Testimony of Jesus Reveals God's Eternal Love

Christ Triumphant - A Devotional by E.G. White

Testimony of Jesus Reveals God's Eternal Love

Today's Text: I John, who also am your brother, and companion in tribulation, and in the kingdom and patience of Jesus Christ, was in the isle that is called Patmos, for the word of God, and for the testimony of Jesus Christ. Revelation 1:9

The Message:      It is through one who is "a brother, and companion in tribulation" that Christ reveals to His people the fearful conflict that they must meet before His second coming. Before the scenes of their bitter struggle are opened to them, they are reminded that other believers also have drunk of the cup and been baptized with the baptism. He who sustained these early witnesses to the truth will not forsake His people in the final conflict.      It was in a time of fierce persecution and great darkness, when Satan seemed to triumph over the faithful witnesses for God, that John in his old age was sentenced to banishment. He was separated from his companions in the faith, and cut off from his labors in the gospel; but he was not separated from the presence of God. The desolate place of his exile proved to him to be the gate of heaven. He says, "I was in the Spirit on the Lord's day"-the holy day that God had blessed and set apart as His own-"and heard behind me a great voice, as of a trumpet, saying, I am Alpha and Omega, the first and the last: and, What thou seest, write in a book.... And I turned to see the voice that spake with me. And being turned, I saw seven golden candlesticks; and in the midst of the seven candlesticks one like unto the Son of man."...      Christ walks in the midst of the golden candlesticks. Thus is symbolized His relation to the churches. He is in communion with His people. He knows their true state. He observes their order, their vigilance, their piety, and their devotion. Although He is High Priest and Mediator in the sanctuary above, yet He walks up and down in the midst of the churches on earth. He goes from church to church, from congregation to congregation, from soul to soul. He observes their true condition. He is represented as walking, which signifies untiring wakefulness, unremitting vigilance. He observes whether the light of any of His sentinels is burning dim or going out. If the candlesticks were left to mere human care, the flickering flame would languish and die. But He is the true Watchman in the Lord's house, the true Warden of the temple courts. His continued watchcare and sustaining grace are the source of life and light.      Again, as the Holy Spirit rested upon the prophet, he sees a door opened in heaven, and hears a voice calling him to look upon the things which shall be hereafter. And he says, "Behold, a throne was set in heaven, and one sat on the throne. And he that sat was to look upon like a jasper and a sardine stone." Ministering angels were around about Him, waiting and eager to do His will, while the rainbow of God's promise, which was a token of His covenant with Noah, was seen by John encircling the throne on high-a pledge of God's mercy to every repentant, believing soul. It is an everlasting testimony that "God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life." It declares to the whole world that God will never forget His people in their struggle with evil.-Manuscript 100, 1893.

Commentary: My friend, God's everlasting love towards us is the fact that He gave His only begotten Son for us.  In giving of His Son, it shows just how deep His love is for us, for in giving His Son, He gave Himself. "For as the Father hath life in himself; so hath he given to the Son to have life in himself;" (John 5:26).  In giving us His Son, He gave us His all in His Son, "For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily." (Colossians 2:9). The Son of God is the fulness of God and is the wisdom of God.  In Him is the manifestation of the love of God for the whole universe.  By Him the love of God is expressed and illustrated.  As every created being, looking unto the Son of God, sees an example of His love and devotion to the Father, they are led to love Him as He does.  Thus He is the expression of love for every created being. In giving His only begotten Son for the redemption of man, God was giving us His all.  If there was something more that He could have given, He would have given it, but in Christ Jesus, He gave us His all.  The magnitude of God's love for man is in the fact that He gave us His Son, His only begotten Son. Today, through the doctrine of the trinity, the love of God is destroyed, for it teaches that the Son of God is not literally a son, but is only a role that one of the god-beings has assumed for the redemption of man.  In denying that the Son of God is truly a son, it denies the love of God.  "Whosoever shall confess that Jesus is the Son of God, God dwelleth in him, and he in God. And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him." (1 John 4:15, 16). The teachings of the trinity was not one of the fundamental beliefs of the church until 1980.  Before then our church pioneers believed in the One true God and His Son Jesus Christ.  They rejected the trinity as unbiblical and of pagan origins.  But since the passing of the pioneers, the teaching began to creep into the church.  Little by little, generation after generation the seeds sown by agents of Satan began to grow and bear fruit, until it was fully embraced by the leadership and the people.  Of this the Scriptures foretold saying "For there are certain men crept in unawares, who were before of old ordained to this condemnation, ungodly men, turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness, and denying the only Lord God, and our Lord Jesus Christ." (Jude 4). My friend, the love of God is given to us in His Son.  "And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son." (1 John 5:11).  The arch deceiver is trying steal away from us the love of God in His Son.  The trinity takes away the Son of God and thus destroys the love of God.  It takes away the life that God desires to give us, and that life is in His Son. May you look away from the false god of the trinity and look unto the One true God through His Son Jesus Christ today. God bless,

Video of the Week 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.