13.) Women and Men in the Judgment
/From the time Adam and Eve sinned in the Garden of Eden, there has been a change in the relationship between men and women that have followed us down to the 21st century. God meant for there to be perfect harmony and unity between the two, each in their appointed spheres of activity and interaction with each other. Man was to be the king and leader of the home and society, and woman was to be the queen and supportive co-leader, working together for the good of all within their sphere of influence. This was to be reflective of the Godhead in heaven as they work together harmoniously for all the created beings in the universe.
“Man was not made to dwell in solitude; he was to be a social being. Without companionship, the beautiful scenes and delightful employments of Eden would have failed to yield perfect happiness. Even communion with angels could not have satisfied his desire for sympathy and companionship. There was none of the same nature to love, and to be loved. . . .a helper corresponding to him,—one who was fitted to be his companion, and who would be one with him in love and sympathy. . . .to stand by his side as an equal, to be loved and protected by him. . . .she would be his second self; showing the close union and the affectionate attachment that should exist in this relation.
“Marriage . . . was one of the first gifts of God to man, and it is one of the two institutions that, after the fall, Adam brought with him beyond the gates of Paradise. When the divine principles are recognized and obeyed in this relation, marriage is a blessing; it guards the purity and happiness of the race, it provides for man’s social needs, it elevates the physical, the intellectual, and the moral nature.” PP 46. (Emphasis supplied.)
When Eve fell to the wiles of Satan at the forbidden tree, and then became the temptress who lured Adam into sin, everything was drastically changed. Trust and mutual respect disappeared, and in their place, disrespect, blame and shame suddenly intruded into the once-happy home. And now, six thousand years later, the whole human race groans under the curse brought about by the failure of our original father and mother, Adam and Eve. The results of their failure to obey the careful instructions and warnings of God have been passed on to the whole human race. How did this terrible tragedy happen in the perfect environment of Eden? Here are some clues from the pen of inspiration:
“The angels had cautioned Eve to beware of separating herself from her husband while occupied in the daily labor in the garden; with him she would be in less danger from temptation than if she were alone. But absorbed in her pleasing task, she unconsciously wandered from his side. On perceiving that she was alone, she felt an apprehension of danger, but dismissed her fears, deciding that she had sufficient wisdom and strength to discern evil and to withstand it.” PP 54. (Emphasis supplied.)
“Eve ate and imagined that she felt the sensations of a new and more exalted life. She bore the fruit to her husband, and that which had an overpowering influence upon him was her experience. . . .Her experience stood arrayed against the positive command of Jehovah, and Adam permitted himself to be seduced by the positive experience of his wife.” 3 T 72. (Emphases supplied.)
Notice the process by which sin captured the minds of first, Eve, and then Adam. When Eve perceived herself to be separated from Adam, she felt the promptings of the Holy Spirit to obey the counsel of the angels to stay in close proximity to Adam. But she resisted the warning, and instead trusted in herself to withstand temptation without him by her side. The groundwork was already laid for her subsequent fall to the tempter’s wily reasoning and suggestions.
Once she partook of the fruit of the forbidden tree, she at first felt the thrill that sometimes comes from disobedience and the rush of adrenalin that makes a person imagine that they have escaped the penalty of transgression and entered into a life of freedom from restrictions. In that condition, she brought the fruit to Adam, and declared herself to be living proof that the warnings of God were not valid, and instead of dying, she had discovered a higher existence. Adam knew instantly that Eve had disobeyed, but he allowed himself to be seduced by her radiant appearance and captivating beauty, and the testimony of her new experience. He ate hurriedly, trying to ignore any compunctions of conscience which would force him to make the terrible choice to go against her and perhaps lose her forever and have to face the unknown future without her.
Their escape from the consequences of their sin was short-lived. The beautiful covering of light that had surrounded them disappeared, and they suddenly perceived that they were naked. A torrent of fear and terror swept over them. What would happen now? Would God destroy them for their disobedience? They vainly tried to cover themselves with fig leaves from the trees in their garden home. Finally they heard God’s voice calling to them in the cool of the evening, just as He had always done. Guiltily they came before Him with heads down, waiting for the punishment for their disobedience to be pronounced.
But the Son of God, their beloved Friend, had not changed. Kindly, lovingly, He questioned them about what had happened. Their replies showed immediately that the consequence of sin produces the opposite of love; they began to blame each other, the serpent, and even God Himself. In a thoughtless moment, their lives had been forever changed, and the consequences of what they had done would affect the world for six thousand years.
As Adam and Eve listened to their fate, they learned that as a result of their sin, there would be a vast difference in their lives and in their relationship with each other. They must leave their garden home forever. Work and childbearing would be more difficult. The devil would have constant access to tempt them and cause trouble for them. Eve would now be placed under Adam’s authority. They would be subject to aging and death. And that was just the beginning of sorrows. Eventually the Son of God would have to come to this world and give Himself as a sacrifice for the sins of the fallen race! Only through Him would the triumph of Satan over Adam and Eve be broken, and the way paved back to the Tree of Life!
Can you imagine the life of Adam and Eve in the years that followed their expulsion from the Garden of Eden? We know very little about it from inspiration, but what they have passed on to their posterity gives some indication of what they must have experienced. Because Adam’s work was made more difficult as a result of the curse of sin, how often he must have mused about the cause of his current problems and difficulties. “If only Eve had not gone to the tree and taken the forbidden fruit.” “If only I had not listened to Eve and followed her advice.” “If only I had asserted my authority over Eve.” “If only Eve had listened to the counsel of the angels.” Because I gave in to Eve, I have lost the kingship that God gave me in the beginning.”
And what must Eve been experiencing as she went about her duties? Perhaps her thoughts and feelings might have been in a similar vein. “Why does Adam blame me for everything? He should have noticed when I was not by his side in the garden!” “Why didn’t Adam caution me when I came back to give him a bite of the fruit? I would certainly have listened if he had warned me that the beautiful serpent was being used by the enemy God told us about.” “It seems that Adam has lost his love and respect for me. I do all I can to please him, but he often seems grumpy and out of sorts when he comes home, and just wants to eat his supper and go to bed without taking time to sit and talk with me.”
I certainly hope that as the years went by, Adam and Eve learned to love, respect, and forgive each other. It seems that the lives of their children reflect what they were experiencing. Cain, the first son, was angry and jealous, and murdered his brother. Their second son, Abel, was a righteous man. This indicates that there must have been reconciliation and healing taking place in the home of Adam and Eve, and that they were working together to teach their children righteous principles. By the time the third son was born, the Bible says that Adam “had a son in his own likeness, in his own image, and he named him Seth.” Gen. 5:3.
But what does all of this have to do with us, who are living way down here in the 21st century? It is my conclusion that the ills of society and homes today reflect the same things that plagued the lives of Adam and Eve and their offspring. Jealousy, blaming, murder, lusts. pride, etc. – all come from the basic problem of sin, which is selfishness. The character defects of people and families today can be traced all the way back to Adam and Eve. Even God Himself considers the inherited sins and character defects of our forefathers and mothers to be an important factor that we need to recognize in our repentance and cleansing from sin.
“Review the past for me, let us argue the matter together; state the case for your innocence. Your first father sinned; your spokesmen rebelled against me.” Isa. 43:26, 27.
“O Lord, we acknowledge our wickedness and the guilt of our fathers; we have indeed sinned against you.” Jer. 14:20.
“Woe to you, because you build tombs for the prophets, and it was your forefathers who killed them. So you testify that you approve of what your forefathers did; they killed the prophets, and you build their tombs. Because of this, God in His wisdom said, ‘I will send them prophets and apostles, some of whom they will kill and others they will persecute.’ Therefore this generation will be held responsible for the blood of all the prophets that has been shed since the beginning of the world, from the blood of Abel to the blood of Zechariah, who was killed between the altar and the sanctuary. Yes, I tell you, this generation will be held responsible for it all.” Luke 11:47-51.
The principle governing God’s judgments that is expressed here seems to be that God bears long with generation after generation, allowing them to continue in sin and pass on their characteristics and beliefs to the next generation until the cup of iniquity is full, and there is no more hope of redeeming the people of that generation. Then God withdraws His protection from them, and allows them to suffer the results of their evil choices. This is what happened to Noah’s generation, to Sodom and Gomorrah, and to the Jewish nation in Christ’s day. I believe that we are now living in the last generation of earth’s history, and that we shall soon see what it means to be living in a judgment generation.
Fortunately, God always preserves a remnant for Himself in every generation that comes to an end. Noah and his family, Lot and his daughters, Jesus’ disciples and His followers—these came out of their generation and became the nucleus of a new effort to preserve and propagate the truth about God and His government. In more modern times, we see the Protestant reformation coming out of Catholicism, and finally the development of the Advent movement which will carry us through until the coming of Jesus. But even here, we will only have a remnant who will persevere to the end. They are the “called, chosen, and faithful followers” of Jesus (Rev. 17:14), who will “follow the Lamb wherever He goes. They were purchased from among men and offered as firstfruits to God and the Lamb” (Rev. 14: 4). This group, called the 144,000, will be the finished product of Jesus’ work of redeeming the human race from the results of sin. Their lives will be a display before the universe of the healing, transforming power of God’s love.
In this article I want to investigate the roots of sin, and what the core issues are that have cost such a high price for our salvation. To do this, we must go back to where the problem began. When Adam and Eve were created, they were to exemplify and demonstrate the Godhead and their relationship with each other.
“Then God said, ‘Let us make man in our image, in our likeness’. . . .So God created man in His own image . . . Male and female He created them. God blessed them and said to them, ‘Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and over every living creature that moves on the ground.” Gen. 1:26-28.
“After God created man in His image the form was perfect in all its arrangements, but it had no vitality. Then . . . God breathed into that form the breath of life, and man became a living, breathing, intelligent being. . . .It was then that man became a living soul.” TD 273. (Emphasis supplied.)
“Man was to bear God’s image, both in outward resemblance and in character. Christ alone is ‘the express image’ of the Father; but man was formed in the likeness of God. His nature was in harmony with the will of God. His mind was capable of comprehending divine things. His affections were pure; his appetites and passions were under the control of reason. He was holy and happy in bearing the image of God, and in perfect obedience to His will.” PP 45. (Emphasis supplied.)
“God made man upright; He gave him noble traits of character, with no bias toward evil. He endowed him with high intellectual powers, and presented before him the strongest possible inducements to be true to his allegiance. Obedience, perfect and perpetual, was the condition of eternal happiness. On this condition he was to have access to the tree of life.” PP 49. (Emphasis supplied.)
“So long as they remained loyal to the divine law, their capacity to know, to enjoy, and to love, would continually increase. They would be constantly gaining new treasures of knowledge, discovering fresh springs of happiness, and obtaining clearer and yet clearer conceptions of the immeasurable, unfailing love of God.” PP 51.
“Human beings were a new and distinct order. They were made in the image of God, and it was the Creator’s design that they should populate the earth. They were to live in close communion with Him, receiving power from the Source of all power. Upheld by God, they were to live sinless lives.” SD 7. (Emphasis supplied.)
Adam and Eve, though perfect in every way, were dependent upon a continual communion and connection with God. They were given life by the Holy Spirit which God breathed into them at creation, and they were to maintain their holiness of character by keeping in constant connection with the Spirit. Sin began when Eve, and then Adam, broke their connection with God and resisted the guidance of the Holy Spirit speaking to their conscience, thus separating themselves from His influence. And so it is with us now. Without a continual connection with God through the Holy Spirit, we are unable to produce anything but what the carnal nature desires.
“I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. If anyone does not remain in me, he is like a branch that is thrown away and withers. . . .If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you. This to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples. As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have obeyed my Father’s commands and remain in His love. I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you.” John 15:5-12. (Emphases supplied.)
From this passage of scripture, it is clear that the love that the Father and Son have for each other is the pattern of love that we are to have for one other. How can this be, when we have experienced so much pain in relationships throughout our lives? Parents hurt children and children cause pain to their parents; husbands and wives sometimes say and do things that cause suffering; family members and friends may betray us. Only God has been consistently loving to us, but even this relationship may have been distorted by the examples of people who have been influential in our lives. Our only hope of healing and reconciliation with God and each other is to become vitally acquainted with God through the scriptures and an experiential relationship with Him and His healing love for our broken emotions.
At their creation, Adam and Eve were given the capacity to reflect the image of God in mind and emotions. Each had something unique and special to add to the oneness and delight of their companionship. As the king and representative of Christ, Adam was created with a mind that was fashioned for leadership and authority, while Eve was given special gifts of sensitivity and nurturing. In order to understand this better, I will share a list of brain characteristics which I learned many years ago in a camp meeting lecture which was given by Dr. Eldon Chalmers, head of the psychology department of Andrews University at that time.
LEFT HEMISPHERE RIGHT HEMISPHERE
Linear thinking Holistic thinking
Leadership Nurturing
Sense of authority and structure Fine tuning in relationships
Priority-oriented Awareness of feelings
Time-oriented Perception of intuitive truth
Problem-solving Sensitivity to emotional factors
Specialization Awareness of interrelationship
of details
Spiritual intuitions and connection with God
Both men and women have access to both hemispheres of the brain. However, it has been observed that approximately 80% of men prefer left hemisphere thinking, and 80% of women prefer right hemisphere thinking. One source of information noted that men usually speak about 12,000 words a day, while women may speak up to 50,000 words a day. Naturally, this can vary widely between individuals. Other differences are: 1. There are generally no words in right hemisphere – this is a left hemisphere function. 2. There is no time awareness in right hemisphere. 3. The neuron pathway between the two hemispheres, called the corpus callosum, is larger in diameter in females than in males. These differences in brain structure help to explain some of the differences that we observe in males and females. For example:
Question: Why do women generally talk more? Answer: Because the thoughts and feelings of the right brain are felt much more in women than in men. Working through these feelings and thoughts requires that words are put around them in order to express them accurately and appropriately. This is accomplished by taking the thoughts across the corpus callosum into left brain, and acquiring words that accurately express the feelings and thoughts. This is facilitated by talking until both hemispheres are in congruence.
Question: Why do women tend to cry more easily than men? Answer: Because there is a greater awareness of the thoughts, feelings, and emotions in right hemisphere, and until these can be worked through in left hemisphere with appropriate words, tears are an expression of unresolved emotions that are being felt by women.
Note: Older men often cry more easily than when they were young, because the testosterone levels drop as they age, and it is testosterone that keeps men more in left brain. Conversely, female hormones such as estrogen and progesterone levels which keep women more in right hemisphere, drop as women are past menopause, and can bring men and women into more harmony and emotional balance when they are past the childbearing years.
Question: Why does it often seem that men express more anger than women when they are frustrated? Answer: Feelings of anger are a result of goals, drives, and desires that are threatened or thwarted, which makes it more of a left hemisphere reaction.
Obviously, these are just a few of the problems that have produced untold grief through the history of mankind after sin entered our world. But God wants to heal the damage that sin and Satan has done to us, and by the increase of knowledge which was predicted by Daniel (Dan. 12:4), God is opening up the understanding we need to help us to cooperate intelligently with Jesus’ final work in the Most Holy Place of the sanctuary, where He is blotting out the sins which have caused so much devastation to the human race.
One of the most devastating problems caused by the fall of Adam and Eve has been the terrible and degrading misunderstanding of sexuality. It took only approximately 2000 years for the fall of man to come to the place where only eight people were left who had not capitulated to Satan’s rulership. This was mainly brought about by destructive male-female relationships.
“The sons of God saw that the daughters of men were beautiful, and they married any of them they chose. Then the Lord said, ‘My Spirit will not remain in man forever, for he is corrupt’. . . .The Lord saw how great man’s wickedness on the earth had become, and that every inclination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil all the time. The Lord was grieved that he had made man on the earth, and His heart was filled with pain. So the Lord said, ‘I will wipe mankind, whom I have created, from the face of the earth . . . for I am grieved that I have made them.’” Gen. 6:2-7. (Emphasis supplied. Words in italics are taken from the margin.)
Notice that because of the deterioration and corruption of sexuality and marriage, the whole human race became so evil that God withdrew His Spirit from them and destroyed everyone except Noah and his family. This indicates that sexuality as God meant for it to be is far more than just an enjoyable experience between two people. When God made Adam and Eve, they were to represent the complete oneness of the Godhead in mind, body and spirit. The three members of the Godhead possess everything within themselves that they gave to mankind in male and female. God as King is the ultimate leader and authority of the universe, yet He is perfectly blended with the nurturing, loving, feeling side of His nature. All members of the Godhead possess these qualities in complete harmony with each other.
Because we are made in their image, we were given the privilege of being joined together in perfect harmony, balance and oneness as well. I believe that the gift of sexuality as God intended it to be blends the two hemispheres of the brain together as nothing else can do. But in order for this miracle to take place, God Himself wants to be a part of this union of body, mind and emotions, producing the sensation of becoming one flesh. It is a moment in time when God, through the ministry of the Holy Spirit, recreates us again in His image, for He is the origin of the wonderful mystery called love.
Unfortunately, Satan has capitalized on the sexuality of mankind, and because he too is a spirit, he can enter the bodies and souls of human beings through this act. He has caused more depravity through sexuality than any other means. Years ago I gave Bible studies to a woman who had been a demon worshipper for seven years, and she stated that satanic sex orgies were a part of their worship, and the demons greatly enhance the experience, thus gaining control over their victims. This means that not only does Satan have access to take possession of the participants, but also to cause children to be born who are possessed from conception. Notice the way God feels about unholy unions that give the devil access to families and to their offspring:
“Judah has broken faith. A detestable thing has been committed in Israel and in Jerusalem: Judah had desecrated the sanctuary the Lord loves, by marrying the daughter of a foreign god. As for the man who does this, whoever he may be, may the Lord cut him off from the tents of Jacob—even though he brings offerings to the Lord Almighty.
“Another thing you do: You flood the Lord’s altar with tears. You weep and wail because He no longer pays attention to your offerings or accepts them with pleasure from your hands. You ask, ‘Why?’ It is because the Lord is acting as the witness between you and the wife of your youth, because you have broken faith with her, though she is your partner, the wife of your marriage covenant.
“Has not the Lord made them one? In flesh and spirit they are His. And why one? Because He was seeking godly offspring. So guard yourself in your spirit, and do not break faith with the wife of your youth.” Mal. 2:11-15.
Do you see how God wants to be a part of the marriage intimacy? It is in this experience that God repeats His creative act of bringing mind, body, and spirit into oneness with each other, and with Himself! This is the reason He commanded that any man who married the daughter of a foreign god must be separated from the camp of Israel, because the demons would then have access to the marriage itself, and to the children born from that union! In Leviticus chapters 18 and 20, God gave the Israelites very specific and detailed instructions concerning illicit sexual practices. It was for these very pagan practices that God drove them out of their land (Lev. 18:24, 25; 20:23). These sexual practices, including same-sex unions, or sex with animals, were so abhorrent to God that anyone practicing these things were to be put to death (Lev. 20:13, 15, 16).
Why is God so strict about sexual behavior? As I have already said, it is because He wants to be a part of the joining together of a man and his wife in this holy experience that represents the perfect love and unity of the Godhead. Through the Holy Spirit, He brings the two together into one spirit. It is a divinely creative act that produces the kind of home where the angels love to visit, and children can be born and raised in the atmosphere of heaven. I know this sounds very idealistic, but this is God’s intention.
“You are to be holy to me because I, the Lord, am holy, and I have set you apart from the nations to be my own.” Lev. 20:26.
“We are to become familiar with the Levitical law in all its bearings; for it contains certain rules that must be obeyed; it contains the instruction that if studied will enable us to understand better the rule of faith and practice that we are to follow in our dealings with one another. No soul has any excuse for being in darkness. Those who receive Christ by faith will receive also power to become the sons of God.” 1 BC 1110. (Emphases supplied.)
We have surely come a long way from the Garden of Eden and the perfect couple God created to represent His own character. But it is time to come all the way back home. Jesus will have a people who will follow Him in the cleansing of character and blotting out of sin that He is providing for us right now as He finishes His final work in the Most Holy Place of the heavenly sanctuary.
“Says the prophet: ‘Who may abide the day of His coming? And who shall stand when He appeareth? For He is like a refiner’s fire, and like fullers’ soap: and He shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver: and He shall purify the sons of Levi, and purge them as gold and silver, that they may offer unto the Lord an offering in righteousness.’ [Mal. 3:2, 3.] Those who are living upon the earth when the intercession of Christ shall cease in the sanctuary above, are to stand in the sight of a holy God without a mediator. 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. This work is more clearly presented in the messages of Revelation 14.
“When this work shall have been accomplished, the followers of Christ will be ready for His appearing. ‘Then shall the offering of Judah and Jerusalem be pleasant unto the Lord, as in the days of old, and in former years.’ [Mal. 3:4.] Then the church which our Lord at His coming is to receive to Himself will be ‘a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing.’” [Eph. 5:27.] GC 425. (Emphases supplied.)
Notice that this quotation from Ellen White is placed directly after Malachi 2:11-16, where God speaks with displeasure about the problems He sees in the families of His people at that time. Therefore we can conclude that problems in families must be corrected and healed among His end-time people before they are ready for His coming. Remember—the sin problem started in a family; and before sin is eradicated from the universe, the families of God’s remnant will be healed by the blood of Jesus and His cleansing work for us right now. The final words of Malachi leave us this promise:
“Remember the law of my servant Moses, the decrees and laws I gave him at Horeb for all Israel. See, I will send you the prophet Elijah before that great and dreadful day of the Lord comes. He will turn the hearts of the fathers to their children, and the hearts of the children to their fathers; or else I will come and strike the land with a curse.” Mal. 4:4-6.
These words have special application and meaning for us right now, for we are living just preceding the great and wonderful day of Jesus’ second coming. This prophecy is a promise that God will bring healing to our families if we seek Him for His blessing! Years ago, I found scriptural evidence of just such healing. I have been particularly interested in it because it is in the context of judging and cleansing women first, followed by the healing of the whole family and the church as well. This concept is found in Isaiah, chapters 3 and 4:
“Youths oppress my people, women rule over them. O my people, your guides lead you astray; they turn you from the path. The Lord takes His place in court; He rises to judge the people. The Lord enters into judgment against the elders and leaders of His people: . . .
“The Lord says, ‘The women of Zion are haughty, walking along with outstretched necks, flirting with their eyes, tripping along with mincing steps with ornaments jingling on their ankles. Therefore the Lord will bring sores on the heads of the women of Zion; the Lord will make their scalps bald.’. . .
“In that day the Lord will snatch away their finery. . . .Your men will fall by the sword, your warriors in battle. The gates of Zion will lament and mourn; destitute, she will sit on the ground. In that day seven women will take hold of one man and say, ‘We will eat our own food and provide our own clothes; only let us be called by your name [to (KJV)] take away our disgrace.” Isa. 3:12-4:1.
This scripture can certainly be applied to Christian churches today, and to a certain extent our own church as the culture and fashions of the society around us influence our people to follow their example. To the extent that we have assimilated this culture, we need to humble ourselves before God and repent of any part of pride, haughtiness, love of display, and desire for control over one another, whether in the home or in the church. We must keep our eyes upon Jesus, our example, who said to His disciples:
“You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be your slave—just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many.” Matt. 20:25-28.
“By living to minister for others, man is brought into connection to Christ. The law of service becomes the connecting link which binds us to God and to our fellow man.” COL 328.
Ellen White also uses Isaiah chapters 3 and 4 to refer to God’s people in the last days:
“Isaiah 3 was presented before me. I was shown that this prophecy has its application to these last days; and the reproofs are given to the daughters of Zion who have thought only of appearance and display. Read verse 25: ‘Thy men shall fall by the sword, and thy mighty men in the war.’ I was shown that this Scripture will be strictly fulfilled. . . .They will be brought low in the dust, and long for an experience in the things of God, which they failed to obtain.” 4 SG 63.
But there is hope for our generation which is found in the promises of Isaiah 4:
“And it shall come to pass, that he that is left in Zion, and he that remaineth in Jerusalem, shall be called holy, even every one that is written among the living in Jerusalem: When the Lord shall have washed away the filth of the daughters of Zion; and shall have purged the blood of Jerusalem from the midst thereof by the spirit of judgment and by the spirit of burning.
“And the Lord will create upon every dwelling place of mount Zion, and upon her assemblies, a cloud and smoke by day, and the shining of a flaming fire by night: for upon all the glory shall be a defense. And there shall be a tabernacle for a shadow in the daytime from the heat, and for a place of refuge, and for a covert from storm and from rain.” Isa. 4:1-6. KJV. (Emphases supplied.)
You see, the special cleansing which Jesus will do for His people will start where sin first began—with Eve in Eden. When women in the home and in the church become examples of holiness, we will be able to lead others to Jesus. We must be cleansed from haughtiness and pride. Our husbands and children and the members of the church, as well as neighbors and friends, need to see the humility and love of Jesus in us. When we are chosen to be in leadership positions, we need to maintain respect for the men who are in leadership. We need the baptism of the Holy Spirit that will produce in us the very character of Jesus wherever we go. Never should we vie for position or authority, but simply live out in our lives the gifts of the Spirit that God has given us to serve Him and others, and God will surely see that our faithfulness is rewarded. As God has said, “Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time.” 1 Pet. 5:6. KJV.
I believe women need to go first in the judgment to prepare us to help the men to be restored, as well as to facilitate our children and others who are seeking for healing. God wants to save us in families. All of us have sinned and come short of the glory of God. We have not been perfect husbands, wives, or parents. We all need healing, and God has promised to do this, especially in the last days. God wants to restore that perfect Father-son relationship with men today that Adam lost when he chose his wife over the direct command of God. When women are cleansed and filled by the wisdom, love and patience we need, God can use us to represent Jesus’ love to them when they go through cleansing trials. Instead of responding to hardship as Job’s wife did, we can be a blessing by our loving ministry to them in being kind, loving, helpful, understanding, and respectful.
For a number of years, I and others have been experiencing the gentle but persistent urging of God to go through this cleansing process. He has led us every step of the way, and has been so patient, kind and understanding when we go through fiery trials. When I have lost my temper, been critical or spoken harshly or unadvisedly, He has corrected me and helped me to go back and try again to be compassionate, loving, understanding, patient, and respectful under all circumstances. I am still learning, but the pathway has become easier as I learn to lean entirely upon my Savior. Every morning when I awake and go to my prayer room, I ask the Lord, “Father, is there anything that you want to bring to my attention that needs to be repented of and corrected? Is there anything between You and me?” What a joy it is to hear the voice of the Holy Spirit whisper lovingly, “No, all is well between us!” Of course, there are other days when correction is needed; but that is all a necessary part of the cleansing and sealing which will get us ready for the fullness of the latter rain.
In Jeremiah 31:20, 21, God calls women to do something new in the last days of earth’s history:
“Set up road signs; put up guideposts. Take note of the highway, the road that you take. Return, O Virgin Israel, return to your towns. How long will you wander, O unfaithful daughter? The Lord will create a new thing on earth—a woman will surround a man.” (Emphasis supplied.)
Although this is a prophecy of Israel returning to their own land, there is a greater meaning for us in these last days who are looking forward to the restoration of spiritual Israel in preparation for Jesus’ coming. Years ago I did a study on the meaning of the word, “surround.” Here are some of the results of my study:
“In a desert land he found him, in a barren and howling waste. He shielded*him and cared for him; he guarded him as the apple of his eye, like an eagle that stirs up its nest and hovers over its young, that spreads its wings to catch them and carries them on its pinions.” Deut. 32:10, 11. (*same word as surrounded.) (Emphases supplied.)
“You are my hiding place; you will protect me from trouble and surround me with songs of deliverance. . . .Many are the woes of the wicked, but the Lord’s unfailing love surrounds the man who trusts in him.” Ps. 32:7, 10. (Emphases supplied.)
“As the mountains surround Jerusalem, so the Lord surrounds his people both now and forevermore.” Ps. 125:2. (Emphases supplied.)
Notice that these texts reflect the nurturing side of God, combined with His strong protectiveness. Just as we need these qualities from God, so we also need to give and receive them from one another if we are to feel safe, happy and blessed. “What a man needs is unfailing love.” Pr. 19:22. We should make it a goal every day to give that to each other.
“Your companionship in the marriage relation should be close and tender, holy and elevated, breathing a spiritual power into your lives, that you may be everything to each other that God’s word requires. When you reach the condition that the Lord desires you to reach, you will find heaven below and God in your life.” AH 112.
And just as the sexuality of husband and wife needs the influence of the Holy Spirit to be all that God intended it to be, so we need the Holy Spirit to give us this miracle of unfailing love at all times for each member of the family. When this is achieved, we will be perfected members of God’s family on earth, in preparation for soon joining the family above!
Just as in Isaiah 4, the judgment and cleansing of women goes first in preparing the way for the cleansing of the family and the church, so the implication can be drawn from Jeremiah 31:22 that by their loving ministry and unselfish Christ-like lives, women can have a vital role in the restoration of God’s people at the end of time, preparing the way for the new covenant promise to be fulfilled:
“’The days are coming,’ declares the Lord, ‘when I will plant the house of Israel and the house of Judah with the offspring of men and of animals. Just as I watched over them to uproot and tear down . . . so I will watch over them to build and to plant,’ declares the Lord. In those days people will no longer say, “The fathers have eaten sour grapes, and the children’s teeth are set on edge.” Instead, everyone will die for his own sin; whoever eats sour grapes—his own teeth will be set on edge.
“’The time is coming,’ declares the Lord, ‘when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah. . . .This is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel after that time,’ declares the Lord. ‘I will put my law in their minds and write it on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people. No longer will a man teach his neighbor, or a man his brother, saying, “Know the Lord,” because they will all know me from the least of them to the greatest,’ declares the Lord. ‘For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more.’” Jer. 31:27-34. (Emphases supplied.)
Notice that the passing on of hereditary sins will be ended, and everyone will know the Lord by his or her own experience with the Lord. Jeremiah 50:20 also speaks of this end-time healing of families:
“’In those days, at that time,’ declares the Lord, ‘search will be made for Israel’s guilt, but there will be none, and for the sins of Judah, but none will be found, for I will forgive the remnant that I spare.’”
But best and most exciting of all, these promises are being fulfilled right now, for Ellen White pinpoints these very same texts of scripture to take place during the judgment of the living, and the blotting out of their sins from the books of record in heaven:
“The deepest interest manifested among men in the decisions of earthly tribunals but faintly represents the interest evinced in the heavenly courts when the names entered in the book of life come up in review before the Judge of all the earth. The divine Intercessor presents the plea that all who have overcome through faith in His blood be forgiven their transgressions, that they be restored to their Eden home, and crowned as joint-heirs with Himself to the ‘first dominion.’. . .Christ now asks that this plan be carried into effect, as if man had never fallen. He asks for His people not only pardon and justification, full and complete, but a share in His glory and a seat upon His throne. . . .
“Thus will be realized the complete fulfillment of the new-covenant promise, ‘I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.’ ‘In those days, and in that time, saith the Lord, the iniquity of Israel shall be sought for, and there shall be none; and the sins of Judah, and they shall not be found.’ [Jer. 31:34; 50:20.] ‘In that day shall the branch of the Lord be beautiful and glorious, and the fruit of the earth shall be excellent and comely for them that are escaped of Israel. And it shall come to pass, that he that is left in Zion, and he that remaineth in Jerusalem, shall be called holy, even every one that is written among the living in Jerusalem.’ [Isa.4:2, 3.]
“The work of the investigative judgment and the blotting out of sins is to be accomplished before the second advent of the Lord. . . .When the investigative judgment closes, Christ will come, and His reward will be with Him to give to every man as his work shall be.” GC 483-485. (Emphases supplied.)
I am longing for the day when the great controversy will be over and we will be at home in the heavenly Eden restored. In the meantime, let us renew our efforts to cooperate with Jesus as He cleanses and restores us to be a living example of His love in all of our relationships here.
