| Those Who Keep God's Commandments Are His Jewels |
Today's Text:
And they shall be mine, saith the Lord of hosts, in that day when I make up my jewels; and I will spare them, as a man spareth his own son that serveth him. Malachi 3:17
|
The Message:
There are only two places in the universe in which we can place our treasures-in God's storehouse or in Satan's. God's work is moving slowly for want of means. Workers are not able to enter new fields. Yet there are millions under the undisturbed domination of Satan.
Satan is busily laying his plans for the last mighty conflict, when all will take sides. After the gospel has been traveling over the world for nearly two thousand years, Satan will present to men and women the same scene that he presented to Christ. In a wonderful panorama, he will cause the kingdoms of the world in their glory to pass before them. These he will promise to all who will fall down before him and worship him. He will present before them entrancing views of the kingdom of God, and he claims that these are views of His kingdom. But are they? No; no.
Look, oh, look. Listen to the voices and powers that prevail in the world. The heavenly Watcher sees the earth filled with violence and crime. Is there any voice of prayer? Do you see any sign that God is recognized? Priests? Yes, plenty of them; but they are trampling under their feet the law of Jehovah. Their hearts are stained with human blood. They sacrifice to devils, and not to God. Their murderous altars are erected. They sacrifice human beings to devils. Look, you who are hesitating between obedience and disobedience. Look in imagination at the vast multitudes worshiping at Satan's altar. Listen to the music, to the language-called higher education. But what has God written upon it? Mystery of iniquity.
The working of the power of iniquity seems to have taken the whole world captive. But to the eye of Omnipotence is revealed the inward guilt and depravity. Look closely. Enumerate the vices of men and women, if you can. But it is of no use to try to number them. Wealth is obtained by every species of robbery-not robbery of people alone but of God. People are using His means to gratify their selfishness. Everything that they can grasp is made to minister to their greed. Avarice and sensuality prevail.
Men revenge themselves on those who, they suppose, have hindered the success of their ambitious projects. They cherish the attributes of the first great deceiver. They have accepted him as god, and have become imbued with his spirit.
Satan's power has been received in the place of the power of God. Look at his armies. See the countless numbers who are worshipping him. He claims to be the Prince of heaven, but he is a deceiver. He is working to his utmost to make himself as God, and to destroy all who oppose his power. And today the world is bowing before him. It seems that the whole human creation has wondered after the beast. The kings and rulers of the earth, those who are called noblemen, think themselves altogether too great to put themselves under the yoke of Christ. But they are willing to bow at Satan's bidding.
Behold Satan's miracle-working power. Every object in the earth, in the air, in the water has been employed to confirm his claims. Those who yield to these claims are alive with intense activity, one influencing and stimulating the other by confirming the greatness and glory of their kingdom. See the activity, the restless surging of the mass, in their determination to take and occupy the place of the throne of God. What eager, nervous rage they exhibit in their religious enthusiasm. Look at them again. Mark the defiant rebellion written in their countenances. Their warfare is against their Creator and Redeemer. How vast is the procession they form. How mighty they think themselves to be in their countless numbers.
But they do not see all things. The cloud of judicial wrath hangs over them, containing the elements that destroyed Sodom. John saw this multitude. This demon worship was revealed to him, and it seemed as though the whole world was standing on the brink of perdition. But as he looked with intense interest, he beheld a company of God's commandment-keeping people. They had the sign of the living God upon their foreheads, and he exclaimed, "Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus."-Manuscript 122, 1898.
*Note: I have added in the parts that were left out by the compilers for what ever reason, that the true sentiment of the author may be seen. These parts are underlined.
|
Commentary:
My friend, the state of the world is just as it is described above. Much of the avarice and vice is done under the cloak of secrecy and darkness, but the eye of God sees all. He sees behind the pretended righteousness of man; He sees into the hearts of all. Nothing escapes His notice. The things that are done in the darkness are known to Him, and He is soon to put an end to it all just as He ended the plain of Sodom.
The whole of the Christian world has been led to worship Satan in the form of the trinity. In the beginning Satan had aspired to be part of the Godhead, saying I will be like the most high. Though he failed in heaven, he has been more successful on earth. Here he has elevated himself as God, by supplanting the One true God for the god of his making. The trinity is a false representation of God and as such is not God. Those who worship the god of the trinity are blindly worshiping Satan.
The spirit of the trinity is the spirit of Satan and as such the people who worship it are being led by his spirit. The Christian world has the outward form of goodness, but their hearts are not changed. Like the Scribes and Pharisees of old, they keep the commandments of God outwardly while in their hearts they are corrupt and carnal. Of these Jesus said "Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are like unto whited sepulchres, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men's bones, and of all uncleanness. Even so ye also outwardly appear righteous unto men, but within ye are full of hypocrisy and iniquity." (Matthew 23:27, 28).
My friend unless we are connected to the One true God through His Son Jesus Christ, we cannot be saved. We must have the righteous life of Christ living within our hearts. "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." (Ezekiel 36:26, 27). If we are to truly keep the commandments of God we must have a new heart, we must have a new spirit within us. We must have the spiritual nature of Christ living within us. Then we will keep the commandments of God even as He did.
God bless,
|
Video of the Week
|
|
| The Doctrine of Christ - David Clayton |
What is the central focus, the key element of the Christian faith? What is the "doctrine of Christ?" Unless we understand this doctrine we may spend our energies seeking the wrong thing and never really enter into the experience that God wants us to have.
|
|
Comments
Post a Comment