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“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.

Friday, January 04, 2019

The Law in your face

“With the pure Thou wilt shew Thyself pure; and with the froward Thou wilt shew Thyself froward.” (Ps. 18:26).

In a past post I wrote, “We need to come together, compare notes, and learn how we all, Protestants and Adventists, can have a childlike trust with the Judgment Day fear of God.” I also quoted, “Because he hath set his love upon Me, therefore will I deliver him.” (Ps. 91:14). Then I said, “We need what David had, who was the figure of Jesus.”

We need both the trembling before God and a deep love for God. Righteousness by faith by Jesus is the beautiful science of having both faith in God through Christ and fear of God through Christ. The first example of this given in the Bible was Abraham. Paul wrote,

“That the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ; that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith….
And this I say, that the covenant, that was confirmed before of God in Christ, the Law, which was four hundred and thirty years after, cannot disannul, that it should make the promise of none effect.
For if the inheritance be of the Law, it is no more of promise: but God gave it to Abraham by promise….” (Gal. 3:14,17,18).

Then Paul shifts to another perspective of this science.

“Wherefore then serveth the Law? It was added because of transgressions, till the Seed should come to whom the promise was made; …
But the scripture hath concluded all under sin, that the promise by faith of Jesus Christ might be given to them that believe.
But before faith came, we were kept under the Law. ” (Gal. 3:19,22,23).

God has always had His Law.

“Thy righteousness is an everlasting righteousness, and Thy Law is the truth.
Trouble and anguish have taken hold on me: yet Thy commandments are my delights.
The righteousness of Thy testimonies is everlasting: give me understanding, and I shall live.” (Ps. 119:142-144).

But until the confrontation with Lucifer in heaven the Law was known to exist by His Spirit, His blessed presence, and not by letters or in writing.

“Before the entrance of evil there was peace and joy throughout the universe. All was in perfect harmony with the Creator’s will. Love for God was supreme, love for one another impartial. Christ the Word, the Only Begotten of God, was one with the eternal Father, ―one in nature, in character, and in purpose,― the only being in all the universe that could enter into all the counsels and purposes of God. By Christ the Father wrought in the creation of all heavenly beings. ‘By Him were all things created, that are in heaven,... whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers’ (Colossians 1:16); and to Christ, equally with the Father, all heaven gave allegiance.
     The law of love being the foundation of the government of God, the happiness of all created beings depended upon their perfect accord with its great principles of righteousness.” Great Controversy, p. 493.
   
“God desires from all His creatures the service of love ― service that springs from an appreciation of His character. He takes no pleasure in a forced obedience; and to all He grants freedom of will, that they may render Him voluntary service.
     So long as all created beings acknowledged the allegiance of love, there was perfect harmony throughout the universe of God. It was the joy of the heavenly host to fulfill the purpose of their Creator. They delighted in reflecting His glory and showing forth His praise. And while love to God was supreme, love for one another was confiding and unselfish. There was no note of discord to mar the celestial harmonies.” Patriarchs and Prophets, p. 34,35.

“The Spirit of [the] Father” (Matt. 10:20) continuously guided the thoughts and actions of the angelic hosts and inhabitants of the worlds. And they all loved to have it so. Obedience to the Law was never an issue because sin did not exist to obstruct their minds from the truth of the Law.

Likewise was it with Abraham and all the patriarchs. It wasn’t necessary for God to boldly and blazingly, with lightning and thunder, present to them a stone hard Law because they knew their Father in heaven, and loved to obey Him. He never needed to show Himself “froward” because no heart was “froward”. There was only perfect accord between them and their Father, and between each other.

In the Revelation, along with the twenty-four elders, we see four beasts that were in the throne and surrounding the throne, representing the hosts of angels, similar to the tribes of Israel that surrounded the tabernacle of the Lord in the wilderness. Nothing except fear, faith, and joy was heard in their praises to “Him that sat upon the throne, who liveth for ever and ever”.

“And immediately I was in the Spirit: and, behold, a throne was set in heaven, and One sat on the throne.
And He that sat was to look upon like a jasper and a sardine stone: and there was a rainbow round about the throne, in sight like unto an emerald.
And round about the throne were four and twenty seats: and upon the seats I saw four and twenty elders sitting, clothed in white raiment; and they had on their heads crowns of gold.
And out of the throne proceeded lightnings and thunderings and voices: and there were seven lamps of fire burning before the throne, which are the seven Spirits of God.
And before the throne there was a sea of glass like unto crystal: and in the midst of the throne, and round about the throne, were four beasts full of eyes before and behind.
And the first beast was like a lion, and the second beast like a calf, and the third beast had a face as a man, and the fourth beast was like a flying eagle.
And the four beasts had each of them six wings about him; and they were full of eyes within: and they rest not day and night, saying, Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, which was, and is, and is to come.
And when those beasts give glory and honour and thanks to Him that sat on the throne, who liveth for ever and ever,
The four and twenty elders fall down before Him that sat on the throne, and worship Him that liveth for ever and ever, and cast their crowns before the throne, saying,
Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for Thou hast created all things, and for Thy pleasure they are and were created.” (Rev. 4:2-11).

Perfect love for God filled every heart, and there was no need to put before them a warning or threat against disobedience to the Law of love.

“But a change came over this happy state. There was one who perverted the freedom that God had granted to His creatures. Sin originated with him who, next to Christ, had been most honored of God and was highest in power and glory among the inhabitants of heaven. Lucifer, ‘son of the morning,’ was first of the covering cherubs, holy and undefiled. He stood in the presence of the great Creator, and the ceaseless beams of glory enshrouding the eternal God rested upon him. ‘Thus saith the Lord God; Thou sealest up the sum, full of wisdom, and perfect in beauty. Thou hast been in Eden the garden of God; every precious stone was thy covering. . . . Thou art the anointed cherub that covereth; and I have set thee so: thou wast upon the holy mountain of God; thou hast walked up and down in the midst of the stones of fire. Thou wast perfect in thy ways from the day that thou wast created, till iniquity was found in thee.’ Ezekiel 28:12-15.” Patriarchs and Prophets, p. 35.

Froward rebels forced the God of love to present thunderous precepts and “in your face” instructions. Bold, insolent, and mischievous pride has required a new kind of presentation, if hopefully the froward rebels would back down from eternal destruction. God must make His case plain, not in order to cover His back, but in order to give every possibility for the rebels to come to repentance and be spared damnation.

But, this was not for the angels who remained faithful, and neither was this necessary for the patriarchs.

“The LORD appeared to Abram, and said unto him, I am the Almighty God; walk before Me, and be thou perfect.
And I will make My covenant between Me and thee, and will multiply thee exceedingly.
And Abram fell on his face: and God talked with him, saying,
As for Me, behold, My covenant is with thee, and thou shalt be a father of many nations.
Neither shall thy name any more be called Abram, but thy name shall be Abraham; for a father of many nations have I made thee.
And I will make thee exceeding fruitful, and I will make nations of thee, and kings shall come out of thee.
And I will establish My covenant between Me and thee and thy seed after thee in their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be a God unto thee, and to thy seed after thee.
And I will give unto thee, and to thy seed after thee, the land wherein thou art a stranger, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession; and I will be their God.
And God said unto Abraham, Thou shalt keep My covenant therefore, thou, and thy seed after thee in their generations.” (Gen. 17:1-9).

“Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.
Know ye therefore that they which are of faith, the same are the children of Abraham.
And the scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the heathen through faith, preached before the gospel unto Abraham, saying, In thee shall all nations be blessed.
So then they which be of faith are blessed with faithful Abraham.” (Gal. 3:6-9).

Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph and his brothers all knew heart surrender and then peace with God. They had all been tested; and all passed by repentance. They knew guilt and shame. They knew conviction of apparently unpardonable. They had fallen on their faces before their exceedingly sinful sins, and had accepted its humbling into the dust. Self-justification did not enter, and salvation reigned in Israel’s holy first few generation families. The same blessing and covenant would come to everyone who would fall in repentance, trusting in the mercy of the Lord to forgive, as the patriarchs had done.

“My covenant was with [Levi] of life and peace; and I gave them to him for the fear wherewith he feared Me, and was afraid before My name. The Law of truth was in his mouth, and iniquity was not found in his lips: he walked with Me in peace and equity, and did turn many away from iniquity.” (Mal. 2:5,6).

But, later after receiving abundant earthly privileges they turned away from the loving God of their fathers to serve Baal and Ashtoreth. Then Jehovah’s rebuke weighed heavily upon them.

“O son of man, I have set thee a watchman unto the house of Israel; therefore thou shalt hear the word at My mouth, and warn them from Me.” (Eze. 33:7).

“If ye will not hear, and if ye will not lay it to heart, to give glory unto My name, saith the LORD of hosts, I will even send a curse upon you, and I will curse your blessings: yea, I have cursed them already, because ye do not lay it to heart….
For the priest’s lips should keep knowledge, and they should seek the law at his mouth: for he is the messenger of the LORD of hosts.
But ye are departed out of the way; ye have caused many to stumble at the law; ye have corrupted the covenant of Levi, saith the LORD of hosts.
Therefore have I also made you contemptible and base before all the people, according as ye have not kept My ways, but have been partial in the Law.” (Mal. 2:2,7-9).

“Then came the word of the LORD unto me, saying,
Son of man, speak unto the elders of Israel, and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Are ye come to enquire of Me? As I live, saith the Lord GOD, I will not be enquired of by you.
Wilt thou judge them, son of man, wilt thou judge them? cause them to know the abominations of their fathers:
And say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD; In the day when I chose Israel, and lifted up Mine hand unto the seed of the house of Jacob, and made Myself known unto them in the land of Egypt, when I lifted up Mine hand unto them, saying, I am the LORD your God;
In the day that I lifted up Mine hand unto them, to bring them forth of the land of Egypt into a land that I had espied for them, flowing with milk and honey, which is the glory of all lands:
Then said I unto them, Cast ye away every man the abominations of his eyes, and defile not yourselves with the idols of Egypt: I am the LORD your God.
But they rebelled against Me, and would not hearken unto Me: they did not every man cast away the abominations of their eyes, neither did they forsake the idols of Egypt: then I said, I will pour out My fury upon them, to accomplish My anger against them in the midst of the land of Egypt.
But I wrought for My name’s sake, that it should not be polluted before the heathen, among whom they were, in whose sight I made Myself known unto them, in bringing them forth out of the land of Egypt.
Wherefore I caused them to go forth out of the land of Egypt, and brought them into the wilderness.
And I gave them My statutes, and shewed them My judgments, which if a man do, he shall even live in them.
Moreover also I gave them My sabbaths, to be a sign between Me and them, that they might know that I am the LORD that sanctify them.
But the house of Israel rebelled against Me in the wilderness: they walked not in My statutes, and they despised My judgments, which if a man do, he shall even live in them; and My sabbaths they greatly polluted: then I said, I would pour out My fury upon them in the wilderness, to consume them.
But I wrought for My name’s sake, that it should not be polluted before the heathen, in whose sight I brought them out.
Yet also I lifted up My hand unto them in the wilderness, that I would not bring them into the land which I had given them, flowing with milk and honey, which is the glory of all lands;
Because they despised My judgments, and walked not in My statutes, but polluted My sabbaths: for their heart went after their idols.
Nevertheless Mine eye spared them from destroying them, neither did I make an end of them in the wilderness.
But I said unto their children in the wilderness, Walk ye not in the statutes of your fathers, neither observe their judgments, nor defile yourselves with their idols:
I am the LORD your God; walk in My statutes, and keep My judgments, and do them;
And hallow My sabbaths; and they shall be a sign between Me and you, that ye may know that I am the LORD your God.…
Wherefore I gave them also statutes that were not good, and judgments whereby they should not live;
And I polluted them in their own gifts, in that they caused to pass through the fire all that openeth the womb, that I might make them desolate, to the end that they might know that I am the LORD.
Therefore, son of man, speak unto the house of Israel, and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Yet in this your fathers have blasphemed Me, in that they have committed a trespass against Me.
For when I had brought them into the land, for the which I lifted up Mine hand to give it to them, then they saw every high hill, and all the thick trees, and they offered there their sacrifices, and there they presented the provocation of their offering: there also they made their sweet savour, and poured out there their drink offerings.
Then I said unto them, What is the high place whereunto ye go? And the name thereof is called Bamah unto this day.
Wherefore say unto the house of Israel, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Are ye polluted after the manner of your fathers? and commit ye whoredom after their abominations?
For when ye offer your gifts, when ye make your sons to pass through the fire, ye pollute yourselves with all your idols, even unto this day: and shall I be enquired of by you, O house of Israel? As I live, saith the Lord GOD, I will not be enquired of by you.
And that which cometh into your mind shall not be at all, that ye say, We will be as the heathen, as the families of the countries, to serve wood and stone.
As I live, saith the Lord GOD, surely with a mighty hand, and with a stretched out arm, and with fury poured out, will I rule over you:
And I will bring you out from the people, and will gather you out of the countries wherein ye are scattered, with a mighty hand, and with a stretched out arm, and with fury poured out.
And I will bring you into the wilderness of the people, and there will I plead with you face to face.
Like as I pleaded with your fathers in the wilderness of the land of Egypt, so will I plead with you, saith the Lord GOD.
And I will cause you to pass under the rod, and I will bring you into the bond of the covenant:
And I will purge out from among you the rebels, and them that transgress against Me: I will bring them forth out of the country where they sojourn, and they shall not enter into the land of Israel: and ye shall know that I am the LORD.
As for you, O house of Israel, thus saith the Lord GOD; Go ye, serve ye every one his idols, and hereafter also, if ye will not hearken unto Me: but pollute ye My holy name no more with your gifts, and with your idols.
For in Mine holy mountain, in the mountain of the height of Israel, saith the Lord GOD, there shall all the house of Israel, all of them in the land, serve me: there will I accept them, and there will I require your offerings, and the firstfruits of your oblations, with all your holy things.
I will accept you with your sweet savour, when I bring you out from the people, and gather you out of the countries wherein ye have been scattered; and I will be sanctified in you before the heathen.
And ye shall know that I am the LORD, when I shall bring you into the land of Israel, into the country for the which I lifted up Mine hand to give it to your fathers.
And there shall ye remember your ways, and all your doings, wherein ye have been defiled; and ye shall lothe yourselves in your own sight for all your evils that ye have committed.
And ye shall know that I am the LORD, when I have wrought with you for My name’s sake, not according to your wicked ways, nor according to your corrupt doings, O ye house of Israel, saith the Lord GOD.
Moreover the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,
Son of man, set thy face toward the south, and drop thy word toward the south, and prophesy against the forest of the south field;
And say to the forest of the south, Hear the word of the LORD; Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I will kindle a fire in thee, and it shall devour every green tree in thee, and every dry tree: the flaming flame shall not be quenched, and all faces from the south to the north shall be burned therein.
And all flesh shall see that I the LORD have kindled it: it shall not be quenched.
Then said I, Ah Lord GOD! they say of me, Doth he not speak parables?” (Eze. 20:2-20,25-49).

The Son of righteousness, acting under the auspices of His Father of greatest righteousness, was strong against sin so that His grace could be as strong toward the repentant sinner. “Kiss the Son, lest He be angry, and ye perish from the way, when His wrath is kindled but a little. Blessed are all they that put their trust in Him.” (Ps. 2:12). “Beware of Him, and obey His voice, provoke Him not; for He will not pardon your transgressions: for My name is in Him.” (Ex. 23:21). Don’t ever cross the Son in arrogance, but do always come to Him in repentance.

Doing His Father’s will, the Son concluded all mankind under sin, keeping His people under the special, strict condemnation of an especially clear Law. But this must be in order to keep them bowed before His Father, “that no flesh should glory before His presence.” (1Cor. 1:29). He kept them ever on their faces until He could reveal to them His personal side in their own human form, garbed in incrementally increasing robes of humility, and thus filtering the blinding glory of His divine office as Prince “sitting on the right hand of Power” (Matt. 26:64).

“The scripture hath concluded all under sin, that the promise by faith of Jesus Christ might be given to them that believe.
But before faith came, we were kept under the Law, shut up unto the faith which should afterwards be revealed.
Wherefore the Law was our Schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith.
But after that faith is come, we are no longer under a Schoolmaster.
For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus.” (Gal. 3:22-26).

Although Jesus had to lay down the Law for His people if He might awaken them to their lost condition, He prefers the nicer treatment that He gave the patriarchs.

“Now to Abraham and his seed were the promises made…. Wherefore then serveth the law? It was added because of transgressions, till the seed should come to whom the promise was made….” (Gal. 3:16,19).

He could reveal that the Abrahamic niceties again to His apostolic church, and He also plans to give the same to a yet-to-appear generation before His return the second time.  Although Christ was the Seed, His church was also the seed, His seed.

“When Thou shalt make His soul an offering for sin, He shall see His seed, He shall prolong His days, and the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in His hand.” (Isa. 53:10).

“For it became Him, for whom are all things, and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons unto glory, to make the Captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings.
For both He that sanctifieth and they who are sanctified are all of one: for which cause He is not ashamed to call them brethren,
Saying, I will declare Thy name unto My brethren, in the midst of the church will I sing praise unto Thee.
And again, I will put My trust in Him. And again, Behold I and the children which God hath given Me.” (Heb. 2:10-13).

“As many as received Him, to them gave He power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on His name.” (John 1:12).

“Thus saith the LORD, The heaven is My throne, and the earth is My footstool: where is the house that ye build unto Me? and where is the place of My rest? For all those things hath Mine hand made, and all those things have been, saith the LORD: but to this man will I look, even to him that is poor and of a contrite spirit, and trembleth at My word.” (Isa. 66:1,2).

“Their righteousness is of Me, saith the LORD.” (Isa. 54:17).

All of these precious promises were for the early church, by which they became partakers of the Lord’s divine nature.

Today, we’ve been under the Law—under the Spirit of Prophecy, i.e. the testimony of Jesus through Ellen White. He will never forebear to give His precious people reproof and catastrophic punishment, as needed. But Jesus does this because it’s the only way they can need a Saviour from sin. He remonstrates, so that He can grow surrender and faith, and then He can justify. “With the [stony-hearted] Thou wilt shew Thyself [stony-hearted]. For Thou wilt save the afflicted people; but wilt bring down high looks.” (Ps. 18:26). “He made [them] to suck honey out of the rock, and oil out of the flinty rock.” (Deut. 32:13). Have we been sucking honey from the rock? Have we been searching His flint-hard Law, with all our heart, for His sweet and satisfying grace?

And in the end Jesus could declare, “Ye are all the children of God by faith.” (Gal. 3:26).

Sacred history doesn’t continue forever with the Law in our faces. The story ends “happily ever after”. If it doesn’t seem to be ending well at the moment, if it looks like the church or us individually are a dismal failure and we will die under the condemnation of God, it’s only because the story isn’t finished yet. It’s because of divided hearts and disobedience that we are still under the condemnations of the testimony of Jesus. But a soon-coming, single-hearted generation will accept the condemnations and seek Him with all their hearts.

“Christ is waiting with longing desire for the manifestation of Himself in His church. When the character of Christ shall be perfectly reproduced in His people, then He will come to claim them as His own. Were all who profess His name bearing fruit to His glory, how quickly the whole world would be sown with the seed of the gospel. Quickly the last great harvest would be ripened, and Christ would come to gather the precious grain.” Christ’s Object Lessons, p. 69.

Then sacred history will end amazingly and blazingly at His coming.

“And it shall be said in that day, Lo, this is our God; we have waited for Him, and He will save us: this is the LORD; we have waited for Him, we will be glad and rejoice in His salvation.” (Isa. 25:9).

Then He will remove His Father’s rebuke from off His people and the veil that His Father put between us and Himself.

“For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God.
For the creature was made subject to vanity, not willingly, but by reason of Him who hath subjected the same in hope,
Because the creature itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God.
For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now.
And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body.” (Rom. 8:19-23).

And Jesus will replace the rebuke and separation with perfect and perpetual approbation.

“He will destroy in this mountain the face of the covering cast over all people, and the vail that is spread over all nations.
He will swallow up death in victory; and the Lord GOD will wipe away tears from off all faces; and the rebuke of His people shall He take away from off all the earth.” (Isa. 25:6-8).

“In this mountain shall the LORD of hosts make unto all people a feast of fat things, a feast of wines on the lees, of fat things full of marrow, of wines on the lees well refined…. For the LORD hath spoken it.” (Isa. 25:6,8).

Never again will the Law be blazened in an “in your face” way. Never again will “Thou wilt shew Thyself forward.” (Ps. 18:26). But, the perfect peace of pre-great controversy heaven will again pervade all creation. As it was in the beginning so shall it be forever.

“For in this mountain shall the hand of the LORD rest.” (Isa. 25:10).

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