The Shaking labor and the Refreshing Sabbath from the presence of Jesus

"There remaineth therefore a rest to the people of God." (Heb. 4:9).

"On page 33 is given the following: 'I saw that the holy Sabbath is, and will be, the separating wall between the true Israel of God and unbelievers; and that the Sabbath is the great question to unite the hearts of God's dear, waiting saints. I saw that God had children who do not see and keep the Sabbath. They have not rejected the light upon it. And at the commencement of the time of trouble, we were filled with the Holy Ghost as we went forth and proclaimed the Sabbath more fully.' 

This view was given in 1847 when there were but very few of the Advent brethren observing the Sabbath, and of these but few supposed that its observance was of sufficient importance to draw a line between the people of God and unbelievers. Now the fulfillment of that view is beginning to be seen. 'The commencement of that time of trouble,' here mentioned does not refer to the time when the plagues shall begin to be poured out, but to a short period just before they are poured out, while Christ is in the sanctuary. At that time, while the work of salvation is closing, trouble will be coming on the earth, and the nations will be angry, yet held in check so as not to prevent the work of the third angel. At that time the 'latter rain,' or refreshing from the presence of the Lord, will come, to give power to the loud voice of the third angel, and prepare the saints to stand in the period when the seven last plagues shall be poured out.'"

Taking another look at this statement I understood something new about the Latter Rain.

First, the Latter Rain comes "while the work of salvation is closing". I have always assumed that that meant the work of salvation on earth. But that is not what the context indicates. Just prior to this phrase is its parallel phrase, "while Christ is in the sanctuary". Knowing the greater context being the first time of trouble, this part B of the parallelism must infer that the work of salvation that is closing is Jesus wrapping up His work in the Most Holy Place. 

This means that Christ's work of salvation that is closing is the end of the investigative judgment, and the finishing of the judgment of the living. So, we should view the work of salvation not as the 2,000 year, Christian Dispensation work. Rather, as a last days, Advent movement, work of salvation. It is specifically Christ's work of putting the seal of God in the foreheads of the elect.

Another new understanding, new to me, is its connection to the Sabbath, or Ellen White's qualification, "more fully". "...we were filled with the Holy Ghost as we went forth and proclaimed the Sabbath more fully.” Isn't this fuller presentation the product of being filled with the Holy Ghost? Isn't this presentation of the Sabbath parallel to the "refreshing from the presence of the Lord"? 

So, the picture is filling in that the revival of the Sabbath rest comes from being filled with the Spirit of the Lord, a refreshing from the presence of Him who is the Holy Ghost, in the sense that He is the Bearer of His Father's Holy Spirit because He alone inherited divinity. Since His begetting, from the days of eternity, He has been equal with God. "That all men should honour the Son, even as they honour the Father. He that honoureth not the Son honoureth not the Father which hath sent Him." (John 5:23).

"The Holy Ghost sent down from heaven" (1Pet. 1:12) is Jesus who was present in the Early Rain as He was, more anciently, in the prophets when they "testified beforehand" of His first advent, "the Spirit of Christ" first testifying "in them." (1Pet. 1:11, cf 2Pet. 1:21; Rev. 1:1).

The Holy Ghost, or, Spirit, is synonymous with Jesus. He is "the Messenger of the covenant" (Mal. 3:1), the Apostle of apostles bearing the embassage of His Father's reconciliation. Jesus, who is the truth, is the Spirit of truth. The Spirit of Prophecy is His personal testimony, "God's thought made audible." Desire of Ages, p. 19.

But this reconciliation between God and man is a greater atonement than the antitype of the Leviticus 4 atonements. It is the atonement of Leviticus 16, the great cleansing of the heavenly sanctuary. Its cleansing causes the Latter Rain of the Holy Spirit to fall. No more sins are coming into the heavenly sanctuary. 

But, how does it happen that sins stop coming into the heavenly sanctuary?Again, the context of Early Writings page 85 helps us know.

"Trouble will be coming on the earth." This must be a primary cause of another vision Ellen White had that spoke to the last preaching in the earth. That vision was the shaking. In that vision she wrote,

"I saw some, with strong faith and agonizing cries, pleading with God. Their countenances were pale and marked with deep anxiety, expressive of their internal struggle. Firmness and great earnestness was expressed in their countenances; large drops of perspiration fell from their foreheads. Now and then their faces would light up with the marks of God's approbation, and again the same solemn, earnest, anxious look would settle upon them...." Early Writings, p. 269.

This was the first of three shakings. It was the individual shaking. Following the individual came the church shaking. And finally a global shaking.

And I see another connection between the Shaking vision and the Refreshing vision because both end with great power being given to the final message. Regarding the Refreshing vision, Ellen White wrote: "At that time the 'latter rain,' or refreshing from the presence of the Lord, will come, to give power to the loud voice of the third angel...."

And regarding the Shaking vision, she wrote:

"'Look ye!' My attention was then turned to the company I had seen, who were mightily shaken. I was shown those whom I had before seen weeping and praying in agony of spirit. The company of guardian angels around them had been doubled, and they were clothed with an armor from their head to their feet. They moved in exact order, like a company of soldiers. Their countenances expressed the severe conflict which they had endured, the agonizing struggle they had passed through. Yet their features, marked with severe internal anguish, now shone with the light and glory of heaven. They had obtained the victory, and it called forth from them the deepest gratitude and holy, sacred joy....

I heard those clothed with the armor speak forth the truth with great power. It had effect.... I asked what had made this great change. An angel answered, 'It is the latter rain, the refreshing from the presence of the Lord, the loud cry of the third angel.'

Great power was with these chosen ones...." Ibid. p. 272,273.

And what led up to this great power? "They had obtained the victory, and it called forth from them the deepest gratitude and holy, sacred joy." The victory over what? The victory over their sins. How? They overcame by the truth and grace from Christ, that is, by the pointed and powerful Law of God and the everlasting gospel. They overcame self through the blood of the Lamb and by agonizing and striving with all that was within them to accept the curse of the Testimony of Jesus against their idols, and for stronger faith to see Jesus.

"I asked the meaning of the shaking I had seen and was shown that it would be caused by the straight testimony called forth by the counsel of the True Witness to the Laodiceans. This will have its effect upon the heart of the receiver, and will lead him to exalt the standard and pour forth the straight truth. Some will not bear this straight testimony." Early Writings, p. 270.

"Evil angels crowded around, pressing darkness upon them to shut out Jesus from their view, that their eyes might be drawn to the darkness that surrounded them, and thus they be led to distrust God and murmur against Him. Their only safety was in keeping their eyes directed upward.... struggling with all their power to resist the evil angels and trying to help themselves by calling upon God with perseverance." Early Writings, p. 270. 

This is what all the agonizing was about. With the assistance of holy angels wafting their wings of light scattering the darkness that had covered the earth, the elect were purified, victorious, and chosen.  The struggle is described as "diligent effort" in The Great Controversy;

"Their robes must be spotless, their characters must be purified from sin by the blood of sprinkling. Through the grace of God and their own diligent effort they must be conquerors in the battle with evil. While the investigative judgment is going forward in heaven, while the sins of penitent believers are being removed from the sanctuary, there is to be a special work of purification, of putting away of sin, among God's people upon earth." Great Controversy, p. 425.

In conclusion, we see that the Latter Rain will be a time of deep gratitude and holy, sacred joy that follows a time of horrific battling to wrestle with the strong condemnation from the straight Testimony of Jesus and a severe fight to keep Jesus in our confidence and view. That battle will end in the victory over all deficiencies and deformities, and will result in a manifested blotting out of sin in the books of the heavenly sanctuary.

The cleansed sanctuary will be the reason for the greatest Sabbath refreshing since the first great revival 235 years after Adam fell. As it is written, "And to Seth, to him also there was born a son; and he called his name Enos: then began men to call upon the name of the Lord." (Gen. 4:26).

The heavenly sanctuary cleansed will empower the 144,000 to preach the gospel to the whole world for a witness to "every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people". (Rev. 14:6). Their faces had changed from "the agonizing struggle they had passed through.... their features, marked with severe internal anguish, now shone with the light and glory of heaven." "Servants of God, with their faces lighted up and shining with holy consecration, will hasten from place to place to proclaim the message from heaven. By thousands of voices, all over the earth, the warning will be given. Miracles will be wrought, the sick will be healed, and signs and wonders will follow the believers." Great Controversy, p. 612.

Then the Abomination of Desolation will react with superhuman strength to silence the Gethsemane victors over self. This eighth head of the Beast will exalt itself in the hearts of the world masses. It will stand as if heaven is on earth, and then will come the great time of trouble.

At the apex of that tribulation Satan will arrive to congratulate the efforts of his overthrow of Noah's Old World Order of familial love and righteous law. Amidst fire falling upon the earth in the sight of men, the finale of Satan's thrust to control the conscience of every human being will be accomplished.

All who refused the Third angel's message will be spellbound by Satan's masterpiece of deception, and beholden to follow his impersonation of Christ. Their end will be that of King Saul. The foolish professors of faith in Jesus, who refused to heed the straight testimony, will know they are cut off and hopelessly left out of the Latter Rain, which was the only preparation for "the saints to stand in the period when the seven last plagues shall be poured out". Early Writings, p. 85.

They wouldn't seek the Lord while He could be found, and He was never found in them. He never knew them.

"The careless and indifferent, who did not join with those who prized victory and salvation enough to perseveringly plead and agonize for it, did not obtain it, and they were left behind in darkness, and their places were immediately filled by others taking hold of the truth and coming into the ranks." Early Writings, p. 271.

 

Let no one think that the Latter Rain will fall on anyone who avoids wrestling with the Spirit of Prophecy counsels, like Paul did the Law in Romans 7. The Latter Rain of the Holy Spirit will be the refreshing Sabbath experience that always comes in "the presence of Him who has directed in every aggressive movement, who has accompanied the march of His cause through all the ages, and who has graciously pledged Himself to be with His people in all their conflicts to the end of the world. He will vindicate His truth. He will cause it to triumph." Selected Messages, bk. 3, p. 426.

That is Jesus.