Two Disciples Went From Despair to Hope

Christ Triumphant - A Devotional by E.G. White

Two Disciples Went From Despair to Hope

Today's Text: Two of them went that same day to a village called Emmaus, which was from Jerusalem about threescore furlongs. And they talked together of all these things which had happened. Luke 24:13, 14

The Message:      On the first day of the week after Christ's crucifixion, the disciples had everything to fill their hearts with rejoicing. But this day was not a day of joy to all. To some it was a day of uncertainty, confusion, and perplexity.... The women brought tidings that ... positively affirmed that Christ had risen from the dead, and that they themselves had seen Jesus alive in the garden.      But still the disciples seemed unbelieving. Their hopes had died with Christ. And when the news of His resurrection was brought to them, it was so different from what they had anticipated that they could not believe it.... From eyewitnesses some of the disciples had obtained quite a full account of the events of Friday. Others beheld the scenes of the crucifixion with their own eyes. In the afternoon of the first day of the week, two of the disciples, restless and unhappy, decided to return to their home in Emmaus, a village about eight miles from Jerusalem....      They had not advanced far on their journey when they were joined by a stranger. But they were so absorbed in their gloom and disappointment that they did not observe Him closely. They continued their conversation, expressing the thoughts of their hearts.... Jesus knew that their hearts were bound up with Him in love, and He longed to take them in His arms and wipe away their tears, and put joy and gladness in their hearts. But He must first give them lessons that they would never forget....      They told Him of their disappointment in regard to their Master, "how the chief priests and our rulers delivered him to be condemned to death, and have crucified him." With hearts sore with disappointment and with quivering lips they said, "We trusted that it had been he which should have redeemed Israel: and beside all this, today is the third day since these things were done."      Why did not the disciples remember Christ's words, and realize that events were to be as they had been? Why did not they realize that the last part of His disclosure would be just as verily fulfilled as the first part, that the third day He would rise again? This was the part they should have remembered. The priests and rulers did not forget this.-Manuscript 113, 1897.

Commentary: My friend, though the prophecies foretold of His suffering and death; though the sacrificial service illustrated that the Lamb of God should be sacrificed for their sins; though Jesus Himself told His disciples that he was to be given into the hands of the priests and be put to death, when it came to pass it was as if they were never told.  Such is the deception of Satan.  He had so confused the minds of the people as to the manner and mission of the Messiah, that they could not recognize Him when He came as the lowly Jesus. The deception that Satan has played upon the people at the first coming of Christ is being played out again today.  Satan has so blinded the Christian world as to the manner of His second coming that they are wholly unprepared for it.  The same is true as to the remnant people as well.  By the doctrine of the trinity, Satan has confused the minds of the people as to who they are worshiping.  They believe that they are worshiping God when in fact they are worshiping an image presented by Satan.  By supplanting the One true God with a triune god, he has corrupted the churches understanding of God, and has supplanted the righteousness of Christ for the false righteousness of the trinity. By the doctrine of the trinity Satan has not only corrupted the image of God in the hearts of the people, but he has also corrupted their mission as well.  The first angels message is to call the world back to worship the One true God, but Satan has changed the focus of the message to the day of worship rather than who we are to worship.  The Seventh-day Adventist church today teaches that the first angels message is to call the world back to worship God on the true Sabbath.  While it is true that all that worship God in the last days will worship Him on the seventh day of the week, the day that we worship on will not save us.  Ezekiel 20:12 says "Moreover also I gave them my sabbaths, to be a sign between me and them, that they might know that I am the LORD that sanctify them."  The day that we worship God on is important, but the God that we worship is all important, for the day we worship on cannot sanctify us, only the Lord can do this.  The final test that is to separate the wheat from the tares is the implementation of the Sunday laws.  The Sabbath is the seal of the living God, but if we are to keep the Sabbath holy in the last days, we must first be sanctified by the Lord.  If we are worshiping God in the form of the trinity, we cannot be sanctified.  When we come up to the final test, our Sabbath keeping will be in vain, for unless we are sanctified by God, we cannot receive the blessing of His seal which is the Sabbath. My friend, time is almost over, and Satan has deceived the whole of the Christian world by the doctrine of the trinity.  The Seventh-day Adventist church has been corrupted by its teachings and has unfitted the remnant church from complete the missing of proclaiming the three angels message to the world.  But God has a remnant within the remnant that are being prepared to give this message filled with His power.  If you desire to bring the last message of hope to a dark and dying world, turn away from the trinity and embrace the One true God through His Son Jesus Christ today. God bless,