|
|
||
|
|
|||
I’ve been thinking, since last Sabbath, about a quote shared by Sis. J in last week’s discussion session. It reads, “The heart of God yearns over His earthly children with a love stronger than death. In giving up His Son, He has poured out to us all heaven in one gift. The Saviour’s life and death and intercession, the ministry of angels, the pleading of the Spirit, the Father working above and through all, the unceasing interest of heavenly beings – all are enlisted in behalf of man’s redemption.” [Steps to Christ, p. 21]
For some reason that phrase, “stronger than death,” has stuck with me, and that it led to the pouring out of all of Heaven to humanity in “one gift.” The Scriptures speak about the power of death. We read, for example, “There is no man that hath power over the spirit to retain the spirit; neither hath he power in the day of death; and there is no discharge in that war; neither shall wickedness deliver those that are given to it.” (Ecc 8:8) “Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might; for there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave, whither thou goest.” (Ecc 9:10) “For the grave cannot praise Thee, death can not celebrate Thee; they that go down into the pit cannot hope for Thy truth.” (Isa 38:18)
Paul calls death “the last enemy,” (1Cor 15:26) and while he points out that it will ultimately be destroyed, while mortality lasts, it is the final end of every human being, with every few exceptions.
In the human experience, nothing we can encounter has a more profound impact on our lives as the end of it. As the verses from Ecclesiastes and Isaiah tell us, in death there is no will, no power, no ability to even know anything, much less to do anything. We are cut off even from the knowledge of Yahweh in our graves, and when Yahshua called out to Lazarus to resurrect him, (John 11:43) it was entirely by the power of Yahweh that the dead man was able to hear and respond.
Death is the darkness at the end of life to which nearly all, no matter their wealth, status, intellect, or cleverness, eventually come. No mortal strength can stand against it. No earthly precautions can defend us from it. And, contrary to the mindset of the modern man, death is not, at all, natural. It is not a part of life. It is not an inevitable result of living. It was never supposed to be. Death, as commonly as it is the fate of mortal man, was never supposed to exist. This is why death upsets people so much; those in the world comfort one another with fictions, because even they know that something is wrong, that this sorrowful event is never supposed to happen. It is an intruder into the once-perfect creation of our Father, and this is entirely the way in which we, as Christians, ought to understand it – as the “last enemy.”
This is of great significance for the last generation of saints, in particular the 144,000, for we may recall the way that Yahshua healed, and made people whole. “And when Yahshua departed thence, two blind men followed Him, crying, and saying, ‘Thou Son of David, have mercy on us.’ And when He was come into the house, the blind men came to Him, and Yahshua saith unto them, ‘Believe ye that I am able to do this?’ They said unto Him, ‘Yea, Lord.’ Then touched He their eyes, saying, ‘According to your faith be it unto you.’ And their eyes were opened; and Yahshua straitly charged them, saying, ‘See that no man know it.’” (Mat 9:27-30)
Yahshua is the Fountain, the Source of all divine power made available to man, but it is the righteous desire, the sanctified will, that directs that power to accomplish the Father’s work. Our Creator does not wish to dominate us, but to cooperate with us, and so He waits on our prayers. He blesses our efforts. He guides us to favorable out comes, and He rewards our faith. Those who are healed, are healed because they believe they must be healed by their Savior’s power. Those who cease from sin, they experience victory because they believe they must be set free according to Yahshua’s promises to them. Those who will stand before the Father without an intercessor, and yet remain whole, are able to do this because they must be accepted by He who gave His only begotten Son on their behalf. Those who will experience translation, going from mortality to immortality, who enter into everlasting life without seeing death, it is because they do not see death as a natural and inevitable part of their experience. Their faith does not concede that. They reject death as an enemy. They hate it with a perfect hatred, and rebuke it just as Yahshua rebuked storms, and diseases, and fig trees.
Perhaps you have wondered how Yahshua was able to rebuke these things, as the incidents were recorded in the Gospels. It is one thing to cast out a demon, for a demon is an intelligent being who can understand the words of chastisement… but fig trees and disease cannot understand, and storms are not even alive. Nevertheless, just as Lazarus had no power in him to hear the voice of Yahshua, being dead, so it does not require that which hears to understand. The power lies in the speaker. We have been told this from the very, very beginning. When Yahweh said, “Let their be light,” (Gen 1:3) the first spoken words in the Bible, to whom was He speaking? He was speaking to the void, the nothingness, the emptiness of uncreated space. And yet, “there was light” in response, as the verse concludes. The power, as we have said in other contexts, is in the Word. In Elijah resurrecting the widow’s son, (1Kings 17:17-23) in Yahshua resurrecting Lazarus, (John 11:43, 44) and in Yahweh resurrecting the Son, (Rom 6:4) the power lay in the speaker to rebuke death itself, to cast it away like a demon… and we who bear the Spirit of Christ in us have that very authority, that very power, to direct at our will, according to our faith, and rebuke death so that it shall not come over us.
But how do the 144,000 do this? How do they rebuke death? It is not as simple as speaking the words absent any context, because not all who will be saved will do so without passing through the grave, and we must always remember, even as we reject its power, that death is not a thing unto itself, like a demon is a being unto itself. Death is an effect; and like every effect, it has a cause.
Death is the result of sin – plain and simple. This does not mean that everyone who dies is guilty, directly, of the sin that has led to his own death. Last week, we saw Yahshua responding to His followers who, upon seeing a blind beggar, asked Him, “Master, who did sin, this man, or his parents, that he was born blind?” (John 9:2) While Yahshua corrected their perception that his immediate status was the result of sin, because this leads to judgmental attitudes toward the poor and disadvantaged, the truth is… a bit more nuanced. In reality, all who have ever died, have died because of sin. Because sin exists, death exists, and those who are claimed by death are only so claimed because of sin’s presence in the universe. The best way to point out that this is not a direct blaming of the victims is to note that Yahshua, who was guilty of no sin, died, and His death was brought about because of humanity’s collective sinful state.
My mother once told me that the reason she doesn’t like Jehovah’s Witnesses is because, shortly after her father died, a couple of their missionaries spoke with her, and told her that her father’s death was because of sin. Of course, I cannot tell what their tone was, or the specific circumstances of the conversation, but I suspect that they were trying, ineffectively it seems, to explain this very accurate principle. It is probably not a wise doctrine to teach in an attempt to relieve the grief of recent mourners, but it is necessary for a proper understanding of the Gospel. It is necessary to realize that Yahshua, by overcoming sin, also overcame death, with all its horrible power shown in the verses at the beginning of this study, and that is the reason why receiving “salvation” results in everlasting life.
Diseases exist because of sin. The infirmities of old age exist because of sin. Accidents have fatal results because of sin. The only thing, then, that can overcome death must attack, not death itself as an experience or a phenomenon, but its cause. As John the Baptist points out, to address anything effectively, we must lay the axe “unto the root of the trees;” (Mat 3:10) we must get to the cause, if we really want to deal with the effects. The root and cause of death – all death – is sin. The only thing that can overcome death is a defeat of sin itself, and this is precisely what we are told happened at the cross, and will happen in a manifest way for the saints when human probation, and the postponement of the judgment of demons (which are what has prolonged the existence and consequences of sin) is finally brought to its conclusion. We read of that time, “And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.” (Rev 20:14)
What could do that? What can overcome death by attacking its cause? What is the power that triumphed at the cross, and forms the foundation of the life of every saint? We have our answer in the words of inspiration, in that quote with which we began. It is love, and God’s love specifically, agape. This is stronger than death. This is the divine principle that causes people to labor, to sacrifice, to do their very best, for the good of another. It is not an emotional connection, although that is a part of the “blessing” of love. It is not a direct affectionate or familial connection, although that is often the circumstance in which love is designed to thrive. It is not a powerful impulse to please others, although it is our desire that those whom we love be happy.
This has become a confusing world. The principles of Babylon are prevalent. Because of that, what is – in truth – genuine love, may not always and immediately be perceived that way. This is not the fault of love, nor of the one who loves, but the fact that human minds are clouded and distracted, and often do not recognize what is the best for them.
It is because of this that we have such verses written: “Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous; nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby.” (Heb 12:11) Yahshua says, “As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten; be zealous therefore, and repent.” (Rev 3:19) These are descriptions of works of love. They are necessary because the natural condition of unconverted mankind is sinfulness, which makes them vulnerable to death, and the state of the world and universe tends to disorder, chaos and decay.
Even the best of saints occasionally needs to be corrected, because our goal is the fullness of the stature of Christ, and we have been born and raised in a world of sin. While in the new birth we are not committers of deliberate, conscious sin, we follow the instruction, “Wash you, make you clean; put away the evil of your doings from before Mine eyes. Cease to do evil, learn to do well; seek judgment, relieve the oppressed, judge the fatherless, plead for the widow.” (Isa 1:16, 17) Ceasing to do evil is an event, the result of justification. Learning to do well is a process, a walk of sanctification.
The Church at times may seem hesitant to take up the work of showing love in a way that facilitates sanctification. Reproof is not pleasant for the one who receives it or the one who administers it; but perhaps a different perspective will help to explain the importance, and desirability, of showing just this kind of love, this necessary kindness.
We are saving people from death. We are cutting away sin, the root of death, in the name of our Lord, whose agape is our motivating principle, and the breath and essence of our souls.
But here is a thought that may be new to you… I want you imagine that there are two worlds. The one factor that has truly determined our circumstances and destiny is the entrance of sin into the universe. Imagine, therefore, a world in which that one factor is different: sin never polluted our environment. We are born, we are taught the true and righteous principles of reality, we find our perfect calling in life, and we serve our Creator eternally, our talents, skills and inclinations perfectly adapted to our purpose. We find joy in all of our work, and our experience is pleasure unmixed with pain, sorrow, or discontent.
Now, imagine yourself existing in such a world such as this. Picture it as clearly as you can. See yourself standing peacefully in the light of unlimited holiness as you go about your endless, and endlessly rewarding, routines. Now, I want you to understand that the character of this “you” in the sinless state, the nature of your spirit, and soul, and being, is the gift that you have received from the Father and the Son. When you are converted, when you are transformed from sinner to saint, from one destined for death to one destined for life, you are given the fullness of Yahshua, all of His Spirit, as a gift and a guarantee of the glorified life to come in the restoration.
The “you” that you are in Christ is the “you” that you are meant to be, and that you were always meant to be. You are the “you” that is free, truly and entirely free, from the dominion of death, and over whom it cannot have any power. That is the “you” that you are now, having accepted Yahshua into your heart, and while we live in a world of sin, the reality is that we belong to that other, better world, and for this reason we are different than those around us. We must learn what it means to live in this world, having been transported here from there, and so we must be taught to think, speak, and act, according to our true nature, but all that we need, and all that we need to be, Christ has made us by His Spirit. Yahshua came down from Heaven, a perfect place, to show us what we are like as citizens of a perfect place. That is the result of His victory over sin, and of His Spirit dwelling within us.
A tree cannot grow without its root. No tree can bear fruit when it is cut off from its source of nutrition. Therefore, without sin, death has no power and it will wither and die, ultimately being cast into the fire at the time of the final judgment. When nothing that can die exists, death itself is overcome.
For human beings, those filled with the character and spirit of Christ are such as these. We read, “Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for His Seed remaineth in him, and he cannot sin, because he is born of God.” (1John 3:9) Whenever you read “sin,” you may also insert its direct consequence, death. We may then, accurately, read, “Whosoever is born of God doth not die; for His Seed remaineth in him, and he cannot die, because he is born of God.” If you think this goes a step too far, or is in any way an improper understanding of this verse consider what Yahshua Himself said. “Yahshua said unto her, ‘I am the resurrection, and the life; he that believeth in Me, though he were dead, yet shall he live, and whosoever liveth and believeth in Me shall never die. Believest thou this?’” (John 11:25, 26)
What is true for all believers in the spirit, is true for the saints of this last generation in every possible sense. The love of God, by destroying sin, destroys and overcomes death. It does so because it is stronger than death, and not only at His will, but at the will of all who speak on His behalf. Yahshua said, “It is the spirit that quickeneth, the flesh profiteth nothing. The words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.” (John 6:63) But what words do we speak? What life do we live? We speak the words of Yahshua; of everyone it is written, “of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaketh.” (Luke 6:45) We live the life of Yahshua, as it is written: “I am crucified with Christ, nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me.” (Gal 2:20) The words we speak, therefore, are spirit and life. Those who hear us have heard the Son, and those who have heard the Son have heard the Father. We are about our Father’s business; we reveal His agape love to the world and within the Church, both when it is pleasant to do so, and when it is not.
The application of this principle is an obvious one. We are called to live in the atmosphere of Heaven, which is the atmosphere of life, the atmosphere of freedom from death. Our words, our actions, our decisions, reflect holy and high principles. They harmonize with, and indeed, promote and proclaim, the Law and Love of Yahweh. The world cannot understand this. The nominal Christians who do not have the 3 Angels’ Message, and its proper interpretation of victory, purity, and unity, do not understand this. We are called to teach them. We are called to show them.
All the time, on Facebook, and indeed everywhere, I see confusion, I see carnality, I see a focus on the wrong things… and online this is among the Christian, even Adventist, pages and forums. They are running around like sheep without a Shepherd, raging against the Trinity, blasting the eating of meat, being for or against the keeping of Biblical feasts, promoting this or that pet doctrine… and should it be suggested to them that it is Christ and Him crucified that is important, and must be taught first, and must always be the center, there is anger, there is a violent reaction. They see this attempt at a correction of their course as an attack against the work that God Himself has set before them to do. They will hear no reason, they will hear no better way. They do not want to accept that the commandments of God, and the faith of Yahshua, are the only true standard of Christian character. Without these, and a commitment to a life of perfect victory, and a covenant with Yahweh and His people, no “work,” no doctrinal position, will make the slightest difference between whether or not an individual is saved. They are literally wasting their time, and worse, diluting the impact of the Gospel on sinners, when they focus on matters that, in the words of James White, “constitute no test of fitness for Heaven.” [Review and Herald, October 12, 1876]
The commandments of God, and the faith of Yahshua, are the spiritual heartbeat of the “you” from that perfect, parallel world that has never known sin. We are given that very spirit, but it is also true that we are not given the experience, the history of growing up in a world that has never witnessed transgression. And so we learn, we grow, we receive correction, even rebuke, with contentment, because it is guiding us to that perfect and balanced experience that our divine characters are designed to manifest through us.
We are heralds, as I once called us, of the coming Son of Yahweh. We are agents, messengers, prophets, angels… all these words are appropriate. We are ambassadors and representatives of He whose power is stronger than death, and that draws us together in an unbreakable covenant that will cause this spiritual nation to shine when the Savior returns, and will shine as the light of agape into the universe for all the ceaseless ages to come.
David.
An Enduring Witness
“The miracle which Christ was about to perform, in raising Lazarus from the dead, would represent the resurrection of all the righteous dead. By His word and His works He declared Himself the Author of the resurrection. He who Himself was soon to die upon the cross stood with the keys of death, a conqueror of the grave, and asserted His right and power to give eternal life.” [The Desire of Ages, p. 530]
“The whole universe will have become witnesses to the nature and results of sin. And its utter extermination, which in the beginning would have brought fear to angels and dishonor to God, will now vindicate his love and establish his honor before a universe of beings who delight to do his will, and in whose heart is his law. Never will evil again be manifest. Says the Word of God, ‘Affliction shall not rise up the second time.’ [Nahum 1:9] The law of God, which Satan has reproached as the yoke of bondage, will be honored as the law of liberty. A tested and proved creation will never again be turned from allegiance to Him whose character has been fully manifested before them as fathomless love and infinite wisdom.” [The Great Controversy (1888 Edition), p. 504]
“Take the word of God as the man of your counsel. In the home live out the teachings of the word. Then you will live them out in the church and will take them with you to your place of business. The principles of heaven will ennoble all your transactions. Angels of God will cooperate with you, helping you to reveal Christ to the world.” [Counsels for The Church, p. 145]