| Christ's Work for Our Redemption is Described |
Today's Text:
And one of the elders saith unto me, Weep not: behold, the Lion of the tribe of Juda, the Root of David, hath prevailed to open the book, and to loose the seven seals thereof. And I beheld, and, lo, in the midst of the throne and of the four beasts, and in the midst of the elders, stood a Lamb as it had been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God sent forth into all the earth. Revelation 5:5, 6
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The Message:
The Saviour was presented to John under the symbols of the "Lion of the tribe of Juda," and "a Lamb as it had been slain." Here the whole work of redemption was expressed. These symbols represent the union of omnipotent power and self-sacrificing love. As the Lion of Judah, Christ will defend His chosen ones and bring them off victorious, because they accepted Him as "the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world." Christ the slain Lamb-who was despised, rejected, the victim of Satan's wrath, of human abuse and cruelty-how tender was His sympathy with His people who were in the world! And according to the infinite depths of His humiliation and sacrifice as the Lamb of God will be His power in glory as the Lion of Judah, for the deliverance of His people.
To John were opened the great events of the future that were to shake the thrones of kings and cause all earthly powers to tremble. He beheld the close of all earthly scenes, the ushering in of His reign who is to be King of kings, and whose kingdom shall endure forever. "Behold," he said, "he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him." [Revelation 1:7.] He saw Christ receiving the adoration of all the hosts of heaven and heard the promise that whatever tribulation might come upon God's people, if they would but patiently endure they should be more than conquerors through Him that loved them. And Jesus said of the overcomer, "I will not blot out his name out of the book of life, but I will confess his name before my Father and before his angels." [Revelation 3:5.]
John was now prepared to witness the thrilling scenes in the great conflict between those who keep the commandments of God and those who make void His law. He saw the wonder-working power arise that was to deceive all who should dwell upon the earth who were not connected with God, "saying to them that dwell on the earth, that they should make an image to the beast, which had the wound by a sword, and did live."
The prophet heard the solemn warning against the worship of this blasphemous power: "If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead or in his hand." [Revelation 14:9.] See Revelation 14:10, 11.
Of the loyal and true who do not bow to the decrees of earthly rulers against the authority of the King of heaven the revelator says, "Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus." [Verse 12.] See Revelation 14:1-3, 5; 15:2-4.
These lessons are for our benefit. We need to stay our faith upon God; for there is just before us a time that will try men's souls. Christ upon the Mount of Olives rehearsed the fearful judgments that were to precede His second coming: "Ye shall hear of wars and rumors of wars: ... Nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and there shall be famines and pestilences, and earth quakes in divers places. All these are the beginning of sorrows." [Matthew 24:6-8.] While these prophecies received a partial fulfillment at the destruction of Jerusalem, they have a more direct application in the last days.-Manuscript 100, 1893.
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Commentary:
My friend, the work of Christ in our redemption is more than just to die for our sins, He came that we could be restored back into the image of God. The apostle John said "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." (1 John 1:9). Christ's work began on this earth when He came to become our sacrifice, but it continues in the temple above and in the temple of our hearts.
Today, nearly the whole of the Christian world believes that the work of Christ ended at the cross, but the Scriptures reveal that His work continues to this day. He is striving with His people to cleanse them from all unrighteousness. Though Jesus is in the heavenly sanctuary performing the work of atoning for our sins, by His Spirit He is cleansing the hearts of His people.
The perfect life that He lived here on this earth is offered to all that would believe. Through our daily surrender to Him, He imparts His holy life in ours, that we may be perfect in the sight of God. " A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh. And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them. And ye shall dwell in the land that I gave to your fathers; and ye shall be my people, and I will be your God." (Ezekiel 36:26-28).
The new Spirit that is imparted to us is the Spirit of the Son of God. The perfect life that He lived here on this earth, is the same life that is imparted to us. "To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory:" (Colossians 1:27).
The work of Christ in the redemption of man is not just to pay the penalty for our sins, but is to also cleanse us from all unrighteousness. The one thing that separates us from God is our sin, and unless we are cleansed from all unrighteousness we cannot see God. That cleansing must happen before Jesus comes, for the work of our High Priest closes just before His second coming. The cleansing of God's people is found in the first angels message, and unless God's people are cleansed from all unrighteousness they cannot be filled with the Spirit of Christ and the last message of hope will not be given to the world.
The trinity has corrupted the first angels message which is to call the world back to the worship of the One true God. The church today has shifted the focus of the message from the One true God unto the Sabbath. In doing so the people cannot be sanctified, for God said "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." (Ezekiel 20:12). The Sabbath does not sanctify anyone, it is the LORD that sanctifies. By looking unto the first angels message as a call back to worship on the 7th day, we are missing the whole point of the message.
My friend, if we are to be sanctified in these last days, we need to come back to worship the One true God, for He is the true Creator of heaven and earth. "And to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ:" (Ephesians 3:9).
May you look away from the trinity and unto the One true God through Jesus Christ today.
God bless,
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Video of the Week
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| Trinity Problems - Imad Awde (WA) |
The question has been asked "What is wrong with the trinity? Why make such a big fuss about it?" In this presentation Imad highlights 20 problems in the trinity and presents a 60 year old challenge for all protestants.
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