12.) The Sanctuary -- God's Hiding Place for His Perfected People
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When Adam and Eve were created, they were placed in a beautiful garden home which was a replica of the garden of God in heaven. They were created to have communion and fellowship not only with each other but with the whole family in heaven. Angels often visited them and conversed with them about the mysteries of the universe, the fall of Lucifer and the angels who followed him, and the purpose for their own creation. And best of all, Jesus came to visit them every day in the cool of the day.
"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.... God Himself gave Adam aa companion. He provided ‘an help meet for him’ - 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 was his second self; showing the close union and the affectionate attachment that should exist in this relation." PP 46.
We are not told how long they lived in this blissful estate, but the day came when Eve was lured away by the temptation to use her God-given power of communication to listen to the voice of the tempter, and thus come under his power. Then through her influence, Adam was also led to join her in disobedience to God's express command.
"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 experience of his wife." 3T 72.
In this story of the fall of our first parents, we see the tremendous power of influence. So in the closing scenes of earth's history, the world will be arrayed in two camps -- those who follow the explicit commands of Jehovah, and those who have a false experience brought upon them by Satan, that will lure people to their eternal damnation.
"In the face of the most positive commands of God, men and women will follow their own inclinations and then dare to pray over the matter, to prevail upon God to consent to allow them to go contrary to His expressed will. The Lord is not pleased with such prayers. Satan comes to the side of such persons, as he did to Eve in Eden, impresses them, and they have an exercise of mind, and this they relate as a most wonderful experience which the Lord has given them. A true experience will be in perfect harmony with natural and divine law. False experience will array itself against science and the principles of Jehovah." 3T 72, 3.
Are we prepared to stand firm in the last great battle between Christ and Satan when miracles will be wrought and professed Christians around the world will be proclaiming that they have an experience with God that testifies to the validity of their belief that the law of God has been abrogated, and that the Jewish Sabbath has been replaced by the Christian day of rest which celebrates the resurrection of Christ as the beginning of His ministry in the Christian era?
There is only one way that we can be sure that we will be protected and secure in the perilous days ahead. We must be hidden in the safety of the Sanctuary where we can live in continual communion with Jesus and receive His guidance and the assurance of His love and protection. Now is the time to make our calling and election sure. Now is the time to connect with Jesus in such a secure relationship with Him that when the winds of strife blow all around us, we will stand firm in the days ahead. Jesus is calling us now to enter into that place of safety and communion with Him:
"Come, my people, enter thou into thy chambers, and shut thy doors about thee: hide thyself as it were for a little moment, until the indignation be overpast. For, behold, the Lord cometh out of his place to punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity: the earth also shall disclose her blood, and shall no more cover her slain." Isa. 26:20, 21, KJV.
"What are the chambers in which they are to hide? They are the protection of Christ and holy angels." 4BC 1143.
Jesus said that prayer brings us into that special place of hiding and communion with Him:
"But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you." Matthew 6:6.
All Bible writers name this place of refuge as God's holy temple, His Sanctuary, His presence, or where His presence dwells.
"You are not a God who takes pleasure in evil; with you the wicked cannot dwell.... But I, by your great mercy, will come into your house; in reverence will I bow down toward your holy temple.... Let all who take refuge in you be glad; let them ever sing for joy. Spread your protection over them, that those who love your name may rejoice in you. For surely, O Lord, you bless the righteous; you surround them with your favor as with a shield." Ps. 5:4-12.
"The Lord is my light and my salvation -- whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life -- of whom shall I be afraid? When evil men advance against me to devour my flesh, when my enemies and my foes attack me, they will stumble and fall. Though an army besiege me, my heart will not fear; though war break out against me, even then will I be confident. One thing I ask of the Lord, this is what I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord and to seek him in his temple. For in the day of trouble he will keep me safe in his dwelling; he will hide me in the shelter of his tabernacle and set me high upon a rock." Ps. 27:1-5.
"The Lord has established Zion, and in her his afflicted people will find refuge." Isa. 14:32.
"The wrath of God will not fall upon one soul that seeks refuge in Him." TM 157.
"In the place of fleeing from God because of our sins, we flee to His arms for protection and pardon. The throne, terrible to us in our unbelief, becomes in our repentance a place of refuge." UL 100.
In the end of time there will be a special cleansing of God's remnant people which will prepare them to enter into the Most Holy Place experience where they will be protected during the great time of trouble.
"In the whole land, declares the Lord, two-thirds will be struck down and perish; yet one-third will be left in it. This third I will bring into the fire; I will refine them like silver and test them like gold. They will call on my name and I will answer them; I will say, 'They are my people,' and they will say, 'The Lord is our God.'" Zech. 13:8, 9.
"And afterward, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your old men will dream dreams, your young men will see visions. Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days. I will show wonders in the heavens and on the earth, blood and fire and billows of smoke. The sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord. And everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved; for on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there will be deliverance, as the Lord has said, among the survivors whom the Lord calls." Joel 2:28-32. [See also Acts 2:17-21.]
"This prophecy of Joel met a partial fulfillment in the days of the Apostles. We are living in a time when it is to be even more evidently manifest to the people of God. He will so bestow His Spirit upon His people that they will become a light amid the moral darkness, and light will be reflected in all parts of the world. O that our faith might be increased, that the Lord might work mightily with His people." MS 49, 1908.
We are now in this time of the end, when the prophecies of the whole Bible concerning the remnant of God's people are to be fulfilled. This is the time prophesied by Daniel when the wise are to be purified, made spotless and refined. This is the process of purification which is necessary to produce a purified remnant. But it will be impossible for us to achieve this goal unless we come into a Sanctuary relationship with Jesus and allow Him to recreate our minds and emotions back to the original perfection with which we were created.
The entire human race has been so damaged by the suffering that sin has caused, that our minds are depraved and corrupted, and our instincts are for self-protection and aggression against anything that we perceive to be dangerous to our wellbeing, safety, or happiness. Unselfish love and an outward focus toward the well-being of others is not natural for the carnal heart. Jesus came into our world to demonstrate what perfection of character looks like when it is lived out in human flesh. Looking to Him and drawing near to Him creates a desire in our hearts to be like Him. It is through this experience with Jesus that we can experience the radical change that must take place before we are prepared to live in the perfect society of heaven, even while we are still living upon this earth.
The Scriptures have been given to us to help us to understand God's character, His law, and His purpose for mankind which will prepare us to cooperate with Him so that he can restore the original relationship with Him that we had before the fall. And throughout the scriptures, God's dwelling place, His temple, and His Sanctuary are emphasized as the way back to a perfect relationship with Him.
In the Sanctuary we find a photograph of God. This is why David says:
"The Lord is my light and my salvation -- whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life -- of whom shall I be afraid?... One thing I ask of the Lord, this is what I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord and to seek him in his temple. For in the day of trouble he will keep me safe in his dwelling; he will hide me in the shelter of his tabernacle." Ps. 27:1-6.
David does not ask to speak with God now and then and to see glimpses of Him at times. David boldly asks to dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of his life and to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord constantly in His temple. This will be the experience of everyone who goes through the end of time and the time of trouble without seeing death and is accounted worthy to be among the 144,000.
"Then I looked, and there before me was the Lamb, standing on Mount Zion, and with him 144,000 who had his name and his Father's name written on their foreheads.... They follow the Lamb wherever he goes.... No lie was found in their mouths; they are blameless." Rev. 14:1, 4, 5.
In order to understand the significance of God's people being with Him on Mount Zion, I will include here a study on the meaning of Mount Zion.
"Then King Solomon summoned into his presence at Jerusalem the elders of Israel....to bring up the ark of the Lord's covenant from Zion, the city of David.... The priests then brought the ark of the Lord's covenant to its place in the inner Sanctuary of the temple, the Most Holy Place, and put it beneath the wings of the cherubim." 1 Kings 8:1, 6.
"The account of the rites connected with the dedication of the temple constitutes one of the outstanding chapters of the Bible. The narrative is one of great beauty and deep spiritual significance.... Here we enter into the deeper significance of the things having to do with the house of God -- we come into contact with God Himself." 2 BC 761. [Not EGW.]
It is important to understand when studying the Sanctuary that the subject of the Sanctuary is progressive. In other words, wherever God is working with His people, the Sanctuary is the center of communication between earth and heaven, and the revelation of the plan of salvation as it is being worked out through the centuries. Therefore, to ignore the study of the Sanctuary as it is revealed in scripture is to ignore the efforts of God to provide a pathway back to the relationship we had with Him before the human race fell through our first parents.
The first rudimentary concepts of the Sanctuary began in Eden when Jesus informed them that because of their sin they must leave the immediate presence of God, but that a substitute would be provided in the distant future to redeem back the human race from their fall into sin. He then provided garments of animal skins to cover their nakedness. After they left their garden home, an altar was set up before the gate of Eden where cherubim with flashing fiery swords guarded the way to the tree of life. Thus, God provided forgiveness of sins, hope for the future, and a continuing relationship and communication with Him.
Centuries later, God instructed the intricate details of the Sanctuary in the wilderness for the children of Israel. This provided a way of safety for them from the idolatrous worship of the nations around them, and the satanic rituals and delusions that threatened to lure them from God. In the Sanctuary the whole plan of salvation was laid out and demonstrated in symbols that would last until the end of time. Later of course, the erection of Solomon's Temple was the glory of Israel, and although it was destroyed in 586 BC, the temple was rebuilt after the 70 years of Babylonian captivity were completed. When the Jewish nation rejected Jesus as the Messiah, and afterward the preaching of the gospel of salvation by His disciples and the early Christian church, their probation ended, and In 70 AD, the Temple was destroyed by the Roman armies, with not one stone left upon another as Jesus had predicted in Matthew 24:2.
But the meaning of the Sanctuary and its truths will live on forever, for they are as eternal as the very Throne of God.
What are the essential truths that are demonstrated in the Sanctuary and its earthly services? Number one, the Sanctuary reveals the invitation of God to enter the very gates of heaven and shows us the pathway which enables us to live a life of communion and oneness with Him and to receive the blessings He offers to those who seek Him. Sin separates us from God and connects us with the influence and lies of the enemy. Without the power of God and obedience to Him, we have no ability to resist the control of the evil one over our minds, spirits, and souls. Satan is a liar and a murderer from the beginning, and his power over us is absolute unless we choose the rich salvation that is offered to us through Jesus. But understanding how to do this is impossible without a comprehension of the laws and principles and character of God. While it is true that the Holy Spirit is constantly ranging throughout the earth to seek out those whose hearts are responsive to Him [2 Chron. 16:9], without a further knowledge of God, very few will progress beyond the most rudimentary understanding of His nature and requirements. Thus, we can limit the power of God in our lives by resistance to His Spirit, which allows the devil more access to tempt us and lead us into sin.
"God's test to the heathen, who have not the light, and of those living where the knowledge of truth and light has been abundant, is altogether different. He accepts from those in heathen lands a phase of righteousness which does not satisfy Him when offered by those of Christian lands. He does not require much where much has not been bestowed." 5BC 1121.
"Time and time again the Lord has longed to communicate His Spirit in rich measure, but there was no place for it to rest. It was not recognized or valued. (Because of hardness of heart, blindness of mind, and some hidden evil which would) hinder the manifestation of the power of God...His Spirit cannot descend." Letter 43, 1890.
"God will do great things for those who trust Him. The reason why His professed people have no greater strength, is that they trust so much to their own wisdom, and do not give the Lord an opportunity to reveal His power in their behalf. He will help His believing children in every emergency, if they will place their entire confidence in Him, and faithfully obey Him." PP 493.
"As the olive trees empty themselves into the golden pipes, so the heavenly messengers seek to communicate all that they receive from God. The whole heavenly treasure awaits our demand and reception; and as we receive the blessing, we in our turn are to impart it. Thus, it is that the church becomes a light-bearer to the world." TM 510.
So, we can see that even though the riches of eternity are available to us, we are the ones who decide how much of God's blessings we will receive.
"Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be open to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks the door will be opened. Which of you fathers, if your son asks for a fish, will give him a snake instead? Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? If you then... know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!" Luke 11:9-13.
"You should feel an earnest desire for the Holy Spirit and should pray earnestly to obtain it. You cannot expect the blessing of God without seeking for it." 2T 263.
"It is a part of God's plan to grant us, in answer to the prayer of faith, that which He would not bestow did we not thus ask." GC 525.
"I saw that one saint, if he were right, could move the arm of God." EW 120.
Not only are we to seek for temporal blessings from our heavenly Father, but even more importantly, we are to seek for spiritual blessings which will enable us to be cleansed from all the harm that Satan has done to us throughout our whole lives.
"It is by the Spirit that the heart is made pure.... Christ has given His Spirit as a divine power to overcome all cultivated and hereditary tendencies to evil and to impress His own character upon His church." DA 671.
So, although the Holy Spirit reaches out to everyone, it is only those who respond and seek to know God and follow His precepts who receive the benefits of salvation and regeneration of soul. Then why is it that comparatively few receive the privilege of salvation? Recall the story of the rich young ruler. His love for material wealth on earth exceeded his desire for the riches of eternal life in heaven. So it will be with most of the people on earth. Their love of some earthly treasure eclipses their desire for heaven, and the attraction they once had for spiritual things fades away and it becomes only a distant memory.
Jesus said:
"Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it." Matt. 7:13, 14.
Few find the narrow road that leads to heaven because the qualities that are necessary are unnatural to the human heart. In previous articles I have written extensively about the Sanctuary services as being the template for communication with Jesus. This communication is essential for our salvation, and especially for the preparation necessary to produce the final cleansed remnant who will be alive when Jesus comes. Now I want to use the Sanctuary model as the way to receive the perfection of character that results from cooperating with Jesus in the blotting out of all our sins before He leaves His work in the Most Holy Place of the heavenly Sanctuary.
In every person's life there are areas of sin that are unconquerable without a connection with Jesus that destroys the love we have for that sin. Unless we know Jesus personally and establish such a close bond with Him that sin becomes hateful to us, we can never be overcomers.
"This union with Christ, once formed, must be maintained. Christ said, 'Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me.' This is no casual touch, no off and on connection. The branch becomes a part of the living vine. The communication of life, strength, and fruitfulness from the root to the branches is unobstructed and constant. Separated from the vine, the branch cannot live. No more, said Jesus, can you live apart from Me. The life you have received from Me can be preserved only by continual communion. Without Me you cannot overcome one sin or resist one temptation.
"'Abide in Me, and I in you.' Abiding in Christ means a constant receiving of His Spirit, a life of unreserved surrender to His service. The channel of communication must be open continually between man and his God. As the vine branch constantly draws the sap from the living vine, so are we to cling to Jesus, and receive from Him by faith the strength and perfection of His own character.
"The root sends its nourishment through the branch to the outermost twig. So Christ communicates the current of spiritual strength to every believer. So long as the soul is united to Christ, there is no danger that it will wither or decay....
"'He that abideth in me,' said Jesus, 'and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without Me ye can do nothing.' When we live by faith on the Son of God, the fruits of the Spirit will be seen in our life; not one will be missing." DA 676.
It is popular today in the Christian world to say and believe that we will sin until Jesus comes and changes our nature. But we must understand that this is a delusion of the devil. All cleansing of character is done before Jesus steps out of the Most Holy Place of the heavenly Sanctuary when His work there is finished. This work is not done in secret, but it is a cooperative work between Jesus and the believer. This experience can be very painful at times, because Jesus must get to the very heart and root of the sin problem in our lives. He must take us to the very core of our being and cut out everything that would hinder our complete cleansing and infilling of His righteousness in our character.
"There are branches trailing upon the ground; these must be cut loose from the earthly supports to which their tendrils are fastening. They are to reach heavenward and find their support in God. The excessive foliage that draws away the life current from the fruit must be pruned off. The overgrowth must be cut out, to give room for the healing beams of the Sun of Righteousness. The husbandman prunes away the harmful growth, that the fruit may be richer and more abundant.
"'Herein is my Father glorified,' said Jesus, 'that ye bear much fruit.' God desires to manifest through you the holiness, the benevolence, the compassion, of His own character.... 'If ye abide in me,' He says, 'and my words abide in you, you shall ask what you will, and it shall be done unto you.' It is through the word that Christ abides in His followers.... The words of Christ are spirit and life. Receiving them, you receive the life of the Vine. You live 'by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.' Matt. 4:4. The life of Christ in you produces the same fruits as in Him. Living in Christ, adhering to Christ, supported by Christ, drawing nourishment from Christ, you bear fruit after the similitude of Christ." DA 677.
Therein lies the secret of the necessity for the complete cleansing of our characters before Jesus comes. Throughout history Jesus has lived in His followers through His word and through His Spirit until their death, and they were judged on the basis of their commitment to Him and their agreement with His word. All their mistakes and shortcomings came under the covering of His righteous blood applied to the record of their lives as they repented and came into agreement with him in everything they understood.
But for those who live at the end of time, there will come an end to reconciling in the heavenly Sanctuary, just as there was an end to the earthly Sanctuary services when Jesus came as the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world for the sins committed from the beginning of the world until His work ceases in the heavenly Sanctuary at the close of probationary time.
"Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people and upon thy holy city, to finish the transgression, and to make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up the vision and prophecy, and to anoint the Most Holy." Dan. 9:24.
After Christ's life on earth, His sacrificial death, His resurrection, and His ascension back into heaven, He began His intercessory work in the heavenly Sanctuary. Daniel's prophecy includes the entire ministry of Jesus, both for the Jewish nation until the close of their probation in 34 AD, and then for all people of the world who will respond to His work in the heavenly Sanctuary until He makes an end of sins and brings in everlasting righteousness when His ministry is finished in the Most Holy Place.
A. T. Jones writes extensively of this. Here are some excerpts from his article, "The Consecrated Way to Christian Perfection," Part Five: "The Time of Finishing the Mystery of God":
"The finishing of this work of the [Old Testament] Sanctuary and for the Sanctuary was, likewise, the finishing of the work for the people. For in that day of the cleansing of the Sanctuary, which was the Day of Atonement, whosoever of the people did not by searching of heart, confession, and putting away of sin take part in the service of the cleansing of the Sanctuary was cut off forever....
"And this was all 'a figure for the time then present.' That Sanctuary, sacrifice, priesthood, and ministry was a figure of the true, which is the Sanctuary, sacrifice, priesthood, and ministry of Christ. And that cleansing of the Sanctuary was a figure of the true, which is the cleansing of the Sanctuary and the true tabernacle which the Lord pitched and not man, from all the uncleanness of the believers in Jesus because of all their transgressions and all their sins....
"The Sanctuary that was a figure for the time then present was destroyed by the army of the Romans who came and destroyed that city (Dan. 9:26) and that Sanctuary and even its place was to be desolate 'even until the consummation.' Therefore, the only Sanctuary that could possibly be cleansed [in 1844]... was... the Sanctuary of which Christ... is true Priest and Minister... which the Lord pitched and not man....
"What this cleansing means is plainly declared in Daniel 9:24-28.... The 70 weeks or 490 years of the limitation upon the Jews and Jerusalem is definitely declared to be to finish the transgression, and to make an end of sins, and 'to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring an everlasting righteousness, and to seal up the vision and prophecy, and to anoint the Most Holy.' Daniel 9:24.
"That is the true purpose of God in the Sanctuary and its service in all time: whether in the figure or in the true, whether for Jews or Gentiles, whether on earth or in heaven....
"The nation to whom the kingdom of God was given, upon its rejection by the Jews, was the Gentiles. And that which was to be done for the Jews.... is the identical thing to be done for the Gentiles, to whom the kingdom of God is given.... And that work is to finish the transgression, and to make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up the vision and the prophecy, and to anoint the Most Holy....
"This can be done alone in the finishing of the mystery of God in the cleansing of the true Christian Sanctuary. And this is done...only in the finishing of transgression and making an end of sins in the perfecting of the believers in Jesus, on the one hand, and on the other hand in the finishing of transgression and making an end of sins in the destruction of the wicked in the cleansing of the universe from all taint of sin that has ever been upon it.
"The finishing of the mystery of God is the ending of the work of the gospel. And the ending of the work of the gospel is, first, the taking away of all vestige of sin and the bringing in of everlasting righteousness--Christ fully formed--within each believer, God alone manifest in the flesh of each believer in Jesus, and secondly... the work of the gospel being finished means... the destruction of all who then shall not have received the gospel (2 Thess. 1:7-10)" CWCP 115,116.
So, we can see that the finishing of the mystery of God and the ending of the work of the Gospel is the perfecting of God's people. And the completion of the work of Jesus in the Most Holy Place is dependent upon the intelligent, willing cooperation of His people, for He "does nothing without our cooperation." 2 SM 236. Herein lies the reason for the delay of His coming. Unfortunately, many people are drifting in their understanding of how to prepare for Jesus' coming. At this critical time in history, many of our people are deeply entrenched in laodiceanism and do not know that those who continue in this condition will be spewed out of the mouth of Jesus. What does it mean to be spewed out of Christ's mouth?
"To those who are indifferent at this time Christ's warning is: 'Because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spew thee out of my mouth.' Revelation 3:16. The figure of spewing out of His mouth means that He cannot offer up your prayers or your expressions of love to God. He cannot endorse your teaching of His word or your spiritual work in any wise. He cannot present your religious exercises with the request that grace be given you." 6T 408.
"If you neglect or treat with indifference the warnings that God has given, if you cherish or excuse sin, you are sealing your soul’s destiny. You will be weighed in the balance and found wanting. Grace, peace, and pardon will be forever withdrawn; Jesus will have passed by, never again to come within reach of your prayers and entreaties. While mercy lingers, while the Saviour is making intercession, let us make thorough work for eternity." 6T 405.
In order to understand better what God requires of those who wish to be alive and meet Jesus in peace at His coming, let us review His counsel to us and His reward for those who allow Him to perfect their characters before the close of probation:
"I counsel you to buy from me gold tried in the fire, so you can become rich; white clothes to wear, so you can cover your shameful nakedness; and salve to put on your eyes so you can see. Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest, and repent. Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me. To him who overcomes, I will give the right to sit with me on my throne, just as I overcame and sat down with my Father on his throne. He who has an ear let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches." Rev. 3:18-22.
The first requirement in the counsel of Jesus is to buy from Him gold tried in the fire. Let us review the prophecy in Zechariah 13:8, 9, that I quoted earlier in this article concerning the experience through which the remnant of God's people will be perfected:
"'In the whole land,' declares the Lord, 'two-thirds will be struck down and perish; yet one-third will be left in it. This third I will bring into the fire; I will refine them like silver and test them like gold. They will call on my name and I will answer them; I will say, "They are my people," and they will say, "The Lord is our God.""
Thus, we can see that in order to receive the gold tried in the fire, we must submit to Jesus and cooperate fully with Him as He brings us through trials in the refining process that reveal to us the dross in our characters.
"Each fiery trial is God's agent for their refining. Each is fitting them for their work as co-laborers with Him. Each conflict has its place in the great battle for righteousness, and each will add to the joy of their final triumph. Having this in view, the test of their faith and patience will be cheerfully accepted rather than dreaded and avoided. Anxious to fulfill their obligation to the world, fixing their desire upon the approval of God, His servants are to fulfill every duty, irrespective of the fear or the favor of men." DA 306.
"Each one in the day of investigative Judgment will stand in character as he really is; he will render an individual account to God. Every word uttered, every departure from integrity, every action that sullies the soul, will be weighed in the balances of the Sanctuary. Memory will be true and vivid.... The mind will recall all the thoughts and actions of the past; the whole life will come in review like the scenes in a panorama." R&H Nov. 4, 1884.
"We individually have a case pending in the court of heaven. Character is being weighed in the balances of the Sanctuary, and it should be the earnest desire of all to walk humbly and carefully, lest, neglecting to let their light shine forth to the world, they fail of the grace of God and lose everything that is valuable. All dissension, all differences and fault-finding, should be put away, with all evil speaking and bitterness; kindness, love, and compassion for one another should be cherished, that the prayer of Christ that His disciples might be one as He is one with the Father may be answered." 5T 279.
"God is weighing our characters, our conduct, and our motives in the balances of the Sanctuary." 3T 370.
"Men are weighed in the balances and found wanting when they are living in the practice of any known sin." TM 439, 40.
"Christ says of the overcomer, 'I will not blot out his name out of the book of life.' The names of all who have once given themselves to God are written in the book of life, and their characters are now passing in review before Him. Angels of God are weighing moral worth. They are watching the development of character in those now living, to see if their names can be retained in the book of life. A probation is granted us in which to wash our robes of character and make them white in the blood of the Lamb. Who is doing this work? Who is separating from himself sin and selfishness?" 7BC 960.
Before going any further in this study, I want to make very clear the meaning of the word character. It is at this point that many people fail to realize the thoroughness of the Judgment, and the depths of sin to which mankind is enslaved. The judgment of God includes not only the outward behavior, but extends into the depths of the hidden thoughts, feelings, and motives.
"God's law reaches the feelings and motives, as well as the outward acts." 5BC 1085.
"The thoughts and feelings combined make up the moral character." 5T 310.
"Few realize that It is their duty to exercise control over their thoughts and imaginations." OHC 111.
"If man is to become immortal, his mind must be in harmony with God's mind." Thoughts on Sexual Behavior, p.116.
"Angels of God daily place upon the books of heaven an exact representation of the character of every human being." 7BC 987.
Throughout past history, Christians have understood that salvation is freely offered to anyone who accepts Jesus as their personal Savior and maintains an ongoing relationship with Him through repentance and confession of their sins whenever they fall short of the mark of perfection. While this is true in past history, when He comes to the cases of the living, every person who desires to live through until He comes must be willing to cooperate with His cleansing work in the Most Holy Place. In other words, in order for Jesus to finish His work in the Most Holy Place, He must finish His work in His people. In order for Him to blot out the record of sins in the heavenly Sanctuary, He must blot out these sins in the lives of His people. Only then can it be said that He has finished transgression, made an end of sins, and brought in everlasting righteousness.
In view of this, it is very clear that only those who are willing to go through the testing and fiery trials which are necessary to reveal our defects will be among the purified remnant that Jesus is longing to produce. He will never force us to go through this experience with him. We must be willing, and our hearts must be set on pilgrimage. We must be willing to go through the desert in order to reach the Promised Land.
"Blessed are those whose strength is in you, who have set their hearts on pilgrimage. As they pass through the Valley of Baca [weeping], they make it a place of springs.... They go from strength to strength till each appears before God in Zion.... Better is one day in your courts than a thousand elsewhere; I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of the wicked. For the Lord God is a sun and a shield; the Lord bestows favor and honor; no good thing does he withhold from those whose walk is blameless." Ps. 84:5-11.
Notice that the goal for God's people is Zion, the dwelling place of God, and the place of His throne. It is significant to remember that the 144,000 are seen by John to have reached this goal.
"Then I looked, and there before me was the Lamb, standing on Mount Zion, and with him 144,000 who had his name and his Father's name written on their foreheads.... They follow the Lamb wherever he goes. They were purchased from among men and offered as firstfruits to God and the Lamb. No lie was found in their mouths; they are blameless." Rev. 14:1, 4, 5.
Many seem to be willing to settle down right where they are in their present condition and wait for something to awaken them in time to get ready for Jesus to come. But let every soul who desires to be a part of Christ's kingdom awaken now before it is too late and join the little band who are traveling to the Holy City, and make haste to find out how to have victory over every sin and overcome, be the price what it may. Only then will we be safe under the shadow of His wings in the perilous days that are ahead of us.
"I will take refuge in the shadow of your wings until the disaster has passed." Ps. 57:1.
"He whose walk is blameless is kept safe." Prov. 28:18.
"When tempted to sin, let us remember that Jesus is pleading for us in the heavenly Sanctuary. When we put away our sins and come to Him in faith, He takes our names on His lips and presents them to His Father.... And the command goes forth to His angels to protect them." 3BC 1143.
"He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, 'He is my refuge and my fortress, my God in whom I trust.'... If you make the Most High your dwelling -- even the Lord who is my refuge -- then no harm will befall you, no disaster will come near your tent. For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways." Ps. 91:1, 2, 9, 10.
Are you ready to start this journey right now to the Promised Land? If so, you must become familiar with the Sanctuary truths that are revealed to us in the Scriptures, for it is in the Sanctuary that the glory of God, which is His character, is revealed. If we have sin in our lives, the glory of God will consume us, for His glory consumes sin. But if we cooperate with Him in the cleansing of our characters, we will be in harmony with Him and can live in His presence.
In previous articles, I have outlined the seven steps of the Sanctuary in greater detail than I feel it is necessary to do here. Therefore, I will only name each step in its correct order and follow that outline to guide us in our understanding of how to cooperate with Jesus in His cleansing work in the second apartment of the heavenly Sanctuary. These steps are:
#1. Praise. #2. Confession. #3. The word of God. #4. The Holy Spirit. #5. The example of Jesus' life. #6. Intercessory prayer. #7. Complete cleansing and blotting out of all sin.
Before sin entered the human race, the minds and characters of Adam and Eve were in perfect harmony with the mind of God. Every aspect of God's character was innately a part of their thoughts, feelings, and behavior. But after they sinned, the evil one had access to their thoughts and feelings. What had come naturally to them before they sinned, now had to be purposefully learned and consciously chosen to put into practice through the guidance of the Holy Spirit. In His mercy and great love for the human race, God has provided a way back to the perfect oneness with Him that we had before Adam and Eve fell to the temptations and lies of Satan. Through the Sanctuary God has made it as easy as possible to be restored to the wonderful relationship with Jesus that we had in the Garden of Eden.
"In that day the remnant of Israel, the survivors of the house of Jacob, will no longer rely on him who struck them down but will truly rely on the Lord, the Holy One of Israel. A remnant will return, a remnant of Jacob will return to the Mighty God. Though your people, O Israel, be like the sand of the sea, only a remnant will return." Isa. 10:20-22.
"The Lord will.... sweep his hand over the Euphrates River. He will break it up into seven streams so that men can cross over in sandals. There will be a highway for the remnant of his people...as there was for Israel when they came up from Egypt." Isa. 11:15, 16.
"The name Euphrates is first mentioned in the OT in reference to one of the rivers of the Garden of Eden (Gen. 2:14).... The Euphrates... is designated as the northern boundary of the Promised Land (Gen. 15:18).... In the symbolic language of the book of Revelation, angels are mentioned as being bound at the great river Euphrates (Rev. 9:14, RSV), and the sixth plague is said to be poured out upon the Euphrates (ch 16:12)." 8BC 328.
Obviously, the Euphrates River has great significance in the Bible from Genesis to Revelation, having both literal and symbolic meanings. The Euphrates River ran through ancient Babylon, and the drying up of the Euphrates made possible the capture of the city. So, in symbolic language the drying up of the Euphrates for mystical Babylon at the very end of time indicates that God will expose the errors and lies contained in the teachings of mystical Babylon and take away her power over the nations.
"There are only two parties in our world, those who are loyal to God, and those who stand under the banner of the prince of darkness. Satan and his angels will come down with power and signs and lying wonders to deceive those who dwell on the earth, and if possible, the very elect. The crisis is right upon us....
"The battle of Armageddon is soon to be fought. He on whose vesture is written the name, King of kings and Lord of lords, leads forth the armies of heaven on white horses, clothed in white linen, clean and white." 7BC 980.
It is interesting to note that the final act that brought down God's judgments upon the whole nation of Babylon was the desecration of the sacred vessels that were taken from the temple in Jerusalem by Nebuchadnezzar. As a result, God spoke this judgment against him through Daniel:
"Then Daniel answered the king.... O king, the Most High God gave your father Nebuchadnezzar sovereignty and greatness and glory and splendor. Because of the high position he gave him, all the peoples and nations and men of every language dreaded and feared him....
"But you his son, O Belshazzar, have not humbled yourself, though you knew all this. Instead you have set yourself up against the Lord of heaven. You had the goblets from his temple brought to you, and you and your nobles, your wives and your concubines drank wine from them. You praised the gods of silver and gold, bronze, iron, wood and stone.... But you did not honor the God who holds in his hand your life and all your ways. Therefore, he sent the hand that wrote the inscription.
"This is the inscription that was written:
"Mene: God has numbered the days of your reign and brought it to an end.
"Tekel: You have been weighed on the scales and found wanting.
"Peres: Your kingdom is divided and given to the Medes and Persians." Dan. 5:18-28.
In like manner as ancient Babylon, so mystical Babylon will come to an end because of the misuse of God's sacred truths which come from His Sanctuary, and given instead the intoxicating wine of Babylon which constitutes the lies of the devil just as surely as when Eve listened to the lies of the serpent and partook of the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. But God's true remnant will cooperate with Him in the final cleansing and blotting out of every sin and every lie of the devil that has ever entered their lives. They will be the finished product of the ministry of Christ in the Most Holy Place of the heavenly Sanctuary.
"Purity of life and a character molded after the divine Pattern are not obtained without earnest effort, and fixed principles. A vacillating person will not succeed in attaining Christian perfection. Such will be weighed in the balances and found wanting." 2T 408, 9.
"The Heart-searcher...is weighing moral character in the golden scales of the heavenly Sanctuary." SD 60.
"The sins of Israel must go to judgment beforehand. Every sin must be confessed at the Sanctuary, then the work will move; it must be done now. The latter rain is coming on those that are pure -- all, then, will receive it as formerly. None receive the latter rain but those who do all they can." GC Bulletin, 1893, p. 179.
"God is weighing our characters, our conduct, and our motives in the balances of the Sanctuary." 3T 370.
"Men are weighed in the balances and found wanting when they are living in the practice of any known sin." TM 439, 40.
"We individually have a case pending in the court of heaven. Character is being weighed in the balances of the Sanctuary, and it should be the earnest desire of all to walk humbly and carefully, lest... they fail of the grace of God and lose everything that is valuable. All dissension, all differences and fault-finding, should be put away, with all evil speaking and bitterness. Kindness, love, and compassion for one another should be cherished, that the prayer of Christ that His disciples might be one as He is with the Father may be answered." 5T 279.
So, there is more -- much more -- to the final test of God's people at the end of time than the Sabbath-Sunday issue. Every sin in our lives will be brought to view in the cleansing of the final remnant of God. But God has made a pathway for us -- it is found in the seven steps of the Sanctuary, by which we will be judged.
What will our lives look like when we are a finished product of the cleansing of Jesus in the second apartment of the Sanctuary?
#1. Our lives will be full of praise and thanksgiving to God. All criticism, anger, resentment, holding grudges, backbiting, blaming, depression, and any type of negative thinking will have been banished from the life. We will be clothed with the robe of Christ's righteousness.
"The day is coming in which the battle will have been fought, the victory won.... All will be a happy, united family, clothed with the garments of praise and thanksgiving -- the robe of Christ's righteousness." 8T 42.
"The gratitude which flows from our lips is a result of the Spirit striking the chords of the soul in holy memories, awakening the music of the heart." 6BC 1077, 8.
"Empty the soul temple of evil-thinking. Let not one unhappy thought remain within." TD 347.
#2. Every element of pride will be banished from our lives, and humility and submission to God's guidance will grace our service to God and others with beauty.
"Build up, build up, prepare the road! Remove the obstacles out of the way of my people.' For this is what the high and lofty One says -- he who lives forever, whose name is holy: I live in a high and holy place, but also with him who is contrite and lowly in spirit, to revive the spirit of the lowly and to revive the heart of the contrite." Isa. 57:13-15.
"God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble. Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Come near to God and he will come near to you.... Wash your hands, you sinners and purify your hearts, you double-minded.... Humble yourselves before the Lord and He will lift you up." James 4:6-10.
"All of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, because, God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble. Humble yourselves, therefore, under God's mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time." 1Pet. 5:5, 6.
"Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves.... Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant.... and being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death -- even death on a cross! Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow... and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father." Phil. 2:3-11.
"Whoever trusts in himself that he is righteous, will despise others.... His self-righteousness leads to accusing.... Thus, he is making manifest the very spirit of Satan, the accuser of the brethren. With this spirit it is impossible for him to enter into communion with God." COL 151.
"While pride, variance and strife for supremacy are cherished, the heart cannot enter into fellowship with Christ." DA 650.
"Satan can have no power over the soul that walks with God in humility of mind." ML 316.
#3. The word of God will be the standard of our lives, and we will feed upon its truths constantly for guidance and direction, and connection with the mind and heart of God.
"By the word of your lips I have kept myself from the ways of the violent. My steps have held to your path; my feet have not slipped." Ps. 17:4, 5.
"How can a young man keep his way pure? By living according to your word." Ps. 119:9.
"Direct my footsteps according to your word; let no sin rule over me." Ps. 119:133.
"Great peace have they who love your law, and nothing can [offend them; KJV] make them stumble." Ps. 119:165.
"Among all who walk in harmony with God, there must be perfect freedom from all the natural passions of the human heart. All who give themselves to the service of Christ will follow the example of Christ and will be perfect overcomers. When self ceases to wrestle for the supremacy, and the heart Is worked by the Holy Spirit, the soul lies perfectly passive, and then the image of God is mirrored upon the heart, and the soul is in accordance with the mind of God, and human identity is lost in Jesus Christ. Then all temporal and spiritual transactions which need to be done will be done under the guidance of the Holy Spirit without worry, perplexity, murmuring, fault-finding, accusation, or wrathful speeches." MR, vol. 21, 4/4/98.
"Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless." Eph. 5:25-27.
#4. When we are cleansed and washed clean by the engrafted, indwelling word of God, we will be fit vessels for the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. Then the Spirit will come down in mighty power and fill us with the attributes of the character of Jesus. Clad in the whole armor of God, we will go forth to preach the last warning message to the world.
"After this I looked, and there before me was a door standing open in heaven.... At once I was in the Spirit, and there before me was a throne in heaven with someone sitting on it. And the one who sat there had the appearance of jasper and carnelian.... From the throne came flashes of lightning, rumblings and peals of thunder. Before the throne, seven lamps were blazing. These are the seven spirits [or sevenfold Spirit, mg.] of God." Rev. 4:1-3, 5.
"Now, while our great High Priest is making the atonement for us, we should seek to become perfect in Christ. Not even by a thought could our Saviour be brought to yield to temptation.... Satan could find nothing in the Son of God that would enable him to gain the victory. He had kept His Father's commandments and there was no sin in Him that Satan could use to his advantage. This is the condition in which those must be found who shall stand in the time of trouble." GC 623.
"Are we striving with all our power to attain to the stature of men and women in Christ? Are we seeking for His fullness, ever pressing toward the mark set before us -- the perfection of His character? When the Lord's people reach this mark, they will be sealed in their foreheads. Filled with the Spirit, they will be complete in Christ, and the recording angel will declare, 'It is finished.'" OHC 150.
"The seal of the living God will be placed upon those only who bear a likeness to Christ in character." 7BC 970.
"The Holy Spirit seeks to abide in each soul. If it is welcomed as an honored guest, those who receive it will be made complete in Christ. The good work begun will be finished; the holy thoughts, heavenly affections, and Christlike actions will take the place of impure thoughts, perverse sentiments, and rebellious acts." CH 561.
"There is not an Impulse of our nature, not a faculty of the mind or an inclination the heart, but needs to be, moment by moment, under the control of the Spirit of God.... However great one's spiritual light, however much we may enjoy of the divine favor and blessing, he should ever walk humbly before the Lord, pleading in faith that God will direct every thought, and control every impulse. All who profess godliness are under the most sacred obligation to guard the spirit, and to exercise self-control under the greatest provocation." MYP 62.
"The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance: against such there is no law. And they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit." Gal. 5:22-25.
#5. Jesus has now become our best Friend and constant Companion. His every word is cherished, and we can hear His voice guiding, directing and empowering us to live His life and walk in His footsteps. We are wedded to Him in soul, body and Spirit.
"Then Jesus declared, 'I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never go hungry, and he who believes in me will never be thirsty.... I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever.... Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life and I will raise him up at the last day.... The Spirit gives life; the flesh counts for nothing. The words I have spoken to you are spirit and they are life." John 6:35, 51, 54, 63.
"Oh, how precious to the soul is one word of commendation that comes from the Redeemer's lips! We may not understand all now, but the day is coming when we shall be more than satisfied, when we shall see as we are seen, and realize that trial has wrought out for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory." KH 277.
"Christ's teachings are to be to us as the leaves of the tree of life." 5BC 1135.
Christ's "life must circulate through us as the blood circulates through the veins." OHC 60.
"It is only by personal union with Christ, by communion with Him daily, hourly, that we can bear the fruits of the Holy Spirit.... Our growth in grace, our joy, our usefulness, all depend on our union with Christ and the degree of faith we exercise in Him." SD 290.
"Study carefully the divine-human character, and constantly inquire, 'What would Jesus do were He in my place?' This should be the measurement of our duty." MH 491.
"As the vine branch constantly draws the sap from the living vine, so are we to cling to Jesus, and receive from Him by faith the strength and perfection of His own character." DA 676.
#6. Filled, energized, and inspired by the Holy Spirit, and with Jesus as our constant Companion and the source of our spiritual, mental, emotional, and physical life, we can now intercede for ourselves and others with holy boldness and power, and receive answers from God that will cause the work of God to go forward in mighty power to its conclusion.
"We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express. And he who searches our heart knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God's will." Rom. 8:26, 27.
"When the Israel of today humble themselves before Him, and cleanse the soul temple from all defilement, He will hear their prayers in behalf of the sick and will bless in the use of His remedies for disease." 9T 164.
"We must not only pray in Christ's name, but by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. This explains what is meant when it is said that the Spirit 'maketh intercession for us, with groanings which cannot be uttered.' Rom. 8:26. Such prayer God delights to answer. When with earnestness and intensity we breathe a prayer in the name of Christ, there is in that very intensity a pledge from God that He is about to answer our prayer 'exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think.' Eph. 3:20." COL 147.
"Our prayers are to be as earnest and persistent as was the petition of the needy friend who asked for the loaves at midnight. The more earnestly and steadfastly we ask, the closer will be our spiritual union with Christ. We shall receive increased blessings because we have increased faith....
"You need not go to the ends of the earth for wisdom, for God is near. It is not the capabilities you now possess or ever will have that will give you success. It is that which the Lord can do for you.... He longs to have you reach out after Him by faith. He longs to have you expect great things from Him. He longs to give you understanding in temporal as well as in spiritual matters. He can sharpen the intellect. He can give tact and skill. Put your talents into the work, ask God for wisdom, and it will be given you." COL 146.
#7. As the crowning act in the plan of salvation, Jesus bestows upon His people His own perfection of character and seals them for eternity against the temptations and assaults of the enemy. All their sins are blotted out from the books of heaven and from their own memory. Filled and overflowing with the latter rain of the Holy Spirit, they go forth with Jesus to give the last warning message to the world and its inhabitants.
"I, even I, am he who blots out your transgressions for my own sake and remembers your sins no more." Isa. 43:25.
"Lord, you establish peace for us; all that we have accomplished you have done for us. O Lord, our God, other lords besides you have ruled over us, but your name alone do we honor. They are now dead, they live no more; those departed spirits do not rise. You punished them and brought them to ruin; you wiped out all memory of them." Isa. 26:12-14.
"Now, while our great High Priest is making the atonement for us, we should seek to become perfect in Christ. Not even by a thought could our Saviour be brought to yield to the power of temptation.... Christ declared of Himself, 'The prince of this world cometh, and hath nothing in me.' Satan could find nothing in the Son of God that would enable him to gain the victory. He had kept His Father's commandments, and there was no sin in Him that Satan could use to his advantage. This is the condition in which those must be found who shall stand in the time of trouble." GC 623.
"In the time of trouble, if the people of God had unconfessed sins to appear before them while tortured with fear and anguish, they would be overwhelmed; despair would cut off their faith, and they could not have confidence to plead with God for deliverance. But while they have a deep sense of their unworthiness, they have no concealed wrongs to reveal. Their sins have gone beforehand to judgment and have been blotted out; and they cannot bring them to remembrance." GC 620.
"Said the angel, 'Look ye!'... 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.... 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 shown 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.... Evil angels still pressed around them but could have no power over them.
"I heard those clothed with the armor speak forth the truth with great power. It had effect.... The honest who had been prevented from hearing the truth now eagerly laid hold upon it.... and the truth alone was exalted to them.... 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.'" EW 271.
"I saw that many do not realize what they must be in order to live in the sight of the Lord without a high priest in the Sanctuary through the time of trouble. Those who receive the seal of the living God and are protected in the time of trouble must reflect the image of Jesus fully.... I saw that none could share the refreshing unless they obtained the victory over every besetment, over pride, selfishness, love of the world, and over every wrong word and action. We should, therefore, be drawing nearer and nearer to the Lord and be earnestly seeking that preparation necessary to enable us to stand in the battle in the day of the Lord." EW 71.
"The season of distress and anguish before us will require a faith that can endure weariness, delay, and hunger, -- a faith that will not faint, though severely tried. The period of probation is granted to all to prepare for that time. Jacob prevailed because he was persevering and determined. His victory is an evidence of the power of importunate prayer. All who lay hold of God's promises, as he did, and be as earnest and persevering as he was, will succeed as he succeeded." GC 621.
The time of trouble is just before us. Jesus is now inviting each of us to come into the hiding place of His Sanctuary. The door of the ark of safety is still open for us to enter and be safe through the storms ahead. He is now calling us to hear His voice and respond before probation closes and it is forever too late to prepare. He says to us:
"Come, my people, enter thou into thy chambers, and shut thy doors about thee: hide thyself as it were for a little moment, until the indignation be overpast. For, behold, the Lord cometh out of his place to punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity: the earth also shall disclose her blood, and shall no more cover her slain." Isa. 26:20, 21, KJV.
"What are the chambers in which they are to hide? They are the protection of Christ and holy angels." 4BC 1143.
"The name of the Lord is a strong tower; the righteous run to it and are safe." Prov. 18:10.
"God will send His angels to comfort and protect them in the time of peril." GC 621.
"Four mighty angels hold back the powers of this earth till the servants of God are sealed in their foreheads. The nations of the world are eager for conflict; but they are held in check by the angels. When this restraining power is removed, there will come a time of trouble and anguish.... All who have not the spirit of truth will unite under the leadership of satanic agencies. But they are to be kept under control till the time shall come for the great battle of Armageddon.
"Angels are belting the world, refusing Satan his claims for supremacy.... Their hands are linked about the world, and with sleepless vigilance they are keeping the armies of Satan at bay till the sealing of God's people shall be accomplished....
"The Lord is a refuge for all who put their trust in Him. He bids them hide in Him for a little moment, until the indignation be overpast. He is soon to come out of His place to punish the world for its iniquity. Then the earth shall disclose her blood and shall no more cover her slain." 7BC 967.
Aren't you glad that God has a plan that will eradicate sin and the effects of sin forever in our lives, in the earth, and in the universe? Whatever we have to experience, whatever trials we must go through, we have God's promise that He will uphold and strengthen us and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. Then we will be ready to be true to Jesus through the great time of trouble and stand with Him on Mount Zion when the conflict between good and evil is finished. May each one of us be among that number.
"'And every creature which is in heaven, and on the earth, and under the earth, and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, heard I saying, Blessing, and honor, and glory, and power, be unto him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb forever and ever.' Revelation 5:13.
"The great controversy is ended. Sin and sinners are no more. The entire universe is clean. One pulse of harmony and gladness beats through the vast creation. From Him who created all, flow life and light and gladness, throughout the realms of illimitable space. From the minutest atom to the greatest world, all things, animate and inanimate, in their unshadowed beauty and perfect joy, declare that God is love." GC 678.
Article by Carol Zarska, MAR, writer
