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This is something of a follow-up to a recent study that we had, entitled “A Father’s Pride.” In that study, we looked at the mind of Yahweh toward His people. We read, for example, “Yahweh thy God in the midst of thee is mighty; He will save, He will rejoice over thee with joy; He will rest in His love, He will joy over thee with singing.” (Zeph 3:17)
Our Father rejoices over His people. Our thoughts, our words, and our actions, cause Him delight. He has created beings that are truly independent from Himself; nevertheless, they freely serve Him, and give Him worship. Even though we were once separated from Him by sin, He has given Himself to redeem us, and because of His grace we have given ourselves to receive that redemption.
More than that, our Father shows us off to the universe. His pride causes Him to boast about His people. In fact, Yahweh praises Himself in the persons of His people. We read of this, “And I have declared unto them Thy name, and will declare it, that the love wherewith Thou hast loved Me may be in them, and I in them.” (John 17:26) The Day of Yahweh is described as a time “When He shall come to be glorified in His saints, and to be admired in all them that believe (because our testimony among you was believed) in that day.” (2Th 1:10)
Yahweh praises Himself in His people. He causes Himself to be admired in us. He brings us into situations wherein our characters will be revealed, and therefore His character in us will be revealed. He does this to glorify His name among men, as we read of this conversation between the Father and Son, where Yahshua says, “‘Now is My soul troubled; and what shall I say? “Father, save me from this hour?” But for this cause came I unto this hour. Father, glorify Thy name.’ Then came there a voice from Heaven, saying, ‘I have both glorified it, and will glorify it again.’” (John 12:27, 28)
One with a carnal spirit may hear this, and misunderstand. They might ask, “Why does God need to be praised? If He knows, with infinite and perfect knowledge, that He is great, why must He be so constantly reminded? What benefit is there in Him glorifying His own name among men?”
These questions come from one who has temporary, self-focused motivations. If a person does things primarily to serve himself, he will naturally assume that others are the same way. But even if all other humans were like that, Yahweh is not a man with desires as men have. All that He has done for us, and all that He instructs us to do for ourselves, is for our eternal benefit. Yahshua said of His crucifixion, “And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me.” (John 12:32) He took no joy in His death on the cross; nevertheless, He was willing to endure it for the sake of redeeming sinners. The Father does not enjoy self-indulgence or selfish pride – not among His creation, and certainly not in His own nature; nevertheless, He draws attention to Himself in order that He may best express His love – a love that we need to see, so that we may respond to it and be saved from sin.
We have spoken among ourselves of flattery. Often, when we are praising one another’s gifts, we will preface the statement by saying, “I don’t intend any flattery.” This is something that may be necessary for now, at the very least, so that an onlooker will understand we aren’t just praising one another according to the flesh, but attempting to provide some spiritual lesson. So as I say, it may be necessary for now that we are careful with words such as these; however, as we draw closer to the perfect stature of Christ, it will no longer need to be stated, at least not when we are among our Family.
As Moses approached the end of his time on earth, having walked with Yahweh for decades, he, having purged himself from carnal motivations, was able to write, “Now the man Moses was very meek, above all the men which were upon the face of the earth.” (Num 12:3)
A carnal person who said this would be praising himself, and upon reading this would inevitably assume that Moses was doing the same thing. Yet, under the inspiration of the Spirit, Yahweh’s servants will speak the truth, even if it is contrary to their inclination, or at times even their safety. Moses’ claim to meekness could only have come from Yahweh, because otherwise, how would Moses even know that? Did he have a way to test the meekness of others? Did he have the time to test every man on earth for greater meekness than He possessed? But Moses could know that, because true meekness cannot be found outside of service to Yahweh, and He had been inspired to write as he did.
The Father inspired Moses to write that down, because – especially in the context of that chapter – it was important that Moses set an example of allowing Yahweh to fight his battles for him. In Numbers 12, Aaron and Miriam were criticizing Moses for marrying an Ethiopian woman instead of a Hebrew. Rather than defend himself, Moses said nothing, and Yahweh in fact intervened on his behalf and rebuked his siblings in anger. This is a critical lesson for the 144,000, this principle of meekness, because it allows us to identify spirits that are contrary to that of Christ, whether they appear in individuals or Churches, or corporations. Moses himself did not learn this lesson perfectly, for it was in departing from perfect meekness, and addressing the congregation roughly at a time intended for gentleness, that he lost the right to enter into Canaan. But we learn it fully, here on the border of Heaven, because it is a necessary cleansing from the carnal nature.
We do not praise ourselves in the normal course of events, but our brethren may praise us, and our Father will praise us. When this happens, of course, the universe and all its invisible intelligences take note; thus, our study today is called “Behind the Veil.”
The Father has pride in His people, and in order to bring glory to His name so that others may learn of Him and be saved, He lifts us up before the world. As we know quite well, this has some consequences for our lives. Paul speaks of his experiences being “lifted up,” saying, “But thou hast fully known my doctrine, manner of life, purpose, faith, longsuffering, charity, patience, persecutions, afflictions, which came unto me at Antioch, at Iconium, at Lystra; what persecutions I endured; but out of them all the Lord delivered me. Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Yahshua shall suffer persecution.” (2Tim 3:10-12)
We read, “If ye be reproached for the name of Christ, happy are ye; for the Spirit of glory and of God resteth upon you; on their part He is evil spoken of, but on your part He is glorified. But let none of you suffer as a murderer, or as a thief, or as an evildoer, or as a busybody in other men’s matters. Yet if any man suffer as a Christian, let him not be ashamed; but let him glorify God on this behalf.” (1Pet 4:14-16)
Why would anyone be reproached for the name of Christ? Why would anyone suffer “as a Christian?” There is only one reason, and it is because the Enemy wishes to discourage any who call on the name of Christ, and to paint the sanctified life as one of undesirable pain, suffering, and hardship, dissuading others from hearing the Gospel and receiving it with joy.
Satan does not waste his time on those who do not threaten His kingdom; thus, Yahshua, Paul, and Peter all tell us that suffering for Yahweh’s name’s sake is a badge of honor. Now, this also requires discernment, for many who did not genuinely serve Christ have suffered in His name, mistakenly pushing against the wrong person’s pride or authority. The People of Yahweh must be “wise as serpents,” (Mat 10:16) so that, as we teach an unpopular message in a fallen world, we do not bring upon ourselves more hardship than is necessary to finish the work.
Many endure hardships and great challenges in pursuit of a ministry to which they have not truly been called. Many sacrifice time, money, and effort on fallen Churches that do not teach them to be free from sin. Their sincerity is noted by Heaven, for Yahweh judges the heart and the motives, even if the effort is ultimately futile. Eternal gain is only had, however, when conviction is combined with objective truth. Paul says of the Jewish teachers in his day, “Brethren, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for Israel is, that they might be saved. For I bear them record that they have a zeal of God, but not according to knowledge. For they being ignorant of God’s righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God. For Christ is the end of the Law for righteousness to every one that believeth.” (Rom 10:1-4)
So many, and so often, is that last verse used to establish a position contrary to Yahweh’s Law. The context, however, has nothing to do with the validity of the 10 commandments. What Paul is saying here is that it doesn’t matter what works you do, or neglect. It does not matter how zealous, sincere, and convicted one is, if he or she is not subject to Yahshua, is not a believer in Yahshua, then all of those works, and all of that zeal, is separate from righteousness. The Jewish people after Yahshua’s death were just as religious as before, just as committed to their beliefs. They did great works, gave to the poor, maintained the Temple, and taught the Scriptures. In other words, outwardly nothing really changed… but because they had rejected Yahshua, they could not be judged as righteous. In turning away from Yahshua, they had turned away from the Law that He came to glorify and make honorable. If they had kept the Law, loving Yahweh above all else and their neighbor as themselves, they would have recognized and received the Messiah.
This is why one suffers as a Christian, because the world does not receive Yahshua, and therefore cannot be righteous. It has no protection from the suggestions and inducements of the Enemy, who will always try to destroy and silence the servants of the Most High through whatever means available, or through whoever is available.
Even so, our Father is not shy to hold us up to the world, even knowing what the world will do to us because of the Enemy’s influence. Because of a Father’s pride, He will neither neglect nor hesitate to lift us up for others to see. Souls will be won, souls will be redeemed, because the saint is held up as an example; our Father only asks for our trust, and for our courage to endure to the end. Paul preached the Word, knowing that he was endangering himself for the sake of others, asking, “And why stand we in jeopardy every hour? I protest by your rejoicing which I have in Christ Yahshua our Lord, I die daily.” (1Cor 15:30, 31)
Paul is willing to obey the guidance of the Spirit, subjecting himself daily to mortal danger because the Gospel is hated by the world. He will not hide. He will not run away. He will not even attempt to evade the penalty of men, or the judgment of Heaven.
That last part is really critical… the saints of Yahweh do not wish to escape the judgment. Paul’s experience as outlined in his various letters shows the joy of living one’s life in the spotlight of Yahweh’s pride. Despite the danger, despite the challenges, we do not seek to escape our Father’s plan for us, or the judgment of His perfect righteousness. We stand in His judgment; in fact, we read, “Zion heard, and was glad; and the daughters of Judah rejoiced because of Thy judgments, O Yahweh.” (Psalm 97:8) “At midnight I will rise to give thanks unto Thee because of Thy righteous judgments.” (Psalm 119:62) “Great are Thy tender mercies, O Yah; quicken me according to Thy judgments.” (Psalm 119: 156)
The world and nominal religion have taught judgment as a harsh thing, as a sentence of punishment, and in particular, death to the sinner. It can be these things, all of them, but see how the righteous refer to Yahweh’s judgment. It is a cause for rejoicing, a reason for thanksgiving, and most significantly, a source of “quickening,” which means life. The judgment of Yahweh is joy to us, and it is also the cause of our lives. Because we stand in the judgment, rejoicing in Yahweh’s righteousness, we do not die. We are brought to life in justification, maintained in life through sanctification, and manifest everlasting life in glorification when Yahshua returns.
The judgment of the living is where the “living” are revealed, as opposed to those dead in trespasses and sins. We have thought of the judgment of the living as a time when the living are judged; but it is also the judgment OF the living. In other words, those who enter the judgment are judged to be alive, while those who will not stand in Yahweh’s light are dead already, waiting only for the evidence of it when the sentence of rebellion against the Divine Law is pronounced. Those who seek to escape from Yahweh’s light will succeed. They will escape Him, who is the Source of their life, and they will perish.
Paul says that, despite the danger, there is no reason to run from Yahweh’s judgment. In His pride, He will judge us to be worthy of representing His name, and He will hold us up to the universe, and the universe, invisible though it may be, will respond. Behind the veil, the devils will assault us, the angels will protect us, and the unfallen worlds will observe us. And it is all perfect.
We enter Yahweh’s judgment willingly, and why? Because we share a Spirit with Him, and thus a purpose. It is written, “What do ye imagine against Yahweh? He will make an utter end; affliction shall not rise up the second time.” (Nah 1:9) That is the goal. That is the purpose of all this, to raise up a people who, having experienced sin first-hand, will spend the rest of eternity ensuring that it never troubles the universe again. That will be our purpose, as the glorified saints… to teach, to explain, to heal the universe from what sin has done. We share that purpose with our Father. We share that judgment with our Father, and so we offer ourselves as willing sacrifices, offered up to the world for its misunderstanding, abuse, and mockery at times, so that affliction shall not rise up the second time. Our ministry, which will stretch into eternity, begins here on earth with a confession of faith, a testimony of victory, and a covenant of sacred priesthood and brotherhood. These are not small matters. Our Father is proud of us. We are proud of our Father. There is no self-indulgence in that. We honor each other, not ourselves, and the world sees Agape as it has never before been expressed.
I have been speaking about Yahweh’s pride in us leading to trials that we overcome in order to bring honor to His name. We, like Paul, willingly enter into His judgment of the world, receiving courage from Yahshua to endure whatsoever dangers may arise. But I seem to have neglected the most obvious example of the effect that this has behind the veil.
“And Yahweh said unto Satan, ‘Hast thou considered my servant Job, that there is none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God, and escheweth evil?’ Then Satan answered Yahweh, and said, ‘Doth Job fear God for nought? Hast not Thou made an hedge about him, and about his house, and about all that he hath on every side? Thou hast blessed the work of his hands, and his substance is increased in the land. But put forth Thine hand now, and touch all that he hath, and he will curse Thee to Thy face.’
“And Yahweh said unto Satan, ‘Behold, all that he hath is in thy power; only upon himself put not forth thine hand.’ So Satan went forth from the presence of Yahweh.” (Job 1:8-12)
Here we see exactly what Paul was talking about. Yahweh is proud of His servant, Job, just as He is proud of His Church. He says, “Behold, an upright people, that honor Me, and will keep my Law no matter what.” And Satan replies, “That is easy for You to say now, when they are blessed, and singing hymns, and listening to Bible studies. What happens when I stir up their former brethren against them, and bring the power of human laws against them, and threaten them with all manner of penalties? Surely then, they will turn away from You, compromise their principles, and give up the very name You have provided for them to identify themselves as Your people.” My inclusion of “the very name” here is not arbitrary. Remember, in the Bible a name always represents a character. If the character of love, and trust, and Sabbath peace, should turn to neutrality, and fear, and despair, the Church will have given up the “name” or character, of Yahweh already, and as a result of that will take down the banner, which is the actual, physical “name,” in this case “Seventh Day Adventist,” which has become “Creation Seventh Day Adventist.”
Consider what has happened. No individual, or organization, that once called itself “Seventh Day Adventist” under inspiration has ever given up that name for the sake of principle. They either concluded it was useless, no longer worth the effort, or a liability that could land them in prison. It was all because of giving up the character of Yahshua, replacing love, trust, and Sabbath peace with neutrality, fear, and despair. When the character is lost, the name is given up, because in spiritual things the name represents the character.
The people of Yahweh are now being tested, not on the English name “Creation Seventh Day Adventist,” or its translation into Spanish, Portuguese, Korean, or any other language. No, they are being tested on character, but just as losing the spirit of the Law leads one to physically break the commandments, so those who give up or fail to attain the character of Christ will also reject or remove the name that represents that character. When they trust in Yahweh, they will not be neutral about His instructions, nor will they fear man’s threats. They will be free to follow the Third Angel as a single, united, and denominated people. This is not a religion of works, but our works reveal our faith. (James 2:18) This is not a religion about a name, but those that fail to discern the name as a divine gift reveal that they have not understood the character of the One who provided it for us as a blessing, and a rebuke against those who keep it as a curse.
We enter into this judgment. Our Father is proud of us, and uses us as an example of what victory looks like in The Great Controversy. We are attacked mercilessly because of His love for us; but we are protected with perfect skill by our Father’s warriors and messengers. Like Moses, we learn meekness, and let our Father fight this battle for us, neither rising up in anger, nor murmuring complaints. We have Sabbath rest in this spotlight of judgment and conflict. We stand in the judgment of the living, being judged because we are alive, AND being judged AS “living” in this final separation of humanity into one of two types – the living and the dead, the saint and the sinner, the redeemed and the condemned. This is the judgment, the deciding, the separation, of the living from those who have not the Son, and thus have not life, in them.
We are blessed with patience, and with courage, so that we stand in the judgment, not only for the sake of our own souls, but so that like Yahshua, we will be lifted up to draw others unto Yahweh. Fortunately, none of us are scheduled for crucifixion… but there are sacrifices to be made, and danger to be endured, so that the Gospel will be properly expressed and taken to the world. Our Father does not put more on us in this than we can endure, and the temptation to think He does is one that must be rebuked with infinite zeal.
I will conclude with this thought: How did Job, whom I have mentioned as a “type” for the Church in this generation, overcome his trials in the end?
What does Yahweh invite Job to do in order to overcome his trial? After his friends spend many chapters trying to convince Job to accept a guilt he did not earn, exactly as the demons do to the Church’s members during the Time of Trouble, the Almighty finally speaks: “Then Yahweh answered Job out of the whirlwind, and said, ‘Who is this that darkeneth counsel by words without knowledge? Gird up now thy loins like a man; for I will demand of thee, and answer thou Me.’” (Job 38:1-3)
Yahweh then spends some time asking Job a spectacular series of questions. “Where were you when I created the earth? Can you command the sunrise? Do you control the stars and constellations? Can you call lightning? Do you feed the animals? Did you give the birds their wings, or the horses their strength? Look at this mighty creature, Behemoth. Can you tame him? Or can you catch the fire-breathing Leviathan on a fish hook?”
Job, after considering all these things, repents of his misunderstandings. He has not submitted to his friends’ judgments and sinned by cursing Yahweh, but neither did he have a perfect understanding of His place before the Creator. He confesses, “Who is he that hideth counsel without knowledge? Therefore have I uttered that I understood not; things too wonderful for me, which I knew not.” (Job 42:3)
Through his trial, Job has now learned meekness, and like Moses whom I have mentioned before, he is prepared to let the Almighty fight his battles for him, trusting in the protection of Yahweh. We have come around to this again, and it was the entire purpose of this book. Job has learned Sabbath rest, and is now prepared to overcome all challenges that lay before him by resting in the promises and protection of Yah. Job overcame his trial, of false accusations, attempts to accept unwarranted guilt, and suggestions to resent Yahweh for being subject to persecution, by thinking about, by considering, by observing, what Yahweh placed before him.
The last great trial takes place in the mind of the saint… in the processing of his thoughts. As I said last week, we have been given a Church to help us, as co-builders of our character and our Heavenly society, and it is all accomplished by following Yahweh’s instructions to Job: Think. Learn how to think like an angel, who has never fallen, who has always trusted in Yahweh, and who knows he can do all things by the power of the Word when given a commandment. Righteousness involves thinking the thoughts of the divine nature. Evil involves choosing not to think for one’s own redeemed self, but to accept a false thought, which comes from the flesh or a demon, not from the true, free self in Christ. Evil involves not thinking, not thinking correctly, not remembering Yahweh’s goodness to which we are restored, and rejecting the image of Yahweh. That is what this is about. Our thoughts, as they travel along the chain of character, ultimately determine our destiny. Thus, like Job, Yahweh tells us, “Behold. Consider. Think.” We overcome by processing our thoughts, and therefore sanctifying our minds.
Yahweh has held us up as a grand spectacle to the universe. He trusts us; or rather, He trusts His Son within us, to do always those things that please Him, to stand for principle rather than compromise, and to withstand the attacks of the Enemy. This we do, because He has shown us the invisible world, the world behind the veil, where His glory is always shining, where His power and courage rest upon us, and where love dwells, compelling us to stand in His judgment for our soul’s sakes, and more importantly for the souls of those who need to see with their own eyes what it looks like to be a son or a daughter of the Most High.
David.
An Enduring Witness
“Hold fast to the truth, the precious, sanctifying truth. You are then in the best of company, and the very highest intelligences are beholding your course of action. You are a spectacle to the world, to angels, and to men. Under provocation, your work is to hold the faith and a good conscience, ‘Which some having put away concerning faith have made shipwreck.’” [Ellen G. White, Letter 17, 1897]
“God’s people are now to have their eyes fixed on the heavenly sanctuary, where the final ministration of our great High Priest in the work of the judgment is going forward, where He is interceding for His people.” [Evangelism, pp. 222, 223]
“Patience as well as courage has its victories. By meekness under trial, no less than by boldness in enterprise, souls may be won to Christ. The Christian who manifests patience and cheerfulness under bereavement and suffering, who meets even death itself with the peace and calmness of an unwavering faith, may accomplish for the gospel more than he could have effected by a long life of faithful labor.” [Acts of The Apostles, p. 465]