust and bringing us back to childlike trust and love and wisdom. The school of Christ is a cross-bearing school. It is all about His work to save me; it is about Him saving us and Him alone making us into something good, and not we ourselves.

Until we learn this lesson, we will be miserable and lonely for the Eden experience. Why are so many people miserable today, the world round? Because they are loaded down with the burden of trying to be God. It has been many years since they were a child, depending perfectly on Mommy and Daddy. So many years that they have lost the memory of it and don’t know that they need to go back there, and to stay there—this time with their Creator as the parent.

If they only knew that they could approach their Maker as a little child, and that a little child is the only way to approach Him, what a difference it would make in them! They would have some good news to give to the world! No more saving self! No more having to be God!

In every crisis, they would turn to Jesus, their pattern of childlike faith, like the flower turns to the sun. Come the time of trouble and tribulation before Jesus returns, they would enter it all in full faith, nothing wavering. They might not look forward to the physical pain and suffering, but they would have settled confidence that Jesus would see them through and that He would not allow anything that is not for their best interest, their eternal reward with Him.

Would they run and hide before the trouble came? No. All self-saving gone, they would be the first to be willing to give up their lives if that is what it takes. They would see the world still un-evangelized and ignorant of the knowledge that anyone and everyone can come to God as a little child, as a “tender plant” like Jesus. They would stay with the people who are under the curse of God and labor to reclaim them. They have found it to be so true as Jesus tendered, that he who loses his life finds it.

He saved others; Himself He cannot save.(Mat. 27:42).

“Whosoever will come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. For whosoever will save his life shall lose it; but whosoever shall lose his life for My sake and the gospel's, the same shall save it. For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?” (Mk. 8:34-36).

Sunday, October 19, 2008

He that hath the Son hath life

“Who hath believed our report? and to whom is the arm of the Lord revealed? He shall grow up before Him as a tender plant.” (Is. 53:1,2).

“Mercy and truth are met together; righteousness and peace have kissed each other.” (Ps. 85:10).

Satan is a warrior, a mighty general ahead of a ravenous army. “And they had breastplates, as it were breastplates of iron; and the sound of their wings was as the sound of chariots of many horses running to battle. And they had tails like unto scorpions, and there were stings in their tails: and their power was to hurt men …. And they had a king over them, which is the angel of the bottomless pit,” “a man of war from his youth.” (Rev. 9:9-11;1Sam 17:33).

In contrast, the Son of God was a tender plant. Like young David who was a man after God’s own heart, and whom Abner called a “stripling,” (1Sam. 17:56) Michael, the Son, has ever hidden His glory under creation’s garb and taken the lowest place in the lowest form of intelligent life wherever He went. “He hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see Him, there is no beauty that we should desire Him.” (Is. 53:2).

From the earliest reckoning, the angel hosts knew Him in angelic form. Subservience had ever been His position with His Father, the Ancient of Days. This had brought the greatest joy to heaven; and it had brought the greatest joy to the Son Himself. Thus He revealed the true character of the great King, which was cloaked in mysterious silence. The Son of God had been the outworking, by living object lesson, the revelation of the deepest, most private and intimate thoughts of Him whose name was Reverend, whose thoughts were only of peace, to give all creation hope throughout eternity.

Like the intense valence bond in the nucleus of the hydrogen atom, which when split apart releases tremendous force, the exceedingly tenderest and most affectionate ties tightly bound Father to Son. “And there was the hiding of His power.” (Hab 3:4). The atmosphere of infinite love washed all heaven in gentleness and self-negation. Self-exaltation and self-service could never appear in the presence of such an example of giving and care in the Godhead.

In divine council, Both were in perfect agreement of the subservient position of the Son. Thus, when Earth became Satan’s territory, the Son willingly stepped down a little lower to be made in the likeness of man. A mortal body “hast Thou prepared Me.” (Heb. 10:5).

“But [He] made Himself of no reputation, and took upon Him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men.” (Phil. 2:7). “For verily He took not on Him the nature of angels; but He took on Him the seed of Abraham.” (Heb. 2:16). It infinitely contented Him to accept the inglorious “flesh of men,” a “terrestrial” “natural body,” a body “sown in corruption… sown in dishonour… sown in weakness…earthy”. (1Cor. 15:39,40,44,42,43,48).

And in our weakened flesh, He laid claim to that same unchanged eternal relationship that He had had from everlasting, that of a humble toddler looking up to His Father. “My Father is greater than I.” (Jn. 14:28). “And He said unto him, Why callest thou Me good? there is none good but one, that is, God.” (Matt 19:17). “My God, My God, why hast Thou forsaken Me?” (Matt. 27:46).

Listen to His conversation with His beloved Father. Do you hear anything but loving reverence? “These words spake Jesus, and lifted up His eyes to heaven, and said, Father, the hour is come; glorify Thy Son, that Thy Son also may glorify Thee: as Thou hast given Him power over all flesh, that He should give eternal life to as many as Thou hast given Him. And this is life eternal, that they might know Thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom Thou hast sent.” (Jn. 17:1-3).

His innate, childlike love for His Father reconciled the loyal angelic army to our fallen world. His depth of love for this rebel and morally worthless human race was as a child’s response to the infinite love only He, as the divine Son, could perceive in His Father, a natural outgrowth as Heir and of knowing the great King. The loyal angels were ready to defend the holy Creator against all the dishonor that Adams’ race had slung at Him. And they have, ever since, been prepared to bring devastation upon this planet after witnessing our bankrupt moral worth.

They said, “Cut it down; why cumbereth it the ground?” But their Lord said, “Let it alone this year also, till I shall dig about it, and dung it: and if it bear fruit, well: and if not, then after that thou shalt cut it down.” (Lk. 13:7-9). They were anxious to blot this place from their memories, but He said, “As the new wine is found in the cluster, and one saith, Destroy it not; for a blessing is in it: so will I do for My servants' sakes, that I may not destroy them all.” (Is 65:8).

And now, because of His incarnation, “With a deeper and more tender interest the holy beings from the world of light are drawn to the earth.” Desire of Ages, p. 47. “For He is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us.” (Eph 2:13,14). Now, it is Jesus our Lord, by whom alone “the whole family in heaven and earth is named.” (Eph 3:15).

His infinitely tender love for His Father was the hiding of His power over Satan. In His impenetrable connection with His great God was His victory over the destroyer. No unfallen angel could have passed the tests the evil one so surrounded the Son in His human form. As a 2-year-old looking up to its daddy, so Christ looked up to His Father. That same focus of attention and love, that same surrender and perfect trust, that same pride and endearment imbued the Anointed One—and even now does as He intercedes for us in the Most Holy Place beside His Father.

Can we, too, have that powerful faith of a 2-year-old toward the Father and Son? A resounding “Yes!,” comes back from the Most Holy Place in heaven, “that is the only victory over sin.” A most holy experience awaits those 144,000 before Jesus comes—a toddler’s confidence in Jesus, following the Lamb withersoever He goeth. An army of a 2-year-old's love and trust will comprise the innumerable children of God’s Israel.

Friday, October 10, 2008

"Desire...that ye may prophesy." (1Cor. 14:1)

“And Moses said unto him, Enviest thou for my sake? would God that all the Lord’s people were prophets, and that the Lord would put His Spirit upon them!” (Num 11:29).

When Moses had learned all the lessons he needed to learn, and “stumbled” onto the burning bush, God made something of him that set him apart. He put His Spirit upon him. From then on, so long as Moses remained in communion with Jesus, he could be assured that his words would be divinely inspired and safe to be given to the people of God.

“The law of the Lord God of Israel,” (2Ki. 10:31) became known as “the law of Moses.” (Ezra 7:6). The principles Moses promoted came by revelation; yet he expressed them as his own thoughts. He had so internalized God’s character that only the varied aspects of truth came from his mouth.

Paul, likewise, had so crowded himself into Jesus’ presence, that much of Jesus rubbed off on him. Paul breathed the spirit of Jesus. Thus, he would refer to the gospel as “my gospel.” (Rom. 2:16;16:25).

I first read that at a prayer meeting, and one of the ladies there took offense to it, as if Paul had invented the gospel or was taking the glory for it. But Paul didn’t mean it that way. It wasn’t about him; rather, Paul had taken ownership of the good news and full responsibility for its spread around the known world. So much of his life’s experiences were bound up in the gospel. It had become a part of him. “My gospel.” If only all the people of God would take such ownership!

Similarly, David, when speaking of “the Lord,” called Jesus “my Lord.” (Ps. 110:1). He had taken possession of the Lord Jesus in his heart. You better not take Jesus away from David! Jesus belonged to David! David clung to “the Lord his God.” (1Sam. 30:6). Mary Magdalene mourned over the same thing. “They have taken away my Lord, and I know not where they have laid Him.” (Jn. 20:13).

How can we come into such a union of heart and soul? Faith? Obedience? Hope? All of the above? Hoping in Him; yearning for more and more of His grace, and more of His faith to metabolize and appropriate His gracious merits. Obedience in the things that make us available to His converting power, which are, Bible study, prayer, witnessing of His loving grace, and Christian service.

Then we will receive the sanctified vision, without which the people perish. Our discernment of the devil’s tactics will become clearer and clearer. “Then shall ye return, and discern between the righteous and the wicked, between him that serveth God and him that serveth Him not,” “who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.” (Mal. 3:18;Heb. 5:14).

Finally, the Lord will have servants who are resting fully upon His promises and ready to speak His will, and are ready for Him to lead them to their own burning bush.

“And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out My Spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy.” (Joel 2:28).

Thursday, October 09, 2008

An email to a friend

Yes, it is close to Judgment Day. Speaking of that day, Yom Kippur is being celebrated tonight and tomorrow by the Jews. They keep it as a holiday and a tradition with ceremony. But God gave it to Israel as a pre-figure of Judgment Day. When you look at the trumpets in Revelation, that follow the same pattern given to Israel just prior to the Day of Atonement, Yom Kippur. I personally believe, not the SDA church, but I believe those trumpets of Revelation 8,9 began in 1844 with the Archangel Jesus, our High Priest, throwing down the censor used by the Levitical high priest only on the Day of Atonement. That means the Advent forefathers were correct in saying the Day of Atonement began when it did.

I also believe that the first four trumpets describe the falling away of the Sunday churches and their casting out the authority of God’s Law, as described by a great burning mountain that was cast into the sea. (Rev. 8:8). That mountain was Sinai. Satan took control of the Sunday churches because they had already fallen far away from the original Reformation, and now they rejected the blessed hope of Jesus coming again personally, visible, audibly, etc. Their leaders (the trees) were burned and so were the Protestant religious multitudes (the grass) and the multitudes of unbelievers. (Rev. 8:7,8). Look at the fifth trumpet. It speaks of the sealing, which Rev. 7:3 says happens just before Jesus comes, and extra time is given because they aren’t ready. So Rev. 6:12-17, the sixth seal, is put on hold until God’s people are sealed and prepared for that great event.

The fifth trumpet has a time period--5 prophetic months, 150 literal years. Let’s say the first four trumpets occur in rapid succession up to 1848, when the early Adventists who were scattered after the Great Disappointment were gathered together again as a very small remnant of the previous Millerite movement. Then in 1849, all the settlers who were backed up against the Mississippi river poured over it spreading all over the place when gold was discovered, and the United Stated quickly appeared where before was wilderness.

1849+150 puts us down to our time. I believe we are in the fifth trumpet when “to them it was given that they should not kill them, but that they should be tormented.” (Rev. 9:5). Satan has moved upon this world, and especially upon Protestant America. In the last 150 years we’ve seen technology and civilization explode. This progressive world is the Babylon that is overthrown in Revelation 18. Babylon was extremely sophisticated.

“Sit thou silent, and get thee into darkness, O daughter of the Chaldeans: for thou shalt no more be called, The lady of kingdoms....
For thou hast trusted in thy wickedness: thou hast said, None seeth me. Thy wisdom and thy knowledge, it hath perverted thee; and thou hast said in thine heart, I am, and none else beside me.
Therefore shall evil come upon thee; thou shalt not know from whence it riseth: and mischief shall fall upon thee; thou shalt not be able to put it off: and desolation shall come upon thee suddenly, which thou shalt not know.” (Is. 47:5,10,11).

When you read Isaiah 47 and Revelation 18 you see many parallels.

The locusts that came up out of the bottomless pit, I believe represents the great delusion Paul spoke of (2Thess. 2:11), a phenomena of knowledge and temptation released by Satan upon God’s permission, to bring this world to the big decision: would they fall on their face and let their heart be broken because of the cruelty and meanness that comes with the “good life,” or would they join in all the fun of forgetfulness of God and atheism, and be found unready for the great day of the Lord. Those locusts had breastplates of iron, representing the hardness of heart that characterizes the end result of high civilization which is pervading the whole world.

But this is only the fifth trumpet. Soon, I don’t know when, those who have loved this world are going to find that idolatry has a bitter end. Devil possession of a whole world of sinners. I believe that soon the old secular, atheistic, pagan, careless world is going to have an apparent change of heart. The Pope is going to force everyone to have a religion, even if they only outwardly do so in order to keep their nice house, nice cars, 401K, etc. Many are already in the groove for that. Many people around the world are coming together for a one-world religion.

This Ecumenism is the brain-child of the Vatican. Back when you and I were in the youth group [30 years ago], the Ecumenical movement was only for bringing all the Protestant churches back into the mother church. Today it is including every religion in the world, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, voodoo, etc.

I suspect that this economical crisis is orchestrated by the Vatican. I believe they have siphoned off all our wealth until our economical machine went broke. Now they are working again to suck the last bit of wealth from America’s reserves. Congress voted to take our reserves, $700 Billion, and put it into the banking system in an effort to keep us afloat. But all that money is going to go where the rest of it went--straight into the coffers of the Vatican and its secret assistants.

The economic stress we are soon to experience will force everyone to seek the Pope’s help; and he will have the funds on hand to relieve the deep recession/depression, because all the funds used to belong to America and the other economic powerhouses in the world.

This could be all conjecture, but in light of what we know of Revelation 13--that is, the Papacy was the first beast, and America is the second which makes an image to the Papacy--the world-dominating Papal power is going to be resurrected, and located right here in America. I believe all the updating of bridges and highways and other infrastructure we see is Vatican-driven, in order to give them a nice place to live once they move in.

There has been much talk about the removing of the wall separating church and state, talk by Evangelical religious leaders posing as patriotic Americans. They may be patriotic Americans, but they are greatly mistaken; and, I believe, inspired by the Pope. They think that if this can be a Christian America, it will be a better America. But it will, rather, cause such a disaster among the citizens that the uproar will end in inviting the Pope to come in and help us be a Christian nation. And once the Vatican is in the door, the door will never go closed again.

C_____, did you know Ellen White prophesied of this 120 years ago when she was laughed at by the mainline Protestant churches? The Protestants were much more patriotic then than they are today, and very insistent on the separation of church and state back then. She wrote , “When the leading churches of the United States, uniting upon such points of doctrine as are held by them in common, shall influence the state to enforce their decrees and to sustain their institutions, then Protestant America will have formed an image of the Roman hierarchy, and the infliction of civil penalties upon dissenters will inevitably result.” Great Controversy, p. 445.

That one statement is enough to give me confidence in her as a true prophet and that God is in control of all this. C_____, I implore you to give EGW another try. To discard her is to be left to navigate these confusing times without an anchor or proper rudder. She has proven herself; Jesus has proven that she faithfully gave us the light He wanted us to have in order to survive the very last time of trouble. This would include the health message because we would need all the physical strength possible and clarity of mind to remain connected when “darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the people.” (Is. 60:2).

I’m not sure what your doubts are concerning her, but please fill me in. I’d like to clear up any difficulties you have with the Spirit of Prophecy. It truly does declare the truth of the Bible.

Thanks for keeping on me! I love you sister! Happy Sabbath. Please answer me soon on what I just wrote. I’m on pins and needles. :)

Monday, October 06, 2008

Jealous love

“The Lord hath appeared of old unto me, saying, Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love: therefore with lovingkindness have I drawn thee.” (Jer. 31:3).

There are many kinds of love. Buddies love each other in a shallow, distant kind of way. “I love you, man.”

A teenage boyfriend and girlfriend love each other in an immature, possessive kind of way.

There is the love of things. “I love my house!” “I love that Hum-V!” “I love my job!” “I sure love chocolate cake!”

But then there is the deepest love—Agape love. This is where jealous love comes into the picture.

We see jealous love all the time. If the children are being threatened, the loving mother stops being quiet and calm and kind. She goes on the offensive to protect her little flock. And if the actions of the little flock are a threat to themselves, they can expect the same quick retribution and correction.

When I was 18 years old, I visited some real good friends, the Hevener family—the godly elder Filmer and his very loving and wonderful wife, Celia, and Dennis and Yolanda, their children. I went there with a few other friends from Columbia Union College and we were going to spend a beautiful weekend there in their home. Dennis was my age and always a pleasure to be with, and Yolanda was always very cheerful and full of fun. I always felt so much a part of their family when in their home.

That weekend turned cold and we had to stay inside after church during the rest of the Sabbath. I didn’t realize Yolanda was getting over the flu, or I wouldn’t have invited her to get out with the rest of us and walk around in the dark for a little bit. But I asked and she was all for that, and went to get her coat.

It hadn’t been more than a second, however, after she had bundled herself up, when we heard the most commanding voice of a general booming from the other room, “Where do you think you’re going?! You aren’t going outside! You just got over a sickness! You aren’t going outside in that cold!” Celia realized what we were about to do and quickly put a stop to it in a most decided manner! Because she didn’t love Yolanda? Obviously, because she did love her.

Jealous love. Isn’t this what we see in God?

“For I am with thee, saith the Lord, to save thee: though I make a full end of all nations whither I have scattered thee, yet I will not make a full end of thee: but will correct thee in measure, and will not leave thee altogether unpunished.
For thus saith the Lord, Thy bruise is incurable, and thy wound is grievous. There is none to plead thy cause, that thou mayest be bound up: thou hast no healing medicines.
All thy lovers have forgotten thee; they seek thee not; for I have wounded thee with the wound of an enemy, with the chastisement of a cruel one, for the multitude of thine iniquity; because thy sins were increased.
Why criest thou for thine affliction? Thy sorrow is incurable for the multitude of thine iniquity: because thy sins were increased, I have done these things unto thee.” (Jer. 30:11-15).

I used to view Old Testament judgment as “tough love.” And I thought tough love accurately described God’s dealings with Israel and with us. But tough love never set well with me. It was hard to see love simply in tough action and in the apparent lack of concern toward the pain of erring human children.

For love to be true, it must be tender, not hard. We see too much of harsh toughness in the world around us and in ourselves, even in the way of loving. The loving faculty of the fallen human is so much weakened and barely functional, and leaves much to be desired. Oh, how we need to see the strong, yet tender love of God, in order to emulate it! If only we could catch a glimpse of Him! To say with Job, “Oh that I knew where I might find Him! that I might come even to His seat!” (Job 23:3).

“Behold, we count them happy which endure. Ye have heard of the patience of Job, and have seen the end of the Lord; that the Lord is very pitiful, and of tender mercy.” (Jas. 5:11).

“Behold My Servant, whom I uphold; Mine elect, in whom My soul delighteth; I have put My Spirit upon Him: He shall bring forth judgment to the Gentiles. He shall not cry, nor lift up, nor cause His voice to be heard in the street. A bruised reed shall He not break, and the smoking flax shall He not quench: He shall bring forth judgment unto truth.” (Is. 42:1-3).

So, I’ve had to rethink the love of the Old Testament God (who was the pre-incarnate Son of God.) Rather than tough love, I see it all as jealous love, protective love, humbling love. Real love.

“I the Lord thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate Me; and shewing mercy unto thousands [of generations] of them that love Me, and keep My commandments.” (Ex. 20:5,6).

I certainly appreciate manliness. We must be able to endure hardship as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. 2Tim. 2:3. Yet, even if life needs us to be strong in fortitude and willpower—in which Jesus proved Himself to be the greatest—yet the heart must remain soft and pliable. Jesus gave the greatest example of that, too. Everyone He met, He treated with genuine love—even His enemies—even those who hated Him.

What we see in the OT is more of His tender and fiercely jealous love for His children’s sake, who couldn’t see how the devil was trying to manipulate them to destroy them.

“Prophesy therefore concerning the land of Israel, and say unto the mountains, and to the hills, to the rivers, and to the valleys, Thus saith the Lord God; Behold, I have spoken in My jealousy and in My fury, because ye have borne the shame of the heathen.” “For in My jealousy and in the fire of My wrath have I spoken, Surely in that day there shall be a great shaking in the land of Israel.” (Ez. 36:6;38:19).

“Behold the mounts, they are come unto the city to take it; and the city is given into the hand of the Chaldeans, that fight against it, because of the sword, and of the famine, and of the pestilence: and what Thou hast spoken is come to pass; and, behold, Thou seest it….
For the children of Israel and the children of Judah have only done evil before Me from their youth: for the children of Israel have only provoked Me to anger with the work of their hands, saith the Lord. For this city hath been to Me as a provocation of Mine anger and of My fury from the day that they built it even unto this day; that I should remove it from before My face,…
And they built the high places of Baal, which are in the valley of the son of Hinnom, to cause their sons and their daughters to pass through the fire unto Molech; which I commanded them not, neither came it into My mind, that they should do this abomination, to cause Judah to sin.
And now therefore thus saith the Lord, the God of Israel, concerning this city, whereof ye say, It shall be delivered into the hand of the king of Babylon by the sword, and by the famine, and by the pestilence;
Behold, I will gather them out of all countries, whither I have driven them in Mine anger, and in My fury, and in great wrath; and I will bring them again unto this place, and I will cause them to dwell safely:
And they shall be My people, and I will be their God:
And I will give them one heart, and one way, that they may fear Me for ever, for the good of them, and of their children after them:
And I will make an everlasting covenant with them, that I will not turn away from them, to do them good; but I will put My fear in their hearts, that they shall not depart from Me.
Yea, I will rejoice over them to do them good, and I will plant them in this land assuredly with My whole heart and with My whole soul.” (Jer. 32:24,30,31,35-41).

No, our God is not the fiery Wizard of Oz or the threatening Allah of the Qur’an; but our jealous God is Jesus, the everlasting Father, the Prince of peace, the wonderful Counselor. And He is the spitting image of His Father, the infinite, eternal King of love.